Category: Comics Reviews

Comics Review: Superman 311, Action 471, Black Lightning 2

Superman 311 coverSuperman #311 – “Plague of the Antibiotic Man” – Martin Pasko/Curt Swan/Frank Springer

This one starts with my least favourite trope, the old “let’s start the story in the middle then do an extended flashback to catch people up” trick. So we start with a freaky-looking horned dude beating the shit out of Superman and Flash. From the dialogue, we learn that the one-horned purple people eater is named Nam-Ek, he’s from Krypton, and Supes thinks he’s responsible for a plague that’s been ravaging Central City (though Nam-Ek denies it). Flash gets punched right into orbit and then the flashbacks begin. Continue reading “Comics Review: Superman 311, Action 471, Black Lightning 2”

Comics Review: Batman 287, Detective 469, Brave & the Bold 134

Batman 287 coverBatman #287 – “Batman-ex—as in Extinct” – David V. Reed/Mike Grell/Bob Wiacek

This one starts with Bruce Wayne at a gala for the Société Française. He’s not really a francophile, he just wants to jump the press director, Renée. A guy named Chester Cole is shadowing Bruce for a magazine profile (and it kinda sounds like he wants to be there when Bruce bangs Renée), but Bruce ditches him. Outside, he finds some thugs in the bushes and pounds them, but their detonator goes off anyway and a robotic pterosaur bursts out of the Napoleon statue inside. Continue reading “Comics Review: Batman 287, Detective 469, Brave & the Bold 134”

Comics Review: Flash 248, Wonder Woman 230, Green Lantern 94

Flash 248 coverFlash #248 – “Challenge of the Cardboard Criminal” – (Cary Bates/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin)

Barry and Iris are out shopping when Barry spots his childhood sweetheart, Daphne Dean. Before he can do anything, Heat Wave tries to rob the jewelry store, so Barry changes to Flash and pounds him. Later, Barry is going on and on about Daphne to Iris when a doctor shows up and says he’s been treating Daphne Dean (who’s apparently some kind of movie star now) for amnesia. Continue reading “Comics Review: Flash 248, Wonder Woman 230, Green Lantern 94”

Comics Review: JLA 141, Superboy & the Legion 226, Black Lightning 1

JLA 141 coverJustice League of America #141 – “No World Escapes the Manhunters” – (Steve Englehart/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin)

This one starts with Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary still in the Himalayas, trying to get as far from the Manhunter HQ as possible. But no one escapes the Manhunter, so he tracks them down and attacks. This is the Mark Shaw version of Manhunter, for those of you who lost your scorecards. After a protracted fight, Manhunter is finally kayoed by the three heroes. Continue reading “Comics Review: JLA 141, Superboy & the Legion 226, Black Lightning 1”

Comics Review: Superman 310, Action 470, Warlord 6

Superman 310 coverSuperman #310 – “The Man With the Kryptonite Heart” – (Martin Pasko/Curt Swan/Tex Blaisdell)

This one starts with agents of SKULL breaking into STAR Labs (so many acronyms) and stealing radioactive material. Superman shows up and slaps them around, but one of the SKULL guys is accidentally caught under some falling debris. After Supes leaves, we see Albert Michaels, STAR Labs scientist, cooperating with another SKULL agent. Continue reading “Comics Review: Superman 310, Action 470, Warlord 6”

Comics Review: Batman 286, Brave & the Bold 133

Batman 286 coverBatman #286 – “The Joker’s Playground of Peril” – (Denny O’Neil/Irv Novick/Bob Wiacek)

This one starts with Joker escaping Arkham Asylum (again!). He kills his psychiatrist by shrinking him (get it? Shrinking the shrink? Yeah, I didn’t think it was funny either, but then I’m not a homicidal maniac like the Joker). The dead shrink leaves a clue, so Batman (with Robin tagging along) goes to an amusement park where there’s a big costume party for charity. Continue reading “Comics Review: Batman 286, Brave & the Bold 133”

Comics Review: Flash 247, Wonder Woman 229, Jonah Hex 1

Flash 247 coverFlash #247 – “The Mad Mad Earth of Abra-Kadabra” – (Cary Bates/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin)

We start out with Flash in a 64th century prison for “killing” Abra-Kadabra last issue. Of course, Abra’s not dead, he just used some weird techno-magic bullshit to teleport away just as Flash was attacking. Abra was aiming to send himself to Flash’s own time period, but instead of materializing on Earth-1, he ends up on Earth-2 and is confused to see the Jay Garrick Flash showing off for a crowd. Continue reading “Comics Review: Flash 247, Wonder Woman 229, Jonah Hex 1”

Comics Reviews: JLA 140, Superboy & the Legion 225, All-Star Comics 65

JLA 140 coverJustice League of America #140 – “No Man Escapes the Manhunter” – (Steve Englehart/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin)

This issue starts the whole Manhunters story, which eventually leads to Millennium and everyone’s brother, wife, or co-worker being a robot. We start with a bang: a Manhunter attacks Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary at the Wayne Foundation, where GL has asked for a meeting of the JLA. Arrow and Canary are slapped down pretty fast and GL surrenders. Batman then takes on the Manhunter and gets tossed off the roof. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 140, Superboy & the Legion 225, All-Star Comics 65”

Comics Review: Superman 309, Action 469

Superman 309 coverSuperman #309 – “Blind Hero’s Bluff” – (Gerry Conway/Jose-Luis Garcia Lopez/Frank Springer)

This is the end of the goofy “Krypton never existed” arc. We start with Superman busting up an operation by Sam Simeon’s mob (no, not the guy from Angel and the Ape). This has been an ongoing thing, with a mob war between SKULL and Simeon running for the last few issues. Simeon was planning a strike against SKULL and Supes took them out before they could execute it. Continue reading “Comics Review: Superman 309, Action 469”

Comics Review: Batman 285, Detective 468

Batman 285 coverBatman #285 – “The Mystery of Christmas Lost” – (David V. Reed/Romeo Tanghal/Frank Springer)

This is another Dr. Tzin-Tzin story, so you know what that means: more mystical crap. After busting out of prison using ants, Tzin-Tzin uses some kind of elixir to make everyone in Gotham into a dimwit … except Batman; he’s spared so Tzin-Tzin can gloat. Continue reading “Comics Review: Batman 285, Detective 468”