Review- DEADMAN

DEADMAN (DC, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Collects Deadman #1-6 (cover dates January- May, 2018)

Writer, Artist, and Colorist: Neal Adams

After reading Batman: Odyssey maxi-series I had all but given up on Neal Adams. I picked up the first issue of this series and read it with my son. It was almost as confusing as Batman: Odyssey but had enough of a hook for us to pick up issue 2. I forgot to pick up the rest of the series until I saw this trade.

The optical illusion with the lion on the cover of the second issue is intact in this trade. Unfortunately the glow in the dark cover of #1 can't be replicated in the collected edition.

Adams tries to set the record straight for Deadman's origins. The original 1960s issues were admittedly confusing at times, with revisions and reveals one after another. Adams didn't write those original issues, so he was not to blame. The problem is things were already smoothed over and this is yet another set of revisions. Oh well, I can't keep DC's continuity straight anyhow so who cares.

The Hook, Nanda Parbat, Rama Kushna, and The League Of Assassins are all brought back front and center. Adams drags in The Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, Batman, The Demon, and Zatanna. Neal Adams draws an incredible version of Zatanna and I would be interested to see what he could do with a series for her.

While the writing in issue 1 was somewhat confusing it improved and was more readable until #5 and 6. That's when Adams' newfound tics of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks started kicking into high gear. His dialogue wasn't as groan inducing as Batman: Odyssey...thank god. That book gave me a headache.

Adams' artwork has deteriorated. His panel composition and layouts remain great, but he insists on inking his own work and his clean lines have devolved into a chicken scratch mess. It's too bad that Adams retains such creative control. A strong editor could tighten up the dialogue a bit and pair him with a strong inker who would complement his style. Adams' coloring seems outdated, and I mean that in a bad way. He plays with Photoshop bells and whistles in a way that is reminiscent of colorists a dozen years ago. The tricks aren't new and they aren't convincing. Your mileage may vary.

The book ends on a nonsensical cliffhanger, promising a book two. So far not a single issue has been solicited. This was decent and entertaining enough for me to pick up the second trade if or when it is released.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- DEADMAN: BOOK FIVE

DEADMAN: BOOK FIVE (DC, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Challengers Of The Unknown #85-87, Deadman #1-4, and the Deadman story from Secret Origins #15 (cover dates March, 1978- June, 1987)

Writers: Gerry Conway, Carla Conway, and Andrew Helfer

Artists: Keith Giffen, John Cerlardo, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Maguire, and Dick Giordano with covers by Rich Buckler, Jack Abel, Frank Giacoia, Alex Saviuk, Dick Giordano, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, John Byrne, and Ed Hannigan

If you are still hanging around for the fifth book in any given line then you are likely a completist, which is fine because only a completist would be interested in reading the material collected in this book. That is exactly where this line of books has failed, though. DC omitted so many Deadman appearances that it makes this line feel like a wasted opportunity, as this will appeal to neither the completists, the casual reader, nor the mainstream bookstore buyer.

Rounding up some of Deadman's pre-Crisis On Infinite Earths appearances, Deadman: Book Five is an okay read. That is the book's biggest problem: it is just okay. It is very middle of the road in terms of writing and artwork, although Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez turns in some fine work on the four issue mini-series. Things never seem to get out of third gear though.

The book starts out in a jarring manner, as you come in during the middle of a Challengers Of The Unknown story guest-starring Deadman and Swamp Thing. Leave it to DC to omit part one of a four part storyline. The Deadman mini-series from the '80s is good, but let's face it. It's Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's artwork that carries it. The story in and of itself is mediocre. The book ends with a ret-con filled retelling of Deadman's origin from Secret Origins #15. This was an attempt to make it more streamlined for new readers.

So this line is done, although the omissions make it an unsatisfying accomplishment. Oh well. This is DC. They will never right this wrong, so fans will have to take whatever they can get.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- DC omitted tons of Deadman appearances from this era.

Linework and Color restoration: The original color palette is faithfully maintained, although the color blends are done as gradients on occasion. They stick out like a sore thumb to the trained eye. Linework looks decent enough.

Paper stock: Good weight glossy coated stock. Glossy paper is not optimal for comic books with flat coloring but I will take this over the cheap paper DC usually passes off on folks in their books of classic material.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- DEADMAN: BOOK FOUR

DEADMAN: BOOK FOUR (DC, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects the Deadman stories from DC Special Series #8, Adventure Comics #459-466, DC Comics Presents #24, and DC Super-Stars # 8 (cover dates October, 1978- August, 1980)

Writers: Len Wein, Bob Haney, and Gerry Conway

Artists: Jim Aparo, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, with inking by Ric Estrada, Dick Giordano, and Frank Chiaramonte

I really enjoy DC's macabre-tinged superheroes like Deadman. For those of you unfamiliar with the character, he is Boston Brand, famed circus acrobat who was murdered and given a second chance by Rama Kushna to balance the scales between good and evil by possessing people's bodies to fight for justice. It's a concept that is simple yet has many nuances to it. I especially enjoy Deadman's plight, the alienation aspect of it. No one can see or hear him unless he possesses someone's body.

The first story in this book (DC Special Series #8) is silly. The rest of the stories collected in this book are great. Great writing by Len Wein with great artwork by Jim Aparo and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Adventure Comics #464-466 are my favorites, with Deadman facing off against a rogue member of Psi-Lab One, S.T.A.R. Laboratories' division of paranormal abilities. The team use a seance to summon Deadman to battle what they believe to be a poltergeist. No spoilers here, even on comic books that are 35+ years old.

The string of omissions continues in this line of books. I assume that the point of this line was to collect all of the character's pre-Crisis On Infinite Earth appearances. Previous volumes have omitted Justice League Of America #94, and Forever People #9 and 10. Looking ahead, Challengers Of The Unknown #84 is omitted from Book Five in this line, which is insane since it is the first part of a four part storyline, parts two through four of which are collected in that book! Appearances which are also omitted from Book Five include Detective Comics #500, Batman #337 and 339, and Swamp Thing Annual #2.

DC's Collected Editions Department is lost. Mind you, I compiled this list using the Internet. It took less than five seconds to map out all of the character's appearances in chronological order. I can't believe that the editors who work for DC are so clueless that they don't know how to do this. DC needs to find someone who knows this material and cares enough about the end product to make things complete. I am available...

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- It would be nice if DC cared enough about their material to provide extras. Extras like the original cover to the story that wound up as Adventure Comics #464 which was intended to be Showcase #105. That story was shortened from 25 pages to 22, and they could have included the pages that were dropped...but they didn't.

Linework and Color restoration: Most of the linework is excellent, with a handful of pages being off. The coloring...sigh. While the color palette is faithful to the original comics for the most part it is the horrid gradient shade blending which kills it for me. The airbursh appearance looks harsh and completely inappropriate for material of this vintage.

Paper stock: Bright white glossy coated stock. DC can't figure it out. They either use cheap pulp paper or this stuff for their classic material. They should use the stock that Marvel uses for their classic material. This glossy stuff is what Marvel used ten years ago before they figured out that it didn't work.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS VOL. 1: DEADMAN & CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS VOL. 1: DEADMAN & CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN (DC, 2012; Softcover)

Collects DC Universe Presents Nos. 1-8 (cover dates November, 2011- June, 2012)

Writers: Paul Jenkins (Deadman), Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway (Challengers of the Unknown)

Artists: Bernard Chang (Deadman) and Jerry Ordway (Challengers of the Unknown)

This is my third foray into DC's New 52, and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. I am familiar with Deadman, less so with the Challengers of the Unknown. It was interesting to compare and contrast these soft reboots since I am knowledgeable about one and not the other. (I recently picked up both Challengers of the Unknown Archives but Godzilla knows when I'll get around to reading them.)

Deadman's origin makes more sense here than the original Silver Age version, although it lacks the energy and spontaneity. It also lacks Neal Adams. Ha! Paul Jenkins does a solid enough revision, ironing out details while almost completely ignoring the whole League of Assassins aspect to his original origin. It was a bit silly in all honesty. Boston Brand's identity gets far less use here than it did in the original series, and he also seems less alienated and less mentally unstable because of that.

One huge difference in the story is that Rama Kushna assigns Deadman people to possess and live their life until he learns his lesson and is allowed to move on as opposed to him randomly possessing people while trying to find his killer. Something isn't kosher with this arrangement, and it is here that we find out what this new Deadman is really made of. Bernard Chang's artwork is very good but I find the soft color palette strips it of its energy.

Like I stated above, I own both Archives of Challengers of the Unknown and look forward to reading them someday. For this portion of the books (issues 6-8) we get former DC head honcho Dan DiDio collaborating with DC stalwart Jerry Ordway. I've always been a fan of Ordway's but thought that he was semi-retired. The truth is that he recently went public with the fact that while he has been under exclusive contract with DC, DC has chosen not to give him any work, which means that he starves. If DC doesn't want him they should cut him loose. I'm sure that Marvel would love to have an artist who can draw in the classic comic book vein on staff.

The Challengers are a reality show, and these “Unknowns” journey to the Himalayas for their new season. One of their team members, Clay, has a talisman which opens up a hidden city in the mountains. Without giving any more away, they end up finding out what makes all of this mystical stuff tick. There's so much potential with this creative team, but so far there's been no further issues solicited with these characters in them. My knowledge of the original series is pretty much non-existent, but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a reality show that brought them together. Purists are probably outraged by this reboot, but as a new fan reading a new-to-me concept, it worked, and worked well.

I hope to see more New 52 Deadman and Challengers of the Unknown in the future.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- DC has recently upped the quality of their trade paperbacks, which I will cover in greater detail below.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. This book has a decent weight coated stock paper which is perfect for material with modern computer coloring.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Like nearly all softcovers, this has glued binding. Calm down.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. DC has been using the same laminated cardstock covers that Marvel has since they launched the New 52 line of trades.

Buy DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS VOL. 1: DEADMAN & CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN at InStockTrades!

Review- DEADMAN: BOOK THREE

DEADMAN: BOOK THREE (DC, 2012; Softcover)

Collects World's Finest Comics Nos. 223, 227, The Brave and the Bold No. 133, The Phantom Stranger Nos. 33, 39-41, Superman Family No. 183, and DC Super-Stars No. 18 (cover dates June, 1974- Winter (January-February), 1978)

Writers: Cary Bates, Gerry Conway, Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Paul Levitz, and Martin Pasko

Artists: Jim Aparo, Tex Blaisdell, Fred Carrillo, Vince Colletta, Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano, Mike Grell, Bob Layton, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Romeo Tanghal

I've read several of the issues collected here before in Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2, where both Deadman and the Phantom Stranger co-headlined a title. Artist Jim Aparo was a Neal Adams clone in a good way. I love his stuff, and he does the bulk of the artwork in this book. Mike Grell handles the artwork on Phantom Stranger No. 33. Grell is another incredible artist, and his work is woefully uncollected. We need full color Warlord collections, DC! 

The writing in this book is lovably dated Bronze Age goodness. It holds up fairly well here in 2013. It seems to me that if you criticize anything about the writing in modern comics you get labeled a dinosaur. I just feel that while some of these Bronze Age writers may not be technically better writers than modern writers, many of them are better comic book writers. There is something to these third party narratives that add depth to the story. Many modern comics fans hate them; I do not. 

This should be a welcome addition to any self respecting comic fan's bookshelf. I would love to see a Book Four. Does anybody have any idea what would go into it?

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Good God, DC! You have neither rhyme nor reason in your collected editions department. Covers are omitted, this volume has no table of contents while Vols. 1 and 2 do...(in a Nancy Kerrigan voice) WHY...WHY???

Linework restoration rating: 4.75 out of 5. Excellent linework restoration with only one or two rough spots.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. My complaint with DC's recoloring is always the same. They go to great lengths to maintain the original color palette, but they choose to use gradient blends which tend to look airbrushed and harsh. They stick out like a sore thumb to my OCD-stricken eyes. If they make the effort to get the colors correct, why not recolor them correctly?

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. This book has a decent weight coated stock which is way too glossy for my taste. It is better than the toilet paper they used to pass off on us in collected editions of vintage material, though.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Seems solid enough to hold up with repeated handling.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. I am thrilled that DC has upped their game and now use the same thick laminated coating on their covers that Marvel does.

Review- DEADMAN: BOOK TWO

DEADMAN: BOOK TWO (DC, 2012; Softcover)

Collects The Brave and the Bold Nos. 79, 86, Challengers of the Unknown No. 74, and selections from Aquaman Nos. 50-52, and Strange Adventures Nos. 214-216 (cover dates September, 1968- July, 1970)

Writers: Bob Haney (The Brave and the Bold), Neal Adams (Strange Adventures 215, 216, and Aquaman), Robert Kanigher (Strange Adventures 214), and Denny O'Neil (Challengers of the Unknown)

Artists: Neal Adams and George Tuska (penciler on Challengers of the Unknown only)

This is flippin' awesome. Deadman totally rocks. Deadman finds his killer, the Hook, and it was an anticlimactic precursor to Adams' Ra's al Ghul Batman storyline. Sensei and the Society of Assassins are basically the League of Assassins with cheesier motives. Adams ushers in character development, something sorely lacking in many DC titles of this era. Boston Brand's desperation and alienation reach a breaking point, and he possesses a guy and does something really creepy off panel. I'm surprised that that scene made it past the Comics Code Authority. 

Deadman meets Rama Kushna, and his brash, arrogant manner proves to be his undoing. He has found his killer and was free to pass on to the afterlife but instead chooses to stay a living dead man and fight evil. Corny but very cool.

George Tuska's artwork on Challengers of the Unknown is incredible, worlds better than his '70s Avengers run. This was my first exposure to the Challengers, and I thought that the concept was intriguing enough. A quick search shows that there are two DC Archives, an Omnibus (which covers the same material) and 2 Showcase Presents phonebooks. If it deals with the macabre as often as it does in this issue then I have found yet another thing to try and acquire. Why are there so many sweet ass comic books from all eras? Why? Why!?!!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- A nice trade paperback collection.

Linework restoration rating: 5 out of 5. The film for this stuff is in damn good shape, with one or two spots of linework dropped throughout the entire book. Acceptable enough for a 5. It looks like Adams possibly re-inked a panel or two.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. While faithful to the original color palette, the cheesy gradient shades lowered it a full point. It's annoying when they cut corners like this. The argument usually falls into several camps: The first being folks like me who want things presented as authentically as possible in a “high definition” collected edition format. Another is the “I can't tell the difference” crowd, who have lower standards for restoration overall but likely make up the bulk of the audience for these books, and finally, the “You should be happy that DC lets you buy this stuff. Buy it and like it.” This is the most annoying bunch, as they apologize and make excuses for DC's numerous shortcomings. I totally get that my preferred approach to restoration is the most time consuming and labor extensive (as well as the most expensive), but if they do it once then they should just do it right. We have the technology. There are no more excuses.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. This has a decent weight coated stock. It is a tad too glossy for this material but is still worlds better than the toilet paper DC used to put in their trade paperbacks of vintage material.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Nothing to get yourself worked up over for a softcover.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. DC's lamination on their cardstock covers is now as high quality as Marvel's.

Review- DEADMAN: BOOK ONE

DEADMAN: BOOK ONE (DC, 2011; Softcover)

Collects the Deadman stories from Strange Adventures Nos. 205-213 (cover dates October, 1967- August, 1968)

Writers: Arnold Drake (205, 206), Jack Miller (207-211), and Neal Adams (212, 213)

Artists: Neal Adams (206-213), Carmine Infantino (205), and George Roussos (205)

The gist- Boston Brand was a circus trapeze artist who was assassinated during a performance. Brand was a difficult man to get along with, and the murderer could be anyone. The Indian God Rama Kushna refuses to let Brand pass on to the afterlife until he finds his murderer. As Deadman, no one can see, hear, or feel him, and he is quite alone in his torment. He can enter people's bodies and essentially possess them, using their eyes and mouth and body to fight crime and search for his murderer known only as The Hook. I love the serial whodunit, on the trail of the murderer vibe of the comic. It's a great hook (no pun intended). 

The writing is generally excellent but has some dated rough patches. Ham-fisted dialogue, characters with unbelievably short fuses, and sexism are all hallmarks of the Silver Age of comics. Once Adams took over the writing he helped massage some of these rough edges off and helped DC move forward to better compete stylistically with Marvel. Marvel had buried DC during this time and left DC looking like Elvis at a Grateful Dead concert in 1969: conspicuous and painfully out of step with what was going on at the time. 

Modern comic book fans might not realize how brilliant Neal Adams' artwork was/is without proper context. Aside from Ditko and Steranko, there was no one more innovative with their panel layouts and use of perspective and depth in comic books during the Silver Age. Adams is a true visionary whose impact on comic books as an artform is beyond measure. Thankfully we can all sample his genius in these affordable trade paperbacks. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Ugh. Why does DC allow Neal Adams to rewrite, or more accurately, redraw history? Much like George Lucas, Adams likes to tweak and refine past works and make them “better”. Except that, like Lucas, he makes them worse. He re-inked and recolored the story in Issue 206, eliminating George Roussos' original inks. It looks like shit. Adams' modern inking style sticks out like a sore thumb when mixed in with his clean inking style of yore. This was done for a 2001hardcover release of this material. The re-coloring in that lone issue also looks like shit when compared to the rest of the book's traditional, flat coloring. I noticed one or two other panels in the book that look “improved” by Adams. I believe that old comics are essentially historical documents, snapshots of a bygone era and should be left alone, for better or for worse. Remastered and presented in collected editions, sure, but redrawn and recolored with a color palette completely unfaithful to the original? Absolutely not.

Linework restoration rating: 4.75 out of 5*. With the exception of what I affectionately refer to as the commission of issue 206*, the linework is maintained extremely well, with maybe a stray dropped line now and again.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5*. The original color palette is maintained except for Issue 206*. I deducted a point because the colorist allowed the computer to fill in the shapes rather than doing it “by hand” on computer. The result of the former method is crappy gradient shades and blends instead of smooth, soft blends that better replicate the brushstrokes and gnashing of printer plates. There are times when I wish that I never educated myself on all of these restoration tricks and techniques, as I am fairly certain that if I read these books to simply read the stories that I'd be happier. Instead, I look at these books as high definition, definitive restorations for the ages.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. The paper in this book is a fair weight coated stock. It's too glossy for this material but I prefer it to the toilet paper DC was using in their collections of classic material.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Nothing to get excited about here.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. The laminated cardstock has a decent thickness.