Week Ending August 4, 1973

While I have been enjoying reading through the Marvel UK weeklies from the start, that enjoyment has been based on a sort of unearned nostalgia as I missed the first couple of years at the time (there is probably a German word for this oddly specific feeling). Though in the last few weeks these comics have started to become entertaining, if not downright fascinating in their own right, and strong has been the temptation to get ahead of my self-imposed reading schedule.

However, as much as I may have wished for a time machine back in the 70s to enable me to read next week's issues, I didn't have one then, so I won't cheat now.

Mighty World of Marvel #44

After a short drought we get another original cover by none other than the great Jim Starlin, with Mike Esposito on inks. While the composition seems a little off (what is Hulk bursting out of?) nobody does a menacing Hulk like Starlin, heavy on the gritted teeth and eyeshadow.

There is a good reason for the need of original cover art this week, and here it is; if you have this copy of MWOM, you can reasonably claim to have a story that is unknown to 99% of collectors. This is not to say it is a good story, just one that is unique to this issue. Because there is just one half length Tales to Astonish Hulk story left, desperate times required desperate measures, to this end what we have here is actually a Captain Marvel tale from 1970 (issue #21 to be precise) cleverly repurposed to excise even the slightest mention of the character whose story this is. The entire toolbox of editing tricks are thrown at this, with removed panels and pages as well as new artwork and text, the result is far from seamless but the jarring change to the super 70s stylings of Roy Thomas' writing and the art of Gil Kane, who looks like he is trying to kickstart the disco revolution all on his own, was probably more noticeable to regular readers.

Our second Hulk story takes place in the continuity better known to those poor unfortunate souls who were not blessed with growing up in 1970s Britain. Originally seen in Tales to Astonish #101, the Hulk is transported to Asgard as part of one of Loki's half-arsed schemes. It is no classic but we do get the UK debut of the Warriors Three, which has to be worth the price of admission alone.

The Fantastic Four conclude their first encounter with the Molecule Man, who Kirby seems to draw in alternating styles of horrifying and comical. The tale itself suffers from the all to familiar problem of a lot of Stan's stories from this period, a weak set up for conflict followed by an even weaker ending to wrap things up. This one even has the non-bonus of the Watcher rocking up and interfering heavily while delivering dialogue explaining why he must never interfere.

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #25

Cover-wise we get a Ditko/Kirby/Chic Stone mash-up of original cover art and interior panels. Anyone else think the Grey Gargoyle looks a little like Kirby was having a practice run for his Etrigan the Demon here?

We are approaching the end of Steve Ditko's run on Spider-Man, and though I was never a fan, he has won me over totally to his unique style. He does seem to be phoning it in a little with this story but there are still plenty of flashes of genius to be found. This episode sees Spidey up against a mysterious band of non-superpowered masked criminals, which is very much Ditko's wheelhouse, more importantly we get Peter Parker's first day at college and the expansion of his supporting cast.

The pages of Thor give us the origin of the Grey Gargoyle, if not much else. That's fine with me as he is a bad guy I have always enjoyed, and nobody draws a stone-like character like Jack Kirby, we may only get half a story but there are no losers here. It is worth mentioning that whoever was adding the Zip-A-Tone shading for this issue, they had really started to make it a welcome addition rather than a sloppy distraction from the original art.

There is a very good reason for the brevity of Thor's story this week, and here it is. We have the start of an all new (old) series with Tales of Asgard, which relates the origins of the Norse gods. Five pages of Jack Kirby doing exactly whatever the hell he wants with zero concern for the conventions of superhero storytelling, and I am totally here for it.