Comics Reviews: Black Lightning 11, Jonah Hex 16

Black Lightning 11 coverBlack Lightning #11 – “All They Will Call You Will Be … Deportee” – Denny O’Neil/Trevor von Eeden/Vince Colletta

This one starts at a junkyard where some scumbags are hassling an old man and his nephew. Black Lightning shows up and pounds all the bad guys, showing off some of his superhuman traits in the process. The old man (whose name is Garcia Chavez) partially narrates the story, but it’s not really all that illuminating most of the time. Chavez and his nephew Paco don’t trust Black Lightning, so he takes off just before the cops show up. He changes to Jefferson Pierce (who just happens to be Paco’s teacher) and makes an appearance. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Black Lightning 11, Jonah Hex 16”

Comics Review: Flash 265, Wonder Woman 247, Green Lantern 108

Flash 265 coverFlash #265 – “Shift the Earth Goodbye” – Cary Bates/Irv Novick/Frank McLaughlin

This takes place not long after last issue, when Golden Glider broke Barry and Iris up and almost killed them both. But now they’re back together, taking a romantic trip in the country. Iris convinced Barry to drive to their destination (someplace called Mount Roanoke) instead of just zipping there with his super-speed. It’s obviously more romantic if they spend more time together, but as we’ll see, they would’ve been better off taking the Flash Express. Continue reading “Comics Review: Flash 265, Wonder Woman 247, Green Lantern 108”

Comics Review: JLA 158, Superboy & the Legion 243, All-Star Comics 74

JLA 158 coverJustice League of America #158 – “The Super-Power of Negative Thinking” – Gerry Conway/Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

This one starts in the middle of the action, as Flash and Wonder Woman battle Poison Ivy and Mirror Master at the Central City Museum. Mirror Master uses one of his devices to put a force bubble around Wonder Woman’s head, blinding her and cutting off her air. Poison ivy shoots poison darts at Flash that are attuned to his vibrational frequency, so he can’t just vibrate through them. It looks bad for Flash, but Ultraa shows up out of nowhere and blocks the poison darts with his invulnerable body. Continue reading “Comics Review: JLA 158, Superboy & the Legion 243, All-Star Comics 74”

Comics Reviews: Superman 327, Action 487, DC Comics Presents 2

Superman 327 coverSuperman #327 – “The Sandstorm That Swallowed Metropolis” – Marin Pasko/Curt Swan/Frank Chiaramonte

This one starts where last issue left off, with Clark Kent being accosted in his apartment by a dude dressed in a snake outfit (and his henchmen). The guy is Kobra, an international high-tech terrorist who appeared in his own mag for seven issues, then fought Batman and Aquaman a couple times. Kobra explains that his high-tech weapons are looted from ancient civilizations and UFO crash sites. The teleporter device Superman took from SKULL last issue was one that SKULL stole from Kobra, and when Kobra tracked it to Clark Kent’s apartment, he accidentally found out Clark was Superman. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 327, Action 487, DC Comics Presents 2”

Comics Reviews: Batman 303, Detective 479, Brave & the Bold 143

Batman 303 coverBatman #303 – “Batman’s Great Identity Switch” – David V. Reed/John Calnan/Dick Giordano

This one starts with Batman fighting Neanderthals. Don’t worry, he wasn’t thrown into the past by Darkseid (like that could ever happen!), he’s just fighting some thugs dressed like Neanderthals at the Natural History Museum. One of the cavemen bonks him with a rock and they flee. The guards find a stunned Batman and ask him if “Dodo Man” was trying to rob the Museum, but Batman’s too confused to give them answers. He leaves and notices the Bat-Signal outside, so he ducks into the shadows and changes into … Bruce Wayne? Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 303, Detective 479, Brave & the Bold 143”