Chris Claremont

Doctor Strange #38, 1979 “Eye of the Beholder!”

Posted on by billyd75

To close out the 1970’s, Chris Claremont had a short stint on this title, as it had become a bit of a merry-go-round of creative teams for the last couple of years. Claremont took his turn (as if he didn’t have enough on his plate with the then resurgent X-Men!), and didn’t disappoint. He brings a new character to the book, named Sara Wolfe. She’s an “old friend” of the Doc’s, and you can immediately see the “Betty and Veronica” approach taking a foot-hold on the book. Matched with the eerie artwork of Gene Colan, this book definitely reminds you of a horror story. Speaking of the story, Wong gets captured by an unknown foe, then the Doc must face Native American demons, for his eternal soul!

Written by “Superscribe” Chris Claremont, pencils by Gene “The Dean” Colan, inks by “Delightful” Dan Green, letters by “Terrific” Tom Orzechowski, colors by “Boisterous” Bob Sharen, and edited by “Joyful” Jo Duffy! Don’t forget the awesome cover by Bob Hall and Terry Austin! A great creative team for the greatest sorcerer in the universe! Enjoy!

 

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Man-Thing #4, 1980 “Death-Knell”

Posted on by billyd75

My love for Manny is documented, and of course, as most people agree, the first volume was better than the second. Mostly because of Steve Gerber and Mike Ploog, and obviously those two gentlemen had an incredible grasp on the character that was difficult to follow. I will admit though, that Chris Claremont and Don Perlin also seemed to be able to relay the silent emotions of the character quite well. In this story, Doc Strange travels to the swamps of Florida, and runs into Manny. For some unknown reason, his magicks are not working on the muck monster, and this spells trouble for Steven!

I know there is a lot of love out there for Swamp Thing, especially the Alan Moore stuff, and rightly so, but definitely give Manny a chance. The Gerber stuff is outstanding, and this second volume is very underrated, and deserves a shot! Written by Mister X-Men himself, Chris Claremont, pencils by Dandy Don Perlin, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Ben Sean, letters by John Costanza, and edited by Denny O’Neil (cover by Bob Wiacek)!

 

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War is Hell #12, 1975 “My Love Must Die”

Posted on by billyd75

Truthfully, I’ve only read two issues of this series (War is Hell), but both were excellent. I don’t fully understand what the book and character are all about, but I do know that John Kowalski was a member of the U.S. Army, and was killed in action. He then becomes sort of a ghost that can possess people, and cause all sorts of havoc. I also read an issue of Man-Thing #10 (vol. 2), where he seemed to be alive again, but have other mysterious powers. I need to investigate this book/character more, so I guess it’s to the back issue bins for me!

Honestly, when you see the credits for this book, it’s not difficult to just grab it, knowing it will be at least OK, if not good. The story is by Chris Claremont, and he can write just about any kind of genre. The pencils are by Don Perlin, the inks by Dave Hunt (both are criminally underrated), with colors by Janice Cohen, and letters by Joe Rosen (edited by Len Wein). With a team like that, you know the work will be solid, and this issue certainly is a good one! Enjoy!

 

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Doctor Strange #41, 1980 “Maelstrom at the Center of Time”

Posted on by billyd75

I definitely wanted to sneak in some Doc Strange for Halloween, and what better way, than with a Man-Thing story! In this issue, we see the Doc in an adventure with not only Man-Thing, but also Jenifer Kale, Baron Mordo, a cult, and even Death itself! From cover to cover, you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted – the Nexus of All Realities, magic, monsters, skeletons, you name it!

The story is brought to us by Chris Claremont, pencils by Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan, inks by Dan Green, letters by Diana Albers, colors by Ed Hannigan, and edited by Jo Duffy! You also get a spectacular cover by Bob Layton and Klaus Janson, as well! Definitely check out this issue, as it can found for a decent price in most back issue bins.

 

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X-Men Classic #65 (Uncanny X-Men #161, 1982)

Posted on by billyd75

I just started to grab some of these X-Men reprints, and wow, are they something! I love the X-Men, and wanted to find a way to get my hands on some of their older material without breaking the bank, and this title was just the way to go. Typically, with reprint titles, Marvel stays pretty close on the cover artwork to the original work. For some reason they really went in the opposite direction with some of these books. Not that I’m complaining mind you, because I’m a big fan of the work of Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell. He really stands out with his style, but also “gets it”, when it comes to being faithful to the source material. Check out the awesome work by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Bob Wiacek, Tom Orzechowski, Glynis Wein (Oliver), and Louise Jones (Simonson)!

In this issue we see the first meeting (via flashback) between Xavier and Magneto from way back in the day! Also, we see the Brood, Gabrielle Haller, Cyclops and Storm having a power struggle, albeit a brief one, and then a battle with Xavier and Magneto on one side, and Baron Strucker and Hydra on the other!

 

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Superstar Artists- John Byrne! Pt. 2

Posted on by billyd75

After seeing some of John Byrne’s awesome work on the Fantastic Four in my earlier post, I thought it was time for some of his other work, you know, stuff off of the beaten path. His early Avengers work, the West Coast run, Silver Surfer, and a Hulk story from Marvel Fanfare that will knock your socks off will be featured in today’s post. So, get ready to be dazzled! Enjoy!

 

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Marvel 2-in-One #9, 1975. “When A God Goes Mad”

Posted on by billyd75

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You might think by the cover, that you’ve got the villain for this issue figured out. Well, you kind of do, but there’s a twist inside these pages, and this story couldn’t work in any other title, than Marvel 2-in-One! In this fantastic tale, we see the Puppet Master, who had been thought dead from a previous battle, as he uses his magic to take over Thor’s mind, and force him to attack the Fantastic Four. After laying a pretty bad beating on them, Thor regains his senses, and backs off. Later, the Thing finds out that the perpetrator of these foul deeds is in fact Puppet Master. Now though, we see that he has made a puppet of the Thing, and he forces he and Thor to fight. We also see that there is another helping Puppet Master achieve greater feats. The radioactive power of Radion, is helping him! Dr. Henri Sorel was originally a research physicist, but is now in the employ of Puppet Master!

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This super cool story from the 1970’s was definitely a fun ride. There is also a special guest appearance by Wundarr, as well! What else is to be expected from Chris Claremont, Steve Gerber, & Herb Trimpe? You really get a sense that guys truly enjoyed working together on this book, and in the industry as a whole! Check out that awesome cover, by none other than the fantastic Gil Kane! See you in three days!

 

 

 

 

Marvel Fanfare #3, 1982. “Into the Land of Death”

Posted on by billyd75

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There are lots of names that pop into my head when I think of this title, but the first arc (4 issues), definitely stands out in my head. Why? Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, that’s why! Just look at this awesome cover, and the interior art is just as incredible. The story by Claremont is also one for the ages, but don’t take my word for it, get out there and either buy the single issues or the trade paperback! The X-Men, Spider-Man, Ka-Zar, and Sauron, all fighting it out in the Savage Land! Enjoy!

Marvel Premiere #27, 1975. “Deathcry”

Posted on by billyd75

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Does anything scream 1970’s more than Marvel Horror? Probably not, and that’s why I chose this wild cover for today! Meet the sister of Damon Hellstrom, Satana! In this issue, we see Satana, as she walks the mortal plane, in search of…who knows what? Anyway, she kills some people, fights off a demon, and looks rather sexy doing it, I might add. Written by Chris Claremont, pencils & inks by The Tribe, Marcos on letters, and Cohen on colors (Marv Wolfman-editor). Cover by Gil Kane! Enjoy!