Rick Starr, The Space Ranger Day!

Bob Brown was born on this date in 1915. Brown was rock-solid artist at DC for many years before shifting over to Marvel where he made his mark on The Avengers and elsewhere. His most famous contribution to comics is likely The Space Ranger, which is the focus of today. 

The collection I'd most like to get from DC is one featuring The Space Ranger. The two debut comics featuring DC's superhero of the future have been reprinted in the oddly titled Showcase Presents: Showcase, but I have read nothing indicating any more Space Ranger stories will be forthcoming. His sci-fi brethren Adam Strange and Rip Hunter have each had their own Showcase volumes. Like Adam Strange, Space Ranger did not get his own self-titled series, but did have a long and healthy run in one of DC's sci-fi anthology comics, specifically Tales of the Unexpected. After some years there, he shifted to Adam's own Mystery in Space where the two teamed up, sort of since it was actually Adam's descendant who rallied with Space Ranger.

Space Ranger functioned much like a 20th Century superhero, having a secret identity and a secret lair hidden inside an asteroid. When not performing his Ranger duties he was Rick Starr, the son of a wealthy industrialist and he was often aided in his adventures by his sometimes secretary Myra Mason and the shape-changing alien Cryll. He seems to have had a wide array of specialty ray guns and the space ship called "The Solar King" to use,  as he battled menaces to the security of Earth itself.

The feature was written by the likes of Gardner Fox and Edmond Hamilton and featured for the whole of its run the effective and durable artwork of the often overlooked Bob Brown. Below is a cover gallery of some of the most colorful and offbeat Space Ranger covers.

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Amazing World Of Superman!

It's Superman's birthday. And the Dojo wraps up a week-long celebration of the Man of Steel with a look a real bit of offbeat memorabilia, a tome titled Amazing World of Superman. Originally published in 1973 to celebrate Superman Day in the little city of Metropolis, Illinois, this oversized tabloid-size tome is a wonderful collection of all sorts of Superman stories, images, and whatnots. 

The volume opens with "Superman in Superman Land", a story by writer Bill Finger and artists Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. Originally appearing in Action Comics #210 from 1955 this yarn imagines a theme park dedicated to the "Man of the Tomorrow". We get lots of offbeat glimpses of this imaginary park before we are introduced to a mysterious character who turns out to be Lex Luthor (no surprise). He's concocted a scheme to incapacitate the "Man of Steel" with the ubiquitous Kryptonite and trap him inside a mock-up of Krypton, one meant to be exploded. It will surprise no one that the scheme fails. 

This if followed by a "How to Draw Superman" page by Curt Swan as well as page introducing us to the extended Superman family. Then there is a wonderful ten-page article detailing how comic books are conceived and manufactured. It's a nifty item because it's loaded with photos of the staff of DC at the time. 

Then we are treated to a brand new (then) "The Origin of Superman" written by E. Nelson Bridwell, and drawn by Carmine Infantino, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. This is a delightful fifteen-page black and white presentation which hits all the highlights right through Clark leaving his foster parents in Smallville and taking up his career in Metropolis. There is a particularly touching scene with Clark and his dying foster father. 

Then a special detached fold-out poster showcases a "Map of Krypton" in amazing colorful detail. This map was rendered by E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Sal Amendola. Then we get a page showing how Superman made it big in syndicated comic strips. 

"Metropolis, Illinois - Story of an American City" presents copious features and images from the celebration for the inaugural "Superman Day". We get a lot of backstory about how this event came to be with photos of a guy named Charles Chandler dressed as Superman making appearances in sundry places like the TV show To Tell the Truth. 

"The Superman Legend - Rogues' Gallery" has more art by Murphy Anderson and writing by Bridwell as we meet some of the best villains such as the aforementioned Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Parasite, Toyman, and others such as the Phantom Zone villains. "The Secrets of Superman's Fortress" takes us inside the Fortress of Solitude as drawn by "Swanderson". 

(Al Hirschfield)

"It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" is all about the Broadway show which debuted in 1966. We get some nifty photos from that singular show. "Superman Salutes Nasa" is about Superman's connection to the OAO -2 (Orbital Astronomical Observatory). "Important Dates in Superman's Life" is a one-page item which hits the highlights from Superman's publishing history in comics, novels and appearances in other media. Sadly, and frankly strangely, I found no references to either the utterly wonderful Fleischer cartoons of the 40's nor to the pretty darn good Filmation cartoons of the 60's here or any other place it the book. 

We get two pages from "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy" which was marred when it first appeared by the tragic assassination of the thirty-fifth president of the United States. The story was published at the request of both President Johnson and the Kennedy clan. 

"The Superman Legend" returns with a look at Superboy's hideout beneath the Kent home and info on his costume written by Bridwell with art by Bob Brown, Wally Wood and Mike Exposito. (This was presented in black and white.)

The book closes with a photo album of sorts which features George Reeves, Kirk Allyn, and others from Superman's film and TV adventures. The final image is a full-page poster shot of Superman by Curt Swan and George Klein (in black and white).

This wonderful time capsule was reprinted by DC in a hand hardcover format in 2021. At a mere twenty bucks it was a bargain then and now. Happy Birthday to the Man of Steel. Now it's time to enjoy some of that vintage George Reeves taking on those little creepy Mole Men on my TV. 

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Black Widow - Marvel Team-Up!

There were times when Marvel Team-Up was my favorite Spider-Man title. Many of those times were when his co-star was the Black Widow. But it was not limited to MTU, the Widow made guest-star appearances in many comics over the years and the collection Black Widow Marvel Team-Up gathers most of the classic ones together into a very handsome and readable volume. 

The first story is from Marvel Two-In-One ten in which the Widow works with the Thing to stop a world threat. It's the usual superhero shenanigans but it turns out this adventure in which she worked without Daredevil by her side was instrumental in helping her decide to finally break off their partnership and strike out again on her own. 

She first teamed up with Spidey in Marvel Team-Up with the fifty-seventh issue in which she and the Web-Slinger come up against the nigh unstoppable Silver Samurai. The Samurai had only just been introduced in the pages of Daredevil as an ally of the Mandrill and here he is working for powers unidentified to gather some strange object. But while he's doing it he nearly wrecks a building and nearly kills our heroes before they drop him. 

Later we get one of the real highlights of Marvel Team-Up's long run when Spidey and the Widow are together again. This time she has suffered some sort of amnesia and thinks she's a teacher named "Nancy Rushman". But that doesn't explain the Widow costume in her purse nor the SHIELD agents intent on killing her. 

SHIELD seems to be fighting itself as Nick Fury tries to find out why his agents have turned against their oaths and his leadership. The Widow is still suffering from bouts of amnesia but her fighting skills sill respond to danger, and she, Spidey and Fury battle against the Boomerang and the Silver Samurai. The big boss though is the murderous Viper, once known as Lady Hydra. 

Shang-Chi joins the battle as the quartet try to invade the SHIELD helicarrier and prevent Viper's plot to attack Washington and kill the President and all the other elected leaders of the United States. The battle is furious and slowly the Widow's old personality and skills reassert themselves. 

It's a wild finale and I won't spoil it, save to say that this four-parter by Chris Claremont and artists Sal Buscema and Steve Leiloha was a real highlight of the entire Marvel Team-Up run. 

Will Meugnoit, an artist in the "Good Girl" tradition gets a chance to draw the Widow in this nifty little adventure which has Spidey and her battle the obnoxious Owl. As always he's seeking revenge for his past defeats. The plot is from Marv Wolfman and the script is supplied by Roger McKenzie. 

Next up is a significant two-parter in which both Daredevil and the Widow join forces to help Spider-Man delve into the mystery of a murdered Pawn shop owner. In the first part featuring art by Ron Frenz Spidey and the Black Widow look into a street gang and seemingly solve the case before Spidey pops into a weird machine to disappear from NYC to fight the Secret Wars. DD takes over the lead when in the next issue Spidey is gone. The Widow sporting her short hair and new gray costume (thanks to Frank Miller fashions) is along for the ride in both issues. The new black-suited Spidey returns to wrap up the case. Bill Mantlo and Ron Frenz handle the first part while Tom DeFalco, Jim Owsley and Greg Laroque and Mike Esposito wrap it up in the second half. 

Sadly this collection closes out with three Black Widow stories from various issues of the weekly Marvel Comics Presents. The first is from issue eighty-three and has the Widow and Silve Sable on the prowl for the same culprit. The only thing to recommened about this blip of a story is the surprisingly attractive Rob Liefeld artwork. Fabian Nicieza supplies what little script there is. 

Form the seventieth issue we get a somewhat more substantive story in which the Widow has a small reunion with Darkstar, who now works for her Russian homeland. The madman The Presence sends his slave/mate Starlight (also called Red Guardian in this story) to collect these two for his impromptu harem of the flower of Russian womanhood. This despite the fact that  Darkstar might be his daughter. The story ends with Starlight failing her mission and thank goodness. The art for this one is a neat but uninspiring effort by Larry Alexander. 

This small but entertaining collection wraps up with a small story from Marvel Comics Presents issue ninety-three in a story written by Dan Slott and drawn by the late Dwayne Turner, in which the Widow teams up again with Daredevil and the two bring down some Hydra terrorists and defuse their bomb. They seem intent on doing the hard way. This story and the other MCP is less than impressive. Dwayne Turner's art always left me a bit disinterested I'm sad to say. I know he has his fans. 

The highlight of this collection is the four-part Marvel Team-Up tale with some of Sal Buscema's best work as inked by Steve Lehiloa. It was a highlight of the MTU run and for the Widow as well. More Black Widow tomorrow. 

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Black Widow - The Long Goodbye!

For this final part of the Black Widow's journey with Daredevil I have to resort to Essential Daredevil Volume 5. The logo of the Daredevil comic has returned to just featuring "The Man Without Fear" alone. The Widow's name was gone but she was not yet. It would some months but the signs are there that this partnership and romance are ont he rocks. 

Bob Brown is back on the pencils with Paul Gulacy supplying he inks. Steve Gerber is cueing up his next bit story and it turns out to be a doozy. Daredevil and Moondragon have seemed to be close and Natasha wants to know what Matt plans. He dodges the question but it's clear that his devotion to Natasha is waning. Matt gets a call that Foggy has been shot and heads off to NYC, but the Widow refuses to go, her enmity against Foggy still very much part of her. Moondragon offers DD a ride and at the same time gives him the brush off. Once in NYC Matt meets Foggy and his sister Candace who Matt hadn't before known about. Then the Beetle shows up to steal some government printing plates at the same time as some mysterious masked villains. DD knows little after the battle. 

The next issue showcases some weird crimes which have defaced national monuments with wicked stuff like carving Hitler's face onto Mount Rushmore. Then the soldiers of Black Spectre spill uncounted bills onto the streets to film for unknown purposes. At first it seems DD and the Beetle are both fighting on the same side but the latter proves unreliable. Black Widow runs up against a strange pale indestructible woman named Nekra. 

The next stop is Marvel Two-In-One #3 of all places. Gerber was writing this at the same time and this story with Sal Buscema artwork fits between these issues of Daredevil. DD and the Thing end up trying to invade the weird metal blimp used by the organization known as Black Spectre. They encounter the mysterious leader and tragically the Black Widow who has become his slave by a means yet unexplained. 

The next issue is drawn by Gene Colan and we learn that the Black Spectre soldiers are all women. This because the leader is The Mandrill, a mutant who can make slaves of nearly all women. We learn that he and Nekra were both born of the same radioactive accident. The Widow is still a slave and barely shows up in this one. 

Shanna the She-Devil has been a part of this storyline from the beginning and in issue #111 she takes Natasha's place in the logo design. DD faces off against the Silver Samurai who is a mercenary hired by Mandrill. Bob Brown draws this issue.

Gene Colan is back for the finale when DD and Shanna invade the aircraft and finally free Natasha from Mandrill's malign influence. Mandrill and his soldiers have dropped an idol on the front lawn of the White House and issued an ultimatum to the entire country that he will blow up NYC is his demands are not met. But the combine efforts of DD, Widow, and Shanna end the threat. Matt and Natasha seem to be back together, at least temporarily. 

Daredevil is on his own for the next three issues of the comic in which he battles the Death-Stalker in the Everglades and later in NYC itself. He is looking for Foggy's kidnapped sister Candace who has uncovered a project which seeks to make men into pollution-breathing creatures so that industry and such can continue unabated. This turns out to have military possibilities as well and so DD battles first the Gladiator then his mysterious employer. The Widow only shows up in a few pages, in this storyline, in San Francisco where she and Ivan reveal they have a problem which is weighing on them. Bob Bronw and Vinnie Colletta handle the art on this trilogy which also features the Man-Thing. 

Gene Colan returns as DD goes back to San Francisco to help the Widow. The duo seem still to love one another as they work together fight the Owl. The trouble is that Natasha's lease on her mansion has run out and both she and Ivan are living out of their car, albeit that auto is a Rolls Royce. 

Bob Brown returns for part two of this tale which sees the inevitable defeat of the Owl and also perhaps the end (sort of) of the Daredevil-Black Widow partnership. After all the action, the two say goodbye at the airport as Matt returns to NYC. It feels like the end of an era. But it's not quite. The script for this issue is by Chris Claremont for Steve Gerber's plot. 

When DD returns to NYC he immediately runs into trouble when the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime are back in town and up to their usual thieving ways. (How do these guys keep getting out of jail?) In this story by Gerry Conway and artist Don Heck with Vinnie Colletta inks we meet a new baddie named Blackwing who has an uncanny power over bats. The Circus if of course captures (they always are) but Blackwing escapes. More on him later. 

Tony Isabella is the new writer, and his debut is smashing. He has DD return to the boxing ring when he tries to help a young bantam weight fighter who wants to go heavyweight. He has found an unscrupulous scientist who has gotten access to the Crusher chemicals and applies them to his new charge. The transformation is brutal and it's all DD can do to survive, but not everyone does. It's dandy little story with some of Bob Brown's best work yet for Marvel under some Don Heck inks. We learn that the Black Widow will be returning to NYC in the next issue. 

The finale begins in Daredevil #120 when the Black Widow and Ivan return to NYC. The San Francisco adventure seems to be at an end. Natasha is upset when Matt takes her to a party given by Foggy Nelson who she has not forgiven for putting her on trial. She is on the verge of accepting his apology when El Jaguar and other Hydra agents appear to attempt to kidnap him. They fail. This four-part story was written by Tony Isabells and all four parts are drawn by Bob Brown with Vinnie Colleta inks. 

Nick Fury informs Foggy that SHIELD wants him to be on an advisory board to oversee the outfit's operations. We learn that Hydra has reformed under a new leader and we further learn that they have specific divisions to maximize their efficiency. They prove so efficient that when the Dreadnought leads another attack Foggy is captured. 

Turns out that Blackwing was a Hydra operative all along. He lures DD into a trap, but the Widow is most upset at being treated unlike an equal when DD heads off yet again. The two seem to be confirming with every encounter that their relationship, though full of mutual affection, is less sturdy than it ought to be.  Most of the problem is Matt's unwillingness to be fully honest. The Widow and DD talk and agree to work together. DD is caught while the Widow defeats El Jaguar. 

This great four-part tale wraps up with Daredevil and the Widow battling a gaggle of villains aligned with Hydra. Nick Fury and his SHEILD agents show up and a small war erupts in Shea Stadium under which is hidden the Hydra base. The new Supreme Hydra is a revived Silvermane and his son is Blackwing. After a bitter battle, Foggy is saved, Hydra is defeated though Silverman and Blackwing escape. The Daredevil-Black Widow partnership is about to end for good. 

In the first few pages of Daredevil #124 Black Widow and Ivan leave. Matt and Natasha say their goodbyes and the Widow says that despite their affections she will not live in DD's shadow as merely his sidekick. Matt is reluctant to accept the truth but has no choice. Natasha and Ivan leave and it's over. DD goes on to battle a villain from the past called Copperhead. Len Wein and Marv Wolfman write this issue with Wein handling the pages with the Widow. Bob Brown is joined by Klaus Jansen on inks. The logo will change with the very next issue when the Black Widow disappears from the book for good. 

Marvel is clearly wanting to build a little buzz around the Black Widow again by having her guest-star Marvel Two-In-One #10. Natasha even references this adventure when she talks to Matt about going solo again. I'll have more on this one later. 

Natasha's next stop will be The Campions. She may not have succeeded in going it alone, but this is a chance for her to prove her leadership skills as she takes the helm of this new Marvel team. Clearly Tony Isabella like writing the Widow and is the force behind The Champions. More on The Campions next week. Now some final thoughts. 

I have pleasant memories of the Daredevil and Black Widow partnership. I enjoyed the stories and the art for the most part. Reading them again though so many years later has given me some clarity. For one thing Matt Murdock behaves like an asshole an awfully lot in these stories. Despite the Widow's proven history of taking care of herself he constantly shuts her out and tries stupidly to protect her. He also is careless with their relationship, finding himself caught up with other women from time to time without really considering Natasha at all. He walks off to NYC rather abruptly when Foggy is hurt and stays for a very long time. She for her part refuses his help when he offers it especially in regard to finances. As far as I can tell he lived rent-free for many months because the Widow dropped a bundle on the mansion. Her later money woes are not Matt's responsibility, and he does offer to help, but he seems oddly ignorant of that side of the relationship. In other words, we got witness two people who had a complicated adult relationship that ultimately did not work out. Not bad for a funny book. 

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