The Annuals of '83!

 

What do these seven Marvel Annuals appear to have in common?

For one thing, they were all published in 1983; but more to the point, it looks like they're all depending on their lead character(s) to sell the book on the stand, in a solitary pose with nothing and no one else pictured that might help in that regard--a curious decision on (presumably) Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter's part that banks on the titles' readers and nonreaders alike to make a purchase without having an idea of what the story is about or what antagonists are involved. We do see, however, that three of the annuals make exceptions in that regard, if minimally:

• The background of the Captain America annual, for instance, cube-shaped to accompany the caption that tells us of the Cosmic Cube's involvement (as well as its UPC symbol appropriated to indicate who else is in the issue);
  
• Wording on the Iron Man annual indicating that the Eternals are featured, while we can make out in the collection of facial outlines that their foes, the Deviants, are also involved;
  
• Thor's caption is vague but gives off a Tales Of Asgard vibe; and
  
• The Marvel Team-Up issue gets around the problem by virtue of the fact that it is a team-up book and can feature any and all characters who are joining forces with Spider-Man.

It's the only year that I recall seeing this sort of thing done across the board in this way, as opposed to isolated instances (e.g., the '81 Cap and the '94 Iron Man annuals). Interestingly, there were some notable absences of annuals that year, including The Avengers and X-Men, along with Daredevil (no surprise there, having lapsed from 1977-88) as well as Marvel Two-In-One, which gets a pass since the series came to an end in June of that year.*

*I've been corrected on the Avengers and X-Men annuals--see the info from alert reader David P. in the comments section!

And so in terms of what's left, how did these particular annuals do with you at the store? Were you tempted to browse the issue based on its star power, or even pay your buck and take it home on faith? Or did you decide it was better to just wait a few decades and let the PPC size them up for you? No problem, friend, we've got your back.

Amazing Spider-Man #17 - Roger Stern (plot), Bill Mantlo (script), Ed Hannigan (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks)

Synopsis: A high school reunion has Peter Parker reconnecting with C.J. Vogel, who in their school days ran interference for him with high school bullies by using a deflecting sense of humor at Peter's expense. In the present, Vogel, on the verge of making it big as a writer for a children's television show he's developed, gets caught up between rival gunmen who have business with the Kingpin--and when the dust settles, Peter sees that the person he was indebted to has become someone whose only concern is looking out for Number One.

Wow--it's 1983, and Spider-Man is already up to seventeen annuals, a number only matched by the FF annual for that year. As for the content, let's put it this way: If this story played out on Netflix, all the actors having roles as disreputable sorts would be grateful for the generous amount of exposure they were being given throughout, in contrast to mostly token appearances of Spider-Man. Peter Parker, on the other hand, uses his connections as well as the talents of his wall-crawling alter-ego to uncover the truth of why Vogel is willing to submit to blackmail from someone who wants to move up in the ranks of the Kingpin's organization--all leading to a reckoning between the two, and a final page that was probably meant to resonate with the reader more than it does.

Captain America Annual #7 - Peter Gillis (story), Brian Postman (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks)

Synopsis: The forces of A.I.M. raid Project Pegasus for the Cosmic Cube--while the Aquarian, who attempted to take custody of the Cube, informs Captain America that something strange is happening to it, and warns of danger should A.I.M. scientists attempt to use it. But then, enter the Shaper of Worlds, who has his own startling connection with the Cube to tell.

If I recall correctly, eventually the Cube would take humanoid form to become Kubik, who went on to inform both the Beyonder and the Molecule Man that they were actually parts of an incomplete Cube--all merging to become a new being, Kosmos. (I expect it will take another annual to take things from that point.) As for this annual, Bernard Worrell takes center stage as the man who rebuilds the original A.I.M. and covets the Cube, with Cap of course attempting to stop yet another person from abusing its power.

Marvel Team-Up Annual #6 - Bill Mantlo (story), Ron Frenz (pencils), Kevin Dzuban (inks)

Synopsis: Spider-Man is on the trail of a mobster who's looking to eliminate Cloak & Dagger by using members of the New Mutants, altered by a synthetic drug.

This story takes place when the New Mutants were just that--impressionable, fresh out of the gate, and still looking at situations and people with unseasoned eyes. This would also be their first meeting with Spider-Man; but first, we're witness to the students running into some trouble in New York, fleeing from the same people who are abducting children to inject with the drug with the aim of controlling their power. Overwhelmed in the struggle, Sunspot and Wolfsbane are separated from their group and captured--and later, our other heroes regroup and compare notes, which has them fearing the worst.

Cloak and Dagger (oh, let's reverse their billing for once and call them Dagger and Cloak, eh?), with their "runaways" motif, did fairly well as a backup feature in Strange Tales and appearances as guest-stars as well as their own limited series in '84, waging their own war on organized crime and corporate greed, so it's no surprise to see them take more of the limelight in this story than the New Mutants, whose appeal here is likely as kids that other kids can identify with.

Iron Man Annual #6 - Peter Gillis (story), Luke McDonnell (pencils), Roy Richardson (inks)

Synopsis: Iron Man is conscripted to help defeat the evil Deviants who have gained control of Olympia and proceed to initiate a gruesome procedure that will bring death to (or should I say "recycle") the Eternals, one by one.

It's Tony Stark's close friend, James Rhodes, who is armoring up in this story--and it only takes one look at the Deviants' vile plans for the Eternals to convince him to stay and fight on their behalf, and, later, with them.

Rhodey would also be featured in the next year's Iron Man Annual, battling the new Goliath (the former Power Man) with Hawkeye and Wonder Man. No one can say that Rhodey wasn't given every chance to shine as the new Iron Man, though it was nevertheless difficult to get past the impression that he was a stand-in (or, put more bluntly, a placeholder).

Hulk Annual #12 - Bill Mantlo (story), Herb Trimpe (art)

Synopsis: Bruce Banner, in control of the Hulk, attempts to save members of an alien race from persecution and execution by their oppressors. But he'll come to see his success tainted by an outcome to this "Holy War" which puts the whip of oppression in another's hands.

If you have the feeling from K'rel's expression that the words of the Hulk fell on deaf ears, and that she's not inclined to offer the Proselytes a shred of mercy or compassion now that the Greens are in power, join the club. A fine Hulk annual that would depend on Bruce Banner's personality to carry it rather than the rage of the Hulk we've come to expect.

Thor Annual #11 - Alan Zelenetz (story), Bob Hall (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)

Synopsis: To celebrate Thor's birth, the three Norns look to fathom his destiny by examining key moments of his past.

As alluded to earlier, your enjoyment of this annual might depend on how much a fan you were of the Tales Of Asgard segments that took place during Thor's appearances in Journey Into Mystery as well as his own title. If there is a key moment to be found here (aside from Thor's banishment to Earth in order to learn humility, which is old news), Alan Zelenetz has Thor learning a more harsh lesson when he seeks out the ancient Vikings, who craved battle as do the Asgardians but were prone to slaughter innocents as well, a fact that strikes Thor like a blow to the gut. Sickened by the experience, he abandons Earth for Asgard, forsaking the worship he'd initially found so rewarding. "In my desire to be glorified, I encouraged the carnage that is the Vikings' way of life! I have fostered my values among those who cannot live them."

Fantastic Four Annual #17 - John Byrne (story and art)

Synopsis: While investigating the disappearance of a friend, the FF learn that their past actions may have inadvertently doomed an entire town of people to live their lives as Skrulls.

This annual fits like a glove into John Byrne's work on the main title, taking place around the time that he had the group exploring the Negative Zone. Here, a missing persons case involving one of Johnny Storm's friends has them investigating an unexpected link to their first encounter with the shape-changing Skrulls--specifically, those Skrulls they consigned to a field in New York State, which supposedly removed their threat for good.

In a way, the story plays out in a similar manner as that in the Spider-Man annual, which also took a step-by-step approach to resolving the situation--the difference being that, other than laying the groundwork for the mystery, the other characters in the story aren't taking the lion's share of attention from the FF. Definitely a tale which belongs in your FF-Byrne collection.

BONUS!
The New Mutants, as depicted by Alex Ross (early 2020).

(If it seems like Sunspot, Magma, and Magik are all striking the same pose... well, you're not wrong.)