Friday, July 13, 2018

Alt 9602, Part 3: Return to Amalgam Age of Comics

Grade: C+

In June 1997, DC and Marvel attempt to recapture some of the Amalgam magic a year later. I don't think it did as well. There was considerably more hype surrounding the first run thanks to the "DC Versus Marvel" crossover event. This attempt provided many of the same characters which weren't particularly well developed in the first round.

There were some interesting additions. Dark Claw Adventures was drawn similar to the very popular Batman Adventures comic and animated series. Generation Hex gives us a modern twist on a classic comic Wild West morality tale. Lobo the Duck tried (unsuccessfully) to capture the over-the-top zaniness of DC's Lobo and Marvel's Howard the Duck.

DC and Marvel again split the load with six titles each. I focused on the X-Men tie-ins -- though I couldn't resist picking up Lobo the Duck. The six other titles included: Bat-Thing, Challengers of the Fantastic, Iron Lantern, Spider-Boy Team-Up, Super-Soldier: Man of War, & Thorion of the New Asgods. For those that I do have in this post, I list the DC character first for each Amalgam character.

[3 Stars] Dark Claw Adventures #1 - "Face to Face" [DC] Lady Talia seeks vengeance for the death of her father.
  • Dark Claw (Batman & Wolverine)
  • Lady Talia (Talia al Ghul & Lady Deathstrike)
  • Ra's-A-Pocalypse (Ra's al Ghul & Apocalypse)
  • Sparrow (Robin & Jubilee)
  • Ubuwong. (Ubu & Wong)

[3 Stars] Exciting X-Patrol #1 - "The Curse of Brother Brood" [Marvel] X-Patrol race to save Niles Cable from Brother Brood and his Broodlings.
  • X-Patrol (Teen Titans / Doom Patrol & X-Force)
    • Beastling (Changeling & Beast)
    • Dial H.U.S.K. (Dial H for Hero & Husk)
    • Elastigirl (Elasti-Girl & Domino / Wasp)
    • Ferro Man (Ferro Lad & Colossus)
    • Jericho (Jericho & X-Man)
    • Niles Cable (The Chief & Cable)
    • Shatterstarfire (Starfire & Shatterstar)
  • Brother Brood (Brother Blood & the Brood)
  • Raveniya The Healer (Raven & Aliya Dayspring)
  • Terra-X The Destoyer (Terra & Terrax)

[4 Stars] Generation Hex #1 - "Humanity's Last Stand" [DC] Jono Hex and his band of malform (mutant) outlaws ride hard to keep ahead of Marshal "Bat" Trask's Razormen.
  • Generation Hex 
    • Aurora Trigger (Wayne Trigger / Cinnamon & Aurora)
    • Jono Hex (Jonah Hex & Chamber)
    • Johnny Random (Johnny Thunder & Random) 
    • Madame Banshee (Madame .44 & Banshee)
    • Northstar Trigger (Walter Trigger & Northstar)
    • Retribution (Firehair & Penance)
    • Skinhunter (Scalphunter & Skin)
    • White Whip (Whip & Emma Frost)
  • Marshal "Bat" Trask (Bat Lash & Bolivar Trask)
  • Razormen (Scissormen & Sentinels)

[3 Stars] JLX Unleashed #1 - "The Unextinguishable Flame" [DC] The Hellfire League of Injustice release the monstrous Fin Fang Flame.
  • JLX (JLA & X-Men)
    • Apollo (Ray & Cyclops)
    • Chaos (Spitfire & Havok) 
    • Iceberg (Ice & Iceman)
    • Mister X (Martian Manhunter & Professor X / Skrull / Bishop)
    • Night-Creeper (Creeper & Nightcrawler)
    • Runaway (Gypsy & Rogue)
  • JLA (JLA & Avengers)
    • Amazon (Wonder Woman & Storm)
    • Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel & Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell))
    • Super Soldier (Superman & Captain America)
  • Fin Fang Flame (Brimstone & Fin Fang Foom)
  • Hellfire League of Injustice
    • Dark Firebird (Evil version of Fire & Phoenix (Jean Grey))
    • Lord Maxwell Hodge (Maxwell Lord & Cameron Hodge)
    • Mistress Maxima (Maxima & White Queen)
    • Savage Shaw (Vandal Savage & Sebastian Shaw)

[2 Stars] Lobo the Duck #1 [DC] Lobo the Duck is hired to uncover who murdered Amalgam's heroes.
  • Lobo the Duck (Lobo & Howard the Duck)
  • Bevarlene (Darlene & Beverly Switzler)
  • Impossible Dawg (Dawg & Impossible Man)
  • Al Forbush (Al & Irving Forbush)
  • Ambush the Lunatik (Ambush Bug & Lunatik)
  • Doctor Bongface (Scarface & Dr. Bong)
  • Gamorola (Princess Shao-La & Gamora)
  • Gold Kidney-Lady (Goldstar & Kidney Lady)
  • Jonas Turnip (Jonas Glim & Space Turnip)

[3 Stars] The Magnetic Men featuring Magneto #1 - "Born Again" [Marvel] Magneto must save the Magnetic Men from Sinister Society.
  • Magnetic Men (Metal Men & Brotherhood of Evil Mutants)
    • Antimony (Platinum &  Scarlet Witch / Patsy Walker)
    • Bismuth (Tin / Snapper Carr & Toad / Rick Jones)
    • Cobalt (Gold / Lucius Fox & Mastermind)
    • Iron (Iron / Steel (John Henry Irons) & Unus the Untouchable)
    • Nickel (Mercury & Quicksilver)
  • Sinister Society
    • Black Vulture (Black Condor & Vulture)
    • Chemodam (Chemo & MODAM)
    • Deathborg (Cyborg & Deathlok)
    • Kultron (Kobra & Ultron)
    • Quasimodox (Vril Dox & Quasimodo)
    • Soniklaw (Sonar & Klaw)
    • Vance Cosmic (Cosmic Boy & Vance Astro)
  • Mister Mastermind (Mr. Mind & Mastermind)
  • Jocasta (Platinum (Metal Men) & Jocasta / Sentinels /  Millie the Model)
  • Sentinels (Manhunter robers & Sentinels)
  • Will Magnus (Will Magnus & Bolivar Trask)



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