Marvel Comics -- June/July 1979 (conclusion)!

Doug: Cover clean-up, kids. Today we conclude our look at Marvel's summer offerings way back from 1979.

Doug: Hey, another licensed product! We've commented on the proliferation of these titles at this time in Marvel's history. And while I stated last time that I wasn't really into the Micronauts toys, I did have a Shogun Warrior. He was pretty cool, about 28 inches tall if I recall. He made a great villain for my Megos! But I can't comment on this comic, as to the best of my memory I've never seen the inside of one. I do like the logo, and the corner box gives off somewhat of a totem pole motif, doesn't it?

Doug: This was a title that I was in on from the first issue. I really enjoyed it early on, with the outstanding Sal Buscema art. It seemed, though, that the longer the title went on the art and stories began to tail off a bit (Hypno Hustler, anyone?). The logo here is certainly un-spectacular (and takes up quite a bit of cover space), but I always thought the corner box was one of Marvel's best -- really on par with the second Vision logo that populated the corner of the Avengers in this era.

Doug: Meh... Another WordArt logo. And I don't care for the EXTREME close-up of the corner box. I'm just not a Spider-Woman fan. Hear that, Bendis??

Doug: I was just old enough when Spidey hit the Electric Company that I thought it was stupid. It was only mildly cool that he was on that show. That I was into middle school made the comics passe, as well. But, for what it was the logo was perfect, and the corner box was neat also. Lots of publicity on that cover, though! Overall a mixed bag on the design with equal parts "well done!" and "make it stop!".

Doug: I had the two Treasury Editions of the adaptation of A New Hope (of course, we didn't call it that back then), but never warmed to the series. Ummm -- Carmine Infantino, perhaps? Yep -- a whole lot of perhaps. I am well aware that Star Wars has become a phenomenon in literature way past the stories told in the six films. But when they started with the "untold tales" right after the first adaptation, I just found that weird. Just not a fan, then or now. I'm closed-minded, I guess.

Doug: I think we addressed this one back in our look at DC's publication of Tarzan. I really like the logo, although it admittedly has nothing to do with Tarzan. It sort of strikes me as classic, although the font is pretty modern-looking. I don't know... maybe because it was used so much I almost view it as a "brand"? Great corner box art. John Buscema?

Doug: No changes from the 1976 version. None needed, baby!

Doug: Again, same old same old... and that's a good thing!

Doug: Meh, again. I always liked the What If? books -- I often found the twists they put on status quo entertaining. Sometimes the ideas were a stretch, though. This cover logo doesn't do anything for me -- it's obviously hand-lettered, and not so well at that. The corner logo is way too small. I think they'd have been better served with John Buscema's awesome Nova figure from the first issue of the regular mag.

Doug: Leave us a comment -- is this something you like, or has it grown tired? I'm all for heading back to DC to see what they were doing in '79. Obviously Karen and I like this sort of thing. But we're willing to listen to what you want to see, too.