Crime Destroyer (2017) #1

Crime destroyer 1

There’s nothing wrong with Crime Destroyer exactly. It’s set in the seventies, about a black Vietnam vet (and POW) turned crime fighter. He’s lost his family and he kills people and he’s a vet, so Punisher. He also swings around and has gadgets, so Batman. He bickers and fights with a Superman stand-in called Atlas before they team up and fight the real bad guys. It’s pretty fun to read, given the Herb Trimpe pencils, but Josh Bayer’s script sometimes gets in the way. It’s a thoughtful enough script, it’s just not significant. Crime Destroyer amuses thanks to Trimpe, nothing else. Except maybe Benjamin Marra’s inks. On Trimpe.

Crime Destroyer 1 (March 2017)

All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #1 There’s nothing wrong with Crime Destroyer exactly. It’s set in the seventies, about a black Vietnam vet (and POW) turned crime fighter. He’s lost his family and he kills people and he’s a vet, so Punisher. He also swings around and has gadgets, so Batman. He bickers and fights with a Superman stand-in called Atlas before they team up and fight the real bad guys. It’s pretty fun to read, given the Herb Trimpe pencils, but Josh Bayer’s script sometimes gets in the way. It’s a thoughtful enough script, it’s just not significant. Crime Destroyer amuses thanks to Trimpe, nothing else. Except maybe Benjamin Marra’s inks. On Trimpe.

CREDITS

Human Sacrifice; writer and editor, Josh Bayer; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Benjamin Marra; colorist, Alessandro Echevarria; letterer, Rick Parker; publisher, Fantagraphics Books.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 24 (December 1984)

22356 Well, having Danny Bulandi on the finishes certainly helps the Trimpe art. It’s not good and the panels are still boring, but the level of detail is at least adequate. The opening page of Indiana Jones walking through a rainswept street might even be nice.

But then there’s Trimpe’s script. Trimpe manages a done-in-one, but only because he removes a lot. He takes out character development–not only is there a new villain for the issue, there’s also a new damsel in distress–and he takes out the artifact. Jones has stumbled onto something and just finishes it.

And the finish? Well, Trimpe rips off the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I sort of think someone else has already done on this book. Maybe not.

Needless to say, Indiana Jones’s Further Adventures are getting rather tiresome. Trimpe’s endless, talky thought balloons alone could cure insomnia.

D+

CREDITS

Revenge of the Ancients; writer and penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Danny Bulanadi; colorist, Rob Carosella; letterer, Diana Albers; editor, Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 23 (November 1984)

22355 Herb Trimpe’s writing is far better than his first art issue and his writing isn’t good at all. It’s just not downright bad. The art is bad and incompetent–though I guess Trimpe does try a couple things as far as panel composition. They’re simplistic and unoriginal, but they do show off the only times Trimpe tries hard with any aspect of the art.

The writing, both dialogue and story, is simply lame. Trimpe seems to enjoy the character and setting (based on callbacks to Raiders and time period details) but he doesn’t know what to do with them.

The plot’s stupefying. Indy becomes a stunt man to do a high dive on an uncharted Pacific Island. The Hollywood director actually talks about how cheap it will be to travel past Hawaii for one shot… Okay, he doesn’t say Hawaii but still.

It’s a bad comic, harmless enough but bad.

CREDITS

The Secret of the Deep; writer and artist, Herb Trimpe; colorist, Robbie Carosella; letterer, Joe Rosen; editor, Eliot Brown; publisher, Marvel Comics.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 18 (June 1984)

22350 It’s an interesting issue for a number of reasons. It’s a mix of Lost Horizon and Edgar Rice Burroughs with Indy and Marion finding their way to a lost city in the Himalayas. Yeti-like creatures protect the city, which has many secrets.

One of those secrets is the presence of Abner Ravenwood; Michelinie doesn’t resolve that mystery–probably not allowed to do it under the license–but his solution for it is fantastic.

There’s a lot of action and almost no story. The revelations about the lost city are mostly just to move the action along. After one moment of introspection from Indy, Michelinie solely concentrating on the action.

The writing makes it work.

The awful art is sometimes incredible. Trimpe’s little heads are something to see. He doesn’t even do well on the landscapes–but he gets better inks on those panels.

It’s an ugly comic, but decent.

CREDITS

The Search for Abner, Chapter Two: The City of Yesterday’s Forever!; writer, David Michelinie; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inkers, Vince Colletta, Danny Bulanadi and Ernie Chan; colorist, Robbie Carosella; letterer, Joe Rosen; editor, Eliot Brown; publisher, Marvel Comics.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 17 (May 1984)

22349 One could just sit and admire Michelinie’s storytelling economy. Not even the great character work he does on Indy, but just the economy of how he structures the catch-up.

He opens in a dangerous present, resolving a cliffhanger he never did, then (somewhat obviously but still competently) goes back to fill in the blanks. The awesome part is how he gives equal weight to flashbacks from the comic and the stuff he’s just filling in. It makes readers feel familiar with the new material, even though they’ve never seen it before.

Neat trick.

The finish involves an evil Frenchman and an evil Scot–I’m guessing, I wasn’t paying attention–teaming up with the Nazis to raid a lost city. They’re weak villains, but the rest of the comic makes up for them.

If only it the art were better. Trimpe and Colleta mess up action and quiet panels alike.

CREDITS

The Search for Abner, Chapter One: The Grecian Earn; writer, David Michelinie; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Vince Colletta; colorist, Robbie Carosella; letterer, Joe Rosen; editor, Eliot Brown; publisher, Marvel Comics.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 16 (April 1984)

22348 It’s a very fast paced issue from Michelinie. Maybe he knew he had Trimpe and Colleta back on art and didn’t want to make the reader suffer. That explanation is as good as any, especially when one considers the resolution to the previous issue’s cliffhanger–crabs attacking Indy–is the longest sequence in the comic.

For example, the bottom of the ocean submarine sequence reads faster. Somehow Michelinie never feels rushed–Indy and Katanga (who continue to make a great pair) are always in constant danger, the speedy storytelling actually provides relief for the reader. There’s no delaying the constant twists.

The art does have its expected terrible points. Besides Indy looking totally different for the issue’s finish, there’s one amazing panel of him swinging through the air where the artists make it look like he’s sliding down something.

It’s a rushed read to be sure, but a decent one.

CREDITS

The Sea Butchers, Chapter Two: Death on Dark Waters; writer, David Michelinie; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Vince Colletta; colorist, Robbie Carosella; letterer, Joe Rosen; editor, Eliot Brown; publisher, Marvel Comics.

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones 15 (March 1984)

22347 Herb Trimpe and Vince Colletta on art. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen more rectangular, two-dimensional headed people.

They actually don’t too bad. They don’t do well, but not too bad. Michelinie over writes Indy’s thought balloons for the action scenes, trying to make everything seem logical, so at least one can read instead look at the art.

The story involves Indy running afoul the Japanese navy–it’s pre-war so the animosity is there but not the hostility–which is cool. Sadly, he also runs into some very unlikely pirates. Michelinie would have done far better with just one villain.

But Michelinie does do really well giving Indy a sidekick in Captain Katanga, the smuggler from Raiders. The two men prove a fine pair. Michelinie really does do a good job developing the characters from the source material.

It’s nothing to get excited about, but okay.

CREDITS

The Sea Butchers, Chapter One: Island of Peril; writer, David Michelinie; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Vince Colletta; colorist, Robbie Carosella; letterer, Joe Rosen; editor, Eliot Brown; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Godzilla 3 (October 1977)

Tony DeZuniga’s inks help a lot, but even he can’t make what should be an awesome page–Hercules toppling Godzilla–work. Not with that Trimpe perspective.

This issue, Moench and Trimpe do let Godzilla destroy an American landmark–the Golden Gate Bridge. I guess someone at Marvel decided it could go, while the Space Needle in the last issue got to stay. Hercules also knocks the SHIELD helicarrier (or one of them) out of the sky in an apparent fit of rage.

Oh, I forgot–the Champions guest-star in this issue and their presence (except Black Widow’s) breathes some life into Godzilla. Instead of just being a crappy licensed comic, it’s a goofy, crappy licensed comic. The addition of Marvel superheroes makes it a lot more entertaining.

Though Moench does have a big problem (besides Trimpe). Protagonist Dum Dum Dugan’s completely unlikable. Moench writes him as a fascist pig.

CREDITS

A Tale of Two Saviors; writer, Doug Moench; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inker, Tony DeZuniga; colorist, Don Warfield; letterers, Gaspar Saladino, Denise Wohl and Irving Watanabe; editor, Archie Goodwin; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Godzilla 2 (September 1977)

Trimpe’s got a shot right between Godzilla’s legs (on the second or third page too!). It feels kind of dirty.

Moench goes on to expand on the Marvel 616 version of Godzilla–turns out the ocean floor held a lot of other monsters (including giant flying birds). The nuclear blast opening the crevice for Godzilla opened the crevice for them too.

Including a giant bird.

In the ocean.

Did anyone read Moench’s script before it went to Trimpe?

Or was Marvel still doing it the other way, vice versa?

Trimpe’s got some amazingly bad work in this issue, including a giant foot (not Godzilla’s) about to stomp a miniature wine glass.

Besides as an example of terrible art, there’s not much to recommend Godzilla. He goes after the Seattle Space Needle but doesn’t destroy it. The rest of Moench’s action set pieces are similarly impotent.

It’s awful; best as humor.

CREDITS

Thunder in the Darkness!; writer, Doug Moench; penciller, Herb Trimpe; inkers, Frank Giacoia and George Tuska; colorist, Janice Cohen; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Archie Goodwin; publisher, Marvel Comics.