by Matthew Russell - Posted 8 months ago
In the annals of comic book history, April 1, 1997, stands out as a day of unprecedented pranksterism. On this day, a group of daring comic strip artists orchestrated a massive April Fools' Day hoax that would come to be known as "The Great Comics Switcheroonie."
Without informing their editors or readers, these mischievous creators secretly switched their strips for the day, resulting in a hilarious jumble of familiar characters and art styles. Readers were left bewildered and amused as they encountered Beetle Bailey drawn by the Peanuts artist, and Blondie and Dagwood drawn by the artist of The Far Side.
The mastermind behind this elaborate prank was none other than Rick Kirkman, the creator of the comic strip "Baby Blues." Kirkman, along with his friend and fellow cartoonist Jerry Scott, had been planning the Switcheroonie for months, meticulously coordinating with participating artists and ensuring that their editors remained blissfully unaware.
As the day dawned, newspapers across the country opened to reveal a world of comic strip chaos. Readers were treated to a bizarre array of mismatched characters and art styles, with Peanuts characters engaging in Baby Blues-style antics, and Blondie and Dagwood indulging in the slapstick humor of The Far Side.
The reaction to the Switcheroonie was immediate and widespread. Readers were initially confused and disoriented, but as the realization dawned upon them that they were witnessing a masterfully executed prank, their bewilderment gave way to amusement and delight.
Phone lines at newspapers lit up as readers eagerly called in to inquire about the sudden change in their favorite comic strips. Social media, which did not yet exist in 1997, would have undoubtedly exploded with chatter and memes had it been available.
The Switcheroonie was not just a prank; it was a celebration of creativity, camaraderie, and the unique bond between comic strip artists and their readers. It was a reminder that even in the world of serious storytelling, there's always room for a little lighthearted fun.
The Great Comics Switcheroonie remains one of the most memorable April Fools' Day pranks in comic book history. It was a day when the rules were broken, expectations were defied, and readers were left with smiles on their faces and a renewed appreciation for the power of laughter.
Now Stan Lee is no stranger in taking credit for a ton of work that should have been given to others, hence the fallout between him and Jack Kirby. There was one time that he full-on took credit for a comic he had absolutely had nothing to do with.
Back in 2000, as a prank, there was an announcement that Stan Lee had actually created the Sentry back in the ’60s and just forgot about it until recently. There was even going to be a new limited series centering on Stan’s work from that era.
In truth, this actually fits with Sentry’s origin and I would have loved to read this series.
This one came to us in 2010 when Top Shelf Productions finally recovering from their 2003 failed film announced that they would have a new “modern” installment in Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neills remarkable run.
They only ever released the cover but, as you can see, it would have actually been epic!
Oh, poor Paco Ramone. Our poor hero was killed over 20 years ago in the pages of Justice League Detroit. He was brought back as Cisco Ramone for the Flash series on the CW.
He was brought back to life briefly during the Blackest Night series where he served the forces of Nekron. He joined with Steel and brutally attacked Vixen and Gypsy in the Hall of Justice. This is why in 2009 it was no surprise that Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, hot off of Flash and Green Lantern Rebirth announced a new title.
They would be bringing back Vibe into the modern age of comics with the miniseries Vibe Rebirth. Not much was said about this series and it looked rather promising until you look at the announcement date. Gotta love April 1st.
No one can dispute that Robert Kirkman is the master at holding an audience. His style of building suspense seems to be taken straight from Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock. This is why it came as such a surprise when he announced his new series...just for kids.
In 2012, it was announced that he would team up with artist Chris Giarrusso (Mini-Marvels) and produce a spin-off series geared specifically for kids.
Oh, DC. How you love your underwear. They love it so much every character was wearing them on the outside...again.
At least that was the announcement in 2018. Since the original Superman was returning to the DC Universe and once again wearing the red trunks in Action Comics #1000, DC announced a line-wide initiative where everyone is getting the external-underwear, even if they didn’t before.
I gotta say, Wonder-Woman is still normal, and we are used to seeing Batman like this, but did they have to mess with Flash!?! And what is up with Green Lantern’s tighty-whites?
Marvel decided to end the public debate for Spider-Man and answer to the public if Spider-Man was a mutant or not. Keep in mind that this is an in-universe debate. Mutants manifest their natural-born powers during puberty and this is around the same age that Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider.
Since Peter can’t publicly say how he got his powers, for fear of people figuring out his secret identity, the public often assumes that he is a mutant. This was a running joke for a long time.
It was announced (on this sacred day in 1999) that Peter Parker would be joining the X-Men and they even gave us a pretty interesting costume redesign that combined his typical attire along with some X-Men aesthetics.
Thank the gods that this didn’t go any further, although they do team up from time to time but that’s just a result of both super heroing in New York.
