Editing Inferior Five

{{Short description|DC Comics parody superhero team}}
{{Infobox comics organization <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image=Showcase_62.jpg
|imagesize=
|caption=''Showcase'' #62 featuring the Inferior Five.
|publisher=[[DC Comics]]
|debut=''[[Showcase (DC Comics)|Showcase]]'' #62 (May–June 1966)
|creators=[[E. Nelson Bridwell]] (writer)<br>[[Joe Orlando]] (artist)<br>[[Mike Esposito (comics)|Mike Esposito]] (inker)
|base=
|members=Merryman (high intellect, weakling's body)<br>Awkwardman (flawless in water, clumsy on land)<br>The Blimp (could fly only when propelled by a tail wind)<br>White Feather (skilled archer, but scared of people looking at him)<br>The Dumb Bunny (superstrength, terrible grades)
|subcat=DC Comics
|hero=y
|villain=
}}

'''The Inferior Five''' (or '''I5''') are a [[parody]] [[superhero]] team appearing in books by the American publisher [[DC Comics]]. Created by writer [[E. Nelson Bridwell]] and artist [[Joe Orlando]], the team premiered in the [[DC Comics]] title ''[[Showcase (comic book)|Showcase]]'' #62 (May-June 1966).<ref>{{cite book|last1=McAvennie|first1= Michael|last2=Dolan|first2=Hannah, ed.|chapter= 1960s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 117 |quote = Writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando knew what was in a name when they unleashed the Inferior Five in Megalopolis.}}</ref>

The Five are the children of members of a superhero team called the Freedom Brigade, a parody of the [[Justice League|Justice League of America]].<ref name=Guide>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=151}}</ref> In early appearances, the team encountered spoofs of [[Marvel Comics]] heroes, including the [[Hulk|Man-Mountain]] and the [[X-Men|Egg's Men]].<ref name=Chron>{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=John |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969 |date=2014 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490557 |pages=117, 187, 215}}</ref> When the team got their own series, early issues also mocked the [[Fantastic Four]] and [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]].<ref name=Chron/>

==Publication history==
=== First series ===
After appearing in ''Showcase'' #62, 63, and 65 (1966), they got their own title which lasted 12 issues. The first 10 had new material and were published from 1967 to 1968.<ref name=Chron/>

Issues #11 and 12 were published in 1972, and titled ''Inferior 5'' (using the number 5 rather than spelling out the word) and were all reprints, except for the covers. Nothing changed with the alteration of the title.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |access-date=2 April 2020  |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/inferior.htm |title=The Inferior Five}}</ref>

=== Pre-Crisis ===
The team has appeared only sporadically after their series was canceled, with ''Showcase'' #100 being their only new appearance during the [[Bronze Age of Comic Books]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Eury|first=Michael|date=July 2013|title=Back Seat Driver|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=#65| page=2|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]}}</ref> Other appearances include a cameo appearance in ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', ''[[Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!|Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! in The Oz–Wonderland War]]'' #3 (March 1986), and the [[Grant Morrison]]-written ''[[Animal Man (comic book)|Animal Man]]'' series. They appear in one panel in ''[[JLA: Another Nail]]'' as Flash and the Atom take a trip through many dimensions.

Although the Inferior Five's original stories made frequent references to other prominent DC heroes, ''Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! in The Oz–Wonderland War'' #3 revealed their adventures to have occurred on "Earth-Twelve", which had its own doppelgangers of the JLA, the Teen Titans, etc., meaning that any such references were out of continuity in relation to the heroes of DC's primary Earth-One.

=== Post-Crisis ===
Following ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', where the Five were seen in background cameos, the team's sole "continuity" appearance as a team was in the 1991 ''[[Angel and the Ape]]'' miniseries, where it was revealed that Angel and Dumb Bunny are half-sisters. Members of the [[Justice League|Justice League of America]] had cameos in the series, indicating that the Inferior Five now existed on the Post-''Crisis'' Earth.

The Inferior Five appear in issue #17 of the ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold (comics)|Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' comics. The Inferior Five team up with the [[Legion of Substitute Heroes]] in ''The Brave and The Bold'' #35 and with [[Bat-Mite]] in ''Bat-Mite'' #5 (Dec. 2015).

[[Steve Gerber]] proposed a [[Vertigo Comics|Vertigo]] version of the Inferior Five as a send-up of the "dark 'n' gritty" comics of the period, but this was rejected.<ref>''[[Nevada (comics)|Nevada]]'' #1 text page</ref> Gerber later claimed that DC refused to publish anything with the title on the grounds that it would make them look "inferior" for publishing it.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

=== 2019 mini-series ===
In September 2019, a 12-issue maxi-series by [[Keith Giffen]] was initiated. It was a reinvention of the team, as the protagonists are now children in the small town of Dangerfield, Arizona. It revolves around a mystery regarding their parents, and they are the only ones that notice something strange is going on. It takes place in 1988, where the [[Invasion! (DC Comics)|invasion]] was successful on the town of Dangerfield. The aliens are in hiding, still experimenting with the metagene, and keeping a focus on the five kids. The book later reveals that the Invasion is metafictional.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Rich |title=Keith Giffen Revives Inferior Five for DC Comics in September – What to Do With Woody Allen? |url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/06/14/keith-giffen-revives-inferior-five-dc-comics-september-woody-allen/ |website=Bleeding Cool |date=14 June 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Sam |title=Inferior Five Enter DC's Rebirth Era Thanks To Keith Giffen, Jeff Lemire |url=https://www.cbr.com/inferior-five-dc-rebirth-keith-giffen-jeff-lemire/ |website=CBR |date=15 June 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref> The series also contains a backup feature starring [[Peacemaker (character)|Peacemaker]]. The number of issues was soon reduced from 12 to 6.<ref>{{cite web |title=GCD::Series::Inferior Five |url=https://www.comics.org/series/150373/ |website=Grand Comics Database |access-date=6 October 2020}}</ref> There was a fifteen-month publishing hiatus between issues #4 (December 2019) and #5 (March 2021), with the last two issues released digitally.

==Members==
* '''Merryman''' ('''Myron Victor'''), is a comics artist, the son of the Patriot and Lady Liberty (parodying [[Uncle Sam (comics)|Uncle Sam]] and [[Miss America (DC Comics)|Miss America]]), and a descendant of Yellowjacket and the Crimson Chrysanthemum (parodies of [[the Green Hornet]] and the [[Scarlet Pimpernel]]). He is the team's leader and wears a [[jester]] outfit, having decided in the team's first appearance that if he was going to make a fool of himself, he might as well look the part. Merryman is a skilled martial artist, but is physically weak with little practical ability to use such skills. He returned in ''[[Final Crisis]]'' as coordinator of the residents of Limbo,<ref>''Final Crisis Superman Beyond 3D'' #1–2 (October 2008)</ref> leading them in assisting the [[Alternative versions of Superman|Supermen of the multiverse]] to fend off an attack from Mandrakk the Dark [[Monitor (comics)|Monitor]], causing Superman to reflect that anyone could be a hero.
* '''Awkwardman''' ('''Leander Brent''') is a beachcomber and the son of Mr. Might (parodying [[Superman]]) and the Mermaid (parodying [[Aquaman]]). He is super-strong and able to live underwater, having inherited powers from both parents, but is also very clumsy. Awkwardman requires periodic contact with water, which he primarily achieves by pouring it over himself with a watering can. His codename is a pun on ''Aquaman''; his surname "Brent" rhymes with Superman's surname of "Kent".
* '''Blimp''' ('''Herman Cramer''') is a diner owner and the obese son of Captain Swift (parodying the [[The Flash|Flash]]). He can fly, but only at slow speeds.
* '''White Feather''' ('''William King''') is a photographer and the son of the Bowman (parodying [[Green Arrow]]) and an unidentified woman. He was a superb archer, but has crippling anxiety. His surname King parallels Green Arrow's surname Queen, and his codename is a reference to a [[white feather|traditional symbol of cowardice]].
* '''Dumb Bunny''' ('''Athena Tremor''') is a model and the daughter of Princess Power (parodying [[Wonder Woman]]) and Steve Tremor (parodying [[Steve Trevor]]). In later continuity, her father is instead Professor Theo O'Day and she has a half-sister named Angel. As the Dumb Bunny, Athena is described as "strong as an ox and almost as intelligent". She is named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, [[Athena]].

==Superior Five==
The Superior Five, a villainous group based on the Inferior Five, appear in the miniseries ''[[Villains United]]''. They consist of:

* '''Tremor''' (Awkwardman)
* '''Hindenburg''' (Blimp)
* '''Splitshot''' (White Feather)
* '''Lagomorph''' (Dumb Bunny)
* '''Jongleur''' (Merryman)

==In other media==
The Inferior Five appear as character summons in ''[[Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Wiki Guide - IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |access-date=2019-07-29 |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards==
The series and characters have been recognized in the field, being awarded a 1966 [[Alley Award]] for Best Humor Title: Costumed.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*DC page: [http://www.dccomics.com/comics/inferior-five-2019 IF2019]
*[http://www.toonopedia.com/inferior.htm Inferior Five] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527103159/https://www.webcitation.org/6ZygUZ4Zc?url=http://toonopedia.com/inferior.htm Archived] from the original on July 12, 2015.
*[http://www.cosmicteams.com/cosmic/inferiorFive.html Inferior Five story summaries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113003731/http://www.cosmicteams.com/cosmic/inferiorFive.html |date=2017-11-13 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051210040849/http://users.rcn.com/aardy/comics/awards/ Comic Book Awards Almanac]

[[Category:Characters created by Joe Orlando]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1966]]
[[Category:DC Comics superhero teams]]
[[Category:Parody superheroes]]