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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 4, 2021 9:59:08 GMT -5
November 1971
This post is something of a cheat, because all the American comics I bought back then were translations. And since translations didn't always immediately follow original publications, I purchased these issues a few months or a few years after November 1971. But I did get them on the newsstand eventually, and so just for discussion's sake...
Daredevil #84. That one I didn't buy at all, actually, not even in French (because there would be no translation of DD for another ten years or so) but I did see it at a newsstand while on a camping holiday wth my parents. I was fascinated by the dynamic image of Daredevil on the cover, and was flabbergasted to realize that (a) English-language comics were IN COLOUR and that (b) they were cheaper than the B&W translations I could find. (There were a lot of ads, though; we didn't have those). I didn't know who Daredevil was, but a friend of mine, slightly older, had told me that he could should darts from his hands to fight crime. That bit of creative thinking probably came from the fact that "Daredevil", in French, is pronounced like "Dard de ville", or "City Dart".
Iron Man #45. I really loved the George Tuska version of Iron Man; he seemed to have real mass. I also liked the design of the Guardsman, Tony's armoured friend.
Marvel Premiere #1 (which I bought as "Le pouvoir de Warlock#1") was for a long time my favourite comic, period. The gorgeous Gil Kane art, the sweeping Counter-Earth mythology, the Jesus / Hippie figure of the main character... it pushed all the right button for the young lad I was.
Thor #197. My first issue of Thor (I think it "disappeared" when my mom decided that super-hero comics were too violent for me and gave me nightmares). I still remember how awed I was by the concept of Norse gods fighting an unstoppable monster (Mangog), although I had a hard time reconciling the existence of pagan gods with the real world (since Quebec in the '70s was still pretty Catholic).
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Post by Farrar on Nov 4, 2021 16:40:27 GMT -5
November 1971 .... Iron Man #45. I really loved the George Tuska version of Iron Man; he seemed to have real mass. I also liked the design of the Guardsman, Tony's armoured friend. Marvel Premiere #1 (which I bought as " Le pouvoir de Warlock#1") was for a long time my favourite comic, period. The gorgeous Gil Kane art, the sweeping Counter-Earth mythology, the Jesus / Hippie figure of the main character... it pushed all the right button for the young lad I was. .... I didn't read much Iron Man back then, just a few reprints here and there. But a couple of years ago I started reading these issues and I've really come to appreciate Tuska's work on the series. RR, you're spot on about the "mass" aspect and I love Tuska's faces for Tony, Madame Masque (both as Whitney and in the mask), and the others in IM's supporting cast during that time. Tuska's work isn't flashy but it's solid; and it moves. I found it easy to get into the stories and the characters' predicaments because the art/storytelling was laid out so clearly. No murky or smothering "special effects." And that Gil Kane cover for Marvel Premiere #1 (and the interior art)--! As you probably already know, Kane was Marvel's covermeister during this time--he did those great IM and DD covers this month too, needless to say. |
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Post by chaykinstevens on Nov 7, 2021 12:07:11 GMT -5
Bought later:
Astonishing Tales #10
Avengers #96
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Post by Farrar on Nov 26, 2021 16:17:48 GMT -5
November 1971
MarvelI was really and truly over the FF--I had just outgrown it, I guess. Still, I clung to the Avengers because of the tantalizing promise of a Wanda-Vision romance. Accordingly the only Marvel I got off the stands that month was Avengers #96. What a cover!!! An instant classic.  In this issue the Vision went berserk (as you can plainly tell by the cover). Inside Adams did some great work inside depicting the Vision's fury.  I was glad that the Vision's feelings for Wanda were finally being showcased. The coming attractions for the next issue promised it would be "The Final Chapter!" I could hardly wait for the next issue to see the Wanda-Vision reunion! Apart from the Vision, there was another panel in the story that made a big impression on me, for its simple humanity. The Avengers are in outer space and Clint--then Goliath--had rashly thrown out Pym's growth serum, so he could no longer grow to super-size. The Big Three are busy fighting the Skrulls and Cap tells Clint he's the only one available to stop a Skrull vessel containing a nuclear warhead that's heading to Earth: "I've only got time to say this once, partner! Stop that vessel now leaving main ship--at any cost including your life! Do you read me?" Clint's reply:  Such simple dialogue but so perfect! In contrast to the rest of the issue--with its pages and pages of very dramatic and at times overwrought panels featuring a cast of thousands battling and fighting and tearing things apart--this panel shows just one person facing the prospect of impossible odds. Loved it then, still love it now. Great contrast by Adams, and perfect dialogue by Roy Thomas. This is my favorite panel in the entire Kree-Skrull War saga.
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Post by Farrar on Nov 29, 2021 17:27:49 GMT -5
And here is the only new DC I bought back in November 1971:  Teen Titans #37I have absolutely no recollection of having ever read the story, even reading it recently in the Titans Showcase volume didn't help me remember. Reading it now I don't particularly like this story because it introduced a character who supposedly had been a friend of the Titans since their early days as a group, some guy who had been photographing their adventures for years (but who had never been mentioned or seen before in the pages of the comic, at least not by us readers). Yeah right! So if the story made no impression on me, how do I know for sure I had this particular issue way back when? Two reasons. First, I remember the awesome Cardy cover. I can "see" this comic atop my messy stack of comics in my room. Second, there I am in the letter column!!!! Yay me  So I know I would have bought this comic for these two reasons: the captivating cover and my comments in the letter column. At any rate this was likely my last letter in a DC comic (after Adventure, World's Finest, Lois Lane...); and also, sadly, the last new DC I'd ever buy off the stands. I'd started with Batman #181 and ended with TT #37. It was a fun ride while it lasted! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 1, 2021 15:10:35 GMT -5
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Post by brutalis on Dec 1, 2021 16:13:40 GMT -5
December 1971.
I know I owned 3 from this month. Did not buy though. Managed to trade with neighbor kids from across the alley! What I traded I could not tell you though. Just know I would have had no money to spend during December unless the grandparents dropped a few dollars into my Christmas stocking.
Amazing Adventures #11
Avengers #97
Fantastic Four #120
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Post by chaykinstevens on Dec 2, 2021 15:24:41 GMT -5
Bought later:
Conan the Barbarian #14
New Gods #7
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Post by Farrar on Dec 19, 2021 11:14:23 GMT -5
December 1971That month the only comic I bought was Avengers #97. I remember hating the Gil Kane cover back then; I appreciate it more now.  To say this issue was a let down for me is an understatement. It was the end of that seemingly interminable Kree-Skrull War so I was glad about that, but it fell flat for me because I'd been expecting a Wanda-Vision encounter. Hadn't Vision been extremely concerned about Wanda for the past few issues, so much so that other Avengers noticed it? But noooo, there was no scene with Vision and Wanda in #97. Sure, we got some great John Buscema art; I always preferred his Avengers over Neal Adams's; and evidently Adams was very late with the art for this book, causing Roy Thomas to turn to Buscema. But now Rick Jones of all people was the focal point and there was a call back to the Golden Age heroes Rick had read about (the seeds had been planted back in issue #92). As an adult I can see, and admire, what Roy Thomas was doing; but back then I didn't know most of those heroes from a hole in the wall so it fell flat for me. ###### Speaking of Roy and the conclusion of the Kree-Skrull War: Alter Ego #50 contains some correspondence between the young, pre-pro Roy and Gardner Fox (JLA writer at the time). In one of the letters (from 1961), Roy pitches the following:"...aliens capture the JLA as they use a ray to bring to life inanimate objects to conquer the earth. Snapper, of course, would hold an old issue of All-Star Comics under the ray, and the JLA would be rescued by the JSA. A keen idea." In this AE article, Roy says he'd forgotten this letter, so upon seeing it again years later he was surprised that the scenario he proposed way back in 1961 was very similar to what he wrote for the Avengers 10 years later--team of heroes is fighting a losing battle with aliens, so teen-ager brings old heroes from a bygone era to life to save the day!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 1, 2022 14:56:12 GMT -5
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Post by MWGallaher on Jan 4, 2022 11:51:56 GMT -5
My second calendar year of comics collecting began in January 1972, and here’s what I got:
ADVENTURE COMICS #416: DC’s 100 Page Super Spectaculars were clearly, to me, the best comics value on the stands. The Supergirl reprints gave me a lot of history on the Maid of Might that wasn’t being conveyed in the new Supergirl stories I’d been following. I got the debut of Black Canary from way back in the Johnny Thunder feature, and was introduced to two new characters, Phantom Lady and Merry the Girl of 1000 Gimmicks. The cover teased a lot of other DC heroines I had yet to meet, like Dumb Bunny, Liberty Belle, Thorn, and the Enchantress. I don’t know what I assumed about them, but the inside back cover gave a brief bit of info on each.
FLASH #213: FLASH was on my early must-buy list, and this all-reprint issue was probably the best so far, with the Silver Age return of the JSA, and a great intro to the whole Earth 1/Earth 2 premise, Jay Garrick, Vandal Savage. For DC lore, this stuff was essential education! One question puzzled me: why did Neal Adams put a black square on Hawkman’s mask on the cover? Presumably a printing error…
JLA #97: More essential DC lore: the origin of the Justice League, incorporating reprint material from the original publication with new renderings of much of the story. All the JLAers, including Martian Manhunter, and Sargon in a final panel reveal! Terrific stuff!
MR. MIRACLE #7: Being unfamiliar with Kirby’s 4th World material other than a single issue of JIMMY OLSEN (which started my whole comics collecting journey), I had a hard time making sense of this, but I absolutely loved it anyway. As a kid, I was terrified of being orphaned, so Granny Goodness was one of the scariest villains I’d seen. Kirby’s rendition of the hellish Apokolips were haunting. Decades later, when I found out the MR. MIRACLE Artist’s Edition reprinted the original art to this issue, I had to have it!
PHANTOM STRANGER #18: Another comic that was a little over my head, since I didn’t get the Flying Dutchman legend, but the Stranger himself was awesome. I was overjoyed to find that my first favorite artist was the regular artist, after having DeZuniga fill in on this issue. The Dr. Thirteen backup was ok, but the Mark Merlin one was a huge dud. It still amazes me that Merlin’s strip ran as long as it did.
STRANGE ADVENTURES #235: I had avoided this reprint series, with Adam Strange not appealing to me, but the reprint of the JLA crossover was irresistible. More learning of the lore!
SUPERBOY #183: Superbaby as an infant Tarzan in an imaginary story? Sounds good to me: I liked Superbaby, I liked Tarzan, I liked “imaginary stories” that explored potential revisions in the characters’ histories, and I liked the work of Bob Brown and Murphy Anderson. I was really into the Legion, now, too, so a new Legion story was a big draw for me.
SUPERMAN #249: The debut of Terra-Man included a rarity: a backup story featuring the origin of the character, no superhero, just Terra-Man, made much better looking thanks to Neal Adams’ inks over Dick Dillin. I still think Terra-Man would have made a great character for a solo feature.
TEEN TITANS #38: The Titans had a strong appeal to me, and I liked the monstrous look of the cover. Another Lilith backup and some fun if old-fashioned reprints.
WONDER WOMAN #199: My first sampling of the Diana Prince Wonder Woman, now under O’Neill and Heck. Unusual Jeff Jones cover must have caught my eye, but I loved the story and the concept, and became a regular WW buyer as of this issue.
WORLD’S FINEST #210: Faceless characters have always intrigued me, so that cover sold me fast (the faceless dog still cracks me up!). The Superman team-ups, here with Green Arrow, never stood up to the stuff I’d find over in BRAVE & BOLD, and I don’t remember anything about this one. I did get a kick out of meeting two new bottom-tier characters of the Golden Age, Black Pirate and the King. Has anyone ever done a comic where the King, the Unknown Soldier, the Human Target, Nemesis, and Yankee Doodle meet up?
So I still wasn't willing to spend much on Marvel Comics at this stage in my collecting, passing on all of their January offerings. That would not last much longer.
COVER OF THE MONTH: Gotta go with the WW #199 cover. Unforgettable!
COMIC I DON'T HAVE BUT MOST WANT: I'd love to have a copy of M.F. Enterprises' TERROR TALES #19. I read a couple of those as a kid that a girl down the street had. These horror comic reprints from the 40's had such lurid, disturbing covers, and the stories were way stronger than what you could get in the CCA approved color comics of the day!
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 4, 2022 12:26:04 GMT -5
As MWGallaher points out, this month was a treasure trove of great DC reprints, even for a fan entering his tenth year of comics reading, from the classic Adam Strange novel (with a cameo from the JLA), "Planet That Came to a Standstill" from Mystery in Space 75 to the JSA/ Vandal Savage Earth-Two spectacular in Flash 213 to the new take on the JLA's origin. MW and I picked up many of the same issues, but I must add to my list Son of Tomahawk 139, another fine entry in a supposed second-tier title that gave us nothing but excellent covers and interior art from Joe Kubert and Frank Thorne and edgy stories from Kanigher. This would be the penultimate Tomahawk issue. Also picked up Monsters on the Prowl, where King Kull was taking up residency. As to your question re teaming up that Kooky Quintet -- the King, the Unknown Soldier, the Human Target, Nemesis, and Yankee Doodle -- the best I can do is give you the crew that Gerry Conway culled from DC's historical heroes for a JLA-JSA team-up from long after post-shark-jumping days: Jonah Hex, Viking Prince, Miss Liberty, Black Pirate and Enemy Ace, gracing a cover that gets uglier the more you look at it. (And, yeah, sure that looks like the Viking Prince and not a generic barbarian in a blonde wig...)  |
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Post by Farrar on Jan 6, 2022 16:09:58 GMT -5
January 1972
Comics bought off the stands = 0 Even though my comics-buying had drastically waned by this time, I was still interested in the Avengers comic. I wanted to see what would happen with Wanda and Vision--after all, the Kree-Skrull War was over so now nothing stood in their way  -- but I didn't get this month's issue (#98)! Huh. Starting with Avengers #63 (with that great Gene Colan Hawkeye-is-now-Goliath cover) I'd bought every issue off the stands so I had I had #63-97, plus about 35 older issues mostly from the collectibles store on my block. At the time my oldest Avengers issue was #14. So this was a strange month for me: no Avengers comic. P.S. I've since read #98, in the Essentials volume.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 8, 2022 0:28:34 GMT -5
Nothing I had at the time, but several I acquired later, including the Joe Kubert run on Tarzan, which began this month....  When I was leaving the military, I applied to the Kubert School and went up for my interview, with Mike Chen. It was conducted in the school library, as he looked over my portfolio and displayed there was a large painting of Tarzan battling a crocodile, done by Joe. I kept staring up at it and glancing back at my stuff and thinking that it looked like s#$%! Then again, whose work doesn't, compared to Kubert's Tarzan? |
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Post by berkley on Feb 8, 2022 1:46:22 GMT -5
February 1972:Avengers #99 - I distinctly remember how unusual the Barry Smith (as he was credited back then) artwork looked to me, and how impressive it was. I had seen his stuff before but at that age (I had just turned 10 a couple months before) I was only beginning to take note of such things, and also his style was evolving pretty fast at the time. This is one of my all-time favourite Avengers issues. I didn't get to read the sequel, #100, until decades later. Tomb of Dracula #2 - I somehow missed the first issue of this series but I was already intensely interested in all things Dracula from having read and re-read an abridged version of the Stoker novel the year before.
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So I know I would have bought this comic for these two reasons: the captivating cover and my comments in the letter column. 
-- but I didn't get this month's issue (#98)! Huh. Starting with Avengers #63 (with that great Gene Colan Hawkeye-is-now-Goliath cover) I'd bought every issue off the stands so I had I had #63-97, plus about 35 older issues mostly from the collectibles store on my block. At the time my oldest Avengers issue was #14. So this was a strange month for me: no Avengers comic. 