Steven’s Comments (group member since Nov 30, 2019)

Steven’s comments from the Mount TBR 2020 group.

#121 - Captain to Captain by Greg Cox

Part one of three, set partly on the starship Enterprise during Robert April’s command, and partly on the Enterprise under Kirk. An Interdimensional incursion results in the loss of 9 crewmen. Former first officer Una, known as Njkber One, has a plan to rescue them eighteen years later...she just has to betray Kirk and risk the wrath of planetary locals and Klingons with territorial expansion in mind.

#120 - Marvel Knights Fantastic Four: 1234 by Morrison & Lee by Grant Morrison and Jae Lee

Victor Von Doom takes a shot at the FF, picking the members off and changing reality. As it turns out Reed Richards had seen this coming, and started working against Doom.

There’s some interesting touches throughout — Sue spends much of her time invisible, Johnny can’t deal with rain, and it’s easy to wreck Ben Grimm.

It’s fairly thin, but great to look at.

The volume closes out with a Nick Fury story by Morrison, a fluffy space filler.

#119 - My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Published in 1919, a collection of eight frothy, amusing tales, split between Jeeves and Wooster (in New York), and the exploits of Reggie Pepper. Enjoyable stuff.

#118 - The Boys Vol. 3 Digital Omnibus by Garth Ennis and various

The third act and conclusion as secrets are revealed, the Homelander activates his plan, Black Noir is revealed, and Butcher’s true plan comes to light. Problematic in a number of ways, but past the issues it’s solid storytelling with some good character moments.

#117 - Superboy Annual 1953-54 by various

black and white reprint collection drawing stories from about 1948 to 1952, with a rather random Green Arrow reprint at the end.

Definitely a nostalgia trip for me, as I grew up with these kinds of British kids annuals. I’m amused to see that this one at least has some editing to change the currency references and references to jail (misspelled to boot — goal rather than gaol.)

I’m tempted to try to find more of these Annuals...though I suspect I’ll belay that due to prices (not to mention shipping costs.)

#116 - The Boys Vol. 2: Digital Omnibus by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson

Butcher ramps up his war against the Vought-American superheroes, and things go very much off the rails thanks to Hughie’s growing relationship with Annie January — who’s the superhero Starlight. Hughie is thrown into more and more terrible situations, and V-A’s cast of heroes is drastically reduced even as Homelander’s cheese slides off his cracker.

#115 - The Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse

Comedy all around as Bertie finds himself in the thick of things with sundered romances, falsified identities, terrifying gaggles of aunts. Jeeves, in this instance, has less to do than usual, with Berties left yo dash about raising chaos.

#114 - Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 6 by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Johnny Craig
Iron Man Epic Collection Vol. 3: The Man Who Killed Tony Stark by Goodwin, Craig, Tuska

I’m including both books because the Epic Collection covers most of the same ground as Masterworks 5 & 6, with just a few additional extras.

This volume actually shows considerable improvement in the storytelling, with Tony facing emotional crises, his heart failing (and being fixed), and battles that have unexpected outcomes. There’s also some dramatic artwork, and even an issue that moves the opening splash to the cover, giving it one hell of a running start.

Archie Goodwin is gone by the next volume, unfortunately. Tony Stark seems likely to remain interesting, though.

#113 - Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 5 by Archie Goodwin, Johnny Craig, George Tuska

Archie Goodwin picks up the scriptwriting duties for Shellhead and turns out serviceable stories that revisit older characters and throw in some newer ones as well. By now Iron Man had his own solo book and was doing well as a B-list Marvel character.

#112 - Poison by Ed McBain

A wealthy man is found dead, killed by a dose of refined nicotine. The 87th catches the case but is soon baffled, though their investigation dies lead to the beautiful Marilyn. When a second victim turns up, murdered in the same was and also connected with Marilyn, the focus falls on her...and Detective Hal Willis falls *for* her. Gradually the truth opens up like layers of an onion...putting Willis through the wringer as Marilyn’s past is revealed.

I’d rate this higher but fir two things: it turns into Caged Heat partway, and, frankly, I’ve known those who’ve been through horrific sexual abuse, and they were not people who recovered as completely as Marilyn does. Not to mention that Willis himself breaks numerous regulations along the way....

#110 - The Ocean Ogre by Dana Carroll
#111 - The Uncharted Isle by Clark Ashton Smith

Carroll’s melodramatic tale of an ocean-going vampire seems to be moderately obscure, but gets a solid reading from narrator Ian Gordon.

Smith’s tale of a castaway Mariner who winds up on a mysterious island is a bit of fluff, but entertaining all the same. Did the narrator cross dimensions? Who knows?

#109 - A Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson

A story about a becalmed ship importuned by a nervous stranger in a rowboat to provide him food and water without putting the light on him turns from mystery to romantic tragedy when the stranger returns to tell his story. I rather liked this — elegantly told, with no monsters but an accident of nature.

#108 - The Temple by H.P. Lovecraft

One of the more interesting Lovecraft outings, effectively read by Ian Gordon. A manuscript found in a bottle on the Yucatán shore bears the last testament of the commander of World War One submarine U29. In it he details their last full mission, and the descent to madness suffered by his crew following that, and the eventual descent of the crippled sub to an ancient, sunken city where something may still live....

#107 - Notebook Found in a Deserted House by Robert Bloch

A 12 year old country boy discovers things in the woods and has them follow him home. Bloch expands on a corner of the Cthulhu Mythos fairly effectively. The story ends conclusively inconclusive as the teller of the tale is still writing...

#106 - Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 10 by Stan Lee and John Romita

Onward with the travails of Peter Parker’s life as he battles his retinue of villains, faces down the reawakened Green Goblin even as his friend Harry Osborne goes through a Very Special Episode (the infamous Comics Code-free drug issues), and deals with love and heartache with girlfriend Gwen Stacy (who blames Spider-Man for the death of her Dad.)

Stan Lee’s writing was actually improving by this point, but it was also a countdown to him leaving all of his scripting behind as other Marvel duties soaked up his time.

Quirkyreader wrote: "Hurrah on reaching Mount Everest and then some.🐸"

Thank you!

#105 - Elseworlds: Superman Vol. 2 by Howard Chaykin, Mark Farmer, Alan Davis, J.M deMatteis, Kim Howard Johnson, John Cleese, John Byrne, etc

I loved the Elseworlds books, honestly, as I love alternate world stories. However, as this collection demonstrates, they could be extremely variable. There’s Howard Chaykin’s “Son Of Superman,” where Superman vanished years ago and Lois raised their son alone, into a world turned fascistic. J.M. DeMatteis provides a meditation on spirit via an angelic version of Supergirl. Mark Farmer and Alan Davis present a rollicking version of the Legion of Superheroes where Superboy was only found in the 30th Century and formed the Legion himself.

Finally, there’s the rather questionable “True Brit,” cooked up by John Cleese but written by Kim Howard Johnson. The story depends entirely on broad comedic pokes at British tradition and behaviour, much of them mild reruns of Monty Python gags and almost all out of date by years when this thing was written.

It’s not a hard read, mostly, and there’s plenty of goodness for the eyes. But it really is borscht.

#104 - Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Volume 17 by Jim Shooter, George Perez, Jim Starlin, others

Shooter’s time on the Avengers barrels onward, coming to a stop with the cosmic and confusing Korvac Saga, which ends up with the Avengers seemingly losing and Moondragon pontificating that Korvac was right...except that even she is revealed as thinking shallowly. Mostly it seems more as though Shooter couldn’t figure out a proper ending.

Nice restoration work, though, and some excellent George Perez work scattered throughout.

#103 - Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 9: The Final Threat by Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter, Jim Starling, John Buscema, George Perez, John Byrne, etc

And epic it is, too, in the finish as Jim Starlin presents a story of Thanos trying to destroy the galaxy a solar system at a time to appease Death, the love of his life. Many sacrifices are made. Before then, though, it’s a somewhat slapdash ride until Shooter and Byrne get matters leveled out and provide three issues of Count Nefaria smashing up New York (this coming after Graviton did his thing.)

#102 - The X-Files: Cold Cases by Joe Harris, Dirk Maggs

An expansion of the Joe Harris comics into an audiobook with multiple narrators. Unfortunately it’s not as good as it should be, with some lackluster writing that tumbles from the mouths of performers like rocks. The stories themselves retread well worn narrative paths.