Wonder Woman in the 80s: the Dan Mishkin run

Wonder Woman is one of those titles I've always wanted to 'dive into' but never had the opportunity -- mainly because my early collection of DC comics contained a hodgepodge of Wonder Woman comics from different eras (i.e.,  a few pre-Crisis issues, a few post-Crisis issues, a few early 90s issues, a few post-Zero Hour issues, etc). Sure, I have a 'functional' knowledge of Wonder Woman -- from what I've picked up from Super Friends episodes and Justice League of America comics -- but it always seemed too daunting to read her books since I knew her history (and powers) had been retconned a few times too many. For this article, I'm going to ignore all that, just dive into it and simply accept it all at face value. This is where I actually sit down and read a whole run of consecutive Wonder Woman issues and give an honest-to-god review. This will be my FIRST time reading this, so I really have no preconceived opinions or biases here.


A bit of background:

Dan Mishkin took over as writer for Wonder Woman in mid-1982. Previously, it was Roy Thomas writing Wonder Woman, but he needed to drop the title due to his hectic schedule. Mishkin started scripting over Thomas's plots for issues #295 and #296, and by issue #297 he was THE writer on the title. Marv Wolfman became the editor of Wonder Woman just as Mishkin was becoming the main writer on the series.

You might recognize Mishkin as the co-creator (along with Gary Cohn) of Amethyst and Blue Devil -- and you'd be correct -- but these came AFTER Mishkin started on Wonder Woman. At this point, Mishkin had worked with Cohn on material for DC's mystery/horror/supernatural anthology titles (i.e., House of Mystery, Unexpected, Ghosts, Weird War Tales) and a few one-off stories for Flash, Green Lantern and Jonah Hex. It's safe to say that Mishkin was still an 'unknown' to comic fandom when he took over Wonder Woman.

When Mishkin took over the title, the Joey Cavalieri/Joe Staton Huntress back-ups were already in full swing -- you were only getting 16 to 18 pages of Wonder Woman per issue (which may been a bonus or a nuisance, depending on who you ask). A few readers had even speculated that Wonder Woman's sales would drop if the Huntress back-up feature had been taken away. Since this is a Wonder Woman review, the Huntress back-up features will be reviewed at another time.

When Mishkin picked up Wonder Woman, he was finishing up a story arc Thomas started about video games that were taking control of players and turning them into zombies for General Electric (a 1970s Sandman villain). Wonder Woman was at a good place by this point. Readers wrote in expressing excitement for the 'sensational new' Wonder Woman -- as of issue #288, the series had received an updated logo, a new writer who seemed to know his Wonder Woman history (Roy Thomas), a new penciller (Gene Colan), and her costume had gotten a slight update. According to fans, the book was definitely on an upswing. Issue #297 would be Mishkin's proving grounds.

Wonder Woman v1 #297 (1982). Dan Mishkin's first issue. Beautiful Mike Kaluta cover.

It's important to note that Gene Colan was the penciller on Mishkin's first eight issues. Colan's contribution to the book should NOT be overlooked -- Colan becoming penciller at issue #288 brought a surge of renewed interest to the book (if nothing else for the new readers who just wanted to check out his art).

Gene Colan art from Wonder Woman v1 #298 (1982)

Unfortunately, Mishkin's first story arc gets interrupted by a 16-page Masters of The Universe comic book preview insert. (I say 'unfortunately', but this may have actually encouraged more comic fans to pick up the issue due to the MOTU insert.) Regardless, we're introduced to a NEW Wonder Woman foe and a plot to destroy the Amazons on Paradise Island in a three-issue story arc. There's a bit of info about Themiscyra and we get a bit of a mythology lesson about Bellerophon and Pegasus. Mishkin also throws in some reminders that America was still in a cold war with Russia, and that Diana is still an accomplished fighter pilot. All in all, I enjoyed this story arc and quickly dove into the next issues. This leads us to the 300th issue of Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman #300 v1 (1983) wrap-around cover by Ed Hannigan and Dick Giordano

The 300th issue is a 72-page landmark issue -- with contributions from about a dozen different pencillers and inkers -- all written by Roy and Danette Thomas. Before he left, Thomas had already written Wonder Woman #300, and advanced solicitations dropped the big spoiler that Wonder Woman would accept Steve Trevor's marriage proposal. This was the first appearance of Lyta Trevor (who later becomes Fury from Infinity Inc.), and the Sandman (Garrett Sanford) plays a big supporting role in this story. Mishkin had no part in this issue. Thankfully, everything returns to status quo before we move onto Wonder Woman #301.

Issue #301 has Wonder Woman hanging out on Paradise Island with the rest of the Amazons. We're seeing a lot more of this under Mishkin's creative direction -- he's really bringing Wonder Woman back to her Greek roots. It's a set-up for a new story arc -- this time about the previous Amazon who held the title of 'Wonder Woman'. I found this story to be very well-written and intriguing. Mishkin knows how to set the pace to keep things mysterious. I'm enjoying this very much. (As it happens, Wonder Woman #301 is also around the same time when Mishkin and Gary Cohn debuted their Amethyst preview story in Legion of Super-Heroes #298.)

Gene Colan art from Wonder Woman #301 (1983)

Wonder Woman issues #303 and #304 features a super-villain who last appeared in a Green Lantern story written by Marv Wolfman. This is somewhat fitting, since Wolfman was the editor on Wonder Woman by this point. I always enjoy stories that have another hero's villain cross-over to another character's title, so Mishkin's run is batting 1000 as far as I'm concerned. Ernie Colon takes over as editor in issue #304.

Wonder Woman #303 (1983): In today's edition of 'Guess that Green Lantern villain'...
Art by Gene Colan

The next issue (#305) in this run has Wonder Woman battling Circe (one of her more 'classic' rogues) and reminds us that Wonder Woman has a four-decade-long legacy with her own rogues gallery. So far, it would appear that Mishkin is managing to keep Wonder Woman contemporary (and not campy) while still respecting her roots.

Starting with issue #306, Don Heck becomes the new penciller AND inker (replacing Gene Colan). Colan's art is very moody and atmospheric (see: Marvel's Tomb of Dracula), while Heck has very crisp lines and makes it feels like a bright and cheerful 'super hero' comic. Colan also had the tendency to use a lot of BIG panels in his stories -- making them feel a lot shorter than their allotted 18 pages.

Panels from Wonder Woman #306 (1983). Art by Don Heck.

Issue #306 also begins to see Wonder Woman's support characters getting more exposure -- Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, Phillip Darnell, Keith Griggs, Lisa Abernathy  -- they're all in here taking part in one of the most confusing cold war espionage thrillers I've ever read. It would seem that Mishkin is trying to build on Wonder Woman's strong supporting cast and show readers more of Diana's personality. I'm seeing a strong trend towards realism and depth in Mishkin's work. While I couldn't understand the conclusion to the cold war spy thriller, I still thought this story arc had strong character development and I was interested enough to keep reading. 

So far, at this point into Mishkin's run, readers had written in asking to see: more about Diana's ties to her Amazon heritage, appearances from her old rogues, and more attention to her support characters. For anyone keeping score, Mishkin has delivered on all three.

Next up, there's a two-issue story arc (#308 - #309) in which she teams up with the Black Canary and Elongated Man (reinforcing her ties as a Justice Leaguer). I had trouble maintaining interest in this story arc -- partly because Mishkin put all of the interesting sub-plots he'd brewing up on hold, and partly because I was more interested in Wonder Woman's civilian life and interactions with her support characters (I wasn't kidding when I said his characterization was really really good). Additionally, issue #308 was when Ernie Colon left as editor on Wonder Woman to illustrate Amethyst v1 (also written by Mishkin and Cohn) and to work on his science fiction graphic novel (see: The Medusa Chain). Alan Gold becomes the new editor in issue #309.

Panels from Wonder Woman #308 (1983). Art by Don Heck.

Issue #310 features more Greek mythology. I'm feeling that Mishkin is taking some creative liberties with his recounting of Greek myths, but it's adding to the Wonder Woman lore and fills us in on the mysterious origin of the 'previous Wonder Woman' -- so hey, I'm enjoying this. Mark Beachum is the guest penciller on this issue and Pablo Marcus inks.

panels from Wonder Woman #310 (1983). Art by Mark Beachum and Pablo Marcus.

A major obstacle with writing Wonder Woman was deciding what to do with her love interest, Steve Trevor. Readers had polarized views on Trevor's role in the series -- some felt that he was crucial to Wonder Woman and her love for him was the only tie to man's world, while other readers felt he was boring as hell and should get killed off (again). Mishkin took the higher ground here and tried to turn Steve Trevor into a character fans would care about...

...as demonstrated in issue #311 when Steve Trevor narrates the story. This two-issue story arc had Wonder Woman solving a sci-fi/supernatural mystery which I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did.

The supernatural force that is destroying jet fighters in mid-air is... [dramatic pause]... gremlins. That is correct, folks. Gremlins. Coincidentally, I was about to put the finishing touches on this review and publish it, when I discovered Brian Cronin of CBR posted an article of his own about this. Cronin points out that Mishkin added the whole 'gremlins' several months BEFORE the movie Gremlins was released, which just happens to be a HUGE coincidence. The Gremlins in Mishkin's story gave off a friendly, helpful Smurf-like vibe as opposed to the type of creatures that may or may not devour a human infant from the Gremlins film.

That's right. Gremlins.
panel from Wonder Woman #310 (1984). art by Don Heck.

As an added bonus, the long-running "Will she reveal her secret identity to Steve Trevor? Or won't she?" subplot that had been running *forever* finally gets resolved. By the end of it all, this sci-fi story ends with Wonder Woman getting a new side-kick/supporting character... who is a Gremlin.

Issues #313 and 314 have Wonder Woman battling Circe (again). In the background, the plot thickens as it is revealed that Wonder Woman had memories erased by her mother, Hippolyta. A new villain is introduced: Tezcatlipoca -- a chieftain of the Aztec Gods. Issues #315 and #316 are spent battling Tezcatlipoca. For anyone who's curious, Blue Devil #1 (created and written by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn) was released around the same time as Wonder Woman #316 -- Mishkin is now the regular writer on three DC books (i.e., Wonder Woman, Amethyst and Blue Devil).

introducing... Tezcatlipoca!
panel from Wonder Woman #314 (1984). art by Don Heck.

I can appreciate Mishkin introducing a NEW god-like threat that isn't based on a Greek mythological figure, but once again, I'm eagerly waiting to find out what memories Diana's mother had stolen from her and I'm wondering if Mishkin is deliberately stalling because he hasn't written that far ahead in the plot, yet. (ha!) We are giving a few tidbits of info... like Steve Trevor had already died -- which makes me even more eager to discover who this current Steve Trevor is...


Issue #317 is filled with even more revisions to Amazon mythology -- we are introduced to a 'lost' tribe of South American Amazons:

panels from Wonder Woman #317 (1984). Art by Don Heck and Rick Magyer.

Wonder Woman #318 was a Kurt Busiek and Irv Novick fill-in issue -- so I'll be skipping over this one. Editor Alan Gold revealed that it was planned to occur out-of-continuity, and meant to give Mishkin and Heck a breather. It doesn't mean that we can't appreciate the cover, however:

Wonder Woman #318 (1984). Cover by Eduardo Barreto

And this brings us to issue #319. This... this is what I've been waiting for! Some answers at last! But first, we need to deal with the dramatic return of Dr Cyber -- a Wonder Woman villain I had little familiarity with but was always genuinely curious about. The next few issues deal with more Cold War intrigue as Dr Cyber steals the launch codes for America's nuclear warheads and Wonder Woman narrowly averts World War III.

Dr Cyber finally gets the drop on Wonder Woman.
panel from Wonder Woman #320. Art by Don Heck and Rick Magyar.

In issue #322, after a climactic battle with Dr Cyber, the entire 'missing memories and the mysterious death(s) of Steve Trevor' storyline wraps up. I wasn't aware at the time of reading this, but the mysterious return of Steve Trevor had been an unresolved plotline in Wonder Woman's continuity that had been running since 1980 -- and it wasn't even the first time the writers had killed Steve Trevor and brought him back to life! (Which is probably the most telling detail of how badly Wonder Woman's continuity was messed up.)

For the curious: the answer involves parallel earths, which gives us a bit of foreshadowing to the upcoming Crisis On Infinite Earths. The living and breathing Steve Trevor we see now accidentally came from a parallel reality and crash landed into this reality. After a lot of exposition and a fistfight, Steve Trevor is ultimately restored to his 'whole' self after merging with Aphrodite's son, Eros.

...yeah, I'm still kinda unclear on all of this.

What the hell? From Wonder Woman #322.

Issue #322 was the first issue in a long time with NO Huntress back-up, just 23 pages of Wonder Woman. This may have also been the kiss of death on this series, since Wonder Woman #322 was the last monthly issue and would be published bi-monthly starting with issue #323.

Issue #323 was quite possibly the funnest issue of Wonder Woman Mishkin had written in a while. There were a lot of Wonder Woman villains in this one (ex: Angle Man, Silver Swan, Cheetah, Dr Psycho), Etta gets Wonder Woman powers, the Monitor and Harbinger make an appearance (it was an unofficial Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in), and there's a bit of romantic tension building between Diana and Keith Griggs. According to editor Alan Gold, this story was originally pitched by Mishkin to be several issues long, but Gold asked Mishkin to keep it contained within one issue to give readers a break from long, complicated storylines.

panels from Wonder Woman #323 (1985). Art by Don Heck

According to editor Alan Gold, like all DC writers at the time, Mishkin was obliged to add Harbinger and the Monitor to Wonder Woman's regular continuity in issue #323, quite possibly without really knowing what the aftermath of Crisis On Infinite Earths would be or what the Monitor was all about. (I personally love reading about editorial curve-balls that were thrown at writers and how they dealt with them.) Hence, we get a Monitor who is more or less a power-broker for villains -- which is how he was introduced in the Teen Titans books:

panels from Wonder Woman #323 (1985). Art by Don Heck

To conclude Mishkin's run, issues #324 and #325 featured the return of the Atomic Knight -- a DC sci-fi character that first debuted in the sixties, ran in about twenty stories, took a twelve year hiatus, and re-appeared in 1983's DC Comics Presents #57 (also written by Mishkin and Cohn). After Mishkin left the title, the Atomic Knight no longer appeared in Wonder Woman... but that's okay because we'd see Atomic Knight reappear again in 1985's Outsiders v2.

re-introducing...the Atomic Knight! panels from Wonder Woman #324.

These were 'bridging issues' meant to bridge Mindy Newell as the new writer (much in the same way Roy Thomas had done for Mishkin). Mishkin's last issue of Wonder Woman would be #325. Mishkin was nice enough to write 'Glitch' (the gremlin sidekick that Steve Trevor befriends back in issue #311) out of the series, and Newell was freed up to take the series in the direction she chose to. Curiously, a new female supporting character, Lieutenant Lauren Haley, is added to the roster -- and I'm wondering if this was at Newell's request because it's kinda late in the game for Mishkin to be throwing in new characters...

introducing Lieutenant Lauren Haley. Wonder Woman #325.

This more or less concludes Dan Mishkin's run on Wonder Woman. It was announced in issue #324 that Mindy Newell would be succeeding Dan Mishkin.

Following Wonder Woman #325, Mindy Newell took over writing chores for the title. The letters column hinted that Newell had big plans for Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman, and a few great storylines of her own dealing with Hippolyta and her son... but alas, these never saw print. The series ended four issues later at issue #329. Curiously, Newell decided to finish up the Tezcatlipoca storyline after Mishkin left, which built up to and was immediately followed up by an official Crisis On Infinite Earths tie-in. The last issue of this series (a Crisis tie-in) was written by Gerry Conway.

Following the last issue of the series, Trina Robbins wrote a four-part Wonder Woman mini-series meant to satiate Wonder Woman fans while they tried to figure out their next move -- because, really, I don't think THEY even knew what was happening next:

(from Wonder Woman #325)

By issue #323 (after the title went bi-monthly), it was pretty much known by fans that the Wonder Woman series was in trouble.  I'm wondering if Mishkin knew that the writing was on the wall for this series by this point? In issue #327, readers KNEW that sales on Wonder Woman were really poor. From this point on, every Tom, Dick & Harry wrote in to suggest how to save the series or who to blame for faltering sales. Many readers felt that nothing, short of killing her off and starting all over again, could resolve Wonder Woman's messy continuity. A recurring suggestion was that there weren't enough *good* guest stars and why couldn't Wonder Woman make an appearance in [insert title of best selling comic here]? Finally, a lot of readers complained that Don Heck's sub-par art was responsible for bringing the series down (ouch!).

As hard as editor Alan Gold tried, Wonder Woman just didn't have enough of a readership to justify a Wonder Woman Special.

A recurring theme in Mishkin's run is that the readers were hard to please; some absolutely adored the supporting cast, some wanted them all killed off. Some readers wanted Wonder Woman fighting more super-villains and to feature less mythological characters, while other readers wanted more mythology and Amazons in Wonder Woman's title. Some long-time readers just didn't like the way Mishkin was handling the book, in general. Most notably, Mishkin "gets into it" with Wonder Woman super-fan, Carol Strickland, in the letter column of Wonder Woman #321 with a two-page letter that editor Alan Gold felt was worth printing in it's entirety.

To break it down, Strickland wasn't satisfied with:

1) The sexism in Mishkin's Wonder Woman stories,

2) Mishkin's treatment of Queen Hippolyta,

3) Mishkin's Artermis sub-plot,

4) A few details about Wonder Woman's powers, history and abilities that Mishkin may or may not have gotten wrong, and

5) Wonder Woman's new gremlin sidekick, "Glitch"

I don't necessarily believe that Strickland spoke for ALL die-hard Wonder Woman fans, but she DID reiterate a few points that had come up in the letter column before. She was also coming at this from the perspective of a fan who lived and breathed Wonder Woman, and had a much better grasp on her history than I did. (I mean, had I been reading Wonder Woman since the seventies, I probably would've felt as strongly as Strickland did.) To his credit, Mishkin replied gracefully to Strickland's feedback and handled it like a pro -- while he did agree with her on a lot of her points, he also did remind her that Wonder Woman's continuity is rife with inconsistencies and that he's doing the best he possibly can with the assignment he was given.

[By the way, Carol Strickland is still very much alive and active online, and we hope to grab an interview with her someday soon.]

Ultimately, it was editor Alan Gold who blamed Wonder Woman's disappointing sales on "a bad rep because of lackluster fabulation over the years. That bad rep is what we're up against, I think." (Wonder Woman #324, letter column)

----

As someone who already knew the basics of Wonder Woman (i.e., daughter of Hippolyta, came from Paradise Island, lived among Amazons, had a love interest with Steve Trevor, a good friend named Etta Candy, lasso of truth, her alter ego was Diana Prince) this wasn't the worst jumping on point and I was able to pick up the story pretty quickly.

Due to the luxury of owning all twenty-something issues of Mishkin's run, I had no trouble keeping track of what was going on. While these were really good story arcs, if you missed a few issues, you were kinda lost. With the exception of Wonder Woman #323, none of the stories were 'one-and-dones'. (Which is probably why I don't think I've EVER seen a Mishkin Wonder Woman story appear in a Wonder Woman anthology.)

Ed Hannigan and Dick Giordano cover

I really really enjoyed the ex-Wonder Woman story line Mishkin wove up. Same with the 'missing memories about Steve Trevor' thing. There were lots of things happening with the support characters, too -- even Etta is included in a subplot. I saw some strong character development, and at some points I was more interested in the subplots involving the supporting characters more so than the main story at hand.

The entire 'Etta getting Wonder Woman powers' reminded me of the crazy days of the Silver Age of DC when just about anything could happen thanks to 'imaginary stories'. Wonder Woman #323 is probably the most memorable issue among Wonder Woman fans, just for the sake of Etta getting to play the 'superhero' of the story for once.

Wonder Woman is a larger-than-life figure, a Greek goddess (sorta) who has immense power. Almost like a DC comics counterpart to Marvel's Thor, perhaps. So, she SHOULD be in big EPIC stories and not battling street crime.

Another distinct thing about Wonder Woman... well, what is she? Is she an adventurer? A soldier? A mythological hero? A fighter pilot? An Amazon trying to understand man's world? A superhero? An emissary sent to protect mankind from itself? Well, she's all of these things. You can more or less fit Wonder Woman into any type of story you want. While Roy Thomas' prior run saw Wonder Woman having a lot of adventures with other super-heroes, it seemed like Mishkin wanted to explore her mythological ties. Also, I don't remember ever seeing as many skeletons as I have in Mishkin's run -- maybe a nod to the supernatural/horror stories he'd been writing in House Of Mystery?

Frank Miller and Dick Giordano cover

I felt that Mishkin wrote a 'very strong' Wonder Woman -- a 'woman of the eighties'. No-nonsense. Knows what she wants, what she's fighting for, has principles and values, upholds the American ideals. Characterization is key, and Mishkin's characters had loads of it.

---

Two subplots that never saw resolution:

Why does Sofia look like Diana Prince? Sofia was introduced WAY BACK in Wonder Woman #297 (Mishkin's first solo issue) as a terrorist that Wonder Woman rescues and "reforms" to become an Amazon. Over the course of Mishkin's run, Sofia becomes more ingrained in Amazon culture and even discovers Hippolyta's cover up to keep memories from Diana.

panels from Wonder Woman #322. Sophia is the woman in the green blouse. Compare to Wonder Woman. Hmmm...

Sofia last appears in the series at issue #322 (just before the Atomic Knight team-up) and decides to 'stay' on Paradise Island. My guess was that Sofia was originally introduced to somehow play into the post-Crisis Wonder Woman pitch Mishkin had been rumored to have proposed, but was written out of the story when Mishkin's proposal was refused.


A second unresolved subplot involved Diana Prince (Wonder Woman's alter ego) and Major Keith Griggs becoming an "item". The storyline was cut short due to the series only lasting four more issues after Mishkin left:

panels from Wonder Woman #323 (1985). Art by Don Heck

This concludes my review of Dan Mishkin's Wonder Woman run. I don't believe it's been reprinted as a TPB yet, so if you want to seek it out, you'll need to pick up the back issues like I did.



-Justin

A comprehensive review of the 1987 Spectre v2 ongoing series

Our first article about the Spectre v2 ongoing series began with us telling you about the origin of the series and the Spectre's scaled-down powers, but quickly got side-tracked as we began outlining all the great artists who had collaborated on the series. In this second part we're striving to give you an overall summary of this 1987 ongoing series...

[I'm trying my best here to review this series as objectively as possible. It's been a while since I've read 1992's The Spectre v3 (aka: John Ostrander's Spectre) or any 1940s Golden Age stories from his More Fun Comics days. For all intents and purposes, I'm more or less going into this with a 'clean slate'. -J]

The Spectre v2 ongoing series ran for 31 issues and a single 1988 annual (all written by Doug Moench). This series was only offered via Direct Edition — it wasn't sold on newsstands — meaning you either had to have a home subscription or purchase it from your local comic book shop. Being a Direct Edition made it possible for Spectre v2 to bypass the Comics Code Authority (CCA) seal and contain content geared towards a 'mature audience'. This was very much in-step with what was happening with Swamp Thing v2 at the time, Despite being a 'no label' book, DC editorial opted not use profane words, show graphic sex or violence and only be as strong as 1988 prime time television.

This ongoing series also sported the NEW FORMAT seal on the cover — this meant that there were 24 pages of story instead of 22, all of the ads were at the back of the book, the paper stock was better than newsprint (but not as good as Baxter), and new 'computer coloring' was being used. Swamp Thing v2 would also move into this format with issue #60 and Doom Patrol v2 with issue #19.*

Under the editorial direction of Bob Greenberger, Moench initially sets up the Spectre v2 as a supernatural mystery comic; James Corrigan is no longer a cop, he's a private investigator with an office above Madame Xanadu's Greenwich Village parlor. The stories are mainly narrated from Corrigan's point of view and tend to involve a supernatural case/mystery that he's trying to crack (often involving a murder). The Spectre is a discarnate spirit which comes and goes as he pleases, but is usually working towards the same objective as Corrigan. The first three issues establish the tone of this series, and by issue #4 the series really starts to hit it's stride. Reader reaction to a new Spectre ongoing series consisted of a lot of hesitation — readers pointed out that the reason a Spectre series hadn't worked very well in the past is because the character was too powerful (on the verge of being God-like) and thus difficult for the reader to form a relation to. Moench effectively fixed this by scaling down the Spectre's powers and giving him a weakness.

Spectre v2 #3

I honestly don't think that Doug Moench is given enough credit as a writer of supernatural fiction. Moench is best known for co-creating Marvel's Moon Knight, his run on Marvel's Master of Kung-Fu with Paul Gulacy and, most notably, his 1983 to 1986 stint as a writer for Batman and Detective Comics. Most fans don't realize that Moench's 1970s writing resumé includes a huge catalog of work for Warren Publication's Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella horror magazines, as well as a variety of Marvel's black-and-white Curtis Magazine titles (i.e., Dracula Lives!, Haunt of Horror, Vampire Tales, Monsters Unleashed, Tales of the Zombie).

If I didn't know any better, it would seem like Moench's first major goals with this series were to try to conclude a few open-ended story lines. In a two-part story illustrated by Gene Colan and Steve Mitchell, Moench explains what happened to Jim Corrigan post-Crisis up until the beginning of Spectre v2. Moench masterfully sidesteps around the continuity nightmare that is Crisis on Infinite Earths by explaining it as a natural phenomena ["red rains"] that happened to be occurring during the course of the story:

Spectre v2 #5 - Ernie Colon and Steve Mitchell art

Issues #7 and 8 of the Spectre v2 reintroduces Golden Age mystical super-villain Wotan (last seen in 1981's All-Star Squadron) to a current audience in what may be the creepiest Zatanna story I've ever read. Moench keeps a tight continuity in these issues, as the remaining Demon Three members (Abnegazar and Ghast) are still looking for their missing brother and references to Justice League of America #256 - 257 are mentioned. (At this point, Zatanna was predominantly a Justice Leaguer, having last appeared during 1986's Justice League Detroit run.) Moench also resolves the lingering question of what happened to Zatara following the events of Swamp Thing v2 #50:

Spectre v2 #5 - illustrated by Cam Kennedy

Spectre v2 #9 is the first issue that Gray Morrow starts his six issue run (as penciller AND inker) on the series. Issue #9 incited a lot of controversy in the comic book fandom community at the time, not because the Spectre (a spirit) and Madame Xanadu (a human) 'consummate' their relationship [that idea has already 'been done', as seen in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing v2 #34], but because of all the nudity in the issue. (Fun Fact: Madame Xanadu sleeps totally in the nude while wearing ALL of her jewelry. Flaunt it if you've got it, is the message here.) Comic book stores owners were taken by surprise because there was no mention of adult content on the cover of the issue, and they had no forewarning of the nudity within the issue. One rumor is that DC editorial thought the dark green overlays printed over the image would conceal enough to not be an issue — but as evidenced by the finished product, this was not the case whatsoever.

Truth be told, the Morrow-illustrated issues were my favorite issues of the Spectre v2 to read. Morrow's art brings a sense of realism and fits the mood of the series — his Spectre is a very human-looking Spectre (which, y'know, adds to the creepiness factor). It feels a bit like a throw-back to the Golden Age version of the character when the writers were still trying to flesh out his powers.

Spectre v2 #12 - illustrated by Gray Morrow

As mentioned, Morrow's last issue was Spectre v2 #15, which is also the last issue Robert Greenberger is credited as editor. Starting from #16 (and until the last issue of the series) Andy Hefner would now be manning the editorial reins. Issue #15 concluded with the promise of 'A New Beginning' and issue #16 quickly wraps up the lingering Cult of the Blood Red Moon storyline (that's been running since issue #1) with Chris Wozniak and Mark Farmer on art. Corrigan also comes clean to his police department contact about who he really is (this is a bit of a change, since a previously recurring plot device was Corrigan going to great pains to conceal his association with the Spectre).

Issue #18 brings a BIG CHANGE to the character, as Jim Corrigan and the Spectre are no longer two separate entities, but one and the same person who switch back & forth (think: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde). I'm not 100% sure, but I think the Spectre's powers get augmented, too.

Spectre v2 #19 - Corrigan changing to the Spectre. Mark Badger art.

By issue #20, we're seeing a completely NEW direction in this series: Jim Corrigan decides to run a paranormal detective agency and begins hiring eccentric employees to fill the roster. For a few issues, Spectre v2 goes back to the whole 'detective agency/mystery' aspect, but ultimately gets derailed by a 6 issue story arc that, in my humble opinion, killed interest in this series.

Written by Moench and pencilled by Tom Artis (along with various inkers), the Ghost in the Machine story arc (Spectre v2 #24 - #29) involved the Spectre battling a new meta-human with the power to control... (wait for it)... computers! This was honestly one of those 'what were they thinking' moments that had me scratching my head. Considering issue #23 was an Invasion! tie-in and guest-starred Deadman, Dr Fate, Phantom Stranger and the Demon, it would seem like great things were in store for Spectre v2. Ghost in the Machine featured NO guest stars, didn't really add any new plot development, featured a throw-away villain and took half a year to tell. Depending on who was inking his pencils, I found Artis' art a little too exaggerated/comical for the story... which really gave the whole thing a light-hearted feel. The only noteworthy item about this story arc is that it's the first appearance of Jason Praxis — a character who would later become a member of Booster Gold's Conglomerate in the issues of Justice League Quarterly (circa early 90s). But really, that's not enough of a reason to track these issues down.

The final two issues of the series, #30 and #31, feature a two-part story that kind of just... ends the series. It was actually a very well-written story involving Corrigan's paranormal detective agency and a haunted house/demon possession. The art (Fred Butler and Gonzalo Mayo) was back to being shadowy and sinister, and the story itself was very suspenseful. Moench seems to have put a lot of heart into this 2-parter: a recently introduced character is given the spotlight in these issues and subsequently killed off. Part of me wonders if Moench was blindsided by the cancellation of this series, and was trying to give a new character he created a respectful send off.

The Spectre is (quite possibly) one of my favorite Golden Age comic book characters. Aesthetically speaking, he's easily recognizable in his green-and-white colors and possesses a disquieting demeanor that is just begging to have ghastly stories written about him. Doug Moench, under the guidance of Greenberger (I'm starting to assume), really wrote this character correctly by keeping him closely tied to the other mystical characters of the DCU — essentially continuing what Moore's Swamp Thing v2 had started. Appearances by Phantom Stranger, Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Zatara, Deadman, Dr. Fate, The Enchantress, and Baron Winters really anchored this book as part of a separate universe within the DCU (which would somewhat end up being the foundation that is Vertigo). Everything from issue #1 to issue #16 was engaging and entertaining to read, and had me guessing which DC mystical character might appear next.

panels from The Spectre v2 #11 (1988). Gray Morrow art.

Keeping all this in mind, Spectre v2 felt like two different series' joined together (with the second series starting at issue #17). I'm assuming it was a change due to Helfer's editorial direction, but Spectre v2 #17 and beyond felt like the emphasis was mainly placed on Corrigan and his budding detective agency while the Spectre's involvement with the rest of the mystical DCU took a back seat. (The exception to this, of course, would be the Invasion! tie-in issue which had an ensemble cast of DC mystical characters.) In the letter column of issue #18, Greenberger directly states to a reader:  "Doug, Chris and Andy are moving the Spectre out of the mystical realm for a while, allowing the character to investigate the new changes that have wrought these last few issues".

To see a series change so drastically while written by the same writer always leaves me a little conflicted. I really enjoyed the first half, and the second half not so much. Moench did a great job of keeping the Spectre away from the rest of the mainstream DCU. Even with the mandatory Millennium and Invasion! cross-overs, he still manages to keep the presence of *other* DCU characters at a minimum (the exception being Batman, but it was for a crossover with Detective Comics #582). Moench inserts a lot of philosophical discussion into the story (this was something readers noticed he did with Master of Kung-Fu as well): Corrigan is often discussing moral issues with the Spectre regarding who deserves to be punished and how badly they should be punished. Is anyone really 'evil'? Or just a victim of circumstance? It's worth noting that nowhere in this series is 'The Voice' (the one that Spectre answers to) ever identified as 'God'. Most stories in this series take up two to three issues and there aren't many stand-alone issues.


Why was Spectre v2 cancelled after issue #31? I have no hard evidence or sales numbers, but I'm going to boldly guess that an editorial change, a new 'direction' halfway through the series, inconsistent art teams (Bart Sears was rumored to be next in line to illustrate the series, drew one issue and then left for something else), and shipping delays (the Invasion! tie-in issue was released 2 months after the event had ended) killed interest in this book.

While I just made this series sound like a dud, let's not forget that Spectre v2 had an incredibly strong opening with a terrific creative team (Moench/Colan/Mitchell/Greenberger) and some beautiful covers illustrated by A-level talent. Additionally, the Spectre is such an interesting character, Who doesn't like the Spectre? The book practically sells itself. At it's peak, this series inspired enough renewed interest in the Spectre to justify DC publishing the 1988 Wrath of the Spectre limited series (reprinting the Michael Fleisher/Jim Aparo Adventure Comics stories and a few brand-new stories originally written in 1974).


How does Spectre v2 hold up today? Well, there's a few moments in this series that, as you read them, really make you think "yep, this was definitely written for an 80s crowd in mind". A few notable examples include:

-a veiled rant about Ronald Reagan (exhibit 'F'):

Spectre v2 #12

-an issue all about crooked cops trafficking cocaine:

-the entire 6 issue Ghost in the Machine story arc is about a meta-human who is attacking humanity via arcades, computers and electronics. Remember when local arcades were still a "thing"? The meta-human's plot involved enslaving all 983, 523 computer users all across the country. Wow... that takes me back, Another cover has the Spectre being attacked by CDs. Remember when Compact Discs were the newfangled thing and your friends would show off their new CD-player and CD collection like it was the most glorious piece of hi-tech equipment to ever exist? Yeah, those were the eighties.

As of this writing, I do not believe that ANY of the Spectre v2 has been reprinted in a collected format by DC comics. Which is a shame — since those first sixteen are definitely worth reading. If nothing else, pick up those Gray Morrow issues (#9 to 15) which can probably still be found for under $4 a piece. Issue #11, which is a Suicide Squad tie-in, is especially worth the effort of seeking.


As we conclude this comprehensive review, I'd like to leave you with what the Spectre looks like under his cowl (courtesy of Gray Morrow):

Spectre v2 #15

-Justin


*Big thanks to Rob Perry for filling in the gaps about the NEW FORMAT edition, rumors about artists meant to draw the book and the shipping delays during the last half of the series.

A review of the 1987 Spectre v2 ongoing series

It was DC Executive Editor Dick Giordano's idea to give the Spectre his own book again. This was apparently decided before Crisis On Infinite Earths, since the DC editorial team determined that the Spectre was TOO powerful of a character and would need to be taken down a few notches before he was given his own ongoing series. Marv Wolfman, Roy Thomas, Steve Gerber* and Bob Greenberger conferred and set a plan in motion: as a result of various events in 1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and the Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1, the Spectre gets demoted to becoming a lesser-powerful supernatural being.

*If you're wondering why Steve Gerber is in the aforementioned list, it was because Gerber was Giordano's original choice as writer for the Spectre v2 ongoing series (scheduled to start in 1986), Gerber is best known for his work on Marvel's Man-Thing, Defenders and Howard the Duck titles. Due to scheduling conflicts between Gerber and DC comics [i.e., animated G.I .Joe cartoon and Howard the Duck film], Gerber writing Spectre v2 never actualized. Actually, a few of Steve Gerber's early 80s DC proposal never saw the light of day, and you can read about them on Brian Cronin's Comic Book Legends Revealed #254.

Prior to Spectre v2, Doug Moench had been writing Batman AND Detective Comics, as well as a few other projects for DC (Slash Maraud, Electric Warrior, and Lords of the Ultra-Realm). When Denny O'Neil became editor of the Bat-books in 1986, he was looking to move Batman into a new direction and Moench was replaced as writer [don't worry: Moench would return as regular writer again in 1992]. Moench offered a proposal to Giordano and Greenberger on a Spectre v2 ongoing series, which was well-received and the idea was ultimately given the 'go ahead'.

As the ongoing series begins, Moench wastes no time in addressing what happened to the Spectre after Swamp Thing v2 #50 and Last Days of the Justice Society Special, quickly explaining to the reader that this is a not-so-powerful Spectre who has had most of his powers stripped away. Moench also quickly introduces Kim Liang and (re-introduces) Madame Xanadu as supporting characters — as they will both play major roles throughout this series. Jim Corrigan was also reinstated as the Spectre's 'alter ego', but more on that later. Meonch chose the Cult of the Blood Red Moon (last seen during the I...Vampire! issues of 1982/1983's House of Mystery) as the Spectre's first major antagonists and they would remain a thorn in the Spectre's side for the first dozen issues or so.

By issue #2, we get a better idea of the Spectre's situation; the Spectre is Jim Corrigan's "soul", and can leave Corrigan's body for a maximum of 48 hours. It's explained that if Corrigan dies then the Spectre has no "host" body to return to and will also die (in a manner of speaking). Having the Spectre's incorporeal form split from Corrigan is a painful experience for Corrigan.

As far I can tell, the Spectre has the following powers: he can 'possess' inanimate/inorganic objects and transform them, he can become invisible, he can turn into a mist, he can communicate with the deceased (some exceptions apply) and he has limited mind-reading capabilities. Despite being 'ghost-like', the Spectre can still throw a punch. Another stipulation imposed on the Spectre (by whoever he answers to) is that he now has to mete out punishments that 'fit the crime' — no more turning jaywalkers into glass or whatever.

Spectre v2 #1 - pencils by Gene Colan and inks by Steve Mitchell

The Spectre v2 really makes a REALLY STRONG first impression with Gene Colan on pencils and Steve Mitchell on inks. Colan and Mitchell (along with Gerber) were part of Giordano's original vision for the Spectre v2 creative team. [Coincidentally, like Moench, Colan had also been working on Detective Comics from 1982 to 1986.] Colan on the Spectre is a natural choice, as Colan is best known for his work on Marvel's The Tomb of Dracula (and other various Dracula-related titles). Colan's pencils bring a sinister and foreboding atmosphere that is perfectly suited for supernatural-themed stories (as evidenced in DC's Night Force). Mitchell's inks compliment Colan's pencils quite nicely, and it's a bit of shame that the Colan/Mitchell team-up only lasted for the first six issues of the series. Nevertheless, after Colan and Mitchell left, we were still treated to a really impressive line-up of artists:

Spectre v2 #7 - illustrated by Cam Kennedy 

Cam Kennedy (best known for his work on 2000 AD's Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper features) took over as guest artist for two issues.

Spectre v2 #10 - illustrated by Gray Morrow

Gray Morrow became the regular penciller and inker as of Spectre v2 #9 and remained until issue #15. Morrow, who's realistic art had been featured everywhere in the 1970s (DC, Marvel, Warren Publishing and Archie Comics), was an amazing fit for this series and I'm so glad that this series existed just so that Morrow had a chance to draw several issues.

Spectre v2 #17 - Chris Wozniak pencils with Ricardo Villagran inks

Gray Morrow would be the last regular penciller/inker for the next nine issues. Following Morrow leaving the book, it was pretty much a rotating creative team. Chris Wozniak was one of the few pencillers that would stay consistent and on any given issue teamed up with Mark Farmer, Ricardo Villagran, or Mark Badger. Bart Sears and Mark Pennington illustrated issue #22. Tom Artis pencilled a six issue story arc that lasted until issue #29. Artis had a rotating cast of inkers which included Ralph Cabrera, Al Vey, and Tim Gula during this run.  The series concluded with Fred Butler and Gonzalo Mayo as pencillers for the last two issues. respectively. Jim Baikie pencilled and inked the 1988 Spectre v2 Annual #1.

Spectre v2 #19 - illustrated by Mark Badger

I wanted to give a special mention to Mark Badger's art for Spectre v2 #19 (as well as issues #18, #20 and #21 — you can see his strong influence in the finished work). During a previous review of the 1988 Martian Manhunter mini-series, I was a little harsh regarding his art on that mini stating that it was 'too abstract/psychedelic' for the story. In this case, Badger's abstract style fits the mood and theme of the Spectre v2 ongoing series perfectly, and I really wish he had stayed on as the regular artist until the end of the book. Just terrific stuff.

I can't talk about the art in this book without mentioning how impressive the cover gallery to the first half of this series was. A lot of big name (and soon to be 'big name') artists had contributed covers that are absolutely pin-up worthy. Here a few covers that really stood out...


A few Mike Kaluta covers:

A few Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez covers:

A few Mike Mignola covers:

A few Charles Vess covers:

I feel that some books (particularly the Spectre) need the RIGHT artist in order to convey the RIGHT mood, which is why I'm putting so much emphasis on the art in this book. Now that we've dealt with who illustrated what, it's time to talk about what was going on between the covers. So far, this article is running way longer than I had planned, so we'll conclude with a comprehensive review in part 2.

-Justin