I think I've read most of this before, and I'm still struggling.

Last night--two days ago, as this posts--there was a pretty bad wind storm here. I slept like crap, and like 64,000 people were without power yesterday morning! Not me, though, I still hadda work; and my brain is running short on power as well! Still, we've got time for one I got last week: from 1975, Son of Origins. Cover by John Romita.

Ten bucks, and in pretty good shape for a book nearly my age! I have seen the ad with that cover so many times over the years, so finding this was a pleasant surprise--it's been reprinted in '97 with a Gene Ha cover, and three more covers in 2023. This collects, duh, origins of the X-Men, Daredevil, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, and more; along with ruminations from Stan Lee about each of them. But, much as I prefer the Romita cover, I don't love how "By Stan Lee" makes it sound like he did everything from the writing to the art to the typesetting. I'm more forgiving if along with Stan's name there's even a minor nod like "and the Mighty Marvel Bullpen," even if that's also a bit dismissive.

Anyway, I'll be glad to see the back of this week; we'll see if the next is any improvement!

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A Sunday post! Feels like it's been a while since we've had one, but since it's the 23rd, we'll continue our streak of Avengers #23's going--with an asterisk. Despite having a solid batch of the run, my local comic shop did not have Marvel Triple Action #17, nor the original, which would doubtless have been a bit rich for my blood. Luckily, we have a budget-conscious alternative! Reprinted in Essential Avengers #1,1965's Avengers #23, "Once an Avenger..." Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Don Heck, inks by John Romita.

This was the "Cap's Kooky Quartet" phase of the team, with Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch; half of whom couldn't stand the other half at any given time. To wit, after the events of the previous issue, Cap had just quit; either because he felt he failed as their leader, or he was sick of those jerks. Hawkeye and Quicksilver keep the sniping going, and I'm just surprised they aren't full-on accusing each other of driving Cap away; while Wanda has a bit of a crush on him and misses watching him workout already. Meanwhile, it appears to have taken Steve Rogers about 30 seconds to get to upstate New York and get a job 'training' boxers, by which I mean thumping them somewhat mercilessly. Well, they were probably the 'learn by doing' types, so okay. Also meanwhile or wherever he is in time, Kang was plotting against the remnants of the Avengers, at their lowest ebb. Step one: add another level to their house. Yeah, that'll teach 'em. Actually, it might: Kang's ship, disguised to the outside world as another story of the mansion, is full of traps and easily defeats the three, who maybe are all missing Cap now.

Kang returns with his captives to his future, and has a gruff meeting with "puppet ruler" Ravonna. So far she seems to hate Kang's guts, considering him a mere "commoner," despite the fact that Kang did have a pretty legit army then. Back at the training camp, the news of the Avengers' capture makes the news, and Steve punches out the current champ so he can take off. Back in the future, the Avengers are trapped in clear cells, but the Scarlet Witch manages to shatter hers, although it takes all her hex juice and she was "vulnerable" and dizzy now, which definitely feels like that's because she's the girl. Realizing they're not on their home turf, the Avengers try to fight it out, despite being swarmed by Kang's guards and gizmos. Kang is perhaps even impressed, since this team didn't have anywhere near the power of the old roster, but was still giving it a go. Hit by strength-sapping beams, only Quicksilver escapes; but Kang is interrupted by a message from the past: Cap has used a "recreater" device of Iron Man's, to see that Kang had taken the team, and now was calling him out.

With Ravonna in his control room, Kang has to play the big man, and opts to bring Cap to the future to show he didn't fear him. To give Cap a chance, Ravonna changes where he would land: Kang knows what she's doing, but goes with it. Quicksilver finds Cap, and together they storm through the guards, to face Kang himself; largely as Kang intended. He's showing off for Ravonna and her royal court, trying to neg her into marriage; and if that didn't work, his army would come down on her kingdom like a ton of bricks. Ravonna has a bit of an aside, that she might have been into Kang maybe, if he'd not tried to impress her with conquering? Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch rejoin the fight, as Kang signals his army to attack... 

OK, let's set the wayback machine and confirm something: Ravonna appeared--sort of, in a corpse-like state--in 1969's Avengers #71, which was reprinted in Marvel Super Action #32, which I've mentioned was one of my first Avengers comics. MSA #32 would've been on stands late March/early April 1981; the other earliest Avengers I read was #211, which was from June '81! So, now I know which was first.

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As usual, the first comic you read will set the tone for the year...as usual, hmm.

It's not a minty-fresh copy, but let's be honest, I'm not super-minty-fresh myself. (Spine damage, faded colors, pretty sure I too am missing a staple...) From 1968, Not Brand Echh #10, cover by Marie Severin.

This was a "worst of" issue, but it opens with a great one, "The Silver Burper!" from Not Brand Echh #1, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Frank Giacoia. That was from May 1967, and it was a riff on Fantastic Four #57, on sale 09/08/1966! Well, it's probably easier to spoof a recent issue, the plot's maybe still fresh in mind. A picture of that one, rather than cramming it in the scanner, but that panel is a favorite.

Also this issue: "Peter Pooper vs. Gnatman and Rotten" Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Frank Giacoia. (With a guest-panel by John Romita!) Man, we mentioned Marie Severin last week with Alf, but she was on point for years! Posting this so you'll know when I inevitably steal "SKLUNCH!" and here's some panels that were maybe stolen--er, homaged--in my favorite Spider-Ham story in Marvel's later What The--?!:

Well, this bodes well for the rest of the year! (Something had to...) Read more!

Some time back we took a look at Madame X #1, part of a DC event referencing National Comics, which was the company's earlier name. Today we get the same sort of thing from Marvel, formerly Timely: from 2009, USA Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1, written by John Arcudi, art by Steve Ellis.

We've mentioned WWII hero the Destroyer before, but aside from him working behind enemy lines, I forget his deal; and there may have been conflicting versions over the years. One thing remains consistent: he hates him some Nazis, as he blows up a trainload of them, saving only a reporter. The reporter was German, but not a Nazi, and while terrified was brave enough to try and warn some soldiers that they were about to get murdered: he tells the Destroyer, he can't really see the difference between them. Somehow, the Destroyer accepts that, but takes the reporter along on an elaborate plan, to steal a train and ram it into a concentration camp.

The Destroyer shows the reporter the truth about what was happening in his country, and the reporter realizes why the Destroyer wears the odd striped 'circus' pants: he had been a POW at some point. I don't know if the rationale for the pants had been established before, but it works. Also this issue: a reprint of the Stan Lee Destroyer story from 1941's All-Winners Comics #3, "The Secret Tunnel of Death!" Surprisingly high body count for a Stan Lee story there. (Art maybe by Chad Grothkopf and John Forte.) Read more!

Wait, did Iron Mask have a secret identity?

This reminded me of something else I picked up again recently, but what the heck, we'll check it out first: from 1977, Kid Colt, Outlaw #215, reprinting "Iron Mask Strikes Again!" from 1965's Kid Colt, Outlaw #121, story by Stan Lee, art by Jack Keller.

Marshall Sam Hawk has orders to clear up the territory of outlaws, owlhoots, and gun sharks; and the first one his posse stumbles across is Kid Colt--the one with the spotted vest, if that helps. Hawk knows Colt isn't a bad guy, but orders were orders; and while Colt makes a daring escape, he's snagged in the end when they trip his horse Steel. The next day, the Rawhide Kid comes barrelling into town like Paul Revere, warning that Iron Mask and his gang had just taken over a nearby town. Unfortunately, Rawhide is recognized as an outlaw as well, and despite his warnings is thrown into the clink as well, in the cell next to Kid Colt. While they had heard of each other, neither had heard anything good, so their team-up isn't off to a flying start. Colt calls Steel over to the window, and uses the horse to pull out the bars: Rawhide implores him to free him as well, but nothing doing. Rawhide has to lure the jailer into tripping on a bandana to get himself out, but knows he's going to need help against Iron Mask, so he has to ride after Colt for the traditional pre-team up fight.

Meanwhile, Hawk had ridden to see if Rawhide was on the level or not, and had managed to disarm all of Iron Mask's gang, but wasn't able to stop the armored gunman. As the Kids ride in, guns blazing, one of them shoots Iron Mask in the head, which seems to just rattle him a little. Rawhide has a plan to take care of Iron Mask, luring him into chasing him into a dead-end, where he breaks the boards covering a hidden well, and his armor weighs him down so he nearly drowns and he has to surrender. Hawk brings in a whole mess of bad guys, while the Kids say so long and ride their separate ways.

There wasn't a lot of continuity in the old Marvel westerns, so these two could've met for the first time like five times before or after this. Marvel westerns were also traditionally much more G-rated than the DC westerns like Jonah Hex, so I don't think anybody is even killed in this one. But, this did remind me of another book, that I just got some spares of the other day... Read more!

See, this is why you don't set up autopay!

If slackassery could save the earth from an alien invader, rest assured I'm there for you like that. From 1976, Weird Wonder Tales #17, which opens with "I Was Captured by the Creature from Krogarr!" Reprinted from 1961's Tales to Astonish #25, written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers.

This was a fairly standard monster number: a lazy sod of a new husband isn't adapting well to married life, when he's contacted by an alien from the planet Krogarr, through his television set. The alien gives the hubby instructions to rewire his set as a transmitter, so he could come to earth, but his intentions were less than friendly: the creature captures the hubby, and brings him back to Krogarr, as proof of his teleportation technology, which his people had scoffed at. Krogarr isn't the most hospitable planet, with gladitorial fights and slavery; but the hubby is saved when he mysteriously fades away back to earth. The Krogarrians kill the creature and smash his stupid machine, while the hubby is scolded by his wife, for not paying the power bill: when the power went out, he was brought home. Which...is kind of dumb.

Also this issue: "First Moon-walk," retitled and reprinted from 1954's Men's Adventures #26, with art by Gene Colan! Two childhood rivals spend their entire lives striving and exceeding, to beat each other, eventually taking their competition into space: both privately fund a rocket, to be the first to get to the moon, then both sabotage the other's rocket when they get there. And, another Venus story: "The Mad Mountain!" from 1952's Venus #18, story and art by Bill Everett. Venus is in a passenger plane crash, which all the passengers survive, but they find themselves in a weird valley, with creepy plant-men. The other passengers are all killed in a landslide, but Venus survives and makes it back to civilization, but is then told that plane disappeared twenty years ago, and she wasn't on it! What--but--so....Venus's guy-pal mansplains, weird crap like that always happens to her, no point in worrying her pretty little head about it. Actually, that's probably more on the page count than mansplaining, but same end result. Read more!

Did I miss shark week again? I never know.

We saw a water-damaged copy of Action Comics #456 some time back, yet another example of comics trying to cash in on whatever's popular at the time, in this case, Jaws. And if DC's going to do it, sure as shooting Marvel is too; in this case by dusting off a six-page yarn to reprint with a new cover. But, a minor problem: from 1976, Weird Wonder Tales #16, reprinting "The Shark" from 1954's Men's Adventures #25, art by Joe Sinnott.

Of course, it's a great white on the cover, they were the 'in' sharks of the time; but in the story our hero fights a tiger shark and the final shark boss is a hammerhead. Diamond smugglers try to put their eggs in one basket, by feeding diamonds to little fish, then those fish to the shark, then one of the double-crossing smugglers to the shark. The lunkhead hired to kill the shark was gung-ho to do it before even getting paid, and even though he loses a leg to the shark, he considers it worth it to get the bugger. Oh, and he gets to shoot a smuggler with a spear-gun; that's always fun.

It took me a few to figure out where I had read the next story, "The Box of Doom!" It's a Venus story by Bill Everett from 1952's Venus #19, the last issue of that series; but I would've read it in 1994's Silver Surfer vs. Dracula #1. (I thought we had seen that here at some point, since that issue also has the Howard the Duck/Hellcow story from Giant-Size Man-Thing #5! It's reprints all the way down...) A messenger delivers a creepy box to Venus late at night, and it tries to coax them into opening it to receive great evil powers. The messenger hops on that, and is turned into a vampire, then gets staked by Venus. No tip for you! Well, the tip of the stake, I suppose...crap. It's a good one, but it's also Venus's last appearance for over twenty years!

Lastly, from 1962's Tales to Astonish #31, "It Fell From the Flying Saucer!" another probably Lee/Lieber/Kirby sci-fi number. A somewhat surly artist is glad everybody's gone to the parade and he can finally get some art done, when he sees a flying saucer, which drops...a pencil? A magic pencil, with which the artist makes his surprisingly non-pornographic dreams come true. It's not bad, although the artist goes from zero to tyrant pretty quickly...quicker than some artists would, maybe? That and I liked this plot in Spongebob Squarepants better; that version had Doodlebob! Ain't he a doll? Read more!

Is it weird to have a show same week as NYCC?

The next town over has a little comicon tomorrow, which of course isn't as big a deal as NYCC, but it has the benefit of being a con I could actually buy comics at. Unfortunately, I am even less organized than usual, which is saying something, and a bit run-down to boot. A good night's sleep and an absurdly long shower should get me back in it, though.

I don't have a wishlist or plan this time, aside from the usual grab-bag of cheap comics and figures. I do kind of want a pre-Legends non-cartoon Toy Biz Thing, for something only I would find funny. I bought the 3.75 inch "Marvel Legends" Thing, and he felt a little small for what I wanted; and I don't know why those were called Legends and not "Marvel Universe" like the smaller figures used to be. Also I'm annoyed Magneto got a figure in that scale before Nightcrawler, who hopefully will before the scale craps out...

Despite having them on the mind recently, I doubt I'll see any Essential or Showcase collections: they're getting a little thin on the ground, and also seem too heavy to lug around to shows. I recently picked up one book I was always on the hunt for, so I don't know if there's anything...oh, take that back; I got a few issues of Garth Ennis's War Stories--man, all the covers aren't on the GCD? Well, if I find any; I'll fix that. Somebody posted the Legion of Super Heroes "Legends of the Dead Earth" cover the other day, and I found that but could get the Legionnaires Annual. I also got another copy of the last issue of Nth Man, and I wonder how difficult it would be to put together the rest of the run. As long as I'm wishing, I've been watching a ton of Farscape and would gladly take any figures or comics from that if they fell in my lap. I feel like I'd seen Alpha Flight/Inhumans recently and passed on it, although I've blogged a ton of those split annuals. I think I've bought the collection more than once, but I wouldn't mind the (bloggable!) issues for Uncanny X-Men: First Class. Ooh, Pinhead vs. Marshal Law #2! That 2019 Six Million Dollar Man, 2002 Deadman, Justice League Odyssey, I've been trying to replace Punisher 2099 #34 for years...OK, getting hyped up now! Wish me luck. Read more!

I hadda kidnap my girlfriend to protect my secret identity. AITA?

...Little bit, yeah.  From 1976, Marvel Tales #73, reprinting Amazing Spider-Man #92, "When Iceman Attacks!" Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by John Romita. Per the GCD, uncredited backgrounds by Tony Mortellaro, and the reprint loses two pages!

Spidey returns to his apartment, to find Gwen waiting for him--not like that, sadly. She's with crooked politician Bullit, who also suspected a connection between Spidey and Peter Parker. Thinking quickly, Spidey grabs Gwen and jumps out the window with her, which would probably be terrifying for Gwen but isn't really dwelt upon here. No time, as on the streets below, Bobby Drake puts his date in a cab and starts taking off his clothes, to change into Iceman! He plans on not only saving the helpless victim, but also settling matters with that "over-rated creep!" Spidey only has a moment to badmouth Peter, although Gwen quickly rises to his defense, before Iceman takes him on.

With the cops surrounding the building, Spidey takes off. Bullit is less than thrilled with having to share any glory with Iceman, but his campaign for district attorney--again, were those a big deal? Are they still a big deal in NYC? But, a hitch for Bullit: J.Jonah Jameson and the Bugle are no longer supporting him, since Bullit had tried to "strongarm" Peter Parker, and Robbie Robertson had a file on him and his supporters...and what they really meant by "law and order." I don't think the term 'dogwhistle' was in use then, but seems apt.

Bullit sends goons after Robbie, with Spidey keeping tabs on him to help out, but Iceman catches up to him again to continue their fight. Spidey's not in the mood to play, and manages to get away and catch up at the usual warehouse hideout. Iceman arrives shortly thereafter, but is able to overhear Bullit and realize he should be with Spidey on this one. The goons are trounced, Robbie is freed, and he, Spidey, and Iceman confront Bullit at a campaign banquet, where he crumples up like a roll of paper towels in a sink full of water.

I feel like I saw this recently somewhere else...I also suspect Peter gets to make up with Gwen on one of the cut pages, or at least continue hiding his secret identity from her. There has to be a middle ground there, between Spidey's dogged guarding of his ID, and more modern TV shows and movies where the hero unmasks and tells whoever, whenever...!

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How many early Thor issues were just Loki convincing some chump "Thor? Totally overrated! You can take him..."

Because this one, well...From 1975, Marvel Spectacular #13, reprinting (most of) 1967's Thor #142, "The Scourge of the Super-Skrull!" Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta. Better part of a page is cut from the reprint, presumably to clear space for ads.

This one does open with Thor having a bit of fun with a young motorcycle rider: I feel like Thor used to have a bit more fun, honestly. Although, he changes to Donald Blake after that, which doesn't seem convenient, he might have just left Blake to walk halfway across town...Meanwhile, Loki is on one of his periodic exiles, sent to his room by Odin. Oh, wait, not his room, "a lonely, endless space-time continuum!" He gets his own continuum, and he's still bitching? Loki reaches out with his mind to find someone to give Thor the hassle, but I don't think you see Loki do that bit much anymore. I guess maybe you don't have to when you can actually go places and whatnot, but it does seem handy. Anyway, he plants the idea in the Super-Skrull's head, that if he defeated Thor the Skrulls would sing his praises again, give him a parade, and so forth. Cue fight scene!

Super-Skrull makes a pretty good showing, before getting thumped. Thor also uses Mjolnir to "create an anti-force" to send him back to his ship. In his parting speech, he says "thy banishment eternal!" but that means about as much here as when Odin says that to Loki.

Also this issue: "Aftermath!" Another Tales of Asgard feature, from Lee/Kirby/Colletta. Oh, yeah, we saw the previous issue some years back! This is Volla the Prophetess dropping the tale of Ragnarok, the fall of Asgard, and the new age that follows. Loki pipes up that it's a load of hoopla; Odin tells him shut up, you're the one that causes it. Which feels like a weird place to end, but OK. Read more!

It's not strictly true, but it really feels like I have not accomplished a darn thing today, so let's go to a classic and see if that turns things around: from 1974, Marvel's Greatest Comics #52, reprinting 1967's Fantastic Four #69, "By Ben Betrayed!" Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott.

A minor classic, and the middle of a storyline: "Dr. Santini" has chemically turned Ben against the FF, all part of his master plan, since he was really the Mad Thinker! I kind of like him, although I don't think he's necessarily remembered highly in the rankings of FF villains. (You could argue his more visually striking Awesome Android was more memorable; the Thinker may place behind Diablo.) "When I'm done with ya--the Fantastic Four'll be dead--! And then--mebbe Ben Grimm can begin to live again!" I don't think Reed, Sue, or the reader have time to dwell upon how much of that is the Thinker's influence, and how much is really Ben's deeply buried but deeply felt resentment; since Ben is charging at the Four most of the issue, and they are not doing so hot at holding him off.

The Thinker is also adept at driving Ben forward: he can't give Reed a moment, or he could construct some new weapon to defeat him, that's what he does! Also of note: when the Thinker dissolves his Santini disguise, it also removes his "hastily-grown moustache"--he grew a real mustache for his disguise? Well, he must've crunched the numbers and decided that was the way to go. Reed gets Sue, Johnny, and Crystal out of there on a rocket cycle; then manages to sidestep Ben's charge, which launches the furious Thing out the hanger door, to his death! Maybe: that looked like a forty-story fall, would that have killed the Thing? We don't find out, as Reed stretches to save him, but is also pulled out of the Baxter Building. Ben steals a convenient dump truck to give chase as Reed glides away, while the Thinker is pawing all of Reed's stuff. But the Thinker's computers predicted this would be the moment he makes the "most awesome" discovery...the Negative Zone! Which is clearly labeled "Danger!" but the Thinker seems determined to see it.

Ben demolishes a condemned building to try and stop Reed, so Johnny steps up to give Reed a breather. Despite his fury, Ben's thinking as well: he makes a clumsy attempt to douse the Torch with a fire hydrant, but that was just to get him in position to clap his hands and knock him out with a "vacuum-blast!" Distainfully, Ben tells Johnny he could finish him anytime, but rejoins the hunt for Reed. Meanwhile, Sue has got to the cops, who waste no time sending in jets, as Ben shakes his fists at them, King Kong-style! Reed thinks Ben may be in more trouble than he actually is. 

Back at the Baxter Building, the Thinker is checking out the Negative Zone portal, but there was a fly in his ointment: odds were the Thing had killed Reed by that point, but if not Reed certainly would have guessed "Santini" had been the Thinker, and would try to free the real Santini. The Thinker opts to go dispose of the evidence, as in, Santini; while Reed does in fact figure it out. And as an army of cops and firefighters swarm the area, Ben steals a coat and hat and sneaks away, even angrier that "Richards turned everyone against me!"

It's like Ben is doing a really, really angry version of the sad walking-away bit from the end of the Incredible Hulk TV show. I wonder if there's a metal cover of that on YouTube...

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"Suppertime."

Shorter one this week, since it's a bit of a transitional one. But Stan fills some panels! I'm pretty sure that's the same Stan head as the recent release with the signed shield, but in the fancier suit. Which is going to come in handy later...
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Emma Frost bags out halfway through this one, she's not spending Halloween with kids.

It's August as I write this, and was brighter than the surface of the sun when I went out earlier, but we're still blogging as Halloween a comic as I could find! From 1998, Generation X/Dracula, "Children of the Night" Written by Joseph Harris, pencils by Tomm Coker, inks by Troy Hubbs. (I'm glad the GCD had that, those credits were nearly impossible to read there!)

The cover--an homage to X-Men Annual #6, and the back cover features Bill Sienkiewicz inks!--makes it look like this is going to be fairly straight-forward: Dracula attempting to sway Chamber, with the restoration of his ruined face. (I thought it should be just a glowing, ruined hole; or at least jawless; but Chamber's face is portrayed here as if merely wrapped. He seems less wrecked than Jonah Hex or Snake-Eyes, and that was kind of supposed to be his whole deal!) But the story is more impressionistic and a bit vague: there are multiple dream sequences, vampiric thralls that are magically restored to human in the end, and an ambiguous ending that's probably never followed up on.

Aside from the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown trick-or-treaters, there are more callbacks to X-Men Annual #6 than I had thought: the 'D' emblazoned scarves Dracula gave to his special favorites, and a character stabbing Drac that probably should've finished him.
(From X-Men Annual #6, "Blood Feud!" Written by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bill Sienkiewicz, inks by Bob Wiacek.)

In this case, it's Husk finally realizing she could change into wood and stab him, but she misses the heart. Rrrrright. There is an interesting moment slightly earlier, when Dracula is about to bite her, and she sheds a ton of skin at him to get away. For Drac, I imagine that would be like trying to bite into an apple and finding nothing but multiple layers of skin: gross, and oddly unsettling. Overall this issue's not in the ballpark of its inspiration (partially because I'm not as attached to the Gen X kids) but it has a couple interesting visuals.


Out of the 1998 annuals oddball pairings, we've blogged X-Men/Dr. Doom, Hulk/Sub-Mariner, X-Man/Hulk. I probably still have Machine Man/Bastion somewhere, but I think I actively skipped Alpha Flight/Inhumans recently. Maybe I might've coughed up for it, if I realized it maybe might have the Stan's Soapbox where he answers a question from me! Collect them all!

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