Somebody on this forum suggested something about Pacific Comics' "Edge of Chaos" and like an impulsive fool, I went and ordered 1-3 and now can only find 1-2 in my "to be read" pile.
So, I flip on the scanner and while I position the first issue face down, (to attempt to resell it on ebay) I notice a rear cover ad for one of my favorite comic mini-series that I ate up as it was coming out: Somerset Holmes.
This was a wonderful 6 part story that had you baffled but intrigued as it unwound. A beautiful amnesiac is found stumbling along a roadway with no idea who she is, why she is being hunted, why they want to kill her, or how she keeps escaping death so narrowly each time. But she seems to have some great physical skills that help keep her alive cause instinct kicks in and she avoids the car, the gun, the knife, the fall, etc. She has flashes of memory of: A key, a teddy bear, and a drop from a height.
The first cover had a wonderful shot of her holding a gun, pointed at the viewer straight through a bloody hole she's blown through someone in front of you (A thug?)....(I bought the black t-shirt of this!)
The mood was dark and mysterious, with love or betrayal lurking at the edge of the shadows in every issue.
Unfortunately, Pacific Comics went under just as the fourth issue came out, but before the series finished, and so the final two issues were released by Eclipse Comics, and thank god the series (arc) ended with a plausable explanation.
Everything fit, and the reason why she's being hunted, what they're looking for, how she lost her memory, where her name came from, and why she has her skills, all make logical sense. A great read! (I'll spoil a little of this for you: She takes her name from a billboard she passes that is promoting a subdivision/housing development firm.)
I wish it was still in print. It's a great ride.
Enjoy the ad:
Replies
Wow, you have a good memory! I read that back then and probably still have the issues around. I wasn't buying much from Marvel and DC in the mid-1980s, but there were tons of mini-series from those independent places. The key was separating the wheat from the chaff. I remember it but couldn't have told you anything about it except for the amnesia hook.
There also was a graphic novel from Eclipse afterward, so there's one more story out there.
BTW, this Forum is called "Mr. Silver Age," but it's pretty much a place to talk about any comics that aren't current. Lots of SA fans are fans of other periods, too, so it's a good place to talk PA, GA, BA, DA, MA, PMA, etc. It's only when you talk new52 that you might get blank looks.
-- MSA
I bought the individual issues and I also have the graphic novel collection. It was good stuff. As stated in the introduction, this was Bruce Jones' and Brent Anderson's effort at doing an Alfred Hitchcock movie on paper.
Here's an interview with Bruce Jones about the creation of Somerset Holmes, working with Brent Anderson, and the ways of Hollywood: "Remembering Somerset Holmes"
OK, you've got me hooked. Is the graphic novel simply a collection of the six issues? Or is it a separate, newstory?
I can't imagine how it could be another story. You only have amnesia once before you strain all credibility. (Namor not withstanding..3 times and counting...)
For those of you who haven't heard of this, or heard of the 1980 mini series (6 parts) and haven't read it, it's DEFINITELY worth seeking out. If you love hitchcock, mysteries, and vulnerable, tough females in danger, this one's for you,. Make certain that you read it in order, though, and don't skip to the last page like in a novel or it will cheapen it for you.
I remember Marvel putting out KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE, by Bruce Jones & Brent Anderson, and the letters pages being filled with comments from Marvel fans, all wondering, "WOW! Who is this Bruce Jones guy? Where did you ever find him?" And I thought, these poor, deprived narrow-minded "MARVEL!!!" fans... I'd been reading tons of Bruce Jones stories in Warren magazines for years by then, many of them "anthology" stories in VAMPIRELLA magazine. For some reason, that magazine tended to have much better writing in the "anthology" stories than it ever did on the lead strip.
I suppose Bruce Jones doing KA-ZAR was like when Jim Aparo or Don Newton "graduated" from doing THE PHANTOM (for Charlton) to BATMAN (for DC)... more money.
The more years go by, the more I'm convinced that the best comics out there, at any given time, tend to be ones that haven't been around for 10 or more years, endlessly cranked out by rotating creative teams just to keep the "product" going for the company. That's why, for Marvel for example, superheroes were best in the 60s, all that "weird stuff" was best in the early 70's. It was all NEW.
Companies like Pacific, Capital, Eclipse, First, Comico, etc... that's where most of the really good stuff was in the 80's. (Until "the big two" virtually destroyed the direct market with their overwhelming greed... or so AC publisher Bill Black has said.)
There are still good things out there nowadays... but you really have to look for them. When I see fans discussing or arguing, ENDLESSLY, about whatever Marvel or DC is up to these days with the twelve-hundredth permutation of characters created decades ago.. I have to shake my head in dismay.
So, by the way... SOMERSET HOLMES was fabulous, and it was collected. There was never a sequel. One wonders why there's never been a film adaptation! Nobody would have to write it-- or storyboard it! Already done. "All" you'd need would be a director who really loved the story, as is, and no ego to get in the way. "Now here's how I'D do it..." NO. Just do it AS-IS.
But, would it fill two hours of screen time?
Now that I think about it, I remember reading a back up text feature in one or more of these issues that talks about how they came up with some of the visuals. Maybe they mentioned Hitchcock, I don't recall. But I do remember vividly a few photos of somebody's girlfriend who posed for some of the action shots.
One I remember clearly is the heroine/main character swinging out of a toilet stall by gripping the overhead bar above the door and wrapping her legs around the attacker's head... or something to that effect. The photo of the model and the subject were in exactly the same position as the finished published panel showed them (natch!) and it gave a real "true life" aspect to the visuals, ---a real person could do all those stunts...--cause someone HAD posed in that position.
Still, a meek victim lashing out like that, and several other surprise physical responses that she can't explain had us all guessing. And we weren't disappointed. The explanation works, and works well. (I won't spoil that for you here. You'll have to go re-read it for the big reveal when the penny drops! hehehe!)