This month Marvel has published three new comics. Or is it two? Last month Roy Thomas promised in his editorial that Giant-Size Super-Stars would be published monthly, alternating stories about the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian. The comic's final panel promised that Spider-Man would appear in the next issue. But this month there's no second issue of Giant-Size Super-Stars. There will never be a second issue. Instead, we have Giant-Size Super-Heroes, featuring Spider-Man. Based on adverts in the monthly comics, this is the story that was promised for the never-to-be-published Giant-Size Super-Stars #2
Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1
Title(s): Man-Wolf at Midnight!
Duel of the Demon Duo!
When strikes the Vampire!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Morbius, Man-Wolf
Regulars: J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson
This comic contains a single 25-page story, split into three chapters with different titles. It's slightly out of sync with Spider-Man's own comic. It takes place before last month's Amazing Spider-Man #132.
John Jameson doesn't expect to become the Man-Wolf again, because his moonstone was removed by Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #125. Nevertheless, he changes. Morbius, who regularly appears in Adventure Into Fear, claims responsibility. He's been stalking John Jameson, holding the moonstone close to him. After the change he puts the moonstone back round his neck on a necklace. He wants the Man-Wolf to serve as a distraction while he breaks into a laboratory and steals equipment that can possibly heal him.
First Spider-Man defeats the Man-Wolf, then fights with Morbius. When Morbius (wrongly) thinks that the laboratory equipment has been destroyed, he leaves.
J. Jonah Jameson is hiding his son.
The second new comic this month is Giant-Size Chillers. According to Marv Wolfman's editorial, it's supposed to appear monthly, featuring stories that alternate between Dracula, Werewolf By Night and Man-Thing. This won't happen. There will never be a second issue.
Marv Wolfman promises in his editorial that he will personally see to upholding the continuity of the Dracula tales between the different comics, even if they take place in different centuries. Twice in his editorial he makes a dig at Marvel's biggest competition, the company formerly known as Brand Echh.
"If Dracula is to remain consistent, if he's going to be a real character and not merely a cardboard figure like some of the characters published by our Dubious Competition, then everything has to fit in place".
"If we can keep a consistency between the writers of Dracula (Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, Len Wein and myself), the character of Dracula will only grow, rather than stagnate into mediocrity like a certain red-caped hero who hasn't any personality at all, because there is no one person coordinating his movements".
Well said! Brand Echh will need years to catch up with Marvel's quality.
Giant-Size Chillers #1
Title(s): Night of the She-Demon!
The Ghost on Haunted Hill!
Demons in the Dark!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan
Regulars: Lilith, Sheila Whittier, Quincy Harker, Taj
This comic contains a single 24-page story, split into three chapters with different titles. It's in sync with the stories in Tomb of Dracula, taking place shortly after this month's Tomb of Dracula #21.
Dracula is looking for a castle in England. He's also striving to attain a position that will give him full diplomatic immunity. He's given Castle Dunwick, even though a woman called Sheila Whittier already lives in it. His ownership of the castle is probably the reason why he can enter without being invited.
In the north of England a woman rises from the grave. It's Dracula's daughter Lilith, born when he still lived in Romania in his first life. She became a vampire by a witch's curse. Unlike other vampires, she can walk in the daylight. She has been blessed/cursed with immortality, that she will live as long as Dracula lives. If she's ever killed, her spirit can possess the body of another young woman.
Lilith takes revenge on Quincy Harker, the last man to kill her. She thinks she has killed him, but he's barely alive, and he can be healed with a blood transfusion.
Dracula and Lilith have been enemies for centuries, but Lilith wants to make peace with her father, because she thinks they can do better as allies.
The third new comic this month is the return of Doctor Strange to his own title. The last issue published was Doctor Strange #183 in November 1969, but now the numbering starts again from one. In my humble opinion, Steve Englehart's Doctor Strange comics (Marvel Premiere #12 to #14, Doctor Strange #1 to #18) were the best comics ever published by Marvel. I've omitted Marvel Premiere #9 and #10, because he was cleaning up a story started by others, and Marvel Premiere #11 was a DDD issue. Frank Brunner left after Doctor Strange #5, unfortunately, but Gene Colan's mystical artwork was also suitable for the series.
Doctor Strange #1
Title: Through an orb darkly
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Frank Brunner
Villain: Silver Dagger
Guests: Clea, Wong
A magician called Silver Dagger breaks into Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum to steal the Eye of Agamotto. It's not explicitly stated, but he seems to be some sort of religious fanatic. He thinks Doctor Strange is evil, so he stabs him in the back while he's meditating. He kidnaps Clea and leaves.
Doctor Strange is on the point of death. He tries to use the Orb of Agamotto to heal himself, but he's sucked into it. The only advantage is that his wounds don't get any worse while he's inside the Orb.
Is this really Death, the figure we see in the recent Captain Marvel comics? I think not. It's a vision as he falls into the Orb. But what a wonderful picture by Frank Brunner!
Inside the Orb everything is unreal. Doctor Strange is given guidance by a caterpillar. To ask a rhetorical question: could anyone who doesn't use LSD have written and drawn a story like this? In his interviews Steve Englehart admits that he took acid trips with Frank Brunner and Jim Starlin at this time. Comic fans can profit from their mind expansion, even today, 46 years later.
Man-Thing #6
Title: And when I died!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Mike Ploog
Regulars: Richard Rory, Ruth Hart
This is a really crazy story. It highlights Steve Gerber's madness and brilliance.
The clown's ghost turns Man-Thing's friends into representations of himself and his family when he was young. They perform a play about his early life, in three stages, while a group of critics look on. When the play is over, the critics judge his life a failure. The critics reveal themselves to be representatives of Heaven, Hell and the Place-In-Between. Because his life was so meaningless, he won't be allowed into any of the three places. He'll be cast into oblivion. Nothingness. When Ayla, the clown's former girlfriend, sheds a tear for him the critics change their minds. A life that can cause tears is not meaningless. The representative of Heaven accepts him.
Daredevil #110
Title: Birthright!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Nekra, Mandrill, Black Spectre
Regulars: Black Widow
Guests: Shanna, Ben Grimm
The Thing flies Daredevil back to Manhattan. On the ground Daredevil finds two Black Spectre members waiting for him. He defeats them and hands them over to the police, but they self-destruct in custody.
Daredevil tracks down Mandrill. He tells Daredevil his origin. Mandrill and Nekra are both mutants, the children of parents who were exposed to radiation in 1944. Nekra has white skin, and her power is that she can make people feel hate. Mandrill is hairy like a monkey, and apart from his abnormal physical strength his power is that all women must obey him.
After a brief flight, Mandrill escapes.
Avengers #124
Title: Beware the Star-Stalker!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: John Buscema
Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman, Black Panther
Villain: Taurus
Regulars: Mantis, Libra
The Avengers stand over Khruul's dead body, not noticing the Star-Stalker lurking in the background. When they search the temple, they eventually find the Star-Stalker. He reveals to them that the temple's priests were the descendants of Kree exiles. He tried to kill them, but they found out how to hurt him, so he's watched them from a distance ever since.
The Avengers fight with the Star-Stalker. They're too weak to deal with him, until Mantis finally remembers the secret of the priests' victory: the Star-Stalker can't stand heat.
Mantis can't remember any of what Libra told her last issue, but she's starting to believe it might be true.
Captain America and the Falcon #174
Title: It's always darkest!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Secret Empire, Moonstone, Magneto (flashback)
Guests: Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Banshee (flashback), Angel, Iceman, Beast, Lorna Dane, Havok, Unus, Blob, Mastermind, Mesmero
Captain America and the Falcon are undercover in the lair of the Secret Empire. The Falcon has a hunch that they should change into costume and hide. They escape just in time, before there's an attempt to destroy them with laser beams.
Professor X, Marvel Girl and Cyclops lower themselves into the lair through an air shaft. The hunches were telepathic messages from Professor X, as we already suspected. They unite qith Captain America and the Falcon. Together they find a room where Angel, Iceman, Beast, Lorna Dane, Havok, Unus, Blob, Mastermind and Mesmero are connected to a machine that's somehow draining their mutant abilities. They're attacked and knocked unconscious by a blast from an Atomic Annihilator (TM).
It's significant that in this comic Captain America repeatedly reflects on his disillusionment with America.
The Incredible Hulk #176
Title: Crisis on Counter-Earth!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Man-Beast
Regulars: Betty Ross, General Ross, Major Talbot
Guests: Adam Warlock, Recorder
The spaceship carrying the Hulk crashes on Counter-Earth. He turns back into Bruce Banner before the military picks him up. While in hospital he turns back into the Hulk and goes on a rampage. The Man-Beast sends his servants to capture him. They have a helmet that can turn him back into Bruce Banner.
Some time between Warlock #8 and now, Adam Warlock was trapped by the Man-Beast. The Recorder overcomes Warlock's guard and frees him. That's very out of character. Usually he just records.
Meanwhile, Major Talbot escapes from his prison in Russia. Something seems suspicious.
Amazing Spider-Man #133
Title: The Molten Man breaks out!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Ross Andru
Villain: Molten Man
Regulars: J. Jonah Jameson, Ned Leeds, Liz Allan, Mary Jane Watson
The Molten Man attempts to kill Ned Leeds because of secrets that he thinks Ned Leeds discovered in the boarding house. Spider-Man is weakened by the exposure to radiation, but he manages to protect Ned and make the Molten Man flee.
Liz Allan reveals that Mark Raxton, the Molten Man, is her step-brother. She became a nurse to be close to him in hospital. His skin is dissolving and he'll die soon.
The Molten Man steals radioactive isotopes intended for medical purposes. Then he attempts to steal a meteor from a museum, but Spider-Man stops him. He's trying to gather material to heal himself. While they're fighting, the final stage of the Molten Man's deterioration begins. He accidentally drops his equipment in the river (Hudson?) He leaps into the water to retrieve everything, which destroys him. Seemingly.
Fantastic Four #147
Title: The Sub-Mariner Strikes!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Rich Buckler
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa
Villain: Sub-Mariner
Regulars: Susan Richards
Reed Richards is falling apart because his wife has filed for divorce. Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm fly to Pennsylvania to talk to her.
Ben shouldn't try to correct his young friend. "It's me".
They're told that the Sub-Mariner has kidnapped Susan. They fight with him, but they can't prevail, because they're at a disadvantage underwater.
Susan stops the fight. She says she wants to marry Sub-Mariner.
Sheesh! What an awful story!
Thor #224
Title: No one can stop the Destroyer!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Destroyer
Regulars: Krista
Guests: Hercules
Thor! Stop! You shouldn't turn back to Don Blake in front of other people!
Dr. Blake operates on Krista and is successful. Meanwhile, the Destroyer awakes, taking the soul of the scientist Clement Holmes.
The Destroyer has appeared three times before. In Journey Into Mystery #118 and #119 it was possessed by the soul of an unnamed greedy hunter.
In Thor Annual #2 it was animated artificially by Loki.
In Thor #150 to #152 it possessed Sif's soul against her will.
Hercules tries to stop the Destroyer running amok in the city. He does badly in his fight against him. Thor arrives and fares better, due to his knowledge of the Destroyer. Thor continues the fight while sending Hercules to find the man who's soul is possessed.
That's silly. Hercules doesn't have the slightest idea where to look, and Thor knows it.
In the renewed battle the Destroyer grabs Thor's hammer, meaning Thor will turn back into Don Blake after 60 seconds.
Tomb of Dracula #21
Title: Deathknell
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Doctor Sun, Brand
Regulars: Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake, Quincy Harker, Taj, Blade
Kills: One man (total 28)
Embraces: None (total 8)
Doctor Sun reveals his origin to Dracula while he's immobilised. He was a Chinese scientist who was punished for his lack of success by having his living brain removed from his body. His knowledge should have been fed into the surrounding computers, but he took control of the computers and killed them. He now needs blood to feed himself, so he wants a vampire servant to look for victims. It has to be someone with Dracula's skill, but he knows that Dracula would never be any man's servant, so he wants to transfer all of Dracula's knowledge into another vampire, Brand.
After Brand has received Dracula's knowledge, the two vampires fight. It's a close fight, but Brand finally defeats Dracula. Then he turns to attack Doctor Sun, because he's also been given Dracula's arrogance, and he'll submit to no man. Doctor Sun has prepared for this possibility and sets Brand on fire.
Doctor Sun teleports away, setting a self-destruct sequence for his lair. Dracula, Frank Drake and Rachel Helsing all escape in time.
Werewolf by Night #18
Title: Murder by Moonlight!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Don Perlin
Villain: Baron Thunder, Behemoth (immobile), Ma Mayhem
Regulars: Lissa Russell, Lou Hackett
While Lou Hackett is talking to Jack Russell, a cleaning lady enters. She attempts to cut off the detective's head with an axe, but Jack knocks him out of the way. Her name is Ma Mayhem, and she's a highly talented witch who works for the Committee. She's arrived minutes before nightfall on the second night of the full moon. Jack changes into the Werewolf, and the battle begins. They crash through the wall into the next apartment, where Jack's neighbour is performing a ritual. The man also turns into a werewolf. The two begin to fight, and Ma Mayhem flees.
Outside she sees Lissa Russell and kidnaps her. The two werewolves continue their fight all night, although it only seems like half an hour. At dawn they cease. Jack goes home and finds a note saying he should give himself up to save Lissa's life.
Supernatural Thrillers #7
Title: The Return of the Living Mummy!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Val Mayerik
Regulars: Dr. Skarab
The Living Mummy was introduced ten months ago in Supernatural Thrillers #5. It was probably intended to be a one off story, but now the series is resumed, better late than never.
After seemingly being killed in the last story, his body was brought to a museum in New York. He wakes up and breaks out of the museum. In Central Park he saves a woman who's being attacked, but she is just as terrified as the attackers. The police hunt the Mummy, but he escapes.
The series is getting off to a slow start, but I have a lot of faith in Steve Gerber.
Master Of Kung Fu #18
Title: Attack!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Paul Gulacy
Villain: Fu Manchu
Regulars: Denis Nayland Smith, Black Jack Tarr
I admit that I'm disappointed that Jim Starlin has left Master Of Kung Fu, but his replacement, 20-year-old Paul Gulacy, will go on to do magnificent work on this series over the next few years. Even his first issue shows a lot of promise, and he'll get better, I promise you.
This full page image is just one example of Paul Gulacy's art.
Shang Chi begins a war against his father, Fu Manchu. He breaks into Fu Manchu's palace in New York and beats up one of his guards as a warning.
Sir Denis Nayland Smith tells Shang Chi that Fu Manchu is importing unknown goods in Florida the next day. Shang Chi travels to Florida to intercept the shipment. It's oil laced with the sedative mimosa. By undercutting world oil prices he hopes that this poisoned oil will be used in cars throughout the USA. After a few months the fumes will have drugged everyone and made them subservient to his will.
Shang Chi blows up the ship. The war continues.
Iron Man #68
Title: Night of the Rising Sun!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Sunfire, Mandarin, Unicorn
Regulars: Roxanne Gilbert
Iron Man is in Vietnam, helping the search for Eddie March's brother Marty. Marty March? Gimme a break!
Sunfire is in Vietnam, hoping to promote Japanese interests in the region by killing Iron Man. We last saw him briefly in Avengers #117.
Mandarin and the Unicorn are in a nearby underwater fortress. They've been trapped in one another's bodies since Iron Man #58, and the Unicorn's body is dying, so the Mandarin is anxious to return to his own body. He detects a nearby power source that can be used for his machine to transfer the minds back. The power source is Sunfire. He teleports Sunfire to himself in the middle of a fight with Iron Man. Sunfire is forced to aid the Mandarin, but he swears revenge.
Tony Stark designs a new face mask, which will enable him to mentally control his armour, including his weapons. I never really thought about it. Has he been pressing buttons all this time? The new face mask also has a nose.
Power Man #19
Title: Call him Cottonmouth!
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Cottonmouth, Morgan
Regulars: Dave Griffith, Noah Burstein, Claire Temple
The criminal called Cottonmouth wants Luke Cage to work for his organisation. Luke agrees, because the heroin used to frame him was stolen from Cottonmouth, and he's looking for evidence that will clear him. Cottonmouth sends Luke on a mission to steal heroin from Morgan, the gang boss we've seen in many recent Captain America comics. Luke breaks open a safe and finds the heroin, but before he can leave he's surrounded by Morgan's men, one of whom is carrying a bazooka.
Ghost Rider #6
Title: Zodiac II!
Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: Jim Mooney
Villain: Satan, Zodiac (Leo, Libra, Gemini, Sagittarius, Taurus)
Regulars: Roxanne Simpson
This issue Tony Isabella takes over as the regular writer for Ghost Rider. He'll only stay with the series for two years (12 issues), but many fans consider his stories to have been the most thought-provoking in the series.
Zodiac members are carrying out robberies in San Francisco, even though they're all in jail after being defeated in Avengers #123. The robberies are directed at the company and associates of Cornelius Van Lunt aka Taurus. Johnny Blaze is coerced into helping the police in return for leniency with his speeding offences. Eventually Ghost Rider faces Taurus on a motorbike.
That can't be the real Zodiac, can it? That's why it's called Zodiac II.
Adventure Into Fear #22
Title: Project: Second Genesis!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Daemond, Balkatar
Regulars: Tara
This is a complex story, with different groups struggling against one another. Daemond orders the cat demon Balkatar to kill Morbius. Before he does this he's given a message by someone unseen, and he teleports away with Morbius while the Caretakers look on.
Balkatar is one of a race of cat people who live in a place called the Land Within. That's a typical Steve Gerber concept. They're highly developed, but their biggest problem is overpopulation. King Gerark says he wants Morbius to solve the overpopulation by killing as many of the cat demons as possible. Morbius refuses, but he's hungry, so he can't avoid making his first kill.
Morbius is thrown into the water. It flows towards a seemingly impermeable wall.
Non-Canon comics published this month:
Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu #2 (Steve Englehart, Alan Weiss)
Vampire Tales #5 (Doug Moench, Win Mortimer)
Monsters Unleashed #6 (Doug Moench, Val Mayerik)
Marvel Team-Up #22 (Len Wein, Sal Buscema)
Astonishing Tales #24 (Tony Isabella, Dick Ayers)
Strange Tales #174 (Len Wein, John Buscema)
Conan the Barbarian #39 (Roy Thomas, John Buscema)
Kull the Destroyer #14 (Steve Englehart, Mike Ploog)
Worlds Unknown #7 (Len Wein, George Tuska)
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