Dancing With Mr. D.... Retro-Active 70s was?....

When it was announced that Dan Didio Big Chief Ten Bellies of DC Comix was going to honour some of the classic vintage books I was intrigued!, and sad to say maybe a tad excited by the idea of it? When it was announced who was going to be writing them, I was up for it!!!

I don’t always get to my LCS weekly so sometimes I have a few weeks to catch up.

Last week I bought some of DCs RETRO-ACTIVE 70s series. They are little bit pricier but you get 46 pages split between new content and a reprint.

The idea was a group of one shots that were written in the spirit of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

BATMAN was written by Len Wein who wrote classic Bat 70s stories some of which are my all time favourite comics.

When he was writing back in the day you didn’t just get the apes in capes, you had sub plots and characterisation which made you care.

He introduced characters who are now well established within the Bat family like Lucius Fox which continued through his run.

Catwoman was brought back from not being yet another love interest 1st, cat lover 2nd and criminal 3rd or 4th? to making her the villain she once was at no. 1. 

I recall he may be the person to have brought back some Bat Mort Love to the genre with the likes of Crazy Quilt!? and Captain Boomerang!?

The new story was great, it had the feel of the 70s but the art totally transformed it from a pastiche as it was by the dark and wonderfully moody Tom Mandrake.

GOD I LOVE his style!!!

The villains we saw were the Terrible Trio looking a little more bad ass than when we may have last seen them and we find out who has been backing these guys. That is all I'm going to say as this is well worth picking up!!

DENNY O’ NEIL…

The wonderful  works of Mr. O’ Neil are seen twice in this 70s Retro-Active series.

First I shall touch upon GREEN LANTERN. Why this wasn’t Green Lantern and Green Arrow?

I do not know?  

I still dig this comic but it was pretty minimalist when it came to the actual story which isn’t very Denny.
The art work is big and easy on the eye drawn by Mike Grell which was a lovely partnership.

I’m sure I’m not the only one, when you say O’Neil you think Adams?… Grell will not disappoint.

So the double Denny whammy is with Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman has to do tasks to save Paradise Island.

The best thing about this comic is we see her in some of her best outfits and is set within the time of her all white groovy costume.

Other than that it was a little disappointing.

The final title I picked up was the FLASH.

Written by someone I hold in high regard, Cary Bates. It was nice to see his name back on the front of comics and the art was by Benito Gallego, he draws a damn fine gorilla!

GORILLA GRODD!!  He holds the one thing most precious to Barry as a weapon?... his wife and then genetically produces a child between her and himself. Super intelligence, super ape strength , accelerated aging  etc etc.

Nothing stands between a mother and her child, not even the love of her life Barry Allen.

This was so/so.

It hurts me to say this as seeing Grodd written in a modern comic, as a super intelligent genius without going on a rampage with human limbs and blood hanging from his mouth is pretty rare. (I’d prefer to ignore the fact that is due to it’s 70s homage.) But I was left disappointed... gutted.

There was also Superman and the JLA but I'd run out of ££s to spend so didn't grab them.

If you have picked up these comix I'd be very interested to hear what you think? I guess I'll pick up the 80s versions, but if I didn't get around to it.... well so be it.

Before I sign off from this blog... WHERE WAS ELLIOT. S. MAGGIN??? We could do with E. back at DC!!