Marvel continues to grow, making 1972 the biggest ever year of its expansion. Two new comics begin this month, making a total of 18 new comics since March. This month's first new comic, Shanna the She-Devil, is the third new comic in two months that stars a female lead character. From interviews we know that this was a new direction suggested by Stan Lee himself. He wanted more female-driven comics in order to attract more women as readers. It was also his wish that the comics should be written by women. The Cat was written by Linda Fite, an editorial assistant at Marvel who had hardly any writing experience. Night Nurse was written by Jean Thomas, the wife of the new editor-in-chief Roy Thomas. Shanna the She-Devil was written by Carole Seuling, the wife of a comics distributor. None of the three comics were successful, possibly due to the inexperience of the three writers. I'm not aware that there were any skilled female comic book writers in the early 1970's, so maybe the titles should have been entrusted to male writers.
Shanna the She-Devil #1
Title: Shanna the She-Devil!
Writer: Carole Seuling
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: poachers
Shanna O'Hara grew up with her parents in Africa. As an adult she became an animal vet, and she moved to New York. After the senseless shooting of animals in a zoo, she decided to go back to Africa, accompanied be the two surviving leopards from the zoo, Ina and Biri. She has no super powers, but her physical training makes her a tough woman. She stands up to illegal poachers on game reserves.
Before you ask me, the answer is Yes: she's a female equivalent of Ka-Zar.
The second new comic this month is Supernatural Thrillers. It was originally intended to be a series of comic book adaptations of classic horror stories. It won't be until the fifth issue that the series will feature original stories. Keep reading my reviews. I'll let you know when we get that far.
Captain America and the Falcon #156
Title: Two into one won't go!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Captain America, Bucky
Regulars: Sharon Carter, Sgt. Muldoon
Captain America 1941 (the genuine Captain America) wants to take on Captain America 1953 (the "fake" Captain America) alone, but Sharon Carter and the Falcon insist on helping him. The Falcon is his partner and Sharon is his lover, so he shouldn't be stubborn enough to go it alone.
After winning the fight, the two 1950's "heroes" are returned to suspended animation. Captain America 1941 broods that he too could have turned bad.
Avengers #106
Title: A traitor stalks among us!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Rich Buckler
Avengers: Captain America, Vision, Black Panther, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Madame Hydra (flashback), Space Phantom, Grim Reaper
Guests: Rick Jones, Captain Marvel
Captain America returns to Avengers Mansion and finds Vision brooding.
It was Roy Thomas who invented Vision as a character in Avengers #57, but Steve Englehart has adopted him. Over the next few years we'll see that Vision is at the centre of most of the storylines.
When Captain America sees Rick Jones trade places with Captain Marvel, he has visions of things that happened in his battle with Hydra in Captain America #113. He's not sure whether the things really happened, because he didn't previously remember them, and we definitely didn't read them in the comic itself.
Black Panther, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch are searching for Quicksilver. The team mates seemingly turn on one another. The Space Phantom is responsible. We haven't seen him since way back in Avengers #2. He can temporarily occupy the bodies of others. He's allied himself with the Grim Reaper, who has been lurking in the background since Avengers #102.
Fantastic Four #129
Title: The Frightful Four plus one!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Buscema
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Villain: Frightful Four (Wizard, Trapster, Sandman, Thundra)
Regulars: Black Bolt, Medusa, Agatha Harkness
The Human Torch announces he's quitting the Fantastic Four to live with Crystal in the Great Refuge. His team mates try to talk him out of it, but it's what I would have done months ago. Or years ago. It was two years ago, in Fantastic Four #105, that she had to return to the Great Refuge for health reasons.
When the Human Torch arrives in his rocket he's attacked by Inhumans who're guarding the Great Refuge against intruders. He thinks they're Maximus' servants, but he should have thought it over better. In his rocket he wasn't recognisable as the Human Torch, so it's obvious that he was considered an intruder.
Roy Thomas says that Black Bolt regained the throne in Amazing Adventures #8. Not quite. It was four months later in Avengers #95. Roy should have known, because he wrote both stories. Maybe he's getting distracted by his new job as editor-in-chief.
Agatha Harkness quits as Franklin Richards' nanny.
While the Thing is wandering around the city he's ambushed by the Frightful Four. We last saw them as a group in Fantastic Four #94, but we saw Sandman by himself in Incredible Hulk #138. The Frightful Four now has a new member, a muscle chick called Thundra. The Thing is aided by the surprise appearance of Medusa.
Did you notice the Thing's sexist remark about women drivers on the splash page? Here he goes again, complaining about being saved by a woman. What a disgrace!
Roy Thomas wants us to think up our own sound effect for Thundra punching the Thing. How about POOF?
The Frightful Four defeat the Thing and Medusa. Now they prepare to attack the Baxter Building.
The Incredible Hulk #158
Title: Frenzy on a Far-Away World
Writer: Roy Thomas, Steve Gerber
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Leader, Rhyno
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
Guests: High Evolutionary, Warlock
The Hulk is clinging to the Rhyno's spaceship. The Rhyno doesn't know where he is, because the Leader was controlling his body until they escaped the Earth's atmosphere. The spaceship crashes on Counter-Earth, the current home of Adam Warlock.
The Hulk and the Rhyno get involved in clashes between different groups of New Men. The Leader calls the spaceship back to the Earth, but before it takes off the Hulk climbs in, carrying the unconscious Rhyno.
Amazing Spider-Man #115
Title: The Last Battle!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Doctor Octopus, Hammerhead
Regulars: Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man regains consciousness, not realising that it was his Aunt May who knocked him out. Hammerhead's men attack the house. Hammerhead and Doctor Octopus battle, but eventually Hammerhead has to flee. Spider-Man beats up Doctor Octopus, despite Aunt May pleading with him to stop.
When Doctor Octopus is arrested, he asks Aunt May to remain as his housekeeper. She accepts.
Thor #206
Title: Rebirth!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Loki, Absorbing Man
Regulars: Balder, Sif, Hildegarde, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg
Guests: Jarvis
Loki revives the Absorbing Man, who's been lying unconscious since his battle with the Hulk in Incredible Hulk #125. It's about time. He's one of Marvel's most powerful villains, too good to waste. The Absorbing Man smashes up New York, shouting that he's looking for Thor. When Thor finally arrives, the Absorbing Man defeats him, after which Loki transports the Absorbing Man to the house of Tom Fagan in Rutland, Vermont.
Yes, that's the real Tom Fagan. We've already seen him briefly in Avengers #83 and Marvel Feature #2. This time he doesn't have a Halloween parade where he can hide.
Daredevil and the Black Widow #94
Title: He can crush the world!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Damon Dran
Regulars: Ivan, Danny French
Damon Dran slowly lumbers across the Oakland Bay Bridge towards California, growing larger all the time.. Daredevil and the Black Widow try in vain to stop him. At the last moment Danny French strikes the Project Four globe, the source of Dran's power. There's a big explosion. Dran shrivels up, and Danny French dies.
Iron Man #53
Title: The Black Lama!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Raga, Black Lama
Iron Man rescues the nearby town from the lava flow.
Raga serves someone called the Black Lama, a master of mystic arts, who has servants around the world preparing for a big attack. He's angry that Raga has revealed himself too soon. When Iron Man attacks Raga, he doesn't assist him. Raga is crushed to death by falling rocks.
Sub-Mariner #56
Title: Atlantis, Mon Amour!
Writer: Dan Adkins, Mike Friedrich
Artist: Dan Adkins
Regulars: Vashti
This story picks up a theme from the second story in Sub-Mariner #54.
An Atlantean woman called Coral seeks out Namor for help. An alien spaceship has crash landed in the ocean, and Vashti fears an attack.
Namor finds that they're peaceful, so he advises them to seek sanctuary in Atlantis while they're repairing their spaceship. After he leaves, the Atlantean guards see them and think they're an enemy, so they're all slaughtered, including Coral.
Namor is dismayed by the belligerence of the country he used to rule.
Defenders #3
Title: Four against the Gods
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Silver Surfer
Villain: Nameless One, Barbara Norriss
Doctor Strange says that the Silver Surfer can escape the barrier Galactus has put around the Earth by travelling via a different dimension. The four heroes travel together, but somehow they're diverted into the dimension where Barbara Norriss has been trapped since sacrificing herself in Incredible Hulk #126. They free her, but it's a trap. She now serves the Nameless One, who we last saw in Defenders #1.
They defeat the Nameless One and return to their own dimension, but the Silver Surfer is still trapped.
This is an attractive page where Sal Buscema tries (but doesn't quite succeed) to draw like Steve Ditko. I'd like to draw your attention to the bottom left panel. Is this the first time the word multiverse has been used in Marvel comics?
Warlock #3
Title: The Apollo Eclipse!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Apollo
Regulars: High Evolutionary
After the de-evolution of the Man-Beast last issue, a new leader of the New Men has emerged: Apollo. At first he looks very beautiful, but then it's revealed that he really looks like a warthog.
Warlock travels with his human friends to watch a rocket launch. Apollo destroy the rocket, then threatens the life of Warlock's young friends.
Hero For Hire #4
Title: Cry Fear, Cry Phantom!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Billy Graham
Villain: Phantom of 45th Street
Regulars: Noah Burstein, Claire Temple, David Griffith
Considering he's a hero for hire, Luke Cage has to do a lot of super-hero-ing off the clock. His office/home is invaded by a phantom.
It's the son of the previous owner of most of the cinemas on 42nd Street, seeking revenge for the murder of his father.
Billy Graham was the artist? Hallelujah! Oh wait, it's a different Billy Graham.
Here are photos of Billy Graham the evangelist and Billy Graham the artist. It's not just a different person, I don't think they're even related.
But on a serious note. I think this is part of Marvel's short-lived idea that comics should be created by people with the same race and gender as their characters. There weren't any black writers available – the 1970's comics scene was a predominantly white male business – but there was a young African American author working for Warren Comics, pencilling and inking Vampirella. Marvel hired him so that they could boast about their ethnic diversity.
I particularly enjoy the scene with the preacher proclaiming the sins of 42nd Street. In the 1970's it was the centre of grindhouse cinemas in New York, possibly the centre in the whole world, so what could be more evil? More sinful?
The preacher is out again next day.
The comic even ends with the preacher! Maybe the artist is the evangelist Billy Graham after all.
Marvel Spotlight #7
Title: Die, die, my daughter!
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Michael Ploog
Regulars: Roxanne Simpson
Crash Simpson, aka Curly Samuels, wants to sacrifice his daughter Roxanne to Satan. Satan tells him to wait until the ritual can be performed in the correct place.
Wait! Did you notice something special about the splash page? Satan has nipples! That proves they must be something bad! Or maybe it's just a long awaited loosening of the Comic Code. If this continues, even Prince Namor will have nipples!
And it carries on in the comic. Curly Samuels has nipples.
And on the last page Crash Simpson has nipples. And Satan again!
I'm really enjoying the Satanic stories in Marvel Spotlight. This is an exciting new direction for Marvel.
Adventure Into Fear #11
Title: Night of the Nether-Spawn!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Rich Buckler
Villain: Nether-Spawn
Regulars: Jennifer, Andy
Marvel has been struggling to find a direction for Man-Thing. This comic is a new beginning, thanks to the new writer Steve Gerber, who will go on to become one of Marvel's greatest writers. Man-Thing will follow a supernatural path, almost as Satanic in its essence as Ghost Rider.
Man-Thing witnesses a teenage girl called Jennifer casting a spell to summon a demon, aided by her younger brother Andrew. She thinks she's failed, but when she leaves Man-Thing witnesses a demon entering the world through a portal. The demon follows Jennifer, wanting to kill her, but Man-Thing defends her. First he defeats it in a cinema. Then it rises again in a different form and follows him to the swamp. The demon is forced out of our world when Andy sets the spell book on fire.
Astonishing Tales #15
Title: And who will call him savage?
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Gil Kane
Regulars: Barbara Morse
This story continues from Astonishing Tales #13. Last issue's story was a filler while Marvel was scurrying to find a new writer and artist for the series.
Ka-Zar is wandering around New York, aptly described as a concrete jungle. He has a run-in with drug dealers. One of them is the son of Dr. Calvin, who he met in the Florida swamp.
Non-Canon comics published this month:
Doc Savage #2 (Steve Englehart, Ross Andru)
Conan the Barbarian #21 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Our Love Story #20 (Robert Kanigher, Kurt Schaffenberger)
Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #4 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Outlaw Kid #13 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Gunhawks #2 (Gary Friedrich, Syd Shores)
Journey Into Mystery #2 (Ron Goulart, Gil Kane)
Supernatural Thrillers #1 (Roy Thomas, Marie Severin)
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