Flagg was one of those spectacular creations that shook the world of comic books. I would show and give issues to friends that left comics saying they had outgrew them. I showed it to people who laughed at the idea of an "adult" still reading comic books. I would give copies to people who had never read a comic book before to show them the artistic and cinematic style Chaykin utilized. That entire 1st year is just that damn good!


And this "new" iteration of Chaykin was amazing in that if you read and enjoyed earlier Chaykin you saw his growth and expansion as a artist and writer.  This is a grand opus if ever was one to be had!

I remember the title, though i never got around to reading it (it wasn't an easy one to come by).  It was from Chuck Dixon and Judith Hunt.  It started at Comico in 1984, migrated to Lodestone (who published the Evangeline Special, in 1986)and then First Comics, debuting there in 1987.  Dixon and Hunt were married, at the time.  Hunt gave up the art chores early in the First Comics run and wasn't too pleased with the direction it took there.


 Comico issues


Lodestone Special




Hunt did the art of the first 3 issues and the covers up through 5 and, then,  was gone.  She co-wrote it up to her departure.  She later stated she felt it turned into gratuitous sex and violence at First, with more of a feminist voice in the earlier issues.

It was one I always wanted to check out; but, never came across the issues.  I now have digital versions of the Comico and First issues, though not the Lodestone special.  I'll try to read those and put my thoughts up, in the near future.  I'm going to be doing First for a bit, so it gives me an excuse.

American Flagg: State of the Union



American Flagg # 7-12

This where everything comes together; and, get's downright nasty. It also shows how forward-thinking Chaykin was; or, just how observant.



Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe the Plexmall should build a wall.

Issue 6 finds a massive snowstorm, created by an old Russian weather satellite, has crippled the area around the Chicago Plexmall, displacing thousands of people; people who head for the nearest shelter. at the Plexmall. The citizens aren't happy, fearing overcrowding, shortages, and fear of the outsiders. Tempers fray and fights break out. Reuben has to deal with the chaos. We are introduced to his new deputy, Luther Ironheart...



(cool figure)

...a robot, with a holographic head and not much inside it! We also meet Dr Titania Weiss, a Jewish doctor who happens to be part of the Gotterdamocrats, the Nazis of the future. Reuben learns this as they about to get it on and he removes her clothing, to find a swastika necklace! This being Chaykin, they still get it on. Fights break out and Reuben is called back to duty. Ester de la Cristo is still trying to bribe her way into Old Chicago, and CG Marakova tells Flagg that the Bel Geddes (named for industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes), which was carrying Medea Blitz, has gone down in a massive ice storm. Dun-dunh-duh..........

Oh, and Mandy Krieger has created robot hands for Raul, the talking cat. He never knew how cool thumbs were, before!

Issue 8 sees Reuben deal with more chaos, a fruitless search for the survivors of the Bel Geddes crash, then Medea Blitz stumbles into the Ranger station, to report for duty, Gretchen Holstrum and Ernesto Klein-Hernandez pick up a young girl and nearly get hung by the ASLC, the girl is murdered in the Ranger station, Ester de la Cristo slips Flagg a mickey and heads for Chicago, Flagg learns about the proposed sale of Illinois and that the Bel Geddes was shot down, and Flagg is about to go on the warpath. Flagg also turns over the ailing QUSA pirate station to the Witnesses to run, which causes Raul, the talking cat, to give Flagg the silent treatment.

Issue 9 sees Reuben track down Ester de la Cristo, who is prisoner of the ASLC. She had convened a meeting of the Gogangs and poli-clubs; but showed up as a prisoner of the ASLC militia, who tried to recruit the white gang members. Reuben rescues de la Christo, destroying the records of the sale of Illinois, in the process. Meanwhile, Dr Weiss finally meets the man who she has been working for, creating prosthetic limbs: John Scheiskopf, the Plexus Internal Affairs officer Reuben left for dead, at the end of Hard Times! He has snatched William Windsor-Jones, the rightful King of England, and is going to execute him on live tv, with the backing of the ASLC and the Plex.

Issue 10 Finds Reuben creating an alliance with the Skokie Skullcrushers to take back the Chicago Plexmall from the ASLC and John Scheiskopf. We also learn how Scheiskopf survived and his union with the ASLC. desiree Deutsch-Mark Overholt shows up, with a bounty for Sam Louis Obispo and joins forces with Scheisskopf. Reuben [lans a strategy, using the weather satellite (with Mandy's programming help), the Skullcrushers, and tapes of Bob Violence, complete with subliminals, to send the Gogangs on rampages, to keep the Rangers busy. Ester de la Cristo creates a fly-in-the-ointment.

Issue 11 sees Reuben transmit the subliminal-laced Bob Violence, sending the Gogangs on a rampage. Flagg and his allies intercept the Genetic Warlords and recruit them to their cause, with Jules "Deathwish" Folquet as their new drill sergeant and leader, as they join the Video Rangers. They launch an attack on the Plexmall, under the chaos of the other Gogangs. Medea finds her loyalty to the Plex tested and resigns her commission. ester de la Christo is going to lead Scheiskopf to Flagg, until Gretchen Holstrum tries to stop her and accidentally kills her. In her distress, she sees a picture of Peg Krieger and has a startling revelation. Raul takes over Luther Ironheart's body, and much fighting ensues.

Issue 12 is the finale. Reuben and the Video Rangers launch an all out attack, aided by the subliminals, which create so much chaos that Scheiskopf doesn't know where to turn. The pirate broadcasts also include info that Scheiskopf and the ASLC intend to disperse nerve gas over Chicago. Flagg and Mandy try to stop the countdown; but, even Mandy's skills aren't enough to break the programming. Gretchen Holstrum tells her to move over and let mother do it. She saves the day and reveals that she is Margaret Rand Krieger, known as Peggy, to her friends. Scheiskopf survives the assault and tries a last-ditch assault on reuben, who kills him, bringing an end to the saga.



Issue 13 acts as a sort of coda, with art from James Sherman and Rich Burchett. The ASLC commit mass suicide, putting an end to their story.  Reuben tells off the Plex representatives, and we learn how Peggy Krieger became Gretchen Holstrum. She met a young Hilton Krieger, when he was leader of the Genetic Warlords, with CK Blitz. They were drafted into the new Plexus Rangers. Together, they had a daughter, Mandy. Hilton was sent to fight in Latin America, for 2 years and Peg had an affair with CK, resulting in a daughter, Medea. When Hilton came home he threw her out. She wandered the country and drifted to New Orleans. There, she met Ranger Golem, who helped her find work and fell in love with her. She picked up a hitchhiking Gretchen Holstrum, one day, and accidentally drove over a mine. The doctors pieced her together; but, only found Holstrum's id card, for guidance, and rebuilt her face to resemble it. She went on, believing she was Holstrum, eventually coming to work for the Love Canal Adult Pleasure Center, eventually becoming its madam. Meanwhile, the Plex send an official to negotiate with Reuben.

This entire sequence is filled with fantastic art, complex characterizations, plots and schemes and double-crosses, violence, sex, and more than a bit of humor. Chaykin created a novel with those first 12 issues, plotting the story from beginning to end. The first half introduced the world and characters, and dropped hints and developed subplots along the way. The second half weaves the strands together into an epic battle between Reuben and the fascist alliance of Scheiskopf, the Gotterdamacrats and the ASLC, with the Plex as silent partners. We see corporate greed and corruption, billionaires who think they are above the law, Medea matures into a leader, Raul gets hands and really starts becoming the Alpha-Kitty, Mandy and Reuben grow closer, and we see a lot of Chaykin's ideology. The world is filled with fat-cats, fascists, opportunists, corrupt officials, and cynics. however, there are good people and underneath the hide of a cynic lies an idealist who has been kicked in the groin too many times. Flagg is an idealist; but, he recognizes that bringing ideals to fruition is often messy. This is Chaykin's unequalled masterpiece. It is filled with razor-sharp satire and observation, decades before the Daily Show and its ilk. Chaykin is a liberal with teeth, a cynic with ideals, an artist who takes chances. At all coalesced here.

After this, the series continues, with Chaykin at the helm, for a time. More and more, we had fill-in stints from other artists, with Chaykin back to take Reuben to Canada, create a cover that homaged a Bettie Page bondage photo, hold an election for mayor, and more, though never quite at the same level as this first year. Chaykin moved on to other things, like The Shadow, Blackhawk, and Twilight, at DC, and Hollywood, as a writer and producer on the original Flash tv show, and on the syndicated series Mutant X. He eventually came back to comics, first as a writer, then dipping his fingers back into the inkwell, as an artist, and as remained ever since. He has created flashes of past brilliance (American century has it in the writing, some of his other work had it in the art). he created a pure porn comic, in Black Kiss, which still managed to have a plot (muddled though it is) and it keeps returning. he became a mentor to artists, for Marvel, running art "bootcamps" for them, teaching a new generation to tell a story, as Gil Kane and Wally Wood did for him. And, he's still a cantankerous, mouthy upstart, who likes to put a match to gasoline.

One member of the creative team hasn't been mentioned, Leslie Zahler. She was the colorist on this series and did a fantastic job, matching moods with subtle and bold shades, really pushing the boundaries of the color process, in an age before digital coloring. She was also Chaykin's wife and model for Crystal Gayle Marakova. The marriage didn't last and she moved on from comics. There is an old interview out there with her, from David Anthony Kraft's Comics interview, and the pair did an interview for the Comics Journal, back when Chaykin was doing Time 2 and Black Kiss, and other projects, post-Flagg.

American Flagg lost its way under other hands (including JM DeMatteis and Mark Badger) and Chaykin returned to wrap up the story and start a new one, with a hand-picked team. That lasted 12 issues, as Howard Chaykin's American Flagg, before turning off the lights. First Comics was floundering at that time and over-invested in the launch of a revived Classics Illustrated and went bankrupt. The first year of Flagg lives on in the colelction from Dynamite, which includes a new story, showing the new graphic tricks that Chaykin has learned. It's not the original; but, it still has much of the old spirit.

Now, a bit of 80s nostalgia that, to me, seems to fit American Flagg...

The Charles Dixon credit cracks me up, like the old Looney Tunes credits with I. Freleng (Isadore, aka Friz) and Charles M. Jones (Chuck).

The time is 1983. The place is a little bookstore I used to frequent. They had an on-again, off-again relationship with comics, over the years. That day, they had them again. I looked at the spinner and saw new stuff I didn't recognize, and company names I had never heard of. One issue in particular caught my eye. It took half a minute to make up my mind to buy it; and, every issue that I hoped would follow it. Let me demonstrate why.

The book opens with a tv talk show, as a children's author is being interviewed about his series of books, relating the adventures of a group of leprechauns, living in Central Park, in New York City. The leprechauns are a diverse mix of ethnicities and the eccentric looking author, BB Flemm, is their best-selling creator. The interviewer closes by asking what BB stands for. "Buford Bertrand," Flemm answers. We see him depart the studio as the program switches to news and talks about the president's upcoming visit to the UN, and security precautions being taken. We see police Captain Winters face some pointed questions about police vs private security and Winters lashes back about the media, after the sensationalistic Dahl case. Our author is juxtaposed to the news piece, as he walks through the city, finally reaching a nice brownstone. He goes inside as the reporter relates past events of the Dahl case, where a notorious child-killer, Richard Dahl, was brought in by a bounty hunter, named Jon Sable. A news photo of Sable is seen, with the killer in custody. Sable has a bizarre mask painted on his face. As we see it, we see the author plop down his Harpo Marx wig and moustache and light a cigarette. BB Flemm is Jon Sable. He heads downstairs to a private shooting range, where he practices against pop-up targets, with a Mauser C96 pistol, unloading 6 shots into the image of BB Flemm. The computer remarks, "Maggie's Drawers! You hit a good guy!" Sable replies, "Tell That to the New York Times Book Review!" His repartee is interrupted by an alarm and he runs up stairs, and ambushes a trio of intruders.

Thus begins JON SABLE, FREELANCE



Who wouldn't be hooked by that? As it happens, the second issue was also there on the spinner and I bought both.

Mike Grell had conceived Jon Sable as a potential comic strip, called Iron Mike, just as Warlord had been originally conceived as Savage Empire. Grell liked the idea of creator ownership, which was part of the comic strip world; but, rarely in the comic book world. When Pacific started and offered ownership and royalties, he became their first recruit, bringing them Starslayer, a project that was cancelled before launch, in the DC Implosion. Pacific was big on promises and short on delivery and Grell parted ways with them. Mike Gold, a friend from his days as a DC editor, called Grell up about his new company, First Comics, in Chicago. They offered higher page rates, royalties and ownership. Grell trusted Gold so he signed on, bringing Starslayer there and, his retooled Iron Mike. Thus, Jon Sable, Freelance became the third book published by First Comics (Warp, the adaptation of the Warp cycle of stage plays, was first, followed by Joe Staton and Nicola Cuti's E-Man). Grell now had a chance to do his private eye-meets-mercenary-meets-espionage thriller series, without many restrictions. This was Grell unleashed and it was awe inspiring.

In that first issue, Sable disposes of the intruders, then gets one of them to talk. he goes out to a waiting limo and meets a rather famous jelly-bean eating man...



Sable and the audience learn that there is an assassination plot working and the potential assassin has been identified as one Milo Jackson. Sable is blackmailed with the threat of exposing that BB Flemm is Sable, though he will receive pay. However, Milo Jackson makes it personal. Afterwards, Sable reflects back on the Rhodesian Civil War, in 1979. Sable is a mercenary working for the white supremacist Rhodesian government, carrying out patrols in search of rebels. One of the patrols is ambushed and all of the men killed (Sable was stuck back at base, with an injury). Only Milo escaped, because he set up the ambush, for pay. Sable later uncovered the truth. We get an interlude as Sable talks, via phone, to his agent, and occasional romantic partner, Eden Kendall. To say Grell draws knockout women is an understatement and Eden was one of his best, in my opinion. Sable gets back to the hunt. He goes to a bar for info, and takes out a room full of armchair mercs (the type who subscribe to Soldier of Fortune and ave never been in combat). He heads over to a sporting goods store, where the owner deals in black market arms. He finds the man dying, with his last words being about an "iron monster." Milo ambushes Sable; but, leaves him alive. Sable comes to and faces Captain Josh Winters and answers questions and warns him to cancel the UN ceremony. He informs Winters that Jackson has stolen an "free rifle," a stripped down target rifle that fires a 5 inch group, at a thousand yards. Winters hauls Sable in on suspicion and Sable tosses him a card with his "get out of jail free" phone number. Winters calls the number, while Sable cools his heels in a cell, then releases him, saying Sable has powerful friends.

Sable goes to the site of the ceremony and sees workmen repairing vandalism to a monument at the UN Plaza. The workman remarks it looks like someone took a ball peen hammer to the concrete, as we see several holes, grouped together, as well as orange paint. Sable runs into one of the Secret Service guys who broke into his place and tells him to cancel the ceremony, which is refused. Sable informs him that the holes were caused by bullets fired from a free rifle, by Milo Jackson, in practice. Sable cases the area and works out the angle that the bullets were fired and determines that they came from a building, under construction. He sneeks in, the hard way (climbing the steel girders) and gets the drop on Jackson; but, he had a back-up and Sable goes down. Milo taunts Sable as he is about to pull the trigger (Sable lost his Mauser in a concussion explosion); but, Sable pulls a pair of punch daggers from his belt buckle and kills Jackson, throwing off the shot.

That first issue established an exciting character and is filled with Grell's attention to detail, excellent action choreography, and plenty of suspense. He draws a recognizable NYC and real people, as well as his own creations. He lets the art tell the story when it should and adds interesting dialogue where it is needed. His story is well paced and sucks you in deeper and deeper, as it builds to the confrontation between Sable and Jackson. By that point, Jackson has been built up as an object of hatred for Sable and someone who is deadlier. We want to see Jackson brought to justice for his treachery; but, we are worried that Sable can't beat him.



Issue 2 features Sable hired to solve the murder of a whino, who had once been an engineer. Along the way, he meets Myke Blackmon, a young woman who is the illustrator of his books. He meets her as Flemm and is pushy. She storms after him, when he leaves, and follows him to the brownstone, where she meets Sable. She uncovers the deception and confronts him with it and his attitude to her art. He concedes and apologises. They discuss her illustrations, as the 6 ft Blackmon makes jokes about Sable's shorter height. Blackmon will feature more in subsequent issues. Sable uncovers a conspiracy that involves Nazi war criminals and stolen money.



Issues 3-6, titled "A Storm Over Eden," cement Sable as a classic. The story is framed by Myke Blackmon confronting Eden Kendall about Sable and his dual identity. Sable is gone, mysteriously and Blackmon wants more info about this mysterious man. Eden provides her with a manuscript, titled A Storm Over Eden and tells her to read it. Meanwhile, we see Sable arrive out of the African bush, where he is reunited with an old friend. He is warned that people will be waiting for him; but, Sable says he had to come. We switch back to Myke reading the manuscript and see the story unfold. In 1972, Sable is an athlete and sports writer, competing at the Munich Games in the Modern Pentathlon (fencing, target shooting, equestrian jumping, a foot-race and a swimming event) derived from the training given to Napoleon's couriers. There, Sable meets Elise McKenna, a white (and blond) Kenyan gymnast. Sable at first tries to pick her up, thinking she is a German local, only to fail miserably, as she makes sport of him, in English. Elise was a silver medalist in 1968; but, fails to medal here. Sable offers her a consolation prize of violets, her favorite flower (Sable first saw her at a flower stand) and an offer of dinner. Sable also fails to medal and Elise returns the favor and the go out to dinner. The spend the evening talking, with Elise speaking of life in Africa and the beauty of Kenya. They walk along and see some men climbing a fence to get into the Olympic compound. They think the men are athletes sneaking back in, after curfew. They are wrong, as the Munich Massacre unfolds, where 11 Israeli Olympic athletes were taken hostage and murdered by terrorists of the Black September organization. The violence that marred the Olympics will prove prophetic to Jon and Elise's lives. Elise is on a plane, about to depart for home, when Jon joins her. They go off to live a life in Africa, marrying under the canopy of Africa's beauty. Together, they build a safari business and a family, as they welcome two children, a boy and a girl. The safari business proves tough, as they are living near the borders of Zambia, Botswana and Rhodesia, which is a major crossing point for Rhodesian rebels, who also poach ivory to raise cash for arms. Sable takes a job as a game control officer, to help make ends meet. Sable runs up against poachers and it is here that he takes his first human life, an act that reduces him to tears when he tells Elise.

We see more of Sable's family life, as he amuses his children with stories about leprechauns living in Central Park, seen only by a friendly whino, with new leprechauns welcomed to the fold, from other parts, including Jose, Kareem, and Billy Bob. After celebrating Elise's birthday and presenting her with a lion's tooth, made into a necklace, Sable goes off on a game culling mission. He and another officer must thin out a heard of buffalo, so they don't over-extend the food supply. It is nasty business and brings no pleasure to Sable; but, it must be done to preserve the herd and their habitat. While, this goes on, we see armed men move in on Sable's ranch. We see Elise run inside and grab an assault rifle. She fires at the invaders, while her children are pushed behind her. She takes down several before she is killed in a hail of gunfire. The leader, a man with a large caliber revolver, takes the lion's tooth necklace and is informed that Sable isn't there. Sable returns home much later and finds the corpses of his family. He is overcome by grief and rage, as he burns down what remains of their home and buries his family. Myke Blackmon weeps as she reads and, in the present, a man with a large caliber revolver and a lion's tooth necklace is informed that Sable has crossed the border.

In the next issue, Myke contacts Eden about the story and she says a friend in the State Department confirmed that every word in the tale is true. We go back to the past and see Sable, in his grief, his hands covered in the ashes of his family, smear black lines across his face, creating his battlemask. He goes off to hunt the men who killed his family, making war on poachers along the way. He eventually gets the name of one, an African with a German field cap his father took off a German soldier, in WW2. Sable finds him and tortures him to get the name of the leader, who happens along and silences Kraut (as the man is known) before he can give the name. The white haired white man has been hunting Sable and has the drop on him, when Sable escapes by hurling a knife, which cuts through the man's pinky, throwing off his shot.

Issue 5 sees a drunken Sable pulled out of a Salisbury jail cell by Milo Jackson, who needs his expertise to lead a patrol into the bush to find a senator's son, lost on a ballooning expedition, in rebel territory. Sable sobers up and joins the mercenaries, leading a patrol into the bush. They eventually track the missing students to a ranger fort (think bunker, rather than western fort), in a national park, which is under siege. The men are cut off and the fort's radio has been hit by a round and is useless, so air support is out of the question. Sable hits upon the idea of using the balloon to escape, minus the gondola. He sets the mercenaries to starting a brush fire, to give them cover and they inflate the balloon envelope, using ropes to tether themselves to it and head aloft. The wind blows them over the rebels and they need to gain altitude and dump their weapons and equipment. A female member of the group refuses to dump a satchel. It turns out she is a courier for an ivory cartel and the real reason $60,000 is being offered for the group's safe return. She tries to create an alternate solution and aims a pistol at a black mercenary; but, Sable stops her. they struggle as their lines become entangled. Milo Jackson cuts the line and the woman plunges to the fire below. They land elsewhere, safely and Sable discovers her satchel contained narcotics, though the rain destroyed most of it. He asks Jackson how he knew which line to cut and Jackson walks off, without answering. Meanwhile, in the present, Sable has returned to the site of his African home.

Issue 6 sees the finale. Sable is kicked out of Rhodesia when majority rule comes and Robert Mugabe rises to power. He heads to New York and falls back on his writing, trying to sell his African story as a book. He receives rejection after rejection, until he sees a letter from a literary agent. He goes to the office to meet with them and finds an attractive woman standing on a ladder, trying to replace a light bulb in a small office. This is Eden Kendall, a new agent. Sable questions her skills and she fires back with the information that the market is saturated with adventure stories and she can't sell the book. However, she likes the leprechaun stories that Sable told his children and tells him she can sell that. He doubts anyone will read them; so, she convinces him to use a pen name and he signs a contract, believing little will come of it. He then falls back on his other skills: hunting and killing. He sees a news report about the escape of convicted child-killer Richard Dahl. Sable tracks him down and brings him in, for a reward. He tells the reporter that he is for hire, not a concerned citizen. After that, he is flooded with work and makes a name for himself as a high priced mercenary, bodyguard, and troubleshooter. Just as his stock has risen, Eden hits him with news that she has sold his book and he will be making signing appearances. he balks at the idea and she hits him with the contractual obligations of their agreement, leading to the BB Flemm masquerade, as we see a pair of kids at a signing whispering, "I think he said the S word..."

Back in the present, Sable systematically takes apart the men sent to ambush him at his old home. A dying man gives him the name he sought, Reinhardt Pyke. He tracks the man to Salisbury and confronts him and a savage fight ensues. The man has the drop on an injured Sable, with a spear held to strike, when Sable lunges at him, with the punch daggers from his belt buckle. The mortally wounded man collapses over a balcony railing and lands on the horns of a sable antelope trophy head, finishing the job. Sable sees a telegram from someone signed as "J", congratulating Pyke on his appointment as head of the National Parks, with a rise in business expected. Sable realizes he just put an end to a massive increase in ivory poaching. The story ends with Sable placing violets on Elise's grave, apologizing for how long it took him to return.

These first 6 issues established Jon Sable as a book for adults who still loved comics, but wanted something more mature. The characters are well rounded and conflicted. Sable has lived through horrible tragedy and is scarred by it. However, he will soon find himself with reasons to go on living and face the guilt of it. For now, though, he has brought justice to the men who took his family from him.

Grell is on fire here, with taught writing and action and suspense galore. He infuses the characters with real traits and personalities and still manages to insert his trademark sense of humor, through the absurdity of the Flemm identity, the leprechaun stories, his kids, the interactions with other characters, and more. Visually, the characters are distinct. Sable was based visually on actor James Brolin, and he used other influences for other characters. Sable brings with it the traditions of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan, Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlow, Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, and Ian Fleming's James Bond, while making the character his own creation. Grell brings the city and the African bush alive and real people and animals populate the world. Most of all, he brings heart to his story. You care for Jon and Elise and their family and you cry when you see what remains of them, just as Myke does. You feel Jon's grief and anger, which Grell sells both through his writing and his images. You watch as Sable rebuilds and you root for him to find a new life and you feel pity for the life of violence that he lives, when he doesn't financially need to. This is a damaged man, one who Grell will continue to explore.

Jon Sable proved to be First Comics breakout hit (soon followed by American Flagg). The series proved popular enough that Hollywood came calling. At first, they were interested in a movie and one came close, to star Eddie Murphy! Then, there was talk of a tv series, with Gene Simmons. Instead, a tv series did arrive, with Lewis Van Bergen, a lesser known actor who had been in a tv movie pilot for Modesty Blaise, playing Willie Garvin. The series was put on at the beginning of the prime time hour, on Saturday nights, on ABC, which limited the amount of violence. Sable carried a gun but didn't use it. The stories were a bit more modest in budget and filled with murky nighttime scenes. Van Bergen wasn't exactly an exciting actor, though he played cold-blooded well. Sable was given a blind computer hacker as an aid, Cheesecake, played by African-American stage actor Ken Page. The one cast member who stood out was the new actress who played Eden Kendall: Rene Russo. Russo, a former model, made her acting debut on the series, showing off the best legs on television (which they made a point of highlighting, in one particular scene). Unfortunately, the writing and the timeslot prevented the show from capturing the flavor of the comics and it was cancelled after 7 mostly lackluster episodes (apart from one, where Sable faced the son of the poacher he killed). I wrote the first review of it on IMDB, which can be read here: www.imdb.com/title/tt0092444/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

Grell later adapted A Storm Over Eden into the Jon Sable novel, with further embellishments and a change for one supporting character.



The novel had modest sales, so a series of novels did not follow. The character would reappear in Grell's Shaman's Tears, at Image, with talk of a new series, from Caliber. Instead, Sable returned at IDW, with Bloodtrail, then Ashes of Eden. Recently, I was presented with a signed copy of the trade edition of Ashes by the overwhelmingly nice couple of Darrin and Ruth Sutherland, who host the Warlord Worlds podcast, devoted to the work of Mike Grell and his creations; an act for which I am eternally grateful and humbled. You can listen to their podcast here: warlordworlds.podbean.com/ Tell them Jeff sent you!

I have a deep love for Mike Grell's work and he was the first artist whose work I really responded too. He came into comics as I was discovering them, making a big impression from the start. It took years; but, I finally got to meet him at a little convention in Collinsville, IL, just across the Mississippi from St Louis, Mo. I went solely to meet Grell, and spent the day talking to him, Mike Gold and John Ostrander. it was one of the best experiences of my life and I brought home a sketch of Robin hood, which hangs on the wall by my computer, next to a poster from the Scribner's edition of Treasure Island, painted by NC Wyeth, one of Grell's artistic influences. We spent the day talking about Warlord, Jon Sable, Green Arrow, the Legion of Superheroes, Stewart Granger, King Solomon's Mines, the Vikings, Robin Hood, Eliott S! Maggin, Maxfield Parrish, First Comics, the Eclipse James Bond mini-series, and more. I was drifting away from comics, bored with superheroes, when I discovered Jon Sable, in 1983, and it gave me a reason to stick with comics and led me to other great independent companies and titles, as well as encouraged me to stick around and see DC transform itself from a company on the bring to the hottest publisher in the industry, even if it didn't have the highest sales, through the latter half of the 80s and the early 90s.

The Sutherland's have an interview with Grell, on the podcast, where he remarks that Hollywood is again interested in Jon Sable. Hopefully, they do it and do it right. For now, I will continue with other issues of Jon Sable. I will be looking at my favorites rather than the entire series, looking at how the characters grow and how the series evolves, until Grell leaves it and First Comics. Join me as a I look at the introduction of Sonny Pratt and Maggie the Cat, see Sable return to Vietnam and help a Russian ballerina escape from East Germany. See sable shot by a rookie cop and catch a "black widow." Sable will return to Africa again, and will solve the case of the theft of the Maltese Falcon! All of this and leprechauns will be here, so come on back.

I got the first trade when it was on sale at Mycomicshop last year and I have some credit.. I really enjoyed it.. it's almost a period piece, looking back on it... Grell really captured the 80s socio-political feel well.

Jon Sable, Freelance #7



Sable is hired by a witness to a a mob hit to protect her and get her to court alive, after she is nearly killed in police custody. They hole up in an under-construction building, while hitmen try to get to them. Plenty of great cat and mouse action; but, the real attraction here is the introduction of Jason "Sonny" Pratt, Sable's old fencing coach and a retired Hollywood stuntman. Sonny would regularly interrupt Sable and a woman, while dressed as different swashbuckling heroes. He was a great source of comic relief, though he also factored into a few more emotional stories, especially one that sends Sable back to Vietnam. More on that story in the near future. This one is great suspense, which opens with a lot of fun.



In issues 8 and 9, Sable is hired by an ex-con who is on the run, after falsely being accused of robbing a safe and murdering her boss. The death was an accident; but, there is more to the story. Sable uncovers an ex-Air Force colonel who fancies himself to be Gen. Jack D Ripper (or Curtis LeMay, to be more historically accurate) and is involved with a Libyan nuclear plot, involving the UN building. Grell gets to play around in the world of James Bond, as Sable gets involved in fighting a megalomaniac and finds himself teamed up with an Air Force security investigator. This was Grell's first venture into the world of Bond; but not his last, with either Jon Sable or the actual Bond. Good old fashioned super-spy fun, mixed with some private eye work and more of Sonny and his swashbucklerus interruptus.



Issue 10 is one of my favorites, because it demonstrates what a great writer Mike Grell is, aside from being a great artist. The story opens with an epilogue to the previous adventure, as Sable confronts the Libyan agent in her hotel room. It moves on to become a character study, as we see Jon and Sonny talk on the phone, as it is around the holidays. We find out that Sonny is hiding a very lonely life behind his jovial facade and swashbuckling pranks. This will come to the forefront in a couple of issues. Jon finishes work on a new book and talks to Eden on the phone, who is heading home for Thanksgiving. Sable reveals he knows she means Racine, WI and that her real name is Edna Mae Kowalski. He has a bit of fun with her, with his knowledge of her secret. She asks him to take the manuscript to Myke, to start work on the illustrations. There, we see Myke and Sable get to know each other and Sable meets Myke's roommate, Grey Adler. Well, he first meets him as a nude painting, with Sable commenting that Myke has exaggerated some of the anatomy. She assures him she hasn't.  He then meets Grey in more covered flesh and we find that Grey is a dancer, who is choreographing some fight scenes for a version of the Three Musketeers, for the ballet stage. Sable invites Grey to see a real fencing demonstration and then fishes around to see if Myke and Grey are an item. She reveals that they are friends and Grey is gay. They have an uncomfortable time at the fencing match and Grey breaks the ice and Jon realizes that he was being silly for being uncomfortable with Grey. We then see Grey and Myke talk, afterward, as Myke reveals that she is attracted to Sable; but also scared of the violence in his life and past. The story ends with Sable going jogging, before he has to make a tv appearance, as BB Flemm. He runs into a gang of hoods, which suits him fine, as he wants to work off some frustrations. Once the cops arrive and find the casualties (bruises and contusions), Josh Winters gives Sable a new body opening, as he talks about vigilante glory hounds and honest cops, who don't get the high pay or glory, and says he should be at his child's birthday party. Sable notices Winters has a toy based on one of his leprechaun characters. We end with Sable asleep on his live tv appearance (the Today Show) and end at the birthday party, where BB Flemm makes a surprise appearance, to the delight of the children, and delivers a thank you to Winters, for the work of the police department.

There's a little action here; but, the bulk is a character study of Sable and his supporting cast. It's nice to see Grell take some time for human beings interacting on a semi-normal basis. He makes a fine statement about about people being the same, in regards to Grey, without making it a big message. We see a romance developing with Myke and Sable, one that frightens her. We also see Captain Winters being shown the respect Sable has for him, even though they are usually at odds. Most series would be afraid to do an entire issue of character moments, rather than fight scenes. Not Grell (or Marv Wolfman, in the New Teen Titans). Grell uses his freedom at First to tell the stories he wants to tell. A lot will come out of this issue, down the road, as these interactions will pull people more and more into Sable's world.  For my money, this is one of the "must-have" issues of Jon Sable, as it does more to establish the characters than any other single issue of the series, while giving both fantastic art and writing.  Amazingly, for a man with a rep for hunting, manly adventure comics, and testosterone-fuelled stories, Grell is very good about portraying the beauty of ballet, something he returns to later.  Grey was one of the first gay characters to appear in a comic and Grell gives him a sensitive portrayal, even if it isn't a headlining one.