I think Matthew Yglesias misses the point of “Super ‘Emo’ Friends” when he writes that he’d like to “see this expanded into a real comic book.” That would be redundant. With the exception of Green Lantern (and the rather offensive Wonder Woman parody), the Super ‘Emo’ Friends listed identify emotions that are already primary motivations for the heroes in question. Batman is traumatized by the death of his parents; Rogue is incapable of experiencing human affection; Harley Quinn is trapped in an abusive relationship with the psychotic Joker who is merely using her. The joke is that the formative experiences of superheroes are already incredibly melodramatic, not that they would be if you approached them a certain way. This is what comics are already actually about, just distilled in a particularly funny way.
Yeah, I know I just completely ruined the joke. That’s how geeks roll.
— A. Serwer