The Comics Rack

A BUNCH OF AC COMICS II

   We realize it's been awhile, so here are a bunch of reviews of of AC reprint books.
Best of the West
   #38-Tim Holt by Frank Bolle, Tom Mix by Pfeufer & Jordan, Durango Kid by Fred Guardineer, Wild Bill Pecos by Syd Shores, the Haunted Horseman by Dick Ayers and one-pagers of Sugarfoot and The Lawman make up this issue. As always, the Bolle work is solid storytelling without any flash, while the Ayers work is leaning towards the cartoony without quite crossing the line. It is not often that you get to see Syd Shores pencils and inks on a job and so, this story, combined with the Guardineer story and the Tom Mix material make this issue well worth seeking out. Unfortunately, there is no editorial or background information in the issue and one wishes that AC had left out one of the one-pagers in favor of editorial content, since the one-pagers were filler when they were created and read like filler today.
   #39-An Alex Toth Roy Rogers story leads off the issue and it's fascinating to see how Toth handles Roy as opposed to other artists. Toth is about the only artist to get around Rogers' "lazy" eyes (he always looked like his eyes were half-closed) and to capture both the look of Rogers and to give him workable eyes. Other than that, there is an Ayers Haunted Hoseman story, Durango Kid by Certa & Belfi, Tim Holt by Frank Bolle and Golden Arrow by Ruben Moreira. Not the best of issues, but considering this is the only normal western comic on the stands today, it is still a breath of fresh air, even when the stories aren't top-notch.
Men of Mystery
   #42-On the plus side, this issue has an L.B. Cole cover, stories of Frankenstein by Briefer, Fantoman of the Fair by Gustavson and Jet Powers by Bob Powell. On the minus side is the rest of the issue, including one of the dumbest Bulletman stories I have ever read. The editorial content helps put things in perspective, but can't salvage one loser of an issue.
   #43-Bulletman by Charles Sultan, the origin of Flame-Girl, The Avenger by Bob Powell are all in this issue, as are Dynamic Man by Ruben Moreira (don't know what their powers are, but they pose well), the second appearance of The Mask from Exciting Comics #2 (1940) and a completely forgettable hero called, TNT Todd, which is badly written and badly drawn (Black has added a notation to the story to say that is is the frist and only appearance of the character. It's easy to see why!). Better than the previous issue, since even the secondary strips are interesting. Once again, no editorial content.
   #44-Why do I whine about the lack of editorial content in AC books? Look no further than this issue. If there wasn't a full page of material about the stories, we would never: know that circumstances behind the inclusion of the Bulletman story is this issue (it was continued from issue #43); that Lady Fairplay was drawn by Jack Ryan, Chester Gould's assistant on Dick Tracy; that Man O' Metal, the H. G. Peter creation, orginally appeared a blue steel, but that AC chose to make him grey; that the Fred Guardineer story, "Devil of the Deep," was re-done nearly 40 years after it was originally published, or that...well, I'm sure you get the idea. As you probably guess from all this verbosity, this issue is a winner. The choice of stories is solid and the editorial material, as mentioned above, only make the stories all the more enjoyable.
America's Greatest Comics
   #7-This issue features a spotlight on Bob Lubbers, an artist of considerable importance in newspaper comics, since he worked for a portion of his career on the Li'l Abner strip (among others). His comic book work is not as well known, and Black has included a short biography of Lubbers in this issue along with two of his comic book stories. Also on hand are a story apiece from George Evans, Jack Kirby, Alex Toth and Steve Ditko. All in all, a good issue with a nice cross-section of genres and artists. Definitely worth picking up!
   All the above mentioned AC comics have an SRP of $6.95, and can be ordered from the AC website, which can be found on our Links page.

SUPERMAN IN THE FIFTIES

   After the original stories by Siegel and Shuster, my next favorite period of Superman is the Weisinger era. Mort Weisinger took over the editorship of the Superman family of titles in 1948-49, after Siegel and Shuster left DC and continued on as the Superman editor until sometime in the 60s. Weisinger probably did more than any other editor, to expand on character of Superman and to add to the Man of Steel's supporting cast, but this was often done at the expense of the character. Since Weisinger's rule was that something new must be introduced every few months, the Weisinger era was witness to Krypto, Titano, Beepo, Bizarro, the Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane books, along with Braniac, Kandor, Supergirl and, seemingly, most of the population of Krypton. Silly as some of these concepts may be, there is a certain lopsided charm and innocence to them that makes them enjoyable despite their faults. Obviously, I'm not alone in my enjoyment of these stories, because DC has brought out yet another volume in their paperback reprint line, this one called, Superman in the Fifties.
   Superman in the Fifties reprints selected stories from the fifties from all of the Superman family of titles (edited by either Weisinger or Whitney Ellsworth) and is a pretty good overview of the period. The first appearance of Krypto is included, as is the first meeting of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. Supergirl's origin is recounted for the umpteenth time, but we do get the first appearance of Braniac, a team-up of the Prankster, Lex Luthor and Mr. Mxyztplk and a two-parter that features Bizarro. There is also a World's Finest story in which Superman and Robin team up so Batman can recuperate from a broken leg. At the end of the story it is revealed that Batman's leg wasn't broken, but he had instead been poisoned. Superman and Robin figured that a fake broken leg was the only way to get Batman to rest until his body could flush the poison from his system. Now, I ask you, couldn't they just tell him to rest? No, and that is part of the charm of these stories. They may not make total sense, but the characters have no angst, no psychosis and their motivations are always on the up and up: there is no gray area.
   The art in this book is also of interest. During this Superman was entering his fat phase, meaning that he was losing the lithe build that Shuster had created and was leaning more toward the physique of a wrestler of the period. Although all the art is good, the thickness of Superman's waist and chest in the different stories is quite amusing. The people all look like people throughout, however, and there's nary a manga-eyed figure to be found (something I, for one, find refreshing from the drivel that is on the stands today). Reading the art credits for the book is like a veritable who's who of comics, and Wayne Boring, Stan Kaye, Al Plastino, Curt Swan, Kurt Schaffenberger and Ray Burnley are all represented.
   Only a couple of quibbles with the book. First, I wish somebody would proofread these reprint volumes who knows something about comics and not just about spelling. On page 63, there is a half-page feature that informs the reader that "the Fortress of Solitude entered the Superman mythos in...Action Comics #241, June 1958." Wrong! Although it wasn't called "The Fortress of Solitude", the concept of a place where Superman could go to get away from it all and store his trophies appeared much earlier in Superman #17 in 1942. Granted the fortress mentioned here is the fortress with the yellow door and the giant key, an image much more familiar to current readers, but facts are facts (mention should also be made that the Fortress of Solitude originated with Doc Savage, but that's another story). The other quibble has to do with the artist and writer credits given at the end of the book. I've long wondered about the background of Robert Bernstein who wrote comics for both DC and Marvel, yet, when I turned to the credits, his name is among the missing. Sigh!
   Superman in the Fifties has an SRP of $19.95 and, is another item that belongs on your bookshelf.

Willie reviews 1602

1602: (Marvel) an eight issue miniseries.
   It is the time of England's Elizabeth I. There is intrigue in the air. The Queen, has summoned Sir Nicholas Fury, Chief of the Intelligencers. She tells him that The Knights Templar of Malta, have taken an ancient relic from The Holy City of Jerusalem, and are secretly sending it to England. The relic may be a powerful weapon that could be used to end the known world if it falls into wrongful hands. Count Otto Von Doom, The Handsome, knowing only that the relic is an all-powerful tool that can be used to rule the world sends his minions to bring it to his castle!
   Sir Nicholas asks for help from Carlos Javier, leader of the witchbreed, to see that the ancient relic reaches the shores of England and the hands of Her Majesty's master of medicines, Sir Stephen Strange.
   The arrival of an entity known as The Forerunner, passes through a rift in time to set forth a chain of events that affects both the past and the present.
   The Sir Issac Newton, of his time, Sir Reed Richards, of The Fantasticks, uses his powers of reasoning and mathematics to deduce that this entity must be returned from where it came, or, be destroyed before mankind and all existing universes will cease to be.
   Queen Elizabeth I, is assassinated. King James I, of Scotland, becomes ruler of England. He puts into motion his plans of ridding those that he has an overwhelming hatred and fear for, the witchbreed, as well as those that have to do with anything magical (Sir Strange).
   Without giving the story away, this is the world of 1602.
   In 1602, Neil Gaiman weaves (his own) history of England, mixing it with the events of the first English settlers of The New World and the Marvel Universe of some four hundred fifty years before it first appeared. The Ark of the Covenant, also makes up a part of this tale, along with centuries old legends dealing with the disappearance of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, the meaning of the word CROATOAN as inscribed in front of what is left of the razed fort of America's second established colony, and finally Virginia Dare, the first born child of English parents in America.
   Gaimen also adds other characters in this story that you, the reader, may or not be familiar with:
Matthew, the blind balladeer.
Peter Parquagh.
The Four Fantasticks.
The Witchbreed: Carlos Javier, Scotius, Master John Grey, Master McCoy, Roberto, Werner, Natasha, Petros and Wanda, and The Grand Inquisitor, Enrico.
Virginia Dare, and her guardian, the enigmatic American Indian, Rojhaz.
   Three months after the final issue of this miniseries was released, and, nearly a year after the first issue was put on the shelves of comic book stores, I finally received the last two issues this week (late July). In between that time, I had to piecemeal the missing issues to complete the set. Like a lot of people whose interest have been piqued by history's mysteries, I found this miniseries to be quite interesting. And Neil Gaiman's take on the "new" Marvel Universe should be a subject for debate for a long time. I think this is one of the best books written in a long time and will be one of my favorite miniseries for even longer.

THE ESSENTIAL HUMAN TORCH

   Marvel's Essential line has scored another hit with The Essential Human Torch Vol. 1. The book reprints all the Human Torch stories from Strange Tales #101-134 & Stange Tales Annual #2, as well as all the covers from the comics and, like the Ant-Man volume that preceded it, this volume is truly "Essential."
   In the early 60s, Marvel was looking for a way to cash in on the teen audience that was flocking in droves to read Spider Man. Looking about for another teen hero, they decided to use Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four and spun him off into his own series of adventures. These adventures are the ones presented here and they read quite well some 40 years later.
   Johnny is portrayed throughout as a hot-headed teen (no pun intended), but the various writers had enough sense to tread lightly on the teen angst angle and, instead, allow the character to be a hero with flaws: the same formula that made up most of the early Marvel comics. The stories feature the Torch battling his own rogues gallery (The Wizard, The PlantMan, Paste-Pot Pete) and he faces them along with various other menaces in short, but enjoyable stories that have an energy you won't find in the comics of today. Along the way, there is also the inevitable clash between the Torch and the Sub-Mariner, lots of appearances by the FF and the Thing and, of course, Marvel's other teen heroes, Spider Man and Ice Man.
   Artwise, the book is very strong, as well. Many of the stories and nearly all the covers are by Kirby and the covers actually destroyed one of my long cherished beliefs that Kirby never drew Dr. Strange outside of the FF Annual #1. Seeing the Strange Tales covers here with the Torch on one part and Dr. Strange on the other, it looks as if Kirby did the penciling on the Dr. Strange portions which was then was inked by Ditko. Either that, or Ditko could do a good Kirby imitation.
   The surprise of the volume are the stories done by Dick Ayers, who produced the majority of the stories presented here. Ayers is mostly remembered today as an inker, but he was also a strong penciller, and when inking his own work, produced excellent comics that echo the style of the late 40s and 50s. His storytelling is clear, the characters all look distinctive and the line work is uniformly excellent. Later stories in the book are by Carl Burgos and Bob Powell and, although they have merit, they really don't stand up to the Ayers solo work.
   Overall, this is a very enjoyable collection and Marvel is to be commended for putting all these stories, most of which have never been reprinted, into one book. Reproduction is also excellent throughout, with the worst looking story being the Spider-Man/Torch story from Annual #2. It looks downright ugly!
   The Essential Human Torch is another book that belongs up on your bookshelf. Although it is in black & white, it will still provide you with hours of good reading, especially at an SRP of $14.99.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN VOL. II

   Catching up with some books that I bought last summer, I gave The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II a good read. This volume, which reprints the entire mini-series, did not get nearly the coverage in the press as did the first volume and, I suppose, this should have made me a bit suspicious. But, thinks I, Moore and O'Neill had delivered the goods before in the first series. This time around, however...well, I'm not quite sure when I've been more disappointed.
   The story begins where the first series ended: with the Martian invasion of Earth in the style of War of the Worlds, but, in pure Moore style, with a twist. Seems Mr. Wells had the facts wrong and that the invaders were not Martians, but a race that had invaded Mars mnay years before and had plagued the planet before being driven off to Earth by the forces commanded by John Carter and Gullivar Jones. The next segment brings the story back to Earth, involves the League, but then wanders off into a rather mindless exercise of sex, sadism and the destruction, both literally and spiritually, of the characters we met in the first series. By the time I reached the end, I wondered why Moore had bothered to write this story. The League isn't really instrumental in the defeat of the invaders and, except for a short interlude with Dr. Moreau, the sense of literary "fun" that permeated the previous series just isn't there.
   Perhaps, Moore is becoming the David E. Kelly of the comic world. Once one of the hottest writers in television, Kelly eventually disappeared from the scene because the characters in his work became filled with self-loathing and hatred of who they were and what they did; almost as if Kelly hated his own success. Here, Moore seems to have taken that same tact and fully carried it out, so that there is not room for a sequel to this series, even if anybody cared enough about the surviving characters to want to read a sequel. Whether this is simply a quirk on Moore's part or his personal response to the movie adaptation of the first series, I have no idea, but if Moore ever plans to do another series featuring the League, you won't find me in line to read it.
   Only for the curious, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II should still be available. The trade paperback has an SRP of $14.95.

ESSENTIAL TOMB OF DRACULA VOL. 1 & 2

   Most every comic company has put out a horror comic at one time or another with varying degrees of success. Anthology titles have always been the most popular format, but in the 70s, Marvel put out a number of titles that had a continuing cast of characters and a central horror figure as the star. Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing and Ghost Rider were all part of this experiment, but probably the best of these was Tomb of Dracula, which, after a rather shaky start, became a title worth following, not so because it was a horror book, but for the quality of both art and story that it contained.
   Fortunately, for those of you who missed it the first time around, Marvel has begun reprinting The Tomb of Dracula as part of its Essentials line and up for review this time around are Essential Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 and 2. Contained within these two thick trade paperbacks, are Tomb of Dracula #1-49, Giant-Size Chillers #1, Giant-Size Dracula #2-5, the crossover issues from Werewolf by Night #15 and Dr. Strange #14 and, as I've been reading through these books, the word "epic" comes to mind.
   First, you have to put aside any prejudices you might have concerning a comic that stars Dracula. On the surface, the concept does seem like a one note song. After all, what can be done with a character who sleeps by day, drinks blood and runs around in a tuxedo and opera cape. Well, as you read the first issues, you can see how close the book could have come to being mundane. The first issue, written by Gerry Conway and penciled by Gene Colan, sets the scene as Dracula is brought back from the dead by his great grand something or other. Disaster follows and within the next couple of issues a sort of chase ensues where Dracula pops up wherever his descendant happens to be hanging out. Rather pedestrian at best and if the series had continued in this fashion, it most likely would have ended within a year or two.
   The only saving grace of the early issues is the teaming of Gene Colan with inker Tom Palmer beginning in issue #3. Palmer was able to ink Colan's pencils in such a way that Colan's penciling was enhanced rather than redrawn. The end result is probably the best inking the Colan ever received at Marvel and the team continued, except for a couple of issues, to the end of the series to create a moody and atmospheric look for the book that has not been surpassed in any other series. Yet, even the excellent art was not enough to really turn the book around. Archie Goodwin introduced a couple of characters who remained a part of the series and then Gardner Fox attempted a lamentable two issue continuity. But, it wasn't until issue #7, when Marv Wolfman arrived, that Tomb of Dracula hit its stride.
   Under Wolfman's guidance, Tomb of Dracula slowly developed into more than just a book about a vampire. With a rich supporting cast (one of whom was Blade), the stories in Tomb of Dracula became more than a quest to stamp out Dracula. Rather, they became stories about people and emotions, all set within the framework of a monthly horror comic book (dare we call it "adult"?). Wolfman understood the limitations of having Dracula be the central figure of each story. Instead, he crafted stories that involved Dracula, but were, at times, more about the people Dracula encountered: sort of in the spirit of the best Fu Manchu novels, where the title character is a presence and influence. As the stories represented in these two volumes progress, we find out more about the supporting cast, we get to read stories about people and we learn more about Dracula himself, who emerges as a noble, yet tragic, figure.
   Of course, these aren't for everyone. The continuity conscious reader will notice some huge holes in the early issues that were produced during the time Marvel was playing musical editor-in-chiefs. The completist in me applauds Marvel's inclusion of all the stories in chronological order and the critical reader wonders why the stories from Giant-Size Dracula #2-5 were included (or even written in the first place). Wolfman also plays fast and loose with the vampire legends on occasion and, read in succession in a volume like this, it seems that Dracula had to die at least once every 10-12 issues. These problems aside, Essential Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 and 2 (along with Vol. 3 which wraps up the series and will get reviewed in a couple of months) are some of the best comics produced in the last 30 years. They are well told, well drawn and as you read each issue you will see how good comics can be.
   Essential Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 and 2 have an SRP of $14.99 and $16.99 respectively and would look really good on your bookshelf. The third volume is also out and Marvel has announced a fourth volume scheduled to come out sometime in 2005 that will cover the material from Dracula Lives.