Bizarro World

The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae, which is "Earth" spelled backwards) is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.[1] Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and companions, all of whom were initially Bizarro versions of Superman, Lois Lane and their children and, later, other Bizarros including Batzarro, the World's Worst Detective.

Bizarro World
First appearanceAction Comics #263
(April 1960)
Notable charactersBizarro
Bizarro-Green Lantern
Batzarro
Bizarra
Bizarro-Flash
PublisherDC Comics

In popular culture, "Bizarro World" has come to mean a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations.

History

In the Bizarro world of "Htrae", society is ruled by the Bizarro Code which states "Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!"[2] In one episode, for example, a salesman is doing a brisk trade selling Bizarro bonds: "Guaranteed to lose money for you". Later, the mayor appoints Bizarro No. 1 to investigate a crime, "Because you are stupider than the entire Bizarro police force put together". This is intended and taken as a great compliment.

Originally a normal planet, htraE is now cube-shaped. This is due to the intervention of Superman, who – after being convicted of doing something perfect on htraE, which would normally be a capital offense – pointed out that the planet was shaped like a normal spheroid and agreed to cube it if his sentence were commuted.[3]

Later stories introduced Bizarro versions of Superman's supporting cast, including Bizarro-Perry White, Bizarro-Jimmy Olsen, Bizarro-Morgan Edge, Bizarro-Lucy Lane, Bizarro-Lana Lang and Bizarro-Krypto, created by using the duplicator ray on characters other than Superman and Lois Lane, as well as the children of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois. There was even a Bizarro-Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes: the Bizarro League and the Legion of Stupor-Heroes. Bizarro-Batman sported a Futility Belt full of cigarette butts, chewed gum, and other such priceless Bizarro treasures. Yellow Lantern had no power from his powerless Ring, was vulnerable to anything colored green and was the most easily frightened being in the universe. Bizarro-Aquaman could not swim. There is even a Bizarro-Marilyn Monroe, the ugliest of them all.

"Tales of the Bizarro World" became a recurring segment in Adventure Comics for fifteen issues from writer Jerry Siegel and artist John Forte, running from issue #285–299 (June 1961–Aug. 1962).[4][5] Animated Blue Kryptonite golems once erupted from the Htrae surface, bent on defeating the Bizarros and were cheered on by the Bizarro Loises.[6]

Despite their differences, Bizarro and Superman have teamed up on occasion. One notable example happened in Superman #379, when a strange creature appeared to be devouring Bizarros. Fearing he would end up alone Bizarro tried to steal Superman's duplicator ray. Superman convinced Bizarro he would be better off trying to stop the monster before making any more Bizarros. The creature eventually devoured Bizarro, but Superman soon figured out that the creature was not trying to kill the Bizarros, but using their combined strength to defeat another creature which was trying to destroy htraE. The first creature was created as part of a plan developed by none other than the Bizarro Lex Luthor, who Bizarro referred to as a "punk hero."

In the imaginary story, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, which served as an ending to Silver Age Superman continuity, Bizarro #1 (the original Bizarro and the world's leader/greatest hero), was influenced to bad ends by the now evil Mr. Mxyzptlk. Realizing that to truly fulfill the Bizarro Code he should stop being an "imperfect perfect duplicate" of Superman and be a "perfect imperfect duplicate" of Superman, Bizarro resolves to alter his methods accordingly. To that end, Bizarro #1 deliberately destroyed Bizarro World, reasoning that if Superman's homeworld (Krypton) was destroyed in an accident, Bizarro must destroy his own world on purpose.

The Bizarro World's final pre-Crisis appearance was in DC Comics Presents #97 (September 1986), which was also the final issue of that series. After being empowered by a hideously disfigured Phantom Zone sorcerer, Mr. Mxyzptlk destroys Zrfff and then causes the Bizarro World to implode, killing all its inhabitants. The Bizarros act unusually insane in this account, with Bizarro #1 rocketing his son to the core of the collapsing planet so he would be sure to die.

It had been established that there was no "set" future for Earth-One[7] so the World's Finest story where it is revealed that sometime in the future, Htrae is transformed into a more normal world (egg-shaped rather than cubical) by the radiation from an exploding celestial body was only a possible future. The Bizarroes are changed into normal non-powered people as well, but still retaining vestiges of their Bizarro laws (curtains hung outside the windows of a house, etc.)[8]

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne's Man of Steel miniseries rebooted Superman continuity. The editors and writers did not reintroduce Bizarro World in the reboot. Later, in Superman (vol. 2) #87, the second Post-Crisis Bizarro clone creates a "Bizarro World" which is a warehouse made to look like a surreal Metropolis.

A Bizarro World did appear in a story of this era in the 1998 Adventure Comics 80-Page Giant by writer Tom Peyer and artist Kevin O'Neill. There, Bizarro demands that a technician at a SETI-like installation broadcast his diary. Having no choice, the technician looks over the diary, which retells the story of the classic cube-shaped backwards Bizarro World. Superman accidentally finds himself there and, to allay people's fears of him,[9] goes on a "constructive rampage." The original Bizarro, aka Bizarro #1, goes to Earth and attempts to stop Superman with the help of his friends. However, when the other Bizarros try to kill Superman, #1 stops them, saying that killing is the earthly thing that they must, above all, do the opposite of. Realizing that, however strange Bizarro World might be, its inhabitants are safer and happier than those of Earth thanks to Bizarro #1's leadership, Superman apologizes. To show his sincerity he hides a copy of the Bizarro Code where nobody will ever see it. The people hold a parade in #1's honor and with his loving wife Bizarro Lois #1 and their son, Bizarro Junior #1 at his side, Bizarro cries saying "Me am ... happiest creature in universe." When the technician finishes reading the story, he sees Bizarro is gone and, horrified, asks, "What if the journal itself is no exception to the Bizarro Code?". Elsewhere, the truth is revealed; Bizarro, who has no home and has no family and is held in contempt by Superman, weeps because he is the most miserable thing in the universe.

The distinctive cube-shaped Earth of Bizarro World briefly appeared in the pages of Infinite Crisis alongside the other Earths in space. A close-up, labeled Earth-0, is seen wherein a smiling Bizarro is strangling a smiling Bizarro-Lois, with Bizarros Hawkman, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White standing alongside and laughing. Similarly, in the present day New 52 DC Multiverse, a cube shaped Earth-29 appears, albeit encircled by a ring. This may or may not be a further reiteration of the Bizarro World.[10]

A cube-shaped planet, populated by assorted Bizarros, was discovered orbiting a blue sun by a Thanagarian patrol ship.

Bizarro captures Jonathan Kent and takes him to the cube-shaped world, prompting Superman to follow him.[11]

The DC Universe Halloween Special 2009 features several stories showcasing Bizarro World. The opening shows Bizarro reading a comic book to a large audience of Bizarro men and women clad in halloween costumes. All of the audience members are bound and gagged, implying that they are being read to against their will as opposed to the traditional practice of gathering around to hear a story. Another tale reveals that Halloween in Bizarro World involves trick-or-treaters giving fruit to the houses they visit. The final story also reveals that Bizarro works at a Bizarro version of the Daily Planet, and also shows Bizarro versions of staff members like Jimmy Olsen and Cat Grant.

Superman #695 has Bizarro fleeing from Mon-El after a battle. In Bizarro-speak, Bizarro informs the hero that he is retreating to Bizarro World, and claims that he will soon return with a Bizarro Mon-El in order to help him defeat the original. This story was never followed up on, as Mon-El was sent into the Phantom Zone shortly after this encounter.

Bizarro World was seen again several months later in Supergirl #55. In it, Bizarro Supergirl (not the one accidentally created in Superman #140) recounts her origin, revealing that she was bound, gagged and locked inside of a spaceship sent from the cube-shaped world to Earth after it was attacked by a being known as the Godship. The issue ended with the modern Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, heading toward the Bizarro World to liberate it from the Godship.

In Grant Morrison's Multiversity series, htraE has been allocated its own alternate universe and is now also known as Earth-29. As well as its imperfect inorganic equivalents of Earth-0's core superheroes, it retains its cubic shape, although now possesses a ring as well. Other planets in its universe are also cuboid in shape – Narr (Rann-29), Raganaht (Thanagar-29) home to a flightless Bizarro Manhawk (Hawkman) and an overpopulated Sram (Mars-29) home to Smarian Snitch (Martian Manhunter).[12]

Known inhabitants
  • Bizarro – The Bizarro version of Superman.
  • Bizarro Amazo – The Bizarro version of Amazo.
  • Bizarro Big Barda – The Bizarro version of Big Barda.
  • Bizarro Black Manta – The Bizarro version of Black Manta.
  • Bizarro Brainiac – The Bizarro version of Brainiac.
  • Bizarro Catwoman – The Bizarro version of Catwoman.
  • Bizarro Computo – The Bizarro version of Computo.
  • Bizarro Doomsday – The Bizarro version of Doomsday.
  • Bizarro Jimmy Olsen – The Bizarro version of Jimmy Olsen.
  • Bizarro Joker – The only sane person in Bizarro World; he cries incessantly in comparison to the Joker's laughing maniacally.
  • Bizarro Justice League – The Bizarro version of the Justice League.
    • Batzarro – The Bizarro version of Batman. He is the "World's Worst Detective."[13]
    • Bizarra – The Bizarro version of Wonder Woman who has reverse powers.
    • Bizarro Aquaman – The Bizarro version of Aquaman who cannot swim.
    • Bizarro Blue Beetle – The Bizarro version of Blue Beetle.
    • Bizarro Booster Gold – The Bizarro version of Booster Gold.
    • Bizarro Cyborg – The Bizarro version of Cyborg.
    • Bizarro Flash – The Bizarro version of Flash who was made out of the "speed force" making him super-fast and intangible.
    • Bizarro Green Arrow – The Bizarro version of Green Arrow who sets his arrows up backwards.
    • Bizarro Hawkgirl – The Bizarro version of Hawkgirl whose wings are a part of her.
    • Bizarro Hawkman – The Bizarro version of Hawkman.
    • Bizarro Ice – The Bizarro version of Ice.
    • Bizarro Martian Manhunter – The Bizarro version of Martian Manhunter.
    • Bizarro Robin – The Bizarro version of Robin.
    • Bizarro Green Lantern – The Bizarro version of Green Lantern, here known as Yellow Lantern.
  • Bizarro Krypto – The Bizarro version of Krypto.
  • Bizarro Lana Lang – The Bizarro version of Lana Lang.
  • Bizarro Legion of Super-Heroes – The Bizarro version of the Legion of Super-Heroes who were created by Bizarro Superboy II.
    • Bizarro Brainiac 5 – The Bizarro version of Brainiac 5.
    • Bizarro Chameleon Boy – The Bizarro version of Chameleon Boy.
    • Bizarro Cosmic Boy – The Bizarro version of Cosmic Boy.
    • Bizarro Invisible Kid – The Bizarro version of Invisible Kid.
    • Bizzaro Lightning Lad – The Bizarro version of Lightning Lad.
    • Bizarro Mon El – The Bizarro version of Mon El.
    • Bizarro Saturn Girl – The Bizarro version of Saturn Girl.
    • Bizarro Ultra Boy – The Bizarro version of Ultra Boy.
  • Bizarro Lex Luthor – The Bizarro version of Lex Luthor.
  • Bizarro Lois Lane – The Bizarro version of Lois Lane.
  • Bizarro Lois Lane Jr. – The daughter of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois Lane.
  • Bizarro Lucy Lane – The Bizarro version of Lucy Lane.
  • Bizarro Jr. – The son of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois Lane.
  • Bizarro Mister Kltpzyxm – The Bizarro version of Mister Mxyzptlk. He lives by the opposite of the Bizarro Code by fixing things up.
  • Bizarro Morgan Edge – The Bizarro version of Morgan Edge.
  • Bizarro Perry White – The Bizarro version of Perry White.
  • Bizarro Shaggy Man – The Bizarro version of Shaggy Man. He only sits and thinks.
  • Bizarro Superboy I – The Bizarro version of Superboy. Professor Dalton's imperfect Duplicator Ray had zapped Superboy and created the Bizarro version of him. He was accidentally destroyed by Superboy.
  • Bizarro Superboy II – The second Bizarro version of Superboy.
  • Bizarro Supergirl – The Bizarro version of Supergirl that was created by Bizarro Jr.
  • Bizarro Titano – The Bizarro version of Titano.
  • Bizarro Toyman – The Bizarro version of Toyman.

Points of interest
  • Daily Htrae –
  • Fourtriss uv Bizarro –
  • Mutropolis –
  • Dali Planit (also spelled Dayli Planet) –

Other versions

All-Star Superman

Outside mainstream DC continuity, All-Star Superman #7-8 featured the return of Htrae and Bizarro, in which the sentient cubic htraE attacked Earth until Superman interfered. Manifestations of Earth inhabitants attacked en masse, killing and absorbing many. The duplicates have a weakness against steroids; they cannot absorb people who use them. Superman believed that htraE was a manifestation of an entity called a 'planet eater'. Superman attacks htraE, unfortunately experiencing the loss of his abilities due to the super-heavy gravity pull of htraE as it retreats back to its own realm, as well as Doppler shift which replicates the effects of red sun radiation, eroding his superpowers. On this revisionist htraE, Superman encounters Bizarro duplicates of Jor-El ("Le-Roj") and an imperfect clone of Bizarro himself (Zibarro, who is essentially a powerless, rational human). Superman also encounters Bizarro versions of his fellow heroes, such as Bizarro Green Lantern (whose ring allows him to create anything he thinks of, to which he admits he thinks of everything), Bizarro Flash (who is extremely slow and appears to take an entire issue to get to a certain point), Bizarro Batman (who was shot by his parents) and Bizarro Wonder Woman (who is an ugly fat woman that turned to clay). The area Superman lands resembles a destroyed city. There is also an imperfect duplicate of the Statue of Liberty visible in the background, although unnamed. Htrae vanishes back into the Underverse, a newly discovered dimension, at story's end.[14]

Adventures of Superman

A story about Bizarro in the out-of-continuity digital-first anthology comic book Adventures of Superman from 2013 by Christos Gage and Eduardo Francisco ends with Bizarro given the tools to terraform an uninhabited planet to his own tastes. There, he immediately encounters an Amazonian woman with chalky skin who introduces herself as Bizarra.[15]

In other media

Television
  • Bizarro World is depicted in several episodes of Super Friends: "The Revenge of Bizarro" from 1980, "Bizarowurld" from 1981, and "The Bizarro Super Powers Team" in 1985.
  • In the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Bizarro's World", Bizarro finds the Fortress of Solitude where he interacts with Brainiac and discovers his "origin". Soon he creates his own Krypton on a section of Metropolis and uses a theater as the House of El. Later, Superman gives Bizarro his own world to protect, a planet with vegetation and a green sky showing a neighboring Saturn-like planet, and several other moons. Bizarro is astute enough to realize he may be set up when he complains "Me hate planet. It am empty. How can me be protector when me have no one to protect?" However, Superman states he thought of that issue and allows Bizzaro to adopt one of the endangered species from the Fortress, whom Bizarro aptly names "Krypto". The episode is based on the comic book Superman (vol. 2) #87. In a follow-up episode, "Little Big Head Man", Bizarro had populated his world with mannequins he made of boulders and twigs, and pretended to "protect" the populace. In his own "Fortress of Solitude", there are twig mannequins of his "parents" holding a large cube-shaped boulder, a crude mirror image of Superman's statue in the Fortress of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van holding up a globe of Krypton. Mr. Mxyzptlk appears and tricks him into returning to Earth and attacking Superman. Bizarro is eventually returned to his world with his new sidekick Mxyzptlk (who had been temporarily stripped of his powers until he does one good deed by the end of 90 days) who helps to make life on Bizarro World interesting for Bizarro.
  • A version of Bizarro World appears in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Robin Backwards". It is the home of the Bizarro Titans, led by the lazy Nibor, and feature Grobyc, a robot that is mostly human, Nevar, who is always smiling in contrast to Raven, Boy Beast, an animal who can transform into any human boy, and Erifrats, who is just as ugly as Starfire is beautiful.

Film
  • Bizarro World appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League. Here, Bizarro is sent to Bizarro World by Superman to keep him out of trouble. When Darkseid invades the planet, Bizarro steals a duplicating ray from Lex Luthor and fires it at Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), and Cyborg, creating Batzarro, Bizarra, Greezarro, and Cyzarro. Its properties were also shown to adversely affect Wonder Woman (who becomes powerless and constantly tripping up), Guy Garnder's power ring (limiting him to only make chickens), and Cyborg (who's falling apart).

Video games
  • Bizarro World appears in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. It is featured as a DLC map where the Bizarro Justice League have to defend Bizarro World from Darkseid's forces.

The concept of "Bizarro" has been ingrained in popular culture where it has come to mean a weirdly mutated version of anything, not confined to characters in DC Comics publications[16] and as such, so has the concept of Bizarro World.

Saturday Night Live

"The Bizarro World" was the subject of a sketch which aired during the second episode of season 7 of Saturday Night Live.

Friends

In season 1, Joey tells Ross that him kissing Chandler's mom would be no big deal if it happened in "Bizarro World".

Seinfeld

The concept of "Bizarro World" is a fundamental element in "The Bizarro Jerry", the 137th episode of American sitcom Seinfeld. In the episode, Elaine makes a new group of friends who represent inverted types of the normal Seinfeld gang. Jerry labels his counterpart "Bizarro Jerry", much to Elaine's confusion. These characters are kind, considerate, curious about the world around them, and good citizens. Though Elaine is initially attracted to their friendly ways, she is ultimately turned off by the formality and lack of simple camaraderie which she enjoys with her old, selfish, shortsighted group. A second reason for her leaving the Bizarro group is the fact that she is, in turn, so flawed that the Bizarro group reject her in much the same way that Elaine rejected her old friends. Conceivably, her Bizarro version would be ladylike. To this day, fans still write in and tell the producers of the show of all the things that can be pointed out in the background of the Bizarro apartment. These include a Bizarro figure on an apartment shelf, just as a Superman figure sits on a shelf in Jerry's apartment. Viewers can also see a unicycle hanging from the wall instead of a bicycle, and images of horses instead of cars. The locks on the doors are on the opposite side and actually used. At the end, one of the Bizarro group says: "Me am so happy, me want to cry"—a reference to the way Bizarro speaks.

Buffyverse

The character Cordelia Chase from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel referenced the concept on several occasions.

  • In the Buffy Season 2 episode "Reptile Boy", Cordelia tells Xander Harris that his being accepted into a fraternity of rich and powerful men would only happen "in the Bizarro World."
  • In the Buffy Season 3 episode "The Wish", an alternate reality is brought about by a wish made by Cordelia. After learning that the AU vampire versions of Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg are partners, Cordelia exclaims "No way! I wish us into bizarro-land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!"
  • In the Angel Season 5 episode "You're Welcome", Cordelia awakens from a coma to discover that Spike has regained his soul and Angel is working for Wolfram & Hart. Cordelia remarks to Angel "OK, Spike's a hero, and you're CEO of Hell, Incorporated. What freakin' bizarro world did I wake up in?!"

Buffy Summers also referenced "Bizarro World" in the season 6 episode "Gone." Following an argument with her then lover Spike, Buffy walks home grumbling to herself "I don't believe this. He threw me out. Did I, like, fall into some backward dimension here? Is this Bizarro World?"

References
  1. Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. pp. 88–90. ISBN 1-4012-1389-8.
  2. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 28–29. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  3. Action Comics (vol. 1) #263–264 (April–May 1960)
  4. This material has been collected as Superman: Tales of the Bizarro World, DC Comics, 2000 ISBN 1563896249.
  5. Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960–64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-1605490458.
  6. Adventure Comics #290 (November 1961)
  7. Superman #295 (January, 1976)
  8. World's Finest Comics #181 (December, 1968)
  9. This is not the first time Superman is the terror of Bizarro World. In a 1961 story, when Bizarro #1 goes to Earth and brings back a Superman doll as a souvenir, the children are terrified.
  10. http://www.dccomics.com
  11. Action Comics (vol. 1) #855 (October 2007)
  12. Multiversity Guidebook (January 2015)
  13. Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-0345501066.
  14. All-Star Superman #7–8 (June–August 2007)
  15. In the digital numbering, this is in Adventures of Superman #27; in print it is the single-issue Adventures of Superman #9.
  16. Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Bizarro
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