Monday, August 31, 2009

Random Reads: Black Goliath in "Survival!"

While Young Groove always dug the Black Goliath character, the short-lived comicbook series never really lived up to its promise. Until the final issue. After four issues of run-of-the-mill super-heroes punching out third-rate super-villains, "Survival!" was a breath of fresh air. I dunno if it was the amazing Keith Pollard art, or regular scripter Chris Claremont (who wrote issues 2-on) finally cutting loose with a full-out sci-fi story, but after four mediocre issues, Black Goliath #5 (August 1976) just blew me away. While the plot isn't earth-shattering (or even all that original), it is a touching tale of friendship, heroism, and sacrifice. But. It. Was. The. Last. Issue. Wonder what Claremont and Pollard would have dreamed up for issue #6 had the series continued? Ah, well. We'll always have Kirgar.
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3 comments:

  1. Andrew WahlAugust 31, 2009 at 3:08 AM

    Groove:

    I didn't like this one quite as much as you did, though I did think the Keith Pollard art was swell. I gave this issue a B on Comics Bronze Age. (But I just added a quote from your review and a link back to this page so people could come here for a Second Opinion!)

    Cheers,
    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Groovy AgentAugust 31, 2009 at 8:32 PM

    Hey, cool, Andrew! Being quoted makes ya feel more like "somebody" than having your name in the phone book! (Yes, I am a Steve Martin fan!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. David MillerFebruary 3, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    Hey, Groovy-Agent! Thanks for posting this tale! I loved it as much as you did! This was a great tale. And Pollard really exploded in this issue. Yeah, I loved him on FF and Spidey and Thor, but I really wish Black Goliath continued. If only because of having a different thing on the spinner rack.

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