Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger, Vol. 1 by Robert KanigherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger, Vol. 1 collects Showcase #80 and Phantom Stranger #1-21.
So DC has solicited and cancelled the big honkin' Phantom Stranger omnibus three or four times in recent years. The two Showcase Presents volumes popped up on shopgoodwill a couple weeks ago and I grabbed the lot for $11 plus ridiculous Fedex shipping costs.
This is a mixed back. Doctor Thirteen co-stars with Phantom Stranger for about half the book and is a relentless dickheaded skeptic. Seriously, I kept waiting for him do die by the hand of the very supernatural forces he was being ridiculously obtuse about. Once Thirteen gets pushed into the backup feature and isn't constantly pissing in the Phantom Stranger's corn flakes, the book improves by several orders of magnitude.
Neal Adams draws many of the covers. Other people draw the interiors but Jim Aparo is THE Phantom Stranger artist for me. The stories aren't remarkable, especially when Dr. Thirteen is being a wet blanket. Once Len Wein takes over and kicks Thirteen to the backup feature, the book really gets going. The Man Without A Heart is easily my favorite story but the one with the blind girl that falls in love with the Stranger is another favorite. I was surprised at how many of the stories had a strong ecological message.
Someone described The Phantom Stranger as Tales from the Darkside or the Twilight Zone if they all featured a common character. I agree with that to an extent. The Phantom Stranger himself is an enigma. I think explaining too much about him would kill the mood. His powers are whatever the plot requires at the time, making him a walking Sonic Screwdriver at times.
Despite the rocky start, this was a bad ass book. I'm glad I have volume 2 on deck. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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