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.
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