Classic:Action Comics #597 (1988) 'Visitor'

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    This is one of my favorite Superman comics ever. It is written and drawn by John Byrne. It occurs right in the aftermath of 1988's modestly successful, critically and commercially, Millenium crossover, which ran through nearly all of DC's line in '88.
         The plot is quite simple; Lois travels to Smallville to get answers about the Manhunter androids who had taken over the denizens of Smallville. Lana Lang had traveled to Metropolis and ripped Clark Kent's shirt open (luckily Kent didn't have costume on) and flew out of the Daily Planet window using her Manhunter powers.This prompts reporter Lois to make the trip to Smallville.
         When she gets to Lana's house she finds Superman and Lana in an embrace. She is quite shocked as are Lana and Superman, by her sudden, unanounced arrival. Lois is starting to put two and two together about Superman and Clark Kent. She directly puts the question directly to Superman.


 Luckily Ma and Pa Kent arrive on the scene for the save. Pa thinks on his feet and tells Lois how he and Ma Kent raised BOTH Superman and Clark.



 Lois reacts with disgust, feeling that Superman fed her the odd scrap as Superman gave all the good stories to Clark, including the exclusive story of the first appearance of Superman. She feels she's been played for a fool and storms off in a huff. Clark later comes by her hotel room to explain and an irate Lois slams the door in his face. Clark sort of talks her around as the page becomes split in half, one half showing the conversation and the other showing Lois' relationship with her military and chauvinistic father. In a masterful touch by Byrne we get to see some of what makes Lois tick in these flashbacks as Lois is made to feel second best by her father as he had always wanted a son. The parallel here is between the similarity she imagines between Clark/Superman's treatment of her and her father's. It is obvious that the fallout from this perceived deceit will not heal overnight.
       The next day as Lois is leaving Smallville Lana brings her to a small diner to discuss the situation and tells Lois that Clark loves her. Lois visits Jose (Gangbuster) Delgado in hospital. He's been crippled by a supervillain created by Lex Luthor. Jose is very bitter, and he and Lois have a very touching scene. Superman then walks in and tells Jose he did well to still be alive. He asks Lois if she wants a lift home and

Jose Delgado (Gangbuster)

  she says she'd rather walk from now on, meaning their relationship has changed irrevocably.      

       What's great about it; this is one of those rare issues where there is absolutely no superheroics and is a great example of character study. In this issue we learn more about the Post Crisis Lois Lane than ever before through a simple flashback scene. The famous love triangle shared-by-two dynamic takes on a completely new wrinkle, and it is this that gives the story it's impetus. It's beautifully paced. Every so often Byrne cleverly drops visual hints that this is a time of change as we see in the foreground or background, browning, falling leaves. The passage of the seasons mimicking the changing dynamic of Clark/Superman and Lois' relationship. Of course then there is the artwork. Byrne depicts Smallville wonderfully with long windiing fences and furrowed fields. There is also vast open spaces and little farmhouses dotted around. It is almost Rockwellesque. Lana's house has that wonderful homely feel. The diner is evocative of a million other small town diners across the world in terms of it's decor and mood. Kenneth Starr's inks take away some of the slickness of Byrne's pencils in an effect that emphasizes the hazy feel of an autumnal afternoon in a small country Hamlet. A winner.

Batman Premiere Shooting, Aurora, Denver Colorado.

My heart goes out to the people of Aurora, Denver, Colorado today. It's a sad reflection of the times we live in today when innocent movie goers are butchered wholesale. What drives this mindset? Is it a reflection of a deep sickness at some level of society? Who knows. As I write this it is breaking news. I find it deeply disturbing and may God bless the victims and families involved.

New Superman costume 2012

This is the picture of Henry Cavill as Superman. I HATE THIS COSTUME!!!! It's too dark and where are the trunks? Cavill sure looks like the Man of Steel and he's got the build. But where are the red trunks???He looks like he's auditioning for Swan Lake in that rig out...

Uncanny X-Men #176 (1984) Random Review

This is a random review of issue I dug out of the boxes during the week..and it's pretty cool... I love this era of the Uncanny X-men because after a little bit of a lull after John Byrne left, Claremont had really hit his stride again. Not that the issues, the first 18 or so, that were done after Byrne were bad, far from it, it's just that they paled in comparison to what had come before when Byrne was co-plotting the book.

 Byrne was better at pacing a story and making the events in a storyline unravel in the most organic way. Nothing seemed forced. During their collaboration events and circumstances took the characters along and they developed.

Claremont now was on his own plotting the book and conversation and character development carried the stories instead, with a lot of action thrown in..

            Artist Paul Smith took over after Dave Cockrum left and the series looked very different. X-Men #176 was future superstar John Romita's first full art job on the book...and it looks gorgeous...

            Claremont really played up the public fear of mutants during this era, and the stories are much darker than they were during the earlier run with John Byrne, and very few artists could  capture urban decay or reality at Marvel at that time than Romita Jr. When he drew a subway scene or he took you into a darkened alley (visually, ahem!) you felt like you were there with the graffiti , cigarette smoke, pimps and just general urban sleaze.

             This world looked a hell of a lot more dangerous than the polished and perfectly coiffured artistic world of Byrne and Terry Austin, as great as that style was. Romita, unlike Cockrum, was in tune with the zeitgeist of the era. Romita Jr. was his early 20's  at the time he captured the fashions and the 'vibe' of the mid 80's perfectly.

             This issue is basically the story of Cyclops and Madelyne Prior's honeymoon as the plane they are flying becomes stranded at sea. They end up being attacked by a giant octopus and they eventually escape as Cyclops blasts it into submission and the plane starts again. Pretty basic stuff. But it is obviously intended as one issue thriller in the mould of Jaws, except with an octopus, and this works really well and the sense of peril and life threatening danger is palpable.

            Other important stuff happens in the form of interludes with a two page vignette with Wolverine in Japan trying back Mariko who jilted him at the alter after being brainwashed by mastermind. She tells Logan that she needs to take care of enemies in the form of the Yakuza as a matter of honor and then she may be free to be with Logan. The Morlocks plot against Shadowcat, and there is a governmental meeting discussing the 'mutant menace' and these interludes keep things moving  along quite nicely outside the main plot.

One to avoid....Justice League of America#227 June 1984

It's true that a good portion of any comic collection is absolute dross, and this issue of Justice League of America has to be one of the most boring, uninspired pieces of crap in my long boxes. This issue is the climax of the 'Fiat Lux' trilogy and features a generic looking Fu Manchu type, called imaginatively enough, Lord Claw and his dreadful looking winged dragons (see cover-left) The artwork is solid, if uninspired, by Chuck Patton and is written by Joey Cavalieri. The plot is as follows; the JLA defeat Lord Claw...It was the cover got me; the wave of bronze age nostalgia washed over me when I saw Black Canary's fishnets and the majestic Justice League of America Logo.A lot of the JLA issues from this era are fun and provide a not too taxing 20 minutes of escapism. But this issue had no characterization, weak generic plot, and stilted (even for the era) dialogue. I'm sorry I didn't spend the twenty or so minutes I spent with this issue cleaning underneath my cooker hood, it would have provided more entertainment value...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....


If anyone out there in the Geekosphere can point to any redeeming qualities in the comic, feel free to comment, I won't bite (hard..):-)

Iron Man #200 (One to own)

  Easily one of the best Marvel Comics of the 80's. This issue is partly the inspiration for the first Iron Man movie. It's an anniversary issue and the culmination of a mammoth storyline that stretched over 40 issues where Stark met his match in a new nemesis called Obadiah Stane who takes over Stark industries in a hostile takeover, and plays on Tony Stark's one overpowering weakness, alcohol.

              Tony hits the bottle hard after Stane manipulates Stark's business and personal life to an extreme degree. Tony's life spirals out of control as he slowly hits rock bottom, and ends up living in flopho   uses and eventually on the street with only his insatiable thirst for hard liquor providing solace.
              Writer Denny O' Neil handled Stark's descent into alcoholism with maturity and sensitivity. This was not the first time Stark battled alcohol but as good as the famous 'Demon in a Bottle' storyline was, the whole issue of Tony Stark's alcoholism was just wrapped up a little to quickly and cleanly and never referred to again until Denny O' Neil came along.

The other big development was Tony handing the Armor to his pilot James Rhodes, or Rhodey. Around issue #182. Stark truly hits rock bottom and ends up in hospital with hypothermia after being caught in a blizzard with no shelter as his fellow derelict and girlfriend gives birth. The woman dies in a touching scene but Tony and baby both live on and this whole traumatic and cathartic event sets Stark on the road to recovery as he slowly pulls himself up by the bootstraps to start up a new fledgling company in California.

Scene from Iron Man #182 as Stark roughs it out with a bottle of Bourbon.

Anyhow, at the start of #200 we learn that Stane has struck again destroying bombing Stark's new business killing one of Stark's employees,Morley Irwin, who had been a supporting character, along with his sister Cly, for the last 30 or so issues. This promotes Stark to don his new silver armor and seek a confrontation with Stane.

This armor was always my favorite Iron Man armor. It was big and bulky and interesting to look at. It looked far more powerful and technologically advanced the his older red and yellow armor. I love this dramatic splash page showing Stark's rebirth as the new and more powerful Iron Man as he dons the armor in the labs of the West Coast Avengers mansion.

What follows is a quick bit of exposition explaining what new abilities this armor has as Tony prepares for his showdown with Stane.

     As it turns out Stane has kidnapped several employees such as Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan and Mrs Arbogast all of whom he has trapped in the underground catacombs of the Stane/Stark complex.

Stane as Ironmonger; another great image by artist Mark Bright

Stane has also designed a suit of armor based on Stark's original armor called the Ironmonger and when he learns of Iron Man's approach decides to take direct action. In this scene we get a view of the new armor in action against some of Stane's lackey's

Ironmonger and Iron Man have a titanic tussle as all the employees of the company evacuate the complex. In  a truly classic moment Ironmonger takes a small baby and threatens to crush it to a pulp unless Stark takes off his helmet, leaving him vulnerable. 

In a moment of ingenuity Stark realizes that the Ironmonger armor is being controlled from within the Stane complex and unleashes his new weapons, pulse bolts, at the building and Ironmonger freezes, while Stark saves the hapless newborn, who should have died from fright as he is left to fall from 200 feet. But that's comic books; a certain suspension of disbelief always aids the reader.

Ironmonger is now defeated with no further tricks up his sleeve and in a shocking moment decides to end it all rather than give Tony Stark the satisfaction of victory. This is a moment that shocked me as an 8 year old and still is powerful today rereading it years later.

Why is this issue a classic? Very simply it has everything a good Iron Man story should have. Like all great Iron Man stories it shows that it's the resolve and character of Tony Stark to overcome his own personal failings rather it being than a souped up suit of armor that make Iron Man the hero he is. 

Stane/Ironmonger as villian is portrayed as the perfect nemesis for Stark,a man who understands what makes a man like Stark tick and plays on it to the utmost. The measure of a hero is the quality of the adversary he faces and in Stane Iron Man had truly met his match, a man with the intellect and ruthlessness to bring Stark to his knees in every sense.

.A very well written and well paced issue, full of drama and twists and turns.The truly climactic and shocking ending with Stane's suicide let you know that this is a milestone issue. The artwork of Mark Bright is a joy to behold almost as good as his work on the Armor Wars. This issue is available in the Ironmonger trade paperback, The Many Armors of Iron Man TPB and the original issue shouldn't cost more than 5 bucks for a near mint copy if you are lucky enough to happen upon it..

Classic:New Avengers:Illuminati One-Shot 2006

This issue is easily one of my favorite comics of all time. I'm not a big fan of Brian Bendis, even though I find myself enjoying much of his work. Other times I detest it with a passion. It's a real love/hate relationship. Even though ,at times, he is able to pen an extremely interesting and enjoyable story arc, it's his tics and his smart-ass dialogue and talking heads that often leave me shaking my head in abject despair. Deeply polarizing within the comic reading community, there is no taking away from his talent, even if I acknowledge that grudgingly. (He killed Hawkeye and the Vision, BASTARD!!!!!!) Only joking.
         If you were to string together every negative line of text posted about Bendis' dialogue and protracted storylines the end result would rival the meandering length of the Rhine.
         But my aim is to tip my hat at some of the good, and indeed, the great, comics of the last 30 years, and Illuminati most certainly belongs to the latter category.

Artist Alex Maleev really captures the
 tension
in this 'vote' scene.
         THE PLOT: In the wake of the Kree-Skrull war Tony Stark decides to organize a meeting with the main figureheads of the Marvel Universe; Mr Fantastic, fellow genius and leader of the Fantastic Four, Professor X of the X-Men, Blackbolt of the Inhumans, Dr Strange, the sorcerer supreme, Namor, king of Atlantis, and lastly, T'Challa, the Black Panther, king of Wakanda. It's obvious that the whole business with the earth being imperiled during the Kree-Skrull war has left Stark shaken and his pitch to the others is that they share any information they have together to prevent being caught on the 'wrong foot' the next time some cosmic entity, or whatever, threatens to destroy the earth. Sounds plausible. He also requests that the meetings are secret and that no team members or family are to know about these meetings. He maintains that all the members had little pieces of information that were not shared and had it been shared the earth would be a safer place.

Artist Alex Maleev really captures
 the  tension in this 'vote' scene

Professor X has his doubts...

       WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT IT?: I'm not a fan of retcons, I believe they show a lack of creativity and forward thinking, but Bendis has fitted the existence of the Illuminati seamlessly into the fabric of the Marvel Universe. No small feat, only the most anal of continuity freaks could really find evidence to contradict it based on past stories. The dialogue; unlike some of his other work Bendis allows each character to have their own voice (apart from Blackbolt) and shows their political and personal stance within the different stages of the Marvel Universe's development. Xavier represents the Mutants who are feared and hated in society and his primary concern is his 'dream',
Namor has no time for the surface world's problems and only cares about Atlantis and its people as its head of state. Mr Fantastic and Stark are celebrated public figures and scientists and do not have secondary concerns regarding the Illuminati's existence. Dr. Strange can see the bigger picture on a more intuitive level than either of the empiricists. It is these differences that give the story its dramatic impetus.

Favorite scene in book 'BOOM'

The caustic interplay between Namor and Iron Man is excellently handled ans Namor's underlying distrust of the smooth talking surface dweller is expressed beautifully, as is Stark's tiring of Namor's imperious and headstrong manner. This of course erupts in a great fight scene and the only physicality seen in the book.
Namor: 'I am a king.'
Stark:'Not up here you're not'
BOOM
classic...