In Appreciation of: Robin Williams

Karen: I sit here stunned at the news of Robin Williams' passing. Only 63, still far too soon to leave this world. I don't want to dwell on the details of his death (and ask that you do not in your comments either) but rather remember his many contributions as an artist.

Karen: Robin Williams was such a huge spirit -he was so boundless in energy and creative ability, when he was really "on" he was a wonder to behold. His mind (and his mouth) moved a million miles a minute; it was hard to keep up with him at times, but always fun to try.

Karen: One of his great inspirations was comedian Jonathan Winters, and it was easy to see why. When the two of them were together, it seemed less like teacher and apprentice, and more like two kids having a ball. They were both two improvisational geniuses. Sadly, Winters passed away last year.

 Karen: Williams came to prominence as a comedian, first on TV in the show "Mork and Mindy," and certainly is remembered for his manic wit. A lot of kids grew up recognizing his voice as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin. His stand-up specials are still hilarious, and his many comedic roles are quite memorable. But Williams also was a terrific dramatic actor, who won a Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting. He always seemed to bring a certain wordiness and deep empathy to these roles.

Karen: I can't do the man service. I am just completely shocked and heart-broken that he's gone, yet another talented person tragically lost to us. I hope some of you can express your thoughts about him and which of his roles you really enjoyed the most.

Space Frogs and Hermaphroditic Heroes? Marvel Presents 4

 This is the 500th review written by the Bronze Age Babies!

Marvel Presents #4 (April 1976)

"Into the Maw of Madness!"

Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom

Doug: Space frog. It looks like a space frog. Admittedly, I am not as big a fan of Steve Gerber as I know many of our readers are, but then in the Bronze Age I did not really care for Gil Kane or Jack Kirby; I've acquired tastes for both. If you were around last week you will recall that I had some serious reservations about the Guardians' inaugural voyage steering their own title. I went so far as to say, at the end, that had the producers of the major motion picture presently running in a theater near you been shown a copy of Marvel Presents #3, it might be no wonder they shied away from the classic incarnation of the team. In my opinion, Gerber's script was oddly paced and the characterizations he'd used in his previous forays into "Guardiandom" now seemed off. So we'll take a dive into this second chapter and see how we like it. I did remark last time, too, that Al Milgrom's art, under the embellishment of Pablo Marcos, was surprisingly good. I've never been a fan of Milgrom's art, and not of Marcos as an inker, either. But the combination by and large seemed to click. You'll notice today that Milgrom inks himself. So at the end, be sure to leave a comment on the lines as well as the words.

Karen: I really like the cover, although it is completely symbolic. I thought perhaps it was Milgrom inked by someone else, but Comic Book Database attributes it solely to Milgrom. I wouldn't be surprised though if some of the figures (Astro in particular) were touched up by art director John Romita.

Doug: Charlie's left leg seems really off, so I am going to assume that if the Jazzy one touched that cover, it wasn't there.

Doug: We find the Guardians stopped on Centauri-IV, the home planet of Yondu. At the conclusion of last week's issue, the team had abandoned the very Earth they'd helped to free from the Badoon. Each Guardian tried, in his own way, to ease himself into terran society... and each had failed, been grossly dissatisfied. So Starhawk had come up with a mission for the team, one that would take them across the stars. But Yondu felt like in order to proceed, he needed to seek the will of his gods. So the field trip was not planned, but necessary. Yondu went through his rituals, praying for a sign as to whether he would live or die on the mission. He received an omen that he would indeed live. Now last ish I complained about an abrupt shift in the personality of Major Vance Astro. Gerber writes him consistently here from the previous chapter, so I think I begin to see where he's going with it. One of our regular knocks on Silver and Bronze Age characterization at DC Comics is the "cookie-cutter" superhero, showing no discernible differences between any of the males on Super Friends (for example). As no one had really stood out as the loose cannon in previous stories featuring the Guardians, I guess Gerber decided that it was going to be Vance. So I guess I can get used to this. I'll have to.

Karen: Again, we see Yondu seeking signs that he is to continue on with living. The small bug crawling up to him in the midst of the storm is a nice touch. I find Charlie to be very similar to the Beast -a big, hulking guy with a strong intellect. It's Charlie rather than Martinex who decides to inform Astro about Yondu's society and culture. Of all the team, Vance, the man from old Earth, is the least inclined to believe in spiritual matters. But then given his situation, is it any wonder he might not have any faith any more?

Doug: So the team teleports up to the waiting Captain America to resume their mission. Astro continues to mutter about religion/metaphysics, etc. Martinex tries to talk him down, but eventually Astro gives up and leaves the room. As he enters his quarters, we find that his lodging is set up as it might have been when he was a child. Images of Captain America adorn the space. Astro complains to himself about his condition, of being over 1000 years old, yet trapped in his sustaining metal foil suit. Suddenly he is addressed by Starhawk. Astro whirls, and accuses Starhawk of invading his privacy. But Starhawk tells him the door was open; he assumed his mind was as well. This ticks off Astro, who then fires a mind bolt at Starhawk. What follows is unnerving, for both men. For a split second, Astro sees a woman standing just barely in front of Starhawk, but then just as quickly gone. Starhawk is staggered by the bolt, and as he rises from a knee he reminds Astro that he is the giver of light and of life, and while he has killed in the past, he's only once regretted it. This was a strange little monologue, as Gerber wrote Starhawk at one time Christlike, yet more of as a judge/jury/executioner all at the same time. Perhaps that was Gerber's view of Christianity, or at least of the institution as represented by its various institutions/denominations. Starhawk leaves, and Astro wonders what he just saw.

Karen: I was going to remark on how odd it is that Astro chooses to reside in a room designed for a 12 year old -til I took a look around at my own room! Perhaps we are all most comforted by the carefree days of youth. Yet the room is a constant reminder of how unhappy he now is. As Starhawk points out, Astro got to do something few of us can, fulfill his dreams, by becoming an astronaut, but the reality was not what he expected.

Doug: I think that Vance had lost all connection to his boyhood hero, Captain America. It seems like he's very far removed from those values and leadership qualities. I get what's been said about the hand he's been dealt in regard to the containment suit, etc. But he's so far removed from any semblance of a team player. 

Doug: On the bridge, Yondu tells Charlie-27 and Martinex that an object is coming up on the viewscreen. It's a small Earth-based craft, directly on a collision course with the Captain America. It's meteor deflection shields are causing a problem, so Starhawk tells Martinex to employ the CA's tractor beams and haul the craft on board. Shortly, once in the airlock, a figure emerges from the small ship. It's a girl, a Mercurian, and she's feisty! She assumes the Guardians are Badoon in disguise, and levels a gun at them. They assure here that they are not, and ask her her story. We have been introduced to Nikki, the sixth member (soon, anyway) of the GotG. She relates her origin, of the Badoon murdering her parents before her eyes as they subjugated Mercury. She was only 11, but knew how to pilot the family's space craft so took to the stars. She got away from our solar system, and drifted throughout the galaxy for seven years, until this time. Along the way she saw a lot and learned a lot, and allowed the Guardians to see the course she had been on. Interestingly, Martinex said he'd get her some clothes, as she found the CA's climate control system to be a bit cool to her tastes -- he got her some caveman furs. Odd choice...

Karen: Reading this, I began to think about Nikki, who was a new character created just for this team, and compare her to Mantis, who Steve Englehart had created for the Avengers. I like Nikki a lot better. Gerber gives Nikki a background of self-reliance, and although she's clad in a midriff exposing two-piece outfit, she doesn't come across as particularly sexualized. If anything, she's 'plucky' and a survivor, which makes her a good fit for this group. The furs, though, make no sense!

Doug: I think "plucky" is a great term for Nikki. And I agree about the lack of sexualization, even though they remarked that she was 18 or so. We'll see beginning next issue, though, that she forms a special bond with Charlie. As Nikki related her adventures, Starhawk asked her if she had ever noticed a strange odor on any of the dead planets she'd visited. She said that yes, she had! Comparing notes, it was determined that she had been through space zones where a cosmic being had been previously -- draining the life forces from planets and even solar systems. But in the midst of this conversation, Astro again piped up as abrasively as getting your face sandpapered. I don't mind controversy and/or conflict. I guess my main trouble here is that I want to like my heroes. And Gerber is putting Vance Astro into that Sunfire category for me -- know what I mean?

Karen: Basically, anything Starhawk says, Astro is going to object to or belittle it. It feels like he's lost his leadership role and he's fighting back, but just making it worse. The events on Earth obviously took their toll too. But I agree, it's tough to see him make an ass of himself repeatedly after seeing him as essentially a normal guy in those Defenders issues.

Doug: We cut to a farm, but where we know not. Three children play in a pasture with a horse, until a foreboding shadow casts itself over the landscape. The children hurriedly head for a log cabin, but inside to a computer. As they run, they say they will contact Aleta, if Starhawk is not there. He is not, so they sit down to the computer. Immediately a beautiful woman appears onscreen, her calming face quieting the children. Beams shoot form her eyes, and the children immediately turn to get into bed (a Three Stooges bunk bed, no less!). But up on the Captain America, we see Starhawk first take leave of his fellows (to Astro's jerk-like protestations), and then seated in a chair in his quarters, where Aleta emerges from his very being -- no, replaces his being! This was the woman that Astro had glimpsed previously! She stretches, now wearing a mini-dress version of Starhawk's costume. She looks for something to write a note on, but finds nothing. Vance enters the room, and obviously is quite alarmed at the person who greets him. But Aleta plays it off and tells Astro that she needs for him to relay a message to Starhawk -- the children need him. And then she exits the room. Almost immediately Starhawk enters the room, and Vance loses it (again). But as he's going off on Starhawk and how he's so mysterious, yada yada yada, Martinex comes over the comm system and tells them both to get to the bridge -- they've found their planet eater.

Karen: We wouldn't learn the full story about the children, and Aleta and Starhawk, until issue 9, so it was a bit of a tease here. I thought Aleta's costume was pretty lame -maybe they should have asked Dave Cockrum to design something for her? Astro's bewilderment over Aleta and then righteous indignation with Starhawk is par for the course.

Doug: Starhawk readies to head into space to try to get some readings on this creature. Charlie and Yondu explain to Nikki, as well as they can, how Starhawk can exist in space without a spacesuit. He has a biorecorder, and drops from the Captain America. His cosmic sails emerge, and the faceplate drops into place. He flies close to the "creature", and it begins to negatively affect him in multiple ways. Martinex remarks that they are getting no readings, that this "being" has no form and no life essence -- rather, it is "Karanada" to Yondu -- "the emptiness that devours". In our vernacular, I suppose it would be a sentient black hole. Of course Vance has to ridicule Yondu's Centaurian mythology, denigrating it rather than embracing it as a "what if...?" Outside, Starhawk is grabbed by the "creature" and pulled toward its "mouth".

Karen: I have to wonder who thought that a giant celestial toad was a good design for a terrifying galactic destroyer? I can't look at the thing and take it seriously. It looks like it's made out of marshmallow creme. So silly.

Doug: Perhaps various herbs were consumed during those editorial sessions?

Doug: Inside, Martinex is alarmed that he can no longer find any signs of Starhawk, nor of the biorecorder. Yondu bows his head, knowing that his people's prophecies have come true. Martinex relays that Starhawk had left instructions should he not come back, but before anything can be implemented there is a large explosion -- some of the computer systems aboard the Captain America are beginning to malfunction. The team begins to pick themselves up from the deck when Nikki notices on the viewscreen that the space frog (my term) is heading straight for the CA. Everyone scrambles to attempt to get the team out of there -- hyperdrive, anything! They succeed, but not without damage -- the creature somehow introduced a virus into the ship's systems, rendering them increasingly useless. And Starhawk? As the CA zips by, Martinex locates the biorecorder -- floating unattached. Just floating in space.

Karen: This is certainly a cliff-hanger -life support failing, Starhawk presumed dead., and a dangerous space frog on the loose!

Doug: I thought Al Milgrom's art was again pretty solid. He had a bit of a Vinnie Colletta vibe at times, particularly on the opening splash page. He and Gerber do seem to be in tune on the plot, and on Gerber's various weirdities. I've commented that all this seems a bit unconventional, yet Milgrom is along every step of the way. So it works (at least visually -- I'm still not sold on the elements of which I've voiced concern). As I write this, I've not yet read the third book -- my curiosity is up, however, and I declare that even if I didn't "have" to read it, I do think that I would. So there's a sale for you!

Karen: We will see a number of different inkers on Milgrom over the course of these reviews, including Milgrom himself, so it gives us an opportunity to really take a look at his art. I thought his work here was a little rough but not bad. As for the story, I feel it is still getting going. I'm really more interested in the characters than the space frog though!

The Golden Age of Marvel Media

Karen: I've been credited with calling our current times "the Golden Age of Reprints," although I have to admit I don't recall saying that. But I don't remember a lot of things, and enough of you seem certain I said it, that I'll go ahead and accept it.

Karen: I have come to believe that we are living during the "Golden Age of Marvel Media," which was in evidence again this last week, as the Guardians of the Galaxy film dominated the box office, hauling in over $100 million domestically and $200 million worldwide. I have to admit, when this film was originally announced, I was concerned it would be Marvel Studio's first true flop. But instead, the public has embraced it -and how.Who would have thought a film with some of the most obscure Marvel characters, including a walking tree-man and a talking raccoon, would turn out to be so well-received? At this point, I think Marvel could make a film about a jar of peanut butter and people would go see it, based solely on the studio's track record.

Karen: This week DC announced that they would be rescheduling the release date of their Superman/Batman film, which was originally going to premiere on May 6, 2016, the same day as the third Captain America film. Now their film will come out earlier, on March 25th of that year. Many people are saying that in this stare down, DC blinked first. Think about that. They moved a film that had their top two characters. That's how powerful the Marvel engine is right now. 

Karen: So this "Golden Age of Marvel Media" is truly wonderful for long time fans like us, because we are getting to see things we could only dream of for many, many years. Yes, there were the TV adaptations of Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, and Dr. Strange in the 70s. They were, well, not very good. As David B. might say, "they were all we had." These Marvel Studio films have been a quantum leap in quality, giving us not only amazing effects but characters who are recognizable as their comic book counterparts. It's a huge pleasure just to see them brought to life.  But every Marvel film has brought things to the screen that have truly surprised and  thrilled me. In the first Iron Man, I got an enormous kick out of seeing the makeshift grey armor rumbling around. The depiction of Asgard in Thor was absolutely perfect, right down to the appearance of Odin's ravens. How about seeing the dormant Human Torch in Captain America? And I just about jumped out of my seat while watching this Guardians film when -SPOILER ALERT!!!! - we saw the Celestials during the Collector's explanation of the infinity gems. 

Karen: It seems like everyone loves Marvel these days. It wasn't always that way -I can remember the sting of insults over my Marvel stickers on my lunchbox, or my Marvel t-shirts. But it just took forty years for everyone else to catch up to me, and us. When I wear a Marvel t-shirt out now, I inevitably get compliments on it. My, how things have changed!

Break On Through to the Other Side -- Readers' Version

Doug: A week ago Tuesday we had some fun looking at comic book covers where a character, characters, or a scene from within seem to burst the bounds of the magazine. Our readers made some great suggestions in the comments section, so we're going to give everyone their due and present those nominations today.

 

 

 

 

Who's the Best...Non-Original Soundtrack?

Karen: There was some discussion on the Guardians of the Galaxy movie post about that film's soundtrack, filled with catchy 70s tunes. What's your vote for best soundtrack, composed not of original music  but using existing songs? Guardians is pretty darn good. Some that I would throw out there:

Pulp Fiction

Pump Up the Volume

Dazed and Confused

Discuss: Hall & Oates

Doug: Back around the 4th of July, my wife and I were at a festival up in the western suburbs. There was a nice line-up of "garage bands" on one of the stages. One group of youngsters was specializing in music from the 80s and 90s (you know -- oldies) and went through a fun rendition of "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates. I've had this post on my mind since, so I'm finally getting around to it. Obviously these guys were pop juggernauts in the 1980s, but that's not the sort of sound they started with in the 70s. Nope -- back then they were more soulful. In fact, I'd like to entertain your thoughts on the likes of Al Green singing "Sara Smile", or Al Wilson or Lou Rawls on "She's Gone"? But in the bigger picture, I want your general feelings on this duo and their place in 80s history, music history, whatever. Shoot, if all you want to talk about is the series Live at Daryl's House that airs on Palladia, we can go there, too.

PS: True story -- John Oates married a local girl. I think they reside in Aspen, Colorado now. However, he was in the area about three weeks ago and our local paper ran a couple of pics of him sitting on a corn rack on his in-laws' farm. "Big rock star hits the small town" -- that sort of thing.

Keep on Rocking in the Free World... or Not - Marvel Presents 3

Marvel Presents #3 (February 1976)
"Just Another Planet Story!"
Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom/Pablo Marcos

Doug: I can honestly say I got more from Al Milgrom in this issue than I expected, but way less from Vance Astro. So should I applaud Pablo Marcos and pan Steve Gerber -- is that what I'm trying to say? As we go through the month of August (and a temporary return to weekly partner reviews -- how's that for a taste of the past in a mag about the future?), I am confident that I'll be analyzing what it was that I liked about this incarnation of the Guardians. Of course the heavily-publicized feature film debuted just days ago here in the States, and I admittedly have no knowledge of the present team (I am assuming that these modern versions of Gamora, Groot, and Drax have no relations to their Bronze Age namesakes). So I'm definitely looking at the first five issues of the Marvel Presents Guardians series with an eye toward successes and failures.

Karen: I had most of the issues of this short series, and recall liking it well enough. I also enjoyed a lot of the more recent Guardians stuff (back when I was actively buying comics) although the original team are still the "real" Guardians to me -it's just a matter of perspective. I can say before we even get started, that this series is drenched in 70s attitude, most of it of the negative or bad variety, so on some level I have an automatic appreciation for it, although it gets a bit too bizarre for my tastes.

Doug: I think we can all agree that Steve Gerber often (OK, always?) injected his own politics into his stories in the form of satire. This series seems to be no exception, as right from the front page we get some POV narration from Gerber about the significance of the Milky Way, the Earth, and life. It ends well enough, and sets up the story, but I thought it read just a bit heavy. So do you suppose that imposing his own point of view on readers led Gerber to the Guardians strip, or would he have played it as heavy-handed in any title on which he would work? Gerber's writing style is quite different from that of Denny O'Neil, yet as I've read through the first few issues of this series I have found Gerber writing with as heavy a hammer as O'Neil in his Green Lantern/Green Arrow feature.

Sorry - small scanner bed!

Doug: We turn the page and we're faced with a nice two-page splash from Milgrom and Marcos that shows a full-on war between the Earthlings, the Badoon, and the Guardians. It's a summer movie spectacular, with fire, energy beams, and explosions! And the four main heroes are all in action, dutifully aiding those seeking to throw off Badoon imperial oppression. From the beginning, there is a reference to the storyline in Defenders #s 26-29, and keep in mind that prior to this issue, the Guardians had only been seen in less than ten comics. The creative team uses the next four pages to spotlight each member actively engaged in the skirmish, giving their backgrounds, power set, etc. Most of this is accomplished through narration boxes and relates information with which we are all by now familiar. I will say, though, that I was a bit surprised on the re-read that Milgrom showed us both a Badoon taking an arrow bloodily through the neck as well as Martinex turning a Badoon governor to ashes. It seemed a bit rough for a newsstand comic.

Karen: I guess all's fair in war, huh? In retrospect, this was shockingly violent.

Doug: Once reunited, the team quickly discovers that they have been victorious over the Badoon and have effectively freed the Earth! As the comrades celebrate, Vance Astro wonders where Starhawk is, and why he didn't help out. And then Astro seems to become a cipher for that guy on the street, the one who used to turn up from time-to-time in the Lee/Kirby books, doubting the heroes, dwelling on the power they have and that they don't have to answer to anyone for it. It's an odd voice I hear coming from Astro, as I don't believe it's the same characterization we've seen in the Marvel Two-In-One two-parter nor in the Defenders stories. I think in those stories Astro had more of a Captain America-type voice; here he's a grump, even a loose cannon. Maybe that's Gerber shaking things up, bringing us the unexpected. So we see Starhawk, rather aloof from the fighting, who takes off to survey the damage and to see what the next steps will be. He listens in on some Earthlings railing on about an eye-for-an-eye form of justice, and then Gerber gives Starhawk the moralizing voice, thinking to himself that the challenge will be to create a new society based on dignity, not hatred.

Karen: To play Devil's advocate, I can see why Gerber gave Vance Astro the personality he did. In his other appearances, he was a pretty bland guy -sort of your generic hero, nice, upstanding, etc. But if you start thinking about his situation, and the extreme,  ironic cruelty of it all (the thousand year old man whose mission was pointless, and who can never leave his foil suit), well, making Astro into a somewhat bitter, angry guy makes a lot of sense. He's not the most pleasant character, I'll grant you that, but he definitely has some layers. All of the characters have something of an edge to them, and looking back, it's surprising that a lot of this made it past the Comics Code!

Doug: I agree with your assessment of the change in Astro. Prior to this issue, ol' Vance could have been a cut-out from a Silver Age DC comic. So he provides some depth, some controversy on the team. I guess he was odd man out, huh? I couldn't have seen this personality being foisted upon Yondu or Martinex, and Charlie-27 is sort of a gentle giant, like Ben Grimm. Yup -- Vance was the guy. But what a jerk...

Doug: But just as we think the worst is over, there's a relapse to the situation. Another starship is landing -- a Badoon starship. Immediately Charlie-27 joins the Astro I-don't-trust-Starhawk chorus, this time to be coaxed back to his senses by Martinex. Everyone is understandably on edge, but in this short time span of a few panels it reads as over-the-top to me. But most fears are allayed -- or at least confused -- when the ship lands, opens, and out walks the female Badoon. We're reminded that the two Badoon genders hate each other and only reproduce to continue the species. The males are warlike conquerors, while the females are rational and would like to keep the males in check. They have come to take the males away and to deal with them. Of course the males want no part of this, and actually encourage the Earthlings to flay them alive! Wow... The man on the street, all couple hundred of them, of course think any Badoon is a bad Badoon and don't trust anything about this -- nor do they trust Starhawk, who seems to be in league with the Badoon women. The Badoon queen, growing weary of the arguing and accusations, basically says "you want the males dead, fine -- deal with them yourselves" and turns to leave. Astro steps in to calm the crowd, but Starhawk interrupts him. This causes friction between the two, and Astro again states his opinion about Starhawk's lack of assistance during the fighting. Starhawk says he answers to only himself, and one other -- and the other one is not Astro's god. We then get an odd page in the story, half art and half text, where Starhawk explains his position.

Karen: It sure seems like Gerber used a lot of text boxes, doesn't it? I can't think of another writer who had large runs of text like that. The mystery of Starhawk was one of the more interesting aspects of the title and the way it unfolded was well done. He certainly had an angelic aspect to him, and Astro's sarcastic response of "I suppose He speaks to you directly" properly shows the friction between the two of them. 

Doug: To close the issue, we again get one-page vignettes focusing on each of our main characters. Yondu heads to the forests of Earth, which reminds him of his homeworld. Yondu is a bit of a mystic, and in his meditation is nearly taken down by a... caveman? Wait, wait, wait. Every Earthling in the first half of the story, despite the advancement of time, was dressed much as we are. But only months later, and on the same planet, Yondu is attacked in the woods by a caveman? Who cannot speak? And as the guy leaps from a tree Yondu runs him through the vital organs with an arrow -- and then says he'll nurse the guy back to health? A few months later Martinex is hoping to get back into the science game -- that's his background. But while inspecting a command center of some sort, he's told by the resident director that the knowledge fell to the will of the Badoon -- there was time and space to craft shelter for humans or for their physically stored knowledge. But not both. And during the conversation, in a human effort to console, the Earthman reaches out to touch Martinex, but draws back. Martinex picks up on this and asks him why. And here Gerber asks us to consider bigoted behavior.

Karen: The scene with Yondu is a bit puzzling. I assumed that some humans had reverted to a more primitive state -that's really the only explanation I could come up with! The more disturbing thing here is that Yondu was considering suicide before the attack, but was convinced that his reflexive defense was a sign from his gods that he was not ready to die yet. Then again, he (like Martinex and Charlie) is the last of his kind - the Badoon really did a job on the galaxy! The encounter between Martinex and his colleague was very well handled by Gerber and Milgrom. Martinex, like Charlie, is of human descent -his ancestors were humans with genes altered so they could live on Pluto. He's not an alien. But his appearance causes unease. Despite helping to free the Earth, he has no place there.

Doug: On the west coast, Charlie-27 has gone to work for a construction company. He's a grunt, with a tyrant for a foreman. Toward the end of the shift Charlie finds that he can take no more. So, right before the whistle (why all these 20th Century conventions for a story set in the 31st Century?) to end the day, Charlie decides to wrap the boss in a girder... and leave him there. Lastly, we look in on Major Vance Astro. He's in a strip club (seriously? I was only 9 years old when this was on sale, and I could tell you 2-3 grocery stores/drug stores where I could buy this off the spinner racks) feeling sorry for himself due to his condition of advanced age -- after all, if not for his containment suit, he wouldn't exist. He cannot eat, cannot touch, nothing. So when one of the ladies strolls over and asks him about a good time and all that, Astro brushes her off. He's mocked by a nearby patron, and Astro's response was -- to me -- startling. I don't know that he was vaporized, but I'd be willing to bet he got more than a taser's worth of shock from Astro's mind blast.

Karen: All four of these vignettes stuck with me from when I read them as a kid, but the one with Astro really got burned into my brain, because you just did not see super-heroes in strip clubs back in the 70s! I don't know that I truly grasped everything that was behind this scene when I first read it, but upon re-readings as I got older, the meaning became crystal clear. Again, how this got through the Comics Code I have no idea, as it speaks of sexual frustration. The shot with Astro staring at the dancer's torso and the jewel in her navel pretty much says it all. I felt that this scene laid out the reasons for Astro's borderline mental breakdown later on -all of the normal physical activities that humans engage in are completely denied to him. Who wouldn't be angry and even a little nuts from that?

Doug: We end back on the Captain America, as Vance Astro is teleported aboard. He's, in his own way, happy to see his teammates. The same could not be said, however, for his greeting to Starhawk as the mystery man informs Astro that they are embarking on a mission of his own choice. They are leaving Earth for the stars, on a pre-destined course of travel. Astro's not sure he's given his consent to any of this...

Karen: Who's leading this thing? And we've got a crew of outcasts and malcontents -oh boy...

Doug: I can't say that I truly enjoyed this story much past the nostalgia factor. In fact, if I were to put myself in the shoes of the current film's producers and this was the issue I was shown as backstory for the original characters, I think I might have gone with the updated incarnation of the Guardians. We'll see how this goes as we move through the next four issues (week #4 of our series will be a two-for-one, as we were originally going to end in the middle of a story), but I have to say as we begin that I'm a bit edgy about Gerber's style and the art -- it was overall better than expected, but could still be uneven here and there.

Karen: I still have fondness for these issues, but I'm trying to evaluate them on their own merits. I have to say, this issue is pretty dark! But it's entirely set-up, so I'm prepared to see where it takes us. The art was solid -I've found Al Milgrom to be a mixed bag, really varying in quality depending on who's inking him. Here, Marcos is a good match.

A Classic Review from Doug -- Marvel Super-Heroes 18

Note: This review was originally published at Two Girls, A Guy, and Some Comics on 26 July 2009.

Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969)

"Earth Shall Overcome!"

Arnold Drake-Gene Colan/Mickey Demeo

Doug: I recently picked up the Marvel Premiere Hardcover, Guardians of the Galaxy: Earth Shall Overcome. I recalled the Guardians mainly from the pages of the Defenders, back in my early comics-buying days. When I saw that not only this collection was coming out, but its sequel (Guardians of the Galaxy: The Power of Starhawk), I was very excited to read them. I am a big fan of Marvel's recent strategy of getting not only important storylines from the Bronze Age back into print, but entire runs of short-lived series.

Since we tend to focus mainly on the Silver Age here at TGAGASC, I thought I'd stick to the first appearance of the Guardians from 1968 -- Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (cover-dated January 1969). The tale was authored by Arnold Drake and rendered by Gene Colan and Mike Esposito (under the latter's pen name of Mickey Demeo).

Arnold Drake, creator of the Doom Patrol and Deadman, was a longtime writer for DC Comics who fell out of favor with editorial toward the end of the 1960's. Shortly after seeing his workload dwindle to nothing, he moved over to Marvel Comics, where he created (with Colan) the Guardians. You can read more about Drake in a wonderful obituary penned by Mark Evanier at the following link:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_03_12.html#013083

I'll be honest -- this story reads just like a 1960's DC science fiction yarn! Colan's pencils (and I am speaking of figural form, speed lines, etc.) somewhat lend themselves more to the DC style than to what Marvel was then producing. Saying that, however, other than one splash page, there is not a single panel in the story that has right angle corners! Colan was really pushing the envelope with panel lay-outs here. Although there are no characters or backgrounds that break the panel boundaries (as we'd see a little later from not only Colan but also from the likes of Neal Adams, et al.), Colan's style is somewhat unnerving to the unsuspecting reader. A Colan-art veteran, I was nonetheless taken aback by the frenetic pace of the storytelling -- it was as if Drake's words could not keep up with Gene the Dean's pictures!

Drake's characterization is pretty basic. The bad guys, an alien race known as the Badoon, are pretty typically malevolent. They posture, they say all the right (or wrong, I suppose) things, and are pretty menacing in speech and in their looks. The goal of the Badoon is to eradicate the galaxy of humanity. On the other hand, the good guys fall into pretty basic team-book dynamics. It's difficult at this point to tell any pecking order among the four white knights, but it is pretty clear that Yondu the archer will be toward the bottom. I really had to laugh at the total lack of political correctness in Yondu's speech patterns -- reading him here was to "hear" Jay Silverheels speaking as Tonto! It really was funny. Vance Astro is a little bit of a smart aleck, and nowhere near the Captain America-clone he will become in subsequent incarnations of the team. Martinex is basically written as he will be later -- serious, focused. Charlie-27 is the one character who seems really undefined. He is listed as a survivor of the Jupiter colony, with a mass 11x that of an Earthman. However, the way Colan draws his head is quite odd, as it seems almost to flow -- it certainly changes shapes throughout the story. And, one would think that in spite of his bulk and weight that Charlie-27 possesses super-speed. He is drawn on many pages either with an overabundance of speed lines, and even at times in sequential pictures as if moving faster than the eye could normally follow -- as if he were Quicksilver or the Flash! I never remembered Charlie-27 possessing super-speed in any other stories, and indeed I can find no online references to that power in regard to his character. So perhaps Drake/Colan wanted to tinker with this later...

And that "later" wouldn't come to pass anytime soon. The Guardians, after their one-page, cliffhanger first appearance, would be back-burnered until Steve Gerber chose to unshelve them in 1974. After that, they would appear somewhat regularly as guest-stars in Marvel Two-In-One and the Defenders (1975), before gaining their own series in the pages of Marvel Presents (1977).

If you're a fan of the Bronze Age, or of science fiction, or just of today's Guardians (which I admittedly know nothing of), then you should seek out this hardcover. For my money, I wouldn't plunk down any change just for Marvel Super-Heroes #18, but for the added content the collection was the way to go.

PS (27 July 2014) -- I think I've gotten better at writing reviews over the years...

Discuss: Guardians of the Galaxy movie

Karen: The latest Marvel film is getting rave reviews -I even read praise for it from the likes of Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart! So you know the drill -feel free to share your thoughts BUT PLEASE - NO SPOILERS for the first few days that the film is out! I can say I am diggin' the soundtrack already...