2. Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a hilarious parody of martial arts films and another classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Scatman Crothers voiced the titular protagonist, a hapless janitor who doubled as a crimefighting martial artist superhero. The comedy of the show stems from how rubbish Hong Kong Phooey is as a hero, leaping into a filing cabinet to leap out in a mask and dressing gown, and when he goes to stop the criminals, he has to stop to consult his book of martial arts to perform the right manoeuvre. And while he is doing this, the villain just seems to stop and let him while Phooey’s cat buddy Spot actually beat the badguy, with Phooey just assuming he did it with the karate move he picks. It’s a brilliant comedy routine and makes Hong Kong Phooey quite memorable.
1. The Tick
SPOOOOON! I admit I’ve never watched this show, but come on. There are parodies of superheroes, and then there is The Tick, which is entirely dedicating to pointing a finger at the whole genre and laughing forever. Based on the comics by Ben Edlund (also known for writing many of the greatest episodes of Supernatural), the show is about a strange but justice-obsessed superhero of unknown origins who arrives in The City to fight crime. He is a well-intentioned and friendly guy, but lacks an understanding of just about everything and has a habit of shouting out random catchphrases and funny quips. His sidekick is Arthur, a more conscientious guy who is a former accountant and wears a moth outfit. The Tick possesses great super strength that bring a lot of destructive humour, and something called “drama power” which increases his powers depending on how dramatic a situation is. Other characters include American Maid, who is the most competent of the cast; superhero wuss extraordinaire Die Fledermaus; Sewer Urchin, the Aquaman parody who lives in a luxurious sewer apartment; and supervillains like Chainsaw Vigilante who thinks all heroes are self-interested meddlers, and Chairface Chippendale, who has a chair for a face and wants to be infamous for vandalising things with his face. A very entertaining and funny show, The Tick is the ultimate superhero parody.
Below is the comments section that flaps in the night. It is the place where you can place your dynamic posts! Were these good choices, and what other ones could be added to the list? Sound off below and then randomly shout out “SPOON!”
