In a more focused light, on this evening of that week, things were getting futuristic, as BBC Two's arts programme Arena gave us the unlikely spectacle of veteran jazz man George Melly talking about holograms. What a wonder 1970s television was.
But what about Marvel UK in the preceding seven days? Had it produced anything to rival that for sheer excitement?
It's true! The adaptation of George Lucas' masterpiece is over and we can look forward to two years' worth of story lines that I have no memory of, as we wait for The Empire Strikes Back to come out and be adapted.
I also have no recall of this issue's Star Wars mini-poster. I wonder what it depicted? I like to think it was an X-Wing fighter or some such.
It's that rare thing, a Dan Adkins cover for The Savage Sword of Conan.
Admittedly, when I say, "rare," it might not be rare at all. Maybe he did dozens of them. I, however, have no knowledge of any other Conan covers by Dapper Dan.
Yet again, Marvel UK have dramatically lightened a cover, when compared to its US original. In this case, I think it's an improvement. The murkiness of the original heavily disguised the melodrama of Adkins' artwork.
I do believe this is the issue that wraps up the Badoon Saga, which, I must confess, was not quite up there with the Kree/Skrull War.
Still, it brought us the Guardians of the Galaxy and Starhawk, and gave the Defenders something to do for a few issues, if nothing else.
I have to say that, for me, it's one of Pablo Marcos' better covers for The Mighty World of Marvel.
If I remember rightly, those ape men are friends of, "Robinson Crusoe," who've been devolved by Captain Barracuda for no reason I can think of.
Spider-Man and Razorback are still looking to give the Hatemonger the smash in the gob he's been asking for.
But, first, they must discover his senses-shattering secret.
It's the news that all Fantastic Four fans must have been aching for.
The Invaders have invaded the rear pages of The Complete Fantastic Four.
Marvel UK's determination to inflict The Invaders on us at every opportunity really was one of life's great mysteries.
Did the editors have evidence that it was massively popular and would boost the sales of any comic it appeared in?
Did they just assume that, because it was mostly based in Britain, British kids would love to read it, despite all evidence to the contrary?
Who can know?
I can't but, given their previous misguided attempts to cater to the patriotism of UK children, I suspect the latter explanation is the most likely.
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15 comments:
I remember when Spider-Man's comic featured Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Avengers and Invaders. So close to perfection.
I tend to feel The Invaders were like those weeds that always return in your garden, no matter what you do to get rid of them.
Yo! I am wondering if one must be a "nostalgia freak" to enjoy The Invaders. I dig WW2 nostalgia so perhaps that's why I was able to enjoy them with Robbin's Caniff art style which really was rough on the eyes many times.
I'm looking out at my garden and wondering whether those really are weeds or if they’re beautiful flowers drawn by Frank Robbins.
Oh right, the Invaders arrived in the Complete FF this issue - apologies for claiming it happened last week Steve (I forgot that Crusader/Marvel Boy story in the FF was a two parter).
Count me as decidedly cool on Frank Robbins - I get Charlie's idea that his style had an appropriately retro Terry and the Pirates feel, but that worked better for the Shadow* than the Invaders. Mainly because there was a bit of Jack Davis in his style too, and his superheroes always seemed like contortionists.
And Roy Thomas' scripts didn't do the series any favours either.
* Not that his Shadow was that good either.
The Invaders should have interested me - Cap was a big favourite of mine - but I couldn't get past Robbins' art. He completely killed my interest in Cap's own book (and at a time with some interesting storylines). I never got his art at all!
Its strange, I would have bought most (all?) of these issues but can remember little of them. Yet I have very clear memories of much earlier UK marvel comics. I guess I was more impressionable as a younger teen.
The question I've always had was "Why'd Marvel give Robbins so much work on fairly important titles?" Was there a dearth of artistic talent in the US at the time??? Obviously Marvel had to appreciate his style was not going to augment sales?
I can't look at Dan Adkins art without wondering where he swiped it from.
The Labour government of the time brought in the May bank holiday to celebrate international workers day not, as some people seem to think, to recall Ye Olde Maye Daye from times of yore, dancing round the maypole etc. In the 90's the Tories considered moving the May Day holiday to October and re-naming it Trafalgar Day or something. And Cameron wanted to do the same but May Day survives.
I loathed The Invaders and now The Complete Fantastic Four was no longer completely about the Fantastic Four - but the comic only had five issues left anyway.
As a Chicagoan, I thought May Days origins as the workers day was due to the Hay Market riot around 1876 in Chicago where, in Chicago fashion, numerous workers were killed by police?
That is what Wikipedia would have you believe Charlie, but in fact the Irish were celebrating the fertility of the workers on Beltane well before the Christian era.
-sean
I'd pick up the INVADERS because I liked Cap, Subby & the OG Torch, and the great covers by Gil Kane & Jack Kirby. Frank Robbins was always a let down tho. Those twisted joints looked like breaks that needed set, and more often than not everyone looked like they had Downes syndrome.
Who knows why? I never cared for Don Beck and Sal Busema. Look how much work they got.
Meant Don Heck. Don Perlin was another unfavorite. Worst Ghost Rider ever. Every panel the engine of his bike would change.
Killraven, I basically bought Invaders for the same reason. It took a while to convince myself that the retro-1940s Caniff style of Robbins was "nostalgic" or "truer to the WW 2 time frame." as a reason to purchase. By this time I'd pretty much tired of comics and was searching for a reason to buy them.
Being an older bronzer, I guess we were lucky to have a brief period where Kirby, Colan, Sternako, John Buscema, Romita, and a few others dominated the scene. But it just seems painfully obvious that if you think art has anything to do with comic-book sales, that compared to these guys, you would not dole out a ton of work to guys like Robbins who style was best suited to short B&W daily newspaper strips, not men in tights in color comics.
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