View source for Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters

{{Short description|American comic book series}}
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{{Infobox comic book title
| image               = BBHcover1.jpg
| image_size          = 250px
| alt                 = 
| caption             = The cover to ''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters'' #1, art by Patrick Parsons.
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| limited             = 
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| genre               = [[Parody]]
| publisher           = Castle Comics <small>1986</small><br>[[Eclipse Comics]] <small>1986-1990</small><br>Parody Comics<br>[[Dynamite Entertainment]]
| date                = 
| startmo             = January
| startyr             = 1986
| endmo               = 
| endyr               = 
| issues              = 9 <small>''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters''</small><br>
| main_char_team      = Bruce<br>Chuck<br>Clint<br>Jackie
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| creators            = Don Chin
| CEheader            = 
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| nonUS               = 
}}
'''''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters''''' (often abbreviated to '''''ARBBH''''') is a [[Creator ownership in comics|creator-owned]] American [[Talking animals in fiction|funny-animal]] [[parody]] comic book series created by Don Chin. It was one of a number of parodies of [[Mirage Studios]]' hit ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' series, itself a parody of popular eighties comics such as [[Frank Miller]]'s ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' and ''[[Ronin (comic book series)|Ronin]]''; others included ''Naive Inter-Dimensional Commando Koalas'' and ''[[Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos]]''.<ref name=AH142ETP>{{cite magazine|date=June 1, 1988|title=Enlarging the Penumbra|author=Bob Hughes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=142}}</ref>

==Publication history==
The series was first published by [[Eclipse Comics]] in 1986 as one of a number of black-and-white parodies on the market at the time.<ref name=AH083NF>{{cite magazine|date=October 29, 1985|title=Newsflashes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=83}}</ref> The initial artist was Patrick Parsons (under the pseudonym Parsonavich). The book went on to be a regular series, running for 9 issues; from ''ARBBH'' #6 art duties were taken over by [[Sam Kieth]]. From #8 [[Mark Martin (cartoonist)|Mark Martin]] contributed back-up strips, including political satire ''[[Ronald Reagan|Ronnie]] & [[Mikhail Gorbachev|Gorby]]'' and parody-of-a-parody-of-a-parody ''Adolescent Radioactive Big Butt Hamhocks''.<ref name=AH128TOTN>{{cite magazine|date=November 1, 1987|title=Top of the News ''(advertisement)''|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=128}}</ref> The final issue included work by Kieth, Martin, Chuck Fiala and Ken Meyer, as well as a pin-up gallery.<ref name=AH131NL>{{cite magazine|date=December 15, 1987|title=Newsline|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=131}}</ref>

A four-issue 3D limited series<ref name=AH1583DI>{{cite magazine|date=February 1, 1989|title=An Index to 3-D Comics|author=Valentino|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=158}}</ref> (featuring art by [[Ty Templeton]])<ref name=AH090NF>{{cite magazine|date=March 1, 1986|title=Newsflashes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=90}}</ref> and spin-off solo series ''Clint''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |accessdate=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/4/mode/2up/ |page=4}}</ref><ref name=AH101NL>{{cite magazine|date=August 15, 1986|title=Newsline|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=101}}</ref> soon followed. The ongoing success of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' as a multimedia franchise extended the concept's life, with the one-shot ''The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion'' further parodying the influx of [[manga]] titles to America.<ref name=AH163TOTN>{{cite magazine|date=April 15, 1989|title=Top of the News ''(advertisement)''|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=163}}</ref> The Hamsters were also part of Eclipse's [[shared universe]], appearing in the ''[[Airboy|Target: Airboy]]'' special<ref name=AH133ARBBH>{{cite magazine|date=January 15, 1988|title=Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters|author=John Wilcox|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=133/Preview Special 6}}</ref> and the crossover limited series ''[[Total Eclipse (comics)|Total Eclipse]]''. The publisher would also collect the first four issues of the regular series in the [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]] ''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters - America the Beautiful''.

Chin retained rights to ''ARBBH'', and the characters' further adventures were subsequently published by [[Parody Press]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Becattini |first1=Alberto |title=American Funny Animal Comics in the 20th Century: Volume Two |date=2019 |publisher=Theme Park Press |isbn=978-1683902218 |chapter=Super-Animals}}</ref> On March 30, 2007, it was announced that [[Dynamite Entertainment]] has the rights to reprint the comics, write new comics, and produce collectables based on the property.<ref>[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=106994 Dynamite Lands ''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters'' License] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929134139/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=106994 |date=2007-09-29 }}, [[Newsarama]], March 30, 2007</ref> It was written by [[Keith Champagne]] with art by Tom Nguyen, and the first four-part miniseries was published between January and June 2008.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12098 ''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters'' Return] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104015537/http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12098 |date=2015-11-04 }}, [[Comic Book Resources]], October 11, 2007</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=title|id=17055|title=Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters (2008)}}</ref>

==Plot==
In 1977, [[NASA]] launched a space probe containing four [[hamster]]s to destroy a mysterious mass of radioactive, gelatinous substance that was hovering around the Earth's atmosphere. Exposure to this strange "Cosmic Jello" mutated them into three and a half foot tall [[anthropomorphic]] humanoid Hamsters who could talk and stand upright.

Their capsule later crashed down near a [[Tibet]]an [[monastery]] where, seen as being the result of some ancient [[prophecy]], they were adopted by Master Lock and his fellow mystic warrior monks and trained in the [[martial arts]]. Their training complete, they were sent back to the United States to fight the forces of evil, although they often seemed to inadvertently cause as much chaos as the terrorists, criminals and other "vermin" they fought.

==Characters==
The four lettuce-loving Hamsters were named after actors from [[Action film|action]] and [[Martial arts film|kung fu movies]] - [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Chuck Norris]], [[Bruce Lee]] and [[Jackie Chan]].<ref>[http://www.gt6.com/arbbh/ ARBBH Fan Page and Forum] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050829023259/http://www.gt6.com/arbbh/ |date=August 29, 2005 }}</ref>
*'''Bruce:''' [[Bō]]-wielding expert fighter and ace mechanic and inventor.  He has a dark spot around his right eye.
*'''Chuck:''' Intellectual quasi-[[pacifist]] who can still kick butt with his [[nunchuks]] when riled.
*'''Clint:''' Impulsive, fun-loving [[gun nut]] whose blowing up of the [[Statue of Liberty]] got the Hamsters temporarily thrown into prison. He is the most distinctive-looking of the Hamsters with his [[Punk fashion|Punk]] [[mohawk hairstyle|mohawk]] and [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]]-style shades.
*'''Jackie:''' Youngest of the Hamsters and, while skilled at [[hand-to-hand combat]], not so much inclined towards heroics as he is to reading [[Dr. Seuss]], playing with [[action figures]] and other childish pursuits, sometimes fantasizing that he is [[Indiana Jones]] and [[Snoopy]] as the [[Red Baron]].  He has a dark spot around his left eye.
When the series was revived in the 21st century the original quartet were joined by a new generation of Hamsters: Lucy (named after [[Lucy Lawless]]), Rock ([[Dwayne Johnson]]), Arnold ([[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]), Jean-Claude ([[Jean-Claude Van Damme]]) and Steven ([[Steven Seagal]]).

==Reception==
''Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters'' has received largely negative reviews. Reviewing the first two issues of the 3-D series and the first issue of ''Clint'' for ''[[Amazing Heroes]]'', [[Gerard Jones]] criticised Chin for his over-reliance on cheap pop culture references and felt the property "everything that's worst about the current comic book humor scene"<ref name=ARBBH>{{cite magazine|date=February 1, 1987|title=Comics in Review|author=[[Gerard Jones]]|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=110}}</ref> and would later use it as a negative comparison while positively reviewing Chin's fantasy series ''Enchanter''.<ref name=AH122CIR>{{cite magazine|date=August 1, 1987|title=Comics in Review|author=[[Gerard Jones]]|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=122}}</ref> Thomas Dean was similarly unimpressed with ''The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion'', feeling the only positive was that it could potentially mean the end of the franchise.<ref name=AH173CIRAH>{{cite magazine|date=November 1989|title=Comics in Review|author=Thomas Dean|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=173}}</ref>

When Chin circulated a press release in 1990 looking for a new publisher for the series, Thomas Harrington took aim at the series in his ''Amazing Heroes'' editorial, calling the series as having a "one-half joke gimmick", while claiming that most of those who had bought the comics regretted their purchases and had merely done so as speculators rather than due to the quality of the work.<ref name=AH180ED>{{cite magazine|date=May 1990|title=Editorial|author=Thomas Harrington|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=180}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.toonopedia.com/hamsters.htm Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240525190652/https://www.webcitation.org/668dqouRU?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/hamsters.htm Archived] from the original on March 13, 2012.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090913105723/http://comicimpact.com/category/wacky-chin-month/ Wacky Chin Month at ComicImpact.com]
{{Eclipse Comics}}

[[Category:1987 comics debuts]]
[[Category:American comics]]
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[[Category:Comics set in Tibet]]
[[Category:Defunct American comics]]
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[[Category:Eclipse Comics superheroes]]
[[Category:Eclipse Comics titles]]
[[Category:Hamsters in popular culture]]
[[Category:Parody comics]]
[[Category:Parodies of comics]]
[[Category:Parodies of television shows]]
[[Category:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]