Vortex (1991) #1-2 by Roland Mann, Steven Butler and others
One of Comico’s things was having wrap-around covers on all their books. It’s kinda interesting that the new owners continued this after the bankruptcy — it has to be more expensive than doing normal covers, and I can’t really imagine it bringing in a lot of extra buyers… But what do I know.
Anyway, this is yet another Elementals spin-off series. It was supposed to be four issues, but it got cancelled after the second issue.
I note that the editor is apparently proud of the writer coming up with the name “BS Corporation” for the evil company featured in this series.
Men will be boys and women will be scolds, I guess.
The plot here is that the evil corporation is dumping garbage (just normal garbage) on a Native American reservation. To deal with protests, they… summon… zombies to kill the people living there.
So far so, er, normal, but this evil plot just seems so… small. I mean, I’m all for low stakes super-hero books — nothing is as dull as when Everything Is At Stake! — but c’mon. The boss of the huge corporation is just hanging around in his limo watching garbage being dumped?
To deal with this, a guy summons an air spirit, which turns out to be Vortex. Hey, why not — that bit kinda works.
People had been clamouring for a Vortex miniseries!
The difference between other super-hero books and Elementals is that Elementals is well-written and super duper controversial, allegedly.
Well, what can one say about the artwork… I guess it’s OK? Each individual panel is pretty competent. But it doesn’t really flow all that well. Like:
Sure, you can tell what’s going on here, but it’s just a bit clumsy in the transitions. But I’m just nitpicking — it’s fine. And kinda funny.
So this is how the series ends — with a “to be continued”, and Vortex dead. (Don’t worry — the Elementals are already dead, so shooting them again doesn’t really do all that much, long term.)
As these things go, this wasn’t an awful attempt at an Elementals mini-series. The plot shows a certain lack of common sense (why isn’t the police there to stop the protesters when they bring the garbage back to EvilCorpBS, for instance?), but it’s totally OK. Unlike the Monolith mini, there’s nothing skeezy going on.
The entire series was solicited, but I’m guessing sales were so slow that they just didn’t publish the last two issues?
The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide #2, page #727:
VORTEX
Comico: 4 issue miniseries 1991-1993
A member of the Elementals, Vortex has flying powers.
This begins on the environmental moral high ground –
greedy corporation threaten to destroy sacred Native
American reservation – before quickly descending into
bog-standard superhero clichés, ineptly served up by
writer Roland Mann and artist Steven Butler.~AL
Harsh!
I’m unable to find any reviews of the book, either contemporary or on the intertubes.
Mann seems to have had a pretty successful career as a comics writer.
The cover to Vortex #1 is his sixth-most favourite cover, or something.