BONUS BOOK - New Teen Titans (1980)

BONUS BOOK - New Teen Titans (October, 1980)
"Where Nightmares Begin!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Pencils - George Perez
Inks - Dick Giordano
Letters - Ben Oda
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein

I had planned to cover a different book today... considering it's my... yeesh, 40th Birthday.  I think I remember there being an issue of Green Arrow where he deals with the fact that he's approaching/approached middle-age...

But, ya know what?  I'm just not feeling it.  There's no need to malaise over the fact that time moves forward... because, heck... being old enough to turn 40 definitely beats the alternative, doesn't it?

Anyhoo, today we're going to continue looking at "Bonus Books" or "Insert Previews" or whatever we wanna call it... I use the terms interchangeably.  Today, we're going to look at the Insert that kicked 'em all off... the first appearance of the NEW Teen Titans from 1980.

This insert appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 (October, 1980), and was one that eluded me for quite some time.  It was actually one that I flat-out just assumed I'd never get.  Online speculation, CGC slabbing, and ridiculous streaming-TV tie-ins have really done a number on many collect-ability aspects of the hobby.  Folks who never gave a second thought to comics are suddenly "buying in" on whatever they assume the latest "hot book" is gonna be.

Hrmm... in my now advanced age, I could swear we already went through something like this... and barely made it out the other side.  Ah, I'm probably just talkin' nonsense.

Anyhoo, I said all of that so that I might say this... earlier this year (April, 2019) I actually came across a copy of this very issue at a record store!  In near perfect condition (I don't use terms like "mint" because, c'mon... that's subjective as hell)... for ONE American Dollar... and Ninety-Nine American Cents!  A buck'99!  I nearly fell out.

So yeah, I now have this issue... so, it's fair game to actually talk about.  Only problem there is, I kind of already discussed this story when I looked at Tales of the Teen Titans #59 (November, 1985) where it was reprinted!  Oh well... there ain't no rules to none of this... and, let's face it... barely anybody reads this blog anymore as it is... so, chances are, this is new-to-you!

Enjoy!

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We open with Robin stood before S.T.A.R. Labs being filled in by a couple of police officers about a terrorist stand-off going on inside.  They're threatening to detonate a bomb if their demands aren't met... and so, Robin goes to rush on inside... only, he's overcome with a most strange sensation.  He suddenly finds himself stirred back to "reality" by Wonder Girl... and he's now stood before the... never before seen - Titans Tower!  He doesn't have a clue what's going on... and I'd wager most of the folks reading this at the time felt the same way!

They head inside, where Dick is reunited with Beast Boy (now going by Changeling) and introduced to a couple of brand-new faces: Starfire and Cyborg!  Dick hasn't ever seen these people before... but they definitely know him.

Wally speeds on to the scene a moment later, and Robin's just happy to see another familiar face.  Everybody looks at Dick like he's got three-heads... because he really shouldn't be this confused.  After all, they're teammates!

Finally, Raven arrives.  This is another brand-new face to both Dick and the original readers of DC Comics Presents #26.

She comes with the dire news that a certain scientist managed to open a portal into another universe.  Now, if you think that sounds like a really bad idea... you're right.  From this portal oozes a gelatinous beast that overcomes the scientist.

The Titans (?) decide to hop-to and see if they can't topple this terror.  Gar attempts to rally the troops by doing a little Titans-Rah-Rah.  The best he can come up with is... "Titans--Let 'er Rip!", which I'm sad didn't catch on.

The team heads out, and finds the Flan-Beast atop a high-rise building.  Raven sends her soul-self into the monster... and finds herself immediately separated from it.  Even in her first appearance, Raven was so over-powered that she had to be kayoed within the first couple of beats of battle!  Worth noting that Wally is particularly protective of Raven... which is neat, considering their upcoming arc.

The rest of the Titans try and take the fight to the Pudding-Horror, however, all of their offense proves to be ineffective.  Then... Robin "wakes up".  He's back outside S.T.A.R. Labs, where one of the Police Officers informs him that he had to shove him down out of the way of a terrorist bullet!

Robin shakes off the weirdness, and decides to attempt to infiltrate S.T.A.R. Labs via his "rocket grappler".  No sooner does he scale the building than he is thrown back into that other reality... where he's battling the Custard-Critter!

The Titans fight the monster for a bit longer... not gaining much in the way of ground.  Then... after Cyborg is able to wound it using some heavy-duty decibels the thing finally attempts to flee.  At this point, Robin has an idea.  He's certain that the Wobbly-Wicket is heading back to its "point of origin", and he has a sneaking suspicion that place is somewhere inside S.T.A.R. Labs.  Upon arrival, Cyborg is none too pleased to head inside.

Robin rushes inside and chats up that scientist that called the thing here in the first place.  He informs him that there's no way they can beat this baddie... and their only hope is to send it back from whence it came.  Since this things primary attack is converting Oxygen to Methane... they realize they're going to have to get this Whopper into an air-tight room.  Starfire volunteers to act as a lure, since she doesn't need to breathe Oxygen anyway.

Then, they do the thing... and everything's hunky-dory.

As the dust settles, Cyborg has words with the scientist... who we learn is actually his father, Silas Stone... also, the man who created Cyborg's mechanical body (though, if we're being technical, he also created his organic one).  It's clear that there's no love lost between the Stone men.

Suddenly... Robin "wakes up" again.  The Officers thank him for ending the terrorist stand-off without a single loss of life.  He hasn't the foggiest idea what any of them are talking about.  Then, he's approached by a most grateful Dr. Silas Stone... which ups the confusion all the more!

We wrap up with Robin heading off, questioning just about everything that just went down.  He ultimately writes it off as a dream/nightmare and decides to just sleep it off.  Raven is nearby, however, to inform him (and us) that this was no dream... the New Titans are his (and our) future!

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Unfortunately, it's pretty damned difficult to just "forget" everything that happens after this... and treat it like the (in some cases "literal") brand-new thing that it was when it appeared in DC Comics Presents #26.

I'd love to be able and go back to experience this one the way it was meant to be experienced.  It's just such a strange way to introduce, not only brand-new characters, but a whole new concept for an existing property.  I wonder if there were people who were annoyed by this... if there were any readers who felt this besmirched the "sanctity" of the Teen Titans.  If only I could find USENET posts going back all the way to 1980 (the earliest ones I've found are around 1984)!

The story we get here... uh, I guess you could say it's a bit difficult to follow, perhaps hindered more by our current-day familiarity with the Titans.  Robin not knowing any of the newbies puts us in this strange "is it a dream/nightmare/twilight zone?" mindset which is kind of difficult to shake off, ya know?  That's probably why I usually skip this issue anytime I did a New Teen Titans "re-read project".

I never felt like it added all that much... though, if we can squint enough to view it as a sorta-kinda "flash-forward", there are things to dig here.  We get (some of) the skinny on the tension between Cyborg/Silas.  It's made pretty clear here that Wally and Raven have some sort of connection.  Beast Boy now goes by Changeling.  All things that we will know to be true sooner than later.

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Action Comics #507 (1980)

Action Comics #507 (May, 1980)
"The Miraculous Return of Jonathan Kent!"
Writer - Cary Bates
Penciller - Curt Swan
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer - Milt Snapinn
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.40

Recalling back to my early days in DC fandom... I'd more or less dismissed the pre-Crisis continuity as not worth investing any time in.  I knew things were different... and, being a lifelong Marvel guy, appreciated the post-Crisis "Marvelization" of the DC characters.

When I finally stopped to "do my homework" a few years later, one of the more surprising things to me was the fact that they killed off the Kents!  I couldn't imagine there being a time where Superman didn't have a Ma and Pa to hang out with.  I mean, I came up during the Death and Return... and the Lois and Clark TV show, where Jonathan and Martha were part of the cast.  So, the idea that they died pre-Crisis... and as a result of... of all things, a weird tropical virus, really boggled my mind.  It actually kind of disturbed me.

Further digging revealing that their original names were Eben and Sarah Kent... which bothered me a lot more than their death, so there's that too.

Anyhoo, I said all of that so I can say this... today we're going to take a look at the "miraculous" return of one of Superman's folks.  Ignore the cover and title for a bit, and place your bets!

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We open just as the evening news is coming to a close.  Co-Anchors Lana Lang and Clark Kent de-mic and head off the set.  Lana invites Clark out to a very special dinner... where she has already reserved a table for... three?!  The pair arrive at Marcel's and find their third is already waiting for them... their third, by the way, is the long-dead Jonathan Kent.

Clark comments to Lana that this is more tasteless than any of Steve Lombard's practical jokes... which confuses her.  He engages his super-hearing to read her pulse, and deduces that she isn't pulling his leg... at least not wittingly.  He is terribly confused as to how and why Lana would believe this since she was standing next to him during the Kent funeral.

Outside we meet the most polite panhandler in town, the hippie Starshine.  When a well-to-do couple walks passed and refuses to drop a few duckets into his upturned beret he (politely) forces them to hand over all of their valuables.

We pop back inside where Clark tests his "father" with some deep-cuts from his childhood.  The kind of stuff a con-man might not have uncovered through research... surprisingly, he finds that the old man is on the ball!  What's more... in using his microscopic vision, Clark recognizes the man's fingerprints as Jonathan Kent's!  While all of this is going on, Starshine is (politely) robbing the Metro-Bank.

In the commotion, Clark realizes he needs to come up with an excuse to take care of the robbery.  Surprisingly, "Pa" produces an empty prescription bottle and asks his Son to run to the pharmacy to fill it.  This was the way Jonathan would allow Clark to get away to change into Superboy when he was a child.  Gobsmacked, Clark takes the bottle and runs off.

After "Suping up", he comes across our new friend Starshine... who is standing in a pile of cash.  Superman tries to reason with the boy... but it's to no avail.  When Starshine realizes that Superman isn't there to help him, he (politely) tells him to take a slow boat to China.  You'll never guess what happens next...

So, 200 miles from China... Superman lands on a very slow boat.  He uses his super-breath to hasten the voyage... and is only released from Starshine's command when they reach port.

He checks back in at the Metro-Bank, and learns that Starshine returned all the money... that's never what this was all about anyway.  He was just teaching the uptight fat-cats a lesson, maaaaaaaan.

Next stop, the Smallville Cemetery... remember, Clark just had dinner with a dead guy!  Boy is he surprised when he only finds the grave for Martha Kent.  He heads to his childhood home at 321 Maple Street... and sees that since Martha's death, Jonathan has remained there.  Doing a bit of snooping, Superman finds letters written between he and Pa... letters that contain some very personal details which couldn't have been forged.

Superman returns to Metropolis just as "Pa" is about to be mugged by a pair of street toughs.  Not sure where that one guy found green dungarees, but I've gotta admire his guts for wearing 'em.  Superman juggles the clowns for a bit before chucking them into the street right in front of a passing police cruiser.

We wrap up with Superman bringing Jonathan Kent back to his 344 Clinton Street apartment... and sorta coming to terms with the idea that this old man might actually be his father.  At the very same time, our new/old friend Starshine is (politely) demanding that everybody over thirty leave Metropolis.  Ya see, he fancies himself the Supreme Ruler of the Youth Generation.  Man, I knew I missed my calling!

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This was really good.

An interesting mystery... a sense of foreboding... a great wackadoo villain.  What more could you ask for?

Now, we've rubbed up against the tragic (and weird) passing of the Kents a few times here... and it never really gets less weird.  Seems such a strange way to cull the cast.  Eh, maybe it's just me.

That's not what we're here for though... we're here to discuss the miraculous return of Jonathan Kent.  Now, before we start... I have to sadly reveal that I do not have the next issue in my library... so, we won't be solving this mystery right away.  That said, let's look at the evidence we do have.  "Pa" looks just as Clark remembered.  His fingerprints match... and he appears to have all of the elder Kent's memories.

Superman notices that the prescription pill bottle he's handed is twenty years old... the letters he discovers at 321 Maple Street are also rather old.  There's definitely something at play here... and I'm worried it's going to wind up being some weird "get out of jail free" card that sweeps everything under the rug.  That'll be a complaint for another day though!

Let's talk Starshine.  This goofball hippie might be a commentary on children/young people being raised to think "please" or "puh-lease" a truly a magic word.  I mean, I know for my whole life... if I were to ask for something without saying please, some adult  would usually reply with "What's the magic word?"  Heh, maybe I'm thinking too hard... it's just what popped into my head.

Unfortunately Starshine doesn't have an entry on the DC Wikia, which tells me he's likely a one-and-done.  Weird, he seems the kind of "deep cut" character a contemporary writer would pull out to prove their "cred"... and mock for being a "mort".

Overall... this was a good time, and I'd definitely recommend it.  This has (surprisingly) been reprinted/collected a few times... in The Best of DC Digest #11 (April, 1981), Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties (1983) and Superman in the Eighties (2006).  It does not appear to have been made available digitally.

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Letters Page (and a partially filled-in crossword!):

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Warlord #31 (1980)

Warlord #31 (March, 1980)
"Wings Over Shamballah"
Writer/Artist - Mike Grell
Inker - Vince Colletta
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Ben Oda
Editor - Jack C. Harris
Cover Price: $0.40

Hello Friends!  Today's discussion is going to be a special one... one in which we discuss a particular issue of Warlord.

A bit of background, I "discovered" Warlord a bit late in the game... like, 2010-late.  That's kinda weird when I consider that my comics fandom started with ElfQuest.  Anyhoo, after coming across most of the Warlord run in a wildly generous quarter-bin, it became one of my favorite "nightstand reads" ever.

While we're going to be discussing Warlord #31 today, for our purposes, we're going to start by looking at the last panel of Warlord #30.  The blurb tells us that the next issue will go on sale December 27th.

From Warlord #30 (February, 1980)

That stuck out to me because... well, that's my birthday.  Then I thought on it a bit more, realized that these comics were coming out in 1979... and further realized that Warlord #31 was going to come out not just on my birthday... but the actual day of my birth!

Did this book actually come out December 27, 1979?  Well, I couldn't say for sure... but, for the purposes of this discussion... yeah, it sure did!  So, enjoy!

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We open with Travis Morgan still on the road to Shamballah.  For now, he is seated at the ruins of Shaban D'aba... surrounded by half-a-hundred broken and bloodied bodies of attacking wild dogs... no, not that Wild Dog.  He thinks back to how he wound up here... 

These dogs have attacked him three times already, earlier having been driven into the rushing currents of a stream by the pack.  Morgan found himself carried for several miles before pulling himself out.  Unfortunately for him, however, these dogs are rather persistent.

It finally comes down to the last few dogs... and Morgan manages to take them out.  The struggle has taken a lot out of him... and so he leans up against the ruins, which triggers a trapdoor sending our man down into the belly of the pyramidal structure... right into a treasure chamber?!  Morgan digs through the loot considering all the good it could do for the world... but stops when he senses eyes on him.  Turning around, he spies a pair of trolls... who appear to be, I dunno, "deactivated".

Travis sees some writing scrawled on the walls and heads over to investigate.  It's written in a language similar to Ashtari, which he has some familiarity with.  He is able to decipher much of it... and deduces that it was written by Mongo Ironhand.  It mentions "The Evil One" and speaks of spells being broken by bloodshed.

Morgan continues checking out his surroundings, and posits that the blood of the wild dogs must have broken whatever spell was keeping this chamber locked up.  He decides to leave the "goblins gold" behind, however, spies a shield adorned with a black bird that he feels might be of some use to him in his travels.  He grabs it... which somehow stirs those trolls from their slumber.

A battle rages... and what a battle it is!  Morgan stabs one right through its shoulder... and slices the other troll's foot off at the ankle.  Shockingly, this hardly even slows them down.  So, we're not just dealing with trolls... but zombie trolls?!

Realizing this isn't a fair fight, Travis decides to pull out the heavy artillery, in the form of his .44 Magnum.  This also doesn't even phase the beasts.

Morgan stumbles back.  As the trolls pursue, they step into a beam of sunlight coming through the trap door.  This appears to hurt them... and so, Travis uses his newfound shield to reflect the intense light right at his attackers... reducing them to a smoldering pile of ash.

Using a spear, Morgan pulls himself out from the vault.  This three-panel scene was, for some reason, so cool to see.  I feel like we usually don't get to see these, I dunno, "utilitarian" scenes in comics.  Just check it out... three panels, which could've been skipped... but add so much with their presence.

Once outside, Morgan peers out into the distance... and can see the golden domes of Shamballah greeting him on the horizon.  As he makes he way, something strange happens.  That black bird on his new shield begins to stir... pulling itself free, it grabs Morgan in its talons!

The bird takes off with Morgan in its grip... and flies our man over and passed Shamballah!

Morgan stabs the bird several times, however, it works about as well as when he stabbed those trolls earlier.  Which is to say, not at all.  Suddenly, da boid is hit by a blinding bolt of lightning... and it drops our man.

We wrap up with Travis Morgan hitting the drink before washing up on shore... where he is greeted by a pair of rather large feet.

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Well that was a good time.  Makes me wish there were more hours in the day to enjoy this series again.  It really takes me back to my early experiences with ElfQuest.  This arc has Morgan heading to Shamballah to make good with Tara... this isn't too dissimilar to the Wolfriders' "original quest".  It's a trek... a journey, where there will be unexpected obstacles to overcome.  Loved it in ElfQuest, and I love it here.

Being on the fringes of the DC Universe affords Warlord so much freedom in how it operates.  There are no worries of contradicting, or slowing down other stories/titles... so, the pacing here is not dependent on anything.  That's how we can get an issue like this to enjoy.  For all but the last couple of pages, Morgan makes very little in the way of forward momentum in his journey to Shamballah.

Hanging out at the ruins made me feel like Grell was "world building" here.  Giving us landmarks in Skartaris, really fleshing this place out.  I appreciate things like that... these days, we can't seem to decide on simple things like character costume designs and hair-length... so, giving Skartaris a  sort of "physical heft" really adds to the lore... at least for me.

Ever since I started this little blog, I've familiarized myself with the way panels are laid out.  Certain creators have their own tricks to laying out a page, and Grell most definitely has his.  Very creative layouts... awesome to look at, rather a pain to photograph.  Though, I'm guessing nobody was worried about some goofball trying to take pictures of these pages some 38 years later.  Though, as I said... awesome to look at.  Mike Grell does not mess around... this is a beautiful book.

Now, since we're chatting up Warlord/Grell... I'd be remiss not to mention our great friends Ruth and Darrin Sutherland and their wonderful Warlord Worlds Podcast... who, as luck would have it... released their newest episode... TODAY!  Happy Birthday to me!  They discussed this issue about a year ago.

Overall... had a really good time with this.  I'd definitely recommend checking this series out... even if you're not necessarily a "swords and sorcery" sorta reader.  I feel like this series kinda transcends that.  If you're still on the fence, definitely tune in to Warlord Worlds, where Ruth and Darrin can "hum a few bars" and hopefully get you interested!

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Letters Page:

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