Wednesday Comics: DC, May 1983 (week 1)

My ongoing mission: read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! Today, I'm looking at the comics at newsstands on the week of February 3, 1983. 

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld #1: Following up on last month's preview, Mishkin/Cohn and Colon debut their new fantasy 12 issue "maxi-series." Amy Winston is a 13 year-old regular kid on Earth but an 18 year-old princess named Amethyst in the magical realm of Gemworld. She was sent to Earth to keep her safe as her family was imperiled by the conquests of the villainous Dark Opal and his allies. Largely this issue is a lot of setup and exposition, but it manages to move pretty well. The intended audience for this seems to be pre-teen/tween girls, but there's at least one jarring note in that regard: there's a scene with some troll troops of Lord Sardonyx who seem to threaten sexual assault against the princess. Anyway, Colon's art looks good with this sort of material.

Blackhawk #258: We get another Chaykin cover on this issue, though not as good as last issues. Evanier and Spiegle have the Blackhawks chasing down the plans for yet another German super-weapon, but this one isn't as fanciful as the War Wheel. It's the atomic bomb. They manage to steal the plans from the Germans and those with knowledge of them are killed, but not before a prototype missile is launched toward Blackhawk Island. They evacuate but forget a nurse that had been tending Stanislaus in the rush. That watch their home destroyed and a life lost in horror. Throughout the issue there is discussion and disagreement among the Blackhawks about the use or desirability of anyone having such a weapon. It's perhaps simplistic or trite by adult standards in 2023, but it would have a given a 10 year-old in 1983 a lot to think about.

 

DC Comics Presents #57: Mishkin and Saviuk/McLaughlin present a sort of Marvel-esque update of the Atomic Knights that will be the version we get in Who's Who, not the more fanciful version of Strange Adeventures. A series nuclear weapons system computer glitches throughout the world leads Superman and S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Marene Herald to the isolation tank of Gardner Grayle, a volunteer in an experiment to assess post-nuclear war survival scenarios. Instead, Grayle's mind has been manufacturing adventures of for himself leading a group of Atomic Knights in a fantasy, post-holocaust world. The computer, unconsciously urged by Grayle, has been inching toward bringing a nuclear apocalypse to a more horrible reality. Superman has to go into the dream world and convince Grayle to give it up.

Fury of Firestorm #12: Conway, Broderick, and Rodriquez have two Hyenas on the loose and Firestorm has been "infected" himself--though it only seems to progress when he is in Firestorm form, not split Ronnie and Stein. The Dr. Shi Hyena goes after Dr. Gleason, the chief resident of the hospital (the age and demeanor of the "chief resident" seem to suggest that Conway believes a chief resident is the "chief of staff" and not just the most senior of the junior physicians in a specialty), but the Summer Hyena tries to stop him, and Firestorm manages to capture them both. In the end though, Firestorm seems trapped in combined form.

Also this issue: Stein loses his job. Carew admits to having a tape (one where Stein probably admits he's Firestorm, but Carew did listen) except that now it's disappeared, and Stein's ex-wife seems to be running some nefarious plan against him. She reports to a mysterious stranger who refers to her as Operative Nine.

Justice League #214: The Justice Leaguers begin to remember who they are, but they are taken captive by the Devil Guards of Goltha. They are rescued by the Wanderer, who is revealed as Krystal Kaa, rightful ruler to the throne, and her friends the Siren Sisterhood, an all-female underground resistance. Black Canary is seemingly killed by their captor, Princess Kass'andre but Mother Moon, a mystic healer and leader of the Sisterhood, resurrects her, and the two groups join forces. There is some indication, though, that they Sisterhood might not be everything they seem, and a figure watches the League's doings from the shadows of a cave.

Wonder Woman #303: Mishkin and Colan bring back the Green Lantern foe, Dr. Polaris. After an incident in which a USAF plane is destroyed by a mysterious magnetism, both Steve Trevor and the newly arrived Maj. Keith Griggs make a dual test flight over the area. A gigantic apparition materializing before them. Wonder Woman comes to the rescue, recognizing the apparition as Polaris. Wonder Woman is unable to prevent the villain from putting the two jets on a collision course.

In the Huntress backup by Cavalieri and DeCarlo/DeZuniga  we seem to be getting a plot very like the Wild Wild West episode "The Night of the Ready-Made Corpse." Amos Tarr is helping villains fake their death to escape justice (and blame Huntress for killing them!) in exchange for part of their take--or their whole take as he seems to be killing them, himself. Huntress discovers the plot but falls into his clutches and winds up in a death trap.

Arak Son of Thunder #21: Arak and his companions cross a sea of sand, then a river and cataract of boulders, but they finally get to the castle where Angelica is holding Maligigi.

Arak and Valda rush to the top of Angelica's tower, leaving Satyricus and Johannes behind. The two surprise the sorceress and quickly overpower her. Arak hesitates in delivering her the coup de grace, so she is able to turn the tables and capture the heroes in a net. 

In the Valda backup, Pip encounters a phantom that appears to be his grandfather. Somethings not right, so Valda fights the spirit and discovers that it is under the control of Baron Ovis. She destroys it, but Ovis's men take Pip hostage. Valda takes Ovis leading to a standoff. Luckily, Charlemagne and his men arrive. Ovis dies of his own sorcery. Pip and then king reconcile.