Feb 1998
In the Spotlight
By Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Loony Leo tells his story to a guy who is looking to hire him to do some advertisements for a car dealership. Leo was a cartoon character until one day in 1946 when he was accidentally brought to life by Professor K. The Professor was wrecking havoc at a theater in Romeyn Falls with a device that brought imaginary characters to life.
Leo helped the Gentleman stop Professor K. He started to fade when the device was smashed but he was saved by the Gentleman. His life since then has been a tumultuous ride. It has had ups and downs. He was sued by the studio that created the cartoons where he first appeared in the first of many trips to court. He starred in a number of movies. He was the host of Fun-Time Farm, a kids TV show. He was friends with Corliss McBride, a young runaway who died of an overdose of heroin. He wasn’t really a superhero or villain but for a time he helped out Zzardo, a super-villain. There were lots of twists and turns in Leo’s story. He doesn’t seem to be happy and rejects the idea of doing the commercials, at first.
The story was light. I breezed through it. Considering that it’s a stand alone I’m not sure what to take way from it. Something about it tickles the back of my mind. It feels as though it might be an allegory but I can’t place it in its proper context if that’s the case.
Notes
The Monster from the Dark Continent was the movie that was showing on the night in 1946 when Leo was brought to life. Panama Leo was one of the movies that starred Leo.
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