The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains: Featuring the 50 Strangest Supervillains in the History of Comics

by Jon Morris

Special 5x8 inch small-sized edition, a October, 2016 LootCrate Exclusive, is an abbreviated edition with 124 pages. Every hero needs a villain. But not all villains are dangerous-some are incompetent, comical, or just . . . weird. In his follow-up to The League of Regrettable Superheroes, author Jon Morris presents over a hundred of the strangest, most stupefying supervillains to ever see print in comics. Meet D-list rogues like Brickbat (choice of weapon: poisonous bricks), Robbing Hood (steals from the poor to give to the rich), Swarm (a crook made of bees; Nazi bees), and many more. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains affectionately and hilariously profiles oddball criminals from the history of comics.

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Reference, Humor, Superheroes, Science Fiction Fantasy

125 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2016

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a companion to The League of Regrettable Superheroes; this time fifty of the most lame or silly or illogical Z-list bad guys from comics' history are featured. Each villain has a brief biography with a cover or a page or two from their appearances in comic books to represent their career. Morris occasionally drifts into mean-spirited mockery, but for the most part it's a fun and entertaining look at some of the more bizarre and obscure characters from historical sequential art. (Kind of like MST3K, except for its comics.) I was most amazed at some of the legendary writers and artists who had created some of the lamest minions of evil; Binder (several times), Frazetta (yeah, -that- one!), Eisner, Elwood, Haney, Lee, Kirby, Siegel, Simon, Lieber, Adams, Giffen, Baron, Romita, and Byrne all represented. Here you can learn about Praying Mantis Man, The Jingler, Seaweed Queen, The Bog Beast, Round Robin, The Phantom of the Penitentiary, Doctors Dracula and Voodoo, and lots of killer apes. (Not including Grodd, strangely enough.) Not to mention The Roach Wrangler. And Reefer King. My favorite was Lepus the Fiend, an opponent of Buzz Crandall of the Space Patrol. As I found with the previous volume, I found that I was interested in reading some of the full adventures of some of the characters, and also that I did not agree with all of the choices. Batman and Aquaman faced some pretty silly and weak adversaries in the '50s, and MODOK and The Scarlet Beetle are not lame, F.O.O.M.!

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps my mistake was that in reading and enjoying Jon Morris’ s The League of Regrettable Superheroes, I thought the humor would extend to cover The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains: Featuring the 50 Strangest Supervillains in the History of Comics. Instead, it was a one joke gag that could not be maintained into more books. There is some good comic book history, but real fans can find better, more complete info elsewhere. Morris is too committed to poorly constructed classes of villeins and jokey hokey alliteration. He does not take his villeins seriously and many of them are weak. Bottom line is there is little to hold this book together, and this is the more fatal if this is not your first of this series of similarly themed ”Regrettable” books.

Among the things that stood out was that the earliest comics, the so-called silver age combined terrible art work with a crushing need for ever more and too often more regrettable bad guys. As Regrettable Superheroes made clear, many of the good guys were barely thought out, and logically the best thinking had to go into making them credible. The bad guys were routinely imprisoned, killed off or not readily available for ongoing use, so they had to be a lot of them. Each more rushed and more nonsensical than the last.
This and these books were never intended to be taken seriously . Making serious analysis, .. gotta say it.. regrettable. For me the joke wore off. My recommendation is to pick one of the titles and then no more.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading this and learning about quite a few obscure (to me) villains from the Golden Age of comics (and beyond).

I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more of these books. So informative and interesting!

[Angela Blount · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would make an interesting conversation piece for the more hardcore comic book fans out there. (For me, it made for an above-average hospital waiting room diversion.)

Featuring 50 2-page spreads (one info and one imagery), it isn’t an exhaustive work. But it does span a wide range of comic sources, picking out highlights from The Golden Age (1938-1949), The Silver Age (1950-1969) and The Modern Age (1970-Present) of comics. Particularly ludicrous villains include:

*Brickbat
*Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
*The Human Flying Fish
*SATAN
*The Generic Man
*The Roach Wrangler

My personal favorite: *The Jingler
An evil poet. (Weapons of choice include: Homicidal haiku; sinister sonnets; and *gasp* limericks.)

Pros: Niche historical quirkiness, frequent panel examples, an abundance of puns, and sarcastic footnotes.

Cons: Painfully small font, limited selection, an abundance of puns, and… What, no Condiment King ?!

While this isn’t as pretty of a coffee table read as I might have liked, it was certainly good for a few chuckles. Here’s hoping they increase the size of the print in future editions.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Companion to The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History this is a humorous look at oddball villains of comics throughout history.

It does good job of getting a wide array of villains. Pretty much the whole history of the medium is covered. All sorts of villains, from Evil Apes, and a genuine Dictator of Uranus, to the actually quite popular Marvel oddball Villain Modak, there is lots to read about.

Now this doesn't go incredibly into depth about each villain. It offers mostly a funny take and a brief page to deal with their details. I find this is enough for me, it gives me a wide range of characters I could later investigate more if I so chose.

The one downfall is that the Loot Crate exclusive version I read is in fact an abridged version. I feel a little bummed out I didn't get the whole book which boats even more villains. That said, I guess I can't argue for the price.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every great superhero needs great villains to fight. What would Superman be without Lex Luthor? Batman and the Joker? Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus? Of course, not every villain makes the grade, and here are a bunch who definitely failed. From Reefer King to the Roach Wrangler, there's a trail of characters guaranteed to make you wonder "what were they thinking?" Jon Morris's sarcastic notes merely reinforce that wonder. Enjoyable goofiness. (And I was surprised to discover how many of these characters I'd previously encountered - and forgotten!)

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat little book of silly and weird supervillains from the 1930s through today. Most of the book is dedicated to Golden Age villains, which are certainly among the oddest, although I expected to see more Silver Age baddies than we got. This is ultimately just a novelty book, but it a fun read anyway. (B)

[Josh Trice · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a very fun, and brisk book! Full of laughable and sometimes intriguing ideas from comics past, I just with the book contained a little more commentary on the history of comics than it does.

Great for comic or supervillain fans!

[G. Edweird Cheese · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good. a look at comic book villains that I never heard of, for good reason. a nice little read to pass the time.

[max · Rating 2 out of 5]

For future Max: In summary, this book is a catalogue-esc non-fiction book listing some of the worst/forgotten-about supervillains in comics.

I think I will assign this book the smell of the inside of a plane. Sometimes, on a plane journey, you get random boosts of energy from the nice view out of the window. But, for most of it, you zone out completely. That was my experience reading this. But even the view, the comic book covers shown next to a description of the villains, wasn't all that interesting to me. This book isn't bad necessarily, it just isn't for me. I didn't take a huge interest in the retelling of the villains' stories and what happens to them except a few, but I did enjoy the side comments making jabs at their ridiculous names and powers. I also got a kick out of the idea of taking a photo of 'Generic Man' and sending it to my friend Jack and asking if it is him. Other than that, this book didn't inspire much in me unfortunately.

[Jeff Siperly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a big big comic book fan.
The Archie comics I did buy a lot. And I’d buy ones of lesser known superhero teams. Those mini-digests.

But this book was FUNNY!! It’s crazy what peoples’ imaginations came up with. And the dialogue is hysterical. The easy way to get out of fixes .

The author’s asides? Not so funny. Sometimes you just need to let the material do its thing. That’s enough.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting to hear of all the different villains throughout the ages. And how the minds of the creators made them.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

quirky fun

[tony dillard jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains is a celebration of the most unusual, oddball super-villains to ever be put to 4-color print. Well, almost. This book has been on my wish list for quite some time. I just never got it for myself or as a gift. Then one day at a thrift store, I found this: the Loot Crate Edition.


This edition of only focuses on 50 awfully crafted baddies. (More like 60 if you count a couple of sections that focus on multiple adversaries of similar theme.) The regular edition is much bigger, covering roughly 150 entries.


Despite the size of the book, I couldn't pass it up eitherway. The thrift store price was certainly right at only $1! I finally decided that I would read this digest version in order to decide if I should go for the full Monty.


I'm actually glad I went the way I did. The author Jon Morris, is considered a comic book historian with a long running blog devoted to forgotten comic books and their characters. While I enjoyed his factual narrative, sometimes Morris got just a little too tongue in cheek at times with some very corny jokes.


I also managed to get the Loot Crate Edition of his companion piece, The League of of Regrettable Superheroes, for that sweet price of $1. I'm only a few pages into it. But it reads in a more serious tone that is more delightful to read.


While I doubt that the full edition of The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains is due to become a part of my collection, (unless I find it for a tremendous bargain), I plan on keeping this book. There's a lot of excellent information in here and as a comic book historian myself, this will make a potentially good reference book for future readings, reviews and composition of articles. I just wish that the commentary was a little more dry.

[Alex Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book in the October loot crate of this year, and was the only thing in the box worth it to me, I love comics, and their history, so I enjoyed seeing some heroes and (the focus of the book) villains, that have been lost to time.

Most of the villains get a few pages, so it's great in the fact that you don't have large chapters, and for most you couldn't write a lot because there's not a lot to say. Some bad guys had short lives and where written out, killed, or jailed to never be seen again.

Some villains mentioned are still around, like MODOK and Giganta, I feel that MODOK either deserved an extra page or so because of his still active state, or should have been left out and have the space given to somebody who has vanished to time.

An Afterword would have been nice, ending felt sudden. I was enjoying the history of comics, while shallow in some ways, was understood due to the focus of the book and I'm sure the attempt to keep it shorter.

I would have loved a larger book, with more details and pictures when possible, but I did enjoy the book, and am thankful to loot crate for sending it in their crate.

[Michele Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy through my Loot Crate subscription. If you are a comic book fan then you will probably find this book interesting. This is the shorter version of the book due to it being and "exclusive" Loot Crate item, about 25 to 27 pages shorter. I wander which villains where omitted? There was only one villain I had ever heard of, Modok, but then again most of the hero's I'd never heard of either. I had also received The League of Regrettable Superheroes from Loot Crate.

This book splits up the comic books into three eras, 1938-1949 The Golden Age, 1950-1969 The Silver Age, and 1970-Present The Modern Age. The author explains what drove the artists in each era and gives a quick review of various villains from those eras.

Anyway if you want to learn a little bit about some regrettable supervillains or if you just like comic books then you should pick up a copy. I personally got a few laughs from it.

[RebL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as enjoyable as "The League of Regrettable Superheroes". See, the hero is there every issue and has to win at the end, so if s/he is poorly thought out it can be truly humorous. The villain has only to act as the hero's foil - to have some beef, or some ambition, no matter how hairbrained and goofy - and be beaten in the end.

Thus, while only a special few can be a hero, literally *anyone* can be a villain. I remember a Robin comic from the 70s, where the villain was The Scar, obsessed with his disfigurement and ugliness so he captured pretty people to disfigure so they could all be ugly together. He turned out to be the high school star quarterback who had once taken a cleat to the face and got a teeny-tiny scar just below his eye. Was there motive? I guess. Was it enough to make a compelling villain? Eh. He was only there for one issue. So it was with a lot of these.

Two stars but it's not Jon Morris's fault...he personally gets four for trying.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a fascinating history into some infamous villainous characters to ever grace the pages of various comics from the golden age of the 1930s & 40s to the modern era. I have never heard of any of these baddies prior to reading this book (and for good reason!). Villains such as "the Phantom of the Penitentiary", "Bloor the dictator of Uranus", "Balloon Maker" (who's balloons are made of human skin) and of course a Green Goblin-y swastika bearing "Satan" are some of the highlights to grace this relatively short volume. I would recommended this to anyone who reads and appreciates comic books, history, or wants to learn about odd (and sometimes very odd) characters that would be otherwise forgotten today.

[Craig Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I got this book as part of my Loot Crate subscription.

This was a quick and fun little read, and reminds me of some of the more irreverent fandom wikis that populate the Internet in tone.

Morris presents each of the villains origin story and quick summary in a breezy and engaging fashion, with each of the regrettables summed up nicely and with a few exceptions (MODOK!) you can see why many of these villains were consigned to an ignoble obscurity outside of this book.

[Danielle Routh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I think I would have enjoyed it more if more of the villains were paired with superheroes I'm more familiar with, but it also makes sense that the weirder/lamer supervillains end up with lesser-known superheroes. Also, I was quite surprised that M.O.D.O.K. was included--strange, yes, but hardly regrettable. The writing itself is pretty fun with lots of snark, and the sidebars were especially delightful.

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris cracks wise on a variety of comic book bad guys, from the lovable goofballs of the Golden Age to the more grimdark extreme villains of the 90s. Each baddy gets a two-page spread (one of the image - often a cover or splash page - and one of Morris' synopsis, gags and puns), and even though making fun of the silliness of children's funny books from the past is kind of going after low-hanging fruit, it's a nicely compiled, good-looking, and often funny little book.

[Sydney Zietlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a big comic book lover, more manga lover instead, but I did find this interesting at first. Then after I read a few pages it just absolutely bored me to tears and took over a month to finish.

[Jsrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny stuff, even if many of them came from very old comics or comics that lasted a total of two or three issues, or several that were obviously intentionally silly. There were however some better known villains in the list. Overall, a pleasant little book to laugh along with.

[Shay Atkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay book. Kinda funny, kinda had to drag myself through for actual funny moments, many groans at whoever invented the characters. It is an interesting read for sure and very informative. Props to the author for all his research into a bland subject. But average overall.

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely had its funny moments, but not enough to sustain its overall entertainment value. Although I think a better layout, where info was broken down in a dossier type or something similar, would have made this book more fun to go through.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book equivalent of a pack of Dorits. Something for you to do while waiting for your name to be called/someone/Death. Some characters I'm familiar with but many I'm not because they were way before my time. Fun read but ultimately forgettable.

[Icknay Abbecray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was pretty funny. Some of the characters were a little bland and just poor ideas, while others like Brick Bat (who dresses as a bat and uses poisonous bricks as a weapon) were hilariously bizarre.

[diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was tons of fun! Although I’m not much for reading superhero comics, I’ve always been fascinated by their lore and bizarre history. So, this was kind of perfect for my interests! Hopefully I can find Morris's other titles in the near future.

3.75/5 stars

[A.L. Bellettiere · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fun if you have ten or twenty minutes to kill. My first problem comes from the tinier print. Thanks for reminding me how old I am. And honestly, just barely amusing and eventually, just a waste of time.

[Samantha Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

lootcrates gave out a good read