From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

Posted on August 14, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. I am in the mood to talk about sharks, and not just any kind of sharks, ones that travel thanks to tornados and storms and act more aggressive than a hive full of killer bees! And of course I am talking about Sharknado, a film series that has lasted for years thanks to being made for TV films that have built up a huge cult following. Did you readers know that the third film in the series got a promo comic that had the Sharknado storm going through Riverdale and was released by Archie Comics? Well there is one released called “Archie vs. Sharknado # 1.” It was a very cool crossover that was made in order to help build excitement for the TV premiere of the third film in the series, and it worked as I can remember the buzz around the comic shop for this one. So if you are ready, let’s take a journey into the world of Sharknado and more importantly Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! as well make a pit stop in Riverdale. And for those keeping track, we are still in our countdown to Halloween 2025!

Let’s start this update off by looking at The Sharks that make up the Sharknado, who are the death dealers in this film and series. The sight of a shark is its first tool as many people who see one freak out and are filled with fear. The main way of killing for The Sharks comes from their razor sharp teeth that can shred human flesh, remove body parts and even can sometimes chomp down a human whole. Not to mention that their bites can also cause a person to bleed to death and at the least can cause severe crippling pain. The sharks also have a massive weight and when dropped from the sky by a Sharknado, they can smash a human body into a bloody paste. The Sharks are fast moving in the water, sky and space (yes, Outer Space) and seem to adapt to any location they are in when it comes to breathing. They travel in tornados and are dropped into cities when a massive storm rages, and the storm with the flash flooding, high winds and lightning helps add to The Sharks’ abilities to deal death, and they are also very aggressive and show some limited brains making them also a little more dangerous to humans. But while The Sharks are threatening and very deadly, they do have weaknesses and can be killed pretty easily as you can shoot them, stab them, blow them up, freeze them, run them over, chop them up and any other normal way of killing a living thing. They are a little slow on land and cannot move very fast at all once they are on solid land, making them easy to kill as they flail about. Also if you use the right explosives on the Sharknado itself, you can stop it and cause the Sharks to fall to the ground and be picked off by survivors. The Sharks also are blind with rage and the urge to eat and kill their victims also makes them sloppy and open to be killed before they can taste blood. But while they do have weaknesses, The Sharknados are very dangerous and can deal lots of pain and death when they appear.

Now that we have taken a look at The Sharknado and the killing power they pack, I think it is time that we take a look at the film that spawned this crossover promo comic that we will be reviewing and that’s “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” and like always we will be taking our film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after that, I will write a little about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, grab and umbrella and maybe your chainsaw as I hear that the weatherman is calling for sharks!

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)

“A monstrous tornado unleashes ravenous sharks from Washington, D.C., all the way down to Orlando, Florida.”

The Sharknado series was gaining lots of steam and building cult status so of course the SyFy Channel wanted more so a third film was put into production shortly after the second film was completed, with the script being written by Thunder Levin and it being directed by Anthony C. Ferrante once more who had directed that past two films, and on a cool side note also played a zombie in the 1987 classic “The Video Dead”! The film was shot all over the place from Florida to Puerto Rico and of course was being done on a low budget as The Asylum and SyFy only wanted to put a little over $2million into it. Both Ian Ziering and Cassie Scerbo returned playing Fin Shepard and Nova Clarke, and like before the film was crammed pack full of cameos an guest stars in roles like Frankie Muniz, Bo Derek, Mark McGrath, Mark Cuban, David Hasselhoff, Michael Winslow, Chris Jericho, Lou Ferrigno, Lorenzo Lamas, Jerry Springer, Penn & Teller, George R.R. Martin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Maryse Ouellet, Josh Barnett, Chris Kirkpatrick, Maria Menounos among so many others. And also I should say Tara Reid also returned playing April Wexler. During the production it is said that the film came under a lawsuit attack by Donald Trump, who was upset when a part he was asked to play was recast, and keep in mind, this was when he was gearing up to run for President. The film would have its premiere on the SyFy Channel on July 22, 2015 and was meet with mostly negative reviews as both critics and fans started to think that the series was out of steam in this third flick. Other indie Horror Films released that year included Hell House LLC, Howl, Bone Tomahawk, Maggie, #HORROR, The Final Girls, Human Centipede 3, Headless, 3-Headed Shark Attack and Lavalantula that was a spin-off series of Sharknado.

The Sharknado films are something I never fully understood when they started as they were so poorly done and the digital effects were so bad that at times it was hard to try and look past them as both the sharks and the storms were laughable and because they looked so bad it would take me many years before I would watch them. Plus the cult fandom for them slightly annoyed me as viewers would flock to watch films like this, but I feel over look the horror comedy film works of talented directors like Chris Seaver and David “The Rock” Nelson. But when I finally did watch them, I learned to understand what they are and that’s a super over the top action horror film series that is in on the joke, and they cram in cameos from celebrities as well as at times uses some decent practical effects. The plots are filled with holes and part three is really bad for holes, but I do get these films’ appeal now as they are so bad they are entertaining. Plus seeing all the Pro Wrestlers and aged TV actors who have parts in these films is fun, and I am not ashamed to say I have always been a fan of Tara Reid since I first saw her in the 1999 film American Pie, and I think she is just as lovely as she gets older and to be honest next to the cheesy cameos is the only reason I watched all the films in this series as her character April Wexler gets more over the top throughout the series and Tara Reid just rolls with the punches and looks beautiful doing so. And something else I have to say is I can remember friends of mine having parties at their houses when the new film would be released and it was a big deal for them to have Sharknado parties! Over time and the lack of any new sequels Sharknado is losing steam when it comes to being chatted about in the Horror world, but it will forever have a massive cult following complete with having Halloween Costumes that turn you into a Sharknado.

Now that we have talked about Sharknado and the way it kills as well as the third film in the series, it is now time that we take a look at the comic crossover that the world always wanted and that’s The Archie Universe mixing with the Sharknado Universe to deliver a strange Horror Comic that no one ever thought they would truly see. This really does give me joy as what a strange crossover to promote a cheese Indie Horror Film Series. I would like to thank Lone Star Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, grab an umbrella as I heard its going to be raining sharks this evening!

Archie vs. Sharknado # 1 ***
Released in 2015 Cover Price $4.99 Archie Comics # 1 of 1

Betty and Veronica and in Washington D.C with Hiram P. Lodge the rich father of Veronica as he is there to talk politics over the Sharknado storms! As Betty and Veronica tour the capital the visit all the monuments with the final one being the Washington Monument, but soon find themselves trapped inside as a Sharknado has arrived and during this storm Mr. Lodge is killed by the sharks and this causes Betty and Veronica to escape the wrath of the storm and kill as many sharks as they can, and know that they must warn Riverdale as it’s the night of the big dance and who knows how many lives will be lost and who Archie will take to the dance now that they are both stuck in D.C. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Archie is at the beach with his friend Jughead when they get invited to a yacht party by Cheryl Blossom, and while they are having fun and swimming in the ocean they are all attacked by sharks as the Sharknado is near and as panic runs crazy many of his classmates are being attacked and eaten! Meanwhile Betty and Veronica are on a motorcycle heading towards Riverdale when they find a crashed helicopter and decide to fix it up to head home and save their friends. Meanwhile back in Riverdale Sabrina The Teenage Witch and her cat Salem are the lifeguards at the beach and as they try to use magic to save they day, they are eaten by the sharks…and this leaves Archie to be the hero of the day. As the yacht sinks Archie is able to get the boat Sabrina was driving and save many of his friends including Jughead, Moose and Cheryl and they rush to the school to warn the others, all the while Betty and Veronica have fixed the helicopter and are heading toward Riverdale High School as well. Meanwhile at the school the teachers are shocked as hardly no one is attending and the band Josie And The Pussycats are playing, but things get bloody as Archie and the others arrive at the school and so does the Sharknado and the sharks go on the attack killing many and being killed themselves. And during this fight Betty and Veronica crash in and help kill the sharks as well. Archie comes up with an idea to make a bomb and toss it into the eye of the Sharknado to bring it down, and after they are armed with chainsaws thanks to the schools janitor they set out to fight the sharks. One ends up eating Cheryl, who has the bomb, and Archie has to cut the shark in two to save her and using team work they get the bomb in the right spot and when it explodes it brings an end to the Sharknado and the town of Riverdale is safe!

This is such a great and cheesy crossover that just works so well as having Sharknados touchdown in Riverdale is a very cool idea and the concepts of the likes of Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead killing sharks is pure comic book crossover magic. Who would also ever think that we would get a comic where Reggie, Sabrina, Mr. Lodge and so many other characters from the Archie Comic Book universe would be brutally killed by sharks as I have to say I was very shocked about the amount of blood used in the comic as characters get ripped apart and body parts go flying, plus even the sharks deaths are pretty bloody! Now that I am thinking about it I would say this comic is way bloodier and gory than the film series it’s based on. The Horror elements of the comic of course come from the sharks that are chomping on human flesh and because it’s Archie Comics, the humor comes from the character like Jughead who bites one of the sharks and also loses his crown to one that he goes on a small quest to get back. The comic also has lots of inside jokes towards other Horror Films like Jaws and Evil Dead, and they even poke fun at the fact Tara Reid played Melody Valentine, the drummer for Josie And The Pussycats, who plays April Wexler in the Sharknado films. For me reading this I have to say that the real heroes of the story are Betty and Veronica who kill more sharks and do more over all to stop the Sharknado, but of course Archie in the end seems to get most of the credit for being the hero. The most shocking death in this comic is that of Sabrina The Teenage Witch as she does not even get a chance to use her magic before she is ripped apart by sharks as her friends watch on in horror. Who ever came up with this idea was very wise as this was a cool way to promote the third film in the Sharknado series as I can remember this comic getting some press when it was released and even Horror News sites talked about it. The cover I have is very cool and captures the spooky elements of the crossover as it has Archie fighting off sharks in a flooded street, and the interior artwork by Dan Parent is great as its that cartoony look but in panels done very bloody. Over all this is a really cool one-shot issue that did its job of promoting the film and entertaining the reader. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Parent used as well as some of the panels that captured the mayhem.

Archie vs. Sharknado is a great colorful, funny and bloody Horror Comic that should be remembered as I think it’s truly a must read crossover comic that deserves to be praised for all its weirdness. And in fact all the strange Archie crossover comics should be remembered and if you readers have not checked them ou,t you should as Archie has also met The Predator, The Punisher and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name a few. But with that I think it’s time we leave the world of Sharknado and even Archie Comics behind as our next update will keep us into the world of Horror Films as our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues as we take a look at the 1989 released vampire film To Die For. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend some time with Vlad as he looks for a new home in L.A.

The Red Twister Man-Droid Of The DC Universe!

Posted on June 21, 2017 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, my readers and friends. For this update I have decided to take a look at another DC Hero, one that always captured my attention as a youngster thanks to the Kenner toy Super Powers. The hero I am talking about is the Red Tornado! Growing up I was more of a Marvel comic reader, and 8 out of 10 times while at the comic newsstand at Hearts, I would pick a Marvel book over a DC or independent as I was always more into their characters like Hulk, Captain America and Spider-Man. But I still always enjoyed reading DC heroes Batman, Superman, Swamp Thing and even Justice League Of America. With that said, I still really enjoy DC and enjoy discovering the characters they have created to entertain the comic readers worldwide and that’s why I choose to cover Red Tornado. One thing that has always driven me crazy about DC Comics is the fact they have a rich history of characters, but they only ever really want to focus on the same handful when it comes to major storylines and even merchandising. I mean look at how many items and major comic plots go to Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern and how little go to characters like The Creeper, Captain Marvel, Black Canary and Red Tornado. But on this update here at Rotten Ink, I am going to give Red Tornado his time to shine in the comic spotlight! So dress warm as this wind might chill you to the bone while Tornado is on the loose to save the day!

So who is the Red Tornado and what is he all about? Let me take a moment to fill you readers in on his past as I am sure you will find his weird and complicated history interesting. The thing that I must stress about DC and their character histories is that they can get very weird and confusing as they have many “Earths” that have different timelines, and this makes the bios very murky in my opinion, but let’s try and give this a shot. Red Tornado was created on the planet Rann in the Earth-One universe and was made up of two different beings, Tornado Champion and Tornado Tyrant, and became a bad guy who attacked Adam Strange only to lose. This loss made it take a looks at itself and choose to be good as he found that side to be the stronger. But this ultimately did not matter as the bad side won the inner war that raged inside the split identity body. As the evil Tornado Tyrant, he comes to Earth-Two and fights the Justice League Of America and this allows the Tornado Champion side to dominate. He is tricked by evil criminal T.O Morrow into tricking Tornado Champion to take over an android that he had built. This wiped the memory of Tornado Champion and now a new life-form was born named Red Tornado! After being used as a tool for evil, Red Tornado turns on his creator and turns to the ways of good and becomes a member of the Justice League Of America and tries to live his life as an android superhero as well as tries to have a human life side. Later Tornado Champion breaks free from the android body and becomes a weapon for Anti-Monitor and ultimately fails returning to the android body and Red Tornado was once more! After this, he became a nature protector, guided the members of Young Justice and has even been an off and on team member of the Justice League Of America! Say what you will about Red Tornado; he has been good and he has been bad but one thing is for sure, this android hero is one of DC’s coolest B-Listers!

In 1985 Kenner decided to add a second series of heroes and villains to their popular Super Powers line of action figures, and among the likes of Martian The Manhunter and Mantis was the one and only Red Tornado. Growing up me and my brother loved to get our hands on Super Powers as we both loved comic books as well as the movies and cartoons based on the DC heroes. Between the two of us, we owned almost all of Series 1 minus Brainiac whom we never could find, and we also had many of the figures in series 2. When I was in the first grade in the Waynesville, while on the bus home a fellow bus rider had a Red Tornado action figure, and I can remember being obsessed with it and for weeks trying to trade other toys in order to get it from him. Sadly he never would trade nor did we ever get the figure until many years later when my brother bought it to add to his Super Powers collection. But this figure is what made me become obsessed with Red Tornado and who he was way back when I was just a six year old lad. My brother who was 9 years old was the one who told me what he knew about the character that he had learned from issues of Justice League Of America. Below are some pictures of the Kenner Red Tornado figure loose, in the package and a look at the mini comic that came with the toy. One day I should get myself this figure just to remind me of my youth and the time I discovered Red Tornado. I should note that other figures over the years have been made of the Red Tornado, but for me the Super Powers is still the best one.

So besides in comics and toy,s Red Tornado has also had other appearances in media that include being in the animated series “Justice League Unlimited” and being voiced by Powers Boothe, “Batman: The Brave And The Bold” voiced by Corey Burton and “Young Justice” voiced by Jeff Bennett showing that he has made his mark on the world of DC animation. He also appeared in the 2010 animated film “Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths” but was just a cameo and didn’t even speak a word! He also also been in a handful of video games like “DC Universe Online” and “Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham” and also whirlwind, the pixel world! More recently he was in the live action show “Supergirl” episode called Red Faced and is played by Iddo Goldberg and is portrayed as an android ready for combat. So while he is by no means as in demand as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman or even Green Lantern, he still over the years has tried to get his time to shine in other media besides comics.

So now that we have had a crash course of the history of Red Tornado and have also taken a look at the character in the world of merchandise and other media, I think we should twist our way down to the comic reviews and see what this 1985 mini series has in store for our android superhero! Shockingly enough, this will be my first time reading this mini series, and I must think Dark Star in Yellow Springs for having them all in stock. I can hear these words in the whirling wind: “I grade these on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story.” So if you’re ready, I am ready to see what this Red Tornado mini series has in store. So avoid the wind gusts and let’s dive in shall we!

Red Tornado # 1 ***
Released in 1985 Cover Price .75 DC Comics # 1 of 4

New Jersey is having a massive tornado that is destroying property, and as Lana Lang is reporting live, Red Tornado appears and saves the day when he reverses the funnel cloud and rushes away as he still thinks the world fears him even if he is a member of the Justice League Of America (JLA). Once back home, he turns into his alter ego John Smith and takes his girlfriend Kathy Sutton and young orphan friend Traya out to dinner and a movie. After the film is over, robots come from the ground and have their sights set on taking out John Smith who has to turn into Red Tornado in order to lead them away from his loved ones and innocent people! After beating the robots, he returns back to being John Smith, and while watching the evening news, he is heart broken when he sees Lana Lang report that he was responsible to the tornado and that it destroyed thousands of dollars worth of property! And worse, as the report goes off, Superman along with fellow Justice League Of America members call Red Tornado outside only to fire him from the team. As the sad android hero flies away, we soon learn that the robot villain The Construct is mind controlling the JLA and others in order to push all the human feelings out of Red Tornado so that robots can kill off man and rule the world, as he knows that Red Tornado could stop him and his plan.

This first issue in a four issue mini series is a great way to introduce Red Tornado to readers who might not know who he is, as well as a cool way to start off our story! The plot of this issue has Red Tornado trying his best to gain the trust of humans. As he does his best to stop crimes as well as natural weather disasters, he is filled with doubts about being accepted not only as the android hero but also as his “human” life John Smith. While he battles his inner thoughts, unknown to him, an evil robot power is in play as The Construct is controlling all the bad things happening to him and even controls his firing from the Justice League Of America! Red Tornado is an android on a mission to save human life and uses his weather powers to do so, but he is very much bothered that the whole human race is not hip to the fact he is a good guy and wants to do no harm to them. His ability to become a tornado is his main defense against crime, but he is also very smart. I also really like in this issue that while he is an android, he does show signs of having feelings and this makes the character deeper than just a hunk of metal with powers. As his “human” life John Smith, it’s clear that he doesn’t know how to be human as he is just going with the flow of what life he thinks he should have by working a so-so day job and even being boring with his girlfriend by not understanding they don’t always need Traya around to go out! It’s odd, it almost seems like as John he shows less emotion than he does when he is Red Tornado, making it clear that his mechanical mind is trying its best to figure out what it means to be human. Kathy Sutton is a sweet woman who has fallen in love with John Smith, even knowing that he is not human showing that she has a big heart, and I hope by the end of this mini series she finds happiness. Traya is a young girl who was saved by Red Tornado many years back and thinks her friend and savior can do no wrong nor even lose a battle. She really does care about her friend and never questions why she has to sit in a orphanage and Red Tornado never has adopted her. The Construct is one mean machine as it has made its life mission to destroy mankind, defeat and out smart the JLA and ruin a normal life for Red Tornado by making him feel that every thing he loves has turned on him! I can’t wait to see how its plan plays out and how Red Tornado will defeat him! Another great aspect of this comic is the fact that it has cameos from Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and many more making it truly feel like a mainstream DC Comic series. The cover is fantastic and eye catching as it shows Superman talking harshly to Red Tornado making the reader want to open the book and find out why. The interior art is done by Carmine Infantino and is solid and great work and has that 80’s DC charm. Over all I really enjoyed this first issue as I liked the atmosphere of a rain soaked big city under the gloom of some unknown power. I like the cameos and most importantly I really dig the book’s title hero as he is pretty interesting and has layers to his odd personality. So let’s see what issue two has in store for us and if this mini series keeps up the good art and writing that this issue has set up for the whole run.

Red Tornado # 2 ***
Released in 1985 Cover Price .75 DC Comics # 2 of 4

Red Tornado stays out in the rain all night wondering what he did wrong and why he has been booted from the JLA as his girlfriend Kathy Sutton has worried about him all night! The Construct is happy thus far as his plan to mentally break his android nemesis is going perfectly, and his next movie is to mind control Superman once more to set up a meeting with Red Tornado who thinks they are allowing him back into the JLA but soon finds himself ripped into pieces and thrown over the Brooklyn Bridge into the cold water below by Superman, his one time friend! Red Tornado brings himself back together and is now filled with anger as he does not understand why he has been targeted and snubbed by his friends As our hero is deep in thought, The Construct starts his plan on taking over machines all over the world. All the scientists and labs are coming up with no answers to why the machines are acting up, and it’s only Thomas Oscar Morrow who figures out that The Construct is the world’s attacker but he doesn’t know what to do as he is a criminal and also the creator of Red Tornado! While walking in the park as John Smith, a call goes out about a massive fire where helicopter pilots and kids are in danger and once while saving them all from a terrible death, the crowd turns on him calling him a monster and evil machine. He leaves and goes to the orphanage and is told by Traya that she no longer wants him around and that he is a soulless machine! And just as Kathy Sutton find him, Red Tornado snaps and turns on all the humans and tells them he no longer will be their hero as they have done nothing but demonized him and he leaves them all behind swearing never to help and see them again. Kathy Sutton is heart broken as she watches her boyfriend fly away, and as this happens The Construct has taken over all the world’s machines and is now in charge of the world!

This second issue follows Red Tornado as he is attacked by Superman and told never to help mankind again, only to go against orders and save some kids from a fire to have the crowd as well attack him. His breaking point comes when his own friend Traya turns on him and tells him to get lost! This enrages the android who turns his back on trying to be human and leaves the world open for the attack by The Construct! Red Tornado just can’t get a break in this issue as everyone he tries to help or call a friend turns on him with Kathy Sutton being the only one who is not affected by The Construct’s mind control but it’s even to late for her to try and stop his rage of being blamed and spit on by mankind. You have to feel for Red Tornado as he really does wants to feel like a real man and only wants to help and can’t see that the world around him is going mad! Poor Kathy Sutton is worried to death about her man but seems helpless in reaching him before rages takes over and his feeling turn as cold as steel, and his friends Traya and Superman are used like puppets to drive him cold. The Construct’s plan is perfect as he clearly got under the skin of his only nemesis that can fight off his mind control and by doing so drives him away and opens up his path for world domination. This issue also makes me wonder how Thomas Oscar Morrow, the only scientist to figure out what’s going on will get help as he is not liked nor trusted by those who could help! This second issue does a great job of piling on bad events for Red Tornado to drive him off and does so that I as a reader was getting mad at characters and their behaviors! Now that’s a good sign of a solid writer in Kurt Busiek, who penned this story. The cover once more is very eye catching and has Red Tornado in pieces with the interior art once more being done by the talented Carmine Infantino who captures the mood so well of 80’s DC. Over all, this is a very solid second issue that brings the story closer to the final battle and showcases how cool Red Tornado is and how evil The Construct is! Lets see what issue # three has in store for us, shall we?

Red Tornado # 3 ***
Released in 1985 Cover Price .75 DC Comics # 3 of 4

The Red Tornado is away enjoying just being an android and not having any connection to humans, while around the world citizens and superheroes alike are fighting the machines being controlled by The Construct that are ready to take over the world, and to make things worse, the evil machine is now also controlling the minds of humans! Kathy Sutton is not infected yet and goes to a trip to find Thomas Oscar Morrow as she thinks he can help track down Red Tornado who can stop this madness. As Morrow tells her the location and shows her his force matrix field to hold The Construct, his mind is taken over and now Kathy is alone on her quest to save the world. Kathy travels to the mountains of Colorado and finds Red Tornado who is so disconnected from mankind that he is watching as two campers face death from a fire that surrounds them. Kathy explains that the world did not turn on him, that The Construct mind controlled people and he is still cold. She explains that she never turned on him and loves him and still nothing. But when she points out that he does have a soul and that’s why he questions his own being, it snaps him out of his robotic mood and he saves the campers, shows his love for Kathy and swears to destroy The Construct and save the world!

The Construct has made the world a terrible place to live as he has brainwashed many humans and is using robots to do so and attack those who stand up to his rule! Our only hope is Red Tornado but he has turned his back on mankind as he feels they have done to him and it takes one woman to put her safety on the line and get the world’s only savior back on track! This is the cool plot of this issue that follows Kathy Sutton as she has to dodge and listen to the evil taunts of The Construct who mocks her at every turn! What works the best for this issue is that Kathy is not just a throw away girlfriend character but takes the lead and becomes the key to help save the world! Poor Thomas Oscar Morrow tried to be the world’s hero, but his brain is zapped and he becomes a mindless zombie before he can do so. But I am sure his new invention will come into play to bring down The Construct. Red Tornado is so cold for most of this issue and think about just how cold blooded it is that he was just watching people about to be burnt to death, but once he realizes that he in fact does have a soul and is more human than he ever thought, his cold fish manner disappears and back is the hero that was a member of the Justice League. The Construct is cocky and almost enjoys messing with humans that he finds weak or no threat to his goal of world domination. It will be great to see him taken down a peg or five. Another cool aspect of this issue is that once more it has cameos from other DC heroes who are fighting robots like Superman, The Creeper, Batman and even Green Arrow. The cover is eye catching and has Red Tornado standing around the piled up bodies of brain washed humans as Kathy begs him for help and he just is not having it! The inside art is once more great and done by Carmine Infantino who really is bringing Red Tornado alive on the newsprint pages. Over all this is another great issue that is building us up for the final showdown that is coming up next issue!

Red Tornado # 4 ***
Released in 1985 Cover Price .75 DC Comics # 4 of 4

Red Tornado heads toward the hideout of Thomas Oscar Morrow to find out if his machine is still intact, only to find that The Construct is waiting for him and has built himself a massive robot body and is ready to fight it out to the death with the world’s only hope. The fight is powerful as each robotic fighter tries to take down the other but finally The Construct overcomes Red Tornado and brings his broken body to the matrix field that was built to bring him down. The Construct then finds Kathy Sutton and takes over her mind as now everyone in the world is under his control when even Red Tornado allows him to enter his in order to get free of the matrix field. But as The Construct enters Red Tornado’s mind, he soon finds out it was a trap and our hero takes down The Construct on his own home turf of the electronic dimension by making him question if he is just a machine or something more! Once he beats The Construct, he traps him in the matrix field and even is able to break his bond with Thomas Oscar Morrow, freeing himself from everything that has tied him down. The world is saved and Red Tornado as John Smith decides that he fully wants to live life and along with Kathy and Traya he plans to try and partake in all the cool things our world has to offer.

This final issue in the series plot is: Red Tornado knows that he is a living being with feelings goes head to head with the worlds conquer The Construct who is out smarted when he must face the facts that maybe he is more than just a machine! This is a fitting way to end this series as Red Tornado finds the peace he is looking for and truly looks inside himself to see that he is a living thing complete with a soul, and he has wasted so much time trying to be what he thought a human should act like. The Red Tornado shows that he can have multiple moods in this series from super smart over thinking superhero, to hurt feelings when he feels he is being unfairly judged and even cold as a dead fish when he decided being human was not worth the time to please mankind. He also uses his tornado powers as well as his smarts to win this major fight throughout to not only defeat his enemies but also save lives. As John Smith he also grows from being a boring homebody and becomes a fun loving let’s go out and discover boyfriend. Thomas Oscar Morrow who is a bad guy seems like over this mini series as well is trying to change from being a villain to a hero and wants so much to have the respect of his creation the Red Tornado that he soon finds he must earn and not command. Kathy Sutton sticks by her man and is the only reason Red Tornado found his inner soul and decided to save the world, so the whole world owes her a thanks! Traya is your typical kid sidekick character who is around to idolize their hero friend and be used as a pawn when things hit the fan. With that said, she is an okay character who filled her role well. The Construct was a great bad guy who for the most part seemed unbeatable until he is tricked to over think his own existence that leaves him open for defeat. I mean think about it, he controlled the mind of Superman that shows you how powerful he was! Speaking of Superman, it was cool to see him in a cameo role for many of this series issues and it was great to see him act like a jerk to not only Red Tornado but also a young teenager who just wanted to thank him for help after the massive storm. While many might not like the way the final fight ends with Red Tornado using his smarts to defeat The Construct I found it very cleverly done and helped add a layer to this character and storyline. The cover for this issue is cool and while not as eye catching still holds a classic DC look mixed with TRON for me. The interior art is once more done by Carmine Infantino and is fantastic and really makes me want to see what other comics he did for DC. I must also praise the inker Frank McLaughlin and colorist Tom Ziuko of whom both really made this comic pop and come alive. Over all this was a great read and I would have loved this comic as a kid as it had robots fighting as well as showed Red Tornado doing what he does best and that’s be a hero the world needs. If you like 80’s DC or even have a little bit of interest in Red Tornado, I would suggest checking out this mini series as it’s a great read and well worth your time. Below is some artwork for this series and showcases the characters, you will encounter in this series.

While Red Tornado is by all accounts considered a B-Hero and not one of DC’s mainstream like Batman, Superman and Green Lantern, for me he has always been a great superhero who has always captured by attention and imagination. But while this update has us walking away from Red Tornado, for our next update we will however stay in the DC Universe as we will be taking a look at a classic public domain character they tried to bring back to the reading masses called Fighting American that was co-created by Jack Kirby. This will be just in time for July 4^th our nation’s Independence Day! So until next time, read a comic or three, buy a classic action figure or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for fireworks and a classic comic hero, see you then readers and friends.