Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Thanks to this being a shorter month than real months are, we're only going to be able to squeeze one Speak Your Brain into it.
Truly, there are times when human suffering knows no limits.
But what will it be about?
And what shall it contain?
That, I don't know because only you The Reader can decide.
Therefore, hesitate ye not. Whatever it is you're desperate for other people to get off their chests, make sure to mention it in the comments section below.
And let us see just what unrolls before us...
Posts
11 comments:
I'd like to elicit SDC's thoughts about Defenders # 24:
Preamble to Defenders # 24
One of the previous issues (Defenders # 20), was a Valkyrie origin story. Val's a demon's love-child, we learned, with a dubious mother. As this issue starts, Barbara Noriss (Val's civilian alter ego), sees a ghetto knife-fight, and - at the point (excuse the pun) of fatalities – intervenes.
Barbara's self-assurance, facing a knife ( Val's bladed weapon experience is extensive), astonishes the thugs. Chilling self-confidence, from a super-heroine's alter-ego later happens in Ms.Marvel, too ( Carol Danvers nearly kills two bar room thugs, during a 7th Sense trance. ) Claremont's tropes
(occasionally), anticipated by Conway & Gerber ( in Daredevil ), is something I've examined before! Barbara's clearly no pushover ( even before transforming into Val! ) Last issue Barbara Norriss carried a fully grown man ( Alvin ) down a Main Street, astonishing passersby. Admittedly, the Black Widow carried a Man bull-injured Ivan across San Francisco, but not during broad daylight ( Daredevil = twilight,under Colan), in civvies!
Next issue – A framing sequence sees Yellowjacket capture a Serpent for the Defenders to interrogate. This framing sequence is clever, artistically. YJ’s wings allow him to rapidly close distance to his opponents - the depictions imply - as well as fly, in the conventional sense.A human being shot by a superhero (Yellowjacket), with a gun? Pistols defined villains, not heroes, in the 70s ( Frank Castle’s not a ‘proper’ 70s hero, in my book. ) So, for children seeing a superhero ( Yellowjacket ) gun somebody through a window ( even if only stunned). . . .“ What’s going on here?” Later, Jim Shooter incorporated Yellowjacket’s disrupters into his gloves. To say the fantastic Avengers # 59-60 Yellowjacket is morally ambiguous is an understatement. And much later beating up Jan – a serious false note! This is more subtle, though!
A pistol-wielding superhero’s an interesting/subtle moral ambiguity. Moral ambiguity doesn't have to be the snarling faces of the terrible Wolverine-inspired “morally ambiguous” characters of the 1990s.
Thinking on…Paladin had a pistol, as did Dominic Fortune. But, neither are superheroes, exactly.
Defenders # 24 / Rampage # 23
Part 1: Context
As a comic, Rampage # 23 was a landmark for me, aged 8. A previous theme I've discussed is “the
more the merrier” (c.f. Bill Mantlo). To kids, injecting extra superheroes into a story, provides
'more for your money'. Yellowjacket, Daredevil, Daimon Hellstrom, and Luke Cage, swell the
Defenders' ranks, in Rampage # 23! More for a kid's (parents' ?) money was certainly Rampage
# 23's 1978 contribution, without a doubt! ( Plus, the Defenders' best inks, at that point, provided by
Bob McLeod, grace Sal Buscema's artwork! McLeod – a pinch-hitting inker - putting the regular
boys to shame! Like Daredevil # 108 - another Steve Gerber tale - when pinch-hitting Paul Gulacy's
inks exceeded previous inkers! )
Already, Yellowjacket & Luke Cage were introduced to young UK Marvelites, for Christmas Day
1977, in UK Avengers Annual 1978, and UK 'Mighty World of Marvel' Annual 1978, respectively.
( Introductions, for older Marvelites, being unnecessary! ) Yellowjacket's (Avengers # 59-60) origin
- a brilliant story – was reprinted in UK Avengers Annual 1978, its colours sharper than the original!
Similarly, Luke Cage vs. Moses Magnum (Power Man Annual # 1 ) was reprinted in UK 'Mighty
World of Marvel' Annual 1978, for Christmas. Thus, for Rampage # 23's readers (some aged 8!),
Yellowjacket and Luke Cage's characters were established already, by those two important Annuals!
In short, the UK annuals laid Rampage # 23's groundwork ( Yellowjacket and Cage's outing), ready
for March 1978! Of course, Yellowjacket & Luke Cage's Defenders debut isn't in Rampage # 23.
Yellowjacket appeared last issue, whilst Cage & the Defenders battled the Wrecking Crew, a few
issues earlier.That was unknown to me, aged 8(as was Cage's Giant-Size Defenders #2 appearance.)
Nevertheless, Cage & Yellowjacket appear together in the Defenders, for the first time, in Rampage
# 23.
Daimon Hellstrom & Daredevil ( 'the more the merrier' ) swell Rampage # 23's numbers, too! What
Defenders provenance is theirs? Well, Hellstrom's art team's his provenance! Daimon Hellstrom
had Sal Buscema & Bob McLeod's art and inking, in Marvel Spotlight # 22, just like Rampage #23!
Might McLeod's previous Hellstrom experience, with Sal, got him head-hunted? Plus, in Marvel
Spotlight # 22, Steve Gerber's the writer. Again, exactly like Rampage # 23! Coincidence? You,
decide! Even numerically - # 22 vs # 23 - the issues almost match! Hellstrom's storyline ( not art )
provenance, is: Giant-size Defenders # 2!
A provenance unknown, to me, nevertheless! I was only 8. Daredevil swells the Defenders' ranks,
too. What about him, then? Well, Daredevil previously helped the Defenders, in Giant-sized
Defenders # 3. Obviously, Steve Gerber wrote all of Daredevil's Terrex / Kerwin J. Broderick
business – as well as 'Defenders # 24'. Thus, Gerber had “previous”, for Daredevil crossovers ( e.g.
Captain Marvel & Moondragon appear, in DD's Kerwin J. Broderick & Terrex arc, & Spidey joins
Daredevil against the Ramrod. ) Anyway, with Gerber at the helm, Daredevil, Daimon Hellstrom,
Yellowjacket & Luke Cage joining the Defenders, should hardly surprise us! Gerber, moreover, was
Marvel's continuing storylines 'go-to guy' (e.g. DD's Terrex arc, aforementioned), long before Jim
Shooter and Chris Claremont!
Anyway, in Rampage # 23, Damon Hellstrom aids the Defenders, alongside Yellowjacket, Luke
Cage, and Daredevil. Let's see what happpens...
Next time...
Part 2: Characters & characterization
Then...Part 3: Parallelisms
Jumping off points for SDC discussion? My favourite non-team story is Defenders # 24. What are
SDC's favourite non-team (e.g. Defenders, Champions, etc) tales? Or, what does SDC think of
Defenders # 24's context, as outlined above? Or – easier still – just say whatever you feel like
saying – Speak your Brain is a democracy, after all!
Phillip
Sorry the spacing's all wrong on this - I'm off to eat my fish fingers!
Phillip
“Speaking Brains” in comics, TV, Movies etc.!
Honestly, I can only think of two off the top of my head (no pun intended) : Dr. Sun from TOMB OF DRACULA — and Dr. Thermopolus from the BUCK ROGERS TV show (although come to think of it, he might not have been an actual Brain In A Box, more like a digitized personality…?)
Wait! One of Captain Future’s sidekicks was a Brain In A Box named Simon Wright. And he did speak! Usually arguing with his foil, Grag the Robot.
Okay, I’m clearly scraping the very bottom of this particular barrel already, so I gladly yield the floor to somebody with a GOOD “Speak Your Brain” topic…
b.t.
Jesus, Phillip! How did you get all that typed in here so fast? Anyhow, your topic is much more interesting than mine, so I gladly yield the floor (and you beat me to the punch anyway)….
I know you’ve been itching to explore that subject for a week or two — I’m gonna have to re-read that DEFENDERS arc to refresh my memory before I can add anything intelligent to the conversation. But I’ll be back.
b.t.
b.t. - If Dr.Thermopolus is allowed, then so is ORAC from Blake's 7!
Phillip
Thanks, b.t. - I've just crossed messages with you! I'd got it pre-prepared, then copied & pasted it ( hence why blogger doesn't like the spacing! ) If my Defenders topic catches fire, there's a lot more where that came from!
Phillip
There's also thise giant brains in fish tanks - the Inheritors - from Doug Moench and Mike Ploog's Planet of the Apes stories, b.t.
-sean
Oh, would Hellinger - from the Deatlok run in Astonishing Tales - count? Admittedly his brain was in a robot/cyborg head rather than a box. But you could still see it as he talked.
The Brain of Morbius from Dr Who?
Sure there's loads. I mean. Those are just off the top of my head (so to speak) so I'm sure with a bit of thought there'll be plenty to talk about.
-sean
*those giant brains in fish tanks...
Apologies for the typo. Duh
And don't forget Dennis Potter's Cold Lazarus!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Lazarus
-sean
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