GOLDEN AGE COMIC BOOK OF THE DAY

'Tis the season!

SILVER AGE COMIC BOOK OF THE DAY

Cover art by the great Bob Oskner, who, for my money, drew some of the sexiest women in comics. 

PULP MAGAZINE COVER OF THE DAY

MEN'S ADVENTURE MAGAZINE COVER OF THE DAY

A TALE OF TWO HAWKS

I read my comic books in a funny way. First, I'll read an issue of a new comic book, say for instance, THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #5 published by DC Comics this year and pictured above on the left. Then, I'll follow it up with a back issue from my collection of a similar title or issue featuring the same character. In this case, it's HAWKMAN #2, published by DC Comics in 1964 and pictured above on the right. I hated one of these comics. I adored the other one. Any one care to make a guess as to which is which?

The first issue of THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN was published in 2011 as part of DC's massive relaunch entitled "The New 52". In this iteration of Hawkman (and I've lost track of just how many different versions there have been of this character over the years) finds Carter Hall working as an archaeologist with a special talent for deciphering ancient languages and hieroglyphics. This of course leads to translating material of both arcane and alien origins.

There are only the vaguest hints about Thanagar (Hawkman's home planet in some versions) and no Sheira/Shayera/Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman in any of the issues I've read thus far. Hawkman's Nth metal, in addition to granting him the ability to defy gravity and fly, is now somehow organically fused within Hall's body and manifests itself as overly pointy body armor in times of stress or when Hall needs to become Hawkman.

The issue above is part of a longer story arc, as are almost all modern superhero comics these days and as such, the reader comes into an ongoing story (with little or no editorial help to bring said reader up to speed) and the reader is left with a cliffhanger ending that may or may not be resolved in the next issue. I can't believe that a casual reader, someone with absolutely no knowledge of Hawkman and his incredibly convoluted back story, could pick this issue up, read it and care one whit about ever reading another issue of this comic.

The cliffhanger ends with the reappearance of The Gentleman Ghost, a Hawkman foe who dates back to the Golden Age of comics. He's been updated and modified for this go-round and comes with a slightly new-look and new-powers. Longtime fanboys might be excited by the appearance of this villain in the "New 52" but again, a casual reader is likely to look at this plot development and wonder, wtf?

Hawkman has changed. The Gentleman Ghost has changed. But don't worry. These changes are assuredly not permanent. Once the "New 52" has run it's course (as it most certainly will), at some point in the not too distant future, we'll be treated to yet another rebooting of Hawkman and his gallery of rogues, including The Gentleman Ghost. So enjoy this one while it lasts (if you're so inclined) because I guarantee you, it won't last long.

The artwork by Philip Tan leaves much to be desired. It's dark, muddy, and unclear with unattractive figure work and a clumsy flow from panel to panel. It's hard to look at and hard to follow. Are there no art directors working at DC these days? I suppose the dark art is in keeping with making this new version of Hawkman "savage" aka "dark & gritty" but I'll be honest with you. This isn't a Hawkman I want to read about.

That Hawkman exists in the pages of HAWKMAN #2 from 1964 and yes, I own a copy. This issue sports a terrific cover and interior art by the legendary Murphy Anderson. There are two (count 'em, two) complete stories in this issue and I'm guessing both were scripted by Gardner Fox.

Anderson's art is a thing of beauty to behold. It's clean, simple yet bold, uncluttered and is always, always, always in service to the story. No "look at me, I'm drawing!" gimmicks and stunts here. Just elegant artwork that depicts two superb heroes, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, doing what they do best: fight modern day crime with ancient weapons.

The idea of two alien police officers coming to Earth to study our police methods while also battling evil was and still is a terrific idea. The fact that the Halls eschew their Thanagarian weapons and equipment and take to the skies armed with various weapons from history only adds to the appeal of this series.

Fox's scripts don't focus much on character development. They are problem driven plots in which the Halls (or Hols, to be exact) are confronted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles before utilizing both their brains and brawn to solve the problem and defeat their foes. In the lead story, the Hawks battle alien invaders from another dimension. The tide is turned by the use of sparklers (yes, sparklers!). In the second story, Hawkman fights a gang of crooks using the actual wings of Icarus from Greek mythology.

The artwork is uniformly excellent. Anderson's Hawkman is a bit beefier than the lean, sinewy crime fighter that Joe Kubert drew in earlier issues of THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, when Hawkman was in try-out mode. Shiera Hall is lovely as is museum employee Mavis Trent and the entire issue is simply a pleasure to read.

So there you have it readers. Which comic did I prefer? Which comic would you prefer? This old geezer says, "they don't make 'em like they used to."

I AM LEGEND

I watched I AM LEGEND (2007) yesterday, yet another DVD I acquired in a trade with one of my collector buddies.

The history of I AM LEGEND is long. The original novel I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson was written and published in the 1950s. The material was first filmed in Italy as THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) starring Vincent Price. The second iteration was THE OMEGA MAN (1971) starring Charlton Heston. The 2007 version, starring Will Smith, restores the original title but is in reality, more of a remake of OMEGA than a faithful adaptation of Matheson's novel.

If you've seen OMEGA MAN, you're familiar with the basic story. No major changes in LEGEND except that the location is now an abandoned New York City and our hero, Robert Neville has a very smart and loyal dog companion. The special effects are infinitely more elaborate and realistic than what was feasible in the 1970s and make LEGEND a visually interesting film. The action scenes are also ramped up and the "dark seekers", humans who have become vampires, are much stronger and faster than those seen before. There's also a lot more of them and they have vampire dogs as well.

I enjoyed the film even though there are no narrative surprises. Practically everything that happens in OMEGA MAN happens here just on a much bigger scale. It's a good movie but the definitive version of Matheson's novel remains to be made.

ASSIGNMENT: THE CAIRO DANCERS

I finished reading ASSIGNMENT: THE CAIRO DANCERS (1965) by Edward S. Aarons yesterday. The book is one of the "Assignment" series Aarons wrote starring CIA agent Sam "Cajun" Durell. This long running series (begun in the '50s and finishing in the '80s), was published as paperback originals by Fawcett Gold Medal books.

Sam Durell works for K Section of the CIA. His boss is General McFee who assigns Durell to missions all over the world. Durell globe trots to exotic locales, encounters the requisite beautiful women and evil villains and handles everything with a tough, no-nonsense approach and no high-tech spy-gadgets. The books are tight, fast paced and well plotted. The action moves swiftly and Aarons imbues the stories with a strong sense of place, some nice turns of phrase and good characterization during the course of the adventures.

The Durell "Assignment" series was never picked up by Hollywood for either feature films or as fodder for a weekly television series. The adventures exist only in book form and I've read several of them over the past ten or so years. They're not great literature, but they're fun, quick reads which perfectly capture the Cold War era.

In ASSIGNMENT: THE CAIRO DANCERS, top scientists from many nations have gone missing. One of them is an ex-Nazi (or is he?) expert in the newly emerging laser technology. He's disappeared from Germany where he was betrayed by his daughter. Turns out the scientist is in the hands of The Cairo Dancers, a murderous secret organization that is forcing the captured scientists to construct the ultimate weapon.

The action moves from the beer halls of Munich to the Middle East with an exciting climax in a mountain-top fortress in the Sinai desert where the Dancers plan to unleash a death ray against both Egypt and Israel in an attempt to launch World War III.

ASSIGNMENT: THE CAIRO DANCERS is good, old fashioned '60s spy fiction. Thumbs up.