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 #29: 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.

Why Isn't There A Game for That? [Update '25]

I wrote the original version of this post in 2014, then I updated it in 2019. It's probably time to check back in and see how the rpg landscape is changed. There are a number of genres/subgenres that are under-utilized or not utilized at all in rpgs, despite the fact they would probably work pretty well. Here are the ones I listed originally and have been following up on:

Humorous Adventure Pulp
Basically this would cover the whimsical, fantastical, and often violent world of Thimble Theatre (later Popeye) and the Fleischer Popeye cartoon. A lot of fist-fights, fewer guns. This would also cover Little Orphan Annie, various kid gang comics, and (on the more violent end) Dick Tracy.
Update: Still nothing, really. Acheron Game's Helluva Town does a sort of Roger Rabbit or Cool World sort of setting, so references things like Popeye, but it's not quite the same thing.

Wainscot Fantasy
Little creatures hiding in the big world. Think The Borrowers, The Littles, and Fraggle Rock.
Update:  Some progress here! Household by Two Little Mice does this sort of thing, though from its specifically about fairies. There's also a game called Pixies and one called Under the Floorboards that specifically namechecks The Borrowers.

Kid Mystery Solvers
Scooby Doo is probably the most well-known example, but you've got several Hanna-Barbera returns to the same concept. Ditch weird pet/side kick, and you've got The Three Investigators, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys. 
Update: There's Meddling Kids I mentioned in 2019, and then there's The Mystery Business that debuted in 2024.

Wacky Races
I've written about this one before--and Richard has run it. Still needs a game, though.
Update: Still just the board game, so far as I know.

Peacekeeping Mission to Mars

I was thinking about Leigh Brackett's Mars today (as I often do) and reflecting on how it isn't very science fictional at all, so that if you advanced the timeline of its colonial Mars about half a century to a century, you might get something that looks a bit like our modern world except with spaceships where Terran peacekeeping forces get bogged down in insurgencies or civil wars on Mars (or Venus).

With a set up like this, you could do the pulp Mars version of modern films set in conflict zones like Blackhawk Down or even better Three Kings. If you went with Earth in a sort of Cold War, you could even wind out with a Twilight:2000 sort of situation would troops lost on Mars and trying to figure out what to do next.

Wednesday Comics: DC, October 1984 (week 3)

Inm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on July 19, 1984.

Justice League of America Annual #2: Well, here's the big change editorial has been teasing. In the wake of the Earth-Mars War and the destruction of the satellite, Aquaman officially disbands the JLA (his right as chair and the only founding member present, apparently) saying that the world deserves a more dedicated, full-time group of heroes. Having just had his wife leave him, he's willing to make that commitment, as are Elongated Man and Zatanna. Martian Manhunter also steps up and rejoins. Soon, new heroes Vixen and Steel volunteer. Steel even offers them a new base and training center--in Detroit. Shortly after the move they meet the empowered neighborhood youths, Vibe and Gypsy, and they are recruited for the team. The issue ends with the neighborhood throwing a street party in honor of their new neighbors.

This era of the League isn't well thought of, but I was there at the ground floor in 1984, having bought this issue off the stands. I wouldn't say I liked these characters better than the sort of Superfriends roster, but I did like getting to see a new team forming, and the fact that they would do this meant the title was actually going somewhere. Conway's obvious inspiration here seems to be the "Cap's Kooky Quartet" era of Avengers, but I don't think it works quite as well because some of the characters are a bit too "kooky" (Vibe and Gypsy). Beyond that though, I think was clearly an attempt to grab some of the energy of DC's successful Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes franchises (and X-Men): a close-knit group of often younger characters whose adventures involved a lot of character drama. In fact, the new character's here kind of fill similar niches to the new Titans in NTT: Cyborg (Steel) as the cybernetic hero with parental figure conflict, Starfire (Vixen) as the vivacious warrior woman, Gypsy (Raven) the mystery woman, and Changeling (Vibe) for comedy relief.

Batman and the Outsiders #14: The 1984 Summer Olympics will get under way in Los Angeles on July 28, so Barr and Willingham/Anderson give us a topical story. Maxie Zeus breaks out of Arkham with the goal of trying to make Olympic athlete Lacinia Nitocris his queen. He calls up the Monitor (that guy again!) to outfit his New Olympians. When Maxie and his crew interrupt the Olympic games, Batman and the Outsiders are on hand undercover to challenge them.

In the first part of the issue, we get a peak at the Outsiders in their private lives, which includes a brief bit of romcom where Halo and Geo-Force first interview with each other's dating lives before acting on their feelings for each other.

Blue Devil #5: This is another (and the last to be published) of the stories in Best of DC #61 "Years Best Comics Stories" that I have mentioned several times. And this is a good one! Not an "Anatomy Lesson," perhaps, but Mishkin/Cohn and Cullins/Martin craft story that is both well-done and fun. After the events of last issue, Nebiros is rampaging in Mexico, and Blue Devil and Zatanna have to stop him. The Mexican army takes their shot, but Nebiros is too powerful. They are helpful with the army of lesser demons he calls up. The two magical heroes have to engage him. Blue Devil manages to regain control of his tridents and the two push Nebiros back through a portal to Hell.

For those keeping score, the Monitor and Lyla make a brief cameo this issue, uh--monitoring events in Mexico.

Green Lantern #181: This arc by Wein and Gibbons/DeCarlo might feel more noteworthy if it hadn't come closely on the heels of a long arc where Hal was at points at odds or on the outs with the Guardians. It's one of the inherent problems with serialized media, I suppose, but particularly comics: every new team wants to make sure classic stories are told their way, so you get repeated elements. Here, Jordan flies off to deliver his resignation to the Guardians on Oa so he can be with Carol. A group of his colleagues in the Corps try to get him to reconsider--and Katma Tui is angry because he convinced her to stay in the past, giving up her love to do so, but he won't be dissuaded. So, he goes through with it and returns to Earth a civilian, still wondering if he made the right decision.

While all this is going on, Jason Bloch is killed in his office by someone in shadow who looks suspiciously like the Predator and admonishes him for not listening to Smith from Con-Trol. Bloch manages to stumble out and try to out Jordan as Green Lantern before dying, but unfortunately for him the only person who hears his final words is Diana Prince, and she protects Green Lantern's secret.

In the Tales of the Green Lantern Corps backup by Kupperberg and Newton a robbed figure walks into a Star Wars cantina-esque bar. It's the Green Lantern Ch'p, and he teaches a group of space pirates not to take any member of the Corps lightly.

Infinity, Inc. #7: The Thomas' and Ordway/Machlan have us still in midstream of this Koehaha River arc. Power Girl is unable to stop Superman in Metropolis and has to escape or be killed. Fury, Northwind, and Silver Scarab try to stop Hawkman and Wonder Woman from stealing an ancient statue of Horus. Wonder Woman snaps out of the magically induced ruthlessness, but only after accidentally injuring her husband, Steve Trevor, ironically in an effort to win the secret of immortality for him.

Legion of Super-Heroes #3: The Legion of Super-Villains have 3 Legionnaires captive on Orando. They draw the other Legionnaires into a trap, attacking them in space as they are rushing to the rescue. A few more Legionnaires arrive, though, and the villains are defeated. Their ultimate goal is revealed: to somehow escape to a universe without heroes. Under good issue from Levitz/Giffen and Lightle/Mahlstedt.

New Talent Showcase #10: There's little to like in this issue, unfortunately. Jenesis is still the leader of the pack, with a story that has her attempting to use empathy and communication, not superhero brawn to win the day when a distraught man takes hostages at a medical facility. The police sort of spoil it though. There there's Astro-Busters by Stradley and Saltares about a group of miners in the Belt who have to put their interpersonal differences aside to deal with pirates.

Besides Nick O'Tyme, the other two stories are amateurish almost supers rpg-level superhero stories. Part 2 of the Progency story does have art by Jeff Dee, though, but he's not done any favors it looks like by Joyce's inks.

Saga of Swamp Thing #29: Moore and Bissette/Totleben have Abigail make the horrific discovery that her husband Matt who appeared to have gotten himself together, bought a house for them and got a job, has been taken over by her evil uncle Anton Arcane. A horror filled issue, but we are definitely in decompression here. The Pasko years would have probably handled all this in a page. I'm not complaining at all, just noting the shift to a more cinematic storytelling style that eventually all comics will embrace. 

Sgt. Rock #393: In the main story, Bulldozer's kid brother joins Easy. With flowers under his helmet netting, he seems to be coded with an anachronistic hippie vibe. Anyway, he proves his worth despite his unusual ways by getting Easy out of a tough spot with a disguise as an old Italian lady selling vegetables, so he can get close enough to lob grenades at a German installation.

The other two stories seem like leftovers from Weird War Tales and are by writers other than Kanigher. In the first, by Andy Kubert and Ron Wagner, a German grenadier discovers that he can't escape war even in death. The second, written by Alan Baker with somewhat amateurish but evocative art from Jim Balent's DC debut, takes the pessimistic that war crimes and attacks on civilians will still be a feature of warfare in the remote future.

Warlord #86: Cool Jurgens cover, though it oversells the "Forever Man" as a thing. I reviewed the main story here. In the Barren Earth backup by Cohn and Randall, Jinal and friend capture their Qlov after an extended struggle. A minor mystery is uncovered as the Qlov proves susceptible to a sedative that works on humans.

Thriller #11: DuBay/Niño limp Thriller toward its conclusion in a way that makes an already complicated title more so. It's an odd approach to use everything that your predecessors did on a title but completely alter the relationships between all the characters and their status quo. I suppose "everything you know is wrong" has a strong pedigree in comics, but usually that entails just dropping some stuff. Not here. Still dealing with the fallout of an aborted Golden Age last issue, we learn that Angie Thriller is apparently thrown in with Lusk as is apparently having an affair with him. And is sort of his daughter, in the sense that he (I guess, it's unclear) created her in a lab. Anyway, one issue to go, per the editorial here.