Jemm, Son of Saturn #1 (September, 1984)
"the arrival"
Writer - Greg Potter
Penciller - Gene Colan
Inker - Klaus Janson
Letterer - Bob Lappan
Colorist - Tom Ziuko
Co-Editors - Janice Race & Dick Giordano
Cover Price: $0.75
Today we're going to discuss a comic that... kinda gave me the creeps back in the day. I'd never actually read the comic, however, I would often see the... I wanna say, half-page ads for this when I'd read my back issues of this vintage. It featured a gangly red alien with dead eyes and a blank expression. He stood before a young child. Now I knew it wasn't going to be a scary book... or even an attempt at a horror title... and I knew the red guy was the protagonist as well... there was just something about the ads that really made me feel uncomfortable. I mean, it is Gene Colan art... and he's known for some spooky stuff. I suppose it's all about the context. The image in the ad came without any, which left my mind racing for just what this could be about... and me being, well... me, I tend to take it to a disturbing place. This will be the first time I'm reading this, so let's see just how "scary" this bugger is.
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We open with young Luthor Mannkin walking home through the dangerous streets of Harlem. He appears to be lost in his own imagination as he pretends he is a space ranger hunting down the killer Octo. He turns a corner and finds that reality is far more terrifying than his imagination.
He attempts to flee, however, the alien's wiry fingers ensnare him. He is dragged into the darkness and soon finds himself looking eye to eye with the creature. There is a glowing jewel on the alien's head... and he uses it to zap young Luthor.
We shift scenes to one that is... somewhat similar. This time we're following Luthor's older brother Lincoln Mannkin as he walks home through Harlem. He is pulled into an alley by street hustler, Reginald. He's quite a character... ends every sentence with "m'man". Now, apparently Lincoln owes a Claudius Tull a grip o' the green... and Reginald is here to collect. He gives Linc until the next night to pay up.
Lincoln returns home to his blind grandfather where he is mistaken for his younger brother. This causes Linc to fly off the handle and start reading the geezer the riot act for only caring about young Luthor. He then proceeds to make a phone call to a scumbag associate named Vin... despite the old man's protests.
Back in the alley, Luthor and the spaceman get better acquainted. Luthor realizes that he only got "zapped" because his new pal was just as scared as he was. This was the image that was on that creepy house ad. Luthor insists the spaceman return home with him... and before they leave, the creature morphs into his superhero-esque outfit.
Meanwhile... in New Jersey, some NASA scientists are huddled around a strange spacecraft... or just a spacecraft, the "strange" would be implied. Here we meet a pair of engaged scientists... a sassy female, and a reserved fella. I definitely have my doubts on the mortality rate of at least one of them...
... Speaking of which... suddenly a pair of robo-alien sentries present themselves and blasts the sassy female scientist. Whoops.
We return to the boy and his alien as they enter the Mannkin apartment. Here our man meets "gramps". During the introductions, he is able to eek out that his name is "Jemm", which the Mannkins immediately mistake as "Jim". He is welcomed "home", and is told he'll be cared for.
After a brief visit with the NASA folks, we get confirmation that the lady did in fact die.
Back at the apartment, the Mannkins and Jemm are sitting around the dinner table awaiting Linc's return. As they hear him stomping down the hallway, Luthor decides to hide Jemm in the bedroom so that they can surprise his big brother. Little does he know, however, that Lincoln is not alone... he has with him the snappily-dressed Vin!
They remain in hiding while Linc and Vin devise their plan. We repeatedly hear that Vin has "the equipment", which I assume is a euphemism for a firearm... and whattayaknow... it is. They have invited Reginald over, and upon his arrival... they jump him.
As luck would sadly have it... Reginald, regardless of his attire... is not a stupid man... and he did not come alone. With him is the giant plunder-man himself... Bouncer. The big guy proceeds to whup every fool in there...
... Which causes Luthor and Jemm to emerge from the bedroom. Jemm and Bouncer enter into a struggle, which ends with Jemm blasting him with his... er, gem.
In the distraction, Reginald snatched young Luthor and took off with him to the roof. Shortly, Jemm is hovering in front of them. Before he is able to act, however, blind gramps tackles Reginald... causing all three to go flying off the roof!
Jemm has to act fast, and is only able to save one falling human. He obviously chooses Luthor. Which, at first, delights the lad to no end. That is, until he realizes that Jemm wasn't able to also save his grandfather.
Jemm begins to cry... and Luthor realizes that he didn't "choose" to let his grandfather die... he "chose" to let him live. Jemm scoops gramps up, and the two proceed down a darkened street. In the foreground, we get a shot of the strange robo-aliens from the crash site. To be continued...
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Well now, that wasn't scary at all... was it? It was actually a great little opener. It's almost like we get a series of vignettes featuring members of the Mannkin family, which then weave together into the story that will go forward. Very impressive storytelling and an inspired route to get where we need to be by chapter's close.
Since this is an inner-city story, it's not all that difficult to guess where this one was going... but, that isn't a bad thing... especially when the characterization and art are so solid. There are such feelings of frustration and unease bubbling right under the surface all throughout this piece. Each character has their motivations, and I feel, believes they are being altruistic in their attempts to make things better for the Mannkin family.
I was quite pleased that the NASA bits were kept to a minimum. When we first met the doomed scientist couple, I was afraid that we were going to rapidly lose the character aspects of this story and have it turn into a straight-up science fiction type romp. I do... eventually see it going that way... it almost has to. But, for now... I'm glad it's more about a boy and his alien than super-secret-government-yadda-yadda storytelling.
I do have one complaint... and it's a strange one... the lettering! The lettering here is strange. Captions and word balloons are positively packed with verbiage... and in many instances... hell, most instances... there did not appear to be proper spacing between words. It isn't often I get distracted by lettering, which I guess is why it stood out to me so here.
Overall, a great story... if the lettering was better, this would be an immediate recommendation. I hate that my reservations with this one comes from an aspect of the books that many people ignore... or neglect, but this was a difficult read. There were pages where I had to take my glasses off and push my face almost into the page to try and decipher the words.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear #1 (December, 1995)
"Patterns of Fear"
Writer - Roger Stern
Penciller - Anthony Williams
Inker - Andy Lanning
Letterer - Pat Prentice
Colorist - Patricia Mulvihill
Editor - Dan Thorsland
Cover Price: $2.95
I've been in kind of a Batgirl kinda place these past few days... been revisiting (and visiting for the first time) some of the more seminal moments for the character, Barbara Gordon or whoever is under the cowl. The issue we're going to talk about today was, obviously, part of 1995's Underworld Unleashed crossover where, per the cover copy, Oracle is going to face her ultimate temptation. It doesn't take a super genius to see where this one is going, right?
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We open at Oracle's Clocktower. She is narrating this piece, discussing the severe spike in crime and such oddities as five of the Flash's rogues dying... separately... but at the same time. There is certainly something strange in the air this night... and she soon learns that "that something" is... a poncy blonde dude in one of Wilson Fisk's suits... either that, or the horrid mullet she is sporting here.
He talks to her... rather calmly, but with a gravelly timbre. Her first instinct it to reach for her escrima sticks... however, no sooner does she grab them than they vanish out of existence. They reappear in the man's hands, as he tsk tsks her for acting so foolish. He tells her that he's not here for anything "sinister", rather he just wants a look into her files. Like, her Oracle files... no double-entendre implied...
From here we enter into a makeshift Underworld Unleased Secret Files and Origins bit. We learn a bit about some of the players in the story, and about some of the changes they had recently undergone. For those not in the know, this blonde fella is *spoiler alert* Neron... the Underworld Unleashed event consisted of him "powering up" folks in exchange for their, say it with me... mortal souls. As an example, I'll include an image of the "new look" Killer Moth for the dear reader's bemusement.
Now, it gets a bit wacky. We've got Oracle giving the fella a guided tour of her files. He asks who her sources are, which is really a strange question for someone as knowledgeable about the world as Ner-- the blonde guy. She picks up on this right away, but the thing of it is... yeah, Neron knows... he just wants to make her say it. He's a pretty messed up fella. Babs' response? Hold up a cross!
Neron's all "that's adorable" and plucks the crucifix out of her hand... he then turns it on her, and instead of Christ being on the cross... it's James Gordon. Yup, Neron's pretty messed up.
We go back into the Secret Files for a few more pages, and when we return, Barbara remembers that not all of her files are online (or on-line as this mid 1990's book says). It just so happens that she has a folded file that hasn't been uploaded (up-loaded?) as of yet... so she hides it behind her back. This, as you might imagine, does not work out so well. Neron poofs the files away like he did with the escrimas earlier.
At this point, Barbara knows for sure that the man in front of her is Neron... and she calls him out on it. This amuses him, and he dramatically sheds his Kingpin clothes and causes flames to surround him... which lasts for all of one panel.
We go back into the files, and Neron becomes curious. Her files are so exhaustive, yet... for whatever reason (wink wink), seem to be lacking in information on... the Joker. Why, clearly Barbara should know a thing or two about him, right?
Neron mentally tortures Oracle with images of the Joker and a pretty decent recreation of the events of The Killing Joke. As she attempts to flee, her wheelchair morphs into a grotesque arm and hand covered mess... holding her in place.
After another trip into the files, we return to see Barbara's wheelchair being held up by two Batgirls. Here is where the temptation begins. Neron wants to... hire Barbara as an "archivist" in exchange for, ya know... fixing her shattered spine.
She hesitates... and he only sweetens the deal. In addition to fixing her spine, he will give her invulnerability on par with Superman. He gets into real Billy Mays mode, and throws in yet another piece... if she joins him, he'll let her keep her soul! It looks like she might go for it for a moment... when he asks if they've got a deal, she gives a very... verrrrry 1990's, "We do........ NOT!", whoa... party on, Babs!
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| ..... NOT! |
Neron, actually being a decently intelligent villain just replies with a "Very well then." and rather than waste his time, turns to leave. This was certainly not the response Barbara was expecting, as she begins to protest... thinking the other show must be about to drop. Neron turns back and tells her he has no reason, good or bad, to deal with her any longer. He walks through the Clocktower wall, and out of Barbara's life. As he vanishes, she yells "Wait--!", perhaps because she wants more information... or... or, perhaps because she fears she just missed out on the deal of a lifetime.
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Let's face it... this issue gave us the exact story we were expecting, right? Not a bad thing in the slightest... it was still very well done. Having Barbara faced with someone as powerful of Neron is a decent novelty. For all of her talents and intellect... there is literally nothing she can do to Neron.
We get yet another call back to that story... ya know, The Killing Joke. I have no problem with this. I know a lot of folks do (especially lately, for whatever reason)... but, ya know... it's part of the character's history. It makes complete sense to cite it here, as the entire impetus for the "deal" is predicated on that story having happened. Neron would obviously use it to torment Barbara... considering he's trying to sway her to his side.
Now... it's gotta be said... this is an ugly book. Like, really ugly... Barbara's mullet is truly a sight to behold, and that's not even the worst of it. It looks like a disposable backup story from an issue of X-Men Unlimited or something. That, along with the muddy colors and terrible mid-90's glossy paper makes this one a toughie to look at.
I would definitely recommend this for the story and the "secret files and origins" bits... the art though... oy... it's a tough sell. I guess I can safely say if you come across this in the cheap-o bins, it's something you ought to snag... otherwise, it depends on your Barbara Gordon mileage. If you're a fan, you'll likely dig this.
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Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure (March, 2002)
"The Fool's Errand"
Writer - Greg Rucka
Penciller - Rick Burchett
Inker - Klaus Janson
Letterer - Willie Schubert
Colorist - Lee Loughridge
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $0.10
After checking in with the Cassandra Cain Batgirl yesterday, I decided to stick with the bat-books of the early 2000's... at least for today. We're going to discuss the opening chapter to the big Bat-Event of 2002, Bruce Wayne: Murderer?... which would continue into Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. It's just another reminder of how fresh and interesting the New Gotham era Batman family of books could be.
I remember the price stunt being a pretty big deal at the time... an entire Batman story... that mattered... for one thin dime. DC would revisit this novelty pricing for Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure and a few years later for Batman: The 12-Cent Adventure, though neither of which were as good as this one. Even across the street at Marvel they played the game (and one-downed their Distinguished Competition) when they released Fantastic Four (vol.3) #60 for... nine-cents. The early 2000's were a weird time in comics... much more fun, and much less serious than today, that's for sure. Anyhoo, let's get down to it.
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We open on that familiar to the point of cliche scene where a young Bruce Wayne kneels on crime alley before his fallen parents... we've got blood... we've got pearls... you know the story. That said, I really can't harsh on it all that much here. This is a 10-cent issue, and as such an invitation to new and lapsed readers to "jump in" on the caped crusader. What may be trite to seasoned comic citizens like myself, is necessary table-setting for an incoming audience. Greg Rucka's writing makes this scene more than what a lesser writer might... from that tragic night, we continue through Bruce's adolescence and ultimately to his profound meeting with a certain "rat with wings". Year One was still a thing at this point.
We move into narration from Sasha Bordeaux, Bruce Wayne's bodyguard... and latest member of the DC Universe to get "the secret". She found it odd that her client would vanish each night... and decided to follow up on some hunches. In so doing, she also found herself falling in love with him... that can't possibly end well, right?
We learn that with her newfound knowledge, she has been drafted into Batman's war on crime. This is a piece of the story that I had completely forgotten. We get a shot of the Jason Todd's Robin costume to clue new readers in to what could potentially happen to a Bat-associate.
Sasha remarks that every so often of late, Batman has been looking in on a woman called Vesper Fairchild... a former squeeze of Bruce Wayne's. She continues, stating that Bruce broke things off with her when things were "looking serious", which is pretty much what Bruce does.
Sasha struggles with whether or not she should try and talk to Bruce about Vesper... after mustering the courage to finally say something... well, there's an explosion. Ain't that always the way?
Down below, the Gotham City Currency Exchange is being raided by some masked thugs. This provides a great opportunity to present some disposable baddies for Batman and Sasha to take down in tandem. We see here that Sasha is quite adept in fighting, though I can't remember how much of her past we were privy to by this point. She'll ultimately head over to another Rucka joint, Checkmate following Infinite Crisis... which, ehh...
The next stop on their patrol is a night club called the Wyld Night. Batman is able to save all of the occupants... except one. This appears to deeply affect Batman, which isn't a surprise to us... but, remember, this is Sasha's recounting of the events. This is likely her first time seeing Batman "miss" one.
Next, our dynamic duo stops at the Zoo where a tiger had gotten out of its cage. Batman is able to sooth the savage beast and get her to retreat to her pen. Special attention is paid to Batman's words... he talks as though he's afraid someone would hurt the tiger, and not the other way around.
This is a very busy night... we've got a firefight on a bridge between the GCPD and the Russian mob. Sasha mentions here that Batman is careful to contain his rage when fighting bad guys... and more importantly, he never kills. Not sure if this is something she just knows, or something she has gleaned from her recent observations... but it's important.
Next we get to watch Sasha go solo. There's a jumper across town at the same time as a mugging nearby. Our heroes decide to divide and conquer. Sasha takes down the mugger with ease.
Later back at the Batcave, Sasha checks in with Bruce. Even though the night was a definite success, he can't seem to shake the loss of a single life at the night club. Again, this is important in illustrating how Bruce/Batman values human life... and is a great way to frame what is to come.
Speaking of "what is to come"... Bruce and Sasha head upstairs where they come across the dead body of Vesper Fairchild!
Just in time for the GCPD to kick in the doors to Wayne Manor. To be continued...
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What this issue does is pretty great. It brings elements of the past, present, and future together in an organic way... that didn't feel like we were just getting a pile of exposition dumped on us. Of course we open with the blood 'n pearls... this is a Batman story, after all. Being as though this was a 10-cent dealie, you gotta imagine this was intended as a book with which DC wanted to use to grow their readership. It has to be "new reader friendly". I definitely feel this issue was successful in that regard.
The present is represented in Sasha Bordeaux, who for a time was Bruce Wayne's bodyguard... if you can believe that. I always dug her character, she was almost a foil to Bruce in that she got a bit nosy about his extracurricular activities... and was actually able to suss out the secret. In so doing, she also... falls in love with him. You know how that be. I'd actually forgotten that she had taken on a masked identity... though without a proper superhero name, it appears. I feel she works well both in and out of the costume... and really disliked it when she was pulled from the Bat Family into Greg Rucka's relaunched Checkmate series post Infinite Crisis.
The future is pretty self-evident. We got us a dead girl in Wayne Manor. This is the perfect kick off point for a season-spanning whodunnit epic. This was a joy to read... and I remember back some, jeez, 14 years ago, this was a joy to collect and follow.
Rucka's writing is as good as you would imagine, even during pages of exposition, it isn't dull. Rick Burchett's art is also perfectly fitting for this story. I actually had to do a double take at the credits page, I thought it was Scott McDaniel at first blush. Perhaps it has something to do with the inking and/or coloring... it looks like something out of an early issue of Nightwing... which is a good thing.
Overall... even though I enjoyed this immensely, it's a hard one to recommend. It is the opening chapter to a... if Wikipedia is to be believed, thirty-nine part story. That's one hell of an investment of time, effort, and money. I personally feel it's worth it... but I'd hate to send anyone on a shopping spree. I will say that both Fugitive and Murderer? are handily available digitally... so if the mood strikes you, give it a go. If you're still on the fence... The 10-Cent Adventure itself is available digitally... FOR FREE. Enjoy!
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