This themed collection re-presents some of the best clashes between the Gotham Guardian and the tragic lawyer-turned-criminal Harvey Dent – the visual embodiment of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde known as Two-Face.
To get you up to speed, the book starts with the most recent interpretation of the character’s origin, an impressive two-page recap by the Marks Waid and Chiarello, first seen in Countdown #27 (December 2007), before the book proper begins with the classic original trilogy of tales from Detective Comics #66, 68 and 80 (August and October 1941, and October 1943).
Written by the inimitable Bill Finger, and illustrated by Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos they told the tragic tale of Harvey Kent (yes that’s right, his name was only altered to Dent in the 1950s) a brilliant and fearless District Attorney driven insane when a mobster destroyed the left side of his gorgeous face with vitriol (that’s Sulfuric Acid, if you weren’t staying awake in Chemistry).
His life destroyed in the very courtroom of his greatest triumphs, Kent embarked on a crime-spree throughout Gotham City, taking the number “2†as his inspiration and using the toss of a double-headed coin to make all his key moral decisions for him. It took all of the dynamic Duo’s efforts to stop him, but he kept turning up like a bad penny until the fledgling science of plastic surgery cured his uniquely visual form of split personality.
He more or less returned in Detective #187 (September 1952). ‘The Double Crimes of Two-Face’ (by Don Cameron, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris) is a classic “fair-play†mystery featuring the character’s return so I’ll say nothing about it and let you solve it yourselves, but he returned for keeps in ‘Two-Face Strikes Again!’ (Batman #81, February-March 1954), by David Vern and the immaculate art team of Sprang and Paris.
As comics become increasingly more anodyne in the 1950s Two-Face faded from view, but with the return of a grimmer, moodier hero in the early 1970s the scene was set for a revival of Batman’s more warped villains. ‘Half an Evil’ (Batman #234, August 1971) is a spectacular action packed mystery, one the absolute best collaborations of Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.
By 1989 a revitalized post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC were busily revising their internal history and from Secret Origins Special #1 Mark Verheiden, Pat Broderick and Giordano produced a new take on the tragedy of Harvey Dent, which served as a basis for the following 1996 two-part tale from Batman #527 and 528. ‘The Face Schism’ and ‘Schismed Faces’, by Doug Moench, Kelly Jones and John Beatty is a slick and ghoulish carnival tale of twists, turns and double crosses, but in all that cleverness it rather forgets to be clear and entertaining.
The penultimate yarn is also rather disappointing, but not for any storytelling deficiencies. ‘Face the Ecaf’ is from Batman #653, and is by James Robinson, Don Kramer and Wayne Faucher. It’s set in the “One Year Later†period following the Infinite Crisis event when all the Bat heroes abandoned Gotham and Two-Face was given the job of protecting the city by the Dark Knight.
It’s part Six of Eight.
Surely such a major storyline should be left to its own collection and not simply truncated and shoved in any old how? It’s not as if there isn’t plenty of other fine material around to fill those twenty odd pages. Or was the temptation of one more major name on the package too much for Marketing to resist?
Rant over: the book does end with possibly the best modern Two-Face tale yet produced. ‘Two of a Kind’ is a short piece of Noir perfection by Bruce Timm that first appeared in Batman: Black and White #1 in 1996. Rendered in the style of the Batman Animated TV show it is suave, sultry, steamy and shocking. You’ll love it!
All the tales have been lavishly recoloured (except that last one, of course) and quibbles notwithstanding, this is a great book stuffed with quality reading entertainment. As an introduction to one of Batman’s best baddies, or simply as a wonderful way to spend some downtime, this is highly recommended.
By Archie Goodwin & Howard Chaykin (Marvel)
ISBN: 0-87135-577-9
I can’t recall the last time Marvel published an all-original graphic novel as opposed to a collection, but not so very long ago they were a market leader in the field with an entire range of “big stories†told on larger than normal pages (285 x 220 mm rather than the now customary 258 x 168 mm) featuring not only proprietary characters but also licensed assets like Conan and even creator-owned properties like Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar.
The Scorpio Connection should have been one of their very best productions, scripted by the supremely talented Archie Goodwin and painted by the versatile Howard Chaykin, it featured arguably their most popular character, Wolverine, and the immortal super-spy Nick Fury in a twisty espionage/revenge thriller, full of action set-pieces and even a plot maguffin straight out of Greek Tragedy, but this is sadly one of those times when the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
It is still an immensely readable adventure as aging warrior Fury hunts down the assassin Scorpio who may or may not be his brother Jake, long presumed dead, encountering and joining the revenge-driven Wolverine who wants the Zodiac killer who butchered his oldest friend. There is glamour, intrigue, exotic locales and enough action to satisfy the most devoted Bond-fan, but somehow it all seems forced and never seems to gel.
Pretty, engaging but tragically insubstantial, this won’t appeal to much more than the already converted.
By Jeph Loeb, Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino (DC Comics)
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-84576-741-9
This cosmic saga is taken from the high profile but often disappointing comic series highlighting DC’s twin top guns, specifically issues #37-42, with the usually excellent Alan Burnett scripting and the very classy Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs providing the pictures.
A seemingly mundane robbery leads the World’s Finest Team to the ends of the universe as Superman is targeted by the worst monsters on Apokolips to provide the ultimate tyrant Darkseid with yet another ultimate weapon. Quite where all these shenanigans lead is pretty much a foregone conclusion even for the casual reader, and as all the character ramifications are negated by the events of Final Crisis, Death of the New Gods and the sundry other mega-crossovers DC seems permanently embroiled in, it’s very hard to summon enough energy to connect to the events here.
Full of contemporary Sturm und Drang, this is fast, flashy and furious, but not particularly challenging or memorable fare, good for a wet afternoon, but sadly, not a classic nor a keeper.
By Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky & Bernard Sachs (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1203-2
I love these cheap ‘n’ cheerful black and white compendiums of past classics! This second volume collecting the entire run of adventures of “The World’s Greatest Superheroes†comprises issues #17-36, t(he February, 1963 to June 1965 instalments) which bring the readers chronologically to the point where superhero comics would explode across the public consciousness.
‘Triumph of the Tornado Tyrant’ saw a sentient cyclone that had once battled the indomitable Adam Strange (in Mystery in Space #61- or Adam Strange Archives volume 1, ISBN: 1-4012-0148-2) set up housekeeping on an desolate world and ponder the very nature of Good and Evil, before realising that it needed the help of the Justice League to reach a survivable conclusion. Teaser Alert: As well being a cracking yarn, this story is pivotal in the development of the android hero Red Tornado…
Issue #18 saw the team summoned to a subatomic world by three planetary champions whose continued existence threatened to destroy the very world they were designed to protect. ‘Journey to the Micro-World’ found our heroes compelled to defeat opponents that were literally unbeatable. Another perplexing riddle was posed in ‘The Super-Exiles of Earth’ when unstoppable duplicates of the team go on a crime-spree and force the world’s governments to banish the heroes into space.
‘The Mystery of Spaceman X’ was an interplanetary adventure and a cunning brainteaser, with lots of action that serves to whet the appetite for the genuine pivotal classic that followed.
‘Crisis on Earth-One’ (Justice League of America #21) and ‘Crisis on Earth-Two’ (#22) combine to become one of the most important stories in DC history and arguably one of the most important tales in American comics. When ‘Flash of Two Worlds’ introduced the concept of Infinite Earths and multiple heroes to the public, pressure began almost instantly to bring back the lost heroes of the “Golden Ageâ€. The editorial powers-that-be were hesitant, though, fearing that too many heroes would be silly and unmanageable, or worse yet put readers off. If only they knew what we know now!
The plot sees a team-up of assorted villains from each Earth plundering at will and trapping our heroes in their own HQ. Temporarily helpless the JLA contrive a desperate plan to combine forces with the champions of a bygone era! It’s impossible for me to be totally objective about this saga. I was a drooling kid in short trousers when I first read this story and the thrills haven’t diminished with this umpty-first re-reading. This is what superhero comics are all about!
Faced with the impossible task of topping that, creative team Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs rose to the challenge with the eccentric outer-space thriller ‘Drones of the Queen Bee’. As the team escaped enslavement to the alien seductress, the continuity bug was growing, and the mention of the individual cases of members would become a mainstay of most future issues.
Alien despot Kanjar Ro returned in ‘Decoy Missions of the Justice League’ a sinister world conquest plot that featured another guest-shot for off-world adventurer Adam Strange and a perplexing mystery with planet-shaking consequences temporarily baffled the team in the rousing romp ‘Outcasts of Infinity!’ Issue #26, ‘Four Worlds to Conquer’ dealt with an insidious revenge plot of the three-eyed alien Despero whilst a much more metaphysical menace assaulted the team in ‘The “I†Who Defeated the Justice League’. Although the deadly android Amazo was also on hand to add some solid threat to the proceedings.
The charmingly naff Head-Mastermind and a bunch of second-string super-villains tried to outfox the League in #28’s ‘Case of the Forbidden Super-Powers’, but not so easily defeated or forgotten are the next two tales. ‘Crisis on Earth-Three’ and ‘The Most Dangerous Earth of All!’ reprised the team-up of the Justice League and Justice Society, when the super-beings of yet another alternate Earth discovered the secret of multiversal travel. Unfortunately Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring are villains on a world without heroes, and see the costumed crusaders of the JLA and JSA as living practise dummies to sharpen their evil skills upon. With this cracking two-part thriller the annual summer team-up became solidly entrenched in heroic lore, giving fans endless joys for years to come and making the approaching end of school holidays less gloomy than they could have been.
(A little note: although the comic cover-date in America was the month by which unsold copies had to be returned – the off-sale date – export copies to Britain travelled as ballast in freighters. Thus they usually went on to those cool, spinning comic-racks the actual month printed on the front. You can unglaze your eyes and return to the review proper now, and thank you for your patient indulgence.)
JLA #31 saw the induction into the team of Hawkman, who would be the last successful inductee until Black Canary joined the team in #75. ‘Riddle of the Runaway Room’ found an alien wish-granting machine in the hands of second-rate thug Joe Parry, who nonetheless made life pretty tough for the team before their eventual victory. The visually impressive Hawkman must have been popular with the creators, if not the fans, as he was prominently featured in all but one of the next half-dozen adventures. ‘Attack of the Star-Bolt Warrior!’ introduced the uncanny villain Brain Storm who attacked the League to avenge his brother who had been murdered by one of their number!
The universe was again at stake in the time-travelling thriller ‘Enemy from the Timeless World’ and a persistent old foe had another go in #34’s ‘The Deadly Dreams of Doctor Destiny!’, a thriller packed with an army of guest-villains. The team were attacked by their own clothes in the supernatural adventure ‘Battle Against the Bodiless Uniforms’, a fall-back plan by the demons Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast, which had been slowly percolating since the end of JLA #11.
This volume closes with a heart-warming and poignant fable. ‘The Case of the Disabled Justice League’ saw the team raise the morale of despondent kids with disabilities by overcoming physical handicaps to defeat the returning Brain Storm. This tale was in fact inspired by ‘A Place in the World’, a Justice Society adventure from 1945 (All Star Comics #27) produced at a time when returning servicemen disabled in combat were becoming an increasingly common sight on the streets of America.
These inexpensive compendiums are an absolute gift for modern fans desperate to catch up without going bankrupt. They’re also the perfect gift for youngsters needing an introduction to a fabulous world of adventure and magic. Of all the various reprint editions and formats available for such classic material, these monochrome tomes are my very favourite.
By J. F. Charles (Michel Deligne Co)
ISBN: 2-87135-020-5
European comics are different. Despite the notable exceptions of Tintin and Asterix, a huge number of classy and wonderful strips and characters have flown over the heads of the English speaking public and foundered. This tragically hard-to-find (but worth the effort) album is an entry from 1985, when America briefly looked elsewhere for graphic entertainment and the publisher Editions Michel Deligne rushed a rather poorly translated version of Jean-François Charles’ (also known as Bof) utterly magical 1982 adventure serial ‘Les Pionniers du Nouveau Monde’ into production.
Set in America and Canada in 1755 it follows the life of Parisian wastrel Benjamin Graindall, a hothead whose predilection for dueling has made France too small for him. Sent to Montreal to make his fortune and keep out of trouble he joins his uncle at the New France Company, bitter trading rival of England’s Hudson Bay Company.
War is brewing, and feuding native tribes have allied themselves to each Imperial nation, dividing along ancient tribal lines as bitter and hate filled as Britain and France’s. Thus when Graindall and the experienced trapper Billy the Nantese go deep inland trading furs they find that the cold war has turned hot and bloody.
Rescuing a number of French settlers including a beautiful aristocrat’s daughter, they make their way towards Fort Niagara, but are captured by the British whose Ox River Fort lies directly opposite the French bastion at the great falls. Prisoners, they must ensure that their enemies do not realize that the girl Louise is in fact the daughter of Fort Niagara’s commanding officer…
I’d imagine this book is impossible to find nowadays, and to be honest the translation and relettering are quite disappointing and distracting. But since so much European material is once again being tried here via new company Cinebook, I’d thought I’d mention this series as being one that is crying out for a decent shot from a considerate and dedicated publisher. Cross your finger, mes braves…
By Mitchel Scanlon & The Sharp Brothers (Black Library)
ISBN: 978-1- 84416-079-2
Sometimes we cognoscenti forget that for many people comics are merely a pastime, not a faith, and on those terms often what a browser wants is a read that resonates with their other interests.
At the beginning of this century role-playing company Games Workshop began publishing a short story magazine and monthly comicbook to augment the novels set in the fantasy worlds of their game packages. Warhammer (high fantasy in a Germano-feudal world), Warhammer 40,000 (total future war) and Necromunda (dystopian future city) scenarios were related in these periodicals and although the magazines are no longer with us the creators they fostered still are, and in the case of the many graphic novels compiled, the work is still fully available and excellent.
Some Swift and Brutal Hand by Mitchel Scanlon and Australian illustrators The Sharp Brothers is actually the second collection of the scar-faced soldier of fortune Hellbrandt Grimm; an archetypal loner-hero with a hidden past and killer’s eyes, totally unbeatable by either man, goblin or demon. You’ve seen the character in a hundred different places from The Outlaw Josie Wales to The Lone Wolf (but without the baby carriage) to Solomon Kane, and as the tales are instantly accessible no back story knowledge is necessary
In the eight short yarns collected here Grimm travels across the human lands righting wrongs his way, often accompanied by a Templar Witch-Hunter (don’t trouble yourself – think of him as the cop-buddy) exacting some private revenge against brigands and supernaturals everywhere.
Reminiscent of classic 2000AD strips (the art is black and white with tints and tones), these are stripped down, sleek accessible action romps, doused with irony and dry wit and designed to be read like a summer blockbuster – entertainment for its own sake!
If you’re a fantasy fan looking for a swift read and not a lifetime’s commitment this is the stuff for you. But beware: this much fun is potentially addictive…
This is one of those good news/bad news situations that can make reading comic book collections such a trial. This six part miniseries was released at the close of 2001 and is probably one of the better tales of the Batman’s greatest nemesis, so the good news is that it’s finally assembled in one handy little tome for your perusal.
The bad news is that like with so many other company-wide events, most of DC’s regular publications (such as the Bat titles, Birds of Prey #36 or Wonder Woman #175) took some part in the extended narrative, and none of those sidebar stories are included. Mercifully, the sense of dislocation caused by incidents occurring “off-camera†is minimal here, but some choice moments of graphic zaniness are sadly lost.
The Joker is the maddest, baddest psycho-killer on Earth, but when a routine prison medical reveals that he has only weeks to live, the Clown Prince decides he’s taking the rest of the world with him and really ramps up the creative body-count. Releasing a new form of his Joker toxin that turns victims into versions of himself he’s determined to turn the entire planet into a giggling funeral pyre. With every “Jokerised†crook in the world on a killing spree it looks like we’re all going to die, and when he even contaminates the rain clouds its certain that we’ll die laughing!
Compellingly written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty, with art by Pete Woods, Marcos Martin, Walter McDaniel, Andy Kuhn, Ron Randall, Rich Burchett, Andrew Pepoy, Mark Farmer, Alvaro Lopez, Mark Lipka and Dan Davis, this is a cracking yarn, sardonic, fun and thrilling – even without the whole story on offer. Perhaps if it sells unexpectedly well DC will issue a companion volume…
By Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-0761-8
After the actual invention of the comicbook superhero – for which read the launch of Superman in 1938 – the most significant event in the industry’s progress was the combination of individual sales-points into a group. Thus what seems blindingly obvious to us with the benefit of four-colour hindsight was proven – a number of popular characters could multiply readership by combining forces. Plus of course, a whole bunch of superheroes is a lot cooler than just one – or even one and a sidekick.
And so the Justice Society of America is rightly revered as a true landmark in the development of comic books, and, when Julius Schwartz revived the superhero genre in the late 1950s, the key moment would come with the inevitable teaming of the reconfigured mystery men.
That moment came with issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold, a classical adventure title that had recently become a try-out magazine like Showcase. Just before Christmas 1959 the ads began running. “Just Imagine! The mightiest heroes of our time… have banded together as the Justice League of America to stamp out the forces of evil wherever and whenever they appear!â€
Released with a March 1960 cover-date, that first tale was written by the indefatigable Gardner Fox and illustrated by the quirky and understated Mike Sekowsky with inks by Bernard Sachs, Joe Giella and Murphy Anderson. ‘Starro the Conqueror’ saw Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and J’onn J’onzz, Manhunter from Mars defeat a marauding alien starfish whilst Superman and Batman stood by (in those naive days editors feared that their top characters could be “over-exposed†and consequently lose popularity). They also picked up a typical American kid as mascot. Snapper Carr would prove a focus of fan controversy for decades to come.
Confident of his material and the superhero genre’s fresh appeal Schwartz had two more thrillers ready for the following issues. B&B #29 saw the team defeat a marauder from the future in ‘The Challenge of the Weapons Master’ (inks by Sachs and Giella) and #30 saw their first mad-scientist arch-villain in the form of Professor Ivo and his super android Amazo. ‘The Case of the Stolen Super Powers’ by Fox, Sekowsky and Sachs ended their tryout run. Three months later the new bi-monthly title debuted.
Perhaps somewhat sedate by histrionic modern standards, the JLA was revolutionary in a comics marketplace where less than 10% of all sales featured costumed adventurers. Not only public imagination was struck by hero teams either. Stan Lee was given a copy of Justice League by his boss and told to do something similar for the tottering comics company he ran – and look what came of that!
‘The World of No Return’ introduced trans-dimensional tyrant Despero to bedevil the World’s Greatest Heroes, but once again the plucky Snapper Carr was the key to defeating the villain and saving the day. The second issue, ‘Secret of the Sinister Sorcerers’, presented an astounding conundrum. The villains of Magic-Land transposed the location of their dimension with Earth’s, causing the Laws of Science to be replaced with the Lore of Mysticism. The true mettle of our heroes (and by this time Superman and Batman were allowed a more active part in the proceedings) was shown when they had to use ingenuity rather than their powers to defeat their foes.
Issue #3 introduced the despicable Kanjar Ro who attempted to turn the team into his personal army in ‘The Slave Ship of Space’, and with the next episode the first of many new members joined the team. Green Arrow saved the day in the science-fiction thriller ‘Doom of the Star Diamond’, but was almost kicked out in #5 as the insidious Doctor Destiny inadvertently framed him ‘When Gravity Went Wild!’
‘The Wheel of Misfortune’ introduced the pernicious and persistent master of wild science Professor Amos Fortune, and #7 was another alien plot centred on an amusement park and more specifically ‘The Cosmic Fun-House!’. ‘For Sale – the Justice League!’ was a sharp crime caper where a cheap hood finds a mind control weapon that enslaves the team and once again simple Snapper Carr has to save the day.
Issue #9 is a well-known and oft-recounted tale, and the start of a spectacular run of nigh-perfect super-hero adventures. ‘The Origin of the Justice League’ recounts the circumstances of the team’s birth, an alien invasion saga that still resonates with today’s readership, and it’s followed by the series’ first continued story. ‘The Fantastic Fingers of Felix Faust’ finds the World’s Greatest Superheroes battling an invader from the future when they’re spellbound by sorcerer Faust. This magician has awoken three antediluvian demons and sold them the Earth in exchange for 100 years of unlimited power. Although they defeat Faust the team have no idea that the demons are loose…
In the next instalment ‘One Hour to Doomsday’ the JLA pursue and capture The Lord of Time, but are trapped a century from their home-era by the awakened and re-empowered Demons. This level of plot complexity hadn’t been seen in comics since the closure of EC Comics, and never before in a superhero tale. It was a profound acknowledgement by the creators that the readership was no longer simply little kids – if indeed it ever had been.
These cheap compendiums are a dedicated fan’s delight. As well as superb artwork presented in pristine black and white lines, there’s enough page count to add sidebar tales that affect continuity but which originally appeared outside the canonical source. The next adventure of the JLA appeared in the pages of Mystery in Space #75 (May 1962), as the team guest-starred in a full-length thriller starring Adam Strange. Strange was an Earth archaeologist who was regularly teleported to a planet circling Alpha Centauri, where his wits and ingenuity saved the citizens of Rann from all sorts of interplanetary threats.
In ‘The Planet that came to a Standstill!’ Kanjar Ro attempted to conquer Strange’s adopted home and the gallant hero had to enlist the aid of the JLA, before once again saving the day himself. This classic team-up was written by Fox, and illustrated by the wonderful Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.
Arch-villain Doctor Light, attempted a pre-emptive strike on the team in #12, but ‘The Last Case of the Justice League‘ proved to be anything but, and with the next issue the heroes saved the entire universe by solving ‘The Riddle of the Robot Justice League’. ‘The Menace of the “Atom†Bomb’ in issue #14 was a clever way of introducing newest member The Atom whilst showing a new side to an old villain and issue #15’s ‘Challenge of the Untouchable Aliens’ added some fresh texture to the formulaic plot of extra-dimensional invaders out for our destruction.
This book ends with the challenging, intellectual poser ‘The Cavern of Deadly Spheres’, a change-of-pace tale with a narrative technique that just couldn’t be used on today’s oh-so-sophisticated audience, but still has the power to grip a reader.
These inexpensive collections are an absolute gift for modern fans that desperately need to catch up without going bankrupt. They are also perfect to give to youngsters as an introduction into a fabulous world of adventure and magic. Of all the various reprint editions and formats available for classic material, these monochrome tomes are my very favourite.
By John Broome, Gil Kane & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-0759-5
After the successful revival and reworking of The Flash, DC (or National Comics as they were) was keen to build on the resurgent superhero trend. Showcase #22 (September-October 1959) hit the stands at the same time as the fourth issue of the new Flash comicbook (#108) and once again the guiding lights were Editor Julie Schwartz and writer John Broome.
The Space Age reworking of the Golden-Age superhero with the magic ring replaced mysticism with super-science. Hal Jordan was a young test pilot in California when an alien policeman crashed his spaceship on Earth. Mortally wounded, Abin Sur commanded his ring, a device which could materialise thoughts, to seek out a replacement ring-bearer, honest and without fear. Scanning the planet it selected Jordan and brought him to the crash-site. The dying alien bequeathed his ring, the lantern-shaped Battery of Power and his profession to the astonished Earthman.
In six pages ‘S.O.S Green Lantern’ established the characters, scenario and narrative thrust of a series that would increasingly become the spine of DC continuity, leaving room for another two adventures in that premiere issue. ‘Secret of the Flaming Spear!’ and ‘Menace of the Runaway Missile!’ were both contemporary thrillers set against the backdrop of the aviation industry at a time when the Cold War was at its height.
Unlike the debut of The Flash, the editors were now confident of their ground. The next two issues of Showcase carried the new hero into even greater exploits. ‘Summons from Space’ sent Green Lantern to another world: Saving an emerging race from a deadly threat at the behest of the as-yet-unnamed leaders of the Green Lantern Corps, whilst ‘The Invisible Destroyer’ pitted the Emerald Gladiator against the earthbound but eerie menace of a psychic marauder that lived on atomic radiation.
Showcase #24 (January-February, 1960) featured another spy-ring in ‘The Secret of the Black Museum!’ but Hal Jordan’s complex social life took centre-stage in ‘The Creature That Couldn’t Die!’ when the threat of an unstoppable monster paled before the insufferable stress of being his own rival. Hal’s boss Carol Ferris, left in charge of the aviation company by her father (a radical concept in 1960 when most women were still considered faint-fodder fluff) won’t date an employee but is happy for him to set her up with the glamorous, mysterious Green Lantern.
Six months later Green Lantern #1 was released. All previous tales had been dynamically drawn by Gil Kane and inked by Joe Giella, in a visually arresting and exciting manner, but the lead tale here, ‘Planet of Doomed Men’ was inked by the uniquely gifted Murphy Anderson, and his fine line-work elevated the tale (more emergent humans in need of rescue from another monster) to the status of a minor classic. Giella returned for the second tale, ‘Menace of the Giant Puppet!’, in which GL fought his first – albeit rather lame – super-villain, the Puppet Master.
The next issue originated a concept that would be pivotal to the future of DC continuity. ‘The Secret of the Golden Thunderbolts!’ featured the Antimatter Universe and the diabolical Weaponers of Qward, a twisted race who worshipped Evil, and whose “criminals†(i.e. people who wouldn’t lie, cheat, steal or kill) wanted asylum on Earth. This tale was also inked by Anderson, and is an early highpoint of tragic melodrama from an era where emotionalism was actively downplayed in comics. The second story ‘Riddle of the Frozen Ghost Town!’ is a crime thriller that highlights the developing relationship between the hero and his Inuit (then “Eskimoâ€) mechanic Tom ‘Pieface’ Kalmaku.
The Qwardians returned in #3’s ‘The Amazing Theft of the Power Lamp!’ and Jordan’s love-life again spun out of control in ‘The Leap Year Menace!’, whilst GL#4 saw the hero trapped in the antimatter universe in ‘The Diabolical Missile from Qward!’ nicely balanced by the light-and-frothy mistaken-identity caper ‘Secret of Green Lantern’s Mask!’ (this last apparently crafted by a veritable raft of pencillers including Kane, Giella, Carmine Infantino, Mike Sekowsky and Ross Andru). Issue #5 was a full length thriller which introduced Hector Hammond, GL’s second official super-villain in ‘The Power Ring that Vanished!’ a saga of romantic intrigue, mistaken identity and evolution gone wild. This was followed by another, the pure science fiction puzzler ‘The World of Living Phantoms!’ which introduced the avian Green Lantern Tomar Re, and opened up the entire universe to avid readers.
These black and white collections are to my mind a much better buy for art fans who can more clearly see the mastery of design and rendering of artists like Gil Kane. The only regret is that occasionally a special circumstance cries out for colour. In the early 1960s DC production wizard Jack Adler created a process to add enhancing tone to cover illustrations. The finished result was eye-catching and mind-blowing, but examples, such as the cover of #8, really don’t work without glossy colours and tints. Never mind, though, as the contents of that issue, ‘The Challenge from 5700AD!’ are a fantasy tour de force: The Emerald Gladiator is shanghaied through time to save the future from a invasion of mutant lizards. Sinestro returned in the next issue with his own super-weapon in ‘The Battle of the Power Rings!’ (with Murphy Anderson once more replacing Giella on inks) but the real gold is ‘Green Lantern’s Brother Act’ which introduces Hal’s two brothers and a snoopy girl reporter convinced that young Jim Jordan is the ring-slinging superhero. This wry poke at DC’s house plot-device shows just how sophisticated Schwartz and Broome believed their audiences to be.
‘Prisoner of the Power Ring’ is your run-of-the-mill subatomic exodus tale with Atomic War anxiety overtones whilst ‘The Origin of Green Lantern’s Oath’ details three of the hero’s earliest exploits which led to him constructing the piece of doggerel he uses to time his ring’s recharging period. Although neither tale is a blockbuster, the increasingly loose and expressive artwork of Kane, especially on the latter (again with Anderson on inks) are an unalloyed delight of easy grace and power.
The readers were hungry for more on the Green Lantern Corps and ‘The Strange Trial of Green Lantern’ introduced another half-dozen or so simply to court-martial Hal Jordan for dereliction of duty in a saga of cataclysmic proportions, but ‘The Trail of the Missing Power Ring!’ focuses on drama of a more human scale when a young boy finds the power ring Hal has lost. Issue #12 returned GL to 5700AD thwart an interplanetary coup in ‘Green Lantern’s Statue goes to War.’ A balance between cosmic and personal stories was developing in the issues with two stories, and ‘Zero Hour in the Silent City!’ highlights Tom Kalmaku’s close friendship with Hal against the backdrop of bank robbers with a super scientific gimmick.
Green Lantern #13 was a true landmark as an interdimensional invasion led to a team-up and lifelong friendship between our hero and the Flash. Controversial for the time, ‘The Duel of the Super-Heroes!’, saw them share each other secret identities, a rarity then even among the close comrades of the Justice League of America. This full-length thriller was followed in #14 by the introduction of Balkan ultra-nationalist villain Sonar in ‘The Man Who Conquered Sound!’ a traditional fist-fest complemented by the return of Jim Jordan and that snoopy girl reporter Sue Williams. In the frothy romp ‘My Brother, Green Lantern!’ it’s revealed that she’s now romantically involved with the youngest Jordan sibling and, due to a slight mishap with the boy’s fraternity rings more certain than ever that her intended is the Emerald Gladiator.
Sinestro once more escaped the justice of the Guardians to return in #15’s ‘Peril of the Yellow World!’ a cosmic duel that tested GL’s bravery as much as the Space Race thriller ‘Zero Hour at Rocket City!’ tested his wits. The next issue took the Hal Jordan/Green Lantern/Carol Ferris romantic triangle to a new level. ‘The Secret Life of Star Sapphire!’ introduced the alien women of Zamaron. Readers of contemporary comics will be aware of their awesome heritage but for the sake of this review and new readers let’s keep that to ourselves. They select Carol as their new queen and give her a gem as versatile as a power ring, and a brainwash make-over too. Programmed to destroy the man she loves, Star Sapphire would become another recurring foe, but one with a telling advantage. The second story solved a puzzle that had baffled readers since the very first appearance of the Emerald Crusader.
Gardner Fox contributes his first tale in ‘Earth’s First Green Lantern’ Hal finally learns why his predecessor Abin Sur crashed to Earth in a spaceship when all GL’s could fly through space on ring power alone. A stirring tale of triumph and tragedy this short yarn is one of Broome and Kane’s very best.
This volume ends with a full-length espionage thriller from #17, also written by Fox. ‘The Spy-Eye that Doomed Green Lantern!’ again revolved around test pilot Jordan’s personal involvement in the US/Soviet race to the stars and is a fine example of a lost type of tale. In those long ago days costumed villains were always third choice in a writers armoury: clever bad-guys and aliens always seemed more believable to the creators back then. If you were doing something naughty would you want to call attention to yourself? Nowadays the visual impact of buff men in tights dictates the type of foe more than the crimes committed, which is why these glorious adventures of simpler yet somehow better days are such an unalloyed delight.
These costumed drama romps are in themselves a great read for most ages, but when also considered as the building blocks of all DC continuity they become vital fare for any fan keen to make sense of the modern superhero experience.
By Jack Kirby & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1087-8
The Challengers of the Unknown were a bridging concept. As superheroes were being revived in 1956 here was a super-team – the first of the Silver Age – with no powers, the most basic and utilitarian of costumes and the most dubious of motives – Suicide by Mystery. Yet they were a huge hit and struck a chord that lasted for more than a decade before they finally died… only to rise again and yet again. The idea of them was stirring enough, but their initial execution made their success all but inevitable.
Jack Kirby was – and still is – the most important single influence in the history of American comic books. There are quite rightly millions of words written about what the man has done and meant, and you should read those if you are at all interested in our medium. I’m going to add a few words to that superabundance in this review of one of his best projects, which like so many others, he perfectly constructed before moving on, leaving highly competent but never as inspired talents to build upon.
When the comic industry suffered a collapse in the mid 1950’s, Kirby returned briefly to DC Comics where he worked on mystery tales and the Green Arrow back-up strip whilst creating the newspaper strip Sky Masters of the Space Force. He also re-packaged for Showcase (a try-out title that launched the careers of many DC mainstays) an original super-team concept that had been kicking around in his head since he and long-time collaborator Joe Simon had closed the innovative but unfortunate Mainline Comics.
After years of working for others Simon and Kirby had finally established their own publishing company, producing comics with a much more sophisticated audience in mind, only to find themselves in a sales downturn and awash in public hysteria generated by the anti-comic book pogrom of US Senator Estes Kefauver and the psychologist Dr Frederic Wertham. Simon quit the business for advertising, but Kirby soldiered on, taking his skills and ideas to a number of safer, if less experimental, companies.
The Challengers of the Unknown were four ordinary mortals; heroic adventurers and explorers who walked away unscathed from a terrible plane crash. Already obviously what we now call “adrenaline junkiesâ€, they decided that since they were all living on borrowed time, they would dedicate what remained of their lives to testing themselves and fate. They would risk their lives for Knowledge and naturally, Justice.
The series launched with ‘The Secrets of the Sorcerer’s Box!’ (Showcase #6, dated January/February 1957 – which meant it came out in time for Christmas 1956). Kirby and scripter Dave Wood, plus inkers Marvin Stein and Jack’s wife Roz, crafted a spectacular epic as the doom-chasers were hired by the duplicitous magician Morelian to open an ancient container holding otherworldly secrets and powers.
This initial story roars along with all the tension and wonder of the B-movie thrillers it emulates and Kirby’s awesome drawing resonates with power and dynamism, which continues for the sequel, a science fiction drama caused when an alliance of Nazi technologies and American criminality unleashes a terrible robotic monster. ‘Ultivac is Loose!’ (Showcase #7, dated March/April 1957) introduced the beautiful and capable boffin Dr June Robbins, who became the fifth Challenger at a time when most comic females had returned to a subsidiary status in that so-conservative era.
The team didn’t reappear until Showcase #11 (November/December 1957) as The Flash and Lois Lane got their Shots at the big time. When the Challs returned it was in an alien invasion adventure ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’, with the unique realist Bruno Premiani inking a taut doomsday chiller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats even today, and by the time of their last Showcase issue (#12, January /February 1958) they had won their own title. ‘The Menace of the Ancient Vials’ was defused by the usual blend of daredevil heroics and ingenuity (with the wonderful inking of George Klein adding subtle clarity to the tale of an international criminal who steals an ancient weapons cache that threatens the entire world if misused), but the biggest buzz would come two months later with the first issue of their own magazine.
Issue #1, written and drawn by Kirby, with Stein on inks, presented two complete stories plus an iconic introductory page that would become almost a signature logo for the team. ‘The Man Who Tampered with Infinity’ pitted the heroes against a renegade scientist whose cavalier dabbling loosed dreadful monsters from the beyond onto our defenceless planet, before the team were actually abducted by aliens in ‘The Human Pets’.
The same creators were responsible for the two stories in the second issue. ‘The Traitorous Challenger’ is a monster mystery, with June returning to sabotage a mission in the Australian Outback, whilst ‘The Monster Maker’ finds the team seemingly helpless against a super-criminal who can conjure and animate solid objects out of his thoughts.
The third issue features ‘Secret of the Sorcerer’s Mirror’ with Roz Kirby and Marvin Stein again inking the mesmerising pencils, as the boys pursue a band of criminals whose magic looking glass can locate deadly ancient weapons, but the most intriguing tale for fans and historians is undoubtedly ‘The Menace of the Invincible Challenger’ wherein team strongman Rocky Davis is rocketed into space only to crash back to Earth with strange, uncanny powers.
For years the obvious similarities of this group – and especially this adventure – to the origin of Marvel’s Fantastic Four (FF #1 was out in November 1961) have fuelled speculation. In all honesty I simply don’t care. They’re both similar and different but equally enjoyable so read both. In fact, read them all.
With #4 the series became artistically perfect as the sheer brilliance of Wally Wood’s inking elevated the art to unparalleled heights. The scintillant sheen and limpid depth of Wood’s brushwork fostered an abiding authenticity in even the most outrageous of Kirby’s designs and the result is – even now – breathtaking. ‘The Wizard of Time’ is a full length masterpiece as a series of bizarre robberies lead the team to a scientist with a time-machine. By visiting oracles of the past he found a path to the far future. When he got there he intended robbing it blind, but the Challengers found a way to follow…
‘The Riddle of the Star-Stone’ (#5) is a contemporary full-length thriller, wherein an archaeologist’s assistant uncovers an alien tablet which bestows various super-powers when different gems are inserted into it. The exotic locales and non-stop spectacular action are intoxicating, but Kirby’s solid characterisation and ingenious writing are what make this such a compelling read.
Scripter Dave Wood returned for #6’s first story. ‘Captives of the Space Circus’ has the boys kidnapped from Earth to perform in a interplanetary show, but the evil ringmaster is promptly outfoxed and the team returns for Ed Herron’s mystic saga ‘The Sorceress of Forbidden Valley’, as June Robbins becomes an amnesiac puppet in a power struggle between a fugitive gangster and a ruthless feudal potentate.
There are also two stories in #7. Herron scripted both the relatively straightforward alien-safari tale ‘The Beasts From Planet 9’ and the much more intriguing ‘Isle of No Return’ where the team must defeat a scientific bandit before his shrinking ray leaves them permanently mouse-sized.
Issue #8 is a magnificent finale to a superb run as Kirby and Wally Wood go out in style in two gripping spectaculars (both of which introduced menaces who would return to bedevil the team in future tales). ‘The Man Who Stole the Future’ by Dave Wood, Kirby and the unrelated Wally Wood, introduces Drabny – a mastermind who steals mystic artefacts and conquers a small nation before the team defeats him. This is a tale of spectacular battles and uncharacteristic, if welcome, comedy, but the real gem is the science fiction tour-de-force ‘Prisoners of the Robot Planet’, with art by the Kirby and Wood, and probably written by Kirby and Herron. Petitioned by a desperate alien, the Challs travel to his distant world to liberate the population from bondage to their own robotic servants, who have risen in revolt under the command of the fearsome automaton, Kra.
These are classic adventures, told in a classical manner. Kirby developed a brilliantly feasible concept with which to work and heroically archetypical characters in cool pilot Ace Morgan, indomitable strongman Rocky Davis, intellectual aquanaut Prof. Haley and daredevil acrobat Red Ryan. He then manipulated an astounding blend of genres to display their talents and courage in unforgettable exploits that informed every team comic that followed and certainly influenced his successive and landmark triumphs with Stan Lee. But then he left.
The Challengers would follow the Kirby model until cancellation in 1970, but due to a dispute with Editor Jack Schiff the writer/artist resigned at the height of his powers. The Kirby magic was impossible to match, but as with all The King’s creations, every element was in place for the successors to run with. Challengers of the Unknown #9 (September 1959) saw an increase in the fantasy elements favoured by Schiff, and perhaps an easing of the subtle tension that marked previous issues (Comics Historians take note: the Challs were bickering and snarling at each other years before Marvel’s Cosmic Quartet ever boarded that fateful rocket-ship). A number of writers, many sadly lost to posterity stepped in, including Bill Finger, Ed Herron and possibly Jack Miller, Bob Haney and Arnold Drake, but one man took over the illustrator’s role: Bob Brown.
To our shame very little is known about this wonderfully capable artist. I can’t even confirm his date of birth, although he died in 1977 following a long illness. He co-created the long-running Space Ranger, drew Tomahawk, Vigilante, Batman, Superboy, Doom Patrol, World’s Finest Comics and a host of other features and genre shorts for DC before moving to Marvel in the 1970s where he drew Warlock, Daredevil and the Avengers among others. He was a consummate professional and drew every issue of the Challs from #9 – 63, almost a decade of high-adventure that ranged from ravaging aliens, cute-and-fuzzy space beats to supernatural horrors.
‘The Men who Lost their Memories’ found the team fighting crooks with a thought stealing machine, but ‘The Plot to Destroy Earth!’ was a full-on end-of-humanity thriller with monsters sent to carve our world into chunks for their resource-hungry alien masters, and only the guts and ingenuity of our heroes could save the day. A destructive giant with a deadly secret was the premise of ‘The Cave-Man Beast’ and #10’s cover featured second tale was another time-travel conundrum as the boys found their own likenesses on a submerged monolith in the Sci-Fi thriller ‘The Four Faces of Doom’.
Issue #11 was a full-length action-packed interdimensional romp subdivided into ‘The Creatures from the Forbidden World’, ‘Land beyond the Light’ and ‘The Achilles Heel’, but the two-story format returned in the next issue, which contained ‘The Challenger from Outer Space’ with an alien superhero joining the team and ‘Three Clues to Sorcery’ with the four adventurers once again forced to endure exotic locales and extreme perils to acquire mystic artefacts for a criminal mastermind, this time there’s a deadly twist in this oft told tale.
‘The Prisoner of the Tiny Space Ball’ finds the team rescuing the ruler of another world whilst Rocky is possessed by the legendary Golden Fleece making him a puppet of ‘The Creatures from the Past’. Issue #14 opens with one of the few adventures with a credited scripter. Ed “France†Herron was thirty year comics veteran and ‘The Man who Conquered the Challengers’ is one of his best tales, with crooked archaeologist Eric Pramble stealing an ancient formula for “liquid light†which makes him immortal. Moreover, every time he’s killed he reanimates with a different super-power! As Multi-Man, he became the closest thing to an arch-villain the series ever had, and even graduated to becoming a regular foe across the DCU. Once again wits and nerve found a way to victory that sheer firepower never could.
In the other yarn ‘Captives of the Alien Beasts’ all five Challs are teleported to another world by animals that have invaded a scientist’s laboratory, a relatively innocuous tale, compared to #15’s all-out fight-fest ‘The Return of Multi-Man’ and the bizarre ‘The Lady Giant and the Beast’ wherein June is transformed into a fifty foot leviathan just as a scaly monster cuts a swathe of destruction through the locality. Issue #16’s ‘Incredible Metal Creature’ sees an Earth thug join forces with an escaped alien criminal, no real Challenge there but the second story finds the team in Arabia as ‘Prisoners of the Mirage World’ and the knights who have been trapped there since the time of the Crusades. This thrill-stuffed tome concludes with the #17’s supernatural crime whimsy ‘The Genie who Feared June’, and the interplanetary mission of mercy ‘The Secret of the Space Capsules’, both solid pieces of adventure fiction that if not displaying the unique Kirby magic are redolent with its flavours.
Challengers of the Unknown is sheer escapist wonderment, and no fan of the medium should miss the graphic exploits of these perfect adventurers in the ideal setting of not so long ago in a simpler better world than ours.
