Tag: Pablo Marcos

Batman 346 (April 1982)

2808.jpg
The cover villain is Two-Face but apparently he’s got a girl sidekick who’s the one who’s really after Batman. Presumably we’ll find out her story next issue.

The most interesting–I was just reading some comic creators on Twitter say critics use the word “interesting” to mean “bad,” which is ludicrous, but anyway–the most interesting thing about the feature is the way Newton draws Vicki Vale. She looks like a professional woman in her thirties, someone you could believe as a magazine editor. It gives her romance with Bruce a lot more heft, especially since it’s still not clear if she’s after him as a story or a lover.

The Catwoman backup disappoints. Jones spends three pages describing the backstory of the villain, then just a couple wrapping it up. It’s a decent wrap-up–Catwoman watches the villain die–and it’s well-written and the art’s ambitious and good. It’s just a slight finish.

CREDITS

Half a Hero…; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Frank Chiaramonte; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. In the Land of the Dead!; writer, Bruce Jones; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Pablo Marcos; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Shelly Leferman. Editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #345

Bm345

Where to start….

Colan’s pencils must have been really hurried here, because it’s all inks. Except it doesn’t even look like strong Janson inks. The weak art is quite a shock given the artists.

The story is generally solid. Batman and Robin go after a new criminal mastermind, Dick and Bruce both have romances developing, Jim Gordon’s fighting for his job. Conway’s got the right mix, once again, between superhero stuff and regular people stuff. It’s a fine enough superhero book.

The impressive thing is the Catwoman backup. I didn’t even know Bruce Jones had written Catwoman backups for DC. The writing is great–Selina is mooning over Bruce (Wayne–apparently not knowing he’s making a play for Vicki Vale in the feature) and getting drafted by the cops to help them out. The von Eeden artwork–thanks to the Marcos inks–is stunningly not what I expected. Spectacular comic.

Batman 345 (March 1982)

2807.jpg
Where to start….

Colan’s pencils must have been really hurried here, because it’s all inks. Except it doesn’t even look like strong Janson inks. The weak art is quite a shock given the artists.

The story is generally solid. Batman and Robin go after a new criminal mastermind, Dick and Bruce both have romances developing, Jim Gordon’s fighting for his job. Conway’s got the right mix, once again, between superhero stuff and regular people stuff. It’s a fine enough superhero book.

The impressive thing is the Catwoman backup. I didn’t even know Bruce Jones had written Catwoman backups for DC. The writing is great–Selina is mooning over Bruce (Wayne–apparently not knowing he’s making a play for Vicki Vale in the feature) and getting drafted by the cops to help them out. The von Eeden artwork–thanks to the Marcos inks–is stunningly not what I expected. Spectacular comic.

CREDITS

Calling Doctor Death; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Gene Colan; inker, Klaus Janson; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. Terror Train!; writer, Bruce Jones; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Pablo Marcos; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Todd Klein. Editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.