Wednesday Comics: DC, September 1984 (week 3)

div style="text-align: left;">Join me as I read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on June 21, 1984.

Thriller #10: DuBay/Niño deliver a weird story (in a way different from how pretty much every Thriller story is weird) that feels like that last issue or next to last issue where they throw some stuff at you out of left field (see the endings of Rust, Nth Man, and Druid, to name a few). Except this isn't the end. We get the connection between Quo, the Salvotini siblings, Lusk, Thriller, and the terrorist Iskariot revealed, as they are shown to be students of the mysterious Verity, who was sort of the "Golden Age" Angie Thriller. While we're getting all this backstory, terrorists set off nukes in New York killing millions. Well, they did, but then time gets rewound, and it seems like we're poised on a new age of spiritual awareness, but then Verity gets accidentally shot and killed. But perhaps that's what was meant to happen? I don't know, but there's a next issue. Niño's art here has a sort of Milt Caniff vibe, different from his usual look. 

Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1: While I'm sure there are some 70s examples, maybe even some 60s ones, the mid-80s seem to be the Golden Age of themed super-villain teams. We got things started with the Demolition Team a few months ago, and now Barr and his collaborators give us what I think may be the exemplar of such teams: the seasonally appropriate Force of July. A Conservative politician creates the team to promote his vision of American ideals and pits them against Batman and the Outsiders (why are they his primary target? It's their book!) who become aware of his connection to a theft from S.T.A.R. Labs. The politician, who took Orwell's 1984 as a how-to manual, has deployed a satellite to monitor Americans constantly for unpatriotic behaviors and attitudes. In the initial skirmishes, the Outsiders are defeated and captured, but eventually they win the day, and the Force of July appears to have been killed. (SPOILERS: They weren't.) Geo-Force and Metamorpho go into space to destroy the satellite.

This issue also debuts Geo-Force's new, green and yellow costume. It also reveals that he knows that his sister Tara was a traitor, despite the Titans hiding it from him out of kindness in their book, Barr reveals that Batman apparently told Brion. Way to keep Nightwing's confidence, Batman!

DC Comics Presents Annual #3: From a story by Thomas, Cavalieri and Kane tell an action-packed tale of a cross-dimensional team-up between Captain Marvel and two Supermen--with appearances by Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. for good measure. Dr. Sivana attacks Superman on Earth-One, why the story doesn't really explain, because is main plot (and the issues) involves him having knocked out the wizard, Shazam, so he can set up a device on the Rock of Eternity and siphon the power of the magical lightning when he tricks Billy Batson into saying "Shazam!" Empowered like a Marvel, Sivana beats up Captain Marvel and imprisons him to die, then tricks Mary and Captain Marvel Jr., before heading to Earth-Two to beat up its Superman. Leaving him in a death trap, he travels to Earth-One and is about to kill that Superman, when Captain Marvel rallies and turns the tide. There is a lot of action, but not really a lot of team-up and most of the issue is the various characters taking on Sivana solo.

Blue Devil #4: This is a fun issue with a lot of the humor that marks the series. Superman takes Blue Devil to the Justice League Satellite to introduce him to Zatanna in hopes she might have a cure for his condition. Before he meets her though, he challenges Superman to an arm-wrestling contest and loses badly much to Elongated Man's amusement. When Zatanna does show up, she consults a book on demonology for background on Nebiros. She concludes that only Nebiros can undo the magic that grafted the costume onto Dan, so she opens a portal to the demon's realm and sends Blue Devil in to talk with him. It doesn't go well, and soon Nebiros is again loose in the world. After they battle him on the island where he was first awakened, the demon escapes and heads to Mexico.

Green Lantern #179: Wein and Gibbons/DeCarlo pick up where last issue left off. Jordan is back on Earth, but Ferris Aircraft is in flames and the Demolition Team are in custody thanks to the mysterious Predator. Jordan, feeling guilty, tries to do something--anything--to help. He finds out Clay Kendall has survived but is paralyzed. Carol angrily gives Hal an ultimatum: either choose her or the Green Lantern Corps. Hal does what anyone might do in that situation: he seeks advice from his friends who happen to be Green Arrow, the Flash, and Superman. Unfortunately, they all give different advice. After thinking it over, Hal visits Carol to give her his final decision: He's quitting the Corps.

In the backup by Klein and Gibbons, we're still on the world of "Green Magic." Green Lantern Hollika and her friends defend themselves from the scientists' submarine. The pilot turns out to be Tahrk's father who says he's escaped the Scientists to join the young rebels.

Infinity, Inc. #6: While most of the Infinitors recover from the beating their elders in the JSA gave them last issue, The Huntress fights with Robin to keep him from killing Boss Zucco who is now an old man with dementia in a prison hospital, and Brainwave, Jr. and the Star-Spangled Kid learn the details of the Ultra-Humanite's evil plan, which naturally also features a recap of Ultra's history.

Legion of Super-Heroes #2: The stakes escalate as Levitz and Giffen follow a similar pattern to previous arcs: small groups of Legionnaires engage enemies whose ultimate goals are uncertain and often lose, at best only driving the enemies off. The new Legion of Super-Villains is at least thwarted from their goal of killing any Legionnaires, but they're able to steal the Polymer Shield that covers Earth. In that engagement, Saturn Girl goes into labor! 

This issue also features the famous panel of the Legion of Super-Villains at a table, and Giffen/Mahlstedt have positioned them in homage to da Vinci's The Last Supper.

New Talent Showcase #8: Editorial seems to have given up on this book. The features are getting more amateurish and at least two stories seem to have goofs that should have caught. Contrary to this trend, though, is the cover feature Jenesis written by Newell with nice art by Beachum/Alexander. Alix Ward officially begins her superhero career while on vacation in Wyoming, but she almost gets killed in a fire set by her opponent. Her husband isn't sold on all this, but she derides his "bleeding heart" concerns.

Cosmic Clinics ends as weird as it began with like a whole limited series on fast forward in the pages of this one feature. Good triumphs over evil and the nefarious clinics are shutdown. Mirrage also reaches the end of his run, rescuing his girl from the deranged hit man. "The Mini (Misadventures) of Nick O. Tyme continues to do whatever it has been doing.

Saga of Swamp Thing #28: Swamp Thing is being haunted by the ghost of Alec Holland. He follows the ghost to his old lab, where Swamp Thing relives the mirrors of Holland's wife Linda, and the events leading up to their deaths. He digs a grave, hoping to put the spirit to rest, but the apparition of his old (pre-Moore) myself points him to the water where Holland's remains must be. Once he recovers Holland's bones and lays them to rest in the grave, Holland's spirit is at peace at last. A creative way to do an origin recap from Moore and McManus.

Sgt. Rock #392: Despite what the cover teases, Kanigher and Redondo aren't ending Rock's war, they just have the brass decide they need him doing basic training at Fort Dix. This is presented as permanent, but I'm betting he's back on the frontline's next month. Anyway, Rock's example and training makes a wimpy kid named Cohen step up.

In the backup story, "Escape," Harris and Lindsey spin a parallel story of two brothers: one a soldier escaping from a German POW camp, the other a criminal escaping from prison in the U.S. and losing his life after killing a dirty Nazi collaborator who escaped with him.

Supergirl #23: Kupperberg and Infantino/Oksner pick up in the middle of Supergirl's battle with the future man. It sort of turns out a draw, with Supergirl unable to lay a hand on him, but the mutant being expending too much energy. After he escapes, we learn his origin, which any astute reader would have guessed: Young genius Barry Metzner created an evolution machine to unlock the potential of his mind by turning him into a hyper-evolved, future man. Only the self-hypnosis tapes kept that megalomaniacal part of him dormant, but it a power outage let it loose. He and Supergirl tangle again, but future man keeps underestimating the Maid of Might. She appeals to the Metzner self within him, shocking him to fight for dominance with her apparent death. That trick gives her the opening to apply super-hypnosis and turn him back to normal. After all that, Linda Danvers goes home and finds old flame 

Dick Malverne waiting for her. To be continued!

Except it isn't. This is the last issue of the series, which I think is sort of a shame. There were some at least mildly interesting plot threads left dangling. It felt like the team was crafting something here that got cut short.

Warlord #84: I reviewed the main story here. In the Barren Earth backup by Cohn and Randall, Jinal and crew embark on their mission to capture a Qlov. They don't have much difficulty finding one but taking it alive is a different manner. The story ends on a cliffhanger, with the Qlov and Jinal squaring off for a sword duel.

Wednesday Comics: DC, September 1984 (week 2)

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm reviewing the comics released the week of June 14, 1984. 

Jemm, Son of Saturn #1: I saw the ads a lot for this maxi-series as a kid, but I've never read it. The idea of character from Saturn offended my childhood desire for "realism" in my comics about super-powered do-gooders in skintight costumes. Post-Crisis, when I learned a bit about the character, I assumed this series was intended as a reboot/revamp of Martian Manhunter in the way that was so common in the late 80s/early 90s and that's sort of true, but not exactly it. Apparently, Jemm was originally intended to be the J'onn's cousin, but seems to be sort of a replacement Martian as J'onn hadn't appeared for a while. They abandoned the plan for the connection (turning Jemm to a Saturnian) when Conway decided to bring back J'onn in the JLA. 

Anyway, Potter and Colan/Janson open their story with young Luther Mannkin in Harlem, who discovers Jemm in an alley and takes the confused alien the apartment he shares with with his brother and blind grandfather. (The influence of the recent hit E.T. can be felt strongly here.)  Luther's brother Lincoln has to find a way to pay Claudius Tull the money he owes him for the heroin he was supposed to sell, or his thugs will hurt Lincoln and his family. In an attempt to strongarm Tull's goons, Lincoln and his ne'er-do-well friend Vin stage a poorly planned ambush at the apartment that would likely have led to all their deaths if not for the intervention of Jemm. Unfortunately, Grandpa is killed. Meanwhile, two NASA scientists and a CIA agent investigate Jemm's crashed ship and are attacked by other, white-skinned aliens.

Amethyst Annual #1: Amethyst and Gemworld are back courtesy of Mishkin/Cohn, and this time, Estrada/Marcos on art. On Earth, Amy Winston is having a tough time adjusting to life as a young teen when she had been the older Amethyst and finds the boy's her age lacking compared to the dreamy Prince Topaz.  When an mischevious dwarf shows up and tries to steal her gem, she and her friend Rita wind up transported back to Gemworld. Meanwhile, an enigmatic, malevolent entity disrupts a ceremony to install the new head of House Emerald. Eventually, characters from both plot threads collide as they must try to defeat a feline wizard's familiar that was empowered by the energies between worlds on their long-ago trip to Gemworld. To defeat the creature, Amethyst, Rita, and the youngest Emerald daughter take it back to Earth, where it becomes a normal cat, but they get trapped there, supposedly unable to return to Gemworld. The issue ends with a promise of a new Amethyst series.

All-Star Squadron Annual #3: The Thomases and a host of artists (including Giffen, Infantino, Boring, and the regular team) do a super-sized version of what they often do in the main series: split the group up to face challenges. After a framing story in 1942 with Tarantula and Wonder Woman, we get to the main event set in 1941 where the JSA must deal with Ian Karkull and the villains he has recruited to assassinate future presidents. I'm not sure, but it could be that the genesis of this story was simply to get an end resulting as consequence of Karkull's actions: the JSA members are "bathed in energy" that will in the coming years slow down their aging. 

Batman #375: Inspired by the creations of one of his henchmen that happens to be an artist and a poet, Mr. Freeze aspires to freeze all of Gotham with his new ice cannon, but in deference to the concerns of his lackeys that his aims might be too lofty, he agrees they should test it first by freezing and robbing a bank. The freeze the bank from underneath and steal the cash, but when Vicki and Julia fall into the whole they leave, Freeze attempts to use them the capture Batman and Robin. The crimefighters intervene, but Freeze is defeated. Julia boldly kisses Batman, which Vicki applauds, not knowing that that's her man!

Meanwhile, the social worker shows up to see Jason at 11 pm and when Alfred is forced to tell her the kid is out with Bruce, she says she's going to remove him from Bruce's care.

Like the Penguin issues that preceded it, I feel like Moench is trying to capture a bit of the Batman TV show vibe with his portrayal of Freeze and his schemes without getting too campy. Like Barr's tenure that will come later, he doesn't run from or try to disguise the silliness but rather seems to be trying to balance it out. It's very different from the approaches people will take to the series in the decades post-Dark Knight Returns.

Arak Son of Thunder #37: With Colon guesting on art, we get to see what Valda has been up to recently. Charlemagne hosts Prince Ecgfrith of Mercia who gives the king a unicorn as a gift. It's suggested, based on the legends, that Valda tames the beast, but though the court isn't aware, she is no longer a virgin after her romance with Arak. Ultimately, Malagigi has to stop the rampaging unicorn with a sleep spell. Ecgfrith wants to marry Valda, and her uncle and Charlemagne are considering it. A joust competition is offered to give Valda a way out. Surprisingly, Ecgfrith wins, and the marriage is on, but she backs out at the altar. Her uncle Rinaldo admits that the joust was fixed with an enchanted lance. Valda is released from her vow to marry the prince, and Charlemagne sends her to Baghdad to treat with Harun Al-Rashid. Malagigi goes along, both of them sure they will meet up with Arak again.

Flash #337: Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin keep the plates of this long story spinning with the mayor recanting his previous condemnation of the Flash on TV and announcing he will fund the rebuilding of the Flash Museum. We get multiple conversations teasing why Cecil might hate the Flash, but other than mentioning her father, no one explains. Captain Boomerang taunts the Pied Piper regarding his (now failed) plan to use public opinion to take down the Flash instead of doing directly. Rising to the challenge, the Piper summons "speed demons" from another dimension and has them attack the Flash.

G.I. Combat #269: This issue kicks off with a Haunted Tank tale with the crew feeling particularly hopeless in the seemingly unending war. Sgt. Rock has a cameo, and he and Easy feel the same. But then we end on a note of hope with a star and a babe born in a stable. Seems odd they didn't save this one for a Christmas issue. The second Haunted Tank story involves Jeb on the coast of Brittany lamenting the glory days of cavalry past, but when he's forced to fight a panzer with just a wild stallion, I bet he looks forward to getting his tank back.

There's a O.S.S. story that, as per usually, involves brave allied spies making the ultimate sacrifice to destroy a German "heavy water" facility in the Netherlands. Then, Sgt. Bullett's Bravos are back for a little "Mekong Madness." When ordered to bring back a group of Green Berets that have gone rogue, they instead backup the group sneaking into a VC camp in Cambodia in an attempt to free some Green Beret P.O.W.s. The mission ends with all the Green Berets dying, so the Bravos take back their dog tags and call it mission completed.

Omega Men #18: Continuing from last issue, Moench and Smith/Tanghal give us an army of Primus clones to pit against the Tigorr ones threatening to overwhelm the Omega Men's ship. Luckily, the Primus clones are more disciplined and willing to work with the original to help the Omega Men, but somehow this all leads to creation of a giant Tigorr.

This is a goofy story. It's a weird to me that this is what Moench wanted to do as his debut, as it has a real "ran out of ideas" feel. Maybe it's an indication of how seriously Moench takes the material?

Superman #399: Kupperberg and Barreto/Hunt bring back Colonel Future for his second (and last) appearance. NASA scientist Edmond Hamilton manages to get in another life imperiling situation and has a prophetic vision of what he believes to be Superman's death, as a charity event that involves multiple people dressed as Superman (including a group of crooks looking to cash in), Hamilton as Colonel Future tries to keep the Man of Steel away and save his life. As with his first appearance, it turns out Hamilton's interpretation of his vision is faulty. In a strange twist, it's actually Hamilton in a Superman costume that dies--at least for a few seconds. Superman is on hand to provide super-CPR to save his life.

Tales of the Teen Titans #46: Wolfman and Perez/de Carlo have Aqualad and Aquagirl leading post of the Titans on an underwater assault against H.I.V.E.'s lair. The H.I.V.E. Mistress has a trick up her sleeve, though, and seems to have trapped the Titans in a pod before causing it to explode.

Meanwhile, we get hints of Changelings vigilante actions in Manhattan, and Cyborg has confronts and then reconciles with his estranged grandparents.

DC Sampler #3: This is basically an extensive advertisement, but it's interesting what series get featured and what does not. The Justice League of America spread teases the new team that will appear in Annual #2. Thriller is featured even though the title is nearing its end.  There are no promos for Wonder Woman, Firestorm, Jonah Hex, any war title, or any Batman title beyond Batman and the Outsiders.

Wednesday Comics: DC, September 1984 (week 1)

My mission: to read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis. This week, I'm looking at the comics that were at newsstands on the week of June 7, 1984. 

Vigilante #10: Great cover this issue by Ross Andru. Feeling guilt and anger over the death of J.J., Adrian retreats from the people around him into grim avenger mode. After pushing Terry away, he begins to go after the mob, leaning on various members to get information on J.J.'s killer. Meanwhile, the Controller puts his plan into motion, first roping the mob leaders into his scheme then distracting the police with fake alarm signals.

Atari Force #9: Christopher teleports back home surprising Professor Venture who has a lot of questions. After the security forces barge in to apprehend him, he 'ports to the O'Rourke's residence. Both of these interactions provide a frame for Conway and García-López/Smith to recap everything that's happened in the series so far as well as the original Atari Force's first encounter with the Dark Destroyer. It all looks great and maybe this recap was needed for new readers, but it still feels like the story isn't really going anywhere fast.

Blackhawks #272: Evanier and Speigle again devote a bit of time to the Blackhawk's providing answers to "why do the German's do what they do?" which I guess could be an important line of inquiry, but none of the Blackhawks (or presumably Evanier) have anything enlightening to say. Thankfully, this stuff is short-lived, and we instead turn to the barmaid Helga (who Blackhawk met in issue 267) who has fallen for some propaganda and got herself trained and conditioned to be Domino II with a mission to kill Blackhawk. She fails, and Blackhawk manages to break her conditioning enough to take her into custody so that she hopefully can be rehabilitated. 

In the backup story with art by Ken Steacy, Hendrickson meets an enlisted airman whose job it is to paint pinup girls on the noses of planes at an airbase when tasked with a prisoner transport. Hendrickson thinks this is a frivolous custom and the painter should be fighting, but he changes his mind when the soldier's painting rescues the two of them from the escaped prisoner.

DC Comics Presents #73: Bates and Infantino/Hunt bring some continuity into this team-up, because the Flash's legal woes are very much on his mind and Superman's. The Flash is drawn into the other-dimensional world of Norkk, and Superman (after receiving Flash's distress call) follows. There he discovers that the Flash appears to have gone rogue, terrorizing the people and destroying their city. Things aren't as they appear, of course, and it's all the work of the Phantom Zone criminals exerting telepathic influence.  Our heroes working together are able to prevail.

Fury of Firestorm #27: Conway and Kayanan/Rodriquez finish up this Silver Deer and Black Bison storyline. Silver Deer plans to make Congress to pass a law granting Indian tribes their hereditary lands back, then make them commit suicide afterwards so they can't repeal it. We get her origin by way of explanation for this scheme. It involves an Indian Reservation in North Carolina featuring a log cabin on what looks like the plains, where wolverines are apparently common. Anyway, she saw her brother and father die due to the prejudice of Whites and now she wants revenge. There's this Congressional costume party in town that she crashes to enact her plan. Firestorm and Flamebird show up to defeat her, which ultimately, they do, freeing Black Bison from her control. Silver Dear appears to have died, but they don't find the body, suggesting Conway wanted to keep the option of her coming back (but she doesn't).

Justice League of America #230: Conway and Kupperberg/Marcos continue the War of the Worlds, and things are looking grim for Earth and its defenders. The JLA satellite has been ruptured, threatening the lives of the Leaguers on board, and Earth's leaders are deciding when to deploy nukes with a Martian armada surrounding their world. All isn't lost, though! The Hawks appear out of warp for an ambush and Martian Manhunter sneaks aboard the Martian command ship to challenge the Marshal to a one-on-on combat. J'onn ultimately wins but would have been felled by treachery if not for the timely intervention of Firestorm.

The letter column promises a two-parter by Busiek and Kupperberg that will explain where the League's heavy-hitters were during this arc, but also it teases a whole new Justice League in the upcoming annual.

Wonder Woman #319: We're back with the Mishkin and Heck/Maygar storyline. Sofia finally sits down and begins to spill what she knows about Steve Trevor to Diana--except it turns out that isn't the real Diana. The imposter goes on to steal nuclear codes and frame Diana for the crime, while the real Diana is fighting a robotic distraction as Wonder Woman. In the end, the villain is revealed to be Dr. Cyber, who we last saw almost 3 years ago in issue 287.

The Huntress backup by Cavalieri concludes but with artwork this time by Woch which just doesn't have the same pizzazz. Huntress defeats Nightingale in one-on-one combat and reveals the ninja to actually be a man, an actor named Seiji Kato. She also exposes Seraphin's artifact fraud: the samurai statue head all this was about is a forgery.

Wednesday Comics: DC, August 1984 (week 4)

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at the comics on May 31, 1984.

Tales of the Legion #314: The indicia of this issue drops the "of Super-Heroes" despite what the cover says. We get two stories this issue, both written by Levitz/Giffen. The first, with art by Shoemaker/Kesel is the most interesting. At his trial, former Science Police officer Ontiir claims he isn't a traitor but actually deep undercover for the SP. He he says proves it, but no one can verify the claim. He escapes from the custody, despite some Legion members being on hand. Later, he is brought before the Dark Circle, who also question his allegiances. Apparently, they had him infiltrate the SP long ago, but he went silent. He claims to be a double agent, still working for them. Meanwhile, the new Invisible Kid tries to help the original one, who is in a depression watching vids of himself being killed by Validus on repeat.

The second story, with art by Tuska and Kesel, is the first part of the origin of the White Witch with a frame of Blok viewing her history tape to learn more about her. We learn that she was born on a planet of clairvoyants but without the gift. After the death of her mother, she travels to the Sorcerer's World.

World's Finest Comics #306: In this issue Kraft/Rozakis and Lightle/Janke introduced that great superhero partnership, Swordfish and Barracuda. Man, they are really trying to make new characters happen in this book. While Swordfish reveals their origin to Batman, Superman, and Null, Barracuda stays frozen and in the hands of the Russians all issue. Meanwhile, Void, still stuck in another dimension, forms a partnership with X'ult who wants Barracuda to make her his bride. 

With Superman busy saving lives of people X'ult attacked, Batman, Null and Swordfish sneak on to the Russian ship where Barracuda is held prisoner, but they are outmatched by X'ult. Before the villain can claim his prize, Superman shows up to challenge him.

Action Comics #558: The first story by Rozakis and Schaffenberger feels like a throwback to the sillier stuff of a few years ago. Well, I suppose it hasn't entirely gone away, but it's less common. Absent-minded Professor Potter invents a helmet he hopes may be able to harness Superman's heat-vision to help the world. Unfortunately, when Superman takes the helmet off, he can't shut off his heat-vision. He's got to thwart some criminals with his eyes closed, then use his other super-senses to rebuild the busted helmet under Potter's addled instruction. 

In the second story by Kupperberg and Howard/Jensen, Clark Kent is covering Hoax Night in the small town of Pepperwood, New Jersey. The celebration is complicated when a very real a druid is freed of his centuries-long imprisonment in a tree (how he got in a tree in New Jersey isn't explained) and fights Superman. In the end, Superman wins the today and passes the conflict off as another of the town's hoaxes.

Arion Lord of Atlantis #22:  Cara Sherman-Tereno takes over on pencils with Smith still on inks. After one last sea-based menaced (a lamprey-mouthed sea serpent) Arion and friends disembark at Lysarr, bidding Bloodmoor goodbye, except for Wyynde's brother who decides the pirate life is for him. They have to fight some local ruffians, but the biggest danger is Garn Danuuth who has been released from statue-dom by the greed of Bloodmoor's mate. Garn promises to deal with Arion, but first, Atlantis.

All-Star Squadron #36: Thomas and Buckler/Howell open with the JSA watching newsreel footage of a new superhuman taking out RAF planes over Britian in support of German bombing raids and knocking Shining Knight from his horse. The press dubs him "Super-Nazi" (which angers Superman) but recognize him as Captain Marvel. Our heroes see a comic book at a newsstand and recognize the costume of "Super-Nazi" in it. Hitler orders Hauptmann Wunder to kill Superman just as Superman is flying to Britain to confront this new villain with other heroes close behind. We also see that the Germans have Billy Batson captive. 

Hauptmann Wunder manages to get the best of Superman but chooses to retreat over fighting the entire group of heroes. They are forced to stop pursuing him at the boundaries of continental Europe, lest they fall prey to Thomas' plot contrivance Hitler's Spear of Destiny mind control field.  Later, they encounter two American youth, Mary Batson and Freddy Freeman, who transform into what the All-Star's take for the "Hitler Youth" versions of "Super-Nazi."

Detective Comics #541: Moench and Colan/Smith continue the story that manages to feel like an episode of the 60s TV played more seriously. Batman on the trail of the Penguin who appears to have stolen information about a secret defense project. He figures out Penguin has gone to Antarctica to sell the info to the Soviets. Pursuing him in the batjet, he catches Penguin slogsleding cross the wastes. Penguin shoots him down with an umbrella launched missile, so the chase proceeds on foot. By the time they reach the Russian outpost, Batman is nearly dead while Penguin is pretty much immune to cold. Batman busts up the deal though, only to find Penguin was tricking the Russians and never intended to sell Americans secrets--only to collect money for doing so. Penguin is captured, but the Russians help Batman to leave as a gesture of goodwill.  Back in Gotham, Batman learns that there was never any secret information and that the whole thing was staged by the government as disinformation.

In the Green Arrow backup by Cavalieri and McManus/Trapani, Ollie is attacked in a case of mistaken identity by the Death Dealer, a card-wielding criminal after a "Wallace Hooper." After some investigation Ollie learns that Hooper is now Davy Chase, an all-night deejay but former con man, who testified against the mob and was put in the Witness Relocation Program. But Queen and Hooper are trapped in separate rooms by the Death Dealer, who sets those rooms on fire.

Jonah Hex #86: Jonah and Adrian go out on the town, but Jonah winds up whooping up on some gossips he overhears. Adrian's father does not approve of her dating such a man. Meanwhile, the Gray Ghost makes it back to his cabin and makes his son swear to carry on his mission. The son as the Gray Ghost ambushes Jonah on a rope bridge, dropping him into a river. Jonah manages to stay underwater long enough to escape the Ghost's vigilances. Changing plans, the Ghost kidnaps Adrian from her home and takes her to a slaughterhouse. He leaves a message for Jonah to lure him into a trap. Jonah takes the bait, but ultimately prevails. Still, the Ghost, though wounded, slips away when Jonah is untying Adrian.

While all this is happening, Emmylou is forced by the gang to take part in a robbery. Things go badly and Emmylou's mask is removed and a man is killed.

Sun Devils #2: Conway and Jurgens/Tanghal continue the story from last issue with Rik Sunn and his new friends being picked up by the Centaurians and, after an initial misunderstanding, offering to help that world fight the Sauroid menace. The short-sighted Centaurian bureaucracy rejects their offer, but when the Sauroid fleet makes a surprise attack, Rik and crew steal spacecraft to help out, anyway. They are joined by a Centauri fellow reject, a triad of clones with exuberant eyebrows and colorful makeup that make them look like they stepped off the set of Space: 1999. The groups skilled flying under Rik's leadership takes the Sauroids by surprise. They are aided mysterious and ghostly Myste, who assassinates the Sauroid commander on the flagship.

Super Powers #2: Kirby/Cavalieri and Gonzales/Marcos pick up where last issue left off. It seems like the Apokolips-enhanced villains have the upper hand, but the heroes use brains and teamwork to win the day--except in the case on the Joker where they prevail through the intervention of his therapist! Still, there are further threats ahead.

I head this issue as a kid. It was the first issue of Super Powers I read having missed the first. I wound up getting the rest of the series, though.

Wednesday Comics: DC, August 1984 (week 3)

Join me as I read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on May 24, 1984.

Warlord #84: I reviewed the main story here. In the Barren Earth backup by Cohn and Randall, Jinal gets an audience with one of the mysterious, robed rulers of the floating city of D'Roz. He reveals that the Harashashan and the Mulge are creations of his people, and he is aware the Qlov are on Earth. He's unconvinced, however, that he should join Jinal's side over theirs. He tasks her with capturing a Qlov so they both can be questioned at the same time.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1: Here begins another direct sale only relaunch by the popular creative team of Levitz, Giffen, and Mahlstedt. It's off to a great start with the reveal of a shadowy group as it recruits Lightning Lord and extracts from him a vow to kill his brother, Lightning Lad. 

In a casino on Ventura, Star Lad, Dream Girl and Shrinking Violet have a run in with Micro Lad, but he's pulled away into a dimensional rift before they can apprehend him. Later, renegade Daxamite Ol-Vir is recruited from Takron-Galtos by what appears to be the same group and told he is to join a new Legion of Super-Villains.

Giffen's art has pretty much reached its final Legion form, though it's not as messy or angular here as in say Ambush Bug or the Legion of Substitute Heroes Special to come, though maybe that's down to different inkers.

Batman and the Outsiders #13: As BatO closes on its first year we get a silly story from Barr and Day/Marcos. Batman was poisoned last issue, and there's no antidote, but a physician prescribes keeping him physically and mentally active to maybe help him burn through the poison. So, at the suggestion of Alfred, they take him to Crime Alley and re-enact the murder of his parents! Somehow, a crime boss gets word of his condition, and they have to contend with a gang's assault. The trauma-reinforcing approach seems to work, and Batman's life is saved. He reveals his secret identity to the Outsiders, but of course, they already know.

Blue Devil #3: Mishkin/Cohn and Cullins/Martin pick up where last issue left off with Blue Devil being thoroughly examined by S.T.A.R. Labs (and repeating his origin for new readers). Meanwhile, Shockwave is being berated by his employer, Metallo, who decides to handle the situation himself. He attacks the lab, and despite Blue Devil's attempts to stop him, replaces his regular old kryptonite heart with the synthetic super-kryptonite. The radiation field is so potent, Superman can't get into the building to help. Blue Devil uses his brain, though, deducing that Metallo is powered by the kryptonite and contrives to get in close enough to remove it. Superman swoops in to help the mop up of Metallo's forces and after hearing his story, takes Blue Devil to introduce him to an expert in magic who might be able to help. The action and humor formula of this book is really coming together, and the art looks great.

Green Lantern #179: Wein and Gibbons present what seems practically like a backdoor pilot for a Predator series as the enigmatic new character singlehandedly takes down the Demolition Team with style and banter. He even steals a kiss from Carol Ferris, which I'm sure was intended for its 1984 audience to read as "charming rogue." I had previously assumed the Predator was Mr. Smith from Con Trol, but that's not made clear. They are definitely related in some way, though, which undercuts the "Predator as hero" idea. This issue also undermines the Demolition Team who come off like chumps after their big introduction.

Meanwhile, Hal is trying to save Omnicron Ceti IV. He gets the idea of using stellarium from asteroids to create damping rods to absorb the radiation from the planet's core and cool it. When the planet is saved, the Guardians congratulate Jordan for a job well done, but he angrily warns them that if his home and friends suffered in his absence, he'll make the Guardians regret it. He flies back to Earth and finds Ferris Aircraft in flaming ruins.

In the backup by Klein and Gibbons, we're back to the world of "Green Magic" and the conflict between science and sorcery with a young Green Lantern in the middle. Hollika Rahn struggles to bring together her sorcerer friend with her scientist ally, Tahrk. They agree to be allies just in time, as a stalking submarine of the scientists emerges near the shores of their island.

Infinity, Inc. #5: In a twist surprising no reader, I'm sure, the JSA members aren't really dead, but instead just out for a bit after "drowning" in the Koehaha River, also known as the Stream of Ruthlessness, which is no doubt from some Golden Age story. The Justice Society members wake up at their own autopsy without consciences and beat up the Flash and several Infinitors. Meanwhile, Brainwave Jr. and Star-Spangled Kid are ambushed by the Ultra-Humanite.

New Talent Showcase #8: First up is a new feature apparently named "Jenesis" (there's not a title in the issue though) by Newell with art by Beachum/Alexander, accentuating the 80s-ness of an already 80s story. Anxieties about women in the workplace collide with the ghosts of Vietnam as scientist Alix Ward loses her baby perhaps due to her reckless pursuit of knowledge or maybe due to a fight with a crazy vet but develops super-powers to rescue herself and her husband from the husband's former friend out for revenge for choices made during the war.

Mirrage is still dealing with Slice, the ruthless enforcer for drug lords, who kidnaps Mirrage's girl. Like a few stories this issue the writing and cramped layouts make this seem longer than its page count suggests. The poster child for that is "Cosmos Clinics: Clinic Conflict" by Marchman and Orzechowski/Pharms that seems to cram 32 pages of story in. It involves a chain of clinics that offer a chance at super-powers but deliver those with a side of mind control and creeping government takeover. They maintain fear through a group of enforcers clad in pink and magenta leotards with high collars. But hey, there is a resistance trying to take them down.

The "Class of 2064: Dragonfly" story, probably the best of the issue, concludes with the young pilot on her summer break managing to bring the ship in relatively unharmed with the help of her robot, winning the respect of her father.

Saga of Swamp Thing #27: Well, we get to the climax of this story and like with many of the decompressed comics this storyline prefigures, it seems a bit flat given the buildup, and ironically, rushed. This isn't a comic about punch 'em ups, so I don't expect pages of slugfest between Swamp Thing, the Demon, and kamara. The point is, ultimately, that the kid Paul has to conquer his fear and in doing so, defeat the entity. But given the two prior issues' pacing it seems to me we needed another complication or wrinkle in the plot before the resolution. Anyway, I'm glad Moore worked the Demon into the story, and poor Matt Cable's unwise deal with a talking fly is suitably ominous.

Sgt. Rock #391: I think this is the last of those stories that appeared in the Best of DC #61 anthology I keep mentioning: "Killers Also Smile." It wasn't one of the highlights of that digest for me, but its tale of a sadistic but pleasant and smiling SS commander killing the children of a town probably struck me more then than it does now after I've been reading Kanigher's war comics for years for this blog. I will say, it is better than average script for Kanigher made into a better comic with Gonzales' layouts and visual storytelling. 

The backup story by Joe Moore and Rex Lindsey has an old pilot prove that he should be listened to by the young fighter pilots in the Pacific. While this is inspired by true events (at least based on what I read on Wikipedia) the choice of Lindbergh as the hero of a World War II story is more than a little ironic given his early Nazi sympathies.

Supergirl #22: Infantino and Oksner are back just in time for Infantino's pencils to go to good use drawing a weird, future creature with a design that harkens back to the pulp illustration-inspired Silver Age, but with the twist of the change in his style in the years since. There's a blackout in Chicago and Supergirl spends the evening saving the day, but Dr. Barry Metzner doesn't hear the taped message he set under his pillow to play while he slept. The message of which he had no memory wherein he urges himself to forget the past and only concentrate on the present. As Metzner's suppressed memories surface, he's transformed into a spindly, macrocephalic, futuristic man with psychokinetic powers. The future-Metzner lashes out with his psychic might, causing devastation but so far not hurting bystanders. When Supergirl arrives on the scene, he envelopes her in flames from a wrecked car. Oh, and before that, Supergirl appears breaks up with the guy she's been dating.

Thriller #9: DuBay is joined by new artist Alex Niño, and the exit of the creators of the title is complete. Trying to escape from the Soviet Union after the events of last issue, Angie Thriller leads the Seven Seconds to a super-secret installation where genetically engineered lifeforms tend genetically engineered foodstuffs under the supervision of an AI to feed all the Soviet Union. This is slavery, and Thriller means for her operatives to destroy the base with a nuclear warhead to put the creatures out of their misery. The team have feelings about all the deaths they wind up being responsible for, but hey. DuBay seems committed to keeping Thriller weird, but this just doesn't feel like the sort of story Fleming would have done. Nino keeps the art very much in the von Eeden style, but has a different storytelling sensibility.