back issues

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: The Thing from Another World #1-2

Dr. KLeave a comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Story Title: “The Thing (from Another World)”
Published: 1991 to 1992

Writer: Chuck Pfarrer
Artist: John B. Higgins

Quick Facts:
Published by Dark Horse Comics, known for creator-owned stories and licensed adaptations of horror and science-fiction films, The Thing from Another World continued where John Carpenter’s sci-fi classic left off but utilised the title of the celebrated 1951 adaptation of John W. Campbell’s influential 1938 novella to avoid legal issues with Marvel Comics.

The Review:
The Thing from Another World is set twenty-four hours after the team at United States Antarctic Research Outpost #31 discovered an aggressive, parasitic alien organism (the titular “Thing”) that drove them to paranoia and violence through its ability to gruesomely mimic living creatures. The comic immediately answers the question about whether or not the final survivors from Outpost #13 lived or died by showing that Childs carried the unconscious R.J. “Mac” MacReady through a bitter snowstorm and out onto the ice fields and left him to be rescued by the Misaki Maru, a passing whaling vessel. The confused and disoriented Mac is horrified to learn that Childs returned to Outpost #13 to look for more survivors, leading to him being sedated to keep him calm. When he awakens again, Mac quickly cuts himself free and dresses, pondering why Childs would save him if he (as in Childs) was infected by the Thing. Suddenly paranoid that he may be the one that’s infected, Mac quickly replicates the blood test depicted in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and is relieved when he gets the all-clear, lending some credibility to the notion that the infected don’t know they’re a Thing until they’re threatened. Easily snaking around the ship, Mac (being a fully qualified pilot) commandeers their helicopter and quickly picks up Childs’ trail, which heads East rather than North towards Outpost #13. Although Mac’s forced to ditch the helicopter when he runs out of fuel, he successfully makes it back to the remains of Outpost #13, where he quickly gets to work burning the brutalised remains of his former friends.

The paranoid Mac is so determined to eradicate the Thing that he seems willing to die to do it!

Mac discovers the mangled, monstrous hibernating form of another mishmash of lifeforms and promptly blows it to pieces. However, he’s stopped from destroying the separate chunks by United States Sea, Air, and Land troops (SEALs). The SEALs were dispatched to investigate Outpost #13 but appear to have no idea of what really happened there and believe Mac murdered everyone and destroyed the base. Despite being cuffed, Mac leashes out when one of the SEALs, Pybus, curiously touches a piece of the Thing, leading to him taking a rifle butt to the head and the oblivious Lieutenant Commander Les Erskine to order that the mutilated remains be left for the bio-team. Just as the SEALs are boarding their evacuation helicopter, Pybus sprouts tentacles and mutates, firing on his stunned teammates, gunning most of them down and destroying the helicopter. Freed from his cuffs, Mac blasts the Pybus-Thing with a pistol, only for its corpse to birth a bizarre, tentacled alien that finally makes a believer out of Erskine before Mac blows it up with a grenade. After tending to their wounded, Mac and Erskine explore their options, only to find they’re out of fuel and with no hope of rescue. Erskine’s aghast when Mac reveals his plan to eradicate all traces of the Thing, including the both of them, to ensure there’s no chance of even a small part of it reaching civilisation. Erskine offers an alternative solution by holding Mac at gunpoint and ordering him to help get the wounded soldiers to a nearby research station, though they continue to clash regarding their chances and one man dies from his wounds (or the severe cold) on the way. Erskine is livid when he discovers Mac intentionally led them in the wrong direction, leading to another brief scuffle in which Erskine suspects Mac wants them to freeze to death because he’s the Thing!

Mac and Childs must set aside their differences to stop the Thing from reaching civilisation.

Their scuffle is interrupted by Childs and some Argentinians from the base, though the paranoid Mac immediately attacks Childs. After Mac is subdued, Childs confirms that he left Mac to be rescued and went back to destroy the others, though Mac remains suspicious. Mac’s horror only increases when they reach Campo Del Sur and see how many people could get infected, though Childs assures him that the Argentinians are conducting routine blood tests to stay safe. While Mac’s still hostile even after he and Childs are tested negative, he’s startled when Erskine’s unconscious trooper bursts into a bloody mass of tentacles and teeth! Though injured, the Thing quickly escapes, forcing the others to pursue and discover the gruesome remains of its latest victim. Despite Mac’s protests, Childs insists on proceeding further before the Thing can freeze and ends up almost devoured by the gigantic, cephalopod-like Thing before it’s destroyed with a grenade. Erskine urges them to return to Campo Del Sur so he can radio for assistance, leaving Mac to share his concerns about the commander to Childs. While Childs has his doubts since Erskine was so “gung-ho” about destroying the Thing, Mac’s fears are soon proven when they find three men dead in the trashed radio room. Realising that the Erskine-Thing radioed for a submarine, Mac and Childs race to intercept it, riddling the Erskine-Thing with bullets and causing it to wildly mutate. The Thing slaughters its way onto the submarine and goes on a rampage, with the sub performing an emergency dive and eventually crashing after the Thing wrecks the controls. With the submarine quickly flooding and the Thing heading for the escape capsule, Mac quickly catches the survivors up to speed and forms a hunting party and finds it in the torpedo bay. Despite Mac being ready to die to end the Thing’s threat, he objects when Childs goes to blow the hatch and end the nightmare once and for all. Childs thus destroys the submarine and all onboard except Mac, who’s inexplicably blasted from the wreckage and emerges on the frigid surface, passing out on an ice float despite his determination to stay alive…

Final Thoughts: 
John Carpenter’s The Thing ends with perhaps one of the greatest cliff-hangers in all of cinema and fans have debated for years about whether Mac or Childs have been infected or not. One of the reasons it’s such an intriguing debate is that it’s presented as a stalemate between the two. Both are equally suspicious of each other and likely to be either human or the Thing, but both are too exhausted and paranoid to do much about it but “wait and see” what happens. The Thing from Another World isn’t the only piece of ancillary media to provide a definitive answer to this long-debated cliff-hanger, but it’s equally questionable about whether these answers work or not and may come down to personal preference. On the one hand, it’s cool to continue Mac’s nightmare and to see him hunt down and destroy the Thing, and to see how he and Childs react to each other when reunited. On the other hand, it feels like a disservice to the film to provide a definitive answer and it’s possible this story could’ve been just as effective if it followed a researcher or soldier investigating Outpost #13 and perhaps working from the remains of Blair’s notes. The fact that subsequent issues double-down and continue Mac’s story only compounds the issue, though I liked that Mac was even more proactive than ever and used his traumatic experiences and first-hand knowledge of the Thing to his advantage against the shape-shifting alien. I was also intrigued by the twist that he was ready to die to ensure the alien is destroyed. However, it’s bizarre that he so vehemently objects when Childs sacrifices himself and the others on the submarine at the end, especially as Mac was ready to sacrifice Erskine in the mountains. At the same time, Mac was hesitant to murder Erskine so maybe this is just a poorly executed expansion of the fear and paranoia that have so tightly gripped Mac’s heart.

If nothing else, the comic perfectly captures the paranoia and horror of John Carpenter’s movie.

Overall, I’d have to say the artwork was very impressive, perfectly capturing the dark, desolate atmosphere of Antarctica and bringing the gore to life with intricate brushwork. It was a little difficult to make out what was going on at times, especially when the Thing reveals itself, but this may have been intentional to replicate the “less is more” approach of the movie and emphasise how chaotic it is when the infected suddenly sprout tentacles and gnashing teeth. Indeed, the art is at its best when depicting the Thing and its victims, recreating the memorable special effects of the movie and playing upon the reader’s familiarity with the film to depict the remains of Outpost #13 and the mangled corpses of its inhabitants. Mac blows up a hibernating mass of flesh and teeth that closely resembles the Thing’s final form in the film, the defibrillator scene is evoked when Erskine’s soldier suddenly explodes with tentacles and dangerous alien appendages, and we get a better idea of how capable the infected are as we see them using rifles and having the wherewithal to signal for help. The Thing from Another World also introduces a couple of additional forms for the Thing, ones possibly too outrageous and ambitious to be brought to life by John Carpenter’s paltry budget. These include a bug-like Thing, a larger one out in the snow, and the strange, bipedal mess of meat that Erskine devolves into to tear through the submarine. The only real downside is that the Things are dispatched quite easily each time, with a single grenade being enough to destroy or at least subdue them long enough for their pieces to be incinerated. The Thing still slaughters a bunch of people, to be fair, but they’re largely nameless, faceless SEALs whose deaths mean little compared to those of Outpost #13. Ultimately, this was a decent enough epilogue to The Thing, but I think it would’ve been better, overall, to avoid answering what happened to Mac and/or Childs and instead follow wholly original characters as they encounter the Thing.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever read The Thing from Another World? Were you happy to see the film’s cliff-hanger answered here or would you have preferred the story to focus on original characters? What did you think of the art work and the call-backs to John Carpenter’s movie? Did you guess that Erskine was infected? Can you explain why Mac suddenly abandoned his suicidal crusade at the end? How are you celebrating the sci-fi genre this month? Whatever your thoughts on The Thing from Another World, drop a comment down below and send me some love on Ko-Fi if you want me to review more Thing comic books.

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: Echo of Future Past #1-6

Dr. KLeave a comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Story Title: “Bucky O’Hare” (or “Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace”)
Published: May 1984 to July 1985

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Michael Golden

Quick Facts:
No doubt inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), Larry Hama’s Bucky O’Hare first appeared in a screenplay and expanded into a short-lived cartoon, action figures, and videogames, though never reached the heights of the TMNT.

The Review:
We first meet Captain Bucky O’Hare and the fearless crew of the Righteous Indignation in a “seedy section of the universe” and facing an impending attack by a squadron of Toad fighters. Since the freighter has no chance of outrunning the attackers using its standard engines, Bucky orders the crew to prepare for a jump to hyperspace, only to learn from Android First Class (AFC) Blinky that the warp drive is currently being repaired. Things go from bad to worse when a plasma shot from an attacking ship results in the nigh-disintegration of the ship’s chief engineer, Bruce the Berserker Baboon. While Bucky leaves first mate Jenny “temporarily” in charge to try and help, battle-hungry gunner Dead-Eye Duck unloads with the ship’s Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (MASER) cannons, relishing the chance to pick off some Toads even as the Righteous Indignation suffers heavy damage. Although Blinky’s tried his best to repair the warp drive, it’s barely functional and activating it could result in unforeseen risk. However, with the ship in bad shape and the situation desperate, Bucky takes the risk and activates the photon accelerator. The story then jumps to the other side of the galaxy, specifically San Francisco, to find young science whizz Willy DuWitt despairing about being an outcast from his peers and even his parents since his first and only love is science. Retreating to the solace of his bedroom, the boy genius tinkers with his prototype photon accelerator and is confused when his bedroom is suddenly plunged into darkness and his television broadcasts bizarre messages from space-faring Toads.

Child prodigy Willy DuWitt finds himself joining Bucky’s crew of misfit space adventurers.

Bucky and his crew are equally puzzled when Willy steps from a door that randomly appeared on their ship, their two malfunctioning photon accelerators apparently creating a dimensional rift to allow Willy to cross space and time. With the Righteous Indignation adrift, but shielded, by a mysterious stasis field, Willy takes a look at their photon accelerator, only to find it damaged beyond repair and warping reality around it at an alarming rate. Willy suggests building a replacement by getting parts from his bedroom. Bucky orders Jenny to keep an eye on things and ensure the doorway stays open and then accompanies Willy alongside Dead-Eye Duck, only for the Toad mothership to arrive and send a Storm-Toad boarding party to ransack the Righteous Indignation. To protect her crew, Jenny deactivates the warp drive and Blinky hides while the Toads captured her. When Blinky reactivates the warp drive to alert Bucky, Willy insists on aiding in the rescue mission, quickly grabbing his stuff and racing from his bedroom – and his universe – for a space adventure. As the Toad mothership is too massive to utilise a warp drive, Dead-Eye guesses that the Toads will head for the nearest planetary system. Amazed and fascinated by this strange corner of the universe, Willy listens with interest as Blinky gives a quick rundown of the Toad Empire, who started as a fairly harmless (if materialistic and greedy) race before their scientists cobbled together a massive computer network, KOMPLEX (or “Feed Me”), to drastically increase their profits. However, KOMPLEX immediately gained sentience and declared itself their supreme dictator, ushering in a century of industrialisation of regimentation as the Toad home world was converted into a planet-sized manufacturing facility built for conquest. KOMPLEX sent the malicious Toad army out into the universe to plunder natural resources from other worlds, leading the United Animals Security Council to Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Enrichment (S.P.A.C.E.) to oppose them. However, their budget only allowed for three frigates to combat the threat.

While Bucky learns of the natives, Dead-Eye, Jenny, and Willy battle through the mothership.

After providing Willy with Bruce’s old spacesuit and officially signing him up as a crewman, the Righteous Indignation quickly uses a nearby planetoid to avoid detection from the titanic Behemoth-Class Toad ship, which has stopped to refuel using the planetoid’s magma core. Aboard the mothership, Jenny laughs off the Toad’s threats when interrogated by the bulbous Air Marshall, showcasing her inherent witch-like telepathic and telekinetic powers by detecting her shipmates and subduing the Toads with a burst of psychic energy. Since the planetoid has a native population, Bucky cannot attack the Toad Empire without written permission, so he sends Dead-Eye and Willy ahead to gather some reconnaissance and they are immediately spotted by a nearby maintenance team. With no place to hide, Dead-Eye prepares to go down fighting, only for Willy to suggest taking shelter inside the mothership. This sends the Toads into a frenzy as they can’t risk firing inside the flight deck and, thanks to an assist from Jenny, the two come crashing into the ship. This is all witnessed by Bucky, who stumbles through another dimensional doorway to meet the planetoid’s mouse-like natives, a pacifist, philosophical race with no interest in conflict who allow Bucky to observe his friends through a crystal ball. When Dead-Eye blasts Willy with a fire retardant to extinguish his suit, they manage to fool the incoming Death Kommandos into mistaking Willy for the one thing all Toads fear: a rabid Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon. The angered Air Marshall then unleashes their deadliest weapon: the Void Droid, a heavily armed, tank-like machine designed for destruction! Luckily, despite the machine’s awesome armaments and barrage of plasma shots and missiles, the feared Void Droid proves amusingly susceptible to Willy’s water pistol since, for all its defences, it’s not waterproof! Reuniting with Jenny in the workshop, Dead-Eye and Willy join her in commandeering a Toad fighter and just barely escape from the mothership before the blast doors can crush them.

While the Toad mothership is destroyed, Willy’s left stranded in the Aniverse.

The three are stunned to find Bucky conversing with one of the mice on a floating asteroid, the hippy mouse explaining that his race once thought themselves Gods before being humbled after being tricking into buying what they thought was the secret of the universe. While they have the power to stop the Toad Empire, the mice prefer to make things grow, which their nigh-omnipotent representative demonstrates by conjuring a grassy landing strip for Dead-Eye and the others. Enraged by the humiliation he’s suffered, the maniacal Air Marshall orders the mothership to disengage from the planetoid, intending to use the ship’s plasma cannon batteries to vaporise the entire planet. The mouse isn’t concerned, however, since everything on and in the planetoid is a figment of their imagination, the result of their incredible, God-like powers, and will cease to exist if they will it or if anything is taken too far from their sphere of influence. Thus, as the mothership drifts away, it implodes in spectacular fashion, though the benevolent mouse ensures that all its inhabitants were teleported safely to a place where “the food is bad and taxes are high”. Having had enough adventuring for a while, Willy bids farewell to his friends and prepares to take the dimensional doorway home, only to find his neglectful parents turned off his photon accelerator, barely caring that their son has run away from home and assuming he’ll be back at some point. With the door gone and the mouse vanished, Willy’s surprisingly upset about being stranded in the “crazy animal universe”. However, Bucky offers Willy a place onboard the Righteous Indignation and promise to help find him a way home and Willy grateful accepts the offer, joining the crew as they blast off the “croak […] some Toads!”

Final Thoughts
This was my first time reading the original run of Bucky O’Hare and it certainly was an enjoyable experience. It makes me sad that this story is largely lost media these days as reprints are scarce and expensive, and that Bucky O’Hare has largely faded into obscurity, as this was a fun, surprisingly violent story. There’s an amusing quirkiness to this story (which is peppered with the same wit and attitude I’d expect from a British-made comic), which is fully aware that it’s a ridiculous space adventure featuring anthropomorphic mammals battling warmongering space toads and simply runs with that ridiculous premise. Bucky O’Hare had a bit of an edge to him I didn’t expect, with him being extremely protective of the Righteous Indignation and, more specifically, his place as the vessel’s commander. He never gives up his command willingly, even to his trusted first mate, and only pulls the defective warp drive since he has no choice to protect the ship and her crew from harm. Surprisingly loquacious, Bucky is fearless and honourable but also sticks rigidly to the directives as laid out by S.P.A.C.E. This means he won’t attack the Toad mothership without express written permission from the planetoid’s natives and he forces Willy DuWitt to fill out a bunch of paperwork before he can assist the crew since such administration tasks are just as important as blasting Toads. The distinctly Scottish, four-armed Dead-Eye Duck is all about this latter task, happily manning the MASER cannons and seemingly relishing the thought of dying in battle taking out some Toad scum! Even Jenny gets a fair bit of characterisation as she’s not just an unsettlingly alluring rabbit; she’s also a witch from a secretive sisterhood who can erase memories and telekinetically disable machinery. The full extent of her powers is only hinted at here, with even Dead-Eye Duck being somewhat suspicious of her at one point.

Some amazing art, quirky humour, and bizarre characters make this an enjoyable space adventure.

Blinky is largely here for exposition and comic relief, his voice modulator giving him a unique and peculiar way of communicating, while Willy is essentially the audience surrogate. I remember disliking him in the cartoon but he’s not too annoying here, presented as an outcast whose oddball parents barely notice him and whose scientific acumen is so advanced that he can accidentally create rifts in the space/time continuum. It helps that Willy’s not presented as a “Gary Stu” or being taken hostage or acting all obnoxious; he’s intrigued by this new universe and offers some solutions but is mostly just along for the ride. The Toad Empire may be comprised of eccentric soldiers and a blowhard of an Air Marshall, but they’re an extremely formidable force here, easily outgunning the Righteous Indignation and constantly having Bucky and the others on the back foot with their superior numbers. They may be bad shots and easily scared, but their more ferocious warriors aren’t to be trifled with and their Void Droid is clearly an unstoppable death machine whose amusing weakness was an oversight that normally wouldn’t have been exploited. Of course, the allusions to the TMNT and original Star Wars movies (Various, 1977 to 1983) are clear, especially in the depiction of the Righteous Indignation’s damaged warp drive and the Toad mothership (and home world) being gigantic battle stations. Michael Golden’s art is phenomenal here, perfectly marrying these cartoonish animals with intricate, colourful technology and situations and providing a level of detail I honestly didn’t expect from these bizarre, independently published issues. It’s clear that the original comic strip is taking things quite seriously, depicting death and extreme danger for our heroes while still firmly having its tongue in its cheek like in the original TMNT comics. Overall, this was a really enjoyable experience that makes me wish these early stories were more accessible, in addition to the short-lived additional Bucky O’Hare comic books that further explored this rich and fantastical world.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read Bucky O’Hare’s comic book debut? What did you think of the bizarre concept and stunning art? Were you surprised by how dark it was compared to the cartoon? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated comic books? Sare your Bucky O’Hare memories below and donate to my Ko-Fi if you’d like to see more Bucky content on the site.

Movie Night [Sci-Fanuary]: The Thing from Another World

Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Released: 27 April 1951
Director: Christian Nyby
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures

Budget: $9 to 15 million
Box Office: $1.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 87% / 73%

Quick Facts:
Based on celebrated, influential novella, Who Goes There? (Campbell, 1938), The Thing from Another World was loosely adapted by Charles Lederer, Howard Hawks, and Ben Hecht. The titular “Thing” (James Arness) became a plant-like humanoid thanks to extensive make-up later replaced with an asbestos suit for an ambitious fire stunt. Though very different from the novella, The Thing from Another World is considered one of the best movies of the 1950s and inspired one of the greatest remakes ever made in 1982.

The Review:
While searching for his next big story in Anchorage, Alaska, “newspaper man” Ned “Scotty” Scott (Douglas Spencer) bumps into old friend, pilot Lieutenant Eddie Dykes (James Young) of a United States Air Force re-supply crew, at an officers’ club and meets his cohorts: gruff Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and flight navigator Ken “Mac” MacPherson (Robert Nichols). When noted scientist and Nobel laureate Doctor Arthur Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) radios in a vague call for aid at a North Pole research camp, Captain Hendry and his jovial crew are ordered to assist, flying some hands, sled dogs, and the eager Scott out to investigate Dr. Carrington’s ambiguous concerns about a mysterious aircraft. Upon arriving at the Polar Expedition Six outpost, the stern but amicable Captain Hendry bristles to reunite with the gorgeous and playful Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan), who’d previously humiliated him in a drinking game and turned down his handsy advances. Though flustered by her mischievous nature, Captain Hendry is obviously as attracted to her as she is to him and they enjoy a fun back-and-forth throughout the film that’s as entertaining as the banter between Captain Hendry, Lieutenant Dykes, Mac, and Scotty. The crew are clearly friends as much as co-workers and express their affection through light-hearted banter, teasing Captain Hendry for his drinking habits and past blunders, only for him to jokingly threaten them with guard duty and other empty threats. There’s a unique approach to dialogue and interactions here as characters talk over each other and converse very bluntly, making every scene feel ad-libbed (except for Dr. Carrington, who expresses himself with a theatrical guile) and the relationships between the characters feel far more personable and natural as a result.

A remote outpost discovers a humanoid alien that goes on a rampage once accidentally dethawed.

After meeting with the other scientists and civilians stationed at the outpost, Captain Hendry flies his crew, Dr. Carrington, and others to the crash site, only to discover a genuine flying saucer buried under the ice! Rather than wait for approval from his commanding officer, Captain Hendry orders thermite charges to be placed around the site to melt the ice, accidentally destroying the craft when the explosives react violently to the hull. Though Dr. Carrington is aghast by this, his excitement soon reignites when they discover a large humanoid “Thing” buried nearby. This time, the team dig it out and take it to the outpost, though Dr. Carrington’s frustrated by Captain Hendry’s insistence that they await further orders before defrosting or investigating their strange guest. Scotty is similarly irritated to be barred from reporting what they’ve found, seeing the discovery as the story of the century and eager to share it, as Captain Hendry is anxious to avoid another blunder. As the team hunker down against a blistering storm and take shifts watching the creature, Corporal Barnes (William Self) becomes unnerved by the Thing’s gaze and accidentally thaws it out after covering it with an electric blanket he didn’t realise was plugged in. The Thing awakens, briefly runs amok through the outpost, and flees into the storm, attacking the sled dogs and losing some of its arm before disappearing. Upon investigating the severed limb, the resident scientists conclude that the creature is a bizarre humanoid plant that feeds on blood; the hand even reanimates after absorbing some of the dog’s blood staining it. Dr. Carrington slowly becomes obsessed with the creature, believing it to be intellectually and physically superior to man and wishing to learn its secrets, only for Captain Hendry to repeatedly shoot down his insane requests and prioritise saving lives over reasoning with a mindless creature.

Captain Hendry and Dr. Carrington disagree on how best to handle the bloodthirsty Thing.

The titular “Thing” is seen sparingly, which I was surprised by. After its initial awakening, the creature vanishes and the film focuses on the research into its nature, barricading the outpost against further attacks, and searching for the creature before it can strike again. It’s still active in the background, but we only hear about it from shellshocked survivors and through dialogue. Unlike the shapeshifting, nebulous alien Thing from the book and subsequent outings, the Thing is a towering, humanoid “Martian” more like a vampire than a voracious extraterrestrial. The survivors discover a sled dog drained of its blood and hear from the traumatised Doctor Stern (Eduard Franz) that the creature attacked the outpost greenhouse, killing everyone and hanging them from the rafters to drain their blood, which would’ve been gnarly to see. Captain Hendry is surprisingly calm about the entire situation and there are no instances of paranoia or cabin fever among the survivors. The only conflict comes from the scientists who wish to defend and study the creature and the military who wish to kill it. Captain Hendry is horrified to learn from Nikki that Dr. Carrington, who’s been going without rest since the Thing was discovered, has been feeding blood samples to seeds from the creature’s arm, producing alien plants that has the airmen speculating that the Thing came to conquer the world. Thanks to the storm, communicating with Brigadier General Fogerty (David McMahon) and the outside world is spotty, at best, resulting in Captain Hendry receiving a bunch of one-way messages and orders to fortify the outpost and survive but leave the creature unharmed. Seeing the threat the Thing poses, Captain Hendry naturally disregards these orders, and Dr. Carrington’s mad objections, and has the Thing doused with kerosene and set alight when it next attacks. Despite the Thing going up in flames, it wildly lashes out and almost burns the outpost down before escaping into the snowstorm.

Despite Dr. Carrington’s objections, the Thing is destroyed and Scotty submits a dire warning to the world.

While recovering, the survivors are horrified to learn that Dr. Carrington’s musings about the creature’s intelligence are at least partially true as the Thing sabotages the outpost’s heating system, threatening to freeze them to death within hours. Surmising that the Thing will target the electricity next, Captain Hendry corrals all the survivors into the generator room and the airmen take an offhand suggestion from Nikki (“Boil it, bake it, stew it, fry it”) to heart, rigging a high voltage “fly trap” to electrocute the creature in a narrow corridor. Seemingly sensing their blood, the Thing crashes through their makeshift barricade and stalks its way towards them, noticeably avoiding the wires hidden beneath the pallets on the floor. Although Dr. Carrington attempts to sabotage the plan by shutting the generator off at a crucial moment, he’s easily disarmed and briefly subdued, but Captain Hendry’s forced to wait for the hulking Thing to position itself correctly on their trap. Dr. Carrington rushes to it, pleading for reason and to begin a dialogue, only to be roughly shoved aside and left with a broken collarbone. Despite its immense size, strength, and durability, the Thing blunders into position and is zapped by a few thousand volts in a surprisingly ambitious light show. Captain Hendry keeps the juice poured on until the Thing is reduced to a smouldering pile of ash, though Scotty faints before he can get a clear shot of the creature. The survivors round up all remains of the Thing and burn those, too, before treating their wounds and decompressing as the storm dies down. While Captain Hendry and Nikki tease taking their relationship to the next level, Scotty finally gets to call in his story, eagerly painting a dramatic picture of the pitched battle fought at the outpost and warning his listeners to “Watch the skies everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies…”

Final Thoughts:
Although I’m a big fan of John Carpenter’s 1982 remake of Who Goes There?, I’ve never read the book or watched this original adaptation, though I gather it’s a very loose one with only the basic elements of the story being represented. Most notably, the titular Thing is very different from the source material and subsequent adaptations, being more akin to Frankenstein’s Monster than a shape-changing organism. I’m not surprised by this as I doubt the technology existed to bring the creature to life in a more faithful way and it makes sense to reimagine it as a hulking, humanoid alien given where sci-fi was at the time. I liked the twist that it was essentially a walking vegetable and like a vampire, feeding on blood and growing alien plants from its seeds, potentially to overrun the world. I would’ve liked to see this emphasised more, perhaps to see the Thing’s spores spread throughout the outpost and maybe infect those within to bring in some of the paranoia from the book and definitely would’ve liked to see more death and destruction from the disappointingly absent creature. Luckily, the relationships and banter between the characters is more than enough to sustain the film in the Thing’s absence, with Captain Hendry and his men having very enjoyable and realistic interactions. I really liked that the actors kept talking over each other and the banter between the characters, which was nicely contrasted with Dr. Carrington’s objections. He was a very theatrical character but, again, felt somewhat underutilised and I would’ve liked to see him sabotaging their efforts more. Despite all this, and the film being oddly paced and lacking in urgency, The Thing from Another World was still quite enjoyable and somewhat ambitious at times. It’s a great example of a classic, 1950s sci-fi flick that is perhaps a little dated these days, far surpassed by its remake, and arguably lacking compared to some of its peers, but it still has a charm and appeal that make it an entertaining watch.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy this first adaptation of Who Goes There? If you’ve read the book, what did you think to the changes made to the story? Did you enjoy the banter and interactions between the characters? Do you agree that the Thing should’ve featured a lot more? Do you think Dr. Carrington was right to want to communicate with the Thing? How are you celebrating sci-fi this month? Whatever you thought to The Thing from Another World, comment down below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other sci-fi films for me to review.

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: Super Metroid

Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Writer / Artist: Benimaru Itoh

Story Title: “Chapter 1: Red Alarm!”
Published: February 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 2: Zebes Rising”
Published: March 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 3: Back to the Nest”
Published: April 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 4: Samus’ Story”
Published: May 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 5: Red Alarm!”
Published: June 1994

Quick Facts:
Debuting in the widely acclaimed Metroid (Nintendo R&D1/Intelligent Systems, 1986) and popularising a new sub-genre of gaming, bounty hunter Samus Aran starred in perhaps her greatest outing when the celebrated Super Metroid (ibid, 1994) released on Nintendo’s ground-breaking Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems (SNES). Like some of her contemporaries, Samus’ adventure was adapted into a comic strip in Nintendo Power (1988 to 2012), a fondly remembered magazine that offered hints, reviews, and information about Nintendo’s games.

The Review:
Oddly enough, this story begins with famed bounty hunter Samus Aran suffering a fatal encounter with a bunch of fireball-spewing floating heads! Of course, this is merely a nightmare that awakens Samus to “another day, another battle”. After showering and changing into her bad-ass power suit, Samus hops in her ship and returns to the stars for duty as “protector of the galaxy” (again making me think Nintendo didn’t know what a “bounty hunter” is). While flying through space, Samus recalls her adventures in Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo R&D1, 1991), which saw her tasked by the Galactic Federation to eliminate the Space Pirates of Zebes whose leader, Mother Brain, was creating an army of powerful Metroids to threaten the galaxy. After being handsomely rewarded, Samus was then dispatched to SR388, the Metroid home world, to eliminate the parasitic threat, including their monstrous queen, only to imprint on a Metroid hatchling after she was done. These memories are interrupted by a distress call from the Ceres Space Colony, where Samus had previously delivered the hatchling to the resident scientists. Samus lands to find the colony in flames, badly damaged, bodies strewn everywhere, and her archenemy, the draconian Ridley, stealing the hatchling in Mother Brain’s name. Samus’s urge to kill her enemy takes a backseat when Ridley reveals he’s set the colony to self-destruct, forcing Samus to try and override it via the main computer. Unfortunately, she’s unsuccessful and must be forcibly dragged to safety by fellow bounty hunter Armstrong Houston, narrowly escaping the colony’s destruction but nonetheless determined to hunt down Ridley and retrieve the hatchling. Unfortunately, Samus and Houston’s ships are immediately set upon by Space Pirates, who have rebuilt their forces after their defeat and attempt to blast the bounty hunters from the stars, only to be easily bested by the friendly rivals as they reduce the Space Pirates to flaming debris. Samus and Houston return to Federation bureau headquarters to warn them of the situation, only for the gluttonous and lethargic Chief Hardy to outrageously deny claims that the Space Pirates have returned!

When she’s injured hunting the Space Pirates, Samus turns to her surrogate family for help.

Luckily, Chairman Keaton believes Samus’s story and allows Samus to return to the apparently deserted Zebes to root out the evildoers. On the way, she berates Houston for following her, accusing him of chasing the reward rather than caring about safeguarding the galaxy, and heads there alone to help the planet’s “bird men”. Thus, like Super Metroid, Samus lands in a rainstorm and descends into the ruins of the bird people’s civilisation, only to be ambushed by Space Pirates. Despite claiming her power suit gives her the edge, her experience fighting these enemies, and her determination, Samus is momentarily overpowered and only saved from having her head crushed by Houston, who tosses her an energy ball that briefly engulfs her suit in flames to destroy the creatures. Although still dismissive of Houston, especially as he’s collecting Space Pirate claws for profit, Samus begrudgingly allows Houston to tag along despite him wearing an inferior suit and even calls upon him to help fend off a flock of Skrees, though she still admonishes him for wasting time collecting carcasses rather than focusing on the bigger picture. As Samus races to complete her mission, she triggers a boobytrap and gets impaled through the shoulder on a floor spike. Chastising her recklessness, Samus stubbornly refuses Houston’s help but is in no position to stop him from cutting her loose and carrying her back to her ship. Chairman Keaton is concerned to learn of Samus’s abrupt departure, and that she’s not returning to headquarters, and supersedes Chief Hardy’s incompetence to investigate Zebes himself, only to be summarily apprehended by Ridley. Unfamiliar with the controls of Samus’s ship (despite it appearing exactly the same as his but with a different colour scheme…), Houston crash lands on the mysterious planet Nest, where they’re greeted by “Old Bird”, a wizened member of the bird-like Chozo race who created Samus’s power suit.

Old Bird gives some insight into Samus’s tragic backstory and her drive to defeat the Space Pirates.

As a sceptical Houston watches, Old Bird strips Samus of her power suit and places her in a restorative bubble, revealing that Samus as the “blood of a Chozo” and giving Houston a history lesson. Generations ago, the Chozo were an advanced and enlightened civilisation before the ferocious Space Pirates pillaged and plundered their world, leaving only ruins and the Chozo close to extinction. A passive race with no weapons, the Chozo were powerless to oppose the Space Pirates as they conquered Zebes and attacked a nearby Earth colony. This attack saw the colony left little more than smouldering wreckage and a lone survivor: baby Samus. The Chozo took Samus in and raised her, fostering her warrior instincts and infusing her with Chozo blood to give her their “natural powers” (…whatever they are). Trained in combat and battle strategy, Samus was gifted a power suit purposely build for her and moulded into the “protector of the galaxy”. As Samus’s suit is designed to protect her when she’s fully alert, Old Bird suggests that she may have been distracted by Houston when she was injured…or, more likely, the Metroid hatchling that Ridley abducted. Speaking of which, the hatchling is brought to the grotesque, semi-cybernetic Mother Brain on Tourian, who’s frustrated that the hatchling refuses to obey her commands since it sees Samus as its mother. Ridley offers a solution by bringing her the captive Chairman Keaton and Chief Hardy, suggesting they use them as bait to lure Samus into a trap and kill her in front of the hatchling, thus forcing it to acknowledge Mother Brain as its true matriarch. Despite Chairman Keaton pleading with Chief Hardy to get himself under control, the chief desperately cries for help, playing into Ridley’s hands claws talons as he amplifies Chief Hardy’s cries with a “psycho-amplifier”. Sure enough, Samus hears Chief Hardy’s torment and begs to be released to help, convincing Old Bird to utilise the “power bombs” to expediate her recovery.

When Ridley flees and the hatchling is killed, Samus turns her rage on Mother Brain.

Though hesitant due to the danger, Old Bird places a power bomb into Samus’s healing bubble so she can absorb its energy to heal herself. Following a spectacular explosion, Samus is fully restored and eagerly dons her repaired power suit, passing her everlasting gratitude to Old Bird. Before she leaves, Old Bird warns that the Space Pirates have started employing cloning techniques to expand their army and that Samus must stay focused to avoided by injured again. Ridley delights upon hearing that the renewed Samus and Houston are heading into his trap. When Ridley leaves to inform Mother Brain, Chairman Keaton lures a Space Pirate over with one of Chief Hardy’s sandwiches and dupes him into freeing him right as the alarms go off and Samus rips through the base, blasting and pummelling Space Pirates and other assorted aliens into goo and vapour. Concerned by Samus’s dramatic increase in power, Ridley opts for a tactical retreat, reasoning that Mother Brain can handle the bounty hunter. After ensuring Chairman Keaton and Chief Hardy are safe, Samus pursues the cowardly dragon and runs into Mother Brain’s glass capsule (which is noticeably less defended than in the game!) Though Samus makes short work of Mother Brain, she quickly rises again in her gigantic cybernetic body and is easily tossed aside. However, after seeing the hatchling has been mutated to gargantuan proportions and summarily gunned down by the unsuspecting Chief Hardy, Samus flies into a rage and destroys Mother Brain. This apparently causes a chain reaction that sees Tourian explode in spectacular fashion. Luckily, Samus and the others escape in time. Although Houston offers his condolences to Samus regarding the hatchling, she pointedly refuses to partner with him and returns to her adventures alone.

Final Thoughts: 
This was a pretty decent read, all things considered. The art was especially eye-catching and did a great job of translating the box art, manual illustrations, and sprite art of the games into a manga-esque style. Samus particularly benefitted from this, portrayed as a bad-ass, hardened fighter who tears through her enemies when at full power and fully focused. I loved that the art would often show Samus’s true visage beneath her helmet and didn’t shy away from showing her as a sexy, but fully capable, woman who’s used to battling alone. Her ship and the likes of Ridley, Mother Brain, and the Space Pirates were all brought to life in colourful and gruesome detail, though there aren’t many recognisable environments from the source material. Well, I mean… they are here but the story doesn’t linger there for very long. It does a great job of adapting the iconic Super Metroid opening and translating the rainswept ruins of Zebes from the videogame, but Tourian just looks like any mechanical facility and no other planets or areas from the videogame are visited. Even iconic bosses like Crocmire and Kraid are missing, which is a shame, though the comic is obviously more focused on detailing some of Samus’s tragic backstory rather than focusing on action. Interestingly, the comic introduces a rival for Samus in Armstrong Houston, who wears less powerful armour and is more focused on profit than safeguarding the galaxy. While Houston denies this (and prioritises Samus’s health over his haul) and Samus is forced to rely on him when she’s hurt, there’s never a sense of who Houston really is or what’s really driving him. It’s hinted that he’s attracted to Samus (and, honestly, who could blame him?) and that he’s more honourable than she thinks, but he’s mostly just kind of there to give Samus someone to bark at and I’d wager the story would’ve worked just as well without him since it’s not like he has a meaningful character arc.

A visually engaging comic that delves into Samus’s origin but skips a lot of the source material.

Luckily, the story largely (and fittingly) focuses on Samus, who’s depicted as a loner who takes her job very seriously. Despite being a bounty hunter, Samus is more of a space hero, trained from an orphaned child to be the “protector of the galaxy” by a race with no interest in fighting and dispatching Space Pirates and Metroids without mercy. It’s thus surprising that she’s so attached to the Metroid hatchling, which distracts her focus and drives her into a vengeful rage, and a bit of a shame that the comic doesn’t delve deeper into her connection to the hatchling. We do get some insight into her past but, oddly, the comic doesn’t use this tragedy as a catalyst for Samus’s hatred of the Space Pirates. Indeed, her antagonism with Ridley is barely touched upon and they don’t even get a proper fight as Ridley flees when Samus storms Tourian, which was an odd choice considering Ridley abducted the Metroid hatchling. Samus’s rage is therefore completely focused on Mother Brain, who’s noticeable and disappointingly far weaker than in the videogame despite being just as ghastly. Samus isn’t obliterated by Mother Brain’s laser, doesn’t get a power-up from the hatchling’s sacrifice, and simply dispatches Moher Brain with her regular weaponry. Luckily, these battles are all rendered beautifully by Benimaru Itoh but I can’t help but be a little disappointed that the comic strays so far from the videogame narrative when there were so many interesting areas and iconic bosses that could’ve bolstered the narrative. Like, Samus could’ve at least battled Kraid while thinking about her tragic past, or gone all-out against Ridley, bouncing off walls and shredding his wings as revenge for killing her parents. Instead, what we’re left with is a visually appealing, heavily truncated story that spotlights some of Samus’s past, rejigs some of the lore, and essentially acts as a teaser for the videogame. This isn’t uncommon for comic adaptations of videogames but it fell a little flat for me as I guess I was just expecting a little more considering the potential of the story.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Nintendo Power’s adaptation of Super Metroid? Were you disappointed that it cut most of the bosses and environments from the game? Did you like the insight into Samus’s background? Were you a fan of Armstrong Houston and the depiction of Ridley? Did you diligently read and/or collect Nintendo Power back in the day? Which Metroid game is your favourite and what sci-fi videogames are you playing this month? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to fund more Metroid content.

Back Issues [JLA Day]: JLA #43-46

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To celebrate the release of Justice League (Snyder/Whedon, 2017), DC Comics named November 18 “Justice League Day”. Setting aside all the drama surrounding that movie, this provides a perfect excuse to spotlight DC’s top superhero team, which set the standard for super teams.

Writer: Mark Waid – Artist: Howard Porter

Story Title: “Tower of Babel, Part 1: Survival of the Fittest”
Published: July 2000

Story Title: “Tower of Babel, Part 2: Seven Little Indians”
Published: August 2000

Story Title: “Tower of Babel, Part 3: Protected by the Cold”
Published: September 2000

Story Title: “Tower of Babel, Part 4: Harsh Words”
Published: October 2000

The Background:
In the 1940s, All Star Comics brought together eight superheroes from different publishers for the first time, birthing not just the Justice Society of America (JSA) but also the first ever superhero team in comics, allowing readers to see their favourite characters interacting for the same price in a single issue. The JSA’s ever-changing roster underwent their most significant change at the late-1950s, when then-editor Julius Schwartz had writer Gardner Fox with reintroduce and rebrand the team as the Justice League of America (JLA) to capitalise on the popularity of the American Football League and Major League Baseball’s National League. Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Barry Allan/The Flash, and J’onn J’onzz (or “John Jones”)/Martian Manhunter debuted as the JLA in The Brave and the Bold #28. Their origin story became a best-seller and the initial line-up of DC’s heavy-hitters is arguably the most iconic, which is exactly why they were at the forefront of the team’s revamp in the 1990s. Spearheaded by Grant Morrison, the new JLA title also became a best-seller and greatly inspired their celebrated animated adventures. This new team battled the likes of White Martians and the adaptable supervillain Prometheus, whose unexpected victory over the JLA laid the foundation for this widely regarded story. Marking the beginning of Mark Waid’s memorable run on the book, “Tower of Babel” had long-term repercussions, was critically acclaimed, and was even loosely adapted into a pretty decent animated feature.

The Review:
Although I grew up reading odd issues and random annuals from the 1970s and 1980s, this is the Justice League I mostly closely associate with. Superman (fresh off his brief stint as an energy being), Batman, Wonder Woman, Wally West/The Flash, Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern, Aquaman (in his best, most intimidating look), and even Patrick O’Brian/Plastic Man being included for some visual variety and laughs made for an impressive and powerful incarnation of the team. “Tower of Babel” pits this team against Rā’s al Ghūl, the “Demon’s Head” who fronts the League of Assassins and believes humanity is a danger. His anger at an aide accidentally dooming the Javan tiger to extinction only precipitates his latest plan to wipe out humankind, which begins with him playing spiteful mind games with his respected adversary, the Batman (whom he reverentially refers to as “The Detective”), by exhuming his parents. Rā’s then dispatches his daughter, Talia, to strike the Martian Manhunter with an explosive shell of strange nanites. Nearby, the Flash and Wonder Woman desperately fight a mysterious and aggressive forest fire, only to be amazed and horrified when the source turns of to be J’onn, his body engulfed in perpetual flames that the Flash extinguishes with his fantastic speed. Aquaman and Plastic Man are then attacked within the United Nations, Aquaman being gassed by a substance that makes him deathly afraid of water and Plastic Man frozen and shattered into a dozen pieces!

Batman’s horrified when Rā’s targets the JLA using his secret contingency plans!

The injured or affected JLA members are brought to their Watchtower space satellite by their teammates. Superman analyses the nanites infecting the Martian Manhunter and discovers they’ve forced his body to combust in air. Crippled by fear toxin, Aquaman’s condition deteriorates as he rapidly dehydrates and, though the Flash pieces Plastic Man back together, they’re unable to restore him. Realising that the JLA is being targeted, Superman coordinates with John Henry Irons/Steel and Barbara Gordon/Oracle to keep their reserve members are safe but Batman abruptly refuses to help. After switching to Clark Kent to use his sources at the Daily Planet for a possible lead, Superman and the staff are astonished to find that all text has become incomprehensible! Superman races to curb the ensuring madness, learning from Oracle that the aphasia’s caused by ultrasound waves, which he successfully disrupts by retrofitting some Brainiac tech. Finally, Wally and Diana find Kyle woke up suddenly blind, which understandably causes the artist great distress. Although Aquaman figures out that the League of Assassins are tracking their signal devices, his warnings come too late and Diana is trapped within a never-ending battle simulation courtesy of a virtual reality chip. The Flash is also shot with a “vibrational projectile” that induces epileptic seizures at lightspeed and Kyle, directionless and berserk without his eyes, is easily subdued by a begrudging Talia. The world is plunged into chaos as the stock exchange collapses, gang wars break out, planes narrowly avoid collision, military services grind to a halt, and hospitals are rendered useless. The Batman angrily confronts Rā’s in his modern-day Tower of Babel, where Rā’s relishes the chaos and threatens offers to resurrect the Waynes using his rejuvenating Lazarus Pits.

The JLA is left aghast and traumatised by Batman’s betrayal.

Despite clearly being tempted and overwhelmed by the proposition of being reunited with his parents, the Batman attacks in a rage but is horrified when Rā’s brandishes synthetic red kryptonite. Subdued by Rā’s’s troops, Batman fails to warn Superman who is caught completely off-guard when he arrives to help Wally, Diana, and Kyle with Martian Manhunter (wearing a special Atlantean water suit). Although Batman escapes Rā’s and Talia seems displeased at being her father’s lapdog, Superman’s crippled with agony when the rock turns his skin transparent and overloads him with solar energy. Alarmed that Rā’s has stolen his secret contingency files and turned them on his allies, Batman desperately tries to contact Aquaman with a solution, only for Rā’s to further disrupt communications. Luckily, Batman fools his pursuers with a fake death and Plastic Man finally pulls himself back together to teleport the JLA back to the Watchtower. There, Arthur is sustained by a telepathic illusion courtesy of J’onn, Plastic Man removes the chip lodged in Diana’s brain, and Superman focuses long enough to destroy the device tormenting the Flash. Finally, Diana and J’onn work with Kyle to deduce that his ring was slipped on him during sleep and that his blindness was caused by a post-hypnotic suggestion; by focusing, Kyle’s sight returns. The shellshocked JLA discuss Batman’s actions, their faith in their teammate shattered, with Superman feeling especially betrayed. Despite knowing the JLA distrust him, the Batman gathers them in Antarctica to infiltrate Rā’s’s tower, demanding the team work together to end the worldwide disruption. The battle is incredibly brief as Superman simply explodes in a burst of power, bringing the tower down and demanding an explanation from his comrade, only to be stonewalled by Batman’s stubborn nature.

Although Rā’s is stopped, the JLA are fractured by Batman’s questionable actions.

Despite the tower’s destruction, a disgruntled Talia informs the JLA that Rā’s is still a threat, leading Batman to split the fractured team up to handle each crisis. While Green Lantern, Plastic Man, the Flash, and Wonder Woman stop a chemical attack in Rhapastan, Batman explains to Superman that he created fail-safes after the alien tyrant Agameno swapped their consciousnesses with a gang of criminals. Finding little comfort in that explanation, Superman echoes Plastic Man’s uncharacteristically stoic and enraged demeanour by leading Batman through Rā’s’s stronghold. Though Rā’s prepares to retreat in frustration and Superman’s held off by the red Kryptonite, he covers his escape by dropping the Waynes’ coffins! Luckily, the restored Aquaman and Martian Manhunter pull both Superman and Batman’s parents from danger, leaving Batman free to pursue his adversary. While Rā’s escapes, his assistant, Doctor Kant, isn’t so lucky and takes the brunt of Batman and Aquaman’s retaliation, while Wonder Woman convinces Rā’s’s agent out of unleashing his chemical agent. With the danger over and the JLA back to full strength, the team debate what to do about Batman. While the Dark Knight awaits their decision, Superman questions whether they should have safeguards against their powers being manipulated. Aquaman believes the team should be based on trust, the Flash reluctantly thinks Batman has a point, and J’onn somewhat echoes this sentiment. When Arthur challenges J’onn’s loyalty to the Batman, pointing out that he once had similar dossiers, a fight almost breaks out between them, though J’onn ultimately votes in favour of Batman. While Kyle’s also not happy about what happened, he recognises that their powers are potentially dangerous and also votes to keep Batman on the team. However, while Wonder Woman agrees in principle, she refuses to fight alongside someone she can’t trust and Plastic Man coldly agrees. Although the deciding vote comes down to Superman, Batman makes the decision for them and quits the team without a word while they’re debating.

The Summary:
Like I said, this was a great time to be a JLA fan. The artwork was always really good in these comics and the team gelled really well together visually and with their contrasting personalities. It’s a very nineties period for the JLA, of course, with guys like Aquaman and newcomer Kyle Rayner offering very different interpretations of classic characters. I’ve always loved this version of Aquaman, though, with the harpoon hand and dishevelled appearance. Kyle is and will always by my favourite Green Lantern and I enjoyed the dichotomy he brought to the team as he obviously felt a little out of his depth and often deferred to his superiors as a result. These are characteristics reminiscent of Wally’s early days as the Flash, which led them to eventually form a tight friendship, but much of Kyle’s characterisation at this time was proving (or at least realising) that he’s worthy to hang with the big boys. Plastic Man was something of a wild card, for sure, especially due to his goofy nature and bizarre abilities. “Tower of Babel” showed that there was more to him than just being a wise-ass, though, as he’s so traumatised by being frozen and shattered (and by the Batman’s actions) that he drops the jokes and dismissively votes against Batman. Indeed, this story shakes the foundations of the JLA as, up until this point, they’ve all fought together on the understanding that they can trust each other. I’m pretty certain they all know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and secret identities, for example, and feel they’re more than just colleagues. Thus, when they discover that Rā’s al Ghūl’s plot is due to Batman’s secret contingency plans, the team rightfully feels betrayed and angry, with Superman noticeably upset since he knows Batman the best and has worked with him the longest.

The JLA is divided and rattled by Batman’s betrayal and questions his trustworthiness.

Thus, the main enemy in “Tower of Babel” is essentially Batman, while technically also being the group’s insecurities, and more accurately being the devious Rā’s, who disrupts them to facilitate his latest scheme. The JLA is caught completely off-guard when Talia and her troops ambush them, wielding weapons designed specifically to neutralise their powers or otherwise subdue them. While I believe Batman’s plan was always to non-fatally pacify his teammates if they go rogue or were manipulated, some of his contingencies are very questionable. J’onn, for example, bursts into flame when exposed to air, something that would be both physically and emotionally traumatic for him considering his fear and weakness to fire. Aquaman is almost killed by dehydration when fear toxin variant made him deathly afraid of water, forcing J’onn to put him at ease with a telepathic vision so he could be safely placed in water. The Flash had it pretty bad, too, forced to endure what felt like days of torturous seizures in less than half an hour, while Superman’s powers raged thanks to red kryptonite. Similarly, it seems Wonder Woman would’ve eventually been so lost in her endless combat that she would’ve perished and Kyle was extremely distressed when he was duped into making himself blind. Seems to me that Batman could’ve just as easily used virtual reality environments for all his allies for a similar end, so it’s likely Rā’s al Ghūl perverted his countermeasures. Either way, the JLA are outraged at both the experience and the betrayal, believing Batman misled them and cannot be trusted. Even if he was right, since the JLA are mind controlled every other week and have extremely dangerous powers, the characters are angry at the deception. I doubt their reaction would’ve been much better had they known about Batman’s fail-safes, but it certainly would’ve lessened the sting since they put a lot of trust in him as their strategist and smartest mind.

A classic story that deconstructs the JLA and had far-reaching consequences.

This ethical quandary hangs over “Tower of Babel”, creating tension and animosity within the group for the finale, where they can barely function as a cohesive unit and are extremely reluctant to listen to Batman. Though he’s horrified by what Rā’s al Ghūl has done, Batman offers no apology and little explanation. He believes he was right to create contingencies and won’t be swayed from the belief, kick-starting a long-tunning theme of Batman being a stubborn, paranoid, and somewhat unethical character whose efforts to prepare for every scenario alienated his nearest and dearest. Interestingly, “Tower of Babel” doesn’t suggest what Batman’s back-up plan was if he went rogue (though it’s implied to be the remaining JLA) and barely gives him a chance to counteract Rā’s al Ghūl’s actions since the Demon’s Head keeps messing with their communications. I would’ve liked to see more of the world being plunged into chaos but I think “Tower of Babel” wisely focuses on the JLA and how they’re affected by Batman’s actions. The entire point is to fracture DC’s greatest superhero team, which literally happens by the end when the Batman walks away without hearing a verdict, but has knock-on ramifications as tensions are high amongst the others. I enjoyed seeing the team struggle to decide Batman’s future since they were personally disgusted and angered by the betrayal but recognised the need for fail-safes, and also how black-and-white the decision was for Aquaman and Wonder Woman, who felt the betrayal outweighed the risk. “Tower of Babel” easily ranks as one of the top JLA stories for a reason and it’s a great deconstruction of the team and exploration of their powers, weaknesses, and the fragile ethics that hold them together. It had far-reaching consequences for all involved and is well worth a read, especially for fans of this era of DC Comics.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think of “Tower of Babel”? Do you consider it a classic JLA story or do you think it’s over-rated? Which of Batman’s contingencies do you think was the worst to suffer through? Did you enjoy this incarnation of the JLA or do you prefer a different line-up? Do you think Batman was right to have contingency plans or do you agree that he crossed a line? How are you celebrating Justice League Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on the JLA, feel free to share them below, check out my other Justice League reviews, and go donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other JLA stories for me to cover.

Back Issues [Wolvie Wednesday]: The Uncanny X-Men #212-213

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Since his first full debut in November 1974 and joining the X-Men in 1975, James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine has become one of Marvel Comics’ most recognisable and enduring superheroes.

Story Title: “The Last Run”
Published: 9 September 1986 (cover-dated: December 1986)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Rick Leonardi

Story Title: “Psylocke”
Published: 7 October 1986 (cover-dated: January 1987)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Alan Davis

The Background:
Back 1974, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas tasked writer Len Wein with creating the first-ever Canadian superhero, resulting in the short, feisty “Wolverine”. John Romita Sr sketched the original concept art for the character (including his now-iconic retractable claws) and Herb Trimbe put the finishing touches to Wolverine’s design. Although Wolverine’s past and true identity was initially kept a mystery, readers got a glimpse into his background through his ongoing and violent rivalry with fellow Mutant, Victor Creed/Sabretooth. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Sabretooth initially debuted as an enemy of Danny Rand/Iron Fist in 1977 before transitioning to a minor X-Men foe during the “Mutant Massacre” event (Claremont, et al, 1986). Originally intended to be Wolverine’s father and sometimes hinted to be his brother, the exact nature of their history is shrouded in mystery, with the only recurring element being their intense hatred of each other. Sabretooth famously makes a point of causing Wolverine anguish every year on his birthday and cemented himself as Logan’s archenemy by targeting his loved ones and being his toughest, most persistent foe. Accordingly, Sabretooth often accompanies Wolverine in other media and is naturally regarded as his worst enemy.

The Review:
Wolverine’s first clash against Sabretooth came when Creed was running with the Marauders, ruthless Mutant assassins working for Doctor Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister. As part of his plot to wipe out or otherwise experiment on Mutants, Mr. Sinister sent the Marauders to massacre the Morlocks, outcast sewer-dwelling Mutants beneath New York City. While reviewing the slaughter, Wolverine is telepathically contacted by newcomer Betsy Braddock/Psylocke, who passes along a request from the grieving Ororo Munroe/Storm for Logan to apprehend a Marauder to learn more about their plot. The effort of contacting Wolverine drains Psylocke, but her suffering is little compared to Storm’s as she ran with the Morlocks for a time and finds herself surrounded by dead or grievously injured allies. Storm’s so traumatised that she flees from Charles Xavier/Professor X’s school in anguish, desperate to return to nature and outrun her guilt. Concerned about Storm and his girlfriend, Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat (who’s been left in a permanently out of phase), Piotr “Peter” Rasputin/Colossus tries to ask Psylocke for help, only to suddenly collapse from his own injuries. Luckily, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto is allied with the X-Men at this time and he uses his amazing powers to try and help Colossus, only to leave him conscious but paralysed. Meanwhile, Anna Marie/Rogue asks Storm’s Morlock friend, Callisto, to find the weather witch, with the one-eyed Morlock opting to treat Storm to some tough love and literally beat some sense into her.

With the X-Men reeling from the Marauders’ attack, Wolverine renews an old rivalry.

Down in the sewers, Wolverine shrugs off Psylocke’s sudden silence and struggles to pick up the Marauders’ scent only to be jumped by Sabretooth, a hulking, animalistic sadist who has the Morlock Healer in his grasp. Confirming that he’s part of the Marauders and happy to assist Mr. Sinister’s scheme to take out the Morlocks and the X-Men, Sabretooth goads Wolverine into a fight (not that he needs much encouragement) by mocking him and backs up his arrogant claims by proving Logan’s physical better, wrestling with Wolverine and deftly avoiding his patented Adamantium claws. Rather than fighting harder, Wolverine opts to fight smarter, collapsing the already weakening tunnel on his foe, bringing their brief scuffle to an anti-climactic end as Wolverine’s more focused on getting Healer to safety than wasting time fighting Sabretooth. Just as he reconvenes with Rogue, the tunnel is immolated by a mysterious plasma wave that potentially threatened the New Mutants, a young Mutant team Wolverine sensed had gone against orders and ventured into. Despite Wolverine’s best efforts, the blasts apparently obliterate the Morlocks and Storm suspects that her unstable powers may have been the cause. Unwilling to give into despair, Magneto suggests he ally with the Hellfire Club to bolster their numbers, a suggestion Storm naturally balks at considering how dangerous the group has been in the past. As Doctor Moira McTaggart works tirelessly to save the lives threatened by the Marauders, Psylocke struggles with her sense of belonging with the X-Men, eager to prove her worth and lamenting their losses. In an effort to help, Psylocke suggests (well, “insists”) that she bolster her powers with Cerebro to search for the New Mutants and the Marauders, though Storm orders her not to take the risk as they need her to monitor for threats against the school.

Psylocke gambles on Wolverine’s durability to outlast Sabretooth’s assault.

Disheartened, Psylocke suddenly detects an intruder and receives agonising psychic feedback when she tries to probe them. As Rogue wanders the grounds, pondering her past, she’s suddenly attacked by Sabretooth, who easily overpowers her before trashing Cerebro and injuring Psylocke’s arm with his razor-sharp claws. Shrugging off her psycho-blast, Sabretooth pursues her with a sadistic, murderous rage, easily crushing a dumbbell and driving Psylocke to the roof. Though injured and outmatched, Psylocke grabs Storm’s knife after plummeting into her attic apartment, much to Sabretooth’s glee as he seemingly gets off on her feisty attempts to fight back. Just as Sabretooth gets his claws on Psylocke, he’s interrupted by Wolverine and Storm, who attacks Creed with her staff to save Psylocke. Sabretooth draws first blood in his rematch with Wolverine, somersaulting over him and clawing his back, even sampling Logan’s blood before they charge each other. Wolverine buries his claws into Sabretooth’s thigh, causing him to hurl Logan through the skylight in a rage. Sabretooth quickly follows and is tackled to the pool below. Though Magneto wishes to restrain Sabretooth to probe his mind, Psylocke argues that Creed’s psychic defences are too strong and that their best chance is to invade his mind while he’s busy fighting, trusting that Wolverine can take the punishment. Thus, as the two trade blows and cut each other to ribbons, Psylocke discovers that they have fought before and finally extracts knowledge of Creed’s mysterious master. Angered that he’s been so obviously duped, Sabretooth dives off a nearby cliff and into the sea, disappearing from Psylocke’s probes, much to Wolverine’s anger. In the aftermath, Psylocke is formally welcomed to the team and Storm prepares to move their wounded to Dr. McTaggart’s research facility on Muir Island to protect them from further Marauder attacks.

The Summary:
“Psylocke” is one of the first X-Men stories I ever read as it was included in a Marvel Comics annual I owned back in the day. Consequently, I have some fondness for this era in the X-Men’s history and this art style, which depicts one of the quintessential incarnations of the team. Wolverine, for example, dons his brown and tan suit, Storm has her wild punk-rock look, Rogue sports short hair, and Magneto wears a more heroic outfit to reflect his position as the X-Men’s headmaster. While the art is often simplistic at times, appearing washed out and lacking detail (specifically the faces), this is more noticeable in group panels and doesn’t apply to Wolverine’s brutal fights with Sabretooth. These issues also take place in the middle (or early days) of the “Mutant Massacre” story arc, so there’s a much bigger narrative of the X-Men and their allies being targeted by Mr. Sinister and the Marauders. Therefore, your enjoyment may hinge on your familiarity with the Morlocks as their slaughter takes centre stage. Storm, especially, is distraught by the deaths of her colleagues and questions her leadership skills, while Psylocke is equally filled with doubt about her place on the team and usefulness beyond simply monitoring for threats. Ultimately, Psylocke proves herself by betting on Wolverine’s tenacity and durability, believing he can take whatever Sabretooth dishes out and thus provide them crucial information regarding the Marauders. Similarly, Callisto’s unique brand of tough love and the pressing nature of their situation forces Storm to snap out of her despair and help save Psylocke, and their injured teammates.

Wolverine’s history with Sabretooth takes a backseat to the wider narrative.

I really like this era for Wolverine, where he was a bit of a gruff loner but still loyal to his team. Wolverine’s happy to tackle the dirty jobs alone since he’s “the best there is at what he does” and his animalistic side relishes the chance to get his claws dirty extracting a measure of revenge on the Marauders. While stunned to find Sabretooth running with the group, Wolverine doesn’t hesitate to fight Creed despite being physically outmatched. Sabretooth is presented as a sadistic psychopath who relishes torturing and slaughtering his prey. He happily targets the defenceless or fights dirty and is presented as a dark mirror to Wolverine, being a killer whereas Wolverine is “a man–who sometimes kills”. Interestingly, while Sabretooth embraces his animalistic side in a way that Wolverine constantly fights against, he’s not some mindless killer and is, instead, loquacious enough to goad his victims and taunt Wolverine relentlessly. Although their dialogue and Psylocke’s probing hints at their past, very little time is spent exploring how Wolverine and Sabretooth know each other. Instead, they simply clash as old rivals, eager to see who is the better between them. Unfortunately, their fights aren’t that impressive. The first was an interesting character study for Wolverine as he chooses the higher path rather than giving into his rage. The second fight is better and longer and is great for showing how tough Wolverine is, but it takes a backseat to Psylocke’s psychic probing. It might’ve been nice to spend a bit more time with the two, to have a few more breadcrumbs dropped regarding their past, and to let them go at it a bit more, but this is still a decent first round bout between the fierce rivals and a notable moment in Wolverine’s long history.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What are your thoughts on Wolverine’s first battle with Sabretooth? Were you a fan of the “Mutant Massacre” story arc? What did you think to the hints towards Wolverine’s history with Sabretooth? Were you a fan of Psylocke and this incarnation of the X-Men? Were you a fan of Claremont’s work with the team, and Wolverine? How are you celebrating Wolverine’s debut this month? Whatever you think about these issue, or Wolverine in general, leave a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Wolverine stories for me to cover.

Back Issues [F4 Friday]: The Fantastic Four #5

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In November 1961, four intrepid explorers were changed by mysterious cosmic rays. Marvel’s “First Family” of Marvel heroes and featured in cartoons, videogames, and live-action movies.

Story Titles: “Prisoners of Doctor Doom!”, “Back to the Past!”, “On the Trail of Blackbeard”, “Battle!”, and “The Vengeance of Doctor Doom!”
Published: 10 April 1962 (cover-dated: July 1962)
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby

The Background:
Back in 1961, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby debuted the dysfunctional Fantastic Four as a counterpart the Justice League of America. Despite some debate over the team’s creation, the issue popularised the “Marvel Method” of writer/artist collaboration and subsequent issues introduced pivotal Marvel characters as enemies and allies of the relatable team. Without question, one of their most important villains was the egomaniacal Doctor Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom, the ruling monarch of Latveria who was driven to destroy the team and prove his intellectual superiority over Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. Lee and Kirby sought to create a truly engaging villain in Dr. Doom, inspired by classic depictions of Death and bolstering his characterisation with an inflated ego and thirst for power. While Dr. Doom’s primary adversaries are the Fantastic Four, he menaced the wider Marvel universe, gaining God-like power more than once, in addition to brief spells as a morally ambiguous anti-hero and journeys beyond the stars and reality. Naturally, as the Fantastic Four’s most recognisable villain, Dr. Doom has heavily featured in the team’s ventures outside of comics, being a principal villain in cartoons and videogames, though his depiction in live-action has ranged from disappointing to down-right insulting.

The Review:
Our first glimpse of one of Marvel’s most enigmatic and menacing villains comes with the masked, hooded Dr. Doom literally playing with his toys amidst tomes on demons, science, and sorcery and boasting to himself of his superiority compared to our colourful heroes. Half a world away, New York City is struck by an unexpected power cut that affects every building save the towering Baxter Building. With no threat to focus their energies on, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Benjamin Grimm/The Thing gripe with each other, forcing Mr. Fantastic and his lover, Susan Storm/The Invisible Girl, to intervene and scold the two like they are children. Their bickering is suddenly interrupted when Dr. Doom ensnares the Baxter Building in a gigantic net dropped from his helicopter! Coated with asbestos so durable that even the Human Torch cannot burn through it, the four are left at the mercy of Dr. Doom, whose voice chills Reed as he remembers the tragic story of his old college roommate, Victor Von Doom. Fascinated by the occult, the unseen Doom mixed science with the dark arts and constructed a machine to contact the netherworld, only to be horrifically scarred and expelled from the school when the machine exploded. Humiliated, Doom fled to the frigid wastelands of Tibet to seek deeper, darker secrets and Reed assumed he was dead and is therefore shocked to find Doom alive and demanding Sue as a hostage!

Dr. Doom kidnaps the Fantastic Four and, bizarrely, sends them to run errands in the distant past!

Naturally, the Thing reacts in anger and receives a few thousand volts for his outburst. Realising she has no choice but to acquiesce to Dr. Doom’s demands, Sue bravely volunteers herself to buy her family time to plan. Now holding the ace, Dr. Doom demands the remaining three board his ship and they’re forced to obey, ending up tapped in a mechanical prison and transported to Dr. Doom’s impressive, medieval stronghold in Latveria. In Dr. Doom’s throne room, he holds them off with his pet tiger and reveals that he wants them to take his time machine into the past to steal the legendary treasure of Edward Teach, the notorious pirate known as Blackbeard, since Dr. Doom cannot use his magnificent creation because someone must operate the controls. Dr. Doom promises to return them (he needs the treasure, after all) and to release Sue even if they fail, and the three promptly travel through time and space via a simple glowing square. The three waste no time acquiring period-appropriate attire and head to a local bar, where they’re immediately drugged and shanghaied onto a rival pirate ship. Once they awaken, a good old-fashioned donnybrook breaks out and the crew are in awe of the three’s incredible powers. Their standoff is soon interrupted by a rival ship, which they assume is Blackbeard. The battle goes swiftly thanks to their awesome superpowers and, before long, the ship and its treasure is captured, with the crew praising their mighty commander, the Thing, whom they dub “Blackbeard” in a fun predestination paradox. Though victorious, Reed shares the booty amongst their crew and trick Dr. Doom with an empty treasure chest, but things go awry when the Thing suddenly decides to stay in the past where he can be more than a reviled freak and orders his men to restrain Johnny and Reed!

Despite all his contingencies, Dr. Doom is driven to flee by the Fantastic Four’s awesome powers.

Thankfully, a twister strikes the ship, ransacking it and scattering the crew. Mr. Fantastic rescues the Human Torch before he drowns and they wash up on land to reunite with a remorseful Thing, who regains his senses and apologises for his momentary madness right as Dr. Doom decides to retrieve his foes. Dr. Doom praises them and reveals that the gems are mystical artifacts that once belonged to the ancient wizard Merlin, which he plans to use to conquer the world. However, Dr. Doom is stunned to find the chest filled with useless chains and, with the egotistical villain distracted, the Thing strikes. Unfortunately, Dr. Doom anticipated this and the Things shatters a sophisticated robot decoy and the three are left trapped in a death chamber. While Dr. Doom gloats, the Invisible Girl takes the chance to short circuit his equipment, freeing her family before they can suffocate. Realising Dr. Doom’s entire fortress is full of booby-traps, Reed leads his family in bypassing death traps such as voracious crocodiles and Johnny creates a circle of flames to try and smoke Dr. Doom out. Unimpressed, and perfectly fine with his fortress burning his secrets, Dr. Doom flees with his “rocket-powered flying harness” no less determined to plan a new world-conquering plot. The Human Torch is massively outclassed by Dr. Doom’s technology and barely saves himself from a fatal fall. Angered that Dr. Doom escaped, the Thing vows to handle the masked maniac next time and Reed reassures a despondent Johnny that they’ll dedicate their lives to tracking the villain, and others like him, down.

The Summary:
Dr. Doom is one of my favourite Marvel villains. He’s a scheming, egotistical, self-absorbed madman with delusions of grandeur whose ambition often exceeds his grasp. He’s revered as a monarch in his home country and influential enough to topple governments and menace anyone from the Fantastic Four to the mighty Avengers! So, imagine my disappointment to find he’s merely a run-of-the-mill villain of the week here. Sure, Dr. Doom gets a bit more backstory than most villains of this era, but it’s painfully rushed and has little impact on the story. There’s no in-depth portrayal of Dr. Doom’s hatred of Reed or his vendetta against the Fantastic Four. Indeed, Dr. Doom targets them primarily to prove his superiority and coerce them into stealing treasure for him, which his robot duplicate could’ve done! Rather than stewing in his fortress for years, fostering a hatred for Reed and planning how to counter the Fantastic Four’s powers, Dr. Doom has barely any emotional connection to Reed since Mr. Fantastic hardly factored in his accident. There are no fist curling cries of “Richards!” here, no attempts to torture and humiliate his old roommate, and no desire to humble the Fantastic Four or destroy their reputation. Instead, Dr. Doom simply kidnaps them (a feat easily accomplished by a simple net!) and forces them to do his bidding by, of course, taking Sue hostage. While Sue isn’t written as an air-headed bimbo in this issue, for a change, and gets a chance to show her maternal side in chastising Ben and Johnny, she’s reduced to a mere damsel in distress to force the others to obey Dr. Doom. Still, she does take advantage of his distraction to mess up his equipment and free the others, showing she’s a fully capable superhero when she’s not distracted by Reed’s opinion of her.

Despite Dr. Doom’s visual appeal and maniacal genius, he’s just another run-of-the-mill villain.

Unfortunately, rather than focus on Dr. Doom and develop a villain with a deep-rooted rivalry with Reed, The Fantastic Four #5 mostly focuses on a bizarre time travel adventure! As if this idea wasn’t ludicrous enough, the jaunt is further padded out by unnecessary drama when the Thing randomly decides he likes the adulation he receives in the past and betrays Reed and Johnny to stay there! It’s a fleeting moment barely worth the panels devoted to it, and I can’t help but think this time would’ve been better served with Dr. Doom lording his superiority over Sue or using his mixture of science and magic (something barely touched upon here) to best the Fantastic Four’s powers. Latveria isn’t even named here; we get no sense of her people or Dr. Doom’s reputation and his abilities are painfully limited to “mad scientist”. Dr. Doom’s fortress is said to be a fortified castle filled with death traps, but we barely see these and they’re easily circumvented by the Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic. Dr. Doom still comes across as a conniving, scheming villain smart enough to install robot duplicates and whose backup plans have backup plans, but it’s disappointing to see his first plot to simple be stealing jewels. We learn all-too late that they’re Merlin’s property, but again the magical nature of Dr. Doom’s abilities is hardly a factor, so he just comes across as a common thief who happens to own a time machine. He doesn’t provide his enemies with a return module and instead simply gets lucky that the three have succeeded when he randomly decides enough time has past, he resorts to taking a woman hostage, and he doesn’t even seem to care that his castle is at risk of being destroyed. Ultimately, The Fantastic Four #5 is an important story since it marks the start of Dr. Doom’s epic saga but it’s by no means the best or most engaging Dr. Doom story.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the first appearance of Doctor Doom? Were you impressed by his menacing appearance and advanced technology? What did you think to the bizarre time travel plot and the Thing’s brief moment of madness? Were you surprised that the connection between Reed and Dr. Doom was downplayed? What are some of your favourite Dr. Doom stories and moments? Whatever you think about Dr. Doom and the Fantastic Four, leave a comment below and check out my other Fantastic Four content.

Back Issues [Brightest Day]: Green Lantern Vol 2 #7

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Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date matched the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics “2814”), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, I celebrate the October 1959 debut of perhaps the most popular Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, who first appeared.

Story Title: “The Day 100,000 People Vanished!”
Published: August 1961
Writer: John Broome
Artist: Gil Kane

The Background:
In July 1940, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger debuted Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern, a magically empowered railroad engineer who became a founding member of the Justice Society of America (JSA). However, following the successful reinvention of the Flash in 1956, fighter pilot Harold “Hal” Jordan became the first of a whole corps of Green Lanterns. Widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern, Hal soon amassed a colourful domestic and intergalactic rogues’ gallery, though none are more prominent than Thaal Sinestro, Created by John Broome and Gil Kane and modelled after British actor David Niven, Sinestro was formally the most celebrated of the corps before it was revealed that he enforced peace through a dictatorship, disgracing him and positioning him as Hal’s mortal enemy since Hal exposed Sinestro’s true nature. A Machiavellian foe, Sinestro joined the villainous Legion of Doom and Injustice League, led his own yellow-hued counterpart to the Green Lantern Corps, and has regularly waged war against not just Hal, but both the Earth and the entire universe! As Hal’s greatest  villain, it should be no surprise that Sinestro has regularly appeared in cartoons and videogames, and was even brought to life by Mark Strong (with scenery-chewing relish) in the much maligned live-action adaptation. 

The Review:
Hal’s first encounter with the devilishly alluring villain who became his most recurring and dangerous foe begins on the West Coast of the United States, specifically the town of Valdale, where Green Lantern is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the new boys’ settlement house. Luckily for him, Hal’s too busy tying up another case so he’s unexpectedly delayed, meaning he’s absent when the bustling metropolis is suddenly enveloped in an ethereal light (not unlike an aurora borealis) and a strange thunderclap sound, which causes all 100,000 residents to disappear! After learning of this phenomenon, Green Lantern investigated and confirmed to his friend, mechanic, and confidant, Tom Kalmaku/Pieface, that Valdale’s inhabitants have vanished. Green Lantern’s doubly concerned as the incident occurred at nine o’clock, exactly when he was scheduled to be in Valdale but, before he can ponder further, Hal’s suddenly sent a bit queasy by a mind blank. It turns out this wasn’t just a bout of nausea and that Hal’s “astral self” was summoned across the galaxy to Oa, the home of the Green Lantern Corps and their enigmatic alien masters, the Guardians of the Universe. Brought before his masters, Green Lantern was told of Thaal Sinestro, the Green Lantern of sector 1417, a fearless native of Korugar who used the awesome, nigh-unlimited power of his power ring to satisfy his vanity with a throne. Sinestro had people line up and plead for his aid, quickly bored by their petty squabbles and requests and desiring more. When one of his people questioned him, chastising his arrogance and accusing Sinestro of being mad with power, Sinestro flew into a rage and shot down the complainant (non-fatally, it turns out).

Hal is dispatched to thwart a renegade Green Lantern’s plot to attack the Guardians.

Sinestro then decided to depose the ruling council of Korugar and establish himself as the planet’s dictator who forced his people to live peaceful lives or be mysteriously removed from society. Upon discovering Sinestro’s totalitarian ways, the Guardians admonished him and stripped him of his status as a Green Lantern before banishing him to the antimatter universe of Qward. However, the Guardians later learned that Sinestro rallied the malevolent “Weaponers” of Qward to strike back against his former masters and destroy Green Lantern. Thus, Sinestro developed a “viso-teleporter” to transport Green Lantern to Qward, and the Guardians instruct Hal to journey to the antimatter universe to confront the renegade Green Lantern and save those he’s captured. Since his usual route to the antimatter universe is blocked, Hal reasons that Sinestro will attempt to target him again so he uses himself as bait, turning the residents of Coast City invisible, and is soon forcibly transported to Qward. Although Green Lantern easily shields himself from the Weaponers’ attacks, Sinestro forces him to surrender in exchange for returning his captives home. Sinestro encases Hal in a yellow bubble, rendering him powerless, planning to destroy him once his power ring runs out of charge. Despite his ring being ineffective against yellow, Hal’…somehow…manipulates a clock to trick Sinestro into thinking time has passed faster than it actually has. Once he’s freed from his bubble, Green Lantern zaps Sinestro, washes away his allies, and pins Sinestro to a wall with green needles. Sinestro mocks Hal’s morals and lack of killer instinct and arrogantly reveals that he cannot be punished for his crimes since he’s been banished to Qward. However, Hal gets the last laugh by imprisoning Sinestro in an impenetrable bubble of green willpower before returning home to inspire Valdale’s youngsters with a speech about how good will always triumph over evil.

The Summary:
I’ve always liked Sinestro. I grew up in the 1990s, so I have a bit of a thing for dark doppelgängers of righteous heroes and Sinestro’s one of comic’s most memorable and visually interesting corrupt counterparts to a beloved hero. However, I haven’t read many stories that feature the character and many Green Lantern stories I’ve read either don’t feature him or take place during one of his many real or faked deaths. However, I definitely feel I’ve been spoilt by the likes of Emerald Dawn II (Giffen, et al, 1991), which went into far greater detail about Sinestro’s complex character and his unique relationship with Hal Jordan. Emerald Dawn II set a new standard for their dynamic, casting Sinestro as Hal’s mentor and the greatest of the Green Lantern Corps, only for it to be revealed that he wasn’t just a pompous, arrogant taskmaster with high standards but also a totalitarian dictator who enforced order with an iron fist. You can imagine my surprise, then, to find Sinestro’s first appearance was a twenty-page story based around a bizarre plot to teleport Hal into the antimatter universe. Now, I’m no expert on Qward or the Weaponers; it’s entirely possible Green Lantern had run-ins with them in the past, hence why they’d relish Sinestro’s aid. However, they are the most useless and ineffective people I’ve ever seen. Sinestro doesn’t even utilise their tech, instead creating his own devices, and they blindly follow the charismatic devil as he conjures a clock and boasts about how he’s going to destroy their enemy rather than just doing it. I’d be questioning Sinestro’s effectiveness the moment his viso-teleporter transported a bunch of randomers to my home world, to say nothing of asking why Sinestro doesn’t just pluck the power ring from Hal’s finger or suffocate him to death inside his yellow bubble.

Though visually and thematically interesting, Sinestro is little more than an inconvenience here.

On the plus side, a sizeable portion of the story is spent exploring Sinestro’s backstory, even if it is just the highlights. The idea of a celebrated and formidable Green Lantern falling from grace and abusing his power is a powerful one and perfectly places Sinestro as Hal’s polar opposite, especial as Hal is such a bland do-gooder during these days. He’s the unscrupulous bastion of “right” and “good”, eagerly obeying his masters and opposing Sinestro simply based on the Guardians’ warnings. Sinestro shows a glimpse of how dangerous a Green Lantern can be if they become obsessed with power, first constructing a “sumptuous headquarters”, then forcing people to beg for his help, and finally deposing the ruling government to become absolute authority on Korugar. It’s not stated how long Sinestro ruled his people, but he presumably would’ve continued enslaving his people had the Guardians not stopped by to check on him. His punishment is severe, but strangely humane, with the Guardians simply banishing Sinestro rather than executing him despite it being implied that he executed anyone who spoke out against his rule on Korugar. The Guardians also shoot themselves in the foot since, although they can teleport individuals to Qward and observe the antimatter universe, they “have no power there” and thus cannot intervene when Sinestro plots his revenge. Thanks to a one-way cosmic “back door” of sorts, Hal does return home but cannot truly punish Sinestro because Hal’s too righteous to take a life and Sinestro cannot leave Qward. Thus, Hal leaves Sinestro in what sounds like a fate worse than death but, to me, seems like a prison he’ll easily escape from, making for a pretty lacklustre ending. Everyone starts somewhere, that’s for sure, but Sinestro’s first appearance is an unfortunately forgettable, villain-of-the-month story that really should’ve been given the entire book to be told. Sinestro has a great look, with his devil-red skin, pencil-thin moustache, and striking black-and-blue colour scheme, and his backstory is certainly intriguing. However, it’s undercooked and basically a throwaway story that’s memorable only for introducing one of DC Comic’s best villains, whose future plots definitely extended further than clock-watching!

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Sinestro’s debut story? Do you think the Weaponers of Qward should’ve been portrayed as a greater threat? What did you think to Sinestro, his backstory and characterisation? Were you disappointed by how pedestrian Sinestro’s first appearance was? What are some of your favourite Sinestro stories and moments? Which Green Lanterns your favourite and why? How are you celebrating this pseudo-Green Lantern day today? Whatever you think about Sinestro, or Green Lantern in general, leave your thoughts below, drop me some change on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Green Lantern content.

Back Issues: The Tomb of Dracula #1

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Story Title: “Dracula”
Published: 16 November 1971 (cover dated: April 1972)
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan

The Background:
Inspired by famous butchers like Vlad II/Vlad Dracula/Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula first appeared all the way back in 1897 courtesy of author Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic novel, which became the great-great-grandfather of what we now know as the vampire mythology. An instant classic, Dracula was adapted many times over the years as plays, movies, videogames, and even comic books. Indeed, when publishers like Marvel Comics were finally allowed to print stories involving vampires and other supernatural creatures, writers like Gerry Conway and artist gene Colon selected the infamous Count to spearhead the Tomb of Dracula series. Heavily inspired by classic Hammer Horror films, The Tomb of Dracula saw numerous writers and artists come and go as it struggled to find its identity and is perhaps best known for introducing Eric Brooks/Blade to Marvel readers. Still, Dracula went on to clash with many Marvel heroes, especially those who were involved with the supernatural. Dracula worked alongside the Avengers to fend off the Dread Dormammu, spawned a Nazi vampire, established a vampire colony on the Moon, and even matched wits with various cosmic beings. Perhaps surprisingly, Dracula also appeared in many Marvel cartoons but was most infamously brought to life by Dominic Purcell in the much-maligned Blade: Trinity (Goyer, 2004).

The Review:
Marvel’s version of the enigmatic Count was first introduced, fittingly enough, against the backdrop of a storm swept Transylvania, where Count Dracula’s mighty, gothic castle stands ominously on a hilltop. Despite the torrential weather and poor visibility, Frank Drake and his girlfriend, Jeanie Ovington, brave the storm alongside Clifton Graves, Frank’s cantankerous long-time friend who chastises Drake’s decision to fly from London just to sell the castle, which he recently inherited. While the three lament their misfortunes, hopelessly lost, residents of the nearby village discuss Frank’s impending arrival. While Fritz Burgeister predicts only sorrow will come from continuing to mess with the long-abandoned castle, a local barmaid hopes that Frank will bring some much-needed tourism and revenue to their sleepy Romani town. Just then, the three stumble into the Baron’s Inn seeking transportation to Castle Dracula from Fritz. However, Fritz refuses to take them to the castle and is adamant that none of the townsfolk would volunteer to replace him. While Clifton scoffs that the locals believe the wild tales spun by Bram Stoker, one of the patrons, Otto, volunteers to take them…for a small fee. Naturally, this is by horse and carriage and, on the way, Otto shares tales of how Dracula’s legend is debatable for, while such a man possibly existed, none can be sure if he were actually a vampire as Stoker claimed. Regardless, fear of the Count and his kin drives many of the locals to bar their windows, leave wolf’s-bane at their doors, and wear crucifixes to ward off any evil spirits. While Otto claims to be an exception in this regard, he’s no fool and refuses to take them right to the castle door, forcing the three to walk the rest of the way and costing Clifton his last ten bucks for the pleasure.

Broke Frank Drake is forced to visit his alluring, Gothic ancestral home to recoup his losses.

While Frank’s distracted by the grandeur of Castle Dracula, Clifton tries to put the moves on Jeanie. However, while they used to be a thing, she ended it months ago and is sick of his refusal to accept that she’s moved on. Frank, however, is lost in memories of how he stupidly blew his father’s fortune, how Jeanie stuck by him despite his money woes, and him being refused financial aid from banks and friends alike. While sharing his woes with Clifton, Frank mentions how all he has left is an old castle, one passed down through his family line and which his family has struggled to sell. This is where we learn that Frank is a descendant of Dracula’s and that it was actually Clifton’s idea to capitalise on his lineage by turning the castle into a tourist attraction. While reading through a family journal (strongly implied to be Stoker’s novel, reinterpreted as a historical document), Frank felt the stirring of “some ancestral memory” and was captivated by the descriptions of Dracula. The book also told of his ancestor’s shame and fear of being associated with the Count and of how Abraham van Helsing (referred to as “van Helfing”) seemingly destroyed the vampire lord by driving a wooden stake through his heart. Haunted by the text, Frank nevertheless agreed to head to Transylvania with Clifton and Jeanie in hopes of turning the castle into a museum though, as he stands in the shadow of the gothic structure, Frank can’t help but be unnerved by the strange feelings of home and destiny exuded by the dark building. As they tour the interior, Frank’s odd behaviour worries Jeanie, who’s startled when a cloud of bats suddenly swarms them. Although Frank fends them off, Jeanie’s left traumatised and wanting to leave, noting that Frank’s changed and is no longer the sweet man who gifted her a silver compact mirror.

The enigmatic count mesmerises Jeanie, corrupting her despite Frank’s best efforts.

Determined to force Jeanie back into his arms and screw his friend over, Clifton takes off and ends up tumbling into a dungeon. There, he discovers a narrow stone stairway leading to an ancient tomb, where Dracula’s coffin rests. Seeing only dollar signs, Clifton draws a gun and arrogantly opens the crypt, discovering the skeletal corpse of Dracula, stake and all, lying within. Excited, Clifton removes the stake and sets out to kill Frank so he can reap all the rewards, unaware that this act causes Dracula to reconstitute and rise again! Weary and famished from his long slumber, the eloquent Count pounces upon Clifton, shrugging off his gun shot and tossing him into a deeper dungeon for safekeeping. Entranced by the sound of others, especially a woman, Dracula heads to the upper floors in his bat form, frightening Jeanie and then horrifying both her and Frank when he reveals his true self. Thanks to his silver tongue and hypnotic eyes, Dracula easily sways Jeanie to leave Frank’s side, so he knocks her out with a right hook to keep her safe (!) and sends Dracula fleeing by flashing her silver compact. As Frank rushes Jeanie upstairs (since she’s somehow “close to dying!”), Dracula flies to the village and feeds upon the barmaid, turning the locals into an angry mob when they rightly assume that Frank and the others disturbed the legendary vampire. Returning to his castle, Dracula spies on the unconscious Jeanie and, though tempted by her purity and innocence, is again denied another meal by the glittering crucifix around her neck. Frank takes credit for this and confronts his ancestor, warding the vampire off with the compact’s mirror, enraging Dracula and casing him to strike his cousin, knocking him out. Although Dracula compels Jeanie to remove her crucifix, the angry mob sets the castle alight and Frank recovers in time to flash the compact once more, forcing Dracula to flee. Unfortunately, Frank was too late to stop Jeanie being bitten and she awakens as a vampire, mocking his grief and fleeing into the misty night.

The Summary:
This had a bit of potential, but didn’t fully deliver on its premise. I quite like the idea that Dracula is treated as folklore, a retelling of factual events whose veracity is disputed. For the Transylvanian locals, Castle Dracula is all-too real and the fear of the vampire lord within is strong enough to stir up superstitions and debate between them. While none of them dispute that Dracula did exist, some aren’t convinced he was a vampire and yet many take precautions nevertheless because…why tempt fate? Fritz takes these concerns very seriously, presumptuously speaking for his fellow villagers and claiming that no one will help Frank and the others. This isn’t quite true as Otto’s assistance can be bought, though even he’ll only go so far despite boasting of his disbelief of such superstitious nonsense. Whether they believe it or not, Castle Dracula stands as an ominous monument. Its very presence evokes fear and it’s become a symbol of all their superstitions, though ironically may hold the key to bring some much-needed revenue to the struggling villagers as it could lure in tourists. The ill-fated barmaid is almost as excited by this prospect as the opportunistic Clifton, who maliciously manipulates Frank into buying into his family’s account of the Count and profiting off his inheritance, with no understanding of what truly lurks within Castle Dracula. He’s perfectly happy to use his friend, openly complaining and criticising him and gaslighting Frank into believing the troubles they’ve suffered from the trip are his fault, all with the aim of profiting both financial and by regaining Jeanie’s affections. While she has no time for Clifton (and even Frank quickly loses patience), Clifton refuses to take no for an answer and is even prepared to off Frank just so that he can weasel his way back into Jeanie’s bed, a selfish ambition that blinds him and makes him easy prey for the rejuvenated vampire lord.

Despite his visual appeal, Dracula is strangely weak and fails to match his filmic counterparts.

Yes, Dracula is very real here. Clearly modelled after Christopher Lee’s iconic portrayal from Dracula: Prince of Darkness (Fisher, 1966), the Count is a tall, alluring figure with hypnotic eyes and even more hypnotic voice. A gothic figure of ancient legend, he’s ripped straight from Bram Stoker’s novel and sports many of the same tropes and weaknesses. He can transform into a bat, mesmerise his prey, feeds on their blood, and is warded off by wolf’s-bane, silver, crucifixes, and mirrors. The Drake journal reveals that their bloodline largely distanced themselves from Dracula out of fear and tells how an old vampire hunter finally slayed the creature, revealing that Dracula can be killed with a wooden stake (though this doesn’t come into play, except to revitalise the fiend). Immune to Clifton’s bullets, Dracula’s scared off by Jeanie’s convenient silver combat mirror and heads into town to feed, though seems displeased by the barmaid’s blood and desires purer, sweeter blood. Thus, he targets Jeanie, a caring spouse who worries about Frank’s distracted state and fends off Clifton’s advances, though she crumbles like paper whenever bats appear, much less Dracula. Dracula seems a bit weak here, which is understandable since he just woke up, but it’s weird that his strike didn’t kill Frank. The story’s also incomprehensible at times; Frank seems to think Jeanie’s in danger of dying after simply passing out and she gets bitten between panels, which wasn’t very clear. In the end, this was an alright story with some unique visuals. I like the gothic depiction of Castle Dracula and the torrential rain, and Dracula’s very Lee-esque appearance and unique, haunting way of talking. However, it was quite a repetitive story (Frank relied on that silver compact way too much) that didn’t fully deliver on all its plot threads (Clifton being a prime example). I can only hope that future issues of The Tomb of Dracula characterised the titular Count as less of a weakling as this wasn’t a great showing for him here, even if he did get the last laugh by turning Jeanie.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Count Dracula’s debut story? Were you disappointed by how weak he was depicted? What did you think to Frank Drake and the depiction of Dracula’s legend? Did you ever read The Tomb of Dracula books and, if so, did you enjoy them? What are some of your favourite Dracula moments from Marvel Comics? Have you ever read Stoker’s novel, and what are some of your favourite vampire stories? No matter what you think, good or bad, feel free to share your thoughts below, show me some love on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Dracula content.

Back Issues: Hellboy #1-4

Dr. K4 Comments

Story Title: “Seed of Destruction” (Part One to Four)
Published: March 1994 to June 1994
Writers: Mike Mignola and John Byrne
Artist: Mike Mignola

The Background:
Born in Berkeley, California, artist and comic creator Mike Mignola grew up with a fascination of monsters and a love of gothic, Victorian fiction. Mignola started his career as a comic book artist working for The Comic Reader before bringing his trademark dark, moody art style to mainstream publications DC and Marvel Comics. After years of working for hire, Mignola teamed with legendary writer and artist John Byrne for his first creator-owned comic book, Hellboy. Hellboy’s visual appearance evolved over Mignola’s career, beginning as a drawing for the 1991 Great Salt Lake Comic Convention booklet before eventually becoming the “World’s Greatest” gruff and witty paranormal investigator. Hellboy’s adventures began with these four distinctively Lovecraftian, widely successful issues and expanded into a wealth of further comics, spin-offs, and crossovers thanks to Mignola’s unique blend of folklore, horror, and pulp adventure. Hellboy has also seen not inconsiderable success beyond the comic books, featured in a handful of largely mediocre videogames, some well-regarded animated ventures, and some amazingly detailed action figures. Hellboy also made a splash on the big screen, especially in Ron Perlman’s peerless portrayal of the character in Guillermo del Toro’s cult favourite films. While Hellboy’s subsequent silver screen ventures was somewhat divisive, he remains one of the most enduring and visually iconic cult comic characters whose adventures have seen him effortlessly jump between multiple genres.

The Review:
Hellboy’s story begins in 1944 at the tail end of World War Two where a special squad of Army commandos, representatives from the British Paranormal Society, and costumed adventurer Paul Gibney/The Torch of Liberty gather in a remote village in East Bromwich to tackle a lingering Nazi threat known as “Project Ragna Rok”. While First Sergeant George Whitman is sceptical, Professor Malcolm Frost, “paranormal Wiz Kid” Trevor Bruttenholm/Broom, and medium Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones believe that Adolf Hitler’s “spook squad” are experimenting with black magic to raise the dead. Thanks to Broom’s meticulous research and Cynthia’s clairvoyance, the squad learns that maniacal mage Grigori Rasputin is performing a dark ritual powered by a mystical incantation and bizarre equipment, including two hefty gauntlets worn by Rasputin. Although Klaus Werner von Krupt is unimpressed by Rasputin’s light show, Broom and the others are surprised by a sudden burst of supernatural fire and the appearance of a child-like demon. Despite Professor Frost wishing to kill the creature, Broom accidentally names it “Hellboy” and the demon is adopted by the regiment, spending the next thirty-five years being raised by Broom, whom he sees as a surrogate father. Thus, Hellboy is pained to see his mentor aged and struggling with his memory of the “Cavendish expedition”. Thanks to Hellboy’s encouragement, Broom recalls that he accompanied the renowned Cavendish explorers to the ruins of an ancient temple. There, flanked by a statue of the monstrous, cephalopod-like Sadu-Hem, Broom discovered Rasputin in deep hibernation. Barely escaping from or remembering the carnage that followed, Broom summoned Hellboy for aid, only for his adopted son to watch in horror as a plague of frogs herald the arrival of a vicious frog-like monster, which kills Broom and attacks the enraged Hellboy.

When his father is murdered, Hellboy investigates a cursed family and uncovers an apocalyptic threat.

At a disadvantage in the dark, Hellboy is disarmed and wounded by the creature’s caustic tongue, so Hellboy gives the frog-thing a taste of his mysterious, stone-like right hand and sends it crashing into a sarcophagus. When the creature tries to flee, Hellboy puts it down with a single shot from his pistol, stunned when the monster disintegrates. Concerned, Hellboy calls the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), receiving condolences from Doctor Thomas “Tom” Manning and ordered to assemble a team to investigate. Hellboy recruits pyrokinetic Elizabeth “Liz” Sherman and fish-man Doctor Abraham “Abe” Sapien to accompany him to the decrepit Cavendish Hall to question Lady Emma Cavendish about her sons. Welcoming their direct questions, Lady Cavendish relates that her family were keen explorers for nine generations and that their fortune was built by Elihu Cavendish, who cursed his bloodline seeking the temple Broom found in the mountains. While she offers them sanctuary, the trip seems to be a dead end and the group are unaware that Rasputin is manipulating Lady Cavendish from the shadows, promising to return her sons for her co-operation. While the group rests, Hellboy’s inner monologue provides some background on Liz and Abe, revealing that Liz accidentally killed her family and several others before mastering her pyrokinesis with the BRPD and Abe was discovered in an abandoned basement of Saint Trinian’s Hospital on the day President Abraham Lincoln died. After Abe and Hellboy ponder Lady Cavendish’s butler, who seems familiar to them, Abe takes to the water to scout around and is horrified when Liz mentions frogs being in her room. Rushing to her aid, Hellboy finds only a smouldering cigarette and the aforementioned butler, who turns out to be a frogman in disguise! While Hellboy fights and ultimately defeats the creature, Abe discovers only “old death” beneath the flooded mansion and Hellboy is distraught to find Lady Cavendish has been killed in the same manner as his father.

Overpowered, Hellboy’s forced to endure Rasputin’s many monologues and rabid boasts.

While mourning the old lady, Hellboy is approached by the enigmatic Rasputin, who takes credit for bringing him into the world and demands he kneel in his presence. When Hellboy naturally declines, he’s suddenly ensnared by a gigantic tentacle and dragged into the darkness to fulfil what Rasputin calls his “destiny”. Hellboy is deposited in a dark, cavernous pool beneath the house, which Rasputin declares is rich with the screams of those sacrificed to the “Serpent”. For eight centuries, mortal men sought to free the unknowable “Seven Beasts”, the Ogdru Jahad, who whispered to Rasputin (through his dreams) the means to release them. Though Rasputin claims to be able to command Hellboy, the demon blasts him in the head with his pistol, only to be sent reeling from an incantation by the seemingly immortal wizard. Stunned, realising the talismans he’s collected over the years have been neutralised, Hellboy opts to stall Rasputin until he can think of a solution. This leads to another long monologue about how Rasputin has constantly evaded death thanks to the Ogdru Jahad, who wish him to cause the apocalypse. Hellboy is then attacked by another, even bigger frogman, one of the Cavendish twins hideously transformed by black magic, and is hopelessly manhandled. While Abe follows the trail left by the other frogmen, the battered Hellboy learns of Rasputin’s travels to Europe, how he researched Ragna Rok and allied with the Nazis to gain the resources to enact the Ogdru Jahad’s plot. Though disheartened after Hitler’s death, Rasputin took solace in knowing he’d summoned Hellboy and was drawn to the temple where, while hibernating, he learned from the Sadu-Hem that the horrific Ogdru Jahad is actually seven creatures imprisoned beyond our understanding and longing to avenge themselves upon the Earth.

Though Hellboy triumphs with some help from his allies, he’s left shaken by Rasputin’s words…

After untold years of planning and preparing, Rasputin prepares to fulfil his master’s wishes using Liz’s raw power, much to Hellboy’s dismay, alongside the restored (and enlarged) Sadu-Hem. While using the enchanted Liz as an unwilling a conduit, Rasputin offers Hellboy the chance to join them in death and destruction, which Hellboy naturally rejects despite being near-paralysed from the frogman’s saliva. As Rasputin begins his incantations, Hellboy forces himself to retrieve a concussion grenade from his belt and stuffs it down the frogman’s throat, obliterating it. Rasputin’s dark magics see the Ogdru Jahad slowly awaken and attack their prison, but his mad plot is suddenly interrupted by Abe, who’s possessed by Elihu’s vengeful spirit and first impales the wizard on a spear before releasing Liz from his grasp, sparking an inferno. As Sadu-Hem and the Cavendish estate erupt in flames, the restored Abe rushes Liz to safety, leaving Hellboy behind as he insists on finishing the wraith-like Rasputin. Despite Rasputin boasting incredible power, Hellboy easily trounces the wizard, rejecting him and his offer to know the truth of his origins and shattering Rasputin with his mighty stone fist. From the ruins of Cavendish Hall, Abe relates his confusion about his possession, which Hellboy believes was the old man’s way of putting things right and avenging the many years of losses suffered by his family. While Liz also doesn’t remember much from her time under Rasputin’s spell, she feels an inexplicable relief at having unleashed her full power for once. Though Abe and Liz show concern for Hellboy, he keeps quiet about Rasputin’s final words and his own doubts about himself, and the story ends with the awakening of Rasputin’s old allies, Ilsa Haupstein, Karl Kroene, and Leopold Kurtz, in an abandoned Nazi laboratory…

The Summary:
I’ll be the first to admit that my primary source of exposure to Hellboy comes from the movies and cartoons. In fact, “Seed of Destruction” is the only Hellboy story I’ve ever read as of this writing, which may or may not be blasphemy. It’s not that I don’t like the character and his world, which has a fun, gothic horror aesthetic that speaks to the Lovecraft fan in me. My hesitancy is largely because of my dislike of Mike Mignola’s art style which, again, is probably sacrilegious. I liken Mignola’s heavy use of shadows and simplistic forms to Frank Miller, who made a career out of exaggerated shadows and sketches. It’s a very eccentric and unique art style, for sure, and don’t get me wrong: it really works for Hellboy. However, it’s just not very visually appealing for me so I tend to veer away from Mignola’s works. That’s a “me” thing, obviously, as like I say the art really adds to this unique comic book world. Mignola clearly has a reverence for horror, gothic architecture, the arcane arts, steampunk-style technology, and Lovecraft, seeping every panel and page in dark, brooding inks, sparingly using bold colours and relying on silhouettes and murky darkness to create a constantly foreboding atmosphere. Mignola’s writing is also far better than a lot of Miller’s, if I’m comparing the two, with Hellboy being a somewhat snarky, eccentric character who’s respectful to Broom and treats his associates with respect but isn’t afraid to talk a bit of trash to his enemies. Hellboy’s inner monologue reveals a half-human creature fully aware of his flaws (his quick temper, rash decisions, and poor marksmanship chief among them), somewhat curious about his true origins, and with fifty-odd years of paranormal investigating under his belt.

While the unique Hellboy makes a visual impression, he’s a largely mysterious figure in his debut.

Unlike the films, where he’s portrayed as an unruly child at times, Hellboy is largely professional here, calling in situations for the BRPD to investigate and largely conducting himself well while at Cavendish Hall. While Liz admonishes his curt demeanour, Lady Cavendish welcomes the discourse and, most notably, shows no fear or panic when met by a literal demon. While it doesn’t play a big role in this story, it’s clear Hellboy and his allies are far more public figures in the comics and have been accepted by society. Interestingly, the only person who shows any fear or suspicion of Hellboy is Professor Frost; everyone else accepts, respects, and shows concern for him. While Hellboy and Liz have a purely platonic relationship here, unlike in the films, he seemingly admires her for overcoming her traumatic past and she asks if he’s okay in the finale, showing they’re more than just colleagues. Hellboy is seen to be closer to Abe, discussing their suspicions and the case, and these three have clearly worked together in the past. Interestingly, Broom is offed very early on and his relationship with Hellboy isn’t as deep as in the movies. Sure, Hellboy thinks of him as a father figure and is seen to be angered by his murder and driven to track down those responsible, but he’s noticeably more blasé about it, even in his inner monologue. Similarly, Hellboy seems to either be not bothered by his true origins or hiding it extremely well, sparing little thought of where he came from and what his true purpose is. Although Rasputin inspires him to think differently about this, the true extent of Hellboy’s origin and purpose is merely alluded to here, with him said to have a part in the end of the world but it’s not clear what that is. Hell, Rasputin doesn’t even use him in his summoning ritual, instead focusing his power through Liz, leaving me with a sense of intrigue regarding Hellboy’s true purpose in the comics.

The horror and Lovecraftian themes are an undeniable highlight in this intriguing introduction.

Indeed, we learn more about the maniacal Rasputin that we do Hellboy, which has its pros and cons. The pros come from maintaining a sense of mystery about Hellboy to be explored in subsequent issues, while the cons come from having to suffer through panels and panels of exposition and monologuing from the depraved mage as he rambles on about his past. It’s somewhat necessary as it shows just how long the Ogdru Jahad have been influencing him and longing for their release, and how many others have tried to free them through less refined rituals and means, but it does get a bit tedious after a while. I liked that the Ogdru Jahad are kept largely mysterious despite Rasputin’s many words, appearing to be interdimensional, alien, demonic, or even divine monsters trapped within a crystalline prison somewhere beyond our comprehension. They establish a foothold on Earth through the equally monstrous Sadu-Hem (a similarly Lovecraftian beast that barely factors into the plot as it just looms there, grabs Hellboy, and then bursts into flames) and Rasputin, who’s revealed to be unnaturally long-lived and partially undead. Wielding incredible arcane magic and having manipulated the Nazis into providing him the resources to summon Hellboy, Rasputin is obsessed with being the linchpin for the apocalypse, delighting in deceiving others into doing his bidding and giddy at the thought of his masters raining destruction upon the Earth (though, again, it’s unclear what role Hellboy would play in this apocalypse). I feel it might’ve been better to have Rasputin merge with Sadu-Hem rather than take Liz hostage, or as well as using her powers, to give a bit more punch to the ending. It was interesting seeing Elihu get his revenge through Abe, but it did mean Abe and Liz played diminished roles in the finale. Still, while this isn’t a perfect story, I enjoyed this introduction to Hellboy, the familiar elements I recognise from the films, and I am interested in reading more of his adventures…I’m just not sure where to go from here.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you a fan of Hellboy’s first four issues? Did you pick these up at the time or did you discover Hellboy later, as I did? Do you think I’ve committed blasphemy by criticising Mike Mignola’s art style? What did you think to Hellboy’s appearance and demeanour? Which Hellboy stories are your favourite? Whatever you think about Hellboy, feel free to leave your thoughts below, check out my other horror-related content on the site, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Hellboy stories for me to review.