TONY'S TIPS #228

This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...The Hook Jaw Archives, a British comics classic from the 1970s is collected in its entirety for the first time! Plus: Drew Friedman’s Heroes Of The Comics: Portraits Of The Pioneering Legends Of Comic Books and Walt Disney’s Christmas Classics!

TONY'S TIPS #227

This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...The Customer is Always Wrong by Mimi Pond; Ms. Marvel: Mecca by G. Willow Wilson; and The Full-Color Guide to Marvel Silver Age Collectibles: From M.M.M.S. to Marvelmania by J. Ballmann

BLACK LIGHTNING BEAT #3

Black Lightning news has been coming faster than I can keep up with it. There’s so much of it that I haven’t been able to get to your questions. Hopefully, I’ll answer at least some of them this time around.

Production on Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands reminds me of how it used to be when I was more involved with comic books. During this past week, while writing issue #4, I was also another pair of eyes looking over the coloring and lettering for issue #1, looking at artist Clayton Henry’s final pages for issue #2, and discussing the cover of issue #3. I feel like a time traveler.
                                                                                

The upcoming Black Lightning TV show from the CW, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil and Greg Berlanti has added a new recurring cast member in Kyanna Simone Simpson. The actress is known for her work in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), Show Me a Hero (2015) and Being Mary Jane (2013). According to Deadline Hollywood:

Simpson will play Kiesha [Henderson], partner-in-crime/best friend of Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain) and who attends Garfield High School. The daughter of Inspector Henderson (Damon Gupton), Kiesha will encourage Jennifer to challenge her image as the perfect principal’s daughter.

Sidebar. I just hope Kiesha doesn’t follow in the footsteps of the comic-book Inspector Henderson’s son. If you read the first Black Lightning series in the 1970s, you’ll recall that son was secretly working for Tobias Whale and the 100.
                                                                               

                                                                                 

Stylin Online sells Black Lightning t-shirts and more. They have a Black Lightning Uniform T Shirt and also a Black Lightning T Shirt that shows the character. The latter design is also available as a pullover hoodie, youth hoodie, long sleeve T, juniors T, ladies T, tank top, youth T, juvenile T and toddler T. Just the thing for the family that enjoys Black Lightning together.

Justice Like Lightning: The Black Lightning Story is now available for viewing on YouTube. This is the condensed version of the short film by John Burgio that I mentioned the other day. John tells me there will be a longer version that focuses on both Black Lightning and my overall comics career. In 2018, I hope to incorporate this documentary into my “Tony’s Tips Live!” convention presentations. Showing it will give me cover when I change into my super-hero suit  and fight crime at the events. Be afraid, comic art plagiarists. I have my super-eyes on you!

This next item is indirectly related to Black Lightning. As I have told many an audience, my first black friends were comic-book fans. Even as a relatively young man, I thought it was unfair that there were so few black heroes in comics. So, when I started working in comics professionally, I tried to do what I could to address that inequality. That was the start of the road that led me to creating Black Lightning.

Leroy Crayton, one of my first three black friends, is the subject of this WVIZ-TV segment on selling your “killer comics collection.” It was written and produced by Dennis Knowles, who was also one of my first black friends. In a couple weeks, Dennis will be coming to Casa Isabella to interview me for a segment of his arts and culture program. In the meantime, I think you’ll enjoy Leroy talking about selling his comics.

One more news note before I turn to your questions. The Black Nerd Problems interview with me is now online. It’s mostly about Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands, but it touches briefly on a few other subjects as well. I hope you like it.

Which brings us to your questions and my answers to them.

From Neil Ottenstein:

Is there any chance that Trevor von Eeden and Eddy Newell can be part of this series? Just doing a poster or a cover or something inside some of the issues?

Not at this time. I would love to work on Black Lightning or other comics with both of those talented gentlemen, but I couldn’t make it happen for this initial six-issue series. Trevor and I want to work together on something and will be discussing that when we meet at the Akron Comicon this November. Eddy’s been working full-time as a baker, but I’ll be talking to him as well.

From Alan David Doane:

If you could write one of those 1970s Marvel/DC Treasury Editions ala Superman/Spider-Man featuring Black Lightning and a Marvel character teaming up, who would you feature as the two villains they would take on (one from each company, of course) and who would you want to be on your dream-team to create the artwork for the project? Either 1970s creators or younger up and comers from today. Your choice.

That’s three questions in one, including one you didn’t outright ask me. If I teamed Black Lightning up with a Marvel hero, it would be Misty Knight. I almost went with Luke Cage, but, hey, Misty is my girl.

Tobias Whale would be the obvious DC villain for this team-up. But I think I’d go beyond the street-level choices on the Marvel side. Maybe the Wizard leading a new Frightful Four or the Super-Skrull leading an extraterrestrial version of the Frightful Four. It’s not like Tobias Whale has any feeling for any human being, so I could see him working with and trying to manipulate his alien allies of the moment.

As for the artists, there are so many amazing talents I could name here. But, if I’m going to be honest and since we’re talking doing this as a Treasury Edition, there can be only one dream choice for me. We’re friends, but we’ve never worked together on a comic book. My choice would be...

Neal Adams.

Come on, you know he’d be perfect for it.

Jermaine Dill wrote:

In your eyes, what is the likelihood of Black Lightning taking new, young superhero proteges under his wing? And no, when I ask this, I am not referring to Static, nor Thunder or Lightning. I'm talking about potential original creations of yours that would be added to Jefferson Pierce mythos as a junior partners/proteges, explicitly powered or otherwise, under Black Lightning.

I like the sheer layers presented in a hero story that features the hero earnestly becoming a mentor to younger super-heroes who become characters in their own right. I think Bruce Wayne’s Bat-family has made the character and his mythos as much as Batman himself has and his isn't the only example. I’d love it if Black Lightning’s world could one day include layers like that.

Jefferson Pierce is already like that to the high school students he teaches, so do you see the idea of him taking it a step further and mentoring one or a small handful of new young heroes and how it adds to the world you're building (or re-building) for Jefferson?

I ask this hoping Black Lightning's new series will be prosperous enough to organically lead to such an outcome, and in that context, wondering how you would feel about such a thing.

 

First, I assume you’re asking about my new Black Lightning comic books. Because I have no official position with the CW’s TV series. Though, since his daughters have powers, it’s not impossible you’ll get to see something like you want on the TV series, albeit all in the Pierce family.

When it comes to the new comic-book series, I don’t see him taking on any junior partners or proteges in this initial series. There’s already a lot going on in those six issues. As to what I’d like to do following those six issues, I’m going to play that close to the vest until I get the various pitches approved by DC.

But, since I’m writing Jefferson Pierce younger than I’ve written him before, I not inclined to make him the kind of mentor you are suggesting. It sound a little too much like a super-hero team to me and, honestly, I’m bored with most of those.

Ironically, long after I was fired from my second Black Lightning series, when I read the frankly terrible stories in which our hero supposedly murdered a man in cold blood and ended up in prison, I started working on a pitch that would have continued that terrible story in my own way. Using characters who weren’t DC characters but might seem familiar to readers.

The lead protagonist would have been executed for his crime in an electric chair. Which only made him seem dead. He would have risen from the grave with a mission. Free super-powered teens unjustly tried as adults and given too harsh sentences, then take them with him on a journey of redemption.

I didn’t follow through on this pitch because I thought my readers might feel cheated if I were to return to “Black Lightning” without actually returning to Black Lightning. I also thought it might just exasperate the pain I was suffering because of the old DC’s unfair treatment of me and my creation. So I put it aside.

In this initial six-issue Black Lightning series, I am consciously building a world for Jefferson Pierce. How that world develops is contingent on how well the initial series sells and how willing DC is to let me explore that world. Know that I am always looking to Black Lightning’s future and hoping I get to be a key part of that future for the rest of my life.

My friend Pam Arlt had questions about the Black Lightning series from the 1970s:

In everything I can find about the first Black Lightning series, including the trade paperback, the series is listed as having 11 issues.  However, in the trade paperback, there are 12 issues with 12 numbered covers.  What am I missing?

For those last two issues, why did Denny O'Neil take over as the writer?  I was surprised by this, especially since those were the last issues of the first run.

 

Black Lightning #12, which would have been dated November-December 1978, was cancelled before it was published. This was part of the “DC Implosion” in which many titles were cancelled. The story and cover were printed in DC Comics Cavalcade, a black-and-white, in-house publication given out to the contributors of the stories in its two issues. A cover planned for Black Lightning #13 also made its way into Comics Cavalcade.

The story intended for Black Lightning #12 eventually appeared in World’s Finest Comics #260 [December 1979-January 1980]. 

O’Neil’s story for issue #11 was originally written as a fill-in. When I quit the series over DC’s continued unwillingness to honor our original agreement concerning my creation, the story was used and O’Neil became the regular writer. He continued to write Black Lightning in World’s Finest and in one issue of DC Comics Presents. When the character moved to Detective Comics, he was passed on to other writers.

That’s all the Black Lightning questions in my “Black Lightning questions” folder. If you have any further questions, e-mail them to me and I’ll do my best to answer them in future installments of “Black Lightning Beat.”

I'm taking the rest of the week off to write a Black Lightning script and then take a vacation day or two. I’ll be back as soon as possible with more stuff.

© 2017 Tony Isabella

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN SEPTEMBER

October is here, but we’re still dealing with the tragic hurricanes of September and other natural disasters around the world. My heart goes out to all those who have suffered seemingly unbearable losses in these terrible events. I’m especially concerned about my fellow Americans in Puerto Rico...and disgusted beyond my ability to fully process the sad truth that our Dumpster President has failed to respond to that crisis in a swift and adequate manner. Of course, it would help amp up the outrage against his failure if more than half of my fellow Americans realized Puerto Rico is part of the United States and that its people are also American citizens. Sometimes, I weep at how stupid and insensitive my nation is becoming. I have donated to relief efforts and I urge my bloggy readers to do what they are able in that regard.

Republicans continue to be horrible. Racists continue to revel in the empowerment provided them by our white supremacist president. The world itself continues to be justifiably concerned that nuclear weapons are in the hands of petulant children on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a scary time.

On a less global, but no less sad scale, we have lost so many dear friends and great people in recent months. Len Wein. Bernie Wrightson. Sam Glanzman. June Foray. Basil Gogos. Hugh Hefner. Naruo Nakajima. So many others.

I can’t complain about my life per se. I’m having a pretty good run of late. But, like all of you, there are times when sadness becomes a lump in my heart. That’s why, every day, I try to spend a couple minutes thinking about things that bring joy to my life. I post them on Facebook and Twitter every day and, at the end of the month, I put them all together for this bloggy thing of mine.

Here are the things that made me happy in September...

September 1: When the remaining three issues of my six-issue Black Lightning series become crystal clear to me. Now all I have to do is write them.

September 2: Ohio State beat Indiana. The Browns crushed the Bears. The Indians are on an amazing winning streak.

September 3: The cover of Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #2. It is so dangerously great.
                                                                              

September 4: Batman and Harley Quinn. A hilarious dark comedy that has both big laughs and touching emotional moments.

September 5: Howard Chaykin. I don’t like every comic he does. But he pushes his and our boundaries. That’s what creators are supposed to do.

September 6: Making new and sometimes surprise friends on Facebook and Twitter. I hope to meet some of you soon.

September 7: Getting interview requests from other countries, even if said interviews will be printed in languages I don’t understand. Hello, Google translate!
                                                                                    

September 8: Back Issue #100. I’m excited to see a comics mag reach that lofty milestone. Congratulations to editor Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing.

September 9: HGTV’s no drama inclusion of gay couples on its shows without making a thing about it.

September 10: Naps. I’m finding these very useful for dealing with anxiety and stress. In this, my cat Simba is my sensei.

September 11: Len Wein’s life and legacy. His loss hurts more than I can express, but he was a great man, writer and friend.

September 12: Marvel Masterworks: Luke Cage, Power Man Volume 2. A great-looking book reprinting stories by me, Len Wein, Don McGregor and others with a new introduction by me.

September 13: Hit by Pitch: Ray Chapman, Carl Mays and the Fatal Pitch by Molly Lawless. This 2012 graphic novel is nothing short of amazing. Recommended for baseball and comics buffs.

September 14: Nagata Kabi’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. Deeply honest, moving manga that made me what to give its creator a hug.

September 15: Reading and enjoying Behaving Madly by Ger Apeldoorn and Craig Yoe. Great book on MAD imitators.
                                                                                    

September 16: Reading and enjoying Last Girl Standing, the amazing autobiography of comics legend Trina Robbins.

September 17: Secret Cleveland by Deb Thompson & Tonya Prater. The book is filled with quirky fun places to visit.

September 18: Actually finding the reference book I needed today in my train wreck of an office. Little victories.

September 19: The Orville. The punch line of the second episode had me literally laughing out loud.

September 20: The Black Lightning Train, powered by the enthusiasm of my creation’s fans. It’s like Soul Train, but with slightly less dancing.

September 21: I have my own Internet Movie Database page. It’s not 100% accurate, but that’s still pretty cool, right?

September 22: The Orville. Again. The third episode was funny, serious and emotional. A truly unforgettable episode.
                                                                                

September 23: Midnight, Texas season finale. A satisfying episode with a last scene “cliffhanger” that had me crackling with delight. Did not see that one coming.

September 24: So many NBA and NFL players and owners taking a stand against the racism and unpatriotic statements made by the dumpster president.

September 25: Ms. Marvel #19-22. G. Willow Wilson’s “Mecca” is an utterly terrifying tale of suppression and resistance, made more so because of our racist president. When comics speak truth to power, they lift my soul.

September 26: Spending a nice evening watching TV with Sainted Wife Barb: Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Scorpion.

 

September 27: Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, for speaking out on behalf of social justice issues. He is a true leader.
                                                                             

September 28: Full-Color Guide to Marvel Silver Age Collectibles: From M.M.M.S. to Marvelmania by J. Ballmann. So much nostalgic fun.

September 29: Bought a comic for my “July 1963" series. Ebay seller refunded the cost to thank me for all my work. So grateful for his support and that of fans, friends, and readers.

September 30: Getting a jump on Christmas with my Limited Edition Hanes Crewneck Godzilla Sweatshirt from Teespring. Kaiju Claus is coming to town!

ADDENDUM: After posting that last item on Facebook and Twitter, I learned that Teespring had used art by Todd Tennant without asking his permission or compensating him for their use of his art. I will be sending an email to Teespring telling them I will not be buying any products from them until they make good on their debt to Todd and asking my readers to also refrain from purchasing Teespring’s products. This kind of artistic piracy hurts artists and we should not stand by quietly when we see it.

I will be back tomorrow with a new installment of “Black Lightning Beat.” See you then.

© 2017 Tony Isabella

TONY'S TIPS #226

This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man by writer Chip Zdarsky with artist Adam Kubert; The Old Guard by Greg Rucka with art by Leandro Fernandez; and the first issue of the All-New Popular Comics.

TONY WILL *NOT* BE SHUFFLING OFF TO BUFFALO

This is the kind of announcement I hate to make, especially since I was very much looking forward to this convention. Unfortunately, I had to make some hard choices this afternoon.

I won’t be attending the Official Buffalo Comicon, which is being held, Saturday, September 30 & Sunday, October 1, at the Buffalo- Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York. I encourage my bloggy readers to attend the convention. It’s going to be a great event and I really do wish I could be there.

Unfortunately, situations with my work, my home and more have made this cancellation necessary. It was one thing after another...and then I took a realistic look at my priorities. Three days of travel and convention...and a likely fourth day to recover...would impact all the above too greatly at a time when I can’t afford to take so much time off.

I apologies to the promoters of the Official Buffalo Comicon and, of course, the Buffalo area fans. I will make it up to you in 2018. Thanks for your understanding. 

Tony Isabella

RAWHIDE KID WEDNESDAY 124

RESOLVED: The Rawhide Kid is my favorite western comics character and one of my favorite comics characters period.  This is why I’ve written over a hundred columns about him. Something about his short stature, but large courage, honor and fighting skills speaks to me.  After rereading the Kid’s earliest adventures when Marvel reprinted them in a pair of Marvel Masterworks and an Essential Rawhide Kid volume, I decide to reacquire every Rawhide Kid comic, reread them and write about them. We’ve reached the title’s extended twilight.  We’ve seen the last new Rawhide Kid story that will appear in the now-bimonthly reprint series. This is the 124th installment of my “Rawhide Kid Wednesday” columns.
                                                                               

The Rawhide Kid #137 [January 1977] reprints the Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers cover from Rawhide Kid #23 [August 1961] with significant alterations by Marvel’s art director John Romita.
                                                                                

This issue has two Rawhide Kid stories. “Stagecoach to Shotgun Gap” by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers (6 pages) comes from Rawhide Kid #17 [August 1960]. That’s the first issue of title to feature the “new” Rawhide Kid. The previous sixteen issues starred a much older western hero. Here’s what I wrote about this story way back in 2012:

When the Kid boards the stagecoach, his presence unsettles the fearful passengers.  This is the first but not the last time that, for no good reason I can see, Rawhide will take the stage and leaves his horse...somewhere.  He earns the admiration, trust, and some homemade cake from his fellow passengers after he saves them from a trio of robbers.

This tale is also the first example of the Kid being not just good with his guns but absurdly good with his guns.  He shoots the masks off the robbers without hitting them.  The X-Men should travel back in time and sign this guy up.
                                                                                
From Rawhide Kid #23 [August 1961], “A Place to Hide” is an 11-page  story by Lee, Kirby and Ayers. Here’s what I wrote about the tale in April of 2012:

“A Place to Hide!” (11 pages) mixes some by now familiar elements of Rawhide Kid stories.  We start with the Kid on the run from the law.  He flees to the “spooky-lookin’ town” of Sagebrush where no one recognizes him.  Sagebrush is dominated by bully Luke Stokes, but, though he itches to take Stokes down a peg, the Kid pretends to be a coward rather than lose this relatively safe haven. This is a disappointment to pretty Nancy Stokes, who had hoped someone had come along who could stand up to her brother.

Like Popeye in one of those cartoons where he promises Olive that he will not lose his temper, the Kid keeps himself in check until Montana Joe and his henchmen - Ox and Weasel - hit town. Montana tries to force himself on Nancy.  When Luke learns who his sister’s new admirer is, he turns tail: “Don’t be a fool, Nancy! Suppose he wants to be friendly--what’s wrong with that? Montana Joe’s a big man! Yuh--you oughtta be proud!”

You can practically see the steam coming out of Rawhide’s ears as he faces down Montana Joe and his goons for two pages of punching and shooting.  He finishes up by slapping around Luke for a couple panels while explaining life to him:

“There comes a time when a hombre can’t stand by and let jaspers annoy a woman--while her spineless brother looks the other way.”

Words to life by as the Rawhide Kid rides off into the sunset...on account of all of these story-ending battles take place late in the afternoon:

“And so the Rawhide Kid rode on--leaving a girl behind who had just lost a bit of her heart which would never be replaced--leaving a town which would never forget him--and leaving another episode in the ever-growing legend of the Rawhide Kid--the most colorful gunfighter the west has ever known!”
                                                                              

The inside front cover of this issue is for Kenner action figures of The Six Million Dollar Man and his enemy Maskatron. For half a buck, you can join the Six Million Dollar Man Bionic Action Club. In case you were wondering, given inflation, Steve Austin’s bionic upgrades would cost $25,889,525.48 in 2017.
                                                                                 

Fascinating Art Industries has a half-page ad offering Marvel hero “heavy duty wipeable large book covers that fit!” The four covers feature Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Power Man. They cost a quarter each plus another quarter for shipping and handling.
                                                                                   

Simon & Schuster has a full-page ad for Bring on the Bad Guys, the newest collection of classic Marvel reprints. The cloth edition is $10.95. The paperback edition is $6.95. Also offered are the boxed set of Origins of Marvel Comics and Son of Origins of Marvel Comics for $13.95; the spiral-bound 1977 Marvel Memory Album Calendar for $3.95; the Mighty Marvel Strength and Fitness Book for $3.95; and  the Mighty Marvel Fun Book for $2.95. Postage and handling are paid for by the publisher.
                                                                               

Dinky Toys has a half-page ad for the “Dinky Starfleet.” These are durable die-cast metal models of ships from Star Trek, Space 1999, U.F.O. and other shows. You could get a “free” catalog for half a buck postage and handling.
                                                                                 

Remember Superhero Merchandise? They have a full-page ad this time around offering such delights as a Marvel World model featuring the Baxter Building, the Avengers Mansion and Doc Strange’s Greenwich Village pad for $7.84. Other items include Spider-Man Web Shooters ($2.56), Captain America and Spider-Man wrist radios ($11.64 each), and various Mego action figures at $4.38 each.

In the classified ads pages, there are 15 ads for mail-order comics dealers, down seven from the previous issue. In addition, there are also classified ads for John Buscema’s art classes and the Marvel Comics Index.

The same Marvel Comics subscription ad that’s been running for the past several issues runs in this issue as well.
                                                                                    

                                                                   
Another Marvel house ad consists of a half-page ad for the Marvel Treasury Edition featuring a brand-new 27-page team-up of Howard and the Defenders and some classic reprints. The bottom half of the page is a pitch for Marvel’s F.O.O.M. (Friends of Old Marvel) fan club and fan club magazine.
                                                                                  

Lincoln Enterprises has a full-page ad offering a variety of Star Trek collectors item. There are posters, coins, tribbles, photos, replicas and more. You could join the Star Trek Official National Fan Club for six bucks or send away for a free catalogue.

That brings us to this issue’s Marvel Bullpen Bulletins page. This time around, “Stan Lee’s Soapbox” sings the praises of Bring on the Bad Guys and John Buscema’s comic-book workshops. Stan mentions Bob Hall, identified as one of Buscema’s students, who has drawn issues of Champions and Super-Villain Team-Up. 

 

Most of the news items are for various Marvel comics: Logan’s Run by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Klaus Janson; Black Panther by Jack Kirby; Ms. Marvel by Conway, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott and two annuals: Marvel Team-Up and Dr. Strange. Representing Marvel’s black-and-white magazines, there’s an announcement of a giant-size special revival of Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.

In personal news, Herb Trimpe and Linda Fite were congratulated on the birth of their daughter, Amelia Fite Trimpe. Gerry and Carla Conway moved from Manhattan to Connecticut. Roy Thomas finally made his move to California. Roger Slifer and Dave Kraft were somewhere as they hitchhiked to Oregon. Those crazy hippies!

The page wrapped with a tiny tease for Spider-Woman. She was coming soon in Marvel Spotlight!
                                                                               

Hostess Fruit Pies were the big delights sought by hero and villain alike in “The Incredible Hulk and the Green Thumb.” There are, of course, no credits, but I’m seeing some Dave Cockrum in this one. This is a particularly crazy Hostess ad, what with the Plant Lady and her anthropomorphic hench-plants Mari Gold, Rhoda Dendron and Artie Choke.
                                                                                     

Reprinted from issue #43 [December 1964], this issue’s Rawhide Kid pin-up was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Paul Reinman.
                                                                                 

That’s followed by another comic-strip ad featuring Marvel heroes. “Spider-Man and Captain America Ricochet to Freedom!” This weird Hasbro toy was a rifle and a cartridge with a small car inside it. Once the cartridge was loaded, the rifle could be put on the floor at an angle. When the rifle was fired, the car would shoot out and speed across the floor. The Spider-Man version of this toy came out in 1975 and was a bigger hit in England than it was in the United States. Who drew the ad? The panels are too small for me to hazard a guess.
                                                                                  

Monogram Models had the inside back cover of this issue, offering its new B-24 J Liberator 1/48th scale plastic model. When finished, the model was 17-and-a-half-inches long with a wingspan of 27-and-a-half inches.
                                                                                

Ideal had the back cover of this issue. The Evel Knievel Precision Miniatures were made of die-cast metal and high impact plastic said to be “rugged enough for play.” There were six different miniatures shown in the ad.

That’s it for this installment of “Rawhide Kid Wednesday.” We have fourteen more installments to come before we get to the end of the title’s run. After that, I’ll do occasional installments to cover guest appearances I may have missed and later Marvel appearances of the Kid. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new installment of “Black Lightning Beat.” See you then.

© 2017 Tony Isabella