After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

In a twist on the Superman mythos, the title character in Jim Valentino’s normalman (stylized in all lower-case letters) is shipped off into space by his father when he concludes that the planet they inhabit will explode. The child arrives on a planet inhabited completely by super-powered beings – they dub him normalman, because he’s the only one there without powers.

The character debuted in Cerebus the Aardvark #56 and was soon given his own ongoing series. That title served as a vehicle for creator, Jim Valentino, to spoof and parody other comics, a perfect opportunity (if ever there was one) to introduce cover swipes that parody the source material.

Richard Rich, Junior debuted in Little Dot #1, published in 1953. Better known as Richie, he’s the only child of wealthy parents and is the world’s richest kid. The character has also been featured in multiple animated series as well as a feature-length film starring Macaulay Culkin as Richie. Most recently, in 2015, Netflix released a live-action Richie Rich sitcom series.

Richie Rich #1 November 1960 Warren Kremer

normalman #5 October 1984 Jim Valentino

On Ebay: normalman | Richie Rich
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