Not Brand Echh #3

Marvel's irreverent 1967 humor anthology turns its satirical sights on the House of Ideas' biggest names in this "Big Batty Origin Issue," promising the hilariously mangled backstories of Charlie America, the Inedible Bulk, and the Mighty Sore — with a deadpan warning that you'll be sorry you asked. Marie Severin's cover art captures the chaos perfectly: a hammer-swinging Sore leaps overhead while a battered Charlie America and a snarling green Bulk tangle below, with a clothesline of oddly familiar super-gear hanging nearby for good measure. At just 12 cents, Not Brand Echh #3 is Marvel poking gleeful fun at itself, and this issue makes a strong case that a comic book doesn't have to be good to be a very good time.