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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 25, 2017 17:27:30 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #13  Now, how about a little appropriate music, for that image? Our story finds Mister Miracle trying a new escape, with Oberon in his usual panic, though Barda seems to have become used to Scott's ability to escape these things. She is also wearing some snazzy new, fashionable threads.  Of course, Scott makes it out and everyone is celebrating, when a weird helicopter appears overhead and snatches up Ted Brown. It next grabs Scott and Barda in some magnetic field, pinning them against the hull of the craft. Since they can't pull away, Barda decides to punch her way inside and begins attacking their abductors, who appear to be wearing flower pots on their heads...  Can it be? Has Mister Miracle been attacked by............. DEVO?  ?  Barda has had enough; she's Through Being Cool! She uses her Freedom of Choice to Whip It (whip it good!) Her attackers respond, " Are We Not Men?" However, Barda is just a girl, The Girl U Want and she plays a game of Peekaboo (ha...ha...ha...ha...). She sends the attackers to find Doctor Detroit. The craft speeds to the far side of the world and approaches a lamasery, in the Himalayas. Scott and Barda are dumped out of the craft, remotely, while it lands with Ted. He is brought before the boss, King Komodo, who speaks with a German accent and seems to know Ted. Meanwhile, Scott flies Barda down and lends her his cape, since her mini-skirt isn't doing much to keep her warm, though I certainly feel a bit warm, looking at it. They find a gateway and barda decides to say, "Ding, dong, Avon calling!" and rips of the gate. They enter a tunnel and finds themselves being fired upon. Barda picks up a large rock and demonstrates why she always wins at bowling. Scott and Barda run through the temple and see swastika symbols and an idol, called Dafura. They find Ted in a glass cage and he remarks about the Nazi imagery and how the idol looks like Hitler (Der Fuhrer). Ted Says he knows why he is kidnapped and then the heroes are blasted and stunned. Ted reveals that King Komodo is Nazi war criminal Albert Von Killowitz (cool name!). The criminal appears on a screen and says he is King Komodo now! Komodo activates hidden traps, surrounding the trio in a cage of dripping acid. Scott has Barda cover them with his cape, which repels the acid. Komodo offers to free them, if Scott can defeat his traps. Scott agrees and heads into the gauntlet. He comes to a cylindrical tunnel and enters, when it suddenly pitches up. He has walked into a massive cannon, rather like Yosemite Sam. (sorry about the quality and the idiot opening a pop-top) Scott burns his way out of the cannon and then avoids some swinging axes and other devices. He then sends out probe beams, which find Komodo and take mental control of him (That's a new one!). He forces Komodo to free the prisoners and order a jet to take them and Komodo to safety. The gang flies off with Komodo and Ted tells of how he medo Von Killowitz in Korea, after being captured. he was taken into China, with Von Killowitz, though he escaped. Von Killowitz came after him to silence him. Now, he will stand trial for war crimes. More fun, with plenty of smashing for Barda and escaping for Scott, while we learn a bit about Ted Jr's past (since he was believed dead by his father, in the first issue). The ending seems a bit deus ex machina; but, there is enough fun along the way that I give it a pass. I like Barda's new clothes and it's nice to see her adjusting to her new world. This is one of the elements picked up on in the DeMatteis series, in the late 80s, where we see the couple try to retire to suburbia. I mean, I like Barda in her bikini outfit and battlesuit; but, it's cool to see her in normal fashions too. It's kind of like watching Game of Thrones and seeing Brienne take off her armor and slip into Mary Tyler Moore's wardrobe.   Again, we see why Mister Miracle stuck around a while longer, when the rest of the 4th World ended. It's more superhero-is and just plain fun. Now, more Devo... |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 25, 2017 17:33:16 GMT -5
ps In the Mister Miracle casting, I recommend Gwendoline Christie for Barda. She has the size, the acting chops and she is pretty adept at delivering a comedic line. Pair her with Peter Dinklage as Oberon and you have comedy gold and action & adventure.
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Post by berkley on Jan 25, 2017 21:09:08 GMT -5
I haven't read Hunger Dogs in a long time, but I remember getting the impression that Kirby had moved on from his original ideas and perhaps even his original enthusiasm for the project over the intervening years. But it's still an intriguing work and makes some very important points about technology and the mechanisation of war, as Codystarbuck points out. I think of it as an alternative ending, one of the many possibilities left open due to the unfinished status of the original series.
Also. I think I read somewhere that the version of Hunger Dogs published by DC was significantly different to what Kirby had wanted to do even at that time. Can't recall the details at the moment - maybe Peter Sanderson gets into it in his commentary; will have to read that later on.
One minor point: personally, I never read the Orion/Eve Donner relationship as a romantic one, though I suppose the possibility was there if Kirby had decided to take it in that direction later on. But as the scene stands, I read it more as more as straightforward human compassion on Ms. Donner's part, rather than any romantic interest in Orion or vica versa.
I didn't find the sudden romance with Bekka jarring: in the kind of mythic story Kirby was writing, that kind of thing happens. I remember an Irish legend where a princess fell in love with Cu Chulainn without ever having seen him, "because of all the beautiful stories they used to tell about him". I see it as part of the more-than-human nature of these characters: they're living embodiments of ideas, of fundamental drives and emotions; they don't necessarily go through the kind of psychologically nuanced development we expect from characters in a realist drama. Of course, it's possible that Kirby had developed the relationship and that those pages were cut or self-censored due to lack of space, or whatever. But the Bekka story works fine for me as it is.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 25, 2017 22:59:34 GMT -5
I haven't read Hunger Dogs in a long time, but I remember getting the impression that Kirby had moved on from his original ideas and perhaps even his original enthusiasm for the project over the intervening years. But it's still an intriguing work and makes some very important points about technology and the mechanisation of war, as Codystarbuck points out. I think of it as an alternative ending, one of the many possibilities left open due to the unfinished status of the original series. Also. I think I read somewhere that the version of Hunger Dogs published by DC was significantly different to what Kirby had wanted to do even at that time. Can't recall the details at the moment - maybe Peter Sanderson gets into it in his commentary; will have to read that later on. One minor point: personally, I never read the Orion/Eve Donner relationship as a romantic one, though I suppose the possibility was there if Kirby had decided to take it in that direction later on. But as the scene stands, I read it more as more as straightforward human compassion on Ms. Donner's part, rather than any romantic interest in Orion or vica versa. I didn't find the sudden romance with Bekka jarring: in the kind of mythic story Kirby was writing, that kind of thing happens. I remember an Irish legend where a princess fell in love with Cu Chulainn without ever having seen him, "because of all the beautiful stories they used to tell about him". I see it as part of the more-than-human nature of these characters: they're living embodiments of ideas, of fundamental drives and emotions; they don't necessarily go through the kind of psychologically nuanced development we expect from characters in a realist drama. Of course, it's possible that Kirby had developed the relationship and that those pages were cut or self-censored due to lack of space, or whatever. But the Bekka story works fine for me as it is. I was referring more to Himon's thought balloon, when Orion speaks of finding love on Apokolips, as Bekka first enters the room. She and Orion hadn't yet met, as it stands. The page order was shuffled from what Kirby turned in, and a later scene feels like it should have preceded it. It just reads like we are missing a scene. As for Eve Danner, I mean that there seemed like the possibility that Orion might find love there, based on the compassion she showed. That, too, is a frequent element of mythical tales. Beauty and the beast, and all that. |
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Post by berkley on Jan 26, 2017 1:08:01 GMT -5
I haven't read Hunger Dogs in a long time, but I remember getting the impression that Kirby had moved on from his original ideas and perhaps even his original enthusiasm for the project over the intervening years. But it's still an intriguing work and makes some very important points about technology and the mechanisation of war, as Codystarbuck points out. I think of it as an alternative ending, one of the many possibilities left open due to the unfinished status of the original series. Also. I think I read somewhere that the version of Hunger Dogs published by DC was significantly different to what Kirby had wanted to do even at that time. Can't recall the details at the moment - maybe Peter Sanderson gets into it in his commentary; will have to read that later on. One minor point: personally, I never read the Orion/Eve Donner relationship as a romantic one, though I suppose the possibility was there if Kirby had decided to take it in that direction later on. But as the scene stands, I read it more as more as straightforward human compassion on Ms. Donner's part, rather than any romantic interest in Orion or vica versa. I didn't find the sudden romance with Bekka jarring: in the kind of mythic story Kirby was writing, that kind of thing happens. I remember an Irish legend where a princess fell in love with Cu Chulainn without ever having seen him, "because of all the beautiful stories they used to tell about him". I see it as part of the more-than-human nature of these characters: they're living embodiments of ideas, of fundamental drives and emotions; they don't necessarily go through the kind of psychologically nuanced development we expect from characters in a realist drama. Of course, it's possible that Kirby had developed the relationship and that those pages were cut or self-censored due to lack of space, or whatever. But the Bekka story works fine for me as it is. I was referring more to Himon's thought balloon, when Orion speaks of finding love on Apokolips, as Bekka first enters the room. She and Orion hadn't yet met, as it stands. The page order was shuffled from what Kirby turned in, and a later scene feels like it should have preceded it. It just reads like we are missing a scene. As for Eve Danner, I mean that there seemed like the possibility that Orion might find love there, based on the compassion she showed. That, too, is a frequent element of mythical tales. Beauty and the beast, and all that. The possibility was there, for sure. I didn't mean to imply that your reading was wrong, just talking about the impressions I have from my own readings over the years. It's been a while, and it's possible it might read your way to me next time I look at that comic. I didn't remember that detail about Bekka in the Hunger Dogs. Yeah, that does sound like something was left out. Forgot to mention that I too enjoy the domestic scenes where Barda and Scott Free are just haging around, living their lives. Some of my favourite FF scenes are of that kind as well, especially when Crystal was part of the team. Kirby had a knack for making those scenes work - perhaps surprisingly so, given that he's so famous for his action scenes and monumental spaceships, and so on. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 29, 2017 14:55:24 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #14  Whhhhhooooooo, spooooky! Mark Evanier has written that when the axe fell on the 4th World, very little at DC was selling (so it wasn't just Kirby); except, the "mystery" titles. Carmine asked Jack for some of that. That would lead to Demon, which I will cover in a bit. It also led to Jack inserting more horror elements in Mister Miracle, giving him the best of both worlds: superhero and supernatural. For a bit of context, the second highest grossing film of 1973 was The Exorcist. So, on with the scary stuff... Our story opens with Scott and Oberon walking in the woods, when a monster comes running through! They follow and soon find other monsters, who have grabbed him...  You want horror? Nobody does monsters better than Kirby! One of the ghouls throws a capsule, which explodes, though Scott and Oberon escape its effects. They track the monsters down to the previously mentioned Satan's Lair (sounds like a strip club), which is a spooky old house, with goatheads and such on the gates. A green van with teenagers and a dog drive by....... ...Whoops! Sorry, that was Scooby Doo! Scott and Oberon do the polite thing and knock on the door and are let in. There, they encounter Madame Evil Eyes, who runs the Satan Club (actually, now it sounds like a brothel).  She kind of looks like the long-lost, spinster sister of Sideshow Bob. She puts the whammy on Scott and Oberon. While this goes on, Barda and the Furies are doing a bit of landscaping. Stompa upstages Lashina by stomping tree stumps into the ground, which leads to a fights, which leads to Barda stepping in...  Notice we actually get to see Stompa's eyes! Back at the Lair, Scott os offered to Satan (a big monster statue) and disappears, only to reappear behind Madame Evil Eyes' men, where he proceeds to launch an ambush. He and Oberon skeedaddle, while being chased and get dropped down a trapdoor, into a cell below. There they find the original monster and they remove his head, revealing mobster "Ears" Watson. Watson gets zapped with a freeze gun, by a hand reaching through a portal in the wall. Scott disarms the hand; but, more assaults are launched and he and Oberon have to run through a gauntlet of deathtraps. Scott's finally had enough and he uses his gauntlets to send electrical shockwaves through the house (which must be where Bob Haney got the idea for them, for the BATB issues). Now, the tables are turned and Madame EE takes it on the lam, running to the tower room to rescue something. Scott and Oberon intercept her and reveal that she runs a gang of hijackers and thieves and they have been stealing advanced weaponry and selling it. She was after the booty and her money. She turns her power on Scott, who repels it, thanks to the circuitry in his mask and knocks her out. It turns out she was a mutant. This whole thing does read like an episode of Scooby Doo, only with more violence than the censors allowed. It's too bad Kirby didn't go into animation sooner; just imagine what he could have done with Scooby Doo... This is a light issue, filled with plenty of action and an old-fashioned haunted house mystery. It's nothing special; but, it is entertaining. Kirby's monster designs are great and the house is suitably decrepit and spooky. There's plenty of signature Kirby action. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 29, 2017 15:46:38 GMT -5
So, while Kirby was working on the 4th World and sales were shaky (in DC's eyes, at least) Carmine asked Kirby for some new ideas and specifically asked him to create something that could, well..."ape" the success of the Planet of the Apes franchise. The entire country had "Gone Ape!" with reissues of the movies and a merchandising campaign, culminating in a tv series, in 1974. I don't know if Carmine failed to get the Apes comic book license (Marvel didn't launch a series until 1974, when the tv show was on air) or whether he didn't want to split the revenue and just wanted a version that DC would control. Kirby wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of copying something else, though he had been known to borrow elements from other media. So, Kirby came up with the story of a post-apocalyptic future and The Last Boy on Earth! Kamandi #1  How's that for a cover? I remember first seeing it in a DC house ad, back in the day and the image stuck with me. I wanted to see what was in that comic; but, never encountered it (until much, much later). It tells you everything you need to know; the Earth is devastated, we see a historical landmark in ruins, and a lone boy paddling a liferaft. The raft suggests survival, the Statue of liberty, destruction. How is a boy to survive in this environment? Let's find out. Our story begins with Kamandi paddling through what was once New York City...  We are told that Kamdi is a descendant of survivors of the holocaust, who lived in underground bunkers, at Command D. All that is left is Kamandi and his grandfather. Kamandi can't believe this was once a proud city, as it is now reclaimed by the sea. He paddles up the Hudson river, where he encounters other humans, who run in panic when he calls them. As he progresses he witnesses an explosion at the area of his home bunker. He arrives to find wolf creatures attacking and his grandfather dead. Kamandi fights back and is able to kill the attackers, using electrical cables to electrocute them. he takes their truck and decides to head out, to seek his fate. Along the way, Kamandi encounters a pack of horsemen, charging into battle...  Kamndi saves the leader of the tigers from a sniper and finds himself rewarded by being captured and carried off. he see that the mounted tigers are fighting leopards, who lose the battle. The tigers return to their home, while Kamandi is packed off in a dog catcher's wagon and taken to kennels. There, he is fed with other humans, but escapes. he finds a mad city ruled by tigers, with dogs and other creatures as well. He is recaptured and brought to the king as he unveils their idol, the Great Warhead, a nuclear missile, rising from a silo. Kamandi recognizes it and leaps to action, stealing the king's laser sceptre, which he uses to try to destroy the warhead. he is stopped by Dr Canus, the scientific mind working for the king. Canus begs the king to allow him to train the boy, rather than beat him and the king agrees. Canus takes Kamndi to his lab and introduces him to another human, capable of speech: Ben Boxer. Boxer is wearing a spacesuit, which helps him control the nuclear reaction he creates; Ben is a living A-bomb! So, our story ends, with promises of more action and adventure to come. The story is almost beat for beat taken from the first Planet of the Apes film, with elements of Beneath the Planet of the Apes added, for good measure. We see the devastated Statue of Liberty, mute humans who flee from a speaking one, animal raiders, men carried off in animal cages, men kept in "kennels," worshipping nuclear weapons, a friendly creature, and an astronaut-looking human. All straight from the POTA playbook. However, Kirby isn't just doing a rip-off; he is tweaking it here and there, adding his own touches. He has added a variety of animal-men, who fight each other. There's plenty of action, in the grand Kirby fashion, including some epic scenes of classic warfare. Kirby also gets to indulge in technology, in various forms. For a rip-off, there is enough unique material to bring you back. Plus, Kirby excels at this stuff. There is a grandeur to the wastes of New York and the countryside. Kirby brings the animal-men to life and gives them personality. The book brims with Kirby wonder, even if the story isn't particularly original. It's a good start. Kirby gives us a parting image of the continent of North America, in Kamndi's time...  Kirby would get to revisit this sort of world, later, when he departed comics for animation. He went to work for the Ruby-Spears studio (run by the brains behind Scooby Doo), where he created designs for their new series, Thundarr the Barbarian. It brimmed with Kirby imagery, including Gemini, the two-faced wizard, and plenty of devastated territory. It gave you a feel of what Kamandi would look like, as an animated series; something that wouldn't happen for 30 years, in a slightly different way. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 29, 2017 16:45:51 GMT -5
One of the other things Carmine Infantino asked of Kirby was to create something that would delve into the "mystery" world. Thanks to the Comics Code, you couldn't call a comic book a "horror" title; it had to be "weird" or "mystery." By 1972, sales on most of DC's line were way down; but, their "mystery" books were selling. So, Carmine asked for something like that, from Kirby. Kirby came up with a mixture of horror and Prince Valiant, giving us Etrigan.... The Demon #1  To long-time comic strip fans, the Demon looked sort of familiar...    Kirby isn't the first artist to borrow from Hal Foster; it's a tradition that is as old as comic books. With Kirby, it is more an homage than a swipe (a very fine distinction, to be sure) and it is more a setting, than a concept. Our sory opens in the mythical days of King Arthur, as Camelot is under attack by the forces of Morgaine Le Fey...  Kirby isn't an "illustrator', in the style of Foster; but, he knows how to stage a battle. His world almost feels truer, as he captures the savagery of battle. Foster's is the work of illustrated manuscripts of the Middle Ages and the tales of Mallory; Kirby's is the imagery of tales told around campfires, in the ancient traditions. It is the myth of the common tongue, rather than the academic and romantic tales of the learned. Camelot is falling to Morgaine; but, Merlin has an ace up his sleeve. he summons back his demon servant, Etrigan, and tasks him to protect the Book of Eternity, th prize that Morgaine seeks. he snds Etrigan away and we see him transform into a man...the future Jason Blood.  Many centuries later, we see Jason Blood, a demonologist, consulting with a man named Warly (who appears to be inspired by Alistair Crowley, based on the name and nature), an authority on the subject. Warly gives Blood a demonstration of real magic, as he brings a suit of armor to life and sicks it on Jason. Jason defeats it; but, is knocked unconscious. it is then we see Warly's true master. or should I say "mistress?"  Morgaine has found Merlin's Demon and knows he will soon lead her to Merlin and the Book of Eternity. Jason wakes up outside the Warly house, where he is found by a beat cop. He see ruins, where once there was a full house (without the Olsen twins). Strange goings on. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Eastern Europe, a statue comes to life and walks off. The setting looks like it came out of a mix of Hammer Horror and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. In fact, the police inspector reminds me quite a bit of Kenneth Mars...   Back in the US, Jason Blood is sparring again Randu, a sikh who works at the UN, as does Jason Blood. They talk of a party, as they trade falls. We cut to the party, where Jason is impressing his date, a friend of Randu and his wife, who are playing matchmaker. We meet Glenda, Jason's date, Randu's wife, Gomali, and Harry Matthews and his date, Mona. Harry is the clown of the bunch and bears a bit of a resemblance to Kirby, with his cigar. A bit of quirky fun is mixed with the revelation that one of the portraits of a Blood ancestor was painted by Rembrandt Van Rijn! A knock at the door interrupts the festivities and Jason meets the walking statue, who is dressed for travel...  Only Kirby could get away with a statue dressed in an overcoat, scarf and sunglasses! The statue gives Jason a message and he heads off to Castle Branek. Morgaine is observing all of this, via a two-way mirror, from the apartment next door. Who needs magic when you can use modern spy trickery? Jason arrives in Wolfenstag, near Castle Branek and the only thing missing is Peter Cushing.  Jason enters the gates of Castle Branek and is attacked by evil piano tuners...  Jason is called from the fight, to a crypt below. he encounters gargoyles and other ghoulies, and finds a tomb with an inscription, and the Demon is reborn...  Well, isn't this a world of fun? Kirby hits us with some Prince Valiant-on-steroids at the start, then turns it into a Hammer film, with touches of Mel Brooks (and Universal monsters). He then caps it with the opening stages of a battle with dark forces. It's a nice mix of things, as we get ancient history, some modern weirdness, some cinematic horror, and some playful domestic scenes. Jason's apartment brings to mind the later dwelling of one Connor MacLeod, a Highlander of some note...   Kirby's design for Morgaine is rather unique and recalls his design of Hela and Karnilla, in Thor...   .jpg) So, an interesting start to things, filled with classic horror and adventure elements. What does Kirby have in store for us? |
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Post by james on Jan 29, 2017 20:59:24 GMT -5
Over the Summer I was able to read th he whole 4th World run in 5 omnibus. Loved it. Probably some of Kirby's best work other than Thor.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 1, 2017 16:52:42 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #15  Kirby introduces us to a new character here, Shilo Norman, the future Mister Miracle. Our story finds Shilo, along with a police officer, Lt. Driver, visiting Scott's workshop. Kirby engages us with the most Freudian image of Barda, a giant nutcracker, and Scott caught between its pincers...  YEOUCH!!!!!!!!! Scott practices his escape and every male who reads it crosses his legs and winces. We learn that Shilo witnessed his brother's murder and can ID the killer. Lt. Driver brought him to Scott for safekeeping. A hitman tries to kill him with a grenade, which Shilo scoops up and throws back, though it doesn't explode, thanks to Scott's circuitry in his mask. Barda returns with the hitman, who passed out. We meet the boss, Mister Fez, who has an artillery piece pointed at a building and who wants Shilo dead. Scott and Barda put Shilo to bed and leave the room, waiting for him to sneak out, which he does. They follow on aero-discs...  Shilo leads them to a warehouse and he runs into more hooded goons. Kirby indulges in some judo play, as Shilo does an impression of Jim Kelly... However, sheer numbers wear him down. Enter Barda, the ultimate butt-kicker, who lays everyone out. Shilo groggily warns them to beware of Jammer, when they are hit by energy beams, which knock them out. Mister Fez and Jammer are standing over them. They take Shilo to another part of the warehouse and show him the cannon, which will blast the brainwaves of everyone in a nearby hotel, allowing the gang to rob the place blind. Shilo's brother was a truck driver, who recognized what he was carrying and started poking around. he was murdered for his trouble. Shilo is tied to the gun barrel, as Mister Fez prepares to fire...  Barda destroys the cannon and she and Scott take out the gang. In the end, they offer to teach Shilo to be an escape artist and become his guardians. This is a pleasant little tale, as Kirby indulges in a bit of Blaxploitation fun. Shilo basically becomes Scott's sidekick, even though he already has Barda, the Furies and Oberon. The Furies are nowhere to be seen and a lot of this feels like Shilo was added to appeal to black audiences. It's hardly earhtshattering; but, it's satisfying. Scott and Barda are really becoming a family, as they now have an adoptive son and a bit of a father figure, in Oberon. This was another element that set Mister Miracle apart from the New Gods. MM was a positive family environment, while New Gods indulged in treacherous families. Shilo will be more prominent in subsequent issues, even getting a costume, that appears to have been borrowed from Sandy Hawkins. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 1, 2017 17:16:47 GMT -5
Kamandi #2  Kamandi vs Rats. They grow 'em big, in New York! Our story finds Kamandi observing a group of rats taking crates fom a zeppelin...  Ben Boxer recognizes the airship as part of a scientific team from his people and wants to stop it; but, Canus objects. The argument is interrupted by tigers, who have come to take Kamandi and Ben Boxer for registration and a fight ensues. The tigers remove Boxer's spacesuit, unleashing his power. he turns into steel and whoops some kitty hinder. Canus tells Boxer he must leave, or he will face punishment. Kamandi demands to go and Canus agrees that he is also in peril. He gives Boxer all the info the tigers have about the rats and sends them on their way. They escape in a mini-sub, before finding themselves attacked by the rats, in scuba gear! They escape and head into a tunnel, arriving at a pier. Just when they think they are safe, they are nabbed...  Boxer is reunited with friends, and unleashes a blast. Kamandi gets free and starts fighting  The humans escape, thanks to Boxer and friends' abilities. They depart in their airship, with Kamndi...  So, Kirby gives us more of the world, after the Great Disaster. Mostly, we get a lot of fighting and action, as Kamandi and Ben Boxer go from one battle to another. We see more devastation and ruin, as well as some technological wonder. It's all very imaginative and Kirby is starting to move away from a pure Planet of the Apes imitation. The series is taking on the look that Kirby would make famous (as well as some others) on Thundarr, which also had its share of rats and gorilla men. There's still a lot we don't know and none of the characters are particularly well developed yet. Mostly, this is action, in a weird world of the future. As such, it feels much like a Saturday morning cartoon, on a comic book page. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 1, 2017 22:22:38 GMT -5
Demon #2  Kirby is serving up some nice cinematic monster imagery on the cover! Our story opens with the Inspector and his men entering the grounds of Castle Branek. The welcoming committee is ready for them...  The evil piano tuners (Local 603) attack and then move on to Merlin's crypt; but, they find a surprise, as Etrigan does a bit of bowling and pouncing. It's kind of like when Hobbes would greet Calvin, at the door, after school; only, with more blood and violence.  Etrigan fights his way towards Morgaine; but, she hits him with a spell that turns him back into Jason Blood. Meanwhile, his friends in New York worry about him and remark about the likeness of the painting of his ancestors to Jason, himself. Randu uses mysticism to try to contact Jason, focusing on one of the paintings, and sees him hurt and unconscious. We cut back and Jason comes to, as the Inspector finds him. He asks what's going on when a gargoyle comes to life and starts to attack; but, freezes and crumbles. Jason explains it is the tomb of Merlin and contains the Book of Eternity. merlin appears and says Morgaine has stole his most powerful spell and Jason needs to shake a leg and get after her. He is told to go "...where ravens fly. Where fire from the earth meets fire from the sky. Where she who burns may never die!" I think it's near Hoboken. The Inspector tells Jason where ravens fly and he heads for Walpurgis Wood. I bet this place has a tough time attracting tourists!. We cut to the woods, where witches dance as Morgaine prepares to receive the power that will rejuvenate her. She removes her mask and shows that she could use some face cream, too.  We see meteors crash from the skies, in fiery trails, meeting with the bonfire below; so, you know what that means. Jason and the Inspector are closing in. They are attacked by Gorla, the witches' pet monster. He's pretty much cleaning their clock when Randu witnesses this psychically. He sees a painting of Jason in armor, with a Latin inscription on a shield and realizes it has the phrase hee needs and he summons the Demon Etrigan. Jason transforms and Etrigan launches his comeback. Etrigan snaps a tree into Gorla's face, then hits him repeatedly with a foreign object (a big rock). The ref sees none of this and Etrigan bashes the monster to death (this is pretty brutal, for a Code-approved book!). He checks on the inspector, then attacks the coven of witches, sending supernatural shockwaves and fire at them. Morgaine retaliates with her own fire. It all ends in a fiery kaboom, leaving Jason and scarred woods. Morgaine, got away, though. Man; if you ever wondered where Mike Mignola got the idea for Hellboy, look no further than this issue. All of the imagery is there, from Morgaine's servants to the battles between monsters, to the brutality of the fights! Kirby's obviously a fan of the Universal monster films; but, they are Shirley Temple movies compared to what Kirby is unleashing here. This is probably what Dr Strange would have been like if it had been Kirby's creation, instead of being Ditko's baby (with Stan). The stuff with the friends in New York is a bit distracting and Randu's mysticism is rather cliched. I suspect the name was taken from the Radio and serial hero, Chandu the Magician.  I've never been much of a devotee to The Demon; but, I'm really warming to him, here, as I see the kind of stuff I like, in Hellboy (though not much Lovecraft, yet). Again, Warner should be looking at this for a Demon movie. Kirby's stuff has always been more cinematic than most and his DC material is lightyears beyond most of their properties, when it comes to spectacular visuals. You'd think Hollywood would be all over this. So far, only the folks at Warner animation seem to be aware. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2017 16:39:06 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #16 "Honey, I Shrunk the Apprentice!"*  Have the Micronauts invaded DC, retroactively? Does Shilo have any Visine? Who screwed up Mister Miracle's mask, on the cover? Let's turn the page and find out! We find Shilo Norman getting training in his new job of junior escape artist...  ...and he seems to be seeing insectoid men that no one else does. Scott chides him to get on with his lesson; but, he continues to be agitated. In his anxious state, Shilo burts his bonds easily. Scott continues to be a bit of a Richard and even Barda calls him out on it, which amuses Oberon to no end. Then, the insectoid man appears and grabs Oberon and Barda...  Shilo calls Scott and tells him what happened and Scott uses his circuitry to locate tiny footprints. Then, the insectoid man (great name for a horror movie) reappears. Shilo attacks and finds himself shrunk down, battling other insectoid men. He comes across Professor Egg, who is behind everything. He uses his rays to enlarge Shilo and trap him in a confined space, with no room to move. Then, he uses his machines to tap Shilo's DNA, to bind it with a larva and create the Shilo-bug. Shilo trips out and wakes up screaming, as Scott and Barda revive him. He has been dreaming. He meets Professor Exe, the spitting imageof Professor Egg, who is an illusionist who is working with Ted Brown. It's all been a dream! or has it? Well, yeah, it probably has. This is another attempt to push things into "mystery" territory and, unlike the Satanists, this one doesn't quite work so well. Oh, there's some fun interaction between Barda and Oberon, some cool insect monster-men; but, the ending seems out of left field and is kind of low-rent Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. You can kind of tell that Kirby is seeing the writing on the walls. Kirby doesn't even play around in the shrunken sandbox and create exercises in perspective. Kind of disappointing, really. *Not the real issue title. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2017 17:16:27 GMT -5
Kamandi #3  We have a gorilla cover! We all know that means massive sales, right Carmine? Kamandi is in Nevada and he has come across some apes...  He whips out a gun and tries to escape; but, the apes eventually get the gun away and hogtie him and carry him off to their city. Kamandi snarls, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!" Oh, wait; that was Charlton Heston. I get those two mixed up! As Kamandi is hauled in, we see life in the big ape city...  Looks like a swinging' town! (Ba-dump-bump!) The ape pack is challenged by Chaaku the Mighty, apparently the Simian Heavyweight Champion. The other apes decided to let Kamandi put his money where his mouth is and let him fight Chaaku. As Jim Ross would say, "Business is about to pick up! By gawd we got a slobber-knocker!" The bell rings and Kamandi and Chaaku both have the same idea and grab weapons. The ref allows it, so we must be dealing with Texas Death Match Rules (or Ape City Death Match Rules, if yu weel). Kamandi makes a sling and hurls a rock which takes out Chaaku. Fix! Boo, hiss! This fight was rigged! I want my money back! The ring crew are about to whisk Kamandi away when Chakuu comes to and wants Round 2. Kamandi makes like Bobby Heenan... (see around the 4:55 mark...) and legs it. Meanwhile, Ben Boxer and his colleagues are searching for the missing Kamandi. The spot signs of his previous struggle, then encounter a cavern, with hints of a connection to the past. After dispatching a mutant, they find evidence of the old Apollo program and mission 20. Kamandi has eluded Chaaku by entering archeological digs, and Chaaku goes after him. Kamandi finds the lost city of Las Vegas, buried under tons of rock. We see the derelict casinos and multiple skeletons. Chaaku catches up to Kamandi; but, finds himself battling the mutant. Chaaku defeats him; but, not for long. Kamandi is saved by Ben and his pals, while a dying Chaaku fights the mutant and kills it, bring the entire cavern down on his head. Our story ends with the humans watching and an editorial note that we can look forward to a clash between tigers and apes, in the next issue. Some cool post-Disaster fun here and more swipes of Planet of the Apes. We have both scenes from POTA and Beneath the POTA, with apes rounding up humans and the discovery of a destroyed city, underground. The only thing missing is Linda Harrison. Kirby's depiction of the ape city and the ruins of Las Vegas are the best moments, giving us a peek at his future work on Thundarr. Actually, in many ways, Thundarr was a copy of Kamandi, though filtered through Steve Gerber's warped mind. I can almost hear Robert Ridgely's voice in Kamandi's dialogue. Demon Dogs! Kirby is mostly playing with imagery, so far, with little in the way of character development. It seems like he really doesn't have a larger plot in mind and is just riffing stories in this world, introducing new characters and landscapes. The 4th World took a few issues to really get going; we will see if Kamandi kicks it up a notch. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2017 17:49:33 GMT -5
Demon #3  Looks like we got some dragon action! Is Daenerys nearby? Our story finds a neanderthal causing havoc, in a modern city. He is rampaging through town, chased by police. After much destruction and many bullets, he is picked up by a car and some dude in a robe. He reverts to modern homo sapien form and we learn he is the pawn of the Reincarnators, who are targeting Randu for assassination. We switch to Jason Blood, who is having a nightmare, where he is chained to Etrigan. Jason tries to escape, when trouble mounts, with a dragon rising from a pool. Etrigan wants to kill it and drags Jason to it. Jason just wants to get away. He awakens, screaming. Harry Matthews is there to console him and tells him about the "ape man" who rampaged through the city. As Jason attends to his morning ablutions, Harry is transformed into an old pirate and attacks Jason. Before you can say "Arrgh!" Harry attacks Jason with scissors and Jason knocks him out. Randu comes in and they summize that the Master Eye death cult is behind things and they are after Randu. Don't know how they figured that out, since we get less clues than Columbo. Kirby gives us a taste of the cult's rites...  They turn some guy into Mord, executioner for a medieval king. They sick him on Jason Blood. Jason has fallen asleep, after researching the cult and Mord enters the room, via a window. He's about to cut off Jason's head, when Randu enters the room and utters the spell that transforms Jason into Etrigan. A slobber-knocker ensues, with Etrigan emerging triumphant. Randu tries to stop Etrigan from killing and the executioner escapes, via a rope line from a helicopter. Etrigan follows and plays Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. The helicopter arrives back at the cult's compound, where they are about to unleash the power of the Master Eye, via pirate television broadcast. Etrigan destroys the helo then bursts out of the Master Eye, after hitting the cult leader with energy feedback. He proceeds to open a demonic can of whoopass on the cult and there is much destruction, flames and explosions. Randu, who has followed the battle telepathically, sends the counter-change spell and Jason Blood re-emerges. No Morgaine; but, we get a weird cult and plenty of mayhem. It's a bit run of the mill, for Kirby, and a little gimmicky. Still, Kirby draws battle well and he draws some cool monsters and suitably creepy cults. Again, more Kirby visuals than story meat; but, Kirby visuals elevate a lot of thin plot. |
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