Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 28

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 28

Mar 1992

Faces: Part 1

by Matt Wagner, Willie Schubert, Steve Oliff

Two-Face escapes from Arkham Asylum and disappears from sight for two years. Bruce Wayne attends a costume ball, two years to the day after Two-Face escaped, where he engages in plans to buy a private island from Paul d’Urberville with some help from real estate agent Nelson Wren.

Plastic Surgeon Donald Tremaine dies at the party from a slow acting poison that was in the adhesive that attached his mask to his face. Batman suspects that Two-Face is responsible for the death of the plastic surgeon. Batman searches for answers.

Marvel Comics Presents 78

Marvel Comics Presents 78

Late May 1991

Weapon X: Chapter Six

by Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Novak

Doctor Cornelius and his team continue to work on Logan as the Professor watches and asks questions. The Professor wants to be able to control Logan from up to 10 miles away, at all times. Doctor Cornelius and his team are getting there but the Professor is very impatient.

Thoughts

I can just see that something is going to go wrong at some point. I’m not sure when but the Professor’s plans are going to come apart. Logan is going to get free. It is just a matter of time. 

Mars 6

Mars 6

May 1984

Faith

by Mark Wheatley, Marc Hempel, Kathryn Mayer, Mike Gold

20 pages

Morgana talks to Josh, Cal, Ray, and Vanessa about what happened with Milos. They tell her about how Milos didn’t join in the carefree lifestyle that they lived and how it eventually led to his departure. They forced him to get drunk before he felt the urge to leave. Vanessa admits that it was Milos who got her pregnant.

Milos struggled quite a bit both before and after he left the group. He saw things that the others could not see. Faces on the trunks of trees talked to him, questioned him about why he chose to live differently than the others. 

Secret Origins (1986) 17 (2)

Secret Origins 17

Aug 1987

The Secret Origin of Dr. Occult

by Roy Thomas, E. Nelson Bridwell, Howard Simpson, Bob Lewis, Augustin Mas, Carl Gafford, Greg Weisman 

A baby boy and girl are saved by a mystic named Zator, on the final night of the 19th century, from a satanic cult. Zator raises the two children in the Far East. The boy he names Doc and the girl he names Rose. He instructs them in the ways of magic that he has learned.

He sends them back to the United States of America once they have matured. The boy changes his name to Richard Occult. The girl changes her name to Rose Psychic. Doctor Occult, as Richard starts calling himself after he completes his PhD, fights evil magical forces with the help of Rose. 

Marvel Comics Presents 77

Marvel Comics Presents 77

Early May 1991

Weapon X: Chapter Five

by Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Novak

The scientists run a live test on Logan. They place him outside, naked and then release a pack of hungry wolves. The Professor, Doctor Cornelius, and Miss Hines watch (from the safety of their laboratory) as Logan uses his claws to kill all the wolves.

Thoughts

Logan roars at one point but he doesn’t utter a single word during this chapter. Miss Hines is the only one of the three observers who suggests that they stop this test. The Professor and Doctor Cornelius are too engrossed by what they are seeing to look away or do anything other than watch the spectacle on the screen in front of them.

Mars 5

Mars 5

Apr 1984

The Whole Shebang

by Mark Wheatley, Marc Hempel, Kathryn Mayer, Mike Gold

20 pages

Morgana finds most of her other crew mates but they are acting strangely. They have been drinking lots of nectar, an alcoholic beverage. Ray seems very eager to have sex, too eager. Vanessa is pregnant but there is no mention of the father’s identity.

Morgana catches Winston raping Vanessa while the other men stand around and watch. Morgana grabs a stick and forces Winston to get off of Vanessa. She also chases off the snake-like spirits that seem to be influencing the men. They are called weirdies and boogens.

The chapter ends with Morgana giving the others a lecture. She found Milos’ diary. She read it and now understands considerably more than she did at the beginning of the chapter. She tells them that things are going to have to change.

Secret Origins (1986) 17 (1)

Secret Origins 17

Aug 1987

The Secret Origin of Adam Strange

by Gerry Conway, Carmine Infantino, Tony DeZuniga, Cody Weiss, Joe Orlando

Archaeologist Adam Strange is running from locals in the lost city of Caranga, high in the Peruvian Andes when he is struck by a Zeta Beam. The beam transports him to the planet Rann. There he meets Alanna, the future love of his life, and the scientist Sardath, her father. They teach him about their planet and Zeta Beams. He repays them by helping them to deal with some alien invaders known as the Eternals.

The Zeta Beam wears off, returning Adam to Earth. Adam Uses what he learned from Sardath and Alanna to locates another Zeta Beam and returns to Rann in time to help them deal with another crisis. 

Marvel Comics Presents 76

Marvel Comics Presents 76

Late Apr 1991

Weapon X: Chapter Four

by Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Novak

The Professor decides to continue with the experiments on Logan but something goes wrong. The equipment malfunctions. Logan sits up and grabs Miss Hines by the neck but doesn't harm her. The Professor tries verbal commands but Logan lunges at him after letting go of Miss Hines. Security is called in and they sedate him before the Professor decides that he’s had enough for one day. 

Kane (1993) 24

Kane (1993) 24

Mar 1999

Meyer Culpa

by Paul Grist

Detectives Lovett and Marsh interrogate Meyer, the bank employee who stole from the bank where he works (see Kane 5) and then presumably returned the money before anyone could figure out that it was missing.

They ask him all sorts of questions. He thinks about what happened but tells the detectives nothing. Meyer had dreams of stealing money from the bank and what it would buy him.

The police let him go after the actual bank robbers surface. He gets to return to his job at the bank, a hero. He could care less about that. His dreams of women, fast cars, and lots of money go out the window as the story ends and he returns to his miserable job at the bank

New Teen Titans (1984) 9

New Teen Titans (1984) 9

Jun 1985

Crystal Nightmare!

by Marv Wolfman, José Luis García Lopez, Romeo Tanghal, John Costanza, Adrienne Roy

The Teen Titans and the Titans of Greek myths and legends fight their way up Mount Olympus until they find the Amazons imprisoned in a crystal globe. The globe was created by Kole who gets into a fight with Starfire. Wonder Girl smashes the crystal globe, freeing Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazons.

Kole changes sides and joins the Titans, old and new, in the fight against Thia. It is Kole in the end who defeats Typhon, a dragon with many heads, who threatens to destroy them all. Thia and Hyperion are destroyed in a fire. Lilith decides to stay on Mount Olympus. Azrael is heartbroken.

Marvel Comics Presents 75

Marvel Comics Presents 75

Early Apr 1991

Weapon X: Chapter Three

by Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Novak

Doctor Cornelius wonders why the dead scientist went into the room. The Professor feigns ignorance and says nothing about having encouraged the dead man to check on Logan. 

The Professor and Doctor Cornelius talk about Logan while he is unconscious. They talk about what he was before the experiments and how the experiments have changed him. Doctor Cornelius is in a bit of shock over what just happened but the Professor sees things proceeding according to his plan. He does his best to encourage Doctor Cornelius to continue his work and reprogram Logan into a living weapon.

Kane (1993) 23

Kane (1993) 23

Jan 1999

Out of Into

by Paul Grist

Apr 21 - Detectives Kane and Felix investigate the fire at the Kitty Kat Klub. They talk to Oscar Darke and Rose Thawn, his attorney. They are pointed in the direction of Everett Moss, a known arsonist who was recently arrested. They talk to him but he has an unimpeachable alibi.

Wesley Lindsey confesses to torching the Kitty Kat Klub but a police report indicates that it was an electrical malfunction that caused the fire. 

Steve Canyon (1)

Steve Canyon Vol. 1: 1947-1948

by Milton Caniff

Copperhead

Jan 13 - Apr 9, 1947

This is the first of sixteen stories in the Steve Canyon Companion, considers to be the first era of Caniff’s run on the strip. This era began in Jan 1947 and ran through early Oct 1950.

03/28/25

Jan 13-15, 1947 - Mr. Dayzee, a potential client, visits the office of Horizons Unlimited. He is there to meet with Steve Canyon but Feeta, Canyon’s secretary, explains to Mr. Dayzee that her boss is not currently in the office even though Mr. Dayzee made an appointment to meet with him. Dayzee is ready to walk out but Feeta encourages him to stick around and wait for Steve.

Steve Canyon - Initial Thoughts

I was not intending to follow up my read through of Terry and the Pirates, the spiritual predecessor to Steve Canyon, by reading this strip. Milton Caniff wrote and drew Steve Canyon for more than 40 years. That’s considerably more than I want to take on. My goal at the moment is to read maybe the first nine-and-a-half years of Steve Canyon, up to mid-1956. That would take me through the first two eras of the strip as defined by the companion book.

New Teen Titans (1984) 8

New Teen Titans (1984) 8

May 1985

There Might Be… Giants

by Marv Wolfman, José Luis García Lopez, Romeo Tanghal, John Costanza, Adrienne Roy

Thia takes Lilith with her to Mt Olympus. Thia casts aside the Greek gods and takes over the home of the Greek deities. Thia tells Lilith about her past, about Lilith’s father (whom she killed after he impregnated her), and of how she lost track of Lilith.

Wonder Girl finds the passageway from Paradise Island toTartarus. The Teen Titans arrive in Tartarus and join the Titans of Greek myths in battling giants. They defeat the giants but three of the Greek Titans are killed in the fight. Destiny appears before them just as they are preparing to continue their search for Thia and Lilith. Destiny warns them not to pursue the matter any further or else they will risk the destruction of their world.