A. BIZARRO
RUN: 4 issues 1999
KEY CREATORS: Steve Gerber (writer) M.D. Bright & Greg Adams (art)
OUTLINE: A Bizarro version of an ex-Lexcorp employee tries to figure out what to do with its life and later how to lve out its dreams
STANDOUT ISSUE: Most issues are pretty equal in quality, though my favorite issue was #1
DUD ISSUE: No real dud issue per se, though my least favorite was the final issue
OVERALL: This series as two real strengths: the humorous, likable innocence of Al, the Bizarro, and the use of Bizarro speech to make play on words. In particular it's the fact that we care about Al, who is the classic fool (seemingly below average in intelligence, but capable of making keen insights that others miss) that is the series strengths. Having him propose to an overweight woman was great too. Al reamins innocent and does not buy into the beauty myth
However, and perhaps this is appropriate for a series for a series starring a Bizarro, there is a serious flaw in the story. One key element is that Al is not afraid to try to live out his (and the original Al's) dreams, and it seems that Gerber is trying to say that Al's proactive stance is what allows him to succeed where the human Al failed. Which brings us to the Mother Box. The key turning point that allow's Al to reach his dreams is his chance stumbling upon a Mother Box, one of the most powerful items in the universe, which allows him to meet up with a resident who is skilled at playing a musical instrument that does not exist on Earth. It is Al's teaming with her that allows him to hit it big, and his eventual freedom from Luthor is the result of another Mother Box intervetntion. While tbhis is still a good story, what would have really put it over the top into greatness is if Al, given the same or less amount of opportunity as his human counrtpart had in his own stumbling manner managed to reach his goals without any exotic devices, whereas this human counterpart who had gotten stuck with just dreaming and not doing did not. However as played out this is undermined beccause the human Al never had access to a Mother Box and didn't basically have his big chance handed to him on a silver platter, which is what happened to the Bizarro.
Now it's possible that Al being Al was more important than the Mother Box. However, it does stack things in his favour, and we'll never really know if he could have succeeded without the Mother Box.
RECOMMENDED OR NOT? Despite the criticism, I do recommend the series. Al is a great, likable character. However the series does have a serious flaw that weakens the central theme of the story.
CONTINUITY NOTES: While not explicitly stated, a line of dialouge implies Al was created just before the Death of Luthor storyline