Pinky and the Brain: September 1996

Cover

Drawn by: Walter Carzon and Omar Aranda

The normal logo is replaced with "Pinky and the Brain: Verminator" in block letters. The picture is a tight closeup of the Verminator robot: a metallic, stylized face that looks like the Brain's, with an evil grin and glowing red eyes. At the bottom is a 3-view targeting sight picture of Pinky, with his skull shown as though in an X-ray picture.

Verminator

Credits

• Writer: Dana Kurtin and Dan Slott
• Penciller: Walter Carzon
• Inker: Mike DeCarlo
• Letterer: John Costanza
• Colorist: Dave Tanguay

Synopsis

We join the world in the year 2027. Two revolutionaries, Bunky and Jane, are trying to regain control of the world from...them. It seems our favorite lab mice succeeded in taking over the world in 1997. The revolutionaries are going to change that and save the world for mankind by sending an assassin back into the past to destroy them before their reign begins.

Back in 1996, the Brain is working on yet another plan for global domination. Before he can get started, though, Pinky points out a fatal flaw, and the Brain is forced to abandon it. As the Brain is lamenting his latest failure, a visitor appears: a huge metallic robot, armed to the teeth, and looking a lot like him. The robot checks that he's found the real Pinky and the Brain, and that they will rule the Earth in the future. The Brain takes this as the sign he's been looking for that he will one day succeed, but the robot has a different message: he's there to blow them up.

They realize that they must take swift action to survive. The Brain discovers that the robot was designed in the present, and the blueprints are in the lab's files. The robot finds them just as they start to destroy the blueprints, so the Brain makes a fast change, turning the robot's ray gun into a toaster. The robot grabs another gun, but another change turns it into a projectile fondue set. After another couple of changes, the robot decides to destroy the mice with his bare hands. Just as he does so, the Brain changes the scale on its blueprint, shrinking it to their size. The robot gives up, and the mice are free to plan for another night.

Did You Notice...

• The premise and basic plot are takes from the movie Terminator, starring Arnold Schwartzenegger. The robot's accent is a direct reference to his.
• The Yellow Pages' caption on page 4 is a little hard to read. It says "If it's not here, they couldn't afford an ad!"
• Other listings in the phone book: Kinky and Paine, Mindy and Buttons, Plucky and Shirly (sic), Rusty and Stain.
• The lines, "I am here to blow (clap!) you opp" and "I feel so puny, like a little girly robot!" are taken from the Saturday Night Live "Hans and Franz" bits, which also parodied Schwartzenegger.
• Doctor Who is a long-running BBC TV series about a time-travelling adventurer, and Michael J. Fox starred into the Back to the Future movies about a time-travelling teenager who inadvertently tampers with his own past.
• There's a Batman doll in the Acme Labs closet on page 10.
• The last panel on page 12 is a reference to the famous Looney Tunes cartoon, Duck Amuck. If it weren't for the fact that this series was published by WB, they might well be infringing.
• "Hasta la vista, Braainy!" refers to a trademark Schwartzenegger line, "Hasta la vista, baby!".

Technical nits

• Yet another new nonsense word for Pinky: "gorf". (page 3)
• The screwball flag on the robot in the Duck Amuck shot is slightly incorrect: the original had the screw and the ball separate.
• The robot spontaneously grows a tail when he's shrunk.

The 7th Wife of Henry the 8th

Credits

• Writer: Jesse Leon McCann
• Penciller: Walter Carzon
• Inker: Mike DeCarlo
• Letterer: John Costanza
• Colorist: Jo Meuginot

Synopsis

Toward the end of his reign, England's King Henry VIII has become more and more decadent, eating and drinking to excess regularly. His latest wife, Catherine, tries to get him to cut back, but he rejects her advice. The Brain, seeing an opportunity in their marital discord, decides to disguise himself as a young damsel and woo the king, then take over after he dies of his debauchery.

The Brain goes off to a local boutique to obtain the needed disguise. The proprietor does his best to make him look fetching, but all he achieves is a shattered mirror, and the proprietor kicks them out. They try some other shops (112 in all), with the same results at each. Pinky finally offers to help, and the Brain is forced to accept. Pinky comes up with the real solution: a corset, drawing the Brain into a much more comely shape. They then try several different looks, and finally settle on one the Brain likes. They make Pinky over similarly, and return to the castle.

The mice gain entrance, mainly because the guards find Pinky beautiful. They make their way to the King's table, where the Brain introduces himself as the Lady Brain. Henry complains about his appearance, but just then Catherine reappears and hounds Henry about his eating again. The Brain takes his side, and he orders her thrown out of the castle. This proves to be the Brain's chance, and he makes the most of it and wins Henry's heart. After gaining the approval of the Cardinal of England in an episode of Love Confessions, Henry asks for Lady Brain's hand in marriage.

The wedding is arranged, and the Brain walks down the aisle for his triumphal moment. Pinky, who has been chased by the palace guards all this time, gets a pinch from one of them, and runs into the Brain. His corset, never very secure because it was stretched very tightly, gives way, and he is exposed to the world. Henry breaks off the marriage, and the Brain's plan fails.

Did You Notice...

• Pinky's line, "If you don't look good, we don't look!", is a takeoff on the Vidal Sassoon line of hair care products' slogan, "If you don't look good, we don't look good."
• Frederick's of London and Elizabeth's Secrets refer to two women's intimate apparel stores, Frederick's of Hollywood and Victoria's Secret.
• "Mr. Pinkwell" refers to Mr. Blackwell, fashion expert and author of the lists of the ten best and worst dressed men and women.
• The Brain rejects makeovers as Wilma Flintstone, the Mona Lisa, Princess Leia, and Marge Simpson before settling on the look he likes.
• Cardinal Woolery refers to game show host Chuck Woolery, and Love Confessions refers to the game show Love Connection, hosted by Woolery.

Technical nits

• Henry's line, "Begone, elst I trade you in on a newer model!" should probably use "lest" instead of "elst".
• Coloring error: One of the corset laces is uncolored where it passes beneath the Brain's neck at the top right of page 23, making it look like his mouth is open.
• The Brain's tail is missing in a few panels as Lady Brain. See, for example, the first panel in the third row on page 30.