Reading Comics 243 “Comics Garage: First Box!”

 Having apparently ended my Forbidden Geek experiment only earlier this year (it feels like longer, although partly because it took so long to get that last box), I guess I was in the mood to try another service (or Amazon thought so, and I agreed). Like Geek, Comic Garage ships out assortments of random comics monthly. There are a variety of options. I opted, naturally, for DC titles, and ten comics per box. This is what I got in my first box:

Batgirl: Futures End #1

I’m pretty definitively determining that I just don’t care for Gail Simone. Most of the time I try to read her I hate the results. Somehow she even managed to screw up what so many other Futures End one-shots managed to accomplish, which was to give clever glimpses, well, into the future. The only worthwhile thing she does is gather the Batgirls together (and add a new one): Babs, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain. But the other inexplicable thing Simone can be counted on is to screw up Bane, who was part of her Secret Six. She somehow takes Bane seriously for a change, but her idea of giving Barbara Gordon character development is to make her hulk out as part of a con job against him. I honestly have never seen Simone’s logic appear remotely logical. There’s a very real phenomenon called comic book logic, which I associate mostly with Marvel comics (and movies). Simone should probably just head over there. And stay there. She would be a killer writer for Squirrel Girl. That’s, ah, a whole other inexplicable thing...

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #121

As part of the “No Man’s Land” arc (loosely adapted as part of The Dark Knight Rises), Larry Hama (the G.I. Joe guy) tells a wimpy Mr. Freeze tale that’s about as generic as possible. I have nothing against Hama, but it at least seems like he was wildly out of his element. I have no idea how long he stuck around Batman at this time. Hopefully not very long.

Freedom Fighters #10

The newest (from last year) comic in the box is one I’d wanted to check out anyway. It’s written by Robert Venditti, another writer I’ve tended to struggle with. The only problem here is that this is toward the climax of the story (it was a twelve-issue series), so it’s all action. Most stories you really ought to be able to jump in and have a good chance to understand the tone of it, but unless it’s a movie it’s going to be hard to appreciate if it’s anywhere near the climax.

Green Lantern #53

The classic Ron Marz/Darryl Banks comics (receiving a lot of nostalgia recently, a quarter century in), at this point still featuring the nascent adventures of Kyle Rayner. This was prime comics for me at the time. If any era had been in a position to replicate the Silver Age generational shift, it would’ve been this one, which at least for a decade ended up being exactly the case. Wally was a new Flash, Kyle was a new Green Lantern, there was even a new Green Arrow, and of course there was the poster boy, Jack Knight. 

Reading this particular issue again was interesting. Kyle battles Mongul, the big brute Alan Moore created with the Black Mercy gimmick who later turned into Cyborg Superman’s key collaborator but somehow ended up taking an extreme backseat. He instead became a punching bag, here for Kyle and then again later for Wally. 

Superman sort of co-stars (Banks does not nail Mulletman), giving Kyle a mainstream link for the first time. But the big development is Major Force taking on the assignment that will lead to the most infamous moment in the Marz/Banks run (Women in Fridges, which coincidentally also gave Gail Simone her career; two wrongs don’t make a right). 

The thing is, this is the first time I actually found Kyle’s ill-fated girlfriend Alex almost necessary to sacrifice. Marz set her up as a way to establish Kyle as requiring a steep learning curve, but she actually sort of inadvertently made it steeper than it really needed to be. In hindsight it would perhaps have been better to have her be the classic archetype of girl who falls for boy after seeing in action as a superhero. Instead their relationship predates the costume, and she spends all her appearances questioning his pedigree. And in hindsight it’s pretty annoying. I guess it’s the difference between experiencing it as an adult rather than a teenager. That and knowing her ultimate fate. Ultimately Kyle’s journey becomes completely his own, and meeting Superman means more than what Major Force ends up doing. The intention to have him (and readers) shocked into character development becomes superfluous, especially because it happens so quickly. If the intention was to try and replicate Uncle Ben, then it backfired. Once she dies Alex becomes almost completely invisible to Kyle’s existence.

(Though if Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale ever returned to DC and did the kind of comics they did at Marvel, it would be really easy to guess what they’d do with Kyle, if they chose him as a subject.)

Martian Manhunter #11

In contrast to Freedom Fighters, this late-issue climax was easier to read, in part because I had already read and enjoyed this Mr. Biscuits, Williams/Barrows comic (though, alas, Barrows isn’t on art this particular issue). In recent years DC has been leaning heavily into J’onn’s alien nature (though, I guess, since the Ostrander/Mandrake series, so for some twenty years), and I think this was about as extreme, and awesome, as it’s likely to get. Really wish someone could manage to do it while also integrating him back into the rest of the DC landscape, though. Sort of like Aquaman, who only seems to look relevant if he’s worrrying about underwater politics. 

Nightwing #45

The classic Chuck Dixon era! This issue is part of a Birds of Prey crossover, “The Hunt for Oracle,” which is to say, the villains finally figuring out Oracle exists and maybe they should make that stop. The weirdest thing about recent comics is that Babs is Batgirl again. Naturally it was Gail Simone who wrote the initial stories, although it wasn’t until Burnside (and apparently de-aging her) that it was at all relevant. And as stupid as it was to cripple her in the first place, it was probably even dumber to un-cripple her, after years of developing an entirely new career, and apparently not even bothering to have her pass it on. In an era where if anything Oracle would have been even more relevant...

(Incidentally, I finally figured out where MCU Spider-Man came up with the “man in the chair” trope. I was rewatching Batman Returns and...it’s Alfred, of course.)

Robin: Son of Batman #1

Patrick Gleason started out this series as writer/artist. I think he did a brilliant job. It’s a direct continuation of his and Tomasi’s Batman and Robin, and is therefore a must-read for anyone bold enough to admit that those were the best Batman comics of the New 52. Fans still seem convinced Damian is a snot-nosed brat. I can only assume far too few have read this material.

StormWatch #21

Speaking of the New 52, I cannot fathom this series reaching anywhere near this many issues. And based on this issue, I wouldn’t have bothered reading anywhere near this many...

Action Comics #764

The Loeb/Kelly/Casey era! This was the bold break from the ‘90s triangle era, bold new writing and art styles that ultimately ended up remembered best by Loeb’s subsequent Superman/Batman. The Kelly in question is Joe Kelly. This issue is brilliant, a creative approach to the controversial decision the team had made to put relationship troubles into the married life of Lois & Clark. Superman spends much of the issue talking things over with Ma & Pa Kent, doing an extremely good deed for an old lady...and getting no closer to solving his real problem, alas. Plus Lex Luthor is up to something, but as far as this issue is concerned, I have no idea what. This is always a great era to revisit. They took huge risks, but not necessarily in bold dramatic arcs (at least, not all the time; this is also the era of “Emperor Joker,” after all).

Teen Titans #35

By the time the Doom Patrol shows up, I have to wonder why Geoff Johns never went and outright pursued a comic with them. He randomly brought them up in his Justice League, too, but didn’t go very far there, either. Maybe some day! This issue otherwise reads a lot like the Titans TV show (which I love).

I’ve read other comics since I last checked in here, but at the moment I figure it’s okay to leave them unobserved here. Will be back with more comics from Walmart...!

Watching the Walmart Giants 11 “May 2020...Probably?”

I’ve been to Walmart sparingly recently, so I haven’t really been able to keep close tabs on the giants, especially since, at least at my local store they stupidly have the aisle with them along a self checkout with a conveyer belt, so...it’s harder than ever to peruse, especially with social distancing. So I assume these giants came out last month? But I got them this weekend. It doesn’t matter. The giants backlog only expands. They started stuffing them in the Marvel box, and to have room for more Marvel there’s...a second Marvel box now. And the giants I picked up were still sort of shoved up against the side of the displays, until I came along and fixed it. Anyway...

Batman Giant #5

• New story from Mark Russell & Ryan Benjamin, featuring Killer Moth, a villain that dates back to 1951 and was actually created by Batman (co)creator Bill Finger. That’s a lot of history and...very little to show for it. Except in Russell’s hands he kind of finally gets his due. In this version, he’s presented as “seasoned when Batman was just getting started out,” which is great. And now he’s looking to retire. It’s another bold step for Russell into mainlining his instincts, seeing how he can fit himself into traditional superhero comic narratives.
• New story from Russell & Christopher Mooneyham featuring “an” origin of the Joker, this one using the now-familiar trope of his prior existence as a failed standup comic.
• Reprint of Batman #5, continuing “Court of Owls,” which I’m increasingly convinced landed so well because Capullo’s art subconsciously triggered memories of Frank Miller, and Snyder’s instant dive into crisis did the same.
• Reprint of Detective Comics #857, finishing out “Batwoman: Elegy.” Ruby Rose recently exited the TV show, which apparently is going to create a new Batwoman to replace Kate Kane. I don’t watch the show, but I see no real problem with that solution. Even leaves the door open should Rose ever choose to return, which might be the point.
• Reprint of Nightwing #7, continuing the Raptor arc. Apparently the dude’s secret origin is that he’s basically Snape. Cool cool.

Swamp Thing Giant #5

New material from Russell, Phil Hester, reprints. 

Part of the publishing changes DC has been making, besides the controversial split from the single comics distributor of the past quarter century, was taking giants original material and adding it to the digital-first lineup. The giants themselves, at a reduced capacity, should continue shipping to Walmart. Should anyone be interested, I will continue checking in as long as they’re available. I offloaded a ton of them to a coworker’s kids just before Easter, stuff I maybe should never have bought in the first place, considering how much, or little, I cared to read the material, which is a large part of why I have been getting fewer of them recently. They take up a lot of space! And I don’t purchase the new comics boxes I need fast enough for just the traditional comics that pile up, never mind these things! So it was win-win.

Sunday Marvel Sunday - “MONDAY Marvel MONDAY!”

Sunday Marvel Sunday...on a Monday??? I know what my legions of readers are thinking: the world has officially gone well and truly mad...

That being said, I’m still waiting for libraries to reopen to bring Sunday Marvel Sunday back as regularly scheduled, but since I recently bought some additional three-pack Marvel comics at Walmart and the alphabet still works in only one direction, I’m skipping the line a bit, and here’s some comics thoughts:

Uncanny Avengers #23

From 2014

Rick Remender dropped Captain America into an alternate dimension for a little while. Apparently he did exactly the same thing to the Avengers. This issue deals with the aftermath. Apparently big traumatic things happened to some members of the team. This is the textbook example of things that can only ever be completely ignored by later writers. That is all.

Avengers #27

From 2019

Jason Aaron probably should never have been used by Marvel to produce traditional superhero comics. That is not his wheelhouse. His wheelhouse is gritty crime comics. But, as it is, Marvel did, and there was a long Thor run, and then, because he is still one of their biggest name writers, he moved on to the Avengers. And somehow this issue is highlighted...by Thor. Brood Thor. Brooding over being worthy of Mjolnr. Kids, don’t grow up someday to run a comic book company where things like this happen. In completely unrelated news, probably later this year you will read a future edition of Sunday Marvel Sunday in which I enjoy a Thor comic. And I don’t mean this to sound personal, but it will not have been written by Jason Aaron. But, all things considered, Brood Thor brooding over Mjolnr is...still a pretty awesome image. So there’s that.

Captain Marvel #6

From 2019

In which Jason Aaron’s Ragnorak, I mean “War of the Realms” is happening, and someone at Marvel is writing superhero dialogue that sounds “relatable” and “believable” and totally absolutely convincing. In unrelated news, someone at Marvel got very, very carried away with the Bendis phenomenon. And the MCU. Probably mostly the MCU. Which wouldn’t exist without Bendis. But, not everyone can pull it off. And every single character should not be talking like this all the time.

Road to Empyre

From 2020

Back in ye innocent days before the pandemic when everything was still on schedule, the latest Marvel event was going to riff on classic Marvel storytelling concerning the Kree and Skrulls, as some fans naively think is going to be the next Thanos arc in the MCU. Which maybe even the MCU thinks this? But it’s not. It’s not going to continue indefinitely. It’s not. This I guarantee you. Anyway, this issue is a recap of relevant events. It starts out with that horrible Meet the Skrulls comic that was not at all as good as the Tom King comic it desperately wanted to be. And then circles around to beloved Young Avenger Hulkling, who is either a villain now. Or not. Probably not? But possibly? But, probably not. But, temporarily. Also? Young Avenger Iron Lad already...had this arc? He’s Young Kang. Why can’t they just bring back the Young Avengers. The actual team. The original team. Anyway...

Marvel Comics #1001

From 2019

The first one was great. This one isn’t. The only page worth anything is Kaare Andrews’, which reminds me all over again how great he is. That is all.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #47

From 2019

A poster child of everything that’s wrong with Marvel’s recent efforts to be “cool” and “relevant,” in its final issue. Devil Dinosaur is one of those Marvel monsters that just kind of exists, like Fin Fang Foom. A few years ago someone thought to team him up with a hyper-intelligent little girl. Because. Reasons. The girl is hyper-intelligent in the way writers who don’t understand how intelligence works think intelligence works. She is capable of...anything. This issue revolves around how she is in fact smarter than Reed Richards. If she were a legitimate prodigy, people would have noticed. Part of the gimmick is that she and Devil Dinosaur “don’t have anyone else, but at least they have each other!” It’s “beautifully empowering.” I don’t care that she’s a black girl, it’s sloppy writing regardless of her skin color. At the end of the issue she and Devil Dinosaur are traipsing about New York. This is a Marvel comic, where the Hulk can’t so much as raise a green eyebrow without everyone freaking out. The issue has Moon Girl messing around with a Doombot. The issue has Moon Girl wondering if she should maybe be a superhero? This is published by Marvel, the House of Ideas, one of which is...Spider-Man. Moon Girl in a Marvel comic literally makes no sense at all, and I have the feeling no one pointed this out, at all, because she’s “empowering.” It would be more empowering not to empower stupid writing, and stupid characters. That is all.

Pandemic Comics #12 “April 28, 2020”

So let’s end “Pandemic Comics” where it began, with a shipment from Midtown Comics.

One of the big geek stories to come out of the pandemic was DC’s decision to break from the distribution model the medium has used for the past quarter century and essentially ship its own comics rather than use a middle man. It was hugely controversial, but it happened and I figured there was no way I wasn’t going to be a part of this, so of course I ordered some of the results from Midtown, one of the unofficial replacement distributors. I guess Midtown was so eager for participation in the experiment they decided to chip in a free comic with these orders. Cool beans! The insane thing is that fans seem to have forgotten one of the principle features of this medium is the necessary evil of the collectors market. There have been people arguing that comics never had to take a break because they could have just gone digital, and...that’s the kind of myopic self-interest you can see anywhere, really, but still funny to see argued. The comics DC shipped for the week of April 28, 2020 are likely going to be big money in the collectors market. That’s not necessarily why I got some, since I’ve never participated in the medium this way (the shop in town I frequent most irritates me because it seems to think, and perhaps even function, as a collectors market first and foremost), but it seemed like an interesting prospect on the belief that no one was viewing it that way. I only ended up getting two comics from the releases, padding out the order with a few other purchases, but in the short-term they were rewarding (reading) experiences, so on that score I already feel vindicated, since I probably would never have read them otherwise. Anyway, read on:

Batman #89
One of the selections, a third printing of Punchline’s cameo debut. This is the first time I’ve read James Tynion IV’s Batman. Anyone who’s familiar with my recent comic book tastes knows I’m a Tom King guy. I didn’t decide to skip out on further Batman because of Tynion, but because it was always going to be difficult, in my eyes, to replace King. A lot of fans were clamoring for this, wanting to end the difficult reading experience that was King’s run. If I had reservations for Tynion, it was that he appeared to be as opposite of King as DC could possibly get. I had read a little of his Detective Comics, so I knew what some fans were wild about (he had basically taken the Batman Eternal approach, the Batman family approach), but again, I didn’t see how that could possibly satisfy me after everything King had done. Plus, I always saw Tynion as a Scott Snyder minion, Scott Snyder Lite.

Well, I was wrong. I actually really enjoyed the issue. Tynion alters his approach. It’s no King, but it’s not Snyder either. At this stage I would say maybe somewhere in between? He tosses villains new and familiar at Batman. Where Snyder never really seemed to see Batman in the iconic sense, the mythical “can rise to any challenge” Batman, Tynion sees his Batman, as he approaches the challenge of the Designer, as a challenge. And again, where Snyder constantly saw Batman as not up to the challenge, Tynion looks like he’s approaching Designer as a Moriarty, a worthy opponent. King frustrated fans, I think, most in that he heavily favored misdirection, where every expectation either felt inevitable or followed a logic King either waited to explain for later or felt like a disappointment after massive buildup. In short, you were invested or you weren’t. And this Tynion approach is fresh all over. And I look forward to reading more.

Bloodshot Reborn #2
This was the freebie, something I’d read previously, but didn’t mind revisiting, from Jeff Lemire, Bloodshot having previously purged himself of the nanites that had given him his powers, but realizing it wasn’t as good an idea as it had seemed. This was, at least for me, the best time to be a Bloodshot fan, and why I will be interested in watching the Bloodshot movie regardless of how it did in theaters earlier this year (when theaters were actually open, earlier this year). Valiant may not know how to keep the ball rolling indefinitely (its modular approach worked well short-term, but it resulted in short-term memories all around; there’s no reason why Valiant shouldn’t be flooding the market with the evergreen material it’s already produced, but with no momentum there’s no memory and therefore no way to keep the memories going), but that’s no excuse. I’m a Bloodshot guy.

The Multiversity: Pax Americana
I was trying to order the whole collection (and ended up doing so elsewhere) but had to “settle” for Morrison’s critique of Watchmen, via the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund variant cover (thus contributing to it during the pandemic, which felt right). There’s a big deal among fans concerning the “rivalry” between Morrison and Moore, with Moore partisans convinced Morrison is a pathetic wannabe, even to this day, compared to Moore. This is the first time I’ve revisited Pax Americana since its original publication. Morrison & Quitely obviously have a lot of fun commenting on Watchmen’s legacy, but I remain convinced that Morrison’s perspective is correct, that Moore was ultimately myopic in his conclusions, but Moore’s conclusions affirm where his career ultimately headed, and Morrison’s where his have led. And this might be the least controversial conclusion to be found.

Robin: 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular 
Now I’ve read the Action Comics, the Detective Comics, the Flash, the Wonder Woman, and even the Marvel Comics anniversary specials, and finally this one. And Robin’s, I think, is the most rewarding. The special is completely in my wheelhouse, celebrating, most of all, the Robin era as I experienced it. Even though Marc Wolfman writes the first story, the art is from Tom Grummett, who embodies the iconic ‘90s moment when Robin finally starred in his own ongoing series. Chuck Dixon & Scott McDaniel reunite! The Grayson team reunited! Even Adam Beecher & Freddie Williams reunite! The whole thing is, well, spectacular. The only thing missing is new Patrick Gleason material (they were able to include a vintage Batman and Robin cover); Frank Miller and Carrie Kelley similarly only appear via a pinup, but I guess that’s okay. Gleason recently left DC after about a decade. It’s not surprising he didn’t return for this. Still remains the definitive Damian artist. The special was published after I’d made my previous Midtown purchases, but just before the lockdowns began, so I hadn’t had a chance to read it before. But there was no chance I wouldn’t include it in another order. Very glad I did so!

The Sandman Universe: The Dreaming #20
As it turns out, an entirely faithful account of the inner workings of the Dreaming from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Not the expansive storytelling model that was Neil Gaiman’s Sandman as a whole (but so little else is, much less Gaiman’s other material itself), but rewarding all the same, and apparently the final issue of this particular run. This was the other 4/28 release, original material, that I purchased. I was hesitant because the writer was Simon Spurrier, who in my only other experience with him to date (X-Club, from like ten years ago) came off as an insufferable hack. Here he came off much better! So I’m glad I gave myself the chance.

Pandemic Comics #11 “Some of the World’s Finest”

Here’s the last batch of Mile High mystery box comics:

The New Teen Titans #10
I think the ‘80s Titans has some shenanigans occurring with the title of their series, since this isn’t the beginning of the run; I suppose ordinary research would confirm, but the launch title seems to have become Tales of the Teen Titans...Anyway, Wolfman’s writing but the artist is Garcia Lopez (a great favorite among some partisans), rather than Perez (who in 1985 was no doubt deeply immersed in Crisis On Infinite Earths). This issue deals with a number of characters who sort of remained in that era, sort of pivoting around Jericho but not really being about him (Jericho was mute, so it figures, although he was used really well in the second season of Titans).

Titans #15
Not really featuring the team so much as a spotlight for Tempest (the erstwhile Aqualad), detailing his circumstances as they were circa Blackest Night.

Tomorrow Stories #2
An anthology series from Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics. I get that there are a lot of Alan Moore partisans out there (he’s the guy who legitimized superheroes for the mainstream, after all), but I’m not really one of them, and it’s material like this that showcases what his base-level engagement in the medium is. The last tale features characters huddling in slums, braving the fallout of superhero nostalgia ruining everything. Most of what he says, thinks, and does is a product of Alan Moore’s nostalgia. He seems to honestly think only Alan Moore was capable of saying, thinking, or doing anything relevant, that he existed, in essence, in a post-superhero medium, and that it’s only misguided fans and/or creators who believe otherwise. Doctor Manhattan is the only superpowered hero in Watchmen mostly to represent ambivalence and futility in the modern world. Yay Alan Moore...

The Twilight Experiment #2
From Palmiotti & Gray.

Vigilante #2
This update of the character had a ton of potential, a superhero who talks with a psychiatrist, but Bruce Jones, at least in this issue, spends half the time taking it seriously and half as if he’s doing a parody. I was pretty invested in Jones as a creator. He took over Nightwing “One Year Later,” one of the few stories to feature interactions between Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, and before that he was writing Incredible Hulk in the vein of the TV series, something that caught on years later as Immortal Hulk, freeing the character from what Peter David had done for years, which was basically any and everything, the basic template creators at Image were riffing on in endless facsimiles. Anyway, this Vigilante, for context, is like the Daredevil who goes to confession. I like the idea of superheroes seeking outlets like that, it grounds them in ways that aren’t as forced as...the majority of Marvel’s hamfisted techniques. The psychiatrist is basically being held hostage by Vigilante, too, but you can see the potential in the scenario, how it could have led to a regular partnership. Even Batman never consulted psychiatrists, and he’s got the craziest villains in comics (except maybe Green Goblin).

Vixen: Return of the Lion #1
Seeing someone like G. Willow Wilson transition from something like Air to Ms. Marvel, I always wanted to understand how that was possible. This is another strong indication, as it turns out. Wilson’s Vixen was a member of the Meltzer-era Justice League, and at least as far as this issue is concerned, she treats her more famous teammates much as Kamala Khan does...anyone she meets in her early adventures: by geeking out. Vixen has an ethnic background, which she returns to, an African nation of some generic extraction, where the story quickly falls into the later New 52 trap of immediately introducing a villain who takes the hero by surprise (literally every first issue of a New 52 series ended this way). I really wish comic book writers (and blockbuster filmmakers) weren’t so consistently lazy about this: Hero gets defeated! Hero rallies!

World’s Finest #1-2
I was really hoping these were the only issues of the prestige format series, but of course there turned out to be three. Anyway, “World’s Finest” was the term, and title of the series, when Batman and Superman used to team up (now it’s...Superman/Batman, or the daring alternative...Batman/Superman), and this was a later tribute from comics masters Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude. For large swathes of the first issue, Gibbons allows Rude’s brilliant art do all the storytelling. Only a portion of it retells the origins, though Rude cleverly juxtaposes the bullet of the gun with the rocketing spaceship.

What’s better is that Gibbons seems to be the first and only writer to see how well Bruce Wayne could potentially clean up what ails Metropolis, and Clark Kent could do the same in Gotham. And that’s frankly astonishing, not only that someone figured that out but that no attempt has been made to even create surrogates. There’s no crusading journalist in Gotham (Vicki Vale doesn’t count, and certainly not Knox!). There’s no counterpoint to Lex Luthor. And these things really ought to exist!

This is a story set before they became the World’s Finest, and in these issues go well out of their way to avoid actively collaborating (i.e. fight together), and that’s another great feature. If I were DC this is another easy evergreen candidate. There are surprisingly few of the two together.

Young Justice: Sins of Youth - JLA Jr.
Read this recently from a back issue bargain bin, much as the kind all these mystery box comics likely came from. Thankfully I found a few really great reads in them.

Definitely worth the price of admission. Thanks again, Chuck & Mile High!

Pandemic Comics #10 “Ichabod Snip/Howard Fleck Expedition in 2020!”

Penultimate reporting on the Mile High mystery box comics:

Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #2
The Crispus Allen version of the Spectre had as dramatic an introduction as possible, Allen’s arc beginning in the pages of Gotham Central where he existed alongside another character named Jim Corrigan (no, not the boy genius!), which led many readers to believe they knew exactly what would eventually happen. But then Corrigan murdered Allen, and Allen became the new host of the Spectre. In hindsight, this angle might’ve had longer legs had Allen accompanied his other colleague from Gotham Central, Renee Montoya, into the pages of 52. But then a lot of other things might’ve turned out differently. So maybe Crispus Allen was always destined for the reboot turnover scrap heap...Then again, so was Montoya. Spirit of Vengeance, where art thou???

Star Trek #1
From 1984, in the wake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, following that exact continuity, the way the old Star Wars comics at Marvel used to try and guess what was relevant to do between films. Here it’s imagined that in a world without Spock, Kirk just kind of continues on without him. Oh, sure, he struggles with the idea, but...Anyway, like those Star Wars comics, these are tales somewhat instantly negated by the next movie, as Search for Spock would make clear...Mike Barr, the writer, points out in an essay that this is technically the first time Star Trek actually happened without Spock. And while later there would be a lot of Star Trek without Spock, it never seemed to work out the way everyone imagined it in those early years. The TV reboot in the ‘70s that was going to end up repurposed as The Motion Picture, which of course heavily featured Spock. Even his death didn’t prevent Spock from soldiering on! Which is to say, Barr indeed wrote history.

Stormwatch: Team Achilles #9
Couldn’t manage to read more than a few panels, alas.

Action Comics #662 
In hindsight it shouldn’t have been so surprising for the Superman writers concluding they literally had to kill the Man of Steel to prevent him from getting married too soon (in case you didn’t know, that was always their story for why Doomsday happened, because Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was just getting started on TV, although ironically everyone loved it until they got married) (then the wedding was ruined anyway)...This is the big issue where Superman finally reveals his secret identity to Lois (who had just gotten engaged to Clark)...and most of the issue is spent dithering over the Silver Banshee. Although also historically interesting as it deals with the aftermath of Lex Luthor’s death, setting up his heir, no doubt quickly revealed to be his “son,” who ended up being revealed as his clone. (Lex died as a result of Kryptonite poisoning, of all the delicious ironies.)

Adventures of Superman #500
Polybagged, and will remain so, even if it’s never worth anything again. This was both the beginning of “Reign of the Supermen,” and the road to Superman’s return, as he spends the issue in the afterlife, talking with Pa Kent, who’s had a heart attack. (I know it’s as traditional in continuity as the reverse, but I prefer Pa, and Ma, alive versus dead. It’s the Lois & Clark fan in me. I love those three-way phone calls!)

Action Comics #849
(Between #662 and this, we’re talking 1991 and 2007, by the way!) I’m just gonna ignore the issue itself, a somewhat misguided effort to talk about matters of faith in relation to Superman. The back page features Peter J. Tomasi announcing that he’s leaving editing duties behind and commencing a full-time career as a writer. Here we are in 2020, and it was a very good decision, Pete!

Superman Confidential #1
Darwyn Cooke & Tim Sale begin “Kryptonite,” a Year One Superman tale that’s really easy to see in the  vein of Sale & Jeph Loeb’s collaborations, as of course it features Sale on art and Cooke very much writing the Loeb style. I’m frankly mystified that it’s not one of DC’s evergreens.

Swamp Thing #93
From 1990 and writer Doug Wheeler (in the letters column most of the readers are reacting to his recent acquisition of the job, and reflecting on his famous predecessors, like that chap Alan Moore). Anyway, this was a fun issue, and the source of the title to this post, the moops trying to expose the legendary “Swamp Man,” one of them wondering if the results won’t be famous in that fabled far-off future of 2020, which made it funny to read in 2020...Since, outside of the Charles Soule New 52 comics I’ve never really made a habit of reading Swamp Thing, it’s always nice to be reminded that things like Alec’s speaking pattern and even orange word bubbles have long been part of the mythos. And maybe I ought to read more of them.

Pandemic Comics #9 “Ronin, and Team Sports!”

More comics from the Mile High mystery boxes! (Shocked myself when I realized there are only two more batches to go through after this one! Time flies!)

Outsiders #46
“Pay As You Go,” an arc I somewhat remember, at least certainly the title, apparently dealing with the fallout, at least as of this issue, of Black Lightning being a part of President Luthor’s cabinet, now locked up at Iron Heights and requiring extraction. This incarnation of the team included his daughter, so yeah, there are a few passionate advocates for getting that done, although some of them, being superheroes, think it’s a bad idea. Pretty sure this was the end of this particular incarnation. The Outsiders in general have a somewhat nebulous history, periodically reverting back to Batman’s Personal Team, as it was in the ‘80s. Otherwise no one’s really managed to nail down what exactly makes them relevant. Seldom actually composed of “outsiders,” though leaning into that would be...relevant?

Outsiders: Five of a Kind - Metamorpho and Aquaman
Didn’t notice when I was unpacking the boxes that this was written by G. Willow Wilson, who at this point in history was still known mostly for the graphic novel Cairo and Vertigo series Air, which only an obscure chap named Tony Laplume thought was brilliant. This one-shot leading to the next iteration of Outsiders allows Wilson, perhaps, to lean into her Muslim faith for the first time, although she needs a supporting character to do so, as neither Metamorpho nor this incarnation of Aquaman (who was quickly tossed to the scrap heap of history) can help out with that. I was reading these one-shots, and invested in that Aquaman, at the time, so there’s a chance this is a second read. But I experienced it as a first. This time more interested in Metamorpho, at any rate.

The Power Company #2
Kurt Busiek definitely wrote this more as a Marvel book than as a DC book, which might explain why it vanished so quickly (but as a rule, most modern new concepts go that way). Better appreciated, by me, for the Tom Grummett art. Grummett was a ‘90s Superman staple, but ended up being more closely associated with Superboy specifically, and in recent years has continued working with Superboy collaborator Karl Kesel, which I’m always happy to be reminded.

Robin #166
Sort of the awkward period where Tim Drake’s solo adventures had reached their zenith and no one wanted to admit it.

Ronin #1
Ah! One of the Frank Miller projects that used to be heavily touted! But eventually fell out of favor once Miller became best known for Daredevil, Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, 300, and fans hating him trying to do more with Dark Knight Returns! DC has long been very good at “evergreens,” keeping their celebrated and best work in print, probably something that sprang from ensuring Watchmen stayed in print. For the longest time Ronin was kept in print, too, and celebrated equally among Miller’s other achievements. I don’t know if it was the backlash alone to Miller’s later work that took it off the slate, or that it became harder to categorize, as it wasn’t part of the DC landscape nor connected to Vertigo nor a superhero tale in general, or DC just got caught up trying to redeem Miller’s reputation by fishing for a Dark Knight Returns sequel fans didn’t actively hate and legitimately forgot about Ronin, but forgot it was. And I never got around to reading it, nor getting any real idea of what it was.

Well, now I’ve read this first installment. As the title suggests, it’s heavily relevant to the Daredevil portions of Miller’s legacy, and the art style, since this began in 1983, looks more like his Daredevil than his later work (fans are always saying how his work degenerated over the years, but it was clearly always changing). And the story weaves between a past and a future, linked by a magic sword and two warriors locked in mortal combat (if this were a podcast I would be playing the theme song to a certain video game/movie right now). And it’s very interesting! And absolutely does not deserve to be forgotten. At some point I will read the rest of it. Miller’s a treasure through and through. The back cover includes praise from Klaus Jansen, Walt Simonson, and Will Eisner, all of whom champion Miller’s innovative instincts, an emerging master of the craft. That’s exactly how it began, folks. Eisner’s endorsement is probably the most significant, and out of everyone Miller probably came to see him in particular as his peer. And rightfully so. I later read a book of conversations between them. Priceless history and insight.

Seven Soldiers of Victory #1
The conclusion of Grant Morrison’s innovative modular team book, which in hindsight might even be considered a template of the MCU; both are composed of individual spotlights converging on limited team experiences. Morrison’s imagination can be overwhelming; it’s in full epic scale here, and I’m almost ashamed to admit I haven’t always been able to remember how great it is. I became a fan of Morrison only with JLA, and somehow found it easy to walk away from him as I did comics in general at the turn of the millennium. I knew all about the wild expectations for his New X-Men, which Marvel expected only to duplicate his JLA, but ended up being...more ambitious. The moment Morrison left Marvel gleefully deconstructed everything he’d accomplished. And I never felt overly compelled at the time to see what was happening. It wasn’t until Seven Soldiers happened that I became interested in Morrison again. A lot of fans were baffled by the whole thing. Morrison himself saw it as his take on Jack Kirby’s approach to the New Gods, multiple series presenting multiple viewpoints on the same general landscape. But Kirby’s New Gods famously got cut off before he could reach an ending, and creators (including Kirby himself at one point) have been chasing that ever since. In some respects Seven Soldiers was Morrison’s dry run at his own attempt, Final Crisis, safely obscured in the Mister Miracle material by the many other moving parts around it, but in hindsight it’s pretty obvious. But I don’t think Morrison has allowed himself to be this wild since, even with Multiversity, which is as much a shame as what happened to Kirby’s New Gods. But Morrison, at least, still has plenty of time and opportunity...

Shadowpact #2
Shadowpact #7
Funny how time can change things. I enjoyed reading this series at the time, but find now that it’s virtually impossible to get back into.