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Post by tarkintino on Nov 19, 2020 14:14:30 GMT -5
Marvel Team-up #12 Initially, I was going to say the great cover was the best thing about this issue, but I did appreciate the continuity with what was going on in the parent title, so even if the MTU story was underwhelming (and it was), readers were still reminded of the biggest Marvel shake-up/tragedy up to that point (arguably of all time for the company), and still wanted to see how Spider-Man handled it. Yeah, Spider-Man hanging around bridges would seem to be a WTF--inspiring scene, but I gave it a pass because Wein was having him go through memory-lane of the events of ASM #121-123, even mentioning Luke Cage. At least it gave this issue a sense that Spider-Man's world was a thing that he could not escape no matter where he traveled. |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Nov 20, 2020 13:08:17 GMT -5
Prestor John is a medieval Christian legend of a Christian kingdom somewhere in the middle or far East, surrounded by the heathen peoples. The earliest believed connection is to the apocryphal Acts of Thomas, about St Thomas the Apostle and his time in India. With the expansion of the Mongols and the spread of Islamic states, it is believed that the failed Crusades led to the growth of the Prester John legend to offset the losses of Christian forces to the muslim "invaders" in the Holy Land. The legends fueled explorers to try to find his kingdom, with it believed to be anywhere from India to Ethiopia. PJ would turn up in later pulp adventures and in the FF and DC's Arak, Son of thunder, from Roy Thomas. Marvel's PJ follows the basic template of the legend. He wasn't widely used at Marvel, though he popped up again in Defenders and Thor Annual, then In Cable & Deadpool. I always thought Prester John was a potentially interesting character, given his legendary background, and thought it a shame Marvel didn't use him more (and in more interesting ways). |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 20, 2020 23:27:33 GMT -5
Prestor John is a medieval Christian legend of a Christian kingdom somewhere in the middle or far East, surrounded by the heathen peoples. The earliest believed connection is to the apocryphal Acts of Thomas, about St Thomas the Apostle and his time in India. With the expansion of the Mongols and the spread of Islamic states, it is believed that the failed Crusades led to the growth of the Prester John legend to offset the losses of Christian forces to the muslim "invaders" in the Holy Land. The legends fueled explorers to try to find his kingdom, with it believed to be anywhere from India to Ethiopia. PJ would turn up in later pulp adventures and in the FF and DC's Arak, Son of thunder, from Roy Thomas. Marvel's PJ follows the basic template of the legend. He wasn't widely used at Marvel, though he popped up again in Defenders and Thor Annual, then In Cable & Deadpool. I always thought Prester John was a potentially interesting character, given his legendary background, and thought it a shame Marvel didn't use him more (and in more interesting ways). I suspect the religious angle to the legend kind of spooked them. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 26, 2020 14:41:35 GMT -5
Marvel Team-Up #13 Spidey & Captain America! vs the Grey Gargoyle. Psst.....hey, bud, cumeer....a little Grecian Formula will take care of that grey...... Just don't hold press conferences 20 minutes later! Creative Team: Len Wein-writer, Gil Kane-pencils, Frank Giacoia-inks, June Braverman-letters, Glynis Wein-colors, Roy Thomas-editor Synopsis: In the shadow of the George Washington Bridge, Peter Parker laments that coming to San Francisco to forget about the death of Gwen Stacy was a bad idea....  Can't imagine why.......maybe he should have gone on a bungee-jumping holiday.... Ooh....riiigghht........ He runs into the same sailor stereotype he met in issue 2, who tells him to "Cheer up, laddie!" Surprised he didn't tell him to "Belay yer belyakin, me bucko!" Petey is in no mood and buggers off while "Popeye," is jibber-jabberin (Ain't got time for no jibber-jabber!) and misses a meteor come crashing into the harbor...which turns out to have been carrying the Grey Gargoyle....who turns said sailor to stone, when he reaches out his hand to help him out of the water. Spidey is up on a rooftop, cussing out a spider for being related to the creature that ruined his life....  He goes web-slingin' and runs into a bunch of AIM guys, out looking for their bees. A block away, he runs into more beekepers and see Captain America's mighty shield causing them to yield. Spidey lends a hand and busts some heads, then Cap calls in Fury to mop up the place, then chastises Spidey for making jokes about busting heads. Geez, lighten up, pappy! Then, Cap and Spidey disappear. They reappear on the SHIELD Hellicarrier, as they have installed a transporter, since Star Trek is in heavy syndication. They are met by an Old Walrus, who directs them to Fury's office. They take the elevator and a SHIELD grunt mentions that Spider-Man is wanted, in connection with a murder and tries to arrest him. Spidey tells him he doesn't want to be arrested and more men in orange (never understood why Steranko went with orange...) and then Fury calls off the horseplay. he briefs Cap and tells him that AIM launched simultaneous attacks on all three guided missile telemetry systems. Cap stopped one, Fury and SHIELD stopped one at Cape Kennedy and then they blew it in the Midwest. They are able to trace a homing signal to Queens, so they are ehaded there to launch an attack on AIM's HQ. Fury drafts Spidey into aiding and he objects, until Fury calls him a chicken. What is this, Leave it to Beaver? The Grey Gargoyle is with AIM. He is plotting revenge on Cap for trapping him in the meteor thingy, which Fury launched into space. However, GG was able to rewire circuits to make a radio transmitter and contact AIM and make a deal.  Wouldn't you know it? His monologue is interrupted by Captain America's mighty shield and it's time for the Marines to land on their heads. Cap nimbly avoids GG's touch, but a snapped electrical cable takes him out and a crowbar to the back of the skull KOs Spidey. They wake up chained to a missile. I think Cap has been here before!  GG has turned them to stone, says the missile will launch a satellite that will fire stone rays at whole cities. Then, Spidey and Cap interrupt again and punch jaws, while Cap contemplates maybe the Viper's venom allowed him to throw off the effects and Spidey's spider bit may have done the same thing. or plot convenience. GG gets wrapped up in a chain and dragged off into space, with the missile, while Spidey waves goodbye to Cap. Thoughts: As evil plots go, it's kind of cliched and a little weak; but, it'll do. Nice to see Fury and SHIELD, before they were turned into the evil CIA metaphor. Kane makes them look good, and he is a dab hand at rendering secret bases and guys in commando gear and beekeeper outfits. It's lightweight stuff; but, it's fun and that's what you want in a team-up book. Len continues to make this a fun romp, while still linking to Spidey continuity. I was always a sucker for the more heroic version of SHIELD and enjoyed when they showed up in the Hellicarrier, walking around in their color coordinated jumpsuits. AIM always seemed like less of a threat than HYDRA, especially because of the silly suits; but, I wouldn't want to see a redesign for all Marvel Stamps in the Bullpen. I mean, after all, they were swiped from this... 
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 26, 2020 16:25:24 GMT -5
Marvel Two-in-One #13 Ben and Luke Cage! Against Braggadoom! Braggadoom? Och, jammie, that's gee-in me the boak! Creative Team: Roger Slifer & Len Wein-script, Ron Wilson-pencils, Vince Coletta-inks, Joe Rosen-letters, Petra Goldberg-colors, Marv Wolfman-plot & editor So, Marv has succeeded Len; so, get ready for revolving door editors. Synopsis: A jittery little bio-researcher, named Arnold Krank, is sitting in Luke Cage's office, asking for his help...  The twitchy little honkey starts rappin' some jive about some green @#$% he mixed with some solution and the next thing this turkey knows is that he has created The Blob. Sweet Christmas! The boss man decides to hold a press conference, you dig, anna newspaper men come down to snap some photos and listen tot he fat cat meow, when one of the dudes pokes his lilly white finger into the goop and gets absorbed like its a Bounty paper towel. Jive turkey! Next thing you know, it's Godzilla time and the green dude is stompin' around. My man Cage tells the white dude that he should call the Avengers of Fantastic Four, knowwahtamsayin? Honkey says he already called the FF, but on Ben Grimm was home, you dig, an' he's out playin' Joe Frazier with the cat.  Thing is...or rather, Thing isn't doin' so well an' he needs help; so, Arnold come callin' on my man Cage, since he's in the Yellow Pages, understand? Right on, bro! Cage and the white boy run down to Central Park, where Ben is is talking smack at the big green dude. Green dude throws Ben into the stands and ben gets a bit riled. He hits the monster with the stands!  It don't do enough and green dude picks him up like a Ken doll. My man Cage shows up and kicks him in the shins; but, green jeans ain't budgin', knowwhatamsayni? He picks up Cage and throws him and Ben across the city and they latch onto the side of a building, just in time. They get down and Ben heads back, but tries to keep Cage out of it. As if. My man gets a sucker punch from whitey (or orangy, as the case may be) then gives him one of his own. Ben digs what he's rappin and they go to the Baxter Building to get Ben's pimped out pogo plane. They take it out over the ocean, where green dude is wreckin bridges and ferries...  They hit the water and try to trip up the green dude, but even with an I-beam, Cage can't budge him. He goes up for air. Ben claws his way under green dude's foot, then tosses him on his backside.  Cage rescues the skinny little honkey, who tells him if they keep hittin the green dude, he will explode like an atom bomb. Cage goes out to stop Ben from hittin' him. And gets a shot in the mouth. He don't take that from no honkey and hits Ben with a pair of hambones and tells him the 411. The monster starts to shrink and is finally small enough for the little honkey to take home and look after. Cage is ready to celebrate, until Ben reminds him that the green dude absorbed two newspaper reporters, who are still trapped inside him. That's some heavy @#$%, man! Thoughts: Typical monster movie plot, if it featured Shaft and the Bowery Boys. A bit of fun, without anything too heavy. The silly name comes from a sound effect, when the monster tosses Ben into the stands at the ampitheater. Arnold Krank is drawn rather cartoony, in comparison to Ben and Luke, which signals that this was never intended to be a serious story. This is monster pro wrestling at its finest.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 29, 2020 19:46:51 GMT -5
Marvel Team-Up #14 Spider-Man and the Sub-Mariner Sub-Mariner, Sub-Mareener...let's call the whole thing off! Creative Team: Len Wein-writer, Gil Kane-pencils, Wayne Howard-inks, John Costanza-letters, The Wife-colors, Roy Thomas-editor Obviously, The Wife is Glynis Wein. Unless it is Michelle Wolfman or Karen Mantlo or Dann Thomas. Here, it is Glynis. Synopsis: Spidey spots some muggers attacking a dude in a trenchcoat and fedora. The "victim" kicks their collective keisters...  One of them pulls a knife and is about to stick it in the dude's back, when Spidey stops him, with a web. The victim stands revealed as Namor, the Sub-Marine (cover was a bit of a giveaway). Spidey immediately acts impetuously, deciding to web Subby in place until he finds out what he is up to, rather than...oh, I don't know....just ask him? Namor takes exception to this, grabs the webbing as it's inbound and whips Spidey into a building. Namor moves on; but, Spidey won't let it go and pokes the bear (or shark..whatever). Namor bashes him again and moves on. Spidey decides poking the bear isn't enough and then gets ready to kick him in the goolies and Subby decides to end it, but Spidey gets his licks in (above the belt). Spidey takes to the air and hits Spidey like a Harpoon missile. He then tries to get on with his business; but, Spidey is like Ypsemite Sam...he doesn't know when he's been beat. He interferes again and Subby loses his chance to stop someone...  Spidey finally decides to listen and learns that the escaped man was Tiger Shark, who was responsible for the murder of Subby's pop, as we get a recap of the specific Sub-Mariner issues and a crossover with the Hulk. Spidey feels like a heel (He should!) and offers his assistance. Tiger Shark arrives at his destination, the lair of Dr Dorcas. Turns out, he hired the muggers to delay Subby, so Tiger Shark could get away. TS says Spidey is now involved and is mad he couldn't end Subby's life. Dorcas says it is all in the plan to lure Subby there and kill him. He has some special weapons ready for him...  Spidey tracks Tiger Shark, with his spider senses, while Subby tows him (on web skis) through the ocean, to a cargo ship that is actually Dorcas' secret base.  Or, at least, was his base. They find an elevator down into the ocean and steal a page from Johnny Quest and take it down to Dorcas' real lair.   and then it is on! However, the baddies turn out to be fakes and the heroes are drugged. Spidey wakes up in a tube and Dorcas' lords it over him, as he prepares to feed Subby's life force into his Aquanoids...  Spidey opens a sea cock (it's a valve...get your mind out of the gutter!) and lets the ocean in, which revives Subby, who breaks free of his restraints and busts Spidey out of his tube. The villains beat feet, release the Men-Fish to attack Spidey, while Subby punches out Tiger Shark. They get off the ship before it blows, but Dorcas got away. Thoughts: This was a fun issue, as Subby and Spidey are brought together, without too much contrivance, and deal with a villain threat. It's mostly picking up Sub-Mariner continuity threads; but, it works out pretty well. Plenty of action and enough mystery to propel the plot. This was the kind of issue I liked, as a kid: it's self-contained, yet links to other stories, to add some weight to events, but I don't need the previous issue and I don't have to go hunting a part 2. Len was always good for this kind of single issue storytelling. It's not a classic story, to be reprinted ad nauseum; but, it is a solid, entertaining story that is worth the cover price and holds up well with re-reading. Gil Kane handles the action and keeps it visually interesting, even if Wayne Howard isn't the flashiest inker around. He gets the job done.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 29, 2020 20:27:01 GMT -5
Marvel Two-in-One #14 Thing and the Son of Satan Creative Team: Bill Mantlo-writer, Herb Trimpe-pencils, John Tartaglione-inks, The Wife-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Marv Wolfman-editor This time, The Wife is Karen Mantlo. Marvel Comics, Nepotism for over 80 years! Synopsis: Ben is in a Ghost Town...  Cue the music..... Ben walks around while the places collapses around or under him. He flashes back to how he got here. Read is messin' with some gizmo that pinpoints a psychic disturbance in Lawless, AZ. Alicia sense something and something whammies her. ben goes out there to find out what it was. In a saloon, Ben finds a picture of some weird dude on a horse and runs into Daimon Hellstrom, aka Lucifer's baby boy.  He was also drawn there and identifies the dude in the painting: one Jedediah Ravenstorm, a half-breed Cherokee who rampaged out East, then went West to do the same. He was hung by the good people of Lawless but is back for vengeance...  Jed tells them to vamoose; but Daimon is an idiot and is there to defend an empty town. Sheesh! Even Gary Cooper didn't defend empty buildings! he shoots at Ben, which has no effect and Daimon gives him a Hellfire Hotfoot, which leads to him possessing Ben, somehow. He attacks Dummon.....er, Daimon...  For no good reason, other than it is "too easy," Jed releases Ben, who says it is Clobberin' Time! He attacks and misses, Jed shoots at Daimon, but hellfire beats bullets. Jed grows into a giant (as does his horse) and he tries to string up Ben and Daimon, until Daimon figures out it is all illusion and stops choking. he figures out Jed is a front for another demon...  Ben tries to smash; but a trident to the chest finishes things, releasing the demon, who is attacked by the souls of the dead townspeople...  They rip apart the demon, Ben and Daimon say their goodbyes and Ben heads home to celebrate New Year's with Alicia. Thoughts: This is why I am not a fan of supernatural characters: there is rarely a logic to how they work and it all ends up being a plot convenience. Mantlo is all over the place, here, just throwing @#$% at the narrative wall. A dead man is menacing a ghost town, but he is possessed by a demon, who is ripped apart by the ghosts of the dead townspeople. Why? How does Kthara possess Ben? If you possess someone that powerful, why let them go so quickly? There's just no story logic to anything here. I don't really fault Mantlo...Marv is the editor, it's his job to point this stuff out to Mantlo. He lets it all go through. Mantlo was often used because a book was behind schedule and they needed someone who could crap out a quick plot for an artist, which Mantlo could. Problem is, they were rarely gems. However, he is the regular writer on this, now; so, we are down to a rookie writer with quality issues not being supervised properly. Don't get me wrong; Mantlo wrote some good comics (Micronauts!) but he wrote a ton of crap along the way, because he was fast. It's commercial publishing; so, that is an asset, in the short term; but, it loses readers, in the long term. Let's hope he gets the crap out of his system quickly and starts writing some better material, if he is going to stick around for a bit. Herb does a good job with what he's given, which was his usual. I don't think he really adds anything to it; but, the art tells the story as best it can. We are told that Ka-Zar is next; but, something happened along the way, because next issue features Morbius. Ka-Zar will have to wait another issue.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 12, 2020 19:15:08 GMT -5
Marvel Team-Up #15 Spidey teams up with Lt Pete "Maverick" Mitchell & LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw Funny how those Migs look like F-5 Tiger IIs. "Ees good plane, comrade, easy to fly, cheap, and good intercept platform. Only best for Soviet Union!" Unfortunately, Northrop couldn't break the General Dynamics and McDonnell-Douglas stranglehold and sell the superior F-20 Tigershark to the military, instead of the okay F-18 Hornet. if it was good enough for Chuck yeager, it was good enough for anyone!  Rest In Peace, General! Creative Team: Len Wein-writer, Ross Andru-pencils, Don Perlin-inks, John Costanza-letters, Glynis Wein-colors, Roy Thomas-editor Synopsis: Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are at Madison Square Garden to see a motorcycle stunt show, featuring Johnny Blaze. Mary Jane is so excited she is trying to do "the splits."  Petey is feeling uneasy, but blows it off and they get their tickets and seats and watch the action, as Johnny Blaze enters as Ghost Rider (presumably to some Davy Allen and the Arrows accompaniment)... They sit back and watch as Johnny jumps his chopper (definitely not a stunt bike) over a crowd of 4 bikers who roar underneath his jump path...  ...one of whom is Roxanne Simpson, Johnny's main squeeze and daughter of Crash Simpson, his mentor. However, the show is interrupted by a rival gang of bikers, including a big honkin eyeball....  The Orb puts the audience in a trance, except Pete, who finds some cover, switches clothes and slings his way into action (to the sound of the Ramones, I hope)... Johnny Blaze also goes to check things out and the Orb grabs Roxanne and rides off with her, just like Rave Shaddock grabbed Ellen Aim, in Streets of Fire... Awesome soundtrack; terrible movie! Johnny and Spidey get in each other's way and the Orb gets away with Roxanne, while they also have to deal with a column of hypnotized people in bell bottoms and platform shoes. Orb takes Roxanne to his little hideaway and wakes her up and informs her that he is Drake Shannon, Crash Simpson's old partner...  Drake was injured in a race between himself and Crash, where he wiped out and slid across the road, on his face, making it street pizza. Heavens to Gary Busey! Now, Drake has his hypnotic helmet, but he still looks like Uncle Creepy's uglier cousin, underneath...  He got the helmet from "They," (not "Them" or even Him or Her). Johnny tracks them down, delivers the ownership papers of the motorcycle circus and takes Roxanne away, but is stopped by Orb's goons. Then Spidey swings in and sows chaos, but, Orb rides off with Roxanne, again. Dude, once is misfortune; twice is careless! Johnny rides after and Spidey also grabs a bike. Orb has a laser pistol and fires it back at them. They ride through what turns out to be subway tunnels and emerge up on a platform, ride the stairs further upward, into Grand Central Station...  They tear through the place and Spidey hatches a plan. he has Johnny hit Orb with Hellfire, as he snatches Roxanne with a web. Johnny zaps the ray gun and Orb heads down another platform, with Johnny hot on his tail. orb rides straight into an oncoming train, while Johnny grabs a roofbeam and escapes. He and Spidey meet up and then part and Spidey finally realizes Johnny isn't wearing a mask. Not very observant for a photographer or a scientist. Thoughts: Fun little romp, with a nice biker theme. Len throws in someone from the past to stir trouble, gives us plenty of motorcycle action, without going too heavy on the supernatural. This is how I like my Ghost Rider and why I liked his earlier stories better. Don Perlin makes a nice addition to Ross Andru and both make this a purely 70s experience, with hip-huggers, bell bottoms, platforms and a sea of polyester, wrapped up in a biker movie plot, warped through a superhero lens. This is the kind of stuff I loved, in the team-up books!
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Post by brutalis on Dec 12, 2020 19:37:35 GMT -5
That panel of Orb's full facial road rash has always stuck with me over the years. A real ghoulishly delightful rendering that helps remind me why I never became a big motorcycle fan. Grew up riding motorbike's in the woods around Payson or through the desert sands visiting my grandparent's and was great fun. But it wasn't flying down the highway or stunt biking like it would be in the city. Orb is a grisly artistic visualization which haunts my dreams of all the idiots I see zipping through traffic or inbetween vehicles when they wipe out. Not for me, but this was a great issue teaming that I held onto for years, along with the precious few early Ploog Ghost Riders that I owned.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 12, 2020 19:57:19 GMT -5
Marvel Two-in-One #15 Thing and Morbius vs the Living Eraser! Creative Team: Bill Mantlo-writer, Arvell Jones-pencils, Dick Giordano-inks, Karen Mantlo-letters, Phil Rache-colors, Marv Wolfman-editor Synopsis: Alicia Masters is sculpting yet another copy of Ben, when she is interrupted by Morbius, who watches from a skylight, then comes in to drink her blood, until her screams alert Ben, who is outside her door, about to ring her bell. Ben smashes his way in and faces off against Morbius...  They trash Alicia's place then Morbius escapes, when Ben hesitates as Alicia says Morbius didn't harm her and blubbers about him being a misunderstood monster. Yeah, right; that's the usual reaction of someone who was attacked in their own home, by someone who said "Turn and meet your death!"...especially a blind woman. Elsewhere, in an alley, the Living Eraser turns up and does his thing on a wino, while he recounts previous erasures...  Last time, he was beaten by Giant-Man and the Wasp, which is not something that adds much to your supervillain street cred. Now, he meets Morbius, who is hungry. ben spots the fun below and joins in, only to find himself and Morbius being erased...  They are actually transported to Eraser's dimension, to a prison, where they meet the ministers of the deposed Supremor and then try to escape their cell via force. When that doesn't work, Morbius employs a little stragedy...  They get out of the cell and ben clobbers the guards, freeing them...  They are rewarded for freeing the Supremor and get sent home, where they find Eraser at it and attack. morbius goes to kill, until ben stops him, then Supremor's men turn up to take Eraser into custody and Morbius buggers off, because he is "misunderstood." Thoughts: Meh..... Pretty mediocre story. There is no reason for Morbius to be outside Alicia's window, he sympathetic reaction is pretty hard to swallow, the heroes get erased by the villain at the word "go," launch a counter-coup and return and beat the villain without trying very hard. Hardly a classic; but about par for Mantlo's output, in this era. He was fast, not memorable, prone to Marvel cliches, deus ex machina endings, and slim characterization. Not sure that putting him on a team-up book is doing much for his growth as a writer, but he was probably the only one who wanted the gig. Really missing Gerber, at this point. We are stuck with mantlo, for a bit. let's hope he actually has some better ideas for his future stories. Art is fine, but hardly awe-inspiring. It'll do. Just got slog through this until Marv Wolfman comes on the book and gives it a shot in the arm.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 12, 2020 20:12:26 GMT -5
That panel of Orb's full facial road rash has always stuck with me over the years. A real ghoulishly delightful rendering that helps remind me why I never became a big motorcycle fan. Grew up riding motorbike's in the woods around Payson or through the desert sands visiting my grandparent's and was great fun. But it wasn't flying down the highway or stunt biking like it would be in the city. Orb is a grisly artistic visualization which haunts my dreams of all the idiots I see zipping through traffic or inbetween vehicles when they wipe out. Not for me, but this was a great issue teaming that I held onto for years, along with the precious few early Ploog Ghost Riders that I owned. My dad rode motorcycles in the Air Force and also raced a bit, but gave it up before we came along. His brother, my uncle Delbert, had a couple of dirt bikes on his farm and my dad took us riding and was teaching me how to shift and such; but, I wasn't really paying attention closely. I thought I was ready to solo and tried, with him not around (my older brother was too irresponsible to prevent me, as he was the one who turned the bike over to me) and I proceeded to try to turn, at speed, couldn't control the bike and ran it into a fence and got tossed over, ending up with a "green stick" fracture of my left thumb and a cast for 6 weeks. I still have a scar on my right wrist (from the barbed wire, on the fence) to remind me that motorcycles and I don't mix. I was at least wearing a helmet, as I had gotten that idea thumped into my head. My uncle still rode on the farm and later got a street bike, in his retirement. He had to take the road test from someone who was younger than his oldest son and the guy had to tell him to stop doing racing gear changes!  He got a sidecar for it and he and my step-aunt (is that a term? She was his second wife, after the death of my aunt) used to go out in it. When my father passed away, we had a memorial service at the church my parents attended and had a photo board, including a couple of shots of him on motorcycles. Everyone who knew him was amazed that this quiet, friendly, studious ex-school teacher had ridden motorcycles. They were more astounded when we told them he had won trophies for racing! I think my brother still has his old "dispatch rider" crash helmet...  This is the style, but his was black. |
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Post by berkley on Dec 12, 2020 22:19:32 GMT -5
First I ever heard of Jedediah Ravenstorm: I think he had a pretty good visual design and looks like he could have been a good recurring character for the supernatural books, not so much the superhero stuff.
I don't thik I realsied until now that Len Wein was scripting Marvel Team-Up before he took over the Spider-Man series itself - is that one of the reasons he got the job, I wonder? Ialso didn't know Ross Andru had been drawing Spider-Man in MTU as well a in the Amazing S-M book.
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Post by profh0011 on Dec 12, 2020 22:29:18 GMT -5
Something I didn't notice until I got my hands on ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP Vol.1... was Ross Andru was the regular artist at the start.
Andru was a "DC" kinda guy. That why, with only ONE notable exception, every story he did for Marvel, someone else was the writer. Early-on, mainly, ROY THOMAS.
Gil Kane did 2 short runs on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, where you had essentially 3 writers working as a team: John Romita (story ideas), Gil Kane (story & art), and Gerry Conway (dialogue). But during Kane's 2nd run, Romita was RE-PENCILLING the pages from scratch, ignoring Kane's full finished pencils, and instead, following his half-size layouts done on separate paper. Somebody-- either Kane or the publisher-- must have objected to this un-called-for extra work (AND PROBABLY PAY). Right smack in the middle of the 1st Man-Wolf 2-parter... Kane was replaced by Ross Andru.
What I didn't realize-- never connected-- until I got the ESSENTIAL MTU book-- was, Kane & Andru SWAPPED books! So Andru took over ASM, and Kane got to do full pencils on MTU. (He was doing full pencils on ASM, they just weren't being used.)
When Andru got on ASM... that's the point where Gerry Conway started writing the stories, as, unlike Kane, Andru didn't like doing that part.
Not only did the whole tone of the book get even darker than it had already been with Kane... Conway began doing what he had already been doing on both DAREDEVIL and CAPTAIN AMERICA-- "imposter" stories. In short order, fake Vulture, fake Green Goblin, fake Mysterio, fake Gwen Stacy and finally fake Spider-Man (the last of which wound up in an incinerator).
You can really notice these things if you look at the "big picture".
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 24, 2020 16:18:28 GMT -5
Marvel Team-Up #16 Spidey and Captain Mar-Vell. Sadly, no Mr Mind or Black Adam....not even Ibac. Creative Team: Len Wein-writer, Gil Kane-pencils, Jim Mooney-inks, Artie Simek-letters, Glynis Wein-colors, Roy Thomas-editor Synopsis: Rick Jone is running down a street, listening to his built in GPS, aka Mar-Vell, the Kree warrior captain, who is stuck in the Negative Zone, while Rick is in the regular universe.  Mar is directing him to a big gemstone, the Alpha-Stone (sounds like a urinary problem caused by a steady diet of Alpha-Bits). Already at the stone is one Basil Elks (seriously?) known to his tormentors as "Basilisk" (Basil Elks, basilisk...get it? Those criminals can be quite mythological in their put-downs!) He has broken his way into the case and has the stone, when a guard turns up. He goes for a gun and the guard shoots, but hits the emerald stone, which somehow shatters and releases tremendous energy. Elks is green from balding head to toe, with red eyes. He freezes the guard in place and then creates his own costume from a suit of chain mail, and is transformed into the Basilisk!  Meanwhile, Peter Parker is strolling down the street on his way to a movie. He says it has been so long that he wouldn't know Clint Eastwood from Linda Lovelace. Well, they both had raspy voices, but for different reasons. Petey is going to miss the movie, because Basil bursts out of the museum and Petey must make way for Spidey...  Spidey chases and Basilisk fires his eyebeams and they brawl around. Basil decides he will earn his bones by destroying Spidey. Then, Rick Jones turns the corner and, faster than you can say "Shazam!" clangs his wristbands together to switch places with Captain Mar-Vell!  The Big Red & Bleu Cheese attacks Basil, saving Spidey from his eyebeams. Those same beams prove to be versatile, as Basil can freeze things, alter molecular structures and fly with them. He can also make julienne fries! And, if you act now, we will throw in turn the air around Mar-Vell into a giant gemstone, encasing the Kree warrior, who isn't from Canada. Mar plummets to the ground, but breaks free through sheer will power (and plot convenience). He meets up with the recovering Spidey and tells him how some Kree cronies lost the stones on Earth, after one of the crew went Gollum...  There were actually two stones, and Alpha and an Omega Stone. The Omega Stone is more expensive and keeps precision time. Mar figures Basil is after the Omega stone and acts as a bloodhound to lead Spidey to it and Basil. Basil is at a construction site, where he zaps the guard and starts eye blasting the ground. Spidey webs a crane arm and swoops in, until Basil zaps the crane and bends the arm, causing Spidey to get whipped around. Mar-Vell tries the direct approach and sucker-punches Basil. That only momentarily stops things, but Spidey returns the favor, preventing Basil from Zapping Mar-Vell. Mar finds the Omega Stone, while Spidey engages Basil, then gets trapped inside and disapepars. Basil then buggers off and Spidey is left scratching his mask.  Thoughts: Kind of Silver Agey, except it ends on a cliffhanger (well, Marvel did a bit of that; but not as much as int he 70s). Lots of stock Gil Kane poses and layouts, as you could probably draw Green Lantern's costume on Mar-Vell and no one would notice. A basilisk was a legendary lizard creature that could kill with a stare. It was featured in Pliny the Elders' Natural History, which was a favorite for tormenting guests on the British panel show QI. Seriously, though, Basil Elks? Like I said...very Silver Age. This is from the period where Mar-Vell and Rick Jones shared a body (well, an area of space, really) as only one could exist outside the Negative Zone, at a time. This was Roy Thomas' way of turning Mar-vell into the real deal, by having youthful Rick Jones magically trade places with Captain Marvel, and met up with Professor Savannah and Dr Mynde (and Ms Marvel faced a Dr Minerva). The basic plot of the two stones is very much Lord of the Rings, with it being stolen by someone under the influence and someone lizard (or amphibian)-like searching for it. Not overly wowed with this chapter; we'll have to see if it goes somewhere better.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 24, 2020 17:06:19 GMT -5
Marvel Two-In-One #16 Thing & Ka-Zar My cat does that to me, too. Creative Team: Bill Mantlo-writer, Ron Wilson-pencils, Dan Adkins-inks, Karen mantlo-letters, Janice Cohen-colors-Marv Wolfman-editor Synopsis: Ben Grimm has been dropped out of a SHIELD Hyper-Jet (a little ritalin in the fuel tank will cure that), somewhere over the Antarctic.  He has been sent there by Reed Richards, who has detected seismic disturbances which he says indicates the Earth is being shifted off its axis. As he freefalls, he runs into a pteranodon, and Turu starts causing problems; so ben pops his chute and punches Turu and they both land in the Savage Land. He unpacks Reeds science dohickey and then meets up with an allosaurus (it walks around going "'allo there!"). They romp and play together, until Ka-Zar and Zabu show up and get rough with it.  They hit it high and Ben hits it low and PETA is nowhere to be seen. It goes down and the big white bully does his Tarzan yell over it (though not as well as Carol Burnette). They talk and Ben explains what he is doing and Ka-Zar says he was there because he sensed danger (Sure you did; the chance to beat up dinosaurs was just a bonus extra!) The take the nearest vine to go check out volcanoes, just n time for it to erupt and set off a stampede like the Tasmanian Devil, but with more prehistoric animals. Somehow, they aren't all covered in ash, rock and lava. The source of the eruptions turns out to be a souped up swamp buggy and Henchman 21 is in whining....  The Monarch will not be pleased! Get with it, Gary!  Ben, Ka-Zar and Zabu start kicking cannon fodder, when the boss, Volcanus turns up...  He zaps them with a ray gun and locks them in a cage, to be dropped into the volcano. He monologues and then buggers off. Ben and Ka-Zar make like the time bandits and swing the cage against the side of the crater and smash it open, freeing themselves. Then they go after the bad guys. A grunt kicks Ka-Zar's kitty and gets his butt whooped by Daddy and then Ben smashes the heads of the others. They chase after Volcanus and he ends up dumped into the lava, thanks to Ben...  We are told the story continues in MTU #47 Thoughts: Rather vague threat here and no explanation why SHIELD is air dropping Ben, stead of him taking the Pogo Plane or even the FF's ICBM. Also no explanation why Ka-Zar's knife and Zabu's teeth are supposed to be more effective than Ben's fists, on the allosaur. Volcanus and his henchman seemingly come out of nowhere. he intends to become some kind of god, but, the plane seems a bit thin. I have no idea if this is where Jackson and Doc got Henchman 21; but, I'm going to treat it like it is, from now on. The whole set up has the feel of a Venture brothers episode, anyway! Ron Wilson is back on art and he has always been my favorite MTIO artist, handling a lot of the classics. He does a damn good Ben Grimm! Before this is done, it will tie into the Basilisk, from MTU #16, even though the stories were a couple of years apart. I will be skipping ahead to MTU #47, to tie this into MTIO #17, but will then go back tot he normal sequence.
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