Wednesday Comics: DC, June 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 March 22, 1984.

Warlord #81: I discussed the main story here. In the Barren Earth backup by Cohn and Randall, Jinal and her companions rely on the city that serves as D'roz's embassy, and everyone gets to do a bit of relaxing. Jin and Renna visit a bathhouse but wind up getting into a fight (a scene that seems right up Randall's preferred illustration alley) and have to be rescued by Yisrah and his magician tricks.

Batman and the Outsiders #11: Barr and Aparo shine a bit of a spotlight on Katana as a ninja-type guy breaks into her apartment and after a fight, steals her sword. Katana leaves for Japan without telling any of the others where she's going, but after Halo let's them known she's gone, they manage to follow her there. She reluctantly reveals that she has come to retrieve her sword, which contains the soul of her slain husband.

Meanwhile, the guy who stole the sword has taken to the blade to Noguri, the head of a ninja clan, who uses a ritual to extract the souls a group of warriors killed by the sword, including Katana's husband, and bind them to his service to seek revenge on Katana.

Green Lantern #177: This issue is mostly a reprint of a story by Wein and Cockrum from issue 128 where Hector Hammond is siphoning off Jordan's ring energy to use against him. We just got a new framing sequence by Wein and Patton/Smith where a question from a reporter prompts Jordan to recall that earlier adventure. What's interesting is the story was also presented as a flashback when it was first published.

There's a Tales of the Green Lantern Corps backup by Wein and Kane that was reprinted in that Best of DC #61 I've mentioned before. It's the tale of Kwo's last day as a Green Lantern before retirement. The story works I think because it is somewhat understated.  Kwo does a number of heroic things, but he doesn't "face his greatest challenge" or die a heroic death. Instead, he turns in his ring thinking about a kid's kite he rescued.

Infinity, Inc. #3: The Thomases and Ordway/Machlan show us what Star-Spangled Kid, Huntress, and Power Girl were up to while the rest of their developing team were in the past for a few pages. Then when the others return from 1942, they all go to set up shop at Stellar Studios, an abandoned movie company owned by the Star-Spangled Kid. Turns out Solomon Grundy is making the movie lot his home. Meanwhile, several JSA members have been lured into a trap and drowned in a underground river by an evil Superman.

Saga of Swamp Thing #25: Given the title's Vertigo future and the direction of Pasko's run before his, it's interesting that Moore ties his Swamp Thing as much to the DC Universe as he does. With had the Floronic Man the last arc, and as this one gets started with see Jason Blood arrive in Houma, apparently after the demon Kamara, last seen in The Demon #4 (1972). Abbie intersects with Blood's hunt as she has just taken a job at a children's psychiatric facility where one of the patient's is being menaced by the demon of fear. This issue is all build up, but it's an interesting build up.

New Talent Showcase #6: This issue sees the end of the Feral Man (Ringgenberg and Carlson) and Ekko (Margopoulos and Lightle) stories. Ekko is the most accomplished and interesting of the issue due mostly to Lightle's art. The story veers to melodrama with Simon's evening being spoiled by the arrival of his date's estranged husband. Then it's some swift, superhero action as he suits up as Ekko to confront the villainous Hit Team, resolving the conflict surprisingly quick. After nearly killing the elderly Crimeking, Ekko decides to stick to medicine and give up the superhero gig. But will it last? So far as this title goes, it does.

Feral Man also makes an abrupt end, but with an even weirder turn. The boss at the CIA reveals Feral Man must work for him or else they'll detonate the bomb they implanted in his head. Also, he's got to bring in the woman, Ruby, who's been helping him. Feral Man surprisingly agrees. Surprisingly, once Ruby is in CIA's hands, she's offered a job to. Our heroes go to work for the government they've been trying to escape. I'm sure they had some wild adventures, but we're destined not to see them.

There's another installment of Dragonknights, where the Dark Lord escapes his exile and inhabits the body of the awesomely named Lord Thrash, his right-hand goon. The heroic kids manage to free the Dragonknights, too, but then they refuse to fight for Earth!

The last story is a sort of retro comedy one-pager by Stephanie DeStefano, "The (Mini) Misadventures of Nick O. Tyme"

Sgt. Rock #389: This one is an example of another Kanigher go-to writing tactic: really hammering home a theme or motif. The named members of Easy keep getting injured and left behind and they keep giving Rock some keepsake, good-luck charm to be returned to them when he sees them again. Rock almost loses all the items in a German ambush, but Worry Wart saves the day. Rock gets to return all the items at the hospital.

The backup story is about a q-ship in a life or death (mostly death) struggle with a U-boat. It makes some gesture to war as the equalizer in the last two panels which the rest of the story didn't really build up to. It was written and lettered by "The Kubies" which was a group of students in the Joe Kubert School.

Supergirl #20: Kupperberg and Infantino/Oksner celebrate an anniversary for Supergirl. First though, she experiences times where her powers and strength fail, and of course, that means the Parasite who just tangled with Superman last month. She manages to get out of a deathtrap with her special, Kryptonian metal comb and defeat Parasite, who she learns is just a clone. Later, Superman escorts her to a surprise gathering celebrating the anniversary of her arrival on Earth. The Justice League of America and Teen Titans turn up, and a statue of Supergirl is erected over the spot where she landed on Earth in her rocket (at 12:17pm). Thanks to Thanagarian technology, the statue floats in a fixed spot above the ground.

Thriller #7: Fleming and von Eeden seem between story arcs, so not a lot happens this issue. Our heroes get together for an Italian meal from Mama Salvotini and Edward Thriller invites both the Kane Creole clones over. Dan gets some background on the mysterious Quo, who got so spiritual advanced he became a concept of balance of good and evil and finds out that the guy was once the husband of White Satin. The background on Quo reminded me of some later pre-Vertigo and early Vertigo stuff.