When Toronto needed a superhero, the Pitiful Human-Lizard took to the streets

Jason Loo's best known creation, the Pitiful Human-Lizard, may be the most relatable superhero of all time. 

He's not a billionaire playboy by day; he's just a regular office drone. His superpower — which he gained after participating in a pharmaceutical trial, because he needed the money — is regeneration. Lucas Barrett (that's the Lizard's real name) isn't a great fighter, he can't fly or move objects with his mind and he doesn't have bulletproof skin. His power is, essentially, that you can beat the crap out of him, and he'll just keep getting up. Which, honestly, feels kind of like a metaphor for life.

We spoke to Loo at Fan Expo in Toronto about the origins of the Pitiful Human-Lizard, and why, for his next challenge, he wanted to give new life to one of the most slept-on X-Men.

CBC: What made you want to create the Pitiful Human-Lizard?

Jason Loo: There was a period where I took a break from comics because I was just not happy with how things were going. Pitiful Human-Lizard was almost like, 'This is my last chance at making comics. I'm just going to do the stories I want to tell.' 

I just wanted to tell a very relatable story about a guy who's doing his best for the city that he loves. He's a very working-class superhero. He's like the Rocky Balboa of superheroes. He'll get beaten up so many times just to move up an inch. I felt Toronto needed a superhero. 

CBC: Toronto is a real character in the series. Why did you make that decision?

JL: It's from the love of reading old Marvel comics and seeing how New York City is used as a character. I don't think I've seen Toronto used in that way. I wanted to feature the city as it is, authentically. I didn't want to just draw some generic buildings and generic neighborhoods, and throw in the CN Tower in the background to remind people this is Toronto. You can recognize this is Kensington Market, this is Parkdale, this is the Annex.

CBC: Pitiful Human-Lizard does Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

JL: Yeah, he trains at a very well-known place [in Toronto.] He's not very good at it.

CBC: What made you want to add that detail? 

JL: He needs some kind of fighting background to help defend himself, but he doesn't have time and resources like Bruce Wayne did. Or Matt Murdock. He's got other things on his mind, like making sure he's able to pay his rent. He's got a full-time job. All of those obstacles are in his way. He can't be the best, but he's trying. 

CBC: What made you want to create a working-class superhero who does superhero stuff, like, almost as a side-hustle? He has a 9-to-5 and then a 5-to-5, or whenever it is he's out trying to fight crime. 

JL: I felt that is more interesting than a character that's born rich or has all these resources at their disposal. I think showing a person's struggle to meet their passion, that's what fans like to see. And fans can see themselves in that.

CBC: Let's just switch gears and talk Marvel for a second. This may just be my perception, but Dazzler feels like one of the more underutilized Marvel heroes. They created this disco character just as disco was collapsing, and she's spent a lot of time just making weird cameos in other character's comics. What made you want to take on Dazzler? 

JL: I was pitched this by [Marvel] editor . I find Dazzler very interesting because she is a character that knows what she wants. She's someone that wants to make her music career flourish. She was one of the first mutants that said no to the X-Men, to turn Cyclops' offer down, because she wanted to focus on her music. Going back and looking at the original series, I was like, 'OK, in this new series, I'm going to give her what she wants: a successful career, sold-out venues, a world tour.' But the thing is, it's at a time when being a mutant is not that popular. It's very tough. You're going to be hated and feared. So she's going to learn how to balance that while promoting herself as a musician.

CBC: How do you make Dazzler feel relevant in 2024?

JL: I've been studying a lot of today's pop stars, because I co-wrote two of her songs. For each issue, there's a brand new song, and these lyrics are inspired by hours of listening to Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, even some Phoebe Bridgers.