Short Lived Comic Series #28 - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Tower Comics)

I first came across T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents back in the mid-80s at my local comic store in Louisville when I saw the beautifully drawn cover of Deluxe Comics' first issue, as rendered by George Perez (probably the most magnificent comic artist ever in my book!).  I had never heard of the team before, and I thought it was a new concept, so I picked up that first issue.  If I recall correctly, I got the second issue after that, but I did not pick up any more because my money was limited and there were so many comics I wanted.  I never really gave much thought to that comic or those heroes again until many years later when DC Comics got the license for the characters and published a short-lived series featuring that team.  I enjoyed the stories and the heroes, so I decided to go back and hunt down those original books.  Little did I realize they would not be easy to find at prices I could afford!

The very first issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was published by Tower Comics back in the mid-60s (twenty years prior to my first introduction to the team) with a cover date of November 1965.  The name T.H.U.N.D.E.R. was an acronym (obviously, based on the periods after each letter!) that stood for The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves, an organization that worked hard to defend America and the world from the dangers that arose - particular those of a mysterious criminal known only as the Overlord.  That first issue was a 64-page comic for only twenty-five cents, and it featured the origin stories of Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor, alongside the first story of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad (a team made up of Guy, the leader; Dynamite, the weapons man; Kitten, the technical device expert; "Weed," the locksmith; and Egghead, the strategist).  The first issue also introduces readers to the Iron Maiden, a villain who would return time and again to both challenge and aid the Agents, and more specifically, Dynamo!  As with many comics from that time period, there were no credits displayed for the stories; however, it has since become common knowledge that Len Brown, Larry Ivie, Lou Silverstone, Dan Adkins, and Wally Wood scripted the stories, while Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, Gil Kane, George Tuska, and Mike Sekowsky provided the art.  I thoroughly enjoyed those first stories of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and found it to be a pretty solid start to the series.

The series lasted for a total of 20 issues over the course of five years (from 1965 to 1969), with the issues coming out less frequently towards the end of the series (there was an entire year gap between issues 19 and 20!).  While the cover price never changed from twenty-five cents, by issue 17, the page count decreased from 64 pages down to 48 pages for those last four issues.  Additionally, the last couple of issues were more reprint tales than new stories, and the last issue actually featured the origin story of Dynamo from issue one, but completely redrawn.  During the course of the series, two spin-off titles were published:  Dynamo, which lasted only four issues, and No-Man, which only had two issues published.  While Len Brown and Wally Wood provided the stories and art for a lot of the original tales, other creators came and went during the run, including Dick Ayers, Ogden Whitney, Jack Abel, Steve Ditko, and many others.

Dynamo was definitely the lead character for the title, as he appeared in more stories than another other, often having two stories in each of the early issues.  No-Man also had his own stories in each issue.  Menthor was surprisingly killed-off in issue 7 of the series in a powerful tale written by Dan Adkins and drawn by Steve Ditko and Wally Wood.  The story had an impact because the man behind the mask was originally a plant within the Agents by their enemy, but he eventually decided to take the path of good and right, which is what ultimately cost him his life as he tried to make it out and warn his fellow Agents of the threat awaiting them.  While the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents held on to Menthor's helmet (which is what gave him his powers), no one else ever wielded that power again during this original series.  

The team was not static, though, as two new members were introduced during its run.  In issue 4, Guy Guilbert, who was the leader of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad, was given a suit that granted him super-speed, but at the cost of knowing every time he used the speed, it shortened his life span.  He donned the costume anyway and assumed the name Lightning. He appeared in several individual stories, as well as team stories throughout the remaining issues.  Then, in issue 8, the team recruits an ex-trapeze artist / acrobat / gymnast by the name of Craig Lawson to wear a newly designed cape that allows its wearer to fly - and thus, the Raven is born!  At first, he plans to use the cape and its costume for his own profit, but eventually he becomes a part of the team and the hero he was meant to be.  I was hoping at some point they would add a female hero to the team, but, alas, that 20th issue came and went, the series ended, and the team remained exclusive to men (with the exception of Kitten, who was a part of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad and played only small parts here and there when the Squad would appear in the title).

The quality of the stories and art went down as the series progressed, and even the addition of Lightning and Raven was not able to keep the title afloat.  By December 1967 (issue 17), the series was already faltering, and issue 18 did not come out until nine months later (September 1968).  Issue 19 was published in November 1968, and the final issue a year later in November 1969.  Issues 18 and 19 were even published with no ads, featuring cover-to-cover action, but even that was not enough to save the title.  So, in November 1969, the series ended, and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents were sent off to comic book limbo...

Until 1983 when John Carbonaro acquired the rights to the title and its characters and relaunched the series under his JC Comics company.  There were only two issues of new stories published as T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, as well as three issues of reprints under a Hall of Fame: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents title.  There was also a one-issue crossover special with Justice Machine that same year published by Texas Comics.  The next year, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents resurfaced at Deluxe Comics, who published five issues of original stories over the course of three years (1984 - 1986).  The books featured gorgeous covers provided by George Perez (1 through 4) and Mike Machlan and Jerry Ordway (5), and the stories were actually very well done.  Sadly, that series came to an end because it turned out Deluxe did not have the rights to the characters to be able to publish stories about them.  In 1987, the Agents made a guest appearance in an independent comic called Thunderbunny (issue 11).

Eventually, DC Comics acquired the rights and published a 10-issue series in 2010, with a follow-up six-issue series in 2011.  In 2012, IDW got the rights and published an 8-issue series.

The original 20-issue series is definitely a classic, and the first half of that series, at least, is well worth the read.  The stories are well-written, there is great characterization, and the art is nicely done.  There is a lot of continuity among the stories, even between the individual and team tales.  Later issues seemed to move away from that and simply tell one-off stories, some of which were extremely unusual (including one where No-Man is taken off-planet!).  Nevertheless, it was this series that gifted the world with some unique and fun characters that have managed to stay in the comic world for nearly sixty years - will be curious to see where they show up next!

RATING:  7 super-charged belts out of 10 for creative characters and stories that were not afraid to take chances with something new!

Return to Romance: the Strange Love Stories of Ogden Whitney

Prior to reading this collection, I had never heard the name Ogden Whitney before.  Apparently, Mr. Whitney was a comic book artist and writer whose work mostly appeared in the golden age of comics, although he continued to work into the 1960s.  While I did not know the name, upon researching his work, I found I have heard of one of his more popular creations - Herbie (a comic about a "short, fat, deadpan young Herbie, constantly nursing a lollipop... [who was] one of comics' most powerful beings" - Herbie, by Ogden Whitney).  While I have never read an issue, I have certainly seen some of the comics at conventions and in comic stores over the years.  Surprisingly, though, I learned he provided art for issues of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and No-Man for Tower Comics, as well as for The Two-Gun Kid over at Marvel Comics.  But what this collection showcases is some of Whitney's work in the romance genre - particularly for My Romantic Adventures published by Best Syndicated Features in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Return to Romance (The Strange Love Stories of ... Ogden Whitney) collects nine stories published between 1959 and 1964 in various issues of My Romantic Adventures (issues 97, 110, 112, 121, 127, 130, 131, 132, and 138, although not presented in that order in this collection).  While the title of the book identifies these romantic tales as "strange love stories," the back cover blurb describes the stories as "an unsettling vision of midcentury American romance as a devastating power struggle, a form of intimate psychological warfare dressed up in pearls and flannel suits ... his men and women scheme and clash dominate and escape.  It is darkly hilarious, truly terrifying - and yes, occasionally even a bit romantic."  The introduction by Liana Finck and the afteward by Dan Nadel (one of the editors of this collection) both attempt to explain how these stories are twisted versions of the standard romance comics on the stands at the time, and that they stand out as some of the weirdest romance comics ever.  Yet, after reading all nine stories, I have to say - I did not find the stories to be twisted or weird at all - in fact, I found the stories to probably be more grounded in reality than most of the romance comic stories I have ever read!

Take, for example, the first story in this collection - "Return to Romance" (which is obviously the story for which this collection is named).  It is the story of Stan and Astrid Franklin.  Stan is a photographer and Astrid is his formerly beautiful wife.  But married life has caused a certain amount of settling, and Astrid has settled into the role of housewife without thinking about her appearance.  She has let herself go to the point where Stan divorces her for a younger, more attractive woman.  But the story does not end there!  Whitney gives Astrid the insight to realize what has happened, so she sets about restoring her vitality and beauty, and by the end of the story, Stan once again only has eyes for his former wife!   In today's society, this story may seem to place emphasis on the wrong things (i.e., a woman must be beautiful in order to keep a man!), but I think it goes much deeper than that.  I think Whitney's tale gives the reader a much more important moral - just because you are married no longer means you have to work at the relationship - you should still take care and keep that romance and love alive, and obviously that includes the outer appearance (after all - how many women complain about their husbands who, once they got married, let themselves go and become fat and bald - let's face it, it goes both ways!).  Thus, I would not call this story strange, but rather, an object lesson.

And so it goes with the remainder of the stories ... "The Red-Haired Boy and the Pug-Nosed Girl" is a tale of misunderstandings and competition that any number of people will be able to identify with ... "The Brainless Type" reminds readers that one must not judge someone based on preconceived notions ... "I Want a Real Man" actually gives readers a role-reversal of sorts, with the man being the object of the story, having to come to terms with what kind of person he really wants to be ... "Beat Romance" is another story about preconceived ideas (this time about how a doctor views a younger generation) ... "It's Never Too Late to Love" is a soap opera-style tale of a woman whose niece sets about to steal her one true love ... "The Guy You Love" gives readers a chance to decide whether love is more important than security ... "Courage and Kisses" deals with bravery and cowardice and how both can affect love ... and "Hard-Hearted Hannah" tells the story of a young woman burned by love, who sets out to prove that she does not need anyone else to succeed in life.

While the stories do provide happy endings for their protagonists, they do not come through good fortune or pure luck; rather, they come through hard work, sweat, and tears on the part of the protagonists, and usually, those lead characters learn a thing or two about life itself along the way.  These are, honestly, some of the best romance stories I have read.  And the art is somewhat minimalist in nature, as many of the panels have little to no backgrounds at all - simply the characters against a colored backdrop.  Which, quite frankly, works for these stories, as it keeps the reader attuned to the characters and not distracted by overly detailed scenery or backgrounds.  While I admit, I do love finely drawn detailed panels in comics (look at anything by George Perez, or check out the Mary Perkins, On Stage strip), they would not fit in these stories.  These stories are about the characters, not their settings.  What is behind them is, in most cases, irrelevant.  It is the drama that is occurring between and among the characters that drives Whitney's stories, so all the rest is unnecessary.  

If you are a fan of romance comics, then this is one collection that is a must-have for you to read!

RATING:  10 snazzy French import dresses out of 10 for not-so-strange tales of romance and reality that will really stop and make you think!