Secret Origins #2 (May, 1986)
"Echoes of Future Past!"
Writer - Len Wein
Illustrator - Gil Kane
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Anthony Tollin
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Tip o' the Hat - Tony Tallarico, D.C. Glanzman, & Steve Ditko
Cover Price: $0.75
Today's discussion is going to be something of a multi-tasker. Last Spring I contributed a semi-regular feature to DC in the 80's called USENET Fandom, in which I hunt down some old forum posts from the prehistoric internet and discuss them. It's a lot of fun... and with the benefit of (30 years of) hindsight, we already know how some of the Usenetters' hopes, fears, and concerns have panned out!
Anyhoo... this week I decided to dig the concept out of the mothballs, with hopefully more to follow. You can check out the latest piece, right here. Of the subjects covered was a sentence from the text-piece at the end of the issue we are going to discuss today... Secret Origins #2. In it, a maxi-series follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths is announced... and it's called, Crisis on Captive Earth.
Figure while I had the issue out, I may as well cover here as well!
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We open several years in the past at Midwestern University where visiting Professor Dan Garrett is conducting a class on Archaeology. Among his students is a young Electronics major named Ted Kord. Ted brings up some great points during the lecture, and catches up with Garrett after class to chat some more. He (and we) learns that the Prof. in the preparation stages for an Egyptian dig.
And so, we advance several months later where he and a Professor Luri Hoshid have uncovered the tomb of Kha-Ef-Re. Kha-Ef-Re was a horrible monster of a man who was rumored to have been allied with the "powers of darkness". After some flirtatious banter, Dan and Luri decide to head off to a Bistro in Cairo to share a meal. As their plane takes off, they are surprised to find themselves on the receiving end of a barrage of ballistics from the forces of the renegade General Amenhotep.
The pair escape without taking any damage, and land in Cairo without (further) incident. At the Bistro, Dan is still steaming from the attack... and won't stop kvetching about the dread Amenhotep. Who... it just so happens, is dining at the exact same Bistro! Dan heads over to introduce himself... and by that, I mean, grab the General by the collar and shout at him.
Dan threatens Amenhotep, who by this point has already sicced his bodyguards on the angry archaeologist. Dan nails one with an elbow... and runs away. Really now, Dan... what did you expect was going to happen?
Dan and Luri return to the tomb... and find their workers running away from it, as though they were spooked. Despite all of that, they decide to enter and look around. Dan reaches the sarcophagus... and notices a strange azure scarab laying on its chest. He picks it up to investigate, and suddenly finds himself in a dreamlike blur... where he stands at the foot of "The Great One", who tells him it is now his duty to banish evil from the Earth using the power of--The Blue Beetle!
Luri stirs him from his trance... and Dan is alerted to General Amenhotep flying overhead in a jet. Dan changes into the Blue Beetle just as the baddie drops a bomb on the dig site.
The explosion somehow stirs the Mummy of Kha-Ef-Re to life... and lemme tell ya, this bugger is huge.
The Blue Beetle makes (very) short work of the monster, and with the threat neutralized, tries to return the azure scarab to its rightful owner... The Great One. Thing of it is, The Great One don't want it... the power and responsibility are all Dan's. Our man decides to celebrate this by... dumping Luri. Really now...
And so, in the months and years that followed... Dan Garrett wielded the power of the Blue Beetle to banish evil wherever he found it. But that's not the end of our story...
Years later, Garrett receives a frantic knocking on his front door... why, it's his old pupil... Ted Kord! Dan invites him in for a cuppa, and asks him what's up. Ted felt he had nobody to turn to because, ya see... he helped orchestrate the end of the world! Dan's all "splain", and so he does. He had been working with his Uncle Jarvis Kord on some experiments. It is explained that Jarvis was estranged from his (Ted's) father. One day after work, Ted leaves to go home. No sooner does he step off the stoop then the laboratory... well, goes boom!
Emergency Services arrive, and tend to the fire (and Jarvis' body). Ted sneaks back in after the firefighters leave and comes across an apparently fireproof briefcase. Inside it is a map of Pago Island, some notes, and a film reel. Ted watches the flick, and is shocked at his findings.
Dan's still not clear on exactly why this concerns him... and so, Ted shows him the filmstrip. Apparently Uncle Jarvis had worked on creating an army of robots... an army that poor Ted unwittingly help improve! Dan's still confused... I mean, Jarvis is dead, riiiiiight? Well, Ted thinks the body was bogus... and the explody lab was a ruse. He asks Dan if he would accompany him to Pago Island... because, ya know... Dan's got that archaeological wisdom.
Days later, the pair arrive on the island... and are immediately ambushed by a bunch o' bots. They capture our boys and take them to their leader... wouldn'tcha know it, it's Uncle Jarvis!
Jarvis explains his entire plan... because he's a bad guy, and that's what they do... before instructing the bots to "Crush!" Lucky for Ted, he brought himself a bonafide superhero when he picked Dan Garrett. He "beetle's up" and breaks free... before, well... breaking everything. Jarvis crawls away and activates the "elector"... which much to his dismay, kills him. Before the explosion, Dan shields Ted's body with his own.
When the dust settles, Ted finds Dan under some rubble. Dan realizes his time is up... and pleads with Ted to take the Blue Beetle mantle. Ted instantly agrees... just before the ground gives way, sending Dan into the Earthen abyss. Ted is able to crawl out of the cave with his life.
Our (new) man travels back home to consider how he is going to fulfill his promise... after all, Dan got his powers from the scarab... which is currently buried under who-knows how much rubble. Ted decides to rely on his engineering expertise... and constructs the familiar-to-us Bug vehicle. Well, that's one thing down... but, how can Ted himself be a productive member of the superhero community without any superpowers?
Well, lucky for him... he's got the abs of a Greek God, and just enough smarts to arm himself with gimmicks galore with which he can take it to the streets!
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Boy-oh-boy... they sure do cram a lot into these Secret Origins, don't they?
Let's start with Dan Garrett. I gotta admit, I know very little about him. Outside of him popping up from time to time in books like Booster Gold (vol.2), I don't think I've ever read anything with him in it. He comes across here as... a lot less cautious than I expected. Didn't have him pegged as such an impetuous fella. Even if we just look at the scene at the Bistro... it's pretty "out there" and reckless, right?
What's more... he didn't even seem to have a plan. He just grabs a horrible renegade general by the collar... while the baddie is surrounded by security detail. Hot Head doesn't even begin to describe it!
I don't know why, but I thought it was humorous that as soon as he's bestowed with the power of the Blue Beetle, his first thought is to break it off with his lady-friend. It's like then he'll be responsible and cautious. I really want to believe the art from that scene, as it has him just leaving her behind there standing on a rock. Too much!
We do get a sweet page of Beetle surrounded by his rogues gallery from the Golden-Age Fox Features/Charlton days. I thought that was a really cool inclusion... even though, I doubt I could name any of them had the captions not been included!
Onto Ted... the Beetle I (and many of us) know a whole lot better. His origin story is, as far as I can tell, pretty close to the Ditko original. It feels a bit out of place for a post-Crisis origin story... though, I can't quite put my finger on why. It's old-fashioned and convenient... but, I can't outright say that's a "bad" thing.
The art in this issue, like I mentioned in my USENET Fandom piece, feels (like the story itself) old-fashioned. I compared it to how I feel about Carmine Infantino illustrated issues of the Flash late in the pre-Crisis era. Just feels a lot older than it ought to. Not bad by any means, just really not what one might expect from a book that hit shelves in 1986.
Overall, this was a really good way to introduce a new generation of readers to the Blue Beetle lore... and a perfect lead-in to Ted's ongoing series... which would hit in the month that followed. Not sure how much of it is still in continuity (if any of it), but I think it's still worth checking out. Doesn't look like this one is available digitally, though I do believe it has been collected in the SHOWCASE Presents: Blue Beetle trade paperback.
Before we close out, I wanna point folks over to a few great Blue Beetle resources. First, Kord Industries... a wonderful blog dedicated to all-things Beetle. A wealth of information and commentary can be found there... and afternoons can be lost there! There's also our pals at the Silver and Gold Network who host the Beetlemania! Podcast. As of this writing, there are three episodes, so it won't take long to catch up! Both resources are most certainly worth your time.
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Aquaman: Rebirth #1 (August, 2016)
"The Drowning, Prologue: After the Deluge"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Pencillers - Scot Eaton & Oscar Jimenez
Inkers - Mark Morales & Oscar Jimenez
Colorist - Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer - Pat Brosseau
Editors - Brian Cunningham & Amedeo Turturro
Cover Price: $2.99
Hey, Happy Friday everybody. Time for another Reader-Requested-Review... this time from a good pal and "bloggin' brother" Deron from over at Murph Manor. He's a big fan and expert on all things Daredevil and Red Hood... definitely give him a look! Just like last week's requester, Deron's got a permanent home on the "blogroll of Chris".
Anyhoo, Deron suggested covering some Aquaman... either from The New-52! or Rebirth. Considering that I've got a stack of unread Rebirth taller than most first-graders, I figure this is a pretty good excuse to finally get around to chipping away at that pile!
And so, Aquaman: Rebirth!
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We open with some narration captions whose purpose it seems, is to tell us that... ya know what, Earth is mostly water. Yeah, can't help but feel like we hear that a lot in Aquaman books. Anyhoo, our main man is heading toward a a group of Atlantean terrorists who call themselves The Deluge. He is being guided to them with the aid of Mera and Captain Sark, who are currently at the new Atlantean Embassy, Spindrift Station.
It isn't long before Arthur runs into The Deluge... who renounce him as their King. It's explained that these goofs are fiercely xenophobic... and probably don't dig Aquaman's attempts at forming a peaceful coalition with the land-dwellers. In fact, these baddies have tied fusion bombs to their giant sea beasts in hopes of sending them into port to destroy them some cities.
During the battle, Murk questions Mera as to why Arthur would fight against his own people just to aid the "dry-landers". Mera clarifies that The Deluge are not "their people"... they are terrorists! She checks with Garth... Tempest... Aqualad... yeah, him... about whether or not the American people have any idea that this battle is occurring. He says for now, mum's the word... however, if the fight moves closer to land... they may catch wind of it.
The fight continues, and we are given a bit of exposition on Aquaman's place in the world... he's a hero, he's a member of the Justice League... to the public, he's either a menace (more on that in a bit), or a joke... dur hur, didja know that he talks to fish? Can we please stop... eh, forget it... I'll complain more about that down below. So, yeah... he can be viewed as a menace. Case in point, The Throne of Atlantis storyline where Gotham City was flooded!
The fight still continues... now Aquaman and Corum Rath have made it ashore. Rath realizes he hasn't made it to his destination of Boston, and decides to improvise... he'll just vaporize the coast instead of the city! Not today though, pal. Aquaman kayos him good.
Later, we join Arthur at Sam's Seafood, which is a place his father used to take him. He is soon joined by Mera... and they have a chat ova' chowda'. Topics include the Deluge... their failed terrorist act, their designs on secession from Atlantis. It's a pretty good scene, where Mera appears far less "fish out of water" than I'd come to expect. It's made pretty clear that her dry-landing it is all for Arthur.
We wrap up with a reveal for the big-bad. Give ya three guesses who it is... Okay, it's Black Manta. Duh.
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Not bad... but it sorta feels like we've already been here. It's like every time there's a new-start or jumping on point for Aquaman, the focus is on establishing him as a force to be reckoned with... which, c'mon, he obviously is. It just feels like we're overcorrecting from the way "the mainstream" might view him... ya know, "hur hur, he talks to fish".
While on the subject... can we please stop with that? Not just the jokes about it... but the acknowledgement that the jokes exist in the first place? I get that we're kinda hanging a lampshade on the gag now... however, it feels like the sole defining character for Arthur nowadays is "more than just talking to fish". I think that's lazy and does the character and title a great disservice. This would have been so much better had they just showed him being a bad-ass, without the snarky "see... he's not a joke" narration.
To show that I'm not kidding... well, take a look:
... a bit tiresome, no? Eh, maybe it's just me.
Another well-trodden bit of Aquaman lore is the fact that he is of two worlds... and not liked nor accepted by either one. I'm cool with having this point emphasized, especially in light of what he is trying to accomplish with Spindrift Station. I really like the idea of he and Mera acting like delegates from Atlantis... having not read any further than this, I cannot say whether or not this stuck.
While I'm not the biggest New-52! fan out there, I really appreciate that the events of Throne of Atlantis are still part of the canon. That was a really good story, and I am happy to see that it wasn't wiped away with the latest relaunch. I will say I was a bit disappointed not to see any direct follow-up from Aquaman and Mera's brief scene in DC Universe: Rebirth... ya know, where Arthur proposed. Are they already married here? That's kind of the impression I'm getting... though, I am admittedly rather dense at times.
Overall... this serves as a great introduction to Aquaman and his world for new readers (talking to fish jokes notwithstanding). It's basically a fight with expository narration running over it... good for newbies, and light enough not to irritate seasoned veterans. The art here is absolutely beautiful... the only way it could have been better is if Mera was wearing her Aquawoman duds from last year. That was a helluva costume. There's enough here for a reader to decide whether or not this is a title they'd like to continue picking up... it's a prologue, but there's also a story here in and of itself.
Before we go, a big thanks to Deron from Murph Manor for the suggestion. It's inspiring me to chip away (ever so slowly) into my Rebirth stack, and pedantic complaints aside, I dug this issue. If anyone reading has a book they'd like me to spotlight here, please don't hesitate to reach out (here, there, anywhere)! Thanks!
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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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