Marvel and DC: Side-by-Side in 1981

1981

Doug: We are entering the home stretch of this race through the Bronze Age of comics. As we've discussed several times around here, there's certainly a debate concerning the ending date for the era. I've posited in the past that one of my indicators is the advent of the mini-series; we saw that last year from DC with the publication of The World of Krypton and The Untold Legend of the Batman. We'll see how that genre evolves this year. Out in the "real world", Iran released the American hostages (held for 444 days) on the same day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States; only two months later Reagan would be shot in an attempted assassination. Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Raiders of the Lost Ark and An American Werewolf in London entertained us. In June the first cases of AIDS were reported and Superman II flew into theaters, and one month later Lady Diana married Prince Charles. MTV debuted in August, and a month after that Simon & Garfunkel performed in the "Concert in Central Park". In December, Muhammad Ali fought for the last time.

Karen: '81 was a heck of a year. I vividly recall watching on TV -and I believe it was shown split-screen style - as the hostages were released just as Reagan took the oath of office. Strange days indeed.
 
Doug: DC Comics rolled out their third mini-series in January with the release of Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #1. Of note in this three-issue series was the revelation that Chameleon Boy was RJ Brande's son (!). At Marvel, the year began with the "Days of Future Past" storyline in X-Men #141 -- a story that introduced Rachel Summers. Elektra, created by Frank Miller, made her first appearance in Daredevil #168. The very next month saw the Legion involved in another exciting development, but only because LOSH #272 contained one of the 16-page comic inserts showcasing a new book prior to its release. In this case it was the updated Dial "H" for Hero, by Marv Wolfman and Carmine Infantino, and would feature stories derived from real fan suggestions. Detective Comics #500 was cover-dated in March and featured an all-star cast of creators telling seven tales of the DCU's detective-based characters.

Karen: We've had a lot of discussion in the 1980 post about X-Men and "Days of Future Past", and its effects on the title for years to come. I have to say though, that at the time, it felt innovative and exciting. It was also basically the last hurrah for the Claremont/Byrne/Austin team -one last great storyline before they split up. I never felt the book was as strong again. As for the Chameleon Boy reveal in Legion, it never made any sense to me.

Doug: In April the Soviet Super-Soldiers were introduced in Incredible Hulk #258, by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. Spring saw yet another DC mini- when Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1 arrived. Popular GL artist Joe Staton combined with Len Wein and Mike W. Barr to tell the story. Green Lantern was also integral in introducing the Omega Men in GL #141.

Karen: The Omega Men! I haven't thought about them in years. I can't recall much but I know I bought the series for a short time. The Soviet Super-Soldiers were fun, although they were arriving on the waning years of the USSR. It would have been fun to see such a group back during the Stan Lee days, when it seemed like almost every super-hero fought communists at some point!

Doug: Were there any holdovers from Stan's days? Were the Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man in the Soviet Super-Soldiers?
Doug: Summer was a time for a semi-key introduction when Vixen made the stage in Action Comics #521; she'd be a key member of the JLA as that title headed toward cancellation with the publication of Crisis on Infinite Earths a few years hence. In July Marvel and DC collaborated for the third time in Marvel Treasury Edition #28; Superman and the Amazing Spider-Man teamed up to defeat Dr. Doom and the Parasite. The story also included the Hulk and Wonder Woman, and was pencilled by John Buscema. In September, the three-issue Krypton Chronicles #1 came out. The series featured Superman discovering details of his family tree. All-Star Squadron #1, by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler, debuted a series based around the Justice Society of America and set in WWII. For July-September, The Marvel Chronicle lists only the introduction of The Hand in Daredevil #174. However, in a small box under that entry, we find that Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (which introduced Firestar) was on the air in September, 1981.

Karen: That All-Star Squadron #1 cover is such a classic.

Doug: As summer gave way to autumn, DC and Marvel teamed again to release DC Special Series #27 featuring a battle between the Hulk and the Batman, and the two heroes together against the Joker and the Shaper of Worlds. At the House of Ideas, about the only book of note at the end of the year was Avengers Annual #10 (which actually doesn't have a month of release noted), which introduced Rogue. That's it. So I have to ask, what the heck was Marvel doing in 1981? You can tell that the focus was moving to a) the X-Men, and b) creators. Miller's work on Daredevil, even though it tended to have no further impact on the greater Marvel Universe, was cited almost every month. I left out the introduction of Stick above -- if you care, it was in November in DD #176. So we basically got a blow-for-blow of Matt Murdock's life with ninjas. But what really happened that was innovative?

Karen: It does seem like a pretty blah year again, doesn't it? I have to admit I didn't understand some of these Marvel/DC team-ups. Batman and Hulk? OK, I guess Hulk was a comparable seller to Batman? Just seems like Batman/Captain America would have been the obvious choice, or Spider-Man/Batman. Avengers Annual #10 was a strong book, as it served as Chris Claremont's soapbox for condemning Ms. Marvel's treatment in Avengers #200. Boy did he lay into the Avengers -and by proxy, the team that produced issue #200. Miller could get away with completely re-creating Daredevil because it seemed like no one -not fans, not creators -really cared about the character! He certainly changed that.