Bonus Book #6 - Warlord (September, 1988)
"Spotlight on Jennifer Morgan: Growing Pains"
Writer - Steve Wilson
Pencils - Rob Liefeld
Inks - Jeff Albrecht
Letters - Tim Harkins
Colors - Danny Vozzo
Edits - Robert Greenberger
The other day, I talked about an issue of Wonder Woman that I was sure I had... but didn't. Today's subject was kind of the opposite. It's a book that, at a glance, I thought I didn't have! As I was digging through the ol' Warlord longbox, I somehow missed it... which made me a bit itchy. Ya see, the included Bonus Book, if the very New Mutants #87-esque cover didn't tip you off, features Rob Liefeld art... his first for DC Comics! Since Rob's gone on to be, ya know, pretty notable... I feared this might be one of those situations where I was going to be nailed with severe sticker-shock. Those fears were soon assuaged, however, when I discovered that my less-than-nimble fingers just missed the issue while flipping through the bin. Whoops.
So yeah... this is the first DC Rob Lee-field, maaaaaan! This is going to give us the opportunity to take a look as some very early Liefeld work... which is pretty exciting! And no, that doesn't mean today's piece will be rife with durr-hurr, pouches and lol, no feet "observations". We'll save that low-hanging laziness for writers of "hard-hitting" clickbait listicles... believe me, there's plenty of those online. Too many, in fact!
Anyhoo, this Jennifer Morgan spotlight was included within the pages of Warlord #131 (September, 1988)... and this is my first time reading the thing! Heck, this might be my first time reading a triple-digit numbered issue of Warlord altogether!
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We open on a scene of a child stealing a shekel from a corpse... hey, wait... is that Cable? Anyhoo, after nyoinking the coin, the young fella dashes away... a hooded woman watches the whole thing go down. Then... for reasons that will be sorta-kinda clear later on, we shift scenes to a movie theater... where a young Jennifer Morgan and a friend are gushing over Mel Gibson's cuteness. Ya see, it's sort of alluded here that the pick-pocket scene might just be from a movie... but, it ain't. The very next panel reveals that the hooded figure from before is a grown-up Jennifer Morgan. She chases down the li'l thief... and tries to find out what his story is. This muscular tot's name is Valdesar (well, that's going to be fun trying to navigate my spelling-sense through for the entirety of this post)... and he's a homeless orphan, his folks are dead. Jenn notices some bruises on his forehead (which, I can't see) then she and Val embrace.
Ms. Morgan takes the boy back to, wherever it is she's living... I'll admit I have zero familiarity with the "Jenn days" of Warlord. She is met by Masaqi, who has a look like Rob's trying to evoke some George Perez. No disrespect to either artist there. We also get a brief glimpse back to Jennifer's childhood... where she has found a stray cat... and is bringing it back home. Ya see where this is headed? Guess what? Auntie Morgan doesn't want no stinky cat in her house.
In the present, Jenn tells Masaqi that she'll try and find a home for Valdesar the next day, before watching the boy as he sleeps. Probably, she thinks to herself, the first real night's sleep he's had in quite some time... after what might've been his first real meal in just as long. A woman enters and asks Jennifer if she knows the sort of responsibility she's taking on. Jenn shrugs it off... after all, all of Shamballah is her responsibility, so one kid ain't no thang. The woman than advises Jenn that some stuff's gone missing since the boy arrived. Uh-oh. So, uh, ya see where this is headed? We get a glimpse back to Jenn's childhood, where she is hanging signs for a "Free Kitten" on telephone poles.
The next day, Jennifer brings Valdesar into town in hopes that they might track down some members of his family. They run into a merchant named Gratan... who immediately lashes out at the boy! Ya see, he's been stealing stuff. Hmm. Gratan starts slapping the boy around... which Jennifer ain't gonna let fly. She zaps the dude but good!
And ya see... that looks like exactly the sort of thing Valdesar wanted to see happen to the old man. A wicked smirk comes across his face as the dottering merchant lay prone on the ground. We get another glimpse of Jenn's childhood... where, against her aunt's wishes, she continues to feed the stray cat. Ya know what they say about feeding strays, right?
That night, Jennifer puts Val to bed... and he plays it real cool, pretending to be afraid of sleeping, on account of all those bad dreams about bad people and whatnot. This kid really knows how to play up his angle. Jennifer leaves him to rest, and runs into Masaqi... who reveals that, another item has gone missing... this time, a dagger. Looks like Valdesar has some designs on getting revenge.
Oh! That's not all... Jennifer is then presented with some of what Masaqi and Company found in Val's room... those stolen goblets, and that corpse-shekel! Ruh-roh. In the past, Mama Morgan insists the cat leave... as it's ruining all of her furniture. I gotta say, these flashbacks aren't working every time, but instances like this really add to the urgency of the story.
It doesn't take long for Jennifer to realize that Val is very likely going to kill that Merchant... and so, she rushes toward his room. Unsurprisingly, he ain't there. Jenn leaves, wherever it is she lives, and heads for the Merchant's home... she is too late. This is compared to that stray cat... eating a bird? Are we to assume this was a pet bird, and not just "some" bird? I mean, a stray cat's gotta do what a stray cat's gotta do, right? Food's food... law of the suburban jungle, and all 'at.
Jennifer confronts the killer kid... who isn't at all interested in talking. Instead, he runs away... into the street... more specifically, into the path of a team of horses. Splat.
Jennifer isn't dealing with this all that well... and blames herself for her inability to "reach" the broken boy. By this point, Masaqi has caught up... and he insists that this is not her fault. The boy was already gone the day she found him. This is reflected with her mom calling Pest Control on the bird-breathed kitten. I didn't know that was an option for getting rid of a cat?
We wrap up with Jennifer crying herself to sleep... while Masaqi and that woman, whoever she is, look on pondering whether or not Jenn will ever get over this.
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This was good. I enjoyed this! A nice coming-of-age story... or at least, a cruel-lesson in humanity story for Jennifer Morgan. I'll concede right off the bat that I don't know much about her... I'm going to assume she's Travis' daughter? I suppose it really doesn't matter how (or if) they're related for the purposes of this story. It was just a good little story.
The gimmick where we jumped back and forth to Jenn's childhood was creative, and well-done most of the time. There were a couple of vignettes that were a bit of a reach... or were just a bit confusing. The first one, in the movie theater, was especially odd. Probably not the best way to start the gimmick... made me take pause and wonder exactly what we were getting into!
The lesson learned was a good one. Ya can't save everybody... especially when they don't want savin'. I think it's a relatable situation Jenn put herself in... I feel like, at our cores, we all wanna be good people... it's just that that desire is somewhat easy to exploit. We sometimes choose to ignore signs that are right in front of our faces, hoping the best out of those around us. Jennifer did that with Val... heck, she did it with the cat too! She refused to listen to reason... she allowed her Pollyanna pursuits to cloud her view of the situation. Well told.
Should we talk about the art? Yeah, probably. As unclickbaity as this is going to be... and I promise I'm not trying to be a "contrarian" but... it was good. I could be a complete internet a-hole and attribute that to Rob "having a good inker", but I have no problem giving folks praise when I feel they deserve it. Heck, maybe I've got that Jennifer Morgan "clouded judgment" thing going on?
I feel weird talking about art... as, it's not something I usually go in-depth on here at the blog. Liefeldian chatter, however, comes with a certain expectation though, doesn't it? I feel like this was during Rob's time evoking the style of his favorite pencillers... there are definitely some familiar influences in his work here, and honestly, there ain't nothin' wrong with that. I suppose we could say that this is from a time before the "bad habits" set in. Does that get me comics-critique-internet-cred? Oh well. The art was good... it's still definitely Rob (the overly buff child, the high hair... it's clear to see)... but, it was good.
Let's hit up our Creator Round-Up! Steve Wilson, our writer, is a man who existed... possibly still exists to this day? I can't find a blessed thing about the fella! The DC Wiki doesn't even list this story as having existed! Comicvine, my usual "Plan B" for surface-level research, doesn't even list him as being part of the creative team! Rob's listed, so they're not ignoring the story as a whole... but, Mr. Wilson's nowhere to be found! If you know anything about the dude... or, are the dude... let us know where you're at! You wrote a good little story here!
Across the table, we've got Rob... and well, you might say Rob's gone on to do some stuff in the comics biz. He's done the hokey-pokey with DC Comics throughout his career... his next stop after this is drawing the Hawk & Dove miniseries. He did the whole creating Cable and Deadpool thing over at Marvel... and would go on to be one of the founding members of Image Comics... wore button-fly jeans. There are plenty of places you can find in-depth looks at the life and times of Rob Liefeld... including an old episode of The Cosmic Treadmill!
Overall... a good story, probably the best sort of story for this Bonus Book "try-out" format. It's a take it or leave it "aside", stands on it's own... doesn't need to be referenced ever again, but wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings if it were.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
Bonus Book #5 - Detective Comics (August, 1988)
"For the Love of Ivy"
Story - Lewis Klahr & Steve Piersall
Pencils - Dean Haspiel
Inks - Denis Rodier
Letters - Dan McKinnon
Colors - Dan Vozzo
Edits - Denny O'Neil
Ya know, it's been awhile since we covered any Batman here at the blog. I'm pretty sure the last two times were silent Christmas stories... which, it's hard for me to even count as "stories". We've gotta be closing in on a year since we've covered a Bat-story wherein he actually talks!
This little tale was jammed into the staples of Detective Comics #589 (August, 1989).
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We open with Batman swooping down by this fella who appears to have driven his car into a pole. This dude, who Batman recognizes as Dore Warren, is quite disoriented... like, more disoriented than "just crashed his car" disoriented. His face is also a bit blotchy. Dore babbles about an auction... and about a Pamela. Batman assumes this auction is the big Ford Estate Auction... and Pamela, well... he might know someone with that name. Warren passes away moments later.
Batman figures it might behoove him to check in on that certain Pamela... and when he finds her, he discovers that she's spending time with this goofball named Simon Buckley... a dude who voluntarily had his hands amputated and replaced with cybernetics. Batman refers to him as "The Grip". Inside Isley's abode, he demonstrates his great power... by destroying a valuable bust.
Batman makes his grand entrance... and it's clear from the get-go that he is quite the unwelcome presence. Buckley lunges toward him, however, the Bat's able to sidestep the geek and even yank the floor out from under him for good measure. He locks The Grip on the balcony so he and Ivy can catch up.
He asks about Dore Warren... and Ivy's pretty casual about their relationship. They had a little fun, what's the harm in that? He informs her that Dore's dead... which, she doesn't immediately believe. We learn that Ivy's been doing some "Fortune Shopping", as in, getting wealthy people to sign over their life's worth to her. So far, so good... heck, she even got The Grip to sign his over! So, once he kicks it, she'll have like an extra eleven bucks in her purse! Batman notices that Ivy is "caked with" make-up... then notices a strange blotchiness on her arms. Hmm...
Finally, The Grip bursts through the French Doors... and, politely asks Batman to leave. Batman ain't lookin' for any trouble (plus, he's got some stuff he's interested in following up on)... so, he excuses himself. Pam teases Simon that he's acting "jealous"... which, he doesn't deny. Asamattafact, he's quite smitten with Ivy, and doesn't like seeing her chat up other dudes... even those in Bat-Suits. They get ready to attend that Ford Auction. Oh by the way, Ivy also got that Ford fella to sign over his fortune before he croaked!
Batman beelines it to the Hospital to talk to a Doctor regarding the blotches... and, lemme tell ya, it's a damn good thing he did! Dr. O'Dell informs our man that Ivy's ill. Like, really ill. Her immunity to poisons have broken down her natural immune system... so, in essence, she's basically become toxic to herself. Check this out... they've got a cure, but she's always refused it. Batman tells the Doc about the blotchys... and, ho boy... get this, if she's blotchy, sayeth the Doc, she's only got TWO HOURS left to live! Wow, that's quite a leap to make, innit? Well, it's enough for Batman to hop into gear, I tell ya what!
We join Pam and Simon at the Auction... with the former breaking away from the latter in order to "socialize". The Grip begrudgingly heads for the bar for a drink while his "date" goes and (literally) rubs herself on every wealthy fella in the place.
Batman makes his appearance, and informs Simon about Ivy's current terminal condition. Simon admits that he is in love with Isley, and does not want to see her die. They've got to find her... but, they can't touch her on account of her raging contagiousness. It's not long before Simon finds her... in a darkened corner, about to make out with some mustache.
The Grip confronts her about her condition... and reveals that he is in love with her. Her response? She breathes poison into his face, knocking him off his feet. She gets no time to celebrate, however, as she's kabonked in the head with a 'rang just a second later.
Now, get this, The friggin' Grip gets up... and starts to attack Batman for 'ranging his woman! He lifts the Bat over his head "Bane-Style" before settling for a bearhug. Batman is able to free his hands, before delivering a pair of downward elbow-strikes which shatter Simon's wrists! Yeowch!
Batman chases Ivy... into a nearby sewer. Although she's only a few feet ahead of him, it's as though he doesn't have the foggiest idea where she is.
 |
| Dude, she's right there. |
Ivy tosses an "Ivy Bomb" at Batman, which entangles him in (assumedly poisonous) vines.
But, check this out, the vines almost immediately die! Ya see, Ivy's toxic condition has poisoned the sewer water... and killed the vine! That's the good news. The bad news is, it looks like Batman's been infected with the crud!
At this point, the reality of her situation appears to be setting in. Ivy doesn't wanna die... and asks if Batman will actually help her out. Naturally, he does.
We wrap up with the Doc inoculating both Poison Ivy and Batman... and informing the latter that the former will be back to normal pretty quick. Batman thinks to himself that, after such a trauma, Ivy will likely never be the same again. Well, we'll let time be the judge of that one, Bats...
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This was pretty okay! Really feels like any ol' "month-filler" issue of Detective Comics. Which is both good and bad, I suppose. Good in that it isn't of a lesser quality than any other fill-in... but bad in that it doesn't really stand out. If not for the fact that this story is coming to us in the form of a Bonus Book, I'm not sure I'd be able to place the thing in time. Again, that's a good and bad thing. Timelessness is nothing to turn our noses up at in comics.
As a story... it's got a beginning, middle, and end. That's good. Sure, there might've been a few conveniences, and short-cuts taken, but c'mon, there's only so much you can do with fourteen pages, right? We could easily roll our eyes at "Ohmygod, she's got two-hours to live!!!", and while I kinda had a little fun with that during the synopsis, I can't deny that it forced the story to move forward in a (relatively speaking) organic way.
Poison Ivy as a gold-digger... I mean, it works. I've got no problem with a con-woman acting like a con-woman. Crime is crime, after all. Though, I should probably note in fairness, that she was just as surprised to learn that her touch could kill. She only ever intended to make men sick. We're splitting hairs, certainly, but whattayagonnado? Folks are mighty protective and proprietary over Ivy's portrayal these days.
Let's look at The Grip. I'm surprised we've never seen this guy again. Seems like a perfectly good "villain of the week/month" sort, who Batman can get a few "one and dones" out of. Heck, just use the goofball as a "heater" for a higher-profile bad guy. Beats just having a nameless crooked-nose goon standing next to Two-Face, right? Moreover, I think the story of a dude who volunteered to have parts of his body removed and replaced might be worth exploring. There's definitely some damage there.
We've got two writers this time out... let's first look at Lewis Klahr. According to the DC Wiki, this story is his lone foray into the world of DC Comics. Where he has gone on to be successful is in the world of film. In his Bonus-Book-Bio (below), they mention a film he'd done called Her Fragrant Emulsion... which, outside of a rather haunting still image, I have not been able to find online.
Digging deeper into Klahr's work reveals that he's a rather prolific director... even to this day. You can check out some of his work, including a pretty bizarre short film starring, of all characters, Jimmy Olsen at this blog.
If you're interested (intrigued, bewildered, confused), here's that Jimmy bit:
Pony Glass (1997)
‘Superman sidekick Jimmy Olsen is overrun with sexual delirium in this improbably expressive cut-out animation. Lewis Klahr mines the latent anxiety of his midcentury materials to entrancing effect, steering the hieroglyphs of comic books and advertising towards a roaring melodrama in three acts. Nostalgia has rarely seemed less innocent.’
Sexual delirium? In our freckle-faced boy?
Sliding down the table, our second writer is Steve Piersall. He, like Klahr, only wrote this one story. Can't find a whole heckuva lot about him on the ol' internet... I suppose we might assume he found success elsewhere. I will say, that he does come across as rather humble in his Bonus-Book-Bio... and that's not me being sarcastic either.
Across the table sits our artist, and perhaps the first creator we've looked at whose name still pops up today in the industry, Dean Haspiel. For DC Comics, he's written some of the Cartoon Network books, and drawn a smattering of heroes you've heard of. When I think of Haspiel, I usually think of American Splendor or The Fox from that semi-recent Archie superhero resurgence. He's very good, I enjoy his work a great deal. He's got some projects coming out through Image Comics right now. If you're interested, he also keeps a LiveJournal... that can somehow (as of this writing) post from... the future!
Overall, this was good. It doesn't try and reinvent the wheel... because not everything has to. When people do that nowadays it usually consists of using a different person to occupy a familiar costume... or revealing to the world that Superman is actually Lazy Stunt... err, I mean "Clark Kent". A fine story... that future writers can either choose to use, or ignore. At the end of the day, that's really all we can ask for from corporately-owned serialized characters!
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(Not the) Letters Page:
Bonus Book #4 - Legend of the Amazons (July, 1988)
"Awakenings"
Writer - Dan Littleford
Pencils - Palmer Worley
Inks - Brian Thomas
Letters - Dan McKinnon
Colors - Danny Vozzo
Edits - Karen Berger
Before we begin, a few things about today's feature. First, it's a Wonder Woman-adjacent story... so, that doesn't bode well for your humble blogger. Second, this is the first of two of these we'll be getting during our Bonus Book excursion... though, the next time out, it will be called Legends (plural) of the Amazons as opposed to today's Legend (singular) of the Amazons.
Third... this was a book I had to drive all over creation last week to locate! Just like the All-Star Squadron and Batman and the Outsiders Insert Prevues... I just assumed I had this one. And... I didn't! Now, Wonder Woman books are often among the hardest to find "in the wild"... at least in my neck of the woods. Sure, they'll be in the bins... but, it's hardly ever anything resembling a "full run". This might be due to low print runs... because, as much as we might like to think otherwise, Wonder Woman, with very few exceptions, is never really a "hot" book. I'd blame the movies... but, Wonder Woman bin-rarity goes back way farther than that.
I did manage to find it... after many unsuccessful dives and probably around 75 miles of diameter driving. Best of all, I found it for a buck-n-change and in excellent condition, so, can't really beat that.
This story can be found in Wonder Woman (vol.2) #18 (July, 1988).
One more thing before we hop into the spoilery synopsis... I finally got around to compiling all of our Bonus Book/Insert Prevue discussion into an easily navigable page. Click the image below, if you're interested:
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We open in 4500 BC, in a strange (and annoyingly poetic) realm. There's light, there's darkness... there's madness. We're about a half-page in, and I'm already confused. After even more pseudo-poetry, a woman awakens. She has a white streak in her long black hair.
We learn pretty quickly that this woman is being kept against her will, by a King. She is his lover and his slave. She rises out of bed and walks toward a door... where, with her mind's eye, she imagines herself free... a warrior on horseback. Not sure if this is a flashback... or just her imagination running amok. This confusion will only get worse as we continue.
Still on horseback, this warrior woman runs into another. She, the dark-haired one, introduces herself as Mesopee. Wait a second... I don't think I can skip this one panel. Our gal describes her feelings here as... orgasmic? Really now? Checking the cover... yup, the Comics Code Authority let this slide... which makes me think they just had the good sense not to read this insert. I wonder how many children asked their parents what "orgasmic" meant after reading this? Ehh, who am I kidding... nobody read this.
Anyhoo, the women begin this friendly rivalry, wherein they race each other toward an oncoming storm. The other woman, by the way, is called Verona.
Back to "reality", where our captive leaves the breezeway before succumbing to... a headache? Okay... this triggers another trip into her mind's eye... but this one, I'm almost certain, is an actual flashback. In this one, she, as a young girl, is sold into slavery by her a-hole father. She is referred to here as Larabeau. So, who the hell is Mesopee?
In the "present", Larabeau is visited upon by the specter of her father... who she asks why he sold her to the King. He explains that the King's offer was too good to pass up... and, it's not like he wanted to spend the rest of his days looking after her! We learn here that Lara never knew her mother. Maybe that's Mesopee?!
After shaking off the vision, Larabeau wanders into the King's trophy room. Helmets from all he'd defeated adorn the walls... naturally, triggering another flashback. Here, Mesopee (who, I think we gotta assume is Larabeau? Maybe?) and Verona engage in a sort of mutual admiration society. Lots of talk of sisterhood and what-not.
This flashback/flash-sideways is interrupted by the King bellowing out that he requires drink. Larabeau, being his servant, fetches him a goblet of somethin' or another. Wouldja believe it... even this triggers another maybe-memory!
Mesopee has a late night drink with a warrior called Hermitus. Maybe he's the one she was sold to? I really haven't the foggiest idea what's going on here.
Back in the present, Lara presents her King with his drink. He asks if she sees anything in it... I'm assuming he means like a "vision" or something. She confirms that she does not... only "still liquid". Apparently, there is one called Kaleece who can see things in goblets... for whatever that's worth to us here.
Then... get this... the King reveals that he's missing his left hand... and he's rather troubled by this fact! What the hell is going on here?! Is this another vision? Did he forget he only had a wrist-stump on his left side? Is he just a nut?! Good Lord. The King insists that, get this, Larabeau is hiding his hand. Whaaaaaaat? It would appear that he beats the bejeezus out of her for her assumed transgression.
Larabeau crawls out of the room... and into a hallway, where a great blade hangs. Guess what happens next? If you said "another flash-back/forward/sideways/wherever", you'd be correct! Mesopee and Verona have been imprisoned... not sure if they're in the same place... or elsewhere. Hell, I'm not sure it even matters anymore.
The "mind's eye" bit continues into Mesopee and Verona's uprising. They slaughter their captors, break their chains, all that good stuff. In the present, Larabeau has retrieved the sword off the wall.
Homeboy charges in, still looking for his damned hand... but, Larabeau can't help but be elsewhere mentally. As he rants, she flashes back to the uprising... and to Verona's death.
In the present, Larabeau is carving up the King pretty good. This jackass is still ranting about his missing hand. Is this some sort of Greek Myth reference that I'm just not aware of? Talk about tunnel-vision... dude's being slaughtered, and still going on about his hand! Looks like Larabeau has killed her captor at this point... and a gaggle of geeks enter the scene to check on the King. With a smile on her face, she raises her blade at them. We can probably assume this didn't work out so well for the Royal Guard... or, maybe for Larabeau herself.
We (mercifully... finally) wrap up with a woman... maybe Larabeau... maybe Mesopee... maybe both... maybe neither, rising from the still waters of some sort of paradise. Whoever she is, she's lacking that white streak in her hair. There's a brief flashback of... Larabeau's death. So, this is a sort of rebirth? I have no idea how Amazons "work"... is this part of their gimmick [yes, it looks like in the post-Crisis it was their gimmick!]? Oh well. This woman, whoever she is, is alive... and in search of a "Virgin Land" that awaits her.
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What... wha? What the hell did we just read?
Ya know, anytime I read something that I just plain don't like, I always assume it's because I'm just too dumb to properly appreciate it. It's that odd mix of Catholic guilt with 40 years of paranoia and next to no self-confidence. I always just figure that everything is genius (heck, just look at "current year" comic reviews... everything is touted as "genius")... and that I'm just far too dense to receive, process, and enjoy whatever it is that I'm engaging with.
This though? I'm not sure. I've been doing this little blogging gig for near on 1500 days (in a row!)... I don't think I've ever been as confused and detached as I am in writing today's piece. Over the past few days, I've read this story no less than four times... hopeful each time that it might begin to make some sense. It didn't. Am I overthinking it? Am I looking for answers where there are none?
Are Mesopee and Larabeau one in the same? Is Larabeau the result of Mesopee's death and rebirth? Is it the other way around? Are they completely different people entirely? And, that's the deal with the King's hand??? I thought I was having a fever dream there... that panel was bananas! Where did his hand go? Who took it? Did he ever have one? Is he just insane?! I'm gonna guess he's just crazy. Also... who the hell is Hermitus? Is he the King prior to bleaching his hair and mustache?! So many questions... yet, not enough interest to pursue any answers.
I've done some light-Googling... all of the names we've read today... even Greek Myths about "left hands" or "missing hands", but all of those results come back with images of aged and broken statues! The only thing I actually learned, that made a lick of sense during my research was that the Amazons were reincarnated souls of women slain by men. I guess there's our means to an end.
So, if I were to make a guess... and make no mistake, this is just a guess. I'd say... Larabeau came first. Her death led to the reincarnation as Mesopee... who met Verona. They referred to one another as Amazons... which, stands to reason with the post-Crisis origin of the race. From there, they are captured... Verona is killed... Mesopee goes on to look for, what will ultimately become, Themyscira? Sound good? Ehh, who the hell knows? This is like that flash-sideways season of Lost.
One thing I will say about this story... if you ignore the confusing and overly-flowery captions... we get some amazing artwork. Really pretty stuff here. I don't think I've ever seen Palmer Worley before this... but, we'll get to him in a bit.
First though... Dan Littleford, our writer. According to Comicvine, this was his only story at in comics, let alone at DC. Worth noting, this Bonus Book doesn't even get a mention at the DC Wiki! Not sure what he may or may not have gone on to do. While I found his work to be a bit "much", I'm sure he could've flourished in some early Vertigo-style stuff. He's not a bad writer... just, too pseudo-poetic... and maybe a little lacking as a "storyteller". This just wasn't clear enough.
Palmer Worley... another creator who did not go on to much in the field! Besides this story, he is credited with Pencils and Inks on Ex-Mutants #14 (1990) from Eternity Comics and some Battletech from Blackthorne. In my Googling, not much else, comics-related, came up for him.
Overall... a very pretty story, but also a very confusing one. I'd say this one's probably for Wonder Woman completionists only.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
