Megaton Man (vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 1984):
“They Call the Doctor... Software!”
by Don Simpson

Megaton Man: "--and so, ladies and gentlemen of the press... as you can plainly see... Trent Phloog and I are not one and the same!"
Reporters: "Gasp! Awe! Astonishment!"
Unnamed generic reporters are seen in shadow, as Megaton Man shows them a stuffed body double that looks like Trent Phloog (his alter ego) typing on a typewriter, to "prove" Phloog is not Megaton Man.

Appears in lower righthand corner on a splash page, accompanied by caption "A rare cameo appearance by Tad 'n' Rover ™"

Appears in lower righthand corner on a splash page, accompanied by caption "A rare cameo appearance by Tad 'n' Rover ™"

Megaton Man (narrating flashback): "And I'm still plagued with guilt over losing my sidekick during World War II..."
Megaton Man (thinking): "The kid's gonna attempt to defuse that Nazi agent-- alone!--"
Megaton Man (yelling): "Squeaky! No!!!---"
Megaton Man (thinking, in next panel): "I'll never stop blaming myself!!!"
Satirical reference to Captain America and Bucky. A flashback panel shows Megaton Man rushing toward his sidekick, Squeaky. Only Squeaky's hand, an explosion, and a bra are seen.

(pg. 8) narration: "Trent Phloog! Mild-mannered cub reporter! Devoted nephew! Troubled, teenaged grad student in urban oceaonography!"
Megaton Man (thinking): "My life is so troubled! I'm a thirty-year old teenager -- that awkward time filled with phobias and hang-ups! Poor, dear, sweet, fragile Aunt Petunia! I'm such a worry to her!"
Pg. 8: Ref. to Spider-Man/Aunt May (and also Ben Grimm's Aunt Petunia). Megaton Man's aunt (Petunia) is named for Ben Grimm's aunt, who Grimm often referenced in humorous dialogue. Seen on pg. 25

Professor Levitch: "Megaton Man was the sole survivor of a dying world... The infant astronaut was subjected to mysterious cataclysmic rays... He was raised by a lost tribe of intelligent kangaroos... At a Scientology lecture, the youth was bitten by a radioactive frog..."
The brown hand (paw?) of one of the intelligent kangaroos can be seen picking up infant Megaton Man's tiny escape rocket ship and dumping the baby out onto his head.

Rudy Mayo: "Take it to press, Pete!"
Only Pete's right arm is seen, as city editor Rudy Mayo hands him a newspaper with the headline "Trent Phloog is Megaton Man!!"

U.S. President: "Well, Caspar, What are the options at this point?"
Caspar: "Well, sir, Megaton Man is up a creek without a paddle!"
other advisor: "That puts us in a rather tight spot! Now, we've prepared a ground assault..!"
President: "In a city that size? Out of the question!" [more, but apparently no more lines by Caspar]
Characters' dialogue is seen above White House. The characters themselves are not seen.

Jack: "Sid, what's being done about the Megaton Man/Dr. Software crisis?"
Sid: "Well, Jack, the President is monitoring the situation very closely! The armed forces have been put on world-wide alert! A navy armada is sailing to Megatropolis in case Megaton Man loses! ...we just sent the button out to be oiled!"
Jack: "You just sent the button-?"

Jack: "Sid, what's being done about the Megaton Man/Dr. Software crisis?"
Sid: "Well, Jack, the President is monitoring the situation very closely! The armed forces have been put on world-wide alert! A navy armada is sailing to Megatropolis in case Megaton Man loses! ...we just sent the button out to be oiled!"
Jack: "You just sent the button-?"

Howie: "Sid, how's the debacle going?"
Sid: "Pretty bad, Howie! The Contraptoid's stomping Megaton Man's butt!"
Howie: "Gosh! 'S'ere anything we can do?"
Sid: "Just save face with the American people! --Ask for Megaton Man's resignation and build more missiles!"
Howie: "So, Megaton Man is out and 'Minute-Man' is in?"

Yarn Man is based on The Thing (Ben Grimm).

The Human Meltdown is based on the Human Torch (Johnny Storm).

Liquid Man (Rex Rigid) is based on Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards).

See-Thru Girl is based on Invisible Girl (Susan Storm).

The character Pamela Jointly is partially based on Lois Lane.

The character Preston Percy is partially based on Jimmy Olsen.

The character Rudy Mayo is partially based on Perry White.

The mad scientist Dr. Software is based on Jerry Lewis.

U.S. President Harry Foster Lime is based on Welles.

The U.S. President (Harry Foster Lime) is based both on real-life Orson Welles and Welles' most famous character - Charles Foster Kane ("Citizen Kane").

Cartoonist Maynard F. Trombone is based on Garry Trudeau.

Human Meltdown: "The Goggled Crusader has returned!"
Yarn Man: "Freedom is restored!"
Liquid Man: "Us superheroes have earned our keep today!"
small creature (lizard?) "There is a God!"
Megaton Man's friends are greatly relieved upon realizing he did not actually perish in his battle with Doctor Software.

Doctor Software: "Megaton Man was the sole survivor of a dying world... The infant astronaut was subjected to mysterious cataclysmic rays..."
Prof. Levitch's account of Megaton's origins but mostly the image refer to Superman's origin. Levitch's recounts an origin that refers to the origins of Superman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Cap. America, FF.

narration: "Trent Phloog! Mild-mannered cub reporter! Devoted nephew! Troubled, teenaged grad student in urban oceaonography!"
Megaton Man (thinking): "My life is so troubled! I'm a thirty-year old teenager -- that awkward time filled with phobias and hang-ups! Poor, dear, sweet, fragile Aunt Petunia! I'm such a worry to her!"
Pg. 8: Satirical reference to Spider-Man and Aunt May (and also Ben Grimm's Aunt Petunia). Pg. 22: satirical reference to Spider-Man's origin.

Megaton Man (narrating flashback): "And I'm still plagued with guilt over losing my sidekick during World War II..."
Megaton Man (thinking): "The kid's gonna attempt to defuse that Nazi agent-- alone!--"
Megaton Man (yelling): "Squeaky! No!!!---"
Megaton Man (thinking, in next panel): "I'll never stop blaming myself!!!"
Pg. 8: Satirical reference to Captain America. A flashback panel shows Megaton Man rushing toward his sidekick, Squeaky. Only Squeaky's hand, an explosion, and a bra are seen.

Doctor Software: "Megaton Man... suddenly caught in the grips of a space-time continuum blast--"
Prof. Levitch's narration about Megaton's origins but mostly the image, refer to Hulk's origin. Levitch's recounts an origin that refers to the origins of Superman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Cap. America, FF.

narration: "Trent Phloog! Mild-mannered cub reporter! Devoted nephew! Troubled, teenaged grad student in urban oceaonography!"
Megaton Man (thinking): "My life is so troubled! I'm a thirty-year old teenager -- that awkward time filled with phobias and hang-ups! Poor, dear, sweet, fragile Aunt Petunia! I'm such a worry to her!"
Satirical reference to Spider-Man and Aunt May (and also Ben Grimm's Aunt Petunia).

Megaton Man (narrating flashback): "And I'm still plagued with guilt over losing my sidekick during World War II..."
Megaton Man (thinking): "The kid's gonna attempt to defuse that Nazi agent-- alone!--"
Megaton Man (yelling): "Squeaky! No!!!---"
Megaton Man (thinking, in next panel): "I'll never stop blaming myself!!!"
A flashback panel shows Megaton Man rushing toward his sidekick, Squeaky. Only Squeaky's hand, an explosion, and a bra are seen.

Doctor Software: "First, I will abolish freedom! Then, with the wealth of the entire planet, I will complete my collection of Elvis 45's!"

narration: "Trent Phloog! Mild-mannered cub reporter! Devoted nephew! Troubled, teenaged grad student in urban oceaonography!"
Megaton Man (thinking): "My life is so troubled! I'm a thirty-year old teenager -- that awkward time filled with phobias and hang-ups! Poor, dear, sweet, fragile Aunt Petunia! I'm such a worry to her!"
Satirical reference to Spider-Man and Aunt May (and also Ben Grimm's Aunt Petunia).

unseen person (alien?) in a flying saucer: "Google Spa-Fon!"
Pamely Jointly falls off a building during battle between Megaton Man and Dr. Software. Her fall is interrupted when she bounces on a passing flying saucer, and bounces into the arms of Liquid Man.

Liquid Man: "What... was [Revisionist Historian's] diabolical plot?"
Megaton Man: "He was going to give all of Shakespeare's story ideas to Sophocles, thereby diverting the course of history! But I got Sophocles to accept Ingmar Bergman's screenplays instead."

Liquid Man: "What... was [Revisionist Historian's] diabolical plot?"
Megaton Man: "He was going to give all of Shakespeare's story ideas to Sophocles, thereby diverting the course of history! But I got Sophocles to accept Ingmar Bergman's screenplays instead."

Megaton Man (thinking): "Where's Marshall McLuhan when I need him?"

advisor: "Mr. President, the nuclear freezers are really breathing down our necks!"
President: "So what!"
advisor: "They're saying Megaton Man had no business being deployed! They demand we send a diplomatic team!"
President: "Diplomacy?!! Those Commie subversives! The only thing a gangster like software understands is FORCE!"

Trombone himself is not seen, but page 16 is entirely comprised of a parody of his Doonsbury strip, showing four daily strips (4 panels each) of Trombone's "Doomesbury" comic strip.

Liquid Man: "What... was [Revisionist Historian's] diabolical plot?"
Megaton Man: "He was going to give all of Shakespeare's story ideas to Sophocles, thereby diverting the course of history! But I got Sophocles to accept Ingmar Bergman's screenplays instead."

Megaton Man: "Yes, I've succeeded, thanks to you guys! But the Revisionist Historian put up a good fight!"
Liquid Man: "What... was his diabolical plot?"
Megaton Man: "He was going to give all of Shakespeare's story ideas to Sophocles, thereby diverting the course of history! But I got Sophocles to accept Ingmar Bergman's screenplays instead."

pedestrian woman reading newspaper: "Isn't this horrifying?"
man with her: "Yeah! Erma Bombeck's got the day off!"
Bombeck is jokingly referenced on a splash page which shows many residents of Megatropolis reading the horrible headlines about Doctor Software's return. But 2 people worry about something else...

Rudy Mayo: "Good Lord! A downtown skyscraper was just vaporized!"
Preston Percy: "Gosh chief! Was anyone inside!?"
Rudy Mayo; "No, thank God! It was a John Portman!"

Stella Starlight (See-Thru Girl): "And what of the child in my womb? Is it his? Will Rex ever find out? Will it ruin my airheaded life?"
This is the first reference to the yet-unborn child of Megaton Man and See-Thru Girl.