Marvel Comics | Magazines and Monsters!

Doctor Strange #1, 1974 “Through an Orb Darkly”

Posted on December 1, 2014 by billyd75

As a tribute to my favorite Marvel character, I’ll be spotlighting Dr. Strange for the entire month of December! No matter who the creative team is, I’ll always give any title featuring the Doc a try! For me, he’s kind of like pizza – even when it’s not so great, it still isn’t half bad either! My personal favorite run is Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner in the pages of Marvel Premiere (1972), and this team led the charge for the character into his own solo series, starting in 1974. Honestly though, there is still great work being done with this character, as recent as 2012 (Doctor Strange: Season One, by Greg Pak (writer) and Emma Rios (artist), which is a slight re-imagining of his origin in an OGN).

Back to the Bronze Age though, and the true greatness of creativity in the medium, especially with characters in the magical or cosmic realms. It was a perfect time for these characters to take off, due to the creative minds that were entering the medium. This series begins with Steve Englehart writing, Frank Brunner pencils (and cover art), Dick Giordano inking, Glynis Wein on colors, John Costanza lettering, and Roy Thomas editing. This issue also brought us one of Dr. Strange’s most evil enemies, Silver Dagger! And now, for your enjoyment, let’s take a look at the wondrous world of the Sorcerer Supreme!

Man-Thing #4, 1980 “Death-Knell”

Posted on November 16, 2014 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)!

Dr. Strange #183, 1969 “Beware The Undying Ones”

Posted on November 3, 2014 by billyd75

Well, Halloween is over, so the monster theme will die down, for now, but don’t worry, I wont stray too long from going back to the horror well once again soon! What I will do is gravitate back to my all-time favorite artist, Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan! Before his legendary run on Tomb of Dracula, Gene had a short run on the Dr. Strange title, written by Roy Thomas. The two seemed tailor-made for each others style, and we saw some absolute magic (pun intended)! In issue #183, we see a story called “They Walk by Night,” and the Doc is in his mask phase, which never bothered me per se, but I certainly prefer him “unmasked.” Colan’s style was perfect for this character, and he did do some more work with the Doc in his second volume that started in 1974. Some great covers in that series came from Gene as well.

The story is from the mind of Roy Thomas, and he’s one of my (if not tops)all time favorite writers. He seemed to excel more at team books, but make no mistake, he can write anything. This story, along with a myriad of others is proof. Let us travel to the realm of darkness, and seek out these demonic beings, so that the Sorcerer Supreme may do battle with them! Story by Roy Thomas, art by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer (cover inks by Bill Everett, Colan pencils), and Jean Izzo on letters! I know (and understand) why people love to talk about Steve Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange, but I think Colan did a better job at showing the worlds of the mystic arts that the Doc traversed!

The Monster of Frankenstein #5, 1973 “The Monster Walks Among Us”

Posted on October 28, 2014 by billyd75

When I hear the name Mike Ploog, I immediately gravitate to Marvel horror from the 1970’s, as most probably do, but that is to be expected. His work in that genre is unparalleled, and most lovers of that genre might curse me for saying this, but I think he ranks right up there with the all-time greats (Wrightson, Frazetta, etc.). His run on these titles wasn’t incredibly extensive, but the impact certainly cannot be denied.

Let us take a look at the fifth issue of The Monster of Frankenstein, shall we? Just look at that cover! The Monster, a beautiful woman, the fire, boat, and roaring sea. Just an incredible piece of artwork. The splash page is almost as cool, and really shows great perspective by Ploog. His rendition of the Monster can look menacing or sorrowful, and even both at the same time. So, enjoy this peek at one of Ploog’s best issues! Written by Mike Friedrich, pencils by Mike Ploog, inks by ‘Jumbo’ John Verpoorten, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Artie Simek, and edited by Roy Thomas!

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

Posted on October 25, 2014 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!

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

Posted on October 19, 2014 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.

Marvel Spectacular #13, 1974 “The Scourge of the Super Skrull”

Posted on September 30, 2014 by billyd75

Originally presented in Thor #142 (1967), this issue features Thor, accepting a challenge from a man on a motorcycle that wishes to race against him! Well, OK, that’s not the main part of the story, but it is the funniest. The story’s best parts, involved Thor fighting against the menace of the Super Skrull. This villain that regularly gives the Fantastic Four all they can handle, sets his sights on the thunder god, with a little motivation from Loki, Thor’s devious brother! There’s also a backup story “Aftermath,” and shows more of the machinations of Loki.

You get the usual magic from Kirby in this issue, but of course, the jury is still out on whether Vince Colletta did the pencils justice or not. Personally, Colletta’s inks don’t bother me as much on Thor as compared to The Fantastic Four, but to each his own. Written by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack ‘King’ Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, and letters by Artie Simek! The glory and grandeur of the mighty Thor will always be tops thanks to the king of comics!

Moon Knight #23, 1982 “Perchance to Scream”

Posted on September 27, 2014 by billyd75

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Moon Knight. No vitriol here, but I just never was a huge fan for some unknown reason. That being said, I am picking up a few issues to give the character a shot. One of these issues is Moon Knight #23, and with a cover like this one (by Bill Sienkiewicz), you cannot deny the high “cool” factor it delivers. The issue is basically a part two of an encounter between Moonie and his foe, Morpheus. I’m not too familiar with this adversary, but he looks completely deranged, and a perfect fit for this title. Oh, and if you didn’t know, “Perchance to Scream” is a riff on “Perchance to Dream”, by Shakespeare (Hamlet).

Let’s be honest about this book. Doug Moench (writer) and Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils & inks) made this character what he is to this day. It’s the defining run for Moon Knight, and from what I have read/heard, rightly so. Sienkiewicz is definitely an acquired taste, and one that you definitely have to give a chance with reading a few issues and just not one or two before you make up your mind. Personally, I find his work striking, and just flat-out different from everyone else in the biz. Letters by Joe Rosen, colors by Christie Scheele, and edited by Denny O’Neil!

The Life of Captain Marvel #1, 1985

Posted on August 30, 2014 by billyd75

With the recent release of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the name Jim Starlin is being brought back to prominence, and with good reason. He single-handedly revolutionized Marvel’s cosmic scene with his trippy space odysseys, and thought-provoking story lines. Of course there were others that did justice to the cosmic stories back in the day (Neal Adams & Roy Thomas come to mind with their epic Kree/Skrull War story), but Starlin could write, pencil, color, and ink a story by himself, and it wasn’t schlock. One character in particular that he brought out of the darkness so to speak, was Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell). In Iron Man #55 (1973), Starlin gave us the dreaded Mad Titan, Thanos, and what he gift he was for the cosmic universe. We also see the Blood Brothers, and of course, Iron Man.

In 1985, Marvel released this book of three issues that were reprints of Iron Man #55, Captain Marvel #25 & 26 (1973). All three issues have Starlin’s imprint on them, and that cannot be denied. Mike Friedrich scripted the Captain Marvel issues, with Jim Starlin plotting (and coloring all three issues possibly as well?) where we see intrigue with the Skrulls, Thanos, and Captain Marvel punch out Ben Grimm! Take my word for it, and grab this reprint series (5 issues total), and catch up on some of Marvel’s greatest cosmic stories! Other credits include- Mike Esposito (inks- Iron Man #55), John Costanza (letters- Iron Man #55 & Capt. Marvel #26), Chic Stone (inks- Capt. Marvel #25), John Duffy (letters- Capt. Marvel #25), Dave Cockrum (inks- Capt. Marvel #26), and Roy Thomas (editor)!

Captain America #195, 1975 “It’s 1984”

Posted on August 6, 2014 by billyd75

Any time I get the chance to grab some of the work of Jack ‘King’ Kirby at a discount, I do not hesitate. After his departure from DC, Kirby returned to Marvel, and did some great work. He wrote and drew Captain America, Black Panther, The Celestials, and more. I recently bought two issues of his Captain America run from this era (1975-1977), and can honestly say that this is trippy, but great work. It’s not that the story is something never written before (it’s basically a social commentary on racism), but the way Kirby writes and draws it, is absolutely endearing.

Of all the qualities I believe Kirby had as not only an artist, but as a man, this is why I love his work so much. A man who took himself from very little and used his God-given talents to become a giant of the industry (maybe only second to Will Eisner?), and through comic book art/stories gives someone like me hope that maybe someday, I can meet such apotheosis. Thank you, ‘King’ Kirby, for being an inspiration to me and scores across this planet!