The Comics Rack

THE DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES VOL. 3

   Possibly the interest in comics of the Golden Age lies not just in trying to recapture the joys of a simpler time, but in the simple fact that the comics of the Golden Age offered a large variety of stories. With most books averaging 64 pages and filled with a minimum of four stories, the writers and artists of these earlier times had to create stories of many styles, just to keep their readers from becoming bored.
   One example of this variety can be found in The Dark Knight Archives Vol 3, which reprints the stories from Batman #9-12. In each issue, Batman and Robin are featured in four different stories:  a human interest tale, an adventure story set in someplace other than Gotham City, a "straight" crime story and a tale featuring a costumed villain (the Joker appearing in three out of the four issues). You want Batman in a Western, try issue 10. Batman fighting a white whale, look no farther than issue 9. Weird villains? Each issue. Christmas, children, scams, carnivals, dinosaurs: they're all here and still read quite well today. Each story is different and if you don't like one, there's a chance you'll like the next one, which, of course, was the intent of the creators when these issues were originally published.
   The tone of Batman was also different in the Golden Age. He wasn't dark nor bleak, but was a man with a mission who enjoyed what he did. As you read these stories you will find that Batman and Robin smile a lot, as do the other characters. There is also a moral sense to the stories. In the simpler times of 1942, right and wrong were well defined in comics and Batman would just as soon take on a greedy land speculator as he would the Joker. As portrayed in these stories, he is a hero and protector who uses his abilities to fight for what is right.
   Artwise, this volume continues the Kane/Robinson collaboration that began at the inception of the series. Kane's pencils are tighter than in the previous volumes and his figure drawing shows marked improvement. There is also a rare (for this era) Robinson solo story in issue 12 which is worth the price of the book. As an added treat, part of the 3^rd story in issue 12 is by Jack Burnley, another of the greats of the Golden Age.
   Like the previous volumes in this series, or, for that matter, the other Archives volumes, The Dark Knight Archives Vol 3 deserves a place on your bookshelf. SRP is $49.95, but can be found for less if you shop around.

THE DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES VOL. 1

   Part of my fascination with DC's Silver Age comics stems from my childhood. I grew up in a rural area where the local grocery store was the only source for comics. The problem was that they didn't carry all the comics...just part of the DC line, Classic's Illustrated, Dell and later Gold Key (I don't recall seeing a Marvel title until my early teens). To further compound the problem, my parent's believed that Wertham was right and I was only allowed to buy 2 titles: Adventure Comics and Superman, but only if I read two prose books for every comic I bought.
   With these limitations, it's surprising that I ever became a comic fan. One my fondly remembered thrills from those days were the house ads in the DC titles. Through these cover reproductions, I could enjoy from afar the adventures of Batman, Wonder Woman, the Justice League, Sgt. Rock and, the one I found the most mysterious, The Doom Patrol. Fortunately, one of the Archives volumes that DC has chosen to produce is The Doom Patrol Archives Vol. 1, which reprints My Greatest Adventure #80-85 and The Doom Patrol #86-89, the very issues which, in most cases, I only knew from the DC house ads of my youth.
   I must admit I wasn't disappointed in the book. The Doom Patrol, in its original incarnation, was an entertaining adventure/science fiction strip. Under the command of their wheelchair bound leader, "The Chief", the mobile members of the Doom Patrol (Elasti-Girl, Negative Man and Robotman) travel the world to battle numerous menaces. The Doom Patrol feels alienated from the world, since none of them, except for Elasti-Girl, can lead normal lives. In the early issues, we are also introduced to two of the major villains of the strip: General Immortus and The Brotherhood of Evil. On the surface, this sounds way too simplistic to be enjoyable, yet it works. The stories are all well told with a beginning, middle and end, and the Doom Patrol probably had the most varied and quirky adversaries in all of comics (I mean a brain encased in liquid leads the Brotherhood of Evil, for corn's sake!), something that adds to the enjoyment of the series. the art by Bruno Premiani also is worth a mention. Premiani was not a flashy artist, but was very competent. His storytelling is clear and concise and, unlike many artists of today, he draws convincing anatomy.
   Much has been said over the years about the similarities between The Doom Patrol and X-Men: how both have a wheel chair bound leader, they are both about feelings of alienation and that one has a "Brotherhood of Evil", while the other has a "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants". DC doesn't ignore this controversy and makes mention of it on the book's flyleaf, where it points out that The Doom Patrol went on sale 3 months before X-Men #1. My feelings are that the books do have their similarities, but are completely different, mainly since The X-Men is about alienated teenagers and the Doom Patrol is about alienated adults and, to their mutual advantage, both books are written with this in mind (it should also not come as a surprise that Arnold Drake, the writer of these stories, went over to Marvel to write the X-Men after The Doom Patrol folded).
   More science fictional than most comics of the time, and just good simple fun, The Doom Patrol Archives Vol. 1 is an enjoyable collection that deserves a place on your book shelf. SRP $49.95, but by now, you know how to find it cheaper.

THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL. 5

   To fully appreciate the work of Will Eisner, one has only to take a look at The Spirit Archives Vol. 5, since it features no (?) work by Eisner. How can this seeming contradiction work? Simply because the Spirit stories were at their best when Eisner had some input into them.
   First, a bit of background. When Eisner entered the Army in May of 1942, he had been producing the Spirit strip for almost two years and, according to the "official" version of events, he did all of the writing and pencilling (for my own theories on the subject, see Huh? # 6). At this point, several sources, including this volume's introduction by Ron Goulart, make mention that Eisner continued to supply scripts for the strip after his induction (this in addition to the backlog material produced in the early part of 1942). How long this practice continued, nobody is saying, but it is a pretty safe bet that by July 5, 1942, the date of the first story in this volume, Eisner had nothing to do with producing the Spirit.
   Eisner's having nothing to do with these stories is why I appreciate him more after having read this volume. Without Eisner's hand in some on-site capacity, the stories in this volume range from just okay to dreadful, mainly due to their pacing. Often the stories read as though they need a couple of additional panels somewhere within them to completely tell the story, or, in the worst cases, an additional page. Many of the stories also tend to wrap the story up in the final panel, a device Eisner was able to avoid throughout most of his run on the strip. Without Eisner's guidance, the Spirit is only another costumed character among many, whose stories, in this volume, do not stand out and are nothing special. Gone is the depth of characterization that fills Eisner's earlier work and the sense of satisfaction that one normally feels at the end of a Spirit story is missing. The spark that Eisner lent to the Spirit is gone and sorely missed.
   Artwise, this volume showcases the work of Lou Fine, who took over the pencilling duties once Eisner entered the service and the art is probably the best part of the book. There is a slow, but steady, progression in style in these stories, as Fine begins to draw less like Eisner and instead, produces a style that can best be described as moody, yet cartoonish. Again, it would help is DC would offer some credits on the stories. There are traces of other hands at work here (many pages look like they were pencilled and/or inked by Jack Cole), but who did what may remain a mystery for all time. In addition, the yronwode index is no help, in that it gives Eisner full pencil credit for all the strips through August of 1942 (that Eisner would have time to go through basic training, begin his first assignment and still have time to pencil eight pages a week seems a bit of a stretch).
   This is probably the weakest volume of the series so far and only for the completist. There are some good, solid stories here, but the poorly done ones, of which there are many, outweigh the good. The good news, however, is that the stories do a remarkable upturn in Vol. 6.
   The Spirit Archives Vol. 5 retails for $49.95, but can be found for less if you shop around.

THE SHAZAM ARCHIVES VOL. 2

   Often, a book may sit on my shelf for quite some time before I get around to reading it. Case in point, The Shazam Archives Vol. 2. In looking the book over in preparation for reviewing I noticed the copyright notice...1999. Sure doesn't seem that long since it came out, but it definitely is high time to clean up the closet and see what other gems I have purchased and set aside for later reading.
   The Shazam Archives Vol. 2 is a bit of a "firsts" volume, since it reprints Special Edition Comics 1, Captain Marvel Adventures 1 and Whiz Comics 16-20. These issues not only featured the first, and only time Simon and Kirby worked on "The Big Red Cheese," but also the crossover stories of Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, one of the first times that two major characters teamed up together (I believe the distinction of being first rests with the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner over at Timely).
   As a whole, these stories are all enjoyable and a breath of fresh air when compared to comics that are currently being published. The early adventures of Capt. Marvel are always enjoyable and, like most Golden Age characters, he appears here in a variety of stories ranging from human interest, to horror and science fiction. What made Capt. Marvel different from the others is that his stories were always drawn in a simplistic style, which made his adventures a series of fantasies that were good, but never to be taken seriously (if indeed, the adventures of any super hero can be taken seriously). Even at the height of the battle with Spy Smasher, Cap's very appearance reassures the reader that everything will work out well.
   The lone exception to this style also appears in this volume in the reprinting of Captain Marvel Adventures #1 which was done by Simon & Kirby. In terms of comics, Kirby's art works well, although it has a terribly rushed look to it, most likely because Simon & Kirby did the book in the evenings while they were producing Captain America for Timely. (For more on this, see Moonlighting with Jack and Joe). Capt. Marvel swoops, crouches and punches with speed and style in the best Kirby tradition. Sivana looks scarily evil and when somone gets put down for the count, you know they are down. Good comics and good Kirby, but not right for Capt. Marvel. Although the stories are enjoyable, they aren't about the Capt. Marvel we know, but a distant cousin from a "real" universe, due to their realistic overtones. Simon & Kirby were not right for Capt. Marvel and it is fortunate that they only had one try at the character.
   The Spy Smasher sequence reprinted in this volume is an interesting study in how Fawcett (or Beck) went to great lengths to protect the Capt. Marvel look after the Simon & Kirby experiment. Since Spy Smasher was a realistic strip, Beck, or one of his assistants, drew the Capt. Marvel figures that appeared in the Spy Smasher portions of the storyline, keeping them in the style normally associated with the character. The result is a bit jarring at times, particularly in the chapters pencilled by Charles Sultan, but does avoid the S & K problem. The sequence itself is very enjoyable and hearkens back to the days of movie serials, cliffhangers and all.
   Overall, this is great book that definitely belongs on your bookshelf, whether you are a fan of Capt. Marvel, of Jack Kirby, or just of comics in general. No one has ever gotten Capt. Marvel right since these long ago days (although Jerry Ordway was real close) and these stories will transport you back to the days when comics were fun.
   The Shazam! Archives Vol. 2 retails for $49.95, but can be found for less if you shop around.

TOM STRONG BOOK ONE

   Since the mid-80s, Alan Moore has been the apologist of the comics field. It seems that Moore, for all the excellent writing he has done, feels that his Watchmen series paved the way for the grim and gritty super heroes that followed and that he helped to gut all that was good, and fun, from comic books. Whether or not this is true, and I believe there were many other factors that contributed to the changes in comics in the 80s, including Miller's Dark Knight series, Moore, in some instances, has done his darndest to recapture the feel of the comics from the sixties, particularly in the Supreme series, and also in one of the tiles for the America's Best Comics Line, Tom Strong.
   Tom Strong Book One collects the first seven issues of the Tom Strong series and they make for quite an interesting read. Tom Strong is a Doc Savageish character, who was raised to be a virtual superman, both intellectually and physically. He has a lifespan far beyond those of mere mortals and is assisted by his wife, his daughter, an intelligent ape named Solomon and a steam powered robot, Pneuman in righting wrongs and protecting the innocent.
   Sounds just like any other title, right? But, in the hands of Alan Moore...there's the difference! I have written before about the way Moore is able to take the standard comic book cliches and twist them around so they are anything but standard and in Tom Strong, he works his magic once again.
   The story arc presented in this volume combines an ongoing storyline set in the present with flashback sequences, which show the earlier adventures and history of the characters, including the origin of Tom Strong himself. What is so remarkable is that the flashbacks help advance the storyline set in the present and vice versa. Telling a non-linear story is a daunting task, but is one that Moore pulls off with great ease in this series. The menaces encountered by Stong are all new twists on old themes and all are handled extremely well. In fact, you could almost call this a new retro series, since it is new and fresh, yet has the feel of the familiar comics of old. The only thing lacking in the series is that we really don't ever get a handle on the Tom Strong character. He is a sort of enigma, which is why I describe him earlier as a Doc Savage-ish type: he is likeable, we wouldn't mind having him around, but we really don't have any idea of what goes on in his head.
   Art on the series is done in a detailed, and later simplified, style by Chris Sprouse with inks by Al Gordon. Additional flashback material is done by Arthur Adams, Gary Frank, Dave Gibbons and, in the style of Wally Wood, Jerry Ordway. All the art is well done and a joy to look at and supports the story remarkably well.
   With very few quibbles, this as a "must have" item for your bookshelf, especially if you are fondly remember the simpler times before comic characters became psychotic. Although I am not as enamored with some of Moore's other America's Best output, I can whole heartedly recommend the Tom Strong series.
   My copy of Tom Strong Book One is a trade paperback, which retails for $14.95. there is also a hardback edition which costs more and, of course, any book can be found for less if you shop it around.