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The 5 Most Insane Celebrity Comic Book Cameos

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#1.
Muhammad Ali in Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978)

The most iconic boxer of all time versus the most iconic superhero of all time sounds like a knockout of guilty pleasure kitsch. Sure, the writer has to devise some excuse for Superman to throw the match. Nobody wanted to watch Superman punch a ragged hole in Ali's torso, as he could so easily do.

Where it goes wrong ...
Given the comic's title, you would think Muhammad Ali is ostensibly the hero of the piece. Sadly, the boxer spends most of the comic getting in Superman's way. The comic opens with Clark Kent bumping into Muhammad Ali, who is inexplicably schooling a cadre of 12-year-olds in a game of basketball.

For no apparent reason, a malevolent alien overlord then appears and challenges the entire Earth to a death match. Superman volunteers to fight on Earth's behalf, but Ali, being the egomaniac that he is, ignores the invaders and challenges Superman to a fistfight.

Ali's boast reminds the forgetful aliens that they possess Superman-depowering technology. Had Ali kept his goddamn mouth shut for another 30 seconds, Superman would have tossed the alien armada into a black hole, and this comic would be mercifully over in three more panels.

After a training montage or two, Super Cracker whisks Ali off to the fight, where The Greatest of All Time waxes poetic on intergalactic aviation with the dignity only a team of white writers can bestow upon a great black man.

The fight is the comic's most egregious problem. Despite being called "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali," the two of them never actually fight. Bundini Brown, Ali's cornerman, disguises himself as Superman in order to allow the real Superman, who is dressed as Bundini, to infiltrate the invaders.

Unfortunately for Bundini, this plan involves Ali beating him unconscious in front of a billion jeering aliens. Unfortunately for Superman, this plan involves dressing up in blackface.

Yeah, that's the kind of PR mistake you have to save the Earth four or five times to make up for.

And to make things worse ...
The comic continues along an equally insane, yet predictable, trajectory until the last couple pages. Superman saves the world and Muhammad Ali loudly asserts his own greatness to no one in particular. The last batshit twist comes when Ali deduces Superman's secret identity.

To put this ridiculousness in perspective, Lex Luthor, the smartest supervillain in DC Comics, has spent the last 60-plus years trying to figure out Superman's secret identity. Muhammad Ali, though bright for a boxer, still made a living getting punched in the head.

If you liked that, you'll probably enjoy our look at Pop Culture's Top 5 Fictional Mayors. Then, drop by this week's photoshop contest, where you can see this week's best entries before everyone else, or submit your own comic genius and win 5000 pennies.





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82 Comments

I own a Superman from the mid-1950's in which Perry Como is the guest star and steals Lois' heart from the Man of Steel. Uh-huh, up against a big tough, well muscled hunk like Perry Como, Superman didn't stand a chance. After all, Como could sing and had gold records and all. What could Superman do?

Posted on 8/13/2008 5:51:46 AM

YO read this shit when your high

Posted on 8/10/2008 1:22:23 AM

Is it weird that I'd love to see John Walsh have his own comic-book series? At least he'd be kind of understandable--him being like Batman, sans all the cool batgadgets. At the moment.

Posted on 8/2/2008 11:42:32 AM

DON’T MISS OUT THIS ONE!!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE AND ENJOY IT
http://www.subhehogayimamu.com/?um=133

Posted on 7/14/2008 6:48:28 AM

Kid: "You shoot baskets as good as you punch, champ"

LOL

Posted on 7/7/2008 10:09:57 PM

princess diana sorta looks like hillary clinton. coincidence, or CONSPIRACY!?!

Posted on 6/17/2008 5:37:16 AM

http://bux.to/?r=Requin join and earn money to buy comics

Posted on 6/10/2008 7:24:37 AM

It's funny also how a comic company will also cameo their heroes in other series they produce.

Remember Spidey in Ren & Stimpy, where he fought against Powdered Toast Man?

Or better yet, when Superman and the JLA met Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes thanks to a mischievous imp and a Dodo from Wackyland?

Even more hilarious is when comic companies used to put their readers into stories as a grand prize for a contest.

Especially since nobody knew who the hell they were, except their friends and family.

Yes, Jay probably wanted a spin-off into his own comic. Though one comic I still miss is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Posted on 5/26/2008 7:04:57 PM

I have viewed many hooott videos and photos at +++++++++++++(((((((((___ I n t i m a t e m i n g l e. c o m___ )))++++++ where many fans are together, also i met kinds of black and white single men who are hunger for true love online :)

Posted on 5/26/2008 12:45:36 AM

Princess Di? IN THE X-MEN? (Proceeds to piss self laughing)

Posted on 5/12/2008 5:04:36 PM

drake

i told you guys (2001) to team up with snl! also i liked batman meets jerry (jerry lewis november 1966)

Posted on 3/26/2008 9:57:41 AM

unknown

Jay Leno was probably hoping for a spinoff series that would move funny books into a new realm similar to Silver Age comic books that featured comedians like Phil silvers, Bobo Hope, and Jerry Lewis in monthly adventures.

Posted on 3/26/2008 5:24:14 AM

Anon

I surprised you guys didn't mention Charles Barkley Vs Godzilla.

Posted on 3/25/2008 7:12:12 PM

j

Actually the net was kind of a world wide invention, while it's first public use was in Europe, it did have some roots in the U.S. military system ARPANET.

Posted on 3/25/2008 7:37:03 AM

Hillary's depiction was totally unrealistic in the 1993 comic. 1. She appears modestly doable---if you were a bit hammered, that is
2. Ankles are too thin.
On the other hand, she is a comic book character with no actual personality, so that's kinda accurate...

Posted on 3/22/2008 10:44:58 AM

no

Hey HumDrum, how about this:
«In 1989 Tim Berners-Lee, a graduate of Oxford University, England, invented the World Wide Web, an internet-based hypermedia initiative for global information sharing while at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. He wrote the first web client and server in 1990. His specifications of URIs, HTTP and HTML were refined as Web technology spread.»

Web was invented in Europe, by a European.
Oh well, score one for watermelon head foreigners.
And I don't see what is PC in wanting things to be «multicultural» on the web.
I could also insult you in French if you want less PCness.

Posted on 3/21/2008 8:00:57 AM

Aaron

President Reagan appeared in a lot of DC comics during the mid-1980's, especially in the Legends mini-series, where he and his cabinet played a major role.

Posted on 3/20/2008 8:27:39 PM

Prince Charles

That cover picture of Diana is quite lifelike. She's got her legs spread wide.

Posted on 3/20/2008 4:56:14 PM

Chris

...or maybe ".com" is for the U.S. 'cause we started the web? It was our network between our national universities that one day evolved into the internet today.

Posted on 3/20/2008 4:43:10 PM

BumDrum

you're a great advert for your country HumDrum. ever wondered why the world is sick of america? look no further than HumDrum here

Posted on 3/20/2008 12:55:40 PM

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