The “superhero landing” is a staple move in comic books where heroes drop from a high height and hit the ground in epic fashion, and in an issue from DC Comics' critically acclaimed All-Star Superman series, Superman witnesses the disgusting opposite of this well-known cliche!
Revealed in All-Star Superman #8, By Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, this issue sees Superman stuck on Bizarro World, a cubed planet home to Bizarro and his ilk that talk and understand things in the complete opposite way of how they are usually perceived. Losing his powers as Bizarro World sinks towards a place called the “Underverse,” Superman must find a way to get off-planet before things get worse; something easier said than done.
Deciding to build a spaceship to help him escape the planet, Superman enlists Zibarro, the only person in this backward world who acts “normal” by Earth standards, along with a few citizens of Bizarro World who aren't exactly the best kind of help. Needing even more assistance to get the ship built in time to safely leave, Bizarro calls on this world’s version of the Justice League for support, and it’s here where the gross opposite of the superhero landing is revealed.
Ascending from a manhole cover saturated in stink and garbage, the superhero named Bizarro-Green Lantern is first to arrive on the scene. Posing in a super familiar way that sees him rise from the sewer on one knee while his right arm reaches for the ground and his left curls in a bicep-swelling manner, Bizarro-Green Lantern flips the superhero landing on its head in the most literal way possible.
Based on the fact that Bizarro World is a place where “Opposite Day” is permanent, giving fans the reverse of what a superhero landing is all about would still be a cliche that’s part of a Bizarro hero’s repertoire, just tweaked in a way that makes more sense for them. A move that usually sees heroes falling from great heights and landing on one knee with one fist touching the ground (and also a move that’s been incessantly mocked by fans as well as the Deadpool movie, among other examples), this pose is the pinnacle of superhero cool and a perfect way to make a first-rate appearance. Meanwhile, Bizarro World’s version of this cliche sees its heroes rise from below the ground rather than descend from the sky and has Bizarro-Green Lantern show up covered in garbage rather than land in a badass and formidable way. Luckily, the pose more or less stays the same on Bizarro World, but otherwise, this gross anti-superhero landing is a unique addition to this commonplace superhero moment.
So while a character pulling off a superhero landing is a dime a dozen, All-Star Superman revealing its gross opposite is a fun little treat for fans of this iconic — but mocked — superhero move. Superman will land in this instantly recognizable pose more often than not, so maybe he should shake things up and take a page out of Bizarro-Green Lantern’s backward playbook? Fans can only hope.
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