Flex Mentallo #1

Flex Mentallo #1 was published by DC Comics in 1996 as the inaugural issue of a four-part miniseries written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely. The character originated as a pastiche of Charles Atlas-style muscle-man advertisements that appeared in comic books throughout the mid-20th century, serving as a meta-textual exploration of the medium's history and the concept of the superhero narrative.

Frank Quitely’s artwork for the series is noted for its surreal, anatomical detail and dynamic layouts, which helped establish his long-standing creative partnership with Morrison. While the series was initially caught in a legal dispute regarding its similarity to the Charles Atlas trademark, it was eventually cleared for publication and has since been critically reappraised as a landmark of postmodern comic book storytelling, frequently cited for its influence on deconstructionist genre work.