Spoiler: Lois and Lana are cured.
SPOILERS AHEAD
So I have to admit, of the many post-Capital Comics/First Comics attempts at reviving the Badger, this one feels most like the classic version of the character, with funny, off-kilter dialogue and a quickly-paced plot and oddball character moments. I have to admit I was taken aback a bit in the first issue by the occasional stereotyped accent used by the Badger’s Vietnamese wife Mavis, but said accent is brought up by other characters in this second issue, and she appears to be deliberately doing it to mess with a specific person. Whether we get an actual reason for it eventually, who’s to say…this is a Badger comic, after all. (Plus, I can’t remember if that was a thing in the original Badger books.)
Cute and fun, though it feels weird describing a comic with Darkseid and Desaad as bad guys as “cute” but there you go. My knowledge of the Sonic universe ends with the initial three or four original games for the Sega Genesis, and a few episodes of the live action/CGI Knuckles TV show which I inexplicably started watched not long ago. I don’t jibe with this “Eggman” stuff, for example…”Dr. Robotnik” or get out.
But the charm in this series is in the interactions between the Sonic characters and the Justice League, which is wisely the version of the team most kids will know from the animated series. And it is definitely a comic for all ages, despite the reference to a nearly 30-year-old Flash story from the Mark Millar/Grant Morrison that’s in there for aged folks like myself.
The comic also gives us this one cool panel:
Even with Wonder Woman’s foot stickin’ down from the panel above, it’s stil quite the image.
In which Elektra fights a deceased enemy of Daredevil’s that has some back and taken possession of a willing thrall in the land of the living. The main Daredevil book is also dealing with similar menaces, in that devils representing the Seven Sins are possessing friends and enemies of his. The supernatural element does feel weird to me just a little, despite 1) this is taking place in the Marvel Universe, and 2) there’s been plenty of that sort of thing in the Daredevil comics before.
It’s still an enjoyable story, don’t get me wrong. I do wish the “Red Band” polybag gimmick wasn’t A Thing, in place to supposedly protect the squeamish from the violent content within. There’s maybe like one or two panels in this issue where the blood and violence is maybe a bit much, but just as easily been handled differently and appeared in a regular ol’ non-polybagged edition.
Anyway, how long before we get, like, ghosts and demons and stuff in the TV series? We’ve already had “mystical amulets.”
I know there had been delays on the second issue, but looking it up for a customer I was shocked to be reminded it had been since the middle of 2023 since #1 came out. Regardless, this is still one solid piece of Superman comicking, building itself around, more or less, the “classic” Silver/Bronze-age-y version of the character.
The story is in regards to Superman’s search for a cure for Luthor’s incurable condition, with flashbacks to their shared childhood and CLark’s possible influence on Lex’s life. Said search reminds me a little of a story I read waaaaay back in the early ’80s, in Superman #362 and #363, in which Lois and Lana are accidentally exposed to a deadly plague…the same one that killed Superman’s adoptive parents (long story).
As you can see in those panels, Superman went researching for cures on other plants, to no avail.
He thinks about putting them into the Phantom Zone:
…but the Phantom Zone villains use their combined psychic powers to sabotage the device, because they’re dicks.
And, speaking of Luthor, even he’s like “nope, can’t help you, wouldn’t help you even if I could.”
And like in Last Days #2, Superman travels into the future to find a cure, but given the ol’ “can’t change history” excuse:
Plus, though I didn’t pull any panels for use here, I believe a similar search goes on in The Death of Captain Marvel to no avail. It was just interesting to me that these stories take on similar elements, but of course a “searching for a cure” plot on a superheroic level is going to involve, like, going to other planets and other times. And Last Days does it in a compelling way, tying the past to the present, and giving us a Superman/Luthor relationship that’s fascinating to read.
This is a Black Label book, and as such is outside regular DC continuity, allowing for a twist or turn that would break regular Superman canon. That said, I think it’s notable that the story is called “The Last Days of Lex Luthor,” and not “The Death of Lex Luthor,” so I’ll be interested to see how it all wraps up next issue.
“it had been since the middle of 2003 since #1 came out.”
Has it really been over twenty years? That must be a ne record. /s : D
As someone who doesn’t really follow DC anymore, I had to check and see if it really had been 22 years since issue #1 of that comic was published. I remember Waid writing some Superman comics at the beginning of the 2000s. I thought maybe Waid really did get around to finishing a comic from 22 years ago.
Mark Waid, Superman, and DC’s version of Miracleman. I expected to see the next issue of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk showing up soon (not that I was reading that comic). Then, another twenty years passing before the next issue.
Oh, I guess I should look these things up, myself, before writing about it. Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk was actually finished three years later. I thought they never bothered after the first two issues and the series fell into limbo.
Sigh. Fixed the year.
I’d bought the first issue of The Last Days of Luthor when it came out because I liked the cover, and put it on my shelf. A few weeks back I saw it and said to myself “Oh, I totally missed the rest of the issues of this.” So I gave it to my local donation thrift shop.
I recall enjoying the first issue, but one way to get me to wait for the trade is to keep me waiting a year and a half between issues.
Or maybe I’ll buy issue two next week if it’s a slow week in comics. I’m unpredictable like that.
“My knowledge of the Sonic universe ends”
My knowledge ends wherein: 1) He’s a hedgehog 2) He’s really fast 3) he can jump over enemies in the games.
“2023 since #1”
2 full years is quite the delay!
“the story is called “The Last Days of Lex Luthor,” and not “The Death of Lex Luthor,””
He just retires to Florida!
Also 7 BUCKS for the Badger comic? Fucknuggets!
” Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk was actually finished three years later.”
The top half of Wolverine sniffing around to find his lower half (after being ripped in half at the waist by the Hulk) is one of the STUPIDEST AND WEIRDEST things I’ve EVER seen in a comic book.
“f “Oh, I totally missed the rest of the issues of this.” So I gave it to my local donation thrift shop.”
What usually happens to me with these mini-series, is I get issues 2 & 3, but can’t find issue #1!
There is the 1963 series, which never WAS finished. Because Rob Leifeld’s an idiot.
To be fair to Rob, I think he’s only responsible for Supreme not finishing, Youngblood and Glory ending early and War Child never coming into being. Jim Lee’s the one who stopped 1963 from finishing.
Wow, a flashback to one of the first Superman stories I can remember reading, thanks to its reprint in the 1981 YEAR’S BEST COMICS STORIES.
1963 was a really fun series. Definitely a better choice than the incorrect Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, which I didn’t want to read. I could have went with the old, trusty stand-by of Big Numbers, which has gone unfinished longer than Miracleman. Half of Warren Ellis’ series were dropped mid-storyline, including the excellent Desolation Jones from around the timeframe of UW vs. H.
If ‘Appleseed’, ‘Halo Jones’ and ‘Thriller’ were the greatest unfinished series of the 80s, ‘1963’ is the 90s comic whose incomplete end is the most frustrating. That said (and as Don Simpson has speculated) it’s entirely possible Alan Moore’s imagination would’ve taken the Image Comics characters to places Liefeld et al weren’t comfortable with.
Agreed that $6.99 for a new Badger comic seems steep; having said that, it is cool to see that Val Mayerik is still drawing, and I appreciate the humor of the cover. What other projects does the revived First Comics have in the works? Will we be seeing any new Nexus, E-Man, or John Sable comics? American Flagg! could be ripe for a revival–considering the times we are now living through.
That Daredevil cover is atrocious! Ultra-violence much, Marvel? The Superman cover looks awkward and askew in terms of the placement of the people, the buildings, and the low-flying Supes; but at least it’s cheerful. The Sonic cover just seems kinda goofy–but I guess that was what they were going for? At least DC seems to be spreading joy–cheesy joy, but joy nonetheless. Marvel seems to be going full gore-fest–like Avatar Comics. Ecch!
I do want a copy of the upcoming new History of The DC Universe variant Scott Koblish cover depicting virtually every 1940s DC, Fawcett, and Quality Comics Golden Age character. It is amazing! At first I thought Walt Simonson or Terry Austin drew it! DC should print and sell that as a poster.
Also, DC should do a 12-issue limited series featuring all of those 1940s Golden Age characters in one epic story! Hopefully, Earth-S (Fawcett Comics), and Earth-X (Quality Comics), are being restored, and the adventure could span those parallel Earths. And they might as well have a Earth-Fox, or Earth-Fox/Charlton fusion Earth, since the original Blue Beetle was a Fox character. DC could just straight up have all of the public domain Victor Fox characters on this Earth, along with an iteration of Dan Garrett Blue Beetle–Samson, The Flame, Flame-Girl, Green Mask, The Lynx, Green Turtle, etc., etc. They could also have the Matt Baker iteration of Phantom Lady, with the Blue and red costume, on this Earth. And they could stick Golden Age Charlton characters Yellow Jacket, the Black Witch, Dianna the Huntress, etc. on this Earth as well.
Scott Koblish is quickly establishing himself as an artist capable of drawing vast assemblages of supercharacters, well beyond even the achievement of Keith Giffen’s legendary Legion of Super-Heroes poster.
(He did a lovely little sketch of Ch’od for me last year too.)
@ Oliver
That’s cool. I would have probably had Scott draw Hepzibah if I was going for Starjammers.
DC should also take the opportunity to ramp up facsimile editions and/or 100-Page-Giants to dovetail with the new History of the DC Universe. I could easily see at least four 100-Page-Giants for the 1940s: one with first appearances/origin stories for all of the Golden Age JSA members; one with the first appearances/origin stories of the main All-Star Squadron members: Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick, Robotman, Tarantula, Guardian, Paul Kirk/Manhunter, original Aquaman, original Seven Soldiers of Victory, etc.; one with first appearances/origin stories of all of the main Fawcett Comics/Earth-S characters; and one with first appearances/origin stories of all of main Quality Comics characters: Plasticman, Blackhawk, Doll Man, Ray, Black Condor, Phantom Lady, Uncle Sam, Human Bomb, Midnight, Torchy, Red Bee, Jester, etc.
And then three or four more 100-Page Giants with reprints for Silver Age DC first appearances of characters as well.
Huh. I just read that Superman two-parter last year. It was pretty good.
“be fair to Rob, I think he’s only responsible for Supreme not finishing, Youngblood and Glory ending early and War Child never coming into being. Jim Lee’s the one who stopped 1963 from finishing.”
That’s fine- they’re ALL idiots. Except Erik Larsen.
“it is cool to see that Val Mayerik is still drawing”
Agreed! Excellent artist!
“The Superman cover looks awkward and askew in terms of the placement of the people,”
They’re all looking random directions and are a little TOO happy, like they got a VERY low dose of Joker’s Smile Gas.
@ Snark Shark
LOL! There’s a story idea. Everyone in Metropolis has been exposed to The Joker’s Smile Gas, and the only antidote is for them to partake of Swamp Thing’s psychedelic tubers–so all of the Super-Family and Flash-Family speedsters harvest Swampy’s tubers and administer doses to the Metropolitans. That’s why they all look so high…
And Lex Luthor caused it!
@Snark Shark
It was a Lex Luthor/Joker World’s Vilest team-up!