The Birth of Phoenix, Part 2: X-Men 98

X-Men #98 (April 1976)
"Merry Christmas, X-Men..."
Chris Claremont-Dave Cockrum/Sam Grainger

Doug: You may have noticed that last time we included the original cover to X-Men #97, as well as the mid-80's Classic X-Men that reprinted that tale. For this series, I've been reading from the Classic X-Men issues. I had very fond memories of those stories, and I recall at the time that I enjoyed the extra backstories done by Claremont and artist John Bolton. However, upon revisiting these books some 25 years later, I am a bit taken aback at a major element I'd forgotten, and that is the inclusion of additional story pages in the original tale. This is akin to the many "adjustments" made by George Lucas to the original Star Wars trilogy and I'll be honest -- looking at it now with a more mature lens, I'm not a fan. I still like the backstories, but the stuff they squeezed inside (obviously with art not by Dave Cockrum) is rather wasteful and detracts from the original work.

Karen: This might be side-tracking a bit, but Doug, did you ever read John Byrne's X-Men: The Hidden Years? I know I bought the series for awhile but I honestly have no memory of it now! But it featured "untold" stories of the X-Men. Just curious what you might have thought of that.

Doug: I bought most of it, but it wasn't memorable creatively -- as you stated. I got irritated that he began to introduce major characters, like Storm, before they were introduced! How can you steal the thunder from one of the greatest runs of all time -- as you mentioned earlier, X-Men 94-140-something??

Doug: X-Men #98 separates itself from the previous issue. We begin this story at Rockefeller Center for a Christmastime night on the town. All of the team is assembled, sans the Professor who is on recuperative leave dealing with his nightmares. Shortly, everyone goes their own separate ways, Scott and Jean to dinner, Banshee and Moira for a walk, and Nightcrawler and Colossus chasing skirts. We're left to wonder exactly where Wolverine and Storm go...

Karen: It's kind of funny, Cyclops makes a comment about how the new X-Men have been together almost a year - well, sure, in real-time, but in Marvel time, that means there's a lot of time in between adventures! I mean, we're only talking about GS X-Men 1, and issues 94-97. That's not a lot of adventures for a year.

Doug: One of the highlights of this issue is a 2-panel cameo by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Cockrum gets their likenesses down, but one certainly has to wonder if the pleasant tone with which they address each other was realistic for this time. Having read much about their actual relationship, I liked it better when I was young and dumb. Tarnished heroes aren't much fun.
Karen: Besides the Lee/Kirby cameo, we also see Nick Fury and the Contessa on the splash page, and if you look hard, you might notice a certain Latverian monarch ice skating at Rockefeller Center! I'm not certain, but I think Cockrum also drew himself and his wife (girlfriend?), Paty, on the lower right hand corner of the splash as well. Is it just me, or does Stan Lee's face in the second panel look like it might have been retouched or completely re-drawn by Marie Severin?

Doug: Now that you mention it, Stan's face looks very similar to the portrait that appeared in the house ads for Marvel's Pizzazz magazine -- right around this era. Marie Severin probably did most of that sort of artwork.

Karen: It was good to see Scott and Jean have some romantic time together. This was a couple that really hadn't been much of a couple before, with all of Scott's agonizing over his dangerous eye-beams. Claremont just sort of moved it right along.

Doug: As Scott and Jean settle down to their table, what should appear but two very large blue-and-purple fellows -- Sentinels! In a great entry panel, Cockrum unleashes the terror they bring over the next two pages. However, as was often the case, the giant robots always seem to underestimate the power of a cornered X-Man.

Karen: I really liked the way Cockrum illustrated Jean using her powers. No more little dashed lines shooting out of her head! She actually looked formidable.

Doug: Which brings me to a question I kept asking myself over the course of these issues we are discussing (you'll excuse me if I make a few general comments that get ahead of ourselves). It's stated later that the Sentinels that appear in issues 98-99 are not the original and were duplicated with faulty matierals. That would explain how different members of the team just annihilate these robots. But I thought there were several occasions where our energy-wielding friends, from Cyke to Jean to Ororo seemed vastly powered up. Did you get that sense, Karen?

Karen: Well, Jean flat-out says she's more powerful than she was before, and I always thought Cyke was very powerful. Storm was the newcomer, but she was consistently portrayed as being perhaps the most powerful X-Man at that time. So it all worked for me.I enjoyed seeing Storm create a gigantic tornado with lightning bolts in the sky!

Doug: Jean is taken by one of the Sentinels, who speeds off into the night, leaving Storm and Cyclops to sort things out. Scott senses that this may be an assault on the entire team, and fears for the professor. We then shift to the Bahamas where Xavier is vacationing with an old pal, Dr. Peter Corbeau. I didn't know that Dr. Corbeau had been around the Marvel Universe for a short time -- I always assumed he was created to fit into the X-Universe. You can check out his appearances at the Comic Book Database. In another grand entry panel, Cockrum draws a Sentinel emerging straight out of the ocean to confront Corbeau's boat.

Karen: OK, I looked up that entry on Corbeau, and I have to admit, I had no idea he started out in The Incredible Hulk!I had always assumed his first appearance was in Avengers 103. Another little detail: his boat is named Dejah Thoris, the princess of Mars from Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series.

Doug: After being captured, Banshee, Jean, Wolverine, and the Professor soon meet their captor -- Dr. Steven Lang. Lang had debuted in X-Men #96. Lang taunts the team, and Jean baits him into physically attacking her. This is not to "the Wolverine"'s liking (did you think it was weird that he kept referring to himself as "the"?), and Logan bursts his shackles, claws ready for action. A Sentinel pays the price, and Lang and his henchmen scatter. What is really interesting about this scene is that Logan is barechested; Banshee remarks shortly thereafter that he had no idea that the claws were a part of the body. The assumption was apparently made, as John Romita had originally intended, that the claws were affixed to Wolverine's gauntlets.

Karen: I recall when I first read this I was puzzled and intrigued by the technician's statement that he wasn't sure Wolverine was a mutant - "His readings are nothing like the others". In retrospect, I wonder if this comment was put in there because they were still planning to go with the idea that Wolverine was actually a real wolverine that the High Evolutionary had transformed into a man? It seems like an odd statement.

Karen: Of course, the real shock here was the claws coming out of his hands! Wow! That was definitely a curve ball.

Doug: So speaking of Wolverine's characterization, we are really getting a slow reveal from Claremont. We've seen the berserker rage, the gruff personality, and now we've seen that the claws come out of his arms. But the funniest thing is the panels where Jean is trying to tear her gown (remember, she and Scott had been out to dinner when all of this came down) and Wolverine just walks over and rips it up to her buttocks! Now we start to see Wolverine's brash sense of humor...

Karen: I think it may have been a matter of writer and artist warming up to the character. I know I've read that Cockrum really didn't care for Wolverine, his favorite was Nightcrawler. Of course, when Byrne came on to the title, his favorite was Wolverine, and we all know where that went.



Karen: The artwork for Banshee, Wolverine, and Jean's escape attempt was very dynamic. Although I've always wondered how someone Banshee was carrying wouldn't be knocked silly by all that damned screaming!

Doug: As Cyke and the rest of the team try to find those captured, they are visited by Dr. Corbeau who has trekked all the way from the Bahamas to fill them in on Xavier's capture. After some conversation the assemblage determines that all efforts by Cerebro to locate the missing X-Men failed because... the team is not on earth but out in space! Stay tuned!

Welcome to the Sanctum, Part 3

Okay partners, we're moving on to another area of my comics and pop-culture sanctum today. We'll see super-heroes, monsters, aliens, and even Mickey Mouse! Sure it's eclectic, but variety is the spice of life and all that.

Here you see an assortment of posters, although 3 of them are all by the same artist, the amazing Alex Ross. The largest of them is a recent X-Men poster he did, which unfortunately is reflecting some light from outside. But it's a spectacular work with all the really worthwhile X-Men, although for some reason Gambit is there. I like how he depicts the original X-Men in their old 'school uniforms'.

Above and to the right of that is a print Ross did many years ago, probably around the time the "Marvels" series came out, called "Heroes" (there was a companion piece, called "Villains" of course, but I don't have that). It's a nice look at the Marvel heroes circa about 1964 -it kind of blows my mind when I realize how small the Marvel Universe was at one time.

The picture to the far right is really what I consider my gem: the Avengers, with Ross painting over the late great John Buscema's pencils. It's a truly gorgeous piece, and also signed by Ross.

Above the X-Men poster are 4 small posters, all recent acquisitions. I discovered these as part of a Marvel calendar for 2010. It was an 18 month calendar, so there were 18 classic covers! They are 11" X 17". I could easily quibble with some of the choices -and particularly over what was left out - but in general I'm very happy to have these. The calendar was perforated so the pages were easily removed. I have a few more of these around the Sanctum.

Below and to the right of the posters are my busts and statuettes. I have a good friend who started getting busts as gifts for me - the Namor and Dr. Doom ones were from him - and then I began to add to it slowly. My fiance also contributed a few.


We'll go shelf by shelf. First, the monsters.


We have some more Harryhausen critters here, including (from left to right) Talos from Jason and the Argonauts, a skeleton also from Jason, and the dragon and cyclops from Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Behind them are two great robots from the 1950s, Robby the Robot, and Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still. On the right side of the shelf are a set of busts that originally came in the "Universal Monsters Legacy DVD" box set. Besides these excellent busts, you got complete collections of the Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman films from Universal Studios. These busts are well-done, and I really wish they had put some out for the Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon too.

And now shelf 2: classic Marvel heroes:


On the far lest is a statuette of the Vision, one of my all-time favorite Avengers. Next to him is of course the Star-Spangled Avenger, Captain America himself, and his lunchbox rests behind him. The mighty god of thunder, Thor, completes this mini-Avengers section. Then we're on to another favorite, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing! An outstanding bust designed by Ross, and a very cool Thing vs. Hulk piece that recreates a scene from Marvel Feature #12.

Shelf number 3 is That 70s Shelf!

Ah yes, I love the 70s so much that I have a whole shelf devoted to it! We start with the super-cool Defenders mini-mates (including Namor in his black leather S&M threads), the Phoenix in full glory (this was from the Hero Clix game), and an X-Men tin from Nabisco (I think). Then we come to the cosmic coalition, with decidedly non-70s mini-mate versions of Gamora and Nova -but they were 70s characters, so it still counts - a genuine 70s Warlock Slurpee cup, another nice statuette of Warlock, a Thanos mini-mate (watch out, he has the Infinity Gauntlet!), and then my favorite zombie cyborg, Deathlok, in both a Ross-inspired bust and statuette.

Next stop: Disney.


My fiance collects Disney watches, and they often come in very decorative tins or containers. The one on the left is hard to see but has a silver colored Mickey head on it. Next is a wooden and glass case from Fantasia. Then there's the Aladdin tin, and the best of all, a cool semi-bust of Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The last two shelves are a hodge podge.

The Doom bust is a classic and I absolutely love it. It has occupied the top shelf more than once! But for now, I gave it over to the monsters, and the good doctor will have to wait his turn. Next to him are the Invaders mini-mates. For this and the Civil War mini-mates to the right, I made copies of covers, in this case Invaders #1, to use as a backdrop for the mini-mates. An exquisite Barbara Gordon Bat-Girl is next. She is still the only Bat-Girl to me. A statuette of John Stewart (the Green Lantern, not the talk show host) from the Justice League cartoon is my only other DC representative here. I really need to see about getting a few more DC pieces. And then there is the afore-mentioned Civil War mini-mate set.

On the very bottom is a set of Iron Man armors - modern, Silver Centurion, and a cool retro version. Some Iron Man mini-mates are bouncing around the bases of the busts. Iron Man used to be a part of the Avengers set, but I decided to split them up - hey, just like the comics! The proud Sub-Mariner occupies the last spot.

These busts all get moved around a lot, and I have some Star Wars busts that are awaiting a new bookshelf before they can return to the sanctum. Our next stop will be where no man has gone before- with a detour to the Halls of Justice!

The Megos Cometh Again -- or the Next Best Thing!

Just a quickie this morning -- saw some cool pics of upcoming product from Mattel and wanted to post it. As you know, I was a Mego fan as a child -- played 'em until they exploded! DC Retro-Action Heroes are about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public -- check out some of the press shots!


Here is the original information as I found it on http://www.superherotimes.com/ yesterday:

Check out these prototype images. You'll see they're not recreations, but updates lovingly based on the old style. In some cases, Mattel will even improve their iconic features, like adding a more accurate belt buckle for Green Arrow, or an "s" curl in the hair of Superman.

There will be three waves of four figures in 2010, starting with the characters pictured above in Wave 1: Superman, Sinestro, Lex Luthor, and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan).

Green Arrow will be the first release, and he'll be offered at MattyCollector.com on December 15th. This will be followed by a line at Toys"R"Us and select online retailers in the spring.


So, no idea what they will cost -- probably significantly more than the $4 my mom used to pay when I was getting these back in the early 1970's! But hey, they are cool and I'm sure these will find a place in the hearts of many a middle-aged collector!

5 Bass Guitars to Love

Hey, foundation lovers! Back with another music post. Reminder -- I know absolutely nothing technical about music. Can't read it, I don't play -- nada. But man, I just love it! Today we'll take a look at five songs (plus one honorable mention), in no particular order, that I just love due to the bass playing.

1. 157 Riverside Avenue, live on REO Speedwagon Live: You Get What You Play For and also available on The Essential REO Speedwagon.

OK, as a lad I did not know anything about Regis Philbin. So in the middle of this song when Kevin Cronin applauds bassist Greg Philbin's solo by saying, "Whooooooo - hooo! Yeah -- that bass sounds good to me! That's Regis on the bass gee-tar!" I thought to myself, humpf -- weird nickname. But now I know. Hey, seriously, how often do you hear a bass solo? This one's a winner. I play it often and it never gets tired. Great song with a great solo by Philbin.

2. Boogie Oogie Oogie by A Taste of Honey.

Yeah, how's that for a genre transition? From 70's rock to disco. This one gets going right away. I wish I could somehow type this beat -- it's very infectious. The version of the song on my iPod is 6:25 long -- I'm pretty sure it's an album cut or some sort of remix. It's not the radio version, that I do know. This tune also has a bass solo -- "Listen to my bass pla-yaaaaa". Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

3. Paradise City by Guns 'N' Roses, available on Appetite For Destruction.

Just go to the 4:47 mark of the song -- the coda, baby. Man, bassist Duff McKagen just pounds on the strings! This part of the song, all two minutes of it, sounds like an improvised jam -- fast-paced, savage. The best part for me is of course Slash's quick finger work, but McKagen's bassline really moves it along. Great ending -- one of the best ever to any song.

4. YYZ and Tom Sawyer by Rush, both available on Moving Pictures and the greatest hits album Chronicles.

OK, so this is two songs in one. But can you get enough of Geddy Lee's basswork? That answer is unequivocally "no". Either of these songs is a tour de force not only for Lee, but for the other two fellows, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer/lyricist Neal Peart. Like any Rush song, Lee's bass is the underlying current over which everything else flows. Peart's drums attack the ear at one level while Lee's bass rumbles below the surface. Somewhere in between is Lifeson's guitar work. YYZ is a particular showcase for Lee -- at times it's the lead instrument in the song. Check these out.

5. Any Duran Duran song with John Taylor on bass.

Yeah, that narrows it down. Even if we just look at the hits from the band -- Planet Earth, Girls on Film, Hungry Like a Wolf, Rio, etc. -- all feature Taylor's foundational playing. These songs are special to me for several reasons: the music from my high school/college years is especially meaningful, Duran Duran dominated MTV in the early years (when it actually was "Music" Television), and Taylor's playing was really the first time I noticed that the bass guitar was an instrument that changed throughout the song and not just some static element with which one could measure foot-tapping. I don't know in the whole scheme of pop music how talented John Taylor is, but he has a place of significance for me.

Honorable Mention: The Age of Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In) by the Fifth Dimension.

Can't beat a little hippie soul music to top this one off. As a little kid when this was getting radio play I just thought it was a catchy tune. It actually wasn't until a few months ago when listening on my iPod -- where the sound is much more intimate and rich than on a conventional stereo (no matter how good) that I picked up on the bass playing. The second half of the song, beginning at around the 2:17 mark begins to showcase the bass guitar -- sadly, I was unable to locate the name of the player. But at any rate, good stuff from the Woodstock era.

The Birth of Phoenix, part 1: X-Men 97

X-Men #97 (February 1976)

“My Brother, My Enemy!”
Chris Claremont/Dave Cockrum-Sam Grainger

Doug:      Mutant Mayhem-time, True Believers! Let’s hearken back to the days before the X-Universe exploded to the point of convolution that drove me away from a long-time favorite title. This multi-parter will take a look at the All-New, All-Different X-Men’s first battle against the Sentinels, in only the team’s fifth appearance.

Doug: I came to this version of the X-Men with issue 95. I had a friend who had GS X-Men #1 and X-Men #94, so I was quickly up to speed on what was happening. I also had a coverless copy of X-Men #58, so Havok was no surprise to me, either. So it was with much anticipation that I entered the fray that would become a very fun little arc.

Karen: I was lucky enough to have gotten Giant Size X-Men #1 when it came out, and every issue other than #95 (which I acquired many years later). Although I consider the Avengers my all-time favorite super-team, I don’t think I ever followed them as intensely as I did these all-new, all-different X-Men! From GS X-Men #1 til about the time Byrne left, X-Men was my favorite book.

Doug: You know, when I think of multiple plotlines, foreshadowing, etc. I think of John Byrne. It’s difficult to pick up a Byrne-scribed book from the 1980’s that didn’t have stories flying all over.

But Chris Claremont certainly gives the Canadian a run for his money! We begin with Professor X in the midst of a nightmare, seeing battling starships in a galaxy far, far away. The mystery deepens as the last image Xavier glimpses before awaking is of a figure extending a hand toward him – and then gone. Hmmm… Xavier is comforted at the breakfast table by Moira MacTaggert, who we later find out is being escorted by Banshee. More plot-thickening.

Karen: You ever notice how all of Claremont’s characters have extremely convoluted back stories? Here’s Moira MacTaggert, housekeeper and general nursemaid. Oh, and she happens to know how to handle a machine gun (issue 96), and she’s actually a world class geneticist! This is something I know Byrne complained about, particularly when Claremont gave peasant Peter Rasputin a cosmonaut brother, Cyclops a space-pirate dad, and Kitty Pryde went from Byrne’s idea of a nice normal kid to being a super-genius. Nobody can have a simple backstory!

Doug: Karen, then we bounce out to your stomping grounds in the American southwest to drop in on Alex Summers and Lorna Dane. These two have apparently fallen in love – a storyline that was hinted at first by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams a few years earlier. As Alex goes off to do some geological surveying, Lorna is zapped by a super-baddie; her cry alerts Alex who sprints back to their cabin. He spies Lorna with a new costume (ah, that Dave Cockrum – always revamping), and asks what the deal is. Her reply? She blasts him and he passes out.

Karen: The Alex/Lorna romance was also touched upon in The Incredible Hulk #150. Although it’s a full-fledged relationship here in X-Men 97. I’m not sure what to think of Cockrum’s new costume for Lorna – it’s obviously a Shi’ar design. That reminds me, if the Shi’ar are an avian race, why do all their ships and costumes have insect motifs? I mean, it looks cool and all, but does that make any sense?

Doug: I thought the new Polaris suit was slightly reminiscent of Princess Projectra over in the Legion.

Doug: Back in New York, the new team is seeing Prof. X off on a vacation at JFK. As they exchange pleasantries and good-byes (the prize here is the introduction of Nightcrawler’s image inducer, designed by Tony Stark), who should show up but Havok and Lorna, dressed to fight. A battle of course ensues, some 747s are destroyed and general airport-destruction goes down.

Karen: “General airport destruction” indeed! Cockrum gives us some very dynamic artwork here. 

Doug: Do you suppose Cockrum was influenced by the various Airport disaster movies of this era?

Karen: I think his artwork here was probably more spectacular than any effects they could have done back then!

Doug: The mastermind behind Havok’s and Lorna’s mind-control is revealed, in quite possibly the king of our “Dressed for Success or Fashion Disaster” feature – Eric the Red! Eric the Red? Are you kidding me? Not who I would have pulled out from the annals of X-dom to be one of the first big bad guys.

Karen: An odd choice to be sure. I would agree,Eric could easily get a spot as a fashion disaster sometime! You were thinking disaster, right, Doug?

Doug: Without a doubt, sister!

Doug: The ultimate knockdown-dragout occurs over the next eight pages, and is a showcase of two things: the X-Men are individually able to showcase their powers and abilities, a must since the book was only in its fifth issue, and we also become painfully aware that due to their lack of experience and chemistry they are outmatched. The highlights for me in this melee are the total lack of power displayed by Jean Grey (she will become Phoenix in our concluding tale -- #100) and the art of Cockrum. He is excellent on Havok – I have always loved the simplicity of the costume and the way it works with light and the motif of the concentric circles. Just really well-paced, exciting storytelling here with great Bronze Age art.

Karen: Jean is taken out quickly – I wonder, was this done to emphasize how powerful she became later on as Phoenix? As for the rest of the battle, I thought this was just fantastic work by Cockrum. He seemed to excel at showing energy blasts and explosions. The scenes of an enraged Storm blasting Polaris are thrilling.

Doug: Banshee and Wolverine arrive as the cavalry, but too late, as Eric the Red escapes with Havok and Lorna in his clutches. Wolverine screams at Cyclops to take a shot at them, but Scott freezes up. This brings up yet another occasion for Wolverine to question Cyke’s leadership and of course sets up future tensions. Another little bit of Claremont’s foreshadowing. 

Karen: Ah yes, this was before Wolverine became a super-star, so he could still be slapped around by Cyclops and backed down by Storm. I found that refreshing! Speaking of foreshadowing, how about the groovy last panel with the “monitor within a monitor etc” motif? Long-time X-fans would surely notice that large purple leg – although even if you missed it, the blurb below would tell you that, “The Sentinels Return!”

Karen says: Welcome to the Sanctum, part 2

The next part of the Sanctum is focused on that modern classic, Star Wars. Not "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" but Star Wars, the original film, and its two sequels. In the Sanctum, the so-called prequels do not exist. George Lucas' "revisions" also do not exist. In the Sanctum, Han shoots first!

Here you see four examples of an "elegant weapon for a more civilized age". My fiance and I are such epic geeks that one Christmas we actually gave each other lightsabers for gifts. It was another sign that the relationship was meant to be, as neither of us had said a thing to the other about it prior. After that, we acquired two more. We had read that displaying them in a horizontal position could lead to the blades bending. Luckily I was able to find a seller on ebay who had vertical wall mounts for these sabers. Just in case you're wondering, the first one is Mace Windu's (the only violation of the no prequel rule, but come on, it's purple), the next is Vader's, then Luke's, and finally Obi-Wan's. The glorious Star Wars poster that I recalled from the theater as a bright-eyed kid adorns the wall. And of course, they look spectacular when they are all activated!







They also make quite a racket when all four are turned on!

Next to the big poster are two 8 X 10 autographed photos. The first is from David Prowse, who likes to sign his pictures as "David Prowse IS Darth Vader" !! I got to chat with him at a Star Trek convention a few years ago and he was absolutely lovely, very friendly and even had me come around the other side of the table to take a picture with him.

The second picture is of his "son", Mark Hamill. He was signing at another convention. Mark was a great guy, very enthusiastic and welcoming to his fans. I love this picture of Luke from Return of the Jedi. I was so impressed by Luke's growth as a jedi! Luke was a real icon to me as a kid, in a way my other heroes, like Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock couldn't be. He was young, restless, and needed to find himself. I could easily see myself in him.

There's some blank space above the Star Wars poster that is going to host my autographed Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia picture. Getting her autograph was a different experience than the first two. Let's just say Ms. Fisher would rather kiss a wookiee than sign autographs and leave it at that. As soon as I get a frame for it, it will go up, regardless of her attitude! I'm hoping this spring I can get Peter Mayhew's autograph to finish off that space. I missed him the last time I saw him at a con (he went to lunch when I came by and that was that).

That's probably the last Star Wars-related autograph I might want. I don't really feel the need to get a bunch of these - seems like there are always folks at conventions who had some bit role, like "third jawa on the left" or something akin to that, who are trying to hock their autographs. It was really bad at the old Trek conventions I used to go to, when you'd have all these 'red shirts' trying to sell signed photos for $20 a pop. And yet...people would still buy these things! To each his own, I suppose.

Next time: more Ross, and some outstanding busts! (stop thinking dirty)

BAB Two-In-One: A PO'ed Cyborg and a Rather Regretful Man-Bat!

Karen: This time I've decided to review a personal 70s favorite, the original cyborg soldier of the future, Deathlok. Deathlok's origin appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 in 1974. The character was conceived by artist Rich Buckler, who plotted, drew, and inked the story. For the scripting chores he brought in Doug Moench, whose name should be familiar to 70s Marvel readers.Karen: The Deathlok series (which ran from Astonishing Tales 25 to 36) was set in a dystopian future, ruled by corrupt military and corporate leaders. Colonel Luther Manning is killed in combat but brought back to life as a hideous cyborg (for some reason, his face always takes me back to that grade Z 50s horror flick, I Was A Teen-Age Frankenstein!) to do the dirty work of Major Simon Riker. Riker had Manning rebuilt with steel-re-inforced limbs and a computer brain. In fact, he had surgeons keep only a small portion of Manning's brain, supposedly the part that made him a brilliant tactician. However, Manning retains his personality and is able to assert dominance over the computer mind, and break free of Riker's control. In this issue, we see him working as a freelance mercenary, cutting down two men in cold-blood. The story of how he became such a ruthless killing machine is told in flashback. Deathlok was one of the first of that wave of anti-hero characters (including the Punisher, who also debuted in 1974) who would change the face of comics forever.Karen: Rich Buckler's work here is quite dynamic, his panel designs are creative and exciting - in other words, it wasn't the "Kirby-clone" look for which he had been known previously. Moench does a nice job in balancing the inner dialogue between Manning and the computer; it comes across very believable. The story is a bit short, but some bonus features, including a discussion between Buckler, Moench, and editor Roy Thomas, make up for that. There's also a nice diagram of the cyborg and his "operating systems".

Karen: This issue gives us the origin, but there would be so much more to follow. It just scratches the surface. Especially compelling was Manning's struggle to find his wife and kid - although with predictable results. The concept may not seem so novel now, but back in 1974, believe me, it was. Sure, we had The Six Million Dollar Man on TV, but Steve Austin was a pretty normal looking guy, leading an appealing life. Not so for Deathlok. I think Robocop probably owes its existence to Deathlok, and it surely has been an influence on other works.

Karen: I'm not a fan of the later iterations of the character; they just seem unnecessary to me. I think Deathlok had a finite storyline, and it was a terrific one.

Doug: Super-significant DC comin' atcha! Detective Comics #400: Neal Adams art, 1st Man-Bat (plus origin), first Dynamite Duo -- Batgirl and Robin, and general numbering milestone. All of this = super-collectible!!
Doug: Our first story of this double-feature begins in a museum as exhibits honcho Kirk Langstrom puts the finishing touches on a life-like (though enlarged) bat exhibit. Complimented by the curator, we soon find out that Langstrom is, on the side, experimenting with real bats in an effort to heighten his senses beyond what even Batman possesses. Of course, in the world of stupid comic book protagonists/antagonists, you know where this is headed...

Doug: On the side we have a concurrent story running about a gang of thieves who use the utmost stealth to not only pull off their jobs, but to avoid the Batman as well. This is a really high-tech story -- I'm not sure if we should credit scribe Frank Robbins or artist extraordinairre Neal Adams. But the cat-and-mouse between the gang and Batman is good. One of the better scenes in this part of the story involves Alfred assisting Batman in testing some new earplugs that allow the wearer to hear heartbeats!

Doug: Adams' art is outstanding as usual -- and I really hate to make it seem mundane because it's anything but. He uses innovative panel lay-outs on some pages, and even introduces a new Batmobile. This was the era (1970) where the comics were trying to break away from the campy television show -- gone is the tv Batmobile and the Batcave -- the latter replaced by a headquarters atop the Wayne Foundation building. 


Doug: After an encounter with Batman that foils a job, the shadow gang decides they'll make a hit on the Gotham museum's famed jewel collection. Of course, that museum just happens to be the one in which Langstrom has now begun a mutation into a human bat. As the gang strikes, so does Batman and so does Langstrom. After defeating and chasing the thieves away, there's a brief encounter between Batman and our new friend, the Man-Bat. Langstrom runs from Batman, and the reader is left to ponder in what form he will return -- friend, or foe?

Doug: The second story in this issue is billed as the first team-up of Batgirl and Robin, yet they appear together in only two panels, once when Robin is in his Dick Grayson guise (good point -- with these hero types, which is their true identity?) and once when they don't even realize that the other is in the vicinity. Batgirl arrives at Hudson U. to investigate a murder. Seems a professor who opposed selling off college land for development in the interest of preserving a species of moss that could have medicinal properties is offed. The story moves through some suspects and ends with a cliffhanger -- Batgirl knocked on the noggin, tied up, and left in an abandoned building, only to awaken to find some baddie bricking her into -- her tomb!
Doug: That last story is really just a teaser, but the script by Denny O'Neil is good enough to make me wonder what happened next, and the surprising combination of Gil Kane and Vinnie Colletta works well.

Avengers-Defenders War, part 3

Defenders #10, November 1973

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank Bolle

Avengers #118, December 1973

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown
Inkers: Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia

Karen: This is it, the conclusion to our review of that early cross-over classic, the Avengers-Defenders War. After five pitched one-on-one (or nearly so) battles between our two teams, the two biggest cannons for each group finally go toe to toe. We’re talking, of course, about the throw-down between the Mighty Thor and the Incredible Hulk!

Doug: Yep, this was the biggie; while the other match-ups might have had some interest, there was a sense that some of them were forced. This was the most natural conflict of all.

Karen: These two had a history going back to the very beginnings of the Marvel Age. Although they had faced off in the past, neither had truly been the winner in any contest –although they both believed themselves greater than the other! But as arguably Marvel’s most powerful heroes in the early days, it was natural for fans to want to know, “Who was stronger?”

Doug: I have a reprint of Journey Into Mystery #112, their first knock-down drag-out. Do you recall that the battle itself actually happened during Avengers #3, but off-camera? At least that’s how Stan presented it in that JIM.

Karen: Yes, it’s kind of odd but that’s how Stan did it! Talk about getting two for the price of one!

Karen: In Defenders #10, both the Hulk and Thor arrive in Los Angeles, seeking the final piece of the Evil Eye. Hulk finds it a split second before Thor, and Thor tries to appeal to the man-brute on the basis of their being founding Avengers. Hulk’s response is quick and to the point: “Yes…Hulk was an Avenger once…didn’t like it!” And with that he starts our show with a haymaker that sends the thunder god flying!

Karen: The battle between these two is your typical super-hero dust-up, and although it’s done competently, I have to say that, then and now, I find it disappointing. With these two powerhouses, there is so much potential for a real battle of epic proportions, but what we get is some punches thrown, and then – the two grapple each other for an hour, until their team-mates show up. By grapple, I mean they hold each other’s wrists and stand face to face, grimacing. It’s not bad artwork but it’s just uninspiring. I would have loved to see something along the lines of the battle between Superman and the Kryptonian criminals in the movie Superman 2 – but perhaps Marvel didn’t want to show two heroes destroying L.A. like that! In any case, I found the battle a let-down. And just as an aside: back in the day, I missed this book when it hit the newsstands. Months later I made a schoolyard trade to get a beaten up copy of Defenders 10, assuming it would be mind-blowing. As you can tell, the disappointment has lasted some 30 years!

Doug: Many have argued that for a long time, Superman II was the best superhero movie ever made. I agree with you here – while there are some good early panels in this brawl (how about Hulk whirling Thor by his cape, screwing him into the ground?), it does devolve into the “hand-holding” ending. But you know, if you think about it, what better way was there to show that these two were so evenly matched in strength?

Karen: I know they don’t want to spoil the question of who’s stronger, but boy, that just seemed so unsatisfying to me! Logically however, I can see your point.

Karen: The two teams meet and realize that they have been manipulated by both Dormammu and Loki. There’s a nice full page shot of the two teams just standing around talking. As the heroes try to patch things up, Englehart again demonstrates his talent for finding the right ‘voice’ for each character. By their dialogue alone, you can pretty much tell the characters apart.

Doug: Yes, patch things up – for the most part, these little meetings occur between the groups that not so long ago had been combatants.

Karen: The heroes realize they’ve left both Hulk and Thor alone in L.A. and Dr. Strange teleports them all there. With all the pieces of the powerful Evil Eye in one place, Dormammu makes his move and sends a mystical creature to collect them. The teams are caught off guard and the artifact is instantly transported to Dormammu, who begins altering the fabric of reality, merging his dimension with ours. People begin transforming into monsters, buildings melt and change, and the Dark Lord informs them that in one hour, all the people of Earth will be his slaves.

Karen: The action picks up in Avengers #118, as the two teams try to defend themselves from the transformed citizenry, without actually harming them. But they quickly realize they must take the battle to Dormammu, and so leave the Earth to be protected by her other champions. This issue is insane –Englehart literally throws the kitchen sink at the reader, as the list of guest appearances seems to cover the whole Marvel universe at that time! Making appearances, however brief, in this story are: SHIELD, the Watcher, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Inhumans, Luke Cage, Ka-Zar, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing(!), Dr. Doom, Dracula, Warlock, and even Thanos! Poor Bob Brown! This issue must have been quite the ordeal for him – on the credits, a balloon appears which says “Heart-felt thanks to blown-away Bob Brown, for knocking himself out on the artwork this ish! Very well done, Bob!” Despite this, I felt the art looked rather rough; certainly not as clean and smooth as the work over in the Defenders.

Doug: Brown does a wonderfully frenetic job in the first several pages of showing the chaos that had ensued. It’s also a great time for Englehart to again display his knack for nailing each character’s voice/mannerisms. We’ve remarked on this time-and-time again when covering Englehart-scribed stories – almost like it’s some sort of novelty. Again, I guess in today’s market (specifically Avengers market), it is.

Doug: However, the one voice that through this entire story I could not “hear” was Loki. In spite of the injury to his eyes, I could not see this god being so used to being above every person, every situation, grovel as he did before Dormammu.

Karen: After a harrowing journey through Dormammu’s dark dimension, the heroes confront him. However, Dormammu uses the Eye to render the Defenders unconscious, leaving the Avengers to face him. Now I know that the Avengers have to look good in their own book, but I was really disappointed that Englehart just casually disables the Defenders for the rest of the story!

Doug: No doubt, Karen. Englehart really takes this ending down to a “Secret Wars”-type of level, focusing on all of Marveldom. I say “down to”, as I am not a fan of the company-wide crossover.

Karen: Although Mantis would undeniably become Englhart’s focus in later issues, he does show a strong interest in the Scarlet Witch during his run. Here, Wanda’s hex power turns the tide, by having the Evil Eye absorb Dormammu’s sorcerous life-energy – and simultaneously driving Loki mad. The Defenders wake up and take the Eye and all is right with the world.

Doug: Wanda was certainly in flux during Englehart’s run, and I’d argue that there were changes that were certainly not for the better. In seeing how she single-handedly decides this conflict, I’m reminded of a device Chris Claremont used at least twice in X-Men – channeling all of the energy-mutants’ powers together and through one outlet (Storm, Cyclops, Polaris, Phoenix, for example) and at the unfortunate foe or situation. I don’t ever think of Wanda as having that kind of power.

Karen: All in all, this is a very enjoyable read. If you’re a super-team geek like both Doug and I are, it’s hard to find fault with a story that’s stuffed full of heroes! I do feel the conclusion was a bit weak, but the individual battles make up for that. It’s funny how the approach of this saga actually mirrors the method DC would use for so many of its team stories, with the heroes breaking off into pairs or small groups to face threats. I wonder if that was intentional, or if it’s just a case of small groups being much more manageable for the writer and artist? But wouldn’t it have been something to see the entire rosters of both teams go at each other all on the same battlefield? Wow!

Doug: As Karen said earlier could have been so much better had Big John been penciling the Avengers at the same time Brother Sal was on the Defenders. Bob Brown’s art was particularly scratchy in the final episode – maybe it was Giacoia’s inks? Mastermind Steve Englehart carries it through, tying both books together rather seamlessly – Englehart brags on his website that this was not only the first “mini-series”, but the first bi-weekly comic as well. At any rate, I would agree with Karen that it is a fun read whether in comic book or trade paperback form. We’d highly encourage any of our faithful readers who are interested to seek out this story!