This is Entry 20: Con Review!

It's a New Year so Let's talk about the Past! :)

Yes, Yes. This is the much talked about entry about the back issues I bought in October. It's mostly DC comics but there are some Marvel Comics in there. You've seen them from the side...



... Now let's see them from the front! And since they comprise most of the stack, let's start with:



But none of these comics bare this logo. Some of the DC comics I'll be talking about don't even call themselves DC Comics (What? More on that later..)

We start our journey to DC's past with a Subscription ad:



Wow! 16 issues for $1.60. Boy, what that must of been like.

I'll be talking about the 4th book you can buy from the top: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. The Issue #70. The first story (which is not the cover story) is a cavalcade of tried & true elements of Jimmy Olsen stories from the era: a jerk load of a Superman, bizarre transformations by Olsen, Olsen screws up, etc. There is one thing that I didn't understand from the story: why did Jimmy just except that there would be a group of men who would form a Jimmy Olsen fan club. Are they really they depressed that they wouldn't just idolize Superman & not one of his friends? Was Perry White to old for them? But, by the time the story is over you find out that they weren't actually fans of Jimmy, just sons of a "Super-Revenge Squad". Not just Regular-Revenge but Super-Revenge.

The second story is your typical "Bad people trick Jimmy to get to Superman" story. This time Jimmy thinks he's been turned into a robot from the neck down!

Now on to the cover story where...



Yes! There are many types of the rock, not just Green. But what does Silver do? Give Superman Lobster claws? Make Superman into a Superwoman? Make him crave Fried Chicken & Waffles? Well, I hate to break it you: it doesn't do anything. Jimmy starts asking around about this type, no one knows about it (maybe because it doesn't exist). He asks one time girlfriend to Superman & Mermaid: Lori Lemaris. She asks "her friends of the ocean depths": they don't about it. Supergirl doesn't know about it. Clark hears about it & starts to suspect something is up. Jimmy collects silver items from his fellow coworkers (He steals a silver dollar off Clark's desk). He gets some silver items from Lori & one from Lana Lang. He uses the lab of perennial guest star from the era, Professor Potter's lab to melt down the items & uses people from the bottled City of Kandor who also happen to look like Superman & his friends. Jimmy pour molten silver over them (but it's ok, they're invulnerable).

So, what does Silver Kryptonite do if it doesn't exist? Well, The story is to mark Superman's silver anniversary (He made his first story appearance 25 years earlier). What did Jimmy do with the Silver? He made busts of Superman's friend & stored them in an over size case made to look like a large, lumpy rock.

I also picked up 2 other issues of the comic. Issue #74 has Mister Mxyzptlk (can you pronounce that?) making Jimmy his puppet.

Issue #93 is:



Now this Earth isn't the one from the Marvel Mini-Series or the Earth from DC's original Multiverse where the Nazis' won but a different one. He's actually called "Steel Man" in the story is much easier to say. How did Jimmy become Steel Man? Well, He was visiting Professor Potter, he had a created a Time Machine. Jimmy checks it out & accidentally touches a button which cause Jimmy to be sent to an alternate Earth. An Earth where Perry White is a Matador. Also on this Earth Jimmy has all the powers of Superman! Jimmy finds more differences, Clark Kent is the head of tours at the World's Fair (also Benedict Arnold was the 2nd President of America). Clark is an fiction writer in his spare time & he created a character called Steel Man, so Jimmy unravels his clothes to make a new suit. One that looks to be an amalgam of Batman & Superman (hence the story's title). More differences, on Earth X Potter is the head of the World Fair (& acts like Perry White). Lucy Lane, Lois's sister, also works at the Fair. The Fair is attacked by the LUTHAR league (LUTHAR standing for League Using Terror, Havoc & Robbery. But then why tack on League on the end if it's in your name?). Jimmy ducks out of sight to change. The LUTHAR try to steal some rare gems but Steel Man stops them. He's thanked by the tux clad Mayor & is given a Parade & a day named after him. Next page we find out the leader of LUTHAR is Earth X's version of the Joker. The LUTHAR attempt to steal art (like the the painting of Actor Mickey Mantle) but Steel Man stops them (They do get away again). Jimmy is meets up with Professor Potter who had a "Dimension Computer" which he used to find Jimmy, he there to take Jimmy but he doesn't want to go back. He's Superman on Earth X! But before much else happens he is off to meet up with Clark but when he arrives the Joker is there. He find out that under the clown mask is Clark, he uses a machine & takes the Steel Man powers for himself. Clark is off to take over the world! Jimmy quickly defeats him by way a mysterious gas he & Lucy made. So, he & Potter goes home only after Jimmy & Lucy share a kiss.

BONUS: A weird ad about the going to the Land Ship... oh, sorry... going to the Library.



Also, does anyone else get some creepy undertones from the sea captain a.k.a. crazy old guy?

The next book is another Superman book, It's Giant Superman Annual #3 which features "an all-star collection of Stories featuring The Strange Lives of Superman!" You get an Old version, a big headed version (which means he's from the future), a masked version (which makes Superman look a lot like Alfred E. Neuman), a Lion Man version, a scared version, an "ugly" wrestler impostor version & a bondage version. Plus, you get the "secrets of Superman's Fortress of Solitude". I didn't know there was more then one.

We mover forward time to the 1980's & a very influential Batman story called The Untold Legend of Batman. Why is this influential? It may just be the first Batman story I ever read. Now I just bought the issues but back when a little kid I read this story in a pocket sized book. It was in black & beige (That's the color of the paper it was printed on). The cover of the third issue is an Bat-image that has been burnt into my mind (Jim Aparo is the artist):



If you find the mini series, pick it up. It's a good read.

BONUS: Here's a cool old ad! It's got my "Stamp of Approval".




The last thing that I bought from DC was the entire second series of it's Tangent Comic five week event. I got most of the 1st series in a half off Comic book bin at a local Book Store. I was only missing two books (which I also picked up with the second series). For those cool people not in the know: The idea behind the series is they take established names & make new characters for them. After reading the entire series, I can say the first attempt was better. The second just seemed to be a little lost. Plus, they tried to change a few things in the second series (Like The Joker, she was fine the way she was!).

Well, that's all I have for DC. Now on to:



Now I don't have as much to say the Marvel books but I did get some cool stuff. A few first appearances:
- Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (1st appearance of Captain Mar-Vel).
- Marvel Team-Up #65 & 66 (1st U.S. appearance of Captain Britain).
- The Avengers King-Size Annual #10 (1st appearance of Rogue). I got this book for well below what I've seen it normally for.

Other books I bought are Avengers #181 (Gyrich decided the Avengers line up), The last issue of Marvel Team-Up (Issue #150), Not Brand Echh #1 (Marvel Satire book from the '60's) & the 200th issue of Incredible Hulk.

Well, that's it for this trip to the past. Next post we will be back in the present. Well, at least books that came out in the present.

Stay Jazzy!

-Brian