Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
It's July 1976 and there's a record-breaking heatwave going on.
I know; I'll take refuge in a cinema. It's always cold in cinemas. Just like it's always cold in any hotel room I find myself in.
But what shall I see in that cinema?
I may see one of the following, as they're all films released in that very month. Cannonball, Gus, The Opening of Misty Beethoven, The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars & Motor Kings, A*P*E and St. Ives. I'm sorry. Are these actual real films? They all sound like they were created by a random name generator.
Fortunately, there were some films with sensible titles released that month. Films I've heard of. Films that actually turn up on TV. And amongst those were At the Earth's Core, Futureworld and Squirm.
I must confess to never having seen Squirm, as it seems like the sort of film I wouldn't enjoy watching, but I have seen Futureworld and At the Earth's Core and, of course, approve of them both.
Of the pair, I think I shall nominate Futureworld as my Steve Does Comics Film of the Month, simply because I feel it's an unfairly dismissed movie and someone has to speak up for it at some point.
Not even the ones that are gods.
Not when she spots the chance to pick up a financial reward from the people of a nearby town.
People may be aware I'm not the greatest Invaders fan - especially with it being blessed by the quirky art of Frank Robbins - but how can I ignore this issue when it features what I assume to be the first appearance of none other than Baron Blood himself?
As for the story, it would appear that our hero fights and defeats the first Luther Manning clone!
Following that, he runs into someone called Godwulf. An event that causes people to think our protagonist is dead!
Deathlok may not be dead but this comic is, as I have to announce this would appear to be the last issue of the current run of Astonishing Tales.
The Thing battles the Basilisk in the Savage Land before they get teleported to New York where Spider-Man shows up and joins the fight against the villain who's getting ready to destroy the city.
From what I can gather, inside this epic, Monica Lynne's mother tells her about a Klan attack during the Reconstruction era and, for some reason, the singer re-imagines it with the Panther involved.
For some reason, every time I proofread this post, I misread that as, "Judith Chalmers," which, for British readers, would give the story a whole other vibe.
Elsewhere, the mag also gives us The Sword in the Star!: Stave 2: Witchworld!
I have no idea what happens in that one.
And Daredevil celebrates his fourth-ever annual by getting into a scrap with the Black Panther and Sub-Mariner during a drama I remember being reprinted in one of the Marvel UK annuals.
Sadly, I recall little of the tale itself, other than extortion being involved and it being called The Name of the Game is... Death!
Out of these, I've got Deathlok, the Black Panther, and Daredevil (albeit in 1979's UK MWOM Annual. )
ReplyDeleteDD annual # 4's villain's name is 'Mindmaster'. He mind-controls the Panther, getting him to battle Daredevil. And, yes - it is a Chris Claremont tale ( the mind-control trope! ) Daredevil also fights Namor, receiving a thorough drubbing, but - through his bravery - wins the Submariner's respect, and that of the reader!
I enjoyed that tale, at X-mas/late 1978, just prior to 1979's cover date!
Phillip
Steve, The Sword in the Star! was a fairly boring futuristic fantasy about a geezer called Prince Wayfinder, that began with 'Stave 1: Alas, the Seeds of Man' - a back-up to the debut of Star Lord - in Marvel Preview #4.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that 'Stave 2' in Preview #7 featured the first appearance of Rocket Raccoon. Also, I think the Satana story might be the last one where she wore her furry leg warmers.
-sean
I only have a reprint of Eternals from all those. I really like it.
ReplyDeleteI only went to see At The Earth's Core from all those movies. It was another of those I had a childish obsession with before actually seeing it [cf The Land That Time Forgot].
But I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it, which is odd for me.
I only recently watched it as an adult and after the clever opening titles it's dreadful. How any movie with Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Cy Grant [a friend of my grandparents!] and produced by the company my Dad was working for at the time can be so terrible, I don't know. But it is.
MM - surely Caroline Munro provided diversion from the pain of watching???
ReplyDeleteSteve - thanks for sticking up for Future World. Had you not, who would have?
Steve - if invaders 7 didn’t make you a fan then you were /are simply incorrigible! IIRC, i read it sitting in the principals office waiting for a suspension for fighting outside woodshop class that morning.
However much I generally dislike the artwork of Fr#nk Ro##ins, the last panel in that Invaders story, the first appearance of some Lord's nephew with a huge pair of false teeth covering his fangs is a classic. One perfectly suited to Frank and one in which no other artist could load so much cheesiness and ugliness.
ReplyDeleteThat's if I've got the right issue.
dangermash:
ReplyDeletehttps://i0.wp.com/50yearoldcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/invaders7-teeth.jpg?ssl=1
Having once worn a pair of fake fangs, with a Dracula mask, having them prop open your mouth for extended intervals, results in excess saliva! Just
thought I'd share that! That being said, as Baron Blood is wearing human teeth, to cover his fangs, could the opposite effect result? Could he slaver less? Probably not, as his gob would still be propped open!
Phillip
That's him but I prefer the final cliffhanger panel in the story.
Deletehttps://i0.wp.com/50yearoldcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/invaders7-dying.jpg?ssl=1
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DeleteCome to think of it, Dick Emery's vicar springs to mind!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/search?q=Dick+Emery+vicar%27s+teeth&sca_esv=d7a897ae2fa4bc83&rlz=1C1TEUA_enGB467GB467&biw=1093&bih=500&ei=llJNauu3I7DPxc8PzL6g2As&ved=0ahUKEwjr2sjLpcGVAxWwZ_EDHUwfCLsQ4dUDCBI&uact=5&oq=Dick+Emery+vicar%27s+teeth&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGERpY2sgRW1lcnkgdmljYXIncyB0ZWV0aEjQH1DuB1ihGHABeAGQAQCYAXmgAeYEqgEDNy4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAICoALUAcICBxAAGIAEGA2YAwCIBgGSBwMxLjGgB9cJsgcDMS4xuAfUAcIHBTItMS4xyAcWgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#sv=CAMSZxowKg43bFRKcDhxRmxScDViTTION2xUSnA4cUZsUnA1Yk06Dm9CTnA1RjVmYnVfNFJNIAQqLwobX3NGSk5hc2VwTjRXOHhjOFBxTWZ3MlE0XzgyEg43bFRKcDhxRmxScDViTRgAMAEYByCykIjWCEoIEAEYASABKAE
Phillip
Didn't even need to click on the link to appreciate that one. That's brilliant.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI saw FUTUREWORLD and CANNONBALL at the theatre that Summer, remember enjoying them both but have never re-watched either of them — I’d rather save them as pleasant memories. I saw AT THE EARTH’S CORE at the theatre too and thought it was rubbish. I was never a fan of Doug McClure, thought he always came across as an abrasive, charmless lout on-screen. Didn’t help that I’d recently discovered ERB’s Pellucidar series (with their barbaric and bewitching Frazetta covers) and loved ‘em. Re-watched the movie about ten years ago and it hadn’t gotten any better!
ReplyDeleteI bought every one of these comics back in the day. I liked the Tuska/ Chiaramonte art on the DD ANNUAL more then than I do now. I was intrigued by the first issue of THE ETERNALS but have to admit i didn’t find it particularly compelling. I liked that Satana story in MARVEL PREVIEW a lot in ‘76, but it hasn’t aged well. Claremont’s done way too many variations on that plot in the decades since. The artwork by Vicente Alcazar still looks great though.
Steve, I like that JUNGLE ACTION cover too, but i’m 99.9% sure that John Buscema pencilled it. I know, the GCD says Buckler drew it, but I think they’re mistaken.
b.t.
Holy Moley! Fr@nk R@bbins had to be vibing Maggie Thatcher PHILLIP!!! That is one amazing set of choppers! JP
ReplyDeleteJoe - Yes - Baron Blood resembles Priti Patel (the Spitting Image version) before putting in his teeth, and Thatcher afterwards!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTJnUZoLRBU
Phillip
A few other tasty tidbits from July ‘76:
ReplyDeleteCAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL 3 — Cap vs. a creepy Space Vampire!
MASTER OF KUNG FU 42 — Tom Sutton got the job of inking Gulacy’s pencils at the eleventh hour and turned the job around on a super-tight deadline — frankly, it’s not great, but the issue looks better than it has any right to
THE PHANTOM 71 — wonderfully moody art by Don Newton
SPACE:1999 #5 — one of John Byrne’s last jobs for Charlton, I think
SUPERMAN 301 — nutty slugfest with Solomon Grundy — dynamic art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Bob Oskner
b.t.
Yeah, Captain America Annual #3 - 'The Thing from the Black Hole Star' - was a good one, b.t. Watch the Skies!
ReplyDeleteAlso this month: Werewolf By Night #39... with guest star Brother Voodoo! Unfortunately it was a bit of a sh*t comic though.
Dunno about John Buscema drawing that Jungle Action cover. I can see how there's something of his style in the Panther figure, but Buckler might well have used uh, reference for that...
Steve, despite having been mad for 'Panther's Rage', I'm not too keen on the Jungle Action Ku Klux Klan storyline either. No doubt it was well intentioned, but if Dauntless Don wanted to write about the Klan and racism in the South it would have made more sense to do it with an American character like Luke Cage (seeing as he was also writing Power Man).
That said, with Jungle Action #22 being a subjectively told symbolic story - and separate from the on going Angela Lynne murder mystery - its the best of the Klan issues, and would have been more effective as a standalone done-in-one.
-sean
Seeing as I mentioned Don McGregor's Power Man, I suppose I should add that this month's issue - #33 - was the second drawn by artist Fr*nk R*bb*ns. And inked by Vince Coletta.
DeletePoor oul' Luke...
-sean
You know… I made myself enjoy Fr@nk R@bbins, justifying it by saying he replicated the WW2 / newspaper comic style giving Invaders and Shadow that nostalgic look.
ReplyDeleteI do remember seeing Luke Cage and thinking it was simply ridiculous. Though perhaps not as ridiculous as Cap since Colletta seemed to buffer a lot of the quirkiness.
Couldn’t Stan find other artists or was he “giving an old friend a job” or… ? What was the rationale?
It really makes one realize what a nickel-and-dime comics were and how little stan thought of protecting or preserving the “brand ”’of these characters.
Joe - In Cap # 215, I thought George Tuska & Pablo Marcos's versions of the Patriot, and the Spirit of '76, looked absolutely fantastic. Those back-references I'd really like to have picked up. Yet, the Patriot & the Spirit appearing in the Invaders, to me, the art detracts severely from them. Why, oh why, not assign Tuska & Marcos to the Invaders? They did a great job before. The Baron Blood story's quite involved, as has plenty of action. It's just the art. I thought Frank Robbins, on the Human Fly, was pretty okay,; but the trio of DD, the White Tiger, & HF, may have helped win me over. Also, an offbeat title, for Robbins, might be better. I know b.t. likes Robbins on the Shadow, whose stories I don't know.
ReplyDeletePhillip
I feel I have to stand up for poor old Frank Robbins. I love his work especially when does his own inks or has a sympathetic inker to assist . I thought his short stint on Luke Cage was excellent but your right some books he was given were not right for him like Morbius the living Vampire, but he did a couple of nice Ghost Rider comics and a cool Dracula black and white tale....ok i'll get my coat.
ReplyDeleteI had most of these comics except Marvel Two in One and the DD annual.
Paul - Yes, piling in on Frank Robbins wasn't my intention. I think Joe kind of qualified his comments, too. Some of my own art choices definitely don't track with other SDC members!
ReplyDeletePhillip
Yes - we all have our preferences for art. I was truly surprised a few months back when (Mathew?) said he “grew into” liking Kirby. I now pick up on that theme in other blogs.
ReplyDeleteTiming is everything… i grew up extensively exposed to Kirby . He was the pillar holding up the house of Marvel, not someone to develop a taste for. But at the age of 64 I realized that if one hadn’t grown up with him his art may seem weird, too.
That said I dont think anyone would be spelling his name as J@ck K@rby though!
I can see how Frank Robbins might be a suitable artist for period pieces like the Invaders and the Shadow, what with the strong Milton Canniff influence on his work.
ReplyDeleteAlthough personally I've never really understood the appeal of Canniff, so it doesn't make much difference to me.
Still, I take Paul's point about inkers, and despite my earlier comment I actually like Vince Colletta's finishing (while disapproving of his tendency to cut corners). So those Luke Cage issues aren't quite as bad as, say, Robbins' Invaders or Cap.
His Legion of Monsters issue of Marvel Premiere wasn't completely terrible either, thanks to Steve Gan (plus it helped that it was a really stupid story, so his style seemed quite appropriate).
-sean
THIS! “Plus it was really stupid so it worked”. (Paraphrasing. JP)
DeleteBtw Paul, thanks for posting the Alan Moore football story on your blog. It's not often I come across something by the Magus of Northants that I wasn't previously aware of (that Not the World Cup didn't even appear in Steve's Marvel UK posts!)
ReplyDeleteMind you, it wasn't exactly one of Moore's best...
-sean
Maybe it’s a genetic thing, like the way people react to cilantro. Some us think Frank Robbins’s stuff is yummy, and some think he tastes like greasy soap :)
ReplyDeleteb.t.
I’m my case it was “nurture” winning over “nature.” I was taught to be open-minded so because Fr@nk’s art was so different I felt obliged to try
DeleteI see the regular monthly comics here and in the last post are all 'still only 25¢' (or - in the case of Red Sonja - 10p).
ReplyDeleteBut some regions had 30¢ covers this month (and looking back through Steve's posts we can see the variation as early as May). I think its the September cover date when all the Marvels hit the higher price point across the US. And imports reached the egregious sum of 12p.
Well done, Gerald Ford, eh?
-sean