Back Issue Box: Secret Origins #23

 It was the late 80's and mega-crossovers in comics were still in their infancy.

In 1985 DC had given us Crisis on Infinite Earths, redefining the DCU.

In 1986, DC gave us Legends, a wellspring of ideas and excellent new comics and characters.

In 1987, they gave us Millennium. 

The concept seemed sound. The Oans and the Zamarons were going to leave the universe in the hands of New Guardians. Their old foes, the Manhunters, were going to stop them and take over instead. And to go about this task, the Manhunters were going to activate sleeper agents they had sprinkled throughout the universe. Who was actually a Manhunter? It was a mystery.

Unfortunately, the actual event fell flat. How flat? Flat enough that I must have given away Millennium at some point. It is no longer in my collection. (And I still have Countdown!)

But one of the things DC must have realized is that the Manhunters as a group weren't well known. How could they be a universal threat? Who the heck were they?

So to bolster the main event along with the crossovers, Secret Origins #22 would focus on the group giving important background information. 

And this is where I come in because this was the post-Crisis reintroduction of Mark Shaw, ultimately Leviathan. With the Crisis behind us, changes could be made to continuity. Who was Shaw? Did things play out the same?

Let's find out.

Back Issue Box: Legion of Super-Heroes #283

With Wildfire being prominently featured as the opening splash Legionnaire in Legion of Super-Heroes #7 and with some hints about old continuities and histories put in there, I thought it would be fun to review his history. It doesn't hurt that Wildfire is my favorite Legionnaire. So why not let him into the spotlight here a little.

 

So today I will be reviewing Legion of Super-Heroes #283, a spotlight issue for Wildfire reviewing his history and adding some elements to his back story not seen prior to this. I have to say this is a little bit of a weird and interesting issue for a couple of reasons.

First off, the cover is done by art legend Jim Aparo! Aparo is best known for his Batman work. I don't think he did any other Legion work outside this piece. So getting to see his take on Wildfire alone makes this issue worth it.

 

Second, Roy Thomas is the writer. Now Thomas has some Legion credits but he is more a WWII kind of writer. I never really cozied up to his Legion stuff. And he oddly inserts a lot of romance (or impossible romance) into this story. Most of Wildfire's angst comes from his failed relationships with women ... which feels a little off. I suppose it plays into his 'not being human, am I truly alive' angst. But weird.

The art is by Howard Bender with inks by Bruce Patterson. I like Patterson's inks and he does a good job here with the visuals which move from college romance to high stakes super-hero action.

Overall, this is a good primer on Wildfire including all the things mentioned in that LSH #7 splash - his failed first attempt at joining the team, his being a hothead with a loud mouth, his concern about not being a 'thing'. 

On to the book.

Terrificon Recap #2: Frenz Commission, Supergirl Sigs, Barry Kitson, Harley Quinn, And Other Stuff

Last week I began my review of my excellent time at TerrifiCon. As I said then, this convention has become the high point of my convention season. There were just too many great creators there to try and meet and chat with.

I already talked about how great the venue was, how accommodating and friendly the creators were, and how it was comic book centric, so rare these days. So let's jump into more of my fondest memories!

If you remember from my TerrifiCon prep post, Kevin Nowlan and Ron Frenz were the two commissions I was hoping to score here. Last week I talked about how lucky I was to grab the Nowlan sketch. So did I go two for two?

Based on the title of this post, you can probably guess.

Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 Satellite Scene Redux

Last year, for its 30th anniversary, I did a deep dive into Crisis on Infinite Earths, specifically Supergirl's part in that epic story. Included in those reviews was a look at the famous satellite scene in Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, a tremendous collection of DC characters, brought together on the Monitor's orbiting headquarters. I showcased not only the original scene but also places where it was reshown, crossover issues and one shots. Here is that link:

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2015/05/30th-anniversary-crisis-on-infinite_23.html

A side project I am working on has recently had me thumbing through long boxes and looking at a diverse group of back issues. That search included All-Star Squadron back issues. Is was surprised to see the Crisis satellite scene show up in #53 and #54. I didn't recall them being there when I did my review last year and felt I should cover them here for completion sake.

Both issues list Roy and Dann Thomas as writers and Mike Clark, Arvell Jones, Tony DeZunuga and Vince Colletta on art.

The Crisis completely  eliminated Earth 2 and changed the early DC history. I don't envy Roy Thomas for being given the job of rewriting and streamlining that part of continuity. I get the sense that Thomas knew this was something of a last hurrah as we see panels dedicated to the earliest incarnations of heroes including the yellow gloved Earth 2 Aquaman as well as notions about to be obsolete like Earth-S.

DC certainly gave Thomas all the space he needed to wrap it up. All-Star Squadron got 7 Crisis crossovers! Infinity Inc. got 8 crossovers!

But let;s get to that satellite scene!

Rhode Island Comic Con 2016

This last weekend was Rhode Island Comic Con, the last convention of my 'con season'. That means winter is coming.

This is still a young con and therefore still suffering from some growing pains. Looking back at my last posts about this con it seems every year there is some snafu on how the thing is being run that irks me. And, as I have always said, the thrust of this con is on celebrities (ranging from A to D list) with the comic part being only a small part of the happenings.

Now overall, I had a very good experience in the one day, Saturday, that I was there but let me get the administrative difficulties out of the way.

The con has basically grown exponentially over its life so now it actually is held in two buildings - the Rhode Island Convention Center and the attached Dunkin Donuts Center (an arena for concerts, basketball, and hockey). The buildings are connected by a narrow 'sky ramp'. Last year this was the bottle neck as people were going in both directions.

My main goal in this con was getting a signature from Stan Lee. I prepurchased a 'ticket' for an autograph. A buddy of mine went on Friday and told me that Lee was in the Dunkin Donuts Center so I wanted to run there early and get in line. The line for the con formed outside the Convention Center and at 830a I was there, awaiting for the 10a opening.

Well, it turns out that two lines were forming. The one I was in at the con center. And another at the Dunks. When I entered, I headed towards the skyramp only to be told that the ramp was made 'one way' this year, heading into the convention center. If I wanted to get into the Dunk, I needed to exit and reenter there. So I had to leave the building, badge out, head outside, and then find the 're-entry door' which was around the side of the Dunk and barely marked.

Once inside, I ran to the floor and had to wait in line to turn my ticket for the Lee autograph in for another ticket. This seemed counter-intuitive and I wouldn't have done it had I not been warned by my buddy. Then I waited in line for Lee ... for 2.5 hours. I was around 40th in the general population line, and the VIPs got to go first. I am lucky it didn't take longer.

All of that said, this all seems confusing and weird. This could still be run more smoothly ...

On to the fun stuff.