That matter attended to, it's time to see just what our favourite comics company was up to in this week of 1978 as we were all getting excited about the impending arrival of Santa.
I did originally mistype that as, "We were all getting excited about the impending arrival of Satan," but decided to correct it, as I'm aware that only I was excitedly awaiting that.
Other than being able to brilliantly guess that Darth Vader might be in this issue, I can say nothing of the book's contents.
I would, howmsoever, assume the adventures of Adam Warlock are still underway, as they only commenced last issue.
The Hulk is still having trouble with Moonstone who seems to be well and truly pulling the wool over Doc Samson's eyes.
Elsewhere, the Gladiator's in the process of stealing the Man-Thing related Sallis Papers, which suggests to me that we're going though the build-up to Daredevil's first encounter with Death-Stalker, a tale which was previously published in the 1977 Marvel Annual.
Admittedly, this did mean plenty of us had already read it, which was the one drawback of getting Marvel annuals for Christmas.
Meanwhile, the FF are being held prisoner in Agatha Harkness' hometown and, back at the Baxter Building, the Impossible Man is being ambushed by a perfidious partnership of the Molecule Man and Klaw.
It's every super-hero's worst nightmare, the return of the Enforcers. How can our super-strong, super-fast, super-reflexed, wall-crawling, web-shooting hero with a built-in ambush warning system and years of experience under his belt possibly hope to survive against a man with a rope, a man with a crate and a man with a hat?
Facing far greater concerns is the Falcon because, in the pages of Captain America, the Red Skull's reaping the seeds of Harlem's discontent by pretending to be a black activist on a mission to raze the place to the ground.
It could have been worse for Spidey, Steve - at least he wasn't up against the Circus of Crime.
ReplyDeleteStrictly speaking, the adventures of Warlock started in that issue of Star Wars - pretty sure the previous one just recapped the history of the character as told by the alien Sphinxor, reprinted from the first few pages of Strange Tales #178.
-sean
You know what? I would bet a hundred bucks that the Enforcers could whip Spidey but only if he was teamed up with Rick Jones!
ReplyDeleteANd Steve thank you very much for the Smith's Crisps links! Awesome! I am learning all kinds of stuff like the smallest crowd ever in the UK at a pro game was 7 at Old Trafford in 1921! I am going to become a veritable encyclopedia of UK soccer trivia!!!
Does Darth have the most prodigious cod piece ever seen in comics? I mean, only Red Sonja's and Conan's seem more profound???
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Warlock info, Sean.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Charlie. I too have learned all kinds of new things from those ads.
Lol! I'm telling you guys, Rick Jones & the Enforcers would make a great series, but only if it was done in old school style. More action and less soap opera. There's way to much pontificating and human drama overkill now, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou know what KD??? I would agree with you!!!
ReplyDeleteI think that Rick, sans magic bracelets and exhibiting perhaps average intelligence (vs. 100% stupid), would be a great Marvel Team Up with the Enforcers. Especially if drawn a little more old school like that Ditko style or Everett style!
Yeah, Charlie-
ReplyDeleteI've found that some of the misused or underused characters make some of the most interesting stories.
EVERYONE knows Rick, there could be guest-stars every third issue or so. Plus it'd be a chance to flesh out the individual members of the Enforcers, but not too much. The aire of mystery is kinda what makes them.
Here's a synopsis: Rick could use some dough, because he's too proud to mooch of the Avengers.The Enforcers are mercenaries, but are tired of dealing with the underworld (at least for a time). They get together and form a "Hero-for-Hire" business.
I can see Stan's cover blurbs: "FIRST FRANTIC ISSUE!" "Guest Starring LUKE CAGE & IRON FIST, against the forces of HYDRA & a SURPRISE VILLIAN!" "With appearances by everyone's favorite WEB-HEAD & JADE-JAWS!!"
Kirby/Ditko style cover? I wouldn't be able to get it to the counter quick enough!!
Man KD - we must be drinking the same beer or something? (Iron City?) You are chock full of good ideas today! I like the Enforcers teaming up with Luke Cage! Rick Jones could answer the phone or get them into trouble (i.e., create a crisis) by being the office manager a la Jimmy Olsen!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Luke was the first first-appearance comic I ever bought since all other Marvel creations were 8 years earlier. I always liked Luke, I mean I really felt him. Perhaps b/c I grew up in Gary IN and Chicago where "arresting the nearest black man to the scene of the crime" was SOP for the police he embodied fighting back against "the man!"
Then there was as whole slew of first-appearance characters over at DC like Kamandi, the Dingbats... I got some of those too but none spoke to me like Luke! Plus Billy Graham and the heavy inks seemed perfect for Luke.
But Iron Fist never did much for me, nor the Kung Fu dude though I did enjoy them when I was "forced" to read them, like Mad Magazine or Archie, at that time.
ReplyDeleteSteve, et al. Pay attention! This is important. The Heaviest Goalkeeper was Willie J. 'Fatty' Foulkes according to cards they would stick in Smith Crisps!!!
William Henry "Fatty" Foulke (12 April 1874 – 1 May 1916; sometimes spelled Foulk, Foulkes) was a professional cricketer and football player in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Foulke was renowned for his great size (6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1] by some estimates) and weight, reaching perhaps 24 stone (152 kg; 336 lb) at the end of his career, although reports on his weight vary.
ReplyDeleteThe milkshake crew at Marvel would never do that, UNLESS there was a female on the team.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of a forgotten character that would fill the bill. She would have to be just combat-skilled, not super powered, to fit the team.
Any recommendations, gentlemen?
I think I've exceeded Charlie's implied ration of posts, lol!
No, Charlie, I don't drink Iron City, though I did drink IC light. A refreshing beer & great tasting, until Pittsburgh Brewing jacked the city, and their long term employees, by not paying their water bill and moving to Latrobe.
ReplyDeleteI love draft beer. They quit washing the inside of their kegs, so virtually every time I got a mug their was a cloudy white loogy floating in the glass. Big enough to use for fishing bait!! Lol!
I was friends with a gal who was a sales rep for Iron City. She used to pound me with caps, t-shirts, etc. I took the issue of Secret Wars 2 that had the Beyonder asking for Earth beer and the alien bartender exclaims, "Yes Sir! We have IRON CITY! THE BEST!" and blew it up at a print shop, gave it to her in a frame.
ReplyDeleteThe then-president of the company borrowered it to have a copy in his office.
(Jim Shooter is a native of my town, that's why there were a lot of references to the 'Burgh during his stint at Marvel. FYI.)
No, Rick wouldn't be a receptionist. He'd be in the field, leading the Enforcers, to their dismay/resentment.
ReplyDeleteGreat conflict device.
Was thinking Luke & Danny would appear because Cage was primarily the original "Hero for Hire". Maybe came to give him pointers, till HYDRA attacks, cuz they probably have a bone to pick with Rick, from back-in-the-day.
Looking forward to suggestions for an obscure fighting female hero/villain that would fit this "fantasy football" team.
I realize this will be tough.
Standard police procedure, Charlie? You mean it wasn't just disgruntled black activist-types causing trouble like in that Captain America story? I am shocked.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which - it was the later Stan Lee Cap with John Romita in Super Spidey wasn't it? I think that must have been the story with the first appearance of the Falcon's chick Leila in it. As I recall, she seemed to spend most of her time telling him he was an Uncle Tom and that his mate Cap was one of the pigs man, which made it hard to understand why they were together.
-sean
I'd completely erased those Smiths' football ads from my mind, and yet clicking on the link brought a couple of immediately familiar images.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Steve and thanks, again, for your continued efforts with this blog.
DW
Merry Christmas to you too, DW, and to everyone else who visits the site.
ReplyDeleteSean, Leila, was indeed in this story and was furious with everyone and everything.
If a reformed Enforcers need a female member, you could replace Montana with Shooting Star, formerly of the Rangers. A rodeo star with a sparkly gun-gimmick.She was a Bill Mantlo creation. Get them to take a job for Baintronics and have them outwit Madame Menace.
ReplyDeleteI think that Spidey comic featured half of the Conway/Shooter/Englehart/Perez Avengers 150-151. Or maybe more accurately, half of the second half.
That alien Sphinxor from the Warlock comic which Sean mentioned--was he from the planet Uranus?
ReplyDeleteM.P.