Chapter By Chapter> Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: MIrror Image chapter 41

Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter (or possibly multiple chapter for this one) of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

In our previous chapter we found out what’s on the train, and that Junior may not be part of the conspiracy but he’s an easy sucker for it.

That’s the danger of hero worship. Idolizing someone is fine; so is wanting to be like someone else. Having a role model is a good thing…provided the role model is a good one. Orlov the younger has issues with his father and Kosigan is clearly the type of man willing to take advantage of anyone to achieve his goals. Even restoring the USSR would fit in with his goals given how important the military and KGB were back then. Power, control, respect (“respect” is earned, not forced, but tell that to any gangbanger, street punk, extremist, or power monger), and whatever else will help him move up in the world is okay with him. Communists like to believe it’s all for the people, but ask the people who suffer from it if they agree. If they’re not afraid to be shot, kicked off the bread line for any bit of food, or are afraid of anything else, they’ll tell you know and that’s why they come to America.

Speaking of which, we’re back to America and Op-Center. Let’s see what our heroes are up to, since thus far in this book they’ve been better at being heroes than the last book. I wonder what changed between books. For them not much time passed since the Korean bombing, but it’s been a few years for the reader and the author.

Chapter 41: Monday, 7:10 PM, Washington, DC

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“Yesterday’s” Comic> Savage She-Hulk #1

This isn’t one of the Free Comic Book Day comics. It’s one I bought ON Free Comic Book Day. I’ll go back and forth until I’m caught up and the return to the usual “Yesterday’s” Comic fare. I know that means nothing archived but I needed to note it for current readers.

Someone just found out what Disney+ did to her.

Savage She-Hulk #1

Marvel Comics Group (February, 1980|facsimile edition February, 2023)

“She-Hulk Lives”

WRITER: Stan Lee

ARTISTS: John Buscema & Chick Stone

The Marvel Database also credits Joe Rosen as letterer and Tom DeFalco as editor, but neither they or the colorist, who has no credit at all in either book, are listed in the reprint. I can’t even confirm the old ads are in the right spot or if they were in the original comic at all, but I do like when reprints go the extra mile and they are ads you’d see in that time period, including Mister Fantastic in a Twinkies ad.

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BW’s Daily Video> 10 Doctor Who Scenes Cooler Behind The Scenes

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Jake & Leon #640> Better Off “Stoned”

If you get the reference, you get the title.

I wanted one after that news. Here’s a hint to the reference.

Personally I like the narrationless version better, but I bet you heard Goliath’s speech in your heads anyway, or nothing about this comic will work for you. Sorry about that.

Over at The Clutter Reports this week I didn’t have a chance to do decluttering but I did come across a video about how reading your clutter can tell you how you should be decluttering. So there’s still a post this week.

If you’re curious how this year’s Free Comic Book Day went for me, I did the usual X-Twitter quickie review fest. Now comes the deep dives, which means for the next few weeks I’ll be putting the current batch of “Yesterday’s Comic” on hold for Free Comic Book Day reviews as well as three old comics, two of which are reprints, a comic released for Superman Day, and some old Batman Day comics as one of the two stores I went to had some old free stock to go through. I didn’t get The Phantom as I didn’t see any, but most of my list was available between the two stores. There’s also some surprises. The only one I kind of want to review is Space Adventures because we’re almost done with the Captain Atom tales and the sooner I can stop reading that the better. Might do those on Sunday or something, but that’s more writing time for me since it’s an anthology. Dropping the Saturday article link in favor of those last two or so issues I have to read is also a plan. I’ll decide before this time next week.

At one of the stores they were having a contest to promote a comic signing later this month and I managed to obtain a later edition of Watchmen and two sequels: Doomsday Clock and Rorschach. No Before Watchmen but with or without it I’m not sure I won. Watchmen I now have no excuse not to read and review, Doomsday Clock was supposed to return what the New 52 had taken away before giving control of the DC Universe back to the guy who created the New 52 in the first place, and while Tom King is probably the right guy to do a comic about a broken superhero and Before Watchmen wasn’t the best received…it’s still Tom King. Not sure how I’ll review these, and there’s another graphic novel I got for free because it was released with a misprint and they’re giving away the “misprint edition” with the right pages just shoved in there, so I’ll have to review that one in the future as well. At least that isn’t a trade collection, so I don’t have to decide whether to review the individual issues or the story as a whole.

Meanwhile the other articles (depending on what happens with the trades and graphic novel) should be business as usual. The next chapter of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image is coming up, and we’ll have to see what I do with other stuff versus whatever there is to talk about in the world of storytelling. Hoping to keep the productive streak going, and have a great week, everyone! Whatever’s coming will hopefully be worth your time.

Saturday Night Showcase> DC High Volume: Batman “Year One”

Just in time for Batman’s 85th Anniversary and Free Comic Book Day, I bring you Batman’s first day on the job.

I’m not a huge fan of Frank Miller’s work. I don’t just mean his more recent stuff where Miller fell into certain tropes, or gave us the “Crazy Steve” version of Batman in All-Star Batman & Robin. Just in general, Miller’s semi-noir style and gritty takes on characters just aren’t for me. There was a time when his writing was really good. Then there was All-Star Batman & Robin or Holy Terror. He’s made some odd choices lately, but back when he did Batman: Year One or the definitive take on Marvel’s Daredevil he was at his best. May I never become a parody of myself.

Originally intended as a stand-alone graphic novel, Batman group editor Dennis O’Neil took advantage of the rebooted DC universe post-Crisis to create not a new take on Batman but an expanded one and saw “Year One” as a good restarting point for Bruce Wayne’s history. It tells of his first meeting with Jim Gordon and his early days on the “job” as the shadowy guardian of Gotham City. He prefered to see the early, screwing up version of heroes and found seasoned hero stories boring. I tend to be the opposite, another reason we don’t see eye-to-eye in approaches. Still, “Year One”, running from Batman #404-407, back when such stories weren’t “writing for the trade”. Remember, this would have been a stand-alone graphic novel originally. The story arc has been released in trade, it’s proper format in a way, and is one of the definitive Batman stories, even getting an animated movie adaptation.

Tonight we look at a different adaptation, the first installment of DC’s “High Volume” audio drama adaptations, produced by podcasting studio Realm. It’s available wherever you prefer to get your podcasts (more info and links here), but we’re using the YouTube version for convenience and because it includes the comic art by artist David Mazzucchelli, colors by his wife Richmond Lewis, and lettering by Todd Klein. Some scenes do not have attached artwork, but not having read the comic I don’t know if these are scenes added to the audio drama or if they just didn’t put them in for some reason. I know episode one includes Miller’s re-imagine of Catwoman’s origin as a prostitute turned cat burglar, but we don’t see her scenes in the visuals. I wasn’t a fan of that addition to her origin, either. We don’t see Bruce become Batman in this installment, but we do see Lieutenant Jim Gordon arrive from Chicago and learn how things work in Gotham City as Bruce comes home to begin his mission. Enjoy.

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BW’s Saturday Article Link> Whatever Happened To Ronald McDonald?

Photo by u4e09u5c81 u9648 on Pexels.com

I grew up watching the adventures of Ronald McDonald and all his friends from McDonaldland. I didn’t care what they were selling. I just like watching their hijinks centered around their desire for fast food…when they weren’t living incarnations of fast food. At some point Grimace, Captain Crook, that scientist, Mayor McCheese, and all the others disappeared. Ronald was the last one standing, as the first(ish) mascot, but what happened to our favorite red and yellow clown? Jake Rosen at Mental Floss decided to find out.

BW Media Spotlight’s Free Comic Book Day 2025 Want List

Yes, kids, it’s that time of the year again. The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. If you’re Jake from my comic Jake & Leon it’s the most wonderful time of year and oddly I’m not doing a FCBD strip this week because we had a different topic show up and I think I’ve run out of Free Comic Book Day gags.

For the uninitiated, Free Comic Book Day began when Joe Field, who no longer owns a comic book store, suggested a day to bring in new readers through the power of free stuff. Diamond Comics, who is currently between owners after years of mismanagement and screwing over smaller comic stores, took up the cause. Yeah, this is an interesting year for Free Comic Book Day. The idea isn’t that you get regular comics for free but special previews that the readers don’t have to pay for. However, the comic story totally pays for those comics so be sure to buy something from them if you can!!!!! The way things have been for them lately they could use the money. Sadly I am dirt poor this year and I’m still going to look to get at least one or two, even if only from the back issue bins as I have plenty of boards and bags. That’s if I go this year.

I didn’t go last year because I wasn’t up for it and I’m not sure how I’m going to feel tomorrow with my allergies (plus last night my insomnia was interrupted by a pop-up storm knocking out power for almost an hour so I’m a bit tired at the moment) or what the weather is going to be like. So I may be forced to resort to online digital versions from ComiXology/Kindle, Global Comix, Drive Thru Comics, or whatever else gets put online. Sometimes publishers even put them on their website. That would be a shame, since meeting fellow comic fans and finding out what’s out there that HASN’T broken your heart or made by people who call you scum for not kissing their rear ends is the best part of going. Whatever the case, it’s time for my annual look through at the Gold and Silver sponsorships. One costs the store more so they might not get them and given when I wake up they might be gone before I get there. Still, if I go, this is what I hope to obtain:

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