The crossover I really want is Sonic vs The Flash and the Road Runner in a race.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch #28
Archie Comic Publications (August, 1999)
WRITER: Mike Gallagher
PENCILER: Dan DeCarlo
“SONIC” PENCILER: Dave Manak
INKER: Jon D’Agostino
COLORIST: Barry Grossman
LETTERER: Bill Yoshida
EDITOR: Victor Gorelick
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I’ve been writing about this issue…problem for a while. Writing for the trade is just doing a set of miniseries. I treat the regular comic as a TV series, the original graphic novel as a movie, and the trades as a box set, to use an analog. Trades used to be about collecting a special event. Now they are the comics. You lose the casual reader, you ruin the graphic novel because they aren’t special anymore, and it’s changed the way we read comics, and not necessarily for the better.
Last time we met the rest of the crew. Today’s entry is going to be short because there won’t be as much quoting as usual and will be more of an overview than a deep dive. That’s because there isn’t as much to talk about as when the sales pitch did their set listing. In that, they had to let the network and production company know how much it would cost to build the important sets, at the time hoping to use the multipurpose backlot sets to stand in for alien worlds.
For the series, especially in the gap between the first two seasons, this wasn’t an issue. Sets were designed that could be redressed into other rooms if necessary, reducing the space and materials needed. In the writer’s guide it was more about letting the writers know what sets they had available to work with, in hopes that they wouldn’t have to build more sets. However, it’s only Enterprise sets, nothing about the alien worlds, starbases, or (though the show never got there) what they would need if they were brought back to Earth. Something like the Mirror Universe would require changes in symbols, but that was more about altering the costumes and introducing a pain inducer prop.
As a result, what follows is just random trivia rather than going over every detail. There’s only minor trivia to be had, and little to affect the story beyond “here’s what we already made, please consider a way to use this instead of forcing us to make a new room”. It’s of minor interest and I break this out to make deadline and to be thorough in examining the guide. Let’s begin.
Sarge Steel is a great argument for asexuality.
Sarge Steel #5
Charlton Comics (September, 1968)
“The Case Of The Caged Brain”
Bill Montes and Ernie Bache get credited on the splash page, but according to Comic Book Plus Joe Gill did the writing, while Dick Giordano did the cover art and Herb Field the lettering. Thought they aren’t sure about the letterer.
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Nice to see someone defend this episode. The occasionally lighter story to break up the heavier stuff is fine. It keeps the series flowing and doesn’t drag you down in being depressed all the time. They don’t all have to be Baby Doll. Some of the Joker’s episodes are more humorous than others and that’s okay. Also, seeing kids do stuff in a kids show, living vicariously through the characters who get to hang out with Batman, is why Robin exists in the first place. The kids have a story arc where Sherman becomes a better person and the bullies reform to join their detective group. I rather enjoy it and I first saw it when I was about 19 or 20.
As for momma’s boy Penguin, I went over the story bible for Batman: The Animated Series, and this is indeed how he was originally intended. He was even going to look closer to his comic design, like we’d see in the Kids WB years, but they went with a less gross version of Tim Burton’s. I hate that design and it’s the Kids WB redesign I most defend.
Well, last time Mike actually showed there’s a brain in that muscle head of his. Could this lead to a better showing for him than last time? One can only hope.
This chapter focuses on what Paul Hood is up to, though I have not read it yet going into the intro. Paul was the only likable and competent person in the series cast while everyone else were exclusive to that story, unlikable, or not so much incompetent as not being able to get along and thus weakening their ability to solve the situation. This is the issue with some origin stories. Sometimes I really do just want to jump to them full-formed, or at least mostly formed. You can still challenge them. Just because they have skills doesn’t mean you can’t push those skills and challenge them, or have fiction among members of the team that form the personal drama. Origins have their importance, but so does seeing the characters as able to do the job instead of fumbling in the dark.
The last book was Op-Center’s second mission, admitting their first one was a disaster. Would you really want to read that story? That’s usually the backstory for the comedic goofballs who manage to come together. This is a serious political drama with the occasional action moment. I expect to see my heroes as worthy of the task in front of them without it being too easy and killing the drama. I’ve seen it done, but not so much in the first book. I’m hoping for better here as we get back to our adventure.
“How many characters do you want on there?” “All of them!” Even the pretzel cart gu..” “ALL!”
Break-Thru #1
Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (December, 1993)
WRITER: Gerard Jones
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Mike W. Barr, Steve Englehart, Steve Gerber, James D. Hudnall, Tom Mason, George Pérez, James Robinson, & Len Strazewski
PENCILER: George Pérez
INKER: John Lowe
INK ASSIST/LETTERER: Tim Eldred
COLORIST: Moose Bauman
EDITORS: Chris Ulm & Hank Kanalz
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
BW Media Spotlight 