Battleground: Detroit!

 

We've come to the conclusion of a five-part story arc in the pages of Invincible Iron Man that has a lot riding on the outcome--specifically, the fate of two worlds, threatened by the actions of a rogue Rigellian commander who will stop at nothing to gain power for himself and the empire of his own he craves. To that end, he has set his sights on Wundagore II, a planet which the New Men of the High Evolutionary have once again claimed as their own, but which the Colonizers under the command of the self-serving Arcturus have set their sights on.

With the two sides now in a state of war, the conflict has drawn in both Iron Man and his young apprentice, the Jack of Hearts, who have been separated in the exchange of hostilities: Iron Man having since joined the forces of the New Men, while Jack, on board the Rigellian flagship, has only recently learned the extent of Arcturus's perfidy regarding his betrayal of the Rigellian Grand Commissioner and the fact that he intentionally deceived those under his command. And now, Arcturus has threatened to attack Earth unless Jack supports him; but instead, Jack threatens to expose Arcturus's duplicity to his crew. It's at that point that the command ship is rocked by the combined attack of Iron Man and the New Men, and the battle to decide Wundagore's fate erupts.

Yet as this issue's cover reveals, Iron Man will have a greater part to play--against a pulverizing brute that once served as the enforcer of the will of Galactus!

War For A World!

 

Given their extremely long life span, it was inevitable that the population of the planet Rigel would come to realize that at some point their numbers would begin to threaten their existence due to the finite space available on their world. And so they turned to colonization of other worlds in order to survive--and in time, that pursuit became their preoccupation, eventually leading them to Earth where one of their operatives, Tana Nile, laid claim to it. It was the intervention of Thor which foiled that plan, and, in so doing, led to the confrontation of the menace of Ego in the bio-verse of the Black Galaxy which the Rigellians feared would expand to engulf their own planet.

It was the encounter with Ego which inadvertently led to the Rigellians' attempt to use that being's unique properties to evolve heretofore unsuitable worlds into habitable planets that would ensure enough space for their ever-growing race in perpetuity. Yet that effort ended in disaster--and, months later, the Rigellians' greatest fears were realized when their home world was destroyed by the approach of the Black Stars (a coincidental play on words in light of their past dealings with the Black Galaxy), leading the Rigellians to undertake the most massive evacuation in their history in spacecraft that collectively housed nine billion of their people in close quarters. For a pioneering race, such a fate no doubt amounted to living their worst nightmare.

Which brings us to a six-issue arc of Invincible Iron Man from 1978, written by Bill Mantlo and featuring art by Carmine Infantino, Keith Pollard, Fred Kida, and Alfredo Alcala, which begins with the discovery of the Growing Man on Earth:

And since the Growing Man's former master, Kang, was believed to be deceased at the time, the search for its point of origin leads to the moon (thanks to the calculations of the Jack of Hearts, whom Iron Man has agreed to take on as an apprentice), where Soviet super-agents had previously arrived to investigate signals being emitted from a mysterious egg-shaped object now present on the surface.

When the same piercing sound that downed both their craft reoccurs, Iron Man and the Jack of Hearts race toward and penetrate the object, which transports them into deep space and a confrontation with Rigellian colonizers of unknown intent who react preemptively.

Uh oh--it seems Mr. Pollard has joined the ranks of Messrs. Buckler, Frenz, et al.!

Anyway, since Thor had no difficulty escaping from his own Colonizer-induced proton particle casing...

...Iron Man proves he's no slouch at the task, either, as we arrive along with himself and his card-motif companion at this story's third installment--hopefully to learn just what the Rigellians are up to!

Judgment Day (Or Not)

 

As an unofficial encore to Captain Marvel's role as chairwoman of the Avengers during writer Roger Stern's run on the title, those of you who have followed Stern's Marvel work and were fans as well of either The Avengers or X-Men might have caught the four-issue limited series The X-Men vs. the Avengers from mid-1987, which Stern would write ¾ of (at which time a different writer/artist team would take the reins of the story for its conclusion). The series takes place roughly between the time Captain Marvel accepts Captain America's nomination for the team's leadership position, and the Avengers' mission to Olympus which would conclude Stern's work on the book. The true focus of the series, however, would prove to be Magneto, the Master of Magnetism--and, more specifically, the resolution of the Paris trial which had been convened to hold him accountable for past crimes against the human race.

Yet the prelude to this story occurs years earlier, with the explosive arrival of an alien we would come to know in the New Mutants as Warlock.

Magneto survives the impact, thanks to the ministrations of Lee Forrester, who fishes him out of the ocean and brings him to the island where he once fought a pitched battle with the X-Men--the repercussions of which led, in part, to his trial. As for his asteroid, two sizable parts of it survive their fall to Earth a few years later, and draw the interest of not only Magneto but three super-teams which would vie to decide his ultimate fate.

Thing vs. ... Hulk!?

Happy New Year, everyone! What do you say we all kick some derrière in 2020?

And to start things off, let's look in on two of the biggest butt-kickers around:

The Incredible Hulk, in his role as Vegas enforcer Joe Fixit--and Dr. Doom, who is looking to regain his throne in Latveria from his young protégé, Kristoff Vernard, who has been programmed by Doom himself as part of a contingency plan to believe he is Doom. Unfortunately, that programming was a little too thorough, since Kristoff now rules Latveria and has no intention of relinquishing his position to someone he believes to be an impostor--circumstances which force the real Doom to seek out help in deposing him.

Naturally, the Hulk Fixit responds to the request with his customary decorum:

While Doom is in no mood for any displays of force other than his own:

And so with Fixit's grudging acquiescence, Doom explains the situation with Kristoff; but despite Doom's assurance of his eventual triumph, Fixit really doesn't have any use for what Doom is offering--particularly when he can write his own ticket in Las Vegas and answers to no one but his mob boss, Mike Berengetti, who provides him with plenty of outlets for indulging his hair-trigger temper, as well as, needless to say, plenty of perks.

Which leaves Doom turning to Plan B: psychology.

Now if Fixit gave even a minute's thought to what Doom was proposing, he'd realize that the Thing, a member of the Fantastic Four, has even less reason to cooperate with Doom; and if he'd thought about it even more, he may have come to realize that Doom is playing him like a violin. But writer Steve Englehart and artists Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott have a power-packed story to get rolling, and so Fixit snaps at the bait like a trout and heads for New York City.

But what is Doom's real game here? To find out, you're going to need to buckle those seat belts, ladies and gentlemen, as the PPC brings you the thirty-year anniversary of this no-holds-barred, knock-down drag-out featuring the Thing vs. the Hulk, in a cover-to-cover battle issue where the odds this time aren't favoring the latter. But from the looks of this fight's brutal first hit, do you think a bruiser like Joe Fixit gives a rat's behind about the odds?

The Most Important Choice Of All

Aside from their obvious differences in character and background, Thor and the Silver Surfer have one distinctive feature in common: they are both reviled by the demon, Mephisto, for their nobility and virtue. Yet for Mephisto, the difference between the two goes a bit deeper when it comes to the Thunder God, which can be best described by something Mephisto once pointed out to the Surfer: "Yours is the quintessential soul of humanity, not divinity." By that, he likely means that, unlike the Surfer, who has often been mistrusted and even feared by humans, Thor is the one who can inspire humanity to greatness and serve as a symbol of altruism and even glory. The Surfer, of course, embodies those qualities, as well--but only Thor is looked to by the humans he protects as an example that they can aspire to.

It's that aspect to Thor which is the central theme of a 1981 story where Mephisto is once more targeting Thor--not for enslavement, as was the case in their previous encounters, but to bring an end to his immortal life altogether. And it all begins on Earth, where Thor intervenes in a mugging taking place in Manhattan--an altercation, however, that is destined to have a profound effect on one of the guilty youths who is faced with a simple choice between right and wrong.

Before the discussion can go further, however, the meeting is interrupted by a police chase where lives are endangered, and gasping New Yorkers are witness to a sight not many of them see every day--a daring rescue, Thor-style.

But Thor's business here is still unresolved--and he awaits a decision.

(If you watched closely, you perhaps noticed that artist Keith Pollard has provided our rather indignant lady victim with plenty of opportunity to speak her mind, yet writer Doug Moench isn't taking the bait. She doesn't seem very confident that this leopard is going to be able to change his spots, does she?)

But far below the scene, in an environment that reeks of brimstone and, most certainly, suffering, there is one who reacts alarmingly at Thor's ability to reach and heal the human spirit--a demon who sees his role diminished and his domain of the damned threatened if the God of Thunder continues to walk the Earth as a guiding example for those mortals who might, left to their own devices, have otherwise followed Mephisto's temptations to their doom. In Mephisto's eyes, Thor has crossed the line--and his interference can no longer be tolerated.

The Rampaging TV Sensation

(With a tip of the hat to Steve Does Comics for this post's inspiration!)


Like a number of Marvel's line of B&W magazines from the '70s, I passed on the original run of The Rampaging Hulk magazine from 1977-78, though I remember taking a quick look at a couple of issues when browsing the magazine rack. The book's time period preceded that of the present-day Hulk, going back to the days just after his first series when he had a little more on the ball in the brain department, a facet of his personality which writer Doug Moench took further so that the Hulk's manner and speech resembled that of the character we saw during his brief stint in The Avengers. That alone wouldn't have been a problem for me; in fact, I liked the Hulk when he was almost always in a bad mood and had a hair-trigger temper, when you could never tell what was going to push him over the edge. But the mag also made an alien race called the Krylorians the Hulk's perpetual foes throughout the run of the initial series, and they just didn't appeal to me--mostly because Moench wrote them as if they'd modeled their speech and cognitive patterns after street-savvy Americans, something I couldn't reconcile with alien invaders. Boiled down, they seemed to be really snarky versions of the Toad Men, though frankly I enjoyed the Toad Men.

Also of note is that Marvel's magazines tended to be churned out depending on the trend of the year, whether it was martial arts or monsters or a popular film. In this case, when The Rampaging Hulk was retooled to a color magazine in 1978 with more contemporary stories, it hitched its wagon to the 1978 television series The Incredible Hulk, appealing to the show's fan base with interviews and behind-the-scenes segments. Naturally, the Incredible Hulk comic followed suit with prominent "Marvel's TV Sensation" captions appearing on its covers, though I can hardly fault them for striking while the iron is hot.  At the time, however, I wasn't a regular view of the show--so the large-format Hulk magazine just didn't reach me on any level.

But having recently taken a look at a good number of the magazine issues from each of its runs, I found that there were many things to appreciate about them, creatively speaking. I can't say I didn't have a few problems with Moench's at times meandering style (for instance, an interminable amount of time is spent having Rick Jones, in hot pursuit of the Hulk, trying to determine from the air which direction Queens would be)--but some of the stories were engaging (many of the action sequences more so), and, in all fairness to Moench, each was packed with a whopping 60+ pages of material. In addition, there is some truly spectacular artwork to be found in the series, which will be the primary focus of today's post.

It's only fair to start at the beginning--that is, the Hulk's beginning, following Bruce Banner's exposure to the radiation emitted from the explosion of his gamma bomb. Without the aid of a colorist, the scene is all the more chilling, thanks to artists Walt Simonson and Alfredo Alcala.

A Hero Reborn--The Forgotten One!

The character of Gilgamesh has appeared so sporadically in Marvel stories over time that it's a wonder we still hear from him. Often on the verge of earning the name he's better known by--"the Forgotten One"--he still pops up in one role or another, most recently as a companion to his friend Hercules as they became involved in a conflict with a pantheon of gods known as the Uprising Storm. A creation of Jack Kirby who found a place as one of the Eternals in the title of the same name, the Forgotten One dates back to ancient history, having roamed the Earth and being mistaken for such figures as Samson, Atlas, and even Hercules. Apparently having penetrated too far into human affairs and perhaps allowing his status as a "legend" to get the better of his ego, he was reined in by Zuras, the Eternals' leader, and restricted to a sector of their homeland of Olympia--a sort of "house arrest" that would last indefinitely. It was during this time in virtual isolation that he would become known to his fellow Eternals as "the Forgotten One," an unfortunately appropriate designation which perhaps spoke to his place in history as well as his status among the Eternals.

But during the Eternals' conflict with the Deviants, and with almost all the Eternals occupied in their ritual of the Uni-Mind, the Forgotten One was the only Eternal in a position to help when sought out by the one called Sprite, in order to deal with an explosive device the Deviants planned to deploy on the Celestials' mother ship.

And so with new raiment, the Forgotten One prepares to take his first step back into history, this time to avert catastrophe for all of humanity--for if the Deviant explosive should detonate and cause the ship's destruction, the Celestials' retaliation against the Deviants would possibly annihilate millions on Earth. With the stakes so high, and given how this man has been so shunned by his fellow Eternals, it's to his credit that he steps up and becomes again the hero of old--though this time his reward will not be laurels, but hopefully survival.

The meaning of those closing words from the Eternals story wouldn't become apparent until two years later, when writer Roy Thomas had begun to incorporate Kirby's concepts involving the Eternals and the Celestials into the pages of The Mighty Thor in an extended arc which would culminate in the title's 300th issue. Eventually, in two power-packed issues, the Forgotten One reappears as an emissary of the space gods, thereby bringing him into conflict with not only the Eternals, but with another god who has sworn to stand against the Celestials' judgment which could bring an end to all life on Earth.

When Gods Collide!

In the nineteen issues of Jack Kirby's 1976-78 series, The Eternals, it was frankly surprising that Kirby never considered orchestrating a meeting between his race of beings who dwelled in "Olympia" and their actual Olympian counterparts who had long since abandoned the mortal plane but were still in existence. Perhaps not all that surprising after all, given Kirby's apparent efforts to isolate the projects he created and managed during his return to Marvel from any tie-ins with or references to Marvel's other characters, with very few exceptions. For instance, during the waning months of The Eternals, Kirby prominently featured a guaranteed show-stopper and sales generator, the incredible Hulk, within the book--or, rather, the "cosmic-powered" Hulk, which was only a mechanism and not the real McCoy.

After Kirby's final departure from the company, many of the loose ends of the Eternals and their mammoth overseers, the Celestials, were picked up by Roy Thomas and played out in The Mighty Thor, culminating in the book's 300th issue by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio which finally delivered the results of the Celestials' 50-year judgment of our race. It was during this drawn-out arc that Thomas brought Thor to Olympia, where he eventually formed an alliance with the ruler of the Eternals, Zuras, in an effort to stave off the Celestials' day of judgment which they feared would mean the end of our world. Reaching a decision, Zuras directed his people to form the Uni-Mind, the physical representation of the collective minds of all the Eternals, which would rise to challenge the Celestials in their orbiting mother-ship.

Thor abstained from joining the union, deciding instead to guard Olympia in their absence. But while the Uni-Mind ascended into space, Olympia received some unexpected--and unwelcome--visitors, in the form of the gods of Olympus. And most surprising of all is the sight of the one who joins Zeus at the head of the pack.

In spite of Thor's warning to cease and desist, we have a good idea of how this is going to go down, thanks to the covers of this two-part story. Soon, the Eternals of Olympia will join the fray and meet their legendary counterparts for the first time--but it looks like it's Thor's meeting with his father which might eclipse that moment and turn this instead into Asgardian vs. Asgardian!

The Judgment of Tyr!

It seems the Asgardian God of War, Tyr, so rarely receives any story exposure in the pages of Mighty Thor; by comparison, his Olympian counterpart, Ares, has several stories under his belt, as well as an Avengers I.D. tucked in there somewhere. As often as we've seen the Asgardians go to war, not to see Tyr heading the charge at either Thor's or Odin's side seems an oversight; nor is he anywhere to be seen when Loki usurps the throne or the forces of evil storm the gates.  Thor has eclipsed the war god as Asgard's most visible and galvanizing warrior--a fact which would understandably have a proud god such as Tyr wanting to take action.

In a Thor story from 1981, however, it appears at first that Tyr would much rather make love, not war--specifically, with the lady Sif, who pines for the God of Thunder while he resides on Earth and no doubt finds herself in the thoughts of many male Asgardians, a group which we learn includes the war god. Yet Tyr is about to discover in no uncertain terms that his feelings for Sif are not, nor are they ever likely be, reciprocated.

In the face of Sif's rebuff, Tyr storms off, warning that this matter isn't over. And so, as with any of his campaigns, Tyr begins to lay out a well-considered plan to gain his objective--and as he maps out his strategy, we learn that Tyr holds little to no regard for the son of Odin, either in prowess or in hierarchy, and now finds himself at last having good reason for taking action against him. Action which out of necessity must include not only the war god's boldness and cunning, but also a certain level of deception.

The law that Tyr has had the Vizier blow the cobwebs off of probably has any Thor reader crying "baloney," since gods depart Asgard all the time, for any number of reasons, without going through this kind of red tape--much less having the other gods assemble for a vote on the matter. Tyr himself prepares to depart Asgard, and we don't see him petitioning anyone but Odin. Somewhere in that law must be the stipulation that the word "depart" refers to an extended absence, though of course you and I aren't privy to the fine print.  Regardless, having Odin's reluctant agreement as well as Asgardian law backing him up on this mission, Tyr makes one last stop before his departure--the Avenue of Heroes, where he breaks out of its casing the Mace of the Myth-Wars, an invincible weapon once wielded by Odin, in order to use it against Thor. (Because all-powerful weapons can always be found unguarded and on display in a public thoroughfare--anyone knows that.)

Wasting no time, Tyr lands in the vicinity of his target, and attempts a quick strike without providing any reasonable explanation for his actions, most likely to take advantage of the element of surprise and avoid a battle with Thor if he can help it.

Tyr's opening move comes off as a cowardly act on the part of the God of War, to say nothing of an Asgardian. Yet it seems to have been part of his plan. If he succeeded in slaying Thor, Tyr could always claim later that Thor did refuse to come and decided to fight, forcing Tyr's hand; he's also careful to voice only the parts of the law that to his mind will satisfy his honor and justify attacking Thor in order to avoid the possibility that Thor might agree to return to Asgard. But Donald Blake's quick thinking has deprived Tyr of making this battle short and sweet--and though Tyr continues to lie through his teeth in an effort to save face, Thor has no choice but to respond to Tyr's hostile actions toward him.

As it turns out, Odin's "sacred mace" never sees much action beyond Tyr's initial strikes, even as fiercely as this battle is playing out. Whether that's due to Tyr's sense of strategy or artist Keith Pollard is unclear; for instance, above we see Tyr racing toward Thor and apparently about to strike with the mace, only to instead clobber Thor with a left cross (while at the same time declaring how fervently he's going to use this weapon). Maybe he's just seeing red while engaging with Thor and not staying focused--though that would seem to be out of character for a seasoned war god, and unwise considering who he's up against.

But the issue will become moot, as Thor disarms Tyr in a literally shocking display of power.

Yet Tyr is far from out of this fight, and closes with Thor while not being able to withhold his contempt for the Thunder God in stinging words that betray his underlying jealousy and resentment. But in the final confrontation, it becomes clear who holds more power on this field of battle--and, considering Tyr's motives, clear who carries the greater cause to prevail, as well.

Still, Tyr gets his wish, at least in part, as Thor indeed decides to return to Asgard with Tyr, albeit with the war god as his prisoner. And while Thor must still endure a vote on whether or not to be allowed to return to Earth, Tyr's treachery is revealed when Sif appears and discloses Tyr's true reason for his deception. Nobly, Thor intercedes with Odin when his father prepares to banish Tyr--though Tyr's actions have cast a blight on his character as well as his status at court.

Tyr would go on to redeem himself as a warrior of Asgard by helping to lead its forces in Asgard's war against Surtur, an epic tale by Walt Simonson which has the war god in his element, in what was arguably Asgard's finest hour.

Mighty Thor #312 Script: Doug Moench Pencils: Keith Pollard Inks: Gene Day Letterer: Joe Rosen