Spectre dc best lines2/29/2024 ![]() Spectre v2 #5 - illustrated by Cam Kennedy (At this point, Zatanna was predominantly a Justice Leaguer, having last appeared during 1986's Justice League Detroit run.) Moench also resolves the lingering question of what happened to Zatara following the events of Swamp Thing v2 #50: Moench keeps a tight continuity in these issues, as the remaining Demon Three members (Abnegazar and Ghast) are still looking for their missing brother and references to Justice League of America #256 - 257 are mentioned. Issues #7 and 8 of the Spectre v2 reintroduces Golden Age mystical super-villain Wotan (last seen in 1981's All-Star Squadron) to a current audience in what may be the creepiest Zatanna story I've ever read. Spectre v2 #5 - Ernie Colon and Steve Mitchell art Moench masterfully sidesteps around the continuity nightmare that is Crisis on Infinite Earths by explaining it as a natural phenomena that happened to be occurring during the course of the story: In a two-part story illustrated by Gene Colan and Steve Mitchell, Moench explains what happened to Jim Corrigan post- Crisis up until the beginning of Spectre v2. If I didn't know any better, it would seem like Moench's first major goals with this series were to try to conclude a few open-ended story lines. Most fans don't realize that Moench's 1970s writing resumé includes a huge catalog of work for Warren Publication's Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella horror magazines, as well as a variety of Marvel's black-and-white Curtis Magazine titles (i.e., Dracula Lives!, Haunt of Horror, Vampire Tales, Monsters Unleashed, Tales of the Zombie). Moench is best known for co-creating Marvel's Moon Knight, his run on Marvel's Master of Kung-Fu with Paul Gulacy and, most notably, his 1983 to 1986 stint as a writer for Batman and Detective Comics. I honestly don't think that Doug Moench is given enough credit as a writer of supernatural fiction. Moench effectively fixed this by scaling down the Spectre's powers and giving him a weakness. Reader reaction to a new Spectre ongoing series consisted of a lot of hesitation - readers pointed out that the reason a Spectre series hadn't worked very well in the past is because the character was too powerful (on the verge of being God-like) and thus difficult for the reader to form a relation to. The first three issues establish the tone of this series, and by issue #4 the series really starts to hit it's stride. The Spectre is a discarnate spirit which comes and goes as he pleases, but is usually working towards the same objective as Corrigan. The stories are mainly narrated from Corrigan's point of view and tend to involve a supernatural case/mystery that he's trying to crack (often involving a murder). Under the editorial direction of Bob Greenberger, Moench initially sets up the Spectre v2 as a supernatural mystery comic James Corrigan is no longer a cop, he's a private investigator with an office above Madame Xanadu's Greenwich Village parlor. Swamp Thing v2 would also move into this format with issue #60 and Doom Patrol v2 with issue #19.* This ongoing series also sported the NEW FORMAT seal on the cover - this meant that there were 24 pages of story instead of 22, all of the ads were at the back of the book, the paper stock was better than newsprint (but not as good as Baxter), and new 'computer coloring' was being used. ![]() This was very much in-step with what was happening with Swamp Thing v2 at the time, Despite being a 'no label' book, DC editorial opted not use profane words, show graphic sex or violence and only be as strong as 1988 prime time television. Being a Direct Edition made it possible for Spectre v2 to bypass the Comics Code Authority (CCA) seal and contain content geared towards a 'mature audience'. This series was only offered via Direct Edition - it wasn't sold on newsstands - meaning you either had to have a home subscription or purchase it from your local comic book shop. The Spectre v2 ongoing series ran for 31 issues and a single 1988 annual (all written by Doug Moench).
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