tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post7726713619472721027..comments2024-03-28T02:32:56.979-07:00Comments on Marvel University: February 1964: Electro and The Mandarin!John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-8410560747089460282011-09-26T08:01:45.876-07:002011-09-26T08:01:45.876-07:00Well said, UTW (obviously not the "Tom" ...Well said, UTW (obviously not the "Tom" I referred to in my comment).<br /><br />And I'm always happy to err on the side of kindness.Matthew Bradleyhttp://bradleyonfilm.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-60186878455205157952011-09-23T21:27:56.999-07:002011-09-23T21:27:56.999-07:00Mathew Bradley-
Regarding the Avengers Annual: I...Mathew Bradley-<br /><br />Regarding the Avengers Annual: I wouldn't necessarily rate those villains as All-Stars. I think you are being too kind. However, I must agree that the chapter format, breaking the teams into smaller groups, was awesome! <br /><br />Some of the best comics using that type of style were the ones featuring the Grandmaster. The God-like being would pick out several different opponents to combat each other for his own amusement and wagers.Jockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16292833295819266389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6830827465735526826.post-5489903680065542622011-09-22T07:12:53.400-07:002011-09-22T07:12:53.400-07:00I'm always on the fence--an electrified one, n...I'm always on the fence--an electrified one, natch--as to whether Electro is a formidable bad guy or just a doofus with a funny hat, but you've gotta give him one thing: he certainly has had staying power as a classic Spidey villain, and was of course a member of the original Sinister Six in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1...coming soon to a blog near me.<br /><br />My friend Tom's standard rap against Iron Man--whom I champion with equal vigor (can't wait until we're past this transitional armor and into the quintessential red and gold version)--is that "he has no good villains." Tom pooh-poohs me when I bring up the Mandarin, yet for a guy who grew up reading Rohmer, ol' yellow-peril Mandy, with his ten cool rings, was the real deal. One of the oldest comics I own, and still one of my favorites, is AVENGERS ANNUAL #1, in which Mandy formed an all-star team of bad guys (Enchantress, Executioner, Living Laser, Power Man, Swordsman and the clincher, his pet colossus, Ultimo) to battle the Assemblers. It used the chapter format that I loved so well, breaking each team down into subgroups, and the action-packed artwork epitomized why I continue to defend Don Heck. That's my kinda super-villain--take that, Tom!<br /><br />I'm not that familiar with the "original" Black Knight (i.e., Garrett), but his successor, Dane Whitman, will always have a special place in my heart as the unwitting catalyst for Englehart's epic Avengers-Defenders war a few years later.<br /><br />As usual, despite my mixed feelings about Ditko, those early issues of AMAZING and the Doc Strange strip inspire the warmest memories.Matthew Bradleyhttp://bradleyonfilm.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com