Phantom Stranger #0

Wow, what a terrible comic book.

Well, partly. The artwork by Brent Anderson and Scott Hanna is quite good. Anderson channels the best qualities of Gene Colan, with realistic characters, powerful layouts and iconic characters.

But the story by Dan Didio is amazingly wrongheaded.

It gives the Phantom Stranger an origin story - which is bad enough all by itself, since he works primarily as a figure of mystery.

Ordinarily I avoid spoilers, but this is an issue you should shun, so forgive me if I reveal too much - but the big secret behind the Stranger is that he's Judas Iscariot.

Oh, the story doesn't actually have the courage to name him, but it leaves no doubt about his identity. Despite killing himself (it's in the Bible), he's brought back to life, sentenced by a panel of wizards, gets the word about his sentence from The Mysterious Voice On High (on loan from The Spectre) and starts wandering the Earth.

He's not a hero, he doesn't particularly like people - he just walks.

Just as I'll be doing from any future editions of this incarnation of this character.

Grade: D

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The Classics - The Phantom Stranger #7

I've always liked comics characters who were mysterious.

There aren't many - Wolverine was one of the few, and his mysterious origins were explained long ago. The Phantom Stranger seems to be about to suffer the same fate, as DC's "Free Comic Book Day" publication spelled out some of his backstory.

A terrible mistake - the heart of the character is that we don't really know much about him. Is he an angel, a man, an alien, or a mystical creature? No idea.

We just know that he shows up at the right time and fights against the forces of supernatural-based evil. No power blasts, no apparent powers at all - just someone with special knowledge and good timing.

The character has rarely been better than he was in this series in the early '70s - but as of this issue, he wasn't quite there yet. At this point, his stories were strictly formula - basically a step up from Scooby-Doo cartoons, right down to the teen sidekicks and the cartoonish Dr. Thirteen, whose goal is to debunk any mystical events.

They're faced with the mystery of "The Curse" - a death sentence placed on any man who falls in love with the daughter of... I don't know, the guy who owns a spooky castle by the ocean. The story by Bob Kanigher is just silly, with lots of death and the most improbable of solutions.

Where the issue shines is in the artwork by Jim Aparo, who overcomes the script's failings by providing amazing art. Moody and lush, each character is a unique individual, and their emotions play out clearly. The layouts are fresh and original, and his use of shadows is stunning.

Even better days were ahead for this title, as young writer Len Wein brought some fresh ideas and strong storytelling to match Aparo's terrific art - but we'll save that for another review.

Grade: B+

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The Classics - The Phantom Stranger #4

I'm hard-pressed to explain why I picked up this issue of The Phantom Stranger.

Cover dated November - December 1969, it looked like another one of DC's supernatural books, like House of Mystery or House of Secrets. They were usually anthologies, with three short tales of the supernatural that felt like watered-down tales from TV's The Twilight Zone. I have to admit, I never had much interest in those books (though obviously many readers did like them).

I suspect I was pulled in by the Neal Adams cover. Even though I was a die-hard Marvel fan by the end of the '60s, I was also a fan of Adams' artwork.

In reading this issue today, I get the sense that the writer (Robert Kanigher, according to the letters page - there are no credits) and the artist were fighting for control of the issue.

The main feature is split into three virtually unrelated pieces. Dr. Thirteen is a scientist who debunks supernatural events, making him a natural counterpart to The Phantom Stranger, who is all mystery and apparently has supernatural powers. Dr. Thirteen inadvertently releases the evil spirit Tala, who randomly appears through the story.

The Phantom Stranger's mission is to show up and thwart Tala's evil, and the Doc is there to try to debunk everything that happens. So Tala brings monsters to life, and the Stranger fights back. An ancient woman haunts a house, and her story is introduced and dismissed in record time.

The whole issue would be a complete mess if not for the art. Adams creates some amazing images here, from photorealistic shots of airplanes, stunningly beautiful women, intense confrontations and some great surreal images of the title character.

This comic always had great luck with its artists, as Adams was followed in future issues by the great Jim Aparo. Its luck also improved when Len Wein took over the writing chores. Instead of stories filled with random events, Wein established a supporting cast for the Stranger, and found a balance for the character, making him less omnipotent but just as compelling.

I quickly became a fan of the character, but it was in spite of the story in this issue. But I'm glad I stuck around - when handled properly, the Phantom Stranger is a terrific character - and as the '60s waned, he was one even a Marvel fan could enjoy.

Grade: B-

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Blackest Night: Phantom Stranger #42

Count me as a fan of the idea behind these Blackest Night spinoffs that - for a single issue - pick up where several canceled series left off.

I was glad to see The Phantom Stranger included on that list, since I was a big fan of the Len Wein-written and Jim Aparo-drawn version of that character.

Of course, the problem is, there are really two Phantom Strangers wandering in the DC Universe.

There's the mysterious figure who works in shadow and mystery, appearing suddenly to oppose evil and disappearing just as quickly. Those are the stories I remember fondly.

Then there's the superhero Phantom Stranger, who flies, fires mystic bolts from his hands and takes a more active role in events. I'm not so crazy about that one.

Unfortunately, for this issue, we get version #2. The story picks up from the scene in Blackest Night (or was it Green Lantern?) where the Spectre becomes a Black Lantern and vows to track down Hal Jordan.

What follows is a brutal fight between the Stranger, the Blue Devil and the possessed Spectre. About halfway through, the story takes a sudden turn and the two heroes tackle a different mission involving yet another supernatural figure.

The art by Adrian Syaf (penciller) and Vincente Cifuentes (inker) is very good, with some strong layouts and powerful sequences, but the story by Peter Tomasi just doesn't hold together, and it doesn't present that title character as anything more than just another superhero.

Still, even in an average comic, it's great to see an old favorite again. Hopefully we'll see more of the old boy in the future.

Grade: C+