Merry X-Lapsed - X-Men #98 (1976)

Merry X-Lapsed!  Day One

X-Men #98 (April, 1976)

"Merry Christmas, X-Men"

Writer - Chris Claremont

Pencils - Dave Cockrum

Inks - Sam Grainger

Letters - Joe Rosen

Colors - Janice Cohen

Edits - Marv Wolfman

Cover Price: $0.25

Merry X-Lapsed, friends!

Today we're starting a Holiday-themed week, during which we're going to take a look as some seminal (and not-so seminal) X-Mas with the X-Men tales!  We kick things off with Chris Claremont's first Christmas-themed issue, (not-yet Uncanny) X-Men #98 (April, 1976) - Our heroes are just trying to enjoy their Christmas Eve at Rockefeller Center... but, unfortunately for them - the Sentinels are Back... and, we're going to talk all about it!

Also: Wolverine reveals that his claws ain't no glove gimmick... and, that he shares shoe polish hair-care tips with Eddie Munster!  Lots to chat about today - let's start the celebration! 

--

@acecomics / @cosmictmill / weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

chrisandreggie.podbean.com

chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

xlapsed.chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/

facebook.com/groups/90sxmen

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 138: Action #37 (1976)

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #138

Action #37 (October 23, 1976)
By Pat Mills, John Wagner, & Steve McManus
IPC Media
Cover Price: 7p

The mornings around here have become this strange game of me opening a blank blog post and trying to "batch upload" pictures... just to see if any of my Blogger-worries have been assuaged.  Welp... it's one'a those good news, bad news situations.  I can, in fact, batch-upload... it's just that the images don't exactly stay uploaded.  As soon as I set one image where I want it... the rest of them disappear completely.  I know I must sound like a broken-record after a week of these "updates", but... this is Google, right?  I mean, they are a pretty big company, no?

Oh well... I suppose this just gives me another excuse to reminisce.  And so, today I'll share the story of Cosmic Treadmill... After Dark.

Secret Society of Super-Villains #1 (1976)

Secret Society of Super-Villains #1 (May-June, 1976)
"Attend --or Die!"
Writer/Edits - Gerry Conway
Pencils - Pablo Marcos
Inks - Bob Smith
Cover Price: $0.30

Over the course of the past few weeks, I've been trying to make good on a promise I made to the wife about... cleaning up the comics-areas of the house.  Right now, I've got around three rooms full of the stuff, and since I'm constantly digging into boxes in order to write and/or talk about specific issues, it's... well, an absolute disaster.

It's almost a bit embarrassing, but I even shared a picture of my "progress" on the Twitta Machine.

1 of 3 comic-filled rooms I promised the wife I’d clean up once finals were done, sorting and filing has quickly devolved into “look at THIS!” “When did I get THIS?” and “Holy cow, it’s been years since I’ve looked at THIS!”
Room’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets any better! pic.twitter.com/owr2VQYmhN

— Chris Sheehan (@AceComics) April 27, 2020

In that li'l tweet I mentioned the fact that, when attempting to "organize" the stuff, it's just so easy to become distracted.  It's sort of like visiting old friends... and, at the same time, discovering new ones!  Such is the book we're going to be discussing today.  It's a book that, clearly I picked up somewhere down the road, but I have absolutely no memory of it!

Now this is a special one, not only is it an issue of Secret Society of Super-Villains, not only is it the first issue of Secret Society of Super-Villains... no, no, no... it's even more special than that!  Ya see, today we're going to be looking at Mark's first issue of Secret Society of Super-Villains!

Get excited!  You know I am!

--

We open with Captain Cold and Mirror Master rushing away from a jewelry store, loot in hand.  The N.Y.P.D. are in hot pursuit.  Through some creative use of their powers, the pair'a villains are able to give the boys in blue the slip, and before we know they're back at their roach motel to divvy up the dosh.  Turns out, these goofballs didn't quite hit the mother-lode they were expecting.  While they were lookin' fer a six-figure total, they barely scraped together five.  As they argue about whether or not they're "holding out" on one another, a rock comes flying through their window.  On it, a note... with an invitation!

We shift scenes to Gorilla City, where boring ol' Grodd has busted out of his prison once again.  He beats the heck out of the Gorilla City Guards, all the while annoyingly lecturing them on how walls and bars don't quite a cell make... or something.  He laughs... and vanishes.

From here, we jump to the Special Security Federal Penitentiary Number Three, where Copperhead... the "Serpentine King of Crime" is currently busting out of the joint.  Ya see, one of his followers smuggled his swell suit into the clink during meal time.  The lackey reveals that he didn't work alone, and shares with him... an invitation!  Now, Copperhead is the type of character I'd think of growing up when I'd compare Marvel villains with DC villains.  He just strikes me as so ugly, and so boring.

Next stop, San Francisco... where Sinestro is answering an invitation of his own.  He touches down, and changes his image a bit in order to appear more human before gazing up to the clandestine "Citadel Sinister".  In a really cool bit, we get one of those old-fashioned "cross-sections" of the building, which tells us about all the works going on within.  Why, they've even got a tailor up in there!  Whoever's behind this is doin' it right!

Sinestro heads inside, and is greeted by a French woman calling herself Camille.  She leads him to the elevators so he can head up to the lounge for whatever meeting is about to take place.

Once Sinestro is loaded in, and headed skyward, our "Camille" reveals that she is actually... Star Sapphire.  Well, a Star Sapphire.  Mr. Conway doesn't wanna spoil her story here... and so, I won't either... mostly because I'm not all that familiar with it!  She flies up to the lounge, and it looks like our "meeting" is about to kick off.  Worth noting, the caption mentions that Catwoman is a part of this "team", but we don't see her at all.

Now, as the baddies get settled in... they are suddenly attacked by: the Justice League!  If you're thinking this might play out just like the image on the cover... well, uh... yeah, that's exactly how it goes.  We spend three pages of the Secret Society fighting (and beating) some JLA robots.  Woo?

This was all an exhibition, courtesy of their "host substitute"... Manhunter!  Ay yai yai.

Manhunter introduces himself as a clone of Paul Kirk... and says he is here as a proxy for the actual leader of this Secret Society... whose name he won't reveal.  He "sells" them on the concept of joining forces... and lists off some of the perks their association will enjoy.  He informs the gang that he has been tasked with "testing" them... and declares that the testing will begin with Gorilla Grodd and Copperhead!  Wow, I guess we'll get the most boring characters out of the way first!

Before we know it, the baddie tandem are headed to Jim Aparo's buddy Chuck's lighthouse!  They're here to swipe a solid sphere of Plutonium... that is being guarded by like four guards and an old man.  Feels like a pretty underwhelming "test", dunnit?  I mean, one of these baddies is a giant genius gorilla.  Anyhoo, Grodd takes out the guards... like in one panel, while Copperhead slithers up the side of the lighthouse, and beats up the "creepy old man" who is handling the isotope.

With the sphere under his arm, Copperhead rushes back outside to re-board the Secret Society aircraft.  Along the way, however, he is shot in the shoulder by a recovering guard.  This causes him to go down, and drop the bauble into the drink.  The plutonium is gone forever... 

Gorilla Grodd decides that he ain't about to wait for his slithery compatriot... and, well... abandons him, to bleed out and/or get rearrested on the rocks outside the lighthouse!  We wrap up with Grodd informing Manhunter that Copperhead "betrayed them"... which, I mean... I couldn't care less about the snake man, but that's just a jerk move.

--

Hey, this wasn't half-bad!  Wasn't quite sure what to expect here... and, honestly, I'm still not entirely sure.

This was your standard "assembling the forces" sort of issue, which is fine.  I'm kind of a sucker for stories like this... so, I don't have any complaints in that regard.  I will say, if one of the big "gotchas" in the book is the revelation that the Justice League the Society spends several pages fighting are robots... maybe you don't put that on the cover?  I mean, not that I'd assume the actual League would show up... and get beaten back by these geeks... but, still.  

The characters we get here are a pretty good assortment... and I appreciate the fact that, even after a single issue, the "order" kind of changes with the loss of Copperhead.  That gives this series a feeling that there are actual stakes... and, that we might lose (or gain) members at any time.  They mystery behind the benefactor... which, I didn't want to have spoiled for me... but, did because I guess "knowledge is power" on the comics internet... and we all wanna look like we know stuff.  Granted, I probably shouldn't get all that annoyed about having a near half-century old story "spoiled".  Whatever the case, I won't spoil it, just in case people wanna find out for themselves.

I dug Gorilla Grodd abandoning Copperhead at the lighthouse... and even going so far as to lie about the snake-man betraying the Society.  This shows us that there's no loyalty among baddies.  This "team" is very different than their heroic counterparts.  We wouldn't see Superman abandon the Flash in times of trouble... but, we will see the villains turn on one another in a moment's notice.

Overall... had a good time with Mark's issue of Secret Society of Super-Villains... though, I do wish the fella was a little more gentle with his copy.  Writing inside the comic?  Clipping out coupons (see below)?  C'mon, Mark... think of your future, man!  You could've been sitting on a $24 fortune right now!

--

Most of (Not the) Letters Page (dammit, Mark!):

--

PSA:

--

Interesting Ads (aka. I hope you enjoyed your 204 soldiers, Mark!):

Brave and the Bold #124 (1976)

Brave and the Bold #124 (January, 1976)
"Small War of the Super Rifles"
Story - Bob Haney
Art - Jim Aparo
Edits - Murray Boltinoff
Cover Price: $0.25

I come to you today on final-finals day.  Got my last big exam of the semester this afternoon... and so, hopefully once that (and wrapping up the big podcast hitting this weekend) are out of the way, I'll get the opportunity to breathe a bit.  Though, I am one of "those people" who always seems to need to have something to worry about... I guess we'll see!

Wanna apologize for being lax in my responses to comments left on the last several articles... I will get those answered hopefully in the next day or two!

So, whatta we got here... from the looks of it, something a bit zany, no?  Poor Jim Aparo being held up by Cobra Commander... this is going to be weird!  Let's dig in to this dog-eared, rolled-spined pile'a pulp and find out just how weird!

--

We open with a drive-by shooting in Gotham City... we got some of those Cobra Commander-looking terrorists firing into a crowd of people (and a dog!).  Turns out, one of those people was Batman in a rubber human mask... oof.  He dives on top of the baddies' car and goes for a ride, while the police follow in hot pursuit.  The terrorists drop one of their number off at... I dunno, some office or something, before taking off again.  Batman decides to follow this thread, and leave the "chase" to Gotham's finest.  I do love how nonchalant these evil murderers are about making a "pit stop" during a high-speed chase.  Anyhoo... Batman looks into the doorway, and is fired upon by a big ol' rifle...

... which, then goes "boom"... right in the terrorist's face!  Batman attempts to get a closer look, to confirm just what in the heck just happened (and to rule out suicide, I guess), when he's approached by an old friend... Sgt. Frank Rock!  He's here looking for a cache of stolen experimental rifles... just like the very one that exploded in this dude's face.

The heroes decide to work together in tracking down this stolen arsenal... and figure their best "first stop" would be down at the Gotham City Police Department.  And so, they check in with the Commish, who angrily (I mean, he looks ticked) proclaims that the rest of the terrorists had gotten away!  Without much of a lead, Batman turns to Rock for advice.  Rock coolly informs him that he pulled a locker key off the dead guy.  Uh, Frank?  You might'a wanted to lead with that!  The locker is at the Bus Depot... and so, before we know it... that's where our heroes go.

Here's... where things get weird... er.  We jump to the Connecticut studio of... Jim Aparo!  He's busy drawing the very story we're currently reading... and is surprised to see what it says on the next page of the script.  Ya see, on the next page... Batman and Sgt. Rock... die!  You'd think that'd be an immediately red-flag, but in fairness... we gotta assume it's a Haney script, and probably one of the tamest Aparo has seen in a bit.  What we actually find out is... the terrorists (yes, the Cobra Commanders from the actual comic) have rewritten the comic to end with the death of the heroes.  Poor Jim Aparo is bein' held up at gunpoint... and is being forced to kill Batman!

Aparo is told in no uncertain terms that he's gotta follow the new script... or, ya know, die.  Jim accidentally-on-purpose snaps his pencil, and asks if it's cool if he go to his storeroom for another.  The terrorists have already staked the whole place out, and know that there are no windows in that storeroom... so, they allow it.  What they didn't take into account, however, was the fact that Aparo's a wiry dude... who might just fit through a vent.  Which is exactly what he does in order to escape!  Next we know, Jim's hopped in his boat, and is hightailing it to a nearby "abandoned-reconditioned" lighthouse where his buddy Chuck sometimes stays.  Inside, wouldn'tcha know it, there's a drafting table and a whole lotta comic-crafting materials!  He gets back to work, and deftly saves Batman and Sgt. Rock's lives in the next panel he draws.  Wow... this was all on one page!

Back in the story, Rock nyoinks Batman away from the locker (feels like it's been days since we first saw this scene) right before it explodes.  Yes, the whole thing was a trap!  Unfortunately, back in the "real world", this is all Aparo's got.  Sure, he's saved the heroes' lives... but, what's next?  He decides to call his buddy and co-conspirator in all things Brave and/or Bold... Bob Haney!  Jim sounds like an absolute crazy person here... talkin' about the terrorists from inside the book trying to stop them from exposing them in the actual printed comic.  Luckily, he's talking to Chevy Chase's sorta-kinda step-uncle (true story!), who might have a higher tolerance for wackiness.  Haney then calls Murray Boltinoff for... I dunno... story approval?  Okay, now we know this is a complete fiction... there's no way Haney's scripts ever pass under an editor's eyes, right?

Haney goes ahead and gives Aparo the next few story beats.  Ya see, these experimental stolen rifles require a special sort of ammo... and so, they probably oughta check in with some nearby guns-and-ammo shops.  Turns out, that's just the ticket!  The man behind the counter confirms that somebody came in to buy that very special ammunition exactly one week ago.  Batman assumes that they'll be back today for more... and so, he waits outside the gun shop for two whole hours.  Finally, the gunsmith signals to him that "the guy" just made his purchase.

Batman confronts the baddie, who unloads his magnum into the hero's chest!  Batman still manages to tackle the geek... and wonders aloud how he himself survived the experience.  The gunsmith informs our man that he sold the bad guy "blanks" instead of actual bullets.  Well, that's sure handy.

Nearby, Sgt. Rock notices a military vehicle driving down the street, but notes that it has civilian plates.  He decides to dive onto the back of the rig to see where it takes him.  Unfortunately, no sooner is he on-board, than he's faced down by a bunch of Cobra Commanders!  They beat the ever-loving dog out of him... and, get this, dump him off an overpass onto some tracks... where he narrowly avoids getting clobbered by an oncoming train!

Back in the real world, the real-Cobra Commanders meet with their big-boss to let him know what's going on.  The Big Boss is ticked that Aparo and Haney are conspiring against their rock-solid plan to kill Batman.  We jump back to Jim and Bob on the phone, when... suddenly a strange car pulls up to the Haney abode!  Bob (and his dog) hop into his car, and flee the scene.

The terrorists bust into Haney's house, and start looking for clues.  What they manage to find is a chalkboard next to the phone... with the remnants of a phone number written on it.  They assume this is probably whatever number Jim Aparo was calling from.  They check in with one of their contacts at the phone company... and, bingo-bango, they've figured out where Aparo is hiding out.  Meanwhile, Jim is chatting up Murray Boltinoff... and they're attempting to put together the finishing touches of the story.

Back in the story, Batman and Rock (who is somehow still ambulatory) are walking the "blanks-shooting" dude into the Police Labs at the GCPD.  Inside, there's just a rat in a cage.  I will do my best not to date myself with a lyrical reference here.  Anyhoo, Rock tells the Perp that the rat's rabid... and if he doesn't speak up about the rest of the baddies, he's going to let it bite him.  Dude squawks pretty quick.  The organization is calling themselves "The Thousand" (man, these Cobra Commanders always seem to call themselves something different, don't they?)... and they need the rifles because... get this... they've declared war on America.

Back in the real world, Jim Aparo lets out a stretch after (presumably) hours at work on these pages.  He spies out one of the lighthouse windows... an incoming boat!  It's gotta be the terrorists!  Knowing time is short, he makes one last frantic call to Boltinoff so they can bring this story home... unfortunately, ol' Murr didn't quite hang up his phone completely.  Ya see kids, phones used to work a bit differently... when they were left "off the hook", you couldn't get any incoming calls!

Just then, Bob Haney (and his dog) calls in from a payphone.  Haney decides, since the bad guys are closing in, they probably ought to just have Batman and Sgt. Rock come to Aparo's rescue!  Let's not think too hard about it... and just enjoy the ride.  Back in the story, Frank and Batman hop into a helicopter, and head toward Connecticut.

As the terrorists get even closer to the lighthouse... Batman and Sgt. Rock fly overhead, before descending on the baddies and knocking the lot of 'em out!

Annnnnd... that's the end of the story!  Batman and Sgt. Rock win the day... all of our creators are safe and sound... and, uh... yeah, everything's cool!

--

What a delightfully weird little story!

Definitely one ya gotta just let "happen" to ya... because, if we use even an ounce of critical thinking, the whole thing falls apart faster than a Jenga tower in an earthquake.  We have to just "go with it"... the story inside the story is nebulously leaking out into the real-world story... inside the story... or something.  The baddies being written about feel like their plans in the real-world will be negatively affected by the exposure they get in the story-in-the-story... and, uh... Batman and Sgt. Rock have to die in the story-in-the-story, which will change the way things go in the real-world-in-the-story.  Ya dig?  E-Z P-Z!

With all that spoo' spoken... I can't deny that I had a blast with this!  It was just so weird, and so fun.  It didn't make much of a lick of sense, but... I guess they don't always have to.

I wonder how a story such as this might've been received back in 1976.  Personally speaking, if DC/Marvel did a story like this today... say, they had Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo help out Batman with an adventure... I'd probably puke.  But, with Haney and Aparo, they're like these mythical and endearing creators... kind of like part of the "bedrock" of DC Comics.  With hindsight, I can appreciate this as a simple throwaway "funny, ha-ha"... simply because I know the body of work that Haney and Aparo will have ultimately put out... and how much they've both contributed to DC Comics.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, whereas today something like this would be nothing more than a "vanity" issue where creators pat themselves on the back for being clever (and get those "retweets"!), there's a certain innocent earnestness to this story.  Am I projecting?  Maybe I'm projecting?  That's always a possibility probability.

Now, Brave and the Bold has never really been "my jam"... so, I'm not all that knowledgeable on its conceits or anything... do these Cobra Commander-looking terrorists show up a lot?  Or have I just gotten really lucky with my last few picks?  Whatever the case, I suppose they're perfectly good fodder for this sort of story.  Their danger doesn't really come from the individual... but, their sheer number.  I'm almost surprised nobody (to my knowledge) has tried to make them a "thing".  I could see this being something right up... dare I say it... Bendis' alley.  Think about it... thousands... tens-of-thousands of hooded people, part of a secret society bent on world domination... with a wink-and-a-nod to fans of the Bronze Age for "cred"?  Seems a no-brainer to me... but, then again... consider the source.

Overall... had almost too much fun with this one.  This bugger is available digitally for your convenience, if you're interested in seeing it in all its glory!  It's also been collected several times over.  I'd definitely recommend giving it a look!

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

Joker #6 (1976)

Joker #6 (March-April, 1976)
"Sherlock Stalks the Joker!
Story - Denny O'Neil
Pencils - Irv Novick
Inks - Tex Blaisdell
Edits - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.25

The mid-70's Joker series is one of those books that I've had a heck of a time tracking down in the bins.  It's one I see so seldom, I almost attributed this weird mythical status to it.  In all my years of hunting, this li'l oddity has always been a "wall book", ya know what I mean?  I've often joked about the "Joker Tax" comic shops will tag onto any issue with the ol' clown on the cover (which, with how we don't even get a week without a Joker cover appearance these days, makes me fear for future generations of collectors... assuming there will be any!).

Anyhoo, after many dives into the bins... I actually managed to find an issue of the series... for a buck!  Needless to say (since you're reading this piece), that I nabbed the bugger!  And what a weird little book this is... I mean, just check out the cover!

You look at a cover like this one... and say to yourself, "Self?  How could a story like this ever actually happen?".  Surely, the Joker has never met Sherlock Holmes... so, this has gotta be a gag, right?  Well... yes and no... and don't call me Shirley.

There's gotta be some sort of explanation as to how this story could ever happen.  The real question is: Is it gonna be dumb?  Well, elementary my dear readers... in other words, yes... it's going to be very dumb.

--

Our story opens in theater residing in a "medium-size town", where an actor named Clive Sigerson is rehearsing for his role in a play about... Sherlock Holmes.  He is confronted by his arch-nemesis Professor James Moriarty... who, pulls a fast one, by going off script and shooting him square in the face... with a boxing glove.  "Moriarty" then unmasks, revealing himself to be... the Joker.  So, there's our pieces in place!

Sigerson is both befuddled and annoyed at this chain of events, and goes to confront the clown.  Joker picks up Holmes' trademark pipe, and... clonks the actor over the head with it.  He and his gang then start tap-dancing before... exiting, stage left.

The police arrive on the scene some quarter-hour later, and the producer is all out of sorts.  I love this guy!  He's really over-the-top here with his "Scandalous!" outburst!

Anyhoo, we learn that this theater is the Bohemia... and, since this is "Scandalous", Sigerson is reminded of the early Holmes short story A Scandal in Bohemia.  I'm sure that was the first thing that popped into all of our minds as well, right?  Right?  Yeah, Denny's a big Holmes fan... so, this one's going to be kind of reliant on having some knowledge of that character and his lore.  Oh!  And also, since the bonk on the noggin with the pipe, Sigerson now believes himself to be the actual Sherlock Holmes.  He realizes that a photo had been stolen from the set, and through some Rube Goldbergian deduction he thinks he's figured out  promises the Joker's next move.  He heads off.  The producer sends a stagehand along to keep an eye on Sigerson.  You'd think the Officer might intervene to stop this clearly confused man from stalking a serial killer, but... nope!

The stagehand catches up to "Holmes" and tells him he's there to "watchdog" him.  Through a series of contrivances, Sherlock deduces that this fella's name will now be "Dock Watson".  Oy.  Back at the Ha-Hacienda, the Joker tells his goons why he's so stuck on screwing with Sherlock.  Ya see, he's got a real problem with Detectives... and would really like to see all of the "biggies" humiliated.  Who bigger than Sherlock Holmes, right?

Anyhoo, we rejoin Holmes (and Dock) as they're pulling onto the Red Circle Golf Course to chat up a J.B. "Red" Wilson... who, we learn is the President of a newly-formed Air Hockey League.  Wait'll we get through this bout of mental gymnastics.

The Joker's goons rise out of the nearby water hazard to, well, do something, I'm sure.  Holmes rushes in and proceeds to box with Southpaw the Goon.

Even Dock Watson gets in on the actions and kapows... Tooth?  Is this goon's name actually Tooth?  Eesh.  Anyhoo, the Joker then drives a golf ball right into Watson's dome, temporarily kayoing him.

Holmes then, snags a four-iron, and proceeds to duel with the Joker.  He's able to easily disarm the clown... unfortunately for him, however, the Joker has more tricks up his sleeve.

The Joker rushes back to his golf bag and... fires a net in the detective's direction, tangling him up but good long enough for him to flee the scene.  We learn here that our man was at the golf course in the first place because of the old Holmes story, The Red-Headed League.  Ya know, that old favorite!  I'm totally speaking out of turn here... I know next to nothing about the character!

Anyhoo, by now Holmes has already figured out the Joker's next stop.  How?  Elementary, my dear readers... which is to say, I haven't the foggiest idea what story contrivances Mr. O'Neil has up his sleeve for us.  Speaking of which, we catch up with the Joker in his Mobile Ho-Home, and find out that all he wanted from the golf course was the flag from the fourth green.  This is (apparently) in reference to Holmes story, The Sign of the Four... not that I would know anything about that!

We rejoin our "detective" later that evening at the waterfront.  There's a party occurring on board a large ship, called... The Baskervilles.  Okay, even I recognize that one.  After being denied entry by a police officer, Holmes has to get creative.  He shimmies up a line from a small tugboat.  At the very same time, our main man "Tooth"... Tooth... is also climbing a line.  He lobs a smoke grenade into the party.

Holmes catches up to... Tooth... and nyoinks him off the line.  Not before referring to him as a "Blackguard"... which, from my (admittedly) little research seems like something very Holmsian to say... but, maybe it's just some "2020" over-sensitivity in me, just seems weird in this particular instance... ya know?

After kayoing Tooth with a sock to the jaw, Holmes is finally able to board The Baskervilles.  Deep inside, the Joker is using a torch to cut through a steel door.

The Joker explains that this hunk of steel is what sailors use to "Dog down the Hatches".  So, it's a "dog"... or, ya know... a "hound".  Alrighty then.  This is a reference to, duh, The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Holmes and Dock Watson then arrive on the scene.

The Joker attempts to flee... but, does not get far.  Holmes uses a high-pressure water-gun on the deck to... I'm going to assume blow a hole in the clown's body.  You ever work with a pressure-washer before?  Those things could kill!  And, I mean... Holmes is attempting to reenact Moriarty's death scene here, right?

Thankfully (I guess), all this does is knock the Joker out.  Sherlock and Dock approach, and it looks as though the Joker has finally been caught.  The only question remaining is, was he caught by Clive Sigerson or... Sherlock Holmes?

--

There are a number of evergreen concepts out there that, outside the main "beats", I have precious little knowledge of.  Things like Robin Hood, James Bond, and... Sherlock Holmes.  These are things I feel I ought to know more about... just can't be bothered to actually put in the "work", ya know?  It's no secret that Denny O'Neil is a pretty big Holmes fanatic... this issue comes only one year after his attempt to launch that strange Sherlock Holmes ongoing series for DC Comics.  Click the cover for the cover...age!

I guess Mr. O'Neil didn't quite get it all out of his system there, eh?  Worth noting that there'll be some more Holmes-ness in Detective Comics #572 (which was edited by Denny O'Neil)... and if that issue wasn't like 800 pages long, I'd love to cover it here!

Whatever the case... Denny's a fan... I, however, am not.  Not that I don't outright dislike the concept, I just don't know enough about it to feel as though this issue is anything all that special (outside of its odd novelty value).  Anybody reading this a fan of Holmes?  Are many of his stories quite this contrived?  Or are they just playing up his art of deduction for silliness' sake?

The story... as mentioned, is pretty silly... but was fun enough to follow.  This is the only issue of Joker I've ever read (or seen priced at under $20), so... is his being captured at the end of the issue like a "running gag"?  Does he always get captured?  I can't imagine this would be fun to read over and over again for nine issues... but, I've been wrong before.

I'm actually completely surprised that DC hasn't tried doing another Joker ongoing series in the near-half century since this came out.  Then again, with as often as the Joker pops up these days, giving him his own series might actually cut down on his overall appearances .  Can't have that, now can we?

Overall... I'm happy I was finally able to read an issue of this run, and share it here on the site.  While it's certainly not a favorite of mine, I can totally see the entertainment value here... especially if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes.  The art, for the most part was sharp and really nice.  One thing I often have a problem with when it comes to Joker artists is... the ugly "pursed" mouth they sometimes give him.  Ya know, like Caesar Romero through a funhouse mirror?  Irv Novick falls into that trap giving our Clown a rather ugly and impossible smile.  Otherwise, I got no complaints!

Despite this not being my perfect book, I'd certainly suggest that it's worth a look.  This series has been collected in trade, and this issue is available digitally (for only a buck... just like I paid for it!).

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads: