Dirk Drain-Head
Dirk Drain-Head is a comic book superhero and is Mario's plumbing based idol in Valiant's Nintendo Comics System imprint.
Aside from possessing various plumbing-related weaponry, it is unknown what powers, if any, Dirk Drain-Head may possess; Dirk's origin is also relatively unknown. Dirk seems to be a stereotypical superhero, being honorable, virtueous, having a catch-phrase and a comedic sidekick, named Snakey; some of Dirk's enemies include Pipe Ooze, Muck and the mysterious Dark Dirk.
Interestingly, Dirk is almost identical to Luigi in a appearance, likewise, Snakey resembles Mario; Dark Dirk, being the apparent evil twin of Dirk, may also bear some minor resemblance to Waluigi.
Despite his comic only coming out quarterly, Dirk Drain-Head has a surprisingly large amount of comic issues, at six-hundred, fifty-eight.
Appearances
Dirk Drain-Head was first mentioned by Mario in the issue "A Mouser in the Houser"; Mario, while travelling with Princess Toadstool through a Warp Pipe, mentions that he shouldn't have left his "Official Dirk Drain-Head Compass" at home. Princess Toadstool promptly tells Mario to be quiet about his obsession with Dirk.
Dirk Drain-Head was later mentioned in "The Adventures of Dirk Drain-Head", which gave somewhat more information on him.
In the issue "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. As "Bedtime for Drain-Head" showed, Mario would often go on adventures looking for Snakey in his "Dirk Drain-Head phase", often attacking any creatures that he came across. Oddly, 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 subdueing Bowser single-handedly in "Bedtime for Drain-Head".
"The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!" showed that Dirk, despite being a fictional character, is treated as a celebrity on the Mushroom Planet, with an annual convention thrown in his honor every year in Pipe Land, complete with a large-scale role playing. "The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!" also showed that not only Mario loves Dirk Drain-Head, several dozen members of the Koopa Troop also adore him, even Lemmy Koopa.
Trivia
- A brief mention of Dirk Drain-Head having a brother is made by Mario to Luigi ("Dirk drives his brother crazy too!"), but this brother is never seen. It's possible Snakey, Dirk's sidekick, may be his brother, however.
- Coincidentally, another plumbing based hero of Mario's, called Mighty Plumber, would later appear in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 television series.
