Random Happenstance

Hmm, I've got a minute, but can only blog a quarter book within reach...That gives us either Aquaman #10, or Blackhawk #13.

(Strains, grunts, knocks over stack trying to reach another book.)

Alright, let's give Blackhawk #13 a try: from 1990, "Operation Skywing" Written by Doug Moench, art by Rick Burchett. In Burma, not even her pet tiger is able to keep smuggler Red Dragon from being captured by Chinese forces; but luckily for her, they have a job for her that involves Blackhawk. For his part, Blackhawk has had it up to here with spy agency nonsense: the O.S.O. and C.I.G. may have been stepping on each other's toes, or fighting for turf. Still, Operation: Skywing piques his interest: "an engineering think-tank" of aviation, that agent Stanfield believes could be targeted by those filthy commie bastards. He's a bit worked up about it. Like, the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids worked up. Blackhawk seems more reserved, if only because he knows communism--particularly Soviet communism--doesn't work: nothing works, people are generally too corrupt.

Still, Blackhawk and his team aren't completely jaded: there really are a lot of cool planes at the secret base in Malaya. There is also, as they come in, a UFO, or as they would call it, a foo fighter! Not a hallucination since they can all see it, and they do get a ping back on radar; but it then peels out at impossible speeds--then their plane is attacked by three fighters! One rough landing later, the Blackhawks get a sorry-not-sorry apology for the security "mix-up" from Masterson, of the newly minted C.I.A.

As I often do, I grabbed this thinking it might be the last issue: nope, the series would run to Blackhawk #16. I think much of the plot from this one might've continued until then, too.