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1%% Image kept on page and caption edited per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1376996939027716200
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3%%D
4[[quoteright:289:[[Recap/TintinTheRedSeaSharks https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tintin-coke_1643_9203.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:289:Either Tintin's thirsty, or Captain Haddock has a naughty little side business.[[note]]He's actually talking about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel) a coal product similar to charcoal]].[[/note]]]]
6
7!!The following have their own pages:
8[[index]]
9* ''HilariousInHindsight/AmalgamUniverse''
10* ''HilariousInHindsight/TheDCU''
11* ''HilariousInHindsight/JudgeDredd''
12* ''HilariousInHindsight/MarvelUniverse''
13** ''HilariousInHindsight/SpiderMan''
14** ''HilariousInHindsight/WhatIf''
15* ''HilariousInHindsight/StarWarsLegends''
16[[/index]]
17----
18[[AC:European Comics]]
19* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' has many of these moments:
20** In ''[[Recap/TintinExplorersOnTheMoon Explorers on the Moon]]'' (1954) Tintin becomes the first man to walk on the moon. Almost 15 years later man would really walk on the moon surface.
21** British author Harry Thompson noted in his biography ''Tintin and Hergé: A Double Biography'' that in ''[[Recap/TintinTheShootingStar The Shooting Star]]'' (1940), mushrooms grow to enormous size before they explode. Five years later, he wrote, the first atomic bomb would explode and produce large mushroom clouds...
22* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': In ''Recap/AsterixInBritain'' (1966) Asterix, Obelix, and the former's British cousin Anticlimax cross the English Channel and arrive while it rains. Obelix remarks that building a tunnel between the French and British coast might be a good idea. Anticlimax answers: "We thought of a tunnel ourselves. We've even started digging one but it seems to be taking a jolly long time, what." When the story was first published in 1966, people had thought of building a tunnel between Great Britain and France for centuries, but it didn't seem likely that this plan would ever come to fruition.
23* ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}''
24** In ''De Ark van Nero'' (''Nero's Arc'') (1953) Nero predicts a great flood and builds an arc in prevention. Only a few months later Flanders and the Netherlands were indeed struck by a large flood, causing many casualties.
25** In ''De Paarse Futen'' (1968) Adhemar sends two American astronauts to the moon with a magic wand, thus beating the Soviets in the space race. Only a year later the Americans landed on the moon for real.
26** In ''De Grote Geheimzinnigaard'' (1993) Nero wishes Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar literally to the moon, thus killing him. Ironically enough Escobar would be shot dead by the police that same year.
27* [[http://i.imgur.com/FoGKzDM.jpg This Star Wars parody]] in an Italian Mickey Mouse comic made in 1997 is this, now that {{Creator/Disney}} owns Star Wars.
28
29[[AC: Magazine/{{MAD}}]]
30* In the parody of ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'', David Banner [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-67spd4xMI/U9DseEQlIzI/AAAAAAAAUSg/QxP1-nbd6LA/s1600/mad+hulk+1979+ferrigno+6.png explains]], "My name is 'Bruce' in the Comic Book version! But the Producers felt it wasn't a masculine enough name for TV!" A voice coming from a television set next to him then announces, "And Jenner wins the Decathlon!! BRUCE is the WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE!" The panel added an additional level of irony in 2015 when Bruce Jenner announced that he was transgender and transitioning to female.
31* ''Al Jaffee'' was truly ''clairvoyant'' with his "''Some MAD Devices For Safer Smoking''" written in 1969. One idea, "The Smoke Simulator", was a cork-tipped Pyrex tube containing small amounts of water which would be inserted into a cigarette. Once the cigarette was lit, the cork at one end of the tube (edible, of course) popped out, and the water inside became steam. When inhaled, the steam would feel just like smoke. Sounds a wee bit like like E-Cigarettes, doesn't it?
32* In one article from the early 90s, titled, "You Know You're Too Old To Rock & Roll When...", one panel has [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Mick Jagger]] looking disapprovingly at a singing apple, with the caption: "A song that once got you banned in six states is now being used to sell juice drinks". A few years later, Pepsi ran an ad using the Stones' song "Brown Sugar", which was extremely controversial back in the day (and, in recent years, has become so again, for different reasons).
33* In anticipation of the release of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Magazine/{{MAD}} once ran an article called "The ''Star Wars'' Log", framed as the official outline of the rest of the saga (which had been announced as a nine-film series at the time). The article was supposed to poke fun at the convoluted direction of the series up to that point, but a few of its predictions actually turned out to be eerily accurate. For example:
34** They predicted that Episode II would be titled "Send in the Clones", and that it would involve the revelation that Darth Vader and Obi-Wan were cloned from the same donor (Chewbacca's grandfather). Episode II was actually called "''Attack of'' the Clones", and the revelation was about Boba Fett and the Stormtroopers being cloned from the same donor.
35** They predicted that the detail about Chewie's grandfather would set up a conflict between the Wookiees and the Empire in Episode III. As it turned out, a battle involving the Wookiees and the Empire actually was a big plot point in Episode III.
36** They predicted that the later films would involve a "Great Droid War" of some kind. Though it wasn't actually called that, the later prequels did have the heroes at war with an evil army of droids.
37** They predicted that the series would end with the revelation that Luke's father wasn't Darth Vader... but that Luke was fathered by "the Force itself". In the real movies, Vader did turn out to be Luke's father after all, but ''Vader'' was revealed to have been conceived by the Force.
38** Lastly, it claimed that "Star Wars Saga - Part II" would start "sometime around the year 2014", one year away from the actual release date of the first movie in the Sequel Trilogy. (2014 did see the reboot of the original Expanded Universe as well as the first works completely in the Disney Canon.)
39* Their ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' parody also contained several similar moments.
40** One scene made fun of the scene where Luke reveals to Leia that they were twins, by also claiming that Threepio was his brother. Once again, fast forward to 1999 and Episode I, and he's right (FromACertainPointOfView).
41** One scene featured Han asking Luke if his lightsaber was more powerful. Luke said it was because he had switched to "Duracell"'s. As part of the promotions for "The Force Awakens", at least one Duracell commercial featured [[https://youtu.be/O-LJ8XDzOfc Lightsabers powered by Duracells]].
42*** Meanwhile, In 1994, Darth Vader appeared in a commercial... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxafIhYFOr0 opposite the Energizer Bunny]].
43** The opening splash page had Muppets and [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs the Seven Dwarves]] on it, and a later panel has Lando saying that the Emperor thought the Rebels were a "Mickey Mouse Operation." [[https://brandnewretro.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/madstarwars7.jpg Guess who was behind him?]] This was LONG before Star Wars was owned by Disney.
44** The final panel had the wedding of Han and Leia. In it, Yoda held up a sign, "May divorce be with you!", Fast forward to Episode VII, and the two of them are separated.
45* When they did their parody of ''Film/BatmanReturns'' in 1992, one of the background sight gags was that the newsboys reporting on the Penguin's good publicity were the dancing ones of ''Film/{{Newsies}}'', which arrived a few months prior to the Batman sequel and was a notorious flop. That Disney musical [[CultClassic ultimately found a cult following]], but what makes the joke funnier now is that [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Christian Bale]] played the youthful hero in it.
46* An old issue which was "concerned" with the population explosion suggested that, to prevent "young folks" from having children, people should give them a robotic dummy baby in order to convince them they can't be parents. Which is exactly what they're handing to teenage girls (and sometimes boys) in high schools across the nation today.
47* The magazine had [[http://calicoll.com/?p=214 this]] parody ad for Cadillac back in 1960, showing a woman wearing an emblem of the car like a necklace to show off her status symbol. Who knew rappers would adopt the same style decades later?
48* When ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'' came out, MAD joked that there was a scene with a car version of the Pope that had to be removed. And then a car Pope actually showed up in ''Cars 2''.
49* A 1999 article giving fake predictions of future comic-based movies included one which [[http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2011/11/04/mad-predicts-samuel-l-jackson-as-nick-fury-in-1999 remade]] ''Film/PulpFiction'' with Creator/MarvelComics characters. The proposal depicts Creator/SamuelLJackson, who played Jules in ''Pulp Fiction'', portraying ComicBook/NickFury. Two years after the article's publication, Jackson lent his likeness to the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel incarnation of Fury, which eventually led to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse actually casting him as the character.
50* One issue in the 1950s had an article with a description of a sport similar to bullfighting, but abusing dogs instead of bulls. The article included the phrase "KickTheDog," capitalized as on this wiki.
51* In the parody of ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'', "Mitzia", the expy of Maria, admits to the "Mother Obsess" that she can't type or take diction. Maria's actress, Creator/JulieAndrews, would later demonstrate otherwise in ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie''.
52* In their parody of ''Film/RockyIII'', "Rockhead Bulboa" is twice placed nose-to-large-chest with his opponents. In an AsideComment, he says, "If this kind of posing keeps up, I want my next match to be with Dolly Parton!" Two years later, Stallone starred alongside Dolly in ''Rhinestone''.
53* In a Justin Bieber themed Issue of MAD there was a joke about a Donald Trump Chia Pet. Fast forward to 2016 and they now exist.
54
55[[AC: Others]]
56* ''Comicbook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' issue #1 was meant to parody several things, when something happened to those tropes or something.
57** [[FunnyAnimal Animal Teams]], which ironically ''made'' the meme of Animal Teams.
58** The works of Creator/FrankMiller, who would later go on to inadvertently parody ''himself''.
59* The classic ''ComicBook/SinCity'' story "That Yellow Bastard" at one point has Hartigan talking about how something is "just plain damn screwy" repeatedly. Cue Frank Miller's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5xWXJpSvzM&feature=fvst The Spirit]]''...
60* ''Image United'' is a CrisisCrossover designed to celebrate the history of Creator/ImageComics. Due to massive ScheduleSlip, it's now fallen many months behind. One of the most infamous issues of early Image being its delays.
61* ''ComicBook/FiendsOfTheEasternFront'': [[TheRenfield Corporal Cringu]] mentions how his vampiric master Captain Constanta has used his powers to fight in several historical wars against Rumania's enemies, including the Ottoman Empire. Then [[Film/DraculaUntold in 2014 a movie was released]] where Dracula fights the Ottoman army in exactly that way.
62* Can be considered an inversion, Creator/DrSeuss's [[http://civilianmilitaryintelligencegroup.com/?p=5958 wartime political cartoon]] showing a man in the future telling his grandson about his days during WWII, which he apparently spent complaining about fuel shortages. This becomes much less ludicrous when you look at the date this is supposed to be taking place: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis 1973]], when everybody talked about fuel shortages. If you didn't know this was written in 1943, there isn't much of a joke, since it is perfectly reasonable that the grandfather is recounting his past experiences with fuel shortages.
63* Creator/DonRosa's 2002 [[ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck Uncle Scrooge]] story "The Dream of a Lifetime" features the Beagle Boys using an invention stolen from Gyro Gearloose to sneak into Scrooge's dreams and learn the combination to his money bin's main vault. It also features a staggering amount of similarities to the lucid-dreaming mechanics, and some of the plot elements, of ''Film/{{Inception}}''.
64* In 1996 Marvel and DC made a crossover ({{Elseworlds}}) ''ComicBook/BatmanAndCaptainAmerica''. No comment about the story itself, however epilogue has a very significant detail. Batman and Robin found frozen Cap, and save him. Then they reveal that Batman is now Dick Grayson former Robin (and Bruce retired now), and Robin is... Bruce Wayne Jr. son of the original Batman! Now where have i heard that one before?
65** The idea of Dick Grayson teaming up with Bruce Wayne's son was a reasonably common one in [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] "imaginary stories".
66* 2010: ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' contains a memorable scene where Rotorstorm jokingly shouts "[[CombiningMecha Wreckers, combine!]]" (they have no such ability). 2012: Hasbro announces a Wreckers combiner. Rotorstorm isn't part of it.
67* For the GrandFinale of his ''Comicbook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' saga, Creator/AlanMoore wrote a scene involving a climactic face-off between a deranged ''Literature/HarryPotter'' and a GuardianAngel Film/MaryPoppins...about two or three months before anyone knew that the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics would feature almost the same thing. Sure, it was ''Voldemort'' against a swarm of Mary Poppinses in the latter case, but the coincidence is still pretty astounding. Especially since the book finally hit the stands almost exactly a month before the London Olympics started.
68* Creator/AlanMoore's ''Lost Girls'' has Wendy from ''Literature/PeterPan'' married to a man named Literature/HarryPotter.
69* The AnthologyComic ''ComicBook/StarWarsTales'' has a throwaway drawing in one of the stories of the Empire's sigil with Mickey Mouse ears on it. The gag became a lot funnier when Disney bought the rights to ''Star Wars'' in late 2012 and announced production of a new series of films.
70* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'':
71** [[http://www.strangekidsclub.com/2012/03/01/check-out-the-sexy-new-superheroine-cast-of-my-little-pony/ This article]], posted before the comic series was announced, showing fanart of the (humanized) Mane Six as pin-up superheroines, mentioning "Somewhere 'bad girl artist' J. Scott Campbell is smiling". Campbell ''did'' do a [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0onesXxyp30/UPhh3un3E-I/AAAAAAABPIA/AHYyvYyHrBc/s1600/image.jpeg variant cover]], with no {{Fanservice}} in sight!
72** In ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', a unique unicorn monster found in [[JokeLevel Whimsyshire]] was named "[[PunnyName Nightmarity]]". [[spoiler:The name isn't used in the comic, but Rarity becomes the second Nightmare Moon]].
73** The many "What If [[spoiler: Rarity]] Were Evil?" fan-remixes, ''especially'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtvNZdIwWjc this one]], are all very much HilariousInHindsight now.
74** The two Doctor Whooves in #7 is quite prophetic, since the Series/DoctorWho 50th anniversary special [[spoiler:will be bringing back Ten and Rose]].
75* ''ComicBook/KickAss'': In the ''Hit-Girl'' interquel, Mindy mentions that she hopes to gain friends in school with knowledge on ''Film/TheHungerGames''. Not only was Creator/ChloeMoretz considered for the part of Katniss, but Creator/AaronJohnson for Peeta.
76* In the very first issue of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics''[[note]]#0 of the mini-series, that is[[/note]], there was a short strip which mocked ''Series/TheLateShowWithDavidLetterman'''s Top 10 Countdown. Two of the entries were that the comic would not rely on crossovers and that it was the only comic with a female character with very little clothing[[note]]Sally with just boots[[/note]]. Four years later, Sonic would crossover with Creator/ImageComics then again two years later with ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch and twenty years later, a CosmicRetcon affected Sally would put on a ''lot'' more clothes.
77** Another early issue had a comic proclaiming a "darker and grittier" Sonic, though it was him as a chimney sweeper. About two years later, the comic ''would'' start getting DarkerAndEdgier.
78* ComicBook/ArchieComics
79** Zombies appeared in a few issues and in ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries''. It's usually somewhat funny and not too serious. Family friendly, lovable Archie and zombies just doesn't mix... Until ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' and it's terrifying now.
80** One story has Mr. Weatherbee overhear Betty, Veronica, and Miss Grundy discussing a soap opera, in which a couple had to break up after discovering they were long-lost siblings. The Bee falsely assumes Archie and Veronica as the couple, then gets ridiculed for thinking SurpriseIncest could occur in real life. Incest would later play a role in some DarkerAndEdgier ''Archie'' interpretations, with ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' in particular [[spoiler:having Polly Cooper date Jason Blossom, bear his child, ''then'' discover they were distant cousins.]]
81** A ''Jughead Jones'' comic has Jughead's look-alike "casanova cousin", Nathan, date various women in Riverdale, causing onlookers to suspect Juggie of having a secret, romantic side. Eventually, ''Riverdale'' would give the role of Jughead to Cole Sprouse, previously best known for playing a {{Kidanova}}'s identical twin brother in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody''.
82* A issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheSimpsons Simpsons Comics Presents Bart Simpson]]'' from 2006 had Bart wining a toy store shopping spree contest, but everyone started demanding Bart free toys. During the spree he picks up the Kid-Tastic Krusty-Bot he had been wanting but everyone else started chasing him because he did get them the toys they wanted. He ended up crashing into the toy store's My Pretty Expensive Pony dispaly causing him to have a shopping trolly full of rainbow ponies. Four years later, [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic a certain show would spark a certain fandom]].
83* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'', Link used [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild a hang-glider]] made from the feathers of a [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword large bird that carried Hylian Knights into battle]] and later [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess turned into a wolf]] in the Dark World on occasion.
84* The 1977 comic ''ComicBook/{{Flesh}}'' featured furry tyrannosaurs from the north. 2012 saw the discovery of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yutyrannus feathered tyrannosaur in northeastern China]].
85* ''ComicBook/{{Nemesis}}'':
86** The controversial series sees an evil expy of Batman torment an expy of Commissioner Gordon. [[spoiler:The [[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamByGaslight animated version]] of ''ComicBook/GothamByGaslight'' sees Bruce remain his usual moral self, but instead of Jacob Packer, Jack the Ripper was revealed to be Jim Gordon undergoing AdaptationalVillainy.]]
87** Part of the concept is "What if Batman had the morality of ComicBook/TheJoker?" Oh, [[ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal Batman Who Laughs]], that's your cue!
88* An issue of the official ''Comicbook/StreetFighter'' comic had a TerribleIntervieweesMontage consisting of characters auditioning for ''Videogame/StreetFighterV''. One of the candidates was Shoma from the largely-forgotten ''Videogame/RivalSchools'' series, who was rejected due to his busy baseball and high school schedule. A few years later, Akira from ''Rival Schools'' was added to ''Street Fighter V'' as a surprise DLC character.
89* ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'' began as Creator/RobLiefeld's idea for [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Roy Harper]] leading a team of [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]] working for the government. Two years after the first Youngblood issue, Roy Harper was leading the Titans for the government.
90* ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'': Nimbus' persona as a ladies' man can be quite amusing to see after Mauro Takeda e Sousa, the inspiration for the character, publicly came out as gay in 2016.
91* The long history of FrivolousLawsuit's surrounding ComicBook/{{Shazam}} has led to a lot of this, first DC sues Fawcett Comics claiming Captain Marvel is a rip-off of Franchise/{{Superman}}. This leads Fawcett to stop publishing Captain Marvel, disappointing British publisher L. Miller & Son, Ltd, who could no longer reprint their issues. To get around this they created their own CaptainErsatz called ComicBook/{{Marvelman}}, who bounced around owners for a while. In this time, Captain Marvel has become a DC character, but another lawsuit from Marvel Comics led to Captain Marvel being renamed Shazam and Marvelman being renamed Miracleman. Ironically, as Shazam ended up a DC character, Miracleman is now owned by Marvel.

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