BAB Two In One: 'Borg Fiction' and Tonka Troubles!

Karen: Time for another two-in-one review. I'll be starting with Astonishing Tales #26 from October 1974. This is the second issue of the Deathlok series, scripted by Doug Moench, drawn by Rich Buckler, and plotted by both of them. As much as I love Deathlok, I have to admit this issue is something of a mess. There's an attempt here to do a story in a non-linear fashion, ala the film Pulp Fiction, but unlike that film, this comic is just confusing and even a bit frustrating to read. The gist of it is that after Deathlok escaped from Colonel Ryker -as mentioned in the review of the previous issue - he grabbed his ex-army buddy Mike Travers and flew off in a helicopter with him. They encounter cannibals and then Mike is grabbed by Ryker's men. Deathlok then chases after him, having an exciting fight in a meat locker. Eventually he winds up at the Statue of Liberty, only to discover that Ryker has turned Mike into a new cyborg creature that he creatively calls the War Wolf.


Karen: What's good about this issue? Well, the art is pretty nice. Buckler is inked by Pablo Marcos and although I don't think it's a great combination, it works well enough. Buckler was clearly more inspired working on his own creation than on most of his other super-hero assignments. He moves the story along really well, with an almost cinematic verve.


Karen: I also found the continuing development of Deathlok's three personalities (Luther Manning, computer, and a hybrid of the two) to be intriguing. Many writers would have just gone with the two chief personalities- having the third one is a nice twist. Neither of the the main personalities seem to know what to make of it - when Manning asks the computer which of them "contributes the sick streak to our third personality?", the computer replies, "Both."


Karen: We also get just a little bit more of this future world as we see more of a devastated New York. Food must be scarce, as there are apparently roving bands of cannibals in the streets. What, they didn't have any soylent green crackers?

Karen: While I think this was a failed experiment in terms of story structure, it still has its moments. It's also good to keep in mind that this book was produced in 1974 - as I mentioned in the first Deathlok review, this truly was a novel idea for comics. The struggle of Manning to assert his humanity over his condition would only become more important as the series went on.

Doug: Today's fare gets ya another look at a Bronze Age DC -- sometimes a scary proposition! The Brave and the Bold #136 from September 1977 brings us a Bob Haney-Jim Aparo not-so-masterpiece featuring Batman, Green Arrow, and the Metal Men.

What can I say about this one, except what Karen and I have said over and over -- when you're comparing Marvel and DC in the Bronze Age, there really is no comparison. I know I've complained at times about DC's mid-80's revamps of all of their characters, the descent into darkness, et al. BUT, given the characterization that came forward from that as opposed to what got left behind... I'll take it!

B&B #136 features a quarter-issue flashback that rehashes Batman's and the Metal Men's battle against a scheming redhead named Ruby Red and her hulking consort Jason Morgan. Seems Morgan's ancestor Thaddeus Morgan had a building on the site of Wayne Enterprises. Due to some legal wrangling, Ruby was able to evict Bruce Wayne from his own building. And here's my complaint about the 1977 Batman -- he's a milksop! There is not a Frank Miller Dark Knight in sight in this story!! Wayne just gives in to this dame -- oh, sure, he tries to sneak back into his offices to see if there's a legal way out of the mess. But he's engaged in battle by this Jason Morgan (who resembles Blockbuster and is apparently making hanky panky with Ruby -- not a word picture I care to imagine!), and is thwarted.

The backstory to all of this is that allegedly Thaddeus Morgan had buried a time capsule under what is now the Wayne building. Ruby gets a court order to dig it up, and the capsule is found. However, bursting forth from it is this Jason dude, who is then attacked by another Jason Morgan. The first is revealed to be a robot, and Batman takes him to Doc Magnus. While the Doc and the Metal Men are assisting in the examination, the other Jason Morgan breaks in and steals "a certain parchment" (was I supposed to get that? 'Cause I didn't...). Tin is destroyed in the fracas, and later Batman is told by a judge that Jason Morgan is heir to the Morgan estate and that Batman is forbidden to harass him.

So we come back to the present to find Batman invading what used to be his own building. He takes an elevator, only to be attacked by a huge python. Now, one thing that we could always count on from DC villains was that they stick to their modus operandi. But I didn't see "snake" anywhere in Ruby's arsenal/background/costume (yeah, she wears a costume) -- nothing. So this was weird. Jason, however, doesn't like that Batman is going to be constricted to death, and lets him go! I told you this was strange, partner.

As Jason frees Batman from the snake's coils, the Caped Crusader tumbles out a window. All of a sudden (as fate would have it, you know) a green arrow shoots by, miraculously transforming into a hang glider. Batman clutches it and makes his way to the adjoining rooftop where he is greeted by the Emerald Archer himself. Nah, I couldn't make this up...

Long (bad) story short: Green Arrow, ticked off because Batman wants to quit fighting Ruby and Jason to get his building back, assumes his Oliver Queen look and using the name "J. Jacob Archer" approaches Ruby to tell her that he believes there is a larger treasure buried beneath where the Morgan time capsule was found. Ruby bites at the opportunity to make some more cash and an excavation begins. Well, wouldn't you know it, but there is a large cavern. Ollie's surprised, too, as are Batman and the Metal Men who all show up in time to battle the guardian of Morgan's second hole-in-the-ground: a big front-end loader. No, an android or mythical monster wouldn't have been cool enough. Instead scribe Haney gives us a big Tonka truck!!
Needless to say, the tractor's dismantled, Jason Morgan's killed, Ruby's put behind bars, Bruce gets his building back, Tin is restored to half-life, and Doug had to take some Tylenol after reading this LAME story.

But isn't that what DC largely gave us in the Bronze Age?

Doug says, "Check out some of my Stuff!", Part 10

Before the Christmas season totally leaves us, I wanted to do one last "Doug's Stuff!" post to show off my especially-geeky Christmas tree. I have to give a lot of credit to my wife, who has encouraged the purchase of many of these ornaments. She also came up with the idea to dedicate one of the trees in our house to all of this.

Starting at the top (sadly, no cool tree topper on this -- but wouldn't something to do with the Angel be sweet??), you can see miniatures of Catwoman, Batman, Robin, and Superman -- all made by Hallmark. Toward the left is the extremely cool Wolverine ornament from Carlton Cards; the Spider-Man in the center is from Carlton as well. I don't know where the Superman and Batman logos (the Batman logo is somewhat hidden near the bottom of this picture) came from -- maybe just Toys 'R' Us? Lastly, you might notice the Super Friends lunchbox on the bottom left, the Superman lunchbox middle right, and the Wonder Woman outfit on the bottom right.

Moving down the tree (by the way, the tree is one of those pencil trees, usually comes pre-lit, and stands around 5-feet tall), you get a better look at the Batman logo and the Wonder Woman outfit, and you can see the Hulk, Superman, Captain America, and two Spider-Man ornaments from Hallmark. To the top left you can barely make out one of Hallmark's comic ornaments for 2009 -- Wolverine from the tv show Wolverine and the X-Men. The Batcycle at the bottom of this frame is from the Warner Bros. Studio Stores.

Heading to the bottom left are the black Spider-Man 3 ornament from Hallmark, the Amazing Fantasy #15 ornament from this year's Hallmark offerings, a very cool phone booth with Clark Kent/Superman action and lights, and some non-descript Dynamic Duo again from probably Toys 'R' Us.

Swinging around to the right, you can see the Iron Man movie ornament that Hallmark offered last year, a neat 5-character Marvel puzzle from Hallmark, a Superman relief ornament, and Batman on his Batrope -- one of the first comics-related ornaments I got. The Wonder Woman hanging off the lower right side is from the Warner Bros. Studio Stores.

Wrapping it up, you can see a Clark Kent outfit near the top of this photo, and above it is a neat ornament from the United States Postal Service -- a picture of Superman from the Siegel/Shuster era on a porcelain postage stamp. In the middle is a Batman holding a Joker jack-in-the-box, again from Warner Bros.

Of course there are several other little wonders I've not mentioned by name, including Mighty Mouse and Bubbles from the PowerPuff Girls!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday season, regardless of the faith you practice. Here's to 2010 being a great year! Stick with the Bronze Age Babies and we'll try to do our part!

Karen says: Welcome to the Sanctum, part 4

Welcome back to part 4 of my own little magical mystery tour of my comics room, or The Sanctum, as I like to call it. Today we'll be looking at the southwest corner, which is home to both the Justice League of America and all things Star Trek.

Besides Marvel Comics, Star Trek is probably the other major influence on my childhood. When I say Star Trek, I'm talking old school here: the original show, with the legendary team of Kirk and Spock (and McCoy too). Although I did enjoy Next Generation, and I really liked Deep Space Nine, classic Trek is and always shall be, my favorite.

On my bookshelf here you will see a signed photo of Kirk and Spock. For some reason I really dug the black and white picture, and managed to get it signed by William Shatner and then a year later, signed by Leonard Nimoy. It's one of my favorite items in my collection.

On the table in front of the photo are a variety of Trek knick-knacks, including a Spock button I purchased way back in 1975 at the San Diego Comic Con -my first convention -and some poker chips from the Las Vegas Hilton, former home of the Star Trek Experience. There's also a nice communicator replica that a friend got for me. As a kid I had a ton of Trek toys, models, Mego figures, etc, but that stuff is all gone now. Mostly I just have my books and autographed photos.

On the wall to the left of that photo are autographed pics of Shatner and Ricardo Montalban. I was very lucky to see Montalban at a Star Trek Creation Convention in Pasadena; I believe it was his only convention appearance. He was a wonderful speaker; I enjoyed his honesty, as he said there was no work for "crippled old mexicans" in Hollywood! Still, despite his obvious frustrations, he was a perfect gentleman, and despite being in considerable pain from back problems, he signed hundreds of autographs, and was gracious and friendly when I spoke to him.

I have gotten Shatner's autograph three times now. Although I have an insane admiration and love for The Man, he can be somewhat indifferent when signing. I did manage to get his attention one time when I mentioned that I loved his film Incubus, a film where all of the dialogue was in Esperanto. That got a very strange look from him. I don't know if he thought I was joking, or if he was afraid I was serious and possibly dangerous.

Nimoy on the other hand has been very friendly the couple of times I have met him. Unlike his Spock role, he seems to be a very warm guy. I also met George Takei (Sulu) outside of a convention panel one time and had a brief conversation with him, which resulted in taking a photo together. A year later, I returned to the convention and brought the photo for him to autograph. He looked at it and said, "I remember this!" and we chatted briefly, much to the annoyance of the folks in line behind me! Another good egg was the late James Doohan (Scotty). Back in the days before the Trek cons became so commercialized - ie, back when autographs were free! - I was able to meet Doohan a couple of times. He was a gregarious guy and loved talking to people. After one show in San Francisco, I spotted him in a gourmet market at Fisherman's Wharf, strolling around shopping. People came up to him and he was just as nice as could be.

Then on the other hand...I hate to say this, because the character of Uhura is so dear to me, but Nichelle Nichols was not the nicest person I ever got to sign. I think the reason for this was, the photo I asked her to sign was a group shot from Star Trek II, and her face was partially in shadow. All I know is, when I slid the photo before her, she looked at it, then looked up at me with a frown. She then turned to a friend sitting next to her and pointed to the picture. Her friend then also frowned at me. She signed it but said nothing to me. A few years later at another convention, the program explicitly stated that "Ms. Nichols will not sign photos where her face is obscured". Well OK!

The other residents of this area are the Justice League. I absolutely love the Bruce Timm Justice League cartoon and these large and small figures are here because of that. The glasses are ancient history. I got them from Taco Bell back in the mid70s. At one time I had all of them - the set included not just the ones here but also Superman and Wonder Woman - but only Aquaman, Batman, and Robin have survived. Unfortunately we didn't know back in those days not to put these glasses in the dishwasher! Because of that they are quite faded, but I still enjoy having them around to look at.

Up above this area of the room, I have some small sci fi posters, and a couple of copies of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, signed by the late, wonderful Forrest Ackerman. I had been hoping to get Ray Harryhausen's autograph on the same magazines at the same time but unfortunately I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe some day though...

Last but not least, although it's not technically part of the sanctum, my tiki mug shelf would be in the sanctum if I still had any wall space! These tiki mugs, shot glasses, coasters, and swizzles sticks come from a variety of tiki bars (and stores) chiefly in California and Arizona. What's ironic about all this is I'm not actually a drinker -I just like the way they look! I'm particularly fond of the top shelf, which includes a nifty rocket decanter, as well as robot and space-alien mugs. A good source for cool tiki mugs is Tiki Farm (http://www.tikifarm.com/index.asp). There's just something about the tiki aesthetic; it fits in perfectly with comics, sci fi flicks, and monsters! One of these days, I'll have to provide a tour of the Orbit Room, my outdoor tiki patio/lounge. But we'll save that for another time! I hope you all enjoyed this little glimpse at one woman's idea of heaven.

The Birth of Phoenix, Part 5: X-Men 101

X-Men 101 (October 1976)
"Like a Phoenix, From the Ashes!"
Chris Claremont-Dave Cockrum/Frank Chiaramonte

Doug: Welcome back, to the conclusion of our look at X-Men #'s 97-101. It's been a really fun month revisiting some treasured memories from roughly 35 years ago (wow -- has it been that long??). We're actually only going to review the first half of this issue, as the book is somewhat of a conclusion to the Sentinels arc and a prelude to the coming Juggernaut tale. Maybe we'll get back to that later, True Believers!

Doug: Our story picks up right where it left off, with Jean Grey attempting to bring the Starcore space shuttle back to earth. There had been intense solar activity, and Jean's telekinesis was required to not only hold the ship together upon re-entry to earth's atmosphere, but also to shield the ship from the radiation. As the shuttle got closer, it became apparent that a safe landing was not a done deal.

Karen: The fact that Jean was able to telekinetically hold together something the size of a space shuttle, for a prolonged period of time, while simultaneously screening out lethal radiation, would indicate to me that she was already a pretty powerful mutant! Certainly this was the greatest use of her powers we'd yet seen.

Doug: Jean managed to guide the ship toward JFK in New York. I thought this was somewhat odd, as even when the shuttle program was in its first flights it was always landed in the desert. I'm not certain if we should assume that a) Jean wanted to land in NYC, b) the shuttle was programmed to land there, or c) Claremont just wanted the X-Men back in New York as a plot device. At any rate, they end up with a water landing after torching through a runway at Kennedy.

Karen: The double-page spread of the shuttle crashing and coming apart was pretty spectacular. But I thought this issue was a step-down, art-wise, from the previous. Frank Chiaramonte's inks have an unfortunate scratchy look to them, not like the fuller, thicker inks of Cockrum himself in the previous issue.

Doug: As the team surfaces, they do a headcount and determine that Jean is not among them. As Cyke announces that he's going back down for her, the water begins to bubble and a woman bursts upward, shouting, "Hear me, X-Men! No longer am I the woman you knew! I AM FIRE! AND LIFE INCARNATE! NOW AND FOREVER -- I AM PHOENIX!" She just as abruptly does a burn-out and falls back into the bay. But before she fell, she did show off some pretty cool togs, in Marvel Girl green/yellow no less!

Karen: Originally they intended for the costume to be white and gold, which I think would have been an interesting color scheme - certainly a unique one. But my understanding is that the white portions of the costume would have allowed whatever was on the other side of the page to show through (because of the thin newsprint pages) so green was chosen instead. It does seem appropriate since, as you mention Doug, it is her original Marvel Girl colors.

Doug: As the team makes their way to shore, Professor X suggests that the fewer costumed adventurers, the less explaining there will be to do. Nightcrawler uses his image inducer, and Xavier creates an illusion that Storm is in plain clothes. The next scene takes us to a wandering Wolverine, musing to himself how he feels toward Jean like he's never felt toward anyone. He buys a bouquet of flowers and heads to the hospital to "maybe get to talkin'". For whatever reason, he's surprised when the rest of the team is already there.

Karen: It's funny how things change. I never considered Wolverine a legitimate threat to Scott and Jean's relationship. Wolverine was depicted as a short, rather unattractive jerk with no social skills. But I think that over the years, as Wolverine has gained popularity (and certainly once Hugh Jackman portrayed him in the movies), the whole Jean-Scott-Wolverine triangle actually became a reality. But it didn't really exist back in the issues we are reading. All that was there was Wolverine's unsatisfied desires.

Doug: This chapter in our story ends with an announcement from Jean's attending physicians (including Dr. Peter Corbeau?? -- doesn't the guy work for StarCore?) that with rest and care, she will be fine. The team is elated, as you might imagine. But... due to the strain of the past several days, and the fact that Jean needs R&R, Xavier announces that the five new X-Men will be placed on extended vacation. Yeah, like the Juggernaut wouldn't show up to ruin that...

Karen: I really liked the way Claremont portrayed Scott here. We find out that he realizes that it is Jean, and not the X-Men, that gives his life meaning. When the doctor announces that she will recover, Scott goes off by himself and collapses in tears of relief. That was a very well-done scene.

Karen: All in all, I thought this storyline was entertaining. I really enjoyed seeing the Sentinels come back, although they were hardly the threat they originally were. But there was so much packed into each issue, like the return of characters like Havok and Polaris (was this the first time she had been called Polaris?), and the continued development of the new X-Men, that this title was consistently the most exciting book on the stands. Revisiting those days has been a real blast.

The Birth of Phoenix, Part 4: X-Men 100

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, from Karen and Doug!!

X-Men #100 (August 1976)
"Greater Love Hath No X-Man..."
Chris Claremont-Dave Cockrum (pencils and inks)


Doug: This is it, mutant-lovers -- the penultimate chapter to the very exciting conclusion to our first foray into one of the best runs in Bronze Age history, the All-New, All-Different X-Men (yeah, so mark me off for a run-on sentence...)! Our first note today is a huge kudo to Dave Cockrum for the fantastic cover -- this one about knocked me over when I saw it on the spinner rack at the Osco Drug back in the summer of '76. It's a motif that's been used often, and quite successfully.

Doug: Let's get this rolling -- As you'll notice above, Cockrum inks himself in this issue and the results are impressive. It's my opinion that the art in the past few issues, even from panel to panel, was somewhat inconsistent. However, this is vintage Cockrum and there's a pay-off immediately with an outstanding first-page splash followed by a double-page spread featuring 12 X-Men in pitched battle. It's poster-worthy, folks (how's that for being Seinfeldian?)!!

Karen: I really like Cockrum's inks. It's far less sketchy than what Grainger did.

Doug: The next several pages are full-on action as the two teams divide based on powers and personal dislikes. Despite the fact that the new team is taken aback by the fact that these X-Men had all fought together only months ago, there is little quarter offered. The highlight is our inaugural look at the Fastball Special, as Colossus and Wolverine combat Angel, only to be assaulted by Havok. We commented a couple of issues ago how much we liked Cockrum's pencils on the energy-wielding mutants, particularly Havok. Alex Summers' attack on Colossus is beautifully rendered -- powerful and savage.

Karen: Oh I agree, it's a great image. Cockrum really shines here. You know, when Cockrum returned for his second stint on X-Men, I really didn't care for his artwork. It had obviously changed some, but it's hard for me to say exactly what it was I didn't care for. But I thought it was no where near as good as what he did in this issue.

Doug: Of course, Storm attempts to reason with Jean, but Polaris ends that conversation. Banshee stems that tide, and Wolverine battles his way across the room to Xavier. I think this is the issue that made Wolverine a star. Marvel had long been way out in front of DC in terms of taking chances with characters. Wolverine's encounter with Xavier and then Jean Grey showed not only the extent of his mutant abilities not being his claws, but that he could rely fully on those abilities.


Karen: It's a nice show of Wolverine's ferocity; he was a real wild card back then. If I had to pick his star moment though, I think I'd go with issue 133, where he goes after the Hellfire Club. But this issue clearly illustrates the anti-hero nature of the character, which was still pretty unusual back then.

Doug: Cockrum follows the revelation that the original team was really comprised of high-tech lookalike Sentinels with another two-page spread. I think the best aspect of this are the looks of horror on the faces of the real Jean Grey and Scott Summers, captured and "stored" in giant test tubes. What was going through their minds? That Lang had the technology to create such able dopplegangers, or that Wolverine had carved the Marvel Girl Sentinel without a second thought?

Doug: Cyke is able to blast his way out of his restraint, and immediately frees Jean, Corbeau, and the professor. Lang of course flees, hopping into a small shuttle craft. Jean takes over the controls of Lang's little ship and he crashed it, allegedly killing him. As the carrier is now badly damaged, the X-Men and Corbeau scramble to find a way out. The only way is aboard the space shuttle they'd come in on, which is itself damaged.

Karen: Yes, the space shuttle with the big gaping hole in the hull. Oh boy!

Doug: It's determined that Jean will fly it, using her telekinesis to keep out any radiation, as well as to hold the ship together. Do you remember when I remarked in our review of issues 97 and 98 that I thought she was depowered, and mused that it could be a way to show how powerful she would become as Phoenix? Well here it seems like Claremont amped her up as a plot device to get her to the point where she could be transformed. As an aside, I'd also like to say that the Claremont/Bolton second story in Classic X-Men is spectacular. It shows the interaction between Jean and the Phoenix-force aboard the shuttle in the last minutes before the Phoenix assumed Jean's identity. It's a very moving tale of a young woman's love for a man, and of her sacrifice to save that man. As we'd find out much later, to some extent it became a deal with the devil...

Karen: That last page, with Jean telekinetically holding everything together, was pretty awesome. I like the way Cockrum made Jean's powers more visual -even if that really didn't make sense!

Karen: More than anything though, these issues moved the Scott-Jean romance into the legendary category. These were two people who would do anything for each other. It made it gut-wrenching when Jean died. The first time, I mean.

Our Wish Lists

It's Christmas Eve, kiddies!

Get yourself in bed, and no peeking down the stairs!

Doug: Wouldn't it be cool if, in addition to world peace, I found these things under my tree this Friday?

Sal Buscema: Comics Fast and Furious Artist from TwoMorrows Publishing.

Let's hear some love for Big John's little brother, Sal! If you're a Bronze Age fan, and I'll assume you are since you're here, then Sal's your man. Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, the Incredible Hulk, the Defenders, Peter Parker, the Avengers -- you name it, Sal drew it! Sal's long been due some love for his contributions, and I'd love to read this new retrospective.

Mego 8" Super-Heroes: World's Greatest Toys from TwoMorrows Publishing

I've chronicled a couple of times my love for Megos. I had the chance to thumb through this tome last summer, and will heartily recommend it to any early '70's action figure enthusiasts. This book is very colorful, incredibly detailed -- from what I could tell, all variations in packaging, clothing, head sculpts, etc. are depicted in photos large enough to do justice.

DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams

I own the 3-part Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams and am looking forward to this and the coming volume 2. I have Adams' Green Lantern/Green Arrow work collected in two tpb's; I do not have his Deadman volume. Anyone out there want to recommend that? I should say that I've read some reviews of this book and some Adams fans are put out that Neal was allowed to re-ink and re-color some of his work here and it wasn't all that pleasing. I can't comment on that, but thought I should at least state it.

Marvel Comics in the 1960's from TwoMorrows Publishing


The main premise of this book is available online at the Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index, but I wanted the book format. My biggest complaint is that the original cover art was much cooler than what shipped. I'm a sucker for comics history, so I'm looking forward to reading this take on Marvel's expansion throughout the Silver Age.

And last but not least, how about the blue and yellow Goliath figure from Hasbro's Marvel Universe line? At 12" tall, he will fit in just fine with my Marvel Legends, and give me a nice survey of the career of Dr. Henry Pym -- I already have the little and 6" size Ant-Man, the Giant-Man build-a-figure, and Yellowjacket. This will be perfect!



Karen: Well, Santa has already left a really big box under our tree this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that a rather large bust or figure might be inside. I'll get back to you after the 25th!
For myself, there's a few things out there I'd really like. Doug, I also would like to get that Sal Buscema book from Twomorrows, and I have the Marvel Comics in the 1960s book, so if you get that one, we can do a review on it! Now as for other presents I'd like to receive, this first one is definitely on its way, as I just ordered it! The Marvel Masterworks series has been moving into the 1970s, and I've already got the Warlock and Captain Marvel editions. I was really excited to see that Deathlok was getting the MM treatment! This volume has ASTONISHING TALES #25-28, 30-36, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #33, MARVEL TEAM-UP #46, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #27, 54 and CAPTAIN AMERICA #286-288 - basically all the Deathlok you need!



One other book I'd like is Keep Watching the Skies by Bill Warren. This is a massive (1040 pages!) book that examines the classic sci fi movies of the 50s and 60s. As this is a period of great interest for me, and the book comes highly recommended, I really hope to get it some time soon. The price is a bit steep but I'm sure it's something I would reference again and again. You never know when you'll need to have info on Invasion of the Saucer-Men at your fingertips!




It would be great to get this boxed set of Ray Harryhausen movies at Christmas - then I could sit back and watch flicks on my days off! This set contains the films 20 Million Miles to Earth, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, It Came from Beneath The Sea, and Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, all pretty entertaining stuff. But I'm a Harryhausen nut - I can never get enough of seeing his little creations running around!


I hope everybody gets something nice from Santa -and may everyone have a safe, healthy, happy holiday.

5 Pop Christmas Songs to Love

Say, there -- how about your favorite recording artists getting in the holiday spirit? Nothing screams commercialism like a pop star or group mining some old yuletide standbys. I've included links to the sound samples from http://www.amazon.com/ in case you've never heard the version of the songs I'm mentioning. Here are five I really like:

1. Merry Christmas, Baby by the King of Rock 'n' Roll Elvis Presley

It truly doesn't get any better than this, and that's why it's at the top of the list. Elvis at his bluesy best. This one really picks up steam as it goes along, and finishes quite well. A true standard.

1. 2. Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys
   

A little sappy, but a nice little toe-tapper, sing along (how about the Run, Run Reindeer part of the chorus?) -- always, always seems to get stuck in my head after I hear it. Standard Beach Boys from the era, but what's wrong with that?

3. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town by the Jackson 5

Little Michael just a'wailin' is what makes this song special. It's the familiar arrangement, but really amped up by Michael's vocals. This comes from their early era, back in the days of ABC, I Want You Back, etc.

4. Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

A much better effort than Paul McCartney's Christmas effort, Wonderful Christmas, which gets a little tired after a very short time. Lennon manages to squeeze his mission for world peace into his Christmas offering. The children's chorus really sends his point home with emphasis.

5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by U2

Recorded right after the band scored mega-big with their live/studio combination Rattle and Hum album, this song is one of the true highlights of the very first A Very Special Christmas compilation. It's upbeat, Bono's vocals are great, and it's, like several listed before, a toe-tapper

Honorable Mention: Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid

I love this song, and to this day can pick out the various artists singing. While USA For Africa's recording We Are the World was equally important in terms of the talent assembled to play/sing, I just like this song better. It still evokes memories of those days when big time world issues were at the forefront of our MTV news, and giving was encouraged by our superstars.

The Birth of Phoenix, Part 3: X-Men 99

X-Men #99 (June 1976)
"Deathstar, Rising" 
Chris Claremont-Dave Cockrum/Frank Chiaramonte

Doug: Welcome back, as we wind our way through the first epic in the All-New, All-Different X-Men. Let's get right into this installment, in which the team discovers that all is not what they thought with Dr. Steven Lang and his Sentinels!

Karen: I remember when this issue came out how annoyed I was with the color errors on pages 1, 16, and 17 - what should have been red was purple, what should have been yellow was blue, and so on. The worst thing though was that X-Men was still bimonthly! I would re-read issues a dozen times over before the next one came out!

Doug: Banshee's face on the splash page is just vintage Cockrum. We've said before that Dave's work was very distinctive, yet somewhat hard to put a finger on as to why. For me it's always the faces.

Karen: There's something about his style that is very rounded, graceful; and yet, he pulls off the technical stuff, like the space shuttle, very well.

Doug: I'll have to admit that I had to read page 2 twice. Call me dense, but the columnar lay-out got me the first time. Made a heck of a lot more sense once I figured out the panel order. And hey, I've always been one of those readers who thought the directional arrows some artists use are insulting to my intelligence. Joke was on me here, though!

Doug: But anyway, can any of you physics experts out there explain to me why our three heroes weren't sucked inside out by the vacuum of space? Unless I missed it, when they burst through the hull of the carrier in the last issue they were not wearing any transuits (that's in the Legion, right?) force fields, etc. So by the time the Sentinels got out there to envelop them in the bubbles it should have been too late.
Karen: Yes, even as a kid I knew better. I guess we just have to suppose that the sentinels got there pretty darn fast. And a good thing too, because I would hate to see inside-out mutants!

Doug: How about Geraldo Rivera turning up in this story?? He was a muckraker from the very beginning...

Karen: Yes, that panel was hilarious. Dig that groovy hair!

Doug: Karen, you mentioned the intricate (too much?) backstories that Claremont devised for these characters. It's in this issue that we learn that Petr's brother Mikhail was one of the USSR's first cosmonauts. But, wouldn't that have made him much older than Colossus?

Karen: Sure seems like it. Gagarin went up in 1961, 15 years prior to this issue. But even beyond that, how does a poor peasant from a tiny obscure village just happen to have a brother who was a cosmonaut? To make matters worse, his sister later become a demon-child! It's just a lot of unnecessary junk that Claremont always lays onto characters.

Doug: As the story goes, Corbeau commandeers a space shuttle and the earth-bound X-Men head to the carrier to rescue their mates. There's a funny scene with Colossus getting airsick. The shuttle is attacked by space-faring Sentinels (as I said last time, it's revealed that this version of the giant robots was inferior to their predecessors -- these guys don't seem to have too much trouble navigating the cosmos, however), and the progression of the battle necessitates Corbeau ramming the shuttle right into the side of the carrier. But again, no vacuum of space. I wonder if Claremont had done any reading on this issue at all, because he writes this like a 1950's DC rather than a Bronze Age Marvel...

Karen: It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered to come up with a reasonable way to get the team on the station because he was in such a hurry to move the story forward. Although, for all we know,Cockrum may have been the one to bring these elements into the story. In any case, your description is apt.

Doug: Three pages of full-on battle ensue, and Claremont and Cockrum manage to work in some characterization that will stick with these characters for year's to come. Of note would be their depictions of Nightcrawler's and Colossus's personalities.

Karen: Colossus flips out over Storm's safety. It seems that they might have been planning for those two to become a couple, or at least have Colossus be interested in Storm. In later issues, we see both Nightrawler and Colossus show romantic inclinations towards her, although Storm seems uninterested in either of them. I'm glad they never explored these ideas further! I thought the panel of Storm and Colossus in profile was a nice example of Cockrum's skill with faces, as you have mentioned Doug.Doug: Cyclops leaves the team so he can rescue Jean and the Professor from Lang. Once he finds them, Cyke cuts loose with his fists, not his optic blasts, and beats Lang to a pulp. Jean stops him before he kills Lang. You know, Scott Summers has always been an edgy character, but Claremont was really putting him through the wringer in these early issues. I think what we see here is the stress and frustration of leading the new team, the death of Thunderbird, and his growing love for Jean Grey all manifesting itself in a Wolverine-like berserker rage.

Karen: This is the Cyclops I used to love, not that screwed up joke they have over at Marvel now. Here was a guy who had kept so much bottled up inside -both his eye beams and his emotions - and Claremont was showing how he was finally, through his relationship with Jean, beginning to allow himself to feel. His love for her and his sense of responsibility for the team made him a compelling character. Now he just seems to be a jerk who's into telepathic chicks.

Doug: The last page is a full splash to remember -- the new team rounds a corner to come face-to-face with the original five. And the originals ain't happy!

 

TV Party Tonight! -Christmas Specials

Karen: Well, it's that most wonderful time of the year. We put out the eggnog, hot chocolate, and cookies, so let's sit down by the fire and watch some of our favorite Christmas shows!

First, to get the juices going, let's start with that beloved classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. I've seen it a million times but I can never get enough of it. There's so much to love here, especially the incredible music of Vince Guaraldi. Charlie Brown's valiant stand against the commercialization of the holiday is a classic. There are so many great moments - the ice skating, the kids dancing during rehearsal, Snoopy's prize-winning decorated doghouse, and of course, Linus' moving speech about the true meaning of Christmas. An absolute gem.



How about a little musical number before we get to our movie? This is an odd little bit from the 1977 Bing Crosby Christmas Special. Bing Crosby and David Bowie?! You couldn't get two more diametrically opposed personalities. And yet...it's a beautiful performance. Check it out.



And of course, what would a Christmas special be without a commercial? I know, it would be much better! But this is a pretty cute commercial:



Let's get to our main feature, shall we? While there have been many, many film versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, my favorite one is the 1951 movie with Alastair Sim as Scrooge. I think what gets me the most about this version is the time spent showing Scrooge the child; it's easy to see how such a lonely, unhappy child could turn into such a cold, distant creep later on. But the possibility of redemption exists, and we get our happy ending, as Scrooge attempts to make up for the past and become a good man. Whenever I see this I always feel acutely my own short-comings toward my fellow men. It's a good reminder that we only have so much time in this world - we should strive to do well with it.