#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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Review: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 1 / #802 (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Nick Spencer
PENCILS: Ryan Ottley; Humberto Ramos
INKS: Cliff Rathburn; Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Marte Gracia; Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Nick Lowe
COVER: Ryan Ottley with Laura Martin
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Shane Davis and Michelle Delecki with Morry Hollowell; John Romita, Sr. and Terry Austin with Jason Keith; Erik Larsen with Dean White (Remastered); Jim Cheung with Justin Ponser; Greg Land with Jason Keith
56pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (September 2018)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee

“Back to Basics” Part One

Here we go.  Back in the summer, Marvel Comics published yet another The Amazing Spider-Man #1, but the publisher did not jettison its “Legacy” numbering.  So this new #1 comic book is also The Amazing Spider-Man #802.

It is a fresh start, of sorts, with a new creative team.  Nick Spencer is the new series writer.  The new art team is Ryan Ottley (pencils) and Cliff Rathburn (inks).  Laura Martin is on colors, and Joe Caramagna is on letters.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 finds Peter Parker still trying to get his life back together in the wake of the crash and burn of his company, Parker Industries.  He shares an apartment with roommates, and he has reconnected with M.J. - Mary Jane Watson.  But something is wrong.  People are giving him the side eye, when they aren't being outright hostile and dismissive.  And he and the Avengers are in the middle of a massive alien invasion.  Is there a conspiracy against Peter Parker and Spider-Man?

I enjoyed Dan Slott's run on The Amazing Spider-Man.  Of course, I only experienced the second half of Slott's long tenure on the title, and I understand that some readers and fans were ready for Marvel to move on from him.

I don't know if readers are satisfied now, but I like this almost tripled-sized issue.  Without reverting Peter Parker to childhood, Spencer takes Peter Parker back to the days when he suffered the bane of a hero's existence – no good deed goes unpunished.  Indirectly and directly and by action and inaction, Parker and Spider-Man are causing trouble for the people for whom they care.  Obviously, there is a lot of dramatic tension and conflict.  Still, Spencer writes a light-hearted comic book with both wry humor and dark undertones.

Ryan Ottley, known for his long run on Robert Kirkman's Invincible (Image Comics), is the perfect Spider-Man comic book artist, for now.  He reminds me of Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man, and, at the time (late 2000), both that comic book and Bagley were much needed breaths of fresh air for the Spider-Man franchise.  Ottley recalls the past while being something different, essentially an indie superhero comic book artist taking on a venerable mainstream superhero franchise.  Ottley is back to basics without being retro.

Cliff Rathburn on inks accentuates the newness of Ottley's clean pencil art.  Laura Martin's colors seems out of place, too heavy for Ottley and Rathburn's illustrations.  There is nothing distinctive about Joe Caramagna's lettering.  At least, it seems that way to me.

Former Amazing Spider-Man series artist, Humberto Ramos, delivers a killer back-up story.  With his striking illustrative style, Ramos usually presents potent storytelling, and his tale enforces my belief that this Amazing relaunch could be something special... at least for awhile.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.



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Review: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 Fascimile Edition

FANTASTIC FOUR #1 FACSIMILE EDITION (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Stan Lee
PENCILS: Jack Kirby
INKS: George Klein (?); Sol Brodsky (?)
COLORS: Stan Goldberg
LETTERS: Artie Simek
EDITOR: Mark D. Beazley (collection editor)
COVER: Jack Kirby and George Klein with Stan Goldberg (?)
MISC. ART: John Buscema and Joe Sinnott; John Byrne and Terry Austin; John Byrne; Alex Ross; John Byrne with Gregory Wright; Scott Eaton with Richard Isanove; Eric Powell; Clayton Crain; Marcelo DiChiara; Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines; Michael Wm Kaluta; Leinil Francis Yu; Arthur Adams with Justin Ponsor; Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado; Jack Kirby and George Klein with Dean White
48pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2018)

Fantastic Four created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Afterword by Dan Slott

“The Fantastic Four!”

The Fantastic Four #1 (cover dated: November 1961) is the comic book that basically started what we know of today as Marvel Comics and the “Marvel Universe” of superheroes, comic books, stories, and fictional mythologies.  This comic book only credits two of the creative team, Fantastic Four creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  Lee wrote a two-page plot that Kirby drew, via pencil art, as a 25-page comic book story.  Lee, credited as the scriptwriter, wrote the exposition and dialogue for the 25 pages.  You can experience this history in Marvel Comics' recent release, Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition.

Because comic books then did not provide contributor credits as they do today, there is some question as to the rest of the creative team of this first issue of The Fantastic Four (also known as “FF”).  George Klein and possibly Sol Brodsky provided inks over Kirby's pencils.  Stan Goldberg was the colorist, and Artie Simek was this comic book's letterer.

The Fantastic Four #1 (“The Fantastic Four!) opens in the FF's original home, Central City.  The ordinary citizens are in an uproar, as above them, someone has fired a flare gun that has unleashed a huge smoke cloud.  Like a silent beacon, the smoke is emblazoned with the words, “THE FANTASTIC FOUR!”  What does it all mean, the citizens of Central City wonder?

The one who fired the gun is Reed Richards a.k.a. “Mister Fantastic,” a scientific genius, who can stretch his body to incredible lengths and into endless shapes.  He is calling Susan “Sue” Storm a.k.a. “the Invisible Girl,” who can make herself invisible.  The call also goes out to Johnny Storm a.k.a. “the Human Torch,” Sue's younger brother, who can ignite his body with flames, generate more flames, and use the flames to give him the power of flight.  The final cast member is Ben Grimm a.k.a. “the Thing,” whose flesh has been turned stone-like, giving him tremendous superhuman strength, durability, and endurance.  Richards is the leader of this mysterious group, The Fantastic Four.  On the day of Reed's signal call, the team must save the planet from a strange underworld menace, and the world will never be the same.

The Fantastic Four, of course, is now simply known as Fantastic Four, a fantastic name either way one says it.  It is definitely one of the five most important individual issues of a comic book ever published, and there are several reasons why.  The modern language of superhero comic books and to a large extent, the graphical storytelling language of modern comic books is based on Jack Kirby's comic book storytelling, beginning with his illustrations and storytelling in Fantastic Four #1.

However, what I like about Fantastic Four #1 is its unabashed craziness.  Stan Lee does not pretend to be writing science fiction.  This landmark comic book is full of crazy, ridiculous, stupid, hair-brained, wild, weird, wonderful, wacky, surreal, and strange stuff, and sadly, in the intervening years, comic books have tried to become too smart.  It is as if comic books have been trying to make sense of the “wrongness” and “incorrectness” of Fantastic Four in the intervening decades since its release.  Comic books don't need to be literature to be taken seriously.  Comic book writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, publishers, etc. create storytelling that cannot be created in other mediums, and it is perfectly fine for the stories to be scientifically and practically non-nonsensical.

Fantastic Four #1 is like a B-movie or monster movie, but only in the most superficial ways.  The imagination and inventiveness unique to comic books is unique to comic books because comic books are not like other mediums.  A couple of times in the text pieces for Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition, the word “crude” is used.  On the surface, the illustrations in this sixty-seven year-old comic book story may appear to be crude, but the graphics and the graphical storytelling are beautiful, almost beyond words.

The combination of imagination, the uniqueness of the comics medium, and the innate weirdness of comic books flowed (and still flows) through what Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created so long ago.  The Fantastic Four #1 is not quaint, charming, or crude; it was a new dawn, and it is still visionary.  I have been reading The Fantastic Four #1 in reprint form, on and off, for over 30 years, and I never stop being excited while reading it.  I really enjoyed Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition.

[This comic book features previously published text pieces by Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, and Walter Mosley.]


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.


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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 15, 2018

IDW PUBLISHING

JUN180681    BACK TO THE FUTURE TALES FROM THE TIME TRAIN TP    $19.99
APR180452    DEATH NOTE CONFRONTATION GAME    $29.99
MAR180554    JOHN BYRNE X-MEN ARTIFACT ED HC (Net)    $125.00
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JUN180691    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #8 CVR A STANLEY    $3.99
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I Reads You Review: JONNY QUEST #1

JONNY QUEST #1
COMICO The Comic Company

WRITER: Doug Wildey; William Messner-Loebs
PENCILS: Doug Wildey; Steve Rude
INKS: Doug Wildey; Mike Royer
COLORS: Doug Wildey; Matt Wagner
LETTERS: Doug Wildey; Bob Pinaha
PIN-UPS: Steve Rude; Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley; Bill Willingham and Terry Austin
32pp, Color, $1.50 U.S., $2.25 CAN (June 1986)

“Jonny Quest” was a science fiction and action-adventure animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems.  The series was created and designed by comic book artist, Doug Wildey.  “Jonny Quest” was broadcast on ABC in prime time for one season in 1964–1965 for a total of 26 episodes.

“Jonny Quest” focused on Jonathan “Jonny” Quest, an 11-year-old boy who accompanies Dr. Benton C. Quest, his genius scientist father, on extraordinary adventures.  Roger T. “Race” Bannon was a special agent from the governmental agency, Intelligence One.  A pilot, Race was also Jonny’s tutor, as well as his bodyguard, as the (presumably) U.S. government feared that the boy could be kidnapped.  Jonny’s best friend was Hadji Singh, a streetwise, 11-year-old orphan from Calcutta whom Dr. Benton Quest adopted as his son.  Jonny has a pet, Bandit, a small white dog.

There have been comic book adaptations of “Jonny Quest.”  In 1964, Gold Key Comics published Jonny Quest #1 (cover dated: December 1964?), which retold the first TV episode, “Mystery of the Lizard Men.”  The Grand Comics Database lists a single-issue Jonny Quest comic book published in Australia in 1976.

Beginning in 1986, Pennsylvania-based comic book publisher, Comico The Comic Company (or just Comico), began publishing a Jonny Quest comic book with all-new stories, using the original TV series as a template.  Jonny Quest ran for 31 issues, with two issues of the Jonny Quest Special, and three issues of Jonny Quest Classic.  Drawn by Doug Wildey, the “Classic” series retold three “Jonny Quest” TV episodes:  “Shadow of the Condor,” “Calcutta Adventure,” and “Werewolf of the Timberland.”  There was also Jezebel Jade, a three-issue miniseries starring Jade, a female combination soldier-of-fortune, mercenary, spy, etc. who appeared in the 1965-65 series and had (has) some kind of romantic relationship with Race.

Some months ago, on eBay, I bought a bundle of 1980s comic books that were published by independent publishers.  What I really wanted were the issues of Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents included in this auction lot, but I was surprised to find the first issue of Comico’s ongoing Jonny Quest series.

Jonny Quest #1 contains two interconnected short stories.  The first is “The Sands of Khasa Tahid,” written and drawn by “Jonny Quest” designer/creator, Doug Wildey.  Jonny, Hadji, and Race are traveling across the desert of an unnamed North African country.  Their destination is the Chandarkin Oasis, which is the location of an ancient city buried beneath its sands… or so goes Dr. Quest’s theory.  The machinations of longtime Quest adversary, Dr. Zin, is about to put this trio in an explosive situation.

The second story is “City of Lost Time,” which is written by William Messner-Loebs and drawn by Steve Rude and Mike Royer.  Dr. Quest, Race, and the boys head towards the uncovered city of Khasa Tahid, with Jezebel Jade along for the ride.  They aren’t the only ones looking to discover the lost city’s secrets, which are about to reveal themselves to two curious boys.

I read this comic book around the time it was first released.  I liked it, but not enough to keep reading the series.  I’m not sure how many issues after the first issue I read, if I read any at all.  Looking back, Jonny Quest #1 is good, but not great.  I was a huge fan of the old TV series, and Doug Wildey’s opening story captures the graphic and visual sensibilities of the show, obviously, as Wildey created the show.  The second story has some nice ideas, especially about the unseen denizens of the Khasa Tahid, but it is truncated.  It needed to be a full-issue story, at least.

This time around, however, I do plan to try to read more of the series, especially the “specials” and Jonny Quest Classics.  Jonny Quest #1 turned out to be a nice “bonus” in that eBay lot I bought.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

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I Reads You Review: UNCANNY X-MEN in Days of Future Past

UNCANNY X-MEN IN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

PLOT: Chris Claremont and John Byrne
STORY: Chris Claremont
PENCILS: John Byrne
INKS: Terry Austin
COLORS: Glynis Oliver
LETTERS: Tom Orzechowski
EDITORS: Louise Simonson (original), Gregory Wright (reprint)
EiC: Tom DeFalco
COVER: Jackson Guice and Scott Williams
ISBN: 0-87135-582-5; paperback (1989)
48pp, Color, $3.95 U.S., $5.00 CAN

One of the most famous stories ever published in an X-Men comic book is known as “Days of Future Past.”  The two-part story was originally published in The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past,” cover dated: January 1981) and #142 (“Mind Out of Time!” cover dated: February 1981).  The popularity of “Days of the Future Past” is affirmed in the fact that the story has been continued and retold and has also influenced and inspired other X-Men publications and stories in the decades since its original publication.  This story is also the basis for the shortly to be released film, X-Men: Days of Future Past (20th Century Fox, 2014).

“Days of Future Past” was the creation of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, who were both credited as the story’s “co-plotters,” with Claremont providing the script and Byrne providing the pencil art.  Their collaborators were Terry Austin (ink art), Glynis Oliver (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters), and Louise Simonson (editor).

I first read the story ages ago.  It simultaneously stunned and thrilled me, so much so that I immediately reread it.  This story had it all:  a dystopian future, an assassination conspiracy, dead X-Men, X-Men in peril, X-Men murdered before my very eyes, Sentinels (which were then new to me), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a superhero/super-villain battle.

The X-Men #141 also probably has one of the most famous (if not the most famous) X-Men comic book covers.  Over the years, I made reading “Days of Future Past” an annual event.  One of my repeat readings was courtesy of a 1989 single-issue reprint entitled, The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.  When I recently discovered that I no longer had a copy of this comic book, I bought one from Mile High Comics, during a sale.  Because of the new X-Men movie, I decided to read and review The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.

“Days of Future Past” alternates between the (then) present year of 1980, and the (then) future year of 2013.  The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past”) opens in the year 2013.  The story introduces a dystopian future North America that is ruled by the mutant-hunting Sentinels.  Mutants are incarcerated in internment camps, and people are classified by their genetics.  The Sentinels not only killed almost all the X-Men, but they also killed many superheroes, including the Fantastic Four.

We meet an adult Kate Pryde.  She is one of the last surviving X-Men, along with Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus.  Kate and the X-Men join Magneto, Franklin Richards (son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four), and his girlfriend, a telepath named Rachel, in a seemingly-impossible plan to travel into the past and change the horrible era in which they live.

On the eve of a feared nuclear holocaust, Kate’s mind travels backward through time to posses the body of her younger self, Kitty Pryde.  There, she convinces the X-Men: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Angel that they must stop a plot by the newly reassembled Brotherhood of Evil Mutants:  Mystique, Destiny, Avalanche, Pyro, and Blob.  The Brotherhood plans to assassinate United States Senator Robert Kelly, a pivotal event in mutant–human history.

The X-Men #142 (“Mind Out of Time!”) finds the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in a pitched battle in and around the Congressional building.  Meanwhile, in 2013, the few remaining X-Men make their last stand.

Apparently, Marvel Comics has designated that “Days of Future Past” takes place in Earth-811 in the Marvel “multiverse.”  When I first read “Days of Future Past,” I saw it as probably the real future for the X-Men.  I also saw it as the height of the X-Men run by the team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin.  There would be no letdown, however, as this team would produce only one more issue of the X-Men after “Days of Future Past.”  Byrne exited the title to become both a writer and an artist, taking over the Fantastic Four.

As much as I have enjoyed reading the X-Men comic books that came after “Days of Future Past,” only a few have even come close to being as close to this Claremont-Byrne classic.  I think some people consider this Byrne’s best work as an artist.  For a long time, I agreed with that, but, as an artist, Byrne would go on to produce much more polished work, with a stronger sense of composition and design than what is found in his original X-Men run.  As a writer, I won’t compare his collaborative X-Men work with his work as a writer-artist on Fantastic Four and on various Superman titles.  Indeed, he was really good on those, too.

I think of X-Men #1 to #66; #94 to #143 (the final Claremont-Byrne-Austin); and Giant-Sized X-Men #1 to be the core of X-Men “mythology.”  Everything that springs after these issues is not quite fan fiction, but much of it seems like a vain attempt to replicate the Claremont-Byrne blueprint.  I think the reason why “Days of Future Past” means so much to me is because it marked the end of an extended run of what I see as the best and the most important of the X-Men.

From the publication of the first issue of The X-Men to “Days of Future Past,” the title introduced startling new concepts, offered gripping narratives full of drama, melodrama, and soap opera, and sometimes presented visionary graphics, graphical elements, and graphical storytelling.  Pretty much everything since “Days of Future Past” has been a rehash, a copy, or a slavishly inspired remake.

A+

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: THE INCREDIBLE HULK AND WOLVERINE #1

THE INCREDIBLE HULK AND WOLVERINE #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITERS: Len Wein, Mary Jo Duffy
PENCILS: Herb Trimpe, Ken Landgraf
INKS: Jack Abel, George Perez
COLORS: Christie Scheele
LETTERS: Artie Simek, Michael Higgins
EDITOR: Roy Thomas, Jim Shooter
EIC: Jim Shooter
COVER: John Byrne and Jack Abel with George Roussos
48pp, Color, $2.00 (October 1986)

In the summer of 1986, Marvel Comics published The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1.  This was a one-shot, single-issue comic book that reprinted The Incredible Hulk #180 and #181 (cover-dated November 1974).  Issue #180 (cover-dated October 1974) contained the first appearance of Wolverine, as a cameo in the final panel of the last page.  Issue #181 features the first full appearance of Wolverine.  Of course, Wolverine is a member of the X-Men and one of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters.

The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 also includes the short story, “Wolverine and Hercules,” which originally appeared in Marvel Treasury Edition #26 (1980).  “Wolverine: The Evolution of a Character” is an essay at the back of this comic book.  It is written by former Marvel writer and editor, Peter Sanderson, and details the creation of Wolverine and also provides a fictional biography of the character.  This text piece includes spot illustrations and other art drawn by John Romita, Paul Smith and Joe Rubinstein; John Byrne and Terry Austin; John Romita, Jr. and Dan Green; and Frank Miller and Joe Rubinstein.

The Incredible Hulk #180 finds the Hulk returning to Canada.  There, deep in the Canadian woods, the emerald behemoth finds himself caught in a conspiracy involving Marie Cartier and Georges Baptiste.  Marie’s brother, Paul Cartier, bears the curse that transforms him into “the hideous cannibal beast,” known as the Wendigo.

Marie has devised a plan to transfer the Wendigo’s form to the Hulk.  Events don’t follow her planning once Hulk and Wendigo engage in an epic battle.  Meanwhile, at a top secret Royal Canadian Air Force Tracking Installation, military authorities are not about to allow the Hulk to rampage through Canada again.  They’re sending something called “Weapon X” to take care of the green giant.

The Incredible Hulk #181 begins with Wolverine revealing himself to the Hulk and the Wendigo and launching himself into their battle.  This three-way fight devolves into a death match between the Hulk and the Wolverine.  Meanwhile, Georges Baptiste makes a fateful decision about him and Marie Cartier’s plan to save her brother from the curse of the Wendigo.

When The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 arrived on newsstands and in comic book shops, it gave me a chance to read the story in which Wolverine made his first appearance, and I was ecstatic about that opportunity.  I would read the story again in a single-issue facsimile reprint of The Incredible Hulk #181.

I long ago lost or sold my original copy of The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1, but a recent at sale at super comics retailer Mile High Comics’ website allowed me to get another copy.  I had forgotten that even with a $2.00 cover price, The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 was just a cheapie reprint.  At a time when comic book publishers, large and small, were moving to heavier and whiter paper stocks, Marvel Comics printed The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 on newsprint.  The print quality ranges from mediocre to tolerable, and the colors don’t “pop” off the page the way they do today.  With newsprint, things like details, borders, and lettering can fade or even not fully print.

I think that at the time this was originally published Marvel Comics was printing anything that would help with their market share and that could make a lot of money with little investment.  The Hulk stories here were bought and paid for over a decade earlier, and who knows if the creators got any royalty payments from this reprinting.  Like I said, high return on low investment.

That aside, I like these old Hulk comics.  Writer Len Wein’s ability to create a compelling story out of monster comics and supernatural melodrama is a sign of the skill that made him a standout comic book creator and editor in the 1970s and 1980s.  Penciller Herb Trimpe, one of my favorites, mixes the dynamism and fury of Jack Kirby (who was obviously an influence on Trimpe) with the cartoon mysticism of Steve Ditko.  This is classic comic book art and graphical storytelling – monster comics and mystic mumbo-jumbo.

It is also fun to look at this early Wolverine-in-the-raw, which is practically nothing like what the character would become in the decades that followed his first appearance.  So I grade this comic book not on the cheap newsprint reproduction, but on the fun old comics.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Crack Comics #63 Appears 61 Years Later

THE NEXT GOLDEN AGE

Image Comics continues the NEXT ISSUE PROJECT with CRACK COMICS #63

In December, another Golden Age classic will get its next issue with the NEXT ISSUE PROJECT: CRACK COMICS #63.

The NEXT ISSUE PROJECT: CRACK COMICS #63 picks up where Quality Comics' CRACK COMICS #62 left off in 1949, with all-new stories by modern day creators. The all-star line up includes ALAN WEISS (Captain America, Amazing Spider-Man, Tom Strong), ERIK LARSEN (SAVAGE DRAGON, Amazing Spider-Man), HERB TRIMPE (The Incredible Hulk, BPRD: The War on Frogs), PAUL MAYBURY (POPGUN, COMIC BOOK TATTOO), TERRY AUSTIN (Uncanny X-Men, Superman Adventures, Green Lantern), ADAM McGOVERN (Dr. Id), PAOLO LEANDRI (Dr. Id) & CHRIS BURNHAM (OFFICER DOWNE, ELEPHANTMEN). Weiss provided the cover, and MIKE ALLRED (MADMAN) contributed a gorgeous variant cover.

"The NEXT ISSUE PROJECT is for any fan of comics, not just fans of Golden Age books," says editor Erik Larsen. "Often, the promise of Golden Age comics -- where creators were making up the rules as they went along and were blazing new trails -- was more exciting than the reality of Golden Age comics, where creators were essentially mimicking some of the same dull formulaic writing found in other mediums at the time. Everyone who contributed to CRACK COMICS #63 was intent on fulfilling the promise of the Golden Age and delivering a book that was more than a mere homage, but also a thrilling glimpse of what comics could be -- if only creators were allowed to run wild with the characters they were handed! These creative dynamos jumped at the chance to present their own take on these Golden Age heroes and demonstrate comics' true potential!"

NEXT ISSUE PROJECT: CRACK COMICS #63: Captain Triumph! The Clock! Spitfire! Molly the Model! Alias the Spider! Space Legion! Some of the greatest creations from yesterday are brought back to life by some of the greatest creators of today! Fans have marveled over the years as, one by one, characters from comics' Golden Age have been revived for a modern audience. The NEXT ISSUE PROJECT is an ongoing series that continues a classic discontinued title for a modern audience! All stories are complete, self-contained and cool as all hell! All books are Golden Age sized, but these aren't simply an homage to Golden Age comics: They're updated classics by modern masters for a new generation!

NEXT ISSUE PROJECT: CRACK COMICS #63 (Weiss: OCT100451; Allred: OCT100452), a 48-page full-color Golden Age sized comic book for $4.99, will be in stores December 22, 2010. Previous issues of Next Issue Project -- NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1: FANTASTIC COMICS #24 (OCT071967) and NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #2: SILVER STREAK COMICS #24 (OCT090364) -- are available now.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit http://www.imagecomics.com/.