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?

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.

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 Curse Of Dracula!"

 

OR: "London Victims Are Falling Down"

Though there was a surprising lack of special annual issues for the Tomb Of Dracula series, even with over sixty issues to its credit, readers were able to turn to no less than five such efforts in the Giant-Size books which were hitting the stands in droves during the mid-1970s--beginning with Giant-Size Chillers, which, as was the case with the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, would adjust its masthead to headline its principal character with succeeding issues.

Padded with reprinted material (which was often the case even with genuine annuals), the mid-1974 issue still featured a new 24-page story (officially numbering 32 when factoring in ad pages, a little sleight-of-hand which I never appreciated in the sales game) as well as an intriguing new character--Lilith, Dracula's estranged daughter, who has received generous exposure in the PPC (along with her hated father, it goes without saying). Produced by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, the same writer/artist team who headed the main book (currently at its 21st issue at this point in time), it would instead be inker Frank Chiaramonte's work we'll be seeing here rather than that of Tom Palmer, turning in splendid pages and meshing quite well with Colan's style.

There are essentially two separate stories in play throughout the issue--but the stunning splash page we're greeted with (seen here to include its original published copy) leaves little doubt that the character who will take center stage is Dracula, who while having had dealings in London since his revival now moves to insert himself in the lives of those in government who are positioned to better help him safeguard his continued existence.

The Coming Of... The Avengers!

 

I was just shy of six years old and still a few years off from buying and reading comics on a regular basis when the first issue of The Avengers hit the stands alongside that of The X-Men in the fall of 1963. Eventually I would backtrack and read both stories in reprinted form--but for The Avengers in particular, I've often been curious as to how those comics readers who were becoming more familiar by the month with Marvel's characters reacted to the premiere of this new series. After all, in terms of its burgeoning super-hero line, the company was still in its infancy, with Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man as its only full-fledged title series; Thor, Iron Man, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, on the other hand, were still being handled in the company's "feature" books (respectively, Journey Into Mystery, Tales Of Suspense, and Tales To Astonish), with Thor and Iron Man still being nascent characters fresh out of the gate. With the Sub-Mariner relegated to being an FF foe, that left the Hulk (whose own series bit the dust a few months earlier) as the only remaining recognizable Marvel character of note (thanks to his high-profile appearance in Fantastic Four) available for inclusion in a new team book, which in hindsight seems an absurd choice in light of the character's questionable past and unresolved state of affairs.

A situation glossed over in a deftly worded caption appearing on the issue's splash page:

Which practically begs us to scribble out some of Earth's Greatest Super-Heroes! and replace with new wording: "...The Only Super-Heroes We Have Left To Offer At This Time!" (Which helps to explain why I've never been approached by Marvel to write copy.)

Regardless, the characters who have been selected are the characters we've got--and the result remains nevertheless an intriguing first issue crafted by writer Stan Lee with artists Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, a story which expertly did its job of making us curious to see more of...

Two! Two! Two Annuals In One!

 

The year 1979 saw the character of Spider-Man at the height of his popularity, featured in three titles (Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (while also having racked up his share of the Giant-Size books) with, unbelievably, even more on the way. It was fair to wonder at times what depths were being dredged to come up with all the new story material that required taking into account Peter's double life and revolving cast of characters (anyone here remember Marcy Kane?), to say nothing of the artists tapped to churn out story after story of the web-slinger's adventures along with the travails of the stretched-to-the-limit Peter Parker, who somehow, somehow, managed to combine his activities as Spider-Man with his college, Daily Bugle, and family responsibilities while squeezing in something of a social and/or love life and hopefully some sleep, all in a 24-hour period. The coordination between the writing and art staff must have been nothing short of a trapeze act.

The one thing that Peter didn't have to worry about, of course, was a shortage of villains--with one of his deadliest pulling double duty in that year's Amazing/Spectacular annuals which shared the same plot, thanks to writers Marv Wolfman and Bill Mantlo teaming with artists John Byrne, Terry Austin, Rich Buckler and Jim Mooney. To help keep track of the events occurring in both and figure out where things are headed, the PPC ties these two annuals together in one post, as Spider-Man attempts to head off a scheme which could see Dr. Octopus launch his greatest and most ambitious plan--one that might well lead to a nuclear holocaust!

Todd McFarlane's Marvel Comics Work, 1988-91

 

From the sources I've seen on the subject, there appear to be mixed opinions among readers, and among those in the comics industry, on the work which Canadian artist/writer Todd McFarlane produced in his time at Marvel Comics during a nearly four-year period. Having been a reader throughout those years, I remember my interest waning not long after his new Spider-Man series was launched in the fall of 1990, a book he would produce as both artist and nascent writer. (Though it bears mentioning that the early 1990s presented me with a number of books which had me questioning the quality and direction of Marvel's offerings.) In the beginning, however, when McFarlane joined writer Peter David on Incredible Hulk, I found his approach to be fresh and bold, a unique style for the Hulk that was just as surprising and interesting as that of artist Jeff Purves in the character's subsequent Joe Fixit phase.

McFarlane's time on the title ended after just seven issues, though by that time he had been brought on board Amazing Spider-Man during the run of writer David Michelinie, a gifted scripter and storyteller.  (Michelinie would also later compliment McFarlane as a talented storyteller he was pleased to be partnered with.)  Like many before him, Michelinie gave Peter Parker his share of ups and downs--a certain Christmas Eve being one of the latter instances, surely.

Reportedly feeling dissatisfied at the lack of control over his work and wishing to have more of a say in the direction of stories, McFarlane was appeased with his own Spider-Man title where he would have creative control--coming into the project as a profitable talent for Marvel and taking a turn toward a future for himself that was his to chart. Yet it was a run that would last just a little over a year, which saw McFarlane eventually develop more dissatisfaction in regard to his differences with editors on story and character direction as well as artistic choices for heroic characters that would have done the Marauders proud. By this time, his variant covers were also contributing to the growth of the speculator market which preceded the near-collapse of the industry--while there was also a curious recycling of previous cover styles to coincide with costume changes.

Whether you consider McFarlane's writing at this point in time to be compelling and entertaining is a valid debate to have, with McFarlane himself weighing in on the fact that he was just beginning to dip his toes into the field. In his later work for Spawn, published by Image Comics, he eventually (i.e., after an early rough patch) came into his own in that regard; but though riding a wave of popularity at the time of Marvel's release of a new Spider-Man book, and showing promise in his first issue, it became apparent over the course of the run that the strength of his artwork wasn't supported by equally robust storytelling for a character we were growing increasingly unfamiliar with.

Following his exit from the book, McFarlane would go on to join Rob Liefeld, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, Jim Lee, and Jim Valentino to found Image Comics, a company not without its own problems but which would turn out to be a stepping stone for McFarlane to even greater exposure and profitability, steadily establishing a media empire for himself which exists as a testament to his persistence and drive as well as his obvious affection for comics. You might find informative a 2000 documentary on the man produced by Kenton Vaughan, with appearances by McFarlane as well as industry peers; in addition, there's a column by David Wallace which covers most if not all of McFarlane's growth in the comics field. The opinion that McFarlane's best overall Marvel work can be found in his partnership with Michelinie in ASM is one that I agree with--but I found myself pleased to see how he built on his beginnings to excel in his chosen field, and remarkably so.

The Next Chapter of Hercules, Hero of the Ages

 

There have been so many attempts at providing a solo series to Hercules, the self-designated Prince of Power, that it's easy to discount them, often on sight alone. What will this one bring to the table, we wonder, that could possibly provide some measure of depth to this character that goes beyond his preoccupation with seeking out forms of amusement, a tavern, or, failing that, a challenging opponent? Admittedly, I'm as guilty as the next person, having formed a bare-bones impression of Hercules during the '70s and '80s as an egocentric, brazen god who is easily provoked and revels in battle, wine and song (not necessarily in that order). Yet I took note of artist/writer Bob Layton's attempt to temper him to an extent in no less than four projects--three of them being four-issue "limited series" (the term no longer being used in banner form by that point), and, in 1988, a graphic novel--all written in the spirit of good, obstreperous fun and not to be taken too seriously, a description that might suit Hercules himself when not in the heat of battle.

In 2015, however, I ran across another brief series which sought to turn things around for the character, this time by writer Dan Abnett, and with an ambitious premise that appears to acknowledge that he has his work cut out for him. (A statement that we could apply to both Abnett and his subject.)

And so, having touched on this series previously, let's now backtrack to its first issue in order to see Abnett begin to put in place the pieces that would help to redefine the character for a readership which by this point might have collectively felt certain they knew what they could expect from a Hercules story--expectations that Hercules himself appears mindful of in his approach to dealing with a looming threat older than himself.

A New Life, A New World--The Coming of Mutant X!

 

I couldn't tell you exactly why this is, but, in the spirit of full disclosure, I collected and read nearly the entire run of Mutant X fresh from the comics rack during its nearly 2½ years of publication, an admission that seems puzzling to me today considering that I can make the same claim about a number of Marvel titles sold during the years 1998-2001. I can state for a fact, however, that my curiosity got the better of me where Mutant X was concerned, given its focus on Havok, the leader of X-Factor who was killed off in the closing pages of that title's final issue, which served to pave the way to the new Mutant X series.

The circumstances involved Havok's attempt to stop Devlin Greystone, a member of X-Factor who constructs a space-time distortion vehicle in order to return "home" (i.e., the same future as Bishop hails from)--yet it turns out Havok has boarded a highly volatile aircraft that doesn't react well to his attempt to disarm it, seemingly killing both men.

I can't say that Greystone thinks much of Mr. Summers' promises right now (assuming the man survived to mull it over). As for Havok, he's subsequently shunted to the new book, where we'll find there are a lot of new things and people to concern him, as a house ad for the series that appears in the X-Factor issue teases:

That book's letters pages had otherwise kept coy about its plans--even up to this point, where they break the news that anyone with X-Factor subscriptions will see them transferred to X-Men. The following month, Mutant X is launched--bringing along Howard Mackie, who had scripted the last thirty-five issues of X-Factor and who would steer the course of Mutant X for the duration.

The 1998 Re-Emergence of the Black Panther

 

From the four titles that premiered in 1998 which bore the new Marvel Knights imprint, the two which most caught my eye were Inhumans, which the PPC has recently reviewed, and the one we come to today: Black Panther, tasked with giving the Wakandan ruler a more distinctive standing in comics as well as expanding his appeal to readers, both aspects part and parcel of the Marvel Knights emblem. The assignment was given to writer Christopher Priest, who eventually took the series to sixty-two issues and established what has been described as the definitive run on the character.

Priest would be joined by artist Mark Texeira for the first few Marvel Knights issues (there were twelve in all), whose chemistry with Priest's intentions for the Panther will be obvious to the eye as both assemble the building blocks of the Panther's new image and the plot threads of this initial story are revealed. Without revealing too much offhand, the elements of this new direction for the Black Panther boil down to the following:

• The Tomorrow Fund, a community self-help organization established by the Wakandan Consulate's grant program targeting needy children in the New Lots section of Brooklyn;
  
• The Panther himself, who chooses to depart his kingdom amid a developing tribal crisis to travel to New York and bring to justice the killer of the poster child for the Fund;
  
• Zuri, warrior and lifelong friend of T'Challa's late father, T'Chaka, and who serves both Wakanda and T'Challa with unswerving loyalty and takes issue at the slightest affront to either;
  
• State Department employee Everett K. Ross, from the Office of the Chief of Protocol--assigned as T'Challa's attaché and escort, and who provides from-the-hip context to this story as its hapless narrator;
  
• Nikki Adams, Ross's girlfriend and boss (not necessarily in that order);
  
• The Dora Milaje (translation: "adored ones"), Okoye (chauffeur) and Nakia (personal aide)--potential wives of T'Challa from two Wakanda tribes whose status kept the peace between the city dwellers and the tribal factions of the kingdom;
• Manuel Ramos, a gang member who, along with other gang members, is forcefully drafted into T'Challa's service in order to gather intelligence on the child's murder.

And, oh yes...

• The surprise appearance of Mephisto. (Yes, that one threw me, as well. Ross, however, remained a model of composure, all things considered.)

Ross spends his time during this first issue running down the chain of events involving the Panther's arrival in the states and his subsequent foray into Brooklyn to begin his investigation. Flanked by the Dora Milaje, T'Challa (or "the Client," as Ross refers to him) strikes an imposing figure in the housing project of New Lots, though the men he approaches will beg to differ.

Avery Brooks, your dream role is calling you, sir.

The Inhumans Receive The Marvel Knights Treatment

 

With Marvel Comics having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996, you may have noticed a trade name making its appearance on corner boxes in 1998 which was an indication of the company outsourcing production of a few of its titles to Event Comics (headed by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti):

Around 2006, Marvel Knights would revert to being handled in-house by its now more solvent namesake (joining Quesada himself, who came aboard Marvel six years earlier as its new Editor-In-Chief), and of course went on to see its imprint appear on other series during that decade (and spawning other imprints such as the MAX line and the Ultimate books). But in MK's nascent days in 1998, we would see Event produce a new Inhumans twelve-issue series which, along with Black Panther, Punisher, and Daredevil*, was a pioneer of the story format which Marvel Knights brought to the table.

*Marvel Knights also became a series in its own right--the name of a super-team led by Daredevil and consisting of Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Black Widow, Dagger, and Luke Cage.

Inhumans, written by Paul Jenkins with art by Jae Lee, was probably quite an eye-opener for readers like myself who had been soured by the quality of comics released by Marvel in the late 1990s. With Marvel Knights' emphasis on higher production values, stories with more of an edge and not necessarily beholden to continuity, and jettisoning long story arcs**, Jenkins and Lee were free to think outside the box and explore aspects to the Inhumans that have often been shuttered behind closed doors. (Roy Thomas's 1973 story highlighting the travails of their worker race, the Alpha Primitives, being one example.)

**That may have looked good on paper, but you can nevertheless expect a MK story to take awhile to play out.

Its first issue, where we find the Inhumans' city of Attilan now located somewhere off the coast of Portugal following developments which took place in the "Atlantis Rising" event, takes an approach of the members of the Royal Family pondering what their king, Black Bolt, might have to say if he were somehow given a chance to speak. For Black Bolt himself, Jenkins' opening narrative combined with Lee's imagery make for a striking first glance of a man soaring toward the refuge of his people--a "silent king" whose voice, if released, could otherwise cause devastation and destruction. "Imagine you could never make another sound. Not for the rest of your life. Not a sigh. Not a yawn. Not a single word. Ever."

Atlantis Attacks!

 

Having begun my reading experience of Fantastic Four in 1970, there are times in thumbing through back issues that I regret missing out on the title's early days in 1963, when those toiling at the typewriters and drawing boards at Marvel Comics must have realized they had a runaway hit on their hands--so much so that the book's first annual, with its presentation reflecting a mixture of spectacle, excitement, and adventure, came across in a way as a celebration of this flagship title that established Marvel's name and new direction with its budding and receptive readership.

I wasn't really enamored with the multi-colored "Christmas tree" aspect of the masthead's lettering, a design which continued in the following year's Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man annuals:

By the time of the first Avengers annual from 1967, the practice appeared to have been discontinued. Otherwise, that annual's cover might have turned out a little too colorfully:

Regardless, if the thought in '63 was to make the FF annual's cover more eye-catching while conveying a "special issue" aspect that would make it stand out on the comics rack, mission accomplished. In addition, writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby were apparently counting on what they might have hoped was the growing appeal of the Sub-Mariner, now making his fifth appearance in this title (tying him with Dr. Doom) and the principal antagonist in a 37-page story. We don't yet know the details or scope of what Namor plans--but with the return at last of his vanished subjects, displaced by an atomic explosion from the surface world (or so he believes), it seems clear that it's the human race he plans to hold accountable.