Looking back at 2022

Here are the comic books that I read in 2022. Some links provided although they might link to more than just the stories listed below. Use the search box on the righthand side of the screen to search this blog.

• Amazing Spider-Man Annual 15
• Americomics 3: Blue Beetle
• Captain America (1968) 297-301
• Criminal (2006) 1-5
• DC Comics Presents 85
• Green Lantern (1960) 81-86
• Kane 1-4
• Luger 1-3
• Old Guard (2017) 2-5
• Phoenix (1984) 1
• Rocketeer
• Sgt Rock Special 1
• Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 1-4
• Superman 400
• Tales of the Teen Titans 56-59
• Teenage Temptation 1
• Way of the Rat 1
• Wonder Woman 300

Secret Origins

• 1: The Golden Age Superman
• 2: Blue Beetle
• 3: Captain Marvel
• 4: Firestorm

Johnny Hazard (10)

Vol. 2: 1945-1947

by Frank Robbins

Chapter 10: Danger À La Carte

Mar 31 - Aug 16, 1947

08/05/22

Mar 31-Apr 1, 1947 - Johnny ponders his situation. Blitz tries to cheer him up.

Most of the intrigue here is in the final panel of the second strip where an unknown and unseen man studies Johnny’s picture in the newspaper.

08/06/22

Apr 2-3, 1947 - a number of people around town take notice of Johnny in the story about him in the newspaper.

I’m not sure where this is all leading.

08/07/22

Apr 4-5, 1947 - Blitz leaves the hotel on foot. He is headed to the hospital to see Robin. A car starts to follow him down the street.

Secret Origins (1986) 4

Secret Origins (1986) 4

Jul 1986

The Secret Origin of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man

by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, Pablo Marcos, John Costanza, Carrie Spiegle, Nansi Hoolihan, Janice Race

This is mostly the story of Martin Stein, one half of Firestorm. Ronnie Raymond, the other half, doesn’t enter the picture until the last few pages of the story. I haven’t read the first run of Firestorm so I’m not sure if this story was lifted directly from an issue of Firestorm or if it is an extended version of a story that has been told before.

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 4

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 4

Sep 2021

Chapter 4

by Kyle Starks, Chris Schweizer, Liz Trice Schweizer, Jon Moisan

Paul, Miles, and Allison sneak on to the lot where Brannigan, the other sidekick, is filming his TV show. Alison fights with stuntmen while Paul and Miles go looking for evidence that Brannigan killed Trigger Keaton. They sneak into his trailer but he finds them and figures out what they were trying to do.

Terry is approached by the head of the stuntmen. He wants Terry to change sides and join their side in the conflict with the other sidekicks.

Secret Origins (1986) 3

Secret Origins (1986) 3

Jun 1986

Secret Origins starring Captain Marvel

by Roy Thomas, Jerry Bingham, Steve Mitchell, David C. Weiss, Carl Gafford

This story is a retelling of the story by Bill Parker & C. C. Beck published in Whiz Comics 2 (Feb 1940). A note on the first page says it is adapted from a story in Whiz Comics 1 but there wasn’t such an issue. The original title of the series was intended to be Flash Comics but that was scrapped when they could not secure the trademark for Flash Comics. Similarly, Captain Marvel was originally going to be called Captain Thunder but that was changed when they could not obtain that trademark.

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 3

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 3

Aug 2021

Chapter 3

by Kyle Starks, Chris Schweizer, Liz Trice Schweizer, Jon Moisan

Paul, Tad, and Miles are all on board with the idea of getting Allison to join them. Terry doubts her fighting skills and insists on jumping into the ring with her. She cleans his clock and then sits down with the other four sidekicks for a drink. She agrees to join in them to find the killer of Trigger Keaton.

Four of them leave the bar. Terry stays behind. He has passed out. Paul, Miles, Allison, and Tad are confronted by an angry mob of bikers outside the bar. Tad runs off scared. Paul and Miles try to talk their way out of the fight. Allison is drunk but still manages to beat up the gang. They go back into the bar bar to call a cab and see Brannigan, the sixth sidekick, on the TV news. Standing next to him are the three guys who they met earlier that night and who urged them to stop investigating the murder of Trigger Keaton.

Sgt Rock Special 1

Sgt Rock Special 1

1988

The Prince and the Sergeant

by Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert, Tatjana Wood

28 pages

Sgt Rock and Easy Company are on a suicide mission when Sgt Rock gets separated from the rest of the unit. He winds up in a cave where he finds and meets the Viking Prince. Rock and the Prince team up after the Prince tells him his story. They first the rest of Easy Company. Sgt Rock, Easy Company, and the Viking Prince find their target and complete the mission.

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 2

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 2

Jul 2021

Chapter 2

by Kyle Starks, Chris Schweizer, Liz Trice Schweizer, Jon Moisan

Paul, Terry, Tad and Miles attend the reading of Trigger Kenton’s will. Tad is the only one who gets anything of value out of it, the car. The stuntmen that Terry Komodo antagonized at the end of the previous issue show up. They chase the four sidekicks who hop in the car Tad just received. Tad drives and turns out to be a really good stunt driver.

The four sidekicks evade the stuntmen but then they are confronted by three other men who tell them to stop investigating the death of Trigger Keaton. The issue ends with them heading to a bar where they find Allison, one of the other sidekicks, fighting men who are much bigger than she.

DC Comics Presents 85

DC Comics Presents 85

Sep 1985

The Jungle Line

Alan Moore, Rick Veitch, Al Williamson, John Costanza, Tatjana Wood, Julius Schwartz

Superman gets infected by the Blood Morel. He loses his powers and starts hallucinating. He thinks he is going to die. He rents a car, heads south, and crosses paths with Swamp Thing. Superman is too far gone to act rationally. He has forgot what he knew about the Blood Morel, which originated on Krypton. Swamp Thing recognizes what Superman needs and helps him to recover.

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 1

Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton 1

Jun 2021

Chapter 1

by Kyle Starks, Chris Schweizer, Liz Trice Schweizer, Jon Moisan

Trigger Keaton, one of the most disliked actors in Hollywood, turns up dead in his own apartment. The police are convinced that his death was a suicide but Miles Nguyen, Trigger’s most recent sidekick, is convinced that Trigger was murdered.

This chapter does a nice job of setting the scene and introducing the sidekicks. Two of them get most of the focus. Two of them only get very brief moments. I assume that the ones who didn’t get very much screen time in this chapter will be featured more prominently in upcoming installments.

Baltimore Comic Con 2022 - Day 3

Baltimore Comic Con 2022

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD

Oct 30 / Day 3

11:00 AM

I drove to Baltimore today. I parked in a garage that was close to the Baltimore Farmers Market. I went to the farmers market and where I bought a couple pastries and few groceries (apples, tomatoes). There were plenty of breakfast options at the farmers market but I wanted to save my appetite for later in the day. The pastries tasted good although they were a little overpriced. They were enough to satisfy my appetite at the time.

I went to the convention center after dropping off my groceries in my car and eating the pastries. I got to the convention center around 10:20 AM. I walked around browsing more dealers tables. There were considerably fewer people on the convention floor which made it easier to get to some of the tables. I bought 3 more comic books. They cost me $1 each and they were all issues of the Legion of Super-Heroes from 1983-84 that I was missing to fill the gap between the Great Darkness Saga and when the title became Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Baltimore Comic Con 2022 - Day 2

Baltimore Comic Con 2022

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD

Oct 29 / Day 2

8:55 AM

I didn't leave my apartment an hour earlier than yesterday, as I intended to, but I still made it to Union Station in time to catch the MARC train that I boarded a few minutes ago. I walked to the Metro, once again, I got there just in time to catch the train. I would have had to wait about 10 minutes for the next train if I had missed that train. If I had missed the MARC train I just boarded I would have had to wait 90 minutes for the next train and I would have missed the first panel that I wanted to see.

I was late heading out the door because I wanted to have steel cut oats for breakfast and I waited longer than should have before I started to cook them. It took about 50 minutes for them to cook and I didn't put them in the rice cooker until 6:40. I finally started to eat my breakfast about the same time I intended to be leaving. I didn't leave until 7:50, lucky for me I gave myself a lot more time than needed to get to Union Station.

The Rocketeer

The Rocketeer

by Dave Stevens

This was my first time reading this story. I didn’t realize until now that the creator of the Rocketeer only did this one story. I saw the movie in the theater when it first came out.

This story is beautiful to look at but there are some twists in the plot, especially towards the end, that I had trouble understanding. I also take issue with the placement of word balloons in a number of panels, throughout the story.

This is a fun read, I’m glad I now have it as part of my collection but it isn’t great. It doesn't make me want to read more Rocketeer stories.

Baltimore Comic Con 2022 - Day 1

Baltimore Comic Con 2022

Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, MD

Oct 28 / Day 1

10:15 AM

I left home at 8:30 AM and walked to the local Metro station. I took the Metro to Union Station. I was there in time for the 9:30 MARC train but I decided to wait for the next one, which didn't leave until 10:15. I played Septle on my phone, looked for a place to plug in my phone, and walked around to see what dining options were available while I waited for the train.

I'm on the train now and having doubts about going to the convention. I have already purchased a 3-day or weekend pass to the show. The programming schedule looks kind of boring to me. There are plenty of spotlight panels but not much else that interests me. I don't want to buy a ton of comic books, mostly because I already have plenty that I have never read.

Luger 3

Luger 3

Feb 1987

by Bruce Jones, Bo Hampton, Tom Yeates, Tracy Hampton, Steve Oliff

Luger finds out that Kinglsey’s daughter isn’t Kingsley’s daughter. Her name is Princess Dejon Ruhal. Luger and the princess are forced to run when the house comes under attack. The attackers are a militia of armed masked men. The masked men kill most of the guards. Luger and the princess jump from a tower into shark infested waters. They evade the sharks only to be captured by Kingsley and his masked men.

X-Men Elsewhen 9

X-Men Elsewhen 9

Feb 2020

Reunion

by John Byrne

The fight with the Sentinels in Anandale-on-Hudson continues and concludes. Cyclops, with a big assist from Sue Richards, reveals that Nightcrawler and other heroes are trapped within the armored bodies of the new Sentinels. The heroes end the fight and free their friends.

Sebastian Shaw gets into an argument with Henry Peter Gyrich. Shaw wants to unleash more mayhem but his reign of power comes to an end when the Sentinel Master Mold discovers that Shaw is also a mutant.

Terry and the Pirates (27.A)

Vol. 4: 1941-1942

By Milton Caniff

Escape from Hong Kong

Jan 25 - Jul 18, 1942

This is the first of twelve stories in what Carl Horak, author of the Terry and the Pirates Companion, considers to be the fourth era of Caniff’s run on the strip. This era began in late Jan 1942 and ran through early Nov 1945 and is called The War Years in the companion book.

The Wikipedia article on Terry and the Pirates breaks the entire series down into 60 arcs. It breaks this arc down into the following arcs:

36 - (1/24/42 - 3/29/42) "Refugees"

37 - (3/30/42 - 6/12/42) "Normandie Meets the Dragon Lady"

38 - (6/13/42 - 8/21/42) "With the Air Corps"

08/16/22

Jan 25, 1942 - Pat walks the streets as he ponders recent events. He breaks from his reverie just in time to save a young girl and her nursemaid.

Way of the Rat (2002) 1

Way of the Rat (2002) 1

Jun 2002

Chapter 1

by Chuck Dixon, Jeff Johnson, Tom Ryder, Chris Garcia, Dave Lanphear

Boon Sai Hong, a thief also known as the Jade Rat, breaks into the home of Wing Yei Sun, a learned man, to steal the Phoenix Heart, a gem. He finds the man dead with no discernable wounds. Boon's search for the Phoenix heart is interrupted by Tei Su, the man's daughter, and Princess Zheng Mai. Boon grabs Wing Tei Sun's ring. It burns like fire when he puts it on. He also takes the scroll the man was studying.

A group of masked men break in to the house in search of the ring. Princess Zheng fights with them. Boon flees. The masked men leave once they realize that Boon took the ring. Princess Zheng does not pursue them because she was wounded during the fight.

Terry and the Pirates (26)

Vol. 4: 1941-1942

By Milton Caniff

Sammy the Tapper

Nov 2, 1941 - Jan 24, 1942

This is the ninth and final story in what Carl Horak, author of the Terry and the Pirates Companion, considers to be the third era of Caniff’s run on the strip. This era begins in late Apr 1939 and ran through late Jan 1942 and is called Between Spear Points in the companion book.

The Wikipedia article on Terry and the Pirates breaks the entire series down into 60 arcs. This is the 35th arc and is called Blackmail. It ran from Oct 21, 1941 to Jan 23, 1942.

07/07/22

Nov 2, 1941 - Terry says goodbye to Dude and boards an airplane headed to Hong Kong. The man sitting next to Terry stumbles as he gets up during the flight. He tumbles into Terry who realizes the man has a sub-machine gun under his coat.

Luger 2

Luger 2

Dec 1986

by Bruce Jones, Bo Hampton, Tom Yeates, Tracy Hampton, Steve Oliff

Luger gets a new hand which looks real but is mechanical. It has a gun built into it. The new hand is installed by a German doctor. Luger takes off in search of Kingsley’s daughter. He runs into Marjorie, his sister, along the way. She creates a distraction while he goes after Teri Kingsley. He finds her but she doesn’t need rescuing. She is happily married to the man that Luger assumes is her captor.

Johnny Hazard (9)

Vol. 2: 1945-1947

by Frank Robbins

Chapter 9: The Stout Man

Jan 20 - Mar 29, 1947

07/01/22

Jan 20-21, 1947 - Brandy types up her story about Major Risk. Johnny gets hired by Timely Malcolm to fly Brandy around.

Once again there is a clean break and the title for this story is clearly stated up front.

07/02/22

Jan 22-23, 1947 - Johnny volunteers to catch a flight to San Tomayo to pick up some parts needed to repair his plane.

No sign of Brandy in these two strips. It looks like she won’t be part of this story, unless I am quite mistaken.

07/03/22

Jan 24-25, 1947 - the airplane is getting ready to leave when one final passenger runs up and boards the plane, Blitz Martin.

X-Men Elsewhen 8

X-Men Elsewhen 8

Jan 2020

In Darkest Suburbia

by John Byrne

The X-Men (Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus) battle the new Sentinels sent by Sebastian Shaw. The fight occurs amongst the ruins of the Grey household. Cyclops notices, a few minutes into the fight, that the new Sentinels seem strangely familiar. They have powers that mirror those of Nightcrawler, Havok, Polaris.

Elsewhere, Jean Grey is attacked by truckers and responds with superpowers she didn’t realized she possessed. Peter Henry Gyrich argues with Sebastian Shaw, in the Manhattan headquarters of the Hellfire Club, about the damage that the Sentinels are causing. Lilandra is in great pain, in the capitol of the Sh’iar Empire, and lashes out. Professor X examines the Sentinel that Ashley Martin defeated and wonders about the abilities that Ashley may possess.

Luger 1

Luger 1

Oct 1986

by Bruce Jones, Bo Hampton, Tom Yeates

Lord Wilford Kingsley needs someone to rescue his daughter. Peterson, his assistant, recommends hiring John Luger, a 42-year-old professional adventurer. Kingsley has his doubts about Luger who makes it easy for Kingsley, by turning down the job.

Marjorie Luger, John’s 28-year-old sister whom he calls Pidge, tries to talk him into taking the job. He gets into arguments with her and with Kingsley but he shows no interest in taking the job. His mind doesn’t change until he discovers that Pidge has taken off in search of Kingsley’s daughter. Pidge is insane (according to John) and has a knack for impersonating people.

X-Men Elsewhen 7

X-Men Elsewhen 7

Dec 2019

Home Is Where the Hurt Is

by John Byrne

Sentinels attack Ashley Martin, a mutant of unknown abilities, and her mother at their home in Indiana.

Professor X talks to Iron Man, Captain America, Beast, and Mr. Fantastic via teleconference while they are examining one of the disabled Sentinels.

Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, and Storm return to Earth after Asteroid M breaks apart. Cyclops talks to Professor X who is still in Indiana with Sprite investigating the attack on the Martin household. He receives a call from Jean Grey’s parents after he gets off the call with Professor X. They tell him about Jean’s disappearance.

Americomics 3

Americomics 3

Aug 1983

Return from Pago Island

by Rik Levins, Bill Black, Tim Bove, Rebekah Black

12 pages

Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) is fighting crime when he runs into a man who looks Just like his predecessor (Dan Garrett). Ted tries talking to him, after the smugglers he was chasing down have been defeated but Dan flies off.

Ted later reflects on the encounter. He thinks about Pago Island and how Dan was killed there. Dan was Ted’s friend in college. He saw him buried in a ton of debris on Pago Island. He doesn’t understand how he could have survived or why he is acting so strange.

Ted follows a hunch and tracks down Dan. He gets close enough to Dan to see that he isn’t who he claims to be. He’s an android built by Jarvis Kord, his uncle. Ted helped his uncle build the androids which explains how he tracked the fake Dan.

The two fight. Fake Dan has the upper hand when Ted’s ship lashes out and zaps Fake Dan. Ted is left wondering how and why his ship saved him.

Secret Origins (1986) 2

Secret Origins (1986) 2

May 1986

Echoes of Future Past

by Len Wein, Gil Kane, John Costanza, Anthony Tollin, Julius Schwartz

The first half of this issue tells the story of how Dan Garrett became the Blue Beetle. He was on an archaeological dig in Egypt when he and one of his colleagues were buried in a pile of rubble. They escaped thanks to the blue beetle scarab which he found in the tomb of Kha-Ef-Re. Dan transformed into the Blue Beetle by saying the magic words, Kaji Dha.

Ted Kord, a student of Dan Garret, years later, asks the professor for help. Ted was working for Jarvis Kord, his uncle, when Jarvis was killed in an explosion. Ted suspects that his uncle is still alive. Ted asks Dan for help. He thinks he knows where his uncle is and he fears he knows what is planning to do.

Terry and the Pirates (25)

Vol. 4: 1941-1942

By Milton Caniff

Relief Station

Jul 6 - Nov 1, 1941

This is the eighth story (of nine) in what Carl Horak, author of the Terry and the Pirates Companion, considers to be the third era of Caniff’s run on the strip. This era begins in late Apr 1939 and ran through late Jan 1942 and is called Between Spear Points in the companion book.

The Wikipedia article on Terry and the Pirates breaks the entire series down into 60 arcs. This is the 34th arc and is called Raven Nevermore. It ran from Jun 23 to Oct 20, 1941.

05/11/22

Jul 6, 1941 - Terry and Burma see a plane that doesn’t look like it belongs to the Invaders. They write a message on the ground which encourages the pilot to have a closer look. It turns out that Dude Hennick is the pilot.

Burma calls Terry "Baby" in this strip. The top of her shirt is undone, revealing some cleavage. Not much for today but I would say this was probably suggestive for 1941.

There is one double wide panel which shows the plane headed for the village. I love the angle on that one.

Kane (1993) 4 (2/2)

Kane (1993) 4

Jun 1994

Burning Ambitions

by Paul Grist

Arthur Greave tries to talk his brother Byrne out of burning down a building. He is partially successful but the building still goes up in flames when Constable Kelvin Flats slaps a lit match out of Win Cobank’s hand while she is trying to light a cigarette.

Burglar Bill, the main character, rescues Arthur and Byrne but then runs off with Byrne's bag full of cash they had.

Johnny Hazard (8)

Vol. 2: 1945-1947

by Frank Robbins

Chapter 8: Major Risk

Nov 4, 1946 - Jan 18, 1947

05/20/22

Nov 4-5, 1946 - Johnny and Brandy arrive in Querrero. They find the news bureau and learn about the story that Brandy needs to cover. Government troops have surrounded a group of local bandits led by an American named Major Risk.

It isn’t explicitly clear to me that Major Risk is American but the way Johnny refers to him makes me think that he is.

05/21/22

Nov 6-7, 1946 - Brandy talks Johnny into flying her into the danger zone. They are met by the general in charge of the government’s offensive when then get there.

05/22/22

Nov 8-9, 1946 - Brandy and Johnny run into Blitz Martin, another journalist. He’s content to stay put and watch from a distance. Brandy is eager to interview Major Risk before the government troops kill him.

Martin all but dares Brandy to put her life on the line by crossing the battlefield. Martin calls her By-line Brandy, the babe who’s on the spot with all she’s got. There is a subtle implication that she and Blitz might have been an item once. She refers to him as Loose Lip Martin.

HeroesCon 2022

Charlotte Convention Center

Charlotte, NC

Jun 24-26, 2022

FRIDAY

06/24/22 0615

Why am I driving all the way to Charlotte today? I should have driven halfway there yesterday. Granted, I was a little too busy yesterday to do that but next year, next time I should do that.

Green Lantern (1960) 86

Green Lantern (1960) 86

Nov 1971

They Say It'll Kill Me... But They Won't Say When!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza

Green Arrow yells at Roy, hits him, and then kicks him out of his apartment. Green Arrow departs soon afterwards and heads back to the airfield where he and Green Lantern looked for the source of the drugs in the previous issue.

Roy’s friends see Green Arrow leave and break into the apartment. They find some drugs that Roy left behind. One of them shoots up with the drugs and immediately collapses. The other one gets scared and runs off leaving his friend’s dead body in Ollie’s apartment.

Green Lantern goes looking for Green Arrow. He stops by the apartment and finds the body. He leaves it behind and goes looking for Green Arrow and Speedy.

Green Arrow looks around the airfield. The night watchman tries to stop him but Green Arrow, despite having a broken arm, beats him up and interrogates him. Arrow learns that the man he is looking for can probably be found aboard a boat at the South Shore Marina.

Green Lantern finds Roy and takes him to Dinah’s place. He leaves Roy with Dinah and takes off in search of Green Arrow.

Kane (1993) 4 (1/2)

Kane (1993) 4

Jun 1994

Eating Out

by Paul Grist

Kane, Detective Lovett, and another cop sit in a police van while Kate Felix poses as a waiter at Garden Restaurant. There are cameras and microphones set up to catch what is going on in the restaurant. Felix is wearing an ear piece so they can communicate with her.

The New Eden Police Department is keeping an eye out for Oscar Darke, mob leader of New Eden. Darke shows up and meets with James Obe, aka Jimmy Fixit. Lovett wants to end the surveillance operation early. Kane is in charge and says no. A gun man shows up to rob the customers. He calls himself the Plunderer. He he star-struck when he sees that Oscar Darke is eating at the restaurant.

Green Lantern (1960) 85

Green Lantern (1960) 85

Sep 1971

Snowbirds Don’t Fly

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, John Costanza

Oliver Queen gets attacked teenagers who want his money to buy drugs. He tries fighting back but the fight ends after one of the teens shoots him in the shoulder with an arrow from a crossbow. He barely makes it to an emergency room. He calls Hal for help after the doctor patches him up.

Hal and Ollie find the teens, who are no match for Green Lantern’s power ring. Roy Harper (aka Speedy, Green Arrow’s sidekick) is with them but the two superheroes don’t make anything of it. They convince the other teens to lead them to the source of the drugs. Things don’t turn out exactly as planned. Green Lantern and Green Arrow get knocked out and drugged up.

Roy comes to the rescue and helps Hal and Ollie get back home. It is there that Ollie discovers that Roy is a junkie.

Kane (1993) 3

Kane (1993) 3

Apr 1994

Playing Safe

by Paul Grist

Kane survives the explosion but his arms are bandaged up now. He continues his search for the bomber. He gets a clue from a guy brought in on indecent exposure charges. Kane writes a note for Felix, explaining where he’s going. He gives it with Detective Lovett, who throws it away and claims that he doesn’t know where Kane has gone, when Felix comes looking for him.

Felix does a little sleuthing and figures out a guy named Fogle, someone whom she and Kane thought was still in prison, has been released early because he is terminally ill. She interrogates the indecent exposure artist in her own special way and finds out where Kane is headed. She catches up to Kane before it is too late. They bring in Fogle but before he can get booked he gets killed by an angry trucker named Dunster.

There are a couple more subplots running through this story plus a series of flashbacks. All of these elements intertwine. One subplot involves a homeless woman and the other is about a safe company (Sesame Safe Co.).

Green Lantern (1960) 84

Green Lantern (1960) 84

Jul 1971

Peril in Plastic

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, John Costanza

Green Lantern rushes in to help Carol Ferris and finds himself in a little over his head. She went to see a doctor in Piper’s Dell, a town that is threatened by an earthquake. The town is run by Wilbur Palm, a man who has drugged most of the people in town and does the same to Green Lantern. Hal quickly realizes that he is in trouble and sends his ring to find Green Arrow.

Green Arrow finds the ring. He goes to Piper’s Dell, returns the ring to his friend, and watches Green Lantern clean the town up.

Kane (1993) 2

Kane (1993) 2

Apr 1993

Another Blast from the Past

by Paul Grist

A man calls WANE radio station during a live call-in section and says he has planted bombs all over the city. He threatens to blow them up if Dyson, the mayor of New Eden, doesn’t pay him $100,000. Kane and most of the NE police force are put on the case. The bomber calls the radio several times during the issue. He detonates a bomb in an empty warehouse.

A man in a bunny suit is arrested and locked up for attacking a woman who jokingly referred to him as Bugs.

Mayor Dyson visits the police station. He talks to Captain Dexter. He leaves with the bunny suit suit wearing man, against his will. They are handcuffed together at the time. The police come after them but the mayor isn’t with him when they find the man in the bunny suit.

Kate Felix clears the air with a few people: Captain Dexter, Lovett (whom she punched in the previous issue), and Kane. She hits the bunny suit man over the head with a baton when he gets out of hand in the police station.

Kane does some investigating. His first suspect turns out to still be in prison. Kane ignores Kate Felix for the most part. He has flashbacks to the day he killed Dennis Harvey, his partner. His investigation leads him to an empty building. A second bomb detonates while he is in that building.

Secret Origins (1986) 1

Secret Origins (1986) 1

Apr 1986

The Secret Origin of the Golden-Age Superman

by Roy Thomas, Wayne Boring, Jerry Ordway, Gene D’Angelo, David C. Weiss

Jor-L and Lara sent their son Kal-L, while he is still a baby, in a rocket ship to Earth. He arrives safely and is adopted by John and Mary Kent, who saw his spaceship land. They name him Clark and teach him to use his powers responsibly.

Clark moves from Smallville after he has grown up and his adoptive have died. He gets a job with the Daily Star. There he works for George Taylor, the newspaper’s editor, and alongside reporter Lois Lane. It is also there that he launches his crime fighting career.

Kane (1993) 1

Kane (1993) 1

Apr 1993

Living in Eden

by Paul Grist

Kane returns to duty after a six month suspension. He shot and killed his partner, Dennis Harvey. Captain Dexter gives him back his gun and his badge. Kane has been exonerated by the internal affairs investigation. Some members of the NEPD, friends of Dennis Harvey, welcome him back with a warning. Captain Dexter assigns Kate Felix to be Kane's new partner.

Kane deals with a hostage situation at the Garden Church. Henry Armstrong is holding a baby, his half-brother Christopher, hostage. Henry thought he stood to inherit his father’s fortune but now he’s been cut out of that inheritance. He’s angry and frustrated and he’s got a gun.

Kane doesn’t know it but someone else in the NEPD has messed with his gun. Kate Felix finds out and runs in to help Kane. The situation gets defused but shots are fired before it is all over. No one gets hurt. Sergeant Nelson, the leader of the NEPD Angel Squad, gets most of the credit for resolving the problem even though he and the rest of the squad did very little.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual 15

Amazing Spider-Man Annual 15

1981

Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?

by Denny O’Neil, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Bob Sharen, Jim Novak

J. Jonah Jameson thinks he has the cover story set for the Sep 12, 1981 edition of the Daily Bugle when circumstances conspire to make him change it more than once. Spider-Man fights the Punisher and Doctor Octopus, who are not working together. Punisher kills a phony mystic. Doctor Octopus tries to kill 5 million people. Spider-Man is unable to prevent the Punisher from committing murder but he prevents the success of the tentacled supervillain’s plan and personally rescues J. Jonah Jameson.

Johnny Hazard (7)

Vol. 2: 1945-1947

by Frank Robbins

Chapter 7: The Flying Freight Mystery

Jun 17 - Nov 2, 1946

03/13/22

Jun 17-18, 1946 - Johnny and Brandy are getting ready to fly from French Guiana to San Francisco when they discover that there might be a problem. The plane that was supposed to take them is being loaded full of cargo.

The title for this story is in the caption box of the first panel. This story begins the morning after the previous one ended. Brandy has yet to give up on winning Johnny over.

Teen-Age Temptations 1 (4/4)

Teen-Age Temptations 1

Oct 1952

Reform School Girl

by Ric Estrada (art)

Eve Clayton likes to have fun. She is dating Randy Leech and running with a wild crowd, as she puts it. She drives the getaway car when Randy robs a store. They get caught. Eve gets sentenced to two months in reform school.

Eve moves away when she gets out of reform school. She changes her last name to Brown and gets a job working for a fishing company. She meets a guy named Jerry Bell who works for the company. Everything is going swell until Randy Leech shows up.

Teen-Age Temptations 1 (3/4)

Teen-Age Temptations 1

Oct 1952

Out for No Good

by ??

Linda is tired of Jimmy, the guy she’s seeing, when some other guy tries to pick her up. The experience gives her a thrill. The next night she decides to try something different. She goes out by herself and when some guy, Will, tries to pick her up she lets him. The night after that she goes out with another guy, Tom, whom she meets in a park where young people are making out.

Linda goes out with Tom more than once. He is getting ready to leave town. She doesn’t want their relationship to end. Tom invites Linda to come with him. She agrees but once they get close to his hometown she finds out that he is already married.

Teen-Age Temptations 1 (2/4)

Teen-Age Temptations 1

Oct 1952

Soiled Reputation

by Ric Estrada (art)

Karen is accused of going to a petting party. She tells the judge she wasn’t there and he accepts her side of the story. She tells her friend Jean that she was at the party and has been to three petting parties. Word gets around at school and soon Karen is getting the sort of attention she hoped for from Gary, who is on the basketball team and previously didn’t pay attention to her.

Karen goes out with Gary. She enjoys herself until a car that seems to be following them crashes. Karen comes to the realization that she needs to come clean. She tells Jean and others the truth and feels much better about herself.

Oldboy 1.09

Oldboy Vol. 1

1997

Chapter 9: Bottom of the Bowl

by Garon Tsuchiya, Nobuaki Minegishi, Kumar Sivasubramanian, Kathryn Renta

Yamashita works at the construction site. He stays in a place owned by the foreman. He runs into Eri on the street. It has been a couple weeks since he last saw her. She is glad to see him. He explains, to her, the next step in his plan to get revenge on the man who got him locked up.

Yamashita was fed food from a a Chinese restaurant. He knows the name of the restaurant (Blue Dragon) but not where it is. There are eight restaurants in the city with that name.

Teen-Age Temptations 1 (1/4)

Teen-Age Temptations 1

Oct 1952

Tourist Cabin Escapade

by Dana Dutch, MattBaker

June pursues Jim Harris, a man she met through work. He says he needs her to do some typing for him and so he invites her out for dinner. She’s game and they have a wonderful evening together but then her father forbids her from seeing Jim again.

June gets heartsick when she sees Jim out with someone else. She can’t stand to see him with someone else. She lies to her father and sees Jim again. It isn’t until she is alone with Jim in a tourist cabin that she realizes he has no interest in her typing abilities.

Captain America (1968) 301

Captain America (1968) 301

Jan 1985

All Good Things…

by Mike Carlin, Paul Neary, Dennis Janke, Diana Albers, Bob Sharen, Mark Gruenwald

Captain America hands over the body of the Red Skull to Mother Superior, the Red Skull’s daughter. She departs with the body and the Sisters of Sin. The Avengers show up in the Quinjet. They help Captain America and his friends gather their things and head back to Avengers Mansion.

The Avengers do what they can to help Cap. Starfox and Hercules return to Skullhouse and get the Red Skull’s machines. Vision and Hank Pym get to work on analyzing the machines. Captain America retells his origin story to give his teammates some idea of how he became the superhero that he is.

Vision coms up with a plan and uses the Red Skull’s machinery to try and reverse the aging process inflicted on his teammate. Cap is strapped down in the machine. The machine is in the process of doing it's work when Mother Superior and the Sisters of Sin show up. They have destroyed the body of the Red Skull in a bonfire. Mother Superior has come for Captain America.

The other heroes watch helplessly from the next room. Vision forbids them from entering because any interference on their part might endanger the reverse aging process. Cap is at less than full strength but he keeps Mother Superior and the Sisters of Sin at bay until the process is complete. He has been restored to full strength and the villains have also been reverse aged to he point where they are girls once again.

Oldboy 1.08

Oldboy Vol. 1

1997

Chapter 8: A.K.A. Yamashita

by Garon Tsuchiya, Nobuaki Minegishi, Kumar Sivasubramanian, Kathryn Renta

The main character gets a job working on a construction site. He tells the people on the site that his name is Yamashita. He thinks about what he can do with the tracking device now that it has been removed from his back. He speculates about how it got there.

Thoughts

Yamashita may not be his name but at least I have a name to use for him now.

Slowly, slowly the story continues to crawl forward. Ugh. I really wish these chapters were longer considering the pace of it all.

Terry and the Pirates (24)

Vol. 4: 1941-1942

By Milton Caniff

Lessons in Democracy

Apr 28 - Jul 5, 1941

This is the seventh story (of nine) in what Carl Horak, author of the Terry and the Pirates Companion, considers to be the third era of Caniff’s run on the strip. This era begins in late Apr 1939 and ran through late Jan 1942 and is called Between Spear Points in the companion book.

The Wikipedia article on Terry and the Pirates breaks the entire series down into 60 arcs. This is the 33rd arc and is called The Taste of Freedom. It ran from Apr 28 to Jun 22, 1941.

04/10/22

Apr 28-30, 1941 - Terry follows the instructions given to him by Agent R-61. His allies take Terry in but they are suspicious of his motives. The German secret police go looking for Madame Lustre.

Captain America (1968) 300

Captain America (1968) 300

Dec 1984

Cap vs. the Red Skull… to the Death! or Das Ende!

by J. M. DeMatteis, Michael Ellis, Paul Neary, Dennis Janke, Diana Albers, Bob Sharen, Mark Gruenwald

Captain America and the Red Skull fight. The Red Skull is convinced that this is their destiny, to die fighting one another. Captain America is enraged at the death of his friends but he refuses to kill the Red Skull when given the chance. He instead holds back and the poison kills the Red Skull.

Cap carries the Red Skull from the bunker only to discover that Skull House was not destroyed as he thought it was.

Nomad, Falcon, Bernie, and Arnie escape from the building where they were being held.

Dave Cox awakens from the coma. He thanks Captain America for giving him the strength to wake up but it was Black Crow who actually came to his help. Jesse Black Crow also helps Cap to recover from the Red Skull’s poison. Cap sees Black Crow in his mind but not with his eyes, just like Dave Cox.

Oldboy 1.07

Oldboy Vol. 1

1997

Chapter 7: Unfamiliar Scar

by Garon Tsuchiya, Nobuaki Minegishi, Kumar Sivasubramanian, Kathryn Renta

Eri notices a scar on the main character’s back. She uses a mirror to show him. He has her cut it open. There is a tracking device inside his back.

Thoughts

The main character still has yet to reveal his name. Eri calls him Mister. He does reveal that he had a girlfriend before he was locked up.

The story continues to crawl forward slowly. Where is this all going? I’m leaning more towards not continuing to read after I am done with this volume.

Captain America (1968) 299

Captain America (1968) 299

Nov 1984

Cap’s Last Stand! or The Bunker

by J. M. DeMatteis, Paul Neary, Roy Richardson, Diana Albers, Bob Sharen, Mark Gruenwald

Captain America searches Skull House until he finds the Red Skull in his bunker. The Skull reveals that he injected Captain America with poison and that he only has 3 to 4 hours to live.

Falcon, Nomad, Bernie, and Arnie escape from the room in which they have been locked. They make their way through Skull House until they find themselves in a chapel. The Sisters of Sin show up and attack Cap’s friends.

Interludes: There are a few brief glimpses in this issue of things that are happening elsewhere. Dave Cox is still in the hospital, unconscious. Julie, his wife, is by his side praying he will recover. Jesse Black Crow is in his apartment in Queens. He is haunted by visions of Captain America and the Red Skull. He doesn’t know what to make of the visions. The Avengers (Wasp, Starfox, Vision, Scarlet Witch) meet at Avengers Mansion to discuss what they can do to help Cap.