Nov. '86 - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe # 12

I was shocked to find out that Marvel is reprinting this series in their Essential format. The information is 20 years old now and its not really entertaining reading. When it came out I bought it because it was a great way to get up-to-date on everything that was going on. Buying it now would only get you within 20 years of being current. I wonder how much has actually changed in the 20 years between then and now.

There was quite a difference between DC's handbook, Who's Who, and Marvel's version. DC was very light on information. They would tell you what powers a hero had. Marvel was very heavy on information. They would tell you what powers a hero had and how those powers worked. It some spots it got very technical. How do you explain Dr. Strange's abilities? Marvel's also had more of a consistent look since Joe Rubinstein inked every figure. DC had a much more varied style in Who's Who. If you needed information on a character, Marvel's Handbook would certainly have it. It made a great reference book. For a comic to sit down and read, Marvel's was not easy. Not a comic you could do in one sitting. But that wasn't the purpose of it.

Nov. '86 - Nightmask # 1

Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciler: Tony Salmons
Inker: Bret Blevins

This was another of the New Universe titles launched this month. This one was about a boy with the ability to enter people's dreams with the help of his sister. Their parents did dream research until they were killed in a terrorist attack at an airport which left the sister in a wheelchair. The first issue had him entering the dreams of the terrorist that planted the bomb to try and prove his guilt.

I never bought this title past the first issue. It didn't grab my interest as much as D.P. 7 and Justice. It only lasted 12 issues so evidently it failed to capture a lot of people's interest. I'm interested to see what Warren Ellis does with newuniversal which is supposed to be his re-creation of the New Universe.

Nov. '86 - The New Teen Titans # 25

Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Eduardo Barreto

Mento had assembled The Hybrid, his version of the Doom Patrol. He had taken three people and changed them into hideous creatures based on mythology. Mento had really gone off the deep end since Crisis. He had been used by John Constantine in the battle in Swamp Thing that had been a magic version of the Crisis. The fight left him insane. He was using The Hybrid to battle the Titans and kill his step-son, Changeling.

The Titans had just recently got back together after breaking up some issues before. It was a tough time to like the comic. The characters were not friendly to each other and they were all doing their own thing. It was beyond personality conflicts which can make for interesting reading (like Alpha Flight did - a team that wasn't totally a team). This group just wasn't talking! Not they were back together and had much to resolve. Mento was chasing them and Nightwing was missing.

The comic had lost its way for a while. I don't know if it was because George Perez had left or because Marv Wolfman was busy writing Crisis on Infinite Earths. With this storyline it seemed to be getting back on track.