The nineties get a lot of flack nowadays from comic fans, and some of it is very well deserved. Many things happened in the nineties that made it a very dark decade for the comic industry, many things we would like to forget happened at all, and some things we just can’t seem to let go of. And pouches, so very many pouches.
For as many reasons as there are to speak in hushed tones when referring to comics in that rather fateful decade, there are many more reasons to shout at the sky in praise. Each Tuesday I discuss the many things that made that decade truly a great time to be a fan. This week, I bring you another reason the nineties weren’t all bad.
Mullets.
If you’re anything like me, you love a good mullet. With its business in the front, party in the back attitude a mullet just demands attention and respect. Commonly called “the hairstyle of kings” the mullet has been around for decades, but never was it so prevalent as in the nineties.
Clark in the front, Supes in the back
From Billy Ray Cyrus to Patrick Swayze, the mullet is frequently associated with bad asses in their various realms, and this is true in comics as well. Superman is possibly comic’s most bad ass bad ass, so when DC Comics decided to bring back the real Superman in Adventures of Superman #505 they had to give him a mullet so he could assert himself as the one true Superman, showing the other usurpers as what they truly were. Not as bad ass.
Superman’s mullet was even an actual plot point in the book, shown to have grown due to the solar energy he absorbed. Unfortunately this look didn’t last long, and Superman was split into two separate electric entities just four short years later, sans mullet. Obviously, this new Superman proved highly unpopular, because let’s face it, mullets > electric powers.
Superman was by far not the only DC hero sporting this regal mane in the nineties, with Nightwing’s glorious do preempting Supes’ by nearly a year. Frequently held tight in a pony tail, it was a beautiful sight nonetheless, showing a much more mature and noble character than his previous years as Robin.
Nightwing’s mullet was so awesome it even made the leap to television in the animated series Batman: The New Adventures. And like Superman, Nightwing’s majestic locks were given the action figure treatment multiple times. His mullet was surely instrumental in Dick Grayson’s coming into his own as a hero, and fan-favorite.
These were by far not the only mullets at DC, with the Cheetah being another memorable one. DC Comics had so many mullets in the nineties, but they hardly cornered the market. One publisher could never singularly contain the awesomeness of this most holy of hair styles, and Marvel had quite their fair share of mighty mullets.
Most comic fans remember the first appearance of Bishop on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #282. How many of them would remember it so fondly without the mullet? And it wasn’t just Bishop as that cover was full of wondrous flowing manes! Bishop had kept that particular style for most of his years in the various X-books, and is even wearing it in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past film. Talk about iconic!
Nothing says “cosmic” quite like a mullet, and Quasar easily had one of the best, most regal hairstyles of the day. Not to be outdone, Nova even grew one. Flowing out from under his iconic helmet like the tail of a comet, Nova’s mullet, along with his new five o’clock shadow, proved what many of us always new. Nova too was a bad ass!
The Black Knight, Exodus, Hercules, Justice, Alistair Smythe, Eddie Brock, Darkhawk, Archangel, even Iron Man himself Tony Stark sported a geri-curl mullet for a time. It seemed that almost every Marvel character at the time, hero and villain alike, were coiffed for action! Hell, the supernatural side of the Marvel Universe was all mullets all the time, from Ghost Rider Danny Ketch to Hannibal King. Pony tails were all the rage as well, but the mullet reigned king! And it wasn’t even just the Big Two getting their hair did.
What’s cooler than a Gothic avenging angel with guns, lots of leather, and a communion with birds? A Gothic avenging angel with guns, lots of leather, and a communion with birds who sports a mullet. The Crow was a brilliant comic, with a great concept, that brought many new people into comic shops. This series, along with Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman made comics cool for those on the fringes of society, the artsy ones. Would this have happened without both character’s mullets? I’m rather doubtful.
Mullets were seemingly everywhere, and it was a glorious time, but the mullet wasn’t just awesome on superheroes in the comics, as Captain Planet goes to show. This mullet was so fantastic that they made it green so it would really stand out! His hair must have been the deciding factor in Gaia’s reasoning for entrusting him the power to save the planet from those who would destroy it. By the way, none of his enemies had mullets, so of course he won every battle. The power is yours indeed!
By the tail end of the decade most of these characters went back to their boring original hairdos, and the comic landscape has been pretty plain ever since, but for a few fantastic years the mullet was the height of fashion, and another reason it was awesome being a comic fan in the nineties. Next week I’ll bring you another.
Oh yeah, Happy April Fool’s Day!
