For decades British youth has succumbed to the cultural onslaught of American comic books. On our side, we were unable to match the pace of the barrage, and many a young chap became enthralled by the fantastic exploits of Superman and Spiderman. Even, horror of horrors, Captain America. In response some Anglo retaliation was made, notably with Dan Dare and Judge Dredd in 2000 AD, but the repulse was less than complete, for we could not match the vividness and volume of the enemy propaganda.

All was not lost though, because to the rescue came the British sense of humour. Those energetic Yanks cannot match this. For Batman we have Tabman, for Superman we have Brown Bottle, for Cat Woman we have Cider Woman. Then Nude Motocycle Girl, Goldfish Boy, Doctor Sex and many others. For a time these characters were produced in an inexhaustible mill, and each time the parody was perfect, the devastation complete.

For the prolific production of these superheroes to beat all superheroes, hearty tribute is due to Viz magazine. In 2015 the fragment below was discovered in the Heretical archives. Of unknown date, it begins as Tabman and his boy blunder (Zippo Boy?) confront two crooks intent on stealing a priceless work of art by Tracey Emin. The redoubtable Tabman is a heavy smoker, and all he has at his disposal are the by-products of that habit, fumes and phlegm. Yet always our superhero prevails!