First Wave #1 (of 6)

I should admit right up front that I'm a big Doc Savage fan.

He's had something of a checkered career in comics. I wasn't around for his '40s adventures, but in the early '70s Marvel gave him his own title, which was decent though not exceptional. The stories were mostly adaptations of the original novels.

The most successful Doc Savage comic (in my opinion, natch), could be found in the black-and-white magazines Marvel published after canceling the color comic. These were original stories written by Doug Moench, and they were very good indeed.

Then Doc reappeared years later in a solid run at DC Comics. Aside from a few appearances at some independent publishers, Doc's been pretty quiet - until now.

DC is relaunching that character as part of a First Wave series that will apparently fold a number of non-superpowered characters into its own, separate reality - which is, I must say, a terrific idea.

Especially since Doc Savage is the real inspiration for many of today's superheros - especially Superman.

I first saw the Man of Bronze on the cover of paperbacks in newsstands and book stores. I was attracted by the amazing James Bama art on the covers, and I liked the distinctive logo.

Finally, sometime around 1970 I gave in and picked up this paperback - "The Man Who Shook The Earth," the 43rd in the series of Bantam Book reprints.

At the time, I had no idea it was a reprint (though it's clearly labeled in the indicia as being originally published in 1934). It became obvious when I hit references I didn't understand, like cars with running boards and touring cars. My Dad had to explain about how cars had changed in 40 years.

By the time I reached the end of the book, I was sold - it was packed with adventure, danger, beautiful women, super-science, a group of colorful characters who worked with Doc, and the title character himself, an incredibly capable man who dedicated his life to helping others.

I spent years tracking down the rest of the Doc Savage books (quite a trick in those pre-Internet days), and my bookshelf is lined with that collection today (though I am still missing the last of the double volumes).

Which brings us back to the First Wave, which I have to mark down as a promising start. The art by Rags Morales is quite good - dynamic and heroic, and he evokes a period without being specific.

The story by Brian Azzarello is good, and he seems to be drawing on Doc's first adventure while incorporating other characters, most notably Will Eisner's Spirit, who has an odd supporting role here.

The only real complaint is that the issue is almost all setup, with little in the way of real action sequences. For pulp characters, it's all about moving the story forward at top speed, and this story's still stuck in first gear.

Hopefully it'll pick up speed in the issues ahead. It's a decent start, and I love the characters involved (especially the surprise appearance at the end), so I'll be anxiously following along.

Grade: B+