Growing Pains: Avengers 139

 

Avengers #139 (September 1975)

"Prescription: Violence!"

Steve Englehart-George Tuska/Vince Colletta

Doug:  What in the world is there not to like about a floating heads cover?  Well, no matter what you might suggest to the contrary, I'll always argue that there is nothing not to like.  And there's no place better to find them than featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes!  Hey, this 2-parter was my suggestion to Karen a few months ago when we were plotting the spring after our January hiatus.  It's never been a secret that I'm in Hank Pym's corner -- have been since I read this story, Avengers #28, and on and on.  This book also shows that Steve Englehart had truly mastered Stan Lee's formula of angst, subplots, and characterization.  And there's not just a little bit of action in this one.  Shall we?

Doug:  When this book was new, I had only read a smattering of tales of the Avengers.  I knew of the Kooky Quartet and the team just after, I'd seen parts of the "Celestial Madonna" arc, and some of the Giant-Size issues.  But in terms of having any sort of a consistent run on the title, I'd not amassed anything approximating that as of yet.  So as we go through this, with all of the aforementioned subplots, I'll say that it wasn't exactly a jumping-on point for this 9-year old!  But I will say that with this issue, I did start a string of issues that didn't stop until just before #200 when I stopped collecting for a few years.  We open in a hospital room, where it's pretty crowded.  An apparently naked Janet Pym lies asleep while her husband threatens the Toad.  You see, in the last ish Magneto's former lap dog had impersonated the Stranger and Janet had suffered grave injuries.  Now Hank ain't happy -- not a bit.  The rest of the roster is present as well, and it's a pretty impressive line-up:  Thor, Iron Man, the Beast, and Moondragon.  This was the line-up, along with Cap, Vision, and the Scarlet Witch, that Englehart would use in the conclusion of his run as writer.

Karen: I suppose I'm repeating myself, but I jumped on to the Avengers bandwagon with issue #92, right at the start of the Kree-Skrull War, and the Pyms didn't have a role in the saga at that point, so my real introduction to them was via reprints in Marvel Triple Action and elsewhere. But Hank already seemed like a tragic figure to me because of his troubles getting stuck at giant-size way back when. He always seemed very dedicated to Jan too, which made their later problems all the more painful. Doesn't it seem weird that Jan is apparently nude under the sheet?

Doug:  It's a complete artistic faux pas, because when our baddie arrives she's clearly wearing a hospital gown.  Anyway, as Hank gets madder and madder, his teammates try to calm him down.  Hank yells at the doctor, at Iron Man, at Thor -- really, everyone.  In the midst of the turmoil, who should show up but the Whirlwind?  And just like a Whirlwind -- seriously, out of the blue (well, he was on the cover...).  He rolls in, hurls a few insults, brushes off the Beast and Thor, makes a dope of Iron Man, and cracks Yellowjacket in the noggin.  It's not until Moondragon gives him a mind blast that he abandons his plan of kidnapping the Wasp.  He retreats, and it's right back to the yelling.  I thought this opening scene was a little strange, to say the least.  While I had, at the time, read other Marvel books with this sort of in-fighting, this was over the top.  Hank all of a sudden winces with pain, and then runs off.  Thor and Iron Man are incredulous at Hank's behavior under stress.  In fact, Iron Man makes a snide remark:  "To think he helped found the Avengers!"

Karen: Hank certainly seemed to be cracking up. It's not like he hadn't shown signs of mental instability before -- let's not forget that his whole Yellowjacket persona came about because of a  mental break. But I don't think we'd ever seen him behave quite so erratically as this. Of course, Englehart was trying to ratchet up the tension here. As for Iron Man's remark -- did you notice that Englehart developed distinct personalities for all of the team members during his run? Even the heroes who had their own books, like Iron Man and Thor, were consistent within the Avengers title (even if they didn't conform to their depictions in their own title). His Iron Man tended to be a bit of an arrogant, headstrong old timer.

Doug:  Yes, Englehart's team was ever-fighting, and at the drop of a hat.  I recall the scene in Avengers #130 when Thor and IM tangle -- short fight.  Hey, even though we're really just starting, let's take a time-out from the plot and look at the art.  First off, I always liked the "nose mask".  I know it is much maligned, but it always made sense to me -- why would you want your nose all scrunched under the flat faceplate?  So I like this era.  But a third of the way through the book and George Tuska has used nothing but straight-on camera angles!  I know I'm going to comment on a couple of cool panels later in this review, but to begin this one, with all of the angst and confusion, the art just doesn't sell that idea!  And Vinnie Colletta just isn't the guy to help Tuska, although they were often paired up in the Bronze Age.

Karen: The nose mask on Shellhead took a little getting used to, but it didn't bother me, because as you say, it actually made sense. Although visually, I think the flat mask is more dramatic. I think Alex Ross' version, where the face plate bends out slightly, is probably the best all-around version. But back to the art -- I've said before I'm not a Tuska fan, and I'll pretty much leave it at that.

Doug:  At the conclusion of the hospital scene, after Hank had stalked off, Iron Man grabs Moondragon and tells Thor and the Beast that they will go in search of Hawkeye.  Ol' Hawk had used Doc Doom's time machine two issues prior and had not returned.  Thor, chairman at the time, chafes at this insubordination.  I'll declare that I did not care at all for Iron Man at this time, and this very issue may be a big reason why.  It's pretty obvious why he wants to sneak away with her, and a few pages later we'll find that I'm right.  But we cut away as Thor begins his own Asgardian meltdown, and pick it up with Dr. Pym on the street.  Waiting outside the hospital is Charles, Janet's chauffeur.  The Pyms had fired him during the Ant-Man series that ran in Marvel Feature (of which I've never read an issue).  Charles says something like Janet might benefit from a familiar face -- Hank of course tells him to get lost.  We then see Charles enter the hospital anyway, and get a peek at his thoughts.  Charles is in reality the Whirlwind, and has always been close to the Pyms.  But when Charles enters Jan's room, he finds the Beast and Thor still by her side.  Thor greets him, as he backs out the door to scheme again.

Karen: I had perhaps two issues of Marvel Feature when Pym was playing "Incredible Shrinking Man" but I honestly can't recall much about them, other than Egghead and his niece appearing in an issue. I also haven't read many of the old Tales to Astonish when Pym headlined. So this whole backstory with Whirlwind is news to me. It sort of makes the Pyms look clueless. Of course, Whirlwind doesn't appear too bright when he saunters into the hospital, expecting to find the Wasp left alone. Really? You think the Avengers would leave one of their own alone and vulnerable to attack? Duh!

Doug:  Subplot #1 -- Iron Man and Moondragon rocket across the Atlantic Ocean on their way to Latveria.  Iron Man, in all his best (or worst) smarminess, comes on to Moondragon.  She turns the tables on him, which takes Tony off guard.  But in a preface to her conversations with Thor some months in the future, she yells to her companion that although she was born on Earth, she is not an Earthwoman!

Karen: I thought this was a hilarious comeuppance for playboy Stark. "Should I now turn to you like this and press my yielding lips to your cold metallic ones?" Stark is completely dumbfounded, not used to having a woman refuse his come-ons. More than any other writer at that particular time, Englehart had a sensitivity to women and their issues, and managed to create scenes like this which were not heavy-handed but did manage to get across a point.

Doug:  Subplot #2 -- A female hand grasps a newspaper announcing that the Beast has joined the Avengers.  She crumples the paper, turns on her heel, and cries, "Look out, Beast!  You won't escape me again!"

Karen: Now we know where this is going, but at the time, as I hadn't read any of the Beast's solo stories in Amazing Adventures, I had no idea what this was about. I'm sure I was not alone.

Doug:  Oh, so it's somewhat self-serving by the author, a la Brian Bendis and all of his "pets"?

Doug:  Back to the main action, Hank's at home, reminiscing on the good times he and Jan have had.  It's really nice, and we believe that they have a deep love.  As he turns to leave the house, Whirlwind attacks him on his front lawn.  Hank immediately calls on ants to weaken the ground, which throws Whirlwind off balance.  Then Hank draws his cellular-disruptor pistol and Whirlwind flees immediately.  Here is a very nice series of five panels where Tuska and Colletta really shine.  The page you see here with the aerial shot of Whirlwind followed by Hank looking pensively at the gun is really well done.  A little detective work in his brain, and...  Hank calls the hospital and checks on Jan.  He asks the Beast a question, and gets the answer he assumed he'd get.  He turns down the Beast's offer of help.

Karen: I agree, the art here was pretty dynamic. But I just didn't buy the whole bit here about Whirlwind running from the cellular disruptor pistol --"a weapon he shouldn't have recognized." If Whirlwind already knew about YJ and his powers, and he was so scared of the pistol, why would he have attacked earlier? I thought it was a little weak but I'm probably being nitpicky.

Doug:  Subplot #1, part 2 -- Iron Man, all sarcastic with Moondragon now, lands the quinjet and together they enter Doom's castle.  IM makes a comment about not being with the team when last they visited, in Avengers #56.  Surprisingly, this was one of the first issues of the title I owned, and a great one at that.  But, no time machine, and no Hawkeye.  We know where he is, don't we?

Karen:  Boy, Iron Man really is stinging from Moondragon's rebuff! It must have been a very uncomfortable trip to Latveria. But yes, the time machine is gone. Oh that crazy Hawkeye!

Doug:  Subplot #3 -- We see the Vision and Scarlet Witch, in full costume on their honeymoon (duh...).  Wanda wants to stay in paradise longer, but the Vision wants to return to the team.  I thought that this was appropriate, as he'd been the face of the team for years at this point.

Karen: I know way back when, we had some discussions about the Vision and Wanda's marriage, and I opined that in some ways it was a comic-book stand-in for an inter-racial relationship. I still feel that way -- Englehart had people protesting their relationship, even going so far in issue #113 to become suicide bombers. Here, Vision tells Wanda they need to go back and face the public and whatever reactions their marriage may cause. Vision almost seems anxious to do this, like he can't wait to see what the reality of their life together will be, for good or ill. But largely, the public disapproval angle was dropped, and the two mostly faced problems from Wanda's brother, Quicksilver, and the Vision's pseudo-brother, the Grim Reaper.

Doug:  Back in New York, we find Charles the chauffeur come staggering out of a bar.  But as he gets to his limo, Yellowjacket emerges from the back door.  Jig's up -- Hank grabs Charles and tells him exactly why the Whirlwind fled from Hank's pistol -- only Charles and a few others had ever seen the gun and knew what it could do.  And since the Whirlwind knew...  Charles immediately spins into costume and it's game on!  But the wild card in this fight?  Hank suddenly shoots up to 20 feet -- heck yeah!  I knew enough about Yellowjacket to know that this didn't happen -- never!  So I was totally taken aback and simply glued to the remaining pages.  For my criticism of the camera angles in the earlier parts of this issue, the improvement shown over the last five pages is astonishing.  This is fast-paced, all-out action.  The words and pictures really paint Hank Pym as a man possessed, and the Whirlwind as so cocky it costs him.  After a battle across a few city blocks, Hank shrinks to ant-size and gets up under Whirlwind's chestplate.  At close range the stings send his nemesis into a frenzy.  But just as he's about to put Whirlwind away, Hank inexplicably falls from the chestplate.  As Whirlwind readies to stomp the tiny Avenger, a big furry blue fist knocks him out cold.  While the Beast's sudden entrance might be a deus ex machina, I thought it served to further show Hank McCoy's wanting to make the Avengers his new home -- and bonding with a teammate to prove it.  In fact, the Beast hoists Whirlwind over his shoulder and the two heroes head back to the hospital.

Karen: One would think that suddenly growing to 20 feet tall, then down to bug-sized, couldn't be healthy for a person. Next issue we'll see just what a strain it put on Pym. As for the Beast's fortuitous arrival -- hey, that's what friends are for! However, it did make for a rather abrupt ending to the story. But the team regroups and things get really wild next time around.

 

Star Trek Into Darkened Theaters

Karen: Offer your SPOILER-FREE thoughts about the newest entry in the Star Trek film series, Star Trek Into Darkness. Should it live long and prosper? Or be swallowed whole by the Doomsday Machine?

 

True or False: Fantastic Four is the World's Greatest Comic Magazine

 

That Zany Bob Haney: Teen Titans 4

 

Teen Titans #4 (August 1966)

"The Secret Olympic Heroes"

Bob Haney-Nick Cardy

Doug:  We've seen numerous times how zany Bob Haney was in the Bronze Age; today let's trip back to the Silver Age and check him out.  I picked this issue for the following reasons -- it has a cool Nick Cardy cover, as well as interior art, and given that its cover date is August of 1966 it is highly likely that this would have been on the stands the month I was born (June).  I will be using the Silver Age Teen Titans Archives volume 1 as my resource.  Let's go!

Doug  For those who make note of such things, this is Speedy's first appearance in the Teen Titans.  As Haney puts it on the splash page, the mail clamoring for the Boy Bowman reached up to DC's 7th floor offices, so they gave in.  I'm sure that's just a bit hyperbolic, but I have no doubt there was excitement to add young Roy Harper to the fold.  This is an "untold tale" of the Titans -- which is indeed problematic as Speedy had no prior history with the team (hey, we're living on Earth-Haney) -- and actually takes place two years earlier during the 1964 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games.  We pick it up at the Trials, where Davey Bradley wins his heat in what must apparently be the 400 meter dash; or would it have been 440 yards back then?  But instead of claiming his gold medal, Bradley runs right out of the stadium (which looks an awful lot like a track at a small rural high school rather than a major-college track & field venue.  Anyway, Davey's dad calls after him, but it's to no avail.  The next day the Teen Titans read about it in the paper.  Of course Wonder Girl says something stupid:  "Ooh!  He's darling-looking!  I hope he runs my way!"  Thank goodness the writing of female characters improved in the Bronze Age.

Doug:  The Titans mull the situation, when suddenly the special television frequency used for emergencies comes alive.  It's Davey's dad, imploring the Titans to find his son; he also implies that the kid must compete in the Olympics.  But before the Titans can agree to take the case, their intruder alarm goes off.  Man, some morning!  The young heroes mobilize, and Robin's effort to lasso their bad guy is met only with a green arrow shot through his batarang -- fired by Speedy!  With his typical bravado, Speedy greets the team and then tells them his real reason for infiltrating their HQ.  It seems Speedy has been requested to perform a trick shot at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (by the way, if you didn't know, the '64 Games were held in Tokyo).  However, while training out in the middle of nowhere (literally), Speedy spies a shady character swiping arrows out of his quiver.  Turning to face the guy, Speedy's knocked down.  Once up, he notices that an arrow tipped with TNT had been substituted for the trick arrow he was to have used.  And, the crook left a clue -- a dropped ring with a red letter "D" on it -- the mark of Diablo, the criminal organization dedicated to hate and distrust.  What the??  Oh wait -- Earth-Haney.

Doug:  Of course the Titans want to deal with this cadre of weirdos, but finding Davey Bradley is their first priority -- thick plot here:  missing person and a secret society!  "Wonder Chick" takes to the air while the boys search the ground (Aqualad -- useless again).  Wonder Girl sees a track suit on a clothesline and swoops down to investigate.  The lady of the house is outside.  When questioned on the uniform, she says she doesn't know how it got there, but that some of her own son's clothes are missing!  Back to the skies, Wonder Girl sees a bright red shirt (the color of a shirt missing from that clothesline) and flies lower to check it out.  Yep -- it's Davey alright, about to meet his maker at the hands of some toughs in a "hobo jungle".  I don't make this stuff up, kids; Bob Haney does.  Wonder Girl dispenses the feet of justice, so to speak.  Later, at an abandoned farm house, Mr. Bradley comes quickly at Robin's call.  But Robin doesn't tell him where Davey is.  Frustrated, Mr. Bradley says again that they must find the boy, that he has to compete in the Olympics.  Robin says that maybe Davey doesn't want to compete, and Mr. Bradley goes nuts.  Turns out that he was in line to compete in the Games as a younger man, but a car accident ruined his chance; Davey has to carry on!  But Robin knows why Davey has to compete -- so the old man can live his own dreams through the kid!  Mr. Bradley storms away, and Robin steps inside the house, where Davey was of course hiding.  Later, the Titans fly a commercial airliner, in costume no less, to Tokyo.  Davey is along, too, in disguise.

Doug:  As the Titans exit the plane they are besieged for autographs by Japanese teenagers.  Stopping to sign, Robin suddenly flings a notebook high into the sky and orders Speedy to shoot it -- it explodes high above the crowd.  Robin says he felt the book begin to heat up once he's committed pen to paper.  It can only be the work of... Diablo!  At the Olympic Village, which looks somewhat like a POW camp, the Titans (and Davey) are practically knocked over by Kravik, a runner who Davey says would have been his greatest rival.  As the kids move around the camp, they come to a barrack -- oops, apartment complex -- where someone has written "Cheaters Live Here" on the roof.  As the two teams assigned to the building begin to tussle, the Titans intervene.  Wonder Girl again takes to the air, and as she flies above the boys, Speedy utters, "Shivering shafts!"  I'll bet...  She flies a short distance and then bursts through the wall of another dormitory to find some Diablo agents with a projector -- they'd been shining the "Cheaters" message onto that other roof.  WG captures the nasties, and Robin remarks that if these guys are going to infiltrate the village disguised as athletes, stopping them isn't going to be easy.

Doug:  Later, Davey steals away from the Titans and begins to run around the track.  Kid Flash catches up to him and cruises alongside while Davey (still in disguise) runs a lap in what would be an Olympic record.  For whatever reason, Davey's dad is on the track -- apparently he went to Tokyo even though the athlete he was coaching did not? -- and calls after the runner.  But due to Davey's disguise, one Clark Kent himself would have been proud to have worn, Mr. Bradley apologizes for the confusion and says he thought the guy was his son -- the quitter.  Sheesh -- I'll tell you, I am going to do you a favor as a blogging professional by finishing this review.  Speedy suggests that Davey could train if he wants, in the Olympic stadium after hours while Speedy practices his trick shots.  Davey agrees.  Elsewhere, Aqualad decides to check out the pool, because you know he hasn't had anything else to do.  Of course you could see this coming -- three Diablo agents are sabotaging the pool.  Aqualad moves in and smokes the first two, but because he's Aqualad and somewhat lame, he gets dusted by the third saboteur.  We learn that the goon Kravik is in league with Diablo, and that they are quite an organization -- Kid Flash and Wonder Girl put the kibosh on a team trying to mess with the Olympic flame.  Robin is attacked, too, while timing Davey's training.  Soon the four main Titans are trussed to the Olympic rings in the stadium.

Doug:  Speedy, meanwhile, is in the middle of the stadium and apparently totally oblivious to all the action.  He's got his bow and arrows, and is blindfolding himself to practice shooting a flaming arrow through the rings, alighting the first one and subsequently the other four.  Well, with the blindfold on his ears are also covered (you'd better thank me when I'm done with this), he doesn't hear his teammate shouting at him.  He fires the arrow and it's looking like barbecued Titans for dinner!  Davey, also completely clueless, is still running around the track.  Kravik tries to run him down, but Davey outraces him to get to Speedy.  Unmasked, the archer realizes what he almost did.  But Diablo now attacks en masse, hurling shots, a discus, hammers, etc. at our youthful heroes.  Speedy of course has an arrow to stop each projectile, and does.  Davey metes out some justice as well.  So the Titans get down, the baddies are suppressed, the Games open, Davey ends up competing and wins a bronze medal.  And Davey's dad -- actually acts like a human being at the end of the story.  All's well that ends well -- no matter how zany!

Doug:  Of course I didn't think this was nearly as entertaining as the Brave & the Bold stories we've looked at.  This one was just dopey, and Haney's dialogue is painful throughout.  I'd also add that comic book writers don't generally "do" sports very well (Mr. Claremont?).  The solution?  If you don't know something, ask someone who does.  Pretty simple.  Instead we get painfully off words and pictures.  Part of this conundrum may have been the relative newness of the Teen Titans, but I'm thinking that it was more likely due to editorial's attitude about its readers.  If the average Silver Age DC was written for a 10-year old fan, then who would this mag have been written for -- an 8-year old?  I mean really -- this was on the newsstands the same month as Amazing Spider-Man #39 and Fantastic Four #53.  And this is what DC was competing with?  Now that is zany.  I'll close with a note on Nick Cardy's art.  I'm usually a big fan, but here the interiors are very uneven.  There is no inker credited, and if Cardy inked himself he did himself no favors.  Some of the embellishment is quite heavy, with no hint that it appears that way as shading.  I've seen better work from Mr. Cardy.

Spoil Away: Iron Man 3 Discussion

Karen: Now that Iron Man 3 has been smashing box office records for a couple of weeks, we figured it was fair game to throw it open to discussion, with all details -in other words, with spoilers. So if you haven't seen the film and you want to be surprised, avoid the comments today!

BAB Classic: We're Talkin' Song Covers

NOTE:  This post was originally published on October 7 2010.  I decided to run it again since I'm sure we can generate a little more conversation than we originally shared three years ago.  For example, a couple of songs have come to mind lately -- I prefer "Always On My Mind" by Elvis Presley over the more famous Willie Nelson cover.  I have also enjoyed Elton John's version of "Pinball Wizard" over the original Who track from Tommy; the Smithereens cover of the same song really doesn't add anything.  Your turn now (again).


Doug: Karen and I have been discussing off and on how we've become quite comic-centric around here. While that's not a bad thing -- your comments speak to the interest that our audience has in those types of things -- we used to do much more music and movie/tv themed posts. So, with a nod to the past (I guess), let's open it up to a music genre that I like to store on my iTouch -- multiple versions of the same song.

Do you have some songs in mind where you think a cover version improved on the original? How about the other way around? Do you have a song or three on your mp3 player where you've stored several different versions?

Just to kick it off, I like Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends over the Beatles' original recording. I like the pace better, and I can't help but see two things when I hear Cocker's version -- John Belushi's send-up on Saturday Night Live, and the intro. to the The Wonder Years. So when I was writing this, I tried to think of other songs that I have -- Van Halen's version of You Really Got Me beats the Kinks', and the Clash has done my favorite performance of I Fought the Law -- as compared to the Bobby Fuller Four and the Bryan Setzer Orchestra.

Whatcha got?

Doug (now):  Diggin' this cover of the Turtles' "Happy Together", as heard in the trailers for The Great Gatsby.

Battlin' Brains: Mr. Fantastic vs. Brainiac 5

Karen: Who comes out on top in this titanic cross-company showdown of dueling medullas? We're talking brain power only here.

 

We Could Be Heroes: Marvel Two-In-One 5

 

Marvel Two-In-One #5 (September 1974)

"Seven Against the Empire!"

Steve Gerber-Sal Buscema/Mike Esposito

Doug:  I wonder what readers who had purchased Marvel Super-Heroes #18 thought about the cover and corner box of this issue?  If you just got back from making that leap, you saw that the original Guardians as conceived by Gene Colan look nothing like the dudes backing up Ben and Cap here.  Does anyone know who did the re-design on the costumes?  Was it Sal, or the Jazzy One?  And as long as I have your art ear, let me toss a huge kudo in the direction of Mike Esposito.  Espo's inks really complement Sal's pencils in a way that Frank Giacoia's just didn't last issue.  I commented then that Ben's face was sometimes off to me -- no problems in that regard here.  The Thing is one of the toughest characters to get "right", from shading the rocks to the huge unibrow to movements of his mouth.  Today's team does a bang-up job.  OK -- let's commence kicking some "baboon" tail!

Karen: I found a comment on the letters page of MTIO #6 that states that Dave Cockrum was responsible for redesigning Vance Astro and Yondu, although no mention was made of Charlie 27; one might assume he redid him as well. Also, the Guardians' spaceship was a Cockrum creation -- it might be more obvious once we show it. I have to say, I greatly prefer the "new" look over the original. I also agree with you about Mike Esposito - he complements Sal much better in this issue than Giacoia did in the previous one.

Doug:  At the end of our first chapter, the heroes had journeyed to the year 3014 to assist the Earthlings in freeing themselves from the fascist Badoon.  Doctor Doom's time machine, under the calibration of Mr. Fantastic, had sent Ben, Captain America, and Sharon Carter into the future to fight alongside the woman known as Tarin.  Now in the throne room, restrained by the automatonic Zoms, the interrogation begins.  Cap is subjected to a memory probe, which looks an awful lot like the hair dryer my mom used to sit under at the beauty shop on Saturday mornings.  And come to think of it, she used to tell sweeping stories in those days, just like Cap here!  Hmmm...  Anyway, Gerber uses this as a plot vehicle to get any jumpers-on up to speed on what has gone before.  And in the days of spotty distribution, it's probably a good idea as opposed to a waste of space.  The Grand Poobah is most upset to find that these intruders are not only Earthlings, but heroes to boot.  And one -- a symbol of liberty!  Not so good when you're a totalitarian reptile.

Karen: Your reference to the beauty salon hair dryer is an apt one, but I couldn't help but think of the interrogation scene in Logan's Run - which didn't come out til 1976! Regardless, it's an effective method for recapping the story so far. And when I first read this story, I was glad for its inclusion, as I didn't have the prior issue! 'Spotty distribution' indeed!

Doug:  As the goon squad discusses the dire straits knocking at their door, Ben awakens in full clobbering mode.  He despatches the big green robot instantly and Cap shakes off his own cobwebs in time to lend a hand.  The Badoon are caught totally off-guard, but the leader is able to get enough wits about him to give the "Kill them!" order.  As the Zoms charge in with guns, Ben takes out four of them with one mighty punch.  We next see two pages of all-out action, as Zoms and Badoon converge on our fleeing heroes.  Ben grabs a car (that doesn't look futuristic at all -- 1000 years in the future and still rubber tires?  What happened to George Jetson's ride that folds up into a briefcase?) and hurls it into a crowd while Agent 13 grabs a blaster and shows that she's not just a pretty face.  Cap does his usual Cap-like stuff, and we land out of this scene and into the HQ of the underground.  Tarin has come for their aid.  The leader, Zakkor, is skeptical of her story of a very-much alive Captain America.  But as they argue, another member of the resistance bursts in and corroborates the story.  Zakkor is apologetic to Tarin, and then gives the order to summon back to Earth -- the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Karen: Ben really looks great here - massive, rocky, and powerful. Was he always so impulsive? I guess so. You're right about the car though; it seemed rather mundane, but then, that goes hand in hand with our impressions of the supposedly futuristic cityscape from last issue. Perhaps depictions of such things were not Sal's strength.

Doug:  You know how the first time you saw something "known" as it existed in a prior form and it was just weird/off/strange?  Like if you started watching the Brady Bunch in prime time (like me) and then later saw the episodes from when the kids were much younger?  Or in another example, if Elton John's "Pinball Wizard" was the first version you loved?  Well that's what it was like for me the first time I ever saw an image from Colan's Guardians story.  What a difference!  And as we said at the top, this version was very much "new and improved".  The creative team does a nice job, in only seven panels, of introducing us to each of the four team members and helping us to know their personalities.  We've said it a million times that today's creators could get a lesson from Silver and Bronze Age writers and artists.  Vance Astro gives Martinex the order to turn the very Enterprise-like Captain America around and head back to Earth.

Karen: Super-heroes in space! What's not to like? Yes, the ship looked suspiciously like the Enterprise, but if you're going to steal, steal from the best. I really like the colorful uniforms, and here's another little bit that almost certainly seems borrowed from Trek -the little star insignia on Vance, Charlie, and Yondu's outfits. I liked how Gerber had Vance recognize Cap by his "fighting stance" - he really must have been a huge Cap fan as a kid back in the 20th century!

Doug:  The only thing better than super-heroes in space would have to be "Pigs in Space".

Doug:  On Earth, it just goes from bad to worse for our lead characters, as the Badoon rally and pursue.  As one of the slithery guys beats it toward the panic button, he gets an arrow right in the back.  And Steve Gerber makes sure we know -- that guy is dead.  The topic of heroes killing villains came up in our recent X-Men reviews, and given that this story is about five years ahead of that one, I felt this was even more surprising that this is so definitive in a Code-approved, for-sale-in-a-supermarket comic book.  As this issue's guest-stars finally burst onto the scene, it's a free-for-all.  We again get some background/characterization for each of the Guardians, specifically in regard to their powers.  For those keeping score, it would be another 11 months before the team would grace both Giant-Size Defenders #5 and Defenders #26 in August 1975.  I have the team's full run in Marvel Presents but have not read it yet.  I think an interesting side conversation today would be a comparison of which team was more successful in the Bronze Age -- the Guardians or the Inhumans?

Karen: One thing I was wondering, and I don't recall reading in any magazine or on-line anywhere, is what prompted a revival of the Guardians? Was it Gerber's idea, or was it something that Roy Thomas came up with? Roy was the Marvel king of recycling old characters, particularly ones that hadn't done well. Perhaps one of these recent collections of the early Guardians stories might comment on that? In any case, we do get to see each team member in action and it's pretty clear what they can do. I did read their run in Marvel Presents -I might have missed an issue or two at the time - and I enjoyed them more than the Inhumans, probably due to the space and future aspects.

Doug:  After the two groups finally put down the Badoon, there is time for introductions.  Vance Astro is very excited to meet his boyhood idol, Captain America.  Say what?  Astro then narrates his own origin story, and how a 20th Century boy (cue the T-Rex song) came to be a hero a millennium later.  And I must say, there are a lot of words on the page!  Talk about text-heavy.  But it's fine -- seriously, you got some bang for your quarter, unlike the lack of bang for your four bucks nowadays.  As Vance finishes, Cap says it's time to alert the underground fighters.  Before he can finish his thought, the renegade army is standing just to their side.  Vance marvels at how Cap and the Thing, in seven hours, have given these people the courage to break seven years of Badoon bondage.  Cap begins to formulate a plan -- and you know Ben's hearing none of it.  After all, It's Clobberin' Time!

Karen: Boy, this segment sure took me back. Vance was born in 1962. He left Earth in a rocket going a million miles an hour in 1988. Now in 1974, when I read this, I guess that seemed possible -just barely. But here it is 2013, and the U.S. doesn't even have any heavy lift rockets to get up to the International Space Station -we have to rely on the Russians! Where's the bright sparkly future we were promised? OK, I'm done grumbling.  It took one thousand years for Vance's rocket to reach  Centauri-IV, but when he got there, Earthmen were waiting for him. Seems some genius invented faster than light travel while he was in hyper-sleep. That sure seems like a straight-up 70s downer. Although I suppose that's from the original story in Marvel Super-Heroes #18. Did it seem to do a disservice to the Guardians that it was Cap and Ben's efforts that rallied the people and not theirs? They just show up and take out a few zoms and badoon and suddenly the humans are ready to fight. I suppose they provided the kind of motivation that the "local boys" couldn't. And of course, the clobbering.

Doug:  And clobber they do.  Ben and Charlie-27 team-up against the now-repaired big ugly robot while the rest of the team does their thing in a nice splash page of the brouhaha.  It's over soon enough, with the Lordsire captured.  He spouts some typical bravado, claiming that the heroes have only taken back the New York area -- the Badoon are still in control of the entire planet, solar system, and galaxy.  Ben says he just doesn't get it, and Cap soliloquizes about free men yearning for liberty and the inherent power in that.  And just as quickly as this adventure began, it ends.  The time machine returns, and our 20th Century heroes fade to black.

Karen: It's a pretty quick wrap-up, but really, what more needs to be shown? The Guardians and the rest of humanity have a tough fight ahead of them, but we know they'll win -'cause Cap said so! This is a well-worn issue from my collection, one I read many times over, and I still enjoy it today. I've always liked the Guardians, and wish we'd gotten more of them in the Bronze Age.

Doug:  I enjoyed this issue better than the first installment, but I have to question the pacing (I guess that's what I'll question -- maybe it's the spacing) of each issue.  As we said last week, in MTIO #4 we spent what seemed to be half of the book in the park, with the Wundarr/zoo part of the story -- which served as the vehicle to get Cap and Ben teamed up.  Then in the concluding chapter, the featured heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy, were only really in the story for the last eight pages or so.  In other words, we got "set-up" again for better than half of the book.  All sewn together it's not a bad use of 40 pages, but each of the two issues just felt a bit odd.  I'll also say that Gerber did a better job with Ben's "voice" in this issue than we had both remarked last issue.  And I'll finish where I began, with the art.  Sal Buscema may be a journeyman or everyman artist -- rarely do we hear him spoken of with the star power of an Adams, Steranko, or his big brother John.  But find me anyone who worked between 1970 and 1980 who was more steady, more reliable, and got the job done right every time.  Tough to beat Sal Buscema, kids.

In Appreciation of: Ray Harryhausen

Karen: Ray Harryhausen, the master of stop-motion animation, passed away this week on May 7th at the venerable age of 92. He was a legend in the special effects world, an unparalleled artist whose work influenced untold numbers of film-makers, writers, artists, and other creative types, and fueled the imaginations of generations.

Karen: He was one of my first guides to the world of the fantastic. His films played often on the local TV stations, and whenever they came on, I was transfixed. It took a few years before I learned the secrets of how he gave life to his creatures, but it didn't diminish their magic; if anything, it made them even more impressive.

Karen: Ray's work was elegant; his creations all had personalities of their own. He managed to convey a tremendous amount of emotion through such limited figures. The body movement of a Harryhausen figure was unmistakable -as a kid, I would imitate the strange yet graceful moves of the Cyclops or Ymir. He made monsters, yet they were all beautiful monsters.

Karen: Harryhausen was so incredibly talented. Think about it: he could sketch, paint, sculpt, and even learned photography, so he take the pictures of the stop-motion figures himself. Any one of these fields would be difficult to take on, but he was proficient in all of them. His imagination knew no bounds. Look at the amazing array of creatures he designed over the years. From dinosaurs to mythical beasts to flying saucers, Ray could envision them all and bring them to life. 

Karen: Modern CGI effects may look more "realistic" but to me they seem to lack the artistry that Ray's work brought to the screen. Where is the soul? Can anyone name a CGI 'artist'? I have no doubt that Ray's work will be remembered for as long as there are movies. I'm grateful to have experienced the thrill of seeing his films as a child, of having them make such a powerful impression upon me, of experiencing their magic and being able to close my eyes and picture the Cyclops or Talos  whenever I please. Thank you Ray, for all the wonderful films.

I'd like to also point readers back to a previous post, regarding the (hopefully) soon to be released on DVD documentary, "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan." This is a fabulous documentary!