1st Issue Special #1 (April, 1975)
"Atlas the Great!"
Writer/Artist/Editor - Jack Kirby
Inker/Letterer - D. Bruce Berry
Cover Price: $0.25
I'm the kinda guy who thinks that, at least in concept, there is no such thing as "rules". Sure, there's regulations, policies, and laws... but "rules" don't exist... at least in the sense of being imposed upon by others. My personal code makes it so "rules" only apply to the most important things in life... ya know, like comic books... and mayyybe Pro-Wrestling.
My rules are as follows:
1. Never leave a copy of Superman #75 behind in the cheap-o bin.
2. Never pay more than a quarter for an issue of Youngblood.
... and...
3. If you come across an issue of 1st Issue Special... you pick it up.
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We join our story in progress as Atlas (the Great) performs an impressive feat of strength. Before a packed house he crumbles tremendous stone slabs into dust by crushing them under his mighty arms. At the same time, there's a bit of a hub-bub in the marketplace. A man called Kargin sees Atlas as no more than a mere charlatan, and seeks to challenge him on the field of battle... which consists of a wooden platform. This doesn't go so well for ol' Kargin.
Atlas' second collects the shekels from the crowd who bet against him. Some are not so keen to pay the piper, and so suggest that Atlas is nothing more than a cheating dog! Before a full-blown riot breaks out, the streets are ordered to empty in preparation of the King's passage.
When the King's transport is delayed, the sore losers blame the traffic stop on ol' Atlas... and so, the guards proceed to attack. Atlas takes care of them with the quickness, and then, with one hand, snatches the King himself out of his carriage. Archers take aim, and so Atlas hoists the King up... daring them to fire.
It is then that Atlas hears a voice... one that is quite familiar to him. This causes us to travel back in time to flashback-ville, where a young Atlas is watching his village be decimated by an army of horseback soldiers. He sees his mother kidnapped... and his father struck down. He runs to his father, however, is grabbed by a giant hand. A hand belonging to a General of some sort... who looks like, in Atlas' words, a "Human Lizard".
It is here that we learn that Atlas has always been "mighty". He wallops the General with the power of a grown-man... then heads into the tall grass. Once there he comes upon a man in a green tunic, who puts his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet and not give away their location. Atlas, being a boy of steel gives him a snap mare for his troubles.
After the army has moved on, Atlas runs back to his village... the man in the tunic follows. Atlas enters a demolished hut, and reappears holding a large and impressive glowing crystal. The gentleman identifies himself as Chagra, and from the size of that rock deduces that the boy's tribe hail from Crystal Mountain. Tribe leaders pass the crystal down from generation to generation to signify the tribe's new ruler. Atlas is now, by hook or by crook, the leader of the tribe. Chagra decides to throw in and give the boy his loyal following.
Next we watch Atlas come of age... and witness several heroic acts which caused word of his name to spread. He begins to fight competitively in the Colosseum... and is wildly successful, even earning the vaunted "Helmet of Champions". During this time Chagra maintains his position as loyal follower.
One night, a bit later on... Chagra comes clean about his true intentions. He wants to visit the Crystal Mountain. Atlas agrees to take him, however, not before they go to the Lizard Kingdom for some delicious revenge. Passage to the Lizard Kingdom is shielded by a mountain of flame... which our pair are able to traverse, as they know it is but mere illusion... perhaps the doing of Fire Wizards.
We now return to the present... remember that? Atlas is still holding the King above his head. He shifts in the direction of that familiar voice... who turns out to be... get this... the Human Lizard!
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Well, this was something. Now, I haven't read hundreds of mid-70's origin stories... but of the few I have read, more than a couple feel like this. A child's parents or village is slaughtered... child comes of age, and seeks vengeance. I think we last chatted about that here with our ill-fated pal, Kong the Untamed. Sadly, Atlas wouldn't loom all that large over the DC Universe... until, of course, James Robinson dug him up during his run on Superman... because, Mr. Robinson clearly digs him some 1st Issue Special.
For what this was, I suppose it was good enough... and it's always a good time when Kirby is involved. Some awesome full-page (and double-page) spreads here. Unfortunately, like all issues of this series... we do not get an ending. Worst of all, it doesn't even bother me that we didn't.
I'm kind of struggling for something to say... this is the kind of issue that doesn't really lend itself to analysis. It just sorta "is". Not great, not horrible... if it weren't for my strange fascination with 1st Issue Special, I would never have checked it out.
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New Super-Man #1 (September, 2016)
"Made in China, Part One"
Writer - Gene Luen Yang
Pencils - Viktor Bogdanovic
Inks - Richard Friend
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letters - Dave Sharpe
Editor - Paul Kaminski
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
I'm gonna level with ya... outside of my "wheelhouse" books, that is to say the Titans "family", I really didn't have much faith in the DC Rebirth once-a-monthlies. They seemed like they would be pretty far behind the bi-weeklies in priority and importance. From what little I've sampled (including the Titans... Teen and otherwise) they do sorta-kinda feel a step behind... a bit less important. We're not even gonna talk about the upcoming price-hike... oi.
When DC announced that several of the Super- titles were going to be once-monthly, I didn't really have high hopes. Seeing the actual line-up, only compounded my worry. What would Superwoman be? Would they really be launching a solo book for a member of the Crime Syndicate? Then there's the book we'll be discussing today... just what in the world is a New Super-Man? My earlier answer would've been "A book I'm going to ignore"... however, due to a bit of raving coming from some folks whose opinion I value, I decided... hell, I've got the books, why not give 'em a whirl, right?
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We open in the shadow of a bully. A chubby lad in glasses runs down an alley... baddie hot on his tail. He wants his Soder Cola, and he wants it now. I didn't think New Super-Man would be a little fat kid... oh... OH... it's the bully! Yeah, yeah... I'm playing... we all saw the cover. Anyhoo... the chubby kid is called Lixin, and this bullying seems to be a regular occurrence. Oh, and our main man's name is Kenan. Kenan snags the suds and walks away... only to be whacked in the back of the head by a box lunch.
Kenan turns around and gives chase, and finds that Lixin has been grabbed by the super villain Blue Condor. Ya see, Lixin is part of a very rich and powerful family... and this baddie's MO is messing with that sort. Without thinking, Kenan hurls his Soder can at the Condor, causing him to drop Lixin. Once he recovers, the Condor stares menacingly at Kenan for a bit... and then flies off.
Lixin runs up and hugs Kenan... to which, our man tells him to give him all the money he has in his pocket... which he does, happily... with promises there'd be more later. This event caused a bit of a crowd to gather, including one news reporter named... Laney Lan... oof. She chases our man down and asks if she could swing by his place later on for an interview. She'd recorded the entire event on her phone, and it's already at a half a million views... ooh boy.
We shift scenes to a bank of monitors, all airing the same Kenan footage. We are now in what looks to be a government compound of sorts, with two women looking on intently. The short-haired one suggests that they've found the one they were looking for.
Kenan heads to the auto garage where his father works to share the events of the day. His pop looks... less than enthused. Ya see, he's already seen the video... and he's bothered. Not because his son could've died... but because he was hanging around with Lixin. We get confirmation that Kenan is a serial-bully here... as Lixin's father calls with regularity to threaten legal action.
Kenan mentions Laney Lan coming over that night to ask some questions... but dad says he won't be home. He has a meeting with his writer's group... he's a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and he and his pals are out to prove that a thing called "The Ministry of Self-Reliance" exists in China. Crazy, right?
Crestfallen, Kenan leaves... and heads to the graveyard where his mother is buried. While there, he is approached by that short-haired government type from earlier. Her name is Dr. Omen, and she expresses that they were impressed with his "heart of a hero", and she is here to offer him powers to match. She shows him video of Superman... the New-52 version, who had just died. She tells him that she... and The Ministry of Self-Reliance (dun-dun-dunnnnn) have devised a way in which to build a Superman of their own.
Kenan is swept away to the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai. He is then dressed in an S-branded jumpsuit and led to something called the Origin Chamber. First it fills up with a gas... but then, a burst of energy!
Inside, we see inside Kenan's dream. He is dressed in a Superman costume... and he is trying to save his mother's life. It's here that we learn that she died in a plane crash... and the airline she was flying is owned by Lixin's family... ohhhhhhh.
The MSR ladies look on while the chamber begins to come apart... they both fear the worst, however... Kenan bursts free, alive and well!
He is now a "New Super hyphen Man". He is clearly out of his depth, and has very little control of his new powers. Dr. Omen commands him to cool his jets... but he just ain't having it. She decides to call in some muscle... in the form of the Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman of China! Uh-oh.
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Welp, gotta say... pleasantly surprised. As I read, bits and pieces did feel a bit familiar. I guess I at least flipped through this one when it was first released, but didn't actually give it a full read. Glad I rectified that today.
I'm getting a bit of an early Booster Gold vibe from our pal Kenan. There's a certain aloofness... we see him bully Lixin, and at the onset... I figured that perhaps Kenan was just an insecure jerk who needed to assert his dominance on the chubby little rich kid. As we close out, we learn there might just be something more to it... Kenan's mother died in a plane crash... on the very same airline Lixin's father owns. He asks himself... is that why he treats Lixin so? I'd like to think that he does it as a distraction... perhaps a way of assuaging his own guilt for what happened.
We see when he first enters the Origin Chamber, he sees himself as Superman... and his mission is to save his mother. Does Kenan harbor any guilt? I can't claim to have read past this issue... so, for all I know, this has already been answered. Anyhoo... if Kenan continues to punish Lixin... demanding cash and snacks, perhaps that is his way of making things right in his head... while still making sure somebody pays for what happens. Also, the bullying becomes a "thing" unto itself... perhaps moving the "dead mom" to the back-burner. I dunno... I'm probably thinking too hard.
Kenan's attention-seeking and glory-hogging reminded me a bit of Kon-El Superboy from immediately after The Reign of the Supermen. He was a petulant shallow little twit... but we always knew he would come around.
Regardless of how wrong my predictions may be, I think this will ultimately wind up being a nice little coming of age story. At least that's how I view them telegraphing it... again, similar character trajectory to Booster (and Kon).
With all that said... I found myself enjoying this a great deal. Thanks to Reggie and Gerry for championing it! I'm glad I have the next six or seven issues of this waiting for me in the stack. I feel like it might take an issue or two more for me to get into the art. It's mostly great, but Kenan does look a bit Fred Flintstoney. I do hope that by the time the $3.99 wave washes over this one that it's already built enough of an audience to keep it afloat. If you haven't checked this one out yet... give it a go.
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The Question #26 (March, 1989)
"Riddles"
Story - Denny O'Neil
Pencils - Bill Wray
Inks - Malcolm Jones III
Colors - Tatjana Wood
Letters - Willie Schubert
Assistant Editor - Brian Augustyn
Editor - Mike Gold
Special Thanks - Dom Carola
Hey! Happy Valentine's Day, everybody. We've got a great romantic issue to discuss today, featuring a downtrodden Riddler and a lady named Sphinx... get it?
It's strange, before reading this... I never considered how fitting it is for the Riddler to face off with The Question... cuz, ya know... a riddle is a question (duh!).
Anyhoo... grab a box of chocolates and someone you love, and let's check in with ol' No-Face out in Hub City!
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We open in a Gotham City jail, where the Riddler is regaling his cellmates with stories of his "legendary" battles with the Batman. A particular story about engaging in "mortal combat" is interrupted by a prison guard who informs Nigma he's got a visitor. Eddie's mind immediately goes to the Batman.
Much to his surprise, however, his visitor is Commissioner Gordon. He brings with him... news. The Riddler is free to go because the arresting officer neglected to read him rights. Nigma plays up his "legendary foe of Batman" status, which only puzzles Gordon. We get a pretty good look here at how the Riddler is viewed by the average Gothamite... just a minor-leaguer with a gimmick. Gordon implores him to fly right from this point on... maybe even change his last name back to Nashton.
Elsewhere, the Question is duking it out with a department store Santa... guess this is more a Christmas story than Valentine's... but we'll let it slide. I should mention that at this point, Vic is walking with a cane... which he uses to just beat the holy hell out of the phony Saint Nick.
After kayoing the Santa, Vic calls in to Izzy O'Toole who is stuck as acting mayor of Hub City, in place of actual mayor Myra Fermin who is currently in a coma. It's a pretty neat conversation in which Izzy makes sure to question whether or not Sage "crossed any lines"... that is to say, killed anybody. Vic says he has not... though cannot speak to whether or not he'd broken any laws.
The Question then heads down the street, peeling off his no-face mask, before... much to his amusement, he finds himself the would-be victim of a mugging. This doesn't go so well for the mugger.
Vic's next stop is to check in on the comatose Mayor Fermin, who hasn't shown any signs of improvement. We learn that her husband was killed, so the poor woman would be waking up to find out she's a widow... if she wakes up at all.
We shift scenes to a bus. On board the Riddler is introducing himself to a former stripper called Sphinx Scromulski. She thinks that's a "classy" name for a dancer... and the Riddler agrees... because he's an idiot... and because he just so happens to know a thing or two about the first Sphinx.
We rejoin Vic at home where he is in the middle of a lecture from Tot. Ol' Tot thinks he's pushing himself too hard... trying to fill the role of an entire police force. Vic is adamant that he is a-okay, and to prove this... he passes out on the floor.
Back on the bus, Eddie and Sphinx continue their chat. She asks how long he's "been out". Having been in the hoosegow a time or two herself, she knows the "look" of a newly freed convict. She continues to ask what he's got planned... and ya know, he's got no idea. Lucky (?) for him though, she's got something in mind. Something having to do with a gnarly looking firearm.
We jump back to the Question, who by now has been loaded into Tot's Volkswagen Beetle. Tot's planning on taking him (forcibly) to a cabin in New Hampshire... pretty much anywhere but Hub City. Vic ain't digging this, and insists that he didn't faint. He demands Tot turn the car around as he feels responsible for everything that might go down in Hub during his absence. Tot refuses... however, the point is quickly rendered moot. Ya see, ol' Tot forgot to put gas in the car.
Back on the bus, Sphinx shares her plan. First, they rob everyone... second, they kill them! Sounds crazy enough to work, right? Nigma is a bit (pardon the pun) gun shy, and tries to explain the difference between Part I and Part II offenses. She shares that she's no stranger to killing people... which doesn't seem to worry our man. He sits back and considers how he might be able to add a "riddley" element to their... ahem, well thought out... master plan.
Back in the bug Vic and Tot get a hold of the state police, who inform them that a bus would be coming their way within the next handful of minutes... wonder which bus that might be? Well, c'mon... of course it's the same bus. Anyhoo, they board... and Sphinx becomes bored... so it's time to start the "game". She grabs her piece and announces her intent to the other passengers... one of whom, an older woman, tells her to drop the gun... it doesn't work out so good for her.
Vic's about seen enough, and attempts to get involved. Tot reminds him that he's basically a one-legged man, and it would only get him killed. Sphinx orders the driver to make a left, which would lead them to Folger Bridge. Unfortunately for... well, everybody... the Old River Road could do with a good plowing... the bus gets stuck in the snow. Sphinx decides this is as good a place as any to start playing. She offers the passengers an opportunity to get out alive... if they can answer the Riddler's riddle... they can exit the bus and walk to the nearest town, which is about a half-mile away.
The pair ask for their first contestant. An impatient middle-aged man raises his hand... he's in a big hurry to visit his sister. The Riddler offers up a riddle... which the man answers incorrectly. Sphinx stands aside and lets the man go... however, riddles (har!) him full of holes as he exits the bus.
At this point the pair continue tormenting the passengers. Vic takes the opportunity to become The Question... and begins his approach toward the lady with the gun. As he draws nearer, he begins offering riddles of his own... however, they are far more metaphysical and existential than anything Nigma's shared. These aren't your everyday "word play" riddles... these are real "thinkers".
Sphinx ain't got the time for this garbage, and aims her gun at our man. The Riddler insists that she doesn't shoot him... because they haven't asked him a riddle yet. The Question doesn't give them an opportunity to ask... because, dude just won't shut up. He goes on and on... puzzling the Riddler and causing Sphinx to take her eyes of the prize. Once close enough, Vic bats the gun out of her hand and socks Eddie in the mush.
Sphinx, realizing her goose is cooked, flees the bus and runs across the bridge. Unfortunately for her, the bridge is a tad weak right now. She falls through into the freezing water where she (presumably) drowns.
Back at the bus, the passengers huddle around a hobo fire as they await rescue. Here the Riddler and Vic have a bit of a chat... where Sage suggests if Nigma is able to answer a riddle of his own, he'd let him go free.
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Well, I quite enjoyed this issue. It was a lot of fun.
I'm a sucker for "captive audience" type of stories... this kind of reminded me a bit of the Sandman story 24 Hours, which we discussed here (and on the Cosmic Treadmill) a lonnnng time ago.
It's also pretty neat being able to see a bat-villain outside of the Bat-books. It affords us a unique opportunity to view the Riddler a somewhat different way. Sure, he's still the same fella... however, here we get to see what other folks think about him. I mean, this is an iconic member of one of the most celebrated rogues galleries in all of comics, and we just saw Commissioner Gordon dismiss him as not being worth Batman's time. That's pretty stark... and almost makes you (or me) feel bad for the guy.
Vic's stubbornness really comes into play here... and I thought that was a cool angle to use. It was an organic way of putting all the pieces in place, regardless of how contrived it might look in hindsight. Of course Vic and Tot will be on the same bus as Riddler and Sphinx... but who cares, it works... and most importantly, it serves the story.
Every time I read a Denny O'Neil story (pre-Azrael), I always walk away wondering why I haven't read more of his stuff. He really brings it here... from story progression to dialogue. Even with his dipping a toe in Lake Pretentious toward the end, I still really dug what I read.
Then there's the art. The art... and I'm no real judge... but, I feel it was... inconsistent here. Some pages/panels look incredible... while others look downright ugly. Not sure if that was the intention, but that's how I'm seeing it. Some of the shots of Sphinx are horribly unpleasant to look at... which again, might be the point. The way the Riddler was portrayed makes it clear why people thought Jim Carrey would fit the role on the big screen. Dude is as rubber-faced as Eel O'Brien here. I know Wray's pedigree, and it's obvious he's a talented dude... but this issue was rather hot and cold for me, art-wise.
This was a great time, and I would definitely recommend it. Hope you enjoyed reading my nonsense... and I wish everyone a wonderful Valentine's Day.
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