Wednesday Comics: DC, April 1984 (week 1)

My mission to read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis enters its fifth year. This week, I'm looking at the comics that were at newsstands on the week of January 5, 1984. 

Atari Force #4: Conway and Andru/García-López continue pulling their team together (this is positively modern, decompressed storytelling), but this issue does deliver some backstory in terms of Martin Champion and why he's now on the outs with New Earth leadership, as well details of Chris Champion's and Dart's origins. Martin believes he has proof that the Dark Destroyer is still out there, but no one is ready to believe him. Meanwhile, Morphea gets Babe away from the pirates and Rident Oly captures his brother, Packrat.

Blackhawk #269: Blackhawk is dodging German soldiers and trying to get out of Germany alive after his failed assassination attempt against Hitler. He winds up seeking out the assistance of Helga the barmaid he met previously, but that brings attention from Germany High Command to her, and Frau Bulle comes to recruit her for the Leipzig Project. 

Meanwhile, the other Blackhawks are in the newly named La Resistance, France. Gaynor secretly executes a group of German prisoners. Chuck is on to him, but doesn't get a chance to confront him, as Killer Shark retakes the town and takes the Blackhawks prisoners.

DC Comics Presents #68: Conway is still promoting his creation Vixen, left out in the cold by the DC Implosion. He's supported this issue by Swan/Anderson. Vixen seeks out Superman's help after her nephew vanishes into a hot new arcade game "Galaxy Starfighter." It turns out Jimmy Olsen has been tracking other such disappears. Our heroes discover the kids are in the clutches of Admiral Cereberus, a renegade U.S. military man who previously oversaw a program of psychic research but decided to use his discoveries for himself. He siphons the psychic energy of special teens to give himself super-powers, but it's not enough to defeat Superman and Vixen. Some elements of this story (an arcade game as a test for some other purpose and "Starfighter" in the name) suggest The Last Starfighter (1984) as inspiration, but the film and comic book tie-in from Marvel are months away, so Conway would have needed some special access.

Fury of Firestorm #22: Broderick is back on art and Carla Conway gets a co-writing credit for this mostly flashback issue retelling Firestorm's origin. In the framing sequence, Firehawk wants to get to know Firestorm better so she pressures him to reveal his identity. After some disagreement between Ronnie and Stein, they do tell her about the accident that made them Firestorm. Somewhat surprisingly, I think, in the end Lorraine is trouble more by the fact that Ronnie is younger than her than that Firestorm is a composite being made of a two very different men. Firestorm points out that if you average Ronnie's and Stein's ages, then he's older than her. In the end, she decides it doesn't matter and continues their relationship. Ronnie's high school friends who happen to see the two super-beings frolicking above Manhattan and wonder where Ronnie might be.

Justice League of America #225: Cavalieri and Patton/Marcos tell a forgettable story about the demonic cult of Fiatlux who is trying to get their hands on the substance, Luciferase (the story never addresses whether this is the bioluminescent chemical of the same name, but I assume not) to unleash the demon Hellrazer. The JLA tries and fails to prevent this, so the resolution is continued until next issue.

There are a couple of things beyond the basic story that are interesting about this issue to me, though. One, none of the "Big Three" are present. In fact, none of the "Big Seven" are present (depending on who you think the 7th is) because Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman are out too. I don't think this is completely accidental given Batman officially left the team, and the group recently voted on whether to keep the Flash. There seems to be a move in this period to lower the profile in this book of the characters with their own solo titles. Interestingly (and perhaps related), a response in the letter column hints at changes coming to the book wherein new characters with be introduced (the letter writer had requested Vixen!) and there will be more of a focus on character relationships. The Detroit League (or the germ of the idea that became that) is clearly already in the planning stage.

The other interesting thing is how "in continuity" this is. We began with the Atom thinking back to his recent experiences in the Sword of Atom limited. Carter and Ollie are still arguing about the rightness of Flash's actions in regard to the Reverse Flash.

Vigilante #5: Chase declares to a cop who is trying to take him in and hates vigilantes that he "hates killing" and has only ever done so in self-defense. He's a lawyer, so he's probably got a good argument for the latter claim, but the first one is at least misleading based on what we've seen in earlier issues. There's been a lot of "that's the kinda guy he is this month" in this title, perhaps as Wolfman figures out just where he wants to go with this character, but it gives the impression that Chase is a bit unstable. I wouldn't go so far as to assume that is Wolfman's point, but it's possible.

Anyway, in this one the mob hitmen Saber (he uses guns) and Cannon (he uses blades and martial arts) have joined forces and are taking out mob leaders so they can run things. Vigilante, figuring out they live together, rashly attacks them and winds up shot and stabbed, and having to escape in an ambulance for his trouble. Saber and Cannon are clearly a gay couple, but this is never stated outright which is probably good because then any potential homophobia also stays subtle. The only hint of it is Vigilante commenting they are "cute" when he busts into their bedroom.

Wonder Woman #314: Mishkin and Heck pick up directly where last issue left off with Wonder Woman facing a transformed Major Griggs. Diana manages to defeat Griggs and free him from Circe's influence. She comes to realize that Circe is serving some master. She doesn't have to wait long to find out who that is, as a defeated Circe disappears into a black mirror and the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca reveals himself.

In the Cavalieri and Beachum/Martin Huntress backup, transitioning to a new storyline is the order of the day. Huntress seems to have to some degree restored her reputation after rescuing an infant from Earthworm. Nedra Borrower is fired after her boss becomes aware of her sexual relationship with corrupt politician, Terry Marsh. We're also teased with the introduction of a new villain: the Sea-Lion.