Marvel Two-in-One 1, 1973 “Vengeance of the Molecule Man!”

Posted on by billyd75

To close out 2019, and the theme of Team-Up books, I thought I’d go out with a bang, and feature a fairly recent acquisition! A key issue from the Bronze Age, this book is one I’ve been searching for at an affordable price for a long time. The day finally came at a local comic shop (LCS) as they were having a sale that helped ease the pain of the cost. Now, it’s time for Monster vs Monster!

With a story as ridiculous as you’d expect, Ben picks up the morning paper and gets furious because there’s another person with the name “Thing.” This other (Man-)Thing is down in the Everglades and Ben Grimm decides to go down there to give him the whoopin’ he deserves. There’s just one problem though, the Molecule Man has returned, and he’s ready to spring a trap on old Benjy! Can both of these heroes manage to take down an opponent that is off the charts powerful?

Starting with the awesome cover by Gil Kane and John Romita, this one is quirky but a lot of fun. Most of the reason why this one is so much fun, is the writing of Steve Gerber. The dialogue was great with Ben and Manny, then throw in Molecule Man and the other ancillary characters, and it’s a blast! The interior art by Gil Kane (pencils) and Joe Sinnott (inks) was fantastic. No matter if it was action scenes or conversation, they did a very nice job. Jean Izzo (letters), George Roussos (colors), and Roy Thomas (editor) round out the masterful minds behind this gem!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bizarre Adventures 34, 1982 “Special Hate-The-Holidays Issue!”

Posted on by billyd75

In this, the final holiday post of 2019, I give to you one of the weirdest books ever! These strange stories all revolve around the holidays, but each one with a different cast of characters. The awesome cover is by Joe Jusko!

In the first odd tale (“Son of Santa“), we see a little person who convinces a total stranger to come with him on a flight to Tokyo. He agrees, but half way through the flight, the little guy hijacks the plane, and then forces the kid to jump out of the plane with him (using parachutes). They descend, and find an unusual building. It’s the HQ of none other than Santa Claus himself! The jolly old guy has been killed, frozen solid by someone called…the Anti-Claus! Written by Mark Gruenwald and art by Alan Kupperberg.

The second story is a bit of a parody of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Howard the Duck (“Howard the Duck’s Christmas“)! As usual, it’s a crazy story, but not the best of the book for sure. Written by Steven Grant, art by Paul Smith.

Next is “Dr. Deth, Not to Mention Kip and Morty.” This one is by Larry Hama (script and layouts) and Bob Camp (pencils and inks). This one is very weird, and really not about Christmas except in a  very ancillary way.

In “Slay Bells,” we see what looks like a deranged, small man, acting like a boy to get close to Santa Claus’s around town so he can kill them! This one is super crazy, and violent. Story and art by Mike Carlin.

The next to last story is called “Santa Bites the Big Apple!” Santa arrives to give out presents in Manhattan, but finds out it isn’t easy doing anything in NYC! He gets thrown in the slammer, then must improvise on how to distribute his presents. Writing and art by Al Milgrom.

Lastly, we get a chapter in the life of Bucky Bizarre! An alien character that appeared in previous issues. He’s a humorous character that stumbles upon a girl selling matches on a street corner. The story takes place in the times of Charles Dickens, but this girl is not what you’d think! Written by Steve Skeates, art by Steve Smallwood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel Two-in-One 74, 1981 “A Christmas Peril!”

Posted on by billyd75

Merry Christmas to everyone out there! This week I’ll keep with the theme of anthology books, but with a holiday story! One of Marvel’s most beloved characters is definitely Ben Grimm. His kind heart and love for his friends is one of legend, his fights with Johnny notwithstanding! This story opens up with a gorgeous splash page that really sets the holiday mood. This wild tale involves the Puppet Master, Ben, and Alicia. You see, the Puppet Master is fresh out of prison, and the shenanigans must ensue. He convinces Alicia that he’s no longer evil, and then the two of them, plus The Thing head to his homeland (Transia) as a Christmas present from the FF. It doesn’t take long for the trio to get into trouble, as Bova and Modred the Mystic join the cast in this crazy holiday issue!

Written by Mark Gruenwald, art by Frank Springer (pencils and cover) and Chic Stone (inks), colors by George Roussos, letters by Michael Higgins, and edited by Jim Salicrup! This is a very wacky issue, but so much fun. The holiday backdrop is perfect for this story and for today’s post! Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel Team-Up 91, 1980 “Carnival of Souls!”

Posted on by billyd75

As December rolls on, I wanted to spotlight more team up books. This one is very kooky, and features one of the weirdest villains from the pages of Marvel Team-Up! Moondark is very bizarre, and in his first appearance (MTU 12), he was shown controlling Jack Russell, in an attempt to murder Spidey! In this issue, he’s using his vast magical powers to control the Ghost Rider! And for a time he does, and makes him part of a sideshow attraction!

The issue starts out with Peter and Glory Grant on a date at the carnival It’s here that he sees the Ghost Rider. He then comes back later at night to investigate and then the real action begins! We get to see some Spidey vs Ghost Rider action, plus both of them against Moondark!

The story was written by Steven Grant, with art by Pat Broderick (pencils) and Bruce D. Patterson (inks). The letters by Jim Novak, colors by George Roussous, and edited by Denny O’Neil! The cover is by Rich Buckler (pencils) and Al Milgrom (inks)! Definitely a fun little one issue story that fits perfectly in the Bronze Age of goodness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel Team-Up 71, 1978 “DeathGarden”

Posted on by billyd75

It feels like it has been forever since the blog covered a Marvel anthology title (superheroes). After sifting through some boxes, I decided to spotlight this one! How can you not get drawn in by this cover? Cap slowly dying, Spidey and the Falcon swooping in to try and save him, the always loved Marvel hyperbole…”when dies a legend!”

The story isn’t too deep, but it’s mostly about the action, drama, and two heroes getting together to save a mutual friend in Captain America. You do get a lot in this issue though, as A.I.M., Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Redwing, and the Plantman all make appearances! A fun issue and you always get that with Marvel Team-Up!

Written by Bill Kunkel, pencils by David Wenzel, inks by Dan Green, letters by Rick Parker, colors by Francoise Mouly, and edited by Jim Shooter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Machine Man 2, 1978 “House of Nightmares”

Posted on by billyd75

When Jack “King” Kirby returned to Marvel in the mid-1970s, not only did he spend time on an old favorite, Captain America, but he also created some new characters that were absolutely mind-blowing. One at the top of the list has to be Machine Man. An android created by a scientist, that in turn was killed trying to remove the auto-destruct mechanism from him. Machine Man was introduced in the pages of 2001: A Space Odyssey (issue 8, 1977). This was another Kirby vehicle that was initially based on the film (Stanley Kubrick) and novel (by Arthur C. Clarke). Kirby eventually took the book in his own direction though, and brought more of his Bronze Age bombast with it.

Kirby eventually left Marvel in 1978/1979 (after issue nine of this series), but the title did go on for a few more issues with Steve Ditko on art. It was interesting, but not the all out craziness and cool of Kirby (some of that was definitely the writing, too).  But we did get this awesomeness from the King for those first nine issues, and how glorious they are to behold! Written, edited, and penciled (cover as well, with possible inks by Mike Esposito) by Jack Kirby, inks and letters by Mike Royer, and colored by Petra Goldberg!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain America 601, 2009 “Red, White, and Blue-Blood”

Posted on by billyd75

In 2009, the world was treated to one more story drawn by Gene “The Dean” Colan. This was his swan song in mainstream comics (all of comics unless I’m mistaken), and it was fittingly a war/horror story! Yes, this is #warcomicsmonth and you do get some WWII action, but you also get some bloodthirsty vampires as well! A fantastic send off for one of the industry’s greats (R.I.P. Gene). Written by Ed Brubaker, with colors by Dean White.

The story starts out in Bastogne, France in 1945, with Cap, Bucky, and their unit, as they’ve discovered some other soldiers that were killed, but there’s something different about the way in which they were killed. Cap and Bucky wait and eventually see that the soldiers rise and are now part of a vampire legion! Cap and Bucky must now battle against men that served by their side, and not only that, but townspeople as well, including children!

This book is one that holds a high place in my pantheon of comics. Gene Colan is my all time favorite artist, and there is no finer example of why than this book. You get some very good scenes with dialogue with Cap and Bucky, but the action scenes, especially the ones that involve the undead, are simply incredible. Even on his last pro job, Gene delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SGT. Fury and His Howling Commandos 108, 1973 “Bury My Heart at Dresden!”

Posted on by billyd75

As I continue plowing through #warcomicsmonth like a Sherman tank, I thought it would be awesome to give Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos a look! For Marvel fans, this is the big dog of war comics, with only some ancillary titles in the mix (you’ve got to count Captain America in there for a lot of his publishing history). Marvel really did a great job with this team, as it not only had (eventually) distinct personalities for each character, but it was full of diverse ones as well.

In this epic tale, Fury and the Howlers are trapped in enemy territory, as the Allies begin to bomb the city of Dresden. In this real world event (like quite a few of these tales) more than twenty thousand lives were lost. This issue shows the real cost of war and how often those that are not involved get caught in the ugliness. Yes, we also see the usual awesomeness of Fury and the Howlers kicking Nazi butt, and the issues that feature only that are fun as well. But, this one is a bit more profound than most, and will definitely get you thinking. Dum Dum, Izzy, Gabe, Dino, Pinky, etc., they’re all here in this explosive issue!

Written by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Dick Ayers (cover by Ayers as well), inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Dave Hunt, letters by John Duffy, and edited by Roy Thomas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blitzkrieg 3, 1976 “The Execution”

Posted on by billyd75

When I first heard of this title, I wasn’t aware of the premise. Once I learned of its angle though, I was a bit concerned how they would pull it off without being a bit intrusive. Somehow DC managed to show WWII through the eyes of German soldiers without being offensive. It sounds impossible, but they did a good job, with a very good creative team. In this issue (the only one I own), we see real action, and death. The very horrors of war. A good book, but a realistic one as well that really makes you think about how awful war really is.

The issue is kicked off by an awesome Joe Kubert cover. His monumental work at DC is something I don’t know if anyone will ever truly be able to fully appreciate (myself included). The amount of covers, interiors, and influence for other artists that followed is incredible.

Inside there are two stories, and both have the same creative team. Robert Kanigher (writer) and Ric Estrada (art), provide riveting stories in both and really set a grim mood for what you see. They pull no punches, even showing children ending up on the wrong side of violence (“The Partisans“). The first tale (“The Execution“) is also quite brutal, showing some Allied soldiers getting killed in an ambush. Again, a very interesting book that shows more than likely an accurate portrayal of the Big One. Don’t shy away from this title, get it if you can. To everyone out there, have a blessed Veterans Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G.I. Combat 271, 1984 “The Haunted Tank”

Posted on by billyd75

As you should know by now, November is “War Comics Month.” Use this hashtag on Twitter to find all the love for these comics. Honestly, it seems like these old books are getting forgotten more and more every year. I’m not sure why that is, but definitely give these books a chance. They hold historical value, even if it’s only in an ancillary way. So many of them also have the awesome talents of Joe Kubert on the cover, and rightly so, as he’s one of the staples from the industry during his tenure. With five awesome stories, and more than forty pages, this book rocks!

The first story (possibly my favorite) involves one of DC’s best war concepts, in The Haunted Tank! “A Birthday Gift from the Enemy,” shows us the horrors of war right from the on-set. No sugar coating here, as some of the men almost get killed. Sgt. Craig fights back admirably, and those that are still alive regroup, but a grenade lands right on top of the tank where Craig is, and he’s in bad shape. It’s up to Lieutenant Stuart and the Haunted Tank to get him to a hospital alive! Created and written by Robert Kanigher, art by Sam Glanzman, letters by Gaspar, colors by Jerry Serpe, and edited by Murray Boltinoff.

“The Last Charge,” is about a bugle, that has been used from the Civil War all the way up to WWII! A very bleak story though, and until the very end, you get a full dose of the horrors of war. Written by George Kashdan, art by Gerry Talaoc, and letters by Esphid Mahilum.

Next is “Dead Man’s Bluff.” This story is one of the most disturbing I’ve ever read. We see some American soldiers in an underground maze of sorts, and up against some Japanese soldiers. The ending is quite shocking, especially for a two page story. Written by George Kashdan, with art by Jose Matucenio, colors by Jerry Serpe, and letters by Esphid Mahilum.

In “Son of a Gunner,” a group of soldiers parachute out of a plane into hostile territory, and are immediately accosted by the enemy. A much more positive end to this one for sure. Writer Arnold Drake, artist Alfredo Falugi, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Hector Formento.

Lastly, The Mercenaries (Soldiers of Fortune), star in “Timetable for Terrorists.” The story revolves around some mercs as they take on some terrorists in the Middle East. Story by Robert Kanigher, art by Vic Catan, with letters by Andy Ang.