Amazing World of DC Comics #11 - April 1976

For its 11th issue, DC's in-house fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics, concentrated on super-villains, as this crowded cover (by the late, great Dick Dillin) will attest.

It features an article by Phantom Stranger writer David Michelinie about returning villain Dr. Nathan Seine:

(click any page to see a bigger version)

Nice to see that The Phantom Stranger wasn't immediately forgotten by DC--with all of their much more famous bad guys to feature, its a pleasantly surprising touch for a Phantom Stranger foe given a little attention, especially a behind-the-scenes view like this one.

The Phantom Stranger #36 - May 1975

The Phantom Stranger tries to warn two thieves about the sin of greed!

We open in a North African jungle, as two explorers are in a desperate search for...something:

Later that night, Capeheart demands, er, "gratitude" from Teigs, for saving her from a life of secretarial drudgery and the chance for adventure and wealth. She rejects him, and he uneasily bids her good night.

The next day, Capeheart lets it slip that he intends to fire her once they get back to civilization. Big mistake, since then Teigs decides why bother saving him from the quicksand pit he's fallen into:

All alone, Teigs continues her search back out of the jungle. She grows tired, very tired, and The Phantom Stranger reappears to warn her that its guilt that is weighing her down!

He tells her to get rid of the gold she's carrying, as well, but she's having none of it. The Stranger watches as she staggers off further into the jungle...

Eventually, with the cruel African sun beating down on her, Tiegs starts to leave some of the gold behind, to lighten her load. But with even just one gold bar left, she collapses, the last gold bar falling from her hand and down an embankment.

Later:

While this story is certainly predictable, nevertheless I found it a great read and one of my favorite Phantom Stranger stories.

Maybe because the whole "Greed will kill you" theme is so powerful its hard for it not to work, or maybe because with this story, Gerry Talaoc was handed a setting that I think better suited his style of artwork. Or maybe that, at a mere ten pages, it moves at such a brisk clip that even the cliched premise doesn't have enough time to become dull.

In any case, a solid outing for The Phantom Stranger!

(On the letters page, someone suggests The Phantom Stranger feature be taken over by Michael Fleisher. Whoo boy, considering how much of a gut-punch his Spectre stories were, the mind reels at the thought of him having a crack at The Phantom Stranger!)

The Phantom Stranger #35 - March 1975

The Phantom Stranger meets a man who wants to cheat death!

Arnold Drake, having moved on to other assignments, was replaced by up-and-coming writer David Michelinie, and his first story was titled "The Demon Gate":

The doctor--Dr. N Seine(ahem)--and his three assistants head back to his estate, where we see what he's working on.

Turns out what he's working on is the dessicated body of his wife, who he is keeping alive, against her will, with the aid of a huge menagerie of machines and tubes. She begs him to let her die, but he won't listen to her.

We see what led to this--years ago, he met his future wife, Margaret, and begged her to be his lab assistant, even though she had no experience. Later, some ill-mixed chemicals caused an explosion, nearly killing Margaret!

When medical science told him there was nothing that could be done, Seine turned to the Black Arts:

Seine goes on with his ceremony, sucking the very life out of The Phantom Stranger. The Stranger tries to talk Seine's assistant Gola into helping him, but Seine informs him she is not even an human, merely a collection of "sand and potions" to be used as his slave.

A portal to another dimension opens, the demons coming to feed on the Stranger's soul. But we see Margaret's withered hand reach up and begin to pull out various wires and plugs. She then grabs a key and frees the Stranger!

Seine, desperate for the unholy ritual to finish, sics Gola on the Stranger, but with a wave of the Stranger's cloak:

...what a grim ending, even for a Phantom Stranger story. Not only is this inhumanly cruel to the wife he supposedly loves, he doesn't even get it that she's thanking The Phantom Stranger for allowing her to die. A sad, pathetic figure, as well-rendered as possible, considering Michelinie only had 12 pages to work with.

On the letters page, editor Joe Orlando promises to deliver at least one thing the readers have been clamoring for--the Stranger start (re)playing a larger role in the stories, something we see Michelinie delivered right out of the gate.