For a start, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was launched on NBC. It went on to run for two seasons but, somehow, it seems strangely wrong that the Banana Splits had seasons. Surely, the whole concept of having a season, rather than randomly unleashing episodes upon the world, went against their whole ethos?
Far less anarchic, and far more sensible, was Hawaii Five-O which also premiered that month. Steve McGarrett was clearly made of stronger stuff than Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky because his show went on to last for twelve seasons, was, at one point, America's longest-ever running cop show and didn't end until 1980.
And it wasn't only TV that was giving its audience a thrill because there was also good news for Aunt May. Thanks to that's month's abolition of English theatre censorship, her favourite musical Hair opened in London. I have no idea how long that ran for. For all I know, it might still be running.
But I do know what is definitely running.
And that's our favourite Marvel heroes, in the pages of the comics bearing that month's cover date. They're running straight into danger because they've never heard of the concept of calling the police.
Captain America's mithering about Bucky again - and, this time, he decides to do something about it, other than just pointlessly replacing him with Rick Jones.
He decides to go back in time.
Needless to say, hijinks with Dr Doom's time machine ensue and history's almost rewritten.
You wonder why Dr Doom's time machine is allowed to just sit around unattended in his abandoned castle. Shouldn't someone do something to deactivate it before malcontents decide to use it to wipe out all of humanity?
Batroc, the Living Laser and the Swordsman are causing trouble in a story I've read but am struggling to remember the contents of.
What a very nice cover that is by Gene Colan.
Daredevil's falsely accused of killing the Jester's civilian alter-ego and then takes a long time to figure out who he was and why he can't be dead, despite having hyper-senses which should surely have tipped him off straight away as to what the link is between the alleged victim and the super-villain.
Is this the one in which the Mad Thinker pretends to be a renowned scientist and helps Reed Richards to cure Ben of being the Thing, only for Aunt Petunia's favourite nephew to, inevitably, turn evil?
The Hulk has his first scrap with the Mandarin, in a tale with a heavy SHIELD presence. Highlight of the fight has to be the Hulk lifting up the Mandarin's entire fortress and it not falling apart.
The Mandarin may not have much integrity but his fortress clearly does.
I have a feeling that, in this one, Tony Stark gets kidnapped and taken to the future in order to repair a computer of his own creation that's taken over the world, in an eerie foreshadowing of the rise of Skynet.
The Vulture's out to prove he's every bit as good as Blackie Drago, by defeating Spider-Man.
Needless to say, the attempt fails but I do believe this story leads to Spider-Man being thrown in prison.
But, hold on a second, doesn't the aforementioned Jester storyline lead to Daredevil also being thrown in prison?
Does this mean Daredevil and Spider-Man both end up in the same jail, at the same time and are each involved in the act of escaping from it, with no knowledge that the other is doing likewise?
The forces of Asgard do all they can to prevent Mangog from unsheathing the Odin Sword and killing us all.
Needless to say, they're not getting very far in the attempt.
I have no idea what happens in this tale but it has a John Romita drawn cover, which is a nice thing to see on an X-Men comic.
An amazing set for covers this month that make me want to buy almost all of them. I might pass on X-Men.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know, though, is whether the Hulk and Iron Man cover artists were sitting next to each other in class.
Another thing. The Hawaii Five 0 theme music.
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of guys in my class at secondary school that used to sing the music in class then, just as you got to the bit where Jack Lord turns his face to the camera and has his name pop up in the credits, they'd tap the shoulder of someone in front. When the guy in front turned round like Jack Lord, they'd point at his face and continue singing the music.
You need to try this out in real life, on the bus or somewhere, just to understand how satisfying it is.
Do you by any chance find that people tend to sit at the other end of the bus from you dangermash:)?
ReplyDeleteIts been quite a while since I've read that FF story, Steve, so I could well be mis-remembering - or, you know, you could even say wrong - but is the Mad Thinker actually in that issue? Maybe he was in the second part (although I only recall his android, sadly not the awesome one, from #79)?
-sean
Sean, I've just checked and it seems the Mad Thinker appearance I was thinking of was ten issues earlier, during a previous attempt by Reed to cure the Thing.
ReplyDeleteDangermash, as a result of your comment, I decided to remind myself of the Hawaii Five-0 theme tune, via YouTube. Needless to say, this led to me then playing the Incredible Hulk theme tune and then the Sweeney end-credits theme tune.
That Daredevil cover was inked by Jim Steranko, at about the same time he was blowing the deadline on Shield #4.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair Steve, it is quite easy to get Reed's attempts to cure Ben mixed up with each other.
ReplyDelete-sean
Dudes! Just to let you know that I, Charlie Horse 47, was an official member of the Banana Splits Club and my favorite Split was Droopy! I even met them at the local department store!
ReplyDeleteB.t.w. Does anyone else think Noo Noo from Teletubbies was a swipe off of Snorkey from the Splits? I really think that was blatant copy right infringement!
I don't care who you are or where you're at, getting on any bus is a potential Journey Into Weirdness.
ReplyDeleteYou could be sitting next to Ed Gein, but you ain't getting off that bus till it stops.
Hold onto your valuables.
M.P.
Omg? I just realized that the covers are in alphabetical order by characters! That’s a thoughtful touch Steve!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I just realized it was Drooper, not Droopy! I miss those guys! And the "Sour Grapes Girls" would make my heart swoon! I wonder where those girls are today... or would it be better not to?
ReplyDeleteTra La La, La La La La... Steve you have warmed up my Memorial Day immensely!
And speaking of buses, in Sheffield they had free bus fare back int he early 1980s and that led to the creation of brilliant groups like ABC and probably Human League!
I'm afraid I must confess that any alphabetical ordering in my posts is pure accident.
ReplyDeleteWow... I thought you were simply getting a leg up on the competition, driving more activity to your site, and thus raking in the dough!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I went for university interviews back in 1981, the bus from the station to Sheffield Uni cost only 5p.
ReplyDeleteI still feel guilty about putting that on my expense claim to my parents.
I remember it going up to 10p in 1986. I was suitably outraged.
ReplyDeleteAnd that’s when New Wave ended!!!
ReplyDeleteI freely admit that I sent out Kellogg's Frosted Flakes box tops and got the Banana Splits' 45's.
ReplyDeleteI played them to hell, over and over and over... On my sister's "pitiful, portable picnic player". With a nickel taped on the tone-arm no less.
Guess I was into "underground rock-n-roll" even back then.lol.
I don't think the Banana Splits charted on Billboard or Top of the Pops. Some of their songs were comparable to the better songs from the 1st season of Scooby Doo.