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The Spectre
Wrath of the Spectre
One of DCs most powerful and terrifying characters has been the Spectre, the wrath of the Lord made manifest. Since his introduction in 1940, the Spectre has chilled villains to their marrow and protected the innocent from things worse than death.
200 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2005
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Michael Fleisher
553 books12 followersMichael Lawrence Fleisher's comic-book writing career spanned two decades in which he authored approximately 700 stories for DC, Marvel, and other comics publishers. His work on series such as The Spectre and Jonah Hex is still highly regarded, as is his work on the Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes. After a widely reported libel case his comic output declined, with his last published comic assignment appearing in the UK anthology 2000AD in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 18, 2021
Short, sharp, shocks of hard-boiled Grand Guignol, a comic book that nailed the decrepitude and inherent rage of New York in the seventies, ala Matt Scudder, The New York Dolls, and TAXI DRIVER.
August 7, 2011
If you know me at all, then you know that I couldn't know that this book exists and NOT own it--though it didn't come out all that long ago, and it's already out of print, much to my chagrin. I did find it through a used book vendor on Amazon, and I tore through it more or less the minute I got it in the mail.
It has everything I remembered from when I was a kid--all the nightmarish details and the really captivating Jim Aparo artwork. What I didn't remember was that the ongoing subplots of Gwen Sterling and Earl Crawford were somewhat pedestrian--which, I suppose, given the rather fantastic nature of the stories, allowed readers more of a "handle," as it were, on the character of Jim Corrigan. (And the gruesomeness of the deaths meted out by The Spectre are as outlandish now as they were forty years ago--maybe more so. I won't rehash the arguments about the way The Spectre dispatched "Gwen Sterling" in the now rather famous episode of the mannequins, but . . . yeah, even when I was a youth reading that story, I thought that was kind of weird.)
Also, one important note: while this is "The Complete Controversial Saga," which is to say, every Spectre story by the team of Fleisher and Aparo, the story isn't actually finished, or rather, it doesn't feel complete so much as it just kind of stops. This is probably in the nature of the serialized comic book, but included in this volume are not only the original stories from the 1970s but also the three additional stories from "Wrath of the Spectre!" issue number four. They're a welcome addition, but again, they extend the ongoing subplots without resolving any of them. Which is the main reason I'm withholding one star from an otherwise five-star collection. And I should also mention that the paper in the book is only a slight upgrade from the original newsprint paper used in the original comic books, and actually a downgrade from the high-gloss white paper used in the aforementioned Wrath of the Spectre reprint series.
Still and all, I'm glad this whole thing is in one volume, and you'll only get it from me by prying my cold dead hands from . . . wait, I shouldn't be giving you any ideas, should I?
It has everything I remembered from when I was a kid--all the nightmarish details and the really captivating Jim Aparo artwork. What I didn't remember was that the ongoing subplots of Gwen Sterling and Earl Crawford were somewhat pedestrian--which, I suppose, given the rather fantastic nature of the stories, allowed readers more of a "handle," as it were, on the character of Jim Corrigan. (And the gruesomeness of the deaths meted out by The Spectre are as outlandish now as they were forty years ago--maybe more so. I won't rehash the arguments about the way The Spectre dispatched "Gwen Sterling" in the now rather famous episode of the mannequins, but . . . yeah, even when I was a youth reading that story, I thought that was kind of weird.)
Also, one important note: while this is "The Complete Controversial Saga," which is to say, every Spectre story by the team of Fleisher and Aparo, the story isn't actually finished, or rather, it doesn't feel complete so much as it just kind of stops. This is probably in the nature of the serialized comic book, but included in this volume are not only the original stories from the 1970s but also the three additional stories from "Wrath of the Spectre!" issue number four. They're a welcome addition, but again, they extend the ongoing subplots without resolving any of them. Which is the main reason I'm withholding one star from an otherwise five-star collection. And I should also mention that the paper in the book is only a slight upgrade from the original newsprint paper used in the original comic books, and actually a downgrade from the high-gloss white paper used in the aforementioned Wrath of the Spectre reprint series.
Still and all, I'm glad this whole thing is in one volume, and you'll only get it from me by prying my cold dead hands from . . . wait, I shouldn't be giving you any ideas, should I?
December 27, 2020
Before we begin, this is not for the casual modern reader. You either have to be a fan of the Spectre in general, a fan of retro-crime/supernatural comics, or interested in comics history. For me, it is mostly the third.
There is a LOT to unpack here, from the era, the storytelling conventions of 70s comics, the art and yes, the flaws. So strap in, this is going to be a long ride.
This volume collects the stories from Adventure Comics (#431-#440) in the mid-70s, as well as the three stories from Wrath of the Spectre in the '80s.
Note, this is an era where the Comics Code Authority (i.e. censorship) was still enforced, although underground comics had largely eroded its strength in the late '60s and comics publishers were already making some moves to defy it.
Why is this important? Well, have a look at some of the core articles of the code:
1. Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
2. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
5. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
6. Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.
Imagine now if you want to write a horror comic about an undead spirit punishing criminals. The result was hardcore villains (if often of the ridiculous, twirling mustache variety), perpetrating serial or even mass murder (in one story, using WWI phosgene gas, killing 60 people, among which a little girl, ON panel), who are then summarily executed by the Spectre in various gruesome ways, EXCEPT the gruesomeness, though plainly understood, is not depicted with graphic detail or gore (remember Article 6). The result is a very brutal comic, reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt, but without the actual "on camera" gore, and without the comedic effect either.
I have no idea whether it was an opinion espoused by Fleisher, or simply some remnant of the McCarthy Era, but in one story the villains are what Americans perceive as socialists and even spout canned propaganda.
Now, as to the Spectre itself, in these comics it is massively overpowered, basically altering reality on a whim, without any limit. It is literally an unscrupulous death sentence wearing a green cape. To make you understand the extent of this, in one story, Jim Corrigan's romantic interest (ugh, we will get to that in a moment) is portrayed as attacking him with a butcher knife, to which the Spectre reacts by dismembering her with said butcher knife, without even blinking. Of course, it's a manikin doppelganger, which is fairly obvious to any attentive comic book reader, but the fact is, Corrigan does not think about it twice, not for a single moment and HE does not know it is an impostor.
Now, Corrigan's romantic interest is one of the cringe factors of these comics. She is a textile heiress from one of his cases, who upon seeing him and for no reason at all, becomes fixated on starting a relationship with him and even marrying him (she is a recurring character, unfortunately). Corrigan is so frustrated about not being a real man who can love and be loved, that he even tells her is is the Spectre and begs God to make him mortal again (which God does, only to have him die again and return as the Spectre)! Gwendolyn is pure cardboard: she has no personality of her own (other than inexplicably loving Corrigan), she is a handy victim and generally the aching stereotype of a dumb, rich girl from some soap opera, except her lines are basically "Oh Jim". If you want to talk about female characters without a shred of agency, written by men who seem to have never met a woman, well this is it.
Now, I understand these were monthly, one-shot adventures and not real story arcs, but it boggles the mind why Gwen would become one of two recurring elements. The other was Earl Crawford, a discount Clark Kent (without the Superman package, which they do not even bother to hide, cracking an in-story joke instead) who tries to uncover and publish the truth about the Spectre. At one point, he is even briefly given his own Jimmy Olsen, in the form of Freddy (yes, I am talking IDENTICAL designs). Crawford is predictably much more realistic and his story is based on some logic, as he ends up in an insane asylum for his Spectre claims (that was resolved in the '80s series, where Gwen is finally not entirely two-dimensional).
What you have to love about these comics is the classic art, of people who had studied anatomy and body posture (in this case, almost exclusively Jim Aparo), and had to tell a complete story in the allotted space of one issue. Tight paneling, no waste of space, no bloody decompression. Of course, it was not as dynamic as in the '80s, but these comics should be used as teaching material, at least when it comes to art. Also, due to aforementioned constraints, you basically have recycled "character models" that can be roughly categorized as "the German, the Latino and the African-American", typecast right down to their facial expressions.
In conclusion, more than anything, this collection is a history lesson in comics. The stories are fun, easy reads with inventive, gruesome punishments for the criminals, but they are not for everyone (basically, not anyone not belonging in the categories I mentioned at the beginning).
There is a LOT to unpack here, from the era, the storytelling conventions of 70s comics, the art and yes, the flaws. So strap in, this is going to be a long ride.
This volume collects the stories from Adventure Comics (#431-#440) in the mid-70s, as well as the three stories from Wrath of the Spectre in the '80s.
Note, this is an era where the Comics Code Authority (i.e. censorship) was still enforced, although underground comics had largely eroded its strength in the late '60s and comics publishers were already making some moves to defy it.
Why is this important? Well, have a look at some of the core articles of the code:
1. Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
2. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
5. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
6. Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.
Imagine now if you want to write a horror comic about an undead spirit punishing criminals. The result was hardcore villains (if often of the ridiculous, twirling mustache variety), perpetrating serial or even mass murder (in one story, using WWI phosgene gas, killing 60 people, among which a little girl, ON panel), who are then summarily executed by the Spectre in various gruesome ways, EXCEPT the gruesomeness, though plainly understood, is not depicted with graphic detail or gore (remember Article 6). The result is a very brutal comic, reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt, but without the actual "on camera" gore, and without the comedic effect either.
I have no idea whether it was an opinion espoused by Fleisher, or simply some remnant of the McCarthy Era, but in one story the villains are what Americans perceive as socialists and even spout canned propaganda.
Now, as to the Spectre itself, in these comics it is massively overpowered, basically altering reality on a whim, without any limit. It is literally an unscrupulous death sentence wearing a green cape. To make you understand the extent of this, in one story, Jim Corrigan's romantic interest (ugh, we will get to that in a moment) is portrayed as attacking him with a butcher knife, to which the Spectre reacts by dismembering her with said butcher knife, without even blinking. Of course, it's a manikin doppelganger, which is fairly obvious to any attentive comic book reader, but the fact is, Corrigan does not think about it twice, not for a single moment and HE does not know it is an impostor.
Now, Corrigan's romantic interest is one of the cringe factors of these comics. She is a textile heiress from one of his cases, who upon seeing him and for no reason at all, becomes fixated on starting a relationship with him and even marrying him (she is a recurring character, unfortunately). Corrigan is so frustrated about not being a real man who can love and be loved, that he even tells her is is the Spectre and begs God to make him mortal again (which God does, only to have him die again and return as the Spectre)! Gwendolyn is pure cardboard: she has no personality of her own (other than inexplicably loving Corrigan), she is a handy victim and generally the aching stereotype of a dumb, rich girl from some soap opera, except her lines are basically "Oh Jim". If you want to talk about female characters without a shred of agency, written by men who seem to have never met a woman, well this is it.
Now, I understand these were monthly, one-shot adventures and not real story arcs, but it boggles the mind why Gwen would become one of two recurring elements. The other was Earl Crawford, a discount Clark Kent (without the Superman package, which they do not even bother to hide, cracking an in-story joke instead) who tries to uncover and publish the truth about the Spectre. At one point, he is even briefly given his own Jimmy Olsen, in the form of Freddy (yes, I am talking IDENTICAL designs). Crawford is predictably much more realistic and his story is based on some logic, as he ends up in an insane asylum for his Spectre claims (that was resolved in the '80s series, where Gwen is finally not entirely two-dimensional).
What you have to love about these comics is the classic art, of people who had studied anatomy and body posture (in this case, almost exclusively Jim Aparo), and had to tell a complete story in the allotted space of one issue. Tight paneling, no waste of space, no bloody decompression. Of course, it was not as dynamic as in the '80s, but these comics should be used as teaching material, at least when it comes to art. Also, due to aforementioned constraints, you basically have recycled "character models" that can be roughly categorized as "the German, the Latino and the African-American", typecast right down to their facial expressions.
In conclusion, more than anything, this collection is a history lesson in comics. The stories are fun, easy reads with inventive, gruesome punishments for the criminals, but they are not for everyone (basically, not anyone not belonging in the categories I mentioned at the beginning).
September 7, 2021
I have never read a thing to do with the Spectre that pre-dates this Fleisher/Aparo interpretation of the character, but I do know that the run of comics featured in this graphic novel is considered classic Horror done oh so very right, and I know that this set the standard for where the Spectre went, after this. I know this from reading them, not just reading about them later so as to reinforce my thoughts of "these comics have GOT to be very highly regarded - it can't just be me having the top of my head blown off". Some years after taking a chance on this graphic novel based solely on the way the Spectre appeared on the cover, and on the buy-bait word "controversial" also on that cover, I bought issue #50 of Rue Morgue Magazine, around Halloween, because it featured an article called "50 Reasons We Love Horror Comics" and I wanted reading recs. But, I also made a bet with myself that there had to be a mention in the article of the Fleisher/Aparo Spectre run, in this list of suggested titles, writers, and characters. My eye roved over the little sections of the article, as a Spectre fan started to get a little frantic as no Spectre mention seemed to be happening...and realized the order of the "list" was alphabetical just as I got to the last entry, for 'Wrath of the Spectre' and the appreciative comments.
I have my own appreciative remarks - these are simple, quick, perfect Horror stories. You don't need a knowledge of the "DC Universe" and there are no team-up guest-stars. It's just the Spectre showing up to enact vicious supernatural justice on murdering scum, and some other sorts of scum. Mostly murdering scum. I mean, robbing a bank is one thing, but if you shoot out the window of the getaway car and kill not only a cop but also an innocent bystander like a woman standing at the intersection, and you like doing that...the Spectre will be along to see you, and it is not going to end well. The fun (Horror fan fun) is in the inventive deaths the Spectre indulges in, as there do not seem to be any limits to his supernatural abilities. The Spectre would probably love the Final Destination movies, and the Saw films - but of course he took care of business long before all that.
I will be reading, and re-reading (a combination of both) the John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake (plus others, including Aparo coming back to guest-draw!!) Spectre material from the 1990s, but the mid-seventies is where it all started. It might be fair to say that Michael Fleisher never came close to writing any other comics that were this good, influential, or important (Warlord? Jonah Hex? hmmm...); the Ostrander stuff puts more meat on the bone, but I miss it pared down to the bone, the simple gritty. And anyway, the Spectre is too powerful to really ever fit into some comic-book universe where he can meet Aquaman or come to an understanding with Superman.
There may be gorier Horror comics out there, but Aparo's images here will rock you anyway. And I'm with Rue Morgue Magazine on this one: 'Wrath of the Spectre' is one of the reasons we love Horror comics. I hope you find these classic tales somewhere - the Spectre is out there somewhere, and this is the only way you want him in your life.
I have my own appreciative remarks - these are simple, quick, perfect Horror stories. You don't need a knowledge of the "DC Universe" and there are no team-up guest-stars. It's just the Spectre showing up to enact vicious supernatural justice on murdering scum, and some other sorts of scum. Mostly murdering scum. I mean, robbing a bank is one thing, but if you shoot out the window of the getaway car and kill not only a cop but also an innocent bystander like a woman standing at the intersection, and you like doing that...the Spectre will be along to see you, and it is not going to end well. The fun (Horror fan fun) is in the inventive deaths the Spectre indulges in, as there do not seem to be any limits to his supernatural abilities. The Spectre would probably love the Final Destination movies, and the Saw films - but of course he took care of business long before all that.
I will be reading, and re-reading (a combination of both) the John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake (plus others, including Aparo coming back to guest-draw!!) Spectre material from the 1990s, but the mid-seventies is where it all started. It might be fair to say that Michael Fleisher never came close to writing any other comics that were this good, influential, or important (Warlord? Jonah Hex? hmmm...); the Ostrander stuff puts more meat on the bone, but I miss it pared down to the bone, the simple gritty. And anyway, the Spectre is too powerful to really ever fit into some comic-book universe where he can meet Aquaman or come to an understanding with Superman.
There may be gorier Horror comics out there, but Aparo's images here will rock you anyway. And I'm with Rue Morgue Magazine on this one: 'Wrath of the Spectre' is one of the reasons we love Horror comics. I hope you find these classic tales somewhere - the Spectre is out there somewhere, and this is the only way you want him in your life.
June 26, 2024
"In the world of mortal men, he is Jim Corrigan, hard-boiled police detective-- But to the vermin of the underworld he is The Spectre, awesome avenger of evil, an Earthbound ghost who punishes evil with a fearsome vengeance from beyond the grave." So reads the caption in the upper left hand corner on the splash page in each issue of Adventure Comics.
Prior to reading this book, I had only known of the Spectre from his appearances in other titles. I had always been intrigued but didn't know where to go from there, as there were no Showcase phonebooks or anything. (This has finally been rectified. Showcase Presents The Spectre, collecting all of the issues in this book and many more in a 592 page, black and white monster, has just been solicited for a January 2012 release.) I fell in love with Jim Aparo's artwork in Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger phone books.
This is f**king awesome, being way more violent than many comics of the day. I love the implied violence and gore, the otherworldly evil, and the fact that he tortures and eventually murders criminals. It might not make sense that a ghost roams the Earth as a cop and then changes into the Spectre instead of just hunting down criminals 24/7, but hey, whatever. I love the flawed logic in old comic books, and how they go to great effort to explain why that flawed logic makes sense. Simply put, the Spectre is as good as it gets.
While softcovers don't usually rate for rants and raves, I make special exception for DC and their often substandard presentation. The paper that they use in many of their classic trades is only slightly thicker pulp paper than what was used on the original floppies. Proponents of this grade of paper claim that “it's closer to the original reading experience”. While true, if I wanted that experience I would go out and buy old floppies of this material. I prefer nicer paper grades in my collected editions.
Prior to reading this book, I had only known of the Spectre from his appearances in other titles. I had always been intrigued but didn't know where to go from there, as there were no Showcase phonebooks or anything. (This has finally been rectified. Showcase Presents The Spectre, collecting all of the issues in this book and many more in a 592 page, black and white monster, has just been solicited for a January 2012 release.) I fell in love with Jim Aparo's artwork in Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger phone books.
This is f**king awesome, being way more violent than many comics of the day. I love the implied violence and gore, the otherworldly evil, and the fact that he tortures and eventually murders criminals. It might not make sense that a ghost roams the Earth as a cop and then changes into the Spectre instead of just hunting down criminals 24/7, but hey, whatever. I love the flawed logic in old comic books, and how they go to great effort to explain why that flawed logic makes sense. Simply put, the Spectre is as good as it gets.
While softcovers don't usually rate for rants and raves, I make special exception for DC and their often substandard presentation. The paper that they use in many of their classic trades is only slightly thicker pulp paper than what was used on the original floppies. Proponents of this grade of paper claim that “it's closer to the original reading experience”. While true, if I wanted that experience I would go out and buy old floppies of this material. I prefer nicer paper grades in my collected editions.
January 28, 2021
Controversial in its day due to the fantastic punishments the Spectre inflicted upon the evil-doers in these tales, WRATH OF THE SPECTRE collects the ghostly hero's stories from Adventure Comics #431-440 printed during the 70s, plus three bonus entries originally created for that run but not published until 1988. A breed apart from the usual Golden Age superhero, the Spectre is the ghost of murdered New York detective Jim Corrigan, sent back to the world of the living to avenge his own death and denied eternal rest until all evil upon the Earth is destroyed. Merciless and unrelenting in his mission, the Spectre preys upon the most heartless and irredeemable villains--the kind who spray poison gas into little girls' faces or turn innocent men and women into wax figures, Nazis who don't know the war is over and sadistic voodoo queens. Half the fun of these incredible tales is seeing what kind of just desserts the Spectre serves up for his prey, so I won't go into any spoilers here but I will promise some great surprises for the first-time reader! Writer Michael Fleisher's scripts are innovative and eerie, while Jim Aparo's art is creepy and engaging. A couple of interesting recurring sub-plots arise from the efforts of a reporter to prove the Spectre really exists, and the on-and-off love affair between the Spectre's alter-ego and lovely Gwen Sterling, a good-hearted woman who can't give up on her love for Jim Corrigan even after she learns who and what he really is. WRATH OF THE SPECTRE is wonderful comic entertainment tinged with a little horror and even some black comedy, far superior to most comparable industry efforts of today (even those involving the same character--today's Spectre is a far cry from his original conception). Highly recommended!
October 27, 2020
Like many revered 70s comics, this one falls under "good, but not all that exciting" for me. In the text pages that came with my edition, Fleisher describes ending the series because he "thought it was starting to get formulaic." Starting, Michael? It was formulaic from the beginning, and the formula was not that interesting (or sound, really), aside from the delightfully dark denouements. Jim Aparo's artwork, however, is fantastic; incredibly detailed and kinetic. And really, that's the reason you were thinking of reading this collection anyway. Though the sad addendum to that is the three new (circa 1988) stories included at the end that really demonstrate how drastically Aparo's art deteriorated in 15 years.
November 7, 2023
The first four stories in this collection are excellent. They're classic style Spectre stories, with moody atmosphere and horrific punishments. But the rest of the stories get progressively less interesting as the supporting cast becomes crowded with uninteresting characters, and subplots are introduced that never get resolved. The run really loses focus as it goes, and it all ends on a big cliffhanger, never to be resolved. But those first few stories are required reading for any Spectre fan.
December 10, 2019
Está bien para conocer al personaje. Mítica su frase de presentación de cada episodio como «vengador justiciero ante los malhechores y las ratas del lumpen», pero la verdad es que las historias son muy básicas y el dibujo hoy en día deja bastante que desear. En fin, un cómic de otra época y con esos ojos hay que verlo.
February 7, 2021
Classic Spectre at his best, even with the cheesy 70’s romance. This is the down-to-the-guts, in-your-throat gruesome and gorish Spectre, the absolute punisher of evil. For its times, it was a paradigm breaker of the superhero genre, althogh for today’s standard it could be labeled just “weird.” Either way, a pleasure to read.
December 18, 2021
Read most of these in the 70s when they first came out and enjoyed them once again. Flaws? Sure, but not with Aparo's artwork, which is always on point. Think Punisher and/or Ghost Rider with amped up powers.
September 18, 2018
Gritty, disturbing pulp material that you need to hide from pleasant company. Fleisher is a crazy bugfuck, and that's a compliment.
October 31, 2009
The Spectre is an incredibly powerful spirit that unleashes ruthless and usually ironic vengeance on criminals. Considering it was a regular DC book from the '70s, it is surprising the amount of death in the series. Fun stories, but not much in the way of character development. Also, although the Spectre is ridiculously powerful, he only seems to go after ordinary humans, so the Spectre is never really in any danger. But, the fun, of course, is seeing what crazy way the Spectre dishes out his ruthless vengeance. Some of the deaths include a hair stylist being cut in half with giant scissors, and another person being turned into wood, and sent through a saw mill.
Want to read
January 8, 2013Debería marcarlo como "currently reading" porque ya voy más de la mitad. Pero como siempre que hago eso termino colgándome de más, mejor lo dejo to-readeado con la esperanza de terminarlo pronto.
Mi crítica hasta ahora: una entretenida galería de muertes ingeniosas y castigos un poco exagerados. Cuando termine me explayo.
Mi crítica hasta ahora: una entretenida galería de muertes ingeniosas y castigos un poco exagerados. Cuando termine me explayo.
August 20, 2018
It's still the Spectre's best series. Perfection of art and story.
September 12, 2013
An old favorite character! The scripts... not so much. The art: wahoo!
Read
May 1, 2018Prompted by the author's recent passing to re-read this. Still good (although there's a sequence where The Spectre has a group of Symbionese Liberation Army manqués attacked by their own symbolic snakes which reads a little differently nowadays post-'08, they killed a bank manager, so what, you don't think that bank manager has some blood on his hands, you don't think that bank manager never denied a deserving loan or two, come on, The Spectre, they might be wrong about all bank managers being members of the fascist old guard and needing to be liquidated without mercy but I'm not sure all three deserve to die for that, only one of them did that and the other one kinda has a point about Nixon, show a little mercy, The Spectre, have a little heart) ! There's a particularly nice page on p.62 (with the evil dollmaker overhearing Corrigan's conversation) although what with Aparo's art and the lurid subject matter that sort of thing is thick on the vine here. The metafictional questions raised, in turn, by both Corrigan lighting his cigarettes with a DC Comics matchbook and freelance magazine reporter Earl Crawford's uncanny resemblance to one of his confreres are the sort of thing best left to a future generation of scholars to decipher.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews