Rob welcomes back Nuclear Sub Anj to discuss FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL #7, starring The Creeper!
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This week’s selections:
- THE CREEPER BY STEVE DITKO: http://www.instocktrades.com/TP/DC/CREEPER-BY-STEVE-DITKO-HC/OCT090244
- SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS VOL. 1: http://www.instocktrades.com/TP/DC/SECRET-SOCIETY-OF-SUPER-VILLAINS-TP-VOL-01/JUN130272
Opening theme, “That Time is Now,” by Michael Kohler.Closing music by Daniel Adams and Ashton Burge of The Bad Mamma Jammas! http://www.facebook.com/BadMammaJammas
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The Creeper was one of those characters I could never get into. He was bizarre, even for Ditko. The first one I ever saw was in an issue of Adventure Comics, as a back-up story. He’s definitely a standout for his look; but, I never really read a “great” Creeper story. Part of it was Jack Ryder, who I couldn’t stand as a character, part was just the odd sensibility to the stories. Like Anj says, it’s a hard character to write.
I loved First Issue Special. It was one of the first series I tried to collect, when I found my first comic shop in college. Part of that was due to my favorite issue (apart from the debut of Warlord), #11, with Codename: Assassin. A friend had the book and I thought it was the coolest character and story. It was a nice mix of a superhero and a vigilante character, like the Punisher (it was from Gerry Conway). Unfortunately, the story ends on a cliffhanger that didn’t get resolved, since he didn’t get a series and he wasn’t used again until 2008, 32 years later! To top things off, he was used as a villain, to add to the bodycount, in the build-up to Final Crisis.
There were some great spotlight features, like this issue, which were hoped to jumpstart characters into new series, like issue 3, with Metamorpho and #9, with Dr Fate. Then there were the ideas for revamps, like issue #5, with Kirby’s Manhunter, introducing Mark Shaw, and #12, with Starman (which you and Chris Franklin covered). At least those two got picked up elsewhere (though Starman took a while). Only #8, with Warlord and #13, with the New Gods, led to actual series, with only Warlord sustaining a long run.
As the proud owner of only 2 comics from this run (Manhunter & Starman) I find myself wishing more and more that there was a trade.
Always great to hear Anj, but I do feel a twinge of jealousy when he cheats on Waiting For Doom with other podcasts.
I got this issue a month ago in anticipation you might cover this I’ll read it tonight so j can listen to this podcast. So cool! Btw also can’t wait till you cover Kirby’s Dingbats!
I’ve always liked the Creeper’s visual, but the set-up never seemed to match the look. Maybe if the Creeper came about due to some supernatural curse or something it would work better. It would certainly suit the name and the visual, and explain Ryder’s “madness”.
I really liked the BTAS/TNBA version! Wish he’d shown up more , but that version of the series didn’t last long, unfortunately.
It’s another feather in Chuck Dixon’s hat that he took such a lame, washed-up villain like Firefly and reimagined him as a pyromanical threat. I mean, the guy is a joke in the 70s, BEFORE writers an artists really started to rake old morts through the mud like this. BTAS handled the new Firefly very well too!
That editorial may have been written by none other than Paul Levitz. I know he was Orlando’s assistant at around this time.
Great episode. Always great to hear Anj on the show, and I’m looking forward to that Atlas episode!
Chris
Agree with you whole heartedly on how Chuck Dixon improved the Firefly concept – kudos to Graham Nolan as well for giving him a much better costume!
Very good show Rob and Anj. Agree that Creeper is much better as part of an ensemble or as a once off guest star than being able to support a whole series. After the Eclipso crossover in the 1990s, the Creeper was part of Bruce Gordon’s team of Eclipso hunters in the Eclipso series that followed and was very good in that role.
Great episode! I am going to find Vertigo release of the Creeper that Anj discussed. There were some good ads in that issue too.
When is the Dingbats episode coming out??