You know, there are weeks when there is simply nothing that jumps out and screams “REVIEW ME!” And while the good folks at Doc’s Corner try their best, I just wasn’t feeling it. Sure I could tell you that JSA #11 is the start of the big finale of the current storyline. Revisiting the Ragnarok plot from years back. You’ll get to see the new Kid Eternity in action finally. And several rather upsetting plot points do get some resolution. But in all honesty, the super-villains work better as a team (There I said it!) but I would give it a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
Or that Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong is confussing as all get out and I’ve given up all hope even though my son still likes it. Earning it a 5 out of 10 Grahams.
Or that surprisingly enough, issue number one of the new Batman title is actually quite good. Matt Fraction’s story has returned us to a version of the world of the Batman that we had in the early 1970’s. New outfit, new gadgets, new home (sort of) but yet all within acceptable limits. Smart aleck Alfred, a more open and understanding Batman & Bruce Wayne, new friends and the promise of some new Rogues Gallery members. And Jorge Jimenez art for the city of Gotham is amazing. Let’s hope that this reboot stays on the straight and narrow. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
However, one of the back bones of the comic industry is it’s back issues. While the walls of your Graham Crackers Comics might be filled with the newest and most up to date in reading materials, the middle of the shop is filled with white boxes filled with stories and art that entertained your older brother, your father, maybe even your grandfather. Tales that established backstories and histories of your favorite modern characters. It’s always worth a few moments of your time to thumb through the back issue boxes for those dust covered gems!
THOR #181 (OCTOBER 1970) MARVEL COMICS
Think storylines are confusing in modern times? Try this one, Loki and Thor have switched bodies. Thor in Loki’s body has been captured by the demon Mephisto and frozen in mystic ice. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three have come to rescue him but it is only with the help of a nearby dragon, is the mystic ice melted freeing Thor/Loki. Meanwhile, Loki/Thor is terrorizing the United Nations demanding to rule. And it is only the vision of Thor’s goodness, that drives Mephisto off. Back at the UN, Thor/Loki fights Loki/Thor which basically has Loki beating himself up and when the two switch back bodies after the nifty 60 second time limit of Mjolnir, it is Loki with the black and blue marks that he gave himself! With the creative team of Stan Lee, Neal Adams, Joe Sinnott, and Artie Simek, this one is a whole lot of fun with some beautiful artwork. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
DETECTIVE COMICS #402 (AUGUST 1970) DC COMICS
This was a terrific time to be a comics fan! New ideas were being tested out but just tested. There was no be all – end all, renumbering, time frame altering, or universe altering crises. The world on the printed page was simply changing, just like in real life. People like Frank Robbins, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano were making it happen in style. Just two issues earlier, the creative team brought us the character of Man-Bat and he was making quite the impression in the Batman world. A Batman fanboy who had inadvertently turned himself into a half bat/half man. This is one of his earliest appearances and leaves us on a cliff-hangar as Man-Bat has crashed into the Batcave’s garage door and knocked himself out and Batman fears it may have caused brain damage. This was also the years when Robin was in college and being listed as the Robin, the Teen Wonder and in this back up story Dick Grayson is questioning his Robin identity with his Teen Titans’ teammate Speedy (who for some reason the colorist decided to color yellow instead of red?) But this was a time when characters were aging, evolving, and their friends and foes were growing. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
SUPERHEROES #4 (JUNE 1967) DELL COMICS
While called the Fab 4 in the pages of Dell Comics wonderfully lame titled Superheroes title, the group never really got an official name. No Justice League/Society, no Avengers/Defenders. They were simply superheroes. Four teenagers who controlled super androids with such cool identities as El, Polly, Hy, and Crispy? At least until an explosion somehow destroyed the androids but gave their abilities to the real teenagers. Three short (and rather confusing tales) mostly involving hypnosis and mind control. These are all good fun in a rather hopeless time capsule of a title. Hipster bands, SAC Bombers, A-Bombs, villains with names like Mr. Mod? While this is not one of those comics that aged well, it still is an interesting look at the comic landscape in a severly diffent era. 7 out of 10 Grahams.