Previously on Squadron Supreme: The Squadron Supreme dealt with a militia. During that event, Golden Archer nearly got killed, which led him to decide to propose marriage to his beloved Lady Lark. During that time, Tom Thumb unveiled a new device to reform criminals: The Behavior Modification machine, for the B-Mod. It let to a debate over the ethics of such a device. After Lark turns down the proposal, Archer secretly uses the device to brainwash Lark to make her love him again.
The cover is pretty good. You got the villains Quagmire and Foxfire standing in front of a screen showing a bunch of people in a cage, and there's Lamprey lying across it, looking creepy. The Squadron Supreme is horrified by this. It's a great cover.
"Turnabout"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Bob Hall
Inker: Sam De La Rosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
The story begins with Golden Archer finding himself...in a bit of a bind.
He's hit with a ray fired from a gun that's being held by a man who looks like something from the nightmare of people who fear doctors. The ray puts him under some sort of hypnotic spell, and it's used as a convenient way to recap the events of the last issue. There was a bit of a problem, though.
The altered Lady Lark...became rather smothering. Evidently, using a machine to turn someone into a lovesick fangirl has some bad consequences. Who'd have thought this? Archer certainly didn't, as shown in this panel here:
I love that panel so much. Lady Lark's pose and expression is hilarious. Just look at Golden Archer's face. It says it all. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, really. He also recalls that the rest of the Squadron began to notice Lark's change in behavior. I imagine Arcanna and Blue Eagle would've noticed it the most. Anyway, Archer runs off, only to end up being purloined like a priceless pearl necklace. Then, the perpetrators of Golden Archer's kidnapping are revealed.
Say hello to the Institute of Evil, the vile villains who stand against everything the Squadron Supreme stand for. Dr. Decibel, the Satantic Sonic Surgeon! Ape-X, half-ape, half-tank, all-evil! Quagmire, the tar-wielding terror! Foxfire, the diva of destructive light! Lamprey, the power-absorbing perpetrator of mayhem! Shape, the rubber rapscallion!
Considering that the Squadron Supreme pay homage to DC superheroes, I wouldn't be surprised to see some DC influences in these villains, too. Dr. Decibel seems like a mix of Dr. Polaris and Sonar. Ape-X reminds me of Gorilla Grodd or Ultra-Humanite. Lamprey is a clear homage to Parasite, and Shape could be argued to be a take on Clayface. Foxfire and Quagmire seem to be completely original. As is it just me, or does Foxfire seem inspired by Grace Jones? I mean, a black woman with a blonde flattop, that's is something Grace Jones would do back in the 80s.
So, why has the Institute taken him? Well, Ape-X is very curious about the B-Mod machine, and wants to learn more about it. I would ask how she knew about it, but considering the length of time between issues, it's not implausible to say that she learned of it somehow.
The scene shifts to a prison in...Upstate Vesperia. I have no idea what state Vesperia is supposed to be. The warden introduces the Squadron members Hyperion and Arcanna to a man named Calvin Maroney. Maroney is a big-time criminal, serving a life sentence for kidnapping, homicide, and weapons smuggling.
Hyperion tells him that if he undergoes the B-Mod treatment voluntarily, he will be given parole. Maroney wonders what will happen to him on the outside, as so one will hire him with his record. Hyperion reassures him that he'll be given a new home and job.
I love the panel with Hyperion and Calvin there. The grin that Hyperion has is somewhat unsettling, considering what they're going to do with the criminal, even though it's voluntary in his case. Maroney undergoes the B-Mod treatment, and he says he feels great, like a big weight has been lifted off of his mind. This further shows the unsettling nature of the B-Mod machine.
They let Calvin go, and Arcanna realizes that they won't be able to B-Mod all the convicts today. They pack up the B-Mod and leave, planning to finish up tomorrow. Hyperion has some new jobs for the warden and his staff once the prison is closed down. Arcanna then realizes something: What if they meet a warden that is rather uncooperative? Hyperion assures her they'll get to that bridge when they come to it.
In Mechanopolis, Sigmund (Seriously Gruenwald, you couldn't use real place names? What on Earth is this place supposed to be?!), the Whizzer says goodbye to his wife and daughter. Mrs. Stewart laments that Whizzer is spending less and less time with them lately, due to the increased responsibilities of the Squadron. In less than an hour, he reaches Squadron HQ for their meeting.
Dr. Spectrum reports that neither he nor Lady Lark have found the missing Golden Archer. Hyperion makes a remark that they can't have a repeat of Nuke's disappearance, which...has an effect on the wielder of the Power Prism.
I did like this bit. It shows that what Dr. Spectrum is going through, the guilt and feelings of failure over the death of Nuke, is not something that magically goes away in a short period of time. However, Hyperion gives him the assignment because he's best for the job. Wouldn't Whizzer be just as good? He's super-fast. He could cover a lot of ground rather quickly.
Tom Thumb reports that he can have two more B-Mod machines by the week's end, but he needs some help around the lab. Hyperion realizes the Squadron are rather packed with work (no one said running a country was easy), and suggests cancelling all leaves for the immediate future. The Squadron objects to this for various reasons. Whizzer and Arcana barely get to spend any time with their families as it is, and Amphibian gets landsick if he doesn't get to return to the ocean. I guess Amphibian here was just like the Silver Age Aquaman, requiring hourly showers. Hyperion scraps the idea, but states the Squadron do need some help.
Back at the Institute's hideout, the villains make their plot to get their hands on the B-Mod machines, using data that they...extracted from the Golden Archer. Ape-X orders Lamprey to abduct Arcanna's husband and children. Foxfire will get Howard Shelton, Power Princess's husband. Quagmire will get the Whizzer's wife and daughter. Dr. Decibel and Shape will go and obtain Blue Eagle's mother. Knowing what to do, the members of the Institute of Evil roll into action.
I can imagine Quagmire getting all protective of his motorcycle.
Quagmire: Shape, stop eating your bloody cookies near my motorcycle! You're getting crumbs on it!
Shape: Shape sorry. Shape just think your cycle is pretty.
The next day, Tom Thumb is working in his lab, and he asks Aida to play some Dvorak for him. She suggests "New World Symphony", and he's all for it. He takes a moment to relax, where he starts coughing. Aida gets worried, and he reassures her he's alright. The computer suggests that he tell the others about his illness, but Thumb refuses. He has no desire for anyone's pity. Aida responds that they may be able to help him, but there's an intruder alert.
Aida's systems are jammed, so Thumb himself goes to the monitor bank to check it out. He notices the screens are covered in darkness. He then hears more noise, so he activates his force field belt, grabs an experimental neuron-scrambler, and goes to check it out. And he finds trouble.
The Institute of Evil are in the HQ, and are giving the place their...own idea of remodeling. Tom Thumb tries to fight them off, but the Institute's power and numbers overwhelm him. Lamprey absorbs the power of his forcefield and Quagmire traps him in a black tar-like substance, which is actually stuff from the Darkforce dimension. Aida sees this, and sends a distress signal.
The rest of the Squadron hear the distress signal, and fly off into action. Dr. Decibel and Quagmire take Tom Thumb to the B-Mod machine, and prepare to use it to brainwash Thumb into joining them.
Lady Lark, Doctor Spectrum, Blue Eagle, and Arcanna arrive at Squadron HQ, and try to fight off the Institute. In a nice touch, Spectrum is forced to use his Power Prism to protect himself from Shape, despite his reservations and fears. Tom Thumb points out a monitor, showing the Squadron's families in a cage. The Institute make their demand: If the Squadron don't surrender, their families die.
Power Princess and Amphibian also surrender "offscreen", then Hyperion and Whizzer arrive. Hyperion gets ambushed by Lamprey, who absorbs his power. Whizzer tries to help, but Blue Eagle stops him, telling him they got his family. A horrified Whizzer freezes, trying to decide whether to aid the Squadron or save his family, and then makes his move.
The Institute continue their plans anyway, preparing to brainwash Hyperion, the most powerful member of the Squadron first. Meanwhile, Whizzer is running to his home, wanting to confirm that the Institute really have his family hostage. He then realizes, "Wait, I can just call them!" Since it's 1985, he finds a payphone and calls them. No answer. He calls his neighbor and asks to check on them. The neighbor confirms that his home was broken into, and they're gone. With a scream, he rips the phone's cord in half, and runs to a police station. He asks the officer to take him to where they have kept their guns impounded.
He returns to the Squadron's HQ, and sneaks in thanks to a special entrance designed for Amphibian. He then makes it to the meeting room, and opens fire.
The Squadron leaps to the Institute's defense, and Whizzer runs out of ammo, only grabbing one clip out of desperation. He plans to get Thumb, but Lady Lark knocks him out. They B-Mod the speedster, and then head out to...wherever the Institute was hanging out, the Squadron's captive families in view. Ape-X congratulates the other members of the Institute on the success of their mission. Hyperion expresses pride in joining the Institute's ranks, and then...the trap is sprung.
The Squadron hand the Institute a royal walloping and rescue their families. Hyperion asks Tom how come the B-Mod didn't work on them. Thumb explains that since he's the cautious sort, he programmed the B-Mod machines with the Squadron's own brain patterns, so the machines couldn't alter them. It's actually pretty smart of Tom to do that.
I admit, when I first read this, I thought it created a bit of a plot hole. If the B-Mod can't alter the minds of Squadron members, how was Golden Archer able to brainwash Lady Lark? However, Tom saved himself, by revealing that he couldn't tell Hyperion when he got cautious. Which would basically say he made that programming after Golden Archer fried Lark's mind. It also makes sense considering people's casual ignorance of Tom throughout the mini. He was too busy to confront Archer, and he probably felt no one would listen to him about his suspicions about Archer, so he took matters into his own hands.
Anyway, Hype congratulates Doctor Spectrum for overcoming his aversion to fighting a bit. Whizzer apologizes for his actions, and says he'll accept any punishment for his actions or resign from the team. Hyperion reassures Whizzer that errors happen, and in the end, no harm was done. However, Whizzer feels that he's lost the team's trust.
This was a good issue. I do like the introduction of the Institute of Evil. They were a great way of expanding on the Squadron Supreme's world. It makes sense that a group of heroes like them would have a batch of villains they fight. It's also nice to see a good old-fashioned heroes versus villains story here. The story also has a great personal stake as the Squadron is trying to save their families, their revealing their secret identities biting them in the butt. Bob Hall has really upped his art game for this issue.
Next time, we take a look at a hero who watched over the streets of Metropolis's roughest neighborhood while Superman fought the biggest monsters and madmen. Yup, we're going to take a look at the first adventure of Black Lightning...
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