Tragic Retro Read - Fantastic Four #285

Quick note about this post - most of the time my blogging will be fun and silly, sometimes even nonsensical or absurd. My memories and feelings about school and growing up being what they are, when I came across this comic again I knew I had to post about it.

I remember getting this issue of Fantastic Four, I was about 13 or so. At the time I thought it was a bit too "after school special".

With the recent news stories about bullying and suicides, this Human Torch story seemed to touch a nerve I don't recall before.

Meet Tommy Hanson, #1 fan of Johnny Storm. His locker is decorated with pictures and clippings of his favorite hero. Tommy loves all things Human Torch and would do anything for an article or photo he might have missed.

Unfortunately others in school see this as a weakness and use that interest and enthusiasm against Tommy.

His lunch money for a month and doing your school work is a small price to pay, right?

It seems even the teachers are against Tommy.

Granted he was reading the magazine when he should have been paying attention.

Taking the magazine, throwing it away in front of the whole class and having that snot behind him laughing is almost too much. I can feel Tommy's tears in my own eyes. 

It's only after class does Ms. Welsh seem to soften and sympathize with Tommy. Even relating a story about her own childhood crushes.

She'd like to talk to Tommy's parents but they aren't home a lot. His dad has an ad agency to run, and his mom has her community action groups.

Tommy isn't able to get his magazine back but that doesn't stop this little bastard from reminding him of their deal.  

After tripping him and calling him dumb.

Once home things don't improve much. There is a message from Tommy's mom asking him to record a program for her, against the Human Torch interview he had circled.

You can almost feel the loneliness and sadness Tommy must be experiencing. No one at home to talk to about school, or anything it seems.

Even if his parents where there, I get the feeling they wouldn't listen anyways.

Tommy does appear to have at least one friend, of sorts. Joss Kincaid has a model airplane that just doesn't get the boost that he would like, so he mix and match his own fuel. That lapse in judgment only gets worse when he decides to leave Tommy alone to clean up.

Sometimes the wrong words at the wrong time, mixed with feelings you can't control and don't understand collide with disastrous results. 

The story now shifts to the reconstruction of the Baxter Building, world famous headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Doctor Janet Darling has come seeking the Human Torch. She has a patient who is dying and is a big fan of Johnny Storm.

Her patient is Tommy Hanson, he is in a great deal of pain after suffering severe burns to his body. He speaks for the first time in a month. What he says is devastating for Johnny.

"I only did it to be like you" 

The usually high flying, care-free Human Torch can't even bring himself to use his powers to fly away. 

Back at his fiance Alicia Masters' place Johnny talks to Sue and Alicia about the young boy, who wanting to be like the Human Torch, set himself on fire. 

Johnny is feeling tremendous guilt over Tommy's death. He can't help but feel responsible and does not what this to happen again to someone else. From now on, the Human Torch is dead.

The Beyonder, a meddling cosmic being with unknown, seemingly limitless powers arrives. He has already whisked heroes and villains away before for his own personal Secret War.

Now he takes Johnny to the past, showing him the life of young Tommy Hanson.

Johnny sees that Tommy is a quiet boy without many friends. What friends he does have he's found in magazines. Living vicariously through the heroes he reads and cares about.

The Beyonder points out to Johnny that these books and exploits are the only real joy Tommy had in his life.  His death is not Johnny's fault. It was through Johnny that Tommy lived, not died.

Johnny may still feel guilty for what happened to Tommy, but he can't let that stop him from being the hero others need him to be - that Johnny needs to be.

"Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy" - F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

Again, after re-reading this comic I saw it differently than I did as a 13yr old kid. Now I can see myself a bit in Tommy. Bullied at school for having other interests and being different. Feeling lonely and lost, escaping into comics, wishing for powers or an ability. I didn't seriously think about killing myself and I don't think that's what Tommy had in mind either. He just wanted to be like someone else, someone he looked up to.

Fantastic Four #285

Writer/Artist: John Byrne

Out with the old, in with the new, then back again. John Walker - New Captain America

Long before Steve Rogers died and a revealed-not-to-be-dead Bucky Barnes took up the shield as Captain America, John Walker was given a chance. Walker had been introduced in earlier issues as Super-Patriot, a new patriotic hero for a new America. John would eventually take over as the hero USAgent, an identity created by Steve Rogers during Walker's Captain America run.  

Confused? This posting isn't going to help, sorry.

I remember when all this happened but I wasn't interested in Captain America at the time - Steve Rogers or John Walker. The impression I got about Walker was that he seemed to be a poor man's Guy Gardner, from DC Comics' Green Lantern. All mouth and no brains.

Now that I've read this issue I realize there was more to Walker than I thought. He wanted to do the name Captain America proud. Studying and watching countless videos of Steve, analyzing all his moves and techniques.

Throwing the shield seemed to be his biggest obstacle. I can imagine that's no easy feat, I can barely throw a Frisbee.

Since there is a new Cap, there has to be a new Bucky, so here he is!

I know it's the 80's and all, but was this the best idea? Maybe I'm looking at it with PC glasses but a black guy named Bucky sounds wrong. Lemar does eventually become known as Battlestar, but that wasn't much better.

Bucky's name wasn't the only problem, his costume just didn't seem to work either -as the Blob loudly announces. Of course taking fashion tips from the Blob is like taking diet tips from the Blob.

I really enjoyed this bit cameo by Mystique, Destiny, Blob, Avalanche and Pyro and it made sense. It's during the time when the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was the government mutant team Freedom Force. This scene added to the feeling of the book being part of a bigger, shared universe.

If Freedom Force made an appearance you know that Val Cooper couldn't be far behind. She seemed to be the government liaison for both Freedom Force and the New Cap and Bucky.

Val is like Henry Gyrich, another government agent, always popping up when and where you least expected. In Gyrich's case not for the better either, he was swarmy and had his own agenda. Val for the most part seemed to be on the side of the good guys.

After lunch its time for some team building exercises. Though Walker and Lemar are old friends and have worked together before, this is the first as Cap and Bucky. Seems more practice is going to be needed.

Walker still can't get the hang of throwing the shield and have it return to him.

Enter Taskmaster, sometimes villain, mostly villain combat trainer. He claims to have photographic memory and the ability to recreate any movement he's seen, even only once, which he likes to call "photographic reflexes".

Walker questions his ability to teach, so Taskmaster sets out to school him.

I'd say he did a really good job if it, and great visuals too.

The government has brought Taskmaster in the help Walker learn how to properly throw and retrieve his shield.

More great visuals, you can almost hear the musical montage as the scene plays out.

I thought this was a really solid introduction issue. Nice to see that becoming a hero, especially such an iconic one like Captain America isn't easy. John Walker may not have been Cap long, but he certainly made an impression and continues to make one as USAgent.

Captain America #334
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Art team: Tom Morgan/Dave Hunt

Happy Valentine's Day

Time for love and romance with a super hero twist. 

What happens when Wonder Woman and Superman fall under the spell of Eros, the God of Love? 

I love how romantic this cover looks, the Washington Monument in the background, Superman's cape wrapping around Wonder Woman. Lois and Steve watching, their reactions are priceless.

The story starts innocently enough with Wonder Woman on monitor duty aboard the JLA satellite, some 22,300 miles above Earth. Monitor duty stories seem to have a way of starting out boring and mundane before going balls to wall crazy.

  

Diana thinks to herself  "I didn't join the League to watch monitor screens, I joined to battle forces of evil." Careful what you wish for - evil can come in many forms, including love and passion.

Eros, the God of Love, may appear to be an adult but he ends up acting like the baby Cupid when Wonder Woman doesn't return his kiss or love.    

  How dare she?! He's the God of Love!

 

If he cannot force Wonder Woman to love him, he will force her to love another. Unfortunately that's when Superman arrives on the satellite. Being susceptible to magic Superman quickly falls under the angry god's spell.

At first the two heroes succumb and share a passionate kiss. They then try as hard as they can to fight Eros' spell. From the looks on their faces and the quivering of their hands it shows how powerful the magic of love can be. 

They know what they are feeling is wrong, their hearts belong to others. Superman loves Lois Lane and Wonder Woman feels the same for Steve Trevor.

Wonder Woman returns to Washington DC, passionately kissing and embracing Steve. That passion though is quickly replaced with jealousy and anger as she sees Superman in Lois' arms.

This is my favorite part -
Wonder Woman arrives in Metropolis and in a fit of rage throws Lois into on-coming traffic. (Haven't we all wanted to do that at one time or another?) Superman may have saved Lois but it's Wonder Woman who gets the kiss.

Lois is left to find comfort in the arms of another one-time rival for Superman's heart, Lana Lang. 

Knowing that something must be done to end this madness, Superman and Wonder Woman travel to Mount Olympus. They confront Eros and demand he end his magical spell.

Eros, not accustomed to being confronted calls out to his mother for help. Aphrodite is upset by her son's behavior and releases the two love struck heroes from the spell. I never did like this interpretation of Aphrodite, with the heart tiara and heart belt buckle.

The story ends with Superman and Wonder Woman explaining everything to Lois and Steve and all is forgiven.

The minute I read this comic I thought it would be perfect for Valentine's Day. 

Numerous story cliches are on display. You have Cupid, sort of, meddling in peoples lives. There is love, rage and jealousy flying all over the place. Misunderstandings are resolved neatly in the end. The tunnel of love even makes an appearance.

DC Comics Presents #32

Writer: Gerry Conway 

Art team: Kurt Schaffenberger/Vince Colletta