Dominic Fortune Max 1-4 October 2009 – January 2010

 

Art and story by Howard Chaykin

Hoo boy, Chaykin is back baby!  Inject this right in my veins.  It opens during the Paraguay- Boliva War and Fortune mentions that he has done three tours, two for Paraguay who he is flying for at the end of the war in 1935 (presumably he was in for the entire three years of the war) and with the war ending he is looking for new work.  Dom points out that he is not a patriot and politics, religion or nationality don’t drive him.  He is after the money. 

He met Delatriz Betancourt, also flying for Paraguay and she might have an offer for him. Delatriz, the descendant of Confederate soldiers who moved to South America, is flirty and distracts Dom enough that he gets shot down and parachutes in the hotel pool, which is surrounded by several ladies in various states of undress.  Chaykin is using the adult Max line to his advantage (just as he did in the magazine lines for many of Dom’s original appearances.)

However, that opportunity dries up when Delatriz and her business colleague Malcolm Upshaw discover that Dominic Fortune is Jewish.

However, one of the naked ladies was Heather Fontaine and when Dom gets back to LA, they begin an affair.  Fontaine’s husband, Irwin Oppenheim, a studio executive, hires Dom to baby sit three of his big stars -Jock Madison, Vaughn Lorillard and P.T. Oakley.  (disguised versions of John Carridine, Errol Flynn and, W.C. Fields) when they go to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics. 

Fortune discovers that Upshaw and Delatriz are both working with the Germans and a rogue American army unit to kill the President.  Fortune steals a plane and lands in time to rather forcefully stop the army unit with the plane’s propellor and fight hand to hand with Upshaw saving the President.

This was a great romp with several fun fights and some rather adult scenes and scenarios.  There is a lot of anti-Semitism thrown around but that was not uncommon for the time and it fit with villains who were happy allying themselves with Nazis.

Astonishing Adventures: Dominic Fortune 1-6 April – September 2009

 

Written by Dean Motter Art by Greg Scott

This originally appeared as a digital comic and was only collected in Dominic Fortune: It can happen here and now along with Howard Chaykin’s Dominic Fortune Max series and reprints of the stories from Marvel Preview 2 and Marvel Premiere #56 and a Who’s Who Entry for Dominic Fortune. 

I’ve done the reprints earlier and I’ll look at the Who’s Who at the end of this review, with the Max series next.

The story opens in 1936, Dom is working as a test pilot/private eye out of an office in Los Angeles.  Fortune is hired by Amanda Maclain to investigate the death of her sister. The investigation takes them to:

· New York where they encounter Howard Stark, Dr Myron McClain;

· Germany where they meet Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Johan Schmidt, Baron Helmut Zemo;

· Latveria: Werner von Doom;

· Wakanda: T’Chaka;

· Casablanca: Fortune’s friend Rick is able to get them letters of transit;

· Lord Robert Plunder is mentioned.

And involves the Nazis and Stark trying to obtain Vibranium.

Rick is of course Rick Blaine from the movie Casablanca.

Howard Stark is the father of Tony Stark (Iron Man).

Johan Schmidt would later become the Red Skull and along with the Barons von Strucker and Zemo enemies of Captain America and Nick Fury.

Werner von Doom is the father of Doctor Doom.

T’Chaka is the father of T’Chala his successor as The Black Panther.

Lord Robert Plunder is the father of Lord Kevin Plunder Ka-Zar.

The crash of the Hindenberg is mentioned in issue #4.

It’s a total ride through the Marvel Universe of the 1930s and a lot of fun.

The art is quite nice with sketchy style and a pastel colour scheme.  It’s a nice story that really cements Dom in the 1930s.  The story ends with Sabbath Raven offering Dom to come and live on the Mississippi Queen.

 

The Who’s Who article gives us a good recounting of the stories up until the Vanguard story giving us Dominic Fortune’s history mentioning Jerome’s brief time as Dominic Fortune and the appearance of the third Dominic Fortune.  The stats tell us that that his family consisted of Wife (unnamed, deceased), Jerome (son, deceased), Betty (Daughter-in-law), daughter, two grandsons and a granddaughter (all unidentified).  Where did we learn about the daughter? I don’t know.  I’ve read all the stories and there was no mention of a daughter.

“Vanguard” in Marvel Comics Presents 1-12, November 2007- October 2008

 

Story by Marc Guggenheim and Art by Dave Wilkins

This is an usual one.  I’m not a big fan of the story which involves the investigation of the murder of a man nobody can identify but witnesses saw the Watcher, Mr Fantastic turns up, and someone tries to kill, Stacy Dolan, the cop investigating and she is rescued by Vanguard, a covert group consisting of Blade, Micromax, Yelena Belova, Dominic Fortune and Retcon.  Dom appears at the end of part 4 and the team is introduced in part 5. I’m guessing the Sable and Fortune agency didn’t work out.

The murdered man was codenamed Colonel America and was an attempt to create a telepathic supersoldier after Captain America. Turns out the Colonel is so powerful he has controlled his aging and the whole thing was done to prevent the fact that there was a clandestine team of super powered individuals. 

That idea might fly in a story set in the real world but in the Marvel Universe, where the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are running around, this simply doesn't work.  It’s like saying that the US has a covert team of special forces soldiers, I’d be more shocked if they didn’t.

And given the eight pages given to the story in each issue, not much happens. And aside from Dom rescuing the detective in parts 4 and 5 (shown from different perspectives) he doesn’t do much.

There is a nice bit were people keep calling Blade Wesley, but I can’t recommend this story.

It just feels like nobody knew what to do with Dom 3 and he was on a list of characters Guggenheim could use.

Sable and Fortune 1-4 March to June 2006

 

Written by Brendan Cahill and art by John Burns (1-3) and Lauren McCubbin (4)

So there’s a new Dominic Fortune in town for this story.  Is he a new person taking the name? Is he the original deaged?  Let’s read and see.

The story opens with Silver Sable on a mission that goes wrong and it’s part of a string of failed missions.  Sable is furious and dissolves the Wild Pack certain she has a traitor or two. She tracks down a missing team member and finds the phrase “Single Malt Sunrise”.

She’s off to his last known location in Monte Carlo where she hears someone else try to order a Single Malt Sunrise.  Turns out it’s Dom, and if it’s a new guy he’s just as good a gambler as the original.

He introduces himself and Sable says “Wait..Dominic Fortune? As in Brigand, adventurer? Circa 1930? That Dominic Fortune? The years have been kind. “

Dom’s response “You might say that.” Neither gives a hint that they worked together 20 years ago (as seen in Web of Spider-man 71 & 72).

Dom reveals that he got to Sable’s contact before he was killed and can tell her where her rogue agents are.  Agreeing to work with him, Sable and Fortune rescue a kidnap victim but are being watched by our criminal masterminds, the kidnap victims are important.  There ends issue 1.

Issue 2

Turns out the kidnap victims are Manchurian Candidates – brainwashed to become killers with the right command and someone has given the command to the hostage they have rescued.  He attacks the pair but they knock him out and offer him the chance to help as computer support. They track a suspect and as Dom does the sneaky stuff as Sable provides a distraction, but Dom gets caught and shot as Sable jumps out the window to catch the data that Dom has stolen.  There ends issue 2.

Whew after that cliffhanger, Sable catches the data, shoots a grappling line and rescues Dom.  Jasper the rescued kidnap victim, works to decode the heavily encrypted data. They discover the network of Manchurian Candidates and the location of the handover to the buyer.

Jasper tags along and we discover that “Single Malt Sunrise” is a verbal trigger for the condition and he attacks Sable and Fortune, allowing the villains to mount an offensive. Sable and Fortune manage to stop the triggering of all the agents and destroy the laptop. Dominic gets caught on camera and the pair decide to form a partnership using Dominic’s goodwill for the rescue caught on camera  and Sable’s knowledge and contacts.

That’s where issue 3 ends and issue 4 opens with Dom meeting a woman in a bar, she tells him she lost her job in marketing and he tells her about his boss (Silver Sable) and how they tracked down the final few sleeper agents.  And wouldn’t you know it, the woman in the bar is the final assassin they have to track down.  They deactivate the programming and Dom suggests that they hire her as their new marketing manager.

The End.

It appears that there were some problems with the miniseries, Issue 1 was labelled as 1 of 6 but issue 2 was 2 of 4. And the fourth and final issue had a different artist.

The letter column in issue three says that “circumstances dictated the miniseries be cut down but the final two issues were a stand alone story.”  And that John Burns had to return to the UK for pressing matters. No further details were given.

I’m ok with the shortening of the miniseries – sales may not have justified running the full 6 issues.  I do have more of an issue with the replacement for John Burns.

Burns is a UK artist who worked on many comic strips based on TV series like UFO, Dr Who, Mission Impossible, Magnum as well as stories in 2000 AD and Judge Dredd and most interesting to me Modesty Blaise.  For this series he has a painted realist style that just looks lovely.  Burns just recently announced his retirement.

Stylistically McCubbin couldn’t be more different.  I’m not saying it’s a bad style (and I am intrigued by Quit City that she drew for Warren Ellis’ Apparat line of comics) but it is a very different style.  More cartoony, abstract and expressionistic.  Where Burns paints, McCubbin uses heavy lines.  Burns uses a dark and rich palette, McCubbin (and her colourist) use pastels.  It’s a tonal whiplash and while I wasn’t asking for an artist who imitates Burns, I would have preferred one that had a closer aesthetic.

Marvel Super-Heroes Fall Special #3 “Who Saves the Hero?” September 1990

 

Story by Danny Fingeroth and Art by Gary Hartle and Tony DeZuniga.

CBR runs an occasional series “Foundationed Deep” which talks about connections between characters so stuff like Bruce Wayne was the first Robin, Wolverine knew Captain America in World War 2 and had helped Peter Parker’s parents on a mission.

This is a story about how Dominic Fortune had met Captain America and how their lives interacted.  It’s a nice story and given that it doesn’t have a connection to the Steele saga it appeared 3 months before the final Web of Spiderman stories I decided to talk about it after that two parter.

The story opens with Captain America foiling truck hijacking and getting assistance from Dominic Fortune. Both Cap and Old Man Dom recognise each other having met a couple of times. 

And we flashback to the early 1930s and a gang of bullies are picking on scrawny Stevie Rogers and Davey Fortunov rescues him.  The bullies are scared of Davey and run off.

We then jump forward to 1940 and Stevie is watching newsreel footage of Dominic Fortune and recognises Davey Fortunov.  At the same time Fortune is being recruited by Phillips (who I presume was played by Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America: The First Avenger) for Project Rebirth. 

As Fortune is tested, there is a discussion about his suitability as a candidate for the project.   One thing discussed here is the fact that he is Jewish and how that would be a big propaganda win against Hitler, but that America might not be ready for a Jewish hero, not that anyone was prejudiced you know.  But ultimately his moral character is lacking, he gambles and is living in sin with Sabbath Raven, so we head to the next candidate.

Wouldn’t you know it Stephen Rogers gets the call up. As Steve is being tested, Dom is showing Sabbath where he was staying and wouldn’t you know it Nazi saboteurs try to kill young Rogers and Fortune comes to the rescue.  One of the soldiers commandeers Sabbath’s car (Sabbath is depicted with red hair rather than her usual black hair).

Sabbath goes to help Dom and after another Nazi attack Rogers goes back to help Dom and Sabbath.  The cavalry arrives and Rogers takes the supersoldier serum and becomes Captain America. 

We then see Sabbath and Dom watching a newsreel of Captain America and recognising Steven Rogers.

The story ends with Fortune chasing off another gang of bullies and Captain America finding him – the pair then catch up over a malted milk.

This is a nice little story that adds Dominic Fortune into the history of Captain America.

(I consider this the second story in the Secret History of Captain America Trilogy – the other 2 being Doc Savage/The Shadow – The Case of the Shrieking Skeletons and The Sting of the Green Hornet)

Web of Spiderman 71 and 72 “Fortune’s Fury” and “The Reckoning” Dec 1990 and Jan 1991

 

Script by Danny Fingeroth Art by Dave Ross

There was another Dominic Fortune story published in between the Iron Man and these issues but this two parter finishes the clash between Dominic Fortune and Simon Steele (aka Baron Wolfgang Von Lundt).  It took four years to get to this story – five since the first Web of Spiderman issue.

Peter Parker just happens to be walking past when someone tries to kill Dominic Fortune, visiting the grave of his son Jerry (interestingly the grave just reads Fortunov, no first name or dates.) Dom asks Peter to let him into the Bugle archives to find a clue so he can track down Simon Steele and kill him.  Peter refuses trying to persuade Fortune to let the police do their job.

We then cross to Simon Steele, hiding in his town house a wanted man for the killing of Jerry Fortunov and the US has cancelled his unofficial immunity for helping them at the end of the war.  Steele is killing all the witnesses and young Sabbath is using a computer virus to erase all computerised trace of Wolfgang Von Lundt as well as the physical files held by Interpol.  Once that’s done it’s off to South America for Sabbath and Steele. 

Peter is researching Dominic Fortune and there is an interview Dom gave to the Bugle a few years back (presumably after the events of Marvel Team Up 120 to see if he could get any clues.)

Dom tells that he and Raven were in Rotterdam just before the Nazi invasion and they had a fight.  He went to get her and she had left.  Dom was evacuated and returned three years later as a GI.  The war broke him and he searched for years for Sabbath until the Mississippi Queen was sold.  Dom then married and had children and retired.

Peter is then given an assignment to get pictures of the last witness of Von Lundt’s war crimes.  The witness named Myers is under heavy police protection but when Peter arrives there are no police and the hit squad is on the roof. Another wave of killers strike and Silver Sable and the Wild Pack launch a counter attack and capture the goons.  The Wild Pack were formed to track Nazis and they are on Steele’s case.  Sable’s radio then announces that her men at Fortune’s are under attack.  Spidey tags along and manages to take out a tank before Steele’s men are stopped.  Under interrogation the captured men reveal Steele’s location.

Fortune mentions that he knew Sable’s father but he was going to get Steele first even if he is going into a trap. Pay attention, the fact that Dom met both Silver Sable and her father will be important later.

Dom makes his way to Steele and is about kill the man when Spidey and the Wild Pack arrive.  But they don’t stop him, it’s the original Sabbath Raven who tells Dom he’s not a killer.

Steele then sets off his trap and we discover that the older Sabbath is his wife, just as the bomb blows up the townhouse.

Oh no! we end on a cliffhanger, are Dom, Spidey and Silver Sable dead?

Luckily we don’t have to wait, I have the next issue (seriously I’m getting a little tired of is Old Man Dom dead?)

Spidey has sensed the bomb and threw it away minimising the effects of the blast and holds up the fallen wall long enough for everyone to escape.  Dominic apparently has a heart attack and goes to the hospital as Sable and Spidey keep searching. 

Peter visits Dom in the hospital when Sable tells him to go away and discovers that Fortune has been killed by a killer.

Ha can’t fool me, Dom isn’t dead, I bet he didn’t even have a heart attack it’s all a ruse to follow the killer.  Sure enough there is Dom and his men follow the killer to the Mississippi Queen to rescue Sabbath senior.  She tells him that after they separated she joined Heinrich Von Lundt, a resistance fighter.  After the war they married and had a daughter Elena, but Heinrich was assassinated.

Wolfgang reached out to his sister in law and niece, and offered to marry Sabbath to help him become an American citizen. But it was Wolfgang’s revenge on his brother, raising his daughter as his protégé.

After story Dom and Sabbath are captured but Silver Sable and Spiderman come to the rescue.  Dom threatens to kill Steele and Elena when Elena shoots her mother.  The Wild Pack round up all of Steele’s men.

Spiderman saves Sabbath, but she won’t abandon her daughter and he vows to try to win her back.

The End

That’s where the saga of Old Man Dom ended.  There is one more story from this time that we’ll look at next.  I think they went to the “is Dom dead?” well too many times. 

Iron Man 212 and 213 “Precious Legacy” and “Fortune’s Child” Nov and Dec 1986

 

Story by Danny Fingleroth and art by Dwayne Turner (212) and Javier Saltares (213).

Our first two part story and Bob Layton does the covers with no Chaykin involvement.

The story opens in Tony Stark’s Los Angeles laboratory and he’s dealing with the death of one of his staff and the reaction of his sister, Cly Erwin, who also works there.  I suppose since it is Iron Man’s book we should deal with his on going plots.

But we then head to Long Island and see David Fortunov, better known as Dominic Fortune, talking with his son Jerry.  Dom is working out and telling his son that he feels the best he has in years since returning to being Dominic Fortune (And it agrees with him in each appearance he seems to be growing back his hair.)

Jerry is threatening to have his father committed. Jerry points out an award the David Fortunov won as Pontiac Dealer of the Year in 1965 but Dom says he was dead inside.  The trail to Sabbath is leading to Simon Steele, Jerry suggests that there have been attempts on his life (see Web of Spiderman #10) and may be he should back off.

Just then Dom gets a call from his private eye, he has found Sabbath Raven in Los Angeles.  Jerry resists signing the committal papers and follows his dad to LA.

We then head to Steele Industries and discover that Simon Steele has hired Iron Monger to take out Dominic Fortune and Spiderman if he shows up. Simon and a young woman he calls Sabbath. 

Jerry has been looking for his father and runs into Cly Erwin, they end up discussing their issues and decide to help each other. 

Dom has walked right into a trap but manages to catch a passing helicopter with a grappling hook and ride the rope to safety.  Dom jumps off on the roof of the convention centre where an electronics expo is being held.  Tony and Rhodey are there and Iron Monger attacks Dom crashing into the convention centre.  Tony suits up and fights Iron Monger (who is no longer Obadiah Stane) but Iron Monger blast Dom, just as Jerry and Cly arrive on the scene.  Dom says that he is dying and father and son say their goodbyes as Dom fades away.  A doctor arrives on the scene and declares Dom dead. 

The next day Jerry decides to continue his father’s legacy as the new Dominic Fortune and wearing the suit.  And on that cliff hanger the issue ends.

The next issue opens with the new Dominic Fortune fighting thugs to get some information. (Luckily his old man taught him to take care of himself in a fight.)  He finds out where Steele is holed up and records a message for his wife Betty explaining that he must become the new Dominic Fortune to capture his father’s murderers.

Cly tries to talk him out of it but he won’t listen. So she goes to see Tony to see if he can talk to Jerry. Jerry refuses to listen and leave the matter to the police.  Tony points out that Jerry is an amateur which the young lawyer points out that Iron Man was a beginner once too. Unable to Jerry, Tony follows in stealth mode.

At Steele’s mansion we discover that the original Dominic Fortune isn’t dead. And he is introduced to the still youthful Sabbath Raven.

Iron man is delayed stopping a traffic accident and Jerry arrives at the Steele mansion where he is captured and lead to his father’s cell only for Dom to use the opportunity to escape.  Father and son team up to capture Steele.  Iron Man arrives to help but Steele and Sabbath have created and electronics scrambler that freezes Tony’s armour.

Jerry shoves his father out of the path of a bullet and is hit.  Steele and Sabbath take advantage of the arrival of more guards to escape.  Cly has arrived and turns off the scrambler and they beat the guards.

Jerry dies in his father’s arms.  The next day Dominic returns to New York with his son’s body.  Cly reveals that the young woman is the daughter of the original Sabbath Raven and Steele’s brother. Dom swears to capture his son’s killers.

A nice two part story, I’m not too keen on the fakeout death and I wouldn’t have objected to Jerry being Dominic Fortune a bit longer maybe getting some training from his father.

I’m not sure if Jerry is the son we saw in the Spiderman issues that son wears glasses and Jerry doesn’t.  The other son has three children and there is no hint that Jerry has kids.  It’s a nice tale of legacies and Cly’s struggles with her brother’s legacy nicely ties the story into Dominic Fortune’s here.