I Never Should Have Gotten Rid of.....

Karen: Seeing Doug's Marvel calendar posts recently made me wish I had not gotten rid of my own Marvel calendars so many years ago. There were a lot of really nice illustrations in those calendars, one of a kind artworks that I'd love to have hanging up in my inner sanctum now. I've been getting the Asgard Press Marvel calendars the last couple of years, that have recreations of famous (and admittedly, not so famous) Marvel covers, and been using those to decorate my room, but there are some great pages I'd love to get my hands on, like the Starlin shot of the Surfer, Warlock, and Captain Marvel together. Or how about the 1975 page with the Avengers, Vision front and center?

But today's Open Forum isn't about calendars. No, it's about those things you really wish you hadn't gotten rid of. I'm sure we all have dumped a lot of stuff from our childhoods  I used to have a ton of Star Trek toys, models, etc. But I don't miss them so much. Same with my Planet of the Apes memorabilia. Occasionally, I'll think wistfully about them, but for the most part, I don't regret parting with them. The one thing I did hold on to, across all all the genres I  love, is the books. But the one thing I find myself feeling a real regret over getting rid of is all those Marvel calendars. They didn't take up that much space, and they'd look great on the walls.

So let's hear it - what's the one thing you wish you'd held on to?

The Song of Red Sonja: Conan the Barbarian 24

As a public service, today's post might be considered as falling somewhere around (if not just past) a rating of PG-13.  -- The Management

Conan the Barbarian #24 (March 1973)
"The Song of Red Sonja"
Roy Thomas-Barry Smith

Doug:  Hot pants and chain mail is what all the Hyborean babes are wearing this time of year, isn't it?  Well, at least between these covers it is.  And speaking of the front cover...  Wow.  That's not bad, huh?  I really like the sepia tone of the mob as it offsets the protagonists.  Genius.  And hey, filed under "great minds think alike", our colleague Andrew Wahl had lusty rogues on the brain just like I did, apparently.  Please jump to his site to not only catch his thoughts on Conan the Barbarian #'s 23 and this one, but also on the lead story of Marvel Feature #1 (you'll recall that I reviewed the other tale last month). But enough hyperlinking -- let's get to some sword-slinging!

Doug:  We open in Makkalet in a tavern, where Conan and the other denizens cheer on the beautiful yet deadly Red Sonja as she dances atop a table.  As the tempest rises among the drinkers, a hulking figure makes his way toward Sonja.  Called "Big Jax" and sporting a nasty wound on the side of his skull, he takes Sonja by the arm.  Defensive at first, she relaxes when she sees it is him.  But Conan of Cimmeria is not so understanding.  On a sidenote, it's been awhile since we looked in on Barry Smith's version of the barbarian.  You know, fans have frequently commented that Smith's Conan was leaner, even lithe, compared to the depiction of the warrior by John Buscema.  I'd argue that in the previous issue and this one, that Conan is perfectly suited to segue into Buscema's epic run -- which commenced in the very next issue.  It's unclear whether Conan protests to Big Jax out of chivalry or his own sexual desires (unclear -- yeah, right) for the warrior-maiden; but regardless, it's soon three pages of "game on!"  Best line in the scene, from our hero = "You!  Bald-pate!  Let the wench finish her dance!"

 

Doug:  Conan and Sonja steal away from the brawl, and make their way to a pond to cool off.  Sonja tells that chain mail is not the best thing for bathing, and emerges from the depths sans her top.  It's been well-documented that Barry Smith originally drew Sonja topless; >

From the Comic Book Database:  Notes: Artwork here was censored by unknown Marvel artists, uncensored Windsor-Smith original version was subsequently printed in Marvel Treasury Edition #15 and Savage Sword of Conan #82, but recent Dark Horse TPBs used the censored version. Cover here is also colored by Windsor-Smith. Some sources credit John Buscema with the censoring work.

< the Comics Code Authority would have none of it, however, and several panels had to be redrawn showing a) Sonja's breasts covered and b) Conan's hands above the water, rather than cupping her bottom. In addition to the doctored up sex scene, some commentators say that there are apparently hints of masturbation abounding in this tale (see the last art sample for one instance I've seen referenced).  As I was finalizing this post to run yesterday, I received my digital copy of Back Issue! #61, which celebrates the treasury-sized books of the Bronze Age (and is, incidentally, published in tabloid form!).  Perusing it quickly, what to my wondering eyes should appear but the very panels I've referenced above, and including the uncensored version that ran in MTE #15.  I've included it, below the version that was on the newsstands.  The author of the BI! article containing these panels is comics scholar John Wells, and in the text he reports that the artist who did the re-do was none other than art director John Romita.  Look closely -- you decide:  Romita or Buscema?  In the same paragraph, Roy Thomas is quoted in regard to the uncensored version running in the Treasury (treasury-sized books were considered magazines, and were not subject to the Comics Code Authority), saying "I'm pretty sure that running the uncensored version was an accident." 

Doug:  At any rate, the romance-that-doesn't-happen is interrupted by the sound of horses.  It's the night watchmen come to find out what all the ruckus is about.  While interviewing the innkeeper, Conan and Sonja steal one of their horses.  And Sonja now tells Conan what she'll have him do this evening (which is not at all what Conan wants to do) -- ride to the royal palace, on business.

 

Doug:  On the grounds of the palace, Conan and Sonja stop at a phallic-like obelisk (I guess since Barry Smith had decided he was done on the book, he was going to go out all guns a'blazing).  Sonja tells that inside are enough riches to allow these two to retire from their mercenary ways.  Conan, eyeing the sleek black finish of the tower, figures that Sonja needs him to scale it.  He kids here, though, in asking what he should need her for.  Putting another ill-fated move on her, Conan is told at first that it's business now and play for later; then he's pummeled!  "By Crom, girl -- I've killed men for less than that!"  "For what?  For not letting you kiss them?"  Priceless.

Doug:  Conan scales the tower without incident, and soon drops a rope to Red Sonja; she in turn scampers up to the top.  As they enter the treasure chamber, Conan is astounded at the sheer wealth at his feet.  But something seems amiss, as Sonja asks him to leave the room -- to inspect the corridors for guards.  Conan buys it, and vanishes.  With corruption in her eyes, Sonja recalls the commission she had received from the king of Pah-Dishah -- to go to Makkalet, pretend to be their allies, and then steal back the serpent tiara that had been given previously as a dowry.  She finds the object of her quest -- and is transfixed by it's lifelike appearance.  And suddenly, it explodes into a living, breathing, writhing, thing of mystical terror!

Doug:  Barry Smith finishes this story, and his tenure on the regular title, in a flourish of awesomeness.  Conan fans would be treated to the Thomas/Smith team only one more time, in the magnum opus "Red Nails" (printed in color in the Chronicles of Conan, volume 4, which I am using for this review).  Conan re-enters the treasure chamber to find Sonja backed against the wall by the menace of the serpent.  Apparently the thing is real enough, as it bleeds at Conan's blade.  Our heroes soon find that along with its dagger-like fangs it is also a constrictor.  As Smith shines here, so does Roy Thomas -- Sonja: "No!  I'll help you-- whether you want my help or not!"  Conan: "Then bat your sea-green eyes at that thing -- or maybe wiggle your hips!  That worked with me, at any rate!"  As the barbarians battle, Conan is finally able to deliver a death blow, which breaks the spell and returns the beast to a tiara.

Doug:  Sonja explains that the wizard of Pah-Dishah had given her an incantation to keep the serpent tiara an actual crown.  However, she forgot what to say as she first held the precious bauble.  Sonja offers Conan to take as many jewels as he can carry -- he declines, saying he has to live yet in the city.  Then he tells her that he fought tonight, after all, for other rewards.  Leaving the tower, Sonja rappels quickly downward, far faster than the Cimmerian.  He calls to her to slow down, but as she hits the ground she quickly lights the rope afire.  It literally burns through Conan's hands, and he falls hard to the ground.  Stunned, with legs that won't work quite right, Conan nonetheless reaches Sonja -- who is not atop her mount.  He tells her that she'll pay him now with kisses aplenty.  She explains that no man shall have her, lest he first best her in battle.  And that is something (as she rides away, knocking Conan down yet again) he shall not do this night.  Beyond angry, Conan smoulders as he limps back into town -- vowing to have that woman, even if she least expects it.

Doug:  This story has been lauded by many critics and commentators, and I'll happily stand in that line.  This is full of action, it's sexy, it has brawling and sorcery aplenty, and as said above it's a tour de force sort of send-off for the team that had evolved this strip over the previous two years.  When you think back to the style Smith was using on the earliest issues, and look again to the top of this post at the cover to this issue...  Again, we know that Roy Thomas and Barry Smith collaborated on Conan the Barbarian one more time; but if they'd not, then I think we'd all feel OK that this story was their legacy.

What Titles Should Kirby Have Worked On?

Karen: Since we've been talking about Jack Kirby's return to Marvel, let's play a little game of 'What If' and instead of discussing the books he did work on, let's discuss the titles you wish he had worked on. 

Karen: For me, my number one choice would be The Invaders. I really think it would have been sensational if Kirby had drawn the interior art on the book, with Roy Thomas retaining the writing chores. Kirby drew a number of covers for the title, but never the interior art, which often was handled by my personal nemesis, Frank Robbins. Robbins' artwork, which featured spastic figures that always seemed to be sweating profusely, made me feel uneasy and anxious, and made it hard to read The Invaders, a title I really wanted to love. I think Kirby's style, although it had become more exaggerated by the late 70s, would have suited this book well. His covers certainly looked great. Better than what was waiting inside!

Karen: So how about it? Is there a Marvel title you really would have liked to see the King work on when he returned ? And in what capacity -artist or writer?

Face-Off: Bucky or the Falcon (Hey, What About Hawkeye?)

Doug:  We've run a few Captain America-themed posts already this month, so why not add one more?  Today's Face-Off pits Cap's Golden Age (and beyond -- the kid won't stay dead, will he?) partner, Bucky Barnes, against his Silver/Bronze Ages partner, the Falcon.  And I thought -- what the heck -- let's do a "What If?" and muse on the possibilities of a run of Cap's book under the title Captain America and Hawkeye.  Now that would have been extremely cool to Lil' Dougie back in grade school!

Doug:  I think we can all find favorite stories involving each of today's suggested combatants alongside the Star-Spangled Avenger.  First, for me when I think of Bucky is Avengers #56 (complete with a great John Buscema floating heads cover).  It's a tender tale, yet packed with action.  In the whole scheme of that era of Avengering the story really serves merely as a launching point to that summer's Annual.  But I enjoy it nonetheless, and laid next to Avengers #277 really gives us some insight into the private world of Captain America.  Over in the pages of the Invaders and Marvel Premiere, I especially enjoyed the Liberty Legion 4-parter; Bucky's leadership showed that he'd learned well the lessons Cap had taught him.

Doug:  As to the Falcon, I just generally enjoyed his run with Cap in both of his costumes -- Falc was in the book when I read it off and on as a kid, and of course he was pivotal in the Henry Gyrich line-up changes in the Avengers of the late 1970's.  I recall a solo Falcon tale in Marvel Premiere that was good -- more of that would have been welcome -- but he always seemed at home alongside Cap.  The image below was rendered by Jazzy Johnny Romita; personally I prefer Sal Buscema on Sam Wilson.

 

Doug:  But what of ol' Hawkeye?  I think we'd all agree that in his own abrasive way he idolized Cap during the Kooky Quartet days, and if he'd ever been able to close his big mouth long enough he might have become Cap's partner in the solo book.  As much as Cap bristled at Hawk's attitude, I think the two of them really meshed in that era.  Who knows what might have been (hey, that's your job today!)?

Return of the King: Eternals 1

The Eternals #1 (July 1976)
"The Day of the Gods!"
Jack Kirby-Kirby/John Verpoorten

Doug:  As I begin today's review, it's actually last Monday (that just screwed you up temporally, didn't it?) and we've had about a dozen comments on the Captain America #193 post.  Surprisingly to us, as Karen wrote in a comment of her own, our readers tended to agree with us on the writing prowess of Jack Kirby in the latter Bronze Age.  I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the book we're about to review has a script that's Bard-worthy, but I will offer that it's better than what we dealt with seven days ago.  It will be up to us, and you once you get to typing your own missives at the conclusion of the post, to determine just how and why this might be so.  So as they (who?) say, let's do this thang.

Doug:  I am sad that Kirby didn't do one of those photo montages he was so renowned for back in his FF and Thor days as a way to lead this one off.  The drawn outcome is a bit murky, but it mirrors the cover and gets us on our way.  Our three protagonists -- Dr. Damian, his daughter Margo, and their associate/videographer Ike Harris, have entered an enormous cave or chamber -- the belly of a pyramid, perhaps.  The three had been on a search for the mythical Chamber of the Gods, allegedly located deep within the Andes Mountains.  What they discovered is incredible -- Inca-like relics combined with star-faring vehicles, god-like images of beings not of this planet.  Dr. Damian is beside himself, but gains enough composure to begin to verbally document what he is seeing.  At that point we learn that Ike Harris may be more than we at first assumed, as he begins to pontificate on the origins of the relics and how they fit into a larger picture of terran existence -- stating as fact that man is not, nor has he ever been, alone.  Damian recoils as if reacting to heresy.

Karen: As much as I ripped on Kirby's art in Captain America, these first few pages are fairly spectacular, with Kirby doing his best versions of Incan styles mixed with his own cosmic sense. I have to say that this whole book was a real blast from the past. It was like watching a bunch of episodes of the old Leonard Nimoy show, In Search Of - we have ancient astronauts, hidden races, Lemuria, mysterious warped zones of time/space, UFOs - you name it! Like you though, I felt this fairly screamed for a photo-montage!

Doug:   As Ike Harris continues, Dr. Damian announces that he's through with the college pranks.  Margo, no great thinker in her own right, just gives off a sort of "yay, Dad!"  Harris stoops to look for some sort of device on the floor -- a kind of gateway that will bring the gods back to Earth!  We then cut to the Pacific Ocean to find an airplane swallowed up by some serious Kirby Krackle in a Bermuda Triangle-like disappearance.  We are privy to the device that was the culprit -- a craft that then descends into a long tunnel toward the depths of the sea itself.  We are then introduced to some dudes that could have walked straight outta Apokalips.  There's red-faced Kro, Jabba-like Brother Tode, and a fair(ly ugly) unnamed maiden.  We learn that they are Deviants, and they remind me somewhat of one of Kirby's earlier creations, the Inhumans.  Apparently each Deviant looks different, and there are some traits that are more desireable than others.

Karen: This theme is repeated again and again isn't it -- not just the Inhumans, but all Marvel mutants too, are a race that "doesn't breed true". But the Inhumans and the mutants tended to be pretty decent looking. These guys are just nasty! Kro's kinda groovy with his glasses, and Brother Tode reminds me a bit of Modok, with his big noggin. 

Doug:  Kro is charged with going to the Inca cave to find the beacon which can herald the arrival of the gods.  Brother Tode cautions that the Eternals may find it first; Kro brags that he will return with it within the hour.  So we shift back to the cave, where Margo is shaking in her Lara Croft-boots at weird ol' Ike Harris.   Harris has discovered some sort of intergalactic telescope, which to me more resembles Reed Richards' gateway to the Negative Zone.  The cosmic cat is now out of the bag, and Dr. Damian and Margo now approach Harris and ask him to confirm that he is not one of them.  Harris does, and begins to narrate a genesis story.  I've read many times that Jack Kirby was fascinated with religion and ideas of creation.  Here he again gets to explore some of his wonderings.

Doug:  In Kirby's origins of life tale, the gods had come to Earth after its creation.  They decided to capture and alter an early man, called the Dawn Ape, and allow it to breed the three great races:  the Deviant, the Human, and the Eternal.  The Deviants were increasingly ugly and warlike, man was... well, man, and the Eternals were immortal.  Deviants went underground to live in the bowels of the Earth where they could plot, humans of course occupied the surface and evolved through conquest and subjugating other life forms, and the Eternals took to the skies and mountaintops -- living apart.  As Ike Harris finishes his story, his attention reverts to the view screen as he sees an energy trail from the gods' spaceship!

Karen: Kirby really shows all the stuff he's been reading, or maybe also watching on TV (like the previously-mentioned In Search Of...). He's taken ideas from Erich von Daniken, the Shaver Mysteries, and a variety of other sources and synthesized them and filtered them through that unique mind of his to produce this mythos. Just looking at these pages, I was struck by the huge scale of it all. It really would make a great movie, wouldn't it?

Doug:  I think this is why Jack would have worked best with an editor -- his mind just exploded, but without anyone else to temper his mental outbursts, the ideas were like a stampede!

Doug:  But, at the same time the gods appear, Kro and his minions close in on the Inca cave.  As they ascend from the aquatic entrance, they hear an alarm sounding -- it is the beacon, and the Eternals found it first!  Wait, what?  What Eternals?  Well, in another one of Kirby's painfully awful play-on-names, ol' Ike Harris is really Ikaris of the Polar Mountains!  The jig's up, and it's game on!  Ikaris creates an energy field that holds the Deviant army at bay, and then removes his sunglasses.  We are told that it's an Eternal's eyes that contains the true power and Ikaris uses his to wipe out Kro's cohorts.  However, one baddie levels a gun on Ikaris and hits him with a shroud, shutting down the Eternal's eyeblasts.  Kro charges, but Dr. Damian steps in to buy time.  Margo removes the cover from Ikaris but the entire assemblage is startled by the arrival of the spaceship alluded to earlier.  The gods have returned!

Karen: The "Ikaris/Ike Harris/Icarus" thing sort of bothered me even as a kid as "Ike Harris" is not pronounced anything like "Icarus" but I guess after all these years I can let it go. It's interesting that there was so much focus on the Eternals' powers coming mainly from their eyes -- I don't seem to recall this being the case in later appearances in other titles but I could be wrong. It does remind me however of Darkseid's omega effect being so central to that character. I really liked the seemingly gigantic spaceship landing, with all the raw energy pouring out of it.

Doug:  I told Karen three weeks ago when I read this for the first time that I enjoyed it.  In fact, if I could get my hands on the next couple of issues I'd be quite interested to read those as well.  Some of you remarked last week that Kirby was perhaps at his best when working with characters with no prior continuity.  In this book he was perhaps able to continue to explore themes he'd broached at DC in his Fourth World material.  At any rate, his dialogue was much stronger and the story seemed to be more linear and less pell mell.  For me, this was a definite improvement over his return to Captain America. 


Karen: I'd agree, this was a much more interesting and stronger read, though I wouldn't necessarily say that the dialog was vastly improved; actually, the whole book felt like it belonged to an earlier age. It does feel a bit stuffy. But we are able to come to it with no pre-conceived notions about who the characters are and how they should act. We're unfolding a mystery and frankly Kirby's graphics hold up pretty well here and help to pull the reader along. This was the one Kirby title that when it came out, I did buy it somewhat regularly, mainly because it was right up my alley at the time, what with my fascination with all this kind of stuff. I think I lost interest in less than a year, but it was more attention than I gave to any of the other books Kirby worked on. It has to be considered his biggest success in his second tenure at Marvel. The Eternals were initially planned to be outside the Marvel continuity, but by issue #6  were starting to be shoe-horned into the MU. Eventually, the characters and concepts were adopted by later writers and worked into the threads of the Marvel tapestry such that they are as much a part of Marvel history as their predecessors, the Inhumans. In fact, apparently in some sense the existence of the Eternals supposedly lead to the Kree creating the Inhumans! (Check the wikipedia listing for the Eternals if you don't believe me). Much like what happened at DC with Kirby's Fourth World characters, the Eternals found little success while Kirby handled them, but later became a mainstay of the Marvel Universe.

In Honor of Our Veterans

 

In spite of all the grief you service men and women take from our four-color friends, please know that on this, your day, you are greatly appreciated and respected.  Thanks very much for all you do!

BAB Book Review: Spider-Man Newspaper Strips, Volume 1

Doug:  Hi, friends.  You may recall about a month ago I mentioned that earlier in the fall I purchased (at a great deal, natch) the tome you see pictured above.  And since I found an hour or so to sit down with it back on the 26th of October I figured I'd pen a write-up of not only the highs and lows of the book itself, but also go ahead and review the first story inside.

From the outside this is a great looking book!  The dust jacket is sharp -- love that Romita pose on Spidey swinging right at us.  The back of the jacket has a large panel (one of the rotating title panels that ran at the top of the Sundays) in black and white and a short amount of text.  The faux leather cover is black with silver lettering and is pretty nice.  So in your hands this really looks swell; did I mention that it's oversized?  It's larger than a Marvel Masterworks edition, standing about 11 inches tall and almost 7 1/2 inches wide.  And therein lies my main reservation about the book.  The strips are printed sideways (the pages are even numbered that way as well), so you actually have to rotate the book 90 degrees to read it.  But the strips are only 6 3/4 inches wide!  Keeping in mind that this is the 11" side of the book, we're giving up about 2" of usable space in the margins!  As far as the handling of the book, I got used to it pretty quickly; I'll admit it was easier reading once I rested the book on a pillow on my lap.  There are three strips on a page, so six on the spread.

If you're looking for extras, "Easter Eggs", etc. then you're going to be disappointed.  There is no introduction and only short (separate) interviews with Lee and Romita at the back of the book.  On the final page is a color print of the oft-reprinted self-portrait of John Romita at his drawing board.  But that's where the color stops -- the Sundays?  They're here, as they were integral to the storylines; but all are reprinted in black and white which is very disappointing.  At an msrp of $39.99, certainly Marvel could have printed 1/7 of the pages in color.  Apparently, nope.  The reproductions are for the most part OK, but not stellar.  Often the linework is light, which causes me to wonder what the source for photography was?  I'm guessing it wasn't always the original art, simply because there is variation in the quality of the various dailies.

Who is Spidey mixing it up with between these covers?  Well, below you can see my thoughts on his first fracas -- with Victor von Doom.  That's followed by Doc Ock, a new character called the Rattler, the Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and Dr. Doom again.  In between, there are 2-3 stories that feature non-super-powered nemeses.  It's a blast seeing Jazzy Johnny on Spidey again, and the '70's hairdo on Peter is awesome!   The newspaper strips would have debuted around the same time Amazing Spider-Man #166 was on the spinner racks, I'm guessing -- give or take a month.

So how about it?  Should you pick this up?  If you were like me, I tried to get in the habit of riding my bike to the Convenient about a mile away to pick up a Chicago Tribune each day.  But you know how that went, huh?  I'm glad I have this and at some point will probably pick up the second volume if I can get it cheap.  But there's no way I'd pay cover price for it.  I just don't feel like, as a consumer, Marvel "took care of me".

Stan Lee's plot to the first story arc (running approximately 7 weeks and four days if my math is correct) is pretty simple, yet serving its purpose in getting the readership up to speed on the Spider-Man mythos.  We have to assume that many people would have been introduced to the character, and by extension the Marvel Universe (although to my quickly-perusing eye, there are no other MU heroes in these yarns) for the first time in the pages of their favorite newspaper.  In the first arc Stan and Johnny use J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, and Betty Brant from the Daily Bugle and we see scenes in Forest Park with Aunt May, Anna Watson, and Mary Jane Watson.  Other Spidey cast members appear in subsequent stories.  Peter's general down-on-his-luck persona, his dating relationship with MJ, and of course his adversarial head-butting with JJJ are all established in this first story.  Interestingly, however, Doom's origin is partially told, but not Spider-Man's.  That being said, in one of the rotating title panels of the Sunday strips there is a synopsis of Peter's beginnings with the radioactive spider.

So here's the gist of it:  JJJ and his paper have paid the way for Dr. Doom to address the United Nations at a world conference on terrorism.  Yep -- invite a totalitarian dictator and renowned terrorist himself to discuss how to bring that phenomenon to a close.  Of course Spidey's out to stop Doom, but in the process falls on the wrong side of the law (again).  This provides Stan an opportunity to not only show Spidey as an outsider in his own town, but it gives Aunt May something to worry about while watching the news bulletin -- because you know, Peter's downtown, too.  We also get to see Pete's scientific knowledge on display, and it's his skill and perseverance at stopping Doom that ends up saving the day.  It was interesting how Stan adapted to the daily format of storytelling, as just by the nature of the medium the first panel was often used to summarize the previous day's entry; at other times 2/3 of the strip may have served this purpose!  The highlight for me were the caricatures Romita drew of world leaders of the day, all in attendance at Doom's UN address:  Israel's Golda Meir, the PLO's Yasser Arafat, Canada's Pierre Trudeau, Uganda's Idi Amin, Egypt's Anwar Sadat, and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.  Now that's a party with a roomful like that!  In the end, Doom gives his address, demands that everyone follow his lead, Spidey takes him on and tricks him into defeating himself, and the sun comes up tomorrow.  But what are those strange tentacles about to knock on a door on the last panel?

The Music of 007

Karen: Skyfall, the new Bond film, is out, and singer Adele has gotten a lot of praise for her singing on the title theme. There have been many great Bond songs over the years. Of course composer John Barry was responsible for many of the classic title songs, like "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever,"  "You Only Live Twice," and of course, the basic Bond theme. But there have been a number of other artists who have produced memorable Bond title tracks. One of my favorites is "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings. It took Bond into rock but still seems to capture the Bond spirit. Another popular Bond song from the 70s was "Nobody Does It Better" from the film The Spy Who Loved Me. This song was sung by Carly Simon but written by songsmiths Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager and was a pretty big hit. Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" from the film of the same name also scored big , although not a favorite of mine. Personally, I liked Jack White's and Alicia Key's effort from Quantum of Solace, "Another Way to Die," but it performed anemically on the charts.

So what are your favorite Bond songs? And what ones would you like to forget?

Karen's Favorites: Warlock 11

Warlock #11 (Feb 1976)
"How Strange My Destiny (part 2)
Story-layout: Jim Starlin
Finished art: Steve Leialoha

Karen: I've been thinking about reviewing this book for some time now. Warlock was a title that had a deep impact on me. It came along at the right time in my youth to make an impression. Starlin's work was so different from anyone else, whether on this title or on Captain Marvel, the first place I'd seen him. I was drawn to his powerful yet fluid art style immediately. But it was his stories that got me hooked. There was always something going on beyond the usual super-heroics. When Warlock #11 first came out, I was only 12. A precocious 12, to be sure, but still a 12 year old, and there was a lot of nuance here that I didn't pick up on. But I re-read this issue probably a dozen times in my teens, and like a good book, each time another layer was discovered. It's not a happy tale by any means, but it will leave you thinking about fate and free will.

Karen: There's a lot of backstory to this one, so I will try to summarize as best I can. Adam Warlock's future self, an evil despot known as the Magus, has come back in time to ensure that Adam will follow the path that turns him into the Magus. But Thanos, for his own unknown but surely dark purposes, has decided to help Adam avoid that destiny -by aiding him in killing himself! Adam must go through a time probe to avoid the path that leads to his becoming the Magus. But before he can do that, Thanos, Warlock, Gamora, Thanos' assistant, and Pip, Warlock's pal, are attacked by the Magus and his Death Squad. The Magus commands that all save Warlock be killed. The four are over-whelmed by the Magus' army. Thanos demands that Warlock use his soul gem to clear the way to the time probe. A terrified Warlock says he cannot -the soul gem (true to its name) actually steals the souls of those who are struck by its rays. Warlock  feels the torment of every victim of the gem. He despises the thing, but is unable to remove it from his head. But Thanos pushes him, saying that if he doesn't use it, he'll become the Magus and wind up murdering or enslaving millions of sentient beings. At the same time, the gem itself speaks to Warlock, demanding its release. Warlock finally gives in and blasts the Magus' soldiers. 

Karen: The path is clear before them except for the Magus himself, who exults in the fact that Warlock has used his soul gem. "You've just proven yourself worthy of becoming that which I am!" While Warlock is paralyzed with shock, Thanos acts, blasting the Magus. My blog pal Doug commented in his Daredevil Annual #1 post that Stan Lee frequently filled action scenes with way too much dialog. Starlin has a tendency to do the same thing. Everyone is expounding on their philosophical beliefs while beating the tar out of one another! But it's interesting stuff, so we'll let it go.

Karen: While the Magus is down, Thanos urges Warlock to enter the time probe. "But once there, what shall I do?" Warlock asks. "That you shall know upon your arrival!" Thanos answers cryptically. As Adam enters the portal, Pip jumps in behind him. They end up in a Ditko-esque dimension, replete with abstract shapes and eyeballs. They spot a bright strip which Warlock says is his life's path, his 'kismet trail' -and he must destroy it. Warlock has come to believe -with no little help from Thanos -that the only way he can avoid becoming the Magus is to end his own life. "I'm here to commit cosmic suicide!"

Karen: Back on the other side of the portal, Magus confronts Thanos, saying that he arranged for all of this, particularly the confrontation with Warlock. Why? Thanos' true plan is revealed: he and the Magus are diametrically opposed. "You are a creature of chaos and order...purpose...life! So being a creature of vast power, you may someday oppose that which I worship! For I am a dreamer of tranquility...non-purpose...Death!" Thanos and the Magus come to blows.

Karen: All through the storyline, while Adam has striven to figure out the right thing to do, Thanos has been using him. It makes Warlock appear to be a bit of a chump, honestly, but in that sense, he's a lot like the rest of us. We try to figure out the right path to take, but we are undoubtedly influenced by others, sometimes to our detriment. For all his power, Adam is not much different than anyone else.

 

Karen: Adam and Pip follow along their cosmic path when they encounter a strange man, half-black and half-white on opposite sides of his body (not unlike the aliens in the Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"). This cosmic being introduces himself as the In-Betweener. He states that the sole reason for his existence is to conduct Warlock to his realm, so he can fulfill his destiny and become the Magus. Of course, Warlock has no intention of going with him. He tries using his soul gem on him, but it has no effect. A solid club of rock also proves useless. The In-Betweener explains that he exists in-between such concepts as life and death, good and evil, reality and illusion. I found this a very interesting idea back when I first read it, and I still think it's pretty novel today. Warlock realizes he can do little against this foe, and listens to what he has to say. The In-Betweener reveals that he has been sent to obtain Warlock because of the cosmic balance. There's always been a battle between life and death, and life now needs a champion against "a recently-arrived and powerful advocate of death! The Magus, strange as it may seem to you, is to be the champion of life!" The In-Betweener tells Warlock to think about this in the five minutes he has remaining to him. "Five minutes?" Warlock cries.

Karen: Back in the 'real' universe, Thanos and the Magus carry on their battle, with Thanos revealing that he had hoped to get Warlock to eliminate any possibility of the Magus' creation, so that Thanos could take out his much-less powerful version. But the mad Titan is more than willing to take on the fully-powered Magus, even though it is tearing apart his starship, Sanctuary I. On-board the ship,  Gamora scrambles to escape from the destruction.

Karen: Back inside the time probe, Adam realizes that the In-Betweener can't actually kidnap him until the full five minutes have passed, so he decides to take the situation into his own hands. He briefly considers what the In-Betweener has said, that the Magus will be the champion of life, but he can't accept the idea. He looks at the physical manifestation of his life, and it breaks into five paths. One path stretches off into darkness. He uses the soul gem to first purify the path, an then, shatter it. These panels are juxtaposed with Magus and Thanos battling, and the Magus appears to be getting the upper hand. However, once Warlock has destroyed the path that leads to the Magus' creation, the Magus begins to fade away. The next page is a multi-panel spectacular, with scenes of the the Magus starting to disappear, Adam racing down his shortest life path, the In-Betweener moving forward, and Thanos roaring with laughter.

Karen: The following page is one that has haunted me ever since I first read it. I had never seen anything before, nor do I think I've seen anything since, quite like it. Our super-heroes are not supposed to be failures, not supposed to be broken.  But that's exactly what Starlin gave us here. Adam has gone down the shortest of his possible life paths. It has brought him to some place, "a year...maybe two years..in the future!" He is standing in what appears to be high tech ruins. We would find out a few years later, in Avengers Annual 7, that it is actually wreckage on board Thanos' starship. Lying on the ground before him is...himself. It is his future self, badly beaten, dying. The dying Adam says, "So my time has finally come." Adam expresses regret for what he has to do, but his future self is angry and bitter, and more than ready to die.Adam is shocked both by his future self's desire to die and by how short a time it's been since he destroyed his path. His speech to his past self has stuck with me for years. "Short time? You fool, it's been an eternity. During that time, everything I've ever cared for or accomplished has fallen into ruin! Everyone I've ever loved now lies dead! My life has been a failure! I welcome it's end!" With that, Adam absorbs his future self's soul into the soul gem.

Karen: Never had I seen anything like this in a comic before. The idea that a hero could fall into the depths of despair, could choose death...this was all very heavy stuff for a teenager! With the death of Warlock's future self, the universe is re-ordered, without any sign of the Magus' existence, or the Universal Church of Truth. Back on Thanos' ship Thanos and Gamora both survive, and Gamora wonders how it is that she still remembers the Magus if he never existed. Thanos explains that the four of them -Thanos, Gamora, Warlock and Pip -will all remember what happened as they were at the eye of the event.Thanos thinks to himself that what the rest of them don't realize is that now he will be unopposed in his plans for stellar genocide. Warlock and Pip find themselves transported back to homeworld, where they discover that while the Magus and the Universal Church are gone, a new church has popped up in their place. 

Karen: The four remaining issues in the series seemed negligible. Where could you go after having the hero kill himself? It wasn't til we got to the now-classic story in Avengers Annual 7 and Marvel Two In One Annual 2 that Warlock's story became important again. One could certainly argue that perhaps these two characters, these two great enemies, Warlock and Thanos, might have been best left alone after that story. But Marvel has gotten a lot of mileage out of Thanos, and Warlock keeps popping up here and there in different incarnations. But I think this issue, and the annuals, are these two characters at their best and purest.

Karen: I also want to point out that this sort of inward-looking, anti-hero characterization was also strong in a lot of science fiction popular at the time. At the same time I was reading Warlock, I was starting to get into writers like Roger Zelazny, whose books had protagonists who faced predicaments not unlike Adam Warlock did (for example Corwin in Nine Princes in Amber). No artist works in a vacuum and I know Starlin was certainly influenced by Michael Moorcock if not others. Overall, the 70s was a decade willing to accept unhappy endings.  Warlock's decision to end his life rather than to let it become perverted can be seen as a dark victory of free will.