Mister Miracle #24

(DC)
February 1991



Good Guy: Mister Miracle/Shilo Norman
Bad Guy: The Lump

Cameos: Oberon, Highfather, Big Barda, Scott Free/Mister Miracle, Granny Goodness

Synopsis

Writer: Doug Moench
Artists: Bob Dvorak & Ken Hooper

“The Lump that came to Campus”

Scott is offered a research job from an unknown employer and Barda tries her hand at women’s wrestling by defeating their champion easily.

Meanwhile Shilo goes to sleep and is attacked by the Lump from Apocolypse. The Lump enters Shilo’s brain and he must do battle with it in his head. He defeats the Lump who is a reality altering shape changing entity.

When Shilo wakes the Lump departs and Scott and the Highfather explain the Lump is a creature of the ID and a challenge we all must face in ourselves sooner or later.

Rating: 6/10

Great artwork. Not a bad little story and another tale that shows Shilo as being an adequate replacement for Scott Free’s Mister Miracle.

Favorite Panel:

Amazing Spider-Man #191

(MARVEL)
April 1979



Good Guy: Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Bad Guy: Spencer Smythe

Cameos: J Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Marla Madison, Betty Brant, Mary Jane Watson, District Attorney Blake Tower


Synopsis

Writer/Editor: Stan Lee
Illustrators: Keith Pollard & Mike Esposito

“Wanted for Murder: Spider-Man!”

We open with JJJ going nuts about Spider-Man killing his son. He ends his conversation with Robbie by firing Parker. Robbie still hires Peter as photographer at the Egypt exhibition and he decides to ask MJ to go there on a date with him.

While web-swinging Spidey saves an old lady and a speeding driver from crashing into a wall. They appear frightened of him due to the Bugle’s headline “Spider-Man Killer”.

Meanwhile JJJ visits Spencer Smythe who has built mechanical Spider Slayer’s in the past in an attempt to destroy Spider-Man. Unfortunately this has exposed Spencer to radioactive materials and he is dying. When Jonah walks in he sees it as an opportunity to destroy both Spidey and Jonah.

Smythe shows Jonah Spider Slayer V and then he tricks Jameson by handcuffing him. The Spider Slayer V captures Spidey and he wakes up handcuffed to Jonah.

Rating: 8/10

Great to see JJJ’s blood boiling!! He is very entertaining. Very nice artwork.


Favorite Panel:

Amazing Spider-Man #96

(MARVEL)
May 1971



Good Guy: Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Bad Guy: Green Goblin/Norman Osborn

Cameos: Gwen Stacy, Joe Robertson, Harry Osborn, Betty Brant, Aunt May, Anna Watson, Mary Jane Watson, Randy Robertson

Synopsis

Story: Stan Lee
Art: Gil Kane, John Romita

“…and now, the Goblin!”

Peter flies back from England. He hands over some shots of Spidey in action in London. He begins to suspect that Robbie knows that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one in the same.

Harry Osborne insists Peter takes up his father’s offer of a research spot at Osborn’s chemical plant. This makes Peter uneasy as Norman Osborn, before his memory loss, was the Green Goblin.

After meeting with Norman Peter walks to the street and notices some cop cars. A young man is stoned out of his mind on a roof top. The guy jumps off the building and Spider-Man saves him.

Randy Robertson and Norman Osborn have an altercation outside the venue where MJ is to perform. The building was once owned by Norman and he senses a strange calling from a door. Peter senses it too and vows to come back later to investigate.

He comes back later, as does Norman. Norman remembers.

Rating: 8/10

A great issue. Norman Osborn slowly remembers his Green Goblin persona. I love how the beads of sweat grow on his forehead and you can see him begin to lose it!!

Favorite Panel:

The last... the return of the Goblin...

Defenders of the Earth #1

(STAR COMICS)
January 1987



Good Guys: Mandrake, Lothar, Phantom, Flash Gordon
Bad Guy: Ming the Merciless

Cameos: LJ, Kshin, Rick Gordon, Dale Gordon, Kro-Tan, Zuffy, Jedda


Synopsis

Writer: Stan Lee assisted by Bob Harras
Penciler: Alex Saviuk

Flash Gordon crashes his space rocket within the grounds of Mandrake and Lothar’s home. Robots come after him but Mandrake creates the illusion that Flash has ran off and flown away again.

Flash explains that his wife and son have been kidnapped by Ming the Merciless and that the Kingdom of Mongo is preparing to invade Earth.

Rick Gordon escapes his cell with the help of Zuffy a Mongo creature, but his mother, Dale, is recaptured.

Mandrake enlists the help of the Phantom and they head for Mongo in Flash’s repaired ship. They come under attack from Ming’s fleet. Mandrake creates some illusions so that many Earth ships appear. The fleet takes aim and attacks their own city as the blasts pass through the imaginary ships.

Ming flees and sets up an earth base in the arctic leaving behind Flash Gordon as he mourns his wife’s death. Zuffy finds a crystal harboring Dale’s life essence inside. Flash vows to discover its secrets but in the meantime the foursome become the “Defenders of the Earth”.


Rating: 5/10

Written by the great man Stan Lee. This was an establishment issue setting up the series. At the time of the issue there was an animated cartoon of the same name.

Very corny, but it was great to see the Phantom, clearly the strongest character of the foursome, in a sci-fi type comic. The way they got Dale Gordon out of the way so that we could have four men and their children in future stories was amusing.


Favorite Panel:

Corny…