Week Ending November 10, 1973

 

After a lackluster showing last week, will Marvel UK give us three titles packed to the gills with quality superhero action and drama? Would it have mattered to us as kids if they didn't? I'm reasonably certain I would have paid for any old rubbish they churned out, and been jolly grateful for it.

Mighty World of Marvel #58

Now, here is a bizarre choice for a cover. Not that there is anything wrong with this offering from Ron Wilson and either Mike Esposito or John Tartaglione, it is a damn fine effort, well rendered with plenty of drama, but they had the option to use the iconic 1968 Jim Steranko/Marie Severin original. A choice made even more baffling by the fact that a reworked version of it will grace the cover of MWOM not long from now.

The Incredible Hulk: A Refuge Divided! Reprinting The Incredible Hulk Special #1

This is one of those Hulk stories that feels like it is out of sequence, a feeling that is reinforced by a return to the creative lineup of Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin, with Syd Shores and uncredited others on inks. This the first Marvel UK appearance for the Inhumans, wisely the decision was made not to add any exposition or messy editing to explain the existence of these new characters. We get the first part of our story, with Hulk encountering Lockjaw and a cadre of evil Inhumans, the story zips along nicely with the art varying from brilliant to dire on each page, sometimes within the same panel. Definitely left wanting to see what the next issue brings though.

The Fantastic Four: When Super-Teams Unite! Reprinting The Fantastic Four #28

Last week's by-the-numbers FF story continues, still battling the X-Men, whose leader is under the spell of the Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker. As is traditional, the inter-good guy conflict lasts a few pages before they team up to tackle the real threat. The cynic in me can't help feeling that this story was little more than a promotional vehicle for Marvel's mutants. Even the Kirby art lacks its usual verve.

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #39

This is a cover that just gets better the more I look at it. John Romita's US original gets some subtle colour tweaks and is none the worse for it.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Spidey Smashes Out! Reprinting The Amazing Spider-Man #45

Apart from the somewhat ambiguous title (Spidey smashes out of what exactly?) this is a great story, classic underdog Spider-Man fare. An injured Spider-Man is up against the Lizard and has to use all his youthful courage and scientific genius to triumph. Even weirder than the title, the final panel sees a bizarre example of UK editing, not having read the original, a quick search of the internet tells me that Peter Parker encounters Harry and Mary Jane at the end of this story, and starts to doubt MJ's suitability as girlfriend material. Here in not so sunny 1973 Britain, we get a final panel with the reunited Conners family watching Spider-Man swing away and some blank speech balloons that we are invited to fill in ourselves. Come on guys, it's like you aren't even trying.

The Mighty Thor: Battle Rage! Reprinting Journey Into Mystery #117

We had a few weeks of Jack going on a bit of a Tales of Asgard vibe, clearly Stan got bored of this and hijacked the very Norse stylings to have Thor fight communists. I had assumed this was in China, mainly because our UK reprints get a bit touchy on this subject, but this week it is clear that the god of thunder is throwing his hammer into the Vietnam conflict. This of course only makes the eventual US withdrawal more embarrassing. Stan lays it on thick with some brother against brother action to highlight the evils of communism. Interestingly, due to slightly socialist Britain's sensitivities, all mentions of communism are replaced with terrorism, which oddly makes the story a little more timeless and relevant. Looks like a score draw for strange Marvel UK edits this week.

The Avengers #8

Here's a cover with an interesting history, penciled by Jack Kirby, with possible alterations by Steve Ditko and inks by Chic Stone. There is some debate about who did what and why, with elements of both Kirby and Ditko in some of the characters. What makes this UK reprint even more fascinating, and gives it some claim to being closer to the original art than the US cover, is the position of Giant Man's left hand. The US version has Mr Pym's appendage at a different angle, the version we get was actually seen in a pre-publication Marvel house ad. 

The Avengers: The Mighty Avengers Meet Spider-Man! Reprinting The Avengers #11

If last week's Avengers episode was disappointing, this week's totally jumps the shark, though in place of Arthur Fonzarelli leaping over an aquatic apex predator on water-skis, we get Kang the Conqueror and an implausible Spider-Man robot. This story lost me almost immediately after we meet Kang in the future watching the Avengers in his past, while claiming to have been waiting patiently for the right time to strike back at his enemies, a guy with a literal time machine, waiting for the right moment. From then on it is logical inconsistencies and bad writing all the way. Kang decides that his best route to revenge is by sending a robot Spider-Man back in time to kill Sarah Conner slightly inconvenience the Earth's mightiest heroes. The story is all over the place, with the Avengers travelling to Mexico where they believe Iron Man is being held, there they battle the mechanical Spider-Man. So far, so 1960s comic book. However, at this point the real Spidey just turns up, in Mexico, and saves the day by finding his robot doppelganger's off switch. I was going to whip up half a dozen witty lines of scathing condescension for this tale, but as nobody else seemed to put much effort into the story, I don't see why I should.

Dr. Strange: Beyond The Purple Veil! Reprinting Strange Tales #119

A pair of would-be burglars find themselves in deep trouble (and another dimension) when they attempt to rob Dr Strange's New York sanctum. These stories are starting to fall in to a bit of a formula, with Strange finding himself in an alien, mystic land, forced into a battle of wills and magic with its leader. Formulaic they might be, but when they are drawn as beautifully as this by Steve Ditko (working particularly well in black and white) I am more than more than happy to keep reading them.