But what plots were our favourite Marvel heroes having to deal with in this month of 1975?
Here's where we get to find out.
The Squadron Sinister are back and, no doubt, causing as much trouble as ever.
Is this the one where Gerald Ford or Henry Kissinger or Spiro Agnew or someone turns out to be the real bad guy?
I suspect that this tale contains all the elements we expect from a Conan story.
I must confess I have no memory at all of the Torpedo but it's always nice to see Gil Kane giving us some clawed hands action on a cover.
Do my eyes detect a Jack Kirby cover?
I must confess I have no knowledge of the Crusader but his uncanny resemblance to Marvel Boy must surely be more than coincidence.
Doc Samson is back, which is always a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.
I detect another Jack Kirby cover.
I used to have this comic but I remember nothing of its contents.
I do believe this is the one where Spidey's getting all hot and bothered over whether he's a clone or not.
Fortunately, he soon realises he can't possibly be and that's the end of the matter and it's never heard of ever again.
"I've been paid to murder you, hero-- --and the Stilt-Man never fails!"
I would argue that claiming that the Stilt-Man has never failed is on a par with claiming that the Titanic has never sunk.
Mine eyes do detect another Jack Kirby cover.
They also detect that someone's probably been watching Jason and the Argonauts.
You have no memory of Torpedo? Next you'll tell us you never read any Rom Spaceknight comics?
ReplyDeleteCrusader is indeed Marvel Boy. Albeit the 1950's version. *spoiler* After this run the bands that give him his powers pass to the character who eventually becomes the modern Quasar.
I'll remind you of that in a few years...
Aggy, I don't think I ever even saw an issue of ROM.
ReplyDeleteBurn the heretic!
ReplyDeleteMarvel Boy was from Uranus, wasn't he? That sounds like a cue for a joke I'm surprised you didn't make, Steve.
ReplyDeleteThat Iron Man cover is terrible, so I thought it must have been the work of a Kirby copyist, like Keith Giffen or somebody like that. But sure enough, on closer inspection theres the signature...
Astonishing. When was the last time you saw a boring Kirby drawing? (That's a rhetorical question)
The FF and Thor covers are ok, but you get the impression Jack might not exactly have been thrilled by his return to Marvel.
-sean
I agree that this wasn't a great collection of front covers but to see that 9 pence price tag.
ReplyDelete9p for 24 glorious colour pages, heaven!
Not to be pedantic, but that's actually the Squadron Supreme, not the Squadron Sinister, and they're from this alternate Earth where...aagh, my head hurts all of a sudden.
ReplyDeletem.p.
I love the Kirby Iron Man cover. Always have. The story, however... . I recall a garbled parallel earth story, the payoff to the Black Lama/Villain War subplot with long-forgotten Iron Man foe, the radical and political Firebrand. A 90s antihero ahead of his time by some twenty-five years and personality-wise not unlike 70s Ollie Queen.
ReplyDeleteAgain,another Kirby nostalgia trip with the FF and the Crusader. Roy Thomas's scripts seemed to have a sour, jaded tone at the time. I don't know if it was his personal life or just mid-70s US disillusionment but his mid-Bronze Age super-hero scripts are fun-free.
The Conan tale is a one-and-done just before the Belit Years, with a deformed villain and a fairytale feel. It's a Tara the acrobat story: one of my favourite Conan sidekicks.
Steve, I think we are supposed to be celebrating the FAILURE of the Gunpowder Plot, not celebrating the actual plot itself...or are we ? :)
ReplyDeleteI think the burning of Guy Fawkes' effigy is supposed to be taken as a warning to us of what'll happen to us if we dare to try and overthrow the government like he did but, inevitably, it's ended up being a public celebration of his attempt.
ReplyDelete