< Catch Phrase

Catch Phrase/Comic Books

Comic book characters frequently have highly hammy catch phrases.

It's EXAMPLIN' TIME!:

  • Sam and Max Freelance Police: Sam often says to Max "You crack me up, little buddy." This is changed around a lot though, usually changing parts with "You bust me up, little pal.", though in a western themed strip it became "You crack me up, ya mangy yella tailed varmint."
    • Also: "Where do you keep that (Noun), Max?" "None of your damn business."
    • Sam's "Can't think of a reason not to..." after Max asks to bust up the place.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: 90% of the time, "I am Groot!" is the only thing you'll hear Groot say.
  • Nova
    • "It is imperative that you pay attention at this time..."
  • Spider-Man:
    • With great power Comes Great Responsibility."
      • "With great power comes great responsibility", That's the catchphrase of old Uncle Ben, If you missed it don't worry they'll say the line, Again and again and again - Weird Al Yankovic, "Ode to a Superhero"
    • My Spider Sense is tingling.
  • Secret Warriors: HAIL HYDRA
    • Deadpool's sidekick Bob:Agent of Hydra will also spout this and other propaganda such as,"HAIL HYDRA! Cut off one limb and two more shall take its place"
  • Avengers, assemble! - Usually Captain America (comics), but other characters use it as well.
  • X-Men:
    • "To me, my X-Men"! - Charles Xavier, though Cyclops booted him from a leader position due to Super Dickery and has been using it recently.
    • Wolverine has "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice."
    • Beast
      • "Oh my stars and garters."
      • "Yes, oh fearless leader." (usually followed by Cyclops saying "Why do you keep calling me that?")
      • And "What in the name of little green apples?"
      • He went through a phase where he was fond of Hitchhiker's Guide references, as well.
    • Layla Miller of X-Factor has "I know stuff". In latter comics, she doesn't even need to say it herself, others say it for her.
    • Colossus has "By the White Wolf". Prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, he was known to say "Lenin's ghost" or "Lenin's beard".
  • Hulk SMASH!!!
    • HULK! IS! STRONGEST! THERE IS!
    • You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
    • On one occasion, as his smarter and more-amoral "Joe Fixit" persona:

"Rest assured, gentlemen--Hulk will smash."

  • The Thing of Fantastic Four has two: "It's clobberin' time" and "wotta revoltin' development".
    • And referring to himself as "the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing" and "the idol o' millions."
    • Then there's his oft-mentioned "sweet Aunt Petunia" (no connection to the other, considerably un-sweet Aunt Petunia). She eventually appeared in person, and in defiance of expecations it turns out she's an attractive young woman. Presumably there's some big age-gaps in the Grimm family...
    • Actually, it's established that Petunia was Ben's aunt by marriage, and that her husband, Ben's uncle, was several years older.
    • The Torch has "Flame on!"
    • Doctor Doom has several variations of the cry RRRRRIIIIIICCCHHHHAAAAAAARRRRDDSSS!!!
      • Also, "Bah!"
    • Reed Richards himself has the rarer (but skyrocketing-HSQ-guaranteeing) "I'm beginning to have an idea."
  • From Garth Ennis's Hitman: There's Bueno Excellente's "heh heh heh. Bueno." And Baytor's "I am Baytor!"
  • Daredevil's Bullseye: "Bullseye."
  • Nova has a catchphrase? Blue blazes!
  • Superman: This looks like a job for...
    • "Up, Up and Away!"
    • "Great Krypton!"
    • "Great Rao!"
    • "Great Scott!"
    • And, very occasionally, "Craters of Wegthor!" (Wegthor was one of Krypton's moons. This phrase never caught on. Can't imagine why...)
    • Perry White: "Great Caesar's ghost!"
    • Ahem. Three Words: KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!
  • Parodied in Runaways. Victor believes the group should have a catchphrase and begins spouting out all the Marvel character's famous lines. Niko informs him that their catchphrase is "Try Not to Die."
    • They also have "Runaways, run away!"
  • Batman:
    • Quickly, To the Bat Noun!
    • This ends now.
    • I'm Batman.
    • In Grant Morrison stories his catch ... noise is "-hh-". This sigh can represent impatience with his allies' methods, irritation that they're second-guessing him or trying to get him to socialise, or even grudging respect. He also uses it where other people might laugh. Similarly, Damian Wayne has "-tt-", usually directed at Dick Grayson.
  • Captain Marvel: "Holy Moley!"
  • Blue Beetle Ted Kord's trademark laugh - "Bwahaha!" - is so recognisable that it definitely qualifies as a catchphrase.
  • Green Arrow: Fatcats
  • Transmetropolitan "I hate it here" is one of Spider Jerusalem's more printable ones.
  • The Green Lantern Oath.
  • The catchphrase of the leader of the Blue Lantern Corps, Saint Walker, is "All will be well."
  • Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine: "What, me worry?"
  • Tintin's Captain Haddock: "Billions of (blue) blistering barnacles!" and "(Thousands of) thundering typhoons!"
  • Asterix's Obelix: "These Romans are crazy! (Ils sont fou ces romains!)", frequently adjusted to complain about whichever nationality is being parodied in this particular issue. (Oddly, this phrase is spoken by Asterix on the inside cover of the French hardbound editions).
  • Oh Crap.
  • Captain Underpants:
    • "Tra La LAAAAAAA!"
    • "Never underestimate the power of underwear!"
  • Groo the Wanderer
    • "Now Groo does what Groo does best!" (Which is usually beat up the wrong guys everyone in sight)
    • "Did I err?"

Someone: As any fool can plainly see ...
Groo: I can plainly see that.

  • In Peanuts, Charlie Brown has "Good grief!", "Rats!", and "I can't stand it... I just can't stand it!"
  • Watchmen: Rorschach has "Hurm" and "must investigate further."
  • Disney Ducks Comic Universe: Scrooge himself has "made [my] money by being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties, and [I] made it square!"
  • Doctor Strange: By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!
    • Parodied in the new Dr. Strange: The Oath miniseries with By the Hoary * &(^ing hosts!
  • Jessica Jones in Alias: "Fuck."
  • Reverend Jeremiah Hatch from The Question lamentably laments your lamentable lamentation.
  • Strontium Dog:
    • The Gronk: "Oh, my poor heartses!"
    • Wulf: "Sorry, old cucumber" and "VOORM!"
  • Judge Dredd: "I am the law."
    • A Walter the Wobot strip from before the above really caught on insisted that Dredd's catchphrase was "Drokk it!"
    • And Judge Death: "You cannot kill what doesss not live."
  • Kingdom:
    • "Get whet."
    • Tougher and tough."
    • "Your mouth is full of wrong!"
  • Nikolai Dante: "I'm too cool to kill."
  • Jack Point from The Simping Detective has one that comes in two parts. There would always be one person in ever story would end up asking Jack, "What's your point?" to which he'd always respond, "Comes right after the 'Jack.'" After this, something totally awesome would always end up happening.
  • Jet Dream: "Jet-a-Reeno!"
  • The Maze Agency: "It's as simple as gravity."
  • Wonder Woman, in the old days, would say "Suffering Sappho!" This was writer Charles Moulton's tongue-in-cheek Take That to Moral Guardians who claimed she was secretly a lesbian. Nowadays she is more likely to say "Great Hera!"
  • Nexus would occasionally say, "This calls for hyper-speed!" The first time he said it, the comic's letters page had readers complaining it was corny, and Mike Baron had to point out it was supposed to be a joke.
    • Mezz and his band frequently said "Vootie!" and "Klacktoveedesteen".
  • German detective Nick Knatterton: "Kombiniere..." ("[I] deduce ...")
  • Luke Cage has "Sweet Christmas!"
    • His sometime associate Misty Knight, in her position as the current coordinator of the Heroes for Hire, now has "Hello, hero. This is Control. Are you for hire?" This has already seen a number of variations in the still-new series, usually courtesy of Paladin. "Answer me this, hero: are you for hire?"
  • SPOOOOOOOOOOON!
    • Not in the face! Not in the face!
  • In V for Vendetta, "England prevails" for the Norsefire party.
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