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Wednesday Comics: DC, September 1985 (week 2)
I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on June 13, 1985.
Legion of Super-Heroes #14: Levitz and Lightle/Mahlstedt have the Legion auditioning new members. After a routine call for testing purposes turns into an encounter with Ontiir of the Dark Circle, another candidate appears in the form of the diminutive alien, Quislet. As the Legionnaires gather to make their decision, Saturn Girl comes in and requests they give consideration to a mysterious masked candidate she vouches for: Sensor Girl. In the end, Polar Boy, Tellus, Quislet, Magnetic Kid, and Sensor Girl become Legionnaires.
Batman #387: Moench and Mandrake conclude the Black Mask arc. I had this issue and the one before as a kid, but not the part in Detective. It's interesting how the story is crafted so that you really don't need that other issue for the most part to make sense of things. Here, Bruce Wayne announces a masquerade party to lay a trap for Black Mask. Black Mask knows it's a trap and knows Bruce and the police know he know's it, but his analysis of Bruce's psychology is fault as he doesn't know the wealthy playboy is Batman, so he comes. He and his goons fail to kill Bruce, of course, and Robin tracks them to their lair. Batman and Robin fight through the False Face Society to get to Black Mask who has gone just a bit crazier and is burning everything left of his life as Roman Sionis. Batman is barely able to get the villain out of the fire in time, and not before the black pigment from the coffinwood mask is seared onto his face. Black Mask ends up in jail, repeating the word "Janus" to himself. Circe leaves her mask with a guard to give to Sionis, and disappears into the night.
This was a good arc, one of the best of Moench's run, I think.
Amethyst #9: Cohn and Colon/Kessel reveal secrets of Gemworld's creation as an impish creature called the Dream Weaver visits Amy Winston on Earth and takes her on a dream voyage to Gemworld's past. The creature's version of events is that Citrina made a pact with the Ancient Ones allowing the creation of Gemworld, but only as long as she was alive. When she died, the Ancient Ones got to consume the magic generated in the world. In this version, Citrina broke the deal and now Amethyst must honor it. Amethyst thinks she knows the truth, though. The Ancient Ones (through Dark Opal and others) have worked behind the scenes to end Citrina's life early so they can collect. Amethyst vows to stop them, but she will have to physical return to Gemworld to do it.
Arak Son of Thunder #48: The Thomases/Loifficiers and Infantino/DeZuniga have Arak and Valda contend with the warrior woman Mu-Lan, who's a lot fiercer than her Disney counterpart. When they hold their own, Mu-Lan says it was only a test. She takes them to meet her grandfather who reveals the dragon of Canton is no dragon at all. Later, at a dinner, after Haakon tries to drug Arak, but is thwarted by Brunello, the grandfather reveals the dragon is a creature summoned by a sorceress. Arak and Valda are sure that sorceress is Angelica.
Flash #349: This issue shows that Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin have a few twists left, at least. After being found guilty, Flash basically just gives up and asks they take him to jail. Soon, though, he's visited by Nathan Newbury, who this issue reminds me we first met back in issue 338, so Bates has had this laid out for a while. Newbury is from the future and came back in time to observe Flash's trial because the death of Reverse Flash before he was ever born is something of a temporal anomaly. He reveals that Flash, according to the hsitory record was acquited, so his conviction points to further disruption. He also tells how Reverse Flash came out of the timestream to ensure Flash's conviction when Newbury had thought he ensured Flash's acquittal.
Meanwhile, the Reverse Flash appears to have captured all the Rogues. It's that group that manages to work out how all this is possible. Someone is involved that has access to greater technology than the Reverse Flash (or Newbury) is doing this: Abra Kadabra.
G.I. Combat #279: Kanigher and Glanzman give is two Haunted Tank stories, though one is more a vignette. The cover story, Stuart's Raiders are tasked with assaulting a cache of stolen gold and recovering it so that it can be used to fund an insurgency in Germany. Faced with gold bars worth $30,000 each, the crew are tempted to take one, but Jeb keeps them in line. It's a good thing too, because a portion of the bars are booby-trapped. As luck would have it, another group of Germans tries to take the gold back and winds up catching the brunt of the explosion.
In the other story, the Raiders go swimming and wind up having to deal with an ambush while they're in the water.
Kana is back courtesy of Kanigher and Cruz, and this time is "transcendental meditation" takes him into a Mad Max-ian future where he helps the civilized Survivors fight against the hostile Wasters. Finally, there's a Mercenaries story by Kanigher/Catan where the three are hired to help an opposition leader return safely to a Latin American country for an election. An assassin disguised as a flight attendant almost ends his life, but the Mercenaries are there to save the day.
Omega Men #30: Klein and McManus bring this arc to a close. Artin/Primus reveals the answer to one of the Psion's Four Questions. It's an answer the Psions have discovered more than once before but their ego hasn't allowed them to accept and so they have forgotten it. The Psions were uplifted from reptiles by experiments of the species that would be the Guardians of the Universe. Learning the technology these ancients left behind, the Psions "improved" themselves, then went out seeking their creators. When they found them, the Guardians were disappointed in their creations and exiled them to the Vega system until they learned something more than soulless science. While the Psions are reeling from these revelations, the Omegans escape and help some of the inhabitants in their experimental domain do likewise. The robots who have now gained sentience vow to take care of the rest.
Red Tornado #3: The Construct has taken over the world. What few superheroes are left take their last stand and the free human population is down to a scattered few in hiding. It's all very Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Meanwhile, Red Tornado is out on a mountain in Wyoming being aloof from humanity. Sulking really. Kathy who is one of the last free humans finds him. At first Tornado rebuffs her, but she offers that the very fact he can question his humanity means that he has it. He's convinced by this argument and reconnects with his human side, deciding to save humanity.
Star Trek #18: Kupperberg is writer on this issue with Sutton/Villagrain still on art. We get a Scotty solo story. He visits an old from who is commander of Starbase 7. When an assault by armed men appears to be only related to theft of the station's new shipment of paper towels, Scotty and a cadet wind up investigating. They discover a plot by a cabal of Starfleet officers (including Scotty's friend) to manufacture and sell a dangerous drug of abuse. Interesting, this is exactly the sort of story element (a Starfleet officer selling drugs) than Roddenberry objected to in Ellison's original City on the Edge of Forever script.
Super Powers #1: Series Two of the Super Powers toys have hit shelves, so we get another out-of-continuity (in fact, from this issue, it's unclear if it's in continuity with the first limited) limited series. This time, Kirby does the penciling himself with Theakston on inks and Kupperberg scripting. Due to the revolt depicted in Hunger Dogs, Darkseid flees from Apokolips. He uses his last boom tube and so constructs a new star gate once he's in his secret base. Darkseid plans to conquer Earth using the Seeds of Doom. The Justice League stands in his way, and this issue is mostly about Martian Manhunter and Aquaman going up against his plans.
Superman #411: The cover proclaims this "a very special issue" and the title of the story by Maggin and Swan/Anderson nods to at least one way that's true. This is "The Last Earth-Prime Story." On Earth-One, former science fiction agent and editor Julie Schwartz is a homeless in the Bowery on his 70th birthday. After attempting suicide by jumping off a building, but being rescued by Superman, he is kidnapped by a forgettable super-villain, Olaf. Perry White's concern for his old friend leads to Superman looking for him and rescuing him from Olaf. The ordeal has been too much though, and Schwartz is dying. He has Superman transport him to Earth-Prime where they arrive at an office birthday party for that universe's Julie Schwartz, editor at DC Comics. Bringing two versions of the same person together as one is dying apparently causes them to merge into one. Schwartz and Superman have a brief conversation alluding to Crisis and the end of multiple worlds, then Superman says goodbye. Back on Earth-One, Clark Kent adds a bust of Julie to his apartment next to the bust of Mort Weisinger.
New Teen Titans Annual #1: Wolfman and Hannigan/DeCarlo present a backdoor pilot for a Vanguard series. The Vanguard is a group of space-themed alien super-heroes. We meet them in the reveal of a previously untold adventure of the Titans when Raven and Terra were still with them. The Titans intervene when the Vanguard appear to chase and apprehend Superman on Earth, but the truth is that Superman is a robot created by Brainiac who has captured the real Superman and is using him to power a planet-scorching weapon. The Titans help (well, mostly just watch) the Vanguard rescue the Man of Steel, and the combined power of the group defeats Brainiac--for now.
Apparently, the comics reading public wasn't all that keen on the Vanguard, because they have only appeared in-story one other time in the DCU (and even then, basically in a cameo).
Legion of Super-Heroes #14: Levitz and Lightle/Mahlstedt have the Legion auditioning new members. After a routine call for testing purposes turns into an encounter with Ontiir of the Dark Circle, another candidate appears in the form of the diminutive alien, Quislet. As the Legionnaires gather to make their decision, Saturn Girl comes in and requests they give consideration to a mysterious masked candidate she vouches for: Sensor Girl. In the end, Polar Boy, Tellus, Quislet, Magnetic Kid, and Sensor Girl become Legionnaires.
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Batman #387: Moench and Mandrake conclude the Black Mask arc. I had this issue and the one before as a kid, but not the part in Detective. It's interesting how the story is crafted so that you really don't need that other issue for the most part to make sense of things. Here, Bruce Wayne announces a masquerade party to lay a trap for Black Mask. Black Mask knows it's a trap and knows Bruce and the police know he know's it, but his analysis of Bruce's psychology is fault as he doesn't know the wealthy playboy is Batman, so he comes. He and his goons fail to kill Bruce, of course, and Robin tracks them to their lair. Batman and Robin fight through the False Face Society to get to Black Mask who has gone just a bit crazier and is burning everything left of his life as Roman Sionis. Batman is barely able to get the villain out of the fire in time, and not before the black pigment from the coffinwood mask is seared onto his face. Black Mask ends up in jail, repeating the word "Janus" to himself. Circe leaves her mask with a guard to give to Sionis, and disappears into the night.
This was a good arc, one of the best of Moench's run, I think.
Amethyst #9: Cohn and Colon/Kessel reveal secrets of Gemworld's creation as an impish creature called the Dream Weaver visits Amy Winston on Earth and takes her on a dream voyage to Gemworld's past. The creature's version of events is that Citrina made a pact with the Ancient Ones allowing the creation of Gemworld, but only as long as she was alive. When she died, the Ancient Ones got to consume the magic generated in the world. In this version, Citrina broke the deal and now Amethyst must honor it. Amethyst thinks she knows the truth, though. The Ancient Ones (through Dark Opal and others) have worked behind the scenes to end Citrina's life early so they can collect. Amethyst vows to stop them, but she will have to physical return to Gemworld to do it.
Arak Son of Thunder #48: The Thomases/Loifficiers and Infantino/DeZuniga have Arak and Valda contend with the warrior woman Mu-Lan, who's a lot fiercer than her Disney counterpart. When they hold their own, Mu-Lan says it was only a test. She takes them to meet her grandfather who reveals the dragon of Canton is no dragon at all. Later, at a dinner, after Haakon tries to drug Arak, but is thwarted by Brunello, the grandfather reveals the dragon is a creature summoned by a sorceress. Arak and Valda are sure that sorceress is Angelica.
Flash #349: This issue shows that Bates and Infantino/McLaughlin have a few twists left, at least. After being found guilty, Flash basically just gives up and asks they take him to jail. Soon, though, he's visited by Nathan Newbury, who this issue reminds me we first met back in issue 338, so Bates has had this laid out for a while. Newbury is from the future and came back in time to observe Flash's trial because the death of Reverse Flash before he was ever born is something of a temporal anomaly. He reveals that Flash, according to the hsitory record was acquited, so his conviction points to further disruption. He also tells how Reverse Flash came out of the timestream to ensure Flash's conviction when Newbury had thought he ensured Flash's acquittal.
Meanwhile, the Reverse Flash appears to have captured all the Rogues. It's that group that manages to work out how all this is possible. Someone is involved that has access to greater technology than the Reverse Flash (or Newbury) is doing this: Abra Kadabra.
G.I. Combat #279: Kanigher and Glanzman give is two Haunted Tank stories, though one is more a vignette. The cover story, Stuart's Raiders are tasked with assaulting a cache of stolen gold and recovering it so that it can be used to fund an insurgency in Germany. Faced with gold bars worth $30,000 each, the crew are tempted to take one, but Jeb keeps them in line. It's a good thing too, because a portion of the bars are booby-trapped. As luck would have it, another group of Germans tries to take the gold back and winds up catching the brunt of the explosion.
In the other story, the Raiders go swimming and wind up having to deal with an ambush while they're in the water.
Kana is back courtesy of Kanigher and Cruz, and this time is "transcendental meditation" takes him into a Mad Max-ian future where he helps the civilized Survivors fight against the hostile Wasters. Finally, there's a Mercenaries story by Kanigher/Catan where the three are hired to help an opposition leader return safely to a Latin American country for an election. An assassin disguised as a flight attendant almost ends his life, but the Mercenaries are there to save the day.
Omega Men #30: Klein and McManus bring this arc to a close. Artin/Primus reveals the answer to one of the Psion's Four Questions. It's an answer the Psions have discovered more than once before but their ego hasn't allowed them to accept and so they have forgotten it. The Psions were uplifted from reptiles by experiments of the species that would be the Guardians of the Universe. Learning the technology these ancients left behind, the Psions "improved" themselves, then went out seeking their creators. When they found them, the Guardians were disappointed in their creations and exiled them to the Vega system until they learned something more than soulless science. While the Psions are reeling from these revelations, the Omegans escape and help some of the inhabitants in their experimental domain do likewise. The robots who have now gained sentience vow to take care of the rest.
Red Tornado #3: The Construct has taken over the world. What few superheroes are left take their last stand and the free human population is down to a scattered few in hiding. It's all very Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Meanwhile, Red Tornado is out on a mountain in Wyoming being aloof from humanity. Sulking really. Kathy who is one of the last free humans finds him. At first Tornado rebuffs her, but she offers that the very fact he can question his humanity means that he has it. He's convinced by this argument and reconnects with his human side, deciding to save humanity.
Star Trek #18: Kupperberg is writer on this issue with Sutton/Villagrain still on art. We get a Scotty solo story. He visits an old from who is commander of Starbase 7. When an assault by armed men appears to be only related to theft of the station's new shipment of paper towels, Scotty and a cadet wind up investigating. They discover a plot by a cabal of Starfleet officers (including Scotty's friend) to manufacture and sell a dangerous drug of abuse. Interesting, this is exactly the sort of story element (a Starfleet officer selling drugs) than Roddenberry objected to in Ellison's original City on the Edge of Forever script.
Super Powers #1: Series Two of the Super Powers toys have hit shelves, so we get another out-of-continuity (in fact, from this issue, it's unclear if it's in continuity with the first limited) limited series. This time, Kirby does the penciling himself with Theakston on inks and Kupperberg scripting. Due to the revolt depicted in Hunger Dogs, Darkseid flees from Apokolips. He uses his last boom tube and so constructs a new star gate once he's in his secret base. Darkseid plans to conquer Earth using the Seeds of Doom. The Justice League stands in his way, and this issue is mostly about Martian Manhunter and Aquaman going up against his plans.
Superman #411: The cover proclaims this "a very special issue" and the title of the story by Maggin and Swan/Anderson nods to at least one way that's true. This is "The Last Earth-Prime Story." On Earth-One, former science fiction agent and editor Julie Schwartz is a homeless in the Bowery on his 70th birthday. After attempting suicide by jumping off a building, but being rescued by Superman, he is kidnapped by a forgettable super-villain, Olaf. Perry White's concern for his old friend leads to Superman looking for him and rescuing him from Olaf. The ordeal has been too much though, and Schwartz is dying. He has Superman transport him to Earth-Prime where they arrive at an office birthday party for that universe's Julie Schwartz, editor at DC Comics. Bringing two versions of the same person together as one is dying apparently causes them to merge into one. Schwartz and Superman have a brief conversation alluding to Crisis and the end of multiple worlds, then Superman says goodbye. Back on Earth-One, Clark Kent adds a bust of Julie to his apartment next to the bust of Mort Weisinger.
New Teen Titans Annual #1: Wolfman and Hannigan/DeCarlo present a backdoor pilot for a Vanguard series. The Vanguard is a group of space-themed alien super-heroes. We meet them in the reveal of a previously untold adventure of the Titans when Raven and Terra were still with them. The Titans intervene when the Vanguard appear to chase and apprehend Superman on Earth, but the truth is that Superman is a robot created by Brainiac who has captured the real Superman and is using him to power a planet-scorching weapon. The Titans help (well, mostly just watch) the Vanguard rescue the Man of Steel, and the combined power of the group defeats Brainiac--for now.
Apparently, the comics reading public wasn't all that keen on the Vanguard, because they have only appeared in-story one other time in the DCU (and even then, basically in a cameo).
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An Interview with Kevin Montijo: A Puerto Rican Artist, Gamer, and Self-Professed Nerd!
Social media is often criticized for the problems it causes for society, and there are certainly many valid concerns. BUT it also has many positive aspects: it has allowed me to meet so many amazing people. Case in point, the subject of today’s interview.
Last week, I was working at a tradeshow, and late in the day, one of the visitors to the booth was this very friendly young gentleman. He engaged with us about the products we were showcasing, and we ended up talking about him being an artist, his love for board games, and the fact that he’s a TTRPG gamer. I told him I’m a gamer too and asked, “Does he know about Puerto Rico Role Players?”
Turns out, I’ve known Kevin in the digital world for almost 10 years! He’s been a participant in Puerto Rico Role Players for years, and we even exchanged messages on Facebook back in early 2017! The last thing I expected was meeting him in person at a trade show. I love the magic of the online gaming community, which allows me to meet people like Kevin. It always makes me happy to meet fellow geeks in the wild!
Having made the connection and already knowing his art form through following him online, I reached out to him to see if he would participate in this series of interviews. He graciously agreed, and he is the subject of today’s post. Without further ado, here we go.
Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?
Hello, world! I’m Kevin M., Professor Montijo, or nerdygeekyart (depending on who you ask). I’m a Government Financial Analyst by day, an Accounting and Auditing Professor by night, but in my free time, I make art.
How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?
I would describe my art as colorful, miscellaneous, and delightfully nerdy. On my art pages, you’ll find everything from simple doodles to full illustrations of the things I know and love, as well as professional work I’ve been hired for. Even though my art is more of a personal passion, I’ve been hired for professional projects, such as illustrating and designing art for a physical card game and serving as an Art Director for a PC game available on Steam.
Aside from regular illustrations, you’ll also find game assets, concept art, 3D models/renders, clay sculptures, dungeon maps, and a plethora of art pieces made either digitally or using any number of mixed media—from pen and ink, to alcohol markers, to watercolors, to whatever I can find in my art bins.
How did you discover TTRPGs?
Like many people my age, I grew up playing or collecting cards from various TCGs like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and even the Neopets TCG (Yes, I still have access to my Neopets account). Those were, in essence, my gateway drug to the delightfully nerdy activities one could play on the school floor or any available table (other than Tazos/POGs, of course). I was always a fan of classic board games, starting with Monopoly, my great aunt’s favorite, and other classics like Cluedo, Battleship, Operation, etc.
I think an absolutely pivotal moment in my love for tabletop games was when I got my hands on the first edition of a little game called Munchkin. When I brought that compact box to school, my
classmates and I had a blast every single time we played. Each game was entertaining and chaotic, and we often challenged ourselves to draw our characters with all the gear and loot they had amassed throughout their journey to level 10. That led me to eventually getting a more advanced version of the game called Munchkin Quest, in which you actually generated a randomized dungeon as you explored, each room filled with crazy effects, a plethora of wacky monsters to slay, and that oh so coveted loot. I still recall one particularly intense game with my best friend at the time, where, against all odds, we managed to beat the final boss, a level 20 plutonium dragon with a mix of gear, random loot, potions, and sheer luck. Now my collection of tabletop games has grown significantly, nearly reaching 300 different titles and counting.
As for TTRPGs, it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact manner of discovery. I remember visiting a small local comic convention when I was very young, purchasing some comics, collectible figures, and a few other things, when something suddenly caught my eye: a box full of dice of varying shapes and colors. That plethora of polyhedra and platonic solids called out to me like a siren to an unsuspecting sailor. As I rummaged through the box, I ended up picking out a red d20 with blue speckled paint from a now-discontinued Chessex set. That newly acquired icosahedron made me want to research what all those dice were used for. Dungeons & Dragons was, of course, at the epicenter of my search, along with a string of other TTRPGs. Unfortunately, I didn’t know a single soul who played, so I had to push most of that research to the back of my mind for the time being.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I started to learn about the Pathfinder TTRPG. For some reason, the more I learned about it, the more I got into it, and eventually decided to buy one of their starter sets. I became absolutely obsessed with it, reading every bit of material and eventually purchasing the core rulebooks and some adventure modules. That being said, I still knew nobody who played. I went to a small, Christian private school with very few students (my class was made up of just 12), and I didn’t have a personal internet connection during my time at school, so meeting people online was not really an option. For some reason, I longed to play the game so much that it never occurred to me that I could try my hand at being a Dungeon Master/Game Master and teach the game to my small circle of friends. Eventually, as I moved on to college, I managed to get a personal internet connection, make friends who shared my interests, and begin playing a few TTRPGs. The rest is history.
Do you actively play TTRPGs? What are you playing?
The TTRPG I play most actively is D&D, either online or with small groups in sporadic bursts. I’m currently not involved in any active sessions, but I look forward to my next adventure!
What do you want to play next?
There are a few TTRPGs or settings that I own the core material for and would love to try out, but I haven’t had the chance yet. These are mainly, but not limited to:
- Nimble: A fast and tactical TTRPG.
- Vagabond: A pulp fantasy TTRPG.
- Dragonbane: A classic fantasy TTRPG.
- Lodestar: A D&D 5e setting based around space-fantasy, heavily influenced by Treasure Planet.
What projects are available, and what are you working on next?
I’m currently working on improving my 3D modeling and rendering skills with Nomad Sculpt and Blender to bring all my fantastical and nerdy 2D ideas to the third dimension with some hopefully exciting applications in the near future.
Where can people find your work?
I’m most active on Instagram and TikTok, both under @nerdygeekyart ! There you’ll find my art, some peeks into my life, and time-lapses of some of my work. Don’t be afraid to pop by and say hi! And, if you like what you see, feel free to follow!
Any closing thoughts?
I would say to all my nerds, geeks, and dweebs out there: the one thing that will lead you to do the things you enjoy most and meet amazing people who share your interests and passions is to be your wonderful self unapologetically. Don’t be afraid to geek out over the things you love. Be kind. Be understanding. Be open-minded and, again, be yourself. Do that, and everything else will follow.
Cheers!
Your friendly neighborhood nerd
Thank you very much, Kevin! See you all next week for the next interview, dear reader.
Categories: Tabletop Gaming Blogs
Integrating Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargrave’s Arduin Grimoires - ACKS II Domain Level Play
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Categories: Knitting Feeds
Integrating Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargrave’s Arduin Grimoires - More In depth Details
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Categories: Tabletop Gaming Blogs
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