Tuesday 11 September 2018

The Marvel Lucky Bag - September 1978.

Gadzooks! Can it be the second Tuesday of the month once more?

Yes it can.

And we all know what that means.

That Steve Does Comics' page views are about to plummet dramatically as I look at what a selective sample of Marvel's lesser titles were up to with the mags that featured the name of this month of forty years ago.

Captain Marvel #58, Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer decides to take on Captain Marvel.

Why he does it, I've no idea, so I'm going to assume he thinks Marvy's working for Thanos.

Or, possibly, he's upset that, now that Thanos has gone, he has no one to fight, and decides to take it out on his former ally for robbing him of his meaning in life.

I've no evidence that either of these theories is correct but they're the only ones I have.


Invaders #32, Thor

Everyone's favourite war comic ups-the-ante as Thor shows up.

And, this time, he's on Hitler's side!

Is he being mind-controlled? Has he been duped into thinking the Invaders are the bad guys? Has he not being paying enough attention to current affairs? Is Thor a Nazi? Is he just angry? Who can know? But Thor vs the Invaders is certainly a more enticing prospect than the usual one of them facing up to yet another German super-soldier gone wrong.



John Carter Warlord of Mars Annual #2

Who would have thought John Carter would manage to have not one but two Marvel annuals?

I wouldn't.

And he didn't.

He actually had three.

Never having read a single Marvel John Carter story, I've no idea what's going on inside but, apparently, Tal Tarag is trapped in the body of a great white space ape and is trying to get his original body back.

In all honesty, I don't have a clue who Tal Tarag is but I wish him well in his attempts.

Unless he's a bad guy. In which case, I don't.

Nova #21

Nova's true identity is revealed to his parents? Is this the end for our hero?

As a matter of fact, it is, as this is, as far as I can ascertain, his final issue.

Poor Nova. He just never caught on, did he?

In fact, he so didn't catch on that I'm left with the worrying feeling that, when he dramatically announces, "Mom! Dad! I'm Nova!" they'll respond by saying, "Who?"

Red Sonja #11

There are no such problems for Red Sonja. Not only is she a legend in the Hyborian Age but she's still got another four issues to go before cancellation.

Admittedly, that means she'll only have managed fifteen issues before hitting the scrap heap but, bearing in mind she's now blind, that's quite an achievement.

Spider-Man #6, Werewolf by Night

It had to happen! Spider-Woman teams up with Werewolf by Night.

Admittedly, it didn't really have to happen but it kind of feels like it was almost inevitable that it would.

The good news for her is that, while other Marvel heroes around her are falling like dominoes, she still has another twenty seven issues to go before cancellation, meaning she'll have had a better run than either Nova or Red Sonja. That's the power of spideryness for you.

Thor King Size Special #7

Someone who doesn't have to worry about cancellation is everyone's favourite thunder god. Not only does he get to fight the Invaders this month but he also gets to fight his Inca equivalent and have his first ever encounter with the Eternals, although, afterwards, he doesn't recall the meeting.

But just what is the soul-searing secret of the Third Host that the cover boasts of?

13 comments:

dangermash aka The Artistic Actuary said...

I had to look up Invaders #32. Thor's not brainwashed. He just believes all the nonsense Hitler tells him. As dumb as The Avengers believing evrrything Loki tells them in the Avengers/Defenders War.

As for the Mystery Of The Third Host, me old flower, my theory is that it’s Charlie Williams taking over from Norman Vaughan on The Golden Shot.

Steve W. said...

Thanks for the Thor/Invaders info, Dangermash. It's nice to know Thor can sometimes be as stupid as Odin.

Charlie Horse 47 said...

OK, admittedly this is crude, but does anyone else think Sonja's chain mail, hanging down such as it does, is a bit "weird?"

Killdumpster said...

Yes! I had every issue that you posted, Steve.

Everyone was immensely enjoyable.

Drax was po'd at Marvel for the "death"of Thano's, thus robbing him for the reason of his existence.

Thor was mystically transported by Hitler's henchmen into then present day, and was song & danced into being a Nazi stooge. Give the guy a break. It probably was his first experience with modern earth politics.

There is no such thing as an unreadable Red Sonja book from that time period.

Spiderwoman Vs Jack Russell? What's not to like? Fragging great art in that series!

I loved the Marvel John Carter series. I had a scribe for it, was bummed when I got the cancellation postcard. GIL KANE LIVES!!!

Sorry, Charlie.
Even the best drawn artists,
Wish they were GIL KANE! LOL!

Killdumpster said...

Actually I should have said Drax was mad at Marvel for being part of the coalition that "killed" Thanos (turning him to stone)
Marvel was the first on he ran into. The Avengers, Thing and Spider-Man were next on his list. Warlock was considered "dead" then also, technically unreachable for his vengeance.

Anonymous said...

That's not the final issue of Nova - September 1978 was Nova #21 but the series ended at #25 (dated May 1979).

I had only one issue of Red Sonja - the penultimate one, #14.

And I had only one issue of John Carter - again the penultimate one, #27.

Steve W. said...

Colin, I've just checked and you're right, it did have more issues after that. For some reason, the Grand Comics Database is listing it as only having 21 issues.

KD, thanks for the Drax and Thor info.

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Setve - I think this was the fewest responses to a blog of yours I've ever seen! What's up with that?

Hey - is that a Kirby cover to the THor-Invaders comic or a look alike?

Killdumpster said...

Sure looks like the King to me.

Anonymous said...

Although Nova got cancelled after 25 issues, he and the Nova Corps never really went away. In the modern comics there are two Novas, the original and a new, younger version. The Nova Corps appeared in the first Guardians Of The Galaxy film and Nova might be getting his own film.

Steve W. said...

Charlie, it's almost like people aren't interested in the adventures of Nova, Spider-Woman, the Invaders and John Carter. I am fairly certain that that is indeed a Jack Kirby cover on The Invaders.

Colin, thanks for the Nova info.

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Wow... it’s not like you’re blogging on NightNurse or The Cat. I don’t get it?

Steve W. said...

I suspect that Night Nurse would generate more comments than those four put together.

And then there's always Lady Cop...