Blue Beetle (vol.6) #9 (February, 1987)
"Legends, Chapter 11: Timepiece!"
Writer - Len Wein
Pencils - Paris Cullins
Inks - Dell Barras
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Karen Berger
Cover Price: $0.75
Hard to believe we're going on three years at this blog, and I've yet to cover an issue of Blue Beetle. Well, there's a reason for that... and it has to do with my persnickety-ness.
Ya see, I couldn't decide what "volume" to give this. I could just say it's the "first DC volume" and call it good... but, you know me... if there's a way to make things more complicated, you can be dang sure I'm going to do it.
Since I don't want to necessarily preclude us from discussing the Charlton era Beetle books, I've decided to do a deep dive into the volume minutia. I concluded that this, the first DC volume of Blue Beetle, is actually Volume 6... I think... I hope.
Anyhoo... let's get to it!
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We open with a rather aggravated Blue Beetle getting ready to take on a bunch of "Cyberpunks". He's so annoyed and bored with these geeks, he mentions that he could beat 'em all up... with both arms tied behind his back. When one of the punks suggest he put his money where his mouth is, Ted does just that. He proceeds to pummel the punks, with both arms behind his back!
We see that he only confronted the Cyberpunks because they were hasslin' an old lady. When Ted goes to check on her, she lashes out and takes a swipe at him with her pocketbook. Ya gotta remember, this issue is a Legends tie-in... and superheroes had lost the trust of the common folk. Ted collects himself, and hops a ride on the Bug before the police show up.
We shift scenes to the home of Angela Revere, an employee of Kord Industries. She's been stealing little bits and bops from her employer over the past little while for her Uncle David... who we know better as Chronos, the Time Thief! Hey, stop laughing back there. Anyhoo, when Angie starts having second thoughts about this arrangement, he shocks her silly... leaving her "frozen in time".
Ted returns to his garage, all the while thinking about the damage being done to the superhero community thanks to one G. Gordon Godfrey. As he begins running maintenance on the Bug, he wonders if he's wasting his time.
We shift scenes to Death Valley, California... where a Geologist named Cassandra Sharp finds herself swept up in a sudden sandstorm. Time passes, and she is discovered by a pair of shadowy folks in a black helicopter. Uh-oh.
Back at Kord, Incorporated... Ted and his assistant, Mel watch the news. What they see is... if I'm honest, a pretty poorly rendered Ronald Reagan. He is delivering a message on an executive order. Costumed superheroes are to "cease their public activities"... which is to say, the heroes have been outlawed!
From here, the report shifts over WHIZ-TV anchor, Gwyneth Tate. She proceeds to conduct an interview with the fella who foments... G. Gordon Godfrey. He rattles off his usual spoo about superheroes not being the best role models... their resorting to violence, yadda yadda yadda. Ted flips the set off.
Mel's a bit annoyed... she wanted to hear more of what Godfrey had to say. Ted's... well, Ted's pretty annoyed himself. He wonders what might be in store for he and the rest of the superhero community if the President sticks to his guns.
We shift scenes back to Chronos. He's got a pair of nudnicks loading a box truck full of clocks. When one of them suggests they get a cut'a da action... and threatens to spill the beans if they don't... Chronos, well... Cronos kills them. Whoops. What a stupid way to die... impaled by a clock hand.
After a stop at the Kord Metallurgy Lab, where... something happens... we hop over to the Chicago Police Department, where officers Fisher and Frank argue about the President's superhero ban. It gets heated quick... and actually feels like the way people usually discuss real-world politics.
Back at Kord, Ted is informed that Angie Revere hasn't shown up for work. This is quite unlike her, and therefore raises some concern. Despite Mel's arguing, he decides to head out for a breath of fresh air to check in on her.
Next stop for us... Pago Island, where a fella named Conrad Carapax is trying to dig himself out of a collapsed tunnel. During this dig, he comes across a steel door. Inside that door... a red suit of armor?!
Back in civilization, Ted arrives at the Revere home. Worth noting, Ted's convertible is... kinda precious! I mean, dude barely fits in the thing! When there's no answer at the door, Ted decides to do a little reconnaissance work... and, ya know... peek through the windows. He sees Angie all frozen in time, and busts in to check on her.
Once he's able to shake her back to her senses, she comes clean about stealing Kord Industries equipment... and continues to reveal that the equipment was used by her Uncle to create a weapon.
We wrap up with the reveal (to Ted, anyway) that Angie's Uncle is actually Chronos, the Time Thief. Ted realizes that, superhero ban or not, the Blue Beetle is about to be back in action!
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If you've taken PSY101, you're probably familiar with the concept of "transference"... oversimplified, it's when you assign attributes to a person because they remind you of someone else. It could be due to looks, or quirks... whatever the case, you find yourself imposing unfair expectations on them. That's kinda how I feel whenever I read a non-bwah-ha-ha appearance of Ted Kord.
Yeah, it's not exactly transference, since... this is still Ted Kord... but, due to his depiction in the JLI, I cannot help to expect a silly story whenever I see him. It's an unfair expectation, sure... but, it's always my first instinct.
That being said... this was definitely a story with a more serious tone... and despite it not being "bwah-ha-ha silly", I loved it! It's been ages since I've taken a look at Legends, and issues like this remind me why I really ought to prioritize a reread of the event in the near future.
We've got Ted caught between a rock and a hard place here. If he stands down and complies with Reagan's superhero ban... Chronos stands to get into some pretty bad stuff. If he rises up as the Beetle... well, that puts him at odds with the United States Government... which could leave him in an even stickier spot. It's really well done.
The art here is also really well done. Cullins is like a near perfect blend of comic book and cartoon... I find his style to be a great fit for this book.
All told, this was a great time. Even if your only frame of reference for Blue Beetle is of the more lighthearted "bwah-ha-ha" sort (like mine was), there is still a whole bunch to dig here. This story has been collected in SHOWCASE Presents: Blue Beetle and is available digitally.
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Supergirl (vol.2) #16 (February, 1984)
"Bug-Out!"
Writer - Paul Kupperberg
Breakdowns - Carmine Infantino
Finishes - Bob Oksner
Letters - Andy Kubert
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.75
Can't believe it's taken me so long to cover this one. I'd found it a few months ago... and tossed toward the top of my "gotta do" pile. Then, I guess, I threw a whole 'nother pile on top'a that one!
Oh well, better late than never!
- POP! -
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We open in Downstate Illinois, where a convict is en route to, I'm going to assume... prison. We see a little golden bug buzzin' about... and then - POP! - our convict is able to 'port out, causing a terrific crash between a pair of police cars and the transport vehicle. Among the wreckage we find, Irwin Schwab! Once more, he POP!s out.
At that same time in Upstate Illinois, Supergirl is catching a train... literally... like, she's dealing with a derailed train... hey, it was her joke, not mine. She makes sure to inform us that she has a cousin named Kal, and that she is just a 15-Year Old from Argo City. I'd have sworn she was a little bit older than that...
Anyhoo, Kara saves the day, and is off to grab a corned beef sandwich lunch with Phil Decker. Now Phil is a conductor for the Chicago City Orchestra... and to hear him tell it, the rest of the Orchestra is positively lost without his guidance. They part company so Phil can return to the Symphony Hall, and Kara to school. She's still only 15, right? Is that like an "Arisia 15"?
Just then... - POP! - Ambush Bug appears atop a building, and boy howdy is he happy to be in Chicago! His celebration is interrupted by... well, falling off that building. Don't worry though, he - POP!s - out before going splat.
We rejoin Phil at the Symphony Hall... and learn that someone calling themselves "The Bandit" has stolen all of their choice musical instruments. Seems this "Bandit" is a serial stealer... he's been swiping all of the most valuable instruments from all over the country. Knowing this, you'd almost think they'd maybe save the Stradivarius for special occasions and not pull it out for everyday practice, right?
We bounce over to Lake Shore University, and Kara has a chat were her fashionable friend, Joanie. They talk about Phil a bit... John Williams' name comes up a couple of times too. They walk together until reaching Dr. Metzner's office. Kara enters, and is shocked with how neat and orderly it is (I'm guessing his messiness is a running gag). She goes to reach into his file cabinet but is rushed off on a special assignment, making 500 copies of a memo... about trying to save paper. Wonk Wonkkkk. Turns out, Metzner just didn't want her digging in his files... because that's where he jammed the clutter.
We shift scenes to Grant Park, where Archie Bunker tosses his hot dog wrapper on the ground. Welp, not on Ambush Bug's watch, Old Man. The Bug - POP!s - in to deal with the vile litterbug... and by "deal with", I mean... punch square in the mush. An officer sees the commotion, but AB is able to - POP! - out before a confrontation.
Back at Uni, Kara returns to Metzner with the "500 copies", though by looking at 'em, there's gotta be 3-4,000 sheets in her hand. She then gets a call from Phil, who gives her the skinny on The Bandit... oddly enough, she's actually aware of his serial swiping! You'd think she'd have done something about it... oh well, maybe she's just not a fan of classical music. Either way, she decides now it might be worth looking into.
Over at the Hancock Building, a man is smoking a cigar... he boards an elevator clearly marked as being "No Smoking"... and by "clearly marked", I mean there's a very small, hand-written sign posted. No worries though, because Ambush Bug is on the job!
After - POP!ing - outside, Ambush Bug gets a good look at... Supergirl! Well, he mistakes her for his old pal, Superman... either way, it looks like we're about to be in for a team-up.
AB heads over to "reconnect" with his pal... which goes about as smoothly as you might imagine, considering Supergirl hasn't the foggiest idea what he's going on about. She more or less ignores him, so she can continue her search.
Meanwhile back at the Symphony Hall, Phil is approached by... The Bandit! The baddie assures Phil that he's not looking for any money... it's something else he wants. At gunpoint, he forces him to follow.
Back outside, AB tries to - POP! - follow Supergirl, however, winds up inside a giant pinball display... narrowly missing a bonking from the ball.
After overhearing a hot tip, Ambush Bug returns to Supergirl to share the information. She still hasn't a clue who he is... so, he introduces himself. This jogs Kara's memory about what cousin Kal told her about him. She recalls that AB was supposed to be in prison... and, ya know, since he's not... that makes him an escapee. This makes him her new top priority.
Back at the Symphony Hall, Phil Decker is brought to a stage where all of the stolen instruments are being held by mechanical mannequins. The Bandit wants to hear a symphony of the greatest, most magical instruments... and who better to conduct, than the great Phil Decker. I bet he wishes he wasn't so braggadocios about his orchestral leadership prowess now!
Outside, Supergirl is chasing Ambush Bug all ova da place. It's here we get a pretty strange line from AB... he says Supergirl is "awesome when aroused". Okay then.
Next - POP! - takes us inside a sporting goods store... then, finally - POP! - the stage where Decker is trying to conduct his mechanical musicians. The Bandit fires off a shot, however, Supergirl swoops in before the Bug gets blasted.
After kayoing The Bandit, Supergirl finally clears the air... she tells Ambush Bug that she and Superman are two different people. Well, could've saved yourself a bunch of trouble had you said that a dozen pages ago!
We wrap up with AB getting arrested. As he's walked into jail, he sees Linda Danvers... howeeeeeever... he recognizes her as Supergirl. Whoops!
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Not bad. Probably not one of my favorite Ambush Bug stories, but pretty good. I think I'd have dug it more with a different artist though.
1980's Infantino isn't really my cuppa tea. There are some solid pages/panels here... but, then there are the ones where everybody's face looks just wildly unpleasant. There are panels where poor Decker's face looks like it was molded out of a pile of cold cuts!
Onto the story... I'm not terribly familiar with Kara's cast during her "Daring New Adventures..." era, but I get the impression here that it was a pretty fun crew. We've got Joanie, and Phil, and messy Doc Metzner... ehh, maybe not... but I am a sucker for both world building and soap opera... and it looks like we get a bit of both here.
Having Ambush Bug dole out justice in Chicago was pretty fun... as was his mistaking Kara for Kal. The "gag" might've outlived its welcome the third or fourth time... but, whattaya gonna do? This sort of thing isn't something any other character could get away with, so I guess "milking it" a bit isn't the worst thing ever.
The motivation for The Bandit also wasn't the worst thing. He just wanted to hear the finest music, from the finest instruments... led by the finest conductor. Decent enough for a one-and-done baddie.
Overall, there's definitely fun to be had with this issue, however, this is far from the funnest Ambush Bug appearance. This story has been collected in both The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, Volume 2 and SHOWCASE Presents: Ambush Bug. It is also available digitally.
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Justice League of America (vol.3) #1 (April, 2013)
"World's Most Dangerous, Chapter One"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Art - David Finch
Colors - Sonia Oback w/Jeromy Cox
Letters - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Katie Kubert
Senior Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $3.99
Hey, waitasec... is that a variant cover?!
Yep, this is one of the handful of times I decided to order a variant instead of the "regular" edition... not that it's all that much different, just a state flag instead of Old Glory. In this case, Arizona's state flag.
I've said before how little patience I have for variants... but I don't think I've ever gone into detail with the "why's". First, I feel like they make covers, in and of themselves, less special... and ultimately less memorable and iconic. I don't think I can name a single memorable cover from the past several years.
Also, it makes ordering comics a whole lot more complicated than it ought to be! I use DCBS to order my books, and in an age where damn near every single book has at least one variant cover, it sometimes feels like I'm stomping through a minefield wearing tennis racket shoes when I try and complete my order. I shouldn't have to pore over the order page the way I do just to make sure I don't accidentally choose a $50 variant cover of Wolverine as a baby, or Harley Quinn eating a hot dog. Of course, I get the opportunity to review my order, but still... it's a great big pain in the butt.
Now, don't get it twisted. If variants are your thing, more power to ya. Though, I can't say I'm not looking forward to the day where we look back at them the same way we currently look back on the era of "enhanced" covers.
With that bit of kvetching out of the way... onto the book!
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We open five years ago... hey, that's such a New-52! thing to do, ain't it? We're in London, where Professor Ivo has a meeting with... somebody, about the recent appearance of super-heroes. Since they're the opposition, they suppose this makes them super-villains. We jump to the present, and find a green-clad fella wearing a demon mask being followed through a forest by... the Justice League?! They claim that their "creator" wants this guy dead.
Speaking of the Justice League, next we shift scenes into the offices of Amanda Waller. I swear I read her voice as the Chief's from that Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego kids game show. Anyhoo, she's meeting with Steve Trevor about putting together another Justice League... one that reports to the United States government. He doesn't think it's all that great an idea... the Wall just believes he's too emotionally invested in a certain member of the real Justice League.
To attempt to "bring him around", Waller shows Steve a photo of Superman and Wonder Woman making out. I think that happened in or around Justice League (vol.2) #12. It's also that thing that Booster Gold wanted to make sure never happened... and when it did, he vanished into the timestream. Man, they did so much planning in these early stages of the New-52!, didn't they? Remember all that awesome and riveting follow-up?! Yeah, me neither.
Trevor's still not 100% on-board, but is now willing to listen. Waller uses this super-tryst as the rationale for putting together a League who answers to the government. After all, what happens if/when Superman and Wonder Woman break up? Will there be a super-war? What happens if/when Superman and Wonder Woman... have kids??? According to Waller, there are a number of ways that this can "end badly".
And so, she begins rattling off members of this supposed new team... starting with, Hawkman! Steve wonders why Hawkman would ever agree to joining the JLA... Waller explains that they've offered him diplomatic immunity, so that he can continue doing whatever it is he's doing without worry of repercussions. We get a look at the man himself, and it looks like he's kiiiiiinduva dirty cop.
The next member is Katana. Steve protests immediately, as Katana is... ya know, a killer. Waller explains that she's no longer an assassin... then goes on to say that she is vying for the title of "World's Deadliest Assassin". Huh? So, is she... or not? C'mon. Anyhoo, she'll join because Waller can connect her with some targets. So... definitely still an assassin then?
Next... the "funny ha-ha" member. The fella chosen for alllllll the retweets, Vibe. He's a young fella with vibrational powers... no longer a break-dancer (which actually kind of surprised me). He is portrayed as not being the most adept at super-heroing, but his heart is in the right place.
Remember that demon-mask guy from earlier? We rejoin him... still running through the woods... and he's losing blood fast.
Next new member... Stargirl, and she's... eesh, a celebrity. I thought the whole charm to Courtney was that she was just a normal girl swept into the superhero world. I wasn't a fan of this take.
Anyhoo, after being regaled by her teenybopper fandom, she saves a kid from a burning building. Looking back, she sees a pentagram, which reminds her of "Pemberton"... likely/definitely a reference to Sylvester Pemberton, the original Star-Spangled Kid.
We get the next few members in rapid-fire succession... just looking at photos on the Wall's desk. We see Martian Manhunter, Simon Baz... and Green Arrow. Steve ain't pleased to see any of these guys. There's reference to J'onn having been a member of the Justice League previously, which ended in a terrible fight (that I'm still not sure we've ever seen play out). Simon had recently been arrested (though, as Waller points out, not convicted)... and Ollie... well, Steve just doesn't think he's up for the job.
Steve's got his own idea for Ollie's "spot" though... Selina Kyle, Catwoman. He hides out in a suite under Kyle's name... and waits for her to arrive. They fight for a bit, naturally... with Catwoman getting the better of the scuffle, again naturally. Steve offers her membership in the JLA in exchange for information. I feel like we're leaning on that gimmick a bit too much here.
And so, our team is assembled. Each member specifically chosen as a "counter" measure against the members of the original League. For Superman there's a Martian Manhunter... Batman, a Green Arrow Catwoman... for Wonder Woman, Katan... wait, what?... Hal's got Simon... Barry's got Vibe... Stargirl is Cyborg's opposite (somehow)... and finally, Aquaman's got Hawkman.
The meeting wraps up when the Wall is called away for a debriefing on Baz. After she leaves, Steve tell J'onn it's safe to come out. Turns out he was here the whole time... and he knows the real reason Steve is going through with this. He promises, if anybody in A.R.G.U.S. tries anything funny, he'll erase everybody's minds. Fair enough.
The discussion is interrupted by word that somebody is "back" and "in bad shape". Steve rushes to the medical ward, and finds the man with the demon mask on the table.
Turns out... it's Green Arrow! He reports in that he was targeted by a group calling themselves the "Secret Society". Steve presses for more answers, however, Ollie decides to flat-line instead.
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Not... my favorite.
First things first... I am so burned out on the concept of a superhero team working for the United States government... or an acronymed organization in cahoots with the United States government. One of the reasons I stopped reading Marvel was that I grew so tired of the Avengers having to stop to check in with S.H.I.E.L.D. before committing to even a bowel movement. It got so bad, it almost felt like parody! I remember opening Uncanny X-Men #1... one of the several we've had over the past half-decade... and instead of opening with, ya know... the X-Men, we get Maria Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D.?! Ya kiddin' me wit' dis?
Even though I hated it (and still do), I could excuse it... because Marvel did have a S.H.I.E.L.D. television program. Did DC/CW have an A.R.G.U.S. one I'd never heard about? Are they cashing in on the mainstream appeal of A.R.G.U.S.?!
So yeah, the very premise and predication of this series has already turned me off. The fact that, with the power of hindsight, I know that this series became an afterthought after Johns left... well, that might color how I receive it during this reread as well.
The team we are offered here is pretty rag-tag, I suppose. Not quite to the point of a CBR "wouldn't it be cool if...?" thread (well, besides Vibe), but really... not one that would make me come back month after month (if I weren't already a completionist, that is).
This whole endeavor feels, I dunno... "empty" to me. It's as though DC realized that there's strength (and $$$) in the Justice League brand, and understood that they might be leaving money on the table by not having a Justice League of America book on the shelves. If our pals in mainstream comics know anything... it's how to flood dem shelves (all the while, cautioning the rest of the industry on "glut", hmm...).
Overall... yeah, this wasn't my favorite. The art was spectacular, I'll give it that much. Perhaps if I weren't so burned out on government-sponsored superheroes, I'd be more "rah rah"... but, I yam what I yam.
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