Finding Silver Well Past Bronze: Avengers 1 1/2

Avengers #1 1/2 (October 1999)
"The Death-Trap of Doctor Doom!"
Roger Stern-Bruce Timm

Doug: Here's an issue that turned up in the comments section of one of our posts some months ago. I wish I could recall specifically where the comment was made; it runs in my mind it was in an Open Forum on what is canon in comics. At any rate, Karen and I both liked this issue over a decade ago, and with all of the attention being paid the Avengers cartoon and upcoming film this seemed like as good a time as any to have a look.

Karen: I loved this issue when I first saw it, and still do. If nothing else, it makes you wish there'd been more stories with the Hulk as an Avenger.

Doug: First off, Bruce Timm just does a phenomenal job of emulating Jack Kirby. His style dovetails nicely with the King's, right from the cover image. And how about the editing team? From the Silver Age goodness of that cover to the send-ups of 1960's advertisements throughout the book, this was $2.50 well spent back in the day!

Karen: You can tell a lot of love went into making this book.

Doug: As the numbering suggests, this story (a done-in-one, natch) takes place between the origin of the team in #1 and the first break-up of the team in #2. I think the creators, and some fans alike, felt that the immediate departure of the Hulk, accompanied by the switch by Henry Pym from Ant-Man to Giant-Man, left a big hole in Avengers history. So we pick this one up as the media gets hold of the news that this team has formed. Scribe Roger Stern shows us the reactions of local New Yorkers as well as those other super-powered denizens of the Marvel Universe: the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. It's a really nice touch, and is a real throwback to simpler times, when the MU was in its infancy. While the FF are for the most part interested in the Avengers as allies, Spidey just wants a job. Funny stuff.

Karen: Both Stern and Timm did a wonderful job capturing the feel of that era. All of the cameos had the perfect tone.

Doug: Once the real plot gets rolling, we find Major Bowman of the National Security Council dropping by Tony Stark's mansion to ask assistance of this new band of heroes. Jarvis shows him in, and explains that the mansion's staff has been reduced by 75% due to the presence of the volatile Hulk. There are a couple of nice scenes in the midst of this of Janet being Janet and Thor and Hulk arguing over the Hulk's attire. Classic, smiley vignettes. The Major has come to report that there are concerns about Dr. Doom; Hank explains that he helped the FF defeat Doom and Doom's no easy foe. His "flying fortress" had been impounded, but that's where our trouble begins: in the midst of the briefing, the Major gets word that the ship has shaken free of its hangar and is heading out over the Atlantic!

Karen: The interactions here between the founding members are priceless. I especially enjoyed the Hulk and Thor butting heads over everything, including Hulk's shorts, and the Wasp flirting with Thor - and asking Iron Man if Tony Stark is as dreamy as he looks on TV! The tie-ins and footnotes to existing comics were appreciated.

Doug: Scrambling into a waiting "jet copter", the Avengers and the Major pursue. What's interesting about this scene is the fact that it's the Hulk who urges the team to action; of course he just wants to get his hands on Doom, but given that this was the pre-"dumb Hulk" era it was strange to see him in somewhat of a leadership role. In a big reveal (literally), Bruce Timm gives us a full-page shot of Doom's airship, which is as big as Noah's Ark! Suddenly the copter and Thor (who was flying on his own power) are caught in a grappling ray and pulled toward the larger ship. As everyone panics, the Hulk leaps out of the copter and smashes through the hull of Doom's fortress. Once inside, he insults Thor who has joined him. It's great dialogue! Thor rebukes the Hulk's brashness, but Iron Man explains that maybe it was the right move. Only halfway through the story, it's pretty obvious who the star of this team could have been.

Karen: Reading this again, I was very much struck by the similarities between this version of Hulk and the early Wolverine, whom we recently covered in our X-Men reviews. Both are the loose cannons of their respective teams, which imbues them with a quality of danger and excitement. Later on, Hawkeye would sort of fulfill this role -but more as a thorn in the side of Cap than a real problem for the team.

Doug: In keeping with early Silver Age sexism, Hank tells Jan to stay behind and protect the Major. The problem is, however, that the Major is a double-agent, working for Doom! He fires a gas gun at the Wasp -- one Avenger down. On Doom's ship, the Hulk enters a chamber that is shiny like glass. The Hulk is sealed within and recognizes that he's in a teflon room and can get no traction. That he cusses in the old comic strip style ($#@) made me smile. Thor is beset by what I would best describe as some black Ditko-spheres.

Karen: I laughed when I saw Hulk's cussing. That was a nice touch. I was surprised to see this Hulk call the room "elliptical." I know he's not as dumb as later versions but that still seemed a bit high-brow for him.

Doug: Doom watches from a monitor room, and gloats to himself that the globes were designed to take down the entire FF. At that moment, Iron Man arrives, but with his boot jets in whisper mode (ha!). It was funny to see IM flying in the clunky golden armor. Of course, it's not Doom that he approaches, but a Doombot who quickly begins to siphon the energy from IM. There's a nice nod to the days when IM's chestplate kept him alive. We then cut to Ant-Man, who has found the real Major Bowman, all trussed up. Seems the Major was captured long before his doppelganger met the Avengers. Suddenly, the faux Major appears on a vid-screen; in one of the worst examples of a character peeling off a rubber mask, the figure removes the fake face to reveal the armored mask of Doom beneath!

Karen: We've seen a lot of amazing rubber masks here at BAB, but that one has got to the most unbelievable!

Doug: It beginning to look like curtains for our heroes. Thor will be sent to another dimension, Iron Man is virtually powerless, the Hulk bounces around his cell like a pinball, and the Wasp is enclosed in a small glass sphere. Now, we see Doom pump deadly gas into the chamber holding Ant-Man and Major Bowman. But ol' Hank has something up his sleeve. Removing his Ant-Man helmet and popping a pill while urging the Major to stand back, it's Giant-Man who saves the day! What a cool surprise -- even though we've known about this for decades, it was just a neat execution of the concept and felt fresh. Now Hank's on the loose, and rescues the Hulk, then Thor. The Avengers are re-assembling! They find Iron Man, and Thor brings the lightning in a desperate effort to re-charge the Golden Avenger; it works.

Karen: That reveal of Pym's new power/identity gave me a thrill too. That was very well executed. I also got a kick out of the motion-sick Hulk.

Doug: So the boys move on Doom, who is about to go on live television to proclaim his victory. Mjolnir guts that short. A brief fracas ensues, with Doom escaping. The Hulk pursues, and in a very funny panel rips the good Doctor's head off. Iron Man asks him how he knew it was a Doombot. The Hulk just looks at the head and mutters, "Robot?" Suddenly the airship starts to descend rapidly. Finding an escape pod, everyone argues over who should get in it. Finally the Hulk's heard enough, grabs Major Bowman and launches the thing. Then the heavyweights bust a hole in the hull of the ship and exit, Avengers-style! It's pretty dramatic.

Karen: Lots of exciting action here. The scene with the robot was hilarious. Hulk is very take-charge here. That splash page of the heroes flying out of the exploding ship is awesome.

Doug: Safely ashore on Long Island, the team watches Doom's craft plunge into the sea. The Wasp explains how she had radioed information to Hank from her spot in Doom's control room, so that he was able to locate the rest of the team. The team muses if they'll see Doom again, and of course we cut to the obligatory panel of the mad Latverian monarch some miles away entering into biding-time mode. The last panel of the issue expresses how our heroes have passed their baptism of fire against Marveldom's greatest menace, but will be shaken to their very core in their next adventure... against the Space Phantom!

Karen: Typical '60s Marvel wrap-up! I loved this from cover to cover. Makes me wish this team had done a few more such tales.

Doug: I had a blast re-reading this. It was just plain fun. Part of that may lay in the fact that it was intended to be just that -- a light-hearted homage to a simpler time. But I have to give a huge tip-of-the-hat to the creators of this story for crafting a tale that fits seamlessly between Avengers #'s 1 and 2 with no silly agenda. This was an "untold tale" worthy of having been told the first time 'round. Success!

If I Had Been At the Wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver, I’d Have Been the One To Stand Up and Object…, Part 3

Doug: Last week we saw the separation of Crystal from Johnny Storm due to a mysterious illness; our young heroine was ushered back to the Hidden Land so that she could heal among her family. While the cat's away...

• FF 117-118: Dec. 1971-Jan. 1972. Art by John Buscema/Sinnott (#117) and Buscema/Jim Mooney (#118), story by Archie Goodwin. Crystal is kidnapped and brainwashed by Diablo; she believes herself a goddess over a Central American nation; at the conclusion Johnny tells her that Maximus has usurped power in the Great Refuge, necessitating her departure yet again. Crystal tells Johnny that he must know that she cannot remain with him, that she must return to her family in order to save their homeland. He replies, “I know, Crys – and I understand. But at least we’ve got this time, this moment… And until there’ll be others – I can wait – and remember this (#118 page 15).” They kiss passionately as the curtain falls (and not just on this issue, as we’ll see…)

• Avengers 103-104: Sept.-Oct. 1972. Art by Rich Buckler/Sinnott, story by Roy Thomas (NOTE: Buckler’s art here is much more akin to Neal Adams than to the “Kirbyish” art he would display several months later in the pages of Fantastic Four). Two-part story with the team (Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Vision, and Quicksilver, with an appearance by Rick Jones) versus the Sentinels. Quicksilver is on a mission to find a Sentinel stronghold in hopes that it will help him find the kidnapped Scarlet Witch. As Quicksilver, encountering and commandeering Larry Trask, gets closer, the remaining Avengers follow. They encounter the Sentinels in Australia and engage them. Trask discusses his mutant power, which is to see the future, and it is a future that is not bright for the Avengers. In #104, Quicksilver battles a Sentinel alone, and destroys it. On page 19 he is faced with an ominous aura and yells, “What’s that glow… something… appearing in front of me… something huge, horrible! What is it! What?”

• FF 130: Jan. 1973. Art by J. Buscema/Sinnott, story by Thomas. Johnny has flown to the Great Refuge to reclaim Crystal. Ready for battle (as always) after his rocket had been shot out of the sky in the previous issue, Triton says, “Black Bolt wanted to make certain that he saw you – before you saw Crystal (page 5).” After being pointed to Crystal’s location in a tower, Johnny flames on and heads straight there. Evading interception by Triton, Karnak, and Gorgon, Johnny melts his way into the tower and lands near Crystal’s feet. He exclaims that whatever trouble there is, they’ll face it together. In a cryptic scene, Crystal replies, “…I prayed I’d never see you again… I’ll stand aside… so you can see more clearly (page 10).” Whoo, boy – big cliffhangers in these last two story examples!! And I should say that the facial expression on Johnny as conveyed by artists Buscema and Sinnott is simply wonderful – so full of pain and shock…

• FF 131: Feb. 1973. Art by Ross Andru/Sinnott, story by Thomas. As alluded to in the previous issue, something here ain’t right! We find, as Crystal steps aside (NOTE: Buscema drew Crystal in her FF uniform, which was strange since she’d not been with that team for some time. Andru draws her here in her more common yellow outfit), that the look of horror on Johnny’s face as we left him is due in large part to the fact that Crystal has been attending to an injured Quicksilver. When Quicksilver says that she owes the Torch no explanation (very much in standard brusque, abrasive Pietro form), and then refers to her as “Darling” (which I believe is the first time Pietro addresses anyone in a term of affection outside of his sister Wanda), that pretty much seals the battle royale that comes next… Crystal does explain, in detail, how she and Lockjaw became lost inter-dimensionally and ended up at the very moment Quicksilver had become injured in battle with the Sentinels. As Pietro passed out, Crystal and Lockjaw teleported him to the Great Refuge. To be honest, I’m still dissatisfied with the explanation given in a flashback. Crystal comments to Medusa that she will stay by Quicksilver’s side as he heals, saying she somehow feels responsible for his injuries (Say what?? She found him all beat up – she wasn’t there when it happened!!) Medusa remarked that she felt what Crystal was feeling was more than responsibility. And I felt like something had just been shoved down my throat, and I wanted to scream, “Where did this come from?!?” Shoe-horned in, square peg/round hole – I don’t care how you describe it. The whole change in trajectory from the Johnny/Crystal love story to this new Crystal/Pietro love story just felt contrived. The story ends with the Torch and Quicksilver united against Omega, who has grabbed Crystal.

• FF 132: Mar. 1973. Art by J. Buscema/Sinnott, story by Thomas. The Torch and Quicksilver unite to aid Crystal in a story that is really about racism between the Inhumans and the Alpha Primitives. The story is also significant, as Medusa replaces Sue in the FF and Johnny takes on a red uniform, reminiscent of the Original Human Torch. Crystal tells Johnny at the end of the story that she is staying with Pietro; Johnny remarks,

“I never thought she wouldn’t. Matter of fact, I’m sorta glad it happened this way, now that I’ve had time to cool down and think things through. We’ve been apart too long – and like you said, it just isn’t there anymore – for either of us. Actually, I’m kinda looking forward to getting back into circulation. Truth is, I’ve even got a long-standing date tonight – with an old girlfriend named Dorrie Evans (page 27).”

Just like that? You mean, he’s just going to drop it?? When I came to this story much after-the-fact, I couldn’t believe how out of the blue this seemed; I can’t imagine how it must have felt to have read it first-hand. Was Johnny serious, or was he just playing it off to try to show that he wasn’t hurt by it all? My sense is that if I had plucked it from the spinner rack in the middle of 2^nd grade and had known the story from the preceding few years I’d have been one dubious-looking 7-year old.

He Has His Eye on You: X-Men 115

X-Men #115 (November 1978)
"Visions of Death!"
Writer/co-plotter: Chris Claremont
Artist/co-plotter: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin

Karen: This issue starts with big-time action! As the X-Men confront the reptilian Sauron crouching over the unconscious Storm, Wolverine goes nuts. He lunges, claws first, at Sauron. Cyclops tries to warn him, but it's too late; Sauron uses his mental power to cause Wolverine to see his team-mates as hideous monsters. Wolverine turns to attack them, and only Cyclops realizes what's going on. Aware that Logan could chop them into bits given the chance, Cyclops blasts him -hard -and knocks him out, which of course draws protest from Banshee, but Cyclops tells him that Sauron's hypnotism is even more potent than Mesmero's. It is kind of odd to think that the team was facing yet another foe who could alter their minds or perceptions. This was also one of the earliest instances where the X-Men had to worry about Wolverine harming them, and it wouldn't be the last.

Doug: We've seen a trend as we've now covered a couple of years of All-New X-history. The team keeps getting pitted against adversaries only Cyclops knows. He screams "Don't!" or "Wait!", the new guys trudge headlong into a catastrophe... At the time, I really enjoyed seeing the new team fight the old villains (at least those of which I had been previously aware)... But as we've come through Nefaria, the Sentinels, the Juggernaut, Magneto, Mesmero, and now Sauron, it's beginning to be somewhat formulaic. I think that's why, when we get to Proteus and the "Dark Phoenix Saga", there will be some real satisfaction in those stories as almost bucking what has become a system.

Karen: I hadn't thought of that but you're absolutely right. Nobody listens to Cyclops at all!
 
Doug: The two-page splash to kick this one off is stunning. But a note on the art -- overall, it's just as fantastic as the past several issues have been. But did you detect Terry Austin using Colletta-like lines? I'm reading from the original comic book, and some of the inks are very light, with a feathering-like quality as Vinnie was prone to. I'm not complaining, because I think the book looks out-of-sight -- just throwing that out there. The art is overall quite detailed. And yes, Wolverine was a dangerous chap to have around, wasn't he? 
 
Karen: I've always thought that Austin had a fine pen, but without any of the negatives associated with Colletta. Banshee takes to the air to face Sauron, while Cyclops tells Nightcrawler to take care of Storm and Wolverine. Of course Wolverine comes to and slugs Kurt. Then he goes after Cyclops, whom he sees as a "slime monster." Once again Cyclops has to blast Wolverine and send him flying. It's kind of refreshing to see a Wolverine who isn't invincible.

Doug: Scott's such an unemotional sort, but I'll bet that even in the heart of battle there was some satisfaction with getting (or having) to knock Wolverine into tomorrow!

Karen: Cyke and Banshee combine their blasts against Sauron and he flies off in a weakened state. Unfortunately he comes upon Piotr attending to Storm. Sauron grabs him and starts to drain him of energy. Cyclops yells for Piotr to transform, and the resultant energy release is too much for Sauron; it sends him reeling. Meanwhile, Wolverine, having been launched into the jungle, is gathering himself up to return to the fight when he comes across Sauron transforming back to his humanoid form. He's about to thrash the guy when who should show up but Ka-Zar! He warns Wolverine to let go of his friend, Karl Lykos (Sauron's alter-ego). Logan's in a mood to fight but luckily Cyclops shows up and straightens things out.

Doug: Byrne and Austin crafted another great character intro! This little run we've been reviewing has been rife with poster-quality splash pages. It would be very difficult to say this stretch was not Byrne's best output.

Karen: The X-Men, Ka-Zar, and Lykos hunker down in a hut and Lykos explains to Cyclops how he survived their last meeting (seems when he jumped into an icy chasm he actually landed on a small ledge, rather than fall to his death). From there he made his way down to the Savage Land. While roaming about he came across the Sun People and their priestess, Zaladane -remember her? She's from the Astonishing Tales issues recently reviewed here. Zaladane is back to her old tricks, turning a mortal man into the avatar of her god, Garokk.

Karen: Things get more complicated, apparently picking up story threads from Ka-Zar's own book. Zaladane leads Garokk to a hill where they can see in the distance a futuristic city, complete with a ringed planet floating in the sky above it! Garokk gets upset and blasts it with powerful eyebeams, wiping it out of existence, although Lykos says he manipulated a transdimensional warp. OK. There's more about Ka-Zar riding a flying shark, which disappears...I really don't know what was going on here. I guess I should have been reading Ka-Zar! But the end result is, Garokk is forcing all the Savage Land to join him or else. Ka-Zar wants the X-Men's help. Wolverine is more than anxious to fight, and so is Banshee, but Cyclops says no, they have to make sure Magneto didn't survive too and go after the Professor.

Doug: I guess if I'd been reading Ka-Zar's mag, I'd have been put out by the lengthy synopsis. However, since I wasn't this was all good stuff. Very Burroughs-like, too -- Pellucidarian, even.

Karen: Wolverine is not happy at all about Cyclops' decision, but goes along with it. Ka-Zar is more understanding. Cyclops swears that once they've made sure the Professor is safe, they'll be back. But they soon discover that they can't leave -their way out is frozen solid. Snow begins to fall and they realize that whatever Garokk is doing has upset the delicate ecological balance that keeps the Savage Land a tropical paradise. They have no choice but to stay and stop Garokk.

Doug: Cyke was making like Douglas MacArthur in that scene. Did you think that Ka-Zar and his band should have protested the X-Men's departure just a bit? I mean, Garokk was certainly a tough customer, and it would have been a heckuva lot easier to take him down with the assistance of the X-Men. Storm's prowess alone would have been a boon.

Karen: It seemed a little odd that Cyclops wouldn't stay, but then again, he was very loyal to the Professor. This was another really fun issue. I thought the only weak part was the attempt to tie together the two storylines of X-Men and Ka-Zar. I'm sure they did their best but I still don't really understand what was going on with that alien city and all. It's really not important though; it's enough to know that the X-Men will have to battle Garokk. There was a lot of nice character work here. The tension between Cyke and Wolvie could be cut by a knife (or adamantium claws). I really enjoyed Banshee too; he always brought a nice mature viewpoint to situations. This team will always be my favorite set of X-Men, as their personalities complemented each other so well.

Doug: You're right -- everyone got some decent facetime in this story. It was fun to see a "Nightcrawler moment" with the snowball fight, too!

Discuss: Batman: The Dark Knight

Karen: Twenty-five years later, what are your thoughts on this influential and controversial series?

A Rock and Roll National Anthem

Doug: The Stones' "It's Only Rock and Roll" came on the iPod last week and got me to thinking of songs that are like anthems to rock music. That made me recall the Unplugged episode that featured KISS and Paul Stanley's introduction of "Rock and Roll All Night" as the national anthem of rock and roll. Bravado, yes... but just what would be an able "national anthem" to this genre? What's that one song that you'd just turn up and say, yeah -- this is what rock music is all about? Now for our purposes, I'm going to hold you to one criteria: the song's title must have "rock" or "rock and roll" in it. Some nominees (and I know you have plenty of others for our consideration)?

• It's Only Rock and Roll by the Rolling Stones
• Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin
• For Those About to Rock by AC/DC
• Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets
• Rock, Rock Till You Drop by Def Leppard
  
• Rock and Roll All Night by KISS
• You Can Still Rock in America by Night Ranger
• I Love Rock 'n' Roll by Joan Jett and the Black Hearts

Thing 1 and Thing 2: Fantastic Four #162

Fantastic Four #162 (September 1975)
"The Shape of Things to Come!"
Roy Thomas-Rich Buckler/Joe Sinnott

Doug: After some nice build-up over the past two issues, things... devolve. That's my opening impression -- we'll see what we come up with by the time we're done. It may be up to Karen if this one's to get a rave review.

Karen: Fraid not!
Doug: So when we left off, Johnny had taken command of the troops of the 5th Dimension (qualifications there?), Ben had been imprisoned on another Earth, and the Reed Richards of an alternate Earth, who just happened to get the cosmic ray effect that our Thing got, was also in jail. The old Avengers villain Arkon was somehow mixed up in this, and underlying all of it was a plot to steal the technologies of both Reed Richards as well as of the 5th Dimension. Wow -- that was indeed a lot to digest over the past two issues, and creators Thomas and Buckler provide us with a couple of graphics to help us along. It's a decent recap, and to be honest, this is one story plot that needs that synopsis.

Karen: What's the old saying? "You can't tell the players without a scorecard?" In this case, it's more like a text book diagram! I laughed at the goofy picture of the three worlds and the arrows indicating who was attacking whom. Complicated story indeed.

Doug: On to the new stuff. Our Reed (writing this series has been a pain-in-the-butt with all of the same-name characters!) is working on a device that will melt the glaciers that are suddenly moving across the world. Suddenly a caveman invades the lab (what the heck did he use to break in?), followed by "an Indian with a tomahawk" -- yep, this Reed is accused of unleashing all sorts of weirdness due to the selling of Dr. Doom's time platform. Reed makes quick work of the invaders, when a vision suddenly appears in his mind; and then in the room above so that Sue can also see it (Duh Point #1). The Reed-Thing tells Mr. Fantastic what's been going on, how Mr. Devoor has deceived technology masters on three Earths, and how he's shackled and unable to break free. Mr. Fantastic says, hey -- how about if I apply my will to yours (Duh Point #2)? What the heck? OK, so Reed-Thing was using Arkon's "scopitron" to connect to our world, but how in tarnation did they exchange mental powers through what was basically an inter-dimensional TV?

Karen: I think Roy was inspired by the Interociter from "This Island Earth." I have no idea how Reed-2 used that device to project his thoughts to Reed-1, or how 'combining wills' allowed Reed-2 to break adamantium chains. Of course, I probably didn't question it at all when I read this as a kid.
Doug: Anyway, once Reed-Thing has Mr. Fantastic's "will", he's able to burst his bonds and discovers that he's been imprisoned on his own world. Which is pretty convenient (Duh Point #3), because that's where our Thing is locked up. So you guessed it -- in a pretty cool visual the two orange-plated behemoths break out of jail and are greeted by none other than "Thunderbolt" Ross and the army (never mind that he identifies himself as a general in the Air Force). Soon Ben Grimm shows up (seriously -- if you haven't read this series of issues or don't happen to have them in front of you, I don't know how you're following all of this!) to point out what apparently no other person could see: a gaping hole in the sky, through which the 5th Dimension army storms. And led by the Human Torch, no less! Johnny, being the hot-headed fool that he is, attacks first and asks questions later. He takes down the Thing pretty quickly, but then Reed-Thing dispenses a whuppin' that extinguishes the flame. After brief explanations that are too-soon-believed, the Torch commands the 5D army to go back. Just like that... "Uh, sorry guys..." (Duh Point #4).

Karen: Johnny being in a position of responsibility may be the most difficult thing to swallow in this whole story!
Doug: Johnny, Reed-Thing, and the Thing then pow wow, and suddenly, somehow, Mr. Fantastic appears in the sky (Duh Point #5 - the "scopitron" isn't on Earth, after all) with Devoor in hand and explains what will have to happen to right this crazy ship. Johnny and Reed-Thing will have to take an assault to Arkon's world, while the Thing must enter the inter-dimensional space and break up "the nexus" through which Arkon was going to funnel the energy of three worlds. Mr. Fantastic then tosses some skates through the rift in the sky (we've seen these before, back in the Kirby days) for Ben. And away we go! Johnny and Reed-Thing land where they belong (hey, whatever happened to Lockjaw in all this?), and the Thing heads off into space. As he approaches the nexus, he's opposed by an intergalactic hockey goalie who identifies himself as... Gaard! Yeah.

Karen: Oh man...Gaard. Even as a kid I thought that was just about the stupidest thing I'd ever seen. Honestly. A hockey goalie? I mean, sure, a guy flying around space on a surfboard makes no sense either, but at least it looks cool. This just looks ludicrous.
Doug: You know what Roy's up to here? It took me three issues to figure it out. This is his version of "Crisis on..." Think about it -- multiple Earths, all similar. Heroes on all three (well, Johnny had to be transplanted). Universal menace in Arkon stealing energy. And some serious dimension-hopping to solve it. I suppose when I look at it through that lens, and accepting it as being part of DC's heritage of such tales, this is not quite as bad. But reading it at first impression... not good. As you said earlier, I'm sure I didn't react so negatively when I was a wide-eyed 9-year old.

Karen: I like alternate realities, time travel, science fiction...but I'm just not warming up to this one. I don't care much for Arkon, and neither of the alternate worlds seem all that interesting. I have to agree, this story isn't terrible, but I'm just not feeling it.

Merchandise on the Planet of the Apes, Part One

Karen: The Planet of the Apes films not only produced a short-lived TV series and an equally short-lived cartoon show, but a huge amount of merchandise as well. POTA is right up there with the original Star Trek TV show in my mind for overall depth of merchandise in the 70s.

Karen: Let's take a look at the various items available to the dedicated Apes fan back in the day:

Books:
Karen: Every single movie was novelized, and of course, there was the original novel by Pierre Boulle (which got updated with a movie cover). I had all of these books when they came out but sadly somewhere along the way got rid of them. There were also novelizations of some of the TV episodes.

Doug: I read the Boulle novel, with the very cover you see to the right! I recall checking it out at our local library in Milwaukee. My intent was to devour it, but I cannot express my disappointment when I got into it a bit and the apes were driving cars! I was pretty Apes-crazy at the time, and was not up for anything disparaging (in my mind) what I'd come to know from the films. As a child, I really had no idea that this novel was the source material; I assumed that it was somehow an extension of the films, and the author was taking sacrilegious liberties with my Apes! I suppose I should give it a re-read all these years later. I'd probably appreciate it more.

Karen: Of course, well known in these parts was the comic magazine published by Marvel from 1974-1977, titled "Planet of the Apes." This black and white magazine featured comic book adaptations of all five films, as well as original stories by Marvel staff. On top of all this there were articles and photographs from the movies and TV series. It was an Ape fan's dream.

Doug: One of the regrets of my comics-buying life is that I didn't own more of the B&W magazines. Yet, at the time they seemed so grown-up and even risque' that I don't think my mom would have shelled out the buck or two. And, as a parent now, that was most likely the right choice for a 7-8-year old kid. But to see those books today... And the Apes mags in particular were just beautiful.

Models:

Karen: I remember building a lot of plastic model kits in the 70s. Although I guess the heyday of the hobby was probably in the 60s, with all the great Aurora model kits, it was still pretty popular in the 70s. The Apes had a spot here too, with a line of kits from a company called Addar. As far as I know, there were six kits, which featured Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaius, Caesar, General Aldo, and General Ursus. These were pretty cool kits, which included not only figures but some scenery; the Zaius kit, for example, include the bomb launching 'altar' from "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." I had that kit, as well as the two generals and Cornelius. They looked great next to my AMT Mr. Spock and Aurora Hulk and Spider-Man!

Doug: I know I had the Spidey model, and I'm pretty sure I had another. I don't believe I had an Apes model. And hey -- you know what always bummed me out about models? I could never paint them like the photos on the box! So it was generally a less-than-satisfying experience.

Action Figures:

Karen: Is there anyone who is unaware of the Mego Apes figures? I think these were the single most popular Apes merchandise. I was only aware of the figures based on the movies, which included Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaius, the Gorilla Soldier, and 'the Astronaut'. It was only recently that I discovered that Mego had also made figures based on characters from the TV show. There were also accessories and playsets. All I had though was three figures: Cornelius, Zira, and the Gorilla.

Doug: Ah, here is where I had mucho Apes! Back in the days of blow-apart Megos (held together with elastic, rather than the later use of heavy rubber bands), I had the astronaut in his blue jumpsuit. Along the way I also had Cornelius (or was it Galen? -- same figure, if I recall), Generals Urko and Ursus, and maybe a soldier gorilla. I believe I also had Dr. Zaius, and once the TV show came out I had Verdon and Burke. I also had the treehouse playset. These figures were exceptional, and provided fodder for many cross-universe adventures once I brought in my superhero Megos for some scrapping!

Miscellaneous:

Karen: There were so many other types of Apes toys out there that we can't name them all in a blog post. But I will throw out a few that I had and loved. One was the Color Forms POTA set. Yes, bright primary colors for the apes, and an Ape City background. This was what we did before we had video games -- we made little scenes and told stories.

Doug: Man, time clouds the memory. If I didn't have the Colorforms set, I must have had a friend who did. I remember playing with them somewhere...

Karen: There was also the POTA board game, which I think my brother played with me grudgingly once. It was reminiscent of the old "Mousetrap" game, as you had to build a cage out of the cardboard pieces included and capture your opponents but I have no idea how the gameplay worked. Again, it was colorful and had apes on it. That was good enough for me.

Karen: I was able to live out all my most oppressive fantasies as a gorilla soldier thanks to Mattel's ape rifle and mask set. That mask was like a typical Halloween costume mask, with only a front and an elastic string to hold it on your head. The rifle made a nice loud crack when you pulled the trigger. Don Post studios put out some very nice over the head Apes masks but I never had any of them.

Karen: To start my day I had a plastic bowl and mug set, which I recall had the glaring face of General Ursus -or was it Urko? - on it. It was the perfect companion to watching the Apes cartoon on Saturday mornings.

Karen: There are many many more items, but these are some of the ones we recall fondly. We'd love to hear from any other Ape-maniacs. Next time, we'll discuss some of the modern toys and items available. 

 

Spotlight On: John Byrne

Doug: A couple of weeks ago, regular reader J.A. Morris made a comment on our Joe Sinnott spotlight that prompted this post. He remarked how different the work of John Byrne was during his tenure as writer/artist on the Fantastic Four, as compared with his first stint when he was a co-creator and inked by Joe Sinnott. That got me to thinking about just how truly different those two runs were; to see the later issues, it's quite possible that a non-observant reader might not have associated the artists as one and the same. Of course, we could also discuss here Byrne's credits as the primary plotter and scribe during his long run into the 1980's -- some have compared it to the phenomenal, seminal work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on the FF during the Silver Age.

Doug: And then we get to Superman over at DC Comics. Controversial? You bet. And Byrne just seemed to relish that role. It's funny to think now about how that franchise was just stood on its ear. Much as Frank Miller had returned Batman to his Golden Age roots, Byrne did likewise for Clark Kent in the Man of Steel limited series. No longer possessing god-like power, this updated (or backdated) Superman was barely able to leap a tall building in a single bound. Legal issues crept into the stories, though, that were perhaps not executed in fine fashion -- the reintroduction of the matrix Supergirl comes to mind here. Just because the copyright had to be protected...

Doug: So what do you think about Mr. Byrne? Is he better left to his own devices? That didn't seem to work out too well for our pal the Vision. Or, is he a better collaborator, instilling his ideas to meld with those of capable writers like Chris Claremont or Jim Shooter? And of his work, what's your favorite, and what didn't you care too much for?

If I Had Been At the Wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver, I’d Have Been the One To Stand Up and Object…, Part 2

Doug: Welcome back to our second in a series of posts publishing an essay I'd written on the wedding of Crystal to Quicksilver, originally intended for Assembled, volume 3. When we left off last week, I'd just gotten into a chronology of Crystal's courtship with Johnny Storm. We pick it up here with her second appearance:

• FF 46: Jan. 1966. Crystal professes that she doesn’t want to be separated from Johnny, “no matter what (page 14)”. Earlier in the issue, the FF come face-to-face with the Inhumans – it’s like meeting “the Addams Family”, more or less. When the Inhumans seek to flee in order to rehabilitate the fallen Black Bolt, Karnak remarks to Crystal that the Torch is their enemy. She cries, “No! You’re wrong! He meant us no harm! I know it in my heart (page 13).”

• FF 47, 48: Feb.-Mar. 1966. Crystal and Johnny become near inseparable as the FF have to leave the Great Refuge – Stan Lee teen angst in the Spidey tradition!! Reed remarks, “She’s oblivious to everything else! She only has eyes for Johnny (#47, page 18)!” Incidentally, Johnny twice refers to her as “Chris” in #47.

• FF 61-62: April-May 1967. After freeing Attilan from its dome-prison, the Inhumans allow Crystal to leave in search of Johnny, with Lockjaw as her “chaperone”. Crystal remarks near the beginning of the story that Lockjaw is “…my only means of reaching Johnny Storm! And until Johnny and I are together again, nothing else in my life matters to me (# 61, page 12)! In #62, Crystal and Lockjaw arrive in the Baxter Building to find the FF at a loss as to how they can rescue Reed from certain death in the Negative Zone. Crystal immediately offers to help, and uses Lockjaw to teleport back to the Inhumans to secure aid. Triton returns with her and saves the day. At the conclusion of the story Crystal remarks to all after Johnny’s made a sarcastic remark about Reed’s and Sue’s emotional reunion: “If I ever catch you sounding like that, Johnny… I’ll probably be the happiest girl in the world (#62, page 20)!”

• FF 81: Dec. 1968. Crystal debuts in an FF costume, declaring that with Sue in post-partum recovery due to the birth of Franklin (in the previous month in Fantastic Four Annual #6), “someone has to take her place on your team (page 1)”. Of course, since it’s her “debut” issue, she saves the team from the Wizard by demonstrating her command of Earth, Wind, and Fire (the elements, not the band).

• FF 95: Feb. 1970. Medusa comes to take Crystal back among her people. Johnny protests loudly – “You can’t do it, Crys! You can’t leave me – to go back to them (page 11)!” Crystal replies, “Oh, Johnny – Johnny! Do you think I want to go?” As Medusa takes Crystal away (by force), Crys calls back to the Torch, “Wait for me, Johnny – I’ll come back to you – (page 12).”

• FF 99: June 1970. Johnny storms the Great Refuge; Crystal calls him a fool, then chastises him for his behavior – she says something to the effect that love requires trust and understanding. She was needed to help heal Black Bolt in an illness. Crystal leaves with the FF.

• FF 105: Dec. 1970. Art by John Romita/John Verpoorten, story by Lee. Crystal falls ill while on a shopping excursion. Initially believing it to be something she ate, she is able to use her powers to help the team as a building nearby begins to crumble. Immediately after, she collapses; Johnny exits with her to return to the Baxter Building. He bursts into Reed’s lab and exclaims, “Reed – it’s Crystal! She collapsed in the street! There’s something wrong – something serious! I’m scared Reed – I’ve never seen her like this (page 5)! I think it’s important here to note that Johnny has admitted this fear – with all he’s faced down to this point in his career, this can be nothing if not a man in a deep state of love with his woman. Reed, through some simple blood work, determines that the contaminants in the Western world are bothering Crystal’s immune system and that she has to remain sheltered in Attilan; Lockjaw comes to take her back home to the Inhumans. But before she leaves, she and Johnny have the following exchange:

Johnny: “But we love each other! We can’t be separated again!”

Crystal: “Johnny – I heard him (Reed)! He’s right, my darling!”

Johnny: “No! It can’t be! It isn’t fair! I can’t lose you now!”

Crystal: “We won’t be losing each other, dearest! It won’t be – forever! I – I couldn’t bear – to think of that (page 11)!”

However, a few pages later, Johnny and Crystal re-enter the lab so Crystal can say some good-byes. If you ask me, these sound pretty permanent. One might get the impression that it’s going to be longer than just a short separation. As Lockjaw opens the dimensional field, Crystal says, “It’s best that – we leave quickly! It will lessen – the pain (page 14)!”

Let’s have an interlude here to examine what has gone before. Am I the only one here who thinks that after examining the stories above that Johnny and Crystal were destined to continue their somewhat-rocky relationship? Despite her absence in the succeeding year, I guess I wouldn’t have had the impression that it was over. As the Thing dominated most of the storylines in the issues between #’s 105-117, it was not all that noticeable that Crystal and Johnny’s romance had been placed on the back burner. And given that in Marvel time we were probably only talking about a matter of weeks, why would anyone worry about it?

Although Stan had continued to write in his general teen-angst style, there had been growth in the characters. Johnny had shown some maturity on the team while at the same time retaining the “hot-headedness” that was his namesake (he was particularly out of control in #105 when Crystal left). Crystal showed, particularly in #105 that she had grown (perhaps more than him) and could reconcile her life in two worlds. While Johnny seemed somewhat selfish in regard to “splitting time” in the coming months between Manhattan and Attilan, Crystal seemed willing to make it work. I think, had Stan and later Roy chosen to continue on this path (a slow path, but progression nonetheless), there could have been even more layers added to this love affair – perhaps even a spin-off Inhumans (the Amazing Adventures strip of this period?) series featuring Johnny and Crystal at the center of the storyline. However…