Star Trek Annual 1973 (World Distributors)

After Doctor Who my other sci-fi passion is none other than Star Trek which has become a world-wide phenomenon. Starting in 1969 World Distributors started publishing Star Trek Annuals, the first being cover dated 1970 as was the usual British practice of dating them for the following year to extend their shelf lives.

This was the fourth annual which ran nearly every year until 1986 with all but two (1981 & 1983) being published by World Distributors. The other two annuals were published by Stafford Pemberton utilising the Marvel licence and adaptations of the first two movies.

All the World Distributor editions contain reprints of the Gold Key comics version of Star Trek. (The 1973 edition reprints issues #11,12 & #13)

 



And to finish, a trailer for one of the original shows. Great stuff.

Doctor Who: Time Out Of Mind TPB (Titan)

Doctor Who: Time Out Of Mind TPB (Titan)

Jody Houser (w) Various (a)

The latest offering from Titan is a collection of the Free Comic Day edition and the two over-sized Christmas specials so this is a seasonal story offered a bit late in the day but still worth a read especially if you are like me a big Doctor Who fan and never get to one of those Free Comic day events.

The story starts as the Doc and her team seek a holiday and find an alien funfair but not all is at it seems (well this is the Doctor's Universe) and they return to the Tardis only to discover what they thought they remembered was not true. Even the Tardis did not remember.

A mystery to be resolved that involves an elf, some smiley aliens and a certain Mr Henderson.

Fun.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

 

Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1 (Dynamite)

Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1 (Dynamite)

Erik Burnham (w) Jonathan Lau (a)

As if there wasn't enough Red Sonja comics to buy at the moment Dynamite have launched yet another mini-series (and one more has already been solicited) this time featuring our favourite redhead with the characters of the old Chaos Comics universe that the company purchased the rights to a while back sans Lady Death which remains the property of her original creator Brian Pulido.

I mention this because it does make a difference the replacement Mistress Hel isn't really up to the mark and the new interpretation of Evil Ernie doesn't impress either. Of all the old Chaos characters I still think Chastity is the only one with potential. At least she appears in this oddball crossover.

The story involves a remnant of the evil sorcerer Kulan Gath who just won't stay dead. Red Sonja had cast his last remnants into the ocean way back in the Hyborian age but as continents change and seas rise and fall this relic has ended up in a museum in New York.

Mistress Hel sets her fellow Chaos villains against each other to collect the relic and gain it's power. meanwhile back in the distant past Chastity is somehow lurking where Red Sonja walks.

Not a bad story at all but Dynamite are over-exposing and over -using Red Sonja. Even a completist like me is getting weary.

As usual this issue is published with a multitude of alternate covers. As a young child once said to his mate in the Forbidden Planet some years ago "It's the same comic inside". Words of wisdom from someone so young. One cover one comic. well maybe a cosplay edition but other than that!

Rating: 4 Stars Recommended despite my criticisms of Chaos reborn.

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor TPB Vol #2 Hidden Human History (Titan)

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Volume 2, Hidden Human History (Titan)

Jody Houser (w) Roberta Ingranata & Rachel Scott (a)

Following the release of the new Thirteenth Doctor by Titan comics I decided to pick up one of the collected volumes featuring Jody Whittaker and her team who I have become quite fond of. This adventure sees our heroes dash across different time zones on Earth with each appearance at a lesser known moment in history.

There is a pod cast broadcasting stories of these less well known historical events and all the team except the Doctor including the Tardis (!) seem to be fans. What exactly is going on? The Doctor does not get involved in the events themselves just near to where they take place starting with an apparent damsel in distress, Magda.

The team soon discover that all that is dangerous if not necessarily evil as carrion eaters enter the scene. Where did they come from?

The whole TPB is devoted to this entertaining story which highlights the possible worlds of time travel and what can happen as a result of those that undertake such journeys.

I may well pick up some more of these. Watch this space!

Rating: 4 Stars (Recommended)

Marvel Spotlight on Captain Universe (Marvel/1981)

Marvel Spotlight on Captain Universe #10 (Marvel)

Bill Mantlo (w) Steve Ditko (a)

Not being particularly familiar with Captain Universe I nonetheless chose to pick up this comic for one reason. Steve Ditko art. I do recall he did work for both Marvel and DC in the eighties and am always (or nearly always) happy with his work. One of Comicdoms greats.

Written by Bill Manto (who I recall also wrote the Micronauts for Marvel) this tale tells of the force which manifests itself in individuals as "Captain Universe" this time chooses not one but two women to use the power for good. Two sisters fighting gangsters to be precise.

The first thing I noticed about his comic is that it took far longer to read than any of today's comics with far more dialogue and with Ditko far more panels giving the reader real value for their buck as our American friends say.

The story Double Jeopardy sees Clare Dodgson help Edward Stanford her sister's husband convict and imprison a couple of low level villains. Turning down police prosecution.which would have been difficult for a Private Investigator to use anyway Clare makes her way home. In the mean time Edward is kidnapped outside the courtroom.

Clare arrives at her sisters house and realises with a little help from her twin that there is trouble ahead and rather than use the door (which is used a s a distraction) she crashes through the front room window and a fight ensues with the kids going next door for safety  and to call the police.

The sister join forces when the Captain Universe force appears in both of them and the adventure begins with villains falling left right and centre. The Dodgson sisters confront the masked crime boss who masquerades as Nemesis. Fleeing, the women pursue and to their horror the villain turns out none other than the husband  of Anne Stanford.

The power departs as the adventure concludes.

Realising she is now alone Anne tells the kids to be strong whilst her twin sister Clare muses "what Anne needs to rely on now  isn't super-powers but her own woman's strength ".

A solid read and a moral ending.

Captain Universe appeared in the last three editions of Marvel Spotlight's eleven issue run.

 

The Avengers #40 (Marvel/1967)

The Avengers #40 (Marvel)

Roy Thomas (w) Don Heck (a)

From the early days of Marvel comics comes yet another fight between heroes based on misunderstandings and too much machismo. The team have just beaten The Mad Thinker one of the Fantastic Four's villains in their last issue. The place is a wreck and they muse about clearing it up and who picks up the bill.

Wanda collapses and Hawkeye mourns the betrayal of the Black Widow who has seemingly defected to the Reds when in fact she's working for SHIELD. Deep in the ocean Namor the Sub-Mariner battles in arena to prove his skills when a Submarine enters his realm. Firing a topped, Namor intervenes and deflects their shots to protect the coral.

After trapping the American sub, Namor hears the radio signal they send for help (that's a power we didn't know about) and off he goes to find the base. Of course pushing aside a few sailors with rifles is one thing but when the Avengers intervene Hercules and Namor go right at it.

Strong beyond us mere mortals old Hercs lacks a little common sense and makes an assumption that Namor is after the Cosmic Cube which he hadn't actually heard of so when next knocked in the sea looks for it and finds the artifact quickly discovering it's reality altering powers.

More mayhem ensues until The wasp realise that Namor has turned the cube into an amulet and she breaks it off his neck. The cube falls into a looming split in the ground and Namor loses interest. The Mole Man finds the cube but thinking it just a child's toy discards it.

Will that be the end?

Classic Marvel action picked up at a reasonable price. I had been looking for #38 which was the first Avengers comic I ever got as a kid. I was then as now more of a JLA/DC fan. However these Marvel classics were and are a joy to read.

 

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor (Season 2) #1 (Titan Comics/Out Now)

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor (Season 2) #1

Jody Houser (w) Roberta Ingratanta (a)

To coincide with the return of Doctor Who on the telly Titan have launched a second season of 13th Doctor adventures. Despite being a British publisher this comic was launched for the US market so is imported for us Brits.

Sadly Titan have discontinued their British comics line which whilst was all DC also included a Doctor Who title that republished their numerous Doctor Who titles. However these are readily ordered via your local comic shop as are the graphic novel collections.

I have to say these are superior to the strips that currently appear in Doctor Who Magazine but then I don't actually get DWM every month though have purchased the last three as there is a lot going on around the world of Doctor Who.

This story features not just Jody Whittaker's incarnation but also a stranded 10th Doctor and his companion Martha Jones who are separated from the Tardis as a result of an encounter with the Weeping Angels. The Doctor is pottering around whilst Martha works as a shop assistant which she quips was better than as a maid.

Our Doctor and her companions had been hoping to go to Woodstock but the Tardis has other ideas and has dumped them in 1969 for what will be some kind of team up for the first story arc. But there are familiar shadows watching and waiting......

Rating: 4 Stars Recommended

Marvel Presents #5: Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel/1976)

Marvel Presents #5: Guardians of the Galaxy

Steve Gerber (w) A. Milgrom & H.Chaykin (a)

For those of you more familiar with the films starring the current Guardians (good as they are) this is the original team introduced way back in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 in 1969. This is the team I grew up with and saw occasional adventures of as they always had difficulty sustaining a regular title. Marvel presents was a "try-out" comic that did feature some on-going series.

The original Guardians consisted of Starhawk, Major Victory, Charlie 27, Martinex, Yondu and Nikki. In this story Starhawk has been apparently eaten by some energy consuming creature that they were pursuing across the Galaxy. Now their ship is disabled and in need of repair.  The team beam down to the planet below as life support is failing leaving Martinex to deal with the ship.

Arriving in a forest rather than a city as they expected the team are confronted by the Gardener. It turns out this "forest" is on the roof of a building owned by the local gangster. Oops.

The inevitable fight breaks out and the team go on the run in a tale simply titled "Planet of the Absurd". In a twist reminiscent of the Skrulls copying twenties America for one of their worlds (way back in Fantastic Four #91) the Guardians find themselves in a world resembling New York.



There are multiple alien species and everyone seems to be acting in a crazy fashion as fist fights break out in bars and Charlie 27 finds himself behind bars. Of course the prison fails to hold him and as riots seem to endlessly breakout wherever out intrepid heroes find themselves a spaceship appears and they are whisked away by a group of aliens who explain that the planet is in fact an asylum for 50 different planets and the inmates have built the world based on their own desires.

Mystery solved and spaceship repaired off our team fly.

I enjoyed that. From a time when comics could be just plain fun and not as dark as they tend to be today.  The Guardians appeared in issue #3 through #12 of Marvel Presents short run.

 

The Sensational Savage She-Hulk #45 (Marvel /1992)

The Sensational She-Hulk #45 (Marvel Comics)

John Byrne (w) & (a)

It's been a while since I picked a copy of Bruce Banners cousin Jennifer Walters attorney at law or better known as the She-Hulk. Jennifer as we all know became the She-Hulk as the result of being given a blood transfusion by Bruce to save her life. This also transferred the power of the Hulk's mutated genes in to her body and so was born the Green Goddess who retained her intelligence but was not as strong as the Hulk.

But then who is?

This adventure finds us way out in the cosmos where Jennifer is seeking a couple of friends who got themselves made prisoner as the result of trying to help a certain sentient raccoon. Inside the jail She Hulk finds herself reminiscing about Marvel back issues with her non-plussed companions including an Ovoid in the neighbouring cell.

They are all prisoners of the cheese-string like race the D'Barl who have a weapon that can turn people into stone and one of their number suffers that fate. It seems the Phoenix destroyed the D'Barl's home-world and the survivors are none too happy with the human race.

Jennifer has a plan that involves the use of the Ovoids mind swapping abilities but something goes awry. Might even be worth picking up the next issue as the story is simply called "Oops".

A reasonable and amusing story-line but the use of gratuitous pin ups took up far too much space that should have been devoted to story telling and was one of the downsides of the nineties.

Previews Picks - January 2020

The first Previews Catalogue for the new year is here and in what will be a monthly feature are my picks. First up is DC with Strange Adventures a twelve issue mini-series featuring Adam Strange a minor character but one of my favourites since I first came across him in the Silver Age.

Is he a hero or war criminal? I suppose that depends on which side of the war one is on, but a fair question. Hopefully this will be a worthwhile read which will expand how we see Adam Strange in the cosmic nature of the DC Universe.

The other books on my list are Legion of Super-heroes #5, Superman #21 and John Constantine: Hellblazer #5.

Next up is Marvel who at least seem to have cut back on their Conan output at last. Less is more. I have a couple of Age of Conan mini-series I never got around to reading. Other than Conan the Barbarian #14, Fantastic Four #20 is on my pull list as is a new Spider-Woman comic.




I went off Marvel big time after Secret Invasion finding out that some of the characters I'd been following were in fact Skrulls. What was I reading and more to the point what was Marvel thinking?

However I've always like Jessica Drew and the fact she's nothing to do with Spider-Man is a bonus. Certainly worth a dip!

Next up is Dark Horse. I rarely order stuff from them these days. Having a limited budget these days is a major part of the problem but this limited series, Starship Down caught my eye:



The discovery of a spaceship that's been buried for thousands of years in the Siberian ice is causing meddling from both the Russian Government..... and the Vatican? How will this affect society? Sounds thoughtful.



Another title featuring Red Sonja from Dynamite that promises to be an important event in our heroines life. Don't all these promotions say the same but I'm a big fan so it get's added to my Dynamite pile which includes Red Sonja #14, Vampirella #9, Red Sonja/Vampirella #7, Red Sonja& Vampirella meet Betty & Veronica #10, Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #3 and Vengeance of Vampirella #6. Phew!

New on the scene is AWA Studios and they've a new six issue mini-series The Resistance which is a J. Michael Stracynski production with Mike Deodato Jr on art duties. This is an introduction to a new super-hero universe but there's been a global disaster and thousands of people have developed super-powers. Rising Stars anyone? Still worth a look.




The latest issue of The Creeps is out in March.  Horror stories are better presented in glorious black & white. They've announced a second title which I'll be covering in a separate post so watch this space! Oh and order this. Think the old Warren Comics line and you'll get the picture!

Just three other comics on my list this month. Archie #712 (with Katy Keene), Star Trek: Year Five #12 from IDW and Twin Worlds #3 from Action Lab Danger Zone which is a cross between fantasy Tolkien style and science fiction in the Star Wars fashion. The first issue has yet to arrive so I'll be sure to post a review.

So until next month keep the faith true believers. There's good comics out there!

 

Tales from the Udderverse (Mother Udder Comics)

Tales from the Udderverse (Mother Udder Comics)

Darren Cameron & Geoff McGrath (w) Various (a)

Up until recently I didn't take much notice if at all of the "Independent Comics" scene but I have been pleasantly surprised by the likes of the  Comic Haus anthology, Shaman Kane by David Broughton and Technofreak from John Charles (see sidebar for details of their comics) so now I'm more willing to take a risk by ordering copies on-line.

Half the problem is that there are so many and lets be honest of varying quality so choosing one can be daunting. However a friend of mine on Face book recommended this comic from Northern Ireland writers Darren Cameron and Geoff McGrath so I ordered a copy and worth the price of entry it proved to be.

This Prestige format edition contains six stories plus features explaining the breadth of their project which involved artists from around the globe whose various styles make for over-all a professional looking comic.

Being an anthology some stories will appeal more than others depending on individual tastes. These are all little introductory features. The first three stories are by Darren and the second three by Geoff.

First up is the science fiction story M. Squad X which takes us to a rather gory murder scene where even one of the investigators seems scared out of his wits. When expanded with more background and characterisation this one looks promising.

Next up is Beasts, one of those esoteric stories one might expect from European publishers.  A young boy on a spaceship must learn the truth. The arts great but the "Jury is still out" on the story but then this is just a snippet to be developed.

Finally from Darren comes The Deepening. The story of class struggle led by cabbies in but with a sci-fi edge as there be something at the bottom of that there hole. This is the sole story in black & white (the rest of the book being in colour) which actually does suit the art.

Harla follows and this is my favourite story in the book with top notch art and despite the obvious mystery is very accessible from the beginning. A girl hiding on a spaceship gets passage is put to work to pay her way but has a hard past and is being pursued though Harla is quite able to defend herself. More of this one please.

The weakest of the features is Ezra which at first seems like an ordinary western but turns out to be science fiction. For some reason the art deteriorates as the story progresses and the font is far too small. Not keen on this one.

Of interest is the dialogue free Sarna. A pretty teenage girl, a portal and some demons. Arts not bad but the story does need some explaining when the next instalment appears.

The declared ambition from the authors is to launch these as series in their own right. Given they are are independent publishers that's one heck of a task so I asked Darren what they were planning to do next:

"Future publishing plans are for release of The Deepening Issue 1 later this year (I am working with a new illustrator) and M-Squad X Issue 1 to follow that (potentially early 2021 as I am retaining the artist but his schedule is tight this year!) Beasts I am not sure on yet. The 3 stories towards the back of the book in the ‘Cluster’ section, my colleague Geoff plans to dovetail into a single uniting narrative which will mean only one title there to publish. He is currently exploring potential artists to work on that as an ongoing single title. As for publishing, currently we are purely self funded though we may look at crowd funding in the future. This is the biggest trouble we have as indie creators, regular content output, but we will strive to do our best.

I wish them luck and I'll certainly be up for following up their future work.

Copies of this comic can be obtained from: www.motheruddercomics.com

Adventure Comics #392 (DC/1970)

Adventure Comics #392 (DC)

(w) & (a) No Credits

This comic from 1970 features two stories from the "maid of steel" as her editors often referred to Supergirl, both of which are derivative of the period. Simple stories that require more trickery than super-powers. Normal fare for the reader but entertaining nonetheless.

The first tale The Super Cheat sees in her secret identity as Linda Danvers outwit her classmates in sport to replace them in three events at some forthcoming international games. Upset and a guest appearance by Comet the Superhorse her friends accompany Linda to the games as mere substitutes. Of course Supergirl cheated but why?

It seems some "Ioanian" agents are planning to sabotage the only real competition they fear to their country from the USA. By chance Supergirl had overheard their plotting in an aeroplane. Don't ask. this is at the end of the "Silver Age" of comics when such coincidences were a feature of many a tale from DC.

A  story from the "Cold War" period that helped shape the views of my generation both left and right.

Of course Linda wins the day and the agents are exposed and the events are re-run to allow the real athletes to compete after an explanation from Supergirl

The second story, Supergirl's Lost Costume is yet another one of those affairs in which someone seeks to expose the secret identity of our hero. Linda however is well prepared for the antics of Dale Baxter a TV Producer hoping to make a fortune out of the story. Shame he goes broke in the process. It is this story which features on the slightly misleading cover of this issue also a feature of DC comics at this time. Loved them myself.

I've more Supergirl comics to review over the coming year. The reason being I see her every day in my kitchen! How you may ask? I have the Supergirl 2020 Calender on display. You might still be able to get one of your own.

Did I mention my Wonder Woman Desk Diary....fan boy always me!

The Silver Surfer #103 (Marvel/1995)

The Silver Surfer #103 (Marvel)

Glenn Greenburg (w) Tom Morgan (w)


The Silver Surfer is one of the most iconic of Marvels characters and certainly one of my favourites though this tale is from the nineties which was a period I mostly stopped reading comics. The era does not have a good reputation and it's not difficult to see why.

There's something about the artwork that I just couldn't relate to but seemed to infect most of the comic companies of the period. that said this isn't a bad one-shot story. Having previously read the Surfer being brushed off by Galactus yet again Norrin Radd continues his journey across the universe.



Until he meets the survivors. Those beings who had by chance or luck survived the consumption of their home worlds by the all-devouring Galactus. Led there by his partner in crime, the Silver Surfer.

The survivors are looking for revenge and spot an opportunity to deal with the Surfer who in their eyes is a criminal accomplice to genocide. An interesting take on the character that since the he first appeared in the Fantastic Four we had all held high as a hero.

Worth a read and an inexpensive back issue purchase.