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And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when superheroes with unusually high collars found themselves united against a common threat. Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their diminished peripheral vision has never been denied! Make way for
Confession time: I've often gone on record about how much I love the work of the late Jack Kirby...but what I haven't put on the record is the qualifier to that statement. Yeah, I know...it's borderline blasphemy to openly dislike anything by one of comics' most influential and prolific creators...but as they say, confession is good for the soul, right?
The Jack Kirby work that I adore is (and always will be) the stuff he did for Marvel Comics during the 1960's, which I regard as Kirby's artistic high point (both conceptually and visually). However, after Kirby left Marvel in the early 70's (and for the remainder of his professional career) he lost me. No longer working with a strong collaborator (such as Stan Lee) and largely freed from editorial constraint, Kirby's exploding imagination and frenetic attention span made for some spectacularly incoherent and campy storytelling. At the same time, the quality of his artwork began to slip...as an increasingly caricatured or flat-out grotesque version of his dynamic 60's work became the norm.
After a brief return to Marvel in the mid-70's (following a mutually alienating experience with DC Comics), Kirby left the Big Two behind for an independent publisher named Pacific Comics. As with all the creator-owned titles of Pacific Comics (and other indy publishers), creators like Kirby had complete creative freedom and zero editorial "interference" to do whatever the heck he wanted to do...and (unfortunately) it showed.
When Captain Victory and the Galaxy Rangers #1 hit the new phenomenon of "comic specialty shops" in the late summer of 1981, it was greeted with equal amounts of laughter and apathy from a maturing comics scene more interested in Frank Miller's gritty Daredevil comics than yet another cosmic fever dream from Kirby. Lasting only thirteen issues, it contained many of the standard Kirby cliches, yet featured artwork that was more "phoned-in" than anything of his ever published.
One of the best (worst?) examples of Kirby's disappointing decline in quality was the cover of Captain Victory #9 (1983):
Now, everyone knows that holding Jack Kirby to standards of "real" anatomy (even at his artistic pinnacle) misses the point, and would be as silly as expecting non-biased reporting from the New York Times. After all, for much of his career, Kirby defied the conventional wisdom of how figures should be drawn and move...often to great success...but towards the end of his career? Man, it got sloppy...even for Jack.
Captain Victory doesn't look so much like a human as he does an unbalanced stack of blocks, or a hastily-assembled mannequin. Shortcuts with foreshortening and perspective that worked in the past for Kirby aren't working here, as Cap's upraised left arm and the positioning of the gun in his right hand are in positions no human body (exaggerated or otherwise) could convincingly pull off (and still appear human).
Captain Victory's head, squished between his shoulders like Quasimodo, looks more like Arlene the 50-something truck stop waitress than the macho space hero he's supposed to be. And what is it with Kirby and lead characters sporting Buster Brown hair-dos?
The background monsters look like little more than notebook doodles, while the umpteenth big-headed freak ensconced in Kirby-Tech machinery does little to up the "wow" factor.
Oh, I can hear the torch and pitchfork crowd coming for me now. Yeah, I know...it's unusual to see anyone slamming anything Kirby did, but hey....sometimes it's an "Emperor's New Clothes" kind of thing that really needs to be said. After all, the lousy Kirby stuff makes the glorious stuff shine all the brighter by comparison...and its a distinction I wish more people were willing to make.
Regular readers may recall a post from
several months back that asked the question:
If you're a new reader, or don't recall the post, click here for the details. To summarize, rival publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics came out with their own spooky swamp creature character at virtually the same time:
Marvel's "Man-Thing": First appeared in the black-and-white magazine Savage Tales #1, cover dated May of 1971.
DC's "Swamp-Thing": First appeared in House of Secrets #92, cover dated June-July of 1971 (meaning it hits the stands in June).
Since comic books typically took about three or four months to create from start to finish, it's highly unlikely that DC Comics could have turned around a knockoff in only two months. It wasn't impossible, especially since Swamp Thing's debut was only an eight page story within a larger anthology title, but...as I said...highly unlikely.
Okay, now for the new wrinkle I just came across. As the original post went on to explain, the two swamp men wouldn't begin appearing regularly until the following year (Man-Thing: June of '72; Swamp Thing: October of '72). However (and here's the twist), during that intervening year, DC published The Phantom Stranger #14, cover dated July-August of 1971. Note how the cover date is a mere one month past the June-July debut of Swamp Thing, which makes it clear that DC had not one, but two swamp-men stories in the pipeline during the spring of 1971.
Making the appearance of this cover even stranger (no pun intended) is the look of the monster itself. Illustrated by Neal Adams, the "Spectre of the Stalking Swamp" is astonishingly similar to Marvel's Man-Thing. In fact, as you can see from the comparison below, all you need to do is add the tell-tale "carrot nose" and some dangling "carrots" to the existing brow ridge and you've got yourself a twin of the Man-Thing!
So...what was going on here? It was odd enough that DC came out with their Swamp Thing so close to the debut of Marvel's Man-Thing...but there they were...a month after their own swamp-man with a near-duplicate of the Man-Thing....who himself wouldn't appear in a color comic book until the following spring! Moreover, the cover date was still a bit too close to Savage Tales #1 for Adams to have (A) seen the Man-Thing artwork or (B) copy the look in time for the Phantom Stranger cover.
Of course, isn't it somehow fitting that the origins of comics' most famous swamp men would be bogged down in a mystery as murky as the swamp itself?
In the years following World War II, the concept of physical fitness suddenly became a national concern. As mechanization diminished the need for hard labor, unprecedented amounts of recreation time created a more sedentary lifestyle for Americans. Made worse by the mesmerizing (and still relatively new) influence of television, the government took notice of "The Soft American" and began promoting physical fitness throughout the country.
Although started by the Eisenhower administration, these national fitness programs were even more heavily promoted by his successor John F. Kennedy, whose youthful and vital image certainly didn't hurt the promotion. One element of this campaign was a comic book story created in conjunction with DC Comics titled "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy", in which JFK asks Superman to promote his fitness program to America's youth. However, just as the story was going to press in November of 1963, Kennedy was tragically assassinated. Out of respect for the fallen President, DC pulled the story...but after encouragement from President Johnson and the Kennedy family, they went ahead and published the story in Superman #170 (1964). For a more in-depth look at the story itself, I'll refer you to Robby Reed's excellent Dial B for Blog article for some great insights and story excerpts, but needless to say...it was an amazing (if surreal) story that marked a rare confluence of pop culture fantasy and real-world history.
As you'd expect, the story triggered quite a response from Superman's young readers. In letters printed in Superman #175, most were appropriately saddened by the tragedy, yet others couldn't help themselves when it came to more comic-booky concerns...such as Superman's secret identity:
Here's the specific panel young Miss Fox was concerned about:
Of course, no Secret Service agent (eavesdropping or otherwise) could be seen anywhere in the bright neon green Oval Office, but Rose's somewhat misplaced concern (and the editor's endearing decision to play along) is actually kinda touching.
Its brevity the key to its poignancy, an even more touching letter was printed from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was probably about ten years-old at the time:
It's this sort of thing that gives the larger-than-life drama of the Kennedy assassination an unexpectedly human component, as a young boy (albeit a somewhat famous young boy) offers a brief "thank you" on behalf of his uncle (albeit an uncle who just so happened to be the President of the United States).
They're not quite the superheroes of comic books...yet at the same time, they're something more than the costumed fans you see at comic book conventions.
Who are they? They're the so-called "real-life superheroes" we occasionally see on those "News of the Weird" websites or TV news fluff pieces. They're people from all walks of life who "hear the calling" to put on a homemade costume and fight the real crime and injustice of the cities under their "protection".
From time to time, I thought I'd shine the spotlight on some of these low-wattage champions of justice. Here's the first batch (click on their photos for a larger view, and their names for more info):
Name: Citizen Prime
Base of Operations: Phoenix, Arizona
Mission: "Finding the hero inside every man, woman and child and priming their true greatness."
Equipment: • A $4000 costume, which includes a steel-plated upper body shield designed by a professional armor maker. • Nissan X-Terra equipped with an electric stun gun • bean bag stun gun • cell phone
Quote: "I am a warrior for peace. Some call me a Real Life Super Hero. If that is true then I am the next evolution of such things."
Name: Captain Jackson
Base of Operations: Jackson, Michigan
Mission: "To work with the Police and Community Groups to create Educational programs keyed toward the promotion of Jackson."
Equipment: Pepper spray.
Quote: "I like fighting crime here."
Name: Luke Pie-Rocker
Base of Operations: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mission: "At Galactic Pizza...we see a world full of cooperation, sustainability, and harmony with our surroundings."
Equipment: Wears employer-issued spandex costume (all delivery drivers for Galactic Pizza must wear superhero costumes) • Drives a "Gizmo", a tiny, one-person electric vehicle.
Quote: "The Spandex really helps. It streamlines me."
Name: Angle Grinder Man
Base of Operations: Kent and London, England
Mission: Fighting the city’s effort to immobilize cars for parking violations, zealous traffic police officers, and "mean-spirited law enforcement".
Equipment: A large, gold-painted Angle Grinder.
Quote: "I may not be able to single-handedly and totally cast off the repressive shackles of a corrupt government - but I can cut off your wheel-clamps for you."
Name: Terrifica
Base of Operations: New York, New York
Mission: Looking out for women who've had too much to drink and are in danger of being taken advantage of by men.
Equipment: A utility belt containing pepper spray, a cell phone, lipstick, a camera to photograph alleged predators, a journal, Terrifica fortune cards, and Smarties for energy.
Quote: "I protect the single girl living in the big city."
Trust me, there are many more where these came from...so stay tuned for part two of Who's Who in the Real-World Superhero Universe!
From Detective Comics #33, 1939 (click on the panels for a larger view):
Adversary of Spider-Man and The Hulk!
700 pounds of raw, rampaging power!
Tired of the "horny" jokes.
Rhino © Marvel Comics
Click here for more Profiles in Villainy!
Back in the early 70's, in addition to my new obsession with superhero comics, I was a fan of classic movie monsters as well. One problem, though...unlike easily-obtainable comic books, I'd never seen any of those classic monster movies. You see, this was back before the era of VCR machines and video rental shops, so there was hardly any way for a kid of modest means (i.e. "no cable TV") to see famous monsters like Frankenstein, King Kong, the Wolfman, or Dracula.
However, there were a couple of monster "proxies" I could fall back on...such as movie monster paperbacks (loaded with cool photos and facts) and the great monster titles of Marvel Comics. Reading The Monster of Frankenstein, the Tomb of Dracula, and Werewolf By Night gave me at least a taste of what the elusive movie versions might have been like.
As entertaining (and genuinely creepy) as the monster comics could be, imagine my surprise when the Marvel monsters intersected with their superhero universe in Giant-Size Spider-Man and Dracula #1 (1974). Of course, Spidey and Dracula appearing together in one story wasn't exactly a hard sell...but after seeing this amazing cover by John Romita Sr., that kingly sum of 50¢ was as good as spent.
Although it's been almost thirty-four years since I first grabbed it off the stands, this cover remains one of my absolute favorites for a variety of reasons:
1. Its stars. I'm still a nut for superheroes and movie monsters, and seeing Spider-Man and Dracula share a cover never really loses its jolt.
2. The perfection of John Romita's Spider-Man....from that splayed out "Twister Board" pose to the solid physique (none of the too-skinny Spidey we see so much today), I can never get enough of the Jazzy One's wall-crawler. Oh, and the mask "eye" shapes as well. Nobody's were quite as distinctive as Romita's.
3. That fantastic color palette. The deep purple and black background help the foreground colors pop off the page, lending a 3D-feel to the Spider-Man and Dracula figures. In fact, the colors of the central figures are so strong, that the rather cluttered use of text boxes and the top-heavy logo section don't take anything away from them. That's quite a feat of design.
4. Spider-Man's web (besides directing the eye to Spider-Man) is an almost ironic element here, as the spider's traditional role of predator ("Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly") is ceded to the looming Lord of the Vampires.
5. While clearly not the shadowy, amorphous figure seen in Tomb of Dracula, Romita's somewhat slicker interpretation of the Count nonetheless preserves the essential look and feel of Gene Colan's definitive version.
6. In graphic design, the "Rule of Three" involves the arrangement of visual elements into eye-pleasing, triangular formations. This fiddling with "visual architecture" is tricky and takes years of practice to pull off in a subtle yet dynamic way. Of course, leave it up to a master like Romita to incorporate not one but two triangular formations, which keep the viewer's eye moving and dancing over the cover...yet never "allowing" the eye to entirely leave the central focus of the triangle interiors.
7. As if Spidey and Dracula weren't enough, the Human Torch pops up in the lower left corner...and to any kid, throwing in a guy who could start himself on fire and fly was always a plus.
8. Although I mentioned thinking there were too many text boxes on the cover, I have to admit I'm a sucker for that old school Marvel cover hype. Probably penned by Stan Lee protege' Roy Thomas, the wonderful tradition of breathless hyperbole continued with phrases like "First Issue Phantasmagoria" and "The Fightin', Flamin' Human Torch". To a "Bronze Age Boy" like me, it's "comfort food" in written form.
An amusing observation I once heard regarding the Silver Age (1960's) Superman comics was that there came to be so many survivors of Krypton's explosion, it seemed the only people who actually died were his parents, Jor-El and Lara.
Similarly, when I look back at DC's list of superhero casualties from the past several decades, the only one who is "not only merely dead, but really most sincerely dead" (to paraphrase the Munchkin Coroner) appears to be Barry Allen, the so-called "Silver Age Flash" who met his end during the fabled Crisis on Infinite Earths mega-event of 1985-86.
While other high-profile corpses have suddenly "gotten better" over the intervening twenty-plus years (such as Hal "Green Lantern" Jordan and Ollie "Green Arrow" Queen), DC Comics believes that Barry's revival is the one they need to resist on principle. What that principle is, and how the other resurrections don't contradict it, I have no idea.
What makes this policy even more puzzling is that Barry Allen has a far more plausible "loophole" worked into his death than just about any of the previous ex-corpses, whose revivals strained the limits of even comic book credulity. Originally, in Crisis on Infinite Earth #8 (1985), Barry's death seemed about as permanent as it could get when his hyper-lightspeed velocity disintegrated his body before our eyes :
However, three years later in Secret Origins Annual #2, a slightly (yet profoundly) different detail is added to a recounting of Barry's death (click on the page for a larger view):
Did you catch that? Instead of crumbling into dust, Barry was now transformed into a form of pure energy (while still leaving his costume behind to be found). Making the new twist even sweeter was the fact that Barry, in energy form, is mysteriously directed back through time to become the very lightning bolt responsible for granting him super-speed in the first place.
As the disembodied Barry thought to himself on the following (and final) page, "...I should've realized right from the start that electricity always travels in a circuit...and lightning can strike twice in the same place. Oh, boy...can it ever."
So, now that the perfect "escape clause" had been built into Barry's demise, what did DC do with it?
Short answer: nothing. By the time the 1990's rolled around, DC seemed more interested in giving their remaining A-listers "Extreme Makeovers" (i.e. Superman's infamous mullet; Aquaman's "Captain Hook" hand), crippling them (Batman), or killing more of them off (such as Green Lantern and Green Arrow).
Ironically, while DC continued to degrade their pantheon of heroes, it would be rival publisher Marvel Comics who'd finally utilize the Barry Allen resurrection loophole.
How'd they do it? Click here to find out!
In yesterday's post, I took a look at the death of Barry (The Flash) Allen and the perplexing policy of DC Comics to let it stand, despite an army of resurrected superheroes and a clever "escape clause" built into the character's swan song.
Enter crosstown rival Marvel Comics.
Obviously aware of DC's dormant "resurrection loophole" for the Flash, creative dynamo Mark Gruenwald took the baton and ran with it in the pages of Quasar. Appointed the "Protector of the Universe" by a godlike entity named "Eon", Quasar's adventures involved Marvel's diverse array of "cosmic" characters. In issue #17 (1990), Quasar supervises an impromptu foot race between Earth's assorted super-speedsters and a mysterious gold-plated challenger named simply "The Runner". Of course, this wasn't just any race, but a marathon sprint to the moon...with the winner enjoying the title "The Fastest One Alive" (click on the panel for a larger view).
However, shortly into the race, Quasar detects a massive energy disruption within the Runner's cosmic racetrack...resulting in the appearance of a mysterious (yet familiar) figure. Check out this entertaining three page sequence where our "new arrival" goes up against Marvel's supreme speedster Makkari (click on each page for a larger view):
Okay, what have we got here? The tattered remnants of a red costume and yellow boots? Blond hair and some really interesting quotes ("All I know is...there's this ball of energy--like lightning--inside me, filling me with the need to move..."). Still not convinced that's Barry Allen? Here....read the next couple of panels:
Okay, "Buried Alien" is a bit of an eye-roller...but still, there he was. Barry Allen...Fastest Man Alive...in the flesh, thanks to the great (and, sadly, late) Mark Gruenwald.
Ah, but wait...this wouldn't be the last appearance of pseudo-Barry. Several years later, a rematch of sorts took place in Quasar #58 as the Runner returned to stage another race...this time across the entire galaxy! One of the contestants was our old friend Buried Alien, now calling himself "Fastforward". Note the clever slam directed at the dysfunctional line of the mid-90's DC Comics (click on the panel for a larger view):
So there you have it...Marvel's pseudo-resurrection of Barry Allen in all his pseudo-glory. Sure, the stories weren't classics for the ages, and were maybe a little corny in places...but at the same time, at least someone thought enough of Barry Allen to bring the guy back...even if it was the Competition!
Will Barry eventually return to the land of the living? Maybe. In fact, just this past summer I thought it was finally going to happen (it didn't). However, there are a few clues that point to a possible return scenario for the Fastest Man Alive...but until then, the Quasar stories are the closest we're likely to get.
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #59 (1960)
(click on Shagg for a monster-size view)
Occupation: A robot warrior awaiting orders to attack mankind while disguised as the ancient Egyptian Sphinx statue.
Size: 241 feet long, 66 feet high (the actual size of the Sphinx).
Abilities: In addition to super-strength and invulnerability, Shagg could also manipulate "Cosmo-Gamma Electro-Magnetic waves" to reconfigure reality.
History: Unwittingly activated by an archaeologist exploring the Sphinx, Shagg came to life and set out on his pre-programmed mission of destruction. After trashing Paris and New York, the archaeologist explained that his activation was an accident and not part of his planet's invasion plan. Shagg, realizing he could not conquer a nuclear-armed Earth alone, used his matter reconfiguration powers to repair the damage and return to his inert Sphinx-state.
Noteable Quotes: "Shagg lives again! Earth is doomed!"
Turn-Ons: Destroying Paris • Destroying New York • Wielding Cosmo-Gamma Electro-Magnetic waves
Turn-Offs: Austin Powers
The gang over at Project Rooftop (the Superhero Fashion Site) are running a cool new contest in honor of the new Iron-Man movie and comic book series. Iron-Man: Invincible Upgrade is looking for creative redesigns of Tony Stark's armor, so I dreamed something up and sent it off to them today (click on the armor for a larger view). The contest runs through the end of March, so it'll be awhile before the judging starts..but I'll let you know if I win any of the fabulous prizes (or not).
Even if I don't win a thing, it's still fun to take a shot at redesigning the costume of such a classic character. What made the task such a challenge was the sheer number of times Iron-Man's armor has been altered and upgraded over the years. Unlike some heroes, whose costume designs are more or less static, Iron-Man has changed with the times as technology and design standards evolve...making the design of a truly original look somewhat elusive.
I didn't set out with a clear idea of where I wanted to go with the design, but after some rough sketching, I liked the "futuristic Samurai" look that was emerging, maybe with some Middle Ages mixed in there somewhere (must be the rivets). The gray metal accents are a tribute of sorts to Tony Stark's original gray armor, which ended up looking surprisingly good with the yellow and red color scheme.
Okay, now for the helmet. Yeah, it's pretty "out there", but I really wanted to make a break from the standard eye and mouth slits...and I liked the somewhat eerie look it gives him (although one man's "eerie" may be another man's "goofy"). Plus, with the death of the great Dave Stevens on my mind, it looks like a little bit of the Rocketeer may have snuck in there as well.
So, let's see where this thing goes.
More of the small details that made a BIG impression!
1. The satellite headquarters of the Justice League: Leaving their original cave hangout behind, the League moved to a spiffy new orbiting satellite in Justice League #78 (1970), undoubtedly inspired by the space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Despite the "America" portion of the team's name, the satellite seemed to elevate the League's mission to that of international or even planetary
protectors. Throw in some Star Trek-like transporters, a trophy room, chairs adorned with superhero logos, and an amazing view, and you've got yourself a headquarters
that's never quite been surpassed (before or since).
Oh, and it also taught me the altitude of geosynchronous orbit (22,300 miles above the equator). Who says comic books don't teach you anything?
2. Jay Garrick's helmet: Ever since I first glimpsed the original Flash on the back of a Justice League treasury edition,
I've been fascinated by Jay Garrick and his fellow first generation
superheroes. However, Jay's wing-adorned metal helmet has a pedigree
that goes back much further than the 1940's...all the way back
to the ancient Greek god "Hermes" (or, as the Romans called him,
"Mercury"), the fleet-footed messenger of the Olympian gods. Ah, but
as cool as that ancient/modern world connection is, a recent Jay
Garrick story revealed another amazing detail about the helmet. 
Apparently, Jay used his deceased father's World War I helmet for his Flash uniform (obviously buffing it up and adding wings), which is just unbelievably cool.
Of course, Jay didn't keep the chin strap despite traveling at
sub-light speeds and stopping on a dime (ever heard of "inertia" Jay?),
but even that illogical quirk can't stop me from loving that nifty old
helmet.
3. Iron-Man's Specialty Armors: Before toy action figures made variations of a superhero's costume a routine experience, Tony Stark was turning heads and blowing minds with a collection of super-cool specialty armors. Reserved for unique situations, these alternate versions of the Iron-Man armor were rare, but always entertaining. Starting from the top left: Deep Space Armor, Stealth Armor, Deep Sea Armor, Arctic Armor, and the intimidating Hulkbuster Armor (click on the images for a larger view).
You know that old adage "All Good Things Come in Threes"?
Well, bad things also come in threes...specifically a trio of covers from Marvel's West Coast Avengers title.
For the first several years of its decade-long run, this Avengers spin-off featured some of the most consistently bad covers I've ever seen on a single title. So much so, that it was simply too difficult to pick just one WCA cover to represent its sustained mediocrity...so I went with three of the most egregious examples:
(click on the cover images for ultra-large mediocrity)
1. West Coast Avengers #38 (1988): If Iron-Man's universally-loathed white armor or Wonder Man's wind-whipped mullet aren't enough to turn your stomach, how about Mockingbird's massive right thigh and poorly-drawn left arm to get you running for the Pepto Bismol? No? Then how about the cockamamie face perspective (and big 80's hair) of the Defiler...or the cricket-chirping boredom of that pure white background? Capping off this surreal strike-out by Tom Morgan is the claim that this would be "Their Greatest Battle Ever" (despite all evidence to the contrary).
2. West Coast Avengers #25 (1987):
Question: How do you celebrate a gala 25th issue? Answer: By staging the most awkwardly-posed cover in comics history! A better inker than he was a penciller, Al Milgrom's off-center mess of a composition desperately needed an editor's gentle intervention (as in "Back to the drawing board, Al"). With the exception of the stubby foreshortening on his left arm, Wonder Man doesn't look too bad...but the Abomination's pose is, well...an abomination! With that stunted right bicep, badly-compacted torso, and Ditko-On-Crack contortion, is it any wonder that his punch is completely missing the blue-haired superhero? In fact, it doesn't look like Wonder Man's punch is connecting either...so what exactly is generating the blinding burst of light and those random shards of debris?
3. West Coast Avengers #13 (1986): Sporting a stubby, distorted torso similar to the Abomination's...and his worst costume ever....Wonder Man (foreground) and his fellow West Coasters suffer the debilitating and embarrassing effects of Graviton's constipation ray. Once again pencilled by Al Milgrom, not even the amazing inks of Joe Sinnott could rescue this dud of a design from the fate of Worst. Cover. Ever.
They're trailblazers! They're mavericks! They're real life champions of justice from all over the world. Ladies and Gentlemen...Wave Two of "The Reals" (click on their photos for a larger view, and their names for more info):
Name: Superbarrio
Base of Operations: Mexico City, Mexico
Mission: Champion of the working class, the poor and the homeless.
Special Abilities: Leads protest rallies, files petitions and challenges court decisions
Quote: "I can't stop a plane or a train single-handed, but I can keep a family from being evicted."
Name: Foxfire
Base of Operations: Royal Oak, Michigan
Mission: "A troublemaking revolutionary dedicated to shifting the dominant paradigm."
Equipment: Various shamanic/magical implements.
Quote: "The current air of apocalyptic apathy is indicative of how much humanity has lost. Together with the rest of the Nameless Few, I will help to re-integrate humanity--as well as protect the downtrodden, the forgotten, and the helpless."
Name: Entomo the Insect Man
Base of Operations: Naples, Italy
Mission: "To make the world a fairer place, no matter how bad this can sound."
Abilities: Claims to "own" paranormal ability to tap into the "morphic field of anthropods".
Quote: "Hear my buzz, fear my bite. I inject justice."
Name: Boondoggle Girl
Base of Operations: Potsdam, New York
Mission: "I use boondoggle to fight what I hate...VILLAINY!"
Equipment: Boondoggle Boots and Boondoggle Lasso
Quote: "I sure love boondoggle."
Name: The Wallcreeper
Base of Operations: "A Colorado forest"
Mission: "To save my hometown from criminal corruption and destruction."
Abilities: Can scale difficult-to-climb buildings for observation and stealth purposes in a short amount of time. Capable of various martial arts (Hap Kido, Praying Mantis, Bagua, etc.). He claims to be a "pioneer in a semi-hypnotic skill, known as dream infiltration".
Equipment: Personalized battle suit mixed with crowd control blunt truama armor, and kevlar. Two swords (named "Twitch" and "Wind") used strictly for self defense, and a long retractable baton.
Quote: "I belong nowhere, but exist everywhere."
The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!
I'd been hearing about the infamous Fletcher Hanks for quite awhile.
So much so, that I finally decided to order Paul Karasik's I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets
Well, after receiving it in the mail earlier today....oh, absolutely!
Often referred to as the "Ed Wood of Comics", Hanks created a number of bizarre characters for Fox Comics, among them Fantomah (a female hero pre- dating Wonder Woman), Tabu the Jungle Wizard, and Stardust the Super-Wizard.
In a story reprinted from Fantastic Comics #13 (1940), Stardust...an intergalactic crime buster and "the most remarkable man ever known"... encounters the insidious threat of "Yew Bee's Fifth Column". Determined to end democracy and civilization forever, the oddly-named Yew Bee and his gang plot to overthrow the United States with their own military force. However, after Stardust arrives in the nick of time to destroy their super tanks and giant bombing planes, the Super-Wizard turns his wrath toward Yew Bee and his gang...
(click on the panels for a larger view)
Don't worry. Stardust is just getting started. Read on...
Okay, then. As you can clearly see, Fletcher Hanks' stories are every bit as strange and unsettling as the legends say they are. If you're a comics history buff...or a fan of flat-out weirdness...pick yourself up a copy of I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets.
Quite simply, it's the Excalibur of Eccentricity!
UPDATE: My little post seems to have caught the eye of the book's editor, Paul Karasik, who's also got a great Fletcher Hanks website going. Click here to read a bonus Fantomah story that doesn't appear in the book. Thanks, Paul!
In all my years of reading superhero comics, I've only come across one character who celebrates Easter, the biggest Christian holiday of the year. That character was Clark Kent's boss Perry White in Action Comics #461 (1976). It's barely a mention (circled in red below), but I'll take it.
Like Perry, I'll be spending a quiet weekend with my family during this special time (though I won't be regaling grandchildren with tales of youthful glory...not yet anyway!).
Have a great weekend (and a wonderful Easter to my fellow Christians) and I'll see you on Monday!
Although 2008 marks the 70th "birthday" of Superman, it's also the fiftieth anniversary of The Fortress of Solitude, his legendary arctic hideaway that made its first appearance in Action Comics #241, 1958 (click on the cover image for a larger view). With cover dates typically three months ahead of the actual sale date, issue #241's June cover date means it most likely hit the newsstand in March or April of 1958...in other words, right about now!
To celebrate this momentous milestone, I thought I'd devote an entire
week's worth of Comic Coverage blather to Superman's secret sanctum.
For the first 20 years of Superman's history, various private
laboratories and secret citadels were mentioned, but never formalized
with a consistent look, location, or even an official name. However, a
story in Superman #58 (1949) mentions both a location in the
"polar wastes" and the first use of the name "Fortress of Solitude".
Well, at least its first use within the Superman mythos. The term itself actually goes much further back to an old pulp (pre-superhero) character named Doc Savage, who also had a Fortress of Solitude located in the arctic.
The blue-domed arctic sanctuary of Doc Savage is discovered by the evil John Sunlight in the story The Fortress of Solitide (published in 1938).
Despite the previous history of the Fortress of Solitude term, and its brief mention in that 1949 Superman story, it would be another nine years before the aforementioned Action #241 made it the official name of Superman's home away from home. Curiously, "The Super-Key to Fort Superman" finds Superman visiting an already completed Fortress of Solitude, with no insight into how or when the structure was created. It wouldn't be until Superman #176 (1965) that Superman was actually shown scouting out the location and beginning his one-man construction project:
"All kinds of things" indeed! Be sure to tune in for all kinds of Fortress facts...and maybe even a secret or two! Coming up tomorrow: Key information on the most famous feature of the classic Fortress of Solitude!
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
As with any tour of a famous home or historic building, the best place to start my week-long tour of Superman's Fortress of Solitude is right at the front door, arguably the coolest (and most famous) front door in all of fiction.
As literally the first image of Superman I can recall seeing as a boy (which I detail here), the cover of Superman #187 (1966) combined every kid's fascination with secret clubhouses and the visual novelty of "huge stuff" into a powerful image that made me an instant convert to the fantastic world of Superman (and superhero comics in general). So, with that kind of life-altering impact, how can I not devote an entire post to that famous front stoop?
Oddly enough, the very first appearance of the golden key on the cover of Action Comics #241 (1958) looks nothing like its more robust (and familiar) appearance on page two of the story inside, making it clear that miscommunication between editors and creators has at least 50 years of history as well.
Action Comics #241: The "super skeleton key" of
the cover vs. the more familiar image on page 2.
Did you happen to catch Superman's rationale for leaving the giant key in the open snowfields, as opposed to hiding it somewhere (perhaps under a giant welcome mat)? According to Superman (who, keep in mind, was portrayed as an unparalleled super-genius at the time), his big shiny key would serve as an "arrow marker to guide planes over this lonely region"...as if giant golden arrows were a common directional indicator or pilots wouldn't be the least bit curious or suspicious of such an unusual object.
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
There's a reason his name is "Superman".
Yeah, well, besides the fact that he's got several dozen impressive super powers, I think part of the whole "super" thing is his clear and well-documented love of doing things in a BIG way.
In other words, there's our modest, regular-guy way of doing things, and then there's the SUPERMAN way of doing things...as I'll demonstrate in a quick stroll through his Fortress of Solitude.
For example, we enjoy warm showers...while Superman enjoys the white-hot cleansing power of his super blowtorch, located just inside the Fortress door.
Regular people sometimes keep a discreet diary or journal. Superman keeps a giant diary with metal pages he inscribes with either his heat vision or his fingernails!
We've got the electric paper shredder.
Superman? An atomic disintegrator pit.
Just as regular people keep small animals captive in confining cages, Superman keeps the huge creatures of his Interplanetary Zoo stuffed like sardines in plexi-glass cages with no room to turn around or visible form of nourishment.
As kids, we gazed in wonder at the complex mini-societies of ant farms....which Superman easily tops with Kandor, an entire Kryptonian society shrunken and imprisoned within a glass bottle by the evil Brainiac.
Us? A modest collection of useful household tools. Him? Take a wild guess...
Finally, the average person proudly displays a photo or two of their parents, right? Ah, but when you're Superman, you proudly display lifelike 30 ft. statues of your parents holding your birthworld aloft.
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
Part of Superman's motivation in building the Fortress of Solitude was for it to be a temporary refuge from his enormous responsibilities....where he could engage in various hobbies and activities free from the demands of his frantic schedule. In short, it was a place for him to enjoy a little "me time" (as our Oprah-fied society might put it).
So...what did he do when he visited that icy clubhouse of his?
...and you know, nothing quite relaxes a guy more than watching a
simulation of his native world exploding over and over and over again.
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
As you've seen over the past several days, the Fortress of Solitude is a pretty amazing place. With its immense scale and unique exhibits, Superman's arctic hideaway exemplifies all the greatness and nobility of comics' original superhero.
Er....except for the Friendship Exhibit wing, which reveals some astonishingly bizarre and disturbing aspects of the Man of Steel...or in this case: The Stalker of Steel!
Sure, much of the strangeness of the Friendship Exhibit panels can be attributed to the slam-bang pacing of 50's and 60's comic books, where any attempt at poignancy or emotional shading was usually steamrolled by the frantic 8-page story format. So, instead of providing deep insight into the hero's human friendships, the "emotional shorthand" of that era's comics made Superman's Friendship Exhibits come across as a little nutty or (at times) deeply insane.
Case in point: Not only did Superman make wax statues of his costumed friends (Batman and Robin) and family (Supergirl), but he also stuck statues of their secret identities right next to them...complete with handy labels (a common compulsion of the Silver Age Superman Family).
Why would Superman, whose powers included a perfect memory, need a physical reminder of what his friends looked like and what their real names were? Even if you allow for the occasional memory gap, ever hear of "photo albums"? Also...think about it: a secret fort filled with a small army of mannequins that look like your friends and family...that you made and dressed yourself. Worrisome.
Anything crazier than making wax dummies of your loved ones?
Yeah...making wax dummies of yourself (with labels)...
and then putting them in a room dedicated to yourself.
Oh, yeah...in case you're wondering why Superman was fiddling with circuit boards on the Batman, Robin, and Supergirl statues, he was rigging all of the statues (including his own) to instantly explode when an intruder entered the Fortress of Solitude. Shrewd...or stone-cold crazy? You be the judge!
When he wasn't booby-trapping wax statues of his loved ones, Superman was creating elaborate rooms (or, more accurately, "shrines") dedicated to his closest friends.
In one story, Clark Kent's boss Perry White accidentally gains mind-warping superpowers and invades the Fortress, taking the battle straight into the Perry White Room:
Although it's hard to get any crazier than a pot-bellied Perry White dressed in a superhero costume and brandishing a Kryptonite sword to attack a lead-encased Superman, take a closer look at the tiny house in the background.
That's right...a tiny scale model of Perry White's home! It's bad enough Superman has a room dedicated to his boss, but taking the time to build a tiny replica of his home? Stark. Raving. Mad.
Naturally, Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane also received her own Friendship Exhibit room...though I'd imagine more than a few women might be creeped out by a room plastered with paintings, photos, and busts of their image.
For the handful of you ladies unruffled by such a spectacle, how about beholding a lock of your hair under glass?
Beyond the stalker-like intensity of this room is the added dimension of Superman's death fixation. Located within each exhibit is a final gift Superman intends to give to that person upon his death. For Lois Lane, Superman was creating a necklace of perfect pearls, as he reminds himself in the panel below:
In the Jimmy Olsen room, Superman refers to himself in the third person (yet another sign of mental illness) as he builds a homemade sports car for his young pal...
Finally, a Robot Detective was ready to make Batman's life alot easier upon Superman's death. But...if he's such a great friend, and defeating crime is Batman's driving mission, why wouldn't Superman give the contraption to him right now?
Of course, it's a little silly to expect logic from such an obviously addled mind. As great as the Fortress of Solitude is, perhaps too much solitude can make you a little crazy. The hair-collecting, model-house-building, exploding-wax dummy kind of crazy.
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
Of all the unique features of the Fortress of Solitude we've seen so far, there's one section that Superman considered "special" above all the rest. Instead of revealing it right away, let's take a look around the room to see what might make it so special:
Green shag carpeting?
A snazzy space-age table lamp?
A tasteful green sofa with pink throw pillows?
Posters of clean-cut teenage boys?
By this point, you're probably getting a little concerned about Superman and his "special wing"...but rest assured, this trendy early 60's room didn't belong to Superman, but to his teenage cousin Supergirl!
Leading a low profile as "Superman's secret weapon" for her first few years on Earth, cousin Kal-El finally revealed Supergirl to the world in Action Comics #285 (1962). Following a day of overwhelming public adulation, Superman surprised Kara Zor-El with her own special wing of the Fortress of Solitude!
(click on the panel for a larger view)
Sure, you could quibble on why Superman waited years before he allowed Supergirl to have her own tiny section of his Fortress, but considering the primary demographic of Action Comics at the time (i.e. teeming hordes of pre-teen boys), admitting a girl into what was essentially the ultimate "boys' clubhouse" was a big step that just couldn't be rushed into.
Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude
After a full week of examining Superman's classic Fortress of Solitude, I thought my final installation of The Fortress at 50 could take a look back at all of Superman's secret hideaways...from the very first to the most recent. Ready? Here we go (deep breath):
1. The Secret Citadel: Superman's first "home away from home" appeared in Superman #17 (1942). With "hands flying like piston rods", Superman carved his first fortress into a mountain range somewhere near Metropolis. I've always loved its Art Deco design and the huge S-emblem of that magnificent entry way. The Secret Citadel was later designated as the Fortress of the so-called "Earth-2 Superman", an alternate version of Superman who's history mirrored the earliest Superman stories.
Note: Before and after the Secret Citadel's handful of appearances, there were also mentions of vague locations such as Clark Kent's "laboratory" (Action Comics #32, 1941) and Superman's "hidden laboratory" (World's Finest #11, 1943), which may or may not have been part of the Secret Citadel.
2. The "Polar Wastes" Fortress of Solitude: The term "Fortress of Solitude" and an Arctic location are mentioned for the first time in Superman #58 (1949), which depicts a castle-like structure encased in ice...looking more like Santa's North Pole workshop than the Fortress we're all familiar with. A hearty "thank you" to a fellow Superman fan for locating this hard-to-find panel for me! I saw it for the first time only a few days ago!
3. The Fortress of Solitude: Nine years after its proto-appearance in Superman #58, Action Comics #241 (1958) saw the official debut the classic Fortress of Solitude, an enduring favorite of many (including yours truly). This version enjoyed a whopping 28 year run (the longest of any Fortress) before DC packed it away in 1986 (more on that later). Check out some of my previous posts for more information on this version.
4. The Undersea Fortress: A few months later in Action Comics #244, Superman created an undersea version of his Fortress of Solitude, later ceding it to the people of Atlantis for their use. Note the repetition of the "golden door with giant key hole" motif.
5. The Outer Space Fortress: In Action Comics #261 (1960) it was revealed that Superman had tried two alternate Fortress locations before settling on the Arctic location. The first was in outer space inside of a hollow meteor:
6. The Center of the Earth Fortress: When Superman's Outer Space Fortress didn't work out (after being attacked by an evil space entity), he relocated the hollowed out meteor to the molten center of planet Earth. His stay was short-lived after he was attacked by a race of hostile fire people.
Continue reading "The Fortress at 50: A Final Fortress Flyover" »
It looks like it's official:
Earth-2 is back!
(Click on the image to the left for a larger view)
I've been dying to talk about this since it broke last week, but considering I was up to my eyeballs in Fortress of Solitude stuff, I decided to hold off until now.
Released as an official "teaser image" from DC Comics, this summer's Justice Society of America Annual #1 promises to bring some clarity to the hints and mysteries surrounding the long-lost (yet fondly regarded) cast of "Earth-2" characters. For those of you unfamiliar with who they were and what role they played in DC history, start here for a crash course...but for those who do recognize these shimmering figures (magnificently painted by Alex Ross), I'm guessing you're as ecstatic as I am.
First, I won't bother identifying all the characters, since Newsarama's Troy Brownfield provided a thorough "roll call" here. Second, let's get the dreary disclaimers out of the way: Yes, I realize these may not be the actual Earth-2 characters I remember. I also understand how DC's need to generate hype, the vagaries of multiple realities, and fickle editorial whims can create a "mirage" of false assumptions (I fall for it here). I get the "it might be a trick" and "it's too good to be true" objections. Oh...and yes...I do realize there are many people who don't know about, don't care about, or don't want to hear about older characters or nostalgia of any kind...and to those people I say, "Why in the world are you reading 'Comic Coverage', then?".
There...did I cover all the bases? Good....then let's get to my thoughts on the teaser image and some of its implications...
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