No, YOU are supposed to catch the PLANE, not the other way around!
Sarge Steel #6
Charlton Comics Group (November, 1965)
“Case Of The King’s Assassin”
WRITER: Joe Gill
ARTIST: Montes & Bache
martial arts teaching section written and drawn by Frank McLaughlin, and featuring Judomaster instead of Sarge this time. I wonder if they mixed up the back-up in the two comics or if this was some attempt at cross promotion, given that Judomaster was about to get his own comic soon?
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One of my favorite takes on Batman is that he’s using “Robin” to keep Dick from becoming as angry and bitter as Bruce himself is. So when he says “I thought he might take you, too”, he may not just mean “your life” but “your soul” if Dick were indeed to attempt to kill Zuko.
Well, we had two chapters last time as we focused on Op-Center. We’re overdue to go back to Commie Op-Center so it looks like that’s where we’re headed this time.
I really did poorly time when I’m going over this book. I didn’t know that there would be a Russian/Ukraine element before I started reading. Obviously I knew this would be one of those “the commies want to restore the USSR” stories because the Cold War made for more interesting bad guys. Not everyone is Russia was a bad person. It’s just the government was being run by bad people. The US press back in those days fawned over Mikhail Gorbachev, which is why I find it interesting they hate the guy currently trying to restore the Soviet Union. I have theories, but that’s getting even more into politics, and while going over this novel means current event discussion is kind of inevitable, I’m still trying to keep it out of discussions, harder as it is with activists playing storyteller and failing.
Plus we live in a time where being patriotic has sadly become less celebrated even on Independence Day. When this novel came out it was still considered a good thing, as was fighting against communism as an enemy of the people. Communism claims to be for everybody but forced equality is a lie because you can’t force equality and expect growth, and because there is still inequality. The people in charge enjoy more freedoms and better lives while the workers have terrible lives. “Bread lines” in the old Soviet Union wasn’t a joke, it was a reality guys like Gorbachev and Putin never worried about. You have no rights, no chance for personal advancement for you and your family. Fighting against that is a good thing, and you can see that the trio behind Commie Op-Center and the various planned attacks are not working in Russia’s best interest, but their own. Like most elitists they can even fool themselves into believing it, but ask someone who grew up during those days or the modern commie countries, and they’ll tell you why they left.
With that padding done, it’s time to get back to the book and see what the bad guys are up to.
“Remember me? I still have a comic series.”
Prime #7
Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (December, 1993)
“Moon Mission”
WRITERS: Gerald Jones & Len Strazewski
ARTIST: Norm Breyfogle
COLOR DESIGN: Keith Conroy
INTERIOR COLOR: Violent Hues
LETTERER: Tim Eldred
EDITORS: Chris Ulm & Hank Kanalz
At least it keeps me drawing these characters.
With everything that’s gone in this year…including this weekend, unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to turn any of the Captain Yuletide plots I have into actual stories to turn into comics. So for this year the Jake & Leon Christmas storyline will be what the Workshop 25 elves and (for this article) Bryce The Green-Nosed Reindeer do when no villains are threatening Christmas. For Bryce, it’s spending time with Belle, his mate.
To end this year’s Clutter Reports of course I showed off the story around this year’s Transformers Christmas tree and the rest of the studio decorating. I won’t be able to do much until the decorations are down, so I’m going to focus the time on the RSS feeds and YouTube backlog and working on the Mega Man model. I can get at least one of my 2024 goals done.
As for this week, depending on various factors, we have another episode of Justice League: Heroes United to go over, more Star Trek writer’s guide terminology examining, and of course the Chapter By Chapter review of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image. Because nothing says the holidays like communists, deadly towers, and space travel. Or…something. Have a great week, everyone!
This is just short of making my Christmas Special playlist, and the bias is all mine, but it’s still just good enough to star this year’s Christmas special edition of Saturday Night Showcase.
While Disney seem to fail to understand Star Wars and what makes it work, LEGO seems to have a bit more understanding. While the movies take more of a “kid playing with LEGO” tone the shows and direct-to-video movies go more for parody in a LEGO-y world. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is no exception.
It’s Life Day just after the final defeat of the First Order. It’s a time of peace and celebration, but Rey’s attempts to teach Finn how to be a Jedi is meeting with failure. (I’d say it’s because Finn doesn’t need to be a Jedi, but enough fans disagree that Atomic Cartoons is running with it.) Traveling to an old Jedi Temple, leaving her friends to set up a Life Day event, Rey ends up joined by BB-8 in a trip through time…and we all know what time travel in a comedy can lead to. Which it does. It’s not a battle to save Life Day but the history of the LEGO Star Wars universe, as both Rey and party planner Poe Dameron both need to learn the secret of Jedi training and the holidays. Enjoy.
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 