WC #1 - Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth

Wednesday Comics #1 (Kamandi)

By Dave Gibbons & Ryan Sook

Edits - Mark Chiarello

Alrighty... what's next?

Ka... Kamandi?  Really, that's what we're doing?  Hmm... okay.

Now, full disclosure... never really "got" Kamandi.  I think he's a cool character... and I like the trappings of his world, but never quite enough for me to actually sit down with him for all that long.  I'm pretty sure we did cover an issue of his book here on the blog way back in the long ago... and, only did that because it featured the discovery of Superman's costume in the far-flung post-Great Disaster future.

That said... I'm definitely interested in seeing how Gibbons and Sook make this oddball character work in the Wednesday Comics format!

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We open with Kamandi paddling through the remains of New York City... which, I feel like is how we always start Kamandi stories, innit?  Unless this is a retelling of his first story... which, ya know - it very well could be, come to think of it!  Worth noting Sook absolutely kills it here with the visuals!

Kamandi finally reaches shore... and it's one that he recognizes.  Its near the fallout shelter where he lived and got his name... Command D.

We learn via narration that the Last Boy on Earth never knew his parents... but, was close with a man who he considered to be like a Grandfather to him.  He would raise Kamandi... but would pass away.  Our boy blames himself for his death.  We wrap up with Kamandi being approached by... something!  Something we'll surely see... next time!

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Not too shabby!

Now, again - I'm not terribly familiar with Kamandi... but, if I had to assume, I'd guess we're getting a take on his first story here.  If that turns out to be the case, I think it's a pretty good idea.  Kamandi is a (relatively speaking) fairly obscure character (I mean, he's no A-Lister), and so - starting out slow... and educating readers who may not have ever sat down with a post-Great Disaster story before is a pretty smart play.

That said, we get just enough here to wet our collective whistles.  We know there's been a Disaster... humanity is, for the most part, wiped out... Kamandi was raised by a man who may or may not have been his actual Grandfather... until he perished.  We even learn how Kamandi got his name.  All very well done - and beautifully drawn.

Can't believe I'm actually looking forward to the next installment!

Green Lantern (vol.2) #181 (1984)

Green Lantern (vol.2) #181 (October, 1984)
"Take this Job--and Shove it!"
"One Night in a Bar on Lawrel-Hardee XI"
Writers - Len Wein & Paul Kupperberg
Pencils - Dave Gibbons & Don Newton
Inks - Mark Farmer
Letters - John Costanza & John Clark
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Edits - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75

When I decided to "change format" to covering shorter-subjects back in February of 2019 so I could focus on Grad School, I left a few "projects" incomplete.  I did so out of either necessity, burn-out, or... in the case of today's feature, the fact that I didn't actually own a particular issue.

Now, looking at today's cover... I'd have bet my lucky dime that I'd not only owned the issue... but, had actually already covered it here on the site!  Perhaps I'm stuck in some sort of odd Mandela Effect... and on the Infinite Earths site... on one of the actual Infinite Earths, I did cover it.  But, on our actual Earth-Prime, it turns out... I have not!

The "project" I wanted to explore was something I was calling "To Catch The Predator"... obviously inspired by the old Dateline segment hosted by Chris Hansen (before he went wonky), where we'd examine all of the appearances of the weird pre-Crisis saga of... well, The Predator.  This is a character/concept that has confounded many... myself included!  I'm looking forward to picking up where we left off o'so long ago.

If you need to catch up, which considering I dropped the ball on this series about a year and a half ago you just might (I know I did!), you can check out the first two parts of this "epic" by clicking the covers below!

If/When we get a few more chapters under our belt, I'll set aside a dedicated TCAtP page in the sidebar.

Before we hop right into it, a warning.  Some of what you're about to see is explicit...ly weird.  Reader discretion is advised.

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Stop me if you've heard this one... our issue opens with Hal Jordan on his way to Oa to give the Guardians a piece of his mind... and quit the Green Lantern Corps!  Yeah, that's more or less just "Tuesday" for our man, Hal... but that's exactly what he's headin' off to do.  He thinks about how his off-world exploits have kept him from keeping Carol Ferris, the love of his life, safe.  The panel layout here makes it look like Carol's got a Ben Franklin/Void Indigo haircut.

Hal continues his space trek, all the while waxing philosophical about whether or not he's making the right choice in quitting the ring-sling.  His inner monologue is interrupted, however, when he is pummeled by an errant meteor storm.  Well, maybe it's not that errant...

Back on Earth, Carol is interviewing John Stewart to see if he'd be interested and able to repair the recently destroyed Ferris Aircraft.  She tells him he comes highly recommended, and learns that flattery will get her everywhere.  John signs on for the rebuild.

Over in Washington, D.C., all-around pain-in-the-butt Congressman Bloch is wondering what might be in his future... the Monitor (yeah, that Monitor) hasn't gotten back to him, and he worries that the Demolition Team will turn him in for contracting them to fubar Ferris.  He enters his office, and much to his surprise... he's about to have a run-in with: The Predator!

Oh yeah, he's probably unaware that the Predator is going to kill him too.  A bloody Bloch shambles out of his office... and collapses at the feet of, of all people, Diana Prince and Steve Trevor.  He whispers something about Hal Jordan being Green Lantern before perishing.  Wonder Woman insists to Steve that Bloch's last words didn't mean anything.  Fair enough...

Speaking of Hal Jordan, we rejoin him in space... where we learn the cause of that meteor storm: Hal's fellow Green Lanterns!  They know of his plans to quit the Corps, and are here to attempt to talk some sense into him.  Katma Tui takes this especially hard, and even wallops Hal with a construct-fist when it doesn't look like they're going to be able to change his mind.

All Hal can do is ask them to a) understand, and b) forgive him.  He leaves the Corpsmen on an asteroid, and continues his lonely (final?) flight to Oa.

Back in Los Angeles, we pop in on Clay Kendall's hospital room where he's recovering from a broken back.  April is there, trying to convince him that it won't be long before he's back on his feet... we get the feeling, however, that Clay ain't buyin' none of this.

Hal arrives on Oa... and is shocked to see that the Corpsmen he abandoned have beaten him here.  Tomar Re begs Hal to take this one last moment before stepping in front of the Guardians to truly consider his actions.  Hal tells 'em to bug off and barges into the Guardians' Council Room.

Of course the li'l blue guys know exactly why Hal is here... they claim that, due to recent outbursts, they've been monitoring him pretty closely.  Our man delivers the "You said 'jump'... I said 'how high'." spiel, and basically tell'em to go suck an egg.  The Guardians give him a moment to reconsider... so, dude's getting a whole lot of chances to let cooler heads prevail... but, Hal's adamant that he's doneski.

Next we know, Hal Jordan is rendered ringless and, by extension, powerless.  The rest of his Corps pals rush in... and say what might be their final goodbyes to the former "best of them".  Funny, Hal calls Arisia "little sister" here, which only makes their statutory romance all the more gross.  Looks like this is an issue with two Predators in it!

Back at Ferris, Carol's father is holding a meeting to introduce John Stewart to the team.  He also... uh, celebrates... the murder of Congressman Bloch, which... I gotta say, probably isn't the best look.  Anyhoo, the meeting is interrupted by the arrival of... a man called Smith!  Could this be our Predator?  Might it be a red herring?  Well, the story is over thirty-years old, so we already know the answer to that.

We wrap up later that evening at Carol's beach-house.  Hal arrives and lets her know that he's kicked the ring-habit and he'll never leave her again.  The story closes with Hal wondering if he's done the right thing.  If only he was given more opportunities to reconsider... right?

Our Tales of the Green Lantern Corps back up opens on the planet Lawrel-Hardee XI... which, I dunno, sounds like I place I'd definitely wanna hang out!  Probably pick up some hard-boiled eggs and nuts there.  Anyhoo, we're inside a bar that looks/feels a lot like the Star Wars cantina... where some Space Pirates are relaxing while playing some high-stakes somethin'rnother.

A little fella enters the bar, and bee-lines it over to the Pirates.  Looks like this critter's here to enforce some law, but he is shoved away by the baddies.  It's here that it's revealed that this ain't no ordinary Jawa... this is Green Lantern, Ch'p!

He's here because he witnessed the Pirates attacking and destroying a Luxury Liner in space... killing many an innocent in the name of plunduh.  Ch'p would'a taken them out right then and there... however, the Pirate Cruiser just so happened to be: Yellow!

And so, he followed them to Lawrel-Hardee XI... where he's fully prepared to beat the hell out of the lot of 'em, and well... that's exactly what he does.

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A very important issue of Green Lantern... not that Hal quitting the Corps is especially novel (though, it was more so back in ye old '84), but still... a lot of pieces were put into place here.  There's a fair amount of "soapiness" here... which, as a life-long X-Men fan, I can't help but to enjoy.

Let's get the Predator out of the way.  The character only appears on a single page, and they kill Congressman Bloch.  Later on in the issue ol' Slender Smith saunters into Ferris.  Now, I don't wanna completely spoil the reveal (even though we actually covered that issue here on the blog back in the long ago), but I gotta assume the Smith appearance was intentional to allow us to make an assumption or two about the mystery baddie.

Back in 1984, that might've been a bit underwhelming a reveal... new bad guy and similarly-sized new civilian arrive on the scene around the same time... and are revealed as being two sides of the same coin.  Feels a bit "comicbook-lazy", dunnit?  Well, if you already know the actual reveal, you'll know that it's more than a bit "comicbook-insane".

I dig John Stewart entering the "main cast" here, and I feel like having him come in as the lead architect on the Ferris-rebuild project is a very creative way to do so.  John's a great character... and I really like him taking the job even without the guarantee of a salary.

Let's get to Hal.  He's wracked with guilt over not being there for Carol and Ferris Aircraft during the Destruction Team's rampage.  Now, Hal has some trouble in the calibration department... with him, it's always "all or nothing".  Rather than attempting to reason with the Guardians... maybe pleading a case for taking a break, or whatever... he heads to Oa and pulls out the tired old "When you said 'jump'..." baloney.

We've all had jobs before right?  A boss telling you what to do is kind of part of that whole scene, innit?  I always hate it when Hal complains that he has to answer to his bosses.  Just feels petulant and immature... which, I suppose might be the point?  Anyhoo, he gets what he wants... only to realize that he might've made a terrible mistake.

Our back-up feature... which, I wasn't actually planning on covering today.  Considering we're doing Action-Plus features these days, I just figured I'd save this for a one-off.  Well, when I saw that this one had a reference to Laurel and Hardy, I decided to make an exception.  Which brings me to my main criticism: If you're going to so blatantly reference Laurel and Hardy with the title... gimme a li'l something Stan and Ollie-related in the story!

The story was... ehh, not much to get excited about.  Ch'p tracks some pirates to a bar, and beats them up.  Yay?  I will say, however, that Don Newton's take on Ch'p was awesome!  Probably the best I'd ever seen the character drawn!  With a character like Ch'p, it's easy to take it to a cartoony extreme.  Conversely, it's probably just as easy to just draw an actual squirrel wearing a green ring.  Newton, however, blends the mundane and fantastical elements of the character superbly.  I really can't say enough how amazing Ch'p looked here!  It's too bad the story was kind of a dud.

Overall, this one was well worth a look... Predator-completionism or not!  Very important chapter in pre-Crisis Green Lantern lore, with wonderful art in both features.  This issue has been collected in the first of the Sector 2814 trades and is available digitally.

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Christmas With Batman (1989)

Christmas With the Super-Heroes #2 (Batman)
"Land in the Depths"
Story - Dave Gibbons
Art/Colors - Gray Morrow
Letters - John Costanza
Editor - Mark Waid

Ya know, it's been a heckuva long time since we had the opportunity to discuss Batman here at the humble blog.  It's a Vartox Week Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July Miracle!  It's kind of weird to have a DC Comics blog... and almost never talk about arguably the most popular DC Comics character!

If only he had more of a presence in Action Comics Weekly!  Actually, if that were the case, more people would probably care about ACW in the first place!

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We open with young Bruce Wayne exploring the caves under the Manor.  He's chasing a rabbit, and trips over some rocks.  By the time he sits up, a bat has swooped down and killed the bunny.  Ya see, what we're trying to get at is... this is "dark".  It's darkness... enveloping, encompassing... dark, dark, darkity-dark.  This darkness followed Master Bruce into his adulthood... following the murder of his parents, and his adopting of his cape-n-cowl persona.

But then... light.  A young boy entered his life, and with him came hope and warmth.  We learn here that Dick Grayson received his first Robin costume as... a Christmas present.  Ah, I was wondering if and when Christmas would show up during this Christmas story.

So for a time, the Vengeance of the Dark Knight was replaced by the Adventures of the Dynamic Duo.  The darkness was lifted.

This all ended, however, when Dick Grayson went off to college... and, adopted his new grown-up hero identity.  His old Robin costume is displayed in the Bat Cave as a reminder of the "light", however, it didn't stop the darkness from creeping back in.

A couple pages follow illustrating more of the "darkness" before we wrap up with a literal robin landing in the cave... and nearly getting "swooped down upon" by a bat.  For whatever reason, the bat decides to spare the birdie... and it flies out of the cave into the night.

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Well, this was kinda neat.  A wee bit precious to be sure, but neat all the same.  A nice look at the Bruce/Dick relationship... and how their perspectives contrast with/compliment one another.

It's written almost like a poem... which, I mean, is fine... but, maybe just a little over reliant on "darkness".  As a theme, it works... however, in actually reading through, it becomes a bit tiresome.  It almost reminds me of something I'd have written back in a high school creative writing class.

We don't get all that much in the way of Christmas here... other than the revelation that Dick got a Robin costume as a Christmas Gift.  I suppose it works... but, I dunno... I kind of wanted a little bit more in the way of Holly-Jolly.

The art comes to us from Gray Morrow, who is always a treat.  I have no complaints about how this story looks.  I don't even really have any quibbles about the story itself.  It's just not exactly what I was hoping for.

Tomorrow: Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Green Lantern (vol.2) #178 (1984)

Green Lantern (vol.2) #178 (July, 1984)
"A Bad Case of the D.T.s!"
Writer/Editor - Len Wein
Artist/Letterer - Dave Gibbons
Colorist - Anthony Tollin
Cover Price: $0.75

I thought we'd found our next #VartoxWeek with our pal The Predator.  Figured we could go "all in" on this character... and take a look at all of their appearances.

And then I realized that we won't be able to check out some of their earlier post-Crisis appearances... for reasons I won't elaborate on.  It's easy enough to Google.  There is a bit of (alleged) irony there... which I also won't elaborate on.  Again, easy enough to Google if you are so inclined.

Anyhoo, we'll still be taking a look at The Predator... just not those issues.  Haven't decided if this will be a dedicated "thing" like #VartoxWeek or #BrightestMay were... we'll just play it by ear for now.

Today though... we're taking a look at the Predator's first appearance!

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We open with Congressman (would-be Congressman?  wannabe Congressman?  It's one'a those), Jason Bloch meeting with a group of hired "associates"... the Demolition Team!  Hoo boy.  He's wanting them to destroy Ferris Aircraft... and after a brief introductory scene, Rosie (the Riveter) agrees to do just that.

Elsewhere, Hal Jordan is chasing down a runaway armored car.  He makes rather the spectacle on the streets, and manages to nab the would-be robbers with ease (and flair, naturally).

Then back at Ferris Aircraft, he (and we) join Tom Kalamaku and Bruce "Eclipso" Gordon in a hangar where they are working on a solar jet.  Hal greets the gang, and we see that Richard Davis is currently in the cockpit... where he intends to stay.  Ya see, he isn't keen on Hal coming in and nabbing all of the glory... and, ya know... he might just have a point.

Later, Eclipso gets a phone call from... Steve Holt, maybe?  Judging from the pose, it's almost gotta be.  Anyhoo, Bruce is taunted by the mystery caller... nearly bullied off the project.

Elsewhere, we check in with a few more Ferris associates, Clay Kendall, April O'Rourke, and Jake Ramirez.  After a jog they return to the field to take a look at Kendall's "Psi-Chair"... if you've been following the blog, you already know how this turns out.

In Washington, D.C., Congressman Bloch is handed a copy of the newspaper.  In it, he learns that Green Lantern wasn't in the vegetative state he thought he was.  Ya see, it looked as though Hal fell into a coma not too long ago... but, that wasn't exactly the case.

Panicked, Bloch makes a phone call... to a certain satellite... of a certain Monitor!  Yeah, that Monitor.  After sharing his "tale of woe", the Monitor responds with a pretty basic "sucks to be you, pal".

Worse still, Bloch doesn't know the half of it!  He's currently being surveilled by some well-dressed men in a windowless van!

Back at Ferris, Hal and Carol flirt a little bit.  Suddenly... the ground starts shaking... the Demolition Team has arrived!

Hal rushes into the locker room to change into his emerald duds... however, before he can take it to the D.T.s, he is visited by... one of the Guardians of the Universe.  Ya see, there's trouble elsewhere which requires Hal's immediate attention.  This dinky Airfield is just going to have to survive their present crisis on their own!  Hal begrudgingly agrees... he did give the Guardians his word, after all.

Meanwhile, the Demolition Team are just wrecking stuff left and right.  Some of our Ferris-favorites attempt to intervene... but, that goes about as well as you might imagine.  Looks like nothing is going to stop this group of geeks.

Then, in space... Hal arrives on Omnicron Ceti IV, a peaceful-looking planet.  As he sets down, he can't figure out just why he'd been sent here.  Then... he realizes that Omnicron Ceti IV has an unstable radioactive core... and looks to be heading for the same sorta doom as Krypton!  Worth noting, we do get a mention about how fellow-Lantern, Tomar-Re was unable to save Krypton from it's splody doom.

Back on Earth, the Ferris staff decides to stand their ground and have a unified front against the Demolition Team... which, while noble... is just a little bit precious, don'tcha think?  It's all a moot point, however, as this is when... he arrives!  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you... The Predator!

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Well, there ya have it... the first appearance of The Predator.  I think, had this character "taken off" this would one would be listed in Wizard Magazine as a "first appearance cameo", with the next issue being regarded as the true "first appearance".  Get to inflate the values of more issues that way!

What immediately struck me about this one... and this might sound weird, but it's... the title of the story!  "A bad case of the D.T.s".  If you don't know, "The D.T.s" or Delirium Tremens is a withdrawal symptom when heavy drinkers are trying to kick the alcohol habit.  From all accounts, it sounds like a really bad time... as with most withdrawal effects, I suppose.  I don't think such a title would be used today.  Either way, that just struck me as a bit odd.

Heading into the story... we've got Hal called off planet, just when Carol needs him the most.  Since we have read ahead, we already know that this is leading to Hal taking a "break" from the Corps... and this serves as a pretty great set-up for that.

Speaking of Hal being off-planet.  I love the throwback to Tomar-Re's attempt to save Krypton.  I was always a fan of linking the Green Lantern Corps (tangentially) into Superman's origin story... such a cool way of interlocking their lores... also, because... c'mon, if Krypton was about to pop... the Green Lantern of that sector would probably at least attempt to get involved, right?

The Demolition Team.  Ehh.  They're one-note and weird... but they get the job done.  If I didn't know any better I'd bet that Peter David created them.  He didn't, of course... but, c'mon... that feels like a group of PAD baddies, right?

Then we get a cameo from... the Monitor!  I always say this, so I apologize for repeating myself... anytime we see the Monitor during the pre-Crisis, I always feel like we're seeing something we shouldn't.  It's such an uncomfortable feeling... but, it works.

It's like that weird "kayfabe-line" that is sometimes crossed in professional wrestling.  You see something that feels "off script" and real, and you think to yourself "Sure... everything else that happened here was scripted... but that was real."  Not sure why, but that's how I feel when I see the Monitor.  Not that the Monitor is "real" in the character sense, but as an editorial tool... he most definitely was!

Overall... not a bad little issue.  Congressman Bloch's plan is going into motion, we're sowing the seeds of (yet another) Hal quarreling with the Corps, we see the Monitor, and we meet... The Predator.  This one ain't lacking for content, I'll tell ya that much!  The Wein and Gibbons team... man, I can't call them "underrated" because we all know how great they are... but, I wish they had more time on the book.  This issue is available digitally.

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