Last Week Tonight is on hiatus, but on Sunday, John Oliver showed up on the internet anyway to, he said, "do the most internet thing imaginable, and that is complain about superhero movies." Like every summer, this one had a glut of movies from the same old production companies, often starring the same old superheroes. "Now, each of these movies have their strengths and weaknesses — which we'll not go into because I would like to feel the touch of another human at least once more before I die — but I do think some audience members are feeling a little fatigued at seeing the same characters over and over again," Oliver said.
But "fear not," he added, "because I have a solution for fans who are looking for something beyond the Marvel and DC universes." Judging by box office receipts, that's not a huge number of fans, but Oliver offered up a new character anyway, and it's one he says he created in fifth grade. "By day, he is mild-mannered fifth grader John Olivier — no relation," Oliver explained, "but from the time school lets out until dinner, he becomes the, let's say, unconventionally handsome hero Johnny Strong." Since you are dying to know all about your new summer blockbuster swoon, Oliver walked us all through the first issue of Johnny Strong and teased the second, and you can watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'Although deepfake porn is a global problem, South Korea has been hit particularly hard'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The deadliest plane crashes in US historyThe Explainer American Eagle Flight 5342 was the first deadly U.S. passenger crash since 2009
-
How Elon Musk is transforming American governmentTalking Points Trump's ally is moving 'with lightning speed'
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
