Counting Comics - 20

The total rolling over from last week was - 

DC = 5713

Marvel = 62
Others = 59

Inferno (1997 - 98)

1 - 4

This is Sandy Anderson the Inferno from the future sent back to the past when the Emerald Eye exploded, she took up squatting in a mall with a group of homeless girls and fought a monster there. She ended up staying in the past as she felt no allegiance to the Legion or their future.

Garth Ennis - War Story (2003)

J for Jenny

Book 2 of Vol 2 this comic is set in 1943 and centres on the crew of a plane during the relentless bombing runs on Germany with the Americans bombing all day and the British all night.

Labrats (2002 - 2003)

1 - 8

Series from John Byrne centering on a group of teens held on The Campus, a scientific research laboratory that experiments on them.

Comics veteran John Byrne creates a series identical in look and feel to that of an earlier series he masterminded entitled Next Men. This time, however, the cast of heroes is not super-powered humans. They are, instead, just plain ordinary teenagers, unwanted outcasts—“throwaways” as they so label themselves, having no particular place to go.

Within the high-tech walls of the Campus, a mysterious scientific institution with a hidden agenda, these kids find haven along with a sense of purpose and belonging. Given training and education, state-of-the-art living quarters, three square meals a day (when possible) and nifty clothing, you would think the young adventurers have it made…but there are no such things as free lunches. These lab rats pay for their room and board as Campus personnel take advantage of their nothing-to-lose attitude, making them participate in dangerous virtual-reality simulations and sending them out on high-risk missions to fantastic places all within the DC universe.

Source

Blue Devil (1984 - 86)

1 - 31

Dan Cassidy was a stuntman and special effects technician, who was accidentally granted mystical powers during a fight with the demon Nebiros. Later, his powers are increased and he becomes an actual demon when he makes a literal deal with the Devil, sacrificing his soul so that he might save others. He has been a member of the Justice League, Sentinels of Magic and Shadowpact. Blue Devil was created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and Paris Cullins, first appearing in Fury of Firestorm #24. (1984) 

Annual #1 (1985)

This comic features the one and only formation of The Creeper's Spirit Squad. Consisting of Creeper, Blue Devil, Madame Xanadu, Man-Bat, Phantom Stranger, Etrigan, and Black Orchid they formed to take on Nebiros who had been summoned to Earth by Felix Faust. At the end of the book Creeper suggests the idea of the Spirit Squad being a team and the everybody blows it out of the water as a stupid idea!!

Black Lightning (1996 - 97)

1 - 13

Originally he was a high school principal and Olympic-level athlete who became a vigilante to take down organized crime in Metropolis' Suicide Slum. Eventually he would become a member of Batman's team of Outsiders for many years, although he retired briefly to become secretary of education under president Lex Luthor. He returned to crime-fighting, though, as a member of the Justice League. His two daughters operate as the super-heroes Thunder and Lightning. Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden, first appearing in Black Lightning #1. (1977) 

This is the 2nd volume of his solo comic and I am surprised that with the current TV show that he's not had another run. There was a dispute between Isabella and the editors of this book and he was replaced as the writer as of #9.

Resurrection Man (1997 - 1999)

1 - 27, 1 Million

Resurrection Man is Mitch Shelley, a superhero who can return from the dead when killed. Every resurrection grants him a different super-power, with a wide variety ranging from harmless to Justice League-level. He has been a member of the Forgotten Heroes, and later Justice Legion Alpha in the 853rd Century. (During DC 1 Million) Resurrection Man was created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Jackson Guice, first appearing in Resurrection Man #1. (1997) 

Beware the Creeper (2003)

1 - 5

The original Beware the Creeper volume featured the original Jack Ryder version and ran for 6 issues back in 1968 soon after he 1st appeared in Showcase #73. This 2nd volume, set in mid-1920's Paris, has Madeline Benoir adopting the guise to get vengeance against the man who raped and killed her artist twin sister Judith. The costume was inspired by a painting of her sisters.

The Spectre (1989)

1 - 31

The Spectre is a cosmic entity and the physical embodiment of God's vengeance on Earth. Permanently bonded to a human soul, he uses his incredible divine powers to punish the truly wicked, usually ending his victim's lives in creative and ironic ways. His existence is in response to the failure of Eclipso, the spirit of God's wrath that turned completely malevolent and evil. Jim Corrigan, a member of the Justice Society of America during the Golden Age, was the original Spectre and the most well-known. Hal Jordan, a fallen Green Lantern, took his place during Day of Judgment as a way of seeking redemption. Crispus Allen became the most recent Spectre at the end of the Day of Vengeance during Infinite Crisis. The Spectre was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily, first appearing in More Fun Comics #52. (1940) Geoff Johns established Hal Jordan as the new Spectre in Day of Judgment #5. (1999) Crispus Allen became the most recent Spectre in Infinite Crisis #4. (2006) 

This was the second volume of The Spectre coming 20 years after the original run. Jim Corrigan is the human host of the Spectre, a Gotham City police detective, who was killed by mobsters. In this series Corrigan operates a private detective agency in New York and I seem to recall he has a secretary named Kim Liang who was a fun character but turned out to be a fake construct of Xanadu's. There was another police man named James Corrigan who helped Black Lightning and Jimmy Olsen out a couple of times in the past. Also a Jimmy Corrigan who appeared in Gotham Central, more on him later.

Annual #1 (1988)

A proto-demon is unleashed on Earth and Deadman and Spectre have to send it packing back to hell, no easy task at all. In the back up story Corrigan's assisstant Kimmie accidentally hatches a demon that plagues her and her room mate.

Secret Origins #15 (1987)

The Spectre & Deadman

Here's a look at the origins of a couple of DC comics best loved supernatural ghost characters, both were murdered. Boston Brand (Deadman), was tasked by the Goddess Rama Kushna to find his hook handed sniper assassin whilst Jim Corrigan is the resurrected vessel for for God's spirit of vengeance Spectre.

The Spectre (1992 - 1998)

0 - 62

This is one of my favourite ever runs in comics with fantastic story telling from Ostrander and masterfull art from Mandrake. There is a great cast of characters as well that really help to make the book stand out. #54 has the 1st appearance of the 2nd Mr Terrific Michael Holt.

Annual #1 (1995)

Day of Judgment (1999)

1 - 5

Jim Corrigan is replaced as the host of the Spectre by the fallen angel Asmodel who uses his power to go on a rampage of destruction through New York and stays the fires of Hell releasing demons into the World. The newly formed Sentinels of Magic, along with the JLA, the JSA and others form three teams to deal with different set objectives. A team led by Batman is in charge of staying in Manhattan and responding to the Spectre's onslaught, while a team led by Wonder Woman journeys to Heaven to find Jim Corrigan, the Spectre's previous host, and a team led by Superman voyages into Hell itself to reignite the fires. Corrigan will not return from Heaven so a trip to purgatory leads to Hal Jordan, (the deceased Green Lantern), to become the new host for Spectre,

The Spectre (2001 - 2003)

1 - 27

Hal Jordan the ex-Green Lantern of Sector 2814 became corrupted at the end of his life by Parrallax the fear entity inside the main Lantern power battery. He committed many wrong deeds but redeemed himself in death as he sacrificed himself to re-ignite the sun. In death he was chosen to become the new host for The Spectre, God's spirit of vengeance. Under his time as Spectre he changed the mission somewhat becoming the spirit of redemption instead of vengeance.

The Spectre (2006)

1 - 3

I'm not sure if there have been any more Spectre runs since this one but this has Crispus Allen hosting the Spectre's spirit. In life he was a Gotham City police detective, he partnered with Renee Montoya who became the new Question after quitting the force at the end of the series Gotham Central. Her decision was perhaps exacerbated by Crispus' death at the hands of a corrupt cop with the co-incidental name of Jim Corrigan, who is no relation to Spectre's previous host. Crispus' son Malcolm ends up killing Corrigan and his father as Spectre has to judge him.

So this weeks count is - 
DC - 223

Making the running totals

DC = 5936

Marvel = 62

Others = 59

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