Bonus Book #11 - Batman (Winter, 1988)
"Cold Cuts"
Writer - Jeff O'Hare
Pencils - Roderick Delgado
Inks - Jerry Acerno
Letters - Helen Vesik
Colors - Matt Webb
Edits - Joey Cavalieri
Executive Edits - Joe Orlando
There's change (and a chill) in the air for this installment of Bonus Books... it looks as though, with this outing, DC Comics has decided that this ongoing-and-forever project would be coming to an end. In our Bonus Books Bios page, which looks much more "phoned in" than earlier versions (seen at the bottom of this post), DC announces that colorist, Matt Webb "colored the last four Bonus Books". Meaning, after yesterday's and this one... there're going to be two left... and, it looks like they're all in the can.
This Batman chapter appeared in Detective Comics #595 (Winter, 1988)... another of my nebulous "cover-month fill-ins", as the indicia doesn't even bother assigning it a year... much less a month! Heck, maybe this one should've been "Winter, 1989"? Whatever the case, tomorrow's piece will have a firm January, 1989 cover-date... so the more anal among us (read: me) can rest at ease.
Worth noting, I included Denny O'Neil's letters page commentary regarding the 1-900-Jason Todd gimmick and outcome that, even though it has nothing to do with the Bonus Book, I thought folks might find interesting. I know I did!
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We open at S.T.A.R. Labs, where Dr. Klyburn is celebrating the fact that she and her team have created this 100% artificial diamond that can be used to shoot a laser with pinpoint accuracy. I hope this research isn't coming out of the taxpayers' pockets. Anyhoo, this endeavor, "Project: Hot Ice" a success... and could mean good things going forward... orrrr, just be something that bad guys might want to steal. I don't wanna spoil anything for ya. Meanwhile, a rather paunchy-looking Batman is beating up a trio of thugs down some dingy back alley. After the police arrive to arrest the creeps, Batman notices that one of them had dropped something. Wouldn'cha know it, it's a S.T.A.R. Labs ID Pass... in fact, it's Dr. Klyburn's! If you're hoping to find out why these geeks had her pass... prepare for disappointment.
We jump ahead to Batman's visit to S.T.A.R. to return the ID... and while he's there, he gets a full demonstration of "Project: Hot Ice". Turns out, this laser is capable of destroying a tank, while not harming the driver inside (it will, however, destroy all of his clothes, sans his boxer shorts). Remember that.
Meanwhile, the Gotham City Prison is receiving it's monthly supply of meat. As inmates are all loading it into a freezer... they're complaining about having to work alongside a certain nut case. Ya see, this fella probably belongs in Arkham... however, for whatever reason, they're trying to "mainstream" him into regular prison. That "nut case", well, if you haven't seen the cover... and missed the "Hot Ice" reference, and the fact that we're working in the freezer right now... you might be shocked to learn that we're talking about Mr. Freeze.
One of the inmates mocks him for looking like Mr. Clean... and for losing to Batman over and over again. This enrages Freeze, and so, he strips the inmate of his shirt, attaches him to a meathook... and freezes him solid?! An officer rushes in to see what all the hub-bub's about... and is also frozen! This is a dude they're trying to "mainstream", ya kidding me? Anyhoo, this distraction proves to be enough for Freeze and some fellow inmates to escape.
We jump to the next night, where an alarm is sounding at S.T.A.R. Labs. This looks very much like Metropolis' S.T.A.R. Labs building... which is where Klyburn works, right? So, why is Batman on this case and not Superman? Ehh... maybe all S.T.A.R. facilities look alike? Anyhoo, he swoops in to check it out, and... ta-da! It's Mr. Freeze.
Batman gets zapped and trapped, while Victor gives him (and us, I suppose) the quick and dirty on his origin. Ya see, he had a mishap in the lab with some "experimental freezing solution"... which led to his being unable to survive in non-freezing environments, hence the groovy helmet.
Freeze straps Batman to a table, and prepares to blast him with the Project: Hot Ice Diamond. Which... I mean, haven't we already established that it's harmless against humans... and underwear? Freeze begins by cutting off Batman's utility belt... but, doesn't notice that our man had already palmed an extra 'rang. Batman performs a behind-the-back toss of this Batarang while Freeze tinkers with the settings.
The rang slices through an icicle protruding from the ceiling... sending it down into the computer console, and causing a pretty sizable "boom".
Freeze goes flying, and cracks his dome when he hits the ground. It's too warm for him to survive. If Batman doesn't help him, he will very likely die. And so, Batman does just that. He blasts Freeze right in the head with his freeze-pistol to close off the crack. The first-responders burst into the place... making some very good time, might I add... the explosion must've been, what, ten-seconds ago? Batman waxes philosophical about how similar he and Freeze might be... trauma, lashing out, yadda yadda yadda. If only Mr. Freeze wasn't so damn boring, this might've meant something!
Some weeks later, we're back at Gotham City Prison... back in the freezer unloading more meat. Guess what? They're still trying to "mainstream" Mr. Freeze! Someone mentions Batman, Vic flips his crap, and we all have a hearty laugh. Really, after seeing this, is it any wonder Gotham is constantly in the state it's in?!
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Sooo, who thought it'd be funny to slip a Silver-Age story into a 1988/89 issue of Detective Comics? I mean, this was pretty weird... full of conveniences, uninvestigated story-threads, crazy pseudo-science, a quick origin story... and nobody learning their lesson in the slightest!
I feel like some "random goon" having Jenet Klyburn's ID should have been followed up on a little bit, no? I mean, she's one of the top dogs at the world's foremost research facility... so, how did he get his grubby paws on the thing? Is she just that out-to-lunch that she didn't realize it was gone? If so, how the hell did she manage to get into the building?
Project: Hot Ice feels like something right out of a 1950's Superman story. A laser that can destroy a tank... but not harm a human (though, leaving said human in quite an embarrassing state of undress). It's not bad or anything... just silly. Ain't nothing wrong with silly... it's just one of those touted "world changing" inventions in comics, that somehow, we'll never hear of again.
Not sure what the GCPD are thinking trying to "mainstream" Mister Freeze in the first place. He's obviously a very dangerous fellow. Maybe the folks at Arkham find him as boring as I do, and just wanted him to go away? I dunno. Seems like a dumb thing... even dumber yet, why in all hells would they attempt to mainstream him a second time?! He nearly killed a bunch of people... and broke out of jail! Clearly, the Gotham City Prison is not equipped to handle and house such an inmate!
Yeesh... we "comics critique" sorts (too) often dredge up that old chestnut about "suspending our disbelief". What can I say, It makes us feel wicked smart. But, here we go again... I can believe that Batman can beat up thugs. I can believe that Mr. Freeze can freeze people... heck, I can believe that S.T.A.R. Labs can create a diamond that can destroy anything but a pair of boxer shorts... but, what I can't believe is that the Gotham Police would try and mainstream Mister Freeze twice in one month. Ay yai yai.
Our writer, Jeff O'Hare, did not go on to be a prolific writer in the field. Man, I feel like I ought to have a macro for that... I've typed nearly that exact same sentence a dozen times this week. Jeff's success was found in designing games for TSR, Parker Brothers, and Mayfair Games. There isn't a whole heckuva lot about him on the ol' internet. So, we'll have to assume he kept working as an English teacher, while helping to design games on the side? I dunno.
Across the table sits our penciller, Roderick Delgado. Guess what? This was the only DC story he drew! Maybe this is why DC decided to shutter the Bonus Books program? I mean, they started hot-n-heavy, brimming with excitement to be working with folks they were certain were going to be the "big names" going into the 1990's. Total "broken clock" scenario for DC Comics. Roddy would go on to contribute a little bit of art here and there for Marvel's Punisher family of books in the early 90's... but, that's about it. I will say, outside of Batman looking kinda "paunchy" in the opening pages, I think he did a great job here!
Overall... a pretty "meh" outing... which, judging by DC's lack of enthusiasm for the Bonus Books project at this point, comes as hardly a surprise. Worth noting that this story was reprinted in the fairly recent Batman Arkham: Mister Freeze (2017) Collected Edition... which is available digitally. So, if you're dealing with chronic insomnia... DC Digital's got your hook-up!
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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(Also, not quite the) Letters Page (but interesting, nonetheless):
Bonus Book #10 - Bronze Tiger (Holiday, 1988)
"Deadly Perspective"
Writer - Larry Ganem
Pencils - Peter Krause
Inks - Fred Butler
Letters - Helen Vesik
Colors - Matt Webb
Edits - Joey Cavalieri
Executive Edits - Joe Orlando
This is a weird one for a few reasons... none of 'em story-related. This bonus was included with Suicide Squad #21 (Holiday, 1988), and is the only member of the Bonus Book family not to get a mention on the cover... so, to steal a line from Ed MacMahon, you might already be an owner of Bonus Book #10... and not even realize it!
Also, you might've noticed that I assigned this a "cover-month" of "Holiday". Ya see, this was during a time where cover-dates were getting shuffled... and, in fact, many of DC's offerings around now don't even get assigned an actual "month". If we look at the indicia for Suicide Squad #21... it just says "1988". Well, that ain't 'pacific enuff for me! Some of DC's books during this two-month time were assigned "Holiday" and "Winter" as their "cover-months"... so, I'll just use those over the next couple of days. Hope it isn't too confusing... and, sure hope my explanation didn't cause your eyes to glaze over!
Now, onto the Bonus Book!
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We open with Bronze Tiger staking out a rooftop area... about to engage in battle with some uglies. Looks like he's being watched by somebody... almost as though this is a test. Bronze Tiger gets his butt whupped, and is unceremoniously dumped into the alley down below. As luck would have it, our hero manages to survive the fall with little more than superficial injuries. It's almost as though he meant to do that.
Later on, we catch up with the uglies... who are getting absolutely thrashed by the fella who was watching Bronze Tiger's fight. I mean, he's cleaning house on these goofs, all the while lamenting the fact that he just can't seem to find anyone who could give him a competitive fight.
As Neiko engages in some post-fight meditation, we can see that this time, Bronze Tiger was watching. This prompts a flashback to his receiving this assignment from Amanda Waller. This dude, the butt-kicker, is an assassin named Neiko. He's been contracted to kill Jules Santiago from Cuesta Verde... an act, which would very likely send parts of the Latin world into war. Bronze Tiger's gotta stop this from going down.
But, it gets better! Neiko is also contracted to assassinate a drug kingpin named Louis Daniel DeMarco. Ya see, the Wall doesn't mind this hit going down... and actually prefers it does. So, here's the thing: Bronze Tiger's gotta allow Neiko to murder DeMarco... but stop him before he gets to Santiago. Just another day in the life for Task Force X.
We jump to the next day, where DeMarco is fishing for Marlin off his massive yacht... hopefully he's cranking some Michael McDonald or Kenny Loggins. When it looks like he's got a bite... the line tenses, but then... snaps. Hmm. DeMarco leans over the back of the boat to see what's going on...
... and gets a harpoon through the chest for his curiosity! Well, there's Step One outta the way.
That night, Bronze Tiger heads over to Neiko's safehouse/safe-apartment... hopeful he might catch the killer unawares. This, naturally, isn't going to be quite that easy.
Our men face off... it's made clear that Bronze Tiger realized he was being watched on the rooftop, and his quick loss was just a way to lull Neiko into a false sense of security. When get finally down to the nitty-gritty, Neiko gets the immediate upper-hand, though, is pleasantly surprised at what a competent fighter Bronze Tiger actually is. Could he actually be... a worthy opponent?!
They fight out onto the fire escape... and the beating continues. Tiger manages to get in a few blows, but this is definitely Neiko's fight to lose. All the while, Bronze Tiger recalculates his list of best fighters in the DC Universe... slotting himself down to fourth place (after Batman, Richard Dragon Kung-Fu Fighter, and now Neiko).
Finally, Neiko produces his firearm... and prepares to end this skirmish for good. Bronze Tiger manages to kick the killer in the shoulder just as he pulls the trigger! This causes Neiko to shoot his own damned knee out! As he lay prone on the cold and filthy steel, our man retrieves the gun... and informs Neiko that this fight is over.
Rather than just blow Neiko's brains out (which is probably the outcome The Wall was looking for), Bronze Tiger decides to appeal to Neiko's Samurai side. He will spare his life, in exchange for Santiago's. Neiko will (eventually) walk away from this fight... but he will agree, on his honor, to not harm Jules Santiago. Neiko agrees.
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This was awesome! I really liked this one!
I feel like this sort of story is perfect for the Bonus Book format. It doesn't look to "change" anything... but, it adds to the lore. You could take it or leave it, and it wouldn't hurt the ongoing narrative in the story. I'm not saying you'd want to "leave it", because it was pretty great... but, I'd be lying if I told you I read this my first time through Suicide Squad!
I think my main... well, it's not a "problem", but... "issue" with the Bonus Books was their placement in the books. I get that having them in the middle/at the staples, makes them feel like they can be "pulled out" to stand on their own. I mean, some of the earlier Insert Prevues were referred to "Preview Pull-Out". I just think they're easier to "miss" putting them in the middle. I know in all of my read-throughs, I would skip these wholesale, so I could continue with the "main story" of the issue... and by the time I finished reading, I'd completely forget the Bonus Book existed in the first place. I think I'm babbling at this point... but, what I'm trying to say is, if these were "back-ups", I'm sure I'd have read more of them my first times through.
So, whatta we got here? The entire story builds to a pretty stellar and smart fight scene. Very well done by all involved. Neiko is presented as a force to be reckoned with... and sadly, I don't think he goes on to make any further appearances (at least if the DC Wiki is to be trusted). Bronze Tiger is shown to be both a smart fighter and a fella who's practically bursting with humility. I really can't say enough good things about this little story.
Our writer, Larry Ganem, much like many of the other creators we've met over the last week and a half, did not go on to be a prolific writer for DC Comics. Outside of this Bonus Book, he contributed to an issue of the TSR-Licensed Dragonlance title (issue #21 - July, 1990). He, like fellow Bonus Book-er Hank Kanalz, who we met yesterday, would go on to an office position with DC Comics. As of a few years ago, Larry is/was the Vice-President of Talent Relations and Editorial Administration for DC Comics. So, is he who we blame for how lousy the editing has been for the past decade?! Unless, in the intervening years, the editors' role has been relegated to tweeting out pictures of their lunch-plates and how "supercool" all their books are... without paying any attention to quality, continuity... or spelling? Ehh, who could say, right?
Across the table, we've got Peter Krause. He would go on to have a prolific career in comics, including a bunch of stuff for DC Comics. He had a lengthy run on DC's Star Trek: The Next Generation comics during the early-1990's... though, when I think of Krause, the first thing that comes to mind is Irredeemable from Boom! Studios. You can check out more from Peter at his website. His art here is pretty great, and it's hard to believe this was his first published work!
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(Not the) Letters Page:
Bonus Book #9 - Blue Trinity (December, 1988)
"Blood Ties"
Writer - Hank Kanalz
Pencils - Bill Knapp
Inks - Jerry Acerno
Letters - Helen Vesik
Colors - Matt Webb
Edits - Joey Cavalieri
Executive Editor - Joe Orlando
The Blue Trinity? Just what in all hells is that? is what you might be asking if you were unfamiliar with early post-Crisis Flash comics. They're speedsters, ya see... Soviet Speedsters, lest we forget it was the 1980's. Their story never really wowed me... and I often lump it in with a lot of Millennium stuff. I know they had something to do with Wally's father, Rudy who was................... a Manhunter. We probably could just put a pin in them there, right?
This Bonus Book was included with Flash (vol.2) #19 (December, 1988).
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Our story opens in either 1968 or 1969... my copy is a bit blurry. We're at the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia where a group of sailors are in danger of capsizing on the choppy water. Suddenly, the Flash appears... gonna assume this is Barry Allen, and saves the day! He rescues the sailors, and doesn't even accept any sort of compensation, claiming that a "handshake" is more than enough thanks. This feat is broadcast all over the Soviet Union... and a pair of scientists, Orloff and Krulik consider that, if they were able to recreate and harness such power... and give it to the Soviet citizens, a new Golden Age of Miracles would be on the horizon for Mother Russia.
And so, they get to working in the lab... immediately! They begin their testing on animals... and wind up exploding many many mice. Ya see, in attempting to speed up their metabolism, they'd actually triggered their growth rate as well! Well, that sure sounds scientific enough for me! Anyhoo, they finally strike gold with a monkey. The Flash's legendary speed... has been duplicated!
Later on, after Orloff retires for the evening, Dr. Krulik breaks into their lab... with one thing on his mind, stealing the formula... and immediately injecting it into some human subjects. What he fails to notice on his way out the door, however, is that monkey from earlier. I'm not going to capture an image of it... just imagine it as being rather pained looking.
Next thing we know, Krulik's at the Kremlin trying to sell "his" creation to... I dunno, some high-ranking comrade. He gets the a-okay, so long as the human test subjects fit a certain criteria. Krulik giddily heads back to the lab... and, get this, injects himself with the formula! This is a comic book, after all... this is kinda what evil scientists do here.
Next, he enlists three youngsters... who, might be his nephews and niece? Well, one of 'em calls him "Uncle" anyway. Just after they've been injected, Orloff enters the lab... and he's pretty shocked that his partner would go behind his back this way. I dunno, pal, somethin' about the name "Krulik" just doesn't inspire trust. Speaking of names, one of the youngsters' name is "Boleslaw". Boleslaw? No offense to any "Boleslaws" reading this, but... yikes.
Ol' Krulik flips out, and grabs his... I'm going to assume "former" partner by the collar. Suddenly, he's overtaken by... I dunno, the Morituri Process? Looks like the super-speed formula has burnt him out! Orloff's like "duh, that's exactly what happened to the monkey!" Oh well, now it looks like Orloff is stuck with the speed-kids!
There's a contentious chat at the Kremlin, where Orloff is sorta-kinda blamed for everything that went down, on account of he wasn't able to stop his no-good, thieving, scumbag former partner from stealing his stuff... and so, he decides to stand by the "Blue Trinity"... and do whatever he can to train them not to "burn out". This takes us to a good ol' training montage... where we can see some side-effects of the treatment, and also a love-triangle among the Trinity members. Hmm... maybe they're not all cousins? I sure hope they're not.
From here, we jarringly jump to the "present day"... 1988 at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility. The Blue Trinity is facing off with their former mentor, Dr. Orloff. Looks like the Soviets have pegged him as a traitor, and responsible for Krulik's death... and they're here to collect. Worth noting, Orloff came to the United States to help our ol' pal, Speed McGee!
Just then, the Red Trinity burst into the room! These are even more Flash-modeled super speedsters... however, this trio left the Motherland for the United States. Needless to say, there's about to be a rumble.
Before long, Orloff shouts at them all to stand down. He insists to the Blues that he still cares for them... and he's working toward a cure for their situation. The Blues understand, however, their first loyalty is to the Motherland... but this time, they'll leave him in peace.
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This was rather good! Up until the flash-forward, I found myself really digging the origin of the Blue Trinity. The jump to the present was a bit jarring... and didn't feel quite as organic as it might have, which really hindered my overall enjoyment of this little extra.
As mentioned in the pre-ramble, I have very little affection (or interest) in the Trinities, Blue or Red. Anytime either of 'em showed up in pages of Flash back-issues, my eyes would just glaze over. Just not my cup of tea, I guess... which was too bad for me, because the writers seemed to be rather keen on them! This origin, though, was... at least grounded in a decent idea? Ya know, it would stand to reason that a scientist might try and recreate superpowers for their own (or their homeland's) gain... heck, it's kind of a trope.
I might've been a bit taken out of it by the "don't think too hard about it" science that was used to get the job done... but, it's a comic book, sometimes it's better just to accept what's being presented. Though, if it was this easy to recreate superpowers... okay, no, I'm gonna stop myself before I go off on an even deeper tangent.
Our writer might not be a familiar name to some, but Hank Kanalz, wrote the script for Youngblood #1! That's right, between this and the Warlord story from the other day, these DC Bonus Books brought us darn near the entire Youngblood creative team! How bout dat? He would go on to become the General Manager for WildStorm Studios... and most recently, is/was the Senior Vice President of Vertigo Comics. Not sure where he stands today, since, last I read Vertigo got deep-sixed in favor of whatever the hell DC defines Black Label as (this week). As far as Hank's writing is concerned, he didn't do a whole heck of a lot in that regard.
Across the table sits Bill Knapp. Another fella who didn't go on to be all that prolific in the field. This is the only story he'd do for DC Comics. He'd also do some stuff for post-Marvel buy-out Malibu Comics. As with most of the pencillers we've looked at in these Bonus Books, I gotta say, it's kind of a shame he didn't go on to do more for DC. His style seems to fit in fine with much of what they were putting out. It's strange, seems "these days" it doesn't matter how much your style falls in line with a publisher (which says more for editorial than anything). I'd assume back in the 80's, when "Style Guides" were less verboten of a thing, this sort of art would've been right up DC's alley. Ehh, who's to say, right? Perhaps they made Knapp an offer he could refuse?
Anyhoo... overall, not a bad little story... a good introduction for the Blue Trinity, though the ending did leave quite a bit to be desired.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
Bonus Book #8 - Power of the Atom (November, 1988)
"Skulduggery"
Writer - Joe Calchi
Pencils - Jim Balent
Inks - Dan Schaefer
Letters - Helen Vesik
Colors - Matt Webb
Edits - Joey Cavalieri
Executive Editor - Joe Orlando
Ya know, I expected to come into these next few days lamenting the fact that we'd be getting into some rather B-Tier (if we're being generous) territory. Surely, nobody's going to rush over here to read about Power of the Atom, the Blue Trinity, or Bronze Tiger, right? Welp, I felt the same way about that Doctor Light story we looked at earlier this week... and, somehow it's become one of my top viewed posts of the month! Heck, I thought that Doom Patrol ditty was going to do really well views-wise, and that one seemed to slip under everybody's radar. Weird, wacky stuff. Further proof that I don't know what people find interesting... and, likely couldn't even spell the word, even with an eight-letter head start!
Anyhoo, this here Power of the Atom story was included with... hey, wouldja lookit that, Power of the Atom #4 (November, 1988), and it features the work of a Bonus Book "All-Star", Joe Calchi!
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We open with a Skul-Rider bursting through the window of Ray Palmer's home. Now, the Skul-Riders, if I'm remembering right, are from the Sword of the Atom era... where the Atom briefly became a sorta-kinda swords and sorcery type book. I read through those specials... man, I was going to say "not too long ago", but in reflection, it's probably been ten years. Yeesh. Anyhoo, this bird-mounted bugger is looking for Ray Palmer and Jean Loring... however, they ain't home. In fact, their home is currently being occupied by Norman Osborn Brawler, the fella who wrote Ray's "farewell" book. The Skul-guy ain't buying it, and proceeds to rifle through Ray's belongings... at which time, he discovers that Palmer's been spending a lot of time at "their" alma mater, Ivy University. Back on bird-back, our baddie SKREEEEEEES away.
But then... The Atom swoops in, and starts beating the holy hell out of him! Even cuts the bad guy's head off! Well, okay, not really... turns out, this is just another violent nightmare for Ray Palmer. Seems like this sort of thing is happening with regularity these days. Makes him wonder if he's become more barbarian than civilized man.
Later, Ray is filled in by Norman Brawler, regarding his avian visitor. The house looks as though a tornado'd come through it... and our little hero is rightly ticked. The search, however, is cut short by the ringing of a phone. Ray answers, and wouldn'tcha know it, it's ol' Golden Face! He makes some threats, prompting our man to shrink down and hop into the phone line...
... by the time he reaches the other side, however... the baddie's nowhere to be found. That's because he's currently hanging out in some bar with a random broad. Ray tries to call his ex-wife to warn her that she might be in danger... but she's in a meeting.
Now, check this out... it appears as though our bad guy has himself some insecurities. He takes his "date" back to his Ambassador Suite... and goes to reach a bottle of vodka from a high shelf... when, he begins to shrink a little bit. The floozy makes fun of him for his inability to reach... and jokes that he's "becoming a shrimp"...
... so, he kills her. Like, dead. Yikes. From here, he heads over to Labtech Research, Incorporated to chat up a Dr. Phariss. Ya see, our bad guy's been getting treatments to make him be taller. He's looking for one "proper" dosage so he'll stay tall forever. The Doc warns him against it... stating that such a dose would very likely kill him. Oh, we also learn that our bad guy's name is Cal.
Cal ain't happy with the Doctor's advice... and so, he pulls out a gun and kills him. Wow, two for two! Cal hops into the "make taller machine", and takes in a whopper of a blast. This leads to a flashback to Cal's days as an Ivy U student. Ya see, he only had eyes for... you guessed it, Jean Loring. He came on... uh, kinda strong, and wound up getting shoved off by Ray Palmer.
Cal zaps his bird with the beam for good measure, so they can both stay tall... before heading over to 1 Thornton Tower... the home of the fantastically wealthy Thornton family. Oh, did I mention that Cal's last name is Thornton? Anyhoo, he bursts into his parents' bedroom... and, you guessed it... kills them. Four murders in three pages!
The next day, we join a Ray Palmer lecture... already in progress. He's using a "simul-tank" to illustrate environmental hooziwhatsits in Mayan lands. One of his students stands up and asks Ray to quit it with the Academic drudgery and start spouting about his exploits as the Atom. Right on! Worth noting, that Ray was trying to separate himself from his super-hero persona... and even went as far as to go under the name "Jones". Ain't nobody buyin' that though... nor should they.
Before Ray can respond, however... Cal Thornton, all painted yellow SKREEEEES through yet another window! It freaks this one girl out so bad, she goes cross-eyed! Orrr, maybe that's just the art. What's pretty weird... okay, even more weird, is Cal... who's been trying to be as tall as possible throughout this story, is now tiny like the Atom! Did that zap cause him to be able to change his size at will? Who knows.
After some pleasantries are exchanged... Ray and Cal begin fighting... and, heyyy, as luck would have it... there just so happens to be a miniature Mayan landscape they can do battle in! That's exactly what they do for the next fourteen pages. The Atom gets the upper-hand... and even breaks Cal's arm with a deflection. Not sure if this is supposed to depict Cal's skeleton as having been weakened via his "growth spurts"... or just show that Ray has a brilliant amount of control over his extremity-density. I guess it doesn't much matter.
It looks as though Ray's going to actually finish Cal off... perhaps an opportunity for our man to "play out" his violent nightmare fantasy... but, he chooses against it. Good thing for Cal, our li'l hero wasn't quite ready to Cry for Justice! The police arrive and take the bad guy away... never to be seen or heard from again?
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Eeeeeeeee... not great.
I feel like this era for the Atom was flailing and floundering to find an identity and purpose, even in the main story. It just didn't feel like it mattered... and, this... well, it's more'a that. Heck, this Bonus Book story might've had higher stakes than anything to come out of the "main" Power of the Atom series! Did you check out Cal Thornton's body count? Ay yai yai.
Still though, not great. It uses the "fill-in month" trope of introducing an antagonist from the hero's past... and, I guess it does so well enough, even if I didn't find it especially engaging.
The art? Is it fair to say it's "rough"? I think so. This doesn't look much like what we'd come to expect from Balent... in fact, it looks more like more recent Jim Calafiore... who, I'm not really a fan of. The square-faces really make me think of Calafiore. So, yeah... this story wasn't terribly interesting... or all that pretty to look at. What is was, was violent! If you want violence for the sake of it... then, this is the Bonus Book for you!
Over to our creators... we've already met Joe Calchi. He wrote Bonus Book #1 from Action Comics #599, which was another mostly "meh" outing. According to the DC Wiki, this story is his second... and final for DC Comics.
Across the table, we've got Jim Balent... who we might all best know as being the dude who drew Catwoman....'s boobs during the 90's. This Bonus Book actually isn't his first DC work... he'd contributed art for a Sgt. Rock back-up strip in 1984. I think it's safe to say he's improved a great deal since this outing. It might also be safe to say his style has changed a great deal too! You can check out some of his current day stuff over at his website!
Overall... this was inoffensive, but also uninteresting. Sure, there's a body count... but, at the end of the day, it amounts to very little. Probably only worth reading if you're looking for additional late-80's Atom flavor... though, I'm not sure why anyone would be!
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