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.

Intimate Enemies

 

As an epilogue to the 1988 Armor Wars storyline in Invincible Iron Man, the sole purpose of "Intimate Enemies" by David Michelinie, Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Layton appears to be to provide closure to an ugly chapter in the life of Tony Stark, after undertaking a mission that ran roughshod over ethics and the rule of law in favor of doing what he believed to be right. A fair recap of the situation is presented when Stark is called on by his teammates in the West Coast Avengers to explain his recent actions that have seen him waging a series of unprovoked attacks--including a refusal of a call to stand down, made by one of his oldest comrades.

The "wars" end with Iron Man being hunted down by a government-sponsored bruiser named Firepower, resulting in a deception which made it appear that the rogue Iron Man had been eliminated, along with his threat--a very tidy arrangement for Stark, since he's held blameless for his former bodyguard's illegal actions and is free to design a new suit of armor for a "replacement" who will hopefully once again inspire trust in Iron Man.

As for Stark, he certainly seems to be at ease with the situation--putting the entire episode behind him and resolving to press on as Iron Man (or, as far as the public is concerned, the all-new, all-different Iron Man):

But if the following issue's cover is any indication, Stark's sleep will be anything but restful, as his subconscious mind apparently still has unresolved issues where the former Iron Man is concerned.

The Revealing Of... The Enemy!

 

The story of Korvac--or, rather, the character we're most familiar with from a ten-month string of Avengers stories in 1978--began following his emergence from a conflict in the 31st century and into our own, where he stumbled upon a source of power that would pave the way for a greater conflict to come.

As we've learned, "Michael," as he refers to himself, had now set out to make himself the universe's benefactor and the savior of all who live by freeing all beings from the chaotic cruelty and injustice of life throughout the universe, while bringing all existence under his own "sane and benevolent rule"--words which for any reader of comics ring familiar as those spoken by many would-be oppressors who felt similarly entitled.

Like other sagas in Marvel's titles which have slowly unfolded over stretches of time (the story of "They" being one such example), this plot winding its way through the Avengers book managed to stay relevant even through shifts in the book's creative talent, as well as the turmoil which can often be found in the team's adventures--sandwiched as it was between their desperate battle with Count Nefaria and their showdown with the deadly Ultron, where the they learned that another threat was now stalking them.

More disappearances occurred both before and after the Avengers (joined by Ms. Marvel) went on to deal with the menace of Tyrak--yet unknown to them, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, travelling from the future to head off a suspected attempt on the life of one of their members, Vance Astro, had already managed to sense the true nature of their enemy and decided to confront him. It would be a meeting which would cost Starhawk his life.

Starhawk was then sent on his way, oblivious to what had just occurred and no longer a threat to Michael. As we've also seen, Michael had been joined by Carina Walters, a fashion model he coerced to come with him but who in reality is the daughter of the Collector--sent to spy on Michael, but who had instead fallen in love with him.

In dealing with Starhawk, Michael had, in his own words, drawn first blood in the war to come--but as we backtrack and assemble the pieces of this conflict taking shape, how will even the Avengers come to know of this threat before it's too late?

The Nameless Ones

 

The Avengers known as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are of course two of Marvel's most classic characters--introduced in 1964 in an issue of The X-Men, which would have the pair closing in on the same sixty-year anniversary that the X-Men will join them in celebrating. Yet as Pietro and his sister, Wanda, step up to the podium and give a speech commemorating their decades of service in Marvel Comics, imagine their introduction going something like this:

"And now, ladies and gentleman, please welcome Wanda and Pietro... uh, Wanda and Pietro..."

In short: Will our bemused presenter have to fumble for a last name for these two, or cut to commercial?

The Scarlet Witch and her brother have been blessed with a number of retellings of their backstory, though the basics are not in dispute--their youth spent as gypsies in Europe, only to come under attack by superstitious villagers who reacted to Wanda's accidental use of her power that caused a number of cottages to erupt in flames. The master of magnetism, Magneto, stepped in and saved their lives from the worked-up townspeople, which unfortunately placed Wanda and her brother in his debt and obligated them to become part of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Yet there was no mention of their parents that day; for a time, we were left to assume that they were orphans. Eventually, however, their parents were introduced to readers--but as it turned out, Wanda and Pietro would have several sets of parents to choose from.

Which is our introduction to another

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Marvel Trivia Question

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Which couples laid claim to the parentage of Wanda and Pietro [INSERT LAST NAME HERE]?

Be A Good Fellow And Die, Won't You?

 

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

 

...Divided We Fall!

 

Judging by his most recent appearance in the PPC, you have to hand it to Paul Duval, the super-villain known as the Grey Gargoyle. Having already fought separately the big guns of the mighty Avengers--Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America--during his nefarious career, it's understandable that as he faces the assembled Avengers in this issue, he does so with not only an air of confidence and arrogance, but also with the expectation of their defeat at his stone hands. Even cover artist George Perez seems to know which way the wind is blowing on this one:

As we can see, both Iron Man and Daredevil (a timely-arrived ally in this struggle) have been early victims of the Gargoyle's stone touch and, unfortunately, will be out of this fight for the duration. But with the Falcon clobbered while the rest of his team are frozen in place gaping, it's clear that the Gargoyle is just getting warmed up!

Something Evil Falls To Earth!

 

Heading into 1980, artist John Byrne's brief eleven-issue run on The Avengers reached its end with a two-part story plotted by Roger Stern and almost seamlessly split between scripters Steven Grant and David Michelinie, while featuring the return of an old "foe"--Henry Peter Gyrich. Actually, Gyrich is not the principle foe of the story, though to the Avengers he might as well be. Acting as the watchdog of the National Security Council, the agency which is responsible for granting the Avengers their priority clearance, Gyrich has been on the Avengers' case for their lax security standards which not only have failed to prevent unauthorized access to their mansion and its computers' cache of federal government data, but also extend to their constantly shifting membership lineup changes that take place at the drop of a hat while at times failing to keep their total of active members down to a reasonable number.  For their part, the Avengers maintain that Gyrich has saddled them with too many restrictions which hamper their ability to carry out their operations.

And so the assemblers have requested a federal hearing before a three-person senatorial committee to finally settle this matter once and for all.

Meanwhile, in space, a meteor has plummeted toward Earth--only to change course and crash into Brooklyn's Jamaica Bay, where it then "hatches" into something more mobile and rises from the marsh. And so, ponderously but determinedly, the Avengers' more deadly foe in this issue is now on the move toward Manhattan. But what is the nature of this... creature? And why is it attacking Earth's mightiest heroes?

 

The Battle of Heaven's Hand!

At the tail end of 1981, Tony Stark's personal life was in a tailspin! We'd better get started patching it up, eh?

Here's the gist:

• Stark's girlfriend, bodyguard/P.I. Bethany Cabe, suddenly takes off on a mysterious quest to Europe. Soon after, Stark comes across a newspaper article which reports she's been arrested behind the Iron Curtain on charges of espionage.
• Unknown to Stark, Bethany has a husband--Alexander van Tilburg, formerly West Germany's ambassador to the U.S. and presumed dead until recently. In actuality, the Russian KBG had captured him and faked his death in order to interrogate him to gain data on N.A.T.O.'s long-term espionage sleeper agents stationed in Europe. When the use of drugs failed, the Russians decided to use Bethany as a lever; to that end, they leaked word that her husband was still alive as a way to lure her to his side.
• Stark finds out through social and political contacts that Bethany is being held in Der Hand von Himmel ("Heaven's Hand"), a top secret security/research complex in East Germany.
• When diplomatic outreach to the international community fails, Stark decides to use his new stealth armor to infiltrate and gain intelligence on the installation, barely making it out in one piece.
• Stark and his pilot and friend, James Rhodes, mount a rescue mission using the data gathered by Iron Man's previous stealth mission.
• Once inside the installation, Stark locates Beth and discovers to his surprise that she had set up her own capture in order to stage an attack with a band of mercenaries to create a diversion so that she could break her husband out. You can guess which news comes as the greater surprise to Stark.
• With Stark inadvertently interrupting her plan, Beth is forced to reveal her knowledge that Stark and Iron Man are one and the same in order to implore Stark to suit up and assist, knowing that Iron Man is now the only chance for everyone to escape alive.

It's admittedly a lot for Stark to take in all at once--but what do you think he's going to do?

Under the circumstances, the only thing he can!

All things considered, this rescue's going off without any significant hitch so far, thanks to the presence of Iron Man. But the East Germans have another guest at Heaven's Hand--one whose thirst for revenge appears to outweigh the need for secrecy in regard to his benefactors, and whose power brings down Iron Man with a single strike.

Well, Mr. Stark, it was either facing the Living Laser or a love triangle, sir.

Count your blessings.

...In Battle We Join!

Believe it or not, there was a time when the Sub-Mariner and Iron Man had mutual respect for one another--but the last we may have seen of it was in 1979, in a two-part story that saw Tony Stark's problem with alcohol becoming more apparent by the day, and the Sub-Mariner showing fierce loyalty toward a human, both situations giving us a different perspective in how we're used to seeing these characters. In Stark's case, he's begun imbibing more than usual as a result of S.H.I.E.L.D. initiating a hostile takeover of his company, Stark International, in an effort to return S.I. to the business of manufacturing munitions--while Namor, having recently been rescued from toxic waste poisoning by a lone island dweller named Hiram Dobbs, now occupies that island with Dobbs against the incursion of a U.S. Special Forces unit that wishes to evict Dobbs for his own safety due to the island having been used for several years as a government dumping ground for radioactive waste.

And when Iron Man is drawn into Namor's clash with the Army unit... well, take a wild guess as to how things escalate from there.

But... shouldn't Namor want to be helping his new friend?

Fathers, Sons, Huns... and Doc Ock!

If there's a listing somewhere of Marvel's Most Unlikely Adversaries to See Print, it's fair to speculate that Captain America vs. Doctor Octopus might be on it somewhere--maybe not in the top 10, or even the top 50, but if you skimmed down the entire list I think it would jump out at some point. It's hard to imagine why their paths would even cross--New York City is large enough to keep a lot of individuals' paths from crossing, nor does Ock really have any reason to try taking on the Avengers to somehow end up going head to head with Cap. Is it a matchup anyone would even be curious about? Ock is a headliner, yes, but I'd think a more interesting fight might be between Ock and Iron Man, as long as we're throwing names out there. (Of course, if Iron Man was shown to have a problem ripping Ock's metal appendages to mangled junk, it's not really an issue I'd plunk down 50¢ for.)

However, in mid-1981, it at least looked like EIC Jim Shooter was curious about how such a fight might play out--because even though he wasn't scripting the Captain America book at the time, he's credited with coming up with the plot for a story by David Michelinie that throws these two very different fighters together in conflict.

And if you're one of those who are still on the fence about whether or not this meeting should have taken place, the caption on the cover has already settled the matter.

But go ahead and shell out those four bits, because this Captain America story is a keeper.

This Evil Undying!

For those readers who enjoyed the appearance of Ultron during Jim Shooter's run on The Avengers, where the metal monster seemed to finally meet his end in a staggered four-issue story that culminated in a pitched battle at (of all places) a nunnery, his reappearance in the mag thirty issues later was likely met with anticipation of a similar saga taking place--especially with artist George Perez once more handling the art, while writer David Michelinie would be basing his script on a short story by Shooter. Yet high expectations may be one of the reasons why this story may have been met with disappointment by some, playing as it does on the return of one of the Avengers' deadliest and most persistent enemies but limiting the character's threat to barely over one issue.

Ultron, as most are aware, owes his indestructibility to... well, he certainly owes it in part to his ability to rise again from the ashes, or the shards, or the fragments, or from whatever explosive and devastating fate he suffered in battle with the Avengers. Ironically, though, he has a human scientist to thank for the true reason why he's so formidable a foe. At the early stages of his development, this self-evolved robot's sole weakness could be found in the twin electrodes at each side of his skull; but after seeking out the metal known as adamantium and using it to form a new body for himself, Ultron made himself impervious to any physical force used against him. That and his designs on the human race make him a near-perfect and perpetual enemy for the Avengers, since he can challenge and overcome even their strongest members.

In the past, Ultron's plans have required the Avengers to bring their A-game--not only in their inevitable confrontation with him, but in trying to piece together what he's after and what his ultimate goal is. What will be the key to beating him, they end up asking themselves, yet being forced for the most part to play it by ear--bravely battling him in the face of almost certain death. In their last encounter with Ultron, the Avengers found that one of their own, the Scarlet Witch, held the key to his defeat: her mysterious hex power, known for disrupting probability, caused a malfunction in the device within him that allows him to rearrange the molecular cohesion of his adamantium body, thus making him vulnerable to attack. That precedent virtually ties the hands of any scripter who features Ultron in an Avengers story where Wanda is part of the team lineup, assuming that Ultron hasn't compensated for it in some way (which indeed occurred in a later story, for all the good it did his second bride, Alkhema). Here, however, the fact that Wanda has the ability to stop Ultron practically forms the core of this tale; so the challenge for Michelinie will be how to craft an interesting story, knowing that going in.

Whether he succeeds or not is debatable. But he does have one thing in his favor: Ultron himself, a character whose reputation as one of the Avengers' most daunting foes precedes him.

The Summons of Psyklop!

In previously taking a brief look at a couple of Harlan Ellison plots that writer Roy Thomas had adapted and scripted to feature in The Avengers, we touched on one which many of you might recall from mid-1971--a two-part story that began in The Avengers and concluded in The Incredible Hulk. It's a pleasure to revisit that tale and give it the full PPC treatment--each segment a fine read in its own right, with Thomas tailoring the main thread of Ellison's plot to the different styles of both titles and using the Hulk to bind the two together.

It would be the fate of the Hulk at the end of Part 1 that cuts loose the Avengers portion of the story and allows Part 2 to proceed on its own--a transition that doesn't quite bear up to scrutiny, though we'll get to that shortly.

With Thomas's story built around an eight-page synopsis by Ellison, it's intriguing to attempt to decipher Ellison's plot before some of the comic book elements are dealt in. I'm assuming it boiled down to something like this:

The investigation of a missing person leads to a voodoo ceremony in a Louisiana bayou which prepares to sacrifice a human life to the Dark Gods--beings who were worshipped eons ago by a technologically-advanced insect-like race that lived beneath the Earth's surface. At some point, that race offended their gods and were put into a hibernated state; yet one of them is eventually awakened in our century and instructed to secure a living source of power for the dark ones to feed off of. Once these gods were sated, they would in turn awaken the rest of the insect race, who would then take over the world they'd inherited. In essence, the entire human race is in danger.

The missing person is discovered to be among those involved in the voodoo ceremony, in a trance state--and in his delirium, he spouts latitude and longitude coordinates that lead to an atoll in the Pacific, where an ancient image is found that resembles the mask of the voodoo priest from the bayou. The investigation leads to the lair beneath the Earth where the lone member of the insect race has secured and is preparing the living power source that will feed his masters. Before he can proceed, he's discovered and his plans foiled--and in their anger, the Dark Gods turn on him.

It's unclear whether or not Ellison had injected any of Thomas's characters in his story proposal, though it's likely since the plot as it stands isn't enough to justify the page count that Thomas received from him. At any rate, we can reasonably plug in the players here, at least some of them. The living power source that will feed the Dark Gods would be the Hulk; the ones who investigate and eventually confront their servant are the Avengers. Things begin when Captain America, as a favor to the Falcon, helps him look into the disappearance of a friend who has failed to arrive for a scheduled visit--and the leads they follow take them into the bayou and subsequently have them breaking up a voodoo ceremony where they find Ralph (the Falcon's friend) in a mindless state but pointing the way to another part of this mystery. At that point, Cap deals in the Avengers.

But how does the Hulk become a pawn in this drama? To get the ball rolling, it seems a few prominent figures have put their heads together to capture the brute and finally begin working on a way to end Bruce Banner's nightmare forever--providing nothing goes wrong, that is.

Yesterday... And Tomorrow

"...while I've battled major bad-guys as the astonishing Ant-Man ... it's scary to think that [my daughter] Cassie could be orphaned by an average Joe whose brain synapses happen to fire wrong!" -- Scott Lang

Since we began our look at Marvel's composite cover images released during the period from 1981 to 1992 with artist Bob Layton's cover to Invincible Iron Man #144, it seemed only fitting that we finish up with issue #244, published eight years and exactly 100 issues later. It's Layton who brings us full circle, once again rendering the cover but also handling both pencils and inks in an oversized 48-page story that will again provide brand new material from Iron Man's earliest days in his gray armor, though for different reasons. In that prior issue, Stark had been musing about his first meeting with the man who would become his friend and chief aviation engineer, Jim Rhodes, forming a bond under fire in the jungles of southeast Asia that would see them through the evolution of both Stark Enterprises and Iron Man. This time, Layton and writer David Michelinie (with whom Layton shares plot credit) have given Stark good reason for returning his thoughts to those early days--a reason which you and I would probably best label as "therapy."

Unfortunately, Stark is very much in need of therapy, both physical and mental. As this story opens, Stark is beginning the recovery process from a near-fatal attempt on his life by Kathy Dare, a former girlfriend who ranks right up there with Alex Forrest in both an unbalanced mind and vengeful behavior. (In fact, Kathy could probably teach Alex a thing or two about payback.) Arriving home, Stark was surprised in the darkness of his home by Dare and was shot, the bullet severely wounding him and lodging near his spine. The bullet was removed in surgery--but its passage caused irreparable damage to vital nerve tissue along the spinal column, rendering Stark permanently unable to walk. Dare was taken into police custody--but the damage, as they say, was done.

And so Stark, now a paraplegic, must pick up the pieces of his life and resume his work as head of Stark Enterprises, while his career as Iron Man seems to be a thing of the past. Michelinie and Layton have taken an intriguing turn with the character, given Stark's hands-on management style in regard to both his business and his personal life, to say nothing of his years as a heroic figure; now he must pivot and begin living his life in an entirely different way, just as any person would under these circumstances. As with his alcoholism and the prior loss of his company, Stark is faced with another situation where he must pull himself up and muster the resolve to go on rather than descend into bitterness or depression. The parallels to his experience in Vietnam--another instance where his life took a turn for the worse and forced him to re-evaluate how he would go on--are clear; indeed, the story would make strong use of that incident in determining if and how Stark will cope, as we'll see.

For now, however, we must--as Stark must--begin at the beginning of this process which, for Stark, means leaving the hospital and facing the fact that he's unable to do so under his own power. Thanks to Michelinie and Layton, it makes for an unforgettable page one, giving Stark a blunt picture of how his life would be from this point on.

Iron Man Has Your Back

This week, the PPC will be taking a look at a few issues featuring composite covers--where the cover, like the story inside, is split down the middle and offering the reader a little more bang for their buck. The books we'll be covering range from 1981-1992, though you may find yourself being reminded of Marvel's line of feature titles from the mid-1960s which gave you two stories for the price of one. Both the similarities and the differences are apparent when you line them up together; but it's clear that Marvel, inadvertently or otherwise, had found a way to inject new life into a successful concept from its silver age.

This kind of imagery would be used sparingly in the more contemporary books since the characters involved were already established in their own long-running titles, but it shook things up nicely from time to time and no doubt made for a nice surprise on the comics racks (or, for the collectors among us, in our pull stacks).

Artist Bob Layton gets this ball rolling with his cover from Invincible Iron Man #144, which features Iron Man wrapping up his conflict with Sunturion (which also introduced the new outer space model of armor). As we'll see, the centerpiece of their battle--the Roxxon Oil space station--has been damaged, its explosive core hurtling to Earth; and Sunturion finds himself in the position of making sure his life's work, meant to benefit mankind (before Roxxon had other ideas for it), isn't instead responsible for the deaths of millions.

The Hammer Strikes!

When we left Tony Stark and James Rhodes, they were probably wishing that Stark's invincible bodyguard, Iron Man, was standing with them front and center, as they found themselves surrounded by an assault team that had landed on a Monaco beachhead on the orders of Justin Hammer. Arriving in the city-state to track down a lead on the man he believed was responsible for framing him for murder, Stark, along with his wingman, Rhodey, was soon attacked by armed men when he was getting too close to discovering the identity of his enemy--and after he and Rhodey had barely escaped with their lives, the two engaged in a highway firefight with their pursuers until finally crashing on the beach and finding themselves surrounded and outnumbered by well-equipped reinforcements.

What happened next, Rhodey remembers to a certain point. What he doesn't remember is what happened to his boss, who is now missing along with those who attacked--leaving him to deal with the locals, who obviously have not rooted for the underdog in the fight that took place in their midst.

While Rhodey attempts to prove his bona fides with the gendarmes, we have the advantage of being able to look back and see what actually happened when he and Stark found themselves forced to make a last stand against Hammer's goons. Had Iron Man actually been with them, things might well have turned out differently, and it would be the goons heading off to jail; but as long as Hammer's technology had forced Stark to sideline the Iron Man armor, Stark was forced to make do with a crash course in self-defense, courtesy of Captain America--and the pupil was unfortunately not yet near the level of prowess of his teacher.

Unceremonious as his capture was, Stark will at least find he's accomplished in defeat what he came to Monaco for: learning the identity of the one who has it in for him. At last, Stark meets his new business competitor--and his ruthless new foe.