Back in the day, most of my comics were purchased at the local drugstore or the Venture a couple towns away. Remember Venture? Anyway, here are my first three comics and my impressions of them decades later.
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Cover - Ross Andru and Dick Giordano
Writers - Gerry Conway, Bob Rozakis
Artists - Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Dick Giordano, Alex Saviuk and Vince Colletta
I was a huge fan of Robin from watching the Superfriends and Batman & Robin at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings, much to the chagrin of my parents so I was all over this.
Now that I've read it decades later, the main tale is pretty hokey. Robin investigates some mysterious goings on at a circus and finds a brainwashed Superman acting as the strongman. Robin is also brainwashed and is doing the trapeze act when the circus goes to Metropolis. Turns out Superman was only faking to find out who was being the hypnosis at the circus and frees Robin. They beat up the entire circus, including the animals, and save the day.
The backup features the original Robotman waking up in an abandoned mine and wandering out into the world to find 20 years have passed. After settling things with the gangster who set him up, Robotman's brain is transferred into the cryogenically preserved body of a dead friend of his.
I complain about the decompression of today's comics all the time but each of these tales would have been better if it had taken the entire issue instead of a portion of it. The main tale was pretty standard fare for 1981, although a little on the short side. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez's art was as spectacular as always. Five year old me must be spinning in his grave but I preferred the second tale as an adult. Alex Saviuk's art wasn't nearly as good as JLGL's but the tale had more punch.
Fun fact: For a couple years after this, I asked my mom for more Superman and Robin comics whenever we went to the drugstore. Poor Mom.
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Cover - Jim Aparo
Writer - Alan Brennert
Artist - Jim Aparo
I had vague memories of a battle between Batman, the adult Robin of Earth-2, and Hugo Strange for years but had no idea what comic it was until someone posted the cover of this issue on Twitter a few days ago. Fast forward to yesterday when I found a copy in good condition down at the local comic shop.
Dick Grayson is at Ted Knight's observatory, investigating a strange storm. Robin and Starman spring into action. Hugo Strange is behind the storm and he snatches Starman's Cosmic Rod!
A side effect of the storm sees the Batman of Earth-1 winding up in a cemetery in Earth-2's Gotham City, at his own grave! Robin catches Batman trying to break into Justice Society headquarters. After a brief skirmish, the Dynamic Duo is reunited.
Hugo Strange means to level Gotham City with the Cosmic Rod and Batman and Robin must stop him! Strange uses the Cosmic Rod to pit the Dynamic Duo against gadgets used by their old enemies AND the 1940s Batmobile. Batman and Robin deduce that Hugo Strange must be operating out of the Batcave and head there with Batwoman in tow. After some friction, the trio enters the Batcave and battles the giant robot dinosaur!
After defeating the dinosaur, a robot Batman manhandles all three of them until Robin freezes it with Mr. Freeze's gun from a trophy case and bashes its head in with a rock. An old decrepit Hugo Strange reveals himself as the mastermind and winds up disintegrating himself with the Cosmic Rod after Batman convinces him that he lured them to the Batcave to kill him because he didn't have the guts to do the deed himself! Starman sends Batman back to Earth-1 and things are back to normal.
This one stood the test of time fairly well. There was a lot of action and the tension between Batman and the Robin of Earth-2 helped give the story extra grit. The twist behind Hugo Strange's motivation was pretty surprising. I didn't know Starman's Cosmic Rod was so powerful.
Jim Aparo has been my Batman artist of choice for years. Turns out this issue was probably why.
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Cover - Al Milgrim
Writer - Bill Mantlo
Artists - Sal Buscema
As I said in the intro, I don't think this was my first Marvel comic but it's the first one I can identify. I had nightmares of the Hulk from the TV show for years so I wonder if my mom bought me this comic to settle me down.
On Kylor, techno-artist Bereet fears she's growing stale, reveals that the Rampaging Hulk stories were fabrications by her, writing them out of continuity, and goes searching for the Hulk.
Bruce Banner, Betty Ross, and Rick Jones are at a secluded lab in the Southwest, looking for a cure for Bruce's condition, as always, when The Hulk-Hunters arrive!
Torgo, Amphibion, and Dark-Crawler show up and Bruce Hulks up. The Hulk battles the three Hulk Hunters who are actually hunting the Hulk so he'll help them. As the battle winds down, Empress Daydra shows up and tells the Hulk she needs him to fight the Galaxy Master's champion. The Hulk leaves with her just as Rick Jones subjects himself to a massive dose of Gamma Rays in a misguided effort to become another Hulk.
I can see why my loyalties shifted toward Marvel after this book. It holds up a hell of a lot better than the DC Comics Presents issue from a year earlier. Sal Buscema's art was great for the time period and Mantlo was in his prime. The Hulk Hunters were an interesting crew. I remember Torgo from an issue of Marvel Two-In-One that I think came after this and Dark-Crawler used to be called Nightcrawler before the X-Man of the same name was introduced.
The story was one of those cliched misunderstandings but Bruce wanted to destroy himself along with the Hulk was an interesting twist. Rick's conflict over whether or not to let Banner destroy the Hulk was also cool. I'm a little sad I don't have the next issue, although I know Rocket Raccoon gets introduced pretty soon.
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