Wednesday Comics: DC, November 1984 (week 2)

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I read the comics released the week of August 9, 1984. 

Batman #376: A misleading cover here by Hannigan/Giordano. Maybe it's meant to be symbolic? Natalia Knight (Nocturna) seems to be winning the custody battle for Jason, thanks to Bruce's lack of chill in the courtroom, and perhaps the influence of Mayor Hill on the proceedings. It doesn't help that Jason told the court he wants to live with Natalia, because he thinks she's up to something and wants to go undercover to stop her. As Batman, Bruce is drawn to Nocturna, particularly given her intoxicant perfume, but are interrupted briefly by Anton the Slayer of Night who's even more jealous now that Nocturna has rejected him for committing murder and despoiling the night. Dangeorus interruptions aside, the two finally get their kiss.

Arak, Son of Thunder #38: Valda and Malagigi arrive in Baghdad at the court of Harun Al-Rashid as emissaries of Charlemagne, but don't find it as an enlightened a place as they had thought. While touring the dungeons (as one does) with Vizier Barmak they find Arak under torture. They free him and he explains how he and his companions were captued by Barmak in the desert. Sharizad is in the harem, Alsind is toiling as an alchemist, and Satyricus is in the menagerie. Alsind causes an explosion and escapes, and discovers Satyricus amid strange animals.

Flash #339: Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin plod along with the Trial of the Flash storyline, as Cecile interviews Barry's parents about the events at the wedding, then gets down to jury selection. Meanwhile, the Rogues contrive to make normally gentle Dufus, now armored up as Big Sir, enraged at the Flash. Big Sir attacks with ferocity, knocking out the Flash and flying off with him. The Monitor watches all of this only mild interest. 

G.I. Combat #271: In the Haunted Tank story, Craig is seriously injured on his birthday no less, but the crew are detoured from an attempt to get him to a doctor by the need to help Rock and Easy Company. Ultimately, a captured German physician renders aid and a German soldier with the same blood type agrees to give a blood transfusion.

 In the next story, Kashdan and Tlaloc gives the history of a particular bugle that plays its unlikely "Last Charge" atop a windmill in World War II. Then, Kashdan and Matucenio have a quick-thinking medic leave a map to Japanese tunnels on the back of another soldier in iodine before they are killed. Drake and Felugi have a paratrooper in France find a momento of his father than died in World War I. Finally, the Mercenaries head into the desert of Iran to take on a fanatical terrorist cult.

Jemm, Son of Saturn #3: Potter and Colan/Janson leave Jemm and friends in the sewer so we can get a flashback to Jemm's origin. We learn of the conflict between the polar White Saturnians and the desert-dwelling Red Saturnians and their fight over the only fertile region on the planet. Jemm is a prince of that verdant kingdom, educated in the ways of peace, and believed to be a ruler destined to bring complete peace to his world. Things don't go well though, and he has to flee, but after both races are almost completely wiped out. The robots of the White Martians continue to pursue him. Meanwhile, the government, considering the origins of the spacecraft, consults with an expert on extraterrestrials: Superman.

It's interesting that in 1984 the series goes all-in on a Saturn both with a rocky surface and life-bearing. I understand they hadn't yet retconned the Martian Manhunter's Mars, but that still requires less suspension of disbelief at that point than Saturn. Plus, Potter just replicates the ethnic conflict of DC's Mars to a new planet.

Omega Men #20: Moench and Smith/Magyar finally get Lobo to the asteroid to rescue the Omega Men before the force from Euphorix can destroy it. Tigorr and Primus are gone through a teleporter, though, and in the hands of a Psion who plans to vivisect them. They escape and trap the Psion is his own duplicator device. Lobo and the others figure out where they must be and pick them up to. I haven't mentioned it before, but there have been references to Lobo being the last Velorpian and the duplication process was derived from Velorpian reproduction. We get the story the destruction of his people at the hands of the Psions in this issue. His Czarnian background is a post-Crisis invention.

Star Trek #8: Barr and Sutton/Villagran continue their Saavik story, bridging her appearances in STII and STIII. In the grip of the pon farr blood fever, she threatens the Enterprise her attempt to take her shuttle to her betrothed, Xon. Xon is actually undercover, posing as a Romulan on a research facility near the Galactic Barrier. A Romulan scientist is trying to recreate the empowering of Mitchell and Dehner in "Where No Man Has Gone Before." They partially succeed, but then Saavik shows up with Enterprise close behind. They rescue Xon from interrogation and manage to destroy the Romulan base, then trick a Romulan warbird (which looks like the one in the original series episode "Balance of Terror" and not again).

Superman #401: Bates and SWan/Oksner revert to a more Superman: The Movie version of Luthor after the more vengeful version of recent appearances. They do keep the Lexorian warsuit, though. In fact, Luthor manages to trap Superman within the suit, adding features that make it difficult for the Man of Steel to use his powers to escape or to get help. Ultimately, though, he outsmarts Luthor by using heat vision to leave a Kryptonian message for Jimmy, and he contacts Supergirl, who uses a ruse to get Luthor to release her cousin. Later, however, Luthor muses to himself that the warsuit analyzed Superman's physical being and transmitted the information to him, which he intends to use against the Man of Steel in their next encounter.

Tales of the Teen Titans #48: A group of super-powered synthetic humanoids created in Dayton Laboratories, the RECOMbatants escape to the streets of Las Vegas, and the Titans are called in to help apprehend them. In the midst of their clash, the Titans realize the Recombatants just want to live normal lives and decide to help them. Ultimately, the synthetic beings realize their situation is hopeless and destroy themselves in a way that prevents the lab from making more like them. Meanwhile, back in New York, Gar Logan begins planning Donna Troy and Terry Long's wedding celebration at Dayton Estates, and Terry gets some off-color wedding presents from his students. After the Titans get back from Vegas, Joe Wilson again attempts unsuccessfully to reach out to Raven.

Wolfman and Rude/Gordon must have coordinated this issue with Evanier and Meugniot on Eclipse Comics' DNAgents. This issue with his stand-ins for that title's team comes about 3 weeks after the DNAgents faced a group of Titan stand-ins, Project Youngblood in DNAgents #14.

There's also a Flash Force 2000 bonus this issue by Fleming and Cowan/Trapani. It's based on a Matchbox toyline I didn't remember that DC did mini-comics for. It's about a post-apocalyptic yarn where both sides use vehicles with artificial intelligence.

Spelljammer Like This

To my mind, the these works and works provoke an impeccable Spelljammer vibe:

Don Lawrence (Storm)

Al Williamson

Magnus (Milady 3000, I Briganti)

Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon)

Howard Chaykin (Cody Starbuck, Ironwolf)

Inspiration Excavation

Earlier this week, Anne reminded us of an old post where she discussed her earliest, fantasy inspirations. It reminded me of my own fantasy genre prehistory. I wrote a bit about it in my very first post on this blog back in 2009:

In my personal pre-history (which is to say the mid-seventies to the dawning of the eighties), there was already in my brain a nascent cauldron of fantasy abubble: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz conjured by the voice of a babysitter, King Arthur for boys illuminated by NC Wyeth, four-color barbarians on spinner-racks, Myth and legend sifted by Bullfinch and Harryhausen, singing hobbits and rotoscoped orcs, power swords split in twain on not one, but two, alien worlds; an elf, a dwarf, a giant--and a slayer named Hawk, the doom that came to Vermithrax Pejorative, fantasylands with oracular pigs and messianic lions.

I also not in the post the inspiration for my first character (in AD&D): An elf fighter/magic-user inspired by the protagonist in the Endless Quest book by Rose Estes, Mountain of Mirrors.

That's not the only thing in my gaming history I can trace to a specific source. For another example, I've used flightless birds as mounts in several campaign worlds I created, I suspect all traceable to this cover by James Gurney for a book I haven't read:

There are numerous things like that. Some probably borrowed from sources so long ago, I don't even remember their origins.

Wednesday Comics: DC, November 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 August 2, 1984. 

Blackhawk #273: Evanier and Spiegle take the Blackhawk's to Mechuoko Province, China, where they team-up with Wu Cheng aka Chop-Chop, to defeat a dragon-shaped war machine. In the aftermath, Chop-Chop rejoins the group. Unfortunately, as the cover announces, this is the last issue.

Evanier's editorial column tells an amusing story of him (as editor) firing himself (as writer), then the editor (him) and the artist (Spiegle) quit in protest. The real story, as he's since related in interviews, is that he and Spiegle had been frustrated by DC's lack of promotion and disinterest in the title, despite its not great but adequate sales. The book's cancellation more reflected it not fitting DC's vision than its performance. A limited series by DuBay and Infantino is announced here, but that never materialized, though pages of it have surfaced, according to the internet. I suspect it was a victim of Crisis. I liked the idea of this book, but it seemed run out of steam some time before the end finally came.

Atari Force #11: The cover by Hannigan/Giordano gives away the big reveal of the issue, but I guess the second page was going to give it away, anyway. Blackjack is taking orders from the Dark Destroyer to sabotage Scanner One. He succeeds before they realize what's going on. Dart confronts the betrayer and fights with him, defeating him before he can kill her. The Destroyer gloats he used Blackjack's fear of death as the key to controlling him. He also taunts Martin with the fact he's going to destroy the human race! Meanwhile, back on New Earth, Chris prepares to stand trial, while still trying to convince the powers that be of the danger they are in.

DC Comics Presents #75: Kupperberg and Mandrake have Arion transported into the future during a battle with Chaon. After the obligatory misunderstanding and brief fight, Arion crafts translation devices from hoop earrings, and he and Superman can effectively team-up. To thwart Chaon's plans before the lunar eclipse, they have to first travel to the ruins of the City of the Golden Gate beneath the ocean. Arion uses the power of the final crystal of Calculha to transport them to the Darkworld. They defeat the godling and Superman thrown back to his own time. As things return to normal, Arion is conveniently left with no memory of the future.

Fury of Firestorm #30: Cavalieri is scripter here again. That 2000 Committee just doesn't want to give up. Having been let down by the Monitor, it hires Breathtaker, who sends his agents after Firestorm. Mindboggler convinces the hero of the existence of a volcano in central park, causing him to act in ways that make him look dangerous and unstable to the public. However, a shadowy flunkie of Breathtaker's is angry he wasn't given a shot at the hero and goes rogue to prove his worth.

Justice League of America #232: I bought this issue by Busiek and Kupperberg off the stands, but I didn't remember much about it other than the splash page. The JLA and JSA are still tangling with the Commander, an alien entity who has possessed a scientist, Joshua Champion, and has attacked the Pentagon. Unfortunately, some of the heroes are now under the Commander's control, and the others have to stop them. We get the Commander's origin: He had been the ruler of his entire universe and now wields the psychic energy of every creature in that dimension. He was looking for new worlds to conquer and Champion offered that. Dr. Fate's magic plus the psychic powers of the combined Champion family manage to open a riff back to the Commander's native dimension. He's holding on to the rim, though, and they can't push him through.

Here we get a unique Monitor and Lyla cameo. The Commander is aware of the Monitor monitoring him--and that distracts him long enough that the heroes can force him through the riff. And that's that for the old Justice League in the pre-Crisis universe. The Detroit League takes over next issue.

Superman Annual #10: This is a weird story from Maggin and Swan/Anderson, that doesn't do its cover justice. In the wake of the creation of the universe, an object is formed that, over the ages, took on the shape of a sword with a stylized "S" symbol on its hilt. It becomes known throughout the universe as the Sword of Superman (why not, I guess?), ages before Superman appeared. In the present, King Kosmos (last seen in DCP Annual #2) has possessed the body of industrialist Oswald Mandias (get it?) and is turning the world against Superman. The only thing that can help Superman is the power of the sword.

New Teen Titans #3: Continuing from the last issue, things go from bad to worse. The Titans return from the devastated Azarath to Earth but find it in the grip of Trigon with Raven as his demonically transformed minion. They do wonder why Earth's other heroes aren't helping, lampshading a common convention of comics, before attacking the father and daughter at what used to be Titan's Tower, but is now a throne. Jericho is put into shock by an attempt to possess Raven, and the other Titans are thrown into individual nightmare realms, where they watch evil shadows of themselves hurt their loved ones or taunt them with failure.  On Earth, Lilith, and Arella see the Titans embedded in a stone column with expressions of despair.

Vigilante #12: Kane steps in to do art this issue and Wolfman gets more philosophical than usual about justice, vengeance, and the toll trying to find either can take. Adrain spends much of the issue, not sleeping haunting by the fact that the man he was got his family killed, and the man he is now got J.J. killed. He decides to take in some target practice but runs across a woman he thinks is fleeing attackers and helps her out. She turns out to be a rape victim turned Ms. 45 who executes the unarmed men in front of him, as he tries to get her to stop. Adrain ends the issue no more certain or less haunted than win he began it.

Wonder Woman #321: Mishkin and Heck continue to heap complications into the story arc. Eros shows up to save Wonder Woman from Dr. Cyber's death trap. He wants revenge against the villain, but she doesn't even know who he is. While they escape and keep Eros from killing Cyber, Steve reveals that Wonder Woman's memories have been tampered with by Hippolyta. When Wonder Woman and Steve ask Eros to explain his desire to kill Cyber, he tells them that he is the real Steve Trevor--and Cyber killed him. Meanwhile, an agent is pretending to be interested in Etta Candy, when he's actually trying to prove that she is Wonder Woman.

In the Huntress backup by Cavalieri and Whigham/Maygar, a handy mirror clues Helena into the therapist's murderous intent. She defeats her in a scuffle before the misogynist cop with the creepy intense interest in Huntress shows up. It turns out the therapist thought Huntress was there to apprehend her as she's one of Tarr's and Fether's (perhaps less than completely willing) accomplices. Where the dangling plot threads were going to go, we'll never know, because this is the last Huntress backup. The editorial promises a follow-up so where but as with so many of these sorts of promises in 1984, this doesn't come to pass.

Appx. N Jam and Prophet of the Wyvern's Word

My submission for the Appx. N Jam went live on itch today. You can check it out there with all of the other cool entries.

The 4-page maximum page count (including cover) was brutal. I may do an expanded version and put it on drivethrurpg later. 

The Prophet of the Wyvern's Word Cover

 I previously mentioned the Appx. N Jam and the submission I had planned. Well, the month is nearing its end, and I'm not done (though I'm getting close!) and I do have a cover to show off finally, so that even if I don't make the jam, the adventure will probably come out.

Here's the final piece as an aged paperback featuring an illustration by the inestimable Jason Sholtis:

Wednesday Comics: DC, October 1984 (week 4)

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I read the comics on sale on July 26, 1984.

World's Finest Comics #308: The Hannigan/Janson cover here is a complete deception as no such scene occurs in the story. Busiek and Tuska/Alexander have Batman and Superman working in parallel, at first, until over dinner discussion, they realize the cases are related. A "ghetto genius" has synthesized a dangerous strong to sell and orchestrating a robbery from STAR Labs all so he can build a powered armor suit to destroy Columbia University, who snubbed his application. What's most interesting to me about this story as it suggests Gotham, Metropolis and New York are very close together. Bruce seems to go watching Clark on the news at home to meeting his friend on the WGBS set before Clark has finished the news cast. Then, then both fly to Columbia University with Superman holding Batman's arms.

Action Comics #560: The first story by Kupperberg and Saviuk/Hunt sees an escape criminal turning super-villain with the use of powered-up handcuffs as a weapon. Somehow, his power causes Superman to have bouts of amnesia, which complicates his capture. I won't reveal the cause of the amnesia on the unlikely chance you might read the story yourself, but really, it's skippable.

The second story is the standout, not because it's great in and of itself, but because it's obviously it's a stealth preview for the Ambush Bug limited series. While his costume has quite reached its final form, Giffen and Fleming's storytelling and scripting is definitely a preview of the almost-sketch comedy storytelling we'll get in that book, as Ambush Bug gets out of Arkham and sets up a detective agency in Metropolis.

Arion Lord of Atlantis #24:   Cara Sherman-Tereno is on art this issue. We pick up where the last issue left off, with Wyynde defeating Arion in the arena, but Garn choosing to spare his brother who he loves dearly. All of these mindgames go on until Arion, discovering Lady Chian is in a relationship with Garn loses his mind and rides out of the city. Or does he? Garn and his mother are certain of victory, but Arion has played a trick. He doubles back into the city and discovers what was obvious all along: this is all being done with magic. He confronts his brother who admits the truth. They fight in the Dark Dimension, and Garn is (again) seemingly defeated and trapped forever. I really hope that's at least closer to being true this time, because this title needs to do something different. 

All-Star Squadron #38: Thomas and Hoberg/Collins have Green Lantern and Hawkman bring their fellow All-Stars a newsreel of a race war in Detroit where the klansmen-esque Phantom Empire try and fail to set Amazing-Man on fire on a cross, Green Lantern says that they must help the black citizens of Detroit to move into their new housing project. Only Commander Steel does go along, as he's learned his old flame's husband is captive behind enemy lines, and he's promised to help.

Detective Comics #543: Moench and Colan/Alcala continue the Nightmare, Inc. story. Nightshade, still trying to impress Nocturna, plans a daring robbery of an event on an island amusement park. Nocturna is unconvinced and plans to find another man to support her expensive tastes. Noting the custody issue plaguing Bruce Wayne, so has her mark.

Nocturna's skepticism about Nightshade's plan proves prophetic as Batman and the police spoil the robbery. Nightshade is killed by Anton Knight, now the Night-Slayer, recently escaped from prison. 

With Mayor Hill trying to ensure Wayne doesn't get custody of Jason as revenge against Gordon, Nocturna has the opening she needs. She files adoption papers for Jason (presumably this is due to Hill-directed corruption.) She tells Bruce they should get married, so Jason has a mother and a father!

Sun Devils #4: In a Rogue One-ish outing, The Sun Devils embark on a daring mission to rescue the scientist responsible for building the Starbreaker super-weapon. We also get Myste's origin, which is tied to the scientist and his work. Unfortunately, he's being held in a facility full of traps--because thanks to a spy, Karvus Khun knows they are coming. The infiltration goes off well, but then the trap is sprung and Rik, Anomie, and Myste are caught in it.

Jonah Hex #87:  Fleisher is still spinning the plates of his various plot threads. Jonah's tired of the soft life in New Orleans as sets off for the trail again. Adrain refuses to go with him but then changes her mind and decides to go after him. The train Hex takes back West is wrecked by bandits with dynamite. Hex is forced to use all his tricks to take out the gang in the swamp near the wreckage. When he gets back to civilization and looks for work, he finds Emmy Lou's face on a wanted poster thanks to the robbery she was forced to participate in.

Super Powers #4: Kirby/Cavalieri and Gonzales/Kupperberg pick up where last issue left off. Green Lantern contains the Kryptonian caveman and finds that his power bubble cuts off the signal, causing Superman to return to normal. They decide to trace the signal to its source. Meanwhile, the Emissaries of Darkseid reveal their mission to conquer Earth and dismiss their former pawns, the Earth villains. Joker, at least, recognizes they've been played, and they should team up with the heroes. They arrive via boom tube on Brainiac's ship shortly before the heroes do. They are only able to to convince the angry heroes of their mutual foe as the ship arrives at Apokolips, and they are faced with their ultimate foes. The Emissaries use the power they once granted the villains, but working together the heroes and villains escape their traps to keep fighting.

Tales of the Legion #316: Levitz/Giffen and Shoemaker/Kesel have Cosmic Boy teaming up with the Legion Subs to tackle crime on Earth. They run into a bit of trouble as a smuggler traps them in a ship and sends them on a one-way trip into deep space. Cosmic Boy rallies the panicking Subs and they manage to escape in a shuttle to be picked up by the Legion Academy. The Levitz/Giffen portrayal of the Subs here is as much more competent than Giffen's treatment will be of them in stories he writes later.

In the backup by Levitz/Newell and Tuska/Kesel, the White Witch completes her story, we see her ultimate triumph over adversity to claim her mantle as both sorceress and Legion member.