Pop Culture Chronicles

More Convergence Tie-ins

Here is a rundown of what interests me most regarding Convergence, weeks three and four this April: 

Week Three: 1980s characters versus Tangent and Elseworld's characters.

Adventures of Superman. The pre-crisis Supergirl will die if she returns to her own dimension and time. It would be great if this turned out to not be predictable and we didn't have to see her die all over again. I'm so afraid the "closure" of Convergence is just another dead end leading to more of the current New 52 status quo.  

Wonder Woman. versus vampires of Red Rain.

Justice League America. Elongated Man and the Detroit Justice League versus Tangent characters.

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

New Teen Titans. versus Tangent's Doom Patrol.  

Week Four: Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths heroes of original multiverse against characters of alternate realities. 

Justice Society of America. A chance to regain their youth, but not without cost. Are the JSA going to get the shaft yet again? 

Infinity Inc. versus post-apocalyptic Jonah Hex.

Detective Comics by Len Wein. Earth-Two Robin (Dick Grayson) and the Huntress (Helena Wayne) are still alive and determining who will be the successor to Earth-Two Batman who is still dead. Can there ever be a universe in which the awesome Golden Age Batman could live again?

Action Comics. Earth-Two Superman and Power Girl versus Luther and Stalin of Red Son.

World's Finest Comics by Paul Levitz. The Original Seven Soldiers of Victory.

Crime Syndicate. Earth-Three villains versus One Million universe's Batman and Superman. 

Blue Beetle. Earth-Four Blue Beetle with Captain Atom and the Question. 

Shazam. The Earth-Five Marvel Family and the Gaslight universe. 

Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters. Earth-X heroes versus Nazis. 

While I'm looking forward to the return of these great retro heroes, I hope it isn't just to watch them fade into oblivion yet again.  

 

Convergence Tie-ins

It seems that fans of the pre-52 universe or pre-crisis multiverse are destined for disappointment if I'm correctly interpreting what I've been reading. It seems the heroes of previous worlds brought back for Convergence will only be brought back for closure. They will, it seems, be called upon to go back to their oringinal times and experience the same deaths, or be retconned out of existence, as before. And here I was hoping they'd be given another chance and that the 40 cities plucked from dead worlds and brought together on Telos would have a future. But it sounds as if it's the same old stuff like when the Golden Age Superman and Lois were brought back in Infinite Crisis only to die again. Just a nod and honorable mention of a past that is never to be again. 

I still hope I'm wrong. Like other fans, I would love to see the old and new multiverse exist side-by-side. But if DC does bring all these characters back only to wrap up their stories and kill them off again, I wonder if that is some kind of metaphor on DC's part. Maybe they're making a statement of how fans of the old DC must allow their old heroes to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Again, I hope I'm wrong. 

All that being said, here are the two-parter titles starting in April that interest me because of either a retro or Bat-Family connection:

Week One: Early 2000s characters [after multiverse ended with the first Crisis] versus the Flashpoint characters:

Superman by Dan Jurgens. Superman and Lois married and expecting their first child. Let me guess. They'll have to sacrifice a bright future together so that the New 52 can continue. I hope I'm wrong.

Batgirl. Stephaine Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Red Robin versus Flashpoint Catwoman. Will this be the comeback or the ultimate send-off of the two interim Batgirls? 

Nightwing and Oracle by Gail Simone. Will Dick Grayson and a still paralyzed Barbara Gordon take their relationship to the next level? Nightwing and Oracle versus Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman. 

Titans. Starfire, Donna Troy, and Roy Harper.

Justice League. Supergirl, Zatanna, and Jade at Jessie Quick's baby shower face a threat from Flashpoint Aquaman.

Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, and the Red Hood.

Week Two: 1990s characters versus the Kingdom Come characters:

Batman: Shadow of the Bat. Batman teams up with Azrael Batman.    

Justice League International. Collides with the Kingdom Come world. 

Catwoman. Versus Kingdom Come Batman.

Superboy. Connor Kent versus Kingdom Come Superman. 

Harley Quinn. versus Captain Carrot. What?!?!?!?

I'll put what interests me about weeks 3 and 4 of April in my next post. 

Convergence is Coming

I've waited a long time in hopes of a return to the pre-crisis multiverse characters. After a number of false hopes and false starts (i.e., Infinite Crisis; 52; Justice Society of America, vol. 3, Annual 1; Huntress, vol. 3; Worlds' Finest; and Earth 2) DC has promised to bring back the original Justice Society and heroes of Earths 1-4, S, and X of the original multiverse.

A weekly 9-part series called Convergence begins this Spring. DC says that all past continuity will matter. It seems a super villain has snatched up bits and pieces of supposed dead worlds and collected them in a realm beyond time and space called Telos. Here the heroes of worlds that existed prior to many of the reboots have continued to live their lives. This excites me to no end, unless DC is just teasing us as before, like when the Golden Age Superman returned from limbo only to die again and when Earth-Two returned with a somewhat original Justice Society only to be replaced with the New 52 Earth-2 after the post-Flashpoint reboot.

So in April and May every DC publication will crossover with Convergence. For those two months all regular titles will be suspended and temporarily replaced with two-issue limited series picking up stories and characters who existed in previous worlds prior to various reboots. Beginning tomorrow, I hope to list the titles crossing over with the Convergence series which interest me due to their retro appeal.

Batman '66

It's good to see the 1966 Batman back again. The Batman '66 comic is a concept whose time is long overdue. Never before has there been an ongoing comic series, or even a limited series, based on the Batman TV show with characters in the likenesses of the actors. Just the cover of the first issue with the Adam West/Burt Ward version of Batman & Robin is worth the price of the book. 

The stories leave much to be desired if you're looking for serious drama. They are intentionally campy, like the TV series. They are good for a chuckle and especially good comics for children (there are so few comics good for kids these days). 

In addition to the new comics, Mattel has released classic Batman TV series action figures. You can get a two-pack with Batman & Robin which comes with a batrope and a wall for them to climb. A photo of this toy was used for an alternate cover of Batman '66 #1, which was exclusively available at San Diego Comicon. Other figures in the series include Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, and Joker. They are sold separately, as are Batman and Robin if you prefer to buy them that way. A Batmobile is also available. Another Batman figure in swim trunks with a surfboard has also been released, in homage to one of the sillier third season episodes.

While on the topic of toys, the high-end Japanese toy manufacturer, Hot Toys, has come out with Batman & Robin TV series figures as well. These guys are so realistic they're almost creepy, like wax museum figures. But we've come to expect no less from this company. While the Mattel figures are around $16 each, the Hot Toys versions are in the $250-300 price range. 

With all this renewed emphasis on the Batman series it appears that some of the licensing issues regarding the series are being resolved. Of course I'm thinking what most other Bat-fans are thinking. Can a DVD collection of the series be far behind? We shall see. 

Man of Steel and Star Trek

Man of Steel is an almost constant thrill ride. If you think Avengers was full of non-stop action and destruction, Man of Steel is about as extreme. It’s really over-the-top to say the least. Henry Cavill is a decent Superman, bearing enough resemblance to both Christopher Reeve and Tom Welling, IMO, that he is a good follow up to others who’ve played the strange visitor from another planet.

The movie does mess with a couple of points in the Superman mythos, most notably the fate of Jonathan Kent and some adjustments to the Clark and Lois relationship. Russell Crowe does a great job as Jor-El, a million times better than Brando. I’m surprised that Lois is not a brunette, which is typical, but not really a big deal. In all it’s a great movie, but be prepared for more action than human interest. Far more sci-fi than I expected. 

The new Star Trek movie pays homage to the original TV series, the first movie series, and the previous film in this current reboot. Since the reboot establishes an alternate timeline, the stuff from the original still happened, sort of, so the present can still build on the past.

Since most of you probably know by now that Leonard Nimoy shows up, now billed as “Spock Prime,” I’m not likely spoiling anything by saying that it was great to see him back again. If possible, before seeing the movie, I’d recommend re-watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and the first installment of the current series. You’ll be glad you did.

It was also good to see Peter Weller, who years ago played the title role in Buckaroo Banzai and was more recently Jack Bauer’s arch enemy, Christopher Henderson, on 24.

The addition of Carol Marcus to the crew leads one to question how much she and Kirk’s relationship will parallel that of the original timeline. We were given a few hints, but that may only have been to throw us off.

And oh, yes—the lens flares. I didn’t notice them in the previous film, but my kids did and they told me to watch for them in this one. 

Summer is super hero movies season. I've so far taken in Ironman III, Man of Steel, and Star Trek Into Darkness. The Lone Ranger starts July 3, and I'm looking forward to it. 

Phantom Lady Returns

After the short-lived Ajax-Farrell series, Phantom Lady disappeared from comics except for some Matt Baker reprints in I. W. Publications' Great Action Comics and Daring Adventures. But there were no new Phantom Lady stories from 1955 until 1973. DC Comics had bought the rights to the Quality Comics characters in 1956 which included Phantom Lady.

Her first DC appearance was in Justice League of America # 107-108 during an annual JLA/JSA crossover event. The heroes of Earth's One and Two traveled to Earth-X, home of the Quality characters on a world where the Nazis had won World War II. The super-hero team of this earth included the Quality characters Uncle Sam, Black Condor, Doll Man, Phantom Lady, The Ray, and the Human Bomb. They were known as the Freedom Fighters who were aided by the JLA and JSA in finding the mind-controlling devices that kept the world in submission to the Third Reich. It's kind of corny and if the same premise of a parallel world where the Nazis won WW II were used today, the story would be undoubtedly more sophisticated.

DC took Phantom Lady back to her original yellow and green colors, but retained something of the plunging neckline contributed by Matt Baker (although not as extreme). The Freedom Fighters received their own title in 1976, America's bi-centennial. What better time to return Uncle Sam to the pages of comics as a super-hero? In the Freedom Fighters series the team had relocated to Earth-One. The final issue (#15, 1978) included an origin of Phantom Lady, for the first time.

By 1981 she was a recurring member of Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron, which took place on Earth-Two during the war years, coinciding with Phantom Lady's original stories in Police Comics. Her past was retconned to make her a cousin of Ted Knight (a.k.a., Starman). It was during this era that the Freedom Fighters relocated to Earth-X where they were later met by the JLA/JSA in 1973. 

When all the Earths of the Multiverse were merged into one during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was retconned out of existence. An older, post-crisis Phantom Lady appeared in Damage (1994) in which it was revealed that Sandra Knight had married Iron Munro, whose character was an analogue to the Golden Age Superman in the post-crisis 1940s. Knight served as a government spy during the Cold War and later became head mistress of a school for female spies.

Her students included Dee Tyler who became the new Phantom Lady whose adventures were chronicled in Action Comics Weekly # 639-641. Tyler joined a new version of the Freedom Fighters and died a violent death in Infinite Crisis # 1 (2005).

In the Post-52 multiverse a new version of Freedom Fighters, including Phantom Lady, resided on Earth-10 as a one-panel cameo in the final issue of 52 made clear. To my knowledge we never got to see this team in action. There was, however, another version of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters which resided on New Earth, appeared in two mini-series, and included a new Phantom Lady, Stormy Knight (not a relative of the original).

The last appearance of Sandra Knight, of which I'm aware, was in the final issues of Birds of Prey, vol.2, #14-15. Here an elderly Sandra appears with Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk in a modern adventure which parallels an earlier, but yet untold, adventure told in flashbacks. The flashback story took place in 1950 as Phantom Lady, the original Black Canary, and Lady Blackhawk battle a Nazi war criminal. Manhunter, Kate Spencer, also appears in this issue. She was revealed to be Phantom Lady's granddaughter in Manhunter # 23 (2006).

Since the latest DC reboot, Flashpoint, we now have the new 52 multiverse. Time will tell whether Sandra Knight ever even existed in this new reality. 

Now we have a new Phantom Lady, Jennifer Knight, who currently appears in her own mini-series along with Doll Man. Knight is a freelance writer, daughter of investigative reporter Harry Knight who was murdered to keep him from exposing a prominent crime family. Jennifer becomes Phantom Lady to avenge her father's death.

She is aided by Doll Man, Dane Maxwell (the original was Darrell Dane), a techno-whiz, who provides her with a costume and special technology. In addition to being able to cast black light via special gloves, she can also take on a phantom state, project hard light objects, and trap victims in an eerie blacklight nothingness.

The new series is well written by the team of Gray and Palmiotti with very good art by Cat Staggs and an awesome first issue cover by Amanda Conner. The dialogue is good and sometimes hilarious, the story as believable as possible for a super hero comic.

In this series it's revealed that Dane and Jennifer have had something of an intimate relationship that is taken more seriously by Dane, but Jennifer is gradually coming around. The series takes place in Metropolis (like they need another super hero), so it will be interesting to see how all this fits in to the larger DC universe. There is also hope for a revisioned Freedom Fighters since Uncle Sam and the Ray have made a cameo in this series. I've always been a Phantom Lady fan and aside from some of the modernisms I dislike in today's comics, this series is not a disappointment and perhaps the most interesting that I'm currently reading.    

Phantom Lady

With Phantom Lady's recent return to DC Comics, I thought it would be a good time to study her history and share my findings. Phantom Lady's first appearance was in Police Comics # 1 back in August of 1941. The entire book was reprinted in 2000 as a part of DC's Millennium Edition imprint series. I'm thankful for the reprint since a back issue of the original could cost anywhere from $800 to $12,000 depending on the condition. I picked up the reprint at an antiques mall for about a dollar.

Phantom Lady has the distinction of being the first female super-heroine, tied with the original Black Cat. Both pre-date Wonder Woman by four months.

In her first appearance, Phantom Lady is Sandra Knight, the socialite daughter of Senator Henry Knight. Her weapons include a black light projector which puts her adversaries in total darkness and unable to see. She drove a car whose headlights could do the same. Her costume looked like a yellow swim suit with a green cape, what would later be dubbed a "lemon-lime" uniform (Justice League of America # 107). Her first adventure involved keeping a scientist's explosives formula, which he intended to sell to the War Department, from falling into the hands of enemy spies. The high level of patriotism was seen in most comics of this era. Police Comics # 1 was published less than four months before America's entry into World War II. 

The new heroine continued to appear in issues of Police Comics through #23 in 1943. She also appeared in crossovers of Feature Comics #69-71. Quality Comics dropped the character after 1943. 

A product of the Iger studios, who supplied comic content to publishers, Phantom Lady was sold to Fox Feature Syndicate in 1947. Her own title began with issue # 13, taking over the numbering of the unrelated Wotalife Comics. The new title ran through issue # 23 in 1949. Her two-year title with Fox coincided with her appearances in All-Top Comics. The titles were obviously cancelled when Fox went out of business.

During the Fox years, Phantom Lady was drawn by Matt Baker, the African-American artist who predates Frank Cho and Ed Benes as the king of cheesecake. In other words, Baker was one of the first to popularize "good girl" art. He redesigned Phantom Lady's costume, changing the colors from yellow & green to blue & red. He also gave her a plunging neckline. The cover of Phantom Lady # 17 is famous for having appeared in Fredric Wertham's 1954 book, Seduction of the Innocent, a denunciation of comics which led to a congressional investigation and the Comics Code Authority.

Matt Baker's work is most recently featured in a new book published by TwoMorrows Publishing called Matt Baker: The Art of Glamour. The book is the artist's biography combined with full story reprints of both Phantom Lady and Sky Girl. The book should be released around the end of November 2012. Prior to this some of Baker's Phantom Lady stories were reprinted in a 1994 trade paperback from Verotik Publications. 

Following the demise of Fox Features, the character was later picked up by Ajax-Farrell Publications who did four issues of Phantom Lady from 1954-1955. Coinciding with the appearance of the code, her costume became more modest. She also appeared as a backup in two issues of Ajax-Farrell's Wonder Boy title.

I'll do a second part to this post soon which will include the subsequent history of Phantom Lady when she made her comeback during the Bronze Age of comics.     

Not Your Father's Earth-2

When I picked up the first issue of Earth-2, it was not what I had been anticipating. I've waited about 27 years for a return of Earth-2 to the DC multiverse. It kind of happened in Justice Society of America, vol, 3, Annual 1. But now that the post-52 multiverse has been replaced by the post-Flashpoint multiverse, Earth-2 is no longer recognizable. I had hoped for an Earth-2 with a similar backstory to the one I had read about in the annual JLA/JSA team-ups in the 70s, and in All-Star Squadron, and in the original Infinity, Inc. But no such luck. Here are some notable differences between the post-Flashpoint Earth-2 and the original:

1) There is no longer a Golden Age (at least that I am aware of). There was no JSA fighting criminals and Nazis during World War II. No All-Star Squadron either.

2) The JSA members are much younger on the current Earth-2. I have no problem with that since the original members had become old men in tights. But I still long for the Golden Age era JSA & All-Star Squadron stories. I guess those days are gone forever.

3) The Huntress was Robin and Power Girl was Supergirl on Earth-2. I have no problem with this and so far I am enjoying Worlds' Finest. What I don't like is that the Earth-2 Batman is dead again. I was hoping to see a father-daughter relationship between Bruce and Helena Wayne explored. I guess this version of Helena is destined to be an orphan. Too bad.

4) The Big Three (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) are not part of the new JSA, though they were honorary members in the 1940s who subsequently showed up for an occasional JLA/JSA team-up in the 70s. I'd love to see the JSA with the Big Three.

5) Green Lantern is a homosexual. That was the last straw for me. I am sick of feeling that I'm the target of politically correct propaganda every time I pick up a comic. Everywhere you turn the agenda is shoved in your face. I removed Earth-2 from my pull list and did not buy the infamous second issue in which two guys are kissing each other on the lips and discussing a romantic getaway. This would never have happened in my day. DC's efforts to be all inclusive are succeeding in driving away more conservative readers.

Having been a near-lifelong fan, I suppose I am done with the Justice Society. I suppose that all good things must come to an end. All forms of media have now crossed the rubicon abandoning the wholesomeness that once existed. But at least I don't have to support them. And I still have the back issues of my favorite super-hero team. Long live the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths JSA. They'll be missed.  

Kingdom Come Influences

DC Comics' 1990s Kingdom Come series was not only influenced by DC's Golden Age history, but the series has been quite influential on subsequent DC projects. I'll first mention some of Kingdom Come's influence on the mainline DC universe and then I'll mention some of the Golden Age concepts that inspired parts of the series.

Kingdom Come's Influence:

Earth 22 - In the new and rebooted multiverse that followed events of 52, it was revealed that the Kingdom Come story actually took place on Earth-22. Of course now that the entire multiverse has been rebooted with the new 52, who knows?

Red Robin - The first character to don the Red Robin costume was Dick Grayson, formerly Robin, of the Kingdom Come universe. In this reality he was married to Starfire (now deceased) and their grown daughter is Nightstar. The Red Robin mantle in the mainline DC universe has never belonged to Dick Grayson, but the first Red Robin was Jason Todd in Countdown to Final Crisis # 17 where Todd dons the costume as he fights alongside the Batman of Earth 51. The current Red Robin of the new 52 universe is Tim Drake, another former Robin. 

Ibn al Xu'fffash - In Arabic this means "son of the Bat." It was revealed in Kingdom Come that Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul had a son. In the mainline DC universe he is the latest Robin, the boy wonder Damian Wayne. In Kingdom Come there is a romantic spark between Bruce Wayne's son and Dick Grayson's daughter. In Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 22, they are shown twenty years later with two children attending the Earth-22 Batman's funeral. 

Red Arrow - Roy Harper, the former Speedy, all grown up. He made his first appearance as Red Arrow in Kingdom Come # 2.

Maxine Hunkel - The altar ego of Earth-22's Red Tornado. Maxine's New Earth counterpart is the granddaughter of Mathilda Hunkel, the original Red Tornado. Maxine first appears in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 1 and she adopts the name Cyclone in the third issue. It remains to be seen, as far as I know, what and where her place will be in the new 52 multiverse.  

Atom Smasher - The godson of the original Atom, Al Pratt. Atom Smasher was known as Nuklon in the first Infinity Inc. series.  

Wildcat - In Kingdom Come he is a man-panther possessing the spirit of Ted Grant, the original Wildcat. On New Earth the man-panther version turns out to be Grant's long lost son. He at first shares the name Wildcat with his father, joining the JSA in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 4. Upon switching to the JSA All-Stars team, the man-panther changes his code name to Tomcat. It remains to be seen where his place will be in the New 52 multiverse.

Lightning - Jennifer Pierce, the metahuman daughter of Black Lightning, first appeared in Kingdom Come. Her New Earth counterpart was first introduced in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 12.  

Blue Beetle - The Kingdom Come Blue Beetle wore an armored battle suit which I suspect might have served as inspiration for the Jaime Reyes version of the character in the mainline DC Universe.

Influences Upon Kingdom Come:

The Flash - The Flash of Earth-22 wears a helmet similar to that of Jay Garrick, the original Flash.

Red Tornado - The oringal Red Tornado of Earth-22 is Mathilda Hunkel, active and armed to the hilt in Kingdom Come.  

Bulletman / Bulletgirl - Formerly of Fawcett Publications, this duo was very popular in the 1940s. The Fawcett heroes were purchased by DC Comics in 1972. Of the notable appearances of this duo are Justice League of America # 136-138 and the Power of Shazam series in the 90s.

Living Doll - Appearing on Superman's shoulder in Kingdom Come #3, she is the daughter of Doll Man and Doll Girl, a Golden Age duo purchased by DC from Quality Comics. 

Phantom Lady - Another Golden Age character purchased from Quality, she appears in Kingdom Come as a literal phantom resembling Bettie Page.

Huntress - An African version of the Golden Age character, Paula Brooks.

Vigilante - Based on the Golden Age motorcyle cowboy, the Kingdom Come version is part robotic with a Gatlin gun for one of his arms. 

So there we have my rundown of charaters from Kingdom Come that I find particularly intriguing due either to their Golden Age inspiration, or to how they have subsequently inspired groups like the Justice Society and the Batman Family whose origins date back to the Golden Age.

Kingdom Come: Earth 22

I don't know if anyone reads this blog and after a three month hiatus I'm sure some have given up on it. All I can say is that it's been a busy summer and I hope to get back to it now. Speaking of getting around to things, I just got around to finally reading the Kingdom Come mini-series published by DC comics in 1996. I've owned half the series that long and tracked down the additional back issues a couple of years ago. I finally read the whole series in a couple of sittings.

Most fans, according to reviews I've read, seem to either love or hate Kingdom Come. I happened to love it since I am so retro and there is a lot here for a retro fan to enjoy. If you've read this blog for any length of time then you know that for many years I have grieved the loss of the original Justice Society of America who were revived as residents of Earth Two in the 60s and 70s when we saw annual JLA/JSA crossovers in the pages of Justice League of America.

The JSA really got the shaft in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths since the multiverse was merged into one earth and the Golden Age Superman and Batman were retconned out of existence. But I loved the idea of an alternate earth where the heroes in mainstream continuity had older and more experienced dopplegangers in another universe. I enjoyed imagining the possible futures of the more modern incarnations of DC heroes.

One of my favorites was the older, graying-around-the-temples Superman of the Golden Age. The closest DC has come to filling the vacuum left by this character was the Superman in Kingdom Come. Here is an elseworlds story outside mainline DC continuity. It's a possible future of the DC heroes who in this series are older than their mainline counterparts. The big three, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are all older in this reality, retired from public life,  and a new generation of metahumans now roam the earth, but their brand of justice is vigilantism. They make a big mess of things leading the big three out of retirement to make sure the lawless metahumans are stopped before things get worse. Heroes remaining committed to the original ideals of the "never ending battle" are recruited to help the big three.

So other than older dopplegangers including a Superman who resembles the Golden Age hero, what did I like about Kingdom Come? Well, first that it was drawn (painted) by Alex Ross who is one of my favorite artists. Now that he works for Dynamite Entertainment he does a lot of plotting and covers, but I miss his interior art work. But I love Alex Ross because his characters always look so real. While not an extremely educated critique, that is, in a nutshell, what I love about Ross. From every fold in the clothing to the wrinkles on the facial expressions, I just love Alex Ross' work. It's no secret that Ross is often inspired by real (and imaginary) people for crowd scenes and such. But I suppose that an artist has to get his inspiration from somewhere.

So there is no telling who will be making a cameo in a Ross production. But on my first reading through Kingdom Come I was so caught up in the big picture of the story that I missed a lot of the cameos. After reading the wikipedia article on Kingdom Come, I went back through and looked for all the characters I missed. It was like hunting for Waldo of the Where's Waldo fame, but I think I found most of the "hidden" characters. Here are the ones that most interested me:

- The Gotham street gang stopped by Bat-robots in issue one bear enough resemblance to Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids to be their Kingdom Come dopplegangers. The Fat Albert of this universe has obviously failed to be the moral influence of the Albert we all know and love.

- In the second issue Phil Sheldon, identified by the eye-glasses and eye-patch combination, appears at the Justice League news conference. He was the narrator in Ross' Marvels over at the other company.

- The second issue nightclub scene has a lot of cameos. These include Ross' nod to retro music with lookalikes of Tommy and the Acid Queen from Tommy and the Village People. By the third issue a colorfully clad group of young men at a Justice League meeting bear striking resemblances to The Monkees. Also on hand are robotic members of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A character named King Marvel looks like a blend of Captain Marvel, Jr. and Elvis Presley, which is fitting since I hear that Elvis' hairstyle was influenced by Cap, Jr., a childhood hero of the king of rock and roll. I can only guess if that's where Elvis got the idea for the capes, but I notice that King Marvel's cape looks like one Elvis would have worn. In the KC reality I think it was the King who influenced the Captain. 

- Also at the nightclub are Zan of the Wonder Twins as a waiter and Marvin, both from the Super Friends 70s TV series. I also managed to spot the Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, and Rorschach.

- Carrie Kelly from Dark Knight Returns waits tables at Planet Krypton.

- I understand that the epilogue of the graphic novel version includes cameos of Alex Ross, Mark Waid, and even Stan Lee. But I don't have the graphic novel version.

Those are the cameos that grabbed my attention. In my next post I'll write about the subsequent influence of Kingdom Come on the mainline DC continuity and especially on the JSA.