Flash (vol.2) #112 (April, 1995)
"Future Perfect"
Story - Mark Waid
Guest Pencils - Anthony Castrillo
Inks - Hanibal Rodriguez
Colors - Tom McCraw
Letters - Gaspar & Kevin Cunningham
Assistant Editor - Alisande Morales
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.75
Today I'm comin' atcha from a blind-spot in my Flash-fandom... that weird John Fox arc, which... for whatever reason, I never prioritized reading. In fact, it's with this piece that I'm reading it for the first time!
Let's get to it!
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We open with the villain Chillblaine holding a bunch of folks (including Linda Park) hostage in the Penthouse sales floor of Schwartz Jewelers. For Chillblaine, think dollar-store Captain Cold... kinda. It's also kinduva "revolving door" persona, basically... if you're dating the Golden Glider, chances are... you're going to be Chillblaine. Anyhoo, he's filled the joint with ice... including the elevator he took to get there. The elevator cable snaps. Luckily, John Fox just happened to be watching this unfold on the news... and so, he's there lickety-split. He's the Flash, ya know!
So, he saves the guys in the elevator... and rescues Linda, but Chillblaine gets away. That night, we return to the West-Park home, where John is staying. Ya see, he and Wally sorta "swapped places"... Fox is from the far-flung future, and came back to the late-twentieth century due to a possible new Ice Age setting in. Linda seems polite to him, however, has the Pied Piper (who was a good guy at this point) move in as well, just to be safe. Fox drops a bit of knowledge, claiming that there would be a "microwave scare" in 2015. Welp, we must'a dodged that bullet.
From here, we get the quick n' dirty on Mr. Fox. A monster called Mota attacked during his era... and he (Fox) bebopped through time to get help from all of the prior Flashes. This time-travel left him with super-speed (convenient, no?)... with which he defeated the baddie. He'd go on to be the Flash of his time. Piper jokes that it's a good thing Wally isn't here, otherwise, knowing his "legend" lives on into the future, his ego would be going out of control...
Fox wonders why Linda isn't all that upset that her boyfriend is missing in time. She explains that that's just "Tuesday" for her. Wally's always running through time... and he always makes it back home.
We shift scenes to the funeral of Johnny Quick. Before moving on, I gotta say... this guest-artist... you'd almost swear it was John Byrne. Some very Byrne-y faces here. Anyhoo, Johnny was killed during a recent run-in with Savitar... and the Flash family has come to pay their respects.
His daughter, Jesse Quick and his wife, the former Liberty Belle argue a bit about how the reward of superheroing isn't worth the risk. Fox intervenes to tell Jesse that he knows for a fact that her father will be remembered in the future. He might be just sayin' that though... either way, it made Jesse feel better, so what's the harm?
Also present is XS, Barry Allen's granddaughter and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Just like her cousin Bart, she's been stuck in the "present" for a little while now, only she's starting to become homesick. John Fox has an idea! He fixes up Barry's old Cosmic Treadmill to be a straightforward time machine. He prompts XS to hop on, and before we know it... she's gone! Wow, that was anticlimactic, wasn't it? She didn't even say goodbye!
Later that night, Fox learns that Chillblaine is at it again. He and Piper head over to the Diamond District... where they find a bunch of shiverin' civvies. Also, the entire ceiling of the joint is iced up... so, if anyone so much as sneezes... the whole thing's going to come down. Cue some goofball sneezing... right here.
Future-Flash is able to rescue all of the civilians, however, Chillblaine escapes yet again. As Fox goes to give chase, he slips on the ice... and crashes right into a nearby squad car. He gets up annoyed that the baddie got away. Piper tells him to not to be so hard on himself... and to take this one as a "win". After all, he saved all of the civilians.
Fox returns to Linda's place... closes himself in a room... and lets out a terrific scream, which really messes the place up. Linda, hearing the hub-bub knocks on his door to see what's up.
He tells her he just knocked over a chair. Lemme tell ya, this page is verrrrry Byrne-y. I'd almost swear it was him drawing it. Linda asks how he's feeling, before teasing him about his "accident"... his big slip was broadcast over the news. Fox plays along and laughs at his goof.
Then... things turn serious. Linda says not to worry about Chillblaine... because, once Wally gets back... they'll take him down, no problem. Fox breaks the news to her that... as of right now, Wally ain't comin' back!
So where in all hells is Wally anyway? I'm glad you asked... not that I have an actual answer for you. We wrap up this issue by shifting scenes... somewhere. Wally is waking up... somewhere very Flashy!
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Not sure what took me so long to start reading this arc... it seems like something right up my alley.
Without proper context, it's difficult to really parse this one. I'm not sure how it ends... I'm not sure where Wally is... I'm not even sure if John Fox is who he portrays himself to be! It's a great place to be for reading... notsomuch for analyzing. I didn't even want to risk checking the DC Wikia for Fox-Flash-Facts, for fear that I'd spoil the end of this one.
What we do get here is, John Fox trying to fill Wally's shoes the best he can while he's away. From the looks of it, he might be getting a bit too comfortable with Linda. Something happened during his last run-in with Chillblaine that "flipped a switch" where Wally was no longer going to return.
I'm left with a couple of (unfounded) theories. First One: Chillblaine is/was responsible for this "Ice Age" Fox came back for... or... Second Guess: Fox has fallen in love with Linda, and he's making the call that Wally ain't ever comin' home. Either could result in an interesting story... and I'm not sure which one I'm pullin' for (if either of those possibilities were to pass, that is).
Fox shows a fair amount of kindness here... he tells Jesse Quick that her father's legacy will live on, and he manages to send XS back where she came from (well... not quite, but we don't know that yet). The latter scene was a bit weird... I'd figure XS would have at least wanted to say goodbye to Bart.
I mentioned it a few times during the synopsis... but, man, this guest artist... definitely a John Byrne fan, right? Especially when it comes to the faces, it's as spot-on Byrne as I'd ever seen. Really terrific stuff! So good that I'm surprised we didn't see more from this Castrillo! Heck... give him five years, he might've been known as the "better Byrne"! Compare this with, say, Lab Rats... personally, I'd give this the nod.
Waitasec... this is volume 2... issue 112 of Flash. Two... One One Two... John Byrne wrote and drew a graphic novel called... 2112. Two One One Two. This 2112 concept originated as Freaks... a book to be set in the DC Universe... which would be sorta-kinda repurposed into later Byrne projects... Next Men and Danger Unlimited. There might be more here than meets the eye!!! Orrrr, I'm just being silly. Nah, it's definitely some Illuminati stuff...
Overall... this probably isn't the first issue of Flash you wanna read, however, if you're familiar with the characters and concept... I think you'll have a lot of fun with this one! A very solid package... which, isn't always what we got in the 1990's when we saw the dreaded "Guest Artist" in the credits! This issue is available digitally.
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Challengers of the Unknown (vol.2) #1 (March, 1991)
"The Challengers Must Die!"
Writer - Jeph Loeb
Artist - Tim Sale
Letters - Bob Pinaha
Colors - Lovern Kindzierski
Editors - Barbara Kesel & Elliot S! Maggin
Cover Price: $1.75
Here's one that's been just sittin' there in the collection for... eesh, the better part of two decades. Never read it... always meant to. Thing of it is... it stars the Challengers of the Unknown, and even in looking at the cover, I couldn't tell ya which one's which... or why I should even care to find out!
This series is (sometimes) acclaimed critically... I suppose it really depends on the hive mind's feelings on Loeb on any given day. I'm a fan of his... and for that reason, I'm looking forward to seeing where it all began for him!
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We open in the offices of Tattletale Magazine... a news tabloid, whose heroic subject is usually the Challengers of the Unknown. Must be a pretty dull rag... in fact, that's kinda the point. They keep having to use the same "news" because nobody can be bothered to keep up with them. And so, Tattletale Senior Editor, Jennifer Taylor calls in Harold Moffet, a fella who "polishes" their stories... and sends him out to Challengerville to check in with the Challs.
From here, the storytelling gets a bit wonky. The pages all go four-panel... Moffet travels... then we get a look at Challengerville... then we meet a Chall as they go about their daily work... then we see something going on in deep space. This goes on for four pages... and the only new "news" Moffet can find is that Rocky bought a cat... and the poor thing died. Also, there's a strange nebbish fellow heading to Challengers Mountain... and he thinks in rhyme.
While Moffet phones in his "findings" to the Tattletale, we see that same nebbish fellow inside Challengers Mountain... and it looks like he's up to no good. In fact, he's rhyming "bomb" with "calm", so I think we can say for sure that he's up to no good.
Inside Challengers Headquarters, Prof and June find... something. An "incredible energy force" more powerful than any black hole. The rest of the Challs charge up to the monitor to take a look. Prof immediately realizes that something just ain't right... and attempts to reverse whatever it was that he just did.
This doesn't go so well.
Not only is Challengers Mountain destroyed... but, it took a great big chunk of Challengerville with it! Moffet looks on in shock... the nebbish fellow is pleased.
After the Challs pull themselves from the rubble (sans Prof and June), they hop into action, attempting to rescue the citizens and visitors of Challengerville. Ace rushes into "Our Lady of Challengers" church... and hopes to himself that he can be brave. He also worries a fair amount about June and Prof. He is able to save a little girl.
Red Ryan climbs up the side of the Ace Insurance Company building to rescue the survivors. It's funny, one of the citizens asks him "which Challenger" he is... because they all look alike! Ya know, that's pretty much exactly why this series has just lingered in my longboxes all these years!
Next, we join Rocky as he fights a fire using a pipe marked as the Challengerville Water Supply. He recognizes that this really isn't his style... more appropriate for Prof. He's surprised... and pleased, when his efforts result in putting out the blaze.
We jump to Jody Watkins, Reporter for KHAL as she interviews Harold Moffet, who just happened to be an eyewitness to the entire ordeal. He sensationalizes the happening, while lusting over the newslady... and we get a pretty good look at what remains of both Challengers Mountain... and Challengerville.
Watkins asks Moffet what ought to happen to the Challs, if they're found to be responsible for "this holocaust". Moffet brushes it off, after all, the Challengers of the Unknown are heroes... they'll probably get a Medal of Honor for their rescue efforts! Actually, it's not like that at all... the Challs are lead away... in chains!
The arrest of the Challengers is broadcast over the air... and we join that nebbish fellow as he watches the news from his home. He appears to be quite satisfied with himself... and thinks the word "free".
We wrap up with the reveal that there's... something... deep within the wreckage of Challengers Mountain. A new Unknown that has come to challenge the Challengers!
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Wow... this was pretty darn good.
Gotta tell ya, I did have to read it twice. The first time around, a lot of what went on in the early pages kinda went over my head... that might not be the books fault though.
This has some cinematic qualities to it... which, shouldn't be all that much of a surprise considering the world Loeb came from. I feel that it "worked" for this story, about half the time. Again, those early pages with the four-panels... so much was going on, that I wasn't sure what was and wasn't important to the story. Add to that, my unfamiliarity with the Challengers... and it was a bit of an uphill slog at first.
From the explosion of Challengers Mountain on, however... the storytelling was amazingly solid... easy to follow, and most importantly to a Challs-newb like me, easy to invest in.
So much so, that during my second read-through... everything seemed to "click". Whether that's a problem with the open... or a problem with my density, I'll leave that to you (though, if it's the latter... please don't tell me, my heart couldn't take it).
The idea of there being a Challengerville... it's both charming and mind-boggling. It feels like something we'd read in a one-off Silver Age story... and doesn't seem like something you could "get away with" in 1991... and yet, it kinda works! I can't imagine there being as much tourism as there is, considering... it is the Challengers of the Unknown, and it is 1991... but, we'll allow it.
It's interesting to me, that even in Loeb's earliest comic work... he's already building mysteries. I think that's what a lot of us have come to expect from him, after much of his Batman work (Hush, The Long Halloween)... hell, even the Red Hulk was a mystery story. Here we have... whatever that is... that has come to challenge the Challengers. Also... that nebbish fellow... what's his deal anyway? I'm looking forward to finding out!
Tim Sale's art here is pretty great. Not as stylized as I'm accustomed to, which probably works better for this story. This is a story that happens in the daytime... it doesn't need to be as "dark" or "abstract" as his later work. Not that I have a problem with his later work... I just like this better for this story (so far). For the cover, we get a pretty awesome piece from the master of covers himself, Brian Bolland. Really good stuff!
Overall... I can only speak for this issue (so far), but I think there's a lot to dig here. Even if you're new (or willfully ignorant) to the Challengers of the Unknown (like myself), this is a wonderfully engaging story, with excellent art. Shouldn't be too difficult to come by... it has been collected as The Challengers of the Unknown Must Die! (or just, Challengers of the Unknown by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale) and is also available digitally.
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Teen Titans #46 (February, 1977)
"The Fiddler's Concert of Crime!"
Writer - Bob Rozakis
Pencils - Irv Novick
Inks - Joe Giella
Letters - Ben Oda
Edits - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.30
Ladies and Gentlemen... the countdown is on! As of today, we are one month away from our ONE-THOUSANDTH DAILY POST! Sooo, barring my getting hit by lightning... it looks like we're probably going to get there!
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We open with a comparison of the Roman Colosseum... and the Long Island Colosseum (I'm guessing they mean Nassau Colosseum) where there's about to be a Battle of the Bands! Great Frog fans, don't get your hopes up... they're not playin'. The bands among the battle are Peter and Laura McCarthy and the Flyers... and the Woodworkers. Fans of 70's tunes will probably figure that we're looking at Wings and the Carpenters. Inside... the Earth-2's Fiddler is wrecking all sortsa havoc.
The Titans bust in, and after Mal toots on his wondrous Horn, the Fiddler changes tact. Instead of having everyone destroy their instruments, he starts them on a dance-off. Speedy fires some gas arrows into the mass of humanity... which only seems to enrage them. Roy and Mal wind up on the receiving end of a mosh pit stomp-down.
Meanwhile, back at Titans Cavern... the rest of the teen-age heroes talk about how their next headquarters should be on an island (hmm...). Then, Robin tells an awful joke before introducing their latest member... the *shudder* Joker's Daughter. Eesh, she really skeeves me out.
Speedy and Mal return from their beating, and report in that the Fiddler is on the loose. Kid Flash posits that this might be the same fella that the Flash fought on Earth-2. No duh, Wally. Then they see... Joker's Daughter. Yeeeeeeesh, just lookit her face. Ay yai yai... that must be what you see before you die.
We learn a bit more about the competitors in the Battle of the Bands. The Flyers... and the Woodworkers (oi). Turns out, neither band wants anything to do with the other. They agree to the showdown, so long as they never share the stage. If you're thinking this won't be important later... well, just wait.
Back to the Titans... the Creeper delivers some horrible news: The MacCarthy's have been kidnapped! The "fantastic" Fiddler is among the likeliest culprits. The Titans decide to look into it... otherwise, Great Frog might have to take their place in concert! What would be so bad about that?! Also... there's plenty more ghoulish smiling from Duela. Yeeeeesh.
Robin sends all of the Titans (sans he, Aqualad and J.D.) back to the Colosseum to take on the Fiddler. Upon arrival, they find that he's started a musical plague... calling forth rats, and bugs! Mal gives his horn a toot... and is reminded by the spectre of death that if he loses another fight... he'll die. A holdover from a recent run-in with Azrael (not that Azrael... or that other Azrael either).
Despite the Titans' best efforts... the plague continues. Roy gets a bad case of "ants in the pants", causing him to fire a (thankfully gimmicked) arrow right into Wonder Chick's back!
With the rest of the Titans downed... it comes down to a musical duel between the Fiddler and the Hornblower! Mal manages to win... saving not only his own life, but saving the crowd from being covered with vermin. The Fiddler takes off in his... uh, Fiddlemobile.
Elsewhere, Robin and Company are looking into the abduction of the McCarthy's. Their hotel room is in shambles... and there are two sets of footprints leaving the room via an opened window.
Robin locates the McCarthy's outfits (floppy hats and whatnot)... and has an idea. He asks Aqualad to pretend to kidnap Joker's Daughter... and during the reenactment, we can see that the footprints he leaves are deeper than those present. Robin's not so convinced that the McCarthy's have been nabbed. Before he can share his conclusion, they are zapped away courtesy of Mal's wondrous horn.
They arrive at the Colosseum... where they are informed by the rest of the Titans that the Fiddler has the Woodworkers atop the arena. Also, Joker's Daughter's face... uhhhh.
Once up high, the Titans are taken in by a Fiddler spell... they do-si-do for a bit, nearly chuckin' Mal and Duela off the roof!
When they "come to", the Fiddler calls in his Fiddlecopter (how many things did he manage to bring from Earth-2?!). While the team takes care of the chopper... Joker's Daughter uses her gimmicks to disarm the Fiddler... then she karate chops his funny bone to ensure he won't be fiddlin' with much for at least a little while.
All that's left for the Titans is solving the case of the Missing McCarthy's... only, Robin's already done that! Ya see, he takes the Woodworkers to a Colosseum closet... where he reveals the Flyers! The Woodworkers are sure they're impostors though!
And that's because... the Flyers are the costumed alter-egos for the Woodworkers! Ohhhhh... so, that's why they refused to share a stage.
That night, during the Battle of the Bands... the secret is revealed! And (allegedly) the world of Pop Music will never be the same again!
We wrap up with an epilogue, in which the Titans find their newest digs. Next issue promises the big reveal of the TT's Disco-Headquarters!
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Okey dokey... well, this was something.
Such a weird little story, wasn't it? Bringing analogues for big pop-music acts is interesting. I'm not terribly familiar with either band outside of their hits... but I tried Googling to see if there were any rumors that Wings and the Carpenters were the same band. Couldn't find anything, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a rumor at the time... I guess. This was all well before my time.
The action scenes were pretty well done, and fit the threat the Fiddler posed. Having the Titans distracted with a plague is probably a good idea... since, it wouldn't take much for them to beat up an old man with a fiddle.
Robin was able to flex his detective muscles here, which was also pretty cool... if not a bit convenient. I suppose most detective-y bits in comics are going to be convenient, so I shouldn't really harp on it.
We probably ought to talk about the Joker's Daughter. Yikes... just so darned unpleasant to look at. It's as though the comic was able to look into my soul anytime she was on-panel. Just... that face. Gonna have to sleep with the lights on for a few nights.
My biggest disappointment here is... we have a Battle of the Bands, and there was no Great Frog performance. I guess I just oughta be happy that they get a mention! Also... and more seriously, the art was a bit uneven.
Overall... ehh, this was silly, but fun. If you're down for a weird-o Bronze Age Titans romp (featuring the ghoulish Duela Dent), you'll probably dig this. I'd certainly advise against breaking the bank (or your back) to get this one though.
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