Adventure Comics #365 (February, 1968)
"Escape of the Fatal Five!"
Writer/Layouts - Jim Shooter
Penciller - Curt Swan
Inker - George Klein
Letterers - Milton Snappinn & Morris Waldinger
Editor - Mort Weisinger
Cover Price: $0.12
Today we're going to look at a book written by the 17-year old comic veteran, Jim Shooter!
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After our spoilery Silver-Age splash (which I won't describe til we get there) our tale opens on the formerly peaceful planet, Talok VIII. Once a peaceful, prosperous planet... six months later, a war zone! The swift change has been captured on a film prepared by the United Planets to share with Superboy and Legionnaires Brainiac-5, Cosmic Boy, and Karate Kid. The U.P. asks them to check it out... and also sets them up with a guide: Shadow Lass! Wait, is this her first appearance? (Yes). To evade detection the kids parachute in to the desert far away from their target of the capital.
Upon landing, the Legionnaires hole up in a cave until the Sun sets. We shift to a fortress in the capital and learn that their arrival did not go unseen... and was actually part of someone's (pay no attention to the title of the issue) sinister plot.
Once night falls, the group makes their way up to get a better look at the wall surrounding the capital. Upon realizing how heavily guarded and fortified it is, they decide it might be best to take the long way around... and so, they head back into the unforgiving desert. Elsewhere, they are being monitored. The unseen voice of "The Master" demands that they be in their top fighting strength when they arrive.
And so... as luck would have it, the Legionnaires happen across an oasis... but, like a real one! They set up camp and fill their bellies to prepare for the next leg of their journey...
... Which takes them up into the peaks. As they climb, they find themselves attacked by (the dreaded) Deathbirds! It's a short skirmish, but allows for a nice little power demonstration. Brainy identifies the rocks as being full of iron ore... and so Cosmic Boy can use them as projectiles. Superboy does his super-thing, and Karate Kid (who had been abducted) uses his... karate! The tussle ends with Shadow Lass engulfing the crew in a black shadow to cover their escape. Amazing... in three panels, Jim Shooter is able to give the reader a taste of what five characters can do!
After getting away, the Legionnaires enter the capital. They are shunned by the civilians as "savages" and "mountain men" as they are wearing tattered rags. All but Brainy take the insults in stride, which is pretty funny. They come upon a fortress guard, and Karate Kid chops him in the neck so they can enter.
We shift to that room where the bad guys are hanging out, and learn that it's time to spring us some traps. The kids are hit with a teleport beam and separated... each one trapped in a power-specific gambit... which is what we saw on that first splash page. The first we see is Karate Kid, who is stuck inside a giant hollow diamond. He begins chopping at it, fearful that his limited air supply will run out before he can break through.
Next up, we join Cosmic Boy as he's dodging... giant flying balls. Of course, they're non-ferrous, so his powers are useless.
Elsewhere, Superboy is being crushed in a sort of hydraulic press (made from a metal from a Red Sun planet). No matter how hard he tries to break out, he cannot.
Brainiac-5 is in one of the two traps I grew up being most scared of... being crushed by walls of spikes! When I was a kid, this scenario scared the hell out of me... I don't know why I thought I'd ever be crushed by spikes, guess that's just part of being a dumb kid. So we're clear, the other terrifying scenario was quicksand. I've made it 37 years without encountering either! Anyhoo, Brainy's force-shield is malfunctioning.
Finally, we rejoin Shadow Lass who is in a "room of radiance", which is to say, a cube comprised of lit panels. Light being the "enemy" of shadow, she falls to her knees. The "Master" holds out hope that the kids will free themselves... as their survival is crucial if his plan is to come to pass.
And... over the next couple of pages, they do! After taking what would have been his last breath, Karate Kid manages to chop through. Cosmic Boy realizes that, while the balls are non-ferrous, the walls aren't... and so, he breaks through. Superboy gives himself a pep talk and breaks out of the press. Brainiac-5 alters his force-field into a force-ray to melt through his trap... and Shadow Lass uses her powers and slips though a hidden door. This goes precisely according to The Master's plan... as by using their powers, they were actually charging several colossal batteries which would open a barrier to another dimension!
The dimension where the Fatal Five have been trapped! Who saw that coming?
Once free, Tharok shares their story. After being banished to, wherever they were, they found a dimensional window to Talok VIII. He mentally enslaved the Talokians, and caused them to become warlike... knowing that would get the attention of the United Planets, and finally... the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Elsewhere, the Legionnaires reunite... and head toward the throne room. Inside, however, they find no throne... just a mass of machinery. Brainiac investigates, and realizes that the machines were powered by their own exertion of energy in breaking out of their traps. Suddenly the doors fly open and the entire Talokian army barges in... five-thousand strong! To be... waitasec... a Silver Age DC story ending with a "To be Continued"???
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A nice "escape the traps" story here. I feel like we get these a lot, while at the same time, if asked I don't think I could specifically cite one.
This is a hard one to really analyze... as it's really just a solid superhero comic. We get plenty of surface-level characterization from the Legionnaires, a demonstration of powers, and a returning threat. Jim Shooter writes an inviting story that never makes you feel "lost". Seeing that he also did the layouts here only makes my respect for his storytelling acumen grow!
I suppose what I can say is, I had a good time reading it. I've said it before... (too) many times... the sheer size of the Legion of Super-Heroes kept me away. The focus here on five characters definitely helps assuage any of my "accessibility" concerns. Sometimes when I look at those group shots, with like skatey-eight hundred Legionnaires, I marvel at how anybody can tell half of them apart. It's just primary colors and capes... and it becomes a mush in my already addled brain. The characters used here were all instantly identifiable, which is probably why the cover called out to me. When I can name all the Legionnaires on a cover, I know it's one I should check out!
I was surprised by a few things. First, this being Shadow Lass's first appearance. It happened so nonchalantly that I assumed she had been a longtime associate of the team by this point. The U.P. fella was all "I set up a guide... here's Shadow Lass" like the kids already knew her. Though, to be fair, she is introduced as a Talokian superhero... so, her reputation may have proceeded her.
Second surprise: A to-be-continued! That's certainly not something I expect to see in a Silver-Age DC comic. I've said it before but, my Silver-Age game is pretty weak, so this may happen far more frequently than I thought, or maybe this is just luck of the draw. Either way, I thought it was pretty neat that this was going to continue into the next issue rather than building up for 20 pages and being slam-dunked in the final page and a half.
Third surprise: The back-matter (see below)! Several pages illustrating the Legionnaires and their powers. So damn cool... and something I ought to have blown up and put on my wall for future reference. Just love stuff like this... only thing better would have been if they included a cross-section of the Super-Hero Clubhouse! I don't care how small it might be... I still love those cross-sections!
Overall, this was a fun... if boilerplate superhero comic book. Nothing wrong with that at all! If you're into the Legion, or Superboy, or Jim Shooter... definitely give this one a look. This story has been reprinted/collected several times. DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #8 (April, 1981), Legion of Super-Heroes Archives (those $50 hardcovers we all drooled over) Volume 7 (1997) and most recently in SHOWCASE Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 3 (2009). It has not yet been collected digitally... oh well, maybe if Shadow Lass shows up on one of those CW shows it will be...
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Superman #215 (April, 1969)
"Lois Lane... Dead... Yet Alive"
"Superman's First Exploit"
Writers - Otto Binder & Edmond Hamilton
Pencillers - Curt Swan & Wayne Boring
Inkers - Jack Abel & Stan Kaye
Colorist(s) - unknown
Letterers - Ben Oda & Pat Gordon
Cover Price: $0.12
Welcome, one and all... to Earth-215, where we ignore the words "Imaginary Novel" on the cover and just accept that this story is occurring on one of the Infinite Earths in the pre-Crisis DC Multiverse.
I might need to explain.
These past few weeks to coincide with our Cosmic Treadmill podcast's FIFTIETH episode, we wanted to do something special. We decided to celebrate our fiftieth by discussing... DC Comics' fiftieth. Part of our research demanded we dive headfirst into the Infinite Earths... and by using a number of resources, including The Crisis Compendium which came as part of Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition (2005) we learned just how many formerly "imaginary stories" were designated their own Earth!
One of those we're going to discuss today... but it's hardly our first.
We learned...
Prez actually occurred on Earth-72.
Superboy #134 (December, 1966) occurred on Earth-134.
The Super-Sons stories occurred on Earth-216.
Captain Thunder from Superman #276 (June, 1974) hailed from Earth-276.
The Inferior 5, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Hope hailed from Earth-11... or was it Earth-B?
Hell, it was even suggested by Mark Evanier that post-Kirby Fourth World stories all happened on Earth-14!
... but who knows...
For all the pre-Crisis DC Multiverse you can stomach... and then some, please check out our episode of Weird Comics History where Reggie and I break it down!
Oh well, let's add another Earth to our seemingly infinite pile.
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We open on a funeral scene... Superman and pals (and daughter!) are huddled around tombstone of... Lois Lane! The dialogue here is kinda wacky... and hard to play straight. We learn that Superman was married to Lois... that's right, Superman... not Clark Kent. Jimmy and Perry are like "Ooh, he's taking this hard", well... no kidding. In a bit that is pretty heartbreaking, Superman and Lois' daughter, Lanie attempts to jump onto the casket as it's being lowered into the ground to say goodbye one last time.
Superman reveals that the burial is purely symbolic... as when Lois perished, there were no remains left to be buried. Okay, now get ready... this is supposed to be a tragic scene, but it's just too wacky. Superman and Lois are sitting in their living-room... Superman's reading the paper (in costume) while Lois knits. Supervillain, the Dimension Master pops his head in the window and (after announcing his arrival) proceeds to fire his blast ray at Superman. The blast ricochets off of Superman's chest and vaporizes poor Lois. Well, this probably isn't the story you want to share with your super-powered tot of a daughter... because now she wants revenge!
Superman scoops Lanie up and tells her they're going to head to the Fortress of Solitude to live... and they'll play "super-games" and have "loads of fun", even without Lois. I don't know whether to cry or nervously laugh... so weird! After a few attempts by Lanie to use the Fortress's giant key, they enter. She goes straight to playing on the super monkey bars, and asks what's behind a particular door. Superman tells her that she cannot enter that room, no matter what... and even puts a Superman robot at the door to ensure she doesn't. Talk about Chekhov's door... or a reference I get wrong every time I use it!
Later, at the Daily Planet Perry asks Clark to assist in putting together a scrapbook detailing the Superman/Lois Lane romance so they can present to the Man of Steel as a gift. He puts on a brave face, as to not cry and reveal that he really is Superman. I mean, I don't get it... it's pretty clear that (to the civilians) Clark had the hots for Lois... plus, they were friends, I don't think shedding a tear or two would be the big tip-off... but, whattayagonnado?
Over the next year Superman raises Lanie at the Fortress, and they have all sorts'a Wintery fun. Giant snowmen, sleigh rides, Krypto even gets in on the action. After a year has passed, however, Superman presents Lanie with a special gift... a robot Lois!
In the days/weeks... I dunno, in the time that passes, Superman begins to fall in love with Robo-Lois. They have a few make-out sessions, and Superman flies to the highest peaks to procure a bouquet of rare flowers. It's not until he looks at that scrapbook the Planeteers made for him that he remembers that the real Lois had died.
Luckily to keep his mind off of things, there is some Super-business to be attended to in Metropolis. It's of the utmost importance that he... judge the Miss Metropolis pageant. Aye yai yai. Perry White even suggests he might just find the next Mrs. Superman there!
While there he sees... Lois Lane! Whaaaa? He investigates further with his x-ray vision and learns that she has the same signs of having broken her left forearm... it's gotta be Lois! Superman flies over to her, and it's revealed that... No, it's not Lois... but the wife of Dimension Master, Chameleon Queen!
The Dimension Master pops in to mock the mourning Man of Steel. Their sole purpose in life is tormenting Superman... which isn't very cool. It's so uncool, in fact, that Lex Luthor and Brainiac show up to take them down! Wha--? Lex and Brainiac tell Superman that they're not friends... but they respect him! They snap up the baddies... er, the other baddies... and take them to the Space Police Headquarters!
Back at the Fortress, li'l Lanie is getting super-curious about what could be behind that one verboten door. She concocts a plan where she sends a doll that looks like her flying into the Super-Lab, starting a fire! The Superman robot runs in to check on her, leaving the door unguarded. Lanie enters, and what she finds is... Kryptonite! Ruh-roh. She proceeds to dig through the Red variety.
Superman returns home just as Lanie is vanishing from sight. He rushes to hook the Red-K up to the Super-Computer to see what effects it might have. Remember, Red-K is unpredictable in how it messes with a Kryptonian. He learns that Lanie was sent to a parallel Earth (Earth-43, even!). And so, Superman exposes himself to the stuff... and away he goes!
He finds Lanie in a South American jungle... and snaps her up to deliver her to this Earth's Fortress of Solitude. While on the way, a thought pops into his head... perhaps on this Earth, Lois Lane is still alive! Annnnnd, she totally is!
She still works for the Daily Planet, and is set to test out a "Gill Serum" which will allow her to breathe underwater for several hours. Sounds like a good idea for a story, I suppose. She heads unduh da sea, and runs, err swims right into a giant squid! Luckily, Superman is nearby to save her... and immediately propose marriage! She's totally down with it... which is all well and good, buuuut, what Superman has forgotten is... there's probably another Superman on this Earth too!
It's not long before Superman meets Superman... and Superman tells Superman... err, make that Superman-215 (the one we've been following all this time) tells Superman-43 (more on him in a bit) all about marrying, procreating with, and losing Lois on his Earth. Superman-43 has zero interest in marrying Lois... and tells Superman-215 that he'd best do whatever he can to "get him out of this"... just wait.
Superman-215 marries Lois and takes her to the Fortress of Solitude, where he drops the next surprise in her lap... hey, guess what Lo', you've got a daughter... that looks just like you... and is named after you! Lois immediately accepts this new reality and agrees to adopt the super-tot. What she doesn't know is that this isn't "her" Superman.
Ya see, the Superman of Earth-43 decided to switch places with Superman-215... and we leave him wondering if Lana Lang might be available on this Earth.
Think we're done? Nope... we got a back-up to discuss! Here we meet Dr. Reece Kearns, a scientist who is desperate to know the first exploit of Superman. This causes Superman's super-sense to tingle. Why would some scientist want to know, if not to suss out his secret identity? He refuses to play ball and answer any of the doc's questions.
And so, Kearns heads to... where else, the Daily Planet! They set up a contest to see who can name Superman's earliest exploit. In the days that follow, stories of Superman's early feats begin rolling in... was it a mobbed-up warehouse robbery he foiled?
Or maybe it was saving a metal refinery from being coated in molten steel? By the way, this flashback might feature the first time (canonically) that someone refers to Superman as a "Man of Steel".
Back at the Planet, Perry's all "Doy, Superman was Superboy first... maybe we oughta ask people in Smallville." Yeah, no kidding, Chief! A story comes in about a super-powered tot tipping over a lamppost. Surely, that's Superman/boy/baby's first feat!
But no. No, it's not. Superman flashes back to... that fateful day where he was loaded into a tiny rocket and blasted off the doomed planet Krypton. Along the way... and he was playing with his toys the entire trip... he becomes distracted by a shiny light on an meteor. Soooo, he ejects himself from the rocket and hops onto it to check it out.
On the meteor stands a... crystal-looking insect. Superbaby punches it on the nose and sends it flying before hopping back into the rocket.
Turns out, this is all Dr. Kearns needed to know! Ya see, that meteor was on a collision course with Earth... until it was knocked off target by Superbaby. Kearns had already informed the media that the meteor was coming, and started a false-panic which branded him a hoaxer. Now that the truth is out, he can return to his good standing in the scientific community... all's well that ends well!
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Whew.
Okay, lots to unpack here... let's get the convoluted stuff out of the way and try to untangle Earths 215 and 43.
Alright, referring back to The Crisis Compendium, Earth-43 first appeared in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #43 (August, 1963). In it, Earth-One Lois was struck by lightning and sent to an alternate Earth in which she witnessed Superman and Lex Luthor both dying in battle. The Superman Emergency Squad hits the scene and replaces the dead Superman with a Kandorian double... or maybe a robot... either way, the world went on believing Superman to be alive.
Still with me? Okay... so, today's "Lois Lane... Dead... Yet Alive" story takes place on Earth-215. We see Superman, by way of Red-K, shifted to an alternate Earth... which is Earth-43. While there he meets and marries the Lois Lane of that Earth, and also trades places with... the Kandorian Superman Dupe. Sooo, this "imaginary" story ends with Superman-215 shifting to Earth-43 and marrying Lois Lane-43, while Kandorian Superman-Dupe-43 leaves to go to Earth-215. Easy as pie, right? Nevermind that folks on Earth-215 might start to wonder what happened to Lanie... that's a problem for someone else!
Whew (again).
Okay, on to the stories themselves. I gotta say, as silly as they were, I had a blast reading them both.
I've said it before, but my Silver-Age DC game is kinda weak. These are written so matter of fact... I mean, Dimension Master literally pops his head into the window at Superman's house! How in the world does that happen? I guess it serves to further illustrate the danger should Superman ever "take a wife"... but still, funny as all get-out! The dialogue too... so weird, but so fun. In Lois' dying breath she mutters "Goodbye, Superman, my darling... Shhhhh!" I mean, really.
It's hard taking this story as being as tragically sad as it's supposed to be because of how silly it is. I mean, a daughter not reacting well during her mother's funeral... that's absolutely heart wrenching... but the way they do it, it comes across as silly. Though, of course I doubt Mr. Binder was expecting some dude in his mid-30's analyzing this almost a half-century later.
Let's talk Luthor. I almost laughed out loud seeing Lex and Brainiac being all "Not cool, man" to the Dimension Master. So wild!
Jumping between dimensions really was no big deal back in the day, was it? I mean, Red-K always has an unpredictable effect... but, I wouldn't expect dimension-hopping to be among them. Gotta wonder if someone at DC pulled a Peter Sanderson and read the entire output today... how many more "infinite Earths" would be discovered and could be added to the pile? I'm guessing a bunch!
The business on Earth-43... just as silly as the rest. I can't get over how quickly Lois just accepts everything. Wanna get married? Sure! Wanna adopt my daughter? No prob! Plus... I mean, the "other" Superman, who as of 1969 was intended to be that Earth's actual Superman, was cool with leaving! Now that's a whole 'nother level of altruism! Good thing he had the hots for Lana Lang instead of Lois!
I could go on for awhile... but I think I've already gone on long enough... and we still got the back-up!
And so, "Superman's First Exploit". I think in all the "zany Haney" madness we forget about folks like Edmond Hamilton... this fella might be just as "out there". Throughout my past several weeks of "infinite Earth" research, I found that so many of these formerly "imaginary" stories added to the canon were written by Hamilton. His stuff even dwarfs Haney's... though, to be fair, much of the Zany one's work was shuffled into Earth-B (a semi-serious Bob Rozakis idea for a depository for Haney stuffs).
This backup was... ya know, silly... and actually adds something to Superbaby's trip from Krypton to Earth! That's a pretty big deal, right? Eh, probably not... but still neat.
Overall, this is a wonderfully fun and mind-bendy (if you let it be) issue. The lead story has been reprinted both in Best of DC Comics Blue Ribbon Digest #19 (December, 1981) and in the Superman in the Sixties trade paperback. The back-up is actually a reprint from Superman #106 (July, 1956). Unfortunately, this issue is not yet available digitally. A pretty glaring omission to me... I don't see why this wouldn't be. Anyhoo, if you can find it... it's definitely worth your time!
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Green Arrow (vol.3) #2 (May, 2001)
"Quiver, Chapter Two: Long Time No See"
Writer - Kevin Smith
Penciller - Phil Hester
Inker - Ande Parks
Letterer - Sean Konot
Colorist/Separations - Guy Major
Editor - Bob Schreck
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Cover Price: $2.50
When last we left Ollie, he looked like a hobo and was using arrows gimmicked with garbage! Can't leave us hanging like that... so, let's see where this one is headed.
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We open in Star City. It's a normal mid-week party for some of the nogoodnik elite... sorta like a 2000's take on evil yuppies by the looks of it. Suddenly a "young girl" arrives, doesn't look terribly like a young girl... but we'll play along. She runs into a bouncer and is delivered to a back bedroom where the creepy Councilman Dreyfus is waiting for her. Ya see, he was a nerd growing up and beautiful girls like her would never pay him any mind. Now that he's got the moneys and the powers, he can make girls like her do whatever he wants... and so, he begins to mount her... while snapping Polaroids. Classy!
Luckily for the young lass, this party was under the surveillance... of our main man. He makes short work of all the guests and security before popping into that back room. Well, actually... he leads with an arrow... with a timer on it! tic-tic-tic...
Ollie proceeds to threaten the Councilman until another heavy attempts to intervene. In the distraction, Dreyfus begins to flee. After kayoing the guard, Ollie fires a bolo arrow through the wall, and snares him up. He turns to the young girl and tells her to vamoose, but not before giving her a business card for the Star City Rec Center. This next part is pretty neat, the Councilman produces a cell phone... which positively mystifies Ollie. He thinks such technology ought to be reserved for Batman. We'll talk about that more in a bit.
The police arrive, and Ollie makes like a tree... but, not before posing Dreyfuss along with some COCAINE??! and a photo of him attempting to make it with an underage girl.
We follow the young girl, who we learn is named Mia... Green Arrow fans ears should be perking up there... back to her apartment, or at least the apartment of her pimp/boyfriend, Richard where she's staying at. He asks how the night went... and she tells him. He makes with the "caring boyfriend" deal, saying he'd kill anyone who messed with her... which leads her to ask, if he cares so much... why does he make her hook? She then tries to quit... which causes him to freak out. He fears that she will lead the cops straight to his door... something he can't risk.
Mia ain't no shrinking violet (er, not that one) and so she, with relative ease, judo tosses the creep and pins him to the ground. She then... get this... uses his knife to... sever the tendon between his thumb and pointer finger... which makes me twinge in places I didn't even realize I had! I like that Mia is being portrayed as having both strength and street sense here. It stands to reason, since she's been "on the streets", that she'd likely pick up a way or two to protect herself.
We rejoin Ollie as he returns to the mansion of Stanley Dover, where he's been staying. I'm guessing Dover might be who he saved at the end of last issue. I really wonder how I would have received this had I been more knowledgeable of the DC Universe back in 2001. I mean, they say "Stanley Dover" here... Smith's not hiding where we're headed! Inside, we see that Mr. Dover has helped set Ollie up with arrows and gear, ya know... get him back on his feet. He asks if Dreyfus had any connection to the Star City Slayer who has been causing young people to disappear of late. Ollie's not convinced... and just thinks the Councilman is a scumbag.
They continue their chat, and it's pretty neat. Stanley asks how superheroes afford their gear, seeing as though Ollie's already used his time-bomb and bolo arrows. He asks if Ollie has checked in with Green Lantern... but he's sure "the little blue guys" have him gallivanting in space, which... at this point, there's only one little blue guy... and one guy with a green ring, and he ain't Hal Jordan! Stanley asks about Black Canary... to which, Ollie says she can more than take care of herself for a few weeks. Weeks? Hmm. They flip on the television, and it's a news report about Green Arrow's latest escapade with the Councilman... the reporter wonders if Star City's Emerald Archer is "back in action"... to which Ollie replies "I never left." Hmm... innnn-teresting.
Stan and Ollie (d'oh!) aren't the only ones watching the news... we shift to the Batcave, where Batman immediately notices the precise angle with which the arrows are embedded into the wall. That's not Connor's shot... it's Oliver's!
We wrap up with a visit to who we might assume to be... the Star City Slayer. He's in a cloak, and draining the blood from a young boy to feed... his monster. Hmm... it's amazing reading this a second time through, it's all so telegraphed!
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Loved this!
Where do we start? I suppose we can address the 500 lb pink monster in the room first. It's been, like I said yesterday, 15 years since I read this. Back then, I was still (relatively) new to the DC Universe... like, I had a decent handle on the mainstream, but if you were gonna come at me with Stanley and his Monster, or Angel and the Ape, or Fox and Crow... I'd have come back at you with a blank stare... and might have asked you to stop making up titles.
That being said, just about everything went over my head the first time through. I'd love to hear from anybody who smelled what Smith was cookin' from the get-go... so, if that's you please reach out. I wanna know if you received this story differently than those of us without knowledge of what was to come. I mean, reading it now, it's anything but subtle! It's still great, but it's (minus the twist) totally telegraphed.
The introduction of Mia Deardon was well done. I'd forgotten that she showed up this early on. For some reason I always associate her with Smith's next arc... though, there might be other reasons for that. Like I said above, she handled herself quite well... and damn, slicing a tendon is among the more brutal things. I remember my Earth Science teacher had messed hers up slicing a bagel... and it's something I still think about every time I slice a bagel! Made me cringe then... and still makes me cringe today.
Ollie not understanding that he's been "off the table" is a great touch. I really like the idea that he thinks he's been gone no more than a few weeks. I mean, even if this came out in 1998 as originally intended, Ollie would have been gone about three years "real time". Adding in the delays, I'd say Ollie was gone more like five to six years. Either way though, this works great! It opens us up to some great moments of "discovery", which I'm already looking forward to revisiting.
Batman is still the smartest dude in the room... even (and especially) when it's someone else's book. I know I complain about that quite a bit... but, here it kinda tickled me. I like that Bruce is so cognizant of Oliver's style and technique that he can identify an arrow he let fly at a glance. It's something I totally buy, and doesn't feel at all like a reach.
My only little quibble is, we read that Mia is no more than fifteen... and that's something the art didn't really show me. To be honest, when I saw her on the first page, my first thought was that it was Black Canary going under cover. In flipping through again, there are bits where she looks a bit younger... but my first time through, and until the reveal, I was sure it was Dinah.
My minor complaint from last issue, the over-wordiness, is still sorta there, but far less noticeable. In last issue's "letters page" (which was basically an apology letter from Smith to address the delays) he himself mentions that he over-wrote a bit. This issue did feel far more breezy and the dialog was not as repetitive, or "using a lot of words and saying nothing", which, as a writing technique is (c)
and TM
Chris is on Infinite Earths, Inc.
Overall... another high recommendation. We're basically dodging interesting concepts at every turn. It's clear Smith had this mapped out to a "t", and I'm already chomping at the bit to get into the next issue. This book feels new, even today... some decade and a half hence. If you haven't already, definitely give this run a look.
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