Jon Sable #20



Indicia Gag: (following "$32.00 foreign rate") 70 bpm heart rate

Creative Team: Mike Grell-story & art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Mike Gold-editor

A couple of letters take exception with previous ones that painted JSF as "right wing" and felt the book was pretty apolitical, neither endorsing one side or another, but presenting a layered character who had been through a war, did a dangerous job, but genuinely cared about people. One of the two letters is from a "gay male who has only recently 'come out of the closet'", who praises Grell's sensitive portrayal of Grey and his friendship with Jon. He felt it did much to help erase stereotypes and educate the audience, allowing them to mature as the friendship matures. Considering the "macho" nature of the series, it was one of the more sensitive portrayals of a gay character in comics and still stands as a pretty good example, even as more gay characters have appeared.

Synopsis: A pair of patrol cops are on their beat. One of them is a rookie, second generation, but still idealistic. His partner is more cynical...



They spot a drug buy going down and the perps spot them and take off. The rookie corners one in a blocked alley and the man pulls out a Buck folding knife. The rookie is only holding his nightstick and tells the man he isn't getting out, except through him. His partner turns up and thinks he is crazy. The perp tries to attack and the rookie swings his baton and knocks away the knife and knocks out the perp. The other guy got away; but, he was a snitch for the veteran cop.

Meanwhile, Jon and Eden Kendall return to his place, after he has finished his latest book. They go in to celebrate with some Dom Perignon, when Sonny swings down from above, wielding a sword, dressed in his best swashbuckler duds and tells Jon to defend himself. Jon introduces Sonny to Eden...



Jon goes down to the corner liquor store for another bottle. He says hi to the clerk, then a shotgun is pointed at his head. The store is being robbed. The clerk uses the distraction to press the silent alarm and the patrol cops get the alert. They hit the siren and the robbers panic. The one with the pistol yells at the clerk and points his pistol in his face. Jon grabs the shotgun and diverts it so the robber shoots his partner. The robber knocks him back over a counter and Jon rolls out of the way when he fires a blast. He turns to the clerk, but the cops have arrived and their headlights shine into the windows. Jon grabs the clerk by the tie and pulls him down behind the counter. The robber runs out the back and Jon vaults over the counter and goes after him. The veteran cop tells his partner to take the back. Jon has his back-up Derringer and searches for the robber, but doesn't see him. The cop yells "Freeze" Jon turns and comes face-to face with the rookie, who is holding his weapon on him. Jon still has the Derringer in his hand. the cop fires...



He unloads his weapon and Jon goes down, with chest wounds. The partner turns up with the clerk, who yells that he shot the man who was chasing the robber. The partner tells him to call an ambulance and goes to work on Jon. The rookie returns and says its coming and that Sable had a gun. The partner yells "Where is it?" We see a bystander pocket the Derringer.

The ambulance transports Jon and a lieutenant shows up to get the details on the shooting. When he hears it is Sable he tells the rookie to relax, that Captain Winters will likely give him a medal. However, the missing gun is a loose end and Winters doesn't like loose ends.

At the hospital, Captain Winters checks on Sable. the doctor says he is lucky, but stable. He shows winters the jacket Jon wore and says one round hit him in the hip and 5 in the torso, though 3 rounds were stopped by the folded manuscript that Jon had inside his jacket. The doctor asks if they are shooting marshmallows and Winters says .38 cal, the next best thing. Sable has a severed femoral artery, a pneumothorax and a bullet next to the aorta. Winters waits to ask him about the shooting, to see if he will confirm if Jon had a gun.

We cut to the rookie being interrogated about the shooting. The investigator asks if he continued shooting after Sable was down and the rookie replies "No;" but, flashes back to the image of himself continuing to pull the trigger on empty cylinders.

Also at the hospital are Eden and Sonny. Myke turns up and introductions are made and Sonny delivers a surprise to Myke (and possibly Eden)...



The investigators continue and ask if the rookie identified himself as a police officer and the rookie affirms, but flashes back to just saying "Freeze!"

The doctor comes out and gives the news to Jon's friends. He is stable and will pull through; but, he asks about the scars and old bullet wounds and remarks of the latest wound, a combination of a stab wound and burn (from Jon treating the wound from Sparrow's ballistic knife). He tells them that the human body can only take so much punishment. Eden says she doesn't know him very well.

The investigators ask about the gun and the cop identifies it, but it still hasn't been found. Unless Jon corroborates his story, there may be disciplinary action.

Myke asks Eden about what she said....



They are allowed in, one at a time and Sonny goes first. Jon is asleep, with a heart monitor beeping. He tells Jon his friends are dying off, that he spends more time in a black suit than Orson Welles.

Eden goes in and kisses his forehead; and, with tears in her eyes, says" If you think you're going to use this as an excuse to miss your story deadline, you've got another think coming!"

Myke goes in and calls Jon by his full given name...



She draws a leprechaun on the chalkboard that says "Get well" and leaves.

The next day, Winters talks with Sable and tells him the rookie's career is on the line and he is a good cop and asks for Jon's version of events. Jon said the cop should have shot sooner, that he had him dead in his sights. Winters accepts things, then asks why he still turned on the cop, with his weapon, if he identified himself as a police officer. Jon covers for the kid and says his reflexes must be off. Winters lets it go and then gives Jon the bundled manuscript that saved his life, and unfolds it. The cover says "by BB Flemm." Winters smiles and leaves.



Thoughts: This is a really interesting story. It isn't a detective story, or a spy thriller, or an adventure tale; is is a character study and a tale of a brush with death. Jon nearly bought the farm. It also highlights the fine line that police officers walk in the street, but also shows that their mistakes can cost people's lives and they have to be able to make cool decisions, in stressful situations. The rookie's reaction is understandable, but, he made mistakes, took chances he shouldn't and nearly killed a man.

However, the story is more of a chance to explore Jon's relationships. Sonny, his best friend, doesn't have many left and thinks of Jon as a son. Jon went to Vietnam to try to find Sonny's real son, but found him dead. At least he brought closure to the family. Sonny still likes to pull pranks on him, but only because he truly cares for Jon and Jon truly cares for Sonny.

Eden discovers that Jon has feelings for Myke, thanks to Sonny's innocent slip of the tongue. She looks at Myke with surprise, after hearing that Jon is always talking about Myke, to Sonny. Eden and Jon have been casual lovers, but Jon has never openly shared his past with Eden. She knows it, because he submitted his original manuscript to her; but, he has never told her directly about Elise and the kids, despite their shared intimate moments.

Myke finds out that Jon really does care about her and isn't just after a quick lay with an attractive woman. She is taken aback, as she has feelings, but is scared of the violence in his life and his outlook. As she says, "What am I going to do with you, Jon Moses?"

That brings up a new point; we learn that Jon's full name is Jon Moses Sable. I went back to look, but I don't see that I missed a reference and the manuscript for "A Storm Over Eden" says "by Jon Sable." Moses makes for a rather interesting name; and we will come to learn that Jon's origins are rather complex, as you would expect. I liked the middle name, as my grandfather's name was Wiley Moses. He was a farmer and a Baptist preacher. Jon is a soldier of fortune and children's author, and doesn't have the same religious connection, in more ways than one.

The last page shows that Josh Winters knows that Jon is BB Flemm, which casts his previous encounter with Flemm, in a new light. I doubt he will warm to Sable's work, but I think he gained a respect for the man, for not only writing books his child loves, but going out of his way to give that child a special birthday present and Josh the pat on the back that he never gets from the public.

Character growth. It shouldn't be so surprising, in a storytelling medium, like comics; but, this kind of growth is pretty rare, especially in just 20 issues.

What set Sable apart from and above other comics I was buying at the time. I could simply say GRELL. Yet there is much more under that umbrella. Certainly a big draw for me is Iron Mike the artist. Fell in love with his artistry on LOSH, then watch as his skills grew on Warlord so when Sable was announced it instantly went on my pull list at my LCS. Grell the writer comes to mind as his Warlord proved him a more than capable storyteller. With Sable he steps it up another notch right from the start.

But the BIGGEST draw once you read an issue becomes the cast and their characterization every issue. They are all real, living, breathing true to life people we as readers fall in love with and cherishing every time they appear. Each moment with them reveals that Grell was pouring his heart and soul into this series crafting something very s and special, genuine and honestly making a comic book which would prove to be classic and stand beside the very best of decades past and decades to come.

Jon Sable #21



Widowmaker?

You mean these guys?



But the way, King Kong never stuck his crotch into the windows of the World Trade Center!

Indicia Gag: Repeat

Creative Team: Howard Chaykin-story & art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Leslie Zahler-colors, Mike Gold-editor

Aha....gotcha! That's the credits to American Flagg.

Mike Grell-story& art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Mike Gold-editor.

Letters page contains raves for the return of Maggie the Cat, a question about Maggie getting her own series (in about 20 years) and one from someone that said, quote: "I do not like homosexuality. It seems you are trying to turn Sable to this way of life." Mike Gold's response: "Then you haven't been reading this book very carefully." And this was from the days when you actually had to sit down and write/type a letter and mail it off, which means you had to put a little thought into it (as little as possible, in some cases) and not just quickly post a comment. Oh well, there were trolls before the internet.

Synopsis: Jon is recovering in the hospital as a nurse (in the old uniform.....sigh..........) changes the bandage on his leg. The very attractive nurse in the very figure hugging starched uniform asks if there is anything she can do to make Jon more comfortable. His response? "For now, you might try wearing coveralls and a paper bag over your head." Jon's wound is on his upper thigh; a couple of inches higher, as the nurse said, and the wound might have been "tragic." She tells him that there is a policeman to see him and Jon tells her to cancel his ballet class. Then, the rookie who shot him comes into the room. He thanks Jon for clearing him but asks why and Jon says the man has to play by rules and someone once told him he wouldn't last a minute if he had to and that man was right.

Later, Myke comes to see him....



Myke says she thought he didn't believe in batman and Jon claims it was self-preservation, as they would have killed him after the clerk. Myke retorts that she finds that phrase odd, as she thought he was looking for a way out. He still claims to do it for fun and money. The money part is being paid, as a professional, regardless of how small, so that he is taken seriously. Only psychos and obsessives do it for nothing. Myke asks if he is obsessive and he looks at the picture of his family and says, "Not anymore." She then questions the fun and he explains about danger charging the senses and making you appreciate things more. Myke laughs, "And then it's Miller Time!" Jon starts cracking up but the convulsions pull on his stitches and wounds. Myke calls him Jon Moses again....







@#$% Chris Claremont, that is writing!

Jon continues his rehabilitation. During physical therapy he notices a woman in fashionable white, who we saw at the beginning, crossing the corridor. The nurse says she is Carla Bellows, "The White Widow." She tried to murder her husband and claim he was kicked in the head by a horse; but, the police found a bloody horseshoe under the seat of her car. She was convicted, but is out on a $3.5 million dollar bond, while her case is under appeal. Her husband is in a coma, in the hospital. Rumor is she will bolt the country if she loses the case or the husband dies. He is worth $50 million and she has control of it, for now.

Jon sees her again and goes to the room she came from. he recognizes the comatose man in the bed. He follows her to the parking lot and confronts her. he knew her husband, Paul...



Jon vows to ensure she will rot in jail.

Jon checks himself out of the hospital and his doctor follows him out and berates him and the punishment to his body, saying the next time he will be crippled. Jon disagrees and points a finger at his head and shuts an eye.

Later, Jon calls Myke, but she is out and Grey takes a message. Jon says to tell Myke that "The wart on his nose has healed and will she have dinner with him Saturday night." Grey laughs and gives Jon points for persistence and asks if he is okay. Jon says that he is still not sure about Santa Claus, but to tell Myke there is a Batman. We then see he is at a high class restaurant, following Carla Bellows. He makes sure she sees him.

Jon turns up wherever Carla goes, always making a point of being seen by her. At shops, restaurants, the ballet and even parking garages. Carla has grown anxious. Jon catches up with her again at Paul's stables and says hello to Widowmaker, the horse Paul rode in the Olympics. Jon says he is surprised that she is still there and she is confident and cocky that her lawyers can press the technicality of evidence obtained illegally and have the case thrown out.

She takes Widowmaker for a ride, but keeps looking back. Eventually, she comes to a parked car, but finds the key gone and Jon sitting nearby, with it dangling from his hand.



Jon found her escape kit (passport, Swiss bank account passbook, plane tickets). he pockets them. She says there is still the appeal and Jon says they will both have to take that chance. Carla decides she isn't going to take the chance and jumps onto Widowmaker and pounds towards Jon. he rolls backward over the stone wall he is sitting on and Widowmaker collides with it and throws Carla off, headfirst, to the ground below. She lands on stones below.

Later, Jon barges into a hospital room, ignoring a nurse telling him he can't go in. He carries a newspaper and he shows it to Carla, who is in a neck collar and an iron lung. The headline says the state supreme court overturned her conviction due to tainted evidence. Jon tells he she has won and walks out.

Later, back at home, Jon is working when the doorbell buzzes. he hits the switch to unlock it and the bell buzzes again. He figures the remote lock is broken and goes to answer it and gets a surprise...



Thoughts: Once again, Grell subverts our expectations. Oh, sure, he delivers a nice detective story, as he catches out Carla Bellows, after hounding her into making a rash move, gaining revenge for his friend, Paul, who she tried to kill, but left him comatose, for 5 years. as good as dead, but without the peace of the grave. That part is nothing new under the sun. In fact, a couple of years later, it would be turned into a film, called Black Widow, with Debra Winger and Theresa Russell, where Russell is a woman who marries wealthy men, who die under mysterious circumstances, and Winger is a Dept of Justice agent, out to catch her and prove she murdered her husbands. No, what sets this apart, is Myke and Jon finally coming together.

Grell is at the height of his writing talents, having Jon and Myke finally talking honestly about his deathwish, his grief, and his family. He finally opens up to someone because they are there, ready to listen and he cares about Myke. She tells him it is okay to live and be happy, because that is what they want and they still live in his heart and memories. Jon has finally found something to live for and it pays off, in the end, as Myke see he is serious and sees the real man she has suspected lay beneath the facades. Jon had been wearing an emotional "battlemask," and she was finally able to strip it away and find the man beneath and Jon seems to have rediscovered that man. He then takes on a personal case to deliver justice to the guilty, but without violence, on his part. Like a judo expert, he uses Carla's own force against her, pushing her until she loses her cool and overreacts, which undoes her carefully laid plan. In the end, she gets poetic justice, even if she can't get legal justice.

This is what set this series apart from the crowd; not the action-adventure and realistic plots, but the characterization and the relationships. This was what mature writing looked like: not nudity and swearing and shocking violence; but real people living real lives, with foibles and failure, triumphs and happiness, love and loss. The adventure was just the icing on the cake. The flavor was in the characters and the depth to them.

During this time, First Comics was delivering a massive challenge to the status quo, as creator-owned books showed a depth that the Big Two were lacking and they had the sales that made them competitive. Jon Sable and American Flagg were top sellers and were soon joined by a homegrown Grimjack, as well as the orphaned series Nexus, Badger and Whisper, and Jim Starlin brining Dreadstar to the company. They would continue Elric and help jumpstart the influx of manga to these shores, with Lone Wolf and Cub. Sadly, it wouldn't last; but, First was serving notice, right when the Direct Market was becoming the major force in the industry.

Next, Jon is reunited with an old enemy, who turns out to have a secret.

ps I love the fact that Myke, who is already taller than Jon and pokes fun at him about it, is wearing high heels, making him look that much shorter when she turns up at his place! I like that she is comfortable with her height and the difference between hers and Jon's. Speaking as someone who is 5ft 6 in, it's a rare thing for a woman to be comfortable with being taller than a man, thanks to ridiculous societal notions.

Jon Sable #22



Not my favorite cover of the series.

Indicia Gag: (after foreign subscription rate) Interest rate courtesy of Paul Volker (chairman of the Federal Reserve, during the Reagan Administration)

Creative Team: Mike Grell-story & art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Mike Gold-editor

Letters page talks about issue 17 and Mike Gold admits they had no idea the Soviets would boycott the games (as the issue was done in advance and the boycott was announced after they had the story moving) and that Amtrak would suffer a series of accidents, around that time.

Synopsis: Jon and Myke continue their date, with a ride in a handsome cab, pulled by Widowmaker. Jon explains that he bribed the vet not to put the animal down, as had been ordered by the owners (I assume Carla, from the hospital), and the leg is better. Myke asks why not put him out to stud and Jon explains he is a gelding. Even Myke says "Ouch!" It turns out, it is Myke's birthday, and Jon gives her a surprise, thanks to a little help from Sonny...



Later, we see Myke at home, contemplating Jon, wondering which is the real Jon Sable, what happens if she gets too close and it goes badly. She feels like they are close to the edge, that she might topple over, but, in the end, decides to move a little closer.

Meanwhile, Sonny turns up at Jon's to torture him. It's 7:00 am and Jon has only been in bed for 3 hours. Sonny asks which one and Jon mumbles Myke. Sonny has fun with it...



He's there to help Jon get back in shape, after the hospital.

Later, Jon visits Myke, who is surprised that he is out that early. Jon asks her to illustrate an article for Outdoor Life, saying he is taking a crack at writing an article about Africa. Myke goes to see Eden and she is amazed that he has done two books in 3 weeks. Myke says he wants to leave the mercenary business, but Eden cautions her not to get her hopes up. Later, at home, Eden contemplates Jon and her own life and we get a peek behind Eden Kendall, sophisticated literary agent and learn a bit about Edna Mae Kowalski and her quarterback husband...



Meanwhile, an airliner lands in some airstrip and men with weapons depart, then the plane is blown up with a shoulder-fired rocket.

Elsewhere, Jon is working on his Studebaker, while Myke watches and checks it out...



They take it for a spin and Myke drives, letting it go all out. Myke is thrilled by the speed and power and asks Jon if that is what the danger feels like. They are interrupted by Jon's "friend," from the CIA. He tells them about a plane hijacking, by a group led by Falana, the Libyan that was aiding Col. Sherman, in issues 8 & 9. The plane was taken to Angola and they made demands, then killed a hostage for every hour they waited. After 15 dead, they flew to Libya, but disappeared from radar. The wreckage was found in the Sinai Desert, in Israeli occupied territory. Sable catches onto the fact that they were paid off, but something went south and the CIA man confirms that the ransom was a prisoner: Sparrow. They want him dead or retrieved and offer Jon $250 Grand to do it. Jon says forget it, but the spook gives him 48 hours to consider. Myke asks and Jon says forget about him. He is quiet, on the drive back and Myke knows he is contemplating something and has an idea of what it involves. Jon tries to continue on his present course, with work on the book and dinner; but, he can't concentrate.

Jon and Sony fence and Jon gets very aggressive and even Sonny tells him to lighten up. Later, we see Jon climbing up a cliff, with a rifle slung over his back and a telescopic sight on the rifle. he sights it in and fires a round at a target, from 400 meters, with a good head shot. the CIA man is impressed. He says they will send the rifle via diplomatic bag, to Tel Aviv.

Jon has dinner with Myke and he is distracted and she presses the point and he tells her...



Myke accepts it, asks questions to which Jon can't fully answer. He commits and she goes home so he can sleep and she can think (and probably cry). Jon watches her from the window, wondering if he has ended their relationship before it has had a chance to blossom.

We end with Jon contemplating things, knowing he would have reused the mission, if Myke had asked, but she wouldn't do that because she knows he needs to find the answer; is it the danger and excitement or is he a cold-blooded killer.

Thoughts: Mixture of set up, for a 3-part story, and more character development. despite her misgivings, Myke is drawn closer to Jon; then, what she fears happens, as the CIA want to send him on a mission, that they can disavow, if it goes sour. Jon knows Sparrow is loose and dangerous and nearly killed him. Falana is also unfinished business, a woman he let walk away, with a warning, when he had her at point blank range. He feels guilt, as the blood of the dead hostages are on his hands. So, he takes the mission and may wind up dead or left without Myke, when he was starting to return to life beyond killing.

The character elements are tremendous and Grell continues to write mature stuff. The mission is basic espionage thriller, especially of the era, with special operatives hunting terrorists. The men's adventure pulps had gone over to that and the Executioner gave up his war on the Mafia for a new war against terrorism (and a new publisher). Others of his ilk stepped into the limelight, as vigilantism and gunboat diplomacy became openly endorsed, the those in power. However, despite some criticisms lobbed at Grell and the series, Jon Sable was never the macho potboiler that Mack Bolan was. Sable was a three dimensional character, with real relationships, thoughts and feelings; not a cold-blooded killer who had disposable sex without whatever generic female character thrown in for a sex scene (and rather badly executed ones, usually), with more words spent describing his firearms than describing his temporary love interest/conquest. Even Bond was romantic by comparison. I read that drek heavily, in my high school years, before quickly growing out of it, in college. Those books were male fantasies for the Travis Bickle set, while Grell was busy writing a character who courted danger, but loved and lost and tried again.

The art in here seems cruder than usual, though part of it was due to a switch in paper stock, at First, as they gave up newsprint in favor of Baxter paper (higher quality white paper). Grell's technique had developed with the knowledge of hot it reproduced on newsprint and it took some adjustment.

The remainder of the book is given over to the first part of Grell's safari Sketchbook, as he details the safari trip that he and wife, Sharon, took to Zimbabwe. Mike Grell was going to Jon Sable's old stomping grounds, to see the wildlife and hunt. That last part would end up stirring up a hornet's nest.

He begins with a self-deprecating anecdote about having the perfect shot at an impala, and hitting a rock, because he was so focused on his telescopic sight that he forgot to check to see if the barrel was obstructed and missed noticing the height of a rock! He then relates putting together the book and his obsession with getting a .375 Holland and Holland rifle and his Christmas present, in 1981. They found a safari packager and booked a trip, but the launch of the book had delayed things a year. Now they were going. They went to a private ranch, run by a white couple, who had lived in Africa for most of their lives.

Grell relates the trip and the hunting, but also includes sketches he did of the wildlife, as well as photos taken on the trip...



At one point, they came across a bull sable antelope, which had been wounded by a previous client but escaped. They decided to let it go. Later, Mike shot the rock. Finally, Mike got a shot at a boar and hit it and bagged his first kill.

The sketchbook is also continued over 3 parts and you wouldn't believe what a storm it ended up stirring in the letters pages. people who had been fine with Jon killing poachers, criminals and terrorists had serious issues with Mike Grell legally hunting and shooting wild animal, on a private ranch, in Africa. not endangered species, not in national park lands, but actual licensed hunting.

Mike Grell grew up in rural Wisconsin, in the late 40s and 50s, where hunting was a part of life, especially if you wanted meat. As he said, it taught him a love of the outdoors and a respect for wildlife, never taking more than they could eat, never indiscriminately shooting animals. I grew up in rural Illinois and my family hunted. My father grew up on a farm in southern Illinois, during the Depression, and hunting supplemented their crops. We went rabbit hunting, mostly, though also got the odd squirrel or quail. We hunted on my grandfather's farmland, in the woods around the fields. My uncle, who lived nearby, and my cousins also deer hunted. Illinois had deeper restrictions on deer hunting, and my uncle hunted with a muzzleloader, which was legal (instead of a modern rifle, which was not). he'd have his bucksins and powder horn and used his rifle, though he also had a muzzle-loader shotgun, for smaller game.

We ate what we killed, cleaned and dressed them ourselves, while the barn cats went for whatever they could get their claws on. I never cared much for rabbit, but I had shot it; so I ate it (after occasionally spitting out a piece of shot). That all changed, for me, one fall, when I was about 15 or 16. We were out hunting and my father shot a rabbit and went to pick it up. It was still alive, but badly wounded and started thrashing and squealing, to get away. My father quickly bashed it against a tree to finish it off. he wasn't being cruel; he was ending its suffering, as it was dying and in pain. Before that, I had calmly sighted on a rabbit and shot it, without a hesitation. It wasn't bugs bunny, it wasn't a pet. But, after that, I didn't want to hunt anymore. It wasn't an entirely conscious decision; I just knew that hunting had lost something, for me. Oh, I still enjoyed shooting; but, I had no desire to go after prey. It was the squeal and what my dad did to end its suffering. I didn't begrudge anyone else in the family hunting; but I swore it off and never picked up a weapon to hunt an animal, again. My father was a good, kind man who loved animals; but, he also understood that, if you were a meat eater, animals died for your food. That's just the way it was. He didn't believe in torturing them or killing whatever got in the sights of your weapon; but, he didn't have an issue with shooting an animal for meat, or catching and skinning a fish, for the same. Mike Grell is of similar stock.

This was not some dentist shooting a protected lion, or drunken jack-ass shooting at anything that moves from a land rover, while they run the animals down. This was man and nature, carrying out ancient activities, with a slightly more modern weapon. And, yet, I also understand the perspective of those who sincerely felt that killing an animal for meat was wrong and refused to eat the flesh of another living creature. I chose not to kill another animal; but, I didn't become a vegetarian, either. Mike got some flack for this trip; but, he didn't apologize for it and the furor died down after people had their say. Still, it is funny, though, how they cared more about legal hunting, yet could be so detached from humans killing humans, over nationalistic stupidity or simple greed.

The wildlife sketches are beautiful and they demonstrate just how good an artist that Mike is. I recently came across an interview where he talked about his drawing history. He inherited it from his mother, who always drew and could easily capture anything she saw, with pencil and paper. Mike's two brothers also drew and he says they were better than him, but just never pursued it. His mother always talked about taking a painting class, someday. Mike later took an oils class, for his own development and after one class dragooned his mother into joining him and she ended up with her own art showing. Grell is an illustrator, which puts him in a different class from many of his contemporaries. His background in a rural environment has given him a naturalist's touch with landscapes and animal scenes that gets showcased well, in Jon Sable and some of the Green Arrow covers. That was part of why Tarzan was such a thrill for him, as he had grown up reading the strips and comics,, thrilling to Russ manning and Doug Wildey. he met them at a convention, after taking over the strip and they playfully kibbitzed him, while he sketched for attendees, until he was a nervous wreck. Still, imagine getting to draw you favorite character and setting, and getting paid for it (though not much, in the grand scheme of things). It's still his favorite work, with Sable a close second.

Next time, Jon arrives in Israel and begins the hunt for Sparrow, while Mike Grell and wife Sharon continue their adventure in Zimbabwe.

Yeah. Totally seeing Ditko in the stylized scope centering the cover with the face on top and hands with outstretched fingers on each side.

Jon Sable #25



You know, a nice paperweight will do the same thing and not leave gouges in the wood!

I wonder whose phone number that was; as that is the New York area code and the rest isn't the usual 555 bit. It would have been hilarious if it was the DC offices.

Indicia Gag: None. I'm going to suspend this until it reappears, if ever. I can't recall if First continued it or if it was only their earliest years. We are two years into their lifespan, now.

Creative Team: Mike Grell-story, art, Ken Bruzenak-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Mike Gold-editor

Letters page contains one praising Mike for the series from Mike Stackpole, author of multiple non-fiction military reference books and the Star wars: Rogue Squadron series of books. Mike Gold says Grell will be back to full length stories after completing work on batman/Jon Sable. I had forgotten about that.

Mike Gold brokered the deal with DC and both First and DC were rarin' to make it happen. The plot was approved, editors were all onboard and everything was ready.......until the weasels...LAWYERS got involved. Then, it turned into a measuring contest and the Mikes basically told them where they could stick their little games. Grell even had a finished promotional piece....



He later auctioned it off to help raise funds for an eye operation, for John Ostrander.

Later, Batman was supposed to have a crossover with Grendel, which fell into bankruptcy hell, until it was rescued and eventually published, in 1993.

The plot of batman/Jon Sable was supposed to revolve around an amnesiac coming to Sable to help find out who he is. The fairly straightforward process is complicated by the fact that the man is wearing a Batman costume under his clothes and might just be the real guy!

Grell had handled Batman, early in his career (Batman #287-290) and his skills had grown, since then and this would have been hellacool!

Synopsis: BB Flemm and Eden Kendall are in her office, conferring about a potential Broadway adaptation of Flemm's leprechaun stories.



Flemm jokes about Sandahl Bergman in shamrocks, before Eden kicks him out, then imagines what a Bob Fosse production of leprechauns might be and ....

HOLY BROOMHANDLE MAUSER; WE'VE GOT TOPLESS LEPRECHAUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um.....you'll have to check out the issue, but we have some cold dancers, if you catch my drift!

Jon sheds the wig and goes to see Myke and runs into Grey, who is rather downcast after the closing of another show, in which he was involved...



Jon and Myke talk and he tells her he found an answer, but not a solution. She asks who he is and he doesn't have a good answer. She presents him with the illustrations for the African article and asks if he is going to send it in and he replies he doesn't know.

Gee, all sunshine and roses in this issue, Mike; how about some drama?

Sheesh!

Later, Jon talks to Eden on the phone and she, loudly, questions his sanity. he then takes the article and illustrations to the post office, to mail (Remember post offices boys and girls? Remember actually mailing letters?) he picks up some groceries and returns home, but can't get his security system to let him in, until he punches the keypad. Inside, he finds his CIA contact waiting for him, demanding to know why he let Sparrow live and shot Falana, instead? Sable tosses the spook the deposit he was paid and says Falana was personal. The Company man tells him Sparrow will come for him, because Jon is too dangerous. The man leaves and then Jon get on the phone and yells at his security company to come remove their crappy system. Later, when the techs haul it out and tell him he needs some kind of security, he says he needs his edge back. Still later, we see him in bed, his Mauser under his pillow, jumping at the sound of a cat in the alley.

The next day, Jon goes to see Myke and invites her to help him celebrate (or hold a wake) for his 40th Birthday. He says he is going to his hometown, in Vermont, for one last time on the slopes and asks Myke if she'd like to join him. She is hesitant, but they are interrupted by Grey...



He has been hired to choreograph a Broadway adaptation of Jon's books and kisses both Myke and Jon, to Sable's chagrin. Myke tells him she doesn't ski, and Jon starts to take it as a "No;" but, she says they can find something else to do!

They take Jon's Studebaker and Myke relates her history over the drive...



That last part is true. I used to be 6' 5" and now I am 5' 6".

Or was that a dream? I do recall being told, as a child, by my mother, consulting a chart, that I should grow up to be somewhere in the 6ft to 6' 2" range.

Stupid chart!

Anyway....

They come to the old homestead and Janice Cohen gets to take a little break, as it is deep in winter. Myke and Jon walk in the woods, have snowball fights and make snow angels. Later, the snow starts falling heavy and they share some wine and a cozy fire and Myke gets her first glimpse at Jon Sable, Short Pants!



Jon pulls out the family album and asks Myke if she really wants to know who he is? She says "Yes," and he tells her it is all in the book and then shows her a picture of a beautiful woman...his mother, a resistance fighter in Occupied Belgium.....



Jon's mom is Mam'selle Marie!

Thoughts: yet another great character issue. We get the answer about who Jon shot, at the end of last issue and it was Falana. So, we know that Jon will kill in anger or revenge, but not cold blooded murder, even state-sanctioned assassination. However, Sparrow is still alive and will have no compunctions about killing Jon and he knows he was involved in the Israel operation. How will Jon protect himself, let alone Myke, with whom he is growing closer?

The bulk of this, though, is about furthering the relationship between Jon and Myke. He entices her with his hometown and his past and she bites, after seeing that he arranged for the Broadway show to go through, as an opportunity for Grey. He scored big points for that. It's also nice to see Jon's friendship deepening, with Grey. Mike still tweaks Jon's comfort level, by having Grey kiss him on the cheek, in his excitement, which surprises and embarrasses Jon, for a second; but, he considers Grey his friend, without qualifying him as his "gay friend." Once again, this was pretty revolutionary in comics, for 1985. Hell, I'd put Jon's journey with Grey up as an example of a far more mature handling of the situation than most modern comics that have made a point of including gay and trans characters.

Mike knows that ignorance breeds fear and discomfort and he has Jon go though an evolution with Grey. At first, he is taken aback and is uncomfortable around Grey, once he knows he is gay. prior to that, he was a bit jealous, but he hit it off with him, as they discussed cars and fencing and old movies. then, Jon was very awkward around Grey, when they went to the fencing meet. Grey addressed the situation with Jon and he realized he was being stupid and he started to relax. He helps Grey by aiding Mischa get Anna out of Berlin and ends up attending the ballet with him. They later deal with homophobia and fear creatively. Jon again gets involved in Grey's circle, when Mischa is killed. Now, Jon has put up the financial backing for a risky Broadway production, because he feels Grey should get a chance to win. That's a lot of growth.

So, now we get a look at Jon's past and the first thing we learn is that he grew up in Vermont, which would explain the love of the outdoors (though any sufficiently rural area would do). Then, we learn his mother was a Belgian resistance fighter. That explains some of his thrill for danger. Now, the question is, who is this extraordinary woman and how did his father meet her? That is for next issue.

The rest of the issue is given over to the debut of Peter Gillis and Mike Saenz' Shatter, the first digitally produced comic book....



Too bad it wasn't particularly original or interesting. Well, let me qualify that; I never found it very interesting. The art tends to be rather static and repetitive and is hindered by the limits of the rendering technology available in 1985. Saenz did all of the art in a Macintosh Plus, using MacPaint. The screen couldn't even accommodate the entire page and Saenz could only work on 2/3 of it at a time. Also, printing was via dot matrix printer. The end result is blocky and the staging is limited. Howard Chaykin was achieving far better graphics using traditional methods, while covering the same ground, but with far better story and more stylized art. The story is a futuristic dystopia, borrowing elements of Philip K Dick (via Blade Runner, more than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) and Moebius' The Long Tomorrow (done in collaboration with Alien creator Dan O'Bannon). So, we have flying cars, corporate domination of society, miserable lives except for the super-rich and a lot of dots. I don't mind a good dystopia; but, this wasn't it. The series began as a back-up here, before getting it's own book, which lasted 14 issues. Mike Saenz left after the third series issue. He later did the art on the Marvel Graphic novel Iron Man: Crash , as well as his own Donna Matrix, a computer-generated graphic novel.

Quite frankly, Pepe Moreno did far better work, a little later, with Batman: Digital Justice, which was rendered using an Mac II, with more advanced graphics package. That package was, in part, made possible by Shatter, as Apple was amazed at the results achieved with the earlier system, as they had never envisioned it. However, Moreno was a far better storyteller than Saenz and was a better artist. He also had experience with the Amiga systems, and had learned a lot before doing Digital Justice. That was the technical part; but, his storytelling skills, via traditional line art techniques, were showcased in Metal Hurlant and Heavy Metal, as well as Epic Illustrated.  His Rebel was featured in the French magazine and it's American cousin and the subsequent Zeppelin story collection was published via Catalan, in the US, though some of the stories appeared in Heavy Metal.  He teamed with Archie Goodwin to do Generation Zero, in Epic Illustrated, which was collected and published at DC (after Archie had gone over), in conjunction with the release of Digital Justice.

Iron Man: Crash, was an improvement, for Saenz; but, it was still more style over substance, as the tools involved were featured more than a good story. As I say, Howard Chaykin was already covering this territory, at First, and was just crushing it. Shatter sold well, initially, due to novelty. Sales dropped off and it's lifespan was brief. Still, it took far more skill to render within a computer than scan in artwork or use a drawing tablet and then manipulate within a graphics package, just as Tron took far more creativity to produce than, with the limitations of the technology, than the average Pixar production (though storytelling is debatable in Tron vs Pixar). Once the novelty wears off, it is just a tool and only as good as the artist using it.

Getting back to Sable, the art is not an area where Mike is excelling. Once again, the newer paper stock being used at First is not showcasing Mike's skill to its best, though Mike's art really took a hit in the subsequent period. Here, I think it is down to a period of adjustment for the newer reproduction. Later, it is down to emotional distress from his divorce and problems with First Comics executives (Mike Gold had moved on to DC and was only editing Jon Sable, for Mike Grell). Parts of this are kind of murky.

During Myke and Jon's drive, she mentions Wyeth and the Brandywine Museum. Jon mentions preferring NC Wyeth to son Andrew's work. I tend to agree, though I think it is more due to a probable shared love of illustrated storytelling. I know Grell was a big fan of some of the great Scribner's illustrators, like Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish and Howard Pyle. He did an adaptation of Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, for Donning/Starblaze, where he did spot illustrations and colored plates, much like the old Scribner's Editions. He already referenced Wyeth in the painting that hung over Jon's bed, that was stolen by Maggie the Cat. Later, when he was writing Iron man, for Marvel, he did a cover that was inspired by Parrish and his use of blue, in his paintings. I, too, love these artists, along with the other greats, like Dean Cornwell, Arthur Rackham, Robert Peake, Robert Mcginnis, Robert Fawcett, James Montgomery Flag, and Everett Raymond Kinstler. It's part of what draws me to comics and to the great picture book illustrators, like Dr Seuss, Robert McCloskey, Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Next time, more of the story of Jon's mother and father and the origin of his middle name (aside from the Old Testament).