And issue #6 of The Amazing Spider-Man certainly didn't, using those colours to give us one of my favourite Steve Ditko Spidey covers of them all, as we first encountered that swamp-spawned terror of the Everglades; the Lizard.
Thus it is that I must bring you my video review of that very issue.
Can anything match the terror of Curt Connors' reptilian alter-ego?
Only my attempts at video editing, which always give the impression that I've got stuck into it with a meat cleaver.
I think they invented a daft explanation that the Hulk's trousers were purple because of the gamma radiation present when he was transforming into the Hulk (or something). The Lizard would actually have no problem finding reptiles in Britain as there are plenty of them in Parliament and the tabloid media. Ah, dear old Penelope Keith - which was her best role, Margo Leadbetter or Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton - what a dilemma :)
ReplyDeleteI'll vouch for Colin. The Hulk's pants were indeed purple because of the effect of gamma radiation on cotton fibers. Some guy in the 70's won a No-Prize for coming up with that one.
ReplyDeleteThe Comics Code is what actually made the Hulk's pants stay on.
But, it doesn't explain the Lizard. Maybe somebody else can come up with an answer for that one.
M.P.
Colin, I'm sure I've seen a clip of Penelope Keith in The Avengers, going all karate on people. If I'm not just imagining I saw it, I like to think that must be her greatest role.
ReplyDeleteMP, the mysteries of Marvel characters' wardrobe choices will always be ineffable me.
Hey, don't knock badgers, Steve! There actually IS an independent comic hero called "Badger"!? I've never read one, so I don't know what his powers are. Perhaps the ability to burrow in soil?
ReplyDeleteThe Badger was a tongue-in-cheek comic published by First Comics in the 1980's. He was a martial arts expert who went around clobbering bad guys. Since he was mentally ill, he sometimes lacked the ability to see things in proper perspective, so he not only beat up muggers and terrorists, but also minor nuisances, like guys talking in a movie theater.
ReplyDeleteThe story goes that Mike Baron got the idea when the publisher asked him to create a superhero comic. He replied that he thought that the whole premise of the genre was silly, and that a person would have to be crazy to wear a costume and go out and try to fight crime. Then he realized that he could use that concept as the basis for the series.
I might try an issue or two. You've got me curious now!
DeleteSteve - As far as wardrobe choices go, I always liked Fin Fang Foom's trunks. Or underpants, or whatever they were. Not sure where a large monster dragon would get them from, and don't recall if they were gamma radiated or not, but definitely my favourite Marvel purple on green look.
ReplyDeleteEven cooler than Drax the Destroyer.
-sean
Sean, I was always impressed by the number of giant monsters in Marvel's pre-superhero books who wore underpants. I can only assume there was a shop that specialised in selling underpants to giant monsters.
ReplyDelete