God Hates Astronauts is a comedy comic series written and illustrated by Ryan Browne, It was originally started as a webcomic before being collected as a book volume and published as such thereafter. It details the exploits of a group of superheroes known as the Power Persons Five, as they battle crime under the orders of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
In theory. In practice, the PP5 wind up battling each other far more than any enemy, even with all of NASA's breathing down their back.
This work provides examples of:
- Bears Are Bad News: John L. Sullivan has an entire team of Uplifted Animal bear minions. Star Grass later recruits them and gives them star powers.
- Beyond the Impossible: The Impossible's powers consist of doing whatever is the most impossible in a current situation.
- Body Horror: Star Fighter is beaten so badly by Sullivan, his immortality causes his head to deform into a disgusting permanent Big Head Mode.
- Carnivore Confusion: Star Grass wonders if his new cow head makes eating burgers weird. Then again, it's not like his head is attached to his throat anymore.
- Death Is Cheap: When the Impossible is accidentally killed by Star Grass, the mask on her decapitated head breaks off to reveal his head. She is then shown alive and unharmed in the next panel, while everyone else is still freaking out over her death.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: There's a character named King Tiger Eating A Cheeseburger which is, well...
- Happily Married: Starrior and Star Fighter, at first. Star Fighter's deformity puts a considerable strain on their relationship, and Starrior leaving him for Texas Tom doesn't help. They ease back into this after Starlina's birth.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: John L. Sullivan probably never used alien technology to create an army of sentient bears.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Becky "Crazy Train" pulls off a series of elaborate sword-swinging moves during the fight with Sullivan and the bears. This looked very impressive but not only did she not touch any of her enemies with it, she ended up slicing herself to pieces.
- Lower-Class Lout: What Starrior really is. She was a bartender fangirl in some podunk town.
- Marriage of Convenience: After cheating on his cosmic fiance with the bartender who'd become Starrior, Star Fighter was distraught that he'd lose his spousal benefits. Then the bartender says that her job gave great benefits and so Star Fighter marries her and gives her a star ring.
- Nuclear Mutant: The nuclear explosion created by Star Grass irradiates the Anti-Mugger, giving him a third arm. A sentient, evil third arm, at that.
- Only Sane Man: Gnarled Winslow seems to be the only person to realize everything around him is completely bonkers."Some mummy just put a damn curse on us! Who gives a shit about french fries!"
- Portmanteau: Star Fighter and Blue Grass combine to form - Star Grass!
- Unsound Effect: A staple of the comic. "WRENCHED!"
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: The Anti-Mugger and Craymok quit in protest of Star Grass' treatment.
- Super Hero Origin: At the end of the first run of the comic, the author gives almost every character an origin story. Some of which were downright bizarre, such as Craymok being a product of bestiality (well man and animal love, as no sex happened).
- Unskilled, but Strong: Star Fighter has the powers of his cosmic warrior dad, but against Sullivan he completely missed with a close-ranged energy blast and just stands still as Sullivan pummels him. After he gets upgraded to becoming Star Grass the cosmic horse ghost, he goes up against Sullivan again. Again he gets his ass kicked, but he manages to power through Sullivan's last punch and nuke his foe.
- Who's Your Daddy?: The father of Starrior's child is either Star Fighter or Texas Tom. And Texas Tom has no testicles.
