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***
Not one but two landmarks hit British television, this week in 1981.
The first was 29-year-old Moira Stuart being appointed the BBC's first black newsreader.
The second was the broadcast of the last-ever regular edition of The Dick Emery Show. It would return, later that year, for a one-off Christmas special but, otherwise, that was it.
In its 18-year run, it had certainly been popular but was it any good?
I've no idea.
It's so long since I've seen it that I can't remember.
All I recall is it was filled with catchphrases and was The Fast Show of its day.
I shall leave it, therefore, to sager heads than mine to decide whether it deserved its niche within the hearts of the national consciousness or whether it is another of those shows the passage of time has not been kind to.
Over on the UK singles chart, that week, Soft Cell's Tainted Love climbed one place to dislodge even Aneka and grab the Number One spot.
The album chart, meanwhile, saw ELO's Time hold onto the summit, at the expense of Cliff Richard's Love Songs.
Dwelling within that week's singles chart, these are the tunes I approve of:
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Love Action - The Human League
One in Ten - UB40
Green Door - Shakin' Stevens
Wired for Sound - Cliff Richard
Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
The Thin Wall - Ultravox
Water on Glass - Kim Wilde
One of Those Nights - Bucks Fizz
Passionate Friend - The Teardrop Explodes
Arabian Knights - Siouxsie and The Banshees
Ghost Town - The Specials
Urgent - Foreigner
and
Show Me - Dexy's Midnight Runners.
Unless my eyes deceive me, I perceive the yarn in which the Black Widow thinks she's a schoolteacher and doesn't understand why she has the ability to beat people up, with her bare hands, whenever there's danger.
And then someone, possibly Nick Fury, shows up and shoots her.
In other news, the Hulk is up against Avalanche.
Is that the one where Avalanche is at an airport and ends up fighting a similarly-powered lackey of the Mole Man, while the Hulk gets caught up in the middle of it all?
The bad news is I don't have a clue what else happens in this issue, other than Thor and Iron Man have to unite against a monster who, we're told, threatens the world.
In Captain America's strip, our hero awakens with a start, feeling like someone's just walked over his grave. Just what can it mean?
And just what does someone walking over your grave feel like?
I can offer no news upon the activities of the Dazzler.
And he's in no mood to take prisoners.
Apparently, the Black Panther's enduring Desert Death, which is rarely a good thing.
And the reader's enduring the Black Musketeers.
Which is probably even worse.
Interestingly, and surprisingly, the strip's not yet being written by Alan Moore but is in the hands of Paul Neary and Dave Thorpe.
However, Alan Davis is already in place on pencils.
The story appears to continue from where the captain's previous series left off but with him returning to Earth - only to find he's in a parallel universe.
In other news, the Avengers have a major problem when a man called Django Maximoff kidnaps the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
In even more other news, the original X-Men find themselves having to thwart an invasion attempt by the evil Z'Nox.
But not until after the team discover Professor isn't dead at all but faked his demise for reasons that, I'm sure, seem valid to him.
It's wall-to-wall William Hartnell, as the mag celebrates the man who was the first-ever Doctor (unless you're a Brain of Morbius fan), with special attention upon The Ark.
There's also a look at the career of the Celestial Toymaker himself Michael Gough, and at the Jon Pertwee story Death to the Daleks.
Speaking of Daleks, there's a treat for us all, as the book reprints the old Daleks comic strip in which the Skaro scoundrels discover a rogue planet's heading towards their sun. Where's Davros when you need him?
It's the big one! Marvel Madhouse has merged with Frantic, which, I suppose, is no shock, as it always seemed over-ambitious for Marvel UK to have two humour mags running at the same time.
Most of this month's content seems to be sourced from the pages of 1968's Not Brand Echh #7, including the origins of the Fantastical Four and Stuporman as told by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Mirthful Marie Severin.
Curly Watts'll be devastated.
It's the battle I've all been waiting for, as Marvel's ironest fist takes on its ironest man.
And I do have to say it's very good of each of them, on that cover, to do a running commentary on how they're doing.
To be honest, if I was being knocked out by Iron Man's repulsor ray, I'm not sure I'd have the presence of mind to be talking about it while it was happening.
I'm assuming this is the John Byrne drawn tale that first pitted the ferrous titans against each other.
And there's even more because we also get the Inhumans' continuing struggle with Shatterstar, and Omega's epic clash with Electro.
Things continue to trundle along for Marvel's version of Star Trek, with the Enterprise crew, once more, in conflict with the Klingons. This time, over a planet populated by talking apes.
I've no doubt ROM and the Micronauts are also trundling along.
However, despite the front cover's claims, I've reason to suspect Captain Marvel does not appear in this issue.
I don't know much about this month's offering but I do know it features a pair of stories called When Madness Wears the Crown and Swords Across the Alimane, which all sounds suitably dramatic.
That's a very striking cover by Paul Neary, although somewhat more disturbing than I'd expect from The Star Wars universe
Of the backing strips, I know only that Star-Lord has landed upon a seemingly dead world and is pondering the fate of whatever creatures once inhabited its now crumbling cities.
I assume that means it's now effectively called X-Men Monthly.
And to celebrate that stupendous achievement, the team are dumped from the cover and replaced with the sales juggernaut that is Luke Cage who finds himself tangling with Big Ben.
Of course, the pedant in me feels compelled to point out that only the ignorant call him Big Ben and that his correct name is actually Elizabeth Tower.
Inside, the X-Men themselves are battling Alpha Flight, over the fate of Wolverine. And things aren't looking good for the strip's stars.
In other news, the Thing and Moon Knight are up against a megalomaniac's mind-warper.
But that's not all. It's also giving us mighty reviews of The Time Bandits, Fear No Evil and For Your Eyes Only. Not that I know what Fear No Evil is.
According to Wikipedia, it's a modestly budgeted film about a teenaged Anti-Christ, with a soundtrack made up of various punk and new wave recordings.
We also get coverage of The Day of the Triffids, Escape From New York, Outland, The Howling and the 1930s Flash Gordon serials.
What more could anyone demand of a magazine?
They could demand nothing more That's what they could demand.
But, first, he must tackle the High Evolutionary's New Men who, as always, have gone out of control - this time, in outer space!
Will the man never learn to stop performing experiments that no man should ever do?
No. He won't.
I like to think he does a Batman and raises it to be his youthful sidekick in his battle against crime.
I suspect that isn't what happens.
Come to think of it, if the Man-Thing had a youthful sidekick, I wonder what he'd be called?
Even more come to think of it, it's a bit of a surprise Rick Jones never became Man-Thing's sidekick. I can just imagine him trailing through the swamps, calling out, "Man-Thing, please don't leave me behind!"
It all hits the fan, as the city of Makkalet is finally stormed and the Living Tarim fails to live up to his name, by dying.
On a more positive note, Conan saves Queen Melissandra.
If they ever portray him as a cloud in a movie, I shall not be impressed.
Peter Parker graduates from high school.
But that's not the only major life event he has to endure because he also has to deal with the maddening menace of the Molten Man.
Is this the issue in which Stan gets confused and has JJ refer to Liz Allen as, "Miss Brant?"
The mutant maestros are prisoners of the Master Mould, and we get the origin of the Beast.
Could any comic give us more?
And, to make it even worse, the Mandarin's about to unleash Ultimo, the giant blue robot!
The good news is there appear to only be two more issues left before the book gets cancelled. So, soon my torment will be over.
Posts
35 comments:
Can't see that error in ASM #28, Steve, but I do know that Flash calls Liz's father Mrs Brant at the fan club meeting in ASM #17.
'Savage Action' # 11
Common themes? In this month's issue, Ka-zar & Moon Knight's respective girlfriends both wish their men were dead - but it all comes right in the end!
'Ka-zar'
- Bruce Jones & Brent Anderson -
As the story starts, Ka-zar's moping over Queen Leanne. Leanne told Ka-zar she loved him, then dumped him - so he's heartbroken (sniff). The hidden valley of Pangea's where Ka-zar's been, you see!
Ka-zar's moping's abruptly interrupted - a cliff-top climber's in trouble! At least Zabu's spared Ka-zar's incessant whinings about Leanne.
By an earth-shattering coincidence, the climber's Ka-zar's old flame, Shanna! But, for Ka-zar, after reaching Shanna, it isn't "plenty more fish in the sea". After all, he still can't forget Leanne!
Suddenly, the rope snaps, and Shanna & Ka-zar fall to their doom! At this point, Shanna tells Ka-zar she loves him, whilst they fall together into the abyss, thinking it's "game over"! Then again, Leanne declared her love, too - and look how that turned out! Is this a romance comic? Let's have some action!
Ka-zar regains consciousness amongst winged men, in a palace in the air (seemingly). Flash Gordon, anyone? Ka-zar & Shanna survived, as they were caught, mid-fall, by some winged men.
Pangea's been troubled by earthquakes & eco-problems (c.f. the Inhumans recent New York trip - also c.f. Ben Grimm's visit to Clancy's bar, followed by a quake). Zabu, reaching the palace independently, astounds the winged men. Much humour ensues.
Suddenly, flying over the palace, a Sauron-like pterodactyl (pteron) man drops a winged man, to his doom. The other winged men, however, catched their wounded comrade, and Ka-zar's trusty sling-shot fells the pterodactyl man. The winged man, in his last breath, declares Queen Leanne (their ally) has been captured. Now we've got ourselves a story! It's an eternal triangle. Who will Ka-zar choose - Shanna or Leanne?
Shanna (not realizing Leanne's her love rival) offers her & Ka-zar's help to find the queen. Ka-zar, however, gets cold feet, and refuses to find Leanne. Shanna, regarding Ka-zar, is convinced something screwy's going on - as, for him, this is completely out of character.
Cross cut to Ka-zar asking Zabu whether, given the choice, he (Ka-zar, not Zabu) should choose Leanne or Shanna? After using Zabu as a sounding board, Ka-zar changes his mind, and decides to help find Queen Leanne, after all.
Suddenly Ka-zar, seeing pterons attacking an outnumbered winged man scouting party, evens up the odds, with his lasso, sling-shot & fists. From here on, the pterons' air superiority forces the gang to stick to the forest floor.
In a war council, Ka-zar proposes a diversion provided by the winged men, whilst Shanna & himself infiltrate the fortress of the pterons, and extract Queen Leanne. The winged men consult their tactician, K'lm Fhet. According to this tactician, the fortress has a secret mechanism, which will collapse the entire cavern network (it used to be a winged man base). He gives Shanna the job of triggering the mechanism, whilst Ka-zar rescues Queen Leanne.
Ka-zar, sneaking into the fortress with Shanna, sees Leanne standing alongside the pteron king, Khalf. (To indicate Khalf's a nasty dictator-type, he's a middle-aged, pot-bellied pteron!)
Ka-zar, dazzled by Leanne's beauty, becomes conflicted again, his thoughts vacillating between Shanna & Leanne. Ka-zar suggests to Shanna they swap roles, with her rescuing Leanne, and him setting the trigger mechanism. Wisely, Shanna rejects Ka-zar's stupid idea, insisting they stick to the original plan.
Shanna arranges to meet Ka-zar in Leanne's chambers, after their respective missions are complete. The two then head off, in opposite directions.
Soon afterwards, Ka-zar swings into Leanne's chambers, surprising her. Ka-zar's surprise is even greater, however! Minx Leanne's kissing a winged man, whom she's got a side-deal with, of some kind! Naughty Leanne! - Holy heartbreak, Ka-zar!
Worse still, Shanna's in the chambers, too, and hears every word! She's hiding behind a giant urn - eavesdropping - having completed her mission first. Holy heartbreak for Shanna, too!
Leanne's abduction was a 'put up job' her winged man lover arranged with king Khalf. Leanne hated being queen, you see, as other people were pulling her strings.
Suddenly, the old, pot-bellied pteron king appears, gatecrashing Ka-zar & Leanne's not so tender reunion. King Khalf tells Leanne her winged man lover planned to betray her, but he (Khalf) is going to betray both of them!
Ka-zar & Shanna, working together (with Zabu's help), go berserk, slaying dozens of pterons, despite Shanna now wishing Ka-zar was dead - after discovering his feelings for Queen Leanne. Shanna's more jealous than Wanda got over the Vision & Mantis!
The fortress/cavern starts to collapse (the mechanism has been triggered), and Ka-zar tells Leanne & Shanna to run, as the roof falls in! Moments later, Ka-zar emerges from the rubble, where the ultimate dilemma confronts him. Leanne & Shanna are hanging from a crumbling chasm and, as the women start to fall, Ka-zar can only save one of them. Who will he choose? Well, Shanna - of course!
Shanna thankfully gasps, "You saved me!" In reality, Ka-zar's the one not realizing how lucky he is! At the same moment, a shadowy figure swoops into the mist, and may have saved Leanne. But that's about it, really.
THE END
My expectations of the story were low. Nevertheless, Brent Anderson provided some nice little touches. Similarly to Brent covering for one issue, after Byrne left the X-Men, I was pleasantly surprised.
Ka-zar usually speaks in a moralizing tone (e.g. the story of the little tank & the tramp). However, in this tale, Ka-zar's speech is very informal & colloquial. Very strange!
'Moon Knight'
- Moench & Sienkiewicz -
Bushman - Marc Spector's dark side?
Moon Knight's had an origin story already. Yet here, like a mirage shimmering in the desert, Moon Knight's new origin story materializes, much darker than the first. What? So the first origin story didn't happen, then? Maybe it's all a dream....
Raoul Bushman is a giant mercenary/terrorist for hire. Bushman's face is tattooed with a death's head. Now, that's commitment to your character. Worse still, Bushman butchers civilians with his steel teeth!
This surreal story starts in the Sudan, where Bushman's mercenary commando squad's running amok. Marc Spector is Raoul Bushman's second-in-command, so Spector seems complicit in Bushman's atrocities, right from the start.
Bushman's philosophy's simple. Strike terror into your enemies' minds - and the minds of your followers - through horrific violence. In the Sudan, Bushman - with his tattooed death's head - has become a mythical embodiment of terror - a bogie man figure of whom everyone's terrified.
Bushman treats Marc Spector as his protege, in the gang, and not only indoctrinates him, on several occasions, in his philosophy of absolute terror - but insists Spector follow it.
Eventually, for Spector, enough's enough. Unfortunately, by now, Bushman's raiding an archaeological site - to steal its treasures - intent on killing all the civilians, whether they resist, or not. The lead archaeologist, despite his daughter's pleadings, arms himself with an Egyptian dagger, and confronts Bushman.
Spector, seeing the archaeologist's knife, expertly disarms him, before he reaches Bushman. Marc Spector's "good deed", in saving Raoul Bushman's life, results in Bushman biting through the old man's neck, with his steel teeth, killing him in cold blood. As Spector watches on, in horror - and this isn't the first time he's seen Bushman use those steel teeth - he realizes the old man's death is on him.
The old archaeologist, his life ebbing away, begs Spector to save his daughter. So Marc melts away, and finds the young woman, teling her that her father's dead, and wworse will happen to her, unless she flees the compound. Marlene, distraught, accuses Marc of killing her father. Spector, feeling complicit, declares he did kill the old man, and he'll kill her too, unless she saves herself.
Marlene hopes Spector gets the death he deserves - a sentiment which later proves prophetic!
Shortly afterwards, Bushman's firing squad shoots the village's civilians in cold blood. Finally, Spector rebels, but Bushman knocks him unconscious, saying: "you're good Spector - but Bushman is better!" Marc's then left to die, in the desert's blazing sun.
Long hours later, Marlene's assistants find Spector's corpse, and bring it back to the camp she's packing up, leaving it under the statue of the Egyptian god, Khonshu - but by now Spector's already dead.
On first seeing Marc's corpse, Marlene's hatred wells up, once again, before she realizes his life was lost saving her.
Suddenly - bizarrely - Marc Spector is resurrected! Stranger still, despite Egyptology being unknown to him, Spector knows all about Khonshu - another figure of terror - and declares he's Khonshu's vengeance taker - a spectre of the moon!
This story's surreal on several levels. For a start, Moon Knight's already had a different origin story from this - one in which Bushman's nightmarish figure is totally absent.
Last month - or the month before - Marlene hinted Moon Knight's personas result from his mental illness. And - notably - it's only after Marlene's hint, that Moon Knight's origin story changes, and Bushman - as a bogie man figure - first appears, in Spector's biography.
Now, here's a thought experiment! Could Raoul(Bushman) be part of Moon Knight's dissociative personality disorder, just as much as Marc(Spector), Steven(Grant), & Jake (Lockley)? Is mental illness making Moon Knight's autobiography unreliable, just like the narrator, in Henry James's story, 'The Turn of the Screw'? Answers on a postcard.
Also, if this story's not taking place in Spector's psyche - and is real - then why the hell is Marc Bushman's second-in-command? Isn't Bushman's face having a death's head tattooed on it (plus his steel teeth) a clue to Spector that Bushman isn't 'boss of the year'?
For Spector, is Bushman another alter-ego, perhaps? Rapper M&M had an ultra-aggressive alter ego, in "Slim Shady". Beyonce's aggressive alter-ego was "Sasha Fierce". For Moon Knight, is Bushman, who takes violence to an appalling level, this kind of figure, too?
On a psychological level, maybe Bushman's a Jungian shadow incarnate, rather than an alter-ego, for Spector. Bushman represents Spector's darkest fears about himself - all the things he feels guilt over. Spector, faced with Bushman's atrocities, looked the other way, turning a blind eye. Marlene's father's murder isn't the first time Marc's watched Bushman use his teeth - we are told. Raoul Bushman's like a dark figure, welling up from Marc's unconscious, to haunt him.
But Bushman's surely, real, as Frenchie's seen him, too (unless that's also a figment of his imagination). In the Midnight Man story, Frenchie said the Midnight Man couldn't be Raoul Bushman, as Bushman is a giant, whereas the Midnight Man's much smaller.
But Bushman, even as a literal villain, gets inside Spector's head. Bushman tells Moon Knight he learned the lesson of terror (the Moon Knight ghost costume) from him, so - in effect - he (Bushman) created Moon Knight - a moral equivalence Moon Knight must disavow.
So, this story's about redemption, too. It's necessary for Moon Knight to defeat Bushman, to exorcise his demon - or Jungian shadow - whilst Moon Knight (who's also a figure of terror) must differentiate himself from Bushman. This second redemption happens when Marlene stops Moon knight from killing Bushman.
Daughters of the Dragon
- Claremont & Rogers -
In this story, vampire Angie ('Coror') Freeman's attempting to transform her old pal, Misty Knight, into a fellow vampire.
A rescue attempt by Colleen results in Misty attacking her partner. Things are that bad! Misty's sinking her fangs into Coll, but luckily breaks pal Angie's hypnotic control over her, at the crucial moment.
Misty then pulls a Black Bolt - running off & inexplicably leaving Colleen, to fight Angie by herself. Because Colleen's katana's silver(they are not made of silver!), it initially causes Angie problems. Anyway, Angie transforms into a wolf & back again, and punches Colleen out!
Misty decides to return (also like Black Bolt), and tells Angie she's hers "body & soul" (a classic Claremontism), if Angie'll only spare Colleen! Apparently, for Misty's vampire transformation's fruition, Angie biting Misty isn't enough - Misty must drink Angie's blood, too! Why didn't Angie ask Bushman? - He loves biting people!
As Misty succumbs, Colleen, sprawled on the ground, stabs Angie's leg with a silver hair pin! This shock breaks Angie's hypnotic hold over Misty!
Last issue, in the taxi, Misty's bionic arm couldn't stop Angie - leaving readers wondering if Donald Pierce's bionic arm - or Deathlok's - would have done a better job. Now, however, Misty's bionic punch stuns Angie - momentarily - presenting an opportunity to throw a stake at her. It was conveniently lying around, after all.
At this point, Angie thanks Misty for staking her (the good Angie still inside the vamp somewhere). What are friends for?
Problem, how can a comic depict a decapitation with upsetting the censors (c.f. Baron Blood)? Answer: the katana's swishing motion is drawn, without the sword that's doing it! Then, Angie's head drops off. A comic book legal loophole, for violence, perhaps? A visual passive voice, removing the agent from the picture?
Angie's human followers, who were supporting Misty, now become hostile. Who's going to protect the neighbourhood, now? So Angie was running a protection racket, too? Busy girl. Misty & Coll stand their ground, like Attenborough with a great silver back confronting him.
Epilogue - a gratuitous Caribbean island swimsuit scene, with Misty & Coll moralizing.
THE END
Cover of the Week- Savage Action, closely followed by Spider-Man and Hulk Team-Up.
Ka-Zar is a character that never interested me as a kid, but I later discovered the run written by Bruce Jones, and it's much better than I expected!
Oh - Savage Action is from me, Phillip!
Steve, if 40 years ago's up tomorrow, too - I'll see if I can provide 'Blockbuster', then.
Two monthly comics is too much for one evening!
Phillip
Damn typos!
Phillip
Steve, if the Powers That Be at Disney/Marvel put Taika Waititi in charge of their upcoming FF movies, i have a strong feeling that Toomazooma would be his first choice for a Big Bad — and I guarantee he wouldn’t be no cloud neither ;)
b.t.
Thanks, Dangermash. That's probably what I was thinking of.
Phillip, thanks for yet another mammoth summary.
I do like that Ka-Zar goes to a sabre-toothed tiger for romantic advice.
Marc Spector is clearly in need of a good psychiatrist. Then again, most super-heroes probably are.
Dave, my favourite cover is the Blockbuster one, for its sheer daftness.
Bt, that would definitely be a welcome change from the usual mishandlings of Dr Doom.
Steve - Spector wouldn't need a psychiatrist if he had Zabu!
Phillip
Ooh Steve, you are awful... but I like you.
Can't agree about Dick Emery being the Fast Show of its day though.
And as for approving of "Green Door", "Wired For Sound" and anything by Bucks Fizz... eeeesh! (Its like prog-jazz never happened)
It wasn't surprising at all to read that the new-look Captain Brexit began with Dave Thorpe writing, and not Affable Al Moore. Its fairly well known isn't it?
Whats interesting about the story is that CB realizes he's on a parallel earth when he sees a British National Party government poster ("something's gone very wrong indeed!")... but the BNP wasn't formed til a year later in 1982. Cue Twilight Zone music...
My fave cover this time is the SSOC one. Generally I didn't care much for Earl Norem's covers, which I suppose were competent enough but very generic and unremarkable.
This month's has a nice moonlit colour scheme though.
-sean
CH47 says, "I love me some Luke Cage Hero for Hire!"
On that X-Men cover, there's that image of Xavier with his fingertips on his bald head and a tortured look on his face. Marvel used that image on various X-Men covers from that period.
I know it's supposed to depict him sending out mental waves to aid his X-Men, but it could also easily depict him waking up in a strange place after drinking too much Jagermeister.
By "too much" I mean "any".
M.P.
With the gift of hindsight we now know that Alan Davis hadn't left enough room for the lettering on this first chapter of the Captain Britain relaunch, and so the four page story was cut up and reorganised as a 6 pager. The six pages did, however, manage to cover the costume change, introduce Mad Jim Jaspers and the crazy gang, plus establish the multiverse. These all eventually were absorbed into US Marvel continuity, which is not bad for what was effectively not much more than a fan story. Davis already had imagination and his style quickly became slick. He did not look too out of place in this issue, which also featured prime John Byrne Avengers and Neal Adams X-men art. The Hitler poster that acts the story punchline was originally an illustration of then fanzine regular Les Chester, who was friendly with Davis. Paul Neary substituted the Hitler image to accentuate the fact that it wasn't proper Earth. Les Chester went on to appear in the Captain Britain story in Daredevils #3, as the burger restaurant manager. The subsequent stories (not the art) were a bit flat, until Alan Moore took over, but this one remains fondly remembered.
DW
That said, am I allowed to prefer the pocket book reprint of Amazing Spider-man #28 to the other covers this month?
DW
DW, thats right about a lot of the elements of the Captain Brexit storyline that were absorbed into the wider Marvel continuity being in place early on, and its worth adding that it was actually Dave Thorpe who came up with "Earth 616" for the Marvel universe.
Although I think its fair to say that its unlikely that stuff would be remembered as anything more than a local curio - like, say, the earlier SezDez-era reboot with the Black Knight - if the later Daredevils/MWOM run hadn't happened.
Not least because Moore had enough sense to get rid of that &@%#! elf.
-sean
(Snort!)
I guess, Sean, that one of the first duties any writer must assume when he takes over a title is getting rid of the riff-raff left over from the previous writer. That includes elves.
M.P.
Agreed. Thorpe also introduced The Fury (albeit in name only), Saturnyne, Status Crew and Avant Guard. Moore's brilliance (if such a thing exists in comics) was keeping most of the existing continuity but tweak it enough to appear exciting and fresh. Except fo the elf. He definitely had to go.
DW
I recall reading an interview with Davis where he said that there were a lot of editorial conflicts with Thorpe during his CB run, mainly over the left-wing, anti-establishment slant of the stories.
Which makes it kind of hilarious they replaced him with Alan Moore.
-sean
Blockbuster # 4
It's Blockbuster, again! The mag for Marvel's strong, silent types - Omega, Black Bolt, Lock Jaw, etc.
'Iron Fist'
The cover. The only characters on this comic's cover are Iron Fist & Iron Man. But in 'Iron Fist', you also get Angar the Screamer, Colleen & Misty, Steel Serpent (drawn like Warhawk) - and Iron Fist & Iron Man, too. So, this Iron Fist story's 'bang for your buck' is considerable!
This month - with correct chronology - it should be 'The Cult of Khali'. However, chronology isn't where it's at. It's all about the ratings, viewers! So, what you're getting is Byrne & Claremont's Iron Fist, instead!
In this story, Misty's old acquaintance (Don Cauley) has information for her. Yet when Misty (& Iron Fist) go to meet Don Cauley, they find him dead!
Wait! Didn't exactly the same thing happen in 'Daughters of the Dragon', when Misty's cop friend, Dominic Ferrara arranged a meet at Colombus Circle station, where she & Colleen find Ferrara dead? ( Angie Freeman vampire tale).
Recycling old plot devices? Surely, not!
Well - spoiler alert - this isn't the same because Don Cauley (disgruntled security chief at Stark International) isn't really dead!
Wait! Didn't Stark International have another disgruntled security guy in the Iron Man & Human Torch team up? Or, was it his brother who was disgruntled? I forget - anyway, someone was disgruntled - and the whiff of deja vu hangs over parts of this story.
As the story starts, Iron Fist's interrogating Angar about the whereabouts of Colleen Wing - who's been abducted. According to Angar, Tony Stark's the evil mastermind behind it all. Colleen's been abducted as leverage to stop Iron Fist intervening in a coup d'etat, so Stark could get some dodgy minerals Stark International needs. Political intrigue, eh readers? The mysterious "Delphi Computer" is also involved in the scheme, somehow.
Iron Fist's applying pressure to Angar's vocal cords, to stop him screaming. However, to Lieutenant Scarfe, Iron Fist's use of force is excessive, so he pulls him off Angar. No good deed goes unpunished (as Marc Spector also found out), as Angar screams, and makes good his escape.
Iron Fist goes to Colleen's place, but Misty's got there first. She Kung-fu kicks Iron Fist down a staircase, after which they compare notes. Misty's contact, Don Cauley, like Angar's rubbish tip, also traces back to with Stark International.
After Misty & Iron Fist find Don Cauley (supposedly dead), they break into the Delphi Computer room. Tony Stark, being a workaholic, is sleeping outside the computer room, and mistakenly thinks Iron Fist killed his old pal, Don Cauley. Superhero fights would never happen without misunderstandings!
Cross cut to an airport, where Colleen's being transported out to Halwan. She escapes, but runs into Steel Serpent (in civvies), who apprehends her. Steel Serpent/Davos then rings one of the Meachums for info on Iron Fist.
Meanwhile Iron Fist & Iron Man have a big fight. Iron Man's repulsor rays can't be unleashed, as some volatile cryo tanks are around - this helps Iron Fist, a little. Byrne's first Iron Man pic's a bit odd, but from then on, it's what we know & love.
What does the reader learn? Well, Iron Man withstood the full power of the Iron Fist (although he certainly felt it) - and he would have finished Iron Fist, except...
Misty arrives with Don Cauley (who's surprisingly spry for a dead man), after he shot at her. Don's a sleeper agent, working for a mysterious "Mr.Big" in Halwan, the middle-eastern country where Colleen's been taken. Political intrigue, again!
Iron Man apologizes to Iron Fist. Shell-head can't help Iron Fist, as he's got other commitments. It's like when Captain America refused to help Rick Jones find the Hulk, either before or after the samurai film director story. Or, when Banshee dropped Spidey in Woodgod town!
'The Inhumans'
Over Black Bolt's fallen body, a triumphant Shatterstar declares he's going to execute both Black Bolt & Falzon, the Kree scientist - who now begs for mercy.
This splash page is George Perez art, so it's good (despite V.C. inking), yet Black Bolt looks incredibly two dimensional. To be specific, Black Bolt looks as flat as pancake. Odd, artistically speaking.
Shatterstar rejects Falzon's pleas, and fires his beam, only for it to be repelled - by Lockjaw's force field! Shatterstar calls Lockjaw a stupid beast (just like Gorgon's attitude) & punches the dog, only to discover he's disappeared. Lockjaw has 50 % of Sue Richards & Nightcrawler's powers - without their annoying chatter! Incidentally, who'd make the better family pet - Lockjaw or Zabu?
Medusa then pins one of Shatterstar's wrist blasters (why doesn't it overload, like last month?) - so he aims the other one at her.
Luckily, although groggy, Black Bolt's recovered enough to save Medusa. Triton then piles in, telling Shatterstar the FF taught the Inhumans the value of team work. Well, the FF can't have been very good teachers! At this point, Gorgon's stamping makes a liar of Triton, its shockwave allowing Shatterstar to break free. Gorgon's helped Shatterstar escape, just as lieutenant Scarfe helped Angar escape, in Iron Fist!
Shatterstar takes to the sky, to pick off the Inhumans, at will, with his wrist blasters. (Ka-zar's sling-shot would have got Shatterstar! But, I digress...) Black Bolt goes up after Shatterstar, but his weakened state means he's shot down, and lands hard.
Meanwhile, the Inhumans rally round Falzon, whilst Shatterstar blasts away. A battered Black Bolt carries Karnak up to the Kree ship and - despite serious misgivings - fires its cannon at Shatterstar, to save the Inhumans & Falzon.
Falzon, however, is heartbroken (there's a lot of that, this month) because, it turns out, Shatterstar's his son!
'Omega the Unknown'
- Gerber/Skrenes & Mooney -
Sometimes a 'framing device' starts a story. In Sword & Sorcery an ancient book, like the 'Chronicle of the Black Sword' or 'The Nemedian Chronicles', provides a quote/extract which introduces the arc of the story. Another 'framing device' is a discarded newspaper - which conveniently explains the story's premise - c.f. 'Moon Knight' # 3 - 'Midnight Means Murder'.
In Omega, this month, a newspaper's again used, but it's more of a "recap device" than a framing device.
The Daily Bugle's headline reads, "Omega Battles Hulk", with a sub-head, "Caped Man Kidnapped by Electro After Brawl on 9th Avenue". So, Gerber recapping last month's story isn't necessary.
Nevertheless, Ruth & James Michael Starling still recap whatever the Daily Bugle close-up doesn't tell the reader. The girls were giving James Michael a sight-seeing tour; they were in an ice-cream (or milk shake?) parlour; James Michael fainted; Amber's a photographer.
There's also a bit of characterization - James Michael is far more articulate than other most kids his age. Basically, a lot's packed into the story's first splash page!
Anyway, James Michael is called from his bed at the clinic where Ruth is nursing him (he collapsed in a sympathetic reaction when Omega was zapped by Electro), as Doc Barrow wants to see him.
Going down the corridor, we learn that in James Michael's dreams Omega appeared, long before his real life appearance. Creepy Dr.Barrow asks James Michael to confide in him more, and has enrolled James at a school, despite Ruth's misgivings.
Meanwhile, at an underground railway platform, Omega regains consciousness, to hear Electro's boring lecture - the upshot of which is Omega must repair the robot if he wants the electrified cuff removing.
Omega, provoked by Electro's teasing, kicks him into the robot, knocking it onto the railtrack's 3rd line, reviving it. This elicits a backhanded compliment from Electro!
- continued next week -
Phillip
Not 'other most' - most other! Damn typos!
Phillip
cuffs not 'cuff' - damn typos!
Phillip
Dick Emery died in January 1983 which explains why the 1981 series was his last. Obviously Mandy (Oooh, you are awful but I like you) was his most memorable character but there was also the vicar, the sex-starved woman in glasses, the skinhead son (with Roy Kinnear as the dad)...
Phil, I get the sense that you found Omega to be as poignant as I did. A lonely alienated kid gets his own personal superhero. That's the next best thing to being a superhero yourself, which no doubt all of us fantasized about at one point or another in our adolescence. If for no other reason than having the power to clobber certain people.
It's like Gerber's second fractured take on Superman, after Wundarr. Of course the hero is tragic.
It's kinda hard to read, for me anyway. It seems sad.
Wasn't that basically the same premise as Jemm, Son of Saturn?
M.P.
Omega the Unknown really got me as a kid. At the time I was only slightly older than James-Michael. And being a rather, shall we say, nerdy kid , I identified with him. One wonders if Steve Gerber identified with him too, or at least had an empathy for the 'outcast' kids- he told the tale of another such youth in "The Kid's Night Out" in Giant Size Man-Thing 4.
At any rate, Gerber's storytelling seemed more...psychological...than most other comic stories of the day...
M.P. - James Michael's high school experiences, next issue, are definitely something I can strongly relate to. As you said, clobbering certain people, too! Strangely, re-reading Blockbuster after 40 years, Iron Fist's the only story I remember distinctly. Memory's a strange thing.
I don't know Jemm - my focus was almost exclusively on Marvel, with a very few exceptions.
Redartz - Like James Michael, at high school, my manner of speaking set me apart, too; and also like James Michael, I lacked social/emotional intelligence. Steve Gerber did some great stories, before other writers overshadowed him. Maybe, later on, he'll be re-discovered, a bit!
Phillip
Matthew, the work of Moore and Davis was indeed exciting, especially after Marvel UK's previous, less than successful, attempts at creating homegrown work.
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