Exit Stage Left: Creatures on the Loose #37

Who doesn't love Man-Wolf? Well, apparently not enough people back in 1975 as this series was put out to pasture. Over a 4 year period, COTL had played host not only to John Jameson but also to Gullivar Jones, Thongor and an assortment of Atlas-era reprints. Like many series, this one died mid-storyline. Can I be honest? In my opinion, the move towards inter-dimensional adventures and assorted gemstones didn't mesh too well with the Man-Wolf character and I think David Kraft was heading in the wrong direction. What we do get in this issue, which was relatively rare, is a one page editorial by Kraft explaining the reasons for the cancellation and a summary of where the story was heading. That's pretty cool. Ultimately, it was picked up 4 years later in the pages of Marvel Premiere. George Perez fans may want to check this one out, but I will say that the prior issues inked by Frank McLaughlin looked better than this one, which was by Fred Kida.

Exit Stage Left: Sea Devils #35

As a concept, the Sea Devils made a lot of sense circa 1960. Other scuba-related books were on spinner racks such as Dell's The Frogmen and the tie-in to the Sea Hunt series. As the decade progressed, the comic book landscape shifted. Superheroes were back in a big way and universe-building was underway at both DC and Marvel. Dane Dorrance and his team never really fit into the DCU all that well. They still managed to chug along, with Bob Haney telling self-contained underwater (pun intended) tales in typical loopy yet entertaining Bob Haney fashion. This issue was par for the course, with alien creatures arriving via an inter-dimensional portal in the ocean. In this case, however, after winning the battle, the good guys simply swam off into the sunset, not to be seen again until Showcase #100.

Exit Stage Left: Atom and Hawkman #45

This is one of only two 15 cent issues of the 'merged' series. If having two former headliners in a single mag was not enough to lure readers, DC commissioned a number of dramatic Joe Kubert covres. It would appear that none of this could save the series. The final issue is a rather typical, loopy science-fiction tale involving microscopic alines and brainwashing. This one ends in a very strange fashion, as Jean Loring appears to be brain damaged, believing herself to be Queen of the aliens. I'm not sure how, or if, this ever got resolved. I have a full run of the Atom series, including the three Showcase issues, and it is one of my favourite sections of my collection. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a little sad whenever I spot this final issue.

Exit Stage Left: Twilight Zone #92

Here's a terrific final issue, cover dated May, 1982, a full 18  years after the final episode of the TV series aired and a nearly 3 year hiatus since the previous issue. I devoured this series as well as other Gold Key/Whitman mystery titles as a child. A number of years ago, I stumbled upon a bargain bin containing a ton of final Gold Key/Whitman issues. Sure, it may be a bit on the esoteric side, but that's the stuff dreams are made of. This one is a true gem as it reprints the very first issue of the Twilight Zone series from 1962. These stories had all been reprinted in digest size, but I am very happy to own them in the standard format. Why I am so happy? Well, the artwork herein is provided by comic book legends Reed Crandall and George Evans, both working at the height of their powers. My favourite stuff involves a thief seeking refuge in a museum only to be transported back to Custer's Last Stand. It's great stuff and completely in keeping with the TV series. This is great stuff as the series comes full circle and signs off with a classic.

Exit Stage Left: Man From Atlantis #7

When a series lasts a mere 7 issues, it is not a tragedy when it is cancelled but it is still fun to look at the contributing factors. I thought I had read somewhere that the MFA had his origins in Marvel's attempts to bring Namor to the small screen. My 30 seconds of internet research did not confirm that rumour, but I am certain I read it in a magazine such as Alter Ego or Back Issue. If it is indeed true, it would be quite ironic for Marvel to wind up publishing a series based on a character based on a Marvel character. The TV series was cancelled quite abruptly, which obviously left Marvel in the position of shuttering the series. The letters page from this issue is filled with readers wondering what Marvel will do now that the show is off the air. This issue also ends on one of the strangest cliffhanger I've ever witnessed (and that's saying a lot). Mark returns to find that the entire MFA team have mentally regressed to age 2. Behind this is a villain identified as 'Merry', who happens to be a dead ringer for Daredevil's foe the Jester. I have only read a few issues from the series but they were entertaining enough. Fans of Frank Robbins (especially Robbins inked by Springer) will have fun with it. Robbins haters may want to stay away.

Exit Stage Left: Daredevil Comics #134

This little gem from 1956 is the final issue to a title with a long, strange history. To think that it all began with Daredevil battling Hitler, and somehow continued through the years, surviving the premature exits of the chief villain and even the title character. Hitler was gone in 1945, the Claw was killed that same year and Daredevil vacated the premises in 1950. Still, this title kept rolling along. The main story in this issue has the Little Wise Guys mistakenly thinking that some police trainees are up to no good. Ultimately, they help a rather bumbling candidate pass the test. It’s typical post-Code fun – but not exactly a battle against Hitler. Much has been said about the impact of the Comics Code Authority on EC, but it could be argued that Gleason was hit even harder. They relied heavily on their crime comics but their one-time ‘superhero’ books such as this title and Boy Comics, stayed on the racks much longer than most would realize. In the end, they departed with far less fanfare than that which announced their arrival. This is a tough book to track down but a nice piece for your historical oddity shortbox.

Exit Stage Left: DC Comics Presents #97

I'm back. I got a gentle nudge from Tennessee and have decided to try to find the time to write on here more often. My job changed dramatically during the summer of 2011 and the dust is just starting to settle. Let's gets started with a rather odd finale to a rather inconsistent series. I always viewed DC Comics Presents as the poor relation of The Brave & the Bold. For starters, I far prefer Batman to Superman and I always felt that DCCP needed a consistent creative team. All of that said, there are some really fun stories over the course of 97 series. This particular issue, however, is not one of them. The story is one of those awkward Pre-Crisis tales jammed into a Post-Crisis world. The whole things feels as though DC is trying to burn off inventory before handing the car keys over to John Byrne. I think it would work better as a Elseworlds type tale, but I think that it technically fits into Pre-Crisis continuity. Steve Gerber is a writer who is amazing when he is focused and avoids allowing his big ideas to run away from him. This story starts strong, with a look at how the Phantom Zone came into being but they goes off into a variety of directions, touching on everything from the Bizarro World to Mr. Mxyzptlk. It is as if Gerber is trying to create his own Crisis to bring Superman continuity to an end. It simply doesn't work, and the endeavour is not helped in any way by Rick Veitch's pencils. Veitch is a good fit for certain titles, such as Swamp Thing, but I just do not think his loose, organic style works for a mainstream superhero book. Overall, this series deserved a much better send-off.

Exit Stage Left: Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #137

The other day, I was laughing with my daughter about  the great "You've got me, who's got you?" From the first Superman movie. I told her that Lois was actually the star of her own comic book for many, many years. This had me digging out a few samples, and holding the particular book in my hands. It is a pretty typical issue featuring two kooky stories (including one that suggests that dinosaurs were actually colonists from a dying planet, I kid you not). The John Rosenberger artwork won't blow your mind, but he's a decent storyteller. The letter column reflects a largely female readership, which is kind of cool. The fact that this is the final issue is only referenced in a small note after the first story, informing readers that Lois is move to the 100 Page Superman Family series. She did, and lived there with her pals for many more years, but this is really the end of an era and another nail in the Silver Age coffin. Kind of makes me sad.

Exit Stage Left: Sweethearts #137

Like many Charlton series, Sweethearts has a long and strange history. This was one of many Fawcett titles taken over by Charlton in early 1954. Did you know that Sweethearts can trace its roots all the way back to Captain Midnight #1 (September, 1942)? The series came to Charlton with issue #122. Of course, since we're dealing with Charlton it makes perfect sense that they renumbered the series with the second Charlton issue as issue #22. Yup, there really was something in the water in Derby. Anyhow, this series kept chugging along for another two decades before signing off with this issue. The series actually maintained a decent level of quality throughout the years and this one is another, slightly better than average romance book. I love how they managed to incorporate another of Charlton's go-to subgenres (Hot Rods) into this book. Anyone know who drew the cover? The inking is really quite nice.

Exit Stage Left: Adventure Comics #503

This one really saddens me. Adventure Comics was such a great series, and extremely important from a historical context. Sandman, Starman, Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes, Supergirl and the Spectre all called it home at one point or another. During the final few years, the series really struggled to find an identity, ultimately become a Digest sized reprint book. That's not to say they weren't quality reprints, but the writing really was on the wall. This issue features a variety of stories from 60s Legion material to a mid-70s Zatanna story to the first Guardian & Newsboy Legion appearance. Another highlight is the cover gallery, featuring three covers from the 1930s. I love the border on the front and back covers. Try to see if you can name all of the characters!

Exit State Left: Invaders #41

While the various late 70s implosions at DC are pretty well documented, change was also the norm at Marvel. Plenty of titles came to an end during this period, as Marvel was also looking for ways to boost sales. The Invaders was one of those title to face the axe, but at least it was sent off with a double sized issue, allowing certain story arcs to finish. For me, Roy Thomas' attempts to play around in the Golden Age sandbox produced mixed results, whether at DC or Marvel. Don Glut does an admirable job with this finale. While I think that Alan Kupperberg and Chic Stone are competent artists, I really prefer these WW2 set stories to be drawn by Frank Robbins or someone else from the Caniff school. That style of artwork tends to transport me back in time. Kupperberg did a nice job on the double spread pin-up that serves as a coda to this series. It's a shame that the phrase 'Verdammt Invaders' would not be heard again.

Exit Stage Left: Teen Titans #53

The Titans' second kick at the can wasn't terribly successful. After a hiatus of more than 3 years, the series returned with an expanded cast, introducing characters such as Bumblebee and the Joker's Daughter/Harlequin. There was also an attempt to expand the group's scope, with the Titans West, predicting later expansions of groups such as the Avengers and the JLA. This issue is not much of a last hurrah for the group, as it is really more of a Year One tale, revisiting the group's origins and initial membership. Bob Rozakis' tale is, as per usual, dialogue heavy and unnecessarily convoluted. The artwork by the team of Juan Ortiz and John Fuller is flat and quite odd in spots. The entire tale is driven by a creature called The Antithesis, perhaps one of the worst designed beings in the history of the DCU. He looks like some sort of patchwork of all children's toys circa 1978. The most interesting aspect of this issue is the editorial update and sign off, explaining what has happened and where the various character will be appearing next. This was not much of a send-off, but I'm not entirely convinced that this group deserved one.

Exit Stage Left: The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #25

Here's the final fling of one of the most unusual series of the 70s. Dormant since 1977, the fine folks at Western thought it made sense to put this series back on the racks for a single issue. It's actually a reprint of the very first issue. As was the case with many books published under the Whitman imprint, the cover was line drawn version of the original painted cover. I'm not sure why this editorial decision was made, but it has always struck me as odd. The story introduces us to Dr. Spektor, who might very well be related to Fox Mulder. We also meet his lady friend and assistant, Lakota Rainflower. Jesse Santos' artwork is an acquired taste, but I've always found it appealing. There's also a back up story co-starring Dracula, reprinted from the series' 5th issue. It a rather odd send-off to a character who had been gathering dust for 5 years.

Exit Stage Left: Silver Surfer #18

Silver Surfer #18 proves that while you can go home again, it may be too late to do much good. The Silver Surfer series was Marvel’s most ambitious project of the late 60s. It was a larger book targeted at a more mature audience. Stan Lee and John Buscema were trying to do something different and while it seemed quite novel at first, the leaden dialogue and ‘villain of the month’ story lines quickly sapped much of the energy out of the series. In an attempt to bring back some of the old magic, Jack Kirby was parachuted in for a showdown between two of his finest contributions to the Marvel Universe – the Surfer and the Inhumans. It’s a decent issue, but nothing truly groundbreaking. I’m not sure what the overall game plan was at Marvel with regard to this series as while a “Next Issue” was announced, so was Kirby’s departure.

Exit Stage Left: House of Mystery #321

Talk about the end of an era! More than 30 years and 3oo issues after it was opened, the House of Mystery closed its doors. Its main contemporary, House of Secrets, had been cancelled in 1978 and The Unexpected put out its final issue in 1982. I really like the topical Mike Kaluta cover. It may not be his best horror cover at DC, but it suits the occasion. While the stories in this issue are fine, it is the framing sequence written by the team of Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn and drawn by Adrian Gonzalez. In this story, Cain is furious when he discovers that he receives a Notice of Eviction and Demolition. He storms the DC offices and gets argues his case to Karen Berger and Joe Orlando, but to no avail. Things get really crazy in the final few pages when a second Cain begins to narrate the story of the Cain we've been following (Cain Prime?). It's a head scratching, meta textual moment that likely inspired Grant Morrison. All in all, it is a fitting finale to a fine series.

Exit Stage Left: New Defenders #152

Life was never really fair to the Defenders. First of all, they were the Marvel Universe's first and only 'non-team', a niche market that never really gained traction. Secondly, through their early days, they played second fiddle to the Fantastic Four and Avengers, and became even less relevant when the X-Men got good. That's too bad, because there were plenty of good Defenders stories and the team consisted of some interesting characters (Gargoyle remains a favourite of mine). The final indignity forced upon the Defenders was that their final issue was tied into the Secret Wars II storyline. For those of you who aren't familiar with that particular miniseries, it was the nadir of comic books in the 80s. This story is a real mess, with page after page of nonsensical dialogue. You know you're in for a rough ride when the Interloper plays the pivotal role in the story. Nothing was working here - even Don Perlin's normally staid but reliable artwork is well below his standard. To make matters worse, it's Double-Sized! Nice Frank Cirocco cover, though.

Exit Stage Left: Star Trek #61

The final issue of Gold Key's Star Trek series marks the end of an era. It would have hit shelves around Christmastime in 1978. Obviously everyone involved in the upcoming feature film thought it was high time to find a new comic book licensee. Gold Key had been publishing the series for over a decade at this point, and had produced a solid, if unspectacular, collection of stories. The 70s were really the era of the hardcore Trekkie. They were the fans whose insatiable appetite led to various toys, books and cartoons based on the original series. With Motion(less?) Picture on its way, things would never be the same. It is hard to believe that Star Trek comics had such humble roots, and that the series' original artist had never even seen the show. It was a survivor, though, and many fans have a real soft spot for it.

The good is a solid one. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beamed down to investigate a planet and are ambushed by a Klingon. These are still the old-school 99% human-looking Klingons. The Klingons are anxious to get their hands on the planet's dilithium supply and the only thing standing in their way are the three crew members and a face very familiar to fans of the original series. I've always felt that Alden McWilliams was a terribly underappreciated artist. He is a terrific storyteller and there's a certain lushness to his art that I find very appealing. Within a few months, Marvel would have the license and DC would take over a couple of years after that for a long stretch. There's a real charm to these old Gold Key comics and they bring out a real sense of nostalgia in my, as would a Mego Spock or a squirt gun shaped like a phaser.

Exit Stage Left: Jonah Hex #92

Although this was the final issue of the initial Jonah Hex series, it really wasn't the end for everybody's favourite western anti-hero. First of all, the 'last' Jonah Hex story was told years earlier and the final page of this issue propels our storyline into the distant future. In another sense, it really is the end of an era as DC and Marvel had been hammer nails into the coffin of the western genre for over a decade at this point. In some ways, it's quite shocking that Jonah Hex lasted until 1985. I guess I can understand why readers might have felt this type of book was anachronistic, as both Michael Fleisher's script and Gray Morrow's artwork seem to be from a different era. From where I'm sitting, however, it works just fine.

The story here is another strong 'one and done' story with Hex protecting a young girl who has witnessed a murder. Hex tries to keep her safe, while hunting down the outlaws. Inter cut with this is the story of Emmy's flight from a killer. Hex isn't a particularly attractive man, but he really is some sort of chick magnet. As I've stated before, I'm a huge fan of Morrow's artwork and he is in fine form here. The storytelling is superb, with some terrific action sequences. Although the futuristic Hex series has become quite infamous over the years, I appreciate the fact that this was not really a Jonah's final goodbye, but more of an 'until we meet again'.

Exit Stage Left: Kid Eternity #18

This was the final issue of the Kid Eternity series, and the final appearance of the charater during the Golden Age. The first story involves an escaped criminal arranges to have a lookalike arrested in his place. When his new employer gets suspicious, he is tossed down an elevator shaft. Kid Eternity called on Friar Tuck and John Sevier (I'm glad they provided some background on him) to help take out the gangster. It's fun stuff with some nice Crime genre violence. The middle story is Peachy, a humour strip. This one is pretty good, as it features one of those Three's Company type misunderstanding. Peachy is concerned that her Dad is always beating her Mom - turns out it was only at bridge.

The final tale is about a ship that was sabotage by its owner to collect insurance. Kid Eternity rescues the Captain and brings the owner to justice with the help of Captain Ahab (apparently he could be used because Melville's writing 'brought him to life), the Greek God of the Northerly Wind and Napoleon's top swordsman. Obviously, the were reaching to come up with interesting dead people at this point. The brilliant move at the end of the story was bringing all of the drowned sailors back to seek revenge. Between Hit Comics and his eponymous series, Kid Eternity appeared in over 100 stories during the 1940s. After this issue, he would not be seen again until 1972, as a reprint. It was a clever idea that apparently outstayed its welcome, but at least Kid Eternity went out on a solid note.

Exit Stage Left: Captain America #454

Remember the mid-90s, when Marvel and DC decided to throw decades of continuity into a blender and produce countless relaunch milkshakes? While the new product was rarely as good as the original, the swansongs are often an interesting read. This story seems like it is straight out of the Silver Age (except for the 90s Imageish artwork and the overly gritty dialogue), with South East Asian labour camps and a motorcycle chase. The action is quite decent, but it is the relationship between Cap and Sharon Carter that I found most intriguing. Sharon has become an outlaw, fighting for freedom outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s parameters. She and Cap ultimately find have a meeting of the minds, and part with a renewed sense of mutual respect. It is a solid final issue and it does feel like closing of a long chapter, but it is still not enough to wipe the memory of Heroes Reborn from my mind.