The Ascendance of... Baron Mordo!?

 

OR: "Dr. Strange, Hiker of the Mystic Arts"

The thought of Michael Golden handling the artwork for the forty-page What If story featuring Baron Mordo as the Master of the Mystic Arts would be enough to spur even the Dread Dormammu into picking up a copy. Alas, Mr. Golden took care of just the cover art. Still, one look at the exquisite splash page for the issue has one thinking that artists Butch Guice (née Jackson Guice) and Sam Grainger are the next best thing, eh?

Mordo's turn at being the Ancient One's choice to succeed him is an interesting premise to explore, though we don't really need the Watcher to get that ball rolling: Basically, something must happen (or not happen) to prevent Strange from taking Mordo's place as the Ancient One's disciple. But Mordo actually wanting to be worthy of the Ancient One's teachings is a new twist that only Uatu could see coming.

(Of course, if you're under the impression that those tentacles somehow played a part in Mordo becoming the model student, you get a complimentary copy of the Book of the Vishanti! (Not really!) )

From here, things progress for Mordo as they did for Strange--except for writer Peter Gillis feeling the need to plant a seed in our minds that something is up here. (It occurs to me that if Wong distrusts Mordo, surely the Ancient One would still have misgivings, but what do I know.)

Soon enough, Mordo's baptism of fire arrives in the form of Dormammu's intent to invade our dimension. Unlike Strange, however, the shrewd Mordo decides to forcefully secure the aid of another denizen of the Dark Dimension, Clea, in order to enact a plan to free a menace from captivity that even Dormammu must drop everything to defend against.

And what of Strange? He's decided to use his new lease on life to become an instructor at a New York medical school--yet unknown to him, he has also fallen prey to a powerful entity who uses a person's dreams to inflict suffering, a foe he would have battled in our reality as "the Master of Black Magic."

Redemption, Interrupted

 

Having covered the 1988 Armor Wars storyline in detail, in addition to its epilogue, we turn our attention now to a scenario where Tony Stark, who instigated the campaign whereby he sought out and neutralized all of his stolen armor technology whether in use by friend or foe, instead sees his mission aborted prematurely and his life brought to ruin by the tenacious enemy who was responsible for putting this drama in motion. And given that the narrator of this new chain of events is the Watcher, you just know we're about to see how bad bad can get for the man whose famous suit of armor proved to be his downfall.

Yet the "Armor Wars" as we knew them is a misnomer in the sense that here, those battles are curtailed for Stark shortly after he sets out on his mission--though we'll see the phrase take on new meaning when this story reaches its turning point.

Mission: Draft The Hulk!

Before the end of 1965, the incredible Hulk would battle a nameless enemy for possession of an astonishing machine which was in the custody of the Watcher--an ultimate machine, in fact, so named because it contained all the knowledge of the universe. The existence of such a device would have been like catnip to a man like the Leader, whose gamma-ray-spawned mind had been enhanced to be far superior to those of most humans; and so, in exchange for his removing a bullet that had been lodged in the Hulk's brain, the Hulk agreed to retrieve the "ultimate machine" for him from the Watcher's homeworld.

Yet unknown to the Hulk, another world had sent its own champion to claim the device--and the newcomer wasn't exactly interested in drawing straws for it.

In this instance, the Watcher's credo has worked against him, with word apparently having gotten out that his homeworld is a virtual flea market containing a treasure trove of advanced scientific wonders collected from across the universe--the difference being that nothing is tagged for sale, and all of the devices are ripe for the picking since the Watcher is prohibited from interfering with those who arrive to help themselves to them. (Seems quite an oversight on the Watcher's part. I don't see anything stopping him from shielding the storage chamber from unauthorized access, but what do I know about his thinking on this.)

Yet our amphibious friend's vaunted reputation hasn't taken into account any foe like the Hulk. Currently, Bruce Banner's mind has risen to a conscious level and controls the Hulk to some degree; but unlike other times where that's been the case, there still remains a great deal of the Hulk's raging persona, enough for Banner to almost relish the power he now commands.

The Watcher's words are rather curious, aren't they? We've observed the power of the Watcher through the years, which he describes as "the power to shatter planets--to make galaxies tremble" (rather standard fare as descriptions go, for such characters as scripted by Stan Lee); but as we've seen evidence of in his race's origin tale, it turns out that the Watcher's power is far more dependent on technology than revealed:

Returning to the matter at hand, the brute the Hulk battles gains something of an advantage when their fight is taken to a nearby lake; even so, the amphibious champion is eventually dealt another setback, enough for the fight's "referee" to call the match.

But over sixteen years later, our amphibian would return--along with a little backup.

Which is our cue to return with another

---

Marvel Trivia Question

---

What was the name of this "team" that came for our green goliath?

Who Watches The Watcher

Longtime Marvel readers who happened to take a look at the recent PPC post on the Trial of the Watcher may have recognized the names of both Emnu, who presided over those proceedings, and Ikor, who was mentioned in exclamation following the return of Uatu, our solar system's Watcher, to their world to account for his recent behavior against Captain Marvel. While obviously more alarmed at Uatu's outright aggression toward Mar-vell, Emnu had also presented a brief history of Uatu's many infractions regarding their race's solemn vow never to interfere in the affairs of those they observe--a promise that Emnu is all too familiar with, given that he was present at the time it was made (along with Uatu himself and Uatu's father, Ikor).

Much has been made of the Watchers' universal task over the course of Marvel's countless tales throughout its publication history--and how ironic it must be that their "spokesman" (as long ago appointed by Stan Lee) has been the one Watcher who has made a habit of side-stepping that vow, considering that it was he and his father who had seen first-hand the folly of such interference. And so it seems appropriate to retrace their steps and bring to light Lee's origin for the character, a backup feature to the 1968 Silver Surfer #1 which reveals why those who became "Watchers" took up that role, and where we learn that the race of Watchers is not only from another galaxy, but also incredibly old--arguably old enough to know better.

And yet our first stop is present-day Earth, where Uatu (a name that wouldn't see print for some time) is observing the drama of life and death that all too often transpires in a mortal operating room, while fully admitting that it's within his power to preserve the life of the patient whose doctors are helpless to save.

"Slay Your Enemies!"

If you ever looked for a brief change of scenery outside of the regular comics titles you picked up, and yet didn't really want to make a commitment beyond a few issues, you probably sampled a few of Marvel's various Limited Series that were published beginning in the 1980s and extending into the early 2000s. If so, you may appreciate the 2006 six-issue series, Beyond!, which I'll have to admit is one of the few comics which sold me on the first issue because of the sci-fi style of its masthead.

Yet the book's title has connotations, er, "beyond" the sensational and the vast void of outer space. Written by Dwayne McDuffie with art by Scott Kolins (the latter whom you may remember from his work on the Earth's Mightiest Heroes series from 2005), the story is an interesting follow-up of the Secret Wars concept from the mid-1980s which had sizable groups of both heroes and villains abducted and brought to an alien world to take part in a conflict that would have them at each others' throats. Unlike its predecessor, however, Beyond! had no commercial build-up associated with it, no ominous launch, no crossovers with its cast of characters and their own respective titles, and (as far as I know) no licensing deals for action figures. It does, obviously, depend in part on reader familiarity with what the word "Beyond" signifies in the Marvel universe--but there are sufficient alterations in its plot to tug at your curiosity and have you investing yourself in the story on its own merits. And yes, the Beyonder can again be said to be the driving force of this story, in a manner of speaking--the meaning of which becomes clear when the story reaches its climax.

As for the characters involved this time around, we can already see that they all make up a single group of nine, rather than distinctive opposing sides--yet the group is diverse enough so that some could respond to the Beyonder's standard word-for-word challenge of being granted "all they desire" should they "slay their enemies." At the story's beginning, those individuals are: Henry Pym, the Wasp, Gravity, Medusa, Firebird, Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter (son of Sergei Kravinoff), Venom, and the Hood. And while one-third of this group immediately stand out as those most likely to adhere to the Beyonder's conditions to the letter and slay their enemies for a prize such as what the Beyonder offers, there is one in particular who wastes no time making it clear to everyone how little value he holds for human life should push come to shove.

McDuffie and Kolins clearly have a way of getting our attention--and yes, we're indeed seeing this story's first fatality, as shocking as it seems. Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! Two of these three claims will turn out to be true; the third, not so much, though there's more to it than meets the eye.

Even A Watcher Can Cry

It takes only a glance at the cover of the thirty-fourth issue of What If to realize that the entire issue is likely an exercise in farce, paying homage to the late '60s satirical mag Not Brand Echh (and its early '70s reprint title, Crazy):

With two differences: Instead of the "story" being anchored by the character of "Forbush Man"--the comic book alter ego of Irving Forbush, a dead-on-arrival fictional Marvel employee that perhaps only Marvel felt was interesting and hilarious to readers--it's the Watcher who's making appearances through the various skits and joke panels that poke fun at the What If concept. The issue may also not have had the best timing, being just the fourth issue to reflect the title's 25¢ price increase and offering little but throw-away gags for its cover price.

Or, put another way: What If the comic book you'd plunked down good money for--40¢ more than regular-sized comic books on the rack--devoted two full pages to parodies of production staff?

So if you're seeking out What If #34 from late 1982 for whatever reason (if only out of curiosity), bear in mind that it might be a mag that you'll flip through quickly and turn the final page with a shrug. Here are a few of the panels I thought stood out from the pack--your mileage may vary.

BONUS:

Almost 10 years later, though bearing the same issue number--a second What If parody mag.

More expensive, yet less than half the page count. (Is this where we're supposed to chuckle?)

When Rages the Dark Phoenix!

"Jean to Phoenix to Dark Phoenix--a progression as inevitable as death."


Following the death of "Jean Grey," with the character committing suicide on the surface of the moon in order to prevent the dark nature of her power as Phoenix from bringing further death to the inhabitants of the universe, it would be about 5½ years before we'd learn what had truly happened at the point in time when Jean appeared to transform into Phoenix. During a crisis situation when Jean had been near death, the Phoenix entity confronted her, thereafter taking her form and placing her in stasis--while assuming her life for all intents and purposes with no one the wiser, not even the Phoenix itself. The revised story had been created in order to explain the return of Jean so that she could appear as a part of the new group (and book), X-Factor, comprised of the members of the original X-Men.

We've already taken a look at the events leading to the death of Phoenix as they were originally conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, which at story's end allowed Jean to live while purging her of Phoenix. That story was of course reworked into what became X-Men #137, in order to have Jean fatally suffer the consequences of her actions as Phoenix. Marvel would eventually publish the original Claremont/Byrne story, 3½ years after the version which made it to X-Men #137; but almost three years earlier than the revelations of that story became known, where we learned of the original intention for Jean's fate, a story in the alternate-reality-based title What If had already managed to spill the beans in that regard.

Written by Mary Jo Duffy (one of the many letters column submission writers who would go on to writing assignments for Marvel titles) and pencilled by Jerry Bingham, "What If Phoenix Had Not Died?" takes the approach of a worst-case-scenario story, which was often the case in an issue of What If; and in so doing, sacrifices much of the characterization which you would find in Claremont's X-Men stories of the early '80s in order to leap-frog through pivotal events that see the story through from beginning to end. Duffy, to her credit, doesn't jettison that characterization altogether, instead taking a leaf from Jim Shooter's work in Secret Wars and including just enough of the style of typical X-Men interaction in order to provide a sense of familiarity. As with Shooter's effort, it doesn't make up for the difference--but for what it's worth, there is at least the apparent indication that the story takes its cue from Claremont's original concept for the fate of the Phoenix, which is either an amazing coincidence or more likely the result of a pertinent inquiry to Claremont on Duffy's part.

From that jumping-off point, Duffy's plot works reasonably well. As we learn from the Watcher, the point where this reality diverges from our own is reached during the battle on the moon between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard--and during Scott and Jean's last stand in the alternate timeline, another X-Man is left to witness the other's fall.

Here, it seems that Jean's life will again be forfeit, only this time not of her own choice. But the Shi'ar have something else in mind--indeed, it's the mind of Jean which will seal her fate.

When Began Galactus!

Even though the planet-devouring Galactus first appeared as part of an unforgettable story in the pages of Fantastic Four, and would return to that book in another story two years later, it seems fitting that his origin should be revealed in a setting that spanned worlds and involved those on a power scale well beyond the scope of Earth and its inhabitants. After all, Galactus must be considered something of a scourge by most intelligent life throughout the galaxy, with the survivors of his attacks scattered and migrating through star system after star system. Hasn't it occurred to any space-faring race to do something about this deadly and persistent threat which is decimating life-sustaining worlds without mercy?

It's occurred to the Rigellians, who are well acquainted with another powerful figure of the stars whom they could approach about dealing with this world-devouring menace--and they know him well enough to realize that he will be incensed at the plight of innocents whose worlds have been ravaged by an uncaring aggressor.

(And the fact that their choice is a god doesn't hurt, either.)

At this point in time, Galactus is battling for supremacy against Ego, the Living Planet--and while the struggle has been fierce from both combatants, Galactus eventually weakens his foe to the point of standing poised to triumph. But while both Thor and the Rigellians have had their own difficulties with Ego when it was bent on conquest, Thor intervenes on Ego's behalf and engages Galactus in battle, which results in Galactus being driven off.

The encounter is enough to get Odin's attention, who recalls Thor--and, with the other Asgardians assembled, Odin uses his power to peel back time and view the beginnings of Galactus being loosed upon the universe.

Writer Stan Lee gives a slip of the pen here, causing Thor to misspeak and give the impression that Galactus has destroyed his own world--when in actuality, Galactus was still in his stage of incubation within his ship that had been in orbit above this planet, and first emerged as Galactus just as the planet came under siege by conquerors from another world. At that point, Galactus wastes no time in undertaking his new life's purpose--laying waste to the attacking space fleet, and then using his power to drain the world below of its life force.

Odin then concludes the audience, but Thor makes it obvious why Odin plans to pursue the matter further:

Time passes, and Odin seeks without success to gain more information on the origin of Galactus (specifically, the secret of his "incuba-sphere"), before finally settling on the direct approach and beginning construction of a special ship that will seek out Galactus himself for answers--a quest that may take ages. As for the ship's pilot, the perfect Asgardian practically drops into Odin's lap: Thor himself, who must do penance for falling prey to the forbidden "warrior madness" (i.e., battling his foe in unreasoning revenge while becoming merciless in the process and refusing to accept their surrender) and is chosen to serve that penance with this assignment. Naturally, we don't want to wait around for ages before Thor finds the one he seeks--so it's Thor who's found by Galactus almost immediately upon setting out on his mission, in back-to-back issues that will finally reveal the information on this being that has piqued the interest of Odin.

(Though in this case, Odin might have found himself elbowed aside by curious readers.)

For Humanity To Live--Reed Richards Must Die!

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

Nobody Gets Out Alive!

The winding road which writer Tom DeFalco took in bringing the Fantastic Four closer to their 400th issue provided its share of diversions and sub-plots before finally reaching that point. Some of those seemed to just be marking time, while throwing in an assortment of characters that made the members of the FF virtual guest-stars in their own mag. (Anyone remember Lyja? Psi-Lord? Vibraxas? Huntara? Paibok the Power Skrull? Devos the Devastator? Move along, nothing to see here...) But there were one or two stories dealing the FF back in which were pretty interesting, and actually might have made excellent What If stories--particularly with the twist of the Watcher himself playing an integral part in the stories he might otherwise have simply observed while offering dispassionate narrative from afar. And at the end of one such story, a dramatic double-page spread by artist Paul Ryan illustrates the aftermath of the tragic events that preceded it, where we find the Fantastic Four as decimated and lifeless as their world.

Quite an eye-opener, and perhaps more suited to the pages of Fantastic Four, after all--for the story spawns two unforgettable and iconic cover recreations that herald the battle the FF face, but which now appears to end far differently than when they first fought it. Yes, these are indeed the same FF members who again face the coming of Galactus--for the first time, and the last.

The Fates Of The Phoenix!

Almost four years after the now-classic X-Men story which saw the death of Phoenix (or so we thought), a behind-the-scenes look at that story was published which not only contained an extensive interview with the Marvel personnel directly responsible for it, but also for the first time revealed the story as originally written and drawn.

Phoenix The Untold Story is precisely that: the story of X-Men #137, before its ending was altered at virtually the last minute to provide for the death of Jean Grey. The issue reveals the intent of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne to allow Jean to survive, though with her life as Phoenix (and, for that matter, Marvel Girl) brought to an end. The desperate battle between the Shi'ar Imperial Guard and the X-Men would play out as before; but in the original tale, Dark Phoenix does not re-emerge, and Jean does not go on to take her own life. It would seem the best of both worlds, with both the X-Men and the Shi'ar getting what they want--with succeeding stories presumably having to deal with the repercussions to Jean as to the loss of abilities she was born with and which contributed to her growth as a person.

The gist of the decision to rewrite the story at the eleventh hour is perhaps well known by now--specifically, that the character of Jean could not be allowed to simply return to business as usual in light of the millions of lives she incinerated as Dark Phoenix. And so the story was shifted in tone to one of true heroism--particularly in Jean's case, when she sacrificed her life in order to save the universe. Yet in many other ways, the revised story surpasses the original, as the X-Men come to terms with what Jean has done as Phoenix and hard choices must be made in order to resolve the situation. In the end, the X-Men take up the responsibility to put an end to Phoenix when all others have fallen, rather than taking the course of action that might have seen publication: fighting to protect their friend, rather than giving any thought to the notion that the Shi'ar's actions may be justified.

Comparing the two stories side-by-side offers a fascinating look at the creative process, and the decision to take a story that might have passed muster and instead hammer out a story that would not only be better for the characters, but also better for the book. Over time, it seems to be the consensus that X-Men #137 remains one of the top comics stories of all time, leaving little doubt that the decisions made at the time were the correct ones. In this in-depth look at both stories, we'll see plenty of evidence in that regard; and we'll also get an idea of the advantages of running a finished story by a few more sets of eyes and going the extra mile in order to produce a more readable and satisfying finished product.

This Old Mansion

While we all probably enjoyed being honored guests along with the various dignitaries invited to the gala presentation of the sparkling new Avengers Headquarters--the new base of operations for the team which replaced their floating island, Hydrobase--the Human Torch may have had it right when he joked, in so many words, that its days were probably already numbered. Indeed, aside from the cocktail party, the new HQ wasn't given much fanfare--unless you count the collective opinion of its support staff, which sang its praises even when it was coming under attack:

Yet Avengers HQ, an imposing fortress of a structure that looked like it was here to stay, perhaps doesn't ring a bell with many of you; in fact, if you remember the old "Hydrobase" more clearly than the state-of-the-art building the team had constructed in its place, maybe it's understandable why the wheels were set in motion at some point to return the Avengers to their roots. And in so doing, give their butler Jarvis a lot less real estate to Hoover.

And so we open the doors to yet another

---

Marvel Trivia Question

---

Whatever happened to "Avengers Headquarters"?