Evan Dorkin

World's Funnest: Earth C Sequence Script w/Art by Scott Shaw! (Pg 28)

Added 2022-11-12 19:59:57 +0000 UTC

Oh, hey, and we're back with another installment in the World's Funnest retrospective.

This time around we're dealing with Earth C, which was , I'm guessing, a stand-in for Earth Cartoon, as it was comprised of anthropomorphic, talking "funny animals". Earth C was created to house Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew, a light parod of the rest of the DC superhero universe starring a team of powered animals. The leader was (duh), Captain Carrot, and the team was filled out by a Flash-like turtle named Fastback, a strong brick character named Pig Iron, a magical feline named Alley-Kat-Abra, the Plastic Man-like Rubberduck, the patriotic-themed Yankee Poodle, and Little Cheese, a mouse with Atom-like shrinking abilities.

Captain Carrot debuted in 1982 and while I can't say I've ever read an issue, I thought it was cool that DC tried something that seemed to be aimed at younger readers, although I guess, in retrospect, it was really mostly enjoyed by DC superhero fans with a fondness for the puns and parody elements courtesy of writer Roy Thomas and artist Scott Shaw!. Apparently the concept and characters have been brought back, killed off and brought back on a few occasions, as different writers and editors have expressed their disdain or fondness for the Zoo Crew.

Despite my not being a fan, I thought the Earth C characters and world deserved to be included in World's Funnest and I was very happy that Scott Shaw! agreed to draw the page. I took no pleasure in destroying Earth C as some have, as has been discussed in previous installments of the retrospect, goofy comics and kids comics deserve better than they got from the big 2 in the past few decades and fandom's attitude towards "comics for all" really meant "superhero comics that matter for all". But that's been worked out to a greater degree in the years since manga and kid/YA comics have punched their way through the culture. Captain Carrot will likely always be an afterthought, unless someday they get called up by WB entertainment for an animated series. You never know.

I can't find any supplemental materials for Scott's page, like a copy of the pencils, so, enjoy the finished line art for page 28 as seen above, and the script, as seen below.

WORLD'S FUNNEST - LAST IMP STANDING

PAGE 28 - EARTH C

WHAT HAS GONE ON BEFORE:

Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyztplk, the inter-dimensional imps with the magical powers of gods and the minds of five year-olds, had appeared on Earth 1 (during the 60's Silver-Age era) to pester their favorite superheroes, the World's Finest team of Superman, Batman and Robin. Unfortunately, the two imps don't like each other much and they start to argue, which turns tragic when Batman intervenes and is accidentally fried by Mxy's lightning bolts. Things really get out of hand and ultimately the Earth 1 characters, Earth and universe are obliterated (including the Legion of Super-Pets, who Mr. Mxyzptlk deem "ridiculous"). The two imps then travel to the Phantom Zone, which Mxy obliterates when the criminals there attack him. They next appear on Earth 2 (where the Golden Age DC Justice Society characters are), where again their fantastic powers and immature behavior destroys that "alternate universe". The chase then leads them to destroy the so-called Earth-3 (where the Mike Sekowsky-era Criminal Syndicate lives) and "Earth-X", the alternate world where DC placed the Quality Freedom Fighter characters. Afterwards, Bat-Mite hid on "Earth S", where Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family are. But a world filled with characters such as Mr. Mind (and his weird Monster Society of Evil), Hoppy the Marvel Bunny and Mr. Talky Tawny drives Mr. Mxyzptlk crazy, and ao he destroys the universe for being "too silly". As this sequence opens, Mxy is still ranting about Earth S's animal inhabitants -- which is pretty unfortunate for Earth C.

PLEASE NOTE: The opinions of Mr. Mxyzptlk are his own, and do not in any way reflect the author's attitude's towards animals, talking, "funny" or otherwise.

ART NOTES:

The Mxyzptlk of the mid -'80's -- is this the "Byrne version"? I seem to recall he got the "wild" white hair and crazed look in the '80's, along with the modified outfit based on Mxy's Silver Age duds.

PANEL ONE

MR. MXYZPTLK "pops" into the middle of a street in Earth C's Gnu York City. He's scowling, and too worked up over what he saw on Earth S to notice that he's smack dab in the middle of a busy avenue and that a truck has almost smashed into him. We can't see any animals in this shot, or make out any of the faces of any drivers in any of the vehicles. NOTE: Mr. Mxyzptlk appears as he did when Captain Carrot was published, the '80's version of the character with the wild white hair.

1) MXY: OOH, WAIT'LL I GET MY HANDS ON THAT MITE! THE NERVE OF HIM, DRAGGING ME INTO THAT LUDICROUS UNIVERSE!

2) MXY: SMART-TALKING WORMS?! FANCY-TALKING TIGERS?! @#&% TALKING SUPER-RABBITS?! WHAT'S NEXT -- A WHOLE STUPID UNIVERSE OF FUNNY TALKING --

SFX (from truck) SCREECH

SFX (from traffic) - HONK HONK

SFX (from traffic) - BEEEP

PANEL TWO

Pull back for a nice-sized panel, as Mxy -- in the immediate foreground -- sees CAPTAIN CARROT AND HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW standing before him, heroically posed as traffic halts around them. Fastback points at the floating imp, his eyes wide in wonder. Various Funny Animals in suits and clothing befitting the '80's sit behind the wheels of cars and gather on the street, all gawking at the sight of the good Captain and his cohorts (PIG-IRON, FASTBACK, ALLEY-KAT-ABRA, RUBBER DUCK and YANKEE POODLE), as well as the little floating human. Mxy is equally flabbergasted at the sight of all the anthropomorphic animals, reacting with a mind-blowing, jaw-dropping cartoonish mid-air "take".

3) MXY: -- ANIMUH --

4) FASTBACK: LOOK, Y'ALL -- IT'S ONE OF THEM THAR FREAKY "HUMAN BEIN'S"!

5) CAPTAIN CARROT: ER, GREETINGS, STRANGER! WELCOME TO EARTH C! CAN WE GIVE YOU A HAND THERE...YOU SEEM A BIT LOST, PLAYING IN TRAFFIC AND ALL!

PANEL THREE

BAT-MITE appears -- squeezing uncomfortably out from the neckhole of Fastback's shell. If that's a logisitcal problem, then the back section of Fastback's shell "clicks" open, pushed out from the inside like a reversed hatchback by an emerging Bat-Mite. Whichever way Bat-Mite emerges, all the visible Zoo Crew members stare at him in surprise, while Fastback -- a question mark over his head -- is especially shocked to find an imp hiding on his person. Captain Carrot, however, doesn't notice the Mite as he is busy confronting a still-apoplectic and thoroughly dumbfounded Mxy, who hovers slightly below the rabbit's eye level.

6) MXY (smallish): -- MUHHHH --

7) CAPTAIN CARROT: YOU OKAY, PAL? CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?

8) BAT-MITE: I WOULD'NT DO THAT IF I WERE YOU, MR. BUNNY! I'D JUST BEAT HIM UP FOR TRESPASSING ON YOUR EARTH!

PANEL FOUR

A small panel, allowing for dialogue. Captain Carrot waves away "Fastback's" suggestion, still not noticing Bat-Mite, who now floats in the air above the Super-Turtle. Fastback and any other Crew members that might be visible all stare at Bat-Mite, while Mxy continues to turn red with anger, steam rising off his head.

9) CAPT CARROT: NONSENSE, FASTBACK! CAPTAIN CARROT AND HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW CAN'T JUST GO AROUND BEATING HUMAN BEINGS UP WITHOUT JUSTIFIABLE CAUSE, NO MATTER HOW WEIRD THE LI'L PINKSTER LOOKS --

10) FASTBACK: B-BUT --

PANEL FIVE

A good-sized panel. Mxy loses it big time -- and making a grand gesture he magically conjures up a massive cartoony pencil that erases a zig-zag pattern over the entire scene, wiping out all "reality" and in it's path, leaving a blank, white background where the scenery was. Buildings, clouds, cars, panicked and tossed about animal citizens -- everything is entirely or partially wiped out by the cosmic eraser. The Zoo Crew is flung about in the air, all of them partially erased in odd ways, staring at their truncated bodies or at the pencil in shock.

11) MXY (big, crazed): AAAAAAGHHH!!!

12) CAPT CARROT: WELL, OKAY, I'D SAY ERASING THE UNIVERSE CERTAINLY MERITS A THRASHING, EH, GANG? UNNGH --

13) PIGIRON (fading): AW, YOU AND YER BIG BUCKTOOTHED MOUTH --

SFX (pencil eraser) SKRITCH SCRITCH

PANEL SIX

The background is gone now, nothing is left but a blank, white background. A sulking, upset Bat-Mite fades out within a "burst effect" that signifies he's popping/teleporting away (the effect used for his comings and goings in the old '60's books). As he disappears he points an accusatory finger at an angry, leering Mxy.

14) BAT-MITE: YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE? YOU'RE CRUELTY TO ANIMALS!

15) MXY: OH, YEAH? WELL YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE -- ?

SFX (by Bat-Mite's burst) - POP!

And so goes Earth-C. Our two lovable imps next find themselves quarreling in Earth Prime, much to their discomfort, and our Earth Prime's bad fortune.

Previous WORLD'S FUNNEST retrospective posts can be found here. Hopefully the links work. Search "WF retrospective" if I goofed.

- The original pitch for World's Funnest (aka, Last Imp Standing) is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-64684036

- Brian Bolland's cover with original, alternate colors can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-65353388

- The Silver Age era script (pgs 1-18), w/Dave Gibbon's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-1-65064249

- The Phantom Zone sequence (pg 19) w/Mike Allred's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-66166610

- The Golden Age Introduction part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-66906681

- The Golden Age Introduction part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-2-67170515

- The Golden Age era (pgs 20-21), w/Sheldon Moldoff's inks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-67320529

- Earth 3 (pg 22) w/pencils by Stuart Immonen and inks by Joe Giella:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-3-67916213

- Earth X/Freedom Fighters/Quality Comics (pg 23-24) art by Frank Cho

https://www.patreon.com/posts/worlds-funnest-x-69815979