My Dinner With Doom

September 2, 2014, 5:04 pm

≫ Next: The High-Maintenance Fury of--Veronica Vogue!

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There can't be too many Fantastic Four readers who are unfamiliar with this classic scene:

Which led, of course, to the origin of one of the most infamous villains in the world--Doctor Doom. Yet, forty-two years later (our time), that day is on another man's mind--the same man who, as an inquisitive undergrad, returned to that charred room to follow up on the accident. And what he discovered would have him one day breaking bread with the experiment's victim.

This is an interesting little one-shot story that flew under the radar on the comics racks in 2006. I really don't remember why I reached out to buy it--but if I had to guess, I'd say I probably thumbed through it and was attracted by the idea of these two men, who had such long history together as enemies, sitting down to a meal under an informal truce and making dinner conversation. Why would Reed agree to such an evening? And why would Doom reach out to him? I couldn't help but be curious about such an intriguing turn of events.

Reed's wife, Sue, naturally isn't thrilled with the idea. And frankly I'm surprised at discovering Reed's deep-seated guilt on the subject:

But we'll find that there's more to this meeting for both men.

To be on the safe side, Reed has taken a few precautions, which we'll become aware of as the evening progresses. For now, though, he arrives at the Latverian Embassy to greet his gracious host, whose welcome includes a comforting reassurance:

Doom's mention of his mother is somewhat curious, given that he tends to avoid such personal disclosures when dealing with the Fantastic Four or even his own subjects--so perhaps it's reasonable to assume she has some bearing on not just this Latverian "holiday," but this evening's occasion.

The only true surprise in Doom's arrangements for his guest is an unannounced change in venue. And Reed, who has put the rest of the FF on alert, is beginning to see the pieces fall into place.

And yet, the evening retains its casual air. In a way, it's disappointing to see that Doom hasn't adopted the formal evening wear that his guest has; I'd imagine his official dress as a head of state would be something he would be pleased to flaunt when the occasion calls for it, and it would lend this story less of a "spring the trap" backdrop in favor of a more inviting ambience for these two men to partake of. Be that as it may, Doom can still provide a diversion that will perhaps put the two of them more at ease with each other:

The unfinished game that they presumably played in college is an interesting notion, if not really in keeping with the original story. Doom, as I recall, wanted nothing to do with Reed, and Reed was only too happy to oblige until he dropped by Doom's room just before the fateful experiment.

Meanwhile, the rest of the FF are encountering robot doubles of Doom that have broken into high-security locations that Reed has stationed them to guard. They have their respective situations well in hand, which Reed has been kept apprised of. And so the endgame--not only regarding their verbal chess match but also regarding Doom's true goal here--has arrived. And just in time for the dinner bell.

In reading this story, I found myself almost as relaxed as Reed and Doom, even though the evening wasn't as productive for Doom as he'd anticipated. I half expected them to head to Doom's study for brandy. But we know that Reed has other things on his mind regarding Doom and that day at the university--and he now takes the opportunity to bring some sense of satisfaction to Doom, as well as an olive branch of sorts.

It wouldn't be possible for the story to succeed in building a bridge here--not only given the nature of Doom, but also because the status quo between Doom and Reed is much too valuable to be dissolved or even cracked. But it's to Reed's credit that he departs from Doom's company in a way that leaves the door open:

In looking over this story, you may have noticed the similarity of artist Casey Jones's work with that of John Romita Jr., though it's far more apparent in the Reed/Doom "framing" sequences than in the scenes involving the rest of the FF. But I found myself also appreciating other touches that both he and Vince Russell brought to this story, such as the use of ambient lighting as the evening between Doom and Reed progressed. The approaching dusk filtering through the windows of the Latverian Embassy as Reed arrived; the sun's light cast over the portrait of Doom's mother (surprising as it was to find Doom would leave a piece of art so exposed to harsh light); the glow of the candlelight in Doom's castle as the dinner hour approached; and of course the light from the fire washing over the setting of Doom's table, as well as the scene involving the return of Doom's pendant. I so wished I had been on the guest list.

Fantastic Four Special #1, 2006 Script: Dwayne McDuffie Pencils: Casey Jones Ink Assists: Vince Russell Letterer: Rus Wooton

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The High-Maintenance Fury of--Veronica Vogue!

September 3, 2014, 4:57 pm

≫ Next: Knock Yourself Out

≪ Previous: My Dinner With Doom

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Iron Man has faced the Titanium Man, Hercules, Dr. Spectrum, Ultimo, and other deadly challenges--but it's doubtful even the golden Avenger would want to take on the likes of Veronica Vogue.

On the other hand, maybe Tony Stark should think about giving Iron Man his walking papers and making Pepper Potts his bodyguard, considering how smoothly she dealt with the formidable Miss Vogue. And having a bit of fun with it, at that:

Still, Tony Stark knows women even better than he knows electronic components, and so Pepper is due to find disappointment in her little end run:

Forty-three years later, though, Miss Vogue is still going strong. In the late 2007 series, Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin, which gives a new look to this period in Iron Man's career and Tony Stark's life, we take a peek behind closed doors where we find Veronica doing her own end run--this time around the stalwart Miss Potts, who hasn't yet traded shadow punches with her. And where Veronica was somewhat more continental in 1964, in this updated version she makes her living as a supermodel. Obviously Tony hasn't yet relegated her to the "boring" category:

Later, however--when Stark (as Iron Man) has been injured in a battle with the Mandarin--Pepper must run interference when a certain blonde comes calling. One who doesn't like to be put off:

As we can see, Pepper and Veronica have taken each other's measure, while the shrapnel has been surprisingly kept to a minimum.  Let's hope Miss Vogue takes the hint and decides that Tony Stark isn't worth the bother--because if Tony ever unleashes Mrs. Arbogast on this woman, all of Stark Industries won't be able to put Veronica Vogue back together again.

Knock Yourself Out

September 4, 2014, 5:03 pm

≫ Next: How The Mighty Have Fallen

≪ Previous: The High-Maintenance Fury of--Veronica Vogue!

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Since Thor was recently shown to be soundly walloped by the Red Hulk, the time has come for a little payback--not just from Thor, but also from the green Hulk, who returns in the next issue of Hulk after having been decisively defeated by his crimson foe before Thor made the scene.

I don't know how many readers are rooting for the green Hulk at this point--or even any Hulk, since writer Jeph Loeb has inundated this comic recently with enough hulking characters and guest-stars to make you wonder if the simple-minded Hulk would ever be able to reclaim his own mag. Assuming that's still even feasible. World War Hulk may have taken us to the point of no return in that respect, having Bruce Banner (as the Hulk) assert his place in the world and burning a lot of bridges in the process. Can this title and its main character go back to the way they were--and would readers want them to? With the extent this story focuses on the green Hulk and portrays him as the "last Hulk standing" when the dust settles, you would think that's where we're headed. But you'd have to invest in many more issues and wade through many more guest-stars before finding out for sure.

For now, Iron Man (along with others present) has offered the Hulk assistance in battling the Red Hulk, though the Hulk is reacting as if he's being confronted because of all the damage done to the area. And Ares, as Namor notes, isn't helping matters:

I'm not entirely up on these issues of Hulk, since World War Hulk soured me on reading anything further having to do with this character--but it seems here that either something has happened to downgrade the Hulk's former hatred of Bruce Banner to mere annoyance, or Loeb is working to veer us in that direction for reasons yet to be revealed. Even She-Hulk seems to think that it's highly unusual for the Hulk to think of himself as only the Hulk:

Eventually, though, the Hulk leaps off to find his red target, leaving everyone else to deal with damage control in San Francisco. And it doesn't take long for Loeb to bring us to this issue's main event:

The Hulk--er, the green Hulk--doesn't really have a plan here beyond simple retribution, so there's no reason to expect this fight not to go the same route as before. And that's indeed looking to be the case, as the Red Hulk is well on his way to pummeling his opponent to another defeat. But the Hulk gets a breather, thanks to someone else who has a score to settle with the Red Hulk:

While Thor keeps the Red Hulk busy (and that's putting it mildly), A-Bomb has arrived (better known as Rick Jones, but, in the name of mercy, let's not get into all that now) and reminded the green Hulk of the differences between himself and the Red Hulk--specifically, what happens when each becomes angrier. In the Red Hulk's case, his increased rage leads to an increase in body temperature, which in some way makes him more vulnerable. And now armed with that knowledge, the Hulk re-enters the fight, this time with a plan:

Thor, of course, isn't one to sit out a fight--and this new Thor gets peeved when his battles are interrupted. But A-Bomb convinces him to give the Hulk his chance to get a little of his own back:

From here, it becomes a matter of whether the Hulk can survive the Red Hulk's assault long enough for his plan to reach fruition. In a way, the Red Hulk's taunts remind me of the gray Hulk (yet another color added to the mix, sorry), especially during the time when he was one of my favorite characters, Joe Fixit--brash, confident, aggressive, cocky. To see the two types of Hulks head-to-head like this, the character I'm finding more interesting probably isn't the one Loeb had in mind. But Loeb's choice is nevertheless the one who's slated to win this fight.

The Hulk, of course, wouldn't think to make a big deal of the fact that he's green, not even to breast-beat in front of a Hulk who's a different skin tone. It seems more of a device Loeb uses to raise the Hulk's arm in victory over a foe who seemed to be on his way to elbowing the original into obscurity. And just for good measure, let's have the Hulk in a "put 'er there" gesture with his old sparring partner:

For all intents and purposes, the Hulk then exits as the main character for this book. Instead, Loeb shuffles a number of characters and plots together in succeeding issues--all focusing in one way or another on the continuing mystery of the Red Hulk, who eventually takes over center stage. To be honest, it's beginning to look like that's where he belongs.

Hulk #6 Script: Jeph Loeb Pencils: Ed McGuinness Inks: Dexter Vines Letterers: Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne

How The Mighty Have Fallen

September 6, 2014, 10:50 am

≫ Next: Origins, Redux

≪ Previous: Knock Yourself Out

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To get an idea of where we're headed in this post, let's first drop in on a little Power Point presentation, where the Beyonder is giving the 411 on the conceptual beings of the universe to his publicist:

Insubstantial or not, the beings the Beyonder has described certainly have banded together often enough to put up their dukes when the universe is in jeopardy. But, given the number of times they've joined forces, only to be rebuffed by whoever or whatever they're opposing, it raises a rather conceptual question:

Has the time come when these beings have jumped the universal shark?

It's difficult to become excited when such coalitions form to take on an oppressor, considering their rate of failure is hovering around 99%. (There may be an instance out there where they've actually succeeded--anyone care to nail it down?) As is often the case, the conceptual beings are joined by more substantive titans, such as Galactus, the Stranger, the Celestials, and perhaps one or two Elders, depending on how the writer is wishing to stack the deck. Sometimes, these kinds of battles can work, depending on how creatively the forces against them are arrayed--for instance, when Korvac, in an alternate story, attempted to see through his vision of universal order and peace.

But when such presumably powerful entities are dismissed with little more effort than a wave of the hand, there is no "conflict" to become interested in--no shifting advantage, no true danger to their target. And while perhaps the point of the Beyonder is to explore how he and others would cope with his ability to make his slightest wish reality, having him wade through characters in Marvel titles who have been established as powerful, credible threats dilutes those characters for future stories which feature universal armageddon--and even the stories themselves. After all, if the Celestials, for instance, are dealt with so handily by an opponent, what level of threat must be created the next time in order to draw readers' interest?

You have only to look at the series of stories featuring the Infinity Gems in the hands of a villain in order to see this (pardon the word) concept taken to its extreme. Marvel likely profited a good deal from the "Infinity" specials (as well as their cross-title tie-ins), which were mostly variations on a theme--practically every superhero thrown into the mix to pile on the villain, but easily dispatched no matter their level of power. And when the last hero had fallen, it was time to up the ante:

The Infinity Gauntlet was the first in the series--and though it being featured here need not discourage you from seeking out the other titles featuring the gems, you'll still have a good idea of what awaits you in those later stories. One thing that's safe to say is that these universal entities generally make little to no difference, whatever their lineup--a fact that Thanos, who doesn't exactly look worried, seems to agree with.

The biggest guns this team has are arguably the Celestials, so the story deals with them first:

It seems odd that the Celestials would prefer using planets as weapons, seeing as how their modus operandi has always been heavily invested with the species of different worlds and determining their evolution and development, ultimately deciding whether or not they survive. Sacrificing over a dozen planets in a single attack seems somewhat rash (and counter-productive) on their part--and it probably would have made for a more interesting fight to see them personally wade in against Thanos. In any case, this is the last we'll see of their contribution to the fight--a planned sacrifice, which makes you wonder how the Celestials stack up against everyone else here.

The assaults of Chronos, as well as the dual concepts of Chaos and Order, put aside sheer power and instead seek to overwhelm Thanos's perceptions:

It's also a little strange to see Eon in this fight--stranger still to see him (it?) as part of a strike that is made up of a frontal assault, since we've mostly seen his power used in more subtle pursuits. It looks like this guy's been holding out on us:

Eon, I would think, would have been better teamed with Chaos and Order, taking advantage of the divisions they were seeking to form within Thanos and then making him question his actions and path before him. It seems a more sensible approach than the one used by Love and Hate, concepts which usually don't work well in tandem:

Mephisto, of course, has been lurking in the wings, awaiting the right opportunity to seize the gauntlet. But with Thanos decisively on the winning side of this fight thus far, why Mephisto would consider this the moment to strike makes little sense:

The one conceptual entity that makes for the most compelling confrontation of Thanos would be Death, whose love he has pursued in the past but whose loyalties remain elusive. Death is clearly on the side of this coalition--and perhaps that serves as a wake-up call to Thanos to bring this battle to its conclusion:

Seeing these entities now lined up like trophies makes this next scene anticlimactic, even though Eternity literally encompasses all the others--indeed, encompasses everything as well as all of time. If Eternity had appeared in an issue of his own, it would have made for a fascinating conflict assuming the writer was up to the task. But at this point, no matter how boldly Eternity announces himself, we can't help feeling he's going to drop along with all the others.

Of course, when Eternity drops, the result is still an impressive sight:

That déjà vu sensation you're probably feeling indicates that it isn't lost on you how Thanos's transformation mimics the state that he once gained from the Cosmic Cube.

For what it's worth, there's a twist to this story's end that adds some interest to the rest of The Infinity Gauntlet. And if you do decide to pursue reading the succeeding Infinity tales, you can perhaps take whatever lineup of powerful universal figures that decides to show up with a grain of salt. The Beyonder warned us going in that they were "insubstantial as an idea" yet "powerful beyond imagining." You may not be able to pin down their contribution to a battle beyond that.

Origins, Redux

September 7, 2014, 1:30 pm

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≪ Previous: How The Mighty Have Fallen

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New readers to a Marvel book didn't have to wait too long before they were given a re-telling of the character's origin, whether in a cover-to-cover issue or in capsulized form in the middle of the current story. A complete issue dedicated to an origin tale was something of a rare treat. Typically, the first publication of a character's origin only took up a partial amount of space in that first issue, leaving room for seeing the character in action to presumably motivate the reader into picking up the next issue. In the case of the Fantastic Four, for instance, their origin was handled in five pages, before they went on to deal with the Mole Man.

The team would receive a more expansive origin issue eleven years later, in issue #126; yet prior issues would make sure to sustain interest in their origin by condensing it to a few panels and weaving it into the events of the featured story. For example, the team's origin was tailor-made for inclusion in a story such as "A Visit With the Fantastic Four"--and nearly eight years later, when Reed was making another attempt to cure the Thing, it seemed the perfect time for his thoughts to drift back to when it all started:

Iron Man, by contrast, seemed to have a tough time out of the gate, in his own title and away from the buffer that Tales Of Suspense provided him--and so, even though he received a full origin issue with his first appearance, he would be granted another one as part of the current storyline taking place in Invincible Iron Man #47. Another character, Daredevil, appeared to be in the same boat--his first issue a complete portrait of his origin, supplemented shortly afterward with another origin tale in issue #53. It would become more difficult to tie Iron Man's origin to the Vietnam War period (eventually, it would be completely revised in terms of time and place)--but, thanks to the basic elements of DD's origin, it would be easier to keep his origin intact, needing only to glaze over the time period.

Just as with the FF, it would be eleven years later before Daredevil's origin tale was dusted off and given a few tweaks. Only in this case, with two full issues dedicated to his origin (we can safely omit issue #1, since #53 doesn't stray from it to any great degree), it becomes more interesting to take a close look at how these issues parallel each other as well as their deviations.

With its larger panels taking up page allotment, Daredevil #53 doesn't really have the luxury to elaborate on the prior origin tale and offer fresh takes on its events. You get a sense of those constraints as soon as page one, which must somehow link the origin which follows to events currently taking place in the comic. As you'll see, writer Roy Thomas doesn't waste any time opening the door to Stan Lee's segue:

In the later 1980 story, writer Roger McKenzie would distance himself from the calendar graphic in Lee's '69 tale that ties Matt Murdock to being about 12 years old in the year 1950--which, in McKenzie's story, would have put Daredevil in his early forties. But McKenzie's retelling (working with artist Frank Miller) would still be able to retain all the basics, as well as provide a more reasonable segue for Matt recalling the past:

The obsession of Matt's father with keeping Matt virtually chained to the study desk always bothered me a bit, as parents typically make an effort to balance their child's schooling with extracurricular activities. But each of these origins stays true to the reason behind Jack Murdock's insistence--that it's due to a promise he made to his wife on her deathbed (which seems to imply that Mrs. Murdock didn't have a high opinion of Jack's own career as a boxer). And each tale, in its own way, manages to convey Jack's sense of loss and responsibility, though Lee pares it down a bit from his earlier story.

That brings us to an interlude where Jack, no longer in his prime as a boxer, is forced to hook up with an unscrupulous manager named Sweeney--better known behind closed doors as "the Fixer," which should tell you all you need to know about how he makes his money off of boxers. Sweeney is now Jack's only hope for work, so that he can see Matt through college:

But despite Sweeney's smooth talk, it's easy to see that the guy can't be trusted. And in McKenzie's story, Miller adds some nice touches that give some depth to the situation Murdock finds himself in, as well as the lengths he'll go to in order to provide for Matt:

Finally, the pivotal point of this story is reached: Matt's accident that leads to the loss of his sight, and his subsequent rebirth as "Daredevil." In the original story as well as Lee's retelling, Matt is injured while saving a blind pedestrian from being struck by a cargo truck carrying radioactive cylinders from an atomic research lab, a scene which Lee doesn't spend much time on:

McKenzie, on the other hand, provides some fascinating revisions that fill in a few blanks. For one thing, the cargo truck is no longer from a private research company, but is now owned and operated by the government. Also, the original chain of events, which involved the driver being alerted to the pedestrian's danger by his co-worker who had spotted him, seemed unlikely for a truck which was probably needing to move slowly through city streets due to its dangerous cargo. And so McKenzie gives us a more reasonable set of circumstances:

With one more key alteration added--perhaps not really necessary, but it serves to heighten the drama of Matt's accident. It's difficult to believe that a truck carrying radioactive cylinders would have them stored so unsecurely as to have them topple out if the truck should skid to a sudden stop, let alone leak enough material to harm only one person with radiation in a crowd of onlookers--and so McKenzie provides a more exciting method of creating our superhero:

From this point, things progress steadily between the two tales. Matt resolves to graduate, despite his affliction, and finds that his senses have been heightened to a degree which, in many ways, allows him to function better than a sighted person. Meanwhile, Sweeney has scheduled Jack for a main event in Madison Square Garden--and Jack has been told by Sweeney to take a dive in the first round. But Matt's drive and determination have served as an example to his father--and with Matt in the crowd watching the fight, Jack makes a decision that will put him in the crosshairs of "the Fixer."

But McKenzie decides to take a different approach, again lending the scene more depth. First, we see Jack's opponent twist the knife as far as assessing Jack's worth as a boxer (as well as a man):

But then, Sweeney decides to do much the same thing, by disclosing to Jack that his previous bouts were "fixed" in his favor. It's the final straw for Jack, and it motivates him more than ever to win this fight for his son. And Jack more than lives up to his name as "Battlin' Murdock":

Sweeney later gives the order to his flunky, Slade, to murder Jack--which leads to Matt's resolve to find his father's murderer and dispense justice. But Matt also remembers his promise to his father to lead a life of nonviolence--and so he devises a workaround, where another identity would do the kinds of jobs that Matt Murdock couldn't. That, of course, cues the creation of Daredevil, who eventually corners both Sweeney and Slade as they flee down a subway tunnel:

McKenzie, on the other hand, chooses to separate the two. While Sweeney flees, Slade stays at the gym to take on Daredevil (who dons a pair of boxing gloves, presumably out of homage to his father):

But DD still catches up to Sweeney in the tunnel, where his fate remains the same:

McKenzie's story doesn't address the original story's closure, which has the two men confessing within hearing of the police--but perhaps McKenzie intends for such closure to take the form of Matt's actions on behalf of his father, rather than provide a neat, bow-wrapped confession from both Sweeney and Slade which was probably a little far-fetched. (And we can always assume that Matt has done his homework on this case, and has enough to implicate Slade.)

I'm not a Daredevil reader in good standing, but I enjoyed the fresh take that McKenzie and Miller brought to his beginnings. Daredevil's origin is one of the best and has a lot to admire about it--triumph from adversity for both Matt and his father, as well as the birth of a unique hero, if not a "super"hero in the traditional comics sense. There isn't too much more mileage that a future writer could squeeze from McKenzie's story--but thanks to a solid foundation, any retelling from here on is likely to still be a good read.

Daredevil #s 53 and 164 Scripts: Stan Lee (with Roy Thomas); Roger McKenzie Pencils: Gene Colan; Frank Miller Inks: George Klein; Klaus Janson Letterers: Artie Simek; John Costanza

Sticks and Stones....

September 8, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Where Soars The Aven-Jet!

≪ Previous: Origins, Redux

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Comic book matchups that had you scratching your head--
but still made you curious about how the fight would turn out.

Welcome to another installment in a series of posts we could only call:

Hawkeye vs. Brainchild. It's a battle that won't be showing up anytime soon in the annals of comics history, so why is it being featured here?

Because if I simply wrote about what happened in this fight, you'd respond with: "You've got to be kidding me."

Followed by, "You've GOT to be kidding me."

No, the way the fight plays out is something you must see for yourself.

We start out by finding that Brainchild has Hawkeye on the ropes. Go on, make all the jokes you want to about how anyone with the word "brain" in their name isn't going to have any trouble getting the best of Hawkeye. All I can say is, don't count Hawkeye out just yet.

We can probably guess what Hawkeye is thinking right now: "Man, I need to get this guy to Vegas." Seriously, though, it looks like this Avenger is pretty helpless now. Brainchild certainly seems to think so. But if you thought Brainchild's method of defeating Hawkeye was a bit of a stretch, you haven't seen anything yet.

What's going on here? Hawkeye's going to beat this guy by insulting him? What's he got up his sleeve? Well, first he'd have to have sleeves. But he does have a plan:

Yes, that's right: if a villain ever menaces you, you can defeat them by making them have a tantrum. And instead of acting on that anger and lunging at you, they'll simply pass out.

If tantrums actually worked like that, parents everywhere would likely be high-fiving each other.

Where Soars The Aven-Jet!

September 9, 2014, 3:35 am

≫ Next: My Ally--My Enemy!

≪ Previous: Sticks and Stones....

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There probably aren't many of you who are unfamiliar with the word "quinjet," the aircraft that the Avengers use to get to where they're going. But it's probably fair to say we're all more familiar with the name itself than the look or design of the actual aircraft--which is a little unusual, given the treatment that the SR-71 "Blackbird" has been given in X-Men, as well as the crafts of the Fantastic Four, whose book has made more of an effort to show off designs such as the Fantasti-Car, the Pogo Plane, and their NASA missile. Apparently no one ever felt the need to give the Avengers something equally special--and perhaps there was no real need, since the Avengers don't seem to be in flight as often. There's also the fact that Tony Stark bankrolled and designed the aircraft, and all the Avengers did was board it whenever a mission beckoned--so if the team itself took no real interest in their transportation, there was little if any reason for readers to do so.

When the "quinjet" came along--finally, a consistent reference to the Avengers' aircraft--it at least raised an eyebrow. "Quinjet" just adds a little distinction to the basic "jet," but it does the job. It was definitely a step up from an "aero-car," which premiered in Avengers #34 and had a rather undetailed design by artist Don Heck:

No one is really going to care if an "aero-car" bites the dust, as this one is about to do. A "car" makes you think of a shuttle rather than a jet; you get the feeling that Stark can have another built in no time, in case the Avengers need a spare (or, in this case, a replacement). Not really very impressive transportation for the Avengers--I mean, when was the last time you heard a New Yorker yell, "Look! Isn't that the aero-car of the Avengers??" And with a name like "Fantasti-Car" out there, writers might have been reluctant to create a name like "Aven-Jet."

We didn't see things improve much when the "aero-car" became the "aerocraft," this time designed by John Buscema:

But, just around the corner, Buscema had something else in mind--the quinjet, created by the Black Panther and built to buzz frost giants, no less:

In these early drawings, the quinjet seems to be a two-seater, though when seen at different angles it obviously provides a little more room for additional Avengers in the cockpit.  As for its name, the quinjet has five exhaust engines--and a good thing, too, since otherwise it probably couldn't keep up with an astral form:

Equally interesting about the craft is that it has V.T.O.L. capability, which is an ideal feature for landing on rooftops, and real handy for landing in cemeteries:

Of course, a quinjet sometimes lasts about as long as an aero-car:

When artist Sal Buscema came aboard the book, it appeared the consistency of the quinjet was here to stay.

"An Avenger crate"--let's hope that doesn't catch on.  Obviously it wouldn't hurt for the team to have the services of a good publicist.

Still, John Buscema switched to a new design for awhile when he returned to the book, perhaps thinking that the original quinjet was too futuristic-looking. So the craft became more sleek and contemporary.  Introducing the Avengers yacht:

If I'm not mistaken, it was artist John Byrne who premiered the quinjet design that lasted the longest, appearing first in 1979:

This design has a closer resemblance to a jet, while also featuring a large viewport that lets us see team members--and of course there's that distinctive logo on both the nose and the rudder.

The design is still in use in 1982:

As well as 1988, though slightly modified in appearance:

But in 2005, Tony Stark unveiled a brand new design for his "New Avengers" team, which removes the bulk from Byrne's craft and gives the quinjet a more sleek and state-of-the-art appearance:

Assuming there are still five engines to this craft, they look to be deployed along the sides of the ship as well as the rear.

I haven't kept up with the Avengers, so the quinjet may well have been retired by now. When it's time to assemble, is Jarvis calling them taxis?

My Ally--My Enemy!

September 10, 2014, 4:29 pm

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There was a time when writer Roy Thomas seemed insistent on pairing the most unlikely of allies together, even when those characters were practically screaming in his ear that a niche isn't necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps he was only thinking of how grand and startling such groupings would appear on the cover of an issue, rather than looking down the road to plot their actual stories--though harmless enough, if you're floating a concept to see how many potential customers would bite at the sales rack. He began with the so-called "Titans Three," featuring the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer, their common denominator being that they were all outcasts who stood apart from the rest of humanity--though it would be more accurate to say that, rather than outcasts, they were shunned by the very people they often fought for. From there, he drafted two of those characters to appear in another informal team, the Defenders, joining Dr. Strange--a character who would normally have kept any notion of being included in a team lineup at arm's length, if not further.

Thomas's ideas along these lines were arguably better suited for one-shots, which is where the Titans Three ultimately remained, at least until they underwent a refit to emerge as part of the Defenders (give or take the Silver Surfer). Once the combination ran its course and the former Titans departed those ranks, Thomas would try his hand again with the Sub-Mariner in another attempt to pair him with a character who himself scoffed at the notion of an alliance with the Atlantean--Dr. Doom. As Thomas put it in an afterword:

"...suddenly my eyes happened to fall on the fourth entry [of the FF rogues gallery] (Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner) directly opposite the fifth (Dr. Doom, no less). I recalled instantly, of course, that Namor had been re-introduced in F.F. #4, Doom in #5, and that they had temporarily joined forces in #6, though the alliance hadn't even lasted out the issue. And since then--hadn't the idea of a league been suggested virtually every time the two had met?"

And so Thomas would put together what turns out to be a believable (and readable) story in his next attempt to unite these two in alliance--in the pages of the debut of Super-Villain Team-Up (which almost sounds like an oxymoron), where Namor encounters Doom after a narrow escape from an exploding satellite. Though Thomas makes a bit of a reach in his statement above--"every time the two had met," in their case, amounting to only two meetings (which Thomas himself acknowledges, through Doom), both occurring in Sub-Mariner and one of them involving Namor having lost his memory. Be that as it may, that leaves only the circumstances of their next meeting taking place, which in this case involves some suspension of disbelief. Or, put another way: if there's anyone who would be waiting near just the right spot in the entire ocean on the off-chance that Dr. Doom would, at some point, plummet down into the waves and into his virtual lap, it's the Sub-Mariner.

We don't quite know at this point why Namor has need of Doom, though the title of this comic gives us an idea of the direction we're headed in. First things first, though--we won't find out anything if Namor isn't successful in reviving him.

And so the tone is set for this issue. Namor obviously didn't take the time and trouble to locate and revive Doom only so the two of them could clash in battle, so clearly he means for this meeting to be a productive one--on his terms, that is. Thanks to Thomas, Namor retains his fierce royal pride and, instead of approaching Doom diplomatically, faces him as no less than an equal, and argues his point from a position of strength:

Namor, as he says in so many words, has done quite a turnaround here--not simply in light of how their alliance fared against the FF, but also when Doom encountered Namor at his embassy and attempted to coerce him into joining him in a veiled attempt to take control of the Atlantean military forces. All factors which Doom carefully considers in gathering his thoughts for this decision:

Once all was said and done in that past encounter, and Doom showed his true colors, an alliance between he and Namor at that point was effectively (to use an apt phrase) dead in the water. Their meeting at Doom's embassy was certainly enough to convince Namor once and for all that Doom couldn't be trusted--so why does Namor seek out Doom now, proposing an alliance which he knows wouldn't be in his best interests?

Ah, there's the rub--perhaps it would be. As Doom forms his reply, we get a sense that Namor might be grasping at straws, in light of the nerve gas disaster which has recently befallen Atlantis. Namor has no real reason to renew warfare against the surface world, other than out of revenge--a campaign where Doom's assistance would indeed prove valuable. But it seems more likely that he would be seeking Doom's scientific resources in order to help save his people, and is using the prospect of a formal alliance to secure his cooperation.

This is all supposition, of course--Namor may simply be wanting to lash out at the human race he ultimately blames for the Atlantean disaster. But Doom has the luxury of pondering the pros and cons of Namor's proposal, and ponder he does:

In point of fact, Doom was able to successfully salvage his situation with Diablo, who was using Doom's past love, Valeria, as a hostage to force Doom's cooperation in the use of his time machine. But Doom's regret is likely due to the scene which occurred after he had disposed of Diablo, a scene which overshadowed his victory:

In essence, Doom knows the kind of man he is. And however shared the goals in an alliance, he realizes how any ally would fare in the face of his ambition--and he would be completely in his rights not to trust Namor, as well, given the Sub-Mariner's past aversion to Doom's overtures. And so he gives Namor his answer, in a way which drives home the point:

Yet while Namor battles at his peak, Doom faces him still recovering from his accident in space. And so this "clash" will be just that, and have no definitive ending other than a strategic withdrawal. One that Namor doesn't move to prevent:

Thomas obviously leaves the door open for these two to meet again, and perhaps pursue the "offer on the table." It remains to be seen who will blink first--that is, until three months later, when Thomas decides to publish another installment where, inexplicably, it's Doom who does the turnaround and approaches Namor with the same offer of alliance, though the issue reads as though the concept were being milked. Doom didn't appear to have reason to reconsider his strong words in this first issue--and he and Namor needed to first come to an understanding (as well as a reconciliation) before Doom would be expected to take such a step. Following that issue, however, the sales numbers were apparently favorable enough to go forward with establishing Super-Villain Team-Up as its own title two months later--which, as it happened, sundered this alliance once more in its opening pages.

But we shouldn't let that prevent Namor from having his moment at this story's end:

You may find, Namor, that the world may not be big enough for both of you.

Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up #1 Script: Roy Thomas Pencils: John Buscema Inks: Joe Sinnott Letterer: Artie Simek

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Kang, The Time Lord!

September 11, 2014, 4:48 pm

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In a conflict with the mystic villain, Necrodamus, during the event known as Inferno, Kang the Conqueror levels a ray blast at his enemy. And while you and I as comic book readers have seen our share of wild, creative sound effects associated with punches or weapons fire, letterer Joe Rosen gives Kang's ray a sound that may seem rather familiar:

Perhaps it's just Kang's way of letting us know that he'd rather have a much cooler time travelling ship.

Have a look at some other fun and out of the ordinary comics sound effects featured in a separate post by contributor Kev Stewart.

Spaaaace Torrrrrch

September 12, 2014, 6:57 pm

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Whenever we see the Human Torch flying around in outer space:

Well, isn't this guy the Human Torch? How does Johnny Storm get away with surviving in airless, freezing space without a spacesuit? It's not like the Watcher is always around to, er, "watch" his back:

So let's try to win one of those Marvel no-prizes, and come up with an explanation. And it's going to be a tough nut to crack--because sometimes Johnny needs to be protected from space the old-fashioned way:

...and sometimes he doesn't.

We know that Johnny can operate as the Torch underwater, thanks to one of Reed's (hopefully) patented inventions that he somehow always keeps at the ready:

And even so, there was usually a time limit to these kinds of aids. And, for the Torch, limitations on how effectively he could use his flame while underwater:

Let's assume that, by the time the FF went after the Skrulls in order to retrieve the Thing, Reed had worked some of the bugs out of his spray, allowing the Torch a little more latitude in the use of his power in an airless environment:

Alright--so Johnny can both breathe and blaze in outer space, thanks to Reed. That just leaves the harsh temperature--which, if he's shaded from the sun, can plunge as low as -455° F. Given that he has to be careful not to exhaust Reed's protection for him, can the Torch blaze hot enough to survive in that kind of cold?

Gosh, it doesn't look like a no-prize is in our future. Marvel probably doesn't give them out for half-baked attempts at an explanation. So we might as well sink further into the quicksand, and fire up another segment of:

Let's go back to when the Torch's flame was blazing out of control due to the demonic event known as Inferno:

At least Johnny no longer has to worry about the lack of oxygen, especially if Reed isn't around to hose him down with oxo-spray. But when he's trapped in deep space within sight of Mercury, this probably isn't the time to remind him that his flame doesn't propel him at nearly the speed he needs to find his way back home:

But, about that oxygen thing. Sure, his flame can burn without it--but without Reed's help, how is Johnny supposed to breathe? See if you can make sense of his explanation:

If I'm understanding Johnny's reasoning correctly: his flame burns without oxygen, which means he won't suffocate. But, didn't he hopscotch over a key point in his dash to draw a conclusion? Where, exactly, is he then finding the oxygen that he needs to breathe? Kang certainly didn't drop a tank of O₂ and a mask overboard. Maybe the lack of oxygen has already affected this guy's ability to think clearly?

Perhaps Johnny is concluding that, since his flame doesn't need oxygen, then he can somehow negate his human body's dependence on oxygen because he's, I don't know, one with his flame (as he seemed to appear when he first manifested his power as the Torch). So what's he worried about? That means he doesn't need to eat, and he won't age, so he can fly back to Earth (or anywhere else) no matter how long it takes, and survive.

Since I see you all rolling your eyes at my explanation, you're thinking Johnny should suffocate, after all.  I can't say I disagree with you--but given the effort I've made to give the guy a little breathing room, I think I've more than earned that no-prize here.  Though it would probably serve me right if it turns out to be a coupon for oxo-spray.

The Beginning Of The End!

September 13, 2014, 4:31 pm

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There was a time in Thor's comic when the Norse gods lived each day of their lives trapped by their fate--knowing their immortal lives would nevertheless come to an end on the day of Ragnarok, the final conflagration which would engulf the gods and their monstrous enemies in one last battle which would consume them all. Writer Stan Lee gave us a preview of that last day, as foretold by Volla, the Prophetess; but later, in 1978, Roy Thomas would portray the series of events which inexorably led to the coming of Ragnarok in more detail, and with an emphasis on the presages of disaster according myth. For instance, in Lee's tale, Balder is fighting alongside Thor on that final day; but, according to myth, Balder's death beforehand was a portent to the gods that Ragnarok is imminent:

As Thomas makes clear, Earth isn't necessarily off the hook as far as escaping the ramifications of Ragnarok. Appropriately, he adds a clever twist to the story by playing on the ambition of our old friend, reporter Harris Hobbs, to worm his way into Asgard in order to profile it for a story--which effectively makes Hobbs our eyes and ears in Asgard as this drama plays out. Hobbs makes the observations and raises the questions we want to voice--though Thomas isn't talking, and, as a result, Hobbs leaves the issue pending:

It's unclear why Hobbs bothers with a signoff here, since he's only recording for later editing and not doing a live report. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume he's inserting it in case he decides later to split his reports over several nightly news shows. You have to admit this segment would make one heck of a teaser to bring viewers back the following night.

Of course, by the time this report airs, you and I might not be around to see it.

Hobbs didn't give us much detail here on exactly what mortals can expect from Ragnarok. But as for the gods--Loki, the god of mischief and/or evil depending on his mood, is all too happy to remind them of the doom that's even now mobilizing against them:

With Balder dead, there seems to be no hope to turn things around at this point. That doesn't stop the gods from trying, with Odin petitioning Hela, the Goddess of Death, for Balder to be restored. But in the meantime, Odin is sharpening his sword and preparing his forces. During this storyline, Thomas has taken the opportunity to introduce us to characters not often seen in the halls of Asgard--and now, with a call to arms, he brings back not only the God of War, but we also see the first appearance of none other than Loki's wife:

(Only the wife of Loki could swear undying love for her husband while threatening to kill him in the same breath.)

And speaking of Loki, he's slipped off to marshal his forces, gathering in Jotunheim--and, lucky for us, Hobbs' cameraman, "Red" Norvell, has been invited along to film it all for posterity. Talk about being in the line of fire:

Red Norvell is being groomed by Thomas to play more than the role of simply a cameraman, since it's likely Loki didn't bring him to Jotunheim to indulge a mortal's intention to film their end for consumption on the media networks of Midgard. Both Loki and Thomas have a deeper game in mind, though only Thomas is willing to tip his hand with this scene involving Norvell's earlier attempt to hook up with a goddess:

Obviously Norvell is nursing a growing bitterness toward Thor regarding Sif's affections, but that will have to wait. There's still that little matter of Balder's death, which Loki was responsible for. And, half-brother or not, Thor arrives to make him answer for it, with the handy excuse of Ragnarok allowing him to take off the gloves if necessary. Given Thor's current disposition, it's no surprise he's really hoping it's necessary:

The fight is a splendid segment featuring the art of John Buscema and Tom Palmer, letting Thor cut loose against enemies of Asgard with the stakes as high as they can possibly be. Normally, we could be reasonably confident that Thor could take Loki, even though the coming of Ragnarok would make such a skirmish superfluous--but try explaining "superfluous" to Norse gods who live for battle, whatever the circumstances. The irony is that it was Thor himself who put a halt to such an attack on Loki following Balder's death, citing greater concerns about dealing with Ragnarok--concerns which he now seems ready to put on the back burner. The contradiction makes no sense on Thomas's part. At any rate, Thor is in for a surprise, because Loki is crafty no matter when Thor encounters him:

Again, Thomas drops a dangling hint that Earth may or may not be connected to the end of Asgard. In all fairness, there can really be no definitive answer that Thomas can present here, given that "Ragnarök" is a myth. There are several writings of the event, and Earth gets it in pretty much all of them, even though it rises once again cleansed and ready to support new life--though that's understandably small comfort to Hobbs and his crew. Hobbs is familiar with Ragnarok, and one can only wonder at how he feels as he's assembling footage and watching the events of this "myth" happen right in front of him. Norvell's thoughts here, however, are perhaps mostly to name-drop Earth once more, since according to myth the victor of this fight between Thor and Loki is a moot point.

Thor, on the other hand, seems to think otherwise, knowing that the real battle still likes ahead:

With Loki down and assuredly out, his forces--already eager to begin their assault on Asgard--decide to warm up on Thor. And since we don't see Ulik with this group of trolls, they soon discover that the warm-up is on them:

And so Loki is hauled back to Asgard, where Odin has received news from Hela that he can go fiddle with his eye patch as far as restoring Balder to life is concerned. Thomas's next step in this story is curious, since there's nothing left to do at this point except for the Asgardians to mobilize and resign themselves to fighting to the end. Odin--King of the gods and Lord of Asgard--should know this; yet his course of action is, instead, to attempt to stave off Ragnarok, an event which has been foretold and which has all but arrived. And even though the method Odin chooses is about as off the table as it can get (considering that he's working with a corpse), there's only one way for Odin to stop the clock:

That hand you heard slamming down was Hela's, a goddess who should certainly know when "dead" means DEAD but who's been foiled once again by that darned Odinpower. But, what's up with Odin and this crazy plan? There may indeed be a method to his madness, which we'll learn more of as this story continues.

Mighty Thor #275 Script: Roy Thomas Pencils: John Buscema Inks: Tom Palmer Letterers: Joe Rosen

Cliffhangers Of Suspense

September 14, 2014, 6:30 pm

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It wasn't exactly a vote of confidence for either Iron Man or Captain America, as far as carrying their own book--but once Cap joined Iron Man in the pages of Tales Of Suspense in late 1964, splitting the title between them, the book went on to enjoy a four-year run before finally coming to an end after forty quality issues:

Issue #99 left each character poised to launch their own respective titles, which would appear on the racks shortly afterward. Tales Of Suspense, of course, would always carry the distinction of having introduced the character of Iron Man; yet it would be Captain America which would continue the issue numbering of Tales Of Suspense and begin with #100, while Iron Man would start its new run with #1.

It's anyone's guess why these choices were made--it might have been because an opportunity to feature a 100th issue couldn't be wasted, and a choice had to be made between the two. But to wildly speculate further, let's say it may have had something to do with the way the characters were featured on the cover in the last few issues. For some time, the covers had ceased splitting the cover space between Iron Man and Cap, instead alternating between each of them while featuring them both in the masthead. In the last few issues, though, even the masthead had been dedicated to one or the other--and in the final issue, Iron Man happened to be the one featured prominently. That made for a nice transition for Iron Man into his own mag--so what could be done for Cap to give his own new mag a boost? Numbering his first issue #100, while flagrantly inaccurate, would no doubt draw attention to it.

That took care of the cover, which, looking at it, you can't help but think it would make a great looking issue of Iron Man. But the final stories of each character in their shared comic would also have to do the job of selling the reader on the new mags to follow. Whether or not they accomplished that is something for sales figures to indicate; but as far as the story quality for the final issue of Tales Of Suspense, both the Cap and Iron Man stories were entertaining and true to their characters, thanks to writers Archie Goodwin (on Iron Man) and Stan Lee (on Cap), with art by, respectively, Gene Colan and Jack Kirby. If you were a regular reader of Tales Of Suspense, you would have very little to complain about with that kind of talent pool, even with each story being limited to eleven pages.

So how did this final issue stack up for each?

If you're working your way backward to Iron Man's classic stories in Tales Of Suspense, the way the character was handled then might throw you a little. The contemporary Iron Man has long since overcome his heart problem, and his suit of armor has been modified over the years to solve its vulnerabilities (particularly its need to provide protection and power for Tony Stark's chest device which kept his heart beating). In Tales Of Suspense, it took some time for Stark to design a suit to double his power and thus wouldn't subject his heart to the strain of battle (Tales Of Suspense #85); but he was still vulnerable to power drains at this point in time, which seemed to happen frequently. So in an 11-page story, you'd often have to wade through much of it finding Iron Man trying to scrounge up the power to defeat his foe(s).

In this final story, Iron Man has been abducted by the criminal organization known as the Maggia (thanks to Tony Stark's unscrupulous cousin, Morgan), and faces their top enforcer, Whiplash, during just such a disadvantage of his power being at a low ebb. To stop Whiplash from destroying his armor, he's forced to divert power from the reserves that act as a safeguard for his heart, with predictable results:

Which unfortunately is the most we'll see of Iron Man in action for the remainder of the story. On the other hand, we again have the pleasure of seeing in action the resourceful Jasper Sitwell, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who's been looking for the missing Iron Man and whose diligence is beyond reproach:

Fury's lead pays off, and Sitwell is able to corner Morgan Stark and learn that Iron Man is aboard a Maggia ship docked beneath a gambling vessel. Sitwell's efforts take up four pages of the story--but Goodwin writes Sitwell in the same outrageously humorous style as Lee, and this enthusiastic agent has become by now an enjoyable presence in Iron Man's stories.

As for Iron Man, the Maggia has curtailed the now-conscious Whiplash's desire to destroy the helpless Avenger, and is hard at work on unlocking the secrets of his armor:

Luckily for Iron Man, the Maggia has its own enemies--one of them being the organization known as Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), which has a beef with the Maggia and doesn't hesitate to exploit their advantage while the Maggia is otherwise occupied with Iron Man:

And the story ends, with the Maggia scrambling to escape disaster, and Iron Man unable to scramble anywhere due to being magnetized to his captors' table. That's a heck of a picture to present in one's brand-new comic title: What, one wonders in this story, is so invincible about Iron Man?

In contrast, Captain America, while also having his hands full while facing armed soldiers, has lost none of his ability to battle--and his story not only has the added excitement of the Black Panther fighting at his side, but also features the startling return of Baron Zemo, whom Cap had left for dead in an earlier Avengers story but who now is making ready to utilize an orbiting weapon which can obliterate land and air targets on a massive scale. Even surrounded, outgunned and outnumbered, we can count on the heroes in this story to be anything but helpless:

However, Zemo is a resourceful foe, as well as an inventive genius--and he's able to nullify the prowess of both Cap and the Panther by use of a "hypno-missile" which effectively removes their will to resist:

It's then we learn the specifics of Zemo's ultimate weapon, which is only awaiting the arrival of his agent, Irma Kruhl, who will supply a list of nuclear targets. The horrifying plan spurs Cap and the Panther to attack once more--but, sluggish as they are from Zemo's hypno device, they're now far more easy for Zemo's soldiers to deal with:

Unknown to Zemo, however, Kruhl has been replaced by SHIELD agent Sharon Carter, who has infiltrated Zemo's base but must now make a fateful choice:

Now, be honest: whose next issue are you more psyched to pick up? Captain America, or Iron Man? I can at least meet you halfway, and let you know how things turn out for Cap. As for Iron Man, we'd probably better have faith in Jasper to save the day--and something tells me he'd have it no other way.

Tales Of Suspense #99 Scripts: Archie Goodwin / Stan Lee Pencils: Gene Colan / Jack Kirby Inks: Johnny Craig / Syd Shores Letterer: Artie Simek

A Touch-Up for the '70s

September 15, 2014, 2:30 pm

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At first glance, it's difficult to tell why the reprint of Fantastic Four #82, featured in Marvel's Greatest Comics #64, didn't simply stick with the original cover drawn by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Sinnott. Sinnott pencilled and inked the replacement MGC cover--and, aside from the features of the Thing and Reed, there seems to be very little difference between the two that would warrant alterations:

But at second glance, it looks like there are a few more things going on.  Both Crystal and Medusa now appear to be younger--while the colorist on the MGC job has altered Crystal's costume to that of her Inhuman costume's hue, even though Crystal was still active in the FF at the time. But as for Ben and Reed, their features are more in line with artist Rich Buckler's work on the FF book, which wrapped up about four months before this issue of MGC--and if the cover was commissioned four months ahead of publication, perhaps the thinking was to keep the characters' features closer to what readers were currently accustomed to seeing on the sales rack. (That might also explain the attempt to avoid confusion with Crystal's costume, since Sue was back with the FF at the time.)  Ben, the Torch, and Black Bolt are also a little smaller to accommodate the MGC format as well as the MCG banner.

Art Adams would do a later take on the cover as a variant for Fantastic Four #600:

(Note the addition of Triton and Lockjaw.)

BONUS:

Sinnott's original mark-up, featured on the Joltin' one's website!

My Father, The Space Outlaw

September 16, 2014, 5:40 pm

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After artist John Byrne left Uncanny X-Men, the title found its legs again when Dave Cockrum, the original artist to the "new" X-Men, returned and proved he'd lost none of his dynamic style with the team, nor his obvious flair for their character. Cockrum and Byrne were a little like apples and oranges where the X-Men were concerned--both highly skilled artists, but with very distinct styles that each brought something to the X-Men table.

There's no question that Byrne made his stamp on the book; but when Cockrum returned, I found myself a little more pumped to read the stories. It seemed even writer Chris Claremont was invigorated. Claremont has a very introspective style, which meshed quite well with Byrne's panels and their emphasis on faces and posture as well as his slow-paced action scenes; but with Cockrum, Claremont was obliged to step up his game and keep up with the more quickly changing scenes which Cockrum offered. After the tragedy of Phoenix, the shift was a welcome change.

To put it simply: I was liking the new X-Men all over again.

Cockrum and Claremont had already come on like gangbusters with Dr. Doom, Magneto, and the return of Cyclops--but with issue #154, they begin a four-part story featuring none other than the Shi'ar, the Starjammers, and the first appearance of the deadly race known as the Brood. It's the tail end of Winter, 1982--but it feels like Christmas has been extended for X-Men readers.

We're already seeing signs of the book pivoting in the direction of the anti-mutant sentiment which will take over the title like a cancer and throw the X-Men into divisions that the series will never truly recover from. In addition, this particular story will take the first step toward throwing the team into disarray, effectively severing their link to a location based deeply in X-Men tradition and thereby thrusting them into a more mobile method of operation. But, at least for now, we can enjoy the other elements this story has to offer--starting with an improvised game featuring Storm (the X-Men's current leader) and Cyclops, characters who both play to win.

It's becoming a pleasure seeing these two in scenes together. They exhibit an unexpected chemistry that works very well, perhaps due to Storm's growing skill and aptitude as a leader. But, more than that, she and Cyclops enjoy each other's company here, and Scott can't help but admire Ororo--not simply for her ability to push him in a training exercise, but for the X-Man she's excelled at growing into.

You'll also notice in these scenes how Cockrum prefers to portray Storm--less regal, more "girlish" and accessible. Cockrum's female characters would blend so easily, were it not for their distinguishing costumes or features. Ororo's expressions could be those of Polaris, or Jean Grey, or even Kitty Pryde, thereby handing off to Claremont the task of making her continue to stand out as Storm beyond her obvious ability to manipulate the weather. And there's a great deal of Storm in those Byrne issues that's too valuable to lose.

While we're on the subject of female characters, this issue also features the former Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers--but Carol at the point in time when she was recovering from the brutal attack on her by Rogue, who absorbed her memories and powers but left Carol with barely any identity of her own. Carol is with the rest of the X-Men on Magneto's raised island in the Bermuda Triangle, and Claremont takes the opportunity to further establish her ties not only with the military but with a former military operative we're still in the process of learning about:

It's the period in X-Men history when Wolverine is still so fresh and intriguing with readers, the X-Man who's become solid with the team but still remains the "loose cannon" of the group and generally follows his own code. The magic of Wolverine's scenes was, in part, learning about the character bit by bit--a person less forthcoming than the others regarding his past, and dropping tidbits like these when we least expect them. Wolverine, during this time, was a major reason why it was a great time to be an X-Men reader.

But it's time for this story to kick into action--and for that, there's no better character than the notorious Corsair, leader of the Starjammers, to enter right on cue, with a Shi'ar dreadnought on his tail. Naturally, Corsair's brand of chaos has a habit of landing in the X-Men's back yard, often literally:

As Ororo implies, Corsair still harbors the secret of being Scott's biological father. But now, the decision to disclose that fact is taken out of Ororo's hands:

As we see, Corsair's revelation has little time to sink in, as the group is set upon by Sidri bounty hunters, who clearly have no interest in taking Corsair alive. It's to Corsair's credit as a character that his threat quotient merits such a response to take him out, though he's canny enough to realize that the X-Men could help tip the odds for him.

Again, it's gratifying to see Storm and Cyclops working so fluidly together. As Scott noted earlier, their abilities and sense of strategy balance each other well--and without the other X-Men as backup, they need to rely on that teamwork more tightly than ever.

The Sidri, while admittedly alien, aren't the most visually impressive of foes that Cockrum has presented here, and their threat mostly seems to lie in their ability to relentlessly swarm upon their target as well as their ability to adapt to resistance. It's up to Claremont, then, to heighten our interest in both the foe and the battle itself--and with the interplay between Cyclops and Storm, and now including Corsair, he matches Cockrum's pacing in a fast-paced running firefight that, unfortunately, must lead to retreat. Cyclops and Storm are on the same page in that respect, as well. But their training as X-Men is at odds with Corsair's from-the-hip style of combat and the informal bond of honor between comrades:

The gambit works. The group successfully escapes the Sidri (at least for now), but the damage has been done as far as Xavier's "School for Gifted Youngsters," which for the first time in the title suffers near-total destruction.

I would have expected Cockrum's airborne shot to have pulled back a bit in order to have a more dramatic display of the mansion being levelled. But Cyclops' description will have to suffice, because the Sidri have transportation of their own:

In this form, the Sidri matrix becomes a bond almost impossible to break, though that doesn't stop the X-Men from trying. Cyclops uses the special polarizing elements of their Blackbird jet to enhance his optic beams enough to allow them to engage the Sidri--but it will be imperative to break the aliens' bond in order to weaken the matrix sufficiently to escape them. To that end, Storm joins the effort:

With the advantage now theirs, Storm's earlier concerns about Corsair's ruthlessness become apparent with the course of action he chooses almost on instinct. We see a Cyclops here a long way yet from the man who would one day sanction X-Force to conduct its covert operations with extreme prejudice--and so he strongly takes issue with what Corsair is about to do, though for Corsair his decision has already been made.

Remember when the X-Men balked at killing? That was a great time to be an X-Men reader, too.

Corsair has the luxury of being able to justify his actions from a "big picture" standpoint--but his rationale is questionable if we take into account his outrage at Cyclops for being willing to sacrifice Storm to the Sidri back at the mansion. Apparently, the lives lost below are of little consequence to Corsair if he hasn't fought side-by-side with any of them.

Finally, with a little breathing room, Corsair is able to explain how the Sidri were likely working for a terrorist group that, over a week ago, raided a council meeting on the Shi'ar homeworld and took their Empress, Lilandra, captive. And Cyclops realizes that the stakes for Earth are indeed as high as Corsair fears:

What a ride this has been, and it's just the opening play. When we hit Part Two, the rest of the X-Men are brought on board to form a temporary alliance with the Shi'ar in order to track down and rescue Lilandra. But we'll also learn the identity of the opposition, as well as bear sad witness to the death of an X-Man. I hope you weren't expecting things to slow down, because this story's just getting cranked up!

Uncanny X-Men #154 Script: Chris Claremont Pencils: Dave Cockrum Inks: Bob Wiacek and Josef Rubinstein Letterer: Joe Rosen

A Transitional Tabulation of Titillating Treatises!

September 17, 2014, 5:59 pm

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With this blog just having passed its two-year birthday--and man, has this been a blast!--I was curious to see which posts all of you were finding the most interesting. Given the variables involved, that kind of list is never going to be an accurate indication of what's being read the most, particularly since more recent posts haven't had the advantage of drawing readership over time; but the results were still interesting to see, because they were totally unexpected. It's not only a fascinating mixture of material, but also subjects I wouldn't have necessarily predicted as being so in demand. Once again, you've surprised me--and that's how it should be.

On to it, then. Here's a countdown of the top 10 most-read posts here at PPOC--as compiled by ISAAC, the super-computer of Titan. (Not really.)

#10:
The All-New, Intergalactic Black Panther
A review of Black Panther #2, as Jack Kirby begins this new series in 1977.

#9:
A Boy And His Droog
A profile of the villain known as the Gremlin! And leave it to this child prodigy to have his own bio-engineered pet--that speaks in rhymes while it's trying to kill you.

#8:
The Death-Trap of Mr. Freeze!
Spider-Man vs. the Sandman in a knock-down drag-out! Will the Sandman succeed in putting Spidey on ice?

#7:
Trapped In Outer Space!
The Avengers fall into the trap of the leader of Zodiac! Are they fated to spend their days in a warehouse in orbit? With no butler??

#6:
Keystone Kops, Killer Clowns, and--Rocket Raccoon!
The first comic book appearance of a future Guardian of the Galaxy--and teaming up with the Hulk, no less!

#5:
Avoid Lurching Trick-Or-Treaters
A Halloween one-shot--featuring the Marvel Zombies, who just can't seem to leave the dinner table. Will Katherine Pryde and her young son survive in a world of the dead?

#4:
Meet The Fists of--Captain Spider!
A review of What If? #7, where Peter Parker must watch three other people take on the identity of Spider-Man!

#3:
Demon In A Bottle!
Reviews Amazing Spider-Man #96, which set aside the approval of the Comics Code Authority to do a special issue on the dangers of drug abuse.

#2:
The Frankenstein Surfer!
It's the Silver Surfer vs. the ancestor of Victor Frankenstein, and the monstrous creation spawned from the power cosmic!

And the #1 most-read post:
The Doomsday Machine!
In the 300th issue of Invincible Iron Man, Ultimo returns to wreak havoc--and an army of Iron Men races to stop him! Will Tony Stark's brand new suit of armor be able to topple this colossus once and for all?

I'm glad to see you've all been enjoying yourselves--believe me, the pleasure's been all mine! My humble thanks again to Marvel Comics and its pool of creative talent for all the fantastic stories of years gone by, and the good memories and fun they still provide to readers all over the world--and, of course, thanks to you. Onward!

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The Deadly Aim of--Deathbird!

September 18, 2014, 5:32 pm

≫ Next: The Major Who Wouldn't Die!

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In Part One of a story involving a terrorist group's abduction of Lilandra, Empress of the Shi'ar, we saw Corsair, leader of the Starjammers, arrive on Earth and involve two of the X-Men, Storm and Cyclops, in a firefight with alien bounty hunters. And if you're a little dizzy at just reading that, you'd best strap yourself in, because Part Two isn't likely to notch down the action for you. With their Empress in the hands of enemies, it doesn't take long for the Shi'ar to mobilize and follow their trail, which unfortunately leads to Earth.

In addition, Cyclops has finally discovered that Corsair is his biological father. To say that it hasn't exactly been a pleasant family reunion is an understatement:

But the family drama will have to wait--because if anyone would take the direct approach in their dealings with other races, it's the Shi'ar, who have arrived in Earth orbit and immediately assemble the X-Men from whatever locations they happened to be in, in order to make use of Xavier's telepathic abilities to locate Lilandra. They're also wanting a few words with Corsair, who's being charged as a co-conspirator in Lilandra's abduction:

Xavier, as Lilandra's consort, fortunately carries some clout with the Shi'ar, which is the only thing keeping them from taking a bull-in-a-china-shop approach to the problem and landing on Earth like storm troopers. And so a compromise is reached in order to minimize the potential collateral damage:

With this incident obviously having shaken up the Shi'ar as far as trusting anyone, Araki also insists that two of the X-Men (in this case Kitty and Nightcrawler) remain on board as hostages while the X-Men's rescue operation is attempted. Reluctantly, Xavier, Storm, and Cyclops agree to the condition, though Xavier establishes a mind-link with Kitty for an undisclosed mission aboard the Shi'ar ship. And so we return to Earth, as the X-Men race against time to locate Lilandra and uncover her captors before the Shi'ar take matters into their own hands.



With time of the essence, the X-Men attempt to reach out to both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for assistance--who, in accordance with Marvel policy, are all away on other missions. There's of course a contingent of the Imperial Guard available--and it would make sense to involve them, considering that by definition they exist to safeguard Lilandra and intervene in direct matters involving the throne. But writer Chris Claremont side-steps the notion of dealing them in, presumably to avoid giving the X-Men an edge in this conflict--so we're left to assume that the Guard would likely act autonomously and wouldn't fall in line with the X-Men's way of handling the matter.

With their mansion destroyed, thanks to the Sidri's attack on Corsair, the X-Men head to Avengers Mansion, where Xavier begins an attempt to telepathically locate Lilandra. In the meantime, Tigra and Wolverine are getting to know each other, though their introductions leave something to be desired:

Xavier, in the meantime, has been dealt a setback in the form of a psionic "ambush" by their foes, which has only left him able to narrow Lilandra's location to Manhattan. Which, coincidentally, is where both Corsair and Storm have headed for a leisurely stroll. It's odd that the Shi'ar would release Corsair on this mission rather than hold him for questioning, since they strongly suspect him to be in league with the terrorists. Left on his own recognizance, he presumably represents a security risk to Araki's efforts to coordinate a response. It's also odd that both Corsair and Storm would just take off like this without informing the other X-Men. If Xavier's efforts had borne fruit, and the X-Men needed to scramble, they'd all have to cool their heels waiting for these two to return. As it is, Claremont has made them conveniently vulnerable to their foes:

It's something of a surprise to see the Brood allied with a rogue group of terrorists, given that they generally follow an aggressive and independent agenda of their own. But this is our first look at them, and Claremont has yet to take us down that road. We also see the return of Deathbird, who previously suffered a rather humiliating defeat by Hawkeye but who now appears to be taking steps to further her ambitions regarding the Shi'ar. And, thanks to the Brood's potent psionic weapon, she's effectively neutralized two key members of both the Starjammers and the X-Men:

Fortunately, the rest of the X-Men have already begun their search on Manhattan's streets. And they brought along someone who's always eager to pounce on a bird:

Once she deals with Tigra, Deathbird unleashes advanced weaponry that targets the rest of the X-Men. Xavier barely escapes the assault with his life, thanks to the intervention of Colossus--but the streets have now become a battleground, with the X-Men dealing with attacks on several fronts. Xavier, at least, is on hand to nullify one of them:

It's unclear why Claremont has Cyclops declaring that he has a plan, since, given the general chaos of the situation, the fact that the X-Men's foes have them totally on the defensive, and that the X-Men don't even know how many foes they face or who they are (aside from Deathbird), Cyclops forming a plan when he has so little information to go on seems unlikely.  Also, up until now, he'd been defending himself from Corsair, who attacked him viciously due to the effect from the Brood's psi-weapon. It's also interesting that Claremont hasn't tapped into Xavier, who could probably make a quick scan of the area to determine who they're facing and how many.

At any rate, we really don't see or hear anything further of Cyclops' plan for the remainder of the battle.  Storm, however--this team's leader, by the way--is obviously eager to return the initiative to the X-Men. And there's another X-Man who prefers to be on the offensive, as always:

Yet the Brood are warriors of the highest caliber, and they quickly turn this fight around again--first, by once more neutralizing Storm, and then making another attempt to take out Xavier:

But all their time spent in the Danger Room serves the X-Men well in this fight, and they respond to their attacks accordingly:

Nor, as skilled in battle as they are, have the Brood likely met anyone like Wolverine, who might just have something of a reputation with them once this fight is over:

As for Corsair, he's joined by the X-Men to take out the remaining Brood. But, during this battle, Cyclops has begun to have second thoughts about his father, and their reunion at last gets off on the right foot:

Yet, in the melee, the one participant in this fight who's apparently escaped everyone's notice is Deathbird--and she's used that to bring this conflict to a screeching halt with a clear tactical advantage:

Cyclops is able to parry Deathbird's spear so that they escape death, but the damage is done. Not only have Deathbird and her group evaded capture, but the X-Men have failed to retrieve Lilandra--and now Xavier is lost to them, as well. But, once they dig themselves from beneath sixty stories of building debris, things get even worse when they discover that there has been a fatality among their number:

How, we have to wonder, can the X-Men hope to recover all that they've lost this day? A heated battle with Lilandra's abductors and nothing to show for it; the Shi'ar waiting in force to possibly make matters worse; New York's finest poised to take the X-Men into custody; Deathbird and the Brood at large, with Xavier an additional hostage; and the second X-Man since Thunderbird now dead. There's nowhere for the X-Men to go but up at this point--nowhere for Colossus to go but into a pine box--and nowhere for you to soon head but to the post featuring Part Three of this story. Don't worry, you just know Kitty and Nightcrawler are bound to save the day.

Uncanny X-Men #155 Script: Chris Claremont Pencils: Dave Cockrum Inks: Bob Wiacek Letterer: Joe Rosen

The Major Who Wouldn't Die!

September 20, 2014, 8:12 am

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We've followed the career of Major Glenn Talbot from when he first arrived as the new security chief under General Ross's command, and watched as he progressed in his career while being instrumental in discovering the true identity of the incredible Hulk. And through it all, he made an effort to grow closer to the General's daughter, Betty, even though she remained in love with Bruce Banner.

Talbot has been practically in Betty's orbit throughout her experiences with both Banner and the Hulk, seemingly to no avail. He was the textbook example of unrequited love--with Betty at times giving the impression that she was responding to Talbot's affections, but ultimately continuing to hope that Banner would one day be free of his curse as the Hulk so that they could finally be together. In short: Talbot had it bad for this gal, but never stood much of a chance while Banner continued to come between them, even mostly in absentia.

Yet, there came a time when Talbot's patience would finally be rewarded, when the Hulk was presumed dead after being reduced to ant size by exposure to Henry Pym's serum and subsequently crushed by the Chameleon. The news hits Betty like a sledge hammer:

But just look who springs up out of nowhere to seize the day:

This isn't the first time Banner has been mistaken for dead, of course--but, in an odd turn of events, Betty now accepts the news with finality and gives Talbot the green light. And, before you know it (really--just one issue later!), we find the two of them at a resort, with Talbot moving in for the kill and Betty all but responding with "Bruce who??"

Betty is probably referring to Banner's growing affection for Jarella, the woman he met during a prior sub-atomic experience and whom he'd recently reconnected with. Jarella had the good fortune to establish a relationship with both Banner and the Hulk, though she was literally worlds apart from them--and so Banner enjoyed a unique relationship with her, something he'd also tried to have with Betty during the period he could control his transformations but which ended in disaster. And so, while it may seem that Betty is writing off Banner rather quickly this time, in a way Jarella had made it possible for her to (as she says) see a future for herself without him. And as we've seen, Talbot was right there for the hand-off.

So are congratulations finally in order for Major Talbot? Is this where the guy finally gets the girl?

Well, yes and no. How dead do you think the Hulk is?

Since this is Henry Pym's serum we're talking about--or perhaps it's more appropriate to say, Henry Pym we're talking about--we can assume the long-term stability of the serum the Hulk ingested is somewhat questionable. And so it's not long before we find the Hulk again growing his way back to our world, and finding himself in battle against the Rhino on a ship bound for the stars, thanks to the Leader. And Jim Wilson, witness to the event, is given the unenviable task of breaking the news to General Ross:

Ross, of course, is less than pleased at the thought of Betty's nuptials being disrupted by news that Bruce Banner is still alive. And so when the Hulk's ship heads for Counter-Earth, its trajectory is misinterpreted by a ground crew and gives Ross reason to cross his fingers:

Finally, then, the big day comes for Talbot--and certainly for Betty, who probably sleeps with a schematic of the altar underneath her pillow. Each of these people has been waiting for the same thing, although for different reasons:

Banner, however, doesn't stay on Counter-Earth too long (in an interesting story where he meets his "counter"part, who never became the Hulk), and he soon returns to our planet where Ross dogs his every move as the Hulk in an effort to keep Betty from discovering the truth. That takes both Ross and the Hulk to Russia, where Ross's task force is attacked by the Gremlin and Ross is taken captive. And when that news hits the states, as well as news of the Hulk's involvement--well, let's just say that for Talbot and Betty, the honeymoon is over.

Come on, this wouldn't be Betty Ross if she weren't getting bad news of some kind. But of course this news hits Talbot a little harder, particularly finding out his commanding officer has been captured by (what was then) the U.S.S.R.

Later, a by-the-numbers career officer, Colonel John Armbruster, puts together a mission to retrieve Ross, which Talbot volunteers for. The mission is a success--for Ross, that is:

It would be a fitting end for Talbot--who perhaps didn't have anywhere further to go in this comic, other than to wrestle with Banner's return and its effect on Betty. But maybe there's still some life left in the old boy in the pages of Incredible Hulk. The Soviets certainly seem to think so:

Betty, however, is inconsolable. She ends up blaming her father, as well as Bruce Banner, for the train wreck her life has become, and goes on to become the Harpy before finally coming to terms with everything. That unfortunately doesn't translate to "happiness"--and when the Hulk is again presumed dead, her grip on sanity still seems tenuous:

But if you think Major Talbot is going to be left out of all this drama, think again. Back in the U.S.S.R. (© the Beatles, 1968), close to a year (our time) of being M.I.A. in the book, Talbot is revealed to be alive and appears to be escaping his imprisonment. Or is he?

Betty, of course, is elated--in fact, everyone seems pleased about Talbot's return, even the President. The one person who doesn't seem like himself is the man of the hour:

Armbruster begins an informal, behind-the-scenes investigation of Talbot. Meanwhile, the Hulk has been captured and naturally brought to the containment facility named for him--which will certainly be a feather in Ross's cap for when the President visits. But soon, in the lower levels where Bruce Banner is being held, a meeting is taking place that's been long in coming:

It's a no-win situation for both of these people, though Betty obviously is making an effort to reach out to Banner and remain friends with him. We can assume that Banner is being drugged to some degree--otherwise his little outburst would end up "sharing" the Hulk with Betty much more than she had in mind.

But there's another outburst waiting in the wings, as Armbruster's investigation bears fruit and he arrives in the nick of time to spill the truth about Glenn Talbot:

It's curtains for Talbot and Armbruster, and the explosion is enough to trigger Banner's transformation to the Hulk and escape his confinement. But the shockwaves also affect two others at the scene:

This really wouldn't be a good time for the Harpy to return, but Betty would have every reason to lose it at this point. Writers for Incredible Hulk seems to find it almost irresistible to pile onto Betty Ross--it's like she has a "KICK ME" sign permanently attacked to her back. But we don't have much time to worry about Betty, because the base suddenly comes under attack by the Devastator, a Soviet agent whose task was to make sure Talbot's mission wasn't compromised. With Talbot's cover blown (and how!), the Devastator does severe damage to the base before the Hulk finally stops him. However, in the aftermath, we discover that Glenn Talbot is a hard man to kill, especially when he's nowhere around:

Man, this book can yank our chain, can't it? It's no wonder Betty breaks down in tears so often--I feel like saying "move over" right now. The revelation about Talbot leads to a rescue operation quickly put together by Nick Fury, who's called in perpetually grinning SHIELD agent Clay Quatermain (whom we haven't seen since his old Strange Tales days) to lead it:

Bitterfrost has more than its reputation in intelligence circles to prove daunting to a rescue mission, since it's also where the Gremlin is now based. But SHIELD isn't exactly chopped liver in intelligence matters or covert technology, and our crew is able to infiltrate the installation and locate Talbot, who appears to be a shadow of his former self:

With their presence discovered, the men race to make their way outside while the Hulk (who's stowed away on the mission as Banner) is keeping the Gremlin's forces occupied. (And if Bruce Banner can slip aboard your spy ship, it's probably time to review your security procedures.) What happens next is a little preposterous, since giving a loaded gun to a man in Talbot's condition seems the height of stupidity. But what goes around, comes around:

With everyone's capture (including the Hulk's), we finally learn how the real Glenn Talbot is still alive, though apparently in name only:

In time, though, Ross and his men make a break for it, thanks to the Hulk breaking out of captivity and shaking things up. But the Gremlin hates leaving loose ends, particularly one who's a security risk:

Wow, this should send Betty over a cliff, shouldn't it. "We brought Glenn back to you, but his mind is gone. Say hello to your husband in sickness and in health, Major Zombie!"

However, after some further analysis on Talbot, this time by psychiatrist Leonard Samson who's had dealings before with Ross and Banner (as well as with Betty--a popular girl, evidently), there seems to be cause for hope in reviving his mind. Naturally involving the one man in all of creation he wants to distance himself and Betty from:

Of course, getting Bruce Banner's help often means going through the Hulk first--and Samson, now returned to his "Doc Samson" form, tries to retrieve the brute to no avail before finally succeeding in an all-out battle that includes Quartermain and the forces of SHIELD. The plan is to shrink Banner (in the form of the Hulk, but retaining Banner's mind) into Talbot's brain so that he can locate and deal with the "mental block" that's keeping Talbot's subconscious from being reached. It doesn't all go according to plan, so it's rather the Hulk in all his savagery who deals with the blockage:

It takes some doing, but the shrunken Hulk is finally removed from Talbot's head and the man is given a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean he and Betty are home-free as far as their marriage is concerned. Banner has his own problems, as both he and the Hulk deal with the recent death of Jarella; but as for Talbot, we see he's showing symptoms of PTSD from his ordeal:

It's a fitting place to leave Glenn Talbot at this point--mostly since you'd be hard-pressed to top that excellent exit narrative by writer Len Wein. When we conclude our profile of the Major, we'll see his differences with Bruce Banner and the Hulk escalate to the point of no return--and Talbot crosses the line between duty and vengeance.

(This post covers events from Incredible Hulk #s 155-206.)

Proud Member Of The Marvel Villain Rolodex

September 21, 2014, 5:00 am

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Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

The introduction of the Looter in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man was filled with so many witty asides in the narrative, you weren't at all sure the story was taking itself very seriously as far as presenting a deadly new foe for Spider-Man. Nor did it give him any sort of dramatic build-up, instead cutting right to the chase:

Norton Fester's sole ability--super-strength--is really only distinctive as far as how he obtained it, by tinkering with a fallen meteor in a trial-and-error method due to the lack of funds for a proper laboratory. But he seems quite pleased with his discovery, regardless of how it came about.

And since money was always on short supply with Fester, he decides on a career of crime as a thief, which his new abilities make him well suited for:

Yet Fester also takes the precaution of thinking ahead, and plans a raid on a museum in order to steal more meteors to supplement the effects of the first, just in case his power isn't permanent. And that brings him into conflict with Spider-Man, who discovers that the Looter might just have an edge on him in terms of strength:

Spider-Man would later claim his victory over the Looter was due to "sheer willpower," though it's probably more accurate to say that Spidey simply out-fought his foe:

The Looter got a hefty prison sentence--but this next story featuring the villain was in mid-1975, before containment facilities for super-criminals were being constructed, and ordinary cells had to do. And if a prisoner is suddenly reminded that no ordinary cell could hold him, what use is it to lock him down for the night?

Fester escapes prison with ease, as he always could. And while he's making plans, he goes after a certain wall-crawler and lets him know there's a new villain in town, though the Meteor Man still holds the Looter's grudges:

We never learn why writer Gerry Conway makes a point of mentioning Spidey's spider-sense not alerting him to Fester's approach--all the more conspicuous since, in subsequent appearances, his spider-sense is used against Fester often, and works exceptionally well in detecting the villain.

Also, aside from Fester himself saying so, not much is made of Fester's prodigious strength level making him a serious threat, other than to display a lot of scenes with Spidey getting pummelled by him. At the end of these Meteor Man stories, Fester is dealt with fairly decisively when the time arrives for it:

Perhaps the thinking on the Looter/Meteor Man was to treat him as one more available character in the growing stable of "throwaway" villains--a powerful opponent to use in a comic on an as-needed basis, but not to be made into a major player despite how formidable he is, and quickly defeatable when it was time to wrap up the story. Marvel must have so many of those characters by now that Fester, despite his impressive abilities on paper, is relegated to being another rolodex villain ready to be used in practically any story that has an opening for a serious threat.  Maybe it was Fester's self-esteem that we saw hitting the ground.

Who Lived Before The Legend?

September 21, 2014, 11:30 pm

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If you're looking for something a little more interesting in a Captain America origin, you might want to give Captain America #215 a whirl. While you'd be correct in assuming that another retelling of Cap's origin wasn't likely to yield anything new, it's really how writer Roy Thomas uses the origin to set in motion a new storyline for Cap that makes this story a little different than the others.

With Jack Kirby's departure from the book in late 1977 (shortly before his exit from Marvel Comics itself), Thomas had the somewhat thankless task of picking up the pieces of the Captain America title from where Kirby left it. From appearances, the situation was in disarray, with Thomas seeming to have been given little lead time for crafting "a new direction" (as the final banner of the Kirby-written story put it) for the character and the book. Instead of a full-fledged story seamlessly transitioning from Kirby's, another version of Cap's origin is plugged into the following issue, with artist George Tuska providing new work for it--and in the issue after that, a reprint from Strange Tales #114 of the Human Torch's battle with a Captain America impersonator. Both issues written in a style that would preface the new material and open the door to the story that would now be focused on: Cap's search for his past as Steve Rogers.

Since Kirby's version of Cap essentially discarded the continuity and characterization of both the book and its characters in favor of the writer/artist's vision of who and what Captain America should be, another origin issue at least serves to help get the character back on track, as well as to re-energize the book's readers. And it's Cap's initial recollections of his impressions of New York City that would set the tone for what follows:

Captain America in the Empire State Building is bound to draw the attention of the tourist crowds--but even they have their use in this story, by giving Thomas the excuse to draw the Falcon's attention and leave Cap alone with his thoughts:

The dialog here and at the end would be the only references that we would see to Kirby's prior story--but it's Steve Rogers' thoughts of his childhood which would now veer us in that new direction. The question is: why do such thoughts begin with the origin of Captain America?



Practically anyone could recite how Steve Rogers volunteered for an experiment designed to create a new breed of "super-soldier"--and how chaos erupted when a spy opened fire after the experiment was proven successful. At that moment, Steve Rogers dedicated himself to the fight ahead:

Tuska does a fine job of covering all the bases in this story, considering the many things an origin tale must make a point of including and not having the luxury of taking for granted when there's the chance the reader might be new to the character. One scene in particular was unexpected--that of PFC Rogers being a thorn in the side to his irascible sergeant:

But then, the more familiar scenes--including the memorable point in time when Cap would take aboard a kid partner, one who would share the danger and be much more than a sidekick:

During the Winter Soldier storyline, this scene would be revised to show Bucky being more of a selected candidate for partnership--which would let Cap off the hook as far as green-lighting an inexperienced teenager for deadly field missions, but perhaps deprive comics history of one of its best-remembered classic moments:

Tuska follows with further wartime "snapshots," featuring Cap's deadliest enemy as well as his closest allies:

And then, a segment of the "replacement" Caps, who assumed the identity of Captain America after he was presumed dead following an engagement with Baron Zemo. The first of these, William Naslund, makes a good beginning but is tragically killed in action in 1946:

Naslund's torch is then passed to the Patriot, who discovers his body and swears to continue the fight:

And then, a brief mention of the Captain America of the 1950s, who came to operate irresponsibly and thereby bringing his career to an abrupt end:

And then, the segments that most readers would be familiar with: Cap being found alive by the Avengers, as well as scenes of the new partners who would fight at his side.

It's a reasonably satisfying origin issue, with some additional narrative and dialog by Thomas to provide some context--though, again, you could make a fair argument that there's really no new material here. True enough; but the issue does serve to reset the clock with Cap, with respect to putting him back into mainstream Marvel and opening the door again to all the characters and organizations he's established relationships with. And after the following two issues, we'd also see the return of longtime Cap artist Sal Buscema for a 20-issue run on the book, providing a little further incentive to invest in future stories.

If this issue's purpose, then, was to buy time for this new direction to be put into place, perhaps it's been time well spent. And speaking of that direction, the final page gives us a teaser of where we're heading:

Despite Thomas's credit in this issue as "new writer," however, he'd only be aboard for this storyline's first two issues before passing the writing reins of the book to fellow scribe Don Glut, who would eventually be replaced by others. As to discovering the mystery behind Steve Rogers' past "soon," that depends on how you define the word. It would be close to a year before readers would discover the answers this story would finally reveal--andat the end of ten months, Thomas's preface here isn't really going to apply to those answers.

On the bright side, if you stay tuned, you're not going to have to wait nearly that long.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Captain America #215 Script: Roy Thomas Pencils: George Tuska Inks: Pablo Marcos Letterer: Joe Rosen

There's Only One Nurse Diesel

September 22, 2014, 4:26 pm

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It was just before the end of the year 1977 when the motion picture High Anxiety was released, featuring a stellar comedic cast of Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, and Harvey Korman--raking in over $31 million at the box office on a budget of just over $4 million. I don't know how much money the Howard The Duck comic book made:

...BUT THERE'S JUST NO COMPARISON.