The Captain & Star Brand

When Star Brand debuted in the mid-’80s, the character was envisioned as the ultimate “ordinary slob with powers.”

Ken Connell, a car mechanic residing in Pittsburgh, received the “Star Brand” from a mysterious old man. A “cosmic tattoo,” it possessed powers limited only by one’s imagination.

Unfortunately, Connell wasn’t the most imaginative sort and spent most of his time stumbling from one pseudo-realistic adventure to another. Ultimately, the character inadvertently blew up his home town - sealing his fate as one of the more incompetent super-heroes in comics history.

Fast-forward to 2006 and Warren Ellis’ irreverent Nextwave, where readers are treated to the eerily-familiar origin of The Captain.

Now the Keeper isn’t necessarily known for his sharp commercial instincts (this is a reader who is more excited by the return of Omega The Unknown than Marvel’s Civil War…), he can’t help but think the Star Brand comic could have ruled the world if it had just taken itself a bit less seriously…

After all, who wouldn’t have slapped down 75 cents back then to watch a drunken schlub with godlike powers beat up on friendly green aliens? It would have been bigger than ET!

The Return Of Nova

Nova is Marvel Comic’s answer to the Silver-Age Green Lantern.

Like Hal Jordan, Richard Rider was granted cosmic powers by a dying alien who was part of an elite, interstellar fighting force. Like Jordan, he inherited an otherworldly arch-enemy from his deceased predecessor. Like Jordan, he received a slick costume that stood out among his heroic peers.

Unlike Jordan, however, Rider was somewhat of a loser.

In the Marvel Universe, hot-shot test pilots are less likely to receive super-powers than average joes - a description that fit Richard Rider perfectly. A run-of-the-mill teenager of average intelligence and ability, Rider was “Peter Parker with cosmic powers” long before Kyle Rayner and Ronnie Raymond - making the character somewhat influential in his own right.

Nova, as written by Marv Wolfman back in the day, was especially appealing to a teenage Fortress Keeper. He was far from perfect as a hero, stumbling badly against Z-grade villains like Diamondhead and The Sphinx. Often discouraged, Nova never gave in to despair and, by the end of the issue, would either prevail or win newfound respect in trying.

He should have been the Spider-Man of the Keeper’s generation, but poor sales dragged the title down after 25 issues. Like the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, Rider was eventually stripped of his powers and lost the “Nova” title to another character. (Namely future Galactus herald Frankie Raye…)

Eventually, Rider regained his powers but lost much of his Bronze-Age innocence. Sporting long hair and a cynical “grunge” attitude, this iteration of Nova joined the New Warriors and briefly starred in another solo series during the mid-’90s comics glut.

An effort to go “back to basics” with Erik Larsen in 1999 failed after a handful of issues. (The Keeper enjoyed those comics, but many New Warriors fans disagreed.)

Seven years later, Marvel’s “Annihilation” event has provided Nova another (final?) shot at solo stardom. Ironically, this version has adopted some of the characteristics attributed to heroes he once influenced.

Like Kyle Rayner, Richard Rider is now the last of the fabled Nova Corps. Like Firestorm, Rider now shares his existence with an older, more experienced intelligence (in this case, Xanadar’s “Worldmind” rather than a nuclear physicist).

Rider is also taking another page out of Hal Jordan’s book by inheriting limitless power, and possibly losing his sanity as a result.

Still, minus a few quibbles (armored add-ons to costumes are never a good idea), writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (of Legion of Super-Heroes fame) seem to have a decent-enough grasp on Rider’s character. Nova is still cracking wise, flying off half-cocked, getting his butt kicked and fighting for respect.

The darker aspects of the story are also plausible enough, given the setting of the “Annihilation” event.

The Keeper just hopes Nova doesn’t go all Parallax, attempt to rewrite Marvel continuity (whatever is left of it these days), redeem himself battling Galactus, resurrect Hawkeye and come back as the new Sleepwalker.

There are some aspects of Hal Jordan’s career that should never be imitated…

Crisis On Earth-K!

Grant Morrison’s Animal Man is fondly remembered for many reasons, but the arc that began with the fifth issue’s “Coyote Gospel” and concluded with “Deus Ex Machina” in #26 occupies a special spot in comic-book history.

Beginning with a heart-breaking guest appearance from Wile E. Coyote (no joke, even though the character was given a different name), Animal Man slowly learned what can legitimately be called a senses-shattering secret: He was a fictional character put through unbelievable trials and tribulations for readers’ amusement.

The hero even met Morrison himself.

For all his subsequent accomplishments, it is perhaps the writer’s most memorable piece - a disturbing, yet somehow poetic, examination into the relationship between creator, character and reader.

However, Morrison wasn’t the first DC writer to demolish the so-called “fourth wall.” Robert Kanigher, whose work veered from the inspired lunacy of Metal Men to the true-life grit of Sgt. Rock, regularly allowed his characters to acknowledge their fictional natures during the ’60s.

The Metal Men, especially, were fond of asking readers to plea for Platinum’s continued existence (if the Silver Age Superman was a dick, Metal Men inventor Will Magnus was a right bastard…) or devise a name for Tin’s equally shy robot girlfriend.

In Metal Men #16, Kanigher even managed to slip in a small plug for the other titles under his editorial control.

And let’s be honest for a second. Who wouldn’t want an “animated” Sgt. Rock toy that fires a machine gun and yells, “Easy Co.’s still fightin”?

(No “animated” Wonder Woman jokes please…)

As odd as that scene was, Kanigher’s strangest ideas ended up in Wonder Women, which he guided continuously from 1947 until the character’s radical makeover in 1968.

Faced with lagging sales, Kanigher decided to retcon many of the strip’s odder elements (Wonder Tot, The Glop and an endless assortment of birdmen, mermen and other mutated romantic interests for the Amazing Amazon) in the 158th issue.

Rather than ignore what had gone before or rely on Superboy-Prime to punch a hole through reality, Kanigher boldly announced his intentions to readers - and his creations - in what has to be one of the strangest stories to emerge in a decade known for comic-book oddities.

The story, entitled “The End - Or The Beginning” began with Wonder Woman tearfully announcing a murder was about to occur - and there was nothing she could do to avert the tragedy.

The scene then shifts to Wonder Woman fans picketing the DC offices, demanding their favorite character return to what made her great in the Golden Age. (It’s unclear if they wanted the groundbreaking feminist politics, the bizarre rogue’s gallery or the prominent displays of bondage.)

Meanwhile, an unidentified editor addresses a roomful of nervous Silver-Age oddities - and, oh yeah, Steve Trevor.

Meanwhile, unable to stand the suspense, Wonder Woman flies to Paradise Island for succor - only to find her sisters equally worried about the effects of the impending ret-con.

Even Wonder Woman’s arch-enemies - if you can call Angle Man that - are scared for their “lives.”

Back at DC Comics, Kanigher gives it to his characters straight between the eyes - an act the Keeper bets Dan Didio and the suits at Time-Warner didn’t have the guts to do for Pantha and the Human Bomb.

After ordering the criminally underrated Ross Andru and Mike Esposito to work, Kanigher appears before the public and - *poof* - instant retcon!

Of course, the “bold, new direction” only lasted for about five issues until it was quietly dropped. Kanigher would briefly return to a “Golden Age” strategy in the early 70s, but the DC universe never saw the likes of Birdman and Wonder Tot ever again.

Ah Glop, we hardly knew ye…

The OTHER Alan

It’s interesting how certain paths lead to unexpected destinations.

Surfing through Google recently, the Keeper happened upon a gorgeous page by Jim Aparo that featured Batman and The Creeper fighting … a big piece of paper.

Deducing the art originally appeared in The Brave and the Bold, your somewhat smug host shook his head in amusement, certain that such insanity could only come from the pen of DC great Bob Haney.

“This guy was the original Grant Morrison,” the Keeper chuckled. “Hey! That’s a great idea for my blog!”

(Sadly, such thoughts actually flow through this writer’s head…)

Happily, your Bat-crazed friend hit the Grand Comic Book Database to snatch some classic B&B covers and rhapsodize on the surreal nature of Haney’s tenure on the team-up book.

Unfortunately, the Keeper noticed something that quickly punctured such ambitions. Bob Haney didn’t write that particular issue; it was penned by Alan Brennert.

Disappointed, the Keeper of the Fortress briefly considered unleashing a long-threatened Metal Men retrospective when another thought struck. Why did Alan Brennert’s name sound familiar?

Turns out he was lauded in this very blog. Brennert authored a classic post-Crisis tribute to the original Supergirl, a Christmas story that portrayed a despondent Deadman receiving encouragement and inspiration from a mysterious - but eerily familiar - woman named “Kara.”

The tale was particularly appreciated by the Keeper, as it left Kara in a situation reminiscent of her 1950s debut - a secret, anonymous force for good who acted out of bravery and kindness, rather than a need for recognition.

Intrigued, your comrade in blogginess digged a bit deeper and discovered other treasures in Brennert’s resume. Another tale dealing with past ghosts appeared in Detective #500, “To Kill A Legend.”

The story dealt with Batman’s well-documented grief over the murder of his parents. The Phantom Stranger grants Wayne a chance to avert those deaths in an alternate world - a reality where costumed crusaders do not exist.

Although Dick Grayson worries his mentor will act rashly and bring more harm than good to this parallel earth, Batman manages to save the Waynes and inspire their young son, Bruce, adopt a similar masked persona in tribute to the mysterious stranger who changed his life.

So, on one world at least, The Batman is born out of gratitude rather than grief.

Brave and the Bold #182 featured another strong story centered on past regrets. Traveling to Earth-2 shortly after the death of that reality’s Batman, the modern-day Bruce Wayne finds himself face-to-face with an ally he long thought dead - Batwoman.

The Earth-2 Batwoman and Robin are similarly unnerved working with a man who is essentially a younger version of their departed mentor. It is the only story, in the Keeper’s mind, that effectively dealt with the emotional awkwardness one might feel traveling to a world where his or her life went differently.

Usually, DC heroes encountered alternate realities and doppelgangers with the same carefree ease we would display buying a cup of coffee. This particular story delved into the complexities inherent in such situations, and highlighted the untapped dramatic potential DC’s multiverse held.

(And still holds, in this reader’s opinion…)

Although Brennert wrote an intriguing meeting between the post-Crisis Dark Knight and Alan Scott in Batman: Gotham Knights #10, a 1991 Elseworlds effort with the great Norm Breyfogle stands out as a true classic.

Batman: Holy Terror tells the story of a righteous - if conflicted - priest named Bruce Wayne who dons the Batman identity after learning his parents were murdered by a religious dictatorship that rules America. One of the most notable aspects of this tale is Wayne’s refusal to abandon his Christian faith, despite the corrupt acts of the church superiors.

One again, Brennert - aided in large part by Breyfogle’s evocative art and personal convictions - creates a Batman who exists to serve justice, rather than vengeance. It is a marked difference from the emotionally stunted avenger who has worn the Caped Crusader’s costume the past decade or so.

Although Brennert’s name has popped up in other DC projects, it appears much of his writing these days is dedicated to short fiction, essays and television writing. It is a shame his name isn’t better known among the comics community, for Brennert’s stories usually managed to portray characters faithfully while finding new depths to their personalities.

It is a trick more popular writers in the medium would do well to master.

Law & Order: Krypton