Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
May 1972 had a remarkable gift for churning out films I've never heard of. Among other non-notables, we got such releases as The Possession of Joel Delaney, Chato's Land, Z.P.G. and The Other.
In fact, the only movie from that month I've ever even heard of is Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam.
But perhaps the most intriguing release was a thing called The Honkers, purely because of its title.
It seems it starred James Coburn and Slim Pickens, though that's all the knowledge I can impart, as that's all Wikipedia says about it.
Rather more well known is the legendary song Amazing Grace which, thanks to the efforts of The Pipes and Drums and The Military Band of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard, started the month at Number One in Britain. That reign, however, was soon ended by T. Rex's Metal Guru which held the top slot for the rest of the month.
Over on the UK album chart, May began with Deep Purple's Machine Head on top before it had to make way for T. Rex's Bolan Boogie.
"It had to happen!" declares the cover.
Gullivar Jones is still on Mars, on the River of the Dead, and being attacked by hostile spider-things, as he seeks to rescue Princess Thingy.
We also get the story of Gargantus! an intelligent reptile from the depths, who attacks the surface world, until he faints.
That's followed by The Things from Dimension X! in which a scientist creates a link to another dimension, only to discover its inhabitants are set on conquest. Their invasion of Earth is halted, though, when the carved presidents on Mt Rushmore come to life and defeat them.
Er, what?
Adam Warlock's now on Counter-Earth and out to thwart the dastardly plans of the Satanic Man-Beast.
But, first, he must deal with Rhodan and his Hounds of Helios.
I do believe he does so by devolving the villain into his natural form as a rat - and then letting a cat eat him.
Strangely, we also get the four-page SHIELD story The Yellow Claw in which Jimmy Woo gets captured. Presumably, by the Yellow Claw?
Everyone's favourite werewolf's still causing mischief.
This time, it's for Andrea Timly after she captures him, aiming to make him reveal The Darkhold's location.
Red Wolf gets his own book - and Marvel comics will never be the same again!
The cover gives us the strangely comedic title Who Stole My Coffin? though the tale inside goes by the rather more serious name The Fear Within.
Whatever we call it, it would appear that someone called Graves is revealed as Dracula's slave, and Drake kills Jeannie.
Hooray! I had this one! And that makes it important!
It's melodrama to the max, as Dr Doom and Subbie invade MODOK's former base, in search of the Cosmic Cube!
Rather more well known is the legendary song Amazing Grace which, thanks to the efforts of The Pipes and Drums and The Military Band of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard, started the month at Number One in Britain. That reign, however, was soon ended by T. Rex's Metal Guru which held the top slot for the rest of the month.
Over on the UK album chart, May began with Deep Purple's Machine Head on top before it had to make way for T. Rex's Bolan Boogie.
I'm not sure why it had to happen but happen it does, as the newly enfurred Beast takes on Iron Man - and kills him!
Or does he?
We also get the story of Gargantus! an intelligent reptile from the depths, who attacks the surface world, until he faints.
That's followed by The Things from Dimension X! in which a scientist creates a link to another dimension, only to discover its inhabitants are set on conquest. Their invasion of Earth is halted, though, when the carved presidents on Mt Rushmore come to life and defeat them.
Er, what?
But, first, he must deal with Rhodan and his Hounds of Helios.
I do believe he does so by devolving the villain into his natural form as a rat - and then letting a cat eat him.
Strangely, we also get the four-page SHIELD story The Yellow Claw in which Jimmy Woo gets captured. Presumably, by the Yellow Claw?
This time, it's for Andrea Timly after she captures him, aiming to make him reveal The Darkhold's location.
Then again, perhaps they will, as the title only goes on to survive for nine issues.
I'm sure it's great, though.
Whatever we call it, it would appear that someone called Graves is revealed as Dracula's slave, and Drake kills Jeannie.
In our main tale, an American investigates the mysterious statues made by an African tribe, and discovers it worships a local who's been mutated by an atomic test.
In the second offering, a naughty medium gets her spirit contacts to frame another medium.
And, finally, an escaped convict learns that, even when free, he cannot escape his sentence.
Only to discover it's still his base - and the big-headed miscreant's in no mood to welcome visitors!
I think it was here where I talked about being turned against Gil Kane by the number of covers he pencilled during that period when Marvel covers had drawings framed in squares. I present today's and Sunday's strips as evidence. Looks to me as if Gil had a pretty busy time on covers this month.
ReplyDeleteDANGERMASH - Since this was when I was buying 5-6 comics a month off the spinner, as an 11 year old, I do recall (and not particularly fondly) the inundation of KANE covers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ole Charlie is still having flashbacks, having gone back and re-read FANTASTIC FOUR 122 as homework. The Thing, using judo leverage on GALACTUS'S foot, tips G onto his back.
Unfortunately, this is the same position G had (IIRC) in Marvel ZOMBIES when he fell onto his back and was devoured by various Marvel Zombies (WOLVERINE springs to mind?) Marvel ZOMBIES is actually compelling reading but occasionally leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Charlie is willing to bet even money that the BEAST kills IRON MAN! Any takers???
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, ole Charlie went and bought the Marvel archives of the Beast stories a few years ago. It's best checked out from the library. Art was not the best... But it was worth finally seeing the big reveal where we see he real BEAST.
'Chato's Land' stars Charles Bronson as a half-Apache who goes native and gets revenge on whitey in the form of ex-Confederate officer Jack Palance and his cronies, Steve.
ReplyDeleteIts pretty much what you'd expect from a revisionist western of the period directed by Michael Winner.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=svc2xiESFmk
I'm afraid I can't help with any of the other films.
On that Red Wolf cover our hero does unfortunately look a bit like a Q-Anon headcase trying to stop the steal.
Of course back when I read a couple of issues the obvious comparison was with a Village People reject (those were more innocent times). But that was later in the series, when it was a different Red Wolf, and the stories were set Now! In the Holocaust of Today!
They were not good comics - in fact, they may well have been the worst 70s Marvels I've ever read - but I guess its possible that when he was the Masked Avenger of the Western Plains the title could have been great.
But it seems unlikely.
-sean
I had three of these! Got em from a neighborhood kid who didn’t want em any more! I’ve read and re-read them all many times in the half-century since! I was looking at AMAZING 12 and SUB-MARINER 49 just a few weeks ago! I haven’t looked at CREATURES 17 in awhile but I’m sure it’s still great! Roy Thomas and Gil Kane doing a thoroughly Marvel-style John Carter of Mars knockoff! Fake Dejah Thoris has golden skin and Fake Tars Tarkas is a winged dude with a Pterosaur head! Fake John Carter makes bad jokes while fighting Evil Martians!
ReplyDeleteI will stop shouting now!
b.t!
The only thing I know about THE HONKERS is that the legendary Robert McGinnis painted the poster, featuring a super-skinny, long-limbed James Coburn and one of McGinnis’ patented leggy babes wearing a suede halter, hot pants and fringed knee-high boots. It’s not up to McGinnis’ highest standards (like his posters for LIVE AND LET DIE and COTTON COMES TO HARLEM) but it’s still fun to look at.
ReplyDeleteI like the Englehart/ Sutton Beast series more than Charlie does, apparently. It’s not Sutton’s best work, true, but it’s also not entirely his fault. They paired him up with inkers Syd Shores, Jim Mooney and Frank Giacoia, I suppose in an attempt to make Sutton’s stuff look more like Conventional Marvel Art. But it winds up being neither fish nor fowl. AMAZING 12 is the exception — in that one he’s inked by Mike Ploog and their two styles mesh really, REALLY well. Unlike the other issues, 12 looks less like an oddball Superhero comic with mild ‘Horror’ trappings and more like a moody, full-on Horror comic with mild Superhero trappings. I think it’s a knockout.
b.t.
Edwin Arnold's 'Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation' was published a dozen years before 'A Princess of Mars', so really its John Carter who's the knockoff, and Dejah Thoris is the Fake Princess Heru, and the Barsoomians Fake Hither people.
ReplyDeleteNot that it matters, because Gil Kane drew both for Marvel, and he's the Real Deal.
-sean
Bt, thanks for the Honkers poster info.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can remember of them, I agree that the problem with those early Beast stories was the heavy-handed inking, rather than Tom Sutton's pencilling.
Sean, thanks for the Chato's Land info. I'm starting to suspect I may have seen it at some distant point in the past.
Charlie, you're correct. The Beast does indeed kill Iron Man. In the following issue, he kills Thor and then the Fantastic Four.
Charlie and Dangermash, you're right. It's remarkable how many of this month's Marvel covers are by Gil.
bt, as Sean says, it's John Carter who is the rip-off and Gullivar Jones the original!
ReplyDeleteI have a huge fondness for Gullivar Jones because he appeared in Marvel UK's Planet Of The Apes #2-7 and #5 was my first ever Marvel comic.
STEVE - point of order...
ReplyDeleteBEAST kills Iron Man. Then he kills HULK before getting serious and killing THOR and FANTASTIC FOUR.
Please no "NO PRIZE" necessary!
How the hell Thor became Herald for Galactus who was eaten by Zombies is beyond me. Did Charlie miss something going on in the Marvel Universe???
ReplyDeleteI mean, the whole Marvel Zombie thing I think is part of their cannon?
Is MODOK the ugliest dam villain or what?
ReplyDeleteI mean, they talk about Jonah Hex being ugly as a selling point but MODOK looks like he could double for an evil Weeble.
The Dracula cover features a cobbled street, a gas lamp, fog in the air and a man wearing a flat cap - cor blimey guv'nor it's obviously London in the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteThey missed a trick not calling that Dracula story 'Oo Nicked Me Coffin?', Charlie.
ReplyDelete-sean
Absolutely hilarious!!!
DeleteIs there a Cockney Rhyming Slang term for a coffin?
DeleteBrainy boffin?
Gerry Goffin?
Or, we could invent a CRS word for coffin with a comics slant to it: I would suggest "Steve," as in Steve Coffin, who was the alter ego of one of the more interesting versions of Captain Universe.
Oops, that should be Colin, not Charlie.
ReplyDeleteSorry Colin.
-sean
Well now…
ReplyDeleteIt was only after posting that thing about ‘Fake John Carter’ and company, that I realized how thin was the ice upon which I had so haphazardly skated. ‘Some wily pedant is sure to point out that Gullivar’s prose adventures on the Red Planet came first, making Carter the real ‘Fake’, and not the other way ‘round….’ (I said to myself) ‘….but although that is TECHNICALLY true, the Gullivar of Arnold’s novel is more buffoon than hero, his adventures are far from thrilling and heck, he doesn’t even hook up with his own Martian Princess! It seems to me….’ (I continued) ‘…that Roy Thomas was very clever to take Arnold’s rather pedestrian Public Domain raw material and add a heaping helping of boilerplate Burroughsian buckle-swashing, thereby reverse-engineering a solid John Carter pastiche comic at the same time that DC was launching their own authorized Barsoom strip in the back of their Tarzan comic and practically daring DC and ERB Inc. to do something about it.’
Lo and behold, I get not one persnickety nit-picker pointing out my ‘error’, but TWO…!
Well, fellas, I stand corrected, and no hard feelings, eh? But I also stand by my original assertion that the Thomas/Kane Gullivar is clearly intended to more closely resemble ERB’s indomitable leap-frogging sword-swinger than Arnold’s timid bungler. So I guess we’re ALL right….?
For the record, I quite liked the two Thomas / Kane Gullivar stories, and the Effinger/ Andru and Morrow issues too. I actually kinda prefer them to Marvel’s later ‘official’ JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS comic.
b.t.
I think I read somewhere that the Beast killing Iron Man was a Mastermind illusion.
ReplyDeleteWhatever it was, I'm pretty sure that story was later repeated in The Avengers when a deadline was missed. Sometime pretty soon after the Beast first joined the team.
! Eurovision 2022 begins a week from yesterday! Rejoice!
ReplyDeleteBonsoir mesdames et messieurs, good evening ladies and gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteRoyaume-Uni - nul points!
-sean
My money is on Australia. It would seem the perfect place for next year's Euro contest?
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any rhyming slang for 'coffin' Dave, but I am all for popularizing 'Gerry Goffin'.
ReplyDeleteOh death where is thy Carole King...?
-sean
Charlie, I think we can guarantee Ukraine are going to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
ReplyDeleteDangermash, the death of Iron Man was indeed an illusion. Or, possibly, a delusion. I thnk you're right about the tale being reprinted in an issue of The Avengers, as well.