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.

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.

Sgt. Rock #378

I've been holding on to this issue for quite some time in hopes to finally read it during Christmas in July. Yet, I kept forgetting about it. WELL, NOT THIS YEAR, FOLKS!

The title story is the only tale that is 'seasonal'. But it's a Joe Kubert classic. 

Sgt. Rock and Easy Company are so far into Enemy territory that it takes forever for the mail to arrive. When it finally catches up to the men, it's mid-July and yet their Christmas cards and presents have just now hit their hands. One of the soldiers, Jackie, has just become a father. Since he can't be home to play Santa to his newborn baby girl, Jackie's wife sends him a Santa suit and a bunch of toys in hopes he can play Father Christmas for some needy children on the front lines. Thus, for a bunch of French orphans, it truly is a Christmas in July to remember. 

Other stories are by Kubert's son Andy, members of the Joe Kubert School of Art and Robert Kanigher. These war tales involve a French child who finds a discarded Nazi helmet, a young American G.I. who fights bravely for his 'gal' back home and a set of 'fact sheets' about the war culture of a primitive tribal culture in South America, everything you need to know as World War II submarine warfare conducted by the Americans, and the various ways mine fields have been disarmed. 

My favorite story of course was the first one. The scene where Jackie is dressed as Santa and he's hesitant to go down the chimney, least he gets stuck was hilarious. Especially, when some Krauts show up with guns blazing and Jackie jumps down the chute head first- without thinking! Just brilliant stuff from Joe Kubert. The second story had that tragic 'war is hell' twist as did the third tale. But I think with a small child being the ironic victim, it's shocking finale was more gut wrenching.

I knew before I bought this book that there was only 1 Christmas story. Honestly, did one expect Joe Kubert and his disciples to come up with an entire set of warm weather Christmas-themed war stories? This book was published in 1983. Was Christmas in July even a thing back then? It's not the Hallmark Channel summertime movie marathon maker that the event has become today. That's for sure.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus, Vol. 1

In anticipation for the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, DC Comics released a slew of material. This hardcover collection was one of them. But don't expect to see Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang or Amanda Waller in this book. In fact, don't expect any superheroes at all!

This Silver Age Omnibus is basically broken into 2 parts. The first section reprints the issues #25-27 and #37-39 of The Brave and The Bold prior to it becoming a Batman team-up series. The section part collects a handful of stories from the war anthology title Star-Spangled War Comics.

The Brave and the Bold stories are the ones that are perhaps the most connected to the modern Suicide Squad that most fans know and love. Also called Task Force X, this team is summoned to action when the military fails. The team is led by Rick Flag Jr. and is comprised of a field medic, a physicist and an astronomer; all who were the lone survivors of horrible tragedies. Promising that their colleagues deaths would not be in vain, the members of Task Force X are highly trained operatives who are willing to give it their all, including their lives as a Suicide Squad! 

If the second half of this book looks like it's a collection of stories from the War That Time Forgot, give yourself a cookie! Almost a dozen stories of World War II adventures atop Dinosaur Island star a group of Allied special forces operating in the Pacific known also as the Suicide Squad. But there is no apparent connection between this version of the team and the Brave and the Bold group other than the name. Oh, and that of both having the same creator. 

Robert Kanigher (E.C.'s Psychoanalysis) created both versions of the Suicide Squad. And both versions are of differing quality. The Task Force X stories utilize giant monsters (later reanimated dinosaurs), science, and insipid romance. Rick Flag and field medic Karin Grace are secretly in love with each other. But Flag refuses to acknowledge the affair because it might upset the other two Suicide Squad members who are also pining for Karin. So all this running around gets tiring pretty quick. But not as quick as the dialogue in the Dinosaur Island stories.

The first 2 stories involve characters that are all rather likable. I don't think Kanigher was a big fan of this because after that first couple of tales, the replacement characters become really unlikable. I mean to the point that you wouldn't mind if they all got eaten by dinos or killed by the Imperial Japanese. 

In these remaining tales, you have a pair of Suicide Squad members pitted together. One hates the other one (and vice-versa) to the point that they constantly threaten to kill each other should the other one turn chicken or turn their back on the other. And the dialogue gets repetitious. And do I mean repetitious. 

For example, in one story, a soldier accuses the other of chickening out a total of 4 times in the span of 3 pages! With the same phrase 'Are you chickening out on me?' Another story has a different solider taunting another to shoot him in the back 6 times in a span of 4 pages! I thought this was supposed to be the greatest generation!

I'm not making this kind of thing up! It's one of the biggest criticisms fans of the Golden and Silver Age of comics have about Robert Kanigher. That sort of one-note level of dialogue and his ability to piss off the artists he worked with!

I had read all of these Dinosaur Island stories before in the pages of Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot, Vol. 1. But I never noticed how monotonous the dialogue could be. Maybe that's because that volume had all of the Silver Age Dinosaur Island stories and not just the Suicide Squad ones. But I am amazed how much I overlooked this!

Lastly, what is up with the numbering of this book? It's listed as a Volume 1. What are they going to consider a Volume 2? There's nothing else involving the Suicide Squad to publish from the Silver Age! Everything else was Bronze Age or newer stuff. I'd be okay if this book was listed as an Omnibus with a Volume 1 because I understand that poor sales can kill a proposed reprint series. But it aggravates my OCD to no end when you improperly title something. 

Also- that's a great Easter Egg by cover artist master, Michael Cho. Unfortunately, the trade paperback cover doesn't have it!

Fun Fact: Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot is also listed as a Volume 1. However, there was still enough material from the 70s and 80s to publish a second. It'd be a small volume. But at least it was still possible aside from this book.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents Enemy Ace, Vol. 1 (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Challenge)

 In 1965, DC Comics decided to turn the tables on their plethora of war stories when they debuted the Enemy Ace in the February issue of Our Army At War. Written and created by Robert Kanigher (The Losers), the series was told from the point of view of the enemy! While DC had done the occasional story from the perspective of an enemy combatant, there hadn't been a series which showed had the other side fought. 

Set in World War I, the main character is Baron Hans Von Hammer. Known as the 'Hammer of Hell', Von Hammer is a character going through many changes throughout the Great War. He's royalty. Thus his way of war is almost chivalric with what many young soldiers consider an outdated code of honor. Enemy Ace refuses to shoot armed opponents. His underlings have no qualms firing upon their sworn enemies no matter what. 

The baron's military title is archaic as well. With over 50 confirmed kills, Von Hammer rises up to become the rittmeister of his squadron. The term rittmeister is German for calvary master despite the fact that the horse he rides is an airplane.

The Fokker Dr. I flown by the Enemy Ace is as much as a character in this series as the Baron himself. In many issues, the plane has a face painted on the front propeller. Unfortunately, the visage is less terrifying and more Thomas The Tank Engine. But as it's motor hums, Von Hammer swears he can hear the plane accusingly taunting him with the words 'Killer...murderer...killer!'

Von Hammer's only friend is a black wolf that roams in the nearby Black Forest. While waiting for repairs to the Fokker, the Enemy Ace takes to the wilderness to keep his visual accuities sharp. As he enters the woods, he is always meet by the wolf and the two share a quiet bond as natural born killers during their hunt.

The original artist for Enemy Ace was Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock). Kubert's ability to draw weapons of war with such accuracy is reason enough of place him in the comic book hall of fame. Together with Kanigher, Kubert brought forth adventures of Enemy Ace that were gritty, adventurous and often tragic. It will be a very long time after I get over the death of poor Schatzie! But despite the heartache, many of Enemy Ace's foes were very much the product of superhero comics.

Von Hammer's first main foe was a hooded French pilot known as The Hangman. A British decent of King Arthur's court, some porcine masked fighters and an American cowboy are just some of the colorful characters that will challenge the Enemy Ace in the skies above France's No Man's Land. 

This 500 plus page volume contains every Pre-CRISIS main appearance of Enemy Ace (with exception of his appearances in Justice League of America as a part of the Five Warriors From Forever.) Kanigher wrote all of the stories with Neal Adams (Strange Adventures), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg) and John Severin (Semper Fi) taking on the penciler role after Joe Kubert stepped aside. A murder mystery starring the Dark Knight in the pages of Detective Comics caps the action and adventure. 

You would think that a series about a pilot in the skies of World War I would get old. It did get predictable with every story following a set formula. Every story has Baron Von Hammer retreating to the woods during repairs to visit his lupine friend and ponder the horrors of war before going back into battle to smite the enemy flyer of the day. Yet despite the repetitive nature of the plot, Robert Kanigher and his artist teammate manage to pump out dozens of thrilling war stories that I couldn't get enough of. 

War is Hell and the sky is the killer of us all. But this volume was shear delight!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #20 of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 'Over 500 pages long.'