Batman 387 (September 1985)

2849 The art is uneven. Mandrake has some excellent composition and okay panels, then some not so good of either. He can’t do the action scenes; his Batman and Robin fighting thugs looks like scene out of the Adam West TV show.

But even with uneven art, it’s a great issue. Two high points–the epilogue where Jerry Hall–sorry, sorry, I mean, Alicia–sorry, no, it’s Circe here. Circe. Anyway, Circe gets back some measure of vengeance. Very cool.

Other high point? This weird scene with Bruce discovering Vicki is very buff now and he’s all about the muscle gals. It’s out of place in the story–she’s at his costume ball so he can put her in danger from the Black Mask–but very amusing. Moench does get in some good subtle digs from time to time.

The duality between Black Mask and Batman’s neat too.

It’s quite good.

B+

CREDITS

Ebon Masquery; writer, Doug Moench; artist, Tom Mandrake; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman 386 (August 1985)

2848 Tom Mandrake does the art for the issue. He’s unsure of himself but always interesting. He shifts styles a lot throughout–this issue tells the origin of the Black Mask. In a lot of ways, it feels more like an old Spider-Man than anything else. There’s something very Ditko in how Mandrake draws Black Mask.

And Moench has a good time of the origin retelling too. He finds a nice, slightly disturbed voice for the narration and off he goes. There are some contrived details and the Black Mask’s dialogue in talking to himself isn’t great, but it’s a rather enjoyable issue.

Moench often has more success with these comics when he pushes himself. There’s a rabies hallucination in a flashback–Moench’s definitely pushing the plotting this issue.

When Batman does show up, it distracts from a bad detail or two; the issue goes out on a high note.

CREDITS

Black Mask: Losing Face; writer, Doug Moench; artist, Tom Mandrake; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Sidekick 1 (August 2013)

280187 20130807184246 large Tom Mandrake is an odd choice for a superhero comic. He does an excellent job and all, but he’s so identified with horror, it’s strange to see him do capes and tights.

Sure, there’s more to Sidekick than capes and tights but it’s not horror. It’s more “realistic” superhero stuff. J. Michael Straczynski mixes Batman, Captain America and maybe Captain Marvel for his superhero pair. The superhero dies in and the sidekick has to take over.

Only things don’t go well for the sidekick. His girlfriend left him, the city makes fun of him, he extorts favors from sex workers… He’s a great guy.

Straczynski never commits to making the character a bad guy, just a conflicted soul. It’s amazing how Straczynski manages to demean the hooker the guy just extorted. Having Robin go bad might be an interesting story, but Sidekicks ain’t it.

Besides Mandrake, it’s pretty much pointless.

CREDITS

Ever Again; writer, J. Michael Straczynski; artist, Tom Mandrake; colorist, Hi-Fi Colour Design; letterer, Troy Peteri; publisher, Image Comics.

Swamp Thing 115 (January 1992)

16085 This story eventually has a very familiar feel… ghosts in the swamp fighting. It’s unclear if Collins meant to pay homage to Wein and Wrightson. One hopes, because otherwise it just seems like a repeat episode.

There’s a really cute short at the end about the Cajun Santa, which cements the domestic feeling Collins has given Abby and Alec. It has some very nice art from Mandrake and DeMulder; their art on the main story’s good too, but it’s a lot more precious on the Santa story.

Collins brings in Constantine for an extended stretch this issue and gives he and Alec a long scene of squabbling. It’s amusing (if too domestic–Swamp Thing is practically a sitcom now) and contributes to the concern for kidnapped Abby and Tefé.

Once again, unfortunately, Collins relies on Alec’s limited omnipotence. He doesn’t know the obvious, just the essential for a neat finish.

CREDITS

Rum, Necromancy, & the Lash. Papa Noel. Writer, Nancy A. Collins; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 114 (December 1991)

16084 Nice art from Tom Mandrake and Kim DeMulder on a weird issue. Collins introduces a bunch of demonic pirates–there are ties to Cthulhu-like gods, something not in the previous DC versions of Hell as far as I remember–who go after Swamp Thing and family.

Except they have no real reason to go after Abby and Tefé except a coincidence–one of Alec’s romantic gestures backfires–and Constantine shows up.

For a while, it seems like Collins is going to pace it more gradually. The pirates wreck havoc while Alec and Constantine catch up. It’s been a while since he’s been around and a lot has happened to both. But, no, not a talking heads book. It turns into an action comic.

Mandrake and DeMulder doing an action comic with ghost pirates is definitely cool; it’s stylish and fantastic. But cool’s not enough to disguise Collins’s pacing problems.

CREDITS

Pirate’s Alley; writer, Nancy A. Collins; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 111 (September 1991)

16081 Collins shows off a lot this issue. She turns the comic into a domestic–it’s young parents Abby and Alec bantering about the baby. Unfortunately Collins dumbs down Abby–she’s just a mom now instead of a development of her previous self; still, Collins writes new Abby well.

But then the couple runs across a swamp ghost who tells them many scary, profound stories. Mandrake and DeMulder beautifully handle most of those stories. Shawn McManus does one of them, the big one. The McManus art isn’t his best and it lacks the activity of Mandrake and DeMulder.

Some of the page transitions are fantastic. An out of place panel showing a character having a realization about what someone else read in a previous panel. They’re intricate and seemingly natural to Collins’s pacing.

Swamp Thing has become exciting again. Collins, Mandrake and DeMulder have something going here. It’s quietly wonderful stuff.

CREDITS

Zydeco Ya-Ya; writer, Nancy A. Collins; pencillers, Tom Mandrake and Shawn McManus; inkers, Kim DeMulder and McManus; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 110 (August 1991)

16080 Three big things I noticed. Abby’s still from Eastern Europe, everything uses the word “elemental” a lot and Collins is definitely presenting a more disinterested Alec. I’m not sure why I expect him to intercede and save the bad guys, but the way he stands back… it’s sort of disturbing.

There’s also a lot of implications of how Tefé’s powers are playing out.

It’s a decent issue; Collins again goes for the horror angle, with a deranged priest arriving in Swamp Thing’s parish. Her pacing’s a little off though–there’s not enough in the second act of the issue. Collins races to the end to bring Alec back in.

Sure, it’s his comic and all, but it can do a little without him. He also just arrives when called now, which should make life simpler for Abby.

I like it–nice Mandrake and Jaasta art–there’re just too many changes.

CREDITS

Any Deadly Thing; writer, Nancy A. Collins; pencillers, Tom Mandrake and Bill Jaaska; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 85 (April 1989)

This issue’s extremely confusing. Veitch writes it assuming people know Hawk is Tomahawk’s son. In other words, a specialized audience at the time of its publication and an even more specialized one as time goes on. There are probably eight characters–all of them DC Western characters (except a couple for a surprise)–and Veitch has to introduce them all and their ground situations. And it gets slippery.

For example, the unseen German princes–who hire all the Western heroes–don’t make any sense. In the end, they do, once Veitch reveals everything, but when he’s hinting at it… nope, doesn’t work. He also goes too fast in those character introductions.

The issue’s about the Western heroes, not Alec. It’s too bad too; Alec’s story in the issue is a lot more interesting than anyone else’s. And he’s only in the story for a day.

It’s fine enough, just bewildering.

CREDITS

My Name is Nobody; writer, Rick Veitch; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Alfredo Alcala; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Karen Berger; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 84 (March 1989)

Veitch really puts Abby through the wringer this issue. Instead of supervillains, she gets to deal with the American healthcare system. Comatose ex-husband (and government operative) Matt is now ringing up ten thousand a day and the hospital expects Abby to pay up.

It’s a distressing issue. Without Swamp Thing, there’s not a lot of fantastic in Abby’s life–when Adam Strange shows up to check on her, he’s in regular clothes even–and the assault from the hospital drains her. Mandrake and Alcala show her cornered in small spaces.

All the strengths make up for the lack of resolution in Veitch’s script. He’s even got Matt Cable meeting the Sandman–who tells Cable to make things right–but there’s no explanation how things got right. Maybe there was a page missing in my issue.

Still, the “real world” horror aspect of it gives Veitch a chance to flex.

CREDITS

Final Payment; writer, Rick Veitch; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Alfredo Alcala; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Karen Berger; publisher, DC Comics.

Swamp Thing 83 (February 1989)

This issue of Swamp Thing continues the time traveling further into the past, with Swamp Thing meeting up with Enemy Ace. Except it’s not Alec’s story, nor is it Enemy Ace’s story… it’s Abby’s grandmother’s story. The issue belongs to Anton Arcane’s mother–she narrates it, she has the biggest story arc–and it’s downright disturbing.

She’s a war wife; her husband is off fighting (she assumes) and she’s writing to him about her and their children’s struggles. Veitch does a fantastic job with the little World War I things, especially the scene at the front. He also writes a great Enemy Ace. But Countess Arcane loves little Anton–who’s experimenting on people already (along with some other awful things). It makes for an unpleasant read; she’s sympathetic, but she enables him.

Great stuff–Veitch amusingly makes the barely present Alec cute. Mandrake pencils, Alcala inks, the issue looks fantastic.

CREDITS

Brothers in Arms, Part One; writer, Rick Veitch; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Alfredo Alcala; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Karen Berger; publisher, DC Comics.