"The End" Week: Freedom Fighters #15!

I got a couple surprising last issues from a stout dollar-bin haul from my local Comic Book Shop; I may still be reading Kamandi's from that batch. But today we've got from 1978, Freedom Fighters #15, "Carnival of Death" Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Jack Abel.

Like every other carnival in comic books, this one's a trap, but it's an alien one this time: little green ones, that Uncle Sam refers to as "gremlins." They've been kidnapping people, to use as raw material to make giant "warmakers." While the captured Ray, Phantom Lady, and Human Bomb fight them on their home turf; the rest of the Freedom Fighters team-up with Batgirl and Batwoman at the carnival. The aliens are wrapped up and flee, while Batgirl mentions cutting her vacation short, since she had previously just faced three super-villainesses, as we saw in Batman Family #17, and thought there would be more peace and quiet in Washington!

Uncle Sam tells his team they would be staying put, to establish new identities, then go after the Silver Ghost; which would be in the pages of Secret Society of Super-Villains...except it wouldn't, since that title was cancelled as well! Man, the Silver Ghost may still be at large...
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It's confusing when the "USA! USA!" chant starts coming from both sides.

I think I've picked up a few back issues of this one lately, and I wonder if maybe they weren't all from the same collection. From 1977, Freedom Fighters #8, "D-Day at Niagara!" Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Jack Abel.

Traditionally, if a hero was blackmailed or mind-controlled into committing a crime or two, that would be cleared up by the end of the issue; but the Freedom Fighters had been wanted by the law since the first issue or two of their series, after being blackmailed by the Silver Ghost. Wonder Woman had previously tried to bring the outlaw team in, and this month it was the Invaders! Or, well, the Crusaders!

Although the Ray doesn't recognize "Sparky" and "Fireball," the Human Bomb and some other locals remember them from World War II-era comic books. The Americommando and Uncle Sam throw down hard, seemingly taking each other personally, but Sam is distracted by worry for his team after the Bomb knocks out most of them. "Americommando" sends Sam down for the count, then unmasks as the Silver Ghost for a good gloating; unmindful of reporter Martha Roberts seeing the whole thing.

There are a couple news broadcasts here that look like they could be courtesy of Clark Kent, but his name isn't mentioned. I wonder if it might've helped sales if those broadcasts also appeared in one of the Superman titles, but I don't think DC's cross-continuity game was on point at that time.

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Get your thumb outta the scan!

Catman should be eternally grateful to one Gail Simone, since I keep finding old comics where he was an incompetent punching-bag; and today's book continues that trend: from 1977, Freedom Fighters #10, "Murder in Miniature" Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Jack Abel.

I guess this is set on Earth-1? Maybe? And Catman may just get the short end of the stick as multiple other plots were already going full steam here: the Ray battles the Americommando, who was actually the Silver Ghost, the big-bad of this series. Black Condor goes in search of the Ray, who is shot in the back because no one knows how his powers work. Doll Man was arrested, framed for the murder of a district attorney; and recaps his origin here. And Uncle Sam takes the rest of the Freedom Fighters...to bail out a company. Seriously!

Instead of turning to the law or insurance when their holdings were stolen, a Minneapolis company wants to cash in their billion dollar loan to New York City: Sam jumps to the conclusion that this would bankrupt the city, and must be part of the Silver Ghost's plot to take Manhattan...so much wrong with this, I don't even know where to start. I don't think Silver Ghost was behind the theft, but he's such a minor villain Wikipedia doesn't cover his master plan!


Anyway, although he's blazing away with twin .45's on the cover, and has a little gang of "Tom-Cats" in purple outfits, Catman is jobbed out here; beat by a flip from Phantom Lady. Who seems to have picked up Phantom Girl's powers, to go with her black-light ray. Not a great showing for Catman, or anyone else involved, then.

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Per Blog Law, here's the obligatory Watchmen post:

Sort of...click to hype-size!





While it's common knowledge amongst comic fans that the Watchmen were at least initially based on the Charlton heroes acquired by DC, I had it in my head that Silk Spectre was based on Charlton's Nightshade, about the only female hero in their roster. Guess she wasn't, or she was more based on characters like Phantom Lady. Whom I just happen to have an action figure of...(From the Beat, a link to a good piece on Charlton's history here)

It also occurs to me that while Blue Beetle seems like everyone's favorite, Captain Atom had a longer run at DC, fifty-seven issues. It would take two BB series to beat that.

Man, I can't wait for the DCUC Blue Beetle, but a new Question would be great. The color scheme, hat-mask, and limited articulation make the DC Direct version a little out of date. The trenchcoat seemed like a good idea at first, but the collar is too thick to fold down and blocked Vic's face. What there is of it, anyway. At any rate, take a moment before heading off to the Watchmen movie to remember not only the work of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, but the work and the characters that may have inspired them, at least a little.

OK, that's long enough.

(Pool, looking around, Kurt with paper.)
POOL: Weren't we doing something else a second ago?
KURT: I don't know. Between the drinking, and not paying attention to you, I black out most of my days now...

POOL: That isn't good.
KURT: Beats the hell out of having flashbacks all day.
POOL: Touche.

KURT: Anyway, I was gonna go see a movie. You can come, if you aren't one of those people who talks to the movie...
POOL: Can I put M&M's in the popcorn?

KURT: Fine, whatever. Let's see...Well, I guess it's Watchmen or nothing this week...

(Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, the Question, and Phantom Lady smash in.)
TOGETHER: NO ONE SHOULD WATCH THE WATCHMEN!!
KURT: Sonuva!
POOL: AHH!

(Kurt, to Beetle, Cap)
KURT: What the hell is this!?
BB: We're getting the word out to boycott the movie Watchmen!
CAP: It's shameful, the way Hollywood has desecrated the artistic vision of Alan Moore!

KURT: And you're doing this door-to-door?
BB: Hey, we're super-heroes. We have to do things big. What, did you think we were going to blog about it or something?

(Pool, to Question, PL.)
POOL: Hey, there's something familiar about you guys.
QUESTION: Hurm. No, there isn't.

(Question, snaps Pool's finger.)
POOL: No, seriously, I thought I'd seen you guys--OW!
QUESTION: No, you didn't. Rude to point.

POOL: Asshat! You broke my finger!
KURT: You'll heal. Wait--Beetle, Captain Atom, Question--you're the Charlton Heroes! Watchmen was going to be based on you!

BB: That's right! And if Beardy McBrit hadn't queered the deal, that movie would be about us! Licensing, action figures, happy meals! Big bags of cash and international recognition, ####ed right in the ###, for "art"!
CA: Yeah! It could be me up there on that screen, exposing my junk to millions!

(Everyone stares at Captain Atom.)

CA: I mean...cash! Alan Moore dicked us over!

KURT: Look, that's a tough break and all, but it's more than likely Watchmen wouldn't have been, you know, WATCHMEN, if Moore had tried to do it with Peacemaker.

POOL: That's right, Kurt. And just as the movie doesn't take away anything from the book, the book and the Charlton characters are separate entities as well. Regardless of your influence on Watchmen, or vice versa, you are what you are, that is, colossal losers.

(Question breaks another finger.)
QUESTION: HURM. A=A, you=dick.
POOL: OW! Hey, aren't you supposed to be a girl now! And why are you talking like that?

(Question breaks another.)
QUESTION: HURM. AHURM. HKKKK! Oh, man. I've had a cold for weeks. And there's nothing grosser then trying to spit in this mask.

BB: I...I guess we'll just have to face facts: we're never going to be household names. But we can take comfort in the fact that in some small way, we helped inspire one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, and a major work of the last half of the twentieth century.

(Question breaks pool's finger again!)
POOL: Of course, they could never do a sequel to Watchmen, but you guys are still available--GODDAMNIT! I'm helping you now! That one just healed!
CA: Question, no! He's right! Even if we're seen as the knockoffs, we could still get a project!

(BB, CA, Question celebrating.)
BB: Woo! Hollywood!
CA: Yes! Goodbye pants!
QUESTION: Straight to DVD, here we come!

KURT: Great. Nice job, Wade. The sad thing is, it'll probably work.
POOL: Ah, don't be such a bringdown. If it gets them some work, more power to them. What I wanna know is, what you're doing with them...rrrrowr!

(PL snaps Pool's finger!)
POOL: Ouchie!
PL: Yeah, not even if you looked like Ryan Reynolds under there, which I know you don't.
KURT: No, he's right. I thought Silk Spectre was based on Nightshade...

PL: Maybe, but probably not. Still, it's hang out with these losers, or the Freedom Fighters.

KURT: Yow. Wanna go see Watchmen?
PL: Why not. Do you want Junior Mints or Hot Tamales?
KURT: Your choice, as long as you keep breaking Pool's fingers...
POOL: Hey!
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