Action Comics Weekly #622 (Starman)
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Tom Lyle
Inks - Robert Campanella
Letters - Agustin Mas
Colors - Daniel Vozzo
Editor - Robert Greenberger
Welcome to the first (and last) Starman feature! Now this is, of course, the Will Payton version of the character... with the "Peanut Butter and Jelly" costume I've always dug. I'm not up on current Justice League comics, but I hear tell this fella might be back? The books are in "the stack", hopefully I'll get around to 'em eventually!
Anyhoo, according to Mike's Amazing World, this little ACW feature hit stands the same day (August 30, 1988) that Starman #3 (December, 1988) came out... so, this isn't so much the introduction of the character, but likely served as an introduction for many.
Not for us though... we've already discussed his first two issues here at the humble blog! Click'em the covers, and you shall be delivered:
That oughta get us up to speed on ol' Will... and now, let's see where he goes from there!
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We open with a shot of a television screen. On it is the program Phoenix Today, hosted by... uh, some dude. His guest is Vincent Garvey, the author of a new book called We Don't Need the Super-Hero. You might be able to guess what he's there to talk about. This program is being played on a display television set at a Radio Shack-alike, and is being watched by Jayne Payton at a mall... and she ain't at all happy.
She is soon joined by her brother Will, who is happily licking an ice cream cone. This tells me that the mall is indoors, because an ice cream cone isn't long for the world when eaten outdoors in Phoenix. Anyhoo, she points to the screen where Garvey is running down superheroes as being deviants and what-not... and he kinda lets it roll off his shoulder. Just then, one of the Radio Shack's police scanners kicks on, alerting him to a hub-bub down at the old Van Buren Center. Will rushes off to investigate (and if you're familiar with much of Phoenix's "Van Buren" area, probably to get some booster shots).
Over the next few pages, Will is fighting a geek wearing some S.T.A.R. Labs armor. These panels run alongside more of Garvey's thoughts on the "fascistic" nature of superheroes. This tells me that Garvey's understanding of the word "fascist" is right up there with most of the internet's!
The battle rages, and Starman flies right into the baddie... causing a raucous "TOOM". This outburst causes a nearby old man to have a heart attack. Lucky for him, Jayne arrives on the scene just in the nick of time to administer CPR.
The story ends with Will turning the armored guy over to the police, and Jayne saving the life of the old man. See... not all heroes wear capes... which, uh... might not be all that relevant here, since Starman doesn't wear one anyway.
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So, not a bad little introduction to the Will Payton Starman. I nice little adventure, where we meet him and his sister... and kind of get a feel for the tone of the series. It's really not much more than that... though, I don't think it was meant to be.
As for the underlying... I dunno, "antagonistic" presence? The "superhero critic" is a trope that... kinda feels "played out". Even in ye old 1988, this is pretty tired. I mean, we're just two years removed from Legends where G. Gordon Godfrey was doing the talk show circuit. I guess if it worked once, it'll work every time. That's comic book law, right? Find something that works... then milk that sucker dry!
Not all that much more to say about this one. The story was neat, and the parallels between Will and Jayne's heroic acts were well taken. The art was solid. Tom Lyle isn't a fella we get to discuss here all that often, but I really enjoy what he brings to the table.
Overall, if you're a Will Payton Starman completionist, you're going to want this. Not sure if they've ever started collecting that volume... but, I would imagine if they do, this little snippet would probably be a part of it!
Tomorrow: More Roger Stern!
Starman #2 (November, 1988)
"Field Testing"
Writer/Co-Creator - Roger Stern
Pencils/Co-Creator - Tom Lyle
Inks - Bob Smith
Letters - Bob Pinaha
Colors - Julianna Ferriter
Editor - Robert Greenberger
Cover Price: $1.00
If I were to guess how long ago it was that we discussed Starman #1... I'd probably say something like... it was six-months ago. Well... as it turns out, it's nearing on two-years and six-months ago.
Time is certainly a weird and cruel S.O.B., ain't it?
Well, let's get to it!
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We open with our man Will Payton revisiting the Rocky Mountain campsite where he was blasted with Starman-making-rays last issue. He is surprised to find that he's not the only interested party lurking the area. From here we get a quick and dirty retelling of some of the events of last issue. Will decides to leave, he's late meeting his sister as it is... and doesn't realize that one of the fellas on the ground noticed him... and even snapped a few pics.
He arrives a few moments later in the Arizona desert to meet his sis, Jayne. She runs him through a few tests of endurance to ensure he hadn't lost any of his Starmanniness. He hasn't! She goes to check his heartbeat... and, get this... dude doesn't have one! What's more, he hasn't had to go to the bathroom since the incident!
We hop up to Utah, and meet up with Dr. Melrose... that guy who's trying to create superhumans in a lab... the guy behind the satellite that inadvertently blasted Will while he was camping. He is handed the photo that was snapped a few pages back... and he's kinda ticked off. After all, all the power that Will sucked up was being reserved for his team. A staff member suggests hiring a freelancer to capture Starman.
We rejoin Will back in his Phoenix abode. He's flipping through the classifieds trying to find some work. On the front cover of the paper he learns that there is a killer on the run... and also that the local police are looking to question Starman about stuff that happened last issue... this gives him an idea. And so, a little while later, Starman pays a visit to the Phoenix P.D.
Captain Estevez busts in on the curious scene and pulls Starman aside. When asked what he wants, Starman simply says... he wants justice to be done. He suggests they team up to take down that on-the-run mass murderer. He then... makes his skin tone a fair amount darker so he could go "undercover". Hmm... okay. It looks like a coloring error... but, it's not.
Suddenly, over the police band... we learn that the baddie has been spotted coming out of Yuma. Before Phoenix's Finest know it, Starman's already headed thaddaway. I've been to Yuma once... ate at a KFC that had a buffet. Totally blew my mind.
Along the way, Starman comes upon a flipped over patrol car. A female officer is knelt before her downed partner and is calling in for backup. Will sets down to get a closer look... and the downed officer refers to him as "a brother". So, yeah... not a coloring error! Anyhoo, turns out... they were hot on the trail of the mass murderer, when he... get this... threw a grenade at them! Yeah, a friggin' grenade!
A ways up the road, the mass murderer (and his hostage) cross into Mexico. He then dumps her out on the ground... and prepares to shoot her in the head.
Lucky for her, Starman got there just in the nick of time!
The baddie unloads his gun into Starman's chest... which proves to be rather the futile endeavor. He goes to flee, but Will snatches him up... and delivers him back to Phoenix. We're going to assume he also returned the hostage to someplace safe too... but there's no evidence of this having occurred.
So Starman's a hero, and all that jazz. That doesn't mean Captain Estevez is quite ready to trust him though. Back home, Will's mom gets on his case about looking for a job... so, all's well that end's well.
We close out with Dr. Melrose meeting his new free-lancer. Are ya ready for this...? It's... waitforit... drumroll please... budda-budda-budda-budda-buddaaaaaaaaah......... Bolt?! Oh, c'mahhhn.
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Another fun issue with our "everyman hero", Will Payton.
It's probably not a terribly novel take to suggest that Starman is very much a Marvel-esque hero. Hell, I'm sure I've even made the "observation" a time or two before. Will is... a pretty normal fella... when he's not wearing his PB&J's, that is. Kind of a sad sack... still lives at home, can't find work... trying to make a name for himself (on two fronts). It's a pretty refreshing thing to see coming out of this era of DC Comics.
So, whadda we got here? It's kind of a "layer adding" issue. We learn a bit more about Will's condition... he doesn't have a heartbeat, and doesn't need to use the bathroom. We get a good look at Dr. Melrose... and a better understanding of why he and Will might be (unwittingly) at odds. Also, some Phoenicians are fleshed out. Good old-fashioned comics stuff. It was a good time.
There were a few "eh?" moments though. First... not sure why Will changed the color of his skin at the Police Station. I gotta figure it was just to remind the reader that he can. Still... came off as a bit weird. Then, he rescues the hostage, right? But... just leaves her standing in Mexico so he could fly the mass-murderer back to Phoenix? Poor gal.
Overall... this was really fun, and I'd recommend checking it out. Looks like this series has finally been made available digitally (which it wasn't back in 2016 when we covered #1)! We'll just assume that we had a lot to do with that. Ahem. Sure we did.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Robin II: The Joker's Wild! #1 (October, 1991)
"The Funniest Thing Happened..."
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Penciller - Tom Lyle
Inker - Bob Smith
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Tim Harkins
Assistant Editor - Kelley Puckett
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.50
Happy Fourth of July!
I was originally planning on covering a more "patriotic" issue... had my eye on an issue of Fighting American from the early 90's, however, the state of my library is... well, not search-friendly at the moment.
So, instead of covering a book that reminds me of America... we're going to look at a book that reminds me of the Fourth of July itself!
It was about two-years ago, during a Fourth of July sale at a local shop where I came across the "Collector's Set" of this very issue in a dollar bin. The set, which I'll include pictures of below, included all five or six versions of this issue... including an "exclusive" hologram trading card... which is just a card version of the same (difficult to photograph) hologram that we see on the cover.
Anyhoo, sorry this one ain't a bit more Red, White, and Blue... but best Independence Day to all my fellow Americans. International friends, I hope you all have a great day too!
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We open at Arkham Asylum, and it's the Joker's Birthday! He'd like nothing more than to have a visit from his dear mother... who, herself would love the opportunity to set right all of the abuse she put him through as a child. The... uh, Warden (I guess) is arguing against this... proving to be the only person in the room with a modicum of sense. Dr. Strenstrom, a Psychiatrist, flanked by a lawyer is arguing for the event to occur... and he gets his way!
During the visit, Joker's mother hands her Son a Bible... which is, naturally, booby-trapped with gas, and the Joker gets away.
As the Joker hops into a waiting (paid-for) taxi, he instructs the driver to deliver him to Gotham City. Oh, and also... get this, it wasn't really his "mother"... just some dude in a dress. At the very same time, new-ish Robin, Tim Drake is on his first solo patrol. Turns out Batman's outta town.
He laments how nothing seems to be going down... just then, the Bat-Signal illuminates the night sky. He reports in to Commissioner Gordon who... is a bit tentative. He's not convinced that this kid can handle what he's about to tell him... and, with good reason.
The Joker is dropped off at his old base of operations... an abandoned circus, or novelty shop. Inside he reunites with his old gang... and learns that they're now answering to, of all people, Mr. Freeze?!
Joker makes quick work of the jerk, soaking him with a pair of water guns... then shocking him with a joy-buzzer.
We shift scenes to Gotham Heights High School the following morning, where a sleepy Tim Drake is approached both by the popular kids and the... not-so-popular kids about hanging out later on that evening. He turns down both invites, citing having "a lot going on at home".
What he really has planned is... visiting Arkham Asylum to comb the Joker's cell for clues. What he finds there is... a bunch of computer magazines. But why?
Back at the Batcave, Robin gives the magazines a closer look... deducing that most of them are either by or about one Dr. Osgood Pellinger... a noted fella in information circles, who writes about the potential danger of over-reliance on computers. Tim decides it might be in his best interest to pay the Doc a visit.
After staking out Pellinger's house for a time, the Doc heads out for a drive. Just then, a snow plow rumbles down the street... and nabs the Doc, car and all! The Joker pops his head out the driver's side window to make a "funny, ha-ha" before taking off.
Robin catches all of this, and hops onto the hood of the plow. This leads to a really good scene... as this is the first time since A Death in the Family, that the Joker has seen a Robin!
The Joker starts swerving the plow and throws Robin into the snow... all the while ranting about how he'd already killed the boy. Moments later Alfred pulls up in a van to pick Tim up.
Back at the Joker Compound, the man himself introduces Dr. Pellinger to the gang. Looks like the Joker might be interested in a digital crime spree?
We wrap up back at the Batcave, where Tim is taking his "failure" pretty hard. He realizes that Batman himself is the only thing the Joker seems to fear... and as such, he needs to figure out a way to convince the clown that the Bat is still in town!
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Man, it must be... yikes, a quarter-century since I last read this. It was a nice revisit... I really enjoyed it!
I definitely miss a Joker that isn't so "O.P." Its fun to see him just on a caper, rather than engaging in Earth-shattering shenanigans. And I gotta say, it was really cool to see how he reacted to seeing a new kid in the Robin togs. I'd forgotten that this was the first time he's seen a Boy Decoy since killing Jason Todd in A Death in the Family.
It was neat seeing Tim get into the "boy detective" mode here. During A Lonely Place of Dying (available in Collected Editions), he just seemed to "know" things... and came across as a real irritating so-and-so. Here, everything feels a bit more natural... and he's far less of an annoying know-it-all.
The story, so far, is pretty fun... if not a tad on the convenient side. I mean, really now... who is going to advocate for the Joker to have a visitor at Arkham Asylum? And, even then... who's not going to strip-search/wand said visitor? No wonder Arkham has such a rotten reputation!
The art is really good, though I must say... Tim's "pineapple head" is a bit off-putting. Everything else though, right on the money.
Overall, I'd say this is definitely worth a peek. If you're like I am, and miss the days of a non-overpowered Joker, this is as good an issue to check out as any. This issue is available digitally, and has been collected (along with Robin III: Cry of the Huntress) in the Robin, Volume 2: Triumphant trade paperback.
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The Comet #1 (July, 1991)
"First Flight"
Story/Art - Tom Lyle
Script - Mark Waid
Colorist - Tom Ziuko
Letterer - Tim Harkins
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.00
I've never really sat down to read through the !mpact Comics books I've (somehow) come into possession of. Seems like a lotta folks my age have a stack of these, and I'm no different. Haven't the foggiest idea how and why I have them... but I do!
I remember when they were first announced, I was mildly interested... after all, they were bound to launch with "valuable" #1's! When they actually hit the shelves... I dunno. I took one look at them, and thought they seemed... for lack of a better term, cheap (plus, they weren't part of actual DC continuity... which was apparently something that bugged me even as a kid!). I still thought the characters looked cool... especially the Fly, but not enough for me to actually plunk down my buck... after all, there were X-Men just beggin' to be bought.
So, after a... ay yai yai, quarter-century... I'm finally going to give this line a shot.
*Note, the blogger label I'm going to use for !mpact comics is just going to be impact comics to avoid confusion/to assuage my (questionable) sanity.
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We open with our man the Comet preparing for his first case at St. Helen's University... which, is kiiiiinda underwhelming. What we've got is a quartet of geeks (calling themselves the "Tech Wizards" who really aren't ready for prime-time. Their flustered back-and-forth is rather humorous... you can tell they're just not up for this, it's almost endearing. Comet waits for them to break-and-enter before swooping in to dazzle them with his superheroic prowess. They take a few shots...
... but they're not all that successful, or is that... not successful at all? Comet snags one named Charles, who from the looks of it, is attempting to affect an olde-English accent... "verily". Comet tells him to cut it out with the purple prose, and snatches the disk the geeks were trying to swipe. Of note, he takes a look some of their weaponized inventions and suggests that they're wasting their talents on petty theft... which is true!
The police show up, and Comet introduces himself while handing over the reclaimed loot, and learns that it's... a computer game?! Ay yai yai. Our man muffles some laughter while ingratiating himself to an officer. It's funny, the cop immediately accepts him as an ally... seems almost adorably naive, but it's neither here nor there. Comet asks how they found them so quickly, and is advised that the serial-slasher Applejack has struck again right across the campus... this time his victim is a girl named Vicki. Comet is immediately concerned, as that's his girlfriend's name. Luckily (for him), it's a different Vicki. His Victoria (Johnson) is currently reporting on the tragic event KNOQ News.
And so, we shift to Ms. Johnson. After delivering the report and the cameras turn off, she asks her detective friend Ben if he can share some more information about Applejack... ya know, "off the record". He says no... but does anyway. Well, at least he tried to keep confidential information... confidential. We learn that Applejack has a sort of macabre "calling card", wherein he leaves a note next to the victim... written on skin! Upon seeing the handwriting, Victoria produces a note that had been left for her, from someone claiming to be Applejack. Looks like somebody's got a crush...
We rejoin Comet as he flies over Evergreen, Washington... luckily he's feeling nostalgic because it provides him the impetus and opportunity to recall the events of his super-hero origin! Picture it, Alaska... I dunno, a little while ago... Rob (the soon-to-be Comet) arrives at his parents' research facility. He plans to break the news that he'll be leaving Alaska in order to try out for the Quintook Mariners, a Triple-A ball club. Unfortunately he doesn't get the opportunity, as his parents are nowhere to be found, and the place has been left in shambles.
Rob checks the entire area for signs of his folks, without finding diddly squat. He tries to radio out, but there's no signal... and so, he decides to climb up a radio tower to futz with the satellites... at which time, it explodes!
When he comes to, he finds himself trapped under the twisted steel of the radio tower. Attempting to push it off his person, he begins to panic... which somehow triggers his new kinetic blasty super powers!
Freed from the wreckage and after a "test flight", Rob accidentally causes another explosion. Later, the authorities arrive... however, they seem more interested in what Rob's parents were researching, and less with the fact that they appear to have been abducted!
Once the interrogation wraps up, Mark decides to fly back to Evergreen to try and wrap his head around this strange event. His first stop is his girlfriend Victoria's place. She's upset that he has been gone for ten weeks and never wrote her once... which confuses him, as he'd sent letters every week. Hmm. Anyhoo, they have a brief and somewhat uncomfortable chat, during which Rob sorta hints that he'd like to stay with her... but she shoots him down.
And so, Rob heads... home? I thought he needed a place to stay... didn't expect him to have a giant empty house he could use. While home he reads up on the Applejack murders... and decides, hey... I should maybe do something about him. And so, the next day he heads back to Victoria's to a) apologize, and b) announce his intentions.
She is, understandably incredulous... and so, he decides to show her his all-new powers. She is, understandably freaked-out... but they're able to power through.
We shift to later that night, with Victoria in bed. Her phone rings... and the machine gets it. It's Detective Ben, and he is calling to tell her that in light of the Applejack note she'd received, the PD has set her up with two patrolmen to keep a watch on her place. At that very moment, someone enters the room and leaves... another note.
We jump ahead to the next day's news program. Victoria reports that the two patrolmen watching her home... were killed! Oh, and some nut left her another note. Well, to be fair... she refers to Applejack as a "twisted menace".
... and, speak of the devil... it turns out that this news report is being watched by... Appleja-- eh? Waitasec, this is Applejack?! Bwah-ha-ha-ha... what a goofball! I'm sorry, this dude looks ridiculous. Anyhoo, that's a wrap!
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This was pretty good!
I'm surprised I dug this so much... it wasn't at all what I was expecting, though I can't put into words exactly what I was expecting. I dunno, I guess I just expected it to feel kinda flimsy and dated before its time... but it didn't!
During my initial flip through, just from looks alone it felt like a Marvel comic... no big surprise considering the Tom Lyle art. I've always dug his work, so that was a welcome sight. It wasn't much of a surprise to see Mark Waid listed as scripter, as I recall him being a part of the (semi) recent Red Circle relaunch over at Archie Comics... but, again... another welcome sight!
The story we get here is quite well told. It's always something of a challenge (re)introducing an established character to new or lapsed eyes. It's a fine line between going with 22 pages of origin retelling/revamping... or attempting to intermingle an actual present-day narrative, while providing at least a passing mention of how our hero became... a hero.
What we get here is a great introduction... followed by some reflective exposition... then a cliffhanger ending that kinda pulls it all together... all peppered with breadcrumbs for future revelations. Great! I think there were some convenient facilitators in the mix... like Rob deciding to take on Applejack out of nowhere, but no biggie, it moves the story along.
I think if I were to pick a single nit... hoo boy, Applejack looks ri-damn-diculous. I mean, woof. I was expecting like a play on Jack the Ripper... not a dude carrying a spooky staff and wearing a noose for a tie. He might as well be wearing a shirt that says "EVIL". Now, to be fair... we do learn that Applejack was a slasher from a century ago, who was hung back in 1898... so, I think we can assume that some of his "fashion sense" is in tribute to the original... or, perhaps he's possessed or something. Either way though... he just looks silly. The rest of the characters, and The Comet especially, look pretty great though.
Worth checking out? Sure, I'd say so. It's a comfortable read with storytelling that feels like a mixture of 1980's Marvel and DC, and I think a lot of folks would enjoy it. Am I motivated to continue a read-through? Well, I'm motivated to fill in the holes I have in the line and give it a fair shot, so... yeah, I guess so! From the looks of it, this has not been collected and doesn't appear to be available digitally... so it's single issues (not floppies) only. Luckily, the !mpact line is a cheap-o bin staple, and this shouldn't be terribly difficult to stumble across.
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