She says "I love you" and he immediately disappears. Usually that would indicate a fear of commitment...

This may technically be a last issue: from 2006, Hawkman #49, "Coalition in Crisis, part three" Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, pencils by Chris Batista, inks by Cam Smith.

The premise for the entire series to this point was that Hawkman and Hawkgirl had reincarnated many, many times; but always found each other and continued their love. Until this version: Kendra hadn't remembered her past lives until just recently, leaving Carter to pine over her for about four years. They just finally got together, right in the middle of the latest Rann/Thanagar War, with yet another Crisis maybe about to wipe out existence on top of that. (It almost reads as if they're late to a big battle after a long night!) Well, they still have each other, and guest-stars Adam Strange, GL's Kyle and Kilowog, that older-looking Captain Comet, Vril Dox, and the Prince Gavyn Starman! Heck, the Omega Men are in there, too. Even though Carter makes a big hero speech, he and Kendra can barely keep from making eyes at each other there. But the final page shows multiple versions of the Hawks, and teases "1 Year Later." What does it mean?

The next issue would be Hawkgirl #50, and a brand new direction with a brand new creative crew, Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin! I don't know if it really clicked for me, although we did see the last issue some time back. Carter would be MIA for a bit, and I couldn't even tell you how that Rann/Thanagar war ended. There's probably been two more since, though, so okay. Read more!

Forty years younger? Sign me up!

I mentioned this series back when we talked about Threshold, as "another of DC's periodic attempts to relaunch some of their classic space hero stable." This one does kill off a guy that would be central in Threshold, but does bring back another character possibly best remembered for his house ad, which didn't feature him in costume! From 2006, Mystery In Space #2, featuring "A Question of Resurrection" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Shane Davis, inks by Matt "Batt" Banning; and "Reconnaissance" Written and penciled by Jim Starlin, inks by Al Milgrom.

Aging space hero Captain Comet gets jumped and nearly incinerated in the first issue of this series, but after an encounter on a mysterious asteroid he is resurrected--as is the Weird, from the Starlin/Wrightson miniseries of the same name. Neither realize the other is involved for several more issues, as they work the case from different angles on the far-flung Hardcore Station, from the Starlin mini-series of the same name! (I was confusing Hardcore Station with the old Chris Sprouse miniseries Hammerlocke, another title perhaps more remembered for a house ad than anything!) On the Comet side, it's a detective story also trying to revamp and revitalize the character: I don't know if he was usually portrayed as in his sixties, but he's de-aged back to his twenties. He picks up some new powers like teleportation but loses some of his super-strength, since he remembers that didn't really kick in until his late thirties...While trying to track down what happened to his old body, Comet visits his pal, aged space detective Star Hawkins. Star is later murdered, but leaves Comet a message in his own blood: "You" That doesn't sound good!

The Weird side, is super Jim Starlin-y, as the popeyed-oddball tries to get his bearing on his own resurrection; and there is a Pip the Troll type, and the baddie Deacon looks like a cross of Lord Papal and Monalo from Dreadstar. It's a bad religion, the "Eternal Light Corporation," which proclaims in a later issue that it's "the true path to enlightenment and fiscal responsibility." Starlin takes a pretty dim view of organized religion, and takes the Weird on a Warlock-like trip through it; but the Deacon is over-the-top. Still, I tend to agree with Starlin on that one; the Eternal Light Corporation just barely feels like parody.

Note to self: I'm missing #1, #3, and #7 of this; keep an eye out. Not like the Weird's though, hopefully...

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When going undercover, it does help to commit to the role...

Today, one of the books on my comicon bingo card: from 1977, Secret Society of Super-Villains #10, "Triumph and Treachery" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Jack Abel. And the cover promptly fell off of this one...

Tying into the Atom's Super-Team Family story, this issue the Creeper and Star Sapphire kidnap the unstable super-powered Jean Loring. The Creeper had been mistaken for a villain, and only joined the Society to try and figure out who was giving Funky Flashman his orders, yet still helps kidnap Jean, and doesn't seem to give it a second thought later! Captain Comet tries to stop Gorilla Grodd and the Wizard from stealing another of the Sorcerer's Treasures, the Invisibility Cloak, and gets beat down. Seeing that, the Trickster decides to opt out of any more work with the Society: they play too rough! This was something this title did often, rotating villains in and out of the book. It's something that should happen more in villain-centric books, but I'm never sure if this was by accident or design here.

Comet catches up to the Society as they gather all three of the Sorcerer's Treasures; which Comet mentions had been thrown into orbit by Superman, yet drifted back to earth later, which seems weird for a cloak...While they fight, Creeper notices Funky Flashman swiping the treasures, and follows him to a bus terminal. Funky puts them in a locker, then drops the key; and the Creeper changes back to Jack Ryder and catches Funky's contact...the Wizard? In jail, the Wizard protests that he was merely a hired hand, but we saw before being arrested was part of his plan all along. Meanwhile, Funky Flashman returns to the Society's Secret Citadel, where Grodd reveals another new lineup for the Society!

With the rotating cast, it seems like it would be a lot of fun to write Secret Society of Super-Villains...I don't know if I'd use Funky Flashman, but still.
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80-Page Thursdays: Countdown Special: the Atom #2!

Hey, Ray! Find Jean Loring yet?

OK, guess not. From 2008, Countdown Special: the Atom #2, reprinting from 1977-78 Super-Team Family #13-14, "Ragnarok Night!" and "The End of the Quest!" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Arvell Jones, inks by Romeo Tanghal.


The Atom quest for Jean Loring leads him back to earth, where we find Aquaman and Captain Comet (guest-starring from Secret Society of Super-Villains) are fighting planet-wide disasters caused by the Wind Pirate. (Or Pirates. Flash and Atom were fighting them in the first chapter!) Meanwhile, in Lemuria...which I thought was in the Marvel Universe...Jean Loring has been found, but hopelessly insane, her mind charged with "radiation energies" that are mingling with the Wind Pirate's machinery to make his disasters even greater.

Captain Comet uses his mental powers to project Atom into Jean's mind, then Comet and Aquaman have to fight the Wind Pirate's forces. While all three are successful, the radiation remains in Jean's mind, making it impossible to awaken her without destroying the earth! Thus necessitating the "Arrrrggh!" above.

Unfortunately, while these specials had reprinted all of the story up to now, here we miss a chapter somehow, Secret Society of Super-Villains #10! The one where the Creeper and Star Sapphire kidnap Jean Loring, and I still don't know why the Creeper's with the Society and not in SSoSV #11! Gorilla Grodd controls the Society here; a formerly mind-controlled and somewhat disgruntled Sapphire, and the animal-hating Floronic Man, who's also planning to betray Grodd.

Atom enlists the help of Wonder Woman here, after helping her stop invading alien robots. On Diana's shoulder, Atom even gets to visit Paradise Island and check out the Crystal of Knowledge; while the Floronic Man brings Jean to Grodd. The Society takes over Gorilla City, since Grodd was homesick, but it's also a good base to blackmail humanity. Or blow it up, either way. While Wonder Woman and Atom are briefly stopped, they manage to rally to defeat the Society. As they do, WW recounts an origin for Floronic Man that I think was discredited later, about him being an alien from a "plant dimension." Huh.

Stopping Grodd from using Jean to destroy humanity, the Atom also somehow drives the radiation out of Jean, curing her. And freeing her up for a February wedding, although the Atom is probably going to have to let her in on his secret identity before then.
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The Creeper's in two panels this issue, so we have time to see Captain Comet go on a date.

Well, that sounds like a losing proposition.

From 1977, Secret Society of Super-Villains #11, "A Changing of the Guard" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Mike Vosburg, inks by Joe Orlando. I had to go back and add "SSOSV" as a tag, since I've read multiple issues of these title, even blogged about them, yet have only a vague idea what the hell is happening in any given issue. This time, that's in part because there was a Secret Society of Super-Villains Special/DC Special Series #6 and an issue of Super-Team Family since the last regular issue. (I may have the special, somewhere.)

So, I haven't the foggiest why the Creeper was with the Society, but he brought the Wizard to the police--which may or may not be a heroic act, the Society's members dicked each other over all the time like that, and it could've been a power-play. Moreover, getting arrested was actually part of the Wizard's plan, to recover his Cloak of Invisibility, Power Glove, and Magic Prism. (The district attorney that let the Wizard take them out of evidence to "explain" them should be so fired...) The Wizard next catches up with the Floronic Man, who was on the verge of finishing his formula to wipe out all animal life on earth: Wizard isn't stopping him out of heroism, or even to save his own skin, but to retake leadership of the Secret Society! With his power objects again, the Wizard was able to so by force rather than by trickery as he had before--by counterfeiting millions of dollars with his magic! Roy Thomas stand-in Funky Flashman gets the worst of that deal, and is left on skid row in Gotham...

So, I think a villain could take leadership of the Society by having a great scheme, by brute force, or by bribery. Maybe some other ways, too. But that leaves me wondering why the villains were part of the Society in the first place? All the usual reasons don't seem like good ideas when you consider how generally untrustworthy the whole lot of them were. I also don't know why Captain Comet was usually the lead for this title, or why he had a holster...he had super-telekinetic powers or something, right? So did he carry a gun, too? A ray gun, maybe? Shrug.
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A shining example of the unstoppable, never-say-die determination that's made Captain Comet a household name!


From The Secret Society of Super-Villains #12, "The Plunder Plan!" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Mike Vosburg, ins by Bob McLedd.

In Comet's defense, it is the super-villains book, and he's not the only hero having a hard time of it this month:

I don't know how strong Blockbuster's supposed to be, but strong enough Robin's not going anywhere for a while, not so strong as to outright kill him. That's one of the little oddities of the old DC universe, one that's especially obvious in books like Legion of Super-Heroes: there's the characters with pretty super strength, like Blockbuster here, or maybe Timber Wolf. Guys that could throw around a semi-truck pretty easily. Then there's super, super strength: like, duh, Superman, who could push the planet across the galaxy. And not a lot of in-between there, for some reason.

Anyway, I'm dogging it out tonight, and hope this is the weekend I get to finally see either the Simpsons or Rise of the Silver Surfer, or Rao forbid, both. Wish me luck! Read more!