Line #29 ComicBook/Normalman


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_6848.JPG]]
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3	''normalman'' is a limited series of American comic books created by Jim Valentino. It began in November, 1983 as a four page story in issues #56 and #57 of ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' before being launched as a full color 12 issue series (January, 1984- December, 1985) which was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim before moving to Denis Loubet's Renegade Press. The story of normalman would conclude in normalman 3D Annual #1.
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5	Fearing the Planet Arnold would explode, normalman's father sends his infant son on a rocketship to escape the planet's destruction . . . which NEVER comes to pass. Twenty years later and fully grown, normalman crash-lands on the planet [[SdrawkcabName Levram]], where everybody has super powers ... except for normalman himself. Being the only person on the whole planet with no powers makes him a celebrity.
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7	The series spoofed many comic book companies per issue, including Creator/{{DC\|Comics}}, Creator/{{Marvel\|Comics}}, Creator/{{EC\|Comics}} and Creator/{{Harvey\|Comics}}, as well as doing parodies of ''ComicBook/TheSpirit'', ''ComicBook/{{Elfquest}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'', ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. The series was first collected in trade paperback by Creator/SlaveLaborGraphics. Recently, a new trade paperback which included several followups was published by Image Comics. Both trades are in black and white. In 2024, a hardcover omnibus was published collecting the series in full color along with other material.
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9	Do not confuse with {{Muggles}} or BadassNormal, nor with the Italian comic book (later adapted to a radio show and eventually to a LiveActionTV show) superhero spoof of the same name.
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12	!!Tropes associated with this work:
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14	* ActuallyADoombot: [[spoiler:Sgt. Fluffy - the first time, anyway.]]
15	* TheAdjectivalSuperhero
16	* AlienNonInterferenceClause: The rest of the universe has Levram quarantined due to the dangerous nature of its inhabitants.
17	* AlienSpaceBats: Levram turns out to be [[spoiler:an AlternateHistory Earth where a serum from the future gave everybody superpowers.]]
18	* AlternateUniverse: normalman ends up jumping through a few, including the comic book ''Journey'' and a mishmash of Disney/Warner Bros. and Harvey Comics.
19	* AmbidextrousSprite: Parodied with Sgt. Fluffy's eye patch changing eyes between panels.
20	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Sgt. Fluffy, after he actually dies.]]
21	* BatmanParody: There's a Batman-looking {{Paper Pe\|ople}}rson called Flat Man in the Justice League Of Society.
22	* BigBrotherIsWatching: Levram is one big reality [=TV=] show with cameras everywhere to catch the men fighting ALL the time.
23	* CaptainErsatz: A distinct majority of the characters. Captain Everything, for instance, combines elements of Comicbook/{{Superman}} and [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]].
24	* CaptainSuperhero: Captain Everything.
25	* CityPlanet: normalman had always assumed Levram was one of these until he had to travel from town to town to advance his political career.
26	* {{Crossover}}: with ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'', {{ComicBook/Journey}} by William Messner-Loebs, ComicBook/TalesOfTheBeanworld, and ComicBook/MegatonMan (the latter also featuring appearances by everyone from Comicbook/{{Madman}} to ComicBook/{{Bone}} to ComicBook/GrooTheWanderer to ComicBook/FlamingCarrot)
27	* DimensionalTraveller: One of Captain Everything's many powers if he doesn't get trapped in the Negative Phantom Zone.
28	* TheDitz: Captain Everything
29	* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all normalman/[[spoiler: Norm-L]] has endured on Levram, he is reunited with his mother on Arnold and he and Sophisticated Lady get married.
30	** Captain Everything becomes the champion of the planet Arnold.
31	* EarthAllAlong: Levram turns out to be an AlternateHistory Earth where superpowered people outbred the {{Muggles}}.
32	* EarthShatteringKaboom: [[spoiler:Dark Fluffy does this to Levram.]]
33	* EveryoneIsASuper: Levram
34	* EyepatchOfPower: Sgt. Fluffy. (It even changes its position on his face.)
35	* TheFantasticFaux: The Ultra-Conservative sends the ''The Fanatic Four'' after normalman'', consisting of Mr Fanatical, Helpless Woman, The Humane Touch and The Lunk.
36	* FourFingeredHands: Standard in the setting and really weird looking on more 'realistic' characters like the Countess. In the ''Journey'' crossover, Joshua sees norm's hands and thinks he's the product of "when cousins marry..."
37	* FunetikAksent: Dr. Deranged and Mr. Nose-Et-All.
38	* FunWithAcronyms: '''S.C.H.M.U.C.K.'''- which stands for "Nothing-In-Particular", according to the footnotes.
39	* HulkMashUp: A big, green Captain Everything appears amongst his imperfect duplicates.
40	* KavorkaMan: It turns out the Levram women all want a weed like normalman because the local men are too busy beating the tar out of eachother to be interested in women.
41	* LanternJawOfJustice: Captain Everything can actually give [[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents the Crimson Chin]] a run for his money!
42	* MarsNeedsWomen: [[spoiler:The women of Levram want normalman to repopulate the species with non-powered children because the supermen are too busy fighting to have sex.]]
43	* MeanwhileInTheFuture: Often cuts to the Legion of Superfluous Heroes as they're still doing their roll call before they can go back and save normalman in one of the early issues.
44	* MockyMouse: normalman runs into a rich anthropomorphic mouse called Mickey Money when trapped on Earth-Dismal.
45	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: The Flesh ([[WesternAnimation/ActionLeagueNow No, not that one!]])
46	* [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Names To Not Trust]]: if someone named "Rotten Kid" claims to help you, maybe it wouldn't be wise to trust that someone.
47	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Captain Everything states that he has this ability in the ''very first sentence'' he speaks.
48	* NoFourthWall: Pretty much everyone seems aware they're in a comic book.
49	* OnlySaneMan: normalman of course.
50	* OverlyLongGag: Every time S.C.H.M.U.C.K comes up, the editors feel it necessary to mention that it doesn't stand for anything in particular.
51	** The Legion of Superfluous Heroes' Roll Call counts as one too.
52	* PaperPeople: There's a two-dimensional BatmanParody called Flat Man.
53	* RealMenWearPink: Sgt. Fluffy is a fur-faced, heart-poundin', front-facin', meat-and-potatoes patriot who wears ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' style red sequined pumps.
54	* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: normalman, so average his name doesn't get to be capitalized. [[spoiler:Until the series' end, where we learn that his real name is '''Norm-L'''.]]
55	* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Unfortunately, there's a whole heaping bunch of obvious spelling and grammatical errors.
56	* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Inconsistent how it works. [[spoiler: It's shown early on that one superpowered man spread his genetics all over the world to the point that non-powered people died out but it's said later that normalman could conceive non-powered children with the women of Levram]].
57	* SdrawkcabName: [[Creator/MarvelComics Levram]].
58	* ShaggyDogStory: With regards to the Legion of Superfluous Heroes, at least - [[spoiler:"Yelling Girl" causes Lightweight Lad to lose his place shortly before reaching the Z's, and his starting over from the beginning pisses off everyone else so much that the combined energy they shoot at him destroys the clubhouse and possibly causes a time loop.]]
59	* SinisterMinister: The Pope of Pain.
60	* SomethingPerson
61	* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:normalman leaving a vial of Gaulish potion around during the Asterix parody leads to the development of superpowers in Levram's populace. Also, the destruction of the Legion of Superfluous Heroes clubhouse may have led to the existence of the huge crater they decided to build the clubhouse in to begin with.]]
62	* StrawmanPolitical: The Ultra-Conservative, played for laughs. After getting injected with a super-serum, he alternates between his original persona and "The Liberalator", much to his annoyance.
63	* {{Stripperiffic}}: The Countess of Monte Crisco.
64	** Don't forget Nasty Girl.
65	* SupermanSubstitute: Inverted with normalman and played straight with Captain Everything.
66	* ThereWasADoor: Not many of the inhabitants of Levram use doors. Especially not Captain Everything.
67	* UnSorcerer: Well, duh.
68	* WonderWomanWannabe: Human Person seems to be the Wonder Woman in the Justice League Of Society amongst the other Justice League expies.
69	* WorldOfBadass: The planet Levram, where everyone has super powers.

Context ComicBook / Normalman