History LoopholeAbuse / ComicBooks

* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': In ''ComicBook/Deadpool2012'' #7, set during the time of the legendary ''ComicBook/IronMan'' storyline "Demon In A Bottle", Deadpool makes a DealWithTheDevil to get Iron Man vastly inebriated. However, Deadpool has a change of heart when he attempts to do so and Tony ends up getting sobered up when a nuclear plant is starting to go critical. Deadpool, not wanting Tony to get killed, knocks him out, steals his armor, paints it with the black markings to make it look like himself, gets ''himself'' plastered, and goes off to save the day. When the demon comes to rant at Deadpool for failing, Deadpool points out in the fine print of the contract that it specifically stated ''Iron Man'', not ''Tony Stark''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': In ''ComicBook/Deadpool2013'' #7, set during the time of the legendary ''ComicBook/IronMan'' storyline "Demon In A Bottle", Deadpool makes a DealWithTheDevil to get Iron Man vastly inebriated. However, Deadpool has a change of heart when he attempts to do so and Tony ends up getting sobered up when a nuclear plant is starting to go critical. Deadpool, not wanting Tony to get killed, knocks him out, steals his armor, paints it with the black markings to make it look like himself, gets ''himself'' plastered, and goes off to save the day. When the demon comes to rant at Deadpool for failing, Deadpool points out in the fine print of the contract that it specifically stated ''Iron Man'', not ''Tony Stark''.

* The UsefulNotes/ComicsCode Authority died specifically because of this. As an industry mechanism for content control, Creator/StanLee found he couldn't get their approval on a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story that involved the dangers of drug use (requested by the United States government, no less). While the CCA had a list of content restrictions that violated approval, Stan realized that while it forbid publishing such a story ''with'' an approval seal, there was nothing that said they couldn't publish the story ''without'' it. So for the three issues of ''Spider-Man'' featuring the story, it was unapproved when it hit the stands and then the approval seal was replaced when the arc was done. The praise for the story's handling of the subject matter and the fuss over getting it to newsstands revealed just how little bite the CCA had, and they became an artifact soon after.

* In ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'', the acting Commissioner specifically tells the GCPD to not arrest criminals tied up by Batman and to focus more on arresting him. Harvey Bullock decides that the nutcases can just go rot until they can free themselves.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Championess}}'', Elizabeth Wilkinson boxes under the "half-crown" rule set, meaning that both fighters hold a half-crown coin in each fist, and that if a coin is dropped, that fighter loses. The rule was meant to force boxers to keep their hands in fists to avoid scratching, gouging, or grappling, the last of which is one of Elizabeth's weaknesses. During Elizabeth's first fight with Hannah Hyfield, [[spoiler:Hannah holds both of her coins in one hand, allowing her a free hand with which to choke Elizabeth and win the bout]]. There is some discussion later about whether this violated the rules or not, since a coin technically wasn't dropped.
* Played for drama in ''ComicBook/{{Copperhead}}'': the Natives massacre some civilians, but because they lived outside the city limit there was technically no violation of the peace treaty. Law enforcement has no avenues to enforce justice.
* A ''Desperate Dan'' comic in ''ComicBook/TheDandy'' has him deliver a grand piano to a friend, so he oils the castors, gives it a push and "drives" it down a motorway. On passing a police car, one of the policemen comments that there is nothing in the rulebook about a piano needing an M.O.T.
* In one ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' issue set during the time of the legendary ''ComicBook/IronMan'' storyline "Demon In A Bottle", Deadpool makes a DealWithTheDevil to get Iron Man vastly inebriated. However, Deadpool has a change of heart when he attempts to do so and Tony ends up getting sobered up when a nuclear plant is starting to go critical. Deadpool, not wanting Tony to get killed, knocks him out, steals his armor, paints it with the black markings to make it look like himself, gets ''himself'' plastered, and goes off to save the day. When the demon comes to rant at Deadpool for failing, Deadpool points out in the fine print of the contract that it specifically stated ''Iron Man'', not ''Tony Stark''.
* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Invoked by Scrooge [=McDuck=] in Creator/DonRosa's story "The Guardians Of The Lost Library". Unfortunately for him, it doesn't work.

* In the aftermath of ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'', the Profiteer attempts to take back the Skrull and Kree [[ChildSoldiers teenage gladiators]] the Fantastic Four liberated, and pulls out the contract ensuring her ownership of them, pointing out it was signed by both of their respective empires. Hulkling, who is the emperor of the new Kree-Skrull ''Alliance'', then takes the contract from her and rips it in half, since neither of the empires exist anymore.
* ComicBook/FantasticFour ally Uatu TheWatcher ''loves'' this trope. His kind has a strict rule of non-interference, but Uatu has a fondness for the Earthlings. Thus, he'll do little things here and there to skirt around the rules to aid them when something big is happening. Probably the big one is just him ''showing up''. This is more than enough to tip heroes in that something big is on the way.
* In the ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' side-story ''Legion of Three Worlds'', the modern day Saturn Girl worries that Superboy-Prime punching the Time Trapper meant that he was killed, thus breaking their ThouShaltNotKill rule. The three Brainiac [=5s=] instead suggest that [[TimeyWimeyBall the nature of time travel]] meant that the Time Trapper Prime punched just never existed anymore and Prime is powerless elsewhere.
* ''Franchise/GIJoe: Special Missions'' had an issue where Cobra stole the computers from the Skystriker and Conquest while at an airshow. They make their getaway by stealing the Vector and Maverick pursues them with the help of a crop duster pilot. The Vector and computers are recovered, but the crop duster is impounded. The pilot says he'd ask Maverick for a ride back to the airshow in the Vector, but acknowledges there's probably regulations against that. Maverick confirms that military regulations do not allow civilians to ride in military aircraft, but nothing says they can't fly the plane themselves.
* In ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', this is used by the rulemakers themselves. The Guardians sent a Green Lantern to a particularly nasty planet and he is almost immediately killed, so the Green Lantern sends his ring out to find a worthy successor. Enter [[AntiHero Jack T. Chance]]. After "taking care" of a prominent threat on the planet, he is called back to Oa by the Guardians for discipline, but Jack says that he did what he had to do and would rather quit than be bound by the rules of the Guardians. The Guardians, lacking a suitable replacement for Jack, stated that a Green Lantern [[GoodIsNotNice was not required to be nice]] and gave him back the ring with provisions that it could not be used off of the planet Jack was stationed. The reason the Guardians were so annoyed with Chance was because of his own LoopholeAbuse. Green Lantern Rings couldn't be used to make [[ThouShaltNotKill lethal attacks]], so once Jack discovered this, he would use his ring to battle foes to the point of exhaustion - and then shoot them.

* The big conflict in ''ComicBook/JudgmentDayMarvelComics'' is based on this. ComicBook/TheEternals are given three {{geas}} to follow: Protect Celestials; Protect the Machine; Correct excess deviation. The BigBad, Druig, is using his own personal interpretation of that last one, using the Krakoans' Resurrection Protocols and its effects on population as reasoning for their extermination, even though they are not biologically Deviants, whom the last rule is meant for.

* In ''ComicBook/TheKreeSkrullWar'', the Skrulls have captured ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}, but cannot torture him for information because of a special law prohibiting it. However, they realize that ''Earth'' never signed it, so they proceed to torture the Avengers they captured to make Mar-Vell talk by proxy.
* ComicBook/LexLuthor once made a deal with Mxyzptlk where Mxy would provide Luthor with the means to render Superman powerless. Part of the deal was that Luthor must never tell Superman about Mxy's role in this. Not enjoying the idea of being unable to let Franchise/{{Superman}} know how he defeated him, Luthor tried to circumvent that part of the deal by telling someone who would tell Superman about the deal. Luthor then told ''Clark Kent''.
* ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'':
** A time-travelling Loki approaches Andvari, hoping to take his hoard for their own reasons, but Andvari will not give it up, and Andvari cannot be caught by hook or net, and no spell can hold him. So what does the trickster god do?

* One ''ComicBook/MarshalLaw'' storyline deals with Law's time in the military academy, which has a strict ban on teaching [[TortureTechnician torture techniques]]. However, they ''are'' allowed train soldiers in resisting torture--but the guidelines on what that consists of are pretty loose. Hence, the program consists of the instructor demonstrating torture techniques in detail and explaining how they work, then noting that said techniques are near-impossible to learn how to resist and you should probably just give up if someone tries them, and moving on to the next. Law doesn't take long to figure out that the only information soldiers are going to take away from this is how effective the techniques are and how to do them, making it effectively a torture training program in all but name. The instructor claims he will deny that it was ''ever'' the intent--while winking.
* In ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'', the original six Robot Masters want to help Mega Man after his IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight, but they are programmed to destroy Mega Man. So they do... by destroying [[EvilTwin the Copy Robot]].
* In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers: Pink'' #1, this sort of thing is used to get Kimberly back as a Power Ranger after she gave up her powers to Kat in Season 3 - turns out just passing off your powers doesn't mean you're completely free of them and the more natural way was to have used the Sword of Light ([[ChekhovsGun remember that?]]). Thus, Zordon and Alpha give Kim the Sword so she can become the Pink Ranger once more by using it to draw out its power.
* In ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', Shredder manages to not only steal the Green Power Coin and use it himself, but also unleashes a weapon that disables the other five Rangers' ability to use their own power coins. However, the coins themselves are still active, allowing the Rangers to temporarily pass the coins on to the Turtles and April O'Neill (Leonardo=Blue, Donatello=Black, Michaelangelo=Yellow, Raphael=Red and April O'Neill=Pink).
* In ''ComicBook/NewMutants'':

* In the ComicBookAdaptation of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', Brain's version of Myth/{{Faust}} makes a DealWithTheDevil to obtain the ultimate knowledge and isn't worried because [[InvokedTrope there's no contract without a loophole out of it]]. When Mephistopheles shows up to collect, Faust [[SubvertedTrope couldn't find a loophole]] and says that means [[DoubleSubversion Mephistepheles failed to give him the ultimate knowledge the deal requires him to]]. [[spoiler:Mephistopheles lets Faust keep his soul but rewinds time back to when the deal was made so the accomplishments made with help from the deal never happened and erases everything about the deal from Faust's memory.]]
* This is subverted in a ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'' comic. When Mojo Jojo tells Fuzzy Lumpkins that a high-tech weapon that landed on Fuzzy's yard is his, Fuzzy says, "I don't see your name on it!" (The same thing he said to the Girls when ''they'' tried to get it.) Mojo responds by turning it around. His name ''is'' on it. (Fuzzy decides to stop using loopholes and just threaten him at that point.)
* In one issue of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', a water demon holding many souls as prisoners frees them at the appointed time...and then takes them prisoner as soon as the window has passed. "I did!" he said. "I just never said ''for how long!'' " Of course, this proves to be his undoing: When he overexerts himself against the Ghostbusters, his prisoners block his retreat to the sea, preventing him from regenerating. They are then able to put him into a trap.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' (and later ''ComicBook/AForce''), Nico Minoru's Staff of One can only cast each spell once. However, she's been able to get around this rule by casting spells in other languages, or by very specifically altering a spell's effect (for instance, instead of freezing someone solid, she freezes them to the exact temperature of a popsicle.)
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/ScoobyDooTeamUp'',
** The Gang ends up going to Paradise Island, with Daphne and Velma getting Amazon training by ComicBook/WonderWoman. However, Shaggy and Fred are stuck hanging around the Invisible Plane because no man can set foot on Paradise Island or they'd cause the Amazons there to lose their immortality. However, a loophole means Scooby ''can'' walk around normally - Scooby may be a male, but the rules said no ''man'', nothing about a ''dog''.

* In ''ComicBook/SgtRock: A Peace on Earth'', Sgt. Rock and a German soldier drink, smoke, and chat casually on Christmas Eve, 1944. Then the German warns him that he was ordered to shoot on sight,"...and I always follow orders." "Same here," says Rock, and they both shoot [[spoiler:into the air.]]

* Subverted in an issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Spidey is riding on top of a car as it drives through New York (with the driver's consent). A cop pulls up next to them.

* In the ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' adaptation of ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'', "Slippery Jim" [=diGriz=] lands on a FeudalFuture planet and finds the nobility [[AirJousting jousting with flying motorbikes]]. He finds this rather dull and quickly adds his own unique spin.
-->'''Jouster:''' 'Pon my word! The chap's upside down! Is that allowed in the rules?
-->'''Slippery Jim:''' Course it isn't, you snark! Nobody's ever bothered to '''write''' any rules!
* One famous story arc in ''ComicBook/{{Sturmtruppen}}'' had a soldier get around [[NakedPeopleAreFunny stark naked]] as a form of protest without retaliation because there was no rule they had to wear the uniform. After ''days'' spent researching the rules, the captain discovered that [[SubvertedTrope there was a rule about the uniform being in perfect order,]] so he went for that... [[DoubleSubversion Except the uniform]] ''[[DoubleSubversion was]]'' [[DoubleSubversion in perfect order, the soldier just wasn't wearing it.]] The rest of the platoon promptly starts to go around naked.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Superior}}'', young Simon accepts a deal from Ormon to become his favorite super-hero. Too late, he realizes Ormon is a demon and, to prevent further destruction by the creature, Simon agrees to give up his soul. Ormon is gloating about getting the deal done before his allotted time only for Superior's new friend, Madeline, to point out something [[DidntThinkThisThrough Ormon didn't consider]]: He has just made Superior into a being whose every cell is immortal, unbeatable, in short, a figure who can ''never die''.

* In the 1953 story from ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations II'', Bruce Wayne Jr. was prevented by his mother from acting as Dick Grayson's partner in the role of Robin while Dick was Batman. However, that didn't prevent Bruce Jr. as Robin from acting as a partner to Kara Kent as Supergirl.
* In "ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} and the Sultana's Revenge", the eponymous Sultana had the Sultan promise to never harm her. [[spoiler:So when he catches her being unfaithful, he instead has her force-fed, ruining the slimness and beauty she took pride in.]]
* In the ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' story "I'll Be Your Best Friend!", Josh Guthrie, younger brother of Cannonball and Husk, befriends a damaged Sentinel. However, when the Sentinel repairs itself enough that its mutant detection systems come back online, Josh throws himself between the robot and his family. Josh is able to use his command to protect him at all costs to get the Sentinel to realize that it itself is a threat and kill itself.
* Kenton of ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'' likes to exploit those:

* ''Franchise/XMen'':

* Used for laughs in the ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' special. Robin is depressed about being banned from helping Batman. Superboy points out that Bats never said anything about YJ steering clear of Gotham. So he and Impulse go on a ROAD TRIP!

* In ''ComicBook/NewMutants'', [[TokenEvilTeammate Magik]], being who she [[SociopathicHero is]], is told by her teammates not to kill someone... She proceeds to send said person to Hell.

* In ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', Shredder manages to not only steal the Green Power Coin and use it himself, but also unleashes a weapon that disables the other five Rangers' ability to use their own power coins. However, the coins themselves are still active, allowing the Rangers to temporarily pass the coins on to the Turtles and April O'Neill (Leonardo=Blue, Donatello=Black, Michaelangel=Yellow, Raphael=Red and April O'Neill=Pink).

* In a major case of DidntThinkThisThrough, in the ''ComicBook/FallOfX'' era, Orchis is learning the hard way what happens when you destroy a government whose major rule was to never kill another human: the law is now just ink on paper, so they're pretty much now free to kill your fascist ass.