Stan Lee: A Life of Marvel (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Just weeks after the death of comic book legend Stan Lee, Entertainment Weekly issued this commemorative magazine. The 80 page book was filled with dozens of photos of Lee through the years from his days in the US Army as a playwright to editor of Marvel during its heyday in the 1960s all the way through to the end of his life where he spent the last 4 decades making memorable cameos and appearances in virtually every Marvel movie made up until that time. Stan also appeared on a variety of TV shows such as Heroes and The Big Bang Theory. He was also animated as himself on shows such as The Simpsons and Ultimate Spider-Man. Let's not forget his two season stint as the creator and host of the reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero? But according to the Man himself, Stan's favorite movie role was as himself offering sage romantic wisdom to Jason Lee's (no relation) Brodie in Kevin Smith's Mallrats.

There are a number of tributes to Stan in this retrospective. Kevin Fiege thanks Stan for laying the foundation of the Marvel universe. Todd McFarland reflects on the day he met Stan when he was only 16 and gained a mentor for life. Finally, many of the stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are quoted, presumably from their social media accounts, mourning the death of the Marvel legend. 

The impact Stan's creations made on television and movies are explored with Spider-Man receiving the most attention. If you're expecting an in-depth look at the comic book industry, you'll want to look elsewhere. While his time as a writer and editor are covered in this book, a majority of the comic book images inside are of titles Stan had very little to do with. The controversies surrounding claims that Stan Lee was the singular creator of characters such as the The Fantastic Four and most of the original Avengers line up are briefly mentioned. But the majority of this book is designed to praise Stan; not bury him. Even the allegations of financial mismanagement and elder abuse against some of his assistants and daughter are buried under piles of positive encounters with an iconic figure that every fan must admit, seemed to be the happiest guy in the room everywhere he went when his adoring public was present. 

For more in-depth looks at the highs and lows in the life of Stan Lee, Stan's own graphic novel autobiography Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir as well as Tom Scioli's I Am Stan: A Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee are reads that cannot be missed. And to truly decide if Stan Lee is comics' biggest hero or villain, read Scioli's Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics that tells of the legendary Stan Lee/Jack Kirby collaboration from the King's point of view. 

No matter how you feel about him, Stan Lee will be missed.

Completing this review completes Task #40 (Prose Non-Fiction About Comic Book History) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Farewell, George Perez

A lot of icons from my youth seem to be passing away with frequent expedience it seems lately. Just last week, the great Neal Adams passed away. I got to meet him at a con a couple of years ago. Despite having read a very large amount of the stuff Adams did over the years, the only thing I had for him to sign was a reprint of one of his Green Lantern/Green Arrow books. I was so embarrassed when I approached him with the issue thinking he'd be mad not coming to him with the real thing. But he couldn't have been nicer.

Well, today, I saw the news on Facebook that another beloved comic book creator from my youth passed away last night, George Perez. I knew that George's time on Earth wasn't for long. Just a few short months ago, he announced having stage IV pancreatic cancer. So, I had some time to prepare for this. I just wasn't prepared for that time to be today.

The resume of George Perez isn't just a Who's Who of comic book characters. It's more of an Who Aint'? Because he's done them all. The Avengers. Justice League of America. The New Teen Titans. The X-Men. He's also responsible for the artwork of my all-time favorite comic book story- Crisis on Infinite Earths. And that's where I want to pay tribute to George Perez.

It was father's day weekend, 2007. Charlotte, NC at HeroesCon. It was the first comic book convention I went to as a married man and the first Con I had been to in probably a decade. My best friend Todd and his wife met with my wife and I there. And at times, we'd go off while the wives sat and talked. 

I saw that George Perez was one of the guests and I always wanted to confront him about doing the unthinkable: killing my beloved Supergirl off in the pages of CRISIS #7. Since at the time I didn't have any of the number of comics that I have now, I needed to find a copy of CRISIS so I could get it signed by Perez. I seriously thought about buying a copy of #7. But in all honesty, my favorite cover was that of CRISIS #5 in which there are about probably 50 portraits of many of the major players on the cover. And I just loved how Perez drew faces. 

So I buy my copy, march over to his booth and I see that he's doing special signings for a donation to ACTOR, now known as the Hero Initiative. It's a charity for providing healthcare, housing and other needs for those who worked in the comic book industry but made next to nothing from their work. 

At the moment, I arrived, George was working on something that was going to be auctioned off later for the charity. I told him that I wanted him to sign my issue of CRISIS with the admission that he had killed Supergirl on it. George and his handler told me that he would do it if I came back at 2pm. So I made sure to pledge $30 as a donation if he'll do it. He agreed and I went back to enjoying the Con.

Well at 1:55, an announcement went over the intercom that Mr. Perez was too busy with commissions that he had to cancel the signing. I looked at my wife heartbroken thinking I missed my chance. My wife on the other hand figured since he made a promise to us, maybe he'll follow through. It couldn't hurt to try. So we raced over to try.

George's handler must have seen me coming cause she tried to shoo me away. But I had mentioned that I still intended to donate to the cause if he would just sign it. George put down his ink pen and gracious said '30 bucks, right?' I upped it to $40. He smiled and told me that I had a deal. At this point, my friend Todd came up and for 15 minutes we were the center of George Perez's attention. He talked about how hard a decision it was for them to kill Supergirl. But since the DC universe was being reset, they could always bring her back. We talked about Teen Titans since that was Todd's favorite. At one point, for some reason, Todd had mentioned Roy Thomas and George pointed behind us and said 'Well, there he is. Tell him I told you to sign your program."Which Roy did!

Anyways, for 15 minutes, I got to hang out with George Perez and I've never forgotten the experience. I talk about it often and fondly. I show my issue off with joy as not only did George Perez confess to the murder, he drew a sketch of the S-shield on the cover as well. So I actually own an original sketch from Perez as well.

I think one thing about that meeting means so much to me was that I got to do it with my best friend. Sadly, Todd lost his battle with mental illness over a decade ago. God, I still miss him. Now, I will be missing George Perez as well. 

Rest in Peace Todd and George and Neal...

The Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute #1

Late 2021 marked the 60th anniversary of the debut of the Fantastic Four. The previews of this book listed dozens of amazing artists and inkers along with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Naturally, I thought that this tribute was going to be of dozens upon dozens of stories, one-pagers and pin-ups. And since Stan and Jack were listed, there might be some reprints or maybe some never-before-seen scripts and sketches. I was really excited. 

So on the New Comics Wednesday this book dropped, I sprinted over to my favorite LCS after work and bought me a copy. Then for some reason, I didn't read it until last night. And boy was I disappointed.

Instead of all new takes on the First Family of Marvel Comics, the abundance of art talent were each given a page from Fantastic Four #1 and Annual #3- the marriage issue between Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl. In other words we get the amazing stories written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. But no Jack Kirby art! I don't know whether this is yet another kick in the nuts to the legacy of Jack the King from the House of Ideas or I got taken for $7! Maybe both!

I think if Marvel had went the extra mile to assign a team of writers to the rest of the art crew and have greats like Neil Gaiman, John Byrne and Alan Moore rewrite each page to reflect their style, I would have been okay with a retelling of those two classic comics. But to just remix the artwork is not at all what I expected or wanted in a tribute comic. 

Don't get me wrong. Seeing Adam Hughes, The Allreds and many, many more superstars put their thumbprint on the Fantastic Four's earliest, greatest hits was fun. I enjoyed attempting to guess who illustrated what and checking to see if I was right. But again, I felt like I was promised something I didn't get. 

A nice tribute that doesn't pay full homage to half of the creators of the FF. Thankfully, I didn't pay more than I did.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Steve Ditko

Normally at Madman with a Book, I review books, comics, and movies. But today I felt that I needed to pay tribute to a man who greatly influenced my decision to start collecting.

The news broke yesterday of the death of a comic book legend- Steve Ditko. Ditko was 90 and actually had died on June 29th. Why it took a week for news to get around is anybody's guess. But it hit a lot of people very hard- myself being one of those people.

I'm not going to be one of those people who claim that the loss of Steve Ditko is so devastating and yet have zero connection to the man. True, when I list my 5 favorite artists of all-time, I admit, that the co-creator of Spider-Man is not in it. When I list my top 5 favorite writers in the medium, again I admit that the co-creator of Doctor Strange is not among the group. But my nearly life-long love of comic books might not even exist at all it not for Steve Ditko. 

Around 1981 my parents took me to a used book store called Tales Resold in Raleigh, NC for the very first time. I was about 4 or 5 and my parents showed me this room filled with kids books and more importantly- comics. There was a box of books for .25 cents a piece and I was allowed to choose one book from it. That day, I choose Charlton Comics' Ghostly Tales #152.

Looking back, I have to question my parents decision to allow a young child to buy a horror comic book. But for the moment, the image of the ghoulish I.M. Dedd holding a skull and looking resplendent in his flowing blue cape just appealed to me visually. The interiors were just as intriguing, though a little dated. 

While the book was only a year or two old, all of the stories inside were reprints from the 60s and 70s. But most importantly about those ghost tales was that one of them was drawn and possibly written by Steve Ditko. Even at 5, I could tell talent when I saw it. 

I probably read that comic book a hundred times. Though sadly I no longer own that original copy, having lost that book as well as my original collection decades ago due to theft. But Ditko's contribution to Ghostly Tales #152 opened my life up to a hundred-hundred times that many more comics over the span of another 35 years. And as my current collection nears 10,000 books, I now have a replacement as a keystone issue to reflect my first purchase. 

Steve Ditko will never know how much his art meant to my life and my hobby. That's okay, as I am sure he knows now. But without him, who knows what I would be doing now instead of typing a tribute to a sequential art legend. I'd probably would had been quite popular in high school, a former jock, now selling vinyl siding or used cars. Ugh... That thought is more terrifying than anything found in the pages of my first comic book purchase.

Thank you, Steve Ditko... and Rest In Peace.

This tribute was published concurrently on Outrightgeekery.com. 

New Gods Special #1

Art and Stories by Shane Davis, Walt Simonson, and Jack Kirby

Published by DC Comics

  DC’s latest offering in their year-long bicentennial celebration of Jack Kirby’s birth is all about the New Gods. Kalibak has plans to turn New Genesis into Apokolips 2.0. Once he unleashes the fires of the planet’s core, the son of Darkseid plans on establishing himself as ruler. Thankfully, there’s another of Darkseid’s offspring to defend New Genesis from Kalibak’s secret assault- Orion!

  Axcend’s Shane Davis pits brother against brother in this thrilling opener of the New Gods Special. There’s tons of guest stars here such as Lightray, Forager, and Highfather. But the one character oddly missing is Darkseid! But don’t worry, he’s gonna rear his ugly head in his own one-shot special later this summer.

Ugly Inside

Davis’ story was very intriguing hinting upon the nature vs. nurture dynamic that Kirby sprinkled into the New Gods. Being born on Apokolips, Orion is at heart one wicked dude. But because of his childhood spent on New Genesis as the adopted son of Highfather, Orion has learned to control his rage.

One thing Orion cannot control is how he looks. Genetics has him naturally look twisted and cruel. If not for a Mother Box, Orion would annually win the Ugliest Person Award on New Genesis. So when Orion finally gives into his Apokoliptian heritage during his climatic battle with Kalibak, his Mother Box can no longer mask his true face.

This is the only moment in the story that I really was unhappy with Shane Davis’ art. When Kirby would draw Orion’s true self, he looked hideous. Davis changes Orion’s face. But he doesn’t do enough to really make you think that the Orion is evil at heart. Forager is frightened by this version of Orion. I didn’t feel as shocked.

Back-Up Features

The New Gods Special includes a several shorts. The first is a tale of Orion as a youth. With art and story by Walt Simonson, this exciting story teams Orion with ocean-farer Seagrin on one of his first missions: an underwater quest in the briny depths of Apokolips. Simonson is one of those few artists whose work has actually gotten better over the years. I didn’t want this fun shark tale to end.

It wouldn’t be a Jack Kirby tribute without something from the King himself. Rounding out this special are two short stories reprinted from the Forever People #5 and 7. Both tales focus on a little-known character called Lonar. As explained in former Kirby assistant Mark Evanier’s afterword, Lonar was supposed to be spun-off onto his own series. But the cancellation of all of Kirby’s Fourth World titles ended that plan.

I am really excited that DC decided to reprint some of Kirby’s harder to find Fourth World stuff. When I saw that the publisher was putting stuff from the Forever People in this special, I actually hesitated on buying this. I already have Kirby’s Forever People omnibus. But that volume doesn’t include any of the King’s grabbers- Kirby’s term for second feature fillers.
The New Gods Special was an exciting trip back to Kirby’s Fourth World. Filled with works inspired by the King, they in no way copy him. It’s really hard to imitate greatness. Especially when the benchmark established is Jack Kirby. But for a tribute creative to honor one of comic’s all-time greats, this is a fantastic homage of one of the King’s most enduring DC Universe creations.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Joan Lee: A Tribute to the Queen of the Marvel Universe

For several years now, I keep seeing this meme which asks who would be on the Mount Rushmore of comics. Almost everyone agrees to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Will Eisner for the first three spots. But that fourth spot has been widely debated. However, I think with the sad events of last night, that final spot should go to Joan Lee.

Last night, Stan Lee’s beloved wife Joan – or has he calls her, “Joanie” – passed away at 93 years young. Joan and Stan had been married over 69 years ago. A World War II bride from England, Joan stole Stan’s heart. But what few people know is that without her, there would be no Marvel Universe.

The Birth of a Universe

In 1960, DC Comics was upping it’s game with the creation of the Justice League of America. Combining the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and other superheroes, the comic was a smash hit. Across town in the Big Apple, Marvel publisher Martin Goodman wanted a similar title to compete with the JLA. During a golf outing, Goodman challenged his editor in Chief, Stan Lee, to make it so and fast.

What few fans of Stan the Man know is that this period of time wasn’t the best for the editor. Lee felt stagnant creatively. He was a hair’s breath away from quitting Marvel altogether. Now here’s Goodman telling Stan to make a super-group using the pitiful handful of heroes Marvel owned the rights to. After returning from the links, Stan confided in his wife over dinner his disgust with his boss’s idea. Joan’s response would change comics history!

Joan Lee told her husband to make the book. But, do it his own way. Stan’s wife figured that since he was going to quit anyways, it wouldn’t be a big deal if the book was a dud. Besides, if Stan got fired for it, at least he could draw unemployment. Thus Stan Lee got to typing.

The book Stan created that night would become the Fantastic Four. The book, dated November 1961 was an immediate success. Stan was revitalized and got together with the likes of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create more characters. Within two years, the foundation of what would be considered the Marvel Universe was set. But things could have been so different.

What If…

Without Joan Lee encouraging her husband to make a comic book his way, comicdom would be very different. What is she told Stan to just up and quit? Captain America would still be encased in ice. Thor would be just a minor figure in high school mythology courses. And everybody would absolutely have zero reasons to ever want to be bitten by spiders! These possibilities are enough to frighten the Watcher!

A Love Divine

In 2010, there was this beautiful documentary about Stan called With Great Power: the Stan Lee Story. My favorite part of the film was Stan at home in Hollywood with his wife. While they showed the camera crew around his office, the couple would bicker at each other. The barbs thrown weren’t cruel. Instead, they were done in such a loving manner between two lovers who have long learned to overlook each other’s foibles. They just now have a cheeky sense of humor about it. I constantly see posts saying that they want a relationship like the Joker and Harley Quinn. I want a marriage like Stan and Joan’s!

My heart goes out to Stan Lee and his daughter J.C. This is such a terrible event that no loving spouse wants ever face. With the release of the new Spider-Man film, this also a very bittersweet moment for not just the Marvel community but comics as a whole.

So this weekend, let’s all be a better than a community of geeks, nerds, and fanboys. Keep the trolls to the Billy Goats Gruff for a few days. Instead, let’s be a family to Stan Lee and family. He’s been there so often for us in own times of need. It’s our turn now.

Thank you Joan for inspiring a husband into creating a universe. Thank you Stan for falling in love with a London hat model 70 years ago. As the ultimate comics power couple, you’ve both earned your spot on the Mount Rushmore of Comics!

Article was orginally published July 7, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 79

   
  Yesterday the legendary artist and writer Bernie Wrightson lost his battle with brain cancer. 
It's a real sad day for the comic book community and fans like me. Wrightson was a master horror and the macabre and I spent many a day of my youth pouring over his works.

    Let me just say that my parents didn't have the best sense of discretion. Or maybe they were the coolest parents ever. When it came to books, they let me read just about anything I wanted. The very first comic book I ever bought was a horror comic book was Ghostly Tales #152. It didn't feature artwork by Bernie Wrightson but it did start me down the path to reading and collecting horror comics. 

     One of my group of favorite horror books are the classic EC books from the 1950s. Those controversial books influenced Wrightson to focus on horror books over the course of his career. Well it had been a goal of mine to own an original EC Comic of any sort. In a bittersweet moment of glory for this Madman, on the same day I finally get to own an original EC book, the comic book world lost Bernie.

In '77, Wrightson did a series of lithos
based on dinosaurs.

Wrightson's most famous creation, Swamp Thing.
A short story from an issue of House of Secrets, the plant man hero is a fan favorite.

Some villagers trying to kill a vampire.

A scene from Wrightson's 1977 Frankenstein project.

Though Wrightson is noted as a master of horror,
he did many other genres including this Jonah Hex cover, a western.

Uncanny Origins #4

Issue #4 stars one of the cosmic stars of the Marvel Universe. OK, Firelord is more of a third tier character, but that last sentence was a pretty good pun you must admit. I am actually at a loss as to why they chose Firelord as this issue's subject. With every issue thus far about mutant characters, I was convinced that Uncanny Origins was an X-men title.

  So why the sudden switch and focus on one of the heralds of Galactus?

  I didn't get my answer until the end of this book where there were a couple of full page tributes to writer/editor Mark Gruenwald, who died suddenly a few weeks before the publication of UC4. Gruenwald was tackling the editing job for this series when he past. As a tribute to him, they chose one of his favorite characters from his epic run on Thor in the 80s- that being Firelord.

  The previous issues have been more of a rough overview of the early life and times of that issue's focus. This issue was mostly an honest to god story, focusing on a cadet of the Nova Corps, named Kril. When his commanding officer is abducted by Galactus, the corpsman makes it his mission to save his superior and friend.

  Years will pass before human and force of nature finally meet. But to uncover the fate of his missing companion, Kril has to make the ultimate sacrifice, giving up his life as a human and becoming the next herald Galactus. Once the transformation is made, the new Firelord will finally get the answer he's long sought. Believe me when I say it's the ultimate twist of irony!

  This is the best issue of the bunch ( so far, of course…) and it's not because this issue doesn't focus on mutants either. The writing by James Felder is quite good. Plus Dave Hoover does another bang up job on the artwork. But I think what made this issue stand out was the dedication of the Marvel bullpen to put out a loving eulogy to their fallen friend Gruenwald in the form of a comic.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

A moment of silence...

Never Forget...

RIP: a fond farewell.

   Today, the last remaining original member of the punk rock band, the Ramones died today. Tommy Ramone was 62.
    Their heyday started right around 1977, the year I was born. So, naturally, I was a big fan of these guys. "I Wanna Be Sedated" was probably my favorite song, but I was also very keen to one of their more obscure songs- "The KKK Took My Baby Away." Interestingly enough, the song isn't in support of the Klan. In fact, it's a song about how a girl's racism caused the boyfriend to dump her. Who said punk music didn't have a message?
  Anyway, I just wanted to post a small tribute to not only Tommy, but to the band. Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Grammy winners, and stars of the off-the-wall but surprisingly tame Roger Corman classic, Rock n' Roll High School- Joey, Tommy, Dee Dee, and Johnny not only rocked our socks off (and make us wanna be sedated) but they inspired the next generation of rock musicians.
Their influence was limitless even if their time on earth was.

Two Collections Becoming One...

My wife is my best friend. I often joke that Star Wars is my best friend as I was born the same year as the first movie and I spent my whole life playing, watching, reading, and collecting it.
  But aside from my wife, my best friend was Todd. he died about 3 years ago. I don't remember the exact date, but I remember the day we got the phone call from his wife that he was gone. I'll never forget helping make funeral arrangements that day.
  Well, today was the first time in about 2 years since my wife and I got to spend some time with Todd's wife, Tammy. We had lunch today and met her new husband. He's a really cool guy and it wasn't hard getting to know.
   I'm usually very shy meeting someone new. But, once I've gathered the courage- WATCH OUT! It's like when Todd and I first meet. It took 45 minutes for our wives trying to get each other attention and to open up. Then a commercial came on that changed everything. It was for Superman Returns and we both expressed a desire to see the film at about the same time. I asked if he collected comics and he said yes. Todd asked if I collected. I told him not anymore, but I read them all the time at my local library. That go a friendship started.
   Todd was who got me into collecting again. I had been wanting to for so long, but wasn't sure if my wife would be up to my new interest. However, I think my wife saw that I was forming a friendship with another guy and she gave it her okay. The next thing I know, we're at HeroesCon in Charlotte as a pair of couples and while Tammy and my wife saw in a corner and talked, Todd and I went exploring. I still remember meeting George Perez and getting him to sign a issue of Crisis proclaiming "I killed Supergirl, Confessionally. (sic)" and he added a sketch of her insignia. The three of us spent 30 minutes talking. It was the beginning of my vast collection.
   Well, today, I received something I never in a 1,000 years expected. After years of struggling to figure out what to do with it, Tammy gave me Todd's collection. She said that I should have it because I would treat it as precious and that Todd would be happy knowing it went to someone he cared about.
  I now have an entire station wagon full of comics and graphic novels. It's going to take weeks and months to go through everything. I need to figure out doubles, decide if those extras are something I can donate to the kids at my wife's clinic. Then with the remainder, I have to bag them, process them, and then add them to my collection. I also need to buy a bunch of supplies.
   It's going to be a lot of work. But it's also going to be lots of fun.
   However, I'd trade that entire collection to have my friend back.
  Todd, Thank you- this post it for you!

Graphic Elvis: Free Comic Book Day Sampler

Graphic Elvis is a coffee table book full of pieces done by some of the top graphic artists and writers of today. This Free Comic Book Day offering is comprised of pin-ups from the book and Elvis quotes or quotes from famous fans about the King.

Also included in book this preview and the book itself is a cosmic tale about Elvis’ trip to Paradise after passing on Aug. 16, 1977. That tale is penned by Marvel legend, Stan Lee. Though this wasn’t drawn by Jack Kirby, the artwork is done in the style of the King of Comics. It’s a very heart-warming tale that will make you believe in a rock-n-roll heaven.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC Comics Presents: Mystery in Space #1

A tribute issue in honor of the passing of the great Julius Schwartz, long-time Editor In Chief of DC Comics. Schwartz was known for having concept covers drawn up and then would assign writers to use that idea for use in a forthcoming issue of said title.

In this issue, the First story is a team-up of Adam Strange and Ralph (Elongated Man) & Sue Dibny. I love the Dibnys, God rest their souls. So, to have them pop up here is awesome. That story involves a chance meeting in a remote African nation and the terrible consequences of Strange’s Zeta beam having on global defense in the wrong hands.

The second story is by Batman scribe, Grant Morrison. That should be a great issue. Sadly, it delves into some metaphysical metaphor for how Adam Strange was a catalyst for American’s fear of the bomb and the generation gap in terms of Vietnam. It’s really a stretch and a very confusing and awful tale.

Thankfully, the first story totally makes up for that drivel and makes this book very much Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC Comics Presents - The Flash #1

A tribute issue in honor of the passing of the great Julius Schwartz, long-time Editor In Chief of DC Comics. Schwartz was known for having concept covers drawn up and then would assign writers to use that idea for use in a forthcoming issue of said title. It's also fitting that the Flash is used as one of the heroes to pay respect to Julie as it was Schwartz who was solely responsible for the Speedster's 'return' to comics in the 1950s.

The first take has Barry Allen testifying against a mob boss. But before he can testify, an assassin marks the criminologist for death. Cameos abound with Iris West, Martian Manhunter, Deadshot & more.

The second tale features some of the Flash’s Rogue’s Gallery. However, the story is rather flat.

Worth Consuming if for just the first story alone.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Comics Presents Atom #1

A tribute issue in honor of the passing of the great Julius Schwartz, long-time EIC of DC Comics. Schwartz was known for having concept covers drawn up and then would assign writers to use that idea for use in a forthcoming issue of said title.

Here, Dave Gibbons, Mark Waid, Dan Jurgens, and others devise 2 different takes in which the Atom is required to “ride a deadly grenade!”

The first tale incorporates the classic motif that writer Gardner Fox got his ideas by his dreams tapping into the Earth-1 universe. Along with Schwartz and what I assume is pitcher Whitey Ford, the Atom must find a way to go back to Earth-1 after some criminals strand him in the “real world.”

The second tale isn’t quite as charming. Atom still must take a ride on a grenade, but that tale doesn’t hold a candle to the first tale. It does feature 60s super-criminal Chronos, which uses ideas from an imaginative writer, a thinly veiled Schwartz, to stage a series of super crimes.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.