Get Thee To A Rookery!

I was a Warren fan at just the right moment to latch onto The Rook by Bill DuBay and Luis Bermejo. As the collection notes, these are stories "from the pages of Eerie", a magazine which at this point in time shifting away from the one-off horror tales which had defined it as a younger version of Creepy. Eerie was giving the world offbeat heroes from across the span of space, time, and imagination, many with a decidedly anti-heroic nature. One of the good guys was Restin Dane, a handsome swashbuckling adventurer who just also happened to be a marvelous inventor and who became master of time travel.

(Gulacy's cover as published -- minus the fabulous details.)

The first stories of The Rook saga are far and away the best. In these stories, collected under an robust Paul Gulacy cover presented for the first time in all its detailed glory, we meet Restin and his ancestor Bishop Dane, his robot assistant Manners, and others who fill the rough and tumble adventures with heart and specific character. These stories have the whipsaw charm that time travel stories can deliver with twists and turns coming at a breakneck pace.

If you read no other Rook stories, read these presented in The Rook Archives Volume 1. These are the ones which fixed the character into the popular imagination. He would become arguably for a time Warren's most popular character and his run only ended when his creator Bill DuBay left Warren for other climes.

The second volume of The Rook Archives is quite good as we continue to follow the temporal-challenging adventures of Restin Dane and his cohorts. But the gloss is beginning to come off the creation just a bit. There is a certain formula which is settling in to the story telling which cuts against the freshness which had marked the earliest issues. Also attempts at comedy fall a bit short of hitting the mark and that always leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Among the highlights in this tome are a beautiful story drawn by the incomparable Alex Nino. Also quite strong is the final story entitled "Quarb and the Warball" which revives the uncanny sense of time travel  and also is based to some extent on fan ideas. Luis Bermejo does an absolute fantastic job on Bill DuBay's script.

The crossover with the Vampirella magazine is a focus of this volume and it's a perfectly good story, but not the best in the volume by any measure, save for the ability to look at the lovely Vampi and her associate Pantha.

With the third volume of The Rook Archives we see the end of the first phase of Rook adventures. Luis Bermejo leaves the strip and to my eye much of the charm which he brought to the characters especially the lovely ladies is lost. Stepping in to fill that void are capable artists like Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, and Jim Janes, but none of these captures the fragile essence of the Rook. We get instead stories which seem interchangeable in many sci-fi comics.

Also there becomes a fixed story telling notion that Restin Dane, the titular Rook will act alone while in a parallel story his elder Bishop Dane and his robot Manners travel lines that will ultimately intersect with the primary story, if not directly then thematically. Frankly it seems that after establishing the cast in the earliest stories, Bill DuBay doesn't quite know how to manage them all. He clearly wants to move on from the Alamo stories, but can't seem to drop the cast. The girls especially have almost nothing to do and disappear entirely in certain tales.

The advent of Lee Elias is a good move as his lush black lines go far to recall the Bermejo original artwork. But for most of this volume he  is not present. It's fun sci-fi with that specific Warren flavor, but nothing in these stories really says "Rook".

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Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Two!

In the second archive volume of Turok Son of Stone, we really begin to see the fullness of the characters and the setting become realized. While the artwork is still a tad lackluster compared to what the Aberto Giolitti studio will bring, it's more developed. What has really become a stunning element are the covers, but more on those later. While it seems true that Turok began as a series titled "Young Hawk", I've always seen Turok himself as a mature man and Andar much his junior in need of the mentoring that Turok's sober approach to the dangers of the Lost Valley provides. Turok never panics, even when confronted with massive deadly dinosaurs well earning his title of "Son of Stone". 

Under a grand cover the comic first featues a one-pager about the Brontosaurus. Writer Gaylord  Dubois and artist Bob Correa introduce a new character of sorts into the Turok clan in the shape of a tamed wolf named "Ski-Yu". Turok seems very pleased with his new ally though the people of the Caves with which the two Native Americans have been living are less pleased. So Turok and Andar move on to a new valley (there always seems to be a new valley) and a new tribe living in houses atop high mesas. We are treated to a new "Lotor" story as the wily racoon uses the back of a Triceratops to allow his family to escape the threat of a Dimetrodon. There's a text page about hunting Mammoths. The second story takes Turok and Andar into a deadly flooding river which they are able to use to turn back raiders who threaten the Mesa People. There's plenty of action dinosaurs battle one another in the raging waters. The comic closes with "The Story of Fire" done in one page. The back cover features the Dimetrodon. 

Beneath another exciting cover we get a one-page introduction to the Duckbill. Turok and Andar are still attempting to deal with the results of the great flood from the last issue. They build a raft and head over to the Mesa despite the threat of a deadly underwater dinosaurs to rescue the stranded Mesa People. It's a struggle to save everyone but they do. The next story features a Pteranadon and we get to see how this "flying dinosaur" lives up to its description. A one-page text piece describes the search for fire. Then Dubois and Correa show Turok and Andar enter yet another canyon where Turok is able to capture a horse for his own use. He names the horse "Wind Racer". Ski-Yu the wolf is still around but he seems to be taken for granted as if Correa drew him in after Dubois left him out of the script. We learn a lot about Turok as he actually gets free of the valley, but Andar is unable to join him and so Turok returns to the deadly territory of the dinosaurs and so much more. The comic closes with a one-pager on ancient tools. 

I would argue that the immense success of Turok owes at least as much if not more to the stupendous covers by Mo Gollub such as the one above which is my all-time favorite image of Turok and Andar as they prepare to face off against a deadly Dimetrodon. The stories inside lack attribution in the Grand Comic Database at least in terms of writer but the artist is Ray Bailey. The comic begins with a one-page history of the horse. Then we follow Turok and Andar as they actually battle the Dimetrodon on the cover. Andar is injured and Turok needs shelter for the young man so his leg can heal. So he bids farewell to Wind Racer (Ski-Yu is nowhere to be seen) and he and Andar try to get access to a cave but are blocked by a scared tribe. The tribe observe them and are curious and the two are able to get into safety though there is much strife when Turok uses fire to save the tribe from invaders. A feature called "Young Earth" debuts and we follow the misadventures of a Plesiosaur as it avoids threat. There is a text piece about a brave man who fights a sabre-tooth tiger. Then Turok and Andar find a tribe who live in trees but that's dangerous and they eventually convince them to seek the safety of caves. 

This image of Turok and Andar is a definitive one. The drama is stunning as the two braves are caught between a monster and the fires behind them. They have only spears to defend themselves but appear stalwart and resolute. I love how Turok is shown here, clearly a man in his thirties and not someone you'd call a youth though the text still does inside sometimes. He's protecting Andar, though Andar is prepared to fight as well. This is one of Mo Gollub's finest.

I first encountered the image on the cover of a Golden Comics Digest, one of my favorite Turok books. This image, even shrunk to digest size has the power to make you imagine you are there standing alongside Turok and Andar as they face down the threats. They are not fighting but like all brave people they are prepared to stand by one another. It's a delightful and important lesson. 

Under another incredibly dramatic Mo Gollub cover we begin with a one-page piece on the Coelacanthus. The lead Turok story is by an unknown writer and artist Ray Bailey. The duo are up against a deadly Triceratops who is hunting them relentlessly. To escape and find food Turok, Andar and a caveman named Alg slip out and set a trap. But Turok and Andar have to contend with a jealous Alg as well as the dinosaur. The second story has our heroes meet up with a tribe who worship a diety who supposedly exists in a bog. But Turok discovers it is actually deadly quicksand and the tribe is starving to give offerings to a god who isn't really there. The text story introduces us to Ignoo the terrible a deadly T-Rex who is defeated by a lone caveman named Gothar. "The Young Earth" feature focuses on a Notharctus an early mammal trying to live in a world ruled by giant dinosaurs. The comic closes with a one-page look at early cave man sculpture. 

Paul S. Newman takes up the writing chores with Ray Bailey still on art. After a one page look at a bird called the Hesperornis who lives beneath the water, the main story takes Turok and Andar into a strange junlgle that seems intent on eating them. They find a tribe stranded inside and together find a way to freedom. "The Meeting" is a one-page text story about a caveman named Ug-Kur who has lost all the members of his tribe and is able to find some friends at long last. "The Young Earth" tells the story of Stegocephal, an early amphibian just learning to live in that bit of land between the waters. Turok and Andar find themselve battling superstition when a caveman has convinced his peers that they can only hunt animals he first draws on the walls of the cave. Turok doesn't pay attention to this and eventually shows the tribe the truth. 

I first came across this great Mo Gollub artwork in a Gold Key Turok Son of Stone Giant Comic reprint from 1966. 

The final comic in this archive edition features another outstanding Mo Gollub cover, very dramatic. Inside there is a new artist to illustrate the scripts by Paul S. Newman. The artist is Lee Elias, a fave of mine and he does a dandy job here telling first the story of "The Conqueror". This is another Native American who finds his way into the lost valley, but this guy named Gurai looks remarkably like Germonimo and seems quite warlike. He wants to conquer the tribes of the valley but Turok and Andar stand in his way and despite several schemes they are able to stop him and though he escapes back up top no one will believe his tales of giant monsters. Saba the Mighty is a sabre-tooth tiger who meets his match when a caveman is able to bring him down in a one-page text story. "The Young Earth" tells the story of how the Archaeopterykx first learned to fly. In the second Turok story the pair find themselves on an island with few resources and among a tribe who don't know how to better themselves so they hide in the ground. Turok and Andar convince them to build weapons and tools from the bones of the dinosaurs around them and they are able to build rafts to get to the mainland where there are resources. The comic closes with a one-pager on cave art. 

In these stories it seems the focus shifts for Turok and Andar and they are less concerned with seeking escape as finding a home in these canyons which seem to roll on forever and offer endless threats. They meet and work with people and always try to work to make the life of everyone better. More next week. 

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Omega The Unknown!

After the demise of the Man-Thing comic, Steve Gerber was still operating on all cylinders and his most famous follow-up was Howard the Duck, the creation for which he is most remembered today. But at the same time that he kicked off Howard's meteoric career he launched another series titled Omega the Unknown, with the help of Mary Skrenes and veteran artist Jim Mooney. In point of fact this is the comic most like Man-Thing featuring the same artist and writer team and presenting a protagonist who is mute and unusually susceptible to his surroundings. Omega the Unknown is a comic which lives up to its title and is rather inscrutable even today. 

The story begins on a distant alien planet where the enigmatic figure who will be called Omega the Unknown battles against an armada of invading sentient robots. His world seems destroyed but he is able to escape. On Earth a young boy named James Michael Starling is roused by his parents and they leave their home but a car wreck ends with the boy orphaned and his parents seemingly having been robots all along. Quickly he finds himself in hospital where his unusual nature arouses the curiosity of the doctor and nurses. The same robots that invaded Omega's planet have followed him to Earth and now they attack the boy but Omega's timely intervention saves the day, though weirdly the boy is able to fire beams of his own in his defense. There is clearly a connection between James Michael and Omega. 

In the second issue things heat up as James Michael gets used to life outside his parents isolated home and Omega has to confront the fury of the Hulk. Omega also meets an old man who takes him in and calls him "Sam". 

Electro had acquired one of the alien robots that had followed Omega to Earth and he tries to get Omega to help him with reviving it. James Michael moves in with Ruth, his former nurse and her roommate Amber who is a streetwise photographer for the Daily Bugle. 

The complexities of public school afflict James Michael and some of his new friends who have to navigate savage bullies and incompetent teachers. Gerber's lack of respect for traditional education permeates much of these early issues of James Michael's life. 

Omega for his part comes into conflict with El Gato, a local warlock of sorts and crime boss. Despite some shape-changing qualities on his opponent's part, Omega still wins the day. 

The brutality of life for the elderly gets a highlight when the savage Wrench mugs old women and men for their cash. Omega is at last able to stop him, but not before some dies. 

One of James Michael's friends is brutally beaten and his life hangs by a thread. On the Omega front the Blockbuster, a villain from Captain America's magazine shows up to raise a ruckus. Omega gets public criticism when he fails to stop the villain from robbing a bank, though Omega does save lives. 

Omega finds himself in battling Captain Marvel villain Nitro in a story by Roger Stern and Lee Elias. 

Omega finishes his fight with Blockbuster though the intervention of a villain called Foolkiller creates new problems. 

In the final issue of the run James Michael's friend dies of his injuries and is buried. After the funeral James Michael decides it's best to leave town and along with his friend Dian. They head back to the boy's home. Omega battles against Ruby Thursday and her demon Dibbuk, but events unfold in such a way that he is shot and seemingly killed by police. And with that the series closes with a promise of more secrets revealed in issues of The Defenders. 

When the story finally shows up in the pages of the The Defenders the writer is Steven Grant and the artist is Herb Trimpe. Valkyrie and Hellcat with the assistance of the Wasp assist Ruth and Amber along with Rory to find James Michael and Dian. Meanwhile Omega is not exactly recovering from his wounds all that well. 

In the frand finale Moondragon shows up to fix things somewhat and we learn at long last that the alien robots are actually the makers of both Omega and James Michael. Each was a progressively improved model of being in which the doomed aliens hoped to invest the welfare of their dying race. But the plan was messed over when Omega came to Earth and triggered the events that forced James Michael to activate his powers sooner than expected. His powers are staggering and it is only the intervention of Moondragon and the Defenders that James Michael comes to finally understand his dangerous nature and or the sake of his friends destroys himself. But as the story closes Moondragon takes both his body and Omega's are dropped off in space heading into the sun. 

With solid but sadly sometimes unexciting work by the totally professional Jim Mooney this book has a visual style that feels at odds with its offbeat themes. If the intent was to create an utterly realistic setting in "Hell's Kitchen" for the characters to boil in it fails a bit in that the environment doesn't look really any different from generic NYC which adorns most Marvel books of the era. Gerber and Skrenes start the ball rolling with a very subtly done first issue but never recapture that magic as the strip gets burdened by too much of the traditional new-Marvel superhero trapping such as recognizable villains and guest-stars. This book needed really to exist outside or at a distance from the MU to be fully effective. Still it's an interesting read, if you're prepared for the sudden stop. 

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It's Just Too Damn Hot!

It's July and it's just too damn hot to fool with themes this month, so you all will be treated to another catch-as-catch-can month at the Dojo -- full of movie reviews I suspect and other things which catch my devilish interest as the precious days of summer dwindle before the start of yet one more school year.

I've been absorbing lots of dandy movie serials and I well suspect you'll see evidence of that here. But mostly I'll just inside, hugging my precious air conditioning and being glad I'm not outside in the blistering sun.

Could be worse I reckon. I could be in Europe! God bless you folks across the pond and I  hope you all can cool breeze as the planet wreaks its revenge upon us all.

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Sojourns!

I'm not sure when my consciousness became aware of Joe Kubert's remarkable publication Sojourn. Likely is was when it was first available in the late 70's. It was a time when comic book men were looking for new ways to ply their craft and make connections with audiences who would pay the piper to get good material. Guys like Kubert, Doug Wildey, Lee Elias, John Severin, Dick Giordano, and Sergio Aragones always seemed to be looking for outlets which gave them the ability to stretch beyond the severe limits of the newsstand comic book pamphlet.

In Sojourn, a tabloid-sized publication which defied the expectations and alas the demands of the newsstand these talents and others found a momentary outlet for something slightly different. Kubert revived again in his 50's creation Tor, Wildey gave us T.C. Race a detective of sorts, Giordano with writer Mary Skrenes dabbled in science fiction with something titled "The Smooth", Severin gave us "The Eagle" a western from the native perspective (this one was actually reprinted later by Warren), Elias offered up "Kronos" an adventure yarn and Aragones presented "T.C. Marrs", a another detective in his own distinctive style. There's other stuff too such asart by a young Stephen Bissette.

Sojourn was a failed experiment, lasting only issues. But I've always wanted to sample them first hand and a few days ago I found them both in nifty shape for an exceedingly nifty price. Nearly all of these grand talents have passed on, but here are two experimental publications which give them elbow room to showcase their talent. They are over-sized and difficult to store, but I'm glad to have them at long last, see what my imagination only dreamed of so many decades ago.

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The Rook Archives - Volume Three!

With the third volume of The Rook Archives we see the end of the first phase of Rook adventures. Luis Bermejo leaves the strip and to my eye much of the charm which he brought to the characters especially the lovely ladies is lost. Stepping in to fill that void are capable artists like Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, and Jim Janes, but none of these captures the fragile essence of the Rook. We get instead stories which seem interchangeable in many sci-fi comics.

Also there becomes a fixed story telling notion that Restin Dane, the titular Rook will act alone while in a parallel story his elder Bishop Dane and his robot Manners travel lines that will ultimately intersect with the primary story, if not directly then thematically. Frankly it seems that after establishing the cast in the earliest stories, Bill DuBay doesn't quite know how to manage them all. He clearly wants to move on from the Alamo stories, but can't seem to drop the cast. The girls especially have almost nothing to do and disappear entirely in certain tales.

The advent of Lee Elias is a good move as his lush black lines go far to recall the Bermejo original artwork. But for most of this volume he  is not present. It's fun sci-fi with that specific Warren flavor, but nothing in these stories really says "Rook".

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Hero And Villain In One Day!

This seems like the perfect day to dig out this wonderful DC Showcase volume starring the one and only Eclipso, the character who cannot make up his mind if he's a villain or a hero.

For sure this was a stranger than usual premise, a man overcome by the magical power of a mystic gem triggered by eclipses which transformed him utterly into a being of great power. What he did with that power was an open question. Created for the House of Secrets by the wildcard writer of DC Bob Haney, this character was illustrated by great pros like Lee Elias, Alex Toth and Jack Sparling.  If you haven't sampled some Eclipso, take a snort, it's pretty tasty. Here is my review from the prehistoric days of the Dojo.

(This issue is not in the collection, but I love the Gil Kane cover.)

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