Another miniseries this time: Spider-Man/The Human Torch: I'm With Stupid!



Dan Slott handles the words and Ty Templeton (and a few inkers) handles the art.

The conceit is that the series, essentially, retells key moments in the relationship between Spidey and Johnny Storm, over the course of their history; but, with each issue set in the eontext of the time period in which the original story was told. So, the first issue is set in the 60s context, the second in the 70s and so on. It makes for a nice nostalgia piece, while also giving us a different perspective on their rivalry and what fueled it and also gives it a bit of closure. It does so in the purest sense of fun, which makes it even better.

Issue #1 finds Johnny Storm, with a rather swelled head, deciding that he is not getting enough publicity, when he sees the front page of the Daily Bugle is about Spider-Man being in cahoots with Mysterio. Peter Parker is presenting photos to J Jonah which prove otherwise and he rejects them, leading Peter to storm off for home, where he finds he has a visitor....



Johnny wants to hire Peter to be his personal photographer, to get more publicity. Peter thinks he is full of it, but sees more past-due bills on Aunt May's table and she suggests it would be safer than trapsing after Spider-Man and he swallows his pride. Meanwhile, Johnny looks around at Peter's home and sees him hugging Aunt May and realizes he barely remembers his own parents, that it was always just him and Sue. he wonders if Parker knows how lucky he has it?

Peter has to follwo Johnny around, photographing him and hating every moment. Then, a bank robbery occurs and Pete switches into fighting clothes to aid the Torch, but Torch accuses him of horning in and the general public thinks the Torch is fighting Spidey. Spidey leaves, grumbling and returns to the scene, as Peter, but is nearly fired by Jophnny for photographing Spidey, instead of him. he gives Peter one more chance and Peter nearly bites his tongue off.

Peter, as Spidey, photographs Johnny, from a distance, but notices someone shadowing him and goes to the rofftop to confront the villain and runs into .......

PASTE-POT PETE!!



Pete (the pasty one, not Parker) runs off in embarrassment and Johnny thinks the day has been rather dull. So, he heads to the Latverian Embassy to stir up some trouble. When Spidey realizes where he is going, he swings into action to help pull Torch out of the fire, so to speak.

Doom freezes Torch on the grounds and pretty much has him ready for crushing. When Spidey sees that Torch isn't going to get free, on his own, and no one else is available, he jumps into the situation, despite being wary of Doom. However, Spidey decides to employ a little stragedy and acts like he is there to take Doom up on a previous offer to join him. Doom makes him suck up, first, which Spidey does, and then asks about the sovereignty of the Embassy, as far as murder goes. Doom sees where he is going and says he can kill Torch at his pleasure and there will be no repercussions, as a way to prove Spidey's loyalty to Doom. Spidey then breaks off the ice ball that imprisons Johnny, from its base and then swings out of there, with him, while Doom stands there and shakes a fist at them, as they escape.

Spidey then chips Torch out of the ice ball, while telling him he owes him one, big time, but then has a slight accident with his chisel and Torch tears a fiery streak back to the Baxter Building, pleading for Reed to fix the calamity....



Peter sells Jonah the pictures, but he prints the one showing Spidey kneeling before Doom, while Johnny is imprisoned. Pete is mad that he still ends up looking like a villain and Johnny is mad that he looks like a fool, trapped in ice.

Issue two finds Spidey and Torch crossing paths at The Coffee Bean, where Johnny has an argument with Flash Thompson, about Spider-man, while he also is jealous of Peter Parker, who is with two beautiful women, in Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. Johnny had already easily defeated the Vulture, by burning off his wings and Captain Stacy stops by to ask Peter to see if he can find Spidey, yo help track down a drug ring, who are putting out some dangerous stuff. Peter changes clothes in an alley and overhears Torch badmouthing Spider-Man, that his foes are easy to beat and then Torch has to answer a signal from Reed. Peter snares him in a web and they argue, then, after some daring, decide to swap jobs, with Torch hunting down the drug pushers and Spidey going off with the Fantastic Four.



The FF end up stuck with Spidey, because they have a small window to cross through a fissure in the space-time barrier and will have to make do. Spidey sees all kinds of wonders and is a bit freaked out and Ben and Reed say it's just Thursday, for them.

Torch goes hunting for the pushers and follows a lead, but his street smarts are lacking and he gets bashed on the back of the head. Spidey tries to aid the FF, by insulating their ship, in the face of excessive thermal conditions and ticks off Ben, reed and Sue, because he goops up their instruments, with his webbing and obscures Ben's windows.

Johnny wakes up, tied to a chair, with a gun at his head, ready to fire if he flames on. He uses what little brain cells he has and makes them think Sue is there, to distract them long enough to burst into flame and leap into the air. Torch gets the name of the leader, Kraven the Hunter, but can't intimidate the hoods any further, because they know he is a hero and won't hurt them. he hauls them in and tries Plan B. He has Capt Stacy bring one of Kraven's goons into an interrogation room, where he finds a man on fire, screaming in pain and makes him believe the cops have torched him. The guy can't sing fast enough. Johnny gets the location, the zoo, and heads there. Kraven sics a bunch of animals on him and Torch drives them off, but gets covered in sap, which douses his flame. It turns out the drug is synthesized from the venom of some snakes and Torch is bitten by them. Kraven gloats and Torch gets him to admit who he is working for (a Maggia boss) and then Torch reveals he is immune to snake venom, thanks to his body chemistry. He takes Kraven in and they bust the Maggia operation.

Meanwhile, Spidey is told to hit the bricks, after the FF return home. Torch wins the day, but, Flash gets a bit of revenge, for Spidey, when he gets the waitress at the Coffee bean to "exlax" Torch's coffee.

Issue 3 finds Peter, mourning the death of Gwen, but starting an internship at the Baxter Building, along with a woman, Nina Pushnikov, from the USSR. Torch puts the moves on her, but, she is excited to meet Peter, based on a paper he wrote about advanced adhesives. Torch goes down in flames.

Reed is testing a new device than can negate or create gravity, which will revolutionize space travel. Nina is impressed. They leave for the evening and Nina turns out to be a spy, working for the Red Ghost. Peter is still in the dumps and he tries selling the invention story to Robbie Robertson, for the science page, but Robbie isn't interested and he talks to Peter about his seemingly endless mourning, telling him he needs to move on. Spidey goes to see Torch, who is moping about being shot down and Crystal leaving him. Spidey turns up for a driving lesson and they take the Spider-Mobile for a spin.

Spidey doesn't have a license, yet, and at the rate he is going, won't live to see one. They are flagged down by police, but it's just to get their help with Stilt-Man. Unfortunately, they lose sight, as Spidey isn't up to a high speed chase. Torch buys some fruit pies ad drinks, at a corner store, while they hear a news report about Daredevil defeating Stilt-Man. They go back outside and find that someone has stolen the Spider-Mobile's hubcaps and a wheel, as the Yancy Street Gang has it up on blocks. Spidey has an idea.

They go to the Baxter Building and "borrow" Reed's new invention, to give the car the ability to go up walls and they install it. While they work, they commiserate about their love lives.....



Torch sugegsts taking time off, like Sue did, but Spidey tells him that he can't do that. When he wasn't there, a father figure died and when he was there, his girlfriend died. he doesn't know what to do and Johnny doesn't have the answer; but, Spidey tells him that just talking helps. he can't do that with his friends, because of the whole secret identity thing and Johnny is another superhero.

Johnny and Spidey test the Spider-Mobile out, with the anti-gravity device and drive around on building walls. Meanwhile, with Pushnikov's aid, the red Ghost breaks into the Baxter Building. He distracts the duo, while his apes steal the car. Ghost joins them, after humiliating Torch, then speeds off. Spidey has an idea and fires a web into the corner store and pulls out a Point of Sale display, of some fruit pies.



The apes go nuts for them and they nab the Red Ghost. Reed joins them later and learns that Nina was a spy and says now he has lost two interns. he says Peter will have to go for giving Spidey the code to the storeage room with the device, for breaking security protocols. Spidey realizes he screwed up a good gig, but feels better about his life and he and Torch take the Spider-Mobile and do some donuts on the side of the Daily Bugle building.

Issue 4 finds Spidey, with the symbiote costume, hanging out with Black Cat, who wants him to help her break into the Wakandan Embassy, to steal a vibranium treasure, on display, at an invitation-only gala. Peter is covering it as a photographer. he refuses. Torch sees him reject Black Cat (as Peter). Johnny is feeling rejected after he blows a date to a concert, with She-Hulk, by being a bit too hormonal, which makes Jennifer think it was a mistake, from the start. Being an idiot, Johnny falls right into Black Cat's clutches. he is able to get her inside. Peter spots them and knows what is happening and storms over to stop them. Johnny helps Felicia get to the mask, while Spidey ends up dealing with Wahkandan security, who have the wrong idea. In the end, Felicia just wanted to retrieve her father's lockpick, which was left in the mask, when he tried to steal it, years before.

Issue #5 ties it all together, as Spidey and Torch meet up on the Statue of Liberty and reminisce. Torchlearns that some of Spidey's adventures were not his, but a clone's and they decide to skip that part. However, the real topic is what happened when Johnny made a guest appearance at PS 108, where Peter Parker is a teacher....

with a really hot super-model wife........



Johnny can't believe Parker's luck. However, things take a darker turn when some terrorists take over the assembly, with the Torch as a hostage. It turns out, they aren't terrorist but criminals, with their boss, Carmine Villanova, the Maggia goon who was running the drugs. His son was killed, while trying t escape prison, after he was arrested by Johnny and DA Towers. Now, he is going to kill Towers' son, a student at the school. They have a picture of the kid, but don't see him, since he has shaved his head and has piercings. He's a student of Peter's, but he can't slip out, while the goons have guns on everyone. he needs to take out the guard on the catwalk, who Johnny also sees, and knows that if he does anything, the guard will kill people before he could reach him. Peter tries to signal Johnny, letting him know he is Spider-Man, so they can work together. he makes signs, like firing his web shooters; but, Johnny isn't getting the message. Finally, Peter tries some different hand signals....



Johnny can't believe it, then realizes that Peter is nodding at the ide and MJ is pointing at Peter, reinforcing it. Now, he understands Peter's other signals, that he needs Torch to create a diversion, so he can snare the guy ion the catwalk. Johnny fakes a sneeze and emits flame, then bursts into nova flame, blinding the hoods. Peter snares the weapon of the goon on the catwalk, then ducks out. A recovering guard asks where he went andMJ feigns ignorance. Together, Johnny and Spider-Man disarm the hoods and they are taken into custody.

Later, Johnny covers for Spidey and credits him, while he watches Peter emerge from the school and meet MJ.

Back in the present, Torch deals with the fact that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. He then finds out that a lot of people, including Reed, knew before he did. Peter explains how he got his powers and Johnny is flabbergasted that one guy can be so lucky..



Peter breaks up laughing, as he can't believe that Johnny envies him....



They realize they both envied the other, which is part of why they periodically fought. They part as even closer friends, but Torch stops Spidey and asks him something. We then cut to an FF ship making a landing on the Baxter building. Sue is flying and Peter is there, in civies. After they land, MJ and Aunt May get off, as the Parker's join the Richards/Storm family for a party and Franklin gets to meet the guy who shot the photos in his favorite book, about his favorite hero: Spider-Man. he runs over to tell Peter how cool he is....



They all sit down to dinner and we see a photo of the occasion. it is followed by other photos of the two families, getting together.

Why is it cool? Well, in the first place, the series is hilarious, from the early hijinks to things like Spider-Man convulsing in laughter at the name Paste-Pot Pete, to the caper at the Embassy, which plays on all of the heist movie tropes, to the awesomeness of bring a Hostess Fruit Pie ad into continuity!

Slott understands these characters beautifully and Templeton captures every era well, but not just the look, but the humanity of the characters. His expressive faces help with the emotions, when Slott gets sentimental. That's what really makes this cool, because, at the heart of things, this is a celebration of a unique friendship, which started out as a heated rivalry, but grew into a tight bond. Johnny is the one person, of his age, that Peter can talk to about his survivor's guilt, over Gwen (and, to an extent, Uncle Ben). Both of these guys have been through a relationship wringer, but both have a family around them. they come to see how alike they are, while they were too busy being envious to see it. And that is why they have always worked together so well; they are very much alike. However, they also compliment the other. Peter has the stability in his life that Johnny has never truly felt, because his family are off on adventures. peter gets to have some romance and a stable, normal home. Johnny gets to live a life of adventure, without having to worry about a secret identity and reprisals. Johnny doesn't have much responsibility, except to his teammates. Peter, because of his responsibilities, has a home life. They are a weird sort of yin and yang.

Slott had me at fruit pies, but the honest warmth of the whole thing is why this is cool, especially when a lot of comics were still about dark happenings and violent battles. These adventures are more light-hearted and remind us of simpler times and stories; but, also remind us that simple doesn't mean shallow, as those emotions were there, along with the adventure. this celebrates that and looks back on that, with mature eyes that come with experience. It is a look back, with fondness, for old timers, and a fun romp and introduction, for young people. You don't have to know their history to follow it, since that is part of the story; but, if you do, there are all kinds of moments that you will understand more than a new reader. It's like the Looney Tunes cartoons, as a kid, are great slapstick and mayhem; but, as an adult, you understand more of the word play and the references (assuming you have read a bit of history or explored some culture of past movies and radio).

Mostly, it's fun as hell, with great character moments, funny gags and plenty of action.

I love that Spider-Man/Human Torch mini-series (I think it was only sub-titled "I'm With Stupid" when it was reprinted in TPB form). It's a brilliant examination of how the Torch and Spidey's relationship has grown and developed over the years. I also really like the unashamedly retro artwork of Ty Templeton; it really suits the nostalgic vibe of the series. Dan Slott's script is lighthearted, action-packed, and littered with neat references to Marvel continuity. He also does a pretty nice job of writing dialogue that seems era-appropriate in each installment; so, for example, the earlier issues have somewhat old-fashioned, Silver Age-sounding dialogue, which becomes more modernised as the series progresses.

You know, this might just be the best thing Slott's ever written.

The coolness of this bunch of comics should be self-evident. This time, we are going to look at a single storyline, within the larger body of a popular comic: X-Men (or Uncanny X-Men, if you prefer, though several of them were pretty canny, so the title is a bit misleading. )

So, which storyline?

Dark Phoenix?

Nah, too long and complex and worthy of a thread of its own.

Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy?

Are you serious? Do you really want me, a son of Eire, to go into a story with leprechauns and stereotypes that even John Ford would consider insulting?

The Shi'ar?

Ooh, not a bad idea....no, maybe later.

Ummmmmm.............the Morlocks?

Uh...noooooooo........

Extinction Agenda?

Get TF outta here! I bailed on the series long before that.

I'm talkin' bought Proteus, Willis!



Now, those covers represent the issues with the main storyline; but, Proteus was simmering on the back burner for nearly 2 years. We must first roll back to X-Men #104, back when Dave Cockrum was the artist in residence, in the relatively recently revived X-Men.

First, let's set the stage. Back in 1970, the X-Men were effectively cancelled, as issue #66 was the last story. Despite some nice work from Jim Steranko and a run by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, the X-Men just wasn't selling enough to justify continuing it, though it did continue, by reprinting older issues. It must have sold enough that they figured they could make more money by not paying for new material and just reprint some old stuff. Given the turn over in comics that used to happen, about every 5-7 years, these would be new to somebody. That continued until 1974, with the X-Men making some guest appearances in other comics, while Beast went off to work a job and let his beard grow, just a little too much. As in, he got furry, all over. By 1974, Marvel is looking to boost sales in foreign markets. They introduce Wolverine, in The Incredible Hulk #180-181, along with a house ad to promote the little psycho's debut. The hope was that he could draw some fans, in The Great White North, eh?

Beauty!

The next step, after some discussion, was a team of international heroes.. It ended up with the decision to launch a new X-Men team, with a familiar character or two and some new furriners. They debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1, after Professor Xavier gathers the diverse group to help locate and rescue the previous batch, who went missing, apart from Cyclops, on a mission to locate a powerful mutant, on the island of Krakoa (South of Java!). Turns out, the island is a living entity and it had nabbed the bunch. The new X-Men trash the island and we are off to the races. Starting with issue #94, X-Men begins to feature new stories, with the new team. There are two main storylines running through this phase. One, Professor Xavier is having dreams of some kind of Alien, who is being chased by someone else, in spaceships that look like bugs. On Earth, some guy turns up, in red armor, calling himself Eric the Red and Cyclops threatens to sue for gimmick infringement, as he was Eric the Red, back in the Steranko stories....possibly after losing a Loser Leaves Town match, in the Mutant Wrestling Alliance. The other subplot revolved around someone remotely monitoring the X-Men, who then attacks them with new Sentinel robots and succeeds in capturing them and dragging them to an orbital station. They escape, but, in the process of returning to Earth, run into a cosmic energy storm. The team is in a shielded compartment; but, someone has to pilot the shuttle and Jean is elected. She uses her telekinetic powers to hold back some of the energy; but, is ultimately consumed, but reborn as the powerful Phoenix. Except, she has issues with her powers, at first.

After a holiday in Ireland, at Banshee's ancestral home, where Claremont & Cockrum proceed to insult every Irishman with Darby O'Black Tom & the Little People (and Juggernaut)

That brings us to issue #104



The X-Men have chartered a hovercraft from one Angus MacWhirter, on the outer Hebrides islands, off the coast of Scotland (after a rather heated discussion with the crooked and bigoted proprietor of the ship). They have been asked by Moira MacTaggert to check out her lab on Muir Island. She left it in the care of Jamie Maddrox, aka The Multiple Man, but hasn't heard from him in a while and is concerned. Banshee pilots the hovercraft to the island, when it is suddenly ripped apart by powerful forces. The X-Men barely survive and make it to shore, where they find Moira's lab encased in some kind of force field. They are ripped up off the ground (along with the chunk of earth upon which they are standing) and thrust toward the lab. They smash their way in and come face to face with Magneto. Previously, Magneto had encountered them in the Savage Land and been reduced to an infant. Well, it seems that he encountered the mysterious Eric the Red and was restored to his actual age, and full range of power, after it had been faltering, in their last encounter. This Magneto is extremely powerful and he pretty much wipes the mat with them.

The lab was used to study mutants, mostly voluntarily; but there were some imprisoned there (most likely unconstitutionally), including Dragonfly, of the Ani-Men, who was last seen defeated by the X-Men, when Count Nefaria tried to take over the NORAD command complex, at Cheyenne Mountain, resulting int he death of new X-Man Thunderbird. However, at the very end, after Magneto has taken names and kicked ass, he walks past a cell door....



Mutant X is free!

But, ignore that for a while.

The X-Men get caught up in an interstellar saga, as the alien from Prof X's dreams, Lilandra, appears before him and tells him she is on the run from her brother, the Emperor of the Shi'ar, who is set to use a crystal to rip open the universe and destroy it. They don't like the sound of that, since the universe is where they keep all of their stuff and they go into space to help Lilandra stop her brother, which leads to both a confrontation with the Shi'ar Imperial Guard (who look suspiciously like the Legion of Super Heroes) and the switch from Dave Cockrum to John Byrne. After they get home, Wolverine is faced with the repercussions of quitting the Canadian Armed Forces and Intelligence (yep, they got one), in the form of Weapon Alpha, aka Vindicator, aka Guardian, aka Not-Captain Canuck. They get kidnapped by Aracade and then shanghaied by Magneto and imprisoned in his volcano hideout (every super villain should have one). They escape, in separate groups, as it is destroyed by lava, with each group thinking the other is dead. Jean and Hank McCoy are rescued by the US Navy, while the X-Men tunnel their way out and end up in The Savage Land. From there, they go to Japan, after being picked up by a Japanese ship and help with a little volcanic problem there. Jean, thinking the love of her life is dead, goes off on vacation, to mourn....in the Greek Islands, on a sunny beach, with cocktails. Prof X, mourning the loss of his students, goes off to space, with Lilandra, to tour her empire (which she inherited when her brother was killed).



Issue #119, at the very end, finds Jean arriving in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she is met by Moira MacTaggert, Jamie Maddrox, Alex Summers and Lorna Dane, to celebrate hristmas and see the sights, then head out to Muir Island to do some tests of Jean's new powers. The X-Men are busy dealing with Moses Magnum, in Japan and then get ambushed when they fly home and come into Canadian airspace, where they are forced to land in Calgary and decide to go see Dynamite Kid and Bret Hart battle at the Victoria Pavilion, at the Calgary Stampede.....and battle against Alpha Flight, the new Canadian super team.

on the last page, we see Angus MacWhirter, the crooked hovercraft proprietor, trying to snoop around in Moira's lab, on Muir Island, while everyone is away. he intends to blow up the place, in revenge for getting his boat destroyed and just generally honking him off. he encounters something, outside the door to the cell of Mutant X....





The X-Men return home and find the mansion shut up and Prof X gone. Jean does some shopping, efore the group heads to Muir Island and encounters and handsome and charismatic man, named Jason Wyngarde, who has a powerful, deep voice and a hell of a 'tache.....





Jean meets up with Moira at the harbor, near Angus MacWhirter's pier and they shove off for the island, while a pair of locals are trying to find Angus, with no luck. Jason Wyngarde goes to report to department S and then write another pulp adventure thriller, under a pseudonym.

The X-Men are busy dealing with Arcade, again, and Jean undergoes tests, at Moira's lab.

Now, we are ready to start the storyline proper.

Issue #125 finds Jean undergoing testing, while Angus MacWhirter watches from the shadows, except, the caption says Angus is dead.....



Along the way, we learn that Jason Wyngarde has been keeping tabs on Jean, for some group, called The Hellfire Club, and has encountered her in the form of a middle aged, portly priest, a sleek and exotic Greek man, on a beach, and as himself. He casts energy that forms an image of Jean, when she first arrived at Prof Xavier's school, then in her X-Men uniform, then in her older Marvel Girl form (after they got new outfits) and as Phoenix. There is one more image, of Jean in a leather corset, elbow-length gloves, high heeled boots and cape, carrying a whip.....



Jean seems to see these images, while looking in a mirror and is rather turned on by the fetish outfit, until Lorna Dane pulls her out of her trance.

Moira is looking over her readings and is worried about Jean's power levels and whether she can control them. She wanders the lab, while she contemplates the possibilities if Jean can't control her powers and steps on something. She bends down and finds a gold tooth. She looks up and sees the door to the cell of Mutant X and becomes frightened. The sensors say it is sealed, but she decides to check. She opens the door and finds the cell empty.

Jean goes out for a walk and when she returns to the lab, she picks up Moira's thoughts and their anxiety. She changes into her costue and flies down corridors, looking for Moira and suddenly finds herself in Regency England! She sees herself in a dress and hoop skirt, then she is back in the lab and someone crashes into her.....



At the X-Mansion, Hank McCoy comes in to investigate an alarm that went off, in Avengers Mansion. He finds the X-Men, alive and is overjoyed and lets Scott know that Jean is alive and that she went to Scotland. Scott grabs the phone and calls Muir Island and speaks to Lorna, when he hears a voice say "Human, I need you!" and then Lorna Screams and the line goes dead.

Issue #126 opens with the Blackbird in supersonic flight, low, over the ocean, near Muir Island. Cyclops deploys the X-men to reconnoiter the island, then lands the Blackbird. Nightcrawler finds Lorna, unconscious, next to a shriveled corpse. A search of his pockets finds a wallet and an ID the names him Angus MacWhirter. Cyclops sends Nightcrawler on a search, while Banshee attends to Lorna. He then orders Storm to give him a lift. Nightcrawler finds Havok and Multiple Man and identifies himself, but Alex Summers believes him to be dead and builds up his cosmic energy for a blast. Colossus picks him up in a bear hug, reminding Alex that his blasts have no effect on Peter's armored skin. Alex powers down, as he realizes that these are the X-Men.

Cyclops and Storm find Moira, who is armed and hunting and she warns them that Mutant X has escaped and that she learned it while hunting Jean. Scott goes in the direction from which she came. He finds her unconscious and checks on her and wakes her up, but she sees the face of Jason Wyngarde and calls Scott by that name....



Jean falls back to sleep and then awkes again, later and the team assembles, with Moira and her group, as the recovered Jamie Maddrox relates what happened to him. He split into his multiple bodies to search the lab, after Lorna's scream. Mutant X had attacked her, but she drove him off with a magnetic force bolt. One of Jamie's bodies found Mutant X and was ripped apart by it, which made Jamie feel like his soul was torn out. Wolverine want to go after it, but Scott restrains him, remarking that Jamie fought the Fantastic Four, alone, and held his own, yet this Mutant X destroyed one of his duplicates and nearly killed Jamie, as a result, without working up a sweat. He confronts Moira about this Mutant X, who isn't on the files and she tells him the truth....



We then see Jamie's duplicate body, in Stornaway, in a trenchcoat, as Mutant X searches for a new host, because he has consumed the energy of the duplicate body quicker than usual.. he sees Jason Wyngarde come out of a pub and follows, but is unable to touch him. He settles for another man, Ferdie Duncan.

The X-Men spread out to search the likely areas for Mutant X to head for and Moira, though he doesn't show up on Cerebro. Moira explains she has worked to cure her son, but has failed at every turn. He has two weaknesses: he needs new host bodies, as he consumes their life energy, and he can't abide non-organic material, especially steel. It can imprison him.

Phoenix flies over the countryside, searching and is spotted, from a distance, by Jason Wyngarde. Suddenly, she finds herself back in the Regency Period, on a hunt. She fills thrilled by the excitement of the hunt, charging across the land on a horse, and comes up to where the stag has been cornered and Jason offers her a hunting knife, to administer the coup de grace.....



Th stag is a man, with a deer head and pelt over his head and shoulders, but then Jean suddenly finds herself back in Scotland, standing over the mummified corpse of Ferdie Duncan.

Elsewhere, Wolverine and Nightcrawler encounter a policeman and Wolverine warns Nightcrawler back, saying there is trouble. it is Mutant X and it tries to possess Wolverine's body. He cannot, because of his adamantium-laced skeleton and instead attacks Wolverine and Nightcrawler, by warping reality, while stating that his name is Proteus....



Storm drives him off, with lightning bolts, which hurt him. He retaliates by burying her alive, feeding on her claustrophobia. Storm loses her @#$% and unleashes a blizzard and Nightcrawler and Wolverine are powerless to help her.

Issue #127 finds the pair battling, with Wolverine to shell-shocked to help Ororo, but Proteus is driven off by Moira, who shoots a rifle at him. Cyclops stops her from zooming in a killshot and she slams the rifle butt into his abdomen, but Proteus has escaped, in Nightcrawler's Land Rover. Moira checks on Scott and goes after Proteus in her own Rover. She has an idea of where he is headed.

The X-Men regroup, with Banshee and Scott notices that Wolverine has the shakes and decides he has to snap him out of it....



He goads Wolverine into a fight and holds his own, while also drawing the rest into the fight, until Storm puts an end to it. Scott reveals that he deliberately provoked them to get them focused on their mission again and get past their terrors and feelings of defeat. It did the trick and they set out to find a trace of Moira and Proteus.

Proteus encounters a stranded motorist, name Jenny Banks and takes her body, fices her flat tire, and drives off towards Edinburgh.

In Edinburgh, we see Moira arrive at the home of her husband, Joseph MacTaggert, MP, from whom she is separated. She warns him about Proteus, which is the first he has heard he has a son. He left Moira battered and pregnant, in New York. He moves towards her angrily and she pulls out a pistol and threatens to shoot him. She warns Joe that his son is coming for him and leaves, with feelings of guilt that, despite trying to teach her sonn to love, his father's abuse and her hatred warped his fragile mind.

Proteus, as Jenny, watches his pull away and then enters his father's house...



Jean picks up a sliver of Moira's thoughts, about Edinburgh and the team converges there and prepares for battle, as Jean searches for psychic impressions of Proteus or Moira. Jean picks up a death scream,like that of Jenny, when Proteus possessed her. They rush off to where Jean indicates. She warns him that Proteus grows in power with each body he feeds and then she carries the entire team into the air to follow and Scott is left to ponder Jean's own power....



Proteus crashes through the door of Joe MacTaggert's home, in his body and confronts his mother and alters reality around her. She pulls out her pistol, but he transforms it into a snake and she drops it. He feels the hate and desires for power of his father and says he will be energized by it for a long time and begins to warp reality of their surroundings. The X-men follow the psychic trail and send Colssus, in his steel form, down first, since Proteus cannot handle metal. He alters Peter's perceptions of gravity and the earth suddenly tilts and Colossus falls backwards, down the street. Cyclops attacks with his eyebeams, which turn into butterflies. Jean moves on the attack, but Proteus grabs his mother and uses her as a shield, bringing a standoff.

Issue #128 sees the battle continue, as Proteus warps reality to attack bystanders and the X-Men are distracted by rescuing them. Proteus tortures Moira, feeding off the hatred of his father.....



The X-Men try to rescue Moira and Storm is encased in amber, and Wolverine fights to break her free. before Proteus can atatck him, Banshee shoots him, in the shoulder. Before he can get another shot off, Proteus opens a hole in the ground and Banshee plummets downward. Nightcrawler rescues him and must deal with Proteus altering reality, as he teleports, which stresses his body. Lorna brings them down gently. Proteus heads toward Edinburgh castle, with Moira's limp body in his arms, as Jean pursues. She attacks and does damage, but Proteus is able to affect her. Wolverine jumps in to help and guts the body of Joesph MacTaggert. Wolverine gets Moira away as Scoot and Alex combine their powers on Proteus, but he transforms into a soft form and escapes. He grabs Moira and causes Wolverine to fall from a great height and Scott is able to slow his fall, with his eyebeams. he sends Colossus to attack, since he is invulnerable to Proteus. he climbs the cliff and finds Proteus berating hsi mother. he hurls him aside and Proteus transforms into his true shape, a glowing body. he tries to attack Colossus with his powers, but Peter is able to armor up and then attacks Proteus, as he is most vulnerable....



Proteus is destroyed and Moira is safe, but has to face the deaths of her son and husband. She does so in the comfort of the arms of Sean Cassidy...



No, that's Shaun Cassidy, not Sean, aka Banshee.

Why is it cool? Well, for a start, it's X-Men, at the height of it's writing and art. Claremont and Byrne were on fire at this point, despite their antagonism; or, more likely, because of it. Byrne and Claremont didn't always see eye-to-eye on storytelling and Byrne tended to get his way when friend Roger Stern was the editor, as he is on these issues. That would change, as first Jim Salicrup and then Louise Jones (Simonson) became editor and Claremont got more backing. Byrne eventually left, after concluding the dark Phoenix storyline and Wolverine's trip to Canada and Days of Future Past, leading to Dave Cockrum's return.

This is truly the Golden Age of X-Men. Claremont and Byrne had started with the finale to the original Shi-ar plot, as we learn the extent of Jean's power, as she knits together the fabric of the universe. That then fuels things going forward, as we wonder just how powerful she is and can she control it. At first, she seems depowered, but they slowly grow back to form, and we see more concern about it. We are distracted by the team's separation, after their clash with Magneto, but Claremont & Byrne took the X-Men on a trip through the Savage Land, where they get to fight dinosaurs and weird entities, before a trip to japan, where they fight natural disasters and Wolverine meets Mariko Yoshida, cousin of Sunfire. They then go to Canada, where Byrne gets to play in his homeland (well, for most of his young life, after emigrating from England). That introduced Alpha Flight, after first introducing Jamie Hudson, as Weapon Alpha, in X-Men #109. After some fun with Arcade, we end up here.

This storyline not only finishes off the subplot launched in issue #104, it also lays the foundations of the Dark Phoenix Saga, as Jason Wyngarde is introduced. The character name and look (and manner), is based on British actor Peter Wyngarde. Wyngarde is probably best known in the US for playing Klytus, in Flash Gordon, looking rather like Dr Doom, with his hooded robes and metal facemask. It was the power of his voice and subtle use that made that character so memorable. In the UK, Wyngarde was well known for his appaearances in classic British tv series, such as The Prisoner, as well as a starring role in the adventure series department S, about a trio of agents who investigate strange occurrences and conspiracies, as well as his character's spin-off series, Jason King. As King, he is a witty, urbane, charming ladies man, who write pulp adventure thrillers, starring the hero Mark Caine. The show was also noted for its wit and heavy use of contemporary fashions, for good and ill. However, Wyngarde also made a pair of memorable appearances in the seminal British adventure series, The Avengers. His second one was as a former actor, whose career went in decline with the closing of the studio, who is part of a group that has kidnapped Emma Peel, to film her demise, in the episode "Epic." Wyngarde got to chew scenery, perform Hamlet and just have fun. However, his first appearance is his most notable and ties into this.

In the episode "A Touch of Brimstone," Wyngarde plays the Honorable John Cleverly Cartney, leader of a revived Hellfire Club, which intends to bring down the current government. Steed and Mrs Peel work to infiltrate his group, with Emma working her way into Cartney's attention and becomes his escort to a Hellfire Club party, while Steed is a prospective member, via a sympathetic member who is horrified by Cartney's aims. Emma is dressed as The Queen of Sin, in an outfit consisting of spiked collar, leather corset, elbow gloves and lace up stiletto-heeled boots. Byrne's drawing of Jean, as the Black Queen, mimics that outfit and adds a cape.

We are given a clue as to the identity of Jason Wyngarde and how he knows that Jean is a mutant, but little about the Hellfire Club, though that will be revealed in the enxt storyline, which begins the Dark Phoenix Saga proper. Here, though, it is tease and intrigue, as we wonder if Jean is somehow slipping back and forth through time or if she is losing her mind, or is having it stolen by Wyngarde. The fact that he is both shielded from her mental powers and from attack by Proteus makes him significant.

Leaving the prologue to the Dark Phoenix Saga aside, this is a great story, in its own right. It is filled with horrific elements and strong characterization. Before this, Moira was a fairly shallow character, introduced early on as the housekeeper for Prof Xavier, who just happened to be adept at firearms, as deonstrated in X-Men #6. We learn that she is a scientist and there to aid Charles in the technical side of his work. Mostly, she ends up as a love interest for Banshee. Beyond that, not much is done with her until issue #104, which introduces Muir Island; but, mostly to set up the return of Magneto, in his most powerful form and watch him kick the collective butts of the X-Men. Claremont and Byrne come back to this and bring back Angus MacWhiter, the cranky owner of the hovercraft the X-Men charter, in 104. Here, he is after revenge and becomes Proteus' first victim, nearly 2 years after his release from his cell was teased and we were told it was a story for later. We just didn't know how much later! So, there is that element, as long-time fans had been waiting to find out about Mutant X.

I have no idea if Proteus is what was originally intended for Mutant X, or whether that was just a throwaway tease for a potential future storyline, as a sort of backdoor pilot. Claremont could have inserted anyone into the role, so long as they were powerful. He gives us someone really powerful, a being that feeds on the life energy of host bodies, giving him vampiric qualities, as well as possession ,ala The Exorcist, making him an already horrific figure. Then, they add they reality warping powers, which allow him to even F with Wolverine and drive him to near insanity. You have to remember, this is before Wolverine became synonymous with "badass" and he got put through a lot more stress and took more lumps. he hasn't become a cliche, yet, and is one of the most intriguing members of the team, thanks to Byrne adopting him, as a fellow Canadian. Seeing Wolverine with the shakes is pretty powerful and really sells Proteus as a threat even bigger than Magneto.

One of the elements that really caps this story off is Piotr Nikolayevich Rasputin, aka Colossus. With his organic metal skin, he is the one member who Proteus fears most. he isn't totally invulnerable, as Proteus can still affect the world around him; but, Colossus is able to hurt him enough to lead to the final battle and destroy him. It has repercussions for Piotr, as he feels guilt over taking a life, though Claremont didn't really push this very hard, other than when you see Piotr on the return flight to the US, as he contemplates what he has done, in silence. I can't recall that Claremont ever really revisited that guilt, though I haven't read this stuff in a long while.

This storyline really emphasizes what is great about the team, from the level of threats they face, to their family structure, to their teamwork. Every character gets some moments and the stakes are high all the way through. Claremont hadn't really descended into the cliche of making the women suffer, though you were seeing hints of characters losing control of their powers, as they had done a story of Professor X, in the past, battling another telepath and revealing just how powerful his mental abilities are. At the time, it was used to signal just how powerful Jean might be and set up concern for her control of them. Lots of seeds were planted that took their time to bear very sweet fruit.

If you want a microcosm of the greatness of the X-Men series, under Claremont and Byrne, this is it.

For my next entry, I'd like to look at an example of the dangers of peaking to early, in a series.

Manhunter (1988) #1-4



So, a little background, for those of you who came in late or are confused as to which Manhunter is which.

Manhunter debuted in in Adventure Comics #58, in 1941.....



Sort of.....

You see, it was actually Paul Kirk, a detective, who debuted in that issue, in a feature titled Paul Kirk, Manhunter. Kirk specialized in missing persons cases, hunting down the missing man (or woman). It wasn't until issue #73 that Paul Kirk went out and bought some long johns and a pair of swimming trunks nd became the costumed mystery man, Manhunter.

Except, he isn't Paul Kirk, he is Rick Nelson....



The issue was from Simon & Kirby and I'm fairly certain they were introducing a brand new Manhunter and wanted it to be totally new; but the editor wanted it tied to Paul Kirk, Manhunter; so, with the next issue, Paul Kirk is the masked Manhunter. Rick Nelson went off to a garden party, to reminisce with his old friends. And so, Paul Kirk was the One and Only Manhunter.

Apart from Dan Richards.

Quality Comics introduced a new feature, in Police Comics #8



Manhunter, where patrolman Dan Richards, armed with his index file of criminals, fights crime as the masked Manhunter.



Apparently, someone stepped on his costume, before he put it on.

Dan didn't make the cover (since Plastic Man was the lead feature) or the opening story (Reed Crandall's Firebrand). Instead, he followed Dewey Drip and Steele Kerrigan....names to reckon with, in comics. His adventures were created by Tex Blaisdell and Alex Kotzky. Blaisdell would go on to work on Prince Valiant, doing backgrounds and figures, except faces, then as artist on Little Orphan Annie, before working at DC, on Batman (and others) and teaching at the Kubert School. Kotzky would go on to create and draw the newspaper soap opera Apartment 3-G, of whose praises I have sung, on this board. Richards changed costumes a bit, but not his central gimmick and later joined DC, after they bought out Quality. He would reappear in All-Star Squadron, then Infinity, Inc, as an old man, and in Young All-Stars, as a young man, where he encounters Paul Kirk, both of whom are dupes of other Manhunters, who will turn up in a minute.

Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson brought Paul Kirk back, as a backup feature, in Detective Comics, with their legendary epic, as Paul Kirk is back from the dead, fighting a battle against The Council, a group of scientists and others, who seek to save the world from itself, whether it likes it or not. Paul Kirk appears to die at the end of the story, which featured a crossover with Batman, for the final installment.

Where our subject enters the picture is next, in First Issue Special #5...



Here, Jack Kirby returns to Manhunter and seemingly an aged Paul Kirk, who didn't die in Australia, or fight alongside Batman. He is never named, but seems to be the Simon & Kirby Paul Kirk. he is old and not up to the task anymore; but, a new recruit for the Cult of Manhunters, district attorney Mark Shaw, awaits his chance. He gets it and becomes a Manhunter.

No series followed, as First Issue Special had a weak track record on that one, launching one new series (Warlord) and testing the waters for a revival (Return of the New Gods). Manhunter did turn up in JLA #140-141...



...where we, and Mark Shaw, learn that the Cult of the Manhunters is actually a band of renegade android agents of the Guardians of the Universe. They broke programming and rebelled against the Guardians, falling under the spell of their power. They were defeated by the Guardians' new agents, the Green Lantern Corps. Shaw is devastated, at the end of the story and gives up being Manhunter. He soon reappears in a new guise, as The Privateer, a swashbuckling hero, who doesn't need depth perception, since he wears an eyepatch. Shaw hangs around with the JLA, when a new villain turns up, the Star-Tsar. The identity of this villain remains mysterious, as he has inside knowledge of the JLA and is eventually revealed to be....

Snapper Carr.

Except, he was a dupe and Red Tornado uncovers the real Star-Tsar: Mark Shaw. It seems he was corrupted by the influence of the android Manhunters and their lust for power. So, off to jail for him.

Which is where he was, when Millennium went down, as the Manhunters, through their agents, seek to prevent a new group of Guardians from being formed. Given that they turned out to be pretty lame, hthey needn't have bothered. The crossover event was largely forgettable (downright awful, in parts), except for one week, where the story centered around the swamps near Belle Rieve prison. Mark Shaw joins the Suicide Squad on their mission to destroy a Manhunter base and its bomb, which they do (at a cost) and Mark Shaw gains his freedom, after treatment by Dr Simon La Grieve, to break the Manhunter conditioning. Mark Shaw goes off to start a new life...

...as Manhunter, super-villain bounty hunter.

This is where we pick up the story.

DC actually made a sizeable deal of launching a new Manhunter series, on the heels of Millennium, with a house ad, with which you can order your own Manhunter mask.....



This was our first look at the new Manhunter. The first thing we notice is that it is vastly different from most superhero costumes of the era. There are hints, in the coloring and styling, on the chestpiece, of the Kirby Mark Shaw Manhunter, and hints of Paul Kirk's stylized samurai outfit. The mask is a radical change. I was stuck by it, when I first saw the ad and I later got to meet artist Doug Rice, who filled me in on his design inspiration.....



Kamen Rider was a superhero show, from Japan, which started in 1973 and continues (with some interruptions) to today, with new Riders appearing with each new generation show, much like the Super Sentai series, which spawned the Power Rangers. Kamen Rider is a human, who is kidnapped by an alien criminal organization and transformed into a cyborg. He rebels against the group and escapes, then takes the fight to the criminals, battling one of their henchmen each week, until defeating the bosses. Rather like Paul Kirk.

So, we start with issue #1.

We begin with Mark Shaw surveilling a suspect, who turns out to be noted criminal, Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. Shaw slips on his mask, powers up his staff and follows Pengy to his lair, then breaks in and captures him....



...in his bathtub.

This establishes that he is now a bounty hunter of super villains, mixing his old callings, as both detective in missing person cases and as a masked hunter of criminals. Penguin has fought the Batman and nearly killed him, which sets up Shaw as a pretty big deal, since he catches him with his pants down...or even off. We then meet Lt Best, a police officer who doesn't like bounty hunters, especially masked ones.

This sets up the basic hardboiled private eye dynamic that permeates the series. Shaw is a private operative for pay. He goes after super villains, because he is paid to do so.

We then see Mark put on a chauffer's uniform and fake mustache and assume he is hunting another criminal, but it turns out that he is visiting his family, who are celebrating his niece's graduation from law school. Mark is still an ex-con and the black sheep of the family, of old money and status, yet some of the family still cares for him.

This sets up the background detail and supporting characters for the series. Along the way, we meet an assassin for hire, known as Dumas, who wears a mask, inspired by Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask (or, to be technical, the third volume of the Vicomte de Bragalone, usually split off and titled The Man in the Iron Mask). Dumas murders a South African Anglican priest (inspired by Bishop Desmond Tutu, no doubt), for a white benefactor, with a very Dutch name. This was still the era of apartheid.

After some family drama and a recap of Mark's past (from First Issue Special, JLA and Suicide Squad/Millennium), Mark goes after his next target. We see him, in New York, watching his target enter Shea Stadium, to watch the Mets play his team, the Chicago Cubs. His target is Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold. Apparently, he is a Cubs fan, which matches the personality of a guy who has been put down by the Flash more times than we can count. Here, we establish that Shaw looks to catch his prey on his terms, not fight them head on. He knew about Snart's passion for the Cubs, from his time in jail, as Captain Cold never missed an opening game. This being the 80s, the Cubs lose...again..and Snart is POed and goes off to pull a job. Shaw follows, which leads to a ride on top of an El train and an interruption by a tabloid reporter busting up a drug deal. Shaw takes down Captain Cold, using his baton.

The sequence serves up to demonstrate the tech in both the mask and the baton. The mask has lenses that have night vision and telescopic capabilities and his baton can fire energy beams which can vault him or blast through objects, depending on the power. Manhunter is seen on television, taking down Cold, which brings his name to the attention of an eccentric collector, Olivia Vancroft, who collects masks and her unique home features hundreds, including those of Sandman, Plastic Man's goggles, Commander Steel's mask and cowl, Mister Miracle's mask, a cowl of Batman and three Manhunter masks, including Dan Richards' domino mask, Paul Kirk's blue face mask, fromt he 40s, and his red mask, from the 70s. Vancroft wants to add Mark Shaw's mask to her collection. She tells an underling to go through the normal channels; but, have Dumas on standby, if her offer is rejected.

This first issue establish Mark Shaw, back as Manhunter, with the trappings of a private eye and a bounty hunter, though less Dog the Bounty Hunter and more Ralph "Pappa" Thorson....



I should have asked John Ostrander, when I met him, about the inspiration; but, I am pretty sure this film was a partial influence, especially the bounty hunter angle. Ostrander is from Chicago and the El chase and the parking garage stunt were all shot in Chicago, to much fanfare. The rest is hardboiled detective fiction tropes, the history of the comic character, and basic comic book plots. The twist is in giving the characters more personality than usual, in comics. Shaw is trying to atone for his criminal past, but is cynical enough to know he isn't a white hat hero. His shades of grey make him an interesting character and leave you wondering if he is truly free of the Manhunter conditioning. Penguin and Captain Cold are formidable threats; but, they have weaknesses and Shaw, based on his time in prison, knows about some of them and exploits them, to his benefit. He's a thinker and a planner, rather than hired muscle. That sets him apart from a lot of comic heroes.

Dumas is mysterious, and we only get a glimpse of the helmet-mask. He is disguised as a bishop, when he kills the South African priest. We know he is deadly and expensive. The name is perfect, as it involes adventure and intrigue, by one of the greats of literature.

Issue 2 finds Mark in his father's law office, as he offers him a commission to serve a subpoena on a target, in Tokyo, for which he will have to get him to the American Embassy, to make it stick. Mark takes it for the free trip to Japan. His brother then tells him he has been approached by an anonymous client to purchase the Manhunter mask.



Mark refuses because he doesn't want to give up the tech and reveal trade secrets and he finds it a bit strange. Mark's brother calls Mr Devree, Olivia Vancroft's lawyer, and tells him no deal. Devree passes on the message and receives the order to give Dumas a commission, to obtain the mask by any means necessary.

Devree and an aid are in Tokyo, where he fills in the underling about Dumas. he is Stephen Forrest Lee, a southerner, age unknown, whose face is malleable, allowing him to disguise himself as anyone, giving him masks to carry out assassinations, without suspicion. He is obsessed with masks and collects Japanese kabuki masks, as well as takes his name from Dumas' surname and the novel, The Man in the Iron Mask. The meet with Dumas, who wears a traditional samurai robe and jacket, and one of the kabuki masks. They pass along the commission and the aid asks about the connection between Dumas and Vancroft. Dumas allows him to live, but does not answer.

Mark Shaw arrives in Tokyo, does some sightseeing on the Shinjuku, then goes after his target. it is then that he runs into Dumas. Dumas hurls throwing daggers at Mark and only the armor of his chestpiece and his baton save his life. They play cat and mouse across Tokyo, until Shaw runs into police. he tries to explain and Dumas kills a cop, with a dagger, thrown at an angle to make it look like it came from Manhunter. Now the cops want him for the attack on the police and he is forced to flee, on the back of a car. Dumas follows and the battle amid traffic....



Mark is nearly killed by a truck, but survives and is forced to flee when police arrive. Bystanders think that a revival of an old tv show is going on, like 8 Man, Kamen Raider or Dynamo Joe.

That last one isn't a tv show; but a reference to Doug Rice's sci-fi mecha series, Dynamo Joe, from First Comics.

Dumas, disguised as Mark Shaw, pulls out the pistol of one of the cops and shoots another, incriminating Mark Shaw, as his passport is left behind.

The pair of masked men meet again and battle and it doesn't go well for Mark. he is cornered on a rooftop and in desperation, he pops a needle out of his baton and hurls it as a spear, to distract Dumas and leaps over the edge, to catch the rigging of a building cleaning scaffold, and escape. he gets to a construction sight and uses and electrical cable to zap Dumas and briefly incapacitate him, allowing Mark to disappear. Mark follows back alleys, in cvilian clothes, but runs into a gang of yakuza, who want a word with him.

This issue, after the opening set-up, is almost wall to wall action, as Dumas and Manhunter battle across Tokyo. Ostrander and wife Kim Yale and artist Doug Rice send us on a rollercoaster ride, from rooftops, to the streets, to fights on vehicles, long before The Matrix. This would be great action movie stuff, if DC/Warner had any guts to try a superhero movie with a different character.

Issue #3 finds Mark Shaw facing the yakuza oyabun....



It seems that the master, Eiji Hasegawa, is acquainted with Mark's stepfather, Eliot Shaw and owes him a debt of honor. He extends his resources to Mark, to pay that debt. Eliot Shaw intervened when Sangokujin (foreign black market gangsters, from China, Korea and Taiwan) gangsters tried to rape and murder Eiji's wife. He brought a prosecution against them and secured a conviction, despite political pressure from their connected friends.

Hasegawa gives him the location of Dumas and an escort to go there. They have a meeting and Dumas is told that Shaw is protected by the Daiichi Doku clan. Dumas asks if that extends to America and is told no. He stands down, not wanting a war with the yakuza and tells Shaw they will meet again, in the US. The yakuza help Mark get to Taiwan and help him set up a fake identity and a plane ticket home. he knows he was set up by a member of his family and goes to confront them. He returns and confronts his younger brother, Jaimie, about the fake subpoena, but Eliot reveals the client, Olivia Vancroft. She was a noted New York society woman, who, in 1950, had a house built in Wisconsin, mixing western and Japanese styles, moving in to live a live of seclusion, with her collections. Eliot knew her in her society days and dated her and accepted the subpoena request out of friendship.

They are interrupted by a call, from Mark's mother, who is being held, at knifepoint, by Dumas. Mark goes to confront the assassin, alone, but Jaime tries to help and is killed by Dumas, who flees. Manhunter pursues and they end up in a standoff, until his niece fires a small frame pistol at Dumas, driving him away. Mark vows to settle things.

The opening of the issue and the backstory of Eliot Shaw and Eiji Hasegawa were inspired by the film, Yakuza, from director Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Mitchum, Brian Keith, Richard Jordan and Takakura Ken...



This film's story also greatly influenced the relationship of Wolverine and Mariko, as seen in the Wolverine mini-series, with Frank Miller and Chris Claremont.

Like Mitchum's character, Eliot Shaw was in Japan, during the Occupation, where he encounters the Yakuza and aids a Japanese woman. In the kilm, Ken owes Mitchum a debt of honor, though their relationship is far more complex than at first it seems. Here, Ostrander and Yale make it more straightforward.

Dumas withdraws, as war with the Yakuza is a different thing than a contract and the fights shifts to the New York area and Mark's family. We also learn there is a family connection to Olivia Vancroft, Dumas' patron.

Issue #4 brings the final confrontation between Mark Shaw and Dumas, as Shaw decides to give Vancroft what she wants, in exchange for his family's safety. He goes to Vancrofft's Cliff House, and meets with the woman, but then smells a rat.



She shows him her collection of masks, all authentic, though some obtained through dubious means. She explains the reason behind her obsession.....



Mark offers his mask, for free, provided Vancroft calls off Dumas. She says she cannot, as once he takes a contract, he will see it through and nothing can dissuade him. She returns Mark's mask and apologizes. Shemakes one request, that he don the mask and he agrees, then gets a shock, while looking through the lenses. Vancroft returns the baton he lost in Japan, saying that it came from Dumas. She hopes it will help him when he again faces Dumas.

Mark leaves but knows the truth and he thinks he has Dumas' numbers. he makes preparations, then returns to Cliff House, at night. He observes Olivia, via night vision, then uses the baton to propel him up the cliff, to a window. He enters the house and confronts Vancroft. he says he is there to reopne negotiations and she threatens to call the police. he then reveals he knows her secret....



His mask can detect heartbeats and Vancroft's is a male ratio. He also has voiceprint recordings from their fight in Tokyo. Vancroft admits that she is Dumas....



Dumas created the Olivia persona to have a woman he could love and be his feminine ideal, but it took over his being, as others saw what he saw. His condition and abilities meant she didn't age and he was born near the turn of the century, so she became a recluse, while he continued a life of adventure. She threatens to kill Shaw, but he reveals he passed on that information to the tabloid reporter, to be released if anything happens to Makr's family. He leaves, but runs into Dumas, in armor. He reveals that he can take Mark's face and regain the letter, then kill Mark's family and the fight is on. The fight rages through the house, which is filled with deathtraps and weapons, collected over the years. Dumas has the upper hand and only an instinct for survival saves Mark, as Dumas disappears into smoke, after being blinded, temporarily. mark decides to go on offense and starts smashing the mask collection to draw Dumas out.

They battle and Mark uses the baton's magnetic field, though Dumas' armor cannot be affected by it, but the collection can and he launches the helmet of the Peacemaker into Dumas, at high speed, which imbeds him into the stone wall and kills him, with the trauma. He removes Dumas' mask to see the true face of Stephen Forrest Lee, then places his own mask with the collection, and leaves.

The revelation that Olivia Vancroft is Dumas is telegraphed, a bit, but the fact that Dumas has created a female persona is not. It fits within the noir world of crime fiction, as such sordid details were often center to mysteries. Dumas was born with a condition that made him a master assassin, but denied him love. So, he created his own perfect woman, out of his own body and lived as that person, drawing love from others. There are elements of Buffalo Bill's confused transgendered status, in Silence of the Lambs, or Michael Caine's murderous psychologist, in Dressed to Kill, which also revolved around transgendered themes. The negative transgendered myth is also perpetuated in the Bruce Willis film Color of Night, which swipes quite a bit from dePalma, who was referencing Psycho through much of that film.

Dumas was a tremendous creation and a terrific villain and the story really needed death to bring an end to it. The unfortunate part is it then denied Manhunter a decent adversary and trhe series struggled to produce another, mostly borrowing villains from other series, until Dumas was reborn in the finale of the series.

The action and intrigue made this a fantastic read and one that still holds up well. Ostrander & Kim Yale create a great crime thriller and a memorable cast of well rounded characters and one of the best villains to emerge from the 80s. Sadly, Dumas would end up mostly being a legacy to the worst excesses of Batman, via the creation of Azrael and the Order of St Dumas, which drew inspiration from Mark Shadw, the Manhunter cult and Dumas, the assassin. Mark Shaw ended up reborn, thanks to nanites which duplicated Dumas and a whole mess that gives me a headache.

Why is it cool? The debut storyline for Manhunter was a thrill ride of action, intrigue and interesting characters. It featured excellent writing and let Doug Rice go to town with the action and play with his influences from Japanese sci-fi entertainment, like Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as other tokusatsu shows and films. The intrigue propels the plot along and lets the action flow naturally. It never seems contrived, though Dumas' set up of Mark, to go to Japan, seems a bit overly complex, given he could have just faced him in America. He was already shown operating in the UK, in the first issue. Still, they couldn't then play in Doug's fantasy Tokyo and invoke The Yakuza.

The comic wears its influences on its sleeves, but they are excellent influences and it made this a cut above, for a debut.

Sadly, it was also the peak for the series. it never built on the momentum here, and was further inhibited by being pulled into other events, like Invasion and the Janus Directive crossover. Ostrander & Yale were more interested in exploring Mark's family dynamic, while Doug Rice was more interested in the action and adventure, as that is how Ostrander described his ideas to him. Rice grew bored with the series and drawing a lot of dialogue scenes between Mark and his family, where they stood and talked. His departure really took the visual element out of the series, as his art showed the manga influences of some of his favorites, before that became a big deal. Rice could do action, though his figures sometimes seem a bit off model, from certain angles. However, his layouts were innovative and exciting. Grant Miehm followed as regular artist and he wasa good artist, but lacked the stylization of Rice, which made the action flow. Miehm used more conventional layouts and tended to simplify the details that Rice placed on the costume. In the end, it didn't work and DC killed the series after two years.

The conceit was supposed to be that the super villains that Mark Shaw captured would be filtered to the Suicide Squad; but, it never really worked out that way.

These 4 issues show what could have been, if the team had been able to follow up on this debut, but they couldn't and it stood as the apex of the series and the character. Mark Shaw turned up again, at the end of the next Manhunter series and in its follow up, with Kate Spencer. That one was better done than the mid-90s one and Shaw made for a good character. He was used in the Arrowverse, though not as Manhunter, sadly.

If you take these 4 issues as a mini-series, it is a terrific crime thriller, with superhero trappings, which was more than enough to make it cool to me. These were the issues I got signed by Rice and a sketch of Mark Shaw, as Manhunter, hangs on my wall, between a Tom Lyle Sgt Strike (from the short-lived Eclipse superhero series) and a Joe Staton Captain Marvel (the real one, not the alien dude or the chicks). I also have a Doug Rice sketch of Pvt Pomru, the feline Tavitan character, from Dynamo Joe, which is another cool comic, from Doug Rice.

Rice ended up leaving comics and working in animation, for Star Toons, a firm which worked on Pinky & the Brain and Hysteria, for Warner Bros. He also designed an unproduced comic series, set in a pulp aviation world of an alternate 1930s.....



Sadly, that never saw the light of day.

If there is a drawback to this storyline, it is in the nature of Dumas and Olivia Vancroft. It does perpetuate transphobic stereotypes as being mentally ill and psychotic, though I think that Ostrander & Yale, based on their body of work, were more using it as a noir trope, rather than intentionally using that idea. Both came from a theatrical background and seemed pretty friendly to the LBGT community, though they were also fans of mystery and crime fiction and that may have blinded them a bit. Still, I'd rather have Ostrander & Yale handling Madame Fatal than James Robinson, based on his use in The Golden Age and cracks in JSA.

It was the 80s, though that doesn't really excuse things. I think if they were to have done something like this today, they would have felt compelled to have a trans counter-point to Dumas, to illustrate that he was a psychotic who happened to have a trans facet, but that his psychosis was unrelated to being trans. It is the same kind of problem you face with an Asian or African-American villain, as the stereotype is so prevalent that you have to juxtapose such a character with a hero (preferably several) to show they are the aberration, not the representation.

If you have never read Manhunter, I recommend these 4 issues unreservedly. After that, it is still an interesting series, while Rice is on it and they are not in the middle of a crossover event. After that, other then the series finale, with the return of Dumas, it ends up being a bit disappointing.

The Binding thread has given me my next selection.

No, not The Blonde, smart guy!
(Although those are fun little stories, depending on your tolerance for bondage and foot fetishism)

Nope, I am talking about Logan's Run.



So, a little backstory for the youngin's out there. Logan's Run began life as a novel, by William F Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Nolan was a prolific writer of sci-fi and other material (including poetry) and had written for tv (Wanted Dead or Alive, a segment of Trilogy of Terror) and film (Burnt Offerings). Johnson had written quite a bit of notable material for television, including for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, as well as lighter fare, like Honey West and Route 66, The pair teamed up to write a dystopian novel, inspired by the youth culture of the time (1967) and socio-political events. It was the time of Vietnam and the Baby Boom Generation coming of age, with anti-war protests on campuses and talk of a population explosion that the Earth could not sustain. We weren't yet at the height of the unrest of this period, which would come in 1968, with youth riots around the globe, including the US anti-war riots and demonstrations and the May Riots in France. The novel would explore some of these themes that were smouldering.

In the novel, population is strictly controlled, with a new birth balanced by a death. Everyone has a Lifeclock crystal embedded in the palm of their hand, which changes color every 7 years, until the end, at age 21. On Lastday, it blinks from red to black, before turning black completely, signifying the end. Citizens then report to a Sleepcenter, where they are euthanized. Some, however, decide to rebel and cling on to life and go on the run, looking for a whispered place, Sanctuary. The system has enforcement officers, known as Deep Sleep Operatives, or Sandmen, in coloquial terms, who enforce the laws of the system, including tracking down and "terminating" "runners." In the novel, Logan 3 is such a Sandman; and, on his Lastday, he decides to have one last adventure and go on the run, to find Sanctuary, and destroy it. He meets Jessica 6, whose brother was a runner he terminated, from whom he heard the word "Sanctuary." Together, they progress across the country, on a sort of Underground Railroad (literally, in reference to the Maze Cars, which transport them, and figuratively, in reference to the network that aided slaves in their escape from Southern plantations, in the 1800s). They learn that the system is crumbling and the way stations along the Sanctuary route are all "dead areas," no longer controlled by The Thinker, the super-computer which supposedly runs things. In the end, Sanctuary proves to be something they never imagined, and Ballard, the legendary old man, who runs the network, is not who they think he is.

The book was optioned not long after publication and George Pal worked, for a time, to adapt it, with James Bond screenwriter Richard Maibaum writing the script. Pal and Maibaum were at odds over the concepts and budgeting the project. MGM owned the screen rights, hoping to make something as successful as 2001: A Space Odyssey of Planet of the Apes. American International Pictures offered to buy the rights, for $200, 000; but, MGM wanted $350K. Pal bowed out and went off to do Doc Savage. Saul David, who produced Fantastic Voyage and the Derek Flint spy spoofs (with James Coburn) took over and hired David Zelag Goodman, screenwriter of Soylent Green, to do the script. In adapting the material, they decided to raise the final age from 21 to 30, to have a better pool of actors, for casting. Casting and production commenced in 1975, with Michael York cast as Logan 5 (number changed from the novel), Jennie Agutter as Jessica 6, and William Devane as Francis 7. Devane withdrew from the film and was replaced by Richard Jordan and Peter Ustinov was cast as The Old Man.. Filming commenced and the movie was released in 1976, with a heavy marketing campaign.

The film ended up a moderate success, earning $25 million on a budget of about $7-8 million. The novel was reissued with a movie tie-in cover and insert photos, from the film. Marvel Comics, which had done a couple of tv and film adaptations, at this point, licensed the property to do an adaptation and continuation, if successful. That is our topic.

Aside from the change in the ages of the characters, the film deviated from the book on several other points. In the novel, Logan decides to run and destroy Sanctuary, in his own mind. In the film, he is assigned by the computer which runs "The City." Also in the novel, the route to Sanctaury ranges across the country and the populace lives in several places and there are tourist attractions, such as the battlefield, at Gettysburg, and the Crazy Horse Monument (where The Thinker is located). Logan and Jessica encounter some wild youngsters, in the Southwest, who live like Native Americans, after a fashion, and ride jet powered "devil sticks>" They capture the couple and force them to undergo a ritual of sex, with various members of the tribe, one after another. Needless to say, the film skipped that, entirely (and mostly edited down a scene in a "love shop.") In the film, the only society is within the domed city. Ballard doesn't appear in the film and is replaced by Peter Ustinov's Old Man, who lives in the ruins of the Capitol Building, with his cats, quoting from TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (the basis for the musical Cats....which is part of why it has no real story, at its heart). Logan and Jessica return to the city to try to bring the truth back to the populace and are captured, with Logan interrogated by the computer, which ends up blowing up from the conflict between the truth and its programming (I guess.....it's pretty unclear why the computer is exploding, just because of that).

One of the other big departures is the concept of Carousel, a ritual where those on Lastday engage in a ritual where they float into the air, towards a giant Lifeclock, and attempt to "renew." Most appear to "flame out," and burts into a shower of sparks and disintegrate, while the crowd cheers them on, for sport. In the novel, there was only death, at the Sleepcenter. One of the lies that Logan uncovers is that no one renews, on Carousel...it is just a lie to give the populace a reason not to rebel, as they might be able to renew and live longer.

The film, in my estimation, kind of acts as a bridge between the more cerebral and message-laden sci-films of the 60s and early 70s and the more action and spectacle-oriented sci-films that followed, in the wake of Star Wars. It is a blend of high concepts, and special effects wizardry (horribly dated, now, but pretty awesome, at the time, barring a few opticals) which kind of finds a middle ground between something like, say Colossus, The Forbin Project and Star Wars. The acting, from the leads is pretty good to great (Michael York is a bit bland, at times and some small roles are pretty mixed....Farrah Fawcett wasn't going to win awards, except for her hair). The city miniature looks like a miniature, like the Futurama exhibit, at the 1939 World's Fair.



As the letters page in issue #1 details, Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein and Steve Englehart all attended the 1971 World Science fiction Convention, in Boston, where they met George Clayton Johnson and learned of the novel, which was in development for the George Pal movie. They thought the concept of the novel was cool and look forward to the movie. Move ahead a few years and Marvel is wrapping up negotiations to adapt 2001 and one of the MGM people tells them they have another sci-fi property in the works that might interest Marvel, which was Logan's Run.

Gerry Conway writes the first issue, with George Perez on art and Klaus Janson inking. The story much like the film, with a look at the domed city complex, from a distance, before moving inside. It then shows us a Sandman, chasing a runner....



This is the first deviation from the film. Conway was working from the film script, which included an opening scene of Francis hunting and terminating a runner. The runner is given a generic description, in the script, but the choice of making him an African-American, here, both gives this a somewhat chilling effect and also serves to provide a thematic link to the Underground Railroad. Bounty hunters and lawmen hunted for escaped slaves, as rewards were often given, as they were considered valuable property (rather than human beings). This adds a racial undertone not really seen in the film, as the majority of the cast and extras are portrayed by white actors. The scene was filmed and included in a sneak preview, in San Diego (this was a screening, not at Comicon, since Hollywood didn't come out to it, to sell films, as in later years), from which an audio recording existed. Other deviations between the film and the script were shot and cut, based on descriptions of the audio recording, from the screening, including longer sequence with Holly, identifying her as Holly 13 and explaining that "ancients" used to consider the number unlucky. The opening runner sequence was cut for violence, to keep a PG-13 rating.

The death of the runner is pretty brutal.....



The issue continues as in the film, with Francis meeting up with Logan, in Nursery and their viewing of the possible Logan 6. They then head to Arcade, to view the night's Carousel event. There, they encounter a female friend of Francis, who is on Lastday and will go on Carousel, to renew.

Again, this is a deleted scene, from the script.

The scenes on Carousel follow, with Perez adding tons of Kirby Krackle and effects and Logan gets the alert of a runner and goes to find him, soon followed by Francis. They spot the runner and chase him, cornering him and killing him. Logan finds an ankh among his possessions and has his handheld computer identify it and reports the termination, calling for a clean-up crew. This is followed by the scene of the crew, in hovering craft, reducing the body to ashes, then vacuuming them up. It moves to the scenes in Logan's quarters, as he activates the link to the Circuit, looking for a partner, for the evening, which brings him in contact with Jessica 6. He notices the ankh symbol on her gold collar and she is sad, for the loss of a friend, on Carousel. Logan suggests he might have renewed but she says he was killed, like all of the others. Logan is puzzled by her terminology. Impending sex is implied, but is never overt, as the dialogue doesn't include the related lines, from the film and Jessica breaks off things just as Logan moves in close to her. They debate the system and Logan makes his implied threat, about the "misfits" who run. Jessica leaves and Francis enters with two women, to have a party. The scene of him tossing a narcotic container into the air, creating a powder burst, is not there.

The character's are drawn in a more generic fashion, as Marvel most likely didn't have the rights to use the likeness of the actors (which are usually negotiated with the actor's, rather than the studio). Richard Jordan's 1970s sideburns are closer to muttonchops, in the comic, and Logan has a beefier physique and longer blond hair than Michael York. Jessica is portrayed with longer hair, with more body to it, than Jenny Agutter's style, in the film. Perez also draws her as far bustier than Agutter, which is no surprise, if you have followed his career.

The comic continues as the film, with Francis and Logan meeting up at the Sandman HQ and seeing a wounded comrade, who was attacked by "Cubs", in "Cathedral (Chicago fans are pretty rough! ). There follows the remote termination of a runner, which Perez fleshes out, from the film scenes, adding electronic images of the runner. Then, Logan goes in for his debriefing of the previous night's termination and the subject of the ankh, Sanctuay and runners. Perez has to depict a rather static scene and juxtaposes different angles of Logan with the computer screen, with its questions and answers to Logan's queries. It then reprograms Logan's Lifeclock to Lastday and assigns him the mission to find and destroy Sanctuary and it ends on a cliffhanger of Logan running out, conflicted by his lost years, the things that Jessica said, his assignment and the ambuguity of what happens to him if he achieves his mission.

By issue #2, Gerry Conway is out, as both EIC and the writer of the adaptation. David Anthony Kraft takes over, while Archie Goodwin assumes the editorship.

We pick up the story in the training areas, as Francis ties to shake off his hangover/drug stupor with a soak in a jacuzzi, where Logan catches up and questions Francis about if he ever knew anyone who renewed, on Carousel. Francis notices the anxiety present in Logan and is troubled by his obsession with renewal.

There is a departure, as a scene between Logan and some comrades, with a medicine ball, is inserted, to allow a recap of the first issue....





Logan uses a very Kirby-esque machine to identify and locate Jessica, leading to her coming to his apartment, as in the film.....



In the film script, Logan uses his handheld device to locate Jessica and a younger Sandman brings her to his apartment. In the film, he is seated at a console and she just walks in, saying she had been compelled to come there.

Jessica sees her friends and discusses things with them and they decide that Logan is too dangerous to trust and must die. The female member of the group is depicted rather like Natasha Romanoff, in the comic. The scenes are similar to the film, except Perez depicts the would-be assassins being far closer to strangling him with a necklace, when he receives a runner alert.



Logan and Jessica take a Maze Car into Cathedral, followed by her friends. Francis sees the alert, at HQ and goes to aid Logan and watch him. Logan and Jessica enter the forbidden area of Cathedral, where wild Yellows, those between ages 8 and 16, called Cubs, live. They are the rejects, those too wild and rebellious for society, put out into Cathedral, until they have matured or been killed off....mostly the latter. Logan and Jessica are cornered and their leader, Billy taunts them, while Logan responds, in kind, noting Billy's age. No Cubs over 15. He unnerves Billy and he orders use of Muscle, a drug, in some kind of impregnated pad. In the film, Logan pulls out his Gun and drives them off; Perez draws Logan fighting free to get to his Gun, lying further away, on the ground. After the Cubs are gone, they find the runner, a woman, who knows nothing about the ankh and Sanctuary. Logan passes her a gas pellet, from his utility belt, to help her escape, if she is discovered. Francis witnesses this and terminates the woman, after Logan and Jessica depart. Jessica's friends follow, at a distance, while Francis reports the termination of the runner and the issue ends.

The comic has Logan give the woman the key he took off the previous runner. In the film, he retains it, as is shown in the script, as well.

The comic leaves out the encounter with the little girl, Mary 2, who steals Jessica's armband.

In the script, Jessica confesses that she was leading Logan to an ambush, then confesses she has no actual knowledge of Sanctuary or the route. Logan then decides to follow the lead of the New You shop, where the earlier runner got a new face. The comic picks things up there, in issue #3. In the script, Logan and Jessica witness Francis terminating the woman and flee, after Francis and Logan lock eyes. There follows a scene of Francis reporting for debriefing and placing the objects he took off the dead woman and the computer commands him to IDENTIFY, which he does, then the word REJECT comes on screen and an alarm sounds. Francis starts to leave, hesitates, then scoops up the items and puts them back into his pouch. When he goes outside, the other Sandmen ask what happened and he claims he grabbed the wrong bag and they tell him he should report for reliefcall. He moves off, as the scene switches to the New You shop.

Logan and Jessica meet Holly, the receptionist, and then Doc, the man who performs the procedure. They set up Logan for his face change. In the comic, Logan has a wound, from Billy's knife. Doc questions why Jessica brought him there and she responds that he insisted. Doc tries to kill him, using the lasers of the reconstruction machine. Logan fights him off and knocks Doc onto the table, where he is killed by the lasers. Francis turns up and confronts Logan, telling him what he saw, but Logan punches him and he and Jessica run off. In the comic they emerge into the stairwell, leading to the lower levels of the city. In the script and the film there is a chase through Arcade and into the Love Shop, where Logan and Jessica are separated, pulled into orgies with the brothel workers, before they extricate themselves, link up and go out a door and find the stairwell. In the film, there is less detail than in the script, though more explicit scenes were filmed and cut, to keep a PG rating.

In the comic, as they go below and run into the crowd of conspirators, Logan activates his handheld device....



In the film, Francis leads them there, using the chaos to confront Logan. Logan and Jessica escape and come to the door, to the next segment of the route, where a voice tells them to use their key. The script says each key can only be used once. Jessica takes off her necklace and they try to maneuver the key, but drop it in a pool of water, where they can't locate it. Logan takes out his key, from the dead runner and uses it to open the gate. In the film, Francis follows, after finding Jessica's key. In the comic, he uses the key Logan gave to the woman in Cathedral. They find what appears to be a derelict processing center for plankton and other marine protein, for the City's food. Francis fires on them, bursting a tank, unleashing a torrent of water that sweeps them down the pathway. They survive and get to an elevator, that takes them to another chamber. There, they discover extreme cold and the robotic Box.

During the confrontation with the conspirators, Perez depicts the same people as we see earlier, when Jessica consults with her friends, including the Natasha Romanoff doppelganger. In the film, they appear to be different actors, with Richard Kiley voicing the leader, though the actor is not seen. Kiley did a lot of voicework, but can be seen in an episode of Columbo, as a deputy commissioner who helps a fiend cover up the accidental death of his wife, then uses the faked scenario to murder his own wife and gain control over her money.

The issue has plenty of action, for Perez and he uses a lot of his visual tricks that would become signatures, expanding beyond a lot of what he had done before.

Issue 4 picks up as Logan and Jessica see the sculptures created by Box he asks to sculpt them and they agree and don furs, to get out of their wet clothes. As Box sculpts them, they see the secret of this place, as there is cell upon cell of frozen humans...



Box completes the sculpture and they learn the truth, that Box used to process marine protein for food, but the arrivals stopped. Then, when people turned up, in the form of the runners, he continued, using them as protein for processing. The city has been eating Soylent Green (same screenwriter, remember). Logan battles with Box and fires his gun into hi, destroying him. Explosions rip through the refrigeration plant and they escape. They go through rock passages until they emerge from a cave and see the sun, in the sky. Then, they experience the outside world...and love.



Francis finds the ruins of Box and the facility and the passage outside, where he sees the son. he continues to hunt his friend.

Logan and Jessica move on and find the ruins of Washington DC....



They explore and come upon the Capitol building and hear sounds, inside, and find an old man, cracking walnuts, surrounded by ruins, hundreds of cats and thousands of books. They question each other and share information, though the old man is a bit senile and child-like. The Old Man takes Logan aside to show him a portrait which shares the same hair color he once had and Jessica is grabbed from behind and silenced, by Francis, who intends to kill them both.



Logan defends himself and kills Francis, who finally acknowledges Logan's "renewal, with his dying breath.

In the script, Francis stumbles around, outside, in fear of everything, including a rabbit. He is hungry and finds the same berries that Logan and Jessica eat, but is too afraid to eat them, too conditioned to what he knew. In the battle, Francis' dying words are delirious ramblings about shooting runners.

Logan, Jessica and the Old Man return to the city, intent on bringing the truth to people. He and Jessica enter the city via a water intake and then try to alert a crowd, in Arcade, but are grabbed by Sandmen. Logan is then interrogated by the computer....



The computer explodes in the face of Logan's information and the city itself starts going up. Logan finds Jessica and leads her and others outside the city, to the Old Man, to face the future.

In terms of an adaptation, it does a phenomenal job of conveying the film, both in story and visual; plus, it has the added bonus of including material cut from the film, which expands some elements...mainly Francis and how deadly an adversary he is. Sadly, it doesn't include enough of the later material which would expand upon how his world has been shattered by Logan running, for real. The script's scenes of Francis being in near terror, at the outside world, yet still following through on pursuing Logan and Jessica, really adds a lot to the character that was lost in the film (though enough is there and Jordan was a really good actor, who conveyed a lot, with just a look) and not picked up here. The comic falls under the Comics Code, so they had to tone down even the PG-level of sex and nudity, though it is funny that they didn't really have to tone down the violence. You can kill people, you can punch the crap out of them, but depict an act of love or show a boob and out you go.

The comic doesn't pursue the food element as much as the film emphasizes it, though even the film drops it, once Box and Logan are fighting and it never comes up again.

Reading the script and the comic, I started to wonder if the film script hadn't pursued an idea that had been lost from the novel. Both mention that the New You shop had only ever done work on one other Sandman, which seemed significant, but nothing comes of it in either form, the script, the comic or the movie. I half wondered if the idea was started of following the novel to reveal that Francis was Ballard, the legendary old man. In the novel, he had a defective Lifeclock, which never signaled Lastday and his face was disguised to hide his aging. It is he who directs Logan to the final stage of the Sanctuary line, which turns out to be an orbital space station, with rocket launches from the former Cape Canaveral. If Francis was Ballard, then he might have gone to New You to hide the effects. Doc is a Red, who looks younger, because of his own work, as detailed in dialogue, so the idea was at least planted. My guess is that Goodman had toyed with the idea, but dropped it in rewrites, but felt the references were minimal and could just act as a general statement, rather than a leading one. Of course, it might just me reading into the work, based on having read the novel. Ballard morphed, slightly, into Ustinov's Old Man, in terms of someone older than the legal limit, encountered at the end of the journey. In the novel, there was no change to the Lifeclocks, as the citizens lived across the country, not just in the one metro complex. They played outside and inside, unlike the film world and Logan and Jessica go to several locales within the US.

David Anthony Kraft and George Perez had worked together on Man-Wolf and work together well, here. Conway gets the ball rolling pretty well, though, given his history when he took over as EIC, I have to wonder who he took the assignment from, as happened on other books. Maybe he didn't; but, as they say on The Sweeney, he had form.

Marvel wasn't done with Logan's Run, though. They continued on, with a new story. Kraft and Perez were gone, though, and John Warner too over writing, while Tom Sutton & Terry Austin picked up the art.



Now, at the same time, William F Nolan published a sequel, called Logan's World. Within it, Logan, Jessica and their son have returned to Earth, along with other residents of Sanctuary, because the station was dying and its orbit became unstable. In that story, their son becomes ill and Logan is forced to return to the city, to locate medicine, which brings him in conflict with the remaining residents, who are controlled by the Sandmen. Logan is perceived as a traitor, to them, and they want his head. I don't know if it was parallel thinking or whether John Warner was aware of the novel's plot, as his story follows somewhat similar lines, but different paths.

Issue 6 opens with the fallout of the ending of the film. The mob, scared of the uncertainty of the future, reacts in violence, though mostly directed at the Sandmen, including Logan, as representatives of the old corrupt order.....



They are imprisoned in a section of Arcade, and then the other Sandmen turn on Logan, for causing all of this. He is forced to fight off a couple, before another, calmer head puts a stop to it and they just leave Logan to himself and look for a way out of their situation.

Further conflict arises as the citizens experience their first storm, as lightning strikes a city spire, through the shattered dome, and rain pours into it. The city wasn't built with rain in mind and it shorts out electrical systems and causes flooding, since it has no outlet (though the scale of it, as presented, would have to be more on a hurricane scale, than a thunderstorm, for that level of flooding). There is no organization to the city and the residents panic. Jessica makes her way to Arcade and finds Logan, then makes a plea to the mob to free him, to see if he can help. The Sandmen start organizing things and move the crowd to higher ground, taking back up their Guns. Logan works on search & rescue and tries to use his Gun to blast away debris, but pierces a wall that unleashes a torrent of water down the passage, sweeping them away. He tries to get people to swim, as they are carried along the current, then uses the Gun to blast out of a section, after they have been sucked under, into some kind of conduit. Logan gets a small group to safety.

Priest 7, the cooler headed Sandman, continues to bark orders and basically tells the populace that they must follow the order set forth by the Sandman, in absence of the computer. Logan challenges him as an absolute authority, as it is clear he is using the situation to establish power, for himself and the Sandmen, as an elite force, much like fascist everywhere.



Unbeknownst to Logan or the others, the calamity has broken barriers to Cathedral and Billy sees an opportunity to kill Sandmen. Meanwhile, as Priest organizes things at Sandman HQ, they see isolated power readings, showing some parts of the city still have power. Logan and Jessica discover the same and deduce that the source is something isolated from the central power, and realize it is Carousel. They go there and stat ripping up the base platform and discover a shaft, descending beneath the city floor. Logan uses the anti-gravity field to safely descend the shaft, but is puzzled that it would be operational, when everything else isn't (well, except whatever is powering the Sandmen equipment, which is giving them readings, on monitor screens). Logan doesn't see a shadowy figure observing him....



Logan finds a burnt out unit, so there was damage, but, the story ends as he realizes the significance, while we see Billy and the Cubs lurk in the shadows of Arcade, ready to attack the Sandmen and Jessica.

Then, we get Scott Edelman and Mike Zeck's Thanos story, as Thanos and Drax do battle.



The gist of the story is that Thanos has come to a planet, where the last living plant is flowering, to destroy it, while killing the caretakers. Drax has been hunting him and tracks him there and attacks. A mother and child try to stop Thanos from destroying the plant and are hurled over a cliff, by Thanos, but Drax saves them, lest they be killed like his wife and child (though he would learn his child survived and became Moondragon). Thanos still squishes the flower, because he is an A-hole.

So, Marvel's continuation isn't the same as Logan's World, but both hit upon the idea of a return to the city and a fight with Sandmen, who try to hang onto their position in society, via Priest 7's attempt to take full authority and the populace being scared enough to forget their hatred of the Sandmen and the lies built up, which they defended. The level of water coming into the city, even with the lack of an outlet, is ridiculously high, speaking as someone who has lived through a major hurricane, where it rained for 3 or 4 days straight, as well as multiple Midwest thunderstorms and tornadoes. Cities can flood faster, due to concentration and lack of proper storm drains, or blocked drains, but, to reach the levels depicted, so quickly, is ridiculous. Still....comics.

The Thanos story is slight and has nothing to do with the series; but, it was ready and could fill in a page gap.

Issue 7 finds Logan trying to avoid a defensive system around Carousel's core, while Billy and the Cubs launch their attack. A girl named Angel tries to focus Billy, but he just wants to cut Sandman. Angel has a head for tactics and strategy and is a born leader.



The citizens fight back, but they have no training and have had soft lives. Angel forces a Sandman, at knifepoint, to lead them to food dispensers. When they get there, they discover them inoperative, because of the dead computer. They start rioting, until Jessica and the Old Man come on the scene and the Cubs see the future and are afraid. Then, the Sandmen arrive, in force, with Guns blasting. Billy and Angel grab Jessica and use her as a hostage. the cubs hurl Muscle (the drug that speeds their reflexes, but is dangerous to anyone over 13) and the Sandmen lose control, in the gas haze that results. Angel is hit, in the retreat.

Logan returns to find Priest and the others and learns about Jessica, but is frozen out of their effort to tame the Cubs.

Priest 7 is in HQ, contemplating a show of force, as a deterrent to the Cubs, but has no real plan, when a strange voice begins speaking to him....



Logan goes to Sandman HQ and retrieves a replacement uniform, with the intent of restoring some dignity and pride to the position of Sandman and retrieves an old school Gun, which has six chambers, each carrying a specific round: Web, Drill, Rip, Cloud, Flash and Seeker. he believes it will give him an edge, with the Cubs. He does not see that he is followed, by Modar, one of the Sandmen he fought in the cell.

Billy tries to bandage Angel's wound and hurts her and Jessica takes over and redoes it properly, based on her experience helping wounded runners. Billy threatens to kill her and Angel threatens to kill him, if he tries.

Priest organizes his attack force, but says he needs Logan and Modar returns, with knowledge of his whereabouts.

Logan goes into Cathedral and bluffs Billy into moving away from Jessica and throws a gas pellet. he gets Jessica below the gas and retrieves his modern Gun. he and Billy face each other, without weapons. Billy, on Muscle, has the edge in speed and agility, but Logan has extensive combat training, which compensates for Billy's lack of experience and Billy makes mistakes. Logan is able to throw and injure Billy, but Billy lands near the blaster Gun and grabs it. He is topped from using it by Angel, who allows Logan and Jessica to leave. Soon afterwards, the Sandmen attack. Logan realizes that Priest will try to kill them and they run deeper inside. Priest finds Logan's blaster Gun and believes he is unarmed and intends to corner him and the issue ends....never to be completed.

Unfortunately, Marvel did not outright license the property of Logan's run, just the film...or, at least, that is how MGM saw it and they were busy launching the tv series. Marvel was forced to stop the series. They had two backup stories in the works, for issues 9 and 10, which went unused, until they were repurposed as a complete story in Bizarre Adventures #28 (the issue with the Elektra story, from Frank Miller), titled "Huntsman. It is a basic story about a Sandman...er Huntsman, named Ballard. We see him and another cadet, Cable, in training, where they are taken to a slum area, for an exercise, and run into Cubs....Ratpackers, who get Cable's gun, beofe being driven off by the instructor. They continue after their target, a woman, who turns out to be an android, for the test. Ballard hesitates to shot, but Cable hits it. Later then instructor tells them they are the best and if they follow his lead, they can retire at 35 and avoid the Body Banks, for 10 years and get the inside track on joining the Golden Circle of the privileged. They find themselves against real targets and Ballard continues to hesitate, but not Cable. They here there is a new inside track to joining the Golden Circle, but, in the end, find themselves hunting a runner, who turns out to be their instructor. The inside track turned out to be going into the Arena, where no one seems to survive. He ran, instead and was killed by his star pupils.

The story would likely have been a backstory of a young cadet, possibly young logan, who finds out the system is corrupt. The rewriting adds elements that kind of match the tv series, where it turns out the city is ruled by a hidden Council of Elders, who offer Francis membership to destroy Logan and Jessica, after they escape from the city. Francis rejects what he sees outside the city and continues to hunt Logan and Jessica. They encounter civilizations outside the city, for good and ill, in the basic Fugitive template, where they travel around, with the android, REM, helping people, while Francis hunts them. Other Sandmen joined Francis, yet no one else rebels, which was one of several failings of the series (that and the whole template, which gets repetitive and lacks the scope of the film). Same basic idea, here.

And that was all, from Marvel, Later, Malibu, under their Adventure imprint, published a new adaptation of Logan's Run, based more directly on the original novel, written and drawn by Barry Blair. Sadly, although it was a nice idea, Blair wasn't up to the task, artistically, and it looks like every other Blair comic, right down to generic character designs, making it hard to differentiate people, without dialogue. It includes stuff from the novel not adapted into film, like the "peeping party" that Logan attends and the travel across country, and the forced sex with the pseudo-Native tribe. It was followed by an adaptation of Logan's World. If you can get past Blair's art (which is a major "if,") they adapt the material faithfully and are a cheaper alternative to buying the books, if you can find them.

I used to own this omnibus edition of the novels....



...published by Dell. Love the cover image, as it captures the flavor perfectly; and, the use of the Calico 9mm machine pistol for the Sandman Gun, was an inspired choice, by the artist. The Gun in the novel was based on a Colt Peacemaker 6-shooter, with six chambers, housing six unique rounds. The Calico was notable for a magazine that was a cylinder, with a helical feed mechanism, that could hold more rounds that an average stick magazine, in a compact package and was less prone to jamming or having spring issues, like drum magazines, as used on the Thompson "Tommy Gun." That magazine makes a nice futuristic cylinder for the Sandman gun. Plus, the design was so advanced that it looked like something from the future, which made it perfect for a sci-fi prop.



That book sells for around $50, these days. I really wished I had kept mine. I had both Logan's Run and Logan's World, before that, bought on the cheap, but never found a copy of Logan's Search. When I saw that edition, in a Waldenbooks, I snapped it up. A couple of moves later and I purged a lot of books, including, sadly, that one (and several other I wish I had kept, but space was necessary).

My next entry into the Cosmos of Coolness (comic book division) is from Dark Horse and Star Wars:

Tag & Bink.



First, a little background. The success of Star Wars, in 1977, brought immediate Star Wars parodies, such as Hardware Wars...



It also gave us unfunny trainwrecks, like the Holiday Special, but we are talking about the funny stuff. A generation later, a fan made a short film that both spoofed Star Wars and the Fox tv show COPS.....



The short was called TROOPS and the mind behind it belonged to Kevin Rubio. Rubio was california and had a theater and photgraphy background. He was working for Fox, after drawing their attention with an animated short, Re-Animation. he was working designing and developing characters for Fox Kids and ended up heading the cel animation art department. Troops came about in 1997 and boosted his career, big time. One of the jobs he got was writing Star Wars stories, for Dark Horse's Star Wars Tales, with issue #4, "A Death Star is Born."

The story features Grand Moff Tarkin presenting the designs for the Death Star, to the Emperor, for his approval.



Boy was that prophetic!

The designer also happens to have his daughter's hologram projector and mixes the two up, showing Yogi Bear catoons, before he pulls out the right one. The story is a brilliant mix of classic Star Wars, with the animosity between Vade and Tarkin, reminding us that Vader was originally the henchman, not the villain, in Star Wars. It als ads comical discussions as to the design, which provide a rationale both for the flaw in the design (which made more sense than Rogue One's version, if you ask me) and how they fell into the hands of the rebels.





In the end, the Emperor doesn't have the safety railing installed, because it would put up the cost by 36%.

The Emperor then asks about the exhaust port, saying that if he had a nickel for every time an enemy flew a ship in and blew up a reactor, he could build two of these things. They have to vent radiation and reach a compromise size of 2 meters across, which no one could hit.......

....well, except Vader, as he points out. The meeting wraps up and they start to leave and Vader hands the designer the holo projector he forgot



There are some great moments in there, like when Tarkin starts choking and the Emperor immediately turns to Vader, who pleads innocence and Tarkin recovers, saying his coffee hit the wrong pipe.

He followed that up with another story, in issue 7, with a parody of Pulp Fiction and the Prequels....

"Force Fiction"



Not quite a s funny, though there are a few good lines and a lot of fun, in the background....



I especially like Yoda in a booster seat.

So, anyway, Dark Horse was happy, the fans were happy, Lucasfilm was happy. So, Rubio got to try a longer story and he took his inspiration from Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The play follows along two observers to the events of Hamlet, from their perspective, moving in and out of the scenes in Shakespeare's play. Here, the observers are two Rebel soldiers, Tag Greenly and Bink Otauna. We first meet them aboard the Tantive IV, as they crash into Artoo and Threepio. They move on, as alarms sound, telling Threepio to stay out of the way. They are part of the assembled crew, trying to stop the Imperial boarding party and they don't fancy their chances, especially with their crazy officers.....



They run off to hide in a storeroom, where they run into Threepio again and argue, as Princess leia loads the Death Sta plans into Artoo, in the background. Stormtroopers catch Tag & Bink and Threepio decides that it is time for him to leave. They are marched out, arguing, as a stormtrooper ridicules their rebellion and says they have it good. Tag makes quick use of one of those mouse droid things and causes the trooper to slip on it, thanks to the poor peripheral vision of their helmets. Our heroes clobber the stormtroopers and take their armor, escaping onboard the Imperial Star Destroyer. It just happens to transport their prisoners to the death Star and goes into a parking orbit. They don't like seeing Imperials everywhere and even less when they see Leaia marched off. They decided to steal a TIE Fighter and fly it to Alderaan, which just happens to be nearby.



Well, poop!

With Alderaan destroyed, they have nowhere to go. Just then, the Millennium Falcon jumps out of hyperspace, into the debris. Bink tries to tell Tag not to head to the Death Star, but his comlink is being jammed by the Falcon, so Tag only gets every other word and heads back to the Death Star hangar.

They find themselves marching around with other stormtroopers, until a sergeant details them to a guard post, where they wonder what is going on. They miss Ben Kenobi climbing around on the tractor beam controls, shutting them down. Tag gears something, but Bink says it is topgas venting. Tag questions this and Bink wonders if he has been in the armor too long...



They end up confined to quarters, because they let Ben get passed them, then decide to escape and slip into Tie Pilot uniforms, just in time for the Rebel attack. We see Vader detail two pilots to follow him, who end up killed int he fighting and the Death Star is blown up.

Except they were not the two pilots; they were behind them. They head in another direction, to another hangar and find a sweet ride.....



It turns out to be Tarkin's shuttle and since he refused to possibility of evacuating, the guards are redeployed and the pair fly it off the station, before Luke's torpedo hits home. However, they are knocked way off course by the shockwave of the explosion and it takes them months to get back to the Rebel base, which they find deserted, after some big celebration. They even find a leftover medal....



They run into a bounty hunter, poking around the remains of the base and through luck are able to subdue him. It is Boba Fett, hunting Han Solo. He doesn't know who they are and they leave him tied up, but he escapes as they lift off. They head for Bespin and Cloud City, because Tank knows Lando Calrissian, who dated both of his sisters. He got stuck juggling the pair and Tag provided him an alibi, which he has used ever since. Something about the Battle of Taanab. he hides them out and tells them to keep a low profile. They have just the thing, with spare stormtrooper armor. However, Threepio stumbles into their hiding place and Tag blasts him.

They end up as part of the guard in the freezing chamber, but Tag gets knocked over the side, by an angry Chewie. He wakes up later, with Bink standing over them, telling him they have to leave. The local population isn't happy to see them and a mob chases them. They make it to the Rebel fleet and present the Imperial shuttle to Mon Motha.

That initial two part mini is followed up by a second, The return of Tag & Bink.....



Tag & Bink end up working with Lando, on a mission to meet a Rebel spy contact and try to get Han from Boba Fett. Lando is romancing a woman, in a bar, when Tag & Bink pull him out. Except, the woman turns out to be the link to the spy, Manuel and she was also going to help Lando get Han off Fett's ship. So, they go to Plan B and con Boba into landing his ship and confronting him in the stormtrooper armor, while Lando sneaks aboard and frees Han. Unfortunately, he has already delivered Han to Jabba and Lando conks him on the head and they move to Plan C. Meanwhile, Boba is paranoid about an ex-girlfriend finding him...or rather, the ex-girlfriend of someone who looks like him, which, since he was part of the DNA for the stormtrooper army, covers a lot of territory.

Plan C involves Tag donning Boba's armor and he is the one inside Jabba's palace, while Bink and Lando are in other disguises. He is the one you see romancing a dancer.

Leia turns up, gets caught and we move on in the Plan alphabet. Luke turns up, gets caught and it is sarlaac time!

Tag gets dumped into the pit. Bink decides it is time to get off Jabba's barge and tries to shoot away Luke's lightsaber, but hits him in the hand.

Bink wakes up to find himself and Tag, in Boba's amor, trussed up and strung up, by the female bounty hunter that Lando was romancing. She takes off Tag's helmet and sees that it isn't Boba and interrogates them. She lets them down and they get back to the arranged meeting with the spy, Manuel. She takes them to him, but he isn't what they expected.



His name is Manuel Both-Hanz, but you can call him Manny. He hands over the tapes of the new Death Star and the prepare to escape, when Bob turns up, in his skivvies and hopping mad. He fires at them and hits Manny, in the chest, boring a hole through his body. He keels over and dies.

Manny Both-Hanz died bringing them the information.

The girl starts firing back at Boba and Tag & Bink use the distraction to escape in the shuttle. They report into Mon Motha, who has them turn the body into Imperial Command, to throw them off the scent. They end up on the new death Star, in Imperial Guard armor, escorting the Emperor.



They are there when Vader turns up with Luke and are dismissed and walk around to the back side of the elevator, and discover there is nothing there. Afraid to look stupid by going back the other way, they hide there while Luke and Vader battle and then the Emperor is tossed down a shaft and explodes. They did not get off the Death Star, which leads to a puzzling ending.....



That leads to a Prequel, where we learn that Tag & Bink were Padawan Jedi, brought to the temple by a pair of lesser Jedi....



They cause all kinds of havoc, for Master Yoda and Master Nu. They are less than stelalr pupils and try to cheat to pass their Outer Rims test and end up uploading a virus that wipes out data related to Count Dooku and a specific planet. They decide to get out of town.

They go to the diner to borow credits from Dex, for passage out of the system, where they get advice from Jango Fett, who is romancing a redhead, when the short order cook calls out that the next order is ready.....Order 66.

Jango flips out and starts shooting up the place and the boys run off to the spaceport and stow away on a ship...the one carrying Padme and Anakin. They are caught by Anakin; but, Tag, being Corellian, is an old smoothie and he gives Anakin advice on romancing Padme, which works. They get left behind and have to hitch their way back to Corruscant and arrive in time for the raising of the Jedi Temple and they meet up with a different Anakin.....



He only cuts off their braids, out of thanks for helping him romance Padme. he tells them to forget the Jedi and get out of town, permanently.

They decide to head for Tatooine, since nothing ever happens there.

Why is it cool? This s@#$ is hilarious!

It's also pretty faithful to the films and actual helps fix some plotholes, in a fun and humorous way, which kind of got lost in all of this Saga of the Skywalkers BS. It's good old fashioned space opera, with a sense of humor, like the original Star Wars, when it was just an adventure film throwback to old Republic serials and Errol Flynn swashbucklers and westerns. No Jedi religions, no dodgy retcons...just two great characters, caught up in all of the madness. It showed that you could do great stories, without directly involving a Skywalker, long before things like The Mandalorian. It was better Star Wars than what followed, much as Galaxy Quest was better Star Trek than subsequent series and movies. The jester always sees the truth at the heart of things.

The art is great, both expressive in the comedy and in capturing the look of the films.

I recommend the trade collection, Tag & Bink Were Here, since it has the whole thing (wish it included the two Star Wars Tales stories, for completeness of Rubio's work) and it will make you laugh ut loud. There are all kinds of sight gags, with the Big Boy restaurant mascot inserted in different points, cameos from Tom Servo, Crow T Robot, Gort, Cyclon Centurians (the classic ones), Jay & Silent Bob and others. Lando is portrayed like Billy Dee Williams in the old Colt 45 tv commercials....



There are a lot of Star Wars comics you can skip and not really miss anything; but, don't skip this one.