New Teen Titans #37 (1983)

New Teen Titans #37 (December, 1983)
"Light's Out, Everyone!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Layouts - George Perez
Embellisher - Romeo Tanghal
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - John Costanza
Co-Plotter - Mike W. Barr
Cover Price: $0.75

I can't believe it's been over two-years since our "Life and Times of Tara Markov" series.  Feels like... well, a while ago, sure... but, two years plus?!  Dang.

Click the image to visit the dedicated page

Back in 2016, I'd left this Titans/Outsiders crossover out of that... as it didn't seem to be as Terra-centric as the other issues I'd chosen to cover.  Though, it is important for her, and the revelation that she and Geo-Force are family... I just didn't think it was Terra-as-Judas focused as the others.

We're going to begin rectifying that... right now!

--

We open with a shot of Fearsome Five member, Gizmo zipping over to Tri-State Penitentiary, where some of his teammates are currently being held.  Inside, Shimmer is being attended to by a prison guard.  She is being bombarded by a stasis beam which keeps her from using her transmutation powers and escaping... that is, of course, until Gizmo tinkers with security system.  From here, we hop to the men's side of the clink, and find Shimmer's brother, Mammoth punchin' through a wall.  Easy peasy.

As he goes to leave, he runs into the leader (soon to be former leader) of the Fearsome Five... Dr. Light!  Artie begs to be let out, and after being made an offer he couldn't refuse, Mammoth decides to set him free.

Outside, the guards and officers stand by, stiff as statues... how can this be?  Well, enter: Psimon.  Dr. Light tries to pull rank, referring to himself as the leader of the Fearsome Five... and gets put in his place rather quickly.  It's like I always say, if you constantly have to remind people you're the one in charge, you're probably not.

The Five head over to their New Jersey digs, and get cleaned up.  Shimmer flips through the newspaper, and happens across a photo of Dr. Jace, who she recognizes from her (and Mammoth's) childhood in Australia.  Ya see, Jace's studies have to do with infusing super-powers into ordinary folks (like we'd seen with the Markovs).  Psimon suggests that if Jace were to strengthen the Fearsome Five's already present powers, they'd be unstoppable!  Gotta say, probably not the worst plan I'd ever heard.

From here, Marv reminds us that the book we're reading isn't called "The New Fearsome Five", and shifts the story over to Titans Tower.  New member, Terra has been given the "thumbs up", and for the most part, everyone seems to dig having her around.  She begins pressuring the team to give up their secrets, which... isn't the smoothest way to convince people you're trustworthy.  Donna hems and haws, and then... Terra's wrist-communicator thingie starts to go off.  She chooses not to fill the Titans in on what this means.

We gentle readers, however, will soon learn that beeping is her Dr. Jace alarm.  No kidding.  She runs off, fearful that Jace could spill the beans about how she came to have her powers to the Titans... which would somehow make them realize she's a double-agent.  That's quite the leap of logic, but as a paranoid goofball myself, I'll allow it.

And so, Terra heads in the direction of her wrist-alarm... which leads her right into battle with the Outsiders!

Lucky for her, the Titans decided to follow along... which quickly evens up the odds.  I'd have sworn the Titans were a known entity by this point, and the Outsiders might recognize them and perhaps not be all that keen on fighting them... but, whattayagonnado, it's comics.

The skirmish continues for a little while, until the arrival of... Geo-Force.  It's revealed here that Brion and Tara are brother and sister... and that Tara received her Earthy powers a year before Brion did.

With all the confusion now behind us, we find out that the Outsiders and Terra have the same goal... finding Dr. Jace.  They enter a nearby building, which Jace had been working out of... and see that her laboratory door has been transmuted into lead.  Hmm...

Donna suggests they all settle their tea kettles until they meet with their respective team-leaders.  Speaking of whom... we pop over to stately Wayne Manor, where Bruce and Dick are having a rather contentious conversation.  Dick suggests they end their professional relationship, as their concepts of justice have diverged quite far apart at this point.  Bruce... seems hurt by this, and worries that Dick might want to end their friendship as well.  Worth noting, Jason Todd (pre-Crisis, redhead) asks if he can be the next Robin here.

We rejoin the Fearsome (don't call 'em Fatal) Five... and, whattaya know, they've got Dr. Jace in their clutches.  Psimon mentally tortures her because he wants to know the "results of her investigations"... I thought he just wanted her to amp up his powers?  Oh well.  She doesn't wanna help... but, eventually comes around.  That just goes to show... you can never trust a Manhunter.

We shift next to Titans Tower, where the Titans and Outsiders plan their strategy.  It's... interesting, Batman keeps trying to needle Robin about his methods... seems the big guy might be a bit distracted (and maybe just a bit butt-hurt) here.

The discussion is interrupted by a video-call from Captain Hall.  Batman immediately waves him off, however, Robin asks him to speak.  It's going to be like this the whole time, innit?  Anyhoo, Hall tells of a break in at Bio-Tron Labs, where all of the steel doors had been transmuted into paper... which is kinda Shimmer's thing.  Also, mud-men... which is kinda Jace's Earthy thing.

The heroes head over to take a closer look at the mud-men.  Raven takes the lead and attempts to empathically "link" to one of them.  She is able to see (and project) the Fearsome Five and Dr. Jace in the mud-man's memories.  Worth noting, Jace does appear to be an unwilling accomplice.  Also worth noting, Terra doesn't seem to recognize her... but plays along like she does.

Raven then leads the heroes downtown to a dilapidated Bar at the Bowery.  Inside they meet an Archie Bunker lookalike who tells them about a strange man who came in... and took all of the patrons when he left.  Batman and Robin do a bit of Tec work, and find a trace of Tetryl... Dick links it to Psimon, who had been a physicist before having a window for a head.

Kory recalls reading that Psimon (as a civvie) had worked in a lab on a tiny island off Gotham City... and so, that's our next stop.  Wouldn'tcha know it, she was right!  The Fearsome Five have collected a new bunch of geeks for Dr. Jace to "enhance".  Just as the normies enter the change-chamber, the Titans and Outsiders burst through a nearby wall!  Man, if I had a dime for every wall the Titans have ever burst through...!

Naturally, a fight breaks out.  Raven heads off to procure Dr. Jace... leaving the heroes to fight the Five, and a new gaggle of mud-men.  When all hope looks to be gone for the baddies, Psimon flips a switch... and sinks the tiny island into Gotham Bay!

--

I know I'm like a broken record sometimes... a lot of the times... all of the times (bound to happen doing this every day), but man... they did not skimp on story back in the 80's!  Had this crossover happened today, it would occupy at least six issues.

Now for me... the strongest part of this issue was that half-page discussion between Bruce and Dick.  You know me though, I'm a big-time sucker for Bat-Family dysfunction.  Thought that scene was very telling... we can see that Bruce and Dick have very different views on their partnership/relationship.

Dick seems like he can view his feelings for Bruce on both a professional and personal level.  Removing one does not necessarily negate the other.  They can still be pals in the "real world", they're just not going to go on patrols anymore.  Bruce doesn't seem to have this ability, and takes this suggested separation personally.  His initial reply has to do with dissolving their friendship!

Just thought that was interesting/telling.  Later scenes depicting Batman trying to undercut/question Robin's authority really illustrates how close to heart he's taking this professional "divorce".  Taking a step back, I thought Jason Todd suggesting he become the next Robin cool to see... I'm not sure I noticed/paid much mind to that during earlier reads.

Terra gets a bit of a spotlight here... but, certainly isn't the focus.  She's still digging for information from the Titans... and is pretty obvious about it at this point.  You'd almost figure the Titans for fools... but, they're just being played up as naive for believing only the best of people.

Terra reuniting with her brother Geo-Force was cool.  I'd like to think this would only cement people's thoughts that she'd eventually "come around" and become a hero.  Though Geo-Force wasn't exactly a tenured character at this point, it still links her to another super-team.

The Fearsome Five... ehh... I've never really been all that big on them, though I will say this was a pretty good showing for them.  Dr. Jace is another character that always bored me... plus, every time I type her name I get the Wheeled Warriors theme playing in my head.

Overall... this was a good time.  Great Bat-Family dysfunction, which, if you ask me... is worth the price of admission all on its own.  Luckily, everything else is quite well done as well.  Perez/Tanghal's take on the Outsiders was super!  This issue/crossover has been collected six ways to Sunday... it is also available digitally.

--

Interesting Ads:

1038

Superman #289 (1975)

Superman #289 (July, 1975)
"The Phantom Horseman of Metropolis!"
"Right Down My Alley!"
Writers - Cary Bates & Elliot S! Maggin
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Bob Oksner & Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.25

Hey... that sure is an interesting cover!

Do the stories inside have even the tiniest of hopes of living up to it?  Short answer, no... long answer, read on!

--

We open at the home of Professor J.J. Pepperwinkle, an absent-minded (and spouse-ignoring) inventor... who was originally created for the Adventures of Superman television series during the 1950's.  Anyhoo, his wife wants him to spend some time with her... but he's too busy.  he does, after all, have an obligation to his "fellow geniuses".  He realizes that a new invention of his has gone missing... and draws up a sketch of the thing, not realizing that he just walked right past it.  It looks like a TV antenna... and get this, his wife is using it as a TV antenna!

He, of course, doesn't realize this... and simply assumes that it's been stolen.  He decides to head off to the police station to file a report.  After he leaves, Mrs. Pepperwinkle decides to catch up on her dishwashing... and maybe catch the end of a John Wayne flick on television (you see where this is headed?).

He shift scenes into Metropolis proper, where Clark Kent, Steve Lombard, and rodeo star, Candy Chapin are walkin' and talkin'.  Steve sees an unattended police horse, and figures why not hop on and impress the pretty young Ms. Chapin with his riding prowess.  This goes about as well as any of Lombard's endeavors, and he is bucked off with the quickness.  At the very same time... a Phantom Horseman gallops down the street!

Clark ducks under a nearby bus for a quick-change, and proceeds to pursue the phantom as Superman.  The empty-space-equestrian gallops straight toward a building... and much to Superman's surprise, appears to be able to dissolve matter on contact!  That certainly doesn't bode well.

Superman tries tackling the rider... which doesn't do much to slow its progress.  And so, he decides to fly ahead of the thing in order to clear a path... ensuring no humans get dissolved on contact.  Just then, back at Pepperwinkle's, Elaine turns the television set off to answer the door...

... at which time, the Phantom Rider pops right out of existence!

Just so happens that Superman is right outside the police station... and he overhears Professor Pepperwinkle explain his case to Inspector Henderson.  Superman kinda puts two and two together here, but not completely.  Before he can fully think it through, Morgan Edge calls in to the station to report that a group of extremists known as the... get this... Metropolis Revolutionary Army have taken credit for the Phantom Rider, and swear to unleash another goofy-ass horror if they're not given a million bucks.  As this is going down, Elaine Pepperwinkle decides to watch a little roller derby.

And wouldja believe... the next vacant humanoid shape to appear is that of Big Bertha, the roller derby queen!  You gotta figure she'll be aiming for folks to take out!

Superman rushes off to the local junkyard to grab a treadmill... he then places the treadmill in the street and catches "Bertha" with it as she skates on by.  Moments later, Elaine turns off the set to answer the door... again.  Popular old bird, this Elaine Pepperwinkle!  Naturally, at this point "Big Bertha" vanishes.

Back at the station, the Professor comes up with a plan to deal with the Metropolis Revolutionary Geeks.  Using Superman's microscopic vision, they'll "trace" the call from the police station to wherever the hell these goofballs are hiding out.  I mean, Superman's always had the microscopic vision, right?  Shouldn't he have figured this out without the Professor's help?  Oh well... they arrive at the Revolutionary hut... and Superman kicks butt.

After cleaning house, Superman and the Prof notice that Big Bertha is on the tube.  Good thing the Revolutionaries left the set on!  This gets Pepperwinkle's brain going, and he finally figures out what's been going on this whole time.

Together, the fellas head back to Pepperwinkle's place... and Superman nyoinks the "antenna" off of Elaine's television set.  She cops to stealing the invention in order to get her husband's attention... after all, today is their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary!  Little did she know, the Prof didn't forget... and, in fact, made reservations at an exclusive restaurant four-weeks prior.  So... all's well that ends... 

Only... that's not the end!  It's time for a peek into The Private Life of Clark Kent... and, oh boy, it's a doozy.  We open with several members of the WGBS staff grabbing a bite to eat.  It isn't long before Steve Lombard gets all chauvinistic... and so, Lois challenges him to a "battle of the sexes" bowling match.  It sure is a good thing that we've got four ladies and four fellas!

Here's the thing though... one of the fellas just happens to be Clark Kent, who... if he uses his Superman powers will give the men an unfair advantage... but, if he keeps up his clumsy-Kent persona, will give the women an unfair advantage.  He sees only one way to make the match fair... and, boy is it dumb.  He creates a "mental block" to make it impossible for him to use his super-powers.

We jump ahead to the bowling match... and it's a pretty even match.  Also, it turns out that, even without his powers, Clark ain't half bad a bowler.

It comes down to Clark trying to grab a spare from a 7-10 split.  Lombard pretends to hypnotize him... ya know "be the ball" and all that jazz.  This gives CK a good laugh, and he decides to play along... he also, as it happens, manages to get that spare!  There's no time to celebrate however, as the Mad Bomber of Metropolis has decided to strike the... bowling alley?  Really?  Okay.  As the roof comes down, Clark pushes Lois out of the way of a falling beam.

Now Clark is pinned under the beam... and without any of his superpowers is rather helpless.  So he... get this... "hypnotizes" Lois into being strong enough to life the beam.  You kidding me?  The "official" call is that Clark's "power of suggestion" got Lois' Adrenalin flowing... which gave her a momentary burst of strength.  Okay...

--

So, that was a pair of... what's the word... well, pretty bad stories!

I mean, I knew that the stories wouldn't live up to the neat photo-cover... but, I wasn't expecting for them to be quite as lame as they wound up being.  I realize that you sorta have to get into the right frame of mind for some of these silly Bronze Age stories... and I certainly have an affinity for many of them!  This, though?  Just blech.  What's worse... there's not even all that much to say about it!  Superman fights things from Elaine Pepperwinkle's television set... The End.

I'll give a little bit of leeway to the backup... it follows a pretty standard sitcom plot, which, a lot of times... is all one can ask for from these.  It's template "battle of the sexes", with the usual bit of male chauvinism to ignite the fuse.  I am surprised, however, that they didn't portray the fellas as completely incompetent and bumbling during the match.  I'd have lost money on that bet.

Overall... even though I thought both of these stories were pretty awful, I couldn't tell ya to avoid this one.  If you happen across it for a couple of bucks (preferably less), I'd say grab it for the neat-o cover alone!  These crude photo covers were something special... and never fail to stand out.  If only its insides were half as interesting!

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

 

1037

JSA #81 (2006)

JSA #81 (March, 2006)
"My Heroes"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Dale Eaglesham
Inks - Art Thibert
Colors - John Kalisz
Letters - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Stephen Wacker
Cover Price: $2.50

Going to take a look at a later issue of JSA today... and that's thanks to reader, Peter Garcia Sanchez... who recently commented on my ancient Angel Love #1 post with:

Now, me... being the foremost fake-ass Angel Love historian on this here internet, sat dumbfounded... shaking my head while staring at this reply.  There's just no way this can be real... right?

I almost didn't want to believe it because... c'mon, I really should've known this!

So... is it true?  Have I been living in a fool's paradise?  Well, we're just going to have to read on and find out.

--

We open at the Dugan home in Nebraska.  Stargirl and her mother are watching news reports of some dangerous stuff going on in the world... and Courtney is getting ready to join her teammates in the JSA to deal with some of it.  In the basement, Pat Dugan and his son Mike are arguing... about something we'll discuss in just a little bit.  Mom rushes off to grab her camera to snap a picture of Courtney before she heads off.  Courtney seems embarrassed, but gives a big ol' smile regardless.  So, either she's a ham... or just a good daughter.

Back in the basement, Pat Dugan is working on his S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, preparing it for a night out.  His son Mike (Courtney's step-brother) is ticked off that he isn't allowed to take up the S.T.R.I.P.E. mantle.  Pat tells him 13 is too young... which, ya know... kinda flies in the face of every DC sidekick ever.

We rejoin Courtney as she's flashing back to her youth... her real father... and how her mom and Pat became an item.  This scene is also the entire reason we're looking at this issue today!  Ya see, Courtney was given a locket with a picture of her biological father... and wondered why he never came to be with her.  Courtney's mom, being a single-mother, had to work a couple of jobs to support them... and so, Court was kind of a latch-key kid.  Anyhoo, we see her watching various television shows... one of which is ANGEL LOVE!

Courtney recalls one night in particular where her mother came home a bit late... this time, however, she didn't come home alone.  Enter: Pat Dugan.

They growed-ups dated for awhile... and Courtney fell back on cliche angsty teen-age behavior to get her mother's attention.  This went about as well as it always does.  Pat and Mom would be married... and move from Beverly Hills to Nebraska.  Upon arrival in their new digs, Courtney discovered Sylvester Pemberton's Cosmic Converter Belt in the moving boxes...

... and would become the all-new Star-Spangled Kid!

Back in the present, the Dugan men continue to argue.  Mike asks Pat why he was sent to Military School a couple years prior.  Pat cops to just not being able to give him the attention he needed.  Mike was acting out and becoming a delinquent... Military School was the only option.  Fair enough, right?  Well... when Mike came back, he found his dad busy trying to be a father to... another kid (Courtney, natch).

Mike stomps upstairs, and passes Courtney on his way... and tells her that her thighs look fat in her tights.  Hey, pal... that's your sister... don't be checkin' out her business!  She freaks out (because she's scared she looks fat... not because her brother just checked her out).  Pat tells her she looks fine... and the word "fine" is bolded.  I'm going to assume that's just for emphasis, and he wasn't stretching out the "i" or anything (fiiiiiiiiine).

Anyhoo, S.T.R.I.P.E. is switched on-line, and the pair'a heroes head out into the fray.  As they draw nearer to Philadelphia (the place where the hinky stuff's going down) they hear a terrific BONGG, which knocks them for a loop... and also, temporarily deafens them!

Turns out the "bong" is emanating from the Liberty Bell... and, uh... Liberty Belle!

Ya see, Liberty Belle gets her powers from the ringing of the actual Liberty Bell.  Her powers kinda went on the fritz in the nebulous Infinite Crisis-y era... and so, she visited the City of Brotherly Love to give herself a jumpstart.  This... didn't work as expected, and now she's kinda stuck on the Bell.

Off to the side, Courtney notices Liberty Belle's daughter, Jesse Chambers (Jesse Quick).  She compares their relationship to the one between she and her biological father.  While Courtney (claims to) feel nothing but hate for her old man, Jesse still loves her mom.  Courtney takes this as evidence that Jesse's a better daughter than she is.

After another tremendous BONNNGG, we shift scenes to Opal City.  There's a terrible electrical storm going on, and the Shade is saving some citizens from being crushed by a falling statue.  Shade, of course, claims that he's actually just concerned with saving the statue itself.  In a nearby apartment building, we see Courtney's biological father watching news of everything going down in Philly.  Just as he hears that Stargirl is approaching the Bell... the TV loses reception.  Moments later, the building is struck by lightning.

Back in Philly, Stargirl approaches Liberty Belle... and the Liberty Bell.  She takes Libby's hand and calms her down... by telling her that she's gotta stick around, if only for her daughter's sake.  Daughters need mothers, and all that jazz.

After one final explosion... everything stops.  Pat looks on from a distance and wonders aloud where his "daught--" is.  Then, from the smoky horizon, two silhouettes form... Stargirl and Liberty Belle emerge, no worse for wear.

Pat pulls Courtney to the side and gives her a halfhearted lecture.  Sure, it was a dumb thing to do... but, it's the kinda thing heroes do... and what's more, it worked!  They chat some more, with Courtney trying to impart on Pat that he's a good dad, no matter what Mike said earlier.

Then... the Shade arrives on the scene, with bad news.  Her father's apartment building wasn't just hit by lightning... it collapsed.  Her father... is dead.

Stargirl then does that thing where she pretends not to care... after all, why should she?  It isn't long, however, until she breaks down crying.  She turns to Pat and asks why she can't not care...

... he replies that it's because she is a wonderful daughter.

--

Well, I'll be a sonuvagun... Angel Love is mentioned here!  Huge thanks to Peter for the tip!  If there are any other Angel Love mentions/appearances that I don't know of... please let me know!

Before we get into the story of the issue... I do wanna say, I really dig the idea of Angel Love being a television show in the DC Universe... I can see it sorta being in the vein of Degrassi Jr. High or something... heck, they deal with some of the same issues!  Drug abuse, unplanned pregnancy, estranged families, sick parents... if only Ed Koch was the mayor of Toronto, we'd be pretty close!

And since it's really tough to reconcile Angel Love within the wider DC continuity... it having been a TV show might just be the best way to make it "fit".  It all happened... it was just on TV.  Here's a better look at that panel:

Now the story itself... perhaps a bit heavy-handed... maybe a little melodramatic... but, I gotta say... I loved it!

I'm definitely a sucker for this kind of story... and the evolving dynamic between Stargirl and Pat Dugan has always been a great one.  I like that they share this closeness, especially in light of their frostier relationship early on.  The panel where Pat, without thinking, refers to her as his "daught--" was especially telling.  After all they've been through together, there's no doubt that they're "family".

The Liberty Belle stuff was really just a means to an end, I feel.  Going into the next volume, Jesse would abandon her "Jesse Quick" persona and take up her mother's Liberty Belle mantle... so, this is likely just a faciliatory (that's not a word!) measure to connect this to that.

Back to Pat... I guess there's still the question as to whether or not he's a good father (to Mike).  That's kind of a toughie, innit?  We can tell there's a definite affection there... Pat cares about his son, certainly... buuuuut, he's kinda just in the background, no?  It's been awhile since I read this Infinite Crisis era JSA... so, I dunno if this leads anywhere or not.  It's Johns, so I assume it does.

Speaking of fathers, good and otherwise... Courtney's biological Pop gets popped in that Opal City electrical storm.  I think her reaction to this was... the right one.  I'd never say that someone should or shouldn't react a certain way... but, this just felt like the right way... for her.

The art here was phenomenal... as we've come to expect from Dale Eaglesham.  He's definitely up there on my list of top artists.  From dynamic action to incredible emotion... just as close to perfect as it gets!

Overall... so very happy to have revisited this issue, and even though I only did it to search out the Angel Love mention, I loved the actual story as well.  This issue is available digitally.

--

Interesting Ads:

1036