This month Marvel launches another two b/w horror comics under its Curtis Magazine imprint. The first is Tales Of The Zombie, which features the adventures of Simon Garth, a wealthy New Orleans businessman who is raised from the dead in a voodoo ritual. As a monster he's merely called Zombie, with a capital Z. At first his stories were unrelated to the rest of the Marvel Universe, but in the 1990's he began to appear in the comics of Marvel super-heroes.
The second new horror comic this month is Monsters Unleashed. It's a b/w version of Marvel's anthology comics, with standalone stories each month. Many of the stories feature the classic monsters of the Universal horror films, such as the werewolf. Note that this werewolf is unrelated to Jack Russell of Werewolf By Night.
Amazing Spider-Man #122
Title: The Goblin's Last Stand!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Green Goblin
Regulars: J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy (corpse), Mary Jane Watson
It's no secret that I don't like Gerry Conway. I criticise him for his bad stories often enough. However, this issue is a masterpiece, and that's a word I don't use idly. The last issue might be more famous among fans, but this issue is far superior in its tension and emotional depth.
These two pages are especially moving, a flashback to Spider-Man's relationship with Gwen Stacy while he cradles her dead body in his arms. It's brilliant artwork by Gil Kane and deep, thoughtful text from Gerry Conway.
The main story is Spider-Man's revenge against the Green Goblin. He swears to kill him, and almost succeeds, but he holds himself back at the last moment, not wanting to commit a murder. Then the Green Goblin dies accidentally when he tries to impale Spider-Man with his glider. This scene was excellently filmed in the first Spider-Man film. Sam Raimi has a feeling for Spider-Man like no other director.
However, there are two important sub-plots that will have far-reaching consequences in future stories. First, Peter Parker abandons his best friend Harry when he's crying out for help in his LSD withdrawal symptoms. Second, Mary Jane Watson tries to console Peter over losing Gwen, and he sends her away with a tirade of insults.
Fantastic Four #136
Title: Rock around the Cosmos!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa
Villain: Gregory Gideon (corpse), Dragon Man (corpse), Wild One (Slugger Johnson), Shaper
Slugger Johnson, one of Gregory Gideon's henchmen, was bathed in cosmic rays in the explosion that killed his boss. The Shaper, who we last saw in Incredible Hulk #155, uses this energy to change reality based on Slugger's dreams.
The result is a crazy story based on a high tech version of the 1950's, where American patriots are fighting against young rebels. It's one of the worst stories to grace the pages of the World's Greatest Comic Magazine.
Slugger Johnson, who's now become the Wild One, can't remember when he saw the Fantastic Four before. Roy Thomas (if it's really him who wrote the text box) tells us to flip back to page 7 and tell him what we see. I flipped back, and I see nothing at all. Slugger was probably one of the costumed henchmen in last month's issue.
Thor #213
Title: The Demon Brigade!
Writer: Gerry Conway, Len Wein
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Sssthgar
Regulars: Fandral, Hogun, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Hildegarde, Odin
Thor and his companions are defeated and imprisoned by the Vrellnexians. Thor breaks free, but the only ones who join him are Hildegarde and Tana Nile. The others have been drugged by the food given them in the dungeons. The three of them defeat the Vrellnexians and escape with their companions. Sssthgar tells them where they can find Sif and Karnilla.
This is an awful story. Len Wein, usually a competent writer, wrote the script, but he couldn't work miracles with the dreadful plot in his hands.
Daredevil and the Black Widow #101
Title: Vengeance in the Sky with Diamonds!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Rich Buckler
Villain: Angar the Screamer
Daredevil fights against Angar, but has no change of success, because what he sees isn't real. Angar's power is to give people a vivid LSD trip by screaming.
The Black Widow returns to San Francisco after taking a leave of absence from the Avengers in Avengers #112.
Angar is working for an unseen man, the same man who was responsible for turning the young street performer into the Dark Messiah in Daredevil #97. He tells Angar to kidnap Matt Murdock. While Matt is being held prisoner, Angar says that he wants to resist the man giving him orders. He frees Matt Murdock.
Together Daredevil and the Black Widow defeat Angar. While Daredevil is pleading with the police to go easy on him, Angar slips away.
Daredevil is frightened by the Black Widow's ruthlessness. She was prepared to kill Angar.
Sub-Mariner #63
Title: And the seas shall explode!
Writer: Bill Everett, Steve Gerber
Artist: Sam Kweskin
Regulars: Vashti
Villain: Dr. Hydro
Dr. Hydro didn't die in the last issue. He has the power to turn himself into a gaseous form. He still wants to populate Atlantis with his genetically modified prisoners from the surface world. First he wants to kill all the present residents of Atlantis by raising the temperature enough to boil them.
Prince Namor leads an attack on Dr. Hydro with steam powered vessels. When Dr. Hydro turns into gas he's sucked into Namor's craft and trapped. Namor traps the gas in a casket and shoots it to the surface world, where he will remain until he starves to death... or until someone finds the casket and opens it.
Avengers #113
Title: Your young men shall slay Visions!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown
Avengers: Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America
Villain: Living Bombs
Regulars: Mantis, Swordsman
This is a cute little story, obviously meant as a filler until bigger epics begin, but it's well written.
The Avengers are repairing the Statue of Liberty, which was damaged by Gog in Astonishing Tales #18. Somebody's got to do it. During the work the Vision and the Scarlet Witch are seen kissing. Most people approve, but pockets of bigotry are incited all over America. A gang of seven people who call themselves the Living Bombs strap on suicide vests to destroy the Vision. The first attack is a surprise, and the Vision is badly wounded. Tony Stark, Donald Blake and the Black Panther have to operate on him while the remaining Avengers defend them from further attacks.
Donald Blake and Tony Stark guess one another's secret identities.
Captain America and the Falcon #163
Title: Beware of Serpents!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Serpent Squad (Cobra, Eel, Viper)
Regulars: Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter
The Cobra, who used to be the partner of Mister Hyde, breaks his fellow criminals Viper and the Eel out of prison to form the Serpent Squad. Now all we need is Princess Python to add some sex appeal to the group.
We last saw the Cobra in the chaos of Fantastic Four Annual #3, before that in Journey Into Mystery #111.
Viper and the Eel were seen more recently in Captain America #159.
Cobra seems to be more of a scientific genius than in his old battles against Thor. He has a variety of advanced weapons, making him the group's logical leader.
In the first battle, Captain America's hands are badly burnt when he touches the electrified Eel. In the second battle, Captain America and the Falcon defeat the Serpent Squad with the aid of Peggy and Sharon Carter.
The Incredible Hulk #165
Title: The Green-Skinned God!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Captain Omen
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
Guests: Nick Fury
The Hulk is being forced to work as a slave on the sea bed. Rebels on Captain Omen's giant submarine free him and ask him to lead their quest to return to the surface world. The Hulk fights with Captain Omen's giant fish-man, Aquon. He looks corny, but he's an amusing throwaway character. The fight damages the submarine's hull, so Captain Omen has to return to the surface. The rebels leave the ship. Unable to endure the pressure (or rather the lack of pressure) on the surface, their bodies explode and they die. Captain Omen returns underwater with his loyal followers, and the Hulk leaves.
In a parallel story, General Ross has been kidnapped and is being taken to Moscow. The text says that men have agreed to call the country the USSR. Which men? I never agreed to anything. I've always called the country Russia, even before 1991. If anyone wants to argue and say that Russia was only a part of the USSR, like England is only part of the UK, I'll reply that Russia was occupying countries like Ukraine and Lithuania against their will. If anything, USSR should be translated into English as the Russian Empire.
Am I alone in my opinion? No. General Ross calls the country Russia.
So does Nick Fury. That's good enough for me.
Hero For Hire #11
Title: Where there's life!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Senor Muerte / Senor Suerte
Regulars: David Griffith, Noah Burstein, Phil Fox
Luke Cage frees himself from the chains binding him in a very tense six-page sequence. It's the mark of a great writer that slow-moving action can be enjoyable to read. George Tuska does an excellent job as artist as well.
Luke defeats Senor Muerte, who now prefers to call himself Senor Suerte, in a hard battle.
The reporter Phil Fox breaks into Noah Burstein's office and finds evidence that Luke Cage is an escaped convict.
Iron Man #60
Title: Cry Marauder!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Masked Marauder
Regulars: Pepper Hogan, Happy Hogan, Roxanne Gilbert
The Masked Marauder return after seemingly dying in Daredevil #27. Was it really six years ago? He was seen falling, but he teleported to a safe location. He steals Tony Stark's new space shuttle to hold it for ransom.
Meanwhile, Iron Man takes Roxanne Gilbert to hospital. He has problems with a nurse.
Let's not be too harsh on the nurse, however grumpy she looks. She's just doing her job, as prescribed by the dreadful American hospital system. If you go to the emergency room in England or Germany, you're sent straight to a triage nurse who decides whether it's an emergency case, and if it's a genuine emergency you're sent straight to a doctor. In America I accompanied a work colleague to hospital who had just broken his leg. The first place we had to go to was the accounts department, while he was screaming in pain. They wanted to know if he could afford to pay for treatment. He had an insurance card, but it was written in French, which caused more delays while they made phone calls. I wasn't looking at my watch, but it must have taken at least 30 minutes before he could be seen by a doctor or even a nurse. That was disgusting!
After this, Iron Man faces the Masked Marauder. Iron Man is defeated, and the Masked Marauder carries him away to a waiting plane.
Tomb of Dracula #10
Title: His name is Blade!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan
Regulars: Blade, Quincy Harker, Edith Harker, Clifton Graves
Kills: Two men (total 14)
Embraces: None (total 5)
A vampire hunter called Blade kills three vampires at the docks (probably in London).
This is his first appearance. Print the picture and frame it!
Quincy Harker arrives and complains about Blade's actions. He wanted the vampires to lead him to Dracula. Blade is defiant and says he prefers to do things his own way.
Dracula is aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic. It's an elite guest list with many rich and powerful passengers. He wants to hypnotise them to do his will. Blade boards the ship and attacks Dracula. This forces Dracula to blow up the ship and leave. His servant Clifton Graves is killed (seemingly), but Blade rescues everyone else in the water.
Werewolf by Night #7
Title: Ritual of Blood!
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Mike Ploog
Villain: Swami Rihva and circus
Regulars: Buck Cowan, Lissa Russell
The Werewolf is almost overwhelmed by the lions in the cage. Then Swami Rhiva arrives and hypnotises everyone to stay calm. He has plans for the Werewolf. He has a mystical Bloodstone which contains a map to fabulous buried treasure. The map will only become visible if the stone is dipped in the blood of a mystical creature, such as a werewolf, at the stroke of midnight on the second night of the full moon. That's a weird premise, but I accept it.
On the next night the Swami prepares to sacrifice the Werewolf. He's interrupted by Elmo, the circus strongman, who feels sympathy for Jack. A fight breaks out and the circus is burnt to the ground, leaving the Swami dead. Seemingly.
The Monster of Frankenstein #4
Title: Death of the Monster!
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Mike Ploog
After the ship falls apart, the Monster can only rescue Captain Walton and Sean the cabin boy. The sailor called Canute has died. The Monster tells the Captain what happened after Victor Frankenstein died in the 1700's. He wandered until he found a tribe of freaks. They accepted him as one of them. This tribe was slaughtered by savage humans, and the Monster was alone once more. Then he fell into a crevice. He thought he would die, but he slept for 100 years, preserved by the ice. He slept until Captain Walton woke him in Monster of Frankenstein #1.
First the cabin boy dies of cold, then the captain. The Monster is alone once more. He heads back to civilisation, hoping to meet a descendant of Victor Frankenstein.
Captain Marvel #27
Title: Trapped on Titan!
Writer: Jim Starlin, Mike Friedrich
Artist: Jim Starlin
Villain: Super-Skrull, Thanos, Death
Regulars: Rick Jones, Lou-Ann Savannah, Mentor, Eros, Drax
Guests: Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch)
This issue wins the Comic Of The Month Award yet again. The story and the artwork are outstanding.
Rick Jones' brain is downloaded into ISAAC (Integral Synaptic Anti-Anionic Computer), the giant computer that controls all of Titan. Thanos wants to know the location of the Cosmic Cube, and the Supreme Intelligence placed this knowledge in his subconscious memories at the end of Kree-Skrull War.
That's curious. The Kree-Skrull War ended in Avengers #97 in March 1972. At the time the Cosmic Cube was in the possession of Modok, and Doctor Doom attempted to steal it from him in Sub-Mariner #48, a month later. If he had succeeded, the Cosmic Cube would have been taken elsewhere, and the information in Rick Jones' head would have been outdated. The Cosmic Cube exploded and was seemingly destroyed in Sub-Mariner #49. I have no problem accepting that it survived the explosion, but how did Rick know the location of the cave where Thanos finds it in this issue? There are two possibilities:
1. The Supreme Intelligence actually didn't give Rick knowledge of the Cosmic Cube's whereabouts, he gave him a homing beacon to find it. That seems doubtful.
2. Gerry Conway screwed up in Sub-Mariner #48 and #49, so we should just forget that those stories ever happened. That's much more likely.
Anyway, Thanos and Death travel to the Cosmic Cube's destination, and their path is blocked by Drax.
Rick Jones is left in the spaceship in the care of the Super-Skrull. Mentor (Thanos' father) and Eros (Thanos' brother) free him, and he becomes Captain Marvel. He manages to defeat the Super-Skrull.
There's so much great artwork in this comic, but I'll just show this one panel as an example.
After the battle with the Super-Skrull, Mentor sends Captain Marvel back to Earth. He goes to the Avengers Mansion and finds Lou-Ann Savannah unconscious among them.
Marvel Feature #10
Title: Ant-Man no more!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Craig Russell
Villain: Doctor Nemesis
Regulars: Wasp
Guests: Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision)
Doctor Nemesis carries out countless experiments on Ant-Man and the Wasp. Finally he announces that he's finished, and he's cured Ant-Man. He can now change his size again.
Doctor Nemesis says that the Wasp will die if Ant-Man doesn't give him access to Avengers Mansion. He wants to steal some inventions, though he doesn't say what. When they arrive, Ant-Man attacks and defeats him. The Wasp is rescued, and all's well that ends well.
This is the last Ant-Man story in Marvel Feature. That's a shame.
Marvel Premiere #9
Title: The Crypts of Kaa-U!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Frank Brunner
Villain: Shuma-Gorath
Regulars: Wong, Clea, Ancient One
Maybe this should be the comic of the month instead. It's breathtaking. Steve Englehart has a feeling for Doctor Strange like no writer apart from Stan Lee himself. The splash page tells us that it's exactly 10 years since the first Doctor Strange story was published. That was in Strange Tales #110. Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner will take the series to dizzy new heights of greatness. The story of Shuma-Gorath was messy until now, but the new creative team will bring it to an amazing close.
Doctor Strange destroys the planet Kathulos to attract Shuma-Gorath's attention. After Shuma-Gorath speaks to him he's able to follow the trail back to the Earth. Doctor Strange returns to the Ancient One and fights with various adversaries, servants of Shuma-Gorath. When the Ancient One assists him, Shuma-Gorath says he's finally ready to re-enter Earth's dimension. He says that it was the Ancient One's mind that created him, and he couldn't come into the world until the Ancient One used his mystic powers.
Non-canon comics published this month:
Dracula Lives #2 (Marv Wolfman, Neal Adams)
Tales of the Zombie #1 (Steve Gerber, John Buscema)
Monsters Unleashed #1 (Gerry Conway, Pablo Marcos)
Marvel Team-Up #11 (Gerry Conway, Jim Mooney)
Conan the Barbarian #28 (Roy Thomas, John Buscema)
Kull the Conqueror #9 (Gerry Conway, Marie Severin)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #112 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Red Wolf #8 (Gardner Fox, Syd Shores)
Creatures on the Loose #24 (George Effinger, Val Mayerik)
Chamber of Chills #5 (Larry Lieber, Jay Scott Pike)
Worlds Unknown #2 (Roy Thomas, Val Mayerik)
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