Creature Commandos

I noticed in that in Creature Commandoes that GI Robot mentioned that he was waited 74 years to kill with friends again. I see people are saying the show is set around 2023, but if WW2 ended in 1945, 74 years after that would be 2019? The third episode of the show didn’t show GI killing anyone in the years close to 1945, so I don’t know if I’m the only one thinking about that or not.

The Phantom Stranger Omnibus.

I had waited a long time for this one and overall I was happy with the collection. The first appearances of PS definitely concerned me. The basic premise of these early stories was that the Stranger was a mysterious man who simply debunked fraudulent supernatural phenomena. He had no powers other than deduction and the only thing”Phantom” about him was that he’d just show up and leave like Batman.

Fortunately, the writers adjusted this after a few tales by introducing a supporting character, Dr. Thirteen, to be the skeptical “Ghost Breaker” solving mysteries alongside the very real supernatural abilities of the Stranger. This was a clever change and the dynamic was much more enjoyable, especially when his iconic adversaries started showing up; Tala and Tannarak. Some other reoccurring occultists have since been forgotten, but they were nonetheless interesting foils. The introduction of Cassandra Craft also gave the Stranger a small spectrum of emotional range.

What I was most surprised of when reading such an assorted anthology compiled of various authors was how very consistent the writing was over time. The format, structure and characterisation was very uniform throughout for the most part. The biggest exception to this rule being the four different origin stories collected at the end of the omnibus. Of course I prefer the Stranger to be completely mysterious, much like Baron Winters or The Joker, but the attempts at an origin for the mystic wanderer are fun curiosities at the worst. I think my favourite of the four was titled, “And Men Shall Call Him Stranger,” in which he is the only good man in a Sodom like city destined for God’s retribution. An angel visits him to be the sole survivor, but the man questions the Creator’s judgment and is willing to sacrifice himself to spare all so they have a chance at redemption. His defiance is punished, forced to walk alone, neither truly apart of life or the afterlife, but with the ability to guide humans to redeem themselves. The other tales have pros and cons. The one by Alan Moore is well written, but seems more fitting as an outside continuity for the likes of Vertigo. The futuristic paradox origin is similar to The Spectre’s role in the never ending Ragnarök the JSA found themselves in. The Wandering Jew origin is my least favourite, but a perfectly good first attempt at giving the PS a backstory.

I was hoping for the anthology stories where the Stranger becomes more grounded to the living and grows his friendship with Dr. Thirteen, but hopefully there is enough material for a second omnibus in the future. It will be interesting if the more modern stories uphold the consistency of this collection. Overall I give it a 7/10.

The Creature Commandos.

Anticipating the release of the upcoming film, DC have released a nice little trade paperback collecting the original stories featured in Weird War Tales. These are from the early ‘80s but have that classic comic structure. What does make them more modern is some of the surprisingly dark subject matter. The Nazis brainwashing children into super soldiers whose first test is to kill their own parents waa pretty hardcore. There’s no happy ending, either.

The concept itself is both fun, has a clear theme, and certainly has potential for development, however it never really expands upon the basic setup. The characters are all one note while theme is very heavy handed and beaten to death. (They may look like monsters, but all humans are capable of monstrosity.) Team titles of outcasts have done this much better. Arnold Drake’s Doom Patrol empowered outsiders much better and much earlier.

The Creature Commandos never really grew, nor did it ever feel like they were ever in danger, which they should have been. Every time I saw Dr. Medusa in a fray, my brain could not accept that not one bullet would cross paths with her. I still think it’s a concept with good potential, especially for a film, but the comics are somewhat lacklustre. Overall, 5/10 for this book.

Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber.

Continuing the series that Jack Kirby began, Scott Free faces significant changes in his life. Mister Miracle was one of my least favourite characters in Kirby’s Fourth World, simply because the escape artist shtick gets old fast. No matter how convoluted the death trap we know he’s somehow going to escape. It leaves very little tension with only the reveal at the end to salvage the story, which is often anticlimactic with absurd rationales or the more boring help of mother box.

Englehart must have felt the same way as he put Scott in the position where he must strip himself of his mother box to save Barda. Without his safety net, Scott finally relies on his own skills as an escape artist to overcome adversity. As Gerber takes over, Scott is given his own physical apotheosis and philosophical revelation. He becomes a living mother box of sorts, inheriting his father’s ability to commune with the Source in his own unique way. He then disowns himself from the eternal conflict of his native worlds to become a messiah to humanity in the hopes to strengthen them against the inevitable threat of anti-life.

I found the arc to be far more enjoyable than the standard MM affair. It took Scott in bold new directions while keeping his far more entertaining cast of enemies true to form. It was nice that Doctor Bedlam had not been forgotten yet, even if his appearances were minor. I can’t quite recall Scott’s status quo in John Byrne’s Fourth World and if it matches up, only that Scott turns down leading New Genesis after Highfather’s death which seems in character with the Scott Free in this series. Overall a nice addition to my Fourth World titles. 7/10.