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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 14, 2023 10:06:06 GMT -5
Indeed!
My own exposure to these issues was a little delayed (I read translated versions that saw print several months later) but those represented my personal golden age of comics.
I agree with you on the Kull series, Myke; love Smith's Conan as I do, Kull was somehow a notch above. Too bad his many runs were always cut short, but at least they never became mediocre.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jan 14, 2023 14:49:16 GMT -5
DAREDEVIL #89. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by John Verpoortan.
GCD says Sal pencilled and inked the cover, and John Romita modified it.   AVENGERS #101. Apparently, this was based on a 1964 story by Harlan Ellison, who is credited with the story and plot. Roy Thomas writes the adaptation and, while I know nothing of the original story, this was interesting enough to make me want to read the original. Ellison's story had originally been submitted to DC for Hawkman. linkSUB-MARINER #51 There’s a Mike and Gary Friedrich? Any relation? According to Wikipedia they were unrelated. |
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 14, 2023 15:15:07 GMT -5
DAREDEVIL #89. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by John Verpoortan.
GCD says Sal pencilled and inked the cover, and John Romita modified it. My guess is the original was all Sal, and Verpooten, who was in the Art Dept. inked the changes Romita did. |
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 14, 2023 15:17:01 GMT -5
Nice big image of the original art.
Description from Heritage:
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Post by Myke Gee on Jan 14, 2023 17:01:19 GMT -5
*** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK ON APRIL 4, 2020 ***
MAY 1972
(Cover Date: August 1972)
Hey, everyone! Here are my thoughts on Marvel Comics published during the month of May 1972.
On sale May 9, 1972 DAREDEVIL #90. “The Sinister Secret of Project Four!” - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer. Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Tom Palmer and Frank Giacoia. The Black Widow finally fills DD in on the mysterious secrets of Project Four and her history with Danny French. Both Daredevil and the Widow begin to experience intense attacks of debilitating fear. Before I get into this issue, one of the things that very mildly annoys me is how supporting characters cannot connect the dots with these heroes. Matt decides to leave NYC for San Francisco and, amazingly, Daredevil is no longer based in NYC, but in San Francisco. While the general public wouldn’t think anything of a superhero changing locale, Foggy Nelson should be saying “Hey, wwaaaiiiit a minute.....”, lol!!! That really has nothing to do with the book, but I had to get that off my chest, lol! Anyway, this is still an inconsistent book. Highly enjoyable one moment. Pure dreck the next. This issue is neither. It’s yet another fair-to-middling tale that’s just good enough to bring the reader back next issue. Grade. 6.0
INCREDIBLE HULK #154. “Hell Is a Very Small Hulk!” - Script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin. Cover pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin. The Hulk breaks into Ant-Man's lab and starts drinking stuff to try and shrink himself to subatomic size. The Chameleon, who is stealing some papers from the lab, takes advantage of the rapidly shrinking Hulk and brings the pint-sized hero back to his current employer, Hydra. Hulk escapes into the air ducts but Hydra sends in a group of plague-carrying rats to finish him off. Ant-Man arrives to help Hulk out but is unable to prevent the jade giant from shrinking out of sight. Meanwhile, Betty leaves Project Greenskin to get her life together. The Ant-Man story continues from AVENGERS #100 and continues in MARVEL FEATURE #4. While I don’t mind seeing a battle with nameless, faceless Hydra agents, sitting through a story with the Chameleon is akin to a three-hour lecture on the pasteurization of milk. Yet, I wasn’t as annoyed with him, as usual, this time. Still, this was just an average Hulk tale. Grade: 5.0
IRON MAN #49. "There Lurks the Adaptoid!" - Story by Mike Friedrich. Art by George Tuska and Vince Colletta. Cover by Gil Kane. Marianne Rodgers has a vision that something bad is going to happen at Avengers Mansion. Tony dons his armor and flies to the mansion and encounters...the Adaptoid! Shell-head and the Adaptoid fight from cover to cover, but the battle ends without a winner as both combatants break contact after being injured. One thing that puzzled me was that I thought that the Adaptoid had the ability to adopt the powers of whomever he was fighting, yet he never duplicated Iron Man’s. Maybe I misinterpreted his powers. Anyway, a solid issue. Good story and action. Grade: 7.5
• CHILI #18
• FEAR #9
• KID COLT OUTLAW #161
• MILLIE THE MODEL #197
• WESTERN KID #5
On sale May 16, 1972 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #111. "To Stalk a Spider!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Romita, inks by John Romita and Tony Mortellaro. Cover by John Romita. Kraven the Hunter, who is still recovering from injuries following his battle against Spider-Man and Ka-Zar in the Savage Land, recruits the Gibbon to battle Spider-Man on his behalf. The Gibbon agrees to do his bidding, as Kraven appeals to the reject's desire to get back at everyone who's ever laughed at him. Web-slinging to Aunt May's, Peter finds a note there from her saying that she's gone away for a while. Spidey leaves when the police arrive, and soon Spider-Man is blamed for kidnapping May Parker. As characters go, the Gibbon is quite the sympathetic villain, if you can really call him that. He’s kind of likable, but not in the “I can’t wait for his next appearance” kind of way. Grade: 7.5
AVENGERS #102. "What to Do till The Sentinels Come!" - Plot suggestion by Chris Claremont. Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by Rich Buckler. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by Rich Buckler, Joe Sinnott, and John Romita (touch-ups). What would the Vision do if he had the opportunity to become human? The synthezoid avenger might just have that chance! But what if the man providing the means and the materials were none other than the Avengers' long-time foe, the Grim Reaper? During a clandestine meeting on the lower east side, the questions are asked. Now, what will be the Vision's answers? Meanwhile, the Sentinels (last seen in X-MEN #59) have set their sights on a different team of superheroes! Specifically, Earth's Mightiest Heroes! And even more specifically the Scarlet Witch! When Wanda takes an evening walk through Central Park, the Sentinels strike! Quicksilver and the Vision rush to the Scarlet Witch's side for the showdown in Central Park! A very good start by Roy Thomas “from an idea suggested by Chris Claremont.” (Of course, it’s Claremont. Dr. Corbeau and Starcore are involved, lol) Looking forward to the next issue. Grade: 8.0
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #152. "Terror in the Night" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Vince Colletta. Cap and the Falcon try to save Sharon from the clutches of Mr. Hyde and the Scorpion. Cameos by Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson. The debut of the Harlem crime boss, Morgan. While Sal Buscema is not one of my top 10 comic artists, he may be #1 when it comes to drawing action sequences. In all honesty, the conclusion to this story wasn’t quite as good as the first part, but I’ll be damned if Sal’s art doesn’t raise it a little. Great stuff and still a pretty cool story. Grade: 9.0
SUB-MARINER #52. "Atomic Samurai" - Script by Bill Everett and Mike Friedrich, art by Bill Everett. Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Joe Sinnott. Namor travels to the surface world with Namorita in search of Betty Dean who he hopes will serve as a guardian to the young Namorita. They track down Betty who is vacationing on the Japanese island of Krakinowa. Namor stumbles upon a hidden city controlled by the Dragon-Lord who is eager to bring about another war with the US. The Dragon-Lord sends his agent, Sunfire, off to capture a US freighter. Namor intercepts Sunfire as he's concerned that the destruction of the freighter could threaten the health of the seas. Despite Namor's best efforts, Sunfire strikes a deadly blow against the freighter and it begins to sink. As I’ve said many times, I’m a sucker for a good hero vs hero battle. Only, Sunfire isn’t very heroic this issue. He still seems to be, yet again, the misguided, easily manipulated “villain” of the story. Even still, it was cool to see these two fight. Some of the old tactics that Namor used against two Human Torches didn’t quite work against Sunfire. Looking forward to the next chapter. Grade: 7.5
THOR #202. "And None Dare Stand 'Gainst Ego-Prime!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Buscema, inks by Vince Colletta. Cover pencils by John Buscema, John Romita (alterations), and Marie Severin (alterations), inks by John Romita (alterations) and Marie Severin (alterations). Ego-Prime has come to Earth, and not all the Asgardian's power can stop him. Meanwhile, Heimdall finds one of the people in his quest - Jackson Kimbal. I have no problems with long, multi-part storylines. I like them more when they build and get better as it progresses. Yet, this tales, once again, falls under the “wannabe epic” category. It’s as if Gerry Conway’s is thinking, “If I make it long and throw in a bunch of battles, maybe fans will view it in the same vein as the greatest Thor adventures of the past.” Fortunately, and unfortunately, he’s churning out good stories, but not great ones. Grade: 7.5
• MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #4
• OUTLAW KID #11
On sale May 23, 1972 ASTONISHING TALES #13. “Man-Thing!” - Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Rich Buckler (pages 1-6) and John Buscema (pages 7-20), inks by Dan Adkins. Cover art by Rich Buckler. Ka-Zar (with the help of AIM) manages to capture the Man-Thing and he is transported to the lab. He escapes and follows Ka-Zar and Barbara Morris when they go searching for the kidnapped Dr. Calvin. They find and save Dr. Calvin, but the traitorous Paul Allen is killed by the Man-Thing. Another ending that is slightly less entertaining than its beginning, but still, a very good read. Ka-Zar is starting to grow on me a little bit, I must admit. Grade: 8.0
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #17. “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” - Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Ralph Reese. Cover art by Gil Kane and Frank Brunner. Setting: Ship in the Vilayet Sea, Island city of Bal-Sagoth. Conan saves Kyrie and restores her as queen of Bal-Sagoth. Adapted from the non-Conan (Turlogh O'Brien) story by Robert E. Howard. The Gil Kane era has begun and one of the first things that I noticed was the inker, Ralph Reese. Never heard of him until now or, at least, I don’t recall his name or seen his work. But, he really works well with Kane, adding deeper shadows that I’ve never seen in Kane’s artwork. It added to the overall effect of the book which features a likable story. Grade: 7.0
LUKE CAGE: HERO FOR HIRE #2. "Vengeance is Mine!" - Script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by George Tuska, inks by Billy Graham. When Luke Cage's actions cause a decline in business for a local drug dealer, he is forced to pit his diamond-hard fists against the deadly assassin known as Diamondback. First appearance of D.W. Griffith. Lots of fun with this issue. A great job establishing the foundations that will shape the character throughout this series. Grade: 8.0
• COMBAT KELLY #2
• HARVEY #4
• MARVEL TALES #36
• RAWHIDE KID #102
On sale May 30, 1972 DEFENDERS #1. “I Slay by The Stars!” - Script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Jim Mooney. Necrodamus attempts to sacrifice Namor to The Nameless One. Omegatron starts its countdown again. Good beginning and Necrodamus is a decent and powerful enough of a villain to bring these characters back together. Finally, a highly anticipated premiere that didn’t disappoint. Grade: 8.5
FANTASTIC FOUR #125. “The Monster's Secret!" - Script by Stan Lee. Pencils by John Buscema. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. While Ben and Johnny are hunting the Monster from the Lost Lagoon, the Invisible Girl fights to stay alive in an underground cave rapidly filling with water! But thankfully, Sue has an unlikely savior...the monster himself! Why is the alien monster rescuing the Invisible Girl? Reed deduces the creature's motives and devises a happy ending for everyone involved! (Note: This issue concludes Stan Lee's 10-year run (that began with issue number one) as the primary writer for the Fantastic Four title.)*Sigh*! The conclusion did as little for me as the first part. Non-speaking bug-eyed monsters just do nothing for me. What’s really weird about the monster is that, in FF #97, it had the ability to assume a human form and speak. But, in the second half of that story, as well as this one, Stan seems to have forgotten that. It would have solved so many problems if it just did that or if Stan explained that it was a one-time ability or something. But, neither happened. Ah well, I love Stan’s writing, but I never said that it was flawless, lol!!! Next issue, a new direction. (I always get a little nervous when I read those three words, lol) Grade: 6.0
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #5. “Origin of the Ghost Rider” - Script by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, art by Mike Ploog. Cover art by Mike Ploog. To save the life of his mentor and the man who has become like a father to him, Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil and is transformed into the spirit of vengeance, Ghost Rider. Origin and first appearance of the 2nd Ghost Rider. First appearance of Roxanne Simpson. This issue had the same effect on me as reading LUKE CAGE, HERO FOR HIRE #1. Because his origin has been told so many times, this almost did not feel like a first time read, outside of the framing sequences. The most significant part of the other side of the framing sequence is Blaze reading the description that the newspaper called him: Ghost Rider. All-in-all, a very nice start despite its familiarity. Still waiting to be really “Wowed” by Ploog, however. His stuff is really nice, but I’m not blown away by it....so far. Grade: 7.5
WARLOCK #1. "The Day of the Prophet!" - Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Tom Sutton. Cover pencils by Gil Kane and John Romita (alterations), inks by Joe Sinnott and John Romita (alterations). The hero of Counter-Earth vs. the Man-Beast! The High Evolutionary saves Counter-Earth from destruction following his promise to Warlock. Warlock and his band of teenage followers encounter the Prophet, a faithful man claiming that Counter-Earths savior will return. Who is this savior the Prophet speaks of? While there are some interesting moments in this story, it’s still about as average as the first two stories in MARVEL PREMIERE. As a fan of the Jim Starlin series, I want to love this one just as much. So far, I’m kinda disappointed. Grade: 6.0
• LI'L KIDS #7
• MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #18
• OUR LOVE STORY #18
• SGT. FURY #101
GRADING CHART
• 10.0 = Classic (rarely given)
• 9.0 – 9.5 = Excellent
• 8.0 – 5.5 = Very Good
• 7.0 – 7.5 = Good
• 6.0 – 6.5 = Above Average
• 5.0 – 5.5 = Average
• 4.0 – 4.5 = Below Average
• 3.0 – 3.5 = Poor
• 2.0 – 2.5 = Very Poor
• 1.0 – 1.5 = Utter Shite
• 0.0 – 0.5 = Not worth the paper it’s printed on
Seeing Namor in THE DEFENDERS #1 made me think about how we’re now getting into the era where heroes appear in multiple books; making continuity a bit tricky, at times. THE AVENGERS was the only book where we had to worry about heroes with their own book making multiple appearances each month. Overall, of the 15 books read this month, the average grade is 7.26; putting them in the Good range. A couple of really good books this month, but some disappointments brought the average way down. Here’s hoping that next month will be better. Next Month: The return of CAPTAIN MARVEL, the return of and the X-Men in MARVEL TEAM-UP. Plus, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1. As always, thanks for the support. Let me know what ya like and, more importantly, what ya don’t. Until then, take care, everyone.
Top Books of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #152
2. DEFENDERS #1
3. THOR #202
4. LUKE CAGE: HERO FOR HIRE #2
5. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #111
Top Covers of the Month:
1. HERO FOR HIRE #2
2. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #5
3. SUB-MARINER #52
4. X-MEN #77
5. WARLOCK #1 |
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Post by Myke Gee on Jan 14, 2023 17:34:35 GMT -5
DAREDEVIL #89. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by John Verpoortan.
GCD says Sal pencilled and inked the cover, and John Romita modified it. AVENGERS #101. Apparently, this was based on a 1964 story by Harlan Ellison, who is credited with the story and plot. Roy Thomas writes the adaptation and, while I know nothing of the original story, this was interesting enough to make me want to read the original. Ellison's story had originally been submitted to DC for Hawkman. linkSUB-MARINER #51 There’s a Mike and Gary Friedrich? Any relation? According to Wikipedia they were unrelated. The credits are a cut-and-paste from mycomicshop.com. So, blame them, LOL!!! |
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 15, 2023 9:14:46 GMT -5
Ralph Reese was a protege of Wally Wood, he worked with Neal Adams as a Crusty Bunker. He did not do a lot of work for the Big Two but had work in Warren books and National Lampoon among other places. He's had a rough life as a comic artist, which he writes about on his Facebook page. He seems to be doing better these days, except for the health issues a 70 year old would have. He also writes wonderful reminisces from those days in the comic industry. That Kane/Reese book was some of the best looking Gil Kane art from the 70s. (Gil Kane was Roy Thoma' original choice to draw Conan, but due to the license fee to the Howard Estate, they needed someone cheaper, which is how Barry Smith got the book) Reese inks Kane on the cover of Conan #25.
Bill Everett. I knew at the time that he created Sub-Mariner and his return was somewhat a big deal. And I really enjoyed the books at the time. But I did not know comics history then as much as I did later. It was a bigger deal than I thought and it was some of the best work of Everett's career. He had recently beat his life long alcoholism but the toll of that and smoking caused heart problems and his death at 55 in 73. As you read these issues, you will see that some stories are only 10 pages, or the book is just plotted by Everett. That was because Roy Thomas and Marvel were trying to keep Everett working during this time of illness.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jan 15, 2023 18:36:42 GMT -5
Overall, of the 15 books read this month, the average grade is 6.3; putting them in the Above Average range. Wasn't the average grade 7.3? |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 15, 2023 19:37:36 GMT -5
Ralph Reese was a protege of Wally Wood, he worked with Neal Adams as a Crusty Bunker. He did not do a lot of work for the Big Two but had work in Warren books and National Lampoon among other places. He's had a rough life as a comic artist, which he writes about on his Facebook page. He seems to be doing better these days, except for the health issues a 70 year old would have. He also writes wonderful reminisces from those days in the comic industry. That Kane/Reese book was some of the best looking Gil Kane art from the 70s. (Gil Kane was Roy Thoma' original choice to draw Conan, but due to the license fee to the Howard Estate, they needed someone cheaper, which is how Barry Smith got the book) Reese inks Kane on the cover of Conan #25. Reese was indeed fantastic over Kane. I had no idea he was so young (relatively speaking); his work on Solomon Kane ("The Skull in the stars") in Monsters Unleashed #1 made such an impression on me way back when that I thought he must be a tried and true veteran. I also really enjoyed his work on Magnus, robot Fighter for Valiant. Gahd, how I wish I had that kind of control with a pen! Regarding Conan, it's true that monetary issues were the reason Barry Smith got the job... but while Kane was a serious contender and was already a Conan fan, the artist Stan and Roy had first thought of was John Buscema (according to Roy's reminiscences on the matter). John, of course, would one day give us the definitive Marvel Comics Conan... but as a Smith fan, I'm very happy that money was in short supply for the launch of the new mag! |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 15, 2023 19:40:33 GMT -5
Looking at those covers, I can't but agree with what Kirby101 and Rob said earlier... those were great days to be a comics fan! |
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 15, 2023 21:15:01 GMT -5
Ralph Reese was a protege of Wally Wood, he worked with Neal Adams as a Crusty Bunker. He did not do a lot of work for the Big Two but had work in Warren books and National Lampoon among other places. He's had a rough life as a comic artist, which he writes about on his Facebook page. He seems to be doing better these days, except for the health issues a 70 year old would have. He also writes wonderful reminisces from those days in the comic industry. That Kane/Reese book was some of the best looking Gil Kane art from the 70s. (Gil Kane was Roy Thoma' original choice to draw Conan, but due to the license fee to the Howard Estate, they needed someone cheaper, which is how Barry Smith got the book) Reese inks Kane on the cover of Conan #25. Reese was indeed fantastic over Kane. I had no idea he was so young (relatively speaking); his work on Solomon Kane ("The Skull in the stars") in Monsters Unleashed #1 made such an impression on me way back when that I thought he must be a tried and true veteran. I also really enjoyed his work on Magnus, robot Fighter for Valiant. Gahd, how I wish I had that kind of control with a pen! Regarding Conan, it's true that monetary issues were the reason Barry Smith got the job... but while Kane was a serious contender and was already a Conan fan, the artist Stan and Roy had first thought of was John Buscema (according to Roy's reminiscences on the matter). John, of course, would one day give us the definitive Marvel Comics Conan... but as a Smith fan, I'm very happy that money was in short supply for the launch of the new mag! Yes, now that you say it. I read this too in the Omnibus preface. |
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Post by Myke Gee on Jan 15, 2023 22:55:59 GMT -5
Overall, of the 15 books read this month, the average grade is 6.3; putting them in the Above Average range. Wasn't the average grade 7.3? 7.26, actually. I don't know how I got 6.3. Thanks for catching that. |
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Post by Myke Gee on Jan 18, 2023 16:45:40 GMT -5
*** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK ON APRIL 11, 2020 ***
JUNE 1972
(Cover Date: September 1972)
Hello, everyone. Here are my thoughts on Marvel Comics published the month of June 1972.
On sale June 6, 1972 DAREDEVIL #91. “Fear Is the Key!” - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer. Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Joe Sinnott. Black Widow tracks down Danny French believing he and his access to the power of Project Four is the cause of her recent panic attacks but finds that she is wrong. DD discovers that Mr. Fear is behind the recent bouts of terror and that the villain is, actually, fellow lawyer Larry Cranston bent on revenge. Oh, the irony! 😂 At the beginning of my reaction to the last issue, I talked about how supporting characters cannot put two and two together regarding the real identity of some of these heroes. (See last week’s reaction for details) Then, I read this issue. Cranston deduced Daredevil's identity by the coincidence that both he and Matt Murdock moved to San Francisco with Natasha Romanoff. (Foggy Nelson…you are an IDIOT!!! 😂😂😂) As cornball a character as Mr. Fear is, I kinda dig him, lol! It was pretty obvious last issue that he was going to be the villain. I wasn’t sure of the second Mr. Fear’s real name, but I knew it was him. Still, it was a very gratifying read. Grade: 8.0
INCREDIBLE HULK #155. “Destination: Nightmare!” - Script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin. Cover pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin. Thanks to Hank Pym's experimental shrinking serum, Hulk travels through the microverse until he finds himself on a world very similar to his own Earth but one in which the Nazis are still fighting the Allies in World War II. He discovers that the scenario is really a construct created by the Shaper of Worlds to fulfill the dreams of an ex-Nazi who arrived during an experiment with Dr. Doom. In order to stop the Hulk, the Shaper turns Kronsteig into the powerful Captain Axis, but Hulk still beats him. The Shaper decides to fulfill the Hulk's own dream and sends him to Jarella's world. This is the first appearance of one of my favorite cosmic beings, the Shaper of Worlds. This was really a treat because I didn’t realize that this was the issue until he was mentioned. It made this issue even more enjoyable. Grade: 8.5
IRON MAN #50. "Deathplay!" - Story by Mike Friedrich. Art by George Tuska and Vince Colletta. Cover by Gil Kane. During a news media interview, Tony Stark is seized by Princess Python's pet snake! Tony breaks free and now Princess Python must face Iron Man! Shell-head and the pet python engage in a death duel over a vat of acid! Which one is going to take the fatal plunge? Meanwhile, Marianne is continuing to have terrifying visions of a being called the Cyborg-Sinister. First and foremost, you can’t get any lamer than Princess Python. She’s about as useful as a ripped diaphragm. Even with that said, this was still a decent enough story that she couldn’t ruin it. Grade: 6.5
• KID COLT: OUTLAW #162
• MARVEL SUPERHEROES #32
• MIGHTY MARVEL WESTERN #19
• WESTERN GUNFIGHTERS #11
• WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #17
On sale June 13, 1972 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #112. "Spidey Cops Out!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Romita, inks by John Romita and Tony Mortellaro. Cover by John Romita. After dropping off the Gibbon at the local hospital, Spider-Man resumes his search for Aunt May. Spidey goes after kidnappers and, in the end, faces Doctor Octopus. A step up from the Gibbon/Kraven story, but not in a big way because most of this issue sets up the final page and next month’s story. One of the most iconic Spider-Man splash pages ever!!! However, still a solid issue. Grade: 7.5
AVENGERS #103. "The Sentinels Are Alive and Well!" Part 2. - Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by Rich Buckler. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by Rich Buckler, Joe Sinnott, and Frank Giacoia (touch-ups). In shocking fashion last issue, Sentinel #5 abducted the Scarlet Witch in Central Park! And took her where?!? That's what the Avengers must discover! Frustration grows inside Avengers Mansion as Earth's Mightiest Heroes struggle to locate the Sentinels' hideout. Meanwhile, Pietro has his own plan for finding his sister! And it starts by making a beeline to the home of Judge Chalmers and Larry Trask! After getting a tip from Starcore, the Avengers (minus Quicksilver) fly to Australia to confront the (Mark II) Sentinels! And atop a giant anthill in the Australian Outback, the team battle the Sentinels...to save the planet from solar annihilation! This issue was somewhat of a letdown, primarily because it seemed to focus on Quicksilver, whom I’ve never been a huge fan of. He’s supposed to be Marvel’s version of the Flash, yet he’s nowhere near as interesting and his powers, as displayed so far, are a very watered-down version of his DC counterpart. I can’t think of one moment since he joined the team that he has impressed me. It wasn’t until I read this book that I realized how much I.....I don’t want to say I “dislike” the character, but he is far from a favorite. Anyway, there are some good moments, but, for me, using Pietro as the focus took away from the overall story. Grade: 7.0
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #153. "Captain America--Hero or Hoax?" - Script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Jim Mooney. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. Cap and Nick come to blows when Fury is feeling his age and he thinks Cap has made a play for Val. Sharon quits SHIELD and she and Steve leave for an overdue vacation. Falcon patrols the streets when he finds Captain America bullying men based on their skin color. As Cap and Falcon fight, an unlikely foe clubs Falcon from behind. First appearance (cameo) of Jack Monroe (Nomad). Steve Englehart takes over for Gerry Conway and doesn’t miss a beat. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON continue its great run. Grade: 9.0
SUB-MARINER #53. "And the Rising Sun Shall Fall!" - Script and art by Bill Everett. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. Namor convinces Sunfire to help him repair the freighter and contain the leak of defoliating agents that have spread into the sea. Meanwhile, the Dragon-Lord recalls his origin and how he came to create his base of operations using abandoned World War II technology. Sunfire and Namor then turn their attention to the Dragon-Lord and hope to prevent him from unleashing his plan for Armageddon. This is the first of two stories this month; the other is a reprint of SUB-MARINER COMICS #41 (1955). A pretty good chapter in this storyline that’s continued next issue. Grade: 8.0
THOR #203. "They Walk Like Gods!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Buscema, inks by Vince Colletta. Cover by John Buscema. Odin's plan comes to fruition, as the power of Ego-Prime is sacrificed to transform three people into Young Gods. But Thor is upset about being a piece in Odin's game, believing that he did not care if pieces were sacrificed. Thor’s latest “wannabe epic” is over. What makes this a “wannabe epic”, in my opinion? We’ve seen the end-of-days-level destruction before, only to find out that it was part of an elaborate scheme by Odin. Nothing is any different than what has come before. So, that’s about the gist of the story. A story that had epic moments, but, fall short of being an overall epic. Despite my gripes, still very much worth reading. Grade: 8.0
On sale June 20, 1972 AMAZING ADVENTURES #14. "The Vampire Machine" - Script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Tom Sutton, inks by Jim Mooney. Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Jim Mooney. The Beast has stumbled into the middle of a Stark International munitions test, prompting Iron Man to try to pull the Beast out of danger. The Beast is surprised to find that Iron Man is alive and well, and when they are out of dangers way the two are confronted by the Stark security on the scene. One trigger-happy guard instantly shoots at the Beast before Iron Man can order them to stand down. The shot isn't bad due to the Beast's healing factor, and the two heroes make peace. When Iron Man asks if this is helped what's troubled him, the Beast tells Iron Man that it's not even close before hopping away. When the same guard tries to shoot the Beast as he leaves, Iron Man crushes his gun and fires the man on the spot. Later, the Beast battles Quasimodo the living computer. Somewhat of a standard superhero story; not bad, but hardly a blockbuster. Grade: 6.5
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #18. “The Thing in the Temple” - Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Dan Adkins. Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by John Romita. Conan & Fafnir slay demons and flee from Bal-Sagoth as a volcano destroys the island. After they escape, they are picked up in the Sea by Yezdigerd. Adapted from the non-Conan story, “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” by Robert E. Howard. I get so hot and cold with this series. I can only chalk that up to me stepping outside my wheelhouse. At any rate, I found the first part of this a bit more interesting. While it wasn’t bad at all, it just didn’t grab me like the last issue, and I cannot put my finger on the why. Grade: 7.0
MARVEL FEATURE #5. “Fear’s the Way He Dies!” - Script by Mike Friedrich. Art by Herb Trimpe. Cover by Herb Trimpe. During the rescue mission in the last issue, Hank Pym was injected with a virus by the kidnappers! And now his body is stuck at three inches tall! After escaping a hungry hawk, the diminutive Ant-Man stumbles into a junkyard and into his long-time foe, Egghead! Why is Egghead chasing his niece, Trish Starr? Because the deranged genius has a devious plan to steal her mind! Once Egghead captures Trish and begins to siphon her intelligence, the situation looks grim. But the ant-like avenger fights on! First appearance of Trish Starr, although she’s called “Trixie” in this issue. What gets me about this issue is its similarity to DC’s Sword of the Atom; although, this came first. I had the same nitpicky issue with this tale as I did with “SotA”. Why is it that both shrinking heroes are supposed to be little guys with regular-size strength, but once they both get stuck at inches, that strength disappears? And where did Trish find boots that small? 😂 Anyway, this one wasn’t as much fun as the last issue. Above average, at best. Grade: 6.0
MARVEL TEAM-UP #4. "And Then, the X-Men." - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Steve Mitchell with Frank Giacoia and John Romita Sr. Lizard cameo. Kane/Giacoia cover. Spider-Man and the original X-Men battle Morbius the Living Vampire. What an odd story. When the story ended, I was like “Wait...that’s it?!! They never teamed up!” Not really. So, while the ending was disappointing, it was still fun to see the team again after nearly two years of inactivity. It might have helped to have them in their costumes, as well. Aside from their initial appearances (in their old costumes, I might add), they fought in civies. Ah well. I’ll take what I can get, at this point. Grade: 7.0
RED WOLF #3. “War of the Wolf Brothers!” - Script by Gardner Fox and Roy Thomas, art by Syd Shores and Vince Colletta. Cover by Syd Shores. John Darby and his outlaw gang try to poison the Cheyenne tribe's water supply so that they can recover the loot from a stagecoach robbery without being seen. Maybe the best Red Wolf story that I’ve read to date. Fast-paced and, for once, we see how much of a badass Red Wolf really is. Also, some really nice artwork from Syd Shores and Vince Colletta. Grade: 8.5
• MARVEL TALES #37
• MY LOVE #19
• RAWHIDE KID #103
• RINGO KID #16
On sale June 27, 1972 CAPTAIN MARVEL #22. "To Live Again!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Wayne Boring, inks by Frank Giacoia. Gil Kane cover pencils. After a two-year hiatus (and Captain Marvel's appearances in the classic Kree-Skrull War issues of AVENGERS #89-97), the series returns with Cap facing Megaton, the Atomic Assassin. Back after a two-year hiatus, Captain Marvel returns with.... the same type of story that caused the hiatus. 😏 Fortunately, we all know what lies ahead. Grade: 6.5
CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #19. “The Long Road to Nowhere” - Written by George Alec Effinger. Art by Gil Kane, Wayne Boring, and Jim Mooney. Cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. Featuring Gullivar Jones, Warrior of Mars. Gullivar Jones and his wingman friend, Chak, fight for survival against hostile a terrain and its inhabitants. Honestly, I truly struggled to finish this 10-page story. Maybe the most up-and-down series I’ve ever read. Grade: 4.0
FANTASTIC FOUR #126. "The Way It Began!" - Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by John Buscema. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. A new era begins for the World's Greatest Comic Magazine! But before the new era starts, the fabulous foursome takes a walk down memory lane. Re-telling of the origin of the Fantastic Four, and also the FF's first encounter with the Mole Man. This one felt like a partially finished story with the flashback used to fill in the missing pages. Still, it wasn’t a bad story at all. Grade: 7.0
KULL THE CONQUEROR #4. "The Night of the Red Slayers" - Story by Roy Thomas, John Jakes, and Gerry Conway; pencils by Marie Severin; inks by John Severin. John Severin cover. This issue, with a kingdom on the verge of rebellion, Kull faces Melikori and his treacherous pack of conspirators. This is the first Kull story that didn’t really grab me. Maybe because it seemed to focus more on Melikori and the villains of the tale. And, while that approach can be interesting, to some degree, it takes away from the story this time. Still, this wasn’t a bad issue. Just a bit on the monotonous side. Grade: 6.5
MARVEL PREMIERE #4. “The Spawn of Sligguth” - Script by Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas (plot), pencils by Barry Smith, inks by Frank Brunner. Cover pencils by Barry Smith, inks by Tom Palmer. Ethan Stoddard asks for help for his fiancee who has fallen prey to the cult of Sligguth in Starksboro. The Ancient One warns Strange of a Cosmic Obscenity that slumbers. Strange is overcome by Sligguth's worshippers. Featuring concepts created by Robert E. Howard. Pretty good story. There was a constant air of mystery that kept me interested and turning the page. It didn’t hurt to look at the stunning artwork of Barry Smith and Frank Bruner. Talk about an all-star team!! Beautiful stuff!!! Grade: 8.5
TOMB OF DRACULA #4. "Through a Mirror Darkly!" - Written by Archie Goodwin. Art by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. Cover by Neal Adams. Dracula takes a new bride. And, Taj will prove that he's willing to do anything to stop the Count's evil reign of terror forever. Even sacrifice his own life. An interesting microstudy of vampire lore. As you read, you can’t help but wonder if the writer is well-versed in vampire mythos and lore, but all becomes clear as this book continues to find its legs, good stuff. Grade: 8.0
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1. “Eye of The Beholder!” - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Mike Ploog, inks by Frank Chiaramonte. Cover art by Mike Ploog. Jack and Buck escape the island with the Darkhold but are followed by Miles and Marlene Blackger who want the book back. Still a very strong horror-based character and series that I’m enjoying far more than expected. Grade: 8.5
• LIL PALS #1
• SGT FURY #102
GRADING CHART
• 10.0 = Classic (rarely given)
• 9.0 – 9.5 = Excellent
• 8.0 – 5.5 = Very Good
• 7.0 – 7.5 = Good
• 6.0 – 6.5 = Above Average
• 5.0 – 5.5 = Average
• 4.0 – 4.5 = Below Average
• 3.0 – 3.5 = Poor
• 2.0 – 2.5 = Very Poor
• 1.0 – 1.5 = Utter Shite
• 0.0 – 0.5 = Not worth the paper it’s printed on
20 books read this week average out to 7.3. Once again, another good, but not great month. I wish that I had used this system back when I was grading the earlier books. Probably would have had some really high averages. Even still, a 7.3 makes this a satisfying month and worth it to keep reading. Next month: the debut of DOC SAVAGE and GUNHAWKS. The Man-Thing makes his debut in the horror book FEAR. Also, JUNGLE ACTION will debut next month, but my reaction to that series will begin when the Black Panther stars. As always, thank you all for your support. Let me know what you liked and didn’t like. Until next week, take care, everyone.
Top Books of the Month:1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #1532. MARVEL PREMIERE #4
3. WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1
4. INCREDIBLE HULK #1555. RED WOLF #3
Top Covers of the Month:1. KULL THE CONQUEROR #42. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1123. THOR #2034. RED WOLF #35. WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #17 |
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Post by Myke Gee on Jan 23, 2023 12:36:22 GMT -5
*** ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FACEBOOK APRIL 18, 2020 ***
JULY 1972 (Cover Date: October 1972)
Hello, everyone. I am now getting to the era where the number of books forces me to break this into two parts. There are 17 reactions to books this week, but next week, there will be around 20. So, I ask the question: Should I break future reactions into two parts or leave it as one long article? Let me know. Here are this week’s reactions to Marvel’s books for the month of July 1972.
On sale July 4, 1972 DAREDEVIL & THE BLACK WIDOW #92. “On the Eve of the Talon!” - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer. Cover pencils by Gene Colan and John Romita (re-touches), inks by Tom Palmer and John Romita (re-touches). The Black Widow and Danny French are captured by Damon Dran and interrogated about Project Four. A San Francisco reporter claims that Matt Murdock is actually Daredevil until Matt shows up to a fight between DD and the Blue Talon. Interesting that this story touches on the subject of people putting two and two together concerning the identity of these heroes. At least, they were thinking about it at Marvel because, even as a little kid, such an obvious move bothered me. As for the overall story, it was pretty good. The Blue Talon was somewhat interesting, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again. They need to wrap this Project Four storyline up. At least, don’t make it long and drawn out like the Mr. Kline story, only to have it end on such a low note. Grade: 7.0
INCREDIBLE HULK #156. “Holocaust at the Heart of the Atom!” - Script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Sal Trapani. Cover art by Herb Trimpe. Hulk arrives on Jarella's world with the mental acuity of Bruce Banner. He finds the city of K'ai in ruins and discovers that Jarella has been captured by the treacherous Lord Visis. Hulk rescues his lady love and leads her people in revolt; That is, until Visis teams up with master assassin Krylar who has a weapon that makes one battle one's darkest fears. The weapon is turned on the Hulk and Hulk with Banner's mind finds himself facing his old brutish self. Jarella's magicians counter by ending the spell that makes Hulk smart. Pym's serum wears off and Hulk grows back to normal size. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this issue. The whole Hulk/Jarella love story is entertaining enough, I guess. Coming off the Shaper of Worlds story, I was expecting a bit more. What I got was Bruce Banner giving Peter Parker a run for his money as the unluckiest superhero. A decent issue, but it lacked something. Grade: 6.5
IRON MAN #51. "Now Stalks the Cyborg-Sinister!" - Story by Mike Friedrich. Art by George Tuska and Vince Colletta. Cover by John Romita. The Cyborg-Sinister attacks Stark Industries in Long Island! Iron Man quickly arrives on the scene for a one-on-one fight to the death! Will Marianne's frightening vision come true? Meanwhile, Tony and Marianne have a big argument and call off their engagement. Another action-packed Iron Man issue! While the Cyborg-Sinister is a bit corny and is par for the course for Iron Man villains, he was still formidable and a nice challenge for Shell-head. The Marianne Rodgers subplot is wearing a little thin, right now. She’s turning from very likable to annoying. Despite that, pretty good story. Grade: 7.5
• CHILI #19
• KID COLT OUTLAW #163
• MIGHTY MARVEL WESTERN #20
• MILLIE THE MODEL #198
• MONSTERS ON THE PROWL #19
• WYATT EARP #30
On sale July 11, 1972 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113. “They Call the Doctor...Octopus!” - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Romita and Jim Starlin, inks by John Romita and Tony Mortellaro. Cover art by John Romita. While Dr. Octopus is on a crime spree, Spider-Man is weakened by an ulcer due to stress and his concern for his missing aunt. First appearance of Hammerhead. Doc Ock has never been one of my favorite characters. That’s no secret. However, the more stories that I read with him, the more I respect how menacing he can be. This one’s a huge step up from the mediocrity of the last few issues; mediocre by ASM standards, that is. Grade: 8.5
AVENGERS #104. "With a Bang and a Whimper!" Part 3 of 3. - Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by Rich Buckler. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott. This is it! Everything is on the line in the land down under! Earth's Mightiest Heroes go for broke to rescue the Scarlet Witch and save the world! But an army of sinister Sentinels stands in their way! Will the power of Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Thor, and the Vision be enough to defeat the mutant-hunting robots? Or can Quicksilver and Larry Trask find a way to victory? Okay, one quick question: why can’t the colorist keep Wanda’s hair color straight? 😏 Anyway, it’s a good issue, but as much as I want to love this story arch, I just like it a lot. It has ties to one of my favorite X-Men stories, yet I’m not exactly salivating over this tale. Grade: 7.5
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #154. "The Falcon Fights Alone" - Script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by John Verpoorten and Tony Mortellaro. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. The phony Captain America and Bucky kidnap the Falcon and torture him to learn the whereabouts of the real Captain America. Falcon is aided in escaping the two with the help of Rafe, Leila, and several other people Falcon has helped over time; Falcon then journeys to Avengers Mansion to let the Avengers know of the phony Cap, only to find out he's been monitoring them and learns where Steve and Sharon are vacationing. Brief Avengers appearance. Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema continue the excellent level of quality begun by Gerry Conway. All of these guys (as well as Gene Colin) have transformed a once meandering book into one of the best action comics of its era. Grade: 9.0
SUB-MARINER #54. "Comes Now... the Decision!" - Script and art by Bill Everett; Cover pencils by Alan Weiss, inks by Joe Sinnott. Namor and Sunfire finally catch up with the Dragon-Lord and they quickly take him down; Sunfire then destroys the Dragon-Lord's base and weapons; Namor leaves behind an annoyed Sunfire whose pride is still demanding retribution against Namor; Namor returns to the cruise ship to rejoin Betty Dean and Namorita and learns that Namorita has already had her first encounter with a boy. "The Mer-Mutants!" - script by Mike Friedrich, art by Alan Weiss; Namor encounters some Atlantean Mutants, which attack him out of mistrust; He tries to convince them that his people are enlightened enough to accept them. A satisfying ending to a pretty good story. Sunfire remains an arrogant, but likable character. The two backup stories didn’t do much for me, however. Grade: 7.5
THOR #204. "Exiled on Earth!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by John Buscema, inks by Jim Mooney (finished art); Cover pencils by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott. Odin condemns the heroes to Earth for daring to question him; Tana Nile uses her control pack to disguise herself as an Earthling, accepting the fact that she and Silas Grant are marooned on Earth; Doctor Donald Blake discovers that his office has been closed in his absence due to a change in building ownership; Slowly but surely, the exiled and marooned are separated and all fall prey to Mephisto. Ever since Gerry Conway has been writing this book, it’s been an up-and-down affair. His stories have been consistently good and even great, at times. Yet, I find myself grading his stories on the Lee/Kirby curve. They set a very high bar with a character that I’ve never really liked outside of the Avengers. This issue was good and looks to be the beginning of another grand storyline. I’ve just got to get the Lee/Kirby issues out of my head. Grade: 7.5
• LI'L KIDS #8
• MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION #6
• MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS #38
• OUTLAW KID #12
On sale July 18, 1972 ASTONISHING TALES #14. “The Night of the Looter!” - Script by Stan Lee, art by John Buscema. Cover art by Gil Kane. It took me a couple of pages to realize it, but, like CONAN THE BARBARIAN #16, this is just a reprint of a story from SAVAGE TALES #1, which has already been graded.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #19. “Hawks from the Sea” - Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Barry Windsor-Smith, inks (pages 1-9) by Dan Adkins. (Pages 10-20 were reproduced directly from the pencils). Cover art by Barry Windsor-Smith. Conan works for the Turanian military and lays siege to Makkalet. Legend of the Living Tarim is told. Conan makes an enemy of Balthazar. Fafnir is wounded by a flaming arrow. Well… I didn’t hate it. But, as I read this series, I sometimes wonder what’s the point. The stories seem to be about him just wandering into one battle after another. Forgive me, some of the stories have been far better than I thought they would be, but sometimes, I just don’t get what this book is really about. At any rate, it was a good story with incredible artwork from Smith and Adkins. Grade: 7.0.
GUNHAWKS #1. "The Thundering Herd" - Script by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Syd Shores, inks by Sol Brodsky. Cover art by Syd Shores. Kid and Reno attempt to hunt some buffalo, in order to sell their hides, and raise some money. They fail horribly and are almost trampled in a stampede. They are saved by an old man, who then threatens to kill them for poaching. However, he takes them back to his shack, and then sets and splints Kid's leg. While Kid heals, the old man teaches Reno to shoot the Buffalo Gun, a weapon he designed for hunting Buffalo. He also drills into him the distinction between hunting for food and hunting for hides or sport. Once Reno masters the gun, they go Buffalo hunting, and encounter some poachers, and kill a bunch of them, including their leader, Milo Dawson. I’m not much of a history buff by any stretch of the imagination, but the Reno Jones origin smacked of a “distorted” view of the facts. But again, I’m no historian. The Civil War is not my field of expertise, but the “happy slaves” story is a bit much for me to swallow. Although I’m sure that some may have existed, it felt like Mr. Friedrich was trying to say that slavery wasn’t so bad. *Sigh* Best I switched the subject. As for the overall story, questionable origin story aside, it was kinda fun. Not as formulaic as the 60s Westerns I’ve read. Grade: 7.0
LUKE CAGE: HERO FOR HIRE #3. "Mark of the Mace!" - Script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by George Tuska, inks by Billy Graham. Can even Luke Cage's unbreakable skin stand up to the bone-crushing power of the man called Mace? See Cage's powers and stamina pushed to their limits like never before. One of my first Luke Cage comics featured Gideon Mace. I’ve always liked the character despite him being so one-dimensional. It was fun to finally read his first appearance. Three issues in and HfH is shaping up nicely. Grade: 7.5
• COMBAT KELLY #3
• HARVEY #5
• JUNGLE ACTION #1
• MARVEL TALES #38
• RAWHIDE KID #104
• X-MEN #78
On sale July 25, 1972 DEFENDERS #2. “The Secret of the Silver Surfer!” - Script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by John Verpoorten. Cover pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia. Dr. Strange, Namor, and Hulk travel to Asia to find out why Silver Surfer attacked Namor. A real page-turner as Englehart and Buscema delivers a fast-paced tale. This book is off to a great start! Grade: 8.5
DOC SAVAGE #1. "The Man of Bronze" - Script by Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart and art by Ross Andru and Jim Mooney. Part one of an adaptation of the Kenneth Robeson novel of the same name in which Doc and his team try to track down who killed his father. A comic book version of the classic pulp magazine hero Doc Savage. This issue also has a one-page text feature on Doc Savage's team members. I have never quite gotten the whole “Doc Savage” thing; the whole “Man of Bronze” thing. He doesn’t appear to have any powers, but, reading this first comic book issue (never read any of the pulp novels), he’s kinda interesting in a Superman-in-Captain America’s-body kind of way. The first issue was entertaining enough. Definitely looking forward to the next issue. Grade: 7.5
FANTASTIC FOUR #127. "Where the Sun Dares Not Shine!" Part 1 of 2. - Script by Roy Thomas. Pencils by John Buscema. Inks by Joe Sinnott. Cover by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. The Thing storms into the underground lair of the Mole Man! Why? To force the FF's long-time adversary into helping Alicia Masters regain her eyesight! But before the blue-eyed idol of millions finds the subsurface villain, he runs into Kala (last seen in TALES OF SUSPENSE #43). Is she a friend or foe? Or perhaps the Mole Man's betrothed? In any case, Ben Grimm will need his fantastic friends to help him root out the Mole Man! Count the Mole Man as one of those villains that trigger my boredom sense. Same thing for most tales with a subterranean setting. Yet, this was a pleasant surprise. Ben’s original mission to help Alicia see again has been ramped up to saving the human race... again. Really good start to this story!! Grade: 9.0
FEAR #10. "Man-Thing!" - Script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Howard Chaykin, inks by Gray Morrow. Cover art by Gray Morrow. The Man-Thing discovers an infant being abandoned in the swamp, prompting it to seek retribution for the heinous act. "The Spell of the Sea Witch!" starring Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, script by Allyn Brodsky, pencils by Jack Katz (as "Jay Hawk"), inks by Bill Everett (as "Black Bill"). "There Is Something Strange About Mister Jones!", art by Don Heck; A thug hears a man say that he has a fortune in his locker. He attacks him and tries to make him lead him there. His victim is Davy Jones, and he shows the thief his locker by drowning him. Honestly, I only read the Man-Thing story. That’s all that I was interested in. The story, while decent enough, is overshadowed by great artwork from Morrow and Chaykin. Conway delivers a good enough story, but it’s the Gerber stuff I’m looking forward to. He’s never been a favorite, but I’m looking to read something that will change my mind. Grade: 7.0
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #6. “Angels from Hell” - Script by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Mike Ploog, inks by Frank Chiaramonte. Cover art by Mike Ploog. Ghost Rider battles a gang of bikers called Satan’s Saints; after GR defeats them, their leader asks him to join the club; 2nd appearance of Ghost Rider (origin retold). My first impression when I saw the splash page was “Great! His second time out and our hero takes on some generic biker gang that’s watched too much ‘Easy Rider’ or ‘CC & Company’.” Fortunately, there’s nothing generic about the gang’s leader. He makes the whole story worthwhile. I could have done without the multi-page retelling of the origin. It brought the overall effect down a little. Grade: 7.0
WARLOCK #2. "Count-Down for Counter-Earth!" - Script by Roy Thomas and Mike Friedrich, pencils by John Buscema and Tom Sutton, inks by Tom Sutton. Cover art by Gil Kane. Man-Beast transports Warlock from his friends using his cape of teleportation; When Adam refuses to align himself with the madman, Man-Beast swears vengeance upon Counter-Earth with a brutal "purge of evil"; Warlock takes a life for the very first time; High Evolutionary cameo; Counter-Earth origin retold. Really cool story. For a minute, I really thought that Warlock flipped out and destroyed everything. This is easily the best Warlock story I’ve read since he was re-introduced in MARVEL PREMIERE. Grade: 8.5.
• JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #1
• OUR LOVE STORY #19
• SGT. FURY #103
Grading Chart
• 10.0 = Classic (rarely given)
• 9.0 – 9.5 = Excellent
• 8.0 – 5.5 = Very Good
• 7.0 – 7.5 = Good
• 6.0 – 6.5 = Above Average
• 5.0 – 5.5 = Average
• 4.0 – 4.5 = Below Average
• 3.0 – 3.5 = Poor
• 2.0 – 2.5 = Very Poor
• 1.0 – 1.5 = Utter Shite
• 0.0 – 0.5 = Not worth the paper it’s printed on
Another good month. The 17 books read averaged out to 7.65. As always, I will take it. New next month: I will share my reactions to THE CAT #1 and NIGHT NURSE #1. Both, I have been highly curious about. So, I am looking forward to reading them. As always, thanks for the support. Let me know what you liked and, more importantly, did not like. Until next week, take care, everyone.
Top Books of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #154.
2. FANTASTIC FOUR #127.
3. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113.
4. THE DEFENDERS #2
5. WARLOCK #2
Top Covers of the Month:
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON #154.
2. CONAN THE BARBARIAN #19
3. WARLOCK #2
4. X-MEN #78
5. MARVEL TALES #38
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jan 24, 2023 15:01:56 GMT -5
Another good month. The 17 books read averaged out to 7.2. I think the average should be 7.65. |
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