Inspired by a desire for silliness, Fleischer, which will be making its debut exclusively on Comic Book Movie in the very near future, is a loving parody of Superman and other superheroes that has its roots in the 1970s and 1980s. Sure, Christopher Reeve's Superman films may have provided some inspiration, but the real influence comes from a number of big screen parodies that sent my young teenage self into fits of laughter that undoubtedly drew looks from those around me in crowded movie theatres. Not that I could tell with those tears in my eyes.
In my mind, The Groove Tube led to Blazing Saddles (sadly, the farting-around-the-campfire sequence can still make me cry), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (yes, I pretty much know it by heart), Young Frankenstein, Kentucky Fried Movie and Airplane. Oh, there were others since then, but that core group of films helped to bring out my inner silliness and crystalized the kind of humor that I loved most. I'm serious, and don't call me Shirley!
Some years ago, my desire to embrace the parody as a way of life led me to create F.A.B. (For All Britain) Four, which postulated that a group that was not (for legal reasons) the Beatles were spies at the height of moptopmania in the 1960s. Teaming up with artist Tom Holtkamp, we created one issue of a comic that had a limited circulation, and several works of illustrated short fiction, all of which we still plan on inflicting...I mean unleashing.... on the world.
More recently, my passion for parody and the Superman character came together to form the notion of Fleischer (named in tribute, by the way, to animator Max Fleischer, the first person to bring the Man of Steel to the big screen in a series of animated shorts). Teaming up with writer Leon McKenzie and artist Fernando Sosa, it quickly became apparent that Fleischer was probably the dumbest thing that any of us had ever gotten creatively involved with, which was the delight of the concept as well.
Fleischer is a buffoon. He means well, seeing himself as the All-American big Boy Scout, but his thinking is just a little off-kilter. He's the proverbial fool in a China shop, oblivious to the damage and harm he causes to the property and people of Generic City in his bid to be the world's greatest hero. Like our tagline says, "The world needs a hero....we've got him!"
In future postings, we'll go into more depth about Fleischer and introduce some of the other characters that make up his world, and from there we'll start unveiling the first issue of the Fleischer comic itself.
Thanks to the support and enthusiasm of Comic Book Movie, Fleischer has found a home. Speaking on behalf of Leon, Fernando and myself, what we would ask is that all of you get involved. Give us feedback, let us know what you think and let's see if we can get a real dialogue going about this project from the ground floor up. All we're trying to do is have a bit of fun with this character and concept, and I hope that comes through. -- Edward Gross