Amazing Heroes 1985 Preview Issue

[The Toyroom]

RETRO-SPOILER ALERT!





I had this years ago and must have thrown it (and other AH issues) out during a purge at one point....I just got a nice copy in the mail yesterday. Couple
interesting things while thumbing through it so far....

- BATMAN Special Project: Written and drawn by Frank Miller. Yes, this is what would become "The Dark Knight Returns", although that was originally just
the title of one of the 3 issues, not the entire mini-series...which became 4 issues.

- INFINITY, INC.: Regarding what would happen as a result of the unexpected death of artist Don Newton: "There will be two fill-in issues pencilled by
Todd McFarling" - (Who obviously had not made a name for himself just yet...)


In addition, this is the year of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", DC's "Who's Who", The John Byrne/Bill Mantlo "Alpha Flight"/"Incredible Hulk" swap, the 1st "Punisher" mini-series as well as "Lords of the Ultra-Realm", Marvel's Star Comics line, "Squadron Supreme", John Byrne's "She-Hulk", "Shadow War of the Hawkman",
Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton's "Aquaman" mini, "Secret Wars II", and a little known book called "The Watchmen" (whose format is "undetermined").

[Earth 2 Chris]

Wow. I used to love those Amazing Heroes preview books. I don't think I got one until 86 or 87 though, when I entered my first comic shop in Lexington, looking for a copy of the just-released DKR TPB!

So Byrne pitched a She-Hulk series before defecting to DC for Superman? I don't think it hit until he returned in 89 or so, right?

chris

[The Toyroom]

So Byrne pitched a She-Hulk series before defecting to DC for Superman? I don't think it hit until he returned in 89 or so, right?

Actually, the preview is for a 4-issue mini-series involving S.H.I.E.L.D. but I think it ended up transforming into the "She-Hulk" graphic novel. And yes, the "Sensational" series didn't start until '89.

[The Toyroom]

And speaking of Byrne, at the time he was still on "Fantastic Four", was planning that "The Last Galactus Story" would run at least another two years in "Epic Illustrated", and would be doing a 4-issue western series called "Cameo", edited by Denny O'Neil.

[The Toyroom]

Hmmmm....The entry for "The Flash" is very brief and vague. Wonder what Cary Bates has in store for The Scarlet Speedster?!

[palitoy]

Hmmmm....The entry for "The Flash" is very brief and vague. Wonder what Cary Bates has in store for The Scarlet Speedster?!

Mediocrity!

[Earth 2 Chris]

^And running the title in the ground. I never understood why DC didn't just pull Bates off the title and give it to someone else. Maybe 15 years is too long for one writer to handle a title? I know Bates now says that he wanted to end the Trial storyline earlier, but prolonged it to just keep the title running through the beginning of Crisis, but man, that was torture.

Chris

[The Toyroom]

The seeds for The Flash's demise were sown by Bates with The Death of Iris Allen...Before that the book had quirky one-off stories, but once they really introduced that continuous soap opera element on a monthly basis...Ugh. And for me personally having Don Heck and Carmine Infantino doing mediocre work after a great run by Irv Novick sealed the book's fate. The long drawn out Trial only put salt in the wounds. The only positive outcome was the reunion with Iris...however short-lived that was...

[palitoy]

I bought all of the Trial issues out of curiousity after I got hooked on the Wally issues. No wonder they were cheap!

[samurainoir]

Actually, the preview is for a 4-issue mini-series involving S.H.I.E.L.D. but I think it ended up transforming into the "She-Hulk" graphic novel. And yes, the "Sensational" series didn't start until '89.

Coincidentally, I've been reading old issues of Amazing Heroes and Comics Interview also, and just yesterday was reading the CI where he returned to Marvel and started on She Hulk, Avengers and Star Brand.

They showed the censored page of She Hulk and Wyett in bed (which was actually tamer than the strip search scene). Interesting to read about Byrne discussing his plans for She Hulk as a comedy/action book. He doesn't mention Giffen's Justice League, but I'm sure that must have been a big factor at the time between the differences between the Graphic novel and tone of the ongoing series. He was also a bit hamstrung by the She Hulk Ceremony prestige mini at the time, which dealt with the relationship with Wyett.

What really is interesting for me is all the crude pixel based art that Byrne was showing off in this issue of his drawings he's made on what appears to be a first generation Macintosh computer.

He also points out something really interesting that I hadn't really noticed before... The first two issues of The Dark Knight Returns by Miller were done before Watchmen came out, without mention that superheroes had been outlawed, only that Bruce had retired. With how late the other two issues were, Miller would have started reading Watchmen at that point, and whether consciously, or unconsciously, or perhaps coincidentally (particularly knowing TDKR expanded from three issues, to four issues), you have the thread of outlawed superheroes appear in the third and fourth issues... With Superman becoming the main antagonist. It's been a while since I read the preview issues of Amazing Heroes, but I believe there was initially a greater emphasis on the Mutant Leader as the big bad in this series (along with Two Face and Joker).

I also seem to remember mention of Alan Moore's "Charlton project" in one of those issues where he discusses Captain Atom being a much more active factor in the story than Doctor Manhatten would end up not being. As well as another proposal to make the Charlton characters a weekly anthology series.

[Earth 2 Chris]

The Charlton Weekly was discussed in BackIssue some time ago. It was called "Blockbuster" at one point, and was to feature new Charlton character stories (some by the original creators) and reprints of the Superman newspaper strip of the time.

chris

[The Toyroom]

He also points out something really interesting that I hadn't really noticed before... The first two issues of The Dark Knight Returns by Miller were done before Watchmen came out, without mention that superheroes had been outlawed, only that Bruce had retired. With how late the other two issues were, Miller would have started reading Watchmen at that point, and whether consciously, or unconsciously, or perhaps coincidentally (particularly knowing TDKR expanded from three issues, to four issues), you have the thread of outlawed superheroes appear in the third and fourth issues... With Superman becoming the main antagonist. It's been a while since I read the preview issues of Amazing Heroes, but I believe there was initially a greater emphasis on the Mutant Leader as the big bad in this series (along with Two Face and Joker).

According to Miller in the AH Preview: "Two-Face...Selina Kyle...The Joker appears. The actual chief villain is a new character, who never puts on a costume, and never fires a gun. He does Batman more damage than any of his past enemies"

[The Toyroom]

"The Charlton Project" is mentioned as a 32-pg weekly with no ads. 2/3rds of the book was supposed to feature all of the main Charlton characters each week in 2 to 4 pg strips. With the remainder of the book to feature text pieces, profiles, DC news, as well as reprints of the Superman newsstrip.

The line-up was Blue Beetle by Steve Englehart, Peacemaker by Keith Giffen, Question by Mike Barr, Sarge Steel by Joe Gill with initial pencils by Dick Giordano, Capt. Atom by
Paul Kupperberg & Paul (Concrete) Chadwick, Judomaster by Frank McLaughlin. They were also trying to get the rights to Peter Cannon/Thunderbolt (which they briefly did, he appeared in "Crisis" and I think his own mini-series...)

[The Toyroom]

A-ha! Joe Kubert's "Redeemer" series is mentioned yet again (having been previewed twice before apparently). Only this time the 12-issues have been reduced to 6. It "will indeed be scheduled as soon as Joe Kubert finishes it". Which obviously never came to pass...

[samurainoir]

I'm going by memory, but it was Len Wein who eventually wrote the Blue Beetle ongoing right? Wasn't really into the character until he appeared in JLU soon after (and Legends I think?).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Beetle-1-24-Set-Len-Wein-Paris-Cullins-Charlton-Hero-1986-DC-Comics-/320919525473?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item4ab84b5861

Was it Cary Bates who wrote Captain Atom? That actually wasn't a bad series, a precursor actually to all the government conspiracy superhero stories we are getting these days (particularly in the Ultimates Universe).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Captain-Atom-1-57-Annuals-1-2-Set-Cary-Bates-1987-DC-Comics-/220276089189?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item33497a6165

He went 180 on The Question from Ditko's vision, but I consider Denny O'Neil and Denys Cowan's 36 issues run as the top of their game. I can only imagine what the fan reaction was back then to this unnecessary reboot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denny-ONeils-The-Question-TPB-Vol-1-2-Denys-Cowan-DC-Batman-/190691772157?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2c661d86fd

There was a Thunderbolt and Peacemaker minis that never really moved the dial, and Nightshade was a staple of Ostrander's Suicide Squad.