This is an experimental issue, as we can see from an editorial page written by Roy Thomas.
In the 1960's Marvel sporadically published large-sized versions of the comics of their most popular heroes. At first they were called annuals, because they appeared yearly, but as time progressed they were called king-sized specials, because they no longer appeared in a yearly rhythm. There were six Fantastic Four annuals (1963-1968), five Spider-Man annuals (1964-1968), four Sgt. Fury annuals (1965-1968), two Thor annuals (1965-1966), two Avengers annuals (1967-1968), one Daredevil annual (1967), one Hulk annual (1968) and one Strange Tales (Doctor Strange) annual (1963). Some of these annuals continued as reprint issues, but effectively the last real annuals were Fantastic Four Annual #6 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5, both published in November 1968.
At the risk of making this post look unsexy, I'll quote Roy Thomas' editorial in full.
As you can see, the original intention was to have a monthly larger sized comic alternating between the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Conan, so that each of these heroes would be featured four times a year. It's a good idea, but it didn't last long. The idea will begin to totter by next month, and within three months it will be completely abandoned, with Marvel making sporadic Giant-Size comics as companions for its regular series.
A valid question is whether the giant-size comics will be within the continuity of the regular sized comics. The answer is that it will vary, but in general the comics will be within the normal continuity, written by the same authors, so it's just a way to give fans two comics instead of one every few months.
The Giant-Size comics will only be printed for about a year. They're good while they last.
Giant-Size Super-Stars #1
Title(s): The Mind of the Monster!
Someone's been sleeping in my head
And in this corner, the Incredible Hulk!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Rich Buckler
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa
Villain: Thundra
Guests: Hulk
This comic contains a single 23-page story, split into three chapters with different titles. It's slightly out of sync with the regular titles. It probably takes place before Fantastic Four #145. It's more difficult to sync with the Hulk's regular stories, because it's been a long time since he was on the American East Coast. Gerry Conway obviously didn't give the matter much thought. Possibly it takes place in the middle of page 13 of Incredible Hulk #167 (September 1973), but that's an artificial solution for something that just doesn't fit.
The Hulk is in Manhattan. He falls asleep and turns into Bruce Banner. He goes to the Baxter Building to seek Reed Richards' help in becoming human again. Only the Thing is at home. When Bruce hears that Reed has been working on a Psi-Ampflifier (TM), he immediately knows it's what he needs. It can use the radiation from his body and the Thing's body to cure both of them.
The result isn't what's expected. Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk again, but the Hulk and the Thing have swapped bodies. Amusingly, the Hulk (now in the Thing's body) thinks that the Hulk's body is ugly.
Thundra gets involved by arriving to fight the Thing, to prove that she's stronger than any man. It turns into a three-way fight.
Reed Richards injects the Hulk (i.e. the Thing in the Hulk's body) with a sedative to make him turn back into Bruce Banner. Isn't the Hulk's skin too thick? This puts the two monsters back into their own bodies.
After appearing in the last 12 issues of Marvel Premiere, Doctor Strange will be given his own comic next month. Beginning this month, Marvel Premiere will feature a new hero, Iron Fist. This is to continue to cash in on the Kung Fu craze that was sweeping America, a third martial arts comic after Master of Kung Fu and Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.
Marvel Premiere #15
Title: The Fury of Iron Fist!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane
When Danny Rand was nine years old he accompanied his parents on a trip to find the lost country of Shangri La in the Himalayas. His father fell to his death, leaving him alone with his mother. His mother sacrificed herself to save him from an attack by wolves. Danny was saved by warriors from a remote city called K'Un-Lun. They train him with their knowledge and their fighting skills.
10 years later Danny has to prepare to return to the outside world. To prove himself worthy, he has to defeat others in combat: first four fighters, then a giant robot.
As much as I love Roy Thomas as a writer, this story is bland. It doesn't say anything that we haven't already seen in the Shang Chi stories, but here it isn't told as well.
This month Marvel launches another anthology magazine as a 75 cent b/w magazine. As I've said before, the days of anthology comics are over. Haunt Of Horror will be cancelled after five issues.
Man-Thing #5
Title: Night of the Laughing Dead
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Mike Ploog
Regulars: Richard Rory, Ruth Hart
Man-Thing witnesses a clown commit suicide by shooting himself at the side of the swamp. He picks up his corpse and carries him to a place to bury him.
At the same time, Richard Rory and Ruth Hart see an identical clown dancing in the swamp. They all come together, and a ghost-like clown rises out of the dead clown's body.
Avengers #123
Title: Vengeance in Vietnam!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown
Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman, Black Panther
Villain: Zodiac (Libra, Taurus, Leo, Cancer, Sagittarius), Star-Stalker
Regulars: Mantis
Mantis rejects Libra's claim that he's her father, because she grew up as an orphan. He says that he was a German mercenary fighting in Vietnam for the French in 1953. He married a Vietnamese woman called Lua. Her brother Khruul, the lord of the underworld, didn't approve of the marriage. Khruul killed Lua, and Libra had to flee with their baby daughter. He took refuge in a temple, where they were both trained in martial arts, but forced to remain separate.
Swordsman impulsively leaves to take revenge on Khruul. The other Avengers follow him, accompanied by Libra and Mantis.
Swordsman is defeated by Khruul's henchmen, because he still hasn't recovered from the wounds he received in Avengers #117. Under torture he reveals that Lua's daughter was brought up in a nearby temple. He kills the temple's priests.
When the other Avengers arrive they find Khruul almost dead. A monster he calls the Star-Stalker is attacking.
Captain America and the Falcon #173
Title: The Sins of the Secret Empire!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Secret Empire
Guests: Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones
Flashbacks: Magneto, Iceman, Beast, Iron Man, Thor
Captain America is interrupted by Nick Fury and SHIELD, who want to arrest him for murder. The Falcon and the two members of the X-Men help him escape.
Professor X suspects that Linda Donaldson, who we last saw in Amazing Adventures #15, is working for the Secret Empire. He devises a plan to infiltrate the organisation. Cyclops attempts to kidnap Linda. Captain America and the Falcon appear in civilian clothing to save her her. The plan succeeds. Later that evening Agent 13 of the Secret Empire asks them to steal an Electron-Gyro (TM) from Brand Corporation.
They deliver the Electron-Gyro to Agent 13. He takes them to an underground lair in the desert. Professor X, Cyclops and Marvel Girl track them.
The Incredible Hulk #175
Title: Man-Brute in the Hidden Land!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Regulars: Betty Ross
Guests: Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Crystal, Quicksilver
That's interesting. When the Hulk falls from space he burns with friction on entering the Earth's atmosphere, but like meteorites and space capsules.
The Hulk falls into the Hidden Land of the Inhumans. Shortly after falling he turns back into Bruce Banner. They've discovered Counter-Earth, which was prominently featured in Warlock's stories. They're considering emigrating to Counter-Earth. Bruce banner thinks it might be a good home for him as well.
A racist mob attacks Bruce Banner as an unwanted pink-faced human in their midst. That's curious. Aren't many of the Inhumans pink-skinned as well? The stress makes him turn back into the Hulk. After knocking him out with a sonic blast, Black Bolt places the Hulk into the space ship that was intended to carry the Inhumans to Counter-Earth.
Amazing Spider-Man #132
Title: The Master Plan of the Molten Man!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Johnny Romita
Villain: Molten Man
Regulars: Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, Mary Jane Watson, Liz Allan
I wish all of Gerry Conway's stories were as good as this one. Spider-Man is the only hero for whom he has a feeling. The story begins with Spider-Man having a cold, something that frequently happened in Stan Lee's classic run on Spider-Man. He brings back an old villain, the Molten Man, who we last saw way back in Amazing Spider-Man #35. That's something rare for Conway; he prefers to invent his own new villains. Then he brings back an old character from Peter Parker's social life, Liz Allen, a school friend who disappeared from his life even further back in Amazing Spider-Man #30. I get the impression he's been doing his homework, re-reading all of the old stories for inspiration.
In the flashbacks it's stated that Liz Allan was Peter Parker's first crush at school before he became Spider-Man. As far as I remember, that was never explicitly stated in Stan Lee's early comics. There were just hints. Liz seemed to be more interested in Peter than the other way round. Maybe I should return to the old comics as well.
The Molten Man steals two meteor rocks from a natural history museum. In his civilian identity as Mr. Raxton he threatens his landlady. She calls the Daily Bugle. Ned Leeds goes to investigate. He's knocked unconscious when he arrives.
Spider-Man battles the Molten Man, who manages to escape. Peter Parker takes Ned Leeds to hospital. He's suffering from radiation poisoning. Peter collapses in the hospital corridor.
Fantastic Four #146
Title: Doomsday: 200 Degrees Below!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Ross Andru
Fantastic Four: Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa
Villain: Ternak
This is a dull story, like most written by Gerry Conway, but it stands out for one reason: after 13 years, this is the first issue in which Reed Richards doesn't appear.
Johnny Storm and Medusa escape from being frozen, but they're still too weak to defeat Ternak. They're led to the chamber where the monk who first educated the snowmen has been artificially kept alive in an Entropy Globe (TM) for either 140 or 400 years; the dates on two consecutive pages contradict each other. He gives Johnny a weapon to use against Ternak.
The Thing arrives to save Johnny and Medusa. Do the pogo planes have tracking beacons? Gerry doesn't tell us. Johnny uses the weapon given him by the monk. It turns the snowman into warm blooded creatures. They can't use the Climate Cannon any more, because they need warmth. On the other hand, they can't remain in the Himalayas, because it's too cold for them, but that's one of Gerry Conway's infamous loose ends.
Thor #223
Title: Hellfire across the world!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Pluto
Regulars: Odin, Sif, Hildegarde, Krista
Guests: Hercules
Thor and Hercules fight their way through the minions of Hades in order to reach Pluto. Hercules' strength is halved in Hades, so Thor has to do most of the fighting. Before they can reach him, Pluto teleports himself to Manhattan with Krista.
Thor and Hercules follow him. Pluto tells them that Krista herself is of no importance to him; she was merely a pawn to start a war between Asgard and Olympus. His plan has failed.
Like many of Gerry Conway's stories, much doesn't make sense. Why should Pluto abandon Hades and go to Earth where Hercules' full power returns? Doesn't Pluto's own power decrease on Earth? In past issues, such as Thor #130, Pluto seemed like a God whose power rivalled that of Odin. Here he seems like a normal powerful opponent.
Pluto leaves. Krista is badly hurt and needs medical treatment.
Tomb of Dracula #20
Title: The Coming of Doctor Sun
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Doctor Sun, Brand, Morgo, Clifton Graves
Regulars: Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake, Quincy Harker (flashback)
Kills: One man (total 27)
Embraces: None (total 8)
Frank Drake and Rachel Van Helsing hunt for Dracula, as he stumbles through the snow-covered mountains. Dracula finds refuge in a cave that contains two dead men and treasure. He tries to drink the remaining blood of one man, but the blood is foul and offers him no sustenance.
Dracula passes out. He wakes up in the lair of Doctor Sun, who's been briefly shown in many recent issues. He's bound, and in the presence of Professor Morgo and Clifton Graves, who seemingly died in Tomb Of Dracula #10. Doctor Sun found him, healed him and made him stronger than before.
Frank Drake and Rachel Van Helsing find the entrance to the lair. Dracula frees himself. In the battle Clifton Graves is killed. Again. Doctor Sun enters and says he wants to challenge Dracula to a duel.
Werewolf by Night #17
Title: The Behemoth!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Don Perlin
Villain: Baron Thunder, Behemoth (Kay-Twelve)
Regulars: Topaz, Phillip Russell, Lissa Russell, Lou Hackett
Welcome to Don Perlin as the new regular artist for Werewolf By Night. Maybe I should say welcome back. He used to be an artist for Marvel, but this is the first comic he's drawn since 1958.
Topaz manages to keep the Werewolf under control with her mental powers. She hides him from the French police until dawn, and then Jack Russell can flee in his human form.
Jack returns to his family and introduces them to Topaz. Lissa is worried. She's 17½, and she fears that when she turns 18 she'll also become a werewolf.
The Committee is still following Jack Russell. The Committee's leader, Baron Thunder, has created a monster called Kay-Twelve, which he has nicknamed the Behemoth. The Behemoth attacks Jack in his rented apartment. They fight all night, roughly equally matched, but strangely the Behemoth leaves just before dawn.
Topaz is no longer able to keep the Werewolf calm. She says that she wants to return to India to strengthen her mental powers.
The police detective Lou Hackett knocks on the door and says that he's looking for a werewolf.
The Frankenstein Monster #10
Title: The Last Frankenstein!
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Vincent Frankenstein, Ivan
While standing over Carmen's corpse, Vincent Frankenstein arrives, the great-great-nephew of Victor Frankenstein, the man who created the Monster. Vincent is supposedly the last living descendent of Victor Frankenstein. I don't exactly know what a great-great-nephew is, but I'll assume that's correct.
Victor is accompanied by his servant, a hunch-backed giant called Ivan. Ivan is stronger than the Monster. At first the Monster wants to kill Vincent, but then he's persuaded to accompany him to London. Ivan begins to think of the Monster as his friend.
In London it becomes obvious that Vincent doesn't want to help the Monster, he wants to experiment on him to restore the honour of his family name. The Monster tries to kill Vincent, but Ivan knocks him unconscious.
Daredevil #109
Title: Dying for Dollars!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Bob Brown
Villain: Beetle, Nekra, Black Spectre
Regulars: Black Widow, Foggy Nelson, Candace Nelson
Guests: Shanna
The Black Spectre agents take the plates (now obviously printing plates) stolen by the Beetle and use a cloud of gas to help them escape. The Beetle recovers and also escapes.
Two months later Foggy Nelson is recovering from his injuries, but is still in a wheelchair. The Black Widow is in New York checking up on her old lover. She's attacked by a woman called Nekra, who invites her to join the Black Spectre.
Black Spectre agents are causing a riot by throwing money from the rooftops. Daredevil tries to stop them. The Beetle joins the fight against them, angry that they interrupted his robbery.
Police Commissioner O'Hara is in New York, looking for clues on the man who killed his brother. Shanna the She-Devil arrives, saying that she's the daughter of the Commissioner's brother.
Marvel Two-In-One #3
Title: Inside Black Spectre!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Nekra, Black Spectre, Mandrill
Regulars: Reed Richards
Guests: Daredevil, Black Widow, Foggy Nelson, Candace Nelson, Shanna, Wundarr
This month's Daredevil #109 continues in Marvel Two-In-One #3, the Thing's solo comic, also written by Steve Gerber. Since both comics are published bi-monthly, Steve has had enough time to write both comics. Having said that, this issue of Marvel Two-In-One merely acts as a bridge between Daredevil #109 and Daredevil #110, filling in some extra information and containing minor fights.
Reed Richards is trying to make a costume for Wundarr that will keep his powers under control. There's an explosion, so Daredevil goes to the Baxter Building to investigate.
Matt Murdock visits a play with Candace Nelson. It's being controlled by Black Spectre and is meant to incite the public to hate. Two hypnotised actors are killed on stage. Matt changes into his Daredevil costume, and he's attacked by the Black Widow, now a member of Black Spectre. She leaves by attaching herself to a blimp. Daredevil returns to the Baxter Building to follow the blimp in a Fantasticar, piloted by the Thing.
In the blimp, Nekra and Mandrill are waiting for them. Mandrill, last seen in Shanna The She-Devil #4, seems to be the leader of Black Spectre. Nekra and Mandrill defeat Daredevil and the Thing, then send them back to the ground in the Fantasticar.
Captain Marvel #32
Title: Thanos the Insane God!
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Jim Starlin
Villain: Thanos, Death
Regulars: Rick Jones, Lou-Ann Savannah, Drax, Mentor, Eros
Guests: Moon Dragon, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman, Mantis
It's Comic Of The Month time again. Nothing else written this month lives up to this epic written and drawn by Jim Starlin. If he'd stopped here, this would have been his lasting legacy, but he continued to write other stories about Thanos and his striving for Godhood.
Thanos has now become God. Captain Marvel picks up the Cosmic Cube and orders it to change Thanos back, but its power has been used up.
Drax continues his battle against Thanos, refusing to believe it's in vain. This is a brilliant two-page picture.
Drax's origin is revealed. In 1983 he was a human called Art Douglas, driving home from Las Vegas with his wife and his daughter Heather. He witnessed Thanos' spaceship on a reconnaissance mission. Thanos destroyed their car, killing Art and his wife, while Heather escaped. With the help of Cronos, Mentor caught Art's soul and gave him a new powerful body as Drax, obsessed with hatred for Thanos. Heather was taken to Titan and trained to become Moon Dragon.
Rick Jones taunts Thanos, playing on his ego, daring him to return and battle Captain Marvel.
Maybe that's not such a good idea, but this final page, especially the last panel, is outstanding.
Sub-Mariner #70
Title: Namor Unchained!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Piranha
Regulars: Tamara, Namorita, Betty Dean
Atlantis is now protected by a force field while Professor Croft attempts to find a cure for Prince Namor's people. A serum in a ship buried on the sea bed for decades might cure them. Namor swims to the ship and finds nothing, but he's attacked by someone calling himself the Piranha.
This series is in a mess. It briefly reached levels of greatness in the issues written by Bill Everett, but Steve Gerber couldn't keep it going, and now Marv Wolfman is letting it drift away into oblivion. Unless a great writer (like Steve Englehart) takes over, it deserves to be cancelled.
Ka-Zar #3
Title: Night of the Man-God!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Maa-Gor, El Tigre
Regulars: Bobbi Morse
Maa-Gor wanders into the Mystic Mists at the centre of the Savage Land, the source of Ka-Zar's strength. These mists make him stronger and more intelligent. He can now speak for the first time, rather than grunting. The only thing that hasn't changed is that he still hates Ka-Zar. He mentally summons El Tigre to leave Argentina and join him as an ally. I never expected to see El Tigre again after he was defeated in X-Man #26. He's settled down to become a normal criminal, but Maa-Gor gives him the power to control animals, including Zabu.
Bobbi Morse arrives in the Savage Land. She's been tailing El Tigre for SHIELD. Together Bobbi and Ka-Zar battle Maa-Gor and El Tigre. Bobbi is knocked out, and Ka-Zar prepares to attack.
The story is rather dull, but I like this map of the Savage Land, drawn by Mike Royer.
Marvel Spotlight #15
Title: Black Sabbath!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Jim Mooney
Villain: Satan
Regulars: Katherine Reynolds
This series is improving in leaps and bounds since Steve Gerber took over as writer. He's not just a good match for Daimon Hellstrom, as I claimed in in my review of the last issue, he's a perfect match. Who else could write this series better?
Satan takes away Daimon's ability to be a man of God by daylight while being evil at night. Now both personalities struggle within him all the time.
Katherine Reynolds asks Daimon to give a lecture at her university. He agrees. At dinner she introduces him to another lecturer, Dr. Byron Hyatt. He asks for Daimon's help in breaking up a Satanic cult to which some of his students belong, because the cult is bringing his course on the history of Satanism into disrepute.
Daimon, Katherine and Byron drive to a ritual on the Feast of Candlemas, February 2nd, which is also Daimon's birthday. Satan himself is present in the form of the goat demon Baphomet. Daimon destroys Baphomet's body, forcing Satan back into Hell.
Jungle Action #9
Title: But now the spears are broken
Writer: Don McGregor
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Baron Macabre
Regulars: Monica Lynne
The people of Wakanda dislike Monica Lynne as an outworlder, and some of them aren't discreet enough to hide their feelings.
Black Panther fears a new attack by Killmonger, but there are other dangers in Wakanda. A zombie-like creature called Baron Macabre rises from the ground and kills a farmer. Black Panther suspects that he's a fake. He returns to his palace to get help. Monica is being taken away, accused of murdering the palace official Zatama.
This is a truly excellent story. I need to read the whole series together, rather than one comic every two months.
Non-canon comics published this month:
Savage Tales #4 (Roy Thomas, Neal Adams)
Dracula Lives #6 (Steve Gerber, Gene Colan)
Tales of the Zombie #5 (Steve Gerber, Pablo Marcos)
Haunt of Horror #1 (Gerry Conway, Ralph Reese)
Defenders #13 (Len Wein, Sal Buscema)
Marvel Team-Up #21 (Len Wein, Sal Buscema)
Marvel Two-In-One #3 (Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema)
Conan the Barbarian #38 (Roy Thomas, John Buscema)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #119 (Gerry Conway, Dick Ayers)
Creatures on the Loose #29 (Steve Gerber, Vicente Alcazar)
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