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Post by paulie on Jun 3, 2015 9:43:31 GMT -5
CosmologyAs mentioned in the Cosmology note for The Brave and the Bold #84, longtime DC editor Robert Kanigher insisted that the adventures of the company's war heroes did not occur in any of the super-hero universes. As with Sgt. Rock, we must assume the existence of a Mlle. Marie doppelgänger in the Earth-Two dimension if the story indexed here is to be considered canonical. This is, therefore, the first appearance of the Earth-Two Marie. I think Kanigher ultimately lost this fight. It is obvious that the war characters were precious to him. However, I liked how Rock and Marie showed up in a Wonder Woman adventure. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 3, 2015 10:18:49 GMT -5
This is one of those areas I mentioned eons ago where my information is out of date. When I originally wrote these entries, I was certain I remembered a Kanigher interview where he expressed the above sentiments. Now I'm not so sure. At any rate, he lost the argument (if there even was one) the second B&B 84 hit the stands. Like fellow editors Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff before him, he learned that the toys weren't his and he had to share.
Cei-U!
I summon the lessons learned!
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 3, 2015 13:39:08 GMT -5
Here's a Fanzing Article that deals with this subject. it definitely sounds like the author has a similar POV regarding Kanigher's dislike of the superhero crossovers that you do. " In the letter columns of 1978's SGT. ROCK # 316 and 323 and 1980's SR # 347 and 348, he announced that his hero had not lived past 1945, blunting most of Haney's BRAVE & BOLD episodes if nothing else. "It is inevitable and wholly in character that neither Rock nor Easy survived the closing days of the war," he proclaimed." |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 4, 2015 7:46:20 GMT -5
Justice League of America #148November 1977 (August 1, 1977) $.60  Cover Art: Rich Buckler (Penciller), Jack Abel (Inker), signed “Crisis in Triplicate!” 34 pages Julius Schwartz (Editor), Martin Pasko (Writer), Paul Levitz (Unspecified Assist), Dick Dillin (Penciller), Frank McLaughlin (Inker), Milt Snapinn (Letterer), Anthony Tollin (Colorist) FC: Batman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman, teamed as the Justice League of America GS: Doctor Fate, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Power Girl, teamed as the Justice Society of America GS: Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Lightning Lad, Princess Projectra, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Sun Boy, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, teamed as the Legion of Super-Heroes Villain: Mordru Villains: Abnegazar, Rath, Ghast, teamed as the Demons Three SynopsisThe three demons unleashed on the Thirtieth Century by Mordru waste no time in destroying the Red Jar of Calythos, the Green Bell of Uthool and the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath, thus ensuring their continued freedom. They next ensorcel the Legion of Super-Heroes, compelling them to take the Zeroxian wizard's now-defeated spirit body (including the hourglass he wears in which Green Arrow and Black Canary are imprisoned) and reunite it with his physical body. The demonic trio begins to argue over their plans for the Earth: Rath wishes to rule humanity, Ghast to destroy it and Abnegazar, unexpectedly, to live in harmony with it. They declare war on each other. When they prove too evenly matched for direct combat, they decide to battle by proxy using the LSH, the Justice League and the Justice Society (the latter two teams being brought back from the limbo to which they'd been consigned at the end of the last issue) as their champions. Abnegazar asks the Legion to help him defeat his wicked brothers while Rath takes over the JSA's minds and Ghast uses the Earth-One Green Lantern’s power ring energy to control the League's actions. During the battle between the three teams, the LSH youngsters more than hold their own against the heroes from the past. Neither side can gain a clear advantage over the other two. Meanwhile at Doom Crater, the prison in which Mordru is held, the Earth-One Green Lantern appears and frees the Canary and GA. Unfortunately for the four Legionnaires carrying Mordru's astral body, the Emerald Crusader also places his teammates under Ghast's spell. As the super-heroes clash, Mordru's two selves are reunited. With their mission complete, the three enchanted Leaguers are conjured away. Back in Metropolis, the three-way battle between the JSA, JLA and LSH rages on. Even as the Legion falls, Superman learns that Power Girl, alone out of all the Earth-Two heroes, still retains her own consciousness, though like the Justice League she has no control of her physical body. Before he can act on this knowledge, he and Batman are spirited away by Ghast. Rath and his pawns, Doctor Fate and Green Lantern, seize control of the Global Tunnel, that marvel of 30th Century technology that passes through the center of the Earth, and threaten to destroy it, killing thousands, if the demon is not given absolute power. They are opposed by Abnegazar and his allies, Princess Projectra and Wildfire. Unknown to their demonic captor, the JLA and Power Girl have quietly worked out a strategy to first fake their own defeats, then secretly use their powers to leave the Legion and Justice Society stalemated. Frustrated by the ploy, the three demons once more engage in personal combat. Ghast and Abnegazar mutually annihilate each other. Absorbing their mystic essences gives Doctor Fate the power to cast a mighty spell, summoning the shards of the JLA satellite ― saturated with magical residue from the Red Jar, Green Bell and Silver Wheel ― from throughout space and recreating it as a prison for Rath. The JLA and JSA return to the Twentieth Century after Earth-One's Green Lantern erases whatever knowledge of their personal futures they may have picked up along the way. The Bad GuysMordru plays no active part in the events of this issue. No mention was made in the previous issue of Mordru being an astral projection or of his physical body being entombed. Fashion WatchThe Flash is wearing buccaneer boots instead of his winged ankle boots on the cover of this issue. He is also wearing a Marvel Family-style lightning bolt insignia instead of either of his usual styles.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 5, 2015 7:52:07 GMT -5
Freedom Fighters #11November-December 1977 (August 15, 1977)  Cover Art: Rich Buckler (Penciller), Jack Abel (Inker), signed “Divided We… Die??” 17 pages Jack C. Harris (Editor), Bob Rozakis (Writer), Dick Ayers (Penciller), Jack Abel (Inker), Milt Snapinn (Letterer), Liz Berube (Colorist) FC: The Black Condor, Doll Man, The Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, The Ray, Uncle Sam, teamed as the Freedom Fighters SC: Firebrand (out of costume, identity not revealed in this story), Martha Roberts, Fred Snyder, Michael Tulane Reintro: Professor Styne, in flashback to Smash Comics #14 (September 1940) Intro: Assistant District Attorney Shirley Gorman Intro: The Renegades Intro: Chief Crazy Horse (may be an alias) Intro: Rain-in-the-Face (may be an alias) Intro: Tall Tree (may be an alias) Intro: Thunder Cloud (may be an alias) SynopsisA wounded and feverish Ray awakens in the mountain cabin of his mysterious benefactor, who tells him “I know it's me you and your companions have been searching for-- --and now that I've been found, I surrender! You can take me back!” Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb encounter the Renegades, a quartet of Native American conmen who gain superhuman powers after praying to their ancestral gods. They foil the robbery of a Dallas bank but the bad guys escape, leaving the fugitive heroes to face the police. The FF catch up to the Renegades and thrash them soundly. Once again, a grateful police force looks the other way as the trio move on. A Manhattan jury finds Doll Man guilty of the first-degree murder of David Pearson. ContinuityThe Human Bomb notes that “two weeks” have passed since the Freedom Fighters split up in the previous issue, placing the events of this story in mid-January 1977. The Good GuysThe Ray's origin is recapped in this story. Professor Styne was last seen in Smash Comics #14. Fashion WatchPhantom Lady repairs Uncle Sam's damaged top hat. Points to PonderIt is highly unlikely that a capital murder trial would begin only two weeks after the crime was committed. (Indeed, since the first event depicted is the calling of the prosecution's first witness, the trial may have begun in less time than cited.) Nor is it likely that both sides could present their case, the judge provide instructions to the jury, and the jury render its verdict in a single day as depicted here. According to the testimony of Pearson's secretary (as summarized by the prosecutor), she was “called away from her desk by a faked phone call.” How was the call “faked?” And how do either the witness or the police know that Doll Man placed the call? Did she identify Doll Man's voice as the one she heard on the phone? Do phone company records indicate where the call originated? If the call originated within the building, were its telephones dusted for Doll Man's fingerprints (remember he wears no gloves with his costume)? If it came from outside the building, how could Doll Man have placed it? Speaking of fingerprints, did anybody bother to see if there were prints other than Doll Man's on the murder weapon? Since it was an automatic, did they check to see if his prints were on the clip? Did the police trace the gun's serial number to determine its point of origin or its registered owner (if any)? Did they check to see if the bullet wound's angle of entry was consistent with Doll Man's height and distance from the victim? It is extremely unusual for the defendant to testify at a capital murder trial, especially when the testimony amounts to “someone else did it but I don't know who.” In the rare case that it occurs, it is almost always against the advice of defense counsel.
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Post by MDG on Jun 5, 2015 11:26:52 GMT -5
Fashion WatchPhantom Lady repairs Uncle Sam's damaged top hat. And yet they didn't go with that for the cover. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 6, 2015 7:29:25 GMT -5
The Superman Family #186November-December 1977 (August 15, 1977) $1.00  Cover Art: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Penciller), Dick Giordano (Inker), signed “Save My Friend, Kill Your World!” 8 pages E. Nelson Bridwell (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer); Curt Swan (Penciller), Murphy Anderson (Inker); Morris Haldinger (Letterer), Liz Berube (Colorist) FC: Superman [of Earth-One] GS: Superman SC: Professor Phineas Potter Reintro: Jimmy Olsen Intro: Krogg SynopsisAboard the Justice League satellite, Superman explains the transmatter cube to his old friend, Professor Potter. The machine activates while Potter is toying with the controls. It is not a JSA member who materializes, however, but a monstrous being calling himself Krogg. By the Action Ace's own admission, Krogg is stronger than any opponent he has ever before fought. The raging villain smashes the transmatter control panel. While Superman attempts to overcome his powerful foe, Professor Potter frantically attempts to fix the damaged device. An hour earlier on Earth-Two, another Superman stands by helplessly as his friend Jimmy Olsen lays dying of a rare disease. His only hope lies in an experimental organ transplant, but the donor must be a close relative and Jimmy has no living relatives. Realizing that the Earth-One Jimmy would be the ideal donor, the Man of Tomorrow races to the Justice Society brownstone. In transit between the dimensions, Superman is shouldered aside by Krogg, leaving the hero stranded in limbo. While his younger counterpart falls before the might of his inhuman opponent, the Superman of Earth-Two battles a horde of fierce creatures native to the interdimensional void. Using his super-vision, he manages to locate the rift in space leading to Earth-One. He emerges from the repaired transmatter on the JLA satellite. Confronting Krogg, he vows to stop the menacing monster “or die trying!” CosmologyThis is the first unambiguous indication of native lifeforms in the interdimensional void between Earths-One and –Two. ContinuityIt is not clear where the story in this issue and the next fits into Earth-Two continuity. The events depicted here probably occur between Superman's appearances in the “Justice Society of America” stories in All-Star Comics #66 and 69 but this cannot be confirmed. The Good GuysSuperman of Earth-Two is shown flying throughout this issue and the next, contradicting his appearances in the “Justice Society of America” stories in the 1970s issues of All-Star Comics, where he travels in gigantic leaps. Because Jimmy Olsen appeared in “Superman” stories throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s, there is no readily identifiable point at which it can be authoritatively said that the character segues from his Golden Age incarnation to his Silver Age persona. It is therefore impossible to pinpoint the exact title and issue number of the Earth-Two version's last appearance.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 7, 2015 6:51:18 GMT -5
All-Star Comics #69November-December 1977 (August 22, 1977) $.35  Cover Art: Al Milgrom (Penciller), Jack Abel (Inker) “United We Fall!” 17 pages Joe Orlando (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Penciller), Bob Layton (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Liz Berube (Colorist) FC: Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, Power Girl, Robin, Starman, The Star-Spangled Kid, Superman, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America SC: Batman (as Commissioner Bruce Wayne) Intro: The Huntress (Helena Wayne; true identity revealed in DC Super-Stars #17) SynopsisThe Justice Society, looking forward to some downtime after their adventure on Earth-One, are instead confronted by Commissioner Bruce Wayne who, either unaware of the Psycho Pirate's role in recent events or not caring, has arrest warrants for the entire team. Angered beyond all reasoning, Wayne orders his SWAT team to take the Society into custody by whatever means necessary. During the subsequent scuffle, Power Girl is seriously injured. The JSA take the gloves off. With the commissioner's elite squad duly stomped, the heroes depart to find medical help for the Maid of Might. Robin and Hourman arrive too late to stop them. Vowing to bring the Society to justice, the former Batman sends out an emergency signal to three inactive JSAers: Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite and Wonder Woman. The team takes Power Girl to a private hospital outside the city, unaware they are being trailed by a shadowy figure whose silhouette bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain Caped Crusader. Summoning the Justice Society to the Batcave. Wayne and his five costumed allies demand their' surrender. The inevitable battle seesaws back and forth, with neither band of JSAers able to gain a clear advantage over the other. Back at the hospital, the mystery figure listens in as doctors consult on Power Girl, who will fully recover from her injuries. Clark Kent visits. The Battle of the Batcave continues until Superman, bearing his wounded cousin in his arms, bursts in and commands them to stop. It is only then that the Justice Society realize what they should've known all along: that Bruce Wayne's irrational hatred of the JSA is the work of the Psycho-Pirate. Freed from the Pirate's influence by Doctor Fate, Wayne falls to his knees in horror. When Power Girl forgives Wayne for his role in her injury, he is moved to tears, saying, “That’s what Selina said… just before she died. She begged my forgiveness… for a crime she never committed! [W]hat can I ever have done that the Good Lord let me be surrounded by such beautiful innocent souls?” As the Justice Society begins healing the rift in its ranks, the mystery watcher from the hospital looks on with satisfaction. Revealed as a beautiful young costumed woman, she tells herself, “Now [that] I know he'll be all right… my work can begin!” ContinuityAccording to this story, a year has passed since the death of Bruce Wayne's wife (her full name is not revealed but her first name, Selina, implies that he married Selina Kyle a.k.a. the Catwoman) and his renunciation of his Batman identity. This is the first mention of Wayne's marriage and the first time a reason is given for his retirement from super-heroics. Since the storyline beginning in All-Star Comics #60 and running through the current issue (including Justice League of America #147-48) take place in the space of no more than a couple of weeks, these events must have taken place after the Earth-Two Batman's last appearance in Justice League of America #135-37. See the index entry for the “Huntress” story in DC Super-Stars #17 for more information. The Good GuysJay Garrick offers the unemployed Alan Scott a job with Garrick Laboratories in Keystone City. This is the first appearance of the second Huntress, although she is not identified by name in this issue. Wonder Woman (as Diana Prince) has risen to the rank of major since her last Golden Age appearance. Judging from the color of her uniform here, Major Prince now serves in the Air Force rather than in the Army, as in her Golden Age series, or Navy, as seen in her Bronze Age series. Fashion WatchPower Girl's costume is slightly redesigned in this issue, changing to a scoop-necked collar. Her cape is now clasped directly to her costume, eliminating the cord that connected the clasps. Ted Knight's hair has gone white since the last time he appeared out of uniform in Justice League of America #73. Charles McNider's hair is blonde once again, correcting the error in Wonder Woman #235-6.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 8, 2015 7:17:19 GMT -5
DC Super-Stars #17November-December 1977 (August 22, 1977) $.60 Attachment DeletedCover Art: Joe Staton (Penciller), Bob Layton (Inker), signed “From Each Ending… A Beginning!” 13 pages Joe Orlando (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Penciller), Bob Layton (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Anthony Tollin (Colorist) FC: The Huntress GS: Batman, Robin (in flashback only) SC: Alfred Beagle, Commissioner James W. Gordon Reintro: The Catwoman (Selina Kyle Wayne) Intro: Silky Cernak and other members of Catwoman's old gang SynopsisIt was the summer of 1955 when Bruce Wayne, the Batman of Earth-Two, wed Selina Kyle, the reformed criminal once known as the Catwoman. The happiness of married life ― particularly after the birth of his daughter Helena two years later ― and a renewed interest in social activism left Wayne little time for his masked alter ego. Years later, sometime after Helena Wayne's coming out party, the Wayne family are enjoying an evening at home when the telephone rings. Selina takes the call. A few minutes later, she leaves Wayne Manor and drives to a secluded location. Silky Cernak, a former member of Catwoman's gang, shows Selina photographic evidence that she once accidentally killed a man. He threatens to expose her if she doesn't agree to help him pull one last job. Later that night, the Batsignal shines in the skies over Gotham City. With Robin out of the country, it is Batman who answers the summons. Commissioner Gordon tells the Darknight Detective of a tip concerning a midnight raid on the Gotham Civic Center ― the very raid Catwoman has been blackmailed into leading. Batman interrupts the crime in progress, unaware of his wife's involvement. It is only when a stray bullet hits Catwoman, causing her to fall five floors, that he learns the tragic truth. With her dying words, Selina begs his forgiveness. In the days that follow, the Gotham police tear the city apart looking for Silky Cernak and his confederates but they do so without the Batman's help. Devastated by his loss, Bruce Wayne becomes an old man almost overnight. But if he has truly walked away from his crimefighting career, who is the “bat-shaped shadow” standing over Selina Wayne's grave, vowing to “dedicate my life and inheritance to bringing your killer to justice… and to fighting all criminals”? It is a tearful Helena Wayne, dressed for the first time in the costume of the Huntress, who speaks these words, so like those her father once spoke at the grave of his own murdered parents. Using the deductive abilities she acquired through both heredity and training, the Huntress tracks the only collector in Gotham she believes likely to buy the Civic Center loot. The trail leads her to Gotham Harbor… and to Silky Cernak. Mistaking Helena for Batman in the fog, the overconfident crook ― certain he can take the old man ― brags that he tricked Catwoman with a doctored photograph, that she never killed anyone and that watching her die was “one of the happiest sights of my life!” Bad move on Silky's part. Huntress lays him low and leaves him wrapped up and hanging from a lamppost outside police headquarters. The police are just getting him down the following morning when Bruce and Helena arrive “to attend to some final formalities” concerning Selina's death. Assuming Robin returned from overseas and bagged Cernak, Bruce wonders why Dick didn’t let them know he was back. “Maybe it wasn’t Richard, Daddy,” Helena replies. “I have a feeling it was someone else-- someone new! Whoever it was, I have a feeling they’re here to stay!” ContinuityThe main events of this story occur in late summer of 1976, a year before the events of the “Justice Society of America” story in All-Star Comics #60-69. Given her birth year of 1957, as indicated here, Helena Wayne is approximately nineteen years old at the time she adopts her costumed identity. The Good GuysThe Catwoman of Earth-Two was last seen in the “Batman and Robin” story in Detective Comics #211 (September 1954). She should not be confused with her Earth-One counterpart introduced in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70 (November 1966). It is unclear if Helena Wayne remains active as the Huntress during the year that passes between the events of this story and her next chronological appearance in All-Star Comics #69. Robin (as Dick Grayson) is said to be on diplomatic duty in Madagascar during the events of this story. This suggests that he had not yet been appointed American ambassador to South Africa, as seen in All-Star Comics #66, but this cannot be confirmed. Because Alfred appeared in “Batman” stories throughout the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, there is no readily identifiable point at which it can be authoritatively said that the character segues from his Golden Age incarnation to his Silver Age persona. It is therefore impossible to pinpoint the exact title and issue number of the Earth-Two version's last appearance. However, given that the family name of Earth-Two's Alfred is Beagle, as revealed in the ‘Batman and Robin’ story in Detective Comics #96 (February 1945) and confirmed in the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Superman’ story in The Superman Family #211, and that his Earth-One dopplegänger's surname is Pennyworth, as established in the ‘Batman and Robin’ story in Detective #238 (June 1963), the transition must occur sometime between these two stories. James Gordon still holds the office of Gotham City Police Commissioner in 1976, an office he has held (presumably without interruption, though this cannot be confirmed) since at least his first appearance in the “Batman” story in Detective Comics #27 (September 1939), an incredible 38 years! Since Bruce Wayne has assumed the office by All-Star Comics #66, Gordon must either retire or die sometime after the events of this issue. Selina Wayne states that she is expecting a phone call from Helena's “Aunt Lois” at one point in this story. Although this reference may be to Lois Lane (figures resembling Clark Kent and Lois can be seen among the attendees at Bruce and Selina's wedding), there is insufficient evidence in this story to support such a conclusion. If true, it is the first mention of Lois in Earth-Two continuity. According to this story, the Gotham City police are headquartered in the Department of Public Safety building. Fashion WatchRobin is depicted going directly from his Golden Age uniform to his contemporary outfit, ignoring the Mike Sekowsky-designed costume he wore from 1967 through 1976.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 9, 2015 7:03:42 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #237November 1977 (August 29, 1977) $.35  Cover Art: Rich Buckler (Penciller), Vince Colletta (Inker), signed “The Secret Origin of Wonder Woman!” 17 pages Denny O’Neil (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer); Jose Delbo (Penciller), Vince Colletta (Inker); Liz Berube (Colorist), no lettering credit FC: Wonder Woman (origin retold) SC: Pvt. Etta Candy, Hippolyte, Diana Prince, Major Steve Trevor (in flashback) SA: General Douglas MacArthur Reintro: Aphrodite, also called Venus (in flashback) Reintro: Hercules, also called Herakles (in flashback) Reintro: Mala (in flashback) Intro: Kung, Assassin of a Thousand Claws (Thomas Matsuda) SynopsisOn Paradise Island, Wonder Woman repairs the bracelet damaged by Armageddon in the previous issue. Hippolyte, is worried by her daughter's eagerness to return to America… and to Steve Trevor, still hospitalized from the after-effects of being transformed into the savage Muutorr. Returning to Washington, the Amazing Amazon hurriedly switches to her Diana Prince identity, due to stand in for Trevor at a War Production Board Meeting. Entering her apartment, she finds herself held at gunpoint by… Diana Prince! A policeman attempts to arrest a hobo prowling among the trains at Union Station, only to be attacked and slain by a clawed giant. Revealing her true identity, Wonder Woman tells Diana of the origin of the Amazons, of their civilization on Paradise Island, of her own creation from clay brought to life by Aphrodite and of Major Trevor's near-fatal crash-landing off the shore of the Amazon homeland. Two blocks from Diana's apartment, another cop confronts a clothing thief. This officer too dies horribly when the thief transforms into a huge monster, half man, half praying mantis. The women's conversation is interrupted by a call from Etta Candy, warning Diana that missing the board meeting could anger General Blankenship enough to damage her career. The real Diana allows WW to change into her Navy uniform and accompanies her to the Acme Corporation factory where the meeting is being held. On the way, the Amazon princess tells her mortal double of the tournament held to determine which Amazon would accompany Trevor back to America, a tournament the headstrong heir to the throne won despite being forbidden to enter. Unnoticed among the throngs of women workers at Acme is the sinister shapeshifter that killed the policeman, intent on assassinating General Douglas MacArthur, one of the VIPs attending the War Production Board meeting. As they approach the factory, Wonder Woman finishes the story of her coming to America with an account of her purchase of Diana Prince's identity, a transaction the real Diana forgot after being placed in the Amazon's magic lasso and commanded to do so. It was this amnesia that caused the real Diana to believe the woman posing as her was an Axis agent using her credentials to infiltrate Military Intelligence. At that moment, a bizarre human/mantis hybrid attacks MacArthur. Turning into Wonder Woman, Princess Diana pauses long enough to erase once again Diana Prince's memories of her dual identity before leaping to the general's defense. MacArthur disdains the heroine's aid but the assassin feels honored to face such a worthy foe. He resumes his true form of Kung, called the Assassin of a Thousand Claws, a Japanese martial arts master who has learned the secret of assuming the actual forms of the animals for which certain of his discipline's stances and movements are named. To underline this assertion, he transforms into a tiger and leaps for Wonder Woman's throat. Behind the ScenesKung says in this issue that his strategy of disguising himself as a woman is a reversal of that used by the Japanese spy Doctor Poison, a woman who posed as a man in the “Wonder Woman” story in Sensation Comics #2 (February 1942). A footnote suggests checking the latest issue of World’s Finest Comics for more information, yet neither the “Wonder Woman” story in the still-on-sale issue #247 nor the one in the forthcoming 248 makes any mention of the villainess. Doctor Poison, in fact, makes no appearances in Earth-Two continuity. ContinuityThis story begins approximately a day after the events of Wonder Woman #236. The Diana Prince subplot in this issue is essentially a retelling of the “Wonder Woman” story in Sensation Comics #9 (September 1942). This version, however, bears almost no resemblance to the original except in the basic concept of Diana Prince returning from South America and making trouble for the Amazon. In the Golden Age story, Diana was married to weapons designer Dan White and briefly flirted with reclaiming her credentials as an act of defiance because hubby didn’t want her to work. At no time in any of their Golden Age encounters did Wonder Woman erase Diana's knowledge of WW's dual identity. This issue’s retelling of Wonder Woman's origin is relatively faithful to the versions related in the “Wonder Woman” story in All-Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942) and in Wonder Woman #1 (Summer 1942). Its only major deviations are in having WW in possession of her magic lasso before first leaving for America and in having Steve Trevor already a major at the time he crashed on Paradise Island. Originally, Diana did not receive the lasso and Captain Trevor was not promoted until the “Wonder Woman” story in Sensation Comics #6 (June 1942). The Good GuysDetails concerning the last appearances of Aphrodite, Hercules and Mala, seen only in flashback in this issue, will be listed when (or if) the characters make their first physical appearances in continuity. This is the first mention of “Amazonium”, the magic metal of which Wonder Woman's bracelets are made, and of the Amazons' “purple healing ray” in Earth-Two continuity. The Bad GuysThe “tiger” Kung transforms into has no stripes, making it look more like a cougar. Fashion WatchEtta Candy's uniform is colored blue instead of olive drab in this issue and the next.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 9, 2015 18:05:02 GMT -5
God, this thread is making me want to reread those Wonder Woman issues. You definitely make 'em sound more appealing than the actual comics... um... did.
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 9, 2015 19:15:22 GMT -5
God, this thread is making me want to reread those Wonder Woman issues. You definitely make 'em sound more appealing than the actual comics... um... did. Even to this day, it is still my favorite era of Wonder Woman. |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 9, 2015 19:47:34 GMT -5
Maybe I should reread 'em. It's been 7-8 years, and I don't remember much.
(Except that I did not think they were good.)
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 9, 2015 20:49:34 GMT -5
They're pretty mediocre, yeah, but compared to any random issue scripted by Robert Kanigher, this run is the freakin' Watchmen.
Cei-U!
I summon the tarnished gold!
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 10, 2015 6:59:38 GMT -5
Secret Society of Super-Villains #11December 1977 (September 19, 1977) $.35  Cover Art: Rich Buckler, signed “A Changing of the Guard” 17 pages Jack C. Harris (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer), Mike Vosburg (Penciller), Joe Orlando (Inker), Ben Oda (Letterer), Jerry Serpe (Colorist) FC: Funky Flashman, Grodd, Plant Master, Star Sapphire, The Wizard, teamed as the Secret Society of Super-Villains GS: Captain Comet SC: Debbie Darnell SC: Gorillas of Gorilla City Cameos: The Angle Man, The Atom, Batman, Bizarro, The Flash, Green Lantern, Poison Ivy, Sinestro, Superman, Wonder Woman, in flashback to DC Special Series #6 (1977); Batman and Superman also appear in flashback to World's Finest Comics #103 Cameos: The Creeper, Kid Flash, Jean Loring, The Trickster, in flashback to previous issue SynopsisWith Grodd back in his Gorilla City jail cell, Funky Flashman schemes to assume leadership of the Secret Society. Star Sapphire and the Plant Master have other plans. The Wizard, offering to explain the Sorcerer's Treasures to the San Francisco district attorney, instead uses them to make his escape. Returning to the Secret Citadel, Wizard reveals the truth: he was Funky's mysterious financier all along,.using magically-created counterfeit money to “pay” the Society to obtain the talismans he needed to restore his waning powers. He teleports the now-useless Funky to New York's Bowery and takes command. ContinuityAccording to this story, the Secret Society has now been active for “several months.” Fashion WatchThis is the first appearance of the Wizard in this costume, which incorporates the cloak of invisibility, the power glove and the power prism.
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