"Elsewhere."

We finally get to the Age of Apocalypse, with a very slightly redressed version of my usual alley set!

Even though he would have a long run in Exiles, Morph is a solid representative of the AoA. I've had that figure for years, and I think this is the first time we're seeing him? 

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Everything sucks, so I should post something light and frothy; but instead we've got this:

From 1975, Tomb of Darkness #13, with maybe a Sal Buscema cover? Anyway, it took me a minute to figure out if we had blogged this one already, since we covered ToD #9 a few years back, and this issue opens with a different story with the same title: "The Man in the Tomb!" This one was from 1952's Mystic #12, with art by Bob Fujitani. A seeming execution, is instead just an elaborate initiation to the local chapter of the Knights of Mystery. (I had a conversation with my mom recently: my grandpa had been in a ton of men's clubs, like the Elks, Lions, Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes, whatever; and you don't really have that around today. I knew one guy that was a Mason, and I would'a been less surprised if he'd said he was a Martian.) But, a local mobster crashes the club meeting, 'cause his skirt thinks he oughta have "social prestige"...by joining these nerds. The Knights don't want a criminal in their club, but agree to give him the tougher initation, in the graveyard tomb. The mobster will be locked in the tomb, but can reach out and grab the key whenever: the longer he stays in, the greater his rank in the club. Or, that's what the Knights tell him, anyway: they plan on ditching him, moving their headquarters and maybe changing their name, before the mobster even gets out of there. Except, the mobster gets scared five minutes in, and fumbles the key...! (This one vaguely reminded me of the MST3K episode "Ring of Terror," which also features an initiation that goes bad, with a bunch of frat guys way too old for the roles!)

"Alone!" from 1952's Adventures into Weird Worlds #9 is a very Twilight Zone premise, with an execution here they would never have been able to pull off on TV! A spoiled actor hates his fans and the "leeches that hang off of him," and wants to be "alone...really, truly, alone!" As you might have guessed, he gets his wish, as everyone in the city seems to disappear--'seems to,' though. Everyone is still there, as he can see cars and buses moving, but not the people in them; and in a bar he can see drinks and trays moving by themselves, since he can't see the people! Like a lot of TZ-style stories, this ends pretty abruptly: you got your wish, now suck it. Well, even if he didn't lose his mind completely, he'd probably get hit by a car in short order. (Art by Ben Brown and David Gantz.)

"Stop the Presses!" was also from Mystic #12, with art by Gene Colan: a reporter is hounded by his cruel editor, until he finally brings him a juicy exclusive. There was going to be a murder, at 8 tonight...right here in this office. Somewhat surprisingly, there doesn't appear to be any moral or anything there, just vengeance.

Lastly, from 1952's Uncanny Tales #7 we meet "The Gal who Talked Too Much!" with art by Bob Brown. This was another time capsule story, from back in the day where people seemed to be burying these things for posterity like every 20 minutes; I think we've largely accepted now that our culture is crap and given up burying Furbies or Ed Hardy trucker caps or whatever. Meek local man Simon Graves is not-so-slowly losing his mind, as his wife Hilda seems physically incapable of shutting up for three consecutive seconds. As she yammers on through a local scientist's time capsule presentation, Simon finally goes off on her; and the scientist approaches him later: he had been looking for "volunteers," to live in the time capsule, as examples of humanity that would survive any nuclear war or disaster, with bottled air, food and water. The scientist hadn't had any takers, so he suggests if Simon drugged Hilda...Simon jumps at the offer, but he might not have been the only one given that offer.

I kinda liked this one! My copy's pretty beat up; I'll have to keep an eye out for a better one, if one randomly pops up. Read more!

I don't know if he's as good a sculptor as Alicia Masters, but he's faster.

I mentioned I was looking for a new copy of this one some time back, and the dollar bins did provide: from 1992, Superman Special #1, "The Sandman" Story and art by Walt Simonson.

Like we mentioned before, this special was a bit of a speed-run of the Kryptonite Nevermore storyline that ran (intermittently) from 1971's Superman #233 to #242. This version doesn't have I-Ching, but instead post-Crisis had Superman making a memorial statue for the alternate-dimension Phantom Zone criminals Zaora, Zod, and Quex-Ul: Superman had executed them in Superman #22, and still carried that guilt with him. He swears "...that I will forever be the champion of life and never its destroyer." That's pretty much as it should be, although the direct-sales version's UPC box notes "Doomsday is Coming!"

This falls into a relatively thin wedge of continuity now, although it was several years: after Superman's self-imposed exile in space, and after Jimmy Olsen had met the new Newsboy Legion, but before Clark and Lois were a couple...that might be a thinner wedge than I'd thought, since they were dating by Superman #45. If you have time to re-read that run of issues you could probably narrow it down further: Lex is wearing a black glove, so this was after he lost his hand to Kryptonite poisoning but before he 'died' of it. Anyway, exiting a storeroom at the Daily Planet and pretending to be absent-minded, Clark bumps into Lois, who was hot on the heels of a story, investigating the mysterious Cosmography Industries. Which, as luck would have it, was just in the middle of an experiment, that would go awry with a massive explosion. Superman takes off to help, closely followed by the Newsboy Legion (and their flying Whiz Wagon!) who pick up Jimmy, with Lois barging in as well. After getting caught in another massive explosion, that drives him into a pile of rock; while Superman is rescuing trapped scientists, he is interrupted by Lex Luthor arriving via helicopter, who tries to order Supes off of his property. When Supes gives him some sassback, Lex decides to show him what they had been working on there: synthesizing Kryptonite! And, he had a good-sized chunk of the original right handy...what the--?!

The Kryptonite does nothing to Superman, and he even goes so far as to nonchalently eat it. While Lois and the others don't arrive in time to see that, and Lex tells them he had just given Superman "a little snack as a gesture of thanks," Lex is seething as Superman flies away, but then notices him dip, just for a second, as he flew away. Superman shrugs off his momentary weakness, but Lex suspects there might be something there. Later that night, at the rock where Superman had been embedded, a duplicate of Superman forms out of sand, and attacks some guards at Cosmography (which should just be a smoking hole in the ground at that point...) while Clark discovers hey, his super-breath was gone. The sandman later attacks him at his home, seemingly knowing he was Clark Kent, but couldn't fly yet, and smashes itself lunging at Superman and falling out a window. Thinking the creature was pulverized, Superman leaves to investigate further; but the creature re-integrates from a pile of sand, now with heat-vision! (Long-time comics readers would've probably seen Marvel's Sandman do that many times; so it feels weird that Supes thinks it was gone!)

Luthor, after a brief interlude with an Aboriginal tracker he had brought in, sets his armored Team Luthor on the Superman double, who is eventually caught in a box for a chat: the creature wanted Superman, and Lex was more than happy to help it out. The next day, a bank robbery with heavily armed and trained goons draws out Superman, whose flight powers give out midway there! The sandman attacks Superman from an armored car; while Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion arrive: the Newsboys clobber the bank robbers in short order, while Jimmy realizes the sandman was stealing Superman's powers, and tries to run it down with the Whiz Wagon. No sale there, and Jimmy gets grabbed, but Superman then escapes in the Whiz Wagon, drawing the sandman away from Jimmy. Superman does have a plan, and luckily the sandman hadn't taken his super-speed yet, so it couldn't catch him before he got back to the Fortress of Solitude. The sandman recognizes it, as it thinks once he takes everything from Superman, it will no longer be in pain. The pain hit it every time it stole a power, and as it starts beating Supes in the Fortress, it spills how Lex had explained those powers, and it was leaving invulnerability for last, so it could enjoy beating on Supes.

With the sandman now a full-color dupe of Superman, it thinks it had beaten him unconscious; but Superman surprises it, seemingly giving it something else in a burst of pain. It sees, and then smashes, the statues of Zaora, Zod, and Quex-Ul; but is then stricken with remorse: Superman didn't kill. Panicked, it cries over the body of Superman, repeating his earlier oath.

Later, back at Lexcorp, Lex is feeling pretty smug, up until the moment he finds Superman in his office. Superman explains, while he couldn't prove anything, he didn't need to: the sandman had been feeling the pain of becoming Superman, but when it had everything, it sacrificed itself to save Superman. Which, inadvertently, saved Lex (and the world) from a Superman with no guilt or conscience; although Lex doesn't see it that way. 

This was a 50-page story, but the last couple of pages feel a bit rushed, like they were running out of room. Which in the special is taken up by pin-up pages, from some big names, like Frank Miller and Todd McFarlane! I feel like this issue might be overshadowed by the Death of Superman; but it's still great.

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Special guest-star, Shuma-Gorath!

I'm not positive why his--her--its?--upcoming figure got renamed Gargantos--it's a rights issue since the name Shuma-Gorath at least was from a Robert E. Howard story--but I'll probably have to throw in on that. OK, he's not really in this issue, but for a quick one today, from 2023, Star Wars: the Mandalorian season 2 #3, "Chapter 11: the Heiress, adapted by Rodney Barnes, pencils by George Jeanty, inks by Karl Story. From the dollar bins, I got the below "concept art" cover by Brian Matyas, and had to scan that for the GCD.

I was going to say, issue #3, chapter 11; because Marvel, but they do have it broken out by seasons. I was a little disappointed they went with straight adaptations, and not all-new adventures; although I suspect Disney and corporate are maybe keeping a tight rein on the continuity stories for Din Djarin and Grogu. Still, "The Heiress" is a solid episode. All of these would've been collected in trades as well, I wonder how they sold? Read more!

Shortly after blogging the Marvel Frontier title Children of the Voyager, I had to go back through the dollar bins at my local Comic Book Shop, to find Marvel Frontier Comics Unlimited #1, and I got some other Frontier books as well. Not you, Mortigan Goth. From 1993, Dances With Demons #1, "Chapter One: Ghost Dancer" Written by Simon Jowett, art by Charlie Adlard. (Rod Ramos may have done some inks?) With a foil-embossed cover, because this was 90's Marvel, yeah.

James Owl has a nightmare, of a mysterious figure that he calls "Grandfather," being murdered in the subways in New York City. The weird part for him, is that he didn't have a grandfather: his mom's dad had died when he was ten, and his dad's dad had abandoned his family long before James was born, he'd never met him. It's kind of casting a pall over his summer break in Beverly Hills; while the Manitou starts killing his way across the country, heading for James. (Also, like Children of the Frontier, set the Wayback Machine for the 90's, as James has a Pearl Jam poster!)

Later that night, with his folks at an industry party, James doesn't get the chance to ask about his grandpa; when a colossal eagle smashes through his window, then changes into a naked girl! (There's more nudity in the Frontier books than usual for Marvel!) The girl introduces herself as Lori, formerly his grandfather's guardian, now his. She is being pursued by a "clown," what would usually be a harmless spirit, but had been corrupted. And while it confronts James and Lori, another mysterious figure tracks Manitou westward...

I don't think this had quite as good of a hook as Children of the Voyager, but then again it might be if you're more familiar with Native American mythology and legends. This was a pretty early credit for Adlard, who is probably best known for drawing almost all of the Walking Dead. Read more!

"Accomplice."

I'm pretty sure Death's Head understands human biology just fine, but considers it funnier to pretend he really doesn't. 

Anyway, I've scheduled this to post, since Father's Day weekend I was going to Montana to see my folks. Presumably I've made it back by now, but I wasn't going to have time to get out the AoA figures yet.

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A lot of times in the morning, I have the old western show Have Gun, Will Travel on, and one episode, "Full Circle," Paladin catches up with an old acquaintance, Quill, a shifty snake of a conman, who once sold him a bum mine, then skipped town in a dress to avoid gunmen, who then tried to kill Paladin. Years later, Quill needed Paladin, to verify his alibi for a murder he was actually innocent of, but Paladin's leaves him hanging, saying "you should've kept me alive, Quill." Of course Paladin gets sucked back into that one, and also has to settle with a old skunk and his two jerky kids who try to steal his stuff; Quill is later shot while again fleeing in a dress. It's immensely satisfying: everyone who gets shot in this one absolutely had it coming, and the old skunk laments his lost son, "who died for five dollars." I mention this, because you used to see this on old TV shows: a crook dressing up in drag to avoid the cops or something. It wasn't perhaps honorable, and certainly wasn't usual, but it wasn't considered pervy or anything. It's probably insensitive to the drag community, but then I kinda figure if that plot was tried today some viewers would make more of a stink about a dress than any crimes committed. Like a triple homicide, fine; but wearing a guy in women's clothing would corrupt the youth of the nation. Come to think of it, I think there's an old Power Records Batman story, where Bats sleuths out Catwoman disguised as a man, by her lack of Adam's apple. Which you don't usually notice in comics...

From 1989, the Punisher #20, "Bad Tip" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Shea Anton Pensa, inks by Gerry Talaoc. Omigod, this dates back to when people could smoke indoors! And in comics! Frank is in Las Vegas, trying to stop the assassin only known as Belzer (Not that one! Probably...) from whacking a key witness in a mob trial. Frank did not have a lot to go on: Belzer maybe liked to gamble, and that was about it. A private investigator tries to take Frank with a blackjack later, thinking he was Belzer, which is a solid two-page fight sequence that just annoys Frank.

Spoilers for a 36-year-old comic after the break!

Frank sees where Belzer planted a bomb, and figures he would've wanted to be somewhere he could see it go off, like a nearby casino. Frank busts into the lounge, calling out Belzer's name; and he sees the woman that chatted him up earlier! The way she held 'her' cigarettes would've obscured her Adam's apple, and 'she' had a high-collar number on here. It was Belzer in drag...maybe. It's definitely a guy in a dress, but maybe wasn't even Belzer? With Frank wearing people-clothes, 'Belzer' has got no idea it's the Punisher, and is just as confused as Frank. Also, traditionally you can't put a silencer on a revolver, which I remember from a Batman issue with Jason Todd.

This was, as we've mentioned before, back when Frank could put on a suit and pass as a normal human being; as opposed to the Garth Ennis/MAX era, where a grizzly bear with a hat on would look less like a serial killer than Frank. (Having a regular haircut instead of a buzzcut/military one helps a ton.) It grated eventually, but I have an immense fondness for this stretch of low-continuity stories where Frank fought a wider variety of crime than just nondescript gangsters or gangbangers; even if I mock it occasionally for almost reading like it was generated with a plot wheel. "Today, in...Akron? The Punisher fights...videotape pirates...with a .50 Desert Eagle and a corkscrew." Read more!

Pretty sure I've ggnmornf'd on a first date, but I don't have self-respect...

60% sure I've bought this issue three times--not just because of the cover! Well, maybe. From 1989, Time Twisters #19, featuring more sci-fi shorts from the pages of 2000 AD, including two--no, three!--from that specific issue! Cover by John Workman.

"It's the Thought that Counts!" is a Peter Milligan/Steve Dillon number--the blond spaceman's chin is immediately recognizable as one of Dillon's! Two spacemen are on a secret mission for the ultimate weapon, although one plots to kill the other as soon as he can grab it. Also, I don't know if trial-and-error is the best way to try their grab-bag of weapons out...

"The Contract" is the first from 1984's 2000 AD #374, as a businessman misses his train, but a meek salesman then sells him a watch that can turn back time! A steal at five pounds...and his soul. Can the businessman get out of the deal? Or, judging by his actions cooking the stock market, did he deserve hell? (Written by Chris Lowder (credited as J. Adrian) and art by Massimo Belardinelli.)

"What's Up, Dock? is a bit of fun, with a shout-out for 2000 AD's editorial frontman Tharg the Mighty: the massive new supertanker Juggernaut was speeding to New York City, with only one crewmember. With all the computers, the captain was all that was needed, and even he was checking out for a nap...as a seagull gets in, and hopping on the keyboard, makes a few course adjustments, like full speed ahead! (Written by Alan Hebden, art by Jose Casanovas.) This and "Uncommon Sense" were from 1984's 2000 AD #372, the editor of this issue must've had an easy time of it! "Uncommon Sense" was by Hebden again, with Mike Collins on art, for a Twilight Zone-like short where an alien scientist attempts to help earthlings with their meager, paltry senses; by increasing them immensely. Results are mixed, as in, three deaths right off. Back to the drawing board there.

Hebden and Casanovas again, for "Working on a Chain Gang..." as three convicts think their luck has turned, when aliens abduct them...because there's a market for experienced slaves. (Sad trombone noise.) And another double-cross in "The Ghost Outside the Machine" from Milligan and Casanovas: a space miner shoots, then spaces his partner, but is haunted by his partner seemingly haunting him every time he looks out the window. Or, there might be a (slighty un)reasonable explanation. "The Art of Advertising" finds an ad agent scrambling after blowing his budget on a big sci-fi campaign, only to be told nostalgia was in now. But, when he hears about a mad scientist who claims to have invented a time machine, an idea is formed...that of course goes awry, that's just the style of these stories, sorry. (Written by Kelvin Gosnell, art by Massimo Belardinelli.)

Finally, "You Win Some, You Lose Some..." is Hebden with classic 2000 AD mainstay Ian Gibson: with earth under siege by the alien Grodge, a desperate back-up plan is put into place, to move the entire planet for safety! And for security reasons, only one man should be trusted with where...yeah, that's gonna go well. 

 For some reason, I seem to find this issue fairly regularly, but I'm not sure I've ever seen Time Twisters #18.

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How is Marvel allowed to use that as a title?

From 1996, Over the Edge #4, "The Joker's Wild" Written by Bruce Sakow, pencils by Robert E. Brown, inks by Tom Palmer, Brad Vancata, Bud LaRosa, and Mike Witherby.

Hmm, sliding timeline here: this references Ghost Rider #3 from 1990, which the biker later identified as "Ralphie" claims was two years ago. He had been part of the biker gang, the Cypress Hills Jokers, but had lost his mind after Ghost Rider arrived and his friend Angel was killed by Blackout. Which of course he blames on Ghost Rider, that's how things are done in super-hero comics. Passing himself off as a faux-Ghost Rider with a skull mask (but no flames! Poor production values, Ralphie) he goes on a pretty solid rampage, starting with blowing up a good chunk of the cemetary, which injures Danny Ketch's mom in her home. (I have the feeling she got hurt a lot in that book, like worse than Aunt May!)

Ghost Rider gives chase, as do the cops, with Danny's ex-girlfriend Stacy Dolan called into action: she knew it had to be an impostor, but I'm surprised she got let in on the secret identity. The anti-Ghost Rider task force seems to have a fancy building, and new toys from S.H.I.E.L.D, including a "neutron impulse blaster." Your tax dollars at work. It's pretty clear Stacy knows Danny/Ghost Rider is innocent, but she still takes a shot at him later: either Danny was not a good boyfriend, or Stacy was all cop. The confused Ghost Rider eventually stops Ralphie, largely because he ran out of road, after a sick jump onto the ferry. Danny and Stacy later visit Ralphie in the hospital, although were they friends? Well, I suppose it's a nice thought. Read more!