(I originally read these comics in early July 2016)
I picked up the two-part 'Superman: Silver Banshee' series by Dan Brereton thinking it must be a sequel to the 'Legends of the World's Finest' by Simonson and Brereton, which I read recently and which starred both characters. If it is, it's a very loose one. Superman and Lois Lane get involved when the only person capable of setting Silver Banshee free of her ages-old curse is marked for death by the sorceress Hecate. Unfortunately Brereton only writes here and Joyce Chin, Art Adams' wife, draws the thing - and let's just say she's the less talented of that pairing.
The JLA book is Lovecraftian weirdness about the imminent awakening of an ancient chaos god from the bowels of the earth, the return of which will herald the end of the world unless the JLA defeat seven lesser gods, yadda yadda... At least it's drawn and painted by Brereton. However these two projects prove that as a writer, he's sorely lacking.
Howard Chaykin, on the other hand, is perhaps equally skilled in both aspects, so the Elseworlds 'Thrillkiller' books are much better. Set from 1961-'62, the series features Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, united with Robin as a couple fighting corruption in a Gotham City of neon and smoky jazz clubs, with Bruce Wayne as one of the few remaining honest cops. In the one-shot sequel, he has graduated to the role of Batman after Robin's death to defeat a certain green-haired female's heroin trade. A pulpy treat. This is the series that made me a fan of Brereton.
Finally, I skipped back in time a few years to read Brereton's first DC work, 'The Psycho', written by James Hudnall. It's set in an alternate history universe where WW2 ended prematurely when a 'Psycho' - a super-powered agent - killed Hitler. Now, in 1991, a CIA spook is double-crossed by the agency, goes on the run and must risk his life ingesting a drug to become a Psycho himself, while attempting to outlive his would-be assassins. While it's showing its age now, the series is a forgotten gem and remains suspenseful and enjoyable.
Thrillkiller (1997) # 1-3 and Thrillkiller '62 (1998) are collected in:
Softcover:
The Psycho (1991) # 1-3 are collected in:
Softcover:
