October 1967.
Fifty years ago.
That’s when Strange Adventures #205 hit newsstands across North America.
It was DC Comics’ first science fiction monthly comic book and it told tales featuring all sorts of weird and arcane…well, adventures, starring some of DC’s more obscure characters (as well as their more famous ones). It was a place for readers to see their heroes in unfamiliar settings as well as a proving ground for new characters. Captain Comet first appeared here. As did Star Hawkins, the Atomic Knights, Enchantress and Animal Man. You may know their names.
And then there was Deadman, created by comic book luminaries, Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino and later written and drawn by the legendary Neal Adams, who honed his pencil and ink chops on the character.
Biff Bam Pop! has featured the character of Deadman in a number of articles over the years. We begged for a film series here. We pleaded for a television series starring the beloved character here. And we featured him in this very column here and here among other pieces.
So, what is it that makes Deadman, the crime-fighting, supernatural ghost, who inhabits the bodies of the living so appealing?
Look no further than today’s risen-from-the-grave release of Deadman #1!
Deadman #1
Written By: Neal Adams
Illustrated By: Neal Adams
Published By: DC Comics
In a nutshell: Deadman is Boston Brand, the world’s greatest trapeze artists of his, and, perhaps, any generation. But Brand is an arrogant son of gun and has a habit of making enemies with nearly anyone and everyone around him. On a fateful night, during the crescendo of his greatest aerial performance, Brand is shot mid-air by a rifle-wielding man who has a hook for hand.
Crashing to his net-less death on the hard ground below him, the spirit of Brand is offered a covenant by the Hindu god, Rama Kushna: life as a ghost in order to find your killer – and search for justice. And so started The Fugitive-esque inspired story of Deadman and his desperate search for Hook, the man who killed him!
The whys and wherefores of Deadman’s quest twisted and turned and ambled over the decades, but now writer/illustrator Neal Adams has returned to the character that he made famous all those years ago – in a new six-issue miniseries! This story promises to answer all of the lingering questions that have baffled readers as much as Brand: why did the man with the Hook for a hand truly kill Boston Brand? How are Brand’s parents and siblings involved? And how important is the mythical city of Nanda Parbat to the mystery that surrounds everything?
In his impressively dynamic art style, Neal Adams will respond to every mystery in the life and death of our titular hero! But Deadman won’t be alone in his search for answers.
In Deadman #1, look for guest appearances from Batman to Phantom Stranger, Zatanna, Etrigan the Demon, Ra’s Al Ghul, Dr. Fate, the Spectre and the League of Assassins – all within the confines of the first issue’s creepy glow-in-the-dark cover! It’s a perfect introduction to this particularly strange adventure!
Deadman is a character that won’t stay dead. He’s lived on in the imaginations of creators and readers alike for five decades – with many more years (and many more pop culture mediums) still to come.
Make the Wednesday run to your local comic book shop and pick up Deadman #1…and find the startling answers that we’ve all been waiting half a century for!
Reblogged this on JP Fallavollita.