Quantcast
Channel: The Peerless Power of Comics!
Viewing all 1904 articles
Browse latest View live

"I shall now render you--INVISIBLE! Oops..."

$
0
0

Fantastic Four was over twenty issues into its run when it was decided that the Invisible Girl's power of invisibility wasn't perhaps enough of an asset to hold her own in the high-stakes battles that the team was fighting. If that assumption is true, I'm not quite on board with it. I think invisibility in a battle would be quite an asset, providing Sue would adapt her style to use the power more aggressively instead of waiting for opportunities to present themselves. What I think was really the concern with Sue was that her power didn't make for very exciting artistry in the book; and when that's the case, you can't feature such a character that often in a particular story without detracting from the story's pace. Also, there are only so many times you could have foes looking bewildered and wondering how they tripped or lost their weapon before it would get old.

So it's no wonder that Sue was coming under fire from readers for being dead weight and not holding up her end on the team. To my knowledge, Sue was perhaps the first invisible character in a comic to have such an extended run of stories, and giving such a character decent *ahem* exposure wasn't yet a bridge that had been crossed for any writer or artist. Fortunately, the problem was mitigated by the fact that the character of Sue Storm seldom pushed her way to the forefront in battle and often held herself in reserve--but the time apparently came when the Invisible Girl needed to become more visible, in the sense of having her abilities play out more visually for readers.

That, of course, brings us to the development of her invisible force field, which came about from her exposure to radiation being given off by, ironically, equipment Reed was using to get a handle on her invisibility power:



The force field power seemed to come as a surprise--except to (naturally) Reed, who reacted as if he was expecting Sue to develop this and other tangents to her invisibility power:



For a good part of the issue, considerable time is spent introducing us to the "new" Invisible Girl, even making the point that her new powers left no doubt as to her value to the team. And how better to drive that point home than to have the rest of the FF be as impressed as she is?



Though Reed isn't through with patting himself on the back in an expectant sense, as Sue demonstrates another new ability that capitalizes on the power she already possessed:




While we're clearly meant to be amazed at this variant of her invisibility power, I'm not sure how much use it will be against a foe beyond it having a disorienting effect.  Nor does it make much tactical sense to render the foe you're fighting invisible--you want to attack this guy, after all, not hide him from your sight. And why bother to hamper Sue by rendering her visible whenever she uses this ability, other than to guarantee that the panels have something visible for the reader to lock onto?




In a little over ten years later, Sue would get a power boost from another piece of equipment, this time one belonging to a foe. No new abilities to speak of, but her increased power at least served to raise her profile for readers, as Sue herself makes sure to remind us of:





And in another five years, Sue, along with Reed and Ben, would have their powers revitalized by an alien weapon. I doubt anyone blinked an eye at Ben lifting weights or Reed zig-zagging around, but the incident definitely served to put more of Sue's hostage days behind her:


All of which is great for Sue.
But, somewhere, I'm betting Marvel Girl feels like ripping a phone book in half.


Man Trap!

$
0
0

When Captain America first met Diamondback, a member of the Serpent Society, it was love at first sight. At least for one of them:



Diamondback, of course, probably isn't the first villainness who's had devious intentions when it came to Cap's virtue.  And if this were USAgent rather than Cap, I'm reasonably sure that ship would be rockin' once she made the moves on him. But this is Captain America we're talking about--and since neither Mom nor apple pie are anywhere to be found in this woman's character, it looks like Diamondback is going to be disappointed tonight.

Or is she?

Let's see how it plays out, once the ship launches:



Perhaps the question Cap might want to ask himself is: what's he got to lose here, other than his uniform? Is he going to let a little thing like a lethal threat keep him from scoring with this beautiful woman? James Bond would have jumped at the offer--and suavely, at that. At least Cap hasn't yet slammed the door on the proposition.

But he'd better hurry up and make his decision:


What's it going to be, Cap??



Oh, please, like you had to ask. Have you ever seen a more squarely-set jaw than on this man?



Looks like Cap has turned the tables on this lady. Just a few moments ago, it looked like she was holding the upper hand. Now she seems to have folded like a tent. But, surely the self-assured Diamondback isn't just going to stow away her spine and become captivated by Captain America's charisma, is she?


Heh--what do you think?

The Frankenstein Surfer!

$
0
0

I was almost tempted to include this post under a label I've named "Really?", which groups together some of the stranger match-ups between characters that Marvel occasionally cooked up. But Silver Surfer #7 isn't really about "The Surfer vs. Frankenstein," which the story first leads us to believe; rather, it had the Surfer contending against the powerful creation which the good doctor brings to life. And before you ask, that creation isn't the "Frankenstein monster" that we typically associate with conflicts which feature that dreaded name, but a creature far deadlier and dangerous. Anything else would have been ludicrous. A battle between the Surfer and the original bolt-necked creature would probably have lasted, oh, about 5 seconds, with the Surfer flying off afterward in bemusement. "These humans," he probably would have said, shaking his head. "What will they think of next?"

This issue of Silver Surfer would be the last forty-page issue of the series before the Surfer's adventures would be crammed back into a book half that size, the same number of pages as any other comic book on the rack. It's an experiment I was a little disappointed about seeing come to an end. With far more room to creatively breathe, writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema did some fine work with the Surfer in those first large-format issues--though with the Overlord story in issue #6, followed by, of all things, an encounter with Frankenstein, it seemed as if the well was running dry rather quickly. So the Surfer's stories returning to standard format might have been wise, at this point. I would have winced, for instance, at the Surfer's battles with the Human Torch or the Doomsday Man being dragged out for forty pages--I did enough wincing, as it was. (On the other hand, you have to wonder if, given the extra pages, Buscema might have given Lee a lot of good stuff that would have resulted in better stories for those issues.)

For those who remain fascinated with the story of Frankenstein, in all its manifestations in literature, the beginning of this story doesn't disappoint. Given that this is a more contemporary story, we're of course dealing with Frankenstein's ancestor, who is following in his infamous predecessor's footsteps and once again attempting to reanimate the dead. Here, too, the doctor has an assistant--Borgo, who constantly warns his master of the consequences of his actions. For the sake of this story, Lee has made Frankenstein twisted, mad, evil--Magneto with all the trimmings, as he was in his early days of villainy. In fact, in Frankenstein's abusive treatment of Borgo, you'll see Lee and writer Roy Thomas are on the same page in these respective comparisons of how both men deal with their hapless subordinates:



Apparently these villains put little stock in the phrase, "as ye sow, so shall ye reap."


Frankenstein's latest experiment, like his ancestor's, has drawn the attention of the local villagers, who have long memories of the line of Frankensteins who have taken up residence only to put them all in danger. Yet they'll find this Frankenstein defiant, as well as just a little maniacal:



It looks pretty bad for the doctor. Frankly, as often as that castle has been torched, it's a wonder anything has remained for future Frankensteins to take possession of. But these villagers look like they're going to remedy that situation, once and for all. Fortunately for the doctor, there's a Silver Surfer flying overhead who has spotted the fire and the chaos--and, from the air, all he sees is a mass of attackers attempting to murder two lone victims. So he extinguishes the flames and sends the villagers scattering back, setting the stage for one of the strangest encounters we've seen thus far:


You've probably guessed that our doctor is going to bend the truth just a tad.



Frankenstein puts on his best Sunday manners for the Surfer, whom he's hoping to lure into being the catalyst for "Experiment X," which we'll see in more detail later. But, first, he must get the Surfer to trust him:


(Heh, the kick to Borgo--nice touch by Buscema.)


Thankfully, Lee has the Surfer recall a similar encounter with Dr. Doom, which played out much the same way and which resulted in his being betrayed and captured--so he listens to Frankenstein's honeyed words, but doesn't let down his guard. It was a very appreciated addition to the story; otherwise, I would have thought that Lee was either being incredibly lazy in attempting to rehash the same plot, or that the Surfer would had to have been the most gullible person alive for not noticing the similarities. As it turns out, Frankenstein's performance does him little good--the Surfer hears him out, but his every instinct tells him this guy isn't on the up-and-up, and so he departs, much to Frankenstein's annoyance.

But we've got a lot of pages to go, so let's not count the doctor out yet. And to prepare, he reviews the prior work of his ancestor, in these nice renderings by Buscema (inked by his brother Sal, I might add):



To make a long story short, our doctor lures the Surfer back with his version of a bat-signal, and again pours on the b.s. about wanting to help others. But he gives the Surfer an added incentive to assist him--the creation of a ray which will drive all evil from the minds of men. The Surfer still doesn't trust this guy as far as he can throw him, but he decides to see it through, surrounding himself with a protective cosmic field just in case.

So, then--welcome to Experiment X:



Quite a twist on Frankenstein's original experiment, as well as a time-saver--creating life from clay. I bet Borgo is glad his days of digging up cadavers are over.

The experiment proceeds, though Frankenstein hasn't informed his helper that, as the clay comes to life, the Surfer consequently begins to die:



Realizing that he's once again been betrayed, the Surfer breaks free in the nick of time. But not in time to prevent Frankenstein from unveiling his first triumph:



Unlike prior experiments from prior Frankensteins, this creation has total allegiance to his master, as well as no mercy whatsoever--qualities Frankenstein immediately takes advantage of. Now that the real Surfer is presumably slain, the doctor sends his creation to attack the villagers, in a ruthless show of force:



Fortunately, the true Surfer still lives--and, discovering the nature of his counterpart, lures him to space in an attempt to deal with him:





In the meantime, you've gotta hand it to those villagers--they take a licking and keep on ticking. Now motivated more than ever to see an end to Frankenstein as well as to force him to rein in his creation, they swarm on his castle again. Frankenstein, in return, opens fire on them--but the villagers have an unseen ally, one who has finally decided that he's had enough of cowering:



And so another Frankenstein takes the fall. (Ouch--sorry.) But the Surfer's battle with his doppelganger is far from resolved:



Buscema really opens up here, with some beautiful battle scenes which Lee gets right into the spirit of. So why don't I just step aside and let you enjoy these great panels?





Unfortunately, the outside world has only seen the Surfer's attacks on the city, for no apparent reason--and so this story ends with the typical ending we've come to expect from Lee, with the Surfer again being made the outsider who's feared and mistrusted. Though at least Lee doesn't neglect to give us some sort of explanation on just how one Silver Surfer was able to triumph over another:



Bringing to an end a Frankenstein/Silver Surfer story which could have been a lot worse, but one which turned out to be a fun read as well as a good story from Lee. By the way, in case you were wondering--the Toad was able to take a leaf from Borgo's book and give Magneto a similar reckoning.

Revenge of the Wolf-Man!

$
0
0

It may not look like it, but Thor could be in danger here!



This being used to be a wolf, but it was exposed to a procedure that advanced its evolution to its ultimate end. Unfortunately, the creature turned out to be evil, so he's on the hunt to kill pretty much everyone on sight. Seems to me even an evolved wolf would still be no match for a thunder god, but Thor apparently thinks he has his hands full:



At least Jane Foster has confidence in Thor to clean this creature's clock. Though his opponent seems to be the poster boy for self-confidence:



Before the fight can go further, a sonic device is brought out that causes the creature pain, and it retreats. In the process, we also find out that he can be added to the list of beings who can resist Thor's hammer toss, even if he cheats by blocking it before it can impact with him:



(Jeez, the creature only had to use basic mental repulsion. That's gotta knock Thor's self-esteem down a notch or two.)

Eventually, Thor catches up to the creature again, and this time trots out his own résumé, making it clear to Fido that there's evolution and then there's power:




(When he wakes up, this creature might want to think about moving beyond "basic" and "elementary" tactics when fighting thunder gods.)

But, have we seen the last of this evil wolf/man?


Why don't we find out in a new


Marvel Trivia Question



What villain is this creature destined to become?



After its encounter with Thor, the creature was exiled along with its compatriots to a distant world, where they could take a crack at creating their own society. But they apparently had bolder plans, eventually leaving their new galaxy and detouring until they chanced again on their creator--the High Evolutionary--now on the far side of the sun, dabbling in world-creating. But this time, he would make sure the "Earth" he created would be free of man's aggression. Not the kind of experiment you want to be crashed by a former creation that embodied evil and likely wants revenge on his creator who sent him into space:



Yes, the Man-Beast, who sees a prime opportunity to hit the High Evolutionary where it hurts, by corrupting the world he's worked so hard to make sure would be a paradise:



And so the deed was done. The High Evolutionary awoke to find the horror that the Man-Beast had created, and, unable to bear the tragedy, was poised to destroy his creation--until Warlock, another former sparring partner of Thor's, interceded and vowed to fight the Man-Beast's influence:



But eventually, the Man-Beast was able to gain the upper hand, and execute Warlock. And, in his subterfuge as the U.S. president, he would go on to make sure the Evolutionary's dream was ravaged in full:




Yet, Warlock's execution had a powerful witness at the time--the incredible Hulk, who wasn't about to let the Man-Beast off the hook for Warlock's murder:



But the Man-Beast's fate wouldn't be decided by the Hulk. Instead, he'd meet his end from a most unexpected source:



With Warlock leaving the door open like that, you've probably guessed that the Man-Beast returned to cause more trouble, this time on the true Earth. Eventually, though, he'd find himself as a wolf again.  Odds are, a very bitter one.

The Super-Villain's Answer to Chapter 11

$
0
0

Can YOU


Name This Marvel Villain??



Described on page one of the issue he appears in as "the first menace born of the recession," you can probably guess the disposition failed businessman Stuart Clarke is going to have--particularly when his methods earn him the name Rampage. His company, Clarke Futuristics, on the verge of bankruptcy, he decides to use an exoskeleton he originally invented to assist in police work to replenish his funds and save his company:



Since he's operating in Los Angeles, Rampage, as luck would have it, runs into L.A.'s fledgling super-hero team, the Champions. And when Iceman attempts to stop him from robbing his first bank, Rampage "runs into" him with his fist:



Rampage is really a fine test for these new heroes, in many respects. Rampage's design and armored suit give him the strength and mobility of Iron Man--and fresh out of the box, the Champions (minus Ghost Rider, who's busy with his own affairs) are still coordinating their fighting style and strengths. Hercules is really his only true match here (and then some)--though if your opponent is "rampaging," he's not likely going to give you many chances to connect with a knockout punch. On the other hand, Rampage is arrogant, and confident in his suit, which causes him to underestimate Hercules big-time:



The shoe slips onto the other foot, though, when Rampage proves he wasn't down for the count and surprises Hercules from behind. Seeing the Champions beginning to regroup, he plays a true villain card with a still unconscious Angel:



Since the Angel is still flapping around somewhere these days, you can assume Rampage's ploy didn't work. In fact, the tables quickly turn on Rampage, who faces a withering attack by Hercules--which, combined with an earlier attack by Iceman, forces him to withdraw from the fight and reconsider his criminal career. But the fight has had the effect of making the Champions get their act together as a team. First, with the Angel reminding the Black Widow (who's out for Rampage's blood after he injured her friend Ivan) just why they teamed up in the first place:



The Angel goes on to state the team's need for a leader--and, despite the flying-off-the-handle display we just saw from her, proposes that the Widow take that position. There's consensus, and the motion is passed.

Clarke, however, can't seem to catch a break, his lawyer having tipped off the police that he's recognized Clarke as Rampage. So as much as Clarke wants to walk away, circumstances make his choice for him:



Clarke makes his escape as Rampage, but critically injures a police officer doing so. That, as well as fearing he's murdered Ivan, sends him into a crazed battle with the law, until the Champions show up. Attacking as a team, they unfortunately have the wrong effect on a man who already feels his back is against the wall:



But another thrashing from Hercules and the rest of the team, and Rampage finds he's in no condition to resist being taken into custody. Unfortunately, Clarke is now at the point where a confrontation like this only brings him face to face with his hopeless situation:



Desperate, and seeing no way out, he attempts to ignite his jet pack in an act of suicide--but, though seriously injured in the attempt, Iceman manages to save him from being killed.

Throughout these two issues featuring Rampage, writer Tony Isabella appeared to make every effort to absolve Clarke's actions--or at least make them understandable--by painting him as a victim of the economic downturn. As if to underscore the fact, look at these conspicuous captions placed front and center in the story:



I think "everyman" is a stretch, considering not all of us are genius inventors who run multi-million-dollar corporations. Nor do most of us make a conscious decision to turn to a life of crime when we reach the end of our economic rope. To rubber-stamp Clarke so easily would be to imply that his actions deserve leniency--Isabella even has the police in the story having second thoughts about him, despite Rampage severely injuring one of their own. Perhaps it would have been easier for us to see Clarke as a character in his own right--as well as an isolated case of the effects of the recession--if Isabella hadn't literally put up signs to the contrary.

In other issues and other titles, I'm afraid Clarke's reappearances didn't meet with much success as far as improving his fortunes--at last report, he'd been extensively involved in the Punisher's affairs. Not exactly the most optimistic guy to hang around with. So it's a fair bet we probably haven't seen the last of Rampage.

The Premiere of the Second-String Avengers

$
0
0

Given that we've already seen Iron Man show up to assist "Thunderbolt" Ross in capturing the Hulk, we can take a good guess at the outcome of the Hulk's earlier battle with a full grouping of active Avengers, the first meeting between them in his own comic. The Avengers lineup at the time featured Goliath, the Vision, the Black Panther, as well as the newly rejoined Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch--collectively, a variety of abilities that arguably could enable them to deal with the Hulk. Yet, even though writer Roy Thomas was scripting both titles, the Avengers who showed up in Incredible Hulk were noticeably underwhelming, compared to the team in their own title.

That's not to say the Avengers didn't perform well in the Hulk story. But do we want to see a fighting team "perform well" against the Hulk, or are we picking this comic off the rack to read a battle issue? By the show of hands, I'm guessing you darn well want to see a battle issue. In that respect, you'd probably enjoy the Iron Man story more. The Avengers lineup, without Thor and Iron Man, still had the raw power of Goliath and the Vision to offer; but Goliath is just as vulnerable to the Hulk as Giant-Man was, which left the Vision as the only real challenge to the Hulk on a physical level. (Though a later battle with Wonder Man would give a more demonstrative assessment of the Vision in that regard.) If you were an Avengers reader at the time, you were probably noticing how often the old guard was being brought back to supplement the team's lineup in times of crisis. You'd think that a meeting with the Hulk would ring that bell as well as anything.

If nothing else, the story is engaging, and seems to be crafted with the intent to show that the teamwork of the Avengers can be effective on levels other than the obvious. Emerging from a prior subterranean conflict, the Hulk is attempting to find his way back to the surface, and being none too gentle about it. And if he keeps going in the direction he's headed, General "Thunderbolt" Ross fears the worst:



Which opens the door to Ross summoning the Avengers:



(Whoa, throttle it down, Wanda. It's never a good idea to trumpet your own press. You've only just rejoined this team--let's wait until after your first battle before telling people how mighty you all are, hmm?)



As you can tell, Ross isn't exactly thrilled with the assemblage of Avengers he's gotten in response to his call. But he briefs them nonetheless:



No, I don't know where the Hulk is keeping his jet pack, either. For the Hulk to walk cross-country, and have made as much progress as he has--and not at a brisk hike, mind you--is a bit far-fetched.  The Mole Man has definitely given new meaning to the term "short-cut."

Curiously, we learn from Goliath that the team has not just come to help Ross, but also with the goal of convincing the Hulk to rejoin the Avengers, so that "we can add some more muscle to our team"--a dangling plot that's been hanging in the air ever since Iron Man first suggested it when he departed the team and Captain America's new lineup was in place. At any rate, the Avengers set to work, and are transported with a "Gammatron" device to an area where then can intercept the Hulk. Once there, they just have time to set up before a certain hiker decides he's getting impatient with his surroundings:



Ross and his aide, Talbot, question how the Avengers plan to lure the Hulk to the surface, but there's one Avenger who is tailor-made for the task:



What follows is more breast-beating on the part of both combatants than anything else:



But the goal is not for the Vision to battle the Hulk alone, but for him to get the Hulk to follow him to the surface, and he's successful. Though with the Hulk's disposition in regard to costumed foes, particularly in light of his encounter with the Fantastic Four, Goliath finds his plan derailed almost immediately:



Eventually, the team has no recourse but to attack in force. And with this being the Hulk's title, the representation we get of the Avengers battling the Hulk is rather restrained. Frankly, the Hulk seems as bemused as we are:



Quicksilver and the Panther, of course, aren't the most logical members to take point against the Hulk, though Pietro might opt for other uses of his power aside from a direct physical approach. As for Wanda, the circumstances keeping her on the sidelines in this fight don't do the team any favors now that they're hip-deep in the struggle. Suffice to say that we're really not going to see the team cut loose in this fight like, well, the Avengers. But there's still their original mission to see through:



In other Avengers stories, we've seen such resolutions still go down in the "win" column for the team, and it would have been a satisfying enough result for what should have otherwise been, as Goliath called it, "a knock-down, drag-out slug fest." Unfortunately, Wanda saying the words "Bruce Banner" within hearing range of the Hulk gave him all the reason he needed to become angry enough to resist the Gammatron and break out of this trap:



And though the team girds to resume the attack, the Hulk instead leaps off. There's little the Avengers have to show for their efforts other than preventing a potential catastrophe in California (admittedly, no small thing), but Thomas feels we need some assurance that their presence was worthwhile:



This last panel tends to underscore how unrealistic it seems to always dust off the Hulk-as-an-Avenger plot (or similar attempts to keep him operating as one of the Defenders). No one ever seems to realize that, in coveting the Hulk for membership, the team is in effect giving no thought to condemning Banner--the one you're really trying to help, remember?--to remain trapped in the nightmare life he wants so desperately to be free of. Banner, after all, is likely to have no memory of any life the Hulk might experience as an Avenger; and there's also the unpleasantness of having team members expecting you to undergo a stressful and painful transformation to erase yourself from existence whenever they need the Hulk. It's an aspect of membership that's always been brushed aside by the writer--and, perhaps on a subconscious level, one always angrily rejected by the Hulk.

The Torch That Lives In Perpetuity

$
0
0

They don't call reprints "reprints" for nothing, considering how often a story will be reprinted time and time again. Usually the story is heralded by its marketing as a "Because You Demanded It!" event, or some other such wording aimed at giving the impression that it'll be great fun for you to read this story again. For older readers, being greeted by yet another resurfacing of the original story produces an amused eye-roll at seeing this card played once more. But I think reprints serve a purpose--not only as a way to experience what has come before, but also serving to introduce characters and titles to readers who were either unfamiliar with them or who were just curious about all those earlier stories they hadn't yet been exposed to.

It's the less business-like way of looking at reprints, admittedly. For the publisher, reprints can of course bring in new readers, hopefully motivated to buy the newer material being released; if not, they're likely to plunk down change on any number of collections of older material that are saturating the market these days. Also, reprints can be handy as a last resort to substitute for an issue not able to meet its deadline, or they can be used as filler for an issue boasting a large number of pages but unable to meet that page count with new material. I prefer to think of reprints in a "less company bottom line, more reader enjoyment" way.

One story that's surely in the reprint Hall of Fame is the lead story in the 1966 Fantastic Four Annual, which featured the clash between the Human Torch and the original android Torch of the Golden Age--an issue which ironically includes a reprint of its own, the famous Hulk/Thing battle:



The Torch/Torch story was naturally one which would fit in well for other issues and collections which themselves consisted of nothing but reprints:



(And these are just the ones I'm aware of. There's probably a Masterworks copy around somewhere which includes it, et al.)

Fantastic Four also had to use it as a fill-in when it presumably wasn't able to meet a deadline:



And there was this shameless cover illustration for The Human Torch #1, which didn't contain the story but played off the imagery of it, I suppose claiming dramatic license since the title was going to be split between reprinted material featuring both the FF Torch and original Torch:



The android Torch has gone on to figure into several more contemporary Marvel stories in a variety of titles, so I'm not sure how much more life the company can squeeze out of the original tale which brought him back. So, JUST IN CASE we never, ever see this story again, let's take a good look at this first meeting of flaming Gold and Silver:


Because you demanded it!



First, we get a teaser of what's to come, when two former soldiers reminisce about the original Torch:



Naturally, this was well before the days of The Invaders and other subsequent stories which made it seem that you couldn't step into a 1940s European pub without swapping stories with your war buddies about the costumed super-fighters you'd seen, which explains Reed's sparse recollection. But Reed and Ben's talk is interrupted by the arrival of Johnny, Wyatt Wingfoot, and Lockjaw (the teleportational dog of the Inhumans)--and while Reed investigates Lockjaw's powers, Johnny heads off to the desert (sure, there are deserts on the east coast, ask anyone) so that he can be isolated while he tests his flame.

Unknown to Johnny, the mad Thinker has located the original Torch android and has modified him to serve on a mission to destroy the FF Torch. We never learn why the Thinker has his mind set on killing Johnny, above the other FF members; even when the FF later locate his hideout, the Thinker still specifically wants Johnny dead. We know Marvel's reason, of course--as a set-up to the Torch/Torch battle--but why the Thinker would *ahem* think that a flaming android would be the ideal assassin for Johnny isn't explained beyond the android having the greater amount of experience. Maybe I'm over*ahem*thinking it.

At any rate, when Johnny engages his foe, the battle is on:




Johnny escapes to caves below, in order to replenish his flame. And when the other Torch follows, we see that his flame is out, as well. Again, the Marvel reason is probably so that he doesn't just kill Johnny while he's helpless; but to the reader, it makes little sense, since we've been told repeatedly by this point that the android is stronger, more experienced, more powerful, etc. If you connect the dots later, you can probably conclude that the android's heart (so to speak) wasn't in this mission in the first place, and he may have been giving Johnny every chance to defend himself.

Speaking of which, I don't think I'll be challenging Johnny to a fist fight anytime soon. Not only can he hold off an android, but the shockwave from his punch can shatter nearby rock formations:



Curiously, in the midst of this drama, the story gives ample time to "Quasimodo," a super-computer the Thinker has created, and which is empowered to end the android's life at the Thinker's command. Quasimodo, while loyal to the Thinker, is not a happy computer--it has aspirations toward becoming human, which the Thinker finds detestable:



It's an interesting interlude because you don't quite know why Quasimodo is needed here, since the Thinker could engage a remote destruct function on his own. But it does give the story a change of pace, and allows us to see more of the Thinker. And the creation of Quasimodo has its element of intrigue.

But let's rejoin the battle, where Johnny discovers first-hand that the Human Torch of old was and is a power to be reckoned with:




Yet Johnny is helped a great deal here by the android's hesitation to carry out its mission, even though not enough of its memories remain to enable it to move beyond its current programming. There's also the looming threat of Quasimodo to consider:



It's at this point that the rest of the FF arrive and attempt, as Johnny did, to help with the android's situation:



Before this summit can go further, though, the unpredictable Lockjaw teleports the lot of them to the Thinker's hideout, where the villain immediately assesses the Torch's failure and threatens to kill them all with his weapons array. And when the android moves to intervene, the Thinker acts accordingly and delivers on his threat:



The Thinker makes his escape, leaving the FF to respectfully mourn the android's selfless act. The original Torch is revived in later stories elsewhere, but doesn't have an easy time of it in the Marvel universe, perhaps because there didn't seem to be enough room for two Torches to co-exist as heroes. (Which may be a valid concern, since the addition of Toro to the android's exploits seemed redundant.) Yet if the reprints and reappearances are any indication, the character is still in apparent demand, either for nostalgia's sake or as a glimpse into the what-might-have-been.

However, with the story's close, there's another character that would also like to be remembered:



At another time, we'll catch up with Quasimodo, as the Silver Surfer demonstrates that humanity isn't just in the eye of the beholder.

Uncouple Those Heisenberg Compensators

$
0
0

I know Reed Richards is renowned for his inventions, but seriously--would someone tell this guy he's not some silly comic book character??



(Well, you know what I mean.)


No Sanctuary From The Power Cosmic

$
0
0

The Human Torch's battle with his Golden Age predecessor ended tragically for Jim Hammond--but the circuitry-with-a-face which brought about that end might have something to say about which of them suffers the greater tragedy:



Fortunately for Quasimodo--the Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organ--there's always a sympathetic Silver Surfer flying by when you need one:




The Surfer, of course, has no way of knowing what he's unleashed by giving this being life and mobility--but he'll learn soon enough that making a creation of the Thinker human is still a long way from giving it humanity.



Quasimodo is at first elated at the new sensations he's experiencing, and the Surfer is understandably pleased at releasing him from his previous state. But the mood in the room changes when Quasimodo becomes bitter at seeing his own appearance:




With the Surfer out of the way, Quasimodo proceeds to the streets, where the reactions of those who look upon him drive him into a destructive rage:



But he doesn't get far before the Surfer, obviously recovered and none the worse for wear, locates him and seeks to put an end to his rampage:




Having the upper hand (at least for now), Quasimodo again notices how the humans watching the battle regard him with fear and recoil at his appearance, while it's the Surfer's fate they're concerned about. (Quite a difference from the Surfer's treatment in his own upcoming title, where he'll instead be treated as anathema by the human race). For a guy who thinks so highly of his computer mind, Quasimodo never stops to think that they might be fearing him because it was he who viciously attacked them in the streets earlier, while it was the Surfer who sought to stop him--in other words, despite Quasimodo being able to feel and move like a human, the only humanity the humans see here resides in the Surfer.

As for the Surfer, he's reached the conclusion that Quasimodo is a lost cause, and acts to rectify his earlier actions:




No doubt some of you have picked up on the similarities between this story and the 1923 film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame--though there is no Esmeralda, and Quasimodo quickly snuffs out whatever sympathy we might have had for his condition. But we see one last nod to the film when, in his futile climb to escape the Surfer's power, Quasimodo meets his end atop his own "belltower":



But you can't keep a good Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organ down, and Quasimodo would go on to mix it up with quite a few Marvel characters. From what I understand, he finally ends up in a virtual reality program where he believes he's gained his heart's desire of a new body.  It's probably fair to assume that the Thinker would be appalled.

The Scourge of the Super Skrull!

$
0
0

Those early Stan Lee/Jack Kirby issues of Thor often didn't need a lot of conferencing to cook up a battle issue. You generally only needed one disgruntled god of mischief:



One disgruntled, easily manipulated super-villain:



One "This is a job for...!" god of thunder:



And, voilà--a senses-shattering battle is born!




If you look at this fight another way, it's almost like Thor engaging in an all-out battle with the Fantastic Four--if the FF were disgruntled, easily manipulated villains, that is. But "almost" is the clincher there, because with the Super Skrull we get none of the interplay and teamwork we're used to seeing with the FF. For the sake of argument, though, if you imagine how the individual FF members would tackle Thor, that makes it easy for Kirby to choreograph this fight.

For instance, given his ability of flight, it's likely that the Torch would reach Thor first. Which apparently suits Thor just fine:



Then you could expect the Thing to take a hand, annoucing his presence with a "calling card" we're well familiar with:




Now that Thor's off-balance, it gives Mr. Fantastic an opportunity to enter the fray:




Which leaves Sue--and since invisibility isn't going to give her much of an advantage, her force field would be her best bet for an offensive play. Assuming Thor gives her a chance:



But, this isn't the FF--and the Super Skrull has about had it with Kirby calling his shots here. And so he decides that invisibility can make one heck of a weapon, if you know how to use it in combination with your other powers:



It's then that the Skrull decides to bring his flame to nova intensity, which Johnny Storm wouldn't normally resort to. And Thor, realizing the danger to the city, decides to dispense with the "Torch" once and for all:




As you can see, the Skrull may have bitten off more than he can chew with challenging Thor, though the alien hasn't been lacking for tactics or aggression. And he's not through yet, since he has yet to use the Thing's strength in close quarters. Sure, we know how that's going to turn out, but you have to admire his tenacity:



For all intents and purposes, it's pretty clear this battle is over. And to wrap it up, Thor dispenses a version of "Dismissed!" that's hard to one-up:




Which, if we're still going by the Lee/Kirby manual, leaves just our bitter god of mischief to return to, who we find kicking sand and vowing to strike again:


Chin up, guy! You'll be putting out feelers again before you know it!

Mmmmmm -- Marvel Pasta!

$
0
0

In the mid-1990s, Marvel's promotional machine was in full swing, slapping the Marvel name on commercial products such as food and clothing as well as including Marvel merchandise with your purchase for an additional price. It was an all-out marketing blitz that, if you didn't know better, almost made you wonder who was back minding the Bullpen and producing the actual comics.

The X-Men, at the time extremely popular, featured prominently in many of these promotions. The first X-Men film would premiere in just about five years, but there was no need to wait to capitalize on the team's exposure--and the few products you'll see here give every indication that the X-Men promotional net was cast wide:




Phone cards! X-gear! Video packs! And just the tip of the X-iceberg. With hand-held mobile phones becoming popular, the phone cards were hot on their heels. You could either use the card time ($10 for 20 minutes) to make personal calls, or you could call a Marvel number to play virtual games featuring Marvel characters. ("Press 5 to fire Cyclops' optic blast!" I guess?) With your pizza at Pizza Hut, you could pop an extra $5 for a video pack that gave you an episode from the Fox animated series, including trading cards, a comic, a poster, and a 5-minute roundtable discussion with Stan Lee, Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, and Bob Harras.

I never did spot any of the "mutant gear" anywhere, though maybe it just wasn't stocked in many stores. It looks like the X-gear gives you X-attitude, doesn't it? I just settled for two or three cool X-Men T-shirts bought at local comics shops, and I didn't even need an ad to get me interested in them.

Both the X-Men and Spider-Man also invaded the pasta world:



"So hot it's practically radioactive!" Now that's clever marketing. "The X-Men have been canned!" Not so much.

The X-Men have been canned?

Finally, the OverPower Card Game:



I'm not sure how you play the OverPower Card Game--it seems to be sort of a D&D concept using comics characters. Here's a YouTube video that tells you just about everything you'd want to know about it (have patience, it's a long intro):

 
This guy's explanation was OverWhelming. I'm going to stick to Uno.

Strange Artistry

$
0
0

Doctor Strange may have any number of spells available to him to maintain both his safety and his privacy--but if you're one of the artists who wants to try their hand at rendering his image, even the Sorcerer Supreme is hard pressed to block their probes. Here are a few pinups that caught the good doctor unawares and found their way into the closing pages of his comic. (The artists' names are included with their work.)




These Are The Heroes Who Lunch

$
0
0

Gosh, it seems we just had an Avengers membership turnover, doesn't it? But since the last one had a little too much tension, let's have a more informal one this time, where there's no drama, no government watchdog calling the shots, and no fights breaking out.*

*At least no serious ones.

As this membership meeting begins, the team is down to four members--four charter members, which is either just an odd happenstance or an indication that the Avengers have a problem holding onto their inductees. Sheesh, no wonder they're always recruiting. Two additional members are needed, and the members of the old guard each has their own ideas about who would make an ideal candidate:



So, going their separate ways to pursue the matter, we look in on each of them as they go about looking up potential members. Thor's choice is rather surprising, given that he wasn't this candidate's biggest booster initially:



As Spider-Man mulls it over, let's check in on Captain America and Iron Man, as they drop in to lobby someone who's probably occurred to all of us as an ideal person for the job. Though he's playing a little hard-to-get:



Looks like that's one down. As for Jan, her idea for sizing up potential Avengers was in the form of a ladies' lunch:




The gathering was unfortunately crashed (and I do mean crashed) by the Mechano-Marauder, though it did serve the purpose of weeding out those candidates who just couldn't fit the Avengers into their schedules. So, finally, after everyone has compared notes, it falls to Jarvis to bring this membership drive to a close:



Don't leave us hanging, Jarv! Aside from Hawkeye, who will round out the new Avengers lineup?

Well, we couldn't find out without a skirmish to seal the deal.







Unfortunately, when Hawkeye finally arrives at Avengers Mansion, he finds his headaches may have only begun:


Apparently, the team never heard back from Spider-Man.  He was battling with the Juggernaut in his own mag around this time.  Do you think he pounced on Hawkeye's old job?

Demon In A Bottle!

$
0
0

Issue #96 of Amazing Spider-Man began a three-part story that's probably known more for its conspicuous absence of the Comics Code stamp on its three covers than it is for its actual story. Written by Stan Lee and pencilled by Gil Kane, the story was declined approval by the Code for depicting drug use, which the Code prohibited even if shown in a negative way. But Lee ran the story anyway, which stemmed from a request by the Nixon administration to have a story on drug abuse featured in one of Marvel's comics.

Lee decides not to hammer home his points about drug use, but rather weave them into what would otherwise be a typical Spider-Man story. There's Mary Jane and Gwen and Harry; there's J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson (along with Joe's son, Randy); there's Aunt May and Anna Watson; and there's of course Peter, who's down in the dumps about practically everything in his life. Gwen deciding to live in England; her hatred of Spider-Man for allegedly causing her father's death; his money situation. There's also Harry's father, Norman, whom Peter still fears may regain his memory of his identity as the Green Goblin, as well as his memory of Spider-Man's true identity. Some of these people Lee will use directly to get his points across--but mostly his mouthpiece will be Peter, who most readers already feel a connection to.

In fact, it's interesting to see to what effect Lee uses both Peter and Harry. Peter, for instance, is adamant about not ever taking drugs--yet, often at the end of his rope financially, his personal life mostly a shambles, and with little prospect for the future, Peter would normally be the type of person who might well get hooked on them. But in Harry, we see a man who is seemingly Peter's opposite, in terms of the hand life has dealt him. Raised with a silver spoon and popular with his friends, he has everything and seems to want for nothing (with the exception of a deeper bond with his father)--but it's Harry who falls prey to the smooth words of a drug dealer and becomes addicted.

But before we get to Harry and Peter, we find Spider-Man heading toward a scene with several policemen, who have responded to news of a possible jumper:






Since Spider-Man is in the area, he manages to catch our guy before it's too late, and deliver him to the police who are standing by:




It's clear that Lee's message here is not only for those who are doing drugs, but also for anyone turning a blind eye to what seems to be an escalating situation. And since this story is going to deal in the Green Goblin later, it only makes sense for Lee to pick Norman Osborn to represent the more affluent yet uninvolved members of society--with Randy Robertson, Robbie's activist son, calling him out:



Randy makes a number of statements I disagree with here--but anger born of frustration will almost always lead to snap judgments, and I doubt that was the impression Lee meant to leave people with. Rather, he seems to want to light a fire under the Osborns of the country--but it's a scene that threatens to take the reader off-track with an unnecessarily confrontational tone. There's a difference between raising an issue vs. shoving it harshly in front of your eyes.

Since this little back-and-forth has given us a glimmer of the Goblin peeking out from Osborn's eyes, let's shift our attention to his son, Harry, who has the dubious pleasure of dating Mary Jane Watson. Mary Jane is something of a player at this point in time, making obvious plays for Peter even within eyesight of the guy she's going out with. To her, Harry is something of a prop--someone to string along while he provides access to Peter for her. At first, his way of dealing with his rejection is by way of the pharmacy:



But when a dealer spots his difficulties, he joins his little regimen with hard drugs:






Peter, though, finds him just in time, and sees him to the hospital:



As luck would have it, Peter bumps into Harry's dealer, who makes the mistake of trying to enlist Peter as his message boy:



Hoo-boy. I think we can all agree that the dealer has "tweee'd" himself into a world of trouble here. But Peter isn't about to deprive himself of the satisfaction of wasting this crew:





While these guys scrape themselves off the ground, we should also check in with Jonah Jameson, who's consulting with his editor about a story they're preparing to run on Harry Osborn's drug-induced hospital stay:



It's scenes like this that tend to stand out above Jameson's usual antics and his incessant vendetta against Spider-Man. Jameson and Robertson, when immersed in their roles as newsmen, make you appreciate not only the seasoned reporting of The Daily Bugle but also often offer some of the most compelling scenes in this book. Robbie and Jameson, on the surface, seem like polar opposites in terms of their professional detachment--but a good story settles all differences between them. Jameson knows what he's got in Robbie, and the two work together in near-perfect sync when the paper's reputation is at stake. In my opinion they're two of the better characters that Lee has created.

It's actually Harry's status as a patient that allows Spidey to finally deal with the Goblin--and Peter even gets a happy ending when Gwen returns from England to be with him. Lee arguably struck a reasonable balance between the threat of the Goblin and raising drug awareness with readers--awareness that, thanks to the publicity generated by the Code's decision, was probably helped in the end.

The Death-Trap of Mr. Freeze!

$
0
0

So, let's say you're the Sandman. And you lure your long-time enemy, Spider-Man, into a trap, with the intention of eradicating him from your life for good. And, during the fight, Spider-Man takes a bad fall that renders him unconscious. And you're standing there, with your enemy in your clutches, helpless and at your mercy.

Do you:

a) Off him, then and there;
b) Not look a gift horse in the mouth, and end his life;
c) Not waste this opportunity, and kill him on the spot;

OR:



d) PRACTICALLY GUARANTEE HIS SURVIVAL BY MAKING AN ELABORATE DEATH TRAP FOR HIM?



Before we get to Sandman exercising his utter lack of good sense, let's put this fight in perspective. While web-swinging at night, Spider-Man picks up a signal from one of his tracers, and follows it to a research complex--only to discover that one of his old enemies has used the tracer to lure him into an ambush:



Unfortunately for the Sandman, Spider-Man has been nursing a mad-on all night, and has been itching for a fight--so Spidey actually does pretty well against the Sandman in their first few rounds. But when Sandman disperses himself, he manages to surprise Spidey with a hard right that sends him flying, and the wall-crawler isn't able to recover in time:



So with all the time and trouble that the Sandman has gone to in making sure he'd be able to confront Spider-Man in this lab, he fails to take advantage of a golden opportunity to finish his foe quickly and definitively, and instead sets up Spidey in a death trap scene straight out of those old Batman cliffhangers:



Bust his straps, Sandman? Come on, this plan is foolproof. You've got him where you want him, don't you? Nothing's going to go wrong at this point, right?

Except this entire idiotic plan, you bumbling cretin:



And so the fight starts up again. Only this time, the Sandman probably isn't going to get a break like the last one:



I happen to be one of those people who thinks that the Sandman is formidable enough by himself to do without all the extra devices he and the Wizard prepared in this costume. But where Sandman's powers can keep the Fantastic Four busy, Spider-Man's speed gives him the edge on him, apparently reacting far more quickly than the Sandman can adapt his shifting form to compensate. And so the Sandman brings his costume's gimmickry into play:




But Sandman's strategy is turned against him, as Spider-Man's ongoing attack has Sandman falling victim to the very fate he'd had in mind for the web-slinger:



I suppose you could say that victory "slipped" from Sandman's grasp. Heh.


Chip Off The Old Block

$
0
0

Can YOU


Name This Marvel Villain??



As it turned out, the main scheme of the Schemer involved circumstances no one knew about--a hidden agenda, if you will. When we're first introduced to him, his goal seems to be to move in on the territory of the Kingpin, one of Spider-Man's foes who holds the reins to New York's crime syndicate. Using hit-and-run tactics, the Schemer and his men wreak havoc with the Kingpin's operations, causing the Kingpin himself to enter the fray--and, as a result, Spider-Man.

But the Kingpin has problems of his own--family problems. His wife, Vanessa, has learned that their son, Richard, might have taken his own life, disillusioned at his association with a known criminal figure. Yet the Kingpin brushes his wife's concerns aside--partly out of disbelief that his son would "betray" him in such a way, but mostly because he must deal with the escalating threat of the Schemer.

As for the Schemer himself, he didn't just waltz into New York's crime scene and expect to confront someone like the Kingpin unprepared. Good thing, too, because you'd need a pretty high-powered desk set to take on Spider-Man:



I know what you're thinking--how did an overhead light fixture turn into a solid slab to be used as a hydraulic press? Probably because it would be embarrassing if Spider-Man were in danger of being crushed by incandescent bulbs:



But in all the ruckus, the wily Schemer makes his escape, and goes underground for a little bit. Oh, not to another secret hideout, like any other respectable criminal. No, when I say underground, I mean, well...



I hate to burst your bubble, pal, but you're not too dangerous on the lam in your car, buried under a snow mound.

But what's Spider-Man doing, in the meantime? Well, remember those days when he was just starting out, only in it for the money? Then he grew a conscience and took on "great responsibility," as we all know. So naturally he's on the trail of the Schemer so that he can catch a dangerous criminal and keep him from hurting people, right? Boy, did WE get it wrong:




Even when the Kingpin has Spidey on the ropes, just look what motivates him to fight back:


Uncle Ben must be rolling in his grave.


Spider-Man doesn't know it at the time, but it's actually the Kingpin who's offering the reward money. Serves the greedy little twerp right.

As for the Schemer, things come to a head when he finally confronts the Kingpin, and reveals a startling truth:



Unfortunately, the revelation that the Schemer is actually his own son turns out to have a devastating effect on the Kingpin himself:



Spider-Man, present at this turn of events, decides that this family can be punished no further than to the extent they've punished themselves, and departs.

Or maybe the timing was just bad to walk up and remind them that, technically, they still owe him a check.

...Without Fear Or Favor

$
0
0

Following is another example of the professional teamwork between Joe "Robbie" Robertson and J. Jonah Jameson of "The Daily Bugle," who in this particular story had been at odds over Jameson's knee-jerk support of Sam Bullit's candidacy for District Attorney. But journalism--and mutual respect--trump politics; and when Robbie puts together a dossier of dirt on Bullit, Jameson doesn't hesitate to back his city editor:



When Bullit confronts Jameson and Robertson at the Bugle, just watch these two seasoned news veterans thrive in their element:




Bullit wasn't able to make good on his threat to Robbie, thanks to Spider-Man and Iceman--and his bid for D.A. was eventually foiled by his own base instincts.

To Boldly Seek The Skrulls

$
0
0

It's reasonable to wonder if Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, might have bumped into Fantastic Four writer Stan Lee sometime in the early 1960s and struck up a professional meeting of minds. To put this train of thought into perspective, what were these two men doing around this time? By the time Roddenberry had pitched his famous series to NBC in 1964, Lee had already been writing the FF book for over two years; and in late 1966, of course, the first episode of Star Trek finally aired.

But, inbetween Roddenberry's first pitch of the show and its premiere on NBC, Lee happened to write "Behold! A Distant Star!" in 1965, a story which introduced some rather coincidental concepts to readers who were probably unaware that Star Trek was even being developed:



On the other hand, if Roddenberry was going for a Skrull when he introduced Balok:


...he obviously didn't have the budget to go all the way with it.

The Fearful Secret of Bucky Barnes!

$
0
0

No, no, this isn't the special comic book adaptation of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But in each case, it looks like Cap's got a very peeved ex-partner:



Except in this case, "Bucky" is really a robot plant by MODOK, to gain his revenge on Cap. Though even MODOK had to outsource in order to obtain a near-perfect duplicate of Bucky which would fool everyone:




And so the plan is hatched, with Bucky sent to foil Baron Strucker's plan for revenge against Cap. Jeez, does everyone want revenge against Cap? Even Bucky wants revenge, when MODOK drops his subterfuge and sics him on the Avenger:




As for MODOK, who's remotely observing the battle and directing Bucky's mood, he seems to have all his bases covered no matter who wins this fight:



Cap is definitely on the defensive, taken off-guard by "Bucky's" behavior and letting him gain the advantage. And his guilt over his partner's state of mind is apparently inhibiting his will to survive:



But MODOK should have made sure to get a warranty when he took delivery of this unit from Doom (though I'm sure we can all guess what Doom's response would likely have been). Still, how do you guarantee against making something too good?



With the unit's destruction and Cap's realization that his partner was just a machine, MODOK unfortunately won't get the satisfaction of a Captain America driven mad by guilt.  Though to add insult to injury, he may get one heck of a bill from Doom.

It Pays To Be An Avenger

$
0
0

With all the active Avengers on the roster these days, I doubt something like this would be feasible--but back in the day, when there were only about six active members, it was pretty profitable to be an Avenger. Something Tigra, as the newest member of the team, found out to her delight:



Tigra doesn't strike us here as being of the inclination to turn down Stark's generous offer, does she? But, being in residence, she--along with presumably the Scarlet Witch, the Beast, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and others with no outside means of support--could look forward to being nicely compensated for being one of the team, if they so chose:



It didn't take long for Tigra to get a little carried away and start throwing around all that dough:




But when dealing with a bully on a subway car, Tigra seems to learn the true value--and responsibility--of being an Avenger:



A lesson unfortunately learned a little too late, as Tigra would leave the team in another issue after an unnerving encounter with the Molecule Man:



Which left a little more money in the kitty (ouch!) for the Avengers for a rainy day.

Viewing all 1904 articles
Browse latest View live