THE HUMAN TARGET #4 DC COMICS
Four days into the end of Christopher Chance and Tom King isn’t giving anything away. Today we get to spend the day with Ted Cord and his alter-ego, The Blue Beetle. Did he try to kill Luthor and unintentionally poison Christopher by mistake? I really don’t think so. And while we don’t get a whole lot of clues, we do get a fascinating inside look at the look of Ted Cord the person, the Blue Beetle the hero, and inner workings of the old and current JLI. The after hours drink at the bar conversation is jaw dropping and humorously tragic. And by the look of it The Human Target is going to need a REALLLLLY hot shower as he spends the night with Ice. A really well done mystery novel done in comic form. And Greg Smallwood’s art only helps to enhance that. I give this one a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
MARY JANE & BLACK CAT BEYOND #1 MARVEL COMICS
For a one-shot, this one packs in everything and the kitchen sink. We should first thank cover artist J. Scott Campbell for knowing how to draw Latex … PVC … leather? But the real treat here is Jed MacKay’s story. He not only has a knack for real human conversation but has obviously done his homework on the ladies in Peter Parker’s life. The characterizations are exactly what you expect a real life version of these two would be. I especially like Mary Jane admitting to have been the bad girl in Peter’s life way back when Gwen was around. Was a perfect bonding moment. And C.F. Villa’s art is a wonderful example of keeping the sultry at a level that doesn’t distract you from the story. Hate to admit it but this one earned itself a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
SPECIAL RETRO REVIEW !!!!!!!!!!!
OUR LOVE STORY #12 MARVEL COMICS
The week of my birthday 51 years ago, this little gem was out on the news racks at the local drug store. Love comics were starting to loose their popularity but several stayed the course. Marvel launch this title in 1969 and it ran for 7 years and 38 issues. Like most of these types of titles, the basic theme was girl meets boy, girl looses boy, and then either boy comes back to girl or backround boy steps up and proves he’s the boy for her.
What I always find amazing is the people who worked on these titles. Handling stories such as “His Lips … Or None” and “He Was Perfect But I Lost Him” were such classic names as Sal Buscema, Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg, Matt Baker, Vince Colletta, Jack Kirby, and Frank Giacoia! And while these are definitely a time capsule of the 1970’s, the general overall themes are still valid. This is a full bit of nostalgia that highlights some of the best of the Marvel Bullpen! I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
