Danger Street, Vol. 1

Tom King, who's an amazing writer, is known for taking some beloved B-list characters from the DC Universe and destroying our childhood notions of them. Case in point: Mister Miracle. Second case in point: Adam Strange. In Danger Street, King dips deep into DC lore with a series that was so unthinkable when it debuted, it really confused a lot of readers and was cancelled pretty darn quick.

Carmine Infantino had the brilliant idea of releasing an anthology series of only first issues. In 1975, First Issue Special released a baker's dozen of issues that introduced readers to all-new concepts such as the Dingbats of Danger Street as well as tried and true DC characters such as Metamorpho and Doctor Fate. Tom King takes all 13 of those characters and teams and creates a unique story filled with intrigue, murder, conspiracy and humor. It unlike anything you've ever encountered in the DC Universe and probably never will.

Metamorpho, Starman and Warlord are all hoping for spots in the Justice League of America. Despite their own heroic exploits over the years, it seems to this trio that they've really got to capture the attention of the League in order to score an invitation. So using the helmet of Doctor Fate and a spell, the heroes decide to summon Darkseid to Earth and subdue him for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Instead, what comes through the portal is a force so destructive and so terrible that when it dies, it threatens the existence of all of the known universe.

Meanwhile, reporter Jack Ryder has been hired to anchor a new 24-hour news channel owned by the boy billionaires, the Green Team. They want Ryder to blame the rise in crime and violence on a mysterious group known as the Outsiders. However, when Ryder in his Creeper form, witnesses an attack on an immigrant by anti-Outsider supporters and it's blamed on the Green Team pariahs, the anchor man will begin to investigate a conspiracy that could destroy the very foundation of the DC Universe!

You might be wondering why I would be willing to read more from Tom King despite how he destroyed some really great characters. Well, he is a good writer. Plus, the inclusion of the New Gods was something that I just couldn't overlook. Besides, this is a Black Label title, so it's not canon. If I end up hating this book I can just say it didn't happen, which is one of the things that makes the DC Black Label line so appealing. They leave the validity of these stories up to the fans as whether they are canonical or not. 

The art was good. It wasn't by Mitch Gerads, Tom King's usual artist. But it was good. By Jorge Fornes, it had the quality of a Gerads work but with nostalgic nuances to it.

There's still a second volume to read. So the jury isn't out yet. I love how all these characters from an obscure 70s anthology of which I am a fan of,  have all been tossed together in this story. I like the surprises that have awaited inside. That one scene with Darkseid; I never saw it coming in a million years and yet it was so perfect. But I am not a fan of the narrator who weaves this story like a very complicated fairy tale written in iambic pentameter or so other archaic pride. Just give me the story in modern jargon please.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #4 (3rd Series)

This is it. The last issue of Super Powers, series 3. The last issue of Super Powers based on the original Kenner toy line. The last hurrah. 

Depowered by the intergalactic bounty hunter Tyr, Darkseid fled to Earth, got his butt kicked by a pair of human punks and ended up in the gutter. About as low as he can go, Darkseid searched for the New God scientist who was responsible for Golden Pharaoh and Samurai coming into being. Before killing the researcher Darkseid forced him into restoring his Omega force. Instead, the device used in the experiment overloaded changing Darkseid into Janus!

That's right! The very same Janus who saved the Justice League in the last issue, is in reality deposed despot of Apokolips, Darkseid. And now with the League in tow, Janus has arrived on Apokolips in hopes of regaining the throne. To do that involves  Janus helping Orion and Mister Miracle to restore order to the war torn planet in the throes of a massive civil war.

This issue ends with the heroes emerging victorious. Order on Apokolips is restored. Janus is accepted by Orion as an ally as the pair walk off into the sunset. End of issue.

When Darkseid would reappear a couple years later, he's the leader of Apokolips again. It's like Hunger Dogs and Super Powers never happened. Jack Kirby intended for the Hunger Dogs graphic novel to be the ending to his Fourth World saga. Kirby didn't write this Super Powers miniseries. So it's very possible that Kirby had no intention for this twist ending with Janus becoming a wolf in sheep's clothing ally to his son, Orion. It's the kind of dangling plot lines that drives me crazy with comics. Yet, because of how money driven the entertainment industry is with the fickle nature of editors and producers cancelling projects before ever getting to the end, it's a pet peeve that never seems will ever stop.

A great ending. I just need the rest of the story! 38 years and waiting...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #2 (3rd Series)

In the last issue, 3 all-new super heroes were introduced. The question was were they friend or foe? Well, don't worry. They're all friends and in my opinion, part of the reason why Kenner's Super Powers line faded into oblivion.

The first new hero is Samurai. Technically, Samurai is new only to comics. Issue #1 of Super Powers, Vol. 3 marked the Alex Toth created character to readers. However, if you were a regular viewer of Saturday morning cartoons, then you might have been introduced to the character as part of The All-New Super Friends Hour.

Hero #2 is Golden Pharaoh. A British archaeologist excavating an Egyptian pyramid, the New Gods created him along with Samurai when they shot that beam of energy that Tyr intercepted in the last issue. Even with his magical staff and the ability to fly, the Golden Pharaoh still doesn't quite understand the extent of his abilities to the level Samurai does.

Hero #3 is the android Cyclotron. Built by Superman, his super computer brain has knowledge of every superhero and villain known to exist. Cyclotron is a lot like Superman's super androids. Only instead of looking like the Man of Steel, he wears a green helmet and wears ruby shades. I would have liked it if Kenner had made him look like Superman but with his removable outer shell that reveals Cyclotron's robotic interior.

As for this issue, in terms of plot progression, we learn about the 3 mystery characters, Tyr kidnaps Mister Freeze via a Boom Tube in order to free Darkseid from his puzzle-like prison, and Mister Miracle and Orion start to see the power vacuum left by Darkseid's upheaval starting to fracture the delicate peace earned from the revolt.

If anybody had Tyr betraying Kalibak and Steppenwolf and stealing Darkseid's remaining Omega energies to make himself into a demigod on their bingo card, consider yourself lucky. I sure didn't see that coming. But to see Darkseid flee to Earth and get mugged by a pair of human punks was so satisfying!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #1 (3rd Series)

Unlike the previous two miniseries, where all young readers needed was a rudimentary knowledge of the characters and vehicles being highlighted in the Kenner toy show, with the beginning of series 3, you'll be required to have done some homework. The story opens after the events of DC Graphic Novel #4: The Hunger Dogs. Despite being a huge fan of Kirby's Fourth World, I've not read that book. Being in my mid- forties, I'm able to figure out what's happened between the ending of Super Powers, Vol. 2 issue #6 and Hunger Dogs.

The citizens of Apokolips have deposed Darkseid. The former ruler has lost his Omega beam powers and impotently resides in a prison complex personally designed by Mister Miracle. Darkseid's son, Orion, has arrived to ensure that the villain cannot escape or be freed by his remaining allies.

Speaking of allies, Kalibak and Steppenwolf have hired a renown bounty hunter named Tyr to free Darkseid from his prison. To do that however involves the frosty super villain, Mister Freeze who happens to be plotting a break-in at a super secret research facility on earth, light-years away. Using technology from Apokolips, Tyr uses an energy beam to given Mr. Freeze dynamic strength on par with Superman. Good thing that the Man of Steel is assisted by Firestorm along with all-new Justice Leaguers Cyborg, Plastic Man and Shazam. However, it appears that Freeze is too much for the heroes and is about to claim total victory when not one but 3 new Super Powers arrives on the scene. But are these characters friend or foe?

When it came to the new characters for Kenner's third wave of Super Powers figures, there were highs and lows. I was super excited about the additions of Plastic Man, Cyborg, Shazam and Mister Freeze. Only I never could find Cyborg or Shazam. I'm a cold weather fan, so getting a Mister Freeze was like a dream come true. Though I thought the 90s reissue in which the figure turned blue when you put him in ice was way cooler. I didn't know who Tyr was. So I never got him. Same with Orion. Mister Miracle was a character that I knew a little bit about and I remember having a figure of him. As for those mystery characters, more on them in my review of issue #2.

The biggest crime of wave 3 was the lack of mini comics. That had been such a bonus when you bought the figures from the first two waves. Another penalty was the promise of a playset representing Darkseid's fortress. It was scrapped due to the warning popularity of the toy line. However, you can get an inside look of what might have been with the scenes inside and out of Darkseid's jail as it looks exactly like that abandoned playset.

A good read. Just not geared towards kids who were at the time the primary consumers of Super Powers. I think the more adult approach was just another reason why this would be the franchise's swan song until a recent revival by Todd McFarland.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #6

Location: Darkseid's lunar fortress

Event: a battle royale between the heroes of the Justice League and the villainous New Gods of Apokolips.

Reason: the fate of the earth stands in the balance.

So you're probably thinking, how are these characters all fighting on the moon? Only Superman, Green Lantern and maybe Wonder Woman have the ability to survive in space without oxygen. Turns out that Darkseid's fortress is located in an abandoned section of the moon that contains breathable air. In other words, this is the old celestial sanctuary of the Inhumans from the Marvel universe!

The idea behind Kirby's Fourth World was that the Norse and Greek gods established by the King when he worked over at the House of Ideas had faded away. Here to stay was the benevolent citizens of New Genesis and the wretched inhabitants of Apokolips. Kirby often placed elements of his fallen Marvel creations in the pages of his Fourth World works. If I'm not mistaken, Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield are seen in the opening scene of New Gods #1, depicting the last battleground of the old gods. Here, In the last issue of Super Powers, Volume 2, Kirby has destroyed the Inhumans or at least had them retreat in disgrace from the mighty presence that is Darkseid.

The action was good. Although, there was too much banter, especially from the heroes during the battle for my tastes. The betrayal of Desaad was great. However, I felt that the ending of the first Super Powers series was much better. This one was kinda abrupt and lacked some of that smoothness in terms of pacing.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #5

Superman and Firestorm have actually succeed in destroying the Doom Seed in Italy. The secret is to not travel back to the present day via the pod. However, Darkseid's plan can still work if 4 of the seeds survive. Thus it's up to Batman, Robin and The Flash to eliminate another seed. It's a good thing that the Flash can build up enough speed to travel through time. Only, their trip through time will be anything but a cake walk as instead of going into the past, the heroes wind up in the future; one where Darkseid has conquered the Earth. 

Having the Man of Steel and the Nuclear Man killing one of the seeds adds an element of suspense to this issue. Without the plot device of needing 2 of the 5 seeds to be deactivated, anything Batman, Robin and the Flash do in this issue would be moot points. It still doesn't really matter as there is still 1 issue left of this miniseries. 

One thing I am missing from this volume as opposed to the previous Super Powers comic are the original quartet of villains. I really would like to see the Joker, Penguin, Lex Luthor and Brainiac involved somehow. However, since we saw them on the side of the heroes by series end, I think Darkseid would just smite them with his Omega Beams if he saw those 'traitors' again. Plus, having the 4 villains teaming once again with the Justice League would have diminished that awesome twist. Still, by not having some Earth bound DC villains in this book, whether they were figures in the Kenner toy line-up or not, takes away from the childlike wonder of the Super Powers brand. 

As much of a fan of Kirby's Fourth World, the biggest misstep in the short history of Super Powers was focus on Darkseid and his forces instead of producing more recognizable and more relatable baddies like Catwoman, Sinestro and Bizarro. Had the focus been different, we probably would be seeing the line run another 3 or 4 more years. Not creating all-new characters for the toy line was misstep #2. More on that when I review Volume 3!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #4

Superman and Firestorm wind up in Ancient Rome thanks to the Doom Seed taking root in the heart of modern Italy.

Meanwhile, the Martian Manhunter infiltrates Darkseid's lunar fortress in hopes of dismantling the technology that is powering the seeds. Despite using his invisibility powers, the despot of Apokolips is able to detect the Manhunter's presence. Darkseid warns that any interference with Desaad's computers will result in the automatic destruction of the Earth. It's clearly a bluff on Darkseid's part. Unfortunately the stakes are too great for J'onn J'onnz to risk it.

So instead of the series ending before Batman, Robin and The Flash get a chance to destroy the seed they've been tasked with, we're going to get 2 more issues of the Justice League Vs. The New Gods of Apokolips. I'm not complaining. But just once I'd like to see the good guys call Darkseid's bluff and see the villain kinda crumble in utter disappointment. 

Sure, the ending would have been anticlimactic. Yet you couldn't argue that it was an ending nobody saw coming. Not even the antagonists.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #1 (2nd Series)

Picking up from his defeat in Super Powers #5, Darkseid is more determined than ever to conquer the Earth!

Thanks to the scheming underling Desaad, Darkseid has unleashed 5 bio-engineered seeds that will burrow through the Earth's crust. Once the seeds reach the molten core, our planet's magma will flood the surface, creating a new Apokolips!

Armed with a new assortment of allies, the Justice League breaks up into 5 teams in hopes of destroying these seeds before they reach the Earth. Firestorm, Dr. Fate, Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter join the original Super Powers lineup in order to stop Darkseid's plan. It's a global tour not to be missed!

Already off the bat, everything feels right about this series. All of the heroes make some sort of contribution. Albeit, most are rather small. Yet unlike the last series, it doesn't take 3 issues for Wonder Woman to actually say something and she's operating in the present and not in a theoretical situation. 

As for the villains, only Darkseid, Desaad and a couple of minor minions appear in the first issue. But I'm okay with that as that ensures an element of surprise when the heroes go to stop those destructive seed pods from taking root.

Paul Kupperberg is on scripting duties with Jack Kirby plotting and on art!!! Kupperberg is a writer that loves comics, and from the brief couple of times I met him, he also seems to have fun doing it! It really shows here. There's just such a different vibe with this series. I know it's early. However, I really feel like I'm in for a treat with this book as things are off to a heck of a start compared to that uneven start to issue #1 of series #1.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #5

The first Super Powers miniseries comes to a close with a double sized spectacular not just plotted by written and illustrated by the King, Jack Kirby!

First, the Justice League find themselves along with their biggest foes attached to a gigantic machine designed to sap their powers in order to fuel Darkseid's war machine. Then a forgotten New God frees both the heroes and villains, placing them in Brainiac's vessel in a final counterattack against Darkseid's forces. Add in a time warp or two. A look at the Metropolis of the year 10,000. Boom! You've got one heck of a great finale to a story that was really having a rough start.

My favorite part was having Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Joker and Penguin becoming good guys. I love how it's okay if they try to take over the world. But if someone else from another galaxy tries to do it then it's game on for becoming a hero. To see Batman and the Joker not just working together, but complementing each other- AS FRIENDS! It's just bizarre. Something that I've never seen before. 

I Love it!

Actually, I have kinda seen it before. In the final episode of Justice League Unlimited, the Justice League combines forces with the members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains to repel the onslaught of Darkseid and Apokolips. I thought that episode was great, especially with the ending where after defeating Darkseid, Batman rewards the baddies for their heroic efforts with a 5 minute head start before the Justice League apprehends them. That doesn't quite happen here. But thanks to Kirby's deft touch, the last couple of pages were things of beauty.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #4

The Amazons may have been defeated. But Brainiac isn't done yet! With his de-evolutionizing abilities given to him by warriors from Apokolips, the android villain uses it on Superman, turning him into the Caveman of Steel! 

Most of this issue is the Justice League trying to contain Superman and failing miserably. Green Lantern's power ring allows Superman to return to normal. However, the Kryptonian has to stay inside GL's force field or he returns to his primal self. Still, with this small hindrance, the now complete forces of Super Powers characters, minus Robin who is on patrol duty in the JLA satellite, looks to give Brainiac the beating he so richly deserves. 

AND THEN DARKSEID ARRIVES! 

With how Kirby has set the players on the board and the fact that he's not just plotting the story in issue #5, but also writing and drawing the whole shebang, I can't wait to see what is in store for the finale!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Super Powers #2

After seeing success in the previous issue, Lex Luthor and the Penguin both get greedy in exerting their new powers over their foes in the Justice League and wind up failing miserably. (They've both now been marooned to a neither dimension, awaiting their fate based on their defeats.) Brainiac hasn't yet gotten to Earth yet, so the jury is still out on his performance with powers on loan from Darkseid.

The Joker is the only villain earning the praises of Darkseid's quartet of warriors. Having banished Batman, Robin and Hawkman to limbo, where they are being tortured, the fractured brain of the Clown Prince of Crime seems ideal for the many torments he's subjected his arch enemies to. But he might have gone too far in adding Superman and Lois Lane to the mix!

Of the 8 heroic members of the original Super Powers line-up, once again, Wonder Woman is noticeably absent from the action. Brainiac plans to use her as the generalissimo of an Amazonian army that will take over the world in order to ready our planet for Darkseid's arrival. Brainiac is present on maybe 2 pages of this book. 3 tops. But he's a passive player at the moment. Princess Diana appears in maybe 1 panel of those pages. Of a 24 page book! 

I know that Wonder Woman is going to feature heavily in the next issue. But is her absence from the first half of this miniseries been due to saving up for her big scene? Or was Jack Kirby, Joey Cavalieri OR BOTH, just not a big fan of Wonder Woman? 

So far, things have been really uneven in this, the first Super Powers miniseries. The key to the success of predecessor comic Justice League of America was equally splitting the team up into equitable sequences of action. We're 50% through this story and so far only 75% of the villains and 87.5% of the heroes have done enough to earn a participation trophy in terms of progressing the plot. I remember not being a fan of this series as a kid, considering how great the toy line and the mini comics were. I'm at a loss as to why things don't seem to be pandering out so well, especially since this is a Kirby production.

Maybe it gets better in the third act.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #1 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

While Jack Kirby created a sizable chunk of the mythos of the comic book industry, he was not very well compensated for it. Some of that was because of how poorly comic book creators were paid for their work. That was the result of being employed in a young industry that didn't have copyright protections yet built in for its workers. A bit was due to poor business arrangements made by Kirby himself, as he was constantly trying to provide for his wife and children. Getting fast bored on his projects didn't help matters for Kirby much either. Sadly, a large portion was because others publicly proclaimed themselves the sole creative genius behind the characters that were like childhood friends to comic book collectors such as myself. 

1984's Super Powers Collection was one of the few times in Jack Kirby's illustrative career that he received both royalties and long overdue credit for some of his DC Comics creations. While the original team of villains were Brainiac, Lex Luthor, The Penguin and The Joker, both DC and toy manufacturer Kenner sought to add some heft to the toy line. However, the majority of Generation X kids weren't very familiar with Darkseid and his Apokolips cronies. Aside from a 1982 story arc starring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Darkseid hadn't really made that many appearances in comics since Kirby left DC in 1975.

Needing to get kids introduced to the New Gods characters, DC Comics released the first of 3 mini series devoted to the Super Powers Collection toy line produced by Kenner. In the first issue, Darkseid oversees a battle royale of his best foot soldiers. The quartet that remains are dubbed on the cover of this issue as 'The Disciples of Doom.' These fighters are given portions of the leader of Apokolips' power and ordered to invade Earth. 

To claim Earth in the name of Darkseid will not be an easy task as a band of super heroes led by Superman and Batman protects the planet from threats both terrain and extraterrestrial. Each newly empowered warrior selects an arch enemy of the Justice League to carry out their invasion orders. Lex Luthor is given the power to manipulate time. The Penguin gets the ability to control birds and to control minds; whereas the Joker is allowed to alter reality in his own warped image. The fourth villain bestowed new abilities is Brainiac. He is tempted with the chance to devolve a population into their most bestial selves in hopes that they might conquer the world through brutal force. However, the android baddie is in another solar system and cannot enact his part of Darkseid's plan until he re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

The first wave of Super Powers had 12 action figures total. 11 of those characters have active parts in the first issue. Wonder Woman is shown as part of Brainiac's plan to conquer Earth, as the race selected for the robot's experiment are the Amazons of Paradise Island. Other than a single page of hypothetical, the Themysciran Princess is notably absent from this issue.

Jack Kirby penciled the cover and crafted the plot which Joey Cavalieri scripted. Adrian Gonzales' pencils were inked by Pablo Marcos. Ben Oda lettered. 

Essentially a 24-page promotional comic for the Kenner line, the inside cover features a full color ad of the original 12 figure line-up with an action shot of a Superman action figure punching the lights out of an illustrated Lex Luthor in his iconic green and purple armor. 

Completing this review completes Task #27 (Based on a Toy Line) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1

This is a book that I've seen numerous times online, having been purchased by others. Yet, I never once found it in the wild. Man, would such posts make me jealous! So you can be sure when I finally did get a chance to buy a copy, I promptly declared it was mine and added it to my pull pile.

This X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover continues the Phoenix Saga. But the main baddie chosen for this story is one that just seems unlikely. Darkseid, in yet another attempt to bring his Anti-Life Equation to fruition, has traded some powerful tech with the morally ambiguous Metron. Yet, up until 1982, when this book was published, the New Gods of Apokolips were never considered to be major foes of the Teen Titans. Yes, Deathstroke, the Terminator is involved in this plot. But he's a hired hand of Darkseid's and not the mastermind behind everything. I guess writer Chris Claremont (X-Men Vs. Dracula) really needed a powerful villain in order to bring Jean Grey back from the dead. 

That resurrection isn't a spoiler. You can see that Dark Phoenix has returned on the cover! The real mystery that I won't spoil, is whether or not the entity that has returned is Jean Grey or not. 

The most interesting thing about this story was how both the X-Men and Teen Titans exist in the same universe. I was expecting some sort of inter-dimensional tear in the fabric of reality bringing the two biggest sellers of DC and Marvel together. But I had forgotten that Superman and Spider-Man were a part of the same shared universe in their crossovers in the 1970s. 

It would be a dozen years before DC and Marvel would produce another crossover. The 90s were full of them because Marvel was close to folding and needed the sales boost such epic meetings brought with them. Nowadays, the Marvel and DC universes seem as far apart as the East is from the West. But I know in my heart that the boundary between both worlds is separated by the mere width of a single page. 

Featuring art by Walt Simonson (Fantastic Four) with inks by Terry Austin and a roster of over a dozen A-list characters, this epic was a true all-star event. Considering how beloved this book was and the fact that a reprint was issued in the mid-90s, I can't believe that it took me over 40 years to find my copy! Was it worth the wait? Visually- yes! But the story gets a little busy and Claremont really tries too tug too tight on the heart strings with Scott Summers in terms of the return of the Dark Phoenix. That overtly soap opera feel of the Uncanny X-Men is what put me off that series after a while and the book's ending sure does get soapy... I mean sappy.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

New Gods #7 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The 1995-97 run of New Gods was the fourth volume to bear the name of Jack Kirby's cosmic creation. Tom Peyer (The Wrong Earth) and Rachel Pollack (Doom Patrol) were assigned duties to bring the residents of New Genesis and Apokolips into the 21st century. However, this gritty approach to the Fourth World wasn't met with very much fanfare. As a result, John Byrne (Fantastic Four) took over scripting duties with issue #12. At the 16th issue, the title was renamed Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Numbering was reset to #1. 

The artwork to this New Gods run was penciled by Luke Ross. Having worked on Image's Gen13, Ross must have been a student of the Rob Liefeld school of art as these New Gods have barrel chests, tiny legs and lots of extra frown lines. When John Bryne took over the series, the characters returned to more familiar Kirby-isque looking physiques.

In this issue, the New God Lightray has gone berserk and raged war against a tribe of New Genesis aboriginal peoples. This resulting plague of mania has led Highfather, the leader of New Genesis, to create a sort of sanitarium for the followers of Lightray. Only it is revealed that Highfather actually plans to maroon himself within the confines of this new structure in order to prevent an unknown prophecy from coming to fruition. 

On Apokolips, the evil Darkseid and his son Orion are locked in mortal combat. It appears that the ruler of Apokolips has finally killed the heir foretold to be his killer, thus ensuring his mortality. Yet in a bizarre change of heart, Darkseid uses his Omega powers to restore Orion to life!

This issue was definitely a product of the times. The 1990s were full of edgy storylines, overly muscled characters and something I don't ever remember seeing in any of Kirby's Fourth World books: gore and dismemberment. Darkseid at his conniving best. But the rest of the New Gods seem neutered in an age of superheroes oozing with too much testosterone.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Book You Didn't Know Existed) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Justice League of America's Vibe, Vol. 1: Breach

Next to the character of Wells and his various incarnations, my favorite character on The CW's The Flash is Cisco Ramon. Played by actor Carlos Valdes, the character is witty, smart and super chill. With his love of pop culture and Star Wars, I think we'd make great friends if we were to meet IRL. But when it comes to the comic book version, I know very little about the superhero known as Vibe. That interest in knowing a little bit more about the hero is why I chose to pick up this book a while back at my local Ollie's store.

The New 52! incarnation of Vibe/Cisco Ramon is similar to what little I know about the character. He's Latino. From Detroit. Has some sort of ability to alter the vibrational frequencies of not just our Earth; but the entire gambit of the multiverse. And he was a part of the Justice League of America- the original version.

Here we get Vibe's origin of how Ramon obtained his powers as a young boy when he's unfortunately sliced in half by a boom tube during an early invasion from Darkseid's parademon forces. Cisco survived the incident. However, his older brother died in the rescue attempt. Due to his ultra-close encounter with boom tube technology, Cisco Ramon's latent meta-human genes were unlocked and the ability to command the multiverse was now his.

As Cisco's powers strengthen, this puts him in the crosshairs of ARGUS. The feelings of the clandestine agency is that if Cisco can't be used as a super-powered weapon against potential foes that slip into our dimension then Cisco too is a potential threat to global safety. 

Now training to be an agent of ARGUS, Cisco is given the codename VIBE. Vibe's powers help him to sense when someone has breached the barriers between our universe and their own. Things seem to be going great as the newest wunderkind at ARGUS until Cisco is tasked with apprehending a mysterious woman named Gyspy who seems to have familiar air to her.

I felt like this book had two tones to it. Vibe was originally a 10 issue series. The first 4 or 5 issues in which Vibe is learning the ropes of being an agent of ARGUS feels like the Denzel Washington film Training Day or something similar. Cisco learns that being a hero doesn't always mean being a good guy. Then when Vibe meets Gypsy things shift over to The Fugitive (pick your version). Add some DC Comics touches like Apokolips and some forgotten characters from the 60s and 70s getting a modern retouch and you've got the basis for one of the more enjoyable titles to come from the New 52! experiment.

I did have one problem with this book and it's more of a design flaw or issue with the marketing/editing department. This book is touted as Volume 1. As I said early, the Vibe series lasted 10 issues, from 2013-2014. All 10 issues are reprinted here. So, why call this a Volume 1? The back cover even confirms that this book contains the 'full 10-issue series' and there's a 1 on the spine of the book!

This isn't the first time DC has done this. They did it a lot with the Showcase Presents B&W reprint collections and some other works. It irks my OCD to no end and it kinda ruins how my bookcase display looks. I know this is a small thing. But it makes my brain itch to no end.

A good story poorly marketed. Definitely a reason NOT to judge a book by it's cover!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Legion: Foundations

I'm not sure why I'm not more of a fan of the Legion of Superheroes. Just about everything I read starring them is top notch stuff. And yet, I will overlook their adventures in lieu of a What If... or an Elseworlds book every time. If I wasn't given this book as a gift, I probably wouldn't have picked it up in a million years. 

This trade collects 6 issues from the 2001-04 DC series. In this book, Superboy returns to the ranks of the Legion. But it's not the Clark Kent Superboy but rather the Conner Kent version. Or is it. 

A strange anomaly that threatens all of reality gives birth to Conner. Even in the year 3003, Darkseid remains. The pure evil ruler of Apokolips has plans on unleashing his Anti-Life Equation on the universe and a time-displaced Superboy is at the center of Darkseid's plan. However, with no less than 2 other members of the Legion having recently betrayed the team, folks have their doubts that this Superboy is legit. But deep down in my heart, I know. This is the real deal... I think.

This volume also includes the main story taken from Legion Secret Files 3003. It's a great introduction to all the members of the Legion. It needed to have been added first to this volume. But that would have spoiled the inclusion of Superboy to the Legion's ranks. Though I don't think it's much of a spoiler as Superboy is right there on the corner- FRONT and mostly CENTER!

This was a great read. Lots of mystery, action and intrigue. I really wouldn't have any qualms reading the 24 issues that take place before this collection as well as the 7 or so issues that precede. But knowing me, I'll probably pass them over for something else on my wish list. I just have other preferred tastes even though this was a wonderful read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Super Powers Mini-Comic Collection, Volume 2

This fan made edition from Trident Studios contains all of the mini comics issued with the 11 figures released by Kenner in the Super Powers Collection, Wave II. This book is very heavy on characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World along with several superheroes who made their toy debut in 1984-85. On the side of the angels, Firestorm, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado and the Martian Manhunter were released for the first time ever along with Green Arrow (who debuted in the 70s thanks to Mego). The New God Darkseid lead an army of villains that included the demented Desaad, bumbling brute Kalibak, the energy-draining Mantis, the immortal Steppenwolf and army fodder Parademon. 

Series Two of the Super Powers Collection is a fan favorite mostly because of its connection to comic book legend, Jack Kirby. It's a thing of legend that one of the few times Jack Kirby was properly compensated for previously licensed work was for the re-designs he made on Mantis, Steppenwolf and Parademon. Kirby also reworked the design of Darkseid's estranged son, Orion, released in 1986's Series Three to much controversy. But that's a story for another day...

Of course to a 7-8 year old Madman, all of the villains of Super Powers were considered all-new characters. I knew who all the heroes were thanks to my dad's comic book collection. But I had yet to be properly introduced to Kirby's Fourth World. Thankfully, each action figure came with a mini comic to help explain a little bit of the motivation of Darkseid, which when you think about it is fairly simple- total world domination.

The Anti-Life equation, Highfather and New Genesis, and the whole truce in which Scott Free and Orion were switched at birth aren't covered at all in the minis. In fact, Darkseid is kinda a weenie in this series of 16-pagers as his Omega Beams don't incinerate anyone. They just send you to limbo. 

You won't see the Series One villains in any of these books either. The minions of Apokolips act alone. But I think if Darkseid had recruited at least Lex Luthor, Brainiac and the Joker into his plans, the lord of Apokolips could've at least conquered the entire Eastern seaboard.

One of my all-time favorite characters is Firestorm. So getting to revisit his adventures in mini-comic form was pretty cool. The inclusion of Red Tornado, GA and J'onn J'onzz to the line-up were no-brainers as they had all been members of the Justice League at some point. But Dr. Fate doesn't really make any sense being here. Fate has always been a member of the Justice Society and stuck on the parallel Earth designated #2. Did the JSA lend Fate in some sort of cross-dimensional trade in order for the Justice League to have a magical warrior to fight against Darkseid's forces? 

Series Two was the last series of the Super Powers Collection to be issued with mini comics. Was the omission a way to cut costs? The inclusion of Cyclotron and Golden Pharoah, two all-new for the toy line heroic characters were definitely produced to avoid licensing fees to creators. So it's possible. But with the inclusion of Orion and Mister Miracle in wave 3, a chance to better introduce the Fourth World characters to children through mini comics was sorely overlooked. I think had mini comics been released with the third wave, a fourth and fifth wave of characters, which were in the planning stages, would have become a reality.

Since Kenner is defunct and DC doesn't seem to have any plans to release the mini comics officially in some collected form, I'm glad I found this offering by Trident Comics. Over at Etsy, they've got a couple other editions of mini comics that were released with popular toy lines of the past. As long as there doesn't appear to be any direct conflict with copyright, I'll be adding one or two of those other books to my collection sometime soon.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Are You Afraid of Darkseid? #1 (One-Shot)

It's time for DC's annual Halloween offering. Though not officially billed as a horror holiday title, DC consistently produces a yearly 80-pager filled with chills, thrills and giggles.

The framing story for this special has the Damian Wayne led Teen Titans bonding around a campfire. To pass the time, the team tell an assortment of ghostly tales.

The first story is a team-up between title character and New God Darkseid and that DC darlin',  Harley Quinn. Together, this unlikely pair take on a perverse version of the legend of Bloody Mary. With a great twist scare ending, the first was definitely the best of the bunch.

Don't think for a minute that it's all downhill from the very beginning. The continued bantering between the Teen Titans is just pure brilliance. And I took quite a bit of delight with just about every tale offered.

Other stories of note include Aqualad and Aquaman investigating the legend of Ogopogo, Clark Kent and Lois Lane on the search for a pair of missing twins, a Wonder Woman/Vixen team-up that had me wishing for a regular series between the two and a Batman-styled urban legend. 

There was only 1 story that I wasn't very big on. It's an epic starring the Phantom Stranger and that poignant pathway from life to death. Wasn't a bad story. It just was very deep and one of those prose tales that if you don't understand all the references and Easter eggs buried within, you miss out on most of the plot. Beautifully illustrated. But for a Phantom Stranger fan who loves his eerie exploits, this romanticized piece was a bit of a disappointment.

The cover was illustrated by Dan Hipp. I'm familiar with his work on the most recent incarnation of Teen Titans Go! Considering how much the Damian Wayne Robin is like the spastic Robin on the Cartoon Network farce, I'm wondering if I've been missing out by not following the most current comic version of the DCU's Teen Titans... It's definitely worth further exploration!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

The Doomed and the Damned #1

I am a huge fan of crossovers. My collection is full of titles that generally pits a well known superhero like Spider-Man or Batman with an assortment of pals ranging from A-list allies such as The Human Torch to B-listers such as Plastic Man to never-rans like the one-time Avenge,r Jack of Hearts. It was always a treat when a villain was paired up with a do-gooder, as those tales were often unpredictable. 

This year, DC Comics gave us 2 Halloween themed specials. I never got around to the Swamp Thing book. (I guess I have that to look forward to next year.) But I could not wait to get my hands on The Doomed and the Damned. 

This volume features 10 spine-tingling tales featuring some unbelievable team-ups. Green Lantern learns a lesson in facing personal demons when the rhyming Etrigan appears looking for the same criminal. Man-Bat and Madame Xanadu investigate a literal ghost story with a twist. The Frankenstein/Aquaman trip to the Moon was far-out and I enjoyed the Superman/Swamp Thing mystery but that one seemed to leave out some important details that left me wondering who really was the narrator of that tale…

The final story had the despot of Apokolips, Darkseid seeking solace in a Gotham City speakeasy only to be shamed by some social justice warriors into a drinking contest with some guy named Baytor. It’s needless to ask just what Darkseid is doing in a bar in Batman’s back yard. This story was insane. I liked it. But I was also surprised that it saw print. 

The tale was written by Garth Ennis, whom has become the target of a number of sexual harassment accusations from young women who sought the Preacher creator as a mentor and might have gotten hit on in return. Truly, I am shocked that there was not a fire storm of protests from the social media populace demanding the removal of the Ennis story from this collection. Especially since Ennis skewers the SJWs in their over-the-top needling of Darkseid. 

I felt that the Batman story wasn’t a true team-up. He helps an orphan boy who believes that his brother was kidnapped by a demon hiding in the orphanages’ lavatory. Then there’s the Wonder Woman adventure with Raven. The implications of that story. Was it canon? Because if so, Princess Diana is going to have a DEVIL of a time in future issues of Wonder Woman and probably even Justice League Dark. 

I was really confused by the semantics of the last story. It was written fairly well in terms of the plot. But I guess I am just too old nowadays to understand the nomenclature of gender/ non gender pronouns without a road map. 

The characters of Klarion the Witch Boy and his adversary Beast Boy keep referring to Klarion's cat Teekl as 'they'. And I kept thinking that I was missing something because only 1 character had kidnapped the Teen Titan Raven. Being a magical creature, I was thinking maybe Teekl is actually two characters fused together. Plus in previous stories, the cat has always been referred to as a boy. But that's apparently not the case in 2020 comics.

It seems that Kirby originally made Teekl a girl. But sometime in the 90s, Grant Morrison changed Teekl over to being a male. I'm guessing that writer of this story decided to end the confusion once and for all using the non-binary they/them to describe Teekl.

I support those wanting to use non-binary pronouns instead of he/she. But I also support good grammar. I was always taught that THEY was plural, meaning more than one. I know that I will never have the impact to change this. But I think to avoid confusion, those who are non-binary might consider the use of THY or THOU. Using THEM is okay as it can be grammatically correct for the most part. But using THEY for just 1 person doesn't sound right in terms of syntax. But maybe that's just me getting old…

Despite feeling (and possibly showing) my age, I enjoyed this book. It’s been a couple of days since I read this book to now writing up my review. And it’s probably best I did as I feel that my rating on this book has improved over time. (Except with that Wonder Woman story. That just really feels unforgivable in so many ways.) 

A chilling collection of classic crossovers with modern day advancements. They may not all make sense to me, a traditionalist comic book collector in his 40s, but they made for a fun read this pandemic ridden Halloween season.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Mister Miracle

Shortly before my state’s quarantine mandate went into effect, I headed over to my local library for some graphic novel and trade reads. One of the trades available had been on my wish list for some time: Tom King’s Mister Miracle. Running for 12 issues from October 2017- January 2019, this version of the world’s greatest escape artist was rather trippy. But King, along with artist Mitch Gerads, managed to stay pretty faithful to Jack Kirby’s original Fourth World vision in the process.

Mister Miracle
Written by Tom King
Art by Mitch Gerads
Covers by Gerads and Nick Derrington
Publisher: DC Comics

Originally published as Mister Miracle, issues #1-12.

Scott Free grew up in the orphanages of Apokolips run by the tyrannical Granny Goodness. Scott spent every waking moment he wasn’t being tortured trying to escape Granny’s fire pits. Finally achieving his goal, Scott traveled to earth and became friends with Mister Miracle, the world’s greatest escape artist.

Scott’s planned time in the shadows was short-lived. When mobsters killed the original Mister Miracle, Scott takes over the identity and eventually becomes an even bigger celebrity (and eventual hero) with the help of his manager Oberon and his former Furies leader wife, Big Barda.

Tragedy befalls the Mister Miracle household, sending Scott Free into a spiraling free-fall. Deeply depressed, Scott attempts one last escape. Slicing open his wrists, Scott takes his own life only to be snatched away from death thanks to paramedics! 

Or did he?

Controversial Batman writer Tom King tackled a bunch of metaphysical concepts in this maxi-series. What or who is God? What is reality? By the end of this title, you’ll be asking yourself if one man’s hell can be another paradise? While a lot of the concepts are explored but never truly explained, the reader will get an answer at the end of this story as to if Scott Free is dead or not. OR maybe not.

This Mister Miracle story is essentially a crisis story. Not just for Scott but for all of the New Gods on New Genesis and Apokolips. Darkseid has achieved the anti-life equation and the forces of Highfather and Orion will risk everything to stop evil from winning. 

But with all of DC’s crisis stories, the ending often gets mired with open ended finales. And for the most part, that’s exactly what happens here. Though, I do feel that this was one of the least open-ended stories produced on a level with CRISIS. Maybe I am not really clear here. I rather enjoyed this Tom King/Mitch Gerads production. 

Mitch Gerads (The Sheriff of Babylon) was a huge factor in my appeal of this Mister Miracle run. I forgot how alluring Jack Kirby had made the Amazon-like Big Barda. But Gerards quickly reminded me! And what he is able to do making some of the more surreal moments of this book look like an old school rabbit ears TV set struggling to get a clear reception was a thing of mastery!

Gerards won an Eisner award for his work on this book in 2018. Tom King did as well. But really, it’s the stunning visuals that make this book a New Gods series unlike any other. Expect lots and lots of red ink to flow through these pages. And with that, readers should expect lots and lots of death. Whether that body count includes Mister Miracle is up for interpretation.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.