Demon #4, #11 and #25

Let's celebrate the most evil of holidays: Valentine's Day. In Demon #4 (October 1990), Jason Blood talks with Belial before finding his friend, Harry Andrews, as a seat cover with a face. After he falls asleep, Etrigan emerges and makes a deal with his father to bring down Beelzebub and Lucifer. Klarion the Witch Boy and his cat, Teekl, shows up at the end.

Demon #11 (May 1991) shows that Jason Blood was a priest of an earth goddess before being cursed with Etrigan. Klarion the Witch Boy goes to Arkham Asylum and causes a demon to come out of Tenzin Wyatt. He also finds C'th the Undying underwater and adds him to his gang that includes Tenzin and Harry Andrews, who is still a seat cover with a face. The Phantom Stranger pops up here and there before Lobo arrives at the end.

Demon #25 (July 1992) starts with the origins of Judge Ryme, a witch hunter in France of 1323 that is cursed by a demon to become immortal. He detects the presence of Etrigan after spotting Jason Blood. The pair fight, which causes an apartment building to collapse.

The Big 45

Today is my forty-fifth birthday and I really have no plans for any big celebrations.

Black Orchid #1

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean team up to present Black Orchid #1 (1988), which is the first of a three part mini-series. Black Orchid, in disguise, dies early in the book. She is reborn in a human-plant hybrid with no memories. Thankfully, Dr. Philip Sylvian is there to help her and provide an origin story. Great story and artwork makes me want to find the other two books.

Blackhawk #1 And #2

I picked up the first two issues of the 1987 Blackhawk mini series from DC Comics with artwork and story by Howard Chaykin. The first book is titled "Blood & Iron" while the second book is titled "Red Snow". I have been a Chaykin fan ever since picking up American Flagg several years ago. Blackhawk gets kicked out the United States for being a Communist. His arch-nemesis, Death Meyhew, finds out that he has a terminal illness and is determined to get him at all costs. This mini series is more for mature audiences since it does contain sexual situations and violence. The second book introduces Natalie Reed as Lady Blackhawk. I greatly enjoyed both issues and hope to find the third issue one day.

Batman #538

The cover of Batman #538 is an interesting contrast between black and white. There are just a few touches of red on the logo and the blood that is running down the Dark Knight's chin. This issue is part three of "Darkest Night of the Man-Bat" story and Batman finds himself chasing Kirk Langstrom to the North Pole. The scientist turned creature of the night is hit with energy from Project HAARP's pulse injector, which only makes him madder. Batman tracks him down to a cave before finally injecting him with the serum that will change him back to his human form I believe that Man-Bat's ears have grown just as long as the ears on Batman's cowl over the years.

Batman #453

The cover of Batman #453 shows the Dark Knight battling zombies with a sinister creature lurking behind him. The fight inside this issue only lasts for the first five pages. Turns out that one of the zombies is actually not a corpse and was one of the Riddler's henchmen. Batman finds a baby in the Gotham graveyard along with a riddle on a tombstone. He has kidnapped four babies and using them to bait Batman. There is a cool flashback section that shows some detail from the confessions of Jacob Stickman in 1793. Thomas Jefferson and a group of occultists try to summon a demon and calls forth a bat creature. They trap the creature in a cellar and this may be the voice of Gotham that narrated the scene between the superhero and zombies. Batman #453 is part two of the three part "Dark Knight, Dark City" story. The cliffhanging end proves that the Riddler can be just as psychotic as the Joker.

All-Star Squadron #67

I was not sure that I had All-Star Squadron #67 (March 1987) in my collection or not when I picked it up. Turns out that I did but what makes this last issue even more special was that it had two covers. I have picked up a few comics with double covers over the years and I always view them as a special treat. I always wondered if a coverless copy ever hit the newstands. Anyway, the Justice Society combats a fifth column that was adapted from the story in All-Star Comics #4 (1941).

Comac Mac Art #4 from Dark Horse

The only Dark Horse comic that I picked up on my last road trip was Robert E. Howard's Cormac Mac Art #4 (1990) by Roy Thomas and E. R. Cruz. The cover was done by John Bolton. The interior art is above average black and white fantasy fare. I just wish that I had the first three issues of this mini series.

Super Thrift Store Finds: Books And More

I went to three local thrift stores yesterday morning and left with several items from two of them. I picked up six books including Hrolf Krakes Saga by Poul Anderson, Night's Black Agents by Fritz Leiber, The Casebook of Jules de Grandin by Seabury Quinn, Doc Savage #32: Dust of Death, Doc Savage #45: The Men Who Smiled No More and Doc Savage #51: Haunted Ocean.


I found two Spider-Man Christmas ornaments:

I picked up a Joker mobile from Corgi:


Finally, I found an Incredible Hulk toothbrush holder (minus the cup)

Total price for all of these super thrift store finds was a little over four dollars.

Megalith #1

Megalith #1 (1989) from Continuity Comics starts with Joe Majurac in Beiruit, Lebanon facing a group of terrorists. He enters a building to save a boy's life only to have debris fall on him. While the strong man is trapped, he recounts his origin as being trained by his German captors as a super human. Not only does he has a massive muscular body but a mind-body link. He escapes to find refuge with the U.S. Army who does tests on him. He finally meets Commander Grantland, who also has the mind-body link skill/power. At the end, Megalith is brought back to the present and is able to push the debris off himself.

Smallville's Absolute Justice

Tonight's two hour Smallville movie was an epic event featuring several JSA (Justice Society of America) characters. Kudos from everybody that starred in or worked on the episode. I am so glad that I started watching the series on a regular basis again this season.

Armor #12

I picked up a few titles from Neal Adams' Continuity Comics when they first came out. Among the titles were Amor #1, Revengers #1, Samuree #1 and #2, Toyboy #1 and Zero Patrol #1 and #2. I still have those packed away in comic collection.

On my last road trip, I picked up Armor #12 (March 1992). The first ten pages deal with aliens fighting on the Great Library planet. The action then shifts to earth as alien assassins attack Armor, Silver Streak and the alien Go-Gog.

Elementals Sexy Lingerie Special #1-A Chicago

Fathom and Morningstar grace the cover of Comico's Elementals Sexy Lingerie Special #1-A (January 1993). Yes, the cover has Elemental's instead of Elementals. Not only does Fathom and Morningstar appear inside but also Ambrose, Downtime, Haunting, Red Dragon, Dreamtime, Mary Lo, Genocide, Astarte, Doctor Thunder, Bloody Mary, Walker, Kama Kazi and Ratman. Some of the pin ups are nice while others are very naughty. Each character has a info form that is filled out in their own handwriting. One of Downtime's favorite movies is Dirty Dances With Wolves while Fathom is turned off by wet sloppy kisses.

Women Wednesday: She-Hulk Turns 30

Savage She-Hulk #1 came out thirty years ago.

Elementals Volume 2, #25

The wraparound cover of Elementals volume 2, #25 (November 1992) has the heads of Sgt. Slaughter and Dreamtime on the left, Morningstar, Vortex and Fanthom on the right and the giant head of Tommy in the background. In this issue, Tommy returns after learning black and white magic from Lord Saker. His teammates are not happy about his return and attacks. He calms them down after explaining that he wants to address the Nation of the Supernature about winning the Oblivion War. Meanwhile, in the dark forests of Avalon, Sgt. Slaughter finds Dreamtime, who had been thrown from her horse and has broken leg, wrist and arm. They find the Electrocutioner hanging upside down from a tree with his guts hanging out. He tells them that Cold Mary is at the circle of stones. Unfortunately, Dreamtime gets a nasty surprise when they find a body of a man with sergeant strips tattooed on his left arm.

Elemementals Volume 2, #23

The wraparound cover for Elementals volume 2, #23 (May 1992) features Commander Chaos (leader of Strikeforce: America), Hiroshima (leader of the Rising Sun team), Annihilator (acting leader of the Destroyers) and Morningstar (leader of the Elementals) watching on as Cold Mary chokes Genesis 6:4 (leader of the Rapture). Last issue was tame compared to this issue for Commander Chaos tortures Cold Mary by using his heat vision on her eyes. She snaps the neck of Genesis 6:4 and makes her escape.

The new Monolith does make his first appearance after Donald Ridgeway dies from falling in a mountain climbing accident.

Elementals Volume 2, #22

I like Comico mostly for their Justice Machine series. Before last week, the only Elementals issue that I had was volume 2, #6 (March 1992) that had Morningstar committing suicide. Elementals volume 2, #22 shows Tommy give up the power of the earth elemental known as Monolith to study magic with Lord Saker. That is one creepy wraparound cover but the interior is even creepier since Tommy died for the third time in the previous issue.