Line #28 Webcomic/TheJapaneseBeetle


1	The Japanese Beetle, alias Ken Watanabe, is the bravest, boldest hero in Skyline City, the last line of defense against rampaging supervillains, terrorists, and mind-controlled Girl Scouts...
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3	...At least that's what he'd like you to think (especially if you're a beautiful woman). In truth, Ken is actually selfish, greedy, chauvinistic, and has the attention span of an over-caffeinated moth. Fortunately, the villains he fights are just as dysfunctional as he is, as are all the other superheroes. So in the end, he comes out looking pretty good by comparison.
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5	Created by Dave White in 1994 for his college newspaper, ''The Japanese Beetle'' is an AffectionateParody of the superhero genre, playfully poking fun at both ComicBookTropes and outright skewering specific storylines, like Frank Miller's seminal ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. The series exists in several incarnations, but as of 2005 stopped updating, and seems to have been forgotten.
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7	!!Tropes used by this series include:
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9	* AbortedArc: In late 2001, a clone of Kremlina was introduced to set up a story arc where the American government was the villain. Then 9/11 happened, and White dropped the arc because it felt inappropriate. This is actually represented in-story by having a debate between Clone Kremlina and Ken interrupted by the attack on the World Trade Center, after which the original story was dropped and the clone vanishes without a trace.
10	* TheAce: Max Factor
11	* AffectionateParody
12	* AnimalWrongsGroup: The Militia for Ethical Animal Treatment, who throw "bricks of love" at those who harm animals.
13	* AuthorAvatar: The Cartoonist, an obvious avatar for creator Dave White, as well as a ParodySue.
14	* BadassNormal: Subverted. With only a jetpack and a laser pistol, Ken would qualify as one...if only he were badass.
15	* BatSignal: Parodied.
16	* ButtMonkey: The Jaywalker, who later on attempts a WhosLaughingNow.
17	* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: The "B" is for Beetle, of course.
18	* CallingYourAttacks: Parodied when Ken and the Flying Squirrel attempt a team attack and just end up smashing head-first into one another..
19	* CasanovaWannabe: Ken
20	* CivvieSpandex: Ken's costume consists of a baseball jersey, jeans, and sneakers.
21	* ComicBookTime: Averted
22	* DatingCatwoman: Kremlina
23	* DirtyCommunists: Kremlina Stalinova (initially) and later the Mao Tse-Dong Thought Control Team.
24	* GirlsBehindBars: The subplot where Kremlina goes to prison.
25	* GogglesDoNothing
26	* GoodAngelBadAngel: One-shot villain The Enabler, a hitman who uses his powers of {{Sizeshifting}} and {{Telepathy}} to pose as someone's Shoulder Devil and drive them to destruction.
27	* HeelFaceTurn: Kremlina. Also the Flying Squirrel in the 1994 incarnation.
28	* JaywalkingWillRuinYourLife
29	* KavorkaMan: The Cartoonist, as part of his general parody.
30	* NinetiesAntiHero: Parodied during Ken's bizarre journey in the 2003 series
31	* OrphanedSeries
32	* PresidentEvil: [[spoiler:Hypnotron]]
33	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: White was planning a storyline where the U.S. government was the main villain. Then came 9/11...
34	* RoguesGallery: The Flying Squirrel, El-Vis, The Frenchman, Multifacet, Hypnotron, The Jaywalker, and many more.
35	* ShoutOut: Oh so many.
36	* StrawFeminist: The New Order of Women, an AffectionateParody of the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder
37	* SuperDickery
38	* VillainTeamUp: The villains, lead by Ken in disguise, teamed up to battle [[spoiler:Hypnotron]], only to turn on Ken once the main threat is defeated.
39	* UltimateUniverse: By the creator's admission, the 2003 reboot was an attempt at this.
40	* WordOfGod: The 2003 reboot has a sequence where Ken engages in a discussion about his very existence with a disembodied voice; on the forums, White admitted that the entire sequence was based on his own confusion on what to do with the series, with the voice representing himself.

Context Webcomic / TheJapaneseBeetle