The DC Universe by Mike Mignola by Mike Mignola and a myriad of other creators
Before Hellboy, Mike Mignola earned his comicbook living by working at Marvel and then at DC Comics. He was illustrator on various projects that are collected here.
"The Phantom Stranger" 4-issue miniseries features the Stranger, a hero who was an immortal servant of the Lords of Order. He was stripped of most of his magical power and his immortality, making him basically human though with little experience of human limitations. He discovers a plot by the Lords of Chaos: Their agent Eclipso is planning on destroying all of reality. Eclipso actually has three plans, so after the initial set up in issue one, the next three chronicle how the Phantom Stranger defeats those schemes with the help of human friends. The story was mildly interesting and the art by Mignola shows some hints of his future style. Sometimes faces are in black shadow; occasional frames provide atmosphere more than narrative. Overall, I thought it was a fairly average superhero story.
"The World of Krypton" 4-issue miniseries gives a version of the fall of Krypton. After a massive war over whether clones should have human rights or not, Krypton turns into a wasteland. The new, restored Krypton is very antiseptic--people hardly ever meet each other in person. They are given hi-tech suits that keep them from dying except by accident. Anytime someone does die, a new child is crafted in a birth chamber with the parents having minimal if any contact. Superman's parents are, of course, rebellious and do meet. Superman's father discovers that a plague killing Kryptons is not their biggest problem since the planet is about to explode. He sends his son to Earth where he can survive, maybe have superpowers, and definitely have emotions. The story drags a bit. Mignola's art is mostly perfunctory, with one wordless action sequence that shows his style to come.
In a follow-up to "The World of Krypton," John Byrne wrote a two-issue story illustrated by Mike Mignola for the fiftieth anniversary of Superman in 1988. The Earth is bathed in a wave of Kryptonian radiation that nearly kills the Man of Steel. Hawkman and Hawkgirl help Superman travel to the spot where Krypton blew up, which is the source of the radiation. Superman falls into a fever dream where he sees what would have been if many Kryptonians had escaped to Earth. I found the story a little obvious and underwhelming. The art is nice and mimics the World of Krypton miniseries.
"Curse of the Banshee" is another Superman story (with a cameo by Batman) where Superman fights the Silver Banshee, a Celtic villain from an island castle in the sea between Ireland and Scotland. The story is spooky--Batman delivers a magic tome he took from a Gotham City criminal. The book is written in Gaelic except for the English part at the end which shows Batman giving the book to Superman. As the story continues, the book gets more pages describing events that just happened. In typical Superman-story fashion, Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane go to the castle to get a story on Clan McDougal and wind up in the clutches of the Silver Banshee's family. Superman needs to save them and end the threat. The story has some classic Mignola elements--the magical book, the Celtic island, elder beings granting (and taking back) powers to humans. His style is on show as well--the black shadows and odd details.
"Memories of Kryptons Past" is an Action Comics Annual issue (so longer than usual) that has Superman taken in chains to an alien prison planet where he is forced to be a gladiator under the tyranny of Mongul. As he fights, he remembers his Kryptonian past. But the planet has another prisoner, an old wise man, who had gone to Krypton as a missionary and opposed the cloning culture there. The two stories of Krypton come together at the end, but the plot it self does not finish. The story continued in the regular Action Comics issues but the finale is not included here, presumably because Mignola didn't draw them! Frustrating.
"Shaggy God Stories" is from a Swamp Thing Annual issue and is notable because it was written by Neil Gaiman. The story has a swamp creature, seemingly not Swamp Thing, wandering in a swamp talking to a venus fly trap it is carrying. The creature tells the fly trap (which he calls "Milton") about various theories and stories about divine beings. The story is only a few pages long, so it must have been part of a longer series and perhaps makes more sense in context. The art is appropriately odd.
"Sanctum" is a Batman story where the Dark Knight has caught up with a killer in a graveyard. The killer is using the blood he has gathered in a strange ritual. Batman fights him and is injured while the killer dies. Batman falls through the roof of a mausoleum and into the sanctum of a long-dead man who uses Batman's blood to come back to life. The story follows a familiar dark arc and is clearly a prototype of Hellboy stories to come. Mignola did the writing and the art; he's clearly warming up for Hellboy.
"The Gasworks" is another Batman story from the Batman Black and White series. Batman finds a couple of hoods experimenting with a hallucinogen that causes abject terror. They get some on Batman, who is incapacitated. They start beating him to death, causing enough pain to overcome the hallucinogen. Batman turns the tables by getting some of the goo on them. Their nightmares lead them to death. The story is black and white with some red to represent the effects of the drug. The art isn't as clean as typical Mignola work but it works with the story.
"If a Man Be Clay" gives an origin story for the Batman villain Clayface. This particular Batman seems inspired by the old Adam West TV version, with some silly wisecracks from Robin and various Bat-gadgets that exactly fit the needs of the situation. Both the story and the art work well.
Interspersed among the stories are covers that Mignola drew for other comics like Blue Beetle and various DC heroes. That was a nice bonus.
Overall, the volume is a fun read for Mignola fans.
Recommended.
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