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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2022 13:42:31 GMT -5
AVENGERS #89. In 1983, I read the Kree-Skrull War Special Edition; a reprint of the Avengers story when reprinting Neal Adams stories was all the rage. While I LOVED it at 18 years old, I haven’t read that story again since. The reprint did not include the Buscema stories that set the stage for this epic tale. Reading this issue for the first time, I’m suddenly 18 years old again and reading that classic tale, but with a bit more insight since this issue was just summarized. Honestly, it’s always a good time when Mar-Vell and/or Annihilus show up. Grade: A- That's exactly how I first read the Kree-Skrull War (the 80's special edition books), and same reaction when I finally got to this one years later! |
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Post by chaykinstevens on Nov 6, 2022 15:53:42 GMT -5
INCREDIBLE HULK #139. While you see the Rhino, the Abomination, the Glob, the Mandarin, and one other that I can’t identify on the cover, none of them actually appear in the book. The other two villains on the cover were the Absorbing Man and, according to GCD, the Sandman, who may have been miscoloured.. CONAN THE BARBARIAN #5. Conan is traveling through a village on his way to the city of Shadizar when the sorcerer, Zukala, sends his shapeshifting daughter, Zephura, to collect the gold that was owed to him as tribute; basically, a protection racket. In the form of a tiger, Zephura terrorizes the villagers until Conan intervenes. She attacks him, but decides not to kill him. She, then, leaves to return to her father. After the villagers explain how all this came to be, Conan decides to fight on their behalf...for a price. Really good battle between the barbarian and the sorcerer with Zephura torn between the two. So far, only issue #4 has disappointed me as I truly enjoyed this. Grade: B+ Wasn't Zukala's daughter called Zephra? |
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Post by chaykinstevens on Nov 6, 2022 16:55:53 GMT -5
DAREDEVIL #77. This issue opens with, both, Daredevil and Spider-Man singing the “Since My Baby Left Me” blues. Spidey sees DD and goes into a new chorus of “Look at That Guy!! Not A Care in the World!” blues. Deciding to go home and change, he notices a commotion outside of his window in the park. There’s an alien ship that is summoning Namor, the Sub-Mariner who, actually, responds. Namor, who has a reason to commiserate after the death of Dorma, ends up in a pointless battle with Spider-Man and Daredevil. Suddenly, there’s a flash of light and a strange woman appears and takes Spider-Man and Namor with her to….wherever!!! DD and the people in the park are left with no memory of the incident. Given the star power of this issue, I truly wanted to love this issue, but, I came away barely liking it. Grade: C
This issue is best known for being the source of the post-punk band name, the Teardrop Explodes.  |
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Post by Myke Gee on Nov 12, 2022 18:48:00 GMT -5
*** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK ON NOVEMBER 9, 2019 ***
MAY 1971
(Cover Date: July/August 1971)
Continuing my journey through the Marvel Universe with first-time reads of books on sale in the month of May 1971.
On sale the 1st week of May 1971 DAREDEVIL #78. This issue is the debut of William “Bull” Taurens aka The Man-Bull. Never knew his real name and it’s one of those “too-on-the-nose” names like Basil Elks. 🙄 At any rate, DD rescues a couple strolling through the New York night when Bull and his crew try to kidnap them and take them back to a guy named “Kline”. Kline was planning on performing some kind of experiment on them, but, because DD intervened, Kline performed it on Bull. Pretty simple story and, somewhat, entertaining. Grade: B-
THOR #190. Last issue, the death-Goddess, Hela, set out to end the life of Thor for his role in the defeat of Infinity; thus, upsetting her carefully laid plans. Now, they are face-to-face on earth and Hela threatens to end the life of every innocent bystander unless Thor agrees to her deadly touch. Alerted by Balder to the crisis Thor faces, Odin intervenes and, actually, kills Hela. When Thor reminds Odin, why Hela must live, Odin resurrects her. However, the reason that Hela decides not to take Thor was a little cheesy, in my opinion. THOR remains a very good book, but, the last couple of issues were a little…well…ordinary. I guess because, so far, I haven’t found Hela to be that interesting a character. Maybe future appearances will change my mind. Grade: B-
SUB-MARINER #40. Continued from DAREDEVIL #77, which guest-starred Spider-Man and the Sub-Mariner, the latter two were taken by Princess Tuvia to the Land of the Black Sea People. She wants Namor to battle a tyrant named Turalla the Mad so that he would not sit on their throne. Out of a sense of responsibility from a centuries old wrong that was done by the Atlanteans, Namor agrees and Spider-Man offers to help. What doesn’t work here is the team-up of Spidey and Namor. These two characters have no chemistry together and the two of them battling some Z-grade villain doesn’t help. This one felt like a MARVEL TEAM-UP inventory story. A poor follow-up to a decent DD story. Grade: D
IRON MAN #40. A pedestrian conclusion to a pedestrian beginning. Kevin O’Brien is helping Tony Stark recover from injuries sustained last issue. Meanwhile, the White Dragon is trying to trick Stark into building a nuclear bomb and detonating it at the United Nations. *Sigh* here’s more to this story, but it really isn’t worth getting into. The only reason that this doesn’t receive two straight “F’s” is because of the surprisingly good artwork from George Tuska and Jim Mooney. Grade: D
On sale the 2nd week of May 1971 AVENGERS #90. Last issue, the Avengers saved Mar-Vell and fended off the threat of Annihilus only to have the Kree Sentry arrive at the end with the intent to “…kill Mar-Vell and all who stand beside him!” After a brief skirmish with the Sentry, it suddenly gets new orders and he vanishes with Mar-Vell. Back at the mansion, the team gets a message from Goliath who is off to Alaska to help the Wasp, where he finds Jan alone after Hank was taken to a jungle where there should be none. The rest of the team arrives after Goliath is defeated by the Sentry. Ronan is also there and reveals a plot to devolve earth back to prehistoric times because the proliferation of super-powered beings is seen as a potential threat to the Kree Empire. A good story, but I found the first half of it a little “dry”. Fortunately, it picked up once Ronan appeared. Grade: B+
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #99. This is something of a “quiet” issue. One where things happen, but nothing happens; nothing of note, anyway. Well, that’s not entirely true because, in this issue, Pete and Gwen are having serious conversations about their future together and Peter lands a job at the Bugle as a staffer instead of just a freelancer. On the action side, Spidey quells a prison riot and, nearly, gets nabbed by the cops while appearing on a late-night talk show. An enjoyable “A Day in the Life” tale. Grade: B
INCREDIBLE HULK #142. Ooookaaaaayyy…ssoooo, some brain-dead socialites have decided to make the Hulk…a social cause. The Hulk, who is resting atop the Statue of Liberty, is confronted by the Parrington family and offered an opportunity to have his own country where no one will shoot at him and he makes his own laws. LOL!!! Their daughter, Samantha, is the one who talks him down and is the one that he trusts. She convinces him to go to a party in his honor with more brain-dead socialites. Meanwhile, the Enchantress wants revenge on Greenie after the events of INCREDIBLE HULK #101. Banished by Odin after her last encounter with the Liberators (see AVENGERS #77), she grants Samantha the powers of the Valkyrie. Samantha, a big women’s libber, fights the Hulk…basically, because he’s a male, lol!!! At times, I didn’t know if this is a serious story with comedic moments or vice versa, lol, but it was fun to read. Grade: B+
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #140. Lately, this book has been getting better and better. After all the AIM, Red Skull and MODOK stories, we’re starting to get some fresh ideas. While Stone-Face wasn’t the greatest villain, a two-parter featuring Spider-Man made for a fantastic tale. This month, one of my favorite baddies return: The Grey Gargoyle!!! The story continues from last issue as Cap is recruit by the Commissioner of the NYPD to go undercover and investigate the disappearance of officers from a certain area. This led our duo to GG and the battle begins. Somewhat overmatched, the Gargoyle flees and Cap reports to the Commish. Meanwhile, the Falcon continues to search for him and finds him right in the middle of a “…I remember that fateful day when…” monologue (yeah, his origin) and working on a new serum. The Falcon fights bravely, but eventually succumbs to the Gargoyles touch. Only this time, the Falcon can still move while turned to stone and the new serum now allows the Gargoyle to control his victims. Cap enlists the aid of Nick Fury and SHIELD to find his missing partner and discover that the case that SHIELD is working on is connected to the Gargoyle. Man, this was a whole lot of fun. Definitely the highest mark I’ve awarded Cap in a long time. Grade: A
On sale the 3rd week of May 1971 FANTASTIC FOUR #113. I truly love that the FF is returning….has returned to form. 13 issues later and I’m still disappointed in that four-issue skid from #97-100. I’m, also, excited that Stan is still around and writing the book. Further proof that the Stan-bashers are full of it!! “He’s never written anything without Kirby or Ditko!”. Straight baloney!!! Anyway, the Hulk has kicked the Thing’s rocky rear……AGAIN and Reed and Johnny think that he’s dead this time. Then, Reed remembers that, because of Ben’s skin, hearing his heartbeat requires special equipment at the Baxter Building. Meanwhile, there’s a warrant for the FF’s arrest because of the damage to the city caused by the Hulk and the Thing’s fight. Then, the Watcher shows up with one message: “Beware the Over-Mind”. On top of that, Agatha Harkness projects an image warning Reed and Sue of impending danger. Such a good issue with the first appearance of the Over-Mind. Grade: A
ASTONISHING TALES #7. Dr. Doom: Last issue, Doom discovered that the source of vibranium is in Wakanda. The Black Panther returns home to stop him from stealing the precious metal. It’s that simple. The Panther’s solution to ending Doom’s threat was so inconceivable, Doom backed down and considered juice was not worth the squeezing. Somewhat out of character for Doom, in my opinion. Again, one of the greatest villains ever proves to be a rather bland headliner. Grade: C
Ka-Zar: Continued from last issue, Ka-Zar, Zabu and Tongah continue their battle against the enraged, God-like Damon. First thing that I noticed was that Barry Smith wasn’t the artist and I was shocked to see that it was Herb Trimpe. While I’m not a huge Trimpe fan (sorry Sarah. No disrespect intended), he did an incredible job with this issue! What really amazes me is the threat level that Ka-Zar faces. This guy is, nearly, a Thor-level threat. Yet, Ka-Zar is trading punches with a God-like alien. A so-so story with an ending that comes out of left field. Grade: C
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #8. Fleeing the city of Numalia, Conan finds himself being tracked by the Corinthian Guard at the request of Numalia who thinks that Conan killed the Governor’s niece. Conan cause a rockslide that kills all but the guard’s captain, Burgun. Later, the two square off in battle and Conan, mistakenly, thinks he’s killed him. Conan continues to Corinthia where he finds an abandoned city guarded by a giant Gila monster, which Conan manages to kill. When Burgun shows up later, much to Conan’s surprise, he and Burgun put aside their differences and decide to loot the city together. That’s when they find out the city isn’t quite as abandoned as they thought. Sometimes, I don’t know what to make of these Conan stories. As a person who is not a fan of the sword and sorcery genre, I’m surprised that I lasted this long. Yet, it’s stories like this one (somewhat good, but definitely not great) that keeps me from abandoning this title altogether. Grade: C+
On sale the 4th week of May 1971 KULL THE CONQUEROR #2. This story isn’t entirely new to me as I remember reading MARVEL TEAM-UP #111 & 112 (Spider-Man and Devil-Slayer/King Kull, respectively) which recapped this issue. That made this story a bit more fun for me since I’ve been enjoying stories that were later referenced during my Marvel heyday. This issue, Kull and Brule the Pict must weed out the infiltrating Serpent-Men from among Kull’s followers. As blasphemous as this comment may be, lol, I’m enjoying KULL a bit more than CONAN. However, it is only 2 issues in, lol!!! Outstanding artwork from the Severins!!! Grade: B
SGT. FURY #90. Todd Taylor requested that I read and review this issue. Gabe Jones is kidnapped by members of the Third Reich. As he’s being flown back to Nazi Germany for some unrevealed purpose, the German aircraft is shot down by Allied forces. Before it crashes, an unnamed German officer handcuffs himself to Jones and places a parachute on his back and jumps. Jones awakens first to find himself cuffed to the German officer. Thus, begins our allegorical presentation of “The Defiant Ones” all the way down to the running for the train scene. Of course, they don’t follow that classic film verbatim, but the similarities are pretty obvious. Written by someone named Al Kurzrok, he manages to use dialogue that’s a bit....edgy for a 1971 comic book, but it’s effective in ways that the Sons of the Serpent story in THE AVENGERS wasn’t. Kudos to Marvel for trying to put to bed some stereotypes that still exist today. Great story. Grade: A-
A tad bit too much mediocrity this month with books like ASTONISHING TALES, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, IRON MAN, and THE SUB-MARINER. What’s concerning me is that I feel like THE SUB-MARINER is about to go into a decline. I hope not because the stories leading up to Dorma’s death were pretty good. Looking forward to next month as MARVEL SPOTLIGHT debuts starring Red Wolf!!! As always, thanks for the support and let me know what you liked and didn’t like. Until next week, take care, everyone!!!
Books of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #140
2. FANTASTIC FOUR #113
3. SGT. FURY #90
4. INCREDIBLE HULK #142
5. AVENGERS #90
Covers of the Month:
1. RAWHIDE KID ANNUAL #1
2. MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #12
3. FANTASTIC FOUR #113
4. IRON MAN #40
5. SGT. FURY #90
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Post by Myke Gee on Nov 12, 2022 19:15:47 GMT -5
*** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK NOVEMBER 16, 2019 ***
JUNE 1971
(Cover Date: August/September 1971)
Hey, True Believers!!! Once again, I’d like to share my thoughts on first-time reads of these classic Marvel Comics!!! This week, I’ll be reviewing books that were published the month of June 1971. Hope ya likes!!!
On sale the 1st week of June 1971 DAREDEVIL #79. DD finds himself fighting the newly powered Man-Bull. He, also, found that he’s not quite a match for the Man-Bull. On top of that, the couple that DD rescued from kidnapping was kidnapped again by Man-Bull’s crew. There’s, also, the issue of Foggy being blackmailed by the same Mr. Kline that’s responsible for the Man-Bull’s creation. Did I mention that Karen Page is back in town? Let the soap opera begin. Still, a pretty good issue and a good fight between DD and Man-Bull....even if he does look ridiculous, lol!!! Grade: B-
IRON MAN #41. There are certain characters in the Marvel Universe whose names carry big time respect in the Marvel Universe. One of those names is Iron Man. I mean, he’s one of the Avengers’ “Big Three”, right? So, with this in my mind for years, I had a hard time accepting the argument that, in the real world, Iron Man was NOT a top-tier character until the movie came along. “Preposterous!!!”, I would say. Now, as I’m reading his series. I see what people mean. So, this issue, Tony Stark is called before the Senate, yet again, by Sen. Harrington Byrd. This time he takes Marianne Rodgers with him. There is, also, the mysterious Mr. Kline from Daredevil’s book. He’s launched a scheme to discredit Stark and another industrialist name Ben Crandall. He sends two villains, the Slasher and….Demetrius(??) (what kind of super-villain name is Demetrius??) to destroy the U.S. Capitol and Iron Man. Also, it turns out that Marianne is an esper!! Yet, with all of this going on, it’s still just an average story with, again, surprisingly good art from George Tuska. Jim Mooney is the best inker that I’ve seen for him, so far. Grade: C+
SUB-MARINER #41. Namor’s quest for his long-lost father leads him to upstate New York where he is blasted out of the sky by Karl Serr; a mutated…being who lives under the control of his mother. He is helped by a young woman named Lucille who turns out to be the controlling mother’s niece. While Lucille seems benevolent, Aunt Serr is, definitely, on some world-domination trip. Her son, it turns out, is the product of an atomic project gone wrong which left Karl with a rock-like body and energy powers and his father dead. When Namor refuses to join Aunt Serr in her version of Mad Super-Villain Scheme #2 (World Domination), she has Karl, whom she calls…. wait for it…. Rock, try to kill Namor. This is one of those “Strange town with a dark secret” stories that I really wanted to like more, but, it didn’t quite deliver. It starts off better than it ends and it’s continued next issue. Turalla the Mad and Rock are starting to compete with Daredevil’s rogues for corniest villains. Grade: C+
THOR #191. While Thor and Odin were dealing with the threat of Hela, last issue, Loki was scheming as he always does. By the end of the issue, he came into possession of the Odin-Ring from the…umm… Odin-Cave…or…wherever and anyone who wears it is the ruler of Asgard. *Sigh* I get that Loki is Thor’s arch-nemesis and The Red Skull is Cap’s and Doom in the FF’s etc, etc. Therefore, I get that they will have multiple appearances throughout a series. However, I’m just not a huge Loki fan. So, his next big plot doesn’t have me salivating. Translation: I’m already kinda tired of Loki. With that said, this is still a pretty good story. It continues next issue as Loki has created DUROK…the….um…Demolisher (never let a good name just die away, huh, Marvel, lol) and has sent him to Earth. Grade: B-
On sale the 2nd week of June 1971 AMAZING ADVENTURES #8. Inhumans: First thing that jumps out at me is that I never realized that the Inhumans and the Avengers haven’t met before up to this point as none of them seems to have recognized Black Bolt on the TV screen. Here’s another trivial thing that I’ve been keeping an eye out for: This appears to be the first time that the Vision’s dialog is written in the rounded rectangular box. When I first read the character, I noticed that, and it was explained that it was to indicate that his voice was cold and hollow. Since his first appearance, I’ve noticed its absence. Anyway, back to the story. As the Avengers watch the events happening in San Francisco, Thor advises that team to let him handle it alone. Once there, he faces the Inhumans Karnak, Medusa and Gorgon who is trying to free Black Bolt from the control of the mysterious Mr. Dibbs. Some Black Panther Party and Watts Riots allegories are prevalent throughout this story, but they were secondary to a very good ending to this story. Grade: B
Black Widow: The Widow’s time in this book is, mercifully, over. After eight issues, this series’ biggest contribution to the Marvel Universe was the introduction of Ivan Petrovich. The brief series did not go out with a bang, but rather, something of a whimper as it was another tale with that “inventory story” stink all over it. A German called the Watchlord who has a mad-on for Russians kidnaps Ivan to lure the Widow into a trap. The most interesting thing about this was the Watchlord’s power matter manipulation. Grade: D
AVENGERS #91. I read AMAZING ADVENTURES #8 before I read this issue and, as I noted, the distinct word balloon for the Vision appears to have made its debut this month. How long before it turns yellow? Okay, enough of my minutiae. The preamble to the Kree-Skrull War continues this month. Ronan continues his plan to devolve the human race so that the Kree will never have to fear its threat to the empire’s galactic dominance. The Avengers, Captain Marvel, and Rick Jones fight to stop him. Plus, the Skrulls attack the Kree!! A pretty good issue which, also, features the first spark of the Vision and Scarlet Witch’s romance. Grade: A-
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #100. Another highly anticipated issue that I’ve been dying to read. Only If you’ve been living under a rock do you not know where this issue leads. So, Spider-Man foils a bank robbery and finds that he didn’t get the same rush as before; that maybe he’s growing up. Maybe it’s time to settle down with Gwen and chuck the whole Spider-Man shtick. Next, he decides to test a potion that he’s been working on for years and finished a while ago that will take away his spider powers, however, it is untested. He drifts off into a potion-induced dream where he faces several old foes and the “ghost” of Captain Stacy while constantly complaining of pain in his sides. Then, as he awakens to the most jump-the-shark moment of the series, Peter Parker now has six freakin’ arms!!!! 😏🙄😀😏 If I’m not mistaken, this is Stan's last issue and, if this is where he’s steering the book, that’s a good thing because maybe he’s told all the Spider-Man stories he has left to tell. While I didn’t hate this issue, it was hardly a milestone. Grade: C+
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #141. Part 3 of the Grey Gargoyle tale. First, let me say that, after all my griping about “Red Skull/MODOK/A.I.M.” stories, this book has been steadily improving since the Falcon became the co-star. Not because he’s a better character or anything, but, because there’s great chemistry between the two that lends to their appeal in ways that neither has displayed as solo characters; not at this stage, anyway. So, the story is pretty straight forward: The Gargoyle has developed a potion that not only allows him to turn people into stone for an hour, but it allows the victim mobility and the Gargoyle control over them. Last issue, he captured the Falcon and Cap is on his way to rescue him. After feigning capture, the Falcon is taken aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier where he subdues the guards and “beams” GG aboard so that he can steal the oh-so-deadly Element X!! Great pacing and lots of action make this another fantastic issue. Grade: A
INCREDIBLE HULK #143. Bruce Banner is, once again, on the run from the NYPD and the military because of his latest rampage last issue. As the police were closing in on him, he is, suddenly, picked up by a limousine containing Dr. Doom. Doom, always ready with the robots, sends a Hulk robot out to battle the military and is destroyed as a result. What’s...amusing, to me, is that, after the gazillion times the military has unsuccessfully deployed conventional and unconventional weapons, they really thought that they succeeded this time. Of course, this was all about Doom gaining control over the Hulk. “With the green behemoth under my control, Doom will be....” yeah, yeah, we get it Victor, lol!!! Good issue that I hope leads to a great ending. Grade: B-
On sale the 3rd week of June 1971 FANTASTIC FOUR #114. As I read this issue, it struck me that I’ve been watching a transition in styles of storytelling in the Marvel Universe and I wasn’t quite aware of it. With the addition of Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Gerry Conway over the last two or three years, Marvel stories featured more narrative-driven stories versus the dialogue-driven ones like Stan’s FF, Spider-Man, and even Thor to some extent. I still find this refreshing as I read this issue. So, under the control of the Over-Mind, the mayor of NY has the FF posting bail for the damage caused by the fight between the Thing and the Hulk. Then, O.M. decides to walk among the common Earth people in disguise to gauge their threat to stop his plans. This leads to another big battle in NY better the FF and the Over-Mind. Having taken their measure, OM decides that the threat is minimal and erases everyone’s mind of the battle. What the Over-Mind doesn’t realize is that the team is aware of him, having been warned by the Watcher last issue. Needless to say: to be continued. Grade: A-
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #1. Okay, so, one thing that I wasn’t ready for was the Red Wolf that was presented in this issue. I was expecting Will Talltrees from AVENGERS #80. I mean, I knew that there were other Red Wolves than Talltrees, but I didn’t expect them to introduce a new one with a different origin in the character’s 2nd appearance!!! Anywho...This Red Wolf is Johnny Wakely; a Native American whose parents were killed by White men and whose adoptive White parents were killed by Native Americans. This, basically, is an origin story written by Gardner Foxx and drawn by Syd Shores and Wally Wood. It's, also, set in 19th century, presumably (on my part) during the days of the Rawhide Kid, Two-Gun Kid and the like. Thus, it feels more like a Western comic than a superhero comic and, while I absolutely loved the Westerns, I’ve moved on from those. I guess I’ll still read the RED WOLF comic when I get to it, but, if it’s anything like this issue, I just know that I’m going to feel like I went backward. Grade: C
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #9. This issue, Conan and his companion, Jenna, are attacked by savages until their leader calls a halt to the assault. Conan and Jenna, for whatever reason, go back to their village and trusts them enough to party with them, lol! The next day, Jenna is kidnapped by a tall, coal black-skinned man with wings and taken to another valley. The bird-man, called Garakaa by the savages, holds her in a jade tower surrounded by plants that suck the life out of humans. Yep! Man-eating plants, lol!!! Conan goes through great lengths to rescue Jenna including a life and death battle with Garakaa. *Sigh* Okay, so I’m still struggling to maintain an interest in this book. Again, for the umpteenth time, the sword and sorcery genre is just not my thing. So far, all of the stories have been adaptations of stories by Robert E. Howard and they’ve been hit or miss, at best. Next month’s cover says all new stories are coming and a quick glance at the splash page doesn’t say “Based on a story by R.E.H.” like the others. Therefore, I’m gonna hang in there a little bit longer to see where this book goes. Grade: C
Again, not a lot of high marks this month. Books that earn an A really earned them. Some great stories in those books. Also, this month, on sale were IRON MAN ANNUAL #2, X-MEN ANNUAL #2, and SGT. FURY ANNUAL #7. All were reprints of previous issues from those titles. As always, thanks for the support. Let me know what you liked and didn’t like. Until next week, take care.
Books of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #141
2. FANTASTIC FOUR #114
3. AVENGERS #91
4. AMAZING ADVENTURES #8 (INHUMANS STORY)
5. INCREDIBLE HULK #143
Covers of the Month:
1. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #100
2. CONAN THE BARBARIAN #9
3. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #1
4. WHERE CREATURES ROAM #8
5. RAWHIDE KID #91
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 13, 2022 5:07:40 GMT -5
On Spiderman #100, it definitely came out before the time when the big two had not yet fully come to the realization that you could squeeze out a little extra cash from comics buyers by making a big deal out of round-number (-hundred or -fifty), 'anniversary' issues and bulking up their page count. So besides the cover, it's just a run-of-the-mill story that's just the first of a three-part arc. As for that story, I thought it was pretty good - I first read it in its reprinted form in a treasury edition that was published sometime in the mid-1970s.
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Post by Myke Gee on Nov 19, 2022 9:34:23 GMT -5
***ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK ON NOVEMBER 23, 2019***
JULY 1971 (Cover Date: September/October 1971)
July 1971 is the last month of 15 cent books. Next month, the books jump to 25 cents and feature double-length stories. This was a one-time event as the following month, the books good down to 20 cents. So, here are my thoughts on the July 1971 books after reading them for the first time.
On sale the first week of July 1971 DAREDEVIL #80. The mysterious Mr. Kline has freed the Owl from prison and plans on using him in the next phase of Daredevil’s destruction. However, the Owl doesn’t like being the lackey, so, he has his lackeys rob a jewelry store. Daredevil intervenes which leads to a one-on-one with the Owl aboard a helicopter. Honestly, the only reason why I’ve stuck with this book is that I’ve been waiting for what happens next issue. The Black Widow arrives. Grade: C-
IRON MAN #42. Tony Stark is still in D.C. and under investigation by a Senate committee. Little does he know that this is all orchestrated by the mysterious Mr. Kline. This issue, he sends a man called Mikas, also known as Soulfather, after Marianne Rodgers for her role in the defeat of the Slasher and Demetrius. Meanwhile, another Senator, Ernest McJavit, has Iron Man held for questioning because he doesn’t buy the Slasher and Demetrius’ confessions. When Marianne and Soulfather (I swear that that name makes me want to listen to some James Brown, lol!!!) telepathically contacts Tony while in armor, Iron Man breaks free from his voluntary hold to “rescue” her. However, Marianne is being controlled by Soulfather and Iron Man has to fight to free her. Interesting that Mr. Kline’s schemes are crossing into two books, but the stories around them aren’t so interesting. How does a crossover villain manage to be mediocre in two books? Grade: C
THOR #192. Loki has usurped the throne of Asgard and to tick Thor off even further, he created Durok the Demolisher and sent him to Earth. Basically, he’s a silent version of the Hulk and Loki is teleporting him to various locations on Earth to cause destruction. Classic “Needle scratches record” moment: Thor needs room to swing his hammer so that he can fly, but he’s in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and the streets are crowded. So, he pushes a building and it conveniently slides backward like a shoebox in a row of shoeboxes. Holy don’t raise the bridge, lower the river, Batman!!!! 😂😂😂 Anyway, Balder convinces Karnilla to send him to Earth if he promises to not take up arms against Loki, which means that he cannot help Thor fight Durok. That doesn’t mean that he cannot call someone else to help him!! *hint, hint* Continued next issue.... Grade: B
On sale the second week of July 1971 AVENGERS #92. After last issue’s Arctic battle with the Kree, the three technicians that were rescued were sworn to secrecy about the alien origins of the Kree. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep their mouths shut and now the government, spearheaded by the head of the newly formed Alien Activities Commission, H. Warren Craddock, is in full Witch-hunt mode. They want Mar-Vell, who is inside Avengers Mansion, but when he leaves with Carol Danvers, the Avengers are labeled as traitors for letting him “escape”. Craddock subpoenas the team, as well as the Fantastic Four, to appear in front of the AAC to answer questions about the Kree. As Craddock is questioning the team, Rick Jones has a vision of Mar-Vell in trouble and he storms out of the hearing. Craddock adjourns the hearings until Rick is found. Meanwhile, back at the Mansion, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man await the team to announce its disbandment....so it would seem. 😏 Good issue, but that’s about the highest praise that I can give it. Maybe I’m just too anxious to read the next issue. It will be the first time that I’ve read the Kree-Skrull War since I first read the Special Edition reprint back in 1983. Grade: B-
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101. So, the Stan Lee era is done, and what a ride it was. To the Stan-basher’s: again, PLEASE stop! This notion that he didn’t write anything is ridiculous. Strange how I have yet to get an answer to this question: If Ditko was really the one writing and Stan just took the credit, then how do you explain ASM 40-100? Those issues contained some of the best Spider-Man stories I’ve ever read!! Especially “The Tablet Saga”!! Surely you don’t think that Romita and/or Kane wrote these books? If they did, why is it that they never wrote again? It makes no sense. Anyway, Stan is gone, now, and he decided to jump the shark on the way out the door, lol!!! Now, Spidey has 6 arms which and they aren’t enough to save him from Morbius, the Living Vampire. Roy Thomas inherits the 6-armed superhero and introduces a cult favorite. As Peter decides to go to a secluded home owned by Curt Conners to try to find a cure, he is attacked by Morbius. Of course, if Conners is involved, here comes the Lizard!!! Despite the goofiness of the six arms, it was a fun read. Grade: B+
INCREDIBLE HULK #144. Last issue, Dr. Doom kidnapped Bruce Banner who was fleeing from the authorities and took him to Latveria. Doom, also, sent a robot Hulk to fight the military. When the robot is destroyed, everyone thinks that the Hulk is dead. Back in Latveria, Doom has subjected Banner to his subliminal inducer which makes him a servant of Doom. It’s all a plot to control the Hulk and a reason to get these two to square off. It’s a good story and fight, but not a great one as I had hoped that it would be. Grade: B+
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #142. The conclusion to the Grey Gargoyle storyline. Cap and the Falcon must stop GG from getting his hands on Element X (whatever that is), which is held inside a SHIELD mountain-top base. Inside the base, the Gargoyle has defeated all of the agents guarding Element X and it’s up to Cap and the Falcon to stop him. Sometimes, the simplest plot lines are the best. Mad Super-Villain scheme #5 (the villain gets his hands on an “unstoppable” weapon to rule the world) is on full display here and it makes for a really great story! Grade: A
SUB-MARINER #42. The conclusion to last issue’s less-than-stellar storyline doesn’t up the ante a bit. As I’ve said many times before, this is a story that I truly struggled to care about. This is DAREDEVIL-at-its-worst level of boredom. Namor’s adventure in the strange upstate New York town tries to be mysterious, but it completely falls flat. The characters are flat. The villains are flat. Even Namor comes off so...generic in this story. The first half was better, but just barely. Grade: F
On sale the third week of July 1971 ASTONISHING TALES #8. Ka-Zar. The Jungle Lord is the lead feature in this issue as Dr. Doom will make his final feature appearance in the following story. Now, multiple sources have cited ASTONISHING TALES #6 as the first appearance of Bobbi Morse, later known as the Huntress and better known as Mockingbird. If the woman depicted in that issue is her, then, she dyed her hair from blonde to brown. Anyway, she and some guy named Paul Allen reach the Savage Land in search for Ka-Zar only to have their plane attacked by pterodactyl. Morse parachutes from the plane while Allen lands the damaged aircraft. Ka-Zar sees both and goes after the pilot while Morse lands in Lost Lake. There she finds herself caught in the middle of a war between the British and the Germans; neither side knowing that WW2 is over. So far, a pretty good story with a lot of promise. Grade: B+
Dr. Doom. It is the time of year in which Dr. Doom is allowed to summon and challenge “Satan” and try to win back the soul of his deceased mother. After casting a spell to summon the Lord of Lie's presence in his castle, Doom battles the Devil's chosen champion: Kagrok the Killer. I remember reading (probably in FF) about how Doom battles every year to rescue his mother’s soul from Hell, but I never knew that there was actually a story printed. This was really good and, if there were more like them, then his time in the book may not have ended. Alas, despite the “Next Issue: Deathmasque” announcement, this is it for Doom. Unlike the Black Widow in AMAZING ADVENTURES, at least, Doom went out with a bang! Grade: B+
MARVEL FEATURE #1. The Defenders. A somewhat disappointing issue. When Namor, the Hulk and the Silver Surfer joined forces in the “Titans Three” story in SUB-MARINER #34 & 35, I was giddy with anticipation of the upcoming official gathering of the Defenders. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that I didn’t like the issue, but (those that have read my reviews may know the next line), I didn’t love it, either. So, Yandroth returns, as does the mask-less Dr. Strange (see 2nd story), and he’s dying. He telepathically summons Strange to the hospital where he reveals that a device called the Omegatron will set off nuclear warheads all over the world once he dies (so, that’s where they got the AVENGERS #169 story from). Needing powerful allies to stop the threat, Strange asks Namor for help who suggests that the enlist the aid of the Hulk and the Surfer. The Surfer was unable to help because he just knocked himself out trying to escape Galactus’ barrier. From here on, it’s a fairly simple story of the team trying to destroy the Omegatron, but, of course, there’s a twist to overcome first. The ending gives us the suggestion of the non-team concept. Again, a good story, but not a great one. It’s, also, made a little less enjoyable because of Ross Andru’s really sketchy artwork. Not one of his best showings, at all. Once again, I wish there were a grade somewhere in between B- and C+, lol!!! Grade:...uuuhhhh...I’ll give it a B-
Dr. Strange: This story takes place after DOCTOR STRANGE VOL 1, #183 and the formation of the Defenders. A powerless Stephen Strange returns home after a long absence from Sanctum Sanctorum to find his man-servant, Wong, caring for a man he believes is Dr. Strange. Strange is stunned to see a masked man in his costume wearing his cloak and amulet. A brief fight breaks out between the two, but, the masked magician easily renders Strange unconscious. While unconscious, Strange is visited by his master, the Ancient One, who restores his powers. Once revived, Strange defeats the masked imposter and, when unmasked, reveals a familiar face. Odd story as it really doesn’t address why Strange started wearing the mask in his original series. Thus, it’s like they’re saying that it was an imposter in that book the entire time that the masked Dr. Strange was in it. I don’t know. This story didn’t do much for me, anyway. Grade: C-
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #10. The first all new story that’s not based on one written by Robert E. Howard. Conan and Jenna reach a Corinthian city-state, but, as always, the city guards refuse to let them in. As Conan pleads their case, other city guardsmen are chasing two thieves and Conan tries to block their arrows, they turn their attention back to him. The thieves, in turn, save Conan and the four flee. One of the thieves turns out to Burgun from issue #8. They, once again, form a partnership and, then, eventually, a friendship. Burgun introduces Conan to an unnamed priest in the Temple of Anu who is, also, a fence for Burgun’s stolen goods. When Conan suggests that they should loot the Temple, the priest conjures up its guardian; a minotaur called the Bull of Anu. At that point, Conan pulls a “uuhhh....just kidding”, lol!!! When Conan and Burgun steals from the Red Priest and ruler of the city, Nabonidus, the Priest orders the head of the city guards, Captain Aron, to either find the thieves or die himself. Capt. Aron visits the unnamed priest of the Temple of Anu who betrays Conan and Burgun which leads to Burgun’s capture and death. Conan learns of the priest’s role in his friend’s death and seeks revenge. As Conan attacks the priest, the priest summons the Bull of Anu. A lot going on in this one issue, but it’s paced nicely and, while not complicated despite its many different aspects, it kept me engaged with good characterization. Grade: B-
On sale the fourth week of July 1971 FANTASTIC FOUR #115. Part 3 of the Over-Mind story. The Watcher warned the FF that Over-Mind was coming in issue #113. Last issue, OM battled the FF last issue and he was less than impressed. So much so that he erased the memory of that fight from the FF and all who witnessed it. However, because the team knew of him prior to the fight, they still are determined to learn all that they can about him. Enter Uatu the Watcher whose race has vowed to observe, but never interfere. Well, Uatu, apparently, has a very liberal interpretation of that oath because he gives the FF a full bio on the Over-Mind and his race and that’s, basically, what this issue is; one big origin story. Thankfully, it was interesting enough to keep me involved. After the story is told, Reed starts acting very strange; arrogant even for him. I guess we’ll find out next issue if it’s him or the Over-Mind. Grade: B
One “A” for the entire month and it’s CAPTAN AMERICA AND THE FALCON!?!?!?? Oh, how times have changed!! The usual frontrunners (FF, ASM, THOR) were all really good, but nothing great and I’ll take “really good”. Also, on sale this month, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #8, FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #9 and THOR ANNUAL #4 were all reprints of previous issues of their respective books. Well, that’s it for this week. Let me know what you liked and what you didn’t. As always, until next week, take care.
Top 5 Books of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #142
2. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101
3. ASTONISHING TALES #8 (BOTH STORIES)
4. INCREDIBLE HULK #144
5. FANTASTIC FOUR #115
Top 5 Covers of the Month:
1. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101
2. AVENGERS #92
3. INCREDIBLE HULK #144
4. DAREDEVIL #80
5. THOR #192 |
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 19, 2022 11:31:11 GMT -5
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101. So, the Stan Lee era is done, and what a ride it was. To the Stan-basher’s: again, PLEASE stop! This notion that he didn’t write anything is ridiculous. Strange how I have yet to get an answer to this question: If Ditko was really the one writing and Stan just took the credit, then how do you explain ASM 40-100? Those issues contained some of the best Spider-Man stories I’ve ever read!! Especially “The Tablet Saga”!! Surely you don’t think that Romita and/or Kane wrote these books? If they did, why is it that they never wrote again? It makes no sense. Of course Stan wrote. No one questions that he scripted ASM. It's just that sometime in the run Ditko took over plotting, Stan usually did not see the story until Ditko turned in the pages for Stan to script, they didn't even talk to one another at one point. Stan did not write down plots, he had talk sessions with the artists like Romita and Kane in which he would lay out the story, sometimes in more detail than others. And again, as Romita grew more confident he took on more of the plotting, with Stan doing the scripts. Romita didn't plot again because he was the Art Director and didn't draw many books again. Kane, he wrote and drew His Name is Savage and Blackmark, two of the earliest graphic novels. He contributed to stories throughout his career.
Your avatar comes right out of a comic book Mr. Hand Man!
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,201 
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Post by Confessor on Nov 20, 2022 5:03:36 GMT -5
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101. So, the Stan Lee era is done, and what a ride it was. To the Stan-basher’s: again, PLEASE stop! This notion that he didn’t write anything is ridiculous. Strange how I have yet to get an answer to this question: If Ditko was really the one writing and Stan just took the credit, then how do you explain ASM 40-100? Those issues contained some of the best Spider-Man stories I’ve ever read!! Especially “The Tablet Saga”!! Surely you don’t think that Romita and/or Kane wrote these books? If they did, why is it that they never wrote again? It makes no sense. Of course Stan wrote. No one questions that he scripted ASM. It's just that sometime in the run Ditko took over plotting, Stan usually did not see the story until Ditko turned in the pages for Stan to script, they didn't even talk to one another at one point. Stan did not write down plots, he had talk sessions with the artists like Romita and Kane in which he would lay out the story, sometimes in more detail than others. And again, as Romita grew more confident he took on more of the plotting, with Stan doing the scripts. Romita didn't plot again because he was the Art Director and didn't draw many books again. Kane, he wrote and drew His Name is Savage and Blackmark, two of the earliest graphic novels. He contributed to stories throughout his career. Your avatar comes right out of a comic book Mr. Hand Man!
The above is all true, of course, and has pretty much been corroborated by various individuals who are "in the know" (though often many years after the fact, which always makes me a little suspicious). But I still think that it was Stan's dialogue, characterisation, and plot outlines that made those Marvel characters so relatable and so much fun to follow month to month. The significance of that contribution shouldn't be overlooked, when discussing what made Silver Age Marvel so special -- though obviously the art of Ditko, Romita, and Kirby was a vitally important ingredient in the success of those comics too. But I think it's telling that after working with Stan, Ditko went on to turn out a lot of largely forgettable superhero or sci-if comics or impenetrable, right-wing Randian propaganda in comic form. While Kirby went on to write some of most verbose, hard to read, and, frankly, baffling comics that you're likely to find having been published by a mainstream comic book company. Not that either artist's post-Marvel output is entirely without merit, of course, but their classic work with Stan has a warmth, accessibility, and a charisma to it that their work without him never achieved, IMO. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 20, 2022 7:47:32 GMT -5
(...) But I think it's telling that after working with Stan, Ditko went on to turn out a lot of largely forgettable superhero or sci-if comics or impenetrable, right-wing Randian propaganda in comic form. While Kirby went on to write some of most verbose, hard to read, and, frankly, baffling comics that you're likely to find having been published by a mainstream comic book company. Not that either artist's post-Marvel output is entirely without merit, of course, but their classic work with Stan has a warmth, accessibility, and a charisma to it that their work without him never achieved, IMO. That largely reflects my own views - although I don't necessarily agree that Ditko's post-Silver Age Marvel output is forgettable; there are quite a few gems there, including his Blue Beetle and Question stories from Charlton, Shade, Starman, individual SF and horror stories that appeared in various DC and Charlton anthology series, etc. However, it's crucial to note that someone else scripted all of those stories. The material that he also scripted, like Mr. A, is virtually unreadable (so it comes as no surprise that I think the best Mr. A story - by far - is the one without any dialogue or captions). The only exception to that would be the two Killjoy back-ups that appeared in E-man in the early 1970s. In Kirby's case, even before he came back to Marvel in the 1960s, I think he did his best work in collaboration with Joe Simon.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Nov 20, 2022 9:15:02 GMT -5
Kane, he wrote and drew His Name is Savage and Blackmark, two of the earliest graphic novels. He contributed to stories throughout his career. According to GCD, Archie Goodwin co-wrote Savage (under the pseudonym Robert Franklin) and Blackmark. They credit the Blackmark sequel in Marvel Preview #17 solely to Kane, but have Goodwin as co-plotter and scripter of the reprint of this in the 30th anniversary edition of Blackmark. |
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 20, 2022 10:42:34 GMT -5
The above is all true, of course, and has pretty much been corroborated by various individuals who are "in the know" (though often many years after the fact, which always makes me a little suspicious). But I still think that it was Stan's dialogue, characterisation, and plot outlines that made those Marvel characters so relatable and so much fun to follow month to month. The significance of that contribution shouldn't be overlooked, when discussing what made Silver Age Marvel so special -- though obviously the art of Ditko, Romita, and Kirby was a vitally important ingredient in the success of those comics too. But I think it's telling that after working with Stan, Ditko went on to turn out a lot of largely forgettable superhero or sci-if comics or impenetrable, right-wing Randian propaganda in comic form. While Kirby went on to write some of most verbose, hard to read, and, frankly, baffling comics that you're likely to find having been published by a mainstream comic book company. Not that either artist's post-Marvel output is entirely without merit, of course, but their classic work with Stan has a warmth, accessibility, and a charisma to it that their work without him never achieved, IMO. True about Stan's contributions. Though when it comes to plot outlines, this again was more Kirby and Ditko on their books. In fact Stan admitted back in the 60s that Dr Strange was "all Steve". I do disagree with Kirby's Fourth World being and impenetrable. I have re-read them in recent years and much of the dialog is no more awkward than some of Stan's. And Kamandi and the Demon are flat out fun. You want some excessively verbose dialog? Try the Colan/Thomas Dr.s Strange books. I still think they are great due to Colan's ground breaking art, but the script is ridiculously overwritten. Was Stan a better scripter than either Kirby or Ditko? No question, but he was the co-writer, and took too much credit for things he had nothing to do with. |
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 20, 2022 10:51:32 GMT -5
Kane, he wrote and drew His Name is Savage and Blackmark, two of the earliest graphic novels. He contributed to stories throughout his career. According to GCD, Archie Goodwin co-wrote Savage (under the pseudonym Robert Franklin) and Blackmark. They credit the Blackmark sequel in Marvel Preview #17 solely to Kane, but have Goodwin as co-plotter and scripter of the reprint of this in the 30th anniversary edition of Blackmark. From Wikipedia:
The question was not if Kane scripted anything, it was if he wrote anything without Stan. He did, Savage and Blackmark were his creations, with Goodwin providing the words, much like Stan on the some Kane plotted stories.
This is one of the things that irked Kirby, too many people thought scripting the words meant writing the story, it is why he decided to script his own books at DC.
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Post by MDG on Nov 20, 2022 12:34:33 GMT -5
This is one of the things that irked Kirby, too many people thought scripting the words meant writing the story, it is why he decided to script his own books at DC.
Kane also wrote issues 3-5 of DC's Captain Action, and those were as good as anything DC or Marvel was putting out at the time. And TBH, I'd rather read Kirby's Fourth World dialog than a lot of the bickering and pontificating in Thomas' Avengers. I don't think Kirby or Ditko thought much about "the script" beyond explaining concepts or character beats that couldn't be expressed visually. Stan could do the latter pretty well, but with Kirby's FF and Thor, the pictures did a lot of the heavy lifting. |
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 20, 2022 12:41:53 GMT -5
Erik Larsen was talking about this on a long thread on Facebook. He said you could always tell a Fantastic Four story plotted by Kirby or Lee. Kirby introduced some amazing creation like the Inhumans or Galactus or the Negative Zone in his plots. Stan had the Thing get mad and fight the FF.
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The Hulk, who is resting atop the Statue of Liberty, is confronted by the Parrington family and offered an opportunity to have his own country where no one will shoot at him and he makes his own laws. LOL!!! Their daughter, Samantha, is the one who talks him down and is the one that he trusts. She convinces him to go to a party in his honor with more brain-dead socialites. Meanwhile, the Enchantress wants revenge on Greenie after the events of INCREDIBLE HULK #101. Banished by Odin after her last encounter with the Liberators (see AVENGERS #77), she grants Samantha the powers of the Valkyrie. Samantha, a big women’s libber, fights the Hulk…basically, because he’s a male, lol!!! At times, I didn’t know if this is a serious story with comedic moments or vice versa, lol, but it was fun to read. Grade: B+
