Bizarro World

Infobox comics location
name= Bizarro World (Htrae)
no

imagesize=
caption=
publisher= DC Comics
debut=
creators=
planet=y
residents= Bizarro
Yellow Lantern
Batzarro
races=
locations=
subcat=DC Comics
altcat=
sortkey=Bizarro World|The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae) is a fictional planet in the DC comics universe. Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and his companions, all of whom were initially Bizarro versions of Superman, Lois Lane and their children. Later, other Bizarros were created to add to the population including Wonderzarro, Bizarro Flash, "the Yellow Lantern", Bizarro-Kltpzyxm and Batzarro, the World's Worst Detective.

Concept

In the Bizarro world of "Htrae" ("Earth" spelled backwards), society is ruled by the Bizarro Code which states "Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!". In one episode, for example, a salesman is doing a brisk trade selling Bizarro bonds: "Guaranteed to lose money for you". Later, the mayor appoints Bizarro No. 1 to investigate a crime, "Because you are stupider than the entire Bizarro police force put together". This is intended and taken as a great compliment.

Originally a normal planet, it is now a cube-shaped planet since Superman when convicted of doing something perfect on the Bizarro Code Htrae, pointed out that Bizarro World was perfectly planet shaped and agreed to cube it if his sentence was commuted.

Later stories introduced Bizarro versions of Superman's supporting cast, including Bizarro-Perry White and Bizarro-Jimmy Olsen, created by using the duplicator ray on characters other than Superman and Lois Lane, as well as the children of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois. There was even a Bizarro-Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes: the Bizarro League and the Legion of Stupor-Heroes. Bizarro-Batman sported a Futility Belt full of cigarette butts and chewed gum and other such priceless Bizarro treasures. Yellow Lantern had NO power from his powerless Ring. Bizarro-Aquaman couldn't swim.

"Tales of the Bizarro World" became a recurring segment in "Adventure Comics" from 1961 to 1962. Animated Blue Kryptonite golems once erupted from the Htrae surface, bent on defeating the Bizarros and were cheered on by the Bizarro Loises.

On one occasion, Keith Giffen portrayed Htrae itself as being "sentient" — "Me am the Bizarro World. Planet Earth not think ... therefore, me do" — and its only sane inhabitant was the Bizarro Ambush Bug.

In the new comic books, Bizarro lives in a Metropolis graveyard he calls "The Graveyard of Solitude".

In the imaginary story, "", which served as an ending to Silver Age Superman continuity, Bizarro destroyed Bizarro World in order to be a better imperfect duplicate of Superman.

After the "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the "" miniseries rebooted Superman continuity. The editors and writers at DC Comics considered Bizarro World to be too silly and childish, so they did not reintroduce Bizarro World in the reboot. Though in "Superman" (vol. 2) #87, the second Post-Crisis Bizarro clone creates a "Bizarro World" which is a warehouse made to look like a surreal Metropolis. However, the Fifth-Dimensionally empowered Joker recreate Earth into the cube-shaped Bizarro-Earth, populated by various odd and bizarre inhabitants. Eventually the Joker is defeated and Earth is returned to its normal state.

The distinctive cube-shaped Earth of Bizarro World did briefly appear in the pages of Infinite Crisis alongside the other Earths in space. A close-up, labeled Earth-0, is seen wherein a smiling Bizarro is strangling a smiling Bizarro-Lois, with Bizarros Hawkman, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White standing alongside and laughing.

A cube-shaped planet, populated by assorted Bizarros, was discovered orbiting a blue sun by a Thanagarian patrol ship.

In "Action Comics" #855, Bizarro captures Jonathan Kent and takes him to the cube-shaped world, prompting Superman to follow him.

Outside mainstream DC continuity, All Star Superman #7-8 featured the return of Htrae and Bizarro, in which the sentient cubic Htrae attacked Earth until Superman distracted it away, unfortunately experiencing loss of his abilities due to the superheavy gravity pull of Htrae as it retreats back to its own realm, as well as doppler shift which replicates the effects of red sun radiation, eroding his superpowers. On this revisionist Htrae, he encounters Bizarro duplicates of Batman, Jor-El ("Le-Roj") and Zibarro, a perfect duplicate of Superman. There is also a imperfect duplicate of the Statue of Liberty visible in the background, although unnamed. Htrae vanishes back into the Underverse, a newly discovered dimension, at story's end.

In other media

* Bizarro World makes its first television appearance in "", in the episode "The Bizarro Super Powers Team". It is seemingly populated by countless Bizarro-Supermen, led by the original Bizarro.
* In the "" episode "Bizarro's World", Bizarro finds the Fortress of Solitude where he interacts with Brainiac and discovers his "origin". Soon he creates his own Krypton on a section of Metropolis and uses a theater as the House of El. Later, Superman gives Bizarro his own world to protect, a moon with vegetation and a green sky showing a Saturn-like planet, and several other moons. The episode is based on the comic book "Superman" (vol. 2) #87.

In popular culture

The concept of "Bizarro" has been ingrained in popular culture where it has come to mean a weirdly mutilated version of anything, not confined to characters in DC Comics publications [ [http://www.toonopedia.com/bizarro1.htm Don Markstein's Toonpedia: Bizarro] ] and as such, so has the concept of Bizarro World.

"Seinfeld"

The concept of "Bizarro World" is a fundamental element in "The Bizarro Jerry", the 137th episode of American sitcom "Seinfeld". In the episode, Elaine makes a new group of friends who represent inverted types of the normal Seinfeld gang. Jerry labels them a bizarro world. These characters are kind, considerate, curious about the world around them, and good citizens. Though Elaine is initially attracted to their friendly ways, she is ultimately turned off by the formality and lack of simple camaraderie which she enjoys with her old, selfish, shortsighted group. A second reason for her leaving the Bizarro group is the fact that she is "normal" Elaine. Conceivably, her Bizarro version would be ladylike.

Buffyverse

The character Cordelia Chase from the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" referenced the concept on several occasions.
*In the Buffy Season 2 episode "Reptile Boy", Cordelia tells Xander Harris that his being accepted into a fraternity of rich and powerful men would only happen "in the Bizarro World."
*In the Buffy Season 3 episode "The Wish", an alternate reality is brought about by a wish made by Cordelia. After learning that the AU vampire versions of Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg are partners, Cordelia exclaims "No way! I wish us into bizarro-land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!"
*In the Angel Season 5 episode "You're Welcome", Cordelia awakens from a coma to discover that Spike has regained his soul and Angel is working for Wolfram & Hart. Cordelia remarks to Angel "OK, Spike's a hero, and you're CEO of Hell, Incorporated. What freakin' bizarro world did I wake up in?!"

Buffy Summers also referenced "Bizarro World" in the season 6 episode "Gone." Following an argument with her then lover Spike, Buffy walks home grumbling to herself "I don't believe this. He threw me out. Did I, like, fall into some backward dimension here? Is this Bizarro World?"

aturday Night Live

In the early 1980s, Saturday Night Live did a series of sketches with a humorous depiction of life on Earth taking place on the Bizarro World in an opposite manner. Inhabitants of Bizarro would do things such as turn up the air conditioning to warm up and quench their thirst with glasses of sand while their earthly counterparts would use furnaces and water.

Other References

"Bizarro Land" is referred to by Captain Hero in the episode "Gay Bash" of animated series "Drawn Together", as is a Bizarro Captain Hero who is never given any name except Bizarro Captain Hero. Though it is not the same place it maintains many of the same features as Bizarro World except that the speech is normal. Captain Hero in "Drawn Together" believes he was in Bizarro Land, rather than a public restroom at a bus station that sells Bizarro Land postcards, when he had a sexual encounter with his Bizarro duplicate.

References