Dirk Drain-Head
| Dirk Drain-Head | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Human |
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. ("A Mouser in the Houser") (1990) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Bros. ("The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!") (1990) |
Dirk Drain-Head, also formatted as Dirk Drainhead,[1] is a comic book superhero and is Mario's plumbing based idol in the Super Mario Bros. comic series. Dirk seems to be a stereotypical superhero, being honorable, virtuous, and having a catchphrase and a comedic sidekick, named Snakey; he also has a partner named Rusty Water. Some of Dirk's enemies include Pipe Ooze and Muck.
Dirk is almost identical to Luigi in appearance, likewise, Snakey resembles Mario.
Despite his comic only coming out quarterly, Dirk Drain-Head has a large amount of comic issues, at 658.
History
"Mario Bros. Museum of Plumbing"
Dirk Drain-Head is first mentioned by a boy in the second part of "Mario Bros. Museum of Plumbing", where he whines to his mother that he wants more Dirk Drain-Head comics. Dirk Drain-Head hats and buttons can also be seen as merchandise in the titular museum.
"A Mouser in the Houser"
Dirk Drain-Head is mentioned by Mario in "A Mouser in the Houser", where he, while traveling with Princess Toadstool through a Warp Pipe, mentions that he should not have left his "Official Dirk Drain-Head Compass" at home. Princess Toadstool promptly tells Mario to be quiet about his obsession with Dirk.
"The Adventures of Dirk Drain-Head"
Dirk Drain-Head is mentioned in "The Adventures of Dirk Drain-Head", which gives somewhat more information on him. While being sent by the Princess to pick up the latest issue of her favorite comic book, Baroness Blue Blood, Mario rants about his fandom of Dirk to a reluctant Luigi, and asks some of the enemies for advice on where he could read his comic in peace. Luigi later admits that he and the others hate Dirk (Luigi's resemblance to Dirk creates an irony in Luigi hating the character) while battling the local Birdo, during which Mario loses the comic issue he is carrying. The enemies, being big fans of Dirk themselves, pick up the comic so they can read it.
"You Again?"
Dirk Drain-Head makes a cameo appearance in "You Again?", as a poster on one of the walls of Mario's bedroom.
"Bedtime for Drain-Head"
In "Bedtime for Drain-Head", it is revealed that Mario is so obsessed with Dirk Drain-Head that he often stays up for days reading his comics. Unfortunately, this oftentimes causes Mario to sleepwalk, believing himself to be Dirk Drain-Head, resulting in himself disappearing for hours. As "Bedtime for Drain-Head" shows, Mario often goes on adventures looking for Snakey in his "Dirk Drain-Head phase", attacking any creatures that he comes across. While believing himself to be Dirk Drain-Head, Mario becomes several times more competent, easily beating several monsters, wrestling a Birdo to the ground ,and even subduing King Koopa single-handedly.
"Duh Stoopid Bomb!"
In "Duh Stoopid Bomb!", Dirk Drain-Head's name appears on Wooster's list of people who think King Toadstool is stupid.
"The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!"
"The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!" shows that Dirk, despite being a fictional character, is treated as a celebrity in the Mushroom World, with an annual convention thrown in his honor every year in Pipe Land, complete with a large-scale role playing game.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finnish | Dirk Drain-Head[2] | - | |
| French | Dirk Plombard[3] | Dirk Plumber | |
| German | Dirk Rohrkopf[4] | Dirk Pipe-Head | |
| Dirk Dröhnkopf[5] | Dirk Drain-Head | "Mario Bros. Museum of Plumbing" | |
| Portuguese | Dirk Drain-Head[6] | - | |
| Swedish | Slaskman[7] | Waste Man |
Notes
- A brief mention of Dirk Drain-Head having a brother is made by Mario to Luigi, where he mentions that "Dirk drives his brother crazy too!"
- Another plumbing-based hero of Mario's, called Mighty Plumber, would later appear in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 television series.
References
- ^ Nintendo Comics System Book Collection
- ^ Nintendo-lehti (1990-1994, Finnish)
- ^ « Je l'ai ! "Les aventures de Dirk Plombard" !! » – 1992. Super Mario Bros. no 1. Comics USA / Glénat (French). ISBN 2-87695-184-3. Page 36.
- ^ https://archive.org/details/SuperMarioBrosVideoComicMagazin/Super%20Mario%20Bros.%20Video-Comic-Magazin%2002%20%281991%29/page/n13/mode/2up
- ^ https://archive.org/details/SuperMarioBrosVideoComicMagazin/Super%20Mario%20Bros.%20Video-Comic-Magazin%2006%20%281992%29/page/n29/mode/2up
- ^ Super Mario Bros. Nº 2 - Nintendo em Quadrinhos
- ^ Nintendo Magasinet Nr 3 1990
| show Super Mario Bros. (Valiant Comics) |
|---|
