Wednesday Comics: DC, October 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 July 12, 1984. 

Superman #400: I remember seeing this issue on the stands and thumbing through it, impressed by all the artists gathered, but not being much interested in Superman at the time, I didn't buy it. Reading it for the first time 41 years later, I think it's a better anniversary issue and commemoration of the character than Batman #400, which I did pick up. 

Maggin's sprawling story examines the meaning of Superman people of Earth across future times. In 2199 (rendered by Al Williamson) on U.S. lunar colony, an elderly snake oil salesman and his son weave a tale of an encounter with the now-legendary Superman to move their elixir. In 2230, in a segment with art by Miller, researchers announce discovery of 1950s media from an alternate earth that reveals the secret ID of Superman was Clark Kent, but commentors dismiss their findings in favor of the more popular theories regarding Morgan Edge or Bruce Wayne. In the most resonant segment (with art by Marshall Rogers), the U.S. ruled by a tyrannical oligarchy, until a homeless man seeking shelter in the forbidden Metropolis library discovers Superman's costume and puts it on. He is quickly killed by security forces who figure out the suit is impervious, but the man isn't, but his actions inspire the gathered crowd to resist, triggering a rebellion and, eventually, a Second American Revolution.

In a segment with art by Wendy Pini, historians debate the reality and nature of the Superperson whose costume is now a historical relic. Then, Kaluta draws the virtually reality adventures of two young boys who create their own Superman for play. In 5902 (as drawn by Janson), the real, time-lost Superman shares dinner with a family on Miracle Monday, the holiday established to commemorate him--though only one of them knows who he is. To end the issue, Steranko writes and draws an Olaf Stapledon-esque sweep of the even farther futuristic eras, making the last remnant of humanity escaping a dying universe also the descendants of Superman.

Interspersed are pinups by various artists. I don't any of them are real standouts, but it's an eclectic array of artists. I think this would be a good issue for a facsimile edition.

Arak Annual #1: The Thomases, and I believe, all the artists that have worked on the series thus far complete Arak's quest to request his friends from the Lord of Serpents. Satyricus and Arak trek across the desert and are ensnared by illusions: Arak of his Quontaukan village, and Satyricus of the Underworld and his friend Chiron. Only Arak's will and the use of Gabriel's sword is able to save them. They finally reach the lair of the Serpent Lord, and as he promised, Arak hands over the sword in exchange for Alsind and Sharizad. When a minion of the Lord of Serpents tries to claim the sword, it explodes with radiance and power. Arak shields his friends with his shamanic power, and the Lord of Serpents survives but his minions are destroyed. The Serpent Lord battles Arak one on one, and Arak wins. The sword then returns to Heaven, and Arak makes his escape with his friends. However, the Lord of Serpents, though wounded, also gets away.

Batman #376: Moench and Newton/Alcala introduce "Nightmare, Inc." a "scare for hire" operation new to Gotham that may be tied to robberies at the same locations, if Bruce's suspicions are correct. Turns out the leader of the group, Sturges Hellstrom, has a criminal record as well as a history in horror film special effects. Bruce hires Nightmare, Inc. for a party at Wayne Manor to lay a trap. Batman later goes to the group's hideout and tangles with Hellstrom, who manages to pull out some special effects fakery (and then a flamethrower) to get the upper hand and escape.

Later, in a cave on the outskirts of Gotham, Hellstrom trumpets his successes, despite setbacks, to the woman he's trying to woo, the true mastermind of Nightmare, Inc.: Nocturna.

Flash #338: Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin have Flash escape the demon-related deathtrap the Pied Piper put him in and defeat his foe. The Piper (previously noting he was already under stress) has some sort of nervous breakdown, which the media suggests is organic in nature, related somehow to excessive speed the Flash exposed him to. The other Rogues Gallery members take this as absolute truth plan revenge on the Flash for the escalation in their games of breaking the Pied Piper. They give armor supplied by the Monitor (that guy's into everything!) to a mental patient, turning gentle giant Dufus into a powerful super-villain dubbed Big Sir and send him against the Scarlet Speedster.

G.I. Combat #270: In the Haunted Tank story, the crew is split up so that their superior skills can help increase the competency of other units, but Stuart's Raiders don't do so well when split up, then wind up getting back together anyway in a stolen German tank after a mission goes badly. The brass sees the error of their ways and puts the crew back together.

In the first of the nonrecurring stories, an American sub captain gives his "Last Command" telling his crew to shoot his own dead body out of a torpedo tube so they can trick and destroy a Japanese ship, Akibi. In the second by Kashdan and Patricio, a ne'er-do-well brother saves his sibling from capture and torture by the Germans, finally becoming the family hero. 

The final story is another Sgt. Bullett and the Bravos of Vietnam installment. Again, we get high body counts and racial slurs as the group grimly makes their way down river on a raft after a helicopter crash under almost constant Viet Cong assault. 

Jemm, Son of Saturn #2: Potter and Colan/Janson pack a lot into this one. Jemm and Luther try warm themselves by a trashcan fire but get hassled by some homeless people. After that brief brawl, one of the homeless folk, Crazy Freddie agrees to help them find a place to put Gramps body to rest. He takes them into the sewer, but they are pursued by a Saturnian robot (I think), and then Jemm must battle perhaps the last surviving White Saturnian who has the power to inhabit and control inanimate material. He defeats and apparently kills her, so Gramps can have his burial at sea in the sewer. Meanwhile, the government is concerned with aliens loose in New York after the death of the scientists, and turns to an old associate, the crime boss Claudius Tull for help locating them. As it turns out, Tull's goons have, of course, already met Jemm.

Omega Men #19: This goofy story just keeps getting weirder. The asteroid the Omega Men are on is heading toward Euphorix, so Kalista (not knowing her estranged love is there) launches an unmanned drone to destroy it. The Omega Men still trying to solve the weird mystery facing them, explore the giant Tigorr, but for some reason are put t sleep and dream some of their origin. When they wake up, the giant Tigorr forms pustules that grow new, regular-sized Tigorr clones. They take refuge in a cave and discover the Psion monitoring the experiment. Meanwhile, Lobo, answering their distress call, races the missile from Euphorix to the asteroid.

Tales of the Teen Titans #47: Wolfman and Perez/de Carlo reveal that Raven rescued the other Titans at the last minute. The team rallies and renews their assault on the H.I.V.E. base. H.I.V.E. is revealed to something of a mismanaged entity. Attacking the Titans to begin with was merely a miscalculated attempt to gain notoriety, which is the aim behind their current attempt to destroy Atlantis. In the end, the Titans prevail, and Atlantis is saved. The mistress of H.I.V.E. commits suicide to avoid capture and kills her inner circle. The Monitor, monitoring these events from elsewhere, is disappointed with the H.I.V.E. 

Meanwhile, things start to look up for Changeling as his high school sweetheart returns. However, he still secretly harbors his plans for vengeance against the Terminator.