ACW #614 - Catwoman

Action Comics Weekly #614 (Catwoman)
"The Tin Roof Club, Part Four"
Writer - Mindy Newell
Pencils - Barry Kitson
Inks - Bruce Patterson
Letters - Carrie Spiegle
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil

Can ya believe it?  We're already done with Catwoman!  I mean, done-done, she ain't comin' back!

These Showcase Presents features are short one-arc-and-done affairs.  This will be the only one for a bit... the next will be Shazam!... which begins, in ten weeks!  Save the date!

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Remember last week?  We ended with Catwoman being tossed out a window and plummeting to her most definite doom.  Only, well.. of course she doesn't land with a splat.  After a little aerial voodoo, Selina manages to land on a flagpole sticking out from the building.  Back inside, Arthur and his Lady Friend are approached by Hotel Security.  They demand to look around, unless Artie can cough up some, uh, "charity".

And so, one of the Guards proceeds to snoop around the room (while the other keeps Arthur and Whatsherface out).  The snooping guard takes a look out the room's open window, and... well... Catwoman grabs him by the shirt, and... get this, pulls him out, dropping him to his death!  Wait, what?  She... killed him?!

Next, tired of waiting, the other Security Guard peeps out the room, leaving Arthur and his Mistress to argue, giving us the confirmation (as if there were ever any doubt) that Arthur did kill Holly... annnnd, the same thing happens!  Catwoman yanks this poor sap out the window, too!  So, in the course of two pages, Selina has killed two (relatively) innocent men!

She climbs back into the room, and... puts the Brooch back in its box... and places that box back into Arthur's nightstand.  Hmm...

Arthur and Whatsherface re-enter their Hotel Room... and just then, they find themselves swarmed by Police Officers.  Ya see, a couple of poor goons were just tossed out their window... stands to reason, Artie might know a thing or two about it!  Far as the Cops know, Arthur's the one who tossed 'em!  That's not going to be his only charge, however... they also locate the purloined Brooch in his nightstand!

So, after killing two dudes and planting some evidence, Selina Kyle wins the day!  Yay?  We wrap up back at the Tin Roof Club, where she and Detective Flannery share a drink... and a smile.

--

Well...

This certainly... uh, turned... didn't it?

Not digging the idea that Selina would kill a pair of dudes as nothing more than a means to an end.  I mean, I can't root for that!  Up to this point, Selina has been a mostly sympathetic character... I've been rooting for her throughout.  But this... this is a step too far for me.

I mean, Arthur needed to pay for what he did to Holly... but, other people didn't need to die for that to happen.  Selina should have been smarter than this.  She didn't kill those Security Guards because she "had no choice"... she chose to do it!  It was a decision she made!  I don't like that... don't like it one bit.

Really not much more to say about it.  After three very strong installments, this final chapter really... uh, pooped the bed.  I'm very disappointed.

Tomorrow: Speaking of disappointment... Black Canary!

ACW #613 - Catwoman

Action Comics Weekly #613 (Catwoman)
"The Tin Roof Club, Part 3"
Writer - Mindy Newell
Pencils - Barry Kitson
Inks - Bruce Patterson
Letters - Carrie Spiegle
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil

Time to check back in with my two time (two time) Best Feature of the Week... Catwoman!  Been really enjoying this one so far... with my only complaint being, it's only going to be with us for four-weeks.

Let's hit it up with our penultimate chapter!

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We pick up moments before we left off last week.  Selina realizes something's almost definitely "up", and attempts to pull Holly out-da-house.  Holly resists, insistent that her Arthur knows what he's doing with the Brooch.  Then... BOOM!  Selina managed to miss much of the blast... Holly, however, did not.  The pair share a few last words, with Selina giving Holly a kiss on the forehead before skipping out of dodge... or Jersey.

We jump ahead to Selina tippin' a bottle in her office at The Tin Roof Club.  She is interrupted by Detective George... who kinda walks the line between Officer and Friend.  He tells Selina that she'd best "dry up" and get movin'.  She claims that she killed Holly.  George waves it off.  He even goes as far as to tell her that he doesn't know that she was at Holly's last night... further, he doesn't know that she stole the brooch.  And, what he doesn't know... can't hurt her.  Though, next time they meet... he will have a warrant.  This was a really well-written scene!

We jump ahead again... to Gotham Plaza, where Holly's husband, Arthur is making time with, I assume, a prostitute.  Dude definitely has a "type", doesn't he?  Anyhoo, Catwoman bursts in... and he sends the "dumb tart" away, so they can talk.

Cool as a cucumber, Arthur laments the fact that there was a "gas leak" at he and Holly's home.  Selina tells him to cut the crap and demands the Brooch.  She even offers him a deal.  He hands over the piece, she keeps her mouth shut about the murder.  Arthur's response?  He calls Security to report a "cat-burglar".

Catwoman don't take kindly to this... and wraps her whip around Artie's t'roat!  He motions over to the nightstand, where Selina can find the Brooch.

Turns out, he's tellin' the truth!  Selina admires the Kitty for a moment... but is soon blindsided by Arthur, who tosses her out the window!

--

Still lovin' this!

Quickly, I feel like that scene between Selina and George really stole the show here.  This was some of the best-written dialogue I've read in a little bit.  George giving Selina enough rope to either hang herself or escape was really cool.  Digging the dynamic here.

Whatta we think about Holly?  Well, we know she'll eventually be back... and, a mid-2000's interview with Ed Brubaker reveals that he never even knew this story existed!  Here, take a look:

From The Comics Reporter (2004)
Posted: September 2, 2006

That's the kinda research-mindedness I love seeing from our comics' pros!  Not sure what's worse, the fact that Ed didn't know... or that whoever was editing Ed didn't know (or just didn't wanna pipe up)!  I mean, that's gotta be one of the reasons they're getting paid, right?  Oh well, Zero Hour happened between her death and return, right?  Guess we can just blame Zero Hour... wouldn't be the first time, surely won't be the last.

I thought the death scene was... as well done as it could be, considering the circumstances.  The story needed Selina to survive, and Holly to die... with a measure of deniability for Arthur.  This way of doing it worked!

Our cliffhanger is about as "comics-cliffhangery" as possible, but, again... it worked!  It looks as though Selina dropped the Brooch as she was tackled, so, this visit to Artie might've been a total loss.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this all shakes out.

Tomorrow: The Fate of... that Librado guy.

ACW #612 - Catwoman

Action Comics Weekly #612 (Catwoman)
"The Tin Roof Club, Part Two"
Writer - Mindy Newell
Pencils - Barry Kitson
Inks - Bruce Patterson
Letters - Carrie Spiegle
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil

Back to our first SHOWCASE Presentation... Catwoman!  Stuff like this makes me wish Action Comics Weekly kept going more than the 42 issues it did!  Not that everything's been awesome, but I just love the idea of these short features putting a spotlight on some lower-tier (at the time) characters.

Let's do it!

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Picking up right where we left off last week, Selina has opened the door to her office to find her Bartender wielding a gun... and suddenly, a shot is fired.  Turns out, it was actually Detective Flannery's gun that went off... Bartender Willy hits the ground.  George begins scanning the office, and isn't too terribly surprised to see it littered with kayoed gangsters.  More than that, he's unshaken to discover Selina's whip and catsuit on her desk.  He's apparently clued-in on the alter-ego, but assumed Selina "killed the cat".

Realizing that he has very little choice at the moment, Flannery goes to arrest Selina.  He only manages to get one cuff on her before she overwhelms him.  And by "overwhelms", I mean she just beats the hell out of him.  Before "suiting up" and taking her leave, she cuffs George with his own manacles.

Turns out, Catwoman is heading to New Jersey to check in with Holly... if you recall, last week she'd "gifted" her that precious cat brooch.

Catwoman sneaks into Holly's place.  Holly, is pretty surprised by this, and jokes that Selina might be there to "rob" her.  Selina asks for Holly to hand the gift over as it's too dangerous for her to have it.  Holly admits that she didn't wait until Christmas to open the package... and further admits that she'd given it to her husband, Arthur so he could drop it off at their Safe Deposit box at the bank for safe-keeping.

Selina asks to see Arthur... but he ain't home.  She asks Holly if it's weird for her husband to be out at three in the morning.  Before she can answer, however... the house explodes!

--

Wowie!  With an ending like that, it's almost like we're back reading Wild Dog again!

Really not sure how this one's going to play out.  I mean, clearly, Catwoman is going to survive the blast... but, will Holly?  I think we're meant to assume that Arthur was planning to "make off" with the brooch, and rigged his own house to blow, wife included, in order to cover his getaway?  At least that's my "hot take" on the subject.

Jumping back to the beginning of the story, I really enjoyed the back and forth between Selina and George.  I'm digging this George character an awful lot.  We can tell that he doesn't want to arrest Selina, and he's trying to be as patient as possible with her... but, in times like this, he can't really turn a blind eye.

Overall... Catwoman got my "Best of the Week" vote last week, and as of right now, it's very likely that it'll go two-in-a-row for me.  Really enjoying this... it's a shame that it's already halfway through!

Tomorrow: Some-one's in the Dump-ster with Di-nah!

ACW #611 - Catwoman

Action Comics Weekly #611 (Catwoman)
"The Tin Roof Club"
Writer - Mindy Newell
Pencils - Barry Kitson
Inks - Bruce Patterson
Letters - Carrie Spiegle
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil

Consider this... DC Comics puts out a weekly anthology series, featuring a rotating cast of series'... and it's taken until the eleventh week to get anything Bat-Adjacent!  I don't think that sort of thing would happen today... would it?  I mean, not on an ongoing basis anyway!

Don't look now though, but in a couple of weeks... 1/3 of Action Comics Weekly will be Bat-Adjacent!

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We open with Catwoman (which I'm going to type out as "Catowman" every. single. time.) stealing a precious Egyptian (cat-shaped) brooch from the Gotham City Museum of Fine Art.  We jump ahead to find out just what Selina Kyle is up to at this point in history.  Turns out, she's a pretty successful businesswoman, and owner of The Tin Roof Club, a nightclub where the elite and shady alike congregate to drink (and play) their cares away.  In one of the "shadier" rooms, the talk is all about that stolen brooch.

Selina is visited by her old pal Holly Robinson (from Year One), now a married lady living in Joisey... but written with more of a Lon-Gylund accent just the same... maybe there's crossover, I never spent much time in Jersey.  She keeps badgering Selina to come out to the 'burbs, but keeps getting run-around replies.  Selina then gives her a boxed gift... and tells her not to open it until Christmas.

As Selina asks her bartender, Willy to serve Holly a Shirley Temple, Detective George Flannery enters the Club.  Holly excitedly shows him the gift (box) that Selina had just given her, which gets his wheels ta' turnin'.  He's about 90% certain that the box contains the stolen Egyptian brooch... and heck, so am I!  He reminds her that he's let her get away with a lot over the years... but this is a bridge too far.  She maintains her innocence, before heading back to her office...

... where she realizes she probably ought to deep-six the cat suit for now.  It's not outside of the realm of possibilities for Flannery to procure a search warrant.  As she starts changing clothes (I guess she's going to wear the cat suit out under her clothes?), a trio of armed baddies burst on the scene!  Selina grabs her whip and starts fighting them off.

With the trio kayoed, Selina attempts to flee her office... only, she runs right into her bartender, Willie!  He's also holding a gun... and asks where Selina is running off to... before pulling the trigger!

--

This...

This I like.

Anytime we've come across a Mindy Newell piece here at the blog, I always walk away from it feeling like I've read a pretty darn good story.  First time I noticed her name in the credits was in that two-part Lois Lane: When it Rains, God is Crying story from 1986... and I really liked that!  This Catwoman four-parter starts off very strong as well.

In fact, my sole complaint (thus far) is that this feature will only be around for four-weeks... then it goes away forever!  It's worth noting that this feature is being promoted as a "Showcase Presents"-branded story... whatever that means.  Perhaps this was intended to launch into an ongoing series?  I know the first Catwoman miniseries (also written by Newell) will come out in 1989... so, maybe this is a lead-in to that.  It almost certainly must be... though, I've been wrong before.

SHOWCASE Presents...

Anyhoo... into the story.  It's really just a table-setting chapter, but it's done quite well.  Really, where so many of the ACW features have struggled out the gate is in straddling that line between introducing their cast and establishing their purpose.  Catwoman manages to successfully do both here.  Really looking forward to what's next.

Tomorrow: Will Black Canary finally get on with it?

Action Comics #566 (1985)

Action Comics #566 (April, 1985)
"Traumas in the Bahamas!"
"With Love from Superman!"
Writers - Craig Boldman & Mindy Newell
Pencillers - Ron Randall & Howard Bender
Inkers - Karl Kesel & Bob Oksner
Letterers - Ben Oda & Milt Snapinn
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.75

I'm surprised how much I'm digging these pre-Crisis Action Comics issues.  I'd have never thought I'd get all that much out of them.  Still wanted to have them, because I'm a compulsive avid comics hoarder collector, but didn't think I'd actually get around to tearing into them.

This one's quite interesting so let's get right to it... toot toot!

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Lois and Clark have been invited on a free pleasure cruise of the Bahamas by old acquaintance Captain Strong.  After a flight to the coast, they are greeted by a fellow that would gladly pay them Tuesday, for a Hamburger today.  Meet J. Wellington Jones, the owner of the Fantasia cruise liner.  

Well blow me down!  On board, we meet up with Popeye and Olive Oyl... er, Captain and Olivia Strong.  Clark notes a gleam in Strong's one open eye that makes him a bit nervous.  Captain Strong is granted his strength by eating an alien seaweed called spi-- er, sauncha.

After setting sail, we get our usual scene of Clark changing clothes... however, he's not changing into his "dress blues", instead he's rocking his Bermuda shorts... which Lois teases him about.  After a brief chat with their hosts, Clark excuses himself to get a better look at a nearby island.

We shift scenes to a small island hut.  Inside there's a witch and a shadowy man watching the Fantasia via binoculars.  The man "smells trouble" and asks the witch to sink the ship... and so, she wakes a giant slumbering stingray and instructs it to strike... and it does!

Clark, not dressed for the occasion has to pretend to be thrown overboard by the wild sea.  Once in the drink, Clark proceeds to beat down the stingray and send it on its way.  Unfortunately, Captain Strong had witnessed the entire event!

Thinking on his feet, Clark quickly zips into the galley and retrieves a bunch of cans of spinach (seriously).  He proceeds to drape it all over himself to make it seem as though he'd been temporarily given super-powers by way of sauncha.  Popeye tells Clark to hit the sack, as sauncha withdrawals are a bear... he than orders his crew to haul in the rest of the green stuff.

Strong eats some of the spinach, and thinking he's been granted powers, decides to push the ship.  Lucky for him, Superman is now underneath the ship giving him the assist.

A little later, Strong reveals the true nature of this cruise to Lois.  He produces the diary of Captain Wynne, a man who was seeking the Fountain of Youth.  After a brief Ponce de Leon related history lesson, he shares his intention of finding it himself.  Superman is watching and listening from overhead, and notices Captain Strong palm a photograph from the diary... a thirty-year old photo, with a very similarly-aged Captain Strong... hmm, maybe he's already found the Fountain of Youth???

Suddenly, the weather started getting rough... and the cruise ship's getting tossed.  Strong, who may just be an addict, swallows a mouthful of the phony sauncha and hops into action.  Superman again gives the assist to make it look as though Strong is saving the day.

After the storm passes, Strong is lamenting the fact that he'll never find the Fountain.  Lois notices that the table that Wimpy is pigging out on is decorated with a map... well, wouldn'tcha know it... there's a map... and an X marking a spot!

Strong orders a rowboat lowered and Clark Kent awakened (Clark was still supposed to be sleeping???), and they head toward the isle of Andros... with another CK assist.

Once on shore, Captain Strong separates from the group to go off ahead.  Clark guides the rest inland and they happen upon a hot spring and a lonely hut... but, they are not alone.  Olivia faints at the sight of a gun-wielding... Captain Strong... and a witch... but she's probably more shocked about her husband pointing a gun at her.

Lois, Clark, Olivia, and Wimpy are tied to a tree, and the witch prepares a potion to "deal with" the trespassing pleasure cruisers.  Clark gives the tonic a blast of heat vision, causing it to catch fire.  Captain Strong panics, and throws the flaming jar into the nearby hot spring.

As soon as it his the water, Strong appears to have aged several decades... and, we are then joined by... Captain Strong?  Yup, this old man is Poopdeck Pappy, Captain Strong Sr... and, get this, that hot spring was the Fountain of Youth.  Pappy shares his tale of discovery, and meeting the witch.

In an act of desperation, the witch summons forth a Superman-Wraith!  This causes (the still tied to a tree) Clark's strength to be sapped... this is one fight Captain Strong is going to have to win on his own!  So, what does he do?  Yup, eats the spinach... again.

Since the witch is in the middle of turning into dust, the Superman construct is not long for this world.  Strong socks the wraith and he vanishes.  Strong unties his friends, and promises to take his pappy... Pappy to Metropolis so's he can teach him how to acts like an old geezer!  How embarriskin!

In our back-up, we are introduced to the hottest super team in DC Comics history, the Autograph Hounds!  The watch in awe as Superman flies overhead, and talk about how cool it would be to add him to their autograph books.  A girl within earshot, named Molly bets that she could get his John Hancock.  The bet is on, Molly's got one-week to get it.  If she's successful, she can be a card-carrying member of the Autograph Hounds.

That night, Molly (in her awesomely 80's bedroom) pens a letter to Superman, care of the Daily Planet.  Her mother promises to drop it in the mail.

That night, Molly dreams that she is Supergirl!  Even though she's in costume, everybody seems to know who she is... guess that's dreams for you!  Anyways, she sees Superman locked in battle with a very pre-Crisis Lex Luthor, and flies in to lend a hand.

The two Supers make short work of Luthor, and when the dust settles Supergirl acts like a total newb and asks Superman for his autograph.  Jeez really, Molly... be cool.

The next day in study hall, Molly's mind wanders again.  This time she's not Supergirl, she's actually Lois Lane in need of Superman to save her... which he does.  After the rescue, she again asks for an autograph... you'd figure Lois already has Superman's autograph...

Meanwhile, we check in on the man himself... as he reads his fan mail.  I love that he reads it through the envelope using his x-ray vision!  He comes across Molly's missive, and finds it especially touching.  She, like he, is an orphan.

We shift to a week later.  It's time for Molly to put up or shut up.  The Hounds come a'calling, and are just about to ball her out, when the Man of Steel arrives.  He's more than happy to give Molly his autograph... using his heat vision even!  They embrace, and I would assume Molly takes her rightful place as a member... nay, as leader of the Autograph Hounds... hopefully detroning the boy with the missing teeth!  That's a punchable face if ever I saw one... probably why he's missing the teeth!

--

A couple of really fun stories here.  Silly and very enjoyable.  I'd heard whispers of Captain Strong here and there, but this is my first real encounter with the chap.  I guess this is as close as we're going to get to a Superman/Popeye team-up... and I suppose if I'm being honest, that's probably a good thing.  It was fun, but, it was about all's I could stands... I can't stands no more!

The art here is from one of the greats, Ron Randall.  He's responsible for the art on probably my favorite comic book ever produced, and he does a fantastic job here as well!  In my opinion, Lois Lane can be a real hit or miss prospect when it comes to the way she's drawn... Randall knocks it outta the park here.

This is another Craig Boldman script.  The last time I discussed an issue of his, I mentioned that I would have to keep my eyes peeled for more of his work.  I'm glad I said that, because he's two-for-two on the humble blog.  He's a great storyteller, and cares enough about the readership to share the location of the fabled Fountain of Youth!

You're welcome!

The Popeye characters all look great in their DC-ified forms.  They look just Popeye enough to where they're recognizable, but not exaggeratedly cartoony... I suppose there's another "thumbs up" for Mr. Randall.  In fact, when I first looked at the cover I thought "Hey, that guy kinda looks like Popeye..." I wasn't sure it was meant to look like him until I checked out the roll-call. 

The backup story, at first blush looked like a groaner... but wound up being rather touching.  I shouldn't have been surprised, given it was penned by Mindy Newell... whose work on the 1986 Lois Lane miniseries was something I'd gushed quite a bit about a few months back.  This one could've been hokey... and I suppose, depending on your mileage, it might be... but I yam what I yam, and I really thought it was a nice little story.

All told, a fine issue of pre-Crisis Action Comics, a conversation-piece, and definitely worth your time.  Ah-ga-ga-gah!

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