Superman: Silver Banshee (1998) # 1/2, JLA: Seven Caskets (2000), Thrillkiller (1997) # 1-3, Thrillkiller '62 (1998), The Psycho (1991) # 1-3

(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:

Batman: Thrillkiller (US)

Batman: Thrillkiller (UK)

The Psycho (1991) # 1-3 are collected in:

Softcover:

The Psycho (US)

The Psycho (UK)

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) # 425-433, Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) # 249-256, Peter Parker, Spider-Man (1990) # 82-90, Sensational Spider-Man (1996) # 19-26, Spider-Man Unlimited (1993) # 17-19, Marvel Team-Up (1997) # 4-7, Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds (1995), Batman/Spider-Man (1997), Spider-Man/Kingpin: To the Death (1997)

(I originally read these comics in mid May 2016)

Continuing with my post-clone Spidey read...

Any ongoing sub-plots that were distinct to each of the four main Spider-Man titles seem to have fallen by the wayside as the resurrected Norman Osborn muscling in on the Daily Bugle and using it to make Peter's life hell has come to dominate all. As a result of this, we've seen Joe 'Robbie' Robertson uhmm-ing and aah-ing over whether he can continue on as editor, amid pressure from his wife to quit. Spidey previously beat Osborn up - something which Norman engineered to use against him - and Osborn has recently framed Spidey for the murder of some lowlife mob skel. In the 'Spider Hunt' crossover he's now public enemy number one and has a five million dollar bounty on his head, severely impeding his ability to to be a hero. Norman has also employed a new Green Goblin to do his bidding but as yet his identity remains a mystery. Flash Thompson, meanwhile, is recovering from his bout of alcoholism and is employed as Norman's P.A.

  

   

  

  

  

Other plots include Tom DeFalco's inevitable return of Doctor Octopus in Amazing, after the many-limbed one's death during the Clone Saga, and DeMatteis building on the legacy of the villain he memorably killed off as Kraven the Hunter - actually his son Aloysha - makes his presence felt in the pages of Spectacular.

 

 

   

   

  

The two Spider-Man/Batman crossovers - the first published in 1995 - are written by DeMatteis and drawn by Mark Bagley and Graham Nolan, respectively. The second is marginally better than the first, though neither is as good as it should have been. The same can be said of the Spider-Man/Kingpin one-shot, touted as the return of the Stan Lee/John Romita team supreme, thirty years after their heyday. It's enjoyable enough, but Stan's script is somewhat corny (would heroes like Captain America and the Thing so readily assume Spidey had turned killer on the basis of such flimsy evidence?) and Romita's pencils would have benefited from a tighter inker than Dan Green. 

And just so you're not kept awake nights wondering, the "mystery guest star" from Marvel Team-Up # 5 is everybody's favourite cosmic voyeur, the Watcher...

   

   

   

   

   

As an extra, here's the full gatefold cover of Spectacular Spider-Man # 250, by the father/son combo of John Romita and John Romita Jr.

Sensational Spider-Man (1996) # 19-24 are collected in:

Softcover:
Spider-Man by Todd DeZago and Mike Wieringo (US)
Spider-Man by Todd DeZago and Mike Wieringo (UK)

Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds (1995) is collected in:

Softcover:

Crossover Classics: The Marvel/DC Collection Volume Three (US)

Crossover Classics: The Marvel/DC Collection Volume Three (UK)

Batman/Spider-Man (1997) is collected in:

Softcover:

DC/Marvel: Crossover Classics IV (US)

DC/Marvel: Crossover Classics IV (UK)

Peter Parker, Spider-Man (1990) # 88-90, Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) # 254-256, Sensational Spider-Man (1996) # 25/26 and Amazing Spider-Man (1963) # 432/433 are collected in:

Softcover:

The Amazing Spider-Man: SpiderHunt (US)

The Amazing Spider-Man: SpiderHunt (UK)