ACW #621 - Blackhawk

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Blackhawk)
"It's Not the Heat, it's the Futility"
Writer - Martin Pasko
Art - Rick Burchett
Letters - Steve Haynie
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Gold

When last we left Janos and Company, our main man was... uh, knockin' boots.  Well, I don't think they were wearing boots (or much of anything), but you know what I'm sayin'...

Let's check back in for the "afterglow".

--

We open with a trio of Blackhawks (Carlo, Olaf, and Weng) tied up above steaming peppercorn boil pots by Mssr. Van der Houten.  He's hopeful that the intense discomfort they're about to be in might loosen their lips a bit.  They (attempt to) assure him that they're just hired hands.  Leslie Richardson gave them a gig... and they're here on his behalf.  VdH ain't buyin' it...

Back at the Ruins, Jan and Alice get dressed.  She informs him that Van der Houten has a seismograph that tells him that Chekhov's Volcano is going to erupt within a matter of days... and the reason he put them in the ruins was to... loosen their lips a bit.  This baddie definitely has a gimmick, don't he?  He's a regular chubby Scarecrow.

Back in the hot house, Weng realizes that if he's able to swing hard enough, he might just be able to break through a nearby window and give the gang some much-needed relief from the heat.  He does just that.

He also manages to catch a shard of glass with his teeth, with which, he cuts through his bindings.  This Weng is quite a dude!

Back to the Ruins, where "Leslie" is finally roused.  He refers to Alice as "Marcia"... the hell?  Well, it turns out that both of these folks aren't who we thought they were.  "Alice" is Marcia Rossiter, and "Leslie" is her brother, Steve Claiborne.  They are part of the Central Intelligence Group.

Marcia whispers to Janos that her brother Steve might just beat the crap out of him... which, man... I wanna see him try!  I'd like nothing more than seeing Jan put this dude flat on his back!

We jump over to Van der Houten's mansion, where... for some reason, Andre is resting in a bed.  Well, never let it be said that VdH isn't a fair captor.  Andre "wows" a nurse with the size of his member... just as he's being sentenced to death in another room.  Oh well.

We wrap up with Jan, Steve, and Marcia leaving the Ruins.  They're spotted by one of VdH's men, who calls it in!

--

Alrighty... some questions finally get answered here.

Things are still a little bit nebulous... we're still a bit unsure about the importance of the Japanese jet... but, I'm assuming we'll be filled in soon enough.  I'm glad we're finally clearing up the Alice/Leslie deal though.

With that in mind, I'm hopeful that Jan eventually flattens Steve.  This dude just rubs me the wrong way... and Marcia's teasing that her big bro might take exception to Janos really bugged me.

Let's put a pin in that and look at the rest of the team.  These are a fun group of guys!  I love Weng being a crazy man, and managing to save their bacon while strung up in a Dozier-esque deathtrap.  That was a lot of fun.  Also, Andre taking every opportunity to... uh, physically flirt?  Very fun stuff.

If our ending blurb is to be believed, it looks like next week Chekhov's Volcano will finally erupt... which is fitting, as next week is the final chapter of this arc.  Boy, that went fast!  Really looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out!

Tomorrow: Wrapping up the first half of Action Comics Daily!

ACW #621 - Deadman

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Deadman)
"Part 4"
Writer - Mike Baron
Pencils - Kelley Jones
Inks - Tony DeZuniga & Pablo Marcos
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Daniel Vozzo
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Welcome to the last Deadman chapter... for, uh two weeks.

--

Picking up where we left off last week, Deadman-as-Wellman Legros is faced with the caged Brogden Twins... who are now commanding the zombie horde.  Ya see, they're no longer Lisa and Letritia Brogden... they're now Stella and Delia Peckshaw: The Zombie Queens of New Orleans!  He introduces himself as "Deadman", which doesn't really impress the girls... after all, everyone else there is a "dead man".  He clarifies what he means, and the girls actually recognize him as the aerialist, Boston Brand... they saw him perform with the Blake Kellogg Circus back in 1969!

We shift scenes to join Madame Waxahachie, who has tired of waiting for Deadman to return.  She enters the grounds, and fights off a zombie or two with her "fetish" and "mojo".  She finally comes across Wellman Legros, who is all hunched and prone in the middle of a darkened room.

Legros goes to attack the Madame, but something stops him... which is to say, his "passenger".  Deadman and Legros struggle long enough for a knife to be plunged into Wellman's chest.  This frees Boston from the vessel.  Moments later, Waxahachie kayos Wellman with a tremendous right hook.

Deadman flutters away to re-inhabit the body of Waxahachie's assistant, Clara so they can catch up.  In a funny bit, Boston wonders if he might be unwittingly giving poor Clara a psychosis by invading her time and again.  The Madame assures him that Clara is strong enough to handle it.  We find out here that the Twins did some hoo-doo to muddy up the Brand/Legros union.

We wrap up by learning a thing or two about Delia and Stella.  Turns out they were part of a crazy family, and somehow ascended to become the Zom... er, Voodoo Queens of New Orleans.  In fact, back in 1971, they nearly took over the city.  They're currently buried at St. Bart's cemetery... or, at least they were!

--

Pretty interesting chapter... though, perhaps a bit slower than the previous three.

We find out that the Twins have become the vessel for the Zombie-Voodoo Queens of New Orleans... and that their plans are to raise an army of zombies.  Not sure if Wellman Legros was working on his own accord up to the point, or was being controlled by the girls... though, I suppose that probably doesn't matter all that much.

Other than that, though... not a whole heckuva lot to talk about.  Still enjoying it... still really digging the art.  Just a (relatively) "quiet" outing this time around.

Tomorrow: The Truth about the Aviatrix... and Leslie!

ACW #621 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Superman)
"Let the Punishment Fit the Crime"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

It's Superman Day!  Judging from our recent polling endeavors, this two-pager has become a fan-favorite... or, just a way to really mess with our numbers.  While on the subject, it's been brought to my attention that I may be judging this one a bit unfairly.

Well... I'll concede that this feature isn't delivering the kind of story (or format) that I wanted.  Is that skewing the way I discuss it?  Perhaps.  I understand that this is a take on the "Sunday Strip", and isn't the same kind of animal as our other features.  I've been reading comic strips my whole life... and, while they're never quite as satisfying than an actual long-form "novel length epic", I gotta imagine they're more satisfying than this Superman feature has been.

As such, because I want you all to know that I take criticism seriously, I went back and reread the past twenty weeks' worth of Superman strips.  I gotta say, I maintain my stance that this just hasn't been very good (in my opinion).  Way I look at it, there are better (and more entertaining) ways this could have been done.  That said, if it rocks your socks, I'll respect that.  If you wanna tell me how wrongheaded I am, or just thumb your nose at me because you're skewing the polls, my comments section is always open.  The only reasons I'll delete your message are if you use racist language... or try and sell the readers discount Viagra.

--

Bob Galt is kayoed by the gangbangers, and Superman arrives on the scene.  He makes short work of the baddies, and manages to change back into his Clark Kent duds before Galt comes around.

That's it!

--

I'm going to try and be positive about this one.

First: We actually get some action... and Superman!  That's a good thing.

Second: Bob Galt didn't get to see Superman... and might now believe that Clark Kent was his savior.  This calls back to Superman's "message" to Galt to "Trust Kent".  It's a callback, and I like that.  So, two good things!

Really and truly, there isn't much to dislike here... the story is advanced, and we got to see Superman flex his muscle a bit.  This is probably as close to the way I wanted these strips to go from the start.

Is this something I'd recommend?  Probably not... but, having "assigned" myself this entire run, I will admit that this chapter was far more enjoyable than most have been.

Tomorrow: Twin Nellie Olesons command the undead!

ACW #621 - Secret Six

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Secret Six)
"Guess What We Learned in School Today?"
Writer - Martin Pasko
Pencils - Frank Springer
Inks - Frank McLaughlin
Colors - Carl Gafford
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Editor - Robert Greenberger

Welcome to Secret Six day.  I apologize that this one is coming out a few hours late.  Guess I haven't completely shaken the vaycayin'.

--

We open back at the Pentagon, where Director Walter Fenedy is meeting with that bald mustachioed fella... who kinda reminds me of a G.I. Joe, but I couldn't tell ya which one (Outback?  Ambush?).  Anyhoo, Baldo tells Fenedy that the V74 virus found its way out of the lab because of someone named Traeger.  Fenedy is shocked to hear that the virus is "out", which makes me wonder just how much attention he's been paying to the news.  Either way, he orders Traeger "wasted".  Elsewhere, Tony is still hitching a ride through some California towns of varying size... while certain they're being followed.

Back in D.C., Fenedy is handed the wrist-communicator that Drake (the Hunter Thompson-looking guy who died last week) had taken from Tony.  We learn that it was designed by their R & D folks for Mockingbird's use.  This concerns Fenedy, as it certainly means that the Secret Six are back in business.  Again... does this guy pay attention to anything?!

We jump back to Tony and his driver.  They realize they're being tailed by a helicopter.  Thanks to some fancy driving, however, they cause the whirlybird to crash into a low bridge.

Back at HQ, Vic, Maria, and Gus are conducting some research about the original Six.  Remember, August Durant was involved with the V74 research that was/is going down at Jefferson University.  The very same place where current Sixer, LaDonna has gone "undercover".

Let's just head there.  Maria calls LaDonna to question her about an exorbitant hotel bill she'd turned in.  LaDonna explains that she had to hide out off-campus until the woman she'd be "replacing" left.  Makes perfect sense to me.  At the same time, elsewhere near campus, Steve Traeger is visited by that one fella who snuck off to make a phone call last week.  Turns out, Traeger's getting the blame for the "livestock stunt".  I'm not the only one confused here, right?

As Traeger fights off his would-be armed assailant, LaDonna watches her roommate shower?  Okay.  Our chapter ends with Traeger busting into LaDonna's place to ask for help.  For what it's worth, he refers to her as "baby".  Hmm...

--

Alrighty... we've got a little bit to unpack here.  I beg you to pardon my potentially density, because this was quite the heaping pile of information and story to digest.  Where to even begin?

We got this Fenedy guy, right?  Director of the Pentagon... and yet, he doesn't seem to know much of what's going on.  By all accounts, he should be aware that there's a tainted meat epidemic coming out of Farmer Ralph's... and, I gotta assume that he should realize that the Secret Six are back.

Let's look at LaDonna... who, doesn't look like she's in any sort of disguise, right?  I mean, outside of having her disfigured facial features covered, she just looks like LaDonna.  Not sure how this helps her infiltrate the University... and, what's more... how does she manage to make Steve Traeger think that she's his "baby"?  Am I reading this wrong... or is this just some ridiculously convenient storytelling?

Let's look at Traeger.  He's assaulted (and nearly "wasted") by that one dude.  I'm not sure who we're supposed to be rooting for here... if Traeger is responsible for all of the meat-related deaths, he shouldn't be depicted as a fella whose just trying to defend himself, right?  I mean, it might just be "current year", but if I see an unarmed black dude attacked by a gun-carrying white guy... I'm going to be rooting for the guy without the piece.  I'm guessing this will be fleshed out in the coming weeks... hopefully it'll be easier to follow than this outing.

Overall, this was a lot of information... and it was delivered in a fairly disjointed way.  I'm hopeful this one finds its rails pretty quick, because I'm beginning to run out of interest.

Tomorrow: Superman Day... everyone's favorite!

ACW #621 - Wild Dog

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Wild Dog)
"Fatal Distraction, Chapter Seven: Stab in the Dark"
Writer - Max Collins
Breakdowns - Terry Beatty
Guest Pencils - Dick Rockwell
Inks - John Nyberg
Letters - Tim Harkins
Colors - Carl Gafford
Editor - Brian Augustyn

First day after a vacation is always a weird one.  Haven't completely come out of that vay-cay head-space yet.  I'll probably share some pics of the trip on Superman day... which, will be sure to thrill.

Today though, I'm just gonna waddle my five-pounds-heavier self over to the keyboard, and knock-out the penultimate chapter of this here Wild Dog arc!

--

We open with Jack Wheeler handing over a "suspect sketch" he'd put together on the Night Slasher.  Lt. Flint is quite surprised to see the kind of artistic talent his pal has... and we learn that art was something that Jack's former lover, Claire had always encouraged.  Andy suddenly flips the script completely... and tells Jack to back off.  To stay out of the QCPD's hair for the remainder of this case.  Jack joshes him that the PD's currently got a half-dozen bodies they're stepping over... but "agrees".  As their contentious chat wraps up, we're reminded that Wild Pup has been listening in the whole time.

We jump to the next day where Jack has taken Lou Godder out to lunch.  Godder is a bit tweaked that Jack didn't tip him off to the fast-food veggie-terrorist story before it all went down, as he would have really appreciated the "scoop".  Jack suggests that there might be an even juicier story in the offing... the Night Slasher!

Lou jots down three nearby hot spots for singles, all of which have had Night Slasher activity since the killings began.  This seems like really basic information that Jack should have been able to deduce himself, but we'll allow it.  That night, Jack goes undercover.

After checking the first two spots without any luck, our man heads to the third... where he finds out Night Slasher, complete with fly-fishing lure earring!  She's chatting up a member of the Metal Minds band... and suggests they "have a little fun" in his van.  He's got another song to play, so she agrees to head into the van and wait.

She unlocks the back door, and is shocked to find... Wild Dog!  She goes to kick him low, but he (mostly) side-steps it.

He then clamps down on her right shoulder with his shock-mitt, which puts her on the floor.  She attempts to scramble for her blade when... Wild Pup leaps onto the scene!  He tries holding the Slasher down, and winds up getting stabbed in the chest for his troubles!  Uh-oh!

--

Well, it finally happened... Wild Pup got shanked!  I'm honestly surprised it's taken this long!

But, let's start by talking about Jack's chats with his pals.  Jack and Andy have a pretty complicated relationship, right?  Jack does what he can to help Andy (and the QCPD) out, but it's often to the detriment of the police themselves.  It makes them look foolish in a couple of ways.  First: Wild Dog is able to accomplish things the Police can not... and Second: The Police don't appear to be able to apprehend (or even control) Wild Dog.  These are things that Flint's gotta constantly be reconciling in his head when weighing the pros and cons of being "in bed" with a vigilante.

That said, Andy's characterization here, feels a bit stilted.  Like, dramatically hot and cold.  They go from talking like old buddies to "listen here, mister!" in the course of a single panel.  Felt very unnatural... but, we've only got seven-pages to work with here, so there probably wasn't enough paginal real estate to bring it all around more organically.

Especially since we needed to jump right over to Jack chatting up Lou.  This was another weird interaction, and feels like it was included just so we could give Lou a few lines of dialogue.  It's been established during the course of the past couple of Wild Dog arcs that Jack's more than just a "shoot first, ask questions later" mad man.  That is to say, he's not a half-bad detective in his own right.  That being said, I'm not sure why Jack would need Lou to jot down the locations of Night Slasher activity.  It should stand to reason that Jack would already know where the baddie has been striking, right?  I mean, it is a pretty big local news story, innit?  Oh well.

This brings us to the end.  Wild Dog puts the Slasher on the ground... just for the Pup to arrive and put himself into some pretty grave danger.  It looks as though the Slasher was able to rebound from her shock-mitting pretty quickly, so for all we know, the Pup just saved Wild Dog's life.  Now... that said, just how sloppy is Wild Dog being portrayed here?  That he'd simply turn his back on a serial murderess?  It's not like he was distracted by something off-panel, either!  He was just closing the Metal Minds' van door!  C'maaaaaahn, Jack... that was dumb.

Overall, it feels like "guest artist" (who has pencilled like half this arc), Dick Rockwell is coming into his own.  Didn't have any real uggos this time out.  And, while a bit stilted-feeling, this was still a worthwhile chapter.

Tomorrow: The Secret Six are in a bad situation (oh yeah, oh yeah), it's time they got some adult ed-u-ca-tion

ACW #621 - Green Lantern

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Green Lantern)
"Gremlins!"
Writer/Co-Plots - James Owsley
Pencils/Co-Plots - M.D. Bright
Inks - Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Tony Tollin
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil

Welcome to the sorta-kinda official "halfway point" of our Action Comics Daily endeavor!  This format was in place for 42 issues... and here we are at 21!  We're really tearing through this aren't we?

Worth noting, today is where we would be covering Green Lantern Special #1.  That story fits between the Freak Show arc, and the one we're kicking off right now... but, this is a very busy few weeks for me.  The wife and I are out of town on our anniversary vacation, and I've got a big research assignment that's just about due.  I don't have the time to cover an entire 48-pager.  We will get to it though!

Before hopping in: I had a couple of ideas where to take the blog once this wraps up (if my math's right... ACW will end in October).

First Thought: A daily look at each story in New Talent Showcase from the late-80's.  These stories really have nothing to do with the DC Universe, and are basically "try-out" stories for new writers and artists.  There were 19 issues of NTS, and each one has four-ish features.

Second Thought: Bonus Books.  A daily look at DC's 16-page Insert Previews/Bonus Books from the 1980's.  I think there is only 20 or so of these... so, they'll be quick.  We've already looked at an Insert Preview here on the site... for Masters of the Universe.

We've still got plenty of time to mull this over... I figure we'll probably get the chance to explore both.

Anyhoo... let's welcome Priest and Bright back to GL!

--

We open with Hal Jordan answering a call in Sol, wherein a spacecraft transporting a crew of 600 had been damaged... and is currently being drawn toward the Sun.  Hal struggles for a bit, reminding us all that his ring has that weakness against anything yellow, but is eventually able to get the job done.  With this all behind him, he high-tails it back to Los Angeles, as he is about to be late for his new job... as a freelance pilot for Elite Design Consultants (aka. the Gremlins... heyyy, that's the title of this story!).

Upon arrival in the Gremlin locker room, Hal decides to up the ante and do something really dumb.  He removes his power ring, and leaves it in his locker.  Ya see, he's in it for the challenge, maaaan... and, after all... what's the worst thing that could happen while test-flying a jet?  It's almost as if we can stop reading right here, innit?

Ehh, we'll press on.  Hal's in the air, when... whattayaknow... one of the engines conks out.  While the rest of the Gremlins look on in horror, Hal calls himself out as an idjit for leaving his ring behind.  Then... interestingly, he questions if he even has any right risking his life in non-Lantern situations.  As we know, he's been appointed as a guardian of Earth... and with that great power comes... well, you know.

Either way, Hal actually manages to land the bird without much incident.  Hopefully, he's learned a lesson or two, though.  The Gremlins rush over to congratulate him, and to get a better look at the jet.

We close out this chapter with Hal, back in the locker room, "Lanterning up".  Unfortunately, just as he finishes reciting the oath, his power battery explodes!  From it, a yellow beam shoots into space!

--

Well, this is certainly tonally different than what we've had over the past few weeks, ain't it?  This actually feels more like a Green Lantern story than any of that silly Freak Show mess.

I'm glad that we're kind of just "dropped" into this new arc... no wasted panels of Hal lamenting the end of his relationship with a teen-ager... no pining over which Hawkes sister he'd rather make time with... just a routine Green Lantern outing, wherein he gets the opportunity to give a quick-and-dirty on his mission and powers.  It's a nice clean break... which, I kind of feel like we needed.  Though, as I mentioned in the pre-ramble, GL Special #1 fits in right around here.

Hal working for the "Gremlins" is a nice touch, as he certainly wouldn't be able to go back to work for Ferris at this time.  It's a familiar trapping for him... but just "new" enough.

Not sure what buddy was thinking taking his ring off.  That never works out, does it?  Oh well, as a way of pressing the plot forward, I suppose there are worse things.  Then again, what would have happened if he was wearing his ring?  Would the Gremlins find out that he's Green Lantern?  Who knows?

Something I really appreciated was Hal's internal monologue as he was just about to crash.  He wondered about his responsibilities... and whether or not he had any right risking his life, when he's supposed to be watching over the Earth.  That's pretty deep stuff... I really dug it.

Let's briefly touch on the art.  Doc Bright is just fantastic... and is probably in my Top-5 of Green Lantern artists.  This just feels "right" to me.  A true return to form... especially after the... uh, less traditional stylings of Richard Howell.

Overall... a good start to a new arc, with a whopper of a cliffhanger.

Tomorrow: Finally... the Night Slasher!

Action Comics Weekly #620 (1988)

Action Comics Weekly #620 (August 16, 1988)
Green Lantern: "Last Gasp!"
Wild Dog: "Fatal Distraction, Chapter Six: Tailed!"
Secret Six: "just a little bug that's going around"
Superman: "Too Late, the Hero?"
Deadman: "Part 3"
Blackhawk: "Most Guys Just Leave Her Hanging There"
Writers - Peter David, Max Collins, Martin Pasko, Roger Stern, & Mike Baron
Pencils - Richard Howell, Terry Beatty, Dick Rockwell, Frank Springer, Curt Swan, Kelley Jones, & Rick Burchett
Inks - Arne Starr, John Nyberg, Frank McLaughlin, Murphy Anderson, & Tony DeZuniga
Letters - Albert DeGuzman, Tim Harkins, Bill Oakley, & Steve Haynie
Colors - Anthony Tollin, Carl Gafford, Tom Ziuko & Daniel Vozzo
Edits - Denny O'Neil, Dan Raspler, Brian Augustyn, Robert Greenberger, Mike Carlin, Barbara Kesel, & Mike Gold
Cover Price: $1.50

Hey Gang... pardon the short pre-ramble this time out, today is the wife and my anniversary... and we're on vacation.  As you know, this place doesn't "do" days off... so, we're still gonna "clock-in", if only for a moment.

This week's cover comes to us from Mary Wilshire, who I know better as a Marvel artist.  I wanna say she was paired with Louise Simonson a bunch... Firestar miniseries, some Power Pack perhaps?  Whatever the case, it's a nice cover... that unfortunately has absolutely nothing to do with the actual Secret Six chapter we took a look at this week.

Let's jump into our Great ACW/ACD Poll Results.  Even though DC labeled this one as being for ACW #608, it's actually for #609.  We can tell because Black Canary is part of it.

Speaking of results... let's see what folks thought about last week's stories:

Wow, I'm really starting to "feel the heat" for my distaste of the Superman feature, ain't I?  I really hope the people voting for it actually like the story, and aren't just trying to mess with the poll.  Blackhawk won the week... and, wouldn'tcha know it... once again, I forgot to vote!  Green Lantern gets the goose-egg... which, hopefully won't be the case in for much longer.

My Rankings for last week's (#619) stories would be:
1 - Wild Dog
2 - Blackhawk
3 - Deadman
4 - Secret Six
5 - Green Lantern
6 - Superman

Here's this week:

Best Story in Action Comics Weekly #620?

Green Lantern Wild Dog Secret Six

Superman Deadman Blackhawk

Shareable Poll Link: https://linkto.run/p/4X2XGKQC

--

We open with the members of the Freak Show rushing toward a Hal Jordan-shaped slab of flaming candied ham.  Castle is overjoyed that they managed to kill Green Lantern... I tell ya what, if I were any other GL villain right now, I'd be hanging my head in shame... because these goofs are pah-thetic.  It's a moot point, however... because ham-Hal was just a Hal-made projection... which, I didn't realize was a power he even had?

Whatever the case, he manages to knock the Freaks down and even get a bit of intel from Siphon.  Turns out... he believes that Castle is the mastermind of the whole magilla.  Dem Hawkes sisters are nothing more than pawns in his diabolical plan.  Castle denies any such thing, however, before long... the rest of the Freak Show are pointing fingers and ratting him out as well!

Castle pulls himself up to his feet and rushes into the office of the shadowy sister.  You remember "Plan Omega" from last week?  Well, ya see... Plan Omega wasn't really a plan at all.  It was just a set-up, wherein if things went toes-up... Castle would take 100% of the blame.  He ain't cool with any of that... but gets shot in the chest before he can really protest all that much.

And, folks... I hope you're all sitting down, because it's here where we learn that... sweet, demure, innocent Lillian was the Shadowy Sister all along!  *Gasp*  Just then, Hal flies by and sees Castle lying dead before Lil.  She claims she shot him in self-defense and, since she's cute, Hal doesn't need much convincing.

We head down to the lobby where Veronica is talking to some police officers.  She takes a time out to flirt with Hal a little bit, which hopefully doesn't make it into the Police Report.  Ultimately, Lillian gets away with it... so, I guess, "Plan Omega" was a rousing success!

We wrap up this chapter, this arc, and this creative-run with Hal returning to his hotel room.  There, he finds Arisia decked out in her grown-up clothes preparing to leave.  She offers to stay, just to see how Hal might respond... but he agrees that it's probably for the best... after all, she is kinda looking like a Durlan right now... also, she's a child.  He kisses her on the forehead... and she out.

--

So, that was the Peter David run!  From an appearance on Oprah, to the revelation of a sorta-kinda lobotomy, to the returning of Hal Jordan's "fear sector", to... well, the Freak Show, there was a precipitous decline in quality and fun almost by the week!

All of that to get us to a... pretty anticlimactic end, no?  I mean, Lillian just gets away with it, and hints (with her glance) that she's going to keep up the nefariousness in order to usurp control of the company from Veronica?  Ooh, sign me up for this sequel!  I can't wait to see how it plays out... 

Okay, so where are we now?  Well, the Freak Show is done... never to darken a comic book panel again... the Hawkes Sisters are back to business as usual, also never to darken a panel again... and the illegal Hal and Arisia relationship is over.  I suppose we might look at that, at least, as a net-positive?  After all, it's the only thing we get to keep!  Everything else has been swept under the rug.

Art here isn't as off-putting as it has been, though Howell's Arisia does come across as rather grotesque.  That's one character he never really came around on.  I guess it's too bad they're both making their exit here.  Next week, Mark Bright will slip into the artist's chair... and we'll all be better off for it.

Overall... the PAD run... well, I'm repeating myself here (which should tell ya how much I really have to say in the first place), but it started off pretty strong... and had a lot of fun possibilities.  The "Oprah" arc was mostly satisfying, and had Hal have to deal with a lot of things he hadn't really thought about before.  The revelation of the "non-lobotomy" was brave, even if they didn't necessarily stick the landing... or, ya know... even mention it again.

If David left after the first arc, I'd like to think his run would be better remembered.  The Freak Show arc, though?  It's just not very good.  Add to that, the left-of-center art and some forgettable characters, and it's a recipe for disinterest.  It was a slog when I went through this arc for the Cosmic Treadmill, and it was a slog going through it now.
--
--

We pick up right where we left off last week.  Wild Pup has mounted the ugly, grotesque, horrid vegetarian terrorist so that Wild Dog might get in a few free shots.  Well, Jack ain't quite feelin' it... in fact, he's a bit beside himself that the kid hasn't yet hung up his hockey mask!  What's more, the kid kinda puts himself directly in the line of fire when the homely, brutal, gross vegeterrorist snap-mares him over and uses him as a human shield!

Wild Dog tries to talk the disgusting, foul veggie-terrorist down, but it ain't workin'.  Lucky for him, Wild Pup doesn't think that "meat is murder" and takes a big ol' bite outta the uggo's arm!

At which point, Jack pumps him full'a lead!

After threatening to put the Pup "over his knee", Wild Dog tells the lad to stick around for the cops... because the officers will be easier on him than he ever will be.  Wild Pup, however, doesn't pay this any heed.  As the Dog goes to take off in ROVER, the Pupper stows away in the cargo bed.

Cut to our lady, Ms. Susan King... and she's cuttin' a promo on the ineptness of the Quad Cities Police.  She corners Andy Flint and starts calling him out for being a goofball who just stood by while Wild Dog "did his job".  He tells her that once the Dog was on the scene, all they could do is let it "play out"... which, between you and me... is kind of a cop-out (no pun intended).

We wrap up with Andy visiting Jack at Wheeler's Garage to sorta-kinda read him the riot act.  He tells him to cool his jets, otherwise he's going to make him quit Wild Doggin'.  He also asks for a description of the Night Slasher (oh yeah, her!).  We close out by seeing that there's another very interested party also listening in.

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Sometimes I forget just how brutal Wild Dog can be.  I mean, he's certainly an itchy-fingered fella, but sometimes when I see it this "matter-of-fact" I still feel a twinge of shock at the brutality.

I really wasn't expecting him to positively perforate the uggo veggie-terrorist.  I thought he'd maybe "shoot to injure" rather than kill.  That was not the case.  Last time we saw the Dog in action (not counting the run-in with the Night Slasher) was in the convenience store where we first met the kid who would become Wild Pup.  There, Jack did pull the trigger quite a few times, but only shot up the bad guy's legs so they wouldn't get away.

Though, I suppose we could wonder how bad their subsequent injuries were... and what the quality of life post-arrest was for the would-be thieves... buuuut, that could be a slippery-slope directly into a sticky-wicket, so it's probably best we don't.

I suppose we can look at the overall situation here, and call it a "win" for the good guys.  I mean, the ugly, brutal bad-guy wasn't about to listen to reason... and while Wild Pup's presence may have escalated the hostility, the Uggo had already caused plenty of damage at that point.

Wild Dog's win makes the Quad Cities P.D. look pretty inept, which is a story thread I'm happy they're exploring here... and not just because it gets Ms. Susan King into the story!  This is a thread that sometimes comes up when folks discuss the inability of the Gotham City P.D., and when we look at it, their situations aren't altogether different.  Both vigilantes have something of an "inside man"... who may, at certain times, turn a blind eye to their activity.

The difference here is, Commissioner Gordon is a lot cooler about the "deal" than Lt. Andy Flint appears to be.  We can tell that this is not only getting under his skin from a Public Relations standpoint, but the morally-gray nature of Wild Dog's antics (which he is facilitating) is likely keeping him up at night too.  Good stuff.

Overall, yet another fine chapter for Wild Dog.  Still not totally on board with our fill-in artist, Dick Rockwell... who, really made it hard to look at the veggie-terrorist's face.  Yuck.

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We open with Tony kayoed in the back of a van.  Drake (that Hunter Thompson-looking guy) and his associate are in the front talking about a person named "Fenady" who might have something to do with the V75 Project.  Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm going to assume this has something to do with the VTOL.  Anyhoo, Tony is roused, and, since they didn't bother to tie him up, causes quite the distraction!

A gun goes off, and the van careens right off the edge of a bridge.  Luckily, Tony is able to grab on to a piece of the safety railing to save himself from the fatal plummet.

We jump back to Frisco, where Vic is giving Gus a tour of the books.  We learn all about the Secret Six's finances... which, is actually just a clever way of recounting some of the events from before the hiatus.  This includes confirmation that the Six were behind "Farmer" Ralph Dorn's poisoning... a detail I'm pretty sure I missed the first time around.

Maria and Luke enter the scene and wonder aloud how LaDonna is doing undercover at Jefferson University... which takes us to LaDonna undercover at Jefferson University.  A Professor is discussing the virus, giving it the classification "V74"... which, I'm going to assume, is either yet another line-item on Mockingbird's docket.  I could be completely wrong here, gang.  Anyhoo, it's confirmed here that the virus can only be absorbed through the digestive tract.  After the lecture, a student (?) exits into the hallway and contacts "Fenady".

We rejoin Tony, who has pulled himself back up to the highway where he flags down a passing motorist.  After noticing a helicopter hovering overhead... he hops in her passenger seat, pulls a gun, and orders her to drive.

We close out in at the Pentagon... more precisely, the office of Walter Fenady, the Director (of Meat and VTOLs?).  I'm going to assume he's on the phone with then-President Ronald Reagan (it's someone in the White House, and if I recall, DC staffers weren't a fan of our 40th Prez), and they're talking about "V75".  We learn here that Mockingbird is most definitely still alive (I feel like this is the third or fourth time we've "learned" this), just as a bald man with a mustache bursts in with a report from (the now dead) Drake.

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Ya know, I didn't dislike this... but, man... there's a lot of stuff going on here.  The main problem I've had with this feature (from the get-go) was it's erratic pacing.  There have been chapters wherein next-to-nothing happens, and no new information is provided... and then, there are chapters like this that are both so exposition-heavy, and dropping in all-new information and characters, that it's a bit overwhelming.  I mean, it's not as bad as say... the Black Canary feature, it's just a bit "much".

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we're hearing about the "V" line-items.  V74 having something to do with the meat-virus, and V75 perhaps having something to do with the VTOL?  Maybe?  Possibly?  I dunno... whatever the case, it just feels weird to have both of these things dropped on us in the same bit.  For all I know, it was a lettering error, and there's only one "V" thing.

I suppose we could talk about Drake and his Pal's lackluster hostage-keeping skill.  I mean, they didn't even bother to tie Tony up?  I don't wanna say they deserve what happened to them, but, c'mon fellas... that was 100% avoidable.  Oh well, at least Drake was able to send a memo before his fiery demise... the contents of which, I'm going to assume (there's a whole lotta "assuming" today, ain't there?) will be at least discussed next issue.

Overall, if I were reading this in collected format, I doubt I'd notice the odd pacing issues... but, I'm unfortunately reading it the way it was intended to be read... in weekly bites, and it's not quite working for me.  The story is good, I just can't get "comfortable" with it due to its somewhat erratic nature.
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So, Bob Galt gets nyoinked into an alley... not by Vartox... but by just some random punks.  Well, that sorta sucks, doesn't it?  Anyhoo, since he's wearing the "S", they call him both "Super-Waste" and "Superboy"... considering the year this came out, the latter of which makes me wonder if these geeks know about the pocket universe.  They absolutely must, right?

Okay, probably not.  One of the punks spits on Galt... which almost makes this "chapter" worth reading.  Bob counters with an emotionless uppercut, which might have cost the baddie a tooth.  Just as the rest of the gang-bangers proceed to pound the super-loving hell out of Galt, the Man of Steel arrives on the scene.

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Welp... I've tip-toed around it for, sheesh, twenty-weeks now, but... I think I gotta just come out and say it.  This feature sucks.  It's dull, there are no stakes, and Superman has only appeared in two panels over the past two weeks.  I thought covering this would give me a bit of a "breather" every week... just a quick two-page romp, where Superman does something... ya know, super.

Instead, this has become the day every week that I dread the most!  I mean, since Black Canary ended, anyway.  There just feels like no reason to even bother covering this anymore.  Hopefully it turns around... but, it's like I say that every week.

Oh well, at least we got this panel (and your next screen-saver) out of it:

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We resume our conversation between Deadman-as-Clara and Madame Waxahachie.  If you recall as we closed out last week, the Brogden Twins have been nabbed by Wellman Legros' zombie horde... for reasons we're about to learn a bit more about.  The zombie Police Officer that Deadman "rode in" still lays motionless on the ground, with that blade embedded in his gut.  Waxahachie calls in a fella named Uncle Estes to watch over the children while she and "Clara" try and track down the Twins.

Deadman and the Madame head out into town... and, get this, there are like a whole lotta zombies just shambling through the streets!  Deadman finds this odd, but Waxahachie quite matter-of-factly explains that most passersby just assume the zombies are derelicts or junkies, and don't pay them much mind.  She further explains that many years ago, a pair of twins were able to rouse the undead... so, that might just be what Legros has in mind for the Brodgens.  Oh!  We also learn that it's actually daytime in New Orleans... so, disregard the dark skies.

They follow the zombie parade into the Garden District where they assemble near a tall wooden gate.  Deadman body-hops into a random zombie so he can "attend" whatever meeting they're about to have.  He finds the new undead bod to be a bit stiff, but controllable.

Before long, Wellman Legros addresses the horde... welcoming them to his "Army of the Undead".  Behind him hangs a wooden cage, inside that cage... Lisa and Letritia, the Brogden Twins.  "Perfect Twins", much the same as the Ioa, through which "Bon Dieu" will speak.  "Bon Dieu" is French for "Good Lord", so I guess Legros is trying to communicate with a God?  Fair enough!

By now, Deadman has heard enough... he vacates the zom-bod, and hops into Legros himself!  No sooner does he get control, than the Brogden Twins order the horde to "tear Wellman Legros to pieces"!  Uh-oh!

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This one's turning out pretty cool!

I'm a bit dubious that everyone in New Orleans mistakes zombies for junkies, but I suppose we can allow it.  It might be sort of a "conscious" thing for the Louisianans.  Maybe it's like... if you don't wanna see any zombies, then you just don't see any zombies?  Whatever the case, I think we can work with it.

I appreciate Deadman being able to occupy that random zombie.  This illustrates how powerful Wellman Legros' power of suggestion is.  Since Boston wasn't able to maintain any real measure of control over the Officer last chapter, I wasn't sure if zombies were just "off-limits" overall.  Looks like that's not exactly the case.

We get a pretty good cliffhanger here.  Perhaps a bit too similar to the one we got in the opening chapter for this arc, but still exciting... and makes me wanna check back next week to see how it all plays out.

Overall, still really digging this and I'm looking forward to more.  The art still rules, and I'm enjoying all of the characters.
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We open with Janos, having removed his belt, approaching the prone and bound body of the missing Aviatrix.  She doesn't appear to be all that comfortable with the look in his eyes... and I can't say that I blame her!  He tells her not to move and to keep her mouth shut... before using his belt to whip a cobra!  Whew.

As Jan sets the snake on fire, Alice is rather thankful... for killing the snake, for coming to her rescue, for not sexually assaulting her... take your pick!  Our man informs her that he's there on behalf of her husband, Leslie Richardson... which kinda makes her furrow her brow a bit.

As he unties her, Alice informs Blackhawk that he smells purty.  He doesn't exactly return that sentiment.  Though, in fairness, the poor lady has been bound and tortured for a number of weeks at this point.

The twosome head back to Leslie, who Alice (in a word balloon mistakenly coming from Janos) refers to as "Steve".  Hmm.  Anyhoo, she also goes into a little bit of detail about how she came to be in her present predicament.  There was a Japanese L2D jet transporting a Microwave Generator back in 1944.  It never arrived at it's destination, and was assumed to have gone down somewhere in Sumatra.  We already know that it's just on the other side of the crater.

So, Alice and Company staged a crash to search for the goods.  One thing they didn't plan for, however, was the "Provisional Governor" of the district, one Van der Houten.  Her crew was picked up by VdH's personal army.

Alice leads Janos to the top of the ruins, where there's a pool.  Remember how I mentioned that she really stinks?  Well, she's up there to take a bit of a bath.  She undresses in front of our man...

... and, well... it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to guess where this scene is headed.

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Another solid chapter for Blackhawk.  I was happy to finally meet the missing Aviatrix, and to receive a little bit of clarification on the Japanese jet.

It's made pretty clear here that there's something iffy about "Leslie".  Alice is a bit dumbfounded when he's referred to as her husband... heck, she's also a bit surprised when she finds out he's not going by the name "Steve".

The conversation between Jan and Alice worked for me insofar as a conduit for exposition.  As we were learning all of the details at the same time Janos was, it felt more natural than just a regular ol' "info-dump".

It's been a minute since our man's gotten any "action", so I dug the scene at the end.  While it might not be much of a "current year" take, these more "mature" themes are a lot of fun... and don't veer too far into the gratuitous for my tastes.

Overall, still really enjoying this... perhaps even more than the earlier Grell arc!
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