Story Title: “The Coming of the Blue Beetle” Published: August 1939 Writer: Will Eisner Artist: Charles Nicholas
The Background: Something I’ve always found fascinating about the history of DC Comics is just how many of their characters and concepts originated elsewhere; Billy Batson/Shazam might be a DC mainstay now but he started life in Fawcett Comics, for example, and even heavy hitters like the Justice Society of America were published under the All-American Publications banner before being bought by, or rebranded, to DC Comics. This is also true of the very first Blue Beetle, Dan Garret; created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, the Blue Beetle was one of many costumed adventurers who would come to be featured in the pages of various comic books published by Charlton Comics and, in his earliest incarnation, was a domino-masked pulp crimefighter rather than a superhero. In fact, the character’s look and origin was almost a composite of the likes of Kit Walker/The Phantom and Denny Colt/The Spirit, which isn’t too surprising given that comic icon Will Eisner allegedly assisted with Garret’s first adventures. Initially appearing under Fox Comics publications, the otherwise powerless Blue Beetle would be taken on by Charlton Comics and play a significant, if often forgotten, role in the legacy of his successors. Indeed, Dan Garret is sometimes all but forgotten about whenever the subject of the Blue Beetle comes up since, like other Golden Age heroes, his influence was surpassed by his Silver and Modern Age equivalents. As a result, he’s rarely featured, referenced, or even acknowledged within DC Comics, let alone in ancillary media but, since his modern day successor has since made his live-action debut, I figured I would revisit Garret’s first appearance and examine the origins of this often overlooked character.
The Review: Dan Garret is just your normal, everyday beat cop in a normal, everyday city where bankers like Mr. Vander are kidnapped in broad daylight. Indeed, poor old Dan was just minding his own business, patrolling his beat, when he was suddenly fired upon from a car. Although he takes a slug to the shoulder, Dan still has the presence of mind to fire back, but he’s unable to stop the speeding car, out of which is thrown an elderly man. Despite the pain from his injury, Dan tends to the man, who turns out to be the aforementioned Mr. Vander, a banker who was kidnapped by the “White Face Gang” alongside his daughter and his secretary, John Brandes. While Dan miraculously recovers from his wound between panels, Mr. Vanders isn’t so lucky; the sergeant informs Dan that the banker died later that evening, though the cops were able to recover the gang’s car. Rather than rest up as his sergeant suggests, Dan inspects the vehicle. Although the car’s serial number has been filed off, a “drop of specially prepared chemical” reveals the number and that the car belongs to a certain garage owner named Mike Ravani.
When a banker’s daughter is kidnapped, flatfoot Dan Garret investigates as the Blue Beetle!
Later that same evening, the Vanders girl is being tortured across town in Ravani’s garage by a group of thugs, who threaten to set her ablaze if she doesn’t tell them the combination to her father’s bank’s vault. One of the thugs spies an ominous sight, however: a blue beetle, the calling card of the titular suit-and-fedora-clad vigilante. Rather than rushing in and beating the gang to a pulp, the Blue Beetle is able to spare the girl from further torture by offering to tell them the combination to the vault in exchange for a 40% cut. Despite the fact that he’s a mysterious masked manhunter, the gang agrees to the offer; though they’re smart enough to take the Blue Beetle with them, they inexplicably leave him alone long enough to place a call to police headquarters using his special wireless phone. Consequently, when the White Face Gang break into the bank, the cops are there to get the jump on them; the Blue Beetle then punches one out, blinds another with a gas capsule, and then flees in his car as the gang is arrested. Their leader is unmasked to reveal it was John Brandes all along in a twist that really doesn’t make all the much sense as it can’t have been difficult for Mr. Vanders’ secretary to learn the safe combination. Things get even more confusing as Dan owes his plan’s success to his friend, drug store owner Abe, who apparently houses his Blue Beetle gear and called the White Face Gang to confirm the Blue Beetle’s combination…? I don’t really understand it, personally. Anyway, the gang is arrested, and Dan returns to work, where one of his colleagues tells him all about how he came so close to nailing the elusive Blue Beetle…even though they never actually had a hope in hell as he was long gone by the time they arrived.
The Summary: Well…this was pretty awful. It’s strikingly similar to the first appearance of Bruce Wayne/Batman, something that shouldn’t be too surprising considering Batman’s pulp roots and Bob Kane’s talent for plagiarism. While the quality of these scans isn’t great, the artwork is fitting for the era; by which I mean it’s grainy, messy, low on detail, and a bit confusing with all the high contrasting colours and such. To be fair, the story does a decent job of introducing us to Dan Garret; he’s just a normal, everyday bloke but he tends to others even while wounded and takes it upon himself to tackle criminals…even though there’s no suggestion that the police are baffled by the kidnapping and no reason given as to why he’s adopted a masked persona. Like many pulp heroes, the Blue Beetle has a fancy car and a base of operations (though we never see it in detail) and a confidante who shelters and supplies him (though we learn nothing about him except that he’s an old friend and runs a drug store).
A confusing story featuring a Green Hornet rip-off that fails to impress on almost every level.
The Blue Beetle’s attire here is a simple blue suit, black fedora, and white domino mask that looks like he’s wrapped a handkerchief around his eyes! In fact, there’s little to separate the Blue Beetle from Britt Reid/The Green Hornet when it comes to his overall appearance and the down-to-earth nature of his crimefighting methods. His iconography, the Blue Beetle, is visible on his chest and apparently is left as a calling card to announce his arrival, though it’s not clear how he got this into the gang’s garage nor is it explained why Dan has chosen this motif for his masked persona, which only lends more weight to the argument that he’s a Green Hornet rip-off. The Blue Beetle also employs smoke pellets to blind his foes, packs a mean right hook, and carries a miniature wireless phone that’s quite ahead of its time, indicating that he’s surprisingly well funded and intelligent for a simple beat cop. However, the story falls apart very easily for me; I don’t get why Brandes would have to resort to kidnapping and murder for his crime, or how Abe’s call to the gang aided the plan. It’s also weird that the Blue Beetle is seen to be a known vigilante, yet the White Face Gang take him at his word when he offers to help, almost as if he’s some underworld figure. I don’t have any answers to that; all I know was that this was a very confusing and an extremely disappointing first outing for the Blue Beetle that paints him as a forgettable knock-off rather than a memorable pulp hero.
My Rating:
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5.
Terrible
Have you ever read the first appearance of Dan Garret’s Blue Beetle? If so, what did you think to it? Was there anything about this strip that impressed you or do you agree that the Blue Beetle was a rather underwhelming presence? Are you able to explain the plot and what the hell happened with Abe and Brandes’ plan, because it didn’t make much sense to me…? Who is your favourite pulp hero? Would you like to see more from Dan Garret or do you prefer a different Blue Beetle and, if so, who is it? I’d love to know your thoughts on the Blue Beetle down in the comments or on my social media, so feel free to share them and be sure to check out my other Blue Beetle content.
Easily Marvel Comics’ most recognisable and popular superhero, unsuspecting teenage nerd Peter Parker was first bitten by a radioactive spider and learned the true meaning of power and responsibility in Amazing Fantasy #15, published in August 1962. Since then, the Amazing Spider-Man has featured in numerous cartoons, live-action movies, videogames, action figures, and countless comic book titles and, following this celebration of his debut, I’ll be dedicating every Saturday of August to talk about everyone’s favourite web-head!
Story Title: “Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus” Published: 9 April 1963 (cover-dated July 1963) Writers: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Artist: Steve Ditko
The Background: After achieving incredible success with the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee sought to capitalise on this with a teenaged superhero for younger readers to identify with. Inspired by a fly climbing up his office wall, Lee created Spider-Man (emphasis on the hyphen) and turned to artist Steve Ditko to settle on the character’s final design. Although Marvel publisher Martin Goodman disliked the concept and relegated the story to the final issue of Amazing Fantasy #15, the comic was one of Marvel’s best selling titles at the time and Spider-Man’s popularity led to him getting his own solo title barely a year later. Undeniably, Spider-Man has since fought some of the greatest and most memorable villains in comicdom, with many of Spidey’s most famous being co-created by Stan Lee. Three issues into The Amazing Spider-Man, Lee dreamed up a new supervillain for the webslinger, a crazed scientist with four mechanical arms grafted to his body simply out of a desire to offer something new and randomly settling on an octopus for inspiration. Since his debut in this issue, Doctor Otto Octavius has become one of Spidey’s most notorious and formidable villains; he not only handed Spider-Man his first defeat, but formed a cabal of villains to hound the web-slinger, almost married his beloved Aunt May, and even once switched bodies with Peter to become the “Superior Spider-Man”. Doc Ock has also been a recurring villain outside of the comics, often acting as a final boss or prominent antagonist in numerous Spider-Man videogames, and being a central villain in Spider-Man cartoons, to say nothing of Alfred Molina’smuch-praised turn as the character in live-action.
The Review: “Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus” begins with a pretty typical night in New York City; three mooks are wheeling a giant, cast-iron safe through a warehouse and in the process of stealing the vault when they’re startled by the appearance of everyone’s friendly, neighbourhood Spider-Man! As he was prone to doing from time to time, Spider-Man startles the crooks by projecting his spider-symbol onto the wall to put the wind up them and then makes short work of the three with his incredible spider strength. As Spidey waits for New York’s finest to show up and deal with the thieves, Spidey muses about how he’s run out of real competition and longs for an opponent who can actually put up a fight against his superhuman strength, a wish that he’s soon going to regret as, at that moment on the outskirts of the city, one of his greatest foes is about to be created! The scene shifts to an atomic research centre where genius nuclear physicist Doctor Otto Octavius has made a name for himself not just through his ground-breaking research but also in the development and utilisation of a unique mechanical harness which effectively grants him four additional, robotic arms that allow him to perform experiments no other scientist could dream of from a position of complete safety. While his peers have given him the nickname “Doctor Octopus” and regard him with a mixture of awe and ridicule, Otto is concerned only with his work and, early on, already shows signs of mania as he relishes in the benefits of his arms, which have made him the master of radiation.
Doc Ock’s mechanical arms allow him to manhandle Spider-Man and seize a nuclear facility.
However, tragedy strikes the workaholic scientist when the facility randomly explodes, leaving him not only permanently brain damaged (though we have no basis for comparison between this pre-accident personality and his post-accident one as they both seem very similar) but also fuses his mechanical arms to his body from the “radiation”. When Otto awakens, he’s eager to return to his work and, when the doctors insist that he lay down and rest, assumes that they’re jealous of him and actively keeping him from his research. His desire to escape is realised by his arms, which now obey his mental commands rather than being manually operated, and he basks in his newfound physical abilities. Naturally, cantankerous Daily Bugle editor, J. Jonah Jameson, wants pictures of the injured scientist yesterday so budding freelance photographer Peter Parker heads off to get the photos no-one can as Spider-Man. However, when he crawls his way up to Otto’s room, he’s stunned to see that the scientist, now embracing his nickname of Dr. Octopus, has gone mad with power and taken a few hostages so he can whip up some experiments. Spider-Man swings in to save the day, but Doc Ock is unimpressed by his quips and spider strength and even gives the web-head the shock of his life when he snaps his webbing, overwhelms him with his many arms (bitch slapping him in the process) and tosses him from the room like he was nothing. The shock of suffering his first real, unequivocal defeat runs deep for Peter, who suffers a crisis of confidence that leaves him powerless to stop Doc Ock from returning to the atomic research centre and easily taking command of the “brain centre”, granting him untold (if vague) power.
Peter bounces back fromhis defeat to out-think and defeat his multi-armed new foe.
To demonstrate his superiority, Doctor Octopus destroys part of the facility and rebuilds it to his specifications, setting up electronic barriers and barricades to create an impenetrable fortress; though it’s unclear what his ultimate goal is, it’s enough to put the wind up “the foremost brains of the nation’s armed forces”. Stuck in a deep depression, Peter feels lost and helpless, sleepwalking his way through school and envious of Johnny Storm/The Human Torch’s powers and confidence. However, Johnny’s address to the school makes Peter realise that defeat is inevitable and that the key is to never give up, which Peter takes to heart and finds his passion once more. Ready and raring for round two, Spidey easily infiltrates Doc Ock’s fortress, dodging his many traps and hazards thanks to his superhuman reflexes and spider sense, and dodging the mad scientist’s electronic eyes long enough to use his brains not brawn to whip his own scientific solution to his multi-armed foe. Confident of his unmatched power, Doc Ock opts to attack Spider-Man directly and is impressed when the web-slinger disables two of his arms with a chemical concoction that fuses them together. However, Doc Ock remains a deadly threat thanks to his flailing arms and surprising speed so, rather than trying to fight them off or fight through them, Spidey allows himself to be lured closer to his foe and relies on his superhuman strength and durability to withstand Doc Ock’s assault and lay him out with a single, well-timed knockout punch. Relieved to have ended the threat, Spidey takes no chances and thoroughly webs the dangerous madman up for the military police to find, then drops by Johnny Storm’s hotel room to thank him for his help, leaving the flaming teenager baffled since he has no idea what Spidey’s talking about.
The Summary: Interestingly enough, “Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus” was actually the first Spider-Man story I ever read as a kid (or, at least, it’s the one I have any memory of reading first) and, as a result I grew up perceiving Doctor Octopus, rather than the likes of Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, as Spider-Man’s greatest nemesis. Revisiting the story now, I’m actually surprised at how enjoyable it is; Marvel Comics from the sixties can be a bit hit and miss, bogged down by dated dialogue and traditions or full of bizarre and off-putting artwork, but “Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus” is actually a pretty simple and effective story that shows Spidey dealing with the shock of being so handily defeated. Though often a conflicted and heavily burdened character beneath the mask, one of Spider-Man’s greatest assets has always been his unmatched physical confidence and love of aggravating his opponents with quips and jokes so to see him overpowered, smacked about like he was nothing, and cast aside like a mere annoyance was pretty startling at the time. It’s no surprise that Peter takes the defeat to heart, and he even contemplates ending his superhero career since his confidence has been shaken so badly, and it’s only through a conveniently relatable speech from fellow superhero the Human Torch that he’s able to find the motivation to suit back up for the rematch. I also enjoyed that his solution was to use his own scientific acumen as much as his incredible spider strength to best his new foe as it’s always cathartic when the very thing his peers mock him for contributes to him defeating a supervillain.
Doc Ock’s goals may be vague, but his intelligence is more than a match for Spider-Man!
Of course, the standout of the story is Doc Ock himself and much of the story revolves around him and his mad ambitions for power. We don’t really learn anything about Doc Ock except that he’s a genius scientific mind and the accident has driven him to the point of obsessive madness; we never get a sense of who he is before the accident to compare with how it affects his mind and it’s not made clear what his endgame is in taking over the atomic research centre beyond the ambiguous threat of him having access to the strange and dangerous power of nuclear energy and radiation which was rampant in comics at the time. Radiation is such a mysterious and powerful element that it not only granted Spider-Man his powers, but also fused the mechanical arms to Otto’s body and drove him mad with the physical abilities they afford him; responding to his mental commands, the arms can extend, allow him to clamber up walls, easily manhandle his foes, and allow him to perform multiple tasks at once through sheer force of will. The arms are so versatile, dexterous, and powerful that they can even hold back Spider-Man’s superhuman strength, strike fast enough to test even his vaulted spider sense, and can break his webbing with ease. However, behind the arms, Doc Ock is simply a man; one filled with a burning desire for power and determined to prove his superiority by any means, but a man nonetheless, and nowhere is this more evident than in the ease at which Spidey punches him out once he gets close enough. Consequently, Doc Ock is a supervillain who relies on his genius, fractured intellect and his formidable arms rather than having an inherent superhuman durability, which contrasts his daunting threat with an emotional and physical vulnerability to create a villain who is visually interesting and fully capable of out-thinking and out-fighting Spider-Man.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Great Stuff
What are your thoughts on Doctor Octopus’s first appearance? Were you a fan of the villain and his unique powers or did you find him to be a bit shallow and ridiculous? What did you think to Spidey’s defeat and crisis of confidence and his solution to besting Doc Ock? Were you a fan of the Human Torch’s cameo or did you think it was a bit forced? What are some of your favourite Doc Ock stories and moments? How are you celebrating Spider-Man Day today? Whatever your thoughts on Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, leave them below and be sure to stick around for more Spider-Man content!
Published: June 2008 to January 2009 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artists: Leinil Francis Yu
The Background: In January 1962, legendary duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Marvel Comics readers to the Skrulls, a race of warmongering shape-shifters who have long hounded Marvel’s heroes, particularly the Fantastic Four, by assuming their identities and powers. Experimented on by the all-mighty Celestials and launching aggressive campaigns against both the Earth and their hated enemies, the Kree, the Skrulls have been at the forefront of numerous Marvel stories over the years in addition to featuring as villains in various videogames and animated ventures before making their live-action debut, in a decidedly different manner, in Captain Marvel(Boden, 2019). Perhaps one of their most prominent storylines was the Secret Invasion arc that ran through these eight issues and multiple tie-ins and spin-offs; the brainchild of writer Brian Michael Bendis, Secret Invasion had not only been hinted at for some time and was heavily advertised as a means of changed up the perception of legacy Marvel characters and even return some to mainstream publication. Reviews of the storyline were mixed, with some noting that it was an anti-climatic Marvel event and others praising the marketing and artwork while criticising the religious undertones and spotty dialogue. Still, an adaptation of the story made its way into the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon (2010 to 2012) and it also formed the basis of a six-episode, live-action series of the same name on Disney+.
The Review: This eight-issue event series begins “years ago” after the destruction of the Skrull throneworld, a cataclysmic, prophesied event that leads the few survivors back to their queen, Veranke, who kicks the story’s narrative in motion by seeding Skrull agents throughout our world. It took years for this to be uncovered, and it was revealed in dramatic fashion when it turned out that the resurrected assassin Elektra Natchios was a Skrull in disguise, a revelation that alerted Tony Stark/Iron Man (then the conceited and self-righteous director of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.) following the game-changing events of Civil War (Millar, et al, 2006 to 2007)) to the depths of the Skrull’s infiltration. Recognising that even his armour’s sensors can’t be trusted to identity friend from foe, Stark drafts in his allies – Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Doctor Henry “Hank” Pym/Yellowjacket – to perform an autopsy in an attempt to figure out how the Skrull was able to remain completely undetected to technology, magic, and Mutant probing. Conveniently enough, a Skrull ship chooses this exact moment to come crashing into Earth’s atmosphere and make landfall in the Savage Land, taking Iron Man away from the operating room so he can investigate. Concerned that this could be the full-scale invasion they fear, Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman calls in the renegade “New” Avengers (those who refused to sign up to the ludicrous Superhero Registration Act in Civil War), which leads to Luke Cage/Power Man, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine, Danny Rand/Iron Fist, Clint Barton/Ronin, and Maya Lopez/Echo subduing Black Widow/Natasha Romanova and stealing her Quinjet to beat Iron Man and his government-sanction Mighty Avengers – Iron Man, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel, Janet van Dyne/The Wasp, Ares, Simon Williams/Wonder Man, and Robert “Bob” Reynolds/The Sentry – to the crash site. Both sets of Avengers are aware of the potential Skrull threat, which drives an even greater wedge between them as not only are the Secret Avengers being actively hunted by their former comrades, but they can’t even trust each other to be who they say they are.
While the Skrulls cripple Earth’s defenses, the fractured Avengers battle their classic counterparts.
After being brought down by one of the Savage Land’s rampaging dinosaurs, the New Avengers prepare to open up the crashed ship, but they’re intercepted by the Mighty Avengers, with Iron Man immediately trying to arrest them and Luke Cage obviously telling him and his jumped-up thugs to go kick rocks. Iron Man’s attempt to keep the rogue superheroes from overstepping the mark are scuppered when Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan and his trusted butler, Edwin Jarvis, unexpectedly sabotage not only the orbiting the Sentient World Observation and Response Department’s (S.W.O.R.D.) satellite base but also Stark’s armour and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarriers and bases, effectively disabling the armoured Avenger and crippling the superhero community’s resources and communications. Additionally, maximum security prisons the Raft and the Cube are suddenly hit by mass breakouts and Mar-Vell/Captain Marvel and Susan Storm/Invisible Woman disable the villainous Thunderbolts and the rest of the Fantastic Four, with each of these supposed heroes flashing ominous eyes and assuring their victims that “He loves [them]”. Meanwhile, a Skrull armada bares down on Earth and Mr. Fantastic finds himself reduced to an elasticated mess right as he figures out the key behind the Skrull’s newfound undetectability, the victim of a shot from Pym, who’s revealed to also be the Skrull Citri Noll! Momentarily setting aside their differences to get Tony Stark to aid, the two Avengers groups are startled when a slew of classic-styled, currently deceased or long-changed superheroes emerge from the Skrull ship; Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, the Vision, Thor Odinson, Doctor Jean Grey/Phoenix, Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy/The Beast, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Jessica Jones/Jewel, Emma Frost/The White Queen, and Barbara “Bobbi” Morse/Mockingbird appear alongside classic versions of Spider-Man, Power Man, Wonder Man, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, and the Invisible Woman. Naturally, a tense showdown ensues in which both groups assume the other are Skrulls in disguise; guys like Wolverine, Spider-Man, Emma Frost, and the Vision struggle to get any kind of reading on their counterparts beyond sensing their distrust while Ronin is stunned to see his former flame, Mockingbird, alive and well but, despite Ares trying to convince his allies that it’s a trap, tensions boil over and an all-out brawl kicks off!
As more characters enter the fray, internal distrust is as rife as the escalating war with the Skrulls.
With Stark in agony from the alien virus that’s crippled his armour, Ms. Marvel flies him to safety as the others duke it out; the two Spider-Men trade quips and punches, the Vision uses the Sentry’s fear of his destructive and malevolent alter ego, the Void, to disable his God-like power, and Ronin steals his counterpart’s weapons to subdue their attackers but the arrival of a raging Tyrannosaurus rex disrupts the fracas. Trampled to death by the dinosaur, the classic Spider-Man and Hawkeye are revealed to be Skrulls, and Wolverine intuits that the Skrulls are setting them against each other to wipe out any resistance to their invasion plan. However, when he tries to eviscerate Mockingbird, Ronin intervenes and questions her; she’s adamant that she’s not a Skrull and even reveals personal information that only she and Clint would know, which is enough to convince him to trust her. This offers Luke Cage the hope that the Cap and Iron Man aboard the ship are the real deal, which would certainly explain Stark’s recent manic behaviour and allow the recently deceased Cap to still be alive, but Wolverine’s far from convinced. Meanwhile, back in New York City, a portal opens up and a whole slew of Avengers-inspired Super-Skrulls attack; there’s Skrulls combining the powers of various X-Men, a Fantastic Four Super-Skrull, one that’s a mixture of Spider-Man villains, and even an Illuminati hybrid, meaning the Young Avengers – Eli Bradley/Patriot, Dorrek VIII/Hulkling, Billy Kaplan/Wiccan, Tommy Shepherd/Speed, Kate Bishop/Hawkeye, and their mentor, the Vision – are completely overwhelmed despite Hulkling’s efforts to talk down their attackers with his royal status. Thankfully, they receive some back-up in the timely arrival of fledgling superheroes, the Initiative – Joseph Green/Gauntlet, Rachel Leighton/Diamondback, Cassandra “Cassie” Lang/Stature, David Alleyne/Prodigy, Anthony Masters/Taskmaster, Geldoff/Proton, Z’Reg/Crusader, Jimmy Santini/Batwing, Fahnbullah Eddy/Gorilla Girl, Wallace Jackson/Red 9, Delilah Dearborn/Geiger, Melee, Andrea Roarke/Sunstreak, and Alexander Ellis/Annex. Though the Skrull forces prove ruthlessly formidable, and the Vision is lost in the battle, even more help arrives when the Secret Warriors – Colonel Nick Fury, Yo-Yo Rodriguez/Slingshot, Daisy Johnson/Quake, Alexander Aaron/Phobos, J.T. Slade/Hellfire, Jerry Sledge/Stonewall, and Sebastian Druid/Druid – add yet more names and the bodies to the chaotic artwork and conflict.
Heroes and villains set aside their differences to take the fight to the invading Skrull army.
The Skrull threat is doubled thanks to the distrust between the world’s heroes, with even Nick Fury abandoning Ms. Marvel because of her alien DNA. Meanwhile, as a weakened Stark desperately attempts to repair his armour, Spider-Woman reveals herself to be the Skrull Queen, Veranke, and tries to convince him that he’s a Skrull agent so deep undercover that he’s forgotten his true nature. Before her poison (both literal and figurative) can take hold, Black Widow causes her to flee and Stark reveals that the key to victory lies with Mr. Fantastic, who’s currently being tortured aboard a Skull ship. Thankfully, S.W.O.R.D. director Abigail Brand bluffs her way onto the ship and flushes the Skrull into space to rescue him; Reed then fashions a device that exposes the Skrulls’ real forms, arriving just in time to stop another conflict in the Savage Land and revealing not only that the classic Emma Frost, Invisible Woman, Thor, Ms. Marvel, and Jessica Jones are Skrulls but that Mockingbird is as well, enraging Clint. The real Thor transports everyone to New York for a final confrontation, which even the Watcher, Uatu, shows up to observe and also sees Parker Robbins/The Hood’s criminal syndicate and Doctor Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts pitch in with the nearly-incomprehensible brawl. While Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man try to take out Veranke (still disguised as Spider-Woman) to demoralise the Skrulls, the Wasp targets Citri Noll, who apes Pym’s Giant-Man form, though it’s Stature and the assassin Bullseye who end up taking him out. Iron Man is forced to withdraw so he can sort out his messed-up armour, Fury’s forces save Mr. Fantastic from being torn apart by multiple Skrulls posing as the Invisible Woman, the real Jessica Jones joins the fray, and Kate Bishop ends up gravely injured amidst the chaos. Although Wolverine tries to take out Veranke, the bio-electrical powers she stole from Spider-Woman keep him at bay, meaning it’s an arrow through the face courtesy of the vengeful Ronin that ultimately subdues her.
Although the Skrulls are defeated, the general distrust in Stark allows Osborn to seize power!
With Veranke compromised, Citri Noll activates a device that causes Janet to enlarge uncontrollably and unleash a chemical agent designed to kill humanity and Skrulls alike. With no other choice available, Thor whips up a hurricane with his magical hammer, one so powerful that is destroys the enlarged Janet and dissipates the weird black spots that threaten everyone’s lives. Although Wolverine seeks to make Veranke pay for Janet’s death, it’s Norman Osborn who gets the kill shot, then Iron Man finally gets his shit together and leads an all-out assault on the remaining Skrull ships, with the now disillusioned and leaderless armada being easy pickings. Iron Man also frees everyone the Skrulls impersonated since the shape-shifters conveniently needed the original versions alive in order to make the deception more convincing, meaning Elektra and Mockingbird return to “life”, Reed is finally reunited with his family, and the true versions of the likes of Spider-Woman re-join society. Unfortunately, this also means that Jessica Jones left her and Luke’s baby, Danielle Cage, in the care of the Skrull-Jarvis, a plot thread left unresolved in this story. Although recent tensions are eased in the aftermath and ensuing celebration, there’s an unshakable sense of hesitation given how long the Skrulls had been a part of Earth’s society and superhero community; Thor also condemns Stark’s recent actions and refuses to associate with him. Thanks to having publicly executed Veranke, Osborn is able to manipulate the President of the United States into equally losing faith in Stark, his methods, and his technology; the President thus ousts Stark as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and names Osborn as the new overseer of any and all superhuman and defensive measures under a new organisation, H.A.M.M.E.R., unaware that this is exactly the opportunity the scheming madman and his Cabal of allies (Emma Frost, Doctor Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom, The Hood, Prince Namor McKenzie/The Sub-Mariner, and Lady Loki) were waiting for.
The Summary: Now, I am by no means an expert on the Skrulls; I know of them, primarily as an antagonistic, shape-shifting race of aliens who are almost constantly at war with the Kree and getting into scuffles with the Fantastic Four, but they’re generally on the periphery of most Marvel stories I’ve read. Secret Invasion is probably, to date, their most prominent story, at least in my experience, and it definitely adds some nuance to them that I didn’t expect. Normally, I see them as a warmongering race who live to conquer through both subterfuge and force but, here, they’re motivated by a fanatical devotion to their God (the “He” they keep referring to) and their invasion is seen almost as divine intervention. The Skrulls swamp television screens with their pseudo-religious propaganda, hijacking every telecommunications device across the globe and assuming the guise of various political figures, celebrities, and superpowered monarchs like Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto and Dr. Doom, and insist that they’re there to bring glory to our world and that their might cannot be opposed. Given the strength of their invasion and that their Super-Skrulls have mimicked the combined powers of many of Marvel’s heroes, it’s perhaps not surprising that Marvel’s ridiculously fickle citizens embrace their alien overlords, though this scene showcases that the Skrulls aren’t simply defending themselves or there to usher in a new age for mankind as they claim and are hell-bent on conquering the planet.
Having lost everything, the Skrulls throw themselves at Earth with fanatical desperation.
This campaign is spearheaded by their queen, Veranke, a figure of worship for the Skrulls and who has placed herself on the frontline, earning the trust of Tony Stark by posing as Spider-Woman and becoming privy to many of Earth’s defences. Stark even reflects on his role in the invasion and the shame he feels about not recognising the threat sooner in a show of guilt that was somewhat uncharacteristic of him at this time; this is a man who was so blinded by his belief that superhumans needed to register with the government that he actively fought and imprisoned his fellow heroes and abandoned many of them, and his morals, in favour of an uncompromising, borderline fascist mentality that only led to further conflict and resentment Indeed, Veranke revels in the irony of having twisted Earth’s technology and heroes towards her agenda, something she was easily able to do thanks to Stark being so dead-set about forcing or punishing his peers to register their true identities and powers. However, as much as Veranke likes to preach that hers is a Holy mission, she’s actually equally motivated out of revenge, specifically against Mr. Fantastic and the Fantastic Four after they tricked a contingent of Skrulls into believing they were cows decades prior. Since the Skrull home world has been lost and their once-prosperous empire lies in ruins, the Skrulls follow her without question and throw everything they have at Earth; they’re even willing to give their lives in the process, and in a last-ditch effort of mutually assured destruction, only to be defeated and left dejected. Veranke’s death leaves the Skrulls directionless and all their once-formidable might is as nothing; those that survive are left demoralised as they saw this as their last chance at survival and glory. Thus, Veranke’s quest for vengeance and conquest leaves her people devastated and more worse off than ever as a sizable portion of their armada is destroyed and the last thing they had in all the universe, their faith, is also shattered by their defeat.
The Skrulls are so deeply entrenched that the already frayed heroes are strained to breaking point.
I’m generally not a fan of imposter storylines; it’s a tired cliché and one that quickly outstays its welcome, but it actually works quite well in Secret Invasion. Many of the Skrulls seem to be completely unaware of their true nature; the Mockingbird-Skrull believes that she’s the real deal right up until the end and is begging Clint to listen to her even as he attacks her in a rage. This is also true of Captain Marvel, who believed so strongly that he was the deceased former hero that he couldn’t bring himself to kill and was convinced by Norman Osborn, of all people, to turn on his race; he even died begging the Kree warrior Noh-Varr/Marvel Boy to carry on the fight in his stead, so complete was his conditioning. It’s not revealed exactly how the Skrulls have the memories they do but it’s one of the big reasons why so many of them went undetected; however, many of the Skrulls posing as classic Avengers continued to believe they were the real deal after their true nature was revealed rather than immediately attacking the heroes in service of their God, which definitely paints much of this conflict in a morally grey area. The Skrulls pick the perfect time to strike the Earth; its heroes are divided and at war with each other and easy to manipulate, and seeing the return of dead heroes like Captain America, Mockingbird, and Captain Marvel, as well as the original version of Iron Man, only fuelled the flames of conflict between them thanks to Stark’s actions during Civil War leading to many deaths, including Captain America’s. It would’ve been so easy to explain away Stark’s recent actions as being the work of the Skrulls but, interestingly, that doesn’t turn out to be the case and, similarly, Cap’s death isn’t immediately undone with the presence of his classic counterpart. Instead, we’re left with a world where Stark is still shouldering the burden of his actions and where Cap’s mantle has been taken up by his friend, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes; there are no quick-fixes in this story to explain away the events of Civil War and there isn’t really a sense that bridges have been mended by the end of it as distrust is still rife and the status quo remains unchanged.
A decent story with some interesting wrinkles but a bit overstuffed and manic at times.
Ultimately, I quite enjoyed this story; it’s hard to read as an eight-issue standalone as you need some knowledge of prior Marvel events, especially Civil War, and it’s clear that there’s a lot of additional story and conflict in supplementary collections and books, but the narrative works just as well if you only read these eight issues. I enjoyed seeing the Mighty and New Avengers be forced to set aside their differences when faced with their classic counterparts and the reveals of which characters were Skrulls, even if none of the major players were aliens in disguise. The quasi-religious bent to the Skrull invasion was an interesting twist, as was them siphoning and combining the powers of Marvel heroes into an army of Super-Skrulls, and the art was pretty consistent and easy to follow throughout. Unfortunately, the biggest issue I had with Secret Invasion was the sheer number of characters jammed into it; it was hard to keep track of it all at times and it’s obvious that teams like the Young Avengers, Thunderbolts, and Secret Warriors all had bigger parts to play in spin-off stories, but I think they could’ve been downplayed a little here. There’s a Skrull-Galactus with absolutely no context or consequence to the story and even Uatu shows up, which is generally a short-hand to indicate that the events are of cosmic importance but, again, it doesn’t actually factor into the story in a meaningful way. Stark spends most of the arc out of action thanks to the Skrull virus messing up his armour, which is great for leaving him vulnerable and in pain and unable to participate in the wider conflict but then he just shows up in an older armour with a throwaway line for the finale. Similarly, Thor just pops in out of nowhere, formally prominent characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man get lost in the shuffle, and late appearances from Jessica Jones and Norman Osborn are simply there to set up the next big Marvel events and stories. Overall, it was pretty enjoyable and not as much of a mess as some Marvel events, but the action got a little too chaotic at times and there were too many characters wedged into these issues, which I think would’ve been far stronger if they’d focused on, say, eight or ten main characters and then just showcased the others in supplementary materials.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Did you enjoy Secret Invasion? Were you shocked to find out which characters were Skrulls in disguise? Were you hoping that some of the classic Avengers would turn out to be the real heroes? Which of the teams featured was your favourite? Did you think there were too many teams and characters in the story and which of the spin-off books did you enjoy? What did you think to Veranke, the pseudo-religious slant to the Skrulls, and the Skrull invasion? Were you also frustrated by Tony Stark’s characterisation during this time, or did you enjoy seeing Marvel’s heroes in dispute? What are some of your favourite Skrull-centric stories? Whatever your thoughts on Secret Invasion, feel free to share them below or leave your thoughts on my social media.
Story Title: “Among Us Hide… The Inhumans” Published: 9 September 1965 (cover-dated December 1965)
Story Title: “Those Who Would Destroy Us” Published: 12 October 1965 (cover-dated January 1966)
Story Title: “Beware the Hidden Land!” Published: 11 November 1965 (cover dated February 1966)
The Background: In 1961, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came together to introduce comics readers to the Fantastic Four, a dysfunctional family of superheroes created as a direct response to DC Comics’ Justice League of America. While the exact circumstances behind the team’s creation has been contest by both creators, Lee and Kirby’s partnership not only popularised the “Marvel Method” of writer/artist collaboration but also impressed readers with their characters’ real and relatable humanity, essentially birthing Marvel Comics as we know it today. Over the years, numerous characters and concepts that would be pivotal to Marvel Comics would debut in the pages of Fantastic Four, and one of the most contentious of these were the Inhumans. Debuting a couple of years after Lee and Kirby’s similar concept, the X-Men, the Inhumans were first introduced as antagonists to Marvel’s First Family before being expanded to include an entire race of superpowered beings under the lordship of the Inhuman Royal Family. The result of Kree experimentation, the Inhumans were granted their incredible powers and often monstrous appearances by a substance dubbed “Terrigan Mist” and took the dysfunctional family dynamic and unsettlingly aesthetic of both the X-Men and Benjamin Grimm/The Thing and dialled it up to eleven for their colourful and wacky cast of characters. Following their three-issue debut story, the Inhumans graduated to a short-lived solo title and have gone on to be prominent fixtures in Marvel Comics. Their leader, Blackagar Boltagon/Black Bolt, has served on the omniscient supergroup the Illuminati, an Inhuman girl was involved in an ongoing romance with Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and the species has been at the core of numerous domestic and cosmic wars against both humans, fellow superheroes, and themselves. Perhaps their most infamous legacy, however, comes from that time when Marvel actively tried to downplay the X-Men in favour of the Inhumans, a plan that ultimately backfired when their foray into live-action proved to be a rare misfire for Marvel Studios.
The Review: Our three-issue saga begins with Marvel’s First Family in a spot of bother; a gigantic android gargoyle known as Dragon Man has kidnapped Susan Storm/The Invisible Girl and allowed the mysterious Tomi Shishido/Gorgon to take off with Medusalith Amaquelin/Medusa, a founding member of the Fantastic Four’s evil counterparts, the Frightful Four. In the fracas, Gorgon caused Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and the Thing to be buried beneath the stone rubble of an entire building; however, thanks to Mr. Fantastic’s incredible (and unnerving) elasticity and the presence of the Human Torch, all three are carried to safety and given the precious moments needed to gather their wits and catch their breath after the devastating attack. Reed doesn’t waste any time and sends Johnny ahead to search for Sue and he quickly locates her being carried away by the gruesome gargoyle. Although his flaming projectiles have no effect on the beast, a burst of white-hot nova light temporarily blinds Dragon Man but, before the Human Torch can go to town on the creature, Sue talks him down and demonstrates her ability to tame Dragon Man by talking to him as she would a child, and thus the team are reunited without issue.
After taming Dragon Man, Johnny is besotted by the mysterious Crystal and led to a hidden sanctuary.
Well, not entirely. While Medusa’s Frightful Four cohorts wallow in prison, a restless Johnny hits the streets after his current flame, Dorrie Evans, turns him down. There, he just happens upon a gorgeous redhead and is instantly smitten; however, when he attempts to approach her, a gale-force wind knocks him flying, which only further arouses his…well, let’s just go with “curiosity”. The next day, as the team begin shuffling around their gigantic (and nonsensical) Kirby-machines and equipment to make room for Dragon Man, Johnny is too distracted by thoughts of the redhead to offer any assistance, which earns him an ear-bashing from Sue and Ben that riles the lovelorn youth so much that he heads out to the streets once more. Hanging around near where he saw the girl like an absolute creep, he pursues her relentlessly, even as piles of wood explode into flames to stop him and despite her begging to be left alone lest “they” learn she was seen. However, when she sees his ability to control and burst into flames, she assumes that he’s “of us” and immediately stops running to chat, share her name (Crystal), and strike up a friendship. Naturally, Johnny plays along just to get close to her, but even he’s astounded when she introduces him to her friend, a gigantic slobbering dog called Lockjaw who not only loyally follows her everywhere but opens a set of massive hidden doors using a “force ray” from his antennae. Eager to introduce Johnny to her “family”, Crystal leads him into an elaborate sanctuary built for her and her race by the mysterious Black Bolt. Along the way, Johnny is introduced to the deftly powerful Karnak Mander-Azur, who’s strong enough to shatter a block of marble with one karate chop and swift enough to toss any assailant before they can move.
The team race to Johnny’s aid and are tossed about by the powerful Black Bolt!
Although Johnny’s impressed, his awe and confusion soon turn to horror when he spots Gorgon and Medusa amongst the other strangers, whom he correctly assumes are a race of super-powered beings. Despite Medusa (revealed in the chaos to be Crystal’s sister) pleading with her peers to spare Johnny from harm, Gorgon knocks him from his feet with one stomp of his foot and the lizard-like Triton conjures a glass wall to trap him and then attempts to douse his body with water. Acting swiftly, Johnny bursts into flame and manages to escape through the unprotected ceiling, signalling his teammates with a flaming 4 in the sky and interrupting their efforts to calm down the raging Dragon Man with a tranquiliser gun. Spotting the alert, Reed, Sue, and Ben leap into action using a bizarre flying motorcycle seemingly cobbled together from pipes! This “Airjet-Cycle” may not be much compared to the Fantasti-Car but it’s fast enough to carry them to Johnny’s location, where he warns them of the strange “Inhumans” protecting Medusa. The four venture ahead, unaware of their foes watching them from above; thankfully, the Thing’s strength is enough to repel Karnak’s projectile but the four are stunned when the Inhumans’ enigmatic and much-revered leader, Black Bolt, bursts onto the scene. Black Bolt immediately asserts himself by staggering the hardy Thing with one blow and proving fast enough to sidestep Johnny’s attack thanks to the wing-like appendages under his arms. Though he braces for Black Bolt’s next blow, the Thing learns that their foe is as skilled as he is powerful as he’s able to throw even his rock-hard weight without issue.
The threat of the Seeker drives the Inhumans to fight with all their might.
Reed, Sue, and Ben regroup, and two things come to light: one is that Black Bolt hasn’t uttered a single word since he arrived and the other is Reed’s suggestion that he’s drawing power from the strange tuning fork-like antenna on his forehead. Whilst searching for Johnny, Reed is pounced upon by Triton; the scaly-man-monster’s attempts to keep the Inhumans hidden are foiled, however, when Reed discovers that Triton’s suit is actually a special moisture bag that allows him to survive outside of water. With his water supply ruptured, Triton panics, lashes out, and desperately stumbles into the nearby water to keep himself from suffocating. Karnak launches a counterattack but, when his well-trained blows are repelled by Sue’s invisible force field, Gordon sends the two flying into the air with a ground-shaking stomp. While fighting with Reed, Triton lets slip about an enemy of theirs known as “The Seeker”; while Reed and Sue ponder the threat of the Inhumans and the mystery of the Seeker, the story shows that this individual captured Triton from the water and then led an assault on the Baxter Building to get his hands on the unconscious Dragon Man. Armed with his “Universal Control Rod” and commanding a legion of followers, and with a mighty airship at his command, the Seeker is determined to round up any and all Inhumans and orders his men to search the city for more while he heads back to base with his newest prisoners. Meanwhile, back in the city, the Thing presses his attack against Black Bolt, taking his shots and throwing all of his weight behind his blows, but Black Bolt is able to subdue the hot-headed rockman with his “master blow”, a shot that would have spelt death for the Thing were it not for his super tough exterior and Black Bolt running out of energy at the precise moment he was about to land the finishing strike. The sudden reappearance of the teleporting Lockjaw keeps Ben and Johnny from pursuing Black Bolt and Gorgon continues to keep Reed and Sue off balance with his hefty stomps, but the Inhumans abruptly retreat when Crystal brings word that Triton has been captured by the Seeker. Despite Crystal’s desperate attempts to say goodbye to Johnny before they flee, the strange group make a run for it, for without Black Bolt’s might they would be helpless against the Seeker.
The Seeker reveals his motivations and a brief origin for the mysterious Inhumans.
Medusa’s pleas to leave Crystal behind so that she can live a normal life amongst the humans are unheeded and Johnny arrives just in time to see the Inhumans teleported away by Lockjaw’s power; while Johnny’s strong affection for Crystal is weird and has little merit considering he knows basically nothing about her, Reed is determined to uncover the Inhuman riddle and takes the team back to the Baxter Building, where he reviews security footage of the Seeker’s attack and whips up a probe to take after the villain. Speaking of whom, the Seeker is seen gloating before Triton and expositing his desire to imprison his entire race within the “Great Refuge”; he also orders Dragon Man disposed of or released since he’s not an Inhuman and proves more than prepared for the Fantastic Four’s attack, easily trapping them within a bonkers circular device and keeping them under the watchful eye of his guards. The Seeker then regales the Fantastic Four with the origins the Inhuman race; they enjoyed the benefits of a highly advanced technological society while humans still hid in caves and, through the use of impossible advanced genetics, birthed an entire Inhuman species, each with superhuman abilities. However, the Inhumans fled to the Great Refuge when humans evolved the means to persecute them, and the Seeker has been rounding up his fellow Inhumans ever since to keep them from being attacked by humanity. It’s at that moment that Dragon Man comes to and goes on a rampage, swatting aside the Seeker’s guards and rampaging through the city, leaving Triton suffocating outside of his water bubble. Sue’s compassion for the Inhuman wins over Reed, who orders Johnny and Ben to find and subdue Dragon Man while he and Sue tend to Triton; the pressure of worrying about the destruction Dragon Man could cause sees Reed bark orders at his wife, but they’re able to encase him in a forcefield filled with water. The Seeker is impressed, but no less determined to continue his mission as per the orders of “Maximus the Magnificent”. As Ben and Johnny tangle with Dragon Man, they just so happen to crash through the wall of Alicia Masters’ apartment; Ben endures incredible punishment in a bid to keep his blind love from being hurt and begs her to flee, but also finds the strength needed to finally stagger Dragon Man and leave him wide open for a barrage of the Human Torch’s ultra-violet rays, which finally subdues the beast.
Though quickly deposed, Maximus remains determined to wipe out the human race.
The Seeker arranges for Triton to be transferred to a new water tank moments before the strain of maintaining her forcefield becomes too much for Sue; however, the Seeker demands the two leave since Inhuman affairs don’t concern them. This is the second time Reed admonishes Sue for “sounding like a wife” and yet the Seeker’s logic is infallible: his orders come from the Inhuman ruler and the Fantastic Four have no legal right to interfere, so Reed reluctantly leaves but not before planting a homing device on the Seeker’s ship and remaining so determined to track the Seeker to the Great Refuge that he coldly ignores Sue’s pleas. Black Bolt and the others materialise in the Great Refuge; it seems Johnny’s not the only one who’s ridiculously in love as Crystal cannot stop banging on about the Human Torch despite the fact that they’re all facing the wrath of their ruler, Maximus. Speaking of whom, the garishly attired Maximus offers nothing but anger and reprisals for the group and orders his “Alpha Primitives” to be set upon them while he prepares to use his “Alpha Weapon” to conquer the human race, even though this will surely mean the death of Black Bolt, his own brother! The savage, ape-like Alpha Primitives attack and, in an effort to protect his people and his beloved (if clueless) Medusa, Black Bolt doesn’t hesitate to tackle them head-on. However, even his mighty power cannot hope to fend all off all of Maximus’s greatest assassins but, luckily, the other Inhumans realise that they also have superpowers and can help out as well; although Gorgon cannot use his mighty stomp without fear of hurting his friends, Medusa’s flailing locks and Karnak’s uncanny ability to hit the weak spot of any target are enough to push back the swarming enemies. Maximus then enters the fray, commanding a stop to the violence and feigning friendliness and claiming to have ruled with honour since assuming the crown in Black Bolt’s place. While there’s some question about whether the incident which cost Black Bolt his voice (and the crown) was accidental or not, Medusa is duty-bound to marry her king but the sight of seeing her in his brother’s arms proves too much for Black Bolt to bare and he suddenly yanks the ornate crown from Maximus’s head and claims it as his own. In Inhuman society, this is apparently enough to officially be declared the ruler; even if it wasn’t, Maximus is wily enough to realise that his cunning is little compared to his brother’s power and the support of his allies. Thus, Maximus silently chooses to hang onto his “Atmo-Gun” and bide his time, faking loyalty and admiration for Black Bolt until the time is right for him to strike.
Incensed that Black Bolt may be swayed by the four’s pleas, Maximums activates his machine…
Meanwhile, tensions are high between the Fantastic Four; Sue tries to be the voice of reason and calm everyone down with some hot chocolate but Ben is too worked up over Alicia and Johnny can’t get Crystal out of his head. Feeling spurned by the group, Sue does the only logical thing she can think of; she fusses with her hairdo in a bid to make Reed realise that she’s not “one of the boys” (because marrying her wasn’t enough to prove that…) Their drama is thankfully interrupted when Johnny spots a man flying around outside and Ben is easily able to follow the strange Inhuman and land their aeroplane right on top of the Great Refuge. In the midst of this dangerous and unknown situation, Sue decides to turn herself invisible and damn near cause the three to go into full-blown panic stations just to show off her new hairdo, proving herself to be the same scatter-brained bimbo she always was at this time! While the group struggle with their issues and the dangerous terrain, Maximus continues to play coy with his fellow Inhumans over his intentions and yet he cannot deny his desire to rule over the inferior humans. Spotting the four’s troubles outside, Crystal rushes into the arms of her beloved, but the two groups soon threaten to come to blows when Black Bolt intercepts them. Reed demands a parlay and, through Medusa, Black Bolt decrees that the Fantastic Four may leave without quarrel providing they never reveal the location of the Great Refuge, while Reed counters with the belief that the Inhumans have hidden away for no reason for far too long and could make a home for themselves amongst humankind. While the tensions and the debate rages, Maximus storms into the city, enraged at the very idea of Black Bolt being swayed into thinking the humans aren’t a threat, and casually activates his Atmo-Gun against even the Seeker’s advice! Although the Atmo-Gun sends out vibrations across the Earths atmosphere that will spell the destruction of humanity, the exact nature and extent of its threat is left ambiguous for now as the Fantastic Four face an even greater and more present threat to the world starting from the next issue…
The Summary: I haven’t really had much experience of the Inhumans, if at all; I would even go as far as to say that this is the first story I’ve read where they’re a major part of the plot, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the Inhumans saga. The story goes to great lengths to explain how the race are different from Mutants; they were explicitly created through science and genetic-engineering for one thing, and their powers are even more wild, for the most part, but principally the difference is that fact that they’re so isolated and mysterious. Mutants like the X-Men are all over the place, prancing around in colourful costumes and showcasing their powers for the world to see and fear, but the Inhumans have been in hiding for centuries and are only now being identified as this new superpowered race (hough in reality they’re about as complex as Mutants, the Kree, and Asgardians thanks to Marvel having a very predictable storytelling methodology during this time). We don’t get to learn too much about the Inhumans, their society, or their way of life but that would all be fleshed out later; we known they live in a monarchy, one based presumably on birthright and where the right to rule can be challenged at any time, and that they have elaborate and advanced weaponry and technology at their disposal, though we don’t really see too much of that here as the story is more focused on their powers.
Each of the Fantastic Four are insufferable and pompous in their own way.
I’m having a hard time working out which of the Fantastic Four I was most annoyed with throughout this story. Reed is a sexist, dismissive, pompous jerk half the time, constantly belittling his wife and enforcing a patriarchal rule in the guise of competent and rational decision-making. He’s all business when they’re out in the field and expects his orders to be obeyed without question; upon encountering the Inhumans, his first thought is to assess and contain any possible threat but, by the end, he’s advocating for them to come out of the shadows and re-join the world despite knowing full well how despicable humanity has treated Mutants (and each other) in the past. The Thing was his same hot-headed, antagonistic self for the most part; he traded barbs with Johnny and delighted in testing his mettle against Karnak and Black Bolt but was thrown off his game the minute that Alicia was put in danger, revealing a vulnerable side to be sure but also just adding to the relationship angst so prevalent throughout this story. Sue was a royal pain in the butt as ever; she’s such a paradox at this time as she constantly fusses and admonishes the others (especially Johnny) and yet yearns to be accepted, trusted, and seen as a valuable member of the team. Indeed, she plays a pivotal role throughout; she’s able to subdue Dragon Man, fends off Gorgon and Karnak’s attacks while Reed is powerless to oppose them, and even saves Triton’s life despite Reed’s constant reprimands. And yet, she craves attention; even amidst a life-or-death situation, she wants Reed to stop and admire or compliment her and she seems just as incapable of setting aside her vanity as he is his scientific curiosity, making for some irritating moments. But the worst of the bunch is easily Johnny; instantly falling in love with Crystal upon first sight, despite him having a girl on the go, he pouts and mopes about and constantly whines about her safety or never being able to see her despite having known her for a day, at most. Even when he learns that she’s an Inhuman, he refuses to acknowledge that she’s anything other than human, showing he really doesn’t get her in the slightest, and yet she’s equally smitten by him simply because…I dunno, he’s cute? Persistent? Can burst into flames? Their romance is one of the most contrived in all of Marvel and really could’ve benefitted from more time, like if Crystal had been a side character for a few issues before this.
It’s fitting that the Inhumans are the most intriguing aspect of this story arc.
Still, the whole point of this story is to introduce Marvel readers to the Inhumans, and, in that regard, it does pretty well. What better way to prove the strength and capability of your new race of superbeings than by having them go toe-to-toe with Marvel’s First Family, and come out on top quite often? Long-time Marvel readers will already be aware of Medusa and Gorgon, whose tendril-like hair and superhuman strength had already been a headache for the Fantastic Four, but they’re joined by some formidable allies in this story. Although Crystal doesn’t demonstrate any superhuman capabilities, meaning she’s always in need of protection, her faithful friend Lockjaw proves to be a key component in teleporting the Inhumans from place to place and entering their hidden sanctuary. The sanctimonious Karnak boasts of being able to pinpoint the weakness of anything, living or otherwise, to strike with precision blows; although he’s not able to pierce Sue’s forcefield, he proves a more challenging adversary than the blunt and inefficient Gorgon. Triton seems like he might be quite powerful, but we never really get to see what he’s capable of since he’s constantly on the verge of suffocating to death, and the same goes for Maximus and the Seeker, who favour subterfuge and technology, respectively (though also in near equal measure). Even in his first appearance, Maximus has much in common with Loki Laufeyson; both covet the throne, seek to rule, have a silver tongue, and rely on minions to do their dirty work, though Maximus is portrayed as being more explicitly unstable since he dares to activate the dreaded Atmo-Gun and is fully willing to wipe out all of humanity. Thankfully, the Inhumans’ greatest asset is their rightful ruler and leader, the stoic Black Bolt; depicted as being fast as lighting and just as powerful, Black Bolt makes an immediate impression with his iconic costume and his ability to battle the ever-lovin’ Thing to a standstill. Although we learn little about him, we see that he is besotted with Medusa, as brave as he powerful, and a noble Inhuman deep down since he’s willing to let the Fantastic Four go at the end. As a showcase for the Inhumans, this arc works quite well; it suffers from a lot of the same handicaps as other Marvel stories, to be sure, but there’s a lot of mystery and unanswered questions raised by the Inhumans and a fair amount of appeal behind the likes of Black Bolt even though the relationship drama really bogs the narrative down.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
What did you think to the debut of the Inhumans? Were you put off by the relationship drama or is that something you find appealing in the Fantastic Four’s stories? Which of the four team members is your favourite and why? What did you think to the Inhumans, the depiction of their powers and society, and which of the group was your favourite? Can you name some of your favourite Inhumans stories and moments? Whatever you think about the Inhumans or the Fantastic Four, go ahead and let me know by leaving a comment down below or on my social media.
Story Title: “Seven Against the Nazis!” Published: 5 March 1963 (cover-dated May 1963) Writer: Stan Lee Artists: Jack Kirby
The Background: Over its many decades of existence, Marvel Comics has produced some of the most colourful and memorable characters in the entire industry. There was a time, generations ago, when comic books hadn’t quite found the niche they have today, leading to pulp tales, surreal horror-themed publications, and war comics. War tales were bolstered by spandex-clad heroes like Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, who encouraged readers to buy war bonds and support their fighting troops overseas, leading to quite the booming period in Post-War America. For Marvel Comics, it was the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who were responsible for creating some of their most popular characters through their unique “Marvel Method” of writer/artist collaboration, but it might surprise you to know that Nicholas “Nick” Joseph Fury, the eyepatch-wearing, cigar-chomping agent of super-spy agency Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.), actually came about as the result of a bet between h and his publisher, Martin Goodman, that Lee and Kirby could sell a comic with a ridiculous title like Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. The racially and ethnically diverse titular squad would be led by a tough, no-nonsense sergeant as a more adult counterpart to DC Comics’ Boy Commandos, though Fury would be rebranded as more of a James Bond-type figure just two years after this debut appearance and is perhaps more famous for his association with S.H.I.E.L.D. and his duplicitous (and often contentious) dealings with Marvel’s superhero community. Although Nick Fury has featured in cartoons, videogames, and even got his own much-maligned live-action feature, he has been largely supplanted by his more recognisable African-American variant; General Nick Fury featured in Marvel’s comparatively short-livedUltimate line of comics, where his design was based on Samuel L. Jackson, who would go on to portray a version of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Review: The first couple of pages of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 are spent introducing us to the titular team of battle-tempered soldiers: we have “six foot two […] steel-muscled, iron-nerved” Sgt. Nick Fury who’s built a reputation for being one of the most feared men in the Army; Jonathan Juniper/Junior, the “cheerful eager-beaver” who’s “fast as a panther and just as dangerous”; Robert Ralston/Rebel, an ex-jockey who’s “tougher than his small size makes him appear”; Corporal “Dum-Dum” Dugan (whose real name isn’t revealed here), a former circus strongman garbed in a bowler hat; Gabriel Jones/Gabe, a proficient trumpet player; actor Dino Manelli; and scrappy, moustachioed mechanic Izzy Cohen. Rather than then jump into showing us these seven colourful characters interacting or showcasing their personalities and skills, the story switches to a French underground communications centre where two members of the French resistance, Pierre and Henri, scramble to warn the Howling Commandos of the Nazi’s latest plans. Although Henri is wounded and the two are captured, Henri successfully sends the message via Morse code, and it reaches the attention of executive officer “Happy Sam” Sawyer. Sawyer isn’t optimistic about the message, which requests that his Howling Commando division be sent in to rescue the leader of the French resistance, but the fate of Operation Neptune (or “D-Day”, as it’s most commonly known) is at hand so, while it might be a suicide mission, he orders Sgt. Fury to get his team ready. An abrasive, aggressive, stone-faced commander, Sgt. Fury goes to round up his troops, who are practising their manoeuvres in a most extreme way: Dum Dum is firing live ammo over their heads from a mounted machine gun as they crawl across a mine field! Sgt. Fury puts a stop to their “fun”, but his commandos relish the opportunity to get out into the field and go up against the Nazis, even if the odds are stacked against them; they’re so gung-ho that they even believe that they outnumber the Nazis!
The grizzled Howling Commandos embark on a suicide mission to rescue an important ally.
However, for all their macho bravado, the Howling Commandos’ plane is set upon by a squadron of Luftwaffe, forcing the troop to parachute to the ground (though Dum Dum is inexplicably able to take out one of the German planes with a well-aimed grenade toss). The soldiers reach a French town occupied by Nazis and, true to their name, the group fire upon the enemy, with Sgt. Fury taking out a tank-full of Nazis single-handily with his own grenade, all while howling with glee! The blast injures Sgt. Fury; though he’s too stubborn to rest, he, Dum Dum, and Junior are forced to take cover from the Nazi retaliation. Luckily, Dino, Rebel, and Izzy rig up a “king-sized Molotov cocktail”, which they hurl at the advancing troops and set their other tank ablaze. The Nazis quickly shower the Howling Commandos with bullets, pinning them down but not injuring or killing a single one of them; still, they’re helpless to fight back, so it’s up to the French resistance to bail them out by killing their attackers off-panel. Rebel and Izzy then steal the Nazi uniforms and Dino dresses up in the coat and cap of a Nazi officer, which is a disguise and performance good enough to convince the other Nazis to withdraw, thus saving Sgt. Fury and the others. Though wounded, Sgt. Fury is as pig-headed and determined as ever to complete his mission, but their saviours rightly point out that they haven’t a hope in hell without the underground’s help, and they’ll only assist them if they save the rest of the townsfolk from being executed by the Nazis. Still in disguise as “an imperious Nazi Ubergruppen-Feuhrer” Dino easily fools the firing squad, and the Commandos and the underground’s superior numbers, and firepower, quickly see the Nazis surrendering; Izzy then steals their truck and the allies climb aboard towards Louivers, where the ludicrously-named underground leader Monsieur LaBrave is being held captive in a Nazi-controlled fortress.
Sgt. Fury shrugs off death to turn the tide and give the Allied Forces the edge on D-Day.
Though beaten and weary, LaBrave refuses to give in to his torture and reveal the plans for the D-Day assault; pressured by Adolf Hitler himself to get the information by any means necessary under pain of death, the Nazi General Von Ritzik hands over the interrogation to the feared Gestapo, who immediately kidnap LaBrave’s daughter and threaten to harm her if he doesn’t co-operate. Luckily, the Howling Commandos and their French ally (later named Marie) are closing in on the heavily-fortified Louivers; despite his injuries and the insanity of launching a daylight campaign, Sgt. Fury refuses to wait until dark or let himself or any of his soldiers rest for the coming battle and his stubborn, bull-headedness briefly raises the ire of Dum Dum. Posing as an old farmer pulling a cart of produce, the soldiers easily slip past the enemy guards and destroy their arsenal with a “holocaust” of an explosion! This diversion is enough to allow them to storm the fortress, where Gabe and Junior bravely hold back the advancing troops so the others can continue on the mission. When Junior is jumped by Nazis in his attempt to take out the machine gun placement laying down supressing fire in the courtyard, Sgt. Fury simply crawls along the cobblestone ground on his belly and chucks a bundle of dynamite at the Nazis, seemingly perishing in the blast as he’s buried under a pile of rocks. Although Marie turns her tears into an angry wrath and Dum Dun pushes on with the same dogged determination as his fallen commander, the two of them are soon captured and lined up alongside their comrades, and LaBrave, before another firing squad. It turns out that Marie is actually LaBrave’s daughter and that he was almost tricked into giving up their cause for her safety; however, now that she is actually there, the Gestapo threatens to shoot her before his eyes if he doesn’t spill the beans. Fortunately, Sgt. Fury is alive and well and comes bursting out from his tomb guns blazing! Galvanised by seeing their grim commander alive, the Howling Commandos easily fend off the Nazis and capture General Von Ritzik, who secures them save passage down to the coast so he can be shipped back to the Allies, and the story ends with the teaser that this victory gave the Howling Commandos and their allies the edge they needed in the subsequent D-Day assault.
The Summary: So, here’s a fun fact: this is both the first issue of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and the first solo Nick Fury story I’ve ever read! I don’t think that’s much of a stretch of the imagination to believe, though, as Nick Fury is generally more of a background player or a supporting character in other Marvel stories and, quite frankly, that’s how I prefer him. This is a Nick Fury at the peak of his curmudgeonly ways; war has made him little more than a gruff bull who charges head-first into battle with no time for sentiment, rest, or even to tend to his own injuries. He’s hard on his soldiers, who are equally hungry to mix it up with the Nazis, and even harder on his enemies, who he attacks with little to no quarter. He expects nothing but total commitment from his men because that’s what he’s willing to give; he doesn’t care how stacked the odds are or how suicidal his missions are, he just wants to go in (and out) in a blaze of glory, chomping his cigar, firing off bullets, and ranting at his Nazi enemies as he goes down. He’s every bit the opposite of Captain America’s more righteous attitudes, but that makes sense as Sgt. Fury represents the hardened soldier on the front lines, one constantly forced to endure the dirt worst of conflict for the greater good, and thus Sgt. Fury embodies the indomitable American fighting spirit, one that will spit in your face and walk through Hell just to put down one more no-good Nazi.
The gruff Sgt. Fury stands out from his mostly bland and underutilised fellow soldiers.
While I see a lot of parallels between Sgt. Fury and Ben Grimm/The Thing (both in their demeanour and their stony appearance), it’s a good thing that he stands out so much as his other Howling Commandos aren’t afforded such a luxury. It’s interesting that so much time is spent introducing each soldier and their basic characteristics as there aren’t many opportunities for them to shine in this story; Dum Dum is said to be a former circus strongman but exhibits no feats of strength and instead is portrayed as being a slightly less harsh version of Sgt. Fury, which leads them to butt heads a couple of times despite their deep respect for each other. Gabe is said to be quite the musician but never gets the chance to showcase this, the closest Izzy gets to using his mechanical skills is in commandeering a Nazi vehicle, and Junior is all excited about getting to blow shit up at the start of the story but ends up never getting the chance to actually use any explosives. Of them all, it’s Dino and Dum Dum who get the most chances to shine; Dum Dum makes an immediate impression with his stocky stature, thick moustache, and trademark hat but also appears to be half-crazed since his training methods are literally life or death for the Howling Commandos! Yet, when in the field, it’s Dum Dum who suggests they wait for the cover of darkness and tend to their wounds, only to be chewed out by his aggressive superior! Dino’s acting background comes into play when he disguises himself as a Nazi commander, but the story presents this in such a way that I would argue anyone could’ve done just as good a job as all he does is prance around in the uniform and bark orders in German; it’s not like he infiltrated the enemy and led them astray, or anything. Still, as disappointing as it is that most of the Howling Commandos don’t get the chance to do more than show off their fighting spirt and tenacity, it’s not entirely unexpected (there are seven main characters, after all) and they come off a lot better than Marie, who isn’t even named until right at the end of the comic and, for all her gumption, is still depicted as being more emotional compared to her war-hungry male counterparts.
All of the Nazi’s forces and power are little consequence to the fighting American spirit.
Surprisingly, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos makes an effort to portray the Nazis as a genuine threat; their sheer numbers and evil intentions loom over the story like an oppressive cloud, driving Sgt. Fury and his allies on since they know how important this mission is to the larger war effort. While Adolf Hitler is portrayed as a braying, childish brat, he’s only included as a cameo and his soldiers are more than capable of dominating entire towns, threatening woman and children alike, and delight in lining up innocents and enemies before a firing squad. However, while they are a clearly superior force, their numbers and weapons are nothing compared to the Howling Commandos; the troop’s reputation as crazed maniacs proceed them and still the Nazis are easily foiled by the crowing soldiers, who blow up their planes, tanks, and munitions stores with barely a sweat. Even when the Nazis have them pinned down, the Howling Commandos take no damage; at one point, it seems like Gabe and Junior are being left for dead (Sgt. Fury even acknowledges that they have no chance against the Nazis) but no, they’re fine. The worst offender of this, however, is the titular, grouchy Sgt. Fury himself; not only does he shrug off the injuries he suffers from a grenade blast, but he’s also eventually revealed to be little more than dishevelled after being caught in another blast and buried under a pile of rocks! Again, this speaks to his tenacity, but I do wonder if killing off one of the Howling Commandos or at least treating their wounds more seriously would have helped reinforce the team as tough, but human and relatable, soldiers on the front lines. While I’m generally not a big fan of Jack Kirby’s more outlandish artwork, it actually worked really well in this war-time setting; everything has a gritty realism to it, though there are still some fun comic book moments peppered throughout, and the comic does a decent job of representing the violence and bloodshed of war even though a lot of the killing is either implied or takes place off-panel. In the end, this was a decent enough story, full of bravado and patriotic vigour, but I think it’ll strike more of a chord with fans of war comics than casual readers.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Have you ever read Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 or any of its subsequent issues? Are you a fan of Nick Fury and, if so, what are some of your favourite stories of his? Which of the Howling Commandos is your favourite and would you have liked to see their individual talents showcased more here? Are you a fan of war comics? Which version of Nick Fury do you prefer and why? Whatever your thoughts on Nick Fury, leave them down below or comment on my social media, and go check out my other Marvel content across the site.
Story Title: “The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!” (includes “Part 2: Prisoner of the Skrulls”, “The Fantastic Four Fight Back!”, and “The Fantastic Four…Captured!”) Published: 28 September 1961 (cover-dated January 1962) Writer: Stan Lee Artists: Jack Kirby
The Background: In 1961, Marvel Comics readers were introduced to the Fantastic Four (Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Susan Storm/The Invisible Girl, Ben Grimm/The Thing, and a new version of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm), a dysfunctional family of superhumans just as likely to trade blows with each other as they were with their enemies! While the story of their creation has beendisputed, the collaboration between writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby popularised the “Marvel Method” of comic creation and this all-too-human “First Family” of superheroes went on to introduce characters and concepts that would forever influence Marvel Comics in the decades that followed. The first of these premiered in the team’s second issue and took the form of shape-shifting aliens known as Skrulls; also created by Lee and Kirby, these malicious, reptilian war-mongers have been a prominent antagonistic force in Marvel Comics ever since. Not only have they menaced the Fantastic Four and other superheroes through their sheer numbers, devastating technology, and copied their powers with their various “Super-Skrull” variants, they also engaged in a horrific war against the Kree, tried to surreptitiously invade Earth, and have popped up in cartoons and videogames as enemies of the Foursome and other Marvel heroes over the years.
The Review: Our story begins with the Thing swimming far out to sea towards a “lonely Texas Tower”, which I’m just going to call an oil rig going forward. The Thing dives under the waves and shreds one of the oil rig’s support legs, causing the entire structure to topple into the water and forcing the workers to race to safety in lifeboats, where they spot the Thing swimming away and rightly assume that he caused the wreckage. The story then cuts to a jewellery store, where Sue has gone all dressed up to have a look at a particularly large and ridiculously expensive gemstone; plucking the sparkling jewel up, she promptly turns invisible and makes off with the gem, leaving the store owner and the inept guards baffled. Next, the unveiling of a priceless statue of solid marble is reduced to molten slag by the Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic uses his disturbingly stretchy arms to shut off all the power n New York City. The gleeful Foursome meet up to congratulate each other on their evil deeds but, as if something wasn’t already a miss, their overly expository dialogue reveals that they committed these acts not using their superpowers, but by means of technology: the Thing had a concealed detonator in his wrist (why it needed to be concealed beyond fooling the reader is beyond me as no one saw him beneath the sea), the Invisible Girl actually reduced her size rather than turn invisible, the Human Torch made use of anti-gravity gear and a low velocity thermal bomb, and Mr. Fantastic simply used his inherent physical abilities since he, like the other three, is actually a form-changing Skrull! The four imposters shift to their natural forms as goblin-like, reptilian aliens and revel in their actions, which have caused the media and public to turn against the Fantastic Four and therefore allowed the impending Skrull invasion to take place unopposed!
When the Fantastic Four are framed by the Skrulls, they take drastic measures to lure out their foes.
The actual Fantastic Four are off in a secluded lodge having a bit of vacation time hunting in the woods when they learn of what’s happened; while Johnny is confident that Reed will figure out who’s been impersonating them, the news report triggers the Thing, who briefly blows his lid and is ready to fight the entire human race in his mindless rage. When Reed tries to calm him down, the Thing just launches into a tirade lamenting his existence and becomes so consumed by the need to lash out that he starts to sound like Doctor Bruce Banner/The Hulk, it’s very uncharacteristic and odd to see but presumably the Thing’s personality hadn’t quite been worked out at this point. Reed assumes full responsibility for the Thing’s aggressive demeanour; after all, as his obligatory recap of their origin reminds us, he is responsible for Ben being reduced to a rock-covered monster, though none of this brings them any closer to figuring out a plan of action, meaning they’re easily surrounded and captured by the United States military. The Fantastic Four surrender peacefully and are locked up in special cells said to be capable of containing their awesome powers, though this is, of course, just an excuse to pad the story out with visual reminders of what they’re capable of: Sue easily slips out of her cell when the guards foolishly open the door to provide her with food (!), Johnny rips up the flooring to find an air vent, Reed disturbingly squeezes himself out through a single loose rivet, and Ben simply smashes his way out with brute strength in no time at all. They flee in a stolen helicopter and reconvene at one of their “many secret apartment hideouts”, where Johnny and Ben almost come to blows over which one of them will willingly sabotage a space shuttle launch to draw out their doppelgängers. Ultimately, the Thing’s rage is quelled, and the Human Torch attacks the launch site and finds himself picked up by the Skrull impersonators; Johnny learns of their alien nature and plans for world conquest and signals for his teammates, who arrive just as Johnny is facing certain destruction at the Skrulls’ hands.
The Skrulls are easily warded off, the Four are cleared, and their impersonators duly punished.
Thanks to Sue tripping one of them, Reed disarming another, and Ben’s brute strength, the Skrull are subdued and willingly spill the beans when they see the extent of the Thing’s rage towards them; the Skrulls explain that there’s a Skrull invasion fleet waiting to attack and Reed decides that their only course of action is to turn the tables on their doppelgängers by commandeering their shuttle (which is disguised as a water tower) and heading up to the city-sized mothership to try and destroy the fleet. There, they masquerade as their impersonators and tell tales to the Skrull Commander about the might of not just the Fantastic Four, but Earth’s monstrous forces, giant ants, and weaponry hidden in the atmosphere. Incredibly, not only does this dupe work, convincing the Skrull Commander to pull back the entire fleet, but the Fantastic Four are also able to avoid having to shift back to their Skrull forms with a flimsy excuse and are even awarded for their bravery when they volunteer to stay behind and remove all traces of the race from the planet. However, as the Fantastic Four are left to drift back to Earth, the shuttle happens to pass through the same radiation belt that gifted them their powers, which inexplicably returns the Thing to his normal, human form! Upon exiting the shuttle, though, they are immediately placed under arrest and Ben’s joy at finding himself human once more is immediately undone when he just turns back into the Thing within a space of a few panels. Although the police chief refuses to listen to Reed’s explanations, he and the other cops are suitably convinced when they’re attack by a giant snake, a bulbous, spiky-rock-monster-thing, and a large vulture. The Fantastic Four easily subdue these three Skrulls and are exonerated by the flustered police chief; as for the Skrulls, Reed opts not to kill them or take the chance of locking them up or to trust that they can exist amongst humans peacefully as they claim and instead decides to hypnotise them into spending the rest of their lives believing that they’re cows!
The Summary: Generally speaking, I really don’t enjoy stories where characters or heroes are framed for crimes by an impersonator; I find they can be very repetitive and frustrating, but I actually think “The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!” was quite a fun twist on the concept. It’s interesting that the Skrulls regard the Fantastic Four as the sole threat to their invasion plan; everything they do is geared towards removing the Fantastic Four from the battlefield by ruining their reputation, something that’s ridiculously easy to do in Marvel Comics thanks to their fickle civilians. I actually quite enjoyed that Johnny and the others barely even bat an eyelid when they find out that they were being impersonated by goblin-like aliens; they just took it in stride and it’s only their second issue and Marvel hasn’t even had a chance to think up some of the bizarre cosmic shit that they’re known for! Another positive was that Sue didn’t get written like a complete airhead in this issue; sure, she barely did anything except trip a few people, but at least she wasn’t being shallow or idiotic or getting yelled at by Reed. This issue also spent a good deal of time showing how combustible the relationship between the Fantastic Four can be, particularly Johnny and Ben, who argue and almost come to blows a few times throughout the story. It also placed a great emphasis on the agony and despair Ben feels about being trapped in a grotesque, rocky hide. While his characterisation is a bit suspect at times and he’s written to almost evoke the Hulk on more than one occasion with his mindless rage, this aspect of the character, that he feels ostracised and tormented by his appearance, has become a defining trait of the Thing’s personality over the years so it was interesting to see it being spotlighted here, even if it’s set off with little provocation.
While the Skrull’s aren’t much of a threat, the story does a good job of fleshing out the title characters.
This led directly into him clashing with the more laidback Johnny, which in turn allowed Reed and Sue to be further fleshed out as the cooler heads and parental figures of the group while also exploring the guilt Reed feels for causing Ben’s condition. While I was okay with the recap of their origin as it tied into this and didn’t take up much space, the brief detour where they’re captured by the military was a bit of a waste, especially as we could’ve seen them battling the shape-shifting Skrulls instead. The Skrulls are depicted as patient and methodical; their plan isn’t to directly engage the Fantastic Four, but see to it that the world turns against them and does the work for them, though this plan is riddled with holes if you actually stop and think about it. If the Fantastic Four are their only threat, why don’t the Skrulls just use their massive fleet to attack New York City, obliterating their enemies in the process? Also, we don’t really get to see much of the Skrulls abilities or threat here; sure, they can mimic the Fantastic Four’s appearances and abilities and turn into monstrous creatures, but they’re easily defeated and their commander is duped with just a few photos and wild stories, severely diminishing whatever threat they might pose. It’s a bit of a shame, as they have a fun design and it would’ve been cool to see them showcase their power and technology in a proper fight, but it does sell the Fantastic Four as being both intelligent and physically capable. Overall, this was a pretty fun and surreal tale; it helped to flesh out the characterisation of the Fantastic Four both individually and as a group, gave them a chance to showcase a bit more of their powers and personalities, and introduced an intriguing alien race that would eventually be depicted as a far more capable menace than what is seen here. The art was colourful and popped nicely, even if the Thing and the Human Torch still look a bit basic here, and the writing was actually pretty good for a change so I’d definitely say that I enjoyed “The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!” more than I expected.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Have you ever read “The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!”? What did you think to it? Were you impressed by the first appearance of the Skrulls or do you agree that they weren’t presented as much of a threat? What did you think to the characterisation of the Fantastic Four here? Which of the four team members is your favourite and why? Are you a fan of imposter stories? What are some of your favourite stories that include the Skrulls? Whatever you think about the Fantastic Four and the Skrulls, go ahead and leave a comment down below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Fantastic Four reviews on the site.
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Writer: Peter David – Artist: Rick Leonardi
Story Title: “Stan Lee Presents Spider-Man 2099” Published: 1 September 1992 (cover-dated: November 1992)
Story Title: “Nothing Ventured” Published: 6 October 1992 (cover-dated: December 1992)
Story Title: “Nothing Gained” Published: 3 November 1992 (cover-dated: January 1993)
The Background: Back in 1962, Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee, hot off the smash hit that was the Fantastic Four, soon achieved even greater success with teenage superhero icon Peter Parker/Spider-Man. After his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 became one of Marvel’s best selling titles, Spider-Man’s popularity saw him graduate to his own solo title barely a year later and become perhaps the most recognisable character in Marvel’s colourful repertoire. Over the years, Spider-Man has endured many changes, and not all of them for the best: there was the time he grew four extra arms, the whole clone debacle that is still widely regarded as one of the character’s lowest points, the introduction and subsequent popularity of Miles Morales, a noir-themed Spider-Man, Peter Porker the Amazing Spider-Ham, and, of course, the Spider-Man of the future, Miguel O’Hara. In 1992, Marvel Comics presented an alternative future for their costumed characters, the cyberpunk era of 2099, where many of their most recognisable heroes and villains were reinterpreted with a gloss of futuristic sheen. Spider-Man 2099 debuted in this self-titled series and was designed by artist Rick Leonardi, though it was writer Peter David who created his alter ego, whose debut issue became David’s highest-selling comic. In fact, Spider-Man 2099 would prove to be the most successful of all the Marvel 2099 comics; it ran for forty-six issues before financial issues caused the run to be cancelled, but Miguel remained a mainstay of Marvel’s far-flung future and crossed over to the mainstream Marvel universe on more than one occasion both in and out of the comics, before finally returning in an ongoing series in 2014. Spider-Man 2099 is often regarded as one of the better alternate versions of the web-slinger, and with good reason; personally, I’ve always been a fan of his costume, the unique nature of his powers, and his cyberpunk future and was very excited to see him take centre stage in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Dantos, Powers, and Thompson, 2023).
The Review: Considering how successful and popular Spider-Man 2099 was and still is in the grand scheme of things, it’s a shame that this original run from the early-nineties is so hard to come by. While many of his later stories are widely available, and the second collection of this run is currently quite affordable, physical copies of the first volume have skyrocketed, despite a re-release coming not too long ago. Luckily, I was able to grab a copy of the first volume to finally get a taste of Spider-Man 2099, but it does irk me that Marvel’s physical publications are often either hard to come by or extortionately expensive, especially their stories from the nineties. Nevertheless, our story begins in medias res with Spider-Man being pursued through the New York City of the future by officers of the Public Eye, the law enforcement arm of this future world. They, like practically everything in the city, are funded by Alchemax, a hugely influential conglomerate that practically owns the city; basically think if Omni-Consumer Products (OCP) actually succeeded in building and dominating Delta City. The officers chase Spider-Man relentlessly but are stunned by how fast and agile he is; no matter how hard they try, they can’t land a shot on him and they can barely keep up with him, much less compete with his web-slinging, webbed airfoils that allow him to glide and influence his airspeed, and his razor-sharp talons. These abilities allow Spider-Man to easily give the cops the slip and leave them humiliated before a gaggle of awed onlookers, and our story shifts to Babylon Towers, where an exhausted half-Mexican, half-Irish Miguel O’Hara returns to his flat (or “apartment” for you Americans) only to be greeted by a series of holographic messages that further compound his already dire mood. Messages from the likes of Tyler Stone, Miguel’s brother Gabriel “Gabe” O’Hara, and Miguel’s fiancée, Dana D’Angelo, indicate that Miguel is not only mixed up in some ethically questionable activities with Alchemax but also hooked on drugs that are seriously messing him up. But what does Miguel have to do with the mysterious new web-slinger in town? Well, for that, the story has Miguel record a journal entry that sheds some light on the connection.
When smart mouthed Miguel is addicted to drugs by his boss, he turns to genetic research to cure himself…
Miguel was the head of a project researching gene alteration at Alchemax; though a genius who envisioned recreating the amazing superhuman abilities of Spider-Man for the company’s Corporate Raiders, Miguel had little respect for the chain of command, resulting in a strained relationship between him and his superior, Aaron Delgato, a J. Jonah Jameson type who didn’t appreciate Miguel’s smart mouth or disrespectful attitude. Miguel’s quick wit even extended to Tyler Stone, the head of the Alchemax Corporation; however, Tyler countered Miguel’s brashness not with blustering frustration like Delgato but with an insistence of advancing to human testing. Although Miguel disagreed with this decision, to defy Tyler would be to leave the volunteer, Mr. Sims, in Delgato’s hands and, as Miguel didn’t trust Delgato with the technology, Miguel begrudgingly agrees to start small, planning only to slightly alter Mr. Sim’s genes to grant him superhuman strength, and was horrified when the procedure transformed the man into a feral, monstrous beast that attempted to kill its creator before dying. In many ways, this was a self-fulfilling prophecy; Miguel states he designed his “transformation chamber” after an old “holo”, The Fly (Cronenberg, 1986), so it’s only fitting that Mr. Sims would become a mindless grotesque upon first use. Still, Tyler was impressed by the display of superhuman strength, and Miguel was so disgusted by the entire ordeal that he quit from Alchemax. While Tyler wasn’t happy with this decision, he appeared to support it and even promised to give Miguel a glowing recommendation, though this was all a ruse; Tyler slipped a dollop of the drug Rapture into his wine to force Miguel to be reliant upon Alchemax to survive since they’re the only licensed distributor the highly addictive hallucinogen. The Rapture quickly took hold, driving Miguel into a rage and causing him to strike Dana; though she was forgiving and supportive of him, Miguel was incensed by the betrayal and the prospect of spending his life as a drug addict, so he returned to his lab in a bid to use his research to cure himself. However, Delgato alters the program of out spite, determined to pay Miguel back for speaking down to him and attempting to kill Miguel by infusing him with the spider DNA he was toying with earlier.
The mysterious new Spider-Man attracts Alchemax’s attention and sees him hunted by a cyborg.
Despite the system overloading and an almighty explosion, Delgato was stunned to find Miguel not only alive, but sporting fanged teeth, white eyes, and with spiked talons on his fingers. Terrified by Miguel’s monstrous appearance, Delgato opened fire, determined to both defend himself from what he saw as an attack and finish the job he started, but Miguel’s newfound agility allowed him to easily dodge the blasts. Delgato’s wild firing caused another explosion, though, that left him dangling precariously over the city below and, when Miguel tried to pull him up, his talons sliced into Delgato’s arm and caused him such agony that he plummeted to his death. Horrified by this, and with the Public Eye bursting in to investigate the lab, Miguel attempted to leap to his death, only to find himself capable of scaling walls with his talons and possessing the proportionate strength and speed of a spider. Cursing Delgato’s interference and cowardice, and finding himself unable to go through with his suicide, Miguel then caught a lift off a passing Thorite (a doomsayer dressed up like Thor Odinson who was flying around the city on a hang glider calling for people to repent). Caught up in the excitement of the escape, Miguel offhandedly referred to himself as Spider-Man, much to the delight of the Thorite, who saw it as a sure sign of his saviour’s second coming; while the Thorite was clearly nuts, he did help spirit Miguel to safety and encouraged him to mask his face like the wall-crawler of old. Thanks to the investigation of one of his elite operatives, the cybernetic bounty hunter-esque Venture, Tyler learns of the spider-powered individual; however, for all the technology of the future, all they have to go on are wireframe holographic recreations, so they have no idea of Spider-Man’s true identity and Venture was tasked with tracking him down.
When Venture comes calling, Miguel dons an awesome costume and engages him as Spider-Man.
Miguel returned home in a fever and woke to find that he has an aversion to bright lights and had shredded his bedding with his talons and that they instinctively retract whenever they come close to his skin, leaving him unharmed and with the hope that he can learn to consciously retract them in time or else he faces the prospect of shelling out for clothes made of “unstable molecules”. The only outfit he has made of this super-durable and malleable substance is a “Death’s Head” costume he wore to the Day of the Dead festival the previous year, and Miguel considers wearing it full time since his newfound condition spells the end of his normal life. After his home A.I., Lyla, tried and failed to cheer him up by changing its appearance to that of a snooty butler and frail old aunt, Gabe dropped by to check in on him; surprisingly, Miguel was very open about his condition, but Gabe naturally laughed it off in favour of lecturing him about Alchemax’s shady nature. Miguel was forced to toss Gabe out when he got an inkling of danger (a “spider-sense”, if you will) and spotted Venture outside his apartment building. Recognising the cyborg as one of Alchemax’s elite trackers, Miguel donned the Death’s Head outfit to turn Venture’s attention away from him and firmly towards Spider-Man. Although Miguel’s first attempt at intimidating the elite cyborg is less than he hoped and he struggles to work the costume’s webfoils, he managed to get the drop on Venture and catch him off-guard, only to be goaded into a fight when Venture attacked the Thorites who bravely, but foolishly, rush to the web-slinger’s aid. Since he’s a scientist and a smart mouth rather than a fighter, Miguel struggled against Venture, who easily countered Spider-Man’s style with his fighting prowess, numbing his arm with his electronic rod and giving Miguel enough pause to consider whether he’d gotten in over his head and should surrender rather than go toe-to-toe with Alchemax’s number one cyborg.
Though not a natural superhero, Miguel overcomes Venture through luck and guts rather than skill.
However, when Venture murdered one of the Thorites in cold blood and relished in the deed, Spider-Man was compelled to act; though Venture noted Spider-Man’s guts and was staggered by a fierce blow from the web-slinger, Miguel’s plan wasn’t to get into a brawl with the cyborg, but to lead him away from the crowd and back over the trail that’d led him to his apartment to again shake suspicion off his civilian identity. The trick appeared to work as Venture was focused only on nailing his target, regardless of whose apartment he trashed along the way, and the two traded barbs during their chase through the city skyline, with Venture expressing boredom and frustration at Spider-Man’s escape attempts. Although Miguel was able to surprise Venture with a sneak attack, the cyborg’s arsenal proved to be the deciding factor in their conflict; once Spider-Man was close enough, Venture stunned him with his rod and ensnared him in “molecularly dense body wrap”. However, Venture called in his success to Tyler Stone a little too early and didn’t account for Miguel’s talons, which allowed him to break free and sabotage the cyborg’s jet boots, and they were both left stunned when Venture’s attempt to rip Miguel’s arm off activated his organic webbing, blinding the cyborg and sending them crashing to the street below. Angered, Venture prepared to blindly open fire, so Spider-Man (still stunned by his incredibly strength) used a passing maglev car to relieve Venture of his weapon, hit him with it, and overload the cyborg’s systems using his own electrical rod. Although he survived the battle by the skin of his teeth, Miguel is left pondering his strange new abilities, which have cured his addiction to the Rapture but massively impacted not only his life but also that of Dana and Gabe, and the three-issue origin arc ends with Tyler knocking on Miguel’s door and asking to talk about Spider-Man…
The Summary: Marvel’s vision for the New York City of 2099 is one of a bustling cyberpunk metropolis that owes more than a little inspiration to the likes of Blade Runner (Scott, 1982); it’s a sprawling, technologically advanced society where the skies are filled with flying cars and hoverbikes, and the people of the future enjoy the benefits of advanced technology such as voice-activated conveniences, attentive artificial intelligence and holograms, and plasma-based weapons. Unsurprisingly, even language has evolved, with the expletive “Shock!” a common curse word, and there are many hints towards how the world has changed over the last one-hundred years; the age of heroes has seemingly past, with no active superheroes being mentioned, though the Thorites are certain that the God of Thunder will return to bring judgement to the masses and people are well aware of the likes of Spider-Man. Latveria is still a governing nation and Stark Enterprises is still operational, albeit in the form of Stark-Fujikawa following a corporate merger. One key difference, at least in these issues, is the public’s reaction to Spider-Man; they are largely impressed by him, especially when he fells the Public Eye or defends them against Venture, and he’s met with awe rather than hatred and fear. The Public Eye are obviously an exception, largely due to the influence of Alchemax and Tyler’s obsession with getting his hands on Spider-Man so he can dissect how he gained such incredible powers where others were met with a gruesome end.
Alchemax is not above killing, creating monsters, or employing sadistic cyborgs to achieve their goals.
Visually, the world of Spider-Man 2099 certainly pops; there’s nothing here we haven’t really seen in countless other futuristic stories and settings but everything’s very bright, detailed, and technologically slanted. It’s not a major plot point in this story, but Alchemax is presented as this highly influential and shady mega-corporation; both Dana and Gabe openly speak out about the heinous things the company is involved in and their desire to see Miguel wash his hands of his involvement with Alchemax. It’s a general rule that any corporation that’s involved in questionable genetic research is going to be malevolent but Alchemax definitely go all-in with it; Miguel’s research is apparently geared towards a military arm of the company, or to augment their troops with superhuman abilities, and Tyler is so keen to unlock the secret of genetic tampering that he’s happy to sacrifice lives to get his way. Alchemax goes one step further by producing Rapture, a deadly and addictive hallucinogen that many of its employees are already hooked on. Although it can be acquired on the black market, it’s heavily implied that Rapture is perfectly legal as Alchemax is fully licensed to distribute the drug and many in the city are under its sway, and Tyler maliciously gets Miguel hooked on the drug in order to keep him dependent on the company for a regular fix. This is, ultimately, an important but minor plot point; it’s what drives him to use his research to cure himself, sure, but once he gains his spider powers, Miguel is seemingly cured and the matter is dropped. Alchemax is also in the business of employing (and, presumably, creating) cyborg operatives to carry out more hands-on tasks. Venture is their top cyborg and boasts infrared vision, augmented strength, a wealth of futuristic weapons that constantly give him the edge against Spider-Man, and rocket boots that allow him to fly. Venture is also a sadist who’s perfectly happy to kill innocent civilians in pursuit of his target, and so confident in his abilities (especially when faced with Spider-Man’s sloppy fighting style) that he openly mocks Spider-Man at every turn and delights in putting a beating on him.
Miguel’s wit, unique powers, and striking costume make him a relatable and appealing, if reluctant, hero.
While there’s not much to the villains of the story (Alchemax is every evil corporation, Tyler and Delgato and Venture are all quite one-dimensional, being slimy corporate types, disgruntled authority figures, or cruel bounty hunters, respectively), Miguel absolutely steals the show, and rightfully so. While he has a likeness of Peter Parker, particularly in his hairstyle, he’s a very different character; for one thing, he’s actually a successful and presumably well-valued and well-paid scientist who works for the biggest corporation in the city. For another, he has a fancy apartment, a stable love life, and a brother who, while overprotective, is always on hand to look out for him. In many ways, Miguel takes some of Peter’s most recognisable aspects and dials them up to eleven: Peter had an aptitude for science so Miguel is a geneticist; Peter had a quick wit so Miguel is smarming off to anyone and everyone, leading to some genuinely amusing exchanges between him and other characters; Peter had the proportionate strength and speed of a spider so Miguel gets fangs, talons, and an overall more monstrous appearance. Indeed, while Spider-Man 2099 is very similar to his mainstream counterpart in terms of his abilities, he’s also very different thanks to Delgato cranking up the exposure to spider DNA. His talons allow him to climb walls but also afford him a brutal offensive weapon not exhibited by Peter (and lead to him amusingly slashing people’s clothes by accident), but Miguel is less attuned to his spider-sense; it constantly goes off through this arc, but he doesn’t understand what it is or equate to it warning him of danger. Miguel also boasts one of the best Spider-Man costumes; a stark black and red number that is both fearsome and striking, with shredded web appendages that allow him to briefly glide and control himself in mid-air. Ultimately, while Spider-Man 2099 lacks the finesse and polish of Peter Parker, he makes up for it in his down-to-earth personality, biting wit, and his guts; he’s clearly not a natural hero or fighter and is mostly reacting rather than acting, with his motivations being purely selfish in this origin story, and yet he still leaps into action when Venture attacks innocents, which I think speaks volumes to his appeal and the ongoing appeal of his comics.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Great Stuff
Are you a fan of Spider-Man 2099? What did you think to Miguel, his smart mouth and his characterisation as a reluctant hero? Were you a fan of his costume and altered powers? What did you think to Venture and evil mega-corporation Alchemax? Did you enjoy Marvel’s futuristic vision of 2099? What other Marvel 2099 characters and stories did you enjoy from this period? Whatever your thoughts on Spider-Man 2099, feel free to share them below and be sure to check out my other Spider-Man content!
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Story Title: “Flashpoint” (comprised of “Chapter One” to “Chapter Five”) Published: July 2011 to October 2011 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Andy Kubert
The Background: Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino introduced readers to Barry Allen/The Flash in Showcase #4 (1956) and heralded the “Silver Age” of comics; this new incarnation of the Scarlet Speedster may have taken the place of his predecessor, Jay Garrick, but it wasn’t too long before the two were coming face-to-face thanks to the concept of the multiverse. Barry fast became one of the most popular and iconic characters to carry the Flash mantle, and his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al, 1985 to 1986) was long-regarded as one of the few permanent fixtures in comics. However, in the ridiculously confusing Final Crisis event (Morrison, et al, 2008 to 2009), DC finally brought Barry back and reinstated him as the Flash, a decision that irked (and continues to irk) many fans of his replacement, Wally West. Though Barry was returned to a world that had largely passed him by, a series of retcons enabled him to slip back into his old role; however, despite having already torn apart and rebuilt the multiverse just five years prior in Infinite Crisis (Johns, et al, 2005 to 2006), writer Geoff Johns decided to shake up the DC Universe with this five-issue event, which was bolstered by a number of tie-in stories. Flashpoint saw massive changes to DC’s timeline, characters, and continuity; it directly led to one of my least-favourite eras of the comics, The New 52, and both compressed, altered, and confused many of DC’s storylines. The story proved quite influential, however; not only was it partially referenced in The Flash (2014 to present), it was also adapted into a well-received direct-to-DVD animated feature, and served as significant inspiration for the Flash’s big-screen solo film.
The Review: Flashpoint begins and is punctuated by narration from Professor Zoom, Eobard Thawne/The Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen’s long-time nemesis who has a warped hero worship of the Flash that compels him to cause the Fastest Man Alive nothing but pain and misery in a twisted attempt to make him a better hero. A series of little flashbacks establish Barry’s close relationship with his mother early on; he adored Nora as a child and the mystery of her strange and brutal death haunted him even into his adult life, where he became a forensic scientist. Once he was struck by that errant lightning bolt and gained his superspeed, the Flash found a happiness that was missing from his life: friends and colleagues in the Justice League, love with his own wife, Iris West, and a family of fellow speedsters. However, all of that randomly changes for Barry when he’s roused from sleep at the Central City Police Department to find that Central City is under the protection of a questionable hero, Leonard Snart/Citizen Cold, the Flash’s rogues gallery doesn’t exist and, to Barry’s horror, he no longer has his superspeed or identity as the Flash.
Barry finds the world has changed for the worst and that Bruce has been replaced by his violent father!
If that wasn’t bad enough, Iris is in a loving relationship with another man; however, on the plus side, Nora Allen is still alive but, while Barry is overjoyed at being reunited with his beloved mother, his analytical mind immediately sets to work trying to figure out what’s happened to the world; he still remembers heroes like Clark Kent/Superman and the Justice League, but neither of these aspects appear to exist anymore…with one exception: Batman. The story jumps over to Gotham City, now a bustling metropolis with neon billboards promoting “Wayne Resorts and Casinos” and haunted by a far darker and more violent version of the Caped Crusader. While this Batman is far more callous than his mainline counterpart, and perfectly happy with tossing costumed baddies to their deaths, he’s just as driven to hunting down the Joker, and especially motivated as the Harlequin of Hate has kidnapped Mayor Harvey Dent’s twins. His investigation is interrupted by Victor Stone/Cyborg who, rather than judging Batman’s violent methods, invites him to align with a motley crew of alternative heroes and villains in order to oppose Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, whose warring nations threaten to destroy the world in their conflict. Batman, however, is uninterested in joining their cause since none of them stand a chance at fighting the Atlanteans and the Amazons, and his disinterest causes many of Cyborg’s followers to cut out as well, leaving the man-machine despondent. Confused and desperate for answers, Barry is forced to endure the frustration of traffic jams in order to travel to Gotham City to ask Bruce Wayne for help. However, when he arrives at Wayne Manor, he finds Alfred Pennyworth missing, the stately home in disarray, and is shocked to discover that this Batman isn’t Bruce…but his father, Doctor Thomas Wayne!
Barry goes to extreme lengths to regain his powers before he loses his memories of the original timeline.
In this world, it was young Bruce who died that night in Crime Alley, turning Thomas into a brutal and sadistic bat-themed vigilante. Believing Barry to be delusional, and angered at his knowledge of Bruce, Thomas breaks Barry’s finger and puts a beating on him, unimpressed with his claims to be the Fastest Man Alive. The conflict with Thomas not only assaults Barry’s body, but also his mind as his memories start to change to align with this new world, one caught in the middle of a war between Atlantis and Themyscira that has devastated large parts of the world. One year previously, the hostile Aquaman and his half-brother Orm Marius/Ocean Master flooded much of Western Europe and, before that, Wonder Woman and her Amazons attacked and conquered London, re-christening it New Themyscira. Barry finds his Flash ring in the Batcave but is shocked to find Thawne’s Reverse-Flash uniform in there instead of his Flash costume and theorises that the maniacal time-traveller must be behind the changes to the timeline. Although initially sceptical of Barry’s story, Thomas is intrigued by Barry’s tragic and twisted history with Thawne, who purposely travelled back in time to cause him anguish by killing his mother and hounding his superhero career, and spurred to help him since restoring the timeline will mean that Bruce never gets murdered. However, the only way they can hope to achieve this is to restore Barry’s superspeed before he forgets everything about the previous timeline, but his initial attempt to recreate the accident that doused him with chemicals and saw him struck by lightning leaves him a charred and scarred mess. Although left in agonising pain from third degree burns over seventy-five percent of his body, Barry is adamant about trying again, with an even bigger bolt of lightning, before his new memories completely override everything he used to be and know. Thomas, of course, thinks he’s a madman for risking his life in such a desperate attempt, but the second bolt of lightning does the trick and Barry’s superspeed and connection to the Speed Force is restored, which has the added effect of speeding up his recovery time. Barry whips himself up a fresh new Flash costume and sets to work trying to figure out what else has changed in this new timeline and who else is available to help; he explains the dangers and mechanics of time travel to a cynical Thomas, that Thawne is afforded additional abilities thanks to his “Negative” Speed Force and has no compunction about screwing up the timeline, which can have serious consequences even if only small changes are made.
Since Superman’s no help, Batman joins the Resistance, but they’re hopelessly outmatched against their foes.
Believing that Thawne purposely orchestrated this new timeline to take the world’s greatest superheroes out of action, Barry discovers that the Kryptonian rocket carrying the infant Superman crashed into Metropolis and killed thirty-five thousand people, and Thomas agrees to be Cyborg’s strategist in exchange for access to classified government information on the rocket that only Victor can supply. Thomas has absolutely no problem with deceiving Cyborg since, if they’re successful, time will be forever changed and none of their strife will have happened or mattered, which is perfectly fine with this jaded, semi-suicidal version of Batman. Cyborg leads the two to a secret underground facility beneath Metropolis, the home of “Project: Superman”, which they sneak into and discover the skeletal remains of a Kryptonian canine and an emaciated, terrified Kal-El who has been routinely tortured, experimented on, and kept out of the sun’s rays his entire life. Batman is less than impressed with Barry’s so-called “saviour”, who has little to no control over his powers and deserts them the moment that General Sam Lane’s soldiers close in. Thankfully, they’re saved by Emily Sung/Element Woman, who chemically incapacitates the soldiers, but Barry continues to be plagued by the physical pain and seizures his new memories cause him; these show a life where his mother was constantly by his side encouraging him, even after his father’s tragic heart attack, and a version of Barry who continuously struggled to find a woman to settle down with. After Colonel Steve Trevor fails to liberate reporter Lois Lane from New Themyscira, the United States President is left with no choice but to employ the full might of the U. S. military, which results in Hal Jordan (who never received the Green Lantern ring in this world and resents the world’s superheroes for not getting involved in the greater conflict) being shot down and killed by the Amazon’s invisible jets. With the entire world on the brink of all-out war, and the United Kingdom threatened by a devastating tidal wave, Barry berates Thomas for writing his world off; arguing that, at any moment, Barry could completely forget Bruce and the former timeline, Barry encourages Cyborg to make contact with the superhero community to defend the world and, although their ace in the hole, “Superman”, has literally flown the coop, they’re joined by Billy Batson and his adopted family, who are collectively known as Captain Thunder in this world. Such is the allure of Batman’s urban legend that all it takes is his involvement and leadership to unite the world’s superheroes in interceding in the battle between Aquaman and Wonder Woman, however they’re betrayed by June Moon/The Enchantress, who forcibly transforms Captain Thunder back into his mortal form so that Diana can run him through with her sword.
Reverse-Flash’s boasting is cut short and Barry is seemingly able to set the timeline right…
It’s here, in the midst of a brutal war with the fate of this alternative world in the balance, that the Reverse-Flash finally makes his physically appearance. Naturally, a vicious fist fight breaks out between the two, but Barry is devastated to learn that it was he who caused this dark new timeline and not Thawne. Thawne “[resets Barry’s] internal vibrations” to reveal that Barry was so distraught after learning that Thawne killed his mother that he pushed himself further than he’d ever gone before, travelled back in time, and called upon the entire power of the Speed Force to prevent that event from ever happening. The result was a fracturing of the timeline in wild and unpredictable ways, and also that Thawne has been “removed from the timeline” so that, no matter what happens in the past, present, or future, he will continue to exist to plague his foe. This means that Thawne no longer has to rely on Barry being alive to ensure his creation in the far future, and nothing Barry does will prevent Thawne from existing. However, just as it seems like Thawne has achieved his ultimate victory, Batman stabs Thawne through the back and kills him, admonishing him for turning his back on the battlefield. Even though Superman makes a dramatic reappearance to join the fight, the war escalates uncontrollably; Atlantis plans to sink the United Kingdom and Enchantress mortally wounds Batman, who begs Barry to set things right. Reluctant to leave the world to its fate, Barry first stops by to talk to his mother, who encourages him to do the right thing since he’s literally sacrificed billions of lives and made the world a complete hellhole just to save her life. Heartbroken, but galvanised by her blessing, Barry intercepts his past self and knocks him from the Cosmic Treadmill but, when he returns to the time stream, Barry finds that there are three separate, competing timelines and a mysterious, hooded woman warns that time has been splintered and that only Barry can help merge them back into one unified timeline. When Barry awakens at his desk, the world appears to be back to normal; the first thing he does is race to the Batcave to talk with Bruce, who is once again Batman and who, surprisingly, reassurances Barry that he’s only human and couldn’t have known that saving his mother would have screwed the world up so badly. In an interesting twist, Barry retains his memories of the “Flashpoint” universe, and leaves Bruce in tears when he delivers him a letter rom his father. However, Barry fails to notice a few changes that have occurred as a result of his time meddling; not only is his Flash suit different, but so is the Batsuit, and all of the world’s heroes have been altered into their God-awful “New 52” forms, but the extent of Barry’s actions wouldn’t be revealed for some time and, for all intents and purposes, this is now the “real world”.
The Summary: If there’s one reason to read Flashpoint, it’s the gorgeous artwork by Andy Kubert; stylistically similar to Jim Lee and John Romita Jr., Kubert really emphasises the kinetic energy of his characters, which is perfect for the Flash, while still balancing the many secondary characters in a way that’s bold and striking and crafting a far darker and more fearsome rendition of Batman. Each issue is accompanied by supplementary materials about this changed world, such as a world map that shows who controls which territory and where these new groups of alternative characters operate, and line art showing Kubert’s process. Sadly, though, just reading the main five issues doesn’t give you the entire story of Flashpoint; like pretty much every big Crisis and crossover event these days, Flashpoint was accompanied by four one-shots, two preludes, and no less than seven additional tie-in titles that further explored this alternative world and these far darker, less hopeful characters. I haven’t actually read any of these as I never felt compelled to explore it further as I subscribed to Thomas Wayne’s philosophy that it really doesn’t matter what happened to him, Aquaman, Hal Jordan, or any of the other characters changed by Barry’s actions as the timeline is reset at the end of the story. That and I really can’t afford to by the omnibus edition that collects all these issues, I don’t want any of the tie-ins taking up space on my shelves, and I really don’t care for the story enough to want to read any more about it.
Barry really comes across as a hypocritical, selfish asshole in this story.
This really isn’t a great story, or look, for Barry Allen. For someone like me, who grew up reading Wally West’s adventures as the Flash, it was already quite the insult to have him so readily supplanted by his predecessor, but to write a story where Barry’s so selfish that he screws up the entire timeline and, not only that, hesitates to set things right because he can’t stand to lose his mother? Yeah, that’s not a great look. And I get it; he’s grieving and in pain and not thinking rationally, but it’s especially odd that Bruce reassures him that he (as in Bruce) probably would’ve done the same thing…despite the fact that he turned down the chance to see the world and timeline reorganised in his favour in Infinite Crisis. The message seems to be that we have to sympathise with Barry but, while he’s obviously suffered a terrible loss at the hands of one of his worst enemies, it kind of seems like Geoff Johns wrote this twist simply because it’d be too predictable to have Thawne be behind the changes to the timeline. On the plus side, Barry certainly suffers for his selfishness; he’s nearly killed by the lightning bolts he attracts to himself and endures an unimaginable amount of agony from their impact, which is the least he deserves to go through. It’s interesting, though, as Barry feels morally obligated (or, perhaps, guilty enough) to help save this world and even has the gall to lecture Thomas Wayne about condemning the world to die. He even hesitates to undo his actions and is desperate to find a way to save his mother and the world at the same time, but finally being convinced to do, y’know, the right thing and prioritise the greater good and he doesn’t even do that right as it births the New 52 world.
Thomas Wayne’s violent, jaded Batman steals the show and delivers a heart-warming end to the story.
Flashpoint’s nightmare timeline is very different from the mainline DC Universe; it’s full of conflict, loss, and despair. A world constantly on the brink of war, under threat by two warring superpowered nations, and suffering without the world’s greatest superhero. This is a world where the public has lost faith in costumed heroes since they’re reluctant to stand against the forces of Atlantis and Themyscira and many of them have either been killed, maimed, or forced to make unlikely alliances and rely on subterfuge to survive and try to take a stand. However, the allure of Batman’s reputation remains as strong as ever; while Cyborg doesn’t approve of Batman’s violent methods, he knows that the Resistance will only really commit to fighting if Batman is onboard and goes out of his way to try and recruit the Dark Knight in order to spark some small sliver of hope. Thomas Wayne, naturally, steals the show here; his darker costume and demeanour show an alternative version of Batman who’s much older and far more cynical than Bruce Wayne. It’s consistently hinted that Thomas Wayne is in such a dark place that he’s not only completely given up on the world, but he also doesn’t really care whether he lives or dies. For him, nothing really matters anymore as not only was his entire world ripped away from him when he watched his son die before his eyes, but everything could be wiped out at a moment’s notice. He is compelled to help Barry, despite his cynicism, not to save his world, but to undo it entirely, fulfilling both of these goals, and really makes an impression with his surly demeanour, willingness to kill, and glowing red eyes. Sadly, despite appearing to die here and this timeline being erased, Thomas Wayne’s Batman would return later down the line and actually oppose his son as yet another dark analogue to the Caped Crusader, but I have to admit that he was one of the few highlights of this Crisis.
As if besmirching Barry’s character wasn’t enough, Flashpoint resulted in the dreadful New 52 era!
Overall, I really don’t care for this story specifically because it spelt the end for the DC Universe as I knew it and the beginning of my least favourite time in DC Comics, the New 52 run. I just didn’t understand the need to even do this and reset things in such an extreme way when Infinite Crisis had already done that not too long before this was published. As a self-contained, throwaway Flash tale that taught Barry a serious lesson about dealing with his grief, it could’ve worked; hell, even as a longer story the stretched over a few of the Flash titles and shook up the status quo for the Flash might have been more enjoyable, but it falls pretty flat as a reality-warping Crisis event because it’s a mere five issues and is lacking the expansive scope of these events. For me, it just doesn’t work since it paints Barry in such a poor light, and it feels completely pointless to dip into any of the tie-in stories since this was obviously never going to last as a timeline. I absolutely feel this could have worked much better if the Reverse-Flash had been the mastermind behind it and had cropped up a bit more in these five issues; this could’ve been a great showcase to show how depraved and twisted he is and could have presented a nightmare timeline where he’s the hero and the Flash is a villain, but he shows up far too late in the story to really make much of an impression and, despite boasting that he’s effectively immortal, is dispatched pretty easily by Batman and his trusty sword. In hindsight, now that the New 52 has finally been undone, Flashpoint isn’t as bad as it was when I first read it and was struggling to cope with all the rubbish decisions made in that era, but it’s still easily skipped over, I think. Just the idea that Barry, who lectures Thomas on how dangerous haphazard time travel can be, would make such a poor, selfish decision without thought to the consequences really doesn’t warm me to his character and, in many ways, makes him as reprehensible as Hal Jordan was back when he was Parallax. These are the actions of a misguided villain, not a sympathetic hero, and all the heart-warming letters from dead fathers and grief over lost mothers in the world can’t save this utter dreck of a story.
My Rating:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Could Be Better
Are you a fan of Flashpoint? If so, what did you like about it? If you read the tie-in stories, which ones were your favourite and what did you think to this alternative timeline? Were you a fan of DC’s decision to reset their continuity again? What did you think to Barry’s decision to save his mother? Did you sympathise with him or did it paint him in a bad light? Were you a fan of Thomas Wayne’s Batman? Which Flash or speedster is your favourite? What’s your favourite Flash story? Which of DC’s infinite parallel worlds is your favourite? Feel free to sign up and share your thoughts on Flashpoint below or drop a comment on my social media.
This review has been supported by Chiara Cooper. If you’d like to support the site, you can do so at my Ko-Fi page.
Story Title: “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!” Published: October 1956 Writer: Robert Kanigher Artist: Carmine Infantino
The Background: In 1940, writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert introduced readers to Jay Garrick, a college student granted superhuman speed after inhaling “hard water vapours”, and thus the very first superhero to use the name “The Flash” was born. The Flash not only became a charter member of the Justice Society of America but also graduated to his own solo book a year after his debut; however, All-Flash was cancelled after thirty-two issues when the onset of the Second World War saw superheroes decline in popularity. In the seven years that passed after Jay’s last publication hit comic book stands, a lot had changed; the rights to the Flash were now held by DC Comics, who set about reinventing “Golden Age” superheroes like the Flash and Alan Scott/Green Lantern. Thus, in 1956, readers of Showcase #4 were introduced to an all-new version of the Scarlet Speedster; created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino, forensic chemist Barry Allen heralded not only the “Silver Age” of comics but also the concept of the multiverse as it was later revealed that Jay existed on a parallel version of Earth. Barry quickly became one of the most popular and iconic incarnations of the Flash mantle, being a founding member of the Justice League of America and cementing his legacy after sacrificing his life in the Crisis on Infinite Earths epic (Wolfman, et al, 1985 to 1986). Although Barry’s demise lasted longer than most superhero deaths, he was eventually brought back in the ridiculously confusing Final Crisis event (Morrison, et al, 2008 to 2009) and his popularity and influence has seen him in a starring role in two live-action television shows, feature prominently in DC cartoons and videogames, and also seen him brought to life on the big screen as part of the largely disastrous DC Extended Universe.
The Review: Our story begins with a crisis at a radar station on the East Coast; two military personnel are startled after picking up a strange object travelling faster than anything ever recorded before it sends their equipment haywire. To explain this phenomenon, the story flashes back a short time to Central City on a night when the city was ravaged by a tumultuous lightning storm. Here, in the police laboratory, we meet scientist Barry Allen, who marvels over stories of the Jay Garrick version of the Flash, who at this point exists only in comic books in a slice of metatext. As he returns to his mysterious experiment (which, apparently, requires the use of “every chemical known to science”), a bolt of lightning causes him to be doused in chemicals, leaving him wet and dazed but otherwise unharmed. Shaken, Barry leaves but is too late to hail a cab so tries to chase one down, only to find himself flying along at super speed! Believing his near-death experience has caused him to imagine things, Barry stops at a diner to catch his breath and is startled to find that he can now perceive time in slow motion, moving so fast that a clumsy waitress cannot comprehend what happened, but he still believes he’s suffering from shock so he goes home to rest. By the morning, he’s used some wonky logic to explain everything away but, when he meets Iris West for a date (receiving a talking down for his poor timekeeping), his super speed kicks in again just as a stray bullet threatens her life! Acting quickly, he tackles Iris out of harm’s way, earning him her gratitude, and finally realises that his molecular structure has been altered by the accident to turn him into the fastest man on Earth. Inspired by the adventures of Jay Garrick, Barry…somehow…crafts himself a sleek, form-fitting costume that can condense into a ring on his finger and makes his debut as the Flash to answer a burglar alarm at the city’s central bank.
After gaining superhuman speed, Barry Allen tracks down the sloth-like villain the Turtle Man.
Thanks to his superhuman speed, the Flash can effortlessly race down the sides of buildings and across town so fast that he breaks the sound barrier, thus explaining the disruption monitored at the start of the story. At the bank, The Flash finds nothing has been stolen; questioning the holdup victims, he learns that the perpetrator was “The Turtle Man”, a villain known as the slowest man on Earth, and somehow intuits that the thief left the job half finished to complete it later on. This odd logic is compounded when the Flash is easily fooled by a silhouette painted on a brick wall, like he’s Wile E. Coyote, and goes crashing through a wall while trying to apprehend the Turtle Man. Somehow, despite the fact that the Flash just appeared and no one even knows about him, Barry believes the villain is “using [his] speed […] as a weapon […] against [him]” and stays on his guard as he follows the Turtle Man’s trail through a sewer and to the river. The Turtle Man certainly lives up to his name; not only does he talk in laborious sentences, but he also chooses a rowboat for his getaway, yet he is also smart enough to boobytrap a speedboat to keep the Flash from pursing him. Thankfully, the laws of physics mean nothing to the Scarlet Speedster and he races across he water’s surface, but he’s unable to apprehend the villain because his movements only push the rowboat further away. Instead, the Flash circles the rowboat at superspeed, trapping it in a vortex and easily capturing the sloth-like crook. The cops and press are awestruck by the feat and the Flash becomes the talk of the town; even Iris swoons over the super-speedy hero completely unaware that she’s already dating the Scarlet Speedster.
The Summary: Well, I’m not gonna lie…this was a bit of a disappointment. These older comic book tales always tend to be very brief and simplistic but I found Barry’s debut story to be particularly bland considering how colourful and versatile the Flash and his powers can be. I liked that Barry didn’t immediately realise what’d happened after the lightning strike but it takes him so long to figure out what happened that he comes across as a bit of a dunce. His misadventures do give a taste of what he’s now capable of, showing that he can accelerate to inhuman speeds, defy gravity and physics, and even perceive time differently, but it’s handled very clunkily and not in an especially engaging or entertaining way. Barry’s clothes don’t catch fire from the friction, which would’ve been a fun visual, and he’s far too quick to explain away what’s happening with weak logic. Once he does figure things out, he’s somehow able to create this amazing suit that shrinks down into a ring, something I always thought came along later in his career but isn’t even explained with a wishy-washy trope like “unstable molecules”.
An unfortunately dull story with a foolish hero and a ridiculous villain that fails to impress.
The Turtle Man isn’t exactly a visually interesting or threatening first villain, either. I get the idea of pitting the world’s slowest man against the world’s fastest man as a kind of thematic parallel but it doesn’t really work because…why the hell would the world’s slowest man pose a threat to the Flash, of all people?! And…he doesn’t. He briefly bamboozles the Flash by fleeing the crime scene, causes him to run into a wall and sink, both of which are minor inconveniences at best, and is easily apprehended without really taxing the Flash’s powers or intelligence anywhere near their limit. It feels as though this story needed a few more pages; there are other standalone Flash stories in this issue but I would’ve used the extra pages to establish the Flash in the city before he encounters the Turtle Man as the villain is…somehow…aware of the Scarlet Speedster and relishing in their conflict despite him just making his debut! In the end, it’s a kind of fun, wacky tale but a bit of an inauspicious debut for one of DC Comics’ most popular heroes; a lot of the groundwork is here and there’s some fun art showcasing the Flash’s super speed and such but it’s ultimately a bit lacklustre and too simplistic for me to be the definitive origin story for the character.
My Rating:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Could Be Better
What did you think about Barry Allen’s debut as the Flash? Were you impressed by it at the time or were you left a little fulfilled, like me? What did you think to the new Flash and how do you think he compared to Jay Garrick? Did you also find it odd that Barry took so long to figure out what was going on? What did you think to the Turtle Man and his threat to the Flash? Which Flash or speedster is your favourite and what are some of your favourite Barry Allen moments? Feel free to share your thoughts on the Flash below and be sure to check out my other Flash-related content!
This review has been supported by Chiara Cooper. If you’d like to support the site, you can do so at my Ko-Fi page.
Story Title: “Concrete Jungle” Published: June 1989 to March 1990 Writer: Mark Verheiden Artist: Chris Warner and Ron Randall
The Background: In 1980, Mike Richardson founded Dark Horse Comics, a comic publisher that separated itself from the heavy-hitters like DC Comics and Marvel Comics by focusing its efforts on creator-owned titles. Dark Horse Comics achieved greater mainstream success in 1988 by publishing licensed stories and adaptations of horror and science-fiction films and franchises, the most prominent of these was the merging of the Alien franchise (Various, 1977 to present) and the Predator films (Various, 1987 to present). However, concurrent to writer Chris Warner’s three-issue clash between those two, Dark Horse Comics also published this four-issue spin-off of the Predator franchise, specifically revolved around the hitherto-unknown brother of Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), later retitled to “Concrete Jungle”. Perhaps bolstered by the crossover between Aliens and Predator, “Concrete Jungle” proved popular enough to spawn not only a slew of additional Predator spin-off comics and movie adaptations, but also crossovers with other comic book icons such as DC Comics’ superheroes and even lawman of the future Judge Joseph Dredd. While the Predator movies have often been met with mixed reviews, comic book adaptations continued to be published, with the alien hunters even crossing over into Marvel Comics after Disney purchased 20th Century Fox.
The Review: Much like Predator 2(Hopkins, 1990) “Concrete Jungle” is set in an overpopulated and crime-ridden city during a stifling heatwave that drives its citizens to violence and even murder. In this case, we’re in New York City and following police detectives and long-term friends and partners Errol G. Rasche and John Schaefer, Dutch’s older brother who got them transferred from narcotics to homicide after tossing a cartel chief off a rooftop. While Rasche is convinced this is a conspiracy headed by their corrupt police captain, McComb, to have them offed by local gangs, Schaefer’s more concerned about the stars looking “different” than either their current situation or the escalating drug problem sweeping the city streets. This nicely segues to a tense meeting between two rival gangs, headed by Lamb and Carr; while Carr advocates for them joining forces to maximise their profits and fend off Columbian cartels, Lamb would much rather fight to the death and see who’s left to reap the rewards. Just as an all-out gunfight is about to break out, one of Lamb’s men is blasted from behind by the Predator’s plasma cannon; another is diced up when he sticks his head out the window and, assuming it’s an attack by the Columbians, both gangs open fire and blow a hole in the building wall. The fracas draws the attention of the cops but, when Rasche and Schaefer arrive, they’re barred from entering the building until Captain McComb arrives.
StubbornSchaefer ignores all the warnings and ends up going toe-to-toe with a Predator.
Just like the hot-headed Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover), Schaefer doesn’t really give a damn about McComb’s authority and he and Rasche head on in after one of the gang members is hurled from a window and crashes into a police car. Inside, they’re horrified to find the remains of the two gangs littering the floor and strung up, skinned, from the ceiling. Carr, who somehow survived the massacre, opens fire, blaming the cops for what happened, and manages to slip away right before Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) come crashing in, led by an incensed McComb. Pissed that Schaefer disobeyed a direct order, McComb continues the homage retread of Predator 2 by chewing the blonde-haired muscleman out for overstepping his boundaries. Later, Rasche and Schaefer investigate a wholesale slaughter in the subway, again covering the same ground as Predator 2 and seeing McComb reprimand them despite the fact that they’re literally just responding to calls rather than actively involving themselves in the investigation. This time, however, McComb’s orders are overruled by the appearance of General Homer Philips, Dutch’s former commanding officer from the first movie, who takes Rasche and Schaefer aside to warn them off out of loyalty to Dutch. While we’re never told what happened to Dutch or where he is, he clearly told General Philips enough about his big brother and the Predator for him to step in, for their own safety, assuring them that it’ll all be over in about two weeks if they don’t interfere. Realising that the gruesome murders are somehow connected to Dutch, Schaefer naturally ignores these warnings and breaks into Lamb’s apartment, now a crime scene, where he’s blindsided by the Predator. A fist fight breaks out, one naturally one-sided, that sees the Predator place a curious implant into Schaefer’s neck and him managing to steal the creature’s helmet after smashing it off with a piece of timber.
Schaefer’s search for answers takes him to South America, where he easily scores his first Predator kill.
For his efforts, he’s left with a broken nose and sent plummeting to the street below; he’s saved from death only by grabbing on to and tangling himself up in washing lines conveniently hanging between buildings. Despite being left a bloody mess, his snark remains intact, but his doctor is unconvinced by the paper thin explanations the two give for the brute’s injuries. Stubbornly refusing to take the time to rest, Schaefer limps his way over to Rasche’s home where he suggests that the Predator tagged him to keep track of him for later and insists that they try to find General Philips so they can get some real answers. Their efforts are interrupted by a furious McComb, but when he threatens to have Schaefer brought up on charges, the hulk lashes out, smashing his telephone, ramming McComb against the wall, and threatening him with further violence if he doesn’t give up General Philips. However, McComb is too low on the totem pole to help; as far as he’s concerned, General Philips doesn’t exist, there is no investigation, and all of it is far above his paygrade. With no other leads to go on, Schaefer decides to fly out to South America, Dutch’s last known location, and look for answers himself despite the danger posed to him by the Columbians he’s pissed off. He finds himself a guide in a seedy bar in Riosucio and is led to first the overgrown remains of the guerrilla camp Dutch and his team ransacked in Predator and then the massive crater left over from the Predator’s (Kevin Peter Hall) self-destruct device. At night, Schaefer reminisces about his childhood with Dutch (the two of them used to hunt in the woods, not for sport or fun but to test their mettle against nature) and arms himself with a fully automatic shotgun when his neck implant alerts him to the Predator’s presence. Although he’s able to dodge the Predator’s plasma cannon and even land a shot on the creature’s shoulder, Schaefer’s caught off-guard by the Predator’s cloak; still, he’s able to stab it in the ribs before being manhandled. Schaefer’s as quick with his wit as he is with his thinking, though, and tosses salt in the Predator’s eyes before beating it with a log, successfully knocking it over a cliff edge and causing it to be impaled on a spike-like tree branch.
In the face of a Predator invasion and military cover-ups, Schaefer seeks allies in low places.
Schaefer’s less than surprised when it turns out that his guide was one of General Philips’ men, who’s distraught that Schaefer killed the creature and even suggests that Philips knew about the Predator when he sent Dutch into the jungle. As he forces Schaefer to face General Philips, chastising him for not understanding the implications of killing one of the alien hunters, they’re attacked by Columbian drug lords, who kill the guide and manage to knock Schaefer out. Although Schaefer’s able to fight his way out before he can be tortured, a whole gang of Predators strikes the drug camp, wiping out the Columbians with their plasma cannons and setting the base on fire. Thankfully, General Philips arrives to help get Schaefer out of there and back to New York, where Philips confirms that he’s known about the Predators all along and that they seem to be fixated on Schaefer and his brother. Meanwhile, Rasche messes about with the Predator’s helmet and, when he puts it on, figures out what’s been screwing with television receptions and the stars when he sees a whole fleet of cloaked Predator ships hovering throughout the city skyline! When he attempts to warn McComb, the police captain shoots him down and threatens him with jail for withholding evidence and he’s taken into custody by agents of the Inland Revenue Service acting on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). When he realises that the Feds mean to hand Schaefer over to the Predators, Rasche is able to take advantage of the accountants’ penchant for numbers to overpower them and load up at the station armoury. Showing little concern for the safety of New York, Schaefer knocks Philips out and forces his chopper to land so he can reconvene with Rasche but, realising that they’re outgunned and outmatched against the alien menace, Schaefer goes to Carr to recruit him and his gang.
Just when all hope seems lost, the Predators just…decide to leave and the conflict is over.
Although he’s naturally suspicious of the cop, Carr is immediately attacked by a Predator; when Schaefer struggles to fend off the Predator, Rasche arrives and blows it away with a bazooka, convincing Carr to set aside their differences to combat the alien invasion. The Predator ships open fire, bombarding the city with devastating laser blasts but Schaefer and the others manage to escape to safety and get their forces together to make a final stand against the invaders. Schaefer draws first blood, using the Predator helmet to direct Carr in bringing down a Predator ship with a single rocket, somewhat undermining the threat of their advanced technology and looming ships. Their efforts catch the attention and anger of Captain McComb, who surrounds the immediate area and calls for their surrender but, just as McComb is about to gun Schaefer down in the street, a Predator ship decloaks and opens fire, resulting in McComb getting his face blasted off by a Predator’s plasma blast. Schaefer’s helmet is damaged after he goes off all gung-ho and Rasche is injured by a plasma shot before General Philips and the army turn up, only to reveal that the military is preparing to launch a massive air strike that will level the city and lay waste to both the populace and the “foreigners”. Schaefer targets fire hydrants to short out the Predator’s technology, revealing their ground forces and allowing him and his allies to take the fight to them, but the Predators quickly overpower even Schaefer. However, they burst into laughter when they see the incoming choppers amidst a dark, rainy sky. Schaefer finally pulls his neck implant out as the Predators leave, theorising that the weather has turned too cold, and the situation has escalated so far that there’s no sport to be found in New York anymore. Schaefer vows to see them again the next time it grows unseasonably hot and ignores General Philips’ scolding to get Rasche to safety, showing little consideration for the state of the city.
The Summary: While the artwork of “Concrete Jungle” is pretty good, with Schaefer appearing as a good facsimile of Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City mimicking the aesthetic of Predator 2, the writing and narrative leaves a lot to be desired. Although Dutch dropped a couple of situational one-liners, he wasn’t some cliché, snark-spouting machine; his older brother, however, has almost John McClane (Bruce Willis) levels of sarcasm and is never short of a wry remark no matter how desperate the situation is. This is fine for a one-dimensional action hero and helps to differentiate the elder Schaefer from his brother, but it doesn’t always land for me; it doesn’t help that he’s motivated not out of a desire to serve and protect but more to test his own limits. A proud man with little regard for authority, he sees New York as an unsalvageable cesspool and he simply rises to the challenge when the Predators arrive, sensing their presence even before he’s forcibly implanted with their relatively unexplained and ultimately pointless neck device. In many ways, Schaefer is a mixture of Dutch’s musclebound bravado and Harrigan’s weathered, roguish character; he bursts into crime scenes, shows up where he’s not wanted, and openly defies both his superior and the American military, just like Harrigan, while throwing his muscles around and being a driven man’s-man just like his younger brother. Unfortunately, these elements come together in a way that doesn’t really gel for me; “Concrete Jungle” has a really interesting premise that it just squanders in favour of recreating or referencing events from the first two Predator films.
The story contains a few too many callbacks to the films and completely upends General Philips’ character.
I really like the idea of the hunters arriving on Earth en masse; the visual of characters wearing their helmets, being horrified at the sight of the fleet, and the Predator ships opening fire upon New York City and swarming the streets is a striking one and a natural escalation from the existing movies that only comics can provide since they’re unconstrained by budgets. But all the potential of these plot points isn’t realised until the final few pages of the last issue and, instead, the bulk of the story is spent on a rehash of the main plot elements of Predator 2. Like Los Angeles, New York is a grimy city in the middle of a gang war about drugs that involves a lot of violence, and, like Harrigan, Schaefer has no time for the red tape surrounding this and wants to bring both gangs down. The Predator not only slaughters both gangs much like in the opening moments of Predator 2 but even randomly attacks subway passengers, just like in that film; McComb’s anger at Schaefer is a combination of Special Agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) and Deputy Chief Phil Heinemann (Robert Davi), and the general visual and narrative thrust of the first two issues is geared very much towards recreating sequences of Predator 2, robbing “Concrete Jungle” of much of its identity. The story then finds a contrived reason to ship Schaefer over to South America for literally no other reason than to reference events from the first film; it turns out that he’s right and General Philips is there, but this could’ve just as easily taken place somewhere else, and Dutch’s actions could’ve been represented by pictures and dialogue rather than literally having Schaefer stand in that crater. I enjoyed the return of General Philips, a character I would’ve loved to see make a return in a hypothetical Predator 3 back in the nineties, and it was interesting learning that he was aware of the Predator before sending Dutch in, effectively turning him into a Keyes substitute.
Some good art and action doesn’t make up for a squandered plotand diminished Predator threat.
I can’t say I actually enjoy this twist, though; the brief interaction between Dutch and Philips spoke to me as two old friends who have an immense amount of respect for each other, and nothing in Predator suggested that he (or anyone apart from Anna Gonsalves (Elpidia Carrillo)) was aware of the Predators. In fact, the prevailing understanding is that the world (or, at least, the government and military) only became aware of the Predators after that first film and I found it a bit disappointing and frustrating to find out that Philips was happy to sacrifice his best soldier and close friend to the alien hunters. Of the two protagonists, Rasche gets quite a bit of development; we see his home, learn and see a little from his family, and he’s much more concerned with the implications of their actions compared to Schaefer; it’s also through him that we learn anything about Schaefer for some time, as surface-level as it is, so I was glad that he didn’t die, especially as it seemed like he was going to. Then there’s the Predators; modelled after the ones seen in the first two movies with little deviations, they sport very little new weaponry or technology, and their threat has been significantly downplayed. Naturally, in a one-on-one fight, not even Schaefer can stand against one of them, but he is able to wound them, knock one of their helmets off, sense their presence even before he gets his neck implant, and is able to kill one much easier than either of the films’ two protagonists. Schaefer can dodge their plasma cannons pretty easily, regularly fights them off with melee weapons, and never has to worry about their wrist blades, combisticks, or other weapons as these either don’t get much play or are only used against disposable background characters. The ending was also extremely anti-climactic; with all of New York under siege and the human characters vastly overpowered, the battle/invasion/whatever just…ends because of a bit of rain and the suggestion that the Predators just wanted to goad humans into destroying each other. It’s a bit vague and very unfulfilling for an ending, with the only consolation being that it didn’t end the same way as the films (with a one-on-one fight against a Predator) but, in this case, maybe it should’ve as it seems like the Predators were just messing about and never intended to wipe out the city (and/or humanity) despite clearly being able to with their superior force (…as long as you ignore how easily Carr took down one of their ships…)
My Rating:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Have you ever read the original, four-issue Predator story? If so, what did you think to it? Do you own a copy of the original comics or did you pick up the collected edition? Were you also disappointed by repetition of events from the first two movies? What did you think to John Schaefer, especially compared to his little brother, and the revelation that General Philips knew about the Predators? Were you disappointed that the story didn’t do more with the Predator invasion plot or did you enjoy the callbacks to the first two films? Which of Dark Horse’s Predator stories or adaptations was your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Predator, and comic book adaptations of this kind, drop a comment down below or share your thoughts on my social media.
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