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Post by Rob Allen on Nov 2, 2016 14:40:12 GMT -5
An old memory just re-surfaced - it took until issue #3 or so for me to realize that "1st Issue Special" was the title of a series. For the first few months, I thought DC had come up with a special logo for first issues.
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Post by MDG on Nov 2, 2016 15:53:17 GMT -5
Issue 9, Dr Fate!  I remember thinking that circle of ankhs was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen in comics. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 3, 2016 6:11:20 GMT -5
Great review, codystarbuck!!! That was the first time I saw Dr. Fate... and I was floored! Regarding Horus showing up: that is actually Ra, who is sometimes depicted as a hawk with a sun disk on its head. In fact, the wikipedia entry on Ra almost looks like it took one of its images in this comic!
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Post by MWGallaher on Nov 3, 2016 14:03:28 GMT -5
I thought at the time that this one quite obviously should have moved straight into an ongoing series, and was disappointed that DC dropped this ball.
codystarbuck's comment on Fate's unusual flying posture prompts me to point out that the Golden Age Dr. Fate also had a consistently unique approach to mystical flight: he ran through the air.
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 3, 2016 21:08:22 GMT -5
I thought at the time that this one quite obviously should have moved straight into an ongoing series, and was disappointed that DC dropped this ball. codystarbuck's comment on Fate's unusual flying posture prompts me to point out that the Golden Age Dr. Fate also had a consistently unique approach to mystical flight: he ran through the air. He only ran through the air after they depowered him and gave him his half-helmet. Prior to that, he flew (and quite elegantly, I might add).  Cei-U! I summon the flight path! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 3, 2016 23:32:35 GMT -5
Time for the Outsiders!  The Outsiders is the seminal novel, by SE Hinton, first published in 1967. It features Ponyboy Curtis......... What? Not the book? Okay.......  The Outsiders was a film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Patrick Swayze....... Hunh? not the film either? Oh, comic book!  The Outsiders was the Direct Market edition of Batman & the Outsiders..... Now what? Not that one either? oh, the original Outsiders......  The Outsiders was created by Dave Cockrum, as a spin-off of the Legion of Superheroes. He repurposed one character into Nightcrawler and the costume for another, for Storm. The..... What, for crying out loud? Not Cockrum? Well who the heck..........Joe Simon? Really? Jerry Grandenetti, too, hunh? Okay, if you say so..... Issue 10, The Outsiders!  Okay, first up, a mysterious cover from Ernie Chan, as we see shadows of some strange creatures. not the actual creatures we will see in the story; but, strange nonetheless. We are thrown into things on the first page, as we see a group of weird creatures watching tv:  Now, if that isn't demented enough, we get a scene right out of a toy ad:  We've got a poor, disfigured boy, being attacked by the mob and our heroes are coming to rescue him, complete with mobile van and team of weirdos. Shades of the Doom Patrol! Our heroes leap into the fray as we get our intros. There's Amazing Ronnie, with the multiple arms, Lizard Johnny, the...um, lizard one; Hairy Larry, the dude with the wheels, which are a part of him, apparently, Doc Scary, the guy in the lab coat; and Mighty Mary, who looks like the Thing's niece, if the rest of her family is related to Aquaman or Lori Lemaris. The boy they are rescuing is Billy, the boy with the big head. After they drive off the mob, we find out about their pasts. Johnny was found at sea, by a fisherman. A doctor, forgetting his hippocratic oath, wants to kill him (out of mercy) but he is saved by Doc Goodie. Billy was living in a cellar, under a tailor shop, and is forced to flee for his life when thugs attack his father, wrongly believing he has money stashed in the shabby shop. A fire is started by a thrown oil lamp and Billy flees outside, only to be seen by a mob, who thinks he is a monster, who started it. This will lead back to our opening. Doc Scary turns out to be Doc Goodie, after he was lost in space (without June Lockart and Bill Mumy), wounded in an accident, and repaired by aliens. Unfortunately, they didn't know what humans looked like, so they didn't repair his face properly. I think Joe Simon had been watching too much of the Twilight Zone.  We then skip Hairy Larry, Amazing Ronnie and Mighty Mary and head straight to a modern hospital, right out of a Gerry Anderson Supermarionation show.  Doc Goodie is the idol of patients and horny nurses; but, he rebuffs all, to go down to the hidden sub-basements, to treat his other patients. We see him remove his mask and join the rest of the gang. Then, we are right back at the beginning and the end of the book.  This one is waaaaaaayyyyyy out there. It seems that Simon took a page from Arnold Drake; but, he failed to add the charm and even give it a plot. The story is all over the place. Grandenetti gives us some weird; but, he doesn't seem comfortable in this realm and it's not up there with Bruno Premiani, Bernie Wrightson, Steve Dillon, or Kirby. Like I said, the opening sounds like a comic strip ad for a new toy line, though I doubt the toys would have sold any better. There is a lot of allegory about people being hounded by mobs, and the old tailor definitely brings a Kristallnacht vibe to things. There's a thread of a good idea here; but, it never comes together into a full tapestry. Not surprisingly, other than a cameo in Superman #692, this was the only appearance of this band of freaks. By contrast, the Doom Patrol lasted for 5 years, in their original form, came back in a new group, returned again in another new group, morphed into a mix of new and old, and came back for still more. Simon had handled weird characters before, especially in Fighting American; but, I kind of get the impression that, without Kirby's imagination, they just didn't get fully formed. Simon was having a really hard time in comics, at this point. he had Brother Power, the Geek, for 2 issues, Green Team had the one adventure (though two more were planned), Outsiders just had this, Prez got 4 issues, and the reuniting of Simon & Kirby, on Sandman, had 6 issues (and a 7th story, printed in Best of DC Digest; but, Simon only did the first issue. Simon seemed to be a relic from the past, trying to sound hip to a young audience that wasn't digging it. it took later creators, like Neil Gaiman, to latch onto something with both Brother Power and Prez, and Sandman got his due in a couple of places Whatever the problem was, Simon pretty much left comics behind. Jerry Grandenetti was a fine war comics artist; but, he seemed out of place in both the Green team and this. The Green Team was at least silly enough to spark some playful art. This just seemed to leave Jerry confused. Give him something more realistic or at least fun, and he seemed to excel. He has his moments, here and there, in this story; but, they are just moments. This one just kind of disappoints me. I have trouble getting too enthused with the actual comic. The cover suggests better possibilities and maybe somebody like Ernie Chan would have made the material come alive. The concept isn't bad; it's the execution and complete lack of a real story. Maybe the next one....... |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 4, 2016 5:17:37 GMT -5
Another great (and witty!) review, codystarbuck.
Seeing the Outsiders again after all these years, I remember how I absolutely hated it way back when. I thought the story was okay, but the characters were so hideous that I couldn't develop any other feeling for them than pity. The whole thing seemed drenched in despair and horror, and the characters's attempt at turning their terrible condition around and do good struck me as standing against an unstoppable tide.
But that might just be the idea! This is really pushing the X-Men's credo of defending a world that fears and loathes them to the nth level. And the heroes are so deformed, so hideous, that their deciding to risk everything to help their fellow Man and therefore gain a measure of self-worth is both very commendable and pertectly understandable. Looking at it today, I see the Outsiders as an early Vertigo book!
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 4, 2016 8:31:14 GMT -5
Another great (and witty!) review, codystarbuck. Seeing the Outsiders again after all these years, I remember how I absolutely hated it way back then. I thought the story was okay, but the characters were so hideous that I couldn't develop any other feeling for them than pity. The whole thing seemed drenched in despair and horror, and the characters's attempt at turning their terrible condition around and do good struck me as standing against an unstoppable time. But that might just be the idea! This is really pushing the X-Men's credo of defending a world that fears and loathes them to the nth level. And the heroes are so deformed, so hideous, that their deciding to risk everything to help their fellow Man and therefore gain a measure of self-worth is both very commendable and pertectly understandable. Looking at it today, I see the Outsiders as an early Vertigo book! Yeah, that's the thing; it's a pretty good concept, but, Simon doesn't really seem to have an idea of what the story is. I wonder if he just pitched a plot idea, maybe previously, then it was set aside until they needed an issue here. It's like Simon never actually wrote the story and just had Grandenetti draw the concept. This was the frustrating thing about 1st Issue Special. There are some really good, fully realized stories. Then, there are several good concepts that are allowed to just lie there on the page. It kind of reflects the state of DC, at the time. After Jenette Kahn, DC really seems more focused and intent on creating good comics, not just fill pages with material, hoping it sells. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2016 20:28:11 GMT -5
Issue 9, Dr Fate!   Now that would have been a fantastic cover, that screamed "BUY ME NOW! FALL ON THE FLOOR AND SCREAM UNTIL YOUR MOM GIVES IN! SELL YOUR SOUL FOR THIS COMIC!" This is a truly great story and one of the best Dr Fate tales, bar none. It helped define Fate for years to come, as the threads of this were picked up in the Fate back-up stories, in The Flash, with Kieth Giffen replacing Walt on art. Those stories and this one were later collected in a Baxter format reprint, The Immortal Dr Fate:  This story & the back ups made Dr Fate one of my favorite heroes. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 4, 2016 22:26:39 GMT -5
Issue 11, Code Name: Assassin!  Truth be told, this is my favorite issue of the bunch, though not necessarily for the story itself. This was the first of the series I encountered, new, in the wild (thanks to a friend). I loved it from the moment I saw the cover. I just said, "Now that's cool!" I was really bummed out that the story is left hanging and even more upset that I didn't see the character again. To me, that was Deathstroke, before Deathstroke, though on the side of angels. The pedigree for the character is a bit obvious. Gun-toting heroes go back to the old west, the dime novels and the pulps. The pulps have the biggest influence on comics, with characters like the Shadow and Doc Savage spawning numerous imitators. Some, like the Spider, spawned later imitators, especially the likes of the "men's adventure" pulp heroes, of the 60s and 70s. these were usually soldiers, cops, and government agents, in violent battles against the forces of permissive society. They were, in many ways, a conservative literary attack on the hippie culture and anti-war protests. The greatest of these, arguably, was Mack Bolan, the Executioner, still published today.  Now, confession time; I read a ton of these in my teen years, though I slacked off in college. Mack Bolan was my favorite (I didn't read a Destroyer until a bit later, and have only read one). Gerry Conway also appeared to like the character, since he swiped liberally from him when he created:  Marvel even kind of had to acknowledge it, in a magazine where they presented Frank Castle's origin:  That magazine includes an interview with Mack Bolan creator, Don Pendleton. Now, these things also pull heavily from one Francis Morrison Spillane, known as Mickey, to his friends, and his seminal detective, Mike Hammer:  Now, Gerry Conway, aided by Steve Skeates and the Nestor Redondo Studio presented a new vigilante for DC. First, the cover by Mike Grell, is truly awesome! The guard is standing there, crowing about being safe from the Assassin, while the Assassin sneaks up on him, walking telekinetically on air, about to put one in the back of his head. Grell knows pulp and it's on display here. Now, on to the story.  We see the Assassin riding the airwaves, 30 stories up, while mobsters confer about him. We can already tell he is a feared person and we are about to see why. Assassin crashes into the room, does a flip and takes out a guard with his gun, which we quickly learn fires tranquilizer darts. We can't have gun-toting heroes in comics, yet. This is still the 70s. They may have been all over the movies; but, reagan hadn't yet made them safe for comics. Assassin, it turns out, can read minds, which helps him catch ambushes before they are even set. Mobster Carmody wonders what he wants and the Assassin answers, as he fires a dart; he wants revenge! Assassin reads Carmody's mind, learning where his safe and papers are. Using a mini-blow torch, he burns his way in, thinking about his murdered associate who created it. We are told we will learn more in future issues. Liar! While Assassin is working, one of the guards comes to and fires into his shoulder, catching him unaware. He reacts instantly with a blast of mental energy, which burns out the thug's mind. Try that one Mr Punisher! The police show up and take the crooks into custody, along with evidence handed to them on a silver platter. One of the crowd is Doctor Stone, who has treated Jonathan Drew, our Assassin. He says he is a very sick man, while FBI agent Runyon praises him for helping take out the guys the law can't really touch. Typical men's adventure; the legal system doesn't work, the police are helpless, and only vigilantes can bring justice. It's also at the heart of many comic book superheroes, when you get down to it, especially the pulpier ones, like Batman. The scene shifts to a yacht, where the local mob boss is shouting how he wants the assassin dead and one of his lieutenants tells him he has found specialized muscle to do the trick. We are introduced to Snake and Powerhouse:  They proceed to make mincemeat of the rest of the mobster's goons.  Snake can contort himself and is slippery as an eel, while Powerhouse is not only strong, he can channel electricity. A very deadly duo, indeed. Assassin arrives, via TK airwalking, at a hotel, where he enters his room. Just then, Dr Stone turns on the lights and once again tries to persuade Jonathan to give up his quest for revenge. Jonathan says he can't stop, not after the mobster had his sister killed. We flashback to childhood and see Jonathan and his sister at the graves of their parents. Marie, the sister, is an adult and takes on the responsibility of raising Jonathan. Later, at college, he takes part in Dr Stone's ESP experiments, since he is flunking his class. The doc wires him into a gizmo, which will test his abilities, when an assistant trips on the chord. Before you can say OSHA, a blast ensues.  Jonathan wakes up in a hospital, where he finds out he has telekinesis and other mental abilities, thanks to feedback from the explosion. Later, after he is released, his sister is telling him about how she has supported them, by working for mobster Victor Grummun. As they walk, a car speeds by and Marie is shot in the back, killing her. Jonathan reacts in rage, launching a mental bolt the explodes the car, one upping anything Drew Barrymore did, in Firestarter. We return to the present, where Jonathan concludes his memory, breaking a bottle in rage. Dr Stone is concerned about the cuts from the broken glass, when Jonathan demonstrates another mental power, the ability to rapidly heal wounds, with mental energy. Like I said, he was deathstroke before Deathstroke. Jonathan goes back on the warpath, infiltrating Grummun's yacht. He takes out the guards and is moving about, when he picks up on thoughts of men about to strike.  Assassin ducks under Snake's leap and then tries to deck Powerhouse, to no effect. he is double-teamed and tackled from behind, when he floats away and lands. Our story comes to an abrupt end as he faces off against the pair of killers, wondering if he can beat them We never got to find out. This did not continue. However, Jonathan Drew did come back, some 30 years later, during the Coming of Atlas storyline, in the Superman titles and plays a big role in Gen Sam Lane's schemes. Unfortunately, he is used as a villain and assassin, target at Superman and responsible for several murders, robbing us of a heroic Assassin, though how heroic can a character called Assassin be? Like I said, I loved this one. It has plenty of action, and very creative action at that. the mental abilities give the character a boost, even if he is made non-lethal, hamstringing a vigilante protagonist. The back story is rather cliched, borrowing from every revenge story and several superhero origins. However, visually, the Redondo Studio goes to town. he has a snazzy ble costume, with bronzish-orange gloves and buccaneer boots, as well as duel holsters and dart guns. He's got multiple nifty little cartridges, including the mini-torch we see earlier in the story. The Filipino artists excelled at this kind of stuff, as these were the kinds of tales you found in many of their native comics; lots of detectives, secret agents, and two-fisted heroes. These guys knew how to make this exciting. This is loaded with potential, which is why I can't fathom why it didn't continue. Conway was getting pretty good cachet with DC editorial and got to revive the New Gods and take over the JLA. perhaps he was too busy; perhaps they were squeamish about a character who walked the edge like that. This is still before the 80s, when gun-toting vigilantes were all the rage and treated like public heroes. Then, we got a steady diet of The A-Team, The Equalizer, Dirty Harry, the Punisher, the Vigilante, Wild Dog, and movies like Exterminator, Commando, and Lethal Weapon. Maybe the time just wasn't right, yet. By the 80s, Marv Wolfman and George Perez had introduced Deathstroke, who stole a lot of Assassin's thunder, except for the mental abilities. One wonder what would have happened if the pair had met up, on opposite sides (unless that has been done and I missed it. |
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Post by hondobrode on Nov 5, 2016 12:23:34 GMT -5
Deathstroke shares the same colors
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 5, 2016 18:14:50 GMT -5
Deathstroke shares the same colors More of less, yeah; slightly different shades, but not too far away. He is a bit more swashbuckling, though, which certainly helped. With Deathstroke, the buccaneer boots make sense, as they fit his personality and flamboyance. Assassin seems so reserved, you wonder why the character would choose that. i'm sure the artists did because they were cool and a lot fo characters were getting them, around that time. I never quite understood the color accents on the mask and chest. They don't really seem to symbolize anything I can identify. The only thing they seem to do is break up the blue, to let the costume read better, visually. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 5, 2016 20:22:03 GMT -5
First up, just because: RIP David Robert Jones (aka David Bowie, aka Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Jareth), our Starman 1947-2016 Issue 12, Starman!  Okay, remember what I said previously, about Joe Kubert and superhero covers? Forget that. This one makes me eat crow! Kubert gives us a fantastic look at our new, alien hero, as he fights against some kind of spacecraft, high above a city. It's a great composition that shows off our hero and gives us a feel for what he can do. Inside, we meet Mikaal Tomas, our Starman (third to bear the name, if you count Batman masquerading as a new hero, called Starman, in 1951, in Detective Comics #247).  He is unnamed at this point. Our story is from Gerry Conway and Mike Vosburg. Something has crash-landed in the North Bronx. Some eyewitnesses claim it was an alien, authorities say it was a meteor. Those on-scene were right. Our blue-skinned alien flies out of the crashing spaceship and lands groggily. Our group of observers have personal grudges against the space race, which is a new one for bigotry, i must say. They try to mug our alien, who responds in the universal language of aliens, as seen in The Day The Earth Stood Still: The alien proceeds to whoop their hides, real good! He is a tiger in battle and leaves the group lying on the pavement, as he pulls a switchblade out of his side and moves on. That's pretty badass! Our scene shifts to the crash site, where police detectives have arrived, who begin to playfully bicker, wondering what's going on. their repartee is interrupted by an Air Force colonel, in an Army uniform, based on the incorrect coloring. Civilians; whatta ya gonna do? Ignoring the Constitution and the jurisdiction of local agencies, the colonel says he is in charge. Unfortunately, he's in charge of a disaster, as the ship explodes, releasing debris, which kills one of the cops. Meanwhile, our hero has entered a locked grocery store and finds himself facing the owner, with a rifle. He uses his amulet and the weapon disappears, then, the alien passes out. The shop owner thinks he needs help more than the cops; but, also wants to exploit the amulet's power. Things shift to the moon and a domed city. There, we see more blue-skinned aliens and their leader is berating a subordinate for the escape of the traitor, Mikaal Tomas. he was to be executed, but escaped and the leader, Komak (creator of Welcome Back Kotter www.imdb.com/name/nm0464506/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) decides to take his anger out on the poor schlub who let him get away. A sexy alien chick (with a nice boob window) watches and approves of the choice of Komak to lead. komak retorts that he took what was his by right and the gal says; "sure, whatever..." Intriguing! Sound like Komak isn't quite the power he thinks he is. A Nice tantalizing glimpse of things to come... Komak has tasked a mind-slaver, First Guardsman of the Worldstone, Turran Kha to hunt down Mikaal Tomas and kill him; but, first, he wants to see him smash a chair. The poor chair, that did nothing but support his commander (and his commander's butt), is smooshed like an aluminum can. Our story shifts back to Mikaal, who is having a flashback, which is giving me spacio-temporal whiplash. We see a woman named Lyssa, who means something to Mikaal, arguing with him. She says Komak is insane and she is going to warn the Earth about his plans of conquest and destruction. Mikaal tries to stop her; but she storms off. A guard overhears her and disintegrates her (didn't have on her disintegration-proof vest). Mikaal loses it and goes apedoo-doo on the guard.  Mikaal is subdued and put in alien bondage gear and put on trial. He farts in their general direction as they sentence him to death. The hot alien chick and Komak are part of the tribunal. Mikaal is led off for execution, when he kicks the guard in the gut (left his legs free) and then is able to grab a gun (left his wrists free) and blast off the arm binders (without opening a hole in his back or head; neat bit of shooting!). And, then, we're back on Earth, where Starman is waking up. Franklin (the shop owner) and his wife Ruth attempt to the alien. he speaks his language, then demonstrates ability to speak English. Mikaal tells the couple that his people came to conqueror Earth due to emotional needs, not out of desire for resources or territory. Franklin sends Ruth off, then speaks privately to Mikaal. makaal says that Franklin doesn't believe him and Franklin says he knew the man was in trouble and needs a real doctor. Mikaal says he knows Ruth is calling the police and that he is leaving. We shift to the funeral for the slain detective, where our Air Force colonel-in-Army uniform is waiting for the surviving detective, to show him another ship, sitting in New York Harbor. he remarks that it is an orbital shuttle, similar to the one NASA is developing (Remember those days? I do, as my family visited Cape Canaveral around this time and my uncle was an engineer at Rockwell, working on the design team for the fuel tank). The shuttle is empty, meaning we have an alien spy in our midst! We shift elsewhere in the city, where Turran Kha heads off to hunt Mikaal. We then see Mikaal site-seeing, remarking about strange fashions (it was the 70s...) and the warmth he feels from the planet and people. Then Kha shows up and they face off like Jets and Sharks when our story comes to an abrupt halt.  Great story, with a lot of intrigue and some groovy sideburns. The design of things is pure 70s, right down to Mikaal's plunging neckline and gold chain & medallion. All he needs is some puffy chest hair and a cocaine spoon. Conway has really crafted some interesting characters and situations and makes you want to see what is next. it's a bit dizzying, with the shift in locales and time-frames. He's jamming too much into one issue, which would have played out better over a few issues. Unfortunately, we weren't going to get more issues. Part of the reason may be Vosburg's art. he's a good artist; but, he was young and raw, and didn't have Walt Simonson's ability to pull you in and dazzle you with action. He doesn't have the experience of a Rosenburg or Grandenetti, let alone the genius of a Kirby or talent of a Grell. He makes a good showing; but, it's rough. Walt would have got this a series; not doubt. Well, maybe one doubt, sci-fi didn't have a history of selling, so Carmine Infantino was reluctant to back it. We are still a year and a half away from Star Wars, when everyone was falling all over themselves to put out sci-fi comics. This probably would have gone to series, had it come out in December of '77, instead of '75. Starman would return; but, it was a new character, Prince Gavyyn, as drawn by Steve Ditko:  He would be followed by Will Payton:  David Knight  and, then, brother Jack  It is here we pick up the story of Mikaal.  We learn that Mikaal has been a prisoner in a hellish carnival freakshow, by an emotional vampire. Jack Knight, in his first act of deliberate heroism (and one of my favorite early storylines, as he takes his first steps to being a true hero), frees the performers from their slavery and ends up bringing Mikaal back, where he is looked after by Ted. Mikaal is childlike and nearly comatose, until the Mist (Nash) returns to unleash hell upon the Knight clan, which includes attacking and torturing Mikaal. bad idea. it awakens the warrior within and Mist's goons pay the price. We eventually learn the full story of Mikaal Tomas.  Here, we see a drug-addled Mikaal, in full disco-suited glory, snorting cocaine in a bathroom, in fine Studio 54 tradition. We get a bit of a recap, and connections to Bowie (who would have rocked as Mikaal), and see Mikaal indulging in the hedonism of the 70s. Eventually, another blue-skinned, bald man introduces himself to Mikaal, who can't recall him. The stranger proceeds to inform Mikaal about his race and Lyssa's treason, as well as Mikaal's own. We are yteased with snippets about the outcome of the battle with Turran Kha, , the Randolph Twins (??), Mighty Zag (  ) and untold encounters with Green Lantern Alan Scott and J'onn'J'onzz. The stranger also relates of the death of their race, thanks to attacking Daxxam (home of Mon-El) and intervention by a Darkstar. The stranger tells Mikaal that they are the last two of their kind, near Earth, as the others either killed themselves or fled into space. This man has come to kill Mikaal, before heading off into space, himself. We learn that the stranger was led astray from his task. He remarks that Mikaal loves the chemicals, and Mikaal responds that he found they helped after the loss of the need for him as a hero. That lack of purpose ate at him and he found himself drawn to the drugs and the party lifestyle. the stranger remarks that, for him, it was sexual relationships. As a result, he has contracted a disease (presumed to be AIDS) and is dying. He wants a more glorious death. He brings out a training device, which will let the pair fight on the astral plane, with the crowd none the wiser. Mikaal asks what will happen if he refuses to fight. The stranger laughs and tells him it is the battle he misses and gives his name: Komak. He gives Mikaal a new pill to swallow. It awakens some of the memories of Mikaal and they do battle, to a disco beat. Mikaal wins, killing Komak and awakens in the club, with his amulet embedded in his chest. He leaves and goes out into the night street. He is filled with sorrow and a rush of purpose, though still addled with drugs. he becomes easy pray for syringe-wielding men, men who will place him int the nightmare freakshow, feeding him a diet of drugs and torment. However, there is still a 12 year gap from this battle and when Bliss (the carnival master) claimed that Mikaal joined the show. We eventually learn a little about it, as Mikaal follows Jack into space, in search of Will Payton. On Rann, he encounters Turran Kha and they battle to the death. Returning to space changed Mikaal. he would return to Earth, for more adventures. Mikaal would end up to be the most fully realized character introduced in 1st Issue Special, apart from Warlord (who came already developed and was given an immediate series to showcase his character). James Robinson did far more with the character than even Gerry Conway dreamed, aided by some brilliant artists. I highly recommend checking out Robinson's Starman series, the finest superhero book of the 90s; and, one of the best comics, period. It is Robinson's masterpiece and he has lived in its shadow, ever since. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 5, 2016 21:29:44 GMT -5
ps. I forgot to mention how much of this story was owed to the original Mar-Vell stories in Marvel Super Heroes, when their version of Captain Marvel debuted. Let's see; alien conquering race, warrior turns traitor, lover is killed by the villain, cosmic powers aiding Earth people. Check, check, check and double-check! Gerry Conway could be a bit derivative, after leaving Marvel (and while there). Both he and Marv Wolman always seemed to be trying to recreate the success of Spider-man, with the same basic formula (Nova, Firestorm, the Teen Titans, the Detroit JLA).
So, does that mean Mikaal is in for a bout with cancer? A teen sidekick? Will he be replaced by a woman?
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197 
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Post by Confessor on Nov 6, 2016 7:15:13 GMT -5
I thought at the time that this one quite obviously should have moved straight into an ongoing series, and was disappointed that DC dropped this ball. codystarbuck's comment on Fate's unusual flying posture prompts me to point out that the Golden Age Dr. Fate also had a consistently unique approach to mystical flight: he ran through the air. Like Herbie Popnecker.  |
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) and untold encounters with Green Lantern Alan Scott and J'onn'J'onzz. The stranger also relates of the death of their race, thanks to attacking Daxxam (home of Mon-El) and intervention by a Darkstar. The stranger tells Mikaal that they are the last two of their kind, near Earth, as the others either killed themselves or fled into space. This man has come to kill Mikaal, before heading off into space, himself. We learn that the stranger was led astray from his task. He remarks that Mikaal loves the chemicals, and Mikaal responds that he found they helped after the loss of the need for him as a hero. That lack of purpose ate at him and he found himself drawn to the drugs and the party lifestyle. the stranger remarks that, for him, it was sexual relationships. As a result, he has contracted a disease (presumed to be AIDS) and is dying. He wants a more glorious death. He brings out a training device, which will let the pair fight on the astral plane, with the crowd none the wiser. Mikaal asks what will happen if he refuses to fight. The stranger laughs and tells him it is the battle he misses and gives his name: Komak. He gives Mikaal a new pill to swallow. It awakens some of the memories of Mikaal and they do battle, to a disco beat. Mikaal wins, killing Komak and awakens in the club, with his amulet embedded in his chest. He leaves and goes out into the night street. He is filled with sorrow and a rush of purpose, though still addled with drugs. he becomes easy pray for syringe-wielding men, men who will place him int the nightmare freakshow, feeding him a diet of drugs and torment. However, there is still a 12 year gap from this battle and when Bliss (the carnival master) claimed that Mikaal joined the show.
