Surfing With the Alien - Silver Surfer: Judgment Day GN

Doug: An apology to those readers expecting to find the conclusion to our reviews of Frank Miller's Dark Knight graphic novel. As today approached Karen and I knew that we didn't have the review in the condition we desired. This has been a special series of conversations, and we hope you'll indulge our need to take a few extra days to "get it right". The review that follows was actually in the queue for next week, so we are just trading places with TDKR #4. Thanks, and enjoy!

Silver Surfer: Judgment Day (October 1988)(cover by Joe Jusko)
Stan Lee -John Buscema (plot by Buscema and Tom DeFalco)

Doug: Do you have this one? This is from the era when hardcover graphic novels seemed to become "a thing". Of course, this would also have been during the era when I was a sucker for any new presentation innovation that came my way -- not only hardcovers with dust jackets, but perfect binding, acetate covers, variant covers, etc. Yes, the 1990's were only a short time away! Besides the classic creative team, this book also boasts an unusuality (made that word up just now) in that it is told entirely in splash pages. If I recall, the fact that I was going to see John Buscema art at a larger size (8.5"x11.5") trumped the fact that despite it's 68 pages, I'd only be getting 68 Buscema panels.

Doug: I'm going to break today's review into some components. First, I'll start you off with a 100-Word Review in case you've not read this prior -- it's always important to know what the heck is going on, right? And then I think I'll just fall back to a common format I've used in the past, revealing my thoughts on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the book. So shall we begin?

The Surfer evades the clutches of Mephisto by denying himself three women seductively posed at a gateway, promising him anything he desires. He later meets up with and has a fun romp through space with Nova, the herald of Galactus. She also faces the same temptation of Mephisto, falling for it. Tricked into “loving” Galactus, Nova will do anything to please him. As she leads him to life-sustaining worlds, the Surfer knows something is awry. The story culminates in a battle royal in the depths of the Realm of Flame and Darkness as Galactus comes to reclaim his lost herald.

The Good: It would be a coin flip, with a coin that has many sides to try to decide what I liked best about this story -- Stan Lee with the character he fancied his own and writing him as such, the pulse-pounding pencils of Big John Buscema, the presence of Galactus, or the messianic Norrin Radd tempted in the wilderness of Mephisto. All of these things conspire to make a really fun story. Stan wrote a preface, and in it he remarked, "To say that this volume is a "first of its kind" is to not fully do it justice. It is truly a watershed moment in the history of publishing. Visually, stylistically, dramatically and artistically, John Buscema and Marvel Comics have made a totally unique contribution to the illustrated epic genre." You would have been disappointed if Stan had not employed a little bombasticism, wouldn't you?

Buscema's art is a wonder. Of course every page is packed with energy, every figure rendered by a master of anatomy. The grotesque characters are just that, yet the peaceful denizens of a doomed planet are cute little humanoids, ugly in a different way. Mephisto is a villain deserving of a treatment similar to Victor von Doom; he gets that in every appearance under Buscema's pencil. At times I've thought that Jack Kirby's fascination with the gods has been balanced with the ghoulishness (oozing with bad intentions) of Buscema's demonic characters. And we get what we pay for when we read a JB Surfer comic -- Norrin Radd is lithe and noble, Galactus is imperious and densely built, and Mephisto is delightfully devilish. Oh, and did I mention that the women are voluptuous?

However, and maybe this is where I segue to the next section of my thoughts, I am not always the biggest advocate of JB inking himself. I am placing this paragraph in the "good" category basically because a happy John Buscema (and he was when he did the full art chores) should make us all happy. But I got a little Vinnie Colletta vibe from some of the art now and again -- not that Vinnie's all bad. The man has a reputation, but I think we've all enjoyed his work many times over (OK, maybe not when erasing Kirby Thor pages). Buscema's brushwork just seems a little feathery or sketchy in some panels. His faces and figures don't really lose any majesty... but it's just not as polished as I'd like it. Some of us have said Joe Sinnott could bury a guy. But the finished product always looked slick, right?

The Bad: As big a fan as I am of Buscema's art in just about any genre, I've always found a quibble here and there with his faces. It's almost like he sometimes forgets what emotion should be conveyed and instead a character will be left with a facial expression akin to "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Galactus seems this way a time or two, as do the Surfer and Nova. It's not a huge deal, and I wouldn't say it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story. But it's noticeable. I've provided several examples of the Big G in various fits of boredom and rage. Please judge for yourself -- maybe I'm off base.

There was a mention of Shalla Bal, and of course the Surfer pined for her. We get it, dude. Even in 1988, it had been 20 years. C'mon, bro...

I found the plot point of Nova being manipulated by the Prince of Darkness to the reality that she would bring Galactus to worlds with sentient life an uncomfortable element of the read. Much as I was drawn into the horror of such a reality with Galactus's unceasing hunger, I must say that perhaps this belongs in the section above. Lee and Buscema wanted to raise the stakes and invest the reader in the story by playing on the sensibilities of a civilized morality; they achieved that.

The Ugly: Mephisto and his demons. That's about it! There wasn't anything about this story, the design of the book, the price point (a steal even back in 1988 at $14.95) -- nothing -- that would fall into this category. Count me a satisfied customer. BONUS -- Below is the cover to the paperback edition of this graphic novel. Which cover (both by Joe Jusko) do you like more?

We Have All Been Here Before - Nova 2

Nova #2 (October 1976)
"First Night of the Condor!"
Marv Wolfman-John Buscema/Joe Sinnott

Doug: I was in on The Man Called Nova from the first issue. What a great inaugural cover, and this one's certainly no slouch, either. Yeah, it might be busied-up a bit, but a new hero and two new baddies... and some Kirby Krackle? Take the money right out of my 10-year old paw, please! I chose to review this issue rather than the first because I felt that most of you have either a) read that ish or b) at least know that if someone put the origin stories of Green Lantern and Spider-Man into a blender and mixed them up, you'd get Nova. So the second issue seemed like it might be more interesting for a revisiting. And honestly, I've not read this since I bought it almost 40 years ago. But this time 'round I'm reading and scanning from the Nova Classic tpb.

Doug: We open at a bank robbery in progress. Who draws thugs better the Big John Buscema? I say to thee -- no one! Nova blasts through the huge plate glass window and makes very short work of the goons, using his "Nova speed" to weave in between the bullets until he can pummel each and every one of them. But young Richard Rider, the teen beneath the helmet, is a bit miffed that all the bank manager can worry about seems to be who will replace the now-broken window! Welcome to a riff frequently played by Spider-Man, friend. And maybe as we get off and running this morning we can discuss why this series was short-lived (25 issues of its own, and then continuing into the pages of the Fantastic Four for the tying up of loose ends). As I said a minute ago, that it obviously rips off (yep) GL and Spidey probably didn't help. While that's a proven formula for success, fans are onto that sort of "borrowing" right away. The writers and artists had better do something nifty right away to gain some separation -- and I'm not sure Nova creator Marv Wolfman did that. Great super-suit, however. The Nova costume has always been one of my favorites. So why wasn't this mag must-read? Let's continue.

Doug: As Nova arrives home on Long Island, he swoops in his bedroom window undetected (see?) and then recaps his origin from the previous issue. He's full of self-doubt (see?), unsure of what his full power-set is and the backstory of the centurion who'd gifted him his powers. But as he'd been in flight home, we the readers were introduced to an African-American gentleman calling himself the Condor. He spoke in mysterious tones, and flew off to meet his partner. We watch him arrive to a rather mountainous region on Long Island. As he flies into his hideout, he muses to himself how soon his plans will be in place and he'll be some crime overlord. But then he wonders about another referred to only as "him" or "he" (the oldest "mysterious" writing trick in the book), and how "he'll" not like his territory being compromised. But there's a partner to the Condor -- who is not where he's supposed to be. Quickly flying back out of the cave, the Condor finds a young man on a cliff, deep in his own thoughts. The Condor, angry, swoops low and knocks the youngster off his feet. But as his partner falls and begs for rescue, the Condor abides. Taking him back into the cave that is their base, the Condor chides the yet-unnamed youth for his disobedience. The Condor gestures to his partner to put on his costume, and in a rather garish display we are introduced to our second antagonist -- Powerhouse. In a two-panel origin the Condor reminds Powerhouse how he was found on a merchant ship as the sole surviving crew member -- everyone else drained of their life force by said sole survivor. We don't know why the Condor was not similarly affected, but this is apparently why he controls Powerhouse as basically his slave.

Doug: We get a brief interlude in the cafeteria of Truman High School, where Peter and... er, Richard and his friends are in the lunch line when Flash... er, Mike Burley and his girl push on through. It's textbook Ditko-era Spider-Man casting (or even Archie Andrews and the gang) as everyone pretty much plays a part that you'd expect to find. Suddenly Richard spies the Condor outside the school, apparently just winging by. You know the routine -- find a closet in which to change. As he charges away, he clips Mike and flips his spaghetti all atop his dome. Penance will be paid later, for certain! Rushing outside, now in full Nova gear, our hero engages the Condor. But why? How did he know the guy was a baddie? Although we'd been looking in on our villain-of-the-month, there was nothing about him in flight that suggested any malice. It could just as easily have been the Angel or the Falcon. But of course, then we wouldn't get a slugfest. The one element that Wolfman employed that was welcome was that Richard Rider had not clue #1 how to use his powers. This made for a little comedy but also a bit of frustration on the part of the reader, as we really aren't used to seeing our heroes as incompetent. The Condor more or less makes a fool of Nova, long enough for Powerhouse to slip into position. But once engaged in the battle, Powerhouse shows why his name can have two meanings -- super-strength, but also energy absorption! Nova manages to break his grip, but not before he's severely weakened. Powerhouse gets one last big punch in, and he and the Condor take off.

Doug: Back at the Rider household, Richard sits alone at the kitchen table, still stinging from his big-league stink-up against his new nemeses. Suddenly he smells smoke coming from his brother's basement laboratory. Descending the stairs, he finds an experiment gone wrong and the house ablaze. Quickly grabbing a fire extinguisher, Richard puts out the flames. His brother goes into some Reed Richards-like explanation, which Richard largely ignores. But later that evening, as Nova, he heads out on patrol. As he zips around New York City, he soon spies the Condor, about to break into the Museum of Natural History. You and I, the readers, have just been let in on the next dastardly plan of our winged wingnut -- steal some parchments from a mummified wizard in the Egyptology section. Condor had told Powerhouse that they needed to get it, before He did (bro-therrrrrr). So of course a fracas breaks out again, and in the process of the fisticuffs Powerhouse launches Nova into the mummy's sarcophagus, destroying it before Condor could locate and remove the parchment. That pretty much destroys the Condor's world, so he beats it out of the museum fast -- because you know, now He will be mad and be after Condor. Whatever. Nova, still battling Powerhouse, thinks back to the fire at his house. Grabbing an extinguisher off the wall, Nova rifles it at Powerhouse, who catches it and crushes it. Well, that releases all of the carbon dioxide which #1, chokes the breath out of Powerhouse and #2 shuts off his power-dampening prowess. Fight over. So is the story.

Doug: OK, so I've been pretty harsh on this one. Which is pretty curmudgeonly, because when I was 10 this was a can't-miss book. By then I was aware of what a back issue was, and of Marvel's history. So the opportunity to get in on a book with the inaugural issue was significant in my young brain. I recall thinking both of these baddies were pretty colorful, and that next issue's foe -- Diamond-head -- was pretty cool as well. But I'll admit to not having the historical knowledge then that I do now, and so my lens has altered. Now I see the aforementioned Green Lantern and Spider-Man tropes all over this book. But I don't think Marv Wolfman put forth much effort in trying to be original. And c'mon -- no one in the history of America has ever exclaimed "Blue blazes!" Certainly no teenager in the 1970s that I ever knew. Oh, and the whole "He/Him" deal? I thought the Sphinx storyline eventually paid off, and the culmination of the battle with Galactus in the pages of the Fantastic Four was memorable (but then, the Big G usually is!). I'll add a comment on the art: John Buscema is more than solid as usual, and I noticed that this issue features full pencils by Big John. I say that as it's pretty obvious in some of the faces that more Buscema shows than does the tendencies of Joe Sinnott. Certainly when we moved into the 1980s, specifically on the Avengers, we can see Tom Palmer much more in charge of the finished product than Buscema. But here it's my contention that we're getting Buscema's lines. At any rate, please leave a comment -- am I right, off base, you loved this book/hated this book/never read this book... You know the drill. And thanks in advance.



PS: In thumbing through the trade while I was reading for this review, I noticed in the very next issue what may be the single best example of what Karen and I refer to as "Buscema-blasted". You know how Sal Buscema draws a guy who just gets jettisoned by another guy? Check out this panel, from Nova #3. Dude... Inks are by Tom Palmer.

All the Young Dudes

Doug: Today I'm going to ask you to think like a 12-year old. For many of us, that's not all too difficult. What I'm looking for is a mental trip back to your formative years, about the time you started "collecting" comics -- that era when you became not only aware of what books and characters you liked, but why you liked them.

Doug: It's long been know around here that I was (and am, I guess) a team book guy. So it's pretty logical that Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes would be one of my monthly go-to's. And while I thought it was really cool that it was a club of super-powered teenagers, by the time I was reading it Mike Grell and James Sherman were doing the art chores. I hate to say it (boy, do I hate to say it!), but I wasn't going to junior high school with any young ladies that looked like Saturn Girl or Princess Projectra! Nor did I have any friends whose older sisters looked like that! So my point is, although the characters were supposed to be "my age" or slightly older, I didn't identify with them as such. I can say the same thing about Johnny Storm, Peter Parker, and the X-Men (granted, the All-New, All-Different team was supposed to be in their early 20s).

Doug: Now what about you? When you were a kid did you gravitate to the youngsters? Were Bucky and Toro favorites of yours in the Invaders? How about Robin (probably close to 19 or 20 by the time most of us were reading Batman Family)? Did you buy Nova because he was a teen, or because he had a cool costume? Was the inclusion of characters specifically designed to appeal to youngsters a spot-on marketing strategy from the Big Two?

Comic Book Guest Stars - Cover Version

Doug: Last Friday Karen hosted a lively discussion on our favorite guest stars appearing across our comic book collections. She opened with Triton's appearances in the 1968 Sub-Mariner series, as well as Hercules frequent guest appearances in Thor's mag. You took it and ran with it, and we discussed everyone from Black Widow to the Man-Thing to Dracula! Today I'd solicit your favorite covers, and here are a few to whet your appetite. Time allowing, I will do a follow-up post with your suggestions (yes, I know I said that the last time we did this drill and then bagged it...).

NOTE: This post originally displayed 15 covers. I came to update it on April 30 2020, and chose to replenish only three covers. Thanks for your understanding. -Doug

Arc of Triumph? Nova 12 and Amazing Spider-Man 171

Doug: We've obviously discussed Spider-Man a bazillion times around here, but I don't think we've ever reviewed an issue of The Man Called Nova. Today, hopefully our readers are going to take care of that! What's the collective memory of this 2-parter featuring Marv Wolfman's pet creation and ol' Webhead? Decent yarn, or merely a hopeful cross-pollination?

Doug: Just in -- Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston will reprise their roles as Heimdall and Loki (respectively) in Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Now isn't that good news!

BAB Classic: Nothing Ends a Relationship Like Cancellation!

NOTE:  This post was originally published on 2 November 2009

Doug: Today we'd like to take a look at some of the titles and characters we enjoyed as kids, but for one reason or another (generally the lack of the almighty dollar flowing into Marvel's or DC's coffers) they didn't last more than 2-3 years. And even within that timeframe, bi-monthly publishing, the dreaded deadline doom, rotating artists, etc. often made following these lovable titles difficult. Yes, we're talking about short-lived series, and why we liked them!

Doug: Three titles that I was somewhat fond of but that ended before I was done with them were Super-Villain Team-Up (17 issues -- I only recall that there were 15; I've only recently discovered the last two books, and here's why: #15 was published in November '78, but #16 didn't see the stands until May of 1979 and #17 was well after that, in June, 1980), The Champions (again, 17 issues, but more if read in continuity when Avengers #163 and an Iron Man Annual, plus Peter Parker #16-17 are factored in -- see the Champions Classic tpb's for the full bibliography), and DC's The Secret Society of Super-Villains (15 issues, but again more, if some Super-Team Family, et al. quarterlies are included).

Doug: I enjoyed SVTU because of the dynamic of Doom and Namor. Namor was such a confusing character to me as a youngster. Coming to the Marvel Universe largely after Tales To Astonish and Namor's solo book had passed on, my exposure to the character was in the FF story running through FF #'s 147-149. I was just always a little confused about whether Namor was a hero or a bad boy. I liked the introduction of the Shroud in SVTU, and felt there were possibilities for further exploration of him. Right when the title began to wane (and apparently was deep-sixed) was when I thought it was reaching it's potential -- Namor was gone and Doom was "teaming-up" with Magneto, and then the Red Skull. It had become a true team-up book. And then it ended. The two additional stories later (#'s 16-17) teamed the Skull with the Hate Monger.

Karen: Like you, I really enjoyed SVTU and had no idea issues 16 and 17 existed! Once they got away from the Doom-Namor relationship, I wasn't quite as interested. But it was a great book when it started, and very typical of the almost 'experimental' types of product Marvel was willing to put out in the 70s. I liked Steve Englehart's work on the title, and also wish that the Shroud had gone on to better things. He was a lot of fun - an amalgamation of the Shadow, Batman, and who knows what else!

Doug: The Champions was offbeat, but a nice smorgasbord of Avengers, X-Men, and the Ghost Rider (way before he was so over-exposed! -- back then he was just creepy). The art, while handled by George Tuska, Don Heck, and later a young John Byrne was usually good enough (best under Byrne's run, although I did sometimes enjoy Tuska's distinctive style) and the stories were fresh due to the orientation to the West Coast as opposed to NYC. The villains were fun -- some a little campy. The opening arc, with the Greek gods was good, and the introduction of Rampage and Swarm plus the stories with the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and the Griffen were good. I enjoyed the issues with Black Goliath and the Stilt-Man and the last story with the Sentinels evoked excitement due to the strong classic X-Men tie-in. Overall, and I said this above, the title could have gone on longer with some deeper characterization exploration and perhaps a tweaking of the line-up here or there.

Karen: I was always a sucker for team books, and Champions was no exception. Although I didn't think there was any real chemistry here, I did enjoy the later issues with John Byrne's art, and I thought they had potential.

Doug: As a kid I always identified with kid heroes and as a fan of the original Teen Titans series (when it picked back up after having been on hiatus for a few years -- this would be around issues #'s 47-53) I was excited to see Kid Flash starring in The Secret Society of Super-Villains. Captain Comet, while largely unknown to me, seemed pretty cool, and the inclusion of the Flash's Rogues Gallery (and other baddies, like Star Sapphire) made for a fun book month-to-month. The art was always steady (again, by Rich Buckler at times) month to month, if I recall. It's, again, one of those books that just seemed to stop showing up on the newsstand. And at the time this then-12 year-old couldn't help but wonder "why?".

Karen: How about Warlock?? That was one of my favorites! I still pull out my ragged copy of Marvel Two in One Annual #2 every so often to read that fantastic coda to the whole Warlock/Thanos saga. Truth be told, I sort of wish they had left those two characters there. I never felt anything that came after really measured up to that story. I recently picked up the Marvel Masterworks edition that has Marvel Premiere 1 and 2, Warlock 1-8, and Incredible Hulk 176-178. There's a very nice intro by Roy Thomas where he basically says the plan was always to write the character as "Jesus as a superhero". I was lucky enough to exchange some email with Mr. Thomas and get some more info about how Warlock was 'born'. Thomas planned to have the character around for about three years, then he would die, but be reborn. To be honest, I still can't believe none of the higher ups at Marvel didn't balk at the series, particularly the Hulk issues where we see the Last Supper and crucifixion! I guess things were different back then!

Karen: If nothing else, Warlock is a character that seems to be constantly transforming into a different character (via his cocoon). I've also found it bizarre, the leap from that Christ-Warlock to anti-church Warlock. But then again, he was facing a version of himself (Magus) that was so corrupt and evil, Warlock would rather die than become that! After his experiences with the Church, Magus, and Thanos, is it any surprise he went from idealist to pessimist?

Karen: Roy Thomas admits he was heavily influenced by Jesus Christ Superstar, at least the soundtrack. If I remember correctly, the musical Godspell was also out around that time. In fact, the early 70s were the era of the Jesus Freaks, and 'born-again' entered the language.The Hulk stories are really a trip; Hulk becomes an unwitting Judas, and goes bananas during the Last Supper of Warlock and his disciples. This brings the Man-Beast's (aka Satan's) soldiers, and they capture Warlock. He is crucified, while shouting, "High Evolutionary! Why have you abandoned me?" ! Hulk takes off with Warlock's body, which is back in his cocoon. Of course, three days later, he bursts free and sets things to right. then he takes off for space....where Jim Starlin found him.

Doug: Were Pip and Gamora part of this tale? As a kid I always knew of Warlock, had some Avengers and the aforementioned Marvel Two-In-One Annual with him guest-starring, but don't know much about him even today outside of the excellent article you wrote for Back Issue #34...

Karen: Pip and Gamora came about when Starlin started his series. Honestly, the only pre-Starlin Warlock books I could recommend would be Marvel Premiere 1 and 2, which are fairly interesting, what with introducing Counter Earth, and having some nice Gil Kane art; also the Hulk issues are just fun for the sheer audacity of doing the whole Christ story in comics form. Warlock 1-8 are OK but not really that interesting. The first couple of issues have Gil Kane art and are at least nice to look at. But the religious connections are heavy-handed and, at least today, seem pretty ridiculous. But if you are looking for a comic that really feels like a 70s product, it's this book. The youth movement, anti-government sentiment, groovy styles - it's all here.

Doug: Did you ever read The Man Called Nova? I got in on the first issue, and if memory serves at one time had the complete 25-issue run. It started out very well, with solid art by the brothers Buscema, but really tailed away for me when the pencilling went over to Carmine Infantino. While his Silver Age DC stuff is amazing, by the mid- to late-70's his skills had really declined. I also enjoyed the conclusion of the Nova story that ran in the pages of the Fantastic Four -- especially the battle between the Sphinx and Galactus! Don't mess with the Big G, baby!

Karen: Of course I read Nova! I actually started with issue 2 - I had to convince my mom to take me to a "head shop" to get it! I would agree with your estimation - good at the beginning but it dramatically tapered off in quality. I've never been an Infantino fan so I felt his pencils hurt the book. But I enjoyed Marv Wolfman's attempt to sort of re-create the early days of Spider-Man (teenage hero with problems) in a new book, in a new decade.

Doug: So, lots of angst among we young comics buyers of yesteryear. How about you, Faithful One? What were the series that ended before you were done loving on them?

"Well, Sure -- I Can Tell You Why That Series Didn't Last..."

Doug:  Back in the spring we had a nifty little discussion on the idea that the limited series might have saved some short-lived ongoings -- the Claws of the Cat and the Black Goliaths of the world.  Today I want to do a little expansion or even rehash of that, but with an added flair.  We all know there were series in the Bronze Age that just couldn't get going, despite continued efforts by the Big Two to make them sellers.  I think of a certain Sorcerer Supreme, who had a few series in various vehicles.  The Kree Captain Mar-Vell also had a certain amount of stop/start in his four-color career.  You see, even if a book lasted four or five years (or in the case of Namor, even longer), it still eventually succumbed to the judgment of the spinner rack crowd and whether or not they'd part with a quarter.

Doug:  So what we want from you today is some rationale, some explanation as to why this or that character or title fizzled.  Why were some characters like the Black Widow basically a one-and-done?  Why did the Inhumans get two somewhat-long try-outs?  Black Goliath unfortunately (to me) went from being a C-lister to being a CCCCCCCC-lister, almost never to be heard from again (oh wait -- until they needed a sacrificial lamb in that debacle a few years ago).  I don't personally find anything wrong with the character.  Actually, he's been around about as long as anyone (since what, 1966 or so?).  I know I've given Marvel examples above, but that's where my wheelhouse is.  I'd certainly welcome our DC-leaning friends to jump in as well.

Discuss: Nova

Karen: Have anything you'd like to say about ol' Buckethead?