Strange Tales - Hardcover

*Starred Review* A truly strange anthology indeed, this excellent collection gathers some of the top names in alternative comics and unleashes them on the Marvel universe. Similar to the DC parodies in Bizarro Comics (2002), these fresh takes on Marvel’s classic characters include some weird, humorous, often psychedelic results. Among the off-kilter best are Dr. Strange’s psychic battle at a diner over a poisoned bowl of soup, by Dash Shaw (BodyWorld, 2010); the oddly touching rework of the Hulk as a grumpy child, by James Kochalka (American Elf); autobiographical true-farceur Jeffrey Brown re-imagining the Fantastic Four as a group of bored pranksters; a restrained Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comix) envisioning the Punisher telling an at-risk youth to stay in school—or else; and droll genre parodist Jason making anthropomorphic animals out of Spider-Man and Doc Octopus getting into a bar fight. Though longtime alt-comics fans will be thrilled to see Peter Bagge’s “lost comic” The Incorrigible Hulk finally in print, the real winner here is Maakies creator Tony Millionaire’s completely whacked Iron Man adventure: the troubled hero (Millionaire would pick a reformed alcoholic) goes head-to-head with the nefarious Baloney-Head and his sidekick, Liver-Wurst Face (with a surprise appearance by Dwight D. Eisenhower!). Weird and totally unique, Strange Tales is like seeing your favorite heroes and villains in a fun-house mirror, with the emphasis on fun. --Carlos Orellana