Speedball #1 (September 1988)

In the mid-1980s, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz had developed a teenage superhero character named Ricochet for Marvel's New Universe line. However, the idea never really went beyond a proposal. Instead, it was suggested that they use this new character in the mainstream Marvel Universe. In Ricochet's place, DeFalco and Frenz developed the New Universe title known as Kickers, Inc.

In 1987, DeFalco would become Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief, replacing Jim Shooter. He set up a committee of editors led by the late Mark Gruenwald to oversee idea for new titles. DeFalco included his Ricochet idea, but changed the new hero's name to "The Bouncer". "The Bouncer" was approved, but the editors felt the name kind of...stunk. As such, the name was changed to Speedball, the Masked Marvel. DeFalco had no creators attached to the idea, so who could they get for this new character?

Enter Steve Ditko. He was already highly regarded as a legend in the comic industry by the late 1980s. After all, he helped give the world Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. He had returned to freelancing for Marvel in the late 70s, after working stints in DC Comics and Charlton. It was with them he showed his imagination further by introducing the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, the Creeper, the Question, and the original Hawk and Dove, among other characters. Upon his return to the House of Ideas, he picked up credits on titles like Machine Man, Micronauts, and ROM.

DeFalco and Ditko had crossed paths already, having worked together on Machine Man. It would be Ditko that would design Speedball, as well as his own little corner of the Marvel Universe: Springdale. DeFalco was unable to do regular writing duties on the title, as his workload was rather heavy. Remember, he was doing editor-in-chief duties and writing Thor.

Roger Stern would be brought in, thanks to editor Howard Mackie. They had worked together on the Avengers' book in the past. Stern was reluctant, as his plate was pretty full at the time. He had been writing two series for another company as well as a weekly comic strip. He also was about to work on a Doctor Strange graphic novel. But he was told that he'd get to work with Steve Ditko. Stern was a fan of is, so he found some time. And that's how this comic came to be. So, did the debut of Speedball bounce its way to the top, or was it destined to fall flat? Let's find out in my look at Speedball #1!

The cover is a Ditko and Jackson Guice piece. And it looks pretty good. You got Speedball leaping into action, ready to bounce the bad guys into jail. That dude shooting must've graduated from the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy, though.

"Speedball, the Masked Marvel!"
Writers: Roger Stern, Steve Ditko (Stern for script, Ditko for plot)
Penciler: Steve Ditko
Inker: Jackson Guice
Colorist: Tom Vinceny
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Bob Mackie, Terry Kavanaugh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a plane flying over Springdale, Connecticut.

The passenger is a man named Mr. Roarke. He's not too happy to be returning to this little burg, as he grew up there...and did some jail time there, too. You see, there was an old man named Hammond who had his own castle in town. Yeah, a castle. It's the Marvel Universe, it's not that strange. Roarke was trying to bust in as he thought that like in medieval times, there was treasure kept inside. Which shows Roarke is an idiot. Ever since then, he's been wanting a bit of payback on the people who put him in jail.

One of the men who did so was one Justin Baldwin, district attorney. We join Mr. Baldwin negotiating a plea deal with a career criminal's lawyer...by throwing said lawyer right out of his office. He laments the idea of cutting plea deals, but it's a necessary thing for the sake of justice. However, this time, he knows that he can put a criminal away without a plea deal. So, that brightens his mood a bit.

Roarke's plane flies over the Hammond Research Center next, where a woman is giving a lecture about the importance of art.

This is Madeline Baldwin (nee Naylor). She was a stage actress once upon a time, but she's now a teacher. She laments that Justin couldn't be there, as she thinks he obsesses over the law a bit overmuch. Roarke's plane flies over Springdale High School, where the man himself thinks about how much he hated it there. To him, high school was almost as bad as prison, with the teachers and all that.

We focus on some boys playing what looks like rugby, but our hero is not among them. One Robert "Robbie" Baldwin is walking by. The boys invite him to play with them, but he refuses, claiming he doesn't feel so good. The boys are confused by this. Robbie's always been rather fearless. Maybe he was just bummed he didn't make the varsity team? Turns out Robbie has a lot on his mind lately.

You see, he has...a power inside of him. A power he has trouble controlling. He feels it churning inside of him like a shaken bottle of soda. The slightest bump could cause him to unleash it, making him a potential danger to everyone around him. And that's not all on his mind.

He feels like his parents are pulling him in different directions. They both want him to follow in their footsteps, he feels like they don't listen to him, typical dramatic teenager stuff. As such, he's afraid to tell them about his incredible new power.

Roarke's plane lands in an airfield, where he meets a man named Jenks. Jenks has managed to obtain some firepower. All the weaponry they need for Roarke's plan. We go back to Robbie, who is walking in a park. He thinks about Doctor Benson, the man he works part time for. He's got his power on his mind, and wants to talk to Benson about it, as he thinks Benson could be trusted. However, Robbie fears his assistants would make Robbie into a guinea pig. As he's walking, a group of bums are staggering by. They need money. They notice Robbie and think "Hey, that kid may have some money. Let's get him to give us his money."

They trick Robbie into thinking one of them got hurt and needs help. But when they try to beat him down, they get a heck of a surprise.

"Oh man, the special brownies are kicking in!"

Robbie's lightshow and bouncing around the tunnel give the bums a good fright, and they flee for their lives. The bums encounter a cop in the park. They consider telling him what they saw, but they figured he'd never believe them. Considering this is the Marvel Universe and all, I would not be so sure about that, guys. In the Baldwin house, Roarke and Jenks watch Justin and Madeline arrive. The two then argue over their plans for Robbie's future. Again, both of them want him to follow in their footsteps. Their argument is cut short when Roarke has them at gunpoint.

Robbie spots Roarke and Jenks and panics. He falls down a cliff, triggering his powers.

"Here comes BUBBLEFACE!"

Baldwin is able to use his new powers to save his parents, but he's clumsy. You see, Robbie was so worried about keeping his powers secret that he never tried practicing with them. Despite this, he is able to dispatch the criminals. The fight creates a big commotion, which draws a crowd. After knocking Roarke and Jenks for a loop, the Masked Marvel bounces away. He's able to find a quiet hidden place to change back to plain ol' Robbie Baldwin.

He returns to his parents, where he discovers they're now arguing about this mysterious new superhero. Madeline is in awe of him, seeing him as a real hero. But Justin is more suspicious of Speedball. He's clearly a vigilante, and he is not a fan of vigilantes. Taking the law into their own hands and all that. It leads Justin and Madeline to debate the mysterious Masked Marvel. The next day, the town is all abuzz over their mysterious new superhero, which makes Robbie miserable. He feels under more pressure than ever to hide his powers.

We got something special with this comic: A second story! How did Robbie Baldwin get his powers in the first place? Let's find out!

"The Origin of a Masked Marvel"
Writers: Roger Stern, Steve Ditko (Stern for script, Ditko for plot)
Penciler: Steve Ditko
Inker: Jackson Guice
Colorist: Tom Vinceny
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Bob Mackie, Terry Kavanaugh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a bunch of men putting on some masks.

"We're gonna be the best scary monsters EVER!"

That mask on the right is definitely a Ditko thing. They're planning to do a little robbing. You see, some rare metals have arrived at a place that has very little security. Huh. You'd think a place that is preparing to receive some rare metals would have some security for it.

A van containing said metals is heading towards the Hammond Research Lab. It's there we meet Robbie Baldwin. He works there part time. He nearly gets tripped up by Niels, a cat owned by Dr. Benson. Benson tells Robbie he can leave after he finishes cleaning up. Fun fact, Niels the Cat is named after Danish physicist Niels Bohr. Cool, huh? Who says comics can't be educational?

Robbie is eager to finish his work, as he wants to see an experiment that Benson and his assistants are undertaking. He stays out of sight as the men perform their experiment. They're trying to tap energy from an alternate dimension...and it appears they have succeeded.

"Behold, gentlemen! We've just accessed the banana dimension!"

As prone to happen in stories like this, something has gone wrong. The energy beam goes wild, and Robbie gets bathed in the extradimensional bubbles. He goes to wash it off as Benson as his assistants are able to shut down the equipment. Nothing was damaged, and they hope no one got directly exposed to the beam. Robbie goes to the washroom, and he discovers the energy has changed him.

"Oh my God, I got hit by a makeover ray!"

It's given him a fancy new suit, complete with identity-hiding mask. It's even altered his hairstyle and voice to make him less recognizable. It's almost as if his destiny has been laid out in front of him. Robbie panics and flees to the roof, terrified of what he thinks the scientists will do to him if they find out he secretly watched their experiment...not to mention been morphed into a superhero. He tries to remove his suit, but it seems to be stuck, like it's become part of his body.

It's at this point in which the masked gang arrive. They make their way to the roof and spot the future New Warrior.

"Uh, hi. Is there a bathroom here?"

They toss him off the roof, but it's at that moment that Robbie discovers that the extradimensional energy he was exposed to has given him more than a fancy new suit and makeover. It's given him power. The power to...bounce. Yup, Robbie's body creates energy bubbles that allow him to bounce off the ground instead of being a splotchy mess on the ground. Robbie starts bouncing around, knocking around the criminals. They can't even get a grip on him.

One of the criminals is able to punch him, but to Robbie, it feels like he was hit by a pillow. Another one is able to get out a gun and fire at the young superhuman, but the sound of sirens is heard. The masked men try to shoot at Robbie, but their aim sucks. The criminals are forced to flee, but they vow revenge on the mysterious new hero. As this goes down, Robbie is left wondering what happened to him.

However, it won't come to be. They race away in their van at high speed, and end up in a fiery crash, likely killing them all.

The cops discover the wreck and go to the lab. They head up to the roof, as the robbers may have left some evidence behind. The scientists claim that they were in a soundproofed chamber, so they had no idea anything was going down. So...who called the cops? They didn't hear Robbie scuffling with the criminals, so who called the cops?

The cops find Robbie, who luckily managed to return to his normal appearance. One of them, a man named Al, is suspicious of Robbie. After all, what was he doing on the roof? But the scientists stick up for him and let Robbie go home. Upon his return home, Robbie thinks fearfully about his powers. He punches a locker and finds himself bouncing around again, transforming into his Speedball form. He vows to keep it a secret until he can find a way to control it...if it can be controlled.

"I feel like I'm trapped in a pinball table."

This comic was not bad. It does have a very Silver Age vibe with the multiple stories and the involvement of Steve Ditko. There is, like I showed in my review of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #1, a clear attempt to duplicate the Peter Parker formula: the relatable teenager who gets superpowers. It's understandable why they would try to repeat it. Spider-Man showed that formula can be a major success, so why not try again? That formula helped create characters that still endure today, like the original Nova (Richard Rider), the Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel, even the latest Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

The origin does have a pretty big plot hole when it comes to the cops' arrival. Again, if the scientists were in a soundproof chamber, how would they have heard the brawl between Robbie and the criminals? Who called the cops? Robbie didn't, as he didn't have access to a phone. And the scientists didn't, as they were in a soundproof chamber. So who called the cops?

One thing I did like was the idea that Robbie's parents have seemingly opposing occupations, and both wanting him to follow in their footsteps. It can make for some interesting drama. What I would have liked to have seen in this is that Robbie has potential talent both as an artist and as a potential lawyer. It could show that he's inherited the best aspects from both his parents, and it would reinforce why both parents want him to follow them in their respective fields.

A great arc for Robbie would have him discovering he wouldn't have to choose. He could do both law and have artistic pursuits. Look at Charles Soule, for example. He's an attorney, and he's also a writer. He wrote both Daredevil, She-Hulk (Appropriate as both characters are lawyers), and Star Wars comics.

This comic does have its awkwardness, but as a first issue, it does do its job. We get introduced to Robbie Baldwin, see him get his powers, and get introduced to the drama surrounding his life. I did also like that Robbie has trouble controlling his powers at first. It makes sense that he'd need to get the hang of his new abilities. And Ditko turns in some decent artwork. It does have a bit of a cartoony flair to it.

Speedball's series was short-lived, only ten issues. He would seemingly fall into obscurity...until the New Warriors came along. Robbie would be revived as part of that team, and would remain a member in good standing for many years, joining various incarnations of the Warriors. He would be a prominent part of the Civil War storyline, where he would undergo a change in powers and identity as Penance. However, the Avengers Academy title would see Baldwin's powers change back to their classic form and his return to the Speedball identity, as well as getting a new costume. He would last be seen as a member of the New Warriors during the short-lived (sadly as it was really good) fifth volume of the New Warriors title. The first issue of that title was the very first comic review I wrote...all the way back in 2014. Wow, does time fly. Hopefully, wherever Baldwin is now, he's happy and having some fun adventures of his own.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2019 trade paperback Speedball: The Masked Marvel. It collects all ten issues of his original solo series, as well as his appearances in the late-80s anthology title Marvel Comics Presents. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! See you next time, when the Secret Wars rage on...