Young Heroes in Love #3 (August, 1997)
"Two Hearts Beat as One Giant Undead Guy!"
Writer/Co-Creator - Dan Raspler
Penciller/Co-Creator - Dev Madan
Inker - Keith Champagne
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Scott Baumann
Assistant Editor - Ali Morales
Editor - Dan Thorsland
Cover Price: $1.75
Had such a great time revisiting the Young Heroes yesterday... figure we'll go two in a row!
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We open with Thunderhead and Frostbite hanging the Young Heroes' first trophy... the massive sword of that giant Mummy they defeated last issue. Bonfire looks on to make sure they're hanging it straight... when in reality, she's just checking out their butts. Hard Drive enters the room... and so, Frostbite leaves. Hmm. Anyhoo, he informs the kids that trophy swords are customarily hung straight up and down... lotsa phallic imagery and commentary to start, folks!
With Hard Drive and Frostbite gone, Bonfire saunters over to Thunderhead... and they make out. Not before she admits to being something of a superhero fangirl... which makes her current situation something of a dream come true.
We rejoin Hard Drive as he visits with a clearly annoyed Frostbite. Frostbite looks to be designing a giant ice sculpture. H-D asks how he's adjusting... which Frostbite kinda brushes off. It's here that Hard Drive reveals that he can become a nervous wreck around new people... which is something we might just be revisiting, this very issue.
We shift over to the living room where Monstergirl, Junior, and Off-Ramp are chatting about the nonsense that the giant Mummy from last issue was blathering on about. Junior's kinda freaked out, but Monstergirl is taking it in stride. Off-Ramp is kind of aloof and suggests that the Mummy was just kvetching about a woman. Elsewhere, Frostbite continues to sculpt.
Bonfire and Thunderhead enter, and before long the subject of the chat is changed to ranking superhero costumes. Junior suggests that Thunderhead took a cue from Superman's new (at the time) Electric Blue costume when he designed his own. Thunderhead is adamant that that's not the case. All the while, Frostbite sculpts.
They posit a few theories on why Superman is now displaying new powers... did he always have electric powers and was just hiding them? Did something happen to him? The girls are just happy that the change also marked the loss of Superman's mullet (though, that had been gone for a little while at that point). Frostbite... still sculpts.
Junior offers that Green Lantern currently has the best costume going... this would be the Kyle Rayner "crab mask" Green Lantern, which I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one who has any affection for. Bonfire digs the Flash... and likes that his suit went from cloth to being "shiny". This leads to a discussion of Jay Garrick's helmet and how different that looked. This really allows Bonfire to drop some Golden-Age knowledge on her teammates, further illustrating her superhero fandom. Oh yeah, and Frostbite is still sculptin'.
Hard Drive enters the room while Bonfire is giving the team the low-down on why the Golden-Age Green Lantern wore a red shirt, and suggests they all pop down to Frostbite's room and make him feel more welcome. And so they do. Inside, they check out his ice sculpture... which, Bonfire can tell has a secret "heat signature" message embedded in it. She looks intrigued... but cannot explore that emotion, because the giant Mummy sword has vanished!
The team gathers in the living room to plan their next move... all the while, Hard Drive is blaming himself for not making sure that the "job was done" last time. The team, quick to forgive him, brushes off his concern. They hop into Roadshow, and port back to the Army Base. Only... they're not the first heroes on the scene!
The Young Heroes meet up with Superman just after he wallops the Mummy into a hole. Hard Drive insists that they'll take care of everything... Superman isn't so sure. He believes there might be something about the Mummy making it impossible to destroy physically. As a confident Hard Drive leads his team into battle, Monstergirl remains behind to make Superman an offer.
Superman appreciates M-G's offer of joining the Young Heroes, but turns her down anyway... after all, he's Superman... he's got a whole slew of responsibilities, and maybe doesn't want to add "babysitting" to the list. As this is going on, Frostbite makes short work of the Mummy... encasing it in ice. Superman is a little confused, but impressed none the less.
As the dust settles, Hard Drive tells Monstergirl that he's going to ask Superman to join the team. She tells him that's a great idea... but he should wait until everyone's watching before popping the question. Hmm...
And so, Hard Drive... in front of his entire team... asks Superman to join. Once again, Superman declines the offer. At this point, Hard Drive gets in Superman's face and proceeds to shout at him!
We close out with a teary-eyed Hard Drive running away.
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Another fun issue of Young Heroes!
I always look at these early issues of a new series where Superman (or Spider-Man in Marvel's case) show up as the publisher "giving their blessing" to a new property. It was really cool to have Superman here... especially considering that Raspler and Madan "played the ball where it lay" and used Electric Blue. I suppose they could've just as easily used any other DC heavy-hitter and had a similar result... but they used Electric Blue, and I think that's pretty cool.
This issue was a really good way for us to get a little "surface level" characterization. Nothing all that deep... yet; just a few idiosyncrasies... but it all works so well. We learn that Bonfire is a superhero fangirl... and that Hard Drive gets antsy around new people... things that can (and will) be used against (or to control) them.
It's also made pretty clear that there's more than meets the eye about Frostbite. He definitely knows something... and he's already making overtures toward Bonfire with his heat-signature invisible ink. It's been about twenty-years since I've read this... so, I don't remember at all what his ice sculpture "said" to Bonfire. I am pretty psyched to find out (again) though.
That brings us to our "Who's Zoomin' Who?" bit:
Bonfire is still "with" Thunderhead due to Hard Drive's "power of suggestion". She's a massive superhero fangirl whose life's dream was to be part of a superhero team... something she's not likely to do anything to possibly mess up. At the same time, however, there's a definite "spark" between her and Frostbite... and we get the sneaking suspicion that Frostbite knows what's up.
Monstergirl is still "with" Hard Drive... and is probably closer to him (ie. knows more about him) than anybody else on the team. Hard Drive is quick to reveal his personality quirks, as evidenced by what he told Frostbite... so, we'd have to imagine Monstergirl is aware of his social anxiety as well.
At the end of this issue... she totally sets him up. This is the second issue in a row where she kinda "plays" him. Was she aware that he'd have a meltdown in front of Superman? Is she trying to kill his credibility so she might take over leading the team? I feel like the answers to both questions are "Yes".
Oh, and Off-Ramp is still very much in love with his car. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Overall... man... such a fun series. I'm tellin' ya... this isn't one that'll break the bank, but it might be a bit of a hunt. It's definitely a worthwhile hunt though... so, if you do happen across a random issue, do yourself a favor and snag it!
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Young Heroes in Love #2 (July, 1997)
"Look Before You Leap into the Telekinetic Proto-Bomb!"
Writer - Dan Raspler
Penciller - Dev Madan
Inker - Keith Champagne
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Scott Baumann
Associate Editor - Ruben Diaz
Editor - Frank Pittarese
Cover Price: $1.75
Wow, it's been over a year... closer to a year and a half, since we discussed the first issue of Young Heroes in Love! Time is such a cruel S.O.B.! This issue might be a bit of a toughie without the proper context, so... I don't always do this, but I'd recommend checking out that discussion if you're unfamiliar with this team/property.
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It's been awhile since we read it, but at the end of last issue... Bonfire and Thunderhead agreed to go out on patrol together, and that is where we open. They are atop a tall building, and Thunderhead comments that he could jump all the way to the ground without hurting himself. Bonfire isn't so sure, and wants him to prove it. At hems and haws a bit... however, as he is rather smitten with the red-head, he goes ahead and takes the plunge.
Back at Young Heroes HQ, Hard Drive and Monstergirl are discussing and debating how to debut the team. Hard Drive thinks they're ready to show themselves off to the public straight away, while MG thinks it would be best to wait. Off to the side, tiny Junior overhears the conversation... and is quite bothered over what their motivations for putting the team together in the first place might be. He also overhears them discuss finding a "minor threat" via the news wire to take advantage of.
We shift over to Off-Ramp's garage, where he's puttering with Roadshow. He is soon joined by Thunderhead, who spills all the beans about his night out with Bonfire.
Speaking of Bonfire, we rejoin her as she enters a darkened locker room. Inside, Frostbite is waiting... and testing his ability to "read" people by their heat signatures. He makes it clear that he's noticed there is a spark between the two of them, but Bonfire plays dumb. Remember, Hard Drive used his "power of suggestion" to pair her with Thunderhead last issue.
Back at the garage, Monstergirl requests Off-Ramp check into the newswires for trouble... only, she doesn't tell him to look for a "minor threat"... she's looking for "serious trouble". She also... mayyybe makes a pass at Thunderhead?
Back in the locker room, Junior pops his tiny head in. He begins telling Bonfire and Frostbite what he'd overheard during Hard Drive and Monstergirl's conversation... however, before he can go into any detail, Hard Drive himself shows up. He asks Junior for a moment of his time... and uses his "power of suggestion" to keep the little bugger quiet.
We rejoin Off-Ramp who is "navigating" for trouble, which, as we learned last issue, pretty much means he's lounging around smoking a cigarette. He finally comes across something worthy of the Young Heroes' attention, and heads off to inform Hard Drive. As luck would have it, the JLA are currently off-planet... so this falls on the shoulders of our new team! Or, ya know... the JSA, the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, Hero Hotline... were the Darkstars still a thing in 1997? Okay, I'm splitting hairs... this looks like a job for, the Young Heroes!
They load up into Roadshow and FAAASH! upstate to an Army Base where... a giant (cool-looking) Mummy is running amok!
Hard Drive begins issuing commands... and the team proves that they've got what it takes to get the job done. There's some really cool use of Off-Ramp's portals here... reminiscent of the video game, well, Portal (which wouldn't come out for a decade!).
The battle ends with Hard Drive stood before the Mummy... as it is sucked into, what Thunderhead refers to as, "some Mummy dimension". Well, can't argue with that.
After getting some "face time" on the local news, the Young Heroes head back to HQ. We close out with Monstergirl visiting Hard Drive in his room... apologizing for doubting his vision... and then they make out. In our final panel, however, she give the camera a bit of a "dirty look". Hmm...
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Another super-fun issue of Young Heroes.
Before exploring the various love-rhombuses... let's get my one kinda "ehh" bit out of the way. We see Junior overhear the conversation between Hard Drive and Monstergirl... and I just don't see what the big deal about that was. It's treated like Junior just heard them admit to secretly being supervillains or something, when it was really just a debate about the team's readiness.
I feel like if you have a team with, for all intents and purposes, two leaders... you're going to have discussions like this with regularity. I feel like their compromise was a good one as well... find a "minor threat", give the team some "field experience", soak up the press and public goodwill. Sounds good to me!
I reread that scene a few times to see if Hard Drive used his "power of suggestion" on Monstergirl in order to get his way... but he didn't... and that wouldn't have made any sense anyway, since she wound up telling Off-Ramp something completely different.
Speaking of the "power of suggestion", let's take a look at who's zoomin' who on the Young Heroes.
We have Bonfire... who clearly shares a connection and attraction with Frostbite. Hard Drive enforces that she be paired with Thunderhead.
Thunderhead is clearly smitten with Bonfire... however, Monstergirl might have some interest in him. All the while, MG is knockin' boots with Hard Drive.
Off-Ramp is still passionately in love with his car. And, that's okay. Junior's all by his lonesome... buuuuut, that might change pretty soon.
Onto the action! I feel like the fight scene with the Mummy was pretty good! It's definitely just a back-drop for all of the romantic and backstabby intrigue, but it was quite well done. The team comes together, saves the day... and thanks to the art, looks great in the process!
Overall... this is a great book. The characterization is wonderful... it's hard not to fall in love with this cast... even the rat-bastards among them. The art is also great. I mentioned last issue that this feels like a blend of Batman: The Animated Series and Darwyn Cooke... and I still feel that way. This series is most definitely worth tracking down.
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Gen¹³ (vol.2) #-1 (January, 1997)
Story - Jim Lee & Brandon Choi
Script - H.K. Proger
Penciller - Ryan Benjamin
Inkers - Frank Percy, Dev Madan, J.D., & Richard Johnson
Letterer - Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist - Joe Chiodo
Color Assists - Wendy Fouts, Paige Apfelbaum, & Monica Bennett
Editor - Sarah Becker
Editor in Chief - Mike Heisler
Cover Price: $1.95
While on the subject of oddly-numbered issues of Gen¹³... today we're going to look at a "minus one" issue. Ya see, this was originally part of the Wizard Magazine mail-away Gen¹³ #½ in 1995... which they then reprinted as sort of a bridge between the Gen¹³ mini-series (1994) and ongoing series (1995)... even though all of the editorial captions inside still reference the mini-series. If that stinks of a quick 'n easy cash grab to you... I'd say you were on to something.
Anyhoo... I almost certainly did more research on this issue for it's "placement" than for anything between the covers. As far as what all of my usual haunts say... this issue is recognized as part of the ongoing volume (vol.2 - 1995)... so, that's what we're going to call it.
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We open with the Gen¹³ kids driving a van through Oregon in search of Milwaukee... which might sound ridiculous, until you realize that there is a Milwaukee, Oregon. The first time I looked at this I was ready to start yanking at that thread. Anyhoo, Fairchild is at the wheel, and is insistent that she hasn't gotten them lost. Burnout's riding shotgun, and he's not so sure. They pull over at a gas station to find out exactly where they are. Turns out they're more than a little bit off-track.
While the boys are inside, Caitlin heads off to a mailbox to send in a check for the van they stole. Roxy is confused... and surprised at Fairchild's fat-walletedness. Turns out she just drew the funds from big-bad Ivana's bank account. Then... an explosion!
Here we meet a woman in some armor that makes her look like a reject from the Mutant Liberation Front... garish purple, hoses everywhere... just a real sight to behold. Still... better than generic dudes in suits! Burnout "flames on" and Grunge... er, throws a soda can at her. Sadly, Grunge's assault yields the better result.
The battle continues, and the girls get involved. Fairchild hits her from behind... the woman strikes back, which causes... uh... Fairchild to... well, give birth to a bolt of lightning? I mean, here, just look at it...
Then Roxy jumps in, causing enough of a distraction for Grunge and Burnout to recover. Grunge grabs the woman... and throws her into a nearby fuel truck. That's probably not the best idea... even in the best of times.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Roxy then lights up a cigarette... and tosses it into the eruption of fuel! This is the sort of hyper-violence that I'd have written when I was like 11.
Get this, though... the explosion... which, in reality should have destroyed the entire neighborhood... doesn't even make this mysterious armored woman flinch. And so, Fairchild once again sneaks up behind her... and starts yanking at those hoses that all the villains had attached to their armor back in the 90's. I thought they were just for show... but I guess not!
We wrap up with the Gen¹³ kids tying the baddie up and splitting town before the police arrive. All the while, the mysterious armored woman warns them that someone called Langston is trying to destroy the time stream. Our "blurb" suggests we check out the Gen¹³ miniseries... which, by the time this issue came out was already three years old.
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Woof.
This was kiiiiiiiinda brutal.
Let's get the confusing production out of the way first. This is Gen¹³ #minus-one... which came out the same month as Gen¹³ (vol.2) #16. It looks like it's supposed to be the bridge between the Gen¹³ mini-series (1994) and the Gen¹³ ongoing series (1995)... however, they couldn't even be bothered to update the editorial captions inside the book to reflect that. I couldn't imagine trying to make sense of this had I picked it up off the racks in 1996/1997. Like, where does this go? When do I read it? Why is it even a thing that exists... when we already got the story in Gen¹³ #½ (as if that's not confusing enough as it is!)?
Ay yai yai.
Onto the story... well, first the art. The characters come across as off-model for most of this story. Fella who pencilled it is competent, however, the storytelling here was pretty weak. Let's just look at Roxy... her look completely changes from panel to panel. She has a different face and hairstyle (length and color) on different panels on the same page! I don't think that was one of her Gen-Active Powers! I'd excuse it if this was some long epic story... but, it's 13 freaking pages. 13... get it?
In reading this issue immediately after the Claremont one from yesterday, it's pretty clear that what WildStorm needed was someone to help calibrate. Here we have fuel-tankers exploding... leaving little damage, and since it isn't mentioned, we're going to guess no loss of life. In the Claremont issue we have kids being chased by a shadowy organization of dudes in suits. There's just gotta be a "happy medium" somewhere in there, right? Ehh, what do I know?
Overall... I didn't enjoy this. The uneven art was pretty distracting, and the story... what there was of it, was pretty nonsensical. I suppose if you happen across this in the cheap-o bins, it might be worth a flip through... but I wouldn't suggest breaking your back or bank for it, unless you're a Gen¹³ completionist.
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Gen¹³ (vol.3) #0 (September, 2002)
"Try to Remember"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Penciller - Ale Garza
Inker - Sandra Hope
Colors - UDON
Letters - Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy
Assistant Editor - Kristy Quinn
Editor - Bob Harras
Cover Price: $0.13
So... yesterday we concluded our #Action100 Endeavor. I was so looking forward to having that done... but, now I'm left asking "what's next?". It feels like with every milestone we lose a little bit.
I mean, this humble blog has had the same tag-line for over two-years at this point, "Random DC Comics Discussion and Review"... but sometimes your humbler host needs a little direction. Things like the Action Comics project... or even the obsessive search for Lady Cop kept me focused, motivated, and driven to keep plugging along.
I guess we're going to have to find a new "project" to keep us all coming back... and I might have just the thing. I think we'll wait until May 1 to unveil that though.
In the interim, however, let's just discuss any old thing that falls into our lap... just like today's Gen¹³ #0! Some of you won't remember that weird time in the early-2000's where the companies would try and out-do one another by shipping "gimmes". There was that issue of Fantastic Four that shipped with a 9-cent cover price... the Superman and Batman 10 and 12 cent adventures, respectively... hell, for a little while, Marvel had one book a month with a $0.25 cover to entice new readers to "jump on"! There's a trend I wouldn't mind seeing make a comeback! The only thing we're scaling back these days are the issue numbers!
This issue of the relaunched Gen¹³ is another one of those "gimmes"... and we're about to learn whether or not it's worth those thirteen cents.
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We open at San Diego Comicon, where Captain Michael Kirby York of the NYFD has taken his growing family to the "promise land". It's funny to read Claremont's description of the place... as sort of a comics' nirvana or something. He writes that comics publishers "dominate the halls"... welp, couldn't write that line today... it's either movie studios or freaking Funko Pops all-day long. Do they even let publishers attend Comicon anymore? Worth mentioning that the Captain's family doesn't seem all that impressed.
Michael catches a glimpse of Megan Ford, publisher of Victory Comics... and gets star-struck. The rest of the family doesn't get it. Suddenly a young lady streaks onto the scene... well, not that kind of "streak", she just runs really fast. She's being chased by some "Guys in Suits"ᵀᴹ, and bumps right into Michael's son Ethan.
They dust themselves off... and the girl vanishes into the crowd. The twins Ethan and Dylan notice that in the commotion she dropped her wallet. Michael heads over to Ms. Ford to fan-gush... and the boys head off to track down the mystery girl.
The find her outside... in plain daylight, being wrestled down by those three "Guys in Suits"ᵀᴹ. I mean, that's definitely going to attract some attention, right? Ethan and Dylan, without knowing any of the context of the situation, tackle the suits... leading to the mystery girl taking Ethan's hand... and whisking them both away.
One minute later, they arrive in Big Sur. Ethan gushes about whatsherface being "a Supergirl". She reveals that her real name is Maria Alcazar, and that her code-name is Quickstep. She continues... revealing that she's sort of part of a group, and that the "Guys in Suits"ᵀᴹ that were following her work for an organization who would like to control superpowered teen-agers... I guess?
And so, our couple goes to grab a burger and get to know one another better. Seems it's an instant love connection. Maria reveals that after she drops Ethan back with his family she's going to meet up with a friend in La Jolla.
Later on, Ethan is dropped back at the hotel where his family is staying... and he's surprised to find that they are not alone... there's a... you know, man wearing a suit there as well. The man insists that by "saving" Maria, Ethan put her in "deadly danger".
Meanwhile in La Jolla, Maria meets up with her friend... Caitlin Fairchild. Once inside, they both hear the voice of "Herod" who claims to have "judged" her... and, what the heck... he's judged Fairchild too. Quickstep overloads, causing a "flare"... which more or less atomizes the safehouse.
As the dust settles, yet another... guy in a suit is at the scene of the safehouse situation where he sees Fairchild taken out on a stretcher. He reports in to a woman (maybe Megan Ford? It's not entirely clear), who reveals that they will keep tabs on Ethan York.
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Ehhh...
I thought this was okay. Despite this having been in my collection for the better part of two decades, this is the first time I gave it a look. I'm pretty sure I just grabbed it for the 13-cent price tag, and never gave it a second thought. This really wasn't bad though.
If you were to look at the cover, which is surprisingly by Jim Lee... doesn't really look like his work... if you were to look at the cover, you'd assume this was going to be as tonally different than the previous volume of Gen¹³... which went from cheesecake to full-blown manga during it's run. You'd perhaps expect a more realistic "street level" take... thankfully, that's not the case. The art is just as bombastic as before... with more than a little bit of manga "influence".
My only real quibble about the art is that I'm not sure if we were supposed to recognize the big-bad at the end as the owner of Victory Comics. I mean, with the amount of time we spent identifying her at the start it's almost gotta be her, right? The art, however, doesn't make that immediately clear... and for a reveal like that, it kinda has to be.
The opening here made me wistful for a time where Comicon actually meant something to me. The days where you'd get the fall-out in an Autumn issue of Wizard Magazine... or the "up to the minute coverage" on USENET. Where comics were the straw that stirred the drink... and movies were just "added flavor". Now it's just loading into a room to watch a scene of whoever played Harley Quinn licking her teeth, or Thanos making a fist while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. And don't forget the Funkos! Comics be damned.
I think my main complaint about this issue... and the one thing that could've changed my opinion to completely positive if it were left out... is, the damned Guys in Suits. I think that's why I was never able to go "all in" on WildStorm. Feels like all of their bad guys could star in a USA Network original series. It's just nameless dudes in suits and shades. What is there to invest in? Also, this is comics... where you can do literally anything with a story... and our bad guys are just Guys in Suits? So tired. I get that the turn-of-the-century was a time where we were trying to make things "real"... probably so the books could more easily be translated to the big screen... but it's just so lame.
I think Claremont did really well with the dialogue here... but some of the captions were a little "much". I'll give him this, his depiction of Michael's bored family at Comicon was pretty spot on. So often I tell the wife about stuff going on in comics... and I basically get the blank stare in return. God forbid I utter the phrase "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Unless she's having trouble sleeping or needs to be knocked out for surgery, she hasn't the slightest bit of interest.
Overall... for 13-cents, I'd say you could do far worse. There's a certain amount of WildStorm dullness to it, with all the goofs in suits... but, I think it made me interested enough to (eventually) check out the next (first) issue.
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