The overall effect is like Wanda declined a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award.

It's weird that Marvel decided they should name a title after their in-universe Necronomicon, and it's weirder that for copyright reasons they're probably going to publish something under that title every so often from now on: there were a bunch in 2021-2022. It's maybe weirdest that thanks to the movies, it's not completely inconceivable that someone might have heard of it! This issue, probably not so much. From 1993, Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins #7, "Day of Infamy" Written by Chris Cooper, pencils by Rurik Tyler, inks by Bud LaRosa.

A fairly typical Marvel-misunderstanding brawl between the "Darkhold Redeemers" and Modred the Mystic versus the Scarlet Witch, Agatha Harkness, and Doctor Strange; gets out of hand when they are dive bombed by Japanese Zeros, as in the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Which they point out later, wasn't near Maui!) Wanda stops one of the Zeros, which explodes into a torrent of slime--excuse me, "mnemonic ectoplasm." As Harkness explains how the goo resonates with the human mind and could be potentially limitless, Modred tells them good luck with that, and moves to bail. Strange then tells him he can't, he's under contract; or rather geas. Strange had tricked him: while Modred was bleeding, he swore at Strange that he wouldn't "leave this soil 'till I'm driven hence in defeat!" This is what trash-talking gets you.

The series regulars, the "Darkhold Redeemers"--Montesi, Buchanan, and Professor Hastings--try to find the Darkhold page presumably at the heart of the problem; while Wanda hits the ectoplasm with a hex, that could have an unpredictable effect. Modred goes for a drastic solution, then: if the volcano on Maui were to blow, and everyone on the island were dead, the ectoplasm wouldn't have any memories to react off of, and problem solved!

The Redeemers find an old man, a soldier who was bitter that after all the death he had seen, now the Japanese "were taking over!" Confronted by the horror he was causing, he reins it back in, remembering the dwarf that gave him the Darkhold page, who I don't think the Redeemers had seen before. He dies, and the slime recedes. Presumably, Strange takes care of the volcano, and now the heroes realize the Redeemers were on the side of good...if untrained, largely powerless, and completely outgunned. Still held by the geas, Modred is left trapped on Maui--oh, my heart bleeds--while Strange acknowledges he would probably figure out how to free himself sooner or later. And on the flight home, Buchanan claims to have an idea, how to gather up all the loose pages of the Darkhold, in one fell swoop...I have my doubts. Buchanan was very much the Scully of the group, so I'm not sure where he's going there, and the next issue-box teases "Betrayal, part one!" Modred didn't count, so there were only three characters, and one betrays the others? Feels too early in the game for that, too. 

We've seen horror stuff from Rurik Tyler before; but I remember him mostly for What The--?! strips. Still, Darkhold fell into the same trap as Warheads: starting with an artist with a really distinctive look, then losing them almost immediately.

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A Joker what's funny? Must be so many universes away.

I was having another of those "geez, did I even read any comics last week?" moments; just long enough to not feel great about it. Then I remembered, oh yeah, didn't I read like all of the 1997 and 1998 Tangent Comics? Like 18 comics in one sitting? I think their version of the Flash was the breakout; and it's a fun book to be sure: a girl born in space with a ton of light powers, has wacky hijinks with her stage-manager of a mom and her dad working for the eeeeeeevil secret-government conspiracy trying to capture her but repeatedly failing in slapstick fashion. (The conspiracy stuff is gloomy and dead-serious across the rest of the Tangent titles, except for her dad!) I liked this one better, although it may or may not have more jokes: from 1997, Tangent Comics/the Joker #1, "Laugh 'till it Hurts!" Written by Karl Kesel, pencils by Matt Haley, inks by Tom Simmons. 

The Tangent Universe was pretty divergent from our world or the usual DCU, since Cuba and Florida were destroyed in a worst-case version of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 35 years later, New Atlantis was a thriving metropolis (not that one!) built out of Atlanta; and now home to new cop John Keel, and mysterious vigilante the Joker. Joker seems to be giving Keel the business, but lures him into giving chase, only to instead find midget mobster Doll Man and his thugs tied up and ready for jail.

Not letting it go, Keel tries to get background on the Joker, and from reporter Lori Lemaris he gets a couple of rumored origins for her, that probably aren't even close. He also tries Higher Atlantis University, where we meet meek Mary Marvel, mocked by a classmate as "girl of a thousand gimmicks." Then, wannabe cult leader Brother Power tries to preach the gospel of the Joker, who is not having it; and shuts down her prospective followers by asking them to follow her, as she leaps off a building.

Keel gets jumped by the Joker, and wakes up in a virtual reality nightmare, part-Joker, part family history: although he had been following orders, his father had been the soldier that launched the missile strike that destroyed Cuba and Florida. After the bomb goes up, Keel comes out of it, in Madame Xanadu's "VR-cade." But, when he catches up to the Joker, he thinks she might have inadvertently revealed her true origin: she was probably the child of survivors of the missile strike, who would have been severely irradiated. They're then interrupted by Doll Man's girlfriend and muscle, Big Barda!

In the end, Keel thinks he maybe understands the Joker, but also knows nothing; and the reader doesn't yet either! There's a brief peek at Joker's hideout, with masks that resemble Lori Lemaris, Mary Marvel, and Madame Xanadu; implying she was all of them. Which would make for a busy day! (No spoilers, but the sequel seemingly backpedals on that.) 

The Tangent Universe was maybe DC's only fifth-week event that they ever revisited; and they still show up here and there. I don't know if this Joker is used much, though; since her cheerful anarchy is now 100% Harley Quinn's schtick, and Kesel has his own Impossible Jones too. (It's great, grab it if you see it!)  

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Try a silent page, yes?

I'm out today, or I guess tonight when I usually write these, so why not a Death's Head page? We saw the original issue some time back, but this is from the reprint: from 1993, the Incomplete Death's Head #6, reprinting 1989's Death's Head #5, "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling!" Written by Simon Furman, art by John Higgins.

This would have been after Death's Head II had taken over, and the brief framing sequence finds him speed-running through the original's memories, which seemed to involve punching them again. (Maybe written by Dan Abnett, maybe art by Simon Coleby.) Read more!

From the monkeys on the cover, I was sure this was going to adapt a different story.

I had an eye appointment the other day, and had my pupils dilated for a bit, so I wandered around the mall until I felt like driving. Which got me this book! Haruki Murakami Manga Stories, volume 2, adapted by Jean-Christophe Deveney and PMGL. 

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite writers; although if you asked me what any one of his novels was about, it's tough to break down. Although, with the three monkeys on the cover of this one, I thought it was going to adapt this brief sequence from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. 

 Shoot, there's two more volumes of this; I'll have to keep an eye out.

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"Ergonomic."

I know Marvel has a TVA book out now, but I haven't really glanced at it: I believe it featured Spider-Gwen, Captain Carter, and a Gambit variant. I wonder if they snuck Judge Dredd-pastiche Justice Peace in there too. (Throw Justice Peace into a wave with Spawn-alike Nightwatch; shots fired!)  

My dad (who has a mustache somewhere between Mobius and Ned Flanders!) used to have a kneeling chair for his back; something I've considered but that I don't seem to find at Office Depot or anything? It also feels like that should be cheaper than a regular chair but somehow isn't. 

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"Pantheon" is apparently one of those names everybody gets a shot at.

I'm more familiar with the Marvel version from Peter David's Hulk run, but DC took a run at it first: from 1983, World's Finest #296, "The Pantheon, Part 1: A World Upheaval!" Written by David Anthony Kraft, co-plotted by Ron Fontes, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike DeCarlo. Cover by Ross Andru and Klaus Janson.

Huh, we blogged the previous issue last year, and snarkily hoped the last couple years of this title weren't all about how Superman and Batman weren't bestest friends anymore. No, this was an era where they didn't hang out together and didn't say they were friends all the time, but have to note how much they still appreciate each other all the time. Much more natural-sounding, absolutely. This was a more Batman-centric issue, and the start of a three parter; mostly setting up the new threat of the Pantheon. They seem like techie, action-figure ready thugs at the start; but are being changed by exposure to, or possibly huffing on, "the warm glow of the living diamond."

Not even once, kids!

Batman spots the crew, robbing the Metropolitan Museum; but has to let them go in order to save a shot guard. Later, Superman has a similar fix: still unseen, the Pantheon attack an airport, shoot up the place, and steal a plane. Supes is stopped from pursuing them, since he has to get the wounded to the hospital. Not yet realizing they were on the same case, Batman works the clues, while Superman has to contain earthquake damage, which is escalating to the point that he wonders if earth was going the way of Krypton. Batman discovers, the gang was going to Mount Ossa in Africa; but they were a step ahead: they allow themselves, to be forced to land by the local government, then kill everyone that gets in their way. Batman gives chase, but the jungle seems different, almost primeval; and Bats even thinks he might have seen a brontosaurus. He then fights several of the new Pantheon, who now seem to have a more finished, inhuman look. Batman is knocked out, while on the other side of the world, Superman discovers bizarre, diamond-like roots... 

This almost feels like a good start; but I think this run had a lot of one-off or short-term villains. Good on them for not just trotting out the usuals, but these new baddies may have gained less traction than your typical Firestorm villain. I don't think there was even a Suicide Squad member in the bunch!

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