Megaton Man

Megaton Man
First crossover appearance: The Savage Dragon Vs. The Savage Megaton Man Special
Publication information
Publisher	Kitchen Sink Press (1984–1990) Image Comics (1994) Fiasco Comics (1995–1996)
First appearance	Megaton Man #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, Nov. 1984)
Created by	Don Simpson
In-story information
Alter ego	Trent Phloog
Team affiliations	The VW Gang
Notable aliases	Man of Molecules, Megaton Lad
Abilities	Flight, Super-Strength, Durability, "Megaton vision" (X-ray vision), Bulletproof, Explode

Megaton Man (civilian alter ego: Trent Phloog) is a satirical superhero created by cartoonist "Dandy Don" Simpson. A parody of the superhero genre, Megaton Man is a gigantically-muscled but dim-witted oaf who starred in Simpson's cheerfully absurd stories.

Megaton Man is also the title of the creator-owned comic book series (published by Kitchen Sink Press beginning in 1984) Simpson wrote and drew, in which the character first appeared and starred. The original Megaton Man series ran for ten issues, but the character was later revived in a limited series, The Return of Megaton Man, and a series of one-shot issues spun off from the concept.

In 1994, Simpson left Kitchen Sink to form his own company, Fiasco Comics, through which Simpson self-published his new title Bizarre Heroes, featuring Megaton Man (and many members of his old supporting cast) as part of a large ensemble cast. Bizarre Heroes ended when Fiasco went out of business during the mid-1990s contraction of the American comics industry, but Megaton Man and the rest of the Bizarre Heroes went on to appear in several projects published by Image Comics.

Trent Phloog lives in Megatropolis, a futuristic city in Michigan, United States, and he makes his living as the superhero Megaton Man, otherwise known as "The Man of Molecules". Whenever he says the magic word "Overkill", he explodes. Megaton Mans' costume is metallic blue, with yellow gloves and boots. His allies include X-Ray Boy and Yarn Man, who both assist Megaton Man in battles against his arch foes, Bad Guy and Bulky Guy.

The origins of Megaton Mans' powers remain unknown, but the comic suggests two possibilities: he was either bitten by a radioactive frog, or he was the result of a military megasoldier program. When he first gained his powers, Megaton Man was known as Megaton Lad and he had a sidekick called Plutonium Pup. When Plutonium Pup died on his 21st birthday, Phloog changed his name to Megaton Man.

Trent Phloog is married to Stella Starlight, who is the superheroine known as Earth Mother, and they have one child. In recent times, Megaton Man has discovered other incarnations of himself that were active in the past or are active in the present. These include Golden Age Megaton Man, Silver-Age Megaton Man, and a Russian Megaton Man whose costume is red. Outside Megatropolis, Megaton Man is allied to The Phantom Jungle Girl. Villains outside Megatropolis include Irving the Living Cactus, and the Tomb Team, a band of supernatural villains including the Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter.