Here’s another comic-adjacent project with an interesting sci-fi pedigree

Leonard Nimoy’s PriMortals: Target Earth prose paperback
Aspect Science Fiction/Warner Books
Author: Steve Perry
Release date: March 1998

Leonard Nimoy’s PriMortals was a comic series first published by Tekno Comix beginning in 1995. The actor most known for portraying Spock in "Star Trek: The Original Series," as well as in subsequent films and Trek television series, reportedly got the idea for the series after visiting a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) installation. Science fiction author Isaac Asimov was credited with adding several more concepts to the narrative, and a variety of comics writers and artists also contributed to bringing the series to life.

A race of aliens called the Paxus Majae visited Earth during the Jurassic age and harvested a number of species from the new planet. In the centuries since, the Majae have elevated the intelligence of those former Earthlings and others from a number of other planets. Zeerus, a criminal Avitaur (think a humanoid pterodactyl), escapes from Majae custody and heads back to his native Earth in the late 1990s in a stolen spacecraft. His goal is to trick humans into helping him fight the Majae, who are likely following him.

I was curious about a number of the Tekno Comix titles including Gene Roddenberry’s Lost Universe, Isaac Asimov’s I-Bots, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Danger and others. Most of the company’s initial offerings focused on the concepts and contributions of known authors and celebrities, and I must confess, their strategy worked on me.

The comic version of Leonard Nimoy's PriMortals followed Zeerus as he makes first contact with a number of humans on Earth. Zeerus is indeed pursued by representatives of the Majae, chief among them a being known as PriMaster, who looked like a slightly more alien Martian Manhunter to me. The story was indeed interesting and lasted for 15 issues before Tekno Comix changed its name in 1997 to Big Entertainment and relaunched most of its existing titles with new numbering.

The second volume of PriMortals lasted nine more issues, plus a two-issue limited series and a few one-shots. The story never ended, but as I recall, Zeerus made planetfall on Earth, followed by PriMaster and his entire crew, drastically changing mankind’s view of our place in the cosmos as well as throwing the planet into the middle of an interstellar conflict.

As I said, the story never ended. Instead Big Entertainment stopped publishing its comics titles. While I liked the series when it was coming out, the lack of an ending caused me to lose interest over time, and many of the Tekno and Big Entertainment titles I once owned have since been sold off to other comics readers.

Just before Big Entertainment stopped publishing comics, however, this prose paperback novel appeared on book store shelves in March 1998. The story is much the same as I remember the comics portraying, but this must have been intended to be the first of a series of novels, fleshing out only the earliest stages of the comic tale. Many of the characters in this novel were also in the comic series, but their respective stories are much more detailed, and this novel makes for an interesting read.

As the escaped Zeerus enters our solar system, he send a message to Earth. It will still take the Avitaur nearly six months to travel to our planet, but he wants to reach out, establish contact and begin his manipulation of humans as soon as possible before PriMaster arrives. Among the human characters are Stewart Davies, a college student, computer game designer and part-time SETI worker, who first receives and de-codes Zeerus’ message; Jake Holcroft, the young computer hacker who stumbles on the top-secret communications; Major Steve Hayes, the Army officer charged with tracking down Jake; General Larry Hightower, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States; and Hightower’s girlfriend, White House Chief of Staff Laurie Sherman.

The novel focuses on Zeerus’ and humanity’s preparations for this historic first contact and ends when the giant Avitaur lands his craft on Earth. PriMaster and a few members of his crew are mentioned in flashback thoughts Zeerus has to give the reader Zeerus’ background, but the tale is really just getting started when this nearly 300-page book comes to an end. I’ve looked for subsequent books in the series, but while Steve Perry has authored many other novels, this is the only PriMortals book I have ever found besides the comics themselves.

Having said that, Target Earth is still an excellent read that held my interest despite my already being familiar with the story being told. It has my heartiest recommendation, and if anyone connected with Big Entertainment is still out there looking, I would be interested in more of the story.

Switching from trades to comics-adjacent

Justice Society: World War II Blu-ray
DC Animated Universe movie
Creators: Jeff Wamester, Jeremy Adams and Meghan Fitzmartin
Release date: May 2021

I’ve talked about a number of trades in the past few weeks. This week, I’d like to turn the focus to the latest DC Animated Universe direct-to-DVD — or in this case, Blu-ray — Justice Society: World War II. And let me warn readers right off that there will be some spoilers in this post. Generally, I try to avoid spoilers so new readers can experience the material fresh. In this case, I can’t really address some of what I’d like to say without some spoilers. You have been warned.

I’m also going to say right from the beginning that I very much enjoyed this film. I want there to be no mistake about that despite me leveling a few criticisms of the movie in the following paragraphs. I’ve said before that I prefer to focus this blog on celebrating the good in comics, not on the bad. This movie is good despite a few quibbles.

I’ve long liked the Justice Society, and the promise of an adventure following this group set firmly in the World War II era sounded like an excellent idea to me. I enjoyed some of the brief flashbacks to this era in the Justice League cartoon, and this film goes those one better, ramping up the action and the consequences of war, as viewers would expect from a feature movie rather than a 30-minute episode. This Justice Society is led by Wonder Woman and includes Hourman, Hawkman, the Flash and Black Canary. They also are joined by Steve Trevor and a couple other cameo heroes I won’t spoil here, except to say kudos to the creative team for tying in the Showcase Short moreso than I have seen a previous DCAU film do.

*** SPOILERS BEGIN NOW ***

The cover art for this movie offers one of the first spoilers, i.e. the inclusion of the modern-age Barry Allen Flash alongside the other golden-age heroes. Yep, this is a time-travel story, sort of. While the framing sequence of Barry and Iris West traveling to Metropolis for a picnic leads to a team-up between Flash and Superman, Flash’s unplanned trip to meet the Justice Society, and serves to inspire Flash to suggest a Justice League of heroes upon his return to his own place and time, I wish the creators of this film had simply told the Justice Society tale and let it stand on its own. The title says this is the Justice Society fighting during World War II. The framing sequence is nice, but unnecessary.

My other quibble involves the inclusion of Aquaman in this film. Again, the package art for the Blu-ray spoils this as Arthur Curry is prominently displayed on the back cover of the jewel case. I like the touch of giving Aquaman the yellow gloves the golden-age Marine Marvel is usually depicted with. I also like the fact that one of my favorites is included here when he easily might not have been. His inclusion is one of the reasons I was anxious to see this film when it was released.

What I wasn’t as thrilled to see is Aquaman’s inclusion as an ally of the Nazis, albeit a mind-controlled unwitting pawn. It’s not so much that he was mind-controlled into helping the Nazis; that kinda thing happens to superheroes a lot. They eventually shake off the mind-control and redeem themselves. Aquaman was denied this heroic turn in this film. He almost shakes off the mind control once or twice, but ultimately fails until the very end of the film. Then, instead of redeeming himself, he runs away in shame and is not seen again for the rest of the film. That hurts.

It reminds me of a couple other recent story arcs in the comics that I have enjoyed overall despite unkind characterizations of Aquaman in the process of telling said tales. The first is the “Legacy” six-part story from Justice League Rebirth Nos. 26-31. The other is Aquaman’s characterization in the Flashpoint reality from the limited series of the same name. Neither series had very flattering portrayals of one of my favorite heroes, and I hope this trend does not continue.

But again, overall, I think this film is good and well worth a watch.

It’s an intense, worthwhile package

Batman: Creature of the Night tpb
DC Comics
Creators: Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon
Release date: May 2021

I had pretty low expectations when I pre-ordered the trade collection of this miniseries. Not because I have been disappointed previously by the creative team. I was not familiar at all with John Paul Leon’s art, and I’ve rather enjoyed a number of projects written by Kurt Busiek, so no problems there.

I’ve read several other tales loosely based around a particular comics character’s mythology yet supposedly based entirely in the real world, without super-powered heroes. The conceit has yielded some good stories and some I haven’t cared much for.

This story focuses on Bruce Wainwright, a normal boy in the aforementioned real world who loves Batman comics, based in part by the similarity of his own name to that of his hero. But when crime makes Bruce an orphan, he becomes obsessed with the idea of Batman preventing crimes like the one that took his family from him. He wrestles with the unfairness of life and a yearning for a vigilante who can tip the scales in favor of justice. Bruce wishes so strongly for such a hero to exist that one suddenly, inexplicably does.

This story is populated by a number of other similarities between Bruce’s life and that of his comic book hero’s — some of the similarities are real while others are conveniently created by Bruce himself. These parallels don’t really detract from the story or stretch a reader’s suspension of disbelief too much, simply because Bruce himself is aware of his tendency to “create” some of them.

Rather the young boy’s intensity of emotion, his earnest yearning for justice and a hero who can make the world right with his fists and his intellect draw the reader in and make him or her hope right along with the protagonist. John Paul Leon’s moody illustrations emphasize that very intensity and passion. Even the back matter, of which this trade includes a lot, enhances the experience of this book.

This was a truly enjoyable read I did not want to put down until I finished it. If you enjoy a good Batman story, I think you’ll like this one, too. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

More early adventures of the first kid sidekick

Showcase Presents Robin, the Boy Wonder tpb
DC Comics
Creators: Too many to mention
Release date: 2008

I marveled recently about how Robin, the Boy Wonder, had a number of solo adventures in Star-Spangled Comics as early as the 1940s and 1950s. Dick Grayson is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I had not known that he headlined his own solo series that far back. Those stories are collected in the Robin Archives Volumes 1 and 2.

I bought this giant phone-book sized black-and-white trade paperback collection when it came out back in 2008, but at that time, trades like this one were tossed onto a pile of stuff to read when I had more time. I decided to make the time after reading those Robin Archives volumes, and I’m glad I did.

This collection covers stories from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. It begins with a re-telling of Robin’s origin from Batman No. 213 from 1969. From there, it drops back to 1964 for World’s Finest Comics No. 141 and the formation of a Robin-Jimmy Olsen team. The junior partners fake their own deaths in an effort to aid their respective mentors.

Several other Robin-Jimmy Olsen team-ups follow from the pages of World’s Finest Comics and Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, as well as Robin solo stories and team-ups with Batman, Batgirl, Superman and the Teen Titans from the pages of World’s Finest Comics, Batman and Detective Comics.

The adventures also see the Boy Wonder leave high school and Wayne Manor for the campus of Hudson University and the new name, the Teen Wonder. There’s even a two-part adventure with the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America in 1971 in issue Nos. 91 and 92 of the League’s own title. That last even has the Earth-1 Dick Grayson meet his Earth-2 counterpart and briefly adopt a new costume.

As sometimes happens with Silver-Age stories, some of these tales seem a bit dated now. But most all of them are fun reads showing the continuing growth and development of a classic comics character. I’m definitely calling this a worthwhile purchase!

This is a fresh start I can get behind

Werewolf By Night: New Wolf Rising tpb
Marvel Comics
Creators: Taboo, B. Earl, Scot Eaton, Scott Hanna and Miroslav Mrva
Release date: April 2021

I’m a werewolf fan; the wolfman is my favorite among the various great Universal monsters. Always has been.

I don’t recall when I first learned of the Marvel Comics character Werewolf By Night/Jack Russell, but the great Mike Ploog art was surely a part of that first exposure. I have all of that first run of the character in my collection now thanks to the Marvel Essentials series of black-and-white reprints.

There have been some attempts to update the Jack Russell/Werewolf By Night character, either in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents or self-titled miniseries throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, but I never much cared for those stories. They often seemed to focus more on gore and killings, things I’m not really a fan of in my horror fiction.

I heard some good things about this title in single issues. I wasn’t entirely sure I would like a Werewolf By Night updating without the Jack Russell character at all, but making a new werewolf character a Native American youth and setting the adventure in the southwest was intriguing. I decided to give the mini a try in trade format, and I was pleasantly surprised by the result.

This series doesn’t ignore Jack Rusell’s history; although the previous WBN title character does not actually appear, he is name dropped a few times. The story of 17-year-old Jake and how he chooses to deal with the family curse that afflicts him is interesting. But the creators here also throw in a classic Marvel western character, Red Wolf, and a secret group of bad guys genetically experimenting on folks.

It all adds up to a very solid read with some beautifully nice artwork. Like a lot of modern comics, this story doesn’t actually come to a final resolution in these four issues. Rather it sets up events that may or may not continue in a future series or another title. I hope to see more of this new Werewolf By Night cast of characters.

I’m back, these creators are back and these villains are bad

Dear Super-Villains 
DC Comics 
Creators: Michael Northrop and Gustavo Duarte 
Release date: April 2021 

Hello, Kiddie Cops, and welcome back to the first new blog post in a spell.

I initially stopped posting here for two reasons. First, I’d recently started a new job that was taking up more of my time. Second, my comics buying was dropping to very few titles at the time, and I was getting a little worried that I might be just talking about the same handful of titles over and over again. I didn’t want the blog to suffer because of that.

Jump ahead almost two years, and I’m still not really buying that many new monthly comics. But I am still buying and enjoying a handful of new titles every month. My decreased regular pull list has allowed me to try some new things. And buying fewer new comics each month has allowed me time to read some of the many, many comics, trades and more that I’ve purchased over the years but never had a chance to read before and to finally re-read some favorites I haven’t explored again in several years.

Now, this blog has always been about celebrating comics that I love. You try some new things and not every one of them is going to be to your liking. But I don’t want to dwell on comics I don’t like. If I didn’t like it, why spend more time with it and make myself continue to feel bad about it? I’d much rather give a shout out to creators, characters and projects I enjoyed in an attempt to help others discover the same delight for themselves.

And I’ve found myself doing just that over the last several months again. I just wasn’t doing the celebrating here. I was writing much shorter bits of praise for some recently read comics, then sharing those thoughts on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In the past few months, I’ve shared praise for books like The Marvels Project by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting; Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington; Point of Impact by Jay Faerber, Koray Kuranel and Charles Pritchett; The Booster Gold hardcovers – The Big Fall and Future Lost – by Dan Jurgens; Pulp by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips; the two Robin Archives from DC Comics; Infinite Frontier Nightwing by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo and Adriano Lucas; and Somerset Holmes by Bruce Jones, Brent Anderson, April Campbell and Ed King.

There’s nothing really wrong with posting about comics on those platforms. I’m sure I will continue to do so. But my comics-related posts on those platforms were mixed in with other kinds of posts – politics and job and family and real life, those kinds of things – and not likely to be seen by too many people outside my immediate circle of followers and friends.

At one point, this blog had a decent following, and if I start posting regularly again, it may have more of an audience again, giving my attempts to promote good comics a potentially wider audience.

Which brings us to this digest-sized modern original graphic novel, a sequel to the popular book I reviewed in my last post here nearly two years ago. Once again, the book focuses on some inquisitive youngsters who email their questions to super-villains this time instead of the members of the Justice League. As you can likely tell from the image above, the villains featured include Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Grodd, Giganta, Sinestro, Black Manta, and for some reason, Katana.

Michael Northrop’s words and Gustavo Duarte’s illustrations make for a whimsical, fun follow-up tale to Dear Justice League that I heartily recommend. To my taste, this volume was a little more loose than the first volume, but what do you expect from a group of villains all vying for the top spot? They’re not going to act the same as the heroes, obviously.

Dear Super-Villains is absolutely another fun read. Check back soon for something else from the realm of comics that I’ve recently read and believe might be worth your time to check out.

A refreshingly fun palate-cleansing read

Dear Justice League
DC Comics
Creators: Michael Northrup and Gustavo Duarte
Release date: August 2019

I just finished this delightfully entertaining and fun graphic novel. That’s right; it was a fun read. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Comics can be fun. They should be fun. There’s no reason you can’t have a serious, griping, nail-biter of a story; I’m not saying those are bad. But if comics aren’t fun to read, what’s really the point?

Dear Justice League is based on the idea of young children writing to their favorite heroes and asking them questions. Most chapters focus on a single hero and his or her response to a different question. But the book also features a plot that runs through its entirety that has the Justice League fighting an alien insectoid invasion. The threat allows the heroes to demonstrate what makes them super while never rising to a “scary” level that might frighten younger readers. And the children’s questions and the heroes’ answers are delightful and well-reasoned to fit their most basic personality traits.

The Justice League for this adventure is made up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Hawkgirl, Cyborg and Green Lantern Simon Baz. It’s a nice mix of personalities while still in keeping with recognizable faces and power sets.

Dear Justice League is the latest of these thick, digest-sized original graphic novels DC has been putting out targeted at a middle-school audience, but they are just as appropriate for any age. I loved the book, and after telling her about it, my 8-year-old daughter wants to read it next, or better yet, have me read it to her. She’s old enough to read it on her own, but she’s still at the age where she likes to have my wife or I read to her, too, and this type of book makes that easy.

I know she could easily read it herself because I know my daughter, of course, but also because she has been checking out and reading the Secret Hero Society series of books from her school library. These are more of these DC digest OGNs that place teenaged versions of Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince and Clark Kent together in a Gotham City high school setting with several other familiar faces. My daughter has already read “Study Hall of Justice” and “Detention of Doom.” Other titles in the series include “Field Trip Disaster,” “Science Fair Crisis” and “Fort Solitude.” I just found out about the other books in the series myself, and when I told her about them, her eyes lit up and she yelled with excitement.

I’ve also seen her bring home dragon-themed books from the school library. These were also graphic novels, specifically Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley by Jeff Weigel and Wings of Fire Book II: The Lost Heir by Tui T. Sutherland and Mike Holmes. What can I say? I’m trying to raise her to love reading and embrace all forms of storytelling.

This is how we get a new generation of readers interested in comics, folks; make it fun for them!

His inclusion was a nice bonus

Batman Beyond Vol. 5: The Final Joke
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Cully Hamner, Marco Santucci, Evan “Doc Shaner, Andrew Dalhouse, Val Staples, Jordie Bellaire, Travis Lanham, Viktor Kalvachev
Release Date: July 2019

My history with “Batman Beyond” has been very bumpy.

I was curious when the concept for the new television show was announced in the later 1990s, and I tuned in for the series debut in January 1999. The opening scenes with an aging Batman were thrilling, and it was a nice nod to continuity that Neo Gotham still had a Police Commissioner Gordon in the future. But I wasn’t completely convinced by Terry McGinnis as the new Batman, and I wasn’t a fan of the techno-influenced music that ran throughout the show and its theme song.

I gave the next few episodes a try. Some of the villains were more interesting than the Jokerz gang from the premiere, and it was nice to see the Royal Flush Gang was still around; they’ve always been a favorite villain team for me. But there just wasn’t enough to hook me full-time on the show. I pronounced it “Not my Batman” and moved on.

I grew curious from time to time when I would read that the show was popular in various comic magazines or online. But I stayed away until after the show ended and it was controversially tied into the animated Justice League continuity. My reaction to that episode was mixed, but it prompted me to buy the entire series on DVD, although I still haven’t watched all of the episodes.

I also had very mixed reactions to the direct-to-video “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” movie in 2000. It was fun to see the Joker back facing an aged Batman and his new protégé, but I did not care for how that film treated Tim Drake or how it mashed together his and Jason Todd’s origins and stories.

With all of that, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up an issue of the comics based on the concept. But I’ve again been curious a time or two. I’d heard interesting things about this arc, focusing as it does once again on the return of the Joker to Neo Gotham. And I know I’ve mentioned before that I am a fan of Dan Jurgens. So I decided to give this trade a try.

I was not disappointed. This was a solid story with some nice added bonuses. For one thing, we got the genuine, real deal Joker this time. We also have Terry’s younger brother, Matt, assuming the role of Robin. All of that I knew going into this trade. The best bonus of all, though, was the inclusion of the mayor of Bludhaven, Dick Grayson, in this story. That was a pleasant surprise.

One of my complaints about “Batman Beyond” on television was that I had always wondered what became of Dick. I believe he was name-dropped in the pilot episode when Commissioner Barbara Gordon fills Terry McGinnis in on her history with Batman. But what she said was vague. I don’t believe Dick ever appeared previously in either the show or one of the comics. He’s one of my favorite characters; I always wanted to know what became of him in this continuity.

There are still questions here regarding the former Nightwing and first Robin. For instance, there is no mention of a spouse, but Dick’s adult daughter, Elainna, also appears. Dick and his daughter are not relegated to mere cameos either. Both play pretty prominent roles in this tale. Enough so that I really do wonder if this is Dick’s first appearance in the world of Batman Beyond, if Jurgens has used him in a previous arc, or if some other creative team first dreamed this up, and this crew is simply building on what has gone before.

Someone please leave a comment if you know more about Dick’s role in Batman Beyond; I’d appreciate the info. But either way, this was a fun read, and this trade has made me seriously think about hunting down more of Jurgens’ run on the title.

Something to watch you might find interesting

“Batman: The Scheme Is Sound”
Parkview Elementary School (Van Buren, AR) Music Club
Release date: 2019

 
It has been a crazy couple of weeks, both personally and professionally, and I haven’t had as much time as I would like to read or blog about what I have been reading. Along comes this group of talented fourth- and fifth-grade students to save the day, once again completing a project that touches on topics near and dear to my heart.

The Parkview Elementary Music Club videos are pretty famous in this part of the country, and they have garnered some celebrity attention for their efforts in the past. But there may still be parts of the nation and world who are unfamiliar with these talented students.

Each year, they complete a video project employing acting ability, singing talent, choreography and so much more. Last year’s project was the Easter-themed “The Adventures of the U.S.S. Parkview: A Star Trek Fan Film.” It followed the crew of the starship Parkview as they tried to free the kidnapped Easter bunny from a crew of ruthless Klingon warriors. That was when I first heard of the group. Among the luminaries who applauded the students for their video was William Shatner, who tweeted that the video was “impressive.”

This year, the students created “Batman: The Scheme Is Sound,” a video modeled after the cast and themes from the campy 1966 “Batman” television program. All the favorites are there from Batman and Robin to villains Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman and Joker, heroic associates like Commissioner Gordon, Chief O’Hara, Alfred, Aunt Harriet, the Batmobile, Stately Wayne Manor, and even Bruce and Dick and their “fishing trips.”

Check out the Parkview video channel on YouTube for these and many other hilarious, nostalgia-filled, fun videos. They’re great!

A fine sendoff for Ms. Cruz

Green Lanterns Vol. 9: Evil’s Might
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Marco Santucci, Scott Hanna, Hi-Fi, Andy Troy, Pete Pantazis, David Sharpe and Wil Quintana
Release date: June 2019

I guess you could say that I’m a Jessica Cruz fan.

My first exposure to the character was her debut in the pages of Justice League (The New 52 version) No. 31 during the “Forever Evil” event. She was created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Now, for the purists among you, I know her true first appearance was in The New 52 Green Lantern series, issue No. 20, a few months earlier. But that was just a closeup on her hand, and I didn’t read that issue. So, I was first exposed to Jessica Cruz in Justice League when she appeared in full view both on the cover and the interior.

Jessica stood out among Earth’s many Green Lanterns for a number of reasons. She had issues before taking possession of a power ring; she was introduced as someone so very agoraphobic that she could no longer leave her apartment. Her natural anxiety was only increased when an alien ring from an alternate universe tried to assume control of her life. That’s right, Jessica’s first ring was from the Crime Syndicate’s Power Ring. The Latina heroine was at first terrified of the power the ring gave her and the control of her life it sought in return.

I continued to follow the character in the pages of Justice League. She gained confidence alongside the other heroes of the League while also briefly dating the Flash. She was a fine addition to the team at that time. When the “Rebirth” era came along after The New 52, Jessica and the other newbie GL, Simon Baz, both became stars of their own title, Green Lanterns, with an “s,” and Jessica was also one of the stars to headline the new title Justice League Odyssey following the “No Justice” story arc. As much as I liked the character, though, neither of these titles held my attention for long.

Enter Dan Jurgens, a writer and artist whose work I very much enjoy. Jurgens was the writer of Green Lanterns when that title recently ended. I’d been curious to try the title again when Jurgens took over the writing chores, but “Evil’s Might” was the first arc to really grab my attention. This storyline featured not only Jurgens’ writing, Mike Perkins’ fine art style and Jessica Cruz as one of the lead characters, but it also promised a story featuring the return of Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, a character created by Jurgens way back in 1990 in Adventures of Superman No. 465.

I’m not really giving away spoilers about the big bad of the story since he appears on the cover of this trade. Cyborg Superman is one of those villains I love to hate. He’s right down there with Black Manta, Solomon Grundy and Gentleman Ghost as one of my “favorite” villains. And he’s a great choice for a villain to face off against the entire GL Corps and the Guardians with his ability to access and manipulate any kind of technology. Cyborg Superman, imprisoned in the Arctic Fortress of Solitude, manages to gain access to the Guardians’ central power battery on Mogo and through it, nearly all of the thousands of GLs across the universe.

This trade did not disappoint. The story features not just Jessica, but the entire GL Corps, in a gripping story that held my attention and kept me turning the pages. Perkins’ art was gorgeous to look at. But the real attention grabber is how this volume ends, nicely showcasing Jessica’s growth since “Forever Evil.” At the end of this story, she announces that she feels she has grown enough and is confident enough to leave Earth and seek other adventures and discoveries among the stars.

Perhaps this was meant to explain how she is alone out in space at the beginning of Justice League Odyssey. I prefer to think of her boldly exploring, overcoming the fears that once held her captive back when she was stuck in her apartment. I wish her Godspeed on her explorations and hope this is not the last we see of this fine character.

To trade or not to trade

Superman/Wonder Woman Vols. 1 and 2 (Power Couple/War and Peace)
DC Comics
Creators: Charles Soule and Tony S. Daniel
Release dates: 2013/2014

I picked up these two trades during a recent trip to the library with my family. I wasn’t overly interested in the New 52 versions of either Superman or Wonder Woman, so I didn’t much care when this new title was announced amid the hype surrounding the blossoming relationship between the two heroes. But I thought I would give these two trades a try after seeing them among the growing graphic novel section at our local library.

The first volume is all about Superman and Wonder Woman exploring their new dynamic, and it tells a nice little story about the pair, how they interact with each other and the world, and how their respective world views differ from each other. All of that is juxtaposed nicely against the action scenes that start out with a surprise return by Doomsday, progress into an attack by Kryptonians Zod and Faora, and end with the renewed threat presented by the still free Doomsday.

While some of writer Charles Soule’s scene transitions can be a bit jarring, this is mostly an enjoyable read that moves along at a brisk pace. It was an entertaining read that gave me a satisfying chunk of story despite continuing into another trade. And Tony Daniel’s art is very pretty to look at. The New 52 Superman’s hair always seems too spiky to me, but that is “on model” for the character at this time. Daniel’s Wonder Woman and Lois Lane are drawn beautifully. I’m very glad I decided to check this trade out, and it is a good example of what a collected edition of a modern comic can be.

Then everything went off the rails.

The Doomsday teasers at the end of the first volume and my enjoyment at reading that trade had me glad I had borrowed both volumes from the library. I was eager to continue with the story. But I was immediately lost. The fight with Doomsday was already over when the second trade begins, and Superman is suffering severe aftereffects of that battle.

I went back and looked to see if I was missing issues not collected, but that wasn’t the case. The first trade collects the first seven issues of Superman/Wonder Woman. The second begins with issue No. 8. That’s when I recalled that a storyline around this time and focusing on Doomsday had run through all of the various Superman titles at the time, but none of these other titles were collected in either of these volumes. There weren’t even any editor’s notes or other indications beyond my own memory as to where to look for the missing pieces of the story.

And the gaps didn’t stop there. More of the story apparently took place in other Superman titles between Superman/Wonder Woman Nos. 8, 9 and 10. I was only getting pieces of a multi-title crossover. There was a text page at the beginning of each of these issues masquerading as a Daily Planet article from Lois Lane that might have served to keep readers in the know at the time, but they did little to address the missing action from the trade.

Rather than a cohesive narrative, this second trade gave me interesting snippets of a story, but no matter how well-crafted the snippets were, they just reinforced the notion that there was much more I was missing. As good as the first trade was, as enjoyable as it was to read, the second volume seemed more like a train wreck than a story.

This second trade also collects two Future’s End stories published at the time that have nothing to do with the Doomsday/Brainiac storyline that picks up from the end of the first trade. DC editorial should have excised those tales and left them for another trade, and instead focused on giving readers the complete Doomsday/Brainiac tale that is severely truncated here to very ill effect. Otherwise, they seem to be telling readers who bought the trade, “You’re lost? Sorry. Guess you should have bought all the various issues of the crossover instead.” Not cool.

Glad I gave it a try

Cover tpb Vol. 1
Jinxworld/DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Zu Orzu, Bill Sienkiewicz and Michael Avon Oeming
Release date: May 2019

The advance solicits for this series caught my eye with its mixture of comics culture and international spycraft. Add in the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack, and I was very curious. The fact that the narrative was a fictionalized version based on some actual events from David Mack’s life was just icing. And now that I’ve held the book in my hands and read its contents, I can attest that it did not disappoint.

Mack writes the graphic novel’s foreword and tells a bit about the real-world events that both inspired and led to this book’s creation. As I’m already recommending you go and buy Cover, I’ll let him tell those details for anyone who follows my recommendation and heads to their LCS.

As for the fictionized story, it follows fictional comic book artist Max Field, who is gaining no small renown for his latest creation, “Ninja Sword Odyssey.” Suddenly, he finds himself being recruited by a government spy who wants Field to engage in some basic spycraft under the cover of attending international comic conventions. The novelty and thrill of being a covert spy, however, quickly takes a dangerous turn for Field as he learns that his recruitment is not a unique situation and that not everyone is recruited by the same side.

I’m usually more of a story consumer, and it’s no secret that Bendis can weave quite a story when he is hitting on all cylinders as he is in this book. I’m sure Mack also had a hand in the writing chores here as this is his story. But I have to give a lot of credit where it’s due on the art side of this book, too. Mack uses a more traditional comic book cartooning style for much of this book than I am used to seeing from him, but that feels right in the passages about the conventions and the fictional creator’s everyday life. Mack’s excellent painting skills are also expertly showcased in the sequences of “Ninja Sword Odyssey” that are presented here, and also show up from time to time in the more intense moments of Field’s life (as depicted above). Bill Sienkiewicz and Michael Avon Oeming also lend their talents to portions of the book that need additional styles to further differentiate portions of the narrative. So the art style truly follows and shapes the story being told in different ways at different times in this book.

Overall, it adds up to a very nice, engaging package that was a joy to read. Well done, all!

She’s getting ready for her TV debut … and so am I

Stumptown Vol. 1 hardcover (The Case of the Girl Who Took her Shampoo (But Left her Mini)
Oni Press
Creators: Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, Lee Loughridge and Rico Renzi
Release date: March 2011

In case you haven’t yet heard, Greg Rucka’s and Matthew Southworth’s creation Stumptown is headed to ABC as a television pilot sometime this next season. The pilot will star Cobie Smulders as the main protagonist, Portland, Oregon, private investigator Dex Parios.

I don’t have any experience with Southworth’s art, at least not that I can recall, but Rucka is one of my favorite writers. I have followed his comics work on titles like Gotham Central, Batman, Adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman and Queen and Country, even following that last series into some of his prose work. He is well known as a writer who can easily handle strong female characters. I can’t argue with that assessment, but I think he handles most of the characters he writes with skill and an ear for dialogue and consistent characterization.

I purchased this first volume of Stumptown a couple years ago with a few other independent graphic novels Rucka authored with the intent of trying them out. They went on that ever-growing “sometime” pile and stayed there. That is, until the announcement of the new pilot made me decide to move this particular hardcover to the top of the stack. It did not disappoint.

Dex is a typical P.I. in the vein of Jim Rockford of television’s “The Rockford Files”; she has a good heart, a lot of brains, a quick wit and really crappy luck. That crappy luck extends to the gambling table, where Dex has racked up quite a debt to the house at the beginning of this story. The owner of the casino, Sue-Lynne Suppa, agrees to forgive Dex’s debt if Dex will find Sue-Lynne's missing granddaughter. This first hardcover includes all four issues of the initial Stumptown series as Dex tries to track down the missing 18-year-old despite opposition from several sides. Players in opposition to Dex seem to know immediately the case Dex is investigating before she has any chance to uncover who or why someone might want to harm the missing girl. Rucka weaves an engaging whodunit that takes readers along for the ride as Dex tries to finally make sense of the forces lined up against her.

Southworth’s art is dark and moody, which suits a title like this one, without being “muddy” like some dark comics can tend to get. Loughridge’s and Renzi’s colors help with the atmosphere, as well. They keep the color palette simple and sparse, except when a few carefully placed bright colors are needed to emphasize a dramatic panel or two.

If you haven’t tried Stumptown and like P.I. fiction, I heartily recommend this volume. I plan to seek out the subsequent three volumes in the very near future, and I also plan to give “Stumptown” a watch on television when it debuts.

No typical mysteries to solve here

Detective Comics No. 449
DC Comics
Creators: Elliot S. Maggin, Ernie Chan, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (PBHN), Mary Skrenes and Dick Giordano
Cover date: July 1975

This is yet another of those older Batman issues I’ve been looking at of late. This one in particular is a comic I bought and read off the stands at the time, subsequently lost track of for one reason or another, and purchased again in adulthood out of a sense of nostalgia.

I never forgot the cover to this issue’s main story, “The Midnight Rustler of Gotham City!,” as it isn’t every day you see Batman depicted on horseback amid stampeding cattle. And re-reading the issue now did not disappoint.

Commissioner Gordon seeks Batman’s help in solving the mysterious disappearance of several herds of cattle from slaughterhouses during a beef shortage. Batman tracks down a suspect and some of the missing cows in less than an hour, but something continues to nag at the back of the Masked Manhunter’s consciousness. This continues for a week before Batman’s sharp mind and keen detective skills ferret out the real mastermind, who is finally brought to justice, but not before the scene on the cover plays out with Batman on horseback trying to round up the remaining missing cattle that are loose on the roadways of Gotham.

One doesn’t usually expect to find horses and cows running through a Batman tale, but I think the reason this story continues to hold up is it again showcases the hero’s brains and his analytical mind. Batman has no powers, and he has honed not only his body but also his mind to allow him to stand side by side with other heroes with fantastic abilities.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the back-up story in this issue. As soon as I saw the title page of the Elongated Man story, “The Mystery Man Who Walked On Air,” I remembered it, too, and started to chuckle. I just hadn’t remembered that it was in this particular issue of Detective Comics. This is one of the few Elongated Man solo stories I recall reading as a kid, but I always liked the character in the satellite-era of the Justice League. This story is a fun romp as Ralph Dibny (the Elongated Man) tries to solve the mystery of this little old man who keeps showing up and defying the laws of physics. Turns out it is all a prank arranged by Ralph’s wife, Sue, for his birthday. It showcases the fun this couple often was in the Silver Age of comics.

So this issue once again earns a “great read” seal of approval from me! Come back in two week for a look at a nearly 10-year-old original graphic novel that is soon to debut once again.

Something a little different — snippets from my pull list

I’m going to take brief looks at six titles on my current monthly pull list, all released during this past month of April. While these six titles do not comprise my entire pull list for April, they are the lion’s share of it. My more limited finances of late have taken a definite toll on what I’m willing to plunk down for today’s comics. But I’d rather save my money for books I’m enjoying reading. That makes sense, right?

Titans No. 36 (DC Comics) — This is the final issue of the Rebirth Titans title. While the book has failed to recapture the heights of the Wolfman/Perez era of the Titans characters, I was one of the people who enjoyed Dan Abnett’s take with the relaunch. His version of the characters read true to their respective personalities to me; the stories just weren’t all that riveting, especially as the title was held hostage more and more by the overall DC Universe. The new mission for the Titans in the wake of the team’s forced break-up and then the events of “No Justice” just didn’t seem as strong as focusing on the bond these people share with each other. Add to that the loss of several key characters other writers had plans for, and this title just seemed doomed several months ago.

Fantastic Four No. 9 (Marvel Comics) — I like a lot of Marvel characters, but I’m sure it comes as no shock to regular readers of this blog that I collect a lot more DC titles. But I decided to give the 2018 relaunch of Marvel’s first family a try based on past writings by Dan Slott. So far, he hasn’t disappointed. His first arc was a bit *meh* for me, dealing as it did with where the FF members have been for so long. But the long-anticipated wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters, quickly followed by the latest face-off between the FF and Dr. Doom, which concludes with this issue, were both great reads. These books prove once again that comics can be fun. More titles should follow this example.

Justice League Nos. 21 and 22 (DC Comics) — This is one of those titles that is killing others like Titans. Believe it or not, I like more issues than not of the sweeping epic Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV are weaving with Justice League since its relaunch in 2018 following “No Justice.” I do. But there have been a few clunkers in the past 22 issues. And the problem with having your sweeping epic take over so many titles and story lines and months of publishing time without a resolution is that at some point, it becomes easier to simply ignore the entire thing than to keep up with it. I haven’t reached that point yet, but I think about it more with each passing month. Comics are an ongoing medium meant to continue ever onward, but individual stories are not.

Star Trek: Year Five No. 1 (IDW Publishing) — I have liked a lot of what IDW has done with its Star Trek license, including the Year Four series they did several years ago. This is only the first issue, so it is pretty early to judge with much accuracy, but this series debut seems like a good one. There are references to previous episodes of the television series to please the die-hard fans. The characterizations seem pretty accurate, and the premise, at least so far, seems well laid out for any newbies. I have high hopes for this title.

Nightwing No. 59 (DC Comics) — The Rebirth Nightwing title has been hit-and-miss with me, and I dropped it some time back. While some of the stories were good, many of them seemed to be re-treading ground already covered in the title’s previous incarnations. The changes to the title character since his being shot in the pages of Tom King’s Batman did not inspire me to pick the title back up. What did was the promise of Dan Jurgens coming onboard as the writer. I like both Jurgens’ writing and his art. I’m buying the next few issues hoping he will bring back the character I enjoy — one of my top three favorite characters, in fact. This is only the first issue and there’s leftover baggage to be dealt with from the previous writers. This issue wasn’t great, but I’ll give Mr. Jurgens a few more to win me back to Nightwing.

Criminal No. 4 (Image Comics) — No surprise here for longtime readers of this blog, I’m sure. I love most everything this creative team — Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips — has collaborated on from Velvet to Kill or Be Killed to Scene of the Crime to previous incarnations of this very title. This latest version of Criminal is more of the same, and I love it.

So those are some of the titles I’m currently buying. What are the rest of you buying? And have you thought about why lately? Sometimes reflecting on your buying habits from time to time can be a good thing.

Happy collecting! And come back in two weeks for some thoughts on a Batman comic from my youth!

Bendis is hooking me again

Action Comics No. 1010
DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, and Brad Anderson
Release date: April 2019

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman titles at DC, but I’ve enjoyed his writing in the past, be it in Avengers titles, Ultimate Spider-man, Powers or Daredevil. So I opted to give his runs a chance.

I very much like the dynamic stories he’s presenting in Superman, first taking us back to the Phantom Zone, then recounting Jon Kent’s adventures with his grandfather, Jor-El. The Ivan Reis and Joe Prado art certainly doesn’t hurt that title, either. I fell in love with these guys’ art when they helped relaunch the New 52 Aquaman title, and they are still at the top of their game.

But if I had to pick a current favorite Bendis Superman title, it would be the story arc going on in the pages of Action Comics, “Leviathan Rising.” Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, are both embroiled in an espionage tale that also involves all the clandestine groups from DC lore — A.R.G.U.S., the D.E.O., Checkmate, Spyral, Amanda Waller, Sam Lane, Mr. Bones. It’s all here, and I’m loving how Bendis is weaving it all together.

I’ve said before, here and in other forums, that Superman should be a light character. Superman represents the very best of what humanity can be. He is the shining light for which we strive. I believe Bendis gets that. And he’s wisely using the bright, shiny Superman sparingly in this story. Rather, he’s focusing on Clark Kent and Lois Lane, two investigative journalists who sometimes have to root around in the shadows to properly do their jobs and bring things to light. Take it another step darker, and even Lois and Clark are having to utilize assumed identities to go undercover. (That's them in the image above, if you didn't know.) Bendis' storytelling simply adds more and more layers to a mystery that desperately needs to be unraveled.

Getting Steve Epting for the art on this story was a great move, too. I have loved a lot of Epting’s past work, but he thrives illustrating this type of story, with shadows and subtle shifts, all the cloak and dagger stuff. He’s a brilliant choice for this arc.

It doesn’t hurt that this story is promising to explode out of Action Comics into other titles soon, either. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by that prospect, I’m looking forward to new titles like Event Leviathan and Lois’ solo title. That’s how good this story feels, and how excited I am to read each new piece of the puzzle.

I’m hooked, Mr. Bendis; please, don’t stop.

More pleasant surprises to be found

Batman No. 250
DC Comics
Creators: Frank Robbins, Irv Novick, Dick Giordano, Elliot S. Maggin and Frank McLaughlin
Cover date: July 1973

Frequent visitors to this blog know I have purchased a number of back issues and trades throughout my comics collecting history that get tossed on a pile to read “sometime.” During times when my monthly collecting habits ebb, I manage to get more of those “sometime” books read, and this happens to be one of those times.

Most recently, I’ve been reading some older issues of Batman and Detective Comics, specifically ones from the 1970s. Several of these books have held promise of one form or another, be it an oft-seen, familiar cover for which I’m finally getting to read the story behind or a fondly remembered childhood read I’m re-experiencing. Of course, it is always best when the actual read lives up to the anticipation.

The main story in this issue, “The Deadly Numbers Game!” by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano, is a decent, entertaining tale about the Dark Knight that showcases his detective skills nicely. But I was surprised to find that this regular-sized comic included not one story but three.

The second story in this magazine is a quick six-page Robin story by Elliot S. Maggin, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin. I’m a huge Dick Grayson fan, so I was delighted to see a Robin solo story. But the plot of this story involves Dick’s pre-Robin life, as indicated by its title, “Return of the Flying Grayson.” The story begins with two young boys marveling at an old poster of the Flying Graysons circus act. The boys know Dick Grayson as the Hudson University student tutors one of them, but they doubt the tutor is any relation to the acrobats depicted on the poster. Dick overhears their comments as he is in the same store, staking it out, hoping to catch some art thieves. Then later, when Robin stops the fleeing art thieves, he must also save the two boys who happen to be nearby during the take-down.

As fun as the Robin story is, though, the gem of this issue is the six-page final one. The story, “The Batman Nobody Knows,” by Frank Robbins and Dick Giordano is a simple tale of philanthropist Bruce Wayne taking three inner-city youths camping. Sitting around the campfire, the boys see a bat flit by in the moonlight and begin to share their ideas of who or what the Batman is. If the story sounds familiar to more modern audiences, it is because it was adapted into an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series,” specifically “Legends of the Dark Knight,” episode 19 of the third season of the show. The framing sequence and the children’s tales differ in each version, but both stories involve Gotham City youth relating how they each see Batman.

I had no idea such a significant story was hiding in the back of this issue, or at least, I don’t recall knowing that when I bought it. So it was a very pleasant surprise indeed to “discover” it.

It’s a solid beginning

Mera: Tidebreaker
DC Ink
Creators: Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne
Release date: March 2019

Let me preface my remarks on Mera: Tidebreaker by saying I’m not exactly the target audience for DC Ink, the new imprint focusing on young adult original graphic novels. I’m not a young adult. It’s been several decades since I was 16 like the title character in the debut title of this new line. My 7-year-old daughter is closer to 16 than I am.

I confess that I felt that age difference a bit when reading some of the dialogue in this book. There was a bit of eye-rolling on my part when it came to some of the drama that was created by these teenagers dealing with their problems in ways that teenagers would; their solutions only created more problems for themselves, but they were solutions or reactions teenagers would likely come up with.

I will also say that this story doesn’t fit perfectly into the established DC Comics continuity for these characters or with the movie continuity, although it more closely resembles the movie casting choices. There are contradictions. But then, no comics fan is a stranger to such contradictions when dealing with characters that have been around more than a few decades. Some elements in one story contradict elements in another when you pile story after story on for that long.

With all of those caveats, this is still a pretty solid read about characters that I very much enjoy. Aquaman is one of my all-time favorites, and I have had an appreciation for Mera and what she has to offer long before what many consider her full-fledged “superhero debut” in “Blackest Night,” “Brightest Day,” and other modern stories.

Princess Mera of Xebel, one of the smaller kingdoms under Atlantean rule, resents all things Atlantis like many of her people do. They see all Atlanteans as smug, cruel overlords who seek only to keep the lesser kingdoms subjugated unfairly. Mera’s father, King Ryus of Xebel, has made a pact with the people of the Trench, another lesser Atlantean kingdom. The Trench prince, Larken, is being sent to the surface to locate and kill the rumored Atlantean prince, Arthur Curry. Once that assassination takes place, Larken has been promised Mera’s hand in marriage, uniting the two lesser kingdoms, which will then revolt openly against the Atlantean queen, Atlanna.

Mera and Larken are childhood friends who care very much for each other, but Mera resents being told who she will marry and what she must do. Instead, she wants to prove to her father that she can be a ruler and a warrior in her own right, just like her late mother, so she decides to set off on her own for the surface world to locate and kill Arthur Curry herself. But once Mera locates the future ruler of Atlantis, she finds he is not the person she expected.

As I said, Danielle Paige’s story is engaging and full of realistic teenage reactions. It also includes a number of new characters alongside the ones more familiar to Aquaman fans. And Stephen Byrne’s art shows a deceptively simple economy of line and is quite engaging. He doesn’t muddy his panels with an excess of linework, but those panels still include plenty of detail when called for. His characters have distinctive faces making it clear who each is from panel to panel.

If you’re a fan of last year's “Aquaman” blockbuster film, give this book a try. As I said, things won’t line up perfectly between the two storylines, but both are truly engaging, enjoyable tales.

That was a letdown … or was it?

Green Arrow (2016) No. 50
DC Comics
Creators: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Javier Fernandez and John Kalisz
Release date: March 2019

I generally avoid talking about comics that disappoint me. I’d rather tout the ones I’ve enjoyed than waste time dwelling on disappointment. Especially since someone may have liked said book even if I didn’t.

I’m making an exception with this latest issue of Green Arrow, the Rebirth series finale, because I care so much about the character, I dislike the way he has been treated in stories of late, and I hope a change is coming soon. This issue was touted as a huge “event.” Whether or not it truly was remains to be seen. But the story seems a huge disservice to the character whose name is on the book.

Oh, and there will be spoilers, so read on at your own risk.

Green Arrow annual No. 2, released almost a year ago, was a tie-in to the "No Justice" event. The book as a whole depicted Oliver Queen’s activities while much of the rest of the DC Universe dealt with the "No Justice" crisis: Oliver stayed on earth, not really knowing what the other heroes were doing off-planet, but still having to deal with repercussions from those events. The annual ended with the Martian Manhunter giving Oliver a box containing “the key to destroying the Justice League should the need arise” for safekeeping. The exact contents of the box were left a mystery.

Now comes issue No. 50 of the ongoing Rebirth Green Arrow title, an abrupt end to the series, and the contents of that box are revealed when the federal government comes looking for it. It seems the powers that be know Ollie has it, they want it, and they enlist Black Canary’s help in getting it.

Green Arrow goes through a lot to keep the box he was entrusted with from falling into government hands. Along the way, he thinks to himself that he doesn’t even know what is in the box. So he looks. And finds the box apparently empty. This leaves Oliver feeling duped and unappreciated by his peers.

That is a common theme of much of the Rebirth run of Green Arrow. That theme also dominated a lot of the New 52 version of the character. And it is part of why I stopped buying the book on a regular basis. Yes, Oliver can be off-putting and is known for challenging authority and the status quo. But that should not be his sole personality trait to the point that no other heroes like or respect him as a hero. Yet that seems to be how Green Arrow is most often characterized in the last decade.

I’m old enough that my personal “golden age” for the Justice League is the satellite era. The heroes of the DC Universe have strong personalities and may disagree or even fight with each other from time to time. But at the end of the day, these people all basically like and respect each other. They embrace their diversity, and that is what makes them the strongest force for good.

Along with the abrupt ending to the current Green Arrow series, it has been announced that a relaunch will shortly follow. I am hopeful that the relaunch will correct this mischaracterization of Green Arrow. Why? The final pages and the last panel of issue No. 50.

I don’t agree with everything Ollie says as he strips away his GA costume and changes to street clothes in the panels above. But maybe those statements signal a change in how the character will be portrayed going forward.

Even more, that very last panel of the book shows the “empty” box glowing from inside with a green light. My hope is that indicates the box is not empty. Perhaps some security measure conceals the contents from being visible most of the time. And if that is true, it signals that other heroes in the DCU do respect and like Ollie for what he brings to the table.

Please DC, let’s have more of that.

A very pleasant convention bonus

Wonder Squad No. 1
Machine Head Studio
Creator: Bradley R. Hyman

I recently attended the third annual Mulberry Comic Con in Mulberry, AR, as a dealer. This event benefits the Mulberry Public Library and is only about 45 minutes from my home, so I’ve been a dealer there for the past three years, selling some of my overflowing collection. Each year I’ve attended the event, I’ve met several other interesting dealers and many other colorful fans. This year was no exception.

Right next to my Steve’s Comics for Sale booth this year was the booth of a writer/artist from nearby Mountainburg, AR. His name is Bradley R. Hyman, and we visited throughout the day. He and I are about the same age, so we had some similar ideas about collecting and comics, although the samples and sketches he brought for his table proved Bradley has a lot more talent than I possess. Thankfully, I wasn’t there as an artist.

A lot of Bradley’s comic stories appear in YEET Presents, an anthology comic published by Cost of Paper Productions. Bradley also had photocopied mini comics versions of two of his creations — Amie Armageddon and Wonder Squad — both of which are normally serialized in YEET Presents and under Bradley’s own imprint, Machine Head Studio.

The Amie Armageddon issue introduces the post-apocalyptic world of Amie “Armageddon” Geddon, a bounty hunter in what used to be southern Missouri. She tracks down outlaws in the Upper Ozark Cold Zone for a government agency called the Home Guard, which often is just as untrustworthy as the outlaws themselves. The opening installment of this title left me wondering what was going to happen to Amie next, but the other title grabbed my imagination even more.

Wonder Squad was a group of second- and even third-string superheroes several years in the past. One of those former heroes, Fletcher “Dr. Spectral” Pollard, is now retired and runs a talent and training agency for new super-powered folks after being disgraced and falling out with most of his former teammates. The mini comic of the first chapter of Wonder Squad gives readers a little of the backstory along with enough to explain that Fletcher’s business is not doing well and neither is he.

Bradley has crafted a great story that immediately made me like Fletcher and care about his circumstances, and he did it without falling on the popular trope of making his independent characters all be analogs of the most popular Marvel and DC characters. Fletcher’s powers are telekinetic in nature, so he’s not really a Superman or Batman or Spider-man stand-in.

I’m very interested to see where the Wonder Squad story goes in future installments, and I wish Bradley continued success with his efforts. For more from Hyman, visit his Facebook page or check out this recent newspaper column written about Hyman by another friend of mine.