Category: Graphic Novels

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Batman Archives volume 4


By Bill Finger, Don Cameron, Joseph Greene, Dick Sprang & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-414-9

Debuting a year after Superman, “The Bat-Man” (and later Robin, the Boy Wonder) cemented National Comics as the market and genre leader of the nascent comicbook industry, becoming the epitome of swashbuckling derring-do and keen human-scaled adventure.

This fourth scintillating deluxe hardback chronicles Batman yarns from Detective Comics #87-102 (cover-dated May 1944-August 1945) and is particularly special since it almost exclusively features the artwork of unsung genius Dick Sprang, revealing how he slowly developed into the character’s primary and most well-regarded illustrator during a period when most superhero features experienced a gradual downturn and eventual – albeit temporary – extinction.

Sprang even drew the lion’s share of the stunning covers reproduced here – the remainder being divided between Jerry Robinson, Bob Kane, Jack Burnley and inker George Roussos…

No less crucial to the Dynamic Duo’s ever-burgeoning popularity were the sensitive, witty, imaginative and just plain thrilling stories from an exceedingly talented stable of scripters such as Joe Greene, Don Cameron, Edmund Hamilton, Mort Weisinger, Alvin Schwartz and original co-creator Bill Finger: all diligently contributing as Batman and Robin grew into a hugely successful media franchise.

One final point of possible interest: Sprang actually began drawing Batman tales in 1941 and editor Whitney Ellsworth, cognizant of his new find’s talent and the exigencies of the war effort, had the 26-year old former Pulp illustrator frantically drawing as many stories as he could handle, which were then stockpiled against the possibility of one, some or all of his artists being called up.

Thus many yarns were published “out of order”, and when read now it might seem as if Sprang’s style occasionally advanced and regressed. It’s no big deal – I just thought you’d like to know…

Sprang pencilled, inked, lettered and coloured most of his assignments during this period, aided and abetted by his wife Lora, who used the professional pseudonym Pat Gordon for her many lettering and colouring jobs on Superboy, Superman and Batman stories.

After a fond reminiscence from Sprang himself in the Foreword, the dramas begin to unfold in Detective #87’s ‘The Man of a Thousand Umbrellas’ written by Joseph Greene.

The Penguin had a bizarre appeal and the Wicked Old Bird had his own cover banner whenever he resurfaced, as in this beguiling crime-spree highlighting his uncanny arsenal of weaponised parasols, brollies and bumbershoots.

As World War II staggered to a close and home-front fears subsided, spies gradually gave way to more home-grown threats and menaces. Issue #88 offered a nasty glimpse at true villainy when ‘The Merchants of Misery’ – also by Greene – pitted the Dynamic Duo against merciless and murderous loan sharks preying on poverty-stricken families, whilst ‘Laboratory Loot!’ by Don Cameron in #89, saw the return of flamboyant crime enthusiast The Cavalier, forced to join temporarily forces with Batman to thwart petty gangsters stealing loot he’d earmarked as his own…

Detective Comics #90 featured ‘Crime Between the Acts!’ (Greene) as the Caped Crusaders followed a Mississippi Riverboat full of crooked carnival performers from one plundered town to another, before Edmond Hamilton scripted a terrifically twisty tale in ‘The Case of the Practical Joker’, wherein some crazy and wisely anonymous prankster began pulling stunts and have fun at the Harlequin of Hate’s expense.

Greene revealed ‘Crime’s Manhunt’ in #92, with a particularly nasty band of bandits turning to bounty hunting and turning in all their friends and associates for hefty rewards. Once they’d run out of pals to betray they simply organised jailbreaks to provide more crooks to catch: a measure the Dark Knight took extreme umbrage with…

Bill Finger scripted the next two issues beginning with ‘One Night of Crime!’ in #93. Ed Kressy laid out the art – which leads me to suspect that this was one of the earlier Sprang inventory tales – and the story itself is a cracker: a portmanteau human interest yarn in actuality starring the ordinary folk who got on a Gotham Tour Bus just before it was hijacked by brutally casual killers. Cue Batman and Robin…

‘No One Must Know!’ in #94 was another poignant and moving melodrama with the Gotham Gangbusters tracking a pack of thugs to the little hamlet of Meadowvale, where they recognised the village’s most decent, beloved and respected patriarch as an escaped convict…

Next comes an originally untitled yarn here dubbed ‘The Blaze’, written by Mort Weisinger and outlining the short and fantastically impressive career of a brilliant criminal mastermind who organised all Gotham’s gangsters and almost outsmarted Batman. Almost…

In #96 Cameron and Sprang showed their flair for light comedy with ‘Alfred, Private Detective!’ as Bruce Wayne’s dedicated manservant finally realised his ambition to set up as a crime-busting Private Eye – with bombastically mixed success – whilst in #97 ‘The Secret of the Switch!’, by Greene, offered a baffling mystery when a dead criminal confessed from beyond the grave and led the Caped Crusaders into a deadly trap.

A bored banker tried to become an idle philanthropist in #98’s ‘The King of the Hoboes!’ (Cameron) but found that his money was too big a lure for a couple of crafty conmen – until Batman stepped – in whilst the perfidious Penguin’s cool, cruel and preposterous scheme to commit ‘The Temporary Murders!’ (#99 and Cameron again) proved once more that the Darknight Detective was far too slick for him…

Issue #100 featured ‘The Crow’s Nest Mystery!’ by Cameron, Jack Burnley & Charles Paris (although the art seems more reminiscent of young Winslow Mortimer to me) with Batman and Robin exposing a cunning smuggling scam in a spooky old house, after which a desperate mother left her appallingly badly-behaved babies with Bruce and Dick in ‘The Tyrannical Twins!’

The hilarious result was the exposure and capture of a gang of ruthless jewel thieves and a near nervous breakdown for long-suffering babysitter Alfred in a wry cracker from Cameron and Sprang before the Joker returned to close this volume on a spectacular high note in #102’s ‘The House that was Held for Ransom!’ (written by Alvin Schwartz) wherein the Clown Prince of Crime astoundingly abducted a recluse’s mansion, lock stock and barrel, and led Batman a merry chase to near disaster before his eventual, inevitable defeat…

These spectacular yarns provide a perfect snapshot of the Batman’s amazing range from bleak moody avenger to suave swashbuckler, from remorseless Agent of Justice to best pal to sophisticated Devil-may-care Detective in timeless tales which have never lost their edge or their power to enthral and beguile. Moreover, this supremely sturdy Archive Edition is indubitably the most luxurious and satisfying way to enjoy them over and over again.
© 1944, 1945, 1998 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Power Pack and Cloak & Dagger: Shelter from the Storm – a Marvel Graphic Novel


By Bill Mantlo, Sal Velluto, Mark Farmer & Julie Michel (Marvel)
ISBN: 0-87135-601-5

During the 1980s American comicbooks experienced a magical proliferation of new titles and companies following the creation of the Direct Sales Market. With publishers now able to firm-sell straight to retail outlets rather than overprint and accept returned copies from non-specialised shops, the industry was able to support less generic titles and creators were able to experiment without losing their shirts.

In response Marvel developed its own line of creator-owned properties and concentrated a lot of resources into the development of high quality original graphic novels: mixing said creator-owned properties, licensed assets and new series launches in oversized and key Marvel Universe tales (such as this one) in extravagant over-sized packages (a standard 285mm x 220mm rather than the now customary 258 x 168mm) which always felt and looked like far more than an average comicbook no matter how good, bad or offbeat the contents might have been.

Cloak and Dagger were created by Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan (first appearing in Spectacular Spider-Man #64 March 1982); two juvenile runaways who fell into the clutches of drug-pushing gangsters. As part of a group of other abducted kids they were used as guinea pigs for new designer drugs but when all the others died horribly Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen were mutated by the chemical cocktail into something more – and less – than human.

Isolated, alone, and vengeful they determined to help other lost kids and hunt drug dealers and all who preyed on the weak in the blackest corners of New York City, popping up all over the Marvel Universe and periodically winning and losing a number of short-lived series all their own.

Cloak is connected to a dimension of darkness; able to teleport, become intangible, and terrifyingly amplify and feed on the wickedness in people. His unceasing hunger for these negative emotions must be regularly if only temporarily sated by super-acrobat Dagger’s dazzling radiance. Her power too has advantages and hazards. The power can cleanse the gnawing dependency afflicting addicts, but constantly, agonizingly, builds up within her when not released. Thus Cloak’s incessant hunger can be assuaged by her light-knives and his apparently insatiable darkness provides a vital method of bleeding off the luminescent pressure within Dagger.

One of the most explored themes of their extended epic was the true nature of their abilities: were they monsters, mutants, transformed humans or were even greater spiritual forces at play in their origins and operations?

Power Pack, created by Louise Simonson & June Brigman in 1984, were four pre-teen siblings given a rare chance to shine in a world dominated by adults after a race of alien marauders kidnapped their parents. Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power were befriended by the patriarch of a rival extraterrestrial species who gave his life to save the galaxy and bequeathed his incredible abilities and sentient “Smart-ship” Friday to the valiant children who aided him in his final struggle.

The distraught and horrified kids inherited his fantastic abilities (one each) and, with the guidance and assistance of Friday, the super-powered kids decided to fight for truth and justice – after doing their homework and whenever possible before bed-time!

In Shelter from the Storm writer Bill Mantlo and art-team Sal Velluto, Mark Farmer and Julie Michel explore the nature and reasoning of runaway teens when Marjorie Rifkin discovers that her obsessively protective parents have sabotaged all her college applications, determined that she should marry and stay in their sheltered little town of Russet Corners. Meanwhile, on the other side of the tracks Juan Cordova again defends his mother and younger brother and sister from his drunken, abusive father before fleeing the house in fear of his life.

Although worlds apart, Marjorie and Juan are united in their desire to get way and as the strangers meet on a bus to New York, desperate friendship blossoms…

Meanwhile in Manhattan a news report about the Safe Refuge Shelter for runaways blends with a bedtime story of Hansel and Gretel and little Katie Power succumbs to nightmares of abandonment and loss…

When Marjorie and Juan hit the Port Authority Bus Terminal they are immediately targeted by pimps and chicken-hawks but rescued by Cloak and Dagger. In the brutal struggle the luminescent Tandy Bowen receives a savage blow to the head and wanders off, dazed and confused, unnoticed by her rampaging partner Ty Johnson…

Carrying Dagger, Juan and Marjorie make their way to Safe Refuge whilst the enraged Cloak’s ravening hunger and grim fury gives way to despair. With few allies to call on, the Demon of Darkness enlists the aid of Power Pack to help him find his symbiotic soul-mate…

Wise beyond her years, Julie suggests shelters such as Safe Refuge, but even as they make their way there – without their parent’s knowledge – Dagger, Marjorie and Juan have stumbled onto more problems.

In the City’s harsh social climate, Safe Refuge is facing closure. It can only stay open if enough runaways use it, but so many are defecting to new and upcoming residence The Shelter Society that it might die for lack of funds and occupants. Moreover, many of the residents are simply disappearing…

By the time Cloak and Power Pack arrive, Dagger, Marjorie and Juan have been kidnapped and forcibly dragged to the new home, rapidly discovering its horrifying secret: The Shelter Society is nothing more than a gigantic honey-trap run by a ghastly mutated travesty called Cadaver who feeds on the life energy of humans. Naturally his favoured repast is those dregs that society refuses to acknowledge and won’t miss if they vanish without fuss forever…

Even before Power Pack and the increasingly desperate Cloak arrive to save the day, former helpless victims Juan and Marjorie have taken their first steps towards true independence by escaping and striking back at Cadaver and his legion of drained, zombie mind slaves…

Produced in conjunction with and offering solid advice and contact information for homeless kids from the Nineline National Runaways Hotline service, this worthy tale never strays far from the point that to be effective, a message has to be entertaining too, and the dark drama has all the necessary action, adventure, thrills and spills to keep readers glued to this great-looking graphic page turner.
© 1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Legion of Super Hero Archives volume 7


By Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, George Klein, Pete Costanza, Jim Mooney & Sheldon Moldoff (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-398-3

Once upon a time, in the far future, a band of super-powered kids from a multitude of worlds took inspiration from the greatest hero of all time and formed a club of champions. One day those Children of Tomorrow came back in time and invited their inspiration to join them…

And thus began the vast and epic saga of the Legion of Super-Heroes in early 1958, just as the revived comicbook genre of superheroes was gathering an inexorable head of steam. Since that time the fortunes and popularity of the Legion have perpetually waxed and waned, with their future history constantly tweaked and rebooted, retconned and overwritten time and time again to comply with editorial diktat and popular whim.

This stunning and sturdy, action packed seventh full-colour deluxe hardback collection re-presents tales from the disparate Superman Family titles which saw the early zenith of the team in sagas from their own feature spanning Adventure Comics #359-367 from August 1967 to April 1968 cover-dates, with a Legion-starring tale from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #106 (October 1967) thrown in at no extra cost.

This period completed the Tomorrow Team’s transformation from wholesome, humorous and generally safe science fiction strip into a grittily determined army of galactic warriors dedicated to universal peace and, after an effusive and fulsome Foreword from sometime Legion scripter Tom Peyer, the action starts fast, picks up speed and just keeps going…

The architect of the transformation was teenaged sensation Jim Shooter, whose scripts and layouts (generally finished and inked by veterans Curt Swan & George Klein) made the series accessible to a generation of fans growing up in the Future…

Adventure #359 found the entire team of once-beloved and trusted champions disbanded and on the run as ‘The Outlawed Legionnaires!’ thanks to the manipulations of a devious old foe, only to rousingly regroup and comprehensively counter-attack in #360’s conclusion ‘The Legion Chain Gang!’

Once again restored to their position as a key component of United Planets Security in ‘The Unkillables!’, a small superhero squad consisting of Bouncing Boy, Duo Damsel, Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, Karate Kid, Shrinking Violet, Superboy, Star Boy, Collossal Boy, Light Lass and Brainiac 5 were then assigned to protect alien ambassadors the Dominators from political agitators, assassins and a hidden traitor in a tense thriller illustrated by Jim Mooney, after which ‘The Lone Wolf Legion Reporter!’ (Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #106, by Shooter & Pete Costanza) found the young newsman seconded to the 30th century to help with the club newspaper. Sadly he was far better at making news than publishing it…

Adventure Comics #362 found the Legion scattered across three worlds as mad scientist Mantis Morlo refused to let environmental safety interfere with his experiments in ‘The Chemoids are Coming!’, resulting in a lethally ‘Black Day for the Legion!’…

Shooter & Costanza then topped their gripping two-parter by uncovering ‘The Revolt of the Super-Pets!’ in #364, when the crafty rulers of planet Thanl attempted to seduce the animal adventurers  Krypto, Streaky, Beppo the Super-Monkey, super-horse Comet and amorphous telepathic blob Proty II from their rightful – subordinate – positions with sweet words and palatial new homes…

When the isolated world of Talok 8 went dark and became an ultra-militaristic threat to the UP, their planetary champion Shadow Lass led Superboy, Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy and Karate Kid on a reconnaissance mission which resulted in the disastrous ‘Escape of the Fatal Five!’ – illustrated by the returning Swan & Klein, whose time was increasingly being taken up with work in Superman and Action Comics).

The despicable quintet then almost conquered the UP itself and were only frustrated by the defiant, last ditch efforts of the battered heroes in the blistering conclusion ‘The Fight for the Championship of the Universe!’

In grateful thanks the Legion were gifted with a vast new HQ but before the paint was even dry a vast paramilitary force attempted to invade the slowly rebuilding planet Earth in #367’s ‘No Escape from the Circle of Death!’ (with additional inking by Sheldon Moldoff) ending this classic collection with a blockbuster battle and revelatory encounter which would reshape DC continuity in the years to come…

The Legion is unquestionably one of the most beloved and bewildering creations in comicbook history and largely responsible for the growth of the groundswell movement that became American Comics Fandom.

Moreover, these scintillating and seductively addictive stories – as much as Julie Schwartz’s Justice League – enflamed the interest and imaginations of a generation of young readers and underpinned the industry we all know today.

If you love comics and haven’t read this stuff, you are the poorer for it and need to enrich your future life as soon as possible.
© 1967, 1968, 1997 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends


By Zeb Wells, Joe Madureira, Greg Land, Leinil Francis Yu, Jay Leisten & Gerardo Alanguilan (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-509-3

Since Spider-Man first joined the Avengers he has spent a lot of time questioning his worth and fittingness and that nervous insecurity informs this delightful compendium of brief sidebar stories starring the wall-crawler and individual members of the World’s Mightiest Heroes in team-up action.

Collecting the first five issues of team-up title The Avenging Spider-Man, which began at the end of 2011 – presumably to capitalise on the then-impending Avengers film release – this engaging and upbeat compendium is as big on laughs as mayhem, as you’d expect with award-winning Robot Chicken scripter Zeb Wells at the keyboard…

The madcap mayhem begins with a three-part collaboration illustrated by Joe Madureira and co-starring military monolith Red Hulk wherein the subterranean Moloids once ruled over by the Mole Man attack during the New York Marathon and kidnap Mayor J. Jonah Jameson.

The only heroes available are the criminally mismatched and constantly bickering web-spinner and Crimson Colossus, who follow, by the most inconvenient and embarrassing method possible, the raiders back into the very bowels of the Earth…

There they discover that an even nastier race of deep Earth dwellers, the Molans, led by a brutal barbarian named Ra’ktar, have invaded the Mole Man’s lands and now are intent on taking the surface too. The only thing stopping them so far is a ceremonial single-combat duel between the monstrous Molan and the surface world “king” Mayor Jameson…

Understandably Red Hulk steps in as JJJ’s champion, with the Wall-crawler revelling in his own inadequacies and insecurities again, but when Ra’ktar kills the Scarlet Steamroller (don’t worry kids, it’s only a flesh wound: a really, really deep, incredibly debilitating flesh wound) Spider-Man has to suck it in and step up, once more defeating impossible odds and saving the day in his own inimitable, embarrassing and hilarious way…

Next up is a stand alone story pairing the web-spinner with the coolly capable and obnoxiously arrogant Hawkeye (limned by Greg Land & Jay Leisten) which superbly illustrates Spider-Man’s warmth, humanity and abiding empathy as the fractious allies foil an attempt by the sinister Serpent Society to unleash poison gas in the heart of the city, but without doubt the undisputed prize here is a magical buddy-bonding yarn featuring Captain America which charismatically concludes this compendium.

The wonderment begins when some recently rediscovered pre-WWII comics strips by ambitious and aspiring kid-cartoonist Steve Rogers leads to a mutual acknowledgement of both Cap and Spidey’s inner nerd… and just in case you’ve no soul, there’s also plenty of spectacular costumed conflict as the Avengers track down and polish off the remaining scaly scallywags of the Serpent Society in a cracking yarn illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu & Gerardo Alanguilan…

By turns outrageous, poignant, sentimental, suspenseful and always intoxicatingly action-packed, this is a welcome return to the good old fun-stuffed thriller frolics Spider-Man was born for…

™ & © 2012 Marvel and subs. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. through Panini S.p.A, Italy. All Rights Reserved. A British edition published by Panini UK, Ltd.

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Showcase Presents Superman volume 4


By Edmond Hamilton, Robert Bernstein, Jerry Siegel, Leo Dorfman, Al Plastino, Curt Swan, George Klein & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1271

By the time of the stories collected in this fabulous fourth monochrome compendium Superman was truly a global household name, with the burgeoning mythology of lost Krypton, modern Metropolis and the core cast familiar to most children and many adults.

The Man of Tomorrow was just beginning a media-led burst of revived interest.

In the immediate future, television exposure, a rampant merchandising wave thanks to the Batman-led boom in superheroes generally, highly efficient world-wide comics, cartoon, bubblegum cards and especially toy licensing deals would all feed a growing frenzy. Everything was working to keep the Last Son of Krypton a vibrant yet comfortably familiar icon of modern, Space-Age America: particularly the constantly evolving, ever-more dramatic and imaginative comicbook stories…

The tales in this tome span October 1962-February 1964 culled from Action Comics #293-309 and Superman #157-166 and increasingly saw the Man of Tomorrow facing more fantastic physical threats and critical personal and social challenges.

Action Comics #293 gets things off to a fine start with ‘The Feud Between Superman and Clark Kent!’ by Edmond Hamilton & Al Plastino, as another exposure to the randomly metamorphic Red Kryptonite divided the Metropolis Marvel into a rational but powerless mortal and an aggressive, out of control superhero, determined to continue his existence at all costs…

Superman #157 (November 1962) opened with a key new piece of the ongoing legend as ‘The Super-Revenge of the Phantom Zone Prisoner!’ by Hamilton, Curt Swan & George Klein introduced permanently power-neutralising Gold Kryptonite and Superman’s Zone-o-phone – allowing him to monitor and communicate with the incarcerated inhabitants – in a stirring tale of injustice and redemption.

Convicted felon Quex-Ul used the device to petition Superman for release since his sentence has been served, and despite reservations the fair-minded hero could only agree.

However further investigation revealed Quex-Ul had been framed and was wholly innocent of any crime, but before Superman could make amends for the injustice he had to survive a deadly trap which the embittered and partially mind-controlled parolee had laid for the son of the Zone’s discoverer…

The issue also contained a light-hearted espionage-sting yarn as the Action Ace became ‘The Super-Genie of Metropolis!’ (Robert Bernstein & Plastino) as well as ‘Superman’s Day of Doom!’ by Jerry Siegel, Swan & Klein, wherein a little kid saves the Man of Steel from a deadly ambush set during a parade in the hero’s honour.

Action #294 then offered a classic duel between Superman and Lex Luthor in ‘The Kryptonite Killer!’ (Hamilton & Plastino) wherein the obsessed scientist creates elemental humanoids to destroy his hated foe, whilst #295’s ‘Superman Goes Wild!’ featured an insidious plot by the Superman Revenge Squad to drive the hero murderously insane – courtesy of creators Bernstein, Swan & Klein.

Issue #158 of his solo title featured the full-length epic ‘Superman in Kandor!’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein) which saw raiders from the preserved Kryptonian enclave attacking the Man of Steel in ‘Invasion of the Mystery Supermen’, describing him as a traitor to his people. Baffled, Superman infiltrated the Bottle City with Jimmy Olsen where they created the costumed identities of Nightwing and Flamebird to become ‘The Dynamic Duo of Kandor!’ and discovered the answer to the enigma before saving the entire colony from utter destruction in ‘The City of Super-People!’

Action #296 seemed to offer a simple man vs. monster saga in ‘The Invasion of the Super-Ants!’ (Hamilton & Plastino) but the gripping yarn also had a sharp plot twist and timely warning about nuclear proliferation, whilst in #297 ‘The Man Who Betrayed Superman’s Identity!’ by Leo Dorfman, Swan & Klein, veteran newsman Perry White was tricked into solving the world’s greatest mystery after a bump on the head gave him amnesia.

Whilst Editor Mort Weisinger was expanding the series’ continuity and building the legend, he learned that each new tale was an event which added to a nigh-sacred canon and that what he printed was deeply important to the readers. However as an ideas man he wasn’t going to let that aggregated “history” stifle a good plot situation, nor would he allow his eager yet sophisticated audience to endure clichéd Deus ex Machina cop-outs which would mar the sheer enjoyment of a captivating concept.

Thus “Imaginary Stories” were conceived as a way of exploring non-continuity plots and scenarios, devised at a time when editors believed that entertainment trumped consistency and fervently believed that every comic read was somebody’s first and, unless they were very careful, their last…

This volume’s first Imaginary Novel follows, taken from Superman #159 wherein ‘Lois Lane, the Super-Maid of Krypton!’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein) saw a baby girl escape Earth’s destruction by rocketing to another world in ‘Lois Lane’s Flight from Earth!’ befriending young Kal-El and growing to become a mighty champion of justice.

She clashed with ‘The Female Luthor of Krypton!’ and saved the world over and again before tragically enduring ‘The Doom of Super-Maid!’ at a time when attitudes apparently couldn’t allow a girl to be stronger than Superman – even in an alternate fictionality…

Dorfman, Swan & Klein produced ‘Clark Kent, Coward!’ in Action #298 wherein a balloon excursion dumped Jimmy, Lois and the clandestine crusader in a lost kingdom whose queen found the timid buffoon irresistible. Unfortunately the husky hunks of the hidden land took great umbrage with her latest fascination…

In his eponymous publication the hero temporarily lost his powers in ‘The Mortal Superman!’ (#160 by Dorfman &Plastino) and almost died in ‘The Cage of Doom!’, before his merely human wits proved enough to outsmart a merciless crime syndicate, after which the mood lightened when, fully restored, he became ‘The Super-Cop of Metropolis!’ to outwit a gang of spies in a classy “why-dunnit” by Siegel, Swan & Klein.

Action #299 revealed the outlandish story behind ‘The Story of Superman’s Experimental Robots!’ in a truly bizarre tale from Siegel & Plastino, after which Superman #161 led with an untold tale that revealed how he tragically learned the limitations of his powers.

In ‘The Last Days of Ma and Pa Kent!’ (Dorfman & Plastino) a vacation time-travel trip led to his foster parent’s demise and only too late did the heartbroken hero learn that his actions were not the cause of their deaths, after which ‘Superman Goes to War’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein) lightened the mood as a war game covered by the Daily Planet staff segued into the real thing when Clark discovered some of the participants were actually aliens.

Action Comics reached #300 with the May1963 issue and to celebrate Hamilton & Plastino crafted the brilliantly ingenious ‘Superman Under the Red Sun!’ which saw the Man of Tomorrow dispatched to the far, far future where Earth’s sun has cooled to crimson and his powers faded. The valiant chronal castaway suffered incredible hardship and danger before figuring out a way home, just in time for #301 and ‘The Trial of Superman!’ (Hamilton & Plastino), wherein the Man of Steel allowed himself to be prosecuted for Clark Kent’s murder to save the nation from a terrible threat.

Dorfman, Swan & Klein’s ‘The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue!’ (Superman #162) is possibly the most ambitious and influential tale of the entire “Imaginary Tale” sub-genre: a startling utopian classic so well-received that decades later it influenced and flavoured the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Superman continuity for months.

In ‘The Titanic Twins!’ the Metropolis Marvel is permanently divided into two equal beings who forthwith solve all Earth’s problems with ‘The Anti-Evil Ray!’ and similar scientific breakthroughs before both retiring with pride and the girls of their dreams, Lois Lane and Lana Lang (one each, of course) in ‘The End of Superman’s Career!’

There’s no record of who scripted Action #302’s ‘The Amazing Confession of Super- Perry White!’ but Plastino’s slick illustration lends great animation to the convoluted tale wherein the Man of Steel replaces the aging editor to thwart an assassination plot, only to accidentally give the impression that the podgy Perry is his actual alter ego…

Superman #163 offered a crafty mystery as ‘Wonder-Man, the New Hero of Metropolis!’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein) almost replaced the Man of Steel, were it not for his tragic foredoomed secret whilst ‘The Goofy Superman!’ (Bernstein & Plastino) saw Red K deprive the Metropolis Marvel of his powers and sanity, resulting in a rather fortuitous stay in the local home for the Perpetually Bewildered – since that’s where a cunning mad bomber was secretly hiding out…

Action #303 saw the infernal mineral transform Superman into ‘The Monster from Krypton!’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein), almost dying at the hands of the army and a vengeful Supergirl who believed her cousin had been eaten by the dragon he’d become, whilst #304 heralded ‘The Interplanetary Olympics!’ by Dorfman, Swan & Klein, with Superman deliberately throwing the contest and shaming Earth… but only for the best possible reasons…

Next up is a classic confrontation between the Caped Kryptonian and his greatest foe in ‘The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman’ (Superman #164, October 1963 and by Hamilton, Swan & Klein again) pitting the lifelong foes in an unforgettable confrontation on the post-apocalyptic planet Lexor – a lost world of forgotten science and fantastic beasts – which resulted in ‘The Super-Duel!’ and displayed a whole new side to Superman’s previously two dimensional arch-enemy.

The issue also included ‘The Fugitive from the Phantom Zone!’ (Siegel & Plastino) a smart vignette which saw Superman cunningly outwit a foe he could not beat by playing on his psychological foibles…

Action #305 featured the Imaginary Story ‘Why Superman Needs a Secret Identity!’ (Dorfman, Swan & Klein) which outlined a series of personal tragedies and disasters following Ma and Pa Kent’s proud and foolish public announcement that their son was an alien Superboy, whilst in Superman #165 ‘Beauty and the Super-Beast!’ and its conclusion ‘Circe’s Super-Slave’ (Bernstein, Swan & Klein), the Man of Steel was seemingly helpless against the ancient sorceress, but in fact the whole thing was an elaborate hoax designed to foil the alien invaders of the Superman Revenge Squad. The issue’s third tale, ‘The Sweetheart Superman Forgot!’ (Siegel & Plastino) featured a memorable and heartbreaking forbidden romance in which a powerless, amnesiac and disabled Superman met, loved and lost a good woman who loved him purely for himself. When his memory and powers returned Clark had no recollection of Sally Selwyn, who’s probably still pining faithfully for him…

Action #306 offered ‘The Great Superman Impersonation!’ by Bernstein & Plastino, as in a twist on the Prince and the Pauper Clark Kent was hired to protect the President of a South American republic because he looks enough like Superman to fool potential assassins. Of course it’s all a Byzantine con, but by the end who’s conning who?

The reporter’s crime exposés found ‘Clark Kent – Target for Murder!’ in Action #307 (by an unattributed scripter and artists Swan &Klein) but the villainous King Kobra made the mistake of his life when the hitman he hired turned out to be the intended victim in disguise, whilst issue #308 concentrated on all-out fantasy when ‘Superman Meets the Goliath-Hercules!’ (anonymous & Plastino) after crossing into a parallel universe.

Before returning the Man of Steel helped a colossal demigod perform the Six Labours of King Thebes in a story clearly cobbled together in far too much haste.

Superman #166 (January 1964) featured ‘The Fantastic Story of Superman’s Sons’ by Hamilton, Swan & Klein: an Imaginary Tale and solid thriller built on a painful premise -what if only one of Superman’s children inherited his powers? The story begins in ‘Jor-El II and Kal-El II’ with the discovery that little Kal junior takes after his Earth-born mother and subsequently grows into a teenager with real emotional problems.

Hoping to boost his confidence, Superman packs both sons off to Kandor where they’ll be physically equal and soon the twins are finding adventure as ‘The new Nightwing and Flamebird!’

However, when a Kandorian menace escapes to the outer world, it’s up to the human son to save Earth following ‘Kal-El II’s Mission to Krypton!’ which wraps everything up in a neat and tidy bundle of escapist fun.

This volume closes with a strange TV tie-in tale from Action Comics #309 as an analogue of This Is Your Life honours Superman by inviting all his friends – even the Legion of Super-Heroes and especially including Clark Kent – to ‘The Superman Super-Spectacular!’ (Hamilton, Swan & Klein).

With no other option the Metropolis Marvel is compelled to share his secret identity with somebody new so that they can impersonate him. Although there must be less convoluted ways to allay Lois’ constant suspicions, this yarn does include perhaps the oddest guest star appearance in comics’ history…

These tales are the comicbook equivalent of bubblegum pop music: perfectly constructed, always entertaining, occasionally challenging and never unwelcome. As well as containing some of the most delightful episodes of the pre angst-drenched, cosmically catastrophic DC, these fun, thrilling, mind-boggling and yes, frequently moving all-ages stories also perfectly depict the changing mores and tastes which reshaped comics between the safely anodyne 1950s to the seditious, rebellious 1970s, all the while keeping to the prime directive of the industry – “keep them entertained and keep them wanting more”.

I know I certainly do…
© 1962-1964, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Battle Scars


By Cullen Bunn, Matt Fraction, Christopher Yost, Scot Eaton & Andrew Hennessy (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-512-3

What happens when everything you think you know is proven to be a lie? How does a practical, self-reliant normal man cope?

Short, sharp, supremely shocking and superbly entertaining, this collected six-part ‘Shattered Heroes’ miniseries was set in the aftermath of the Fear Itself company-wide crossover and focused on troubled American Army Ranger Marcus Johnson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who overnight found himself in an impossible situation a million miles from the sane and sensible – if understandably deadly – world he knew.

Afflicted by PTSD after all he experienced as a soldier, and with the world still recovering from the visceral global panic of “the Fear” (when dark Asgardian Gods almost destroyed the world through a wave of supernatural terror), Johnson returns home to attend his mother’s funeral.

Nia Johnson was a simple Atlanta schoolteacher killed in a terror-inspired street riot.

Or was she…?

On leave for the burial, Johnson discovers evidence that his mother was actually assassinated by mercenaries who then attack him in broad daylight. Hot on their heels comes super-hitman Taskmaster and the baffled soldier is only saved by the intervention of Captain America and a new iteration of the covert agency Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate.

Without any explanation Johnson is taken into protective custody but, determined to get some answers, escapes and stumbles his baffled way through the insane world of superhumans and secret societies where everybody is a costumed lunatic and they’re all trying to kill him or recruit him.

With only his best buddy Ranger Phil “Cheese” Coulson to depend on, Johnson battles an army of maniacs who literally want his blood, discovers his mother’s incredible secret, and learns of his connection to one of the oldest and most valiant heroes in the Marvel Universe in a spectacular, compelling and rocket-paced rollercoaster ride which fittingly introduces him to a world he never wanted or even believed in…

Without, I hope, giving too much away, I’ll suggest that the contemporary trend of rationalising and aligning comicbook and screen versions of superhero scenarios clearly inspired this classy espionage super-saga and its ties to the interlocking Avengers/Iron Man/Thor/Captain America mega-movie franchise. If I’m being vague, I apologise, but if you’ve seen the movies, read this book and you’ll see what I mean.

If you’re not a devout movie maven, however, read the book anyway.  The sheer quality of the tale by storymen Cullen Bunn, Matt Fraction, Christopher Yost and artists Scot Eaton & Andrew Hennessy seems certain to make this marvellous yarn a guaranteed hit and crucial keystone of 21st century Marvel continuity.
A British Edition ™ & © 2012 Marvel & Subs. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. and published by Panini UK, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Scorpion


By Brian Michael Bendis & Sara Pichelli (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-515-4

When the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man died, a new hero in his image arose…

Marvel’s Ultimates imprint began in 2000 with a post-modern take on major characters and concepts to bring them into line with the tastes of a 21st century readership – a wholly different market from those baby-boomers and their descendents content to stick with the precepts sprung from founding talents Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee… or simply those unable or unwilling to deal with the five decades (seven if you include the Golden Age Timely tales retroactively co-opted into the mix) of continuity baggage which saturated the originals.

Eventually even this darkly nihilistic new universe became as continuity-constricted as its ancestor and in 2008 the cleansing event “Ultimatum” culminated in a reign of terror which excised dozens of super-humans and millions of lesser mortals in a devastating tsunami which inundated Manhattan, courtesy of mutant menace Magneto.

In the aftermath Peter Parker and his fellow meta-human survivors struggled to restore order to a dangerous new world.

Spider-Man finally gained a measure of acceptance and was hailed a hero when he valiantly and very publicly met his end during a catastrophic super-villain showdown…

This collection (collecting Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6-10) follows child prodigy Miles Morales as the freshly empowered 13 year old learns to cope with his astounding new physical abilities, discovers the painful cost of living a daily life of lies and how an inescapable sense of responsibility is the worst of all possible threats…

Now a day resident at the prestigious and life-changing Brooklyn Visions Academy Boarding School, Miles spends only weekends at home and is coming to terms with some unpleasant truths. Foremost is that he has secrets to keep from his parents, but also poisoning the air is the fact that his father used to be a street-thug and now passionately hates costumed heroes – like Spider-Man.

Almost as bad is the discovery that Miles’ Uncle Aaron is a major thief and bad-guy known in the game as the Prowler…

Ever since a living piece of Aaron’s loot bit Miles and transformed him into a super-strong and fast kid who can walk up walls, turn invisible and deliver a devastating venom charge through his hands, the Prowler has been laying low, and the action opens here as he resurfaces in Mexico, narrowly escaping a deal-gone-sour with local super-powered gang-lord the Scorpion.

Meanwhile the replacement Spider-Man has been making a name for himself in New York, and news of a junior Arachnid Avenger is soon making global headlines… Classmate, confidante and fellow nerd Ganke undertakes to train Miles using candid footage of the deceased Peter Parker in action and, when continued sightings of the boy hero reach Aaron south of the border, the wily rogue instantly puts two and two together and heads back to the Big Apple.

As the troubled teen tackles street scum and even old Spidey villains such as Omega Red, triumphing more by luck than skill or judgement, Aaron murders underworld tech-guru The Tinkerer and co-opts his ingenious arsenal of criminal gadgets before confronting Miles at school: offering hints at a possible partnership…

Since Peter Parker perished his Aunt May and true love Gwen Stacy have been world travelling. They’re in Paris when the shocking news of a successor reaches them…

In New York harassed Police Captain Quaid is also coming to terms with another Wall-crawling crazy to complicate his life but is utterly unaware that major grief has hit town as the Scorpion, following the Prowler, has seen New York is wide open for a new Kingpin of Crime to step in and take over…

After a spectacular battle against The Ringer, Spider-Man and Quaid reach an accommodation of sorts, but the Prowler’s first North American clash with the Scorpion doesn’t go nearly as well and Aaron Morales once again accosts his nephew with veiled threats and a shocking offer…

Of course it all devolves into a fist-fight before calmer heads prevail and Miles really thinks over what’s on the table: one of the world’s most effective and capable villains is offering to train him in combat, strategy and survival on the streets whilst schooling him in the myriad ways the underworld works…

Only problem is that the Prowler has no intention of reforming and won’t say what he expects in return…

To Be Continued…

Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Samnee & Sara Pichelli have crafted a stirring new chapter which offers intriguing new insights into the morally ambiguous and far less black-and-white world of modern Fights ‘n’ Tights dramas, and as usual this volume also contains a gallery of alternate covers to delight and thrill.

Tense, breathtaking, action-packed, evocative and portentous suspense; full of the light-hearted, self-aware and razor sharp humour which blessed the original Lee/Ditko tales, and lovely to look at, this second collection (which does end on a cliffhanger , I’m afraid) looks set to prove that the new Spider-Man is here to stay – unless they kill him too…
A British Edition ™ & © 2012 Marvel & Subs. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. and published by Panini UK, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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X-Men: Asgardian Wars


By Chris Claremont, Paul Smith, Bob Wiacek, Arthur Adams, Terry Austin,
Alan Gordon & Mike Mignola (Marvel)
ISBN: 978-0-87135-434-1

In 1963, X-Men #1 introduced Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Marvel Girl and the Beast: very special students of Professor Charles Xavier, a wheelchair-bound telepath dedicated to brokering peace and integration between the masses of humanity and the emergent off-shoot race of mutants dubbed Homo Superior. After years of eccentric and spectacular adventures, the mutant misfits disappeared at the beginning of 1970 during a sustained downturn in costumed hero comics whilst fantasy and supernatural themes once more gripped the world’s entertainment fields.

Although the title was revived at the end of the year as a reprint vehicle, the missing mutants were reduced to guest-stars and bit-players throughout the Marvel universe and the Beast was made over into a monster until in 1975 Len Wein, Chris Claremont & Dave Cockrum revived and reordered the Mutant mystique with a stunning new iteration in Giant Size X-Men #1.

To old foes-turned-friends Banshee and Sunfire was added a one-shot Hulk villain dubbed Wolverine, and all-original creations Kurt Wagner, a demonic German teleporter codenamed Nightcrawler, African weather “goddess” Ororo Monroe AKA Storm, Russian farmboy Peter Rasputin, who transformed at will into a living steel Colossus, and bitter, disillusioned Apache superman John Proudstar who was cajoled into joining the makeshift squad as Thunderbird.

The revision was an unstoppable hit and soon grew to become the company’s most popular and high quality title. In time Cockrum was succeeded by John Byrne and, as the team roster shifted and changed, the series rose to even greater heights, culminating in the landmark “Dark Phoenix” storyline which saw the death of (arguably) the series’ most beloved and groundbreaking character.

In the aftermath, team leader Cyclops left and a naive teenaged girl named Kitty Pryde signed up just as Cockrum returned for another spectacular sequence of outrageous adventures.

The franchise inexorably expanded with an ever-changing cast and in 1985 a new slant was added as author Claremont began to forge links between Marvel’s extemporised Norse mythology and the modern mutant mythos through the two series he then scripted.

Released in 1990 as Marvel was tentatively coming to grips with the growing trend for “trade paperback” collections, this sturdy 224 page full-colour compendium (re-released as a deluxe hardcover in 2010) collects the 1985 two-issue Limited Series X-Men and Alpha Flight, The New Mutants Special Edition and X-Men Annual #9 which, taken together, comprise a vast saga of staggering beauty and epic grandeur…

Two-part tale ‘The Gift’, illustrated by Paul Smith & Bob Wiacek, saw the retired Scott  “Cyclops” Summers and his new girlfriend Madelyne Prior ferrying a gaggle of environmental scientists over Alaska in a joint American/Canadian survey mission, only to fall foul of uncanny weather and supernatural intervention…

When the X-Men receive a vision of Scott’s crashed and burning body they head North and attack Canadian team Alpha Flight under the misapprehension that the state super-squad caused the disaster. Once the confusion has been cleared up and a tenuous truce declared, the united champions realise that mystic avatar Snowbird is dying: a result of some strange force emanating from the Arctic Circle…

In another time and place the Asgardian god Loki petitions a conclave of enigmatic uber-deities “They Who Sit Above in Shadow” for a boon, but their price is high and almost beyond his understanding…

When the assembled teams reach the crash site they find not a tangle of wreckage and bodies but a pantheon of new gods dwelling in an earthly paradise, and amongst them Scott and Madelyne, also transformed into perfect beings. These recreated paragons are preparing to abolish illness, want and need throughout the world by raising all humanity to their level and most of the disbelieving heroes are delighted at the prospect of peace on Earth at last.

However Kitty Pryde, Talisman and Rachel Summers (the Phoenix from an alternate future) are deeply suspicious and their investigations uncover the hidden cost of this global transfiguration and, once they convince Wolverine, Loki’s scheme begins to unravel like cobwebs in a storm. Soon all that is left is anger, recrimination and savage, earth-shaking battle…

Once the God of Mischief’s plan was spoiled the malignant Prince of Asgard plotted dark and subtle revenge which began with ‘Home is Where the Heart is’ (by Claremont, Arthur Adams & Terry Austin in The New Mutants Special Edition) when he recruited the sultry Enchantress to abduct the junior X-Men whilst he turned his attentions to the adult team’s field commander Storm.

Sunspot, Magik, Magma, Mirage, Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Karma, Warlock and Doug Ramsey are dragged to the sorceress’ dungeon in Asgard, but manage to escape through a teleport ring. Unfortunately the process isn’t perfect and the kids are scattered throughout the Eternal Realm; falling to individual perils and influences, ranging from enslavement to adoption, true love to redemption and rededication…

Most telling of all, Mirage AKA Danielle Moonstar rescues a flying horse and becomes forever a Valkyrie, shunned by the living as one of the “Choosers of the Slain”…

With such power at her command Mirage soon gathers her scattered mutant comrades for revenge on the Enchantress before the dramatic conclusion in ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ (X-Men Annual #9, by Claremont, Adams, Alan Gordon & Mike Mignola)…

Loki, who has elevated the ensorcelled Storm to the position of Asgardian Goddess of Thunder, is simultaneously assaulted by a dimension-hopping rescue unit consisting of Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Colossus and the future Phoenix as well as the thoroughly “in-country” New Mutants for a spectacular and cosmic clash which, although setting the worlds to rights, ominously promised that the worst was yet to come…

This expansive crossover epic proved that, although increasingly known for character driven tales, the X-Franchise could pull out all the stops and embrace its inner blockbuster when necessary, and this yarn opened up a whole sub-universe of action and adventure which fuelled more than a decade of expansion. More than that, though, this is still one of the most entertaining mutant masterpieces of that distant decade.

Compelling, enchanting, moving and oh, so very pretty, The Asgardian Wars is a book no Fights ‘n’ Tights fantasy fan can afford to miss.

© 1985, 1988, 1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Superman: The Death of Superman


By Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84023-124-3

Although largely out of favour these days as all the myriad decades of Superman mythology are gradually re-assimilated into one overarching all-inclusive DC continuity, the stripped-down, gritty post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Man of Steel re-imagined by John Byrne and marvellously built upon by a stunning succession of gifted comics craftsman produced some genuine comics classics.

This is probably the most significant of them all: the first part in a truly epic triptych story-arc which saw the martyrdom, loss, replacement and eventual resurrection of the World’s Greatest Superhero in a stellar saga which broke all records and proved that apparently everybody still cared about the hoary icon of Truth, Justice and the American Way…

This landmark collection features material which originally appeared in Superman: the Man of Steel #17-19, Superman #73-75, Adventures of Superman #496-497, Action Comics #683-684 and Justice League America #69, spanning cover-dates November 1992 to January 1993 and opens with the fearsome first glimpses of a of a masked and manacled figure pounding its way free of an adamantine cell.

Breaking out of the earth in the heart of rural America the saga proper begins in ‘Doomsday’ by Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove & Dennis Janke, as Superman deals with successive terrorist attacks by dropouts, alien dregs and mortal monsters known as Underworlders who have infested the tunnels beneath Metropolis but are now hungry for their own place in the sun. Whilst the Action Ace brokers a tenuous peace-treaty the horrific and kill-crazy escapee carves a purposeless swathe of destruction across the country…

In ‘Down for the Count’ (Justice League America #69, by Dan Jurgens & Rick Burchett) Superman is tied up with a meaningless publicity interview whilst in Ohio his JLA comrades, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, Bloodwynd, Maxima and Guy Gardner are savagely thrashed by the lumbering monstrosity, who maims and cripples many of the World’s Greatest Superheroes with one arm literally tied behind its back…

By the time Superman arrives in ‘Countdown to Doomsday!’ (Jurgens & Brett Breeding) the remnants of the team have regrouped, determined to sell their lives dearly to stop the creature rampaging through a housing development, but their combined efforts do little more than shred the remaining restraints holding it back.

In a catastrophic explosion the JLA succumb to their punishing injuries and Superman, determined to stop the beast, chases after it, utterly unaware that a family have been trapped in the burning remnants of their home…

‘Under Fire’ (scripted by Jerry Ordway and illustrated by Tom Grummett & Doug Hazlewood) sees the hard-pressed Man of Steel break off his desperate struggle to rescue both the trapped citizens and the fallen heroes, allowing Doomsday to wreak even more havoc and slaughter. Soon after however the Caped Kryptonian catches up with the howling horror in the idyllic hamlet of Griffith, but even with the frenzied aid of majestic alien superwoman Maxima is overcome in a shattering confrontation which razes the entire town to the ground.

In ‘…Doomsday is Near!’ (Roger Stern, Jackson Guice & Denis Rodier) he is joined by the cloned Cadmus security officer Guardian and comes to the conclusion that the brutal beast must be stopped at any and all costs, but as he follows its trail he is constantly diverted by the need to rescue civilians caught up in the mindless path of destruction. However when the monster sees a big screen TV ad, Doomsday diverts from its latest tussle with Superman and heads inexorably for the hero’s home town, smashing its way through the Cadmus testing grounds dubbed Habitat…

Despite Superman’s Herculean, repeated efforts, ‘Doomsday is Here!’ (Simonson, Bogdanove & Janke) sees the beast hit the streets of Metropolis like an atomic bomb and the Man of Steel realises he will happily give his life to destroy the unstoppable leviathan. A small respite is gained when Supergirl enters the fray (not Superman’s Kryptonian cousin but rather the devoted protoplasmic facsimile that held the title at this time) but she is quickly disposed of by the mysterious monster, as are all the super-scientific resources of Lex Luthor‘s private army.

Eventually all that’s left to save the day is the bruised, battered and utterly exhausted Man of Tomorrow…

The magnificent legendary saga concludes in ‘Doomsday!’ with a final chapter delivered as a succession of full-page splash-shots from writer/penciller Jurgens and inker Breeding depicting Superman and his savage nemesis going toe-to-toe in the rubble of the city, and concluding as the man expires at last, taking the monster with him…

Short on plot but bursting with tension, drama and breathtaking action, the epic encounter was but the first step in a bold and long-term plan to push the complacent readership off the edge of their collective seats and revitalise the Superman franchise, but the positively manic public interest beyond the world of comics took everyone by surprise and made the character as vital and vibrant a sensation as in the earliest days of his creation.

It worked…
© 1992, 1993 DC Comics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Valerian and Laureline book 3: the Land Without Stars


By Méziéres & Christin, with colours by E. Tranlé and translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook)
ISBN: 978-1-84918-087-0   (Dargaud edition) 2-205-06573-4

Val̩rian is the most influential science fiction comics series ever drawn Рand yes, that includes even Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Dan Dare and Judge Dredd.

Although to a large extent those venerable strips defined and later re-defined the medium itself, anybody who has seen a Star Wars movie has been exposed to doses of Jean-Claude Méziéres & Pierre Christin’s brilliant imaginings which the filmic phenomenon has shamelessly plundered for decades: everything from the character and look of alien races and cultures to the design of the Millennium Falcon and even Leia‘s Slave Girl outfit …

Simply put, more carbon-based lifeforms have experienced and marvelled at the uniquely innovative, grungy, lived-in tech realism and light-hearted swashbuckling rollercoaster romps of Méziéres & Christin than any other cartoon spacer.

The groundbreaking series followed a Franco-Belgian mini-boom in fantasy fiction triggered by Jean-Claude Forest’s 1962 creation Barbarella. Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent launched in the November 9th, 1967 edition of Pilote (#420) and was an instant hit. In combination with Greg & Eddy Paape’s Luc Orient and Philippe Druillet’s Lone Sloane, Valérian‘s hot public reception led to the creation of dedicated adult graphic sci-fi magazine Métal Hurlant in 1977.

Val̩rian and Laureline (as the series eventually became) is a light-hearted, wildly imaginative time-travelling, space-warping fantasy teeming with wry, satirical, humanist action and political commentary, starring Рin the early days at least Рan affable, capable, unimaginative and by-the-book cop tasked with protecting the official universal chronology by counteracting paradoxes caused by casual time-travellers.

When Valérian travelled to 11th century France in the initial tale ‘Les Mauvais Rêves (‘Bad Dreams’ and still not translated to English yet) he was rescued from doom by a fiery, capable young woman named Laureline whom he brought back to the 28th century super-citadel and administrative capital of the Terran Empire, Galaxity. The indomitable lass subsequently trained as a Spatio-Temporal operative and began accompanying him on his missions.

Every subsequent Valérian adventure until the 13th was initially serialised weekly in Pilote until the conclusion of ‘The Rage of Hypsis’ after which the mind-boggling yarns were only published as all-new complete graphic novels, until the whole spectacular saga resolved and ended in 2010.

The Land Without Stars originally ran in Pilote #570-592 (October 8th 1970 to March 11th 1971) and followed the Spatio-Temporal agents as they went about a tedious pro forma inspection of a cluster of new Terran colonies in the Ukbar star-sytem at the very edge of inter-galactic space…

However the mission soon goes awry when a wandering world is detected on a collision course with the system and Valerian, still suffering the effects of too much local alcoholic “diplomatic protocol” decides that they should investigate at close quarters…

Despite being pickled, the lead agent lands with his long-suffering assistant on the runaway planet and discovers that the celestial maverick is hollow. Moreover, a thriving ancient culture or three dwell there, utterly unaware that they are not the only beings in all of creation…

Typically however of sentient beings everywhere, two of the civilisations are locked in a millennia old war, armed and supplied by the third…

After an accident wrecks their exploratory scout ship Valerian and Laureline deduce that the constant warfare originally caused the hollow world to tumble unchecked through space and will eventually cause its complete destruction, so in short order the professional meddlers split up to infiltrate the warring nations of Malka and Valsennar.

However they are in for a surprise since both city-states are divided on gender grounds, with Malka home to prodigious warrior women who subjugate their effete and feeble males whilst the aristocratically foppish but deadly dandies of Valsennar delight in beautiful, proficient and lethally lovely ladies – but only as compliant servants…

The highly trained Galaxity operatives quickly rise in the ranks of each court – from slaves and toys to perfectly placed, trusted servants – and soon have ample opportunity to change the nature of the doomed civilisations within the collision-course world, after which the heroes even concoct a canny and cunning method of spectacularly ceasing the planet’s random perambulations; giving it a stable orbit and new lease on life…

All in a days work, naturally, although it did take a few months to sort out: still what’s time to a couple of brilliant Spatio-Temporal agents?

Happily, this mind-boggling forty-year old social and sexual satire is packed with astounding action, imaginative imagery and fantastic creatures to provide zest to a plot that has since become rather overused – sure proof of the quality of this delightful, so-often imitated original yarn – but as always the space-opera is fun-filled, witty, visually breathtaking and stunningly ingenious.  Drenched in wickedly wide-eyed wonderment, science fiction sagas have never been better than this.

Between 1981-1985 Dargaud-Canada and Dargaud-USA published a quartet of these albums in English (with a limited British imprint from Hodder-Dargaud in the UK) under the umbrella title Valerian: Spatiotemporal Agent and this tale, then called World Without Stars, was the second release, translated then by L. Mitchell.

Although this modern Cinebook release boasts improved print and colour values and a far better and more fluid translation, interested completists might also want to track down the 20th century releases for the added text features ‘Valerian: Graphic Renaissance’ by acclaimed SF author William Rotsler, the appreciation ‘In Science Fiction’s Net’ by French genre writer/illustrator Jean-Pierre Andrevon and the extensive biographies and work check-lists of creators Pierre Christin & Claude Méziéres…

© Dargaud Paris, 1972 Christin, Méziéres & Tran-Lệ. All rights reserved. English translation © 2012 Cinebook Ltd.