Clearly, there's only one thing for it.
And that's to seek refuge in the output of Marvel Comics from forty years ago, back when I'd probably never even heard of Stephen King, and the idea that one day we'd have so many TV channels available to us that it would be possible to dedicate one purely to horror movies would have seemed fanciful.
Speaking of horror, the nightmare-strewn world of Conan flings him into yet another tale of eldritch terror and witchcraft.
Still, on the plus side, it's nice for him that he can always bump into attractive, scantily-clad women, even when he's hanging around in swamps.
My knowledge of the Paladin is basically zero but I do believe that, in this tale, he's been hired to bump off Kilgrave and is using everyone's best-loved blind super-hero to lead him to his target.
This is a surprise for me. It's a Jack Kirby cover, long after he's disappeared from the front of all other Marvel mags. I can only assume it's an image that was lying around unused, rather than one he nipped back to Marvel to create.
Seemingly, this tale takes a look back at the career of Marvel's mightiest family, which is something that seems to happen every other issue in the 1970s.
Speaking of conceptual familiarity, is it my imagination or is The Way It Was! second only to Lo, There Shall Be An Ending! in the ranks of Marvel's most used titles?
Despite being labelled an, "Album issue," it seems to have no more pages than normal and appears to be a perfectly standard comic.
If my memory serves me properly, the Hulk finds himself on a ship that has something to do with Captain Barracuda and his submarine that's in the shape of a giant fish.
There's also something going on with people being turned into ape-men but I don't recall by whom or for what purpose.
I really don't have a clue what's going on here.
The Green Goblin is back!
Or is he?
Barton Hamilton proves to be the planet's least stable psychiatrist and dons the pointy ears and Noddy hat to cause yet more trouble for the world's favourite web-spinner.
I don't like to put a dampener on people's dreams but I can't help feeling he really wasn't worthy of the role of Green Goblin.
The Hate-Monger's up to his usual tricks of trying to stir up a mob and take over the world.
If I'm correct in my recollections; this time, he's not Hitler. He's the Man-Beast who, by some means or other, has found his way to Earth.
And only Spider-Man and a man with the powers of a pig can stop him.
This is an issue I've never read, although I have read a copy of the issue that comes after it.
I suspect its main point of interest is that we're now into Walt Simonson's first run on the strip, although, from what I can remember, he's only providing layouts at this point and the art's currently dominated by the pencils and inks of Tony DeZuniga.
I must confess that my ignorance about this issue is total.
The presence of Nikki on the cover tells me that this story takes place after the conclusion of the Badoon saga. But that is the only thing about the tale that I can say with any confidence.
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18 comments:
That FF cover looks like the kind of thing Kirby could have whipped out in ten minutes, Steve.
Maybe it was inventory, but I don't know that it needs any special explanation as Kirby had been cutting down on his workload generally. As it happens, the last issue of The Eternals came out this month, making Feb'78 a rare event at the time - a month without any Jack Kirby comics on sale. Probably the first time that had happened in a long while (just looked it up, and his first Jimmy Olsen is cover dated the month after FF#102 - even his move to DC didn't interrupt his flow!)
Avengers #167 is a good one, the start of the Korvac storyline. Strange that it should be written by Shooter given his antipathy to ongoing storylines.
-sean
I wonder what the very last piece of work Kirby ever did for Marvel was?
Just looked that up Steve - odd there doesn't seem to be an immediately obvious answer. Don't recall Marvel even noting Kirby's departure at the time let alone suitably marking it (sadly, that isn't odd at all).
Google did offer the intriguing alternate question "Is Jack Kirby still alive?" though, but sadly the answers did not concern any fantastic conspiracies of the Elvis variety, which is a bit of an internet failure.
I expect his last piece of work for Marvel would be from his final issue of Machine Man or the brilliant Devil Dinosaur, both cover dated Dec '78.
-sean
Thanks, Sean. Your sleuthing is appreciated.
Surprised to see the Paladin character in Daredevil. For some reason I always thought that he was from the future outside normal Marvel continuity, though I may have imagined that.
As far as I'm aware he's from the present but comic book continuity is so notoriously tangled that I could be wrong.
Paladins 1st appreance is in this issue. 152 was one of the few comics I had as a kid so I always thought he was a huge guest star until I got into collecting as an adult. He mostly hangs around Silver Sable I believe.
I know that feeling. The first time I ever encountered Ant-Man was that story in which he goes to the FF's assistance after they've been shrunk to sub-atomic size by Dr Doom. Because he was rescuing the Fantastic Four, I assumed he must be some kind of super-super-hero who's on a higher level than mere ordinary super-heroes.
What are you on about Steve? Dr. Doom is on a higher level than ordinary super-heroes.
-sean
Both those Spidey covers were also covers of Marvel UK's Super Spider-Man during 1978. The UK reprints were fast catching up with the American originals!
I also had the Invaders issue where they meet the Liberty Legion, the All Star Squadron meeting Captain Marvel and Legion of Superheroes meeting Reflecto (Because you demand it!) (Reflecto would later be revealed as Superboy).
It's fair to say my limited exposure to US comics was not a fair representation of the market.
The launch of PPTSSM in 76 must have been a godsend for Marvel UK.
I do not know if Barton Hamilton is the world's worst psychologist, but I can tell you this. The stupidest psychologist is the one who had the gladiator try on his buzz saw gloves to see if it helped the gladiator recover his memory while in prison. Conveniently, the psychiatrist/psychologist did this just moments before foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock showed up on the island where the gladiator was imprisoned. Conveniently, for Roy Thomas, anyhow, LOL! The whole issue is just one huge no prize, lol!
Timothy and Colin, it does indeed look like Spectacular Spidey was the only thing that kept the UK comic going. Without it, it's hard to see how it could have survived for more than a few more weeks.
Charlie, I suspect he must have had his training at the same place as the judge who allowed Leapfrog to try on his leaping boots in court. Come to think of it, didn't a prison governor once allow the Scorpion to have his tail back, when he was in prison, in order to cheer him up?
Ha! That's some funny stuff to recall, lol. I'm referring to DD 63 in my case.
In Marvel Team-Up #106 (1981), the Scorpion was a patient on a psychiatric ward, and the doctor allowed him to wear his super-vilain costume, thinking it would be therapeutic for him. Of course, the Scorpion promptly smashed through a wall and escaped.
Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, it is a federal crime to give or sell a firearm or ammunition to anyone who is legally insane, or who is a convicted felon, or who has been diagnosed as having a potentially dangerous mental illness. Unfortunately, the law did not say anything about super-scorpion appendages.
TC - did that act say anything about gloves with buzz-saw blades that cut through steel, concrete, people, etc? Just curious if we need to bring these doctors and judges up to speed.
Obviously, we need a law to close the buzz saw glove/leap frog shoes/scorpion tail loophole.
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