Like most people, I have a birthday. And with it coming up this month, I thought it would be fun to check out some of the comics released during the month of my birth. So, thanks to Mike’s Amazing World of Comics, I picked out the following DC and Marvel books:
Spider-Woman 32 (8/5/1980)
Title: “The Fangs of Werewolf by Night”
Writer: Michael Fleisher
Penciller: Steve Leialoha
Inker: Jim Mooney
Letterer: Mark Rogan
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Denny O’Neil
Continuing from the previous issue, Dr. Malus is trying to get rid of Spider-Woman, and turns her wheelchair bound friend Scotty into the super-powered villain named The Hornet. He also manages to trick Jack Russell, the Werewolf By Night, into fighting her as well. She manages to break both of them from Malus’ control, and Malus goes to prison.
I enjoyed this issue. Slick art and an action-packed story, and no sub-plots to confuse me. I would have liked to see more of Jessica during her down time, as she is only out of costume for 2 panels, and we only get her name once in her own thought bubble. Not sure where it would have fit though, as the issue was already stuffed as is.
Amazing Spider-Man 210 (8/12/80)
Title: “The Prophecy of Madame Web”
Writer: Denny O’Neil
Penciller: John Romita, Jr.
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Al Milgrom
It’s John Romita Jr.’s first issue pencilling Amazing! It’s Spider-Man’s first encounter with Madame Web! In this issue, Spidey not only interrupts a pre-planned kidnapping, but also saves the Daily Globe from an illegal takeover.
This was another fun issue. Still not sure how Spidey made the leap in logic needed to put together the clues given in this issue though. Like the Spider-Woman issue, there were no subplots touched here other than Peter’s employment, and the issue seemed to fly by. My only gripe is that I don’t like Romita’s take on Peter outside of the Spider-Man costume. His head just looks too big. He does better with this later, but here it was weird.
For a better look, Andy Leyland covered this issue, and the 3 subsequent issues, in the 158th episode of Palace of Glittering Delights!
Captain America 251 (8/12/80)
Title: “The Mercenary and the Madman”
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
We are in the unfortunately short Roger Stern/John Byrne era on Cap. Mister Hyde is broken out of Rikers Island thanks to Batroc the Leaper utilizing Hyde’s equipment and plan. After working on storyboards all night, Steve learns about the breakout and the villains’ plan to blow up a fuel tanker in the middle of New York harbor if they aren’t paid $1 Billion, and given Cap as a hostage. At the exchange, Cap tries to take them down, but he’s been up all night, and Hyde is stronger than the last time they fought, so HE is taken down instead. When he comes to, he finds he is tied to the front of the ship, which is now heading for the New York Docks at full speed.
So, I am a big fan of Roger Stern’s writing, a fan of early John Byrne, and Cap is one of my favorite Marvel heroes, so everything came up roses for me here. Just a fun issue from cover to cover. One thing about the story is that I would imagine it must have been incredibly difficult to get Cap tied up to the front of the ship like he is. Also, it’s a tanker full of fuel, so he’d probably blow up just as well tied to any other part of it.
Savage She-Hulk 10 (8/12/80)
Title: “War of — the Word”
Writer: David Kraft
Penciller: Mike Vosburg
Inker: Frank Springer
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Mary Jo Duffy
While dealing with a case, Jen Walters finds out that she’s dying and needs to see Dr. Morbius for treatment. But the case is a special one, and the trial is moved up to immediately. However, at the trial, things don’t look good, until an unplanned She-Hulkout eventually leads to the defendant just giving up. However, after running off, She-Hulk passes out in an alley. Could she be dead?
This is my first time reading a She-Hulk story of this vintage, and as such, it very much threw me off. She can’t control her changes yet, and there is absolutely no humor here. However, the court scene had me feeling about as frustrated as Jen was getting, so I guess it gets points for that. The art, however, leaves something to be desired. The inks by Frank Springer are way too loose for my preference, reminding me of Joe Giella’s work. And faces are pretty inconsistent from page to page. Randolph goes from looking like a young man in his 20s to a kid in his early teens by the end. Also, the ending is rather abrupt, with The Word just taking a vow of silence rather than the usual trope of swearing revenge. I was very surprised by this, but it looks like this disease storyline meant The Word had to go away for awhile. He’ll come back eventually, but against the FF, not She-Hulk. Speaking of the Jade Giantess, while things don’t look great for her at the end of the issue, I’m guessing she comes through okay. Then again, superheroes do have a knack for dying, and then getting better.
The Mighty Thor 301 (8/12/80)
Title: “For the Life of Asgard”
Writers: Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio
Penciller: Keith Pollard
Inker: Chic Stone
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
We are in the aftermath of a huge battle. Last issue, Odin had combined the life essences of all of the gods of Asgard into the Destroyer, which was then sent into battle against Celestials. Unfortunately, they still lost, which killed them. Thor was not present when this happened, but one god against the Celestials is not lreally a fair fight, and he also lost. The day had been saved, though, by the Elder Goddess, who, as it turns out, is Thor’s mother. To restore the Asgardians, she sends Thor on a quest to obtain a portion of power from all of the other pantheons on Earth. Once this task is completed, the Asgardians are resurrected, and they have a party.
So I was a little leery about this book when I skimmed through it before reading. To say this issue is dense would be an understatement. There are so many words and panels crammed on each page, that this could have easily been a 2 issue story back in 1980, or a 6 to 12 issue storyline today. Heck, Thor doesn’t even start his quest until halfway thru the issue. I was actually surprised that most of the other pantheons were so kind and giving, but there really wasn’t room in the issue for them not to be. Having said that, it wasn’t a bad issue. It read well, so it didn’t feel needlessly stuffed.
Batman 329 (8/14/80)
Title: “Twice Dies the Batman”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Irv Novick
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Paul Levitz
Remember way back in the 40’s when Harvey Dent had acid thrown his was by Boss Maroni, and became Two-Face? And how Two-Face killed Maroni in revenge? Well, as it turns out, Maroni didn’t die, he was just paralyzed. Last issue, he got revenge by using plastic surgery to disguise his face, and killing Gotham’s current DA, who just so happened to be married to Harvey’s ex, Gilda. Keeping up so far? So, Two-Face learned of this, went to the same surgeon, had the doctor give him a new face, although he was warned it would only be temporary due to his existing damage, then killed both the doctor and Maroni (who has now died twice). In this issue, he’s trying to woo Gilda in the new identity when his face starts…reverting…I guess…He covers his face so I don’t know if the new one is melting off or what, but he reverts back to Two-Face. Meanwhile, Batman figures all the backstory stuff out, and with Gilda’s help, manages to get Two-Face to surrender and return to Arkham.
As this story is continued from the previous issue, I’m not sure if readers already knew that Carl was Two-Face or not, but if not, the cover, while beautifully drawn by Jim Aparo, totally gives away the reveal. The story would probably have been more enjoyable if I wasn’t coming in at the tail end. And Irv Novick pencils are a bit of a step down, in my opinion, when Jim Aparo does the cover.
Story 2: Batman & Robin
Title: “The Case of the Hijacked Heart”
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Penciller: Rich Buckler
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Paul Levitz
Now, at this point, DC was trying ease readers into the latest price hike (40¢ to 50¢) by adding 8 extra pages to each issue. This sometimes meant longer stories, but other times meant new back-up features. This issue’s back-up is a Batman and Robin tale, once again continuing from the previous issue. The Dynamic Duo are working together to protect a gangster who is in the hospital for a heart transplant. Eventually, Batman leaves to do some investigating, but Robin sticks around to visit someone Batman helped last issue, and is there when news breaks of the transplant heart being hijacked at the airport. After Robin makes a quick call to Batman, they get to the airport and rescue the heart, learning that it was the gangster’s own daughter who arranged the hijacking because he was never around for her mother when she died. There is even a subplot about a doctor who thinks Batman is more worried about protecting a criminal than checking in on the patient he’d helped earlier, only to be proven wrong later. All this in an 8 page story!
Batman and Robin work together like a well oiled machine, which is fun to see. And since it’s written by Mike W. Barr, Batman even calls Robin “chum.” And the art by Rich Buckler and Frank McLaughlin is fantastic as well!
DC Comic Presents 27 (8/14/80)
Title: “The Key That Unlocked Chaos”
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Jim Starlin
Inker: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
This issue sees the original, pre-crisis debut of Mongul. Off panel, he’s kidnapped Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Steve Lombard, and threatens to kill them if Superman doesn’t get this key he needs. Superman heads off to get the key, but it is being guarded by J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. It turns out the key is needed to operate a planet sized weapon called Warworld, and J’onn isn’t too keen on the idea of letting Mongul unleash it on the universe. But Superman gets a bit cocky, and figures he has things under control. And, after a fight, Superman retrieves the key. Then Mongul arrives, and despite their earlier fight, J’onn rescues Superman’s friends. But, the Man of Steel has underestimated Mongul, and despite both heroes teaming up, Mongul ends up with the key, which Superman vows to get back, after acquiring some super-help.
This continues into next month’s issue, in which it appears that the super-help Superman plans to get is Supergirl. The art here is rather good. Jim Starlin was really in his prime at this point, however the issue features multiple inkers, which you really notice in some places. As for the story itself, the main thing I don’t like is that Superman is way overconfident here. As someone who has been in the superhero game since he was 8, he should know better. But, I got to thinking. Even I, with my relatively low self-esteem, have gotten a little overconfident when things seem to be going my way for long enough. And with Superman’s record of way more wins than losses, I could see it happening to him, especially since Len Wein tends to focus more on his humanity. As for Mongul, his debut, so far, is good, but not great. Granted, he did his Bane style homework on Superman, and set up a no-win situation for the Man of Steel that he was only able to somewhat win thanks to outside help. But, he only managed to get the key by sheer luck. At this point, Mongul doesn’t feel any different than some of Superman’s other villains. I need to read part 2 to see how that goes, as I have never managed to read this 2-parter before.
Title: “Whatever Happened to Congorilla?”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: Romeo Tanghal
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
This backup story brings up a question that I just know has been on people’s lips for years, right? Congorilla started out as an adventure strip in 1940 called Congo Bill in More Fun Comics 56, before moving to Action Comics a year later. He even managed to get his own title that ran for 7 issues from 1954 to 1955. It wouldn’t be until 1959 that Bill would gain the ability to transform into Congorilla, at which point the strip changed names. In 1960, the strip moved over to Adventure Comics until it finally ended in 1961. While this story does not mention any other heroes, or which Earth it takes place on (does he exist on Earth-1 and Earth-2?), we do learn that since his last appearance, the Industrial Revolution has come to deep Africa, and Bill is now running a mining company. But, despite things now being more modern, the old ways are still rather prevalent. In fact, someone uses the myth of the Silver Gorilla to get the locals to bring diamonds in exchange for future blessings. This includes diamonds being smuggled out of Bill’s mines. However, Bill can still rub his magic ring (not a euphemism) to transfer his mind into the Golden Gorilla, Congorilla! As Congorilla, Bill manages to expose the frauds. While the locals beat up the crooks, Bill retrieves all the diamonds, returns to his human body, and turns the diamonds over to the authorities.
Boy, sometimes I forget how good these creators were in being able to tell a complete story in just 8 pages. The story pacing is even, and the art, while not my cup of tea, is clear, without having to resort to a ton of panels on a page.
The Flash 291 (08/14.1980)
Title: “The Sabretooth Is a Very Deadly Beast”
Writer: Cary Bates
Artist: Don Heck
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Len Wein
Im not sure if we are picking up from the ending of last issue, but this issue starts with Barry Allen attempting to kill one of his neighbors. It turns out it isn’t him, just an assassin named Malverk that looks like him. Meanwhile, Flash has been working with King Faraday, who clears Barry’s name fairly quickly. However, they are also dealing with another master assassin known as Sabretooth. These 2 assassins have a beef with each other, which Flash uses to his advantage, along with his resemblance to Malverk, to draw out Sabretooth, and take him down.
First off, I am not a fan of Don Heck’s art. However, I did find the story compelling enough to mostly overlook it. After reading years of Cary Bate’s Superman stories, it was surprising how much a different editor, and different hero, can allow him to write such a different type of story. All the death, and grisly murders, were not expected. There were 2 points that made me chuckle. First up, the men who tried to bazooka kill Sabretooth were captured by Flash off panel. One panel he confronts them, the next panel they are being booked. Not even worthy of showing the fight. The next one is where Faraday is about to show Flash Sabretooth’s note to Malverk. He hands over the note on the final panel of page 13, and instead of seeing the note, we are treated to a 2-page advert for CBS’s new Saturday morning line-up. Great timing.
Story 2: Firestorm, The Nuclear Man
Title: “The Hyena Laughs Last”
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: George Pérez
Inker: Bob Smith
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Lynne Gelfer
Editor: Len Wein
For the back-up, we get a Firestorm story with art by George Pérez, making the earlier Don Heck art look even worse. In this short story, Professor Stein goes for a job interview while Ronald goes with Doreen to pick up her sister Summer at the airport. Stein manages to get the job, and stops himself from getting a celebratory drink, when he spots a somewhat familiar figure jumping from building to building. But, he was so busy watching the figure, that he absentmindedly walked right into traffic on a busy New York street. To save himself from becoming street pizza, he initiates the Firestorm transformation. Fortunately, Ronald was alone and no longer with the girls when this happened. Becoming Firestorm allows the traffic to pass through our hero without injury. Now that he’s part of Firestorm, Stein finally figures out who the mysterious figure was, and takes his sweet time telling Ronald that it was the Hyena, just as the villain leaps at the hero.
For a story that is only 8 pages long, we get some progress with Stein’s drinking problem and his redemption sub-plot, while also setting up drama with Doreen’s sister and a fight with a villain that Firestorm has not yet defeated at this point. And there was STILL enough room to give us Ronald at school, dealing with Carmichael (who, by the way, is trying to pull of a mutton chop look that not even Pérez can make look good). Very enjoyable.
Justice League of America 184 (08/14/1980)
Title: “Apokolips Now”
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: George Pérez
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Len Wein
It’s summertime, so it’s time for the annual JLA/JSA team-up. This time out, we have Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Firestorm from Earth-1, Doctor Fate, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, and Huntress from Earth-2, and they are joined by Orion, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Oberon from New Genesis. In part 1 of this story, the Injustice Society, Icicle, the Fiddler, and The Shade, managed to kidnap the entire population of New Genesis in an attempt to bring Darkseid back from the dead.
This issue starts with Power Girl, Firestorm, and Orion taking on the Injustice Society. They stop Shade and Icicle, but are brought down by Maestro, who then continues to work on resurrecting Darkseid. Meanwhile, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Barda are being led by a child to meet some Underground Fighters, who happen to be children hiding out underneath Granny Goodness’s orphanage. Barda is eventually able convince their leader that they want to help, and she offers to take them to Granny to try and find out Darkseid’s full plans.
Elsewhere, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern, and Oberon find and free Highfather. He is weak, but he is determined to stop Darkseid, so they head to Armagedda. At the Imperial Palace, Batman and Huntress sneak in from above while Mister Miracle makes his way in from below. Inside they learn that beyond being brought back to life, Darkseid also plans to transport Apokolips to the Earth-2 Universe, where he can destroy Earth-2 and take over the entire Universe without any New or Old gods to stop him.
Man, this is really George Pérez month, and we are getting it all at once. We just saw him on Firestorm, now we have his first issue on Justice League after the sudden passing of Dick Dillin, and next up we will have the first issue of New Teen Titans.
This is very much a middle issue. Lots of spinning of wheels, but also moving things along just a bit. And it doesn’t feel like much has happened other than freeing Highfather. Lots of possible setup for next issue. But, at least it’s nice to look at. Orion in a superhero costume is odd to me, but that’s the style he was rocking at the time.
The New Teen Titans 01 (08/14/1980)
Title: “The Birth of the Titans”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: George Pérez
Inker: Romeo Tanghal
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
Somewhere in space, on the slave ship Q’st’r, Princess Koriand’r blasts her way through some slavers and escapes via a Star Slider. Despite being shot at, and a moon being destroyed, she is able to safely execute a space-slide, which is similar to going into warp in Star Trek, or jumping to lightspeed in Star Wars.
In Gotham, Dick Grayson wakes up from a nightmare involving a new Titans team that includes people he’s never met. One of them, Raven, appears before him with news that a new Teen Titans is needed. After failing to recruit Kid Flash, he is sent out as Robin to recruit Wonder Girl. Following Raven’s soul-self, he eventually finds Wonder Girl, and they are met by Beast Boy, now going by Changeling. After Kid Flash shows up, having talked to Raven off-panel, the teen heroes head off, presumably toward the next new member.
At a high-school track, an angry young man named Victor Stone, a former Olympic level athlete, hates that he is now a half-man, half-machine Cyborg. But Raven is there to offer him support, and then the other Titans arrive. After Cyborg agrees to join up, Raven tells them that the final member of the team is about to need help.
At the United Nations building, those alien slavers from earlier have arrived looking for the Princess. After winning the battle, the Titans look to Raven for their next move, but she needs to rest a bit before she can look for the Princess. Meanwhile, she’s at the apartment of Grant Wilson and Carol recovering. Grant has been cheating on Carol, so she’s not too happy about him bringing home another woman, but while they argue, those aliens arrive again. The Titans show up to drive them away, but the apartment is destroyed, and the Princess is gone. On the ship above, Raven brings the team aboard, and they manage to save the Princess, while Cyborg and Changeling rig the ship to explode. And as the team escapes, the ship does just that. However, the slavers have now marked Earth for obliteration. Down below, Raven tells the team that they have not been brought together just to save the princess, but for a greater menace that is coming. And, out of earshot, Grant talks to an unseen member of H.I.V.E. about destroying the team.
The story begins with an epilogue. Shouldn’t that be the prologue? In any event, this is a packed issue, with plenty of seeds planted for future issues, such as why Kid Flash changed his mind, and why what Raven wants is so important to him. What is the coming menace? What is H.I.V.E.? What is the deal with Grant? Now, 45 years later, I’m aware that all of these questions have been answered, but I can see how readers at the time were hooked. And we still haven’t seen origins for most of the team yet! Pérez’s art is wonderful. Not as polished as it would be a few years later, but still very nice to look at.
Superman 353 (8/14/1980)
Title: “The Fantastic Foe Superman Could Never Meet”
Writer: Cary Bates
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Julius Schwartz
There is this other dimension, a virtual futuristic utopia with no crimes or disasters. In this dimension is a leading scientist who, unlike any of the other citizens, yearns to commit crimes. So, he plans to go to Earth and commit crimes. He creates a teleporter that allows him to switch places with Superman, so that he can’t stop him. When this happens, Superman is unable to return to Earth under his own power, doesn’t have time to figure out how the teleporter works. and must wait in this dimension until the alien switches them back. However, during his time there, Superman is able to investigate and learns of a spire that broadcasts invisible beams that purify the minds of the citizens so that they don’t even think about committing crimes. Meanwhile, on Earth, Superman’s name is getting smeared because he hasn’t even show up to attempt to stop this alien criminal. After returning from his 2nd trip to the other dimension, Superman puts a plan into motion. Figuring that the alien is some kind of mutant who can resist the purifying beams, he makes sure to bring some equipment with him to the alternate dimension during the next teleport, and converts a chair into a sort of mind probe that will allow the purifying beams to affect the alien’s mind. After committing his final crime, the murder of Lois Lane, the alien teleports back home, right into the chair Superman has created. Back on Earth, we find that Lois is safe, because Superman gave her a jewel that absorbs all kinds of destructive energy. Actually, he gave a jewel to all his friends, since he had learned during his investigations that the alien was planning to kill someone’s close to him, but he wasn’t quite sure who.
I’m pretty sure that Superman would normally have a problem with these purifying beams, but instead, he just goes along with the idea here. He even makes it so that the beams work on the alien guy! This just doesn’t seem very in-character to me. Also, the exposition about the jewels is explained to Josh Coyle by Morgan, Perry, Lois, Lana, and Jimmy, who were all in the same room when the alien attacked. But, if Josh didn’t know, that means he didn’t also receive a jewel, right? So, he could have ended up dead here, right? And this seems to not be a problem for anyone, including Josh!
On a positive note, this is another example of Superman using his brains. His super-brain isn’t super enough to figure out the teleportation tech in a short amount of time, and he can’t physically attack him, so he figures a work-around using his brains.
Title: “The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Julius Schwartz
The backup is an imaginary story in which Kal-El’s rocket lands outside of Gotham City instead of Smallville. The child is found by officer Jim Gordon, who takes him to the Waynes’ for a medical check up because they live on his beat. But, Martha doesn’t want to give him up, so they offer to keep him until his parents are found. This never happens obviously, so they do eventually adopt him, name him Bruce, and learn about his powers. After Bruce prevents Joe Chill from killing his parents, and Chill confesses that Lew Moxon hired him, Moxon goes to jail. Then the Waynes bring Gordon in on the secret. Together they teach Bruce all the things for several years. When Bruce turns 21, Moxon shows up at his party for revenge on the now Commissioner Gordon and the Waynes. But, while using curtains to hide his outfit and face, Bruce stops him. Afterwards, he decides he wants to be a symbol for justice and help all mankind as Superman.
Strangely, the art here looks a bit better than in the main story, despite being the same art team. It was kind of weird seeing Swan drawing the Batman cast though. Meanwhile, I would like to know what happened to the rocket. Baby Kal-El had crawled out before Gordon found him, so he wouldn’t have even known to look for it. But the story even points out that at some point the area would eventually house apartment buildings, so someone has to find it eventually, right?
Superman Family 204 (8/14/1980)
Story 1: Supergirl
Title: “The Earthquake Enchantment”
Writer: Jack C. Harris
Penciller: Win Mortimer
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Julius Schwartz
After a month away, Supergirl returns to her job as a counselor at New Athens just as earthquakes strike the area. Turns out that they are being caused by The Enchantress, who is usually a good guy. She’s causing them as part of a spell to imbue her with ultimate power. Part of the spell also includes the alignment of the moon, and once she learns of this, Supergirl is able to kick the moon out of orbit to break up the spell. Don’t worry though, she kicks it back later.
The story is enjoyable, and the artwork is fine. Definitely part 1 of a longer story. There are still some mysteries that need solving, and questions that need answering.
Story 2: The Private Life of Clark Kent
Title: “The Coupon Caper”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: John Calnan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Clark’s neighbor, an old lady in a wheelchair, asks him to run to the supermarket for her before her coupons expire. Apparently, he’s never been to a supermarket because he is quickly overwhelmed, but manages to complete the shopping, and even stops a pick-pocketer, but can’t find the coupons. Turns out, he left them back at the old lady’s apartment.
This is almost a day-in-the-life story, which is kind of cool. While Clark does mention that he usually has his groceries delivered, I’m amazed he’s overwhelmed by a supermarket, considering what he does in his spare time. However, I’ve never been in a supermarket like this one either. It actually reminds me of a pre-y2k Christmas story by Joe Kelly where Clark goes to a department store on Christmas Eve. This store was that crazy.
Story 3: Mr. & Mrs. Superman
Title: “The Rescue of His Majesty, Johnny Thunder”
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt shows up at the Daily Star to recruit Superman into helping Johnny. Somehow, he’s become a king, but is being controlled by a Shaman. Figuring the Shaman will force Johnny to send the Thunderbolt against Superman if he’s seen, Lois ends up being the main part of the plan to trick Johnny into ordering the Thunderbolt into removing the Shaman’s powers and taking him down.
This was a pretty smart little story, and the art is pretty good. Unfortunately, Schaffenberger’s art is hampered a bit by Chiarmonte’s inks. In order to make the Shaman think Lois is a sorceress, the Thunderbolt puts her in a special outfit, which is a lot more revealing than I was expecting. And no one seems to object to it! Crazy!
Story 4: Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane
Title: “Lois Lane: Deceased”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Bob Oksner
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Lois is on the run, but she cannot remember who she is, why she’s being chased, or how they keep finding her no matter where she goes. Eventually, she discovers a transmitter in her bracelet, and destroys it. Fortunately, she still has some memories, including a Memory-Research Clinic that may help. She doesn’t recover her memories, but does uncover the man who took them, Otto Muller. She heads to his clinic to confront him, but one of his guards shoots at her. He misses, but hits the machine Muller used to take her memories, which cracks the Nuclear casting. She manages to escape, but the force of the explosion still knocks her out.
First off, with it being a nuclear casting, Im surprised there was no mention of radiation in the explosion. Anyway. I really like this art. Bob Oksner is a great artist, even with Colletta’s inks. Oksner seemed to be the go-to artist for female characters, and I can see why. His Lois is beautiful without resorting to using a lot of t&a poses. Then again, we do have a page of Lois in her underwear, so what do I know? This is a middle chapter in a multi-part story, without any recap of what has already happened, so I felt a little lost, but the story still held my attention anyway. Next issue, the Lois story crosses over with Jimmy story, which should be interesting.
Story 5: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen
Title: “Squeeze Play”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Alex Saviuk
Inker: Joe Giella
Letterer: Shelly Leferman
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Jimmy is dealing with some election shenanigans this time out. He gets a call from an informant, who gets gunned down before they can meet up. The same killers try to kill Jimmy when he arrives, but he escapes. The killers work for Willis Ryan, who kidnapped congressional hopeful Al Diamond last issue. Jimmy saved him then, but learns they may be working together. While investigating Diamond undercover. Jimmy learns of some important papers in Diamond’s safe, but is gets captured, and is put in a car about to be crushed. He escapes, and tricks Diamond’s secretary into getting the papers from the safe.
The art on this is good but not great. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Mr. action story, and it’s nice to see him get out of scrapes without a Kryptonian in sight. And considering Wolfman wrote both stories, and the crossover next time, I’m guessing Willis or Diamond are involved with Lois’ memories being wiped. One day, I’ll have to read the next issue and find out.
So, apparently the scan I’m reading of this issue was sold in the UK at some point, because there is a 35p stamped onto the cover. That immediately degrades it right?
Wonder Woman 273 (8/14/1980)
Title: “The Right Angle”
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: Jose Delbo
Inker: Dave Hunt
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Len Wein
Last issue, the Angle Man sent Wonder Woman and a special Space Shuttle into another dimension. This issue starts with Wonder Woman using her lasso to pull herself back home. She then uses a public date with Steve Trevor to draw Angle Man out, which works. When he tries to send her to the same dimension as the shuttle, she grabs him so that they both take the journey. Once there, she destroys his Angler, and pulls the 2 of them back home. With the knowledge that she can return to the dimension to retrieve the Shuttle at anytime, Wonder Woman and Steve decide to go for a walk.
Angle Man is a character I just can’t wrap my head around, and this issue does nothing to help that. The art is unclear, and I’m not sure how Wonder Woman is supposed to get back to the other dimension without the Angler. I also need to go back and read the previous few issues, because this reads like there was a reboot that I’m not aware of. Steve and Wonder Woman act like there only just recently met. Granted, this title was following the Earth-2 version of Wonder Woman for awhile to tie-in with the first season of the TV show, and had only just recently returned to showcasing the Earth-1 Wonder Woman’s adventures again, so maybe there was a bit of a reboot.
Story 2: The Huntress
Title: “Girl in a Gilded Cage”
Writer: Paul Levitz
Penciller: Joe Staton
Inker: Steve Mitchell
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
Solomon Grundy has been stealing pretty things, aka artwork, from a museum. The Huntress went to stop him, but he captured her, making her his Pretty, and putting her in an easily escapable cage. And while he won’t hurt her, his henchmen will. Despite this, she does manage to escape, stop the henchmen, and send Grundy rushing through Gotham’s sewer system. Meanwhile, her D.A. friend announces, via press conference, that his office will be cracking down on Gotham’s vigilantes.
Not a big fan of Joe Staton’s art, but it’s not bad here. The only problem I have with this story is that it is too short. But it does set up an interesting subplot going forward that I’d be interested in looking into.
The Avengers 201 (8/19/1980)
Title: “The Evil Reborn”
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: George Pérez
Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Ben Sean
Editor: Jim Salicrup
In the aftermath of the events of issue 200, the remaining Avengers assist with the clean up and restoration of Avengers Mansion. Afterward, everyone gets a little R&R, with Cap and Hawkeye training, Thor heading elsewhere, Tony Stark being called away on urgent business, Wonder Man heads off to his job on a cable TV show, and the Pyms head home before Hank goes on a trip. Early the next morning, Hank’s lab is seemingly attacked by a robot, than appears to kill Jan, and Tony is working on a device to save the world, although it may cost him his life at the hands of a friend.
Man, another George Pérez issue. That’s 4 issues in the month, across both companies, and we still have the backup story, which he also drew. I like these kind of issues, where everyone gets a bit of a break. Since it’s comics, I’m sure Jan has just been teleported rather than killed, and I have a feeling Tony’s issue is connected. However, I don’t know much Avengers history before 1998, so don’t quote me. This does make me want to check out the next issue though.
Story 2: The Impeccable Jarvis
Title: “Bully”
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: George Pérez
Inker: Gene Day
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Ben Sean
Editor: Jim Salicrup
In the backup story, Jarvis, on his day off, visits his mother in the Bronx, and inspires the neighborhood to fight back against a bully taking advantage of them.
Another fun little story with great art. The Avengers only appear in 2 panels, otherwise it’s just a story featuring normal people. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Alfred in similar stories, though. All that was missing was one of the Avengers reacting to Jarvis’ fighting ability.
Daredevil 167 (8/19/1980)
Title: “…the Mauler”
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: Frank Miller
Inker: Klaus Janson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Denny O’Neil
Aaron Soames has been wronged by Edwin Cord, the head of a major corporation with a security clearance so high that it basically makes him untouchable. Soames had been a file clerk, whose job was made obsolete by computers. But those same computers wiped out his 35 year record of employment, which Cord used as an excuse to refuse Soames’ pension when he tries to retire. Soames steals a power suit and plans to use it to get Cord, but Daredevil, although sympathetic, won’t let him kill. Soames ends up just wanting to destroy Cord’s credit cards and ID to destroy his life too. But Cord’s security still think he’s a threat, and kill him.
This is a well tread plot used in various forms of media, but the art did make it a bit exciting. This was the last issue Daredevil before he Miller also started writing the book, so while it looks good, this story is less noir and more traditional superhero. Not a bad issue though.
Title: “Dark Secrets”
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: Frank Miller
Inker: Klaus Janson
Editor: Denny O’Neil
The backup story is just a quick overview of Daredevil, his powers, and his equipment. Not much to say about it other than it also looks nice. No credits in the issue though, so I’m just going by Mike’s Amazing World of Comics again.
The Incredible Hulk 253 (8/19/1980)
Title: “The Changelings — Part II”
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Sal Buscema
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Al Milgrom
There is a group of half-human/half-animal hybrids called Changelings hidden in the mountains. They are not trusting of humans, especially when it appears that a human has killed one of them. But it turns out to be a trick by a faction of the Changelings, trying to start a civil war to usurp power from their leader. And it would have worked too, if it wasn’t for Hulk, Doc Sampson, and the one Changelings managing to figure it all out. In the end, the good guys win, and Hulk is fed up with General Ross and is rather fair-weather “friends.”
Not a bad story here, but the dialogue is terrible. It is super flowery, and there is so much of it! Having said that, Mantlo does manage to conclude the story well, and I really feel Hulk’s frustration. A depressing end to the issue. The art isn’t really my cup of tea either. All the males look angry, but at least some of the females have different expressions. Betty’s hair is colored red here, but I would have sworn she had brown hair, so that was a bit strange. Buscema does pull off some dynamic action shots here though.
Moon Knight 01 (8/19/1980)
Title: “The Macabre Moon Knight”
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciller: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inkers: Bill Sienkiewicz & Frank Springer
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Denny O’Neil
Marc Spector used to be a soldier-for-hire, working for an evil man called Bushman in Egypt. But Marc is ready to leave Bushman’s employ. After inadvertently causing Bushman to kill an old man, and after rescuing the man’s daughter, Marc turns on Bushman, only for Bushman to knock him out, and have him left in the desert to die. After a day of suffering in the heat, and fighting a sandstorm, he finds the daughter’s camp, where he dies. But the moon god Khonshu revives Marc, turning him into his Knight of Vengeance. Marc returns to stop Bushman, successfully ending his operations. However, Bushman escapes. But that was in the past. In the present, Marc has set up 2 more secret identities (because of the reason), accumulates millions through the stock market, and fights crime in New York as the costumed Moon Knight. Eventually, he manages to track down Bushman in the city, confronts him, and takes him down once and for all.
I have not read any Moon Knight stories before this, but I was aware that this was not his first appearance. So, starting the issue with him as a soldier-for-hire had me confused at first. I was still confused once I realized it was an origin story, since he’d already appeared, until it was revealed that this was Marc dictating the storying on a tape recorder.
I can definitely understand the comparisons with Batman too. While his story and background are very different, the costume, tools, and wealth are very similar, as well as his method of striking fear into his enemies. Add to that the fact that Sienkiewicz’s art here is a scratchier imitation of Neal Adams’, and it doesn’t seem like that far of a stretch. And, while it wasn’t known at the time, Doug Moench would write Batman for a bit in the 80s, and then for most of the 90s, which only adds fuel to that particular fire. I would be interested in reading more of this run.
The Uncanny X-Men 139 (8/19/1980)
Title: “…Something Wicked This Way Comes”
Writer: Chris Claremont
Plotter/Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Simonson
Professor X introduces Kitty Pride to the Danger Room by letting her watch the team train. Unfortunately, Angel, who has returned to the group due to Cyclops’ leave of absence, is out of practice, causing more harm than good. Afterward, Kitty is given the codename Sprite, and the Storm takes her to a dance class. Meanwhile, Wolverine and Nightcrawler head up to Canada so Logan, who’s name is revealed here, can make things right with Department H and Alpha Flight. Speaking of which, 3 members of the team, Vindicator, Shaman, and Snow Bird are busy trying to track down the Wendigo, who has killed and eaten one man, and appears to be responsible for the disappearance of his wife and baby girl. Logan has history with the Wendigo and offers to help. But, while Nightcrawler gets their gear from the car, and grieves over Jean’s death, he is confronted by the Wendigo.
As a fan of Alpha Flight, I was happy to see them here. This is a pretty infamous time in X-Men history, during the Claremont/Byrne run, and between the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past. Plus, Logan has debuted his brown and orange suit, and his name is revealed.
As for the review, I love the art. This is John Byrne and Terry Austin in their prime, and they mesh well together. Claremont’s writing is very wordy, forcing the letterer to write very small to fit it all in. However, the language is less flowery than what Mantlo was doing on Hulk. Less Shakespearean, and more “trying to fit a novel into a comic book.”
The Defenders 89 (8/26/1980)
Title: “A Death in the Family”
Plotters: David Anthony Kraft & Ed Hannigan
Writer: Ed Hannigan
Penciller: Don Perlin
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Al Milgrom
The team return from (I’m guessing) the events of last issue, but they are being kicked out of their HQ by the IRS. At the same time, Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat, learns that her mom has just passed away. While they are out of town dealing with all that, their lawyer Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, arrives at the empty HQ, and is overwhelmed by the Mandrill’s female fighters. Later, the team sets up shop at Patsy’s mom’s house in Montclair, NJ, complete with reference map. Valkyrie is sent to the grocery store, but forgets the money, so Bruce offers to take it to her. Unfortunately, he runs into bullies on the way, which causes him to Hulk out, and chase them to the same store, where Valkyrie is also stopping a robbery. After losing the list in all the commotion, Hulk decides that they need all the beans, and with the money he was bringing anyway, makes the purchase. Elsewhere, Daredevil wakes up in a bank vault.
Not your typical superhero team issue, that’s for sure. Also, superheroes in the suburbs is an interesting way to go with the series. I’m not a huge fan of the story, but the writing of the story is rather good. The art is serviceable for my tastes. Not great, but not terrible either. And not a terrible downgrade from the cover art.
My confusion comes from the Hulk in this issue. Bruce turns to Hulk, and helps stop the bullies and would-be robbers, but never reverts back to Bruce. He has dinner, and falls asleep in front of the TV as Hulk. I know his triggers, and control of his transformations, have varied widely over the years, but since he couldn’t control the transformation into Hulk, I was surprised to see him remain as Hulk even after calming down. Also, that was a lot of beans, so I fear for our heroes when he releases a Hulk fart. I also fear for Bruce when he reverts back and has to deal with all those beans in his system.
Fantastic Four 224 (8/26/1980)
Title: “The Darkfield Illumination”
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciller: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
A strange red glow comes from a structure that resembles the Fortress of Solitude from Superman: The Movie. The next day, a red mist connected to that structure reaches Manhattan, causing the FF to lose control of their powers. The next day they head to the Arctic to investigate, and after a brief fight with some Vikings, they are taken to their god, Korgon. Apparently, he’s had the cosmic equivalent of a heart attack, which caused the red glow and mist. He created the structure, and provides the energy that keeps his people safe and warm in the harsh arctic environment. But now he is dying. However, he somehow knows of the FF, and so tasks them with healing him and saving his people, or the FF must die.
The is a pretty good story, and is much more an FF story than a standard superhero tale. The art is rather good, and giving Sienkiewicz an tighter inker really helps his pencils. Not a fan of his rendition of the Thing though. Since we have the same writer and penciller from Moon Knight, seeing Sue reading the 1st issue to Franklin was a nice little Easter egg.
The back of the issue includes an alternate, unused cover for issue 3 by Kirby himself, and Sienkiewicz’s first crack at the FF with inks by Terry Austin which looks incredible, other than the Thing. This page not only misspells Sienkiewicz’s name, but also mentions that Pablo Marcos will be inking the next few issues while Joe Sinnott is busy inking the 2nd Superman/Spider-Man team-up. Then we get Kirby pinups reprinted from early issues of the FF which explain Reed and Johnny’s powers a bit better. Unfortunately, Sue’s pinup is just her in the Fantasicar, and Ben doesn’t even get a page.
Iron Man 140 (8/26/1980)
Title: “The Use of Deadly Force”
Writer: David Michelinie
Plotter/Artist: Bob Layton
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Ben Sean
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Tony Stark and his staff are on vacation on a Caribbean Island owned by Stark himself. But, in the area, an armored being, known only as Force, has been hijacking yachts. Yachts like the one Tony, Rhodey and Bethany Cabe, who, unknown to Tony, knows he’s Iron Man, go out on. While Tony and Rhodey dive for treasure, the yacht is attacked by Force and his goons. Bethany puts up a good fight, lasting long enough for her to throw Tony’s armor briefcase into the water before she is overtaken. But Force saw that, and throws a couple concussion grenades down too. Rhodey gets knocked out while saving Tony from the grenades, so Tony suits up underwater, a first, and gets Rhodey to the surface. He then takes on Force’s goons, but by the time he’s finished with them, Force, Bethany, and the yacht are gone.
Elsewhere, in Allentown, Iowa, we see everyone in town die, and the TV and phone signals cut out.
Other than the final page, this was a fun issue! Although, Bethany’s thought bubbles were way too expository. The art is great as well with almost Pérez level detail in places. I’ve heard good things about this era of Iron Man, and this a good excuse to check it out.
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 48 (8/26/1980)
Title: “Double Defeat”
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciller: Marie Severin
Inker: Bruce Patterson
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Ben Sean
Editor: Denny O’Neil
Our titular hero is trapped in a sealed steel room with a new Prowler thanks to a villainess named Belladonna, who is also filling the room with some sort of gas. Spider-Man figures out a means of escape, but another trap causes an explosion. Spider-sense allows our hero to escape and save Prowler, who he leaves with the responding authorities. While Peter cleans up and goes on a date with Deb Whitman, the Prowler, taken to a hospital for his injuries, escapes. The next day, Peter does some investigating to find who rented the loft where he was trapped at the beginning of the issue. He learns it was rented by Desiree Vaughn-Pope, who, along with her sister Narda, ran a cosmetic and fashion empire, until Roderick Kingsley ended that by falsely creating bad publicity for them that ruined their business. When Spidey arrives at Desiree’s apartment in SoHo, he runs into Narda, who tells Spidey that her sister had a meeting with Roderick Kingsley. Thinkjng Desiree is Belladonna, he swings off hoping to stop her. But it turns out that Belladonna is actually Narda, who warns Kingsley of Spider-Man’s arrival, then calls the police to Kingsley’s place. As she heads for her Midtown hideout, Spider-Man enters Kingsley’s place and appears to be shot dead, and Kingsley is arrested by the police. When Narda reaches her hideout, she is confronted by Prowler out for revenge. Fortunately Spider-Man arrives in time to take him down and web her up for the police.
Oh, and he’s still alive because he was suspicious of Narda’s story, and the carelessness of renting the loft without using a fake name. Plus, he saw Kingsley waiting for him with a gun. So he stopped off at a costume shop nearby which just happened to have a mannequin wearing a Spider-Man costume, and sent that into Kingsley’s place instead. Then he went back to Narda’s apartment, and followed her to her hideout.
Not a fan of the Frank Miller cover, but the rest is pretty great. The art isn’t bad, with some panels looking great, and some looking a bit rushed, although Spider-Man himself looks good throughout. The story was intriguing, and it was cool seeing Peter as more of a reporter than just a photographer. Strangely, although it picks up from a cliffhanger, it seems to also pick up on the subplot point of Jameson trying to call Peter that ended this month’s Amazing Spider-Man, so I’m not sure how that works exactly. And it had zero payoff, which was a disappointment.
For a better look at this issue, and others in this series written by Roger Stern, Andy Leyland covered Sterns full run on the 225th, 227th, and 229th episodes of Palace of Glittering Delights!
Star Wars 41 (8/26/1980)
Title: “Imperial Pursuit”
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciller: Al Williamson
Inker: Carlos Garzon
Letterer: Rick Veitch
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Archie Goodwin
This issue was chapter 3 in the comic adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. At this point, we are well into the battle on Hoth. Luke has just managed to avoid being smushed by an AT-AT, and uses a harpoon gun to get up to its underbelly. Then he cuts an opening with his lightsaber, tosses in a bomb, then drops back down to the ground as it explodes, taking down the walker. Inside the base, Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO manage to escape Vader’s forces in the Falcon, although the ship isn’t helping much. As Luke reaches the hidden X-Wings so he can escape also, the Falcon enters an asteroid field after the hyperdrive fails to work, and eventually manages to reach a large asteroid with an equally large tunnel to hide in. Meanwhile, Luke lands on Dagobah.
Al Williamson’s art is very good. The vehicles are spot on, and highly detailed, while the characters look like the actors portraying them, without looking like photo-reference. He must not have had reference for Piett though, as he was only shown at a distance or from the back, and may have had a mustache. I didn’t notice any new scenes, but I did notice the lack of the giant cannons helping to clear the way for the escaping ships. In fact, we didn’t see the other ships escaping at all. Then again, maybe I’ve got the order of events out of order with this part.
The back part of the issue is an article by Archie Goodwin about the production of the of the comic book adaptation, and some of the differences between the giant treasury edition adaptation, and the 6 issue adaptation in the comic book, including changes to the depiction of Yoda.
Action Comics 513 (8/28/1980)
Title: “The Return of Superman Island”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Superman Island, last seen in Action Comics 224 in 1957, has returned. This is a bad thing since it is full of Kryptonite. On one hand, only Superman, Lois, and 2 small time crooks know about the Kryptonite. On the other hand, after bragging about knowing the secret of Superman Island, agents of H.I.V.E. kidnap them, threaten them for the secret, then kill them. Meanwhile, Superman, who has been busy dealing with a volcano in Japan, returns to Metropolis, where he’s having to dodge energy draining tractor beams while H.I.V.E. bombs Superman Island, causing the Kryptonite, and Superman, to fall to Earth. With Superman out of the way, H.I.V.E. uses suction to collect the Kryptonite, and also manage to capture Lois as well as she heads to Superman. Recovering quickly, Superman heads after them, but is attacked by a Superman-seeking missile covered in Kryptonite launched from their island Hive. Before he can lose it with a burst of super-speed, it explodes, knocking him out and sending him to the ocean floor. Shortly, the unconscious Man of Steel is caught in another tractor beam, but this time from Superman Island. There, the inhabitants remove the Kryptonite radiation from his body, allowing him to revive. The inhabitants are scientists from the planet Krell, who tried to warn their people that their world was coming to an end, but were ignored. They saved themselves by escaping in a star-shaped spaceship just as the planet exploded. Hmm, that sounds somewhat familiar. Anyway, as resources began to dwindle, they came across Superman Island floating in space, and decided to settle there. They even figured out how to use the Kryptonite as a source of power. Eventually they made their way to the other side of the island and saw that was made in Superman’s image, so they reversed the island’s course so they could find Superman, and thank him.
But Superman still needs to save Lois, so with temporary shielding to protect him from the green K, Superman heads off, shaking off all the Kryptonite weapons and traps, saving Lois, and destroying the Hive. However, the Krellians are now without their power source, so Superman hurls the island toward a plant perfect for them to colonize. Meanwhile, H.I.V.E. is still out there with vast resources, and a large stockpile of Kryptonite.
This was actually a very fun story. While I can see where a different artist might have made some of the action bits more dynamic, Swan does an admirable job here. Much like Martin Pasko before him, Wolfman definitely writes the series in a more modern style, even setting up a subplot that will run through his issues for a while. I haven’t gone back and looked at Action 224, but I would imagine anyone who read that issue would also be in on the Kryptonite secret. But seeing as how that issue was 23 years old by this point, the mystery setup actually works. Also, this is yet another work around to bring Kryptonite back without having to retcon the events of Superman 233. Previously, Pasko had introduced the idea of more Kryptonite eventually finding its way to Earth, but this issue brings it back big time. I just hope Wolfman has some creative uses for it, which I will have to look into in the near future. Also interesting that Wolfman introduces H.I.V.E. in 2 different books this month, instantly making them an even bigger threat.
Story 2: The Atom and Air-Wave
Title: “The Red Dart’s Deadly Arts”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: Romeo Tanghal
Inker: Kim DeMulder
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Julius Schwartz
In the backup feature, we are at Dallas State University, where young Hal Jordan, aka Air Wave, is excited to see his friend Green Arrow, who is scheduled as a guest lecturer. But he can’t make it. So The Atom arrives instead, just as the podium microphone explodes. After a quick change, Air Wave arrives on the scene to see that The Atom survived thanks to some quick size changing. But, he saw a red dart in the microphone before the explosion, possibly pointing to Green Arrow’s old enemy Red Dart as the culprit, so they head off to investigate. Once completed, and with Red Dart as their prime suspect, they head off to 2 different places to stop him. Since Red Dart looks to have committed an art theft of “The Golden Man” at the time of the explosion, Air Wave heads to the fine art museum, but on the way, he shorts out for some reason. Meanwhile, since the theft also satisfies Red Dart’s love of gold, The Atom heads to a different museum and manages to take down Red Dart on his own. With things wrapped up, he teleports to the JLA satellite for monitor duty, but his teleport beam shorts out for some reason. To be continued…
Other than The Atom ready to just leave without saying goodbye to Air Wave, I enjoyed this little story. The art was pretty good, and Rozakis even managed to show off Air Wave’s inexperience. I believe Air Wave is the cousin of the Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and is actually a Legacy hero, with both of his parents previously appearing as Air Wave as well. I also find it interesting that both stories in this issue forcus on rather old throwbacks. Superman Island had not been seen since 1957, and Red Dart only appeared one other time, in World’s Finest 95 in 1958. This is his only other Pre-Crisis appearance.
Adventure Comics 477 (8/28/1980)
Story 1: Aquaman
Title: “The Outrage”
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
Aquaman recently led the invasion of New Venice, FL, under the mind control of Poseidon. He eventually broke free, saved the day, and explained what happened, but the people of New Venice aren’t too quick to forgive him. Then he meets up with Cal Durham, who was recently given gills by Black Manta, the man who killed Aquaman’s son. Cal did some swimming the other day, and found Black Manta’s crew doing some underwater construction. The pair head down to investigate, but are knocked out by one of Manta’s drones, and caged in a power dampening cage. Manta reveals to our hero that he’s not only planning an invasion of Atlantis, but also plans to fire missiles at New Venice at the same time, for no other reason than he really hates Aquaman. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Mera, who has been missing, suddenly appears.
I would love to read some more of this. This was a heavy time for Aquaman, with his son dying, leading to marital problems and drama with Mera. And this story just adds to it. Plus, the art by Dick Giordano is great! Not sure if it was in the script or not, but Clark Kent makes a cameo in the crowd on the splash page. He’s one of the few not heckling Aquaman.
Story 2: Starman
Title: “The Search for Mn’Torr”
Writer: Paul Levitz
Penciller: Steve Ditko
Inker: Romeo Tanghal
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
After burying a villain named Oswin on an asteroid, Starman heads off to The Temple of the Center of the All to find his friend Mn’Torr. But none of its 8971 visitors have ever returned. However, being the title hero, he manages to pass the tests required, and ends up on Mn’Torr’s home world, where Mn’Torr is being jailed in a crystal prison for treason. It turns out he is being imprisoned because he saved Starman’s life, which was apparently a big no-no, because he has been sentenced to death.
While I found the story entertaining, and the art as some of the best I’ve seen from Ditko, I was confused as all hell. In this 8 page story, there is no room for a recap, so I don’t know who Oswin was, why him having Mn’Torr’s staff was such a big deal, or why Mn’Torr’s about to die for saving Starman. Now, I have been intrigued by this version of Starman since I first saw ads for his Adventure Comics series when I first started getting later 70s/early 80’s comics way back when I started collecting, but I had never seen an affordable copy of these issues, so I hadn’t read any until today, and this was not a good place to start. It does, however, make me want to go back and find the start of this run and check it out, as I am still very intrigued.
Story 3: Plastic Man
Unofficial Title: Disco Plastic Man
Writer: Marty Pasko
Penciller: Joe Staton
Inker: Bob Smith
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Len Wein
Plastic Man and Woozy Winks were in Playa Del Condo, CA on assignment for the NBI, but that has wrapped up, so now they’re out having some fun, until someone shouts for help. It’s concert promoter Cash Kwickly, whose trained monkey has just been monkey-napped by a helmeted girl on roller-skates. Plas gives chase, but she’s got multiple gadgets that allow her to escape. Fortunately, Woozy had Cash draw up a sketch of her without her helmet, and Plas recognizes her as former punk singer Harriet Hobnail, whose real name is Roxanne Roller, because of course it is. During the chase, she had mentioned needing the monkey for revenge on Morrie, Rod, and Rupert, and it just so happens that Morrie Banalo, Rod Sewage, and Rupert Hoax are judging a televised Roller-Disco Dance Contest that evening. At the show, Roxanne has the monkey plant a bomb in the disco ball, which requires stopping the ball for a bit. Ever observant, Plas notices the stoppage, and stretches up to hear the ticking bomb. So, after having Woozy “calmly” tell everyone to run for their lives, Plas grabs the ball and throws it out the window, before going after Roxanne, this time he cuts off her gadget belt, allowing him to capture her. It turns out, she wanted to kill the 3 judges because after her punk career fizzled, she wanted to become a Disco act. However, despite dating all three of them, and giving them the best hours of her life, they couldn’t get her a recording contract.
Okay, this one was weird, which I shouldn’t be surprised by considering it’s Plastic Man. The art is actually pretty good here, and I love Staton’s rendition of Plastic Man. This was definitely a humor style strip, with pop culture references galore, as well at little gags hidden in the background, but we’d be here all day if I tried pointing them out. It was fun, but I’m not sure I could handle reading a whole collection of them.
The Brave and the Bold 168 (8/28/1980)
Title: “Shackles of the Mind”
Writer: Cary Burkett
Artist & Letterer: Jim Aparo
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Paul Levitz
A crew has somehow managed to pull a robbery from Regency Jewelers’ supposedly uncrackable safe. Even Batman can’t figure out how it was done. Several days later, Green Arrow asks Batman to speak at a charity benefit, which he eventually agrees to. It’s a good thing he did since Green Arrow already said Batman had agreed to it. But, Batman can’t leave Gotham unprotected while he’s at such a highly publicized. So, starting a week before the event, he has Green Arrow join him on patrol so that he can get the lay of the land before the benefit. They happen to stop another robbery, and it looks like Arrow’s friend Samson Citadel, an escape artist, and former thief, performing at the benefit. While Green Arrow investigates him, Batman finds a cocktail swizzle stick in one of the robbers’ pocket, that leads him to Gotham’s exclusive Magician’s Club. Inside he’s overpowered by a hypnotized man under the control of The Great Rhinehart, a famous, but not wealthy, hypnotist. He’s been using the other members of the club, including Samson, to commit robberies so he can retire in style. They put Batman in an overly elaborate and complicated death trap and leave him to die while Green Arrow confronts Samson. He has no knowledge of any robberies, but a phone call from Rhinehart puts him under the hypnotist’s control, and after knocking out Green Arrow, he heads off for a rendezvous with Rhinehart. Arrow manages to recover quickly and stops another robbery, which leaves him trapped at gunpoint by Samson. Despite Rhinehart ordering him to shoot the hero, Arrow manages to help Samson break free of the hypnotic control, but it causes Samson to pass out on him. This would have allowed Rhinehart to escape, except Batman shows up just in time. The issue ends with Batman explaining how he escaped the death trap.
Burkett tells a fun Batman story, with a logical and believable reason for a teamup with Green Arrow. Jim Aparo is in his prime here. Everyone looks great, and the action is very dynamic. I am very fascinated about this era of Batman where he can be the Dark Knight, but also make a public appearance. I need to read more of this era too. Man, this project is really setting me up for a ton of classic comic reading, isn’t it?
Story 2: Nemesis
Title: “Swift Wing of Recompense”
Writer: Cary Burkett
Artist: Dan Spiegle
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Paul Levitz
In the backup, the man known as Nemesis learns about a dope smuggling operation being set up in Houston by the Kingston Mob, who are also responsible for the death of Bureau Director Ben Marshall. This apparently makes no sense, because he witnessed his brother, Craig, kill Ben last issue, which is also confusing because both Nemesis and Craig work for the Bureau, and Ben was like a father to them.
Nemesis makes his way down to Houston, and thanks to some secret agent makeup work, manages to infiltrate the drug smuggling gang. As such, he learns about Kingston Construction, a somewhat legitimate business run by the mob, which is building a runway for them to use in the smuggling operation. Breaking into their offices, he learns that his brother was on a mission to infiltrate the mob, was discovered, and then brainwashed to kill Ben. After making alterations to the construction records to ensure the mob’s illegal runway is built with inferior materials, our hero sneaks away.
Several weeks later, after Jay Kingston, one of the higher ups in the mob, finishes inspecting the runway, Nemesis manages to plant a bugging device on him, before, unfortunately, having to take part in some drug smuggling. But on the return flight, some turbulence activates his facemask, giving away his disguise. He jumps from the plane, but it is flying too low for a parachute, so naturally he uses a rocket pack to get higher, so he can pull the chord. Below, he sees the plane land, but crash, thanks to an inferior runway that melted in the hot, southern Texas sun.
Interesting story, and pretty good art, but how the hell did was he walking around with a concealed rocket pack under his suit jacket? That was just too big of a leap in logic for me. Otherwise, this was entertaining.
Detective Comics 496 (8/28/1980)
Title: “Murder on the Mystery Ship”
Writer: Michael Fleisher
Penciller: Don Newton
Inker: Dan Adkins
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Paul Levitz
We begin at an International Horror Film Expo aboard the ocean liner Varania III. After Batman saves someone from being crushed by a Godzilla statue, the sponsor of the expo, John Carlinger, gives the Caped Crusader a tour, complete with a perfect recreation of the dressing room of the most acclaimed horror actor of all time, Basil Karlo, aka the original Clayface. Speaking of Basil, he is in Arkham, and not happy about not being invited to the expo. In a fit of rage, he kills his nurse and escapes.
Meanwhile, as Bruce Wayne, our hero runs into a female friend who runs the firm catering the event. And she made sure to get her money upfront, since 3 of the actors onboard are rumored to be planning to audit Carlinger’s film company because they believe he’s cheating them out of their share of the profits.
Meanwhile, Karlo makes his way on board the liner, where he finds the recreated dressing room, is confronted by Carlinger, and attacks. Soon, Clayface shows up at the pool and starts shooting. Batman manages to land a good punch, before the villain attacks the guests with Napalm. Saving the day allows Clayface to escape, but not before giving Batman some curious clues. Next Clayface attacks an actor giving a slide-show about horror techniques. Batman again stops him, but a wild shot hits the projector, plunging the room into darkness, and allowing Clayface to escape again. When Clayface returns to the dressing room, he’s met by Clayface? Nope, it’s Batman in disguise. Confused, Clayface opens the closet to find the dead body of Basil Karlo, right where he left it. See, this was Carlinger as Clayface. He’d managed to get the upper hand on Karlo, kill him, dress as Clayface, and go on an attempted murder spree. But a couple of things gave him away. First, Batman had noticed after saving someone from the pool that the makeup on his glove from punching Clayface had been washed off. But Karlo not only used to use greasepaint during his movie days, but that was all the was available in his recreated dressing room. Greasepaint is resistant to water, and requires cold cream to remove. Also, the only guests that Clayface went after were the actors rumored to be auditing Carlinger. Boom! Case closed.
This was a fun little detective story. Granted, the first attempt on an actor’s life came before Clayface showed up, but otherwise this was good. And Basil being killed off panel was a bit of a shock. Don Newton is one of my favorite artists, so I was glad to see that he had a Batman story this month. And once again, we have a story bringing back an element from classic stories, this time being golden age villain Clayface 1. I’m pretty sure Karlo returns for the Mud Pack story a few years later, but that is a post-crisis story, so that probably explains his resurrection. Or, he somehow comes back before that. I honestly don’t know, yet.
Story 2: Batgirl
Title: “Stealer of Souls”
Writer: Cary Burkett
Penciller: Jose Delbo
Inker: Bob Smith
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Paul Levitz
A master of voodoo has come to Gotham, and plans on a big score. Meanwhile, a romance subplot for Barbara continues as she spends the evening making out with her friend Jim, after her daughter shows Babs that she is finally able to get up out of her wheelchair.
The next day, the VooDoo man puts a mind control spell on everyone in the Diamond Exchange to give him their most valuable diamonds. At the same moment, Babs is out to get some fresh air because she has too much Jim on the brain and can’t concentrate on work. Suddenly, an old man runs out of the exchange shouting “robbery,” so Babs changes to Batgirl in a nearby alley, and attempts to stop the crime. It doesn’t work out too well though, and the VooDoo man gets away with the diamonds. However, she learns that the old man who ran out is hard of hearing, and couldn’t hear the VooDoo man. With this clue, and noticing leather dye on the hands of one of the VooDoo man’s henchmen, plans are laid. Figuring the VooDoo man to be at an old leather plant that has been turned into apartments, she has her friend Jeff blast Beethoven from a van on the street. When she busts in to confront the villain, the music is loud enough to counteract the sounds from his spell, not only keeping Batgirl safe, but also freeing the henchmen. But the VooDoo man is still amazingly powerful, and manages to overpower Batgirl and escape, but at least without the diamonds. Later, Jeff is getting a ticket for violating the sound ordinance, but thanks to Batgirl vouching for him, he’s able to avoid legal troubles.
Not bad little story. I enjoyed the art, which doesn’t happen too often with these Bronze Age Batgirl stories, since they tend to be drawn by Don Heck. The irony of Babs helping to encourage a girl to work towards no longer needing a wheelchair was obviously not intended, but was noticed. I too questioned how the old man escaped from the mind control, but his hearing trouble makes sense. Although, you’d think one of the bad guys would have noticed him running out and shouting for help, but what do I know?
Green Lantern 134 (8/28/1980)
Title: “Mind Over Magnetism”
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Joe Staton
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Last issue, Doctor Polaris took Green Lantern’s ring and battery, and left the hero to die in the arctic. This issue, as Doctor Polaris uses the ring, and his own powers, to take over Los Angeles, Hal slowly makes his way south to find help, despite the odds against him. Time is very fluid in this issue, so it is unclear how long he spends in the bitter cold, but Hal figures out how to fish using thread from his costume, survives 2 different encounters with bears, one of which causes him to fall into water, and even has to deal with snow blindness before finally finding shelter.
Meanwhile, Carol Ferris is kidnapped, the government cancels their contracts with Ferris Aircraft, and the airfield is bombed. All of this, plus losing all of his gas stations due to the energy crisis, has Tom Kalumaku ready to commit suicide. Fortunately. By this point, Hal had made it thru his ordeal, made it to Coast City, learned about everything that happened while he was gone, and finds Tom in time to ask for help with Doctor Polaris, which causes him to reconsider dying.
Joe Staton is hit or miss for me. His style is more cartoony, and works on things like Plastic Man, Dick Tracy, Earth-2 Batman stories, and even on the DC Animated books emulating Bruce Timm’s art style. This issue isn’t terrible, and there are some really good panels here, but overall it’s just meh. As for Wolfman’s story, I wish we got a better sense of time. It seems like Hal’s journey just takes a day or two, but the facial hair he grows seems to state otherwise. As does all the stuff happening elsewhere while he’s gone. I also have a few questions, such as: who bombed Ferris? Why is Carol in New York, while it appears that she’s supposed to be in D.C.? What is going on with Doctor Polaris? It seems he should have more of a mention considering he has all of L.A. under his control. Has the JLA tried to stop him at all? How did Hal learn of Carol’s kidnapping, if no one else was around to witness it? And how did Hal find Tom, and drive out to him, if he’s still blind? Granted, he states half-blind, but he still wouldn’t be legal to drive. However, I liked Hal continuing his journey by sheer force of will, even without a ring to channel it into.
Story 2: Adam Strange
Title: “Earth-Ground”
Writer: Laurie S. Sutton
Penciller: Rodin Rodriguez
Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Letterer: Shelly Leferman
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Adam Strange is being tortured for information via a molecular disruptor, but like any good superhero, he resists giving in to the pain. Slowly, he realizes that the machine must have an upper limit, and goads his jailer into increasing the power. This causes the system to start overloading, forcing the villains to shutoff the power. Strange manages to escape in the darkness to his apartment, which has already been destroyed. He finds the rocket pack he stored away, but not his blaster. Meanwhile, the villain sets off a chain reaction of explosive charges and escapes Ranagar. Strange tries to escape via the catacombs, but all the exits have been sealed off. Just before the final explosion destroys the catacombs, his zeta-radiation wears off, sending him back to Earth. However, his body finally succumbs to the torture from earlier, and he passes out thousands of feet above the planet’s surface. Unconscious, and with nothing to slow his descent, Adam Strange crashes to the ground.
This story would have been better if I knew what was going on, as this is just a short part of what appears to be an ongoing story. There is a short recap, but of all the characters here, I only know Adam Strange. And that cliffhanger seems to be his death, so now I’m going to have to find the next issue to see how he could have possibly survived. Meanwhile, the art is pretty dynamic, but not my cup of tea. Also, some of the panel layouts make it difficult to read.
Legion of Super-Heroes 269 (8/28/1980)
Title: “Who Shall Name the Dark Man?”
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: Jimmy Janes
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Jack C. Harris
It’s Election Day! Time to pick the new President of Earth! And surprisingly, one of the candidates is Colossal Boy’s mom! Meanwhile, Mon-El and Shadow Lass head to the beach for some alone time, and end up running into 3 members of The Fatal Five. They are captured but not before sending out a mayday. However, due to the Legion rebuilding their HQ, it takes a hour for the mayday to be picked up by TimberWolf on monitor duty. While he heads out, another group of Legionnaires is visiting Colossal Boy’s parents when they too are attacked by 2 members of the Fatal Five, who manage to capture Shrinking Violet, and possibly Princess Projectra, and escape. But the Fatal Five are doing all of this under the orders of the mysterious Dark Man. A mystery that will continue next issue.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this story. I have not read any Legion from this period, so I barely know their names (I had to double-check Colossal Boy’s name), and I feel like I was dropped in the middle of a story with no background notes, and yet, I enjoyed this. The art is pretty good as well, sorta of like Curt Swan but more dynamic. Just good, clean art. Chiarmonte’s inks might have something to do with that though.
The New Adventures of Superboy 11 (8/28/1980)
Title: “Superboy’s Amazing New Power”
Writer: Cary Bates
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Dave Hunt
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Lex Luthor has a new invention to take out Superboy, but it explodes, hitting the Teen of Steel with some energy that seems to actually give him a new super-power instead. However, it is merely a delayed reaction, with Superboy becoming a super-magnet, and forced to leave Earth. He uses a black hole to remove the new energy, and almost gets sucked into it in the process.
At first I was thinking he was acting out of character, but Superboy announcing and showing off his new power is very much how a teenager would act, so I liked that. However, I thought Lex was supposed to be in juvie hall back then the way adult Luthor is usually in prison. So, why does Superboy not only seem to not care the Lex is free, but isn’t in a hurry to send him back? Plus, we see him just casually walking the streets of Smallville with no one else reacting. I love Schaffenberger on art here. I really think his art works well for this series set back in the 60s, and works better for Superboy than Superman.
Story 2: The Misadventures of Superbaby
Title: “When You Wish Upon a TV…”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Going even further back to Clark’s time as a Superbaby, the Kents, Langs, and Masons were supposed to go on a picnic, but it’s raining. So, everyone meets at the Kent house, and while the adults visit with each other, the kids watch an Aladdin movie on TV. Coincidentally, Professor Lang happens to have found an idol on one of his recent digs that, according to legend, grants wishes. After a series of wishes start coming true, Jonathan figures out that Clark has been secretly using his powers to make the wishes reality. So, after Clark is taught the right and wrong of what he did, and returns things to normal, Jonathan accidentally destroys the idol on purpose, which the legend also says removes its power.
This was a fun little tale, although the title of the story, and the kids watching Aladdin, kind of sign posted what was really going on. Having said that, it was well written, and the art was top notch.
The SuperFriends 38 (8/28/1980)
Title: “The Fate of the Phantom Super Friends”
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Ramona Fradon
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Drax, the evil alien criminal who was responsible for the Wonder Twins joining the Super Friends, has returned, with a new, diabolical plan. He’s made the Super Friends intangible, preventing them from stopping any crimes, except Aquaman who can still use his telepathy to call on sea creatures to help. Eventually, Drax also makes them weightless, sending them floating up into the sky. But Batman has Superman uses his super-breath to create ice around the Wonder Twins’ hands, so they can use their powers, which somehow negates the intangibility. Wonder Woman shakes her lasso loose so Jayna can grab it and use it on Drax, while Zan turns into a river so Aquaman can summon help to destroy Drax’s device. Now, with Drax captured, the team just needs to collect his associates, a task which will be completed off panel.
You know, this was a fairly simple story, but also uses some Super Friends logic. Like how did the ice stay on Zan and Jayna’s hands? Why did changing their forms make them tangible again? Why isn’t Robin making his Holy quips? But for what it is, it’s written with the proper tone that matches the show. And the art is beautiful. Ramona Fradon is already cartoony, and Colletta’s erasure makes it all look even more animated.
Story 2: The Seraph
Title: “The Seraph’s Day of Atonement”
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Robert Oksner
Inker: Kim DeMulder
Letterer: Milton Snapinn
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Our backup story features a Jewish teacher, Chaim Lavon, who has been endowed by God with gifts from several heroes from the Torah to become the super-hero of Israel, The Seraph. Lavon has been assigned to a new settlement currently under construction. However, it is soon attacked by thieves dressed as Arabs who are trying to get rid of the settlers. But Lavon becomes The Seraph, stopping the attackers, and learning of the treasure house they seek buried under the settlement. But, he lets his anger get the better of him, and God takes away his powers until he repents. So, for several weeks, he wears only sack cloth, and spends his time fasting and praying until, eventually, his powers are returned.
This was a surprise. I was not expecting a religious super-hero, let alone in a Super Friends comic. This is mostly because I was not aware of the Global Guardians, of which he is a member. He feels a bit derivative of Captain Marvel, but with a Jewish bent. It is unclear if he transforms into the Seraph, like Captain Marvel, or if he always has the powers and just has to change is clothes, like Superman. Although, he does show off some strength at the end, so it’s probably the latter. The story isn’t bad, showing that the hero is all too human, and even referencing when Moses lost favor with God. The art isn’t bad, but DeMulder’s inks do not mesh well is Bob Oksner’s pencils. The love interest reminds me of Lois when she had long hair in the early 90s, if she wore Daisy Duke shorts (which was the style at the time).
Overall, this seems to have been a pretty great month as comic books go. Madame Webb, Mongul, Warworld, and the New Teen Titans all make their debut, George Pérez was all over the place, including 3 team books across both DC & Marvel, the famous Stern/Byrne run was in full swing on Captain America, the Claremont/Byrne run was not quite finished in X-Men, Frank Miller is killing it on Daredevil and about to take over writing the book, the original Clayface dies off-panel, and Kryptonite returns in a big way.
I found it interesting that both companies had so many of the same ads, and in similar spots in the books. There were some Hostess Ads which were fun to see, as I am not as familiar with the Marvel ones. My favorite ad of the month is the Marvel subscription ad. Something about Hulk speaking eloquently, while wearing house shoes and a robe, and sipping tea or coffee actually made me chuckle a bit.
With so many issues to look at, I did try to keep the summaries and reviews short, but that just isn’t my forte. This was originally intended to be an episode or 2 of the podcast, but my initial recordings were too rushed for my liking, and rather than deliver a subpar episode, I decided to edit my notes into an article. I do hope to have some new episodes coming soon, so stay tuned!
