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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 10, 2022 17:09:16 GMT -5
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12Or, as I like to call it, Crisis on Earth-S, Plus Some Side Stuff.  Creative Team: Some guys named Marv and George and some others; I don't really want to check the credits of all 12 issues. Just call it Marv Wolfman, George Perez, et al. Synopsis: So, the sky turns read and some worlds, like Earth-3 and some previously unknown ones, start disappearing in a sea of Kirby Krackle. Guys like Ultraman flyy into the destructive wave and die. Alexander Luthor, the first hero of Earth-3 sends his kid through the anti-matter universe, where he becomes another Alex Luthor and stands around in metal duds and long, red curly hair. Some whiny shmoe witnesses all of this and is referred to as pariah and he lives up to the name as even the reader doesn't want him around. Then, that guy who has been watching superheroes, from his satellite and selling weapons and gimmicks to super-villains, sends his secretary, Lyla, to earth, to recruit a bunch of random people, while wearing some snappy duds of her own. They all meet The Monitor, who tells that that there is another guy, the Anti-Monitor, who has no Monitor in him, is out destroying universes and they have to stop him or all existence will be wiped out, hero, villain and Average Joe. So, off they go to fight shadow things and big tuning forks and rubble and Kirby Krackle and Blue Beetle gets invited; but, none of the Marvel Family. Guess which company's ex-heroes are now top priority? Flash pops in an out, appearing to people, at different times, confusing them. Psycho Pirate gets recruited by the Anti-Monitor. Lyla, Gaactus' herald....I mean the Monitor's agent, Harbinger, turns out to be a pawn of the Anti-Monitor (Michael J Fox has no Monitor in him!). So Flash disappears and stuff starts falling down on Earth-1 (the one that counts) and everyone in spandex races to help. Time streams start crossing and you have Rock & Easy Company fighting alongside the Outsiders and Anthro is riding mastodons around the 30th Century. Meanwhile, 1/4 of the way through the story and the Marvels have yet to appear. We get new characters, like Lady Quark, who has some kind of power and a bitchy personality, and not much more, which is why she has been so popular, in the last nearly 40 years. Lyla murders the Monitor, but it turns out she was supposed to, to release his energy. Anti-Monitor holds Flash prisoner, because he can cross dimensions, independently (well, with a Cosmic Treadmill, actually) and he is tortured by Psycho Pirate (so it's not just a cute name!). Brainiac leaves the premises and searches for Lex Luthor. Then, a whole crowd of people are assembled by Harbinger and we get the story of all of this. They have to merge the remaining universes to save all of creation (How meta!). Earth-1 and 2 are kind of half merged. It takes until issue 6, halfway through this stuff, for the Marvel Family to be seen. Earth-4, where the Charlton Action Heroes live and Earth-S, where the Marvel Family live, are about to die. Earth-X is going, despite the Freedom Fighters are saved. Supergirl is leading a team on Earth-S, when she meats up with Captain Marvel....  The other heroes thingk the earth-1 and 2 contingents are behind it, until Harbinger unleashes the power of the Monitor and halts the merger of the three worlds and the destruction. They are stuck in a living Venn Diagram. Meanwhile, Brainiac beams Luthor up to his ship and tells them he has an idea of how to use the Crisis as a way to become rulers of the universe. With everything paused, Captain marvel catches up to Sivana and Ibac, who disappear.  It turns out that the Anti-Monitor was using Psycho Pirate's powers to affect the heroes of the the other Earths, to try to stop the Earth-1 and 2 dudes. The leading heroes are brought together, from the 5 Earths, to learn the secret of the Anti-Monitor and the birth of the Multiverse. Captain Marvel is with them, while Junior and Mary watch from below, as time goes haywire. The big guns are sent into the anti-matter universe to stop the Anti-Monitor. They fight buildings and shadow things and then Supergirl dies, trying to stop the A-M. Captain Marvel is relegated to punching animated buildings, alongside Martian manhunter, while a new Dr Light gets a more active role. Supergirl's death is announced and Superman (E-1) takes her body off into space. Darkseid observes from his dimension and shields its existence from the Anti-Monitor; because......comics? Anti-Monitor forces the Weaponers of Qward to build a giant cannon and Flash breaks free of his prison and beats the @#$% out of Psycho Pirate. He then uses him to mess with the Weaponers to attack the A-M, while he tries to destroy the anti-matter cannon and dies in the process, because he rubs so fast he turns into a tachyon particle. This is where he has the time flashes and appears to the others, in the previous issues. He succeeds, after a fashion, but there is still danger. Then, the Spectre turns up. Issue 9 reveals Brainiac and Luthor's plan: to use the combined might of select villains to conquer one of the Earths and then use it as a base to conquer the others. Luthor is the field leader and Brainiac takes care of the original Alexi Luthor. The merging has stopped and everyone is dealing with the chaos created, while the villains launch their strike on the other earths, as the big guns are on earth-1. the villains take down the caretaker heroes and take over things. While addressing the UN, Pariah is interrupted by a hologram of Brainiac, who reveals that they have conquered Earth-S, X and 4, since they weren't DC Earths. Kind of like when Vince McMahon bought WCW, then ruined a perfectly good invasion angle by squashing every WCW star he kept on the payroll, just to stroke his ego. Luthor delivers an ultimatum to Earths 1 & 2 to surrender to them or they destroy the other 3. The heroes flip them a two-fingered salute and try to cross worlds; but, the villains have a barrier up that resists the heroes. OG Flash and Harbinger recruit Wally West, who had given up being Kid Flash, for health reasons, to help power a super-Cosmic Treadmill, to transport a rescue party beyond the barrier. They open a can of whoop ass on the villains; but, Brainiac's plan has foreseen this and they expect the casualties on the hero side to be high enough that they can destroy them, with their reserves. However, Psimon destroys Brainiac and goes after Luthor, because he is a dome-headed #$%^. However, Brainiac is more than a robot body and he blasts the dome off Psimon's head an takes back control. The Marvel's are held prisoner, as Billy, Mary and Freddy are all tied up and gagged, as usual.  The Atom turns up and cuts their gags off, with his sword (he was off playing John carter, when all of this went down) and one Shazam later.....  They whoop on the villains, then the Spectre interferes and convinces them they have to unite to defeat the Anti-Monitor or it is oblivion. Brainiac gives in. They assemble everyone and travel to the dawn of time, where the Anti-Monitor is about to usurp the Hand of God (I guess) as the motivator of the Big Bang and the combined forces attack, including the Marvels. The Spectre engages him and they disappear into a maelstrom. Then, there is only one universe left, combined out of the 5. The group finds out that there worlds are gone, and some of them have their histories erased. captain Marvel is there, but no he appeared on this world. OG Superman doesn't take it well, since OG Lois isn't there. The Anti-Monitor isn't done yet and launches an attack on the remaining universe. Lots of people die, especially duplicates. The heroes work to save innocents, including the 3 Lieutenant Marvels....  The big guns go to the Anti-Matter universe and OG Superman is the one who finally destroys the Anti-Monitor, after a combined attack. Lots of people are dead or wiped from existence, including E-1 Wonder Woman, while OG WW gets a change of address to Olympus. Wally West becomes the new Flash And Alexander Luthor reveals OG Lois is alive and takes OG Supes, earth-Prime Superboy and OG Lois off to live in limbo, until DC F-ed that all up. The last glimpse we get of the Marvels is Mary standing by rubble...  Thoughts: I like Crisis and always have, despite a recent-era tendency to tear it apart. It isn't perfect; but, I still think it is the best epic crossover of any comic line and remains so today, when it has been redone to death, by guys who thought they were smarter and still can't match up to Wolfman & Perez, et al. However.......... This series treats the Marvel Family like they were Space Cabbie or Rex the Wonder Dog. I know DC is booking this and it centers very much on the Superman Family and it was an anniversary celebration and Superman is the first superhero (except he wasn't); but, the Marvel Family was pretty significant, historically, even if DC couldn't make a long-term success of them. They screwed the pooch and just swept them under the carpet, to be pulled out when they needed someone for Superman to hang out with, for an issue or two. Roy Thomas used them in All-Star Squadron, for a few issues; and, that was nice, but that was about it. Roy was supposed to get to do more and was developing something, when Don Newton dropped dead of a heart attack and the situation with Fawcett was such that Captain Marvel kind of went into Limbo, too, until Legends. It s really disappointing to see how little thought was given to the Marvels and it seems clear, to me, that Roy Thomas was a junior partner in all of this, compared to others. Crisis ended up seriously F-ing almost all of his books. Since he was the one championing the Marvels, they seemed to sit on the sidelines. Charlton wasn't exactly treated well, apart from Blue Beetle The Quality guys ended up better off than the other outsiders, with their history just kind of shifted back into WW2, as an adjunct to the JSA and the 7 Soldiers of Victory, and the combined All-Star Squadron. The Charlton characters were really just previewed, here, and Beetle was the one they left pretty much with his Charlton history intact. Everyone else got started from Square One (well, Question was kind of left intact, the torn apart and rebuilt). The biggest competitor to Superman and the only one to ever knock him off the pinnacle, in the glory days of comic book sales that reached into the millions, was pretty much just a background character. As I say, to me, it was liked the botched Invasion Angle, in the WWE, after Vince Mcmahon bought WCW. WCW had grown out of the sale of Jim Crockett's wrestling company, which had promoted in the Carolinas and Virginia for decades and which built up an opposition to the WWF expansion, in the mid-80s, that was one of the few that actually held him off and competed with him. However, Crockett started throwing money around, unnecessarily, and kileld his cash flow and finally sold the promotion to Ted Turner's company. Turner had built WTBS around the Saturday broadcast of Georgia Championship Wrestling. In the early 80s, the name of the show was changed to World Championship Wrestling, to sound bigger, as WTBS appeared on more and more cable systems. Turner loved the ratings that World Championship Wrestling brought. Then, in 1984, Jim Barnett, one of the owners of the Georgia promotion, was ousted by Ole Anderson, another partner. he turned around and brokered a deal for Jack and Gerry Brisco to sell their shares in the company, along with barnett's and give Vince a controlling interest and the tv show. Vince was then introduced, on WCW and proceeded to show taped WWF matches, instead of the usual WCW show, shot in the studio and hosted by Gordon Solie. The fans lit up the WTBS switchboards with anger and ratings plummeted. Turner forced Vince to tape a show in the studio and Vince sent undercard talent for it, then decided he had had enough (as Turner was contemplating taking the slot away from Vince and giving it to Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling, which was doing better ratings with a show on Sundays) and sold the show to Jim Crockett for a million dollars. Crockett then used the WCW show to expand his own promotion's reach nationally. Most of the other promotions folded, leaving Crockett and Vince as the top dogs, with Vince controlling the major population centers; but Crockett leading in key alternate markets. Eventually, when Crockett got himself into a cash crunch, he sold to Turner, who wanted to keep the highly rated content. WCW then spent 1989-1996 losing money, then got one profitable year, where they kicked the WWF's butt, in the ratings. Then, egos ruined that and WCW started bleeding money, until it closed down in 2000, after the new head of programming from Time warner, who had merged with Turner and taken over, kicked wrestling off of of Turner Broadcasting networks. Several buyers were lined up, but most walked away when tv was taken off the table. Vince paid a couple of million dollars for the trademarks and tape library and assumed payroll of the wrestlers. He released a bunch and kept a few under and mid-card guys to set up an angle where WCW invades the WWF, after the final WCW broadcast had McMahon step on tv and reveal he had bought the company. That show ended with Shane McMahon stepping out andrevealing that he had actually sealed the deal, not Vince and he was going to use it to attack his father's promotion. The Invasion was begun with lesser wrestlers, since Vince didn't assume the superstar contracts, which were made with Turner Broadcasting, and not WCW (Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Lex Luger, Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash). It was playing off WCW's hot NWO angle, where Hall and Nash, fresh off WWF tv, turned up in WCW and were acknowledged and made it seem like the WWF was coming in to take over. Hulk Hogan was then revealed to be on their side and the NWO terrorized WCW, until Sting and Flair fought them (though Flair was buried and Sting didn't get a clean win over Hogan, killing the payoff of the angle). They had gotten the idea from New Japan Pro Wrestling, who did a cross-promotional angle with the UWFI promotion. The UWFI invaded New Japan and won their top title, the IWGP Championship. Then, New Japan's top wrestler faced UWFI, in a massive stadium show and regained the title and the UWFI was defeated. new Japan booked the angle as they were the senior partner. In both cases, the invader had to look strong, before the hero fought back and ultimately wins. Fawcett created Captain Marvel, in response to the success of Superman. However, the stories were different enough that captain Marvel became the top rival to Superman and reached a point where he was otselling. DC filed suit and lost, then appealed the judgement. By that point, sales were weakening and Fawcett was bleeding money, fighting the suit and they settled, ceasing publication. In the 1970s, DC bought a license to publish Captain Marvel and proceeded to present a watered down version that didn't set the world on fire, even though it delivered some good stories. it survived on the strength of the Saturday morning tv show, until that was gone and they canceled the comic and stuck the characters in World's Finest and then Adventure Comics Digest. Then, they were relegated to guest appearances. Some of that was due to the deal with Fawcett and their cut, vs the cost of doing stories. However, DC acted much like Vince McMahon, needing to prove Superman was superior by relegating Captain Marvel to status as kiddie fodder rather than an equal. Even when they let the stories be more serious, they were buried in an anthology that centered on Superman and Batman. It was like DC didn't want it to succeed because of old egos, even though those egos had long ago retired. Crisis celebrated DC Comics' 50th Anniversary and now they were about to showcase a mostly new line. It took a year, but Captain Marvel would be back, in the pages of Legends. That is our next look. ps See my All-Star Squadron thread for Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, within it.
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Post by tonebone on Jul 15, 2022 7:08:05 GMT -5
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12Or, as I like to call it, Crisis on Earth-S, Plus Some Side Stuff. Thoughts: I like Crisis and always have, despite a recent-era tendency to tear it apart. It isn't perfect; but, I still think it is the best epic crossover of any comic line and remains so today, when it has been redone to death, by guys who thought they were smarter and still can't match up to Wolfman & Perez, et al. Well put. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 20, 2022 16:49:27 GMT -5
Legends #1-6      Creative Team: John Ostrander-plot, Len Wein-script, John Byrne-pencils, Karl Kesel-inks, Steve Haynie ("Oh, Mr Douglas......")-letters, Tom Ziuko-colors, Mike Gold-editor Dennis Janke-inks (#6, pg 21-30), Carl Gafford-colors (#4 & 6) So, Crisis on Infinite Earths recreated the DC Universe as one single, coherent universe............................. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH......................................... (*gasp*......*huff*......*puff*..........*gasp*) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA............................................................................................ Oh.....that's a good one! So, Crisis killed off a bunch of characters and rebooted some others, or put new people in the role. However, it did it in 12 maxi-series issues and various tie-ins that required a trust fund payout to buy. Now, DC was ready to launch these new and rebooted or altered titles and decided that if one crossover mad them truckloads of cash, another would back up similar vehicles of cash. Well, it may have brought some truckloads of cash, but they were Toyota-sized trucks and not Peterbilts! Legends was a smaller scale, 6 issues, with various tie-ins. Not everyone was playing ball, this time, with only the Bat books carrying a Legends banner, while Superman was still being revamped by John Byrne (issues 3 & 4 of Man of Steel were released the same week as issue 1). The Cosmic Boy mini-series carries the banner, Firestrom #55 & 56, Justice League #258-261, Blue Beetle #9 & 10, Action #586, Adv of Superman #426, Superman #3, Warlord 114-115 Launched during this time frame were the post-Man of Steel Superman titles (Action Comics, Adv of Superman {carrying on the previous Superman numbering} and the new Superman title), Captain Atom, The Question, and Wonder Woman. Roy Thomas stayed the hell away from it, after what happened to his books, with Crisis. The Green Lantern Corps said Red Light! Bats was busy with Year One, the Legion left Cosmic Boy as a representative. GI Combat played Conscientious Objector. The basic purpose of it was to bring together the revamped Superman and Wonder Woman, debut Wally West, as the Flash, put out a hit on the Detroit Justice League, and launch Suicide Squad, the Wally West Flash series and the BWA-HAHA Justice League. It also served to reintroduce Darkseid to the post-Crisis continuity, though Big D was there for the tail end of Crisis. The basic plot is that Darkseid launches an operation, designed to undermine public support for superheroes, so that they can be isolated and destroyed and he can take over the planet (and possibly find the Anti-Life Equation, though that seemed conveniently forgotten, post-Crisis.....now and then. Central to this operation was Darkseid's henchman, Glorious Godfrey, who had been introduced in The Forever People, as an evangelist for the fascist Anti-Life ideology (and was based on Rev Billy Graham (though it would have been cooler if he had been based on Superstar Billy Graham). He appears as a sort of pundit in all of this, mirroring figures like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, as well as conservative media figures like Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh (more Buchanan, as he had a bigger audience, with Crossfire, on CNN). He begins this by appearing in an interview with boy reporter, Billy Batson. As I have discussed the Suicide Squad portions of the mini, in their review thread, I will concentrate solely n Billy Batson and Captain Marvel's role in all of this. Bear in mind that, chronologically, the Shazam: A New Beginning mini series precedes, Legends, but Legends was published before that series, with Shazam ending where the story begins, in Legends. Too many people taking cues from George Lucas. Synopsis: Issue #1 finds Darkseid launching his operation by sending a techno-seed into a nuclear reactor (where prof Harry Stein is working, creating the nuclear homunculus, Brimstone. Firestorm tries to stop it and fails. Wally West is busy stopping criminals, like Deadshot, and feeling inferior to late Uncle Barry. Meanwhile, Darkseid is also dispatching Dr Bedlam and Glorious Godfrey, as step 2 in the plan. Godfrey appears on Billy Batson's tv show, claiming that superheroes are poor role models and menaces, solving their problems through violence. Billy tries to argue the good they do, when a blackout of the station occurs. Billy Batson leaves the set, during the confusion, says his magic word and Captain Marvel appears and flies off to investigate....  Godfrey witnesses this and smiles. Captain Marvel finds a hulking figure, the Macro-Man, tearing up the transmission tower. Captain Marvel attacks; but, the Macro-Man is a physical match and smacks the Big Red Cheese around and then grabs ahold of him and starts crushing him. Using the Wisdom of Solomon, CM realizes he can slip through MM's fingers by switching with Billy. He says the magic word and........  ...flash-fries Macro-Man! Cosmic Boy tries to stop Brimstone and fails and Col Rick Flag, USAF, meets with his new boss, Amanda Waller, to discuss Task Force X. Cosmic Boy fails and meets up with the JLA, who stand there and pose. Billy sees the charred corpse of Macro-Man, which buystanders said was done by a guy in a red suit and Billy runs off, horrified by his actions and vows never to again use the power of Captain Marvel. Issue 2 opens with a news report besides the crispy remains of Macro-Man, as Glorious Godfrey pins the blame on Captain Marvel and says it illustrates the point he was making about superheroes and violent solutions. The adults watching at home seem to buy into this, but the kids now BS when they hear it, as it usually comes out of adults.....  Billy Batson is holed up in an alley, crying at what he believes he has done, while providing a convenient flashback to the events of issue #1. Darkseid observes this, until his stooges bring in a synthetic body, into which Dr Bedlam appears, screaming. He had inhabited the synthetic body of Macro-Man and the destruction of it still registers on his brain, as he inhabits the new body. The Phantom Stranger happens to be in the neighborhood and tells Darkseid he is full of booshwah, if he believes he can sell this to people. Meanwhile, the Justice League fails to defeat Brimstone, causing even more destruction along the way, and Rick Flag meets with Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, to recruit him for Task Force X. In Gotham, Batman & Robin stop a bank heist, but the presence of Batman sets off a twichy crowd of hostages and they go nuts and attack the Dynamic Duo, with Robin getting the worst of it. Commissioner Gordon forces a temporarily blinded Batman out of the building and the police fend off the rioters and pull out Robin (this is Jason Todd, for those keeping score). Various other heroes run into issues with the authorities, such as Blue Beetle screwing up a drug operation and then gets fingered by the dealer, as his contact (and he is new enough that the police don't have a history with him) and Guy Gardner stopping a plane crash by setting it down in the middle of a freeway, then over-reacts when a crowd of motorists yell about the large roadblock he created. He uses his ring to shove the crowd away, endearing himself to the public. President Reagan specifically tells Superman that he is to stay out of things, while the public is riled up and Superman, for some reason, is taking orders from the president, despite not being a government agent, because of Frank Miller and Dark Knight. Issue 3 finds public unrest about the damages caused by superheroes growing and the new Task Force X, aka The Suicide Squad, gets briefed about their mission to stop & destroy Brimstone. Meawhile, Billy Batson is found by a little girl, named Lisa, who has been separated from her parents, in the chaos....  The Suicide Squad takes out Brimstone, while Bruce Wayne visits a very injured Jason Todd, in the hospital, yet no one questions why he is so badly injured (not even in 1986, with mandatory reporting) or puts two and two together. Batman vows to get to the bottom of things, despite the order from President Reagan (how to you order vigilantes off the street?) and Superman trades his spine in and gives his word to abide by the order banning costumed vigilantes. Did I mention that there was this new mini-series out, at the time, called Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons? No? Well, there was. The girl Lisa takes Billy home with her and her parents let him stay for dinner. There, he sees Lisa's father erupt at the sight of her baby sister playing with a Superman doll and throw it into the fire, saying the superheroes are a menace and scolding Lisa for calling Godfrey (seen on the tv) a dufus, when he is trying to make the world better. Billy runs out of the room, crying (wus!) saying it is happening again. Lisa tells off her old man and runs after him (this kid isn't even an adolescent yet and she is arguing with her parents! Kids these days!) Billy remarks about Captain Marvel and Lisa tells him that Captain Marvel tried to help, not hurt. Darkseid and Phantom Stranger witness this and PS crows about Darkseid ultimately losing, because kids believe in heroes. Darkseid tells him to shut up, and then shows him the next phase, the Warhounds. Issue #4 is Billy-less and finds several heroes defying the ban order, stopping super-criminals. It ends with Godfrey calling a rally and Darkseid heading off to directly F-with Superman. Issue #5 finds Billy and Lisa encountering a crowd burning Superman in effigy. They are throwing debris and a piece hits Lisa as she tries to run towards a riot and reason with it. Billy is agast and angered and revokes his vow and says the magic word.....  Captain Marvel tries to calm the crowd, but it doesn't help. Suddenly, they are frozen and Dr Fate appears, telling CM he is needed elsewhere and they leave. We see the various heroes defying the band recruited, one by one, by Fate, then he tries for Superman and Ronnie tries to intercede; but, Dr Fate appears to be a Democrat and defies the president. Superman joins him. Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang, who used his pardon to go back and commit crimes, found himself facing the new Flash and Changeling. However, Flash gets pulled away and Boomerang gets nabbed by the crowd, with the aid of the Warhounds. He is trotted out for Godfrey's rally, as a sacrifice to Law & Order. A damp spot appears on his trousers, though he tells a tv camera that he has friends who better get him out of this, if they know what's good for them. The issue ends with Godfrey facing the assembled heroes, who look suspiciously like a League, dedicated to Justice, possibly in America or Internationally. Oh, and Jason Todd gets out of his hospital bed, puts on his Robin costume, and hobbles to the rally, on Bat-crutches. Issue 6 sees everything come together, as Superman (who thwarted Darkseid's attempts to brainwash him, using Amazing Grace, Godfrey's well-endowed sister, to try to seduce him) and the rest stare down the mob. Godfrey sics the Warhounds on them, which are piloted by humans. The team takes them down, but has to watch out for the human controllers. When that doesn't work, Godfrey calls in para-demons, to the sound of CURRAHEE! The Justice Buddies fly off to whoop their butts, but one snatches away the Helmet of Nabu from Fate's head, rending him useless, since what can anarcheologist in yellow and blue tights do, without a cool helmet? The Suicide Squad rescues Boomer, though they wait long enough for Boomerang to add to the load, in his trousers. They also grab Godfrey, when he tries to run away. Wonder Woman turns up (she is pretty fresh, at this point) and stops the Warhounds from attacking the White House. Fanatics get inside and try to shoot him, but Martian manhunter is masquerading as The Gipper. Errol Flynn's sidekick calls a press conference and reverses his position, and Helen Thomas asks him tough questions about the ban, in the first place. Superman and Captain Marvel clean up the para-demons and the others deal with the rioters and Warhounds. The crowd has the non-powered guys surrounded and the big guns land and circle them. Godfrey orders them to destroy the heroes, then Lisa, Jason Todd and some other rugrats (but not Chuckie, Tommy, Angelica, Lilian, Suzie or Kim) run into the crowd and yell at the heroes to stop being big doodie-heads! Lisa appeals to her father, who had told her that everyone could be heroes (Her father was David Bowie?) The voices of the kids start cutting through the fog of Godfrey's spell and he starts losing control, then he royally F-s up and he smacks Lisa......  ...and the spell is broken. Godfrey sees the anger in the crowds eyes turned to him and knows he is well and truly @#$%ed. He tries to put on the Helmet of Nabu and use its power and it fries his brain. The crowd comes out of it and starts to disperse, though some apologize to the heroes. Superman tells them it is okay, that they were mind-controlled, but Guy says "F-that!" and that they could only be controlled if they didn't already resent them, and Captain Marvel tells him that they are not there to be worshipped, but to deal with things that people can't. Dr Fate calls for a new Justice League, now that the Detroit posers are dead or dispersed and they all agree, then someone cracks a joke and they all go "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" and Batman punches Guy Gardner, just because. Thoughts: I've always had mixed feelings about Legends. On the one hand, it does make a point about the spewers of hate, for their own dreams of power. Godfrey stands in for every demagogue who tried to use hatred to sway a crowd to do his bidding, from dictators like Hitler Mussolini and Stalin, right up to more modern power seekers, who would attack people in the name of "family values" or so-called moral reasons, while spewing bile on people simply for being different from them or just an easy target. However, being a comic, it does so in simplistic and bombastic fashion, the latter due to this revolving around superheroes (and super-villains, recruited by the government for covert ops). I never really bought into this little attack swaying people that easily, Godfrey's abilities not withstanding. As Guy Gardner points out, people aren't swayed that easily by hateful rhetoric, unless they already harbor fears and anger upon which the leader feeds. Still, this crowd is pretty darn mindless. Of course, that was also before Jan 6, 2021. In terms of Captain Marvel, this treats him as relatively brand new to the job (as Shazam: A New Beginning, will reveal) and sort of establishes the conceit that Captain Marvel has Billy's mind, as we see Billy stunned by what he has done to Macro-Man, rather than Captain Marvel. he thinks that it is "my power" and what "I have done." As we will see, this version of Captain Marvel is Billy's mind remaining constant, while his body is transformed. The only difference is that he can draw upon the Wisdom of Solomon, in his adult form, though, as we will see, the writers kind of ignore this fact, with it getting worse in later years, in my opinion. Apparently, Captain Marvel can only be relevant to a modern audience if he is a big muscle head, who acts like a child. Then again, when you look at some of the adult population, you do wonder if their minds ever grew up or if there truly is a Wisdom of Solomon. Modern writers seem to prefer the Strength of Hercules and the Power of Zeus. Herc was a moron and Zeus was a philanderer and more than a bit of a jerk. Guess Athena wasn't keen on helping Shazam. Quite frankly, the only part of Legends I ever really liked (and that has remained constant) is the Suicide Squad. they get a great debut and it sets the tone for the series. Of course, it helps that the guy plotting this is the one who would write their series and conceived the concept behind this incarnation. I liked the new Justice League; but, they are nothing special, here. They don't really even defeat Darkseid, though they stop his minions. The real champion here is Lisa; but, did we get a Lisa comic? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo..... We had to wait for this one........  Which was better than 90% of what was on the stands, at the time! See what you missed out on, DC? Now, we are up to the full on revamp of Captain Marvel, from top to bottom, from Roy Thomas. It was supposed to be done by Don Newton, but his heart failed him. So, instead, Tom Mandrake got a crack at it. That is for next time. Oh, yeah; Byrne & Kesel look great on this, assuming you don't mind his oddly proportioned kids, big eyes and massive chests on everyone. Well, apart from the women. Well, except Wonder Woman, who is pretty stacked. Byrne is surprisingly restrained with the other ladies, though he gives Black Canary one of his ugly short hairdos. I personally like women with short hair and liked many of the short styles of this period; but, not in Byrne's hands. They look a little too androgynous, which is fine for Maggie Sawyer; but doesn't work with Black Canary, even without the chorus girl outfit. Or cocktail waitress look. Take your pick.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 27, 2022 14:28:35 GMT -5
Shazam! The New Beginning #1 Now with 25% more Red Cheese! Creative Team: Roy & Dann Thomas-writers, Tom Mandrake-art, Augustion Mas-letters, Carl Gafford-colors Roy is editing himself, which brings to mind a Ben Franklin quote, about defending oneself in court. Synopsis: A car loses control, during a thunderstorm, on a city street. Across the city, a phone rings....  A boy is now an orphan. His uncle, Dudley Batson, tells him the news. Later, at the funeral, he meets another uncle: Thaddeus Sivana....  Sivana is Mary Batson's step-brother and he insinuates that Billy's future may be determined by him. Later, there is a custody hearing, as both Dudley Batson and Thaddeus Sivana petition for custody of Billy. Sivan cites his position as an associate professor, at a nearby unviersity, while the court is more sympathetic to Dudley, as he has lived with Billy and his parents, off and on. Billy is forced to wait outside the courtroom, where he meets Beautia and Magnificus Sivana. Beautia convinces Billy that he would be better off living with them, as Dudley would have to give up being a stage magician, touring the country. Billy is called upon to give his preference, but he overheard Dudley say he would seek more stable employment to support Billy, if given custody, even if that meant giving up magic. Billy tells the judge he would prefer to live with Sivana and have siblings. He says hurtful things to Dudley to get him to bow out, which he does. Sivana is granted custody and Billy leaves with him and hears him berate Beutia for showing sympathy to Dudley. Then he sees the dilapidated house where Sivana lives and learns that he was lied to, as Beutia and magnificus live at school. Billy is told, under no circumstances, to enter Sivana's lab, beyond a steel door. he is then shown his room, a windowless storeroom, to which he reacts negatively, earning physical abuse from Sivana....  ' 'He questions Sivana's motives for bringing him there and a cryptic phone call suggests a monetary motive. Billy starts at a new high school and runs afoul of a bully, but stands up for himself....and gets pounded into the dirt. He slinks home and overhears Sivana talking to someone and finds out Sivana wanted custody to get his hands on the insurance money, with plans to ship Billy off to military school. Billy runs out of the house and goes to his old apartment, but a neighbor says Uncle Dudley is off in Albuquerque, on a gig. He runs out of the building, with abandon and stumbles across the corner, where his parents died. He finds a barred MUNY subway entrance and a shadowy figure, waiting for him. The figure opens the gate and Billy feels a compulsion to follow the man down the stairs. At the bottom, he doesn't find a subway platform but a strange caver, with seven grotesque statues, representing the 7 Deadly Sins. Billy sees an old bearded man sitting on a throne stone, with a block of granite hanging above him, by a thread. He rushes to help and is stopped by a bolt of lightning. The man introduces himself as Shazam and he knows Billy. He tells Billy to say his name, which he does and thunder roars and lightning strikes, and Billy is changed....  ...into Captain Marvel. Billy believes he has been hypnotized and the wizard speaks of a whole family of Marvels, then said that never happened, now. He is warned of Black Adam, who the wizard said he was summoned to face.  So, he's got that going for him. Billy is overconfident and the wizard wonders if he shouldn't have started with the girl, this time. Billy sees the thread holding the granite block parting and tries to warn the wizard, calling his name. Lightning flashes and he finds himself standing outside the subway entrance gate, back in his original form. He cries out the name of the wizard, as he pounds the gate and is once again transformed into Captain Marvel. He smashes his wat through the gate and flies down to the tunnel, only to find a derelict line, closed up. He changes and heads back to Sivana's house, where Sivana's experiment is a success, as he draws forth Black Adam......  Thoughts: Oh boy, grim & gritty Captain Marvel! I'm not gonna lie; I don't care for this approach; but, it is still better than Geoff Johns' take on it and Roy was trying. He at least establishes what happened to Billy's parents and then introduces Uncle Dudley as Billy's real uncle (and Hoppy the Marvel Bunny as Dudley's stage magic rabbit), complete with WC Fields look and speech patterns. Roy does a decent job of conveying the emotion of the Batson's death and that Dudley cares for Billy and Billy adores his uncle. Then he adds a twist. In the original Whiz Comics #2 story, Billy is swindled out of an inheritance by his evil uncle Eben Batson, and dumped on the street. He then gets led into the tunnel and becomes Captain Marvel and then thwrts a madman's extortion scheme, which turns out to be Sivana. Here, Roy merges Eebn Batson and Dr Sivana and makes their enmity personal, as Sivana is the step-brother of Mary Batson and he has swindled Billy out of the insurance payoff. Beautia and Magnificus are also introduced, with no sign of Sivana Jr or Georgia Sivan, which is just as well. Beautia and magnificus are more interesting, as they couldn't be more idfferent from Sivana. When Billy meets the wizard, he is warned of Black Adam and Roy also acknowledges the past, while saying this is different and this is how things happened, now. Tom Mandrake gives it all a dark and moody feeling, which matches this chapter; but, was better suited to Spectre than this, in my opinion. This was the era of "grim & gritty," as everyone took a page from Dark Knight and Watchmen and turned every hero into something nastier or gave them more vicious adversaries and more violent battles, because that is what is mature, right? Sometimes it worked well; but, mostly it didn't. Some characters, like Batman or Green Arrow, you can do dark. Others won't wear it, like Superman or Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel is about wish fulfillment: say the magic word and become a powerful adult. That was the real hook to it; but, the reason it outsold Superman was because his adventures were more lighthearted and fun. And more imaginative. So, when DC couldn't beat Fawcett with better stories, they resorted to lawyers. When they acquired the character, they made a hash of being whimsical (though there were some good attempts). They tried something more middle of the road, to mostly indifference. So, now, they are going G&G. I get it; but, I don't like it. Roy also comes down firmly in the camp that Captain Marvel is Billy grown up and that he retains Billy's mind.....that of a child. This means that CM is more naive, but not necessarily goofy. I don't find that it makes him more relatable. Kids didn't want to be Bucky or Robin, they wanted to be Batman and Catain America and the want Captain Marvel to be Captain Marvel. If Billy retains a child's mind, what is the point of the Wisdom of Solomon? It would seem logical that it would instantly give him the maturity of an adult, even if he retains Billy mind; but, it doesn't really work that way. Captain Marvel shows little wisdom. I will say, at the time, I thought this was at least a decent attempt to do a "serious" Captain Marvel and wanted to see more. Most heroes are a bit rough, at the start. Roy was a name I could trust and he did take the origin story and modernized it, while retaining the basic elements and improving some, a bit. So, this has potential and is a clear change from the past DC Captain marvel tales, even if it is a familiar story. One has to wonder how this might have differed, had Don Newton not passed away and been the artist. There is nothing wrong with Mandrake's art, other than he was still young in his career and his skills were developing. However, he was more at home with moody supernatural things, like Spectre. Newton would have been slicker, which might have taken some of the grim edge off. mandrake's style emphasizes it more, which doesn't quite work, for me. Roy had already presented this story, in Secret Origins #3, though it was pretty much the original Fawcett story, with minor tweaks. This is the true post-Crisis rebirth of Captain Marvel, with alterations. Lest I forget, Dann Thomas is also writing this; so, it is not fair that Roy gets all the credit or blame. You just tend to mention Roy, as he is the established writer. Kim Yale got similar treatment and people seem to forget that Barbara Kesel was writing and co-plotting Hawk & Dove, with Karl. However, only Roy and Dann really can say who contributed what, though I have to think this was more Roy's vision, based on his history with the character. We will have to see if this grows on me. It never really did, before, but I wanted more Captain Marvel and hoped it might settle down into something exciting.
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Post by Calidore on Jul 27, 2022 18:51:17 GMT -5
Another highlight of Legends was Ostrander & co. cheerfully zinging Jim Shooter and Starbrand via a confrontation with Guy Gardner.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 7, 2022 16:34:21 GMT -5
Shazam! The New Beginning #2 Creative Team: Roy & Dann Thomas-writers, Tom Mandrake-pencils, Jan Duursema-inks, Augustin Mas-letters, Carl Gafford-colors. Roy edits, with Greg Weisman. Synopsis: Sivana's experiment has brought someone through a dimensional portal and it ain't Spock.....  It is Black Adam and he speaks in ancient Egyptian (hence, the hieroglyphs, because they literally said, "Wavy line, crocodile bird sun crocodile eye in the swirl!"), then starts speaking English, thanks to the Wisdom of Zehuti. he smashed Sivana's equipment so he couldn't send him back to his dimensional prison. he is about to do the same to Sivana, when he convinces BA that he needs someone who knows the lay of the modern land. He lets Sivana live to be his slave. Sivana was hoping for partner; but, breathing is good. They tour the city and BA is impressed by structures that dwarf the pyramids. he intends to rule it and tells Sivana to call him Master, which he does, until he can think up a way to steal it all from BA. Billy has run off and is trying to catch up to Uncle Dudley, but lacks the funds. Beautia Sivana finds him at the bus station and he confronts her about her lies and she agrees and gives him the money for bus fare and says, cryptically, that Sivana knows more about the accident that killed Billy's parents. Billy makes it to Albuquerque and finds the theater where Dudley is performing; but, it is an adult show and the ticket taker won't let himin. One quick Shazam later and Captain Marvel enters the theater with his ticket....  Dudley is being heckled by the audience, especially two loudmouths. Captain Marvel makes them sit down and shut up, then volunteers to take part in the act and uses a little real magic to transform from captain Marvel to Billy Batson (inside a box) and nephew and uncle are reunited.  Billy and Dudley catch up, at his fleabag hotel room. Billy tells him about the wizard and how it felt like a dream, yet seems real. Dudley notes that captain Marvel bears a resemblance to Billy's late father. Billy wants to go back to San Francisco and uncover the truth about what happened to his parents. Dudley agrees and Captain Marvel handles the transportation. They stop near the Nevada California border to get something to eat, at a diner near an airbase. The base commander is there, having lunch and enjoying the company of Dudley and Billy, when an alert comes over the car radio about a UFO, spotted near the base. The general heads back to base and Billy decides that captain Marvel should aid the investigation. Captain Marvel streaks past some F-16 fighters and then runs into the UFO....  They fight and are evenly matched and Black Adam shows CM how ruthless he can be, by snatching a jumbo jet and threatening to destroy it, if CM does not withdraw. He backs down and Black Adam escapes, as the chapter concludes. Thoughts: So, Black Adam joins the story and now Captain Marvel is linked directly to him, as Shazam gave Billy powers because Black Adam was a danger to Earth, via Sivana. Sivana's experiment creates a gateway for Black Adam to return and conquer a new world. Meanwhile, Billy learns that his parents' death may not have been an accident. Roy & Dann create some intrigue while they have a bit of fun with Captain Marvel and Uncle Dudley's magic act. Then, it turns deadly serious, as Billy learns that Black Adam is a serious threat. They are evenly matched, power wise; but, Adam is more ruthless and Captain Marvel, with Billy's mind, more innocent. It's the old story of experience and guile overcoming youth and strength. Jan Duursema, Tom Mandrake's wife and fellow Kubert graduate, joins him on the art. The pairing works quite well and I always thought Duursema was a highly under-rated artist, in her own right. She did great work on Arion, Lord of Atlantis; but came more into her own on the Dark Horse Star Wars comics. The couple is now joined by daughter Sian, who has also gone through the Kubert school and joined the family business (also have a son, Jack)  Duursema did fantastic work on the DC graphic novel adaptation of Larry Niven's The Magic Goes AWay. As for Mandrake? Well, he is a magician....(sorry)....on this stuff. By the second issue, I was used to his moodier style, but he nails both the humor and the action and gives it a bit of style. I still say he was better on Spectre; but, he was winning me over, here. Roy and Dann kind of stick to the established character traits, but tweak them a bit, for modern readers. Dudley is spot on and Billy seems more like a real child, while Sivana is a bit more believable. Black Adam is pure villain, though, which seems a bit under-developed.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 20, 2022 16:02:51 GMT -5
Shazam! The New Beginning #3 That's a pretty awkward stance, if you look at it, for a few minutes. Perfect time for Captain Marvel to "nut" Black Adam! Creative Team: Roy & Dann Thomas-writers/editor, Tom Mandrake-art, Augustin Mas-letters, Carl Gafford-colors Synopsis: Captain Marvel and Uncle Dudley return to San Francisco. CM swaps back with Billy and they go down to Dudley's apartment, where it is time for bed. the see a news report about the dignitaries on the plane Black Adam hijacked and pleas for information. Billy wants to talk; but, Dudley says no one will believe it. They go to bed, but Billy slips out, changes and flies to the station to talk to the station manager, Mrs Emily Thickert. Billy tells her what he saw and she is disbelieving, but tells Billy to sit down, while she does paper work and then they will talk. Billy dozes off and she checks his wallet and makes a call. Billy wakes up to overhear Magnificus and Beautia Sivana talking to Thickert.....  Billy changes and flies off, then smashes his way down to the old subway tunnel and finds the chamber where he met the wizard. He lights a brazier, to see better and the wizard appears. He tells Captain Marvel he is dead, but his soul lingers and lighting the brazier can summon him. Captain Marvel demands to know the story behind Black Adam and the wizard fills him in...  Shazam had been the protector of the area around ancient Egypt, but decided to pass on his physical powers to another, Teth-Adam. Shazam went off to the desert to meditate and left Mighty Adam to defend the land. The lands were split between two kingdoms; but, with the support of Mighty Adam, Menes was able to conquer both kingdoms and become the first pharaoh. Adam built his pyramids, but grew jealous of Menes power and the adoration of the people. He grew twisted and stormed the palace and slew Menes, taking the throne for himself. Eventually, the wizard returned and banished Adam to another dimension. Captain Marvel realizes that Sivana's machine brought him back. Captain Marvel heads to Sivana's house, where he interrupts him hitting Beautia. He confronts Sivana, who has no idea who he is. magnificus tries to hit him from behind and gets swatted like a fly, which angers Beautia. Then Black Adam turns up....  Captain Marvel gets the first licks in; but, he doesn't press his advantage and Black Adam counter-attacks. They battle in the sky, until the fight knocks them back into the house. Sivana blasts Captain Marvel with a raygun, which angers Black Adam, as he will not know if he could defeat him physically. he vows to banish Captain Marvel to the dimension, then smash Sivana's machine. Thoughts: Roy expands on Black Adam's history and ties it to the history of ancient Egypt, as his might propels Menes to becoming the first pharaoh of the combined kingdoms. He then takes the kingdom, before Shazam returns and banishes him. Originally, Black Adam was thrust into deep space and spent the centuries returning, until he arrived in the present and found the Marvel Family. This time, he was sent to another dimension. It's not a huge update, but it works. On the whole, my enthusiasm for the new series was kind of waning, at this point. Roy is relatively faithful to the Fawcett stories, with some modern touches; but, nothing that really elevates Captain Marvel. bringing in Black Adam, so quickly, seems a mistake to me; but Roy more closely ties their histories. He is the threat that leads Shazam to grant his powers to a boy. Captain Marvel makes mistakes, because he is an inexperienced and naive boy, in a man's body. problem is, he is supposed to possess the Wisdom of Solomon and Roy seems to conveniently leave that in the background. It makes for a hero who is a big lummox, with more in common to the Mad parody (Super-Duper Man) than Fawcett. if you had set out to create a second string hero, this is the way to do it. You could argue that having Billy's mind in control allows him to grow and Captain Marvel to be vulnerable; but, it doesn't work as well, to me, in Roy & Dann's hands. By the end of this, I think DC was also underwhelmed and I suspect response wasn't up to expectations, since they didn't launch a new series. Really, this is kind of missing the spark of what made the original great and the Bridwell & Newton stories so great, yet Roy was a fan. I really think he was just burnt out, at this point. Crisis F-ed with his titles and his editorial control was slipping away. I really don't like the portrayal of Sivana, as he has no personality except as abusive father and crook. It's pretty bland, for the World's Maddest Scientist. Really, it's the problem with most of this, as it is trying t be serious; and, in doing so, has stripped away all of the charm and personality from Captain Marvel. One more chapter, which brings us back to the start of Legends, before we get another adventure.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 28, 2022 16:02:01 GMT -5
Shazam! The New Beginning #4 Creative Team: Roy & Dann Thomas-writers/editor, Tom Mandrake-art, Agustin Mas-letters, Joe Orlando-colors Joe Orlando doing a rare coloring job, rather than editing or art. Synopsis: Captain Marvel is the prisoner of Dr Sivana and Black Adam. BA lets Sivana know who is boss and they then hear, on tv, The Gipper says the government won't negotiate with terrorists. Sivana rages and BA shuts him up. BA goes off to carry out his threat to kill the diplomats and leaves Sivana to send Captain Marvel into limbo. Sivana reneges on the deal to then doublecross Black Adam....  Captain Marvel refuses and Sivana is about to send TBRC into limbo, when Uncle Dudley turns up and assaults Sivana, with a book. Sivana chastises him for bringing a tome to a gunfight. Captain Marvel says the magic word and blinds Sivana, then billy tries to disarm him. Dudley knocks Sivana out. Sivana recovers and Billy demonstrates his power, showing Sivana who Captain Marvel is. He forces a confession out of Sivana, befoe going after Black Adam....  Captain Marvel catches up to Black Adam and they fight....  They hurl landscape at each other and smack one another 'round and the Wisdom of Solomon finally kicks in and Captain Marvel speeds away, luring Black Adam back to Sivana's house, where he finds Billy Batson waiting. he goads BA into striking, then ducks his punch, as Black Adam hits the lever that activates the device which sends him back into limbo....  Captain Marvel rescues the planeload of diplomats, then smashes Sivana's machinery to keep Black Adam trapped in limbo. Billy ends up hired by Thickert to be a tv broadcaster and starts his new show with an interview of Glorious Godfrey, leading us back into Legends. Sivana is hiding out in a cantina, in Mexico, drowning his sorrows and saying he needs the right kind of partner, as we fade out on a close-up of the worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle. Thoughts: This was a pretty routine ending to a pretty average mini, from Roy. When this was announced, I had high hopes and faithfully bought the issues; but, it really lacked a spark to make it anything other than average superhero stuff. It demonstrates that robbing Captain Marvel of what made him unique, the sense of whimsy, leaves you with a pretty generic character. Roy tries and the relationship between Billy and Dudley is well done and Sivana is find and Black Adam threatening; but, Otto Binder it ain't. I liked Roy's handling of Captain Marvel, in All-Star Squadron, much better. Serious Captain Marvel didn't set the world on fire and he was left to be part of the new Justice League, for a few issues, where he mostly acted like a naive twit, forever offended by Guy Gardner and called Captain Whitebread. His major success is introducing J'onn to Oreo Cookies, before leaving. This version of Captain Marvel gets one more outing, in Action Comics Weekly, and that is our next stop, before consigning the post-Crisis Captain Marvel beta to oblivion. Then, we get to have fun again.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 4, 2022 19:08:17 GMT -5
Justice League (International) #1-7       Creative Team: Keith Giffen-Plot & breakdowns, JM DeMatteis-script, Kevin Maguire-pencils, Terry Austin & Al Gordon-inks, Bob Lappanletetrs, Gene D'Angelo-colors, Andy Helfer-editor So, at the end of Legends, Captain Marvel was part of the group that vowed to form a new Justice League and he is there as they have their first meeting, in the old Secret Sanctuary cave HQ of the League. However, his role is rather superfluous, as J'onn J'onnz has similar power levels and Dr Fate can match mystical power, leaving Captain Marvel as mostly the butt of jokes about being a whitebread goody two-shoes...   In the first two issues, he mostly relays information or catches someone, usually Guy, to the point it even becomes a joke...  In issue #3 he gets to bust a few Rocket red heads, but in issue 4, he is knocked for a loop by Ace, of the Royal Flush Gang, Issue 5 seems him dressed down, for his inexperience, by Batman. This scene is probably his biggest solo moment during his tenure...  He finds Jack Ryder's camera man, in a state of dismay and takes him back to the others. This leads the group to a town, called Stone Ridge, which has been taken over by the Grey Man, and has turned into an insane haven, as the Grey Man controls Dr Fate. Ryder has turned into the Creeper, for further lunacy. Issue 6 fnds Captain Marvel under the Grey Man's control and he uses him as a weapon against the others.  He and J'onn slug it out, until the Grey Man loses control and J'onn decks him...  Dr Fate and the League defeat the Grey Man and Captain Marvel is still unconscious, at the end of the issue. Issue 7 finds the series retitled Justice League International, as they receive their UN backing and global status. Captain Marvel attends the meeting, having recovered fromt he previous fight, but plagued with doubts about his place in the League...  The issue finds the League dealing with a weaponized satellite, which fires an energy beam at the Earth. In the end, they discover it is non-lethal, a training device. it was used by Maxwell Lord to set up a scenario for positive press, to manipulate the UN into backing the League, with the cooperation of the USA and USSR. Captain Marvel doesn't contribute much and gives his resignation, at the end...  Basically, Captain Marvel was there to elevate his profile, following the relaunch of the character, in Shazam: The New Beginning and Legends. He was here to continue that, before moving into his own series. It is clear that Giffen had no real ideas for him and used him as the butt of jokes about being a naive square, "Captain Whitebread," who introduces J'onn to the pleasures of Orero Cookies and milk. His power is never fully utilized and he is rather ineffective, in the league, since he wasn't one of Giffen's favorites. However, a new series did not immediately follow. During this time, he has a minor cameo, in Fury of Firestorm #63, in a group shot of the League, but plays no part in the story. His next appearance is with Superman. Adventures of Superman #442 Creative Team: John Byrne-plot & script, Jerry Ordway-plot & pencils, Andy Kubert-inks, Albert DeGuzman-letters, Anthony Tollin-colors, Mike Carlin-editor Synopsis: Superman's powers have been stolen by an alien and passed to a creature, called Dreadnaught. Dreadnaught faces and defeats other League members, stealing their powers. He then faces Captain Marvel...  Byrne actually makes reference to the Strength of Hercules, the Speed of Mercury and the Power of Zeus, as he lays into Dreadnaught....  However, his powers start fading, like the rest. Then, he is rescued by Clark Kent, who turns up and attacks with super powers. The creature calls a halt to things and calls off aplanned invasion, since Superman figured out that you had to overload Dreadnaught, as the alien had to keep feeding it power. He gets a better moment than most of his stint in Justice League; but, even Byrne can't do much with Captain Marvel. This leads to the final appearance of the post-Crisis Captain Marvel, in Action Comics Weekly #623-626, next time. Thoughts: It is clear that there is a divide between Roy Thomas and other factions at DC, over Captain Marvel. he gets an initial push, with the mini-series and Legends, then the first 6 months of Justice League, though Giffen is obviously not one of the fans. Captain Marvel is dumb muscle and a straight man, and little more. Byrne uses him as yet another pawn in a Superman story, but is a bit truer to his power, which are more than flight and super strength. In Justice League, he stands in for Superman, but is played weaker. In a Superman story, he is shown to be powerful, yet not enough and the Wisdom of Solomon doesn't come into play, before his powers wane. Superman saves the day; or, rather, Clark Kent. Roy gets one more shot at Captain Marvel, before washing his hands of things and pretty much of DC.
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Post by zaku on Sept 5, 2022 2:14:55 GMT -5
Powerwise, he was depicted at the same level of Superman? A little less (except of course for things like heat vision or super hearing)?
An interesting criticism I once read about Crisis is that he created a universe with too many super-superpowered beings. Captain Atom, Captain Marvel and Superman were supposed to be the top dog of their respective world. But once you put them all together on the same Earth, how do you claim that the Man of Steel is the best of all? The only way is to reduce the role of the others and in fact the other two (within the new universe) never rise to the height of the Man of Tomorrow. Within the stories, it is easier for the ordinary citizen to know who Wonder Woman or Green Lantern is than Captain Marvel or Captain Atom.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 5, 2022 10:49:52 GMT -5
Powerwise, he was depicted at the same level of Superman? A little less (except of course for things like heat vision or super hearing)? An interesting criticism I once read about Crisis is that he created a universe with too many super-superpowered beings. Captain Atom, Captain Marvel and Superman were supposed to be the top dog of their respective world. But once you put them all together on the same Earth, how do you claim that the Man of Steel is the best of all? The only way is to reduce the role of the others and in fact the other two (within the new universe) never rise to the height of the Man of Tomorrow. Within the stories, it is easier for the ordinary citizen to know who Wonder Woman or Green Lantern is than Captain Marvel or Captain Atom. That's, more or less, why I preferred them existing on parallel worlds. The Freedom Fighters are more interesting when they are the resistance to a world-conquering Nazis. The Marvel Family was more interesting in their own little world, with their own villains and supporting characters. The Charlton Action Heroes mixed well; but, I kind of liked the idea of them on an Earth-4. It was never confusing to fans and a one or two panel explanation usually covered it for new readers. It was only the expatriate Marvel crowd who seemed to have issues with it, so that they could have crossovers, without clever plotting. The parallel worlds never stopped crossovers at DC and they usually had some interesting maguffins to bring the groups together. Thankfully, coming up, we have a pretty good middle ground emerge and it would serve as the longest tenure for a Captain Marvel series, at DC. |
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Post by zaku on Sept 5, 2022 11:09:17 GMT -5
The Freedom Fighters are more interesting when they are the resistance to a world-conquering Nazis. I don't know if you read modern comics, but I really liked their last mini   |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 5, 2022 11:40:45 GMT -5
The Freedom Fighters are more interesting when they are the resistance to a world-conquering Nazis. I don't know if you read modern comics, but I really liked their last mini I read some, though very little DC or Marvel. I saw some of the Freedom Fighters attempts, which I pretty much loathed. I don't think I saw that one. |
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Post by zaku on Sept 5, 2022 12:31:59 GMT -5
I don't know if you read modern comics, but I really liked their last mini I read some, though very little DC or Marvel. I saw some of the Freedom Fighters attempts, which I pretty much loathed. I don't think I saw that one. It's set on (googling) Earth 10 (a reference to the original Earth X). He had quite good reviews. |
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Post by superman on Sept 5, 2022 15:15:38 GMT -5
I'm not sure if this has been covered on the previous pages, but given the legal issues with the Captain Marvel name, I think DC should return to the character's original name: Captain Thunder. I know the name was used in the Bronze Age and in Flashpoint, but I think it's a fitting name that would allow DC to really push Billy and his family's mythos. Captain Thunder and the Thunder Family has a nice ring to it.
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