Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
February 1972 didn't see the release of many famous films but it did, at least, see the unleashing of Cabaret upon the world. I would say the movie totally blew my mind when I saw it but I don't think I've seen it. I, therefore, have no strong opinions on it.
I do, of course, have far more opinions about the contents of that month's UK singles chart but, for now, I'll stick to merely saying the month saw just two 45s claim the Number One slot. The first was T. Rex's Telegram Sam, while the second was Chicory Tip's Son of My Father.
Over on the British album chart, it was also a good start for T. Rex, as their Electric Warrior LP initially claimed the summit. However, that was soon despatched by Neil Reid's Neil Reid which held the pole position for the month's final three weeks.
I was going to announce I've never heard of Neil Reid but a quick Google tells me he was the child responsible for the mega-creepy song Mother of Mine which was bothering the higher reaches of the singles chart at the time, and that still has the power to inflict nightmares upon those of a nervous disposition.
Thus it is that we get yarns with such titles as The Midnight Monster, There Is a Brain Behind the Fangs!, I Took a Journey Into Fear!, Wings of the Butterfly!, The Last Laugh!, The Black Ray and The Voice of Fate!
Highlight of this issue sounds to be There is a Brain Behind the Fangs! in which a man believes dogs are planning to take over the world. His friend, though, convinces him they're not, by proving his dog can't understand complex questions, even under hypnosis. But, oh my God, neither man realises the dog's already been hypnotized by the cat!
It's true. Marvel's second-most popular werewolf is launched upon the world, with this issue, and things will never be the same again.
That story's called Where Gargoyles Dwell! and the character known as Venus visits the Graycar building where she finds a 13th floor populated by gargoyles. Needless to say, a fight with the gargoyle queen soon puts an end to that malarkey.
Poor old Subby, he just can't get a break. First, Lady Dorma gets killed and, now, thanks to Llyra and Tiger Shark, his dad bites the dust.
The comic that refuses to die gives us three tales.
I don't know what happens in this one and I don't really care but just look at that cover. Look at the drama! It's almost enough to make me hand over my 20 cents.
And it's at that exact moment Odin decides to act like the jerk he is and removes half of Thor's strength while also giving his own Odin Power to Seidring.
Defeated by Hercules, Thor then returns to Asgard where, to no one's surprise but Odin's, he finds Seidring's taken over!
We're also served up with A Viper In Our Midst! in which Loki helps a giant to escape from the Asgardians.
Defeated by Hercules, Thor then returns to Asgard where, to no one's surprise but Odin's, he finds Seidring's taken over!
We're also served up with A Viper In Our Midst! in which Loki helps a giant to escape from the Asgardians.
Can things get worse for the Avenging son?
I've seen the next issue and, yes, they can.
It gives us The Thing Called...It!, The Man from Mars!, and Terror of the Pterodactyl!
But shouldn't that be Pteror of the Pterodactyl?
Obviously, for all fans of swamp monsters, the main source of interest will be the first story, reprinted from 1961, in which a bitter scientist builds a swamp monster to destroy his rival.
But shouldn't that be Pteror of the Pterodactyl?
Obviously, for all fans of swamp monsters, the main source of interest will be the first story, reprinted from 1961, in which a bitter scientist builds a swamp monster to destroy his rival.
But the creature refuses to murder and its consciousness is accidentally transferred into its creator's body, freeing it to live a noble life.
And freeing the scientist to be dead.
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38 comments:
As regards the Subby comic's depiction of the helmet on Stingray's costume, here it's got a red Stingray emblem (?) on a white background, whereas on other occasions the helmet has a white emblem, on a red background - c.f. top left hand panel from page with the Scarlet Witch:
https://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/marvel_two-in-one_64.shtml
or
c.f. MWOM # 297:
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mighty_World_of_Marvel_Vol_1_297?file=Mighty_World_of_Marvel_Vol_1_297.jpg
Phillip
Some quickie thoughts:
For a superhero that has never really caught on with Fandom At Large, I have to say I think Sting-ray has one of the most striking costume designs EVER. I’m unclear about his origin, his powers, etc, even his true identity is a mystery to me, but boy, those threads are somethin’ else.
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT 2 : I don’t know which is more awesome, the very first Werewolf By Night story with a-bit-shaky-but-fun art by Mike Ploog or the gorgeous Venus back-up strip by Bill Everett. Also — is it just me, or does it look like a Tribble is perched on Wolfie’s shoulder?
I’m pretty sure I have that issue of MONSTERS ON THE PROWL, but can’t say I remember much about the lead story. Is that perambulating pile of porridge really a Swamp Monster, Steve? Is Swamp Goo an essential ingredient in the Mad Scientist’s recipe? Guess I’ll have to go dig up my copy to find out…
For an All-Seeing, All-Wise All-Father, Odin really is a twat, isn’t he.
b.t.
b.t. - Totally agree about Stingray - a great costume/colour combo. I think he was called Dr. Walter Newell - or something similar - I'd have to look it up. Stingray's costume/battle-suit allowed him to withstand the pressure of being deep undersea (so it was supposed to be pretty tough). He could fly/swim, and fire electric blasts (so, should have been called 'Torpedo Ray', not Stingray - hee, hee!). Despite all this, Stingray was often easily beaten!
Phillip
That Thor cover has a whiff of Vince Colletta's inking about it!
Phillip
No look back on new records by former Beatles this month then, Steve?
I believe the first single by Sir Pauls' band Wings came out in February '72, to something of a mixed public reaction...
"We planned this battle so that our sons might fight each other... and fighting, hate."
Yeah, Astonishing Tales #10 is a bit of a classic. The collusion of the officers in keeping the conflict going gives it the dramatic weight that makes the story so memorable. Its an unusual take on the WW2 theme for comics of the time (or any other medium really).
Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas didn't do that good a job on Werewolf by Night though. I wonder which of them came up with "Jack Russell".
Mind you, maybe its not that crazy a name for the character, considering that before too long the writer credit on the comic would be for "Marv Wolfman".
-sean
Bt, as far as I'm aware, the monster's brought to life by being thrown into a swamp. Therefore, I'm classing it as a swamp monster.
Phillip, the Thor cover was indeed inked by Vince.
Sean, you have to hand it to Wings. They managed to get two out of their first three singles banned by the BBC. They made the Sex Pistols look like amateurs.
Sean:
Checking out the track listing of that first Wings album on Wikipedia, i was somewhat surprised to discover I don’t recognize the titles of any of those songs, not one. It’s possible that I might recognize some of them if I listened to em on YouTube, but I get the feeling it might not be worth the effort?
Also, I know I’ve read that issue of ASTONISHING several times, as recently as just a few months ago, but I have a hard time hanging onto the plot details. Meaning it didn’t have the same level of dramatic impact on me as it apparently did for you. If I’d first read it at a more impressionable age, it would probably be a different story.
I find that to be true of most Bronze Age comics. Stories that I ‘imprinted’ on in my teen years tend to retain a vague overlay of ‘Quality’ when re-read today, even all these decades later. It’s almost as if 12-year-old Me is sitting on my shoulder going, ‘Gosh, isn’t this a GREAT story!’ And 60-year-old Me is going, ‘Yeah, it sure is…I mean…I GUESS so…?’ Whereas stories that I DIDN’T read back in the day have an unfair disadvantage — they have to ‘Wow’ me totally on their own merits, without the benefit of nostalgia.
Which is not to say that ASTONISHING #10 is objectively any better or worse than, say, the ‘Sun God’ stories from issues 3, 4 and 5 by the same team. But I had copies of the Zaladane/ Garokk stories in my youth, and when I re-read ‘em now, they still seem wildly imaginative and exciting. How much of that is due to a lingering electrical charge from my teenage years, it’s almost impossible to say.
b.t.
Phillip, to answer your question from the previous post, according to Wikipedia, the difference between a swamp and a marsh is that swamps have trees in them, and marshes don't.
Bt, the tracks on Wings' first album are all extremely obscure. David Cassidy released a cover of Tomorrow as a single and it got airplay but it wasn't a big hit. So there's a very slight chance you may have heard that.
The two tracks of most interest on it are probably Dear Friend which is a notably intense message from McCartney to Lennon, and Wildlife which some have interpreted as McCartney satirising the material Lennon was putting out at the time.
Steve - That makes sense, as Shaarilla got Elric out of the marsh by tearing off a length of her garment (in a possibly Thomas Hardy's 'A Pair of Blue Eyes'-inspired scene), and casting it, for Elric to grab onto. If there'd been trees, Moorcock could have had her hold out a long, fallen branch, for the Prince of Ruins.
b.t.'s third paragraph is so 'on the money', it ought to be highlighted in some way. Maybe it could become some kind of 'mission statement' (wrong word) - or something - at the top of the STD site!
Phillip
Our Love Story issue 15 is one of the few romance comics I have. Interestingly(well to me at least) it features a tale drawn by Steve Englehart, until I saw this I had no idea he was a pretty decent comic book artist. The cover story art is by Sal Buscema.
Hmmm. This is an interesting crop of comics you've presented for us to ponder, Steve. For once I am stymied, because I don't think I've read any of these.
This was back when Marvel was doing that weird thing with their covers, where all the action is in a box, with room for the blurbs (is that the right word?) around the edges.
I love that both Kazar's and Zabu's heads were given the place of honor in the upper left-hand corner. Zabu's toothy snarl let the kid at the spinner-rack know that this comic meant business. There was savagery in these pages. (pretty tame savagery, if you ask me)
Did Zabu ever eat anybody? I would respect him more if he did.
They didn't do that style of covers for very long, though, did they. It seems like those marketing whizzes at Marvel were throwing ideas against the wall like a plate of spaghetti, hoping something would stick. This seat-of-the pants approach was a time-honored tradition in comics; it worked pretty good for Stan the Man.
Steve, I love that line about Monsters on the Prowl. "The comic that refuses to die." Ha!
Yup, Stan dug up them ol' monster mash mags from the early '60's, gave 'em a jolt of electricity and new covers, and let them loose to wander the countryside, causing terror.
Now, after seeing this post, I wanna read that issue about "It". The cover did its job, it hooked me. Now I gotta go google It. Otherwise it's gonna bug me all night.
Thanks a lot, Steve.
M.P.
Great review Steve!
The only one I had at the time was "Werewolf" and I don't know why.
Maybe 10 years ago, I bought a run of Subbies like 35 - 50. I read them. They are quite good. Also as you wrote above, it is absurd to imagine the amount of tragedy that befalls Subbie at this time.
Also, it is unfortunate that his father was whacked within a few issues of being found. Gosh... so much potential there to do something with Subby other than some nut job misunderstanding the situation, losing his temper, flailing around yelling "subby smash."
Interestingly, it plays into bt's 3rd and 4th paragraph. The Subbies did not need the power of nostalgia to fall into the good category as I read them 40 years after being published. This is perhaps Subby's best few years leading up to the Everett issues which caps it off!
Paul and John took swipes at each other at this time, through their songs.
As odd as this sounds the therapist working on my knee (ACL surgery) gave me a good 10 minute discourse on this subject this past Friday, LOL.
He had all the facts...
Paul on the Ram On album, released 50 years ago this past summer, took a swipe at John in the song "Too Many People."
Another most enjoyable post, Steve!
That song you mentioned, "Son of My Father? Not familiar with that version, but it seems a different version charted over here in '72 by a fellow going by the name of Giorgio. Turns out that he was in fact Giorgio Morodor, who later made a big splash as a producer. Where would disco have been without him?
And that "It" story, I've got that somewhere. Not in the issue you featured, though. Maybe in the original book? Now I'm curious; will have to go hunting through my old horror books.
Charlie- yes, it's no wonder Namor has such a bad attitude. With such luck I'd be cranky too.
Red-
Some writer in a comic at Marvel put forth the proposition that Namor is bipolar. Possibly as a result of his amphibian nature.
I happen to be bipolar (doing just fine, thanks, I'm taking my meds, and I'm not even from Atlantis) and that explanation makes a lotta sense to me. Let's face it, Subby has always been all over the place, behaviorally speaking. One day he's invading New York, the next day he's sulking. Sometimes a hero, sometimes a bit of a villain.
Charlie, I hope things go okay with your knee. Feel better, buddy.
M.P.
I don't know anything about the first Wings album either b.t. Or most of their records - I wasn't actually aware they had a second single that was banned in '72.
Steve, you're right, two is impressive, especially as its not really what you expect from McCartney, who usually seems fairly inoffensive.
Although having just checked out 'Hi Hi Hi' its hard to understand whats objectionable about it (other than the fairly bland music). Mind you, personally I don't think taking issue with the army shooting unarmed people in the street should be considered particularly controversial either.
-sean
I think I read the tail end of that Stingray/Submariner story, in 'Spider-man Comic' # 328, which my brother & I got when we went on holiday to Malta (1979?):
https://britishcomics.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man_Comic_Vol_1_328?file=Sm328.jpg
To me, this comic was was one of the greatest UK Weeklies of all time!
Not only did it have a (brief) battle between the Stingray & the Submariner, you also got the start of the glory days of the Avengers. In a brief Avengers, Sal Buscema & Pablo Marcos's top class art had the Beast looking like the Hulk, whilst Wonder Man knocked the Submariner unconscious with one punch - not even Thor or the Hulk had done this, before! Thirdly, Nova encountered Dr.Sun - or something - with his weird helmet, showing his visible brain. The only story I don't remember was Spidey! Spidey & DD were teamed up around that time, but I'm not sure.
I seem to remember Stingray beat Namor, whose strength was depleted through being out of the water - or something.
I thought Dez Skinn had ruined the glory days of Marvel, when covers were glossy, until I read 'Spider-man Comic' # 328, which was just as good as the best of the glossies. In terms of the Avengers, it also ushered in the greatness that was Marvel Superheroes Monthly (albeit to the detriment of 'Spider-man Comic' weekly.
Phillip
Come to think of it, that comic I've described wasn't Namor's finest hour, as he got his butt kicked twice in the same issue!
Phillip
Steve, I'm amazed you've never seen 'Cabaret' - I bought the soundtrack album on cassette in the '80s and in my opinion it's a great film, for which Liza Minnelli won the Oscar for best actress. The film's three most famous songs are Money Makes The World Go Round, Life Is A Cabaret Old Chum and Tomorrow Belongs To Me. Have you really never seen the famous beer-garden scene where a member of the Hitler Youth starts singing Tomorrow Belongs To Me and slowly everybody else joins in? There was even a spoof version by Spitting Image on the night of the 1987 general election. Both versions are on YouTube if you're interested.
There's also a version called 'Jam Tomorrow Belongs To Me' by Boris & The Brexiteers.
(Not really).
Do we have any instances of swamp/marsh/bog creatures duking it out with each other?
My closest recollection would be Hulk and Glob pounding it out around Hulk 128 or so?
And what the heck was Solomon Grundy again? Was he a bog spawn or chemicals?
MP -
I think Subby's problem was going around in green speedo swim trunks all the time.
I mean, remember as kids how annoying it would be to have on that wet bathing suit after the rest of you had dried off on a summer's day? It was like this intense feeling of relief when you would get that damp suit off, after having it on for hours, and your "parts" could finally dry out.
Point being that if one's parts were wet 24x7, one would just always be flying off the handle.
Now that does not explain Johnny Storm's issues... but he and Namor both really needed a class in anger management!
Colin J - Thank you for alerting me to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee!
I was able to score D.C. Thomson's "The Queen - Platinum Jubilee Collector's Issue!"
Colin J - Flashback to the discussion on US Football:
"From 2008 to 2019, the number of American boys playing youth tackle football fell from 2.5 million to 1.9 million, while Super Bowl viewership in the 18–49 demographic has nosedived steadily since 2012, accounting now for just 36 percent of the game’s television audience."
This is important b/c studies show that persons only watch football more/less if they played in their youth.
Colin, I'm afraid I have no familiarity with that scene at all.
I also always thought Money Makes the World Go Round was from Fiddler on the Roof. I think I must have been getting it mixed up with If I Were a Rich Man.
Red, I'd never heard that Giorgio Morodor version of Son of My Father before. Thanks for drawing my attention to it. It's highly pleasing to my ears.
There does seem to have been a trend in the early 1970s for a song to be a hit on opposite sides of the Atlantic for different acts. Brother Louie was a hit in the UK for Hot Chocolate but in the States for Stories. Billy Don't be a Hero was a hit in the UK for Paper Lace but in the States for Bo Donaldson. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep was a hit in Britain for Middle of the Road but in the States for Mac & Katie Kissoon.
Thanks to you too, MP. :)
And thanks to everyone who's commented so far.
Steve-
Maybe I misinterpreted your statement on what to expect from you last post, but I was led to believe it was going to be more swamp-monster laden. Oh well, maybe in the future.
The Marvel monster reprint books were my go-to when there were no hero books on my infrequent visits to newsstands.
As I mentioned before, Ploog was excellent for all of Marvel's supernatural characters. His Werewolf was the best in the series. I'll wait to pontificate on his Man-Thing, when you do a real swamp-monster post.
When I saw that Bill Everette died in the letters page of Sub-Mariner, I was heartbroken.
Charlie-
Thank you for that handful of Subby issues.
Killdumpster - you are most welcome. And thank you for the DVDs of the sci-fi flicks in return!
I too was heartbroken when I read of Everett's passing, I think in the Marvel Bullpen / Stan's Soapbox. There was something that he brought to Submariner that was truly special... endearing... sweet... nostalgic...
And let's not forget that as good as these Subbies are they only got better. E.g., Sunfire and his origin are told. Truly I found him to be an grossly underutilized character. Soooo much potential.
Phil-
I remember that Avengers comic! I think it was some kinda brief cross-over with Super-Villain Team-Up. Yup, Wonder Man knocked the Sub-mariner out colder than a block of ice. I don't remember anybody else doing that, not even the Hulk.
Subby seemed uncharacteristically subdued when he woke up. You'd think he'd be mad as a hornet.
Avengers was a pretty good comic in them days, and it seemed like they were exploring the personalities and powers of Wonder Man and the Beast, the new guys, which was interesting. Yeah, I know they'd both been around for a while, but they were different now.
I bet you remember that awesome showdown a few issues later between Wonder Man and the Vision? That's one of my favorite fight scenes in a comic. Even the floor got tore up.
Those two cats did not like each other.
Yeah, that comic was great during that period.
M.P.
Charlie:
Solomon Grundy was a dude who was murdered, then his corpse was dumped into a swamp, then fifty years later he came back to ‘life’ as a rampaging evil brute (because comic book logic). Not sure if he really qualifies as a genuine ‘Swamp Monster’ or not.
As for two Swamp Monsters duking it out, surely you’ve seen the mighty GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING #1 by Gerber and Ploog, yes? With Man-Thing and The Glob pummeling the gooey crap out of each other? Other than that, SWAMP THING #20 has Swampy fighting a mindless clone of himself. Or maybe it was one of his limbs that got separated and then eventually regenerated a whole body but without a brain? In any case, aside from the usual beautiful Redondo art, I don’t think the battle was all that memorable.
b.t.
Cerebus #25 featured both Women Thing and Sump Thing, who were both under the mind control of Professor Charles X Claremont. It's actually held up quite well.
DW
Woman Thing
Sorry, KD, I didn't mean to raise false hopes in anyone. When I next review a comic, I'll make sure it's a Man-Thing story.
M.P. - You read my mind! Yes, to me, Wonder-man vs the Vision is Marvel's greatest superhero battle, with that fantastic Sal Buscema & Pablo Marcos art. I'm glad to hear it's one of your favourites, too! After decking Namor, and then defeating the Vision, Wonder-man was really becoming a force to be reckoned with. But, even though the Vision lost, he seemed more powerful than ever before - so, the reader's respect for the 'loser' increased, too. So many of Marvel's battles are a 'fudge', being fixed in one way or another - we all know examples - but that battle wasn't fixed in any way. What's more, it ushered in the Graviton story (in the UK, this was shown in 'Marvel Superheroes Monthly' # 1, soon afterwards), with more great Sal & Pablo art.
Phillip
b.t., That was the Solomon Grundy of Earth-2. The Solomon Grundy of Earth-1 was created from residual cells - found in a sewer iirc - by the Parasite.
Steve, I was interested to learn (from FeedReader) that Steve Does Comics is notably popular in Iran.
Good to see that in these perilous times at least someone is doing their bit for greater understanding between cultures. Well done you.
-sean
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