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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 6, 2022 20:44:10 GMT -5
World's Finest #260 I'd like to see Rich Buckler try to draw weapons from holsters positioned like that. Pretty awkward! Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Dave Hunt-inks, Milt Snapinn-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors Synopsis: Sterling Morris sends Billy Batson to cover a demonstration, on Delaney Street, where people are protesting new neighbors, because they are different. Billy sees the crowd getting pretty violent and transforms into Captain Marvel and then meets a white dude, who is one of the new residents and is puzzled as to why people are riled up, until he goes inside the guy's place and discovers he and his wife are centaurs, and their friends are satyrs, mermaids, lamia, sirens and other mythical creatures.  They are squatting in the building and are unable to find jobs, due to prejudice and the mob throws a brick through the window. Captain Marvel confronts the mob, which is mixed with different people, but all acting frightened and angered by the mythical people and out for blood. One tries to shove past CM and feels the Right Cross of Hercules (or would that be a manifestation of the Power of Zeus?)  The mob decides that they don't want the Ass-Whoopin of Zeus and head home and CM says he will see what he can do about helping them find work and a better place to live, with running water. He then goes to change to Billy. He goes back to his camera crew and records a piece about the people. Later that evening, heavy rains hit the area, as major storms move through. Streets are flooded and the storm causes a dilapidated building, in the Delaney Street neighborhood, to crumble. CM rescues residents and the mythical dudes lend a hand and help get the "normals" to safety...  The residents apologize to the mythicals and they all vow to rebuild the neighborhood. CM promises Billy will help them with publicity to raise funds and materials. Later, Billy and CM do a follow up. The centaur is now a mounted policeman and his wife has a job as a horse trainer. The mermaid is a lifeguard and the siren is broadcasting traffic reports for Station WHIZ. The satyr is playing with the symphony and the lamia will be performing her whistling in a concert, with them. Thoughts: This is a well-meaning, but kind of ham-fisted parable of tolerance. Bridwell isn't subtle in his lessons; but, he also doesn't have much room. Newton makes it look great. Pretty slight stuff. Next issue features Mary Marvel and we will get to see what Newton could do with her.
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Post by zaku on Feb 7, 2022 11:33:28 GMT -5
Considering that CM is virtually invulnerable, he isn't, err, overreacting? And isn't the classic light tap used by Superman on not-powered humans, it's full-fledget fist! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 7, 2022 12:17:07 GMT -5
Considering that CM is virtually invulnerable, he isn't, err, overreacting? And isn't the classic light tap used by Superman on not-powered humans, it's full-fledget fist! Eh, the Wisdom of Solomon tells him exactly how much force to apply, so no one gets permanently hurt. Besides, he has the Courage of Achilles and Achilles was a hothead, prone to overdoing it, according to Homer. At least Captain Marvel didn't drag anyone behind a chariot for days on end! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 26, 2022 22:05:46 GMT -5
World's Finest #261 Ooh, Penguin teaming with the always awesome Terra-Man! See, now that's snark, Shax!  Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Dave Hunt-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Mary Marvel gets the spotlight! Synopsis: Mary Marvel comes across some burglars, hitting a wealthy estate. The dimwits fire bullets at her and she just face-palms the projectiles....  Talk to the hand! Mary busts some heads and one dude in a purple jacket, black shirt and yellow kerchief (who is this guy, Ralph Furley?)...  ...runs off in the van. Mary gives chase and he hits a smokescreen, which she dispels; but, finds the van gone. The second button he reached for, after the smoke, was an anti-gravity doohickey, which allowed him to fly up into the smoke. Mary, being a good scout, goes back to the wealthy home and frees the owners, who were left bound and gagged by the burglars. They check over the recovered goods and the couple say they only got a few paintings and some silver plates, then the wife realizes they got their new Nivan sculpture.....  ...which was the spitting image of the escaped crook! Now there's an MO: pose for a sculpture to be sold to a wealthy patron, then steal all of their stuff! Mary gets the address of the sculptor, Nivan, from the wife and goes to visit him. He is surprised by her and not much help, though he mentions this is the fourth sculpture of his stolen. He says he met the man in a park, paid him to sit for a plaster casting, and then he left. He can't recall the exact name. Mary leaves, but is suspicious and there is something familiar about the sculptor. She goes to the gallery that sells his work, as Mary Batson and gushes over one of his statues, which goes for $5 Grand.  The proprietress of the gallery calls Nivan and says she has another pigeon and the sculptor is revealed to be Dr Sivana! The statue is delivered and Mary sets up a stakeout to catch the thieves. Sure enough, Georgia Sivana turns up, with a ray gun that will turn the statue back into a living henchman. Mary starts to say the magic word, when Georgia turns the ray on her, turning her into a statue. She then raises a sledgehammer to smash the statue and Mary, who is still aware, inside the plaster, manages to vibrate her vocal cords to say Shazam and transform, just before Georgia brings the hammer down (good buddy...Ten-four!)  Georgia flees and sicks her henchmen on Mary; but, she whoops them and tosses Georgia around, for good measure. She doesn't go after Dr Sivana, though. Thoughts: Nice bit of fun with a clever gimmick to the crime. Very much in keeping with the sort of thing you'd find in the glory days. Newton does a really nice job with Mary, making her look a little older; but, still a teen. I still kind of prefer Bob Oksner on Mary; but, Don is a close second. The Mary Marvel stories continue the trend of being a bit more lively than Captain Marvel or Junior, in many ways Probably because they are closer in tone, to the originals and they aren't stuck trying to make her more serious, since she's only a cootie-infested girl!
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 9, 2022 1:46:24 GMT -5
World's Finest #262 Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Dave Hunt-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Synopsis: Billy Batson has a visitor in his office; one who wears a fancy costume and a cape. No, it isn't Junior Mary or even Uncle Dudley; it is the very first Marvel Hero.....  He needs Captain Marvel's help to defeat an evil, in the past; and, Billy transforms and the pair fly to the Rock of Eternity to travel in time to the ancient past. They fly over an ancient, but unknown city and pass on to the Mountain of the Gods, where they meet the gods who imbue this hero with his powers. Voldar-God of Strength Lumion-Patron of Wisdom Arel-Messenger of the Gods Ribalvei-the most powerful of the Gods Elbiam-Lord of Courage Marzosh-God of Stamina  TBRC realizes that these guys' names do not spell out Shazam, so they are even older than the deities who provide his abilities. They tell him that Evil, the monster being that has three forms (Sin, Terror and Wickedness) has appeared and is more powerful than the Champion, who they created. They need his help to defeat the being and the two heroes take off to meet the threat. They spot Evil, sitting on a throne and try to attack, before he can split into his three segments, but are too late. They fly off to check on their servants, who are the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. TBRC asks who they should follow and the Champion says none and directs him to the sound of snoring, coming from under the throne. He tears up the flooring and finds Laziness sleeping underneath. In exchange for sleeping a bit longer, he gives up the locations of the other 6...  Champion sends captain Marvel to the Hall of Government to grab Hate and Envy and to get something notarized (since he is in the neighborhood). CM easily whoops their hides and then kayoes Terror, their master (1/3 of Evil, remember?) he carries him off and the angry mob recovers and stops their siege on the seat of government. If only it were that easy in the real world. Champion goes to the School of Philosophy and whomp on Pride and Selfishness, and then he takes down Wickedness (another 1/3 of Evil). He then meets up with Captain Marvel, at the temple, and smack around Greed and Injustice, who turn states evidence as to the whereabouts of Sin. He is hiding in a pit, in Eternity. Champion and Captain Marvel carry Wickedness and Terror to the pit and toss them in, them double-team Sin, until he reforms as Evil and then smack him around. They find the Rock of Eternity and use it to plug up the pit.....  Captain Marvel learns of its true purpose, to imprison Evil. Champion says that they must have three heroes, if evil ever escapes again. They return to Earth and Champion says his magic word, "VLAREM!", and transforms into a young boy. In that instant, the Wisdom of Solomon finally kicks in and Captain Marvel realizes who the boy is.  The Wizard Shazam! He defeated the Seven Deadly Enemies and turned them to stone, where the line the cave where he watched over them. He, in turn, passed on his abilities to a new champion, named after a shuffling of his own magic word, Marvel. Thus does Captain Marvel learn the secret history of his line of heroes. Thoughts: This is a favorite of the batch of stories from Bridwell and Newton, as we see Captain Marvel aid the young Shazam, of Champion. We also learn why he chose the name Marvel, for the good captain, although the reality is that Captain Thunder was already taken (as were Flash and Thrill Comics, the earlier titles for what became Whiz Comics). Newton comes up with a nice design that invokes the Marvel Family; but, with enough uniqueness to stand as its own thing. Champion has a very "biblical" look, which adds to the ancient feel, though it is still rather European, for someone tied to ancient Canaan. Blame it on the influence of Renaissance artists. These were the really fun stories, as Bridwell explored the past of the Marvel Family legacy, revealing more of the past of Shazam, while tying it to the modern Marvels. The Canaanite gods that empower Shazam are entirely the creation of Bridwell, who chooses their names to spell out an anagram of MARVEL, while matching the abilities of the gods and demi-gods who gave Captain Marvel his powers. Next up, Captain Marvel Junior flies solo. Then, Bridwell gives us more of Shazam's past, as the Monster Society of Evil returns, with the aid of the god, Oggar. Captain Marvel continues for another 19 issues of World's Finest, before moving over to Adventure Comics Digest. There will be a few new stories, then those will give way to reprint stories. From there, Captain Marvel gets a few guest appearances, before he is revamped in the Post-Crisis Shazam, a New Beginning (and Legend). So, we have quite a bit more Don Newton awesomeness, and some of E Nelson Bridwell's better material.
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Post by mikelmidnight on Mar 16, 2022 12:12:57 GMT -5
This is a favorite of the batch of stories from Bridwell and Newton, as we see Captain Marvel aid the young Shazam, of Champion. We also learn why he chose the name Marvel, for the good captain, although the reality is that Captain Thunder was already taken (as were Flash and Thrill Comics, the earlier titles for what became Whiz Comics). Newton comes up with a nice design that invokes the Marvel Family; but, with enough uniqueness to stand as its own thing. Champion has a very "biblical" look, which adds to the ancient feel, though it is still rather European, for someone tied to ancient Canaan. Blame it on the influence of Renaissance artists.
In the very first appearance of Shazam, he talked about how he had fought crime for centuries, but in Fawcett flashbacks they only ever showed him as an old man. it was logical that he must have been a Captain Marvel-type when he was younger, and I saw this as fulfilling a 40-year promissory note to give more information.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 16, 2022 21:20:19 GMT -5
This is a favorite of the batch of stories from Bridwell and Newton, as we see Captain Marvel aid the young Shazam, of Champion. We also learn why he chose the name Marvel, for the good captain, although the reality is that Captain Thunder was already taken (as were Flash and Thrill Comics, the earlier titles for what became Whiz Comics). Newton comes up with a nice design that invokes the Marvel Family; but, with enough uniqueness to stand as its own thing. Champion has a very "biblical" look, which adds to the ancient feel, though it is still rather European, for someone tied to ancient Canaan. Blame it on the influence of Renaissance artists.
In the very first appearance of Shazam, he talked about how he had fought crime for centuries, but in Fawcett flashbacks they only ever showed him as an old man. it was logical that he must have been a Captain Marvel-type when he was younger, and I saw this as fulfilling a 40-year promissory note to give more information.
Bridwell did a lot of that, as he was a fan and one of the early fan-turned-pros. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 23, 2022 14:43:08 GMT -5
World's Finest #263 Ooh, the Super-Sons! I actually liked those stories; so sue me! This is actually Denny O'Neil sending them off to oblivion, with a part hatchet job, part actual sentiment. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Dave Hunt-inks, Gaspar Saladino -letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Synopsis: Captain Marvel Jr faces the Over-the-Hill Gang!  Uh, guys, Haines has a Tommy Gun, not a scatter gun. That's a shotgun. You know, the pellets scatter out of the barrel? The Waco Kid? Our story begins as a trio of old men try to enter a disco, only to be blocked by the doorman, who doesn't show them the proper respect one should have for their elders...  So, Graybeard shoots him, with his cane gun. They then hold up the coked out patrons of the disco (and Haines has a shotgun, this time). Outside, Freddy Freeman is passing by and sees the corpse of the doorman and calls out his magic words and Captain Marvel Junior comes to the rescue, except he isn't 18 and can't get in! (Okay, that last part isn't in the story; but, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN!). He sees Greybeard and says he thought he was dead, then we get a flashback to Graybeard finding some old Egyptian tomb and getting gassed, which put him in a death-like trance for years. Graybeard blasts him with a facefull of soot, from the cane (So, does he have to load special cartridges, or is there more than one barrel in the cane?) The hoods skidaddle, while Junior wipes his eyes, with his cape. He flies after, but they drive slowly away and he doesn't realize it is them, since they aren't speeding. Freddy consults with Billy Batson and we learn that Graybeard was sentenced to 99 years, as a teen, but survived the sentence and then set out to become the King of Crime and made it. The others were all old crooks who outlived their sentences, with the Waco Kid being sentenced in 1920! Billy mentions that Scattergun served 50 years and drove a big black limousine and Freddy realizes that he let them go, when he recalls the slowly departing limo. Graybeard and the boys happen to be watching from the street, and Freddy and Billy have spotted them and Billy is sharp enough to know they can put two and two together, since they knew them before the Big Sleep that froze the Marvels in Suspendium. They can't change, but Freddy has an idea. He goes to his newsstand and Graybeard grabs him from behind. They hogtie and gag him, then haul him away to their hideout, where Graybeard interrogates Freddy as to why he is still young.  Freddy mentions the suspendium, which also froze the crowd at the awards ceremony, when Sivana trapped the Marvels (and himself and his kids). Graybeard read about that, but says he didn't see Billy or Freddy in any of the pictures. Freddy tries to bluff him that the pictures couldn't capture the entire crowd. Graybeard doesn't buy it and thinks the suspendium was a hoax to hide the fact that the Marvels don't age , and they passed the secret to select friends and he wants to know the secret. Freddy shows him....  Graybeard tries to run (well...hobble) and Waco and Scattergun try to shoot him, which gets laughed off and then Junior bonks their heads. He easily nabs Graybeard and hauls them off to jail, believing that Junior just masqueraded as Freddy, rather than he is Freddy's counterpart. Thoughts: I'm willing to bet that it is no coincidence that this story comes within a year of the release of the George Burns movie, Going in Style, which followed on the heels of Burns' comeback, with The Sunshine Boys. It features three old men trying to rob a bank (later remade with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin), to put some excitement back in their lives. There was also the earlier Over The Hill Gang, with Walter Brennan, back in 1969. It's a cute little story; nothing groundbreaking, but a pleasant read that doesn't stretch logic too far. It is a little confusing, as it never really matches up Graybeard finding the Egyptian tomb and his 99 year incarceration. I assume it is a reference to one or more of Graybeard's 3 appearances, in Fawcett's Captain Marvel JR comic (#37-39). I kind of think Bridwell assumed the audience had a bit more knowledge than it did and Jack Harris didn't catch it. It's not like it stops the story cold; it's just a bit puzzling. Newton looks great, as always.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 6, 2022 16:19:24 GMT -5
World's Finest #264 Not sure if Lois has spotted Clayface or if Batman is a little "handsy." Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Dave Hunt-inks, Todd Klein-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Synopsis: Mr Mind has convened a meeting of the revived Monster Society of Evil....  The new group consists of MM, Dr Sivana, King Kull, Mr Atom, Ibac, Black Adam and Oggar. Mr Banjo was unable to attend. We learn that MM, as The Invincible Man, absorbed not only cosmic energy by magic energy, which stripped away the spell that kept Oggie in the form of a wild boar. He is loyal to MM, for now. They get on with the plot, as Oggie and Black Adam are sent off to deal with Captain Marvel, for this phase of the plan. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel is surveying the empty prison cells that had held the MSOE. Word comes in that Black Adam has been spotted in Cairo. CM thinks he is out to reclaim his Egyptian kingdom, though he might be surprised how much of it isn't part of modern Egypt! CM flies to Gisa and switches with Billy Batson, then is hailed by Oggie. Billy left the Wisdom of Solomon at home and is so busy finding out how Oggie is there that he doesn't say the magic word to change. Oggie casts a spell on the nitwit, making him mute. Adam turns up and is ready to launch his conquest. Oggie raises an army out of the sand, though why Adam needs an Army when he is more powerful than the entire Egyptian Army is beyond me. Before they can get going, Mary Marvel turns up and messes with their plans. Oggie's spells don't work on women (nor does his charm) and he resorts to firing magic lightning at Mary, assuming it will change her to Mary Batson. Mary uses the Fleetness of Zephyrus to speed away and grab Billy and put him in the path of the lightning...  He is replaced by Captain Marvel and the pair whoop the sand army, though Adam is their match. He rips up a pyramid, to drop on the Marvels. Oggie tries the magic lightning again, but CM warns Mary, who ducks and the bolt hits Adam, who is transformed into Teth-Adam. The Marvels stop the pyramid from crushing him and Oggie casts a spell that whisks he and Adam back to MSOE HQ. Thoughts: This is pretty slight, even for this run of stories. Hopefully, Bridwell will flesh things out more in the next chapter. It's not exactly Otto Binder-level. Newton makes it look good, as usual; but, it could use some more plot. Granted, it is hard to do much in 10 pages. The Monster Society of Evil should be epic; but, it reads like generic filler. However, we are just beginning; so, maybe Nelson had to spread more of the plot into later chapters. Bridwell has a nice mix for the new Society, including Oggar and Mr Atom, who came after the original MSOE serial, with original members Sivana, Ibac and King Kull (with Mr Mind pulling the strings, from hiding). The original also included Captain Nazi, who has reappeared here, so, no idea why he was left out. Granted, given how Beautia Sivana humiliated him, I don't know how well he'd get along with her pop. Speaking of that, we really could use a Sivana epic, with Georgia and TBS Jr, as well as Beautia and Magnificus. The issue also includes a two-page house ad for the expanded page content in DC's titles, which include new back-up features....  Some of that is fallout, from the DC Implosion, though not entirely. OMAC was appearing in Kamandi, when it got cancelled and he was put into Warlord, which was not a great pairing. It was Jim Starlin; but, he was less than satisfactory on Kirby characters, in my opinion (Warlock notwithstanding, and even that was more him revamping what Roy Thomas had done, rather than Stan & Jack). The Huntress was great, as Levitz and Staton crafted some great stories for the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, even bringing back the Earth-2 Joker and a tem-up with her adoptive brother. Air Wave was okay, in Action Comics. Nemesis is a bit mysterious, there, but he turned out to be a fine character, in Brave and the Bold, with art by Dan Spiegle, though he was kind of left alone, since he wasn't a superhero, after the initial run, until John Ostrander found a job for him. The Whatever Happened To... feature, in DC Comics Presents, acted as a kind of coda to minor heroes/characters of the Golden Age and the 1950s. It created a couple of headaches for Roy Thomas, though I think he is the only one who cared (certainly at DC), after he came over to DC. There is also a single page ad for some revival of the Teen Titans, like that was going to sell comics. They just cancelled their last series about 2 years before, after a single year's revival. I mean, what could they do, add some new characters and bigger stories? You'd need a T & A character and some Marvel defectors to do it justice, if you ask me. 
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Post by tonebone on Apr 14, 2022 19:43:30 GMT -5
I have been reading all of these stories (in Shazam! Vol 3 - Highly recommended!).
A couple of notes... Don Newton's art is fantastic... and it's almost "inker proof", and looks great no matter who's inking him.
I have noticed his storytelling improving as he proceeds through the series. The first few have some oddly shaped panels, clumsily placed word balloons, etc. By the 4th or 5th story, those kinds of things have disappeared.
The stories are charming as hell... really fun, sorta dorky. I MUCH prefer this version of Captain Marvel to the "man with a kid's brain - hilarity ensues" version. I really think Bridwell's stories and Newton's realistic art hits the perfect balance. One thing I really like is that all of the stories, no matter how fanciful, have an internal logic that they always consistently adhere to. Without being able to speak, they can't say the magic words, without light, you don't have lightning, etc.
Loving your reviews!
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Post by tonebone on Apr 14, 2022 19:47:08 GMT -5
World's Finest #264The issue also includes a two-page house ad for the expanded page content in DC's titles, which include new back-up features.... Two nightmare-inducing covers, right there. Especially the Superman one, for some reason. Brrrrr. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 27, 2022 16:51:54 GMT -5
World's Finest #265 Hmmm, Red Tornado taking the place of Black Lightning. Yeah, that'll boost sales! Actually, I always liked Reddy; but, he wasn't a great lead character, even in a backup feature. Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Frank Chiaromonte-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Synopsis: Mr Mind gets ready to send out the next MSOE two-some, King Kull & Mr Atom. They are keeping it secret that they plan to wipe out the human race, from the others, since they are part of that race....  They have a machine that will invert the seas and mountains, turning the world inside out....somehow. Science! Mr Atom's nuclear power source will energize the machine to do it to the Earth. Captain Marvel is out an about, investigating reports of rising seas and shallowing Grand Canyons. He goes to Mrs Wagner's boarding house, as Billy Batson, to confer with Professor Edgewise, to pinpoint the origin of these disasters. he just happens to have a machine that can trace the energy signature of something that could cause these shifts, but it needs to be in flight. Wouldn't you know who has contacts with flying people? Billy and Freddy says their words and take off, with the machine. They track down the source; but, run into a force field, created by Kull...  However, he lets slip that it works on the Marvels' powers; so, the guys switch forms and Billy and Freddy walk through the field (or hobble, in Freddy's case). They head into the cave and, of course, get bonked on the head, tied up and gagged. Kull monologues and explains what is happening and leaves the pair to drown, when the seas reach their level. However, while he gloats, Kull smashes his club into the ground, creating a divot. The machine causes that to reverse into a peak, which Billy uses to pull off his gag (couldn't Freddy's hands to the same thing, with a little maneuvering?) and faster than you can say "I told you so!" but not as fast as saying "Shazam!", Billy is replaced by Captain Marvel, who rips off Freddy's gag and he transforms, then they smash the machine.  Kull and Mr Atom disappear before they can smash them and the story ends abruptly, again. Thoughts: 10 pages just isn't enough room to do these chapters justice, making for some fast plot development and resolution. Everything feels rather abrupt. Captain Marvel wasn't selling, without the tv series to support it (or rather, justify not cancelling it); but, a battle with the Monster Society of Evil cries out for something like a mini-series. World of Krypton premiered juts over a year before; so, that option is on the table. However, given their track record, I doubt anyone was willing to greenlight such an idea. World's Finest was pretty much a home for lost features, as many of the other Dollar Comics were. In fact, DC was starting to phase those out, as Adventure Comics had gone back to regular size (though DC was adding more pages to the regular comics), as would Detective. World's Finest would continue, for a while, before reverting to normal size, in 1982. GI Combat lasted even longer, at that format. I still love Newton's artwork; but, it's getting harder to muster much enthusiasm for these truncated stories, when Bridwell really can't develop a story with any real depth.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 18, 2022 15:31:56 GMT -5
World's Finest #266 Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Joe Giella-inks, John Costanza-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Synopsis: The reformed Monster Society of Evil has been launching attacks, then buggering off when Captain Marvel or one of the Marvel siblings starts kicking butt. Sivana and Ibac are up next. Sivana and Mr Mind are secretly plotting to eliminate the others, but act all friendly. Sivana plans to conquer other worlds, to build up forces to take care of the Marvels. Ibac acts as his muscle....  They repeat this process on multiple worlds and then launch an all out invasion of Earth, in skull-shaped spaceships (say that one three times, fast!) Billy Batson gets the news bulletin, says the magic word and faces the invading armada. Faster than you can say "Taito and Midway's lawyers on line 2," Captain Marvel rips out a sequoia tree, turns it into a bat, and takes out the invaders.....  Sivana and Ibac take a powder before TBRC can catch them and we are told that the hit-and-run business ends next issue. So, let's go right to it... World's Finest #267 Creative Team: E Nelson Bridwell-writer, Don Newton-pencils, Bob Smith-inks, Ben Oda-letters, Adrienne Roy-colors, Jack C Harris-editor Billy Batson goes to talk to the wizard, Shazam, about the series of attacks and the Wiz tells him the MSOE is attacking the Rock of Eternity. So, badda-bing, badda-boom, he changes and flies off. He actually uses the Wisdom of Solomon and calls the three Lieutenant Marvels to active duty....  He then launches an attack on Oggar, at the Rock, who blasts him into pieces, revealing that it is actually Mary Marvel, hiding inside a shell. She catches Oggar off guard and hogties and gags him, for a change. Junior runs into Black Adam and proves that the Wisdom of Zehuti isn't a match for Solomon and tricks BA into saying "Shazam!" It's pretty much downhill from there.  Hillbilly Marvel defeats Sivana, Fat Marvel defeats Ibac and Tall Marvel takes down Kull, then TBRC knocks Mr Atom into another universe. They converge on the rock of Eternity and Hunt for Mr Mind and find him when he gives his hiding place away, with a sneeze....  Thoughts: Bridwell has a good idea here; and, it should have been epic. Unfortunately, this is not. They just aren't given the room to tell this story properly. There is enough plot potential available for at least 3 full-sized issues; but, each installment only got 10 pages and it was all "introduce bad guys, have hero show up, quick fight & defeat, villain takes a powder, the end of chapter." It's repetitive, reading it, even though the stakes are raised with each issue, until the Rock of Eternity is under assault. There is so much detail left out to make you not really care. You feel for Bridwell and Newton, since it is a labor of love, right down to including the Lt Marvels; but, DC could care less. Granted, an anthology was the only way Captain Marvel was getting published, with his sales track record, though you could argue that DC's take on the character had been a self-fulfilling prophecy. It looks great, though, and Bridwell is very clever with how he defeats the villains, though, more set up would have paid those moments off better. This brings me to a quandary. I love Don newton's art on these things and Nelson Bridwell has a passion for the characters and is inventive in his plots; but, they just aren't given the room to do anything and these stories just start blending together and are over as they began. I have been growing bored with this and have been itching to move on. So, I am skipping ahead to the post-World's Finest appearances, before Crisis on Infinite Earths changes things. So, here is what happens in the remainder of the stories: WF #268 recaps the origin of Captain Marvel Jr, via a dream, induced in Freddy Freeman, by Sabbac. #269 has him battle Sabbac, in a nice supernatural piece that lets Newton go to town on the imagery.  #270 has Captain Marvel meet the now-alien son of his landlords, the Potters, who was kidnapped and transformed. CM takes the guy to the alien planet and forces them to switch him back and all is well. #271 is all-Batman & Superman. #272 has Mary Marvel battle a woman, Chain Lightning, who can control lightning, including the magic lightning that triggers Mary's changes. She uses her wits to defeat her. #273 has a neat little story about Dr Sivana being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, after Captain Marvel turns over his more beneficial devices to the world. This brings horror and shame to Sivana (the kids are mortified, except the goody-goody Beautia and Magnificus) and Sivana sets out to create WW3 to disqualify himself. However, the satellite he sets up to do this stops a bunch of wars and skirmishes for a day and he is now being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize. he gives up and bawls like a baby, in his cell....  #274-276 has Captain Marvel deal with mobsters, while his secretary, Joan Jameson, has a secret. #276 reveals the secret as her brother, a mercenary soldier, who was not trapped in Suspendium and aged normally. He is working for an invading force; but, Joan, with her accumulated savings, while in suspended animation, convinces him to switch sides and help fight back the invasion. He later tells her to keep the money. #277 has Professor Edgewise create a rapidly growing tree, and it turns into Jack and the Beanstalk, with CM Jr having to deal with things. 278 features a new minion of Satan, Dora Keane, who is granted power to fight the Marvels, via a cloak of Darkness. She traps Billy, Mary & Freddy in total darkness, which even the magic lightning can't penetrate. A figure in a winged helmet turns up and whisks Mary out of the cloak and she is able to change. A fast consultation reveals the dude in the helmet is Thjalfi, servant of Thor, sent by someone higher than the immortals who grant the Marvel their powers, who appears as blinding light. Mary takes back some of this light, in her cape, and defeats Darling. #279 has a dying man rig himself to launch nuclear missiles, when his heart stops, to entice science to find a way to keep him alive. The Marvels stop the missiles, while Mary keeps the old man going (not like that!) until a doctor arrives, Asklepios, who was brought in by Kid Eternity, who reveals he is Freddy's brother!  #280 features the secret of the brothers, as it is revealed that Kid Eternity died the day CM Jr gained his powers. The story recaps both origins, which had similar features, except Kid Eternity rose to Heaven, but was sent back because he wasn't supposed to die yet, and he gained a guardian, Mr Keeper, and the ability to pull figures from history. #281 has Kid Eternity help the Marvels fight a gigantic Mr Mind, by pulling Sigurd, from the Volsunga Saga, to "slay the dragon," Mr Mind. Sigurd helps free the Marvels and then KE calls Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, to disable Mr Mind's amplifier, allowing them to defeat him. #282 has Kid Eternity's enemy, Her Highness, team up with Aunt Minerva, to con Shazam, Inc into having the Marvels put on a show, for charity. It's a plot to loot the wealthy, while the Marvels are distracted at the show. Kid Eternity summons the greatest showmen, ever, to take the Marvels' place, while they deal with the hoods. he summons PT Barnum, Will Rogers, Charles Blondin (who tightrope walked over Niagra Falls), and Clyde Beatty. The Marvels whoop the hoods, the KE summons Annie Oakley and Penthesileia (Amazon warrior who fought Achilles), to deal with Minerva and Her Highness. Gil Kane provided the art. From here, The Marvel Family move into Adventure Comics Digest, as Len Wein takes over World's Finest and they cut it back down to a Superman/Batman book, with Green Arrow as a back-up feature. Issues #491 and 492 finish the last of the new stories, as Kid Eternity and the Marvels face off against Satan's minions: Ibac, Sabbac, Darkling, and Master Man. From there, the Marvels apepar in reprint stories. So, from here, we go to the last remaining pre-Crisis appearances of the Marvel Family, as well as their role in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Then, we will take up the introduction of the Post-Crisis Captain Marvel, in Legends and Shazam, A New Beginning, as well as his time with the Justice League. Again, there is still good material in these stories; but, not a lot of room to develop the plots. The storyline with Kid Eternity helsp bring him into the DC Universe (thoug he has appeared before) and establishes the link between him and Freddy. Gil Kane's art, on the one issue, is a bit different, as he goes more cartoony, trying for more of a Fawcett flavor in his work. It doesn't really look like Fawcett,; but, it is an interesting alteration of his usual work.
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Post by zaku on May 19, 2022 8:50:45 GMT -5
Perhaps I missed them in your reviews, but there aren't a couple of appearances in DC Comics Presents? (And technically in Convergence, considering that the story is set in Fawcett City from Earth-S)
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Post by codystarbuck on May 19, 2022 11:26:41 GMT -5
Perhaps I missed them in your reviews, but there aren't a couple of appearances in DC Comics Presents? (And technically in Convergence, considering that the story is set in Fawcett City from Earth-S) Yeah, that's what I'm covering next. I will skip the All-Star Squadron issues, as I covered those in that review thread. |
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