Sooner or later, some smart streaming service will discover Martha Washington, one of my favorite creator-driven series (series of mini-series, actually) of the 90s. All-star creators Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons teamed up to create a memorable post-apocalyptic USA.
Maybe it will happen right after we finally see an American Flagg streaming series; they could both be part of an American Dystopia block.
Until then, the comics will have to do.
And the original art, of course, like this great action page from the second series, Martha Washington Goes To War.
Continuing our celebration of the Fastest Man Alive with a few classic “re-runs” — pun absolutely intended— from the early days of the blog. Today’s post is part two, of the genre within a genre, “The Flash of Two Worlds.”
Two legends team up, and tell the tale of two legends teaming up.
This fabulous story page comes to us courtesy of DC Universe Legacies, a 10-part 2010 series written by the late Len Wein that provides an overview of DC history (in contemporary continuity) through the eyes and life story of a one man. The series features an all-start line-up of DC art talent including Joe Kubert, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and many others.
The page here, showing the Flashes meeting for the first time, contains retroactive continuity (retcon), as both characters exist in the same universe — which is the established “post-Crisis” narrative. Also, in the original Flash #123, the Flashes have already met and teamed up when they get to the construction worker.
Garcia Lopez and Gibbons are a terrific pairing, and I was fortunate enough to find this great page before someone else did.
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons early concept art for Watchmen
The Price Of Greatness
Each time I consider a purchase of an original Watchmen page, the price becomes too rich for my taste and I get cold feet. And then, each succeeding time, the price is much higher. Lesson learned? Not yet.
That said, at IDW, we published a beautiful Watchmen Artifact Edition, so I did get to browse quite a few pages and see some impressive scans.
Archie’s Efforts
The MLJ/ Archie superhero universe is fascinating: Since the 80s there have been multiple attempts to launch and sustain the characters, and none have quite worked. Fingers crossed for the most recent efforts, although I’m not certain any new titles featuring the latest iterations were published last year. It’s also interesting that Archie has licensed them to DC a few times.
DC’s Appetites
And speaking of DC, it’s fascinating to me that they would own so many superhero characters, add more, and then license even more. To wit: They purchased the Quality library, the Marvel family, The Charlton superheroes, and Wildstorm. At one point or another, they’ve licensed the Archie superheroes, The T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents, The Spirit, The Conde Naste pulp characters and Fighting American. And a host of other ones I’m likely overlooking. Whew.
Moore’s Luck
Did Alan Moore’s familiarity with the Charlton and Archie characters come from childhood? Or later perhaps when he attends some fan gatherings/ early UK conventions? You could barely find some of those comics in New York, so it’s intriguing (and ultimately fortunate) that they made their way into the UK.
Morisi Gets His Rights
Why did Peter Cannon Thunderbolt revert back to creator Pat Morisi? Why was his deal so different than Steve Ditko’s? Or, did he manage to find a copyright loophole later on? Questions, so many questions…
Not Too Desolate:
If Bob Dylan receives a royalty for the Desolation Row lyrics included in the Watchmen comics, it’s probably the easiest and most surprising money ever. If his people took a flat fee, all I can say is… oops.
HBO’sWatchmen was an unexpected television smash of 2019, and it has landed on a number of best of lists. This series of posts explores the Watchmen characters, which have roots in the more traditional superhero universe.
Steve Ditko creates the iconic and mature character Mr. A (with moral absolutism as his trademark) in 1967 for the prozine Witzend, published by Wally Wood.
A few months later, Ditko tones down the violence and moral
absolutism just a bit, and creates a more comics-code friendly character, The Question,
for Charlton Comics.
In 1983, DC acquires the Charlton superheroes from the
financially strapped publisher. The characters first appear in 1985’s mega-event
Crisis on Infinite Earths as inhabitants of “Earth Four.”
In 1986 Alan Moore retools the Question/Mr. A as Rorschach for Watchmen.
Even before Watchmen concludes, the Question receives his first
own ongoing (and very mature) DC series by Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan.
In issue #17 of that series, the Question (Vic Sage) reads a
Watchmen comic and dreams that he is Rorschach.
A most meta series of events.
Ultimately, The Question series ran 36 issues, ending in 1990. 20 years later, DC added an extra issue as part of the Blackest Night storyline that brought back additional issues of previously cancelled comics.
Which brings us here: In this issue, Bill Sienkiewicz, who
drew or inked nearly all of the covers for that original series, inks an entire
issue for the first time over Denys Cowan’s dynamic pencils. (Cowan had
penciled all but one original issue.)
This is the last page (Renee Montoya is The Question here) from
the story. But, of course, certainly not the last of The Question. As he/she
has already appeared a few times since, most recently notably in Grant
Morrison’s Multiversity: Pax Americana on a new version of Earth Four.
And, in this universe, Vic Sage sounds a lot like… Rorschach.
And the circle continues….
Ten years ago, in Blackest Night, the original Question, Vic Sage, is resurrected to fight the then current Question, Renee Montoya.
The first appearances of Mr. A and The Question, along with the cover of the first and only feature-length Question comic from Charlton.
We meet Rorschach in Watchmen #1, and then the Question meets him in his dreams in Question #17, the first time a Watchmen character appears in any other DC comic.
A recent incarnation of the Question and his Charlton colleagues in the DCU.
HBO’sWatchmen was an unexpected television smash of 2019, and it has landed on a number of best of lists. The next few posts explore the Watchmen characters, which have roots in the more conventional superhero universe.
Most fans of the original 1986 graphic novel know that the main group of (five of the six) Watchmen characters have direct antecedents from the “Charlton superhero universe.” Since DC had recently acquired those characters from the financially strapped competitor, creator Alan Moore’s idea was to use them for his Watchmen concept. But Dick Giordano, DC’s editor at the time, nixed the idea, knowing that Moore’s concept would mean that those characters would be rendered unusable in the greater DC Universe.
Moore, undeterred, simply turned the Charlton characters into his own.
Some more literally than others.
Steve Ditko renders a dynamic action page featuring the original Dr. Manhattan, Captain Atom.
Ditko is the unofficial godfather of the Watchman, having created or revamped Captain Atom, The Blue Beetle and The Question (plus Nightshade) all in a short period in 1966/67. With little in the way of material changes, the three appear as Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, and Rorschach in Watchmen. (Nightshade is not so obvious — more on that in a future post.)
Ditko had left Marvel in 1966, returning to Charlton in the immediate period after his departure. His return there launched a brief, but ultimately futile attempt at a fuller Charlton superhero universe. By 1968, none of the books survived.
Ditko is co-creator (with writer Joe Gill) of the original Captain Atom character, and his origin story (March 1960) is extremely similar to Dr. Manhattan’s, minus the blue skin. In Space Adventures #33, he is seemingly atomized, but he ultimately reappears — with super powers. President Dwight Eisenhower asks him to become the military’s greatest weapon.
On this page from the final issue of the original series, Captain Atom fights “Thirteen” a (surprise!) super-villain with supernatural powers. Inks are by Frank McLaughlin, who was Charlton’s Art Director at the time. Finding a decent inker for Ditko — other than Ditko — could often pose a challenge, but McLaughlin delivers here.
Upon Ditko’s return to Charlton in 1966, Captain Atom and The Blue Beetle are revamped, and The Question and Nightshade are introduced in a flurry of activity.
Captain Atom (1960) becomes… Dr. Manhattan (1986).
Crazy uncles… are crazy 365 days a year. So why is it on Thanksgiving especially we argue with them over domestic politics, international relations, trade wars, e-mail server locations, or any number of myriad topics bound to interfere with all that good food? (Ok, maybe we actually don’t see them the other 364.)
Here’s my suggestion. Let’s keep politics out of the Thanksgiving holiday, and if you must argue/debate/parry over something, keep it to pressing and nerdy comic book questions, like —
Which super villain is smarter (Luthor), which one is crazier (Joker), which one causes more trouble (tie). Essential topics like that. (And be thankful that while your uncle might be yelling at the TV all day, he’s probably not scheming to take over the city/nation/planet etc.)
And please, be polite. The only time you should be Rude is when discussing Steve. (No debate here — that was a bad pun.)
Also, if you look around the table and can’t find the crazy uncle, it might actually be you.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Back soon with our continuing celebration of Marvel’s 80thanniversary.
Two legends team up, and tell the tale of two legends teaming up.
This fabulous story page comes to us courtesy of DC Universe Legacies, a ten-part 2010 series written by Len Wein that provides an overview of DC history (in contemporary continuity) through the eyes and life story of a one man. The series features an all-start line-up of DC art talent including Joe Kubert, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and many others.
The page here, showing the Flashes meeting for the first time, contains retroactive continuity (retcon), as both characters exist in the same universe — which is the established “post-Crisis” narrative. Also, in the original Flash #123, the Flashes have already met and teamed up when they get to the construction worker.
Garcia Lopez and Gibbons are a terrific pairing, and I was fortunate enough to find this great page before someone else did.
In the original story (Flash #123) The two Flashes have already met — and started working together — when the construction accident happens.Flash read Flash Comics? Gardner Fox was” tuned in” to the alternate universe? Wait… What?
