Back Issue # 24 October 2007 (magazine review)

This early issue of ‘Back Issue’ deals with magic-based comicbook characters. Oddly, although there is an excellent interview by Micheal Eury with comicbook artist Michael Golden, he only ever did one issue of ‘Doctor Strange’ and wasn’t very keen on drawing super-heroes, although you would never have through that seeing his work on ‘The Micronauts’.

Writer Allan Harvey’s look at Dr. Fate and his revival in the 1970s was problematic. Like a lot of comicbook fans, my memories of him came from the JLA/JSA team-ups. A powerful magical character but no real defining abilities like spell-casting. He just pointed and energy came about. Therein lies the problem. Characters so powerful but need a defining way to express their powers. Probably only Dr. Strange relying on incantations and you knowing what they mean. How could Dr. Fate compete with that?

I only have vague memories of ‘Amethyst, Princess Of Gemworld’, although Jim Kingman fills in other details like Mordru, later to be a nemesis of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, was born in one of its realms and shown in the later series should have some of you wanting to be completest after those issues.

Writer Roger Ash looks over comicbook artist Marshall Rogers’ career and his time on ‘Doctor Strange’, written by Steve Englehart and inked by Terry Austin in an attempt to increase the Sorcerer Superme’s sales figures. Seeing the notes between Rogers and Austin on how they went back to Strange’s Ditko costume roots shows how much if had drifted over the years.

Dan Johnson interviews comicbook artist Frank Brunner about his time on ‘Marvel Premiere’ and Dr. Strange’s own title revival. He liked the bi-monthly schedule and it was under the radar of the best-sellers. Working with writer Steve Englehart, they explored Dr. Strange investigating God and got away with it with their boss Stan Lee, faking a letter from a priest. It’s a classic story but well worth reading again.

Johnson also interviewed Gene Colan and Paul Smith on their different times on Dr. Strange. There is some talk on the costume and Colan admitting he used a ballet book by Mikhail Baryshnikov for some of his poses.

I only have a vague memory of DC Comics’ ‘Silverblade’ and reading it, mostly because of Gene Colan’s art as writer Tom Stewart gives the title’s history.

Writer Dewey Cassell looks at ‘Peter Pan And Wendy’ as written by Andy Mangels and art started by Craig Russell but failed when its issues never got into print. Again, I have a feeling this article was needing a place to be printed than purely because it fitted here.

Writer John Wells looks at the life of Zatanna, as given by writer Gardner Fox, and her rescue of her father Zatara but not given much thought beyond that. She made a fan of Mike Friedrich before he became a professional writer and who then sought to use her while working at DC Comics. Gerry Conway explains one problem with any magically-based being on a team is making it top heavy because they can do anything. Don’t forget magic is one of Superman’s few weaknesses. Zatanna, having to cast her spells by speaking the words backwards, probably gives her an inherent weakness. It looks fine in print but how often have you tried to pronounce those words compared to working out what she is saying?

Lastly, writer Brian K. Morris looks at Comico and other companies take on ‘The Elementals’ as created by Bill Willingham who eventually left the book and even its second volume. A team of four resurrected people given the powers of the elements is hardly magicians was still essentially a super-hero team.

It does look like I have a downer on this issue but look at how much text I’ve written on it so it has made me think and look at the weaknesses.

Don’t forget, the focus of this issue is mostly humans with magical abilities than, say, magicians with sleigh of hand so Mandrake the Magician isn’t included. You do have to wonder where the Spectre lies in this considering he was the ghost of Jim Corrigan. The same with Deadman. It would be nice to see the other dimension beings like Dormammu, Umar and Eternity would be in all of this but I suspect you would need an entire ‘Back Issue’ to cover Dr. Strange’s enemies. Other characters, like Ghost Rider, probably had their own issue, although this early in ‘Back Issue’s run, there wasn’t a reference to where they were covered earlier. However, there’s a lot of good art and who doesn’t want that?

GF Willmetts

August 2026

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6904. Direct from them, you can get it digitally for $ 4.99 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=601