Line #97 ComicBook/DrBlinkSuperheroShrink


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drblinksuperheroshrink_822.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[ComicBook/ActionComics Action on the Cover of the first issue of the Comic.]] Parody is fair use.]]
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4	->"I am Dr. Frederick Wertham Blink, psychologist and specialist in supra-human psychoses. I bring mental comfort to the world's super heroes. I watch the watchmen... at reasonable hourly rates (frequently at least partially covered by many major health plans)."
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6	''Dr. Blink, Superhero Shrink'' is (or was) a comic book written by Creator/JohnKovalic and drawn by Christopher Jones. The comic is a {{Parody}} sticking a giant {{Lampshade\|dTrope}} on a basic fact of superhero comics -- [[AllTherapistsAreMuggles the lead characters are almost invariably a seething bundle of psychological issues,]] if you look at them at all closely.
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8	Dr. Frederick Wertham Blink himself is a professional psychiatrist who, after an encounter with First City's superhero population, wrote a book about their rather obvious issues, "Chicken Soup for the Super Soul". This was not only a surprising commercial success, it brought him a string of super-powered patients, turning him into a commercially successful specialist practitioner. Most of the stories are about the cases he treats, with some glimpses into the doctor's own less-than-flawless private life.
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10	Four comic book issues (numbered 0 to 3) were published by Dork Storm Press in the early 2000s; however, Kovalic then ceased publishing paper comics for [[http://www.dorktower.com/2010/06/29/5276/ personal reasons.]] Although there have been subsequent hints of possible further ''Dr. Blink'' projects, little has yet appeared. Blink is intermittently active on Website/{{Twitter}} [[https://twitter.com/DrBlinkShrink posting aphorisms about superhero psychology.]]
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12	The [[http://www.drblink.com/ Dr. Blink website]] includes a collection of the shorter ''Dr. Blink'' strips, including one that never saw print. The entire four-issue series has been collected in the trade paperback ''[[UsefulNotes/IdSuperegoAndEgo Id. Ego. Superego!]]'', with some extra material.
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14	----
15	!!''Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink'' has been diagnosed with the following tropes:
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17	* AllTherapistsAreMuggles: The whole point of this comic is to avert this trope.
18	* ArchEnemy: Night Ranger seeks Blink's help to overcome his most fearsome foe -- his KidSidekick, Scout.
19	-->"Now when we get downstairs, don't freak out about the dent in the Night Mobile. It was ''totally'' not my fault."
20	* AtrociousAlias:
21	** The hellspawn born, brimstone-incarnate undead hero of vengeance (an obvious {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Spawn}}) needs a new super-name -- he can't make the legions of Hell quake with his current name, "Spank."
22	** Another superhero is named "Scarlet Guy Who Can Transmute Flesh To Metal Every Other Day Of Any Month Ending In A 'Y'". He gets a recommendation to a PR Firm.
23	* BaldOfEvil: Played for laughs when Dr. Blink concludes that his rival Dr. Larry must be a supervillain just because he's bald.
24	* BatSignal: Dr. Blink has to explain to the Commissioner that the Nocturne Signal (''a.k.a.'' the "Night Light") is a sign of his Dysfunctional Communication issue...
25	-->'''Nocturne:''' THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO TELL HIM!
26	* BizarreAlienBiology: Ginormous mentions that, after eating a planet, he spews the remains back into space as [[ToiletHumour asteroid belts.]]
27	-->'''Dr. Blink:''' Binging and purging, gotcha. Classic disorders.
28	* CaptainSuperhero: Captain Omnipotent, Captain Magnificent, and Major Amazing.
29	* CompanyCrossReferences: The characters from ''COmicBook/DorkTower'' are seen at the First City Supercon.
30	-->'''Igor:''' Five bucks? For ''his'' photo? What a rip!
31	* ConfidenceBuildingScheme: At one point, Dr. Blink climbs out on his window ledge so Major Amazing will rescue him and break his DeathSeeker ennui. [[HilarityEnsues It... doesn't go as planned.]]
32	* ConvenientReplacementCharacter: Jimmy Hogan was interviewing with Nocturne for the position of KidSidekick when Wonder Boy IV accidentally ate a booby-trapped [[DeliciousDistraction Mostess Fruit Pie.]]
33	-->'''Nocturne:''' So... uh... can you fit into size three spandex?
34	* DeadEndJob: This was Dr. Blink's situation before he made it big in superhuman psychiatry -- he was stuck accepting any and all clients he could get (including being a therapist for pets) just to pay the bills.
35	* DeathSeeker: Major Amazing continually seeks out the most dangerous and deadly enemies he can battle, because his [[FlyingFirepower cosmic]] [[TheOmniscient omniscience]] and NighInvulnerability have left him ''bored.''
36	-->'''Athena:''' Of course, they're inscrutable opponents and fearsome reptillian warriors, battle-hardened and aided by the most advanced military technology our galaxy has ever seen. It'd be suicide to launch a frontal attack on th--\
37	'''Major Amazing:''' I'll be right back!
38	* {{Expy}}: As a lot of issues are satirical commentary on the weird psychologies of well-known mainstream comics characters, [[CastOfExpies almost all of the superheroes featured]] are very transparent {{Parody}} expies. Each of these could be considered a CaptainErsatz, but really, the parodic intent in each case saves them from that status. Examples include:
39	** Arachno-Lad: ComicBook/SpiderMan
40	** Athena: ComicBook/WonderWoman
41	** Captain Omnipotent: ComicBook/{{Superman}}
42	** Ginormous: [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]]
43	** Green Sparrow: ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}
44	** Major Amazing: [[ComicBook/CaptainMarvelMarvelComics Captain Mar-Vell]]
45	** Nocturne: ComicBook/{{Batman}}, with a side-order of ComicBook/MoonKnight (who is himself Marvel's rather obvious Batman expy). [[LampshadeHanging His real name is Wayne Spector.]]
46	** The Quizzler: [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]]
47	** Spank: ComicBook/{{Spawn}}
48	** Speed Demon: ComicBook/TheFlash
49	** Wonder Boy: ComicBook/{{Robin}}
50	* FinishingEachOthersSentences: Dr. Blink's rates for telepaths are doubled because they tend to finish his sentences for him.
51	-->"I ''knew'' you were going to say that!"
52	* FreudianCouch: Probably inevitably, Dr. Blink has a standard-issue couch in his consulting room.
53	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In one panel, a man dressed as ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} is reading a newspaper with the headline "BLIND MAN READS PAPER"
54	* HeroicBSOD: Played for laughs; Dr. Blink suffers from one of these after hearing about all of the problems [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Arachno-Lad]] has to deal with.
55	* HoldingOutForAHero: Spoofed in issue #0. When Captain Omnipotent resolves his SamaritanSyndrome issues, he stops responding to ''all'' pleas for help.
56	* HyperCompetentSidekick: Dr. Blink's receptionist, Tracy. When he first meets her, she's already reorganized his appointments around his book tour, adjusted his rates, built up his client base, and brought a bag of extra-sour candy for Emma... all ''before'' he's put up a want ad for a new receptionist.
57	* IHaveThisFriend: At Dr. Blink's book signing, Captain Magnificent asks him to autograph it for his son... who just happens to [[BlatantLies have the same name he does.]]
58	* JustOneMoreLevel: In one case, Dr. Blink visits the home of a woman whose son refuses to leave his room because he's addicted to his super-hero {{MMORPG}}. As Blink discusses the pros and cons of gaming, she reveals that the gamer is the super-hero Black Ice.
59	-->"NO WAY is Red Granite five levels higher than I'm supposed to be!"
60	* KidSidekick: The Wonder Boys are this for Nocturne. He even has a rule for when they are replaced: "Once your voice breaks, so do you."
61	* LegacyCharacter: Nocturne has gone through so many {{Kid Sidekick}}s named Wonder Boy that they end up forming a support group.
62	* LetsYouAndHimFight: A common result of superhuman psychological issues, it seems.
63	* MacGuffin: Lampshaded with the [= MacGuffin=] Gun, the only weapon in the cosmos that can kill Major Amazing.
64	-->'''Dr. Blink:''' "[=MacGuffin,=]" like Hitchcock's concept of a storytelling device that seems vital to the plot, but is actually irrelevant?\
65	'''Major Amazing:''' No, "[=MacGuffin=]" like the Egg [=MacGuffin,=] at [=MacGonald's.=] By the stars, those were the best breakfast sandwiches in the universe...
66	* MilitaryRankNames: Captain Omnipotent and Major Amazing argue over who outranks who.
67	-->'''Captain Omnipotent:''' These ranks really mean something?\
68	'''Nocturne:''' I'm looking it up.
69	* MissingMom: Dr. Blink is divorced, but his wife is never seen in the comic. His daughter Emma latches onto his receptionist Tracy as a replacement.
70	* MistakenIdentity: Issue #2 has a RunningGag where Jimmy Hogan, the fifth [[KidSidekick Wonder Boy]], is always mistaken for one of the ''other'' Wonder Boys. To be fair, there's over a dozen of 'em...
71	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Dr. Blink is honestly trying to do good with his work with superheroes and villains, but as this is PlayedForLaughs, the results are sometimes unfortunate. In one instance, he successfully cures The Quizzler of his obsessive-compulsive habit of [[CriminalMindGames giving his opponents clues about his plans,]] making him into a ''much more effective'' master criminal.
72	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Dr. Larry is a parody of Dr. Phil.
73	* NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Averted; according to the spacefaring Major Amazing, alien races everywhere eventually gravitate towards lowbrow tastes.
74	-->"Did you know the Cat People of Betelgeuse V have thirty-seven different words for 'reality TV'?"
75	* OneSceneTwoMonologues: When Emma watches Dr. Larry on television, Dr. Blink yells at his oversimplistic pop-psychology answers... which mesh seamlessly with his complaints.
76	-->'''Dr. Blink:''' The man has all the credibility of a Mostess Fruit Pie. I bet he got his doctorate from a university that ends in "dot-com".\
77	'''Dr. Larry:''' ''And what part does petty petulance play in it?''\
78	'''Dr. Blink:''' What's more galling is that the public eats this up! He's made millions by peddling pop psychology and calling it science!\
79	'''Dr. Larry:''' ''Is jealousy a factor? Do we fear that they're more gifted than we are? More loved? More successful?''
80	* OnlyAFleshWound: Spoofed in one strip; Nocturne returns to his cave after a busy evening, and his butler Aethelbert frets over his various wounds -- several broken ribs, two knives in the back, multiple gunshot wounds, a poison dart, and a slashed torso that leaves him ''doubled over backwards''. Nocturne insists it's no big deal and that he only needs some Ibuprofen and bandages.
81	* OverlyLongName: Captain Omnipotent's team is called the Avenging Legion of Titan Justice Defenders Society of America League. It was chosen by a super-chimp.
82	-->"And was this chimp charging us by the hour, or by the syllable?"
83	* ParentalFashionVeto: When Emma tries to go out wearing a small T-shirt and short pants, Blink freaks out and has her put on a baggy sweater and sweatpants instead. [[spoiler:She sneaks back into the house and changes to her original outfit.]]
84	* ParentalSubstitute: Blink's daughter, Emma, sees his receptionist Tracy as a replacement mom.
85	* PlanetEater: Ginormous, an {{Expy}} of [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]]. Dr. Blink diagnoses him as an obvious victim of an eating disorder.
86	* RhymingNames: In one strip, Dr. Blink passes by the offices of Dr. Prentis, Superhero Dentist; Dr. [=DeSmet,=] Super Pet Vet; Dr. Sturgeon, Superhero Surgeon; and Dr. Killdare, Superhero General Care. Then he meets the newest building resident, [[DontExplainTheJoke Dr. Guinan Collegist...]]
87	* RhymingTitle: Dr. ''Blink'': Superhero ''Shrink''. Alluded in the issue cover, where the title is ''supposed'' to say "Dr. Blink, Specialist in Super-human Psychosis", but the subtitle is crossed-out and replaced with Superhero Shrink, because it rings better with his name.
88	* TheRival: Dr. Blink sees Dr. Larry, another psychiatrist[=/=]writer in much the same line of work, very much in this role (at least until he's talked down by Tracy and Emma). As Dr. Larry is presumably unaware of this (and Dr. Blink never does act on his feelings), Dr. Blink would have to be classed as his UnknownRival.
89	* RockMonster: Red Granite is a muscular strongman whose body is made entirely of red rock.
90	-->"If you are pricking me, do I not bleed?"\
91	"Not last time I noticed, no..."
92	* RoleCalled: This title is a rather obvious {{parody}} of the trope.
93	* SamaritanSyndrome: Played for laughs in issue #0. A therapy session with Franchise/{{Superman}} {{Expy}} Captain Omnipotent ends with the realization that the Captain is a perfectionist overachiever because of his SurvivorGuilt, striving for the approval of his dead parents. A jubilant Captain Omnipotent frees himself from his heroic obsession ... causing him to ignore a half-dozen crimes and disasters occurring around him.
94	* SeenItAll: The cosmic superhero Major Amazing is suffering from a serious case of apathy because he's as old as the universe and has seen and done everything multiple times.
95	-->"I've seen everything I can see, done everything I can do, save every race I can save -- twice over, with some of the more accident-prone ones."
96	* ShoddyKnockoffProduct: Dr. Blink feels that Dr. Larry's book, "I'm Okay... You're SUPER!" is this to his own bestseller.
97	* ShoutOut: Several:
98	** Dr. Blink's full name is a clear reference to Fredric Wertham, a real-world psychiatrist with an interest in comic books. However, while Dr. Blink is generally eager to help superheroes, knowing that they do real good, Fredric Wertham is remembered as one of the big-name MoralGuardians, whose book ''Seduction of the Innocent'' was highly critical of comics (and led to the creation of MediaNotes/TheComicsCode).
99	** One comic gives Dr. Blink's work address as 3722 Astro Tower, a thinly-veiled reference to the Astro Bank Tower of ''ComicBook/AstroCity''.
100	** During Dr. Blink's "secret origin," he walks by [[ComicBook/{{PS238}} Public School 238]] and stops at a statue of "[[Creator/KurtBusiek Busiek]] - Our Founder".
101	** A television news segment, "Point/Counter-Point," begins with one host calling the other an [[Series/SaturdayNightLive "ignorant slut."]]
102	** The alien invaders in issue #1 are the [[Creator/PhilFoglio Foglians]]. [[note]]As [[WordOfSaintPaul confirmed by]] letterer Melissa Kaercher[[/note]]
103	** A superhero recalls defeating a foe by damaging their spaceship's "[[Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxyTrilogy Zaphod-Ford]] equalizers".
104	* TheShrink: Obviously the point of the comic, as its title makes explicit. Dr. Blink mostly falls into the "Well-Meaning, But Dopey and Ineffective" category, with occasional jumps to "Awesome" status, albeit often with unfortunate side-effects. (Curing a Riddler expy of the urge to leave clever clues at the scenes of his crimes is an Awesome achievement. Failing to deal with his criminal impulses is Dopey. Having him thank you for your achievement live on TV is... comedy.)
105	* SoapOpera: The comic gets something approaching a continuing plot, alongside the basically one-shot gags about individual heroes, in its depiction of Dr. Blink's own private life. He is a middle-aged single parent whose daughter, Emma, is going through a fairly typical teenage phase -- she has no respect for her father and goes out clubbing dressed in ways that give him palpitations. He also has something of a crush on Tracy, his highly competent receptionist, who ''may'' return the feeling.
106	* {{Sourcebook}}: The ''Id. Ego. Superego!'' collection includes a mini-sourcebook for ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'', giving role-playing stats for Dr. Blink and his various super-patients.
107	* SpeedSex: One of Dr. Blink's patients is a super-speedster who's looking for marriage counseling.
108	-->"[=MywifesaysI'mtoofastinbed...=]"
109	* StevenUlyssesPerhero: Major Amazing is an alien whose real name is Ma-Zing.
110	* SurvivorGuilt: Spoofed in issue #0; see the note on SamaritanSyndrome above.
111	* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Dr. Blink tries -- and fails -- to convince Major Amazing not to jump off his skyscraper window ledge. Good thing he's [[NighInvulnerability super-invulnerable.]]
112	-->"This would concern me more if you couldn't fly, you know..."
113	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted hard, naturally. And when things get ''really'' rough, Dr. Blink has his own therapist...
114	* TwofirstNames: the Speed Demon's real name is [[ComicBook/TheFlash Barry Wally]].
115	* WeaksauceWeakness: The PlanetEater Ginormous spares Earth after he learns that it's high in carbohydrates (from all those fields of grain).
116	* WellDoneSonGuy: An eight-foot-tall blue-skinned HulkMashUp has an emotional breakdown in Dr. Blink's office after tearfully admitting "MY DADDY DIDN'T LOVE ME!"
117	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: Spoofed, of course.
118	-->'''Athena:''' Just remember with great power comes--\
119	'''Major Amazing:''' ...great responsibility?\
120	'''Athena:''' ...not being a DUMBASS!
121	* WomanScorned: After Emma is unceremoniously dumped by the superhero Teen Crush, she reveals all of his confidential issues to her friends.

Context ComicBook / DrBlinkSuperheroShrink