Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #3 (1975)

Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #3 (August-September, 1975)
"Claws of the Dragon!"
Based on a Novel by - Jim Dennis
Interpreted by - Denny O'Neil
Art by - Jack Kirby
Inker/Letterer - D. Bruce Berry
Cover Price: $0.25

Been awhile since I dipped into the 1970's and figured may as well do so with DC's Kung-Fu Fighter himself, Richard Dragon.  Now, just who in the hell is Richard Dragon?

I only have a passing knowledge of Rich, as around the turn of the century... if I'm not mistaken, it was revealed that Richard Dragon (Kung-Fu Fighter) was responsible for training many of the DC Universes heaviest hitters... including Batman, Nightwing, Huntress, and Barbara Gordon (as Oracle!).

Back in the 1970's Denny O'Neil and Jim Berry (under the shared pseudonym of Jim Dennis) created this fella for the novel Dragon's Fists.  Perhaps a sign of the times, their character made his way into the DC Universe... I'm not sure if he was before or after Shang-Chi (who is not only a Kung-Fu Fighter... but has possession of the Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu), as Shang first appeared in 1973... at which point, I would assume that the Jim Dennis novel would have been at the very least in the planning stages.

I suppose, ultimately it doesn't matter... let's see him take on the Weapon Masters in this O'Neil/Kirby kollaboration!

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We open as a battle rages on in a New York City pawn shop.  Richard Dragon (Kung-Fu Fighter) is embroiled in hand to hand combat with... well, the Combatants (that's easy!) to rescue the lovely Carolyn Wotami.  Dragon's successful in distracting the goons long enought for Wotami to get away.  The entire scene looks like something out of the Kung-Fu Nintendo game... and that's not a bad thing.

Outside, Wotami runs away... straight into the waiting arms of Doctor Octo... err, The Swiss... the man who pulls all the strings (for the Combatants, anyway).  He grabs her, and drops a mention of a "laser frequency" she knows about.  Wotami struggles, and manages to take a bite out of The Swiss... she gets away long enough to rattle off a call for help, that the nearby Richard Dragon (Kung-Fu Fighter) manages to hear.

Dragon charges in the direction of The Swissmobile, where The Swiss is dragging the young Ms. Wotami.  We shift from Kung-Fu to Double Dragon, as Rich is attacked by some nameless mooks on the street.  The geeks claim to be disciples of the Wan Chang style.  A quick Google search identifies "Wan Chang" as a style of fine writing... so, Richard Dragon (Kung-Fu Fighter) had better watch his penmanship.

How does Richard Dragon (Kung-Fu Fighter) get tripped up?  What's next, a low-bridge?

Dragon, no slouch himself, engages the gentleman using the forms of Judo and Aikido.  He flips the geeks, and utilizes a nerve pinch to put 'em outta commission.

Sadly, he is too late to rescue Wotami, and nearly gets hit by the runaway Swissmobile.

After collecting himself, Richard Dragon (Ku... okay, I'm gonna stop that now) returns home to his ghetto mansion (seriously).  He meets with his best friend, Ben... who is currently hobbling about on crutches, no doubt the result of an earlier adventure.

Ben hands his buddy a letter that had been hand-delivered... which kinda puts the kibosh on the super secret ghetto mansion base, don't it?  Anyhoo, the letter is written with a German accent, in which Rich is referred to as Herr Dragon.. it is a challenge to battle!

XOXO, The Swiss
P.S. I know where you live!

Our Kung-Fu Fighter excuses himself and heads to a tiny room at the top of the mansion.  Inside there are several ancient eastern artifacts, including a tiny jade claw on a chain.  This is the titular Dragon's Claw, given to him by his Master O-Sensei (which just so happens to be my favorite Journey song)... and it will serve as Richard Dragon's protection charm during the upcoming rumble.

We shift scenes to the abandoned Thunder Rock Winery in upstate New York.  Inside, The Swiss has assembled the Weapon Masters, and placed a lofty price on Herr Dragon's head.  Each Weapon Master is... the master of a different weapon.  Among the crew is a lone cameraman meant to get the entire event on film.

hiya!

Richard Dragon arrives on the scene to once again rescue Ms. Wotami.  The Swiss lays out the rules of the game.  He may have her, if he can defeat the Weapon Masters... unbeknownst to Dragon, even if he does come out victorious, The Swiss has rigged some explosive barrels as a contingency.

The next several pages feature a very entertaining, and well-choreographed fight scene in which Richard takes care of all but one of the Weapon Masters... and is left standing before the one who wields a chained weapon... with both a scythe and a spiked mace.  Dragon lets his guard down at the wrong moment, and winds up having his left arm smashed.

Dragon takes this opportunity to change up his fighting strategy... rather than be on the offensive, he will now use his opponents momentum against him.  The foe swings wildly, while Richard swiftly dodges... the battle rages and knocks the poor cameraman off a ladder, leaving him to fall directly onto the blade of a scythe.

whoops...

With victory within his grasp, Richard sets his sights on The Swiss.  The Swiss, true to his earlier threat, ignites the explosives and blows the winery sky high.  Our hero is able to escape the wreckage, only to find that The Swiss has once again made off with the lovely Ms. Wotami.

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Well, that was certainly something.  Such a weird comic... I'm really not sure what I thought about it, though I can say I enjoyed reading it.  Whether or not that means it's any good... I dunno.

The dialogue comes across as pretty stilted... definitely doesn't feel like a Denny O'Neil script.  It's almost as though we're reading a foreign kung-fu film that had been dubbed in English... poorly, like for 70's movie authenticity.  Lines like "Begin... Oh, Yes, Yes... Do!" strike me as being purposefully awkward as though it was only said in attempt at syncing with a foreign actor's lips.  I'm pretty sure this is all in my head... but, it's a fun way to look at it!

On to the art... it's always a treat to see Jack Kirby's work in a non-reprint format.  That said, there's definitely something... off... about many of the faces in this issue.  Granted, the King's got his face-types, and I get that they're not for everybody... but, this issue feels different.  Everybody has a "mook" face... and the character The Swiss goes from normal dude to mole person from panel to panel.

Worth tracking down?  Nahhh... it's fun, and weird... and that's good enough for me.  I get the feeling this one doesn't cast too wide a net over a frothing fandom, though... I like weird novelty comics, and also understand why others may not.  If kooky 1970's comics are your thing, than there's no reason why Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter shouldn't be part of your well-balanced comics diet.

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Lobo #1 (1993)

Lobo #1 (December, 1993)
"The Qigly Affair, Part One"
Script - Alan Grant
Pencils - Val Semeiks
Inks - John Dell
Colors - Gloria Vasquez
Separations - Android
Letters - Bill Oakley
Asst. Editor - Peter Tomasi
Editor - Dan Raspler
Cover Price: $2.95

Growing up, I never really got into Lobo.  My buddy Dave did... which just reaffirmed my belief that the Lobo books were "those ugly books" that I didn't want anywhere near my pristine X-Men books.  In late 1993, following a line of miniseries the main man finally got his own real-deal ongoing... and, at least in my opinion, it doesn't look nearly as ugly anymore.  How does it read?  Let's find out...

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We open with intergalactic bounty-hunter extraordinaire Lobo hot on the trail of a "Robert DeNitro".  Lobo finds himself the victim of a DeNitro ambush, and the two enter into a battle of furious fisticuffs.  DeNitro's power is that his hands can be charged full of unstable molecules (probably not the same kind that comprises the Fantastic Fours costumes), with which he can... well, punch real good.

Lobo does the smart thing, and tosses him a cute li'l frag bomb... which DeNitro catches.  The frag explodes and takes his magical hands with it.  Knowing that the jig is up, DeNitro sits and sulks.  Lobo informs him he's running him in for being behind on his alimony payments in the sum of 1,000 credits.

Lobo hooks his chain into DeNitro's nose ring and perp marches him to the Space Hog.  DeNitro gets a wild hair, and decides to play "feets don't fail me now".  Lobo simply yanks him back... however, he may just have pulled too hard.  DeNitro's nose comes off in the yank, and DeNitro himself goes splat.  Lobo expresses surprise by saying "Feetal's Gizz".   It's something he's going to say several more times today... and, thinking about it phonetically, I can't help but giggle each time.

We jump to Al's Diner, a sad little 24-hour eatery on a lonely asteroid.  Inside, Al and waitress Darlene lament their lack of customers, when... our main man deciding he's thirsty, pops in.  Lobo engages in his normal charming small-talk, and seeing a "Buy One Get One" offer posted decides to order a six-pack of intergalactic beer.  While he orders, proprietor Al has a bit of a run-in with Lobo's dog... Dawg.

After an attempt at dissuasion, Darlene relents and fetches Lobo his six-pack.  Lobo quickly downs each one, and lets out both a belch and a... 'Feetal's Gizz". 

After he slams his sixth, Lobo can't help but notice there's another patron bellied up to the bar.  It's a jilted old partner, Jonas Glim... who is less than happy to see our main man.

What follows is a diner-destroying battle for the ages, with Lobo coming out on top.

With the fight won, Lobo hands Glim his business card... gives him the ol' kayo boot, and decides to drag him back with him.  He turns to Al, points to the buy one get one deal, and says they're even-steven because he only got one of his two meals... and one should cancel the other out.

We shift scenes to a warehouse in Dagma City on Planet Vurkan.  Inside an odd little man is playing cards with a pair of goonish alien types (though, one might just be Frankenstein).  This little fella is Qigly, and he is worth billions of credits to the Pan-Galactic Mob... the mob who is currently hot in pursuit.  There are several other members of this "Dead Boys" crew, including their leader Mort Fatale.  While Qigly plays cards and entertains himself by doing complex math in his head, the crew is trying to dig their way out of the warehouse.  They anxiously await their getaway driver, one Mr. Robert DeNitro... oops...

Lobo and Glim arrive at the Bounty Office with a "Feetal's Gizz".  He attempts to trade in DeNitro's schnoz for the credits... unsuccessfully.  Lobo does not ingratiate himself to the Bondsman, and almost finds himself losing the gig.  

Before things get too heated, Lobo heads off into the main bounty hall.

Inside the already ticked off Bondsman offers Lobo the 10 million credit bounty for... Vernon Z. Qigly.  Lobo peeps the geek on the poster, and thinks it's money in the bank.  He happily accepts, and heads out for his "sure thing".

Back in Dagma City, the Pan-Galactic Mob discovers the Dead Boys, and a hellacious firefight takes place.

At the Bounty Office, we see that the Bondsman tore off some very important information from the bounty memo... it appears as though the main man was sent in on a suicide mission...

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Okay, I had a bit more fun than I was expecting with this one.  My Lobo frame of reference is pretty much "that guy Superman fights sometimes" and "Young Justice team member Slobo"... Seeing the "main man" in his natural habitat was a treat.  I get the idea that Lobo is not someone we should be cheering for, however, there is just something about him... an odd charisma, that makes you (or me, at least) wanna see him just punch fools out.

The art and coloring were great too.  When I think Lobo, my mind usually goes to the abstract Keith Giffen covers that look more like his Trencher work than his DC work... or those overly "meaty" looking covers that always grossed me out as a kid.  Val Semeiks' art here is more of a classic comic style, and is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow.

This probably isn't must-reading or anything, but if you come across it... it's definitely worth a look.  

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New Teen Titans (vol.2) #19 (1986)

New Teen Titans (vol.2) #19 (1986)
"Breaking Up is Hard to Do"
Writer/Editor - Marv Wolfman
Penciller - Eduardo Barreto
Embellisher - Romeo Tanghal
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Cover Price: $1.50

I came to the realization that I haven't given nearly enough attention to the Teen Titans on this here blog.  Gonna work toward rectifying that.  It's funny, sometimes it's more difficult to look at/discuss the books I hold the most dear.  The Teen Titans (in their many incarnations) is definitely one of the "toughies".

One of the goals I had in starting such a blog is to help bring readers into the gestalt of when the issues were published.  That is why I've always included some of the more noteworthy ads at the bottom of my review pieces.  From this point on, I decided that (when applicable) I'm going to try and include letters pages as well.  I remember eating those up as a kid... always loved reading them, especially those with numbered questions!

Anyhoo... enough housekeeping, let's get on to the usual spoilery synopsis.

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We open as Gar Logan's stepfather, Steve Dayton (in full Mento gear) is blasting Cyborg as Changeling protests.  This is during a time in which Dayton's Mento helmet is making him crazy, so I believe the team was kind of treating him with "kid gloves" knowing he's not fully responsible for his actions.  This current action, however, may prove fatal to Gar's best buddy Vic Stone... so he realizes he's going to have to act... before it's too late.

Mento shows Gar what's going on inside his mind, and he is treated to visions of the fallen Doom Patrol members... all blaming him for their deaths... and telling him the only way to make things right is killing the Titans.  During this destraction, Cyborg is able to rally off a desperation energy blast into Mento's back, rendering him unconscious.

Gar shifts into a baboon form, and hoists his buddy up onto his shoulder.  He takes him to S.T.A.R. Labs, more specifically the office of Dr. Klyburn (who, last we saw her at the blog... she was harping at Booster Gold).  Dr.'s Klyburn and (Vic's would-be girlfriend, Sarah) Charles access the damage, and ready Vic for surgery.

We shift scenes to Dick Grayson's apartment.  Donna's stopped by for a visit, though it's pretty clear that Dick would much rather be alone.  This is just following a story arc in which the team went to Starfire's home planet Tamaran.  To bring about peace, Starfire had to agree to an arranged marriage.  Being as though Dick was her at-the-time boyfriend, this did not go over all that well with him.  Here we see Dick trying to process that...

Donna keeps pressing Dick to talk this through... though he's just not hearing it.  He repeatedly asks her to leave, yet she won't.  She sees her friend hurting, and wants to be there for him.

At this point, Dick flips the script.  Donna wants to talk?  Okay, they're gonna talk.  Say, Donna... where's Raven?  Raven (along with her mother) had just recently been mixed up with the Church of Brother Blood.  Donna is taken aback... and doesn't quite know how to respond.  She begins stammering... she certainly wasn't prepared for that.

With Donna on the ropes, Dick asks why she allowed Gar and Vic to go running off after Mento.  Mento, who is extremely dangerous, and who is in possession of a helmet capable of leveling the city... Donna's still reeling.

Then, Dick reminds Donna that (former Titan) Kole was dead (she died during Crisis on Infinite Earths).  Dick calls Donna out for being too involved with her husband, (urg...) Terry Long's college papers to be an effective leader, and flat out implies that Kole's blood is on Donna's hands.  Donna's had enough!  She smacks Dick clear into the next room (literally... like, through a wall).

Donna gives chase, but Dick's acrobatic finesse allows him to slip past.  He exits the apartment, and tells Donna to lock the door when she leaves.  Dick changes into his Nightwing togs, and immediately regrets the confrontation.

Donna calls Terry, interrupting a conference he's currently having.  Terry's professorship is in jeopardy unless he's able to produce some published work.  This has been going on in the background for a little while now.  They don't chat long, as Donna's gotta head to S.T.A.R. Labs to check in on Vic.

ugh...

At S.T.A.R., it almost seems as though a different Donna shows up.  Cold, impolite... just not the same Donna.  The confrontation with Dick really appears to have affected her on a deep level.  We learn that Cyborg's robotic parts were never meant to be abused the way they had been, and there are no guarantees for the ongoing surgery.

We get a scene with Donna and Gar.  She apologizes for her behavior, and asks how she's been as leader.  Gar jokes that she's... good, not great... and expresses great delight at that fact.  For as long as he's known her, she's been perfect.  He likes knowing that even she struggles from time to time.  

The pair run into Vic's old flame, Sarah Simms from the special school.  They tell her what's up, and she insists on joining them at Vic's side.  At S.T.A.R., the Sarahs finally meet... Simms asks Charles to "be good to him", and they part amicably.

We join Nightwing as he does dome digging on the Church of Brother Blood.  He is still lamenting the event with Donna, and questioning whether or not the Titans life is still for him.  He is unsuccessful in getting any info, and almost gets himself caught.  After narrowly escaping, he begins to look at Donna's stint as team leader in a bit of a different light.

On Tamaran... Starfire and her husband duel, and make love.  That's about all there is to do on Tamaran... sorry, but Titans-in-space stories put me right to sleep... in fact, just about any team-in-space has that effect.  Probably why I don't get the Legion of Super Heroes.

Back on Earth, Cyborg's surgery is a success!  After a brief celebration, Donna is contacted by Titan's FBI contact King Faraday about a gig.  Seeing the state of disarray her team is in, she has little choice but to call in some replacements... Meet the new/old Teen Titans... Wonder Girl, Hawk, Speedy, Aqualad, the Flash, and Jason "Robin" Todd.

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Amazing issue all around.  I've always been a sucker for team-turmoil issues, and this one is done incredibly well.  Dick and Donna's brief but explosive argument was absolutely great.  This is a hallmark of Marv Wolfman's writing... even with the pair at each other's throats, you can still see that they love each other... more deeply than if they were in fact, lovers.  It's that familiarity that gives them the ability to "push buttons"... and hit each other "where it hurts"... 

We're all close with people who sometimes get on our nerves.  It's just part of being human.  When things are heating, it's common for both parties to overreact... but also, there are those moments where you unleash a statement that has just enough truth in it, that it can absolutely devastate the other.  Dick goes about grading Donna on her performance as team leader... addresses her absenteeism due to her spousal responsibilities... he digs and digs and digs... until his finds that one raw nerve.  We've all been there... as soon as the words leave our lips, we wish for nothing more than the ability to draw them back in.  An amazing scene.

In the aftermath, Donna affects a coldness... almost an aloofness.  Instead of dealing with and reconciling her emotions, she basically just swallowed it.  Dick, on the other hand clearly regrets how heated and escalated the confrontation became.  The underlying issues with Vic serve as the perfect backdrop for all of this inter-Titan-drama.  I almost can't blame Donna for not taking the time for decompress... because, sadly, there is no time.  Titans business had to be attended to, and in light of Dick's recent accusations, she knows she can't "let down" the team (in her mind) yet again.

The surprise ending was a lot of fun as well.  This, I would imagine, was perhaps the first time contemporary (at the time) fans saw such a team of Titans.  Wally and Roy had popped in from time to time, but Hawk, Aqualad, and Robin (Jason Todd) may be a neat novelty.

Have no complaints about the art.  I think the worst thing people can say about Eduardo Barreto is that he's "not George Perez"... and, lemme tell ya, there's only one George Perez.  This issue featured a lot of talking as well as action, and Barreto delivered.  I really liked how during the big Dick 'n Donna scene, it appeared as though he evoked the look of an old 1960's romance comic!

Definitely worth tracking down.  Shouldn't be terribly difficult to come across, and shouldn't hurt the wallet all that much either.  The New Titans Omnibuses haven't quite made it to this issue, to my knowledge... however, at the rate they're going, I would expect it in Volume 4 (if it's in the offing).

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