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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 2, 2021 14:56:26 GMT -5
Justice League of America #136 Batman punching the Joker? Seen it. Dr Light getting his butt kicked by anyone and everyone? Seen it. Robin dropkicking the Shade? Well, that's different. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-plot & continuity, Marty Pasko-script, Dick Dillin-pencils, Frank McLaughlin-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Julie Schwartz-editor GCD lists this as the first appearance of the Earth-2 Joker, which is nonsense, as the original appearance by the Joker is the first appearance of the Earth-2 Joker, by default. Someone is trying to bump up the value of their comic!  Synopsis: We switch to Earth-S, as the Hawks and the Bullets arrive in the Rockies, to find volcanoes erupting and people transformed into volcanic rock. The heroes, being completely useless, fly around spreading panic....  Meanwhile, people wonder where Captain Marvel is. Well, he is stuck, because Billy Batson is reporting the news, since the mythological figures who give him his powers are asleep, under Kull's control. People all over are being transformed into ice, soil, iron and other compounds. It starts to affect the heroes, as Hawkman's shoulder starts turning into volcanic rock. Elsewhere, Batman & Robin and Mr Scarlet & Pinky see steelworkers turned to iron and it starts to affect Batman. However, the notice death grins and recognize the Joker's work. He is nearby, watching with the Weeper. Seriously? The Weeper? Why don't we add Nora Clavacle and Minerva, while we are at it.  They pull a jewelry heist and turn everyone into diamonds. The caped clods turn up late and find the aftermath. They track them down to their lair and a fight ensues, but Joker escapes. They find an exploding button on weeper and take it to police forensics expert Jim Barr, for analysis; but, it just releases the tear gas, not the transformations (which are now affecting Pinky, as his hair has turned to diamond). They figure out, finally, that this is all Kull's work. then Bulletgirl turns up with APBs for the Shade and Dr Light, and they go after them. The Batsons & Freddy Freeman compare woes and wonder how Kull can be stopped, without the Marvel Family. Well, the other chuckleheads aren't doing a very good job; so, don't ask me! Bulletman and Hawkman catch up to the Shade, at a museum, where paintings have come to life and people have been transformed into paintings. they brawl with figures from the paintings and Bulletman starts turning two-dimensional, which is impossible, since he occupies three-dimensional space, which just means he starts to become paper-thin, which is what they should have said int he first place! The Shade covers them in inky darkness and flies away with his cane, but Hawkman has infra-red contact lenses (of course) and Bulletman uses his gravity helmet to take control of the cane and dump the Shade, who surrenders, because he isn't written by James Robinson, age 13 (at the time of this comic). Hawkman finds that the cane cannot reverse the darkness, which is a surprise to the Shade. At Yellowstone park, the Girls, Hawk & Bullet, meet up with Dr Light, fight some geysers, then find Light petrified, which starts happening to Bulletgirl. Light mentions a satellite. They link up with the others and jail Light and Shade, then they use the villains' weapons to move the two satellites until they collide and destroy each other. At the end, Johnny Thunder meets up with the Batsons and Master Freeman and asks if they are the guys who say "Shazam!". Thoughts: This really isn't an improvement on last issue. We get bizarre transformations, with no rhyme or reason and the villains go down rather easily (except the Joker) and somehow this is all part of Kull's plan to destroy the world(s). Lot of info missing, lot of convenient circumstances, lot of heroes in the dark about everything and some goofy transformative stunts. For 1976, this reads more like 1956. This is why DC was getting its butt whooped by Marvel (though the market was pretty bad for both, in '76). It's liked they dumbed this down for the intended Shazam! audience, but too much for the JLA audience, though either should have been able to handle a basic cross-over plot, if some thought had been put into this. No idea why Bulletman is in civies, since dealing with the volcano hazard. It would have made more sense if this was how he entered the story, but he has been in it, in costume, already. Bulletgirl didn't get an upgrade for the time and is still running around in hot pants. Bulletman at least has tights and trunks. I hope she at least has nylons to take off some of the chill of the slipstream, in flight. The villains continue to be little more than cameos, as they barely do anything, then get taken down, while Kull is behind everything and even the villains have no idea about what is going on. It just seems like they were thrown in there so the heroes had someone to fight, but not directly affect the plot beyond their few pages. Also no rhyme or reason to why villains were chosen. It seems like a random draw, with a heavy emphasis on batman (who does have a bigger rogue's gallery than most heroes, except the Flash). Ibac is the only Earth-S villain seen, besides King Kull. Joker being the Earth-2 original and Penguin, in the last chapter, being the Earth-1 version also seems rather arbitrary. There was usually more thought than this in these crossovers. I don't know whether it is the scanned copy that is in my digital version or the original print source, but Mr Scarlet, Pinky and Robin all turn yellow, for a couple of pages, then are suddenly red again. Took me a couple of read-throughs to figure out if it was part of the plot or a mistake/bad scan. That kind of highlights how thin the plot is, since there is no rhyme or reason to anything, you can't even tell if an odd panel is deliberate or a mistake. One more chapter of this and then we are mercifully done and can return to Billy's own book. man; Steve Englehart will be a welcome arrival, in a couple of issues!
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Post by mikelmidnight on Oct 4, 2021 12:35:39 GMT -5
I was annoyed they gave the Earth-2 Batman the wrong chest emblem (although they'd already established the Earth-2 Superman had more than one shirt and liked to vary it up, unlike his Earth-1 counterpart, so I guess the Earth-2 Batman was the same).
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 4, 2021 21:41:00 GMT -5
I was annoyed they gave the Earth-2 Batman the wrong chest emblem (although they'd already established the Earth-2 Superman had more than one shirt and liked to vary it up, unlike his Earth-1 counterpart, so I guess the Earth-2 Batman was the same). Well, the main conceit was that he didn't have the yellow circle around the bat, though I agree the older chest emblem made more sense. I think it was more to con people who saw the cover to think it was their usual Batman. Either that or someone forgot to tell Ernie Chan (on covers) and Dick Dillin (interiors) to draw it like the old emblem. Makes me wonder if they penciled the earth-1 Batman emblem and they only inked the bat. |
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Post by zaku on Oct 5, 2021 10:06:56 GMT -5
I don't know why they even bothered using Earth-2 Batman. Judging by the synopsis, his role could have been replaced by virtually any other character. Sometime I think that for whatever reason at DC they were deeply embarrassed by the concept of Earth-2 Batman (while they didn't have any problem using Superman and Wonder Woman from same Earth). This was virtually his only relevant apparition in costume during modern times, then he spent the rest of his days as a commissionaire in Gotham City, acting for whatever plot reason in an unhinged and crazy way. Until his ignominious death, by the hand of a unknown nobody. And AFTER his death he managed to get his fellow JSAer tried for treason. Really, the only modern decent story where he was the main character was this one.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 5, 2021 21:40:55 GMT -5
I don't know why they even bothered using Earth-2 Batman. Judging by the synopsis, his role could have been replaced by virtually any other character. Sometime I think that for whatever reason at DC they were deeply embarrassed by the concept of Earth-2 Batman (while they didn't have any problem using Superman and Wonder Woman from same Earth). This was virtually his only relevant apparition in costume during modern times, then he spent the rest of his days as a commissionaire in Gotham City, acting for whatever plot reason in an unhinged and crazy way. Until his ignominious death, by the hand of a unknown nobody. And AFTER his death he managed to get his fellow JSAer tried for treason. Really, the only modern decent story where he was the main character was this one. Well, there was no real difference between the two versions, until they introduced Huntress. Other than the change in the symbol (which got worked into being part of the Earth-1 batman's history, then the post-Crisis Bats), the only difference is an adult Robin. I think, until they introduced the elder E-2 Bruce Wayne, as the Commissioner of the Gotham Police, the feeling was just that an adult Robin was more interesting than a middle-aged Batman. I disagree; but, that seems to have been the thinking. Bruce as Commissioner is introduced in All-Star Comics (the revival), with him at odds witht he JSA, which feeds into the reveal of Huntress, and, his ultimate death. IK think the other part of the problem is deliniating what was Earth-2 Batman and what was Earth-1, since they had Kathy Kane, as a retired Batwoman, interacting with Batgirl and others, then brought Betty Kane into Teen Titans. The Earth-1 Batman referred back to 1940s stories; so, it was hard to say "This is the E-2 Batman), in many cases. It seemed like DC wanted to count everything (same thing happened with the Nu-52) with Batman, but wanted to only count Silver Age Superman and Wonder Woman as E-1. With them, you could say the earlier, less powerful Superman, who worked for the Daily Star, was E-2, and the WW, who was part of the JSA and fought Nazis, was E-2 and have the one who was Wonder Tot be E-1, using Kanigher as a dividing line (or, really, anything after Marston). I kind of liked the idea that came about with Paul Levitz and Alan Brennert, that Bruce Wayne gave up being Batman and married Selina Kyle, became police commissioner and raised a daughter, as Robin grew to adulthood and took over the mantle. It was kind of nice to see a bit of happiness in his life and then for him to go out a hero, retaking the mantle for one last battle. |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Oct 6, 2021 11:36:54 GMT -5
Also, it just occurred to me, that aside from the circle-less logo (which as you note, E-1 Bruce also wore early on), there's no clear visual distinction between the two since the mask covers his hair and most of his face. Superman and Wonder Woman had both slightly divergent costumes but also clearly graying hair.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 6, 2021 12:28:50 GMT -5
Also, it just occurred to me, that aside from the circle-less logo (which as you note, E-1 Bruce also wore early on), there's no clear visual distinction between the two since the mask covers his hair and most of his face. Superman and Wonder Woman had both slightly divergent costumes but also clearly graying hair. Which you see in All-Star Comics, as Commissioner Wayne; but, as you say, is hidden by the cowl. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 6, 2021 15:30:46 GMT -5
Justice League of America #137 So, Superman vs Captain Marvel finally comes to DC. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-plot & continuity, Marty Pasko-script, Dick Dillin-pencils, Frank McLaughlin-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Julie Schwartz-editor Synopsis: Kull begins his attack on Earth-1, at a planned, futuristic community (ala Montreal's habitat, which is name-dropepd). The attack begins with a rampage by Mr Atom...  Responding to the attack are the crossover-team of the counterpart Flashes and Green Lanterns, Ibis the Invincible and Mercury. The speedsters go first and get blown back. The Lanterns and Ibis try their weapons and get swatted away. He has a black aura that protects him. The magic folks (E-2 GL's ring is magic, sort of) duplicate the aura, then get a reading on its source and follow it, while the speedsters race around. People are falling from the sky, as an airliner is zapped and they rescue them, while going after a saucer that houses Brainiac, who turns E-1 GL into a living skeleton, with a "barium effect" Somebody had some tests done! Ibis' magic defeats Brainiac and they smash to computer controlling Mr Atom. The aura disappears and then Ibis turns up to use the Ibistick, but Mr Atom gets it and tries to banish Ibis, but the stick does the whammy on him, as it serves only its master and puts the spell on anyone who tries to use it against him. Now, somehow, the combined JLA/JSA and Squadron of Justice converges on the Rock of Eternity and Kull uses Red Kryptonite to take control of Superman and turn him against the rest. Johnny Thunder makes intros and then has no clue what to due. he tells the Batsons & Freeman about his Thunderbolt and calls him forth and the gang transforms into the Marvel Family, as the Thunderbolt acted as the magic lightning...  He flies the to the Rock and they attack Kull. Then, Shazam sends Captain Marvel to stop Superman. He goads Superman into attack and they fly at one another, with CM saying "Shazam!" at the last instant, breaking the Red K spell on Superman, who rescues the falling Billy.  Kull is taken away in chains and everyone goes home and all is crap that ends crap. Thoughts: This is mercifully over! Again, it feels like there is a lot mossing as we get abrupt shifts left and right. Johnny Thunder just showed up, at the end of the previous issue and then in a couple of panels has restored the Marvels. Ibis didn't need any help to defeat Brainiac and Mr Atom, so what the heck were the rest of them there for? Kull goes down pretty easily and Superman never plows through ranks, before being stopped. As it is, we only have 16 pages of actual story. This is just abysmal, for such a gathering of characters that it begs the question, "Wha hoppen?" Was it a case of DC (or Julie) not giving two cents for Captain Marvel and the rest and just burying it in mediocrity, to get the issues out? Was it forced upon them because of the Shazam! revamp and the tv series? Was it supposed to cross over in Shazam and those parts got excised? Or were Marty Pasko and E Nelson Bridwell on completely different wavelengths? Heck, even the previous year's crossover (with Cary Bates and Elliot Maggin as characters) was better than this and it was regarded as one of the bottom level ones, slightly above the whole Earth-A one. I have no idea but it is horribly disjointed and lacking in anything memorable. It just seemed like Bridwell is the only one with any enthusiasm for this and something sabotaged his plot. the continuity credit makes me think there were supposed to be other chapters, unless that is just a reference to keeping track of the teams that split off and which villains turn up. The henchmen for Kul had no rationale whatsoever and disappear before this issue. The Fawcett gang doesn't do anything in this issue, except Ibis, who is ridiculously powerful and seemed like he showed of handled this alone and get back to unpacking his new house. Of the Marvel Family, only Captain Marvel really does anything and that is to just fly at Superman and say "Shazam!" Hell, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny could have accomplished that, or one of the Lieutenant Marvels. JLA got better with the arrival of Steve Englehart and we will get back to Shazam!, for Captain Marvel's own adventures. The Squadron of Justice is no more and they appear only as flashback characters in the future, except for Bulletman & Bulletgirl (and Minute Man, who has yet to debut).
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 8, 2021 22:28:49 GMT -5
Shazam! #26 Captain Marvel vs Marc Bolan's band! Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Kurt Schaffenberger-artist, Joe Orlando-editor Julie is out and Joe Orlando is in. Let's hope he cares about the direction of the book, because I got the distinct impression that Julie didn't. Bridwell, yes; but, he wasn't given free rein. We will see a definite change of direction in this. Synopsis: Billy Batson is B-bopping beside the boulevard, when he bespies a bunched up batch of Buicks (and others). Okay, I'll stop; that didn't come off as well as I hoped. Anyway, traffic is a mess and he switches with Captain Marvel to lend a hand and finds the bridge gone! There is a billboard, left by Sivana, which gives the good captain a metaphorical middle finger. Billy goes off to the tuneel to consult with Shazama and runs into the rest of the gang there...   Uncle Dudley has a new 'tache and Billy almost didn't recognize him, mistaking him for an old radio and motion picture actor. (  ) He gets down to brass tacks and tells Billy he must answer Sivana's challenge, or he will destroy America, city by city. The Wizard and Uncle Dudley reveal that Sterling Morris is sending Billy on a cross country assignment to interview people for the Bicentennial and Uncle Dudley will be his driver and handle the equipment. Shazam dubs Dudley as Billy's Mentor, after the teacher of Odysseus' son, Telemachus. He then tasks Mary and Freddy to guard the city in Captain Marvel's absence. The wizard then gives Billy the Eterni-phone, which will summon any or all of the Elders from the Rock of Eternity, for guidance...  Sounds like a great premise for a tv series! They head upstairs and summon their counterparts, except Uncle Dudley, who claims an attack of Shazambago. Captain Marvel says his goodbyes to Mary & Junior, then he and Dudley fly away. At Station WHIZ (We put the P in Powerful!), Sterling Morris presents Billy with his new Shazambego (which is not The World's Mightiest Ailment but The World's Mightiest RV). It has the equipment they need, plus their home away from home, though Morris has arranged for local stations to assist with broadcasts. White Murphy will take over Billy's newscast, assisted by secretary Joan Jameson. They and Mr Tawny, Sonny Sparkle, the Potters, Dr Qualz, Dexter and girlfriend Cissy Somerly turn out to bid the pair farewell and they head out to see America. However, they immediately collide with Charles Kuralt and have to call their insurance company, before moving on. Or not.  They arrive in Washington DC, where they are met, at the Capitol Building, by local reporter Chet (nobody is named Chet, anymore...) Porter, and his son Rod, who is a Senate Page. Chet goes inside to cover a tax bill debate .... Billy talks to Rod about Sivana's threat and asks if he has heard any rumors and he says no. Billy talks about the stolen Brooklyn Bridge (affirming that Billy lives in New York City) and suddenly the Capitol is gone, with Rod's father inside. Billy heads off and switches with Captain Marvel, who stands on top of the one time world's tallest phallic symbol to look for the Capitol Building...  He asks around and a crowd of people seem rather happy that Congress has disappeared and hope that Vice President Rockefeller was there, too and that they can vote down any ransom demand. Captain Marvel is rather shocked by the cynical response. Sivana interrupts with a pirate broadcast, demanding to be named Ruler of the Universe or no more Congress. CM returns to the Shazambego and wonders what to do and Mentor...er, Dudley says to consult the Elders (he switches to Billy, before dialing the Eterni-Phone). For some reason, he tries the muscle-headed idiot Hercules, instead of wise Solomon. Herc gives him a recipe for protein powder shakes and something about "Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides!" Billy regrets asking a guy who wears a lion on his head for advice and tries to figure it out on his own.  Billy changes to captain Marvel, who tries the Wisdom of Solomon and thinks about what Sivana said about having "a hundred million to use." He realizes that Sivana meant a hundred million years and he flies to the Rock of Eternity to travel back 100 million years in time. Sure enough, he finds the Brooklyn Bridge and returns it (Hey, I own that! I have a receipt from the guy who sold it to me!) He then finds the Capitol, being menaced by a T-Rex... Captain Marvel swoops in and chases away the glam rockers and then assures the people inside they are safe. He then has to figure out how to fly it back to 1976, without the speed killing everyone. He hits upon an idea and then changes to Billy, who climbs in through a basement window (Didn't hear anybody try that in January), where he is caught by Sivana's cave-henchman, Yorgull, who clamps a hand over his mouth. Billy bites Yorgull's finger and yells the magic word when Alley Oop's cousin lets go. Captain marvel kayos Yorgull, then forces Sivana to return the Capitol to 1976, but Sivana fades out, after and says he will see TBRC in Philadelphia.  Thoughts: So, Bridwell has been given the brief to make Shazam! more like the Filmation tv series, since it is a hit and the comic isn't. It gave the series a new lease on life; but, whether it is an improvement remains to be seen. Uncle Dudley gets a mustache, so he looks more like Les Tremayne, who played Mentor in the tv series. Given that his appearance was inspired by WC Fields, it's not a very close likeness., though it is meant to be a middle ground. Using Uncle Dudley to take the place of Mentor is actually a pretty good idea, as it still gives a link to the past adventures, while mirroring what kids were seeing on tv. Bridwell gives him a thought balloon that says it is too hard to fake superheroic feats, so he is retired from being Uncle Marvel. He claims a chronic Shazambago is keeping him from becoming Uncle Marvel. That was a nod to Uncle Dudley's frequent use of that ailment to beg off demonstrating superheroic feats that he couldn't accomplish. Normally, Mary or one of the others faked it (he was paired with Mary a bit more than the others). It works within the confines of the Fawcett past and the DC/Filmation present. Sterling Morris gives Billy the Shazambego, as I like to call it, to mirror the Winnebago motor home in the tv series, right down to the lightning bolt symbol. There is actually a mention in the first tv episode about Billy crossing the country to interview young people, though it is never mentioned again. Again, this works perfectly for both worlds. It also recalls a classic Captain Marvel period, where he toured the country, visiting other cities, including Kansas City, E Nelson Bridwell's home town. he remarked on the story in Shazam! from the 40s to the 70s. That was his inspiration for Captain Marvel's cross-country battle with Sivana (and others), which the tv series couldn't match, given the restrictions on violence. There, TBRC spent more time getting whiny teenagers out of calamities, like mine cave-ins or rock crushing operations starting up, while they are playing games on the conveyor belts. At least here, we can still have Sivana and the rest, causing problems. Mary and Freddy are tasked with protecting the city, which allows for future back-up stories; except, there were none! Mary and Junior are, for now, out of the picture completely. That is another change, in that Captain Marvel gets the whole book for a single adventure, rather than two or three stories. No more reprints, not more back-ups. The latter is a bit of a shame, as I enjoyed most of the back-ups, especially the Mary Marvel stories, with Bob Oksner on art. Those had a sense of fun, but with a lively and expressive style that really worked for Mary, falling somewhere between the cartoonier Kurt Schaffenberger style and the more realistic styles seen in most DC superhero titles. So, this is DC's attempt to revamp things and try to play off the success of the tv series. This was a pretty decent start to things, though the conclusion felt like a bit of an afterthought. Too much time had to be spent on setting up the new premise to really give the central plot enough room to gel. Hercules' advice was pretty useless, but the same thing was true in the tv series, as they gave some vague answer and we had to puzzle it out and the link between the solution to a problem and the episodes theme was often tenuous, at best. Quite frankly, most of the Elders weren't the sharpest knifes in the drawer, apart from Solomon, and he couldn't keep track of his mines. Next time, we head to Philadelphia, where Billy and Captain Marvel will get some help from another Golden Age hero, though from another company; but, one who will be given ties to a member of the Marvel Family, in a future story.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 13, 2021 15:40:51 GMT -5
Shazam! #27 Nice medieval battleaxe that the Mohawk has there. Must have been a family heirloom from when Prince Valiant visited. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Kurt Schaffenberger-pencils, Vince Colletta-inks (uh-oh), Joe Orlando-editor. Schaffenberger usually inked himself; wonder what's up? Maybe he was overloaded at the Superman office. Synopsis: Captain Marvel is in Philadelphia, eating cheesesteaks and rounding up hoods. One of the hoods gets away and runs smack into Sivana, who recruits him for his gang. Beautia Sivana is with her father and he has brought out his old reincarnation machine (last seen in Captain Marvel Adventures #20, in 1943) and he revives Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard the Pirate!  He's also revived Anne Bonny (the lady pirate, who ran with Calico Jack Rackham), The Harpe Brothers (highwayman and river pirates in Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois), Loyalist Captain William Butler (led a Mohawk raiding partner in the Cherry Valley Massacre), the renegade Simon Girty (see my $ Winds ad a Lot of Funerals thread for Tim Truman's more balanced account of Girty) and Gen Benedict Arnold (one of the best leaders of the Colonial Army, until he got passed over for lesser men and defected). They will keep Captain Marvel busy and lead to the destruction of Philly (unless Rocky Balboa lends a hand). Uncle Dudley and Billy are seeing the sights, in the Shazambego, when they spot a gang hijacking a magazine distributor's truck (probably some of Joe Santangelo's "friends"). The gang is led by the Harpe brothers, who direct the rest to stop TBRC. As if! He rounds them up and returns the United News Company truck to president Sid Stern (a real company and person, who probably distributed DC, in the Philly area). Then he gets word of a bank robbery and there is Butler and Girty leading the robbers. he takes them down quickly, but Butler and Girty escape, just as the Harpe brothers did. CM switches back to BB and he goes to turn on the lighted bubblegum machine that is the Eterni-Phone and talks to Mercury. He identifies that Sivana is using historical help and promises to bring someone to help Captain Marvel....  He summons Kid Eternity, a young man who died too early and was returned to life, with the ability to call forth historical and mythical figures. They make a plan and Billy scouts for Sivana, while the Kid searches for the historical dudes. Billy finds the Sivanas at the Liberty Bell, about to plant an atomic bomb that will detonate when CM rings the bell, at the Bicentennial ceremony. Billy is about to switch, when he is nabbed by a goon. Elsewhere, at the port, Blackbeard and Bonny lead an attack on the port and KE summons Capt Robert Maynard and his crew, who killed Blackbeard the Pirate, in 1718. The cops are about to arrest all of the "costumed weirdos," when KE summons Ben Franklin, who wrote a ballad abut Maynard, to explain to the Fuzz (and the readers) about Maynard. Bonny tries to sneak off and KE sends Deborah Sampson Gannett, an African-American woman who disguised herself as a man and fought with the Patriots, in the revolutionary War. She disarms Bonny easily. Next, he sicks Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys on the Harpe Brothers...  He next finds Arnold, Butler & Girty and calls on Dan'l Boone to learn him what fer! Boone whoops Girty and Kid eternity goes after Butler, alone. Butler runs to Sivana, at the Liberty Bell pavillion and KE spots Billy Batson, in his usual predicament (no wonder Alan Moore' Twilight proposal had Billy be waay into bondage). KE gets spotted and concussed and ends up tied up next to Billy. Sounds like a hardy Boys mystery. Sivana has KE and BB placed back to back, then the Liberty Bell set over them, hiding them away. Beautia is horrified by Sivana's plan. Benedict Arnold's scabbard sticks through the crack in the bell and Billy uses it to remove his gag and say the magic word. CM appears and frees KE, who grabs Sivana, while TBRC mops up the hoods. It turns out that Arnold betrayed him and led help to stop Sivana, because he truly believed in the Patriot cause and his life among the British, was miserable.  Sivana deactivates his bomb and he and KE send the villains back to their times, but Sivana gets away, saying he will see TBRC in Boston. KE and Keeper head home, while Captain Marvel goes tomeet up with Uncle Dudley and head off to Boston. Thoughts: As a history buff, I had a blast with this one! This issue came out 45 years ago (almost to the day!) and featured figures from American History, as the Bicentennial celebrations were winding down. Blackbeard operated in the waters off the Carolinas and in the Carribean. Bonny and Calico Jack Rackham operated in the same waters, while based in the Bahamas. The Harpe Brothers were Loyalists, like Butler, and became outlaws after the war. They had been notorious in the Carolina region, during the war, for attacking Patriot farms and raping, looting and killing. Butler was involved in vicious fighting in upstate New York, which was as much family feuds as war. Benedict Arnold became synonymous with treason; but, before his defection, he was one of Washington's most capable leaders and was largely the architect of the victory at the Battle of Saratoga. However, he was vain, hot-headed and a poor politician and was little favored at the Continental Congress, leading to his being passed over for command. The Patriots gave command to several inept officers, before better ones came to the fore. Arnold decided to seek his fortune with the British, via communication with Maj John Andre and a plot to provide the British with the layout of the fortifications at West Point. Andre was caught by the Patriots and hung and Arnold then became an officer in the British Army. He was in England, trying to drum up support among the Torries to press the war further; but, the Whigs had gained enough power in parliament to push for an end to hostilities. then Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown and the British forces were reduced in strength, without new troops being brought over. Peace talks began and the war came to an end, with the crown recognizing the independence of the United States of America. There is a common thread in the figures chosen by Bridwell, for the story. Teach, Butler, and Girty are all part of the jury in the trial in Stephen Vincent Binet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster," in which the famous orator defends farmer Jabez Stone in a court, chosen by Satan ("Old Scratch"), to press his claim on Stone's soul. Patriotism was a central theme of the story, which fit into the Bicentennial theme here. Unfortunately, Bridwell perpetuates some falsehoods, specifically Simon Girty. As covered in Tim Truman's Wilderness, Girty was a white man who had spent a good portion of his life raised by natives. His sentiments were with them and he fought with native tribes against the encroaching whites, in the Pennsylvania and Ohio valleys. As such, he was branded a traitor by historians of the period, for abandoning the "civilization" of white society to live with savages. However, that civilization had murdered, enslaved and driven the native tribes from their lands, repeatedly. Some of these groups sided with the British against the colonial oppressors, though they just as quickly found that the British were no truer to their word. Girty was no saint, but, he also wasn't a murdering villain, as the works of the period and those that followed painted him. This is one element that not only mars the story, but many of the Bicentennial celebrations, as the history of the Native Americans was largely ignored in favor of more of the American Myth than American History. While there were many great things to celebrate, in 1976, there was also a lot of dark history that needed to be acknowledge, so it could serve as an example to the future and point the country to the correct moral path. Many of those lessons seemed lost, in subsequent decades. Leaving aside the political slant to things, Bridwell does a wonderful job of presenting some history to the young readers, which matches the educational mandate that drove the tv series. Bridwell was a voracious reader and someone once said he was better suited to a monastery, illuminating manuscripts, as he had that kind of mindset, of reading what had been done before, absorbing it and expanding upon it for others. he was a walking encyclopedia of Golden Age comics and was DC's keeper of continuity. Kurt Busiek paid tribute to him, in Astro City, with Mr Bridwell, the disguised alien who gathers intelligence about the Earth, in advance of an invasion. the race of creatures that secretly attacks were called the Enelsians. Bridwell's home was later found to be packed with books, magazines, comics, pulps and cigarette ash. Kid Eternity makes for a good guest star as he was rather similar to the Marvel family. he would call out "Eternity," to summon Keeper and figures from history. He was published by Quality Comics and his adventures were written by Otto Binder, which might explain the parallels to the Marvels. The feature was inspired by the film, Here Comes Mr Jordan, which was adapted from the play, Heaven can Wait (which inspired the later Warren Beatty version). The main character of that film and play is taken too soon and gets a new lease on life, as repayment. Kid Eternity got the same, plus Keeper, to watch over him and to summon historical figures, which he would do, in the course of his adventures. DC reprinted one or two Kid Eternity stories, in the DC 100-pg comics, but little more had been done with him, until Bridwell brought him out, here. A little ways down the road, we will see that Bridwell had further plans for the lad and the Marvel Family.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 16, 2021 20:43:20 GMT -5
Shazam! #28 Black Adam? HOOYAH!!!!!!!! Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Kurt Schaffenberger-art, Joe Orlando-editor Synopsis: So, how did Black Adam return from the dead? Well........he didn't. Instead, Sivana used his reincarnation machine to bring forth Teth-Adam, from the past, where he promptly says "Shazam!" and transforms into Black Adam...  Sivana explains what he has done and only the machine can send him back; so, Adam smashes it! Finally, he is using the Wisdom of Zehuti (Thoth, God of Wisdom; Zehuti was one of several variations, as the Egyptian form didn't exactly translate, so there are several interpretations). Sivana says he needs his help to become Ruler of the Universe and Black Adam decides to co-opt Sivana's game for himself, to Sivana's consternation (and likely "Curses!") Billy Batson & Uncle Dudley arrive in Boston and Billy walks right into the middle of protests and counter-protests about busing, without anyone ever explaining to the readers what busing is and definitely avoiding any mention of the racial elements.  Billy summons Captain Marvel and flies away, then runs smack into Black Adam and then flashes back to how Uncle Dudley tricked Adam into saying "Shazam!" and transforming back into Teth-Adam and turning to dust. They fly head on into each other and both, given equal power, get knocked away. Adam recovers and picks up the USS Constitution and hurls "Old Ironsides" at Captain Marvel! CM catches it, so nothing damages the historic ship (which is still a commissioned Naval vessel, 200 years later). He sets it down and gives Adam an Atomic Punch, which he shrugs off, while CM yawns at a kick from Adam. Adam picks up the statue of Paul Revere (from the Paul revere Mall, near the Old North Church) and throws it into CM, who then pieces it back together on its plinth. CM switches to Billy, so he can go into the Shazambego and call up Shazam, on the Eterni-Phone. The wizard explains how he bestowed power on Teth-Adam, naming him Khem-Adam (Black Adam) and then Adam got seduced by his power and stole the throne of the Pharaoh.  Shazam kicked him out of the country and off the planet. he then has to explain to dimwitted Billy where Adam's powers came from, since he predated Solomon, Hercules and Achilles.  Adam returns to Sivana, who cons him into attacking Shazam at the Rock of Eternity, to destroy the source of Captain Marvel's power, not realizing that if he is successful, he also destroys the source of his own power. He flies off to do it and Billy spots him and transforms. He follows Adam right to the Rock of Eternity and catches him, they struggle and are hurled to the Boston Tea Party, where they end up in the middle of the the goings-on...  They are still evenly matched; but, Adam catches him from behind and hurls Captain Marvel over the horizon. However, C< flew all the way around the world and snuck up behind Adam and clipped him from behind! Adam decides to try cunning and slams into CM and says "Shazam!" and CM intercepts the lightning and is transformed. Adam grabs him and ties up and gags Billy, so he can't change back. He dumps him in the harbor, to drown, but Billy swims to the top (dolphin style) and gets to the surface before his lungs burst. He gets rescued by the tea tax protesters, disguised as Plains Indians, instead of Abenaki, Housatonic, Siwanoy, or Mahican. Well, two guys are dressed like Mohawks or Hurons. One of them is Paul Revere (who was one of the ringleaders). Billy transforms, flies back to the Rock of Eternity, but Adam isn't there and Shazam tells him to get to 1976, where Adam is stalking Uncle Mentor...er, Dudley. He says he is there for revenge; but Dudley feigns ignoarnce (he isn't Uncle Marvel!) and, in frustration, Adam rages about how he tricked him into saying "Shazam!"...  He transforms back into Teth-Adam and CM turns up and kayos him. He then finds a note from Sivana that he is headed for Niagra Falls. Slowly I turn....... Thoughts: Once again, another fun time is to be had, as Black Adam slugs it out with Captain Marvel and neither can defeat the other, since they are evenly matched. However, the question remains, why can't the entire Marvel Family kick his asp? Sheer numbers should reduce him to a stain on the Nile. More educational stuff and American History. It's still more legend than fact, but it's not to far off. No idea if Schaffenberger or Bridwell is to blame for the indian stereotype depictions, as the Boston protesters wouldn't even know of the plains tribes, with war bonnets. New England tribes didn't dress like that. There are a few that look more Mohican, so, C+ on the historical accuracy. I don't think Scaffenberger had ever seen the pier, in the Charlestown Navy Yard, where the Constitution is moored. It looks nothing like what he shows. I saw it as a teen, on a vacation trip and later, as a naval officer, when my ship made a port visit to Boston and moored aft of the ship and learned they signaled taps and reveille with a cannon shot. The busing thing was just pointless. At no point is any explanation given as to what "busing" means and the art doesn't really hint at it. I would bet that Bridwell wanted to say something about it and was forced to keep it vague. Maybe he was just including a protest because of one going on, to have Billy change into Captain Marvel and run into Black Adam; but, it is obvious that he was warned not to give any explanation of the racial issues at the heart of busing programs. I haven't seen anything this vague since Lady Cop (First Issue Special #4), when it tried to include VD in the plot, without saying the words and so vaguely hinting that the vitim might as well as had chicken pox. On the letters page, E Nelson Bridwell admits he wasn't happy about having to add the Eterni-Phone to the comics; but, felt it has worked out okay. I disagree, as Billy gets vague advice that takes a page or two away from the story. Captain Marvel is supposed to have the Wisdom of Solomon, so why would he consult anyone other than Solomon? Hercules was a moron and Achilles wasn't that bright. Heck, Atlas was tricked by Hercules, so he must have been a mega-moron! Zeus I can see, maybe Mercury, if you need medical advice or floral arrangements. Elsewhere in the comic, there is a page with an intro to Jenette Kahn, the new publisher at DC....  Kahn came from the book and magazine publishing world, where she masterminded the extremely popular Dynamite magazine, put out via Scholastic Books. In the 1970s, this was a really BIG deal! You could get it through the Scholastic Book order program, in schools and it included comics from DC (and Marvel, though I only recall the DC ones) and their own heroes, the Dynamite Duo. The thing references Neal Adams drawing the caricature (or, Continuity doing it under his direction). There were stories of Adams dining with Kahn, bending her ear about creative issues, some of which implied there might have been a romance, though it sounded more like office gossip. No idea what the truth is there. I suspect he did lobby about greater creator benefits and such, as he was a major advocate for that and Kahn came from a world where creators had ownership and greater compensation for their work. Like the comment about looking like Mary Tyler Moore. Next issue see the return of Ibac and Aunt Minerva, as The Big Red Cheese heads to Niagra Falls.... Slowly I turn; step by step.........
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 16, 2021 20:51:56 GMT -5
For the Vaudeville-impaired: Slowly I Turnedor, try this variation, by the Three Stooges... |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 21, 2021 22:10:34 GMT -5
Shazam! #29 So, if Dr Sivana is the manager, I guess Prince Lucifer is Vince McMahon? Sounds about right. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Kurt Schaffenberger-pencils, Vince Colletta-inks (ugh), Joe Orlando-editor Synopsis: Sivana has kidnapped street cleaner (not in 1976.......Dept of Sanitation, maybe...) Stanley Printwhistle, who is secretly (well not that secretly, as everyone seems to know it) Ibac. he refuses to say the word to change, until Prince Lucifer turns up and says he must make him stronger and intimidates Stanley into saying "Ibac!"  Meanwhile, Billy and Uncle Dudley have arrived in Buffalo and there is business to be had for Shazam, Inc, Uncle Dudley's company that hooks people in need up with Captain Marvel. he ends up with a bunch of jobs that should keep TBRC busy, for a while. While that goes on, Sivana introduces Ibac to his other partner, Aunt Minerva...  Sivana sends them to raise hell in Buffalo, while he cooks up something for Niagra Falls. Ibac is scared doo-doo-less of Aunt Minerva and splits off to go get pummeled by Captain Marvel. he goes around smashing things and Uncle Dudley spots him, but Captain Marvel is still busy; so, Uncle Dudley changes into his Uncle Marvel duds. Dudley looks like he is about to end up a stain on the pavement, when Ibac suddenly goes goggle-eyed and rus away, in terror...  Uncle Marvel chases, and Aunt Minerva isn't far behind. Uncle Marvel gets winded and stops to rest and Aunt Minerva tears past, intent on catching Ibac for some lovin'. Ibac tears off at high speed, headed for Niagra Falls. Minerva thinks that is even more romantic and hijacks a motorcycle to follow. Uncle Dudley follows the trail of destruction, in the Shazambego. Up at Niagra Falls, Ibac climbs into a barrel, which happens to be Sivana's barrel bomb. he has to remove the innards to make room for himself. Sivana comes along and kicks the barrel into the water, so that it will blow up the falls. He makes it to the bottom and is fished out by the cops, who tell them it is illegal. he decks the cops, then sees Aunt Minerva wave at him, thrilled by his bashing of officers of the law. he runs to the arriving Shazambego and begs Uncle Marvel for help. Dudley is shocked and Ibac explains Aunt Minerva wants to marry him. Dudley has been there before and consults with Solomon, for help.  Solomon is about as helpful as the others have been, with vague aphorisms and the mental image of being henpecked by 700 wives. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel has finished his chores and has to follow the trail to Niagra Falls, to catch up to uncle Dudley and Ibac. He dives in and then he and Ibac have their match....  Hey, ref; the bell didn't even ring! The fighting creates earth tremors and Sivana thinks the bomb has gone off. He goes to survey the damage and finds the natural wonder untouched. The is a chorus of "Curses!" as he throws a fit. meanwhile, Ibac is using the Garvin Stomp on Captain Marvel... Captain Marvel breaks out of the hole and slugs Ibac (Closed fist, ref! Come on!). Ibac follows up like Bill Goldberg and hits the Spear... However, Captain Marvel makes like Bret Hart and is impervious to the Spear, though he is shook up a bit... (and then it all went to @#$%, after Goldberg ended Hart's career with a mis-timed stiff kick that gave Hart a serious concussion) Aunt Minerva turns up to cheer her loverboy and Ibac finally hits on what Solomon meant (he could have been more clear!) and speaks his name, changing back to Stanley, who Minerva spurns as a 98 lb weakling. Sivana comes along and asks about his bomb and Stanley reveals he put the innards somewhere safe, in Sivana's lab.  They then see the mushroom cloud over what was once Sivana's lab and Captain Marvel nabs him and hauls him off to jail, dragging Aunt Minerva along for assault and stealing a motorcycle. Sivana vows to break out and get Captain Marvel, in Pittsburgh (that's a pretty circuitous route; Washington DC, to Philadelphia, to Boston, to Buffalo, to Pittsburgh). The letters page has one from Peter Sanderson, Columbia University, who was wary of the changes to make the series more like the tv show; but, he enjoyed the Philadelphia fight and the use of Kid Eternity and the historical figures. Of course, peter Sanderson would go on to work at DC and Marvel, cataloging their histories, working as an editor, and writing about them, a little while down the road. Next issue announcement says Captain Marvel will fight a Man of Steel, who is not Superman. Cool, Steel Sterling! No? Sarge Steel? Still at Charlton, hunh. The Steel Claw? Oh, right; in the UK. Steel Tsar? Oh, that's a Michael Moorcock book..... Stainless Steel Rat? Harry Harrison book....got it! Cliff Steel? US Steel? Pittsburgh Steelers? Sapphire & Steel? Help me out here.......
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 21, 2021 22:54:12 GMT -5
ps Another editorial page from the newly installed Jenette Kahn, with a photo that makes her look like Duella Dent...  ...and Mike Gold gives a profile of Michael Fleischer, though he fails to notice that he is bug-f.....whoops, don't want to get sued! It mentions his research for the DC encyclopedias, but says the next volume, featuring Captain Marvel, Plastic Man and The Spirit is being readied by Colliers. Um...the Spirit wasn't owned or even licensed by DC. The project actually wasn't a DC one, it was Fleischer, who was granted access to the DC library for the project. There were supposed to be 8 volumes: 1.) Batman 2.) Wonder Woman 3.) Shazam, Plastic Man and The Spirit 4.) Green Lantern 5.) Flash 6.) Superman 7.) Captain America, Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch 8.) Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Starman and The Spectre Only the first two were published and then the Superman volume later appeared as The Great Superman Book. I first encountered the Wonder Woman one at the library; and, having not seen much of her Golden Age adventures, at that point, saw that she sure got tied up a lot! I later bought the Batman one at a used bookstore and got ahold of the Wonder Woman one, years later, by either mail order or internet (I can't recall), as well as The Great Superman Book. With the Internet, I was also able to assemble Batman: From the 30s to the 70s, Superman: from the 30s to the 70s, the Gloria Steinem-intro Wonder Woman book and Shazam: from the 40s to the 70s. All gone now, though I have digital copies of the Fleischer books. Kahn hawks the new Dollar Comics and talks about the insanity of how long it takes a comic to reach the stands, from the time it is prepared and until they have reliable sales figures after it appears. Well, she'd be a bit used to that, with Dynamite, as other periodicals were no different, but I think she was hilighting it for readers, while hawking the value of the Dollar Comics, compared to the average comic page content and price. Her example is the 6 Dollar Comics that had been published, at that point, had the equivalent page content as 23 average comics, for the cost of 20 average comics. This particular comic had 17 actual story pages, 10 pages of outside ads, 3 pages of house ads, and 2 editorial pages, plus the exterior and interior cover pages (DC Hostess ad on the inside front, and outside ads on interior and exterior rear cover pages). So only 53% of the comic was devoted to story. For comparison, I looked at World's Finest #244, which was its first Dollar Comic issue, from the month before this issue of Shazam. 64 story pages (63, if you don't count the contents page), 10 pages of outside ads, 2 house ads, and 4 editorial pages (one is a next issue ad for WF and one is the Daily Planet page, then the letters page and one from Jenette Kahn). That works out to 80% story content. She ain't lyin', folks! Now, quality of content is up for debate, though that depended on the comic in question. Some had better percentages than others |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Oct 22, 2021 11:49:34 GMT -5
All superheroes have inconsistent strength levels in their comics, and it rarely bothers me … Cap less than most, because of the lighthearted nature of the stories, but that Ibac story reminded me, more clearly than most, about CC Beck's view of Cap. While the character was often portrayed doing Kryptonian-level feats, Beck considered him just a big, strong guy (who could fly, I guess).
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) He gets down to brass tacks and tells Billy he must answer Sivana's challenge, or he will destroy America, city by city. The Wizard and Uncle Dudley reveal that Sterling Morris is sending Billy on a cross country assignment to interview people for the Bicentennial and Uncle Dudley will be his driver and handle the equipment. Shazam dubs Dudley as Billy's Mentor, after the teacher of Odysseus' son, Telemachus. He then tasks Mary and Freddy to guard the city in Captain Marvel's absence. The wizard then gives Billy the Eterni-phone, which will summon any or all of the Elders from the Rock of Eternity, for guidance...