It took me a moment to remember who "Eric Strauss" was.
From the Daily Planet Invasion crossover tie-in “newspaper” published by DC in 1988, here is…
1. I like how they make Abby Arcane (from Swamp Thing, natch) sound like a crazy person.
2. When was the last time we saw Funky Flashman in anything? Wikipedia sez 2005, but maybe he’ll turn up in the Death of the New Gods series.
3. I’m trying to identify which DC staffers/executives/creative talents were cajoled into letting their photos be used for this. I’m reasonably certain that’s former DC publisher Jenette Kahn as her semi-namesake Dr. Jenet Klyburn, and is that Karen Berger as Abby? I don’t know…set me straight, internet pals.
4. The presumably post-Killing Joke Barbara Gordon entry just made me sad.
5. And it really did take me a second to remember who Eric Strauss was…which means it time to pull this Dr. Fate mini-series out of the Vast Mikester Comic Archives and give it a good rereading.
6. Actually, this whole Daily Planet paper is kinda fun, with in-universe stories, TV listings, horoscopes, business reports, showbiz gossip (including another Swamp Thing reference, to supporting character Liz Tremayne), sport stories (including one on a game interrupted by a superhero battle), soap opera synopses:
“SECRET HEARTS: Cara’s life as Lynda Lee turns out to be only a dream. Zorra and Laura try to help their daughter but find themselves in a devastating earthquake and die. Plagued by dreams of a cousin Karl, Cara finally finds peace when her grandfather Ariel reveals the family secrets to her.”
…and even comic strips:
It’s only 16 pages long, serving as an interesting snapshot of where DC continuity stood in the late ’80s, but packs plenty of in-jokes and fanboy humor into those pages. That’s either an enticement or a warning, depending on your leanings.
