Week Ending Nov. 25, 1972
Mighty World of Marvel #8
It is time for the of the eighth issue of Mighty World of Marvel to be unfairly scrutinised by the denizens of the internet 47 years after its publication. If Marvel UK foresaw this eventuality, they decided not to make it easy for themselves by having cover art that appears to feature Spider-Man and Dr Octopus in a heated debate over whose corset is the most waist-clinching.
We kick-off with the Hulk rising to the intergalactic challenge of Mongu, the fearsome gladiator from outer space. Turns out he is neither fearsome or from outer space, he is actually just a chap called Boris Monguski. Given his name and his friends' fondness for furry hats, I think it is safe to assume that he may have some strongly held beliefs regarding the proletariat seizing the means of production.
Mongu/Boris isn't much of a challenge for the Hulk, but it does give Bruce Banner the opportunity to use his new transformation ray system in anger. I found this actually quite interesting, as a kid I was very annoyed at the TV origin of the Hulk, with Bill Bixby just sat in a gamma powered dentist chair, turns out it was a lot more reverential of the source material than I gave it credit for.
After his humiliating defeat at the hands (arms?) of Dr Octopus last week, Peter Parker dusts himself off and rejoins the fray. I lie, obviously he spends a couple of pages giving it the big 'woe is me' before being roused into action by that well known motivational speaker the Human Torch. Beating Doc Ock with a combination of science and superpowers, Pete is back to his increasingly obnoxious self for the last panel.
On an unrelated note, Mr Parker has been drawn resembling a young Clint Eastwood for this story.
In my previous post I spoke of my fondness for this FF story, I stand by that statement, but reading the second half has made it clear that my nostalgia-goggles are firmly in place.
After leaving the Fantastic Four in a huff, Johnny Storm stumbled upon the amnesiac Prince Namor last week. This issue has him returning the memory of the regal fish-fella, a move that proves to be not the smartest. Namor returns to his home of Atlantis to find it microwaved by atomic bomb tests. Obviously he then does what any aquatic monarch would do, and 'arouses Giganto' with his 'trumpet-horn'. Giganto, a sort of Moby Dick with arms and legs (actually way more impressive than it sounds) goes all Godzilla on New York before laying down for a nap. Which provides the ideal opportunity for the sort of plan I'm almost coming to expect from comics of this era, as the Thing straps an atom bomb to his back and walks into the mouth of Giganto like the world's most committed Deliveroo rider.
After creating several hundred tons of radioactive sushi, the FF wrap up the situation as only a superpowered family with a limited page-count can, hurling Namor back into the sea like an unwanted minnow on a Sunday fishing trip.
It is time for the of the eighth issue of Mighty World of Marvel to be unfairly scrutinised by the denizens of the internet 47 years after its publication. If Marvel UK foresaw this eventuality, they decided not to make it easy for themselves by having cover art that appears to feature Spider-Man and Dr Octopus in a heated debate over whose corset is the most waist-clinching.
We kick-off with the Hulk rising to the intergalactic challenge of Mongu, the fearsome gladiator from outer space. Turns out he is neither fearsome or from outer space, he is actually just a chap called Boris Monguski. Given his name and his friends' fondness for furry hats, I think it is safe to assume that he may have some strongly held beliefs regarding the proletariat seizing the means of production.
Mongu/Boris isn't much of a challenge for the Hulk, but it does give Bruce Banner the opportunity to use his new transformation ray system in anger. I found this actually quite interesting, as a kid I was very annoyed at the TV origin of the Hulk, with Bill Bixby just sat in a gamma powered dentist chair, turns out it was a lot more reverential of the source material than I gave it credit for.
After his humiliating defeat at the hands (arms?) of Dr Octopus last week, Peter Parker dusts himself off and rejoins the fray. I lie, obviously he spends a couple of pages giving it the big 'woe is me' before being roused into action by that well known motivational speaker the Human Torch. Beating Doc Ock with a combination of science and superpowers, Pete is back to his increasingly obnoxious self for the last panel.
On an unrelated note, Mr Parker has been drawn resembling a young Clint Eastwood for this story.
In my previous post I spoke of my fondness for this FF story, I stand by that statement, but reading the second half has made it clear that my nostalgia-goggles are firmly in place.
After leaving the Fantastic Four in a huff, Johnny Storm stumbled upon the amnesiac Prince Namor last week. This issue has him returning the memory of the regal fish-fella, a move that proves to be not the smartest. Namor returns to his home of Atlantis to find it microwaved by atomic bomb tests. Obviously he then does what any aquatic monarch would do, and 'arouses Giganto' with his 'trumpet-horn'. Giganto, a sort of Moby Dick with arms and legs (actually way more impressive than it sounds) goes all Godzilla on New York before laying down for a nap. Which provides the ideal opportunity for the sort of plan I'm almost coming to expect from comics of this era, as the Thing straps an atom bomb to his back and walks into the mouth of Giganto like the world's most committed Deliveroo rider.
After creating several hundred tons of radioactive sushi, the FF wrap up the situation as only a superpowered family with a limited page-count can, hurling Namor back into the sea like an unwanted minnow on a Sunday fishing trip.
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