Obscure Character Handbook: Karnage

Real Name: Charlie Karnage
Occupation: Enforcer
Legal Status: Presumably a citizen of the United States with a criminal record.
Known Confidants: Johnny Three-card
Known Allies: Stenville Enterprises
Major Enemies: The Huntress, Blackwing
Base of Operations: Gotham City
Eyes: Brown
Hair: None
Other Distinguishing Features: Karnage is a towering, muscular figure.
Intelligence: Thuggish
Strength Level: Low-level superhuman
Skills: Minor fighting ability.
Superhuman Powers: Minor super-strength
Source of Powers: Unknown
Special Weaponry: Wrist-launching mini-missiles. Electrified bullwhip.
Personality: "...a street punk covered in half-million dollar hardware!" -The Huntress
First Appearance: Wonder Woman #286 (December 1981)
Publisher: DC Comics
Status: Copyrighted
Mission Statement: To become a big name mob enforcer/hero killer
Created by: Paul Levitz & Joe Staton

History:
Charlie Karnage was a street punk who decided his ticket to the big time rackets was to make his name as "the enforcer who offed the Huntress!" To that end, he was outfitted with weapons and a costume by a mysterious new employer named "Mister Stenville." Likely following police reports related to the Huntress centering on Gotham Memorial Hospital, Karnage assaulted the heroine in a back alley the morning after an exhausting nighttime mission. Karnage initially subdued her in a choke hold, but the Huntress broke free with a back flip and kick to the jaw. Karnage then continued his attack with advanced weaponry, but lacked the skill and aim to use them effectively, allowing the heroine to escape unharmed. Karnage returned to his employer, who suggested the enforcer kill Arthur Cranston, "--a lawyer she and Robin risked their lives to protect! Kill him. Then wait for her to come to you."

Karnage burst through the window of Cranston, Grayson and Wayne, a public interest law firm, where he encountered Helena Wayne and litigator Charles Bullock. "I want Arthur Cranston, fools-- and I want him now! That turkey's my ticket to the Huntress' funeral!" While Wayne debated compromising her secret identity, Bullock leapt to her defense. However, Karnage easily caught the shyster by the throat and tossed him aside, snapping Bullock's tie in two with his whip as he fell. Realizing Cranston wasn't on the property, Karnage left. Wayne exposed Bullock to sleeping gas to insure she wouldn't be followed, then gave chase as the Huntress.

The heroine determined that Karnage's benefactor was the same mobster whose Stenville Enterprises had tried to bury Arthur Cranston and his firm before being threatened by Huntress and Robin. Huntress badgered the mobster until he fainted from fright, then interrogated one of his goons at knifepoint to learn Karnage's whereabouts. The Huntress managed to catch Karnage unawares, and quickly separated him from his arsenal. With a kick to the Adam's apple, Karnage was taken out of commission.

A Frank Review of "Howling IV: The Original Nightmare" (1988)

The Short Version? Ghost story, except with werewolves.
What Is It? Horror Drama.
Who Is In It? That guy from "The Pretender" and that woman from "Murder One."
Should I See It? No.

VIDEO Not Safe For Work (Brief Nudity)


I loathe ghost stories. Throughout film history, you've had these goddamned things where you spend over an hour getting to know boring, thin characters in a mundane setting-- listening to creaks, window shutters blowing in the wind, and the odd moving object. They often think too highly of themselves to offer even a cheap jump scare. They think they're actually dramas, and the very worst purport to be based on a true story. These films are liars and thieves, stealing hours of your life that can never be recovered. There are exceptions in all things, but generally speaking, I believe ghost stories are the very worst kind of horror movie. Howling IV is a prime example.

So there's this writer, see, and she's having a nervous breakdown, right, so she goes off on holiday with the head of the Lorenzo Lamas fan club she married. She meets this ex-nun, okay, and the creepy locals, y'see, and she is visited by phantoms and hears werewolves but, like, no one will believe her. Sound familiar?

Everything about this flick plays like a low rent foreign soft core porno, from the line-readings-as-acting to the blatant dubbing, to the big hair to the shit music. The flick was filmed in South Africa, and went straight to video. If you're watching a monster movie, and you haven't seen one after forty-five minutes, it's either a very good or very bad monster movie. Thirty-five minutes in, this one had its first kills, largely bloodless and entirely from the point of view of an unseen werewolf. We just get stupid looking reaction shots/running/screaming. There are tits (just) within the first hour, and they're nice, but in no way worth the wait. The first actual werewolf shows about another ten minutes in. The rest of the special effects, and the only semblance of action, occurs within the final fifteen minutes. Somehow, after all those scenes, there's still so little offered that you can't invest yourself enough to care.

Technically, this film is superior to Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf in most every way. There's a logical story, despite some plot holes. Bad as they are, the actors are performing their designated function at the most basic level. Everything feels grounded in a reasonable approximation of reality. The effects work is competent for the budget. The only thing missing is fun... unintentional belly laughs... lunacy... decent groundwork for a drinking game... entertainment value... basically, a memorable anything. There isn't even a proper ending-- just an unlikely resolution with tacked-on ambiguity for no good reason other than convention. There just is anything of value at all in Howling IV, and it should be substituted for whatever else you can find that inspires any emotion at all. This movie just leaves you dead inside.

A Frank Review of "The Hole" (2001)

The Short Version? Preppies go down the hole.
What Is It? Thriller.
Who Is In It? Enid. Keira Knightley.
Should I See It? Yes.



Four teenagers have been missing from an English boarding school for eighteen days. One returns, looking like she's just dug her way out of a premature grave. The police and the audience have a host of questions. Answers will be along indirectly, via a serpentine path.

My first viewing of The Hole was fairly gut-wrenching, watching terrible circumstances unfold amongst young actors who, despite playing quite flawed characters, are still made sympathetic through solid performances. I'm quite fond of Thora Birch, because she consistently chooses the least commercially viable and grimiest material that comes her way. Maybe she gets it from being raised by porn star parents? Her accent is reasonably convincing, and she's easy on the eyes. Keira Knightley makes her proper supporting debut, in no way disproving her eventual signature accolade, "the sexiest tomboy beanpole on the planet." In her case, there will be tits, and you will cry hallelujah. The boys are damned handsome as well, if you go for that sort of thing, and sell what could have been slight personalities as developed. This film is rather dark, and fates unkind, so fair warning.

My second viewing was less resonant. The music is lame, and the direction just stylized enough to irritate. If you were lulled by the story into missing the typical thriller set-ups and cliches initially, you'll kick yourself on review. Once you know the end point, you'll be surprised by how much less tension remains, and how little violence there actually is for most of the running time. Still, it's good for what it is, and if you give the whole thing a bit of thought, you can close most of the glaring plot holes that might interfere with your enjoyment. Just try to ignore the deleted/extended footage reel, which sets up what would undoubtedly have been a nerve-pinching sequel that would give even Sharon Stone second thoughts. No danger of it ever coming to pass, as Dimension Films sat on the flick for two years after its UK release before dumping it on video. Considering the tripe that gets distribution routinely, The Hole deserved a chance, but try not to expect too much of it regardless.

1986 Adam Warlock by Craig Hamilton

Click To Enlarge
Original art owner Eric Delos Santos:

In 1986, Mitch Itkowitz, in a Marvel Comics and Graphic Collectibles joint venture, published THE MARVEL COMICS LIMITED EDITION SUPERHERO PRINT SERIES. These were a set of five limited edition, signed and numbered prints by Art Adams, Craig Hamilton, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell, and Walt Simonson. I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire the original art to two of those prints, of which this is one (see MIKE MIGNOLA gallery for the other). The original measures 11x17 and is a true testament of Hamilton's all too brief time in the industry spotlight.

Super Powers Collection 25th Anniversary Mini-Comic Review 17-23

Super Powers Collection: Mantis (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
It's the night the lights went out in Georgia-- and Tokyo-- and pretty much the rest of the world. All that electricity had been drained away to the remote castle that hosted the Power Pod of the energy vampire Mantis, a disciple of Darkseid. Aquaman, Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter gave chase and won out. This was probably the stiffest, most generic SP comic of them all. The writer couldn't even work in a "Sovereign of the Seven Seas" or an "Alien Atlas" to signify the characters, sticking us with dull copy. The characterization seemed to come off the back of the toy packaging, so no wonder it was cardboard. The art was also bland in this one, but what I found interesting was repeated hints of a young Norm Breyfogle (though there's no credits to be sure.) The art was drowning in heavy inks and potentially redrawn faces, though.

Super Powers Collection 18: Green Arrow (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
An action-packed episode, though most of the conflict is between two vehicles from the toy line. The resolution is also ridiculous, but it involves Green Arrow battling New Gods, so how could it not be? I strongly suspect the art was by Alex Saviuk, with inks by Frank McLaughlin or possibly Dick Giordano. They rarely get Martian Manhunter's head right, looking like a malformed embryo's, and those green eyeballs of his are disturbing. GA and Flash look much nicer, thankfully.

Super Powers Collection 19: Darkseid (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
Kenner really wants to sell you a damned Delta Probe One, as Batman test pilots its latest improvements with Firestorm and Red Tornado riding alongside. Reddy blankly asserts, "Yes, with it, all heroes can fly." Good Lord, when your delivery is more wooden and dialogue more redundant than your average Super Powers character, you must be the friggin' Red Tornado, mustn't you? Regardless, the DP-1 is so awesome, even the Lord of Apokolips wants one! To catch it, he'll use his own Tie-Fighter, the Darkseid Destroyer, which is so much cooler you'll wonder why he bothered. There's a screwy aircraft battle across two dimensions whose sole purpose is to show off the accessory vehicles and offer a pat ending.


Super Powers Collection 20: Kalibak (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
The cruel one mounts an assault on Dr. Fate's magical tower in his Boulder Bomber Yours for just $34.99 on Amazon.com!, though its his Beta Club that does the most damage. Fate signals Superman and Red Tornado, who were arguing over who gets the pleasure of monitor duty (more on that later.) Though positioned as rescuers, Dr. Fate ends the adventure with himself well on top.

The dialogue is mostly expository, and the art is weak late Kirby pastiche (Greg Theakson?) Kalibak ceases to be a credible threat for the last four pages out of thirteen, leaving you to wonder why you're left waiting for an anticlimactic resolution to this nonsense.

Super Powers Collection 21: DeSaad (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
Wow, Dr. Fate got a lot of play in these booklets! I wonder if DC Comics had allowed kids reading these mini-comics a chance to experience the Kent Nelson Fate in their main line, we might have been spared a new, radically different bearer of the mantle every few years?

This book has strong art, and I can't believe the rampant BDSM imagery on display. There's even an explicitly defined "torture chamber!" Robin shows up and is remotely useful, while Green Arrow is clever in the protagonist's role. The only flaws I can find are in DeSaad's stated objective (the unstated is obvious,) and that a toy company executive ever thought a kid wanted to play with an "old pervert in a robe" action figure.

Super Powers Collection: Parademons (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
Just to be clear, the 22nd SP booklet is unnumbered, and the "Parademon" cover logo doesn't match the "Parademons" in the indicia. Anyway, this was a random and intentionally goofy edition, as a wild hair leads the parademons on an unsanctioned excursion to Earth. Firestorm and Green Lantern flounder, while Dr. Fate saves the day. Definitely distinct from the usual books, but like Kalibak's solo outing, the focus on the villain leads the writer to embarrass and diminish the subject at length rather than showcasing their menace.

Super Powers Collection 23: Red Tornado (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
This no good android managed to star in the last mini-comic out of Saigon. Coincidence? Was his mind-numbing dullness alone enough to deprive the third wave of Super Powers toys their own little retarded adventures? Let's just see how this one reads...

Well for starters, Hawkman wonders aloud about how tedious monitor duty is, yet RT loves it. RT emphatically enjoys it. "As an android, I find something comforting about being alone with the Hall of Justice computers." Okay, I'll admit to finding unforeeable allusions to 100% legitimate cybernetic intimacy in the pre-internet era amusing... especially accompanied by a "BZZZZZZ" sound effect!

Green Arrow calls in to alert the team about a parademon invasion of Star City, with some genuinely droll dialogue. The three heroes mount a resistance involving some surprisingly effective violence for a kid's giveaway comic. There's fire, destruction, mob scenes-- even Darkseid forcing the heroes to grovel before him. This is the only time an SP booklet had this sense of magnitude, let me assure you! While the turnabout is ridiculous (the Lord of Apokolips versus a smoke arrow?!?) the dialogue remains strong, and the art doesn't get in the way. Aside from its featuring Red Tornado (along with his unimaginative nicknames "Red" and "Reddy,") this is one of the best of the mini-comics, and a fine final edition of the series.

Still, damned emo robot!


Critical reviews of every Super Powers Collection mini-comic:
#1-8
#9-16

Super Powers Collection 25th Anniversary Mini-Comic Review 9-16

Super Powers Collection 9: Robin (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Here's another quickie, with the Penguin stealing a lunar vessel called the Moonbird until Robin arrives to interfere. The Teen Wonder sadly hasn't been very useful in the series so far, and even his own edition has him calling in Hawkman and Green Lantern to save his hide. A flock of birds commanded by Hawkman do the most damage, though Robin at least got to lay a glove on Penguin, unlike Aquaman in the Sea King's book. The art on the heroes is okay, but everyone else suffers, and the script is strictly for the birds

Super Powers Collection 10: Lex Luthor (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
I suppose Wonder Woman still felt a bit burned about missing half her book, so she took over half of Luthor’s. The criminal scientist kidnaps the president during a parade, so the Amazing Amazon lassos his Lex-Soar Seven (figures sold separately.) Poor Diana gets smashed against one building after another, determined not to lose the president, but unable to right her circumstances. An emergency signal alerted Superman, but as soon as he arrived, he was snared by the kryptonite claw action feature on the Lex-Soar Seven vehicle. His limp body dumped into the ocean, the Man of Squeal signals his Supermobile (Parents: it’s the perfect gift for boys aged 4 and up this holiday season!) Bad enough Superman is leaning on his crutch accessory all the time, but the guy couldn’t even retain consciousness long enough to hop into it. Good thing there’s a shadowy figure swimming toward him…

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has managed to control herself and “water ski” while Luthor demands the president abdicate his office or “My Lex-Soar 7 will destroy Washington, D.C…” The Princess of Paradise Island nearly drug herself up her lasso when Luthor appeared to shoot her with a laser pistol. Some days, you just can’t win for losing! At least she provided distraction enough so that a whale could leap out of the ocean and crash into Luthor’s aircraft. In the confusion, Superman flew under his own power to catch the president, while Wonder Woman made sure to get her hands on Lex. “I want him in good shape to serve his prison sentence!” As for the whale, Superman made it even more obvious, “there’s the hero of the day- - Aquaman, king of the seven seas!”

Lex Luthor let out a “bah,” something like his third line in the book carrying his name. At least his ship acquitted itself, and the heroes were well handled. Aquaman seems to fare best as a surprise guest, even if it's kinda lame, especially when his only power appears to be supervising marine life. A good story overall, but hey, how about that useless Supermobile, eh?

Super Powers Collection 11: Green Lantern (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
The Joker-Mobile burst into the Coast City Civic Center to kidnap an ace pilot, and while Hal Jordan could do nothing, Green Lantern was on the case! Literally. Hal used deductive reasoning and considered seriously the motivations of a psychotic mind. Yeah, didn’t read like Hal to me either, but he made a darned fine Batman with a power ring. Might also explain why this was a second adventure teaming, of all people, the Emerald Gladiator with Robin the Boy Wonder. I say boy because the Joker of course gets the drop on him, sticking GL with a hostage situation. I guess that’s one way to deal with a massive mismatch between hero and villain.

Really distinct art on this one, with some fantastic inking (Paris Cullins and Terry Austin?) The story was surprisingly strong, with the “y” word never coming up.

Super Powers Collection 12: Hawkman (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Birds make off with antiques from Carter Hall’s museum, scratching up and ignoring Hawkman as he asked “*Wheet wheet* My friends, stop your attack.” It's okay-- I snickered too. Suddenly, Aquaman’s appearances don’t seem remotely as lame. Rather than the Penguin, it's Lex Luthor behind the attack, and his Lex-Soar 7 disables the Winged Wonder’s anti-gravity belt. Good lord, leave the guy with some dignity! Next you’ll castrate poor Carter with his friggin’ mace!

A giant green trampoline saves Hawkman, and there’s the familiar simpleton Hal Jordan we all tolerate again! Green Lantern and the Flash were both in Midway City pursuing Luthor, though the Scarlet Speedster was soon snared in an energy net. To fend off the attack birds, the Emerald Gladiator creates dozens of individual though identical cages. God, what a waste of a perfectly good power ring.

Anyway, Hawkman gets fixed up and blows Lex... out of the sky. The Lex-Soar 7 hits the drink, and somehow, Aquaman doesn’t show up. Lex said “Bah!” Someone buy Lex a slang dictionary. We could use a “drat” or a “shnickey” for variety’s sake. The story doesn’t make much sense, but the art was quality, and reminded me of work from the ‘70s Philippino invasion.

Super Powers Collection 13: Steppenwolf (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
Woo-hoo! We're now in the second wave of Super Powers figures, offering a much greater variety of characters, especially villains! Here, the story opens with Red Tornado, Dr. Fate and Wonder Woman as guests of the Pentagon to observe war games. Steppenwolf and his dog cavalry turned the games real, as these Apokolipsian raiders could conceivably take over the nation. "Bah! What need does the great Darkseid have for your puny country-- when he can rule your entire planet!" Clearly, Steppenwolf has been hanging with that bahsturd, Lex Luthor.

The typically useless Red Tornado helped explain that Steppenwolf's Electro-Axe could hack the Pentagon's computers in every sense of the word, then got choked out like the wimpbot he is. Dr. Fate really steps up to mystically avert a nuclear winter, Wonder Woman holds her own, and Steppenwolf plays as a major badass. I guess Boom Tubes were replaced by the Star Gate here, allowing for a Darkseid cameo.

I'm really curious if the potent art was heavy with swipes or featured round robin inking. There are panels that recall Sal Buscema, Joe Kubert, and Carmine Infantino, which makes for an exceptional mini-comic.

Super Powers Collection 14: Martian Manhunter (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
DeSaad runs around with a fear machine because he's a creepy sadist, but covers his kink by proclaiming his undying devotion to Darkseid. Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman take offense, but are put on defense, so they call on Firestorm for help. The Nuclear Man said something that I assume through context clues was supposed to be a funny, but this booklet must have been scripted by a Vulcan.

The heroic trio battle Darkseid, the book's star is given a chance to shine and show off (some) of his main powers, the art is solid, and there's even a subtle-ish product placement for the Delta Probe One with detachable Criminal Capture Pod.

Super Powers Collection #15: Doctor Fate (1984) (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
This story opens with Kent Nelson in pompous mystic meditative mode, so we know the lead's in character. Superman and Martian Manhunter show up at his place for a surprise visit, turning Dr. Fate into a total geek. 'Ooooo, check out my 3,000 year old Egyptian artifact... Don't you think I'm cool enough to rate a Post-Crisis relaunch with a name creator?" Nope, you get José Antonio Muñoz-influenced Giffen and later, Shawn McManus. I don't mean to be hard on Fate, who has a great costume and lots of potential, but he's in typical stuffed shirt mode here. On the plus side, the booklet's art also takes cues from Keith Giffen's early '80s pre-Muñoz period, and the Kirby/Ditko hybrid suits him well.

Anyway, the Kryptonian and Martian are mentally possessed by Darkseid and DeSaad, giving the Doctor a chance to show how big league his powers are. Say, does Dr. Fate have any nicknames? Seriously-- stupid, alliterative nicknames are an important part of iconic super-heroes. No wonder the Master of the Mystic Arts, that Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Strange has always gotten more face time.

The two aliens attack the mystic, but Fate works his mojo on them, and ends up on top. The Doctor didn't do all the heroic work, but enough to come off well. The dialogue is pretty lousy in this one, and the art only serviceable for what amounts to an extended, Marvel-style misunderstanding fight.

Super Powers Collection 16: Firestorm (DC/Kenner, 1984, Free With Purchase)
Firestorm and Green Arrow test the Delta Probe over New York. Shag will have to help me on this, but it seems like the writer had only a very loose idea of what the Nuclear Man's powers were. He creates rings of fire like the Human Torch here, then turns radio transmission "residue" into a trail of breadcrumbs to be followed over a long distance in midair. Forget super-powers, I'm now questioning the writer's command of grade school science.

The Statue of Liberty is treated to yet another disfiguration, courtesy of Mantis. The Kirby villain is a lot more impressive looking as redesigned for this line, but I'd have to break out my Who's Who to see if his powers were handled correctly. There's a cameo by Superman, and Green Arrow has a brief moment to shine. This is mostly Firestorm's show, and okay at that.



Critical reviews of every Super Powers Collection mini-comic:
#1-8
#17-23

Super Powers Collection 25th Anniversary Mini-Comic Review 1-8

It's time once again for another blog crossover masterminded by The Irredeemable Shag! The subject this time is the 25th anniversary of the release of Kenner's line of DC Comics action figures, the Super Powers Collection. This multi-blog event will be different from those past, however, as the manner in which the topic is addressed has been left up to each individual blogger. Further, several bloggers have decided to stretch their coverage over a string of posts/days, so just keep your eyes peeled for updated links at this page's bottom.

As for this blog, ...nurgh... will offer a critical review of every mini-comic packaged with action figures of the day, in much the same manner as our Wednesday Is Any Day For All I Care column...



Super Powers Collection 1: Superman (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
In this one, Luthor amps up his battle suit by taking over a nuclear power station. There's a nice meta moment in the first panel, when a security guard asks "Ed, ever have the feeling something is going to go wrong?" This was also back when Lois wore her hair in those hot little braids, although that bolo-tied top's gotta go. Superman shows up to confront Luthor, and when kryptonite rays overwhelm him, he signals the arrive of his Super-Mobile via belt buckle.

There's clumsy transitional dialogue between the last two pages that repeats "...is safe again..." and Lex keeps calling Superman his friend, but otherwise this one is pretty fair. For once, the Super-Mobile finally makes sense to have around, and the art is quite nicely on model.


Super Powers Collection 2: Batman (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
The Dynamic Duo exchange fay dialogue with Alfred before encountering Jokerized Gotham citizens. All by the numbers until Wonder Woman shows up in her invisible plane to help out against the Clown Prince of Crime. Aside from that bit of randomness, everything remained numbingly standard. The art on this one drove me nuts, with elements of Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, and Joe Staton, but of course nowhere near as good as any of them.

Super Powers Collection 3: Wonder Woman (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
When Superman foiled Brainiac's plans to destroy Metropolis with a meteor, the evil robot got even by turning the Man of Steel nasty with his mind ray. While the destruction of Earth's great monuments by Superman is fun, I can't help but be peeved the titular heroine doesn't show until halfway into the booklet. On the other hand, Wonder Woman drops Supes like a sack of potatoes as soon as she lassos him in magically delicious fashion. Another nice thing is that Diana Prince figures out Superman was being mind-controlled and who was responsible almost immediately with her keen intellect. Of course, you could argue her swiftness in flying her invisible jet up to Brainiac's ship whilst avoiding being manipulated herself was due to half her book going to set-up with another hero, but I'll happily whitewash in her favor. While it might be a drag the Amazing Amazon proves herself with another guy's foe, the resolution is fantastic (imagine the skeletal Ed Hannigan Brainiac grinning like a sentient marital aide!) Finally, Wonder Woman is always upbeat and in control of the situation.

Kudos to the unidentified writer! My best guess on art would be Eduardo Barreto (who was doing the real book around that time,) perhaps with a heavy-handed inker (Colletta?)

Super Powers Collection 4: The Flash (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Apparently, Brainiac didn't stay straight for long, as he turned his ship right around and started nabbing heroes (including the DC Trinity and Hawkman) with the intention of stealing their powers. "I have captured half of the Justice League of America... soon the rest shall be mine as well." The Flash was in that latter half, and fared best of the lot mentioned. His story was solid, with the nicest art so far. The pencils vaguely resemble early Sal Velluto, but the stellar inks are where the real action is at, possibly from Mike DeCarlo.


Super Powers Collection 5: Brainiac (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Despite the collectible numbering, this third outing by the living computer in a row convinces me these booklets were not meant to be read in the assigned sequence. Brainiac takes over Earth's computers and starts wrecking stuff. Batman is the first to notice, probably because he hadn't gotten around to fighting Briainiac yet. Surprisingly upfront about not being wholly up to the task, the Cowled Crusader calls up Superman to avert disasters. Then the Dark Knight goes it alone against Brainiac's rather silly looking Power Action Computer Kick, and proves "I possess the greatest super-power of them all! My power is my brain! I can outthink even you!"

Decent story, nice art, but please no more Brainiac!

Super Powers Collection 6: The Penguin (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Bruce Wayne and the surprisingly chipper Carter Hall attend a Wayne Foundation charity benefit that's assaulted by trained birds. Hawkman uses his ability to communicated with all things feathered to calm the birds, then captures most of Penguin's men in a net. Batman nabs his fowlest foe himself.

Seeing Batman and Hawkman in good spirits, cracking jokes and such, reminds me how long ago 1983 was. Besides that though, run of the mill.

Super Powers Collection 7: The Joker (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
Most of this one is a chase scene involving Batman, and so far this booklet has featured more of the title character than any of the rest. It goes by quick, with a surprise guest appearance to wrap things up.

Super Powers Collection 8: Aquaman (DC/Kenner, 1983, Free With Purchase)
So Wonder Woman isn't the only star late to their own story, but I'd feel better about it if Aquaman weren't also a disrespect magnet. The Penguin starts a ruckus at the new seaside aquarium, and when the Flash fails to stop him, the Scarlet Speedster calls on Aquaman to save the day. The Sea King then commands the creatures of the ocean to do all the work for him. A pun-laden script and middling art do no one any favors.

Critical reviews of every Super Powers Collection mini-comic:
#9-16
#17-23

• The Aquaman Shrine:
  Scans of every mini-comic appearance by the Sea King, plus a line overview, creator credits, and various other merchandise.
  1984 Super Powers Give-A-Show Projector
• Batblog:
  SP 25th Batman & Robin Wallpapers
  Batman-related spin-off products.
  The Penguin toy and comics.
  The Joker toy & comics.
  Batman, Robin and Riddler toys, comics and vehicles.
• Being Carter Hall:
  Hawkman mini-comic appearances reviewed.
  Super Powers Collection Puffy Stickers and Album
• Crimson Lightning:
  Extensive commentary on the Flash mini-comic.
  Coverage and anecdotes about the Flash action figure.
  Flash SP TV Commercial.
  Classic Covers: Super Powers #2.
  Super Powers Collection #4
• Dispatches from the Arrow Cave:
  Complete scans and commentary on the Green Arrow mini-comic.
• Doom Patrol:
  Red Tornado mini-comic scans and commentary.
• Firestorm Fan:
  The Nuclear Man in comics and figures.
• Fortress of Baileytude:
  Enormously comprehensive coverage of SP Superman-related items, including large scans of file card art!
• Justice League Detroit:
  Colección Super Amigos: Liga de la Justicia de Detroit Bootleg Action Figures
  Colección Super Amigos: Vibe
  Colección Super Amigos: Vixen
  Colección Super Amigos: Zatanna & other Liga de la Justicia de Detroit Mini-Comics
• The Legion Omnicom: A look at the 3rd wave Tyr action figure.
  
• Love Dat Joker: Extensive commentary on the Clown Prince of Crime's role in the set, including figure photos and complete scans of his appearances from the Batman, Green Lantern, and his eponymous mini-comics.
• Once Upon a Geek:
  Dr. Fate and Blue Devil mini-comics and toys.
  Follow-up crossover coverage and supporting blogs links.
  
• Speed Force: An overview, unproduced Flash figures, and memories.