TOP O' THE WEEK
"SUMMER OF SUPERMAN"
SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #1 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by Dan Slott (The Superior Spider-Man) and Rafael Albuquerque (All-Star Batman).
I think there was a higher level of interest in this book when it was announced than after the FCBD preview, with the same creative team, where some pronounced doubts have crept in. Nevertheless, this is an important issue for the new status quo.
As we saw, The Daily Planet now lives up to its name, covering the globe by turning into "a multimedia news platform with a cable news channel, website, strong social media presence, and — yes — Lois Lane is still editor in chief. Daily Planet regulars Jimmy Olsen, Ron Troupe, Cat Grant and Steve Lombard will staff satellite branches across the DC universe, creating a global network. Behind it all is the tech savvy of a new IT specialist from Gorilla City, King Solovar’s goddaughter, Tee-Nah."
Well, I guess even gorilla fathers want their kids to have good internships.
But more importantly, that fake intertron asteroid that we saw was packed with kryptonite has arrived on Earth, and apparently exploded into a worldwide kryptonite meteor shower. The upshot is that kryptonite is now more common than it was in the Silver Age, with every Tom, Dick and Hoodlum having at least one kryptonite bullet or knife on their person at all times. Superman's going to have to adjust to this world, which means they really should have named the book (in my mind) Superman Limited.
And let's not forget that the asteroid was a fake — someone planned this. The "Superman Decision Tree" usually leads to "Luthor did it," but it's not like there's a shortage of candidates, especially in deep space.
History says all this is temporary, and somehow or other the original status quo will be restored. But who knows? I've mentioned on this board before that the "mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper" part of the Superman mythos is obsolete, and for Superman to remain relevant, must change with the times. Something else — something that has the same pop culture urgency of a newspaper reporter in the '30s — must take its place. Maybe this is it. And if the movie establishes even a lick of this, it might get carved into stone.
“He’s the first and the greatest superhero of all time, and I’ve been waiting my whole life to tell stories about him,” said Slott, “Not just because of all the amazing powers he has, but because of who he is inside. Rafael Albuquerque and I are going to take him — and you — to places you’ll want to escape to every month. Millions of surprising ideas for Superman, Lois, the supporting cast, classic rogues, and all-new friends and foes too. If you’ve never read a Superman book, a DC book, or any comic book before — or if you’ve been a Superman fan your entire life — you couldn’t ask for a better place to take the leap and go all in than Superman Unlimited #1.”
“Superman Unlimited adds to the foundation of DC’s Superman comics in the same way Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness’s Superman/Batman did in the early 2000s,” said DC group editor Paul Kaminski. “Superman Unlimited will capture the big, fun, high-flying adventures that Superman is known for, while also providing big moments for DC’s Superman-related comics with the introduction of a massive new Kryptonite deposit. Imagine a world where Superman is stopping a bank robbery, but every weapon is packed with Kryptonite ammunition and every petty criminal carries a Kryptonite shiv. This is a world of unlimited danger on a level that Superman, and DC’s Superman family of characters, has never faced before.”
“We just launched Justice League Unlimited in the fall, and Mark Waid and Dan Mora are telling a tale of unlimited Super Heroes in that ongoing series,” continued Kaminski. “In contrast, Slott and Albuquerque’s Superman Unlimited is a tale of unlimited supervillains that are super-charged by kryptonite. Green K is everywhere. Superman is going to need to get to work and adapt to survive. Every line of Dan’s pitch is packed with surprises and every line Rafa draws is stunning… 2025 is truly going to be Superman UNLIMITED.”
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CROSSOVERS
“ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM” (MARVEL)
DOOM ACADEMY #4 (OF 5, $3.99) is by MacKenzie Cadenhead, Pasqual Ferry & João Lemos. Zoe's been rescued from the Arcana Latverium, but now they have to go back in for Greta. Greta did not seem like a very nice person, worth risking your life to rescue, but I haven't read issue #3 yet.
FANTASTIC FOUR #32 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by Ryan North and Cory Smith. We're down to "Last One Standing" and it's not Sue or Reed. It's Valeria! I was never worried that Doom would kill her, but he has found an interesting way to take her off the board.
IRON MAN #8 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $3.99) is by Spencer Ackerman, Julius Ohta and Michael Dowling. Stark is going back to weapons manufacturing, as a provider of weaponry to Doom. That's not a terribly clever plan — surely everyone knows this is an act — and I imagine Doom sees right through this. Buckle up.
SUPERIOR AVENGERS #2 ($3.99) is by Steve Foxe, Luca Maresca & Kyle Hotz. I've really tired of superhero vs. superhero series. Now, supervillain vs. supervillain? That's like watching a game between two teams you hate, and hoping they both lose. Which can be fun.
THUNDERBOLTS: DOOMSTRIKE #5 (OF 5, $3.99) is by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Tommaso Bianchi. Thunderbolts (Bucky's) vs. Thunderbolts (Doom's). Man, Bucky really is the unluckiest superhero ever.
'WE ARE YESTERDAY" (DC COMICS)
BATMAN / SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #39 is by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. Part 4 (of 6). Timey-wimey stuff, courtesy of Gorilla Grodd and the Legion of Doom! Parts 1-3 just arrived at the Comics Cave. so I'll soon catch up.
MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST
GHOSTBUSTERS: DEAD MAN'S CHEST #1 (OF 4, DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by David M. Booher (Canto, The Feeding) and Aviv Or (Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria — Artagan, Midst: The Valorous Farmer), is a sequel to Ghostbusters: Back in Town, and bridges the gap between the films Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
None of which I've seen or read (or played, if they're video games), so when the PR says this stars "Phoebe, Trevor, Gary, Callie and their friends," I have no idea who those people are. To me, the Ghostbusters are Venkman, Ray, Winston and Egon. But I guess my time has passed.
"It's wonderful to be branching out the Ghostbusters stories to reach a broader audience," said editor Jenny Bingham-Blenk. "Working with David, Aviv, Cris, Jimmy, and the team at Ghost Corps has been a fun collaboration that will invite readers of all ages to dive deeper into Ghostbusters."
Booher added, “When I researched ghostly happenings in New York City, I came across the true story of Captain Kidd. He owned a house near Wall Street with his family. Turns out, historians are divided on whether he was the fearsome pirate we know or actually framed for piracy. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring him back to ask him ourselves. What could be more fun than having our Ghostbusters stop an angry Captain Kidd from turning Manhattan into a 17th century ghost pirate den?”
HULK & DOCTOR STRANGE #1 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $4.99) is by J. Michael Straczynski and Natacha Bustos. JMS has been picking strange team-ups for this series of one-shots, but this one isn't strange at all. (Although it stars Strange. Thanks, folks, I'll be here all week.) Strange and Hulk are old Defenders teammates, so they have more in common than, say, Doctor Doom and Rocket Raccoon, who starred in the first one-shot.
I haven't been all that thrilled with them so far (except Fury/Fin Fang Foom), but in for a penny. And this one has a backup story teaming May Parker and Agatha Harkness, which I need to read just to say I have.
THE KILLER: AFFAIRS OF THE STATE II #1 (OF 6, BOOM, MR, $4.99) is by Matz and Lu Jacoman, who are the regular team on this series (I think). I read the first couple back in the day and enjoyed them, but the movie adaptation (starring Michael Fassbender) gave me an entirely different vibe. In the books, the eponymous killer is fastidious, meticulous, has an ongoing internal monolog and is filled with loads of French ennui. And he was effectiive. In the movie, Fassbender's character was fastidious, meticulous and has an ongoing internal monolog, just like the comic book inspiration. But Fassbender's killer fails the one assassination we see him try, he kills his boss almost impetuously, he goes off on a revenge mission which means he's reacting emotionally (instead of professionally) and eventually his philosophy does a 180. Almost everything he does goes pear-shaped while he drones on and on about his own awesomeness and professionalism. Which, despite the superficial similarities, is an entirely different story.
Unless I missed a subtext in the comics entirely (which is possible in a book translated from French). I haven't read them in years, so any input is welcome.
SLEEP #1 (OF 8, IMAGE, $3.99) is by Zander Cannon (Kaijumax, Heck**, Top 10). A guy wanders his town, indiscriminately killing people. He wakes up covered in blood. Why is he doing this? Are his victims really not connected in any way? And would Ambien help? Maybe some warm milk before bed.
SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Marc Guggenheim and Kaare Andrews.
I like both of these characters individually, but I don't particularly like seeing them together. Spider-Man doesn't drink, cuss or kill. Wolverine is the reverse. I don't think they'd both be contemptuous of the other, and it's always Spider-Man who must sacrifices his principles for the team-up (since Wolverine doesn't have any). YMMV.
“Spider-Man and Wolverine are probably my two favorite Marvel characters to write and among my favorites in all of comics,” Guggenheim told Polygon. “I wrote Peter and Logan very early in my career, so I’m particularly excited about returning to them with a great deal more of experience and skill to lend to the endeavor. Kaare Andrews and I are determined to deliver a comic book blockbuster every month, with action that never stops.”
“Spider-Man and Wolverine have always attracted the best artists in comics and I’m pulling from all of them,” Andrews added. “But honestly, it’s not just about individual artists — it’s about the era that shaped me. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s comics were a huge influence, and that’s where I first fell in love with the medium.”
THE THING #1 (OF 5, MARVEL, $4.99) is by Tony Fleecs and Leonard Kirk.
Ben Grimm has a solo adventure which doesn't require him to be replaced in the FF, which is aces with me. I know a lot of people were thrilled when She-Hulk replaced The Thing in Fantastic Four about a million years ago, John Byrne among them. But I wasn't. The Thing is the best part of Fantastic Four, IMHO, and it suffers in his absence. So sure, give him a solo series, or even an ongoing, because he's a great character. But that doesn't mean he has to be absent from the mothership. If Wolverine can be in 5,000 books a month, Ben Grimm can easily handle two.
“What I love about Ben Grimm is that he's just a regular hardworking guy — who happens to have super-powers,” Fleecs shared. “He's Jack Kirby. He's not easily impressed by all of the outlandish, cosmic stuff constantly going on around him.
“The fun thing about this book is trying to figure out — 'OK, then what WOULD surprise The Thing? What WOULD catch him off guard?' In that spirit, we're throwing every villain in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe at him. Trying to pit him against some opponents that you wouldn't expect. We've got Leonard Kirk drawing The Thing! Believe me, you're gonna see ol' Benjy clobber some guys he's never clobbered before.”
“It's been a decade since my run on Fantastic Four and I am thrilled as punch (pun intended) to be working on this series with everyone's favorite orange, pugilistic paragon of heroism, Ben Grimm,” Kirk said. “The villains he goes up against range from the, let's just say, less than serious, to the absolutely iconic, and I am very much looking forward to drawing all of them. The first issue has already been a fun romp and I know I will love the rest.”
VISION & SCARLET WITCH #1 (OF 5, MARVEL, $4.99) is by Steve Orlando and Lorenzo Tammetta.
It doesn't seem to me that this story has anywhere to go. Maybe they'll surprise me.
“When it comes to the Scarlet Witch, anything's possible!” Orlando said. “Now, on the 50th Anniversary of their wedding, the Vision and the Scarlet Witch reunite to face a creeping, corrosive evil from beyond not just the grave, but beyond the universe itself. Wanda and Vision remain one of Marvel's most iconic couples — and not just for their marriage, but for everything since. It's a rare, beautiful thing for characters to truly be able to have a relationship grow as Wanda and Vision have. They've come together, they've come apart, and come back together stronger than before — as family. That's a mature bond, and it's something truly special — I'm honored to be part of it, and even more excited for folks to see us test it! At Death's Door, Wanda and Vision have nowhere to turn ... but to each other.”
"Working on Scarlet Witch is a dream job,” Tammetta shared. “Drawing Wanda in action is always fun and inspiring, and I’m so happy to be able to continue exploring her powers in this series as well. Being able to draw her alongside Vision is also a huge honor, knowing how important these characters are to fans!"
"Scarlet and Vision are one of my favorite couples in the Marvel Universe,” Camagni shared. “They’re certainly the couple with the most dramatic history and an almost Victorian love story. The idea of being able to work on them and their relationship both delights and excites me, and I can't wait!"
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
CRIMINAL VOL 6: LAST OF THE INNOCENT TP (NEW EDITION, IMAGE, MR, $16.99) is by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, so yes, you have to read it. You may have heard of this one, BTW: If you squint right, the stars of this series are Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie and Veronica. Names have been changed to protect the last of the innocent.
DOCTOR FATE BY J.M. DEMATTEIS TP ($59.99): I have loved Doctor Fate since I clapped eyes on him in Justice League of America #21. And I must not have been alone, because Gardner Fox chose him as part of the JSA lineup for the classic "Crisis on Earth-One" and "Crisis on Earth-Two," despite being something of a Golden Age also-ran. Fate was canceled after All-Star Comics #21 and More Fun Comics #98 in the summer of 1944, whereas many of his fellows continued in the Justice Society for another seven years and 36 issues of All-Star Comics. There were more than three times as many Golden Age JSA adventures without Fate than with him.
But there he was in 1963. And the Li'l Capn was immediately drawn to the cool helmet, the snazzy blue-and-gold outfit and the air of mystery. It helped that he was really powerful, as compared to, say The Atom. Or Black Canary. Or Hawkman. When it came to the JLA/JSA crossovers, Doctor Fate was always my favorite part, and I was always trying to read into what was on the page to define the parameters of his powers.
That being said, there are two eras of Doctor Fate I didn't find very compelling. One was the Jared Stevens era, where he melted the helmet down and made a knife out of it. (Gah!) And the other, sadly, is the one reprinted here, where a mother-stepson pair combined to be Fate (lots of people in that helmet!), and then just the mother, and then, somehow, Inza Cramer. None of these iterations, to me, were the "real" Doctor Fate. And, to be honest, the Eric and Linda Strauss relationship kinda skeeved me out.
The current Doctor Fate, on the other hand, is right on the money as far as I'm concerned. He's got the tower. He's got Nabu. He suffers from the job. All like Kent Nelson. But unlike his predecessor, he has actual Egyptian ancestry that could go back to Nabu's time, and is a real doctor. Yahtzee! If the New History of the DC Universe just skps from Nelson to Khalid Nassour, I'd be very pleased. You can even slip Inza in there for a bit as a place-holder, and I'll allow it. But in my head canon, Jared, Eric and Linda never happened.
GEORGE HERRIMAN LIBRARY VOL 5: KRAZY & IGNATZ 1928-1930 HC (FANTAGRAPHICS, $49.99): Comic strip collectors alert! Here's a PREVIEW.
GODZILLA: HERE THERE BE DRAGONS II — SONS OF GIANTS GN (IDW, $17.99): The standard Godzilla "origin" story is that the U.S. irradiated him and woke him up with nuclear testing. But these stories with the Big G set in the long ago make him more terrifying to me, so I like 'em.
JUSTICE DUCKS STARRING DARKWING DUCK HC (DYNAMITE, $24.99): There's a preview available, so here ya go.
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CURSE DELUXE EDITION HC (NEW EDITION, $49.99): I think this is as far as reprints of the original Silver Age LSH has gotten (1983). I got this one a few years ago to "complete the set" but here it is again if you wanted it and missed it.
OUR ARMY AT WAR #151 FACSIMILE EDITION ($3.99): First appearance of Hans Von Hammer, the Enemy Ace.
RED SONJA / VAMPIRELLA / BETTY / VERONICA VOL 2 TP ($19.99): Better than it had a right to be.
PRESTIGE PUBLISHERS
ALICE IN CRYPTOLAND HC (NBM, $22.99): A cartoonist writes about her experiences learning about crypto. Here's a PREVIEW.
ARSENE SCHRAUWEN TP (FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS, $29.99): A comedic graphic novel about the Belgian author's mid-century colonialist grandfather, which was first published 10 years ago. Here's a PREVIEW.
CARAVAGGIO: 1571–1610 HC (SILVANA EDITORIALE, 360 PAGES, $65.00) is edited with text by Rossella Vodret. I don't know much about classical art — I've forgotten whatever I learned in my one college class on art history — but this Caravaggio guy looks good. Also, it turns out, he had a really bizarre life. For example, he was a career criminal who died under mysterious circumstances while on the run from a murder charge.
CHECKED OUT TP (MR, DRAWN & QUARTERLY, $29.95): A "queer library worker searches for love online, artistic validation in New York City, and the perfect book." Here's a PREVIEW.
NIGHT DRIVE HC (FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS, $19.99) is by Richard Sala, whom you may know from Raw or MTV. Or not. Here's a PREVIEW.
MORE COMICS
ABSOLUTE FLASH #3 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles. It's still not clear what's going on here. Wally can see two futures, one in which Barry's alive and Wally's a superhero. In the other he's a monster. In the present, the Absolute Rogues are after him, and I don't care what you say, Captain Boomerang is still a stupid character.
ARCHIE IS MR. JUSTICE #4 (OF 4, ARCHIE, $4.99) is by Blake Howard and Federico Sabbatini. I thought this ended last issue! Well, it didn't, so I read this one. I don't suppose it will surprise anyone to know that the happy ending of issue #3 doesn't last. Pretty well done, though, I will say.
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #11 (OF 12, ONI PRESS, $4.99) is by Greg Pak, Stephanie Phillips, Jay Stephens, Dan McDaid and David Rubin.
G.I. JOE #7 (IMAGE, $3.99): The PR says this issue introduces Wreck-Gar and Beach Head. But Beach Head starred in one of the Silent Missions one-shots last month, so that's clearly not true. It's more accurate to say this is the first time he's spoken!
,/P.
INCREDIBLE HULK #25 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein. Hulk vs. Thor at the gates of Asgard! Sure, we've seen them fight before. But ever since Journey into Mystery #112 (IYNYN), it still gets my inner 12-year-old excited.
RAYMOND CHANDLER'S TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS HC (PANTHEON BOOKS, $29.00) is by Raymond Chandler and Arvind Ethan David. I couldn't find a preview online, which is the one thing I want to see. I've read the book before in all likelihood, so it's only if the art is good that I would get this.
ROBOWOLF #1 (OF 4, DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by Jake Smith (Blood Force Trauma, Godzilla: War for Humanity): "RoboWolf is an over-the-top ode to the retro games and media of the '80s and '90s." Which means I have no interest. But perhaps you do.
"Dark Horse publishing a book like RoboWolf is such a testament to how much they value pure, comic book fun," Smith said. "When I told them, 'Hey, it's a bank-robbing cyborg wolf man with machine guns,’ they were like, ‘Cool. We're all in.’ They are the publisher that comic creators lie awake dreaming about working with.
"The level of pure joy I'm feeling in anticipation for comic readers to get their hands on RoboWolf is something I've never felt before! The book encapsulates everything that comics represent to me: panel-popping action, characters that we can fall in love with, and a celebration of the medium oozing from every page! I hope fans feel the same when the book is finally released!”
SIN BIN TP (IDW, $18.99) is by Robbie Thompson and Patricio Delpeche. A father-daughter monster-hunting team search for the girl's mother, taken by monsters years ago. The titular bin is where monsters are put after they're captured.
ULTIMATES #12 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri. "Dissent destroys the Ultimates as a disagreement long developing between two members of the team leads to a devastating departure!" I'm going to assume the dissenter is Reed Richards. A guy who has lost his family and cosplays as Doctor Doom is not to be trusted.
VAMPIRELLA #2 (DYNAMITE, $4.99) is by Christopher Priest and Ergun Gunduz. From the description, it appears this story is built around Vampirella's post-partum depression, exacerbated by a strange who says he's her son from a dark future. That is not n ordinary story. But then, Priest isn't an ordinary writer.
WEAPON X-MEN #4 (MARVEL, $3.99: Astoundingly, this title is already canceled, and will cease with issue #5.
WORLD OF BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #39 (ARCHIE, 192 PAGES, $9.99) is by Dan Parent, George Gladir, Dan DeCarlo, Pat Kennedy, others.
Complete classic story by George Gladir and Dick Malmgren. Malmgren isn't one of my faves.
ZOOTOPIA #3 (DYNAMITE, $4.99) is by Jeff Parker And Alessandro Ranaldi.
Replies
“We just launched Justice League Unlimited in the fall, and Mark Waid and Dan Mora are telling a tale of unlimited Super Heroes in that ongoing series”
Sounds as if DC is branding "Unlimited" in response to Marvel's "Ultimate."
...they really should have named the book (in my mind) Superman Limited.
Heh.
Alex Ross alternate Marvel covers.
Is Alex Ross doing for Marvel what he did for DC several years ago? Looks like it.
DOCTOR FATE BY J.M. DEMATTEIS TP
Do we exactly what's being reprinted here? The comic book that originally sported that cover was the first of a four-issue limited series by DeMatteis & Keith Giffen. It led into a series that eventually ran 41 issues, the first 24 of which were by DeMatteis & Shawn McManus. The tpb cost 60 bucks, so I'm gussing it contains 28 issues of continuity? I remember reading that four-issue series and liking it quite a bit. I remember reading the first issue of the ongoing series, not caring for it, and never buying another. I also remember re-reading the mini-series after a number of years and not liking it as much as I did the first time. I'll pass on the tpb, but maybe I'll read the mini-series again one of these days.
Y'know that Dr. Fate series that really clicked with me (at the time)? I liked the 2003 one with Hector Hall as Dr. Fate (but I've never re-read it).
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CURSE DELUXE EDITION HC: I think this is as far as reprints of the original Silver Age LSH has gotten (1983).
Confirmed.
Sounds as if DC is branding "Unlimited" in response to Marvel's "Ultimate."
And here I thought that’s what “Absolute” was.
Is Alex Ross doing for Marvel what he did for DC several years ago? Looks like it.
You’ve got me there. I don’t remember Ross doing special covers for DC. But he did do a run of “Eternal” covers for Marvel that were basically single character images that I collected until it reached an end point. Now some new ones are showing up, but my days of collecting such things are over. This month is Yellowjacket and J. Buscema-era Wasp. All the rest are very similar.
Do we exactly what's being reprinted here?
It’s the four-issue series you remember, plus the first 28 issues of the Doctor Fate series that launched from the mini, and one annual. It’s the entire J.M. DeMatteis run on the character, mostly drawn by Shawn McManus. With issue #29 William Messner-Loebs and Vince Giarrano took over as the creative team, and Inza Nelson (nee Cramer) took over as Fate. That version ran to issue #42.
Y'know that Dr. Fate series that really clicked with me (at the time)? I liked the 2003 one with Hector Hall as Dr. Fate (but I've never re-read it).
Did he become Fate in that series, or in Geoff Johns’ JSA? I can’t join you in celebrating Hector Hall in anything — I despised the whiny brats of Infinity Inc instantly, and Hector was the whiniest of them all — but I did appreciate the Egyptian symbology incorporated into the suit. Although I can’t be sure that didn’t happen earlier, either.
There was also a Kent V. Nelson as Fate for a while, a great-nephew or grandson of the original. I remember absolutely nothing about him, and he does not exist in my head canon.
I don’t remember Ross doing special covers for DC.
I didn't mean a run of special covers, per se; I meant a run of special portraits. DC used theirs for posters (although actually they were full length), but Marvel appears to be using theirs as covers.
It’s the four-issue series you remember, plus the first 28 issues of the Doctor Fate series...
That's what i suspected. Thanks for confirming.
Did he become Fate in that series, or in Geoff Johns’ JSA?
IIRC, the Dr. Fate series spun out of JSA.
Hector was the whiniest of them all
I can't disagree with you there, but I think Geoff Johns turned him around and redeemed him as a viable character.
There was also a Kent V. Nelson as Fate for a while...
Is that this guy?
He doesn't exist on Earth-J, either.
There was also a Kent V. Nelson as Fate for a while...
Is that this guy?
Naw, that's Jared Stevens.
Zero Hour killled of the Inza Doctor Fate (and Kent Nelson, too, who had been resurrected in some form), and Jared Stevens was the post-Zero Hour version. He melted the helmet down and made a knife of it. (I was blinded by fury.)
But he lost the title to Hector Hall in1991, and was subsequently killed off. (Thank God.) Hall was killed off in Day of Vengeance, which was followed by a series of one-shots and the "Countdown" books, which established Kent V. Nelson as Doctor Fate. He was eliminated by Flashpoint. In the New 52 there was a new Doctor Fate on Earth-2 named Khalid Ben-Hassin, but who cares, because Convergence wiped all that out. Somewhere around then the current Fate, medical student Khalid Nassour, picked up the mantle. He is still being written as a novice in the current JSA, although he has graduated medical school. Im reading that series, but still uncertain what Nabu's status is. He might have been wiped out in one of those reboots.
Anyway, as you can see, there's been a whole lot of nonsense between Kent Nelson and Khalid Nassour. I'll grant you Hector Hall, but the rest don't exist in my head canon.
I'll stand up for the newly reprinted run of issues of Dr Fate. I liked em -- even though I recognize the Eric/Linda relationship is a bit yikes. But to my mind, it's the best amalgamation of JM Dematteis's silliness with his more spiritual concerns. Sometimes he veers to far one way or the other for me, but this one hits just right. I reread these issues a little while ago (oh, hell, probably a decade ago at this point), and really enjoyed them. But there's fun comedy, good drama, and a whole lot of reincarnation goin on.
I liked the William Messner-Loebs series that followed it, too. It's not as cohesive (by a long shot), but was a good example of how freewheeling and personal even mainstream comics could be in the 80s. We've lost a lot since comics became "content."
I liked the idea that "Dr. Fate" was always supposed to be a man and a woman.
Ad Doctor Occult is now.