Return to
Polar Blair's Den Menu PageBack to "Comic Books: Topps" Main Page
About This Series
Issues
Pictures
About This
Series:
Issues:
Comic book
sequencing in the 1990s got to be as confusing as h***! "Night
Glider" was a one-shot, one of four different titles that preceded
"Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" series. As it was, "Night Glider"
might have been better off as a regular series.
The Topps publisher gave a heavy promotion to the entire line of "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" comics, that they began with "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #0. After that issue, four different titles were released as sequels to that comic. These were "Bombast" #1, "Night Glider" #1, "Captain Glory" #1, and "Satan's Six" #1...all released simultaneously.
Three of those four titles ("Bombast", "Night Glider", "Captain Glory") were, in turn, prequels to "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #1. The fourth title, "Satan's Six" #1, continued onto "Satan's Six" #2, and so on. "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" and "Satan's Six" were split off into two separate franchises, but it all started with "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #0. Get it? Clear as mud?
I think "Night Glider" was the best of all these and should have had her own, ongoing series. She comes from 15,000 years in the past, a highly advanced human being from the "ninth age" of mankind. As the story goes, mankind has seen the rise and fall of civilization nine times. In present day, we are in the "tenth age". Night Glider, who comes from the ninth age, is here to see that the same thing that killed off the previous nine ages of mankind doesn't happen to the current age. Besides being a highly intelligent creature, Night Glider has hollow bones that allows her to fly with a special costume, and survive falls and impact better than humans who do not have her similar skeletal structure.
The Topps publisher gave a heavy promotion to the entire line of "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" comics, that they began with "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #0. After that issue, four different titles were released as sequels to that comic. These were "Bombast" #1, "Night Glider" #1, "Captain Glory" #1, and "Satan's Six" #1...all released simultaneously.
Three of those four titles ("Bombast", "Night Glider", "Captain Glory") were, in turn, prequels to "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #1. The fourth title, "Satan's Six" #1, continued onto "Satan's Six" #2, and so on. "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" and "Satan's Six" were split off into two separate franchises, but it all started with "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" #0. Get it? Clear as mud?
I think "Night Glider" was the best of all these and should have had her own, ongoing series. She comes from 15,000 years in the past, a highly advanced human being from the "ninth age" of mankind. As the story goes, mankind has seen the rise and fall of civilization nine times. In present day, we are in the "tenth age". Night Glider, who comes from the ninth age, is here to see that the same thing that killed off the previous nine ages of mankind doesn't happen to the current age. Besides being a highly intelligent creature, Night Glider has hollow bones that allows her to fly with a special costume, and survive falls and impact better than humans who do not have her similar skeletal structure.
Issues:
#1: April,
1993. This is a pretty magnificent comic issue, really.
Like all of the Topps Jack Kirby-inspired comics, the artwork is done
in a classic, Jack Kirby 1940s-60s style. The story is a lot
better than most of the Golden Age comics, but that's to be
expected. I really loved the whole introduction to the Night
Glider character, her amazing heroics, and the overall summary of what
she's about. Night Glider is a more interesting character within
herself than in the "Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga" comics. I
think Topps missed their mark in not highlighting her more.
Art by Don Heck. Story by Gerry Conway. Overall plot idea by Roy Thomas.
Art by Don Heck. Story by Gerry Conway. Overall plot idea by Roy Thomas.