Marvel Comics Presents #40

There's a fan-favorite issue of The Avengers that guest-stars David Letterman. From 1983, Wonder Man is invited to the NBC late night talk show to discuss his latest flick. 

Jump ahead to 1990 and Simon Williams is back on the talk show circuit hawking the new movie he's making while under the enthrall of The Enchantress. Instead of Dave and company, Wonder Man is in Burbank to meet with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon! There's also The Beast, Hank McCoy, on site hoping to break the hold Asgardian goddess has on the acting Avenger. We've also got Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy who calls for the government to stop the terror that is Wonder Man. 

I liked the Reagan cameos. But I'm not sure why they're here because by 1990, George H.W. Bush was president. Bush 41 and VP Dan Quayle are mentioned in this chapter. But why aren't they involved? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. 

Again, only 1 out of 4 stories were enjoyable. The Wolverine story is typical Logan fodder. Gritty. Corny. Overblown. The Hercules story just doesn't connect with me. Maybe it's because I've not read the miniseries that sets up just where the Roman Hero is at this moment in the Marvel Universe. 

And I'm not familiar at all with the character known as Overlord. I think he's an Eternal. Not sure. Of all the Jack Kirby properties, The Eternals is probably my least favorite. Just as I've been nonplussed to see Eternals on screen, I have very little enthusiasm with this 8-pager.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 37

  On this date in 1977 history, a former actor and governor of California gave a speech in  front of the CPAC- the Conservative Political Action Conference. The man in question was Ronald Reagan. In another 4 years, Reagan would become our 40th President, defeating Jimmy Carter who had just been sworn in a few days prior. But it's at this speech that political commentators and historians as the turning point in which the Republican party became the party of Reagan conservatism. 
   

Reagan, greeting the crowd at CPAC,
February 6, 1977.

    The point of today's article isn't to delve into Reagan's politics or even the subject matter of the speech. Nor am I trying to make parallels between Reagan's being an outsider to the Republican Party in 1977 with that of Donald Trump. No, the point of A Madman Turns 40 is to reflect on things from my birth year and how they impacted my life. Well, Ronald Reagan was a big part of my life as a child.

    My mother loved Reagan and she actually worked on his re-election campaign. I did too. At age 7, I remember stuffing envelopes and working at the Republican headquarters in Raleigh, NC. Why I was even taken to election rallies, voter registration drives, and a victory party at the Raleigh Hilton on election night. 

   Apparently, my mother also wanted me to experience the Reagan White House, because in 1988, my mom cashed in some political favors and got VIP tickets to tour the President's House. We never got to meet Reagan, but we got to go to extra rooms to nobody normally gets to tour, including the Lincoln Bedroom and at tour's end, we each got a small bag of Red, White, and Blue jelly beans that were President Reagan's favorite. 

    I guess my parents really wanted me involved in the political process. 

    I'm not entirely sure about that, but I have no doubt that things like the events of the 1984 election inspired me to become a history major and teacher. Though I am a chef instructor, I still love history and it plays a very large part in my lectures. You can't talk about food culture without learning the historical impacts that craft them.

JFK- another Presidential favorite of mine.

   By the way, in case you are wondering, my 5 favorite President's of the United States are-
1. Ronald Reagan
2. John Kennedy
3. Harry Truman
4. Teddy Roosevelt
5. James Garfield

   Those first 4 Presidents it's not hard to see what I like them but why Garfield? Well, fun fact- if the Final Jeopardy category is about US Presidents, over 70% of the time, the answer is James Garfield. Don't know why, but it's true!

James Garfield, Republican, President, Final Jeopardy Answer.

   Well, until tomorrow- Good Night and May God Bless America!
    

Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special

   When the superhero Hawk (of the duo Hawk & Dove) is caught running guns to the Contras by the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, Amanda Waller is ordered by the President to assemble a Suicide Squad. Hoping to show up Waller and her elite program, high-ups from Central Intelligence formulate their own plan and manipulate the Doom Patrol to conduct their own rescue mission. 

    Like with all team-up stories, both groups will see the other as a threat and the fur will literally fly. But, when the two teams look like they are ready to rip each other's throats out, a new player unexpectedly enters the arena- the Soviet backed elite of armored warriors: the Rocket Red Brigade!

     This 1988 special was an interesting mix of real life meets sci-fi/ fantasy. With appearances of both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and the Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad involved in the Iran-Contra mishap- this is kinda how I wish history really went down for the 40th President of the United States. Or maybe the folks at DC got a little too political for this one...

     Other than Colonel Flag and Amanda Waller, this line-up is unlike any version of Suicide Squad that I have ever come across. With a team-up of C-listers that I have never heard of including the Thinker, Mister 104, and the Weasel, this is a pretty weak group of villains. But according to the afterword, DC would only allow unpopular and expendable characters for the mission to Nicaragua. 

     And don't get me started on the Doom Patrol line-up. Who are these people? Other than Robotman, honestly, who the heck are they?

     One plus to this special is the team of writers and artists involved. This book features one of the first published works by Eric Larsen of Savage Dragon fame. It's also co-written by one of my good Facebook (and semi-professional) buddies Paul Kupperberg. So despite my misgivings with the line-ups of both super teams, this is an epic book that I would say often gets swept under the rug due to a lack of superstar superheroes! 

     Often found in bargain bins nation-wide, this is an affordable Suicide Squad one-shot that could be the gem in your collection.
     
   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.