The Big Freeze!

Irv Novick

It got pretty dang cold in the Dojo this month. After over forty years of faithful service, my furnace gave up the ghost in the midst of a particularly nasty cold snap. To show that I've come to appreciate warmth more and more, let me take a look at some frosty villains. 

Mr. Freeze might be the most famous icy rogue since his arch-nemesis is the Batman, one of the most famous characters in world history. Freeze has been re-designed a few times, and to be honest they've been improvements over the rather basic look seen above, though this remains one of my favorite bat-covers.

Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella

Captain Cold is a charter member of Flash's infamous Rogues Gallery. The exquisite design by Carmine Infantino remains perhaps my favorite costume of any baddie, at least at DC. They've screwed around with it in the modern day, and created something far less distinctive and much less memorable.

Irwin Hasen
 

One of the first cold villains was The Icicle who would ultimately end up battling the Justice Society and later the Justice League in those iconic JLA-JSA crossovers. Here we see his first appearance banging it out with the original Green Lantern.

Harry G. Peter

Another Golden Age icy villain was Minister Blizzard who appeared in an early issue Wonder Woman. I love this action scene.

Jack Kirby and Don Heck

Marvel had some frosty baddies too, the first of which was the appropriately named Jack Frost who took on Iron Man when Shellhead was still truly the "Golden Avenger". Frost is icy enough in this debut, but a little indistinct.

Ed Hannigan and Frank Giacoia

Fashion though was a highlight when Jack Frost updated both his look and adopted a new name later in the Marvel Age. Blizzard is the same character, but with nifty costume and some amped-up icy firepower.

Charles Nicolas

But Jack Frost was not the first to use that name at Marvel. When the company was just Timely they had a hero by that monicker in USA Comics, who later showed up in the Bronze Age as part of the Liberty Legion.

Ron Lim and Danny Bulanadi

Many moons later Captain America battled this particular Jack Frost who had been...ahem...on ice for several decades by the point.

Jack Sparling

And for the record Harvey Comics had another hero named "Jack Frost", specifically Jack Q. (Q for Quick) Frost.

Al Milgrom

Perhaps the most exciting cold-hearted baddie of recent memory is Killer Frost who debuts fighting Firestorm. From the beginning it seemed clear she was more than Ronnie Raymond could handle in all sorts of ways. She's one villain who ain't afraid to stack up the bodies.

Jim Aparo

The Cryonic Man was pretty unfeeling too, since his gig was stealing organs and preserving them. Batman and Outsiders battled this frosty wingnut.

Steve Ditko and Rocke Mastroserio

A personal favorite villain of mine is the Fiery-Icer, a baddie who battled the somewhat de-powered Captain Atom in the waning day of his Charlton career. The Firey-Icer could, as his name suggests, come with flames from one hand and ice from the other. It was a strong visual power, ideal for comics.

Bob White

Less impressive, but no less memorable is The Ice Cube who battled Captain Pureheart and the other Riverdale superheroes. His block-headed appearance made him stand out in a gang of baddies, many of whom didn't distinguish themselves.

Gil Kane and Mike Esposito

Here's a great cover showcasing the classic battle between the Fantastic Four's Human Torch and the X-Men's Iceman. They teamed up and battled one another several times, which was logical enough. This time though Equinox, the Thermodyamic Man was added, a villain who had both fire and ice powers which seemed to flow through him like waves. It crosses my mind that Martinex of the Guardians of the Galaxy has somewhat similar powers in that he can bring forth both heat and cold from his crystal hands.

Frank Miller

And finally here's a tasty treat. The Icemaster debuted in this Hostess Fruit Pie ad, drawn by Frank Miller no less. He was a delicious bit of nostalgia until Kurt Busiek decided to make him an official part of the Marvel Universe in one of his always-superb Thunderbolts comics.

That's a dandy clutch of cold-hearted crumbs, perfect for a cold day. But today it's warm in the Dojo. 

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Batman - Tales Of The Demon!

A hero is often measured by the quality of his enemies, and few heroes have as varied and dangerous an array of foes in his or her rogues gallery than the Batman. Most were added to the roster in the Golden Age such as the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and the Catwoman. These baddies and others bedeviled the Batman for decades, but in the early years of the Bronze Age of Comics a new name is added to the roster -- Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head. 

We first hear of the Demon's Head in in Detective Comics #411 the story "Into the Den of the Death-Dealers" by Denny O'Neil and artist Bob Brown and Dick Giordano. In that tale the Batman pursues a villain named Dr. Darrk who is accompanied by a beautiful young woman named Talia. The chase takes Batman to Asia where finds his prey on a train. A battle goes poorly for Batman and he ends up in a dungeon with Talia tending to him and who has taken off his mask. Talia has been kidnapped by Darrk and the Batman must fight a deadly battle to rescue the two of them. Talia tells Batman who she is and who her father is. Like any great villain we hear about him before he enters the stage. 

And then in a blockbuster titled "Daughter of the Demon" in Batman #232 we meet Ra's al Ghul for the first time in a story by O'Neil and artists Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. (Giordano's inks are to a great extent the glue that holds this epic together visually.) Robin is kidnapped and Ra's al Ghul appears to tell Batman (he knows he's Bruce Wayne) that Talia too has been taken. He wants to join forces with the great detective to save them both. The trail is a wild and dangerous one and takes them across the globe until they end up in the Himalayas. But ultimately Robin is rescued. and Batman learns the truth about Ra's al Ghul's motives, as well as those of Talia. She wants him for a husband. 

The cover for Batman #232 is one of best by Neal Adams and that's saying something. Above you can see how the great artist arranged to have Ra's al Ghul's face loom down on the Dynamic Duo. 

In the story "Swamp Sinister" in Batman #235 the Demon returns, this time seemingly having suffered a head wound when one of his scientists stole a chemical which if used improperly will cause a deadly plague. Talia is already in search of the scientist, but Ra's was unable to tell her all of the depth and complexity of the problem, so he comes to Batman with the additional information about the plague. O'Neil joins forces with Irv Novick and Dick Giordano to deliver this one. Adams and Giordano supply a great cover once again. 

Neal Adams and Dick Giordano are also the artists for the cover of Batman #240. The story in this one titled "Vengeance for a Dead Man" by O'Neil, Novick and Giordano once again. In this story a dead body of a scientist appears with its brain gone. Batman's search to get to the bottom of the crime leads brings him into conflict with Talia and Ra's al Ghul who also seek the man. But finding the killer doesn't answer the question about the brain. Batman has to solve that grisly mystery as well. 

Mike Kaluta is the artist for the cover of Batman #242. This kicks off a fantastic three-part tale that makes Ra's al Ghul an immortal...literally. The story in this one titled "Bruce Wayne - Rest in Peace" by writer O'Neil and artists Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. The story begins with news of Bruce Wayne's death in a plane wreck over a distant jungle. This frees Batman up to pursue Ra's al Ghul but not before he gathers a team to help him. He seeks a criminal named Matches Malone, a scientist named Doctor Harris Blaine, and Ling, a trained assassin who formerly worked for the Demon but becomes bound to Batman since the hero saved his life. 

The battle against Ra's al Ghul comes to a head in the second part in Batman #243, written by O'Neil and drawn by the Adams and Giordano team. The story titled "The Lazarus Pit" with the Batman's "team" heading to the Himalayas to confront Ra's al Ghul where they are joined by professional skier Molly Post. This group invades the headquarters of the Demon in a terrific battle, but they arrive to find that Ra's al Ghul is dead. Taking Talia into custody they depart, but then we see the Demon's body enter the Lazarus Pit for the first time and he is revived in a spectacular series of comic book pages. 

The story comes to its amazing conclusion in Batman #244 in the story "The Demon Lives Again". Ra's is super-powered when he confronts Batman and his squad and defeats them easily. Both Ling and Molly are injured. The Batman then alone follows the trail to the Arabian desert where he confronts Ra's al Ghul in a deadly swordfight. But nature and a scorpion intervene. And then love takes a hand. In one of the best climactic scenes, I've ever read, the Batman does prevail but at some cost. Of this entire run of stories, the only ones I happened to buy off the stands at the time was the very first issue of Detective Comics and this final issue of the confrontation with Ra's al Ghul. Even so this story's power was evident. Reading them through is as exciting for me as reading comic books gets. 

We skip ahead in time to 1978 and the DC Special Series which sports a lovely cover by Walt Simonson. Inside we get art by Michael Golden for a story written by Denny O'Neil titled "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife". In this one Batman gets knocked out and taken aboard Ra's al Ghul's yacht which goes into international waters where he presides over a makeshift wedding between Batman and Talia. (The groom does not have to agree for it to be legal apparently.) Ra's al Ghul's larger scheme is to use strange technology to make the citizens of Gotham sluggish and sleepy and then used large equipment to rob various vaults. 

Then Batman must get to the bottom of a tragic crime in Detective Comics issues #485, #489 and #490. That is the murder of Kathy Kane, the first Batwoman at the hands of the League of Assassins. Don Newton supplies the atmospheric artwork for these three stories which are featured on two of the three issues involved.  It seems Ra's al Ghul is trying to get control of the League of Assassins and suggested to the Sensei that Kathy Kane was a threat to the League in some way. He then warns Batman of the threat to Kane's life, but Batman is too late. He then seeks to solve the underlying crime and survive multiple attacks by the members of the League. These stories are also notable in that they feature the debut of the Bronze Tiger, formerly known as Ben Turner in the pages of Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter. 

The original early 1970's stories have been collected and recollected over the years by DC. Beginning in 1977 with a handsome Limited Collectors' Edition C-51 featuring the stories with Neal Adams artwork. 

Then the saga was collected again in 1988 in The Saga of Ra's al Ghul, a four-part prestige limited series which features new covers by Jerry Bingham and a brand-new cover by Neal Adams for the fourth installment. These comics also contain stories by Adams not connected to the Batman. 

A trade collection lands in Batman Tales of the Demon from 1991. This one sports a handsome cover by Brian Stelfreeze. 

In 2016 we get a Showcase Presents volume which offers up the stories on economical black and white. 

In more recent years, facsimile editions of key stories in the series have been published including most recently a juicy reprint of the Limited Collectors' Edition.  I'm sure I'm missing some, as this story is a hugely popular one and well worth the time of anyone who even once considered themselves a Batman fan. It's likely my favorite Batman story. 

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The Clown Prince Of Crime!

The Joker is likely the most famous villain in all of comics. Thanos got a fantastic boost from his key role in the Marvel movies, but even that doesn't counteract the fame the Joker got from his TV show appearances played by Casear Romero, his first movie appearance portrayed by Jack Nicholson, and the mesmerizing second coming presented by Heath Ledger. The Joker even has his own movie. And once upon a time, he had his own Bronze Age comic book. Let's take a walk down memory lane with the Clown Prince of Crime. 

The popularity of Batman's number one nemesis the Joker is proven when DC saw fit to give the "Clown Prince of Crime" is own ongoing series. DC already had tried Secret Society of Super-Villains and Marvel had Marvel Super-Villain Team-Up, but this time one bad guy got the top billing. In the first issue under a handsome Dick Giordano cover, the team of Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick and Giordano bring us "The Joker's Double Jeopardy" in which he and Two-Face both escape from Arkham Asylum and contend with one another to prove who is the better baddie. They both get recaptured, so I guess it's still up for grabs. 

Then the Joker is busted out by Willie the Weeper who seeks advice from the smiling villain about he can stop crying so much when he commits a crime. The two team up to steal some platinum and it's a wild scheme with a barrage of double-crosses. This one is titled "The Sad Saga of Willie Weeper" and was written by O'Neil, with art by Novick and inker Jose Luis Garcia-Lozpez. Ernie Chan's cover is a powerful one. Two Arkham guards who get fired for letting the Joker escape are in this story. They are Benny Khiss and Marvin Fargo. 

Chan steps in as artist with help from inker Garcia-Lopez for the story 'The Last Ha-Ha" in which the Joker has to contend with The Creeper. This one was written by O'Neil and features as fantastic cover by Giordano. I should mention the Joker has a regular hide-out called the Ha-Hachienda. 

In "A Gold Star for the Joker" the mirthful murderer travels to Star City where he kidnaps Dinah Lance because he's smitten with her and decides he must either marry her or kill her. Green Arrow of course gets involved in this story by Elliot Maggin featuring pencils by Garcia-Lopez and inks by Vinnie Colletta. Ernie Chan supplies the cover. Dinah never becomes Black Canary in this issue for reasons I will never understand. One would've thought seeing the Canary in the Joker's clutches would've garnered more fan interest. Why would they pass up a chance to show off those fishnets baby?

Under another Chan cover we find a convoluted story titled "The Joker Goes Wilde" by writer Marty Pasko. Irv Novick returns as penciller with Tex Blaisdell on inks. With one exception this will be the art team for the balance of the nine-issue run. The story has the Joker contending with the Royal Flush Gang to get possession of a legendary painting which supposedly points the way to riches. Venerable science fiction writer Alfred Bester is given some credit for having something to do with the story, but it's not clear what. I assume the story references in some a story Bester wrote for DC in the Golden Age, but this is never spelled out. 

Denny O'Neil and Novick and Blaisdell are back for "Sherlock Stalks the Joker" under a clever cover by Chan. When an actor named Clive Sigerson is knocked on the noggin during one of the Joker's heists, he thinks he's the real Sherlock Holmes and dedicates himself to tracking down the cackling prince of crime. The yarn is filled with puns which call back to classic stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a goofy romp, ideal for the Joker's series. 

DC was on a Sherlock Holmes thing because a few months earlier they'd put out a Sherlock Holme de facto one-shot. Maybe this story was a way to embed Holmes into the DCU, though actually that had been done decades earlier by Gardner Fox. 

Superman's arch-nemesis and former Joker partner Lex Luthor shows up in "Luthor - You're Driving Me Sane" by O'Neil, Novick and inker Frank McLaughlin. The cover is by Chan. The Joker and Lex Luthor exchange personalities when the Joker interrupts one of Lex's attempts to gain control of Green Lantern's ring. Hal Jordan makes a one-panel cameo. Needless to say, neither of them is happy though Lex does seem to use the opportunity unleash some of his darker aspects. 

Maggin, Novick and Blaisdell team up to give us "The Scarecrow's Fearsome Face-Off" in which the two Batman villains battle it out under another slick Chan cover. When the Joker impersonates the Scarecrow in a crime, the latter is annoyed and seeks vengeance. Eventually the two manipulators of emotion face off. This issue gives names to a trio of young men who have been the Joker's entourage in the latter part of the series. The are Southpaw, Tooth, and Sonny November who alas doesn't make through this issue. 

The same creative team of Maggin, Novick, Blaisdell, and Chan wrap up the series when Catwoman shows up in "The Cat and the Clown". The series wraps up as both the Catwoman and the Joker attempot to kidnap Benny Springer and his cat Hiawatha. Springer proves to be a worthy adversary for both the Bat-villains as the story rumbles along. The Joker kills a good number of folks in this series, though I don't have an exact number. For all the hijinks and general light-heartedness of the series his deadly nature is never forgotten. It's not really a spoiler to say that the Joker is back in Arkham as he was when the series started. We all know it's only a matter of time. 

And that's a wrap. Tomorrow stuff not about the Joker. Be sure to check out all three of today's posts, and I sincerely hope your April Fool's Day has been a dandy! No Foolin'!

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