Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Dev's Ambush Bug Archive

Here we start a quick issue by issue (the main appearances anywho) of Ambush Bug. I'm in the middle of getting something together and am looking through several comics and thought it'd be fun to review the appearances that I have...which is pretty much all of them.

First up:



DC Comics Presents #52 (Superman and The New Doom Patrol)

Standard team up story between Superman and The New Doom Patrol.

Recap:
Negative Woman's power is apparently out of control, and Superman encounters her at a power plant. She takes off before Superman has any real idea what is going on.

Later, the D.A. is murdered on television by none other than Ambush Bug. A new villian trying to make a name for himself.

Both Ambush Bug and Negative Woman then start running around a parade that is happening in Metropolis. Superman is knocked for a loop by Negative Woman and is found by Tempest and Celsius. Ambush Bug then attacks Superman and makes him think he is in league with the them and pops away. Leaving them at the mercy of a ticked off Superman.

Robotman sets things straight and they go after Negative Woman and Ambush Bug. She's brought back together with her body and Ambush Bug is captured and put in jail.

Opinion:

Definately strange to go back and reread this now. Ambush Bug has become such a fun character, it's hard to remember that he started as a one off villian of the month here. In fact, by his next appearance, he is pretty much the bug we know today.

THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS!!!!! Expect my full participation....

>scurries off to fetch issue for a re-read before commenting further<

DC Comics Presents # 59 (Superman and the Legion of Substitute Heroes)

Anything but average...

Recap:

Ambush Bug breaks out of prison and tries to get Supermans attention. But he is on his way to the future somewhere beyond the Legions time, so he tries to dump Ambush Bug off on Legion of Super Heroes, but they're not home...so guess where the Bug ends up?

Why Superman could not have just taken him back to the past is beyond me, but swhy argue with kismit...or Giffen in this case.

He takes him to the Subs headquarters and put's him in their security call, which of course was broken, but Polar Boy didn't want to admit that to Superman...so now the hijinks occur with the Subs and Supes chasing the Bug through 2983 Metropolis.

Side note: his reaction to Double Header is great!

Buggy ends up in the Phantom Zone until Supes can gather up all his bugs and take him back to the present safely.

Opinion:

While Ambush Bug is still constricted to using his bugs to teleport here, he is much more the madcap character we know and love (at least some of us do.)

Buggy is in good form here and his real adventures are just getting started.

Oh, I expected nothing else from you.

Supergirl #16

Um, okaaaaay...

Recap:

Paul Kupperberg writes the third appearance of the Bug. To be fair, he wrote the first appearance with art by Giffen.

Ambush Bug breaks out of his prison transport, and has decided to become a hero in Chicago of all places. he starts with taking out such criminals as a litterer, a guy smoking near a no-smoking sign, etc...

Supergirl, whom he thinks is Superman affected by something like red kryptonite or something, finally takes care of him and he is off to jail yet again.

Opinion:

Not the Bugs finest hour. While Kupperberg does okay writing him, the Infantino art (and before anyone says anything...I love Carmine's art for whatever reason) just does not make reading this tale any easier. he's just not cut out for the Bug like Giffen is.

Action Comics #560

...and away we go.

Recap:

Ambush Bug gets out of Arkham and sets up shop in Metropolis as a Private Investigator. He figures out Clarks secret, or does he...is it all a dream Clark is having, the ending seems to indicate that it isn't.

Opinion:

To be honest, this issue was my first exposure to Ambush Bug all those years ago, and the sight of him laughing hysterically at Superman/Clarks secret identity ws enough to make me a fan for life.

Buggy also breaks the fourth wall here for the first time and refers to Giffen in the last panel...showing that he is aware who his writer is.

This is the Ambush Bug that I love. Random, funny and out to annoy the hell out of Superman.

DC COMICS PRESENTS # 52


I often forget to mention (or have reason to mention) how much I enjoyed Kupperberg's DOOM PATROL. Also, this issue features top-notch Keith Giffen art!


DON'T PULL ON SUPERMAN'S CAPE DEPT.

Also, don't waste your time trying to defeat him by throwing ice-cubes at him. Celsius learns that doesn't work well.


JIMMY OLSEN'S OPINION OF CONDOMS DEPT.

"Man, if I never see another piece of latex rubber again, it'll be too soon!" Take a dip in the danger zone, Jimmy!


MVW (most Valuable Word) OF THE ISSUE

"Blooie"


OMENS AND PORTENTS

It is obvious on the final page that Ambush Bug is going to be making a return appearance fairly quickly. I suspect Kupperberg quite enjoyed using him.

Also of note, a radical change to the character of Negative Woman takes place this issue, and she truly never is the same again.


TEE-HEE METER

There's a bit of slapstick, but not what you might expect. Mainly, this issue will want to be owned by the Ambush Bug fan for its historical first appearance of our favorite bug (including an ultra-rare out of costume appearance!!).

>gasp!< I won't be able to match your pace, though! You are cooking with GAS here! Go Dev GO!

Action Comics #565

Bwahahahahaha...how can you not love this stuff?

Recap:

Peabody, Dicker and Pending are ready to present an advertising campaign or two for Ambush Bugs own series. Ambush Bug however is out trying to get guest stars for his first issue.

He hits up Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. he brings up several of Supermans less than illustrious adventures, pops into the Batcave onto the giant pennycausing it to crash to the ground, and as Ms. Suffrin Sappho Iin full drag no less) to Wonder Woman.

We are also treated to two seperate 1st issue fake covers...and the first reference to Jerry Mathers as the Cleaver. he then decides to visist the Titans when his Guardian Angel informs him that team books sell.

Opinion:

One of the best uses of 8 pages ever...and taking into account that there are two full page cover mock ups...that's saying a lot. More laughs here than in just about most other series complete runs.

Go at your own pace Lashie...I'll be going back to these all agoain for further comments. I just am in the mood to do some quick recaps and have some fun along the way. Have not smiled this much in a while.

I'm in love with this thread. Will it marry me?!?!?

Action Comics #563

Bwa to the haha

Recap:

Pretty much all about getting young Irwin to teleport without his little flying bugs thingies...with a lot of laughs along the way. Oh yeah, his suit turns black (heh) in the explosion and he ends up in a polka dotted horse outfit the rest of the story.

Best three panel joke ever....



Opinion:

I love this story...so many fun things in it. Including Bethany Snow saying that she is only there to get Titans completists to buy the comic.

If you take it out to dinner a few times and buy it a nice ring...it just might.

DC Comics Presents #81

ZOMG! One of the funnirst comics of all time.

Recap:

While golfing, our hero (Ambush Bug) finds a golf ball size chunk of Red K, has it turned into a piece of jewelry to give to his bestest buddie Superman. They promptly switch bodies and hilarity and massive property damage insues. Oh yeah, Kobra is around as well. To top it off, Superman also laughs as well.

Opinion:

This is a totally awesome appearance by the bug. I love Giffens art here as well. It's stylized, not as much as it would become over time, but he's been shifting since the beginning of the Acton appearances with the Bug, and has found a groove here that works. The best thing is...THE MINI SERIES IS NEXT!!!!

Ambush Bug #1

Great God Almighty...Buggy got a mini of his own!!!

Recap:

Four Words!!! Cheeks the Toy Wonder!!!!

Cheeks comes into our Heroes life...and exits just as quickly because despite the warning on his tag, Buggy left him to disable the bomb. We also learn that our hero is a Boll Weevil...which strikes fear into the villains. Plus an alien invasion.

Opinion:

What can I say about this comic. The cover is a great homage to Superman. Cheeks the freakin Toy Wonder. Fake Ads. All of this and Darkseid!!!!!

But seriously...this is an awesome read...it's fun, it does not take itself seriously, and pokes fun at everything.

Ambush Bug #2

I was so amazed that this series actually got made, let alone made it to its second issue...thank God for small favors.

Recap:

Jonni DC, Continuity Cop is introduced.

(As an aside, Sarky should note that there is a Rima Jungle Girl comic on semi display on page one of this comic.)



Quantis (Nik Nak) The Koala who walks like a man is the main threat in this issue.

Julie Schwartz starts interacting with the characters. Thank God he had a great sense of humor about everything that these guys did...

Opinion:

This stuff just keeps getting better and better. My love for the Bug grows more every time I sit down and read these books. I love laughing out loud at comics...we do not get enough of that these days.

Ambush Bug #3

The Ambush Bug History of the DC Universe...this I gotta read.

Recap:

We get soooo much this issue:

Recaps on who the following characters are:Egg-Fu, Wonder Tot, Super Turtle, Quisp, Krypto, Streaky (Krypto and Streayky get their own theme songs as well), Beppo, Comet, Cheeks (choke) and Itty,

We find out "Whatever happened to Binky?"

We get a Hembeck style look at Buggy.

The Green Team makes a guest shot.

Bat Mite show up.

A rousing round of Science Sez.

We see versions of Ambush Bug around the world.

We learn how to draw Ambush Bug.

We see Buggy drawn by different artists. (not really, but it's a good joke page.

Fake ads. Including a 50 foot inflatable Proty.

We see Cryll and Mr. Doodle Duck.

Cain and the House of Mystery are here too.

The Inferior Five with a ticked off Merry Man.

Catch up with Ace the Bat Hound and Julius Schwartz (you just know he really dug what these guys were doing here.)

We learn how to use a 9 panel grid...seriously...

Mopee stops by for a page.

Bizarro World is referenced.

Glop and Johnny DC get updates.

and finally, Darkseid again. He's been on the last page of all three issues so far...what gives Giffen?

Opinion:

All this for 75 cents...run to a local comic store and demand your copy today!!! I mean seriously people...more laughs than the entire run of Daredevil in one issue.

Ambush Bug #4

The Return of Scabbard...from Thriller (no, not the video, the comic...oh never mind.)

Recap:

Scabbard returns to life and sets out for revenge, only to realize halfway through the book that he is in the wrong book and leaves. This throws the book into another round of one page gags and ads.

We also get the origin of Argh! Yle. You have to see it to understand.

Opinion:

Not as strong as the other three issues, but still more laughs than Batman has had since the Dark Knight returns.

Plus, how can you go wrong with a pin up shot of Starfire (Kory, not the guy from the Titans...that's be wrong...

Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer #1

Oh, How I wish this would have been one of many annual specials.

Recap:

Buggy goes on vacation and figures out 1,001 uses for a dead Hukka.

The usual assortment of jokes gags and one page mock ups. Actually quite a few, since they had to fill up a double sized comic here.

Plus Cheeks comes back as a zombie...really. Then Buggy gets a new Cheeks, so everyone's happy.

Opinion:

Love that the guys are not afraid to poke fun at anything at DC.

Another fun issue from the gang, and being double sized, there is a lot to digest here as well.

Son of Ambush Bug #1

The Bug is back...and this time for 6 issues!!!

Recap:

After killing Darkseid at the end of his last mini series (alright, he just deflated a Darkseid blow up doll...which is a really sick and twisted thing to think up in the first place), he has been blacklisted from the super villian community. Basically, nobody will work with him.

We then get a twisted puppet show for Cheeks to watch.

A mock up Mitshu Bishi cover, and story with it's own choose your own hollywood ending. Giving us 5 choices by the likes of Woody Allen, Stallone, Lucas, and DePalma.

"Anthiny Tollin exposed!" Not that way you nasty people.

Amber Butane of the Amber Butane Corps shows up for a gag...and a quick story.

There's some stampeding elephants.

Cheeks goes missing.

Combat Cheeks...who is unfortunately a medic.

Opinion:

The bug is back and the DCU's in trouble.

Son of Ambush Bug #2

From the cover...this does not look good for the Bug.

Recap:

Buggy gets exploded. Twice. Same gag, twice.

He ends up uin Hell...or at least a stand up comeny club.

Combat Cheeks: Frontline Medic. Not good...

Ambush Bug leaves Hell through the the exit door.

Argh! Yle returns, and gets a Who's Who page.

There's also a joke about a Booster Gold button in there too.

Opinion:

Still good stuff coming from the gang, but not quite as Bwahahaha as some of his outings.

#3 of the original is the only one I've never found.

Are you going to do the Mayfair games module. That was really awesome as well. "Bah".

Son of Ambush Bug #3

Great cover homage to the Flash of Two Worlds story

Recap:

Bug looses his suit.

The Cleaver commits Hari Kari.

The Answer Man gets made fun of.

The Uh Oh squad has all killed themselves because they all killed Ambush Bug. Yeah...that's the plot so far.

Little Jim of the E.L.F. appears.

Something else elses wrong with Buggy's costume.

Another episode of Combat Cheeks: Frontline Medic. This time...Hiroshima. Seriously.

Some more bizarre things happen...

Opinion:

Series is really bizarre at this point. Not sure I remember everything from the first several times I read it.

I will get to that. I picked that up several years ago finally. Took a long time to finally get a copy of it though.

Son of Ambush Bug #4

Home of the single best gag ever! Although a lot of people probably just went..."Huh?"

Recap:

Alright, the plot of Buggy's evil costume (heh) moves forward.

There's a Pac Man gag.

Combat Cheeks and the Front Line Medics. Yep, they're all dolls.

A Conan rip off cover.

...and the single best one panel gag they did, ever.



Opinion:

This comic could be a load of crap, which it isn't, but the one gag makes this whole thing worth it for me.

Son of Ambush Bug #5

Is this plot going somewehre?

Recap:

Buggy is arrested and put on trial for "Contempt of Comics!" To make matters worse, the DA os Harvey Dent.

Oh yeah, and "Stephen Bisset" fills in for a while. Heh.

Combat Cheeks: Frontline Medic turns into Elmer Fudd and apparently kills Bugs...at least he dropped dynamite down the rabbit hole.

Jusy of his peers turns out to be a bunch of corpses.

Ink blot!!!

Opinion:

Some good stuff in here, but I think I like my Bug better when it's random as hell.

Son of Ambush Bug #6

Recap:

This issue wraps up the story as Ambush Bug gets fired from DC Comics.

It's also random as hell and I loves it for it.

A whole lot of strange things happen and there are a ton of gags and jokes to be had.

Opinion:

Much better return to form for the last issue.

Secret Origins #48

They thought hoim up...next.

Recap:

It seems Buggy needs an origin according to the NSO, and since he doesn't want to give one up, they use Cheeks as Leverage.

He starts with a slight nod to "Who is Donna Troy." and then gets incinerated by a Lord of Order.

L.E.G.I.O.N. is dragged in by their agent.

A bat flies into a window, and fals to the ground. No origin here. By the way, he;s spent the last two gags as a pile of bones.

He goes to Heaven and gets returned to earth.

No origin for Buggy people...then it wouldn't be a Secret Origin...would it.

Opinion:

Love this. a return to gags mixed in with the main story, and it all flows.

Ambush Bug: Nothing Special #1

Recap:

Short version: Ambush Bug travels the DCU looking for a job.

This issue contains so many one page gags it really is amazing.

There are also the required faux covers, including a graeat Leifeld knock off.

There is so much to talke about with this issue, I will be coming back to it.

Opinion:

Julie Lad...nuff said.

Probably one of my top 2 Bug stories of all time. Beaten out at times by the Kobra issue.

Ambush Bug: Year None # 1 - 5, 7

What The?!?!?!?!

Recap:

Bug is back in the DCU, and starring in just about every crossover ever...kinda.

Jonni DC has been murdered...and it's up to the Bug to figure out what happened.

Mitsu Bishi is back, and it's actually part of the plot this time. So is just about every character that appeared (or referenced) in his previous mini's...including Darkseid singing Karaoke.

Opinion:

After rereading this for the first time since the issues came out...including the huge wait for the last issue...I have come to the conclusion that this mini is genius and that the endgame (the late last issue) was planned all along.

Also, Didio is a good sport for going along with what they did to him in this mini.

There are a few other little things that I'll get to eventually. That's the majority of the quick reviews for the moment.

This does not mean that this thread is going to go goodbye though. These were flash in the pan reviews. There is so much more to be said about every one of these comics...more gags that made me laugh out loud...more fake covers that made me giggle. Lots of fun to talk about in depth with those who love the Bug!!!

There sure is! I'll continue my issue reviews soon as well. Fun stuff, Dev! I love having all the covers for reference, thank you!

This is awesome, Dev... I have most of AB's early appearance up through the "Son of" mini... I didn't read "Year None" but I heard good things about it from Exnihil... I still remember riding my bike to the CBS to buy the Christmas special and laughing my arse off... the Action issue with the Subs is probably my favorite...

Was it "Son of..." that had the gag where Giffen and Flemming switched roles for a few pages? That was my all-time favourite bit. "All these bummers are making me.... TENSE!!!!"

I personally loved when Julie actually felt obligated to "make his presence known" in the book.

Especially loved the Julie Lad bit in Nothing Special.

Back in the day, Ambush Bug was one of the few (if not the only) books where I would actually read the letter column first.

There was some wonderfully surreal stuff going on in the "Letters to Me". To this day, there is still a part of my brain reserved for the knowledge that Mark Hayden Frazer hailed from Oconomowoc, WI (which, spelled backward is Cowomonoco. )

More for this thread once my books return...what does that mean??? Stay tuned to find out...

Ambush Bug fans need to get out and grab Tiny Titans #46. Within they reveal the identity of the purple clad figure moving through all the DCnU #1 issues.

Awww... that's love right there.

Just glad to see Irwin getting some love after the DCnU hit.

Can't say as I'm aware what AB's been up to since Dev (AND LASH!) last posted , but Buggy's got a cover and guest appearance in this months SUICIDE SQUAD:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/suicide-squad-7-preview-ambush-bug-joins-the-squad/

I was in the shop and peeked at this when I saw it. He's not as manic, zany, crazy as the original (he fits into a regular plot). But from what I saw, he breaks the fourth wall, knows about the continuity and is a minor pain. He seems to be an odd fit with the tone of the book, so I'm not sure what regular readers will think of it.

Maybe DC have another Crisis coming down the track and Bug is the only one left who knows the secrets of the Multiverse. For all I'm following DC, Morrison has already written the story of DCs fiction breaking into our world. DC could have hyped it out the park, and we'd be sitting here wondering why they don't reference all the times we met the DC staff in the '70s.