NML Crossing, Episode 026 - Batman #557 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Six

Batman #557 (August, 1998)
“Ballistic’s Evidence”
Writer - Doug Moench
Layouts - Vince Giarrano
Finishes - Sal Buscema
Colors - Gregory Wright & Android Images
Letters - Todd Klein
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

Gotham City gets a visit from... a New Blood?!

The Bruce Wayne Batman has his first team up with the man called Ballistic... and, well... that's about the size of it!

Plus: A hoppin' NMaiLbag!

NML Crossing on Youtube

https://gothamquake.com

https://chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

ACW #632 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #632 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Seven: A Time of Changes"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Pencils - Vince Giarrano
Inks - Tom Mandrake
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Welp, Speedy's time as the "headliner" of this feature sure was short-lived!  We're back to Nightwing & Speedy (rather than Speedy & Nightwing, that is)... and I'm beginning to wonder how much longer this one's going to go!

--

We pick up right at the bomb-blast... and despite it looking as though our Moira was running away from the planted suitcase last time out, here it looks more as though she was running towards it!  Roy runs over to her and calls for an ambulance... and by "calls for an ambulance", I mean he screams "we need an ambulance".  At this point the entire Orange Day parade has gone a bit ca-ca, and Nightwing is already busting heads.  Just then, an officer begins emptying his piece in Nightwing's direction... which tells him that maybe they're not on the same side.

Then, a Kesel Meats truck (featuring a rather well-endowed, or perhaps five-legged, bull on the side) bee-lines it directly at the cop.  Turns out the driver is... well, hell, it's Speedy.  Dude can change clothes and steal a truck in less time than it takes for me to complete a thought!

They drive until they reach a roadblock surrounded by armed men.  They are the Sanas!  We learn that the F.O.E.s are their foes (yeah, they really say that), but here's the thing... they invite the heroes behind the barricade for safety!  Before they can get too comfortable, however, a helicopter swoops in... guns ablazing!

The Sanas are shot dead!  Speedy manages to fire off an arrow-line into the rear rotor of the chopper, and sends it smashing into the side of a nearby building.  We can see that this is one of those helicopters we used to joke about as kids... because the pilot appears to have escaped via ejector seat!  A F.O.E. in the foreground takes aim on the distracted heroes, however, finds himself feeling the cold steel of the Man from the Train Turlet's pistol!

Jumping ahead to Moira's hospital bed, she's recovering just fine.  Just a broken arm and a few bruises... which, certainly beats the alternative.  We learn that a woman (who we may or may not have already met... Roy meets a lot of middle-aged women... I mean, who else is he going to hand Lian to?) is going to take Moira and Button in... and that Roy is going to be heading back to the States.

Outside, Dick n' Roy meet a woman named Sinnead who tries to set them straight on the Sanas.  She suggests that they are a reactionary effort... not fighting to kill, but instead fighting to survive.  She claims that she'll be laying down her weapons now, however, since children are getting hurt.  Just then, an old dude runs up... with a frickin' grenade!  I reckon he's lookin' to lob it at the hospital... but Sinnead meets him head-on.  Unfortunately for her, it looks like the codger already pulled the pin!

We wrap up with some, if I'm being honest, boring "intrigue".  Dude sells weapons and information... gets himself poisoned with something that mimics a heart attack (must have been extra Chloro-floro-whatever left over from the Black Canary feature!).  Meanwhile Train Turlet has booked himself a trip to the States.

--

Say it with me... another strong chapter.

But, I gotta say, fatigue is beginning to set in.  Now, I'm not overly familiar with Ms. Wilkerson's writing style, so for all I know, she has a very deliberate and slow-paced method.  I have a sneaking suspicion there might be a hair of dreaded decompression at play though... not so much to "fill a trade", but more to get us to the upcoming Action Comics Weekly "crossover" and deck-clearing (coming up in ACW #635).

I appreciate how, while we're probably supposed to sympathize with The Sanas at this point, they're still not depicted as overly "good".  They're still, basically urban terrorists... very means to an end, crack as many eggs as ya need, insert whatever metaphor about goal-oriented ruthlessness you can here.

That said, the F.O.E.'s are definitely the "big bads".  I didn't mention it during the synopsis, but we learn at the end that Train Turlet used to be part of something... perhaps the police force (?), but he had to resign.  Maybe we'll learn more about that next week... then again, maybe we won't!  I dunno if it's enough to maintain interest... it really feels like we could've ended the story here.  Moira and Button have a caretaker, Roy's heading home... an F.O.E. has been caught... seems like a done deal to me!  Oh well, guess we'll find out next time.

We have a fill-in artist (well, penciller... Mandrake still provides ink) in Vince Giarrano... and, this probably isn't his best work.  Perhaps more evidence that this story might've been puffed out a chapter or two... maybe there was a time crunch, maybe it was Mandrake's inks not jiving with his pencils... maybe I'm talking out my ass.  Now, if you've seen some of Vincent's non-comics work, you'll know what a brilliant artist he is.  It's truly wonderful stuff.

Overall... solid, but long in the tooth.  Perhaps this would read better all in one "go"!

Tomorrow: The Horizontal Goosestep!

ACW #631 - Speedy & Nightwing

Action Comics Weekly #631 (Speedy & Nightwing)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Six: Old Friends, New Enemies"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Pencils - Vince Giarrano
Inks - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Agustin Mas
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Yes, that parenthetical after the issue number is correct (if, in fact, anyone even noticed)... this time out Speedy gets top billing over Nightwing (and really, at this point why shouldn't he?)!  I'm not going to make a whole new blog "tag" for it, but figured I'd at least give him his moment in the title of the post itself!

--

We pick up right where we left off... well, sorta.  Speedy is still pursuing the Sanas thug who nabbed Button... but, it kind of looks like he's on the other end of the train car this time out.  The car is rapidly approaching that other car full of explosives, which really denotes an air of poor planning in the Sanas organization.  As luck would have it, Speedy's pretty good with a bow and arrow, and so, he's able to hit a nearby switchbox which sends the train down a safer track.  The shift also throws the thug to the ground, causing him to drop his gun.  Button nabs the piece.

The thug regains his bearings, and... get this, goes to toss the brat off the car!  I guess she wasn't all that important alive to the Sanas then?  I'm tellin' ya, poor planners, these Sanas.  Speedy manages to swoop in just in the nick of time and save the tot.  Back home, Button and Moira come around to the idea that their new pal Roy is actually one of the "good guys".

Elsewhere, Hunter (the train turlet guy) is talking to a fella who is warning him about his current investigation.  Basically, what it comes down to is "be very sure about any accusations you're about to make."  Well, when you're going to accuse the police of being terrorists, I suppose that's not the worst advice!

We rejoin Roy and the kids right after they've picked up... heyyy, is that Dick Grayson?!  Holy smokes, I forgot all about him!

As they drive, Roy realizes that there's been a car on their tail for an uncomfortably long time.  He speeds up, Dick tells him to slow down... the car behind them begins to open fire, and so Dick tells him to speed back up.  Cute enough exchange.

Dick grabs a bow and arrow, and fires a shot into the passenger's door of their pursuers... which allows them to get away.

We shift scenes to the police station, where an Officer named Clapton is outed as an enemy to the F.O.E.s.  In order to, uh, "mitigate any risks" pertaining to the Friends of the Empire's Orange Day plans, he's sent on patrol... right in the middle of a Sanas funeral.  Whoops.  The Sanas climb all over his squad car, and pummel it with blunt objects.

We wrap up at the Orange Day Parade... where some little kid pulls the old "drop and run" with a briefcase.  Moira immediately knows what's up, and bolts into the street (without Button, mind you).  We close with a boom!

--

A good, if not just a little bit disjointed, chapter here.  Feels more like a series of vignettes than an actual story.  Just a lot of "bouncing around"... though, there's definitely a feeling of progression.

Dick finally shows back up... even if it's both out of costume, and for only a handful of panels, but that signifies that things are likely about to "heat up" (and come together) as we move forward.  Whatever the case, the overall narrative we've got going here is pretty darn intriguing.

The Police being in the F.O.E.'s pocket is interesting... though, I feel like we haven't been properly introduced to this Clapton character.  From how he's discussed, it almost feels like we should know him... but, we don't... do we?  

I do wanna say that Moira running away, leaving her sister behind to presumably perish in the blast, felt a little bit out of character.  She always struck me as a "not without my Button" type... maybe I'm just missing something.

Overall, another good installment... this would probably read even better all in one go!

Tomorrow: Trippin' Blackhawks?

ACW #624 - Deadman

Action Comics Weekly #624 (Deadman)
"Wildwood"
Writer - Mike Baron
Pencils - Vince Giarrano
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Daniel Vozzo
Inks - Tony DeZuniga
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Ya feel that?

That... I dunno, chill... in the air?  It's ominous, isn't it?  Hairs are standing up on the back of my neck... got goosebumps atop goosebumps... it can only mean one thing.

Today... is our final... Canary-Free day.

Let's make the most of it!

--

Picking up where we left off last week, Deadman-as-whatshisface and Madame Waxahachie have arrived at the Peckshaw Ancestral Estate for to look for the final resting place of those zombie-queen twins.  Their grave-site is evidently a very closely-kept secret.  They decide to enter and look around... while pretending to be zombies themselves in order to avoid detection.  I wonder how that's going to work out?  Before long, they find themselves in a grand ballroom... where ghostly pairs are cutting a rug.  Ya see, it's the annual Peckshaw Harvest Ball!

They are soon confronted by the ghost of Tyson Peckshaw... the father of those dastardly twins!  She introduces herself as Mabel Waxahachie, but Ty knows that mustn't be true... far as he knows, Mabel's only a "little girl of twelve".  He orders the interlopers be removed forcibly from the proceedings... which Deadman and the Madame kind of laugh off.  After all, what can a ghost ever do to them?  Well, it looks like he somehow can toss 'em on out on their ears!

Deadman decides he ain't gonna take this laying down, and so, he abandons his groundskeeper-bod and rushes back through the ballroom door... only to find: nothing!  It's as though there wasn't a soiree going on like two-seconds ago!  The Twins look on, and laugh at his dumbfoundedness.

The Madame ain't much keen on waiting, and so she bursts into the room not a moment later.  The twins mock her for being both old and uppity.  She fires back by calling their father a drunk and a whoremonger.  Man, schoolyard taunts in the south were pretty weird!

Just then, Papa Tyson shows up to see what's going on.  Mabel clues him in on all of the girls' misdeeds over the past little while.  Oh yeah, she also informs him that he is, in fact, dead.  He doesn't take the news all that well... shouting at the twins, and demanding they cut the crap.

And so, they send Pops back to the afterlife... or wherever.  Thing is, it's too late to truly stop everything they'd put into motion.  Ya see, the army of the dead... they're still heading this-a-way!

--

A rather fun chapter!  I wasn't expecting this one to veer into comedy... but, I'm pretty glad it did!  I feel like up to this point, it was a little too "straight".

I like that the twins are being depicted more as "mischievous" than evil.  I mean, they are kids, after all... stands to reason that they wouldn't be able to grasp the seriousness of the situation they've put into motion.

Madame Waxahachie is really growing on me... she's a lot of fun.  I dig that there (apparently) was a little history between she and the Peckshaws.  Really looking forward to seeing how this plays out!

Tomorrow: She's ba-ack...

Manhunter (vol.2) #1 (1994)

Manhunter (vol.2) #1 (November, 1994)
"True Fiction"
Writer - Steven Grant
Artist - Vince Giarrano
Letterer - Clem Robins
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Archie Goodwin
Cover Price: $1.95

No man escapes the... well, you know.

Today we're going to take a look at a book... that, if you ask me, was kinduva "blink and you'll miss it".  A volume of Manhunter that I sometimes forget even existed!

That being said... it's also a volume of Manhunter that I've never read!  Let's remedy that... at least for the first issue (not counting the zero ish), right now!

--

We open on our titular (though not yet named as such) Manhunter.  His head is full of some sorta purple prose... but it's also confused.  There's something about how these captions are written, where in a knee-jerk kinda way, I really wanna hate it... yet, I don't.  He's on the (wild) hunt for Doctor Malig (which might be a bit on the nose) because he needs his help to deal with a mythical Wild Huntsman... when he runs afoul of the motorcycle riding Butcher Boys.

They fight for a bit... and in a panel that I find funny, though I'm not sure it was meant to be, Manhunter tricks the baddies into firing on an over-sized curtain.  Gotta wonder if that's a sort of commentary on how silly the extra-long capes of the day were.  Nah, I'm probably thinking too hard.  Made me chuckle regardless though!

Manhunter then steals their wheels... and bursts out a window.  Speeding toward the city, the Butcher Boys are unable to keep up.  And so, they report back to their "boss", Goodish... who is apparently also keeping tabs on this Dr. Malig.

Suddenly, Manhunter bursts in through the window (this man has clearly never heard of a door)... he then beats up the Butcher Boys, and holds a pistol up to Goodish's head.  The baddie tells his men to stand down, because he and "Bloodmoney" here are going to negotiate.

Our man(hunter) is confused... he doesn't know who or what a "bloodmoney" is... and neither do I!  Goodish explains that he mistook him for a creep calling himself Bloodmoney... then unwittingly names our hero "Manhunter".  We learn that Malig is up to his eyeballs in debt... which is why this "Bloodmoney" fella is after him.  Manhunter and Goodish decide to put their differences aside in the interest of getting Malig out of this jam.

After hands are shook, Manhunter leaves to make a phone call.  He's checking in on a woman... perhaps one that he loves (the narrative captions can't quite make up their mind) who is in a bad way having been somehow affected by that Wild Huntsman.

We stick with Chase (Lawler, the Manhunter) as he slinks around the dirty city.  He winds up at Petrucchio's jazz club, where he chats up an old friend about trying to track down some "big deal" bookies.

His old pal hands him a guitar and tells him if he wants the info, he's gotta "play to pay".  And so, Chase takes to the stage and cranks out some blues tunes.  We can assume that his buddy gave him the line on the bookie he was looking for post-performance, because...

... next thing we know, Manhunter is attacking the biggest bookie in town!  This is Sammy Oberlin, and he's the guy who... well, let's be honest here, only wants what Dr. Malig owes him.  Sure, bookies might be a bit shady... but, a bet's a bet, right?  Well, Manhunter doesn't seem to think so... he grabs Sammy by the throat.

Then... Bloodmoney shows up... looking nothing like Manhunter.  Well, I guess they have a matching color scheme... but the costumes look completely different.  They fight for a bit, with Chase maintaining the upper hand.  Bloodmoney calls for a cease-fire (and cease-punching) to tell Manhunter that they'll forgive Dr. Malig's debts if he just walks away now.

Chase knows a good deal when he hears it... and also can't see a trap when it's right in front of him, so he accepts.  Oberlin asks Bloodmoney what he's planning... to which, BM says he just shifted Malig's debt onto their new masked friend... and interest is accruing.  Doesn't seem the smartest thing to burden an unknown masked man with debt.  I wonder if I can somehow use that to write off my student loans.

We wrap up with Manhunter finally visiting Dr. Malig.  Malig claims to have seen him beating up Bloodmoney, and asks where he learned to fight.  It doesn't take him long to deduce that Chase might've "found" the Wild Huntsman... and also, might have a piece of the Huntsman in him as well.

He suggests that Chase now has a lust for killing.  To prove otherwise, Manhunter violently grabs him by the collar and shouts in his face.  That'll learn 'im.  We close out with Manhunter questioning what he is becoming.

--

Hey, this feels like an Image book... and I'm not just saying that because our leading man sorta resembles... ya know, that guy.  And, don't get me wrong... I know saying something feels "like an Image book" is usually some really damning "praise", but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it!

This was a pretty good issue.  It's so weird seeing Vince Giarrano's work here, especially if you know the kind of art he's putting out nowadays.  The fella is phenomenal.

Our new Manhunter is a very means-to-an-end kinda dude.  He's pretty quick to grab someone by their throat... and doesn't really seem to give violence a second thought.  Now, if that doesn't scream "90's!", right?  But here's the thing... there's this nebulous Wild Huntsman who might be causing Chase to act this way.  It sort of lampshades the entire deal... and I feel like, at least for now, that's good enough.

Early on, I mentioned the sorta cringy captions... they're really the sort of thing I should hate, but I don't.  They give us pretty good insight as to what's going on inside Chase's muddled mind.  He's literally editing his thoughts to best serve his goal.  It's an interesting approach to storytelling... and I can't say that I've really ever seen anything quite like it.

Gotta say, the whole "beating up the bookie" thing kinda bugs me.  I guess it works in a "shades of gray" sort of way... where Lawler isn't exactly a good or bad guy... just a guy who needs something done.  I guess it's just that a "bookie" lives in that gray area as well... not a good or bad guy... just a guy who makes lopsided "deals".  I guess that just feeds into the world Grant and Giarrano are building... people using other people to get what they want.  I suppose it works.

Before we go... I suppose we ought to mention Manhunter's costume, right?  Do we have to?  I mean, it's a really cool design... but it's almost certainly based on, ya know.  Either way... he looks cool, and I suppose it's sorta-kinda got it's own thing going to separate it from, that other guy.

Overall, not half-bad!  I was expecting to dislike this (or just not care) from the get-go, but found myself having a halfway decent time with it.  If you come across this on the cheap, it might be worth a look.  This issue is not yet available online (only #0 is)... but it shouldn't be a tough... nor wild, "hunt" in the bins.

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(Not the) Letters Page:

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Starman #43 (1992)

Starman #43 (February, 1992)
"Star Shadows, Part Two: Blue Moon"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Artist - Vince Giarrano
Letterer - Bob Pinaha
Colorist - Tom McCraw
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.00

The road to #BestEventEver rolls on through Starman #43!

--

This chapter opens with the Main Man himself, Lobo lazily spilling his beer in his lap while listening to some alien crooners at what looks like an intergalactic airport lounge.  The barkeep offers him another drink... with a tail sticking out of it, which he sucks down and expresses his appreciation with a mighty belch.

Welp, one of the only thing Lobo likes more then beer and burping is fighting... so that comes next.  He beats the snot out of the sad little band.  Seems like an overreaction to not digging their tunes, but it's Lobo, whattaya gonna do?

As he stands over the beaten... and tied-in knots, band, Lobo takes a moment to appreciate his work.  At this point he is tapped on the shoulder.  Well, ya don't do that to the Main Man and expect to get away with it, do ya?  Lobo turns around with a mighty swing... which misses!  Ya see, the shoulder-tapper is no more than a tiny turtle using his cane for reach.

Lobo does what most of us do when confronted by a persistent turtle, he kicks the little bugger around the room.  When he comes to a complete stop, his little hand pokes out of his shell with a fistful of credits.  Well, now you're speaking Lobo's language!  The turtle presents Lobo with a money-making opportunity... one which requires he visit Earth.  His target is Eclipso, a man so troublesome he's got a one-billion credit price on his head!

Lobo's down with the gig, and hops on his spacehog to track his bounty.  Once he's out of sight, the turtle's body crumbles into dust.  From it rises an ethereal blue form... who goes off planet to confer with an ethereal green form (and later several more).  Ya see, these li'l clouds are the Lords of Chaos... and they've got a rather sizable bone to pick with ol' Moonface from his failings during the Phantom Stranger miniseries, which we've talked about in the past.

We rejoin Lobo just about where we ended last issue... with a bit of a sideswipe of Starman and Gordon's solar jet.  Lobo doesn't take kindly to anyone who "learned to drive on Uranus", and so... a fight is on!  Lobo pretty much wipes the floor (figuratively, of course) with poor Will Payton.

The fight rages onto the Moon, where Bruce Gordon is hanging back in the solar jet doing the whole "changing into Eclipso" thing.  As luck would have it, he remembered to pack not only his Black Diamond, but also his cute li'l Eclipso duds and cap!

Eclipso watches as Payton and Lobo beat the hell out of each other, and shares a bit of exposition with us.  He looks at Starman as his "perfect opposite"... okay, stands to reason.  He also reveals that he intends to use Will as a "living battery"... a vessel in which he can house energy.  Okay, fair enough.  As this goes down, Will finally goes "nova" on Lobo, blasting him full-on with a hyooge bolt... which doesn't even singe the Main Man's hair.  In fact, he seems tickled... even refers to Will as, get this... Starbaby!

Lobo continues to thrash our man, however, before he can land a "killing blow", Eclipso interjects... with a blast of dark energy from his Black Diamond.  The chapter ends with Eclipso... making a threat?  I dunno... here, you decide.

--

Well, this was a lot better than last issue... in just about every way possible!

We get ourselves a bit of action here with a pretty nice fight between Starman and Lobo... this issue kinda hits the "sweet spot" between action and drama... which, lemme tell ya, kinda goes away for the second half (the next two issues) of the story.  I know Lobo can be a sore subject for some, but I've always kinda dug him.  I don't think I could read more than one Lobo story in a row... but, I think every now and again it's pretty neat for him to show up.  That said... this is one weirdly-written Lobo.

I think it's pretty funny that Bruce Gordon just happened to have his Eclipso outfit stashed away in the solar jet... so weird, but it's comics, so we'll allow it.  I thought it was a pretty cool callback to the Phantom Stranger mini... which I still haven't finished, but recall digging what I have read.  I'm just a sucker for anytime one story calls back to another.

The art here was by Vince Giarrano, who is an absolute breath of fresh air after the odd mismash we saw in Part One.  Giarrano's interpretations of Starman, Lobo, and Eclipso were all on-point, and, I thought it was really cool that he used a sorta-kinda Mignola-esque (Mignolian?) style when flashing back to the Phantom Stranger bits with the Lords of Chaos (Mignola drew that 1988 mini).  Great stuff... makes me wish Giarrano would have done a ton more comic work... but, if you've seen his current art... which is ridiculously amazing, it's probably clear why he's doing what he's doing.

Overall, a damn sight better than Part One... and, for my money, probably the best chapter of this story.  Worth checking out.

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Letters Page:

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The Darkness Continues...

I'm the Gun

Relatively Geeky Network

Professor Alan's Comic Book Reading Journal #024

Coffee & Comics Podcast
Episode #6: Flash Annual #5 (1992) 

Resurrections-An Adam Warlock Podcast

The Retroist

Chris is on Infinite Earths

you is here y'all

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill

Episode #42: Starman 42-45 (1992)

For the Non-Discerning Reader

Green Lantern Annual #1 (1992)

The Pop Culture Palace

Rolled Spine's Diana Prince: Wonder Woman Podcast

DC Bloodlines

Also remember you can follow along on Twitter using the hashtags #BestEventEver and #EclipsoTDW25