Wonder Woman (vol.2) #20 (1988)

Wonder Woman (vol.2) #20 (September, 1988)
"Who Killed Myndi Mayer?"
Writer & Illustrator - George Perez
Based on an Idea by - Carol Flynn
Finisher - Bob McLeod
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Carl Gafford
Editor - Karen Berger
Cover Price: $0.75

Here's one from the "check out that cover" collection.  Like, really... check out that cover!  Tell me that wouldn't just jump off the racks at you... 

Wonder Woman is not a title I really ever followed (with very few exceptions).  I grabbed this out simply because of its cover... in fact, this is one of those books that I will "rescue" from any cheap-o bin I find it in!

Can the story inside even hope to match the awesomeness of the cover?  Let's find out...

--

We open with three Chinese gangsters fleeing from Wonder Woman.  They turn to fire their guns... shots that Diana effortlessly deflects with her bracelets.  She snares one with her golden lasso... and demands answers... the question of the day is...

We shift to a report being written by Police Inspector Edward Indelicato.  He recounts the recent events surrounding the murder of Myndi Mayer... the "Publicist of the Stars".  Her body was found in her office, minus her face... surrounded by photos of her clients... including one Wonder Woman.

A forensics specialist checks in, and informs them that she was holding a bloody letter-opener and that there was plenty of cocaine on Ms. Mayer's desk.  The cleaning lady (who reported the murder) gave an ID of a stocky bearded fellow wearing a "Common Sense" band jacket who happened to be on the scene.

Inspector Indelicado and his partner Lt. Shands decide to follow up on the tip, and pay a visit to Ms. Mayer's secretary... Christine Fenton.  They fill her in on the details, and show her the police sketch of the "Common Sense" fella.  She immediately identifies him as Steve London, Myndi's former art director... who was just canned one week prior.

It doesn't take long for London to be sought for questioning.  He's not a difficult man to find... as he's currently having his letter-opener wound treated at a local hospital.  The officers pull him away, and begin a semi-official interrogation.  The alcohol-stinking London claims to not be able to remember whether or not he killed Myndi... however, states that he can't imagine that he would.  He shares the events of his last day under her employ with Indelicado and Shands.

He describes Myndi as being something of a shell of her former self... her coffee reeked of booze, and it appeared as though much of the control of the company was now in the hands of one "Skeeter" La Rue.  Myndi is up in arms about the 153 recent lawsuits filed against her and her company.  She goes on to hand London his walking papers.  London claims that his former assistant Deni took the news particularly hard.

We shift to Wonder Woman checking in on what looks like a Chinatown gang lord, Mr. Choi.  She wants answers about Skeeter La Rue.  Choi plays like he hasn't the foggiest idea what she's on about, and orders her to leave.  His "heavy" gets involved... only to get soundly trounced.  Wondy cinches in the lasso of truth, and learns that La Rue is holed up in a Bedford Warehouse.  Before heading out she puts Choi to sleep.

Indelicado continues his report... behind Mayer's building a shotgun was found... covered with Steve London's fingerprints.  The Inspector and Shands decide to follow up by paying a visit to Ms. Deni Hayes, Steve's former assistant.  They ask her about being out drinking with Steve London just prior to Myndi's murder.  She claims that she took Steve out to tell him about Skeeter La Rue being a cocaine dealer... Myndi's dealer, in fact... which kinda explains how he's taken so much control so quickly.

Deni continues... she took the proof of Skeeter's dealings straight to Myndi, who was less than impressed.  She threatens to fire her if she doesn't cut the crap.  She claims that in sharing this story with London, he became enraged and stormed out of the bar... just moments before the murder.

Thinking the case is all but closed, Indelicado and Shands return to the precinct.  Once they arrive, they are informed that "someone" is there to speak with them about the Mayer case.  The Inspector opens his office door to find himself in the presence of Wonder Woman (and friends).

Out in Bedford, Skeeter is being guarded by a crew of Choi's bodyguards.  He's quite the skittish coke peddler.  Hearing noises, he sends his guards out to see what's going on.  From there, we watch him agonize as gunshots fire out in the distance.  Once that passes... there is a brief silence, only broken by Wonder Woman throwing a good through a nearby plate-glass window.

At the precinct... Wonder Woman asks who is believed to be behind the murder.  He shares what he knows, and it appears as though all fingers point to Steve London.  Wonder Woman feels that Indelicado doesn't quite believe what he's saying... and suggests that there is one true way to get to the bottom of this... and brandishes her golden lasso.

The Police Captain doesn't quite dig this idea... in fact, he thinks it's insane.  Wonder Woman, along with her companion Professor Julia Kapatelis are successful in convincing the Captain to at least let them try.  In a great line, Diana claims this is a matter of justice... to which the Captain replies "We're not talking about justice... we're talking about the law."

Shands is sent to fetch Skeeter, and Indelicado joined Wonder Woman with Steve London.  This is all a moot point, as London's legal council (and wife) don't allow him to get "tied up".  When Shands returns, he informs his partner that Skeeter's flown the coop.

The next day we learn that Skeeter's body was found... he died trying to hop an electrified fence... what a way to go!

Wonder Woman was present when this occurred... and in the moments prior actually performed her own interrogation on ol' Skeeter.  He confessed to having blasted off Myndi's face with a shotgun.  They had a contentious showdown over his using the agency as a front for his dealing... and part company, with Skeeter throwing a small bag of cocaine at her.  He returned later... shotgun in hand.  Further, he admits to having set up poor drunken visitor, Steve London as the patsy for the entire affair.  Once his confession was complete, Choi's men burst on the scene... and in the distraction, Skeeter ran away... right into the electrified fence... whoops.

As we close out, Mayer's autopsy report comes in... and we learn that she was already dead from an overdose when Skeeter pulled the trigger.

... and so, we finally learn the answer to the question "Who Killed Myndi Mayer?"

You got that right, Angel!

--

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover... but, this cover gave me the impression that this would be an interesting story... and it was.  I really found myself enjoying this!  This feels sorta kinda (but not really) like "Who is Donna Troy?" from New Teen Titans #38.  Like, this really isn't a superhero story... it's just a story that happens to have a superhero in it. 

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have precious little experience with George Perez the writer.  I absolutely adore his art... and yet, after reading this it feels almost like a slight to simply refer to him as an "artist"... because, here he demonstrates some amazing writing chops!  I really gotta hunt down more books from his run!

Wonder Woman was always a title and character that I didn't have a whole lot of interest in.  It always felt kinda stodgy... though, I can't really put into words why I feel that way (maybe it's all the Themyscira stuff).  This issue is perhaps the perfect gateway for me to get into regular Wonder Woman reading... as it was a street-level tale... without a whole lotta "Pantheon of Gods" stuff.

This story kept me interested the whole way though, and I gotta admit... I didn't see the twist coming.  I figured straightaway that ol' Skeeter would be the sole responsible party for poor Myndi's fate (though, for a moment I thought it may have been Deni).  The twist at the end was a good one... and really underscores how pointless and evitable Skeeter's ultimate fate (and the entire investigation) was.

Definitely check this one out if you get the chance... even if you gotta dig through the (non cheap-o) bins.

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

Action Comics #582 (1986)

Action Comics #586 (August, 1986)
"The Strange Rebirth of Jor-El and Lara!"
Writer - Craig Boldman
Penciller - Alex Saviuk
Inker - Kurt Schaffenberger
Letters - Gaspar
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.75

Figure I ought to get with the times and take a look at one of these Rebirth books that are all the rage these days!  Let's see if it lives up to the hype... wait, whattayamean wrong Rebirth???

--

Clark Kent has been suffering from recurring nightmares concerning the destruction of his home planet, Krypton.  He awakens from his dream just as Krypton explodes.  He decides this has gone on for far too long, and figures he may find the answers he seeks at the Fortress of Solitude.

At the Fortress, Superman decides to use his Mind-Prober Ray to see if he can dig a bit deeper into his subconscious.  Under the pink light of the probe, Superman's memory begins filling in bit by bit.  He comes across a stray memory wherein his parents hooked a mind-linking device between the three of them before shipping him Earthward.  This is not the Man of Steel origin... no "birthing matrix" here, Kal-El was born on Krypton.

Now with perhaps more questions than answers... Superman needs to get to the bottom of the mind-link.  What was the purpose?  He hooks himself up to a diagnostic machine and finds three sets of brainwaves in his head... presumably his own, as well as Jor-El and Lara's.  Now how can he access them?

Superman meets with many of the greatest minds the universe has to offer... and returns some time later with all sorts of alien technology.  He hooks himself up to yet another machine, and attempts to perform a brainwave extraction into a pair of cloned bodies!  Much to his surprise... his attempt is successful, and so...

The following week, Clark introduces his birth parents to his co-workers at the Galaxy Building.  Lois, Jimmy, and Perry meet Jordan and Lora Elsworth... and are surprised to see their old pal Clark so happy.

After leaving, the three Kryptonians shed their civvies and fly off in their Super-gear.  Superman gives them a bit of a guided tour of the Earth, including sightseeing the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramids.  At this point, Superman struggles to fight off some nagging doubts he has about his "parents"... he expects the other shoe to eventually drop... but decides to just enjoy the moment.

On their way back to the Fortress, the El family even gets a bit of hero-ing time when they save a pair of hot air balloon enthusiasts.

Back at the Fortress, Jor-El and Lara look at some of Kal's Kryptonian artifacts and mourn the destruction of their home.  The scientifically-curious Jor-El meanders over to some of Kal's tech... including a(n apparently two-way) view-screen into the Phantom Zone.

A crew of criminals, including General Zod all curse Kal-El... and Superman is curious as to why he isn't upset to see Jor-El standing next to him... alive.  After all, Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone altogether...

Superman reaches to shut off the projector, but Jor-El stops him.  Superman finds himself about to enter battle with his "parents"... who absolutely wipe the floor with him.  After the fight, "Jor-El" ties Superman to the Kryptonian rocket ship that delivered him to Earth in the first place.  His plan is to ignite the Kryptonian fuel... and blast the ship off Metropolis way.  The entire fight was being viewed by a pair of shadowy outsiders, who appear to be quite pleased.

With Superman having been launched, we find that the pair of outsiders are a couple of bet-crazy aliens called Rokk and Sorban.  Much to their surprise, Superman comes bursting through their ship!

Superman clearly ain't a happy camper, and he demands to know what's going on.  Not wanting a fight, the geeks spill the beans.  Ya see, they planted the bad dreams and the extra "brain waves" into Kal's head... they wanted to see if they could drive Superman to the point at which he'd commit murder.  They had a wager between them, and figured the best way to truly test Supes' code was by messing with his parents.

Superman decides the best punishment he can dish out is bringing them to a Prison Asteroid.  On his way back to Earth, he recounts how he maneuvered outta this jam.  Turns out, the "Kryptonian rocket" was just a facsimile he'd made... and it contained Earth fuel, which Superman could easily withstand.  Before taking out Rokk and Sorban, he knocked his impostor parents into the time stream... by flying around them really really fast.

We close out this tale with Superman sitting at the feet of the Jor-El and Lara statues at the Fortress mourning their loss, yet not completely letting go of hope.  Exhausted from his recent bout of nightmares, Superman falls asleep in the shadow of his parents.

--

Okay, okay... we all know this isn't quite the Rebirth one thinks of these days, however, it was a neat hook for me to share this fun little (extremely late) pre-Crisis era Superman story.

This is an interesting way to wrap up an era of Superman... the issue immediately following this one is the second half of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?... so this is kind of the final "regular" issue of Action Comics before the Byrne/Man of Steel reboot.

I'm not familiar with the works of Craig Boldman, however, I really enjoyed this one.  He leaves a note in the letters column (below) thanking DC for the opportunity to work on the Superman books... I'll have to see if I have any more of his stuff in my collection.  Alex Saviuk's art is, as always, very nice.  I usually associate him with Spider-Man books, but it is a real treat to see him take on Superman.

This had all the makings of the ol' "imaginary story", what with the El's coming back from the dead and all... I'm glad it wasn't, as I enjoyed seeing Superman's true reaction(s) to both finding and losing his real parents.  It all felt very real... and Superman felt very human in the final panels.  He recognizes that he may have ignored his critical thinking with the small glimmer of hope he saw... and he mourns their passing at the foot of the statues he'd erected at the Fortress until he falls asleep.  A sad... but fitting end (almost the end of the entire era!).

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

New Adventures of Superboy #11 (1980)

New Adventures of Superboy #11 (November, 1980)
"Superboy's Amazing New Power"
"When You Wish Upon a TV..."
Writers - Cary Bates & Bob Rozakis
Penciller - Kurt Schaffenberger
Inkers - Dave Hunt & Frank Chiaramonte
Colorist - Jerry Serpe
Letterers - Ben Oda & Milt Snapinn
Editor - Julius Schwartz

After discussing that first issue of (Superboy and the-less) Legion of Super-Heroes, I decided it would be fun to take a look at the other series that spun out of the split.  The New Adventures of Superboy features a young Clark Kent as he balances his entry into adolescence with his amazing super powers.  Now... if you were to ask me to descibe Superboy in one (hypenated) word, it would be "Kon-El".  I never really paid much mind to the stories of "Superman when he was a boy"... I just wrote them off as too silly, or too confusing when I try to reconcile them with my staunchly post-Crisis POV.

With all that said, I wanna take a look at a random issue from the volume... and try to do so with "new" eyes.  I snagged this one mostly due to its cover... specifically the bottom right corner of the cover.  Superbaby?  Really now... that's either going to be the best thing ever... or the worst.  Let's find out together, shall we?

--

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Smallville, and two of the towns most prominent citizens are enjoying it in very different ways.  Superboy decides to fly around the world "just for the fun of it", while Lex Luthor is busy puttering away in his recently rebuilt lab on a weapon designed to take down the boy of steel.

As Lex continues to work he frantically recounts how Superboy has affected his life... cost him his original lab as well as his hair.  All the while his magne-coil powered device is reaching critical mass... Luthor narrowly escapes his lab before it explodes!

In the distance, Superboy sees the resultant plume of electrified smoke from where Luthor's lab once was.  He heads over to check it out, and is able to contain it... but not before getting a decent-sized ZAP.  Not thinking too much of it, Superboy goes about his civilian business.  Luthor pulls himself out of a lead-lined bunker and is disappointed that Superboy got away with but a zap.  

A week goes by, and we pop in on Clark and Lana as they leave the soda shop.  Soon as they hit the sidewalk, a woman's purse gets pinched... I never realized Smallville had muggers!  Lana looks to Clark like "Are you gonna do anything about this?"... and ultimately gives chase herself!

Clark raises his hand as if to stop her... and finds that the mugger is almost magnetically drawn into his invulnerable appendage.  Police Chief Parker just happened to witness the entire event... and posits that Superboy must have been flying overhead, and used his super breath to knock the thief down and out.  If it's good enough for him... it's good enough for me!

Later, Clark in his Superboy togs heads over to the Smallville Carnival where he witnesses one of the rides going kaput.  It's a spinning jet car ride... and the cables have snapped!  Superboy uses his new bio-magnetic powers to safely halt the jets before they crash into the fairgrounds below.  The news of Superboy's new powers is out!

At the Kent home, Clark is demonstrating his new powers to his parents by serving breakfast... while sitting at the dining room table!  The Kents urge Clark to try and get to the bottom of these new powers... which takes him to the remains of the Luthor Lab.

Luckily for Superboy, he finds all the information he needs on some scattered sheets of paper at the lab ruins.  Lex himself is present as well... they share a contentious exchange, and after Superboy leaves, we get the impression that everything is (somehow) going according to plan for young Mr. Luthor.

That night, Superboy is studiously reading up on his new powers.  Ma pops her head in to check on him... and the towel she was holding gets yanked into Clark's room.  Suddenly, everything in the house appears to be getting magnetically drawn to Clark!

He bursts out the window before doing any real damage to his home or family... and as he flies over the farm several trees uproot and magnetically attach to him.  He flies overhead just as Lex Luthor is exiting a movie theater... or maybe he's just loitering... either way, he smiles knowing his "doom plan" is proceeding according to plan!

Superboy leaves Earth orbit, and begins attracting satellites.  In the distance, he spies a black hole... and decides that perhaps the only way he can shake this curse of a power.  Without much of a thought... he hops in!

Once inside the vortex, he realizes that he just may have played right into Lex's hands here... This whole thing is something of a Rube Goldberg plot, and the Boy of Steel fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Superboy decides that if instead of fighting the pull of the black hole vortex he just goes along with it... he just might make it through.  As such, he goes limp... and wouldn't you know it... he makes it out okay! 

... and now... perhaps the main-event of the evening, The Misadventures of Superbaby...

It's a rainy day in Smallville, and Martha Kent plops her infant son in front of the television set to occupy him until their guests arrive.  On the TV is Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.

Moments later, the first guests arrive.  It's baby-Lana Lang and her parents.  Lana is sent into the TV room, and her father claims to be bearing gifts... or at least he thought he was.  Ya see, he planned to give them a "magical" stone idol... but he forgot it.  Or did he?  After wishing he had remembered it... he reaches into the pocket where he would have put it... and finds it there!

A little later yet, the next guests arrive.  It's the Farmers... complete with their baby son, Willy.  He's crying a blue streak because it's raining outside and he can't go out and play.  In between tantrums... the little brat wishes the rain would stop, and even starts to sing.  Wouldn'tcha know it... the rain (rain) went away (but, curiously only in the back yard).

In the living room, the Kents are entertaining.  Martha laments that she hadn't prepared enough sandwiches... and (get this) wishes she had.  She opens the fridge only to find it full of (peanut butter and baloney) sandwiches!

A bit later, ingrate Mr. Lang leans back in his chair and wishes they were at the beach rather than be locked inside.  No sooner does he say this than the house is lifted off its foundation and flown to... a beach... in Kansas?  Nah... I mean, they must've been airborne for hours...

The adults all freak out, and begin blaming the magical idol for the events of the day.  They all line up and beg the statuette to return them to Smallville... but, it seems they left out the magic word.  Superbaby tells Pa that they need to wish if they want it to come true... and the elder Kent now knows something's up.

It turns out Superbaby was doing his own rendition of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp on this day... and, while playing "genie" was behind all of the odd occurrences.  Instead of Jonathan telling his son to cut the crap and bring them home, he decides to indulge him one more time.

The inhabitants of the Kent house all gather around the "magical" idol like goofballs and wish to return to Smallville... and so, they return.

As a parting shot, Pa Kent accidentally-on-purpose knocks the magical idol off the end table... destroying it.

--

What a fun silly issue!  Now, this would've been the kind of thing that would have me running for the (relative) safety of my X-Men issues as a kid... but, now... I really enjoyed it.  Perhaps I'm softening in my mid-thirties.  Superboy (much less SuperBABY) was something I'd shied away from in my youth... thinking it to be silly and inconsequential.  Hearing the John Byrne criticism of "Superboy stories" never really being in doubt really emboldened my stance as I entered adulthood.  I suppose I wrote them off for all the wrong reasons, as this was a joy to read!

Is it vital?  Nope.  Does it matter?  Nah.  Is this even in continuity anymore?  I haven't the foggiest idea... and it doesn't really matter, I guess.  All I know is that I had fun reading it... and fun writing about it.  I think sometimes I get caught up worrying about "what matters" in comics.  Continuity is my drug of choice, don't get me wrong... but, I think there's room for stories like this.

I often forget that there's a whole world of silly DC stories that happened before the Crisis on Infinite Earths... stories I really ought to start exposing myself to, because... I really feel as though I missed out!  It's fun to think there were still pseudo-Silver Age stories being told into the 1980's.  I think at the end of the day, Comics Oughta be Fun (now where have I heard that before?)... and this here is a fun comic!

Superboy was never my jam... but I can really see myself getting into it.  Heck, this may actually facilitate my getting into the Legion of Super-Heroes in a way.  I'm glad I read this, and look forward to checking out more.  Both stories were a blast!  Definitely recommended for an almost anachronistic good time!

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

Never knew the Rich fortune was built on GRIT!
Should'a known...