Air #1 (Vertigo)
from October 2008
I still fondly remember getting into G. Willow Wilson's Air. My interest at first was tentative, but then it became one of my favorite comics. I still think it's Wilson's best comics work, which she doesn't seem to have been in too much of a rush to replicate, even after finding popular success years later with Ms. Marvel. I've never added it to my graphic novel collection, though, so revisiting it was a long time coming, so it was great to find the first issue itself. And I still enjoyed it.
Azrael #40 (DC)
from April 1998
I always find it funny to be reminded of comics I decided not to read, and there were some in the '90s that in retrospect really leave me scratching my head. Even if I had no interest in Azrael itself, it's still strange to think there were rematches between the one-time Batman and Bane that didn't feel important enough to catch. About seven years back I read other encounters in the series between them (and maybe even this one?), so it was fun to do it again. That the series lasted a hundred issues seems incomprehensible today, whether or not I was reading it myself. But then, companies back then didn't have as itchy a trigger finger as they do now, constantly rebooting the big ones much less being patient with the smaller ones. You can see how Azrael's lack of appearances in recent years would bode for any new attempt at a solo book. The best of this issue is being reminded how long the original depiction of Bane managed to stick around, before subsequent generations screwed him up (well after the clownish version in Batman & Robin). Thank goodness Christopher Nolan and Tom King came around! This is a legitimately great character, with even greater potential still possible, which seems even more unlikely for a villain seemingly created just to provoke one of those endless '90s crises.
Batman and the Signal #3 (DC)
from June 2018
Duke Thomas was at one time pegged to be the next Robin, at least as far as fans expected, but eventually he assumed his own heroic identity, the Signal (Scott Snyder can be remarkably insular in his imaginative thought). This was his first spotlight with the new handle. Cully Hamner seems somehow less assured than usual on art, which was kind of strange.
DC Sampler (um, DC?)
from 1983
Ha! A few years before Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC seemed pretty assured of its comics line. This was a freebie they sent out with creative teams giving a small taste of what to expect from most of the titles at the time. For flimsy reasons, it omits some pretty significant titles: Justice League of America, Green Lantern, and Camelot 3000 (one of the projects the company used to heavily promote alongside Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and the slightly less forgotten Ronin).
from July 2018
I've been talking about Mark Russell quite a bit here lately, and with good reason: He's struck me as one of the most significant creators to emerge in recent years, and in recent years, he's finally started cementing his reputation. And for intents and purposes, that reputation begins with Exit Stage Left.
Using as its central conflict the familiar McCarthy Red Scare witch trials of the '50s, Russell reimagines a familiar Hanna-Barbera cartoon property as an allegory for the struggles of the LBGTQ community to find mainstream acceptance. It was immediately picked up on by observers that Russell had struck upon a compelling concept. I never had a chance to read it myself, having fallen into a black hole of sporadic comics reading at the time, and the later collection has been impossible to find in places other than the interwebs. Now I think I may have to finally go that route, because more than Prez, more than Flintstones, it seems Exit Stage Left pushes Russell beyond the concept of social commentary into truly great writing, and finds him at his very best, just as the reports have had it.
The Red Scare is always going to be a fascinating concept in and of itself, what it was, what it provoked, and the general response to it, whether or not we learned anything from it, or might still have a chance to. Clearly Russell believes it still has things to teach us, and as far as I'm concerned, he was absolutely right. What emerges is at least the perception of an effect on society similar to the Nazis in Germany, which is an interpretation that history normally flattens into "naming names," something that seemingly only affected Hollywood. DC itself has used the trials to explain what happened to the Justice Society after WWII, which the same flat interpretation.
Bottom line is, Russell created something that far exceeded a simple Hanna-Barbera nostalgia comic, into something that's valuable in a truly transcendent manner. It should be a lot easier to find.
from 1988
What I really like discovering are comics I didn't even know existed but turn out to be far more interesting than such a fate suggests. This is obviously one of those.
From the husband-and-wife writing team of Walt and Louise Simonson (the latter of which I'd really only previously seen in the pages of Superman: The Man of Steel) and featuring art from Jon J. Muth (whom I'd previously seen in Grant Morrison's Mystery Play), this seems like another of Marvel's inexplicably lost evergreens. The biggest difference between Marvel and DC that I've seen is that where DC actively celebrates its best stories, Marvel is most content basking in its great legacy. Even the X-Men have gradually lost their once-celebrated memory for their '80s heyday.
And this is part of it, perhaps the best part of it. Wolverine, the poster child for breakout '80s X-Men success, and Havok (you know, Cyclops' brother). (Oh, wait, you probably don't. Because Havok has a tiny legacy.)
The Simonsons spend part of the story recounting the then-recent Chernobyl disaster (as recently depicted in a much-celebrated TV mini-series, called Chernobyl). That was itself fun to read, real history unfolding in the pages of a comic that subsequently has great historic value.
Of course, Muth's art is spectacular in and of itself. I have no idea, without researching, why Muth didn't make a much bigger name for himself, but it's not for lack of breathtaking talent.
Of course, at its heart Meltdown is a buddy adventure, and Wolverine & Havok play well off each other, in a story that's far removed from typical superhero comics material.
Marvel obviously knew it was a worthwhile project at some point: it was published in the prestige format. It would be nice for Marvel to remember at some point, so fans can, too. But thanks to whatever idiot gave up a treasure like this so I could discover it.
Justice League United #16 (DC)
from February 2016
I got this as much to see where the series had gone as astonishment that it had actually lasted that long, because it melted pretty much into oblivion, and I was just interested to see an issue from that late in the game (really only a few months before Rebirth).
JSA Classified #25 (DC)
from June 2007
I loved that DC expanded its Legends of the Dark Knight concept for a number of titles, between this, the JLA (Classified) and Batman and Superman (both Confidential), giving the company some anthology platforms. This issue has the spotlight on the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott.
Legends of the DC Universe #9 (DC)
from October 1998
This is another '90s series I'm surprised I mostly skipped completely over, and of course it's a precursor to what I was just talking about, with this issue revisiting the classic team-up of Green Lantern (in this instance, Hal Jordan) and Green Arrow, with a tale of how they first met.
Legion of Super-Heroes #88 (DC)
from January 1997
I'm really sure I didn't read this issue when it was originally published, even though 2019 Tony thought it was an immediate necessity, as it features Impulse on the cover, and obviously a guest appearance by him inside, which 1997 should have been far more interested in, as I was a big fan of Bart Allen, and have since begun considering Mark Waid's Impulse perhaps a better overall experience than his Flash, which was itself one of my favorite '90s comics. And I was happy to discover, even at the late date of 2019, that Impulse still amuses me. This was a great spotlight for the character.
Marvel Boy: The Plutonian #1 (Marvel)
from March 2010
I thought this was another great discovery. And I mean, it's interesting, but...Not as much as Havok & Wolverine. I demand a Havok & Wolverine movie. Or TV mini-series! Starring Jared Harris! As, I don't know, Wolverine!
Millennium #2, 3, 4, 6 & 8 (DC)
from 1987
Yey gods...I had never read Millennium, one of the event comics DC did after the great success of Crisis on Infinite Earths, but was pretty familiar with the concept, the Manhunters story where various characters were revealed to be infiltrators of the nefarious robot predecessors to the Guardians' Green Lantern Corps. Now I wish I still had never read Millennium, because it's...dreck. A totally botched event comic. By the end, it feels like one of DC's perennial excuses to try and introduce a new generation of superheroes. And absolutely none of them made it past Millennium itself. At least as far as I can tell. I had never heard of any of them until I saw their would-be spectacular debuts in the final issue. And even I, who pride myself in being able to see great potential where others usually can't, couldn't imagine rehabilitating. Any of them...
Mister X #1 (Vortex)
from June 1984
Mister X: Razed #4 (Dark Horse)
from May 2015
I had a great affinity for Dean Motter's Mister X. I didn't discover it in that first issue from 1984, but rather years later, in a reprint collection, when interest was just beginning to surface again, leading to the Dark Horse revivals. I got into Dean Motter comics, including finally reading Terminal City, which Motter had done for DC, and became a pretty big fan. But Mister X itself is a somewhat peculiar beast. The whole concept is almost only a concept, in which a character who's never really anything but a background character in his own comic exists mostly for a backstory, in a comic that looks spectacularly designed, regardless of who's drawing it (the original wasn't even written or drawn by Motter). Yet strangely, I remain attached to it, even as I grow detached from my original excitement. Seems almost like a secret handshake for true comics aficionados. One I'm proud to be a part of.
Primal Force #12 (DC)
from October 1995
DC made the curious decision to publish a lot of titles that would've fit nicely with the original Vertigo conceit (an offbeat look at superheroes) under the regular DC label, and I think a lot of great material got buried as a result. It only occurred to me that Primal Force is a part of that strange distinction upon this latest revisiting. I didn't read this one at the time, either, of course, but I discovered and devoured it years later, and am always happy to be reminded of it. I wish more fans understood what it accomplished, too, so that DC could add it to the trade collections always in-print.
The Sandman #4 (DC)
from September 1975
As you can see from its publication stamp above, not the Neil Gaiman comic! (Which of course I didn't read in the '90s!) This is the earlier one, which at least as of this issue featured Jack Kirby art! And exclamation points! After! Every! Utterance! Interestingly, features an add for a DC line expansion that includes Warlord (who endures in random appearances to this day) and Claw (who resurfaced in Primal Force and...doesn't endure to this day).
Seaguy#2 (Vertigo)
from August 2004
A lie! A vicious lie! Some jerk slipped this cover onto an issue of Fables. I didn't discover this until I had already brought it home. Some customers would probably bring it back and demand satisfaction. I am not one of those costumers. Makes for a better write-up here, anyway.
Starman #30 (DC)
from May 1997
Of course I didn't read Starman in the '90s. What were you thinking, even wondering? But I like to revisit it every now and then.
Titans #30 (DC)
from August 2001
Hard to think of any date immediately preceding 9/11 without thinking of 9/11 (even though, as time stamps in comics go, this was actually released probably in June 2001, well ahead of that day). Anyway, as Roy Harper comics go, at this point he was pretty much exclusively associated with Cheshire, the Elektra to his Daredevil, and this tale actually pivots more accurately on Cheshire herself, as she awaits the verdict for a trial concerning her villainous ways. And then Roy Harper dies in Heroes in Crisis, and all anyone can fixate on is what Tom King did to poor Wally West. What about Roy, fans. What about Roy?
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