FBU Roundtable: Darker/Edgier Green Lantern?

Now I know that comicdoms reaction to the Green Lantern movie was, ahem, mixed but I think Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov seems to have found a way to unite us all by promising to make the sequel "darker and edgier"



Needless to say, when I saw that, I quickly called an emergency meeting of the Flashback Universe Blog Squad to discuss this development. Here is what we had to say. (Note: the covers are just there for spacing.)

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JIM: Yeah...because that's what the audiences enjoyed in the first Iron Man Movie - all the Dark and Edgy stuff in it. Wait...there wasn't any was there? Look, I get it; The Dark Knight made a lot of money. But isn't it just possible that a dark edgy movie might fit Batman because he's that type of character? (I also think Ledger's performance and death contributed to the box office as well, but that's another topic for another day.)

If anything, Green Lantern needed to be more fun. I don't know that any kids (or adults not familiar with the character) that watched that movie really got a sense that having a power ring would be fun or cool.

Matt, Have you seen any kids picking up GL stuff in the bookstore?

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MATT: We had a table and endcap set up with GL stuff. There's even these beginning reader type books that had little files on all the various aliens and of course Hal himself. I haven't checked actual sales numbers but it doesn't look as though a lot of it moved.

I agree with you about it being more fun and I think spending much more of the movie on Oa would have helped with that. Earth would be fine as a way to bookend the thing but the experience should have been following Hal into this brand new world and his training.

"Dark and edgy" possibly the only phrase more tiresome in regards to superhero comics than "post 9/11 world". Seeing the movie versions adopt that as the default solution to everything would be pretty pathetic. Besides, do these people really think Green Lantern had an excess of joy and that's what killed it in theaters?

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CLAYTON: Ok I confess to being maybe the only Green Lantern fan out there who has not had to time to se the movie as yet! I hope to be able to do so when I take my vacation around the first week of October.

With that being said, Green Lantern did come in basically last in line of the super hero movies this summer. At least from what I have read. But there is not one person who I have talked to that didn't like the movie.

From what I have seen, most of comicdom has the "darker is better" mindset. So it doesn't surprise me in the least that it would carry over to their moves as well. In my opinion, Green Lantern is not the Dark Knight, and shouldn't be treated as such. I know they are going off the Sinestro War, but seem to be forgetting that when they turned GL into Parralax (which I may have spelled wrong), the readers didn't seem too fond of it.

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PIERRE: I am not surprised by that direction. It is pretty typical from producers.

They see how Green Lantern under-performed.... and without really understanding why.... they try to conjure up an answer. In short.... they don't have a clue as to what happened.

They figure that Dark Knight was successfull because it was dark. Not because people might have thought it was a well made... well wrtitten... well filmed movie with good actors. It HAD succeeded because it was dark. So if Green Lantern did not succeed... it must have been because ot was not "dark enough"... right??

It cannot be because the editing was choppy because they took out a lot of scenes at the last minute. Or because they repeated the Galactus mistake from the 2nd FF movie and made the main villain a big cloud. Or because they tried to introduce to many characters/elements in the first movie.

It HAD to be because it was not dark enough. Sounds like a lot of BS talk from the producers to try to save face. A producers will never admit that a project did badly because they failled to do their job properly.

They have to assign the blame elsewhere. In this case... the it's not "dark enough" excuse/comment. Personally... I loved the Green Lantern movie.... but I am not blind to it's flaws. The flaws did not keep me from enjoying the movie. But it seems that it kept a LOT of people from going to see that film.

I understand where they went wrong.... but sadly if all they can come up with to explain the poor performance of the Green Lantern film is that it was not "dark enough".... I fear that they will make a lot of the same mistakes in making the sequel.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

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CAINE: I wouldn't mind a "darker and grittier" GL movie, but for the right reasons, not because a producer thinks it's the golden ticket to success that they seem to think it is.

First off you can't do "Dark & Gritty" with Ryan Reynolds, he's a comedian with spot on timing.  He would have made an AWESOME FLASH but he just wasn't right for the GREEN LANTERN.  If they are going to do "dark and gritty" Reynolds will simply have to go.  On that note, with HAL JORDAN representing "The Best of us" (us being the lantern corp) then HAL probably has to go as well, unless they are telling a story where he's loosing it and going insane - then they may be able to pull it off.

The key(s) to making a successful GL film are as follows:

• Decide if the movie will be about the "Corp" or a solitary lantern
• Focus on which ever you decide from the first point
• Leave Earth and normal humans who do not possess a GL ring out of the movie (with the possible exception of a human GL's significant other) and keep it in space
• What ever you do, which ever lantern you focus on, insert a 2nd lantern for the b story and be ready to focus the next movie on that character

Oh, and if the producers MUST MUST MUST have Earth in the movie then let us focus on FATALITY, she's an awesome GL vila

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TREY: I can’t immediately say that “darker” or “edgier” wouldn’t help, but I’m wary of the idea that what is successful in comics is what mainstream theater audiences want to see.  The article suffers from a bit of “this is what I like, so of course it will be popular!”  Fans (me included) would make different superheroes films than the ones we get—but I think its an unproven  assertion that that would make them more economically successful.

The only non-comic book fan opinion I have (a friend in the film industry) sited the “silly” aliens and heavy CGI as what he didn’t like about the film.  These are the very things the article suggests should be played up.

After Dark Knight, Watchmen was a product of the idea that darker sales tickets.  After Watchmen’s under performance, WB decided to move away from darkness.  Now they’re going back.  It seems like flailing.

My thoughts on Green Lantern’s cool reception: it followed the same basic character arc as Iron Man (the same arc as followed by Thor basically) but with a less compelling lead, and just good old fashion audience fatigue at getting told the same story with the same stock character archetypes over and over.  The film tried to do too many things (it’s science fiction! it’s romance! it’s daddy issues drama! It’s action!) and got muddled.  Now, I don’t see enough difference between Thor and GL to account for the box office returns, but I think its part of a downhill arc of too much reliance on formula in supers films that Captain America reversed.

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Well, that's our thoughts on the matter - what do you think?

- Jim

Three Black Orchids

I have to admit, back when I started reading super hero comics (early 1970's), I always favored the super heroine! Yes, I grew up in a very different time, and the idea that a girl could not only hold her own in a fight, but look so darn good doing it! So between my love for the heroines, and little known characters, I admit to my favorite being DC's Black Orchid!



(Adventure Comics #428, 1973) Not only was she strong, bulletproof, and had a really cool costume (which we did actually see much of in her adventures), but she was a master of disguise as well! I think this is what really attracted me to this character; she was different, more original. Almost like 1930's pulp hero. Nobody knew who she was, and nobody even saw her coming until they were caught.

She only appeared in 3 issues of Adventure Comics, then ran as a back-up in the Phantom Stranger for 10 issues. Then she basically disappeared for many years, and believe me the character has never been the same. She had a few guest spots or cameo appearances before joining the Suicide Squad for a few issues.
When DC announced that there was going to be a new Black Orchid Mini-series in 1988, I was beside myself with excitement! I though “Finally!!” Well, I thought that until I saw it. All I can think of the new Black Orchid was...why? Why would they take a great pulp heroine, and turn her into a plant elemental?? My exact thoughts really should never be printed but lets just say I was sorely disappointed and leave it at that, shall we?

The potential of the Black Orchid has never left my mind!

It was years later when I finally got a light at the end of my tunnel. I was researching what heroes were in public domain, and what ones that weren't currently in use, and I came across a familiar name: The Black Orchid! And I considered myself doubly blessed, because there was not just one, but two! (And for all you other writers out there, I call dibs!)

First, in 1943, there was one I call P.I. Black Orchid. She was created by George Tuska and appeared in Harvey Comics' All New Short Story Comics #2.



She was really Judy Allen, Private Investigator. She had a partner by the name of Rocky Ford. Now the rest of her story strikes me as the pilot for the Golden Age Green Lantern/Harlequin relationship, yet a bit different.

It turns out that Rocky Ford was really the super hero known as the Scarlet Nemesis, and apparently teamed up with the Black Orchid before. In their adventure called “The Case of the Crumbling Skyscrapers”, and I counted 2 times Black Orchid saved the Scarlet nemesis, to the 1 time he saves her. Not that anybody is keeping score.

At the end of the story, both Judy and Rocky think to themselves in a “if he only knew who I really was” kind of way.

This was the only appearance of either Black Orchid or Scarlet Nemesis. Too bad, it would have been a great on going series!

The second golden age Black Orchid I mentioned appeared in Tops Comics Top Comics (1944) No that is not really a repeat, That is what the comic was called, and it didn't have an issue number. I think I will call her secretary Black Orchid.




I confess, that I haven't actually read her story, simply because I can't find a downloadable issue of Tops Comics. But she really intrigues me and here is why:

She was really Diana Dawn secretary of District Attorney by day, glamorous costumed detective by night. She fought zombies and a villain by the name of Dr Arso (and I thought I had a bad name) in the only adventure I know she had.

Now this one had an interesting gimmick. I would say that she was both the most over dressed and under dressed heroine of her time. She wore what looks like a heavy sports coat and knee-length skirt. But the funny thing is her jacket and skirt always got damaged and had to be removed, so she ended up fighting in what looks like a nice little teddy.

Obviously she was created to appeal to the gentleman-type of reader.

I can only hope that somebody somewhere can bring these two heroines back, because I feel like their stories are far from over.

Check out this issue of 1944 issue of Consolidated Comics to read about Diana Dawn! Thanks to Narfstar and Richard B for the scan!



- Clayton

Retro in 3D

One of the things in comics that really drives me crazy is to hear or read somebody say that some certain super heroes are “outdated”. I think of it this way: Today's outdated is tomorrows retro! (don't ask me what I means, it just comes to me sometimes.

In 1952 the movie industry started experimenting with the concept of 3-D movies. By 1953, everybody had to see one, and the craze was born (Or so I have been told, I am not THAT old you know). It seemed that by that time, everybody wanted to jump on the 3-D bandwagon. Including comics. There was 3-D Batman comics, Tor, House of Terror, Mighty Mouse! However, only one company actually gave the go-ahead to create a super hero especially for the 3-D fad.

Dated December 1953, Harvey Comics released Captain 3-D #1 (complete with the glasses of course.

Editor's Note: You can download this issue, but you'll need a pair of classic green and red 3D Glasses to enjoy the 3D effect. - Jim



[ Captain 3D ]

The good Captain was created by the team of Simon and Kirby. (And as a special side note, it was also one of the first assistant jobs performed by none other than Steve Ditko) Captain 3-D was actually created 50,000 years before by a Doctor Five. I am actually surprised that they did name him Dr.Three, but that is just the way my mind works. The Doctor created the “chosen one” to combat the race of cat-people, and he was kept as a two dimensional drawing in what was called the book of D (D was everything to this advanced civilization. They even had weapons which used D power.) To make a very long story short, the cat people's contenant sank, and the remainder of the race had to go into hiding.

Skip to modern times, (or back in 1953 anyway) the current guardian of the book of D is wounded by the cat people, stumbles into a book store, hand the book to the owner, Danny telling him not to sell that one. Just then the cat-people follow him in and shoot him dead. Danny then chases they cat-people with guns off, and starts to examine the book. (I will tell you right now, if I had a dead person on my floor, I would not be taking the time to examine a book. But again, that is just me.)

Danny sees the drawing, puts on the special glasses (which I forgot to say was the way the drawing became 3-D) and releases Captain 3-D from the book.

There was only 1 issue of Captain 3-D. They were in the middle of production on the second when Harvey found out that the 3-D fad was already beginning to lose it's luster, so they put a halt to it.
By 1955, the whole 3-D craze was losing it's popularity.

But one issue was enough to inspire Roy Thomas to create a new 3-D hero in Marvel Premiere #35, 1977, 3-D Man! Although the origin wasn't as long, and you didn't have to use the special glasses to read the comic, 3-D man had a uniqueness about him.



However, he only had a handful of appearances, much to my disappointment. (Though he did most recently appear in Jeff Parker's Agent's of Atlas before it was cancelled.)

Through the years, I have read a few articles about both these heroes, but in each one, the term “outdated” was used. Now I can't help but think, with all the 3-D movies, TV and other technologies, maybe now they would be “retro”.

- Clayton

Another Man's Trash

Editor's Note: Today Clayton continues his article from last week telling us why he choose some of the Golden Age heroes he picked to appear in Agency 1. - Jim


I brought them all back for different reasons. But the main reason is because when the companies “threw away” these guys, they threw out a whole lot of potential stories that are begging to be told! And I am not ashamed to be digging through another man's trash when I see a treasure! And so many of these characters are just too interesting to let dust cover on 'em! Here are a few more that I'll be working with. (Art is from Agency 1 by Celso Ricardo)

Zippo (Hillman, 8 appearances)




You guys are going to laugh, but the only reason I brought this guy out of limbo is because I was told I couldn't use a character like him in today's comics. That he wouldn't “fit in” All I can say is: Just watch him!

Black Cobra (Chesler, 4 appearances)



The name and costume caught my attention. And again, I had to think about this guys potential. And believe me, for a guy who only had 4 appearances (that is before he went to Ajax-Farrell), he had a lot of potential!

Scarlet Arrow (Harvey. 2 appearances)



I looked at this guy an “imperfect musketeer” that can get the job done. Again, there is much potential, and many stories to tell about this guy! And only through Popbox do we get to see that little mini-me type of ancestral ghost! And I will tell you that right away, we dive into the type of character that wasn't touched upon in his two little appearances.

Enjoy this issue of Clue Comics 4 which has appearances by many of the characters that will be appearing in Agency 1!



- Have a great day!

The Return of The Zebra (and Friends)

Editor’s Note: In the upcoming first issue of Popbox Entertainment’s The Agency, fans of the Golden Age will be see publisher Clayton Neal is reintroducing the public to some interesting Public Domain characters (as seen in this preview image from Issue One.)



I asked Clayton to explain why he choose the Golden Age characters he did and here is Part One of his reply. - Jim

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The answer is different for each one, yet it boils down to the same thing. Let me take them in the order of amount of appearances they actually had back in the golden age of comics!

The Zebra (Harvey Comics, 28 appearances)


He is actually considered to be one of the weakest characters in the vast public domain files. Even I was surprised that he had the most appearances than the other chosen heroes. It has been stated that a zebra in the wild will only fight when he is pinned by a predator. However, if you were to read his origin, that is basically what happened to John Doyle, and why he became the Zebra in the first place. Truth is, I loved the concept, and the character since I was a little kid. When I found out that the character was in the public domain, I had to have him!

Nightmare (Hillman 14 appearances)


I am using this guy because I had envisioned a hero who wore one of those old skeleton Halloween costumes. I came across this guy, and thought I could blend the two characters. I loved the concept of him, although I am not too sure about bringing back Sleepy, his sidekick.

Micro-Face (Hillman, 10 appearances)


OK when I saw this guy I laughed at both the mask, and the name. But I re read his stories several times, and thought about what the possibilities would be if somebody (Like our Dr. Insainnus) amplified his powers into something maybe out of the movie “Love Potion #9”! You can see the results in The Agency: Prelude to A Nightmare” #1!

Check back next week for more of my favorite public domain heroes. Until then, enjoy this issue of Green Hornet comics. It doesn't have the Green Hornet story, but it does feature the origin of the Zebra.



- Clayton

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End Note from Jim: The images of Nightmare and Micro-Face were taken from the Public Domain Superheroes Wikia which is a fantastic community of people working together to compile the most comprehensive resources of Public Domain Superheroes you will ever find. Check it out!

Funnyman

Editor's Note: Those of you who may fear we are becoming a bit Death Obsessed of late on the FBU should welcome today's Free Comic Monday selection and introduction by Clayton. Enjoy! - Jim

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A funny thing happened to me when I came to write this article....oh not really, I just can't resist a great opening line!

It wasn't that long ago when I was doing some research on public domain super heroes, that I came upon this gem from the late 1940's. FUNNYMAN!

Created by none other than Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster! Now these two you may recall, did create another super hero before this. Now what was his name? Oh yeah...SUPERMAN!! This made me even more curious about this new clown around the town.

Through a little research, I did find out that I wasn't the only guy who was intrigued by this “Funnyman” In 2010, a collected edition was gathered together by Thomas Andrae and Mel Gordon, published by Feral House. (It is on my short list of “must buy” at Amazon.com)

The stories behind this character might be as conflicting as the hero himself. I have read that Seigel and Shuster had lost the rights to their biggest creation, Superman in 1948, so they pitched the idea of the Funnyman hero to other companies. have also read that they did pitch it to National Periodicals (DC) but they wouldn't have the rights to the character, so they went to Magazine Enterprises, who published the 6 issues of the series. All I really know is that I had fun reading the comics.

I have read an article which refers to Funnyman as being a “schlemiel”...a man who is totally unaware of the dangers around him. After reading all 6 issues, I have to disagree. Yes, he used humor, but that was all the time, especially when he was comedian Larry Davis (a character based loosely on Danny Kaye, as the
rumors have it).

Personally, what I got out of it was that he was a hero who literally laughed in the face of danger. He is a guy who had the confidence enough to get out of any situation. He knew at times that it could be “curtains” for him, but if you are going to die, do you want to be the guy cringing in fear, or the guy who goes out laughing? I think I would rather go out with a chuckle escaping from my lips than a wimpy “oh no..please..”

The origin of this comical hero is simple, and original. Comedian Larry Davis' manager/secret girlfriend(?),  June Farrell came up with a publicity stunt for him. He was to dress up in a costume, and stop a bank robbery as Funnyman. By a strange turn of events, the bank was really being robbed, and using his gags (such vaudeville old hat such as a seltzer bottle) Funnyman stopped the crook, and decided (much to the dismay of Ms Farrell) to not let the public know who Funnyman was, because he LIKED helping people. (Does anybody even do that in comics anymore?) So with his polka dot parachute pants, Jet Jalopy, fake nose and oversized shoes, he became “America's first Jewish super hero” Funnyman!!

You can check out the fun for yourself with today's Free Comic.



Keep smilin' !!

- Clayton

The Beginning of a New Age

Editor's Note: I can't promise this will be the last article on the DC Relaunch you'll read on this site. As a comic news event, it's probably the biggest one we've had since Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the DC Universe - and that didn't have the digital angle. So with that in mind, Clayton and I are happy to present some quick thoughts today on what is sure to be the start of a new age, one way or another. - Jim

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Clayton: To be perfectly honest, when I heard about the DC Reboot, I was a little concerned. However, I wanted to wait a little longer and see what they had to offer before I made any judgments.

Jim: Yeah, my knee jerk reaction was that as a creative move, it struck me as sort of played (how many reboots have we seen that failed?) but as a big, bold marketing move, it was sort of genius.

Clayton: Now after seeing their September previews, I can honestly say this just doesn't work for me. I can overlook many of the changes; even learn to accept this new Superman but there is a lot of stuff that rubs me too wrong.

Jim: I’m still in wait and see mode. I’m actually excited about both versions of Superman coming out. Morrison’s will be either an amazing success or a fabulous train wreck because that’s how Morrison’s stuff always seems to me. I have no idea what Perez will do with the character, but he’s such a classic old school guy that I’m betting I’ll find some stuff to like in it.

Clayton: I just don't like the fact that there is now, nor apparently ever was, a Justice Society of America. Decades of history that built the foundation of a once great company is gone. It has been said that they wanted the more contemporary heroes to be the originals. Big, big mistake!

Jim: That to me is one of the dumbest things about this. The beauty of the old DC Universe is that you had all of the characters from different spans of time in the universe (Golden Age, Silver Age, ect…) which meant that artistically, no one era dictated the look and feel of the universe. I mean, would anyone really design characters to look like Wonder Woman or Firestorm now? Imagine if this global redesign had taken place in the 90’s.

Clayton: As for their new line up of titles, very few actually appeal to me at all. I was once a huge Teen Titans fan, but honestly, I can barely keep my lunch down when I see what is going to pass for the Titans now.

Ok, that may be a bit harsh, but the uniform designs are really not the best, (And don't even get me started on Harley Quinn and Black Canary's new looks).  Speaking of the 90's, Black Canary actually has shoulder pads!

Jim: I’m looking forward to Justice League International and OMAC. Others I may check out our I, Vampire and Resurrection Man. (Which strikes me as a bit of a odd ball. Of all the titles to bring back, that’s the one they choose?)

Clayton: Yeah, it’s not all bad. There are some titles that I may start checking out. The new Hawk and Dove looks interesting, as well as Frankenstein: Agent of Shade. Legion Lost, The Grifter, Justice League International, possibly Blue Beetle, Fury of Firestorm, and Static Shock as well. If these comics can hold my interest, then maybe I will step out of myself a bit and try one or two of other titles.

Jim: Either way it works out, this promises to be one of the most exciting years in comics. :)

- Have a great July 4th Weekend everyone!

What Kills a Hero: Duela Dent

Editor’s Note: Today Clayton picks up from part one of What Kills a Hero to bring some more ways he thinks characters can truly die.

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Perhaps the fastest way a hero can shuffle off this mortal spinner rack is when a new writer comes in and wastes the characters potential. Nothing can destroy an interesting character faster than apathetic and/or unimaginative writers who fail to pick up the torch handed off to them by the original creator.

An example of this syndrome is one of my favorite character's from the Bronze Age, the Joker's Daughter from DC Comics.

Created by Bob Rozakis during his Bronze Age run on Batman Family and Teen Titans, she was a fun character who claimed to be the daughter of the Joker, but was actually the daughter of Two-Face. Wanting to atone for her father’s crimes, she eventually took on the name Harlequin and joined the Teen Titans using an assortment of Joker inspired gadgets.

When Rozakis left DC, she was mothballed. And if that had been that, all would have been fine, but as other writers brought her back, her origin and personality would become more confused with each appearance. Her Post-Crisis appearances cast her as a middle aged mental patient who may or may not be suffering from schizophrenia. Each new appearance only served to diminish the original potential of the character. Eventually, she was (mercifully) killed in the pages of Countdown.

And while many people may think she didn't have much potential to begin with, I would ask them to examine the popularity of another Batman family femme fatale:

Harley Quinn is spiritually the twin of the Joker’s Daughter. True she is played for more sex appeal, but the Karl Kesel/Terry Dodson Harley Quinn series portrayed her in a way that echoed Duela Dent’s lighthearted first appearances. And I’m not the only one who believes that. Bob Rozakis has said this about the way the Joker’s Daughter has been written since he left DC:

I got a laugh out of it when I first saw it, but I thought they wasted the character. I realize that Marv and company didn't want her around anymore and felt they had to explain her away because of continuity, but they could have just as easily ignored her. Actually, I consider Harley Quinn to be a reincarnation of Duela


Recently, with the DC Relaunch of the Teen Titans, Duela Dent was mentioned as one of the characters DC was considering as a member of the re-imagined Titans team. For whatever reason, they decided against this. Perhaps this is for the best. Judging by the way DC has treated each new incarnation, I don’t know if I would want to see how they botch it again. :D

- Clayton

What Kills A Hero?

Editor’s Note: Today we have another post from Clayton. This one is on Death in Comics, and as you might imagine, it’s a hard topic to talk about without discussing a few spoilers. Now with so many deaths and resurrections in comics, I’m not sure that it’s possible to spoiler such an event, but just in case that sort of thing bothers you, feel free to skip today’s post. - Jim

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If you have a favorite comic message board, you’ve no doubt seen at least one thread about the overuse of death of characters to goose sales. Currently, Ultimate Spider-man is sparking this debate several places. This begs the question: what prompts a company to kill characters so much in this day and age?

True, there is the poor sales angle. If a character is deemed by the powers that be as an unsellable commodity, the logical thing to do is either ignore the character (The Scarlet Spider comes to mind), or to kill them off in one of those “special events” as then the character can become a number in the body count total ( like Pantha in Infinite Crisis, or the Wasp in Civil War).

Others may be killed off for “shock value” or to kick off a certain storyline (like the Ted Kord Blue Beetle from DC, or the Scott Lang Ant Man from Marvel). Originally, this death worked well as a plot device in comic (like when DC killed off the original Mr. Terrific back in JLA 171, the death of Gwen Stacy), but in today's market, the only reaction it gets is a bored yawn. It is just an overused ploy that doesn’t seem to boost either sales or interest anymore. More often than not, the death is now accompanied by some grisly show of violence, like the death of Ares at the hands of the Sentry in Marvel's Siege.

But heroes return from fictional death all the time, so we can take some solace in the idea that in comics death isn’t permanent. But does that really mean a hero can’t be killed? Can other things kill a character? I have seen many heroes and villains die long before their “comic book death.” Most of them have fallen prey to wasted potential or bad editorial decisions.

Next week, Jim and I will examine a few examples where characters have truly been killed.

Have a great weekend!

Introducing Clayton's Corner

Editor's Note: Today I present a another guest column by Pop Box creator Clayton Neal. Clayton has written one or two columns here in the past and has kindly agreed to help me with posts on Flashback Universe while I letter his comic - The Agency. Today he tells us how he was introduced into the world of super-hero comics.

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Welcome to Clayton's Corner! Here I will regale you with my memories and opinions of the great comics of my youth. Like many of you, it seems like I can almost always remember a time when I was reading comics, but I think there comes a turning point in every comic collector’s life where he graduates and goes from casual reader to devout fan.. At least that is the way it was for me. I grew up on Archie and Richie Rich, I enjoyed them quite well. They were simple, and entertaining. I mean, c'mon...what kid wouldn't want to grow up in the Rich mansion, have a faithful butler and a robot maid?

But then, all that faded one day while standing at the spindle rack in the local grocery store. There I saw it! There on the cover of this comic book was a Man with wings behind his ears, a little guy standing on another costumed man's shoulder, and another man whose neck was stretching out of proportion! Unknown to me at the time, this was my comic book baptism! I think I was seven (don't want to add it up and remind myself exactly how old I am) and the comic: Justice League of America 109!



In the store, I thumbed through it, and was entranced. There was a blank eyed robot that could turn his bottom half into a tornado, and an elfin eared villain with two colors on his face! (Eclipso), and a blonde haired heroine in stockings. (Up until then, I thought the only females in comics were Wonder Woman and Batgirl.)

That is the issue that Hawkman quit to go back to his home planet. I remember it being such a letdown because I really liked the character! I kept telling myself that he would be back the next issue, but when I finally got my hands on that (one of the first 60 cent 100 page giants that introduced the Injustice League) he was still gone!

Needless to say, this became my very first “must have”. I don't even remember how many times I read and re-read, and re-re-read that comic! Len Wein, Dick Dillan and Dick Giordano will always be the heroes to me who brought me to the moment of my conversion.

Now here it is years later, and I can still say I love comics as much now as I did then.

I am wondering, how many people remember their moment of conversion from comic reader to comic fan?