By the late 1970s, Len Wein had become a household name in DC Comics for creating the horror character and title Swamp Thing (with Bernie Wrightson). Wein had also worked on the Batman titles such as Detective Comics and Batman, developing the Dark Knight Detective after Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams transformed him into a more gothic and urban hero. His brief, yet memorable stint on Justice League of America (vol 1) (100-114) had also boosted Wein’s name among fans. Out of all of the titles I’ve just mentioned, undoubtedly the one that Wein is most known for is Swamp Thing, since he co-created the character which has since become very popular. Yet, Wein’s adventures in the supernatural and horror genre of comics were far from over. Originally in 1978, Wein and fellow writer Gerry Conway wrote a script over twenty pages featuring Deadman, who first appeared in Strange Adventures 205 in 1967 by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino. The character had become popular with the advent of Neal Adams but just a year after Deadman was created, Strange Adventures was cancelled. But Deadman was to return in Showcase 105 by Wein and Conway, with art by Jim Aparo. Of course, it never happened since Showcase was cancelled (more bad luck for Deadman). However, Wein was keen to write for Deadman and he was given just around ten pages or so every two months to write a story featuring the dead aerialist. Ten pages over two months? It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Yet, Wein made it work and for the first time in nearly a decade, Deadman appeared as a regular character in a title, in this instance it was Adventure Comics, where artist Jim Aparo had already been very busy working with characters such as the Spectre and Aquaman…
In this review covering Len Wein’s short, but memorable run on Adventure Comics writing Deadman, I will be reviewing:
Murder Haunts The Midway/The Canvas Inferno/Pursuit/The Sins Of The Father/Mind Over Murder --- Adventure Comics 459-463
Requiem For A Deadman --- Adventure Comics 464
Brick Battleground --- Adventure Comics 465
Never Say Die/The Man Who Was The World --- Adventure Comics 466/DC Comics Presents 24
Adventure Comics 459-466 was published bi-monthly from October 1978 to December 1979, while DC Comics Presents 24 was published in August 1980. All the stories were written by Len Wein (Gerry Conway co-wrote Adventure Comics 464), with Jim Aparo,
Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Dick Giordano and Frank Chiaramonte as the artists. Lastly, I have read these stories in the Deadman: Book Four trade paperback.
Murder Haunts The Midway/The Canvas Inferno/Pursuit/The Sins Of The Father/Mind Over Murder --- Written by Len Wein with art by Jim Aparo, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Dick Giordano and Frank Chiaramonte
THE STORY
Returning to Hill’s Circus, Deadman (feeling down and depressed) enters a circus tent to watch his brother, Cleveland Brand, perform his aerialist act as the new Deadman. While Cleveland’s daughter Lita worriedly watches her father perform his act, she is reassured by Cleveland’s wife, Inga. However, unknown to them, Deadman possesses the body of his brother, wanting to re-experience his old life. Suddenly, Cleveland is shot by somebody in the crowd, shocking Deadman who is instantly reminded of his own death and his long journey to find his killer, the Hook, who worked for Sensei and the League of Assassins. Since then, Deadman had met different heroes such as Batman and the Phantom Stranger, before Rama Kushna herself summoned Deadman to return to Hill’s Circus. Presently, Deadman falls in his brother’s body and twists it in midway, allowing for Tiny the Strongman to grab hold of him before he hits the floor. After seeing that Cleveland is still alive and well, Deadman heads out and finds the shooter. Yet, when Deadman possesses the bodies of passers-by in order to fight the shooter, he nearly gets an innocent man killed. But, when Deadman enters the shooter’s body, the shooter fights against his presence and pulls a gun out before shooting himself in the head. After screaming in rage, Deadman heads back to Hill’s Circus, where Inga begs to go back home as she believes her own people are behind the shooting. Yet, Vashnu tells everybody that mysterious forces are at work here…
In the morgue, Deadman searches for the body of the shooter, but discovers that the body had just been taken away by somebody minutes before. Finding the hearse carrying the body, Deadman follows it and learns that the corpse has been stolen by gangsters, on the orders of their boss. Meanwhile at Hill’s Circus, Lorna is visited by Mr Winchell, who attempts to buy the circus from them, but Tiny threatens him by throttling him, before ordering him to leave. Once Mr Winchell leaves, Cleveland appears with Inga, who is worried that Mr Winchell is from her homeland, searching for her. At the same time, Mr Winchell phones his boss, Mr Solomon about what happened, but Solomon tells him to try again. Afterwards, Solomon visits one of his prisoners, Mr Kronsky and tries to get some information out of him. Arriving at a chemical plant, Deadman watches as the gangsters move the shooter’s body out of the hearse and into the building, where they prepare to throw the body in a vat of acid. Although Deadman intervenes and possesses the body of one of the gangsters to fight, his mission fails as the shooter’s body falls into the acid. Back at Hill’s Circus, Lita speaks with Vashnu about Cleveland when suddenly, the tent catches fire. Deadman arrives just in time and possesses Cleveland’s body and saves Lita and Vashnu from the flames. Elsewhere, Mr Kronsky fakes a heart attack to attract the attention of a guard. Mr Kronsky then knocks the guard out and begins his escape…
Learning that the law are closing Hill’s Circus to investigate the fire, Lorna notices the arrival of Mr Winchell, who tries once again to buy the Circus. Although Tiny proceeds to fight Mr Winchell, Lorna tells him to come back in 24 hours and they will have an answer for him. Shocked, Deadman follows Mr Winchell, who phones Solomon, who tells Mr Winchell that he wants Hill’s Circus now. Thinking about the name Solomon, Deadman remembers that the chemical plant where the gangsters disposed of the shooter’s body was owned by Solomon. Meanwhile, Mr Kronsky attempts to escape from Solomon’s building, but he is caught again. At the same time, Deadman is somehow drawn to Mr Kronsky by Rama Kushna and he finds him being attacked by Solomon’s guards. However, Deadman possesses the two gangsters to fight one another, allowing Mr Kronsky to escape into the city. Disappointed that his guards couldn’t recapture Mr Kronsky, Solomon tells them to try and find him before he reaches Hill’s Circus. While Inga looks after Cleveland and tends to his gun wound, she is reminded by her husband that communist agents from her own country won’t be searching for her. At the same time, Lorna and Tiny find Mr Kronsky hiding and they chase after him and catch him, believing him to be the one who burned down the tent. However, Inga appears and tells Tiny not to hurt Mr Kronsky, since she reveals that he is her father…
Reminiscing the events since Cleveland was shot, Deadman witnesses Inga speak with Kronsky, who explains that he had faithfully served Russia all of his life, but when his wife died and he was taken away from Inga, he created a device of great-value and left Russia with the help of friends. He headed to America searching for Inga and he met with Solomon, offering to sell his invention to him for money. However, Solomon took Kronsky captive, before he managed to escape and get to the circus. Kronsky then explains that his valuable device is the encephalopathic transmogrifier, which can turn thought into solid matter. Deadman realises that the deice can bring him back to life, but when Kronsky explains the device is currently hidden in a large wooden elephant hanging over one of the tents, Solomon and his gangsters appear. Once Solomon orders his goons to retrieve the wooden elephant, Deadman possesses Lita and then Tiny to attack Solomon and his goons using different objects nearby. Then, the whole of Hill’s Circus appear and attack Solomon and his gangsters. Deadman then possesses Kronsky and retrieves the transmogrifier device, causing Deadman to leap out of his body in pain. The wooden elephant then transforms into a helmet, which Kronsky wears. He heads towards Solomon and his gangsters, who begin to age incredibly quickly, before they die, causing Kronsky to shout that he now has the power…
Shocked, Inga tries to take the helmet off her father, but he uses it to freeze her. Kronsky then traps Cleveland using it, but when Vashnu walks forward and tells him that he wants to help him, Kronsky is calmed down and he takes the helmet of, apologising to everybody. Alone, Deadman screams that he cannot use the helmet since it will destroy him, and he believes that Rama Kushna is laughing at him. Again, Deadman tries to take the helmet from Kronsky in his sleep, but it causes too much pain. Then, Deadman possesses Inga’s body in order to use the helmet and transform Deadman into solid living matter, but it suddenly fails with an explosion. Then, Mr Winchell appears and puts on the helmet. Meanwhile, Kronsky wakes up and searches for the helmet, with Cleveland accompanying him. In a tent, they find Inga tied up by Mr Winchell, who is wearing the helmet. Possessing Cleveland, Deadman fights Mr Winchell and defeats him by throwing his body in a tank full of water, destroying the helmet. Although Kronsky is saddened, he is reminded by Inga and Cleveland that he still has his family with him. Meanwhile, Deadman is spoken to by Rama Kushna, who tells him that the helmet wouldn’t have worked since it is a creation of science and he is a supernatural being. Rama Kushna then tells Deadman that he may remain the way he is for eternity.
MY THOUGHTS
Although each individual part of this story is just about half the length of a regular full-sized issue, Wein manages to fit this rather detailed plot in well, while also using the small length in order to create some great cliff-hangers and moments in the story that make it a definite classic for Deadman. In just the first part, Wein creates a compelling and interesting plot with unexpected details and shocks. The very beginning works excellently since everything seems to be going fine. We are reintroduced to the characters from Hill’s Circus, along with some new ones. But then, when Cleveland Brand is shot, it doesn’t feel at all meaningless or trivial. Cleveland had been introduced to us in the Strange Adventures stories during Jack Miller’s and Neal Adams’s run and he was a good strong character. Because of that, his apparent death at the very start of the story is a genuine shock that perfectly sets up the rest of the story. Although we discover quickly that Cleveland hasn’t been killed, we are still in for more surprising storytelling since Wein kills off his shooter with suicide. For a comic (continued)
of its time, this moment is especially dark and very unexpected. Wein purposely avoids the generic hunting down shooter story and replaces it with something much more intricate and engaging. It also adds a huge element of mystery to the story which works in its favour, since it hides us from what Solomon really wants a bit longer. For the next two parts, the mystery and suspense are built up even further, with many unexpected events such as the tent catching fire and the brief closure of Hill’s Circus. Throughout this time, Solomon is displayed as a very mysterious and dangerous character. You aren’t at all sure what his real intentions are and why he is persistent in wanting to close the circus down. And what is his fascination with Kronsky. These elements are kept secret until the penultimate part of the tale and Wein allows us to begin to work it out, while also throwing in some unexpected moments in to develop the story. And although the middle of the story may feel like padding as the plot progresses rather slowly, I think it works well since it builds up to the conclusion of the story while adding even more mystery to it. In fact, the story begins to really take off at the very end of the third part. Cleveland’s wife, Inga, is a brand-new character and I’m glad that Wein has just forgotten about her. There is nothing worse than introducing a new character and doing basically nothing with them. Throughout of the story, you know that Inga’s character will change since she is constantly worried about the Russians trying to find her because of her father. This is never explicitly stated and when Kronsky is revealed to be father, everything starts to click into place. Due to the short length of each individual issue, the fourth part may turn some people off due to the amount of exposition it contains. However, I think was essential to explain the background behind Kronsky and why he needed to feature in the story. His background involving his daughter Inga adds some depth to their characters, while also raising the stakes of the story, since Solomon wants Kronsky’s invention, the transmogrifier helmet. You learn that Solomon only cares about business and how much the helmet is worth. Not much of a surprise, but the real shocker comes at the ending of part four. As usual, Wein creates an excellently unexpected cliff-hanger with Solomon’s death, displaying the real power of the helmet and how much of a threat it could be. In the final part, there are mainly two plotlines running through it: destroying the helmet and Deadman trying to bring himself back to life. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the story falls apart in the last part, but it does feel rather empty and hollow in some areas, the main one being a decent villain. The villain we got in the last issue was Mr Winchell, who was basically Solomon’s lacky who takes the helmet for himself. Sure, it’s a rather unexpected twist that he is the final villain, but I really think that Solomon should have been left alive at the ending of part four and it was just his goons that died. Then, Solomon would have been the final villain as he has been built up for long enough. Mr Winchell appeared in only a few scenes and you are more surprised that he actually came back, let alone as a villain. That said, the other plot in the final part with Deadman trying to reconstruct himself works incredibly well. For a ghost of sorts, Deadman is written in an incredibly human way and all he really wants is to be alive once again. Therefore, his failure to achieve his goal is very heavy yet expected since the character just needs to continue. In fact, Deadman’s character is definitely one of Wein’s strong points since he captures him incredibly well, especially with his sarcasm and the knowledge that he can say anything, and nobody will hear it. But what works brilliantly is the fact that in not just this story, but in all of the others in Wein’s run is that nobody knows that Deadman is present. They don’t know that he is the one who saved the day and really why should they? I would hate it if there are was a wink or a nod to Deadman which a character understands, as it completely destroys the mystery behind the character. Anyway, Wein also captures the other characters in the story very well and they are all very three-dimensional. A prime example of this is Solomon, who is a very cunning criminal with business as his main priority and function in life. He is a villain that works very well because of his persistence. Some of the other main characters like Tiny and Vashnu shine here, since they are characters in the story who are very crucial to it by their actions. Despite the issues themselves being very short, meaning that a lot has be inserted into them for a full plot, the pacing here is brilliant and even when it feels as if there is quiet a bit of padding in the middle, the story is very smooth and fluent. It never feels dull and it never becomes a chore to read, something which Len Wein does well with all of his stories. There is so much excitement and energy flowing through both the plot and characters that this story is a definite classic for Deadman.
In terms of the art, well, its drawn by two absolute masters. The first three parts are pencilled and inked by Jim Aparo, who depicts Deadman flawlessly. In fact, I think he is the best artist who ever drew Deadman, mainly for the fact that he actually draws him like he is really dead. Neal Adams’s Deadman was very good, but it always looked a bit too much like somebody in a suit and although it is, I think its better to use the costume to depict the fact that he is dead. There aren’t many artists who have done that, Kelley Jones springs to mind and Aparo is definitely the best at that. As usual, his storytelling is brilliant here and its takes full advantage of the character and lighting. His own inks over his pencils look stunning as well, creating a rather urban look to the stories. Although Aparo unfortunately leaves after just three issues, his replacement in the form of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is also great. His style may be smoother than Aparo’s, but it still works incredibly well, and the storytelling is on point. The inks by Dick Giordano and Frank Chiaramonte are great and they work with Garcia Lopez’s brilliant art style. Honestly, I would take the art of Jim Aparo and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez over Neal Adams any day of the week.
Story: 9/10
Art: 9.5/10
Requiem for A Deadman --- Written by Len Wein and Gerry Conway with art by Jim Aparo
THE STORY
Wandering around the streets of Gotham, Deadman thinks about his life while possessing a nearby man to kiss a woman, who then slaps him. Then, Deadman hears his name Boston Brand being called. The call becomes louder and louder until he is forced to follow it. In Psi-Lab One, four scientists, Dr Annabelle Lee, Dr Conrad Cabel, Dr Jessica Trent and Dr Ted Brooks try to summon Boston Brand with a séance. However, Annabelle gives up and tells the others that they are scientists, not witches. Then, Jessica explains that they must continue otherwise S.T.A.R Labs will close them down due to the ongoing problems in the facility. Once they try the séance again and Deadman appears. In pain, Deadman sets the room on fire and the doctors are (continued)
seemingly trapped. However, Deadman possesses Ted and he rescues the other scientists from burning to death. Although the scientists blame Deadman for what happened, he himself doesn’t think so and stays around to investigate. The next morning, Deadman witnesses the lab’s Ecto-Mek short-circuit, which the scientists once again believe Deadman is behind. Deadman then possesses the body of Conrad and accuses Annabelle of sabotaging the project since she has been proven wrong about the idea of a poltergeist haunting the lab. Suddenly, the celling collapses and Deadman saves Annabelle. Then, Deadman tells the scientists that there isn’t a poltergeist, but it is a human mind which is causing all the strange events to unfold. He then accuses Annabelle of being a telepath, which although it is dismissed, Jessica decides to use hypnosis on Annabelle in order to search for possible telepathic powers. Suddenly, the lab begins to fall apart, and the scientists realise that it is Annabelle’s mind which is causing it. Deadman then enters her mind, but he is quickly driven out by a strange dark entity. Jessica then examines Annabelle and discovers that she is comatose, enraging Deadman. After Annabelle is put in hospital, Ted shouts that Deadman is behind what happened, and he comes up with an idea to drive him out for good. Meanwhile in the lab, Deadman is shocked when he discovers that Conrad can see him. Conrad explains that he is an omnipath and that he was the one who used his powers to force Annabelle to obey his telepathic commands. Conrad then attacks Deadman, but he lets him go when Ted and Jessica return, but he warns him that tonight will be a requiem for Deadman. While the séance begins, Deadman enters Annabelle’s mind and fights the omnipath spirit within her. Once he defeats Conrad’s omnipath spirit, Annabelle is free and she wakes up, while Conrad dies. Although Annabelle tells Deadman that she may be able to build a link between the real world and the spirit world in order to bring Deadman back to life, they visit the lab and find that it has been destroyed. Deadman then leaves Annabelle, Jessica and Ted as his life is forced to continue the way it is.
MY THOUGHTS
Learning that this story was meant to be published in Showcase 105, it does make me wonder if it was sitting in a draw for a few months before it was actually published. Think about it. It was co-written by Gerry Conway; it was drawn by Aparo who left Adventure Comics three issues before this and the story is a full 23-pages long. I personally theorise that this story had been complete for about a year or so before it was actually published. I might be wrong, but it seems very likely. Anyway, the story here delivered by Wein and Conway is surprisingly something which has never been done before with the character. You would have thought Arnold Drake, Jack Miller or even Neal Adams would have had Deadman involved in a séance like this in this story, but it never happened. The main story here is very mysterious and complex, mainly due to the fact there the story is double the length of all others in the run. I think the story has an excellent beginning with Deadman wandering around the streets, since it shows a different side to him and makes him into a more human character. Then, when the story begins, it becomes an intriguing whodunnit sort of storytelling involving telekinesis and omnipaths. I am rather puzzled why the scientists at S.T.A.R Labs even entertain the idea of one of their scientists being a telepath, but maybe it has happened before to them. I’ve never been the biggest fans of using telekinesis and stuff like that for story plots, mainly because their powers often seem very vague and their inclusion in stories can just be too confusing. However, I think they work very well here as it doesn’t become too pretentious or up itself. The revelation that Conrad is an omnipath is a surprise since he can pose as a genuine threat to Deadman and it solves the big mystery of the story. In fact, all four of the doctors in this story are relevant to the plot in some way and none of them feel as if they have been wasted, but Annabelle is definitely the main character besides Deadman and Conrad, since she is the real victim of the story because of what Conrad did to her. Plus, Deadman does travel through her mind at one point, but more on that in a second. The ending of the story may be a let down for Deadman as he still cannot find a way to return back to life, but the whole thing does feel like a satisfying end to the story, especially with Conrad’s death.
There is a moment in Neal Adams’s run on Strange Adventures when Deadman enters Tiny’s mind to try and save him. I didn’t like it then and I don’t really like it now. When Deadman enters Annabelle’s mind here, it is all very metaphorical and its actually difficult to understand what is going on. Sure, Wein and Conway handle it better than Adams ever could, but I still don’t think it works that well. Also, why did the scientists decide to summon Boston Brand’s ghost. It seems rather random. You could almost expect any other ghostly or mystical characters to appear, like the Spectre.
This story is so suited to Aparo’s art in every single way, but most importantly the lighting. There are so many moments with dark shadows and Aparo executes them excellently. As usual, his storytelling is excellent as it incorporates so much drama and action into it. Definitely one of Aparo’s best looking comics ever.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 10/10
Brick Battleground --- Written by Len Wein with art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Dick Giordano
THE STORY
Wandering around a street of shops that are losing money due to the economy and inflation, Deadman enters a shop which is owned by Danny Mason and his wife. However, it is being trashed by Leroy and his men, since Mason refuses to pay their protection racket. Deadman intervenes and helps Mason by possessing one of Leroy’s men who are holding onto Mason and letting go of him. Although Leroy and his men are driven out, he tells Mason that he will return. Afterwards, Mason tells his wife that Leroy and his men are scum and they shouldn’t pay for the protection racket. Later, Mason organises a meeting with the other shopkeepers in order to fight against Leroy’s rule of them, but the owners are too scared of him. Suddenly, the gang’s boss arrives, Stallion, scaring off the other shopkeepers with his threats to their families. When they all leave, Mason decides it’s time to stand up to Stallion on his own, with
the help of Deadman. Entering his store, Mason finds one of Stallion’s men planting a bomb in the shop. Quickly, Deadman possesses Mason and he runs out of the store before it explodes. Afterwards, Mason tells his wife that this is just the beginning of the fight and later that night, he heads out with a gun to Stallion’s apartment. Inside, Mason breaks into Stallion’s safe with Deadman and finds his secret records, which can be used as evidence against him. Suddenly, Stallion appears, holding Mason’s wife captive. With not much time to spare, Deadman leaves the apartment and possesses the body of a nearby drunk before calling the police. Then, Deadman arrives back in the apartment seconds before Stallion decides to shoot Mason. Deadman possesses Stallion and decides to let Mason and his wife go with his secret records. The police then arrive and capture Stallion and the gangsters, sending them to prison.
MY THOUGHTS
Funnily enough, this is a story which you wouldn’t expect to star Deadman. In fact, it feels much more like a Batman story for that matter. Yet, after the séance story, this change of pace massively pays off and I think it’s actually better than the last story. Wein excellently explores the lives of the scared shopkeepers who are being forced to give money to Stallion and his mob. See what I mean? It really doesn’t sound like a Deadman story. Yet, it just works so well because Deadman is the character who saves the day, but as usual, he doesn’t get any thanks for it. The real main character of the story is Mason, a man who looks after his family and shop while refusing to pay Stallion’s protection racket. This immediately makes him into the character we should be following because he's different from the others and throughout the story, he fights against the mob and ultimately defeats them with the help of Deadman. Yes, the plot is that simple, but after the last story, something as straight forwards as this works, especially due to Wein’s great grasp of character and drama. From the start, Wein sets up the scene very well, which is very important as protection rackets and the mob is something has existed and still exists. Because of that, I think Wein leaves Deadman out of certain situations to show that Mason is a good and strong character that is prepared to fight for his shop and family. I guess my only problem with it is that Deadman isn’t really that important to it. I mean, apart from the beginning and the end, he isn’t really present in the middle in such an integral way which I think he needed to be. But after Deadman was so involved in the last story with the séance, its great to see something quite different and overall, this is undoubtedly a highlight of Wein’s run.
Garcia Lopez’s and Giordano’s art here works with Wein’s great writing here, since it captures the main characters excellently tells the story fantastically with drama and action, two things which this story work well with the most I’d say. Especially with Dick Giordano’s inks, the art always looks so impressive, the page layouts are incredibly impressive. This is definitely Jose Luis Garcia Lopez at his best.
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 10/10
Never Say Die/The Man Who Was The World --- Written by Len Wein with art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
THE STORY
In the park, Deadman sits with an old man named Abraham, who is feeding the birds. Suddenly, Abraham man pulls out a gun and says that his cancer is out of control and that it is for the best if he dies. Deadman tries to convince Abraham not to, but of course, he can’t hear him. Luckily, Deadman possesses a bird which knocks the gun out of Abraham’s hand, saving him. Deadman decides to follow Abraham home, where he is greeted by Sarah, his granddaughter. Then, Sarah’s father and Abraham’s son Jacob returns home. Abraham questions where Jacob has been, and he accuses him of selling drugs to kids again. Although Jacob tries to explain that he has to do what he does, Abraham tells him that he is a coward. While Deadman follows Jacob, who decides to visit his boss Mr Caprice in order to quit working for him, Abraham puts his granddaughter to bed, before heading out with a gun. Meanwhile, Deadman watches as Jacob gives drugs back to Mr Caprice, telling him that he is not working for him anymore. Then, Abraham appears and tells Mr Caprice that he has ruined his son’s life. Abraham then goes to shoot Mr Caprice, but Deadman possesses him, causing him to miss. Mr Caprice then shoots Abraham and Deadman shouts, believing it to be his fault. Jacob races towards Mr Caprice and when Deadman possesses him, he takes out all of his guards. Then, as Deadman tells Mr Caprice that there is no way out of this, he proves him wrong by shooting himself in the head. Deadman then leaves Jacob’s body and Abraham tells his son has a chance to save his own life. Jacob then pledges to his father that he will change his life. As Abraham dies, Deadman screams in rage…
Screaming to Rama Kushna, Deadman tells her that he quits and that he wants to move on. Questioning his wish, Deadman explains what happened to Abraham and Jacob. Then, Rama Kushna decides to grant Deadman his wish, but on one condition. Suddenly, Deadman appears in a city during an earthquake and he saves an old man from being crushed to death by falling rubble. Then, Deadman looks up and notices Superman flying, making him realise that he is in Metropolis. Investigating the earthquakes, Superman at first believes that Major Disaster is behind them. Then, Superman attends a man who has not only suffered a heart attack, but he demands to go to S.T.A.R Labs. Reluctantly complying with the man, Superman takes him to S.T.A.R Labs. Inside, Superman and Deadman learn that the man’s name is Alex Ately and that he is the one who is causing the earthquakes. He then presents a device he has stuck on his chest, before his daughter and her boyfriend arrive. Superman then demands to know how Alex is causing the earthquakes. Alex explains that he has been in charge of the government’s Project: Earth-Heart, which uses laser technology to dig into the planet’s core. However, Alex was having heart problems and he decided to create a cardialink which links his heartbeat with the Earth’s pulse. However, the shock of it has caused the earthquakes and his heart attack. While the doctors decide to remove Alex’s cardialink and replace it with a pacemaker, Deadman follow’s Alex’s daughter’s boyfriend, Dennis, who seems suspicious. When following him, Deadman watches Dennis meet his boss Mr Genarian, who believes the cardialink can make him immortal. Dennis then leads Mr Genarian and his goons to S.T.A.R Labs and where they begin to disconnect Alex’s cardialink. However, Deadman intervenes by finding Superman and using his body to fight Mr Genarian and his guards. During the fight, Mr Genarian seemingly dies of old age and afterwards, Alex’s demands that Superman kills him in order to save the world and himself from pain. However, Superman rushes down to the centre of the earth and retrieves the other half of the cardialink. Meanwhile, Deadman enters Alex’s body to metaphorically fight against death himself and in the end, Alex is saved, the world is saved, and Deadman decides to continue living the way he is.
MY THOUGHTS
For the last story in Wein’s Adventure Comics run and his DC Comics Presents issue featuring Deadman, I have decided to put the two together, mainly because the two links to one another, particularly with Deadman’s character. But, starting with Wein’s final story for Deadman in Adventure Comics, Never Say Die is certainly the best story of the whole lot. Seriously, in terms of pretty much everything it is flawless and creating something like that is a real challenge. The beginning of the story instantly pulls you in with Abraham trying to kill himself. This is an especially dark and unexpected moment of the story that intrigues both us and Deadman to no end. By saving Abraham, Deadman follows him for the rest of the story, leading to one of the most emotionally fuelled stories that Wein has ever written while incorporating so much character to make the world of this story seem to real and troubled. Early on, Wein introduces us to Abraham’s granddaughter and his son, adding so much more to his character and the really sad aspect is that throughout the story, you constantly hope for a happy ending, but you know that there just won’t be one. Whether Abraham is killed by Caprice or not, he will die of cancer soon, every ending here is tragic, but the story is just so compelling because of Wein’s storytelling. The argument between Abraham and his son is incredibly powerful as he begins to realise that he may lose his son for good. But that gets knocked out of the park with the last scene on Caprice’s boat, in which Jacob tells his boss that he is leaving for good. Then Abraham arrives and the whole scene is incredibly heart-breaking and tragic, especially because of Deadman’s mistake in possessing Abraham, causing him to get shot by Caprice. However, as usual, Wein shocks us even more with Caprice’s suicide, a death which rubs salt into the wound as Caprice will never pay for his awful crimes. Finally, the last words of Abraham to his son really end the story miserably, while there is a glimmer of hope for Jacob and he promises his father that he will be better. That whole moment, no, this whole issue, is certainly the best Deadman story out there and Deadman’s scream at the sky after Abraham’s death speaks volumes and you really can’t wait to see the story continue. However, it never did. At least, not in Adventure Comics, but in DC Comics Presents, the title in which heroes’ team up with Superman. Wein starts that issue brilliantly, especially after the events of the story featuring Abraham. Deadman has every right to hate what the world has become, and he just wants to die for good now. This shows how much his character has changed. No longer does he want to see people suffer or die; he just wants his final rest. Yet, the story featuring Alex and the earthquakes is enough to make him believe that life is worth living. Deadman’s character is definitely the greatest aspect of the DC Comics Presents story, since you can see it develop once again as he learns about how precious life is from Superman. Yet, there are a few problems with it…
The Man Who Was The World is a very Superman story. The plot is something that Superman is very suited to as he needs to fly into the earth’s core. It just seems like a
story which Superman would feel right at home in, but not so much Deadman. After that last story, this one here just doesn’t work with Deadman. Don’t get me wrong. I like the story. I think it’s a very interesting idea and if it was in an issue of Action Comics, I would probably consider it a good Superman story. But, with Deadman? No, it just doesn’t work. He works at his best tackling either horror/occult stories or hard crime. This is more science fiction, something that works with Superman, but not Deadman. That being said, the other criticism I have of this story is the presence of the mob, who want Alex’s cardialink for their boss. The main question is why you don’t just get a pacemaker installed. In fact, I can ask that of Alex. Why the hell did he need to create that cardialink? Couldn’t he have just had a pacemaker just the doctors eventually gave him. It just doesn’t make too much sense. That being said, I’m happy that there is a good ending, especially after the story with poor old Abraham.
In terms of his storytelling, Garcia Lopez is brilliant here as he tells both the stories (particularly the first one) very dramatically, adding much more to Wein’s powerful scripts. Yet, the main problem I have here is the finishes. You see, unlike the previous issues, Garcia Lopez is actually inking himself here and he seems to have the same problem which Neal Adams has. When he inks his own work, everything looks a bit messy and rushed in places, which is a huge shame because when it looks very smooth, Garcia Lopez’s art looks amazing. In some instances, the art still does look impressive. Yet, without a Dick Giordano, the art rather falls short…
Story: 7/10
Art: 7.5/10
VERDICT
Overall, Wein’s Deadman run in Adventure Comics may be rather short, but I would honestly say it is the best Deadman run ever. There isn’t a bad story in the whole lot really as each of them feel incredibly different and varied. Not only are Wein’s actual plots very good, but his sense of character is amazing, particularly with Deadman and characters who appear in just one story such as Abraham or Mason. Without a doubt, Wein’s writing is boosted in quality by the flawless art of Jim Aparo, followed by the great Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, both of whom have an excellent sense of storytelling and for the most part, their finishes look marvellous and work with the mood of Wein’s stories so well…
Stories: 8.5/10
Art: 9/10
Next Week: All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder (All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder 1-10). Written by Frank Miller with art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Expected by 02/08/2020.
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