Green Lantern (vol.2) #173 (February, 1984)
"Old Friends, New Foes..!"
"The Progress"
Writers - Len Wein & Joey Cavalieri
Artist/Letterer - Dave Gibbons
Colorists - Anthony Tollin & Jeanine Casey
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75
Well there's a strange cover, ain't it? I could elaborate... but, let's not. Sometimes it's best to let an image speak for itself.
--
We open with Hal Jordan returning to Earth after a year-long exile. After stopping a drunk driver from making a mess of the expressway, he pops in on Carol Ferris... who actually seems happy to see him! I mean, even during the best of times between the two, she never seemed actually happy... but here, she does!
We then shift over to a... strange satellite. A blonde woman named Lyla checks in with her boss... the Monitor. Yes, this is a pre-Crisis appearance of the man himself. If you wanna see every (to our knowledge) pre-Crisis Monitor appearance, you can pop over to the Weird Comics History site.
Back on Earth, Carol and Hal arrive at Ferris Aircraft for the latter's first day back on the job. As they pull in, Hal notices a hoisted beam begin to give way... and rushes in to push an unwitting Mr. Davis out of the way. Davis looks none-too-pleased to have been saved by the returning Jordan.
Carol tells Hal that much has changed at Ferris over the past year... including the shift to a more virtual reality (and telekinesis)-based "technology". He observes a few scientists huddled around a wacky chair trying to get a paper airplane to move with their minds. They can't... but Hal can! He blames it on a breeze that swept through the lab... but, we all know better.
We shift scenes to a little bit north of Los Angeles... where we meet, The Javelin! This is his first of very-few appearances. He stands down an oncoming truck... and, ya know... tosses a javelin into it. He fights off the truckers... then calls in to base to give the go-ahead for "pick-up".
Back at Ferris, Hal reunites with his old mechanic, Tom Kalamaku. Tom's been working on one bad-ass solar jet, designed by our old friend Bruce Gordon. Ya know, Eclipso. All they're waiting for is the engine... which, as luck would have it, was the bounty the Javelin just jacked.
Hal "Lanterns up" and heads out to look into the hijacking. He overhears the police describing the crime scene... and learns that the thieves used "flying bicycles" to steal the loot. It isn't long before Hal runs right into these geeks... and makes short work of 'em.
Then... The Javelin! Hal is attacked... and then, uh... coated in a yellow liquid plastic goop... and, uh... it looks kinda gross. Our Golden Hal then begins to plummet... and we are out of time!
... Except for the back-up! I know folks really dig these "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" backups... but, I just can't get into them. So many of them are just so boring. This one opens with a Green Lantern being shot down... and dying on a backwater planet. A backwater fella happens across, grabs the ring... and quickly understands that it has powers.
He goes on to become an actual Green Lantern... and saves a whole bunch of folks, as Green Lanterns are wont to do. Until, of course... he gets shot down, and dies on another planet... and the cycle continues.
--
This (first part) was a lot of fun! This era of Green Lantern is one of those that I often jumble into a mess of stories, and, if pressed, probably couldn't tell ya what order they happened in. I know there was an exile... I know (er, think) the Omega Men showed up... but that's about all.
Speaking of the exile... and it being over, I'm happy that this is an Earth-based adventure. Those are my favorite kind of Lantern stories.
It was fun to see Carol and Hal actually happy together. I always got the impression that Carol was just "along for the ride" and never actually happy to be in this nebulous romance. I think of Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years... even when she and Kevin were "an item", she never looked all that happy. She was just like "ehh, I guess this is my life now". That's how I always view Carol.
The Javelin... is a dumb-but-fun villain. We've met plenty of these oddball baddies... and it's always a pretty good time. Seeing them act in earnest... and actually being taken seriously as threats is appreciated. These days, a villain like this would only be used so a writer can nudge us in the ribs and be like "look at how silly he is... look at how silly comic books are". Which, yeah... we get it.
The back-up... happened. Not sure why we needed to see a (wordless) Green Lantern "circle of life". Really didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. It did feature some nice Gibbons artwork, so it wasn't a total loss.
Overall... this was a fun read, and I bet many'a folk would really dig it. Somewhat surprisingly, this issue is available digitally.
--
Letters Page (featuring a whopper of a missive!):
--
Interesting Ads:
866
Resurrection Man (vol.2) #1 (November, 2011)
"Pronounced Dead"
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Fernando Dagnino
Colorist - Santi Arcas
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Editors - Eddie Berganza & Rex Ogle
Cover Price: $2.99
We took a look at the first volume of Resurrection Man yesterday... and, as luck would have it... I was able to procure the first issue of the second volume last night in a 40-cent bin!
Let's do that compare and contrast thang.
--
We open with our friend Mitch waking up at the morgue... that is, waking up from being dead of course. This doesn't seem to surprise him, so we might assume this isn't the first time he's experienced the sensation. He mentions that he has the taste of metal in his mouth as he breaks into a doctor's locker and steals his identification and credit cards.
Next we know Mitch is at the airport and he's headed to Portland. Why? Well, he doesn't know... it's just a compulsion. It would seem that with each resurrection our man is given, in addition to a new power... a "mission". He observes his fellow travelers before boarding the plane.
As they take off, he is joined by a "hot in a Gaga kind of way" woman (with a teardrop tattoo). He didn't even see her get on the plane... but, here she sits.
She tells him all about the other passengers... what is compelling them to Portland. Thinking it's just a flirty game, Mitch plays along. Things then turn deadly serious when Gaga informs him that his soul is "overdue". Oh yeah, she also transforms into a crazy half-demon/half-angel thing... so there's that too.
Mitch takes the fight outside as to keep the other passengers "safe". I mean, the roof of the plane is torn off... so, unless Superman's in the area... or Mitch's new power is being Superman, these poor folks are about to wind up on that island with the smoke monster.
Remember how I said that Mitch mentioned that metal taste? Well, that's about to come home to roost. Mitch grabs the Angel/Demon, and his newfound magnetic field gets them both zapped by lightning.
Then... he gets sucked into one of the planes engines, and he... along with everyone on board... dies.
He wakes up in a forest... maybe the did land on LOST island! Nah, these woods are on fire... and as he runs we see one of the lazier "New-52 Number Ones" Pandora cameos.
He notices a group of fire fighters... and engages in his new power, uhhh... turning into water?
Back in the city we started in, the new-look Body Doubles have arrived at the Coroner's Office in search of their "John"... that is, "John Doe", not sure that was clear. They're pretty crazy... questioning people while they're gagged. And when they don't spill the beans (because, ya know... they're gagged) they kill 'em.
Back in the woods, we see that one of the firefighters has that same "Gaga" teardrop tattoo... so, the chase will continue. It's also alluded to that this might turn into a war between Heaven and Hell for Mitch Shelley's soul... at the very least, a "bidding" war.
We close out with a look at Madame Xanadu as she flips through her tarot deck... which, is pretty much all she ever does. She is puzzled that no matter how many times she shuffles, the Resurrection Man always comes back.
--
This take, while a bit different (at least as far as I've read), is still really good. I definitely dug this.
This time around Mitch is used to the resurrecting routine... and has a grasp on everything that comes with it. It's sort of like a Quantum Leap approach, wherein every time he "leaps" into a new life, he has a mission he must complete. Here, he was given his metal/magnetic powers... likely with the express purpose of facing off against that teardrop Angel/Demon entity.
During the brouhaha, the Gaga-gal tells Mitch a thing or two about fate. She informs him that none of the passengers were ever supposed to arrive in Portland anyway. The plane was always going to crash... which, I suppose might assuage Mitch's "guilt" in the situation.
Just like in the first volume, we do get more than one resurrections, which I wouldn't expect to be the norm. Though, this title does unfortunately get canned pretty quickly, so perhaps they are able to rack up the body count throughout.
Art here was really good. Definitely suiting the tone of this "darker" DC book... I really dug it. Really liked the coloring too. Just like the pencils, it went from kinda muted (but not in a Vertigo sort of way) to bombastic and back again.
It's a shame this book couldn't find an audience either time, as it's a pretty interesting concept, and an overall fun read. Including the "missions" and a potential war between Heaven and Hell really ups the urgency here... adding to the mythos of the Resurrection Man character without really contradicting what's come before.
I'd say this is definitely worth a glance. It's a short run (13 issues), and it's very likely sitting in your local cheap-o bin. If you want it, and need it right this very second... it is available digitally (for a buck).
--
Interesting Ads:
865
Resurrection Man #1 (May, 1997)
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Butch Guice
Colorist - Carla Feeny
Letterer - Ken Lopez
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Back in the long ago, we discussed Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1. What a lot of folks might remember best about that book is that it had a crazy gem glued to it... which could cause some havoc for whatever book that sits before it in your longbox.
Today we've got something a bit less heinous... it's a lenticular POG. Were POGs still a fad in 1997, or is this just another example of DC being "with" the times?
Either way... let's get to it!
--
We open with a man who just realized he could fly. He found out as he dove in front of some children to stop them from being riddled with holes from a drive-by shooting. This, as you might imagine, causes our man to take the incoming fire himself. He falls from the overpass and into the junkyard below... as he plummets, his life flashes before his eyes. When he lands, however... he's alive?!
Without much of a clue as to who he is... our man checks his surroundings. Around him are the first issues of (Tales Calculated to Drive You) MAD and Action Comics... but he's not interested in any of that... what catches his attention is a Betty Boop snow globe. Now, Betty Boop has always kinda freaked me out... so, if it were me... I'd already be in the next county. Our man however, has another flashback triggered.
He enters into nearby Crucible City... and tries to find a library. He's summarily kicked out for being a transient. A librarian named Irma pulls him aside and tells him to come back that evening... and he does! Together, they learn that he was a lawyer named Mitchell Shelley... and he'd been reported dead, victim of a gas main explosion. He also finds out that he's married, which puts a crimp in whatever plans he might've had for lovely Ms. Irma.
Nearby, we meet a man with painted nails as he washes up in a rest stop bathroom. He's hitchhiking toward Crucible City... and, oh yeah, he's killing everybody who gives him a ride.
Back in the city, Irma has taken Mitch to her night job... lucky for him, she works at the Eisner/Igor Mission... or something. Mitch gets cleaned up and fed... and learns why Irma has been so kind to him. Turns out her son went missing a few years back, and she'd like to think that somebody out there has shown him kindness.
Then... the Body Doubles show up! They ride over in a cringe-tasticly gaudy SUV... and they're on the hunt for their "John". The blonde Body Double looks to be quite the Shawn Michaels fan. The brunette exits the day-glo boogievan, and heads inside the Mission.
They are, of course, looking for Mitch. He and Irma split out the back door... while the brunette starts slaughtering everyone who gets in her way. Outside, the blonde wastes no time in filling Irma full'a holes. She's dead... and Mitch (guilty conscience and all) takes off into the night... well, not before exhibiting some new "hardened air" powers. But, then... he takes off.
Going all the way to Scooters Gas Farm... where stories of the "Resurrection Man" who saved those kids from the drive-by shooting are being shared. Just then, a fuel hauling truck careens into the gas pumps outside.
Without thinking, Mitch rushes outside... and holds his hand up to the truck... and, it stops!
He nyoinks the driver out of the seat and carries him to safety, before...
Days later, we return to Scooters... and people are being questioned about the strange hero. We learn that it's the Body Doubles asking the questions... and they're eventually taken to the morgue, where they discover... nothing! Three days later, and the tomb is empty!
We wrap up by rejoining Mitch... now exhibiting some fire-related powers, as he exits Crucible City.
--
This was pretty great! Maybe I'm just a sucker for "on the run" stories... and amnesia stories... but, I thought this was a lot of fun.
The action is pretty hot and heavy here... as we see our man "die" twice... with mention of a third time. I don't think this will (or should) be the pace going forward... but it serves its purpose here in establishing just what this Resurrection Man is all about. Each time he "dies" he receives a new power. The first time, in the gas main explosion... he got, flight. After the drive-by, he got that hardened-air gimmick... and after the tanker explosion, he got one'a those Stan Laurel thumb-lighters.
Can't go wrong with that!
We meet Mitch's main (as far as we know) baddies in the Body Doubles... but we don't really know what they're all about just yet. That's all fair enough... at this point, all we need to know is that they're bad... and they're on his tail. There's also the hitchhiker with the weird voice balloons... but, we know even less about him.
Irma's death kinda came out of nowhere... though, he did split before we got any sort of confirmation that she did, in fact, die. Also, since she mentioned her son Robbie, who had disappeared years earlier... it's not out of the realm of possibility that he and Mitch might eventually cross paths.
Art here was excellent. I feel like I have this odd reaction whenever I see Guice's name on a project, and I'm not sure why... I always imagine it'll look like a kinda ho-hum 1980's fill-in... but, this was really anything but. Really good stuff here, I thought.
Overall... I'd say this is definitely worth a gander. Unfortunately, this is one of those books that doesn't show up all that often in my neck of the woods... and my collection is, as far as I can remember, only this issue... and I nabbed it like a decade ago! Never tried The New-52! version either... though, I might need to. This issue (and series) is available digitally... just be warned, the only way to get that bad-ass lenticular POG is by grabbing the actual issue!
--
Lenticular Pog Action!
--
Interesting Ads:
864
