Cities In Colossal Crises!

 

When it came to terrorizing  mere mortals, you only had to look as far as Marvel's monster titles of the late 1950s to find a massive creature of some sort stomping its way through a city and sending its population fleeing through the streets.

The planet Earth was definitely not a place you would consider settling down on if you were looking for stability or peace of mind. (Gosh, even in sixty years things haven't changed in that regard, have they?) But did things improve when Marvel pivoted its brand toward the adventures of super-heroes? That's what we're here to find out today, as we discover that there were still titanic threats to cities and civilians to be found--and it becomes clear just why people began moving to the suburbs in droves.

And we can't really pin the blame on just this roaring city-stalker:

Godzilla, scripted by Doug Moench for the duration of his 24-issue run, was fast-tracked directly to his own series in 1977, where he became S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsibility to corral (with heroes pitching in from time to time). At one point Nick Fury's forces pinned their hopes on not only Behemoth, their anti-Godzilla aircraft (I suppose there's no other way to say that), but also a mammoth robot, Red Ronin, developed by SHIELD and Stark International--though later, the robot is stolen and used by Dr. Earl Cowan, with the intention of attacking Russia and igniting World War III in a desperate effort to unite humanity in a common cause.

Not to be left out of the Asian-themed colossi of the time was the Samurai Destroyer, originally intended for the Shogun Warriors but later completed and used for personal gain by adventurer William McLaughlin. The Warriors as well as the Fantastic Four catch up with McLaughlin and his robot, though frankly it looks like this Destroyer is on the verge of tripping over his own feet.

Before Godzilla made the scene in Marvel's line of comics, there were rampaging dinosaurs to be found in a 1974 issue of Marvel Team-Up, as Stegron, the (what else?) Dinosaur Man, leads a horde of them to attack New York City in an attempt to return them to planetary dominance. They've got nothing on the brobdingnagian Godzilla, of course, but how would you like to see a pack of dinosaurs charging down your street?

Heh--public barriers set up on the sidewalk. What do they think they're watching, a parade?

And then there's It!, The Living Colossus, who received his its own feature in Astonishing Tales in 1973-74 but who dates way back to the aforementioned monster mags.

Of course you'd expect Thor to attract the kinds of threats to mortals that only a god of thunder could stand up to, and so the entire world was reduced to rubble when Ego-Prime attacked and announced his startling intentions for mankind. (Fortunately, Odin, who set this insane plan in motion, restored the world and wiped everyone's memories of the event.)

And speaking of gods, we've already been witness to another team-up story which featured an archaeologist who styled himself to be the personification of the gods of Egypt--the Living Monolith, who finally set foot in New York and sent innocent witnesses fleeing every which way.

Meanwhile, our heroes don't escape scrutiny when it comes to wreaking havoc in the city and trampling their way through a crisis in the streets. Hawkeye, who has decided to shift gears and become the new Goliath, faces an android created by the mad Thinker and given power and colossal size by Egghead--a battle that the revelers at Coney Island, nearly ant-size by comparison, didn't quite factor into their fun for the day.

Another new Goliath--in the form of Erik Josten, the former Power Man who gets an upgrade courtesy of deranged scientist Karl Malus--mixes it up with both Iron Man and Wonder Man, to the detriment of city-dwellers who by this time must be terror-stricken at the appearance of sky-high threats tromping past (or through) their buildings and smashing their vehicles with impunity.

We can say the same for the Absorbing Man, who brings a wrecking ball to the party to instill in the masses even more fear for their lives (as if his crass disposition wasn't enough).

Nor can it be a pleasant sight to see one of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, suit up as a villain (the Molecule Man) and turn a huge building, along with its terrified occupants, into a rampaging threat.

"...despite the widespread devastation, there is not a single person killed..." Come on. What is that narrator smoking?

Over in the vicinity of the United Nations complex, Graviton, who has become a living black hole after absorbing the entire mass of his sky island, is throwing one heck of a tantrum after being refused sanctuary by Black Bolt of the Inhumans.

Graviton's depiction here by (three!) artists Jim Craig, Bob Budiansky, and Bruce Patterson is a little disappointing as far as someone having the form of a living black hole--which I'd imagine would be several times more terrifying than what we're seeing here. Instead, New Yorkers are probably looking out their windows and exclaiming, "Sheesh, another giant--this one in pajamas! I've had it with this burg."

Maybe a giant gorilla would be a little more startling, when Gorr appears to snatch one of the Fantastic Four (the helpless female of the team, it goes without saying)--but not before giving the locals on Fifth Avenue another reason to head for the hills in fear for their lives.

For what it's worth, "Gorr the Golden Gorilla" is no doubt a cringe-worthy alliterative cover caption that we can all be thankful never saw print.

COMING UP:
How many times did you spot the Colossus over the years?