And what of the output of Marvel UK in those seven days? Could it match those sky-high standards?
Frankly, despite the cover's demands, I cannot tell you who the space survivor is.
In fact, I can furnish no information at all about the contents of this week's issue but I would assume Star-Lord and Seeker 3000 are still present as the back-up strips.
I do know that the back cover's dominated by a very badly drawn ad for a, "Force Beam," which is clearly a lightsabre rip-off powered by two U2 batteries and available for £2.95.
I do not have a clue what U2 batteries are but £2.95 for a lightsabre sounds like a bargain and a half. Luke Skywalker, eat your heart out.
This month's lead tale The Abode of the Damned is claimed to be a Robert E Howard tale but I can't claim to have ever heard of it. Does this mean it's a non-Conan story that someone like Rascally Roy Thomas has converted to a Conan story, or am I just displaying an egregious gap in my knowledge?
My knowledge of this issue is highly limited but I do know the Hulk's undergoing a good old dose of psycho-therapy at the hands of Doc Samson.
I know, it's amazing how I managed to deduce that just from looking at the cover. I must be some sort of Sherlock Holmes.
Hooray! I have both this and the American original from which the lead strip's reprinted.
If I remember rightly, the Hulk teams up with a wizard to battle an evil witch in a tale drawn by Jim Starlin and Alex Niño, which has to be one of the dreamiest of dream combinations you could ever get in a comic.
Sadly, I can recall nothing of the back-up strips. We may have reached that run of Defenders stories which find the Valkyrie in prison but I cannot guarantee it.
It's one of the most disappointing comic book tales of my youth. Who wouldn't want to see Spider-Man square up against the lord of all vampires?
Marvel, apparently. From what I can recall, Spider-Man and Dracula never actually meet in the tale and, although drawn by my favourite Spidey artist Ross Andru, it's inked by Dashing Don Heck who I must confess is not my favourite inker of all time.
As for the rest of this issue's contents, I have little to reveal but I do know that, unusually for a Marvel UK weekly, the back cover features the last page of the issue's final strip, which is that week's Thor tale. On that page, Galactus dramatically decides that it is time for him to once more visit the Earth!
That Spider-Man issue was especially disappointing as the Dracula story had already appeared in a hard back U.K. annual dated 1976. Does that mean it came out Christmas 1975 or 1976? I can’t remember.
ReplyDeleteIf it was cover-dated 1976, it would have likely come out in autumn 1975.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with you on the artwork for that Hulk story, Steve - Alex Nino really added something special to Jim Starlin's pencils. Judo Jimbo must have thought so too, because he tried to emulate Nino's approach in his (then) next work Darklon the Mystic.
ReplyDeletePretty sure one of the back-up features in that issue of Super Spider-man was the Avengers, up against Kang in the old west.
-sean
"The Abode of the Damned" was adapted from "The Country of the Knife," a non-Conan story by Robert E. Howard that was originally published in a pulp magazine in 1935 or '36. The original story was one of a series about Francis Gordon, aka El Borak, a soldier of fortune from Texas who had adventures in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThe El Borak series was usually straight adventure without a supernatural element, but the Savage Sword version has Conan encountering "beings from beyond."
Sean, you're right. The issue before featured the Avengers getting ready to tackle Kang in the Wild West, so, presumably, this one will have featured the next part of that saga.
ReplyDeleteTC, thanks for the REH info. It's nice to know I hadn't totally missed out on the existence of a Conan story.
I always thought Doc Samson was cool, and I'm pretty sure that issue is the one where he hooks Hulk up to a doohickey that takes them through Barber's childhood. I remember baby Bruce burning his hand, and Hulking out. The same when they go back to his high school days and Bruce gets bawled out by a teacher!
ReplyDeleteBanner not Barber
DeleteThat Rampage cover is one of my all-time favourites, the painted covers were a real treat compared to the stuff we were used to on the newsagent shelves.
ReplyDeleteAlso, by a strange quirk of fate, I happened to look at that very same Star Wars issue this very week. I too was struck by Marvel's wildly optimistic faith in my ability to remember the storyline inside.
ReplyDeleteDamnit, Steve.
ReplyDeleteYou're so quick and I was so busy, I missed the lucky bag.
I don't know if Marvel was apprehensive about introducing Dracula into the universe, but maybe the Spidey tale was an experiment.
ReplyDeleteI know about feeling gyped. I bought Giant-Sized #1 and was more than P.O'd.
I don't know if guys ever got to read Archie Vs The Punisher, but that book was more fun than Spider-Man and Dracula.
ReplyDeleteI know with the "relaxed" Comics Code guidelines Marvel was testing the waters. Luckily that gave us Morbius, Ghost Rider, and Werewolf By Night.
I wish Werewolf would have been more violent, less supervillian heavy. Just straight up horror.
I seem to remember that Dr.Strange might have cleansed the Marvel universe of vampires at one time.
ReplyDeleteThat was another problem I had with the whole vampire thing. Why didn't the heroes (and I'm sure some villains) concentrate some energy to eliminate this scourge?
I could see Dr.Doom trying to exploit it to his own ends. I don't know if that was ever a storyline.
I do know the Silver Surfer fought Dracula. I couldn't wait to go home to read it. The Surfer wimped out, in my opinion. The whole "Drac's preger wife" storyline was annoying.
He's literally DEAD! UNDEAD IS KINDA DEAD! The way they increase they're population is by INFECTION!!
I'd have to take Viagra, just to think about taking Viagra! Lol.
I never thought a vampire would have the juice to spawn a "live" baby. I would think if nothing,Drac would be blasting dead dust.
Anyone agree?
Steve
ReplyDeleteU2 batteries are the big round ones, tradditionally used in torches. Not sure about the influence on the group.
I think the main figure on the cover of Star Wars has a touch of Steranko about it.
DW
IIRC, Dracula and Spider-Man did meet, sort of. At the end of the story, Peter Parker accidentally bumped into Drac while he was in his civvies. Drac yelled something like "Watch where you're walking, cretin!" figuring Peter was just Joe Blow (or Joe Bloke).
ReplyDeletePete probably thought, "Wow, that's some far-out old dude in a real bad mood. Bummer."
Apparently his Spider-sense wasn't working that night.
Or maybe he thought, "Geez, they're right. That Batman is a real prick."
M.P.
Guess U2 batteries for you guys are the equivalent of the D-cell here in the states. Just tried to explain to a redneck that you folks call flashlights "torches". He was thinking about villagers chasing the Frankenstein monster.lol!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of U2 batteries before today. I've heard different explanations for the Irish rock band's name. A German submarine, the American spy aircraft, and a sort of rebus for inclusivity: "You, too."
ReplyDeleteKD and DW, thanks for the battery info. I must admit that all the ones of that size that I've ever seen have merely referred to themselves as "D" batteries.
ReplyDeleteSon of the Atom, it did always depress me the lack of respect Doc Samson got from the writers. He seemed to be an abject failure in everything he did.
Timothy, it is striking just how forgettable Marvel's Star War stories were.
MP, I couldn't help feeling that having Parker and Drac bumping into each other like that was just a cop-out, in order to try and get away with claiming the story was an encounter between Spidey and Dracula. Somehow, it made it all feel more of a swizz.
KD, I'm pretty sure Dracula was meant to not be able to have children but him getting Domini pregnant was depicted as some kind of inverse miracle that Dracula couldn't understand and was vaguely perturbed by.
I knew "Abode Of The Damned" couldn't be a Conan tale because it doesn't appear in my "Complete Chronicles Of Conan - Centenary Edition" book.
ReplyDeleteBut Robert E. Howard wrote zillions of stories for magazines featuring characters like El Borak, Bran Mak Morn and Sailor Steve Costigan so there was never a problem finding something that could be adapted into a Conan tale.
MP-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Partner's spider-sense probably should have went into overdrive.
Excuse me, "Parker's". Spellchecker, grumble grumble.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI would think being turned into a vampire would be the next best thing to getting a vasectomy. Lol
Maybe the out on the Spidey-sense was that Drac wasn't going to attack him.
ReplyDeleteStill, you'd think that a being like that just EMINATES EVIL would set it off.
Heck, he's the "Prince of Darkness", at least Hammer-wise.
As far as the Avengers in the wild West, storyline, I thought it was cool for an issue or two, with Rawhide Kid & "Phantom or Night Rider" ( I grew up with him being "Ghost Rider" and saw no real problem him being reffered to as such),but Two-Gun was always my least favorite of that genre.
ReplyDeleteWas that the same plot that Mockingbird let Phantom/Night/Ghost Rider die?
Guys, I really can't remember for certain. Ugh. The glories of senility.
I do remember Hawkeye was stuck with Two-Gun in present day time for awhile. Poor guy. Threw over for a robot, then saddled with an antique.
If I was him, I would've come up with an arrow that could harness the power of Zzax when he fought him w/the Hulk.
Saved it for when I couldn't take it anymore.
Then just fire the thing into Avengers Mansion and scream "HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW!!!"
That would make the Ant-Man attack by Ultron seem like a tea & biscuit party.
"I got your west-coast RIGHT HERE!!!"
Remember, he started as a villain. Maybe pushed to far.... Who knows?
I don't think that was the storyline in which Mockingbird let Phantom/Night/Ghost Rider die but I read it all a long time ago, so I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, I don't think Mockingbird was around for that one.
DeleteI'm getting my Avengers/cowboys stories confused.