345. The Mystery and Madness of Weird War Tales #46 ... DC ...

My bad ... in the last review, I sort of typed the title as what I always remembered but now that I re-checked it, the above is correct. It is that lengthy

And for this issue, although I do not recognize the artist signature on the cover but it is dead brilliant! Have a peek and see. Look at that terrified German soldier as he backed away from a hand that emerges from the catacombs below! Awesome!

Inside this brilliant cover are three stories - each totally different from the other. The first is about a group of German soldiers lost and separated and trying to find their way home only their kindly host is no what he seemed although the ending is uplifting for both parties

The second story takes place before WW2 about Spanish conquistadors who wanted to rule more than their fair share of land. They encountered trouble from the natives but instead of learning from their experience, when their fallen leader returns to them, they rejoiced and follows him ever onward ... onward into the waiting arms of ... SPOILER ALERT

For the final tale, we jumped forward to the ends of the world where a family goes on living after a nuclear war just trying to survive and it is a very simple tale ... that seemed pointless as the short fight and the family inside appears disjointed with no sense of urgency whatsoever

Ratings: 5/10

344. Weird War Tales #86 ... DC ...

From one war comic series to another, eh? Remember in the past 2 reviews I mentioned collection or compendium style of comics? Well this series is a prime example as all the stories are contained and in fact in each comic there are several types of stories including the one-pager and two-pager-s. Maybe back in those days of no internet/ colour TV and minimal entertainment such comics would work but today? When the price of a new Marvel is 80% more than the price of a movie and a comic can be read in 10 minutes ... not likely, bro!

First up, the Kubert cover is quite good ... as usual he is a hero when it comes time for emotions. Look at the fleeing soldier's face and the sergeant who is fading away. A few lines on the eyes and we get the message clearly on what each is feeling and thinking - awesome!

The contents of this issue is rather limited as it is divided into 2 stories of about equal length. The story on the cover is the second tale and like the cover, it is about a recovering GI who keeps saying that it is because of him that people disappear. And what he finally did as the world didn't believe him is touching and definitely worth a read or two

As for the opening story, sad to say, while interesting, failed to touch us as much as tale #2 did. It's about a fight on the seas where frozen ice floes drifted and something from another era emerged ... both parties naturally are confused ... and the ending is too predictable as it is viewed from the victors (read that as American) perspective

Ratings: 6/10

343. Star Spangled War Stories featuring the Unknown Soldier vol 1 #201 ... DC ...

You know how in war movies the good guys are always having it over-the-top lucky and easy? Well, no difference here in comics but hey it's all good because our thrill is seeing those men in Nazi uniforms get their comeuppance, eh? Hehehe!

Check out the opening sequence

Anyway in this issue, the war is no longer abroad but right at home as we see Germans coming into the country itself under disguise and then finding fellow sympathisers to their causes to rally together and create havoc

What's Soldier's duty?

Infiltrate and nab the bad guys only except in this case, the bad guys ... well, they are not black-n-white if you know what I mean and at the end of it all, it leaves the Soldier with a bad taste in the mouth. Aces!

Ratings: 6/10

342. Star Spangled War Stories featuring the Unknown Soldier vol 1 #198 ... DC ...

What a mouthful for a title eh? But the fact is that comics in the 70s and going through 80s had volumes where the stories and characters are more experimental. Experimental means in each comic there may be several stories - some are short (even a couple of pages) and some are serials continuing from each comic to the next and whichever character proves popular will have run of the mag or even promoted to his or her own solo mag

This is what happened even in Marvel - example Thor sprang from Journey into Mystery

As for my labelling this as volume 1, it is because to me after this long run by the Soldier, his next run was a 12 issue series followed years later by a 4 issue series in Vertigo

Now with that out of the way, isn't it nice we are not reviewing a number 1? Hah!

Also do note that usually the covers are not necessarily relevant to the interiors and in this comic there are 2 tales. First up is the Soldier who is facing execution for being a traitor to the allies. Cue: flashback as he went on a mission and thought it was a success oblivious to the fact that while he was running around trying to be clever, for once, the Germans have some tricks up their own sleeves

So naturally at the end of this tale, our Soldier escapes. Otherwise no next issue eh? But this is not the end as he then have to find a way to clear his name

Now I am not a fan of short tales but this issue's back up or flipside is awesome. It's about 3 soldiers who are injured. One who is blind, one who is without leg use and such. And the hospital they are recuperating is suddenly under attack. The way they work together to take down the Germans is just plain intelligent ... although I find the last bit trying to make light rather .. off because that makes this tale feel more like an afternoon cartoon serial where a moral is pounded into your head at the end of each episode, know what I mean?

Ratings: 8/10

221. Uncanny X-Men vol 1 #190 & 191 ... Marvel ...

Back in Chris Claremont, writer extraordinaire's hey day, this is the type of work he can produce on a regular basis. As if the past few years' run of non stop good tales was not sufficient to earn him a slip up, as if the past few issues of over-the-top action was not enough, here he comes with another 2-parter that just kicks so much  @$$

The opening issue wastes no time as we see a world immediately transformed and left us wondering in the first few pages WTF happened from the last issue to this! As it is, a green curtain has thrown up around Manhattan and anyone and anything within, is transformed to something from the age of Conan the Barbarian

And with that transformation, everyone sort of loses their sense of self including remembering that they had been transformed. Who is responsible? Kulan Gath - and this is the guy whose plot has been building up in the form of a necklace found by a dock worker (see how sub plots take months to develop and BANG unleashed as something big?)

So while the outside world is trying to understand what is going on, inside the curtain, all is not well. Like any new power, there are those who support (Callisto) and those who object (Avengers). Amongst all these is Spider Man who for some reason is totally unaffected by the master spell. So naturally Gath has it in for the Spider by sending his people to hunt Spiderman down

Everyone and we mean everyone is featured besides Spidey, we have the aforementioned Avengers (Wasp is some disgusting insect!) and the New Mutants (bad guys too) and the X-Men (naturally). The great thing about Marvel tales of that era is that they somehow managed to squeeze so much into 2 issues with no crossover to other issues!

Ummm do we need to say that huge fight ensues?

Oh yes and we learn a bit more about Selene whom we were given a heap ful from last issue

Ratings: 9/10

161. Weird War Tales #55 ... DC Comics ...

Although it is short but the main story in this comic is interesting

During the war, the axis discovered a powerful creature and instead of panicking and killing it, the axis powers decided to train it to kill allied soldiers. The technique employed? Pavlov's experiment style ... so it came to the Allied soldiers who infiltrated ... that they were being decimated by this strange creature ...

... until one chap managed to turn the tables on the bad guys ... without harming the innocent creature

Ratings: 6/10

160. Weird War Tales #82 ... DC ...

The good thing about comics like these are that you do not need to read them in any proper sequential order. O sure there are occasionally references to a previous issue (like origins) and once in a blue moon a storyline that runs beyond one issue but they are straightforward and you can more or less understand with little confusion

This particular issue's cover is the main story and again, it more or less tells us what happens within

Basically, in an occupied territory of the Nazis, some of the soldiers took advantage of their positions by looking for local ladies to serve them. Some are nothing more than sex slaves while others fall in love. Unfortunately being the brutes that they are depicted, naturally they offended the wrong people

So one of the ladies decided to do ... as the cover shows ... a little magic ...

The head honcho falls head over heels in love with his little lady ... and every trip, she asks for a little souvenir/ keepsake. If he rejects or refuses, then she rejects or refuses him ... and to his own surprise, he finds he wants her so badly that he would do anything or rather give anything ... and so ... over time, she assembles enough pieces of souvenir from him to exact her own brand of revenge

No this is NOT a spoiler ... the cover has already told you all that much without spelling it out, that's all

Ratings: 6/10