Interested in both Marvel Fanfare and Ghost Rider ... it would be a fun re-visit here.

I would love for you to ultimately do a companion thread to this incorporating Epic Illustrated and Marvel Graphic Novel.

Ah, Caleb Hammer...we hardly knew ya. It could've been the start of something special, if only you'd stuck around.

Marvel Spotlight #1



Cover by Neal Adams.

Creative Team: Gardner Fox-writer, Syd Shores-pencils, Wally Wood-inks, Jean Izzo-letters, Marie Severin-colors, Stan Lee-editor.

Synopsis: We open with red Wolf riding desperately for fort Rango, with the sacred white buffalo hide, which he took from those who stole it. he has to reach the fort in time to stop a war. A group of indians spots him and shoot his horse, . He gets up and kicks their collective butts. then white men, who originally stole the hide, show up and start shooting. Red Wolf is backed to the edge of a cliff, which forces him into flashbacks of the Pony Soldiers (cavalry) attacking his village, killing his father and mother and wounding him. A less bloodthirsty soldier stops another from killing him and turns the wounded boy over to the Wakely's, pioneers headed for new territories. The adopt him and raise him in the world of the white man; but, he retains memories of his past life and practices his indian skill. One day, he returns to find his family's farm burned and his adopted parents dead, killed by renegade indians. he rebuilds; but, a greedy land baron wants the farm. They burn him out and he goes off and becomes a scout, for the Pony Soldiers. He is not treated like a white man (well, duh!) and gets his but kicked by a sergeant, when a red haired white woman enters and says that the Cheyenne are on the warpath and someone has stolen the sacred white buffalo hide. Seeing a chance to prove himself, Red Wolf goes after it. He finds the Cheyenne andhears their plans. he is about to go off to warn the fort when his horse is shot, dumping him to the ground. He crawls into a cave, which just happens to be the tomb for an old warrior of legend, where he finds a wounded red wolf. He has a vision and goes and proves himself to the Cheyenne, while wearing a wolf headpiece. he then tracks the thieves and we are back to where we came in. the wolf attacks the white men as Red Wolf nears the cliff edge and it gives him the distraction to fight back. he defeats the white men and takes them prisoner, bringing them to the fort, with the buffalo hide.



Thoughts: Fairly cliched story, but well told. The plot is cobbled together from dozens of westerns, though Gardner Fox knows what he is doing. It's filled with western tropes, like the red man, raised by whites and taught the ways of "civilization;" thus, elevating the savage. His indian skills allow him to do things that the white soldiers can't. He, of course, sides with the whites, when conflict comes, thought the natives are stirred by white agitators, looking for gold.

It's not likely to win awards or praise from Native Americans; but, it's a serviceable twist on the average western.

Syd Shores' art is fine and most artists of this era seemed to enjoy doing westerns, especially veteran artists of the Golden Age.

Fox was forced out of DC in the writers purge, when a group got together to try and force DC into the modern world, with better pay and health benefits. True to form, they fired the lot. Some of those involved ended up working for Marvel, who also did not offer health benefits; but, at least they would give them work. Fox turned to writing novels, before picking up a bit of work for Marvel. I don't know if Roy Thomas was a factor in getting Stan to hire him or not, though I'm sure Stan was familiar with Fox's work, having handled some of the most high profile comics of the Golden and Silver Ages. Syd was an old hand at Marvel, going back to work on Captain America, after Simon & Kirby. Wally Wood and Marie Severin bring the EC connection. Nice mix of comics history in this issue, even if it isn't a masterpiece.

I think a lot has to do with Roy and Gil being on the same page and having similar tastes in literature (or, at least, overlapping tastes).  They did a bang up job on the Ring of the Nibelungs, though P Craig Russell's is still more gorgeous (he just excelled on his opera stuff).  Roy and Gil are great at mythic, which fits the cosmic stories well.  I would have rather seen them tackle the 4th World than Conway and his collaborators (as much as I love Marshall Rogers and Don Newton on their art). 

Marvel Premiere #2



Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer, Gil Kane & Dan Adkins-art, Herb Cooper-letters, Stan Lee-RIP

Synopsis: Warlock has landed on Counter-Earth. he has been found by a group of teens, who seem to be runaways. They help him to a barn, where he passes out again, reawakening later. intros are made, with David, Jason, and twins Eddie and Ellie. He remembers the name Warlock and that becomes his surname and Ellie gives him the name Adam. The teens are argumentative, though Warlock is drawn to the barn cat (called Gray Mouser). Meanwhile, the High Evolutionary watches from above and wonders what went wrong with Warlock's memory.

We get a long recap, then see the Man-Beast call for an assassin and assign Rhodan, a rat creature, to do the job. On C-E, a gumshoe, named Marlowe, takes an Air Force officer, senator, an entrepreneur on a trip to find their missing kids, leading them to the teens and Warlock. The reunion is tense, as the kids have run away from their parents greed and involvement in the military and war. Finally, the senator has enough and is about to sick the shamus on Warlock, when Rhodan shows up and it gets even weirder. Warlock is atacked by one of the hounds and kills it, then remembers who he is and why he is there. He floats into the air and turns the other hound into light, then catches up to Rhodan, who floated to the ground and ran into the barn. Warlock goes in, there is a scream, and only he comes out. he then hits the three adults with images of what there work has done to the world, with death and destruction. The men leave, their world shattered, and leave their children with Warlock. The scream turns out to have been Rhodan, transformed back into a simple rat, who was then killed by "Gray Mouser," who is seen with the carcass.

Thoughts: Damn, dirty hippies! This kind of comes across like a superhero version of an episode of Room 222, an early 1970s tv show, with an idealistic black teacher and a group of high school students (To Sir, With Love, minus Lulu and with Karen Valentine added). It tended to idealistic kids wanting to change the world and dealing with or running away from social issues. Lots of dirty hippie, too, though James L Brooks was more sympathetic than Jack Webb). The kids are running from their military-industrial complex parents and though Roy does try to put some reason into the mouths of the parents, the truth is they are complicit with murder and destruction, on a societal scale. Idealistic kids good, parents bad. Military are just uniformed killers. It's a reflection of the time and the perceived audience. It ain't subtle; but, then, Marvel didn't build a name on subtlety.

Kane and Adkins continue to rock the art and Roy is young and hungry and his writing is a cut above much of the industry, even if it has the naivete of youth, even if there are large doses of truth within.

the cat, "Gray Mouser," is an homage to the Fritz Leiber character, who was a slightly built man, dressed in grey, with a rapier and a dagger as his weapons. he was an apprentice sorcerer who quit the magic biz to be a thief and rogue, eventually running into and teaming with northern barbarian (who is rather cultured) Fafhrd, who ran away from his tribal position, to choose his own destiny. None of that has any bearing on the story; Roy is just being cute. Rhodan is possibly a reference to the Perry Rhodan sci-fi stories, since the sculptor is Rodin, and the Toho monster is Rodan. Perry Rhodan is the star of a German series of pulp novels, by KH Scheer and Walter Ernsting, which debuted in 1961. It was published as a weekly series, intending to last around 50 issues; but nearly 3000 have appeared to date. Ace Books began translating them, in 1968 and got through the first 126 issues, before cancelling the series. Forry Ackerman helped initiate the American editions and his wife was the chief translator. US reaction was that the series was too juvenile, as there was little characterization and cheesy dialogue, though engaging plots. The publisher cancelled the series, before it got to the more sophisticated stories, as the German series had evolved. The hero is a major of the US Space Force (wonder where Trump got the idea...), who leads the first moon mission, where they find a derelict alien craft. The technology allows the advancement of Earth and the unification of its people and their travels through the stars, where Rhodan encounters various groups. They are pure space opera and Roy Thomas was a fan. The Alburquerque sci-fi convention, Bubonicon, adopted as its mascot Perry Rhodent, a rat with one shoe. Npt sure; but, I am willing to betthe Hounds of Helios is a reference, if oblique, to a storyline in Perry Rhodan.

From here, Warlock moves into his own series, where he will battle the forces of the Man-Beast. It's all very allegorical and would end when the plug was pulled, then concluded in the Hulk. Jim Starlin picked up the character and started his saga, with the Magus and the Universal Church of Truth, and Thanso, as covered in my Thanos thread. Starlin's work tends to overshadow Roy Thomas'. frome here, Marvel Premiere becomes a temporary home to Dr Strange, then launches Iron Fist. So you can blame this book for the Netflix series.