Comics Reviews: Superman 367, Action 527, DC Comics Presents 41, Warlord 53

Superman 367 coverSuperman #367 – “The Revengers Strike Back” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue, Superman changed himself into a reptilian alien named Vlatuu so he could infiltrate the Superman Revenge Squad and take them down from the inside. Clark Kent told Morgan Edge he was taking off for a few days, but in order to allay suspicion Supergirl has made some other arrangements. Everyone at WGBS is startled when Clark shows up to do the news with no notice. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 367, Action 527, DC Comics Presents 41, Warlord 53”

Comics Reviews: Batman 343, Detective 510, Brave & the Bold 182

Batman 343 coverBatman #343 – “A Dagger So Deadly” – Gerry Conway/Gene Colan/Klaus Janson

This one starts with Batman searching the area around the original Batcave for any sign of Man-Bat, who he fought last issue. He can’t find any clues so he finally gives up and heads home. On the way, he sees a weirdo (Dagger) on a motorcycle shaking down a truck driver for protection. Dagger lives up to his name and throws a knife so accurately that he forces the truck to crash. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 343, Detective 510, Brave & the Bold 182”

1982 Preview

Well, that’s 1981 finished; there were some pretty cool comics that year and 1982 promises to be even better. As usual, I’ll put the comics I’ll be reviewing into groups and give you a little info on what to expect.

Batman, Detective, Brave & the Bold: By 1982 Gerry Conway was writing both Batman and Detective and he really kept a tight continuity between the two books. Many stories are continued from one book to the next and back again, which gives the overall narrative a nice flow, and lets Gerry develop sub-plots more organically. In 1982, Batman will be dealing with Poison Ivy’s takeover of Wayne Enterprises, the political machinations of Boss Thorne, and the return of some old favourites as antagonists (Deadshot, Maxie Zeus, Two-Face, and a certain spirit who turns out to be more corporeal than anyone thought). In B&B, Batman will team up with the likes of Hawkman, Rose and Thorn, Metal Men, and the Nemesis saga will be concluded in spectacular fashion.

Superman, Action, DC Comics Presents, Warlord: Supes will be taking on some classic villains (Brainiac, Parasite, Terra-Man) plus some newcomers (Colonel Future, Syrene and Lord Satanis, Jackhammer). He’ll also pay a visit to Kandor and Marv Wolfman will bring in some of his pet characters (HIVE, Omega Men) to vex the Man of Steel. In DC Presents, Supes will team up with heavy hitters like the Legion, Firestorm, Captain Marvel, Global Guardians, and the New Doom Patrol. Travis Morgan will do what he does best in Warlord, run around wasting people and hanging out with scantily-clad women. His daughter Jennifer will take a more active role in the story and Morgan will meet his own evil twin.

JLA, Legion of Super-Heroes, New Teen Titans, All-Star Squadron: In JLA we’ll see the big 200th issue (with the return of a certain Emerald Archer to the team), the Demons Three, Hector Hammond, and a huge three team crossover with the JSA and All-Star Squadron. The Legion will take on Dr. Regulus and the Khunds before getting into the classic Great Darkness Saga storyline. The Titans deal with the Brotherhood of Evil and their old frenemy, Red Star before meeting some new friends and foes … Vigilante, Brother Blood, and Blackfire, not to mention the Omega Men (those guys are everywhere). In All-Star Squadron, we get the aforementioned crossover, plus Kung, Hastor, and new hero Commander Steel.

Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Jonah Hex: In Flash, Colonel Computron makes a return appearance, along with old favourites like Captain Boomerang, Grodd, and even Goldface . Wonder Woman meets new enemies Silver Swan, Aegeus, and Dr. Psycho, fights Blockbuster, and teams up with a bevy of super-heroines. GL goes on a long sojourn in space, facing various menaces. Jonah Hex is reunited with his estranged wife, Mei Ling, and goes to China for an adventure.

Starting with the June cover-dated issues, I’ll also be adding the Fury of Firestorm comic to my list; I’ve never read it before, so everything will be new to me, but I’ve enjoyed Firestorm’s adventures enough so far that I want to read more. Hopefully the characters will get more development in the full-length format. I’ll put the Firestorm reviews in with the Batman bloc, just to keep things balanced. 1982 is also the year DC started putting out Annuals. I’ll review whatever Annuals came out that year for the titles I cover, but instead of slotting them in between the monthly reviews, I think I’ll wait and do them at the end of the year.

So that’s what to expect in the next six months or so. DC had finally (for the most part) gotten past the goofy Silver Age stuff and was finally starting to tell some really deep stories with compelling characters. I hope you’ll join me to discover (or rediscover in some cases) some of these classic stories.

Comics Reviews: Flash 304, Wonder Woman 286, Green Lantern 147, Jonah Hex 55

Flash 304 coverFlash #304 – “One More Blip … and You’re Dead” – Cary Bates/Carmine Infantino/Bob Smith

This one’s kind of a relic of the 80s, when computers were still considered “new technology” by the average person, but the push was on to make them available to every household. We start at a birthday party attended by Barry Allen, Barry’s neighbour (and sometimes squeeze) Fiona Webb, and their other neighbour Mack. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 304, Wonder Woman 286, Green Lantern 147, Jonah Hex 55”

Comics Reviews: JLA 197, Legion of Super-Heroes 282, New Teen Titans 14, All-Star Squadron 4

JLA 197 coverJustice League of America #197 – “Crisis in Limbo” – Gerry Conway/George Perez, Keith Pollard/Romeo Tanghal

Last issue, the new Secret Society of Super-Villains (led by the now apish Ultra-Humanite) managed to capture five JLA and five JSA members. Ultra-Humanite has told his minions that banishing these ten heroes to Limbo will randomly wipe out all the super-heroes on either Earth-1 or Earth-2. What the other villains don’t know is that it’s Earth-2’s heroes that will vanish … and Ultra-Humanite knew that all along. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 197, Legion of Super-Heroes 282, New Teen Titans 14, All-Star Squadron 4”

Comics Reviews: Superman 366, Action 526, DC Comics Presents 40, Warlord 52

Superman 366 coverSuperman #366 – “Revenge, Superman-Style” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue, Supergirl was subjected to a mental attack that turned her against her cousin, Superman. The Man of Steel had a pretty good idea who was behind the elaborate scheme and now he’s planning to go after them. He’s sure his old enemies, the Superman Revenge Squad, are behind the plot and he’s come up with a dangerous plan to take them down. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 366, Action 526, DC Comics Presents 40, Warlord 52”

Comics Reviews: Batman 342, Detective 509, Brave & the Bold 181

Batman 342 coverBatman #342 – “Requiem for a Hero” – Gerry Conway/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, Commissioner Gordon received reports about weird things happening at Wayne Manor (possibly the work of a ghost); the Manor is supposed to be empty since Bruce Wayne moved out and left it in the care of the Gotham Historical Society. Gordon hired veteran ghost-breaker Dr. Thirteen to investigate, which forced Batman to get involved since he didn’t want Thirteen finding a secret route to the Batcave. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 342, Detective 509, Brave & the Bold 181”

Comics Reviews: Flash 303, Wonder Woman 285, Green Lantern 146, Jonah Hex 54

Flash 303 coverFlash #303 – “The Top is Alive and Well and in Henry Allen” – Cary Bates/Carmine Infantino/Bob Smith

Last issue we saw that Barry Allen’s father, Henry (who’s been acting weird for the last few issues), dressed himself up in the Top’s old costume, even though the Top has been dead for years. Barry still doesn’t suspect there’s anything amiss with Henry, but Barry’s mother is apparently sharper than her son. She mentions that something’s off about Henry, but Barry assures her everything is fine, even though he hasn’t actually seen his dad for a whole day. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 303, Wonder Woman 285, Green Lantern 146, Jonah Hex 54”

Comics Reviews: JLA 196, Legion of Super-Heroes 281, New Teen Titans 13, All-Star Squadron 3

JLA 196 coverJustice League of America #196 – “Countdown to Crisis” – Gerry Conway/George Perez/Romeo Tanghal

Last issue, the JLA and JSA were beset by a new Secret Society of Super-Villains led by Ultra-Humanite. Ultra-Humanite has told his minions (a mix of villains from Earth-1 and Earth-2) that if a certain set of superheroes are sent to Limbo, that’ll result in the disappearance of all super-heroes from one of the Earths. Since the villains figure they have even odds of eliminating heroes from their Earth, they’re all in; what they don’t know is that Ultra-Humanite is lying to them … he knows exactly which Earth will lose its heroes—the one he inhabits. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 196, Legion of Super-Heroes 281, New Teen Titans 13, All-Star Squadron 3”

Comics Reviews: Superman 365, Action 525, DC Comics Presents 39, Warlord 51

Superman 365 coverSuperman #365 – “When Kryptonians Clash” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with Superman heading to New York for a meeting with his cousin, Supergirl (which is apparently a regular thing). He finds her unconscious in the bushes with weird splotches all over her and recognizes it as Virus-X, a deadly Kryptonian disease. He rushes her to the Fortress of Solitude, where he uses white kryptonite to irradiate her, since Virus-X is caused by a plant spore and white kryptonite is lethal to plant life. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 365, Action 525, DC Comics Presents 39, Warlord 51”