1st Issue Special #13 (April, 1976)
"Lest Night Fall - Forever!"
Plot & Edits - Gerry Conway
Dialogue - Denny O'Neil
Art - Mike Vosburg
Cover Price: $0.30
Hey it's another issue of that strange mid-70's series which I seem to have a bit of an obsession over... 1st Issue Special!
Today we're going to discuss a book featuring the Kirby Kharacters... though the issue itself isn't written or drawn by the King! This may just be the first story done without his involvement... which is something, I guess. He doesn't even get a passing mention in the "Story Behind the Story" page...
This is also a series that actually wound up getting picked up as a regular ongoing series... though, it did hit a year later while DC was "exploding".
Well, let's hop in and see just what Orion... that is Orion, right?... and the crew are up to!
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We open with Orion (of the New Gods) busting through a wall. His costume is certainly different from what we are used to... he's wearing a more traditional-looking outfit which isn't all that dissimilar to Animal Man's... in certain panels, the "eye holes" in his mask are sorta shaped like Buddy Baker's goggles... the headgear also kinda looks like Spartan from WildC.A.T.s. Anyhoo... enough with the fashion report... he bursts through and enters into battle with Kalibak. They pound on one another for a bit, while Orion tries to learn the whereabouts of Darkseid. Kalibak obviously... ain't talkin'.
During the fight, as heroes (especially those in 1st Issue Special) often do, Orion begins to day dream... recalling the events which led him here. He remembers returning to New Genesis and meeting with Highfather, Scott Free, Big Barda, and Metron. He comes with dire news to report... Darkseid is planning for a war which involves the invasion of Earth.
No sooner does he share the news than wave after wave of Parademons descend upon the group. Orion and Barda hold them off the best they can until Metron is able to open a Boom Tube to send the baddies back to Apokolips. At this point it is decided that Orion head to Earth to stop his father, Darkseid.
Back in the present, Orion and Kalibak continue their struggle. They are evenly matched, and so... Orion blasts the floor under his foe to send him falling to the story below. He continues working his way through the tenement, until he runs afoul of... Granny Goodness! She puts him down with a single blast... after which, his limp body is dragged away by the horde.
Back on New Genesis, Highfather is acting woeful in front of a roaring fireplace. He is soon joined by Metron who informs him that "The Source" has been activated. The pair head out to the Wall of Prophecy to see what's up, and are greeted by a message warning what might happen should Orion be successful in falling his father.
Metron expands upon the warning by revealing that he had located Darkseid... and learned that he had, get this... attuned his heartbeat to the rhythms of Earth's Sun... this means, should he die... the Sun will explode. Sounds legit, right? I don't think this "stuck"... though, it's just wacky enough that I wish it had.
We rejoin Orion as he comes to. He is surrounded by his captors... who are just dudes in tank tops wielding spiked clubs and rinky-dink laser pistols. Orion easily bests them in combat and escapes captivity... only, he's not on Earth anymore. He looks up to the fiery red sky, and realizes that he's in a lazy Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in on Apokolips!
Orion walks the streets, and it isn't long before he runs into his half-brother, Kalibak... and, wouldn'tcha know it, they fight again! This time, Orion wins decisively.
He breaks through the doors of Darkseid's palace... and winds up face-to-face with the man himself. He threatens to kill his father... which is news that Darkseid basically brushes off. Kalibak begs for another opportunity to fight... and in a great panel, Darkseid just nonchalantly shoves him down!
Before Orion can lunge at Darkseid, they are joined by Highfather and Metron. Highfather informs the lad that his efforts have been an exercise in futility... what's best for the Earth is letting Darkseid live... not that we can say with 100% certainty that Orion would've been successful, right?
The New Genesis gang heads home, leaving Darkseid alone with his thoughts. To his mind, they are currently at a stalemate with the good guys... but, I don't think I agree. Darkseid can kill any and all of the New Genesis folks... it's just that they cannot kill him. I dunno. We wrap up with Highfather and Metron telling Orion not to lose hope... there will be a war, but for the moment at least, there is peace on New Genesis.
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Another interesting issue of 1st Issue. This one is strange in that what happens could (should?) have had an effect on the entire DC Universe. This is almost too relevant a story to appear in this series, ya know? The idea that Darkseid is readying for an all-out war on not only his neighbors on New Genesis, but the Earth as well... really should be something the DC heroes know about, and aid the opposition against.
Now, I don't wanna slag on the relevance of my beloved 1st Issue Special... but, c'mon, this series brought us Lady Cop, the Dingbats, and the Outsiders (not those Outsiders)... hardly movers and shakers of the DC Universe. This story feels large, and important... which is a good thing! Just a weird way to end this volume... as this is the final issue of 1st Issue Special before it faded into the sunset.
I mentioned it above, but... as silly as it is, I really kinda dig the idea that Darkseid cannot be killed without the Earth being destroyed. I haven't read the Return of the New Gods series that spun out of this, but I'd definitely be interested in checking it out... to see how creative they get with this concept.
I'm not sure quite how I feel about Orion's new costume. It's definitely more traditional... which, I dunno... I mean, it's sharp, but it's lacking something from his earlier wacky helmet. The art overall, however, was really quite good. It's definitely not Kirby, but Vosburg does a great job here with the characters. Darkseid is perhaps a bit on the dinky side, but overall, I really dug the look of this.
I keep thinking, with how many DC characters that it would be great for them to bring a concept like this back... even if it was a digital-only (or digital-first) sort of thing. There are plenty of characters we haven't seen (or seen very little of) since Rebirth... it might be interesting to explore some of those.
As for a recommendation... well, if you recall... we sorta kinda have a demandment here, if you come across an issue of 1st Issue Special in the wild (for a reasonable price), you just gotta snag it!
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Interesting Ads:
1st Issue Special #8 (November, 1975)
"Land of Fear!"
Writer and Illustrator - Mike Grell
Editor - Joe Orlando
Cover Price: $0.25
Welcome to the first piece I am writing under the new domain! To commemorate my 400th Daily bit, I decided "What the heck?" and went ahead and made it official. From this point on we're at chrisisoninfiniteearths.com which might just be a teensy bit shorter than it was before, but still... pretty neat! Everything is still in the same place, so it shouldn't take long for us to take off our shoes, brew a cup of coffee, and get comfortable with our DC Comics.
Today we're going to follow one of the Demandments of the humble blog... if we see 1st Issue Special... we grab it! Gotta feed my strange fascination with this series... hell, if I had more talent and patience I'd make a 1st Chrissue Special button for the sidebar... maybe I'll get around to figuring it out...
Anyhoo, the fella we're going to meet today is... Travis Morgan, the Warlord! Before we head into his "lost world", I wanna let you know that pals of the blog, Ruth and Darrin over at Warlord Worlds have a great podcast dedicated to the franchise (along with other Grell works Green Arrow and Jon Sable, Freelance)... actually they've got a whole network of stuff that comes highly recommended!
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We open with our man Travis Morgan in the heat of battle with a Deinonychus. He is battle-scarred and is protecting a fallen woman... but how in the world did he wind up here? Well, ya see... Travis is a Lieutenant Colonel for the United States Air Force who was on a mission to snap a few pics of a Soviet installation from the air. After filling his film, he turns to head home... unfortunately, by this point... his presence is known. The Russians fire off some missiles... which Morgan is almost able to outmaneuver... however, he winds up taking one in the fuel tank!
He considers his options and decides his best possibility of survival is getting to an Emergency Support Base in Alaska... and in order to do so, he will have to fly directly over the North Pole. This, he will soon learn, is easier said than done. Funny thing about navigation... a man's compass might go wonky at the North Pole! Morgan attempts to radio... and finds it dead. He presses on... until he comes across a break in the clouds. Thinking he is above the Yukon, he parachutes in.
Once on the ground, he notes how large the Sun seems... and how it's uncharacteristically high in the sky for the hour. He also notices that there doesn't seem to be a horizon... but instead, rivers and lush jungles... in Canada?!
Luckily Travis is no stranger to survival, and so he recounts his inventory... which I might mention, includes a .38 Special! He travels into the lush green and follows a stream for several hours... all the while, the Sun remains directly overhead. He is alerted by the sound of struggle... and so, he decides to investigate. Wouldn'tcha know it, it's that Deinonychus dinosaur and the young lady from the open!
The woman is struck down by the beast, and so Travis leaps into action. He empties his gun into it... which doesn't even slow it down. He enters into close combat to try to out-muscle it... thankfully, his distraction opens up the opportunity for the woman to sink her sword into the baddie's heart!
They have precious little time to celebrate their "win", as a tribe of warriors begin to swarm. Morgan reloads his firearm and pops off two shots. This stops the remaining warriors cold in their tracks!
Except for the leader, that is! He takes Morgan's second-to-last-bullet... and dies a few grams heavier. After a momentary standoff, the Warriors send forward a spokesperson. They wish for Morgan and the woman to follow them. Our man cautiously agrees...
They are taken on a long trek to a magnificent palace within the fabulous walled city Thera... the Sun still shines brightly. Once inside, the pair are put before a King, beside whom stands the High Priest Deimos. Deimos reveals a strange globe... which appears to effect Morgan, almost causing him to black out. Before he might, however, he fires his last bullet through the bauble... shattering it!
This display causes quite a stir among the court... and Morgan is treated like the Big Man in Castle... bathed, clothed, entertained. Life, for the moment... is good. Deimos ain't all that pleased... but what's he gonna do about it? I bet we find out soon.
After the revelry, Morgan retires to his quarters. He sleeps for... well, quite awhile. Long enough to grow out his hair and a full beard anyway.
Next we get a bit of Skartaris 101... that's the name of the place Morgan landed, by the way. Here time is... different. Trav realizes he probably won't have to wear a watch while he's here. In the, er time, that follows, Morgan teaches himself the language and learns all about his travel companion, Tara. As he works things out in his head, Travis floats a theory about the true nature and whereabouts of Skartaris. They are inside the Earth!
Unbeknownst to Travis or Tara, his theory is overheard by a servant (?) girl with extraordinarily thick green eye makeup. She dutifully reports this all back to Deimos, who thanks her... by poisoning her! Well, turning her into a serpent anyway.
That night (?) while our pair slumbers, three mercenaries sneak into their room. Just as one is about to plunge his sword into Tara, Travis springs into action!
The couple takes down the baddies with the swiftness. They pause for a moment to collect themselves... and realize one thing is abundantly clear... Thera is no longer a safe place. We wrap up as they flee!
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Well that was a lot of fun... it's been far too long since I've been on an adventure with Travis Morgan!
Before we unpack, just want to mention something. This, unlike the other issues of 1st Issue we've discussed, doesn't end with a call to arms to letter writers. Nobody needed to clap their hands so Tinkerbell might live... this was basically a pilot episode for an already green-lit series! It says in the (included below) The Story Behind the Story page that Warlord #1 would hit newsstands two months after this very issue!
Also, I had planned to cover an issue of Warlord back on my birthday last year (December 27). Warlord is the only comic I can deduce, if the "Next Issue on Sale" blurb is accurate, was released on the day that I was born! I figured that would've been a neat one to cover that day... but, found myself far too busy to spelunk through my comics library. I think we discussed Danger Girl that day instead... not quite an even trade, but whattayagonnado?
Okay, onto the issue. Let's start with all the great details Grell included. One that leapt off the page immediately was Morgan's use of a compass... well, both kinds of compasses while his charger spilled fuel all over the arctic. Such attention to detail was greatly appreciated... and isn't something we see often enough. The very idea that the North Pole would wonk-up a compass might not be one that a reader would think of.
Let's talk about world-building for a bit. How cool is it that this entire Skartaris is a fully fleshed out world unto itself? I've seen maps online, a few of which have been included in later comics... and it's just excellent. It's also neat to consider that this is occurring in (or under!) the DC Universe.
Not only is the world built land-wise... there are also the people of Skartaris. Disparate cultures who live in different areas, all of whom face any number of threats to their survival... and Travis Morgan serves as a wonderful point-of-view character for us to tag along with, and learn with. Here we meet a few members of what will become our main cast (good and bad). They are introduced organically, and are instantly recognizable... even maybe a bit relate-able. And let's face it... it doesn't hurt that people and places alike are rendered by Mr. Mike Grell. Absolutely gorgeous work here!
The underworld is also home to a plethora of otherwise-anachronistic beasties. Outside of the Silver Age, it'd be pretty hard to get away with a Tyrannosaurus Rex stomping down the streets of Gotham... but in Skartaris, that's Tuesday! So many possibilities... and now I'm really itching to read some more.
Overall, well... it's 1st Issue Special, so yeah... ya gotta pick it up if you come across it... that's just "da way it is". In this case... it's also Warlord, so yeah... recommended. This has the odd distinction of being an issue of 1st Issue that has been collected. Unfortunately, the book it's been collected in... is outta print. SHOWCASE Presents Warlord is one'a them black and white "phone book" types which I love, but totally understand if many folks don't. I wouldn't recommend buying this at inflated online prices... but keep your eye out for it at the shops, I'm sure many still have it on the shelf for cover price.
Before we go, just wanna give another shout to pals Ruth and Darrin over at Warlord Worlds. Check 'em out!
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Interesting Ads:
1st Issue Special #1 (April, 1975)
"Atlas the Great!"
Writer/Artist/Editor - Jack Kirby
Inker/Letterer - D. Bruce Berry
Cover Price: $0.25
I'm the kinda guy who thinks that, at least in concept, there is no such thing as "rules". Sure, there's regulations, policies, and laws... but "rules" don't exist... at least in the sense of being imposed upon by others. My personal code makes it so "rules" only apply to the most important things in life... ya know, like comic books... and mayyybe Pro-Wrestling.
My rules are as follows:
1. Never leave a copy of Superman #75 behind in the cheap-o bin.
2. Never pay more than a quarter for an issue of Youngblood.
... and...
3. If you come across an issue of 1st Issue Special... you pick it up.
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We join our story in progress as Atlas (the Great) performs an impressive feat of strength. Before a packed house he crumbles tremendous stone slabs into dust by crushing them under his mighty arms. At the same time, there's a bit of a hub-bub in the marketplace. A man called Kargin sees Atlas as no more than a mere charlatan, and seeks to challenge him on the field of battle... which consists of a wooden platform. This doesn't go so well for ol' Kargin.
Atlas' second collects the shekels from the crowd who bet against him. Some are not so keen to pay the piper, and so suggest that Atlas is nothing more than a cheating dog! Before a full-blown riot breaks out, the streets are ordered to empty in preparation of the King's passage.
When the King's transport is delayed, the sore losers blame the traffic stop on ol' Atlas... and so, the guards proceed to attack. Atlas takes care of them with the quickness, and then, with one hand, snatches the King himself out of his carriage. Archers take aim, and so Atlas hoists the King up... daring them to fire.
It is then that Atlas hears a voice... one that is quite familiar to him. This causes us to travel back in time to flashback-ville, where a young Atlas is watching his village be decimated by an army of horseback soldiers. He sees his mother kidnapped... and his father struck down. He runs to his father, however, is grabbed by a giant hand. A hand belonging to a General of some sort... who looks like, in Atlas' words, a "Human Lizard".
It is here that we learn that Atlas has always been "mighty". He wallops the General with the power of a grown-man... then heads into the tall grass. Once there he comes upon a man in a green tunic, who puts his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet and not give away their location. Atlas, being a boy of steel gives him a snap mare for his troubles.
After the army has moved on, Atlas runs back to his village... the man in the tunic follows. Atlas enters a demolished hut, and reappears holding a large and impressive glowing crystal. The gentleman identifies himself as Chagra, and from the size of that rock deduces that the boy's tribe hail from Crystal Mountain. Tribe leaders pass the crystal down from generation to generation to signify the tribe's new ruler. Atlas is now, by hook or by crook, the leader of the tribe. Chagra decides to throw in and give the boy his loyal following.
Next we watch Atlas come of age... and witness several heroic acts which caused word of his name to spread. He begins to fight competitively in the Colosseum... and is wildly successful, even earning the vaunted "Helmet of Champions". During this time Chagra maintains his position as loyal follower.
One night, a bit later on... Chagra comes clean about his true intentions. He wants to visit the Crystal Mountain. Atlas agrees to take him, however, not before they go to the Lizard Kingdom for some delicious revenge. Passage to the Lizard Kingdom is shielded by a mountain of flame... which our pair are able to traverse, as they know it is but mere illusion... perhaps the doing of Fire Wizards.
We now return to the present... remember that? Atlas is still holding the King above his head. He shifts in the direction of that familiar voice... who turns out to be... get this... the Human Lizard!
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Well, this was something. Now, I haven't read hundreds of mid-70's origin stories... but of the few I have read, more than a couple feel like this. A child's parents or village is slaughtered... child comes of age, and seeks vengeance. I think we last chatted about that here with our ill-fated pal, Kong the Untamed. Sadly, Atlas wouldn't loom all that large over the DC Universe... until, of course, James Robinson dug him up during his run on Superman... because, Mr. Robinson clearly digs him some 1st Issue Special.
For what this was, I suppose it was good enough... and it's always a good time when Kirby is involved. Some awesome full-page (and double-page) spreads here. Unfortunately, like all issues of this series... we do not get an ending. Worst of all, it doesn't even bother me that we didn't.
I'm kind of struggling for something to say... this is the kind of issue that doesn't really lend itself to analysis. It just sorta "is". Not great, not horrible... if it weren't for my strange fascination with 1st Issue Special, I would never have checked it out.
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(Instead of the) Letters Page:
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