Written by (See Below)
Art by (See Below)
Cover Art by Russ Heath & Matt Hollingsworth
SUMMARY:
Marvel Comics released this 48-page, 70th Anniversary Special one-shot for September 2009. The contents consist of a contemporary Blonde Phantom noir-like mystery and a tribute to Marvex the Super Robot.
Blonde Phantom: Murder on Another Planet (16 pages). Writer: Marc Guggenheim, with Art by: Javier Pulido; Javier Rodriguez; & Dave Lamphear. The brutal home invasion murder/robbery of a client-turned-friend brings ex-legal secretary Louise Mason out of retirement as the masked ‘Blonde Phantom.’ Her sleuthing is further enhanced by a woman’s insight, as she gradually realizes the truth behind the culprit’s motive.
Marvex the Super-Robot (6 pages). Writer & Artist: Michael Kupperman. The Fifth Dimension metallic man haplessly tries adapting to life on Earth in 1939 and then the 21st Century.
Marvex the Super-Robot (7 pages: reprinted from Daring Mystery Comics # 3 – April 1940). Credit: Hal Sharp. After his origin is explained, an explosion in the Fifth Dimension maroons Marvex on Earth. He becomes a noir-ish crime-fighter, as he assimilates to life on Earth.
Marvex the Super-Robot (8 pages: reprinted from Daring Mystery Comics # 4 – May 1940). Credit: Hal Sharp. Marvex’s latest crime-busting mystery lands him being held captive in a prison’s electric chair.
Note: Though the image isn’t provided, the variant cover’s artist is Marcos Martin.
REVIEW:
Evidently, Marvel doesn’t deem it necessary to explain how the Golden Age Blonde Phantom has barely aged since World War II … let alone that her red-and-yellow dress ensemble makes the Golden Age Black Canary’s crime-fighting outfit seem practical by comparison. Still, writer Marc Guggenheim’s scripting (aside from a typo misidentifying whom Louise is talking about) is a solid mystery for adults. With the art squad’s visuals as a familiar Marvel standard for that time, the lead feature is easily this issue’s best selling point. The cover image reminiscent of a 1940’s noir comic, likewise, is well-played.
RE: Marvex, well, this character might have been an inspiration for how the naïve Red Tornado is portrayed in the animated Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Marvex’s simplistic Golden Age reprints are harmless, but they come off as hokey filler material. Let’s just say that Michael Kupperman’s emulation homage is more than sufficient.
A rare Blonde Phantom reprint or two would have been far more preferable. Overall, the new Blonde Phantom tale merits possible inclusion as a graphic novel bonus feature, but Marvex’s half is very much skippable.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
A full-page reprint of the cover for Daring Comics # 3 (1940) is included. There’s a five-page preview of Fantastic Four # 570, plus two potential cover images.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
