While Karen and Doug are on vacation in January, our readers have been entrusted with carrying on the daily conversations. Today's "Who's the Best?" is a do-it-yourselfer. As we've done in the past, the first commenter gets to pick today's topic of conversation.
Generally speaking, "Who's the Best?" is for historical topics. For example, in the past we've started conversations such as "Who's the Best -- Thor Artist?" and "Who's the Best -- Frankenstein Monster?" Start a conversation that is broad enough to elicit an ongoing conversation, and that even might lend itself to tangential musings.
Thanks for holding it down for us!
I can't think of a decent 'Who's Best..' idea today, so I suggest this golden idea:
ReplyDeleteName me the best Team-up of two non-team stars in a single 'Team-Up' type mag (Brave & Bold, Marvel Two-In-One, etc..).
Your favorite mention must include the issue, how their powers mixed together, the banter, etc..
I nominate Spiderman/Torch teamups of the early MTU's (and the Spidey issues 76 and 77 against the Lizard). Their banter was always fun and sarcastic, their bromance at one point even building a 'Spidermobile' together..
Another mention is Captain America and Spidey in MTU 13, awesome art, great excitement, a very smooth done-in-one issue, not to mention one of my earliest comics and FAVORITE covers.
Let me hear 'em..!!
Ok, let me suggest: What's the best Silver Age into Bronze Age transition? That is, which established Silver Age comic best maintained -- or even improved -- its quality as it ventured into the Bronze Age?
ReplyDeleteDang, david_b beat me to posting by one minute ...
ReplyDeleteWhat's a "non-team star"? Captain America and Human Torch are both on teams...?
ReplyDeleteNo no, I mean on the same team.., like Torch and Benjy teamed together, but they're already in the FF..
ReplyDeleteInky-Wretch, your topic is indeed a good one. . . I do vote (Doug/Karen?) that we maybe hang onto it for future discussion, yes?
ReplyDeleteDavid-b's got a nice one for today, though-- no question. Since pretty much EVERYONE is/has been on a major team at this point, I'm guessing that your qualifier means that we're not including "JLA/Avengers"-type pairings, or Spidey/X-Men or Thing/GotG sorts of stories, yes?
Boy, I just read all the way through Marvel Team-Up several months ago, and the one that still sticks with me the most as showing a great chemistry between the two stars is MTU #22 w/ Spidey & Hawkeye. A couple of guys very much on the same page in action, even though they have such wildly different backgrounds. Another that's pretty much forgotten about is MTU #'s 53 & 54-- Spidey/Hulk-- because a friendship between the two is established. Oh wait! That reminds me of a much stronger candidate: Jim Starlin did a Thing/Hulk graphic novel (I think) that had the two of them working together on some big mission. The Hulk's innate short temper was somehow mystically dampened. . . but he was still the Hulk. And the whole issue was an absolute hoot, as the Hulk's simplicity becomes a delightful foil to Ben's somewhat fatalistic tough-guy persona.
Hmm. I may have to go dig that one out. . . .
HB
Yeah, I know a lot of folks wound up in teams, but I'm focusing on team up mags or guest appearances in solo books, like Spidey showing up in Doc Strange.
ReplyDeleteWell, since one of my favorite Team-Up stories ever was Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, starring The Thing (natch) and Spider-Man, I'd have to go with those two being among the best team-up partners in all of comicdom. Spidey and Ben have teamed up on several other occasions, but M2n1 Ann. #2 was definitely the best, IMO. It was written and drawn by the great Jim Starlin and also guest starred the Avengers. But what made the book so memorable to me was the interaction between the two headliners.
ReplyDeleteThe scene where Spider-Man goes to the Baxter Building to seek help rescuing the Avengers, is pure classic comic gold. The back and forth between Spidey and Ben is some of the best characterization I've seen in a comic, and one of the most memorable comic reading moments of my childhood.
I liked it so much, I even reproduced a page of that comic for the website "Repaneled" that you can check out at the following link. (If you want).
http://repaneled.blogspot.com/2012/06/bill-sandefur-repanels-marvel-two-in.html
I notice too late that for some strange reason I forgot to include a couple of lines of dialogue on the page. Duh! I really could use an editor.
HB, the Thing/Hulk story you're thinking of is indeed a graphic novel called "The Big Change," written by Starlin and drawn by Wrightson. As I recall, they were basically kidnapped by some kind of intersteller crimelord to carry out some kind of task for him. It was pretty funny and definitely a good candidtate for this topic.
ReplyDeleteSince david_b limited it to two stars, that kind of disqualifies Marvel 2-in-1 #51 (Thing plus the Beast, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel and Nick Fury - great fun), so a good runner-up is Amazing Spider-man #187 - I think that was supposed to be a Marvel Team-up story, but was probably done in ASM due to deadline problems. Spidey and Captain America team up against Electro, who kidnapped a little (very sick as it turns out) boy. Spidey was his smart-alecky self, Cap was his usual noble self, and the whole story really worked well.
Another one I really, really liked - as in it's one of my favorite Batman stories ever - is Brave & Bold #197, wherein Earth 2 Batman and Catwoman team up to fight the Scarecrow, and in the process fall in love. Just a great story all around.
One of my personal favourites was always Marvel Two-in-One #56 with Thing and Moon Knight. I think that was the first time I ever saw Moon Knight, and I was a fan from then on.
ReplyDeleteAlso, any of the Batman/Deadman team-ups from Brave&Bold were pretty good.
Mike W.
Happy weekend to everyone --
ReplyDeleteIn the spirit of today's topic, if I could assign everyone a little homework...
We've mentioned that in February we'll be reviewing the Avengers "Under Siege" arc (issue #'s 274-277). There's a nifty team-up in issue #275 (this post will run on Monday, 2/11/13) involving the Wasp and Ant-Man (the Scott Lang version) against the Absorbing Man and Titania. It's a lot of fun, as the little ones certainly hold their own!
Inkstained, as a consolation prize, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday will feature posts where the readers are the boss. Hopefully you can get your topic posted first on one of those days.
Doug
For my entry in david_b's topic, I'm gonna cite one I've mentioned before: Avengers #223. That's the one where Hawkeye teams up with the Scot Lang Ant-Man to take down the Taskmaster.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really clever done-in-one and the two - the professional Avenger and the part-time superhero and dad who puts his daughter on a rollercoaster so he has time to fight the bad guys - make a great odd couple.
Look out, Sunday...
Mike mentioned Batman/Deadman, and I'll add Batman/Wildcat in Brave and Bold 110. Wildcat has personality here, and Haney writes the ex-champ boxer well. Haney excelled at writing these tough guy characters like Wildcat or Sgt. Rock.
ReplyDeleteAparo's superb art helps! There's something cool about his depiction of Ted Grant/Wildcat working the speed bag. But good story involving big business and a secret formula.
HB, I certainly agree on MTU 22, even in my Zuvembie youth, I never seen a team work better than Spidey and Hawkeye. 'It was like budder., using my worst Jewish/Queens accent..
ReplyDeleteAlso totally agreeing on 'The Big Change'.., loving the climax about the secret sauce being ketchup or something. LMAO on that ending.
Pre-MTIO, particular favorites were MF ish 11 and 12, Benjy's teamups with Hulky and Ironman. Ish 11 was already a column here, but the IM/Thing fight against the Blood Brothers in 12 was awesome, actually using Ben's strength with Ironman's precision (only to end with Ben still havin' to walk home). Some good banter and they seemed to work well together, force-wise.
Another Silver/Bronze duo not typically mentioned was Black Panther and DD in DD's issues (and DD's guest-starring in Avengers 83 against Zodiac). Their fighting skills and tactics seemed extremely tight, seemingly a near-perfect match if there was a standoff...
Anyone's guess as to who would win there.
Inkstained --
ReplyDeleteUnless you object, I'm just going to write your suggestion of 9:00 am today into the post for tomorrow. So, the topic will be set whenever our first readers happen by.
By the way, really liked the Spidey/Cap team-up against Electro that was previously mentioned. All of the G-S Spider-Mans featured team-ups -- does anyone have any love for those?
Doug
The only G-S Spider-Man I can remember at the moment was the Dracula story. It was reprinted in the b/w weekly here in the late 70s. The one I'd like to read is the Doc Savage team-up: any good?
ReplyDeleteDougie, I wasn't too impressed by the Spidey/Doc Savage team-up, but then I've never been a big Doc Savage fan, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I DID like the Spidey/Shang Chi team-up in Giant Size #2.
Mike W.
Garett --
ReplyDeleteI'll add that Brave and the Bold ish to my Zany Bob Haney list -- I know we've not covered it yet, and I'm pretty certain it's in the Jim Aparo hardcover I have.
A week from today is a Batman/Flash team-up from Haney and Neal Adams. Prepare to suspend not only your disbelief, but that of your entire ancestry -- it's a doozy!
Doug
Don'k know issue #s but I always enjoy Spidey/Daredevil or Thing/Spidey.
ReplyDeleteSounds great Doug! Haney/Aparo rock. Wildcat returned in #118 for a zanier story.
ReplyDelete