History ComicStrip / TwistedToyfareTheatre

A comic series published every month in ''Toyfare'' magazine -- an action figure hobbyist magazine and price guide that is humorous in tone -- since the magazine began in 1997 and collected in trade paperbacks, "TTT" combines [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]], liberal references to anything in pop culture, [[TropeOverdosed tropes on top of tropes]], and fair amounts of BlackComedy as a topper. ''TwistedToyfareTheatre'' originally featured 1970s Mego dolls (many of them customized, and most of those being Marvel characters) as the main characters, although other characters (such as [[GIJoe Cobra Commander]] and [[StarWars the Stormtroopers]]) have become more prominent as the Megos got stale (Literally, those things were held together with rubber bands).

* ActorAllusion: Some characters refer to [[Film/{{X-Men}} Storm]] as if she were actually Halle Berry, including Arnold Schwarzenegger telling her that ''X3'' would have been better if she had shown her "boobies" in it. On that note, Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian speaks as if he were Arnold, with the writers usually reminding the readers that Conan's speech balloons "are funnier if you read 'em in Schwarzenegger's voice". Which leads to HamToHamCombat when Arnold and Conan face off. And several Marvel characters have received this treatment with references made to the actors that played them. For example, in one strip Wolverine is seen crucified and Spidey comments how he deserved it after he wasted his money on ''Film/VanHelsing'', while in another one Spider-Man is complemented for his role in ''Film/TheCiderHouseRules''.

* EditedForSyndication: Reprints of TTT, after issues with DC comics, featured less of ot the DC action figures. So some jokes going from "Oh no, I'm forced to join DC VILLAINS." (Penguin, and such) became "I'm forced to join.. SPIDER-MAN VILLAINS." with Green Goblin, Electro and similar taking place of "lame" DC villains.

** ...Which is actually a goof on George Takei's Papillion, La Reina Blanca.

* OneOfUs: A good 25% of the jokes are a lot funnier if you're fluent in comics, '80s cartoons, sci-fi and video games.

* {{Flanderization}}: Thor's TransparentCloset. Additionally, AlanMoore's main purpose being rescuing Comicbook/ManThing and correcting people who confuse him with Comicbook/SwampThing.

* InsufferableGenius: Reed Richards

* ComesGreatResponsibility: Usually completely averted with the TropeNamer--Mego Spidey would be more than content to ignore the absurdity surrounding him and remain on his couch, watching TV and eating potato chips.

* TheScrappy: [[invoked]] Several well-known Scrappys show up and promptly [[TakeThat die violently]]. Mego Spidey and Hawkeye actually go to a hunting range where the prey consists of Scrappys from 1980s cartoons, including Orko from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'' ("The 'O' on his chest is like a target from God!"). The exception is the [[KillerRabbit Ewoks]]. They cement their psychopathic status by charging in to dismember Jar-Jar Binks, at which point Mego Spidey remarks that comparison to Jar-Jar has [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap made them look far more tolerable in comparison]].

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Mego Spidey is almost NEVER seen without his Lays potato chips (even in the ''picture on this very page'')

* {{Flanderization}}: Thor's TransparentCloset. Additionally, AlanMoore's main purpose being rescuing Comicbook/{{Man-Thing}} and correcting people who confuse him with Comicbook/SwampThing.

--> '''Bones:''' ''(extracting tribbles from Sulu's rear)'' Damn it, Sulu, what did I tell you?! These things multiply ''and'' expand!\\

-->'''Spider-Man:''' Okay, I buried the Skittles. When does this Rainbow Bridge sprout?\\
'''Loki:''' It doesn't. I just wanted to see if you'd actually bury candy. The ''real'' Rainbow Bridge is over there.\\
'''Spider-Man:''' ''*pause*'' You're such a tool.\\
'''Loki:''' Hey, I'm not the one with the Skittle garden.

'''Spider-Man:''' ''(to Thor)'' Psst. I think your dad's Odin-senile.\\

* ActorAllusion
** Some characters refer to [[Film/{{X-Men}} Storm]] as if she were actually Halle Berry, including Arnold Schwarzenegger telling her that ''X3'' would have been better if she had shown her "boobies" in it.
** On that note, Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian speaks as if he were Arnold, with the writers usually reminding the readers that Conan's speech balloons "are funnier if you read 'em in Schwarzenegger's voice". Which leads to HamToHamCombat when Arnold and Conan face off.
** Several Marvel characters received this treatment with references made to the actors that played them. For example, in one strip Wolverine is seen crucified and Spidey comments how he deserved it after he wasted his money on ''Film/VanHelsing'', while in another one Spider-Man is complemented for his role in ''Film/TheCiderHouseRules''.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking
** When George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger enter the race for the Megoville mayoral election, Reed Richards uses the [[TheFlash Cosmic Treadmill]] to go back in time to retrieve Thomas Jefferson, whom Richards calls the third greatest president in history; he feels that this is not important enough to bother Abraham Lincoln or ''Jimmy Carter.''
** Variation on the trope used in Daredevil v. Ben Affleck:

* AssShove
** Has happened to the Hulk.
** ''Willingly'' done by Sulu to ''himself''

* BadassGrandpa
** Golden Age Spider-Man is incredibly badass, and a parody of the more lax attitude towards morality in comics during the GA; the way he sees it, it makes perfect sense to gun down robbers but let dictators off with an uppercut and a warning.
** Also the Clone Trooper who joined the Stormtroopers after being cloned into a younger body. "Who wants to armwrestle?"

* ButtMonkey
** Cyclops, who is constantly abused by Professor Xavier.
** Also the Falcon, by Captain America.
** Doom, right from the start. The first strip had him beaten senseless by Ponch and Jon, and ''it's just gone downhill from there''.

* CharacterExaggeration: Nearly every character who appears is a heavily exaggerated parody of themselves. One of the former writers said a favorite technique of his was to take a personality trait and twist it just slightly, making it ludicrous while still true to the character. As an example, he cited the Borg; the first time they knock on Spidey's door, he slams it in their faces, but when he tries to do so a second time, the Borg "adapt to his defensive capabilities" by sticking a foot in the door.

'''Mego Spidey:''' '''WHAT THE--'''

* LargeHam
** Arnold Schwarzenegger stand-in Conan the Barbarian and Schwarzenegger himself (who mainly speaks in quotes from his movies).
** But these both pale in comparison to the Mego version of Dr. Doom, who manages to make his mainstream Marvel counterpart [[CharacterExaggeration look underplayed by comparison]]. Truly an accomplishment in ham.

* NoodleIncident
** One comic starts with the Hulk sitting on the couch in Spider-Man's house, looking around. One GilliganCut later, and Spidey's house has burned down. His explanation?

* TakeThat: To every DorkAge that ever existed.
** Brian Michael Bendis appears as a character almost entirely for the purpose of Take Thats against him. He fills the panels with huge amounts of dialogue, brags about being paid by the word, and is killed by the Scarlet Witch in a ''New Avengers'' parody (while all of the characters he killed off in ''Avengers Disassembled'' refused to help him).
** Ed Brubaker's MartyStu transformation of Bucky into a grim and gritty Anti-Hero is utterly mocked in one installment, complete with Nick Fury trying (and failing) to teach Bucky to be a badass.
** Two villains decide to kill Franklin Richards after seeing him "stealthing" in a cardboard box and declaring the Raiden section of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid 2'' to be a ripoff.

* TooMuchInformation: Doctor Octopus and Aunt May have sex in an airplane toilet. It doesn't even need NaughtyTentacles to achieve a thorough level of badness, because Doc Ock is kind enough to inform us that "it's a good thing I sweat butter, 'cause round two's gonna be needing some lubricant!" Mego Spidey laments that "This never happens to Ultimate Me."
* TransparentCloset
** Thor, which gets Flanderized quite a bit.
** Also Banshee, who constantly hangs around Northstar yet spouts suspiciously homophobic dialogue. He is later seen waking up next to Northstar, hoping that he didn't do anything "sinful" while he was drunk.

Some of the writers went on to work for ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', which it is similar to. Former editor Rob Bricken went on to work for their sister publication ''Anime Insider'', ran the ToplessRobot nerd-blog for several years, and is now working for io9.

* RefugeInAudacity: Very very much. One specific example is the Thing's parents being represented by Thing dolls dressed as Hasidic Jews.

** Several Marvel characters received this treatment with references made to the actors that played them. For example, in one strip Wolverine is seen crucified and Spidey comments how he deserved it after he wasted his money on ''Film/VanHelsing'', while in another one Spider-Man is complemented for his role in ''TheCiderHouseRules''.

** Several Marvel characters received this treatment with references made to the actors that played them. For example, in one strip Wolverine is seen crucified and Spidey comments how he deserved it after he wasted his money on ''Film/VanHelsing'', while in another one Spider-Man is complemented for his role in ''Film/TheCiderHouseRules''.

A comic series published every month in ''Toyfare'' magazine -- an action figure hobbyist magazine and price guide that is humorous in tone -- since the magazine began in 1997 and collected in trade paperbacks, "TTT" combines [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]], liberal references to anything in pop culture, [[TropeOverdosed tropes on top of tropes]], and fair amounts of DeadBabyComedy as a topper. ''TwistedToyfareTheatre'' originally featured 1970s Mego dolls (many of them customized, and most of those being Marvel characters) as the main characters, although other characters (such as [[GIJoe Cobra Commander]] and [[StarWars the Stormtroopers]]) have become more prominent as the Megos got stale (Literally, those things were held together with rubber bands).

* DeadBabyComedy

* FunnyAneursymMoment: In "I Am Legend: Part 2", the end of the strip has Mego Spidey mock the idea of Toyfare lasting another eighty-four issues. Turns out he was right, give or take an issue.