Retracing even more of Robin’s roots

Robin: The Bronze Age Omnibus hardcover
DC Comics
Creators: Gardner Fox, Mike Friedrich, E. Nelson Bridwell, Frank Robbins, Denny O’Neil, Elliot S. Maggin, Bob Rozakis, Cary Bates, Gerry Conway, Jack C. Harris, Paul Kupperberg, Marv Wolfman, Mike W. Barr, Ernie Chan, Sheldon Moldoff, Chich Stone, Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Irv, Novick, Dick Dillin, Rich Buckler, Bob Brown, Mike Grell, A. Martinez, Al Milgrom, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Praise Be His Name), Jose Delbo, Curt Swan, Don Newton, Marshall Rogers, Don Heck, Lee Elias, Jim Aparo, Juan Ortiz, Kurt Schaffenberger, Alex Saviuk, Charles Nicholas, Trevor von Eeden, Joe Giella, Mike Esposito, Murphy Anderson, Vince Colletta, Frank Giacoia, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Jose Massaroli, Terry Austin, Bob Wiacek, John Celardo, Dave Hunt, Bruce Patterson, Dan Adkins, Frank Chiaramonte, Jack Abel, John Calnan, Larry Mahlstedt, Steve Mitchell, Mike DeCarlo and Rodin Rodriguez
Publication date: March 20, 2020

This is the latest volume I’ve read in tracing the history of one of my favorite characters – Dick Grayson, the original Robin and later Nightwing. Last spring, I read the two-volume Robin Archives, which collect Robin solo stories from Star-Spangled Comics in the 1940s and 1950s, which I talked briefly about on Facebook. A few months ago, I discussed the massive Showcase Presents Robin trade collection, which reprints a number of stories featuring Robin from 1969 to 1975.

Now I’ve finished reading through this even more massive Bronze Age Omnibus of Robin reprints. This volume collects stories featuring Robin from Batman, Batman Family, Detective Comics, DC Comics Presents and World’s Finest Comics originally printed between 1967 and 1983. As one might expect from comparing those original publication dates, there are a number of duplicate stories reprinted in both the Showcase and the Omnibus. In fact, out of the 49 stories in the Showcase volume and 79 in the Omnibus, 35 stories are reprinted in both. I admit that’s quite a bit of overlap, but there are still enough stories unique to each volume that it is worth it to own both, at least to me.

The stories reprinted in the Robin Omnibus take the character from being The Boy Wonder, fighting alongside Batman and in solo adventures across Gotham City, to becoming The Teen Wonder, first at Gotham High School, then later at Hudson University in New Carthage, and beyond. Robin teams up less and less with the Dark Knight in these stories, but he goes through a period of frequent pairings with his Dynamite Duo co-star, Batgirl. And later stories in the Omnibus collection coincide with the formation and early years of The New Teen Titans.

In fact, if there is a failing in this Omnibus collection, it is in the scattershot inclusion of some of these later stories. For instance, Dick Grayson and Robin spend a great deal of time in New Carthage on the campus of Hudson University in these tales. Dick attends classes and works at the campus newspaper while also solving crimes alongside the campus police.

In the very first preview appearance of The New Teen Titans — first printed in DC Comics Presents No. 26 (released on July 10, 1980, according to Mike’s Amazing World of Comics) and not reprinted in this volume, by the way — it is mentioned that Robin has left college. In “The Gotham Connection,” reprinted from Detective Comics No. 495, which came out shortly before The New Teen Titans debuted with their own first issue, Dick is threatened with expulsion for missing classes and opts to leave campus to pursue a ring of drug runners instead of dealing with the academic troubles. But that storyline goes nowhere. Other plot threads from Dick’s time at Hudson U are simply dropped, never to be addressed again, including a new romance with a girl named Jennifer Anne. The end of “The Gotham Connection” story seems to indicate the tale will be picked up again next issue, but it doesn’t appear that it ever was resolved in any story. At least not one I could find reference to anywhere.

I guess you can’t really fault this volume for not reprinting a story that was never printed anywhere to begin with. But other choices for what is included are not as easily ignored. The very next story in the Omnibus, “Shanghaied” from Batman No. 333, teams Robin with Catwoman in search of a missing Batman. I assume this story was selected for inclusion as it features Robin heavily and teams The Teen Wonder with someone he’s not usually paired with. But “Shanghaied” is a middle chapter of a multi-part story that begins and ends with cliffhangers, but no other chapters of this multi-part epic are reprinted here. Readers of this volume are simply dropped into the middle of the action and given no resolution.

Despite a few odd choices like that here and there in this hardcover volume, I can still heartily recommend it to any fan of Robin’s. Many of these stories show the beginnings of both Robin’s and Dick Grayson’s character development that later creators like Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Chuck Dixon would build upon to great effect. For instance, Gerry Conway pens an arc that begins in DC Comics Presents and continues in backup stories in five issues of Batman from 1981. First Robin runs into Superman and an old circus performer friend while visiting the Sterling Circus appearing in Gotham City. Later, Dick Grayson follows the circus clown, the old friend, to Hill’s Circus, where the young aerialist stays for a time, performing and rediscovering his circus roots. No mention of the Titans is made in these stories, but they all coincide with the issues early in the second year of The New Teen Titans comic.

As evidenced by the extensive list of creators above, this volume is an excellent showcase for a number of fine writers and artists, each lending their talents to shaping the character Dick Grayson and Robin would become and making it possible for other characters to take on the name Robin while Grayson moved on to become Nightwing. Some of these stories I’d read before in single issue form, either when they were first published or later after buying them as back issues. But many of these stories were new to me with this reading.

If you share my love of the character of Dick Grayson, you might also enjoy a podcast I discovered not long ago. “Taking Flight: A Robin and Nightwing Podcast” is by a gentleman named Tom Panarese. The podcast covers a lot of the stories and history included in this volume as well as other stories about The New Teen Titans and fellow Robins Jason Todd and Tim Drake. I heartily recommend you check out both Robin: The Bronze Age Omnibus hardcover and “Taking Flight.”

I miss you, bro

“Marvel’s The Punisher” Season 2
Netflix
January 2019
 

Shawn died in 2000, nearly 20 years ago now. He was a son, a husband, a musician, a Marine, a prankster, a police officer, and he was my younger brother. He was 28 at the time of his death, so in just one more short decade, he will have been gone as long as he lived.

Time has passed. Life goes on. And there are many days when he doesn’t cross my mind at all. That’s life. But there are also random things that will bring his memory to the front of my mind.

One of the losses I feel most consistently on behalf of my brother are movies and television properties that he would have loved but missed. He was a huge Star Wars fan, yet he never got to see the second and third prequel films or the more recently realized but long-rumored sequels. He very much enjoyed “Phantom Menace,” and I have no reason to doubt he would have been thrilled by and enjoyed all of the films to follow.

The plethora of comic book films is another thing I think he’d have enjoyed. He was always more a Marvel fan than I was growing up. I remember crying when I saw “X-Men” in the theater for the first time in 2000 because he wouldn’t get to experience it, and he was always a huge Wolverine fan. The “Spider-Man” films began in 2002. Then the modern Marvel cinematic age began in 2008 with “Iron Man.” I think he would have loved the explosion of films since then from the various “Avengers” and “Captain America” films to “Black Panther” and “Infinity War.”

Another of my brother’s favorite comic book characters was always Frank Castle, the Punisher, and I’ve been thinking of my brother as I watch Netflix’s second season of "Marvel's The Punisher," starring Jon Bernthal. This is a phenomenal show, and everyone involved deserves kudos for the excellent product they have created.

The Punisher first appeared in Marvel Comics in Amazing Spider-Man No. 129 and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The character went on to appear in various other titles for several years before starring in his own limited series in the mid-1980s. At the peak of the Punisher’s popularity in the late 80s and early 1990s, he starred in three concurrent monthly titles: The Punisher, The Punisher War Journal and The Punisher War Zone. There was also a short-lived black-and-white Punisher Magazine and other limited series and one-shots at various points along the way.

Shawn collected most of these titles by a number of creators, but the book that struck a chord with me was War Journal. This title, initially written by Carl Potts and illustrated by Jim Lee, would later feature creators such as Mike Baron, Mark Texeira, Chuck Dixon, Steven Grant, Tod Smith, Ron Wagner and others. Potts and Dixon stand out in my mind the most when I think back about favorite issues.

I’m not as familiar with Billy “Jigsaw” Russo, although I know he also existed in the comics. I’m not certain if the comic Jigsaw played a role in the deaths of Frank Castle’s family as he does in Ben Barnes’ portrayal of the character in the Netflix series. If not, the inclusion of that detail helps bring the two characters’ lives full circle in the show.

As far as I know, most of the other characters in the Netflix version of the Punisher are original to the program, but may have been portrayed in comics in some form or fashion. But I love how the ancillary characters add to the show’s drama. Karen Page and Brett Mahoney show up from the cast of Netflix’s “Daredevil” to add cohesion to the shared universe. And Curtis Hoyle, Dinah Madani and Krista Dumont add dimension to the proceedings of both seasons of the show.

Netflix’s “The Punisher” is definitely more gritty and bloody than I typically like my comics stories, but so was the Netflix version of Daredevil. Both worked well in the realities established for the series, and the visceral visuals of the programs don’t glorify violence. Rather they use it to emphasize the physical and emotional toll of these peoples’ lives and choices.

Jon Bernthal does an exceptional job of bringing Frank Castle to life in this series. The later comic series added some nuance and character beats to what could have easily been a one-note, disposable caricature. Bernthal and his supporting cast help do the same with the on-screen Punisher. Bernthal portrays an efficient killing machine on a deadly mission, to be sure. But he also shows Frank’s caring side without turning the brutal vigilante into a parody of the original creation.

I can watch this show for what it is and enjoy it. I tend to think Shawn would have seen it as a more pure expression of the character than some of the various movie attempts. Believing my brother would have liked the show adds a level of appreciation to watching it. But it also makes me sad that my brother will never be able to see one of his “heroes” brought to life on the small screen in such an effective way.

I’m also very sad all of these Netflix Marvel shows have been canceled due to business concerns and we won’t get more of this version of the Punisher, Daredevil or Jessica Jones.

It's Cold. So Cold. But A Great Read, Too.

WinterWorld trade (2011)
IDW Publishing
Chuck Dixon, writer
Jorge Zaffino, artist

I missed this story when it was originally serialized in 1988 by Eclipse Comics. I didn't even know it existed. But the story of the two main characters in this trade — Scully and Wynn — is being continued in a new series published by IDW and again written by series creator Chuck Dixon. Actually, I don't know for certain if their story is being continued or rebooted, as often happens in comics. But just in case it is the former, I wanted to catch up by first reading the initial adventure.

The first time I heard of WinterWorld was in the solicitations for the new version several months ago. The two characters exist in the far future when much of the planet is covered in snow and ice and every day is a struggle to survive. The descriptive copy made me curious about the series, largely because it reminded me of a great novel I had just recently read — Gordon R. Dickson's Wolf and Iron.

The Wolf and Iron novel takes place in an equally bleak future, this time caused by economic collapse and the subsequent fall of civilization. One man is trying to make his way across what used to be the United States never knowing if each new settlement will bring trade or death in the new lawless, violent reality.
In WinterWorld, the exact date and cause of the condition of the world is not disclosed. But much like an amalgamation of a couple characters from Wolf and Iron, lead character Scully is a trader making his way across the frozen landscape in a modified tractor. Using goods and equipment found in long abandoned shopping malls buried under the snow, Scully visits settlement after settlement, trading and making a life for himself and his companion, a badger named RahRah.

That is, until he comes upon the settlement where Wynn is being held. The backwards residents treat the young girl like property, but even that isn't enough to make Scully stick his neck out until the denizens of this settlement try to rob him. Wynn helps Scully and RahRah escape, which in turn leads them to take her in and care for her, even after slavers capture the pair.

In addition to the original three-issue WinterWorld series, this trade also collects a previously unpublished sequel titled WinterSea, continuing the adventures of Scully and Wynn.

Chuck Dixon provides a seat-of-the-pants adventure tale pitting two people against the worst their world and its inhabitants can throw at them. Jorge Zaffino's black and white art provides the perfect gritty visuals to bring Dixon's characters to life. I'm curious to see if the new version of the title lives up to this first collection despite there being a new art team working with Dixon to bring the current series to life.

Will My Green Arrow Please Stand Up

Rather than a specific issue or story line, today I decided to talk about the wandering failure that the New 52 has wrought upon one of my favorite characters, Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen.

I first became aware of Green Arrow in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he participated in Justice League of America stories or his own solo adventures in World's Finest Comics. I missed out on the new "relevant" Green Lantern/Green Arrow series created by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams in the mid-1970s, but the new costume and personality these two creators gave to the Emerald Archer influenced his characterization for the next decade, at least, and the hero I was reading owed much to their work.

Going back and reading reprints of the O'Neil and Adams stories in 1983 is when I grew to really appreciate the character and come to see him as one of my favorites. That affection grew and was nurtured by the Green Arrow miniseries that same year by Mike W. Barr, Trevor von Eeden and Dick Giordano and was cemented by Mike Grell's fantastic Longbow Hunters series in 1987.

Having said that, I don't know why I didn't immediately pick up the Mike Grell ongoing Green Arrow series that followed Longbow Hunters. I swear, I really did love that series right from the start. At this point, I did have a local comic shop I frequented regularly for my comics, but I was not online much and hadn't even heard of Previews at the time, so maybe I simply wasn't aware of the existence of the ongoing for a while. Whatever the reason, I started in on that series about two years into the run reading forward each month as well as backward when I could find copies of the back issues I'd missed.

I was very sad to see Ollie killed off in No. 100 of that series, then being written by Chuck Dixon, and while he was a very different character, I enjoyed the adventures of Ollie's son, Connor Hawke, as the new Green Arrow. I'm not nearly as big a martial arts fan as Dixon seems to be, so some of the Connor GA stories were less to my liking than others, but I stayed with the series until it ended with issue No. 137.

After a few dark nearly-Green Arrow-less years, it was announced that Kevin Smith was going to bring Oliver Queen back from the dead in a relaunched Green Arrow title in 2001. Smith was joined by artist Phil Hester, and while I was less impressed with Hester's more cartoony art at the time, I was glad to have the character back. Smith left the title after 15 solid issues, and we were treated to one of novelist Brad Meltzer's first comics-writing turns with his excellent "The Archer's Quest"  and then after a few issues, Judd Winick took over the writing chores. Winick is one of those hit-or-miss writers to my tastes. I really like some of his books while others just leave me feeling meh. But he did a good job at the helm of Star City's resident bowman and stayed with the title for the remainder of this run and into the 2007 Green Arrow and Black Canary relaunch. That title had the added plus of fantastic art by first Cliff Chiang and then Mike Norton. The Green Arrow and Black Canary series finished its second half with excellent writer Andrew Kreisberg and then J.T. Krul on the final three Blackest Night and Cry For Justice tie-in issues.

All of that background is to show I have a history with the character, reading Green Arrow's adventures, and for the most part, enjoying most of the tales he is featured in. I don't agree with everything that happened in Justice League: Cry For Justice or the subsequent Fall of Green Arrow, but I liked both titles and could see Oliver acting and reacting the way he was portrayed in those stories. Less to my liking was the 15-issue Green Arrow: Brightest Day series where Oliver is all about his forest, but I think most of that series stemmed from editorial dictates and might not be where series writer Krul would have taken Oliver without the whole Brightest Day framework, which I liked with regards to other characters. I base this, in part, on the fact that another writer finished the final three issues of that series. I also haven't read Green Arrow: Brightest Day again since it was new; maybe my opinion of it would improve with a fresh look.

Then along comes the New 52, and everybody and everything is rebooted back to square one. Except Batman and Green Lantern, which were seeing a great deal of popular story lines already, so the rebooting wasn't quite so evenly distributed. But I was all set to accept a new, younger Oliver Queen as Green Arrow. A fresh start didn't have to mean disaster. And the first three issues of the New 52 Green Arrow were good with story by Krul and art by the incredible Dan Jurgens. Oliver has a bit of a team working behind the scenes to assist him, but subtracting a few years and changing up his costume were pretty cosmetic; I could still see this as the hero I liked, just a slightly different guy from a slightly different dimension or something.

The problem was, those three issues didn't last. Issue No. 4 saw a creative change to writer Keith Giffen, who was replaced by Jurgens by issue No. 6. Then we got Ann Nocenti, who's run on the title lasted until issue No. 16. But her run on the book was all about horn-dog Ollie who thought more with his groin than his brains. This guy wasn't really a hero so much as a screw-up. With each creative change, I liked the character less and less. And there seemed to be a lot of creative changes.

Jeff Lemire's run (issue Nos. 17-34) was very dark for my tastes and centered way too much on the mysticism of the various clans he introduced into Oliver's back story. Then elements from the CW television series "Arrow" started to creep into the book. Now, I've watched "Arrow" since the beginning, and I very much enjoy the show and Stephen Amell's portrayal of Oliver Queen. I'm very happy the show has lasted into a third season, and I'll be happy to see it continue for several more years. But it is the television version of Green Arrow. That guy exists in an equally valid, but alternate dimension from the guy I like to read about in the comics. Television and comics are two different media; they have different strengths and weaknesses, and I believe they are best served by different approaches. I love watching the TV show, but I don't want to read the TV show in my monthly Green Arrow comic.

So, why do I keep buying the monthly comic if I don't like what they're doing with the character and haven't for basically the last 30 issues? I guess that means I have more money than sense, but my wife would be quick to remind that we don't have that much money. So maybe I just don't have any sense. But the creative teams change on this title so often, every time I convince myself to just drop what I'm not enjoying, I think, "But wait, a new team and direction are coming next month; maybe it really will get better." Except so far, it hasn't.

I hope the comic will find its niche now that Andrew Kreisberg is back writing the character as I enjoyed his work on the title pre-New 52. But Kreisberg is also one of the producers of the CW televison series. I'm hopeful, but concerned as well. But I'm still buying the title each month hoping for the best. At least, for now ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Chuck Dixon, Man Of Action

The Lone Ranger: Snake of Iron 1-4
Dynamite Entertainment
Chuck Dixon, writer
Esteve Polls, artist

Wow!

Chuck Dixon has written a ton of comics. Some I've read. Many I haven't. Of the ones I haven't, it was usually because I had no interest in the subject matter. Because of the ones I have, I have liked them all.

I'm guessing here that the reason this four-issue story was made a miniseries was because Dixon is not the writer of the regular Lone Ranger title; Ande Parks is doing a wonderful job writing that book. However, if Parks ever needed a break, Dixon could likely slip right in and take over. Even the look of this mini matches the main title because regular series artist Esteve Polls turns in his usual spectacular job on these pages.

This mini also offers up two stories in one as it opens with the Lone Ranger and Tonto separated. Tonto has traveled north to take care of some business while the Ranger has remained in the southern plains. The two are both headed to Texas to meet back up, Tonto by rail and the Ranger via Silver.

Taking another cue from the main series, this book does not shy away from the poor treatment of many Native American tribes by government officials. Some younger Kiowa braves defy their chief and begin raiding homesteaders. They have been particularly stirred up by the many sightings of a Spirit Horse, a huge beast whose return foretells a great change. The Lone Ranger happens upon a small band of Kiowas attacking a rancher and his son. After saving the lives of the two whites, the Ranger convinces the braves to take him back to their chief, who explains their reasons for leaving the reservations in Oklahoma. The Ranger promises to look into the mysterious Spirit Horse sightings if the tribe will stop attacking settlers. Along the way, he runs across some profiteers who are encouraging the Kiowa unrest and enlists the aid of a traveling journalist from Chicago and a garrison of soldiers from Fort Griffin. Oh, and he solves the mystery of the Spirit Horse in a most unexpected fashion.

Meanwhile, the train Tonto is riding on is ambushed and derailed by what appear to be renegade Comanches. Tonto's fellow passengers are an odd collection of characters trying to hold off the attackers and stay alive in the bitter cold wilderness. Some step up to the challenge and try to help save as many lives as possible. Others seem to be interested only in saving their own necks. One passenger in particular knows the real reason the Comanches are after the train, but even once this deceit is uncovered, there is little that Tonto or the others can do to defuse the situation. In a desperate ploy, Tonto frees his mount, Scout, from the stable car and sends the pinto to find the Lone Ranger for help. Then Tonto returns to the task of trying to keep as many on both sides of the conflict alive as possible for as long as possible.

All in all, this book was a great read filled with action and spotlighting both characters as equal partners in their cause of justice. That's comics worth reading, Kiddie Cops!

Redefining Heroes

We’re going to begin this batch of retro-reviews with a misplaced annual. If you’ll recall, one of the many reasons for going back through the entirety of my comic book collection a book at a time is to correct any continuity errors I have created by the placement of specific books. Well, Green Arrow annual #7, published by DC Comics in 1995, presents a number of surprises and requires a number of decisions. And some of the decisions I made before can now be “adjusted.”

Let’s begin first by making a distinction in terms. I once read a brilliant entry online (I’m sad to say I no longer remember exactly where, although I am reasonably certain that it came from a discussion thread on the wonderful Captain Comics site, which explained the differences in several similar comics-related terms. Two of those terms, which apply to this situation, were retcon and revision. By this person’s definition, a revision is adding something previously unknown to a well-known story. The addition or change doesn’t so much change the overall story, but maybe adds a new aspect or significance. A retcon, on the other hand, a term short for retroactive continuity, changes the original story into something completely new, often taking the form of an “everyhting-you-know-is-wrong” type of revelation. Now either of these devices can be wonderful story-telling tools if used properly, and each can be disastrous in the wrong hands. But in general, it is accurate to say a revision builds upon what has gone before, while a retcon brushes aside as meaningless what has gone before in favor of something new.

The story in Green Arrow annual 7 is definitely a revision. All of the DC Comics annuals of 1995 shared a Year One theme, so naturally, this tale deals heavily with the secret origin of Green Arrow. All of the familiar elements are there: Ollie falling overboard from his own yacht and washing ashore on a seemingly deserted island where he has to use his wits to survive; along the way, he perfects his skills with a bow and arrow, and finally secures a ride back to civilization when he discovers a small band of drug smugglers on the island and captures them. This specific tale — created by Chuck Dixon, Rick Burchett, Eduardo Barreto, Chris Renaud, Gerry Fernandez, Lee Loughridge, Albert de Guzman, Darren Vincenzo and Scott Peterson — adds a “contemporary” (more on this in a minute) framing sequence and a few additional details between Ollie’s washing ashore on an island and discovering the band of drug smugglers. The addition does very little, if anything, to change those familiar elements, but adds some new ones into the mix, nonetheless.

In this tale, Ollie washes up on one island, develops his skills with a bow, etc., then learns he is not alone on the island. A shipwreck victim has been on the island for almost a year. He and Ollie, working together, manage to fashion a crude raft in an effort to escape the island. During the construction of the raft, Ollie learns something about his companion, which causes Ollie to leave the island alone. Being an inexperienced sailor, Ollie only makes it to another nearby island on his own. This second island is where Ollie discovers and captures the drug runners, and Green Arrow is born. However, what happened on that first island that led to Ollie leaving alone comes back to haunt him in the “contemporary” sequence of the story. It’s a great read, doesn’t change the essential origin story, but adds in the motivations for the current tale, while also explaining, in story, why some of the details of GA’s origin aren’t always repeated when this tale is retold. In short, it works wonderfully. I highly recommend it.

Now, as this story is part of the Year One theme, even the “contemporary” framing sequence of the tale is supposed to have happened within that first year of Green Arrow’s existence. However, that presents a problem. The only costume Green Arrow wears in this story is the one designed by Neal Adams in the late 60s/early 70s — the all-green version. However, the Silver Age GA, even post Crisis, has been shown to wear the green tunic and leggings with the red boots and gloves.

Sometimes I’ll “fix” such a costuming problem by assuming that the character’s memory is just a tad off. Hey, it happens to all of us sometimes. Do you remember exactly what you were wearing in all of your memories? This “fix” works best when someone else is doing the “remembering.” But since the framing sequence is the part with the wrong costume, this particular “fix” doesn’t work as well for this story.

So instead, I chose to ignore the Year One designation on the cover and simply assume that in my universe, the framing sequence actually happens a few years after GA’s public debut, after he has switched to the Neal Adams costume.

Now, however, another “fix” is open to me, allowing me to place this story a little farther back in time. Now that we’ve seen the events of Infinite Crisis and know about the reality-altering effects of Superboy-Prime’s efforts to break out of the dimension he’s “imprisoned” in, this can be a Year One story, and the different costume can be explained by a super-punch. Aren’t comics fun?

OK, moving on ...

The Warlord 108-113 (DC Comics, 1986-87) — Most of these issues are standard one- or two-part tales of Travis Morgan traveling through the hidden world of Skartaris in search of the wizard who may be able to cure his daughter, Jennifer, who has been afflicted with rapid-aging since #100. Traveling with Morgan is Shakira, an occasional ally of the Warlord who can transform herself into a cat, and Daimon, an old friend of Shakira’s who the reader has just met a few issues ago.

In the first arc, the trio comes to a frozen wasteland where the people are threatened by a vampiress. Eventually she is dispatched, but not before Daimon falls in battle. Issue #111 takes Morgan and Shakira to an underwater village, but the most important details of the issue are revealed on the letters pages. First is the announcement that new editor Bob Greenberger will be taking over with the next issue. The second is a response to growing criticism from readers that Morgan doesn’t seem to be in a big hurry to find the cure for Jennifer. Greenberger promises that the quest story line will be wrapped up in the next few issues, and that big changes are coming in the direction of the title.

Then in issue #113, we start to see some subplot elements being introduced that involve the surface world and fallout from the tale in Warlord annual #5, which also heavily involved the surface world. All of these issues of Warlord are new to me, but I suspect the surface world is going to begin playing a much heavier role in the events of Skartaris, and I feel that is a mistake. Morgan has been seen on the surface with other heroes during the Crisis, as well as a time or two during the late 1980s relaunch of Green Arrow by Mike Grell, also the creator of the Warlord. I have no problem with such occasional, mostly secret interactions. But on the whole, I like my Skartaris well-removed from the surface world Morgan comes from. I’m not sure if I’ll like these changes once they arrive.

Teen Titans Spotlight 1-2 (DC Comics, 1986) — When last we saw Starfire in the pages of New Teen Titans, she was leaving Tamaran for Earth, disgusted that her people had embraced the rule of her sister, Blackfire. The premiere issues of this new title depict her arrival back on Earth in a fashion too often neglected in science fiction stories. Starfire has been a Titan for several years by this point, but by and large, her experience of Earth is limited to New York City. When she arrives back on Earth, mistakenly landing in South Africa, she has no idea where she is, nor how to return to New York from her current location. Being a stranger in a strange land is complicated further when Starfire is confronted by the people of the region and the rule of the land, Apartheid. The young alien is manipulated by the South Africa government, and led to believe she has killed someone before she is able to sort out the seemingly insane behavior of the citizens of the land.

Jon Sable, Freelance 40-43 (First Comics, 1986) — These two two-issue arcs are straight-forward action-adventure fare. The first takes Sable to a marksmanship competition where a fan feels snubbed by Jon and sets about to gain revenge by setting up Jon for execution. The second issue involves Jon stumbling onto a terrorist plot and an “old” friend he thought was murdered. All four issues are recommended.

The New Teen Titans 24-25 (DC Comics, 1986) — The re-formed Titans return from the disastrous mission against Cheshire. Robin Jason Todd, Hawk and Speedy each decide to leave for his own reasons, leaving Wonder Girl, Jericho, Aqualad and the new Flash, Wally West. These four are reunited with Changling and Cyborg who relate their battles with Changling's step-father Steve Dayton, now driven insane by his Mento helmet. Meanwhile, Mento has decided that he should follow in the footsteps of the late Niles Caulder and create his own version of the Doom Patrol to help him kill his step-son and the other Titans. To achieve this end, Mento creates accidents, then saves the victims by turning them into monstrous members of his new Hybrid. Thus a pair of Greek archaeologists are transformed into Harpi and Gorgon, and a former Israeli soldier becomes Pteradon. In an initial attack, the three reluctant creatures are captured by the Titans and offer to help defeat their “creator.” But Mento sends a fourth member of the Hybrid, this one a willing participant in the experiment which transforms him, to free the others. This Behemoth, a former sumo wrestler, “rescues” Gorgon, Harpi and Pteradon, taking Aqualad captive in the process.

Action Comics 584 (DC Comics, 1987) — This is the first post-Crisis issue of Action Comics published. This incarnation of the book focused on team-ups between Superman and various guest-stars, this time the Titans. Apparently before they can attempt to rescue the captured Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Changling and Jericho must confronted a demented Superman, apparently drunk on his own power and destroying everything in sight. It takes a while, but the Titans are finally able to figure out that things are not quite what they seem.

And those are the retro-reviews for today.

And We’re Back To 1986 Like Marty McFly

OK, we’ve reintroduced many of the DC Universe heroes in the aftermath of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, so there aren’t very many more revamps to pour through before we’re caught back up to the “present” of 1986 where many of the storylines we’ve been following in New Teen Titans; Jon Sable, Freelance; the Thing; and the Warlord continue on pretty much unaffected.

Batman: Batgirl (DC Comics, 1997) — This prestige format one-shot was released about the time “Batman and Robin” was released in theaters, the film which introduced Batgirl to the movie franchise. This tale by Kelley Puckett, Matt Haley and Karl Kesel takes place shortly after Barbara Gordon’s debut as a crimefighter. In addition to worrying about what will happen if her police commissioner adoptive father learns of her nocturnal activities, the young heroine confronts the Joker for the first time.

Legends of the DC Universe: Batgirl 10-11 (DC Comics, 1998) — This two-issue story is another tale from early in the career of Batgirl as the young Barbara Gordon heads off to college. She is confronted by Batman, who tries to discourage her Batgirl career before it gets her killed. Barbara doesn’t back down, instead telling Batman that she will continue as Batgirl, and that if he is so worried about her safety, he should train her as he did with Robin. Batman obviously, eventually, relents. By Puckett, Dodson and Nowlan.

Legends of the DC Universe: Justice League of America 12-13 (DC Comics, 1999) — This tale features the satelite-era League, arguably one of the most enduring incarnations of the team. The bulk of the tale by Christopher Priest, Ken Lashley and Ron Boyd takes place in flashbacks, both to a very early case of the League’s and the current tale. At the outset, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Zatanna and Aquaman have been enlarged to gigantic proportions. The heroes, unprepared for the sudden size change, are disoriented and causing inadvertent damage. The Atom, with his mastery of size-change, remains unaffected but unable to help his friends as they continue to grow. The rest of the League joins in as they seek solutions in another old case before the giant League members die from their sizes.

Girlfrenzy!: Batgirl 1 (DC Comics, 1998) — Girlfrienzy! was a series of one-shot comics focusing on female leads in an effort to attract more female readers. Other books in the series took place more in current continuity and featured Secret from Young Justice, Donna Troy from the Titans and Wonder Woman, Lois Lane from Superman, the Mist from Starman, the Ravens from Birds of Prey and Tomorrow Woman from JLA. This book, however, depicts Batgirl in confrontation with another of Batman’s rogues, Mr. Zsasz. The relationship between Batgirl and Batman has obviously changed in this tale, though. At the end, Batman solicits Batgirl’s help with another case and the heroine declines, foreshadowing the time when Batgirl was semi-retired from superheroing. This tale is by Kelley Puckett, Jim Balent and Rick Burchett.

Legends of the DC Universe: The New Teen Titans 18 (DC Comics, 1999) — This tale is listed as featuring the New Teen Titans. In fact, this tale by Marv Wolfman and Butch Guice takes place just prior to the formation of the New Teen Titans. It shows a previously unknown adventure where Kid Flash and Raven cross paths. It plants the seeds that result in Raven bringing together the new Titans incarnation and explains Kid Flash’s motivations for joining the new team.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 132-136 (DC Comics, 2000) — Siege, by Archie Goodwin and Marshall Rogers, brings back Silver St. Cloud from the earlier Englehart and Rogers run of Detective Comics. It also involves a para-military leader who believes gold is buried on the land beneath Wayne Manor. The story contains a lot of historical information on the Wayne family.

Nightwing 101-106 (DC Comics, 2005) — These six issues of Nightwing bring back original series writer Chuck Dixon to re-examine Nightwing Year One, the time period where Dick Grayson decides to give up his costumed identity as Robin and adopt a new costumed persona. Several Bat-rogues make appearances and other DC heroes such as Superman, Batgirl and Deadman also have cameos. Continuity changes in this story include Dick wearing the new Robin costume with long pants that originally was first created for third Robin Tim Drake. The Nightwing identity is still based in part on Batman and in part on the Kryptonian hero, Nightwing, but the costume design mimics a circus costume worn by Dick in part of the story. Some readers online complained that this story negated the events of The Judas Contract in New Teen Titans when Dick adopts the Nightwing persona. I’ll admit it is a bit of a stretch, but I see this story as fitting in between the pages of The Judas Contract with only some modification.

And that brings us back to the “current” storylines taking place immediately after the Crisis ... sorta.

Warlord 98 (DC Comics, 1985) — Now we left the denizens of Skartaris, and specifically Shamballah, as only a ragtag band of outcasts, thrown from their homes by the New Atlantean invaders. I originally saw #97 as a good point to cut away for the events of the Crisis because the good guys had just lost a demoralizing battle and had gone off to lick their wounds and regroup. This issue begins with kind of a recap of the invasion and the lost battle, so it seemed like a good place to insert the Crisis, a tale in which Travis Morgan plays a small but important part. Well, this tale still makes a couple vague references to the Crisis as something yet to occur. Because of that, this story may have to be moved back to before the Crisis in my chronological filing system, but I’ll read on a bit more before I decide for certain.

And I think that’s a good place to stop for today. Next time, we’ll look at some more stories picking up following the Crisis. Plus, I have just received my most recent shipment of new comics released during the month of September. It may take me a day or two to get those comics inventoried and start reading them. So we’ll be back into some new comics, maybe as soon as later this week.