Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 90

Book Review: Marvel Golden Age Omnibus Volume 1

Golden Age Marvel Comics Omnibus, Vol. 1 by Carl Burgos

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Marvel Golden Age Omnibus is an extraordinary book. It collects the first 12 issues of Marvel Comics, plus a great introduction to the volume giving you gads of information about Martin Goodman and the founding of Marvel Comics. Plus this basically smashes together, three Marvel Masterworks productions, you also get three introductions by the great comic writer, editor, and historian Roy Thomas. Plus you get reproductions of the covers of Marvel's pulp predecessors and some rare pictures.

In terms of the comics themselves, the stories of the Human Torch and Namor the Submariner loom large.

I have to admit that I enjoyed these Torch stories more than any of the others I've read. These are all from before the Human Torch acquired a sidekick. To be honest, in this era, he was a better character. The Torch is actually an Android created by a scientist with power over flame. In early stories, the Torch does some accidental damage and criminals attempt to control the Torch. Believing that his own creator intends to exploit his powers, the Torch breaks free, accidentally setting his creator's house on fire and killing him. After these initial stumbles, the Torch begins a string of purely heroic and noble deeds and even joins the police department at one point. It seems after the first couple issues that everyone both in the comic book and the writers too, forget the Torch is not really human. he acts human, has emotions, and a conscience. Mirroring the actions of Superman a couple years earlier at DC, the Torch burns down a row of tenements against the wishes of politically powerful slum wards which makes him briefly a wanted fugitive.

Prince Namor is an entirely different case. Liking this character is a guilty pleasure as he's so schizophrenic that it's scary. He begins the book determined to defeat Americans and destroy the surface world. He's a half American half Atlantean. Like the Torch, he begins the stories by causing a few regrettable deaths because he doesn't understand the surface world. Things turn around in Marvel Mystery Comics #3 and then decides to fight Hitler more than a year before America joined the war. But he gets bored with that after an issue. Then he decides to do good and be kind to Americans but he's made to answer for his previous crimes and sentenced to death. As he's a big name character, that doesn't work, so Namor goes back to trying to destroy the Americans.

This sets up the Human Torch v. Namor battle that is hinted at in Issues 7 and 8, but the real battle for 20+ glorious pages in issue 9 of Marvel Mystery Comics. It's one of the greatest Golden Age stories told by either company.

At the end of the day, Namor is really hard to figure. He can try and destroy an entire city and then stop in the middle to save a baby whose nurse ran away from terror from his antics. He can sink the ship of an American that's coming after him with Captain Ahab-esque obsession but then allow the prisoners captured from the boat to escape. That makes him complex and interesting.

The art on the first three Sub-mariner comics are simply beyond almost anything that was done in the Golden age at all.

These stories were often to be continued or cliffhangers.

Beyond these two charactesr, the book has issues that really highlight the differences between most DC Archives collections and the Marvel Masterworks. If DC were reprinting this comics you'd have Namor and Human Torch Archives containing nothing but Namor and Human Torch stories. But Marvel does all the back up features, some of which were really terrible.

Not all of them were. Tarzan knock-off Ka-zar was actually a winner in my book. The story told in the first five or six issues is complex, particularly as it was adapted from a story published in a pulp. The character was fun and the situations were great action and adventure. This was a well-done script and a gem in the book despite some offensive racial stereotypes.

On the other hand, Masked Raider appeared in every issue and was really mixed. A few issues had clever mysteries, but most were really short stereotypical westerns.

The Angel received a lot of fanfare and several cover appearances, but was really boring with a couple exceptions. The stories were repetitive and unlike with the Submariner and the Human Torch, we really get no clue who this guy is, where he comes from, or what his powers are. He fights typical monsters and you know he's going to win but you never know why.

The robot Electro appeared throughout most of the book and got better moving from horrible to very bad. The original concept had Professor Zog design the robot Electro as a super robot who fought crime and performed daring deeds. He was initially controlled by operatives who were known only by their numbers and they proceeded through the first three stories or so to have unobstructed triumph. What could be better than nameless people operating a robot and achieving goals with no real conflict? Eventually, they ditched the numbered operatives and added some conflict. It never was a good strip but it was certainly better than it had been before. And a later upgrade to Electro displayed the face of the operator on a television screen which may have been an inspiration for Stan Lee or Steve Ditko when they wrote of the creation of an anti-Spider-man robot that displayed the face of the operator.

American Ace was an abortive Buck Rogers type serial that was replaced by the Ferret, who was supposed to be a master detective who had a pet ferret and solved mysteries. The Ferret was totally forgettable and was replaced by Terry Vance, a boy detective with a pet monkey. Yes, the concepts were strikingly similar-sleuth with pet solves crime, but the Vance stories were much better. It was lighter, more fun, and the mysteries were better. If you were a kid in the 1940s you'd love Terry Vance and want to be like them.

In addition to this, we have the text stories which were required by regulation to be in comics for decades and really these were a waste of space particularly to do up in such high quality.

Still, the historic nature of the book and the awesomeness of the Human Torch and Submariner, along with some great Kazar and Terry Vance stories make the book worth reading. However, with its $120 plus price tag, this is one book I don't recommend paying retail for.



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Book Review: Superman, The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Volume 1

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1 by Jerry Siegel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This second take on the Greatest Superman Stories divides the collection into two volumes. This first volume collects 10 Superman stories.

Most of these have been reprinted elsewhere either in Decade collections or in the previous version of the Greatest Superman Stories ever told, but that can also be taken as a measure of the quality of the work and that the compilers generally got things right.

The book begins with a somewhat dry introduction by Michael Uslan.

Next up is the origin of Superman from Superman #1 and the special Look Magazine Story from 1940, "How Superman Would End the War." Then from 1950, we have the fairly good story of "Three Superman from Krypton" which first introduces the concept of other Kryptonian Survivors.

Following this, the book moves ahead to 1962's, "The Last Day's of Superman" where Superman believes he's dying and prepares to get his affairs in order. This story is an obvious basis for, Grant Morrison's All Star Superman.

Next up is the fun story of "The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman" where Luthor challenges Superman to hand-to-hand combat on a planet with a red son. While I don't entirely buy into Luthor issuing the challenge, the results are fun and including some humanizing moments for uthor.

Moving to the Bronze Age, "Must There Be a Superman" is a 1970s story questioning if Superman could be doing harm by interfering too much and fighting battles that regular people should fight for themselves. It's a thought provoking tale.

Jim Steranko's, "Exile at the Edge of Eternity" seems to have been included merely because Steranko wrote and drew it in a style that's more like a picture book for adults than a typical comic story. It's an interesting and imaginative tale but it doesn't seem to fit into a "greatest stories ever told" book as it's not about Superman but about his descendants.

The first issue of Man of Steel, showing John Byrne's vision of Superman's origin is included and it's definitely a worthy addition to the book. Byrne's reimagining of the origin is very cleverly done and really did a good job of not only showing us where Clark Kent came from but developing him as a character.

"Return to Krytpon" features Superman returning to Krypton with Hawkman and Hawkwoman. He though his people were morally advanced but has a vision that shows an alternate future where Jor-el convinced many adults to flee to earth and the Kryptonians try to subjugate Earth.

While the story makes a good point about humility, this is a story whose appearance in this book I really question. It doesn't seem quite as epic and seems to have been included because of a well-known age silver age tale that has the same title.

Finally, there's, "Whatever Happened to Truth, Justice, and the American Way." While I'm normally not a fan of including recent stories (this one came from 2001) in a book like this, this is one story that belongs. It's about Superman facing down a new team of metahumans who have no compunction about killing and only practice a utilitarian morality.

The whole story has a cinematic feel to it. It feels like a comic book version of, "High Noon" with Superman as the one who would stand alone against some very dangerous baddies. While this story gets a little grittier than I'd like, the overall thrust of Superman and what he's all about comes through.

Overall, while there aren't a lot of "new stories" for those who've bought many Superman best of trades, the book doesn't really contain a bad story, but really includes some of the most influential stories in Superman's history making this book a winner for fans of the Man of Steel and a great buy for people who want to start reading great Superman stories.



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Book Review: Ultimate Iron Man, Volume 2

Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 2 by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


After being disappointed in Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 1, I was not sure what to expect from this volume and was prepared for the worst. I was pleasantly surprised instead.

The events of the first book have Howard Stark in prison for the murder of former business rival Zedekiah Stane and Tony who has the ability to regrow vital organs and has survived a deadly explosion as Iron Man. What develops in this book is actually a pretty thrilling story. There's plenty of action, and the series has the feel of a good mystery as our heroes try to unravel he death of Zedekiah Stane and follow clues to a surprising conclusion. The character of young Obadiah Stane is definitely a scene-stealer and a pivotal character.

That's not to say the book isn't without problems. The rendering of the Iron Man armor is weak. Card continue to reference alcoholism without fully developing it. Perhaps most significantly while the end is well-written, it also mirrors the worst of modern superhero comic writing which seems to revel in perversity. It really is a creepy ending. Heroism was AWOL from this story.

So, overall, the effort was good, not great, but an improvement on the disaster that was the disjointed volume 1.



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Tales of the Dim Knight Countdown Sale for Kindle

My first novel, Tales of the Dim Knight is available for 99 cents through December 28th on the Kindle as part of a Kindle countdown sale.

Book Review: Ultimate Iron Man, Volume 1

Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 1 by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I give this 2-stars because really it's only one half of the story. But given Card's reputation, this book is all ready a bit of disappointment

If starts off really slow. This book collects Issues 1-5 of the Ultimate Iron Man story line. As Card is writing in Marvel's ultimate world, he's not bound by the back story established in Marvel's regular (616) continuity.

He made a key change in giving Tony Stark powers from birth that come with a natural blue skin stone as a result of experiments done by his mother Maria just before she died. I'm not at all closed off to making Tony Stark blue in the Ultimate Marvel universe except for the fact that it really does nothing for the story.

The first four issues focus mainly on the mechanations of the adults around young Tony Stark. Only Issue 5 does a Young Adult Tony begin to emerge. Even then, Card introduces the alcoholism element, which is really a stretch and also unnecessary. Stark as an alcoholic was used in 616 to flesh the character and humanize him. It really doesn't do it here and with all the craziness in childhood, it's far from required.

Most of all, Ultimate Iron Man shows that it shares the same weakness as most modern comics in relying on shock value and gross out factor rather than compelling stories. In this Ultimate universe, Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane are students at a school for gifted children where Obadiah seduces classmates to suicide. No one commits murder with a simple shot to the head, poison, or knife, murder has to be a ritualistic affair.

There is some emergence of Tony as a bit of a hero towards the end of the volume but so far it's not looking good.





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Book Review: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. : Who Is Scorpio

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Who is Scorpio? by Jim Steranko

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the Jim Steranko written and drawn stories from the first Nick Fury series in Issues 1-3 and 5.

While it may look like this is a Scorpio themed book, Scorpio only appears in the first and last issues in the book. The other two issues include fighting a megalomaniac of the month and then Nick Fury deal with (of all things) a haunted castle.

The stories are not great. In some ways, this book's stories are a step down from the Nick Fury tales in Strange Tales which were usually 3-4 half issues long to resolve an arch. Here, limited to one issue per story, the plots are weaker. In addition, Fury lacks much of the wise-cracking form that was so endearing in early books. That's not to say they're bad, but they're merely average in terms of story.

This is a book to read for the art and that art moves this book from 3 stars to 4 stars. Each page is a showcase as Steranko tries unusual art motifs, odd coloring, and spectacular full page splashes to tell the stories. The crazy stylized art makes this book worth reading but readers expecting some complex plot involve Scorpio should forget about it. Rather, you get 4 average spy stories with far above average art.




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Book Review: Doom Patrol Archives, Volume 2

The Doom Patrol Archives, Vol. 2 by Arnold Drake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The original Doom Patrol, DC's team comic book that looks like a Marvel magazine continues in this 2nd archive edition, collecting Doom Patrol Issues 90-97 for September 1964-August of 1965.

If anything, writer Arnold Drake stepped up in these eight stories. The Doom Patrol universe expands with the introduction of a Mento, a superhero with designs on Elasti-girl. Both Robotoman and Larry Trainor resent him. Though his amazing mental powers lead to an offer to join the Doom Patrol that one member votes down. Who is a bit of a surprise.

Elasti-girl continues to be the most interesting character in the book though Robotman has a few interesting stories as well.

The stories are very well-developed. Unlike most other DC books, of the era, seven of the eight issues had book length tales, which means that most stories are about five pages longer than the typical Marvel story of the same era. As such, there's great fight scenes, great plot twists, and some good character moments.

Through the first six issues, I was prepared to give this collection four stars for the simple reason that the villains were quirky and fun, but nothing really special or epic, however Issues 96 and 97 have a fantastic story with the Doom Patrol taking on its most dangerous challenge ever.

Overall, the Doom Patrol is action packed, thrilling, and with great characters that are just fun to read. This collection is highly recommended.



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Book Review: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Jim Steranko

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This volume collects Jim Steranko's runs on Nick Fury's Strange Tale's stories. The book begins with Strange Tales #150 and #151 Steranko began to transition into becoming the series artist and eventually writer through Issue #168

The book focuses on two seperate baddies. The first half focuses on Fury's battle with the Supreme Hydra. And then it's on to battling the Yellow Claw, a character introduced in the mid-1950s when Marvel was known as Atlas. (Though this occurs with a twist.) Then we wrap up with an issue that foreshadows the Scorpio line that would feature in four of the five first issues of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own comic book.

What you get in these 19 Nick Fury stories are standard action spy adventure stuff from the 1960s with nearly every issue ending with Fury in a deathtrap or facing some weird strangeness. At this point, the only difference between Fury and the superheroes of the Avengers is that Fury had government sanction, and no superhero costume. In fact, one of the book's guest stars is Captain America and Fury fights him to a standstill in an exhibition.

There are also guest appearance by Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, and Dr. Doom.

I will admit that some of the hype around the book set me up for a bit of a disappointment. Despite all the talk about Steranko's art, throughout most of the book, it wasn't all that exciting, until the last three issues which also included an eye-popping four page pullout.

Overall, some good stories for fans of Nick Fury who remain true to the the motto, "Don't yield, back S.H.I.E.L.D."





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Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Vol. 1

Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Vol. 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Growing up and watching Marvel cartoons, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury we're given a mixed portrayal. While generally, the villains hated them, they also ended up fighting heroes like Spider-man and even the Hulk. This portrayal has gotten more nuanced with the militaristic S.H.I.E.L.D. being viewed with distrust in the wider Marvel Continuity.

However, it wasn't always so. In the 1960s, with James Bond and the Man from U.N.C.L.E. a phenomena, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a regular half-issue feature in Strange Tales. This book collects the 12-page stories from Issues 135-153 of Strange Tales plus a crossover with Captain America in Tales of Suspense #78 and Fury's first post-World War II story which appeared in Fantastic Four #21 and had Fury as a CIA Agent.

The stories are great, the villains are superb classic 1960s bad guys on an epic scale. The supporting cast is strong as well with Fury supported by fellow World War II Commandos Dum Dum and Gabriel Jones, as well as conscientious rookie Jasper Sitwell, who also brings a bit of comic relief.

However, the star is the big feature and it's Nick Fury. The silver age incarnation of this tough as nails World War II commando turned super spy could only have been effectively played by John Wayne. Fury is wise-cracking, ornery, and courageous with a firm and steady admiration between him and his men. Fury is the type of hero they just don't make any more. Truly, a great character in all of his quirks such as his cigars and his tendency to appear shirtless (some times without any explanation.) This was a blast and I can't wait to read Volume 2.



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Book Review: Marvel Masterworks Golden Age All Winners, Volume 2

Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age All-Winners, Vol. 2 by Carl Burgos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 5-8 of Timely's Quarterly All Winners Comics from Summer 1942-Spring 1943. As the introduction notes, there was a big shuffle of talent at Timely as many talented artists and writers were called away to serve their country including the ever-talented Stan Lee.

However, the books themselves had a pretty consistent lineup. Each book features Marvel's big 3: Captain America, Sub-mariner, and the Human Torch, plus the Destroyer. Three of the four issues contained stories from the Whizzer, while one debuted a forgetable one-shot character.

The stories were mostly centered on battles against Nazis and the Japanese to a degree rarely seen in these collections. Of the 20 stories in this collection, all but two were War related.

I'll talk about this book and review each character's performance from my favorite to least favorite:

1) The Destroyer: The Destroyer is probably the most underrated golden age hero and even with the other big characters in his here. His stories stand out. Issue 5 is just amazingly well-written as the Destroyer has nearly everyone thinking he's someone else which he uses to great effect against the Germans. Issue 6 takes on a truly nasty supervillainous robot. In Issue 7 has the Destroyer singlehandedly thwarting a Nazi invasion of Switzerland (also features a great splash page intro). And then in Issue 8 he takes on Hitler. Of course, this isn't the only Hitler guest appearance in the book but the Destroyer takes on Attila the Hun and Satan to boot.

In essence, the Destroyer could give awesome lessons to Batman. Marvel ought to collect all of his adventures scattered across 9 titles into one book.

2) Captain America: I love Captain America and these stories work. Captain America splits his time between battling the Nazis twice and the Japanese twice in imaginative tales of war with a bit of horror mixed in in a couple stories. The Mock Mikado Strikes" (Issue 6) is the one that stretches credulity. A descendant of a prior Emperor of Japan actually conquers California with the help of a small gang of horseback riding Japanese, though Cap takes care of that.

3) Sub-mariner: Sub-mariner has stopped his prewar menacing of Americans, but he's still somewhat edgier than the other heroes in a way that works. Issue 6 is somewhat notable as the Sub-mariner spends most of the issue clothed in a suit as he works undercover for Navy Intelligence. It was somewhat annoying that had Namor choosing to sleep on a land as a major plot point in Issue 5. But it's probably a geeky point.

4) The Human Torch: Overall, the Torch stories are all war stories and typical solid ventures for one of Timely's flagship character. Nothing special about them. What stands out is the splash in Issue 6 which was just some nice artwork.

5) The Whizzer: The Whizzer appeared in 5, 7, and 8. Issue 5 was somewhat noteworthy because the Whizzer wore a cape, which really isn't a great accessory for a speedy superhero. The Whizzer the was the only one who fought criminals as opposed to enemy agents, only fighting the Nazis in Issue 7.

6) The Black Avenger: Somewhat of a pointless character. The story was decent, but I really had a question as to why they introduced this. The Black Avenger just seemed to be an acrobatic guy in a costume with a black hood. They'd already introduced a guy in a black costume called the Black Marvel. So, not certain the point. The only thing to say for the Black Avenger is that when Spider-man: The Animated Series brought back the Black Marvel, the costume looked more like the Black Avenger's.

This book also has a couple other features. First, Nazi executions are dealt with and the book pretends that Hitler was guillotining people, but the truth was far worse. Also, as required by the then-law, each book contained a text story. Two of these were by Mickey Spillane who'd go on to write Mike Hammer including a delightful fantasy about a young man going to the moon in Issue 5.

Overall, these are some great wartime comics and not to be missed for the wonderful Destroyer stories.



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