Whitman collected four Gold Key Star Trek issues in "Dynabrite Comics." We checked out the prior one some time back, and today we've got Star Trek: the Choice. "The Choice" is a bonkers number with a Captain Kirk and Enterprise invading from the universe prior to the big bang, a void where thought can power a starship, and the question of free will in the universe. Instead, we're checking out "The Evictors" from Star Trek #41, written by Arnold Drake, art by Alden McWilliams.

The Enterprise is visiting the planet Nraka, which is "celebrating its 10,000th year of recorded history." An impressive feat, which the people credit to the prophet Zotar. And why not? Zotar was pretty great, having been both a military leader and a man of peace, inventor of the written word, mathematics, and music. Spock describes him as "in your earth terms, Zotar was Moses, Caesar, Einstein, and Paul Bunyan--combined!" Good guy, despite apparently not having a nose. During the presentation, the word "sanoora" is shown carved on a stone: apparently the first word Zotar wrote, but the meaning of which was lost in time. Which makes suprising the sudden arrival of an alien ship, the Sanoora, captained by an alien that looked like Zotar called Inoduku.

While the Nrakans go crazy over what they think is the return of their savior, Inoduku instead tells them yeah, they're going to have to go. This planet had been their home first, half-a-million years ago. They had built a mighty civilization, but an astronomer saw a rogue star approaching, that would destroy them...in 342 years. Plenty of time to prepare, which the Sanooran people did, although they did have to leave behind their criminals, insane, assorted undesirables. They had wandered ever since, but were over that, and wanted their planet back. The Sanoorans will give their ships to the Nrakans, but they gotta go.


Spock theorizes that the Nrakans are descendants of the Sanoorans, who both survived and mutated after the radiation from the rouge star. While Mr. Scott and the councilor's daughter are on the run from the rioting, panicked Nrakans; Nrakan fighters try and fail to battle the Sanoorans. While Spock cautions neutrality, Kirk has a hard time not telling the Nrakan councilor to fight for their planet. Then, Spock seemingly reverses his decision and re-arms the Nrakan fighters with effective weapons, and the Sanoorans are driven away. Still, Spock later explores an ancient Nrakan ruin, and finds artifacts suggesting the Sanoorans may not have been lying...

Like a lot of these old Gold Key stories, it feels like this was maybe just a few drafts away from being really good. The second chapter is called "The War that Captain Kirk Made!" which is overselling it a bit; and Spock's reversal seems to come when the Enterprise is barely endangered. Still, I'm almost positive that most of this idea was used in later Star Trek stories; in fact it seems pretty close to the fourth season Next Generation episode "Devil's Due."
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A Hitler cold-open? This Superboy comic's not playing.

I would not have expected to see Hitler in a Superboy comic, so perhaps it's a good thing that I found a coverless copy! Today, we stretch the sliding timeline well past the breaking point, as Hitler plots against Superboy, pre-World War II! From 1970, Superboy #168, "Leave Us...or We Perish!" Story by Frank Robbins, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Murphy Anderson. I'm missing the Neal Adams cover, but still readable; although all the scans are out of whack.

Let's see: the cover caption says it's the 1930's, and a newspaper headline proclaims "Chamberlain Back from Munich!" and misquotes "Peace in Our Time" there to boot. That places this story just after September 30, 1938. And Superboy is described as "the mighty teen guardian," so he had to be 13 in 1938? Which would make Superman 45 in 1970, which wasn't the case even if he acted like that a lot. Often, DC would use Earth-1/Earth-2 or imaginary stories for this kind of story, but not this time around.

The Nazis begin their plan "Mission: Liquidate" by blowing up Smallville's power station, then spray-painting a message for Superboy: "Superboy-Get out of this world or Smallville will be totally destroyed in 24 hours" Unsurprisingly, the citizens of Smallville, who have been saved by the Teen of Steel literally hundreds of times...turn on Superboy in the space of a page turn. A shaken Superboy is unsure what to do, even as he runs across more warnings: he feels like flying away would be like a coward, but inevitably someone would get hurt if the townspeople riot. Fortunately, Chief Parker--the pretty rock-solid face of law and order in Superboy comics--shuts down the potential rioters with some stern words. And a shotgun.

Still, Parker has to give Superboy the bad news, that the town council has declared an emergency meeting; and as typical for this kind of comic, have voted for Superboy to leave Smallville, and earth, forever. Which seems like a lot of power for a town council to have, plus they make Superboy cry. Meanwhile, Ma and Pa Kent lament not even having the chance to say goodbye to their boy. Pa excuses himself from Ma to go check out their store, make sure it hadn't been looted; but instead follows some workmen heading into the sewers. Pa finds Nazi land mines throughout the sewers, their follow-up to their threat; but is shot dead before he can warn Superboy!

Meanwhile, in space, Superboy is looking for any alien threat that could destroy Smallville; but using his x-ray vision back on the town he finds Pa dead in the sewers, and the mines set to destroy Smallville if Nazi radar picks him up re-entering earth's atmosphere. Instead, using his heat vision, Superboy blows a water main, flooding the sewers, saturating the explosives, and forcing the Nazis to the surface. The townspeople of course accept their hero again once they realize they aren't going to blow up, and he collects the body of Pa...

...or rather, the Pa Kent robot Superboy built to scout around for him! He had called the real Pa, and had him send the robot instead of coming himself. Which is a load: Superboy doesn't act like just a robot died the whole time; but he probably would've heat-visioned all of Germany to the ground if Pa had died. Superboy also feels like Hitler is underestimating the real obstacle to overcoming America; namely regular people. I don't know if he's including the people of Smallville that turn on a dime in that. Moreover, I'm not sure how many Nazi collaborators and Fifth Columnists there really were in America before WWII, but there couldn't possibly be as many as in comics.
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80-Page Thursdays: Countdown Special: Eclipso #1!

The last of the Countdown specials I have: from 2008, Countdown Special: Eclipso #1, featuring stories by Robert Loren Fleming and John Ostrander, with art by Colleen Doran and Ray Kryssing and Tom Mandrake.

Huh, for some reason I thought this was going to have a reprint of Eclipso's first appearance, but we saw that in another 80-page reprint several years back! Instead, this one leads with a highlight of Eclipso's 90's book, "Black Pieces," featuring a chess match with Eclipso vs. Darkseid! (Which reminded me of an old Thor Annual with Odin playing Dormammu, and man, I've been blogging a long time.) Moreso than the actual match, the conversation is key: Eclipso tells that story about Noah's ark again, which Darkseid probably doesn't believe. Darkseid reveals the secret origin of Desaad, which may or may not be true either, but is genuinely disturbing. Eclipso explains a little about his black diamonds...and why he can't kill his former host Bruce Gordon, or Bruce's long-suffering girlfriend Mona Bennet. Yet. And before the game ends in a draw, Darkseid confesses why he had his own mother assassinated: revenge, for her murder of Darkseid's first wife and only love. (Of course, consider the sources: any or all of the above could be lies. Or retconned.)

Next we have a two-parter from the 90's Spectre series: "Into the Dark Side" and "Final Judgments." On the cover for the latter, the planet-sized Spectre appears to be giving earth the People's Elbow...That would be entirely too playful and fun for this series, yeah. As occasionally happens, long-time ghost Jim Corrigan has had it up to here with being the Spectre. He wasn't able to save the life of the woman he loved, and the general ongoing awfulness of humanity has gotten on his last nerve. This leaves him open to possession by Eclipso, who argues that he's been where the Spectre is, and humanity isn't any more worth saving now than when he was God's angel of vengeance. The Phantom Stranger puts together a mystic all-stars team to confront the Eclipsed-Spectre--the Demon, Zatanna, and the female Dr. Fate--but snubs Madame Xanadu, for telling him his terrible plan won't work. Xanadu then, with Father Richard Craemer and Ramban, pulls the spirit of Corrigan out of the Spectre, leaving him soulless and completely controlled by Eclipso! This seems like a ridiculously bad idea, and the Stranger's team gets clobbered.

Even released from Eclipso's power, Corrigan doesn't want to become the Spectre again, but Father Craemer convinces him not to doom the earth out of grief and loneliness. While Eclipso possesses Zatanna and the Demon, and nearly gets Dr. Fate; when Corrigan comes back it's over pretty quickly. The Spectre imprisons Eclipso in his black diamond, then seemingly crams his black fortress in there as well, and then reduces all of it to ash. Afterwards, it's difficult to tell if the Spectre is chagrined or unrepentant, but he declares he can not judge humanity as a whole, only one by one, as he finds them. I believe that would be the last (in-continuity) Eclipso appearance for almost a decade, until an altered (and ultimately unsuccessful) version appeared in 2004's JSA #56.
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"Snack."

Kurt was going to bring up the rising tensions between humans, mutants, and Inhumans; but this storyline started so long ago I'm not sure the Inhumans had any trouble by that point! Fortunately, there's still plenty of jerks on earth. Wait, that's no good! Still, Professor X probably has at least one class in the curriculum for speeches regarding tolerance.

The slices are from the recent Marvel Legends Spider-Man figure, and that Turtles pizza box was an eBay purchase some years back.
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In 2004, DC Comics had a eight issue "fifth week" event celebrating the legacy of editor Julie Schwartz. Over the years, we've checked out Adam Strange and the Atom's issues, and today we have the Flash! DC Comics Presents: the Flash #1, featuring stories by Denny O'Neil and Geoff Loeb, with art by Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines and Doug Mahnke and Mark Farmer.

Loeb and McGuinness's story is a fairly traditional story, with Barry Allen testifying in court against a mob boss who hires Deadshot to kill him. Barry fakes being on life support (using Martian Manhunter to help keep Iris calm) and then takes down Deadshot...as well as Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, and the Trickster on his way. But it's his forensic knowledge that clenches the case, as he finds Deadshot's bullet embedded in a stack of Flash comics at a newsstand.

O'Neil and Mahnke's tale is more old-school yet more inventive: Flash stops by to visit his pal Julie Schwartz, who's about to get zapped by an alien! Flash gets zapped, and the alien explains he's a "peace officer from another dimension," and thought Julie was a wanted criminal. The zap Flash took will cause his molecules to slow down and fall apart inside of fifteen minutes, unless he can make a hundred and sixty-eight people aware of his plight in that time, while heeding two languages simultaneously. (The alien admits the laws of his reality are "odd-ish.")

Julie had moved the Cosmic Treadmill to a storage closet, and grabs a convenient artist for the Flash to take back in time two weeks and draw up a new cover. Flash then runs it over to the printing plant, switches out the cover, then returns to the present where the new issues are just about to hit the stands. Flash then gives out 168 issues, saving himself. (I'm not sure why 168--I had thought it referred to the issue number the cover homages, but that was #163.)
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We mentioned this comic, about two and a half years ago, when Judith Chambers started appearing in the homemade strips. Did it take me two and a half years? Um, well, I wasn't looking for it all that time...from 2010, Deadpool Team-Up #892, "Soul Mates" Written by David Lapham, art by Shawn Crystal.

After a poker game with "a pack of dateless wonders" goes bad, Satana not only loses her soul, but she's also going to be forced into a marriage. In fact, she mentions they forced her to take an old form, like "some bygone 1970's pin-up goddess."

After hiring Deadpool to help her, the situation is further complicated when the "dateless wonders" are revealed to be several of the biggest names in Marvel's hell: Mephisto, Asmodeus, Lucifer, Belasco, and Dormammu. Actually, was Belasco a real demon? And I know Dormammu is from the "Dark Dimension" but I'm not positive he was a straight-up devil. And I don't see Lucifer at Marvel all that often, either; Lapham may have just needed to fill some seats there. Deadpool does ask the demons why they know so much about pop culture, but doesn't appear to get an answer.

Pool marries Satana, to block the demons' claim to her, and she uses his "dried up and puny" soul to power up his sword. (His katana, she means, despite what Pool was hoping.) Before Pool can enjoy his wedding night, Asmodeus summons Satana, having won the dice tourney against the others. (Belasco and the rest lament having to play fair on this one, but can't risk full-on war.) Pool manages to hack up Asmodeus, but his wedding night plans are stymied again when Satana leaves him with a note, having helped herself to half his soul, as she would "get in any court of law."

This was a cute little throwaway issue, but I liked it enough that it became part of the continuity around here. Kind of miss Deadpool Team-Up now: I don't think I picked it up every month, and it might've been hit and miss, but maybe a few good ones.
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I had thought I'd read this, but now I'm not sure.

Finally got a copy of a long-sought grail, or a reprint at least: from 1984, Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5, reprinting the classic Green Lantern #85, and the slightly-less classic Green Lantern #84. #84 "Peril in Plastic!" Written by Denny O'Neil, pencils by Neal Adams, inks by Berni Wrightson. #85 "Snowbirds Don't Fly!" Written by Denny O'Neil, art by Neal Adams.

Come to think of it, I may have another copy of this somewhere...I love that cover, but may have blanked some of the details of the story; which infamously features Green Arrow's old sidekick Speedy on heroin. For his part, Ollie is shot with a crossbow and beaten up a couple times; before he and GL are dosed up with heroin themselves! And Ollie is really, really blind to Roy's habit; even when he finds Roy in a "shooting gallery" and when Roy pretty much spills his guts on how he felt Ollie abandoned him and turned to heroin.

Of course, now I'm not sure I've read the next issue. I'd like to get the reprint, since it also features a story with Ollie running for mayor, a plotline that has been revisited a surprising amount of times!

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80-Page Thursdays: Countdown Special: Jimmy Olsen #1!

We still have a few of these left, so we might as well have a few more 80-page Thursdays. From 2008, Countdown Special: Jimmy Olsen #1, featuring stories and art by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta and Mike Royer, with Murphy Anderson doing some alterations for Superman and Jimmy. And a nice Ryan Sook cover!

This issue reprints three classic Jimmy Olsen stories: "The Saga of the D.N.Aliens," "A Superman in Super-Town!" and "Monarch of All He Subdues!" The first one is a bit more substantial, featuring Project Cadmus and appearances by Guardian and Darkseid. The rest is a two-parter with Superman, Jimmy, and the Newsboy Legion against the menace of Victor Volcanum. I don't think that was one of the King's better villains, but it's more notable as being the last of his run on the book.

Not my favorite of these Countdown reprints so far, but this may carry more weight for others. So far we've checked out two Atom specials, as well as the Flash, Kamandi, and OMAC. I have one more that we'll check out later, but I'm missing the New Gods one. Think I've read all of those issues, though.

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"Conference."

This episode, we meet the rest of the lost SWORD crew: "Dayton," is a Masters of the Universe Classics Icarius, a big fellow that looks quite a bit like a young Val Kilmer. "Juarez," is a Babylon 5 Marcus Cole; a somewhat dated figure, but about right for what I was looking for here. "Park," is a Shadowrun Kyushi figure; she made a brief appearance in a strip some years back, running away from an unmasked Deadpool!

Although most of the figures I buy are set characters--you buy a Captain America or a Spider-Man, that's what you get--I like getting some figures that aren't set in stone, and have a little more room to use your imagination. It's fun to "cast" them in different roles, and some have more "range" than others. I really should put together a bin full of the "civilian" figures I have...
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A Productive Use of my Afternoon...

Finally got Reverse-Flash, and the final piece of the "Justice Buster." It's OK, but not in the same league as the Hulkbuster. On the other hand, JB Big Boy might'a cost me about half as much...I'll have to do the math some other time.

I didn't get him too long ago, but I need to get that DC Multiverse Flash out, and compare him to Reverse-Flash. I assumed he would be like 90% reuse with a new head, but he may actually have a unique chest, maybe.

Yeah, unique chest pieces, too. There you go.
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Today, the Unmaskerening! Wait, that's not right...

Even by conservative estimates, there are probably dozens of people in DC continuity who know Batman's secret identity. Today we check on someone who at least thinks she's on that list: from 1998, Chase #8, "Shadowing the Bat, part two: Truths" Co-plot and script by D.Curtis Johnson, co-plot and pencils by J.H. Williams III, inks by Mick Gray.

The Department of Extranormal Operations' Mr. Bones sets up the premise for this one: the shadowy government agency is going to have Agent Chase test a theory. They know Batman is real, and want to use her as a snare to expose his real identity. (Bones's explanation makes it seem like the DEO could expose a great deal about Batman, but can't or won't do so without the name to hang it on.) Having little love for caped types, Chase is more than up for it, and takes a drug case in Gotham: it's a legit case, but a better cover.

Chase does take care of the drug case, working with Detective Bullock; and stays an extra day to attend a charity party hosted by Bruce Wayne. This was post "No Man's Land" and the earthquake Cataclysm, but not post "No Man's Land? An odd place for a story to fall...still, that's why the party isn't at Wayne Manor, but at GBC, Gotham Broadcasting. Hmm. Who do we know at GBC...?

Alan Scott, whom Chase immediately pegs as "veteran mask," especially in contrast to a couple of "schmoozers" like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Scott even makes a lame excuse about having to leave early, which is just more fuel for her fire. She tries to trail Batman outside of GBC later, but is surprised by the Dark Knight; who confronts her with ballistics evidence from her drug case, suggesting her partner may have murdered a dealer. Oh, and revenging yourself on superheroes won't bring your dad back, 'kay, bye.

Pissed, Chase gives, um, chase; intent on confronting Batman. Chasing him through a condemned area of town, she acknowledges the danger of buildings "too damaged to use, too intact to easily demolish," right as Batman takes a nasty fall off of one. Stunned and helpless, Batman couldn't possibly stop Chase from unmasking him--if she wanted to. Instead, she tells him she doesn't do her job for revenge, but so no one else has to go through what she did. She tells Batman his secret is safe with her, and walks off...

...as Nightwing and Batman help the fallen Dark Knight, a disguised Alan Scott! The former Green Lantern, now Sentinel, wonders what that was all about: they had planned to confuse the issue, and throw Chase off all of their secret identities, but no need now. Which is good, since she probably would've considered it a dick move, and exposed them all to get 'em back.
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I'm not used to the Grandmaster's games going longer than two, three issues...

This one's in extra innings: from 2006, Thunderbolts #106, "Power Hungry" Written by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Tom Grummett, inks by Gary Erskine.

Instead of the Avengers or Death, today the Grandmaster is challenging Baron Helmut Zemo, for control of a power source called the Universal Wellspring. Whoever wins could use said Wellspring to create an army of super-powered pawns (it's unclear if control was somehow conferred as well...) so the United States government actually gives Zemo a team: his Thunderbolts! This story was set post-Civil War, when bad ideas were the order of the day. Meanwhile, Grandmaster has gone back to an old fave: the Squadron Sinister!

In typical Thunderbolts tradition, both teams are full of traitors: Spidey villain Joystick was working with the Grandmaster, while Kyle "Nighthawk" Richmond was unwillingly reunited with the Squadron. He may have thought Grandmaster the lesser of two evils, and both Songbird and Radioactive Man may have agreed: could Zemo be dealt with if he won? Speed Demon is out with two broken legs, but still leaks the last Wellspring location to M.A.C.H. IV, reasoning better Zemo than an alien get it.

For his part, Zemo may not even be sure what will happen if either he or the Grandmaster get the Wellspring: he had been sniffing paint communing with alien gemstones, and that either way, the "Guardian Protocols" could be enacted. Guardian Protocols?

The weird thing is, this issue predates (by two years or so) the modern Guardians of the Galaxy set in the present day; and recently we've seen the Guardians of a thousand years ago. This team could be from even further back, although I don't recognize the skull-face in the bottom left by the word balloons. I kinda like the Kree barbarian-woman with the skull helmet, though.

On the other hand, anything Zemo says is at least doubly suspect: he was a renowned liar, and any intel you get by "communing" with anything should be double-checked. Moreover, while the Guardian Protocols sound reasonable, wouldn't they have been enacted like five hundred times prior in Marvel continuity?

The T-Bolts pile on the Squadron Sinister, and Zemo seemingly kills the Grandmaster. He also knew Joystick was a traitor, but she still manages to disrupt the Wellspring, blowing up the entire castle! I had thought this would be the penultimate chapter of this fight, but it still had a couple issues to go. Once again, time to keep an eye out.

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