I was reading my Essential Man-Thing trade this morning and came across just the kind of absurdity that I love in the old Man-Thing stories. Not to mention some helpful tips that I’m pretty sure most people have never considered before. Take this example from Adventure Into Fear #19:
Make note: When you eat some peanut butter, make sure that when you leave the room you close the jar. And tightly at that. Why, you may ask? Drawing bugs? Not hardly. The oh-so-helpful reason is that a warrior from another dimension just may pay you a rather unexpected visit!
Observe:
So a warrior forming himself out of peanut butter!
Bet you never thought of that. And unfortunately due to the thickness of the trade, the panel in the upper right of the last pic is fairly hard impossible to read. But you should be thankful–as the narrator quieried, “Is this a jar of peanut butter!? OR—is it a jar of MAN!!?”
I found that last line fairly disturbing. And so ends the helpful comic kitchen tip for today.
Whoa.
So, being unfamiliar with Man-Thing, I’m guessing this was played entirely tongue-in-cheek? Because “Born from a jar of peanut butter” is not exactly the most dignified origin for a hero or villain. Plus there’s the very peanutty aroma that will inevitably linger about, and that just ain’t right.
El Santo: There is no dignity in a book that introduced Howard the Duck, is there?
That’s just what makes those old books so great.