Category: Comics Reviews

Comics Reviews: Superman 353, Action 513, DC Comics Presents 27

Superman 353 coverSuperman #353 – “The Fantastic Foe Superman Could Never Meet” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with Clark Kent and Lana Lang skydiving to promote WGBS. Clark doesn’t open his parachute and isn’t saying anything. Lana assumes he’s scared shitless, but he’s actually spotted a mine collapse with his x-ray vision. He maneuvers into a cloud, switches to Superman to deal with the mine collapse, then switches back to Clark before dropping out of the cloud and pulling his ripcord. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 353, Action 513, DC Comics Presents 27”

Comics reviews: Batman 329, Detective 496, Brave & the Bold 168

Batman 329 coverBatman #329 – “Twice Dies the Batman” – Marv Wolfman/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, a guy named Carl Ternion sent Batman a tape claiming he killed a man named Anton Karoselle … twice. Karoselle’s death was ruled accidental by the courts, so Ternion figured he was protected by double jeopardy from being prosecuted again. When Batman started looking into it, he found clues that an old foe of his was behind the whole mess. Continue reading “Comics reviews: Batman 329, Detective 496, Brave & the Bold 168”

Comics Reviews: Flash 290, Wonder Woman 272, Green Lantern 133

Flash 290 coverFlash #290 – “Will You Believe Me When I’m Dead?” – Cary Bates/Don Heck/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue ended with Barry’s attractive new neighbour, Fiona Webb, at the police station to make a complaint against a man in her building who’s been stalking her and who she’s certain is going to kill her. This man’s name? Barry Allen. Flash shows up at the station with the unconscious Dr. Alchemy just in time to hear Fiona’s plea for help. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 290, Wonder Woman 272, Green Lantern 133”

Comics Reviews: JLA 183, Legion of Super-Heroes 268, Jonah Hex 41, New Teen Titans preview

JLA 183 coverJustice League of America #183 – “Where Have All the New Gods Gone?” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

This one starts with members of the JLA (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Firestorm) and their Earth-2 counterparts, the JSA (Power Girl, Huntress, Dr. Fate, and Wonder Woman) preparing to beam to each other’s world via transmatter cube. Naturally, something goes wrong and they end up on an unfamiliar alien world, dominated by a huge floating city … unfamiliar to everyone but Superman, who recognizes the place as New Genesis, home of the New Gods. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 183, Legion of Super-Heroes 268, Jonah Hex 41, New Teen Titans preview”

Comics Reviews: Superman 352, Action 512,DC Comics Presents 26

Superman 352 coverSuperman #352 – “Day of Destiny” – Marv Wolfman/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts with Superman rescuing some people from a tenement fire in the poor section of Metropolis. He then snuffs out the fire by creating a vortex to direct the flames up into space. Everyone is grateful except the two crooked building owners (Stone and Rose) who apparently arranged the fire to collect the insurance money. This is the fifth of their buildings to burn down and the cops haul them in. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 352, Action 512,DC Comics Presents 26”

Comics Reviews: Batman 328, Detective 495, Brave & the Bold 167, Warlord 38

Batman 328 coverBatman #328 – “Double Jeopardy” – Marv Wolfman/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin

This one starts with Batman viewing a tape of a trial re-creation sent to him by a defendant in a recent trial. The death was ruled accidental and the defendant acquitted, but he admits he really did kill the victim (a guy named Anton Karoselle) … in fact, he claims to have killed him twice. He taunts Batman with the failure of justice to convict him for his crimes, saying his admission is legally useless since double jeopardy prevents him from being tried twice for the same crime. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 328, Detective 495, Brave & the Bold 167, Warlord 38”

Comics Reviews: Flash 289, Wonder Woman 271, Green Lantern 132

Flash 289 coverFlash #289 – “The Good … the Bad … and the Unexpected” – Cary Bates/Don Heck/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue, Flash fought his old foe Dr. Alchemy, except he found out it wasn’t the same baddie he’d faced before, Albert Desmond. The Dr. Alchemy identity had been usurped by Al’s psychic twin, another Albert Desmond born at the exact moment as the original. He captured the first Al Desmond and used the Dr. Alchemy identity to commit crimes, figuring they’d be blamed on his counterpart. But Al escaped and retrieved the paraphernalia for his other villainous identity, that of Mr. Element. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 289, Wonder Woman 271, Green Lantern 132”

Comics Reviews JLA 182, Legion of Super-Heroes 267, Jonah Hex 40

JLA 182 coverJustice League of America #182 – “Reprise” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, Green Arrow quit the JLA to focus more on helping regular people instead of taking on cosmic-level threats. But we all know a break-up never takes the first time around, so this issue deals with Green Arrow’s decision and makes us think he might change his mind. As the story opens, he’s so lost in thought about his decision that he almost walks right past some punks stripping a car. But he snaps out of his reverie in time to collar them. A bum wanders by, checking out the action, and we see that it’s the JLA’s old foe, Felix Faust. Continue reading “Comics Reviews JLA 182, Legion of Super-Heroes 267, Jonah Hex 40”

Comics Reviews: Superman 351, Action 511, DC Presents 25

Superman 351 coverSuperman #351 – “The Fiend With Nine Faces” – Gerry Conway/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

Last issue, Clark Kent’s old science teacher (Professor Tolkein) came up with a device he called the Genesis Machine, which was supposed to create matter from nothing, thus defying the laws of physics. We saw that the Genesis Machine didn’t really create matter, it just transferred it from one place to another using some kind of psychic link that Tolkein set up between nine of his ex-students. But the matter transfers are unequal, with large objects disappearing and reappearing beside the Genesis Machine as much smaller items; this culminated in an entire office building disappearing and showing up as a typewriter near the Genesis Machine. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 351, Action 511, DC Presents 25”

Comics Reviews: Batman 327, Detective 494, Brave & the Bold 166, Warlord 37

Batman 327 coverBatman #327 – “Asylum Sinister” – Len Wein/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, Batman disguised himself as a criminal named Shank Taylor to infiltrate Arkham Asylum. Recent crimes had been committed by people who were supposed to be incarcerated at Arkham, so Batman figured he’d investigate from the inside. He pretended to be a homicidal maniac and was taken to Arkham, drugged, and tossed in a cell … before discovering the new administrator was his old foe, Professor Milo. As soon as he’s recovered, Batman shimmies out of his straitjacket and uses a lockpick he had concealed under his tongue to break out of his cell. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 327, Detective 494, Brave & the Bold 166, Warlord 37”