Inferior Five
The Inferior Five (or I5) are a parody superhero team appearing in books by the American publisher DC Comics. Created by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando, the team premiered in the DC Comics title Showcase #62 (May-June 1966).
| Inferior Five | |
|---|---|
Showcase #62 featuring the Inferior Five. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Showcase #62 (May–June 1966) |
| Created by | E. Nelson Bridwell (writer) Joe Orlando (artist) Mike Esposito (inker) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | Merryman (high intellect, weakling's body) Awkwardman (flawless in water, clumsy on land) The Blimp (could fly only when propelled by a tail wind) White Feather (skilled archer, but scared of people looking at him) The Dumb Bunny (superstrength, terrible grades) |
The premise is that the characters are the children of members of a superhero team called the Freedom Brigade, a parody of the Justice League of America. In their early appearances, the team went up against spoofs of the Marvel Comics heroes. Showcase #63 featured "Brute Brainard", who was exposed to Phi Beta Kappa radiation and became the giant green hulk known as "Man-Mountain", and in #65, the team visited Dean Egghead's superhero academy to meet the five young "Egg's Men". When the team got their own series, early issues also mocked the Fantastic Four and Thor.