The 1988 Wrath of The Spectre mini-series

In 1988, based on the renewed popularity the Spectre was receiving thanks to his 1987 ongoing series written by Doug Moench, DC comics decided to reprint the Spectre’s "controversial" stories that ran during 1974-1975 in Adventure Comics. Wrath of the Spectre reprints Spectre stories from Adventure Comics #431 to #440 and three additional Spectre stories (that never saw print) in a 4-issue deluxe format mini-series. The creative team responsible for the Adventure Comics Spectre stories were Michael Fleisher (writer), Russell Carley (art continuity), Jim Aparo (art), Frank Thorne (art) and Joe Orlando (editor). These stories were considered controversial as editor Joe Orlando was trying to push the limits of the Comics Code as far as he could.

A little bit of context: the Comics Code Authority was formed in 1954 as an indirect reaction to a book by Fredric Wertham called Seduction of the Innocent which claimed that scenes of graphic violence, sex, and drug use within comic books encouraged similar behavior on impressionable youths. During the late 1940s and early 1950s it was not uncommon for a comic book to have scenes of graphic violence (real or implied) since horror and crime comics dominated the comic book market. One of the comic book companies to be hit the hardest was EC Comics (known for classic horror and crime titles such as Tales of the Crypt, Vault of Horror, The Haunt of Fear and Crime SuspenStories). EC Comics went down in a blaze of glory and fought tooth-and-nail to print the material they deemed fit - Comics Code Authority be damned. EC Comics was eventually sold to the company that also owned DC Comics in the early 1960s. Why is this relevant? Because Orlando’s comic book career (first as a penciller and then as an editor) started at EC Comics. You see, Orlando had vast experience working with horror titles (ex: EC Comics, Warren, and Atlas comics) and while Spectre wasn’t a horror character per se - it sure seemed that way based on his original stories.

The Spectre was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily and first debuted in National Allied Publications’ More Fun Comics #52 (1940). It was speculated that Siegel, who also co-created Superman prior to creating the Spectre, was influenced by the success of Gil Kane and Bill Finger’s Batman (published in 1939) and decided to create a darker, grimmer super-hero. When the Spectre first debuted, he was the ghost of a slain cop whose modus operandi was to hunt down murderous criminals and mete out brutal supernatural vengeance. Additionally, the Spectre also fought other mystic beings that were just as powerful as he was. The Spectre was popular enough to become a chartered member of the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #3 (1940), and then suddenly the Spectre stories were toned-down drastically - starting with the introduction of Spectre’s new bumbling sidekick in 1941: Percival Popp the Super-Cop. Once DC realized that the introduction of sidekicks helped sales of a book (ex: Batman and Robin), nearly every DC hero was assigned one. Unfortunately, the Spectre was relegated to keeping his bumbling sidekick out of harm’s way - which pretty much killed the eerie supernatural tone of the series first established by Siegel. The mid-1940’s were not kind to super hero comics as their popularity had waned and other genres of comic books (ex: war, western, science fiction, romance, crime and horror) had become the big sellers. The Spectre was last seen in All-Star Comics #23 (1945) before he slipped into 'comic book limbo’.

Fun Fact: The Spectre story in More Fun Comics #52 (1940) had the first appearance of DC’s version of God in the story. Hint: The Voice that gave Spectre his powers was intended to be the Voice of God.

Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson revived the Spectre in 1966, thanks to the guidance of editor Julius Schwartz who had been systematically reviving/updating all Golden Age heroes (ex: Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, Hawkman, etc) for a new generation of comic book readers. This newly introduced Spectre was a watered-down version of the original, who now apprehended villains and delivered them to the police instead of slaying them. Furthermore, this new Spectre really played up the “battling powerful cosmic villains” aspect of the Spectre mythos.

In 1972, under the direction of editor Joe Orlando (who was also editor for DC’s House of Mystery), Adventure Comics was gradually shifting from the superhero genre to the supernatural/fantasy adventure genre. By this point the Comics Code Authority has loosened it’s censorship, and horror comics were able to get away with more - which is why the market was suddenly flooded with horror titles again. Orlando was experienced with horror comics and it was a genre he was familiar with, he just needed a superhero he could feature in Adventure Comics who could also be played as a horror character - enter the Spectre. Fleisher was chosen as the writer for the Spectre based on his previous experience writing horror/suspense stories and his knowledge of Golden Age DC characters (Fleisher researched and wrote all 3 volumes of The Encyclopedia of Comic Books Heroes). Fleisher was insistent on capturing the original 'vengeful’ essence of the character (as introduced in the early Jerry Siegel stories) rather than the cosmic champion he was portrayed as during the 1960s in the Gardner Fox stories.

The reason this series was so controversial (at the time) was because the audience of the 1970s were not accustomed to super heroes killing villains. The only other Spectre stories the audience would’ve been familiar with were the Gardener Fox stories of the mid-to-late 1960s in which the Spectre conformed to the “super heroes never kill” rule. It may not be the fact that the Spectre killed criminals that was so appalling, but the manner in which he did it (ex: turn them to wax and have them melted, turned to wood and hacked up with an ax, etc) and the fact that it seemed like the Spectre took pleasure in it. In truth, the creative team was actively trying to recreate the spirit of the EC horror comics of the 1940s, but the comic readers of the 1970s probably would not have been aware of that. Joe Orlando was researching the Comics Code, finding out what he was not allowed to do, and then doing it anyways thanks to some loophole in the Comic Code guidelines (you’ll notice that all of the Adventure Comics issues featuring the Spectre have the Comics Code Authority seal on them). A few readers wrote in to state that they were uneasy with the idea of a super-hero delivering vengeful justice, and a new reporter-type character [Earl Crawford] who represented their views on the Spectre was introduced to the series. The most notable thing about this controversy, however, is that most of the outcry against this series came from within the comic book industry - fan-oriented writers and assistant editors were upset that a super hero character was getting the horror treatment and boldly stated that Orlando, Fleisher and crew were ruining the “American Super-hero”. It was rumored that a combination of DC’s apprehension towards the “controversial” content of the series and dwindling sales were the reasons the feature was cancelled and replaced with an Aquaman feature instead (Adventure Comics #441).

NOT Clark Kent - Earl Crawford (Wrath of the Spectre #4)

I really enjoyed this reprint series. In the 80s, reprint collections weren't as easily attainable as they are today, so you either needed to own the original issues (or have a friend lend them to you) to read the original material. The coloring is absolutely beautiful and does Jim Aparo’s illustrations a lot of justice. I don’t think anyone can do swooping and swirling capes quite like Aparo. I always liked the Spectre, but only knew of him from whatever I read during All-Star Squadron, so I never really understood his powers as they were never fully explained. Is he omnipotent? Just how powerful is he? This reprint series didn’t answer any of these questions, as he seems to be invulnerable and can’t be harmed by anything. The stories all kind of followed the same formula: a murder/crime is committed, detective Jim Corrigan is on the case, the Spectre catches up to the killers and they meet a gruesome supernatural death at the hands of the Spectre. The stories were pretty self-contained - very much the same approach you’d find in a horror anthology comic.

The last three unpublished stories started adding continuity, and that seemed like a step in the right direction. The 'new' material was actually originally written by Fleisher back in the 70s, but was never illustrated because the Spectre feature in Adventure Comics was cancelled before it could see print; Paul Levitz, assistant to editor Joe Orlando at the time, was so fond of Fleisher's work that he kept them for safe-keeping should the series ever be resurrected again. Aparo getting the opportunity to illustrate these fifteen year-old scripts in the late 80s is a lucky break, indeed. Aparo's pencils for his 'new' work didn't seem as dark and shadowy as his early 70s Spectre work, but it still fit the overall theme nonetheless. Aparo explained that, since the Wrath of the Spectre didn't carry the Comics Code Authority seal, he could get a little more explicit with the horror sequences in the 'new' material he was illustrating. When Fleisher was asked if he'd ever consider writing the Spectre again, he replied with "I think it would be intriguing to try. but I don't think I have it in me to do what I was doing then." In the letter column of Wrath of the Spectre #4 (1988), Fleisher elaborates that his 70s Spectre features was his first attempt at writing a continuing comics series and that he just did whatever he felt like doing and described it as a naive effort that lacked refinement. He explained that he felt he was now too sophisticated and would not be able to approach the project with the same energy he originally approached the project with. (Fleisher was well aware that his 70s work broke a lot of unspoken rules in regards to what was crossing the line in a superhero comic. He acknowledges this as a major factor in his early Spectre's notoriety among fans.) Fleisher would go on to write Jonah Hex (and then Hex) for DC comics from 1977 to 1987.

Worried you missed out? The Wrath of the Spectre is now available as a collected edition, reprinting all 4 issues... in color!

-Justin

[This article first published in Nov 2013 on the DC in the 80s tumblr.]

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

Super Blog Team Up -- January 2020 edition: Gimmick comics

Happy 2020! We hope you had a restful/joyous holiday season. To kick off this new year, the Super-Blog Team Up (SBTU) decided to run a series of articles on gimmicky comics. Remember to check the links below to view articles by other fellow SBTU bloggers. For this installment, Mark Belkin and I (Justin) decided to write about our favorite DC gimmick comic memories.

I think there's a bit of confusion as to what a 'gimmick' is.

Back in the early 90s comic industry, the term 'gimmick' was usually reserved for something with an over-the-top attention-grabbing cover -- maybe it was a chromium cover, a hologram cover, a die-cut cover, or an embossed cover -- that made the book stand out on the shelves among a sea of other comics at the comic book shop. These were colloquially known as 'gimmick covers' and usually cost a bit more than the same issue with a regular cover. By association, comics that included special inserts such as trading cards, posters, bookmarks, postcards, ashcans or other exclusive collectables would also fall under the 'gimmick' designation. 

*Super Blog Team Up contributor, Comic Reviews by Walt, gave an extremely detailed look at the gimmick era of the 90s: https://comicreviewsbywalt.wordpress.com/2020/01/22/super-blog-team-up-the-90s-revisited-shiny-covers/ 

For the sake of this special SBTU feature, a gimmick is anything that hooked you into buying a comic book. Maybe the issue was polybagged. Maybe it was a cross-over issue that tied in with a bigger event, an issue with a variant cover, a 3-D issue that came with 3-D glasses, or only available in an alternate-sized format. Either way, it was something that edged out your decision over choosing this comic instead of that comic. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

-Justin

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JUSTIN's picks:

Note: I didn't start buying my own comics until 1990, so anything in my collection prior to that was either a hand-me-down from one of my older cousins or something my dad picked up at flea market for me (not complaining). So, for the sake of accuracy, this list will not include anything prior to 1990. Thankfully, the nineties were the 'gimmick era' and man, did I buy a lot of comic books. I'm only going to list my top 5 most memorable gimmick covers, since there are way too many to list and I'd probably hog the whole article. Also, by no means is this in chronological order.

Robin II: The Joker's Wild! #1 (1991). cover by Dick Giordano.

1. Robin II: The Joker's Wild #1 (hologram variant cover). I remember digging through a comic book shop's back issue bin, finding this, and -- believing that I had found a hidden treasure -- guarding it with my life until I got to the cashier to purchase it.You know when you're shopping at the grocery store and you find a lone family pack of chicken in the frozen meat section that the stock boy must've accidentally under-priced? Yeah, that's how I felt -- like I'd won the fanboy lottery. Do you see that bluish tinted image of Robin swinging on a rope on the right-hand side of the cover? That was a 'hologram'. That was the gimmick that got me. I use the term 'hologram' loosely here, because any way you tilted that cover Robin still looked two-dimensional. These were the same 'holograms' that the Impel/Skybox Cosmic Cards and Cosmic Teams trading card sets used. The issues with the holograms on the cover cost $0.50 USD more that the non-hologram cover (illustrated by Kevin Maguire). There were five variant covers to this issue (four with the hologram and one without), and if I had do it all over again I would've preferred the Kelley Jones cover variant. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. I was lucky (at the time) to get any issue at all. At some point, ALL of these 'holograms' (from issues 1 to 4) were re-issued as trading cards, but I'm not sure how they were distributed.

As an added bonus, Robin II: The Joker's Wild #1 featured the death of Mr Freeze (killed by the Joker, no less)...

panels from Robin II #1. Illustrated by Tom Lyle and inked by Bob Smith.

...and Mr Freeze was dressed in his classic Super Power Collection costume. I seriously thought I had picked up a real collector's item here. Alas, it was not to be. This was not the death of Mr Freeze, and he would re-appear in many many Batman comics after this. I've always wanted to ask writer Chuck Dixon what was up with that... was it an oversight on his part? Was Mr Freeze just knocked out and not killed? Or maybe Mr Freeze was killed off in this story and DC senior management said "No way! You can't do that!", so everything had to go back to status quo? Either way, for a few years, I thought I was sitting on a fortune (ex: the death of prominent Batman villain Mr Freeze).


Because I'd missed the first Robin mini-series, this was my first exposure to the Tim Drake Robin. It wasn't a bad issue per se, but I didn't track down the other three issues in this mini (if that tells you anything). I'm sure I purchased this after 1993's Knightfall and before 1994's KnightsEnd, when everything Batman-associated was still considered blazing hot.

The Spectre v3 #1 (1992). cover by Tom Mandrake. 

2. The Spectre v3 #1: This issue had a glow-in-the-dark cover. Let that sink in for a second... a glow-in-the-dark cover! As a youth, my bedroom was filled with glow-in-the-dark models of the solar system because they looked so damned cool when the lights went out. I still like glow-in-the-dark anything. So obviously, a glow-in-the-dark Spectre cover was high on my want list. If any character was befitting of a glow-in-the-dark cover, it was the Spectre. This spooky poltergeist appeared out of nowhere wearing only green underwear, matching green gloves and a hooded cape, and turned people into candles or whatever. This was not really a gimmick cover, because there was no alternate cover. This was it! Either it was a glow-in-the dark cover illustrated by the very talented Tom Mandrake, or NOTHING. Back in the day, I was unable to find this issue for purchase, and did I ever want it BAD.

Years later, I managed to purchase The Spectre: Crimes and Punishments TPB which sported a more superior (if that's even possible) glow-in-the-dark cover by Tom Mandrake. It's more superior because when exposed to the dark it shows the Spectre's skeleton (and this whole time I thought he was incorporeal):

The Spectre: Crimes and Punishments TPB. Cover by Tom Mandrake.

*Fellow Super Blog Team Up contributors Pop Culture Retrorama covered a few more glow-in-the-dark books from the 90s. Check em out here: https://popcultureretrorama.com/2020/01/22/super-blog-team-up-chromium-glow-in-the-dark-covers/

Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #1 (1992). Cover by Brian Stelfreeze.

3. Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #1 (collector's set). As a DC comics fan, this was a very difficult issue to pass up because: it was the first issue of a Batman series (and these were always hard to find if you missed out the first time), it was polybagged, and it included the motherload of inserts: two Brian Stelfreeze posters, a special edition bookmark, a blueprint of Arkham Asylum, and a 3-D Arkham Asylum pop-up! I'm sorry to admit that this issue spent the better part of the nineties in its polybag before I decided to crack it open. If I had opened it, I would've discovered that this was the first appearance of Mr Zsasz AND Jeremiah Arkham, and just how detailed this 3-D Arkham Asylum cardboard pop-up was:

The previous photos were courtesy of Etsy user smt7734575 who sells a lot of scarce DC comics promo items from the 80s and 90s. Take a look at their shop and all the cool swag they've got for sale, when you get a chance. 

I remember buying this polybagged collector's set during a comic book shop's 'closeout sale' in the early nineties (this was actually a pretty common thing during the early nineties, believe me) and the real mystery is how I managed to keep it unopened for so long. The regular version of this issue cost $1.50 USD, while the collectors set cost $2.50 USD. Not a bad bargain for one extra US dollar. I'm pretty sure I bought this around the same time I bought the Robin II comic, just not at the same location.

Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1 (1992). Cover by Bart Sears and Mark Pennington.

4. Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1. This was the kick-off issue to DC's 1992 annual event (as in: the storyline ran throughout DC's summer annuals). What you probably don't realize by looking at the cover above is that the purple diamond Eclipso is looking at you with is actually a hard piece of purple plastic glued to the cover. Who the heck gives the okay on affixing a pointy piece of purple plastic to a comic book cover? (I had to make sure that this comic was always at the top of my stack to ensure that the comic lying on top of it didn't have a diamond-shaped indent in the back cover.) Editor Michael Eury, that's who! I interviewed him about it, and he took the credit/blame. 

All kidding aside, I purchased this issue at a dollar store that was trying to unload a stack of overstock comics from (I'm assuming) bankrupt comic book shops. While the cross-over event itself wasn't that bad, somehow it didn't make the big splash DC was hoping and it kinda got demoted to the dollar bins.

Justice League Task Force #1 (1993). Wrap-around cover by Sal Velluto.

 

5. Justice League Task Force #1. Hey, do you remember the nineties? When the Justice League was a hot property? When it was such a hot property, that they decided to expand on it and create spin-off books? There was Justice League America, Justice League Europe/International, Justice League Task Force and (not long after) Extreme Justice? Was Justice League DC's answer to Marvel's ultra-successful X-titles? No, but it was fun to pretend.

Justice League Task Force was sort of that series nobody was really paying attention to until it somehow got tied into the KnightQuest storyline with issue #5. Prior to that, nobody really cared for it, except me of course. And why should they? The only significant thing that happens in issue #1 is that Nightwing kinda/sorta joins an extension of the Justice League. 

I'll tell you why Justice League Task Force #1 was significant: 

#1) This issue opens with the Martian Manhunter beating down on a militant French Separatist terrorist cell. For some reason this made our local news. Quebecers are pretty much tickled pink whenever anyone outside of Quebec pays notice to us. The fact that Quebec Separatists were noteworthy to be depicted as villains in a 'fancy' American comic book amused us to no end. That made this issue significant, but not as significant as Marvel's Civil War II Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau variant cover.

#2) It included a Justice League Task Force membership card. Didn't you notice the "Join the JLTF inside!" blurb on the front cover? Hence, the gimmick. This was actually a pretty shoddy idea that was probably thrown together at the last minute. You call this a membership card?

The above images courtesy of The Idol-Head of Diabolu blog. We actually interviewed Diabolu Frank back in 2016.

To be honest, I can't remember if I bought this for the membership card or because it was the first issue of a new Justice League spin-off series. Either way, it ended up in my collection. I'm pretty sure I picked this up in a back-issue bin, so I'm sure I paid more than cover price for this issue.



..and this concludes my top 5 gimmick-era memories. An honorable mention to those Reign of the Supermen issues with the die-cut covers introducing the new 'pretenders to the throne'. Before you ask: no, nothing about that storyline was cheesy and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Another shout-out to all those Zero Hour 'zero issues' I wish I hadn't bought since Zero Hour was a gimmick in the truest sense of the word. And finally, one final kudos to the embossed cover of 1993's Catwoman #1 (illustrated by Jim Balent) that I had to hide from my parents for fear that they would throw it out thinking that it was porn. Let's just say that a blind person could run their fingers over the cover of this issue and know exactly who was on the cover. (see: Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose)

Catwoman v2 #1 (1993). Cover by Jim Balent.

 

Over to you, Mark...



MARK's picks:

Hot list, Justin! I stopped collecting in the 90's, other then a few months here and there, so I missed many of these. I'm going to set my focus on the gimmick covers of that fantastic decade of the 1980's. (and sticking to DC). Because there was very few "physical" gimmick covers, I'm going to focus on the gimmick covers that emerged from a graphic design, printing process, or concept. DC did try out a few physical differences to make the covers more special, and I'll mention them, but they weren't a "thing" until the 1990's. Let's jump right in.

All Star Squadron #50. Cover by Jerry Ordway.

6. Crisis on Infinite Earth is what got me into buying comic books. It will always have a part of my heart that very few other stories can have. It's that special story that made me fall in love with something, a love that remains to this day. So when I saw a cover that had a huge banner saying Special Crisis Crossover, I HAD TO HAVE IT. This wasn't the first All Star Squadron issue that I bought, but this was the very first Crisis crossover that made me say "I NEED IT." Jerry Ordway did a lot for the Crisis comic as well, inking over George Perez's pencils, so this felt like it was part of the universe.

Being 10 years old, my funds were limited. I had to pick and choose what to buy, and eventually, I wasn't buying every Crisis crossover I could. I still haven't read all of them, but I certainly bought some issues I had no interest in just to have it as part of the "collection." The story itself was a crazy golden age inspired story by Roy Thomas. I'm pretty sure Roy hated the idea of Crisis, so he may have not been crazy writing this one, but it still was a good one.

Dark Knight Returns #1. Cover by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley.

7. Dark Knight Returns was the world's introduction into the Prestige Format. Which became a super gimmick for DC in the 80's. I remember if it was Prestige Format, I was buying it. The paper felt important, and it felt like Batman was coming off the page. This pretty much changed comic books forever, and really, everything about it felt like some evolution. Into some other world of art. History of DC Comics, Hawkworld, Longbow Hunters, Blackhawk. The formula was to take an amazing artist/creator, give them a character to update, and put it in Prestige Format. And I was there for that formula until the end of the decade.

I'm pretty sure that Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson's The Cult had some raising of the cover, giving it a different feel. I don't know if anything had done that before? That might be the first "Let's try to change the physical structure" of a cover. I'm not sure though. 

Sandman #1. Cover by Dave McKean. 

8. I know there had been multi-media covers before, but this Sandman cover just blew me away when I first saw it on the stands. It didn't look like anything else coming out, and I remember how powerful it felt compared to the other comics at the time. I was buying it anyways, because it had the formula of Karen Berger + British Writer, but this cover made me excited. Beyond just my interest, I know the covers drew in many people who had never read comics, and they were introduced to Neil Gaiman and many became life long fans. The multi media concept became a big thing for the trades of the series, and for many Vertigo comics into the 90's. Sometimes, I feel I took the covers for granted. If I walked into a museum and saw one of these, I would certainly bug out.

Did you like the early 90s Vertigo comics? Check out our Vertigo zine!

Covers by George Perez, Jim Aparo, Keith Giffen, Jerry Ordway.

9. Baxter Stock. It's the name of our Zine (Thanks to Michel Fiffe for the suggestion). It was also a gimmick that allowed DC to re-launch it's more popular titles, with their hottest creative teams, and run two comics of the same title simultaneously. You had to go to a specialty shop to get them, so you didn't see these on newsstands and the supermarket. These four in particular hold a special place in my heart, and each one felt like an event. Prestige felt like art, but Baxter Paper #1 issue felt like an event comic in itself. I can still feel and smell these today just looking at the covers. And my favorite of all was the Question. Just going to put this cover here because it's so dang good.

The Question #1 by Bill Sienkiewicz

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Legion of Substitute Heroes Special #1. Cover by Keith Giffen.

10. This one stuck out for me. It's a cover by Keith Giffen, who had the best sense of humor in comics during the 80's, in my opinion. It has the note from editor Dick Giordano on the cover, a picture of the group with a thumb in it, and in general made me wonder what the hell it was. I've since read it 20 times, and it still makes me laugh to this day. This, Ambush Bug, and Justice League from 1987, are all Keith Giffen CLASSICS.

...and one more for good measure:

Man of Steel #1. Covers by John Byrne.

11. When John Byrne relaunched Superman, DC figured it would be popular. To me, it's still the best Superman stories ever, but some people are whatever about it. Either way, they had TWO covers for #1. I remember being confused and wondering if I should spent my money on the two covers. I didn't, and just bought the one with the big S. I then smudged it with something, and it still has a weird discoloration on it. Oh well, it was never worth a lot, and I never did get the second version. But it did start the Variant cover thing which is still huge today, even if it doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks for reading!

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Felling nostalgic for the 80s/90s? Want to read more about gimmick covers? Aren't you in luck! Check out the rest of the Super Blog team articles covering this comic industry phenomena:

Super-Hero Satellite: 70s-80s Photo Covers. A snapshot of pre-90s era of gimmicks, the evolution of a trend through the years.

Chris is on Infinite Earths (Blog): Adventures of Superman #500 (White Bag/Lenticular Cover/etc.)

Chris is on Infinite Earths (Podcast): Episode 33: Team Titans #1 (1992) Five Variant Covers… and five variant stories!

Comic Reviews by Walt: The '90s Revisited: Shiny Covers

Source material: Spider-Man Torment (issues 1-5) by Todd McFarlane

ComicsComicsComics.blog: Daredevil 319-325 - Fall from Grace - Gimmick covers and a new costume 

The Telltale Mind (Geoff) - Worlds Collide - The Intercompany Crossover

Between The Pages: Guerilla Marketing

Comics In The Golden Age (Mike): Fawcett’s Mighty Midget comics.

Unspoken Issues: Darkhawk #25

Dave's Comic Heroes Blog: Connected Covers gimmicks:New Teen Titans #37/ Batman and the Outsiders #5 

When It Was Cool (Karl): Polybag It! The Blight of the Polybagged Comic Book 

Pop Culture Retrorama: Chromium… Glow In The Dark Covers

In My Not So Humble Opinion: It Came From the 1990s: Force Works #1 Pop-Up Cover

Black & White and Bronze Comics Blog: Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine 1968. Stan Lee’s foray into the magazine format.