In October 1970 Marvel began to publish Conan The Barbarian, a comic based on a character created by the pulp fiction author Robert Howard. Unlike all of Marvel's other characters, Conan wasn't the property of Marvel, and a licensing fee had to be paid for using him. This was a daring experiment by Marvel, but it succeeded, and Conan The Barbarian rapidly became one of Marvel's best selling comics. This success led Marvel to feature a second character from Robert Howard, Kull. In Robert Howard's mythology he was born in Atlantis before it sank, and after leaving Atlantis he became the King of Valusia.
Kull lived long before Conan was born. Robert Howard himself was deliberately vague about the date, but Roy Thomas says that Kull reigned round about 18,500 BC.
Marvel first showed Kull in a sorcerer's vision in Conan The Barbarian #1. Roy Thomas wrote a short story about Kull in Creatures On The Loose #10, a teaser for this new series.
Kull was never as popular with Marvel fans as Conan. This comic was suspended for a year after the second issue. I didn't read the Kull comics when they were new. I read the first two stories today, and I didn't find them particularly inspiring. The stories are written by Roy Thomas, one of my favourite writers, but something intangible is missing. I think Roy was struggling to present Kull as a different character to Conan. Even after reading Kull's origin story I didn't feel like I knew him.
Captain America and the Falcon #138
Title: It happens in Harlem!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Stoneface
Guests: Spider-Man, Harry Osborn
A new artist, but the same great stories from Stan Lee.
The Falcon is captured by Stoneface and his goons. Redwing flies to Captain America to alert him. In the meantime, Spider-Man follows the signal of his Spidey Tracer (TM) and sees that the Falcon is a prisoner and unconscious in Stoneface's lair. He frees the Falcon and tries to talk some sense into him.
Captain America arrives, and the three heroes defeat Stoneface. It's not difficult, he's only a third rate mobster.
In the final panels Captain America gets into a limousine with a mysterious character.
This story is slightly out of sync with Spider-Man's comics. The story takes place before Amazing Spider-Man #95, possibly even earlier.
Amazing Spider-Man #97
Title: In the Grip of the Goblin!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Green Goblin
Regulars: Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn
This comic starts with an exciting battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, one of the best battles ever, but it's eclipsed by the rest of the comic. It's the second Spider-Man comic without the CCA stamp. In the last issue the drug use was implied, but this time we actually see Harry Osborn taking drugs.
It begins with prescription drugs, but after Harry is dumped by Mary Jane Watson on campus he turns to illicit recreational drugs.
Harry is spinning out of control. To give a full account of his problems I'd have to publish the nine pages of the comic that deal with his addiction.
The comic ends with Harry begging Peter for help just as the Green Goblin attacks again. This comic is a true masterpiece. I overuse the word masterpiece, but this is a comic that deserves it.
The story's only fault is this error on page five. It looks like bad grammar, but Stan would never make a mistake like that, so it has to be a lettering error by Sam Rosen. Be nice to him, he's only just returned to work after a lengthy illness.
Fantastic Four #111
Title: The Thing Amok!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Regulars: Agatha Harkness, Franklin Richards, Alicia Masters
Guests: J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Peter Parker, Hulk
The Thing is becoming steadily worse as a side effect of Reed Richards' treatment to give him control over his body changes. The Human Torch fights him in the streets of New York, but he can't be stopped.
Bruce Banner is on his way to the Baxter Building to aid Reed in reversing the Thing's condition, but when he sees the Thing he gets excited and becomes the Hulk.
Thor #189
Title: The Icy Touch of Death!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Hela, Loki, Karnilla
Regulars: Odin, Sif, Balder, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Heimdall
Odin tells Thor that there's no way to resist Hela, so he has to hide on Earth in the form of Dr. Donald Blake. He cannot become Thor again until Thor has devised a plan.
Balder visits Karnilla the Norn Queen to ask for help protecting Thor. He finally gives in and agrees to become her lover. I would have surrendered to her long ago. I'm sure she's not exaggerating when she promises bliss like he's never known before.
Hela sees herself as a benefactor. Death is a blessing, the release from suffering.
Hela goes to Earth to search for Thor. She disguises herself as a human woman, but in the proces she makes herself look like a Russian spy.
The Incredible Hulk #140
Title: The Brute that shouted Love at the Heart of the Atom!
Writer: Harlan Ellison, Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Psyklop
Guests: Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Goliath, Falcon
Regulars: Jarella
This triple splash page introduces the second part of the story written by Harlan Ellison. He was supposedly a famous science fiction author in the 1970's, but I confess that I've never heard of him. I'm just a Michael Moorcock fan. I've been informed that Roy Thomas included the titles of 20 short stories written by Harlan Ellison into the comic's dialogue. If you're a fan you can hunt for them. If not, there's always Google.
The Hulk arrives in a microscopic world. He saves the inhabitants from an attack by giant pig-like creatures called warthos. The people thank him, but he can't understand their language. A trio of sorcerers cast a spell to make him speak their language, and a side effect is that he is given Bruce Banner's intellect.
Queen Jarella offers to marry him. The day before the wedding Psyklop's hand reaches into the world and pulls him out. The Hulk fights with Psyklop back on Earth, but the battle is interrupted when a giant hand belonging to a Dark God pulls Psyklop away to be punished for his failure. The unstated implication of the final panels is that Jarella's world is a mote of dust in our world, but our world is a mote of dust in an even larger world.
It's an interesting story, though not really compatible with Marvel or the tales that Roy Thomas usually writes. The second part is easy to understand, but it makes no attempt to explain the confusion in last month's Avengers #88. The best thing about the story is that it introduces Jarella, who will be the Hulk's love interest for the next few years.
The Avengers #89
Title: The Only Good Alien...
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Avengers: Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Annihilus, Supreme Intelligence, Ronan the Accuser, Sentry 459
Guests: Captain Marvel, Rick Jones, Reed Richards
This story takes place at the same time as Avengers #88, while the other Avengers are in Louisiana battling Psyklop.
While floating in the Negative Zone, Captain Marvel witnessed the battle between Reed Richards and Annihilus, which took place in Fantastic Four #110. He saw Reed leave the Negative Zone through a portal, and he sees this as a way to unlink himself from Rick Jones. He swaps places with Rick, then flies to the Baxter Building. He opens the door to the Negative Zone, but he's triggered an alarm, and the Avengers on duty in New York (Vision, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) challenge him. Rick Jones leaps through the door, followed by Annihilus.
After a brief battle, Annihilus is sucked back into the Negative Zone, and the door is slammed behind him. Captain Marvel leaves before the others can stop him. Instruments reveal that Captain Marvel has radiation in him that's powerful enough to kill him and others around him.
The Avengers capture Captain Marvel and put him in a machine to remove the radiation. Meanwhile, Ronan the Accuser, who we last saw in Captain Marvel #16, goes to the Kree Supreme Intelligence and tells him that he intends to kill Captain Marvel. Ronan awakes the dormant Sentry 459. It breaks into the laboratory where Captain Marvel is being treated.
Sub-Mariner #38
Title: Namor Agonistes!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Ross Andru
Regulars: Dorma (corpse), Vashti
Prince Namor stands over Dorma's corpse speaking a soliloquy. He recounts to himself (and to the readers) his origin story. He remembers the women that he loved in the past, Betty Dean and Susan Storm, but he loved no one as much as Dorma.
After Dorma's funeral, Namor renounces his position as ruler of Atlantis.
This is yet another masterpiece from the pen of Roy Thomas. Ross Andru's art isn't shabby either.
Sub-Mariner #39
Note: This issue is dated July 1971, but I've included it in this month's reviews because there's a two-part story that begins in this month's issue of Daredevil and continues in the August issue of Sub-Mariner. I don't want to write about multi-part stories in the wrong order.
Title: And here I'll stand!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Ross Andru
Villain: Llyra (flashback)
Regulars: Diane Arliss, Dorma (flashback)
This beautiful issue does something I've never seen before in Marvel. Usually comics begin with a splash page. Sometimes there are two splash pages, such as Avengers #61. Sometimes there's a double splash page on pages two and three, such as Doctor Strange #181. In very rare instances there are three splash pages, like this month's Incredible Hulk #140. This issue has a single page splash page, but it's delayed until page four. It's like the pre-credits scene in a movie.
In the first three pages, Namor visits the Morris Oceanarium, looking for Llyra. She's not there, so he destroys the oceanarium in a rage.
Namor wants to find a new home for himself on the surface world. There's a deserted island off the coast of Manhattan called Prison Island. The only building is a prison that's no longer in use. The prison is in disrepair, but Namor repairs it and decorates it to his own tastes. His presence is noticed, so a delegation from the army comes to ask him if it's the start of an invasion. Namor tells them he just wants to be left alone.
The army returns with a large force. Unwilling to let Namor live alone on the island, they completely destroy it. Maybe that's why Namor hates the surface world so much.
Diane Arliss brings Namor a newspaper with a report that suggests his father, Leonard McKenzie, might still be alive.
Daredevil #77
Title: And so enters the Amazing Spider-Man
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Guests: Sub-Mariner, Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson
Spider-Man watches Daredevil swinging through the city and feels jealous, because he assumes Daredevil to be a super-hero without relationship problems.
Back home, Peter Parker is visited by Mary Jane Watson. Or is it? In this panel and the following ones she has blonde hair. Either she's bought herself a new wig to win Peter's heart, or the colourist has blundered.
A spaceship shaped like a teardrop is hovering over Central Park. A voice from within is calling for Prince Namor to show himself. He is indeed standing in the crowd. He steps towards the spaceship, and he's immediately attacked by Daredevil, who blames Namor for the disturbance.
Spider-Man arrives and helps Daredevil fight against Sub-Mariner, but Daredevil senses that Spider-Man is competing with him, trying to show who's the best fighter. The fighting stops when the spaceship opens and a beautiful woman reveals herself. She says that she has come to Earth for Namor's help, but she thinks that Spider-Man can also assist her. The two enter the spaceship.
Daredevil rings Karen Page, but she doesn't answer the phone.
This story will continue in Sub-Mariner #40.
Iron Man #38
Title: When calls Jonah!
Writer: Allyn Brodsky, Gerry Conway
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Jonah
Regulars: Kevin O'Brian
An ex-convict called Frankie Majors applies for a job at Stark Industries. He says that he was framed when he left his criminal gang. Tony Stark hires him, because he's an electronics expert, but he decides to look into his past. His investigations confirm that Frankie has gone straight.
The gang's boss, Jonah, wants Frankie to return. He blackmails him by holding his wife hostage. Iron Man defeats the gang and frees Frankie's wife.
It's another poor story. Iron Man is going through a bad patch since Gerry Conway took over as writer.
Astonishing Tales #6
Title: Beware the Winds of Death!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Barry Smith
Villain: Damon
Centuries ago two Gods, Damon and Lelania, lived in the Savage Land as lovers. Lelania died, and Damon left to grieve. Now he has returned, and he wants to kill everyone.
Title: The Tentacles of the Tyrant!
Writer: Larry Lieber
Artist: George Tuska
Guests: Black Panther
Doctor Doom has heard rumours about the existence of a metal called Vibranium. He finds out that it can only be found in Wakanda. Obviously he hasn't heard about the small supply of Quasi-Vibranium in Ka-Zar's Savage Land. He travels to Wakanda to plunder the Vibranium. The Black Panther challenges him when he arrives.
Other comics published this month:
Conan the Barbarian #6 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Kull the Conqueror #1 (Roy Thomas, Ross Andru)
Millie the Model #190 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Western Gunfighters #5 (Len Wein, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #88 (Al Kurzrok, Dick Ayers)
Monsters on the Prowl #11 (Ralph Reese, Ralph Reese)
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