About J. C. Vaughn

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So far J. C. Vaughn has created 89 blog entries.

RETRO REVIEW: The Shadow #1

The first chapter of a four-issue mini-series from writer-artist Howard Chaykin took on three seemingly impossible tasks and made them look easy. While it took until the last page of this issue to show it, it brought The Shadow from the 1930s to the then-present (1986) and did so convincingly. It set the stage for an origin tale that combined many of the disparate story elements – many of them conflicting – that had been sown over the years and pulled them into one story. And it made a whole new generation of fans aware of just how cool The Shadow could be.

Youngblood #1 (Direct Market Edition)

Successfully crowdfunded several months back, Rob Liefeld’s return to Youngblood hits the ground running as the team is dispatched to deal with a crisis in the Pacific. All of the bold characters and raw, kinetic energy that made the original Youngblood #1 the symbol of the early days of Image Comics are on display here, but with more polish and sophistication. With creator-writer-artist Rob Liefeld regaining control over the characters, this new, 33-years-later version of the team is crackling.

Planet Death #2

Like the first two issues, Planet Death #2 puts the spotlight on Corporal Scott, apparently the lone survivor of a planetary invasion force that went up against a surprising and overwhelming barrage of alien enemy fire. He’s left to single-handedly fight his way to the failed invasion’s objective, a seemingly impossible task

Rook: Exodus #8

Rook and fellow warden Dire Wolf search for Bloodhound, Dire Wolf’s father and perhaps the only warden left on Exodus who can help salvage the failed world engine and save their lives. If it were only that simple, it might have been a single-issue story, but there are complications galore, and those complications make for some excellent reading.

RETRO REVIEW: Dakota North #1

Even for a Marvel series and even during a strong period for indy titles, Dakota North #1 arrived in a sea of superheroes. The June 1986 cover-dated debut issue saw private investigator Dakota North hired to protect a fashion designer who had been targeted to prevent the release of his new clothing line. Not a supervillain in sight.

COVER STORY: Captain America #275

Captain America #275, the November 1982 issue of the series, was released during a healthy run by pencil artist Mike Zeck and one of his longtime partners, inker John Beatty. During their tenure on the series there are a number of terrific covers, most of them with more details than this one, and in fact many of them could be singled out in this column.

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