Reality Check

 

We've recently begun taking a detailed look at the 2005 Marvel event known as House Of M, which followed up on the chain of events that led to the Avengers falling victim to one of their own--the Scarlet Witch, who suffered the breakdown of all breakdowns and unleashed her reality-altering abilities on her former friends, shattering their ranks and leading to a confrontation that saw her taken into the custody of her father, Magneto, who returned with her to the (now devastated) island of Genosha.

Together with Charles Xavier, the two sought to treat Wanda's mental state, though it became clear that they could do nothing for her. That led to a briefing with the New Avengers and the X-Men, and a decision to travel to Genosha to hopefully meet with Wanda and settle matters between them. But soon after arrival, both teams became engulfed in a wave of power that changed their thoughts, their histories, and their lives to align with a new reality where mutants were the dominant culture, and the world's population fell under the reign of the so-called House of M[agnus] which consisted of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Lorna Dane, Wanda's two children, and the man himself, Magneto.

It's not the ideal world for homo sapiens, the dwindling race of humans who still enjoy decent lives but are nevertheless looked down upon as "sapiens"--though you'd never know there was any serious discord if you passed by the magazine stand and picked up the news on the latest goings-on.

But will this be the "new normal" for sapiens--for everyone? That depends on the actions of the one man who somehow retains his knowledge of the prior reality--the premiere operative of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s elite Red Guard unit, who struggles to piece things together from what he knows to be the final moments of a world now ripped away.

What Were YOU Reading in 1983?

 

Forty years ago in August of 1983, we had these items of trivia occupying our minds and media:

• 12-year-old Samantha Druce becomes the youngest female to swim the English Channel (21 miles), at 15 hours, 27 minutes (and locks it in for good--the minimum age for solo attempts to swim the Channel is now 16 years)
• John Sain of South Bend, IN builds a 3.91-meter house of cards (hopefully avoiding drafts)
• San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Hotel San Diego
• La Cage aux Folles opens at the Palace Theater, NYC and runs for 1761 performances, winning 6 Tony Awards
• Revival of the Jerry Herman musical Mame starring Angela Lansbury closes in NYC after 41 performances
• Albums released: Billy Joel, "An Innocent Man"; Elvis Costello, "Punch The Clock"; Jackson Browne, "Lawyers In Love"; Heart, "Passionworks"; Cheap Trick, "Next Position Please"; Bette Midler, "No Frills"; Rick James, "Cold Blooded"
• Rock singer David Crosby is concurrently sentenced to 5 years in Texas state prison for possession of cocaine and 3 years for illegal possession of a loaded handgun (i.e., the 5-year sentence controls) (I believe he ended up serving nine months--there are conflicting accounts as to when he was released)
• Nuclear tests are carried out by the U.S. (Aug. 3 and Aug. 27), France (Aug. 4) and the USSR (Aug. 18)
• Marriages: Paul Simon (41) and Carrie Fisher (26) (divorced the next year); Film director Philippe de Broca (50) weds actress Margot Kidder (34)
• Birthdays: Chris Hemsworth (39); Andrew Garfield (39); Mila Kunis (you guessed it, 39)
• Top Five Songs in the U.S.: (1) "Every Breath You Take" (The Police); (2) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (Eurythmics); (3) "She Works Hard For The Money" (Donna Summer); (4) "Maniac" (Michael Sembello) (no relation to this guy); (5) "Is There Something I Should Know" (Duran Duran)
• Deaths: lyracist Ira Gershwin (86); actress Carolyn Jones (53); actor Simon Oakland (61)
• Cost of Living: Avg rent, $335/mo.; Gallon of gas $.96; Ford Mustang $6,572; Avg. income/year, $21,070; Price of a comic book: $.60

And speaking of your hard-earned 60¢...
The Marvel checklist of books published during August of 1983. What were you reading around this time?

It's Not Nice To Bind Mother Nature

 

For nearly all of its 1974-1987 run, Doctor Strange was obliged to follow a bimonthly publication schedule, having briefly flirted with monthly issues from April-October of '76 during the height of Steve Englehart's time as scripter on the book. It was Englehart who had announced that, despite the strenuous toll such a schedule would take on both himself (who had other projects he'd hoped to pursue) and artist Gene Colan (who was also doing Tomb Of Dracula at the time), the effort would be made, since all involved (which now included inker Tom Palmer) were "determined to keep at it, and to keep the quality high," in Englehart's words.

Flip the calendar ahead to October, with both Englehart and Colan having departed and writer Marv Wolfman announcing that the book would return to a bimonthly schedule--the reason being that its sales, though good, didn't warrant being published monthly. Early on, however, there were similar bumps in the road for readers of the new monthly series to weather, such as a reprint issue being released so shortly after the book's launch, with bimonthly status kicking in two issues later; then, the departure of celebrated artist Frank Brunner, who made no secret of the fact that he preferred a bimonthly schedule but also had other projects he was interested in pursuing, at which point Colan, who had worked on the first Dr. Strange series in the '60s, came aboard. Englehart would later provide a bit of perspective in that regard:

"When Dr. Strange had his own book in the late '60s, it failed. The insider's official explanation has always laid it off on Gene's panel layout ("you couldn't follow the story"). But it's been my conviction for some time that the real reason is far more basic: in the late '60s, despite all the hue and cry over mind expansion, there just weren't enough spacy people reading comics to support a mystic--while today, there are. In fact, as I say, there are so many spacers around that this book is not just supported. This book is a certified hit. That means there are a lot of people out there who dig Dr. Strange as he now is, and they deserve consideration."

And that leads us to a four-issue story from 1975 which I like to think smoothed the road ahead for our new Sorcerer Supreme and his creative team, and certainly for his readers who despite a two-month wait between issues were demonstrating that they were in it for the long haul. Monsieur Brunner has left us a stunning cover for that story's first installment, featuring Strange facing the unrelenting Umar, the sister to none other than the Dread Dormammu--and while Colan had yet to contribute cover work, we get a sense that Strange, as well as his lover and now-disciple, Clea, are literally about to undertake their baptism of fire!

A World They Never Made

 

Continuing the PPC's look at the House Of M crossover event from 2005, we turn our focus away from the title series to others whose lives were affected by the rise of mutants in the world, where a brief synopsis tells us the circumstances of not only the clinging existence of homo sapiens, but of those heroes who now unknowingly find themselves in different lives than those they led.

The earliest two books out of this gate comprise those who, in our reality, saw their characters meet very early in their respective careers. But the reality we're exploring in this series was created by the disturbed mind of the Scarlet Witch--and in the world that she brought into existence, Spider-Man never met those we know as the Fantastic Four, and their histories are radically different here where mutants reign supreme, and where their lord, Magnus, has fulfilled the goals he long fought for but could never achieve in adversity.

Peter Parker, as well, has seen his dreams of happiness and fulfillment come true--but if that is so, why does he feel uneasy in a life where he's achieved everything he ever strove for? And if Reed Richards and those who accompanied him into space were killed during their flight, as we learned previously, then what four people have taken their place?

Birth(s) Of A Living Legend

 

There have been no less than four full-fledged origin tales of the star-spangled Avenger known as Captain America, which in a way is astonishing considering that Cap's origin is among several that could probably be easily repeated by any number of comics aficionados or laymen, even if one doesn't go into detail. Nor did that change (and you'll discover why shortly) when Marvel decided in 2010 to revise the origins of a number of select characters whose pasts were deemed to need a fresh approach or were otherwise too dated to bring forward through the years. And yet, researching this topic yielded a certain level of fascination for me--and I imagine similar feelings must have occurred to writer Roger Stern and artist John Byrne when they put together the definitive (emphasis by Mr. Stern) origin to celebrate the character's fortieth anniversary issue, a story which weaves in elements of those four tales as well as new tidbits of history for Cap as well as Steve Rogers prior to the latter's astounding transformation.

Add to that the curious coincidence that three of those four tales were published in the same month of their respective years, and taking place roughly fifteen years apart each, and you have to figure that their creators might have each been tipping their hats to history.

So in the spirit of both discovery and nostalgia, let's take a look at the ways in which writers in more contemporary times did their part to add to the material which Joe Simon and Kirby first crafted in 1941, introducing their readers to a character who would continue to endure over eighty years later.

The House Of Magnus

 

"You know how sometimes you hear the phrase: AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN? Well, this time believe it, buster!! NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!"
-- Promotional copy taken from Marvel.com

In December of 2004, the first volume of The Avengers came to an end after the team was rent asunder by a fierce conflict set in motion by the unbalanced mind of one of their most long-standing members--a woman finally dealt with by Dr. Strange, and subsequently retrieved by her father, the master of magnetism.

Eight months later, Marvel segued from that tragic development to embark on an ambitious crossover event which would be spearheaded by the eight-issue House Of M series, an attempt to capitalize on resolve the fate of the Scarlet Witch whose ability to alter reality remains a clear and present danger but would also involve--and revolve around--the world's mutant population to a degree we'd never seen before.

That level of involvement takes its cue from a prior issue of X-Men, where the sister of Charles Xavier, Cassandra Nova, had sent a squad of Sentinels to destroy the island of Genosha, resulting in the deaths of its mutant population to the tune of over 16,000,000 people (including, presumably, its ruler, Magneto). It's to those ruins where Magneto returns with Wanda, where we learn in a synopsis that he's called on Xavier to do what he can to heal Wanda's shattered mind.

Knowing what's to come, one can't help but think of a certain proverb at this point. But thanks to the logo of this series, which is ever-present on every title that this event extends to, it would seem that there is one figure who appears to benefit from the seismic repercussions which are to follow.

Objective: Seize The Power of the Kree!

 

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

The Mid-1970s Hulk, Redux

 

Nestled in between the second volume of Incredible Hulk and its 1999 successor, Hulk (renamed in 2000 after eleven issues to Incredible Hulk), was the six-issue series Rampaging Hulk published during 1998-99, recycling the title of the late '70s magazine and promising a depiction of the Hulk "as you've never seen him before!"

Yet, as this first issue's introductory info has alluded to, this Hulk in fact will ring very familiar to those readers of his prior series who well remember the "Hulk smash!" behemoth who leaped around the New Mexico desert and clashed with the military forces stationed at Gamma Base. Nor does that base's C.O., Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, seem all that different to us as he and his second-in-command, Maj. Glenn Talbot, prep what we presume to be a number of new base recruits on their installation's mission, so like that of the original Project Greenskin.

Though with his antipathy toward Bruce Banner, Talbot clearly isn't interested in following the General's lead and highlighting the Hulk as an opportunity for scientific advancement but, rather, a dangerous creature and threat to the human race that must be dealt with.

We learn on the splash page(s) that what we're seeing occurred almost six years prior, which would have been in the early '90s (our time) when Peter David was writing the book. But given that the issue establishes a marker of sorts that indicates the recent marriage of Talbot and the General's daughter, Betty, that would normally put us circa 1973--except for the fact that the General is referring to his military installation as Gamma Base, which wasn't officially commissioned as such until 1976.

And since the General's mission statement at that time about the base's purpose mirrors his words from his briefing, we're left to assume that this series takes place sometime after Talbot's comatose mind (courtesy of the Gremlin) was returned to consciousness in issue #200 in mid-'76--a prelude, unfortunately, to sadder days, since Talbot and Betty were headed for divorce three years later.

As for Betty, it's difficult to say here whether Talbot's fears about his wife's true feelings are justified. Regardless, we're perhaps seeing signs of the man that Colonel Talbot will eventually become when he would later take control of Gamma Base and go after the Hulk in earnest, in part due to regarding his past with Betty as "a life of loneliness and wasted memories" thanks to Bruce Banner.

And what of Banner? Taking a janitorial position at the Brand Corporation (you sure can pick 'em, Doc), he once again works toward a possible cure for himself, even as it's clear he fumes at Talbot in much the same way as the Major does toward himself, though with the difference that Betty is now Talbot's wife. But all of that takes a back seat when the procedure he conducts on himself takes a turn for the worse. (And boy, we can say that about Bruce Banner a lot. There's a post in there somewhere.)

The scene carries disturbing undertones of a 1985 story by Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola which detailed Banner's pent-up anger as a child due to his treatment by his father--here, seeming to make clear that their relationship, and Banner's helplessness throughout, remains the reason that the Hulk "hates Banner."

Here and now, though, Banner realizes that he has the chance to make a stand of a different sort--a chance to finally seize control, assuming his physical body can stand the strain of such an inner battle. To those on the outside, such a struggle is touch and go, by all appearances--while for Banner, who seemed so optimistic, it becomes clear that the rage of the Hulk, as in the waking world, cannot be denied, or contained.

With the Hulk's ascendance, Ross remains defiant in the face of his captive's rage, telling the monster in no uncertain terms that this time there will be no escape for him from the state-of-the-art containment cell he's imprisoned in--another example of Ross's steadfast belief in the military's superior might over that of the Hulk, an obsessive state of mind which is part of what makes Ross such a flawed yet compelling character, even though in hindsight we know it will lead to him committing treason down the road.

Once again, however, the Hulk's jailers reckon without his prodigious strength in relation to his growing anger. In response, Ross's reaction is sadly predictable--but for the Hulk, and especially for the trapped Bruce Banner, writer Glenn Greenberg ends the issue more poignantly.

With this being before the time when Marvel would think nothing of limiting a new series to a set number of issues before pulling the plug and beginning another such run with only a tweak to the masthead, it was reasonable to believe that Rampaging Hulk would have some measure of success on the comics stands, even constricted to being "stuck in the past" as the saying goes--yet in its sixth issue, only a cover caption and an unceremonious blurb in the issue's letters page marked the fact that the series had ended. The release of the new Hulk series three months after Rampaging's cancellation, however, made it clear that this man-monster, even in print, was indeed unstoppable.

The Death Chair of M.O.D.O.K.!

 

The 1977 Iron Man Annual, written by Bill Mantlo with art by George Tuska and Don Perlin, could be viewed for all intents and purposes as a Hail Mary pass to benefit the mid-'70s super-team the Champions, who co-star with the title character in a battle which would involve the forces of Advanced Idea Mechanics (aka A.I.M.) and M.O.D.O.K., their creation which has once again imposed his will on the organization. At this point in time, the Champions book was two issues away from cancellation, which, taking into account its bi-monthly publication status, gave the book four months to reflect any sales bump which it might have received as a result of the group's appearance in the annual. We know in hindsight that such a sales increase either didn't occur or was negligible--yet for Iron Man, the pairing of himself and the Champions made for a decent story, while also serving as a last hurrah for a team which never quite resonated with readers.

Most of that likely has to do with Mantlo playing to one of Iron Man's strengths which is separate from his armor--specifically, his status as a member of the old guard who at times throws his weight around with those he considers less seasoned than himself, who then tend to fall in line and defer to his better judgment. We get a look at such character dynamics up front in this issue when Iron Man realizes he could use backup in this affair--particularly when he investigates a deserted AIM base in Nevada and discovers evidence of MODOK being close to achieving a threat level that could endanger the world.