Short Lived Comics Series #36 -The Young Lawyers (Dell Comics)

This 2-issue comic book series is something I chanced upon some time ago at a local convention.  I happened across the second issue for a relatively cheap price (the comic was not in perfect condition, mind you), and I could not pass it up.  As a paralegal myself, having worked for lawyers for some time, I am always drawn to comic books set in the legal realm.  With the photo cover, the identification of the actors on the cover, and the copyright to Paramount Pictures Corporation and Crane Productions, Inc. down in the bottom right corner, I assumed it was based on a television show - and I was right!  So, after some time, I finally found the first issue at a comic shop.  With both issues now in hand, I sat down to read them, and was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I really liked the stories.  With that in mind, I had to go back and see what I could find out about the old TV show...

 

The Young Lawyers was issued in late 1970, early 1971 with cover dates of January 1971 (issue 1) and April 1971 (issue 2).  It was based upon a vintage television show that ran on ABC from September 21, 1970 to March 24, 1971, for a total of twenty-four episodes.  The comic, like the television show, centers on a legal aid center in Boston, called the "Neighborhood Law Office" (or NLO for short), established to help those in need who cannot afford legal help.  The three central characters are David Barrett (as portrayed by Lee J. Cobb), an established lawyer who gives guidance to young law school students who gain experience by representing real cases while they are going to school; Aaron Silverman (as portrayed by Zalman King),  a zealous student with lofty ideas of helping all of the underprivileged and always rooting for the underdog; and Pat Walters (as portrayed by Judy Pace), an African-American woman studying law in an effort to break stereotypes and do some good in the world.

 

As with pretty much all of the Dell Comics published at the time, there are no credits given for writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, or anyone else associated with the comic series; however, the Grand Comicbook Database website (The Young Lawyers) indicates Jose Delbo, who is probably most recognized for his work on DC Comics' Wonder Woman title for quite a long run in the 1970s and early '80s, as well as Thundercats and Transformers for Marvel Comics.  The art does strongly resemble Delbo's work, and it is clear the same artist did both stories in both issues, because the characters appearances are consistent throughout.  I would love to know who the writer was, though, because the stories are very much in sync with the stories from the television show - very topical and very much in line with the "buck the system" thinking of the time.

 

The two stories in the first issue are "Team Spirit" and "Kids are People."  The first story is about a young football player (whose name happens to be Jimmy Carter - who was not our President until seven years after this comic came out!) who is injured during a game and may be paralyzed.  The boy who tackled him is being accused of purposefully injuring him the previous day so that he can get the spotlight with the talent scouts who are at the game.  Aaron goes to bat for the accused boy, and with Pat's help (since the injured boy happens to be African-American), they are able to broker peace between the boys and get them both back on the field.  The second story involves a young boy named Angel Rivera who is accused of stealing a typewriter by a store owner.  The boy's reputation is being ruined, and his chance at getting into a prestigious school is lost because of the rumors.  Barrett, Aaron, and Pat all learn a lesson in this story, as they are not so quick to believe the boy's story, and when the truth does come out, it is the three lawyers who are eating crow!

 

The second issue features two more stories:  "Under the Skin" and "Explosive Justice."  In the first tale, a biker is unjustly and unfairly treated by everyone, no matter where he goes, and he comes to the NLO with the hopes of suing "the People of the United States" for denying him his rights under the Ninth Amendment.  Aaron goes for a bike ride with the man who calls himself Captain Freedom, and he sees first hand the way he is treated, merely because of his appearance - long hair, sunglasses, biker clothes.  Even the police are seen to hassle the man.  Aaron believes there is some cause for a lawsuit, but before it can be filed, Captain Freedom takes off, thanking the NLO, and Aaron specifically, for proving there were still good people in the world.  In the second tale, the NLO is the victim of a vicious bomb attack (thankfully at night, when no one was there), and our three main characters must sift through the firm's history to determine which client may want to seek vengeance.  Aaron is attacked one night when he goes back to the office, and the next day, a file is missing - the file of a former client who the NLO defended for allegedly bombing a government office!  As it turns out, that was a red herring, and the real culprit is someone much closer to home!

 

After reading these two issues, I was curious about the television show, so I did some searching and found some episodes available on YouTube.  The original pilot movie aired in October 1969, a year before the actual series began, and it featured Jason Evers as Michael Cannon, a corporate lawyer who leaves his firm to become the director at the NLO.  Zalman King plays Aaron, but Judy Pace's character is named Anne, and there is an additional law student, David Harrison (played by Tom Holland - no, not THAT Tom Holland).  The set up for the show is pretty much the same, but the story definitely gives ample time to both the legal story and the individual characters' characterization.  By the end of that pilot film, you actually have a feel for all four of the main characters.  In the first episode of the ongoing show, which aired in September 1970, Evers and Holland are gone, and Lee J. Cobb is in as new director, David Barrett.  There is absolutely no explanation for the change in characters, no reference at all to Cannon or Harrison.  Comparing the two, I honestly liked the initial pilot film far better than I did the first episode of the ongoing series.  The show is available on DVD on Amazon, so I'm going to buy that and watch the remaining 23 episodes to see if the characterization gets better as the series progresses (I know at some point a fourth main character is added to the series - Chris Blake, as portrayed by Philip Clark.

 

The comic series only features the main three characters from the regular series - Barrett, Aaron, and Pat.  However, in the second story of the first issue, someone got confused, because Barrett refers to Pat as "Anne," which was the character's name in the original pilot film.  They only use that name once, and, in fact, they never call the character by her name again in the entire story.  By the second issue, both stories refer to her as "Pat," her given name in the television series.  Otherwise, I thought both issues were pretty much flawless, capturing the feel and the look of the TV show, and providing some interesting, thought-provoking stories that today may seem dated, but back in the early 1970s would have been considered quite progressive. 

 

Definitely a series worth reading, and it's a shame it only lasted two issues.

 

RATING:  10 tell-tale band-aids on the chin out of 10 for well-written, beautifully drawn comic stories based on a little-known show that is definitely worth a second glance! 

Carol on Tour - the Fourth (and final) Carol Page theater story

And so, it is with a heavy heart, we come to the fourth and final Carol Page theater story by Helen Dore Boylston.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Carol Page, her best friend Julia Gregg, and her gruff but faithful friend Mike Horodinsky, and it has been fun watching them start out as amateurs (Carol Goes on Stage), then spend the summer learning more of their respective crafts (Careol Plays Summer Stock), and finally return to New York to face the struggles of making their way in an already overcrowded industry (Carol on Broadway).  Now, here we are at last - Julia has been performing in a traveling show, Mike has been stage managing Miss Marlowe's show, and Carol has had a role in a Broadway hit!  So, what else is there for them to do?

 

Carol on Tour, by the title alone, gives a pretty strong hint of what comes next for Carol, Julia, and Mike. The story picks up not long after the end of the previous book, when the play written by Carol's new friend is picked up by a producer and brought to life by Carol's long-time teacher and mentor, Miss Marlowe.  The show is a success, and Carol has been getting rave reviews; although, Carol being Carol, she does not necessarily let those reviews go to her head.  At least, not at first.  The story throws a new (yet at the same time, old) twist into things.  One of Carol's fellow cast members sees Carol as a stepping stone, so she befriends her and starts taking her to a number of dinner engagements and parties - after all, in order to keep working on Broadway, it's all about who you know, not talent!  Carol is too naive to see the type of people she is associating with, and when Mike and Julia try to warn her, she only grows angry and defensive.  It's not until Carol has the opportunity to take on a major role in a touring company's production of The Merchant of Venice that she discovers the truth about her new "friend" - a truth that pushes her to take the role and head on a new journey in her career as an actress!

 

While the number of unbelievable breaks that come Carol's way continue to mount, Boylston manages to keep a certain level of believability to the story by integrating the various theater personalities around her - from those who simply use others to get ahead, to those who are always demanding to be the center of attention, to those who have years of experience and are only too happy to share their knowledge with others, to those who are anxious to get on the stage, willing to take any role offered!  And circumstances seem to always convene to make sure Carol remains humble, acknowledging her lack of experience and her great fortune to be where she is.  Of course, Boylston keeps Mike and Julia in the mix, as Julia gets a small walk-on part in the touring show, and Mike is promoted to an assistant director - so all three face some new challenges in this story, and not all of it on the stage.

 

One aspect of the tale I enjoyed was Carol's attempts to be a friend to one of her fellow actor, Harris Nichols, who seems despondent and depressed.  She soon learns he is having difficulties maintaining his relationship with the girl he loves back home, and he is fearful that she is going to turn to another man.  Carol tries to soothe his fears and boost his confidence, but when Harris gets notification that the girl has gone off to marry another man, he loses all hope.  The situation that develops is actually quite dark, and I'm rather surprised Boylston included it in a book intended for children and young adults.  However, it is that very incident that leads to a monumental decision that Carol must make - one that has been in the making since that very first book (and one I saw coming early on and kept hoping it would see fruition, and finally, at the end of this book, it does!).

 

There are couple of scenes in the book worth pointing out, as they reflect (or, rather in one case, do NOT reflect) true life in the theater.  The first is when Carol is considering the different types of audiences one must face when acting on the stage:

One never knew about the audience in the first few minutes, but as the play went on, one became more and more aware of it quality as a single, concentrated personality.  Sometimes it was responsive - quit to laughter or tears.  Sometimes it was dull and heavy - sitting out there like a great lump, a weight upon the performance and the players.  Sometimes it wasn't a personality at all, but just groups of differing reactions - "spotty" the company called it.  And sometimes it was maddeningly restless.

 

Each audience made the play a new play and each performance different from the one before. (p. 31)

Only someone who has been on the stage before can understand exactly how true this description is. The actors on stage react to the audience's reactions, and so a non-responsive audience can easily result in a not-too-exciting play; on the other hand, an audience that gasps, laughs, hoots, and is all-in can be a strong encouragement to the actors, who truly come alive in their performances as never before to make the play more real and more exciting for the cast and audience alike.  I thought this moment of reflection on the part of Carol shows just how much the character has grown over the past three books, and how much understanding she has gained with respect to the stage and its impact on those in each audience who attend.

 

The second moment in the book that caught my attention was closer to the end, as the touring group was preparing to get on stage for opening night.  As Carol fights those opening night jitters, Julia tells her, "Good luck!," to which Carol responds with her own, "Good luck!" (p. 138).  And just a few paragraphs later, as she slips by Mike to prepare for her entrance, she hears him say, "Good luck" (p. 138).  One might think these well-wishes are nothing to make note of - however, those who have worked in the theater know that you never, never, NEVER wish an actor "good luck" before they go on stage - that is considered BAD luck; instead, you tell the actor to "break a leg" (which is a theater superstition, along the lines of the ghost light that stays on at all times or never-ever saying the name of a certain Shakespeare play inside of a theater).  Considering how well Boylston managed to portray the theatrical world correctly, I was greatly surprised by this gaffe!

 

Other than that one flub, the book was another wonderful read, ending on a high note (despite the gloom of Harris Nichols) that takes Carol and Mike on to the next stage of their life (and if that doesn't give it away to you, then you have not been paying attention at all!).  The gorgeous black and white illustrations are once again provided by Major Felten, and the frontis piece is by far his best masterpiece of the series, showing Carol waking gracefully down a staircase in a stunning dress.  The color cover, also by Felten, displays Carol in her Shakespearean outfit as Nerissa, her eyes sparkling as she recites her lines on the stage.  The cover of the British edition is the same as the previous three books, with exception of the color, which changed for each book.  The British edition for this book is unique in one way - it is the only one of the four titles to use the same title as the American edition:  Carol on Tour.  

And with that, so comes to a close another wonderful series.  It is a true shame that Carol Page only had four books of adventures, as it would have been great to read her, Mike, and Julia's further adventures in New York and on Broadway as they took the theater world by storm!  Alas, all of those tales will remain forever untold...

 

RATING:  10 plain, wine-colored silk dresses out of 10 for sharing Carol's final theatrical adventures and ending the series in a very satisfying manner.

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32003 - Castle at Jade Cove

"She had become the focus of an evil she couldn't see, hear or feel - until it reached out its icy fingers to touch her ... " (cover blurb)

 

Well, with this book, it's three for three so far in this Harlequin Gothic Romance series of books.  All of the first three books in the series have been great reads.  And despite the first person point of view, of which I am not a big fan, the stories have been engaging, suspenseful, and while utilizing many standard gothic tropes, filled with just the right amount of mystery.  I could not find any information on the author, Helen B. Hicks, other than the fact that she (he?) wrote two other books in this Harlequin Gothic series, as well as a gothic romance published by Kensington under their Zebra line (Riversbend, published in 1987, a year after her last Harlequin was published).  Thus, I am not sure if Hicks is the actual name of the author or a pseudonym, as so many gothic authors are.  In either case, this book definitely has me looking forward to the other two books she wrote in this series!

Castle at Jade Cove is set in the 1800s and follows the journey of eighteen-year old Laurie Westfall from Massachusetts to California, where she has been sent by her now-deceased grandfather to live with the Howards.  It seems he had made a deal with Matthew Howard to look after Laurie should anything happen to him.  The only problem is, when Laurie arrives in Coventry and makes her way to the great house known as Jade Castle, she learns that Matthew is dead and his son, Jason Howard, is now managing the house and family business.  To make matters worse, Laurie has no money available to her, as her guardian back in Boston had control over her funds, and she may have accidentally killed him after he made inappropriate overtures toward her!

As with any good gothic, Jason permits her to remain at Jade Castle, as he wishes to honor his father's contract.  But Laurie quickly learns there are sinister secrets hidden within the walls of the great house.  The housekeeper, Mathilde, makes it no secret that she does not like Laurie and does not want her there.  The ranch manager, Ben Hollister, cannot hide his jealousy of Jason's wealth and position.  The woman who runs the boarding house in Coventry, Mrs. Speers, is blunt in her warning to Laurie to stay away from Jade Castle.  The cook, Yang Lee, is overly protective of his kitchen, with more than a hint of a threat behind his eyes at anyone who enters his domain.  The young lady, Annalee, is more than obvious about her intentions to win Jason Howard's heart - at any cost.  And then there is Jason Howard himself - a man who is said to care little about business and more about enjoying the pleasures of this life; yet, he is repeatedly leaving for San Francisco for days at a time for reasons he refuses to disclose.  Then there are the mysterious sobbings that Laurie hears at night - a woman's cries that everyone in the house insists are not real. Are they really a part of Laurie's imagination, or does the house harbor some dark mystery?

The typical gothic trope of the female protagonist's uncertainty between two men is played up well in this story, as Laurie falls head over heels for Jason, yet, at the same time, questions his motives and wonders if perhaps she should allow Ben to win her heart.  We also get the near-empty mansion with hidden rooms, a musty attic filled with relics of the past, and an almost soap opera-style secret that connects Laurie's own past to the history of this house and its family.  I also like the fact that the main character has a co-conspirator of sorts in the young maid, Jennie, with whom she finds not only a confidant, but also a willing helper with all of her plans (particularly the one to turn the tables on Annalee, who is dead-set upon keeping Jason out of Laurie's grasp!).  And I will admit, the mystery of the mysterious barges out in the cove, the secret tunnel leading from the house down to the cave on the shores below, and the plaintive cries in the night did turn out to have a rather unexpected resolution - not something I saw coming.  However, once Laurie learns what is really going on, she takes on an almost Nancy Drew-style "can do" attitude in wanting to put an end to the horrors taking place, even if that means putting an end to the man that she loves!

Hicks writing is strong, with the ability to build suspense and keep the reader wavering back and forth just as Laurie does in the story.  And when Laurie's connection to the Howard family does come out, it throws quite the monkey wrench into everything, leaving the main character in quite a quandary as to what to do next!

For once, we actually know who the artist is who provided the cover for the book, thanks to his signature on the art.  Leonard M. Goldberg gave us this beautiful illustration of Laurie running away from Jade Castle (a scene that is very reminiscent of Ruth Sanderson's cover art for Captive Witness, the 64th Nancy Drew Mystery Story which was published in 1981, three years prior to this book).  Goldberg was known for his covers to the Fu Manchu books, as well as many Harlequin novels and movie posters, and he even painted an iconic Camel cigarettes billboard in Times Square back in the day.  His talent is obvious, based on the magnificent cover to this book!

A good, solid read that was enjoyable from start to finish - looking forward to reading Hicks' other books in this series!

RATING:  10 silver and jade necklaces with matching earrings out of 10 for superb gothic suspense, mystery, and romance all rolled into one great story!