Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
If you were going into the woods, this week in 1981, you were going to have to put your goggles on.
That's because it was the week in which the first-ever game of Paintball was played. The location being Henniker, New Hampshire.
Over in Blighty, on this very evening, BBC One was broadcasting the first-ever episode of a new comedy sketch show called Three of a Kind which starred Tracey Ullman, Lenny Henry and David Copperfield.
Not that David Copperfield, obviously. Or the other David Copperfield. It was a different David Copperfield.
Lenny Henry was, of course, already a household name in Britain but the show made a household name of Ullman.
David Copperfield also became a household name but, then, David Copperfield had already been one for about a hundred years. Just not that David Copperfield. Or the other one.
The edition also featured a guest appearance by Toni Basil who'd not yet gained the fame that would be conferred upon her by the song Mickey. So, maybe the show made a household name of her, as well. I couldn't say. I wasn't there.
Actually, I was but I don't remember.
Michael Jackson, who wasn't in that show, had, however, already achieved fame, by July 1981 and proved it by being Number One on the UK singles chart, with One Day in Your Life.
Over on the British album chart, Disco Daze and Disco Nites, by various artists, hit the top spot, this week. Proving that Disco may have been declared dead but there was still some life left in the corpse.
Clearly, Captain America's still in England, which leads me to assume he's not yet managed to decapitate Baron Blood, with his shield. I've got to say he's taking his time over it. His visa'll run out if he doesn't get on with it.
I would assume Iron Man's still in Hong Kong and trying to stop that ghost-dragon thing that's caused a series of deaths at his facility there.
The Dazzler's whereabouts are a mystery to me, and the Defenders appear to still be trying to get home from Lunatik's world.
Seemingly, they're facing some resistance.
From the Wizard King.
Fortunately, it takes more than such a trivial setback to stop the pumpkin-headed perp and, in no time at all, he's back on his feet and holding Aunt May's boyfriend hostage for reasons I can't recall.
That means it's Spidey to the rescue and he's so to the rescue that Jack decides, almost instantly, that he's outclassed and does a runner, before the wallcrawler decks him.
I do believe it's in this story we learn the terrible secret of whatever her name is and why she's taken to wearing a scarf lately.
But possibly the thing of most interest about this venture is its layouts are drawn by Jim Shooter. I can offer no answers as to how that situation's come about.
Elsewhere, in the middle of nowhere, the Hulk's befriended by a young woman in an Alfredo Alcala drawn tale I've never read.
And, in our Team-Up tale, Spider-Man's still hanging out with Adam Warlock.
Well, obviously not.
But he's happy to let the world, and Karen Page, think he is; presumably, in an attempt to preserve his secret identity.
Poor old Karen. First, she had to deal with the demise of Mike Murdock. Now Matt. DD clearly needs to make up yet another identity and kill him off, as well, just to see if he can send her completely mad.
But, right now, he must deal with the return of Mr Fear who's promised to give a whole heap of money to charity if Daredevil will fight him to the death.
Meanwhile, it would appear the Black Panther's time with King Solomon's Frog has finally come to an end.
Beyond that, I can say little.
It doesn't have one!
Or, at least, not in its current form.
For this is the last issue to feature Valour and it's the last issue as a weekly.
That's right. Next time out, Future Tense becomes a monthly!
In the meantime, it serves up our usual dose of Conan, ROM and the Micronauts.
But not doses I can claim to know anything about.
Smash what? I've no idea, as I've been able to divine no information whatsoever from the internet.
Would it kill Marvel UK to put story information on the cover, so I'd know what's going on?
Sadly, Dracula's plans to bump off Rachel Van Helsing are foiled by the arrival of a nobleman's deformed son.
I suspect that may be him on the cover.
We also get a reprint of Conan the Barbarian #1 because why not?
Clearly, Lucky lives up to his name because the Goblin fails.
Then again, he's probably not that lucky, because his entire gang ends up in jail.
Obviously, this brings them into conflict with Psycho-Man but, in a shocking twist, once the villain realises what's going on, he lets the team leave, as he doesn't want the Big G to destroy his world while destroying ours.
The Juggernaut makes his dynamic debut, as the unstoppable villain decides to smash his way through the X-Men mansion, in a revenge mission against Professor X. A development that sees the chrome-domed college owner finally tell his students his origin story.
The 3rd Sleeper is, of course, basically, a big, slow-moving plane that has a giant head stuck on the back of it, for no noticeable reason. I think I'm starting to see why the Nazis lost the war.
I can find no trace, online, of either the cover or information about the contents.
I'm glad to say the book doesn't last for too many more issues after this one. So, I won't be facing this nightmare of ignorance for much longer.
And that's because he's also inside the comic, in a tale written by Jim Starlin and drawn by Howard Chaykin.
I hear he's up against Steel Harris who's not a villain I could claim to be familiar with.
Then again, it seems Harris dies during this, his sole appearance. I suppose that could explain why he's not more well-known.
After that, the Daughters of the Dragon star in Safe Streets - a title which makes me think of those Tufty road-safety films we all saw, as kids.
Elsewhere, Moon Knight must confront the Mind Thieves when the corpse of an old CIA friend shows up at Mark Spector's mansion.
And, in a second Moon Knight tale - Vipers - our hero finds himself battling a mind-controlled assassin.
But the focus on the 2nd Doctor doesn't prevent the mag from taking a look at brand new companion Tegan or at William Hartnell stories like The Dalek Masterplan and The Gunfighters.
But not just any bad guys. He has to fight his way through an office building laced with traps, only to encounter the murderous giant known as Triple-Iron; a man armed with three irons.
I may have made that last fact up.
But if Iron Fist thinks he's got problems, he doesn't know what problems are. In the Inhumans' strip, the even more gigantic robotic Kaptroids launch a deadly attack on Attilan but soon fall victim to the city's royal family.
And, finally, Omega finds himself battling the Incredible Hulk.
Marvel Madhouse gives us yet more jolly, Marvel-based, japes.
The Champions must confront the Death Drone, and the original X-Men must stop the menace of annoying Japanese nationalist Sunfire.
Other than these facts, I can say little of the contents of this month's book.
But does that planet hold a dreadful secret?
Elsewhere in the universe, Darth Vader's lackeys have decided it's time to bump him off before he leads them all to disaster.
I predict their assassination attempt will not succeed.
Even more elsewhere, Killraven's still in the Herb Trimpe era, as our hero confronts the Warlord in the villain's very own HQ.
Unfortunately, the ace thwarter of Martians only succeeds in getting himself and his friends captured.
That's the bad news. The good news is the mysterious Carmilla Frost and her hairy friend Grok are about to come to the rescue.
Conan gets caught up in a War of Wizards. One of whom is Zukala, returned from wherever he's been, and demanding Conan capture his rival Karanthes. If the barbarian does this, Zukala will bring Bêlit back to life.
Unfortunately, in order to restore Bêlit, Zukala's going to have to kill Red Sonja - and Conan decides that's a human sacrifice too far.
We also get a tale called a Wind Blows From Stygia. Of that tale, I know nothing.
I cannot say by what means it is doing so.
You'd have thought so but they don't half make a meal of it.
Elsewhere, the Thing has to prevent Deathlok from assassinating the American president at his inauguration ceremony.
And, lastly - and possibly leastly - Luke Cage finds himself confronting Chemistro the master of alchemy.
What's that? The master of alchemy? I can't help thinking Diablo might have something to say about that.
Also, Chemistro has to be one of the worst super-villain names I've ever heard.
Not to mention the genius of Condorman.
Of those, Superman II is definitely my favourite.
Then again, I've never seen Condorman. So, who knows? Maybe that would be my favourite if I'd ever seen it.
Isn't it the thing with Michael Crawford in it?
And he can fly?
Whatever would Betty say?
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'Savage Action' # 9
Nick Fury
ASSIGNMENT: THE INFINITY FORMULA!
At first glance, this dramatic title's a bit like Dominic Fortune's 'THE BIG TOP BARTER RESOLUTION!' or Iron Man's 'THE MONACO PRELUDE!' But, a David Michelinie tale it is not! No - it's written by 'Judo' Jim Starlin, and fills an interesting Marvel credibility gap.
Have you ever wondered how Nick Fury fought in World War II, yet 40 years later is still sprightly enough to to be doing karate kicks alongside Captain America? Well, this story provides the answer!
The tale starts in Paris, where a mobster named Steel Harris, who looks like a Country & Western singer (not the first Chaykin's drawn),shoots a man named Prof Sternberg in the head & steals his secret notebook.
Back in America, Fury receives a 'phone call, telling him the Prof is dead, and 'they' will be supplying him with his 'Ponce de Leon' serum, now - with 'Madame Renour' being the go-between. Fury's darkest secret's in the hands of a trained killer!
Nick tells Countess Val to hand S.H.I.E.L.D. over to Duncan, as he's heading to Paris.
In a World War II flashback, Fury remembers how he stepped in a French minefield, and almost died, but partisans took him to a French doctor, who saved his life. 6 months later, back in the States, Fury received a small dose of serum, which the French doctor claimed he needed. Fury ignored it, but rapidly changed from a 26 year old to resembling an 86 year old, overnight. Nick takes Sternberg's serum, for obvious reasons. Turns out, Fury will need a booster every year, or he'll die! With annual boosters, he'll live almost forever. But, each year, Fury must pay handsomely for the privilege of living.
Nick tracks down Madame Renour, in Paris, and she hands him a big hundred dollar casino chip, from Vegas (reminds me of the large Melnibonean coin Elric found, which led him to Saxif Da'an - but...I digress.) Meanwhile, in Vegas, a gloating Steel Harris claims he'll be able to take over the state, with Fury in his pocket.
Nick makes a violent entrance, but Harris isn't impressed, driving a hard bargain - which Fury has no choice but to accept. Suddenly, however, there's a 'phone call, and Harris's goon announces the formula's been stolen! Harris blames Nick, and shoots at him. Fury smashes through a window, and drives off at top speed, pursued by a chopper. Nick sets his car in VTOL mode, and jumps out, whereupon the flying car ascends like a Harrier, destroying the chopper & itself (that's the cover picture.)
Nick is starting to age, and desperately needs the Infinity Formula. Eavesdropping at the casino, Fury learns Harris is rapidly aging, too, and also desperately needs the serum. Fury suggests they team up, to locate the serum - but Harris flips & goes berserk. Nick's so old he can barely fight, but uses a hip throw to chuck Harris over a balcony, & through a glass ceiling. Harris doesn't survive.
Countess Val arrives, in the nick (terrible pun!) of time, and inoculates Fury. She was the mystery serum thief! Nick hasn't thought about Countess Val of late, but suddenly realizes she's one hell of a woman, the kind a man with eternal life should have.
This is dangerously close to Peter Parker's attitude to Deb Whitman, when he finally decided she might be worth taking a punt on, then turns up at her flat, only to find her boyfriend, Biff what's his name, there.
This story reminds me a little of 'The Fortress of The Pearl', in which Elric is given a slow poison (one of the weaker Elric stories.) Starlin was an Elric reader. Then again, everything's reminding me of Elric plots, recently!
The thing about going to Paris & leaving your lady behind - but her ignoring your wishes - crops up in Moon Knight, too, this month - as does smashing through windows!
'Daughters of the Dragon'
Chris Claremont writes it, and Roger Marshall does the art, albeit with slightly "cartoony" faces - not necessarily the best visual vibe for a vampire tale!
The story starts with a relentless pursuit - almost like a Deathlok tale, in fact. A flashback sets the premise of the story. Colleen & Misty got a call from a cop friend, Dominic Ferrara, arranging a meet at Columbus Circle station - where they find Ferrera dead.
How many Chris Claremont tales use Columbus Circle as a location/setting? As well as this one, I seem to remember Daredevil Annual # 4/ MWOM Annual 1979. I also seem to recall a third instance, too - but can't quite put my finger on it. But, I digress...
An old reporter friend of Misty's, Angie Freeman (who was hanging round near the scene of the crime), drops by, at Misty's apartment. They start pleasantly talking, over drinks, and Misty passes out. Has Angie slipped Misty a Mickey Finn? Next morning, sunlight pains Misty.
Misty also notices a strange choker round her neck, with a wolf emblem, and feels an inexplicable longing for Angie. At this point, her reveries are interrupted by Colleen, telling her the medical examiner wants to see them.
Back to the relentless pursuit, and Misty uses her bionic arm to knock down a water tower, to slow down their pursuers. Spidey used a water tower, in the marathon story - and Ms. Marvel knocked one over, too, when fighting Deathbird? - I forget. Useful things to have around, water towers! I wonder whose bionic arm's the strongest, Misty's, or Donald Pierce's, from the Hellfire Club? But, I digress...
Flashback, again. The coroner tells Colleen that Dominic Ferrera's been dead for 10 days, asking her if it's some kind of a joke. At that moment, a secretary enters, saying that according to records, Ferrera made N.Y.P.D. roll call, last night. That sword wielding vamp in Blade had the same racket, down to a tee!
Misty finds a wolf's head bracelet in Dominic's bureau, similar to her choker. She also finds herself lying to Colleen, when an identikit picture of Angie Freeman is produced. Ferrera's desk is also littered with Angie's newspaper columns.
In the corridor outside Misty's apartment, a weird couple introduce themselves as "The Burkes" - they're both wearing wolf chokers, like Misty's. Misty lies to Coll, saying she's ill, and goes to scope out Angie's workplace, looking for clues in the newsroom. Turns out Angie quit her job, but she was investigating a series of bizarre murders.
As Misty leaves the newspaper building, Angie appears, offering her old pal a cab share, after their fantastic time together, the night before. Misty accepts, and, in the back seat of the cab, Angie sinks her fangs into her! Why didn't she do this the first time? Segue back to the pursuit. Misty confesses all to Colleen, whilst they are running.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Moon Knight
Just to show how 'out of kilter' things are, the cover for this Moon Knight story graced 'Savage Action' # 3:
https://britishcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Savage_Action_Vol_1?file=Savage_Action_3.jpg
This Moon Knight tale is only an espionage story on one level, as Doug Moench employs the espionage plot to spotlight Spector's deeper issues, too. Marlene asked, last month, if our hero is really Steven Grant, or Marc Spector? Moon Knight replied, in all earnestness, "I...don't know." These personas aren't just assumed identities. Dissociative personality disorder is what it's starting to look like.
Anyway, let's crack on! Moon Knight breaks into Ravencrag, a mental hospital which is a front for the C.I.A., looking for the records office. Despite Moon Knight's operation being clandestine, a group of patients accost him, thinking he's a white angel, come to save them. (Incidentally, Moon Knight was also called a "White Angel" in the 'Live & Let Die' story - you know the one!)
Moon Knight strategically withdraws to a room behind his back, where he startles a masked man, holding a ticking time bomb! As the two masked men fight, the time bomb is counting down, with only 5 minutes on the clock! The (other) masked man beats a hasty retreat, whilst Moon Knight disarms the bomb. After disarming the device, Moon Knight smashes through a window, to get ahead of his quarry, but is stopped short by a gas bomb. Frenchie picks Moon Knight up, and they decide the masked man is the same guy who fire bombed Grant mansion.
Next morning, Moon Knight pays an overt, rather than covert, visit to Ravencrag, as Marc Spector. The director of the institution is a man from Spector's CIA days, named Hanson. The institute's former director, Leblanc, fled when things got too hot. What's more, the institution's gone legit, and is no longer a CIA front - at least according to Hanson. He also tells Marc the CIA held mind control experiments (Operation Cobra) there, but if he wants to locate Leblanc, Paris is where to go.
Marc gets Marlene to research CIA experiments on mental patients, and Leblanc's name keeps coming up. Spector tells Marlene to book him a flight to Paris - without her. She has different ideas.
Arriving in Paris, Marc hails a taxi - which already has Marlene in it. Surprise! Later, as Moon Knight, Spector breaks into Leblanc's psychiatric clinic, and forces Leblanc to spill the beans about Operation Cobra. However, Moon Knight's interrupted by the masked man he fought earlier, who wants to kill everyone involved in Operation Cobra. Turns out the masked man's Marc's CIA buddy Amos Lardner's brother - the Gordon Liddy type - who wants vengeance for Amos's murder. More specifically, James Lardner believes Marc Spector killed his brother.
Moon Knight disarms James Lardner, who bolts, screeching off in a rental car. Outside the clinic, Marlene pulls up in an ancient auto, and they head off, in hot pursuit, with Moon Knight balancing on the mud board. Unfortunately, there's a road traffic accident, and Moon Knight is captured.
Tied to a chair, Spector's been pumped full of truth serum, and being subjected to deep/ enhanced interrogation. Basically, getting the crap beaten out of him. To the interrogators, it's baffling that when asked who he is, Moon Knight replies, "Steven Grant", "Jake Lockley", "Moon Knight", "Marc Spector" - despite their best efforts. Spector's dissociative personality disorder is defeating the interrogation!
Moments later, Spector goes berserk, breaking his restraints and knocking out the interrogators. Next, he stumbles through a Raymond Chandler style conservatory full of weird plants; then a room full of beautiful women - like Marlene, but not Marlene!
TO BE CONTINUED!
I've also got Blockbuster - maybe for another night!
Phillip
Thanks, Phillip. That was a truly gargantuan summary.
I suppose the problem with Nick Fury being kept young by a serum is it doesn't explain Dum Dum Dugan's longevity. Wasn't there some story or other that revealed Dum Dum was a robot?
That Daughters of the Dragon tale certainly sounds eventful. I remember there was once a character in Coronation Street who was called Angie Freeman. I suspect she's not the same character, though.
I remember Angie Freeman in Corrie. She drank pints. A reinsurer bet me a tenner back in the late 80s that she'd end up married to Curly Watts. It never happened. When the first of those characters left Weatherfield (can't remember which one it was) I wrote to the actress, Deborah McAndrew, asking for confirmation that Curly and Angie were never married. When she wrote back, I faxed the letter over to the reinsurer and got my tenner. Also got a signed photo from Deborah, which I kept on my office desk for years.
Marvel's Angie Freeman originally appeared in Angie's Soul, Steve, a story Claremont wrote in an issue of b&w mag Vampire Tales.
Maybe he was into Corrie, but it seems more likely to me the character was inspired by comic strip reporter Friday Foster - with whom she had more than a passing resemblance - who lit up cinema screens in the mid 70s played by the fab Pam Grier.
https://museumofuncutfunk.com/2009/04/19/friday-foster/
I read that Daughters of the Dragon story in the US Bizarre Adventures mag, and while I agree with young Phillip about Roger Marshall's artwork, it actually looked less cartoony than usual with McLeod Bob's inks.
A little harmless fun with artist names there, Phillip - good to have you back on Thursday evening duties. I look forward to reading about Blockbuster tomorrow...
-sean
I've not seen Condorman either Steve, but while I find it hard to believe its better than Clash Of The Titans or Superman 11 I'm willing to bet that even a film with Michael Crawford in it could be as dumb as Altered States.
1981 seems about a decade too late for a film about tripping in flotation tanks, but its hard to believe anyone would have taken it seriously even in the early 70s.
Theres a special place in cinema hell for Ken Russell films.
-sean
Never, ever heard, or even heard of, that Jacko song until now Steve Does Comics! And I grew up just a few miles down the street from him. How could he not have run it by me first, b/c I'd 've told him it sucks and then he would NOT have had a number 1 record and then we never would still have been close buddies!
Also, having a carved pumpkin for the head of your costume sucks. I do recall seeing that thinking what in the world... are Marvel going to run through all the dangerous fruits and vegetables to create villains b/c they've exhausted the animals and plants???
Too bad Spidey did not have spinning buzz saw blades like Gladiator. Though it would have been problematic shooting out web, he could have diced old Pumpkin Head up like a squash getting ready for a Moroccan stew.
B.t.w. the favorite vegetable in the USA, of some our more "interesting states," is pump-kin. Crazy, huh?
Yay, Phillip is back for the astoundingly detailed Marvel UK play-by-play! Though I always enjoy the hell out of Steve’s hilarious and un-informed / mostly guesswork coverage too :)
Re: Daughters of the Dragon — personally, I prefer Marshall Rogers’ earlier stuff, when he didn’t really know how to draw yet (like the first DOTD adventure in DEADLY HANDS or those awesome Batman stories in DETECTIVE).
Re: Jack O’ Lantern — that ain’t a pumpkin on the guy’s head, that’s an effing FLAMING pumpkin on his head. Was it lined with asbestos, and did it have its own cooling system and oxygen supply? Because it seems like Spider-Man could just wait a few seconds for the idiot to keel over from asphyxiation and third degree burns and call it a day. Also — do you get the idea that someone said, ‘Hey, let’s do another knock-off of the Green Goblin, but this time let’s make him even lamer than the Hob-goblin?’ Because if so, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
b.t.
Steve, the illusionist who called himself David Copperfield did perform one amazing piece of magic.
He made Claudia Shiffer's taste in men disappear.
Temporarily anyway.
On another note, I must respectfully differ with b.t.
A guy with a flaming pumpkin on his head, even he is a bit of a rip-off of the Green Goblin, is automatically cool in my book. Read yer Washington Irving, man!
I was a little bummed out when the Punisher wasted him in the Civil War crossover (or debacle, more accurately). One high-powered round right through the ol' squash.
But I'm sure someone else has taken up the mantle of the burning gourd since then.
M.P.
As magic tricks go, making Claudia Schiffer's taste in men disappear doesn't sound amazing at all M.P. - I daresay I could manage that!
-sean
If you coulda pulled that off Sean, you woulda done it already!
So would I, for that matter!
M.P.
Dangermash, my main memory of Angie Freeman is also of her sat in the Rovers, drinking pints. I'm glad to know it's not just me.
Sean, I do remember Altered States not being very good but I've not seen it in decades, so don't know how much my memory's deceiving me.
Bt, the first time I ever encountered Marshall Rogers was from him doing centre-spread pin-ups for Marvel UK's Titans comic. At the time, I was under the impression they were his first works for Marvel but I could have been completely wrong.
I do like the look of Jack O'Lantern but can't help but feel they should have made him a supernatural character, rather than just a crook with a pumpkin on his head.
MP, I take the view that all stage illusionists are dubious characters.
Charlie, if only Jacko had had you as his manager, how different his career would have been,.
M.P. —
Saying that Jack O’Lantern was an even more lame Green Goblin knock-off than the Hob-Goblin may have been a bit harsh. Upon further reflection, I concede that both are probably equally lame Green Goblin knock-offs.
With respect — from the neck down, Jack is pretty much just wearing Loki’s outfit from the John Buscema era : green tights, chainmail vest. Even jazzed up with lime green Captain America boots, it’s a bit basic, no? And that thing he’s riding looks kinda like one of those old wind-up hand buzzers — which, while always good for a cheap laugh, don’t really feel very on-point with the whole Halloween theme. Perhaps some flying wax lips or moustache would have been more appropriate. Or at the very least, jam a black hobby horse into it for that ‘Washington Irving’ effect. SOMETHING.
Granted, a blazing pumpkin does make for an arresting visual indeed, but have you ever had a Halloween pumpkin whose candle flame gets too close to the underside of its lid and scorches it? I have and believe me, it’s horrible! I feel I have to detract a few ‘Cool Points’ for the nasty stench alone.
b.t.
Steve:
I had never heard of these Marshall Rogers pinups for Marvel UK’s TITANS book you speak of. I Googled around a bit and could only find two wide, skinny pieces that might be from the series you’re talking about. One is of The Punisher blowing away some dudes, the other is of everyone’s favorite Man-Goat, the mighty Woodgood. Kinda in the vein I was thinking of — not very realistic, with fairly odd faces and anatomy (BIG chunky feet) — but nicely composed and loaded with stylish graphic design elements, in a ‘Chaykin and Simonson Had A Baby’ sort of way. Neat.
Once he started to draw in a more ‘realistic’ style, like in his later Dr. Strange run with Roger Stern and the Coyote graphic novel with Englehart or ‘Detectives Inc.’ with McGregor, I felt like lot of the funky, stylized, weird, fun got left behind.
And obviously I’m kidding about Jack O’Lantern — I’ve never really given him much thought, in fact I may never even have read a single comic with him in it! But you make a fair point. Any kind of flame-exuding head immediately brings to mind supernatural or otherworldly forces (Ghost Rider, Dormammu, Surtur, et al). Because otherwise — ouch.
b.t.
Just like my college room mate, after consuming lots of lsd, figured out the hidden meaning behind Pink Floyd's The Wall, so too has Charlie, after consuming endless hours of British TV shows like Dr. Martin and Father Brown stumbled over the hidden meaning of this post!!!
Fact: The Brits started calling Michael Jackson "Jacko!"
Fact: The Brit SDC talks about Jacko, while showing pictures of Spidey fighting Jack-O!
Fact: This all took place AFTER Jacko's head was lit on fire doing a Pepsi commercial, and thus emulating Spidey's Jack-O!
Gents, It is clear that MI-5 (or 6) coerced SDC in a plot to light MJ's head on fire. I mean with Jack-O taking over the pop charts it could only spell doom for Buck Fizz and the lot. What better way to regain the pop charts in the UK than simply take out the competition by lighting their head on fire?
Steve - if you need a sanctuary, I can stash you away in my 2-bedroom condo near Chicago.
Bt, yes, I definitely remember Rogers doing a Punisher poster for Marvel UK. Thinking about it, it might have been in their Super Spider-Man comic, not The Titans. Both books had the same landscape format, during the same time period.
Charlie, suddenly, it all makes sense.
'Blockbuster' # 2
We get a lot of Doug Moench, this month. Here, in 'Blockbuster', he writes Iron Fist & the Inhumans. Plus, of course, Moon Knight, in 'Savage Action'.
Like the last month, or so, there's also that short promotional comic strip, for 'Clash of the Titans' - which, I'd imagine, has nothing to do with Doug!
Iron Fist - Citadel on the Edge of Vengeance!
Steve summed it up, much more smoothly than I could. Iron Fist must get through an assault course of threats, in order to reach Harold Meachum, and exact his revenge. This storyline is a perfect example of 'drip-feeding' info to the reader. Last week, amidst the action, we got Iron Fist's origin, in flashbacks. However, the writer held something in reserve. He didn't tell the reader about Meachum - that was kept for this month, to maintain the reader's interest. And still, something further is held in reserve. Next month, Joy Meachum will be introduced, and why Iron Fist cannot take his revenge. Storytelling 101!
More interesting still, near the end of this issue's page count, Iron Fist's life is saved by a mysterious ninja. Who is this enigmatic guardian angel? Is he someone from K'un Lun - or someone more sinister? Actually, he is more sinister, as the ninja reappeared in the Kerry Gammill era, running Bob Diamond through with a blade, almost killing him. But, I digress.
We don't quite get to see the fight with Triple Iron, who's waiting for Iron Fist, in the final panel - that's for next month. To me, Triple Iron is like Antaeus, in the Greek legends, whom Hercules had to lift off the ground, to separate him from the source of his power.
The Inhumans - Star Slaves!
Blackbolt & Triton are plunging ever deeper beneath Attilan's bottomless fountain, searching for answers.
Meanwhile, back on the surface of the Great Refuge, Blastaar is running amok! (Incidentally, a couple of weeks ago, our blog touched on Negative Zone baddies, apart from Annihilus, in relation to Stygorr. Well, as this story reminds us, Blastaar is also 'born of the Negative Zone' - hand slaps forehead!)
Blastaar, having incapacitated Gorgon, Medusa & Karnak, last month, now does the same to Leonis and Avius, to reach the "Gong of Sovereigns" (zapping its guardian, too), which is the final component of the Somnotherm.
Blastaar inserts the gong in the machine's circular portal, and zaps it, causing a vibration which activates the Somnotherm. This causes 4 capsules, deep below ground, to fall into liquid magma, and hatch into 4 giant robots, called 'Kaptroids' (the spelling has changed since last issue!)
At the same time, under water, Blackbolt & Triton pass through an airlock, entering a mysterious cavern, full of skeletons!
By now, Gorgon, Medusa & Karnak have regained consciousness, and are chasing down Blastaar. Blastaar is similar to Jack of Hearts, in that he needs his hand blasts to fly. Also like Jack of Hearts (vs. White Tiger, in 'Deadly Hands of Kung Fu' # 22), Medusa stops Blastaar by pinning his wrists. First, Gorgon stamps a shock wave, throwing Blastaar off balance (it's nice to see Gorgon contributing, for once, rather than just criticizing other people's efforts); then Medusa pins Blastaar against a pillar, with his wrists facing upwards, so a blast to free himself would collapse the roof.
This doesn't make much sense. As Blastaar's almost as strong as Thor, Medusa's hair would need to be incredibly strong (not to mention her neck/head muscles). Besides, if the roof collapses, Blastaar would be more likely to survive than she would!
When questioned, Blastaar sneeringly sings like a canary, explaining he was sent by the Kree to activate the Somnotherm, as Maximus (in his padded cell?) was unable to do it.
Meanwhile, in the mysterious cavern, Blackbolt & Triton watch the Kaptroids come to life. Soon, the giant Kaptroids start eating the citizens of Attilan, imprisoning them in their rib cages, a bit like the Wicker Man.
The Inhumans destroy the first 2 of the robots, whilst Karnak destroys the gong powering the rest. This causes the final 2 robots to seize up, with their mouths open at an angle like the legendary "Mash makes Smash" robots.
There's a nice little epilogue, for a wrap up (unlike Spidey's marathon story), with deformed Iridia being transformed into a beautiful butterfly Inhuman, because absolute monarchs like Blackbolt are so benevolent, and their people should feel so grateful to them!
OMEGA THE UNKNOWN
Silent/mute Omega breaks into a shop, to obtain less conspicuous clothing (a bit like Star Trek's Joan Collins episode, in which Kirk & Spock shamelessly nick clothes to blend in, during the 1930s.)
It turns out that, at that moment, 2 geezers are robbing the shop (is Omega any better than they are?), one of whom shoots Omega in the arm. This gunshot wound has a feedback effect on James Michael Starling, who's still with those 2 streetwise older girls (Ruth & Amber), who were giving him a guided tour of Hell's Kitchen.
The shopkeeper returns with a shotgun, and the robbers flee. The shopkeeper tells Omega how grateful he is (just like the Off-licence owner, at the start of Captain America vs Baron Blood.) Would he feel grateful if he knew Omega was going to steal some clothes?
The garrulous shopkeeper applies first aid to the silent Omega's wound, and proves chattier than the Dreadnought who fought Iron Man, a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Amber is taking James Michael Starling through Hell's Kitchen (yet again), when they see Bruce Banner in the gutter, being rousted by some thugs, and think he's a wino. Amber sees Omega standing in a doorway(incognito, in his new duds) & takes a passing fancy to him! Remembering where she is going, Amber takes James Michael into Rose & Bob's place, for an 'egg cream'.
The thugs knock Banner through the doorway, into Rose & Bob's, and we can all guess what'll happen next month!
Phillip
Charlie - In insight, that post of yours is up there with your "Lassie Come home" post, which has now become the stuff of legend. Do you keep a food diary? Were you eating/smoking the same thing, for inspiration, that night?
Some native Americans worshiped the Manitou, or Great Spirit, supposedly (it must be true, it being in Ghost Rider.) Maybe Jack O'Lantern's patron god is the Great Pumpkin, from Peanuts! Wasn't there a character named The Blazing Skull (or Flaming Skull?)
The Brits didn't needs to damage Jacko's hair (and who says it was MI5 - it could have been CI5 - organized by George Cowley, with Bodie & Doyle), as we had Jarvis Cocker to make Jacko look bad. Although, at the time, I hated 'Brit pop' & Blair, and thought Jarvis was an idiot.
b.t. - Thanks for the kind words. I got a collected edition of the Marshall Rogers Batman, for an incredibly good price. I thought it was good, but not as good as I'd expected, what with all the hyperbolic praise.
Steve - As a kid, I thought Condor Man was quite a charming kids' film, made relatable by Michael Crawford's character being a shy comic book artist, before he became Condor Man & met his Russian spy girlfriend.
Phillip
Charlie - As you're a 'Father Brown' fan, here's a recurring sketch about middle class football fans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QDhBtmDdk
Phillip
Phillip:
I didn’t detect much intentional story construction in that particular Iron Fist story. It seemed instead to be all about Moench getting a very simple story out to the Penciller with the least amount of applied man-hours, because he was suddenly writing like a dozen series a month and needed to get two more books plotted that night, and begin writing dialogue on a third. Moench told almost this exact same story in GIANT-SIZE KUNG-FU just a few weeks before this one: Hero gets attacked by a weird villain, triumphs — Hero moves down the street (or corridor) and suddenly that seemingly innocent bystander over there starts throwing shurikens at him — fight, fight, fight, Hero triumphs again — around the corner, a new assassin attacks, hero kicks and punches the would-be killer, triumphs again — Rinse and repeat until we’ve hit the required page count.
Even as a not-especially clever 13 year old, I recognized that there was some VERY minimalistic (not to say ‘lazy’) story content going on here. I didn’t mind it all that much, I was generally more into the art than the stories anyway. But compared to the kinds of stories guys like Englehart, Conway, Gerber et al, were cranking out every month, Moench didn’t make a very favorable impression on me in his first few months at Marvel. That turned around soon enough — Deathlok was solid right out of the gate (but plotted mostly by Buckler) and most of his Morbius stories were actually amusing BECAUSE of their frenetic, slap-dash, thrown-together-without-an-overall-game-plan plotting. His MOKF scripts, of course, got more imaginative, complex and sophisticated practically issue by issue, until that book was soon one of the very best comics of the 70s.
b.t.
Phillip:
Yes, if you didn’t experience the Englehart/ Roger Batman stories as they were were being published, i could easily see why they might not have had the same impact to your eyes years later. At the time, they seemed like an dazzingly fresh take on the character and his world, in both story and art. Like Morrison and Quitely’s NEW X-MEN book decades later, Englehart and Rogers were at once respectful of the character’s traditions (even repeating certain story elements from the early days), while also giving everything a shiny, hip, new ‘state of the Art’ coat of paint. I still admire their run, but can understand why it might feel like it didn’t live up to the hype.
b.t.
Oh, and the legendary Harlan Ellison wasn’t above using Moench’s bare-bones ‘running the gauntlet’ formula. He did it TWICE.
He had promised to do a Daredevil story for Denny O’Neill and a Batman story for Julie Schwartz and had put off doing anything on either of them for several years (he was a pretty busy guy, always had lots of projects going at the same time, probably just never came up with a story that he felt excited enough about to actually commit to paper). He ultimately ended up turning in practically the story to both editors — each was a simple ‘A Night In The Life Of…’ type thing. Hero stops a mugging, foils a bank robbery, chats up a prostitute, saves a dog from getting run over, etc etc, and ends with Hero basically saying, ‘Wow, I’m bushed, better hit the sack!’, THE END. I wonder if he was at all embarrassed when they were both published with big-ass blurbs screaming ‘A VERY SPECIAL STORY BY HARLAN ELLISON!!!’ on the covers :)
b.t.
b.t. - As regards Iron Fist, the curious thing is Len Wein did last month's; Doug Moench did this month's; and I'm not sure if Tony Isabella did next month's (?) - I'd have to check. Yet all three parts are related - the writers must have liaised/co-ordinated, to some extent. I'm a Moench fan, in many cases. His Captain Marvel run deserves much credit.
Totally agree - One's reaction often depends on comparing it to whatever went before. Likewise, George Perez wouldn't seem as great to modern readers, as he did to us, when he first did his best stuff on the Avengers.
Phillip
What changed your mind about "Brit pop" and Blair, Phillip? I still hate 'em, and think Jarvis Cocker is an idiot (a rarity in the Peoples Republic of Sheffield obviously, Steve).
Blockbuster sounds like an odd one, made up entirely of second, or even third, tier series. Thats not to knock them - I really like Omega the Unknown - but clearly Marvel UK didn't put too much editorial thought into line ups.
It would have made more sense to have run Iron Fist, especially if they started with the Claremont/Byrne joints, in Rampage alongside the all-new all-different X-Men and Luke Cage. Thats a nice trio with a bit of tight continuity going on between them if they timed it right, leaving the Two-In-One stories - and the opportunity of more recognizable cover stars - for Blockbuster.
Btw Steve, are you sure Deathlok is in Rampage #37? The cover says the Two-In-One story features the Avengers, and "Full House Dragons High" is the title of the Frank Miller one that teams the Thing up with Ms Marvel, the Beast, Wonder Man and Nick Fury.
-sean
b.t., On the subject of Deathlok I have to disagree about it being solid straight off - it meandered and didn't get good til (and I can't quite believe I'm writing this) Bill Mantlo started scripting.
Fwiw, my theory on 70s Marvel writers is that generally they'd have a pet project that they were into - with a decent artist - and the rest of the time they'd have to churn out so many stories they'd inevitably fall back on formula.
So you get signature work that was good, like Moench on MOKF, or Englehart on Dr Strange - even Marv Wolfman had Tomb of Dracula - but the rest of their stuff was often pretty average...
-sean
Sean - My opinion hasn't changed. I just used "At the time", to mean I hadn't thought about it, recently.
To me, Iron Fist was top tier, in nearly all his stories, no matter what the sales figures.
Bill Mantlo did good stuff on Rom, and other titles.
Englehart did good stuff on Captain Marvel & the Avengers (although the Jim Shooter era surpassed the latter.)
Marv Wolfman did some good stuff on Nova & great stuff on the FF - Sphinx vs Galactus - albeit the ending was slightly anticlimactic.
Moench on Captain Marvel - excellent on Titan Saga.
Phillip
Regarding Yorkers propensity to steal dogs, per the Lassie movie with Elizabeth Taylor... it was confirmed in the UK papers about dog and cat (?) thieving being up this past year in York (UK wide?).
What's weird is I been trying to work out some logistics to visit the Normandy beaches again and so I joined these Facebook sites like Normandie for Brits figuring to get some good thoughts. And sure as heck, they are talking about 2 small vans/trucks driving around and stealing dogs from Brits in Normandie!!!
I KID YOU NOT!!!
They said be on the lookout for these vans and that their licenses plates start with YS, whatever that means... Just look out for the vans if you are british dog owners living in Normandie / Brittany!!!
Charlie - My car reg starts YE - so it wasn't me!
Phillip
Sean, here's Rampage #37, for sale on eBay. The scan of its table of contents shows the Thing story as involving Deathlok: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133005851339?hash=item1ef7c43acb:g:3G8AAOSwNTdcnUn~
I believe the Dragons High story to be in issue #38.
Ah, ok Steve - I should have known it was more likely Marvel UK would be mistaken than the world's greatest comic blogger.
Phillip, I liked Iron Fist too - I did actually say that second or third tier didn't necessarily mean anything creatively - but we'll have to agree to disagree about the relative merits of those other series you mentioned.
Hmmm. Its actually not hard to disguise YE so it looks like YS on a number plate. Just saying...
-sean
Sean:
I agree with your disagreement with me about the relative merits of Deathlok — up to a point (wait, WHAT?)
I think the first issue is great — genuinely great. Dark, thrillingly violent, cold-hearted and dystopian, utterly unlike anything in mainstream comics of the day. Buckler’s storytelling was beautifully cinematic, and he got his recipe of Adams/Buscema/Kirby stylistics combined with Krigstein/Steranko influenced page layouts JUST RIGHT. He never got the mix this perfect ever again, IMO — after this one story there was either too much Kirby or not enough Buscema or too much Adams or whatever. And Moench’s dialogue and schizoid three-voice narrative captions are stark and eerie.
Next few issues seemed really scattershot and directionless, as if Buckler and Moench (but mostly Buckler, it seems) didn’t really know what to do with the character once the strip got up and running. It felt repetitive and hollow. Still kinda neat — there were far weaker ongoing Marvel books at the time — but subsequent issues just didn’t live up to the dark promise of that awesome first issue. And sorry, I don’t have much use for the Mantlo issues either.
But your other point about some of the Marvel writers having one (or two) books that they gave their special attention to, and mostly phoned in the other stuff — by gosh, I think you’ve got something there. Marv’s work on TOD versus his stuff on just about any other title is the perfect example.
b.t.
b.t., I actually preferred the look of the Mantlo-scripted Deathlok because those were the issues inked by Klaus Janson, who did some fantastic work (along with parts of Panther's Revenge, his earliest at Marvel).
You still had the Adams/Kirby meets Steranko/Krigstein mix you mention, but it was better because Janson added lighting and texture, which gave Buckler's work more atmosphere and "realism". Plus, there was the added advantage of making it harder to spot the swipes.
Although in the spirit of (partial) agreement, I accept that with an unusual series like Deathlok the first issue will have an initial impact thats hard to match.
-sean
I have a vague memory that Jim Shooter did the layouts on that Jack O’Lantern Vs. Spidey story himself as an instructional example of what he considered good, solid ‘Meat and Potatoes’ style storytelling, photocopies of which were to be passed around to all the artists currently doing work for Marvel at the time. Especially meant to teach people like Gene Day and Gene Colan ‘The RIGHT Way To Draw Marvel Comics’ — as opposed to ‘The Dramatic, Exciting Or At Least Not Dull and Boring Way’.
Day was doing super-elaborate page layouts on MASTER OF KUNG FU, and Colan’s pages could, frankly, be a little hard to follow at times. But both of these guys could draw rings around Shooter on their worst day, with both hands tied behind their backs.
See, I remember now that I DID read that comic back in the day, and thought to myself, ‘Did Shooter lose a bet or something? Why in the world would he expose his own shortcomings like that in public, in such a humiliating fashion?’
Seriously — the stones on that guy. Wow.
b.t.
No argument there. Shooter always did have a pretty high opinion of himself.
Maybe I would too, if I was seven feet tall.
M.P.
Sean, I think Deathlok was an amazing concept, ahead of it's time (at least for comics anyway) and it's not too far from the Terminator, which of course came years later. Maybe that's where they got the idea.
I salute the whole dystopian thing, married with a free-wheeling Seventies vibe, but it's hard to the build an entire comic just around this guy. He's kind of a one-trick pony. I wanna like it more than I do.
A writer could pull it off if he introduced a lot of compelling secondary characters, antagonists or guest stars, like Wolfman did in Tomb of Dracula. Dracula sometimes even barely showed up, which made the reader say, "Boy, there's a lot going on here. Dr. Sun is trying to control all vampires. I wonder what Drac is gonna do when he finally shows up. I'll bet he's gonna be really pissed off." (Spoiler: he was.)
I didn't see that too much in the Deathlok comics. I don't remember any other interesting characters.
I think Gerber did a fantastic job with Man-Thing, writing a compelling comic in which the main character is basically a vegetable.
He just kinda shambles in at the end, like a walking Deus Ex Machina, administering karma in a mindless way.
Hey, it worked!
M.P.
"I wanna like it more than I do" - well put M.P. That pretty much sums up my view of Deathlok too, certainly in retrospect (admittedly it did seem better when I was 10).
bt, Jim Shooter's artwork isn't to my taste either, but to be fair it was up to a professional standard, so you have to at least give him that.
Oh dear. I've gone from rating a Bill Mantlo run to defending Jim Shooter... whatever next?
-sean
Jim Shooter never claimed to be a good artist. He said that Sal Buscema, when he was barely trying, produced better art than he himself could. However, to Jim Shooter, artists not producing their best work, were objectionable.
Like a film director, Jim Shooter would provide thumb nail sketches, to show artists what 'camera angles' he wanted for stories he had written. The success of this is clear, if you look at Sal's Graviton story, for example, in Jim Shooter's Avengers. Also, George Perez, on Jim Shooter's Avengers - e.g. Ant Man story & Ultron - has much better angles than he did in his earlier Avengers, with Two Gun & Hawkeye & Squadron Sinister (or in the Inhumans, for that matter) - so, Jim Shooter's 'camera angles' approach worked then, too. Obviously, people are going to dredge up later errors, but I remember the good stuff!
Deathlok was a Watergate era anti-hero. A super-soldier gone wrong - the flip side of Captain America - the American Dream becomes the American nightmare. Deathlok rips the Stars & Strips off his shoulder & treads on it. There's also a lot of Frankenstein in there, too - when Deathlok looks at his reflection in the puddle - c.f. the pilot episode of the Incredible Hulk, which references this Frankenstein movie scene, too.
Klaus Janson's inks look really good in colour comics. They don't look half so good in UK black & white comics.
Soz if the above is stating the obvious!
Phillip
"was objectionable" - not much sleep!
Well, Klaus Janson generally did the colour as well as inks Phillip. He was one of the few old skool colourists who had a distinctive approach, and actually complemented the artwork.
Although I thought he looked pretty good in the British reprints too - in black & white his inks over Rich Buckler and (especially) Gil Kane's Black Panther from the old Planet Of The Apes weekly still made a strong impression on young me.
-sean
Sean - Seems we had an opposite experience, on both counts. I first read Deathlok in black & white, in Star Wars Weekly (albeit I read the colour version later on.) As regards the Black Panther, I've only got one of the Rich Buckler ones, and that was in colour. I can't remember who inked it, but it didn't do much for me (despite my being a Buckler fan). I actually thought Kirby's Panther made a more powerful impression - although I know I'm in the minority. Of course, one's early impressions are the strongest, so I respect youthful Sean's reaction, still full of magic & wonder.
Phillip
Phillip, sean, M.P. :
It’s been ages since I last laid eyes on Shooter’s SPECTACULAR SPIDEY story, but yes, my memory is that it was at least up to a ‘professional’ standard — and to be fair, his ‘camera angles’ / storytelling WERE clear — but overall it just felt incredibly pedestrian. More like a Gold Key comic than a Marvel. I dare say the story would have looked a bit more dynamic if Jim Mooney had done the entire art himself, instead of starting with Shooter’s layouts.
I’ve recently re-read an issue of SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP laid out by Shooter, finished by Sal Trapani. Same thing: ‘professional’, yes — but exciting? Um, no.
Those Buckler and Kane Black Panther stories were inked by Janson at the very start of his professional career — I liked his inks over both of those guys a LOT at the time (and still do). His inks looked very much like his mentor Dick Giordano — very crisp, almost razor-sharp. Other early Janson-inked jobs that wowed me : GIANT SIZE DEFENDERS 2 (over Kane again), CAPTAIN MARVEL 33 (Starlin), Billy Graham’s first few JUNGLE ACTIONs, several DEFENDERS by Sal Buscema. He also helped Buckler out on the very first Deathlok story that I like so much, inking individual figures and backgrounds and even a few complete pages (I think).
At the time of those Mantlo era Deathlok stories, I thought Janson’s inks had become a little heavy-handed — almost oppressive. Those three or four issues were definitely more consistent than the previous few — Buckler was apparently consistently late delivering his pencils on that book, depending on guys like Keith Pollard and Arvell Jones to help him out, and the inks often looked rushed. So, I did appreciate Janson’s consistency (and his coloring WAS quite distinctive) but as a matter of personal preference, I just wasn’t loving his stuff during this period.
I started liking his work again a few years later, when he was inking (and coloring) John Buscema on KULL, and of course, on DAREDEVIL with Frank Miller.
M.P. makes a good point about why Deathlok wasn’t really sustainable as a series for long — the character himself was cranky and unlikeable, and the lack of continuing supporting characters for him to interact with (and for the audience to relate to). Ryker was a fairly one-note arch-villain too. Downbeat, hyper-violent, dystopian nihilism is fine in short bursts, but a steady diet of it gets old pretty quick.
I’d never thought of Deathlok being an influence on The Terminator, but it’s entirely possible. I’m pretty sure it was one of the major influences on Robocop (along with Judge Dredd and Miller’s Dark Knight).
b,t.
Dunno b.t., I really liked Janson's work on the Logan's Run adaptation, which (I think?) falls into that "heavy handed" period... Mind you, I'm not normally that keen on George Perez' pencils, which I'm pretty sure puts me in a very small minority, so what do I know?
That Captain Marvel cover with Gil Kane was a really good pick though.
-sean
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