World Comic Book Review

27th March 2024

Separated at Birth: the beetle-browed villains of American comic books

The Free Dictionary provides a definition of “beetle-browed”:

[Middle English bitel-brouwed , having grim brows, sullen, perhaps from bitil, betil, bug, beetle (from the resemblance of a pair of thick eyebrows to the tufted antennae of a cockchafer); see beetle1, or from bitel, sharp (probably from Old English *bitol, biting, from Old English bite, bite); see bit2 + brouwed (from brow, brow; see brow).]

Beetle-browed villains in comic books visually convey malevolence through a deep scowl. The remarkable similarity between some of these characters, though, extends beyond their visages. These villains also are very heavy-set, often donned in armour, frequently (but not exclusively) capable of projecting explosive forces from their hands, are alien, and seem born to rule. The examples we have listed below are the most obvious.

In the images below, we have deliberately not identified which character is which and modified the images to greyscale. The similarities are remarkable.

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Swine Before Pearls: Pugad Baboy

Pugad Baboy
May 15, 1988 – Jun 4, 2013
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Author: Pol Medina, Jr.

Pol Medina Jr.’s “Pugad Baboy” (lit. “Pig’s Nest”) is one of the most successful comic strips in the Philippines in terms of revenue and influence. The series started in one of the country’s established daily broadsheets, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, on May 18, 1988. It gained enough popularity to warrant a successful line of merchandise, yearly compilations, full-sized comic book spin-offs, and even a star-studded live action TV series (which, unfortunately, failed to see commercial success).

The comic strip is set in a fictional Filipino community, with focus revolving around several families:

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Snotgirl #1 (review)

Snotgirl #1 (review)
(Image Comics, July 2016)
Writer: Brian Lee O’Malley

“Snotgirl” is a new ongoing series from writer Brian Lee O’Malley, known for the highly successful action comedy comic title “Scott Pilgrim”. The title concerns the lead character Lottie Person, who is struggling with allergies that give her a runny nose at inopportune moments.

Like “Scott Pilgrim”, “Snotgirl” seems to be geared towards teenagers and twenty-somethings, but the main difference is that instead of videogames and geek culture, it focuses on the world of “fashion blogging.” The comic introduces Lottie Person as a quasi-famous fashion blogger living in downtown Los Angeles. She hangs around schoolmates and friends who are also prominent in the fashion blogging scene.

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Imaginary Stocks To Buy (a musing)

Imaginary Stocks To Buy
An investment review of the fictional corporations of comic books and manga
DG Stewart, 18 July 2016

In 2011, Forbes, a business magazine, listed the twenty-five fictional companies out of the realm of comic books and manga, there were only three that made the cut in Forbes’ list:

a. Wayne Enterprises (published by DC Comics), partly-owned by Bruce Wayne (also known as Batman), worth $31.3 billion and number 11 on the list

imaginary stocks 1

b. Stark Industries (published by Marvel Comics), partly owned by technological savant Iron Man (Tony Stark), at number 16 on the list, worth $20.3 billion

imaginary stocks 2

c. Oscorp, owned by one of Spider-Man’s many adversaries (published by Marvel Comics) valued at a mere $3.1 billion and ranked at number 23 on the list.

imaginary stocks 3

But this review omitted many companies that would be worthy of investment if they were actually in existence. Some of these are very large indeed and would appear to be trading very profitably by one means or another.

The list below assumes that you have an appetite for investing in weapons manufacturers and high tech companies. If you are looking to diversify your imaginary stock portfolio into agribusiness or into property developers, then this selection of fictional corporate behemoths probably is not for you.

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