That long pause, is as much as saying "Yes, there totally are."

Oddly enough, this chat with Reagan isn't setting up a plot point, in today's book: from 1987, Adventures of Superman Annual #1, "The Union" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Dan Jurgens, inks by Steve Montano.

Although Reagan isn't keen on calling in Superman, Sarge Steel doesn't see another option: the small town of Trudeau, South Dakota, seems to be completely uninhabited now. A chemical/biological warfare squad and a team of Marines had gone in, but never came back. Superman goes in, and finds the town completely devoid of life. Except for the monster from the sewers.

Superman burns the monster with his heat vision, then trails it into the sewers; where he finds the fillings and pocket change that are all that remain of Trudeau's residents. Playing possum, he's brought to the cause of their deaths, the evangelistic alien Hfuhruhurr the Wordbringer. (Who is absolutely a Jim Starlin design, even with Jurgens drawing: he resembles Monalo from Dreadstar.) And his word is bodilessness is closer to godliness, and harvested the brains of all of Trudeau! This gave him telekinetic powers strong enough to stop Superman's heart!

The bodies of the townspeople were conglomerated into Hfuhruhurr's blob-monster, his "Manifestation." Superman is able to destroy it, but the Wordbringer escapes, and I'm not sure was seen again. He's then left with almost three thousand disembodied brains, who don't want to live like that, and ask Superman to end their suffering. Superman is unwilling to kill, even in such an extreme situation, so the brains force the issue by overpowering Superman's mind, and using him to shut off their oxygen supply. When Superman comes to, he stands victorious, but it's not a clean win...

I didn't have this or 1988's Superman Annual #2 when they came out, but just got both out of the quarter bin last week. The Superman Annual featured the return of Guardian and the Newsboy Legion, so there was a pretty jarring shift in tone between the two!

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I honestly expected a "guerrilla vs. gorilla" joke somewhere.

Well, they were setting up something else instead: from 1981, Flash #294, "The Fiend the World Forgot!" Written by Cary Bates, art by Don Heck.

By this point, pre-Crisis, the Flash had fought Gorilla Grodd approximately four hundred times, and the existence of Gorilla City was known to the public. They even had an embassy and representatives in the United Nations, and as head gorilla Solovar explains to the Flash, that's the problem. The super-gorillas achieved that lofty state by devoting themselves completely to the improvement of their species, leaving no time for the insidious cancer of..."leisure time." It's implied, yet not specified, that this is causing serious problems for the gorillas, more than just introducing slacking and goofing off. The situation is then exacerbated by guerrilla terrorists taking the Gorilla embassy, intent on using their hostages to get advanced weaponry. (The peaceful apes didn't have any, and are told they'd better get cracking, then!)

Flash disarms the terrorists in a blink, but their leader had an ace yet to play: a hidden bomb, with a five second fuse! Now, what TV Tropes refers to as "Talking is a Free Action" comes into play here, since this next explanation takes well more than five seconds. The terrorist leader explains, while the goody-goody Flash has to save him and his men, he couldn't save the gorillas, since they would be too heavy to carry! Instead, Flash just splits, leaving the terrorist and his men time to panic: with a second to work with, Flash has plenty of time to search everywhere until he finds the bomb, then ditch it with six-hundredths of a second to go.

This settles it for Solovar and the gorillas: they're going to put "Operation: Worldwash" into action, and erase the knowledge of Gorilla City from everyone on the planet, except the Flash. (It would still be in newspapers and possibly videotape, guys! Unless the erasure also put in a mental block against noticing that.) It's getting set up according to plan, and the Flash is going to call it a day; but back in Gorilla City, in Grodd's jail cell we find...a human, William Dawson! Grodd's mental power was strong enough to focus on a human's brain pattern, then teleport by sheer force of mind...is what the gorillas assume. Solovar isn't there to tell them it's a trick, but I think Grodd was so far above the average gorilla they would've believed he could do anything. Grodd had simply turned his mental power inward, to evolve himself into a human form for a bit. Simple. (An editorial footnote explains he had done something like that before.)

Step two of Grodd's plan: sabotage the Operation: Worldwash transmitter. Grodd was fine with the human world forgetting the gorillas, but took it a step further: wiping the memory of Grodd from the other gorillas, and the Flash! Flash and the gorillas are left wondering who was interfering, while Grodd muses they'll never be able to "defend themselves against a fatal attack from a foe who 'doesn't exist and never did'!"

Why do I keep finding random issues of Flash? I don't think I have two in a row of the old series yet...Also this issue, a Firestorm back-up, "The Typhoon is a Storm of the Soul" Written by Gerry Conway, art by Jim Starlin and Bob Wiacek. Starting with Firestorm vs. lady muggers, but the team was breaking up: at this point in the series, Professor Stein couldn't recall any of their adventures. Ronnie would fill him in afterwards, since to Stein his time as Firestorm was just a blackout, which might explain why he seems like he's trying to be supportive, but isn't super-invested in it. As such, Stein takes a job on a research vessel in the South Pacific, which would be problematic for them as Firestorm: although either could trigger the transformation, in effect summoning the other, when they changed back they would be wherever they were!
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The current Transformers books are far deeper and more nuanced than anyone would've expected for stories based on toys. Riverdale has taken the wholesome Archie mythos straight into David Lynch's turf. And a comic based on a decades-old cartoon uses the stone age to comment on today, and is dark as all get out: from last week, the Flintstones #9, "A Basket of Disposables" Written by Mark Russell, art by Steve Pugh.

When Mr. Slate tries the new church of the snake Vorp, which encourages ruthless go-getting and reveling in success, he opts to cut costs at the quarry by hiring scabs he can pay less, and firing his regular guys, like Fred Flintstone. With Fred depressed, Wilma tries to cheer him up, with the purchase of a new, personalized bowling ball. The old ball goes into the recycling, but it wasn't just a ball, it was a friend: like the rest of the Flintstones' appliances, Bowling Ball was an animal, an armadillo. His friend, Vacuum Cleaner, rallies the other "appliances" to rescue him.

Although Bowling Bowl is happy to be saved from being turned into cat food, he's not exactly thrilled to go back to his old job...

Bleeding Cool had a pretty big preview of this issue, which absolutely sold me on it. I may have to give the next few issues a go...
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Very nearly, the perfect comic.

We checked out the classic 100th issue over a decade ago (!) and part of the second sequel about five and a half years back, but hadn't yet scanned any of this tattered beauty: from 1981, Iron Man #150, "Knightmare" Plot and story by David Michelinie, pencils by John Romita Jr, plot and inks by Bob Layton.

Time travel back to King Arthur's time wasn't exactly a new idea (in fact, I had just watched the Legends of Tomorrow episode where they visit Camelot!) but it's executed well here. Thrown back in time by a time machine explosion, Dr. Doom and Iron Man are mid-fight when they realize when they are, and are shortly brought before King Arthur himself. But Doom isn't interested in Arthur, but in Morgana le Fey: Doom had been fighting the forces of hell every year, in the hopes of freeing his mother's soul, and wanted Morgana's training to help him finally do so. Morgana is willing to, if Doom will do her a favor: lead her army of the undead against King Arthur.


Mid-battle, Iron Man realizes Doom doesn't have the power to raise the dead (that we know of...) and seemingly turns tail; to get to Morgana. Unable to counter IM's technology, Morgana flees, and her army collapses, leaving a furious Doom without her training. Still, stuck in the past, Doom knows his only chance of getting back to 1981 lies in working with Iron Man, and the two are forced to declare a truce. Together, they are able to use parts from their armors to build a makeshift time machine, and return to neutral ground, with their truce to last 24 hours, and they go their own ways...

This isn't Maus or Watchmen, but for me it's page for page one of the best single issues you can get. There's action, comedy (that feels unforced, especially compared to the sequel #250, which we'll look at someday) and even some pathos: you almost feel for Doom when he knows he's not getting help for his mom. And for an over-sized issue the art holds together all the way through. (#250 falls apart a bit towards the end.) It's a classic that's been reprinted more than once, so dig up a copy yourself.

I've been going through some boxes, since I've been wanting to read the old Hercules mini-series, which was also from Bob Layton. I don't know if I can defend that one as a "classic," but those are definitely comics I love to death. Sooner or later...
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"Spiffy."

Man, Michael Rooker has a distinctive voice, and now a distinctive figure, even if super-blue! I didn't buy Yondu right away, but then couldn't pass on him hassling Pool here. There is maybe one little thing the figure could use, but we'll have to save that note for later...

As I write this, I've got three pieces of the Build-a-Figure Titus; and Guardians figures are on sale at both Walgreens and Toys R Us this week; we'll see if we end up with him!
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It's not like I'm the $6.95 Kid.

Today, I moved a number of boxes from my garage and put books on the shelves; which gave me the chance to revisit a number of old favorites. And today's book, a comic I waited years for, mostly because I steadfastly refused to pay $6.95 cover price. From 1995, Two-Gun Kid: the Sunset Riders, "Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge" and "Living Past Tomorrow" Written by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Christian Gorney and Alex Maleev, inks by Michael Halbeib.

Western hero Matt Hawk had lived a complicated life: he had been a lawyer yet also an outlaw, under the name Two-Gun Kid. He had been to the future--the far-flung 1970's!--and returned knowing his destiny, specifically the date and manner of his death. Pre-Wikipedia, he must've had to read a lot of old newspapers or microfiche or something to find that out; unless they made a movie of it, since blowing up a mountain full of oil in Alaska seems like a memorable way to go out. With Russian, Japanese, Canadian and American forces all fighting for the oil, Two-Gun is forced to keep any of them from getting it; but only seemingly dies in the explosion, and is relieved that his final fate is now unknown to him again.

I don't know why Marvel published this one as a two-issue prestige format book, instead of four regular issues or something. The two chapters this issue would've been a few pages over-length for that; but it was more likely a cash grab. Shelves full'a "prestige" books, reckon I could count on my thumbs how many of them deserved it. The cover, with Two-Gun shooting a very anachronistic Uzi into the air, always made me want to read it; but the cover's easily the best part: he doesn't shoot it inside this comic! Two-Gun has some weapons from the future, that he mentions were sent back with him by...whoever sent him back to the past. Reading a wiki entry, it was the Collector's time machine, but did his pal Hawkeye sent him back? It wouldn't be out of character for Hawkeye to also send him some weapons--Hawkeye never struck me as the type to give a lot of worry to the space-time continuum--but Two-Gun describes the weapons as "a cruel entertainment to see what I would do with them." That doesn't sound like something Hawkeye would do. Maybe it was established in the previous issue, but I'll never know if it's tagged $6.95.
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Hey, Darwyn Cooke on the Legion!...drawing a story about Lightning Lad's mom.

I'm underselling that a bit: she was also Lightning Lass and Lightning Lord's mom, too. From 2001, Legion Worlds #2, "You Are Here: Winath" Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, art by Enrique Breccia; and "A Change in Climate" Written by Dan Abnett, art by Darwyn Cooke.

After a disaster that left the United Planets' system of stargates in ruins, and eleven Legionnaires presumed dead, the team had broken up. Ayla Ranzz, formerly known as Spark, returns to her homeworld, the farming planet Winath. Her brother Live Wire (this version of the Legion forswore the usual naming conventions of Lasses, Lads, Boys, and Girls) was among the missing; which held more significance to Ayla even than losing a twin sibling usually would: on Winath, twin births were standard, a "solo" birth an oddity, and being alone virtually unimaginable. In fact, their brother Mekt had been a "solo," which was assumed to be why when they all received lightning powers, Mekt went on to become a supervillain. Which makes seeing Mekt at the family farm a surprise for Ayla: he had been released, with a power-dampening bracelet and mood-altering drugs.

Although she plans to return to a quiet life on the farm, a series of storms unplanned by planetary weather control make Ayla suspect Mekt. Investigating, she finds Mekt on a climate control station; but he had been investigating himself: a farming co-operative was using the storms to try to ruin their rivals and consolidate the farms. Stopping the conspirators causes a massive storm, that Ayla couldn't stop on her own, but with Mekt's help she manages.

Later, at Garth's funeral marker, Ayla gets a surprise from Mekt: the news just broke that the lost Legionnaires, including Garth, had returned. As Ayla runs to try and get a message to her twin, Mekt destroys the marker with a lightning bolt...

The back-up story, "A Change in Climate," is just as personal: Ayla, Garth, and Mekt's mom Dalya is in the middle of some spring cleaning, when she's visited by her twin, Lilya. Dalya was a bit worried, since with off-world travel now difficult, population expansion had created a housing shortage, and she was concerned that the government might decide to relocate citizens there. Finding a box with Ayla's jump rope, and Mekt's stuffed toy, sets her off, and Dalya wonders what she did wrong: a solo murderer, a dead hero twin, and a daughter that hadn't come home yet. Lilya assures her, she did fine: while Mekt was getting himself together, her other two did fine for themselves; unlike her own lazy brats...This may seem offbeat for a superhero team book, and I don't think it would work as well in another one. Can you imagine a visit with Beast's parents, or catching up with Carol Danver's folks? But through years of mentions and notes from Legion stories, Winath becomes almost a character itself. It's why Legion of Super-Heroes is so immersive for some, impenetrable for others.
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It makes me think of TV's, but that's because I'm old, apparently.

We've mentioned Quality's 2000 A.D. reprints numerous times over the years, including the titular reprint 2000 AD Showcase; but I don't think I had many of what was probably the most popular story reissued there: Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell's Zenith. From 1987's 2000 AD #545 and reprinted in 1989's 2000 A.D. Showcase #35, "Burn Baby, Burn!" Written by Grant Morrison, art by Steve Yeowell. (The reprint has a pretty good cover from Tom Lyle.)

This was well before Grant Morrison was, y'know, Grant Morrison; and reading this issue cold, without any other chapters or Wikipedia, I didn't know much besides the hero's name was Zenith, and I think he wore a jacket? He may have had powers, but he wasn't a full-on superhero at this point, and was admittedly not prepared to face returning Nazi superman Masterman, who is mopping the floor with "former 60's superhuman Ruby Fox." Zenith's friend Red Dragon is more willing to take on the bad guy, but gets his face heat-visioned off for his trouble. Enraged, Zenith enters the fray, and in short order is thrown through Big Ben! Well, he was described as a pop singer, not a superhero. Masterman tells Zenith his soul will be eaten, and his "leader" will take his body; but Zenith may yet be saved by the sudden return of former superhuman Mandala...

That would've been at least a full splash page in an American comic, here getting punched through Big Ben rates two panels!

Looking it up, this was towards the end of the first phase of four--although, a quick search on Amazon finds a book five, so I couldn't tell you how it breaks down. Still, it appears to be downloadable now, which sounds a damn sight easier than tracking down reprints! Per the GCD, Zenith would be reprinted serially until the end of phase two in 1989's 2000 A.D. Showcase #45; phase three was then still in progress in the British weekly, but the reprint title was cancelled before Zenith could return.

Also this issue: ongoing chapters of "Meltdown Man," "Harlem Heroes," and "Return to Armageddon." For some reason, I thought it was the first installment of the latter serial; it was chapter 7 of 23...
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So I've done more than a couple posts covering the by-and-large forgotten three-year stretch of Thor from the end of the sprawling Celestial Saga around #300 to #337, when Walt Simonson brought the title back to life. Despite some issues I personally quite enjoyed, it was a by-the-numbers, meat-and-potatoes pile of comics there. The cover for today's book got my hopes up, but mostly because I was thinking of somebody else: from 1982, Thor #326, "The Scarab Strikes!" Written by Doug Moench, pencils by Alan Kupperberg, inks by Jon D'agostino.

Cutting to the chase, I thought this might be a fun issue, since I was confusing Kang's alter-egos Rama-Tut and the Scarlet Centurion--the latter of whom didn't even rate a picture on his own Wikipedia page--but instead we've got the Blue Beetle Scarlet Scarab. Actually, this would be a legacy version, the son of the original that appeared in Invaders. Whereas the original was trying to oust foreigners from Egypt, starting with Namor and the Human Torch, the new one is after thieves of Egyptian artifacts. Which admittedly, might be a full-time job, but here SS is after a gang that swiped the Eye of Horus: they tried to sell it in Chicago, so he was smashing up the museum after it, even though the curator told the thieves to take a hike and reported them to the authorities.

Working with said curator, Thor does hide inside a sarcophagus, so he can jump out and surprise the Scarab...somewhat unnecessarily, but hey, it's something to do. After a bit of scuffle, they also take a time-out to take it outside, so the museum doesn't get smashed up. And immediately grind some poor chump's car into metal shavings.

I know Thor was pretty A-list, in terms of respected heroes of the time: a couple points in the story note that he would be trusted by the law. I'm sure he would make some form of restitution for any property damage there, either by dropping a fat sack of Asgardian gold, or letting someone like Tony Stark cover the bill. Either way, this wasn't a stellar story, but it's also cut short by a Tales of Asgard feature setting up the next issue. Did I pick that one up as well...I don't have great expectations for it at this point, but we'll see.

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"Jackal."

I think the plural of "Spidey" should probably be "Spidies" but that looks terrible: "Spidey's" is technically wrong, but looks better? Or I'm trying to justify a typo. Hmm.
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"Lorna."

Sometimes, when a long-standing character finally gets an action figure, even if they've been waiting years for it, collectors can still feel pangs of regret if they don't get a preferred look for said character. A superhero--or heroine--could have dozens of outfits or variations over the years, but only get one plastic incarnation. Ask some fans about "safari jacket" Wonder Man, or '80's Outback/video game Dazzler. Today, we've got the brand new Marvel Legends X-Men Polaris, who features a somewhat modernized version of her best-known costume. And looks positively thrilled about it. Seriously, she seems a bit glum.

I liked Polaris's first X-Factor uniform, but I think the only Marvel Legend in that era's style would be Quicksilver. Probably not finishing that lineup any time soon.

We're referencing an old bit of continuity, from 1976's X-Men #97, when the Shi'ar agent using the alias Eric the Red (which had been previously been used by Cyclops!) abducted and brainwashed Havok and Polaris to fight the X-Men. It's a great fight there, although I'm not sure Eric the Red's storyline was resolved that cleanly.

Also, it took me a bit to balance, but Juggernaut is standing on Wolverine's back in the third picture--but he's blocked by Alex and Lorna!
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Geez, Batman doesn't get all pissy when they light his signal...

Actually, that may not be 100% true. Check out the cover from 1999's Adventures of Superman #565, "The World is My Backyard" Plot by Karl Kesel, dialog by Jerry Ordway, pencils by Tom Grummett, finishes by Denis Rodier.

In totalitarian eastern nation Kota Zamfir, the democratic protesters have a new protector: Superman. Who tells the local despot, there will be free elections in a month, or else. The government, working with Lex Luthor, have noticed Superman appears to now be working 24/7, and Luthor ever-so-innocently asks what their plan will be if Superman starts taking action against the U.S. Of course, he's already planning ahead, having some goons steal a synthetic Kryptonite sample from Professor Hamilton.

While young newbie hero Outburst wonders what his hero Superman is up to, the Man of Steel helps the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit with Captains Cold and Boomerang, who mistakenly thought Supes would be too busy all over the world to watch his hometown. Outburst shows up to help, and Supes idly wonders if he couldn't use more like him before seeing a Superman-signal, lit over the old Daily Planet building. It's Batman and the Justice League, staging an intervention for Supes; although maybe Batman isn't the best choice to ask him when he slept last. Still, Superman isn't not sleeping because he's busy, but because he seems to be having prophesies of disasters. He mostly turns the intervention back on the JLA: maybe he could get some rest, if they stepped it up and helped him more? Martian Manhunter gives Supes a telepathic scan, and finds no outside influence; but the JLA declines to join him: as Wonder Woman puts it, they can't cross the line "from enforcing what is right and just...to deciding what is right and just!"

Although tempted, Batman feels like something is wrong, but also guesses that others will join Superman's crusade...namely Outburst, who had eavesdropped on their conversation. (A conversation that didn't mention any secret identities, but the names Lois and Barry Allen could've been overheard.) The Superman books at the time featured a triangle on the cover with the reading order; this was #9 for 1999, and this storyline would continue at least until #24, with aftereffects going well past that.
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The Comic Book Shop has come through for me a couple times lately, with the Scarlet Witch and the Destroyer; but whenever I get a figure from them, I worry that I'm cherry-picking the case and they'll be left with pegwarmers. (Although I did drop the ball when I picked up Stryfe: I should've got Storm first and had a shot at finishing Jubilee!) Still, that didn't stop me from grabbing the latest DC Multiverse figure, Batgirl!

You can see a bit in the pictures here; she came with a yellow batarang that looks like a chewable vitamin, and a phone. But like a lot of the Mattel DC figures I've purchased over the last year, the articulation is both plentiful yet just short of useful: Batgirl can't hold her phone anywhere near her ear, for instance.

The paint seems pretty good: the belt and her hair could maybe use a little something, but the laces on her boots are nice. Hmm, just now I notice, while I haven't been playing with her long, her hips seem a bit loose? Batgirl isn't bad, but I haven't had a DC figure in recent memory that was as nice as a Marvel Legend figure. Not even close. But they're the same price as Legends, and I find myself wondering if I'll get the rest of this series. I swear they had two Legends of Tomorrow Hawkmen on the rack, and he seemed bland. The Earth-2 Flash (John Wesley Shipp!) and Zoom are probably comparable to the earlier Flash and Reverse Flash: not terrible, but not $40+ worth? And that Dark Knight Returns Joker doesn't do anything for me.

Still, I do kinda want the Jim Gordon Batman. So I can give him a mustache.


And although we've recently completed Sandman, Killer Croc, Abomination, and Space Venom; we're back to a pile of parts in the Build-a-Figure, Collect-and-Connect drawer. I fully intend to put the Warlock pieces I get on eBay, since I only want Dazzler and Polaris, and can live without Colossus, Shatterstar, and Cyclops. It is entirely possible I'll hold out on the off chance of finding the rest cheap. Really cheap. I'm four Guardians (and Star-Lord, who doesn't get a piece!) down from completing Titus, and while another Drax is a hard sell, it could still happen. And building King Shark?...I have to admit, he might carry the lot. I just had a glance at the back of the package, since for some reason I was picturing him as a hammerhead, which strikes me as terrible; glad they didn't go that route.
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