Normalman

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Although a formatting rule requires that the N in the article's name be capitalized,the name is properly written normalman.

normalman is a limited series created by Jim Valentino. It began in November,1983 as a four page story in Cerebus # 56 and # 57 before being launched as a full color 12 issue series which was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim before moving to Deni Loubert's Renegade Press. There was also a crossover with Journey.

The story of normalman would conclude in normalman 3D Annual #1. The series spoofed many comic book companies per issue. The series was first collected in trade paperback by Slave Labor Graphics. Recently, a new trade paperback which included several followups was published by Image Comics. Both trades are in black and white.

[edit] Overview

On the planet Arnold, a junior CPA had come to the conclusion that Arnold would explode in eight hours. In a take on the origin of Superman, the junior CPA built a rocket ship to launch his infant son into deep space. No sooner had he done so, however, that he discovered that Arnold was not going to explode after all, causing his distraught wife to shoot him down. Twenty years later,the rocket carrying the now grown baby ended up crashing into an Earth-like planet called Levram (Marvel spelled backwards), populated entirely by super powered people. Because he had no superpowers of any kind, the locals dubbed him "normalman".

Most of the superpowered inhabitants of Levram were disposed to violence ("fight scenes") and normalman (or "norm" for short) sought a way to leave Levram for good and return to Arnold. His allies in this endeavor were the powerful but dimwitted Captain Everything, the battle ready Sgt. Fluffy, agent of S.C.H.M.U.C.K. (which stood for nothing in particular), and the beautiful Sophisticated Lady who would become the love of his life. normalman had gained an enemy in the Ultra Conservative who saw him as a threat to Levram's status quo. A mysterious woman calling herself the Countess of Monte Crisco (who debuted in a later issue) had plans of her own regarding normalman.