Thor #280 (February 1979)

Back in 2017, I took a look at the 1985 Squadron Supreme miniseries, which was considered the late Mark Gruenwald's magnum opus, and one of the first superhero deconstructions. But the group was pre-established earlier on, in Avengers #85-86 (February-March 1971). This comic we're looking at here is the group's last appearance of the 1970s. Not quite their last appearance before the 1985 mini-series, but pretty close. Let's look at Thor #280!

The cover is a Joe Sinnott piece. I like it. It depicts our title hero in a brawl with Hyperion. 

"Crisis on Twin Earths!"
Writers: Don and Maggie Thompson (Plot), Roy Thomas (Script)
Penciler: Wayne Boring
Inker: Tom Palmer
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editors: Roy Thomas, Jim Shooter, Mark Gruenwald
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Thor witnessing a brawl between the Squadron Supreme and...Hyperion? 

Well, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. The story actually begins with Thor taking a nice stroll in New York City. The Thunder God thinks he should do this more often in his mortal identity as Dr. Donald Blake. Despite that, he is starting to feel less affinity for the identity due to using it less over the last few months. Unseen by the Asgardian, a figure in a fedora and a trenchcoat is following our man around like a lost puppy. A portal opens up, revealing a figure that Thor is familiar with.

"Oh Odin's Beard, doth he think I owe him coin again?!" 

This Hyperion immediately attacks our hero, making Thor think this is the evil Hyperion that first appeared in Avengers #69 (October 1969), not the heroic Hyperion of Earth-712's Squadron Supreme. The two engage in a brawl.

Thor demands to know what is going on here. Why did Hyperion attack him? Hyperion reveals that he wanted to test the Thunder God, see if he is the real deal and not some nut in a costume. Once the Superman analogue is satisfied that Thor is the real deal, he tells Thor that he wants to offer the man...a role in a movie. 

You know Hype, you have just asked. Either way, Thor is not interested. Hyperion also wants to talk to the Avengers about it. You see, on his Earth, a movie is being made about the life of the Argonian Avenger...at least, the parts the public know about. A part of the film will be tackling the events of Avengers #148. Thor's role will only be a cameo, as he was not on the team at the time. Thor agrees to take Hyperion to the Avengers to discuss it. They may want to appear as the film's proceeds will go to a charity to aid children. A worthy cause if I say so myself. 

The figure following Thor leaps into the portal, revealing himself to be...

"Wait, this isn't Alburquerque!"

...another Hyperion?!

Remember the evil Hyperion I mentioned earlier? This is him. He comes from a subatomic world that was accidentally destroyed by scientists on Earth-616, and he's been seeking revenge since. Remember my review of Avengers Annual #8 (1978)? Same Hyperion. God, I miss George Perez. 

He finds himself in a satellite that clearly is meant to homage Superman's Fortress of Solitude. He realizes he's not on his native Earth, but he can practice wrecking this one until he gets to return to Earth-616. He spots Thor and Hyperion-712 at the satellite. It turns out the Avengers were out, so Hyperion-712 wants to make it up to the Thunder God by giving him a tour of his world. The two superheroes teleport down to Earth, where they meet another native of Earth-712.

"Hype, that actress is going nuts again!" 

Meet L.L. Burbank, filmmaker extraordinaire. He's a legend on this Earth, right up there with the likes of Spielberg and Scorsese. Hype makes the introductions and heads back to his Satellite of Aloneness to check on some things. He ends up ambushed and sent into space by Hyperion-616. Hype-616 returns to the Earth, and ends up encountering another significant figure in his counterpart's life.

Thor doesn't understand Earth-712 humor.

Meet Lonni Lattimer. She's the Lois Lane to Hyperion's Clark Kent. She's a columnist, while he draws comic strips. You know, I can imagine Hyperion-712 sharing stories about drawing comics with Captain America as Steve Rogers worked as an artist for a comic book company in the comics. Wait, is that a comic-ception?

And then another supervillain attacks.

Meet Emil Burbank. You may remember him from the Squadron Supreme miniseries. Basically, he's the Lex Luthor to Hyperion-712's Superman. Hyperion-616 grabs Emil and flies off with him, but Lonni is confused about something. She's unaware of the switch that Hyperion-616 pulled, so she wonders why Hyperion seems to be unaware who Burbank is. After all, the two have been fighting for years. Emil is equally confused. He's tried to kill Hyperion about 300 times. Why does this malevolent genius hate Hyperion? Well, he blames Hyperion for his uncontrollable hair growth. 

Allow me to explain. This is another Superman reference. You see, back in the Silver/Bronze Age, Superman and Lex Luthor's enmity started when they were teenagers. The then-teenage Superboy managed to rescue the young genius from a lab accident, but it resulted in Luthor losing his hair. Luthor swore he would dedicate his life to killing Superboy, later Superman. This is the inverse of that. Instead of losing his hair, Emil's is growing at a presumably accelerated rate. Anyway, Hyperion-616 is all like, "Hey, I'm a bad guy Hyperion. Let's team up to wreak some havoc!" and lets Burbank in on his plan.

Meanwhile, Thor saves Lonni from a falling light, and a fighting-mad Hyperion-712 returns with the Squadron Supreme behind him.

*Andrew W.K.'s "Party Hard" intensifies*

Thor calms the situation by swinging Mjolnir at the Squadron. He doesn't hit them with the hammer, he uses the aerial backlash it creates to knock them over. That's actually pretty clever, he should do that more often.

Hyperion-712 apologizes for the aggression. Evidently, the group is still a bit out of it from the events of Avengers #147-148. Meanwhile, Hyperion-616 helps Emil Burbank build a giant robot, and then they attack Thor and the Squadron Supreme. The Thunder God brings down the robot easily with Mjolnir, and the heroes capture Burbank. However, the robot makes off with Hyperion-616, but the Squadron will catch up to them. L.L. is thrilled. He shot the fight, and now he's got enough footage to make a bunch of films.

With that, the story ends with the Squadron preparing to bring Thor back to his home Earth. 

This story has its flaws, but it's not the worst story in the world. I liked that we got to explore the Squadron Supreme's Earth a little bit. It does make sense that a character like Hyperion that basically is a pastiche/homage of Superman would have his own versions of Lois Lane. I admit, Emil Burbank's motivation for his villainy made me chuckle. It was very Silver Age, and a nice nod/inversion of Silver/Bronze Age-era Luthor's. The story does feel a bit jarring, but that's mainly because one of my first real exposures to the Squadron Supreme was the 1985-86 miniseries. That miniseries was meant to be more of a darker deconstruction. Wayne Boring and Tom Palmer's works are a great combination. Boring was most well-known for his work on Superman back in the 1940s to the 1960s (before Curt Swan took over), so it's rather appropriate that he do the pencil work for a comic in which the main character is a Superman pastiche. I'm assuming Roy Thomas had something to do with that.   

If you want to read this for yourself, I suggest tracking down the 2006 trade paperback Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe or the 2023 trade paperback Thor Epic Collection Vol. 9: Even an Immortal Can Die. Thanks for reading this blog entry! 

Squadron Supreme #1 (September 1985)

The Squadron Supreme. Earth's Greatest Heroes. When the world was menaced by evil, the Squadron Supreme would rise to the occasion and save the day.

But, who were these mighty guardians of good? Who were this great group of true-blue heroes? Well, quite simply, they were Marvel's answer to the Justice League. First appearing in Avengers #85 (February 1971), they were created by Roy Thomas and the late John Buscema. They would make various appearances over the years, and the team would get a couple miniseries.

This is where the late Mark Gruenwald stepped in. Known for his love of continuity and trivia (which is something I greatly admire about the man, and I do think more writers at the Big Two should follow his example more in that aspect), Gruenwald's comics career was made at Marvel. However, his favorite superhero team was the Justice League. Sadly, the Gru, as he was known, never got to write the JLA themselves. I imagine this is why the Squadron Supreme appealed to him so much.

Gruenwald also another opportunity with this miniseries. He wanted to do something different with the Squadron. Many superhero teams reacted to crimes, but they never attempted to attack the causes of crime and actually make things better. It was a noble cause, but it would clash with the individual rights of people, and it was something Gruenwald wanted to explore. The temptations of the power this ersatz Justice League had to truly reshape their world for the better.

Continuity would give Gru the big chance to explore this with the Squadron. In Defenders #112-114 (October-December 1982), the Defenders and the Squadron Supreme save their native world, Earth-712, from the Over-Mind and Null the Living Darkness, but Earth-712 is left in ruins. It provided the perfect launching point for the mini that Gruenwald considered his magnum opus. So, let's dive in.

I do admit, I like the cover here, the Squadron Supreme charging into action, with Nighthawk looming in the background. It does show some foreshadowing when it comes to the story  in the book, based on Nighthawk's position. However, I wished that the cover showed the Squadron in their old costumes, not the new ones they take up in the mini. Yeah, I get that the creative probably wanted to show off the new looks of the Squadron, but I think it would've been a nice surprise.

"The Utopia Principle"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Bob Hall
Inker: John Beatty
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Hyperion, the Superman of the group, trying to stop a large object from falling to Earth.

However, Hyperion realizes he can't save the object, and has no choice but to help it crash down to Earth. Hyperion, with great effort, manages to guide the falling object down to splash into the ocean. Hype has to rest, as the object's great weight taxed even his power. He then gets the thumbs up from Amphibian, the Aquaman analogue of the Squadron, showing he landed in the right place.

The Whizzer and Dr. Spectrum, the Squadron's Flash and Green Lantern analogues, arrive to help get the object out of the ocean. Whizzer and Amphibian push on the satellite, while Hyperion and Dr. Spectrum pull on it thanks to Spectrum's ability to create energy constructs.

The object is revealed to be the Squadron's satellite headquarters. It's a nod to the time in the JLA comics when the League had a satellite headquarters, although at the time of this miniseries, the JLA was in the Detroit-era. The nod is also continued by the fact that the Squadron's roster in this miniseries is a nod to the League roster of that era, which was pretty big.

Doctor Spectrum laments that they couldn't get to the satellite sooner so they could have saved it, but Hyperion remarks that maybe it was meant to crash down on them, much like recent events have already brought ruin to the Squadron's world. Whizzer reminds the other heroes that they have a meeting with the other members of the Squadron, and they rush off.

Elsewhere, Power Princess, the Wonder Woman analogue, and Nuke, the Firestorm analogue, are flying towards what appears to be a robbery in progress. They're joined by Cap'N Hawk (the Hawkman analogue) and Arcanna (the Zatanna analogue).

Hawk commands the thieves drop their stolen goods. However, the thieves reveal that they're just starving people who want some food. Hawk then tells them he didn't see anything, and the Saudron will let them take the food in the trucks. They're shot at by some military men. Arcanna and Hawk protect the truck while Power Princess and Nuke deal with the shooters. Power Princess tries to calm them down, but the soldiers still fire. Nuke loses his temper, and blasts their guns and jeep.

Over the Midwestern US, Tom Thumb (the Atom analogue), Golden Archer (the Green Arrow analogue), Nighthawk (the Batman analogue), and Lady Lark (the Black Canary analogue), flying in an aircraft. They lament how bad things have gotten, but Tom Thumb and Lady Lark are optimistic. They believe things will get better in time.

They discover a massive inferno raging due to a gasline. Nighthawk wants to let it burn as they aren't able to deal with it, but there's another problem. There are natural gas tanks nearby, and if the fire reaches them, the city will go up in flames. Nighthawk and Thumb go to shut off the tanks while Archer and Lark go see if they can do something to stop the advance of the fire. Archer and Lark find a water tower, and the Archer is hit with inspiration. He fires some arrows at the tower, causing water to blast from it, dousing the vicinity. Despite that, the fire is getting closer, and Lark sends the signal.

Nighthawk and Thumb get the signal. There are still three tanks to shut off, and Thumb decides to try and shut them down. The plant goes up, but Tom Thumb manages to escape. The plant is a loss, but they managed to prevent things from getting worse. The group then arrive in a mountain, where the rest of the Squadron are waiting. With that, the meeting begins.

Hyperion believes the Squadron themselves should take the blame for how the world crumbled into shambles. Nuke quickly states that the whole thing was the Overmind's fault, because he took control of the Squadron's minds and made them do the dictator bit. Nuke kind of has a point. Yes, the Squadron Supreme did take over the world and become dictators, but they were acting as unwilling agents of a malevolent force. It's not really their fault. I do get the Squadron's guilt, but really, it wasn't their fault.

Nighthawk is especially down about it, as he wanted to help the world in a different way. He recalls his retirement from crime-fighting to become a Congressman, then President. He then recalls when the Overmind took control of him and the Squadron, with only Hyperion being able to escape.

Then they remember the Overmind using them to set up a dictatorship and a nuclear arsenal to attack other worlds.

Nuke and Arcanna remind the Squadron that Hyperion and the Defenders were able to stop the Overmind and free them from his control.

Whizzer reveals he traveled the world thanks to his super-speed and he saw horrors: violence, starvation, the world had fallen into chaos.

The Squadron feel they have lost a lot of their credibility as heroes and that simply telling people that an evil being controlled them would do nothing to help things. I doubt it could make anything worse, personally. I mean, in a superhero universe, are heroes getting mind-controlled really that implausible?

Anyway, Power Princess says they're being rather defeatist about the whole thing, which is an opportunity to show her origins a bit. She comes from Utopia Isle, a island that was isolated from humanity from centuries.

Her people were the Utopians, a civilization that new no racism, discrimination, war, or crime. They built an advanced world when humans were still in caves. The utopians were descended from humans who were experimented on by the Kree. So, yeah, the Utopians were the Earth-712 version of the Inhumans. Which does make me wonder, did the Utopians ever discover the Terrigen Mists? Based on the brief glimpse we get of them, I don't think they have.

Hyperion then talks about his origin, which essentially is Superman's. He's starting to think that maybe he could do more to help, that his parents told him not to live up to his full potential. There's also a flashback to the Squadron's formation, with an interesting thing to note.

See the Skrull there? He's called Skymax, the Skurllian Skymaster. He's essentially the Martian Manhunter analogue of the Squadron. This is only appearance here. I'm serious. In the whole mini, he is not seen again, nor even mentioned.

Hyperion suggests that the group use their power to remaking the ruined world into a Utopia, actively try to solve the world's problems, abolish war and crime, cure disease, feed the world, that kind of thing.

However, one Squadron member is against this idea: Nighthawk.

He fears that such a course of action will lead the Squadron down a bad path, and that a such a thing should not be handed to humanity. Instead, they should earn their Utopia. The group put it to a vote.

The vote is ten to two, the only holdouts being Nighthawk and Amphibian. Amphibian agrees to go along with the Squadron's plan despite his reservations, but Nighthawk can't. His conscience drives him to resign from the Squadron. Nuke mocks him and says he's leaving because he's jealous the Squadron may accomplish the goals Nighthawk could not in his presidency. Hyperion tells him to essentially shut up. Dr. Spectrum suggests the group unmask, as their new roles will leave them no more room for secret identities and Arcanna suggests that they warn their loved ones before they do this.

This part of the comic is one I really like because it really gave us little glimpses of the Squadron's personal lives, and showed they weren't just pastiches of the JLA. It was a step in showing they were unique characters in their own right. They may have been inspired by the JLA archetypes, but they are not the JLA.

We see Hyperion meeting a woman named Lonni (Basically Hype's Lois Lane). He tells her about his dual identity as Mark Milton, and they can't be together because of their being different species. Whizzer meets his wife and children in a special shelter he built for them. Dr. Spectrum returns to his trailer home and calls his girlfriend. Cap'N Hawk goes back to his parents' home and learns his father (once a superhero called American Eagle) had died of a heart condition, and the two didn't get a chance to reconcile. However, Hawk's father left him a letter expressing his pride in him following in his footsteps, no matter what identity he took...and a new costume for him.

Zarda comes home to her now-elderly husband, Howard Shelton. They met during WWII, and had been together ever since.

This scene with Zarda helps show the deconstructionist nature of this mini-series. It makes sense that  a man she loved for (at this time) four decades would age whereas she doesn't (or at least very slowly), thanks to her Utopian nature.

Amphibian goes to the water and meets some dolphins. Golden Archer and Lady Lark return to their apartment and find it ransacked. Archer even finds a dead body. In a bit of a heartbreaking moment, Nuke goes to a hospital, and meets his parents, who are suffering from cancer. He decides not to tell them his secret, as he doesn't want to burden them further. And in a happier moment, Arcanna reunites with her husband and children. Tom Thumb flies out to the destroyed satellite, and finds Aida, the supercomputer that was part of the old satellite. He really adores the heavily-damaged Aida. Really show the depths of just how lonely Tom Thumb feels.

The scene then shifts to Nighthawk driving home. He returns to his mansion and dons his old costume, only for Hyperion to come knockin'.

Hyperion and Nighthawk start talking. Hype regrets that Nighthawk would never get the chance to show how great a President he could've been thanks to the Overmind, and he hopes that despite their differences on how to help the ruined Earth-712, they can still be friends. Hyperion then flies off. Nighthawk is left racked with indecision, and decides that the Squadron's plans must be stopped.

He goes down to a hidden vault, and pulls out a chunk of Argonite, a radioactive substance that is one of the few things that can harm Hyperion. I wonder if this is where the Superman writers got the idea to have Superman entrust Batman with a piece of Kryptonite. Despite his wondering if he has the willingness to use it to kill Hyperion, he carves a bullet out of it.

The next day, Nighthawk in his civilian identity of Kyle Richmond is getting ready to make a address before the American people. He has the gun in his hand, the Argonite bullet loaded.

The world that can tunes in as Kyle Richmond steps down from the Presidency. Hyperion prepares to make his speech about how the Squadron will fix the world in one year. Nighthawk prepares to fire the gun...

...but he can't do it. He can't find it in himself to but a bullet in his friend's back. Hyperion vows that the Squadron will fix all the world's problems in one year. If they can't, they will willingly step down from the authority they've been given to do so. They then unmask, revealing their new costumes, and Nighthawk vows to find another way to stop the Squadron Supreme.

Issue number 1 of Squadron Supreme is a very strong start to the mini. Yeah, it did have plenty of recapping, but unlike the last comic I looked at (Marvel Fanfare #10) the recapping did not dominate the issue.

This issue is freakin' packed with stuff, and I mean in the good way. We get to see all the members get some spotlight, which with a team this big (this Squadron has 12 members), is tough to pull off. Gru not only does it, he makes it look easy. And we also get a glimpse of a couple of the Squaddies' origins, so that's pretty neat. This issue was fun to read through.

Bob Hall does good art here, but his art here is t its best when he's doing up-close shots, and it does suffer slightly when he is required to do distance. Maybe it's the inking? It's not a major complaint, but it's just something I noticed.

Still, if you find this in the back issue bins, I implore you, get it. Get all twelve issues. Hunt down the trade. Fun fact: The original trade was printed with ink that had Mark Gruenwald's ashes in it. I imagine it is a bit of a collector's item, but it was reprinted in 2013. I highly recommend it. This mini needs more love.

Next month, we'll take a look at issue 2, where the Squadron starts on their plan to fix the world, and the tragedy starts...

In the meantime, considering what happened recently, I'm feeling the need to look at a comic featuring a certain Sentinel of Liberty...

Squadron Supreme #6 (February 1986)

Welcome back to Earth-712! Over the last five months, this blog has covered the Earth's Greatest Heroes' slow fall from its mightiest protectors...to its tyrannical rulers. We've seen our heroes undergo a lot of change and tragedy. Death, destruction, and mind-breaking was the name of the game. In the last issue, we saw that some of the old villains that faced the Squadron back in the day, expanding on their world. Now, the troubles continue, and the Squadron further fractures...

Previously on Squadron Supreme: Thanks to kidnapping the Golden Archer, the nefarious Institute of Evil was able to kidnap the families of the Squadron Supreme. Long story short, the heroes save the day.

The cover is rather plain, but it is effective. It depicts Hyperion standing in front of Shape, Quagmire, Ape-X, and Lamprey, introducing them as the new members of the Squadron Supreme. It does raise a question, why are they joining up? Didn't they fight the Squadron in the last issue? Well, let's find out!

"Inner Circle"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inkers: Sam De La Rosa, Keith Williams
Letterer: John Workman
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Hyperion, Tom Thumb, and the family of Arcanna Jones watching her weave some magic.

What is she doing? Well, she is making Squadron City invisible! Yes, Squadron City! The city of the future! Well, it's not really a city, it's more like a gigantic fancy new HQ for the Squadron Supreme.

Sorry about the quality, folks. My tablet scanner hated me for trying to scan this thing. I hate two-page spreads for this reason. I'm at least glad I didn't have to turn the trade on its side. Anyway, Squadron City is basically a new HQ, complete with hospital, meeting area, little houses for the members (that's funny to me), and the latest hi-fi stereo equipment for your listening pleasure. It was 1986.

Tom Thumb is impressed with Arcanna's magical abilities, as he felt it would have been very demanding technologically to hide the still in-progress HQ. The group go inside the field, and Arcanna heads to her family's home, which kind of has an old castle vibe to it. The group meet Whizzer's wife Madeline Stewart, and her daughter. As Arcanna's husband starts to make lunch and their kids play together, Madeline tells Arcanna that Whizzer still is struggling with the guilt he's having over running out on the Squadron when their families were attacked. Arcanna reassures her that he just needs time to recover.

Meanwhile, Hyperion and Tom Thumb come to the still in-progress laboratory complex. There, Ape-X shows off something she's been working on. She's been building on Tom Thumb's force-field belts, modifying them to be better personal protection devices, and at a much lower cost. She suggests with the gun manufacturers shut down, their factories could be converted to force-field belt manufacturing. Hyperion compliments her efforts, much to Tom Thumb's chagrin. However, he perks up when she states that Tom Thumb really deserves the credit, as she's only building on what he created.

Hyperion then goes to visit Zarda, who is helping a crew with building a landing field for aircraft. The workers are former criminals they hired to help out. Unusually, Quagmire is working with them. And there's a bit of a funny moment with his powers.

Hyperion then goes and visits Doctor Spectrum and Lamprey. Hype is touching base with everyone, and he asks how Doctor Spectrum's therapy sessions are going. Spectrum states he's still not ready for combat duty.

You may have noticed that in the last issue, the Institute of Evil's members attacked the Squadron Supreme, but here...they're helping the Squadron build their new HQ. And they're being nice. Well, there's an explanation for that.

Hype then next visits Amphibian and Shape, who are making a nice lake. Amphibian reveals that the Squadron used the B-Mod machines on the Institute, forcibly turning them into good guys. Amphibian really dislikes this. Even worse, it's shown that Shape felt no pain from the B-Modding, and he likes what he's become thanks to it. Amphibian complains about the lake to Hyperion, because he needs to be near water for his health, like the Silver/Bronze Age Aquaman. The nearest ocean is two hours away by the fastest craft. Hyperion brushes it off, saying Kingsley was outvoted when it came to deciding the location of the new HQ. Tom Thumb is not the only one who feels unappreciated.

Hyperion then visits Foxfire, who got on a new costume. She is looking over supply deliveries. Lady Lark was supposed to be with her, but she went to check up on Golden Archer again. Hyperion grumbles that lately, she can't seem to stay away from his side.

At the hospital facility, Lark is cooing over Archer, much to his chagrin. Actions have consequences, Wyatt. He tells her he needs rest, and she agrees to leave him alone for a bit. Dr. Decibel comes to visit Archer, and Archer complains that Lark's over-affection is making him crazy. Blue Eagle flies down to visit Lark.

Eagle confronts Lark, saying she's been acting very strange these past couple of months, and he wants to know why she suddenly went so crazy over Archer after wanting to break up with him. Lark takes it well.

Meanwhile, one of the Squadron's greatest enemies has been watching the Squadron's takeover from a hidden citadel.

Meet Master Menace, criminal mastermind and evil genius extraordinaire. During the last six months, he was busy taking over the Middle East. You'd think that the Squadron would've heard about this at some point.

It was only now that he has learned what the Squadron are up to in America. Menace eyes a news report, an interview with Tom Thumb about the B-Mod device. In the interview, Thumb talks about how the B-Mod device is a humane way to reform criminals. Menace takes an interest in the device, as some of his occasional allies in the Institute of Evil have already been brainwashed by it. Menace also believes that he can devise a way to reverse the effects. He then goes to greet some guests.

Meet, from left to right: Mink, thrill-seeking cat burglar. Remnant, the cloth-wielding criminal. Pinball, the bouncing ball of malice. You may notice that unlike the strips of cloth he uses in the future, he's shown to be a card-thrower. There's a reason for this. According to the entry on him in the Marvel Appendix, Remnant may have originally intended to be a character called "Wild Card", a Joker-analogue themed around playing cards. The link will explain further.

The three came to Menace for help. They also know what the Squadron did to their fellow villains, and they want to escape them. Menace agrees to help them, and use one of his machines to send them to another world. Menace will stay behind, as he refuses to let the Squadron's actions scare him into fleeing.

Three weeks later, the Squadron's new meeting chamber is completed. Whizzer has to report something. He and Blue Eagle went to Huxley State Prison (Nod to Aldous Huxley, another clever nod by Gruenwald) to implement the B-Mod program there, but the warden was resistant. He doesn't want the Squadron messing with his prisoners' minds, even if the intentions and outcome are "good". The two then left, and Hyperion commends them for doing the right thing.

Amphibian puts up the possibility that he'll never "come around". What will the Squadron do then, B-Mod him to make the warden compliant? B-Mod the newsmen who discover that? Amphibian does have a point. How far can the Squadron go with this thing? Archer already abused the B-Mod to make Lady Lark love him again, who will be the next?

Tabling the issue, Power Princess suggests that the former Institute of Evil be brought into the Squadron as members. The Squadron have various thoughts on it.

It's really interesting seeing each of their thoughts on the former Instituters' membership. And their thoughts make sense with their characters. Power Princess's Utopian upbringing states that those who seek fellowship should be welcomed. Lady Lark is reluctant as Dr. Decibel ruined her singing career. Tom Thumb is all for it, faithful in his invention. Whizzer feels they are too different. Eagle is reluctant to trust them due to their criminal pasts, and the pragmatic Arcanna reveals she is pregnant with her fourth child, and with that, they need the extra manpower. Man, Mr. and Mrs. Jones loves making kids, don't they?

Hyperion breaks the tie, inducing them, but breaking them into field duty slowly. And the final business of the day? Blue Eagle has some business. He points out that Lady Lark has been acting very strange over the last few months, being crazy when she's not around the Golden Archer. He then comes right out and says it.

Eagle explains that Tom Thumb can prove this, as the B-Mod machine has internal memory that records its usage. Eagle explains that the B-Mod was programmed to recognize and disregard the Squadron's brain patterns. This saved them from being B-Modded by the Institute of Evil in the last issue. However, Eagle believes that little protective measure was put in after Archer brainwashed Lark.

Tom admits that he did discover that someone did use the B-Mod on Lady Lark, but can't prove it was Archer. Eagle says it would make sense. He's the only one who had the motive. Spectrum brings in Archer so he can defend himself in this trial. Archer hears the testimony, and he confesses.

Thumb explains that he can't undo the brainwashing of Lady Lark, as the process would probably cause permanent brain damage. Lady Lark is enraged by this and runs out of the room. The Squadron debate over what to do about this.

Hyperion takes it to a vote. Whizzer, Amphibian, and Spectrum vote not to discipline the Archer. Power Princess votes for B-Modding him. Tom Thumb, Blue Eagle, and Arcanna vote to expel him from the Squadron. Hyperion is again the tie-breaker. He votes to expel Archer from the Squadron. Spectrum is furious at Blue Eagle. Hyperion tells Archer the news. Lady Lark is angry about this, but Archer accepts this, and apologizes for what he has done.

That night, Amphibian heads to the lab and destroys the B-Mod machines. Ape-X hears the noise, and asks what's going on. Amphibian assures her that everything is alright. He orders her to call up the plans for the B-Mod machine, and delete them from the computer.

This is where we see the true subtle horror of the B-Mod device. The former villainess can object, but in the end, she has to obey a Squadron member's orders. Her free will was taken from her against her wishes, and it can easily be assumed her compatriots in the Institute of Evil suffered the same fate. It's scary stuff, and a great way of subtly showing how much the Squadron Supreme have lost their way.

Satisfied with that he has done, Amphibian takes a craft and heads back to the ocean, basically saying "Screw the Squadron, and screw the surface world". He swims off, vowing never to leave the ocean again. So long, Amphibian. The story ends with Nighthawk finally appearing again after several months, checking out a strange tower. He was watching the Squadron's activities, and he finally has a plan to stop them.

This issue was really good. The change with the Institute of Evil's personalities was a bit jarring, but made perfect sense considering the themes of this series. It's a fantastic way of showing just how much the Squadron is slowly slipping into becoming tyrants and their not even realizing it. The B-Mod has opened up the doors to some serious abuses of power, and we're starting to see the Squadron do exactly that. It was also neat to see Amphibian finally get some focus, despite the fact this would be his last appearance in the series.

The late Paul Ryan, who would in a few years become known for his five-year run on Fantastic Four from 1991 to 1996, takes over the artwork here. I have to be honest, it's an improvement. Bob Hall upped his game in his last issue, but Ryan takes it to another level. It does make me wish Ryan had done the whole mini. How much nicer would those last five issues have looked under Ryan's pencils? Ah, well. Next time, we'll take a look at an adventure of Supergirl...

Squadron Supreme #5 (January 1986)

Welcome back to Earth-712, everyone! The home of the Squadron Supreme, Earth's Greatest Heroes! For many years, they protected their world from threats too great for one of them to handle. When their world fell into chaos, they took matters into their own hands and tried to be its saviors...but they may end up becoming its tyrants.

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...