Thunderbolt - Gore The Man-Ape!

Thunderbolt #52 is dated June 1966. It again features artwork by Pete Morisi, then going under his famous pseudonym of P.A.M. He is also credited as the creator and the writer of this comic. In addition, he did the cover of course. 

Special Case Number 0003 from T-Bolt's Personal Files is titled "Gore the Man-Ape". After a brief two-panel reprise of T-Bolt's origin the story begins with a newsboy announcing the disappearance of some scientists. A quick cut to the secluded mansion owned by Peter Cannon and we find Peter and Tabu discussing the case. During a brisk boxing bout, they debate whether Peter should again don his Thunderbolt togs and check into the situation. Peter declines and knocks Tabu down in the process. Afterwords Peter sets off alone in a launch for a vacation on the ocean. The scene shifts to a remote island where a ship is delivering three people to a man named Eric Gore. These are the missing scientists who mistakenly believe they are to assist Gore in his work, but find themselves prisoners instead. Gore demonstrates the futility of escape by showing that he has a small army of apes to do his bidding and that he controls the apes so completely because he himself has an ape's hand. Peter Cannon meanwhile finds himself in a storm and has to make an emergency landing on the very same island. He is going about making preparations for his unexpected stay when a gorilla named Gon-Da knocks him out from behind. He awakes in the headquarters of Eric Gore and is told pretty much that he too is a prisoner. Gore explains how he was working on some advanced skin-grafting techniques when an explosion left him without a left hand. He found in his exploded lab an expiring ape and he uses that ape's paw to replace his own missing mitt. 

That graft changes Gore, giving him more ferocious thoughts and drives him to create his lair in this remote island and plot to get power for himself. His changed nature though makes him an acceptable leader for the apes on the island and he finds he has his own savage army of loyal followers. "July 27th" tells of an animal trainer in a circus who has a precognitive dream about losing control of his animals and coming under their control. He convinces his wife they need to leave the circus and do so. But the mysterious dream ended with the date July 27. Later it is revealed that the circus burned to the ground on that very date. Gore then goes on to explain that he is using the skills of the kidnapped scientists to further his scheme to use germ warfare to conquer all of mankind. He demonstrates the lethal nature of his weapons. Peter attacks the madman and runs out of the compound. Gore does not pursue him, rather he plots to kill the captured scientists who have refused to aid him in his schemes. Peter runs back to the beach and finds an emergency kit that Tabu had prepared for him and in it he finds his Thunderbolt costume. He puts it on and goes to rescue the scientists held by Gore. He finds the scientists in an arena where the mad Gore plans to unleash his apes on them. As the apes attack, Thunderbolt appears and takes up the challenge of the arena. Using his skills and training Thunderbolt battles the apes and then confronts Gore who goes back on his bargain that a victory would buy their freedom. This causes his apes to turn on him, and he escapes. T-Bolt tells the scientists to go to the beach and his boat which is stranded on the reef while he pursues Gore. In a final showdown T-Bolt confronts Gore who has gotten to a shock gun which he uses on the hero. Reaching down to his core, Thunderbolt is able to overcome the power of the weapon and he knocks out Gore. A fire erupts in the lab and Gon-Da the ape goes in and rescues one of the men. It turns out to be Thunderbolt he saves just as the lab explodes. Leaving the apes behind on the island T-Bolt returns to his boat and he and the scientists leave the island. Back in his mansion he discusses the events with Tabu before settling down to watch a movie which Tabu suggests must deal with "oriental royalty and adventure". The movie is King Kong. 

"Judomaster's Self-Defense" is a three-page feature narrated by Judomaster. It is written and drawn by Frank McLaughlin and focuses on "Ouchigari" an inside leg reap and "Tomoenage" a stomach throw. 

Great issue of Thunderbolt. Eric Gore is a worthy opponent, and it takes all of T-Bolts effort to defeat him. This half-man/half-beast is well presented by Morisi, and the notion that the ape's paw makes him savage is an interesting notion, though the story itself seems to suggest that Gore's savagery has less to do with his ape qualities and more to do with his human ones. The nature of Tabu gets more defined too as he seems clearly at this point to be Peter Cannon's conscience, encouraging the reluctant man to take up the role of hero and do good for his fellow men. I overlooked this Judomaster installment when I did my overview of that series, and I'm happy to correct that now. Thunderbolt and Judomaster both feature one another in their books during this summer of 1965, a neat bit of cross promotion. 

To read the complete comic book use this link. 

The baddie in this issue, Eric Gore was featured in The Legion of Regrettable Super Villains by Jon Morris. 

 More Thunderbolt to come. 

 Rip Off

Thunderbolt - The Evil That Is Evila!

The second issue of Thunderbolt is actually numbered #51. It's Volume 3 of the title formerly known as Son of Vulcan which itself had been known for most of its run as Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds. That the former title was Son of Vulcan is indicated in the indicia, not always something that happened. The book is dated March-April 1966. The story and art are by Thunderbolt's creator Pete Morisi at this time operating under the pseudonym P.A.M. Special Case Number 0002 from Thunderbolt's Personal Files is titled "The Evil that is Evila!". 

After a one-page reprise of T-Bolt's origin, the story begins properly in the Himalayas in the lamasery where Peter Cannon was trained. The Hooded One is being chastised and cast out of the lamasery because of his criminal behavior. As he leaves, he reflects how he had originally earned the right to study the Ancient Scrolls for an act of heroism where he carried an unexploded bomb from a crashed aircraft away. He was severely injured, losing part of his face which is the reason he hides it behind the hood. He also indicates that he had begun some limited study of the Ancient Scrolls before Cannon supplanted him. The Hooded One returns to his Ice Cave, a weird place filled with frozen dinosaurs in the bowels of an extinct volcano. There he plots and plans to revive the Princess Evila, sorceress of the Nile. Meanwhile at a museum far away Professor Henry Karl has called in two experts to help him to identify a sarcophagus recently uncovered in Luxor. The two experts are Peter Cannon and Dan Garrett (also known as the Blue Beetle). They identify the inhabitant of the sarcophagus as Princess Evila. After they leave Karl is overcome by a mental attack from the Hooded One who steals his will. He orders Karl to use a rare poition in a vial in the sarcophagus to revive Princess Evila. The black-haired beauty does indeed revive and she takes over the mind of Karl herself and they disappear. Peter Cannon and Tabu read of this odd occurrence and plan to call the police to inquire. 

The story is interrupted at this point by a one-page text piece titled "Physalia Physalis" which tells the story of giant twenty-foot Portuguese Man-of-War which threaten an island. The threat is forestalled by killing the vegetation which has triggered the monsters. 

In a boxing bout Peter and Tabu debate what they should do. They realize that the Hooded One might be involved given his access to the Ancient Scrolls. Meanwhile Evila has assembled a small army of thugs and criminals and they begin a massive crime wave. Peter Cannon is reluctant to leave his reclusive life to fight, but ultimately is convinced by Tabu and Thunderbolt runs into the fray though the mansion's secret passageways. Heading into the city T-Bolt finds plenty of criminal activity and using his physical skills puts some of it down. But one thug escapes and he follows finding Princess Evila's lair where he sees her take the thug who has just returned and steal his mind. Thunderbolt tears into the mob of criminals and fights using his skills to the utmost. Chasing Evila he pursues her through many traps including "Darts of Death", "Spears of Flame", and "Daggers of Doom". Confronting her, she hits a switch releasing a hidden panel that drops T-Bolt into the water below where he is confronted with a crocodile. He subdues the crocodile and swims back to confront Evila again. They lock eyes and wills but it is Thunderbolt who ultimately wins, breaking Evila who ages dramatically and becomes again a mere mummy. Finding Professor Karl, the two men take the mummy and leave just as a bomb destroys the hidden headquarters. The newspapers the next day trumpet Thunderbolt's victory. In his Ice Cave the Hooded One vows to threaten Thunderbolt again. At the mansion Peter and Tabu discuss the case and speculate whether Evila will ever return and Tabu points out that her name spelled backwards is perhaps a bad omen. The final panel is a question mark. 

"The Atmosphere" is a three-page piece by Bill Fracchio and Tony Tallarico on the wonders of the Earth's atmosphere and man's limited efforts to travel beyond it in jets and spacecraft.

This is a solid issue of Thunderbolt, really playing to the strip's strengths of atmosphere and mood. Morisi's artwork is scrumptious, though I will admit his storytelling falls short a time or two. The Hooded One is more properly established as a nemesis and the modus operandi of T-Bolt is well fixed. I like especially his reluctance to jump into costume. The unwillingness to leave the relative comfort to fight is an honest and natural feeling, though not something often explored in superhero comics. Peter just wants a quiet life, and that's something I can identify with all too well. The guest-appearance by Dan Garrett is a good touch, and it gives the Charlton heroes a broader sense of place. One thing that is both a strength and a weakness of the Charlton books is their distinctive characters. There is no such thing as a house style at Charlton, so the books tend to live in their own little "microverses". There was not much crossover stuff done, but a small example like this is the kind of mixing I prefer, understated.

 To read the complete comic book use this link. 

More Thunderbolt to come. 

 Rip Off

Mr. Muscles!

Mr. Muscles from 1956 was another creation by Jerry Siegel. This time he gives us another abnormally strong hero, the "World's Most Perfect Man" it says so right on the cover of the first issue drawn by Maurice Whitman. Mr. Muscles is a man named Brett Carson who gained his perfect form by pure strength of will when he chose to overcome polio. The perfect specimen is assisted in the comic stories by Kid Muscles, and there is even a two-page Miss Muscles story included in this issue, thus making this yet again an attempt to evoke the classic Marvel Family. In the first issue Mr. Muscles confronts an evil zookeeper and his critters as well as a crooked wrestler. Kid Muscles gets a solo story as well. The art in this first issue seems to be by Bill Fraccio. 

To read the comic book follow this link. 

Our heroes return in a second installment, this time with scripts by Siegel and art by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia. Mr. Muscles cleans up a crooked carnival, takes on the mob and their predatory protection schemes, punches his way through a rigged boxing plot, saves steeplejacks from danger and battles the Abominable Snowman, who turns out to be a red-headed bearded guy, more Viking than ape. Kid Muscles helps out but Miss Muscles doesn't show up. The Mr. Muscles comic had taken over the numbering of Blue Beetle which itself had taken over the numbering of the vintage series The Thing. 

To read the comic book follow this link. 

Like Nature Boy, Mr. Muscles rates an entry in The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris. 

Rip Off

 

Daredevil And The Man Of Hate!

Once upon a time in America, Adolph Hitler was the epitome of evil. He was the loathsome skunk who forced two of my uncles to go to war to protect the civil order of the Western world itself. Once upon a time we all hated him. And we have the comic books to prove it. Arguably the most infamous is the cover above for the debut of the Daredevil series from Lev Gleason which has the one-off title of Daredevil Battles Hitler! Signing as "Woodro" the infamous cover above was created by Charles Biro. 

In this absolute riot of a comic book Daredevil battles Hitler and his minions on many fronts, and he is helped by other Lev Gleason heroes of all kinds in this comic dated July 1941. (For the record, I love comic images which showcase heroes coming out of the very pages of book or even bursting through the cover.)

Daredevil joins forces with Silver Streak to combat the malevolent dictator. This splash page showcases Hitler as a giant crushing regular folks under his boot and crashing buildings to the ground. Charles Biro produces both story and art for this initial chapter. 

One the biggest "stars" for the company was actually the villain the Claw, who is a maniacal giant with fangs. He seems like an ideal choice to help the little dictator but as the title suggests there's little honor among malevolent maniacs. The villains team-up but then fall-out as Daredevil does his best to wind the day. Writer Biro was joined by the great artist Jack Cole for weird outing. 

The action switches to the jungle where Daredevil joins up with Lance Hale, a Tarzan inspired hero. The duo drive the Nazis out of this little corner of deepest darkest Africa. It's assumed Biro wrote this one, bt the artist's name is lost to time. 

I love this double-page spread which advertises the various heroes Lev Gleason publishes. Not all of them get featured in this comic. 

When Dickie Dean invents a new decoding machine, the news reaches the ears of Joseph Goebbels who sends out his henchmen to kidnap Dickie and his friend Zip Todd. Daredevil seeks them out in enemy territory and the heroes not only return with the machine but do some harm to the Nazis as well. Biro and Cole team up again for this story. 

Next Daredevil takes to the skies as he teams up with Cloud Curtis to battle Herman Goering's dangerous fighter planes. It takes more than a dash of derring-do to subdue the enemy. Sadly, again the artist for this story is unknown. As we learned yesterday, they produced them fast at Lev Gleason. 

In perhaps the strangest of the adventures Daredevil is in conflict with Grand Admiral Von Roeder who is attacking shipping. The Pirate Prince appears from the mists of time to assist in putting down this threat and then he and his sailing ship disappear just as mysteriously. Harry Anderson supplies the artwork for this Biro story. 

The comic takes a turn by leaving off with these focuses instead on Adolph Hitler himself and muses upon how his vile man came to power. The story is both written and drawn by Bob Davis. 

Hitler's notorious biography is tracked in a two-page prose offering which details many of how he came to prominence and ultimately a threat to the world. 

We then get some potent pages showing how Hitler and his forces moved beyond their borders and became an immediate menace to all of Europe and beyond. The story has the Roman god of war Mars join Hitler in his predations. 

The story "Man of Hate" was reprinted in 2001 in All-Hitler Comics from Bill  Black's AC Comics. 

This is a wild comic book, published before the beginning of the war and so it could be argued was needlessly provocative. Those arguments are largely hogwash. Recognizing the immensity of a menace, whether overseas or in one's own homeland, it's necessary to face up to the task of defeating evil. 

I read this story in The Original Daredevil Archives from Dark Horse. If you can't wait and I haven't spoiled too much, you can read it here. 

Rip Off

Thunderbolt - Origin Of An Avenger!

Back in the latter part of 1965 Charlton was trying to add onto its stable of "superheroes". They already had Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and Son of Vulcan along with pure adventure titles like Sarge Steel and The Fightin' 5!

They gave Pete Morisi, then a moonlighting policeman who hid his identity under the pseudonym of "P.A.M." a stab at doing a hero. The result was Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt Vol.1 #1 is dated January 1966. It's incredibly unusual that Charlton actually debuted a comic with a #1 issue. They must've thought they had something special with Thunderbolt. The splash introduction is drawn by Morisi and features the heroes Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and Son of Vulcan surrounding an announcement from Pat Masulli, the Editor of Charlton heralding the arrival of Thunderbolt.

Special Case Number 0001 from Thunderbolt's Personal Files "Origin of an Avenger" lists only P.A.M. as the creator and artist. The double splash shows T-Bolt facing off against a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a spread of panels beneath showcasing Thunderbolt, The Hooded One, A scar-faced thug we'll eventually know as Dum-Dum Barnes, and the T-Rex itself.

The story actually begins on page four in the Himalayas at a secluded lamasery where Peter Cannon faces a test put before him by his masters. As he faces three doors, he reflects back on how he came to be here. He thinks back to when he was a baby and his parents, two missionaries find refuge in the lamasery when the plagues rip through the region. While there his parents sacrifice themselves to help others survive the plague. As a reward for their courage Peter is taken in and trained by the priests to ultimately receive their highest gift, the Ancient Scrolls. This doesn't sit well with the Hooded One who had to that time been on track to get the Scrolls. We see some of Peter's endless training through the years and we see him meet Tabu, a boy the priests adopt after he's orphaned. Finally. Peter is given the scrolls which will open the untapped nine-tenths of his mind which most people never use. and he is given a final test, a test of three doors.That brings the story back to the present as the first of the doors open and Peter finds himself facing five deadly archers. He leaps over the fatal arrows by pure will saying "I can do it...I must do it...I will do it!". The challenges behind two of the doors it seems have been selected by the Hooded One. The second door opens. and a tiger emerges.

The story is interrupted at this point by a one-page text piece titled "The Dream Camera" which speculates how the world of entertainment would be altered by a machine that would record a person's dreams. This dream camera would make impossible images cheap to film and the article urges that such a camera be built soon.

Peter faces off against the tiger and through will and tenacity defeats the beast. He then uses his powerful mind to stop his bleeding and suppress the pain caused by the tiger. The third door is now open, and he sees beyond it merely the outside of the lamasery. The priest tells him that his destiny is to return to his parents' world, the United States and take his gifts with him (which include his distinctive belt and some diamonds). Tabu agrees to come with him. Quickly the scene changes and we see Peter buying a secluded mansion infamous for its secret passages. Peter and Tabu then set up housekeeping with Peter expressing a desire to remove himself from the world. But the arrival of giant dinosaur eggs at a local museum are a shock to the curators and the world. The Hooded One listens to news reports of the find in his cavernous abode and reveals that he sent the eggs to the museum after digging them out of the frozen wall which contains many prehistoric creatures.

The Hooded One then uses his impressive mental powers to overcome the will of Dum-Dum Barnes a local thung, and he has Barnes and his men slip into the museum and see to it that the eggs are hatched. Two Tyrannosaurus Rex grow quickly from the eggs and begin to menace the city. Peter and Tabu hear the reports on television and Peter wants to help but is reluctant to give up his privacy. Tabu suggests he hide his identity, so they use Peter's old training togs, add the belt and boots and a mask and a new dynamic and mysterious figure runs though the secret passageways to the city. When Peter arrives, he assesses the situation and goes to a dynamite shack to get some TNT which he then uses to slay one of the two dinosaurs. Barnes and his men see the attack while they are looting during the T-Rex attacks. Peter sees them and as a thunderstorm erupts and lightning flashes, he attacks the scavengers. Barnes runs away to a rooftop but is startled by the other T-Rex and falls to his death. Peter confronts the beast and throws the entire box of dynamite into his maw blowing off the head of the massive dinosaur.

A reporter sees this struggle and dubs the mystery man "Thunderbolt" inspired by a policeman's comment that Peter appeared "like a bolt of thunder". The next day reports talk of Thunderbolt's efforts to save the city. Meanwhile the Hooded One threatens he's only begun his revenge. Peter and Tabu talk about the report and if there will be another time for him, and Peter ends on the notion that they will just have to wait and see.

There is a final panel from the editors wanting to know what readers think of this new hero.

"The Mercenaries" is a three-page comics story with art by Ernie Bache focusing on the role soldiers of fortune play in the world's wars, and seems to conclude that professionals of this type are a moderating influence on the act of war.

And that's the debut of Thunderbolt. It's an exciting issue, filled with Pete Morisi's distinctive and seductive artwork. Clearly there is an attempt to make Peter Cannon a reluctant hero, but a man nonetheless inspired by his parents and his training to help his fellow man. His gifts are vague, but he seems by sheer dint of will to be able to accomplish most anything he desires to do within the upper limits of human experience. His mantra of "I can do it...I must do it...I will do it!" is repeated several times in the tale, and points to the theme that a man is only limited by his perseverance and effort.

To read the complete comic book use this link. 

More Thunderbolt to come.

Rip Off

Son Of Vulcan - A Legend Reborn!

Let me be clear. I'm not against reboots at all. In fact I'm rather a fan of them, when they work.

So it doesn't bother me that DC decided to lift the name of "Son of Vulcan" and attach it to a new hero in 2005. It has been done before, specifically the birth of the Silver Age of comics with the birth of new heroes like Flash, Green Lantern, and Atom. All three of these heroes look different and have different costumes from their original Golden Age sources, and only later were connected to them in any real way other than similarity of powers, and in the case of Atom not even that.

DC has a long history of this sort of thing. So the question becomes, how good is the reboot. In the case of Miquel Devante, the new Son of Vulcan, not bad really.

Lots of spoilers follow so tread carefully.

The story begins with the Floronic Man committing a murder and then deciding that salad bars are slaughterhouses. At the resturant in the town of Charlton's Point he decides to attack is sitting Miguel Devante and his friend Sienna. The Floronic Man is stopped by the sudden appearance of a superhero named "Vulcan", with the help of Miguel who slices off Floronic Man's arm. This creates a bond between the hero and the boy. Their heroism becomes the subject of news media, in particular a reporter named Josey Masulli. Miguel returns to the Derby Youth Home where he it is revealed he is an orphan. Vulcan returns to his secret base in Still Space and in conversation with his companion Pandora speaks highly of Miguel. Miguel is being punished by the headmaster of the orphanage. He is sent to his room after a beating. Meanwhile a mysterious villain with a mad on for Vulcan attacks the captured Floronic Man. Vulcan returns to tell Miguel that he wants him to become his superhero sidekick and together they face the threat they believe to be Floronic Man but is not and as the story closes Vulcan suffers a fatal wound to his torso.

The fatally wounded Vulcan transfers his powers to Miguel by branding his face with the imprint of his hand and Miguel, the "Son of Vulcan" erupts with fire destroying a large building and sending the assailant away. Without training and with the corpse of Vulcan having vanished, Miguel is left to explain things to the authorities, who arrest him. Pandora appears and frees him from custody and transports him to the Forge where he is supposed to be trained for his new role. Meanwhile the villain's mate moans about her absence. Praetor reveals himself aboard the Forge as Miguel's mentor and asks for the "First Law" which Miguel does not know. Praetor gives Miguel a tour of the Forge and introduces him to the heritage of heroes he has become part of, while Pandora goes to collect the remains of Vulcan. After the tour, and having asked Miguel to name the Law two more times, Praetor following programming tries to eject Miguel from the Forge and into space.

Pandora grieves for Vulcan while Miguel holds onto the door of the Forge for dear life. While the JLA talks of having a funeral for the hero Vulcan, Pandora arrives back at the Forge in time to save Miguel from space by removing her arm and sending it to retrieve him. It is revealed she is an artificial being and she and Miguel then try to leave the Forge which is destroying itself per its programming having assumed the line of Vulcans is broken, since Miguel could not recite the Laws. They are just about to escape in Vulcan's "Justi-Flyer" with the Encyclopeiae Vulcanus when Praetor corrupts Pandora's programming and Miguel is just able to fly away with her as the Forge destroys itself. Meanwhile the villain who killed Vulcan returns to her mate and it is revealed that they are Pale Martians and the surviving male seeks renewed revenge on the Son of Vulcan.

Miguel tries to hock his Vulcan sword to get enough money to return home and goes to an establishment run by Funky Flashman. He has to stop a robbery and is able to get some money to boot. Meanwhile at the Twilight Assisted Living complex a man hears news reports of Vulcan and is reminded of a time when he was called into service as part of the Vulcan tradition. Funky Flashman is fascinated by the sword his employee took in and contacts the Pale Martian who arrives immediately with deadly results for the help. At the funeral for Vulcan trouble is brewing when assorted villains show up in particular a gang dubbed the "Coalition of Crime". Miguel who showed up at Vulcan's grave is attacked and battles the offbeat collection of baddies until the old man shows up and teleports them away to relative safety.

Barney Blaine, the man who rescued Miguel tells him some of his history. Meanwhile the Coalition of Crime made up of a sorceress named Witchhazel, a little and smart dinosaur named Dino-Mite, a cowboy-themed centaur dubbed Charliehorse, a man-monkey-robot combo named Monkey-In-The-Middle, who are joined later by Scramjet and Fishmonger wonder what happened to Son of Vulcan and his rescuer. They seek them out and attack until Miguel is able to activate his fire powers and and repels them until he and Barney once again teleport away leaving the Coalition to deal with some heat-seeking missles fired by Scramjet. Barney and Miguel try to get Miguel's sword back from Funky Flashman but fail. Then Barney tells Miguel at long last about his heritage. In a story titled "The Martian Chronicles" we learn that the Pale Martians had been invading Earth for millions of years. Eventually they activate mankind's Meta-gene capacity. Men discover fire and drive the Pale Martians away. To remind themselves of the threat they create messages and through history man then fights and repels this enemy who pretend at times to be gods. Until finally during the time of the Romans, a hero is uses the technology of the "gods" from Mars creates the weapons of Vulcan and begins the tradition which has at last come down to Miguel. This saga is related by Barney to a disguised Martian who then telepathically gives him a heart attack.

The Pale Martian has captured Miguel, the Son of Vulcan and using DNA gotten from Funky Flashman derived from the Secret Society of Super-Villains injects his unborn children. When Miguel revives and attempts to escape he is confronted by the shape-shfiter but fights back and is successful as the brutal battle rages. Miguel seeking escape is confronted by the Children who look like ersatz versions of the Secret Society, but Miguel able to repel them. Furious the Pale Martian attacks a final time before Miguel finally burns him down. As the Laws of Vulcan are recited, Miguel visits his friend Sienna in Charlton Point, his friend Barney at the hospital, retrieves the Justi-Flyer and Pandora, and approaches Titans Tower where he confronts his destiny as a hero.

Later it is shown that Son of Vulcan did indeed join the Titans, becoming a member of Titan's East.


This is a tasty update. I actually like the premise and the eventually blending of sci-fi and mythic elements. Scott Beatty, the writer name checks the original creators of Son of Vulcan (reporter Masulli and two cops named Fracchio and Tallarico) and the whole story begins in Charlton Point and at the Derby Home. That kind of nominal respect for what has come before buys a lot of tolerance from me as a reader. I rather liked the story.

But the artwork is a whole other deal. Keron Grant creates lovely artwork, but dang if his storytelling doesn't downright confuse me at times. And it's not so much his panel arrangement which is reasonably standard, but the lack of real shadows and depth in the images making many things incomprehensible to my eye. I literally just cannot make out what is going on even as I look at it. This is a classic instance of style overwhelming functionality.

There is one section in the fifth issue, the "Chronicles" section which is drawn by Al Milgrom and things get less stylized and much clearer. In this section too, the original Vulcan looks remarkably like the classic Johnny Mann character. So while it is common for most to say there is no connection between this series and the original, I'd imagine that over time a connection was going to be made.

As a reboot this is as solid as any I've seen and we have a good hero at the end able to take on the world, with a little more training. While I wish that DC had given the original a spin in a storyline all his own, I have to confess this 2005 limited ain't all that bad a substitute.

And I'm very surprised at myself for saying that.

That wraps up my look at Son of Vulcan. I've learned a lot about this misfit hero, especially his brief turns at DC. I hope you have too.

Rip Off

DC's Son Of Vulcan!

After the collapse of Charlton Comics, their properties were divided up among lots of folks. Somehow Son of Vulcan was included in the "Action Heroes" purchased by DC Comics as a gift of sorts for then editor Dick Giordano. Son of Vulcan had more in common with the Fightin' 5 who were left behind in this deal than he did with any of the other Charlton heroes. Sarge Steel made sense because he was Giordano's baby, but Giordano only worked on one issue of Son of Vulcan, the debut issue for which he supplied a cover.


Whatever the case, Son of Vulcan became part of the DC Universe and apparently shows up in Crisis on Infinite Earths, though I have to confess I don't remember him and I can't find him among the multitudes drawn by George Perez. He does get a nice page in The History of the DC Universe by Wolfman and Perez.

Unlike Blue Beetle and Captain Atom, Son of Vulcan did not get his own series, and unlike Thunderbolt and Peacemaker he did not get his own limited series, and unlike Nightshade and Sarge Steel he did not get worked into a series as part of the cast.

He did get an appearance in the all-hands-on-deck comic DC Challenge where he was cover featured and got all of one page to show his mettle before disappearing back into the mists.

It's notable in this comic that he is again written by Roy Thomas, the scribe who wrote his last adventure at Charlton. Don Heck supplies the art. 

Son of Vulcan did rate his own entry in Who's Who in the DC Universe, specifically issue twenty-one. You can barely see our hero clinging to the edge of the back cover of the issue. 

Then he falls into obscurity once again. Alas Son of Vulcan doesn't even rate a doppleganger in Alan Moore's Watchmen series, but he is left once again to sit on the sidelines waiting for his next big break if it is to come.

It does come (sort of) in a four-part limited event titled War of the Gods, a massively complicated storyline in which Son of Vulcan does indeed appear and even makes a few covers before actually coming to his end.

That's right, they kill him off.

And that's the end of Johnny Mann, the anti-war reporter and veteran who challenged the gods and found his own destiny.


Johnny deserved better.

It's clear that DC could've done more with Son of Vulcan than they did. They just didn't appear to want to do much. Maybe it was merciful that he was killed off. Maybe they save him from some future indignity.

Maybe.

"Son of Vulcan" is a great name and many years later that name was used again by DC Comics. That will be the focus of tomorrow's post. 

More to come.

Rip Off