Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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It's the 1st of May!
But will it prove to be, "Mayday! Mayday!" for our favourite Marvel heroes?
Frankly, apart from Conan and Elric, I don't have a clue who any of those people are.
Spider-Man comes to the rescue of Flash Thompson whose Vietnam past has caught up with him.
I must confess it's not one of my favourite Spidey stories from this era but it's nice to see Flash Thompson again and to see the degree to which he's matured since his earlier appearances.
Spider-Man comes to the rescue of Flash Thompson whose Vietnam past has caught up with him.
I must confess it's not one of my favourite Spidey stories from this era but it's nice to see Flash Thompson again and to see the degree to which he's matured since his earlier appearances.
Barry Smith's second stint on the Avengers continues, as the forces of Olympus cause yet more trouble for Hercules and his former teammates.
If I remember right, hasn't Ares teamed up with the Enchantress to turn everyone in the home of the Greek gods to crystal?
Teenagers are disappearing and Batroc and his Brigade seem to be mixed up in it all.
Much as I love Batroc, I do generally feel that any issue that has him on the cover probably isn't going to be a masterpiece.
The good news is Daredevil and the Black Widow move to San Francisco.
The bad news is Electro's there and is on an ampage rampage.
But I do always wonder why people don't just throw a bucket of water over him.
I'm no expert on currents, watts or voltages but wouldn't that stop him, instantly?
Can the FF stop him?
And can they prevent him from taking the Silver Surfer back into space with him?
Is there such a thing as a bad Hulk story from this period?
No there isn't.
And that means it's another classic, as Jade Jaws finds himself up against a politician who seems to have been eating whatever the astronaut in The Quatermass Xperiment was eating.
Is there such a thing as a bad Hulk story from this period?
No there isn't.
And that means it's another classic, as Jade Jaws finds himself up against a politician who seems to have been eating whatever the astronaut in The Quatermass Xperiment was eating.
I've no idea what happens in this one but it appears the Guardsman's the villain of the piece.
Now there's trouble because Odin's seemingly dead and Hela's after his soul for her dark realm.
The trouble is, Pluto wants it too.
It can only lead to a fight.
One that involves Hela teaming up with Thor!
That's Marvel's big hitters dealt with.
But what about a random sample of DC's offerings that also bore a May 1972 cover date?
Inside, we're treated to tales with such titles as The Hundred Dollar Deal, Satan's Sanctuary and The Buffalo-Hide Bandits! starring such legends of the West as Jonah Hex, Lazarus Lane and Pow-Wow Smith.
To be honest, "Pow-Wow Smith," sounds the least impressive of that trio.
Judging by the Grand Comics Database, they haven't.
However, it seems Billion-Dollar Bates has used his portion of the Anti-Life Equation to force people to do his will.
Is Billion-Dollar Bates the character Donald Trump is supposed to be based on? Or am I thinking of someone else altogether?
Is Billion-Dollar Bates the character Donald Trump is supposed to be based on? Or am I thinking of someone else altogether?
The Green Arrow and Green Lantern visit the Ferris Aircraft plant which has been the target of ecological prankster Isaac.
The Green Lantern tries to take him into custody but his arrow-happy partner accidentally gasses him.
Somehow, this all climaxes with Isaac tying himself to an aircraft engine.
However, things turn out for the best, as Lois and Superman help the Thorn round-up the remaining members of The 100.
As well as that tale, we're treated to The Day Lois Lost Her Mind! and The Arch-Swindler, both reprints from the dim and distant past.
Now Superboy's in trouble. He must face The Mutiny of the Damned! which I assume involves him being sent to prison.
We also have Dial "H" for Hero in The Marauders from Thunderbolt Island and then there's Superboy's Strangest Secret...
Tragically, I can shed no light upon what that secret might be.
It might not be your favourite ASM story, Steve (and not mine either with that gratuitous Doctor Strange appearance in part 2) but I read somewhere once that, of all the stories he pencilled, it was John Romita's favourite.
ReplyDeleteAnd can I be the first to nominate Lois Lane for cover of the month? Just under ten years before the nipple clamps made their debut, this was the best we could hope for.
I'm with dangermash on that Lois Lane cover, so much so that I was inspired to read the issue online. Sadly its a bit disappointing compared to other issues I've read.
ReplyDeleteToo much Superman rescuing Lois from the consequences of her actions after she's told him she's a modern independent woman who doesn't any need help. Whats the point of bringing the Thorn into the main feature and introducing new characters like Lois' flatmate Julie if they're just going to keep doing stuff like that?
Also, the main back-up 'The Day Lois Lost Her mind!' is not as good you'd expect for an early 60s story with that title.
Steve, the All-Star Western cover is indeed a memorable one, surprisingly so for Tony deZuniga. But not for Nestor Redondo, which is who gets the credit at Mike's Amazing World of Comics.
I don't think it is by Redondo, but it does look to my eye like deZuniga had at least quite a bit of help with the inking...
-sean
I’ll second that LOIS LANE cover as best of the month. Bob Oksner was one of the absolute top ‘Good Girl’ artists of the period. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if this one gets a special ‘BONDAGE COVER!!!’ citation in the various price guides, with no less than THREE lovely ladies tied up and helpless. You know, for those that like that sort of the thing.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t get any of these hot off the newsstand, but I did acquire that ALL-STAR WESTERN about a year later from a kid in the neighborhood. It’s great, even the Pow Wow Smith story. ‘Lazarus Long’ is the civilian identity of the Zorro-esque El Diablo. This was the first Gray Morrow art I ever saw and I totally dug it. There’s also a Bat-Lash story drawn by Nick Cardy and this is the second ever Jonah Hex story. I wasn’t a big fan of Westerns, had only watched some Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers tv shows, maybe a John Wayne movie or two — had NEVER seen a Spaghetti Western — so I thought the Man With The Effed Up Face and his morality-compromised , borderline nihilistic milieu was pretty heavy stuff. On one hand, kinda shocking and disturbing. On the other hand, pretty dang cool.
b.t.
"And that was money, friends! Heaps of it!! But it wasn't just business savvy that did the trick!
ReplyDeleteNo sir, it was the 'power'! I had it -- but I didn't know it! That is, not until I found -- the Sect!"
I think you're right Steve, and the comic book super-villain Donald Trump was probably based on Billion Dollar Bates.
-sean
Y’know, I’m a Conan fan AND an Elric fan, but I’ve never much cared for the team-up (maybe it’s that hat, the one Moorcock expresses his disdain for at every opportunity). Thus, it’s a story that I haven’t revisited very often.
ReplyDeleteI mostly remember Kulan Gath as the resurrected Hyborian sorcerer who memorably fought Spider-man and Red Sonja in MARVEL TEAM-UP, and I was vaguely aware that Claremont brought him back later as an X-Men villain, but if I ever knew that he made his very first appearance in CTB 15, that fact has stubbornly refused to stay lodged in my brain.
b.t.
What’s with DC and the crucifixtion / imprisoned themed covers this month!!!
ReplyDeleteBatroc was at his best 40 issues (41?) earlier of Captain America. IMHO that may have been Kirby’s finest hour.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, fighting someone who roams the galaxy devouring populated planets for a living, in an amusement park, is not really congruent.
ReplyDeleteLois’s thighs seem a little fat and lack muscle tone. Nipple clamps would uave helped!
ReplyDeleteThere may be a pattern with the crucifixion imagery. Ya gotta remember, Jesus Christ Superstar was a big deal during this period.
ReplyDelete"...driving down the road in a stolen car"
Forget I wrote that. It's an old joke. Pretty soon here, Marvel would introduce Adam Warlock, who began as Him, then got turned into a Christ-like character on Counter-Earth, and later got turned into an Elric-type character by Starlin, a tragic loner armed with a weapon that can consume souls, that he doesn't really control.
I wait with bated breath to see the film version. I'm guessing it's gonna be weird.
M.P.
The biggest, most colossal, event of the 1970s took place this month 50 years ago at Marvel: Luke Cage, hero far higher number one was released. The mighty Marvel soap box puts Luke front and center garnering a full half of the middle column! And that first issue was a doozy! This true believer was hooked
DeleteWhat is interesting to this true believer was that Stanl Lee iwas still writing Comics! I kinda thought he bowed out about a year earlier when he took a break from all the titles for a month or two. His work on the fantastic four issue was fairly decent as was the art..But, while there are nice flashes of John B somersault, it is pretty straightforward 6, 7,8 panels a page sometimes nine. No splashes.Also john kept placing the thing in scenarios attacking Galactus’s ankle and then foot. That meant every time he looked up the thing was looking Galactus’s Henri Balzac.One of you experts might know when they finally decided to put pants on him?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the auto correcting above. Sheesh!
DeleteWell, in addition to Hero for Hire (Luke Cage) #1 premiering we also have Red Wolf #1!!!
ReplyDeleteMP - Charlie thinks you are on to something! It was the time of the great social awakening here. So we get Luke, Red Wolf, (and mucho crucifixion / imprisonment at DC) this month!
Luke Cage Hero for Hire #1 has a June cover date Charlie.
ReplyDeleteAnd M.P., Warlock was introduced last month in '72, as covered by the world's greatest comic blog (where were ya?) -
https://stevedoescomics.blogspot.com/22022/04/the-marvel-lucky-bag-april-1972.html
Btw, on the subject of nipples, I had intended to follow up on in the previous post but it seemed a bit inappropriate coming after the tributes to Neal Adams.
Anyway, it turns out that She-Hulk definitely has them. As revealed by John Byrne, or rather, a cheeky inker in a mid 80s Marvel Graphic Novel -
https://cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-158/
So it seems reasonable to conclude that gamma radiation does not eliminate nipples, and therefore the He-Hulk should have them too.
-sean
I see no need to draw nipples on a guy.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever meet God, I might ask him why he felt it necessary to PUT nipples on a guy.
M.P.