The Super Heroes Monthly #8

I've just been so busy and exhausted with the new school year and all that. I've been reading comics and graphic novels. I've just been too (fill in the blank) to do any reviewing. I seem to have caught a break today.

From the U.K., I couldn't tell you where I found this magazine of black and white DC reprints. But I know that I didn't spend more than a buck on it. So I must have gotten this years ago at a Con and totally forgot about it.

There are 3 stories inside. First up is a reprinting of the very first appearance of the Barry Allen Flash. The Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert origin is forever imprinted in my mind. But I had forgotten that the first villain that the Fastest Man Alive takes on is known as the Turtle Man, the Slowest Man on Earth! Kinda comical. But it's a pairing that makes sense.

The Super Heroes Monthly had been running through the complete Man-Bat saga for several issues up to this point. In this issue featuring story by Frank Robbins and art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, the Man-Bat takes a bride.

I've either previously read, own a copy or both when it came to both stories. Had I bothered to check the contents of this book whenever I bought it, I probably would have passed over it. At least the third and final story was one that I never read before. It stars Superman featuring Len Wein on scripts and art by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson; which in itself is an all-star crew. Unfortunately, it's a Man of Steel story that isn't really good.

The premise to this tale has an intriguing beginning. Lex Luthor laments the disappearance of the entire population of Earth. In his latest attempt to destroy the Man of Steel, Luthor's robotic assassin overheats, causing the nuclear core to meltdown and wipe out not just Superman, but everyone and everything on the planet. Birds, snakes and all!

When we learn what the MacGuffin behind the disappearances really details, the explanation is so implausible, it really lowered the quality of the story. I know that a lot of Superman stories stunk up news stands and comic collections during the 70s. If we were to place this story on the list, and believe me, I am, then 'The Man Who Murdered the Earth' has be the durian of all Superman tales from 1970-79!

I love the Alan Craddock cover of Superman and the Flash attempting to outrace a speeding locomotive. It is what enticed me to buy this book. But the fact that I already have 2/3 of the stories contained within and I hate that last one, this issue is going to be taken in for hopefully a little bit of trade credit instead of taking up valuable shelf space.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Bizarre Adventures #28

This black and white magazine from Marvel is a must have for Elektra fans. It contains the assassin and Daredevil love interest's first ever solo story. With art and story by creator Frank Miller, it alone is worth the asking price which seems to range online from $20-50 bucks. Maybe it's because it's a magazine. Or maybe the asking price is less than I would have expected as maybe collectors don't know about it's importance. I know that I got lucky having bought it for only a buck at a thrift store a few years back.

A trio of characters make their first ever appearance debuts in this issue. Neal Adams, Doug Moench and Larry Hama present the Shadow Warrior; perhaps the world's smallest ninja and America's only hope against the infiltration of a cadre of brainwashed American soldiers trained by an Asian operative to overthrow our government. 

Archie Goodwin, Michael Golden and Steve Mitchell introduce readers to the world of the Huntsman. From what I can tell, this is the only appearance of the character and that may very well have been because of how much the world of the cracker jack Huntsman named Ballard is a lot like that of the dystopian sci-fi thriller Logan's Run. Citizens who must die at age 35, bounty hunters stalking 'defiers', those who wish to extend their lives by escaping into the wilderness and there's even a floating arena where winners who make it to the victory ring atop the domed ceiling can live longer lives in luxury. I wonder if Marvel got a cease and desist order from 20th Century Fox for copyright infringement. 

Upon further research, it turns out that I was right. Only in reverse. In 1975-76, Marvel Comics had the rights to produce a comic book based on the film starring Michael York. Only, the House of Ideas had the rights to adapt the film, which they did as a 5-parter. When Fox learned that Marvel was continuing on with new adventures, the studio made them stop. Issue #7 was the last issue, which supposedly ends with a never resolved cliffhanger. 

'Huntsman' was a story that was going to run in a future issue of Logan's Run. But due to the sudden cancellation resulted in the project getting shelved. Never one to let paid work sit unpublished, Goodwin and Golden made some adjustments to the story; enough to satisfy legal and the forgotten story finally saw print several years later in 1981.

It must of been Assistant Editor's Month at Marvel because two of Goodwin's assistants supplied a story for this issue. Mary Jo Duffy and Wendy Pini place the Inhuman Triton in an ecological heavy adventure involving a wrecked oil tanker and modern day pirates.

If you've been paying attention to this review, you'll remember I said that this book contains 3 debuts. Lastly, Steve Skeates and Steve Smallwood introduced a rather odd little fellow named Bucky Bizarre. In his premiere, this guy is a time traveler who winds up in the 1950s, where non-conformity is a thing to be mocked and berated. Bucky tries to help a living garbage heap that came alive because of pollution and nuclear water only to set up the punchline to a really awful plotline. 

I'm really torn about this issue. Having the Elektra story makes it sorta valuable. Only I don't really have room nor a bag and board for a magazine sized book. I think the materials to keep it pristine and clean are more important than having a place to keep it. If I could get it, that would be great.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Avengers Vol. 3

There's a singular reason to own this book. Sure, if you've got volumes 1-3, you're going to want volume #4. But even if you weren't interested in the material of Essential Avengers Volume 1-3, if you are a fan of the Marvel universe, and you don't mind your reprints in black and white, you will want to own this book because of the Kree-Skrull War!

There have been several cosmic brouhahas in the multitude of pages coming from Marvel Comics. But to truly understand the origin of those conflicts, such as Annihilation, you've got to delve into the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes from 1969-1971. 

Never to be an Avenger Rick Jones finally gets a chance to be a hero. Only because of a strange twist of fate, the one time Hulk sidekick isn't allowed to be his own man. Instead, a pair of cosmically powered bracelets force Rick to become bonded to the Kree warrior Mar-vell. Whenever trouble arrives, Rick activates the bands and he switches places with Earth's newest hero, Captain Marvel- into the Negative Zone!

Jones and Mar-vell's occupation in that inter-dimensional Hell sparks the attention of the Negative Zone's tyrannical leader Annihilus. With the Fantastic Four away, it's up to the Avengers to monitor any disturbances in the Zone. As a result, Jones and Mar-vell's link is severed. Now both can exist on Earth-616 at the same time. This the wheels that will cause an intergalactic war between Kree and Skrull- with Earth in the exact center crosshairs- begin to turn.

Roy Thomas does it yet again! With art by Sal Buscema and Neal Adams, this really is a volume not to be missed. That is if you can find it.. Out of print for over a decade and highly sought after by collectors, the Essential Marvel books are increasing difficult to find. Especially for a good price. But if you happen to come across one in decent shape that's affordable, you should grab it without question! Though you might ask why the editors included an issue of The Incredible Hulk in this volume. While you are supposed to read that issue after a crossover of sorts in the pages of The Avengers, the super team don't even appear in the Hulk book except for a cameo in the recap section of the tale. A good story but really could have been avoided if they just included some sort of blurb that the Avengers didn't have any active role in the Hulk's adventure in a pocket universe in the sub- atomic realm.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol. 6

This addition to my collection was thanks in part to that brief period in time when wholesale emporium Ollie's bought several dozen truckloads of DC and Vertigo overstock. I think it was 2017 or 18 when those of us fortunate to live near an Ollie's could go to the discount shop and buy massive treasuries of DC's finest for pennies on the dollar. I lived within an hour of 6 locations and I was able to make huge additions to my collection without hurting my budget.

Unfortunately, being that DC's inventory was being liquidated en masse, it really was a crap-shoot as to what each store got. For instance, the Durham, NC location got 30 copies of the Strange Adventures trade from 2010 but only 1 copy of the Silver Age Suicide Squad Omnibus. That's how I ended up with Showcase Presents Batman, Vol. 6. 

The black & white reprints of Showcase Presents were highly coveted by us bargain hunters. I was able to get both volumes of The Atom's exploits. I got all 3 Aquaman books. I even found a copy of the massive collection of reprints of the events of the Great Disaster, featuring the Atomic Knights. Yet, for some reason, every location in central North Carolina got dozens of Batman, Vol 6. No 1,2,3,4 or 5. Just #6!

This volume covers the beginnings of the Denny O'Neil era of the Caped Crusader. (His first run. After a 6-year return stint to Marvel, O'Neil would begin a second memorable stint as a Batman writer in 1986.) The first thing O'Neil and his Green Lantern/Green Arrow collaborator Neal Adams would do to Batman was make him the Dark Knight again. The 1960s ABC series would make the Batman Family quite campy. Now it's the 1970s and everything is dark again.

Batman would face one of his greatest foes in this run, Ra's al Ghul. Whereas with a villain like the Joker or Two-Face, Batman would beat the crap out of them and return them to jail quick. With Ra's, Batman plays the long game. It's further complicated by the addition of Ghul's daughter Talia, with whom the Batman has a mutual attraction with. Over the course of a half-dozen issues, Batman and Ra's al Ghul have a worldwide pissing match, with the eco-terrorist trying to size up The Detective as his potential replacement and Batman trying to figuring out just what his new foe is up to.

That's just the Batman books. In the pages of Detective Comics, Frank Robbins, Dick Giordano and others are making Batman earn his reputation as the World's Greatest Detective. These stories are a mixed bag. They don't feature any of Batman's main villains. Mostly just small time crooks, murderers and in one case, a prison riot full of white supremacists and black power soldiers.  

Robbins' art is excellent. His ability to be the next Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is something else. Some mysteries are really good. Many are missing something. Mostly clues. Well, they're there because Batman reveals them at the end of each story. Frank Robbins just seems to forget to let the readers in on things. 

Thankfully, you don't need Volume 5 to get caught up on things in this edition. Unlike the Marvel black and white reprints (Essential Marvel), the DC collections don't make readers have to get the next volume in order to wrap up a storyline. I would love to get my hands on the first 5 volumes. What I really wish is that there was a volume 7, and then 8, and then 9. One of the biggest crimes against comic books was having both DC and Marvel scrap these fan favorite collections in favor of very expensive, page lacking color collections. That's big business for ya...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 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

Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time by Michael Eury (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Back Issue's Michael Eury chronicles the life of comics great Dick Giordano. Giordano was a soft-spoken man who let his proteges speak for themselves. Imagine if there was a chart that depicted Stan Lee as the pinnacle of self-promotion in the world of comic books, then Dick Giordano would be on the other end of the spectrum. Yet that doesn't mean that the predominantly DC Comics writer, illustrator, inker and editor was any less influential to the medium than Stan Lee was.

Throughout this biography, Dick Giordano is referred to as an amazing teacher and mentor who always fought for his employees. Neal Adams might get all the credit for ensuring Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster received over-due compensation for their body of work. But it was Giordano who was working behind the scenes with both DC and Marvel executives to provide not just royalties but work and recognition to countless talent who worked for peanuts in anonymity in the early days of comics.

If you were a DC Comics fan who grew up during the late 70s and early 80s, then you owe your awesome childhood to Dick Giordano. Along with working on the comics themselves, the Italian New Yorker had a hand at any and all promotional and commercial items featuring the likes of Superman, Batman and friends. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez gets almost all of the credit for the design of the beloved Super Powers toy line from Kenner. But it was Giordano who inked every little bit of packaging that made these 1984-86 action figures and accessories so eye-catching.

Without Dick Giordano, Charlton Comics would have folded in the 1960s. Having penciled most of Charlton's Western and War lineup as a freelancer, Giordano became the fledgling publisher's editor in 1965 introducing the company's Action Heroes line, who would later join the ranks of the DC Universe a couple of years before Charlton gave up the ghost in 1986. 

Dick Giordano was such a soft-spoken kind of fellow, that I long gave Crisis on Infinite Earths creators Marv Wolfman and George Perez grief over the death of one of my all-time favorite characters, Supergirl. Yet I learned in this book that the driving force behind the demise of the Maid of Might was Giordano! However, fans should delight in knowing that Dick was instrumental in keeping Hawkman off the Crisis chopping block!

Changing Comics, One Day at a Time was published in 2003. As of the Charlotte HeroesCon of 2007, Giordano was still signing copies of the book which is now no longer in print. Only digital copies of this biography remain for sale by publisher TwoMorrows. Giordano was said to have retired from the con circuit in 2008, spending his remaining time with his children and grandchildren. Richard Joseph Giordano passed away at the age of 77 at his Ormond Beach, Fl. home on March 27, 2010.

Completing this review completes Task #50 (Prose non-fiction about comic book history) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Superman #307 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

A hot tip leads Clark Kent as Superman to investigate a chemical plant. It appears that a large number of employees are succumbing to cancer. Alarmingly, the execs of the company don't seem to deny this medical mystery. Nor do they seem to care! As a result, Superman takes it upon himself to shut the manufacturing plant down. But before the Man of Steel can succeed, he is opposed by a brand new foe! 

Decked in a pure white costume, this villain calls himself The Protector. Only, he's not here to save the Earth but to make sure that corrupt businesses have the right to continue producing materials that will pollute the planet. The Protector's powers include flight, super strength and the ability to change form. That last power allows the Protector to escape Superman who now seems rather troubled.

Having visions of the destruction of his home planet of Krypton, Superman is now determined to save his adopted planet. Vowing to stop polluters and businesses from killing mother Earth, Superman declares war. His next target is a giant oil tanker that has a history of leaking fossil fuels into the ocean. 

As Superman begins to attack the ship, the Protector returns and leads Superman away. Once again, the foe eventually disappears. Only this time, Supergirl appears on scene with a shocking revelation: There is no Krypton! There never has been! And both Superman and Supergirl are mutant humans!

This mind-bending statement causes Superman to reflect on the past few days. He's not been acting like himself. To prove her point, Supergirl takes her cousin to the Fortress of Solitude and shows that the bottle city of Kandor is nothing more than a model kit. Has Superman's past as the Last Son of Krypton been nothing more than a delusion?

Issue #307 ends with Superman's reality crumbling down around him. Written by Gerry Conway (1st Issue Special) with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Comics Presents), this issue was the first chapter of a 3-part story. The dramatic cover of the destruction of Kandor at the hands of the Maid of Might was by Neal Adams (First X-Men). 

This issue also marks the last issue of Superman to carry the DC bullet to proclaim 'DC The Line of Super-Stars' in the top left corner. 

An interesting tale that feels familiar. Superman's one-man war on pollution has similar parallels to the Man of Steel's mission to end the nuclear arms race in 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. With newcomer baddie The Protector taking the side of the polluters, his motives are reminiscent of that film's antagonist, Nuclear Man. These coincidences make one wonder if Superman #307-308 were indirect influences of Superman IV screenwriters Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars. 

Completing this review completes Task #3 (Comic from the Bronze Age (1971-1985)) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Batman Odyssey

Neal Adams returns to some of his most beloved characters in the DC Universe. But man, is this book a stinker. Throughout two miniseries, Batman asks the question 'Is a Batman who kills still Batman?' And as he tries to find the answer, he becomes embroiled in a caper of unimaginable silliness.

Bruce Wayne constantly flying off the handle. Ra's al Ghul in need of the Dark Knight Detective from his League of Assassins and is kinda a wimp. A hollow land in the middle of the earth made up of evolved Dino-hybrids. A caveman Caped Crusader! A solid state and visible Deadman. A Boy Wonder, almost eaten by trolls. And Batman gets giddy as a school boy when he breaks a bucking pterodactyl!

It all really doesn't make much sense. 

Here's the deal- if Adams hadn't tied everything up in a very nice, shiny package, Batman Odyssey may very well be the worst comic book I have ever read. 

On several occasions, I was ready to give up on this book. I took a couple of medium sized breaks from it as well. (To take a breather any longer would mean possibly forgetting just what exactly was going on.) I adore Neal Adams' work. I don't know what the hell this was!

Age is not the friend of an artist. The joints swell. The eyesite fades. And that stamina to do an all-nighter is gone. And the quality of Neal's work has definitely seen the affects of time. 

It's like when I watched Disney's The Black Hole after years of enjoying and marveling at it as a child. Returning to it as an adult was not pretty. The sci-fi movie I loved so as a wee child was in reality garbage. Sometimes, it's best to allow the good things of your past stay there. For me, that means not reading anything of Neal Adams' that was published after 1999.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Justice League of America, Volume 5

The black and white reprinted early exploits of the Justice League of America continue with a pair of team-ups with the Justice Society of Earth-2. 

The first involves an alien child and his pet who become separated from each other. There's a symbiotic bond between the two and their absences are causing the pair to become gigantic and destructive. The second adventure has the two teams asking the question 'Whatever happened to the Seven Soldiers of Victory?'

Both crossovers were extremely good. Other great stories involved The Shaggy Man infiltrating the Justice League's satellite base, three complete strangers saving the world unawares when the League cannot, and a Halloween yarn involving Len Wein, his wife Glynis and the despicable Felix Faust.

There was a fair share of stinkers in this book as well such the several episodes that hinted at a love affair between Batman and Black Canary. Also, there was one story that was just rotten. 

The cover of it (issue #89) promised that you, the reader, got to be a part of the story. I thought this was going to be like a Choose Your Own Adventure type affair. Instead, writer Michael Friedrich gets all metaphysical and philosophical ending the story personally explaining how when he writes a story he becomes the characters of the story. He makes allusions to someone named H.E., so I am wondering if he wrote this as some sort of personal challenge to writer (and eternal pain in the ass) Harlan Ellison. A lot of writers did that because Ellison liked to be a pompous jerk to everyone and anyone who thought they could write science fiction. 

The artwork is fairly decent. Lots of great covers by Neal Adams. Dick Dillin, Nick Cardy, and Mike Sekowsky do fair work that ranges from awesome to not quite dreadful. 

I love the Justice League of America and despite the flaws in this book, they are a delight to read and a fond throwback to my childhood.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Showcase Presents: The Spectre, Volume 1

This was a beautiful collection of stories starring one of the most mysterious and most powerful characters in the DC Universe. Originally a creation of Superman co-creator Jerry Seigel, the Spectre is the living embodiment of God's Angel of Vengeance. When police detective Jim Corrigan was brutally murdered, God has mercy on him, and gives Corrigan another chance as long as he willingly becomes the vessel for the Spectre to dwell.

Acting as 'The Voice', the Spectre eliminated evil doers in some pretty gruesome ways. That is until the coming of the Comics Code. At that point, the Spectre continued to battle evil, but he'd mellow out eventually, allowing Corrigan to take the baddies to prison instead of sending them straight to Hell.

It's those less violent stories that starts out this awesome collection. Basically neutered, the Spectre would star in a short-lived series helmed by Neal Adams (Batman Odyssey) that only lasted 10 issues. The character would then languish in lingo only appearing in the occasional Justice League of America or Brave and the Bold adventure. The Batman team-ups are reprinted in this collection, as are some Showcase Presents team-ups with Doctor Fate. (The JLA epics can be found in assorted volumes of their Showcase Presents collections.)

As rules on horror in comics was lessened in the 1970s, DC would attempt to reboot the Spectre in the pages of Adventure Comics. Written and illustrated by Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo, these are some of my favorite horror comics DC have ever done and they were gory! One issue has a victim cut to pieces with a giant pair of scissors and another have a baddie sliced to literal ribbons at a lumber yard. 

Based on the time period, these new Spectre stories were highly controversial and several issues never saw print until later on in a special 1988 miniseries called Wraith of the Spectre. Thankfully, that's not the end of the Spectre as he would appear in several issues of another horror title called Ghosts.

 In these stories, the skeptic hunter Doctor Thirteen would try to prove that the Spectre was a hoax! But each time Jim Corrigan or the Spectre get the best of Thirteen. I wish that storyline went longer than it did because they were some of my favorite episodes in this collection.

I have a few of these stories in other issues already- especially Wraith of the Spectre and Brave and the Bold tales. But this collection was filled with over 300 pages of material that was all-new to me- plus it was an awesome gift from my wife! I loved the whole thing. 

One little quirk- this book is listed as Volume 1. It shouldn't be listed as anything of the sort. There never was (and unless DC un-cancels the Showcase Presents line), there never will be a second volume. I guess that means I'll just have to collect the further Spectre titles from 1990-on in single issue form. I'm okay with that...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC Holiday Special 2017 #1

DC Comics made 2017 a holiday season to remember yet again! In a massive holiday special, a team of legendary writers and illustrators put together 10 amazing stories including a Neal Adams Batman classic from the 70s.

Highlights of this holiday special include:

• A World War II tale recounted by Sgt. Rock spans a frosty week in the life of a wounded Allied solider and his Nazi captive.
• The Teen Titans take on the Ghost of Christmas Past and the nasty memories of holiday horrors from yesteryear.
• The Flash struggles to find time for his nephew Wally on Christmas Eve.
• Batman Icon Denny O'Neil returns to Gotham with a Solstice story starring the Dark Knight and Wonder Woman.
• And much more...

For the second year in a row, DC asked a cover price of $9.99 and I willingly shelled it out. Last year, the entertained the hell out of me! And they did it again this year!

The 2016 special had Harley Quinn as host and a superhero hero holiday party as the centralizing element of the special. That stabilizer was the only thing missing from this edition. 

Worth every penny, if you only buy one holiday special this season (well, it's Christmas Eve, so what's left of it,) this is the one to get! Shame on you Marvel for being a Scrooge this year!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 78

  Yesterday, I got to me one of my childhood heroes and favorite artists of all-time, Neal Adams! I thought in honor of that occasion I would share with you some of the covers Adams did for books not only that were on shelves in March of '77 but some of my favs for the entire year.

   Enjoy... 

DC Retroactive: Green Lantern - The '70s #1

 

   I rate this book as both OK and Worth Consuming at the same time. 

   First of all- the lost tale is lame. Green Lantern and Green Arrow do not team-up together and both of their adventures end very ambiguously and I HATE THAT! Plus, the art was all wrong. Why couldn’t DC Comics get Neal Adams to it? It would have been great having Denny O’Neil and Adams take another turn on the Green Guardians.

  What does makes this book worth consuming is the reprint tale. It’s GL/ GA #76, the classic story that gave birth to relevant comics. It’s a classic and thus anything that reprints that pivotal issue is a book worth a gander.

   Worth Consuming/ Not Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

First X-Men

 In the ever changing/ adapting/ retconning origin of the X-Men, we have Wolverine and Victor Creed playing the role of political advocate/ frontline warrior in the coming war on mutant-kind. Having a kinder, gentler Wolverine is kinda odd and despite his protests, he’s really like a teddy bear for most of this book. We also see some of Prof. X’s earliest forays into his discovery of becoming a mutant. But, for the most part, this book is Wolverine’s show.

  I was having trouble placing where in the X-Men’s history this takes place. By miniseries end, you could say this is what the final act of Wolverine Origins would be like.

  My biggest problem was the art. I love Neal Adams and think he drew the definitive Batman. But, his work in this looks more embellished, like that of EC Comics artist, Jack Davis. I’m not sure if the art was intentional in this style or if Adams in his later years just isn’t able to draw in that crisp, commercial style of his of the early 70s.

  Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Christmas with the Super-Heroes #1

Originally from ’88-89, this volume is a collection of reprints and not a volume of new stuff like more recent DC holiday ventures. I didn’t have a problem with this as I had only previously read one tale before- a Batman tale by O’Neil and Miller. The best story starred the JLA and was titled “Who Killed Santa?”

But really, they were all great stories.

This book was the kind of comic I would have loved to have received for a Christmas present. Speaking of presents, the Neal Adams cover looks a lot like the super heroes wrapping paper my parents would have used when I was you. That was sooo cool.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection - Volume 1 by O'Neill and Adams

WORTH CONSUMING!

This is required reading for any comic book fan!