Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)
Number of readings: 1
Additional notes: intro by actress Lynda Carter (from the 1970s Wonder Woman TV show)
Back in the late 1980s, DC released a few "The Greatest ___ Stories Ever Told" of Superman, Batman, The Flash and, I believe, team-up stories. Then they seemed to lose interest in the enterprise. Recently they started releasing such compilations again (now with the character name at the beginning "___: The Greatest Stories Ever Told") and in addition to brand new Superman, Batman, etc. volumes, other characters who never got such collections before are being included. Such as, obviously, Wonder Woman.
I have a certain mixed feeling about such "greatest" or "best of" collections, often feeling the stories included tend to be a mixed bag, only some (if that) living up to the title. Heck, the very fact that DC can release new Superman and Batman collections with only some of the stories carried over from the earlier versions raise the question as to how "great" can the stories be. Of course, it partly boils down to what the selection editors are going for: when choosing from, literally, hundreds of stories, are you picking the most representative...or the most unusual? Etc.
Still, as much as such collections rarely -- to my mind -- justify their titles, I've picked up a few over the years simply because, the flip side, is that it can be fun to get a volume featuring a bunch of different stories, hopefully most of them half-way decent.
Which, at last, brings us to Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told.
This collects ten stories of the fearless Amazon, culled from the last sixty some years. And, once again, I can't necessarily say too many strike me as "great" -- but there is a high entertainment level. Partly, I suspect, because I tend to have mixed feelings about Wonder Woman in general, so the bar wasn't too high. But also because there seems to have been a real attempt to try and capture various creative periods of the character in a way that some other such collections almost seem to shy away from.
The 1940s period is represented by two tales, one, the second half of Wonder Woman's first appearance, depicting her arrival in America during WW II (and it's interesting how the 1970s TV movie starring Lynda Carter actually borrowed scenes from it), the other, "Villainy Incorporated", is a fun 30 page epic that involves her battling a collection of her greatest foes, while aided by recurring supporting characters like Professor Zool and Etta Candy and the Holliday Girls, and the action moving from Amazon Island to America, so it acts as a nice encapsulation of that era..
The semi-classic Robert Kanigher-Ross Andru team is represented by three tales covering the 50s to mid-60s. And it's here some editorializing might've been nice, explaining the choices. Because the first two Kanigher are enjoyable ("Top Secret", "Wanted - Wonder Woman") -- corny, simplistic, sure, but well told and fun and, I'd argue, among the best in this collection. Then the third Kanigher-Andru tale ("Giganta - The Gorilla Girl") seems...odd. Andru's art style seems cartoonier, Kanigher's script seems deliberately campy. And then you realize, maybe it was a reflection of an editorial shift -- the campy Batman TV series was a hit on TV, so presumably Kanigher and Andru were told to tweak their styles in that direction. That story also features the "introduction" of villainess Giganta -- but she also appeared in the 1940s tale. Again, an editorial could've explained that this was a reflection of DC's decision to shift its Golden Age adventures on to Earth 2, allowing then to "introduce" pre-existing characters to their Earth 1 Wonder Woman as if for the first time (in fact the story ends advising readers to watch for the return of more Golden Age foes).
The late '60s are represented by O'Neil and Sekowky ("Wonder Woman's Rival") and although the story tries for a bit of sophistication -- it's a mystery -- like a lot of comics, it's not that successful as a mystery (it's not like there are a lot of suspects to choose from!). But it involves Wondy going undercover in a hippy hang out and battling bikers. Sure, it's pretty goofy at times -- the erudite Amazon slipping into hippy patois without blinking an eye. But I liked the fact that it's rooted, however imperfectly, in its cultural era. Often these type of collections seem deliberately to avoid such stories, preferring to select more generic adventures. But what's the point of collecting six decades worth of tales if they don't reflect their various decades? The tale's also energetically illustrated by Sekowsky and inker Dick Giordano.
From the seventies comes a tale guest starring Green Lantern ("Wish Upon a Star") culled from a period of tales where Wondy was being considered for re-admission to the Justice League, so each issue involved a different League member observing her as she tackled a crisis. Including such a story perhaps makes sense -- as the arc ran over a number of issues and so qualifies as a significant 1970s "epic" (an epic composed of self-contained chapters). Though I question a run of stories where the comics' star is, in a sense, reduced to more co-starring status, as it's the guest star who acts as narrator and focal personality. According to some reviews of this collection, some fans felt there were better examples of the "Trial of Wonder Woman" period, but I wonder if this was chosen for the inimitable Curt Swan art -- an artist not usually assigned to Wondy. And maybe because, with a new Green Lantern series being published, DC felt GL was momentarily trendy.
Robert Kanigher returns, pinch hitting an issue (the collection almost serves as a reflection of the way Kanigher's style could shift to suit the times) paired with frequent '70s/'80s Wondy artist, Jose Delbo, in "Be Wonder Woman...and Die!" Reflecting the changing/maturing comics styles which this collection does fairly well, it's a busy tale mixing everything from international terrorism, to spies, to overt references to the Holocaust, but its core involves a pathos-tinged story about an actress playing the part of Wonder Woman in a movie. Conceptually, it's one of the best tales here...but the execution doesn't do it justice, suffering from clunky dialogue, remaining more an okay story with some great ideas.
The final two stories are from the modern era of stories. One ("Who Killed Mindi Mayer?"), from George Perez's well regarded run as writer/artist, is an effectively compelling detective tale involving the murder of a recurring supporting character -- though it's not really that effective as a whodunit?, per se. The final tale ("She's a Wonder!") jumps a few years and is by another writer/artist, Phil Jimenez, whose art style is very Perez-influenced. Eschewing the super heroics, it's a largely expository piece as Superman supporting character, reporter Lois Lane, narrates as she writes a profile of Wondy. It maybe serves as a good overview of current Wonder Woman mythos (maybe too much so, as the constant continuity references can be a bit bewildering to casual fans) but as a story, it's not much -- and reflects the problem I feel about a lot of comics these days. It's trying to impress us by being a character-piece...but it's more telling us about the character, rather than portraying the character.
It's also interesting that both the final stories, like the earlier 1970s tale, are narrated by other characters, so that Wonder Woman herself can almost seem like a secondary character. I've said before that I often have trouble getting a grip on her character, because often times it feels like the writers themselves are having trouble getting a grip on her character, and the frequency with which writers find excuses to shift the focus away from her (or, at least, the fact that the selection editors would regard those stories as among the best) kind of makes me wonder if I'm right.
Both final stories also reflect a, perhaps, troubling trend in modern comics. Comics have long been viewed as primarily "boys" entertainment, but it seems in the last two decades as though, instead of fighting against that, comic creators with overactive libidos are now embracing that notion, as more and more mainstream, super hero comics feature ridiculously scantily clad heroines and cheesecake covers that are liable to put off female readers. There's not much of that here, to be fair, but there's more overtly salacious comments about Wonder Woman and her physique in the final two stories than in all the other stories in this collection combined! (A reflection of just how extreme this trend has gotten is the fact that recently Playboy magazine featured a cover with a nude model wearing nothing but a painted-on Wonder Woman "costume" -- and apparently DC Comics wasn't particularly incensed at this depiction of their "inspiring" feminist icon!)
As mentioned, my biggest quibble is perhaps a lack of editorial commentary, explaining why these stories and establishing their place in a greater context (kind of like, well, what I'm trying to do with this review!) Maybe because they're hoping a collection like this will appeal to casual fans, or nostalgists, they thought it best not to get too confusing by explaining continuity, like the fact that, technically, this features three different Wonder Womans -- the 1940s stories became the Earth 2 Wonder Woman, the middle stories the Earth 1 Wonder Woman, and the final two, the post-Crisis Wonder Woman. (Actually, my favourite Wonder Woman stories tend to be from a period in the 1970s when they started doing retro tales of the WW II Wondy -- but maybe that would've required too much explanation). Likewise, other fans might have eras they felt were being snubbed, such as John Byrne's tenure as writer/artist.
Still, as I said, this is actually a pretty good collection, in so far as it tries to reflect the changing styles that Wonder Woman -- and comics -- have gone through over the years. How much that was intended, and how much just a reflection of the character (frequently working for the Dept. of Defense in her alter ego, maybe the stories can't help but reflect some of their shifting political climes, as Nazis, Cold War communists, and terrorists crop up in various stories) I can't say, of course. And, in other ways, the collection deliberately skips more extreme changes in the character -- during O'Neil's run, Wondy lost her powers and dropped her costume, becoming more a spy character (a style hinted at in the O'Neil story included here -- and, subsequently, DC released some TPBs devoted to that period entirely!). While during a later run, she was usurped of her role entirely and another character went around as Wonder Woman for a while. But as much as including such tales might have better reflected the character's long evolution, perhaps it was just as well to leave them out in a ten story collection, since most people picking this up will want to read about the spandex-clad Amazon named Diana.
Cover price: $__ CDN./$19.99 USA
Wonder
Woman: The Hiketeia 2002 (HC and
SC GN) 96 pages
Written by Greg Rucks. Pencils by J.G. Jones. Inks by
Wade Von Grawbadger.
Colours: Dave Stewart. Letters: Todd Klein. Editor: Bob Schreck.
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)
Numberof readings: 1
mildly for mature readers
Wonder Woman has always held a problematic position at
DC
Comics. On one hand, she's the oldest continually published super-heroine
in comics, and one of DC's three most recognizable icons -- but her sales
figures have always been tepid, and the character seems to undergo "new
directions" almost every time there's a a change in creative teams.
The Hiketeia is one of the very few times she's been featured
in a "graphic novel" -- and it works hard to justify itself. At a whopping
90 pages, well illustrated, with a thoughtful, moody premise, it definitely
wants to be a semi-classic in the making.
The story has Wonder Woman (who is an official ambassador
from the island of the Amazons, Themyscira) being approached by a young
woman, Danielle, who petitions her using the ancient Greek ritual of Hiketeia,
begging WW to grant her protection/sanctuary. WW agrees, aware that the
Furies -- creatures of vengeance and justice -- are lurking about. But
when Batman (eventually) shows up, WW learns her charge is wanted for murder
(which the reader already knew). To honour the Hiketeia, WW must defy Batman,
and modern law...yet to hand the girl over, and thus betray the Hiketeia,
will bring the wrath of the furies down on WW.
I'll say early that The Hiketeia is a good story -- a
solid, haunting effort to craft a tale that seems to justify the prestigious
treatment. But though I've read quite a few reviews on the web that thought
it was brilliant, for me it wasn't that good.
It's a bit thin, with few characters or plot twists. Writer
Rucka is happy to let artist Jones' visuals tell a lot of the tale in a
cinematic way, with the verbiage sometimes minimized. It works reasonably
well -- there aren't many instances of gratuitous padding (where an artist
might waste multiple panels showing a character walking down a street).
Jones' panels effectively convey the essential elements of a scene through
the proper close ups, or angles, so the pictures do tell the story. And
the art is quite striking and lavish, aided by the melancholy -- but not
oppressive -- colours. Ironically, Jones is probably weakest drawing Wonder
Woman herself. Oh, he does her well enough, but his Batman and the other
characters -- and the environments -- are even more effective.
It's a 90 page story that, though not slow (it moves along
reasonably well), it is deliberately paced. There are even sequences that
smack a little of padding -- like where Danielle offers to tell WW what
happened, and Rucka milks four pages out of that before WW finally lets
Danielle tell her story. In fact, I'd stick my neck out and say the whole
story could've even been told almost as well in just a regular 22 page
comic.
That's partly because, in a condensed version, it's easier
to forgive short comings since, well, the writer had to squeeze it in.
At 90 pages, weaknesses are more glaring.
Maybe it's because we saw Danielle commiting her crime
and fleeing from Batman, but it's hard to believe WW is surprised to learn
she's a fugitive. I mean -- why else would she come to WW and beg protection
using this ancient and binding ritual of honour? If she was an innocent
victim, wouldn't she have just asked for help? And the way Batman and Wonder
Woman get into a bit of a pissing match over their moral impasse just seems
awkward -- not the way two rational adults who've known each other for
years would deal with the situation. Granted, super heroes getting into
conflicts with each other are almost as old as the genre, but it seems
awkward in this ostensibly high brow opus (not that the conflict is as
extreme as some would've written it -- though made goofy by WW punching
Batman from a second story window and across a street...a blow that would
kill him in reality).
The story builds to a downbeat ending -- Rucka clearly
trying to evoke the very notion of the so-called Greek tragedy. But there
needs to be a certain inevitability...and I just didn't think the characters
had quite been painted into that corner. With that being said, another
problem with the story is that by setting Batman and Wonder Woman on such
mutually exclusive courses, neither one even seems to be pondering a compromise.
I know some people would say that's the point...but as a narrative, it's
weak, since neither character has a plan.
And that's not even getting into the legality of things,
such as if WW's home is really an embassy...does Themyscira even have an
extradition treaty with the U.S.?
As mentioned, there are a very limited number of characters,
and even Batman, though he appears in a few scenes, isn't really explored
as a character -- other than just to act as his one note, I-am-the-Law
avenger persona. I know I'm a broken record, but I find the modern style
of comics, where dialogue is often terse, and thought balloons are entirely
absent, tends to rob comics of their emotional/character aspect. And in
a story like this, where the action is secondary to the drama, the characters
and their motivations and feelings are everything.
But even with Wonder Woman, who narrates, I felt more
could've been milked from the story. Things hinge on her determined to
honour this ancient ritual...even once she learns her supplicant is a fugitive.
But...why? Because her word is her bond...or because the Furies will tear
her to pieces if she fails the trust...or because she sympathizes with
the girl? The fact that all three factors seem to play into it suggests
that even Rucka wasn't entirely sure what her overriding motivation should
be. He liked the concept of WW being bound by an oath that put her at odds
with Batman...but seems a bit wishy-washy on the why.
What might have made the story more rich, emotionally,
is if Rucka had maybe shown us a WW becoming a bit jaded by the cynical,
corrupt, modern world. A WW who sees honouring the hiketeia as an attempt
to reassert the notion of honour and principals in her life...in much the
way one might do a story about a defense lawyer who defends a guilty client,
but believes that he is upholding a greater principal in doing so. Rucka
may intend that a little bit -- certainly at the beginning WW muses about
law and civilization -- but it's not clearly articulated.
I liked Hiketeia, in much the same way that I liked Batman:
Absolution -- because there is a dignity and ambition to it, an attempt
to tell a "meaningful" story. But the very fact that it has such lofty
ambitions, means it has to live up to them, in plot, characterization,
theme...and like Absolution, it doesn't entirely. Hiketeia is a good read,
certainly something that will sit comfortably on your shelf, particularly
given the rarity of great WW TPBs/GNs. It's not a "fun" story, per se.
It's not angling to be THE Wonder Woman adventure epic, but as a more low-key,
sombre piece it's a respectable effort. But the first half is stronger,
setting up the story, than is the second half, which attempts to deal with
the story.
And it is expensive, both in hard and soft cover (I got
it ridiculously marked down).
Soft cover price: $29.95 CDN./ $17.95 USA.
Wonder
Woman: Lifelines
1998 (SC TPB) 160 pgs.
Reprinting: Wonder Woman (2nd series) #106-112
(1996) with covers.
Written
and Illustrated and lettered by John Byrne.
Colours: Patricia Mulvihill. Editor: Paul Kupperberg.
Rating: * * * (out of 5)
Number of readings: 2
As I sit down to write this, I'm
struggling to hold onto any vestiges of impressions I have from Lifelines.
The book can kill a few hours, I won't begrudge it that...it's just that
beyond that, there's little to say of importance. Or even to remember --
even after a second reading!
The first half has Wonder Woman
teaming up with the Phantom Stranger and (sort of) with Etrigan the Demon
to battle the sorceress Morgaine Le Fay (of the King Arthur mythos). The
second storyline (which had begun as a sub-plot during the Morgaine Le
Fay issues) has Wonder Woman battling unspeaking dopplegangers of dead
DC Comics characters such as the Silver Age Flash, and villains Sinestro
and Doomsday. The cause of these pseudo resurrections has to do with a
scientist who has attempted to recreate his dead son as a computer program.
Lifelines is sprightly paced and
moderate, cheesy fun but hardly a demanding read. John Byrne delivers lots
of BIG panels (often just two or three per page), lots of two-page spreads,
and lots of extended, city block destroying fight scenes, all held together
by the barest minimum amount of plotting and characterization he can get
away with. The scenes involving the grief stricken scientist, Dr. Lazarus,
work okay, but that's it as far as any real human emotion is concerned.
And even that aspect of the story wears thin because Byrne kind of does
all he intends to with it early on, then just repeats himself in the later
chapters. The story even ends with some (minor) threads still dangling!
Wonder Woman herself is an ill-defined
personality. Byrne gives her stilted dialogue, presumably to evoke her
mythological origins, but fails to make her a flesh and blood being. She
functions as a physical presence more than a human presence. And
throughout the stories, it's characters other than Wonder Woman
who figure out how to save the day! Likewise, Byrne's version of the Phantom
Stranger is more of a conventional crimebuster than the enigmatic figure
I think of him as being.
Still, it clips along, and the limited
panels prove the old saying about brevity being the soul of wit, in that
the very breeziness of it all, the very simplicity, is why it can be enjoyable
as just super herioc hijinks.
The art is decent enough. Once an
artist known for his smooth lines and intricate details, here Byrne's trying
for a sketchier style that's more evocative of Gil Kane's later style,
or Joe Kubert, without quite pulling it off as well as either of those
guys. Still, it's not bad, telling the tale well enough, though he definitely
needs shadows in his art, to create mood and dimension.
Why this run of issues was collected,
I don't know. Given that there aren't many Wonder Woman collections out
there (at least at the time), one wonders why these issues were
selected for special treatment. Perhaps it's the guest stars galore (something
I kind of associate with Byrne's work) -- Phantom Stranger and Etrigan,
plus bit parts and cameos from Arion, Superman, Vandal Savage, General
Immortus, not to mention the false versions of Flash, Sinestro and Doomsday,
plus Byrne-created Mr. Champion, a new superhero with a hidden agenda (introduced
here but not fully explored in these issues) and a new Wonder Girl who's
one of those precocious (a.k.a. obnoxious) kids that comics writers seem
to love creating.
There are some pages which are comprised
of only a couple of panels surrounded by huge margins that occupy half
the page -- though I think that was done to spread a single page over two
pages, to pace things out better for some of the two page spreads Byrne
indulges in (if that makes sense).
Check your brain at the door and
it's an O.K. time-waster...but nothing more.
Original cover price: $13.95 CDN./$9.95
USA.
Wonder
Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?
2007 (HC & SC TPB) 138 pgs.
Reprinting: Wonder Woman (3rd series) #1-4, Annual #1 (2006-2007)
Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)
Number of readings: 1
This collects the first arc from a newly numbered Wonder Woman series -- but it's not a completely new jumping on point, having plenty of references to what's gone before. At the same time, it perhaps better justifies the re-start than some, in that this follows on a (seeming) endless series of DC's "event" mini-series and cross company storylines which resulted in Wonder Woman (and a few other heroes) supposedly disappearing from the public eye for a year.
As such this new series can pick up from that point: Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira, hasn't been heard from for months -- not since she killed a villain in one of those dubious comic book rationales of, "sure, you wouldn't want to make a habit of it...but hey, some people just need killing."
Trying to fill her boots is Donna Troy, the former Wonder Girl. And the story starts with Donna arriving at a hostage taking wherein some of Wonder Woman's old adversaries are demanding Wonder Woman come out of hiding and face them. Along with Donna, there are agents of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, including Nemesis (who seems to have undergone some personality changes since his days as a Brave and the Bold back-up feature by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle -- a series that could warrant a TPB collection, by-the-by). The Department is a government organization that acts as both a watchdog of, and liason with, the super hero community. And along with them is their newest agent -- Diana Prince, secretly the former Wonder Woman having renounced her super hero identity.
I came to this story arc backwards, having read issues from a bit later in the new series first. But Alan Heinberg's opening arc shares some traits with Gail Simone's later issues. And that is a strange, ineffable sense of...fun.
The story that unfolds (or careens) over the next few issues, climaxing in the ridiculously delayed final chapter seeing life as Annual #1 (when it was originally slatted for issue #5!), is fast paced, chock full of affectionate nostalgia as the story manages to involve a teaming of various of Wonder Woman's key adversaries, as well as her various sidekicks like Donna and Cassandra (the new Wonder Girl) -- not to mention appearances from Batman and both the JLA and JSA. And though definitely heavy on the continuity references with all those familiar faces, and references to the killing that sent Diana into self-imposed retirement, it's generally explained as you go and doesn't feel too much like a turgid wade through fanboy minutia. That is, you don't have to be an expert on all things Wonder Woman to get what's going on.
The plot is paced more like an old movie serial than a thoughtful drama, but has enough plot twists and talky scenes to have a semblance of substance. Heinberg structures his story rather cleverly, with its provocative title asking "Who's Wonder Woman" and a plot that has the Wonder Woman identity being passed around like a hot potatoe between different characters. So though you know it'll presumably end up being Diana by the end, you can pretend there's some mystery to it. As well, the title even takes on secondary meaning.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of this "new direction" for Wonder Woman is having her assume her Diana Prince alter ego. When Wonder Woman was re-invented back in 1987, she was simply Wonder Woman, ambassador from the Amazons. Fans of the last two decades see the use of an alter ego convention as a betrayal of that version. But Wonder Woman used a Diana Prince alter ego for 45 years before that -- so, to older fans, it can't help but be embraced as a familiar face. Besides, I'd argue giving her an alter ego is a less drastic change than taking one away -- it can be used as much, or as little, as the writer wants. Eliminate an alter ego, and it restricts story options.
And maybe it's because of the plain clothes alter ego that the story feels a bit lighter, a bit more relaxed, like it, and the character, is letting her hair down. It isn't that Heinberg has neglected the essence of the personality -- he doesn't have her talking in slang or cracking wise. But she seems more approachable, more likeable, and this likeability further adds to why the story works. And this is an approach that he applies to other characters, as well. His Batman is positively chummy. And you know what? It's nice to see.
But the "fun" and lightness is a two edged sword. On one hand, instead of dealing with the emotional repercussions of taking a life (as Superman did in a similiar story -- again, 'cause some folks jest need killin') Heinberg acknowledges it but almost seems to want to just move on as quickly as possible as opposed to using it as the foundation for the new series. But there's an emotional light-weightness to the story overall. Diana's friends are miffed at her disappearance...but it doesn't really last. Donna is kidnapped by the villains, but though Diana wants to rescue her, you don't really get the sense that she's that worried. Even the core concept that Diana doesn't want to reassume the Wonder Woman roll doesn't really gel into any gripping emotional scenes. Plenty of super heroes have hurled their costumes dramatically across the room and sworn "No more!" With Diana, it more seems as though, well, she'd just rather not. Even the notion that the villains don't necessarily see themselves as the villains -- ideas rife with moral and emotional grey areas -- is tossed in and tossed off rather abruptly.
There's dubious logic at times, particularly in the climax and the abrupt way the conflict is resolved -- glaring given the long delay before it finally saw print.
The art by Terry and Rachel Dodson I think, though, is a big appeal of the series. I say "I think" because I've had mixed reactions to the art, with Dodson's style a little cartoony, a little too plasticy (with skin sheening like plastic more than flesh). But at the same time, there's a pleasing realism, too, with Dodson eschewing too much exaggeration or distortion, for bodies that move like human bodies move. And his Wonder Woman is truly beautifiul, walking a fine line of being sexy...without sliding overmuch into exploitive cheesecake. I think it's the open-lined art that adds to the sense of vivaciousness that seems to permeate the comic. And there's some nice composition. When Diane finally transforms into Wonder Woman (in that swirling way that is probably the most ill-explained switcheroo in comics), it's a two-page spread that's positively...iconic. You can practically hear the 1970s TV theme playing in your ears.
Gary Frank (inked by Jon Sibal) draw a 13 page short (from Annual #1) that provides a convenient run down on Wonder Woman and her friends and foes -- usseful for the casual reader, though contains some of Frank's ugliest art!
It's the superficiality that keeps the arc from being great...even as maybe it contributes to why it's rather enjoyable. It's a breezy, super hero adventure, yet connected to the Greek mythology of the character, drenched in a respect for Wonder Woman lore and history, with a few nods to deeper philosophizing, and peopled by likeable enough characters.
Fun.
This is a review of the story as it was first serialized in the monthly comics.
Cover price: ___ Back to Wonder Woman reviews Page One
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Written by Alan Heinberg. Pencils by Terry Dodson, with Gary Frank. Inks by Rachel Dodson, with Jon Sibal.
Colours: Alex Sinclair, with David McCaig. Letters: Rob Leigh. Editor: Matt Idelson, Nachie Castro.
