Friday 8 May 2015

May 1975 - Marvel Comics, Forty Years Ago Today.

Well what an exciting election that was. But can Marvel Comics' output of exactly forty years ago match it for thrills, spills, outrage, bewilderment, terror, delirium, hatred, madness and confusion?

I know I can. But can Marvel?

Here's where we find out.

Avengers #135, Ultron and the Vision

Yet more of the increasingly interminable Celestial Madonna Saga. I loved reading it at the time but, blimey, it doesn't half seem to drag on when, thanks to doing this feature, you see it unfold in real time. There must have been children who started reading comics, grew up and stopped reading comics by the time it was completed.

Still, you can't complain about getting to see the Vision's origin.

Conan the Barbarian #50

Much as I love Gil Kane, I must confess that that is not the most stylish monster I've ever seen on the cover of a Conan comic.

Daredevil #121, Hydra

I'm not sure if I've read this one. Does it feature a Hawkeye/Iron Man/Nick Fury guest appearance? Or was that a totally different story?

Fantastic Four #158, Xemu

I'm not sure if I've read this one either.

It's not the one with the Outer Space ice hockey goalkeeper, is it?

Incredible Hulk #187, Gremlin

Unlike that comic, I've definitely read this one - and thoroughly approve of it. As a child, I gained strange pleasure from the General Ross Captured By The Russians storyline.

Iron Man #74, MODOK

According to the blurb, it's the battle I demanded.

Which is total rubbish. The battle I demanded was between John Cooper Clarke and Barney the Purple Dinosaur. And still Marvel never gave me it.

I shall never recover from the crushing disappointment.
Amazing Spider-Man #144, Gwen Stacy is alive?

A certain person returns from the dead.

Or does she?

Thor #235, Hercules and Kamo Tharn

I've read this one but don't remember much about it. Was Kamo Tharn some sort of druid or something?

Or was he something to do with Ancient Greece?

Or was he something to do with Conan-style sword and sorcery?

I'm remembering ruins but don't know of what sort.

Captain America and the Falcon #185, Red Skull

I've read this one too - and in the not too distant past. Of course, that doesn't prevent me from failing to remember anything about it. Were there robots in it? Was Bucky in it? Is this the one where we find out the Falcon isn't what he seems to be?

4 comments:

Dougie said...

Yes, that's the Falcon's "Snap Wilson" origin.

Kamo Tharnn cropped up in the Chanpions in the spring of 77 and later in the Englehart/Rogers Silver Surfer series. he was retconned as an Elder of the Universe, like the Collector or Grandmaster.

Steve W. said...

Thanks for the info, Dougie.

Simon B said...

Steve, that issue of Daredevil does indeed feature your favourite character, Nick Fury :-)
The completely unbelievable plot has Fury offering a top position in SHIELD to Matt Murdock's friend and partner, Foggy Nelson, while ( equally unbelievably )Daredvil and the Black Widow fight Hydra's robot assassin, the Dreadnaught, and don't get their heads ripped off...
Hawkeye and Iron Man obviously had better things to do that day...

Steve W. said...

Thanks, cerebus. That does vaguely ring a bell.