BAB Two-In-One: Mutants and Martial Arts Mayhem and Marvel's Archie Mag

Karen: How about a nice book-length fight between super-heroes? If that's what you're craving, I've got your fix right here. It's Iron Fist #15, from September 1977. This would be the last issue of Iron Fist, as he would soon be joining Power Man -aka Luke Cage -to form one of the most unlikely teams in comics history. But here in the last issue of his own title, our kung-fu hero gets a fun send off from none other than the X-Men!

Karen: It's not a huge surprise that Iron Fist would run into the X-Men; after all, IF's book was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Byrne. Dan Green does a nice job on inks, although I still think Byrne looks best with Terry Austin inking him. This issue of Iron Fist actually contributes some significant plot points to the X-Men title.

Karen: As usual with a Claremont book, there are a lot of sub-plots floating around. We open our story with Fist getting ambushed by a bruiser with a fighting style that is similar to his own, which convinces him that his foe is also from K'un-Lun, the Shangri-La-like place where Fist was raised. His enemy actually drains his chi from him, but doesn't kill him. He wants the Iron Fist power that Fist possesses. This story was resolved in Marvel Team-Up some months later. We also get a couple of pages that show Misty Knight, IF's love interest and a detective in her own right, going undercover to bring down a mobster.

Karen: With the sub-plots taken care of, our scene shifts to outside the New York City flat shared by Jean Grey and Misty Knight. Jean, of course, is the X-Man known as the Phoenix. Standing in the shadows outside is Wolverine, in his street clothes. His obsession with Jean Grey is amply demonstrated here, as he pulls out a picture of Jean and Scott (Cyclops), and tears off the part of the picture with Scott on it, declaring that "He ain' fer you lady. I am." I think this was one of the most graphic examples of Logan's lust for Jean. After he does this, he sees someone on the roof of Jean's place and decides to investigate.

Karen: This is where the fun begins. Of course, the 'intruder' is Iron Fist. He's looking for Misty Knight. Why he drops through the skylight rather than using the front door is a good question, but if he did it the normal way, we wouldn't have a story. Once inside, he sees food laid out -it looks like a party is in the works. As Iron Fist takes a taste of the potato salad, an enraged Wolverine bursts through the door -does no one know how to use a door knob? The best thing about this scene is that Wolverine is still wearing that goofy "Fang" costume that he took from one of the Imperial Guard back in X-Men 107. IF and Wolverine go at it, tearing the place apart. IF flips Wolverine away and he accidentally knocks him out the window. But who should be walking on the sidewalk below? Colossus and Nightcrawler!

Karen: Interesting note here: Although Colossus is in civilian attire, Nightcrawler is in his X-Men outfit. He tells Colossus that he's no longer going to use the image inducer which allowed him to look 'normal'. He is going to be who he is. I never did like that image inducer!

Karen: Nightcrawler catches the plummeting Logan. Logan tells Colossus to throw him back up to the apartment, which he does, while Nightcrawler chides Colossus, saying that Wolverine's judgment is so poor, it could be an innocent person up there that the lunatic is attacking! Ah yes, these were the days when Wolverine was a completely unpredictable little psycho!

Karen: Colossus and Nightcrawler join the fray, and despite being outnumbered, IF does a good job holding his own -it is his book, after all. But that's before Storm shows up, and gets that big bowl of potato salad thrown in her face. Then, all hell breaks loose!

Karen: It's just one fight scene after another, but it's very entertaining! In typical Marvel fashion, at least for this time period, the heroes assume the worst of each other and go on the attack, rather than try to talk things out. Eventually the X-Men corral Fist, and Wolverine gets nuts and pops two of his claws through Fist's mask, before Jean and Scott show up, and Jean uses her vast telekinetic powers to put an end to this nonsense. Wolverine comes off looking like a fool, something we probably wouldn't see again. The party goes off and all is well.

Karen: This was fun to read. Sure, it's pure fluff, but it looks good, and it's got a lot of energy. The fantastic cover is by Dave Cockrum, by the way.

Doug: I am going waaaaaay out of my comfort zone on this one, kiddie-winkies! Even though I previously reviewed My Love #2, the art team of John Buscema and John Romita made that one almost a no-brainer. You all know me as a superhero zombie, with occasional forays into the jungle or Hyborian Age. We'll see if I can stretch myself a bit with this here. Millie the Model #176 was created by Stan Lee and Stan Goldberg, and was on the stands with a cover date of November 1969. You'll notice the Archie flavor to the artwork; Goldberg worked on Archie comics for decades, including the recent storyline where Archie Andrews married Veronica in one of history's longstanding choice-dilemmas. Like many humor mags, this book is comprised of four short (4-6 page) vignettes each based around a gag. I'm going to look at the first two tales.

In "Millie's Secret Love!", the gang is gathered at the Hanover Model Agency for a photo shoot. A note arrives for Millie, and Millie is very secretive about its contents. When pressed by her friend/rival Chili, as well as boyfriend Clicker (huh? -- gotta be some explanation a la Snapper Carr), Millie shrugs it off. However, she runs from the room and returns moments later, clothes changed. Daisy, Junior, and Marvin all wonder aloud what all the fuss is, but Millie just runs out. Daisy and Marvin convince Clicker to follow. And what does he find? Millie meeting a very good-looking, well-dressed man and heading into the cocktail lounge. Peering through the window, Clicker and the newly-arrived Daisy spy Millie's excitement as she takes something from this stranger. Clicker decides that he'll take the high road and congratulate Millie on her new future. Of course, Clicker's way off base, makes somewhat of a fool of himself, and as you can see, wears a little egg on his face.The second story in the book is "The Shopgirl Whirl". Chili criticizes Millie's choice of clothing to attend a fashion show. Millie's somewhat incredulous, but Chili tells her she looks like a "shopgirl". In an "I'll show you" move, Millie rushes across the street to a clothing store and asks the sales clerk to trade clothes with her. Millie emerges in even more modest clothing, and Chili is disgusted. However, the laughs are on her when Millie takes to the runway and just wows everyone! The last panel is really cute, as I immediately was taken back to The Carol Burnett Show. I smiled.

As you may or may not know, Millie the Model has made forays into the Marvel Universe, both in the Silver Age as well as in current lore. While I've not seen anything recent, I thought it was fun that the link was established (for those who cared), and especially thought it was a nice touch when Steve Englehart brought fellow humor mag girl Patsy Walker into the Avengers during the "Serpent Crown Affair" storyline we recently reviewed.

Another Captain America Movie Pic! + BREAKING NEWS

Doug: Below you can find a photo of Chris Evans in action as the Star-Spangled Avenger. And, hot off the presses as of 7:45 Central Time (USA), Anne Hathaway has been cast as Catwoman in the next Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Definition Time!

Doug: Some of our Open Forum topics of the past few weeks have me thinking about these way-out characters we know and love. In the discussions of super-powers, weapons, etc., words like "invulnerable" and "invincible" have come up, or at least have been a part of the conversation in the background. Also, the cover to Thor #183, where the God of Thunder exclaims, "Without my hammer -- I am truly lost!", made me say "Huh?" Isn't Thor one of the guys who's invulnerable? As his strength and stamina don't derive directly from Mjolnir, why would he be "lost" without it? Additionally, if he's either invulnerable or invincible, would a blast from some doohickey concealed in Dr. Doom's gauntlet really hurt him? While a punch from the Hulk would obviously create a powerful force, would it tickle a bit?

What's your take on some of these words that get thrown around? How would you define these (or others of your choice) terms?

The Legion: The Great Darkness Saga, part 2

Legion of Super-Heroes #291 (Sept. 1982)
"A Sign of Darkness Dawning"
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Keith Giffen and Larry Mahlstedt


Karen: The second part of this Legion saga begins with an examination of the servant of darkness that the Legion captured in the previous issue. It turns out she's a clone -sort of - of Shadow Lass's ancestor, Lydea Mallor. While this shakes up Shady, things are about to get worse.

Doug: How odd was it that Mon-el and Dream Girl were doing the diagnostics on the sentient, while Brainiac-5 was in the Legion HQ? My Legion memories have grown cloudy over the years, but I don't recall that Mon was any sort of scientist. Although since he's basically Superboy, perhaps he has a Super Science Brain, too...

Karen: Sometimes I think characters are just conveniently given whatever abilities they need. I know Superman seemed to be pretty tech savvy, although I never understood why. Super-brain? Does Mon-El have one too? But Dream Girl -I have no idea why she's there!

Karen: The Master and his number one servant release the sorcerer Mordru from his imprisonment on the planet Avalon, only to drain him of his immense power. Obviously, in order to do this, this Master is a pretty dangerous character.

Doug: It was on my second look at the cover, after reading this story, that I noticed it's the blown-out Mordru spread all about the cover's bottom. I loved the panel when the evil wizard was first unleashed from his prison; it was reminiscent of a scene in Adventure Comics #369 (which, by the way, I've been itching to review for a few years now!), when Superboy and the Legion confront Mordru in Smallville. And yeah, whoever the super-duper-baddie is (we all know who it is), he is the baddest dude in the DCU.

Karen: While the Legion tries to hold an election for their next leader, they are summoned to three different emergencies. The team splits into three units to deal with Mordru, an attack on Takron Galtos (the prison world) and a threat to Dream Girl's sister, the White Witch.

Doug: What's your opinion on how Paul Levitz wrote this election subplot? It seems like he was really trying to generate some Marvel-angst/upheaval, but to be honest it feels out-of-character here and somewhat forced. I rather prefer, by the way, the more mystical version of Element Lad after one (who can keep track?) of the reboots that began in the 1990's.

Karen: I think so many Marvel writers had worked at DC by this time that intra-team conflict was becoming pretty typical. I think some of the edginess started seeping in even around the Grell years. Maybe it's just my imagination.
Karen: On Takron Galtos, the team discovers that like Mordru, their old enemy the Time Trapper has been drained of all his power. Mon-El and Ultra Boy give one of the Servants a good fight, but he escapes through a space warp.

Doug: Karen, I know you're not much of a DC buff, but am I wrong that in one of the mini-series after Crisis on Infinite Earths the Time Trapper was revealed to be Cosmic Boy? Maybe that was just some sort of twist to a story -- again, my memory fades. Seems that it might have been the Zero Hour mini.

Karen: That's what the Wikipedia says; the only alter-ego I can recall is the recent version, with Superboy-Prime as TT. On Naltor, the team meets up with the White Witch. This is the first encounter between Blok and the Witch, and at least for Blok, you can tell it's love at first sight. This was the Legion's second tragic couple, after Wildfire and Dawnstar. But Blok and the Witch always seemed much happier. I liked those two together.


Doug: See, I'm showing my lack of activity over a decade of Legion lore. I am actually reading Blok for the first extended time ever for these reviews. He made his debut in Superboy #253, which I don't recall owning or ever reading. Again, Superboy #259 was my last issue until I jumped on board the Legionnaires reboot. I am mostly a tabula rasa for this stuff.

Karen: Moments after the team reaches Naltor to protect the Witch, a space warp opens and one of the Servants of Darkness appears. The Legion attacks, with mixed results. The Invisible Kid manages to enter the servant's space warp and comes face to face with "The Master," only to get blasted in the face. The rest of the team manages to drive off the Servant and he and his Master depart. Although they save the White Witch, Dream Girl tells the Legion she has had a prophetic vision: she saw the Legion battling the Servants -and losing.

Doug: "Space warp" -- don't you mean "Boom Tube"? Sorry...

Doug: I have always loved the varied powers of the Legion and the dynamics of how they use them. The scene earlier in the book where Mon-el and Ultra Boy captured all the escapees on Takron Galta was really enjoyable. I appreciated Invisible Kid's bravery in this scene, and I think it was especially poignant that for the first time the Legion got to examine one of these victims of the Darkness up close and personal -- and Blok noted that there was no visible physical injuries.

Doug: Can I comment again on Keith Giffen's art? I think it's better than it was last ish, but did you notice the number of profile shots? In the 18-page main story, there were almost 30 (I counted 29 if you want my Type-A truth of the situation) profiles drawn. It just gives the panel and even the page a flat look. If you're familiar with the work of Carmine Infantino, especially his Marvel work on titles like Nova and Star Wars, then you know the lack-of-depth I'm referring to. The fight scenes were dynamic, and some of the camera angles seemed more varied than the last installment, but it still seems off to me. But then, I'll argue that comic art in general in the early 1980's took a step backwards from what we'd seen in the 1970's. 
 
Karen: I'm still not excited about the art. Your comments about 'flatness' are spot-on. There's no sense of dimension or weight to any of the figures. The super-thin, almost Colletta-style inking doesn't help. Honestly, I had trouble choosing pictures to put in this post. Usually I have too many pictures I want to add. It didn't help that there were a large number of long, thin vertical panels in the book either.

Doug: Well, the panel at right is a great example of what I'm talking about. Good choice!
Karen: There's a follow-up story featuring Saturn Girl, but it seemed the chief thing to come out of that was to announce the new Legion leader: Dream Girl. I recall at the time not being too happy with that choice!

Doug: Trust me, personality-wise, there was something not to like about all three candidates. Hmmm... sounds like a slice-of-real-life, doesn't it? Did you think Giffen's art in this part of the book was more akin to what he'd do a bit later in his career? Even though the back-up story (why was it a back-up story? It was directly related to everything that had gone before) had the same creator credits, there was a heckuva lot more Giffen in this art than Larry Mahlstedt. Anyway, it's always nice to see a short story that involves the Legion's founders. It's like an adventure with the Avengers' Big Three.
 

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Here at the BAB we're grateful for Dr. King and his efforts to eliminate discrimination in our country. In his famous "I Have A Dream" speech from August 28, 1963, Dr. King said:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

We can't help but think those words might have influenced Marvel's Roy Thomas a bit, when he wrote a speech for Hank Pym in Avengers 58 (Nov 1968). When the Vision is stunned to find that the team wants him as a member, Pym says:

"Is a man any less human because he has an artificial leg, or a transplanted heart? The five original Avengers included an Asgardian immortal and a green-skinned, tormented behemoth! We ask merely a man's worth...not the accident of his condition!"

This spirit of acceptance, of understanding, is something that early Marvel comics consistently conveyed to the reader. The two of us are grateful to have been exposed to it.

We hope that someday, Dr. King's vision for our country will be fulfilled.

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

New Spider-Man, Captain America and Thor Movie Photos!

Doug: Hey, everyone! I saw these pictures Thursday and Friday over at www.comicscontinuum.com and thought I'd pass them on. Thoughts?

What is the Greatest Rock and Roll Band of All Time?

Doug: Wow. So many great ones to choose from here. I think we should consider the entire gamut of a band's personna -- music, lyrics, personalities, longevity, influence, and as perhaps a tie-breaker you can go with where a particular band scores on your personal love-o-meter.

Doug: How about the obvious choices? The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. But what of Led Zeppelin? The Jimi Hendrix Experience? Black Sabbath? Van Halen? The Doors? Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young? The Beach Boys? Journey? Rush? AC/DC? The Bee Gees? Chicago? The Who? U2?

Have fun!

Fantastic Four Fridays: The Devil Went Down to Latveria, Lookin' for a Soul to Steal...

Fantastic Four #157 (April 1975)
"The Endgame Cometh!"
Roy Thomas-Rich Buckler/Joe Sinnott
Zugzwang = a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect.

Doug: Yep, Rascally Roy used that word above as the title for section two of our little tale. I thought he'd thrown me for a loop back in the Silver Age when he'd more-than-once used the term "brobdingnagian" to describe Typhon or Goliath, but then he busted this one out! Needless to say, I followed the advice in the little editorial box and looked it up. And a more appropriate term could not have been used to describe the last acts of this Dr. Doom/Surfer trilogy of issues. I think when we near the finish of today's post, my partner and I will have much to say about the ending of this yarn!

Doug: Karen's remarked several times about Buckler's panel lay-outs. We've not really thrown in any words on camera angles, but the splash to this one certainly has an interesting p.o.v. And I think it really sums up some of our previous comments, namely the proportion of Ben Grimm as a 6-footer and not some hulking (pun intended) giant as he's drawn today, and the odd shoulder physicality (I referred to a couple of panels in our discussion of FF #155 as looking somewhat like "stock poses" for Buckler). Overall I really like the page -- it's just sort of quirky.

Karen: It's an odd choice, as we really can't see the faces of our foursome. But the view of the shattered Doom robot is the point. Buckler does a good job of conveying Ben's frustration over the many times they've fought Doom only to discover it was simply a robot duplicate.

Doug: We again get a recap of the story's previous events, but this one's much shorter than the 5-page job we got last issue. This is actually a plot vehicle to introduce one of the new super-baddies present in the finale -- the Doomsman II android. If you'll recall, Dr. Doom had the Surfer seated on a chair that had the ability to drain the Power Cosmic from the Surfer and transfer it to the waiting android. It's reminiscent of a scene from a Frankenstein film, but it works. The Doomsman is a large fellow, imbued with the voice and energies of the Surfer. You know, I'm glad they drew him with more detail inside the story; on the cover, I thought he looked an awful lot like Nuklo!

Karen: Unfortunately the design of the Doomsman II is fairly boring. I can see why he reminded you of Nuklo, as both are mostly yellow in color. I did like the way Buckler drew this sequence, so it seemed that Doom was addressing the reader.

Doug: We cut away, then, to see what our seated Surfer is up to. Doom left him in the company of Shalla Bal, or at least the girl who we are led to believe is the love of Norrin Radd. By the way, Buckler's got the girl in some Daisy Dukes, doesn't he?? Anyway, they talk, and she laments that her memory of their previous time together is virtually non-existent. But suddenly she refers to the Surfer by his human name, a name none on Earth know. He is alarmed, and she seems to be on the verge of an epiphany when she kisses him.

Karen: Ya know, for a guy with so much power, who has seen so many amazing things, the Surfer just doesn't seem very bright. The whole thing reeks of a set-up. But I guess he's desperate to believe it.

Doug: Cut back to the Four, who are now in dire straits as their escape is about to be thwarted -- in more ways than one. We get the usual walls-closing-in trick (see any movie with a castle, Star Wars, etc.), which Reed handles in a pretty neat way. I'm not sure I recall him ever getting that thin in order to accomplish a goal; I do recall an issue where he compressed himself to about the size of a golf ball,, but not this thin. However, once free, things head downhill pretty rapidly as a wall suddenly bursts to reveal the all-new Doomsman! He's large and in charge, and in no mood for messing around. He handles our heroes quite easily.

Karen: What would a fight with Dr. Doom be without the requisite traps? Of course, the FF will find a way out, that's a given. I'm not sure if we'd seen Reed ever stretch so thin, but did you catch his remark about having "a little trouble getting my shape back"? I think it was a bit later in Roy's run that we discovered Reed was losing his ability to stretch.

Doug: Just an aside here on our cast -- how useless has Medusa been in this 3-parter? For the most part, totally useless. She's a candidate throughout for our peer Bob Mitchell's "It Sucks Being Sue Storm" feature!

Karen: I've always thought Medusa had one of the least-useful super-powers. Heck, I don't even know if you can consider 'controllable hair' a super-power. Seems more like an oddity to me. What's she going to do -tickle people into submission?

Doug: Back to the Surfer and Shalla Bal, they are distraught as they continue the pangs-of-love discussion. Do you think there is a more tortured soul in all the Marvel Universe than the Silver Surfer? Maybe Bruce Banner, but I think whoever would be next in line is pretty distant. Anyway, the Surfer thwarts an attempt on Shalla Bal's life, and then speeds away to assist the FF against the Doomsman. He easily turns the tide of battle; one has to wonder if he didn't win it outright by himself, somehow reclaiming his Power Cosmic.

Karen: The FF were pretty ineffectual against the Doomsman. Odd how the Doomsman pleaded not to fight the Surfer -was he merely terrified of his power, or was there some deeper connection there, like the feeling of fighting himself?

Doug: OK, what follows is the beginning of a very strange ending. I was aware of the page count as the climactic battle began, and thought that it was going to be one heckuva slugfest. But the Doomsman got put down so quickly that he seemed to be an afterthought to the plot. OK, then knockdown, dragout against Dr. Doom. Uh uh -- as that one was getting rolling, in came Shalla Bal (or should I say Helena, who she claimed to be -- used by Doom as a doppelganger to get the Surfer under his control), and her cries against wrecking Castle Doom were immediately heeded. What's that, you say? Some girl stopped Marvel's flagship super-team from pounding Marvel's greatest menace, just like that? Yep. And on account of saving the cultural history of the nation of Latveria, stored in Castle Doom. Although I had a big case of "what the?!?" as this unfolded, I was taken back to some curriculum work I'd done for a film entitled The Rape of Europa. That documentary is about the Nazis' heist of priceless works of art during WWII, and their careless regard for timeless, priceless treasures including works dating to the Renaissance. So with that in mind, I thought her pleas were appropriate.

Karen: Yeah, I was befuddled by this screeching halt to the story. Everyone is blasting each other, fists flying, and suddenly we have to stop because of the cultural art works? Not something you'd normally see in a comic. Then again, as we've seen in other stories with Doom, his status as a head of state seem to affect the ability of our heroes to deal with him. But that was odd indeed. And it would only get more perplexing...

Doug: But then, Doom inexplicably let the FF leave. Doom give in to a peasant girl? Bah! But he did. And then it got even more weird. The last three pages of the story feature Mephisto, in a demonic tell-all of his machinations throughout this story against the one whom he hates most: the Silver Surfer! We find that Helena (aptly named) was indeed Shalla Bal, and had been in Latveria for well over a year (Marvel time)! All of this was explained in a fashion that... was great. I loved it! While I was reading it, I was somewhat incredulous at what was unfolding. But when the book had ended, I thought that Roy had closed this one out with some style, wrapping a whole lot of Marvel elements into this one tale. Reflecting, the creators of this story were for the most part spot-on in the characterization dept., the art was top-notch, and the pay-off had some punch. I loved it!

Karen: Well there were a number of twists and turns here. It was like watching an episode of Law and Order: SVU. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as you did, Doug. It was clever yet not as satisfying as I'd like. Again, for a cosmic-powered being, the Surfer comes across so clueless. How in the world would Shalla Bal be there in the first place? Why wasn't he more questioning? I've never been a fan of Mephisto, so that also left me cold. But it was still a fun read, if a bit of a let-down at the end.

Doug: We're going to continue over the next two weeks with the next story -- Fantastic Four #'s 158-159, a visit to the 5th Dimension! Wonder if we'll see Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. there? Stay tuned!!

Face-Off: Young Michael or Teenaged (and beyond) Michael?

Doug: So I'm driving the other day, with the iTouch plugged into the stereo system, and I come across a few Jackson 5 songs. I'm struck by the difference in style between Michael Jackson's vocals on their first hits, when his voice was powerful and straightforward, and his voice on their later hits when he segued into the style he'd use during his solo career. I'm talking about all of the hiccups, "oohs!", and even the crotch grabs (yeah, I'm hearing the song, but seeing them just goes along with the audio). So which era of the Jacksons do you prefer? For reference, I've divided their hits by Michael's age, first from the time he was 11, the second list after he'd turned 15.

Their first hits (1969-74)

I Want You Back
ABC
The Love You Save
I'll Be There
Never Can Say Good-bye
Dancing Machine

Their later hits (1974-1984)

Blame It On the Boogie
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
Can You Feel It
State of Shock (w/ Mick Jagger)
Torture