Written by Dave Gibbons; Alan Grant; Larry Hama; Peter Milligan; Christopher Priest; Ty Templeton; & Mark Waid.
Art by Rodolfo Damaggio; Dave Gibbons; Oscar Jimenez; Adam Pollina; Val Semeiks; Ty Templeton; Rick Burchett; Ray Kryssing; Mark Morales; Jimmy Palmiotti; Anibal Rodriguez; Bill Sienkiewicz; Scott Baumann; Angus McKie; Linda Medley; Patricia Mulvihill; Francesco Ponzi; Gloria Vasquez; John Costanza; Albert DeGuzman; Tim Harkins; Bob Lappan; Ken Lopez; Bill Oakley; Digital Chameleon; Jamison; & Shok Studios.
Compilation Cover Art by Rodolfo Damaggio; Karl Story; & Andre Khromov.
SUMMARY:
Released in 1997, as another volume from DC & Marvel’s Amalgam project, this 160-page compilation consists of six one-shots. Specifically, Bat-Thing; The Dark Claw Adventures; Generation Hex; JLX Unleashed; Lobo the Duck; and Super-Soldier, Man of War were all originally published in 1997.
Bat-Thing # 1: “Someone to Watch Over Me.” A gruesome flying creature stalks Gotham City’s nights. Targeted by thugs for some fatal payback, police detective Clark Bullock contacts the grieving wife and young daughter of chemist Kirk Sallis. His partner, Christine Montoya, desperately tries to warn Bullock that he has misperceived the monstrous Bat-Thing.
The Dark Claw Adventures # 1: “Face to Face.” In Gotham City, Logan (aka “Patch” Malone) evades assassination by a crew of hapless cyber-ninjas. Dark Claw’s young female protégé, Sparrow, helps him prepare for an imminent showdown inside his underground base. He knows his vengeful ex-lover, Lady Talia, seeks a climatic duel to avenge her father’s death.
Generation Hex # 1: “Humanity’s Last Stand.” In the Old West, a mutant outlaw’s gang seek revenge against the self-righteous town that left him horrifically orphaned years before.
JLX Unleashed # 1: “The Unextinguished Flame!” In a sequel to JLX # 1, the Judgment League Avengers’ incarcerated renegade faction is the world’s best hope against the demonic Fin Fang Flame. An Avenger must make her decision as to which team she truly stands with.
Lobo the Duck # 1: Untitled. After Manhattan (including its super-heroes) is annihilated, the cigar-chomping Lobo seeks some off-world retaliation. Yet, the bad-boy fowl gets sidetracked by a quintet of scantily-clad women.
Super-Soldier, Man of War # 1: “Deadly Cargo.” During World War II, Clark Kent & Jimmy Olsen’s undercover assignment leads into an overseas confrontation against the Nazis.
REVIEW:
Thanks to the various art squads, the wonder of DC & Marvel’s Amalgam project still projects some visual magic. However, as proven by this particular six-pack, the once-welcome novelty is wearing thin fast. Case in point: the JLX tale offers intriguing moments, but keeping track of so many JLA and Avengers/X-Men characters (specifically, who’s combined with who) is an ongoing distraction.
Then again, that’s still far, far better than head-shaking one’s way through the crude parody dubbed Lobo the Duck. Suffice to say, its snarky juvenile humor is both laugh-free and in predictably poor taste. Including a half-hearted homage to Marvel and DC’s Golden Age, the Super-Soldier tale suffers, as the title character’s virtuous ‘golden boy’ persona is overwhelmingly bland.
Both the Man-Bat/Man-Thing mash-up and a mutant-themed take on Jonah Hex’s Weird Western Tales are semi-interesting. It’s just that neither story is likely to encourage more than a single read. Structured and illustrated like Batman: The Animated Series comics, the fun Dark Claw caper delivers this collection’s best straight-up Amalgam. Yet, like the other five tales, there’s really nothing ‘must-have’ about its actual storytelling, no matter how rare it is.
Considering its middling content, Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics is primarily geared for those fans seeking to complete their Amalgam trade paperback collection.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a single-page introduction (“Carwald’s Cornerbox”) from the fictitious ‘M.M. Carwald.’ Each story also includes a faux letters-and-answers column.
The individual covers appear in full-page format. The project’s cover art teams are: Rodolfo Damaggio, Bill Sienkiewicz; & Patrick Martin (Bat-Thing); Ty Templeton & Rick Burchett (The Dark Claw Adventures); Adam Pollina & Mark Morales (Generation Hex); Oscar Jimenez, Anibal Rodriguez, & Liquid! Graphics (JLX Unleashed); Val Semeiks & John Dell (Lobo the Duck); and Dave Gibbons (Super-Soldier, Man of War).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4½ Stars
