That Zany Bob Haney: The Brave and the Bold 104

The Brave and the Bold #104 (November/December 1972)
"Second Chance for a Deadman?"
Bob Haney-Jim Aparo

Doug:  True confession time (again) -- I don't think I've ever read a full Deadman story.  I will say that the character is intriguing to me, and the original stories handled by Carmine Infantino and Neal Adams (particularly Adams) are somewhere on the "to find and read" list.  So while we've taken a nice tour of the Haney/Aparo Brave and the Bolds, I'll be coming to at least half of this team-up tabula rasa.  I'm thinking Haney could get real zany with this subject matter.  By the way, as I was preparing to read/write this, my sons came home from work, and the 20-year old (who is somewhat "into" comics) asked what was in the Legends of the Dark Knight - Jim Aparo, Volume 1 book.  I thumbed through it with him, showing him the various Batman team-ups.  But when I got to that one with the Atom I stopped and explained it.  They just cracked up and the older says, "Who would write a story like that??"  Bob Haney, dude.

Doug:  If there's one thing I've come to appreciate about Bob Haney, it's that he doesn't give a rat's rear end whether or not Batman is in or out of character, if the plot makes any sense at all, or how much collateral damage he leaves as he sews up a story.  Continuity be damned, sayeth he!  So when Batman grabs a machine gun and takes off after some heavily-armed hoods, to the chagrin and amazement of Commissioner Gordon, we have a Batman not seen since the Golden Age.  But it's all a ruse, as the machine gun was loaded with blanks.  Gordon's men were able to cover the Dark Knight as he made what appeared to be a suicide run.  But it made the car thieves nervous, skittish.  And when one had the courage to level his pistol at the Batman, it was Gordon who saved his friend's life with a bullet of his own.  When the two lawmen approached the corpse, they discovered that the leader was a Waxey Doyle; but Gordon said the deceased didn't look like Doyle.  Once in the morgue, Batman ordered a complete autopsy -- and you know what?  Ol' Waxey had received, at some point, a total makeover.  A further investigation by the Caped Crusader showed that several of the Most Wanted had been turning up in no way shape or form as they should have appeared.  Something big was going down with the world's elite criminals.

Doug:  Batman's aware that there are places who will totally remake a criminal's identity, but neither he or Gordon know where to find one.  Until they find a matchbook in Doyle's pocket -- the Pygmalion Spa in Cornucopia, Florida.  The Dark Knight is on the next plane.  Landing, he wears the guise of Mr. Howard Sanford and is introduced to Lilly Lang, his "directress to a new life".  She shows "Sanford" around the place, and he begins to engage in the activities.  Different denizens remark at what good shape he's in, but it's played off.  One day Batman spies Lilly with a man; he's told it's her boyfriend, and he watches them steal away to a part of the compound he's told is off-limits.  What more could a Batman need?  The next night, "Sanford" swims across the lagoon and hops the fence -- only to receive a beatdown from a couple of guards.  This begins a trend in this story that we've seen Haney employ in the other tales I've reviewed, and that is the "unaware" Batman.  For a guy who is supposed to be the world's greatest detective, the ultimate human fighting machine, and a peak physical specimen, he sure gets taken down pretty easily.

Doug:  Sensing that he's going to need a little help on this one, the Batman takes out an ad in a newspaper -- we don't know which paper, though.  It's designed to draw out one Boston Brand -- Deadman!  And the strategy works right away, because we only have a limited amount of pages to tell this story.  Wherever Brand had seen the ad, he hits the winds and makes his way to Gotham City, where the Batman has returned and is in counsel with the Commissioner.  Brand drops into the room, and indeed into the Commissioner to possess him.  Once aware that Gordon is no longer himself, Batman and Deadman cut the deal -- Deadman will go back to the Pygmalion Spa, take over the body of Lilly's boyfriend, Richie Wandrus, and gather enough evidence to blow the lid off the operation.  Before he leaves on the mission, however, Deadman is visited by Vashnu and the spirit of Rama Kushna (you'd have to have read some previous Deadman stories to be fully up to speed on this -- fortunately, I've read a few articles about Deadman, so I wasn't totally in the dark).  Rama Kushna tells Brand, "Hark to me, my son... a man, a spirit in love, may only gain his heart's desire by... losing it!  For is not love stronger than death itself?"

Doug:  Once at the spa, Brand immediately infiltrates Wandrus and begins to interact with Lilly.  He soon realizes he may be in over his head, as he begins to encounter hoods who know him.  But he sells it well enough to get by.  But as he gets closer to Lilly, Brand finds that he rather likes this return to the corporeal world -- in effect, he's falling for Lilly!  To make matters worse, he's apparently a better lover, more sensitive guy, you name it -- but Lilly likes the change in "Richie" as well!  They even talk about going straight, making enough money to retire from the spa, and going away together.  Boston Brand is falling hard.  But when the Batman confronts Brand about the lack of evidence he's gathered, Brand reveals his struggles with his feelings.  The Dark Knight will hear none of it, and orders Deadman to see this through.

Doug:  Deadman, now grasping at straws as to how to please both Batman and himself, decides the only way to handle all of it is to come clean with Lilly.  He decides to fess up to her... and you know what?  She buys it!  Brand is more committed than ever to get Lilly to go straight, so they can indeed retire together.  He gets the evidence Batman had already stored up, invading Bruce Wayne's body while Wayne slept.  With the situation now irrevocably complicated, Batman feels that he must now do this alone.  Heading back to Pygmalion, Batman takes the guise of one Whitey Blaine -- but just as clumsily screwing it up as he'd done before, Batman had picked the identity of a recently-deceased hood!  Lilly orders the plastic surgeon staff to now make Holt Gannigan -- Public Enemy #1 -- look like "Whitey Blaine", and vice versa; in effect, Bruce Wayne will be altered to look like the worst criminal in the world!  Of course, Brand stands right by, in the body of Richie Wandrus, and begins to get very nervous.

Doug:  Bruce Wayne is dumped on a Florida street, not aware that he's been made up to look like Gannigan.  Dazed, he begins to stumble about.  A police cruiser happens by, with Cornucopia's finest fully aware that Holt Gannigan has been spotted in the area.  Looking to bag a big one, they spot "Gannigan" in the street.  With lethal force, they move in and wing him in the shoulder.  Deadman immediately flashes into our view and enters Wayne's body.  Running quickly from the scene into a nearby swamp, Deadman manages to elude the police.  Squatting by a puddle to wash the make-up from Wayne's face and head, Deadman also scrawls a message in the mud.  Feeling that Wayne's been revived a bit, Deadman exits.  As he floats away, Wayne admonishes him to quit feeling for Lilly and to bring her to justice.  Entering the room Lilly shares with Wandrus, Deadman re-inhabits the napping body of Richie.  But Lilly's onto Brand's scheme, and has figured him out to be working with the law.  She draws a gun.

Doug:  At that same moment, the Batman crashes through the window and orders Lilly to drop her weapon -- law agents have the place surrounded!  But Lilly's blinded with rage toward Brand, Richie, Batman -- the whole situation.  She yells at Brand that her payback to him will be to make him watch Batman die.  Recalling the words of Rama Kushna ("Hark to me, my son... a man, a spirit in love, may only gain his heart's desire by... losing it!  For is not love stronger than death itself?"), Brand has an epiphany.  Drawing a small pistol from Wandrus' pocket, Deadman fires at Lilly, saving the Dark Knight while killing her!  Brand reasoned that Rama Kushna's words meant that in his love's death, he would find love -- but what he got instead was nothing.  Having assumed Lilly would take on a phantom form and join him in the spirit world, Brand fled to his own anxieties and disappointments.  And the Batman?  He was left to explain to Richie Wandrus just what had gone on these past days, and why he was under arrest.

Doug:  I really liked this story!  Haney's plots are always dense, with many twists and turns along the way.  And as I'd said near the top, he's never afraid to take characters (and readers) out of their comfort zones.  Think you know how "X" should behave in reaction to a given stimulus?  Think again...  Jim Aparo was solid as always, although I'm really beginning to notice his lack of ability to draw beautiful female faces.  His women aren't "ugly" by any stretch, but next to the work of Nick Cardy, Jim Mooney, John Buscema, or Johnny Romita, Aparo pales in comparison.  But he draws a great Batman, and orchestrates an action sequence well.  Good, early Bronze Age fare!

Discuss: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

 

Doug:  Had a little neg-love come up about this film a few weeks ago.  What sayest the majority?

Discuss: Calvin and Hobbes

Non-Team vs. Faux-Team: Defenders 13

Defenders #13 (May 1974)
"For Sale: One Planet --Slightly Used!"
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inker: Klaus Janson

Karen: Yup, we're actually doing a Defenders review. And not just one -we'll follow up with the conclusion of this tale next week. Looking back at this title, one realizes just how good it really was. Starting out with Steve Englehart at the helm, switching to Len Wein with issue 12, but with the fabulous Sal Buscema the whole way, providing a very solid look to the non-team. I have to say, I love Klaus Janson's inks on Sal. They give true weight and depth to the art. Sal Buscema's Hulk is the one I recall fondly from childhood, not Herb Trimpe's, and it's mostly because of the Defenders. I just wish Sal had done the cover. The Kane cover is OK but I'd like to see what Sal would have done.

Doug: As long as you raised the issue of Klaus Janson's inks, I've always felt that his embellishing provides a grown-up look to the pencil art. His feathery line is not unlike the work of some of the Filipino masters who would grace the pages of Savage Sword of Conan, for example. My source for this material is Essential Defenders, volume 1, so the B&W pages really lend themselves to a full appreciation of Janson's (and Sal's -- let's not leave him out!) work. I'd add that, for myself at least, while the absence of color can leave a somewhat "wanting" feeling when reading these Bronze Age tales, what is gained is a purity apart from the oft-muddy coloring techniques of that era. In an Essentials, one never has to worry about colors bleeding from page to page, or worse yet, being off-register.

Karen: I'll be scanning from the Masterworks, so the color may be a bit pumped up! This issue is notable for introducing a soon-to-be-Defender: Nighthawk. Created by Roy Thomas as a Batman-avatar for his JLA take-off, the Squadron Supreme (here it's Sinister), the character sported one of the funkiest get-ups ever, including a mask complete with a tiny little beak! Thankfully that would change in a matter of a few issues, and he'd get a very stylish dark blue outfit. The bodysuit is not too bad, except for the baby blue color, but that beak and the rust-brown cape are terrible. But we're going to have to persevere through this trainwreck of a costume for these two reviews.

Doug: Talk about standing out like a sore thumb! And I've always really enjoyed the rest of the Squadron's costumes. I particularly like the homage in color scheme of the Whizzer to his Golden Age forebear, and Dr. Spectrum's outfit always seemed very sleek and classy. Although Hyperion is the stand-in for the Man of Steel, his suit always evoked the Big Red Cheese in my mind. But all were solid creations, and I especially enjoyed when the roster expanded in Avengers #141, and again in Avengers #147.

Karen: I had never thought about that before, but you're right, Hyperion does look more like Captain Marvel than Superman. But with Lex Luthor's red hair! As far as I know the Squadron Sinister only had these four members, unlike their alternate universe counter-parts. If I recall correctly, Whizzer joined the Thunderbolts and became Speed Demon, but was still a lunatic.

Karen: Our story starts with a quiet night at Dr.Strange's place. It's a little too quiet for Valkyrie and Hulk, who are bored to tears by Doc's lesson on shrunken heads. Just in time, the front door comes crashing in, and Nighthawk appears, saying he has business with them. Of course, Hulk automatically lunges for "Bird-Nose." Nighthawk nimbly leaps out of the way, only to have Valkyrie attack him. But Nighthawk manages to trip Val up too. He tries to tell them he needs to talk with them, but the two hot-heads are having none of it. Finally Doc intercedes and wraps Hulk in the unbreakable Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Hulk finally calms down, as does Val. Then Nighthawk starts his tale.

Doug: Ah, yes, the ol' "I want to have a civil conversation with you so I 'm going to blow up the front of your house" routine. Sheesh -- talk about your comic book entrances! Question for the Hulkophiles out there: Can anyone inform me about the Hulk's status with Banner during this period? It seems to me that since the Hulk is just sitting in Strange's mansion, bored to tears, that his pulse rate would slow down and he'd revert back to his Banner form. Thoughts? And really, come to think of it, Banner was never really in any Defenders comics that I can recall -- seems like he was in full Hulk-mode all of the time. One last thought here -- the movie version of the Hulk that we witnessed earlier this summer would have caught Nighthawk and plucked him. Just sayin'.

Karen: Our mysterious bird-man received a letter that threatened to out his secret identity unless he went to an observatory at midnight. Flying there in his hawk-plane (really) he soon discovered who his blackmailers were: Hyperion, the Whizzer, and Dr. Spectrum -his former partners in the Squadron Sinister. All three of them were presumed missing or locked away. But they all got help, from the same source. And that 'help' suddenly appears in the room: a towering golden-skinned being who calls himself Nebulon, the Celestial Man. It turns out Nebulon is the one who freed the Squadron members and restored their powers. Nighthawk smells a rat and asks what's Nebulon's end of the bargain. A frantic looking Hyperion says that he sold him the world! At this point, Nighthawk has had it and starts to walk out on the group, wanting nothing to do with them. But Nebulon shoots a ray at him that paralyzes him. They say they need him back in the group, and Nebulon refuses to release him until he says he'll stay. Grudgingly, Nighthawk accedes. He asks the others, with all their super-powers, why they would need him. We don't hear the answer but by his shocked expression, and statement to the Defenders that it was the "most cold-blooded plan I'd ever heard" you know it's pretty terrible. Nighthawk's stunned look here is well-done, particularly with the coloring effects.

Doug: Nebulon's a good-looking, mysterious villain, and I liked the way his appearance and voice were described. I think so often we, in our own minds, try to "hear" how characters talk, sound, etc. It was certainly fine to get a little help with this guy -- I felt it enhanced his introduction. I have another question on Marvel history, and I guess I need to go back and read the Squadron's first appearances in the Avengers: when does the "alternate Earth" aspect of their history come into play? Certainly by the time we reach the #140's of the Avengers that's all there, but was it at this time? I find it missing here, unless I'm not being observant enough. I know Hyperion's from a sub-atomic world, but I also know that Dr. Spectrum was doing some facetime as an Iron Man baddie, too.


Karen: Well, between my memory and a little Google-based assistance, here's what I've put together: the Squadron Sinister appeared first in Avengers #69 (1969) and were created by the Grandmaster to serve as his champions against Kang's champions, the Avengers. The Squadron Supreme made their debut in Avengers #85 (1971). The Sinister guys were always on "regular" Marvel Earth, while the Supreme gang was always on an alternate Earth. But Marvel has had a distressing habit of confusing them on comic covers, like Avengers #141.

Doug: Well, I certainly appreciate that information -- and yes, it's indeed confusing. Offline, I even threw this out to Karen: The next appearance of the Squadron Sinister is in Giant-Size Defenders #5 (April 1975), which predates the already oft-mentioned tilt in Avengers #141 (November 1975). Further, come back next week to see what Hyperion says about alternate dimensions, et al. and how this adventure ends, and you may see why I am so confused!


Karen: But despite agreeing to the Squadron's plan, Nighthawk's conscience won't allow him to go through with it, which is why he's talking to the Defenders. You see, he'd tried going to the Avengers first -who wouldn't? - but that effort failed. It seems the Squadron, fearful of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, had arranged with Nebulon that they should become invisible and intangible whenever the Avengers were near. But even though Nighthawk couldn't speak with Captain America or Iron Man, he overheard them discussing their recent meeting with the Defenders, and so Nighthawk came to his second choice group! Although Val is still annoyed that Nighthawk blew down the front door, Doc is willing to hear him out, and wants to know what the Squadron's ultimate goal is. Nighthawk explains that his former allies, as part of their deal with Nebulon, plan to melt the ice caps and put the whole world underwater! They are building an incredibly powerful laser that will do the job. Doc wonders how the Squadron thinks they will survive, and Nighthawk answers that they are all so far gone that none of them seem to care. This struck me as being a bit chilling. Nighthawk asks if the Defenders will help him, and just as Dr. Strange says yes, Nighthawk cries out in pain. It seems the Squadron has found him. There's a sudden flash of light and he's gone.


Doug: Although Nighthawk is obviously a Batman stand-in, he has some similarities to one Simon Williams as well, doesn't he? I thought Wein's inclusion of the Avengers and the plot device that rendered them non-factors was a good detail to include. The Marvel Universe was a sweeping thing back then, wasn't it? Concerning the Squadron's plan, I thought it odd -- given Nebulon's big reveal that's coming later -- that this plan factored into the overall equation. It just didn't jibe in the big picture. More on that later. I thought this story was also interestingly dated by a) the population of the world only being 3 1/2 billion people and b) obviously global warming was not yet at the tip of anyone's tongue, as melting ice caps are almost a daily thought in our times.

Doug: Didn't you think Nighthawk went "kablooey"? I was surprised when he turned up a few pages hence, as Sal's pictures were showing me an unpleasant end for our feathered friend/fiend.

Karen: After seeing Nighthawk disappear, Doc is more determined than ever to stop the Squadron. Knowing they'll need all the power they can get, he astrally travels to Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and asks for help. But Namor is in one of his moods, and refuses to help "surface dwellers." Doc isn't taking no for an answer though, and he magically transports the raging sea-king to them. Namor is ready to tear Doc a new one, but Valkyrie intervenes and explains what's happening. Thankfully, the hot-headed Atlantean calms down and agrees to help. There's a nice bit here where Hulk says he's glad he doesn't have to smash "fish-man" and remarks on his "funny clothes." This was right after Namor got his fancy blue-black suit.


Doug: Namor is the longest scratched record in comic book history, running on 75 years now, huh? I enjoyed that Doc Strange basically said "shut up, you're coming" and yanked him off Hydrobase. Funny stuff -- a bit of comedy from the Doctor. In regard to this band of heroes, Dr. Strange had somewhat the same role as Cap did with the Kooky Quartet -- I mean, keeping the tempers of Namor, Val, and the Hulk in check had to be worse than Quicksilver and Hawkeye (shoot, he was a Defender too for a time!) on their most obnoxious days! Those personalities make team books a lot of fun.

Karen: Cyclops had to keep Wolverine (and briefly, Thunderbird) in line in the all-new, all-different X-Men. It's hard being the leader.

Doug: It was good to see Namor in his Reed-designed oxygen outfit (for lack of a better name for it) -- I know you prefer the green Speedos, but I'm all about practical. And a crown prince strutting his stuff in nothing but a mankini will always lose out in my mind.

Karen: I just always thought Namor looked like he was wearing some whacky black leather outfit. Besides, fewer clothes make sense underwater! Now at full strength, the team heads for the Arctic Circle. From high above, Namor is the first to spot their targets. Down on the ice below, the Squadron is making preparations before they fire off the gigantic laser. Nighthawk is there too -not dead, but imprisoned inside a huge sphere. Nighthawk swears he'll get out and stop them, but the Whizzer scoffs at him -until he sees the Defenders zooming their way. Hulk comes down like a meteor straight for Hyperion, but the super-powerful alien punches him away. Hulk admits that "masked man is almost as strong as Hulk!" which was a pretty rare thing for the "strongest one of all" to say! The two briefly debate who is stronger, and then rush head on at each other, resulting in a panel showing silhouettes of pure raw energy. Very nice.

Doug: Sal Buscema has two "stock images" that he uses in almost every book he draws, but I never tire of them. One is the head-on clash of which you write; the other is the "holy crap, that backhand has really sent me reeling!" fly away shot. Love 'em, love 'em! Every time I read an issue of the Defenders, I always ask myself why I didn't read more Hulk books. I think part of it has to do with all of the funny nicknames he came up with, and how even in the midst of a rage he'd defer to Strange or Val.

Karen:I always seemed to enjoy Hulk in Defenders more than in his own title, too.Karen: Dr. Strange avoids the energy constructs of Dr. Spectrum, while Sub-Mariner finds it very hard to hit a foe as fast as the Whizzer. Namor comments that even Quicksilver was not this fast -Pietro never got any respect! Subby flies off, prompting the Whizzer to chase him. The speedster goes flying though when Sub-Mariner pops out from a hiding place and throws him, causing the Whizzer to complain that he's not fighting fair. While all this is going on, Valkyrie tries to cleave open the force sphere holding Nighthawk, but to little avail. But just as her fellow Defenders appear to be about to defeat each of their foes, a beam of violet light captures them all in another large force globe. Nebulon suddenly appears and tells his captives that he has no wish to harm them. Hulk of course responds that he will smash him, and Doc says they will protect their planets, so Nebulon quickly changes his tune: they've given him no choice but to destroy them!

Doug: A very nice cliff-hanger ending, and sets this up for a nice finish!

Karen: By Jiminy, this was just a rip-roaring good comic! The art is fantastic, it's a fast-paced, high-stakes story - can you tell I had a great time reading it? One of the things I loved about Defenders was getting to see Hulk in a team environment. He was the biggest loose cannon on a team of loose cannons! With him and Namor around, you never knew what would happen. It gave the Defenders a dynamic unlike any other group at that time. I can't wait to get to the next issue!

Bracketology: the Greatest Story of the Bronze Age!

Doug:  Well, here we are, and I must say I'm a bit surprised.  I don't want to diminish the scope or greatness of Crisis on Infinite Earths, but I think many of us would regard the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin as high water marks in the Bronze Age of Comics.  In fact, there are even those who would point to Amazing Spider-Man #'s 121-122 as the beginning of the Bronze Age.  Similarly, it was argued on this very series of posts that the death of Jean Grey served as a sort of bookend to the death of Gwen Stacy, the two events serving as the boundaries to the Age.  I'd also say I was surprised to see "Days of Future Past" garner 25% of the vote against "Dark Phoenix".  Really?  There were that many of our readers who found that to be a better or more significant story?  From this guy's point of view, I was surprised it made it to the Final Four.  But at any rate, we have two outstanding works to choose between for the Greatest Story of the Bronze Age of Comics -- and I don't think anyone would deny the significance or greatness of either.

Thanks to all who have participated -- and Karen and I hope you've had a good time during this little exercise in subjectivity!

Next X-Men Film to be Titled: Days of Future Past

Doug:  Well, isn't this topical to the Bronze Age Babies?  As we've been voting like mad these past weeks for our favorite Bronze Age story, and as "Days of Future Past" recently fell in our final four stories, I found it just a wee bit ironic when I saw this story on CNN.com this morning (of course it's all over the web today -- you can read about it at your favorite news outlet).  What do you think?

Doug:  I know I was about to jump out of my chair when Magneto bowed in the  COMIC BOOK COSTUME right at the end of X-Men: First Class; but the thought of Sentinels on the big screen...  Oh, my...

Let the Games Begin

Karen: In his Olympics post, Doug mentioned he and I had discussed doing a post or posts on comics with a competition theme. Unfortunately it doesn't look like we share a lot of the titles we had considered. But that shouldn't be a barrier to our discussing comics with sports, competition, or gaming themes. Some that come to mind: Marvel's Contest of Champions mini-series, with its international heroes; Marvel Two In One Annual #7, with all the super-strong heroes pitted against the Champion, an intergalactic boxer; the tabloid-size classic, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali; the Grandmaster and Collector using the Avengers and Squadron Sinister as pawns in Avengers; all of the many Superman vs. Flash races...and many more we haven't thought of! What are some of your favorite stories in this category? 

Discuss: Blazing Saddles

Doug:  From a guy's point-of-view, this is perhaps the funniest piece of celluloid ever created.

Iterations...

Doug:  Today we're talking character names, and the characters who've been assigned those monikers.  Specifically, we want your thoughts on suits like the Flash -- in one way or another worn by Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West (and others -- call me dumb for not knowing any more for certain).  Or what of Robin?  Geez...  Over at Marvel, many of us are fond of both Captains Marvel (Karen asked you to discuss Monica Rambeau last week), but not so much when it comes to a Captain America with someone other than Steve Rogers under the big white "A".  Green Goblins, Power Mans, Human Torches, etc. -- it's a long list!

Doug:  Sound off today on your favorite characters who've borne the name of another man (or in some cases woman).  Who do you like better?  Who simply did not work for you?  In some cases, such as the Black Knight, did you think the bad one was better than the good?  Is (was) there room in your heart for two characters with the same name (as in the Torch example below) appearing in print at the same time?