In April, we’ll see Larfleeze and Despero in all their usual alien glory; stealing stuff, messing with emotions, getting in fights, the usual. But they’ll also, unfortunately for them, being fighting an enemy they can’t defeat in these MAD variant covers: Alfred E. Neuman.
It’s all a part of DC celebrating Alfred E. Neumann’s birthday in April (No points for guessing which day), with a series of MAD variant covers featuring the usual askew take on DC’s books. You might remember Alfred took on DC’s superheroes last year; now it’s the villains turn in the barrel. For example, we bet this has actually happened to Despero… no wonder he’s so angry:
And, of course, Larfleeze’s greed combined with Alfred’s utter stupidity leads him to an obvious end:
These are just two in a long, long line of images featuring this gap-toothed putz, and in fact Alfred’s history goes back further than you might imagine, predating even MAD. Alfred, or at least the basics of the idiot who’d be the mascot for The Usual Gang of Idiots, dates back to the 1890s, and the image of him was used constantly in the early 21st century for advertising, especially painless dentistry. In some ways, you could argue Alfred came before us, and will live on after we’re dead, not a man, but an idea men are rendered unable to remove from their minds.
Great. Alfred E. Neuman is an eldritch horror. These variants will be hitting the stands throughout April, and MAD’s celebration of their beloved dolt will arrive at the end of the month.