Jon Sable is worth it, for the writing alone.  Grell was still developing his writing skills on Warlord and it took a while for him to really find his groove.  By Sable, he was well seasoned and he was free of editorial restrictions.  Mike Gold was the perfect editor for him, someone who took care of the business side, yet pushed Grell to make the stories their best.  Grell also mixes playful humor, deep character moments, and action and suspense well.  I've always been a fan of his art and it is very good across most of the series.  It suffers badly toward the end of Grell's time as the artist, which he chalked up to his divorce and problems with First.  Longbow Hunters is better, artistically; but, Sable is close.  Grell is good at capturing the emotion of the scenes, as well as the action.  He's definitely more of an illustrator than most comic artist; but, I think he knows how to choose his scenes well.

Jon Sable, Freelance #12 & 13



This story is special.

In 1975, the US involvement in Vietnam, a war which had waged (in one form or another) for nearly 20 years, came to an end. Saigon fell and the US went home. The war was one of the most tumultuous in US history. Protests against the war raged across the country, while others raged against the protestors. Many felt it tore the soul out of the country, along with the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy. At Kent State University, a protest turned into tragedy, as National Guardsmen opened fire (some into the air, others into the crowd), killing 4 and wounding 9 others. No one who saw the photo of Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller can forget it. The wounds were more than physical, as many veterans who returned were plagued with PTSD and faced a country that didn't welcome them home with open arms, as they did their fathers, after WW2. People wanted to forget the war and move on; but, it was too ingrained in those who were there and those who lost family and friends, especially those who had no idea what the fate of their loved ones were. It was estimated that some 1300 men were listed as Missing in Action, and another 1200 Killed in Action; but, there bodies never recovered. For those families, the pain of not knowing was horrendous. Their fate became a hot-button issue, among the families and veterans. Many felt their country wanted to forget them and wasn't doing enough to resolve the issue.

By 1984, the country had begun to heal and started talking about the war and the POW/MIA issue. It filtered into pop culture. In 1982, JC Pollock, a writer and former Special Forces soldier wrote Mission: MIA, a thriller about a group of veteran Special Operations Group green berets, who come back together when evidence arises that a missing comrade is alive and a POW, near the Vietnam/Laos border. They undertake a mission to rescue them. Hollywood soon followed, with the movie Uncommon Valor, which mirrored many aspects of Pollock's novel. This was followed by more exploitive movies, like Sylvester Stallone's First Blood sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and the more exploitive Canon film (my opinion), Missing in Action, with Chuck Norris. Now, Mike Grell, a Vietnam veteran (US Air Force), tackled the issue in Jon Sable.

Our story begins in the past, as US POWs come home, carrying letters from other POWs. Some want to make them political, others want them to get to their loved ones, uncensored. A small group receives the letters and reposts them, one step ahead of shadowy men in black suits. We cut to 1970, where Airman 1st Class Jon Moses Sable is stationed at Phan Rang airbase, the scene of multiple rocket attacks. Sable is short, 3 days and counting and witnesses a rocket strike, which kills another airman, named Sayble. Sable wakes up out of the nightmare, in the present. The next day he receives a call and heads out to find Sonny Pratt, drunk and passed out, Pratt's landlady having made the call. He had been drinking since the holidays. Sable uses his address book to track down a relative, Hollis Pratt. Jon calls her; but, her response is dismissive. Sable gets Sonny to bed and asks the landlady to look after him, while he goes to talk to Hollis Pratt, in person. She tells Sable about her husband, Bill (Sonny's son), who was an F-4 pilot in Vietnam. His plane was shot down and he and his co-pilot, Rusty Olsen bailed out. One of the POW letters claims to have seen Rusty as a POW, near the Laotian border. Hollis believes that Bill might also be alive and a POW. Sable consults with a government official, who says they need hard evidence, not belief, to pursue the matter. Sable decides to get it. He tracks down an old friend and ex-Green Beret, Jerry Fetter, and finds him in a seedy hotel room. Jerry lost an arm in Nam and has a prosthetic, and sleeps with a knife. Sable tells him his intentions and Jerry asks what it pays. Sable tells him (Sable is funding the operation) and Jerry is in. Jerry brings in an interpreter, Col Nguyen Van Tran, a montagnard.  He knows of a stash of weapons, near the border, placed there when Tran's men pulled out. Thus begins Sable's journey back to Vietnam.

Issue 13 opens with Sable and his team having spent 9 days in fruitless search for evidence of the POWs. Sable and Jerry talk about the war, the homecoming and Sable speaks of Africa. Sable is shaky, perhaps some tainted water. They stumble across a water buffalo and it charges, forcing Sable to bring it down with his rifle, though not before momentum collides the bull with Sable, cracking ribs. Sable gets feverish; but, an NVA patrol is moving into the area, reacting to the gunshot. The men bug out; but, Sable is lagging behind. Jerry is forced to tell Tran to leave him behind or they are all dead. Sable is captured and interrogated (read, tortured) with knife wounds opened on his chest. He is seen hanging by his bound arms, when a sentry is killed by a prosthetic hook. It's Jerry and Tran, who have returned in the night to rescue Sable. Sable's injuries are compounded by Malaria and he can't walk. Jerry carries him out. They ehad for their boat rendezvous; but, the ship can't see them in the fog and departs. They had back to land and await the prescribed second attempt. Sable wakes up in a montagnard village, where Tran used to live. He is recovering from the malaria. He notices parts of an aircraft used for the hut walls and pulls away covering. He finds the aircraft registration number for Bill Pratt's F-4. Sable tells Tran to ask the villagers about the plane and show them the photo of Bill and Rusty. They lead them to a cave where the injured Pratt was hidden and died, while Olsen was captured. Sable finds the remains and Pratt's dogtags and takes the tags with him. Sable's team heads off, speaking about what they will do when they get him. In the distance we see a man working a field. A close-up reveals red hair and beard. It is Rusty Olsen, still alive, but as oblivious to the westerners as they are to him. Sable returns home and delivers the dog tags to Hollis, finally bringing her closure. Sable still wonders about the other MIAs.

These are probably the two most powerful issues of the series, apart from A Storm Over Eden. This is personal stuff for Grell. In Steve Duin and Mike Richardson's book, Comics: Between the Panels, Grell talks about December, 1970, when he was short. He was an illustrator for the Air Force, working for intelligence, creating charts and graphs and other briefing aids. They were preparing a briefing for Richard Nixon, covering proposed troop withdrawals. Everything was laid out. They didn't begin until 1973. Grell spoke of visiting the Vietnam Memorial wall, and seeing the corner, representing the height of the war, and the long distance it extends as troops leave. He carried a lot of guilt about that time with him. He says, "It's a long walk out of the hole (meaning the area where the memorial resides). A lot of us are still walking out of that hole."

The conversations between Jerry and Jon represent a lot of feelings of veterans and others, the thrill of combat, the loss they have, the changes they have undergone. Jon was not a combat soldier and is shown in a flashback hiding under a table during a bar room brawl, where Jerry rescues him. Now, Jerry sees Sable carrying a weapon on a daily basis and is a steady killer. Sable speaks of hunting in Africa; but, not his family and their murder (not to us, anyway). Tran speaks of his lost home. Ultimately, there is no Rambo ending, with the rescue of POWs. Sable and his men were just yards away from the evidence they needed; but missed it. Grell knows it isn't that simple.

These are two very powerful issues and they can't help but affect you as you read them. The adventure element is downplayed for the human drama. Again, these are "must-haves."

Having 2 uncles who survived the Vietnam War this story hits home and hits hard. The stories my uncles tell (very limited on details and extremely personal/heartfelt) of their time there have always seemed to haunt them and even though they returned healthy emotionally/physically there are always days of the year where they stop and remember friends and others they lost in the war. They actually reconnected years later with a comrade they presumed killed when they received a letter that he had been recovered from a POW camp. Sadly when they met up with him the man they knew was no longer there, only a gaunt broken body/soul that never healed who ended up taking his own life a few months later. 

These 2 issues i shared with both of my uncle's at the time of their printing and both came away with tears and smiles that someone understood and was telling/sharing/spreading "their" story to others. 

Well, First Comics was more than just Jon Sable and American Flagg (though they were two of their biggest sellers and most critically acclaimed books). They actually started out as an attempt to put together a comic book, based on a play. A play? What, you mean like Our Town or The Crucible? Well, yes, as in created and staged for the theater; but, no, as in subject matter. They play they wanted to adapt was actually a cycle of three plays, collectively known as Warp!



Warp! was conceived by Stuart Gordon and Lenny Kleinfeld (aka Bury St Edmund), at the Organic Theater Company, in Chicago. Gordon and Kleinfeld loved Marvel's heroes and comics and wanted to do something like that. They were unable to obtain rights to adapt any of Marvel's characters; so, they created their own characters. What followed became legendary, in Chicago, as they conceived a thee play cycle, with epic science fiction and fantasy at the center. The costumes were innovative, inspired by comic books and showcasing the actors physically and well as thematically. The play moved to Broadway and off-Broadway, for a short run, with posters and designs from Neal Adams. It played in Washington DC and returned to Chicago, where it was staged, in 1980, and was attended by about 40 professionals from the world of comics, who were attending the Chicago Comicon. Both DC and Marvel were interested in adapting the plays into comics (especially since Star Wars lit the sci-fi world on fire). One of the people involved in this production (and involved in the Comicon) was Mike Gold. He and producer Rick Obadiah wanted to adapt the plays into a comic; but, Gold had enough experience in comics (working as an editor at DC) to know how they did things. They wanted something more and out of that grew First Comics. Rick Obadiah became publisher, Mike Gold editor, and Richard Felber was the business manager. They enticed Joe Staton to join as art director and to bring his baby, E-Man, along. They also enticed Frank Brunner, late of Marvel Comics and Dr Strange and Howard the Duck, to join them. Brunner had left Marvel on bad terms (he vented heavily in a Comics Journal interview) and had been working in art portfolios and in Heavy Metal, Star*Reach, and Just Imagine (another Star*Reach magazine). The result was the first First comic.



Peter Gillis provided the script, while Brunner plotted and drew. Back-up stories provided background on some of the characters and featured the earliest comic book writing of John Ostrander and art from people like Steve Ditko, among others. The main story concerns bank teller David Carson, who is in love with the boss' daughter and who hides the fact that he spent several years in a mental institution, while he suffered from headaches and heard voices whispering to him about far-away lands, and battles with evil.  He is struck down again by the headaches and finds himself whisked to the other dimensional world of Fen-Ra, where he is told that he is Lord Cumulus, a great warrior and their best hope against Lord Chaos, his brother. He meets the warrior Sargon, with whom he finds an attraction, the wise mentor Lugulbanda, the evil temptress Valaria, and his brother, lord Chaos.

Sounds complicated, right? Well, it is and the issues are a bit confusing, though that matches the thoughts of David, as he grapples with the revelations. We see battles rage in this worl and our own, as Cumulus and Chaos inhabit other bodies, on Earth. Brunner provides some great art, matching work done on Dr Strange. The scripting is a bit hit and miss; I suspect it played better on stage. There is a bit of a winking quality to things, which is probably a holdover from the theater. It is an intriguing story, though. However, it wasn't enough to keep readers coming back and it was closed down after 19 issues. The earlier issues cover more of the play, though with some added material an interpretation. 3 specials were produced to give origin stories for the main characters. If you are a fan of epic fantasy and sci-fi, it's worth checking out. it shares much with Kirby's 4th World and Ditko's Dr Strange.

Next up was E-man.



E-Man began life at Charlton Comics, the brainchild of Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton. Cuti was a writer and editor at Charlton and Staton was one of the young talents that produced work at Charlton, in the mid-70s. The inspiration was Jack Cole's seminal Plastic Man. This version is a sentient bolt of energy, who takes on human form, converting energy to mass, ala Einstein's formula E=MC (squared). He meets exotic dancer (stripper) Nova Kane and learns about humanity, including comic books.  He is inspired to become a superhero, E-Man, and fights off the invading Brain from Sirius, in his first adventure. There were 10 issues at Charlton (several reprinted under their Modern Comics imprint) and that was that. The series is revived here, with Marty Pasko writing, with the Brain back, for the first First adventure. We also get a parody of the X-Men, with some heavy caricature of people at Marvel, including a clueless Stanley Presents, a rather repressed and somewhat self-loathing Ford Fairmont, and some others (including Company Man, who appears to be John Byrne). Along the way, they take potshots at Hollywood (and especially Steven Spielberg), comics, comic fans, and other targets. The end result isn't quite as whimsical as the Charlton stories, nor as biting as Mad; but, there is fun to be had. Mike Mauser, Cuti and Staton's PI character, is also along for the ride. There are also parodies of the old Hostess adds, with guest creators and characters (including Rog 200, from Byrne, who apparently didn't hold a grudge about Company Man). You can see Staton evolve from the guy who did half the comics at Charlton and the JSA and Huntress at DC into the Staton who was doing Green Lantern and Millennium, in the late 80s, at DC. The Mike Mauser stuff, alone, is worth checking out.

Mike Mauser even got a solo mini-series; well, not quite solo, as he teamed up with another detective, Ms Tree.



It's a fun story that sees each of the pair hired by a husband and wife (the wife hires Mauser, the husband hires Ms. Tree) to tail the other. The couple are Simone Kirby (!) and Woody Kirby (!!). There is a murder of a comic book shop owner, a bunch of stuff revolving around comics and collecting, a kid who wants to be an artist, a murderous live version of a comic book character, and tons of gags (such as a diner, called Nighthawks). Also included are two-page spreads, featuring Mickey Spillane creations, including Mike Hammer (drawn looking very much like Darren McGavin, who played him on tv). Max Allen Collins writes and Staton draws. Really good stuff!



Mike Grell brought Starslayer with him and soon turned it over to other hands, including John Ostrander. Ostrander introduced a new character, in a back-up series: Grimjack. Grimjack would appear from issue 10 until #17, before getting his own series.



Grimkjack is where John Ostrander established himself as a writer to be reckoned with. he and Tim Truman crafted a character that was one part hard-boiled private eye, one part post-apocalyptic warrior, one part mercenary and all parts great. When fans spoke of First Comics, they mentioned the titles Jon Sable, Freelance, American Flagg, and Grimjack. Grimjack was the true mainstay of First, lasting 81 issues. Along the way, it showcased Ostrander's deft handling of pulp adventure and some fine art, from Truman, Tom Mandrake, Tom Sutton, and Flint Henry. It also spawned the graphic novel Demon Knight.



Grimjack was also notable for the back-up feature, Munden's Bar. The bar is owned by Grimjack and resides in Cynosure, the pan-dimensional city where Grimjack operates. Cynosure is a nexus point for multiple dimensions (like Tanelorn, in Michael Moorcock's novels and stories); and, as such, Munden's would see some odd visitors, from time to time. These included a quartet of mutant terrapins you may have heard of. The Munden's stories were more light-hearted and provided a showcase for some young talent. It also led to the fan catchphrase, "See you at Munden's," which was used most prominently by uber-letter hack TM Maple (aka Canadian Jim Burke). Maple used it often with letters to First (and there were many) as well as other comics written by Ostrander or edited by Mike Gold. Burke died in 1994 and was eulogized in print at both DC and Marvel, as well as the various surviving independents.

First was willing to try a lot of things and they started an anthology to showcase some properties, when they didn't have an opening on their schedule for new titles. The anthology was called First Adventures.



The book lasted five issues and had 3 features: Blaze Barlow and the Eternity Command, Dynamo Joe and Whisper. Blaze Barlow was a mixture of hard-boiled (though somewhat comical) private eye and sci-fi and the supernatural. It featured some early art from Kelley Jones (in the first issue) and Barry Crain. It lasted through issue 4, where the storyline was wrapped up. It's a bit of an odd mix, involving angels and other weirdness. The real stars of the book were Dynamo Joe and Whisper.



Dynamo Joe actually began as a back-up feature, in the comic Mars. It tells the story of the Dynamo Class Battlesuit, Dynamo Joe and its crew: Sgt. Elanian Daro and Prt Pomru. They are part of a fleet of battlesuits, engaged in a war with an unseen enemy (at first). John Ostrander wrote the series; but, the creator was artist Doug Rice. Rice was a massive fan of Japanese anime and tokusatsu shows and it showed in his work. This is a series for anyone who grew up with Robotech and Voltron in syndicated cartoons, or fans of things like Mobile Suit Gundam or Evangelion. The characters were fun, with the humanoid Daro the main her, and the cat-alien Pomru, a source of comic relief. I have had the pleasure of meeting Doug Rice twice, in the 90s and had long conversations with him. He created a sketch of Pomru for me and just gave it to me, no payment required, because he enjoyed out conversation. That was an amazing act of kindness from both a true professional and a classy guy. Dynamo Joe brims with adventure, heroism, military themes, epic sci-fi and great character pieces and is sorely missed. Anime and manga fans would love this series and anyone who enjoys sci-fi or just great characters will love it, too.



Like Nexus and Badger, Whisper began at the short-lived Capital Comics, the off-shoot of Capital Distribution. It was the creation of Steven Grant and Rich Larson, and tells the story of Alex Devin, a woman who trained in ninjitsu to help heal from polio. She becomes caught up in intrigues related to her stepfather and uncle (her trainer) and the Yakuza, as well as the world of espionage and crime. Whisper was riding the coattails of Elektra; but, was more than a knock-off, in the hands of Grant. It proved to be a popular comic at First and helped propel Grant to writing the Punisher and other characters, at Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Malibu. Whisper had depth to it that a lot of the later "bad girl" comics lacked and presented a well rounded female protagonist. It also had a better handle on the history of ninjas than did Frank Miller and presented a more realistic world. Larson's art was a bit angular; but, he handled the action well and the book is exciting.



Mars was an homage to pulp sci-fi stories from the 30s and 40s, from Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, featuring heroine Morgana Trace. I never actually read the series, though I have it in a digital collection. However, Wheatley and Hempel make a great team, as seen on Jonny Quest and Breathtaker, at DC, as well as Hempel's own Gregory, one of my favorites, from DC's short-lived Pirana Press. It's filled with robots, oozing creatures, plants that try to kill you, and other sci-fi classics. It also features the back-up series Black Flame, from Tom Sutton, as well as Dynamo Joe.

Next time, we will look at some of the other series that First picked up, from different publishers, as well as their line of graphic novels.

At the time First lived up to its name with me. Depending on what came out any given week and what few dollars i had for spending at the comic book shop it was those First series i grabbed up every time and will allow Marvel or DC to wait until another week. All the First comics were much more interesting and really stand outs artistically making my purchases from them all the better for reading them over and over again so i felt my money was being well spent on them. And can i say that Grimjack was stupendous under Ostrander and Truman and caught the attention of most of my friends almost instantly. Suddenly they too were buying First and getting hooked on some of the other series and putting aside their Marvel/DC stuff.

As I mentioned last time, E-Man and Starslayer began life elsewhere. One of the trends of the new independent market was the ability to pull up stakes and move to another company. In some cases, like Pacific, it was due to their destruction. In others it was dissatisfaction with the publisher and the creator/owner taking his ball and finding a new game. That's more of what happened with Starslayer, as Grell felt Pacific hadn't been living up to their promises.



Dreadstar began life at Marvel's Epic Illustrated, as the Metamorphosis Odyssey. Creator Jim Starlin was actually instrumental in shaping how Epic did business, as he was the test case for what they could offer. It was successfully argued that creator ownership was necessary fro Epic Illustrated to attract the talent that flocked to Heavy Metal, though Jim Shooter hedged his bets a little, by also putting in Marvel-owned material. As I recall, Starlin said, in an interview, that part of the deal with Epic was first refusal rights. First comics offered pretty darn good rates up front and ownership; but, with a long publishing license (about 10 years). Starlin published the Metamorphosis Odyssey in Epic Illustrated, then published The Price, at Eclipse, the Dreadstar graphic novel in Marvel's graphic novel line (which did not carry the Epic branding on the cover); and, finally, the Dreadstar series at Epic. First picked up the series with issue 27. Starlin wrote and drew, for the early issues, then turned the artwork over to others, including Luke McDonnell (Suicide Squad). With issue 41, he turned the writing over to Peter David, who was paired with artist Angel Medina. The duo proved popular and Dreadstar was a strong seller for First up until the end.

Dreadstar is one of those I have read the early stuff (up to the first half dozen issues of the Epic series); but, have meant to go back and read all the way through. It's Starlin's space opera epic, though it wasn't quite as groundbreaking as Warlock. It has good storytelling, though, on a fairly consistent basis. Dreadstar would return under Malibu's Bravura creator-owned imprint, though Starlin left it in the hands of Peter David, while he was busy with Breed.



Michael Moorcock's Elric had already appeared t Star*Reach and in Marvel's graphic novel line (Elric: The Dreaming City). Roy Thomas, P Craig Russell and Michael T Gilbert started adapting it at Pacific Comics; but, Pacific's demise led to the license coming to First, along with Thomas and Gilbert. They began by adapting Sailor on the Seas of Fate (my favorite of the Elric collections) and then did Weird of the White Wolf. Thomas and Jan Dursema did The Vanishing Tower, followed by Thomas and Mark Pacella on Bane of the Black Sword. The earlier ones feature more of the material I loved from the Elric stories, and Gilbert provides lively art, as does Dursema (who excelled at fantasy art). Unfortunately, Thomas and Russell disagreed about the adaptation of Elric and Russell moved on, after the Pacific material. These are all good to great, especially if you are a fan or Moorcock and/or fantasy.

Elric sold well enough that First obtained the rights to produce other aspects of The Eternal champion. The first was Hawkmoon, with Gerry Conway and Rafael Kayanan.



Conway and Kayanan adapted The Jewell in the Skull and The Mad God's Amulet, while Roger Salick and Kayanan adapted The Sword of Dawn and The Runestaff. These weren't quite as good as the Elric books; but, Kayanan's art kept them consistent and entertaining, as he was far better suited to this stuff than superheroes (and he was a decent superhero artist).

First also adapted some of Corum, starting with The Chronicles of Corum, with script by Mike Baron and art by Mike Mignola...



Baron and Mignola handled the first 6 issues, then Butch Guice and Kelley Jones took over the art, followed by Ken Hooper and Jones. Mark Shainblum took over the scripting, with issue 10. Jill Thompson did the art on the final issue.

Shainbloom and Thompson continued on Corum: The Bull and the Spear, adapting that collection of stories:



That would be it for Moorcock, at First. They threw everything into the revival of Classics Illustrated and most of the rest of their line was cancelled by 1990/91. The Elric Saga was finally completed at Dark Horse, with Stormbringer and DC published Michael Moorcock's Multiverse, under their Helix imprint.

One big source for titles at First was Capital Comics. Capital Distribution had started their own publishing house to produce a great concept from local writer and artist Mike Baron and Steve Rude. That idea was Nexus.



Nexus began as a black & white magazine, at Capital; then, after 3 issues, they turned it into a color comic. First picked it up with issue 7 and continued it up until their demise. Dark Horse helped Baron and Rude regain control of the property, after the mire that was First's bankruptcy, and they produced several mini-series and specials.

Nexus tells the tale of Horatio Hellpop an Earth-man who wields immense power as The Great and Powerful Nexus, an executioner of mass murderers. Hellpop lives on the hollow world of Ylum, where he is plagued by painful dreams of mass murders. To ease the pain and end the dreams, he must go forth and slay the killers. He is gifted with immense power by a mysterious alien entity, the Merk. To some, Nexus is a figure of death; to others, he is Nexus, the Liberator. As if that wasn't enough to keep you interested, Baron & Rude filled the series with terrific characters. Sundra Peale (a tribute to Emma Peel) is an Earth special agent who falls in love with Nexus and abandons her duties to be with him. Dave is a Thune, an alien who was once a great industrialist, before his world was enslaved. Nexus freed him and his people and he remains a loyal aid to Nexus. His son, Fred, is known as Judah Macabee, a freelance adjudicator, who uses his fusionkasting sword to partake in the work of Nexus. There is Mezz, an alien boy who was befriended and raised by Nexus, who starts a band and becomes an intergalactic sensation. Tyrone is another alien who owes his life to Nexus and who becomes the political leader of the refugee society on Yslum (which grows, despite Nexus' desire to be left alone). Jil is a feline alien who becomes a close friend and business partner to Sundra. There is Clonezone, the Hilarator, a stand-up comic. On the villain side, there is Ursula XX Imada, the head of the secret service and Sundra's former boss. She seduces Horatio and bears twin daughters, Scarlett and Sheena, who she warps and trains to destroy their father.

All of this made a tapestry of epic battles and hilarious comedy. Baron and Rude created a rich universe of characters, mystery, and adventure, which had a passionate (if not massive) following. The character itself is inspired by Space Ghost, right down to Nexus' space cruiser, and shows artistic influences of Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Dr Seuss and Andrew Loomis (who Rude became a disciple of, while working on the series). Rude's art progresses from crude, but talented, to masterful, very quickly. Baron had the chops as a writer from the start and only got better. Their success led to offers from the Big Two, which often interrupted things with Nexus, though never permanently. Rude gave up regular art duties about mid-way through the run, though he would pop back, now and again.

I can't begin to convey the awesomeness of Nexus here; so, I will come back to the series, with more in-depth reviews, later.

The other Capital property (aside from the previously discussed Whisper) was another product of Mike Baron: Badger



Capital published the first 4 issues of Badger, with baron writing and art from Jeffrey Butler. First picked it up with issue 5, with Bill Reinhold on art, and continued until issue 70, in 1990. Badger concerns the adventures of of Vietnam veteran and patient at a mental hospital, Norbert Sykes. Sykes suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder, of which badger is one of the more dominant personalities. badger is a costumed vigilante, with extensive skill in the martial arts, and more than a bit loopy outlook. At the hospital, he meets Ham (Hammaglystwythkbrngxxaxolotl), a 5th century Druid wizard. Ham ends up sheltering Badger, in exchange fr his bodyguard services, though Badger finds himself at odds with Ham, at times. Badger can talk to animals and his most violent methods are reserved for those who do them harm. Norbert's other personalities manifest from time to time, including Emily, a 9 year-old girl, Pierre, a homicidal Frenchman, Leroy, a dog, Gastineau Grover Depaul, an African-American, and Max Sewell, an architect and epicurean (eventually morphing into a gay stereotype). Badger tends to call people Larry, which turns out to be the name of his father, who walked out on the family. We come to learn that Norbert was abused by his step-father, leading to the development of the other personalities.

Badger was often bizarre and violent, with the closest approximation to the nature of the book being Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot (and those two aren't that similar). Really, Badger was one of the more realistic ideas of someone who would become a costumed vigilante, long before Woody Harrelson would co=-opt the idea in Defendor. Badger was more of a cult book than Nexus, in part due to the less flashy art and weirder character. The two would cross paths, though, on more than one occasions, which tremendous results. Badger would also be revived at Dark Horse, before making the rounds of Image and IDW. At First, there was also a stand-alone Badger graphic novel, Hexbreaker, where adger takes part in a martial arts tournament (ala Enter the Dragon).



Hexbreaker is my favorite of my limited reading of Badger. In keeping with the odd perspective of the hero, weapons are allowed in the tournament; but, Badger doesn't go with traditional martial arts weapons. Instead, he uses a pair of wrenches, from a toolbox (though he does also use a pair of butterfly knives). I loved the image of a guy fighting martial artists with a mechanic's tool set.

The last acquisition by First was Evangeline, from Chuck Dixon and Judith Hunt.



Evangeline debuted in Comico Primer #6, then two issues of her own series, at Comico. Dixon and Hunt co-plotted, while hunt provided the art. A dispute with Comico led to the book leaving, with Lodestone publishing a special, reprinting the earlier material. It then came to First and picked up the action. The series features the adventures of a nun, in a post-apocalyptic future world. This was right up Dixon's alley, though Hunt added a female perspective on the thing, which was unique. Hunt, however, moved on, after doing the first few issues at First (and with the break-up of her marriage to Dixon) and later remarked that she felt the series lost the feminine viewpoint later on and was not happy with those issues.

This is a series I have yet to read; but have on my list; I will have to return to it, later. Along with Ron Randall's Trekker and Max Allen Collins and Terry beatty's Ms Tree, it was one of the few adventure series in the comic world, with a strong female protagonist (as well as Whisper, another First book).

Next time, we will wrap up our look at First with their other books and a look at the project that ultimately doomed them, Classics Illustrated.

Part of the reason I am so fond of comics from 1981 to about 1987 is due to the creativity to be found as the Direct Market and as the independent comic boom evolves.  At the start, there is so much enthusiasm and possibility and you see it in those comics.  New companies come along and showcase unique voices, or let old pros unleash their ideas, without editorial restrictions.  There was a feeling that anything was possible in comics and that the American industry had finally grown up.  You could find a series that would satisfy just about anyone's taste.  This was a market where you could have New Teen Titans, X-Men, Cerebus, Elfquest, Neil the Horse, Love and Rockets, Ms Tree, Grimjack, Nexus, American Flagg, Jon Sable, Journey, Scout, A Distant Soil, The Tick, normalman, Crossfire, Groo, Xenozoic Tales, Concrete and P Craig Russell's opera and Oscar Wylde adaptations (and Eric Shanower's Oz books).  You could have the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Brought to Light, all in the same comic shop.  It felt like what Europe and Japan already had and had for years.

The 90s became rather disheartening, as so many of those companies went under, some sped up by the distributor wars touched off by Marvel and the speculator frenzy.  Even with that, a lot of great material still emerged and some good publishers; but, it felt like a lot of that spirit was lost and never fully regained.  I think part of the problem is that the spirit didn't grow to encompass the mass market, as much as it did the niche Direct Market, and that has held comics back.  The Direct Market saved comics from going under, as newsstand distribution died; but, it insulated it too much and never allowed it to really grow again, after that initial burst.  Some things, like Bone, grew beyond the confines; but, not many, even with Hollywood on board.

I do think that spirit is there in pockets; but, not to the same degree, across the entire industry, I felt back then.  Then again, that may just be my perspective.  I was giving up on comics by the dawn of the 80s, having grown bored with the majority of the offerings of the major publishers.  1983 introduced me to the burgeoning world of independent comics and I was reborn as a comic fan.  That continued until the 90s, when that same ennui started setting in.  My comic book buying and reading shrunk dramatically and I became very selective, though it never fully died.  I still seek out great titles; but, I find more material in reprints of European works than I do new American comics.  Not solely; just more.  I still find American works that make me say, "Yes, more of this, please!"