Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode 5 - ElfQuest #5 (12/85)

Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode Five

ElfQuest #5 (December, 1985)

"Bridge of Destiny"

By Wendy & Richard Pini

Colors - Glynis Oliver

EPIC Edits - Archie & Jo

Chief - Jim Shooter

Cover Price: $0.75 USD / $1 CAN

Picking up right where we left off last time - Cutter and Rayek are in the midst of THE CHALLENGE, and there two trials remain!  We'll discuss'em both right here!

Also: Our usual "back-matter", including the Quests & Answers Letters Page, the Bullpen Bulletins, and an extended look at the Ads... which feature some of our very favorite ones of the era: Saturday Morning Cartoons!

All that, plus some news on the ElfQuest AUDIO MOVIE and an update on the ElfQuest lead figurines we didn't even know were a thing a few episodes back!

Special Thanks to the ElfQuest Facebook Group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209159129

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Intro & ElfQuest News

(00:14:20) Bridge of Destiny

(00:55:07) Quests & Answers

(01:08:15) Bullpen Bulletins

(01:28:28) Ads

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Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode 4 - ElfQuest #4 (1985)

Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast - Episode Four

ElfQuest #4 (November, 1985)

"The Challenge"

By Wendy & Richard Pini

Colors - Glynis Oliver

EPIC Editors - Archie & Jo

Consultant - Big Jim

Cover Price: $0.75 USD / $1 CAN

What do you do when a new guy rolls into town and tries to take your best gal?  Well, if you've got one handy - you might just throw a centuries-old ceremonial wand in their direction!

Today, friends - we kick off THE CHALLENGE.  It's the oddly sympathetic Rayek challenging the oddly kinda dickish Cutter, and it's "Winner take Leetah"!  We will talk all about this, while trying our best not to say the words "current year" and/or "2021" every other sentence!

Also: We go through the first-ever ElfQuest "Quests & Answers" Letters Page... which features some of the most convenient letters a comic creator could EVER hope to get.  The Bullpen Bulletins page is... well, it's there.  And our ads are a blast as always!  It's two and a half hours of ElfQuest goodness with ya boys Chris² - you won't wanna miss it!

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Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode 3 - ElfQuest #3 (1985)

Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast - Episode Three

ElfQuest #3 (October, 1985)

"Raid at Sorrow's End"

By Wendy & Richard Pini

Colors - Glynis Oliver (uncredited)

EPIC Editors - Archie Goodwin & Jo Duffy

Chief & Consultant - Jim Shooter

Cover Price: $0.75 USD / $1.00 CAN

The Chris's are back... and on time (!), to deliver this third helping of Questerdays!

This time out, we pick up right where we left off with the Wolfriders' arrival at the little slice of paradise in the desert we'll soon find out is Sorrow's End.  We're going to meet some characters here that will loom large over the rest of this series... and be introduced to several very deep and interesting concepts - such as "Recognition" and "Soul Names"!  Definitely a seminal issue for the Questers!

Also: The rest of our usual nonsense... including a discussion of the worst Tom Hanks movie not to actually feature Tom Hanks, The Sisterhood of Steel, Fig Newtons, and Rip-Off shoes!  We even try calling the Rip-Off Hotline to find out more... did we get through?  Well, you'll just have to tune in and see... err, hear!

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Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode 2 - ElfQuest #2 (1985)

Questerdays, An EPIC ElfQuest Podcast, Episode Two

ElfQuest #2 (September, 1985)

"Journey to Sorrow's End"

By Wendy & Richard Pini

Colors - Glynis Oliver (uncredited)

EPIC Editor - Archie Goodwin

Chief - Jim Shooter

Cover Price: $0.75 USD / $1 CAN

They've been through the desert on a wolf with no name...

After a long layoff, the Chris's's's are finally back to begin the the Quest of the Wolfriders in earnest!  This time out, our tiny heroes try and strike a deal with some crafty Trolls... and find themselves in quite a mess... stranded in a desert wasteland with absolutely nothing on the horizon.  It's a good thing Skywise has that hunk of rock he won't stop talking about!

Will our Elves make it to safety?  Will they keep banded together even in these most trying times?  Will Redlance (somehow) prove even more useless?  The answers to all those questions, and many many more lay within this episode!

Also: In our grand Morituri Mondays style, we go through the Bullpen Bulletins, chat up some notable ads... and go (relatively) deep on everything EPIC for the cover-month of September, 1985!

We hope you'll join us on the Quest!

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Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 53 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #53

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four of Five

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January, 1986)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 (February, 1986)

In addition to starting down the home-stretch of our Crisis on Infinite Earths coverage, I'd like to present you all with a short video I recorded yesterday regarding an update as well as a Cosmic Treadmill "Call to Arms".

The gist of the thing is, on September 13, 2020 I'll be putting up the FINAL episode of Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill... and, in order to really do it right, I want to send this project off on as happy a note as possible.  To do so, I need help.  If you are a listener of the Cosmic Treadmill, and would like to share some of your memories of the show with me, I encourage you to reach out.

I figure there are three ways we could go about this...

1. If you record a bit of audio and send it to me, I can play it on the air
2. If you write something and send it to me, I can read it on the air
3. If you wanted to set up a call with me, where we can chat about the show and I can include that on the episode

Whatever is easiest for you, will be fine by me.  If you're a listener with a story to tell, I really hope you reach out.  I'm not putting any sort of time-restrictions on these segments... if you have a few words to share, or long stories... that works for me!  If you happen to know any listeners, that may not be blog-readers, please pass this video along to them.  Thank you!

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 52 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #52

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three of Five

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 (September, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (October, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

Today we're revisiting the episode with those issues of Crisis folks seem to care most about... featuring the deaths of Supergirl and Barry Allen!

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 51 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #51

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two (of Five)

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 (June, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

This is one of those episodes that we in the biz would call "a doozy"... technical term, of course.  We're covering three issues of Crisis on Infinite Earths, including... the fifth one.

What's so special about the fifth one?  That's not the "big issue", right?  Well... if you're following along, or know anything about Reggie and my process, you'll know that we're giving bios and histories for every single character to show up in Crisis.  That fifth issue... features that scene (included below), where like skatey-eight hundred major and minor DC characters all show up and meet up.  We covered them all.  It's nearly a three-hour endeavor, I hope you packed a lunch... or have an especially long commute.

Also: I neglected to mention this yesterday, but we prefaced our Crisis coverage in Episode 50 with an overview on the JLA/JSA crossovers of the Silver and Bronze Ages.  This episode continues that tour, taking those crossovers right up to Crisis on Infinite Earths.  We were eventually going to do complete Cosmic Treadmill episodes for each of the JLA/JSA crossovers... however, we only ever got around to doing one... but that's a story for another day.

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 50 - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part One

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #50


Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part One (of Five)

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April, 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (May, 1985)
• Marv Wolfman & George Perez

As we were approaching our landmark fiftieth episode of the Cosmic Treadmill, we racked our brains trying to decide the perfect "milestone" comic book event to cover.  I mean, Crisis was probably the first thing that popped into both our minds... but, was that really "fiftieth episode" worthy?  Like, shouldn't Crisis be saved for like our hundredth episode?

Well, the fact that we were a tiny comic book podcast that actually managed to make it fifty episodes when so many other shows peter out long before... and even fewer make it into the triple-digits, we decided not to put off a day that might've never come.  It did, of course... but, that's a story for another day.

Amazing Spider-Man #267 (1985)

Amazing Spider-Man #267 (August, 1985)
"The Commuter Cometh!"
Writer - Peter David
Art - Bob McLeod
Letters - Joe Rosen
Colors - Bob Sharen
Edits - Jim Owsley
Chief - Jim Shooter
Cover Price: $0.65

I've said it time and again... if you ever start your pitch with "Wouldn't it be funny if..." you've got a stinker on your hands.  Well... maybe I'd forgotten about the little ditty we're going to discuss today.  Because, we're about to learn when Peter David asks "Wouldn't it be funny if Spider-Man went to the suburbs... where there are no tall buildings to swing from?", the answer is most definitely... Yes!

But first, I wanna thank everyone for their comments... and, again apologize for my lack of interaction.  Been a hectic-er than usual week with school and content-creation... I'll hopefully be more chatty very soon!

Now, let's hit da 'burbs!

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We open with Spidey bein' all sullen-like, sticking on to a building, wallowing in some recent misfortune.  That's... kinda one of the things he does.  His thought process is interrupted by the arrival of the Human Torch, with whom he shares a little bit of small-talk... and accidentally happens across some topless-rooftop-sunbathers.  After chatting for a bit before Peter decides he's just going to call it a night.  They part company, and Spidey spies a fella in a nearby boutique who looks like he's about to loot the place.

Our man swoops in to get a better look, and sure 'nuff this dude has designs on robbin' the joint.  Upon seeing Spidey, the baddie grabs a nearby mannequin, and threatens to shoot it.  Well, this must be one life-like dummy, because Spider-Man buys it!  Not helping matters is the fact that the mannequin actually looks a bit freaked out... almost like it knows it's been taken hostage!  Ehh, maybe I'm just seein' things... Whatever the case, the would-be robber gives Spidey the slip with this subterfuge, and flees down into the subway.

Our thief hops the turn-styles and quickly goes to hop on board a train.  Spidey follows, but is stopped by the police.  Ya see, this is still early yet in the Black Costume Saga, and New York's Finest aren't quite sure what to make of this "new" vigilante.  Before he's able to get on the Grand Central-bound train, Spider-Man does manage to toss a Spider-Tracer onto the bad-guy's back.

We jump ahead to later that night.  Both Spider-Man and Ron (the bad guy) arrive at their respective homes.  Peter, naturally is at his New York City apartment, while Ron lives wayyy out in da burbs.  Pete watches (I'm assuming) Dallas all by his lonesome, while Ron dines and sleeps with his wife.

The following morning, Peter gets up, has breakfast, and heads out on the town in hopes of tracking down his Spider-Tracer... and, also... the bad guy.  Ron sleeps in.  Looks like he's not going to work in the City today.  Worth noting, Peter has cereal with milk.  Nothing weird about that, right?  Only thing is, the quickest way to make me sick... to make me gag... is to see someone eating cereal and milk.  There is really nothing more disgusting to me.  Just the thought of soggy cereal, and discolored milk... and, and... and... when the cereal's gone, and whoever's eating it kinda tips the bowl into their mouth to finish the rest of the milk?  Ugh... you can't see it, but I'm fighting off the urge to gag as I type this!

Anyhoo, Spidey (in his red-and-blues) spends the better part of the day trying to trace the tracer... but, is coming up short.  He eventually deduces that this feller probably ain't in the City... and so, he heads back to his pad to pick up his Tracer-Tracer Gimmick, to amplify the signal... which places him atop a train bound for... suburbia!

Our hero gets a pretty lousy welcome to the 'burbs by... a Doberman!  Spidey shuts the pup up quick.

On the sidewalk, he runs into a tot on a bigwheel named Shana.  She asks if he's a stranger... and, uh... kid, if you have to ask... Anyhoo, she offers up her trike for Spidey to get around the neighborhood... but, he turns her down... claiming, if she's Shana... he's going to make like Ka-Zar.  Let's not think too deeply about that one, okay?  In a funny bit, he shoots his web at... nothing!  Ya see, there are no skyscrapers to swing from out here!  Spidey winds up in a tree... which breaks... nearly crushing poor Shana!

At this point, our man is confronted by a pair of nudnick suburbanites (hey, I can say that... I am a suburban nudnick).  The fella is ticked that Spidey broke his tree... the fella's wife seems to just wanna feel up our hero's butt!

After getting hassled (and felt up?) for a bit, Spidey webs them to the roof of their car.  He hops a lift on a passing bus to continue tracing-the-tracer.  The driver, upon realizing he's got a rooftop stowaway, pulls over and demands Spider-Man pay his fare!  Welp, no pockets... no money, so Spidey's outta luck!

In a pretty funny scene, we watch as Spider-Man just... walks... though a suburban neighborhood.  Love it!

He finally comes across a pair of Spider-Fans, in the form of garbage men!  They offer Spidey a lift on their truck... and, ya know what they say about beggars and choosers, right?

We jump back to Ron's house, where he's spending his day off doing a bit of laundry.  All the while, Spider-Man draws ever nearer to finding his tracer.  Ronnie discovers the tracer while tossing a load into the wash... and, upon realizing just what it is... stomps it to pieces!

Spidey was so close... yet so far.  Thankfully, ol' Ron figures the jig is up... and so, he grabs a bunch of dirty dough, and decides to make a break for it... nearly running over our hero in the process!

Spider-Man fires a web at the back of Ron's Volvo... but, unfortunately only manages to yank its rear bumper off!

As luck would have it, a taxicab happens to drive by.  In the suburbs?  Before Uber?  C'maaaaahn.  This driver doesn't speak any English either... which, I guess we'll allow.  Doesn't seem like he'd do great business in this lilly-white neighborhood though.  Anyhoo, Spidey's all "follow that car!" (which he thankfully doesn't follow up with "I always wanted to say that") and a chase... is on!

As the chase makes its way through the neighborhood, we catch glimpses of all our new friends... Shana, the creepy-couple, the garbage men, the bus... it's like old home week!  Everything goes to pot pretty quick, we've got some fender-bending... and Spider-Man bounds over the trash truck and lands right on Ronnie's ride!

We wrap up with Spider-Man saving the day... or, at least catching the crook... as all the wacky suburbanites act... well, wacky... and suburban.  Spidey laments just how crazy it is... out in the 'burbs!

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Man... I love this issue.  Makes me really miss reading Spider-Man... it's just too bad they stopped making Spidey comics all them years ago!  Err... a-hem.

This was just an absolute blast.  So much silly fun, making Spider-Man a bit of a fish out of water.  The gags, under a less skilled writer would have likely fallen a bit flat... but David manages to pull it off.  It doesn't overstay its welcome... it doesn't insist upon itself... it also doesn't pat itself on the back for being clever, which I very much appreciate.

I really enjoyed that, upon arrival in Scarsdale, or wherever... Spidey just instinctively shot a web... expecting it to connect to a tall building.  That panel alone... is just a riot!  It's like you can feel the realization hitting him as the sad little web-line unceremoniously plops down on the street.  So much fun.  Also, running into some weirdos... that's always a good time!  What do suburbanites know from heroes in the city, right?  Bringing everything together at the end, as if it were an episode of Seinfeld was a lot of fun too!  Obviously worth mentioning, the art was pretty fantastic throughout!

If you haven't read this one... and, I wager many of you have... I'd recommend doing so just as quick as you can!  If it's been awhile since you've read it (like it had been for me), I'd say it's definitely worth a revisit.  Peter David's written plenty of Spider-Man (plenty of great Spider-Man, including my favorite Spider-Man story: The Death of Jean DeWolff!)... but it's definitely a shame he didn't get an sustained run on the flagship Amazing Spider-Man.

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Letters Page:

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V #1 (1985)

V #1 (February, 1985)
"City on the Edge"
Writer - Cary Bates
Pencils - Carmine Infantino
Inks - Tony DeZuniga
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Michele Wolfman
Edits - Marv Wolfman
Cover Price: $0.75

I remember V being one of the things my parents were excited for back in the long ago.  They didn't often look forward to things on TV, but V was definitely one of those times.  I, personally, remember very little about it.  I'm sure I didn't watch the whole thing back then (or honestly, ever since), but it did affect me, and there there are a handful of scenes that stick with me to this day.

I think I was in second grade... and, me and my buddy Marc had the great idea that we'd be Visitors for Halloween.  Now, we were just a couple of dummies, and so we created our "costumes" out of... paper.  We made a pair of paper masks, one green and scaly, the other, like a normal human's.  Or, whatever the second-grade approximation of a normal human mask might've been.  They didn't quite live up to our expectations... and, sadly, we could only "tear off" the human mask once before having to make another.  Kids are dumb...

As for the movie/mini-series, the main scene I remember (besides the initial lizard-skin reveal, of course), was one during which some kids were playing with Visitor action figures.  I thought that was the coolest thing ever... and I really wanted them!

Now, for the comic.  I've... never read it!  Not til today.  I don't have the foggiest idea what to expect.  Is this going to be a faithful adaptation of the movies?  Was it going to be something altogether new?  Not sure... all I know is this series has been on my to-read stack for years now, and we're finally going to look at it now.

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We open in a "Neutral Zone" in Los Angeles, and from the looks of it, the Visitors have already made their presence felt.  Hmm... wasn't expecting this to start this deep into the story.  Anyhoo, members of the Resistance are having themselves some drinks at the Club Creole.  They are Chris, Ham, Mike, and Juliet.  A trio of trenchcoated Visitors enter the joint... and, even though there's a strict no-firearms policy in the Neutral Zones, the aliens start blastin' anyway!

There's a brief firefight, during which, either by blast or fallen debris, Chris takes a bang to the shoulder.  One of the baddies snags a hostage, to which Ham blasts the bugger right in the face, revealing his reptilian face.  The remaining Visitors rush outside to inform one of their patrols that there's a a gunfight goin' down... and, the humans started it.  Uh-huh.  Nice try.

Our Resistance members are separated, and we first follow Mike and Juliet as they lead some other humans into a secret headquarters located below the Club Creole.  Ham and Chris are hiding out inside a dumpster outside the joint.

Inside the Club, the Visitors check in with a fella named Lorne, who is confident that this is just a temporary set-back, and the members of the Resistance won't elude them for long.

We catch back up with Mike and Juliet, who have arrived at an old Hollywood movie lot.  There, they meet up with a man named Willie... who has been attempting to repair one of the Visitor's SkyFighter ships.  Once that's done, our pair recruit two men named Boyce and Hart to take on their maiden voyage.

Meanwhile, Ham's eating garbage as he and Chris barrel down the Santa Monica Highway in the back of a garbage truck.  They hop out when the gettin's good, and flag down an ambulance in order to forcibly get Chris' arm fixed up.

We zip up to space, and check in with the Visitor Commander Lydia, who is reading her Second-in-Command, Diana the riot act for disregarding the "Neutral Zone" treaty and allowing the Club Creole incident go down.  Diana just takes it... she doesn't have any excuses.

We next head over to the Science Frontiers Offices, where that guy Lorne from earlier is meeting with a man named Bates... probably not Cary.  We learn here that this Mr. Bates took out the Club Creole "hit", and paid for those trenchcoated visitors to take out Ham Tyler.

Speaking of that guy... Back in the ambulance, Ham is driving while the Paramedics tend to Chris' wounded wing.  It's not long before they are spotted by some jet-pack-packin' Visitors.

We rejoin the rest, as they're flying in their stolen SkyFighter.  Soon, they are confronted by a Surveillance Craft that demands them to identify themselves.  It's here that they enlist their "Voca-Simulator", which makes it sound like their ship is full'a Visitors.

Back with the other two.  They (and the medics) bail out of the ambulance and allow the baddies to blow up their ride.  This way, the Visitors will assume they died in the blast.  I guess this works... if we don't think too hard about it.  I mean, didn't the jetpacked aliens see them get ou... er, nope... not gonna think too hard.

Ham and Chris bid their drivers adieu, and then hijack a boat at the Vista Marina.  Well, they try to, anyway.  They find themselves held up by an armed individual.  Even though they outnumber the one guy... and are both armed, they surrender.

We rejoin Mike and the rest, as they land their craft by a small village.  They are greeted by some very happy (and gift-bearing) people.  That is, until they realize that the passengers of this rig are not the Visitors.  Hmm...  Anyhoo, they drop their gifts... and we get a glimpse of what might be inside.  Some creepy critters indeed!

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So... I'm thinkin' you've kinda got to have a working knowledge of V in order to best appreciate this one.  Going into it "fresh" really doesn't do you any favors.

I was kind of hoping this would serve as a "primer" to the V Universe... and sort of ease us into the concept and trappings of the world.  I was also hoping to take a few steps back, and maybe not instantly reveal the Visitors as lizard-skinned baddies.  Was really looking forward to seeing the paranoia angle played up... where the Earthlings didn't quite know what to make of their visitors.  I wanted the Resistance to sort of "bubble up", as peoples' suspicions grew, ya know?

This feels kind of like a "worst of all worlds" sort of scenario.  We don't get a reveal, we don't get a backstory, we don't get a reason to invest... unless we've already seen a great deal/all of the V media.  Now, I'm usually the first guy to give a book "props" for not holding the readers hand... for rewarding "loyalty", knowledge, and research.  But this?  I mean, we're shifting mediums from moving picture to static image... and, there's an expectation that the reader be highly familiar with the source material.

I'm sure had I been more familiar with V... I'd probably have liked this better.  Fact of that matter is, I'm not.  It's been well-over 30 years since I've seen any of it... and, well... this issue didn't do all that much for me.

Let's look at the art.  Holy smokes did Tony DeZuniga do a wonderful service to Carmine Infantino's pencils!  If you've followed this site for awhile, you might know that Carmine in the 80's is some of my least favorite stuff.  When I saw his name in the credits, I kinda cringed... but, hot damn... DeZuniga really pulls this one out!

Overall... if you're a more knowledgeable V fan than I, I bet you'll really dig this.  If you only have a passing remembrance of the stuff... this might not be for you.

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(Not the) Letters Page:

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