Nick Fury Agent Of SHIELD - EMPYRE!

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD: Empyre is a 2000 novel by Will Murray for Marvel's then bustling novel series from Berkely Books and is a nifty addition to SHIELD lore. Murray is the perfect writer for this kind of material, a guy well versed in matters military and able to speak with confidence about specific weapons and their capabilities. Equally valuable is his ability to craft a fast-moving tale which is loaded with surprises as well as being steeped in lore from the long history of Nick Fury and his doughty agents. Under a lush Joe Jusko cover, this one is also graced with fascinating interior illustrations by famed SHIELD alumnus Jim Steranko. 

The story begins with Nick Fury in the midst of seeming combat which in classic SHIELD swerve style is actually a training mission. When Nick is called away, he is quickly caught up in a bizarre airplane disaster at the same as another airliner crashes on the deck of the Hellicarrier, SHIELD's floating mobile headquarters. When Nick is declared dead, things really begin to heat up, especially for new agent Starla Spacek who has been tapped to head up SHIELD's revived ESP Division. The enemy is out there, and it appears they can read minds. It appears the scheme is to use airplanes as weapons of war. When the action heads to the Middle East, there's a lot to suggest that writer Murray was a fortune-teller himself. And it's not entirely out of the question that Hydra might be rearing up one of its deadly heads. 

Each of the twenty-one chapters is graced with a Steranko image which begins as the word SHIELD and slowly but inevitably resolves into the mug of head honcho Nick Fury. Steranko is always good at giving us something different and this gimmick delivers in spades. To enjoy the art as well read the novel check out this work at the Internet Archive. 

This is a cracking novel, well told and brisk. This 2000 novel is tragically prescient in the use of passenger planes as weapons of destruction. I rather liked the evocation of classic Steranko stories when the villains wear "Scorpio" tattoos on their wrists. I don't think these are connected in anyway as far as I can tell, but it's a neat touch. Will Murray is a writer I have long admired for his work on Doc Savage, and there was a sequel planned for this novel. But alas it never came to pass. More's the pity. 

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Justice Has A New Face - Darkman!

When Sam Raimi couldn't get the rights to bring The Shadow to the big screen, he created his own shadowy crimefighter and dubbed him "Darkman". If any movie got me to fall in love with the particular style of a filmmaker, it was Darkman.

Darkman appealed to me from the get-go, coming out in the same summer as Warren Beaty's Dick Tracy was barnstorming the country. I often think of these two movies together, two films about tough crimefighters with distinctive and unusual approaches to movie storytelling, and it's always the gritty Darkman that wins the contest. Beaty's movie is fun and full of vibrant colors and some delicious characters, but its self-awareness is too on the nose, while Raimi keeps Darkman's roots blended well enough that they don't stand out immediately. Later you think of it, but not while you're watching it.

For the folks who might not know, I'll just say that Darkman is scientist Peyton Westlake, a guy who discovers a liquid skin compound that proves to be light sensitive, a miracle for modern medicine moments before he and his partner are supposedly slain by mob boss Robert Durant in a move to retrieve a memo Westlake's girlfriend and lawyer had left at his place. But Westlake doesn't die, though it seems to be the case. Instead, he has his nervous system destroyed by doctors to save him from intense agony which in turn seems to give him immense strength when anger overwhelms him. He has lost his identity and the burns to his face and hands in particular make it impossible he thinks to return to the life he once had. Using his skin compound to create lifelike masks of limited duration, Darkman fights Durant's thugs and attempts to bring down the criminal enterprise that killed his friend, threatens his girl, and destroyed his life.

That's a pretty nifty premise. And even though Darkman is a "superhero" origin tale, it works as a crackerjack adventure too. Raimi's storytelling is top-notch and at once efficient and effective and eccentric. Darkman has a great cast, with Liam Neeson as Westlake/Darkman, Francis McDormand as his girlfriend Julie, and Larry Drake leading the way as the outrageous villain Robert Durant.

The movie was deemed a failure in its theatre release, but was ultimately successful in the video aftermarket, and produced two sequels, both straight-to-video affairs. The first was titled Darkman: The Return of Robert Durant and revives the main baddie from the first movie for another go around with a property deal and the constant struggle between idealism and the demands of the ordinary world. The movie's action is not as specific as the first film, both for budgetary reasons I suspect and because Raimi only produces this one and doesn't direct. It's a diverting film, echoing much of what happened in the first one as many sequels are wont to do.

Arnold Vosloo (who would go on to become The Mummy) is Darkman this time and he does a pretty decent job in his pre-Mummy days. Larry Drake is back as Durant and dominates the screen with this over-the-top baddie. This movie feels too much a need to cleave to the original and that hampers what can happen. The movie in many ways attempts to recreate the first one beat for beat but with fewer dollars. It's not a smart way to go I think ever.

The second sequel is titled Darkman: Die Darkman Die and progresses the story quite a bit. Jeff Fahey is delightfully vile as the new baddie named Rooker, but this time we see the villain's family who apparently are largely unaware of his crimes. He is confronted by Westlake again played by Vosloo and this time a permanent solution to Darkman's problem is dangled in front of the viewer. What will our hero choose, a life in the shadows dedicated to fighting evil or will he take a chance to live his life fully as Westlake. It's not a bad story really, though it breaks down a bit in the end, there is surprising complexity in this actioner. Whatever its failings at least they tried some new things. Again, Raimi is merely the producer.

I don't know if I want more Darkman movies or not. If Raimi were to direct, I'd say for sure. But with other hands, the special nature of the hero is lost a bit. Darkman is a very tortured superhero, and in the original his battle is so visceral that you feel his agony more than a bit thanks to Neeson's dang good acting. He gives us a Westlake who is truly on the edge of madness. In later installments this aspect is diminished quite a bit, to the detriment of the overall impact of the stories.

But if you've by some chance never seen the Darkman movies, but all means give them a look. The trilogy can be had for pretty small money. The original just might be one of the best superhero movies made before the avalanche of such films we enjoy in the modern day. Thank goodness Raimi was denied the rights to the Shadow, so we could get Darkman. 

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Dojo Classics - The Paperbacks Of Mars!

During the 60's Robert K. "Bob" Abbett is the artist who defined Barsoom for the Ballantine paperback market. Abbett is well known not only for his paperback work, but even more for his wildlife paintings. Above is his artwork for the eleventh and final novel in the Martian series.

 

And here is his work for volumes nine and ten of John Carter's adventures. Below are the covers themselves in all their retro-glory.

 

And here's an alternate cover Abbott did for Thuvia of Mars which was deemed a bit saucier and was used in 1969. Given the over-the-top risque images I've seen of Dejah Thoris these days, this is a real blast from a different era and attitude.

 

The Abbett covers seem to be the ones Joe Jusko remembers as revealed in this painting for a cover of Dynamite's comic book series.

  Jusko is he artist who have been entrusted to supply new cover art for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Authoritative Editions currently spilling onto the market. 

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Tanks For The Memories!

Joe Jusko
Fred Ray
Here's an energetic homage by Joltin' Joe Jusko using a vintage Fred Ray Superman cover as inspiration.

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Overstreet Assembled!

"Mighty" Joe Jusko does a bang up job with this homage to "Big" John Buscema's classic Avengers cover from issue #58 of the Silver Age run for the upcoming The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. It's one of Buscema's best covers for the series, showing off his ability to draw the human form in action splendidly.


Here's Jusko's artwork minus the Overstreet Price Guide logos. He gets what Buscema was trying to do, keeping his figures caught in a split second of action.


And here's Buscema's original classic cover artwork. Note this captures Goliath in his brief red and blue costume just before he dropped that role and became Yellowjacket. I've always been partial to that look.




This cover has been used a few times on reprints of the classic stories of the Assemblers.

I didn't get an Overstreet last year, but I clearly need a copy of this fantastic bit of artwork.

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Go Go Superpro!

Joe Jusko
NFL Superpro is the sort of comic that gets no respect from the fanboys. And frankly there's a lot of reasons it shouldn't, but I remember this NFL tie-in comic with some kindness. I was in a full-on Marvel completist mode at the time it debuted, so I necessarily checked it out. I found that it was competently done, no less so than the myriad Spider-Man and Punisher books that littered the stands at the time, and it was drawn by a real hero of mine - Jose Delbo.

Jose Delbo
Delbo drew some dandy comics over the years for Dell and Gold Key and others. I first chanced upon his work on Charlton's Billy the Kid, and later noticed his professional line work at DC on things like Wonder Woman.

Jose Delbo & Dick Giordano
Delbo is one of those reliable pros who could tell a story with economy and skill, and who I'm guessing likely never missed a deadline. Seeing a guy like Delbo on any book is enough to make me give it a chance.

Was NFL Superpro a good comic book. Not really, but it was a diverting entertainment. I cannot imagine the "No Fun League" licensing such a project today.













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