Back Issue #81 September 2018 (magazine review).
Back Issue #81 is also called the ‘All-Jerks Issue! ’ For us in the UK, we don’t use the term ‘jerk’ very much, as we also have a variety of words that sum it up better, such as ‘stupid’, ‘obnoxious’ and ‘idiot’, although with the latter that might only be a temporary condition. Here, we have a selection of American comic book characters who fall under that category and some who are just blowhards, so there is a sharing of levels of idiocy.
Obviously, for DC Comics, the top of the list is Guy Gardner. Writer Jim Kingman goes over Gardner’s history and fills in some gaps, which I found helpful after I had to stop reading the comics. I do have some issues with him being a jerk after being hit on the head because it implies that all idiocy happens that way. Superheroes should be capable of a wide range of personality types, so why shouldn’t there be more jerks who are out for their own fulfilment than there for the common good? The interest in Gardner grew when he joined the JLA, and he was a radical change to them and probably only tolerated because he had the most powerful weapon on Earth and was probably safer where they could keep an eye on him.
Comic book writer Beau Smith thought Gardner was a one-note character and instigated changes. The thing is, most superhero universes have one-note characters. Look at Superman, who is always described as a boy scout. That hasn’t changed. Nor for the Batman, who is another obsessive seeking atonement. Having Gardner do the right things but for the wrong reasons can be just as effective as a character. In many respects, Lobo is an even bigger jerk, but who is going to argue with the main man, and I doubt if Batman could sucker-punch him.
Writer John Wells looks at a selection of blowhard DC Comics supporting characters and some villainy that plagued Superman and Batman, often with their alter egos. Some of it was done purely for comic effect. Personally, I think there was also an underlying problem that their lives were a little too perfect and needed shaking up. Among all the characters, only Harvey Bullock has endured over time; otherwise, his incompetence would have led to his removal from the Gotham police force by now. Metamorpho’s future father-in-law, Simon Stagg, was designed to be antagonistic from the start. Firestorm’s problems came from Ronnie Raymond’s fellow students at school. Thinking objectively, I do have to wonder how much of their work reflects their writers’ lives at school.
Of course, the most well-known Marvel blowhard is a certain J. Jonah Jameson, and writer John Trumbull provides his history. Considering he was financially responsible for the creation of the Scorpion and the Human Fly, you would have to wonder why neither of them revealed this when caught. According to the interviews with his various writers, Jameson admitted his involvement in the Scorpion’s creation at one point.
There was one other diehard in Peter Parker’s life, Eugene ‘Flash’ Thompson. Eugene ‘Flash’ Thompson, on the other hand, was the opposite of Jameson in that he had a fondness for Spider-Man but had also been known to bully Parker. Writer Darrell Hempel goes over his history, showing he didn’t have it all his own way and even took in Parker when his home was destroyed.
I was a bit puzzled by how Namor, the Sub-Mariner, ended up here. Namor, the Sub-Mariner, may be an annoying superhero with divided loyalties, but I’m not sure if I would consider him a total jerk. Writer James Heath Lantz gives his take on Namor’s long career.
Just to show it’s not all superheroes, writer Steven Thompson looks at Reggie Mantle, Archie Andrews’ nemesis. When Reggie Mantle was given his own title, readers of Archie Comics were less enthusiastic about him, although this is a common theme for any rivals. You do have to wonder at Archie’s girlfriends who go out on dates with him.
I did have a thought about any jerks who missed out, and I think there’s an opportunity for a sequel issue covering Lobo, Ambush Bug, Booster Gold, and Deadpool in these roles.
If you can get your hands on a copy, the ‘Back Issue’ is a worthwhile read.
GF Willmetts
October 2025
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: varies. 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=1245
