Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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You know what legendary films were smashing us in our faces when we entered our local cinemas in January 1976?
These legendary films were smashing us in our faces.
Jim the World's Greatest, Killer Force, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde and The Four Deuces.
I do feel like my face has been well and truly smashed.
Although, I'll admit that, in all honesty, I've never heard of any of those films.
However, they're the only ones I can find that seem to have been released, that month. So, they'll have to do.
I'm sure, though, that readers of this site will have encountered them on many an occasion and have photo-sharp recall of every single one of them, and of their plots.
We all love a good Treasury Edition, and I'm sure we'll love this one, as Jack Kirby brings us his 70-page adaptation of the landmark epic of the same title.
But just how will the King's all-action, slam-bam, style handle the notoriously sterile and emotionless Kubrick movie?
And what of David Anthony Kraft who provides us with a ten-page text article about the movie?
Sadly, it also then kicks the bucket, as this will be the only issue published.
It will, however, provide Marvel UK's Star Wars comic with lots of reprint material.
And we shouldn't forget The Last Horizon: A Conversation with Theodore Sturgeon! conducted by Alan Brennert with pictures by Mike Kaluta.
Howard the Duck gets his very own comic!
I would tell you what happens in this one but all I know is it's called Howard the Barbarian.
And Howard the Duck is in it.
Not me, because Marvel unleashes its adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's famous novel, as remodelled by Doug Moench and Sonny Trinidad.
Despite having seen at least two movies and one TV serial based on the book, I'm still completely vague as to what the story's actually about.
Needless to say, Martians invade our world, and things look bad for humanity, while Chris Claremont and Yong Montaño are here to let us know all about it.
And this time, it involves pirates!
No doubt, plenty of Jim Lads'll be, "Aaaarrrred," and lots of legs will be pegged, as Bill Mantlo, Robert Louis Stevenson and Amado Castrillo reveal their take on whatever it is that happens in Treasure Island!
But we don't only get that man in sensational action, we also get The Sword in the Star!
And does so, thanks to a tale called Accounts Settled... Accounts Due!
Meanwhile, Bobbi Morse stars in a brand new thriller called Red-Eyed Jack Is Wild!
Plus, there's a brand new Dominic Fortune adventure!
I've no idea what's going on with this one but it's brought to us by Ann Robinson and Ross Andru and involves Spider-Man battling the Prodigy.
No, not the scary band who brought us Firestarter, but a green alien from the planet Intellectia, who wants to introduce false ideas on sexuality and, thus, promote teen pregnancy before abducting babies for slave labour!
Blimey.
I think we can all agree that's a major problem in our modern world and it's a shock Marvel has never tackled it before.
And that's why I'm not surprised this comic has, as far as I can make out, been produced in conjunction with a Planned Parenthood campaign.
But, hold on. Would babies be much use as slave labour? I can't help feeling the green alien's not thought this through.
Posts
39 comments:
I know that Punisher cover from Marvel UK’s Savage Action a few years later. Yay.
Actually, I bet you covered that before I started reading this blog. Going to take a look for that now!
Here it is!
https://stevedoescomics.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-5th-1980-marvel-uk-40-years.html?m=1
Matthew - Exactly! I was a massive Savage Action fan, Matthew, and reviewed a number of them. But, strangely, not the first couple ( I don't think ) - which were both very good!
Steve - Radio 4 started broadcasting 'The Last of the Mohicans' last week. But it's a new 'corrected' version - and you have to register/sign in, to listen to it ( so, I didn't bother! ) Oh, for the days when R4 wasn't like that!
Phillip
No way to read Kirby’s SPACE 2001 but for buying that Treasury Edition on ebay? I always wanted to read it! CH
Charlie, you’re in luck — a complete set of scans of Kirby’s 2001 : A SPACE ODYSSEY adaptation are at the DIVERSIONS OF THE GROOVY KIND blog. I’m not Computer Competent enuff to post a proper link, but you might try googling the words ‘Groove’s Faves : Our Fabulous 1500th Post featuring Kirby’s Space Odyssey’
Good luck :)
b.t.
https://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/search/label/2001%3A%20A%20Space%20Odyssey
That's for issues 3-5. Prowler's not sure how to access 1 and 2.
Pushing PUBLISH now...
Prowler, if you click on the ‘2001: A Space Odyessey’ label at the end of any of Groove’s ‘2001’ posts, it should bring up all his posts on the subject, starting with issue #5, then going backwards to #1, then a ‘Happy Birthday Jack Kirby’ post (featuring a buttload of Kirby Kovers), then the Treasury.
b.t.
The "2001" Treasury adaptation was a book I anticipated greatly, and wasn't disappointed. The artwork was quite satisfying, Kirby obviously paid great attention to Kubrick's visuals when laying out his pages. One of Marvel's best treasuries; imho.
Howard the Duck? Another book I awaited at the time. And again, the book lived up to it's promise. Frank Brunner and Steve Gerber served up a great slice of 70's bizzareness. And a guest appearance by Spidey; what more could you ask for? Personal note- I got more than a few odd looks the day I bought that comic- purchased at lunch break (our High School had open lunches, meaning we students could leave, walk downtown for lunch, and return by lunch hour's end). I carried that comic through all my afternoon classes, and the cover surely cemented my comic nerd credentials among my fellow students...
And then that Spider-Man Planned Parenthood comic! A real oddity (boy, this week's offerings really exemplify Bronze Age eclectica). I actually still have a copy; not a great read, but worth a look just for the strangeness of it.
I was going to mention The Last Of The Mohicans on Radio 4 but Phillip's already done it!
Phillip, registering for a BBC account is really easy - you only need to provide an email address and password and you're only rarely asked to provide them in future. I regularly use the BBC Sounds app and I certainly don't need to sign in every time. BBC Sounds gives you access to a huge archive of past broadcasts on all kinds of subjects - in my opinion the licence fee is worth it for BBC Sounds alone!
In the summer of 1999 I was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey on TV with my father who was clearly bored stiff. Eventually he exclaimed "I'm never watching this film again!" and my protests that 2001 is a sci-fi classic fell on deaf ears but my father was correct that he'd never watch 2001 again because he died about three months later!
Redartz, my high school had "open lunches" too - I assumed every high school did.
Colin- wow, sorry about your Dad.
By contrast, my Dad loved the film- he saw it while our family was on vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee back in 1968. I as considered too young to see it, but did get a "2001" giveaway comic/kid's menu from the Howard Johnson's motel we stayed at. Wish I still had that...
As per open lunches- seems uncommon over here, especially nowadays. Our town had 3 high schools, and ours was the only one where you were allowed to leave the school. Everyone else had to eat in the gymnasium.
I got my Ma to buy me the Kirby 2001 Treasury when I was a kid. I was completely unaware of the movie, and I probably was unaware of who Jack Kirby was.
I still have it! but it's pretty beat-up. I read that thing again and again.
a classic! I can't imagine another artist doing the film justice.
M.P.
...on another note, does the idea of having your corpse float off into space creep anybody else out?
Which happened in the movie.
It creeps me out. Not a religious guy, but I think I prefer to have my remains on Earth, rather than pinwheeling out into the void forever.
So God could find me!
...and, probably judge me.
M.P,
MP -
The corpse of Frank Poole is revived a thousand years later in Clarke’s final cash-grab sequel, 3001, which came out in the mid-90s.
He then experiences a world of high tech marvels and a very disappointing plot that has an ending so reminiscent of Independence Day that Clarke included a little afterward acknowledging the similarities, but kind of shrugging and saying, ‘well, coincidences happen’.
I’d also like to take a look at the 2001 Treasury. I had that adaptation in some for or other in the 90s; but I didn’t really like Kirby’s work then and having always solemnly regarded 2001 as an untouchable masterpiece, it felt like a child had tried to adapt it for comics.
Now I’ve developed a taste for his art, it might be a different story. I do have the continuation series he wrote somewhere in the loft.
As regards the film, I was lucky enough to see it for the first time on a big screen: it got a regional re-release in the UK in early 1980 off the back of the ongoing SF movie boom, and my parents took me. It made an impression, that’s for sure. I’d seen a lot of stills of the spaceships and interiors but had no idea about the stargate and final scenes whatsoever. That was a big surprise.
I had the '2001' Treasury as a kid too, and agree with M.P. - hey, it happens sometimes! - Kirby's version is 70 big pages of total awesome.
How does the King's approach differ from the film you ask, Steve? Kubrick's vision of space is black and empty - sterile, to use your word - whereas Kirby's is full of life, krackling with kosmic energy!
As it happens, 2001 bookends 1976 at Marvel, as the first issue of Kirby's brilliant follow up series - the first US import #1 I ever found at the time! - has a December cover date.
What a shame Marvel didn't also get him to adapt and do a sequel to 'Clockwork Orange'...
I also had that War of the Worlds adaptation. It was ok, but nothing special. I didn't miss Killraven though, because I also got that month's Amazing Adventures around the same time, #34 'A Death in the Family'. Which just edges out #32 as my fave issue of the WotW series; 'Only the Computer Shows Me Any Respect' is conceptually more interesting... but #34 has Russell's best artwork on the series. Not to mention some of Dauntless Don's heaviest narrative text!
Er, Russell's work is the USP though.
Btw, are you sure that first Star-Lord story was reprinted in the UK Star Wars comic? The Sword in the Star back-up definitely was, but my recollection is they began their Star-Lord run with his next appearance, the (much better) Claremont/Byrne joint from Preview #11.
-sean
Hey Sean!
Yeah, Kirby drew COSMIC ENERGY, which I have seen referred to as the "Kirby Krackel". Lights and energy everywhere, Perez and Byrne used it.
It could be the name of a breakfast cereal.
That would be a breakfast that would get get you outta bed in in the morning,
Ready to destroy planets, if necessary.
M.P.
PS I forgot to mention that Kirby had actually already written and drawn a story - 'The Great Moon Mystery' - about a mysterious standing stone found on the moon that sends astronauts on a trip across vast distances of space over alien land landscapes... in 1959!
www.beachbumcomics.blogspot.com/2015/09/blast-off-presents-three-rocketeers-html
Kirby inked by Al Williamson, no less. Nice.I
Which reminds me: Charlie, generally I find the mid 70s DC Sandman not that interesting - Kirby was coasting a bit on the issues he did, drawing stories written by someone else (Michael Fleischer iirc) - but, yes, #6 looks great inked by Wally Wood. They were a fantastic team on the occasions they worked together.
Had a busy few days, so I didn't have much time to comment on the previous post.
-sean
Most Marvel artists used Kirby Krackle by the end of the 60s and through the 70s, M.P., because Stan demanded it! But they didn't do it with as much style and verve.
-sean
Steve, I am familiar with two of the films you mentioned, 'Killer Force', a very 70s thriller - and I'm using that term loosely - starring Telly Savalas and er, OJ Simpson that's not that good (plus it was filmed in Namibia, then occupied by the South Afrikans, so thats another reason to avoid it).
And 'Dr Black, Mr Hyde', which was just excruciatingly bad.
However, I can recommend a film that came out which you didn't mention, 'Ebony, Ivory & Jade' (aka 'Foxforce'), an action flick about "three foxy mamas who've got what it takes, on a marathon mission of vengeance, clawing their way to freedom" -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcx2ZfVcymw
-sean
CH has never been able to watch space Odyssey 2001 in its entirety. He may get a third of the way, after the monkey scene, through it and then loses interest.
Is CH a lone outlier here or are there others of you who experience the same?
In the 1979 Marvel Superheroes Summer Special, Kuasimodo was almost Konsumed by Kirby Krackle (Kirby K's more gratuitous even than usual! )
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoogpF7du7VMXOdwgYkXBvqxoKIuYBm1jqICMhYXOg_GlsCrU0ZhUUqc4OYKouvKg2b64_AZXa2wCYMe5dBRkcs0KzkpeOLdkeD7RFyXIpBmr3nDmcNTIVBc0nBxZBBm2BfWjnAsRGe3mc/s1600/ffann5_12a.jpg
Taken from Comics Fan's 'Peerless Power of Comics' !
Phillip
MP - Thou shall be known by the company thou keepest.
Maybe god has a sweet little spot waiting for you.
Inevitably though all shall de-aggregate into their composite atoms floating around the universe such as it will be trillions of years from now.
That's a great trailer. I assume Foxforce was the inspiration for Fox Force Five in Pulp Fiction (Tarantino being a huge Blaxploitation fan).
DW
While the 2001 Treasury is the obvious classic of this batch, I confess to having lots of warm and fuzzies for MARVEL SUPER ACTION #1 as well, mostly for Howard Chaykin’s Dominic Fortune yarn, and also the excellent Ploog art on the Weirdworld story. I kinda dig Bob Larkin’s literally bombastic cover too.
Oh, and I loved HOWARD THE DUCK #1 at first sight. I actually found a copy for sale on the spinner rack at our neighborhood grocery store, one of the few that (supposedly) didn’t get snapped up by speculators.
b.t.
BT and PROWLER- Thanks for link at GROOVE’s site for 2001!!! I am checking it out! CH
You’re welcome, Charlie. Ol’ Groove did a nice job scanning it — I was kind of amazed how well it works on my iPad.
b.t.
I seem to recall reading that Tarantino is into the work of director Cirio Santiago, DW, so you're probably right about Fox Force Five being a reference, homage, or whatever.
-sean
b.t., It's funny that Weirdworld started out in Marvel Super Action, as it doesn't seem like a particularly smooth fit with the Punisher, Bobbi Morse/The Huntress (I guess DC must have had a word about that?) and Dominic Fortune.
I recall being into Howard the Duck, especially early on. But years later in the early 21st century - when I first re-read a lot of 70s Marvels I recalled fondly - it really didn't stand up well at all.
Gerber's 'satire' mainly seemed to involve complaining about stuff people liked which he didn't - say, kung fu or disco - which appears narrow minded. And a bit ridiculous, coming from someone into old super-hero comics and Kiss. I mean, I don't think he generally made the leap from the specific, to more general social criticism.
No thoughts on Amazing Adventures #34?
Or Jungle Action #19, which also came out this month, the start of Don McGregor's Panther v the Klan storyline? Well intentioned no doubt, but Black Panther comics set in the US don't really work for me.
-sean
Sean, I came within a hair's breadth of including that Killraven story in the post but laziness got the better of me.
I too found the Ku Klux Klan Panther story lacked appeal.
I can confirm that I'm not at all sure that Star-Lord story was reprinted in the UK Star Wars weekly.
Charlie, I think 2001 is a film you have to be in the right mood for. There've been occasions when I've found it gripping and occasions when it's bored me senseless.
MP, I quite like the thought of my corpse just floating around in space forever.
Sean - One of Gerber's general points/criticisms, I think, is that human beings (especially as regards violence) are imitative. Mike Tyson biting off another boxer's ear, then 'copy-cat' incidents being reported, maybe proves Gerber correct!
Phillip
Seems a bit simplistic to me, Phillip. But if that's what Gerber believed, why did he write in a genre - super-hero comics - that's basically about people dressing up to fight each other? I suppose the violence is sanitized... but didn't he have a problem with the Comics Code?
Gerber's Void Indigo was one of the more violent US comics I'd ever read when it appeared...
-sean
SEAN - a rather sage comment about arguing from the specific to the general case. Chapeau!
Sean - Violence was nuanced, with Gerber (at least, with Daredevil.) Amidst, Angar & Daredevil's violent battle ( in the issue, at least) didn't Matt admit he actually quite liked the Screamer? Also, Angar's a peace-nik/hippie character ( plus, healing is what 'Primal scream therapy' was supposedly about? ), forced to work for 'the Man'. This is all implied, whilst Daredevil & Angar are beating each other's brains out, powered by Rich Buckler's pencils. Steve Gerber isn't just violence for violence's sake, alone. Full disclosure - I've never read Void Indigo, Sean, but will take your word for it ; )
Phillip
Unpicking it further, fears about hallucinations caused by psychedelics, are also implied/explored, with Angar's screaming (?) Reactions to Timothy Leary, etc?
Phillip
I'm a Gerber loyalist, I guess, liking his Defenders stuff, Daredevil - and also 'Night of the Laughing Dead' !
Phillip
Let’s see if I can squeeze in some last minute comments on “January 1976” comics before the topic changes :
Charlton published TWO seperate SPACE 1999 #2 comics that month — a standard sized full color comic with art by Joe Staton and a b/w magazine with art by Gray Morrow and Vicente Alcazar. I liked both of them back in the Long Ago.
The Killraven in AMAZING ADVENTURES #34 was one of the absolute best of that run. I agree with Steve and sean on the Panther Vs The Klan storyline. Meh. Even Billy Graham’s art seemed dull with Bob McLeod’s heavy-handed inks ironing out all his dynamic eccentricities. One bit that stands out in my memory from that story arc : T’Challa gets assaulted in a grocery store by a mean little old lady with a can of tuna!
MARVEL FEATURE #2 sees Frank Thorne’s debut on the Red Sonja strip. I didn’t much care for it at the time but his style grew on me.
b.t.
I like Gerber's work, Phillip. He was inconsistent - probably as a result of his workload - but when he was on, he was probably the best writer in 70s American comics. His Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown were really good; Howard the Duck wasn't.
Btw, to say Gerber's approach to violence was nuanced... Well, was he the only writer anywhere capable of 'nuance'? Suddenly the debate around violence is a bit more complicated than a straight forward one about imitation...
-sean
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