What? Is That a Funnybook You're Reading?

Doug: Back in the mid-80's when the "prestige format" was introduced, and when trade paperbacks started to become more common, an editor (forgive me -- I can't recall who nor where I read the comment) remarked that these new, more mainstream, formats would allow the comics fan the freedom to read his/her favorite tales on the subway, an airplane, or in a coffee house. Today's question is: Is that true? Do you take your four-color fun into public areas? Do you read tpbs or hardcovers on the airplane or during your commute? Or are you, like me, for the most part still "in the closet" about this addiction of ours? I will read a book about comics on an airplane, but I guess I'm not yet liberated enough to read a graphic novel or compilation for all eyes to see. Shame on me, perhaps.

What's your take on this issue? Do you have a "success story", or a "yeah, I thought it would be OK..." tale to tell? Please share...

The Avengers movie -from 1952!!

Karen: An astonishing discovery has been made by film archivists in Hollywood: the trailer for the lost 1952 film, The Avengers. Did Jack Kirby and Stan Lee see this footage and use it as the basis for the creation of the Marvel Universe? Is everything we know a lie?!

OK, OK, before I get any comments, I was kidding about the film being real! But wasn't that about the coolest thing ever?

FF 174 - Roy Thomas Wednesday

Fantastic Four #174 (September 1976)
"Starquest!"
Roy Thomas-John Buscema/Joe Sinnott

Karen: Let's dive into part 2 of our look at this galactic slugfest, presented by Thomas and Buscema. The High Evolutionary -or H.E., as I like to call him - has decided that the only way to stop Galactus from devouring Counter-Earth is to battle him. Sue Richards tries to convince him that he must send her to one of the two planets where her family are being held prisoner, but H.E. is not interested in that, only in finding a way to stop Galactus. Sue decides to take matters into her own and hands. She becomes invisible and operates H.E.'s teleporter. Unfortunately, she winds up on the third world they were looking at, the one seemingly devoid of any life -and also, oxygen! She realizes she has but a short time before the air in her force field is gone.

Doug: Yeah, that Sue -- what a helpless, worthless, screw-up! Seriously though, like you said last time, this was a staple of Stan's writing and Roy was certainly continuing to carry the ball. I don't have a great deal of background, because unlike you I was not a regular Warlock reader. So I really didn't know what to make of this dude with the metallic suit yet a face of red! And another thing -- I know I wasn't around for last time when you started this series, but I must confess that as a 10-year old I was sure disappointed when John Buscema replaced George Perez on the art chores for this story. My, how times change! I think I've figured it out...

Karen: Next we return to the wonderful world of Mekka, where robots rule. Ben and Reed are captives of Torgo. He has immobilized them using a "special magnet" which attracts their outer flesh. Got it? Outer Flesh? Remember that, it's important. Torgo gives the pair the lowdown on his world's history: how he and his fellow Mekkans were created centuries ago by humans, but their human masters were wiped out by a virus. Torgo tells the two he cannot let them go, as he fears they will reveal Mekka's location to Galactus. However, he has plans for them: he will convert them into robots! This is apparently an honor in Torgo's eyes.

Doug: I really liked the origin of Torgo's world -- sort of had a Conquest of the Planet of the Apes feel to it. Very well done -- nothing that would prove long-lasting, but a nice element to add to the story.

Karen: After they are left alone -why oh why would you leave any of the Fantastic Four alone? - Reed tells Ben he should be able to get free, as the magnet only attracts their outer skin - and Ben is currently wearing an exo-skeleton (having lost his cosmic- ray induced form a few issues prior). Ben wriggles free and the two escape. But Reed has some troubling news: he seems to be losing his stretching powers -already he cannot stretch his right arm.

Doug: Cool wrinkle. I always liked the exoskeleton, short-lived as it was. As for Reed, this was a part of the story that would go on for the next two years. It really provided for some nice (and retread, too) storylines.

Karen: As the twosome make their escape they head for a tower which supplies all power to the Mekkans. Reed is just able to pull the lever and shut it down as Ben has Torgo on the ropes. The mechanical men all drop like puppets with their strings cut. Reed and Ben could easily leave Mekka now, but it just doesn't sit right with them. As Ben says, "Look at 'em Reed. Sure, they're robots -but they're more than that too! They've got as much right to their lives as Counter Earth ...or our Earth." The two heroes agree to restore the power. With this act, Torgo is convinced that the Earthmen will keep their word and not betray his people to Galactus. He allows them to leave, only - they don't have a ride home! Since the High Evolutionary is not at the controls, there's no one to bring them back across space.

Doug: Big whoops on the offworld transportation thing. How would that be in the "helpless feeling" dept?

Karen: Speaking of space, our other dynamic duo finds themselves imprisoned in a low tech dungeon -- although you have to give the natives credit for chaining the Torch neck-deep in a wooden barrel full of water. Gorr the gorilla makes a wager with the ruler: let him battle their champion; if he wins, he and the Torch go free. If not...well, you can figure it out.

Karen: Gorr is outfitted in a suit of armor and must joust against the dread Dark Knight of Astralon. The Dark Knight turns out to be a pushover, as Gorr easily unseats him. However, the king decides Gorr must also defeat the Dragon (captured last issue). As Gorr begins to protest, the beast breaks free. The king screams at his men, "Kill him you fools, your lasers!" Yup, those medieval types were not so primitive; in fact, they are actually Skrulls! This world was their version of Disneyland, providing them with entertainment. They kill the dragon, and come clean to Johnny and Gorr. The real kicker? The dragon was the last indigenous, and intelligent, life form on the planet. The Skrulls had hunted them for pleasure. But with no more dragons remaining, they decide there is no point in staying, and blast off. Even usually-dense Johnny feels badly: "Sure! It's just like us, to think that a world's main race has to look human!" But he feels even worse a few moments later, when he and his ape friend realize no one is beaming them off the planet!

Doug: Johnny remarks that he was useless in the scene, and that he was. Gorr was a character that was quite reminiscent of the Beast -- if he'd been written as Stan had written him in the very early years of X-Men. While not a lasting character, Gorr did add texture to this story.

Karen: Our story closes back on Counter Earth, as Galactus has begun his preparations to destroy and consume the planet. As the human inhabitants gaze on in fear, the High Evolutionary, grown as large as Big G himself, strides across the sky, ready to do battle to save his world!

Doug: Methinks some cosmic fisticuffs be in the offing!

Marvel Comics - June/July 1979!

Doug: Welcome back to our Bronze Age time capsule, effendi! This time 'round we're in the summer of 1979, perhaps the end of the period we love -- I know it was heading that way for me, as I'd be out of the hobby in about another year. One of the first things you may notice in this installment (today is the first of four) is the increase in cover price to 40c. You will see a 35-center here and there, but for the most part we little consumers were down to getting only two books for a buck. This was sad, as when I started in this I could get four for a dollar (and I believe Miss Karen could have gotten 5 -- gadzooks!!). Marvel Comics published 36 comic books and Marvel magazines, and I decided to delve into the month of July to pick up a couple of bi-monthlies like Daredevil. You'll also notice that the reprint titles are down to Marvel Tales and Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos -- no more Marvel's Greatest Comics nor any of the "split books" like Marvel Double Feature. Lastly, as we go through, be aware of the low issue numbers on many of the books -- this was a time of expansion, yet I think you'll see that of the books with the low numbers, few would survive much into the next decade. Oh, and a post script to "lastly" -- lots and lots of licensed titles are in this batch, perhaps indicative of where Marvel was creatively (?). So scroll down, and leave a comment when you feel moved.

Doug: Pretty safe here -- while the artwork on the corner box may be by a different artist (can't be certain), it remains the same pose. Note that the logo continues the less-detailed webbing that we'd seen on the book for the past 40-50 issues.

Doug: Our first look at a licensed title. Of course Battlestar Galactica attempted to capitalize on the Star Wars craze (The Empire Strikes Back wouldn't be out until 1980), and was a staple on my television each week!

Doug: Other than the Kirby art for the corner box, this logo remains the same as it had been for years. I still think this is one of Marvel's best-rendered logos.

Doug: This, too, remains exactly as it did when last we looked, back in 1976.

Doug: Crazy is our first look at Marvel Magazines. The Spidey logo at top left was prevalent on many of the PG mags, like Pizzazz, Marvel Super Special, etc. The PG-13 books like Savage Sword of Conan (coming up in a later installment) did not bear that logo. I was not a regular partaker of Crazy, but I did read a few.

Doug: Try this on for size -- as the most critically-acclaimed run in the title's history was beginning, Daredevil was a bi-monthly mag! I guess putting Frank Miller on it was a winner, because the character's still kicking after all these years. What a great series of stories.

Doug: Wow, am I glad this is cropped so you don't have to look at the rest of the cover art. You know, several weeks ago we discussed what was so great about the Bronze Age, the parameters timewise for a book to be considered Bronze Age, etc. I think I can firmly say that those who make a case for 1979 as the end can point to the artists who came on board as the '80's approached. The so-called (by me) "Al Milgrom school" was beginning to rear its ugly head, and this cover is an example (there are more coming -- look 'em up if you don't believe me!). Of note here is the absence of Dr. Strange in the corner box and the addition of Hellcat (by George Perez no less!).

Doug: Speaking of the good doctor, here he is and nothing's changed since 1976. Next!

The Greatest Runs of the Bronze Age

Doug: Ponder this one, friends and foes --


What is the best run of any comic during the Bronze Age? Would it be the Shooter/Perez Avengers? The Thomas/Buscema Fantastic Four? What about the Gerry Conway scribed Amazing Spider-Man? The O'Neil/Adams Green Lantern-Green Arrow? I'm sure many will cite the Claremont/Byrne X-Men. How about Frank Miller's Daredevil? Any love for Dick Dillin's JLA or Jim Aparo on Aquaman, et al.? While you're at it, be sure to give issue numbers (let's face it, even Stan and Jack often didn't hit their stride until well into working together on some titles), and a particular story or single issue that stands out for you.

Versus: the Avengers vs. the Justice League of America

Doug: Hello to all the great debaters out there! Today we're going to pass inspection on one of those really fun arguments, of any era really: which team is better, the Avengers or the Justice League of America?

Doug: First off, I guess we need to set up parameters for judging. I'm here to say that as a co-commissioner of this exercise, I'm going to vote for NO RULES! Let's just keep it an organic conversation, flowing from one thing to another.

Doug: So I'll start with a general thought/impression -- if one were to look at the first incarnations of each team, which would you prefer? In the Avengers, we're talking Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-Man/Giant Man, the Wasp, and I'm going to say Captain America, too, since he now has "Founder" status. Over at the Distinguished Competition, the so-called "original seven" were Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman.

Karen: Honestly, with all the changes DC has made in continuity over the years, I have NO idea who the original JLA founders are considered to be! So I'm just fine with your line-up, Doug.

Doug: Where to go from here? If I was a writer, I think the Avengers team would be more interesting. As it played out with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, there was certainly more opportunity for internal conflict among team members. Over in the JLA, those guys (and gal) always got along.

So point to Marvel. If I were an artist, I think I'd also rather work on the Avengers. Just the appeal of drawing Giant Man and the different scales to deal with would make books a greater challenge. Additionally, the settings that revolve around Thor's character make for interesting possibilities. Yes, some of the space adventures that could be explored through Green Lantern or J'onn J'onzz might compete, but overall I'd pick the visual possibilities of the Avengers. Oh, and never underestimate the appeal of Iron Man's ever-changing armors!

Karen: You've basically described why I couldn't (and still can't) really get into Silver Age DC books. They were all the same guy with different costumes and girlfriends (and Batman had Robin). The Marvel characters could easily be distinguished by dialogue alone. The Avengers line-ups featured a lot of very different personalities.


Doug: Of course, line-ups brings me to a beef I have with the JLA anyway, and maybe I'm sort of a hypocrite. I was going to say that it irks me that Superman and Batman are considered part of the original team, but then I guess handing them that status isn't all that different from Cap being considered a founder of the Avengers. But let's talk line-ups -- do you remember when I posted that Alex Ross Avengers Assemble print a couple of weeks ago? Let's take those Avengers: Black Panther, Hawkeye, Cap, Iron Man, Goliath, the Wasp, Thor, Scarlet Witch, and the Vision. Then let's go with a classic JLA line-up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, J'onn J'onzz, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Atom, and Green Arrow. Who ya got? I mean in a scrap, but also -- who would you like to read about?

Doug: I'd really love the adventures of that Avengers line-up. Hawkeye agitating everyone, Hank's angst, the Panther's nobility, the haughtiness of Thor, the moodiness of the Vision, the pomposity of Iron Man, etc. There's just some great characterization there. On the other hand, aside from Green Arrow, there isn't any potential for 3-Dimensionalism in that JLA group. I'm speaking historically, by the way. I know recent writers have given them (especially Batman and Wonder Woman) some personalities. But if you look back over the Silver and Bronze Ages, you'd just see some cookie-cutter heroes. You may have noticed I left Aquaman off that line-up. Yeah, cookie-cutter...

Karen: It's a no-brainer for me. Avengers has been my favorite team since I first picked up issue 92 and the subsequent rest of the Kree-Skrull War. While I've enjoyed certain incarnations of JLA, it doesn't come close for me.

Karen: Of course, if you're talking about a team to team match-up, that's a hard call. If it's a JLA that has pre-Crisis Superman, then I would say he, by himself, could beat that Avengers line-up! The guy could push the Earth out of orbit; essentially, he was God in a cape. But I thought Busiek and Perez did a nice job on the eventual JLA -Avengers throwdown...although I am still a bit peeved about Thor losing to that mortal...


Doug: Creative teams? You'd be hard-pressed to convince me that there's something better out there than Roy Thomas and John Buscema paired with either George Klein or Tom Palmer. I am a Dick Dillin fan, but his JLA isn't in Buscema's league. I'd offer that my second choice of Stan Lee and Don Heck, circa 1965-66 is better than the team of Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.

Karen: I too love the Thomas/Buscema issues of Avengers, really the foundation for everything that followed. But I'd also throw the Englehart run in there, despite the presence of a strong regular artist. The Stern and Busiek runs were also great reads. For JLA, as I've said, my interests are limited. But I'd say check out Englehart's 12 or 13 issue run on JLA in the mid-seventies. He was brought in to "Marvel-ize" the JLA, and it's pretty interesting stuff.

Doug: How about villains? I guess Despero or the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 would be the best-known JLA baddies. But can anyone over there hold a candle to Kang the Conqueror or Ultron? I say to thee NAY!

Karen: I can't say much here, as I'm just not as up on my JLA villains. Although I would venture to say that I'd take most Avengers villains over the likes of Starro. A giant starfish...wow.

Doug: How about interrelatedness of characters? In the Avengers there is the whole triangle of Vision-Scarlet Witch-Wonder Man, and about the time you toss in Quicksilver, Ultron, the Grim Reaper, and Magneto it's a Jerry Springer show waiting to be aired! Hank and Jan also add a family touch, even if that touch is often dysfunctional. Over in the JLA, Katar and Shierra Hol are there, Ollie and Dinah, and even Ralph and Sue Dibney... but it's not the same. There's just no tension, no real possibility for storytelling built off of that.

Karen: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that. I think over time they've differentiated the characters enough that there's more personal conflict. On either team, the only characters that the writer can really play with are the ones that don't have their own books. For many years that would have been difficult on JLA, where most of the characters appeared elsewhere. But I'd have to agree that there's a rich mine of emotional gold with the Pym-Vision-Witch-Wonder Man relationships that I think the JLA would be hard pressed to match.


Doug: So I guess we could on and on, but I think it's pretty clear -- we're a couple of died-in-the-wool Avengerphiles. However, what we'd like to hear is a kind word from those among you who are JLA or DC apologists. Give us an argument -- we'd love to be in that conversation!

FF 173 - Roy Thomas Wednesday

Fantastic Four #173 (August 1976)
"Counter-Earth Must Die-At the Hand of Galactus!"
Roy Thomas-John Buscema/Joe Sinnott

NOTE: Unfortunately the dreaded deadline doom has caught up with Doug, but don't fret, it's only because he is enjoying vacation! He'll be back for part 2!

Karen: Welcome to our first entry in what we're calling Roy Thomas Wednesdays! All this month, we'll be reviewing Rascally Roy's mid-70s work on that flagship Marvel title, Fantastic Four. Although Roy might be better known for his multi-year run on Avengers, his work on the FF was no less exciting. Roy has always had a gift for intricately plotted stories, and this tale is no exception. Now, we are sort of jumping into it mid-stream, but the reason for this is that the previous issue, while plotted by Roy, was scripted by Bill Mantlo, so it didn't seem right to start with that! Here's all the background you need: the FF fought a mysterious golden gorilla, who turned out to be an emissary of the High Evolutionary. It seems that Galactus had discovered the location of Counter Earth, and decided that if he couldn't have the real Earth, this one was just fine to chomp down on! The FF go into space to stop him, and the Thing, now really Ben Grimm wearing a Thing exo-skeleton, , fights off Galactus' latest herald, the Destroyer! When it looks like the Thing has beaten him, he comes face to face with the Big G himself.

Karen: Reed and Galactus engage in a long telepathic conversation about Galactus' actions. We get a nice recap of Big G's history here, as well as a reinforcement of the theme that originated back with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's first Galactus story: the he is not an evil being; he simply does what he must to survive. I liked this line from Galactus: "Most beings are fortunate enough never to have to face the unpleasant, numbing truth about themselves: That given the choice between survival and extinction...most would do precisely the same as I!"

Karen: The High Evolutionary then enters the discussion, to dissuade Galactus from consuming the world he has created (and remember, it was Roy who wrote Marvel Premiere #1, which featured the creation of Counter Earth and Adam Warlock). H.E. threatens to battle Galactus if he does not leave. Reed jumps in, trying to persuade Big G to find an alternative, saying that the battle might even destroy the world he wants to consume! But Big G is not moved.

Karen: Although I've never been a big fan of Reed, the way he's portrayed in this scene does highlight one of the better aspects of the character: the effort he always made to find a way to resolve things that would lead to the least amount of harm and suffering. he may have been a bit oblivious to things at time, but he certainly seemed to have the best intentions.

Karen: Galactus comes up with a possible solution, but it's sure not to the FF's liking: either find an inhabited planet where the populace is willing to sacrifice itself, or have the FF pick out another planet for him to devour. Talk about bad options!

Karen: The FF enter the High Evolutionary's orbital HQ and confer with him. He is aware of three planets nearby that might work for Galactus. One is Earth-like, another is a world of mechanical life forms, and the third seems to be a barren moon, although H.E.'s sensors indicate it has life. The FF splits into teams -with Sue staying behind! Reed tells her he needs to hold her in reserve, but I think we can guess pretty safely that he just didn't want to put her at risk. So Gorr the gorilla and the Torch are teleported to the Earthlike planet, while Reed and Ben go to the mecha-world.

Karen: On the mecha world -which incidentally, is named Mekka! - we find a race of robots, and Ben runs into an old pal: Torgo, the robot gladiator from issues 90-93. Roy always managed to bring old characters and events into his stories, something I am fond of. It's interesting that when Reed and Ben first arrive, before Ben sees Torgo, he is willing to let the robot populace be sacrificed to Galactus. However, once he realizes that they are led by his friend, Ben comes to see that although the robots are not human, they are still 'living' beings. He and Reed realize they cannot ask Torgo to give his world to Galactus. However, as they prepare to leave, Torgo tries to capture them, as he fears they will change their minds and lead Galactus to Mekka. As they battle the robots, Ben demolishes one, to his deep regret, and then forces himself to pull his punches. Unfortunately, as he and Reed try to avoid hurting the mechanical men, they are readily stopped and imprisoned.

Karen: Meanwhile, Johnny and Gorr have landed on a medieval planet, complete with a dragon and a princess that needs rescuing. Although they save the lady, they are knocked out by some armored knights and captured. Sue and the Evolutionary have been watching the events on both planets. Sue says that H.E. must send her to these worlds to rescue her family, but H.E. now believes that this is inconsequential. He must prepare to face Galactus!

Karen: I enjoyed this story a great deal, despite the fact that the first portion of the book consisted primarily of dialogue! It's amazing how many words are present in Roy Thomas stories. But we have a real dilemma here for our heroes and the artwork is -as always when Buscema and Sinnott are involved -dramatic and exciting. I know Big John did not enjoy drawing machinery but he does a great job, especially with Galactus' ship, which has a real Kirby feel to it.

Just a Stone's Throw Away...

Captain America #142 (October 1971)
"And in the End..."
Gary Friedrich-John Romita/Joe Sinnott

Doug: So I guess I'm not sure the ending was so "unbelievable", but I'll give you that this one was chock fulla "Action in the Marvel Manner!" Pretty good ending to a decent Bronze Age story, was this. Let's have a look!

Doug: Gary Friedrich takes over for Stan Lee, who last issue ended his run on the title. The transition is pretty seamless, as I'm sure Stan and Jazzy Johnny had it all plotted out and Friedrich had only to word it up. The story opens just after the Grey Gargoyle has holed up in the mountain where the ultra-dangerous "Element X" is stored. Remember -- just a few drops of that chemical could destroy the Earth. Only pure stone can withstand this dangerous substance. There is some really strong art by Romita and Sinnott in the opening pages. As I remarked last ish, with their facial representations they'd do any romance artists proud. I have one bone to pick, and it's been bugging me throughout this series -- why in the world does Sharon Carter let Cap speak down to her so much? Yeah, yeah -- I get that he's old-fashioned and she was being written by Stan Lee. But come on -- with her credentials as a SHIELD agent and whatever that PhD is that Fury was talking about last issue... It's just really over the top.
Karen: Marvel women still had a long way to go. I think it would be a few more years until we saw any real change in how women were written. Certainly some of the younger guys, like Steve Englehart, and later, Chris Claremont, would start to write more empowered, strong female characters.

Karen: I have to say I thought it was kind of funny that we get this big romantic reunion of Sharon and Cap, and then Falcon gets his big reunion with...his bird, Redwing!

Doug: As we get rolling in this one, the Gargoyle faces some resistance inside the mountain. A group of soldiers use all of the technology at their disposal to try to defeat this gruesome baddie, but to no avail. I continue to find it laughable that this guy is the strongest, most invincible creature in the Marvel Universe! Come on -- no building, street, or rock formation could withstand even the smallest of explosive warheads available at this time, yet the Gargoyle just thumbs his nose at it all. He's really over-powered in my opinion. Cap and Falc send Nightwing to scout ahead for a place to enter the mountain, and soon spring into action with an aerial assault through the top. I had to smile, though, when Sam called for "Plan D" -- that didn't work so good on the SHIELD helicarrier last isue! There are some great action panels in this sequence.

Karen: The art really is gorgeous. Romita has always drawn great faces, and the action sequences are exciting and unambiguous. But - you knew there was a 'but' coming didn't you? - the Falcon's dialogue is so terrible. It is just over the top with the effort to make him sound like a character out of Superfly. I mean, read this and tell me you don't cringe: "Outtasite! Keep jivin' like that, and I may be able to make a soul brother out of you yet!" Or this: "I hear you knockin' brother! How about lettin' me in? Hold everything! I think I'm homing in on your vibrations! You're thinking maybe we can get him inside the stone receptacle?"

Doug: After we see the Gargoyle finally procurring Element X (which he promptly "stones" to protect it), we get a little vignette with my favorite bi-atch Leila. Wow -- I can't really express how much I don't like her. Her looks are obviously based on blaxploitation star Pam Grier. But that personality... Fortunately, the other characters in the scene aren't buying the venom she's spewing.

Karen: I always had a hard time figuring out what a positive-thinking guy like Sam was doing with a vile, nasty girl like Leila. The way she's portrayed, she just has no redeeming features. I understand what they were doing with her in the book, as a character to open some doors to comment on the social/racial issues of the times, but why Falcon would put up with her was always a mystery to me.

Doug: Back in the mountain, our heroes engage the Gargoyle in some serious fisticuffs, and Sharon Carter displays her women's intuition on steroids again. The Gargoyle is finally undone when tricked into entering what amounts to a rocket capsule, which Cap seals and Fury activates. Blast off, and no more Gargoyle. Because Sam had swiped the cannister of Element X, all's well that ends well! Curiously, the last two panels contain some soliloquizing by scribe Friedrich that would have done Stan, Roy, or even Denny O'Neil proud!

Karen: The comment about men learning to live as brothers was one thing, but where did Falcon's comment about wishing "all nuclear weapons" had been aboard the rocket come from? That really felt a bit forced.

Doug: As a story, this was a fun Bronze Age yarn. Sure it has its faults, but you know what? It wasn't decompressed, the story had a defined beginning, middle, and end, the heroes behaved like heroes and the bad guy was over-the-top, and in the end the good guys won. What more could a comics fan ask for?

Karen: I don't know, Doug, this three parter was a bit hard for me. I was disappointed in Stan's work, and I can't say much about Friedrich here, as he was locked into the story that was already started. The Romita/Sinnott art however, was lush and dynamic, so not a total bummer!

Part Eleven: The Debonair Looks of Hank Pym

Doug: It's time to put Dr. Henry Pym under the microscope. That's an Ant-Man joke... Get it? OK, yeah -- so I knew it wasn't funny when I wrote it. Anyway, today we're going to take a look at the super-suits of ol' Hank, a fella who's had about as many outfits as his lovely wife, the Winsome Wasp. So, to begin, let's go ahead and hearken back to the Ant-Man days and the beginnings of the Marvel Age of Comics!

Doug: When Hank first appeared way back in January 1962 in the pages of Tales to Astonish #27, he was just a guy in civvies. Nothing to speak of, but given the fact that he looked like Wally Cleaver, I'm going to vote "fashion disaster"! Hey, you dress like that and then shrink yourself, you deserve to get chomped on by green ants (where the heck had Kirby seen green ants??)!

Karen: Just an aside here: I actually used to have Tales to Astonish 27. I inherited it from my uncle. I wound up selling it on eBay about ten years ago. I really wish I hadn't, but que sera, sera. And yes, Doug, I think green ants are pretty weird.

Doug: In the fall of that same year, the Ant-Man was brought back, but this time as a superhero. Hank now sported some longjohns (complete with the standard superhero jockey shorts worn on the outside of the pants!), and I'll say that this is a good look. I always liked the red/blue combination, and I've always liked Hank's cybernetic helmet. I'm not sure exactly what Kirby was going for with the design on the chest, though. Oh, and the vials on the belt are sort of cool, too (although not pictured here). Good-looking Silver Age suit!

Karen: You know, I've always liked it too, although there's precious little here that says "ant". Sure, the helmet is vaguely ant-like, although as a kid it always made me think more of astronauts. But I dig the red and blue color scheme. Is the dot on his chest supposed to symbolize the ant's thorax? I dunno, I would say that's reaching but I'll throw it out there.

Doug: Of course Hank couldn't sit still -- must be the scientist in him, always greedy for more information, the successful completion of new experiments. By Tales to Astonish #49 (November 1963) he had changed not only his name, but his powers as well. Now calling himself Giant-Man (and interestingly not reverting to the Ant-Man identity for many years -- Hank did not grow/shrink as one might have expected), Hank's costume was inspired by his former Ant-Man duds. He could still control ants, but the cybernetic helmet was now built into his mask. I'm sure some of Tony Stark's transistors helped in that innovation! Love this suit, too, in all it's variations. My favorite, though, and perhaps it's because it's so darned ugly, is the G-M outfit with the huge blue helmet that he wore c. Avengers #16. Wow -- nice chapeau, dude! Oh, and regarding the cover to TTA #49... Is this a refugee from Silver Age DC, or what?

Karen: He was already sort of schizoid even way back when, as he couldn't entirely ditch his Ant-Man persona, keeping the ant design even when he became Giant Man. He might not have had the helmet -which was the coolest thing about his original costume -but he did put little antenna-like deals on his mask! That other outfit though -holy cow, that's a pretty ugly one!

Doug: My personal fave was designed by Dandy Don Heck and debuted in Avengers #28, one of the first issues of that mag that I ever laid eyes on (albeit in the reprinted version in Marvel Triple Action). Man, I still love that story! The first Goliath outfit is a classic with the blue and yellow, the visor (that Hank would sport really for the rest of his career, or at least until pretty recently), the lines running up the arms and legs that accentuate his height... It's just a very well-thought design, and one that really wouldn't look too bad by today's standards. Even though Hank switched out the blue/yellow for red/blue later and added antennae to the mask, this is still the costume I see in my mind whenever I hear or think of "Goliath". And the name's great as well -- I'd assume the kudos for that are headed for Stan, Marvel's great wordsmith. Color scheme, design, mask -- all combine to make either version of the Goliath costume a success.

Karen: I have to say I miss the red and blue, but it's not a bad outfit. Though he still retains some of the ant elements - I always thought the goggles had a sort of iridescent, insect eye look.

Doug: Lastly, we come to Hank's Yellowjacket look. A departure from the growth powers led Dr. Pym to reinvent himself as a companion hero to his wife's Wasp. Never mind that this also began the downfall of Hank Pym to anti-hero, wife-slapper, and general whipping boy of the Marvel Universe. Let's stick to the clothes. The Yellowjacket costume is quite inspired. First drawn by John Buscema and debuting in Avengers #59, the yellow and black color scheme is very eye-catching. The focal point of the outfit, though, are the wings. While very cool-looking, I have to question the functionality of the design. My biggest question, and this varies greatly depending on the artist of the given story, is how does he have any peripheral vision? If the artist draws the wings too much to the fore of the suit, then there is no way that Hank could see beyond them. If, however, the wings are drawn as primarily to the rear of the suit, that vision would be restored. It would just be sitting down without leaning forward that would be a problem. So because of this slight design flaw, I'm going to have to say that this is a great-looking outfit, but withhold my utmost praise on questions of outcomes.
Karen: I was never sure how those "wings" even functioned. They're just big shoulder pieces! But it's a pretty decent look, especially when the dark portions are colored as black or a deep purple.

Doug: Oh, I suppose we should mention one more set of clothes, since said look did fall into our Bronze Age timeframe, and that would be Hank's appearance while simply known as "Dr. Pym". Yeah... Well if you thought he was lame in his first appearance, I think he's broken the lame-o-meter with this exit. And he should exit the look as quickly as possible!

Karen: Well, he really didn't wear a costume during the "Dr. Pym" years, just some funky coveralls. I don't know which was less inspiring, that or Wonder Man's 'safari jacket' look. I'm not even going to bring up his latest outfit, the one he's worn as "The Wasp". I'm not reading Avengers Academy so I don't know if he's keeping that name. Ugh.

Karen: All in all, I'd give Hank the thumbs up, particularly for his Ant-Man look, which is such a classic.