Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Disappointing Lexcorp Bailout

Lex Luthor's bailout application, here!

It starts off strong; regrettably, it doesn't stay that way. I wonder why not?

Hmm. The initial joke is the idea that Luthor is a standard corporate CEO. In that context his various anti-Superman plots are pretty funny to listen to, since they're so convoluted and, well, comic-bookish. The humor lies in Luthor's own deadpan lack of awareness; he doesn't seem to realize how absurd it all sounds.

But then the skit suddenly turns metatextual: "I'm Lex Luthor, that's what I do," which doesn't work at all. The shift of tone loses the thread of humor, especially since there doesn't seem to be any real joke involved.

It's a shame, as it starts out pretty strongly. But the ending joke is good!

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