For the series's brief run, the main character was 19-year-old Lou Martin, who Arcudi described as "smart enough that he might be able to cure cancer if he applied himself, but he'd rather use his brain to try and steal cable".

Creator John Arcudi developed the concept of the series in 1992 and pitched it to DC Comics under the title "Captain Slack-Ass".

[1] Arcudi and penciler Doug Mahnke, both of whom were in their 30s when the series was produced, admitted that they found it hard to empathize with a teenage slacker.

The other "superheroes" are Val Andrist, the environmentalist daughter of an Ice Cream magnate who can fly; Francis Dutton, an aromatherapist hippie with a sonic scream; Lauren Isley, an elderly woman who can predict the future (but is so absent-minded she got confused with the past); a cat that became a giant when scared; and "Gecko", a nerdish man who can stick to walls.

EEMs were also gifted to a group of supervillains and attracted to one another in order to ensure battles would occur (e.g. the loser-turned-monster Nunzio, whom Lou brain-damaged via unintentional electrocution).