Monday, June 01, 2009

Pep 21: The Setting Sun


As the "Red Circle" series looms on the horizon of the present DCU, like a rising sun shedding its Golden (Age) light on another shiny day in the Platinum Age, that same sun is setting in the Pep-py past. As the Shield's day in the sun begins its close, the light yellow backgrounds that stream across his adventures fade to a darkening red, in the same way that America's post-war glory was gloomed by the spread of Communism.

On this cover, the Shield strangles a young Dr. Tommy Elliot, who was only trying to use his multiphasic crankshaft to pry off the out-of-control cinchbelt that's obviously crushing that poor, fainting woman. Poor, misunderstood Tommy; it's incidents like this that drive you to become a poorly defined MacGuffin in later life.

Meanwhile the ever-charming Hangman prepares to do something just off-panel to the woman's lower regions, armed with great handfuls of grey goop; hey, as long as she's already fainting, Hangman's thinking...!

In the background, Dusty dashes in uselessly: "Er, sorry, I'm late guys! But I met this really keen red-headed guy named Andrews at school, and he's talking about forming some kind of club for youngsters... ."

5 comments:

  1. DON'T DO IT DUSTY HE'LL EAT YOUR SOUL

    That's how the Riverdale gang stays so young for 70 years. Dick Clark taught them the trick.

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  2. I swear to God, that Dusty's cape is starched.

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  3. Hangman is making a mould, using rubber cement. Hangman rolls with a freaky scene, man.

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  4. Citizen Scribbler6/02/2009 11:25 AM

    These covers and their analysis have been highly entertaining, but I doubt the new Shield in the comic books will be half as amusing to me as I've found him here. But at least Scipio has pretty much guaranteed him a chance of my giving him a try. (I actually have an issue or two of the Impact Shield, and they aren't half bad.)

    -Citizen Scribbler

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