Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
Good grief. Is it fifty years ago already? It only seems like ten minutes since it was forty years ago.
But what treachery is this? The supposedly reformed Swordsman and his girlfriend Mantis helping the Lion God invade the Avengers Mansion?
But what treachery is this? The supposedly reformed Swordsman and his girlfriend Mantis helping the Lion God invade the Avengers Mansion?
Fortunately, it's all a ruse by the duo and, with their help, the feline fiend's soon sent packing to the Great Cat Sanctuary in the Sky.
Unless I miss my lycanthropic guess, the Falcon's turned into a werewolf!
One who retains his normal hair, despite having turned into a werewolf.
But does this mean Redwing's been turned into a wolf-bird?
But does this mean Redwing's been turned into a wolf-bird?
I've never read this one but I gather Conan joins the Turanian army of King Yildiz.
And I've no doubt it all leads to him having to rescue a wench from a sorcerer.
The Stilt-Man arrives on the west coast where Daredevil and the Black Widow have to prevent him from using a molecular condenser to knock California into the sea.
And, seemingly, a giant gorilla with a sea mine for a head.
As for the cover, I'm assuming it's a tribute to the front of Fantastic Four issue #1.
As for the cover, I'm assuming it's a tribute to the front of Fantastic Four issue #1.
It's one of my faves, as Zzzaxx makes his debut and Hawkeye tries to prove he can succeed without the Avengers.
And he does succeed.
Only for everyone to give the credit to the Hulk instead.
Believe it or not, Iron Man's actually managing to have trouble defeating the Masked Marauder.
Which is bad news, as the villain's threatening to nuke Detroit.
Sweet Mother of Christmas, and other words to that effect. It's one of my fondest-remembered Spidey tales, as our hero must battle Luke Cage who's been hired by J Jonah Jameson.
This is all due to Jameson's belief that Spidey killed his friend Norman Osborn.
In his latest space-bound quest to find missing Asgardians, Thor's up against Mercurio - who, like Baked Alaska, can be hot and cold at the same time.
During all this, our hero discovers Sif and Karnilla are trapped within a giant crystal and unwillingly providing it with the energy it needs to thrive.
Banshee seeks the X-Men's help against a mysterious spider creature but, when they bump into Spider-Man, the not-so-bright mutants assume he's their foe and set out to give him a knuckle sandwich.
That's Marvel accounted for.
But what of DC? What's the company offering us in a random selection of books which feature the same cover date?
Except it isn't. Despite the cover boast, no origin's revealed in this tale. We don't even get to discover her true identity.
It is, however, her first appearance, although details of the tale elude my memory.
We also get a Dr 13 story in which the not-at-all-Michael-Caine-inspired investigator looks into the death of someone called Mr Randolf.
Not that I know who Renzi and Steve are.
As far as I can remember, Wonder Woman's sculpted from clay and brought to life by Hippolyta, while Wildcat isn't. I do believe that boxer Ted Grant kills another man in the ring and adopts the identity of Wildcat in order to clear his name.
Meanwhile, Metamorpho finds himself entangled in the case of The Haunted Millionaire.
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30 comments:
At a quick count, I didn't have any of this month's Marvel mags, as a youth but I did have four of the DC comics featured above, plus this month's Witching Hour, Weird War Tales and Supergirl, making it seven DCs in total. All I can conclude is that DC had better distribution than Marvel.
And I had one Charlton mag, Ghostly Tales #106.
Steve and Renzi were transforming armored mutants like Ben Boxer. I was never sure quite what purpose they served as neither of them had much in the way of a distinct personality, and their powers were exactly the same as Ben’s. One of em had longish black hair and a beard and I honestly can’t even remember what the other guy looked like. Which one was Steve and which one was Renzi, I’m embarrassed to report that I don’t have a freakin’ clue.
I want to say they were both last seen fighting the Red Baron on the high seas (kamikaze style) in the insanely violent and entertaining KAMANDI 23 — but I could be wrong about that.
b.t.
Never mind the stories. You only have to look at the list of villains to know this was a bad month.
Renzi was the one with the beard, b.t., and Steve was a ginger. They had the same powers as Ben Boxer because they were also Nuclear People - all three were part of the same research team surveying the post-Great Disaster world for the NASA Mind at Tracking Site.
You're welcome.
Steve, I guess things could have been different in an enlightened area like the Peoples Republic of South Yorkshire, but I don't recall DC having noticeably better distribution back then. Maybe you just had them because they did the better comics this month?
-sean
Sean, I don't know. I don't remember seeing any of those Marvel books on my comic-buying expeditions. I'd definitely have bought the Hulk and Spidey issues if I'd seen them.
Dangermash, I have a deep and abiding love for Zzzaxx. Even if I can never remember how to spell his name.
Bt, thanks for the Steve and Renzi info. I shall no longer get them mixed-up with Ren and Stimpy.
Steve, that Spidey issue was officially Not Distributed in the UK, according to my yellowing copy of the Comic Book Price Guide. The Powers That Were at Marvel had decided that US imports of their perceived top characters ( Spidey, FF, Hulk ) might harm sales of their UK counterparts so these comics didn't come over here for a few years. ( It's hard to imagine this assumption in these days of multiple comics for major characters. ) Interestingly, that Hulk comic was the last UK distributed issue before the imports stopped.
The only Marvel cover that appeals to me here is Cap #164, Steve - what's not to like about a villainess in sexy Killraven boots and not much else? And on top of that, she's Queen of the Werewolves!
Cover of the month is obviously Swamp Thing #5, and I expect it's the best comic here inside too. I first read it - and discovered Berni Wrightson really - in the late 70s, when DC used the same cover for a Dollar comic that reprinted that issue with #s6 and 7 (the latter being the one with the Batman). That was an eye-opening comic.
The Wonder Woman origin in Secret Oranges #3 is pretty good on all the background stuff about how Ares' dodgy mate Hercules copped off with Hippolyta, stole her magic girdle, and then enslaved the Amazons so Aphrodite had to rescue them - "You may break your chains, but you must wear these wristbands always to teach you the folly of submitting to men's domination!" (A useful life lesson for the ladies there)
But disappointingly we don't get to see Hippolyta sculpting Nubia from clay and bringing her to life at the same time as Diana, which frankly seems a bit #whitefeminism
The Wildcat story is just complete sh*t btw.
-sean
Wow! Thanks for printing this in alphabetical order, Steve!
Charlie gets a Frank Robins vibe from the girl on the Cap cover. Weird.
Anyhow, great job Steve! I certainly picked up at least 5 of the Marvel.
Yeah... Charlie bought Spidey, though he was still in shock with Gwen's death. My recollection was it was due to Hero for Hire in the issue.
And who could pass up a DD with STILTMAN??? Who??? Not Charlie!!!
And I did buy, and still have, that Kamandi and Secret Origins.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that Adventure Cover with BLACK ORCHID. It really stands out like I've seen it a million times though I don't think I bought it. Anyone else?
I'm intrigued by the giant stone heads of JFK, LBJ and Nixon on the Kamandi cover.
In other news - last month was officially the UK's 6th wettest July since records began.
Where did summer go? Can somebody bring it back please!
Steve
Zzzaxx was also a favourite of mine, since I read his second appearance in MWOM. Hulk villains should make sense.
I remember that FF cover from the Complete FF reprint, but don't remember anything about the contents. Also, that Avengers cover looks familiar, but I, equally, cant recall anything of the story. Didn't the whole Swordsman/Mantis saga cross into the Giant Sized Avengers issues? I vaguely recall the stories weren't well-serviced art wise.
I was still years away from buying Marvel All-colour comics from the newsagents, but do remember odd issues at sea-side towns. However, I don't recall seeing any DC titles until the first specialty shop opened in the late 70s.
DW
Sorry, that should have read 'Hulk villain shouldn't make sense'.
'villains'
aaaarrghh!!
DW, yeah, the Swordsman/Mantis thing was finally wrapped up in a Giant-Sized issue that was drawn by Don Heck and, it has to be said, it's the worst art job I've ever seen from him. It looks like he was drawing it while wearing a blindfold and just guessing where the page was.
Colin, I'm amazed it was only the 6th wettest. I can't remember a summer like it. And it's still tipping it down, even as I type these words.
Charlie, I agree. Nightshade's costume does feel very Frank Robbins.
I had that Black Orchid issue. And her next two as well.
Sean, my favourite cover this month is the World's Finest. I don't think I've ever seen a Nick Cardy cover that I don't love.
Simon, thanks for the Marvel British distribution info.
That is a great World's Finest cover, Steve - that would be my fave if you hadn't included Swamp Thing #5.
Charlie, I wonder if you might be suppressing a traumatic memory there, as when Nightshade returned in Cap #189 she was in fact drawn by none other than Frank Robbins. As you can see here, if you scroll down a bit (trigger warning: Frank Robbins artwork) -
https://thevirtuesofcaptainamerica.com/2019/07/05/captain-america-187-189-and-avengers-137-july-september-1975/
Least sexiest sexy Killraven boots ever!
-sean
Out of Steve's pick, I only got Daredevil's first instalment (MWOM) & several bits of Thor & Mercurio, in Spidey Weekly. With the latter being Conway, missing bits causes problems in comprehension (exposition gaps.)
The Swordsman/Mantis thing wasn't good, but there was an incredibly long exposition piece, explaining the Badoon, the Kree, the Skrulls, and other Marvel races - and how they fitted together - which filled in a lot of gaps. Required reading?
I don't think that was Don Heck, though - so maybe it came earlier.
Phillip
Sean - On the splash panel, why are Gabe & Cap shaking? Are they suffering withdrawal symptoms from some illicit substance? That art's survivable - Robbins looks worse in black and white.
Phillip
Your guess is as good as mine, Phillip.
Illicit substances seems quite plausible, given that in the final double page splash Cap and the Falcon are dancing away, having apparently mistaken the inside of a secret SHIELD base for a thinly attended nightclub with armed bouncers.
-sean
As Conan The Barbarian features in this post I'll just mention that Conan The Barbarian #1 from Titan Comics is out today with art by Rob De La Torre which is so similar to John Buscema's art that you'd think it really was Big John himself if you didn't know otherwise.
I dunno, guys, I really like Frank Robbins’ Nightshade. In color or black and white. Shrug.
I will agree that Don Heck’s art for GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS 4 is really poor.
Steve: i seem to remember DC slapped that ‘ORIGIN ISSUE’ banner on several covers around that time, rather hap-hazardly. I think it’s meant to appeal to nerds who, as we all know, love that kind of thing — Origins, First Issues, First Appearances, etc. In this case, it’s shorthand for ‘First Issue Featuring A New Character’ rather than an actual Origin Story — because as you said, the Orchid’s first story is no such thing. In fact, I don’t think they ever gave her a true Origin Story (or even a secret identity, for that matter).
In any case, I like all 4 of Bob Oksner’s Black Orchid’s covers. If I’d seen this one on a spinner rack back in ‘73, I’d have snapped it up in a heartbeat, even though I was more of a hardcore Marvel Nerd at that time.
DW — i wonder if that Avengers cover feels familiar because Romita’s Mantis figure was later used as her Marvel Value Stamp image? At least I THINK it was….
b.t.
Yeah, Black Orchid never had any kind of 'real' name back then, b.t. Although she did eventually get one - and an origin and back story - when Neil Gaiman killed her off and came up with a new Black Orchid.
Useless info dept: when Gaiman first pitched the series on the phone, because of his accent the DC people thought he wanted to do something called Blackhawk Kid.
Incidentally, I thought you were right about the last appearance of Ben Boxer, but I looked it up - hey, its a rainy afternoon here - and apparently he was last seen in Grant Morrison MBE's Multiversity, where he was an OMAC (eh?) discovering Darkseid's tomb with Kamandi, Tuftan, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, the Highfather and Lightray.
Why Morrison didn't also include the Dingbats of Danger Street with that lot I couldn't tell you.
-sean
Sean: Had to google Morrison’s MBE. I mean anything that would include Darkseid and Kamandi deserves a google!
I think DC is missing the boat: DINGBATS and STATIC team up.
B.t. I think you are on to something with the Marbel Value Stamp. Btw… there is a newly released book about the Marvel Stamps. Definitely worth a look just for the nostalgia! Got it from our library a few months ago.
Cheers, Charlie
No, no, Charlie, its Morrison's Multiversity. MBE is just the letters after his name that show the late queen made him a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Which is a bit like a Marvel armadillo making someone a KOF, RFO or QNS. Except evil.
-sean
MBE evil, Sean? Stupid and outdated certainly but hardly evil.
Still wondering about those presidential stone heads on the Kamandi cover. Any explanations?
COLIN - IIRC, the Kamandi heads are sort of an homage to Mount Rushmore and also the Statue of Liberty from PotA Film. (That Statue of Liberty scene was a shocker for us "yanks" when they showed it on TV. Definitely school-yard discussion!
I did buy this off the spinner, at the News Agency in Crown Point, Indiana, at the tender age of 12, lol. I think the main inspiration had to be the cover as I do not really recall the innards to well. I still have it in the long box, bagged. It's fairly worn too, so I must've read it a few fair times. But the memory is sh!t anymore.
Charlie
Iirc the statues were excavated by the lions of Washington Zuu.
-sean
Charlie, the stone heads did make me think of Mount Rushmore. As Kamandi was set in the far future I assume there were stone heads of Reagan, George W, Obama, Biden and even Trump!
Colin & Charlie - Squadron Supreme (Marvel's DC knock-off) also had a Mt.Rushmore parody (alternate universe), named Presidents' Mountain. I don't remember which presidents featured, though. In the story, fake Hyperion & real Hyperion battled to the death, with Presidents' Mountain being the setting/backdrop.
Phillip
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