Jon Sable #39



The cover pretty much says it all, as Jon (and Myke) are hunted by a pack of "lions."

Hyenas, really.

Creative Team: Mike Grell-story & art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Julia Lacquement-colors, Rick Oliver-editor

Letters page has one from a Chuck Gillman, a longtime reader who complains about the animal sketches within the storyline and wants a return to the stories of old, while also saying the company isn't addressing negative feedback and reviews, like a Gary Groth negative review in TCJ. Laurel Fitch counters with reviews and feedback are largely based on subjective feelings, rather than objective factual errors. She stops short of saying Gary Groth writes scathing reviews, hoping to get a response that he can then attack and mock for more attention for the Journal, which was his usual MO. If it was mainstream or the fringes of mainstream (like First Comics and Jon Sable), attack it as immature rubbish and look superior. if it is indie work, ignore shortcomings, unless you are currently in a fight with the creator, then just tear into it. If it is Fantagraphics, it is the greatest thing since the Sermon on the Mount. At least, that is how his reviews and editorials often read, to me. Other folks at the Journal could be a bit more balanced. Besides, the interviews were the reason I read it, far more than reviews. Though you did have to note that they wanted their bread buttered on both sides by also publishing Amazing Heroes, which was steeped in the mainstream. It was also hard to claim to be superior to DC or Marvel for publishing superheroes and then occasionally putting out something like Moonshadow or Sandman, when your own publications were propped up by the sales of porn comics (some; a portion of them were actually well crafted pieces and not just sex for shock value).

Anyway......

Synopsis: Myke and Jon are on the run from Claudine Jobert's killers, after Jon killed three men with a knife and his bare hands & teeth, to save Myke from being beheaded. Jon is still covered by their blood, as he cautions Myke to be silent, as the hunters patrol past their hiding place.



Myke asks Jon if he is going to kill them and he says, not yet, he has to get her to safety. He explains how they will go and then notices that Myke is acting funny. She admits she is troubled by how he killed a man with his bare teeth. She says she is not afraid of him, but what he has become and Jon replies he is what they have made him.



Jobert is clamoring for Jon's death and wants Myke to suffer, too. Jon and Myke head south and the tracker picks up their trail, headed for Zimbabwe. Jobert knows where he is headed. Myke discovers a relic of the past...



They hole up for a bit and Myke asks if he can go to the authorities. Jon tells her they are in Zimbabwe, where he is persona non grata and Myke realizes where they are......the remains of Jon's ranch.

Jobert is soon there and fires on them, knowing he'd return to this place. Jon gives Myke a lighter and tells her to count to 100 and set fire to the grass, and head west for the ranger station. He heads off to the bush, with his rifle.

Off in the distance, we see a herd of elephant. Myke does as she is told and lights the fire. The elephants stampede and drive the hunters into a rocky area, trampling some of the men, but Jobert stands fast and fires her rifle, wounding an elephant, but once again failing to kill them outright. Jon makes his way up the rocks. Jon and Myke meet up, but learn Jobert survived the stampede and has them at point blank range. She monologs at them and misses the wounded elephant coming up behind her. It wraps its trunk around her head and lifts her above its head then slams her to the ground. It then tears her head off her body.

Jon lays a bouquet of flowers at the graves of his family, wishing they were violets. Myke assures him that they will always be violets, to Elise....



Jon and Myke head for the safari camp to pick up supplies and make for friendlier territory, which will take about a week. They come across a pack of hyenas, surrounding a wounded man. It is Reuben, the tracker who tried to kill Myke. he is fending off the hyenas with his bush knife. Jon fires his rifle to scatter them, then takes aim at Reuben. Myke stops him and picks up the bush knife. he tells Jon to leave him to the hyenas and they move on.

Much later, back in New York, Jon and Myke meet for dinner, after being apart. Jon wrote his article and falsified the trip. He acts oddly and Myke asks what's wrong? Jon proposes to her and Myke says no. She says there is a part of him that craves the darkness and danger. She loves him and will always be there when the darkness is too much; but, she won't marry him. They end on an old joke...



Thoughts: So, 3+ years of story come to a conclusion, as Jon finally faces the last of those behind the deaths of his family. Finally, he is able to put their ghosts to rest. he is even ready to start a new phase in life; but, Myke knows that he can never truly leave the life of adventure and danger behind. He has been shaped by the trauma into what he is. She confesses her love of him; but, will not marry him and hold him back. However, she says she will be there for him.

This kind of brings an end to the development of their relationship. Myke will still be around; but we really won't see anything in the way of progress in the relationship. Grell will continue with short adventures, more in keeping with earlier part,; but, without much changing between Jon & Myke. Mike will also start withdrawing from the series, as he handles the art on only a few more issues, before turning it over to Judith Hunt and Ron Randall (and Mike Manly). Part of that might have been due to the tv series, which premiered the following year, though part may be because the relationship with First was going south. Grell eventually picked up stakes and went back to DC to work with Mike Gold, leading to Longbow Hunters and the subsequent Green Arrow series (which did much to inspire the more successful Arrow tv series). Mike's withdrawal from the art wasn't without controversy, as we will discuss, when we get to that point.

The art is up to previous standards and it seems they are past the teething troubles of the format switch and the change is coloring, especially now that Julia Lacquement is on the team.

Next, Mike addresses another portion of the past, as he looks at Jon's first case, as a bounty hunter, as he hunts down the child killer.....or so the editorial copy says. What we get is a different story.

Jon Sable #41



Is it just me or does it seem like Jon is overcompensating?

Creative Team: Mike Grell-story & art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Julia Lacquement-colors, Rick Oliver-editor

Letters page has one gripe about the art and another former griper saying it's back to form. A long one praises the character development.

Synopsis: Jon and the prostitute, who was hired to impersonate a client, are pinned down by Sable's "fan." Jon tells the woman to listen to him if she wants to get out alive (after declaring he doesn't know anything about a "fantasy.") Meanwhile, the other "freelance" explains the deal she was given...



Kinky!

The fan yells about being embarrassed and how killing a "client" of Jon's will prove he is better. Sable tells the pro to get ready to run and lays down covering fire for her to escape out the door. He then grabs the attache case with the money to shield his back as he runs out. Sure enough, the fan's rounds hit the case.

Sable and the pro run out to the street and the nearest subway entrance and head underground. They grab the next train and look to make their escape, but the fan turns up...



The train departs and the pro tosses away the prop doll, then Jon tells her to keep it, for evidence. He has to hide her out, as the fan knows his place and will kill her at her own. So, guess where he goes....



I sense a threesome is still on the menu!

Jon explains that he is being hunted by a fan and reminds Myke of John Lennon, when she reacts with disbelief. He then goes home and tools up...


(those cylindrical objects are speed loaders, which hold 6 rounds in place, with a spring-loaded clip, to rapidly insert them in the revolver's cylinder)

A good hunter doesn't mix calibers, Jon!

He takes his Studebaker and goes hunting for the North American Nutjob, a flourishing species! He returns to the scene of the gunfight and goes searching. He soon finds his quarry, though the quarry gets off the first shots. They trade gunfire and Jon is wounded, in the leg. He improvises a plan and unloads with the .45, in rapid speed. He then discards it for the .41 Magnum revolver and takes careful aim with the telescopic site and fires the heavy round into a vat of solvents, which is behind and above the fan. It ruptures and ignites, in a fireball.

Jon makes his way out and calls the fire department, then leaves. He returns home and patches his wound and calls Myke to tell her the coast is clear; but, it isn't. The fan turns up and has Jon at point blank range. He is badly burnt; but alive. He says "Suzie" will take care of the client. He keeps asking the time, while Jon questions what he means by what Suzie will do. Then he realizes, the doll has a timebomb inside. He yells for Myke to get rid of the doll, then rolls over the railing from his loft bedroom, down to his pool. Myke grabs the doll and tosses out a window. Jon hits the water and swims to a hidden underwater gun safe. The doll explodes on the (thankfully) empty street. Jon removes his .375 H&H handcannon from the water safe and fires a round upwards, killing the fan, who falls into the pool.

Jon gets back to the phone and confirms that Myke and the pro are okay.

Thoughts: Exciting, if improbable ending to the story. Lots of gunplay and Jon using his brain, though he seemed to put in idle when he got himself into this situation, in the first place. Jon isn't a rookie, yet when he took this commission, he took his client into a danger zone, with a supposed kidnapper waiting for the money exchange. A pro would not let the client go in harms way. He also wouldn't blindly enter a building without scouting it out for exits and hidden dangers. Jon does none of that, which gets him into the ambush. He's led there by the fake client; but, since when does he do what they say, without question? He gets the woman out, though you do wonder why he brought the match grade .45 auto instead of his Mauser, given it has auto-fire, which would have given him an advantage. The .45 is a target weapon and Jon was going into a professional combat situation. The real reason is so Grell can highlight the new weapon; but, still.....

At least when Jon goes back, he is more prepared, though, again, he takes target range weapons instead of combat weapons.

I'd be willing to suspend disbelief in his choice of pistols and the circumstances of the ambush and even the fan surviving the explosion that was right beside and above him (though the trauma of the burns makes the ending rather hard to swallow, especially if you have ever had a second degree burn or worse {I have and it hurts!}); but, the bomb hidden inside the doll is a bit too much. It makes for a nice twist; but, come on! I think Grell spent a little too much time around Hollywood people while they developed the tv series!

So, from here, we go into Mike's last storyline, as artist. It's another two-parter; and, then, we will see Mike reduce his role to writer, as he is joined by a succession of artists.

I'm currently reorganizing my comic collection, so my hard copies of Sable are buried in the mess. When I dig them out, I'll check the issue in question and let you know.

Jon Sable #44



Looks like the video box cover to a porno movie!

Creative Team: Mike Grell-writer/cover, Judith Hunt-pencils, Mike Manley-inks, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Julia Lacquement-colors, Laurel Fitch-editor

Judith Hunt pencils this issue and the next; but, she is only a guest artist. Hunt was married to Chuck Dixon and the couple produced the comic Evangeline together, at Comico. They then brought the title to First Comics. Apart from Evangeline, Judith did a few bits and pieces, here and there, but made more of a name for herself in book illustration. Mike Manley is inker on this issue and the next, then takes over as the regular artist. Manley was the grandson of a commercial artist and started earning a living as a commercial artist, himself, in his teens. Prior to this issue, he had done a Robotech Defenders comic, at DC, a Transformers and a few Conan (Conan the King), at Marvel. He would move on to working with DC and Marve, more extensively and co-created Darkhawk, at Marvel.

Laurel Fitch has been listed as Editorial Coordinator, in the indicia, for a while and has handled the letters page; but, has not been credited as editor, on any interior story pages, until this issue. Rick Oliver is listed as Editorial Director for First, ever since Mike Gold left. GCD lists her as editor on previous issues; but, also lists Mike Gold on issues where he is not credited. Fitch was handling the letters pages during those issues, but never stated that she was editing the book. So, I went with Rick Oliver, as Editorial Director, on previous issues. I'm not sure what info GCD based some of the credits on, as there is nothing in the issues that provides that info in some of the recent ones, and they have question marks on one or two, including one that says "Mike Gold?" It would appear that whoever was listing the data was making guesses, unless they saw original art with the editor's name on it or had confirmation from someone involved in the book (like Grell). I will continue with whoever is listed in the story pages.

Letters page has a long one about rumors of the series ending, because Mike was moving on to other things. Partially true. He continued as writer, up to the end. However, I believe he has commented that his relationship with First was more strained, during this period, leading to his departure, as well as his desire to do other things. One letter tells all the wusses to stop complaining about sketchy art, if it works. That was from Beau Smith, as in Stephen Scott Beau Smith, of Eclipse and Scout fame.

Synopsis: Jon picks up Myke, for a date and Grey is dancing around the loft, like Gene Kelly. It turns out, a movie in which he is featured is finally being released....



Grey tells them it is his last chance at any kind of serious dance career, at a major level. He goes on to say that the star Paul Goddard, who passed away, has become like James Dean, for the 80s, and his presence, alone, is likely to turn a 6 year-old production into a hit, if anything can. The film is getting a release at the Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, a driver picks up the reels of the film and we see an explosion hurl his van aside, soon after...



We cut to later, as Gray introduces Jon to Frederick Myles, the producer. He has one print left of the film, in his personal collection. he wants Jon to ack as security for it, at Cannes. Jon questions the need and says the investigation is a matter for the police and suggests making more prints. Myles claims it is too expensive; but, Jon isn't buying that. Myles admits that the publicity makes the film an easier sell to critics and says it isn't a classic; but, it has some now-famous people in early roles and it has good moments. Jon replies that it doesn't hurt that the star is dead, which is confirmed. Myles mentions some of the names and the female lead, Deborah Lawson is in it and they will all be part of the festivities. This captures Jon's interest and Grey knows he has hooked Jon. Jon mentions Lawson being a recluse and Myles cracks that the public will be "seeing a lot more of her, soon," and chuckles.

We cut to the Cannes Film Festival, as we come into the middle of a staged action scene, a publicity piece for a James Bond-like movie. Jon and Gray travel by boat out to the yacht of Frederick Myles, off the coast. On board, they meet Katy Daniels, who was Grey's dance partner, in the film, and Glen Forrest, one of the principle cast and a noted star, now. He has an iconic gold dragon ring that is his trademark, especially after a film was made, based on the ring (which he had before the film). Katy takes a shine to Jon, especially after Grey confirms that Jon is just a friend, not a "friend." Glen isn't much of a sailor and goes for some dramamine. Jon next meets Myles' apparent love interest, Bonnie St Charles, the director, Marshal Cooper (gee, wonder what inspired that name) and Frank Harrington, the studio promoter (and an ex-film critic).  The conversation confirms that Deborah Lawson is on board, while catty comments are made about her coming from a "fat farm" and looking anorexic.

Grey and Jon check the locked case with the film cannisters, then join the others for cocktails (and the booze has been flowing throughout the day).  Jon and his profession are the center of attention, until Deborah Lawson finally joins the party, immediately questioning why Jon is doing the work.  He replies "for the money," and delights the crowd with his blunt, but charming honesty.  he compliments Lawson on her previous work.



We learn that Lawson appears nude, in the film, thanks to a bit of trickery on director's part.  Glen Forrest makes cracks about it.  Deborah calls him a pig and a drunken Harrington confirms that and makes barbed cracks about how the film actually shows that Glen can act; but, wonders how his action film audience will react to seeing him play a homosexual writer, in The Hard Way (the name of the film).  Forest pops more dramamine and Harrington gulps down more alcohol, comparing himself to Sable, as he is paid to promote the film.

The next day, Jon relaxes, while Grey and Katy go scuba diving for lobster and other fresh seafood.  They run into a shark, and Glen Forest, from the yacht deck, comes to their aid....



Jon, in a speedo, with the Mauser, still makes this look like a porno!

Jon tells Forrest to save his ammo and grabs a "bang stick" and scuba gear and hits the water.  He gets between the couple and the sharks and then uses the weapon on a shark, releasing blood, which sends the other sharks to attack it, while the humans escape to safety.

Back on the ship, they find the trunk where Jon had the film cannisters rifled, but the film is still there.  Later, Myles says that they know Grey and Katy aren't guilty, since they were in the water.  Jon says they were never suspects, since they are the only ones to have something to gain by the film being seen.  Glen pops more dramamine.  Later, Jon finds Lawson on deck, alone, staring out on the ocean.  He asks if she is alright and she begs a slight cold.  he offers to get her medication, but she declines.  He asks why she is there for the premiere and she talks about Paul Goddard and the potential he represented.  jon asks if she was in love and she says she didn't even like him, just that he represented "the dream."  They are startled by a gunshot.

Jon rushes in and finds people coming out of their cabins, except Glen.  Jon tries his cabin and it is locked from the inside.  He kicks in the door and finds him dead, from a gunshot wound to the head.

Thoughts:  Grell is cooking up another mystery story and it's a good one.  A film that sat on the shelf is going to get a major premiere at Cannes, showcasing a lead actor who died young and tragically.  Pure Hollywood.  The film features a bunch of hopefuls, a couple who became famous, a couple who could find fame wit the release, but someone doesn't want the film to be seen.  We are presented suspects.  Deborah Lawson is a big star, with apparent demons (eating disorders, possible drug issues, and the price of fame), who has a nude scene in the film, thanks to trickery.  She has never been seen nude, only with body doubles.  Glen Forest, the macho star of cookie-cutter action films had a serious role that showed real talent, but playing a homosexual.  How would his audience react?  Imagine Burt Reynolds starring in Philadelphia and then trying to do Smokey and the Bandit, after.  Frank Harrington knows the skeletons and hates the film, but loves the money.  Myles is out to exploit the death of Goddard and the nude scene of Lawson, to make a fast buck and get his investment back.  Bonnie's role is unknown, but there is more to her than Myles' lover.  Someone doesn't want the film to be seen.  Now, Glen is dead.  Was it suicide or murder?  Is there something more to the film than just an edgier role, for a macho performer?

Great stuff.

Judith Hunt is no stranger to action.  Evangeline was filled with it, as the character was a sort of Clint Eastwood-inspired heroine, in an action story, in a futuristic setting.  However, her linework is a bit on the stiff side.  Not that it's bad, just more in tune with newspaper detective strips than the more action-oriented comics.  Her storytelling is great and her staging and layouts are good and she has adept at facial expressions and body language, as well as being able to capture the look of real clothing.  She is able to handle an array of body types.  However, it is a bit of an abrupt shift from Grell.  However, based on her work on Evangeline, with Ricardo Villagran inking, I have to put it down to Manley.  Hunt's work appears looser, with Villagran.  It doesn't help that this is filled with exposition and character dialogue, so we don't get to see much action.  The shark attack is quite exciting and done well.

The coloring is a bit different in this and it is hard to tell about some of the color choices.  Glen forest and Bonnie St Clair are both colored a deep brown, but it is hard to determine if they are meant to have a tan like George Hamilton or are meant to be Latino, African-American or Mediterranean/Middle Eastern.  It's a kind of vague "non-White", like something out of a Victorian or early 20th Century pulp novel ("swarthy foreign types").

The "bang stick" that Jon uses is a real weapon, used by divers around sharks.  They are also known as "powerheads."  Essentially, it's a glorified "zip gun."  It features a chamber that houses a cartridge, a firing pin and a triggering mechanism.  They are usually affixed to the shaft of a spear and can be used in conjunction with a spear gun; or, as depicted with Jon, carried by a diver, who physically jams it into a shark and fires it.  because of the density of water, the cartridge needs to be at very close range for the projectile to penetrate the shark (they are also used on alligators).  Some of the old Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom shows featured them when filming sharks.  Can't really recall if I ever saw one on a Jacques Cousteau special.

It is worth noting that between the shark attack and Jon's conversation with Deborah Lawson, you see Jon reloading the bang stick with a handgun cartridge.  It is possible that it could have been used against Glen, rather than him shooting himself in the head, though we see a revolver near his hand, when his body is found.  it is the same revolver he used to shoot at the sharks.  So, which inflicted his wound?

Again, great mystery here, even with a lot of exposition.  It's too bad that the Jon Sable book didn't sell (poor timing in the market, as much as anything), as Grell really could have had a nice career as a mystery/thriller writer.  He could have had a whole series of Sable novels, in the 60s and 70s.

Jon Sable #45



The scale seems a little wonky, on that one. I suppose if you are looking at that end of the barrel, it looks pretty big. Then again, if the cylinder is hanging open, I'd rush or shoot the guy!

Creative Team: Mike Grell-writer, Judith Hunt-pencils, Brian Thomas-inks, Ed Panosian-letters, Julia Lacquement-colors, Laurel Fitch-editor

Brian Thomas was another one from Chicago (where First Publishing was headquartered), graduating from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He worked on this and a couple of issues of Dynamo Joe, for First, and several books for Now Comics, also based in Chicago, before working for Archie, on Sonic and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He also did work under the names Rock Lobster and Screamin' Demons. Ed Panosian did letters on Grimjack and at least one issue of Femforce, at AC Comics. I searched for others; but, he gets crossed with Dan Panosian, at GCD and Google.

Letters page has two with heavy criticism. One says cancel it, if Mike isn't doing it and the other says cut back on the monthly schedule to let Mike do it right. Laurel Fitch is giving the excuse that Grell is working on the Jon Sable/Batman project that got axed, but points out he is still writing. Suffice to say, in the eyes of the long time fans, the glory days were over. I still think there were good stories here; but, the losss of Grell on the art greatly affected how they were told.

Synopsis: Sable surveys the scene of Glen Forret's death. Frederick Myles notes the mess and Sable says a .44 Magnum to the head will do that. Myles is referring to the red tape, empathetic as ever. Sable has everyone gathered and points out the suspects....



Grey and Katy have everything to gain by the release of the film, as it could make their careers. Myles will make big money off of the release and Marshal Cooper, the director. Frank Harrington is being paid to promote it, though he loathes the idea, except that he knows this was the closest Glen Forrest came to "art." Forrest stood to lose, as his sensitive portrayal of a gay man flew against his image as a macho action film star. Deborah Lawson is a serious actress, who was tricked into a nude scene. Neither particularly wants/wanted the film out there. Lawson points out she was on deck with Sable, when the gunshot rang out and Harrington remarks she was in Europe, when the film begative was blown up. Sable questions Harrington's motives for working for Myles and Cooper, who he detests and his feelings about Forest. He claims cowardice and greed for being there and not being a killer, but suggests Forest's death, along with the dead star, Paul Goddard, as giving Myles and/or Cooper motive, as it would boost interest in the film. He also calls Forrest a talented pig, which Katy objects to. That prompts a cryptic statement from Lawson about Glen being manipulative and adding "notches to the bedpost" and the price of having been one being to high. Myles points out he was with Sable and Cooper, when his equipment case was broken into and Myles hired Sable, as security. Copper remarks that Sable is talking like it was a murder, not suicide. Sable affirms that he is. He notes that Glen's revolver has six empty chambers in the cylinder and asks if anyone remembers how many shots Glen took at the shark? He also notes that the entry wound is much higher than the exit, suggesting he would have had to have pointed the barrel at the top of his head and fired downward to have shot himself. He says the French authorities would see it as murder, especially with no suicide note.



Myles asks if there is anything they can do to save the release of the film. Sable replies that they will have to solve the crime before the police come on board. He asks Grey to bring the film and set it up in the lounge, so they can watch it for potential clues.

They watch the film and see Grey and Katy's dance number and a scene of a tearful Glen and star, Paul Goddard. We then see a scene between Goddard and Lawson, where he throws a set of dice. Sable tells Grey to stop the film. He has him run the scene back and notes that Goddard is wearing the same dragon ring that Glen Forrest wore as his trademark, in his films and was wearing on the yacht. He asks why Goddard was wearing it. Myles says maybe it was a gift; but, Sable suggests the gift might have been tied to more than friendship and that the reality of the performance may not have been acting. Grey questions this, saying he knew Goddard was Gay, but questions Forrest, until Lawson gives the answer...



Glen was bisexual and he and Paul were lovers. Sable can but him destroying the negative and attempting to steal it here, but isn't satisfied with him killing himself.

Later on deck, Sable is looking out at the Mediterranean and thinking. Harington comes on deck and takes another swig from a hip flask. He talks about writing a tribute to Forrest, then quietly asks Sable if he has figured it out and Sable affirms. Harrington says it was a pretty good plan, for something concocted in the spur of the moment. Sable asks Harrington if an autopsy of Goddard would reveal he died of AIDS and he affirms. He then asks if Forrest passed it on to him and gets another affirmation. he remarks that Grey told him it was possible for someone to contract the virus and never manifest symptoms, or not for years and Harrington agrees. he then remarks about how thin Deborah Lawson is and suggests she wasn't at a "fat farm" as Harrington stated, but was being treated for AIDS. Harrington confirms. Forrest passed it on to her, as well. He says she must have recognized that Forrest tried to destroy the negative and it seemed strange that she took pity on his seasickness and loaned him her vial of dramamine. He then shows Harrington the bang stick he used against the shark and shows that it has an empty .44 magnum shell, even though Sable reloaded it, before putting it away. He suggests that Lawson gave Forrest cyanide, via her dramamine pills and that Harrington tried to cover up her actions by using the bang stick to make it loo like Forrest shot himself, from inside the locked cabin, by extending it into the open port hole and firing it into his prone head, then hooking his revolver and pulling it out of his holster and onto the floor. Lawson was on deck, with Sable and couldn't be implicated. With the gunshot wound, the police wouldn't be looking for poisons.



Harrington asks what happens next and Sable says Forrest was slime for passing on AIDS, when he knew from Goddard's death that he carried it and Deborah would be smeared in a trial, while she was dying. He takes the bang stick and throws it over the side and says that Forrest's death looks like suicide, to him.

Thoughts: Sable finishes playing Poirot (or Columbo, though he is more Mike Hammer or Phillip Marlowe) and we end a great mystery. This ends up being a lot of scenes of talking heads; but, Judith Hunt keeps it fresh with different angles. She captures the emotions of the moment well, which is the important part of this chapter. This isn't an adventure tale, it is a character piece and a drawing room mystery. That means dialogue. The ending has a nice ring of justice, as there is nothing to gain by making Lawson suffer in court, since she is dying of a disease knowingly inflicted upon her by Forrest.

In this series we have seen Mike Grell portray gay characters with sensitivity, which seems especially surprising, in an adventure series, in the mid-late 80s. This wasn't Sandman. We shouldn't be surprised, because Grell depicted many mature relationships, both romantic and familial, as well as that between mentor and student (Sonny and Jon). He also gives a sensitive portrayal of AIDS, when there was a lot of misinformation going around. AIDS patients were rejected as hospitals and even mortuaries, all because of criminal ignorance. Grell points out that many who carry it never manifest symptoms of the disease and that it was not communicable via touch. Many contracted it unwittingly, from irresponsible lovers, with unprotected sex, via shared needles, or even through tainted blood transfusions (Arthur Ashe). Grell helps give a human face to someone afflicted with AIDS and also point out it wasn't just a disease carried among homosexuals. More heterosexuals contracted it, yet it was portrayed as a "gay disease." The sad thing is that, due to the adventure nature of the series, Grell was not recognized for his sensitivity, as was Neil Gaiman, with Sandman. Chalk it up to profile and the snobbery of suggesting there was no art in adventure fiction.

Next up, Mike Manley, last issue's inker, takes over as regular penciler on the series, as Sable has to stop a siege at the Nakatomi Plaza, a year before John Mclane. And in a different city.

Jon Sable #46



Creative Team: Mike Grell-writer, Mike Manley-art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Julia Lacquement-colors, Laurel Fitch-editor

The letters page moves from the inside cover to the back of the book and the introduction of Mike Manley, as artist is made there, plus talk of Mike Grell working on a Jon Sable graphic novel, which never comes to pass. The letters themselves continue to be mixed.

Synopsis: Jon and Myke are in Wyoming, climbing Devil's Tower, on December 21st. When they reach the summit, they find a bunch of trailers and Air Force guys, and someone at a synthesizer, talking to an alien ship. Some short, bearded guy is standing off to the side, watching, with a big grin on his face. Jon and Myke ignore all of this and erect a tent (and a few other things) and settle in for a close encounter of their own.



Meanwhile, in Chicago, a messenger delivers a parcel to the Nakatomi Corporation's Midwest branch, as a Christmas party is in full force....



The cabaret has arrived to take over the building, with automatic weapons and explosives. They seal up the building, but there is no cop walking around in bare feet, in this building. The cops show up and do an info dump that only the service elevators are operable and they are booby trapped, a helicopter would make too much noise, a glider couldn't land on the roof (well, not until 1997, when flown by a one-eyed ex-soldier-turned-bank robber). The winds are too high for a paradrop and the fire department couldn't get people across from another building without being spotted (unless Snake Plisken's cousin is called in, with his department, then maybe; but, they are busy dealing with an arsonist and backdrafts).

Sonny Pratt reaches Jon in Wyoming, to get him to call a frantic woman, who wants him to stop a murder from happening. Her husband works for Barnett, the head of Nakatomi Midwest (or whatever they call it) and was stuck in a dead end job. The wife made a deal with the boss to get her husband to advance and kept a journal and made a video tape to ensure Barnett kept his side of the bargain. She sent the tape to Barnett to make sure he kept his aprt of the deal, but she got a messengered check for $25oK, and a note saying Barnett is getting married to New England Money and to keep stum about the affair. Problem is, hubby saw the journal and went to the party with the intent of killing Barnett and it is currently hijacked....



Jon takes the job and hunts down a professional burglar who pulled off a robbery in Barnett Tower, despite the security. he tells them about tunnels and the old city, underneath and that is how Jon gets in the building, disguised as the re-designed Black Hood, from Archie....



Jon sneaks past the terrorists/hijackers and the goes out a window to climb up the exterior of the building, in a Chicago winter, because the stairwell is too easy. Let's see Bruce Willis do that!

The police spot him and a sniper takes aim and requests permission to take a shot, when Jon comes in on their frequency, telling them he is setting up a big diversion that will allow them to land a helicopter, to evacuate the hostages, so don't shoot. Carl is distracted by Steve Urkel; but, the head cop tells them to let it happen. Then Jon's piton breaks and he starts falling towards pavement and the issue ends.

Thoughts: Wow, Mike Grell ripped off Die Hard a year before it was released! Actually, the novel that inspired Die Hard (Nothing to Lose, by Roderick Thorp) was published in 1979 and I'd be willing to bet Grell had read it. Either that or he saw the 1983 tv movie, The Last Ninja, starring Michael Beck. It features a group of terrorists, who take hostages in a high rise building and a ninja (the adopted son of a Japanese ninja, who taught him, after his Japanese son is killed). He is tapped to sneak in and rescue the hostages and has to climb the outside of the building, to get inside it, without being seen. Actually, that might explain why Jon sneaks into the building wearing the balaclava mask, which he has never used before (and is drawn like Gray Morrow-designed Black Hood revamp). The opening at Devil's Tower is mostly there to show Jon's climbing experience and juxtapose the man-made tower that Jon has to climb.

Grell perpetuates the Hollywood idea of elevators plunging to the ground, after a cable breaks or is cut. he at least has the cables blown by explosives, though there are mutiple cables. He does ignore the emergency breaks that would lock, when the elevator drops suddenly.

Grell's writing is fine, though the murder premise is kind of thin and convoluted. I think he was trying to hard to find a reason to put Jon into the situation.

Mike Manley's art is good and has a nice gritty look that fits the tone of the series. It's probably a bit better mesh than Judith Hunt's work, though Manley inked her stuff. It is very much in the classic adventure strip vein, such as Steve Roper & Mike Nomad or Secret Agent Corrigan, or European things, Bob Morane and the work of Belgian artist William Vance (William van Cutsem), of XIII and Bruno Brazil, or British artist John M Burns. Nothing flashy; but, good, solid storytelling, accurate detail, and dynamic action. It wasn't quite what fans of the 80s were snapping up; but, that is their loss. I will say that his interpretation of Myke Blackmon is not consistent with Grell, either in relative height (though they are mostly sitting or in climbing crouches, or horizontal) or her hair, though you could at least claim she updated her hairstyle. She has more of a conventional look than Grell gave her.

Jon Sable #48-49



First, you will need to familiarize yourself with this....



Whoops; not that one!



Well, that's better; but not quite what I mean....



Okay, now you are just being a smart-@$$ (though that is a nice bit of fun).

I mean this.....



or even this....



Ah, color is over-rated!

Creative Team: Mike Grell-writer, Mike Manley-pencils, Mike Machlan-inks, Mike Bruzenak-letters, Myke Lacquement-colors, Mikey Fitch-editor

Actually, 3 of those are incorrect; but, it does feel like a job-lot from the International Brotherhood of Mikes

Issue 49 adds Al Vey, on inks, and Cliff Jackson & Paul Frits, on letters (no Bruzenak).

Synopsis: We start out with character stuff, as Eden unloads on Myke, about issues with her ex-husband and her kids (I have to go back and re-read; I remember her talking about marrying young, before coming to New York; but, I don't recall kids-maybe I blocked it out), while Jon and Grey have a little duel....



Myke breaks it up, before they start throwing the furniture and chastises Jon about the manuscript he owes Eden. He says he will drop it off, on his way to an appointment, which relates to his other job.

Jon meets with a Mr Dupin (C. Auguste?), who is worried about an assassination attempt, in his home country, during a visit by the Prince of Wales...



The country is split between factions that favor trade with the UK and that with the Soviets. He wishes to hire Jon to oversee security, during the visit. Jon is hesitant, speaking sense, like postponing the visit (too advantageous for the pro-Soviet faction); but takes the job.

Jon arrives in the Balkan nation and is met by a coach, which he is told is done for the tourist trade and that they are thoroughly modern (as is witnessed by the Walther P-5, carried by a coachman). He is introduced to Archduke Nicholas, who shoots him in the chest! It turns out that Jon has been hired not to prevent an assassination, but to be the target of one, to create a puppet government, hide the Archduke's activities in the arms trade, and allow him to enjoy the money he has hidden in a swiss bank account and retirement on a South American estate....



Jon is taken to a remote farm and chained and jailed in a cell, in a basement. The resident of the home has a daughter, Marissa, who is deaf, and a hold over the owner, by the Archduke, to assure his loyalty. Jon tries conversing with her. She can read lips, but does not know sign language. She can only write out her part of a conversation. Jon entices her aid via teaching her sign language. the girl's father interrupts them and then the Archduke returns for Jon. Marissa "overhears" his conversation with Dupin, about stabbing the Prince of Wales with a ceremonial dagger, with Jon, who is the twin of the Archduke, as the scapegoat, to be shot dead.



Jon is to be drugged and waiting in the galelry, where Nicholas will run, after stabbing the Prince of Wales, and Dupin will shoot Jon dead, as the assassin, and will then assume control over the country. Nicholas will escape to South America and rule via Dupin, and enjoy his ill-gotten gain.

Jon is cleaned up and made to look more like the Archduke, by Marissa, though she gives him a message, via sign language. He is guarded, as a syringe is prepared and Jon tires to fight, before being rifle butted on the head. he is injected and taken away by Dupin. Marissa tries to tell her father something, after they are gone, but he doesn't understand sign language.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana (in the worst likenesses I have seen since a crackpot author once approached us about a book signing about her self-published nonsense about channeling Princess Diana's spirit and her message of peace, to the world!) arrive for the state visit and Jon is transported by Dupin; but, he is faking unconsciousness and stabs Dupin, dumps the guard and the coach driver.



We get parallel scenes of the visitor's reception and Jon racing to reach them and elude mounted pursuit by the Archduke's soldiers. Jon throws them off the scent, then takes off cross-country, on foot, where he has to run across rugged terrain and ford a river, before ambushing a soldier and stealing his horse and pistol. He shoots three riders out of their mounts, rides at breakneck speed to the castle and leaps onto the raising drawbridge, before it is too far away. He steals a page from Prince Valiant and sneaks in via the openings for the drawbridge chains. He is found by a soldier, who thinks he is Nicholas and fools him long enough to get intel on the numbers of the soldiers, before reducing their number by one.

Sable uses subterfuge to move through the castle, without raising alarm, then emerges on the banquet, just in time (obviously) to stop the assassination, in the true spirit of Douglas Fairbanks (and Ronald Coleman and Stewart Granger)....



The SAS bodyguards shield Chuck & Di, while Sable duels with Nicholas....



The guards don't know who to shoot and Nicholas draws first blood; but, this is Jon's series, so you know who is booked to go over. Jon stabs him, then is told that the prince would like a word and introductions are made and Charles is horrified to find he has been saved by a, uncouth colonial and Jon hits on Di.

Okay, well maybe not; but, you know she passed him a note.

Grell writes a ridiculous scene of Charles talking Cold war politics and keeping this country from getting caught up in it, which having an American involved complicates. Jon's actions must remain a secret and he makes his exit like Douglas Jr (and James Mason, though in much better style than Ross Martin........)



That's why Fairbanks and Mason swam for it!

Jon does a swan dive into the moat, then does his best Don Diego goodbye....



Jon returns to thank Marissa and tells her and her grandfather that he will send for her, so that she can study at a school for the deaf, in America. he then rides off into the .....well, it isn't a sunset, but, it'll do.

Thoughts: Well, Mike went back to the Hollywood well, again, though you could say the literary well, too. The plot is an homage to Anthony Hope's seminal romantic adventure novel, The Prisoner of Zenda. For those who have not had to good fortune to read this wonderful classic, an Englishman, Rudolf Rassendyll, is vacationing in the Balkan nation of Ruritania, enjoying some fishing. He meets the Crown Prince, Rudolf and his head of security, Colonel Sapt and Sapt's young aid, Fritz Von Tarlenheim. They retire to a hunting lodge for wine (a favorite of the prince) and food, and we learn that the English Rudolf is a cousin to the king, via an illicit affair between a previous king and an Englishwoman. The prince is drugged by agents of the rival to the throne, Michael, Duke of Streslau, who seeks to prevent him from taking the throne. Aiding Michael is Rupert of Hentzau, a master fencer and thoroughly despicable swine. Sapt has the Englishman impersonate Prince Rudolf, at the coronation, and with the Princess Flavia, the Royal Intended. Rupert locates the Prince and steals him away to the castle, Zenda. The Englishman, Sapt and Fritz attempt a rescue, with Rassendyll gaining entrance to the castle to lower the drawbridge to allow the resciue party to enter. He is found by Rupert and they engage in a duel, before Rassendyll succeeds in cutting the ropes holding the drawbridge up and Rupert escapes out a window, into the moat.

Hope followed the popular novel with a sequel, Rupert of Hentzau, which features further intrigues, but is generally rated as a disappointment, as it has a rather dour ending and loses much of the romantic charm of the original.

The novel spawned an operetta, several stage productions, 3 silent films (1913, 1915 and 1922) and the greatest of all, the `1937 version, produced by David O Selznick and starring Ronald Coleman, in the duel role, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, as Rupert, David Niven as Fritz, Raymond Massey as Michael, Madeline Carroll as princess Flavia, and C Aubrey Smith (inspiration for the cartoon character Colonel McBragg) as Col Sapt. That, in turn, spired the MGM color version, in 1952, with Stewart Granger as the Rudofs, Deborah Kerr as Flavia, James Mason as Rupert, and Louis Calhern as Sapt. In 1979, Peter Sellers crapped all over this legacy with a pretty universally derided comedic version, at the twilight of his career (which, couple with The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu, did little for his reputation, until an Oscar nomination for Being There).

The novel spawned numerous imitations (including The Iron Duke, by Scientology huckster L Ron Hubbard) and homages, including the George McDonald Fraser novel, Royal Flash, where Harry Flashman gets embroiled in the schemes of Otto Von Bismark and finds himself standing in for a double. That novel was adapted by Richard Lester, with Malcolm McDowell, as Flashman, and Oliver Reed as Bismark. It isn't bad; but, is very uneven and lets Fraser and Flashman down, quite a bit.

The Coleman version inspired all kinds imitators, including such things as Son of Monte Cristo, where the basic plot is used to transform Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo into Hope's Prisoner of Zenda, with George Sanders as the delightfully evil villain. Everyone in the cartoon world imitated Coleman's voice, including Bugs Bunny and Tom, of Tom & Jerry.

The plot also provides the best part of the Blake Edwards comedy, The Great Race, as Prof Fate (Jack Lemmon), gets caught up in the whole scheme, by Ross Martin's Baron Rolfe von Stuppe (!), leading to the terrific screen duel, between martin and hero Tony Curtis (as The Great Leslie)....



Now, a key part of this is Grell demonstrating Jon's skills, derived from his training for and competing in the Modern Pentathlon (or Military Pentathlon). As jon indicates, the skills were based around the training for Napoleon's couriers, who rode on horseback, but might have to continue on foot, if they lost their mount. Their carried a pistol, instead of a musket (though many mounted troops had carbines, too) and needed to be a crackshot, since you only got one, without reloading. They also had to be able to handle a sword, for when their pistol was empty. Jon explains this to Grey, after their fencing match and then Grell (via Manley) demonstrates this as Jon must use his skills to escape his captors and make his way to the castle, to stop the assassination. he has to run cross country, swim a river, steal a hrose and ride it, while also obtaining a pistol and shooting his pursuers with the few bullets in the magazine (a Walther P-5 holds 8 9mm rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber) and then defeat Nicholas in a sword duel. He also steals a bit from Sonny Pratt, as he does a bit of rope swinging and stuntwork.

The ridiculous part of all of this (aside from the Ruritanian trappings, in the 1980s), is the idea of Prince Charles being closely involved in diplomatic affairs of the UK. That kind of thing is left to the Foreign Office. The Royal Family make diplomatic visits; but they are there to draw crowds, while real diplomats handle actual talks. The crown cannot dictate foreign policy or effect treaties. That all is done by the Foreign Office and the Prime Minister, in the name of the Crown. Besides, Charles isn't exactly noted for his skill in international politics, though he hasn't been an international embarrassment, like Princess Margaret or Prince Andrew, at different times. This isn't the first work of fiction to use the Royal Couple as a terrorist target (including Tom Clancy's rather ludicrous Patriot Games); but, then ending is a bit much. The likenesses are pretty bad, though Charles' improves, by the end. Diana's is never very close.

I assume Grell took the name of Dupin from Edgar Allen Poe's detective, C Auguste Dupin, from "The Purloined Letter," "The Mystery of Mary Roget,"" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Conan Doyle was not a fan and has Sherlock Holmes throw some shade at Dupin, in A Study in Scarlet. Of course, Maurice LeBlanc made Holmes look the fool, when he ran up against Arsene Lupin (which led to legal threats and name changes, in later editions). Neil Simon pretty much took the whole industry down a few pegs, in Murder By Death.

This was at least an entertaining romp, though two issues is stretching things a bit. Manley gets inkers in this one, though loses Bruzenak's letters in part 2 and it took 2 inkers and 2 letterers to finish the issue, which sounds like a deadline issue; or, possibly, the growing discontent with creative people, at First Comics. I have heard tales, from Grell, Mike Gold and others, that First Comics management, in the later 80s, was less than professional (and there are stories of one exec that are pretty sleazy). Fans are definitely discontent, as the letters pages still has gripes about Grell not on the art, not to mention higher cost and Grell not doing the art.

Next, the 50th issue of the series and the Return of Maggie The Cat.

Drawn by someone else.