What would they call Superman if he turned to a life of crime? ** The Man of Steal**

What do you call it when the Flash cooks breakfast? **A Flash ‘n’ a pan**

Did you hear about the new diner near Superman’s secret hideout ***It is called the Fortress of Solid Food**

What did Lex Luthor say when Mercy Graves gave him a comb for his birthday? **Thanks, I’ll never part with it**

These are just a sampling of the jokes you will find in Downtown Bookworks new THE OFFICIAL DC SUPERHERO JOKE BOOK.

The Joke book is the newest in the publisher’s to their already large line of DC Comic themed books for young kids.

When I first flipped through the Official DC Superhero Joke Book I was reminded of one of my earliest introductions to the DC Comics universe which was the Super Dictionary which was published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston in July 1978.

While the Joke Book is geared towards young children, there are definitely some nice nods to us older readers. I really love the use of the classic art, as it makes it a more kid friendly book but also adds to the campiness of the entire book.

I was able to interview the authors who wrote the over 600 jokes that can be found in the book. It was great to see that the love, knowledge, and respect they have for the DC Universe characters.

About the Authors

Noah Smith: A comedy writer and playwright, who has written material for “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live and has had his plays produced in 44 states and 4 continents

Michael Robin: An author and librarian. He wrote the DC Superheroes My First Dictionary ( which looks to be an updated version of the original My Super Dictionary I mentioned above).

Sarah Parvis: A children’s book author, editor and avid Wonder Woman fan.

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How did you get into comics (Do you remember your first one or the one that hooked you?)

Michael Robin:

I fell in love with comics in a barbershop. The barber was a drunk who gave awful bowl haircuts, but I didn’t mind. He had comics that weren’t allowed at home. My first love was the Legion of Super Heroes—they were kids, and they had powers that were easy to understand (one hero makes things heavy, another makes things light). Superboy was just one of the guys; if he needed a good slap across the face to bring him to his senses, Mon-El was there to give him one.

Even outcast heroes like Chameleon Boy had a chance to shine. That really spoke to me. And in the first book I ever read, Computo killed one of Triplicate Girl’s bodies—this was dangerous, grown-up stuff!

Noah Smith:

My father loved comics growing up, so he was always happy to buy me one when we would visit Lizotte’s, which was a newsstand and tobacco (!) shop in Northampton, Massachusetts. I can’t remember my very first one, but it was probably Superman, since I loved him from Superfriends, the Christopher Reeve movies, and even reruns of the old George Reeves show. The first comic book I collected every month was The Flash, during the Trial of The Flash storyline.

Sarah Parvis:

As a kid, it was my brother who read the comics. I just fell in love with the characters. I’d pick up whatever I thought I needed to know and then we’d run around the house battling bad guys (and each other) in our capes and Underoos. Reruns of Adam West’s Batman were huge for us. I was pretty obsessed with Julie Newmar’s Catwoman. And I spent probably far too much time as a, I don’t know, 7- or 8-year-old perfecting my Eartha Kitt drawl.

About the Authors:

Who is your favorite DC character/least favorite character?

Michael Robin:

I’ve always liked the B-list heroes who speak truth to power. Take Green Arrow—what earned him a place in the Justice League? I mean, they already had heat vision, telepathy, a power ring, and an invisible plane… did they really need a boxing-glove arrow? But Green Arrow wasn’t afraid to take the big guns down a peg when they needed it. He helped them keep their moral bearings.

If you want a really deep cut, I’d say Lady Quark. Her backstory breaks my heart. But because she’s obscure, no one remembers. Plus she’s got a cool costume. I really hope someday someone writes her a story she deserves.

Least favorite character? Not counting the TV show, which I understand is pretty good, I’d have to go with The Flash. When I was a kid I thought his powers were kind of silly, and all the changes they’ve made since have done nothing to change that opinion. Plus he was a veteran hero when he went back in time and messed everything up with Flashpoint. I mean, please—amateur’s mistake.

Noah Smith:

It’s still Superman. He’s just the complete package. When you’re a kid, he’s your father—sure, he seems like a boring guy who works in an office, but you know he’s really the most powerful man on Earth. When you get older, he’s like the big brother you always wanted. That’s what the old Jimmy Olsen stories were about—the little brother gets into trouble and calls in his big brother to scare off the bullies. And now, we’re grown-ups, and we see people abusing power all around us, so we can look to Superman as this incredible icon of power used only for selfless good, never for gain.

When I was a kid, I thought the thing that made Superman truly special was that he had no particular theme. He didn’t have powers or a look based on one animal or one aspect of nature, or just one kind of power like stretching or shrinking, like most heroes. He was just SUPER. This was also true of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel (we had to call him Shazam! for the book, but that still feels wrong to me).

Least favorite? Well, I don’t want to step on any toes. I guess I thought Damian Wayne was an unwise addition to canon. There are just so many Robins to begin with and giving Bruce Wayne a son—even an artificially aged one—just makes him seem too old. I’m not saying Damian wasn’t an interesting character or that the stories about him weren’t engaging, I just think he’s going to seem more and more like a barnacle on continuity as the years go by.

Tell me a bit about the book and the inspiration behind it?

Sarah Parvis:

At Downtown Bookworks, we’ve been working with a DC license for six or seven years. The classic art style feels so iconic to us. We grew up with it. And we love that parents can use our books to share their love of super heroes with their kids—and that the characters look the same in these books as they did when mom or dad was young. We are also looking out for comics collectors. With our titles, comics fans can introduce their kids (or nieces, nephews, or neighbors) to the DC universe without having to let grubby little fingers touch their beloved collectibles (you know who you are).

We’ve created Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman touch-and-feel books for kids under 4, and we’ve done well with our line of concept board books for babies (DC Super Heroes ABC 123, Colors and Shapes, Opposites, My First Book of Super-Villains, Even Super Heroes Sleep, On the Go!, etc). And we’ve been very successful with our girl power books: My First Book of Girl Power (a board book) and The Big Book of Girl Power (a picture book).

Michael wrote a campy, fun dictionary for the line as well—DC Super Heroes My First Dictionary. I recommend that for DC fans with kids—there are a lot of hilarious little nuggets of fun in that book.

The DC books are an absolute blast to work on. For a 20-page baby book, you’d be surprised at the amount of discussion that goes into a sentence about the friendship between Raven and Cyborg or a kid-friendly description of Katana’s backstory or work ethic.

Personally, I’ve always loved the campiness of the humor of the old-school comics. So when I sat down to come up with some ideas for our next books, I felt that we absolutely had to create a joke book. There’s a silliness built into the artwork and some of the characters and storylines that was a perfect fit. Also, as a children’s writer and an editor, I want to do everything I can to encourage kids to pick up books. Kids and parents sharing the same book

Kids and parents sharing the same book is even sweeter—and joke books invite people to read to each other, which is some kind of triple win. But on the simplest level: Who doesn’t like jokes?

We discussed it in-house, got the green light from DC, and then I called up Noah and Michael and the puns started flying fast and furious.

Michael Robin:

When Sarah invited me to contribute to a DC joke book, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. My affinities for superheroes and excruciating puns had always been social and professional liabilities. How could I resist an opportunity to use my powers for good? Plus, I had recently worked with Sarah and the amazing team at Downtown Bookworks on DC Super Heroes My First Dictionary, so I knew the final product would be one that we’d all feel proud of.

Noah Smith:

Sarah and I went to college together and worked at the student theater. I had been writing children’s plays for years, and I’d been in touch with her when I was thinking I’d like to expand in to writing books for kids. Downtown Bookworks has this great arrangement with DC, and Sarah got the idea for a joke book illustrated with all of this classic artwork. She knew I loved super heroes and jokes—I’ve been a long-distance freelance joke submitter for Weekend Update on SNL for years—so she thought I’d be a good match for the project.

It really is the ultimate gig for me. My writing career is likely all downhill from here.

The book is page after page of jokes, riddles, knock-knocks, tongue twisters, and a few bits of poetry about DC characters. All the iconic heroes and villains are here, plus a few less-well-known ones. The artwork comes from comics from the whole history of DC, plus the legendary style guide by José Luis García-López. That’s from 1982. I was six back then, so to

I was six back then, so to me that’s how the characters are supposed to look, right down to Zatanna’s big flowy sleeves.

The book is perfect for maybe an eight-year-old, but there’s plenty of stuff in there anyone could enjoy. There are definitely jokes in the “How Tough Is Batman?”/”How Evil is Darkseid?” etc. sections that are a little more aimed at a grown-up mindset.

Which if any characters were the easiest to write material for and which was the hardest?

Michael Robin:

Characters that lent themselves to easy punning were a snap. Thanks to Aquaman, we probably each poured in a hundred fish gags. I found it hardest to joke about really iconic heroes like Wonder Woman. It’s challenging to be both funny and respectful.

Noah Smith:

I spent a week at the beach with my family last summer, when we were writing the book. And being that close to the ocean made a lot of Aquaman jokes come to mind. Pretty much any pun on the name of a fish could turn into an Aquaman joke.

Of the major characters, I probably had the toughest time coming up with jokes about Green Lantern, which bummed me out a bit because I really love him. It may because his powers are a little bit nebulous. It’s pretty easy to grasp a power like “running fast” or “talking to fish.” But since GL can do basically anything, it’s harder to find specific hooks for jokes. So the jokes about him tend to be “ring” puns, though Sarah and designer Georgia Rucker did find a perfect piece of art to illustrate a joke not only about Hal’s vulnerability to yellow but also Alan Scott’s vulnerability to wood.

Sarah Parvis:

Aquaman, definitely. Batman and Catwoman give you a lot to work with. And some characters with very specific powers, like Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold, were easy. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern were tough.

Were there any jokes that you came up with that were a little too edgy?

Michael Robin:

When you’re writing a book for kids, you can’t write down everything that comes to mind about, say, Starfire’s wardrobe.

Noah Smith:

Well, sure, when you’re brainstorming, inappropriate ideas are going to come to mind. But we knew it wasn’t a good use of our time to dwell on them. There was one dirty joke my father came up with, because he’s that kind of father, that I was able to rewrite into a clean one and that made it into the book, but, no, I won’t tell you which one.

Sarah Parvis:

Oh yes. I think we have enough material left over to create an unpublishable version of the joke book. But I guess those will have to stay in the vault. Or maybe you’ll have to find one of us at a cocktail party.

What was the hardest and easiest part about putting the book together?

Michael Robin: The work was easiest when Sarah sent emails like, “We need more Batgirl, Lex Luther, and Shazam!” With direction, I could churn ’em out like a short order cook.

It was hard for me to make fun of my heroes. These characters were very important to me when I was young. I imagined Aquaman looking over my shoulder and going “Really? Another shellfish gag? You know how many times I’ve heard that one from Plastic Man?” Finally I decided that if my heroes could survive, like Starro, then a few jokes wouldn’t destroy them. They’d probably laugh along with us.

Except Batman, of course.

Noah Smith:

I don’t know if this was the hardest part, but one challenge we set for ourselves was representation. Downtown Bookworks is very dedicated to reaching out to kids from every possible background. So we wanted to make sure this book wasn’t just all about Superman, Batman, and the white male stars of the DC Universe. I love those guys, of course, but we wanted to make sure Cyborg and Bumblebee and Katana were well represented too, so any kid could see a hero who looked like them. This, of course, includes green kids looking to Martian Manhunter, orange ones admiring Starfire, etc.

The easiest part was that you can write jokes anywhere. When I write a play, I need to have some manner of workplace setup. But sometimes jokes would come to me just walking down the street. I’d be pushing my kids in the stroller and suddenly a joke would hit me, so I’d take out my phone and dictate, “Why does The Flash hate battling Gorilla Grodd? Grodd really drives him bananas.” Then I’d get home and read the note I dictated and it was “What does ‘What is The Flash a paddling really right?’ mean?”

Sarah Parvis:

The easiest part? It was just so much fun. Writing a good joke is immensely satisfying. And I was compiling the jokes as well, so I got to look forward to hilarious joke-filled emails from Michael and Noah. My colleagues also said they loved me working on the book, because they got to listen to me snickering all the time and testing jokes out on them.

I think the toughest part of putting together the book was getting the mix right. The book is for kids, so we needed to make sure that most jokes could be understood by an 8-year old with a pretty basic knowledge of DC characters. That meant really focusing on the most popular characters and their best-known traits. But we also wanted to make sure that more knowledgeable DC fans wouldn’t feel totally left out. Plus, we didn’t want mean jokes or jokes that were too violent or too sexy. I hope we did okay! And in the meantime, we’re still compiling jokes (it’s a hard habit to break). Who knows? If we missed any comedy gold this time around, perhaps we can put it into volume two!

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This is a great book and would like to thank the authors for taking the time to chat about the book.

If I had to say the book is missing anything, it would be Animal Man and Multiverse jokes, but I certainly hope there is a second volume and there are some in it.

You will laugh, chuckle, and groan but you must check it out and it can be ordered through the publisher, Amazon or your local bookstore.

I also look forward to exploring the other DC Comics related books through Downtown Bookworks … when I get them for myself… I mean my son… for when he is older…yeah!