Silverblade

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Comics That Time Forgot)

SILVERBLADE

# 1-12, DC, Maxi-Series (Sep. 1987-Sep. 1988)

Script: Cary Bates (#1-12)
Pencils: Gene Colan (# 1-12)
Inks: Klaus Janson (# 1); Steve Mitchell (# 2-12)
Colours: Joe Orlando (# 1-5); Anthony Tollin (# 6-8); Julianna Ferriter (# 9, 10, 12); Not Credited (# 11)
Letters: Gaspar (# 1-5); Carrie Spiegle (# 6-12)
Editor: Denny O’Neil (# 1-12)

If nothing else, Silverblade was certainly an original concept. The series is set in the present day, as Jonathan Lord, a famous actor in the forties and fifties, lives as an elderly recluse, spending his days watching reels of his old movies and bitterly remembering the past. Bobby Milestone, a child actor who worked with Lord decades ago, is now his only friend and retainer. One day a cosmic entity known as The Jailer imbues Lord with a strange ability, granting him the power to change into any of the characters he once played. Often Lord adopts the guise of Silverblade, a swashbuckling Errol Flynn-type character. However, Lord also appeared in several schlocky horror films in the twilight of his career, so he can also transform into a vampire, a gargoyle, and more.

Instead of becoming a standard super-hero, however, Lord finds himself enmeshed in an age-old cosmic struggle between The Jailer (representing order) and The Executioner (representing chaos). Lord discovers that the right side to take in the battle is not as obvious as it seems (especially to readers of Dr. Fate), and that sometimes neither side in a war is justified. New-age style mysticism, including the legend of Atlantis, permeate Silverblade and lend it an original, if sometimes silly, feel.

In many ways, the major theme of the series is age and how mortals deal with it. Jonathan Lord is a bitter old man—the glory days of his past are long behind him and he holds little optimism for the future. When he gains the ability to transform into other people, he can be young again if he chooses. Silverblade is also a story of second chances, and what we do with them when they occur. In this respect, the series is original in another way—few mainstream comics deal with ageing in a serious way or involve older characters. The progression of time and a sense of history are lent to Silverblade by Watchmen-style newspaper articles, interviews, and diary entries.

Although many readers like Gene Colan’s art, Silverblade is not remembered fondly (if at all) today. Silverblade was a discussion topic in the "Worst Comics Ever" forum on fanzing.com, accused of having "clunky storytelling" in The Frugal Geek # 1, and was labeled an "infamous ‘80’s disaster" by another Internet commentator. Copies can be found in most quarter bins and its chances of ever being collected into a trade paperback are about the same as those of Kickers, Inc. Still, the series was quite original and had some very intriguing characters and ideas, even if they were never quite carried off right. For this, at least, it remains worth reading.