Flower Power

 

The Black Orchid was a rarity because when she first appeared, she had no origin or backstory. It wouldn't be until more than a decade later that Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean would give her one. I wonder what co-creators Sheldon Mayer and Tony DeZuñiga had in mind for her, or if they intended her to just be a mysterious figure, like the Phantom Stranger. And did the lack of an origin kill interest in the character and prevented her from being a regular fixture in the DC Universe?

In contrast, Lady Shiva seemed  like she was created solely for the purpose of being a supporting character for Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter. But when she became a recurring character on the Batman titles, she became a mainstay of the DC Universe, flip-flopping from villain to anti-heroine.

Super Smash, Bro!

 

Ultraman (and by extension, the Crime Syndicate of America), to me, seemed like throwaway characters when they first appeared. It seemed like they were done specifically for the story in JL of A no. 29, and that should have been it. I guess I felt that way because their outfits didn't look well-designed, especially the monstrosity that the original Owlman wore. Also, their names sounded quite silly in comparison to their heroic counterparts.

Alternate Currents

Some people made fun of Black Lightning's afro wig way back when, but I thought it was a great idea. Realistically, a mask doesn't really hide one's identity, but add a wig and it might be enough to distract people from it. Plus, I thought it was cool that the wig was attached to the mask.

Black Lightning will have his own TV series soon, I hope it will be good.

The Other Defenders

 

I didn't watch the cartoon, but I did read a couple of the comics, which lasted just four issues. The final issue ended on a cliffhanger, with the last panel declaring that "War!" was coming up in the never to be released fifth issue. So the cover above is my take on what that issue might look like.

Company Man

I didn't follow Dreadstar religiously during the time it came out, but I would buy it whenever I see it in bargain bins and discount book shops. I think I've managed to almost complete the Marvel/Epic run, with only a few issues missing. I've also managed to get ahold of the first few issues when the title transferred to First Comics, so at least I got to read how the war between the Monarchy and Instrumentality ended.

Queen of the Club

A lot of X-Men characters have flip-flopped from villain to hero and vise-versa, Most of them are villains turned hero like Magneto, Juggernaut, Sabretooth and Emma Frost. So I find it mind-boggling that Cyclops can't be forgiven for whatever bad things he's done while under the influence of the Phoenix force. He wasn't even in his right mind, whereas these other villain characters who've supposedly turned "good" are embraced wholeheartedly by the X-Men. They don't even stand trial for all the crimes they committed.

Kull of Duty

I've always liked Kull better than Conan. Maybe it's because of the fish-out-of-water concept of a barbarian trying his best to rule a kingdom wisely. Maybe it's because he has a regular supporting cast, like Tu or Brule. Whatever the case, I found him to be a much more interesting character than his more famous fellow barbarian.

Better Off Ted

I wasn't much of a Man-Thing reader when I was young. I preferred Swamp Thing over at the Distinguished Competition. I think it came down to the art. No disrespect meant to Mike Ploog, but I liked the art of Berni Wrightson and Nestor Redondo more. Even the last issue done by Ernie Chan (with inks by Fred Carrillo) had much more appeal.

Also, one thing I liked better about Swamp Thing is that he retained Alec Holland's mind, while Man-Thing's Ted Sallis persona was buried deep within the mind of the muck-encrusted monster.

Shoot or Dare

These two have fought multiple times, but both know they'll only end up in a stalemate. The only way to stop the Punisher is by killing him, which the Punisher knows is something Daredevil won't ever do. On the flip side, the Punisher doesn't kill innocents, so Daredevil knows that Frank won't kill him to stop him.

She's Mighty, Man

Even though the amulet that Isis wears was supposed to grant its wearer "the powers of the animals and the elements," it was evident that her powers were not limited to that. She had flight, super strength, control over her molecular density (and of other objects), control the weather, stop and reverse time, and more. I think the show's writers and producers just made up powers which were convenient to use, depending on an episode's particular predicament. Still, it was an enjoyable show for a very young superhero fan during the 1970's. And I have to admit I had a huge crush on Joanna Cameron.

It's disappointing that in today's world, her superhero nomenclature has a negative connotation.

Exit: Light, Enter: Night

When I first thought up this cover, I was of the mind that Doctor Destiny would fit really well as a foe of the Sandman. Little did I know that the two had already crossed paths in a Justice League of America annual.

I only had the first issue of The Sandman. I never saw any of the six issues that came after, except for images on the web. The next time I saw him, he was guest-starring in Wonder Woman, and then found out that he committed suicide (in Neil Gaiman's Sandman title) due to loneliness in the Dream Dimension. Bummer.

So, Beware You Deadly Demons...

No other comics character, to my knowledge, has flip-flopped between hero and villain as many times as Namor. I guess that's why I find him interesting. I think I first encountered the character in Super-Villain Team-Up, then was surprised to watch him as one of the superheroes featured in Marvel's 1960's cartoon line-up (they aired those in my country during the 1970's, hence me watching them more than a decade late). That's why my younger self was confused if he was hero or villain.

BatmAnnual

I miss the days when the comic book annual were treated as specials. Often, the stories in the annuals were, dare I say it, better than those in the monthlies. Sometimes they even had painted covers, a rarity during the 1980s. 

Darna... Soar!

Darna, the most popular superhero in the Philippines. Created by Mars Ravelo and Nestor Redondo, she was a riff on the Captain (Shazam) Marvel archetype... child transforms into a super-powered adult by saying a magic word. Although in this case, she also has to swallow a magic stone before triggering the transformation. Star of numerous movies and TV series, she remains popular with Filipinos worldwide.

Phanther

Aaand... we're back after quite some time. Been quite busy during the latter part of 2016, still quite busy until now, to be honest. But here's a new cover to tide everyone over.

During the 1970's until the mid-1980's, Marvel had the habit of incorporating licensed properties into their superhero universe. They did a 3-issue Phantom series during the 1990's, but by then they weren't integrating licensed properties into the Marvel Universe anymore. If they had licensed the Phantom earlier, maybe we could have read a story similar to the one above.