THE DESTRUCTOR, No. 4 (Conway / Ditko, Milgrom; Atlas/Seaboard, 1975)

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Every Wednesday morning, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 20 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-)read it, write about it, and publish whatever emerges. Earlier installments live here.

Panels from THE DESTRUCTOR No. 4, by Steve Ditko. A red and blue-garbed hero covers his ears to resist the siren's song of "Music that is weirdly seductive" comng out of the mouth of a wide-eyed chanteuse.

(Box08): One of those oddities that's been in The Collection since the early days, an enjoyable enough yarn from Gerry Conway of a mostly forgettable and Jersey-proud hero (somewhat reminding me of Orion mixed with Hunter Biden – IDK, first combo that came to mind) encountering a band of superpowered Outcasts living in an underground city in New Mexico made by Oppenheimer collaborators who hated their work and resolved to make a perfect world which is, as always, anything but.

Also: Ditko!

If nothing else, this week's random served as a fascinating launchpad into learning a bit of the history of this short-lived (it folded in 1975, a year after its founding, which is a shame: those perks offered are massive, even now) Martin Goodman-initiated effort at competing with Marvel and DC:

Atlas/Seaboard offered some of the highest rates in the industry, plus return of artwork to artists and author rights to original character creations.[7] These relatively luxurious conditions attracted such top names as Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Russ Heath, John Severin, Alex Toth and Wally Wood, as well as such up-and-coming talents as Howard Chaykin and Rich Buckler.

A total of 23 comics titles and five comics magazines were published before the company folded in late 1975. No title lasted more than four issues.

Apparently in 2019 producer Steven Paul paid a lot of money to buy the characters in an effort to make a cinematic universe (featuring a writer's room led by Akiva Goldsman)...

Paul, whose credits include Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, andGhost In The Shell, has also signed Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) and his Weed Road Pictures to oversee a writers room to exploit the properties, which include Phoenix, Tiger-Man, Iron Jaw, The Dark Avenger, and The Grim Ghost.

SP Media Group struck the acquisition deal through Atlas Comics library owner Nemesis Group Inc. and its principal Jason Goodman, who is the grandson of Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman.

Production on the first project is anticipated to commence during the second quarter of 2020 with a release expected for 2021. The companies intend to produce and release at least one superhero project each year after that. The writers room will get to work on creating 10 initial outlines and will choose the first project after that.

Given that this seems to be the only news of the project (and Paul's… less than stellar track record) I'm guessing that this venture met the same fate as its comics predecessor. A shame. They could've cashed in on the BARBENHEIMER craze - I mean, come on: Jon Voight was excited:

Jon Voight, a longtime family friend of the Pauls (Paul is Voight’s manager) turned up to a press conference at the Carlton on the Croisette and said he would help with screenplays and anticipated acting in some of the films. He stars in family drama JL Family Ranch 2, which Pauls’ Crystal Sky Pictures is selling in Cannes.

Though I’m saddened that we’ll never get a Jon Voight-led Outcasts film, I did get to peruse some great Ditko art and learn a strange bit of comics history to boot: a midmorning well spent.

DETECTIVE COMICS, Vol. 1, No. 579 (Barr / Breyfogle; DC, 1987)

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Every Wednesday morning, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 20 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-) read it, write about it, and publish the resultant review/memory/whatever. Earlier installments live here.

(Box08): Simple and solid bit of done-in-one entertainment heavy on the "chum"s – "chum" and Jason Todd just don't mix – and foreshadowing of a larger Two-Face plot rendered in early Breyfogle which is always a delight: there's something about a good done-in-one that triggers – in a good way – a sort of nostalgia for the narrative craftsmanship of a tight, well-done adventure that makes one crave the next issue without resorting to "to be continued" (a la the best episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES – though it had its share of "TBC," but NEVER out of anything other than the needs of the story being told) or interminable crossovers and year-long "this changes everything / biggest thing ever" cataclysms.

FWIW, the "simple bit of done-in-one" was and remains, to me, the biggest missed opportunity in digital comics: entertaining toss-asides that, in their physical manifestation at least – and in the right hands, become treasures passed through time but that's a rant for another time. For now, I'll keep this one short and as entertaining as I can make it, in homage to.

DETECTIVE COMICS, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Daniel; DC, 2011)

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Every Wednesday morning, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 20 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-) read it, write about it, and publish the resultant review/memory/whatever. Earlier installments live here.

(Box08): For all of my consternation about the New 52, there were some solid exceptions, the Bat-family being among them – probably because, other than everyone being de-aged and Gordon's hair being red again, not much changed; this selective rebooting, while beneficial (bone=thrown?) in many ways was also a large part of the problem: if you're going to go for it, go for it all and don't waste time with half-measures. By the time the sun set on the New 52, we were left with little more than the sweat of an exercise in editoral bloodsucking, missed opportunities, and tarnished faith; IIRC, I checked out of comics for the second (or maybe third) time around here (though that had as much to do with relocation (read: lost first house) and burnout from writing ComicStoryworld - 300 pages in five months as anything), not to return in earnest until earlier this year.

But, the comic itself: Daniel is nothing if not a gifted visual storyteller and one of the rare artists (these days) to make the leap to writer-artist feeling as though they've always been writing. Doll-Maker is a fascinating villain and I dig the pulpier urban James Bond (New52 Bats got laid a lot, it seems) feel that Daniel brings to Bats – a far different vibe from Snyder's "grand stakes" storyweaving of The Court of Owls (excellent, too – though "Black Mirror" remains my favorite Snyder Bat-tale); not better, but different – complimentary in the best way possible.

One thing I want to add here about Daniel's art: I love how he constantly is evolving his style and changing it up: at some points, it's difficult to see that this was the same artist of Morrison's RIP storyline, just a couple of years earlier. Dark, kinetic movement on glorious display; might have to pick up all 12 issues of his run at some point.