Week Ending Dec. 2, 1972
Mighty World of Marvel #9
Now a couple of months into its run, MWOM seems to be finding its feet. Mostly due to an improvement in the quality of the reprinted strips within, but the format itself feels like it is gelling better. We get a column from Stan Lee dropping some pantomime quality hints about something called 'Foom', don't know what that's about but he is very enthusiastic. Also, there is the first mention of Marvel UK staff, as Stan name-checks British editor 'Pippa' with even less forthcoming information than the aforementioned Foom.
As is now traditional we open with the Hulk, this week facing the subterranean threat of Tyrannus and his minions (not sure how the Mole Man feels about this) who after centuries below the Earth's surface with nothing but his potato-faced underlings and the fountain of youth for company, has decided to conquer the world above. Step one of his master plan is to kidnap Betty Ross, clearly life in a cave has driven him mad.
I did mention that there was an uptick in quality this issue, this is mainly down to the artwork as the plots are still completely barking. The Kirby and Dick Ayers art has a much less sparse and rushed look to it this week, and Jack shows of his flair for designing weird technology. Hulk himself is much closer in strength to the creature we know now than the burly thug of previous stories. I would tell you how the story ends, but like one of the main characters, I am experiencing a convenient bout of amnesia.
On the subject of characters becoming more recognisable, Spider-Man finally stops complaining for long enough that you feel that you might not get off a bus two stops early if he sat down next to you. Peter is actually embracing the superhero gig this week, rather than wallowing in teenage pathos, that's not to say he is actually having much success though. Spidey initially fails to foil some burglars and then suffers an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction while battling the Sandman. Again the artwork is improved this week, with the feeling that more time was taken over it. We also have an early example of dialogue editing for the UK with a slightly bizarre reference to Yoko Ono, obviously standing in for an obscure/dated US celebrity.
The FF roll out the big guns when it comes to villains this week with the debut of Victor Von Doom. He might be minus his trademark cloak at this point but he's very much the Dr Doom we know, his origin told in flashback hints at elements that will be fleshed out later, hard to tell if this is deliberate or clever storytelling in subsequent stories. In a shock to absolutely nobody, Sue Storm becomes Doom's hostage and bargaining chip in his convoluted plan that involves using the most amazing invention in human history to commit petty theft. The good Doctor has gone to the trouble of building a time machine in order to send the Fantastic Four back into the past to steal the legendary Blackbeard's treasure. Clearly the bar for criminal genius is lower than might be expected.
We are also treated to a second, more elaborate, Marvel UK edit, with Johnny Storm reading a copy of MWOM that replaces The Incredible Hulk #1 that he had in the original US printing.
This week's issue was definitely more entertaining, without having to rely on retrospective irony to achieve it. The characters, art and elements of the storytelling are improving with each issue, I'm reminded of the excitement I felt as a kid reading the Marvel UK weeklies. I hope this trend continues with next week's installment.
Now a couple of months into its run, MWOM seems to be finding its feet. Mostly due to an improvement in the quality of the reprinted strips within, but the format itself feels like it is gelling better. We get a column from Stan Lee dropping some pantomime quality hints about something called 'Foom', don't know what that's about but he is very enthusiastic. Also, there is the first mention of Marvel UK staff, as Stan name-checks British editor 'Pippa' with even less forthcoming information than the aforementioned Foom.
As is now traditional we open with the Hulk, this week facing the subterranean threat of Tyrannus and his minions (not sure how the Mole Man feels about this) who after centuries below the Earth's surface with nothing but his potato-faced underlings and the fountain of youth for company, has decided to conquer the world above. Step one of his master plan is to kidnap Betty Ross, clearly life in a cave has driven him mad.
I did mention that there was an uptick in quality this issue, this is mainly down to the artwork as the plots are still completely barking. The Kirby and Dick Ayers art has a much less sparse and rushed look to it this week, and Jack shows of his flair for designing weird technology. Hulk himself is much closer in strength to the creature we know now than the burly thug of previous stories. I would tell you how the story ends, but like one of the main characters, I am experiencing a convenient bout of amnesia.
On the subject of characters becoming more recognisable, Spider-Man finally stops complaining for long enough that you feel that you might not get off a bus two stops early if he sat down next to you. Peter is actually embracing the superhero gig this week, rather than wallowing in teenage pathos, that's not to say he is actually having much success though. Spidey initially fails to foil some burglars and then suffers an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction while battling the Sandman. Again the artwork is improved this week, with the feeling that more time was taken over it. We also have an early example of dialogue editing for the UK with a slightly bizarre reference to Yoko Ono, obviously standing in for an obscure/dated US celebrity.
The FF roll out the big guns when it comes to villains this week with the debut of Victor Von Doom. He might be minus his trademark cloak at this point but he's very much the Dr Doom we know, his origin told in flashback hints at elements that will be fleshed out later, hard to tell if this is deliberate or clever storytelling in subsequent stories. In a shock to absolutely nobody, Sue Storm becomes Doom's hostage and bargaining chip in his convoluted plan that involves using the most amazing invention in human history to commit petty theft. The good Doctor has gone to the trouble of building a time machine in order to send the Fantastic Four back into the past to steal the legendary Blackbeard's treasure. Clearly the bar for criminal genius is lower than might be expected.
We are also treated to a second, more elaborate, Marvel UK edit, with Johnny Storm reading a copy of MWOM that replaces The Incredible Hulk #1 that he had in the original US printing.
This week's issue was definitely more entertaining, without having to rely on retrospective irony to achieve it. The characters, art and elements of the storytelling are improving with each issue, I'm reminded of the excitement I felt as a kid reading the Marvel UK weeklies. I hope this trend continues with next week's installment.
Comments
Post a Comment