Reading Comics 242 "Fifth and final Forbidden Geek mystery box"

Yeah, so that happened.  The title of this post reads "fifth" mystery box, when it really ought to have read "sixth."  You might recall that I had problems with my fourth box.  Forbidden Geek, when I contacted them, quickly shipped a replacement box when I told them the original had been lost in the mail.  The company sent out an email explaining how they'd had trouble keeping up with mystery box shipments during the holidays.  And then my fifth box never arrived.  Payment was processed for my sixth box, and the shipping information for the fifth box was immediately replaced for the sixth's.  I decided enough was enough.  The sixth box actually arrived exactly on-schedule, the same as the first three boxes had.  But I didn't want to continue supporting an unprofessional company.  It's one thing for shipping to be messed up once.  It's another to know there's a problem and take no real steps to address it and just get back to the schedule later. 

So I missed a box, and this final one, which actually proved all over again the value the service had for me, arrived.  It also included a trade collecting material relevant to the forthcoming Birds of Prey movie, and another Funko statue, plus these comics:

Animal Man #76
from October 1994

I had never read an Animal Man from this initial Vertigo period that wasn't written by Grant Morrison.  I understood that DC was keen to keep the series going without him, but I imagined that the results wouldn't really interest me.  As a result, I don't think I'd read a Jamie Delano comic before this.  Delano was one of the Vertigo originals, but he never had a signature comic like Morrison or Neil Gaiman, much less Peter Milligan (a lesser but still talented writer who continued working with the imprint for years after the original creators moved on).  This issue doesn't even feature Animal Man himself, but rather is part of an arc that includes the Red, a concept that was later used in the New 52 in ways fans didn't think was relevant, and yet here it is.  The New 52 was a job of reintegrating Vertigo characters back into the DC mainstream, and to do so it reclaimed familiar superhero tropes rather than focused squarely on horror elements (though the Red, and the Rot, were certainly intended even later to be considered horrific).  Anyway, long story short, I think I won't be so reluctant to read a Jamie Delano comic in the future.  We all have our biases for familiar creators, and can be shy about sampling unfamiliar ones.  Sometimes that approach is sheer nonsense.  You might discover a new favorite, or perhaps merely someone who is worth reading.

Batgirl #71
from February 2006

An incredibly simplistic story (this writer was totally unknown to me, and I was happy to leave them that way) featuring Cassandra Cain under the cowl, with the mouth covering she's traditionally associated with literally snipped away, apparently from a period where the Dark Knightress was no longer intended to be so ominous.  Great cover from Tim Sale, though.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #3
from 1993

"Bloodlines," yeah!  This is one of those things I'll always be nostalgic about, not just because a few of the new superheroes created during it turned out to be fun to have around (for as long as they managed to; Sparx and Hitman probably had the longest runs out of them, and neither is around anymore, and haven't been for decades).  Like the theme months in the New 52, I'll always be up to sampling the results all over again.  This one actually features two new characters, a hero and a villain, who end up cancelling each other out (both are depowered by the end), which isn't something I'd seen before.  Bonus, of course, that it features Azbats!

Batman #4
from February 2012

There's Scott Snyder's initial "Court of Owls" arc again, which lately I've been cursed to revisit again and again, whether in a Forbidden Geek trade collection or the Batman Giants.  Or this single issue.  Which I actually kind of want to write my own version of.  Y'know, so Snyder can never, ever see the results, and how much better they are.  (Take that!)

Hawkman #8
from March 1987

I admit that I didn't really read this one.

The Kingdom #2
from February 1999

Kingdom Come was a big epic tale that became one of my all-time favorite comics.  Mark Waid decided to follow it up with The Kingdom, which didn't really approach it (like at all) in quality, but was really an excuse for Waid and/or DC to officially bring back the multiverse via the concept of "hypertime," which actually got a bigger bow in the pages of Karl Kesel's Superboy (though, like Superboy in this era in general, is generally forgotten, despite a wealth of great material, and not all of it from Kesel and Tom Grummett).  Much like Morrison's later Multiversity, Waid sandwiched The Kingdom with one-shots exploring individual characters/concepts, which in the end were more valuable.  (Actually, the same is true of Multiversity.)  I actually think Kingdom Come's legacy was tarnished by The Kingdom.  If there were only going to be two issues of the lead story, DC and/or Waid could really have stood to opt for at least more impressive art, even if Alex Ross wasn't available.

The Ray #7
from December 1994

It's Howard Porter on art!  But not quite the Porter art as later depicted in the pages of JLA, meaning his style hadn't yet advanced to that familiar level.  And while I was always interested in at least sampling this series, featuring one of the many teenage '90s superheroes (for reasons, in this particular character, I never really understood), this issue is hijacked by Black Canary, which is kind of hilarious, because it proves how engaging she is apparently right after a series starring her was cancelled due to poor sales.  Stupid readers!

Robin #4 (of 5)
from April 1991

The original solo mini-series, featuring Tim Drake taking on the dreaded King Snake (a villain Tim's stories repeatedly returned to in the '90s, but who otherwise quickly faded into obscurity) while trying desperately not to think about having sex with Lady Shiva (hey, he was a '90s Teenage Superhero).

Stanley and His Monster #4
from May 1993

No, not Stan Lee and His Monster!  Although after Lady Shiva, it's kind of funny that the best thing about this comic is the sexy lady demon.  The best thing about the art is the sexy lady demon, too.  So there's that.

Starfire #2
from November 1976

Ha!  So apparently "Starfire" existed before the New Teen Titans!  And no, not the orange-skinned alien who sometimes is too sexy for comic book fans (it's a distinctly modern problem '90s fans would've been completely baffled by, as that was literally a whole genre back then; Americans still have no idea how puritanical our culture remains, regardless of how we explain it), but...a sword & sorcery Starfire!

As explained in an editorial in the comic itself, DC was desperately trying to launch a sword & sorcery angle to its lineup at the time.  Literally the only success from the many failure attempts in this initiative was Warlord, Travis Morgan, who still pops up from time to time.

And like the later Starfire, this Starfire is a sexy lady whose wardrobe does not attempt to cover large swathes of her body.  Anyway, the comic was also fun to read, and it was just fun to discover that the name had been used before.

The Titans #16
from June 2000

Devin K. Grayson!  I don't know, I think fans never forgave her for Dick Grayson's (no relation) rape.  Maybe there were other reasons, but Devin left comics behind and never attempted (or never succeeded at) a full-time comeback.  Which is absurd, because she was a talented storyteller, and instantly grasped DC continuity and how to continue it.  This team is literally the original Teen Titans, as adults, reunited, and this issue sees them rehashing interpersonal conflicts and deciding it's okay to have them and still maintain relationships (which makes it completely inconceivable in today's environment).  Kind of bittersweet, in hindsight, too, with how it handles Roy Harper, who in current continuity is kind of dead with far less fanfare than what happens to Wally West within the pages of Heroes in Crisis.  And suddenly I want a Devin K. Grayson series starring Roy.  At least they're finally reprinting her Nightwing.  Hopefully.  Sometimes DC ends up cancelling these sorts of things.

So long, Forbidden Geek, and thanks for all the fish!

Reading Comics 239 "My Fourth Forbidden Geen Mystery Box"

My fourth Forbidden Geek mystery box actually is sort of my fifth.  The fourth got lost in transit.  Realizing it was not going to come when Forbidden Geek was setting up the next shipment, I contacted the company, which responded promptly and shipped a replacement box immediately.  That was cool of them!

The resulting box had a Funko statue from Shazam! (I think it was Eugene), a copy of the Batman/Superman: Their Greatest Battles trade collection (a duplicate for me, so I earmarked it as another eventual gift for one of my nephews in Maine, whenever I get to see them and/or ship off the stuff I've been collecting for them), and the following comics:

(Nothing older than 2011 this time, but that's okay.)

Ame-Comi Girls #1 (DC)
from December 2012

The bulk of this is the Palmiotti/Gray/Palmer version of Wonder Woman's origin, with Amanda Palmer happily on art.  Until, for whatever reason, a far inferior artist fills out the issue.  I've mentioned before how inexplicably terrible I find the title of this series, but the contents are good.

Batman: Arkham Knight #8 (DC)
From November 2015

One of several Howard Porter covers in this selection.  Even though Tomasi is writing, I don't really care about this one.

Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 (DC)
from January 2013

I love being a fan who isn't pissed off that Before Watchmen happened.  I have a theory that the New 52 wasn't officially written off by fans until Before Watchmen happened.  Anyway, I was very happy to see this comic in the selection, as I'm pretty sure I didn't read either issue of Moloch on original release.  The creative team is J. Michael Straczynski and Eduardo Risso (a typically strong team for Before Watchmen, typically performing at peak capacity).  This first issue explains Moloch's origins, how being treated as a freak (because of those ears, chiefly) led him astray, and how he entered a path of redemption.  Until, y'know.  At its best, Before Watchmen brilliantly expanded (rather than needlessly duplicated) Watchmen lore (here I'm thinking of Comedian, which I recently reread), and Moloch, it seems, was Before Watchmen at its best.  I'm not always Straczynski's biggest fan, but this really is him functioning at peak potential.

Birds of Prey #12 (DC)
from July 2011

One of the 2011s!  I'll get back to the significance of this a little later, but as for this comic: Gail Simone.  I'm just not a fan.

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #4 (DC)
from April 2018

Because blogging, I somehow ended up following Tony Isabella's blog.  Isabella is Black Lightning's creator, and is still basically all he's known for, including his periodic revisits of the character (including a great-looking '90s run that I still want to check out).  If not this issue specifically, then this mini-series was featured on his blog just before I got the box, so it was pretty fortuitous when I opened it up and found this comic.  But, alas, I didn't much care about its contents.  Sort of like the CW series (although it was still great to see the character finally show up in the Arrowverse during Crisis).

Earth 2 #24 (DC)
from August 2014

Still one of my favorite things from the New 52, this issue is from the Tom Taylor period (years before he wowed readers with DCeased), already proving his dynamic understanding of DC lore.  This issue is pretty neat, as it features both the new Earth 2 Batman (Thomas Wayne) and Superman (Val-Zod), which sort of stole the thunder from the quasi-Justice Society but still made for fantastic developments in that continuity.

The Flash #55 (DC)
from November 2018

The other Howard Porter cover in the selection (this time a variant), featuring the budding expanded "forces" concept Josh Williamson brought to the Scarlet Speedster, sort of his version of the emotional spectrum in Green Lantern lore.

Green Lantern Corps #19 (DC)
from June 2013

The final issue in the Green Lantern family of titles before Geoff Johns' final issue of Green Lantern, as "Wrath of the First Lantern" weaves its way through them.  Volthoom!  Still a great name, right up there with Larfleeze.  I'm not kidding!  (I still want another Larfleeze series!)

Red Robin #21 (DC)
from May 2011

Tim Drake borrowing the name and costume from Dick Grayson's Kingdome Come future, but it's not all one-way, as the issue also features an appearance of a version of the red variant of his own costume Nightwing was going to sport in the New 52.  Don't think I didn't notice, DC!

Superman #20 (DC)
from July 2013

Clearly DC thought this issue was going to leave a far bigger impact than it did (hyped in the "News Channel 52" feature as it was, a war between Wonder Woman's "two suitors"), as the Man of Steel clashes with Orion!  But it's a fun story all the same, which makes the New Gods' lackluster presence in the New 52 all the more painful.  There was such potential! 

The Unwritten #29 (Vertigo)
from November 2011

I just read the two collections from The Unwritten: Apocalypse, the sequel series that ended this saga, so it was great to get a further glimpse into more of what happened previously (someday I will probably read the whole thing).  But more importantly: 2011!  So here it is.  Just before the New 52 era, DC tried a few things to lure fans back, including "drawing the line at $2.99" and...bringing back letters columns!  Which means, all three comics from 2011 featured...letters columns!  DC quickly dropped them again with the New 52, which was kind of disappointing, but not before making it clear that they did have their value, a concentrated forum for fans (not angry internet people) to share knowledge and appreciation (which again, not angry internet people).  I remember visiting DC's official message boards when they had switched from letters columns to the belief that the internet somehow replaced them, and that's where I found the fans hopelessly devoted the return of Hal Jordan as a clear-cut good guy (I think there was even a dorky name for the movement, but I don't remember what it would have been).  I just don't think anyone realizes what's lost when there are big shifts in how things are done, that it matters that some things are lost even while other things are gained.  I never understand the rush to shuck off old things, things that can't be replaced, no matter how much change improves things.  On the other hand, we now live in an era where the margin for success is wider than ever, that things with a smaller audience can still thrive for years, where they would've been aborted quickly before.  So the more things change, the more they stay...interesting.  I bet DC brings letters columns back, again, at some point.  After all, the more things change, the more they stay the same, too.  Sometimes you just have to wait.  Like those Hal Jordan fans.

Reading Comics 237 "My third Forbidden Geek mystery box"

My third shipment from Forbidden Geek included a Lobo statue, Snyder & Capullo’s Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls, and the following comics:

Astro City #25 (Vertigo)

Kurt Busiek’s familiar act continues for another issue.  It’s the kind of storytelling that perhaps feels more impressive if you catch it when you’re younger, but begins to seem regressive the more experience you have.  Interestingly, the only time readers have really revolted was when Busiek was telling an extended Dark Age tale that was the only time he was building on the Marvels method that inspired the whole thing, the sequel he never got to write, which to my mind was perhaps the best Astro City ever got.  Perhaps most recommended to unsophisticated budding comic book writers who have no idea how character storytelling works.

Detective Comics #14 (DC)

The John Layman (Chew) era, little celebrated at the time but an excellent Batman experience all the same (I get that Snyder’s was sensational, but it wasn’t the only or even best example of the New 52), with Poison Ivy in the spotlight.  Layman’s Batman is the analytical mind you’d expect in a title called Detective Comics, and he’s constantly challenged by familiar foes in interesting ways.  Perhaps best represented by the “Gothtopia” arc that went unobserved as a crossover.  Also features early but typically sensational Jason Fabok art, before he got the plush Justice League assignment.

Blue Beetle #1 (DC)

From the Rebirth era, which until now I’d never read.  In fact I skipped the New 52 series, too, and in both cases it’s entirely down to simply not having the funds.  When the New 52 launched I’d just lost my job of five years and went unemployed the rest of that year (then got a terrible job and then got a slightly less terrible job that compensated for that slight increase by paying far less and giving me far fewer hours…).  Anyway, both series were based on an excellent pre-Flashpoint series I did read enthusiastically, spinning out of Infinite Crisis, in which the legacy is passed on to Jaime Reyes in the form of a magical alien scarab with a fairly unexplored link to the Green Lantern Corps.  In this Rebirth relaunch Jaime’s friends from the first series are still present with the same witty banter, but Ted Kord gets to be part of the narrative this time (remember: Ted famously was murdered by Max Lord just prior to Infinite Crisis; the best thing about the current Snyder act is the recent Dark Multiverse one-shot that posits a scenario where Ted shot Max instead).  At some point I’ll really have to catch up with all this Blue Beetle material.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #6 (DC)

Another series I was sorry to have to skip in the early New 52 was this one, as it, too, was a follow-up to an excellent pre-Flashpoint series I enjoyed immensely.  So of course I enjoyed this issue.  Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch apparently each have their own Firestorm bodies (one of the familiar gimmicks of the concept is that Firestorm combines two people, with one providing the body and the other becoming a mental sidekick).  In this tale they’re confronted by the Russian Firestorm, Pozhar.  I’m still pretty convinced that if handled correctly, Firestorm could handle a Geoff Johns level renaissance.

The Flash #19 (DC)

Featuring the tease for the debut of the New 52 Reverse-Flash.  The issue features pretty much the bare minimum input from Francis Manapul, who was responsible (with Brian Buccellato) for the best Flash New 52 material, which itself also influenced much of the current TV series.

Green Arrow #31 (DC)

From the Rebirth era, in which DC finally figured out that Ollie ought to be allowed to be awesome again, aligning more with what he was best known for, including associations with Black Canary, Hal Jordan, and the Justice League, all of whom prominently appear in the issue.  I just don’t get how the much-influential TV series never seemed to convince the company, previously, that they should pay a little attention to the comic, help it shine when not written by Jeff Lemire, misguidedly believing instead that Green Arrow should be a younger punk.  This is a character defined by being world weary!  One of the main beneficiaries of Rebirth.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35 (DC)

The Robert Venditti era continued in Rebirth with this series, which because I became disinterested in his New 52 comics I never really made an attempt to get into.  This issue is mainly Venditti deciding that Hal, John, Kyle & Guy are the Green Lantern equivalent of wrestling’s Four Horsemen.  For…reasons.  Although it ends on a pretty amusing note, as Ganthet taunts the Controllers, by pointing out they want to, well, control these Lanterns, which, certainly with Hal, has famously been pretty impossible.  The main difference between Venditti and Geoff Johns, whom he succeeded, is that while Johns tossed in a lot of bold new concepts, he did so in a manner that built on existing ones.  He seemed like a fan.  Venditti never really seemed to understand any of it.  He tossed in a lot of bold new concepts, too, but without ever really seeming to understand that there were existing ones.  He never felt like he connected with the material.  It’s just incredibly bizarre.  Now you’ve got Grant Morrison writing Green Lantern, and he admitted he was reluctant to do so because he never understood the concept, and yet to read the results is to see that he got past that.  A lot of readers are confused, they see nothing but 2001 AD, but I see storytelling that comes alive with possibility, grounded in tradition.  Charles Soule, when he was writing Guy in Red Lanterns, was much the same, and so too Ron Marz in the uncomfortable position of writing Kyle ostensibly when the tradition had been exploded.  Maybe not everyone will see it, but when you do see it, it’s hard to look past.  That’s me and Venditti’s Green Lantern in a nutshell.  Ironically readers rejected the New 52 era because that’s what they thought they saw everywhere.  As far as I’m concerned, Venditti was ground zero, if nothing else, of the perceived phenomenon.

Infinite Inc. #27 (DC)

Ah!  Irony!  This is a whole issue dedicated to the Crisis on Infinite Earths effect, helpfully further spelled out in the letters column, in which a reader bemoans the cruel dismantling of continuity in the form of Huntress being “murdered” because she couldn’t exist outside of her context (Batman and Catwoman being her parents ‘n’ all, on Earth 2).  And this was a whole series about the offspring of the Justice Society.  So eventually, Brainwave Jr. removes Fury’s memories of her parents (y’know, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor).  Ironically, the reconciliation of canon effectively obliterated the Infinity Inc. concept, and Fury ended up a curious footnote, never to be revisited (at least as of now!), a curious appearance or two in the pages of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman that feel the more elegiac the more you’re aware of her publishing history.  A version of Huntress did return, eventually, an independent one with no background ties to Batman or Catwoman, although in the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series, she did.  Even better, this issue features a pre-Spider-Man, pre-Spawn Todd McFarlane, whose work is totally unrecognizable, if anything familiar to the Sandman style (just imagine!) with a few panels emphasizing shadow on facial features but otherwise looking fairly generic…

Red Hood and the Outlaws #11 (DC)

The Rebirth era, featuring Artemis & Bizarro, with the spotlight on Artemis (the Azrael of Wonder Woman lore) as she squares off with an Amazon of a spin-off tribe.  Lobdell’s Red Hood comics are another I want to catch up on at some point.

Suicide Squad #45 (DC)

From Rebirth, this issue features an apparent attempt to revisit the exact concept behind the team, as famously featured in the apparent infamous movie, villains being recruited by Amanda Waller for missions where their lawful participation will be disavowed, and if they go rogue the bomb in their heads goes boom.  So I guess if you need a random issue to remind you of all that, this one’s a good one to catch.

Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey #2 (DC)

The second of three issues, the prestige format follow-up to the more famous death-and-return saga, Dan Jurgens goes bold, explaining Doomsday’s origin!  I’m glad this was the random issue I got, because I’d never officially read any of it, but had heard of the origin concept.  In hindsight it’s somewhat convoluted.  A better version would be something like Wolverine, a monster with a healing factor who constantly evolves from the horrible deaths it endures, reviving on its own rather than being constantly cloned.  I mean, how would a clone adapt to whatever happened to the previous body?  It’s new material.  Bad science, Dan.  But typical Dan Jurgens art, which sadly lost pretty much all of its impact and appeal after the sensational work of Superman #75, famously depicted entirely in splash pages.  No comic could ever justify that format again, and Jurgens himself really had nowhere to go but down.  This issue also saddles us with Cyborg Superman, who didn’t die in Superman #82, and so he just keeps coming back.  Geoff Johns later used him, too, but I’ve never been convinced that it’s a concept worth revisiting.  If he’s no longer pretending to be Superman, what’s the point? 

Reading Comics 235 "Second Forbidden Geek Mystery Box"

I got my second Forbidden Geek mystery box, including a Supergirl statue, a copy of Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain's Journey (which was a very pleasant surprise; eventually I'll have the complete Johns collection), and the following comics:

All Star Batman #3 (DC)
Snyder once again in his nutshell, blowing everything up into possibly misguided epic proportions.  This time it's how Batman and Two-Face were actually childhood friends.  But, also features the KGBeast!  Alas, without his '90s Russian accent.

Captain Atom #7 (DC)
This is what I love about Forbidden Geek's mystery boxes, getting stuff I've always wanted to read but for whatever reason haven't gotten around to yet.  Captain Atom was one of those short-lived New 52 titles at launch.  I never had a clue what the series was like.  Now I finally do!  J.T. Krul, one of the dependable writers of that era who kind of disappeared without good reason, depicts his version of the character as Captain Atom has ever since DC gave in and acknowledged that Doctor Manhattan was based on him.  I first became acquainted with the character (whose main claim to fame is being but not really being the secret origin of Monarch in Armageddon 2001) in the pages of Justice League America and Extreme Justice, where he was depicted as more a Superman type, but a more aggressive version (just not to the degree that the original version of Supreme was, before Alan Moore made him a Silver Age Superman pastiche).  The art is from Freddie Williams II, who in recent years has come to be defined by the improbable Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.  I've got plenty of experience with his work, which I often find too cartoonish but not cartoonish enough to be accepted as such.  Here he's got better line work, though he apparently has no idea what riding a bike looks like (the legs, particularly).  I would absolutely love to read a collected edition of this material.

Constantine #5 (DC)
The New 52 attempt to mainstream John Constantine (a concept begun in Brightest Day) may have been somewhat misguided (at any rate, DC has yet to figure it out) works pretty well in this issue, with John temporarily stealing Shazam's powers (for his own good!), thereby setting a template other tales would do well to follow.  You can't really have the guy (even if he pops up in other books and/or teams) attempting to replicate his Vertigo experiences without recontextualizing him properly.  Ideally, he needs a central story, the way Zatanna is forever associated with her father's career, which increasingly is itself irrelevant but nonetheless provides a springboard to ground her.  The writer, of course, is Ray Fawkes, another great writer in that era who somehow failed to garner due respect.

Deathstroke #20 (DC)
A late New 52 series still running in the early Rebirth era (one of several, including Earth 2: Society and Doctor Fate, given a chance to wind down naturally), Slade (the youthful Slade, sans white hair!) blows up a partnership with Ra's al Ghul to reclaim his children. 

Hinterkind #10 (Vertigo)
A vampire series.  That is all.

Justice League #18 (DC)
A trademark of League comics is the membership drive (something Snyder ignored in pushing a huge lineup with multiple titles right from the start, so that everyone and their mother is instantly included).  That's what happens this issue.  Some new characters (Goldrush is sort of a revision of Bulleteer; sadly neither character has had much of a shelf life to date) and even a tease for the Crime Syndicate saga called Forever Evil makes this a fine character piece in a series with far more character work than you'd think.

Justice League #32 (DC)
Element Woman (a riff on Metamorpho), also featured in the membership drive, and the Doom Patrol(with a vicious Chief whose rival is Lex Luthor), try to tackle Jessica Cruz in the aftermath of her obtaining the power ring of, ah, Power Ring, the Crime Syndicate's Green Lantern.  Cruz later flattened into a character who sort of hid away in her room for...reasons, but it seems Johns originally had a deeper portrait in mind. 

Legion of Super-Heroes #283 (DC)
The token Older Issue in the box, this is an early '80s Legion comic featuring the secret origin of Wildfire.  I actually became more interested in the potential of at least one of the recruits he was testing.  Did anything ever end up happening with Lamprey?   Some quick research says no.  If I ever do get to write comics, I will include her in my Legion!

The New 52: Futures End #39 (DC)
This and Batman Eternal seem destined to show up in mystery selections.  At least I don't seem to get duplicate copies of this one. 

Richard Dragon #12 (DC)
The Chuck Dixon/Scott McDaniel series that reprised their Nightwing act.  Somewhat handily, the final issue.  God, I still want to know why McDaniel ended up blackballed from any significant work following Static Shock.  The dude was a staple at DC for a decade in high profile projects, and then criminally overlooked material like The Great Ten.  He's a treasure.  I doubt he was that awful to handle creatively when given a chance to write as well as draw.  He still shows up randomly here and there.  But, someone, anyone, give him a significant new project.

Superman #5 (DC)
The Tomasi/Gleason Rebirth series (seriously; McDaniel is like Gleason before Gleason was finally recognized), featuring the Eradicator targeting Jon Kent as a human/Kryptonian "abomination."  I don't think Tomasi/Gleason quite nailed Superman the way they did Batman and Robin.  I just saw Gleason popped up in Marvel Comics #1000 (which I'll be reading this week and have thoughts on next weekend).  Give these two a new project together before either considers really jumping ship.

Reading Comics 230 "First Forbidden Geek Mystery Box"

Recently I delved back into the crate phenomenon, the mystery box thing that’s become a whole cottage industry, even finding its way into Walmart and Target (plus kids toys! of course!), with Forbidden Geek.  At the moment, I’m officially a subscriber, so I will be getting a new box every month.  I got my first one recently.  I opted for a bonus pack of comics, which apparently, unlike the more official set, don’t come with bags and boards (which is fine by me), and those will be the first batch I write about:

Black Science #1 (Image)

This was the Image Firsts $1 reprint edition of the Rick Remender series.  Remender became one of those one-man creative industries (Fraction, Lemire, Millar) that’s been happening in recent years, and as the trend has been, helped make his name at the Big Two.  Black Science, as it turns out, is sort of his creator-owned version of Fantastic Four, not in the way Image was doing this sort of thing at the beginning, shamelessly and little creative spark, but the full-blown modern imaginative revamp.  So that was nice to see.

The Demon #37 (DC)

It’s funny that Forbidden Geek ended up sending me two issues of The Demon, and only a few issues apart.  But the results, for me, ended up being pretty much the same.  This was an era in which DC was still trying to hold onto the early Vertigo vibe of using familiar characters in a more edgy manner (which itself was an impulse from the horror comics of the ‘70s, where the Vertigo instinct originated, not from the British Invasion, as is popularly assumed).  But a little more on this in the second batch.

Infinity Inc. #12 (DC)

One of my earliest comics was actually an issue of All-Star Squadron, which was sort of an Earth 2 Justice Society.  Infinity Inc. is a spin-off featuring the offspring of the original guard, which in Earth 2 continuity means Batman is included (in that continuity he not only actually married Catwoman but died) and his daughter is the Huntress (which is where, basically, that version of the character depicted in the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series came from).  It’s funny to read a version of Jade and Obsidian who aren’t automatically associated with Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott, because later, when they were absorbed into DC proper, they’re accepted as his kids.  There’s also Fury, Wonder Woman’s daughter.  I had an idea once of making that part of continuity again.  Just imagine…!

Uncanny Inhumans #7 (Marvel)

Marvel fans became maniacally opposed to the whole idea of the Inhumans once they decided Marvel was trying to use them to replace the X-Men in a bid to devalue the mutant property until the movies could be brought into the studio fold.  In the end, it doesn’t really matter if that was the intention or not (the X-Men did get acquired, and the fans were so happy they gleefully decided the last Fox movie, Dark Phoenix, was a bomb before they ever saw it), they missed out on a lot of great comics.  (Forget about appearances in Agents of SHIELD or an aborted show of their own.)  And Charles Soule was the biggest loser.  Here was a major writing talent given what seemed like a plush assignment: a major title with a big push.  So it’s always funny to read Soule’s comics and enjoy them so much and imagine fans seething at the very thought of them existing, regardless of the actual quality. 

Kingpin #1 (Marvel)

Speaking of irrational hatred for Inhumans, this comic spun out of Civil War II, an excellent event comic that not only cleverly revolved around them, but was written by Brian Michael Bendis when Marvel fans apparently suddenly decided he didn’t matter anymore (the joke turned out to be on them).  Charles Soule later used Wilson Fisk as a kind of Trump stand-in when he wrote Daredevil, but here he’s in his classic role, apparently returning to his old New York haunts after adventures on the west coast (West Coast Kingpin), in one of those crime comics that some fans like so much.

Leave It to Chance #6 (Image)

James Robinson, at the time basking in the critical success of Starman, was also writing a creator-owned comic, which I never got around to reading, although its name was familiar enough to me.  Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more, then (although I didn’t get into Starman then, either), but now it just reads like a generic all-ages kind of comic. 

Mae #1 (Dark Horse)

Gene Ha signs all his covers as, “ha!” which along with his actual artwork tends to help identify his work.  This was an attempt to draw and write his own work.  But not all artists can write, too, and I think, as far as I’m concerned, Gene Ha is one of those. 

Sisters of Mercy #2 (Maximum Press)

Maximum was one of several attempts by Rob Liefeld for a spin-off company from his early Image days.  All of them were basically the same (probably the best material was published when he had dubbed the company Awesome, which is pretty appropriate), and none particularly permanent, obviously, since Liefeld seems to be somewhat allergic to commitment.  As far as Sisters of Mercy is concerned, that was probably a good thing.  This was apparently its second and last issue with Maximum, but I don’t know how or why it had even one.  Basically one of the many, many “bad girl” comics of the ‘90s, gratuitously featuring women in as little costuming as possible (in this issue, with strategic covering, one girl is nude for…reasons).  But the art is terrible.  Forget the writing.  Writing in this era of Image(ish) comics was notoriously weak.  But the whole point of the Image era was extreme emphasis on art (to the point where Image had defined a whole style of art, the most exaggerated figures, male and female, imaginable).  So to feature bad art….?  Again, why was this even accepted by Liefeld to begin with?

The Adventures of Superman #484 (DC)

Happily, I had far less of a problem with the art in this comic, as it’s early Tom Grummett, about a year before “Death of Superman” made this Superman era famous, before Grummett fell upon his signature work with the new Superboy.  Funny enough, it’s tough to identify Grummett as artist, since he hadn’t yet streamlined his style, so it’s really just the few appearances of Superman before he sticks a ridiculous contraption onto his head, created by Emil Hamilton (a defining supporting character from the era who later made an appearance in Man of Steel), that leads to a forgotten Superman crossover event called “Blackout.”  Grummett didn’t get to contribute the cover; that honor went to Jerry Ordway, who is otherwise the writer of the issue.

Weirdworld #2 (Marvel)

I honestly don’t know who came up with the idea first at this point, but I always perceived it as Marvel shamelessly jumping on something DC was doing at the time: DC’s Convergence event led to a series of comics that revisited various eras, and then Marvel’s Secret Wars…led to a series of comics that revisited various eras (or more accurately, famous storylines).  DC’s was an excuse to use fill-in creators while it moved offices from New York to California, and its nostalgia comics lasted two months.  Marvel’s ran longer.  Anyway, Secret Wars was basically Jonathan Hickman’s big blow-off to his Fantastic Four saga, with Doctor Doom getting his big triumph and remaking the world in his image, so theoretically its spin-off features that Doom reality in some way (although my favorite was the Charles Soule version of a Civil War follow-up that could easily be enjoyed for its own merits).  Weirdworld was written by Jason Aaron.  I have no particular knowledge of whatever it was supposed to be drawing on, but it’s another instance where post-Scalped Aaron has never really clicked with me.  Although, in the final pages Crystar, the Crystal Warrior, shows up. I had a Crystar action figure as a kid.  So there’s that.

Before I jump into the second batch, here’s an excerpt from an editorial written by Dick Giordano found within the pages of Infinity Inc. #12, originally published in 1984 (which also features an ad for “DC Universe: Crisis On Infinite Earths"):

“I take some series proposal scripts from my bulging portfolio and settle back to read.  I read two…and they’re mind-bogglers!  I rarely find two proposals a month that are interesting enough to consider publishing.  To find two in the same morning that I like so much is a rare bonanza […] The first is a proposal from Alan Moore, Swamp Thing scripter, for a maxi-series starring the super-heroes we recently obtained from Charlton.  The idea is gutsy, grittily realistic, and explores aspects of the super-hero never really dealt with before.  Unfortunately, I can’t really consider it for the Charlton heroes.  For one thing, certain aspects of the plotline do things with and to these characters that would make it difficult for us to use some, if not all, of them after the series was over.  Secondly, I’d already made plans, now pretty far along, to publish Charlton heroes in tandem with some current and past DC favorites in a weekly comic book format.  I like the idea so much, though, that I’m going to suggest that Alan create new characters for this maxi-series (in place of the Charlton heroes) and tell his story! … It’s a wonderful concept!  (Note: since this was written, Alan has enthusiastically agreed with my scheme and is hard at work.  Dave Gibbons is slated to illustrate.  With luck, it will be a 1985 release tentatively titled “Watchman.”)  Incidentally, Alan is a pleasure.  His scripts are liberally dotted with asides, bits of humor, relevant background information, and clever insights into his feelings about pivotal sequences or events that make it easy for the artist(s) to share his vision.  Alan Moore is one of the more creative writers in comics.  The ideas fairly bubble forth from his fertile imagination, and I am delighted that at least some of his unbelievable production will be for DC Comics.  The other series proposal is no less exciting.  It’s the outline for book #1 of a proposed 48-page, deluxe-format limited series.  We’ve talked about this idea and the talks excited me, but nowhere near the excitement engendered by the script.  It is written by Frank Miller.  And I love it!  And I can’t say much more until Mr. Miller puts his John Hancock on a contract.  I can say that it is a very special story about one of the most popular super-heroes ever!”

Ah, you may’ve heard of the comics that resulted.

Anyway, here’s the stuff Forbidden Geek included in the official mystery box (aside from a Kid Flash, by way of the Flash TV series, Funko statue and a softcover copy of Teen Titans Earth One Vol. 1, which coincidentally I finally read for the first time earlier this year):

Ame-Comi Girls #6 (DC)

The name of the comic is somewhat unnecessarily convoluted, but it’s basically an all-girls comic and actually a pretty good read.   

All-Star Batman #4 (DC)

Scott Snyder continued writing Batman comics in the early days of Tom King’s Batman, but they weren’t treated with as much fanfare as his New 52 run.  Two-Face (who, if the series did continue Snyder’s New 52 comics, was technically probably actually dead, at least as far as Tomasi & Gleason’s Batman & Robin was concerned) is the villain.  John Romita Jr., whose work has never been as embraced by DC fans as it was at Marvel or Kick-Ass, is on art.

Batman Eternal #11 (DC)

This was a series that frequently showed up in the Walmart mystery packs, so it was amusing to find in this collection, too, but at least there was far greater variety otherwise.  This issue spotlights Stephanie Brown, one of my favorite supporting characters from Batman comics.

Booster Gold #26 (DC)

Ted Kord!  Him and Elongated Man still seem to have been buried in the post-Flashpoint comics, but at least Ted gets to show up now and then.  He got a new incarnation in the New 52 (who never really went anywhere), at least.  This Blackest Night tie-in zombie appearance is pre-Flashpoint.  It’s still funny to think that Booster Gold, despite getting as big a spotlight as he ever had in 52, ended up back in obscurity despite this relatively long-running spotlight, which theoretically led to the Legends of Tomorrow TV show, which…decided, inexplicably, not to feature him.  For…reasons.

The Demon #42 (DC)

Oh, here’s Demon again!  But this time, it’s from Garth Ennis and John McCrea.  I was never an Ennis guy.  He’s sort of Alan Moore if he never had a Silver Age fetish, just a guy who wrote superhero comics because at the time it was the best way to make a name for himself, who later wrote The Boys as if to prove how much he hated them, despite not understanding them a single wit.  (But I guess that’s generally why you hate something.)  But Demon, amazingly, reads exactly the same under Ennis as Alan Grant in the previous issue.  I hate when letterers use cursive.  It’s virtually impossible to read.  Yet both issues feature angels speaking in cursive (like Thor, the special lettering is supposed to help them stand out as Not Human).  And I just gave up trying to care.  The Demon Etrigan famously speaks in rhymes, which is fun to read in a limited capacity, but incredibly difficult to care about reading for longer stretches.  So I don’t know why there was an audience who put up with it for so long.  But not so hard to figure out why he hasn’t carried a series since.

Fate #8 (DC)

This was one of the series that debuted during DC’s original Zero Month, following the Zero Hour soft reboot.  And some of the series launched at that time looked like shameless Image rip-offs (looking at you, Manhunter), but it also seemed to be another attempt by DC to reintegrate the original Vertigo vibe back into the fold.  Fate is one such example, as it turns out.  (Starman, meanwhile, seemed to lead directly to what Vertigo became later.)  This was a reinvention of Doctor Fate to make him more edgy (the ‘90s were big on “edgy”), but with more credible creative results than its short run may have suggested.  I think part of it was that the whole Vertigo phenomenon was misunderstood from the start, that it diverged from its roots so rapidly that any attempt to replicate them have invariably met with, at best, fan apathy, including the more recent Young Animal imprint.  Part of that was because Sandman, which actually had some superhero connections early on, so dramatically departed from them that fans no longer thought of superheroes as relevant to the idea, so any further attempts to present superheroes in a more complex manner seemed to be asking too much. 

Green Arrow Annual #6 (DC)

Part of the “Eclipso: The Darkness Within” crossover from the 1992 annuals, this issue eventually puts the spotlight on Black Canary, but also features a guest appearance from Batman.  I have a particular nostalgia for these annuals, since they were happening just as I was beginning to read comics regularly for the first time.  Given the opportunity, I’d probably collect them in the same fashion as I have been with the theme months from the New 52, which were tremendous creative successes too little celebrated (or not at all) by fans. 

Justice League #23 (DC)

Ah, but which version of the title?  The Rebirth era, the first series from the Rebirth era…The League is probably the worst example within DC of endless reboots, which at Marvel happens to every series just about every six months or so.  And it’s funny that beginning with the New 52, any title attempting to supplement the main series is even more prone to a short shelf life…Anyway, the post-Johns League has been particularly hard hit.  This issue, featuring a cover with characters not even featured in the issue, much less the one in the spotlight, revolves around Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, which like all Jessica Cruz tales revolves around her inability to avoid fear (funny, for a Green Lantern).  I liked the act in the pages of Green Lanterns, as it and she were paired with Simon Baz, but to have it once again being the only defining quality worth writing about…Anyway, it’s clear why DC once again rebooted the series this time, since the concept was spiraling the drain until Scott Snyder revisited the widescreen concept from the old Grant Morrison days.  (Of course, I think, as with most Snyder stories, he attempts to go too big too soon too often…)

Legion of Super-Heroes #291 (DC)

It’s forgotten today, but the New Teen Titans and the X-Men had a rival in popular during the ‘80s with the Legion, and this issue, luckily enough for me, comes from its most famous story arc, “The Great Darkness Saga,” which until this I’d never actually read anything from (alas, unlike the Titans and X-Men, reprints haven’t been anymore kind to the Legion than fan memory).  This second installment makes it clear that the villain of the arc was kept hidden early on, but: Darkseid.  And since it’s a Legion story, everyone’s worried about who’s going to be elected next leader of the team. 

Northlanders #1 (Vertigo)

From Brian Wood.  I’m not a Brian Wood guy.  This is his Viking comic.  The write-up for the concept was more interesting than what I skimmed in the comic itself.

Swamp Thing #3 (DC)

Scott Snyder’s series from the New 52, y’know, the one fans didn’t really care about, ultimately, even though they remained gaga over Snyder’s Batman.  I got into the series later when it was being written by Charles Soule (part of how I became such a fan of his), but never got around to reading Snyder’s run.  The Walmart Swamp Thing Giant was serializing it, but I wasn’t interested in reading that particular giant regularly.  So it was interesting to read a little more.  I think Snyder actually did more relevant character work here than with Batman.  But what do I know?

Until the next box…