Week Ending Aug. 25, 1973

 

Marvel UK has been on the scene for almost a year now, and there is a real feeling that they are gathering pace and growing in confidence with every issue. They might not have quite perfected their winning formula yet, but every issue feels that little bit closer to what made them unique in British newsagents.

Mighty World of Marvel #47

There was no excuse for the substitution of The Avengers #1 cover last week, but having taken a look at the option of Avengers #2, I can honestly say that this Dick Ayers, Mike Esposito alternative, as crude as it is, was probably the right choice. I particularly like the 'Golden Avenger' era Iron Man, making him seem a lot less clunky than he was in this period.

Much like the period-incorrect Avengers and Hulk logos on this splash page, Stan probably realised that making Hulk a member of a team was an error. So, with only one Avengers story in the bank, the second tale of Earth's mightiest heroes is constructed to fix that problem. I think the story, as flimsy as it is, benefits from having this subtextual goal. Because the Space Phantom as a villain, the Wasp characterised as a sex-obsessed maneater and Iron Man rusting in the rain was never going to carry it for 24 pages. While it was fun to see Giant Man on the team, I am looking forward to seeing the Avengers doing something other than fight amongst themselves.

This is where the FF become the super-team we know and love. I had sort of missed Ben's transition from lumpy to rocky, given the mixed up nature of the UK reprints, that may not be surprising (if anyone can pinpoint the US issue, I'd be grateful) but this is an even bigger event. Sue Storm finally gains her force field powers to become arguably the most powerful member of the team. Will this incredible new power be enough to resist some pretty entrenched misogyny in the writing of these stories? I would not hold your breath. The Fantastic Four are on the end of a lot of criticism from law enforcement and their neighbours because of their superhero shenanigans, so Reed suggests they buy a private island to do their more wacky stuff on. This first half of the story ends with the team discovering that the Mole Man has first dibs on their new hideaway. It is enjoyable enough, despite the cartoonish inks of George Roussos.

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #28

It might be just me, but I'm no fan of a Ditko cover. While I have become a convert to his ability to tell very intimate stories, his bandy-limbed weirdness isolated to a single frame of action on the front of a comic just hurts my eyes. That said, this week's offering is helped by the fact that whoever is doing the colouring has started to get the hang of it. Still not great but streets ahead of previous weeks.

Any story that features Kraven The Hunter is ok in my book. Here is a bad guy who is arguably barking mad, yet sticks to his own internal logic and code of honour. You don't need to come up with an elaborate crime caper to drop him into an adventure, the dude just wants Spider-Man's head on his wall. I can respect that. This story does what it says on the tin, despite some passive-aggressive griping from Stan in the text about how long it takes to get going. What really stands out in this issue is the amount of Zipatone shading that is used, it is well done but there is just a bit too much. I imagine there may have been complaints from the printers when they realised this issue used three times as much black ink as usual.

I was less than complimentary about the first half of this story last week, I'm pleased to have something nice to say for the second part. I get the impression that Jack Kirby was given the instruction to knock up another Thor vs Cobra and Mr Hyde tale, however that did not stop Jack shoehorning in a little Asgardian saga subplot involving Balder the Brave going on a very Norse quest. While Thor is demonstrating a very earthly flair for electronics in the pedestrian main story, Kirby is doing what he loves in Asgard. In the space of a few pages, the story goes from mindless filler to brilliance.