You know about Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, but have you heard of Doll Man, Doctor Hormone, or Spider Queen?
If you’re curious about these interesting but obscure comic book characters, just ask Allovus designer and comic book connoisseur Jon Morris. Or better yet, buy his awesome book, The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History.
Although Jon is a UX Designer by day, he’s also an illustrator, blogger, author, and comic book collector. (And maybe a superhero too… who knows?)
Allovus: What got you interested in comic books?
Jon: Both my parents collect comic books—they started collecting even before I was born. One of the earliest photos we have of my dad is one of when he was immigrating to the United States. (He’s originally from Germany.) In the picture, he’s reading a comic book on the boat heading to New York. My dad actually taught himself how to read English through comic books.
Allovus: How did you decide to write a book about obscure comic book characters?
Jon: I’ve been blogging about comics since 1997. I started a blog called Gone and Forgotten. Most comic book bloggers write about successful characters like Batman. But no one was writing about the forgettable ones. There are so many characters that seem absolutely ridiculous, but there’s something good about all of them. After the blog had been going on for a couple of years, I was interviewed by Ira Glass on This American Life. It was a popular radio broadcast and so they played it every year for about 12 years. Then a publishing company heard the broadcast and contacted me. They were interested in publishing a book.
Allovus: Chloe Carreau, one of our Allovus project managers, found your book when she was ordering a gift through Lootcrate. How did that happen?
Jon: Chloe’s great. I actually worked with her at OSG for Microsoft. But yeah, my publisher actually worked out the deal with Lootcrate. It was a surprise to me. I believe it was the first book that’s ever been included in a Lootcrate box.
If you’re a fan of comic books, you’ve got to check Jon’s book out. Also, take a look at his blog or listen to his interview on This American Life. And if you’re interested in seeing his own comic book characters, he also illustrates. Take a look at his website.
Geez, what doesn’t he do, right? Clearly, Jon Morris is an Allovus superhero.
Don’t forget to check out Lootcrate as well.