#IReadsYou Review: BATMAN: Dark Detective

BATMAN: DARK DETECTIVE
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon]

STORY: Steve Englehart
PENCILS: Marshall Rogers
INKS: Terry Austin
COLORS: Chris Chuckry
LETTERS: John Workman
EDITORS: Anton Kawasaki (collection); Joey Cavalieri (original)
MISC ART: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin
COVER: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin
ISBN: 978-1-4012-0898-3; paperback (April 12, 2006)
144pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman: Dark Detective is a 2006 trade paperback collection of the 2005, six-issue miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective (cover dated:  July 2005 to Late September 2005).  The miniseries was written by Steve Englehart; drawn by the late Marshall Rogers (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks); colored by Chris Chuckry; and lettered by John Workman.

Steve Englehart is an American comic book writer known for his influential and prominent work during the 1970s.  He had memorable runs writing The Avengers from #105 -#152 (1972 to 1976) and Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #1 to 18 (except #3) for Marvel Comics.  He also created such Marvel characters as “Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu,” “Nomad,” “Star Lord,” and “Mantis.”

Marshall Rogers (1950 to 2007) was an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Eclipse Comics.  He produced memorable work, drawing and coloring writer Harlan Ellison's graphic novel, Demon with a Glass Hand (DC Comics, 1986).  He also drew an early 1980s run on Doctor Strange and a late 1980s run on The Silver Surfer, both for Marvel.

Englehart and Rogers' most acclaimed and most influential work happened when they collaborated on a six-issue run of Batman stories in Detective Comics in the 1970s.  From issue #471 to issue #476 (August 1977 to March-April 1978), Englehart and Rogers produced some of the most popular Batman stories of the 1970s and arguably of all time.  Englehart and Rogers re-teamed on Batman for the miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, a follow-up and spiritual sequel to their original work on Batman for Detective Comics.

Batman: Dark Detective is set in Gotham City, but the action takes place within and outside Gotham City limits.  Batman has taken it upon himself to protect a hot new gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Senator Evan Gregory.  Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is also a big fan of Sen. Gregory, even making large cash contributions to the senator's gubernatorial campaign.

While attending a fundraiser for Sen. Gregory, Bruce is shocked to encounter a former girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud, at the fundraiser.  Once upon a time, Silver managed to discover that Bruce Wayne was Batman.  Afraid of the life Batman led, Silver ran away, leaving Gotham City behind her.  Now, she has returned, and she is Sen. Gregory's fiancée.  However, old feelings begin to stir up between Bruce and Silver, but is she now willing to accept the life that Bruce leads as Batman?

Meanwhile, three prominent members of Batman's “rogues gallery” are raising hell in Gotham.  First, the Scarecrow is releasing new types of his fear gas in order to reach into Batman and summon his deepest fears, thereby destroying him or making it easy for Scarecrow to destroy him.

The Joker, envious of the attention that Sen. Gregory's gubernatorial campaign has received, decides that he will also run for governor.  And he has a memorable campaign slogan, “Vote for Me or I'll Kill You.”  Envious of the Joker's campaign, Two-Face decides to kill the Joker and part of his plot involves the creation of a clone of himself.  This clone, however, will have a face that is whole and that is not hideous and acid-damaged like the left side of Two-Face's mug.

For Batman, the question is must he choose between his quest for justice and his affections for Silver?  Or can he balance and have both:  the dangerous life of Batman the crime fighter and the domestic life of Bruce Wayne with Silver St. Cloud as his partner and lover?

One of the most interesting Batman love interests, Silver St. Cloud has not appeared in many Batman comic books.  She is a good match for both Bruce Wayne and Batman in that she is fiercely independent, but also passionate in her love for Bruce/Batman.  Their relationship is perfect for drama, probably because their's is so obviously a doomed love.  I like that Englehart brought her back, because only he really knows how to use the character, as her co-creator (with artist Walter Simonson).

Two-Face and the Scarecrow are side players as villains in Dark Detective, but Englehart uses Scarecrow to force Batman to examine who he is, why he is the way he is, and why he does what he does.  Basically, in Batman: Dark Detective, Englehart puts Bruce Wayne and Batman through mental distress in a process by which Wayne will find a way to be at peace with why he became Batman and why he continues to do what he does.

Englehart and Rogers' Joker is one of the most frightening comic book versions of the character in its history.  Insane, matter-of-fact, and homicidal, their Joker is a force of nature, as relentless and as unpredictable as nature can be.  I still believe that the Joker that Englehart and Rogers first presented in 1977 is the one that shaped how the character would be interpreted and presented in comic books in the  four decades that followed.

Batman: Dark Detective finds Steve Englehart practically in top form as a comic book writer.  However, as an artist, Marshall Rogers is not in peak form; he would die of an apparent heart attack a little less than two years after Batman: Dark Detective #6 was published.  Rogers still delivers imaginative page and panel designs, but the quicksilver and mercurial clear line that defined his work during his peak years is gone.  However, Terry Austin's detailed and precision inking occasionally brings out some of the classic Marshall Rogers style.

Steve Englehart now refers to his 1970s run on Detective Comics as “Dark Detective I,” the precursor to his 2005 miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, which he now calls “Dark Detective II.”  Englehart has also said that his early Batman stories not only influenced the 1989 Batman movie that was directed by Tim Burton, but that they were also the reason that film went into development.  Englehart has also stated that director Christopher Nolan's 2008 film, The Dark Knight, incorporates several elements presented in Batman: Dark Detective.

I saw The Dark Knight when it was first released, but only just read Batman: Dark Detective.  Yeah, the film has ideas that are similar to some found in this comic book.  Batman: Dark Detective the trade paperback is a good way to read this story, and the story solidifies my belief that Englehart is one of the best and most influential Batman comic book writers of all time.  I enjoyed Batman: Dark Detective enough to wish that we could get  Batman: Dark Detective II (or III, as Englehart would call it.).

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: BATMAN: Strange Apparitions

BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Steve Englehart; Len Wein
PENCILS: Marshall Rogers; Walter Simonson
INKS: Terry Austin; Dick Giordano; Al Milgrom
COLORS: Marshall Rogers
LETTERS: Ben Oda; Milton Snapinn; John Workman
EDITORS: Dale Crain (collection); Julie Schwartz (original)
MISC: Marshall Rogers; Walter Simonson; Terry Austin; Al Milgrom; Jerry Serpe
COVER: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin with Lee Loughridge
ISBN: 978-1-56389-500-5; paperback (January 2000)
180pp, Color, $12.95 U.S., $20.00 CAN (November 11, 1999)

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Introduction by Steve Englehart

Steve Englehart is an American comic book writer known for his influential and prominent work during the 1970s.  He had memorable runs writing The Avengers from #105 -#152 (1972 to 1976) and Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #1 to 18 (except #3).  He created such comics characters as “Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu,” “Nomad,” “Star Lord,” and “Mantis.”

Marshall Rogers (1950 to 2007) was an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Eclipse Comics.  He produced memorable work like Harlan Ellison's graphic novel, Demon with a Glass Hand (DC Comics, 1986); an early 1980s run on Doctor Strange and a late 1980s run on The Silver Surfer, both for Marvel.

In November 1999, DC Comics published the trade paperback, Batman: Strange Apparitions.  It collected Englehart and Rogers' most acclaimed and most influential work, which was their collaboration on a six-issue run of Batman stories for Detective Comics in the 1970s.  From issue #471 to issue #476 (August 1977 to March-April 1978), Englehart and Rogers produced some of the most popular Batman stories of all time, although they each produced two stories for Detective Comics with other collaborators.

Englehart wrote a Batman two-part story for Detective Comics #469 and #470, which were drawn by legendary comic book artist, Walter Simonson.  Rogers drew a two-art Batman story for issues #478 and #479, which were written by the late great comic book writer, Len Wein.  However, their work from #471 to #476 is what marks Englehart and Rogers as one of the greatest Batman creative teams of all time.  Although their work covers no more than six issues and is comprised of about only 102 pages, they are six memorable issues and 102 glorious pages.

DC Comics first reprinted Detective Comics #469 to #476 and #478 to #479 in the five-issue comic book miniseries, Shadow of the Batman (December 1985 to April 1986).  Shadow of the Batman #1 reprints the Englehart and Simonson issues, and Shadow of the Batman #5 reprints the Wein and Rogers stories.  Shadow of the Batman #2 to #4 reprints the Englehart-Rogers run.  Rogers also drew double-sided covers for each issue of Shadow of the Batman, and each issue also includes a comics short story drawn by Rogers that appeared in one of DC Comics' 1970s comic book anthology series.  Batman: Strange Apparitions reprints Detective Comics #469 to #476 and #478 to #479, without the Rogers short stories.

Englehart and artist Walt Simonson open Strange Apparitions with a two-part story from Detective Comics #469 (“...By Death's Eerie Light!”) and #470 (“The Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus”).  The radioactive villain, “Dr. Phosphorus,” is attempting to hold Gotham City hostage, and Batman is having a difficult time with the villain.  Phosphorus has the strength to go toe-to-toe with Batman, and his radioactive touch can burn through Batman's uniform and leave serious burn on the Dark Knight's body.  Phosphorus is also part of a conspiracy that reaches into city hall.  The ringleader of this conspiracy is Boss Rupert Thorne, city council chairman and crime boss.  Englehart also introduces a memorable love interest for Bruce Wayne, Silver St. Cloud, a socialite and eventually, an event planner who comes to realize that Wayne is Batman.

That leads into the first two Steve Englehart-Marshall Rogers issues, Detective Comics #471 (“The Dead Yet Live) and #472 (“I Am the Batman”).  As Bruce Wayne, Batman checks into Graytowers Clinic, where the renowned Dr. Todhunter has a reputation for helping wealthy and powerful men recover physically and mentally.  Batman is hoping to recover from the grave wounds he sustained battling Dr. Phosphorus.  However, Dr. Todhunter is in actuality an old Batman villain, Hugo Strange.  Strange discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman and incapacitates Wayne so that he can assume the identity of Batman.  Another plot line involves Boss Thorne putting out a contract on Batman's life, which draws the attention of some colorful and familiar Batman enemies.  In “I Am the Batman,” Robin returns to Gotham City to re-team with Batman.

Batman takes on The Penguin in Detective Comics #473 (“The Malay Penguin”) and the assassin “Deadshot” in issue #474 (The Deadshot Ricochet”).  Early in the latter story, Robin ends his temporary reunion with Batman when he is summoned by the Teen Titans.

Englehart and Rogers most famous story in their run occurred in the two-part Detective Comics #475 (“The Laughing Fish”) and #476 (“Sign of the Joker”).  This story features an unambiguously homicidal Joker, whose murderous actions are wholly illogical and consistently capricious.  In this mini-story arc, The Joker uses a chemical to disfigure fish in the ocean, giving them a “rictus grin” (similar to his own ghastly grin).  The Joker brazenly expects to be granted a federal trademark on these grinning fish.  The local government bureaucrats try to explain to the Joker that they cannot help him even if they wanted.  Obtaining such a claim on a natural resource (like the fish) is legally impossible.  So The Joker starts killing these men in the most gruesome way, and Batman begins a desperate and seemingly failing battle to stop the Joker.  Issue #476 is Englehart's final issue.

Marshall Rogers ends his tenure on Detective Comics with a two-part tale written by Len Wein.  The story appears in Detective Comics #478 (“The Coming of... Clayface III!”) and #479 (“If a Man Be Made of Clay...!”) and introduces the third iteration of the classic Batman villain, Clayface.

During his short, but essential run on Detective Comics, Steve Englehart returns Batman to his pulp fiction roots, making him a relentless force for justice.  Marshall Rogers draws Batman as brooding, fearsome, wraith-like, and (indeed) bat-like.  Batman moves about the page in a way that recalls what may be the character's chief inspiration, the pulp hero and vigilante, Walter Gibson's The Shadow.

The Joker also experiences a return to his roots.  Englehart and Rogers present an insane, matter-of-fact, and homicidal Joker, who has a creepy, unsettling grin dominating his face.  This recalls the character originally presented by writer Bill Finger and artists Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson.  As a visual reference for the way Rogers draws The Joker, readers need only take a look at three covers drawn by Jerry Robinson that feature The Joker:  Detective Comics #69 (Nov. 1942) and #71 (Jan. 1943), and also Batman #37 (Oct.-Nov 1946).

Steve Englehart now refers to his 1970s run on Detective Comics as “Dark Detective I,” as precursor to his 2005 miniseries, Batman: Dark Detective, which he now calls “Dark Detective II.”  I read these 1970s Englehart-Rogers Batman stories when I was a pre-teen, again in my late teens, and again in my early thirties, and now in my early 50s.  I can say that, for the most part, these stories have aged well.

Englehart has also said that these stories not only influenced the 1989 Batman movie, but that they are also the reason that film went into development.  I don't know if that is true or not, but I could believe it.  These stories are special enough to influence other Batman storytellers, and in the trade paperback collection, Batman: Strange Apparitions, they prove that they won't fade away.

The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Movie Review: "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Running time: 132 minutes (2 hour, 12 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language
DIRECTOR:  Destin Daniel Cretton
WRITERS:  Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Andrew Lanham; from a story by Dave Callaham and Destin Daniel Cretton (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS: Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: William Pope (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Elisabet Ronaldsdottir, Nat Sanders, and Harry Yoon
COMPOSER: Joel P. Best

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/MARTIAL ARTS

Starring:  Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Wah Yuen, Florian Munteanu, Jayden Zhang, Elodie Fong, Arnold Sun, Harmonie He, Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong, Tim Roth, and Ben Kingsley

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 superhero film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.  It is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu, that was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin and first appeared in the comic book, Special Marvel Edition #15 (cover dated: December 1973).  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings focuses on a young martial artist who is forced to confront his past and his father's deadly criminal legacy.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (or simply Shang-Chi) opens one thousand years ago and focuses on Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), a warlord who found the “Ten Rings,” mystical weapons that grant their user immortality and great power.  Wenwu establishes a secret society of warriors called the “Ten Rings,” and begins to conquer the world.  In 1996, while searching for a legendary village, “Ta Lo,” Wenwu meets the village's guardian, Jiang Li (Fala Chen).  The two battle, but eventually fall in love and have two children, a boy named Xu Shang-Chi and girl named Xu Xialing.

Decades later, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) has adopted the name “Shaun” and is living in San Francisco.  Along with his long time best friend, Katy (Awkwafina), he works as a valet at a fancy hotel.  One day, while taking the city bus, Shang-Chi and Katy are attacked by a Ten Rings squad led by the assassin, “Razor Fist” (Florian Munteanu), who wants to steal a pendant given to Shang-Chi by his mother.  Fearing that the Ten Rings are going to steal a second identical pendant given to his sister, Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), Shang-Chi decides to track her down.  Waiting for him, however, is a conspiracy that will inadvertently free a great evil known as the “Dweller-in-Darkness.”  To stop that, Shang-Chi will finally have to confront his past and grasp his destiny.

If I am honest, I will admit that I love martial arts fighting scenes in television and especially in movies.  I prefer fighting as performed by Asian or Asian-American actors.  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gives me both, and the fight scenes are spectacular, so much so that they movie could never give me enough to satisfy me.  The general choreography of the action scenes is quite good, as seen in the bus-battle sequence, and it is clear that Shang-Chi's fighting style and techniques are influenced by the martial arts films of legendary Chinese actor/stuntman, Jackie Chan.

With flashy visual effects, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also explores Asian culture, offering nice peeks into both family dynamics and Chinese culture and myths.  In a way, Shang-Chi is a movie that blends a story of family with an an exploration of a fantasy world that is similar to the one in Disney's recent animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon.  This immersion in a different world and culture allows Shang-Chi to set itself far apart, the way Black Panther stood out from other Marvel Studios films.

Shang-Chi also offers the combination of the prodigal son and the gifted-kid motif that both Raya and other Marvel films (like Iron Man and Black Panther) offer.  In that role, Simu Liu is versatile as Shang-Chi, an incredibly talented fighter who is also a happy-go-luck every man.  I found Liu's Shang-Chi likable from the first moment I saw him on film.  Tony Leung is an intense, dramatic heavy as Shang-Chi's shady father, Xu Wenwu; it's a gritty, edgy performance that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings needs in order to keep the story from flying away in its flights of fancy.

I do think that Marvel tries a little too hard to convince us that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.  We got that with the appearance of Wong (Benedict Wong), a character that appeared in Doctor Strange (2016), but an end credits scene is ready to pound it into our heads, as if we never had a clue.  The film, especially its flashbacks and in its quiet moments, sometimes falls flat.  That keeps it from being the kind of next-level Marvel film, that Black Panther and the better Avengers and Captain America films are.

Still, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an exceptional film, both in its story and in what it represents.  Shang-Chi is Marvel Studios' first film with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian cast, and it shows those distinctions with pride, while being wonderful and entertaining.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 20, 2020

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I Reads You Review: LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #1

LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Sam Humphries
PENCILS: Paco Medina
INKS: Juan Vlasco
COLORS: David Curiel
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Paco Medina
VARIANT COVERS: Mahmud Asrar, Nick Bradshaw, David Marquez, Sara Pichelli, Valerio Schiti, Ryan Stegman
28pp, Color, $3.99 (September 2014)

Rated “T”

Star-Lord a/k/a Peter Quill is a Marvel Comics superhero and science fiction character.  Star-Lord was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Steve Gan and first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 (cover dated: January 1976).  Quill is the son of a human mother and an alien father, and he assumes the mantle of Star-Lord, an interplanetary policeman.

After sporadic appearances, Star-Lord was revamped (or reinvigorated) for his appearance in Annihilation (2006) and Annihilation: Conquest (2007).  He became the leader of the space-based superhero team, Guardians of the Galaxy, for the 2008 re-launch/revamp of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series.

Marvel Studios’ new film, Guardians of the Galaxy, is about to open in movie theatres, so it makes sense, from a sales perspective, for Marvel Comics to take characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book and give them their own series.  Thus, both Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord have new titles.  Legendary Star-Lord is written by Sam Humphries, drawn by Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco, colored by David Curiel, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Legendary Star-Lord #1 opens in Colorado, 20 years in the past.  We observe Peter Quill on the day of his mother, Meredith Quill’s funeral.  Cut to the present where we find Peter Quill as Star-Lord, outmanned and outgunned by the Badoon.  Star-Lord is a wanted man with a price on his head, and the Badoons get a second prize, the Mandalay Gem, which Quill has in his possession.  Escaping the Badoon might be easy, but facing his past will be a mess for Star-Lord.

I didn’t expect much from Legendary Star-Lord, but I liked it.  It has a lone gun, private eye, cowboy, freelance dude vibe that works, mainly because Peter Quill is an attractive character.  I figure that another issue or two will tell me if this series is really worth following for the (relatively) long haul.

I must say that I like Paco Medina’s art with Juan Vlasco’s Steve McNiven-like inks.  To the readers who liked the space opera/space fantasy style of the recently launched Cyclops comic book, I say give Legendary Star-Lord a try.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1

Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #1
DELUXE COMICS

WRITERS: Dann Thomas; Stephen Perry; Steve Englehart
PENCILS: George Perez; Keith Giffen; Dave Cockrum
INKS: Dave Cockrum; Rick Bryant
COLORS: Paty Cockrum
LETTERS: John Workman
PIN-UPS: Jerry Ordway; Steve Ditko and Greg Theakston; Stan Drake; Pat Broderick
COVER: George Perez
48pp, Color, $2.00 U.S., $2.75 CAN (November 1984)

The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics from 1965 to 1969.  The original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents team was an arm of the United Nations.  Their name, T.H.U.N.D.E.R., is an acronym for “The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents the comic book series was published for 20 issues.  Two of the most popular T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Dynamo and NoMan, had short lived series.  Tower Comics closed, and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents characters did not appear in new comic book stories until 1983.  For the next four or five years, five different entities published T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics.

One of those entities was Deluxe Comics (a division of Singer Publishing Company, Inc.).  Believing that the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents property was in the public domain, Deluxe launched its own T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic book series, entitled Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  Wood was the driving creative and editorial force behind the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents:  creating the characters, writing and editing the stories, and providing much of the art, in one form or another.  Singer eventually cancelled Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents after losing a lawsuit over ownership of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents characters and concepts.

I have a soft spot for Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents because I genuinely liked the characters and Deluxe’s comic book series.  Most of all, I like this series because it introduced me to Wally Wood.  At the time I first read this series, I only knew Wood’s name through a small obituary printed in the back of Marvel Comics titles published a few months after Wood’s death in 1981.  [I don’t remember the comic book in which I first saw the obit; it may have been Marvel’s Star Wars.]

As it was in the original Tower Comics series, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. is an acronym for “The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.”  This is a combination spy agency and international police force that deals with threats to Earth, from dictatorships to outlandish threats such as alien invasions.  The organization also helps with natural disasters.  Some agents are given mechanical devices, including what is called a “Super Suit,” that gives them limited super powers.  These agents are known as “Super Agents.”  Agents without super powers are part of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad.

Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 is a quasi-anthology comic book.  It opens with two short stories; one focuses on a Super Agent (The Raven) and the other on a potential new Super Agent who has possession of a former agent’s Super Suit (Menthor).

The first story, “Code Name: The Raven” (written by Dann Thomas and drawn by George Pérez and Dave Cockrum) finds the titular hero soaring over the sheikdom of Bahrain.  His destination is a club called “The Falcon’s Roost,” where he has an interesting encounter with the host, Abu Jahl, and a dancer known as “Phoenicia.”

In the second story, “A Change of Mind” (written by Stephen Perry and drawn by Keith Giffen and Rick Bryant), we meet Connie, the young woman who now possesses the helmet of the deceased Super Agent, Menthor.  Some part of John Janus, the original Menthor (who died early in the first T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series), his spirit or consciousness, remains in the helmet.  Now, Janus taunts Connie as she pursues Eddie, a vicious hood who calls himself the “Prince of the Streets.”

The third story launches Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and opens with an attack on the android NoMan.  Sam Short, the “Chief” of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, calls the Super Agents and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad to action.  He sees the attack on NoMan as an attack on the entire organization, but little does he realize how far the attackers will go and how far into the past this attack originates.

Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 is a comic book that is definitely of its time.  As a story, it reads like the kind of 1980s reboot that existed before Alan Moore’s reboots and re-imaginations of such series as Swamp Thing and Marvelman.  Once Moore’s work began to take hold of comic book readers’ imaginations, it also began to fundamentally change comic books.  Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents reads like a comic book that could have been written by the top-tier writers and writer/artists of the early to mid-1980s, such as John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Marv Wolfman, and Walter Simonson to name a few.

In that context, this comic book is still a joy to read three decades later.  Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 is quaint, but not corny.  Still, I could not help but read it and think of what someone like Warren Ellis could have done with T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents in the mid to late 1990s or even today.

The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ existence as an actual comic book series has been so sporadic over a 50-year period.  Thus, the concept has not endeared itself to a large enough group of readers to sustain it as a long-running series.  It is essentially stillborn, and I doubt that its admirers are large enough to even be referred to as a cult.  Nostalgia won’t sustain the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  Still, I wonder how long Deluxe Comics’ version would have lasted had a lawsuit not ended it.

As much as I have written in this review/article about Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, I surprisingly cannot find the words to talk about the art in this issue, from storytelling to pinups.  I have been a fan of almost every artist in this comic book, at one time or another.  I think George Perez, Keith Giffen, and especially Dave Cockrum are the standouts.

Cockrum is a quintessential superhero comic book artist because his graphic style, his compositions, and his storytelling lend themselves to comic book storytelling.  Cockrum, who passed away a decade ago, could take all the weird visual elements of superhero comics:  the costumes, settings, people, creatures, and beings and then, normalize them so that weird fantasy became soap opera with fantastic elements.  Cockrum’s storytelling is poignant and dramatic although he does not have a dazzling, showy style.

Luckily and thanks to eBay, I found Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  I look forward to reading more, and I wish this series had had a longer run.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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