Raven's Haven: Espionage

Showing posts with label Espionage. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 December 2016

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)

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Master of Kung Fu in Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 1-8, Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Black (1990) # 1, Moon Knight Special (1992) # 1, Moon Knight (1998) # 1-4, Moon Knight: High Strangers (1999) # 1-4, Master of Kung Fu (2002) # 1-6

(I originally read these comics in mid/late June 2016)

I was eager to read some 'Master of Kung Fu', my first Omnibus having not long arrived, but won't jump into the series until I have it complete in front of me. So, I decided to read the few Shang-Chi stories Doug Moench has written since the conclusion of his initial run. I also decided to throw in the couple of stories he's latterly done with Moon Knight, the character he co-created.

The first Shang-Chi story sees the son of Fu Manchu enjoying retirement but being pressed into action again by MI6 to save his former lover, Leiko Wu, she having been kidnapped by a hook-handed arms dealer, and being poisoned in the process. For the uninitiated, Bruce Lee meets Bond is an apt description of the tone. This 64-page tale is spread across the first eight issues of 'Marvel Comics Presents', an anthology comic. I just read the Shang-Chi story.

The 'Bleeding Black' one-shot collects a story originally intended for serialisation in MCP. Still suffering from being poisoned, Shang sets out on a quest to defeat a usurper to his father's throne and to save his own skin by securing possession of Fu Manchu's elixir of eternal life.

The Moon Knight Special, from 1992 and co-starring Shang, is slight and jokey and not worth dwelling on. The Moon Knight limited series from 1998 is good though, and pits MK against all his most prominent foes in a plot orchestrated by Morpheus to cause a meeting of U.N. diplomats to spark World War 3. It must have been a sales success, because Moench followed it up with a second limited series in 1999, subtitled 'High Strangeness' (though mis-labelled 'High Strangers' on the covers). This one plops MK into a CIA conspiracy against an Aleister Crowley-alike who made a pact with aliens in return for possession of advanced mind control technology. Tommy Lee Edwards and Mark Texeira are the artists, respectively, and Edwards' blocky artwork with deep blacks is especially suited.

The last Shang-Chi story by Moench to date sees the resurrection of Fu Manchu (though never referred to as such for trademark reasons) and his plan to harness lightning into a weapon more deadly than 2,000 atom bombs. His errant son is again pressed into action to defeat him. It was published under Marvel's MAX imprint, and so includes swearing, but would have been just as enjoyable without it. Moench's frequent artistic partner Paul Gulacy also takes advantage of the new freedom by drawing a parade of sexy, scantily-clad females.

Master of Kung Fu (2002) # 1-6 are collected in:

Softcover:

Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu (US)

Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu (UK)

Friday, 4 November 2016

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Strange Tales (1951) # 135-150, Tales of Suspense (1959) # 78

(I originally read these comics in mid/late March 2016)

Spent the last week reading Lee and Kirby's 'Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.' strips from the pages of Strange Tales. The creator billing is not entirely accurate as Kirby only provides layouts for most instalments, with artists including John Severin and Don Heck penciling. John Buscema returns to Marvel with ST # 150, for his first job since the '50s.

The 12-page strips are densely written and provide almost as much reading as a standard '60s Marvel comic, so I've been reading them at a rate of 2-3 per day. They're fun if second rate stuff, though they get progressively better. Nick is a great character, a blue collar James Bond, and Stan clearly enjoys writing his funny, sarcastic and rough-edged dialogue. His personality is contrasted well against that of new boy and eager beaver Jasper Sitwell in later stories.

Many long-standing Marvel concepts are introduced here: HYDRA, AIM, Life Model Decoys, etc, and # 145 is an early crossover with Tales of Suspense # 78.

Jim Steranko takes over for his legendary run with issue # 151. I'll come back to those soon enough, especially since they continue a plot already set in motion.