Longbox Junk - The Night Man #1

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the comics are cheap and the reviews are free!

A few weeks ago, I got inspired to return to my Longbox Junk roots and review some. . .well, some Longbox Junk!  Early Bronze Age Green Arrow keys and Golden Age Lone Ranger comics and the like are great, but you're not gonna run into them out in the wild every day.  

But HERE'S a comic you won't have much trouble at all finding.   I can practically guarantee that you're going to find at LEAST one Night Man comic in any random bargain bin you might find yourself digging through. 

And if, for some strange reason, there's no Night Man comics in that bin, I'd be willing to bet cash that there's going to be SOME sort of representation of Malibu's Ultraverse in there. . .Mantra, Prime, Hardcase, and UltraForce are probably the most common. 

I don't know how many Ultraverse comics Malibu printed, but they definitely leaned HARD into their shared superhero universe.  I'm saying there's a LOT of these comics out there.  If you go Longbox Junkin' then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  Ultraverse comics aren't exactly rare.

But are they good?  Let's take a look at one and find out!

THE NIGHT MAN #1

Malibu/Ultraverse (1993)

THE NIGHT MAN

SCRIPT: Steve Englehart

PENCILS: Darick Robertson

INKS: Andrew Pepoy

COVER: Darick Robertson

THE COVER:

I LOVE this cover!  I actually own 4 copies of this comic because that cover catches my eye every time and I forget I've already got it in my collection.  It's got an obvious Batman vibe to it, but the character has his own sort of personality that sets it apart from being an outright pastiche.  

But what REALLY catches my attention here are the glorious colors! The pink and purple early evening sky, the blue highlights on Night Man's costume, the red hair, the deep black inks contrasted with the backdrop of a huge full moon.  It's dark, it's moody, it's just a fantastic comic book cover, period.

THE STORY:

We begin our tale following Night Man on his first outing as a new super hero.  As he jumps to attack a gang breaking into a house, he muses on the events that have brought him (and us) to this point. . .

We learn that Night Man is actually one Johnny Domino, a famous saxophone player who was involved in a traffic accident that left a piece of metal lodged in his head and eyes that are hypersensitive to light.  

After being released from the hospital, Johnny is shocked to discover that he can hear the thoughts of a passing man. . .evil thoughts of murdering a woman!  Johnny thinks that he might be crazy, but then considers the possibility that he's not, and he might be the only person who can save the woman from death.  He decides to follow the man.

After following the man to a knife store, Johnny tries to tell the police.  Without evidence, they laugh him off.  Johnny decides to continue the investigation on his own.  

He follows the man to a beach-side restaurant, where he listens in as the man flirts with his waitress, revealing his name to be Victor Omar.  As Johnny listens in, Omar asks the waitress out on a date that coming Saturday.  Omar discovers Johnny spying and forces him to make his escape.

Later, Johnny questions his sanity as he thinks back on the events of the day, but when someone takes a shot at him through the window, Johnny's resolve to save the waitress is hardened as he realizes that it was probably the mysterious Mr. Omar who had followed him home.

Which brings us back to the beginning of the story as Johnny, now Night Man, confronts the gang of burglars as part of his training to try and save the waitress from Omar.  Unfortunately, Johnny's inexperience is no match for the hardened criminals and he finds himself fighting for his life. . .

Only his extensive martial arts training manages to save Johnny, who barely makes it out of the encounter alive before being forced to flee once the police arrive on the scene. 

 The next day, he decides to take another angle to saving the waitress by going to the restaurant and using his fame to try and seduce her into going out with him instead of Omar.  The waitress (named Ginger) is suitably seduced, but won't break her date with Omar.

With time running short before Ginger's date with Omar that night, Johnny visits with his father. . .a former police officer now in charge of security at a run-down amusement park.  While there, he learns that a shady real estate developer is trying to buy the park against the wishes of the owner.  

After a brief confrontation with the developer, Johnny returns home with what he REALLY went to the park for. . .his father's old access codes to the police database, so he can continue his investigation into Mr. Omar.

Using his father's police database codes, Johnny discovers that Victor Omar is listed as a missing person. This cements his determination to save Ginger.  That night, he returns to the restaurant as Night Man, using the knowledge gained from his failed mission the previous night to improve his costume so as to protect him better in a fight. . .

As Night Man sees Ginger leave the restaurant, he tries to warn her that she's in danger, but to his surprise, it's not Ginger at all!  It's an insanely- grinning man who introduces himself as "Death-Mask" wearing a wig and Ginger's clothes.  He attacks Night Man with a knife and the two begin to fight!

During the fight, Night Man is knocked over an embankment and onto the beach below, where he is horrified to find Ginger's dead body. . .WITH HER FACE CUT OFF!  He also makes the gruesome discovery of Victor Omar's face next to Ginger's body, and he realizes that Death-Mask wears the faces of his victims!  Night Man doesn't have long to ponder this terrifying fact as he hears a boat motor and sees Death-Mask making his escape.  Night Man commandeers another boat and gives chase!

Night Man manages to catch up to the fleeing killer and jumps to attack him, enraged by the gruesome death of Ginger.  Death-Mask taunts Night Man during the fight, forcing him into defending.

As Death-Mask and Night Man fight, the murderer tries to escape by jumping in the water and swimming to the other boat, but as he does, he is attacked by a shark!  

Believing Death-Mask to be dead, Night Man decides that he was given his power to hear evil thoughts for a reason, and he reflects on his new powers. As he returns to shore in the boat, we see the hand of Death-Mask rising out of the water. . .it looks like he's survived the shark's attack!

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay.  There it is.  Night Man #1.  Let's break it on down!

What we have here is a pretty straightforward story introducing the new hero, Night Man.  My overall impression is that it seems a bit rushed and a little too compacted.  

Steve Englehart is generally a good writer, and I'm not sure what sort of constraints he was working under here, but it just seems like one issue wasn't really enough space to devote to the transformation of Johnny Domino, saxophone player, into Night Man, vengeful hero of the dark.

Don't get me wrong.  The story isn't BAD.  It's actually very readable. It's nicely-written and fast-paced, with some interesting ideas and moments to be found.  I just think it could have been better with a bit more room to breathe, so we could get to know our new hero a little better.  

The sudden transformation of Johnny Domino into Night Man over the course of TWO DAYS (including somehow gaining a spandex superhero costume complete with telescopic infrared lenses)  requires a bit more of a stretch of my comic book suspension of disbelief than I'd like.

The overly-compacted narrative aside, the story also suffers in one part from a bit too much reliance on story beats from Frank Miller's seminal Batman origin story "Year One".  Night Man's initial outing being a miserable failure requiring improvements to his costume is just a little TOO familiar to be coincidence.  

Other than those two things, the story is fine.  The sudden horrific turn toward the end was actually a bit of a surprise that I liked a lot.  I'm not sure where things go from here, but I wouldn't mind reading a few more issues to find out, especially if the story keeps leaning toward the horror end of superhero comics.

So that's the story.  Let's talk about the art.

Darick Robertson is an artist that I became a fan of from his fantastic work on "The Boys".  This is some of his earlier work and I can definitely see the progression through the years.  The art in this comic certainly displays a lot of style and flair that I really like, mostly in Robertson's unusual panel arrangements and figures that break the boundaries of their panels.  

It's quite a bit different visually than the art I know Robertson from, but I think I can chalk that mostly up to his doing his own inks these days compared to having someone else ink his pencils in his earlier work.  That's not to say the art is bad at all.  It's really very nice, and the mentioned inker (Andrew Pepoy) brings the depth and shadow needed for a story like this.

CONCLUSION

This is another comic that I didn't really have high hopes for.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find underneath that fantastic cover a pretty good story backed up with some really interesting artwork.

The story is overly-compacted. . .two issues worth of story packed into one. . .and it's a bit derivative of Frank Miller's "Year One" in places, but Steve Englehart does a decent job of introducing a new character and setting things up so that I want to read the next issue.  That's pretty much the basic expectations I have for the first issue of a series, so that's a big plus.

The star of the show here for me, though, is Darick Robertson's art.  It's interesting in many ways and each page has something new for the eye to linger on.  I really enjoy his panel layouts a lot!

Overall, this isn't a GREAT comic book. . .but it's a good one.  If you're a fan of the more "street level" comic heroes, then Night Man is worth a look, especially if you also enjoy comics that throw a little horror into the superhero mix.

It doesn't look like the series was ever collected in trade, and I don't see it on ComiXology, so the back issue bins are probably the best place to pick Night Man up from.  But like I said at the beginning, it's not a very hard series to find.

Up Next. . .

It's time for some spooky Longbox Junk October fun!

Last year, I leaned into the older spooky comics in my collection by featuring all Retro Reviews.

This time out, I'm shining the spotlight on NEW horror comics that have come out over the past couple of years.  Nothing older than 2019.  Let's see what sort of spooky stuff is on the stands these days!

Be there and be scared.

Longbox Junk - Wetworks #1

Welcome to Longbox Junk, the place to find all the comic reviews you never asked anyone for!

I've mentioned it before, but when you dive into a cheap box of back issues, there are certain things you're practically guaranteed to find.  The comic at hand is one of those things. 

 If I were standing next to you at a comic shop, I'd feel safe betting you five bucks sight unseen that you would come across at LEAST one issue from this series while digging through the bargain bin.  Maybe not this one, but at least one from the run.

It's just one of those things. Don't fight it.  It's gonna happen.

What we have here is a relic of Image's early years on the comic scene.  These days, Image has carved out a very nice little niche as the publisher you want to go to when you get tired of reading about superheroes.  But in their early days, Image was ALL superhero ALL the time.  

They put out such a flood of superhero comics. . .throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what would stick. . .that bargain bins to this day are still full of them, and I don't see the supply of Image 90's superhero comics coming up short any time soon.  As in ever.  Early Image comics are practically the definition of Longbox Junk.

So let's take a look at one of these leftover comics from Image's early "We wanna be Marvel!" days and see what's going on in there.  Strap in, folks. . .we've got Covert Ops, Alien Symbiotes, and Vampires!  

Ready?  Let's do it!

WETWORKS #1

Image (1994)

And folded out in all its 90's gimmick cover glory!

SCRIPT: Whilce Portacio & Brandon Choi

PENCILS: Whilce Portacio

INKS: Scott Williams, John Tighe, John Dickenson & Rick Johnson

COLORS: Joe Chiodo, Monica Bennett & Martin Jimenez

COVER: Whilce Portacio & Scott Williams

THE COVER:

We've got a 90's special gimmick triple fold out cover here, folks! And it's. . .pretty impressive!

Yeah, it's got straps a-plenty.  It's got gun arms.  It's got bandoliers everywhere.  There's those strange 90's head thingy's that aren't really a mask, but sort of are?  Is there even a word for them?  But even though there's a checklist of everything people hate about 90's comics, it works here.  

The cover is basically a hero pose montage of the main group of characters, and I have to admit, it's a pretty good one.  I think it's the great colors that makes this work so well. The shiny gold of the symbiotes really catch the eye and make this cover stand out. 

 It ain't the greatest comic cover ever, but it's not bad for what it is.  Let's get inside!

THE STORY:

We begin our tale aboard a high-tech stealth transport over the Balkans.  Inside is America's most elite covert ops squad, Team 7, on their way to a secret mission they know little to nothing about. . .

As they discuss their possible reasons for being over Transylvania, the leader of Team 7, Lt. Col. Jackson Dane, gives the team a more detailed briefing.  Their mission is to infiltrate a terrorist faction's secret base and retrieve a highly-contagious biological weapon that they plan on unleashing on Europe at any cost.

MEANWHILE, IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Miles Craven, leader of I.O. (International Operations) and the world's most obvious villain, is arguing with Admiral Halsey (Commanding officer of Team 7) over the lack of information being given to his Team.  Craven informs him that there's much bigger stakes than Halsey can imagine, and when the Admiral sees the information Craven gives him, he agrees that Team 7 is expendable, if need be.

BACK IN TRANSYLVANIA. . .

Team 7's Cyber-Enhanced liaison officer (Code Named "Mother One") observes the squad as they deploy near their target and begin their recon of the area.  We learn that she is also in charge of a "Cleaner" unit that is tasked with disposing of anyone, enemy OR friendly, that makes it out of the secret base alive.

As Team 7 makes their way into the hidden terrorist base, they're surprised to discover that someone has gotten there before them.  The base's defenses are down and there's evidence of a massive battle having recently taken place.  

As they investigate, the demolition charges they are carrying suddenly activate on their own!  Seeing that they only have 10 minutes before the explosives go off, the team hurries toward the main laboratory, determined to accomplish their mission in the short time they have. . .

As the team bursts into the seemingly-deserted laboratory, they discover large tubes filled with some sort of golden liquid. Dane suspects the team has been led into a trap, but continues with the mission, ordering his squad to set the charges, which are still counting down to detonation. . .

As Team 7 goes about the task of setting the demolition charges, a mysterious woman pops out of a vent and shoots one of the tubes, rupturing it and causing the golden fluid to splash onto Claymore, one of Team 7's heavy weapons experts!

As the mysterious fluid covers Claymore with a golden skin, two gunmen attack Team 7!  Their bullets bounce harmlessly off of Claymore, enabling the rest of the team to quickly take down the ambushers.  But they soon discover that the attackers aren't Transylvanian terrorists. . .from the damage they were able to take before they died, Dane has doubts they are even human!

Before they can investigate further, they are attacked by a larger force.  Dane decides that there's too much going on that they don't know about and decides to scrap the mission and fight their way out of the base before the demolition charges detonate.   The team quickly realizes that they are surrounded and they're going to have to resort to desperate measures to make it out alive. . .

As Claymore uses his new bulletproof skin to try and clear a path for the rest of the team, the Demolition charges finally detonate!  He is horrified to realize after the massive explosion that he is probably the only one who managed to escape the laboratory. . .

BUT. . .

The rest of Team 7 soon arrives to help Claymore finish fighting his way through the strangely-inhuman fighters that have him surrounded.  Realizing their impending fate, Dane took a risk and commanded the other tanks be destroyed. Now each member of Team 7 is coated with the same shining gold skin as Claymore!

As the team fights their way through the surrounding inhumanly-strong attackers, they barely manage to make it out of the hidden base before the secondary charges they'd set earlier explode, completely obliterating the base along with the remaining defenders.

Dane and the rest of Team 7 have survived, but now they want some answers!

Learning that Team 7 has made it out of the base alive, Craven orders Mother One and the I.O. Cleaner team to finish them off!  Realizing that they are under attack by I.O. gunships, Dane orders Team 7 to try and escape the area, but they are unable to elude their pursuers. . .

Knowing that even with the added protection of the mysterious symbiote fluid Team 7 won't be able to withstand the firepower of the I.O. gunships, Mother One turns on her allies and attacks the gunships, destroying them and enabling Team 7 to escape.

She reveals herself, clad in the same shining golden skin as Team 7, and reveals that they have been betrayed by their superiors and sacrificed.  Mother One informs the team that the supernaturally-tough opponents they have been fighting are actually vampires!  

Then she offers them a chance at a new life.  Since Team 7 is believed to be dead, she tells them that her employer is engaged in an underground war with the vampires and could use skilled soldiers like them.  Having nowhere else to go and needing more answers, Dane reluctantly agrees.

EPILOGUE:

In the ruins of the laboratory, we find one of the leaders of the vampires, Prince Drakken, enraged at the destruction of the base and the theft of the symbiotes.  We leave the story with him vowing to take the fight to the humans and once again teaching them to fear the night!

The End. . .To Be Continued.

THE REVIEW:

Allrighty then! There it is. . .Wetworks #1.   Let's break it on down!

I have to admit that I wasn't very confident that this comic was going to be good.  I figure there's a reason (besides Image printing God knows how many issues of all these early superhero titles) that this series is consistently found in the bargain bin.  But truthfully, it ain't too bad.

Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't a great comic.  It's sort of hovering right around the "pretty good" center line of the comic dial. But it's better than I thought it would be coming into this review. 

 It's surprisingly readable where many other early Image efforts are basically just a hot mess screaming past the reader on a straight-line drag strip of style over substance.  An early Image hallmark of banking on a "Hot" artist being able to sell a comic and just sort of hoping nobody notices the crap story underneath the frantic artwork.

To be fair, it DOES look like Image was mostly banking on Whilce Portacio's art to do the heavy lifting for Wetworks, and he's actually up to the task. . .but the strange mashup of military action, science fiction, and the supernatural offered up by Portacio and Brandon Choi is actually a pretty compelling start to what seems to be shaping up as an interesting take on the typical high-tech superhero story.

It makes me want to see what happens next and maybe pull a few more of these comics from the bargain bin next time I go Longbox Junkin' instead of almost unconsciously passing them by like I normally do.

So the story is actually interesting and not an afterthought.  Refreshing for an early Image superhero title.  Let's take a look at the art side of things.  

Like I said above, it's pretty clear that Image was (as Image does) banking on Whilce Portacio's art to carry Wetworks, so the art is definitely the star of the show here and Portacio doesn't disapppoint!  Is it the greatest art I've ever seen in a comic book?  Not even close.  But it DOES have a dark, gritty style to it that is perfectly matched to this strange science fiction/military/supernatural mashup.  

I give a credit due to the inking team (all FOUR of them!) for really bringing out the detail in Portacio's pencils and making the colors pop in contrast to rich, deep blacks through the whole issue.  

Beyond that, Portacio gives us some really interesting character designs and a unique look for this series where a lot of early Image stuff sort of blended together in a forgettable mess.  Simply put, the artwork throughout Wetworks #1 is 90's-Tastic in a GOOD way!

CONCLUSION

I didn't have high hopes for this comic coming in.  I basically picked it because I've always just passed Wetworks by in the bargain bin, assuming it's just another Image superhero title that's got some flashy art but a weak story.  I just decided it was time to actually READ an issue.

I was pleasantly surprised to find an interesting mashup of genres backed up by some very nice, gritty artwork, and a first issue that delivered on my expectations of introducing a story and new characters in a way that makes me want to read the next issue in the series.

Wetworks isn't the greatest comic I've ever read.  But it's a long way away from the worst.  In my humble opinion, it ain't half bad!  If you are a fan of "hard" military stories with some science fiction flavor then Wetworks will definitely be worth your time to give it a look.  

Up Next. . .

More of the kind of Longbox Junk I ALWAYS spot in the bargain bin.

I think I'll head on over to Malibu's Ultraverse and see what's happening.

Night Man?  Yeah. . .why not? Night Man!

Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Retro Review - The Brave and The Bold #85 (1969)

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the comics are cheap and the reviews are free!

Lately, I've had a pretty good run of luck while out Longbox Junkin' at the local flea markets.  There's been some unexpectedly sweet finds coming my way, and ain't THAT the truth!  

In my last Longbox Junk post, I took a look at a great Golden Age Lone Ranger comic that I bought for a couple of bucks.  So I thought to myself, "Why not show off another one of those Fantastic Flea Market Finds?"

And so here we are. . .ready to crank up the Longbox Junk time machine for a trip back to 1969 and a look at another surprise find I made back in early August that cost me a measly TEN BUCKS at the flea market!

It's a comic featuring the iconic artwork of the great Neal Adams and the introduction of his Bronze Age makeover for Green Arrow.  When I spotted this comic in the shape it's in (I'd grade it at a 7.5/8.0, but I'm no expert) for the price they wanted, I couldn't believe my good fortune!

So strap in, because it's time for another Longbox Junk Retro Review! 

Ready?  LET'S DO IT!

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #85

DC (1969)

THE SENATOR'S BEEN SHOT!

SCRIPT: Bob Haney

PENCILS: Neal Adams

INKS: Neal Adams

COVER: Neal Adams

THE COVER:

Now THAT'S a nice cover!  A Bronze Age beauty by the Legendary Neal Adams at the top of his game.  Green Arrow is the star of the show on this one, sporting his new (at the time) look front and center.  I really like how Batman's cape serves to frame the Emerald Archer.  The tilted logos and  bright splashes of color also really catch the eye. There's nothing I don't like about this cover.  It's the sort of thing that grabs my attention and makes me want to buy a comic book!  Let's get inside and see what's going on. . .

THE STORY:

After witnessing the attempted assassination of newly-elected Senator Paul Cathcart, a staunch supporter of a pending anti-crime bill, Batman fails to capture the gunman.  Later, in the hospital as the Senator lays in critical condition, Bruce Wayne is shocked when the Governor asks him to take over the Senator's term in order to push the anti-crime legislation through!

Meanwhile, as Bruce Wayne ponders his decision, we find multi-millionaire Oliver Queen discussing his bid on an important building project meant to keep the state and Gotham City from bankruptcy.  His opponent for the project is Argonaut Incorporated, headed by Miklos Minotaur. . .a man Oliver knows is the head of a powerful criminal organization (thanks to his other identity as the Green Arrow).  

As he wonders whether or not he can do Gotham more good as Oliver Queen or as Green Arrow, he is suddenly attacked!  After narrowly escaping the assassination attempt, Oliver realizes that he's been targeted by Minotaur.

The next day, Bruce Wayne, still agonizing over the decision to take over the Senator's term and fight crime through legislation, or to continue to fight crime as Batman, he reveals his secret identity to his psychiatrist, Edmond!  Sworn to secrecy, the psychiatrist  isn't really much help, telling Bruce/Batman that this is a decision he's going to have to make by himself.  

Later that day, we learn that the psychiatrist that Bruce Wayne revealed his identity to is ALSO Oliver Queen's psychiatrist as we follow Edmond and Oliver while they survey the contested land development project and Oliver Queen reveals his identity as Green Arrow!  Edmond is either the luckiest, or the unluckiest psychiatrist on the face of the earth!

That night, Green Arrow and Batman both decide to visit Edmond's office to continue their respective discussions with him.  After they get over their surprise at running into each other in such a seemingly random way, they find that Edmond's office has been broken into and the psychiatrist is missing!  

Both heroes realize that Miklos Minotaur is trying to get to their public identities through their mutual psychiatrist. The suspicion is confirmed when they review Edmond's office recording and they hear the kidnapping in progress.  Green Arrow and Batman agree they have to team up and rescue their friend. . .

The following morning, realizing the lengths Minotaur will go to, Bruce accepts the task of completing Senator Cathcart's term. . .and so becomes Senator Bruce Wayne!  In the meantime, on a small volcanic island in the Mediterranean, Green Arrow is hot on the trail of Edmond's kidnappers. . .

As Green Arrow pursues Minotaur's men, vicious animals are released in the maze of rocky tunnels leading to the crime lord's hidden base.  Green Arrow manages to fight them off, and shortly after is joined by Batman, who followed the signal of Green Arrow's Justice League transmitter to his location.  The two heroes continue on together to rescue their mutual friend. . .

In the meantime, Miklos Minotaur reveals to his prisoner that he plans to have agents destroy both Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen for their interference with his schemes.  At that moment, Batman and Green Arrow burst onto the scene!  Minotaur takes Edmond hostage. . .

Minotaur believes he has the upper hand, but he didn't count on Green Arrow's superior bow skills, which give the heroes the chance to attack and easily subdue Minotaur's men.  Unfortunately, in the confusion of the fight, Minotaur himself manages to escape!  

As Batman rushes back to the United States in order to vote on the anti-crime bill as Senator Wayne, Green Arrow concocts a plan to capture and arrest Miklos Minotaur for his crimes by inviting him to a posh party at the U.S. Embassy in his public identity of Oliver Queen.

At the party, Oliver Queen informs the smug crime lord that he's to be arrested and taken back to the United States to stand trial.  Minotaur is shocked when he realizes he's fallen into a trap. . .the embassy is legally U.S. territory and he's taken into custody. . .

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., Batman arrives just as the voting for the anti-crime bill has begun.  As he rushes toward the Capital, Batman discovers and defeats an assassin waiting for Bruce Wayne.  He manages to arrive just in the nick of time to deliver the deciding vote in favor of the anti-crime bill!

At the end of the day, Edmond is safely returned to the U.S., where he learns that Oliver Queen has decided to fund the land development project AND continue fighting crime as Green Arrow.  

Later, Edmond discovers that Bruce Wayne plans on giving up his Senate seat now that the anti-crime bill has passed.  Wayne prefers to fight crime as Batman.

In a final scene, we see that Edmond has decided to undergo self-hypnosis in order to wipe the knowledge of the true identities of Batman and Green Arrow from his mind.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Okay then, there it is.  Let's break it on down!

What we have here is a pretty typical example of early Bronze Age DC "One and Done" storytelling.  They weren't quite as tuned in to the continuing storylines as Marvel was at this time, and this story shows it.  This is a tale that needs just a LITTLE more room to breathe.  I think this would have made a fine two-parter.  Anything more than that would probably have been too much, but one issue just seems like it's too little.

That's not to say it's a BAD story.  It's not.  Bob Haney does a great job in the space he's given.  The story is well-written and interesting.  It just seems a bit rushed and overly-compressed.  

What I liked most about the story was the spotlight on both the public AND heroic personas of the two main characters.  With limited space to tell comic stories during this time period, the secret identities of the heroes often fell to the wayside in favor of the more action-oriented superhero side of things.  In this story, Haney makes great use of Batman and Green Arrow's public identities, and truthfully, the scenes with the heroes out of costume were the more interesting to me.

The central conflict of this story was very engaging, with two superheroes grappling with the question of how to better serve the public. . .as themselves, using their money and position to fight crime. . .or as costumed crimefighters able to do what the authorities are unable or unwilling to do.  

This kind of superheroic introspection was just becoming popular at DC, and it's a welcome change from the usual supervillain of the month punch-ups that were more characteristic of DC comics at the time.  This story is a great example of the more mature storylines that would begin to come out of DC in the following years to come.

So the story is good. . .an early example of the more socially-conscious, or "relevant" comics to come.  I just wish that it had a little more room to move around in.  Let's talk about the art side of things.

In my humble opinion, Neal Adams is a living legend and a national treasure.  His fantastic art is always a joy to see in a comic.  His writing?  Not so much.  But THAT'S something for another review!

What we have here is Adams at the top of his Bronze Age game.  The pages of this comic are FULL of superb Neal Adams artwork, featuring his trademark realism and interesting "camera" angles.   Like the story, the art is at its best when spotlighting the characters out of costume, but every single page of this issue is worth lingering over for an extra moment before turning to the next.

CONCLUSION

From the fantastic cover to the final panel, this is comic that delivers in a big way!  It has an interesting story based around heroes conflicted about how best to serve the public and is backed up by some great Neal Adams artwork.  

Sure, the story is a little rushed and could have been better served by having an extra issue to tell it in, but I don't blame that on Bob Haney. . .I blame it on DC thinking that every comic book had to tell a complete story in one and only one issue at that time.  As a modern reader used to comics being a bit more decompressed, it just seems like a missed opportunity to make a good story great.  

If you are a Batman fan or Green Arrow fan or a Neal Adams fan in particular, you'll love this comic! But I can certainly recommend it for just about ANY comic fan that wants to see a somewhat unusual story (for the time) that focuses not just on superheroics, but also on the men behind the masks.  

Me finding this actual issue in good shape at a flea market for ten bucks was just lucky, but a bit of research shows me that this one has been reprinted many times, and is available on ComiXology, for those who like to read their comics online, so it's not hard to find at all.  Give it a look!

Up Next. . .

Spotlighting a few of my more "valuable" lucky flea market finds has been fun, but I've been inspired by Ed Gosney at COOL COMICS IN MY COLLECTION to return to my Longbox Junk roots by taking a look at some. . .Longbox Junk!  

By taking a short look at 1987's "G.I. RAMBOT" from Wonder Color Comics in his blog, I was reminded that not everyone is going to be able to snag a 1950's Lone Ranger comic, but there's plenty of forgotten and "worthless" comics lurking in the bargain bins that need a little love too!

And not for nothin' but if you're looking for a place that keeps comics fun and gives you JUST enough bite-sized pieces of comic goodness to make you want to come back for more. . .check out Cool Comics in the link above or on Facebook.  

Okay, plug time is over!  See you next time with some ACTUAL Longbox Junk.

Be there or be square!