Action Comics #428 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The opening story begins with the Metropolis Twin Towers engulfed in flames. Superman uses an iceberg and his heat vision to put out the flames. It's a feat captured on camera by Jimmy Olsen. However, when the event makes the front page of the Daily Planet, the story details that a freak thunderstorm put out the blaze.

When Superman as Clark Kent confronted Jimmy as to why he didn't credit the Man of Steel with putting out the fire, the cub reporter responds that Superman hasn't been seen or heard from in 10 years. Despite Clark being able to see Superman in the photos Jimmy took, everyone else he encounters merely sees a thundercloud raining on the skyscrapers. 

As Superman conducts further rescues throughout Metropolis, the citizens attribute the acts as miracles. Clearly, the populace has not only forgotten about Superman; they cannot even see him! 

The backup feature stars Green Arrow and Black Canary. Oliver Queen has been approached by a struggling motorcycle manufacturer for help with their lagging sales. Ollie negotiates a deal where Black Canary will perform a death defying stunt on one of the company's bikes during an upcoming sports event. Only, he forgot to ask the heroine permission for the endorsement.

Seeing as the funds for the stunt will go to charity, Black Canary reluctantly agrees. It will be her first public appearance in quite some time. Yet, it might end up being her last as a pair of ex-cons out for revenge on Canary have tampered with her bike's gas tank, rigging it to explode during the stunt jump. It's up to the Green Arrow to race against the clock and the sprawling city to save Black Canary in time!

The Superman opener was written by Cary Bates. Art was provided by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Set during Clark Kent's days as a television newscaster for WGBS, it features a number of newer characters unseen from when he worked at the Planet. Station owner Morgan Edge and sports reporter Steve Lombard play important roles in the story along with Jimmy Olsen. Noticeably absent from the story is Lois Lane, who's not even mentioned in this news story heavy adventure.

The Green Arrow and Black Canary backup was written by Elliot Maggin. Dick Giordano illustrated. For fans of either character, this is a key issue in their relationship as this story ends with Dinah Lance revealing for the very first time that she loves Oliver Queen. 

This issue also features an article about the town of Metropolis, Illinois. The town, working with DC Comics and the State legislature, had just approved plans to make Metropolis the official home of Superman. Plans for a museum, a theme park and an annual festival showing old Superman serials and episodes from the 1950s series starring George Reeves, along with fun and games, were in the works according to the piece. Even the town newspaper would be changing its name to the Daily Planet! While The Amazing World of Superman theme park never came to be and the rag has been renamed as the Metropolis Planet, the museum, along with a giant statue of the Last Son of Krypton continues to welcome fans who arrive in droves every June for the town's annual 4-day Superman Celebration. 

Completing this review completes Task #31 (A Book Featured in a Facebook Group Post) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. It also my 40th and final task for the 2025 Challenge.

The Flash #300 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Barry Allen awakens in a mental institution. Completely paralyzed and wrapped in bandages, Allen is greeted by noted psychiatrist Dr. Petrou and the doctor claims to know the truth behind Barry Allen's role as the Flash. Instead of becoming super fast when Allen was dosed in chemicals when struck by lightning in his police lab, Dr. Petrou states that the elements badly scarred his entire body and left him a quadriplegic. Languishing in agony in his hospital bed, Barry took inspiration from his childhood love of the Golden Age comic book hero, the Flash and created a fantasy world as this world's fastest man alive.

Barry refuses to believe Dr. Petrou. Using his scientific mind, Allen goes through the Flash's Rogues Gallery in hopes of detecting who placed him in his current predicament. However as family and friends, including the Green Lantern and Ralph Dibny, stop by to visit Barry in hopes of curing his delusions, Allen begins to face the very real possibility that all that Flash stuff is really just in his head.

This 25th anniversary issue plots a very intriguing mystery while providing detailed snapshots of the history of the Flash. It was everything this author could do to not skip to the end to find out who was behind Barry's incapacitated state. It was even more difficult because book-ending the inside covers of this issue was a 2-page analyst of some of the Flash's most unusual transformations by noted cartoonist and comic book historian Fred Hembeck. As the mastermind of this plot is revealed on the very last page of this double-sided issue, if you go to read the 2nd page of Hembeck's 'Flash-Grams', you'd likely spoil the ending!

From 1981, just about every major Flash villain is examined, along with Barry Allen's extensive family as well as the Flash's history with his friends in the Justice League. Issue #300 was written by Cary Bates who was a primary writer for The Flash at the time and infamously recently responsible for the death of Iris West Allen at the hands of the Reverse Flash. 

The main artist was Barry Allen co-creator Carmine Infantino. He was assisted by Bob Smith. The artwork is so seamless, you really cannot tell where Smith's handiwork begins and Infantino 's ends. According to the DC Database Wiki, Bob Smith is attributed as the inker despite no inker role being listed in the credits of this issue.

A rarity in comics. No ads at all! Just 100% Flash fun and action at lightning speed. Just one little problem, during the entire charade, Barry Allen accidentally revealed to the villain that Hal Jordan was the Green Lantern. Did anything ever come of that?

Completing this review completes Task #19 (written or illustrated by Carmine Infantino) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #130 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Thanks to an encounter with a psychic, reporter Lois Lane is subconsciously informed of Superman's secret identity. Unaware to this event, Lois has a series of nightmares in which she murders her co-worker and best friend Clark Kent. In the dream, as Kent falls, his superhero costume is revealed to which the shock of murdering the Man of Steel awakens Lois in a cold sweat. As Lois tries to make sense of this reoccurring dream, she is constantly attacked by a pair of crooks. Narrowly, the journalist escapes doom. Yet as Lois composes herself, the bystanders claim that no such attacks occurred. Could the nightmares and now supposed phantom attacks be a sign that Lois Lane is losing her mind?

The feature story in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #130 was penned by Cary Bates. 'The Mental Murder' is a mystery that keeps the reader guessing most of the time. However, if you've figured out the real identity of Lois' psychiatrist, you'll realize that Superman will do anything to protect his own self interests if it means keeping the world from knowing that Clark Kent is the Last Son of Krypton. 

Cover and interior art was by John Rosenberger with inks by Vince Colletta 

The backup story stars the somnambulist superhero Thorn. The second character to bear the name, Thorn's secret identity was Rhosyn 'Rose' Lynee Forrest. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, the character debuted in issue #105 of Lois Lane. In her origin story, Rose becomes distraught at the death of her father, police officer Phil Forrest at the hands of a gang known as The 100. The desire for revenge triggers something in Rose's psyche to the point that whenever she went to sleep, she would switch personalities. Instead of sweet, innocent Rose, Rhosyn would transform into the vicious, athletic street vigilante Thorn. 

'Nightmare Alley!' sees Rose changing both personas, clothes and hair color into Thorn as she finally uncovers the identity of 1 of the 3 men who murdered her father. Unfortunately, the quest for vengeance will continue for the young lady when the thug is killed by an unknown assailant before revealing the identities of his co-conspirators. 

Artist Don Heck provides pen and ink to Kanigher's script.

Completing this review completes Task #14 (Main Character is a Woman) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

V #16

Even though there are 2 issues remaining after this one, this is technically the end of V. The TV show had already wrapped up. NBC lowered the axe, opting not to film the proposed 20th episode that would have wrapped up the cliffhanger in which Elizabeth went on a shuttle with the Leader to the planet Sirius IV with Kyle hiding in the vehicle.

The Bron Saga comes to a tragic and bittersweet end. Yup, the Leader's son dies. Valiantly I might add, trying to save his friends from the Resistance. But Bron's death is not in vain. Racked from the guilt of the loss of his heir and impressed with the respect Bron had for the human race, the unseen Leader of the Visitors declares a truce. The invasion of Earth is over!

But why is it that the war is over but V is not? Series editor Marv Wolfman explains in an afterwords in the letter col that DC had a feeling for some time that V the TV series was coming to an end. NBC just wasn't happy with the expense of the show in correlation to the meager ratings the series was earning.  Paul Kupperberg and crew had already wrapped up a 2-part story due for issues #17& 18. Out of respect for the substitute team's work and so they can be properly paid, Wolfman and execs at DC decided to make adjustments.

In response to NBC's cancellation of V,  Cary Bates was ordered to change the ending of this issue to reflect an ending that while not definitive, was sufficient enough to appease most fans. Issues 17& 18 would become a flashback story, so as to not undo the ending put forth by Bates.

I've since learned that V creator Kenneth Johnson wrote a sequel novel in 2008. From what I have read, Ham Tyler was the main character of this official sequel with most of the Resistance leaders either dead or missing. The Visitors are the victors of the invasion. And most of the story occurs in Chicago.

I'd very much like to read that book. But it's out of print and internet prices are ridiculously expensive. I'm talking of $100 plus. So until I get really lucky and find the sequel for a fantastic price, I'll stick with issue #16 of this comic book adaptation as being the true, bittersweet ending of the original V.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

V #15

The gangs all here in this issue that sees Julie and Donovan taking Bron, the eldest son of the Leader to the Windy City. If you remember, a few issues back, Ham Tyler and Chris Farber took up residence in Chicago. The mercenaries were trying to protect Robin, the mother of Elizabeth the Star Child, from Visitor scientists looking to replicate the hybrid child's amazing powers. 

After the disaster of Mike and Julie's stop in that small town of unsupervised adolescents, the leaders of the Resistance look for calmer waters in Chi-Town. But as you can see from the cover, Chicago is swarming with Visitors.

Meanwhile, back in the City of Angels, Diana, thanks to a mole wearing a skin of Visitor Resistance ally Willie, is beginning her siege of the metropolitan area. 

The least memorable entry into the Bron Saga. The penultimate chapter of this amazing Cary Bates penned epic. 

Only 3 issues of the DC series adaptation remain!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

V #14

As Donovan and Julie smuggle the Leader's son through the American Midwest, the trio must stop due to car trouble. The town that they stop at is devoid of adults. Only youngsters under the age of 18 occupy the small town and the adolescents are preparing the newly arrived adults for execution.

It will be up to Bron/Brad to save the Resistance leaders. Though if the young Visitor has been looking for an excuse to do away with Donovan and Julie, the perfect opportunity is finally at hand.

This issue gives me such vibes of the classic Star Trek episode 'Miri', it's sick.  Another great chapter in the Bron Saga by Cary Bates. Another fantastic cover by Jerry Bingham. It hearkens back to the last issue cover of Diana. But it's not a continuation as the Visitor on this cover is clearly wearing a different uniform.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #13

The Bron Saga just keeps getting better!

With Donovan and Julie having Bron, now in human guise and going by the name of Brad, in their custody somewhere in the Midwest, Diana has a plan. She will find Bron, kill him and blame the Resistance on the death of the Leader's son! 

Meanwhile, Diana also has a mole infiltrating the Resistance. A loyal Visitor, wearing the skin of Fifth Columnist Willie has been sent to spy on the L.A. chapter of the human freedom fighters and hopefully destroy it from within. 

There's some really awesome dialogue between Bron and his human guests. More kudos to Cary Bates! The front cover by Jerry Bingham is just fantastic. Though I don't remember Diana's uniform showing so much cleavage on the TV show.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

V #11

The scene shifts back to Los Angeles. Governor Nathan Bates is dead. The power vacuum as a result leads to the end of the truce agreements between Visitors and humans. The City of Angels is a hot zone again. The Resistance's base of operations, the Creole Club has been destroyed and the owner Elias is dead. Yet all of this isn't even the most interesting part of issue #11.

The leader of the Visitors, aptly named the Leader, is sending his son Bron to Earth. Bron is being groomed to one day lead the Visitors, who we discover are called Sirians. The Leader thinks it's the right time for Bron to observe a mothership during war time. Of course Diana is thrilled with the news...

On the way to the mothership, Bron's ship actually attacks Diana's escort shuttles! That's because the vessel carrying Bron is piloted by Fifth Columnists who wish to deliver the Leader's son to the Resistance! Damaged in the skirmish, Bron's Visitor captors perished in a fiery crash, well short of Resistance forces. 

By a strange twist of fate (or a touch of convenient script writing), Willie and Donovan come across the stasis tube containing Bron. Julie and Elizabeth, the Star Child, see an opportunity to show Bron the best humanity has to offer. While Diana, as much as she hates having to play babysitter, hates the wraith of the Leader even more. Sending out a rescue party, members of the Resistance flee with Bron while the story ends with Fifth Column member Willie being captured by Lydia!

I've already read the whole series. So, I'm a bit behind on my reviews. But the Bron storyline which begins here, is perhaps the most memorable and well written plot of this comic book series! Cary Bates did a commendable job on this one. Too bad he didn't win any awards for his work with V, especially the next 3-4 issues. He really, really deserved to have!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #10

Issue #10 begins with one of the best covers of the entire series. Rival leaders of the Visitors Diana and Lydia stand in front of a white background, swiss-cheesed with bullet holes. Lydia is using the bar code box as a prop to rest one of her legs on. Diana is poised, ready to strike in her white commander uniform. She didn't wear that outfit for very long. But it was quite memorable. 

And those blasters! That was the coolest sci-fi laser gun of my childhood, next to Han Solo's blaster. I loved my toy version of it. When you squeezed the trigger, a little motor inside caused sparks to shoot out. It was so fun!!!

As for the material inside, there's a lot going for it and I'm not just singing Cary Bates' praises. The book feels thicker than the other issues do. Yet, the last page claims that there were 24 pages of story, which for 1985, was standard for a DC Comic. 

As mentioned with last issue, the leaders of the Resistance are in New York City on a recruitment drive. There really hasn't been much Resistance activity since the Big Apple is positioned in an area of the planet where reptiles can't survive for very long. As a result, the Visitors have focused on more sub-tropical areas to maintain a militaristic presence, such as Miami and L.A. 

However, with the coming of spring, more and more Lizards are slithering into the city that never sleeps. See the warmer it is, the less effective the Visitor poisoning agent, Red Dust, is to them. To prevent the Visitor Spring from taking place, members of the alien race who are opposed to Diana's harsh rule called the Fifth Column, are working to place a weather device atop the Empire State Building, ensuring 365 days of colder temps along the Eastern Seaboard. 

While the Resistance works to getting this gadget in place, Visitor Walter, in a human disguise, has found Mike Donovan. Under the false impression that Donovan is Diana's secret human lover, Walter is ready to turn the Resistance leader into reptile chow. Now Donovan must play the role of bait in order to keep Walter and the Visitors from stumbling upon the Resistance's climate change plans or else the coast is toast!

Like I said, a ton of stuff occurs in this issue, including a cat fight of sorts between Lydia and Diana. Of course, nothing that would affect the plots of the TV show is going to come from this battle. But it's still a guilty pleasure for sure seeing these two go at it! There's nothing sexual about the rivalry between Lydia and Diana. Those antagonistic scenes were some of the best writing of one-liners and yo mama type insults in TV history!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

V #9

With the loss of Ham and Chris, who went to Chicago to protect Robin from Visitor scientists, the Los Angeles Resistance is looking pretty sparse. So Julie and Donovan head to the Big Apple for a recruitment drive. Only, with the Big Apple being smack dab in the middle of the safe zone created from the use of the Red Dust, none of the locals feel that the Visitors are a threat to the New Yorker way of life. 

Meanwhile, the drama is heating up on Diana's mothership. On the TV show, Diana was about to be forced into marrying a Visitor high-up named Charles. Should Diana wed, ancient custom would require her to have to go back to the Visitor homeworld and become a breeder for her race's glorious Leader. This would have allowed rival Lydia to become the new leader of the Earth contingent of Visitors. But Lydia was also in love with Charles and secretly poisoned Diana's ceremonial wedding chalice; which Diana switched with Charles!

So now Charles is dead. Lydia is in mourning. And Diana is coming out smelling like a rose as the widowed bride-to-be. Lydia is also planning revenge on Diana and it somehow involves a behemoth of a Visitor named Walter who has a giant crush on the Visitor leader. He thinks Diana is his! With Lydia pulling on Walter's heartstrings, the second-in-command hopes to kill two birds with one stone: Diana and Resistance leader, Mike Donovan!

Bates is Back. Infantino is on the cover. As is DeZuniga. It definitely looks like a mix of Infantino's classic style with touches that seem out of place. Once again, I am thinking Tony Dezuniga was needed to help Infantino stay on top of the demands of a hectic schedule brought about from age and CRISIS. 

Regardless, this was a great story. Too bad the TV show and this book didn't succeed. I think if both readers and viewers had known that the series and the comic were complementary of each other, it might have kept V on for another season and maybe given us 8-10 more issues of the comic. Oh, the mind boggles at the possibilities.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #6

On the Visitor mothership, a doublecross is afoot! Under the guise of a peace conference between humans and Visitors, Diana has drugged an ardent representative of the human race named Earl Meagan. If it sounds an awful lot like Carl Sagan, give yourself a cookie! This advocate for peace is a Sagan archetype, even to the point of being an astronomer.

Anyways, Diana plans to brainwashed Meagan in her torturous conversion chamber to make him pro-Visitor. While at the same time, Meagan has a miniature nuclear bomb implanted in his neck and it's primed to go off shortly.

Julie and Donovan plan a rescue aboard the mothership. Though, if they'd just wait a little bit, their Visitor problems would be eradicated. Although, I can see where if you kill off Diana, then another, more deadlier leader might rise to power and make things much worse for the human race. 

Meanwhile, Ham and Chris are initiating plans to shut down the Visitor food processing plant. As I mentioned, earlier, the visitors were force feeding humans in a twisted twist on the term 'fat farm.' Visitor scientists are also conducting sickening experiments on humans too. But thanks to Ham and Chris, these researchers from another world are about to get their just desserts.

The interior of this issue claims that Carmine Infantino has returned. Yet, the artwork looks more like that of Infantino assistant Tony DeZuniga. Plus, Infantino isn't listed on the front cover. So, I'm not ready to proclaim his return to this series just yet. 

Still scripting V: The Comic Book is Cary Bates. He's doing on heck of a job. Sure, it's been decades since I last saw the TV show. Yet, what I remember from that series seems to gel quite well with what I remember. Except for 1 thing. Chris only appeared in a couple of episodes of V's TV series. One was a Christmas episode in which a main character died. I'm not complaining that Chris is here. I'm actually glad he is as Chris was one of my favorite characters. I'm just pointing out one way the comic and the show varies.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #2

Remember in Return of the Jedi, where Han, Chewie, Leia and Luke use a stolen shuttle-craft in order to sneak past Imperial forces to land on Endor? Well, so far in this series, the members of the Resistance have managed to steal a Visitor shuttle and have been using it to infiltrate areas of the country possessed by the Reptiles. Unfortunately, on the ship's maiden voyage, the engines crap out leaving Resistance leaders Julie and Donovan to crash land near a small farming community. 

Thinking that they are in the hands of allies, this town is actually fond of the Visitors! Needing parts to make repairs, Donovan and Julie head into the village and promptly find themselves imprisoned and being held for the Visitors who will make their regular pilgrimage of technological benefits, such as the use of chemicals to purify the local hot springs. 

As readers wonder about the mystery of this small town and just what the Visitors ulterior motives are, the action shifts to the coast off of Catalina. Resistance members Ham Tyler and his partner Chris Farber are in need of a boat. The ship they steal happens to be full of drug runners! With a Visitor assault squad on their tail, at least Ham and Chris can benefit from all the guns and grenades on board!

Issue #2 is another triumph from Cary Bates! The artwork by Carmine Infantino is great. It doesn't really look like any of the actors that play the characters. But then again, Infantino never really tried to recreate likenesses. Awesome cover of a Visitor revealing his true nature in more ways than one by Eduardo Barreto!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #1

In 1983-84, I was in Kindergarten. One of the cultural events that a lot of classmates were rabid about was the NBC sci-fi miniseries V and V: The Final Battle. I was among them! 

The minis were about a race of aliens called the Visitors, that arrived on earth under the guise of peace. However, under their human-like flesh lives a reptilian race of scavengers that see our planet as a mini-mart. At the end of The Final Battle, the human race released a germ known as 'Red Dust' into the atmosphere to kill off the Visitors. 

Not all the Visitors were evil. Those who supported the human race were known as the Fifth Column. They were vaccinated against the Red Dust. For some reason or another, the germ warfare wasn't as powerful on the temperate areas of the planet. So, those areas remained under Visitor occupation.

Areas such as central Los Angeles, became designated truce zones, much like Rick's American Cafe in Casablanca. This allows for Visitors and members the earth's Resistance forces to interact, scheme and play deadly games of cloak & dagger. Diana, the Visitor leader, operates out of a mothership in orbit above this region, seeking to finally conquer this planet. Aiding her is the billionaire pharmaceutical tycoon Nathan Bates, who uses the power vacuum of the past war to take over California while assimilating Visitor tech.

Thankfully the first issue of this DC Comic adaptation does an amazing job of providing all this information. While I've seen the two miniseries within the past couple of years, I've not seen the TV show since its first days of airing in 1984-85. I love V and I used to have these books, along with a couple of toy guns and the coveted Visitor action figure when I was younger. The comics I was able to find for basically a dollar each or less and the fun I had from the franchise as a kid was just as rabid as it was 40 some years ago. 

Laying the frame work, I am excited to dig through this 18 issue run. Featuring a script by Cary Bates with artwork by the legendary Carmine Infantino, things are poised for full-throttle action and adventure. Oh, and of course fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Weird Western Tales #15

Up until issue #36, the former Confederate bounty hunter, Jonah Hex was the star of this Western anthology series that delved into the realm of the bizarre. But for some reason, Jonah Hex is absent from the ranks of the trio of stories that comprise this issue, #15. 

Instead, the star of this issue is a character known as El Diablo. The first DC Character to bear the moniker, El Diablo was Lazarus Lane. It's a suitable name as a lightning strike causes Lazarus to exist in a vegetative state. Brought back to life by a Native American shaman, Lazarus' body is now home to a demonic 'spirit of vengeance' (similar to The Spectre), known as El Diablo- The Devil.

In El Diablo's tale, Lazarus witnesses a lawman shot down in cold blood. He too is about to be killed when his Indian caretaker, Wise Owl, rescues him. As a result, the bad men flee. Later that night, Lane's body is over come by the spirit within him and El Diablo rides to bring this gang of murderers to justice.

The second story is about a man who kills his employer. Facing the hangman, the murderer beats the rap. Later that night at the local saloon, he confesses to the crime! Unable to retry the killer due to double jeopardy laws, the judge that presided over the case seeks a way to bring about justice. Ultimately, the stress of such a task kills the judge. However, a guilty conscience over the whole matter is now causing the outlaw to have visions of the magistrate's ghost coming to after him with a noose. 

Great twist ending.

And then we have the last story. I HATED IT! It's about a twisted travelling preacher calling himself 'Doc Satan.' The satanic minister comes to town offering not salvation but damnation! The townspeople have until midnight to make the ultimate decision: allow Doc Satan to buy their souls or suffer in eternal torment. Needless to say, the citizenry are none too happy about this threat and try to fight back. Unfortunately, the flames of hell win this battle.

I like horror stories. Monsters, ghosts, slashers and madmen. All things I can deal with. But I do not like stories involving demons and those who worship such beings. The El Diablo story wasn't my cup of tea, based on the source of where the character gets his powers. Yet, Lazarus Lane reminds me a lot of Johnny Blaze in that his role as a spirit of vengeance to the devil is unwanted. Thus, there's a bit of a moral dilemma in which the character is trying to redeem his soul. So I can tolerate such a narrative. But story number 3 was just evil, evil, evil and I did not like it!

In fact, after I completed this comic, I promptly went outside and put this book in the recycling bin. I couldn't trash it as I feel like books don't deserve to go to rot. But I also didn't want to keep this book in my house any longer than I had to!. I could have sold this book. But again, that would mean keeping the book on my premises any longer than I had to. And I did not want to gain from the profits of such a dreadful read. If you are interested in a free comic book, you've got until 10am tomorrow before the recycling truck makes it's weekly run.

By the way- I can't tell you who wrote and/or illustrated that story as there aren't any credits listed. It seems like whomever created that demonic fable didn't want to be associated with it in any way. 

As for the other contributors to this issue. Cary Bates wrote the El Diablo tale with amazing art by the late, great Neal Adams. However, that between legs from behind scene was absurd. And I don't think the physiology was right either. Gil Kane story number 2 with script by Jack Oleck (The House of Secrets).

I'm open to getting my hands on further issues from this series. They just better not have any stories that are as evil as that anonymous one or they'll end up in recycling as well!

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars

Superman #358

This 1981 issue of Superman is a gem from my childhood. While the issue I just recently read is not the one I had as a kid; it is one that when I was able to find again, I quickly snatched it up without a second thought. 

There two adventures in this issue. Let's talk about the back-up feature first. It's an imaginary tale in which instead of landing in Metropolis, baby Kal-El's rocket ship crashes on the outskirts of Gotham City. The babe is found by officer Jim Gordon and delivered to the Wayne's where they raised the boy as Bruce Wayne. 

In a reality where the Waynes were never killed by Joe Chill, this Bruce Wayne isn't ruled by vengeance. This Bruce is a mild-mannered rare book dealer by day. At night, Wayne assists a now Commissioner Gordon in a war against law and order as Superman: The Last Son of Krypton!

This back-up feature lasted for a few issues. But it didn't really take-off. However, the concept was explored deeper in the Elseworlds title, Superman: Speeding Bullets.

Now let's look at the main feature. Clark Kent visits a classroom of Metropolis students where he tells them of an adventure of the Man of Steel. Superman encounters a powerful being that resembles a giant sunflower. This being is the male equal of Mother Nature and is unhappy with how his mate allows life to evolve on planet Earth! Father Nature plans to do something drastic about it. But he'll have to get rid of Superman, who stands in his way, first!

This was an odd tale by Cary Bates and Curt Swan. I loved the artwork. It was as vivid and exciting as I remember as a kid. But I now find it odd that Clark Kent would tell a bunch of fifth graders that they are the product of alien experimentation on our planet millions of years ago. I also find it unusual that the kiddies don't find Clark's revelation all that faith-shattering. Is there a missing Superman #358.5 in which Clark Kent has to explain his actions to an angry group of PTA parents? 

One thing really cool about this story is the kids themselves. There's a blond haired boy named Alec and a pig-tailed girl named Alanna. If the names and descriptions sound familiar, that's because the pair starred in a series of Radio Shack comics as the TRS-80 Computer Whiz Kids (AKA the Tandy Computer Whiz Kids)

Clark Kent mentions to himself of having met Alec and Alanna before as Superman. So this is one of the first appearances of the Whiz Kids. More than likely, it's probably their second ever appearance and first canon appearance in the DC Universe as the Radio Shack stories have never really been considered 'official DC tales.'

This was a nostalgic look at my comic book filled childhood. It featured an interesting take on the Superman/Batman mythos. Plus there were unexpected guest stars from another comic series of my youth. Maybe not the best Superman comic book of all-time but it is definitely one of my favs!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Justice League of America, Volume 6

Another great collection of Justice League of America issues.

This one introduces Earth-X; the earth in which Hitler and the Nazis won World War II. Back are Golden Age great like Uncle Sam, The Human Bomb, and the Phantom Lady.

Plus witness the return of several founding members of the Justice League. While most of these returns are just for an issue or two temporary team-up, there is one exciting return that actually sticks around! 

Featuring some of the most interesting and creative story lines of the Justice League, such as when writers Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggin, and editor Julie Schwartz become the stars of one of their very own Justice League story. 

And for one very short period of time, witness the beginnings of Dick Giordano's amazing run on this title. He only pencils a couple of issues (and the art is so freakin' good), but it's a hint of what's in store for later issues of this series, one of my all-time favorites. 

Speaking of later issues, this volume ended quite sadly for me. Or at least bittersweet. This is the final volume of Showcase Presents: Justice League of America. Since this is a later edition, unless DC would ever consider revitalizing this dynamic series, the publisher more than likely is going to start over at issue #1. 

The good thing is that there's well over a hundred individual issues out there for me still to read. But it will take time (and I suspect a nice chunk of change) in order to obtain them all. Oh, don't worry, their now on my wish list and I'm ready for the hunt to begin.

A much better collection than volume 5. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Silverblade #4

    In the last issue, a seance gone horribly wrong resulted in the death of a family in the Hollywood hills. Used in the ceremony was an old costume of deceased actor Brian Vane's. During the late 60s, Vane was a crimefighter called the Winged Avenger. Like TV's Batman, the show was hokey but it was a camp classic. It was also the last series Vane worked on when he killed himself so it's the perfect conductor to summon the actor's spirit. Only, the man leading the seance, an elderly Native American named Blackfeather had other intentions and used the costume to become the vessel for a malevolent entity called the Executioner. 

    Now, the Executioner in the guise of the Winged Avenger is wreaking havoc over the skyline of Hollywood. Thankfully, there's Jonathan Lord to the rescue. In the form of his most famous character, the Silver Blade, Lord is currently a fierce gargoyle with the ability to flying. Which is perfect, since the Winged Avenger can fly too! 

   Another really good chapter in a maxi-series that I think is finally going somewhere. Obviously, the Executioner is an enemy of the Falcon spirit and the Falcon sensing that someone was about to unleash it, bestowed special powers on Jonathan Lord in hopes he'll combat it. But only when the Winged Avengers tries to kill friends of the former actor, does Jonathan finally take action. 

   Speaking of action, this issue was jammed packed with it. The aerial scenes between the two flying combatants were some of the most visually stunning this side of Spidey taking on the Green Goblin or even the Vulture. Gene Colan shows that he truly is a master in those pages.

    Another neat feature starting to pop up in the issues are bits of articles, selected filmographies, and important documents that shed a little light on the characters in this story. Those extras help to make this story seem like it was plucked right from the Hollywood tabloids and I suspect that Alan Moore borrowed this concept in his numerous 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' series. (He was working at DC at the time of this book's publication, so it is possible. But if I have offended Mr. Moore for this suggestion, I do apologize.)

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Silverblade #3

   For the past two issues, a demented filmmaker has been trying to kill Jonathan Lord and his 'son', who is actually Jonathan blessed with some mysterious powers to made him decades younger. Well, for someone near and bear to him, the third time will be the charm as yet another group of hired assassins attacks Lord's compound of Shangri-la. Yet another twist in a series that I haven't got a clue as to where's it's headed, I'm really enjoying this series. 

    The book starts with a whole family being murdered during a seance, then Lord and his new girlfriend are called in to investigate, and then when you think this is going to become a supernatural thriller, the movie turns into Lethal Weapon with hire goons reaping major carnage on the shores of Malibu.

 One other interesting turn has Lord's manservant, Milestone, being harassed by a group of spirits. First is the mystical entity that was inside the Maltese Falcon statue that gave Lord his magic powers. The second is that of Brian Vane, a fellow actor on the original Silver Blade with Lord and Milestone. Vane witnessed the seance attack as it took place in the very house in which he committed suicide. This ghost knows who killed the family and now armed with the Falcon Spirit and a former colleague, Silverblade is on the hunt for the two pairs of killers- one human and one otherworldly. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars
   

Silverblade #2

   Jonathan Lord just received a slew of new super powers. He's got the ability to become any of the characters he played in his lengthy acting career. He also gains their abilities, too! And he just got younger by about 40 years. But instead of becoming a superhero, Jonathan does what most of us would do- he uses his powers for himself.

    First on his list is to arrive at a high-profile movie premiere and announce to the world that Jonthan Lord, Jr is gunning for the lead role in the Silver Blade remake! Along with becoming the envy of the Hollywood elite and scoring with a hot babe reporter, J Lord, Jr. has also become a target of the same villain who tried to kill him in the first issue. And he's using a man dressed as the sam duck-faced killer in the movie premiere to do they job left unfinished at Lord's Shangri-la compound.

   Having Lord be more selfish than trying to help his fellow man was kinda refreshing. Instead of the typical superhero fodder, the act of having the main character be more interested in reviving his career and sow some oats means that I, the reader, am in for an unexpected wild ride.

   I can't wait for what happens next. But I do hope it gets somewhere understandable quick.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Silverblade #1

  Jonathan Lord had it all- good looks, a lucrative movie career, ladies, fame, and fortune. Bad decisions, vices, and age have caused Jonathan to loose just about everything except his mansion Shangri-la and a modest nest egg, thanks to his most famous role the Silver Blade, which is due to be a blockbuster at movie theatres next summer. Now, a virtual recluse, Lord stays in his private screening room, watching his younger self on screen over and over.

    Jonathan's butler Bobby Milestone, is a former child actor who starred in the Silver Blade with Jonathan. Unable to find work, Milestone ended up becoming Jonathan's butler. As a hobby, Milestone collects replicas of the Maltese Falcon which he finds at memorabilia shops around Hollywood. Looking to rob Shangri-la for a big pay day and possible snuff out Lord on the side, Milstone's collection is destroyed by a pair of thugs. 

   Yet, when one of his newest acquisitions that winds up being the actual Maltese Falcon, breaks on impact, the former movie legend is blessed with magical powers of a all-consuming flame that bathes Jonathan. Now with the ability to become any of the characters he portrayed on screen and suddenly 40 years younger, what will Jonathan Lord do with his new lease on life?

    I had seen ads for this maxi-series from 1987-88 since I started collecting comics again in 2007. But it wasn't until a year ago that I finally found several of these issues at a comic book store in Asheville. It took a few more months but I finally completed this collection and was ready to read it and then I got busy reading other stuff. That was until I came across an ad in an old issue of something from DC and it sparked my interest to give this series a go.

    The first chapter starts off slow. But I assume that will 11 more issues, the build-up in introducing the major players was sorely needed. Once the robbers attack Lord's compound, the story, written by Cary Bates (Justice League of America, Superman), really took off. Next thing I know it, the story says 'to be continued' and I've reached the back cover. 

   The art team behind this series is an all-star group of some of the best talents in DC Comics history. Gene Colan, Joe Orlando, Anthony Tollin, and Klaus Johnson are just a handful of the talented artists that worked on this series. Oh, if only this was the 90s and I could've gotten this issue signed. Man, that would've been a treasure.

   Not bad for an opening chapter. It shows promise. I just expect a lot more in issue #2.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.