The Spring Kaleidotrope features fantastic fiction from @amandacecelia.bsky.social, @michelehporter.bsky.social, Dom D. Borg, @faithallington.bsky.social, S.M. French-Byrne,
@klneidecker.com, Matt Hornsby, Eliezra Schaffzin, Timothy Mudie, @emharriettwrites.bsky.social, and @megelison.bsky.social!
The Spring Kaleidotrope also features amazing poems by @mariness.bsky.social, Mark Rich, and @mrsfringe.bsky.social!
With incredible artwork by Dante Luiz!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
The Salmons/Blevins art works. It feels stylistically like a mix of Romita, Buscema, and ad campaigns of the time featuring thin-lined figures. The characters do mostly look like they're squinting though.
This first issue holds up. Solid origin story, action that shows the new hero learning what he can do and who (at least in part) is responsible. A done-in-one story with subplots threads to build off.
I have very little memory of Marvel's New Universe even though I read the early issues of each series. I do remember liking Nightmask the most. So when I found this in a dollar bin over the weekend, I couldn't resist.
Hand holding a copy of Nightmask Issue 1. Beneath the logo, Nightmask, in his almost all-black bodysuit and mask, floats in a dreamscape surrounded by thorny plants, floating eyes, and steam pipes. In front of him are the hands of an attacker, one of which holds a stone hammer. Beneath this, we see Nightmask's secret identity laying in bed in the midst of a nightmare, being comforted by his sister who is in a wheelchair.
Today's Random Comic Book Back Issue Reread: Nightmask 1 (1986). Cover: Al Milgrom & Bob Wiacek. Writer: Archie Goodwin Art: Tony Salmons & Bret Blevins Letters: Joe Rosen Colors: Andy Yanchus Editor: Michael Higgins
The cover for Uncanny Magazine Issue 65, “The Duet" by Nilah Magruder: Two women sit at a piano. One is wearing a lilac dress with a locket around her neck, her skin is a dark shade and her hair white. Next to her, the second woman is wearing a red dress, and has black hair worn up in a bun-like style. Her head and hand are not attached to her body, giving the impression that she is not human but a robot of some kind. Both are smiling as they play together. The quote reads: "There’s nights in the deep end of summer so hot and thick and wet you can feel the dark wrinkling up your fingers like bathwater—and my last night breathing was one of those. 2 a.m. came to ring my bell and found me perfectly awake, swinging back and forth on a hanging sweetheart bench with a faded pink and yellow tulip pattern on the cushion."
Last minute reading for the Locus Awards? The novelette “When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente is on the Locus Recommended Reading List! You can read it here! buff.ly/S1pzrQQ
The @kickstarter.com for Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume 4 goes live NEXT WEEK, Tuesday, April 7. Early bird giveaways! Stretch goals! Add-ons! And the very best Canadian SFF all in one place! Click below for an alert when we launch. And please SHARE WIDELY--thx! #Kickstarter
Cover of The Dark #131 artwork shows hand gripping a rag doll. Text Stories by Ibrahim Ojedokun, Angela Slatter, Phoenix Alexander, Michael Kelly
It's the first of the month. You know what that means — a new issue of The Dark. I have a little slice of winter in this issue, alongside work from @angelaslatter.bsky.social @dracopoullos.bsky.social and Ibrahim Ojedokun.
www.thedarkmagazine.com/wendigo/
It's a solid first issue with plenty of hooks to inspire a reader to come back for more.
The Derenick/Miller art feels very 90s without falling victim to that decade's excesses. It's got good flow and some of the closeups are fantastic.
I'm going to keep an eye out for the rest of this run.
I don't remember much of Gravestone's backstory. I'm not sure I read more than one issue of The Protectors, from which this book spins off. Powell's script tells you everything pertinent: supernatural hero who constantly dies but has to wade through challenges in the afterlife before returning.
Hand holding a copy of Gravestone Issue 1. The image is a closeup on the masked gace of the titular hero: a white skull with long thin teeth and yellow eyes, behind which is visible a bit of blue collar and cloak.
Tuesday's Random Comic Book Back Issue Reread: Gravestone 1 (1993). Writer: Martin Powell Cover and Interior Art: Thomas Derenick & Mike Miller Letters: Time Eldres Editor: Roland Mann
I do seem to love supernatural super-heroes almost as much as I love straight-up horror comics.
As I said in a previous post, Colan's style is ideal for this kind of story. Bob Smith's inking is compatible with Colan's pencils. The orange, pink, and purple overlays for the supernatural energy entities doesn't seem to have stood up well as the paper has aged. The art still looks great.
I love the idea of an immortal house-bound man manipulating teams of mostly normal folks to confront supernatural menaces, and that the cast would rotate as needed. The characters could and did die & face life-altering consequences. Long before GRRM made killing all of your characters popular.
When Wolfman & Colan left Marvel for DC they tried to catch lightning in a bottle a 2nd time on another horror comic. Was Night Force as good as Tomb of Dracula? In my humble opinion, no. Was it a great concept that deserved a longer run to play that concept out? Again, in my humble opinion: yes.
Hand holding a copy of Night Force Issue 1. Beneath the logo, the ghostly figure of Baron Winters holds up a pentagram-inscribed plate on which stand three figure. To the left, in trenchcoat and blue suit reporter Jack Gold. In the center, apparently on fire, red-haired Vanessa Van Helsing. To the right, in green shirt and pants, scientist Donovan Caine.
Monday's Random Comic Book Back Issue Reread: Night Force 1 (1982). Cover: Gene Colan & Dick Giordano Writer/Co-Editor: Marv Wolfman Art: Volan & Bob Smith Letters: John Costanza Colors: Michele Wolfman Co-Editor: Ross Andru
Another of my all-time favorite series, overdue for a reread.
Brent Anderson's art is always so realistic and fluid. I love the action scenes & facial expressions. He makes effective use of white space & levels of background detail to draw the eye to the important part of the scene.
Another title that has sat in my collection for too long without a re-read.
A line that made me laugh out loud: "Any moron can jump around in the weeds and beat on his chest." I think a few other Jungle Lords would take exception to that self-characterization, Ka-Zar.
I have fond memories of this title but it's been decades since I last read it. I forgot how much existential drama Ka-Zar was experiencing. Jones' dialogue goes from quippy (Shanna's dialogue when Ka-Zar catches her) to melodramatic (Ka-Zar falling madly in love with a princess within hours).
Hand holding a copy of Ka-Zar the Savage Issue 1. Beneath the logo, three figures run towards the reader in front of a red Expanse of sky. On the left" red-haired Shanna The She-Devil in leopard-skin one piece outfit, carrying a knife. In the center, blonde-haired Ka-Zar in wolf-skin loincloth cloth and boots and gold wrist circlets, also brandishing a knife. To the right, orange-furred Zabu the Sabretooth tiger.
Sunday's Random Comic Book Back Issue Reread was Ka-Zar the Savage 1 (1981) Cover: Brent Anderson Writer: Bruce Jones Art: Brent Anderson & Carlos Garzon Colors: Neil Yomtov Letters: John Costanza (Somehow, the credits were left out of the issue, so this info comes from Grand Comics Database)
Man, do I love pretty much every issue of this run (and its short continuation in Adventure Comics). This Bronze Age title was a Golden Age for me.
When people complain that modern comics are too political and that older comics were never "woke" there are plenty of more obvious comics to point to (the O'Neil/Adams GL/GA for example), but even here Conway includes references to Apartheid and in the phase-out of ozone depleting substances.
The Estrada/Wood art is great. I particularly love the panel of Flash "carrying" Wildcat in his speed-wake, and Power Girl's entrance.
Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Carter Hall are my favorite Flash, GL, and Hawkman, and this series is a large part of the reason why. It's also why Wildcat, Star-Spangled Kid, Power Girl (and later The Huntress) are among my favorite characters.
The plot works great as an introduction to the new and returning characters, and as a mirror to the classic JSA and JLA story patterns (team becomes aware of threat; team breaks into smaller groupings to fight threat; team eventually comes together to fight the big bad).
The return of the Justice Society to their own regular title for the first time since the Golden Age. I loved the introduction of Power Girl and the incorporation of Star-Spangled Kid (Robin was already a JSA member) although even at 10 years old I didn't see the need for a team name change.
Hand holding a copy of All-Star Comics Issue 58. Beneath the logo, Star-Spangled Kid, Robin, and Power Girl rush towards the reader, above the prone/unconscious figures of Green Lantern, Wildcat, the Flash, and Doctor Fate.
Today's Random Comic Book Back Issue Reread: All-Star Comics 58 (1976) Cover: Mike Grell Wtiter/Editor: Gerry Conway Ary: Ric Estrada & Wally Wood Letters: Ben Oda. Colors: Uncredited per GCD possibly Tatjana Wood?
Another of my all-time favorite DC Comics series.
Oliver Reed's makeup in Curse of the Werewolf scared the hell out of me as a kid & Perlin's depiction of both werewolves here (esp. Raymond Coker's werewolf form) really reminds me of Reed.
While WBN is one of my favorite Marvel series I have some gaps in my collection that I really should fill in.
I've never been particularly blown away by Don Perlin's art, nor do I actively dislike it. The action scenes flow well enough. The quieter personal interactions work well too.
It's been so long since I've reread any WBN issues that I'd forgotten how integral this issue is to several on-going plots. I just remembered it as a fun "2 werewolves fight 2 vampires" tale. It even has a connection to Dracula Lives magazine issue 4!