Retro Reads: The tale of the Huntress (1977)

In the era before DC's monumental, legendary Crisis on Infinite Earths, the heroes of the Golden Age were set on Earth-2, while their Silver Age successors were on Earth-1. The idea behind Crisis, and some of the events that have followed, was to simplify the DC Universe for new generations of readers.

However, depending on the character, nothing is that simple.

Take, for example, The Huntress.

The second character to use the name was the daughter of Earth-2's Batman & Catwoman, the latter having reformed and renounced her life of crime.

DC Super-Stars 17 explained the origins of this Huntress, aka Helena Wayne, who would join the Justice Society, and appear in All-Star Comics & Adventure Comics before her solo series began appearing in the back-up feature in Batman Family & Wonder Woman. Co-creators Paul Levitz & Joe Staton had themselves a winner.

However, Helena was killed off at the end of Crisis, or so you'd imagine. A few retcons over the last 34 years have changed the story.

With Huntress due to appear in "Birds of Prey" next month, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, DC is reissuing the 2006 trade paperback, Darknight Daughter, under the new title, Huntress: Origins. No matter how it's labeled, it's still good stuff, even though not all of the solo stories were included in the collection.

Helena Wayne deserved to star in her own book. This is as close as she'll get.

Rating: A-.
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Post-Crisis, Huntress was reincarnated as the daughter of a Sicilian crime family, Helena Bertinelli. I remember reading this iteration of Huntress, impressed with Staton's changing his art style to fit the mood of the series. Unfortunately, it ended a wee bit too soon, in this writer's opinion.

And it was the Helena Bertinelli version that shared headline space with Batman in the 2000 miniseries, Cry For Blood. Artist Rick Burchett didn't go out of his way to emulate Staton's 70's look, but it feels that way, and it represents some of Burchett's best work, joined by inker Terry Beatty in the second half of the series. Greg Rucka's script encapsulates and revises the late 80's origin, suggesting that this Helena was the product of a forbidden affair between her mother and a rival capo. It continues the animosity between Huntress III and Batman, but then you throw the Question (Victor Sage) into the mix, too.

Cry For Blood was previously collected in trade paperback, and has also been reissued, this time as Birds of Prey: Huntress, as DC is doing everything they can to market the theatrical "Birds".

Rating: A-.
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If you thought the producers of Supergirl were done with Mr. Mxyzptlk, think again.

The 5th dimensional sorcerer returns later this season, but embodied this time by Thomas Lennon (ex-The Odd Couple, Reno 911, The State). They're going out of their way to avoid using CGI and bringing in Gilbert Gottfried, who voiced Mxyzptlk on Superman: The Animated Series, aren't they?
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Apparently, Archie Comics is finding out that a 5 part story arc doesn't sell as well as it used to.

For example, with Katy Keene surfacing in Archie, her arc has been trimmed from five issues down to four. With the Katy live action series set to debut in two weeks on CW, and set in the future, it seems orders for the Katy-Archie meeting aren't where they should be.
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IDW has gotten into the business of facsimile reprints, following behind DC & Marvel.

They tested the waters with a reprint of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, as originally adapted by Marvel in  Marvel Super Special 40 years earlier. Marv Wolfman wrote the adaptation, illustrated by Dave Cockrum & Klaus Jansen, which is as close to accurate as I've seen, and I've never seen the movie! (I've only seen one Trek movie, "Wrath of Khan")

Wolfman, who recently made a TV cameo at the end of CW's adaptation of Crisis, is one of the greatest comics writers of the latter 20th century. Jansen, however, mutes Cockrum's pencils ever so slightly, diluting their impact. Still, I'm figuring on finding a DVD one of these days....!

Rating: B.
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Dynamite has joined the party, too, producing monthly facsimile reprints of the original Vampirella series produced by Warren Publishing, dating back to 1969. I wonder if Marvel might be so motivated to do the same with their black & white line from the 70's, save for Doc Savage, whose rights, at last check, remain with Dynamite.
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As one might've expected, writer Brian Bendis marked the first anniversary of his Wonder Comics imprint at DC by bringing Miguel & Summer, the stars of Dial H For Hero, and the Wonder Twins over to Young Justice with issue 12. Naomi has been appearing since issue 10.

For those that didn't read Naomi, her full name is Naomi McDuffie, named for the late Dwayne McDuffie. Downside is that artist John Timms hasn't been reading Wonder Twins, and gave Zan & Jayna elf-like ears, twice the normal size that Stephen Byrne has drawn. First mistake.

The second wave of Wonder Comics begins next month, as Amethyst will be spun off into a six issue miniseries. Meanwhile, if the teaser at the end of Crisis is a harbinger of some kind, we'll see Zan & Jayna on our TV screens again, this time on CW, before the end of the year. Gleek was heard, but not seen. Hmmmmm.