The Bozz Chronicles

In today’s comics industry, most creators working for Marvel or DC come there after proving themselves working on their own creations. That wasn’t so much the case in the 1980s, when I became a comics fan. At the time, I was fascinated to see what the creators working on corporate-owned superhero characters did when they had the opportunity to do their own creations. Surprisingly to me at the time, most of them didn’t choose to create their own superheroes, instead creating work in other genres. Jim Starlin and Bill Mantlo did science fiction epics like Dreadstar and Swords of the Swashbucklers. Chris Claremont did historical fantasy like Marada the She-Wolf and The Black Dragon. Walter Simonson also did science fiction with the Star Slammers. And David Michelinie, perhaps best known at the time for his work on Iron Man, fused the Victorian mystery genre with science fiction, creating one of my favorite series of the time, in collaboration with artist Bret Blevins: The Bozz Chronicles.

Mandy meets Bozz: the very opposite of a "meet cute."

The Bozz Chronicles fuses science fiction with period mystery, sort of ET meets Sherlock Holmes for grown-ups. In fact, in the introduction to a recent collection of the series, Michelinie acknowledges ET as a direct inspiration, the classic movie prompting him to wonder what an alien would do if it were stranded on Earth at a time when the technology didn’t exist to allow him to “phone home." The answer, in this case, is that he would deal with increasing loneliness and melancholy to the point of suicide, only to be rescued by Amanda Flynn, a prostitute with a heart of gold, and an earnest desire to escape her life on the streets.

Mandy realizes that Bozz (her nickname for the alien, based on her best approximation of his name) needs a purpose in life. Forming a detective agency with him not only gives him something to do, but also gives her an income not dependent on selling her body. Along the way, they are joined by an American cowboy, Salem Hankshaw, and together, they solve crimes.

And not just any crimes! Each issue of the series (except for a concluding two-parter) features a fairly self-contained case, each with some kind of science fiction or supernatural premise behind it. Whether the villain is using electricity to resurrect the dead, or a magic spell book gone wrong, or has made a deal with the devil, none of them feel like run-of-the-mill Sherlock Holmes stories. The series also makes good use of Bozz’s alien nature, finding clues by talking to pet birds, or using his strength and ability to levitate to escape danger.

In order for a series to be truly compelling, it needs characters that the reader can care about. In his trio of heroes, Michelinie gives us exactly that. Bozz’s melancholy gives him a distracted detachment that sets him apart from most lead characters. Amanda’s plucky enthusiasm puts her very much front and center in the action, making her as much of a lead character as Bozz, not just a pretty sidekick. And Salem—perhaps the most traditionally heroic of the three—is more than a gun-toting cowboy, more than just muscle to solve problems by punching them. We enjoy spending time with these characters, and I wish there were more than six issues of this series.

A quick glance at his credits makes me believe that this is the book that made me a lifelong Bret Blevins fan. This was his first regular series, and he did a fantastic job capturing the feel of a Victorian London full of weird science fiction and fantasy elements. The setting feels realistic and natural, but the weirder elements, like monsters and demons and Bozz himself, fit right in in terms of style and tone. I also love his character designs; every person, no matter how big or small a part they play, has a distinct look and body language. Bozz, in particular, with his baby-faced design and subtle expressions, radiates a sense of calm and stillness that enhances his alien nature.

Bret Blevins painted all six covers

Blevins has gone on to have a long and varied career. He has drawn superheroes, action, historical fantasy, and science fiction. He did some fantastic painted work on stories for the much-missed Disney Adventures Magazine featuring the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (including a crossover with Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean). Today, he’s illustrating Stellar, a science fiction book from Image Comics, and his work there is, well, stellar. That his Scarecrow stories haven’t been reprinted in a book is a tremendous loss. The Bozz Chronicles shows that his greatness was there from the very start.

From issue 4 by John Ridgway

Having said that, I need to mention that the fourth issue is drawn by John Ridgway, whose work I probably knew from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, where he drew every episode of the Colin Baker Doctor Who comics, and drew them very well indeed. At the time, I think I was disappointed that we were getting an issue of Bozz not drawn by Blevins. Reading that issue again today, it works just fine. It’s a different style, but Ridgway and Blevins share the skill of character acting and making the bizarre fit in with the real world. 

From issue 4 by John Ridgway

At one point, I believe there were thoughts about having Blevins redraw that fourth issue for the new collection, and at first, that excited me because it meant new Bozz Chronicles art from Bret Blevins. However, I’m glad that didn’t actually happen. That story was drawn well by John Ridgway. I feel it would have been disrespectful of his work to redo it just for the sake of consistency, because it’s not inconsistent with the overall tone and feel of the book.

In issue 6, the characters leave London for Africa, which leads to a more varied look for this issue

As I’ve mentioned, the series only lasted six issues, and Dover Books collected them into a single volume in 2015. There are copies of that collection available from Amazon.com as of this writing. The individual issues don’t seem too pricey or too hard to find, based on a quick eBay search. It was a great series, and I’m glad Dover brought it back into print.

Before I go, just a couple of quick bits:

I received my copy of Ron Randall’s latest Trekker book, Chapeltown, last weekend. I’d read most of the book as it was serialized on the Trekker site, but reading it all in one go reminded me what a great story Chapeltown is, and what an important turning point for the characters. Plus, there was plenty of material I hadn’t seen before. If you aren’t familiar with Trekker, I recommend my earlier post about the series. I’ll probably be writing about the new book here before too long.

I also recently wrote about how much I was enjoying Marvel’s new Amazing Spider-Man and Immortal Hulk comics. You can add the first issue of Fantastic Four to that list. While this first issue doesn’t reunite the team right away, it perfectly captures the family feel of the book, while also including—via flashbacks—some classic-style FF adventure. I’m pretty excited to see where writer Dan Slott and artist Sara Pichelli take the book.

This week’s Pop! of the Week is Enfys Nest from Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Gizmo photobombed this photo

Not only do I love the intricate detail on this Pop!, I also thought her character in the movie was great, providing a genuine twist when the truth of who she is and what she does was revealed. I want to know more about her and her band, so I hope we see her in a book or comic of her own sometime soon. (Dare I hope for a team-up with the cast of Star Wars Rebels? Well, I can dream, can’t I?)

And that’s about it for this week. I've got a crazy week ahead of me; I'm applying for a promotion, and working on an article for a fanzine (hopefully). News on that stuff as they progress, but I don't think I'll have time to write a blog. Please join me in two weeks as I remember my late cat, Penelope.