NFL Superpro
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NFL Superpro was a short-lived comic by Marvel Comics, produced in collaboration with the NFL, written by Fabian Nicieza. It started 1991 and ended after 12 issues The hero of this comic is Phil Grayfield, an ex-NFL-football player who survived a freak accident and wears a near-indestructible football uniform.
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[edit] Outline
Nicieza wrote a story centering aroung Phil Grayfield, once an aspiring football player. His career ended when he saved a child from falling and suffered a horrific knee injury. He became a reporter and interviewed an eccentric football superfan, who happened also to be a scientist. This scientist designed a new, almost indestructible football uniform, which has to be molded on an "individual basis" and costs five million dollars to construct — so is "worth a fortune".
Suddenly interrupting the interview, thieves raid the eccentric's house, overwhelm the two of them, steal a vanload of NFL merchandise (but strangely not the uniform), and torch the building. Grayfield, who is tied up, knocks over experimental chemicals, which — in combination with the fire and diverse ultra-rare football souvenirs going up in flames — do not incinerate him, but turn him into a near-invincible superhero.
Grayfield puts on the eccentric's football uniform, thus notably not bringing his million-dollar suit back to him, and brings the villains to justice and dedicates his life to fighting crime.
[edit] Reception
Due to cliched plotting, stock characters, bad plots and cheesy in-fight references to American Football, NFL Superpro has been widely panned as one of the worst comics in recent Marvel Comics history, becoming an Ed Wood-type cult object. In the #1 issue alone, Nicieza writes a story riddled with plot holes, such as letting Grayfield put on the super uniform despite establishing "it was molded on an individual basis", not explaining why the thieves incinerate "priceless" NFL merchandise instead of stealing it, and ignoring that Grayfield was morally obliged to give back the uniform after bringing the looters to justice, making a thief of the supposed superhero.
In 2005, the Chicago Sports Review called it "perhaps the worst comic book ever created". [1]
Fabian Nicieza, who as of 2006 is one of the top writers at Marvel Comics, admits he wrote the story basically to gain free NFL tickets. He states that even after 15 years, he still receives flak for his comic [2].
Furthermore, NFL Superpro #6 had to be pulled from the shelves because it contained racist content. It pictured Native American Hopis as backwards and hateful [3].
[edit] Supporting characters
[edit] The Happy Campers
The Happy Campers were four ordinary citizens turned superheroes after undergoing a treatment by the scientist Carragone. Carragone built a ray cannon that was supposed to turn people into superheroes. They were Greyfield's allies.
- Almighty Dollar, aka Pennington Pennypacker, who could shoot pennies from his hands
- Calculator, aka Kwong Dae, a Korean super-thinker
- Girth, aka 'Tubby' Walsh, an obese African-American with a belly immune to physical punishment
- Streak, aka Frank Moody, a super-fast runner
[edit] Villains
- Quick Kick, a football placekicker turned ninja
- Bennings, a footballer turned into an insane giant by steroid abuse
- Instant Replay, the assassin who can slice through time
- Marco Sanzionare, a crime boss whose dealings are constantly thwarted by Superpro
