STARGIRL THE LOST CHILDREN #4 DC COMICS
Holey Moley! Not even including the avamzing semi-retro cover, this one starts the ball rolling! Classic Rip Hunter Time Master stuff! Flashbacks featuring the Flash and Batman! A new way to look at the multiverse! And finally, the gang finally springs into action! A reference to the Holyoke version of the Blue Beetle’s sidekick Sparky AND Fawcett’s Mr. Scarlet sidekick Pinky?! Now you are talking my language! But we maybe too late as the buyer has arrived and OH MY GIDDY AUNT, you’ll never believe who it is! I know I didn’t but I’m glad my theory was wrong. Don’t panic … no spoilers. And although I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, I am a little disappointed that the mystery and intrigue sort of evaporated. Maybe if DC would have given Geoff Johns a twelve issue series, we wouldn’t have to have the incredibly annoying Corky relating the plot over the course of nine pages. Still, got to give credit where credit is due! 9 out of 10 Grahams.
HUMAN TARGET #12 DC COMICS
Another well done mini-series ends and I will miss it. Be ready for some spoilers though as you can’t talk about this finale without giving it away. So … ready? No turning back. You have been official warned of the spoilers. Read ahead at your own risk. I think we all knew who the poisoner was for about 3 issues now but it still comes as a bit of a shock that it was Ice all along. And we get to take a real good look at Ice the person. Layers upon layers of deceit, manipulation, and true emotions. The scenes between Ice and the Martian Manhunter are epic. But the main spoiler and cause of outrage is that DC actually let Tom King kill Christopher Chance! I mean REALLY! Whether it was his backup stories in Action Comics in the 1970’s, his tv show with Rick Springfield, etc. Christopher Chance was an excellent tertiary charecter who was popping up every now and then to add depth to a story. It seems like such a waste especially since DC has been revisiting the whole back-up stories concepts in various titles. The man definitely was a contender for a Detective back-up. Still, it took real chutzpah to whack him, so well done, Mr. King. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS SPECIAL #1 DC COMICS
Unfortunately, this special is exactly what you would expect it to be. And if you are a big fan of the movies, you’re going to love this. However, if you are an old school C.C. Beck Whiz Comics fan, it’s going to be a little too modern for your tastes. And while there are a few cameos for the older fans (the Crocodile Men!) this is just a whole bunch of fun featuring the movie versions of the Shazam! family. A sort of preview to the next Shazam! film coming soon to a theatre near you. Lots of new concepts for the soon to be released Dawn of DC Shazam title. Even with the extra pages, this one really didn’t keep my interest. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
EXCITING COMICS #31 ANTARCTIC PRESS
Issue #31, my fanny! The Golden Age title finally reaches a 100th issue! And this is something to be celebrated. And with three new storylines joining the Exciting universe, this one is definitely worth checking out! Jeff Winstead, Daniel Gete, and Dean Kotz’s The Alternate presents an interesting premise with some interesting characters. Dan Johnson and Dan Gorman’s Real Atomic Blonde story is reminiscent of the Silver Age tales where a Golden Age super-hero gains new abilities due to a accident (usually due to radiation) and upgrades themself with a new costume and name change. We also get an appearance by Exciting Comics mascot, Penguina! But by far the final chapter takes all the marbles! When Captain Marvel (you would call him Shazam! these days) writer/artist team of C.C. Beck and Otto Binder decided to collaborate on a new hero in the 1960’s, And so in his own title, Fatman, the Human Flying Saucer debuted! After helping a shape shifting alien, Val Crawford is given an alien chocolate drink that gives him the abilty to turn into a flying saucer and shoot energy beams. Meanwhile, at another publishing house, Herbie Popnecker (star of multiple issues of Forbidden Worlds Comics) was given his own title in 1964 and eight issues later donned a pair of red longjohns and put a plunger on his head to become the Fat Fury! And with some truely awesome cameos (Holy ZAM! isn’t that Captain Mar ***ahem***) John Holland’s story is a great take on classic Golden/Silver Age stories and Larry Guidry’s art captures these characters in all their past glory! 10 out of 10 Grahams.
