New Talent Showcase #2 (Sky Dogs)
"A Magic Carpet Ride"
Writer - L.B. Kellogg
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Phil Felix
Colors - Shelley Eiber
Edits - Marv Wolfman & Ernie Colon
Welcome back to New Talent Showdays... where it looks like the order has changed! Rather than popping back in on Forever Amber (who "headlined" the first issue), we're going to check back in on the Sky Dogs. Forever Amber will actually anchor this issue... so, we'll catch back up with her in three days.
Hmm... ya know, it feels like we might've taken too much time away from New Talent Showcase... I can hardly remember where we were! I'm thinking we're going to have to reevaluate this "triple feature" thing I've got going on for more reasons than "Ain't nobody give a rip 'bout Wasteland"!
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We pick up with Captain Kidd and his Mystic inside the Great Mogul's place. While holding the Man of the House at knifepoint, the latter is able to open a hidden panel on the wall... which reveals the Crown of Siva. With that, all they'll need now is to find those Seven Jewels of Power. Looks like we're in for a long quest! Well, we'll just put a pin in that for now. Just then, through a window in the ceiling, our Sky Dogs (and Mullah Whatshisface) soar in on a Magic Carpet!
Captain Hawke hops off the ride and fights his way through the baddies (like, literally "though" them... despite the lack of bloodshed) on his way to confront the nefarious Captain Kidd.
Meanwhile, Ndemba and Mullah share a little Odd-Couple banter on the carpet... before the latter dumps the former to the ground below. Speaking of which, Princess Zelaleddin is still aboard the Moonjammer, acting like quite a brat. She demands to be taken into her daddy's palace... and so, the Sky Dogs oblige... by just tossing her off the side of ship! I mean, these goofs just committed a murder, right?
Well, as "luck" would have it, Zelaleddin lands right on top of Captain Hawke. If that's not bad enough for the Dogs, just then Kidd's Mystic chants an incantation or something at Mullah which crashes the Magic Carpet. Looks like the baddies have got the upper-hand.
The Mystic heads over to the Crown of Siva... however, before he can put it on... he's stabbed in the back by Captain Kidd himself! Ya see, Cappy ain't keen on sharing the booty. Speaking of booty, he also grabs a fainted Zelaleddin and tosses her over his shoulder. Turns out, though, she might not be as "fainted" as she appears.
The scene then shifts to Captain Kidd's ship... and I swear, this was probably supposed to be a whole nother chapter... it's just way too jarring. The Sky Dogs catch up to Kidd... and ram the skip (from the sky) but good. With just a swoop, Cap'n Geoff manages to rescue the Princess. Feels like that should've been a bit more difficult, no?
Back ashore... it would appear as though Kidd's Mystic survived being stabbed through the heart! He concocts a wicked tempest, and vows vengeance against both Captains.
We wrap up with Kidd... apparently having given the Dogs the slip? Like, he's just gone. Our heroes lament the fact that he got away... and also, that he got away with the Crown of Siva. Well... not so fast, kemosabes... if you're an observant reader, you'd have noticed when Zelaleddin was "feigning unconscious", she was actually rooting around in Captain Kidd's pockets. How she managed to steal a friggin' crown from the dude's pants without him noticing, I'll never know... but, she did! Annnnd... that's the end. Like, really... this story is over(... for now?).
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Sooo... that's it, then? Like, really? Okay.
I've already mentioned a time or two in the New Talent Showdays coverage that I'm purposely remaining ignorant on the direction(s) of these features. It isn't often enough that I get to be surprised about where things go and/or how (and when) things end. I feel like that'll just be part of the "fun" in this endeavor. I'm likely projecting, but I feel as though many who come across these posts will also either not know or not remember many of these tales... so, it'll be something we'll all experience "together".
I gotta say, I was quite unprepared for Sky Dogs to wrap up after just two chapters. Now, that's not to say that it won't return as we work our way through the volume... and, it's also not to say that it definitely will. I just don't know... and, while that is a good thing in the way of "mind percolation" and thinking about all the ways that this could continue, it puts me at a disadvantage as to how I oughtta cover this two-parter in a "vacuum". Do we discuss this as "Arc 1 (of x)" or as a completed "package", ya know?
I suppose, not knowing if/when the Sky Dogs feature will return, it's probably wisest to look at it as a "done deal". Especially when we consider just how disjointed and rushed this one became toward the end. It really feels as though we received more than one chapter's worth of story here... but, in such a way that it had very little impact.
Let's look at the main beats... Captain Kidd "kills" his Mystic, who turns up alive just a page or two later... as if it was some big reveal. Cap'n Hawke just swoops over Kidd's ship and rescues the Princess... which, for what should be a moderately big deal, feels like it was a complete afterthought. Like, just something they had to "fit" into the eight-pages they were allotted. And, while we end on an up note... it's still something of a cliffhanger. The only thing missing here would've been a note saying "If you'd like to see more from Cap'n Geoff and the Sky Dogs... write to 666 Fifth Avenue". What I guess I'm trying to say is... this could've been paced better, and... while I'm certainly no fan of decompression... Sky Dogs might've needed a third chapter in order to give us a less-rushed ending.
I do want to say, however, that I absolutely loved the art here. Mandrake gives us some amazing-looking faces, and excellent scenes of action. Those faces though, definitely the highlight of this feature for me. Just so emotive, and well done!
Tomorrow: Class is back in session
New Talent Showcase #1 (Sky Dogs)
"Sky Dogs Away"
Writer - L.B. Kellogg
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Andy Kubert
Colors - Shelley Eiber
Edits - Marv Wolfman & Ernie Colon
Welcome to Day TWO of New Talent Showdays... now that I've given the project a "name", I suppose you ought to expect a dedicated page coming to this here site sometime within the next couple of months.
Today we're going to meet some Pirates... but not just any Pirates, these be Sky Pirates!
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We open on the Indian Ocean, where a Pirate Vessel is fleeing from a brutal raid they'd performed in Bombay. Their number fears being tracked down, I assume, by Indian Authorities... or, ya know, just the angry people from India they'd just robbed... but, those are not the people this ship-o-fools ought to be wary of. For, they're about to be boarded by the... Sky Dogs! So, more or less, Pirates from the Sky.
These folks, if the fella who I assume to be their leader, can be trusted... are kind of the Robin Hoods of the Seven Seas. They have no problem stealing from those who "prey upon the innocent". And so, the Sky Dogs engage in battle with the baddies.
The leader of the Sky Dogs, this Captain Hawke, shares in some sorta-kinda competitive banter with a compatriot named Ndemba, before bursting through into the... uh... "living quarters" of the ship? Inside, he happens to find... if you pardon the vernacular, wenches!
Hawke immediately pours on the charm... introducing himself as both a Gentleman and an Adventurer. Sounds pretty romantic... maybe I ought to add that line to my business card. One of these "wenches" claims to be Princess Zelaleddin, the daughter of "The Great Mogul", which makes her the Princess of all of India. I guess we'll just have to take her word for that... frankly, I'm not interested enough to Google none'a that. Hawke swoops her into his arms, and promises to rescue her... he also informs her that, where they're going, they're not going to need roads... err, water, as his ship, the "Moonjammer" flies overhead.
On board the Moonjammer, Hawke introduces Zelaleddin around... and also explains just how this rig manages to stay afloat. He claims that this was among the discoveries of one Mullah Ka Khwaja (I'm never going to be able to spell that without cheating). Speaking of words I have a hard time spelling, our friend Ndemba overhears this chat, and interjects that Ka Khwaja is nothing more than a faker. Uh, dude... you're currently on the flying boat.
Hawke suggests that Zelaleddin just meet Ka Khwaja herself and make up her own mind, because, as luck would have it... he's on-board too! We find him, naturally, gazing into a crystal ball. He shows the Princess a vision of... her father's palace being infiltrated by the fearsome pirate, Captain Kidd. He wants to know about the Crown of Siva and some Seven Jewels of Power. When the Court Astrologer reveals that he hasn't the foggiest idea what Kidd's talking about... he is killed. Also, Kidd's packin' his own mystic... who can tell they're being watched... and so, the "transmission" is cut.
Zelaleddin begs Hawke and Company to aid her in saving her kingdom... and promises to give him "anything" in return. I get the feeling that Hawke's crew thinks this means "a whole lot of money", while the Captain himself feels as though he's about to get lucky. Anyhoo, the Moonjammer Gang decides to throw in with the Princess... and it looks like Captain Kidd's days might just be numbered.
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Hey, not bad! This story didn't so much "move" me, but it didn't make me tune out either... which, for a dude who really only reads superheroes nowadays, might be saying something!
I don't particularly find Pirates to be all that interesting, but I definitely appreciated the little bits of characterization we were able to see here in this opening chapter. Captain Geoffrey Hawke seems like a fairly charismatic protagonist... and, I really enjoyed his playfully contentious back and forth with Ndemba.
Having the Sky Dogs sort of be of a Robin Hood bent... ehh, perhaps a bit cliche, but I'm cool with it. I mean, we're less likely to root for actual pirates... right? I think this could probe interesting going forward... with Hawke dealing with the dissonance between altruism and pirating. Though, I might just be thinking too hard about how "deep" this little story might go. Heck, at this point (and by design), I couldn't even tell ya how many parts it has! For all I know, it ends next issue.
Captain Kidd is an interesting choice of antagonist... and I'm wondering if this is supposed to be the actual William Kidd... who was executed for being a pirate after a trip to... the Indian Ocean. Hmm... perhaps? Far as I can tell, we didn't exactly get a "timestamp" in this issue, though we can probably assume it was quite a while ago. Hopefully this will blend some more real and fantastic elements as we proceed.
The art here was really good... and comes from a fella (I'm assuming) we've all actually heard of! Speaking of which... let's meet our makers:
L.B. Kellogg comes from the world of fanzines... he actually co-created one called First Flight (1975) with the very same artist he worked with in this here feature! Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate a whole heckuva lot about First Flight online... but really dig the fanzine-to-comics "pedigree"... especially back in the long ago. Kellogg's comics credits are limited... just Sky Dogs, some Star Trek, and a couple issues of World's Finest. Worth noting that he had a character named after him in X-Men comics... apparently a local sheriff in a story was named in his honor.
Across the table, Tom Mandrake... a fella who we've seen several times here already. He is probably the most prolific of all the "New Talent" we've looked at here so far... and, lemme tell ya, his credits are numerous! His work has spanned several decades. Worth noting, he married fellow comics pro, Jan Duursema... and, check this out, their wedding actually happened in "the backyard" of the Joe Kubert School('s original location)! Pretty wild!
Overall... I'm feeling optimistic about Sky Dogs... and am looking forward to seeing where it's headed!
Tomorrow: Mr. March Searches for Answers...
