What do you think?
Rate this book
Deadman Collection
Deadman, Book Two
Before his groundbreaking runs on BATMAN and GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW, legendary comics artist Neal Adams first made his mark in super-hero comics with Deadman, star of the DC Comics series STRANGE ADVENTURES. Inspired by the hit TV series The Fugitive, the Deadman stories star costumed high-wire performer Boston Brand, who is assassinated by an unknown marksman in his first story. A mysterious deity called Rama Kushna gives Boston Brand the chance to revisit the land of the living as Deadman, with the mission of finding his murderer.
DEADMAN features spectacular, bravura artwork by Neal Adams, then leading the field with amazing, hyper-realistic artwork and trompe-loeils unlike anything seen in comics before or since.
DEADMAN features spectacular, bravura artwork by Neal Adams, then leading the field with amazing, hyper-realistic artwork and trompe-loeils unlike anything seen in comics before or since.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1970
About the author
Neal Adams
1,055 books83 followersNeal Adams was an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Adams was inducted into the Eisner Award's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999.
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Adams was inducted into the Eisner Award's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999.
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 20, 2026
This collection is really pretty cool because it brings together all of the guest appearances that DM makes in other books such as Batman etc. I really enjoyed the team-ups, or weird hijacking of the titles. Auaman was especially funny since the title character is only on a single page of the entire issue. In all of these books (but the last) DM takes centerstage and builds up a massive amount of character lore, not to mention plugs himself into a bunch of different places in the DC universe.
The stories are good and many make Deadman the linchpin in the story which really let's his fantastic weirdness shine. We also start to see him become a more complex and heroic character, not just a reactionary finger pointer in search of his murderer.
Neal Adams' art is outstanding! I especially enjoyed his far-out trippy encounters with either gods or astral space.
Not all the stories are equal, the final story in this collection being the weak link for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's really cool to see as another reviewer mentions "Neal Adams, becoming Neal Adams"!
The stories are good and many make Deadman the linchpin in the story which really let's his fantastic weirdness shine. We also start to see him become a more complex and heroic character, not just a reactionary finger pointer in search of his murderer.
Neal Adams' art is outstanding! I especially enjoyed his far-out trippy encounters with either gods or astral space.
Not all the stories are equal, the final story in this collection being the weak link for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's really cool to see as another reviewer mentions "Neal Adams, becoming Neal Adams"!
February 19, 2022
Not quite as good as the first volume, but we do get to see the wrap up of the murder mystery and find out who killed Deadman and why. Then things take a surreal turn as we see Deadman in some stories that reminded me of Jim Starlin's trippy Warlock comics of the 70s. The Neal Adams art is great as always, however.
Interesting character and I love the way DC has collected Deadman's appearances in chronological order as with the next volume his appearances really start to jump around.
Interesting character and I love the way DC has collected Deadman's appearances in chronological order as with the next volume his appearances really start to jump around.
November 28, 2018
As a fan of Neal Adams' work I was expecting something really good and I got it. I find truly amazing one specific thing - it is the changing character of Boston Brand. This volume contains short stories, in which we can see how he jumps from vengeance to justice. Some situations were... repetitive (like the parts when he entered into somebody in case of need) but still enjoyable. We get to see Batman and Robin, Aquaman and Mera, in last story there's nice team-up story with the adventure-seeking Challengers of the Unknown.
In conclusion, this body-hopping ghost is for sure likeable, artwork is spectacular and exactly the one I love the most. I cannot wait to read other stories with Deadman.
In conclusion, this body-hopping ghost is for sure likeable, artwork is spectacular and exactly the one I love the most. I cannot wait to read other stories with Deadman.
July 30, 2021
Again, not the masterpiece I thought it was but there are moments in here where Adams shines like a supernova. Too bad they're just too brief though. Also his writing in here is actually pretty good and entertaining.
March 10, 2026
Very nice collection of this offbeat hearo's stories. Recommended
November 1, 2018
নীল অ্যডামের সৃষ্ট এই চরিত্রটা সত্যিই চমৎকৃত করল আমাকে।
August 6, 2016
Some more of Neal Adams' early work, from 1968 to 1970. Note: Adams was 27 to 29 years old back then. Compared to other comics from the sixties, it's easy to see that Adams was ahead of his time in many aspects, and how his work in comics helped revolutionise the industry.
The story arc begun in volume 1 is concluded in this collection, followed by five short stories, the last of which being a team-up (of sorts) with the Challengers Of The Unknown and guest-starring Jonny Double, the private detective.
Also featured are guest appearances by Batman, Robin, and (two panels with) Aquaman. Even Mera had more panels than he did. Poor, poor Aquaman.
The story arc begun in volume 1 is concluded in this collection, followed by five short stories, the last of which being a team-up (of sorts) with the Challengers Of The Unknown and guest-starring Jonny Double, the private detective.
Also featured are guest appearances by Batman, Robin, and (two panels with) Aquaman. Even Mera had more panels than he did. Poor, poor Aquaman.
February 17, 2026
Even though Deadman doesn't have his own book in this collection, he hijacks pretty much every story he appears in just like he hijacks people in his stories. I was surprised at how much Deadman lore came out in this given that he didn't have his own book.
The book actually begins with an issue that was in the last collection but Neal Adams went back and reinked it himself since it was the only issue that he didn't do all the artwork for in the original run. The Strange Adventures issues finish up Deadman's story searching for the man who killed him, The Hook. They also introduce Nanda Parbat which has been hidden in the mountains of DC continuity for decades now. Then we get another story with Batman. The Aquaman backup stories are interesting because Aquaman is only in one panel. It's all about Deadman trying to stop some aliens who Ocean Master had teamed up with. Finally there's a Challengers of the Unknown story that I didn't care for very much. It's not really a teamup. Deadman just shows up at the end of this hokey story and operates behind the scenes. Overall though, I'm impressed how Adams came into all of these books and basically surreptitiously made them all about Deadman instead of whoever is listed on the cover of the comic. These are worth checking out just for the art alone. Adams was light years ahead of anyone else working at the time.
The book actually begins with an issue that was in the last collection but Neal Adams went back and reinked it himself since it was the only issue that he didn't do all the artwork for in the original run. The Strange Adventures issues finish up Deadman's story searching for the man who killed him, The Hook. They also introduce Nanda Parbat which has been hidden in the mountains of DC continuity for decades now. Then we get another story with Batman. The Aquaman backup stories are interesting because Aquaman is only in one panel. It's all about Deadman trying to stop some aliens who Ocean Master had teamed up with. Finally there's a Challengers of the Unknown story that I didn't care for very much. It's not really a teamup. Deadman just shows up at the end of this hokey story and operates behind the scenes. Overall though, I'm impressed how Adams came into all of these books and basically surreptitiously made them all about Deadman instead of whoever is listed on the cover of the comic. These are worth checking out just for the art alone. Adams was light years ahead of anyone else working at the time.
April 30, 2023
Top Notch - A Great Read
How good it was to have found another great comic.
I was having a bad run.
Too many duds.
But not this one.
This one one was great.
Continues telling the early Deadman story.
Everything is good.
The stories are great.
Really enjoyed having great guest stars.
Batman, Aquaman, Robin, Challengers of the Unknown, for example.
Plus all of the other plot staples like visits to other worlds, romance and so on.
The artwork was also great.
Really, I can’t think of anything negative to say.
Enjoyed this one.
Highly recommended.
Bruce
How good it was to have found another great comic.
I was having a bad run.
Too many duds.
But not this one.
This one one was great.
Continues telling the early Deadman story.
Everything is good.
The stories are great.
Really enjoyed having great guest stars.
Batman, Aquaman, Robin, Challengers of the Unknown, for example.
Plus all of the other plot staples like visits to other worlds, romance and so on.
The artwork was also great.
Really, I can’t think of anything negative to say.
Enjoyed this one.
Highly recommended.
Bruce
March 22, 2024
Deadman is a really interesting concept and a great character design. Adams' art is great as usual and he has some pretty good layouts in many of the stories (the examples I've seen before reading this are better but must all be in volume 1). The stories really hold this back though. It's a bit different than standard superhero stuff of the era with the main character trying to solve his own murder, but it's all so repetitive. Adams drew much more interesting stories later in Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow that I think have much more returnability.
December 4, 2022
A collection of Deadman stores as drawn by Neal Adams.
Great art; solid stories.
Great art; solid stories.
February 13, 2015
I enjoyed Deadman Vol 2 even more than Volume 1! The writing is much better this time around, less hokey & less corny, more Marvel-like and Neal's art goes into hyper-drive with highly creative panels that are the absolute best work of his career. In Vol 1, i enjoyed the stories written by Neal more than those of the other writers, and that is the case here, in Vol. 2, as well. (although i did highly enjoy the one Kanigher story). Modern-Day-Neal gets slammed for his writing of current work, (deservedly so) but i have to say his writing for Deadman is excellent. I did not really expect that, coming into these 2 TPBs. Neal is the ultimate Deadman creator. I wish there was more to read! Only negative note, One rating star deducted for modern-day Neal's shenanighans involving redrawing panels (facepalm) & bizarre recoloring decisions for this TPB that are no where near the quality of the original printed comic. Also the final story, a "challengers of the unknown" team-up by Denny O'Neill & George Tuska with a smattering of cameo Deadman panels drawn by Neal was just wretched.
December 7, 2023
This is flippin' awesome. Deadman totally rocks. Deadman finds his killer, the Hook, and it was an anticlimactic precursor to Adams' Ra's al Ghul Batman storyline. Sensei and the Society of Assassins are basically the League of Assassins with cheesier motives. Adams ushers in character development, something sorely lacking in many DC titles of this era. Boston Brand's desperation and alienation reach a breaking point, and he possesses a guy and does something really creepy off panel. I'm surprised that that scene made it past the Comics Code Authority.
Deadman meets Rama Kushna, and his brash, arrogant manner proves to be his undoing. He has found his killer and was free to pass on to the afterlife but instead chooses to stay a living dead man and fight evil. Corny but very cool.
Deadman meets Rama Kushna, and his brash, arrogant manner proves to be his undoing. He has found his killer and was free to pass on to the afterlife but instead chooses to stay a living dead man and fight evil. Corny but very cool.
October 31, 2013
The following is the continuation of the adventures of Boston Brand aka The Deadman as he wanders around trying to find his killer in various places including Hong Kong and at the foothills of the Himalayas.
Overall graphics are very 1960s. But very nice. The storyline gets rather sluggish in the middle and quite uninteresting towards the end. I personally think the writers were told that the series would be discontinued. Therefore they ran out of steam and motivation.
If you are a Deadman fan like me; this is book to read. The storyline that started in Volume 1 is concluded but not in a very dramatic manner.
Guest appearances by Batman, Robin and a very weedy looking Aquaman...
Overall graphics are very 1960s. But very nice. The storyline gets rather sluggish in the middle and quite uninteresting towards the end. I personally think the writers were told that the series would be discontinued. Therefore they ran out of steam and motivation.
If you are a Deadman fan like me; this is book to read. The storyline that started in Volume 1 is concluded but not in a very dramatic manner.
Guest appearances by Batman, Robin and a very weedy looking Aquaman...
July 27, 2015
Once Neal Adams takes over scripting, Deadman get significantly tighter stories and generally better dialogue (although the books do offer a good reminder of how comics often try to sound "hip" by incorporating slang in very forced ways). The shift of the character from agent of vengeance to spirit of justice is handled well, and was likely a daring twist in its time. This represents solid progress from the first volume.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews