Monday, March 28, 2016

Phantom Stranger #1 (1987)


Phantom Stranger #1 (October, 1987)
"The Heart of a Stranger"
Writer - Paul Kupperberg
Artist - Mike Mignola
Inker - P. Craig Russell
Letterer - Workman
Colorist - Scotese
Editors - Mike Carlin & Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $0.75

I'm finding myself having a lot of fun with the offbeat miniseries of the late 80's-early 90's.  It's interesting to revisit a time in which miniseries didn't just scream "cash grab".  These are all well thought out, and... well, fun.

--

We open in desolate blackness.  A man is floating.  Naked, save for a golden talisman hanging around his neck.  In the distance he observes a glowing orb.  Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a planet.  The man heads towards it while pondering existence.  Life and Death... do they apply to him?  Can he live?  Can he die?


We are now in Gotham City.  It is an awful rainy night.  There has been a murder.  GCPD Commissioner James Gordon is on the scene where earlier that night eleven "mob bigwigs" were all lined up and ran through with uzis.  Gordon appears short-tempered, and makes mention of the past few weeks having been "particularly gory".


Elsewhere, Dr. Bruce Gordon (no relation) is in his darkened office.  There is a television featuring a news report of a horrific earthquake in then-Soviet Romania.  He thinks to himself that the World appears to be falling apart, and questions his ability to keep something "locked up tight"... something he's felt coming to the surface... "happening again".  He retires for the evening, while asking God when (or if) it will ever end.



We are given a bit of insight as to the current state of the world.  Volcanoes are erupting, all manner of natural disaster are striking.  Delegates at the United Nations are resorting to fisticuffs, and war-like behavior and happenings are looming ever on the horizon... all while the Phantom Stranger looks on.


In Metropolis, we join Jimmy Olsen who is hot on the trail of a clerk for the mobsters.  This is following the arrest of a local mob ring.  He comments that it is strange for this simple clerk to have made bail before the mob bosses.  Jimmy proceeds to follow the clerk, and watches as he enters the Soviet Consulate.

Back in Gotham, at the Temple of Divine Light, there is something of a sermon underway.  The man preaching, Lycaon, sees the global events going on as divine retribution.  He calls for all members of the congregation to open their hearts to the Lord, yet he be called upon to bring them the cleansing light.  His seance is interrupted by the Phantom Stranger who attempts to reason with the members of the church.  He sees through Lycaon's facade, calling him the "Chosen of Chaos".


Lycaon summons a demon to deal with the Stranger, and a battle ensues.


 The Phantom Stranger finds that he cannot harm the demon when he attempts to bring forth his illumination.  This is a rather talkative demon, who offers that the members of the church see not a beast, but a beautiful golden angel.  He finds that the congregation would willingly give their lives for their perceived savior... allowing the demon to crush their bodies in his hands.


The ruckus going on in the temple soon gets the attention of the GCPD, led by the still surly James Gordon.  Gordon wastes no time getting into it with the demon.  As the beast approaches, Gordon unloads his clip into it... killing it.  The Stranger is shocked that a human succeeded where he could not.  Before Gordon could interrogate the Stranger, he vanishes to ponder the meaning of this latest event.


We watch Dr. Bruce Gordon getting good and sloshed at a local cocktail lounge before viewing a brief vignette featuring the Doom Patrol's Negative Woman, Valentina Vostok wherein she is discussing one called Maverick.  It appears that he is in extreme danger, and it is ultimately decided to let him die.


We are now in an almost medieval setting.  There is a man shackled to a brick wall.  In front of him is a turbaned man brandishing a scimitar-like blade.  He is ordered to kill the man by a shadowy figure in the fore.  He obliges, ending the prisoner's life.


It is revealed that the man giving the orders is indeed Eclipso.  The Phantom Stranger arrives on the scene, claiming that he used Eclipso's own evil as a beacon.  Eclipso is nonplussed, having expected the Stranger to arrive sooner of later.  The two exchange threats, culminating with Eclipso claiming that the Cosmos is nearing its end, and the Stranger is powerless to intervene.

We make a brief stop at S.T.A.R. Labs where Dr. Jenet Klyburn is looking into the odd seemingly-natural activity currently going on worldwide.

Finally, we close with Bruce Gordon being thrown out of the bar, and landing smack in the middle of a familiar silhouette.  The Phantom Stranger knows there is a bond between Gordon and Eclipso, and claims that together, they can both vanquish the evil and end Bruce's suffering.


The issue ends with a text piece from Paul Kupperberg discussing his history with the Phantom Stranger:



--

This was a very intriguing way to start this miniseries.  Before now I have had limited-at-best knowledge of the Phantom Stranger, having only really read his New-52 iteration.  I thought it was okay, but nothing spectacular.  This, however, was quite good.

Phantom Stranger's mystique, at least to me, was that it was never revealed who or what he was.  I thought that was amazing.  It was the only thing I knew about the character, but it was interesting enough to put him on (admittedly peripheral) radar.

It was neat seeing Commissioner Gordon dealing with a character outside of the Bat-family.  When Batman and Company are involved, you almost get a feeling of comfort from Gordon.  Here, with the Stranger?  The Commish is noticeably ill at ease.  I really liked that.

Eclipso is another one of those characters that I am mostly-unfamiliar with.  Like most folks my age, I followed the 1992 DC Annuals "Eclipso: The Darkness Within", but other than that... he's something of a novelty to me.  His inclusion (along with Dr. Bruce Gordon) is welcome.  I'm hopeful that when we continue with this miniseries more will be revealed.

Paul Kupperberg's writing, is as it often is... really good.  The dialog has a near-perfect blend of "street talk" and overblown fanatical rhetoric the likes of which one may see at a Brother Blood event... or out of one of Etrigan's contemporaries.  The juxtaposed lingual tones are a tad jarring initially, however, I think that's kind of the point.  The creature summoned, the fanatics, and the Phantom Stranger himself are out of place in Gotham City.  Mr. Kupperberg appears to have a passion for this character, and it truly shows here.

Mike Mignola's art, is as it often is... really good as well.  The entire art team did a wonderful job of conveying the mood of this piece.  It is dark... it is dank... Gotham at night is not a pleasant place to be.  It is light horror, and it is beautifully done.

If you come across this one, pick it up.  Even if you have no interest in the character of the Phantom Stranger, this piece has a lot to offer.  A great unique peek into Gotham City (and her people), and just a somewhat different and off center type of story.

--

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This one has long been in the collection... unread.
Ol' Slash may be prime for a visit.
Could never sit still long enough to play one of these...

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Girls' Love Stories #138 (1968)


Girls' Love Stories #138 (October, 1968)
"A Second Look at Love!"
"Tell Me How to Love!"
"Don't Leave Me Again!"
no credits
Cover Price: $0.12

People may have different reasons for getting into blogging.  Maybe it's to make connections... maybe it's to make inroads into professional writing... maybe it's even to make money (!).  I did not start blogging for any of those reasons.  Sad as it may sound, one of my primary goals for getting involved in blogging was I saw it as a way to make... friends.

Being a dude in my mid-thirties, it's not too often "in real life" that I come across folks who dig comics as much as I do.  All of the anecdotes I share here "above the fold" at the blog, boring as they may be... are even more so to the uninitiated.  My offline social circle (as it were) could not care less about what books I found, or what they may potentially mean to me.

I feel lucky that in my short time blogging I have met a decent bunch of folks (please check out the great blogs on the sidebar) who share my passion about these silly comic books.  I have been afforded the luxury of being able to share ideas while broadening my horizons.  Even if it's a comment on a fellow blogger's site (of one of their's on mine) silly tho it may sound, I feel as though I'm part of a community.  I'm honestly having more fun doing this than I have any right to.

I want to start talking about various bloggers and buddies who've been inspirational to me, helped me on my way, and made this as fun and satisfying an endeavor as it's become for me.  Carving out a little while each day to read and write a bit has become something I look forward to.  The bloggy-bud that I wanted to mention today is Mike Carlyle from the highly recommended The Crapbox of Son of Cthulhu.  Mike reviews books he comes across in the cheap-o bins with regularity, covering all different publishers and various levels of quality.  He has a great wit, and provides a ton of insight to what he reviews.  The Crapbox is always a good time!  Today, I'm gonna crib a page from his playbook (I hope he doesn't mind... and I hope I do it justice) by picking a somewhat-random DC book from my own "crapbox" finds.

Today, I present... Girls' Love Stories #138 from 1968... I hope we survive the experience.

--

Today's entry features three titanic tales of titillation and trepidation, all having a special moral or takeaway for the impressionable young women of the late 1960's.

We open with "A Second Look at Love!" in which our unnamed young lead had been left one year prior by the dashing Bill.  Bill, a modern man, just couldn't be tied down to one woman... much less a "square" like our dear brunette.

That's cold-blooded, Bill
Our lead just couldn't get Bill out of her head... and who could blame her?  He is what every man ought to be.  In the past year she had dated several potential suitors in hopes that she could get over her lost love.  Each relationship was unsuccessful to that end.


One day, when it appears all hope is lost she receives a call.  Wouldn't you know it... it's Bill!  She excitedly prepares to renew her relationship with the "one that (almost) got away", and they plan to meet at a park.  She is so attuned to her man that she can point him out by the sound of his footfalls.

When he shows himself, our girl is shocked.  He just doesn't seem like the same Bill he was before.  She is suddenly seeing him differently.  It is only now that she knows that in seeing seeing him one more time she was finally able to let go.  Our moral here is to "never mourn a lost love".


--

Our second senses-shattering offering is "Tell Me How to Love!", in which we join Nora a young red-head who so desperately wants to be in love.


As she watches her sister Ann break up with her beau Larry, Nora cannot help but be overtaken by emotion.  She feels as though she could love Larry, and quickly devises a way to get his attention and help him forget.

You know it's love, when you drive in complete silence.
Their relationship becomes hot and heavy with the quickness.  Why, they walk... they dance... and they partook in silent drives!  Nora confides in her sister that she has romantic feelings toward her old flame... Ann, seeing through Nora's poppycock tells her she only thinks she loves Larry, because she feels sorry for him.

You get an E for Effort there, Nora.
Finally, the day came where Larry and Nora shared their first kiss.  Larry took the initiative, and instantly knew Nora just wasn't feeling it.  He knew Nora did not love him... she only pitied him.

Steve's a regular Doc Savage!
At the local pool that summer, Nora met Steve.  Steve, a champion swimmer and almost literal "man of bronze" was quite the popular fellow at the pool.  While he chose to share his time with Nora, she could not help but feel all the other girls' eyes upon him.

They would meet at the community pool daily, and in between bumping into elderly water aerobics partakers and dodging used band-aids, developed something of a relationship.


The time came when they too shared a kiss.  It was then that our gal realized, it wasn't love she was feeling for Steve... it was admiration, almost a hero worship.  Maybe she was a closet Doc Savage fan.

Later at a dance, Nora met Nick.  Nick and Nora?  Hmm... Anyhoo.  Nora was wallowing in what has become her trademark self-pity when Nick approaches and asks if he can "have this dance".  Nora (almost literally) jumps at the opportunity and we are back in business.


The two dated, taking walks, going to the movies... stuff like that.  Now it's their turn to share a kiss.  This time it's different.  While with Larry and Steve, the fellas had to do all the work, this time Nora met her man halfway.  She was truly excited to kiss Nick.  It was then that she realized... say it with me, she wasn't truly in love.  She was only with Nick because she feared dying alone.  Okay okay, she just didn't want to be lonely.

Can we get a positive ID on this one?
Her story closes with several instances wherein she almost bumped into a rather nondescript (and unnamed) gentleman.  They saw each other at a concert, at the beach, at the theater, and at the park.  C'mon Nora... you don't think there's something a tad suspect about all this?  Okay, never mind.  It is this man who Nora realizes she loves.  This love was organic, and she did not do anything to force it.  It was a love surely to last a lifetime... until the police find where he stashed her body a few weeks later.

--

Finally, we are up to our Main Event... "Don't Leave Me Again!"


I really do love you Jim... you're like a brother to me!
We join Amy and Jim as they take in a football game.  All would appear to be well until we learn that these two crazy kids aren't actually a couple.  You see, Amy holds a candle for the "great glamour boy" Bruce.  Jim does not hide his romantic feelings for Amy, however.  She appears to be using him as a fallback when Bruce is unavailable... which is pretty often.


Amy keeps our man Jim in the "friend zone".  She tells him that he'd made the perfect husband... for some girl, all the while malaising over the fact that she hasn't seen Bruce in well over a month.  We observe Amy's endless struggle over her missing beau.  She decides that she hates him... which lasts precisely until he calls, one panel later.


Bruce makes his triumphant return, and sweeps Ms. Amy off her feet.  They share something of a magical week full of visits to the zoo and kisses, apparently.  When Bruce disappears on that eighth day, Amy gives her "silver medal" a call and rattles his cage.  They go to a movie, and have a heart of heart about Bruce.  Amy volunteers that when it comes to Bruce, she has no pride.

Yeah, romantic drive-in movie... followed by a cold shower.
Just another Friday night for our Jim!
One month later, Brucie is back.  When Amy questions their relationship he begs off, telling her not to get "so tragic" with him.  He begins kissing on her, which makes her lose control.  She is once more lost in Bruce City.


Once more, Bruce leaves (don't worry, he'll be back).  Amy again finds solace in her second prize, Jim.  This time, however, she promises that she will tell Bruce that it's over the next time she sees him.  Jim is understandably skeptical... however, Amy ensures him that she is sincere.


One month later... Guess who's back... Even before Amy can tell him off, he forces one of his magical mystical kisses on her, rendering her his slave-girl.  The two decide to head out to a local Discotheque, where Amy "goes through the motions".

Those are quite the... motions she's goin' through...
While there, she observes another couple with a situation that mirrors their own.  A woman acting as though she is the property of a man.  This is all it takes to shake Amy from Bruce's spell, and she breaks it off once and for all.


In the epilogue of our tale, we see Amy and Jim... finally together.

--

Extra bits:
A lonely-hearts advice column?
I will never again wear ski-pants or tease my hair before hitting the beach!
Thank you Mad Mad Modes!
--

So...

Okay, I gotta come clean.  This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  The writing was silly, almost numbingly melodramatic... but, it had charm.  The art was surprisingly solid!  I enjoyed the visual aesthetics a great deal.  The characters were all attractive, and the scenery featured more detail than a lot of books I'd read.  When we look at one of these ladies' rooms, it truly feels as though they "live" there.

This unfortunately came from an era before creators got their due credit for working in comics.  I did some research, and could not narrow down who may have been involved in this books creation.  Whoever it/they was, they did a fine job.  If anybody has any insight to the identity of the mystery creator(s), please pass that info on.  Perfectly fine for what it is, simple stories with morals and far above average art.

If you come across any old DC romance books in your friendly neighborhood "crapbox", do yourselves a favor... snap that sucker up and get ready for some sweet silly saccharine tinged with young adult and teen-age (that hyphen is a must) angst!

--

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Saturday, March 26, 2016

Sovereign Seven #1 (1995)


Sovereign Seven #1 (July, 1995)
"It was a Dark and Stormy Night..."
Writer - Chris Claremont
Artist - Dwayne Turner
Letterer - Tom Orzechowski
Colorist - Gloria Vasquez
Color Separations - Olyoptics
Assistant Editors - Keri Kowalski & Chris Eades
Editor - Rob Simpson
Cover Price: $1.95

This one's a long time coming.

Anyone who has followed this blog for any amount of time will know that one of my earliest obsessions in comics were the Uncanny X-Men.  While the era that initially hooked me on X-Men was more...

this guy...
than...

this guy...
... the mark Claremont left on Marvel's mutants can never be denied.

In the years that followed, I've made it my mission to one day complete my collection of (Uncanny) X-Men... a feat, might I add... that would have been far more satisfying before Marvel decided to relaunch the damn thing every couple of years at #1... but, that's neither here nor there.

I'm down to about a hundred issues as of this writing, most from the first hundred, natch.  I don't plan on dying anytime soon, so I'm still hopeful that I'll one day finish my set.

I said all of that, so I can say this... I have a lot of experience with Chris Claremont's X-Men work.  I have long been aware of his DC work, including and especially Sovereign Seven.  I have never read this title.  While it was being published, the thought of reading a non-X Chris Claremont book just felt wrong.  Granted, this is teenage-Chris (from the pocket dimension?) wisdom speaking here... so, I guess I can give myself a pass.  The fact that I'm in my mid-thirties, and have been exposed to plenty of non-X Claremont in the interim... I really have no excuse not to check this one out.

Was it worth the wait?  Let's find out...

--

New Book... New Team!  Let's do a roll-call:





Cascade: Team Leader.  Can cascade (turn into bubbles) and teleport




Cruiser: Telekinetic, powered by food.  As a result is always hungry.




Reflex: Despite his enormous size, he is the Sovereign's resident speedster.




Network: Telepath.  When no minds are around to read, she becomes fully illiterate and aphasic.




Indigo: Tactician, can vanish into shadows.  Highly enigmatic.





Finale: Warrior woman, fears water.




Rampart: Can manifest force fields.








--


We open on a dark and stormy ni... Oh!

The Sovereign pop onto the scene, presumably from a boom-tube (if the BOOM sound effect is any indication).  They land knee deep in an altercation between a young man and a group of super powered beasties.  The young man is clutching a golden amulet with a large red stone.


Team leader, Cascade approaches the young man to find out what's going on when the beasts begin to open fire.  Cascade orders the Sovereign into combat and we are given something of a demonstration/exhibition of many of the team members' powers.

They successfully fight off the baddies, and proceed to interrogate the young man who faints at the sight of team member Finale.  While he is out, Network attempts to read his mind.  She comments that his thoughts are completely in chaos, save for the name Merlin.


She reads the minds of the antagonists, and finds it far easier... their minds reveal that they were born and bred to capture this man for a Dark Mistress.

Cascade decides it would be best to head to town to reconnoiter.  At that moment, we observe that Dark Mistress (Maitresse) in an exchange with one of her hand-maids, Morgrin.  She is upset that her daughter is gone, and is planning a way to get her back.  When Mogrin expresses concern over the methods she wishes to employ, she kisses him... which causes his body to turn to ash.


Back on Earth, the Sovereign arrive at Crossroads which is something of an inn/bar.  They burst through the door in search of medical assistance for Merlin.  This is where we meet Pansy Smith and Violet Jones who own the place.


Suddenly the team finds themselves under attack.  It appears the Female Furies (Lashina, Bernadeth, and Artemiz) have also decided to pop into Crossroads.  They are in search of Merlin as well, claiming that the amulet he holds belongs to them.  Further, they claim ownership of the beast-men the Sovereign defeated during the open.


A battle ensues, in which poor Pansy gets swallowed up by Malice Vundabar's shadow-monster Chessure.  Stompa and Mad Harriet join the fracas, and in pure Claremontian tone introduce themselves as they arrive on the scene.

Who did you say you were again?
As the battle rages on, Cascade finds that she is no longer able to perform her "cascade" transformation due to Lashina's whip.  Bernadeth uses this opportunity to plunge her blade straight through Cascade's heart.  Her blade shatters upon hitting Cascade's chest, and in all of the confusion the Sovereign gain the upper hand.


Finale and Network plan at retrieving Pansy from Chessure's gut/void/whatever is inside.  Finale forces the shadow beast's mouth open and Network whips her lariat down its "throat".  Pansy takes hold, and with the help of Cascade, Network is able to successfully pull her out.


Both teams take inventory before rushing back into battle.  Before the two groups can clash again, they are interrupted by the KRAKOW! of a boom tube.  On the scene enters... Darkseid... or is that Joe Fixit?  I always enjoy seeing Darkseid humanized... whether it's lounging in an easy chair, or wearing a hat and trench coat.  Stuff like this is always fun.


Darkseid has come for the amulet, however, Merlin is not too keen on handing it over.  Cascade asks him for the truth.  If the amulet is indeed his, the Sovereign will fight for him... even to the death.  However, if the amulet is not his, he'd best hand it over to its rightful owner.


 Merlin considers his options, and ultimately drops the amulet into Darkseid's massive mitt.


Darkseid indulges in a cup of coffee and alludes to knowing Cascade... and her mother.  Before she can get any more information out of him, Darkseid takes his leave... boom-tubing away.  Once gone, Pansy and Vi start busting the Sovereign's chops about the condition of the inn.  In lieu of paying for damages (which is difficult when you have no money), it is decided that the Sovereign will work off their debt to the Crossroads.


We close by rejoining the Maitresse, and it is revealed that she is in actuality Cascade's mother.


--

This was... alright.

I am mildly interested in coming back for the next chapter.  It's not bad by any stretch, however, there are moments where it feels as though I'm listening to a Chris Claremont tribute band... many of his well-trodden tropes are present.  The strong female lead, pages and pages of folks popping into panel to introduce themselves by name, the overly dramatic story title, ending this issue with "The Beginning" (I swear I was an S & M suit away from getting "bingo")... ehhh, just feels like I've been here before.

Like I said, there's really nothing overtly bad about it.  It was just unfortunately, at parts, something of a chore to "get through".  I'm a huge Chris Claremont fan, I may actually have more comics written by him in my collection than anyone else, and I really wanted to dig this more.  It would have opened up a whole new series for me to discover and enjoy.  Still may check out more, but it's not a priority

The art was about the same.  Nothing outright bad about it, but not a whole lot to draw me in and keep me interested visually... Mr. Darkseid Fixit notwithstanding.  The inking and coloring did the pencils no favors, as there is a very uneven and sometimes muddy feeling throughout this over-sized ad-free issue.

Is Sovereign Seven worth your time?  I have a hard time saying yes... yet, at the same time I have an ever harder time saying no.  It's Chris Claremont.  If you are a fan of his, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out.  If you dislike Claremontian writing, you should probably pass on this one.

--
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