I decided that themed post from last time worked rather nicely, so I’m going to continue it with this batch of Retro-Reviews while we wait for my next shipment of “new” comics to arrive. And, if you’re at all familiar with today’s header, you know that today’s topic du jour will be The Warlord, specifically The Warlord # 103-107 (DC Comics, 1986).
Following the epic battle to reclaim Shamballah in #100, Travis Morgan returns from battle to find his daughter, Jennifer, rapidly aging and seemingly near death. In the next issue, new writer Michael Fleisher has Morgan set out in search of a powerful wizard who might be able to help Jennifer. Readers of this blog will recall that I was less than impressed with the first two issues by Fleisher. The tales just weren’t as engaging as previous issues had been. That changes in issue 103, due in part to Fleisher exploring possible origins for Shakira, Morgan’s shape-shifting ally.
Still on the trail seeking the wizard who may be able to help Jennifer, Morgan comes across a seemingly abandoned village and is attacked by a huge cat. Narrowly escaping death, Morgan learns that the tiger is a woman who transforms under the moonlight, and that this ability/curse is the deliberate work of one man who has experimented on several people in the past leaving them with similar abilities. Morgan also notices that the collar worn by the woman in both her forms is identical to the one worn by Shakira, and that the villain of the story gave all of his test subjects such collars. After escaping from the “mad scientist,” Morgan is met by Shakira herself. She has been following Morgan the last two issues, trying to catch him and travel with him during his quest for the wizard who can help Jennifer. Naturally, Morgan wonders if Shakira is the result of a similar experiment by the recently deceased madman.
This makes for an interesting theory of Shakira’s origins, and a much better story, but there are holes in this theory, as pointed out in a letter by “T.M. Maple” printed in issue 107. Among “Maple’s” points, Shakira can change at will from feline to human and back whereas the subjects in this tale cannot; Shakira is the size of a house cat while those in this tale are larger felines; and Shakira is aware of her actions and retains her intelllect in either form unlike the experiment subjects. But again, for a red herring, this was an entertaining tale. And an ongoing one.
Issue 104 picks up where 103 left off: Morgan explains his theory to Shakira, who, as always, is coy and avoids giving a straight answer about her abilities. But she seems amused by the idea. During this exchange, the two travelers are beset by brigands, and Shakira is kidnapped. Morgan is only able to help his friend with some assistance from a none-too-friendly allosaurus.
The pair next meet another group of strangers in issue 105. The mantra throughout Skartaris is to “expect the unexpected,” so Morgan and Shakira suspect the worst from the strangers, who later turn out to be not quite so bad. Each of these issues also include briefs snippets of Machiste and Mariah, two more of Morgan’s allies, returning to the kingdom of Kiro, where Machiste is king. Unbeknownst to the pair, however, in their absence, a coup has been launched in Kiro, and the conspirators attempt to prevent Mariah and Machiste from returning.
Warlord 106 introduces a new character, Daimon, a thief with the ability to change back and forth from a small cat to human. In his cat form, Daimon looks identical to Shakira, and the two obviously know each other. Daimon steals a black diamond, and at first, Morgan suspects Shakira of the cat-crime. When he learns the truth, Daimon is wounded, and Shakira convinces Morgan to help Daimon escape.
With Daimon now having joined Morgan’s quest, the trio arrive at a village where they are offered food and shelter for the night. Grudgingly accepting the invitation, Morgan awakes the next morning to find Shakira missing. He and Daimon must rescue Shakira, the intended bride of Yaug, before they can journey onward.
Each of these five issues, while not perfect, are closer in tone to the earlier Warlord tales. I will allow that it took Michael Fleisher a few issues to get his bearings in Skartaris and acclimate himself to the lost world. Once he was able to do that, he was churning out some pretty decent comics. Unlike the previous two issues or the 1986 annual, these books all get my recommendation.
Showing posts with label T.M. Maple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label T.M. Maple. Show all posts
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
A Crisis Is Brewing
Just some brief thoughts today on the comics I’ve read over the last few days moving into the year 1985.
For one thing, several of the comics, regardless of publisher, have been running an advertisement listing the results from Amazing Heroes Best 10 Books of 1984 poll, per R.A. Jones in Amazing Heroes #63. The list is first, Swamp Thing; second, Jon Sable; third, American Flagg; fourth, Teen Titans; fifth, Fantastic Four; sixth, X-Men; seventh, Blue Devil; eighth, Atari Force; ninth, Dr. Strange; and tenth, Power Pack. Two out of those top ten are complete runs in my collection.
I’ve also been paying more attention to the letters columns, editorial features and First Notes and such as I read over some of these comics than I used to when I was younger. I still don’t read every letter or comment, but I notice writer’s names and editorial opinions and such a tad more than I used to. I am seeing a lot of letters by “T.M. Maple,” a pseudonym not unfamiliar to a large number of comics collectors. T.M. was a very prolific and insightful writer to many letter cols. I don’t know the entire story of this individual, but I’ve read some things. It is interesting to see the number of books in which his missives appear.
For specific storylines, the Thing has finished up his adventures on the Beyonder’s planet and returned to Earth. I knew there was a point when his long-time girlfriend, the blind Alicia Masters, started dating the Human Torch instead. Now I know more about how and when that event came about in the life of Ben Grimm. One of the reasons Thing stayed behind on the Beyonder’s world was to sort out his feelings for Alicia. He was thinking he should break up with her because he was too dangerous for her to have a relationship with. Ben resolved to go through with the break-up and returned to Earth to find that Alicia had suspected what was coming, and when he didn’t return right away from space, she took the hint and moved on with her life. Johnny Storm was there to help out, and their relationship grew while Ben was away.
In the New Teen Titans, the team recovered from their emotional and psychological battles with Trigon. Then they discover something of the true origin of Lilith, a longtime, on-again-off-again member from the old days. It seems that Lilith is the daughter of Thia, one of the Titans of Myth, parents to the gods of Olympus. The goddess Thia kidnapped Lilith claiming to have been searching for her since she was stolen away as a baby and commenced to usurp control of Mount Olympus with designs on Earth next. Before defeating this menace with some mythical help, the Titans meet Kole, a young crystal-powered teenager whose parents the Titans attempt to track down in their next story arc.
Jon Sable’s title included a three-part story taking him to the Middle East titled, The Contract. A special back-up feature in those three issues was a real-life prose account of Sable creator Mike Grell’s first safari in Africa, complete with photos and sketches to illustrate the tale. Next begins a two-part story about Jon Sable’s mother before her death.
In addition to these regular books, I also have Sword of the Atom Special #2. In late 1983 or early 1984, artist Gil Kane and writer Jan Strnad turned the shrinking hero's world upside-down. In a four-issue miniseries, they took physicist Ray Palmer from his Ivy Town university job, ended his marriage to Jean Loring-Palmer, and plopped him down in the middle of the Amazon rainforest among a hidden civilization of six-inch tall yellow aliens stranded and living in the jungles. It sounds hard to believe, and the Atom probably wouldn’t have been most people’s first choice as the next big sword and sorcery hero, but the story and art in the series were incredible and the characters likable. The series was popular enough to generate two sequels, a 1984 Special and the second one in early 1985, but never an ongoing series of its own.
And then there’s the Warlord. For quite some time in that title, Travis Morgan and his Skartaran mate, Queen Tara of Shamballah, have been in hiding, building their forces and preparing to re-take their kingdom from the New Atlantean usurpers who have been little more than a subplot since they took over the land. But what is most interesting to me about the recent Warlord stories is how often the Monitor has been depicted watching the exploits of the characters. The Monitor is a mysterious figure, always shown in shadow at this point, who appeared in several DC books over the course of 1983 and 1984, usually as just an observer watching events transpire, but sometimes acting as a type of referral agent, connecting bosses with super-powered muscle for a fee. Readers wouldn’t learn who the Monitor was or what his motivations and goals were until the maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. This is my first time reading Warlord stories from this period, so I am curious just how much of a role the Crisis plays in the life of the Warlord and vice-versa. I know Travis Morgan is pictured in the Crisis series in several group shots of heroes, but the number of appearances of the Monitor in the the pages of the Warlord, makes me wonder if the Crisis will play a large role in Skartaris.
Moving forward from here, in addition to Titans, Warlord, Sable and Thing, I also have a four-issue Red Tornado series and a four-issue Nightcrawler series from early 1985 and a three-issue Legend of the Hawkman prestige series from 2000 which I have placed here chronologically because it obviously deals with the pre-Crisis Hawkman from Thanagar. Then, of course, Crisis on Infinite Earths, after which the dates in my collection get really muddy. But more on that when the time comes.
For one thing, several of the comics, regardless of publisher, have been running an advertisement listing the results from Amazing Heroes Best 10 Books of 1984 poll, per R.A. Jones in Amazing Heroes #63. The list is first, Swamp Thing; second, Jon Sable; third, American Flagg; fourth, Teen Titans; fifth, Fantastic Four; sixth, X-Men; seventh, Blue Devil; eighth, Atari Force; ninth, Dr. Strange; and tenth, Power Pack. Two out of those top ten are complete runs in my collection.
I’ve also been paying more attention to the letters columns, editorial features and First Notes and such as I read over some of these comics than I used to when I was younger. I still don’t read every letter or comment, but I notice writer’s names and editorial opinions and such a tad more than I used to. I am seeing a lot of letters by “T.M. Maple,” a pseudonym not unfamiliar to a large number of comics collectors. T.M. was a very prolific and insightful writer to many letter cols. I don’t know the entire story of this individual, but I’ve read some things. It is interesting to see the number of books in which his missives appear.
For specific storylines, the Thing has finished up his adventures on the Beyonder’s planet and returned to Earth. I knew there was a point when his long-time girlfriend, the blind Alicia Masters, started dating the Human Torch instead. Now I know more about how and when that event came about in the life of Ben Grimm. One of the reasons Thing stayed behind on the Beyonder’s world was to sort out his feelings for Alicia. He was thinking he should break up with her because he was too dangerous for her to have a relationship with. Ben resolved to go through with the break-up and returned to Earth to find that Alicia had suspected what was coming, and when he didn’t return right away from space, she took the hint and moved on with her life. Johnny Storm was there to help out, and their relationship grew while Ben was away.
In the New Teen Titans, the team recovered from their emotional and psychological battles with Trigon. Then they discover something of the true origin of Lilith, a longtime, on-again-off-again member from the old days. It seems that Lilith is the daughter of Thia, one of the Titans of Myth, parents to the gods of Olympus. The goddess Thia kidnapped Lilith claiming to have been searching for her since she was stolen away as a baby and commenced to usurp control of Mount Olympus with designs on Earth next. Before defeating this menace with some mythical help, the Titans meet Kole, a young crystal-powered teenager whose parents the Titans attempt to track down in their next story arc.
Jon Sable’s title included a three-part story taking him to the Middle East titled, The Contract. A special back-up feature in those three issues was a real-life prose account of Sable creator Mike Grell’s first safari in Africa, complete with photos and sketches to illustrate the tale. Next begins a two-part story about Jon Sable’s mother before her death.
In addition to these regular books, I also have Sword of the Atom Special #2. In late 1983 or early 1984, artist Gil Kane and writer Jan Strnad turned the shrinking hero's world upside-down. In a four-issue miniseries, they took physicist Ray Palmer from his Ivy Town university job, ended his marriage to Jean Loring-Palmer, and plopped him down in the middle of the Amazon rainforest among a hidden civilization of six-inch tall yellow aliens stranded and living in the jungles. It sounds hard to believe, and the Atom probably wouldn’t have been most people’s first choice as the next big sword and sorcery hero, but the story and art in the series were incredible and the characters likable. The series was popular enough to generate two sequels, a 1984 Special and the second one in early 1985, but never an ongoing series of its own.
And then there’s the Warlord. For quite some time in that title, Travis Morgan and his Skartaran mate, Queen Tara of Shamballah, have been in hiding, building their forces and preparing to re-take their kingdom from the New Atlantean usurpers who have been little more than a subplot since they took over the land. But what is most interesting to me about the recent Warlord stories is how often the Monitor has been depicted watching the exploits of the characters. The Monitor is a mysterious figure, always shown in shadow at this point, who appeared in several DC books over the course of 1983 and 1984, usually as just an observer watching events transpire, but sometimes acting as a type of referral agent, connecting bosses with super-powered muscle for a fee. Readers wouldn’t learn who the Monitor was or what his motivations and goals were until the maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. This is my first time reading Warlord stories from this period, so I am curious just how much of a role the Crisis plays in the life of the Warlord and vice-versa. I know Travis Morgan is pictured in the Crisis series in several group shots of heroes, but the number of appearances of the Monitor in the the pages of the Warlord, makes me wonder if the Crisis will play a large role in Skartaris.
Moving forward from here, in addition to Titans, Warlord, Sable and Thing, I also have a four-issue Red Tornado series and a four-issue Nightcrawler series from early 1985 and a three-issue Legend of the Hawkman prestige series from 2000 which I have placed here chronologically because it obviously deals with the pre-Crisis Hawkman from Thanagar. Then, of course, Crisis on Infinite Earths, after which the dates in my collection get really muddy. But more on that when the time comes.
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