Hmm, I have another issue of "Red Daughter of Krypton," but we didn't really look at it; and there's maybe more to this than getting a joke out of wanting a red outfit. From 2014, Supergirl #30, "Red Daughter of Krypton, Part 2: Red Remembrance" Written by Tony Bedard, pencils by Emanuela Lupacchino, Yıldıray Çınar, and Diógenes Neves, inks by Ray McCarthy and Marc Deering,

This storyline, crossing over with Red Lanterns, would run to at least Supergirl #33, and this wasn't even the start of it: filled with rage over the return of the Worldkillers--who may or may not have been from Krypton, and/or played a part in Krypton's destruction--Kara had taken the dip into the blood ocean on Ysmault, and came out a Red Lantern, ring and all. So far Guy Gardner hasn't had the opportunity to tell her, uh, that was permanent, and she wouldn't be able to remove the ring without dying. (It's probably worse than that; I don't think Reds could survive without a certain constant amount of rage, and if that tapped out it was over.) With fellow Reds Skallox (the one with the head like a goat skull) and Zilius Zox (the ball-shaped one! Both got way more characterization in their run than you'd expect.) Kara helps defend a planet from the Diasporans, who were natural-selection fanatics: they would assault planets to weed out the weak, in the hopes the survivors would be stronger. The Diasporan leader isn't disappointed with the setback, since Kara--and Kryptonians in general, but maybe mainly her--were inspiring to them; as they too had lost their homeworld but become incredibly strong because of it. (And, well, yellow suns and such. Why the Diasporans are so into this isn't clear yet.)

Skallox and Zilius Zox are impressed with Kara, even if she largely was just using her own powers instead of rage-vomit blood; but Guy was of course having a hard time with it. If Atrocitus was still alive--and you know he would be--the Reds would need the extra muscle; but he didn't like the idea of Kara full of rage, even if she was still super-angry and possibly unstable even by Guy's standards. We don't see it here, but I know there's a later issue where Superman gets involved, and is more than a little steamed at Guy: "Jordan was right about you." Damn, Supes, don't say anything that can't be taken back.

Also this issue, regular plotlines continue; as Blaze escapes from the prison called the Block. She turns a computer into something more hellish-looking, possibly because she doesn't like to type, to search for Supergirl and Silver Banshee...I swear though, I thought Supergirl had the red ring for like two issues! This ran for at least ten maybe, between the two titles. Read more!

"Next."

You see tournament arcs in comics all the time: I know there was a recent one in The End 2099 #1. That had space Dracula, who I think inexplicably has his classic outfit? And maybe future Galactus, possessed by Knull, some Age of Apocalypse guys are brought in, there's a Spider-Man 3099 now...it honestly didn't work for me; maybe I'll finish it from the dollar bins in a few years. 

Nighthawk is of course a Batman-analogue, but could you prepare for a Ghost Rider Spider-Man with seemingly all the powers and no weaknesses? I'm pretty sure Batman has ghost-punching brass knuckles, but I don't think that's an everyday-carry item. (Hellboy is often seen pulling charms and such out of his belt; he'd have a better chance!) 

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It's kind of the inverse of the opening of UP; except there's ducks. And Badger. And a professional wrestler...

One simple trick for writing action-hero type material, whether for TV or movies or comics, is that sometimes the writer can make the bad guys such rat bastards that the audience is completely onboard with whatever the hero has to do to make them pay. Property damage, excessive force, violations of the laws of god and man, whatever, as long as those scumbags pay. Which is where Baron seems to be taking this one, but is there a twist...? From 1987, Badger #25, "The Duck Lady" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Bill Reinhold, inks by Jim Sanders III.

"The Duck Lady" is rather dismissive, as Minerva Kuipers led a rich life in addition to that aspect: she had been a teacher, and her husband had built their house by the side of a Wisconsin lake. Retiring, the couple was happy there until he died in 1975. She stayed in the house, feeding and caring for the ducks on the lake; until years later, when sleazy developer Jerry Grate built a house next door, moving in with his three sons. (The oldest, from a previous marriage, it's noted.) Grate offers to buy Mrs. Kuipers out, but she declines. The next morning, after a late night partying, Jerry is awakened by the ducks, and throws a fit. He confronts and calls the cops on her for feeding them, then with his youngest two sons shoots several of the ducks. With seemingly nowhere else to turn, she writes a letter to a man she had only seen on television...you were expecting Morley Safer, maybe? Of course she wrote Badger, who's there almost immediately. He crashes the Grate family's latest party, giving the two younger brothers a bit of the what-for.

Badger had known this would escalate, and had already set up a tent in the woods to keep Mrs. Kuipers safe, as high and pissed, the Grates burn down her house. In a white camo version of his usual costume, Badger then kicks the tar out of them, leaving them calling for their big brother: pro wrestler Killdozer! Who had a girl up in his room, did not give a rat's ass what happened to his brothers, but maybe can't let somebody just run all over his dad, despite having nothing but admiration for Badger. Their fight doesn't go the distance, partially because Badger seems to be just dodging him, since Killdozer both didn't seem to have done anything wrong and was large enough to crush him. Instead, it's Mrs. Kuiper that saves the day, cracking her former student Brian 'Killdozer' Harris with a ruler! Despite his repeated mangling of the king's English (each followed by a crack from that ruler!) Killdozer still respected "the only teacher who ever cared about me," and says his dad will replace her house. Which Grate does, selling his place to Killdozer, and leaving Mrs. Kuiper and her ducks in peace, possibly only maybe disturbed by Badger. (Badger could speak with animals, although the ducks seem dubious.)

Also this issue: another installment of Clonezone, an odd name for a strip about a "lizardgator" hack comedian: basically Borscht belt, in the setting of Nexus. It's somewhat odd, and I have the feeling Baron enjoyed doing those more than any fans took to it, but it did sometimes have jokes! I swear there was one with a Gong Show-style rendition of "Feelings" that was so bad I could hear it, which is a mean feat for a comic book. Read more!

I may have groaned loudly at the reveal in this one, so now I'm passing it on to you! Uh, you're welcome. From 1977, Adventure Comics #453, "You Too Can Be a Super Hero!" Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by John Calnan, inks by Murphy Anderson.

Returning from a visit to the Legion in the 30th century, Superboy makes a quick pass by Camp Smallville, where he saves a young girl from drowning before swinging back into town to change into Clark Kent and then return to camp. The girl gets grounded in her bunk by her older brother Anthony, and wishes she was a superhero herself: oh, how she'd make them pay then...Luckily for her, Superboy had brought back a magic crystal from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #230, and things might be happening. Later that night, she's forced to go out to the campfire with the other kids, as Lana Lang tells a ghost story, with Clark and Pete Ross ready to jump out and scare them...with sheets over their heads, real low production values, guys. Transforming into Mighty Girl, the little girl clobbers ghost-Clark, with a punch that would've killed a regular kid. Switching to Superboy, he's able to get back to save Pete, with the usual lie that he had already 'saved' poor Clark. Next, with a fire spreading, Mighty Girl tries to stop it but instead spreads it with super-breath. (Aside: I feel like DC did this one every so often, where a girl gets the hero's powers but just causes problems with them. I suppose most super-powers took some practice, and an 11-year-old with Superboy's powers would be trouble, but it still felt pretty condescending and sexist.)

While Mighty Girl is ready to fight for her powers, Superboy throws the crystal into the sun to destroy it, taking them away. He tries to explain that you couldn't get super-powers by wishing, but training and experience were needed. Only briefly daunted, the little girl pipes up that she will be a super-heroine someday, and that little girl was...Barbara Gordon? The closing caption box asks if you put together the clues; which I didn't really see? Her brother Tony had maybe two appearances pre-Crisis, that's not much of a clue.

Also this issue: an Aqualad short, "Aqualad--Who is Thy Father!" (Written by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Carl Potts, inks by Joe Rubenstein.) The Idylists of the underwater Hidden Valley have been stonewalling Aqualad, about who his father really was; refusing to reveal the secret, or the Hidden Valley would be doomed, and where would you get your ranch dressing then? (Boo!) Read more!

No, I didn't take my monicker from that lead story.

I don't think I had mentioned it yet, but the most recent comicon here really delivered on the cheap book front: I got another couple metric tons of $1-2 books. Like working in a quarry lugging them around, though...One thing I grabbed pretty much on instinct, was a big run of Wasteland, which I've mentioned before here. It was a more experimental horror/existential dread book from DC; pre-Vertigo but would've been more at home there; from John Ostrander and Del Close. A friend was getting that, back when it first hit shops (maybe Waldenbooks, back in the day?) and I read his: the stories weren't all hits for me but some are still memorable, even years later. From 1987, Wasteland #1, all stories by Ostrander and Close, cover by George Freeman.

"Foo Goo" is a standout; as two bored and tired detectives investigate a rather Victorian looking crime scene, four corpses around a sitting-room table, another 'foo goo' party. The titular mushroom was supposed to deliver a high like seeing god, but would immediately kill the taster: so, did the mushroom actually deliver the high, or the painless death? The only way to find out for sure, was to taste it for yourself. In flashback, we see the four party-goers take their bite, for various reasons: doubt, chasing that high, entered a pact, and boredom. The cops, not seeing any of that, can only speculate: one seemingly accepts that the world doesn't make sense and people are dumb, while the other seemingly considers taking a bite of foo himself...(Art by David Lloyd.)

"R.ab." is a bit of a shaggy-dog/Future Shock number: in a techy, overpopulated future, a vapid young woman is tired of the crowds and wants to marry and improve her station in life. She finds a suitable mate, equally shallow but rich: they seem happy enough until the husband gets a friend at the Child Center to move their names up the list, getting them a child...that neither seems to have any interest in taking care of, which drives a wedge into their marriage. Discussing divorce with an official, neither wants to take custody, so an "R.ab." is suggested, as easier for everyone...except the kid, of course. (Art by William Messner-Loebs.)

Finally, "Sewer Rats" is "a bit of autobiography" from Del Close, which largely involves him tripping balls beneath the streets of Chicago, with what appears to be a butane torch taped to his head for light. That feels unsafe...(Art by Don Simpson.)

A weird, massively idiosyncratic title; some of which you can probably find in quarter bins anywhere, but the distribution was maybe off for a couple issues. Progressive Ruin mentions, there had been an error misprinting all of issue #6 as #5. From the show, I have #1-2, #4, #6-10, #12, #14, #16-18. We'll see if any more turn up!  

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Ideally, the next one is "Timecrime," hopefully with Black Cat!

This is like a preview book, but also unlike one: from 2025, Timeslide #1, written by Steve Foxe, art by Ivan Fiorelli.

The main plot here is Bishop and Cable, teamed up to try and save Tempus, from the latest living weapon from the time-stretching Children of the Vault, Vacuna. (I think I've read all of two comics with Tempus in a speaking part, and was confusing her with the MLF's Tempo.) Mostly though, it's a framework to hang glimpses of the future, coming in the next year or so from Marvel! Or not, some of the future peeks are probably red herrings, or won't make it past later revisions. Skipped to a dark, techno-virus infested future, Bishop and Cable meet Bronze, who might be one of the last X-Men; and she gives them a list of events they should maybe do something about...no? Bishop at least acts like he wants to help, but Cable is more focused on the job at hand and kind of blows Bronze off.

Separated, Bishop and Cable land at earlier points in each other's timelines, to get a look at the tragedies that made them. Convenient! That gives them a little more appreciation, which leads to better teamwork, and they manage to loop Vacuna back on himself. The Children's Caretaker is given a harsh lecture about how the mutants adapted, and always would; although it's mildly unbelievable that Cable wouldn't immediately just put two bullets in him instead. Before leaving, Tempus advises them to forget the future teases they saw...I'm not sure how many I remember, that actually came about yet? And looking back at that list, at least four are Spider-Man storylines/problems; good luck getting help from Bishop and Cable there. (I'd actually love to see that, because they'd be both really condescending and completely unhelpful. "Have you considered just shooting the Rhino?" "Yeah, he's just a guy in a suit, he's not actually endangered." "Thanks, I got it, guys.")

Back in '22, Marvel did Timeless, which was not unlike this one except it featured Kang. Then another Timeless in 2023--still a #1, for that matter, as was Timeless #1 in 2024! I do have one of those three, although I didn't buy it new either; but it was handy for a reason...I think these remind me of some of the DC loss-leader/preview books, like Brave New World, but that was more a framing device around preview pages.  

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"Punch."

You very certainly could do a story where Pavitr Prabhakar takes down Hyperion, but it would have to be in a situation with more stakes for him. Like if whoever he had for an Aunt May or a Gwen Stacy was endangered. Doing it for Spider-Man 2099, or for pride...not quite. 

Also, I'm writing these like Grandmaster cares about seeing the fights: does he? Do the hardest of hardcore gamblers enjoy the actual event at all, or just the result? 

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