"Now You See Me! Now You Die!"
Story by Marv Wolfman
Art by Sal Buscema and Jim Mooney
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by Joe Rosen
Cover by Keith Pollard and Pablo Marcos
Mysterio leaves Spider-Man chained in the pool to drown, then berates The Burglar, who manages to smash a mirror when the ill-mannered illusionist glides off. Meanwhile, Spidey crafts a web bubble around his head to breathe, but when it springs a leak, he uses his guile and grit to undo the drain plug! After a couple of moments Spidey comes to and he and the pool are dry—it was "another blasted illusion!" He breaks off the chains and heads home for a good night's sleep, where his "recuperative powers" heal his broken arm. Making breakfast in his Spidey bottoms, Peter is visited by Flash, Harry and their loves, but somehow snags his robe from the other room. Distracting his friends from seeing his tunic hanging from a bedroom chair, Peter gets into a chat about Betty, and how he acted poorly towards her to save her marriage, but it turns out they're separating, and Betty is rooming with Liz.
Joe Tura: Our splash page looks a bit like Ross Andru at first glance. Is this done on purpose by My Pal Sal? Same with a lot of panels of Spidey-Mysterio action, and it adds to the coolness of this issue. Illusions abound as usual when Mysterio is involved, never something I liked as a Spidey fan. Maybe it was how he was easily able to hoodwink our hero, or maybe how there's not much of an explanation for his powers. Not exactly sure why he's not one of my favorites, but boy, he is a formidable foe. The pool escape is well-done, once again mimicking the famous "lifting the rubble" scene that's been redone a zillion times, but it works—especially when we learn it was all phoney! See, that's why I don't like Mysterio. What's real, what's not…Well, we do get an interesting ending as we head to issue #200. I mean, with our hero dead, it might be a short trip to the '80s!
Fave sound effect is page 23, when Spidey hits the chimney with a hurtful-sounding "PLOK!," leaving his head "pounding like Spinks after Ali downed him!" Well, that doesn't sound like fun.
Mark Barsotti: Since I'm feeling less than MARVelous, having had to lesson-plan Marv Wolfman's suckie FF Annual earlier today, let me double down on Professor Matthew's distain for the "umpteenth variation" of Exposed Spidey-Suit Theatre, contained in this less-than-scintillating 199th edition of The Amazing Spider-Man. Yes, Harry, Flash & their gal-pals make the Least Observant list for not noticing Pete's distinctive red-webbed Spidey socks protruding from the bottom of his bathrobe, but much worse, class, is the procurement of said robe. Check panel one, page eleven (below), as our caught-in-his-uniform-bottoms hero webs the robe from the kitchen, a feat unnoticed only because his four friends have crossed the living room, heading for Pete's tiny bedroom, even though he yelled to them he was in the kitchen, and the four look like they're doing close-order drill, eyes front. It's one thing to riff on a "beloved" trope, quite something worse when it's served up with such laughable, club-footed staging.
Mark: Sadly, Marv's Mysterio wrangling ain't much better, as we're sloshing about in a rinse repeat Spidey-escapes-one-illusion-
Yeah, the Burglar's still out there, along with the This Old Parker House mystery treasure and the undeath of Aunt May, so I'm hoping that Marv has been hoarding the good stuff and, having now (one can hope, right?) purged all the trite and tripe from his system, is gonna knock our unseen Spidey socks off.
BONUS COVERAGE!!!
January 1980
"The Spider and the Burglar... a Sequel"
Story by Marv Wolfman and Stan Lee
Art by Keith Pollard and Jim Mooney
Colors by Glynis Wein
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by John Romita
Spider-Man comes to at Restwell, weak from the depressant Mysterio shot him with—and without his powers! After speaking with some residents, Spidey makes his way back home in the rain [somehow managing to pick up pants and a trenchcoat]. In the basement, The Burglar gets out of the ropes binding him and vows to find Peter Parker, who will make him a billionaire or "there's gonna be hell ta pay!" Speaking of Peter, he goes back to the Parker home, still wondering who is behind the destructioin, and has a chat with next-door neighbor Anna May Watson, who leads him to the rental office in Jamaica, Queens. There, blowhard Harold R. Grimsby gives Peter the name and a face-ful of cigar smoke, as well as memories of his origin and Uncle Ben's murder. Peter now knows Uncle Ben's killer has returned and swears to track him down once and for all!
Peter jumps at the petty crook at the start of Chapter Three, "Let The Burglar Beware," but the hood manages to crack the powerless Parker in the head with his gun, and then ties him up in the same darkened warehouse where Spider-Man caught him all those years ago. We learn The Burglar is after the treasure of former famous mobster Dutch Mallone, who lived in the Parker house in the '30s and was captured by Eliot Ness of all people. Turns out The Burglar broke into the house to get the treasure and ended up killing Uncle Ben, but now he says he will get Peter to talk, storming off to show him exactly how. But Peter has frayed the ropes enough that he breaks free and changes into Spidey, about as ticked off as it gets!
Our one-page Epilogue, "Resolutions," finds a powered-up-again Spidey swinging happily around the city, realizing his spider-power did more than increase his strength, but also his "longing for justice" and "loathing for cruelty and crime," swearing to be worthy and grateful for the rest of his life. --Joe Tura
Let's not forget this month's Hostess ad, Human Torch vs. The Icemaster, where the villain's cold heart is melted by some Apple and Cherry Fruit Pies. Holy cow, this is one of the worst ones yet…I'm sure the faculty will be glad I'll no longer be mentioning these dumb distractions!
Mark: Well, this one does have a great cover by the Jazzy One, John Romita.
But before we get to the flaying portion of our program, let me praise Marv Wolfman for the tricksy plotting and - far rarer - genuine innovation he brought to the long run-up to Spidey's bicentennial. The (still nameless) Burglar has been integral to Webhead's mythos since those epochal eleven pages in Amazing Fantasy #15, and if he got residuals every time the tale's been re-told, he coulda gone straight years ago. But Marv had the 1000-watt light-bulb-over-head inspiration to not just bring Burgie back, but in a way that both explained Uncle Ben's death (long seen as a random act of violence) and put the old Parker house and its ex-occupants in the middle of a bull's-eye.
Spinning off from that was something else we've never seen: the "death" of Aunt May, after a couple dozen trips to the Reaper's waiting room. Admittedly, the ruse would have been far more effective if Wolfman hadn't tipped the alert reader that it was faked in the same issue Pete got his Aunt's death-o-gram, but it's still a new wrinkle added to the canon (and May's prune-like visage). Further, an illusionist like Mysterio was the perfect foil to fake a death. All in all, a brilliant set-up.
Alas, the big anniversary pay-off (as in most of the set-up installments) flounders badly in the execution. Mysterio had Spidey helpless at the end of the last two issues; indeed he actually declared Webs dead last month! Now, superhero comics wouldn't exist without death-defying escapes (duh!), but this may be the first time ever that a verge-of-victory villain simply wanders out of the story without so much as a fare thee well (or an explanation) for the sake of expediency. I mean, Misty thought he'd killed Spidey (or completely incapacitated him), wanted the presumptive Parker house fortune just as much as Burgie, yet he simply vanished up his own fishbowl. You'd think with DOUBLE THE SIZE to work with, Wolfman coulda cobbled together something to fill this Jim Shooter-sized plot hole.
He could have found the space, for instance, by cutting Pete's file-riffling, safe-cracking sleuthing to solve the mystery of Uncle Ben's murder, because, class, the one interesting fact (and thus found in the first riffled file) reporters would have found to spice up a routine (sorry to sound callous, Uncle Ben) 1962 murder would have been that the victim lived in a house once owned by notorious mobster Dutch Mallone. Mystery solved. But such basic journalism would have negated Pete's need to burgle a TV station's tape library, thus setting up his this-time-he-tackles-the-crook faux redemption.
And the Spidey-Burgie back-and-forth bus chase between Restwell, the Parker place, and the old Acme Warehouse is so poorly dialogued that it seems the Burglar goes to retrieve Peter (it's actually Aunt May, but I had to look at this four or five times to ferret out Wolfman's poorly-rendered intent) from the basement at Restwell, when he'd just left Pete tied-up back at Acme!
And honestly, kids, this is not just middle-aged grumpiness. Such hackneyed, ham-fisted execution of a great premise would have pissed me off just as much at age 18, had I read this when it was published.
So you were right, Dean Peter, in nixing my idea that Web's big anniversary deserved a stand alone post, beyond the MU's decade-ending expiration date. More's the pity.
This one sleeps with the silverfish.
"Heart of Stone"
Story by Roger Stern and Steven Grant
Art by John Byrne and Dan Green
Colors by Ben Sean
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by John Byrne and Dan Green
A meteor-like object falls Earth-ward but then veers off and lands near Brooklyn. Turns out it wasn't a meteor but some kind of stone monster. The thing rises from the muck and heads for Manhattan. Which is a good place to head, since that is where our titular super-team is meeting at the federal courthouse. Defended by Jeryn Hogarth, lawyer for Heroes for Hire; Emerson Bale, former council for the Champions; and Matt Murdock, the Avengers face growing government concerns and the chief muckety-muck against the Avengers is Henry Peter Gyrich. The NSC agent contends that the team is a threat to the nation and intends to prove his point with a series of questionable witnesses. Meanwhile, the stone creature has found its way into the New York subway system and is causing all kinds of havoc. Ironically, the NYPD call for the Avenger's help and Gyrich is forced to agree to the call. Matt doffs his civvies and swings his way to the battle area to see if he can lend a hand. After a grueling battle, Wanda realizes that the thing in front of them is actually a suit and that someone/thing is inside (the rocket pack on its back is the tip-off); she concentrates her energies on the suit and sends it flying towards Iron Man and Vision, who are waiting to wallop the big rock. After the simultaneous blow reduces the creature to pebbles, Iron Man and Daredevil investigate and both are turned to stone. Too late, our heroes discover the occupant of the suit is the Grey Gargoyle! -Peter Enfantino
The hearing itself goes well – mostly free of Hollywood-scripted histrionics – as it's possible to see both sides: Gyrich has legitimate security concerns; but, the team has to operate unfettered in order to be effective. If Gyrich weren't so intent on being a control freak, the team might likely have little difficulty implementing a few new security protocols; but, as DD observes, Gyrich’s highest priority seems to be that the team “play by his rules.” One minor question, though: since the Wasp is here, it means she's returned from her Defenders weekend – did YJ (her quinjet pilot, you'll recall) hide out in Cresskill in the lab, or did he decide to stay and shoot craps in Vegas for awhile -? (If so, was he in costume? Might he have been tempted to signal some gnats or mites cybernetically to turn the dice a certain way -?)
Best dialogue: “Vision! Scarlet Witch! Have you been harassed—?” “Yes…by you!”
Worst dialogue: “Yes, it’s Jarvis, your butler, sir!” Oh, that’s who that Jarvis guy is…
Runner-up: “No one ever said being on a S.W.A.T. team would be easy, Barry!” Do tell.
Joe: Well, you can't go wrong with a headshot roster on the splash page, as well as the next-to-last issue of Byrne's Avengers run, to close out this class. The artwork is solid as always, the script not too shabby, including some courtroom craziness that ends with my fave the Beast handing Gyrich a table leg and giving him some much-needed humility. Hate that Gyrich guy! Daredevil is a natural to show up and help with Matty M. on the legal team, and he gets a couple of nice moments—but eventually is turned to stone with Iron Man by the surprise villain—the stinkin' Grey Gargoyle! Another of Marvel's angry, chip-on-his-shoulder (no pun intended) bad guys who always gets what he deserves at the end. This time he seems a bit confident, though! Well-done, and a fond farewell to the '70s super-team's adventures. Best of all, there's a fight between Spider-Man and June Jitsu on page 29 that's a rousing affair, and Spidey is on the ropes until he tosses some Twinkies at June: "Thanks to Hostess®, June won't be bustin' out all over for quite a while." Oh, wait that's not part of the story, is it?
Joe: Well, you can't go wrong with a headshot roster on the splash page, as well as the next-to-last issue of Byrne's Avengers run, to close out this class. The artwork is solid as always, the script not too shabby, including some courtroom craziness that ends with my fave the Beast handing Gyrich a table leg and giving him some much-needed humility. Hate that Gyrich guy! Daredevil is a natural to show up and help with Matty M. on the legal team, and he gets a couple of nice moments—but eventually is turned to stone with Iron Man by the surprise villain—the stinkin' Grey Gargoyle! Another of Marvel's angry, chip-on-his-shoulder (no pun intended) bad guys who always gets what he deserves at the end. This time he seems a bit confident, though! Well-done, and a fond farewell to the '70s super-team's adventures. Best of all, there's a fight between Spider-Man and June Jitsu on page 29 that's a rousing affair, and Spidey is on the ropes until he tosses some Twinkies at June: "Thanks to Hostess®, June won't be bustin' out all over for quite a while." Oh, wait that's not part of the story, is it?
"This Planet Hungers"
Story by Tom DeFalco
Art by Pat Broderick, Eduardo Barreto, and Pablo Marcos
Colors by Ben Sean
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by Pat Broderick and Terry Austin
Still trapped in the memory machine, Adama relives a terrifying incident when Apollo and Starbuck find a living planet. After landing on it, they bring back a grossly disfiguring plague. Meanwhile, Cylons approach from the other direction and attack. Apollo seems to go nuts after being haunted by weird mental communications, and the ship’s doctor says the plague is transmitted telepathically. Apollo leaves in his viper and heads to the planet. The Cylons attack and Adama has to make a choice of destroying the planet and saving humanity or saving his son. Before anything can be done, the planet destroys the Cylons and communicates with the Galactica mentally, telling them the “plague” is just a step toward making contact. It means them no harm, the symptoms will pass. Adama beats himself up over totally misjudging the situation. Back in the present, it is discovered that if they don’t free Adama soon, he’ll die. -Scott McIntyre
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| Attack of the Gil Kane homage |
Chris: Apollo and Starbuck encounter a planetoid, which proves to be organic. Upon returning to the Galactica, they discover – despite following decontamination protocols – they’re growing spores on their skin; soon, numerous crew members are similarly affected. A ship’s doctor concludes the infection is being spread – telepathically. Commander Adama is committed to the planetoid’s destruction, perceiving a threat to all colony ships, despite the imminent arrival of three Cylon base-ships in their sector. The planetoid interferes with the Cylon craft, causing two of them to collide, and crushing the third. The planetoid connects with the crew (via telepathy) and explains the apparent “plague” it caused was intended only to create a connection to allow it to communicate with the crew; there will be no lasting harm to any of the humans. The planetoid has been painfully alone in the empty tracks of space, and wants to keep the Galactica company for awhile; based on its performance against the Cylons, let’s hope Adama’s reply is in the affirmative. It’s a marked improvement over previous issues I’ve read of this title, due to both DeFalco’s able handling of the mystery involving the planetoid, and Broderick’s imaginative take on the unique characteristics of this other-worldly, um, world.
"Gang Wars!"
Story by Paul Kupperberg and Alan Kupperberg
Art by Alan Kupperberg and Don Perlin
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by Joe Rosen
Cover by Bob Budiansky and Bob Wiacek
With the Red Skull retired and no word on that 17th Sleeper, Captain America finds himself with nothing to do so he helps an old man who's having trouble with a local biker gang. Things get rough for our hero when the bikers decide to use unfair methods of warfare. All's well that ends well though and Captain America helps his new friend find a new apartment and gives the old codger the numbers of some of his WWII girlfriends. Next month: Cap finds homes for neighbor Jimmy's kittens. -Peter Enfantino
Peter: Look, I've read nearly 200 issues featuring Captain America (including Tales of Suspense and Annuals) over this long journey we've undertaken and can I say, without hesitation, that this is the worst Cap ever produced? No, I can't, but what I can say, with a bit of thought, is that it could very well be the most inconsequential. If Big Jim Shooter had come to me and said, "Hey, I need a filler for an issue of Captain America!," I'd like to think I could come up with something a little more original than a rehash of an old Baretta episode. The Kupperbergs obviously subscribe to the Moench-Mantlo school of funny book writing: "Always make your audience think you read the paper every morning and hate what's going down out there in the urban blight." And who would slap the name Bobo on a biker tough, ferchrissakes? From beginning to end, this is one major misstep.
Matthew: Quite frankly, I enjoyed this unassuming one-off, which so ably fulfilled its modest ambitions and had a real feel for the Sentinel of Liberty, far more than the discursive drivel that has so often characterized the book of late. And I’m not surprised that it’s the work of guest-scripter/penciler Kupperberg, with brother Paul’s plot marking his only Marvel four-color credit; he also worked on the short-lived novel series and a 1991 Savage Sword of Conan. Cap consistently came off best during Alan’s impressive Invaders tenure, and with its nostalgic setting (“Many’s the time I thrilled to a Saturday afternoon ride on [the Parachute Jump] before the war!”), this tale—well handled by “embellishing artist” Perlin—feels like a companion piece.
“Whispering Shadows!”
Story by Roy Thomas
Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan
Story by Roy Thomas
Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan
Colors by Ben Sean
Letters by Joe Rosen
Cover by John Buscema and Bob Wiacek
A deadly drought has gripped the land of the Bamulas, resulting in weeks of fires and plague. Conan attempts to control his temper as the High Priest of Ajujo angrily lays the blame at the feet of the towering white man — but eventually, he cracks and lays the raging witch-man low with his blade. His formerly loyal warriors erupt in a blind rage and Conan is forced to flee into the jungle, leaving his hard-earned standing of war chief behind. The Cimmerian decides to head north, determined to sell his sword to the highest bidder. Along the way, the barbarian is stalked by a hungry pride of lions. While his bow brings some of the big cats down, he is forced to find refuge in a crumbling, stone fortress — strangely, the fearsome felines do not follow him into its dark shadows.
So there we have it, the end of our time with Conan the Cimmerian — well, we do have an annual and one more Savage Sword to tackle this month. As I’ve endlessly mentioned, I rarely bought Conan the Barbarian back in the day. But since my ever lovin’ father passed down his Conan paperbacks, I’ve always felt that the character was an old friend. So I’m gonna miss the big galoot. As well as Rascally Roy Thomas, Bashful Barry Smith, Gil “Sugar Lips” Kane, Big John Buscema, Earnest Ernie Chan, and every other talented guy or gal involved. And thanks to Dean Pete and Professor Matthew for giving me the opportunity to experience all I missed. Whaaaaaa!
There could be a debate about whether Conan the Barbarian was the best Marvel series of the 1970s. However, there is no doubt that it was the most consistent. And, by Crom, that consistency was far superior than most.
Conan the Barbarian Annual 5
“Bride of the Conqueror”
Story by Roy Thomas
Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan
Story by Roy Thomas
Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by Joe Rosen
Cover by John Buscema
[Note: this annual picks up immediately after Conan the Barbarian Annual #4 as the Cimmerian is in his middle 40s and king of Aquilonia.]
After crushing the latest threat to his throne, King Conan of Aquilonia faces a new crisis: his people are restless since their leader does not yet have an heir. Conan, however, is planning on asking the former slavegirl Zenobia to become his queen but wanted to locate her missing parents first so that they could attend the ceremony. Deciding he can delay no longer, the Cimmerian has the upcoming nuptials announced to the jubilant citizens.
When he spies a similar light emanating from a building a few blocks away, the king summons his royal guards, the Black Dragons, and rushes to the scene. As his soldiers begin to rout Count Drago and his men, Conan rushes inside in time to see Tsotha-Lanti push the real Zenobia into an alligator pit. The Cimmerian dives in and manages to drive off the ferocious lizards with his flashing dagger. Tsotha-Lanti, enraged that his scheme is falling apart, attempts to cast a spell that will turn both Conan and Zenobia to dust: but the incantation that reunited his head finally fails and he lunges forward, falling into the pit himself. The alligators tear the wizard apart as the king and his bride are freed by the Black Dragons. Later, in a private ceremony, Conan marries his true bride. -Tom Flynn
Not including the clash with the Zenobia-demon and the alligators, this is a fairly static issue. There’s a lot of talk between Conan and his advisors, public proclamations, cheering crowds, wedding festivities and whatnot. Not the subjects I usually look for in a tale about everyone’s favorite barbarian. That stuff is usually the dull domain of King Kull. But perhaps romantic softies will enjoy this offbeat story. I’m looking at you Professor Matthew.
Chris: Now then, class; what Conan epic would be complete without dialog like this: “The spell which stitched head back to body will last but a little while longer …” (Tsotha-Lanti, p 17 pnl 2); “If I were free to go out there and teach those two mummers how to really wield a sword – !” (Conan, p 27 pnl 2); “Not even a wizard can carry another sorcerer’s head forever, fool …” (faux-Zenobia, p 32 pnl 1); “Here, devil – dine on this, rather than my blood!” (Conan, p 32 last pnl); “Unhand her, wizard – or, by the guts of Crom, I’ll make you wish you’d stayed in two pieces!” (Conan, p 36 1st pnl); “The wizard will not rise a third time from the grave … divided as he’s been between two crocodiles!” (Conan, p 43 pnl 3). Whoa nellie!
"The Return of the Original Defenders!"
Story by Ed Hannigan
Art by Herb Trimpe and Mike Esposito
Colors by Ben Sean
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Ed Hannigan and Bob McLeod
Doctor Strange feels the need to call together the original Defenders so both Hulk and Sub-Mariner answer his plea and the trio set off to Tunnelworld to, as the green goliath so aptly puts it, "smash more monsters!" Meanwhile, the other non-team known as the Defenders say their goodbyes to Richard Rory (who has decided to stay in Las Vegas) and climb into the arriving Avengers quinjet (piloted by Hank Pym in his Yellowjacket long johns) and spirit away. Accompanying them are James-Michael's friends, Dian and Amber. Yellowjacket receives a distress call from an air force base in Colorado and heads there to investigate. When the non-team arrive, they are set upon by the Mutant Force, a gang of super-powered baddies led by some very attractive (and very deadly) females. The battle goes well until Yellowjacket is captured and spirited away in the villains' aircraft. Searching for Hank, the girls land in a neighboring town and enter the police department for aid, only to discover the Mutant Force has been lying in wait for them. Meanwhile, in Tunnelworld, the disguised Dr. Strange, Hulk, and Subby enter a pub and meet the unique individual known as Aeroika. -Peter Enfantino
Chris: In a way, it’s oddly fitting that our MU coverage should finish with the (needless, ill-advised!) return to Tunnelworld – the DMV of Marvel comics. In its way, the Tunnelworld storyline epitomizes what the Defenders should be, but at times fails to achieve in the latter part of the Bronze Era. We’ve all come to accept (thanks to looney-bird Steve Gerber) the Defenders as a team that faces unusual, sometimes mystically-powered threats to our world and reality. Even if the trappings are atypical, though, basic rules of adventure-storytelling should apply: the action needs to move briskly forward, toward a recognizable goal. Without that, if dialog and illustration tend not to work toward any real purpose, the excitement level will rarely rise above the minimum.
"Eye of the Beholder!"
Story by Chris Claremont
Art by Gene Colan and Dan Green
Colors by Bob Sharen
Letters by Tom Orzechowski
Cover by Bob Hall and Terry Austin
The gorgeous Clea wants to spend a night on the tiles but the ponderous and meditative Stephen Strange is spoiling her mojo so she does what any lover would do... she casts a spell and brings Stephen tumbling in from his astral plane. Strange admits he's been a bit of a party-pooper lately and changes clothes, eager to please. Meanwhile, Wong meets up with an ominous man named Sung, whose bodyguards take Wong prisoner. On a flight over the Atlantic, Cardinal Spinosa, curator of the Vatican library, wings his way to bring some dire news to his old friend, Doctor Strange. Clea and Stephen find themselves boogying at a local bar when they bump into Strange's next-door neighbor, Sara Wolfe. The girl is happy to see Stephen but a bit bummed that her date, Douglas Royce, has perched at the bar and refuses to join in the party. Just then, a stranger approaches Royce and Royce strikes out, knocking the stranger to the floor. Royce hightails it but the stranger's female partner is waiting for him outside and, soon after the stranger joins them, a scream tears through the night. When Stephen and Clea rush out to see what's happening, they find Doug Royce reduced to ashes and a "concentration of malevolent energy" surrounding the remains. Stephen and Clea track the energy to a park in Manhattan, where the murderous couple materialize and attack. Stephen manages to fight back with the Eye of Agamotto and the secret identity of the devilish pair is revealed: they are "Eye Killers," notorious for stealing souls. Stephen opens up a chasm in the Earth and the two demons tumble in, with Strange sealing the hole afterwards. Returning to the Sanctum, Stephen is surprised to see his old friend Alfeo Spinosa waiting for him. Strange's joy soon turns to melancholy when the Cardinal reveals the reason for his visit: the day before, the Vatican library was robbed... by Baron Mordo!
-Peter Enfantino
Fun credits attribute “vision” to Claremont; “shape” and “form” to Colan and Green, respectively; and “sound,” “hue,” “view,” and “judgment” to usual suspects such as key X-Men collaborator Orzechowski—I can’t let our formal curriculum end without reiterating that he more than anyone taught me what a difference lettering can make. Some of the early stuff with Clea feels familiar, yet I’ll cut Chris some slack because he must initially play the hand he’s been dealt, handles it more thoughtfully than some, and can presumably be relied upon to do her justice in the months ahead. Wisely, he doesn’t ignore the ominous groundwork laid by Stern and Macchio…and nobody does moody like the Dean (i.e., Gene, not Peter), well served by Dan.
The Colan/Green art works best in the issue’s biggest spots, during the encounter in the park: the stone-faced twins plan the destruction of Dr Strange, with black and purple clouds swirling behind them (p 23, pnl 3, colors by Bob Sharen); the all-seeing Eye reveals the twins to be the hideous soul-snatching Eye Killers (p 27, 1st pnl); Doc fires the off-balance twins into a magma-fired Great Abyss (p 27, last pnl), their snake-bodies twisting in the open space, “tumbling end over end as the molten core of the earth rushes up toward them" (p 30, 1st pnl). No, they’re not destroyed – still, that should hold them for a while.
"In Final Battle!"
Story by Marv Wolfman
Art by John Byrne and Joe Sinnott
Colors by Ben Sean
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by John Byrne and Joe Sinnott
"In Final Battle" picks up where we left off last month, with new Galactus herald Terrax on the attack, still whizzed off that the Fabs humiliated him before the plebs on his home planet (or moon, Marv wasn't sure). Ben's "snazziest punch" doesn't faze T-rax, nor does the now-decrepit (thanks to the Skrull aging ray, hereafter abbreviated as SAR; do try to keep up) Reed's rubber-band wrap. As the not-aging Torch takes up the attack, cancelled-cartoon-show-robo Herbie grabs "two metallic containers" and beats gyros toward the nearest exit, "mission: unknown!"
The Sphinx talks like he's in a time-loop, "How often have I heard that pompous speech, World-Eater?" Galactus says he has no time for riddles and battle is joined. Byrne and Sinnott have the energy bolts flying, but there's only a couple-panel sequence where the Egyptian seems to gain the upper hand, driving Big G into the ground with "...the fury of my Ka stone!" But Galax pops up behind him and slaps him so hard it shreds Sphinxie's purple and green unitard!
Battling the Torch, T-rax apes his powers, coming off as a cut-rate Super Skrull (at least he sure looks that way, per Byrne-Sinnott). Johnny flames a condensation-covered pipe and a big blast of liquid oxygen turns T-rax into an instant-popsicle.
Back at the main event, Sphinx lobbies Galax to let him have Earth, since "There are galaxies ripe for your plucking!" The Purple Planet Eater isn't buying as he shrinks the Egyptian back down to human size, plucks the ruby power gem from his forehead (does Warlock know a good copywrite lawyer?) and grinds it to dust. The ancient oracle Sayge appears to ask Big G if he wishes to see "his destiny reflected" but Galax cares not for fortune-tellers, and returns Sphinxie to the moment before he found the Ka stone, thousand of years ago, starting the whole time-loop over again.
As the PPE departs, we learn the Nullifier was a fake, and Uatu serves up some jive about how his interference really wasn't before he, too, takes his leave. But there's no time to celebrate, since the now-ancient Reed, all weak and rubbery, collapses in Johnny's arms. -Mark Barsotti
Just don't think about it overly much. While the Big G having an extra appetite for Earth - having unexpectedly been denied the morsel since 1965 -is understandable, even for a demigod who eschews emotion, his trapping the Sphinx in a torturous 5,000-year time loop is pointless, sadistic, and ill-befitting Galax's haughty, amoral integrity. But since Wolfman went with the idea anyway, how come time-loop-trapee Sphinx remembers the dénouement in the desert, while loop creator Galactus doesn't?
The faux Nullifier that staves off Big Purp has it problems, too, starting with the fact it looks nothing like the real thing. Byrne may not remember what it looked like in FF #50, but be assured, class, that Galactus surely does. But we won't belabor the point, since semi-effectively invoking past glories represents Wolfman's high-water mark on the title.
As this in the last FF lesson plan before the moving trucks arrive, kids, and three of the Fabs are still at death's door, I peeked ahead and can report that Johnny - for once not written as a self-absorbed idiot by Wolfman - saves the day!
Nice to go out on a high note.
Chris: The clash of the super-heavyweights proves worth the wait; I’m surprised Don King didn’t hijack the bout and charge $50 to see Sphinx vs Galactus on PPV. The contest starts out fairly evenly, but it’s very satisfying to see Galactus overpower the Sphinx, and prove to be the Power that overwhelms the Pretender; three cheers to Wolfman for playing the fight straight, and not resort to having the Sphinx undone because Herbie snuck in and zapped him in the eye, or something. As momentous as the events depicted might be, while perhaps not requiring a Landmark shield, it’s a great issue nonetheless.
Most of the art highlights involve the Ali-Frazier clash on the sands of Egypt: page 5 stands on its own, especially Galactus’ Kirbyesque power-blast that batters the Sphinx back into his Ancient Egypt props; same can be said for page 7, as the karate-chop that sends the Sphinx sprawling, his costume shredding, signals the turn of the tide in favor of the Planet-Devourer; Galactus seems to sense, and revel in, his imminent victory (p 15, last pnl); p 21, as Galactus either absorbs the Sphinx’s power, or forces it to dissipate, which causes the Sphinx to shrink to pitiful mortal size, followed by the indignity of Galactus destroying the once-powerful Ka-stone; and finally, the image of almighty Galactus, his face dominating the horizon of an Egyptian plain, five-thousand years removed from our time (a pyramid quietly under construction in the background), as he condemns the Sphinx to his hateful fate.
There are other highlights – the issue is that solid: Ben rallies and knocks Terrax back (p 10, 1st pnl); Johnny matches Terrax’s power-output (p 11, pnl 4); the condensation on the pipes, which clues clever Johnny to a means to defeat gloating Terrax (p 11, last pnl); the Watcher and Galactus, looming over puny Johnny and Reed, as G’s immense spherical shuttle casts shadows over all (p 26, pnl 3). That Reed is some poker player; and, that Watcher can be some sneak.
"Cat's-Paw!"
Story by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman
Art by George Pérez and Pablo Marcos
Colors by Carl Gafford
Letters by Jim Novak
Cover by Joe Sinnott
Weird opening to "Cat's Paw," with the Thing in mid-battle with the Sandman "...fer what he did ta Alicia!" Sandy's turned into "a statue of living crystal" by p.3 and we never even glimpse Alicia!
Instead, Agatha Harkness is waiting back at the Baxter Building, and soon everyone is flying to New Salem, Colorado (by commercial airliner, even though all the other passengers changed their reservations). We're treated to a dazzling double splash by George Perez (pgs.8-9) of the Fabs' arrival, and we learn that a sinister cabal will be up to no good at New Salem's annual ceremony of renewal "...at midnight... the witching hour!"
At the ceremony, the local witches and warlocks' powers flow into Agatha to be cleansed but are then siphoned off by the disembodied Nicholas Scratch (Agatha's son) and the cabal, who morph back into the Salem Seven (see FF # "186 & 186 - M.W." - the blurb really says that - if you must), an undistinguished group of hexed-up baddies (Vertigo, Thornn, Reptilla, Brutacus, blah, blah, blah) without an engaging personality among them.
Meanwhile, Agatha and Frankie have arrived and, immune to the "power sphere," march down a Manhattan street toward the B. Building. Scratch unleashes a locus swarm, but Agatha sends them away in "a great scarlet tornado." When the duo reach the Bax lobby, the in-thrall Fabs await them, but Frankie's mind-power breaks the spell. Agatha then de-powers the SS and dispatches them and her wayward son to "...the land beyond beyond"...wherever that may be.
Agatha also removes all memory of what happened from the minds of New Yorkers. The readers, alas, aren't so lucky. -Mark Barsotti
Oops.
The one attraction is the gorgeous graphics by George Perez (inked by Pablo Marcos), which include five full splash pages. Not only are they all eyeball ticklers, but they cut down, at least a bit, on the woo woo Wolfman's slinging here. And for the little the Fabs get to do, hero-wise, this one would have been more accurately titled The Amazing Agatha Harkness, featuring Franklin the Wonder Boy.
The one semi-nifty feature is the return of the Fabs' rogues' gallery (which also saves us from six more pages of New Salem silliness). Nicely rendered by Keith Pollard and Pablo, the pin-ups are marred by the inclusion of null entities like the Invincible Man and the Man called...Gideon!
Instantly forgettable from start to finish. Maybe Agatha's final spell is working after all, but can she get us our 75¢ back?
Chris: FF fandom was scandalized when Reed zapped his young son into comatosity (way back in #141, as any true believer already knows), for fear that his untapped potential could prove planet-rending. Fans were relieved when Franklin snapped out of his lengthy nap without any apparent ill-effects (although, after so much rest, I’m sure it was hard to put him down before midnight, at least for a few weeks), but his powers thereafter were only hinted at, cause for neither concern nor celebration. So, full credit to Marv Wolfman for completing the circle, and showing us: 1) Reed was right about the possible height of Franklin’s power-ceiling, and 2) Reed might’ve overestimated the potential harm Franklin could cause; unless, perhaps, the imposed vegetative state pushed his son’s capabilities deeper into dormancy, until he attained an age when he might be able to exert some control -?
It’s great to see Salem’s Seven again; the team is another testament to Pérez’s flair for character and costume design. Their battle with the FF is satisfying, but brief – barely five pages. The annual’s last six pages would’ve been better served by a rematch of opposing teams (fought on the roof of the Baxter, no less!), perhaps while Scratch and Agatha tangled in the stormy skies above, instead of the ho-hum rogues gallery.
We tend to talk about the FF as a family. Most of the moments this time involve Franklin (fortunately, Wolfman & Pérez employ restraint, and don’t oversell Franklin’s role to the point that we’re wishing Godzilla would eat him), such as: when the precocious youngster points and asks “What are they doin’ now, Mommy?” to which Sue replies “shhh…” (p 11, pnl 2); a heartbreaking moment as Franklin, witnessing the poor progress of the battle, shouts “Daddy! Can’t you stop them, Daddy?” (p 19, last pnl); Sue, her eyes fading to unconsciousness, desperately grabs his cloak, and orders her cub to “Run into the desert – hide! Don’t let them get you!” (p 22, 2nd pnl). Wolfman also convincingly explains how Franklin could take heart from stories of his family’s unusual exploits, as he bravely returns and walks thru the pack of zombie Salemites (p 23).
Ghost Rider 39
“The Cult of Doom”
Story by Michael Fleisher
Art by Don Perlin
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Bob Budiansky and Bob Wiacek
Blasted off a mountain road by four flamethrowing Death Riders, Ghost Rider plunges into the deep gorge below. But the hellspawned hero manages to flip his bike over in midair, hit a rocky outcropping with his rear tire and throttle back up the cliff. The shocked cultists tear off towards the bridge spanning Thompson’s Gorge, hoping to cut the suspension cables and strand the Rider on the other side — but the Spirit of Vengeance leaps across the chasm and lands in front of his prey. Shouting “We worship death,” the cultists commit suicide by leaping off the bridge. Still determined to exact revenge for the murder of his new friend Harley Baggs, Ghost Rider transforms into Johnny Blaze and seeks out Karen Sterling.
Later that evening, Johnny joins Karen at the house of her crusading father, State Senator Arthur Sterling, along with the senator’s attorney, Mark Crane, and son, Billy. As Sterling talks of launching an investigation into the cult — under Crane’s “freedom of religion” objections — Death Riders appear outside and set fire to some shrubbery. Blaze runs off, becomes Ghost Rider and quickly catches the cultists, melting their tires to the asphalt. Using hellfire, he gets the men to reveal their leader: it is the lawyer, Crane. Back at the Sterling estate, Crane slips away after telling Billy, secretly a cult member, to kill Blaze with his flamethrower. When Johnny returns, he easily overpowers Billy but the boy still manages to escape — Karen races after her brother on a motorcycle.
Tom Flynn: I'll put down my sharpened knives for a bit and start off with an apology to Michael Fleisher:
“Dear Mr. Fleisher: Last issue, I basically called you an unimaginative and lazy so-and-so, predicting that Senator Sterling would be unmasked as the leader of the Death Cult. But I was wrong. It was actually the Senator’s lawyer, Mark Crane. So I apologize. Though, when Crane shows up an issue later, it was obvious that he was the culprit. With that said, Ghost Rider still sucks donkey dongs.”
Even though I was the point person for the Adventure Into Fear with the Man Called Morbius the Living Vampire issues that featured Helleyes, it’s an easy decision to label Ghost Rider the worst series that I had the displeasure of chairing for MU. But, unlike Johnny Blaze, I am finally free from the hellish curse of my own making.
Chris: It’s a fairly dull story; but, it usefully illustrates weaknesses by both of our creative crew. First, Fleisher’s reliance on captions at various points; I image he expects these extra words will enhance our reading experience, but typically, they only seem to tell us things we already know, without contributing any excitement. The captions also tend to bog down moments that should be inherently exciting (e.g. “Only one motorcycle in the universe could perform this mind-stunning feat …”), such as Ghost Rider’s (inevitable) self-rescue from his plunge into the chasm (p 2-3), and GR’s face-down of the death-worshippers (p 27).
And yet, despite all our carefully-observed criticisms, GR now has gone monthly. My best guess is that a core group of flaming-skull lovers (enamored enough of the character, consequently put-off neither by weak stories – and their foregone conclusions – nor by uninspiring art) has pushed this title into exalted territory. Either that, or Prof Tom was sneaking out to buy extra copies – and boost sales – when none of us were watching -!
"Sic Semper Tyrannus!"
Story by Roger Stern
Art by Sal Buscema
Colors by Glynis Wein
Letters by Jim Novak
Cover by Bob Layton
So, okay, let’s get through this. One final Hulk issue. Tyrannus controls the living flame of El Dorado. Hulk smashes the mountain and discovers a giant machine left behind by the Deviants of Kirby’s wacky Eternals comic. It makes Tyrannus stronger and, as the Hulk gets closer and closer to defeating his old foe, he is knocked out by a Brain Mine (or something). Then Tyrannus make the flame take on physical attributes, creating a giant silver arm to smash things. He picks up the high priest and orders him to submit. The priest refuses and is killed. Goldbug revives the Hulk, who goes apeshit and smashes the arm. Because of the symbiotic nature of the flame, Tyrannus feel his arm go dead. Hulk goes in to Super Smashy mode and Tyrannus, fearful for his life, becomes the flame itself. Then Hulk topples the altar and, in a very confusing last panel, Tyrannus screams and something weird happens. I have no frigging idea what. -Scott McIntyre
Scott: Worst. Issue. Ever. Seriously. Gad, the art is crap, the story is dull as dirt and the ending is too abstract to register. I mean, what actually just happened to Tyrannus? He screams and the flame warps and we’re out. I’ll never know. I only read this stuff because Dean Pete is such a demanding overlord. What a way to go out. I loved this title not too long ago. These days, not so much. See ya, greenskin.
The other highlights require the direct assistance of solo artist Sal B.: the first crease in Tyrannus’ confidence, once the Hulk tears open his fire-fed force field (p 6); the immense fire-column, at the direction of Tyrannus, “coalesces into a mighty arm of flame-forged metal,” with Tyrannus’ tiny forearm visible below to provide a clear sense of scale (p 14); Tulak pays for his defiance, as the metallic hand withers him away (p 15); Hulk – in blood-eyed rage – promises harm to Tyrannus, met by a fearful, defensive posture by his stammering foe (p 23, last two panels); Tyrannus merges with the flame (p 26, pnl 4), then appears to dissipate in a Munch-howl as the Hulk rends his Deviant-devised flame pit, with the once-glorious El Dorado already reduced to rubble below (p 30). Nice.
"Sasquatch!"
Story by Roger Stern and John Byrne
Art by Sal Buscema and Alfredo Alcala
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by Jim Novak
Cover by Al Milgrom
The Hulk, sent flying into the stratosphere by Machine Man, crashes in the Canadian Rockies. He is found by Maureen Mores Friesen, who lives in a cabin with her husband, an Army Doctor who is away delivering a baby. The Hulk is unconscious, his face buried in the dirt. Maureen tries to help by digging away enough dirt to allow him to breathe. He comes to and is initially angry when he sees a girl with a shovel, thinking she meant to bury him. When Mores runs, she twists her ankle and falls, expecting to be killed, but once the Hulk realizes she meant to help him he accepts her as his new friend and takes her home. Once there, he calms and becomes Bruce Banner again.
Meanwhile, in Department H, a Canadian government facility, it is decided to send Sasquatch of Alpha Flight to find the Hulk. In his human identity, Dr. Walter Langkowski is excited to be assigned this task; he always wanted to test himself against the Hulk. He takes off in an Army chopper to the Hulk's last-known location.
From here, it’s just one big brawl as Sasquatch discovers that, the madder the hulk gets, the stronger he gets. Finally, their fight brings down the side of a mountain and Sasquatch shields Mores while Hulk is buried. After he frees himself, Hulk is more enraged than ever, but sees how terrified Mores is of him. Knowing his insane rage has cost him another friend, Hulk leaps away, while Sasquatch deals with the fact that his ego was the catalyst that destroyed an entire forest.
-Scott McIntyre
Nope.
Byrne was involved, but only as a co-writer. When I want John Byrne, I’m really asking for his artwork. The Buscema/Alcala art isn’t bad by any stretch, but it’s a far cry from the earlier annual. The story is practically non-existent. Just one big excuse to fight. The size of the annual gives them a reason to pause and go into greater detail, explaining Sasquatch, showing his transformation, having Mores find the Hulk, etc. All of this could have been edited down to fewer panels in a monthly. The ending is typically downbeat Hulk stuff and this is really nothing to write home about, but not as bad as some of the other annuals I’ve had to read.
Matthew: Byrne has been co-plotting X-Men for almost a year, and of course collaborated with Stern on the prior annual, yet at this stage it’s unusual to see him credited only as a writer. I think this could have been done in a regular issue, distilling each individual story beat into half as many pages; mind you, I’m not saying it should have—quite the reverse, in fact, because I consider it another double-sizer that benefits from taking its time to relate a tale that’s not incredibly ambitious. Sasquatch’s very deliberate actions remove this from the realm of the MARMIS, but we don’t know Walt well enough yet to say whether being so boneheaded is in character; faculty-fave “A.P.” Alcala gives Sal’s pencils a really nice flavor that fits the material.
Chris: What would you do if you found a seven-foot, half-ton, rage-fueled, green-skinned creature, and observed that – somehow – that creature needed your help? Many of us might vacate the scene, in order to notify a park ranger (or in this case, a do-right mountie); no thank you, not getting involved with that, no sir. So every now and then, it’s interesting to read a Hulk story that includes a character who can overcome the Twilight Zone moment (in this case, the sight of a thirty-foot trench, filled with a face-down unconscious Hulk) and its initial disorientation, who can proceed to find a way to press on and attend to the Hulk’s human needs.
Once we get past that, though, the story amounts to little more than Sasquatch using the Hulk as a tune-up; “finally, a challenge worthy of us!” Dr Langkowski muses, including his alter ego in his anticipation. And of course, his thoughtlessness contributes to the Hulk’s loss of a newfound friend. The action’s fine, but it doesn’t compensate for a story that becomes both thin and all-too-familiar. With Stern & Byrne (hey – that rhymes) manning the four-handed typewriter, I expected a far more involved story. As it is, this story would fit comfortably (with a little less action) in a single routine issue of the Hulk’s regular mag; it’s hardly worthy of an annual.
I know now that Alfredo Alcala has familiarized himself with the Hulk’s fierce facial expressions from his work on the Hulk’s B&W mag; I wouldn’t have been aware of that fact back when this annual was first published. So yes, Al & Sal work together to deliver a range of Hulk faces, from bored, hungry , and rage-fading tired (p 17), to outraged – don’t call him “Banner” (p 31), to ragefully dismissive, for lack of a better expression (p 36, pnl 4), and finally to a rarely-rendered red rage (p 43, pnl 4).
"Dread Night of the Dreadnought!"
Story by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton,
Roger Stern, and David Michelinie
Art by Sal Buscema, Al Gordon, Joe Rubinstein
Eduardo Barreto, Bob Wiacek, and Ricardo Villamonte
Colors by George Roussos
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by Bob Layton
A striking splash page depicts Tony, dwarfed by a massive “Stark International” sign, at a podium addressing a special stockholders’ meeting to discuss their direction “under the auspices of their new management.” The reverse shot reveals that he is playing to an audience of one, a not-amused Nick (“cut the clownin’!”), who hands him S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plan to return S.I. to munitions production, into which Tony introduces the odd monkey wrench: he owns the patents on most of the weapons, and has decided to sell them on the open market; virtually all of his loyal staff have submitted their resignations; and he’s going to take his accumulated leave of nine months. Thus stymied, “the fascist gentleman”—per Mrs. Arbogast—decides to reconsider.
Telling a jubilant Beth and Rhodey that Nick will sell Jarvis’s shares back at cost and put most of the remainder on the market, Tony agrees to a hatchet-burying dinner. During a stop at “one o’ my favorite waterin’ holes” on the Lower East Side, Guido’s Bar & Grill (boilermaker for Fury; ginger ale for Tony), Nick’s beeper flashes an alert on Channel D—U.N.C.L.E. homage?—and he literally flies off in his coupe. Recognizing the significance of “Priority Alpha,” Tony armors up and follows him due west, tracking the “unique energy matrix” of the conversion reactor he’d designed for Nick’s car; it descends through a gaping hole in the central dome of Project 13, the installation housing the doomsday device the Avengers protected from F.A.U.S.T. in Thor #271.
Matthew: I’ve rarely said so in the post-Mantlo era, but I really liked this interim issue—laid out by Sal before Layton’s year as desultory penciler—which is all the more surprising considering its tag-team nature; sure, we all know the “M. [or D.] Hands” byline for inks, but when did you ever see a plot attributed to “D. Minds”? The results, both story and art, are surprisingly cohesive, and although largely sidestepping it here increases the sense that Tony’s alcoholism was too easily beaten, credited writer Michelinie provides commendable closure in other areas. Coincidentally, the (or technically a) Dreadnought appeared, its name misspelled on the cover, in Daredevil #121, a nostalgic favorite narrowly bumped from my Top 20 list on the day before I re-read this.
Chris: It would be reasonable to look at the credits, see both “diverse” and “many,” and proceed with very low expectations. Fortunately, the “diverse minds” of Shooter, Stern, and Layton effectively unravel the controlling-interest conundrum introduced in #128 by Michelinie and Layton. It’s to this title’s advantage to avoid several months’ worth of legal and corporate wrangling; poor Kyle Richmond (and his fellow-suffering readers) could only wish for such an expedient resolution of his personal problems. The only downside is the unlikelihood that Fury would back down, and agree to sell off SHIELD’s stock, seemingly without any concessions on Stark’s part; e.g. Tony might’ve agreed to design and produce several new advanced weapons systems exclusively for SHIELD, to compensate for his hard-line on not resuming general munitions production.
Well anyway – for a fill-in, it isn’t the worst; at least the story follows logically from the previous issue, we’re able to straighten out a potentially distracting business matter, plus we get a bit of bust-em-up action for good measure. Could be worse.
The Black Panther in
"The Killing of Windeagle!"
Story by Ed Hannigan
Art by Jerry Bingham and Gene Day
Colors by Bob Sharen
Letters by Gaspar Saladino and Diana Albers
Cover by Al Milgrom and Klaus Janson
As T'Challa is returning to the Wakandan consulate in New York, he is attacked from above by Windeagle. T'Challa gets the better of his opponent, and flips him into a snare set by his loyal security chief, Taku. As he walks inside, T'Challa wonders who this "Windeagle" might be, and why he'd been sent to attack the King of the Wakandas, "a mission for which he was so unsuited?" Taku is surprised his monarch does not recognize his foe (previously seen in Jungle Action #24). Once T'Challa is inside, his footman Omoro introduces two visitors, Monica Lynne and Kevin Trublood; T'Challa politely acknowledges them, and walks off, stating he'll meet with them later. Taku again is surprised at T'Challa’s lack of recognition; Monica laments "the Dragon Circle got to him," which could mean "the Black Panther we knew could be dead forever!" T'Challa reflects on a possible gap in his memory -- "a hidden area in my awareness" -- before he meets with his visitors. Monica relates her tale of her sister Angela, dead of an apparent suicide, but which by all accounts appeared to be a murder. Investigation into possible foul play pointed to possible involvement by the Klan, and also the mysterious Soldiers of the Dragon Circle. Monica describes how she was aided by a brave and resourceful man, who fought "with the speed and strength of a jungle cat"; the further Monica progresses with her story, the more T'Challa recognizes himself, and his involvement in these events. T'Challa recalls how, despite his efforts at the time, the mystery of Angela's death continued "as deep as ever. But I -- the Panther -- survived to search once more." Kevin underscores how the mystery remains unsolved, and "the threat of the Dragon cult is still very real!" On that note, Windeagle plunges thru the window to renew his attack (he had gassed the Wakandan guards and escaped), which takes both him and T'Challa back outside. T'Challa observes Windeagle's flying apparatus resembles "a product of Wakanadan technology," as he wonders whether the Dragon cult might've "somehow infiltrated my country's scientific elite!" T'Challa feigns being stunned to lure Windeagle in close, and delivers a series of shattering blows. Windeagle appears to withdraw from the fray, only to be felled by a bullet from a nearby window. T'Challa races to the building and springs to the window ledge, but as he reaches the interior, he knows he will find the room empty. The battle might have ended, but clearly, "the war has been reopened!" -Chris Blake
Chris: Something I have to address from the outset; I went back and checked Windeagle's previous appearance in JA #24 (when he was called "Wind Eagle"), and although there are a few inconsistencies in the coloring, for the most part WE is a green-and-white clad black man, but now, WE is a blue-and-yellow costumed white guy (at least Dick Sargent had the courtesy to continue with the same attire when he became the new Darren). So, even though our story closes with the question, "Who was Windeagle?," the greater issue might be phrased, "Who is Wind Eagle/Windeagle?"
Ed Hannigan does a thorough job recounting Monica's story – thorough enough to take up six entire pages. Basically, anytime we're not reliving past events from JA, we're watching a fight with WE. Hannigan introduces an interesting angle with T'Challa's apparent memory loss, but once he's recovered some memories, why stop there? Rather than recount so many details from JA, wouldn't it have made sense to explain what happened after the enigmatic finish of JA #24? I suppose I have to hope those details might be disclosed in our next issue.
At this stage in his career, Jerry Bingham is not the world’s greatest comics artist; his humans tend at times to look spindly and awkward. He requires a solid finisher to give his work substance – so, three cheers for Gene Day. Highlights include: a flashback of T’Challa, ready to fling some dragon-cultists (p 14, last pnl); flashback to the Panther’s fiery crucifixion and its aftermath (p 21, last three pnls); the Panther hangs low, in wait for Windeagle (p 26); the Panther springs from the street to the ledge, as seen from the perspective of the now-empty window, vacated by the rifleman who had shot WE (p 30, 1st pnl).
Matthew: The Hannigan/Bingham/Day team must feel like those poor schlepps who clean up crime scenes, disposing of the remains of not one but two Panther titles. People joke about Two Marvs, yet a more plausible theory is that there are Two Eds, one who makes me long to be struck by lightning while reading Defenders, and this one, who tries two risky gambits: the old amnesia trick, to explain why it’s taken three years our time to pick up the Jungle Action threads, and a 5+-page flashback, perhaps inevitable yet possibly trying the patience of new readers. I say he pulls them both off, matched by Jerry and Gene—look at the detail and texture of those outstretched hands on the splash page and in page 5, panel 4, with an almost 3-D effect.
Joe: Is that PC, even in 1979? "Marvel's #1 Black Super Hero!" on the front cover? I guess, but in 2017 I'm thinking not so much. Eh, I'm probably overthinking it. The insides of this one are "not so much" also, from the so-so story to the mediocre artwork to certain moments like Black Panther picking up the big throne on page 2, which seems like a bit of showing off, kinda out of character if you ask me, even though it's out of necessity. Not sure what the heck is going on as a non-Jungle Action reader, even with the feast of flashbacks. Monica Lynne is sort of annoying to be honest. And oh, the less said about Windeagle the better. Bad outfit that's derivative of so many other heroes and villains. And it's just a suit so there's no real powers (outside of flight). Although he probably didn't deserve to be shot by a mystery assassin. Panther does get in some haymakers on page 26, which is the highlight of the book for sure.BLACK HISTORY MONTH BONUS!
Matthew: In #52, T’Challa learns that Windeagle—likely slain for failing to kill him—was Hector Santiago Ruiz, the son of Dominican immigrants, a criminal and junkie who fell in with the Spiritual Light Society (a “street mission” assumed to be the Cult of the Dragon Circle) in prison, and was paroled into their custody. His flying apparatus was stolen from Wakanda (which is never explained), while the rifle found at the scene was not the murder weapon (which is never explained), leading T’Challa to posit a parallel with Angela’s death. He, Kevin, Monica, and Taku are followed from the precinct house, but a contingency plan lures their pursuers into a Wakandan-owned lumberyard, where some are killed in a crash and another mortally wounded by an unseen sniper...perhaps the same one who killed Angela and Windeagle.
Alas, the tidy resolution suggested by his certitude is not forthcoming in #53, which opens as Lt. Jerome Azoff tries to get Angela’s nominal boyfriend, Leroy Ames—found unconscious in a car outside the rally (which is never explained) and arrested on a gun charge—to confess to the killings. Reunited with the Lynnes, the Panther is momentarily stricken by returning memories, and suddenly the idea that the Cult brainwashed him, which sounded loopy when advanced by the Klan leader last issue, is taken as an article of faith. Sheriff Broderick (sic) Tate enables T’Challa to question Cult member Roman Scaggs, who was in jail when his rifle was found near the scene of Windeagle’s murder, and insists they are nonviolent; this triggers more memories, and suggests that even if unable to control T’Challa, the Cultists made him forget them.
Bargaining for his life, Blackburn guides them to an old, supposedly long-deserted plantation, but is surprised to find it peopled by Caleb and other Civil War-era slaves, whereupon the Soul Strangler appears, battles T’Challa, is defeated, and vanishes, as do the slaves (those expecting bloody EC-style retribution were doomed to disappointment). Apprehending the Rev and the Klansmen, the Panther summons the good guys and confirms that the Cult killed Angela to prevent her from exposing the crooked deals, leaving Kevin to marry Monica and publish the truth, including Blackburn’s indictment, while the ghosts remain unexplained. With Alan Gordon replacing Gene Day on the inks for #53, the art remains as solid as ever, but how satisfying you find Hannigan’s resolution of these years-old dangling plot threads is up to you and your tolerance for supernatural activity.
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