ACW #605 – Blackhawk

Action Comics Weekly #605 (Blackhawk)
“Enter… Red Dragon!”
Writer – Mike Grell
Pencils – Rick Burchett
Inks – Pablo Marcos
Letters – Steve Haynie
Colors – Tom Ziuko
Editor – Mike Gold

Ya know, ever since switching over to the Action Comics Daily format… I’m having a heckuva time with these prerambles.  Only so many different ways I can say “Hey Gang, welcome to… yadda yadda”.


Oh well, I’ll figure something out… heck, I just sidestepped this one!


Onto Blackhawk!


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We pick up right where we left off last week… Blackhawk and Cynthia are captives of the Red Dragon… and her cross-eyed kitty.  I mean, just look at this tiger… poor thing looks strung out!  Anyhoo, the Dragon Lady informs Janos that his reputation proceeded him, and introduces herself as Sheah Chun Ryan.  After some pleasantries, he keeps up the plot… claiming that his plane blew a line, and this entire encounter is simple happenstance.  She ain’t buyin’ it… nor should she.

She refuses to believe that such a renowned fella like Blackhawk would lower himself to taking gigs smuggling booze.  He explains that it’s a different world during peacetime… and suspects that it won’t take the world long to cook up another war for him to occupy himself with.  He also introduces Cynthia as his “client”, claims she put up the cash for this shipment.  Sheah marches off, telling Janos that they’ll dine together tonight… and only then will she decide his fate.

As she leaves, however, she thwacks Massie for putting hands on what’s hers… and reminds him that there’s a penalty for taking things that don’t belong to him.

While Janos and Cynthia get cleaned up for dinner, we hop over to Saigon where Andre and his lady friend are… enjoying each other’s company.  He keeps getting himself preoccupied before he can see his buddy’s urgent letter.

Back at the Dragon Dinner… Sheah shares her “secret origin”, which is to say, she tells Janos that her father was Irish and her mother was Asian… which led to her growing up as sort of an outcast.  They toast to the “good life”… though, Blackhawk knows it may only be moments before someone decides to take it all away.

—


Well… Blackhawk is still my “dark horse” pick for these early Action Comics Weekly features, but this time out might just be the weakest chapter to this point.  I guess they can’t all be winners… not to say that this is bad or anything… I still quite liked it.  Just not as much as the past few weeks is all.


I had a sneaking suspicion that things weren’t going to be so cut and dry with Red Dragon… and, while that “other shoe” could drop at any moment, I’m digging her as a sorta kinda “uneasy ally” to our man Janos… at least for right this minute.


Art remains strong… though, that poor cracked-out tiger was quite tragic.  Still a highlight of the week… it’s just a bit hampered by having to “do the work”.  Can’t be mad at that!


Tomorrow: We’ll pull all the pieces together, and wrap this issue up!