Here I am again, weeks late, catching up on the reading group.
Amazing Man #15 is a reasonably entertaining collection of so-so stories. I know I read the Bill Everett issues once upon a time but for the life of me I don't remember them, so I'll say this is my introduction to the character.
And as a first time reader, I'm confused. Who is this Aman guy? Other than the usual super endurance and super strength (I'll say--lifting a submarine by the stern with one hand!), his main power seems to be conjuring up a "green mist." When he "goes into" the mist he can travel and apparently becomes invisible. I like "The Great Question" as a character name, but we desperately need some backstory. Old comic book stories are full of handy coincidences and leaps of logic, and this one is upholds the tradition. By the way, does Aman have a double identity? Both crooks and police seem to know him. I notice only others call him "Amazing Man." Maybe that's a nickname given him by the press. Artwise, there's hardly a hint of Sam Glanzman's future style. It's typical GA Beginner art. Simple, nothing special but not awful.
Like Aman, Minimidget assumes we know all about the characters and about what happened in earlier issues. I presume this is a reboot episode, and that in future stories Minimidget and friend will tool around in a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot. The art is competent, buoyed up by borrowings from Raymond.
The Iron Skull is such a goofy concept that it'd be at home in a British comic paper. How could you not appreciate a hero who is trapped because his head is stuck to a giant horseshoe magnet? This seems like another reboot story, or at least a mid-course correction. Becoming all iron will increase his super powers, but he'll have to watch the liquid intake lest his stomach rust. Another meh art job.
Dr Hypno looks like a character from Italy's Gim Toro comics. Frank Thomas' art has an odd Caniff/Sickles vibe, but he never actually copies their style. I wonder if Hypno's taking over the bat was simply a deus ex machina device to help the story, or another mid-course adjustment to the hero's powers. I'm going to have to read early issues to figure all this out.
I'd love to know the outcome of the Uncle Joe Model Building Contest. Who was Uncle Joe, anyway? Chairman Stalin was too busy at this time to be running comic book contests.
The Shark is another continued story (I guess). Fortunately the writer gives us enough background to understand the plot. The story ain't much, but I like the characterization of Father Neptune as a scrappy old curmudgeon. The artist's lavish use of Craftint makes his drawings look much better than they really are. Of all the stories in this issue, this is the one that gave me the impression the creator(s) really strove to do something unique.
Mighty Man has a peculiar charm. I hand it to him, I would never have thought to enlarge my ears when held at gunpoint. The last panel is a treat..."Some higher power musta done this!"
Is Reef Kinkaid another mid-series reboot? This comic must have been having sales problems. Even in his early days you could tell that Bob Lubbers would grow into an excellent artist. His work is easily the best in the book. The bit about popping the ticks is obviously something the writer found in research and used for "authenticity."
What is that signature on Zardi, The Eternal Man? Shane? Stone? Steve? He lurches back and forth between a 20s-like "straight" style and bigfoot cartooniness. That fight scene is not to be believed. The magic cane gets old quickly. At least it's less obnoxious than Ibis' do-everything stick. With better story and art the character could have potential. Admittedly, the same could be said about dozens of Golden Age characters.
All in all I enjoyed parts of this comic, so reading it wasn't a total waste of time. I'm curious, though. It certainly reads like a "Okay, boys, we're overhauling the comic" issue. I must examine other issues to see if my feeling is correct.
Author
Topic: Reading Group No.226 - Amazing Man (Read 2755 times)
