Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
Do you know what's neat?
Tiger Feet!
How do I happen to know this?
Because Mud told me.
An introduction of such quality can only mean one thing. This was the week in 1974 when that band hit the summit of the UK singles chart with the melange of Retro and Glam which spawned the smash hit about possessing the paws of a stripey feline.
To this day, I still don't have a clue what the song's actually about but who am I to doubt the wisdom of the band that Showaddywaddy could only dream of becoming?
Over on the accompanying album chart, Perry Como was being far less cryptic as he sailed serenely to the top of the mountain with his LP And I Love You So. I must confess I've never heard that LP but, given his reputation, I'm going to assume it's a relaxing listen from start to finish.
Sort of, because he's lost his memory and the villain's convinced him they're partners in infamy.
Not only that. He's sent him off to steal some top-secret military blueprints.
However, even with his memory absent, our hero's starting to have doubts that he could ever be friends with such a reprobate.
Meanwhile, in his strip, Thor's as much use as a marshmallow hammer, as he stands around watching while Odin defeats the Absorbing Man by sending him and Loki flying off into space.
But the thunder god may soon be needed back on Midgard because, there, a witch doctor finds one of the Norn Stones that have been nothing but trouble lately, and promptly gains super-powers before renaming himself The Demon.
But hold on to your hats, armour lovers! A historic moment has been reached. The comic that's always only ever had two strips (unless you count Tales of Asgard) has suddenly gained a third!
That strip is Iron Man and we're about to discover just how the Avengers star came to be, when arms dealer Tony Stark gets some shrapnel in the heart and is taken prisoner by a Vietcong warlord who wants him to design weapons for him.
And, of course, there's yet another chance to design a hero or villain of our choosing in a contest that could see us nabbing one of those fancy colour TVs I oftimes hear speak of.
The Ringmaster's circus!
However, the hypnotic heel tells the police they've tried to steal from him, forcing the trio to go on the run.
Meanwhile, Captain America's out to bring the Enchantress and Power Man to justice.
This all leads to the defeat of the villains and the council reversing its previous decision. Thus letting the team reform.
Only for Cap to declare that he's quitting the band.
Elsewhere, judging by that cover blurb, it would seem Mordo is the hunter and Dr Strange is the hunted. Which can't be good news for either humanity or the master of the mystic arts.
But will he live long enough to enjoy his resurrection?
After all, in the Hulk's strip, the Leader's just fired a nuclear missile at Russia in a bid to start World War 3.
Only the Hulk can stop it but, first, he must defeat the villain's indefatigable Super Humanoid.
Fortunately, a handy volcano offers a solution to that problem.
Next, we're re-treated to the origin of the man without fear but, this time, as told by Stan Lee and Gene Colan in the pages of Daredevil #53.
Finally, we get the arrival of a brand new super-villain when Sue and Johnny Storm's dad turns himself into the Invincible Man! A foe blessed with the powers of the Fantastic Four themselves!
Or does he?
Two of this issue's three yarns feature villains trapped in volcanoes. I can see no significance to this fact but feel I should mention it.
Posts
24 comments:
Read on Burns Night, Sue & Johnny's dad, naming himself 'The Invincible Man', seems to be putting on airs.
As Rabbie said: "A man's a man for a' that" !
Did Mr.Storm beat Damon Dran to the punch, with that moniker?
Happy Burns Night, for SDC 'herd' members of Scottish ancestry!
Phillip
It occurs to me that the Marvel UK covers that basically just reprint the original US Covers with little or no alterations look SO much more attractive than the ‘new’ ones by Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito / Frank Giacoia / Whoever Was In The Bullpen That Day.I I realize that’s like saying that CITIZEN KANE is a better movie than THE ROOM, or that water is wetter than sand, but I’ve been noticing the last few weeks that the re-purposed vintage covers look really really GREAT.
I’ve loved that iconic pose of Daredevil swinging at the viewer since I was a wee lad. In fact, I just now realized where I first saw it — I had it as a sticker from a pack of bubble gum way back in 1967. On the sticker, DD is yelling ‘TAXI!’ I think I understood that it was supposed to be humorous but couldn’t figure out what was so funny about it.
b.t.
Sorry - brain freeze - Damon Dran was 'The Indestructible Man', not the Invincible Man!
b.t. Sometimes U.S. covers were cropped 'tighter'; yellow was used less (tee hee!); also, U.S. cover language was more forceful & impactful. Also, apart from jokes about Marvel UK's love of yellow, other UK colour choices improved - after all, the U.S. original would have been rushed out to meet a deadline, whereas later reprints gave cover-editors more time to reflect!
Phillip
Originally, Power Man looks more brown than red - and his head doesn't have a yellow sagittal crest!
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Avengers_Vol_1_22
Phillip
Phillip and b.t.- I agree with you regarding the relative color schemes on those covers. They are sharp, and strikingly hued. Interesting that you refer to yellow themed covers; there were a bunch back in 70s Marvel. Actually I didn't care for them ( sure did like black covers, though)...
I've just watched 'Worzel Gummidge', on Talking Pictures. Worzel was visited by his catapult-wielding Cockney nephew, Pickles "Bowbells" Bramble. Pickles instituted a reign of terror, by catapulting prominent people, then threatening to claim Worzel did it, unless Worzel skivvied for Pickles, mucking out the pig-sties, etc. All the while Pickles sat back, drinking tea (Christopher Lee), and eating cake (Veronica Lake). In the end, Worzel turned the tables on Pickles, by tricking the young tearaway into using his catapult to shoot the Crow Man's hat off his head! That reckless act brought Pickles' relentless bullying/reign of terror to an abrupt conclusion! Great nostalgic stuff from 1980.
Phillip
Probably partially nostalgic, however I think the UK reprints of the US covers generally looked better. For no other reason than they were larger format. As mentioned they were often slightly edited.
Phillip
You have to watch those crafty cockneys. Bleeders the lot of em.
;-)
DW
How does somebody "wield" a catapult?!
Is it like, a hand-held one?
I would give that guy a wide berth. He's got some toys in his attic.
M.P.
Philip - wtf??? Are you on the weed bro?
Those bleedin' West Ham supporters are the ones you've got to watch, DW...
-sean
M.P. - Yes, hand-held! A cleft-stick & rubber band-type catapult (maybe not a U.S. thing):
https://www.google.com/search?q=Worzel+gummidge+%2B+Pickles+Bramble&rlz=1C1TEUA_enGB467GB467&oq=Worzel+gummidge+%2B+Pickles+Bramble+&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30.11932j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=aeU8jqJyEWjncM&vssid=l&ip=1
Pickles Bramble resembles a younger version of Johnny Rotten!
Charlie - Admittedly, for viewers, Worzel changing heads makes them feel like they're smoking something, whether they are or not! Maybe Worzel inspired Kryten, on 'Red Dwarf', who also changed his heads, I seem to recall! Christopher Lee & Veronica Lake are (supposedly)Cockney rhyming slang for tea & cake, respectively.
For the full episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIrSMVq4shU
DW & Sean - Does the sound of the Bow bells carry far? Due to modern traffic noise, it seems Cockneys are in shorter supply, than in the past!
https://www.google.com/search?q=sound+of+the+bow+bells+map&rlz=1C1TEUA_enGB467GB467&oq=sound+of+the+Bow+&aqs=chrome.1.0i512l2j69i57j0i15i22i30l2j0i22i30l5.6762j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=lqIHoqaqRxhxsM&vssid=l
Phillip
I'm afraid I can't help you there Phillip, as I have never heard a 'Bow bell', or know of anyone who has.
However, I am reliably informed by GB News that cockneys have been in short supply ever since the politically correct 'woke' brigade made speaking English in London illegal (I don't know how I've been managing to get away with it all this time!)
-sean
Sean - Maybe, like the Dodo, Cockneys have become extinct! No more Pickles Bramble, or Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweeps - a sad day, for national stereotypes! In Yorkshire, we felt a similar alienation, our famous Yorkshiremen, Selwyn Froggett & Compo, both being - in reality - southerners!
Phillip
Its cultural appropriation, Phillip! Or, as I believe they call it in the trade, acting.
-sean
Sean - Conversely, the many Southern female characters played by Yorkshire woman, Dame Judy Dench. Or, the Southern (I mean French!) character, Jean-Luc Picard, played by Yorkshireman, Patrick Stewart! Likewise, Yorkshireman Brian Blessed, played a London villain, who called Regan a "cosser!", in the Sweeney. However, when Sean Bean culturally appropriates, adopting Southern accents, it's far less convincing, somehow!
Phillip
Phillip, here in the US of A, we call a handheld catapult a ‘slingshot’. I expect that , for most Yankees, the word ‘catapult’ conjures up an image of a big unwieldy wooden contraption that hurls large boulders and large rocks (flaming or otherwise) at castles and warships :)
b.t.
b.t. - Thanks for the clarification - no wonder M.P. was confused!
Phillip
That's still a weird thing to be carrying around, though!
A slingshot, I mean.
Unless you're Dennis the Menace or Bart Simpson.
M.P.
...actually, I was imagining something like a crossbow.
M.P.
Sean
The legend refers to being born within earshot of the great bell of Bow, at St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside. Prior to modern traffic, the sound of the bell could, apparently, be heard three or four miles in each direction. The bell is also mentioned in the ‘oranges and lemons’ nursery rhyme.
My parents, grandparents and all the relatives were born within this area, but didn’t refer to themselves as cockneys (unless in an ironic manner, I.e 2:1 to the cockney boys). If anything they used the Eastender tag.
Handy for Upotn Park, though.
DW
Upton Park.
That’s embarrassing even by my standards…
DW
How drole! Charlie, having been an avid reader of the Beano in his youth, did not correctly understand catapult, instead thinking of the contraption he’d seen in France so many times as well as in Monty Python! Time to put aside the Marvel comics and break out the DC Thompson annuals! UK’s Dennis the Menace is the gold standard in mischievous entertainment!
Charlie believes he got a dose of Cockney in 1987 visiting his brother in London. I was in a store, buying some postcards or ehat not, and the older male vendor said something to me. I replied with “I’m sorry, what?” He said “Sorry Yank… “ and spoke so I understood. Nice fellow!
I remember being in a bar in Soho in '89 and some rough, punk lookin' guy sits down next to me. He starts casually talking to me, but I could only make out maybe half of what he said. If that. I think he took me for a fellow Englishman (which is about 25% true). I didn't say peep, just smiled and nodded.
Anyway, he started gesturing towards the T.V. above the bar, on which a soccer game was being played. He got more and more excited, and finally asked me a question. What it was I didn't understand. Maybe that was cockney. It was some kinda bastard spawn of the English language, anyway.
Anyway, I diffused an otherwise tense situation by buying him a round. The universal language. He cheered up immediately, became my buddy, and I managed a graceful exit.
M.P.
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