A high-school student’s death makes the citizens of Citrusville crazier than usual – and draws Man-Thing to town! The lead story hasn’t aged well, but strong art on the backup features – including a Howard the Duck tale drawn by Frank Brunner – help make this issue a winner.
READIn an alternate universe observed by the Watcher, a young Spider-Man becomes a paid member of the FF. The concept is stronger than the execution, with writer/editor Roy Thomas embracing his inner fanboy, aided by penciler Jim Craig.
READDaredevil and Ghost Rider team to save Karen Page from Death’s Head/Death Stalker and his minion, the Smasher. The conclusion of this two-part story – which started in Daredevil #138 – is not nearly as strong, despite having the same writer (Marv Wolfman) and artist (John Byrne).
READBoth Batman and Man-Bat head to a dictator’s island in an effort to bring a hitman to justice. Bob Haney’s story is hit and miss but Jim Aparo’s art is up to its usual excellent standards.
READDouble-crossed by a cult, Vietnam veteran Gideon Cross must try to stop xenogenesis – the rebirth of the demon race! The story is a bit hard to warm up to, but the visual storytelling by Rich Buckler is a lot of fun.
READPhoenix tries to save a village from a yeti army controlled by Satan – who is actually an alien in disguise! The lead story by Gabriel Levy and Sal Amendola is a bit off, but a backup feature with nice art from Pat Broderick and Terry Austin brings up this issue’s average.
READAfter learning the alien threat still lives, Phoenix races to New York to stop the annihilation of the city. Heavy with Biblical allusions, this series, by artist Sal Amendola and new writer Gabriel Levy, still has potential.
READAn astronaut rescued in the Arctic by aliens flees when he discovers his saviors’ plan to obliterate humanity. While not all that original, Jeff Rovin and Sal Amendola’s Phoenix debut shows potential.
READAn astronaut mutated by cosmic radiation traps Killraven in a nightmarish version of the pre-Martian-Invasion past. The Dreaded Deadline Doom brings this solid fill-in issue from the team of Bill Mantlo, Keith Giffen and Al Milgrom.
READKillraven and the Freemen celebrate with new friends, sharing the story of Old Skull over a New Year’s feast. A catch-your-breath issue from the regular Killraven team of Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell, this time joined by veteran inker Jack Abel.
READ