Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga, 1993

 

Though the subject of this post technically falls under the PPC's non-Marvel nods tag, it's hard to miss the telltale Marvel hallmarks on this comic book cover from industry newcomer Topps Comics:

Topps, a company founded in 1938, went on to become immensely profitable as a producer of sports-themed trading cards (primarily MLB) as well as other card collectibles (e.g., Star Wars, celebrities, films, etc.), in addition to chewing gum (Topps created the Bazooka comic-strip-in-the-package bubble gum introduced in 1947), candy, confectionery items, and, beginning in 1993, the Topps comic book division. It was here where the retired Jack Kirby licensed several designs and concepts he'd kept in his files which Topps came to collectively refer to as the "Kirbyverse," a series of eight titles published in April of 1993 which would culminate in Kirby's "Secret City Saga"--NightGlider being one of them.

As we can see, a sales pitch that would be right at home on a Marvel cover is in full swing for this issue, even featuring the familiar pet names of its creative team of Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Don Heck. Also now at Topps is former Marvel editor Jim Salicrup, who joined their comics division after departing Marvel in 1992 to become its Editor-In-Chief. Thomas, who had left Marvel in 1980, returned to the company in 1986 but was no longer exclusive, spreading his talent with work for DC and indie publishers (which included several titles for Topps Comics), while Gerry Conway's first and only work for the company would be the NightGlider title.

As for the character, we meet the young woman named (do I have to say it?) Glida as she awakens underneath the city of Chicago, 15,000 years from when she was placed into her slumber (which would have been approximately 13,000 BC).

"The Heroes and the Holocaust!"

 

In 1981, Marvel Treasury Edition brought to an end its seven-year series with its "final edition" (so to speak) that featured characters from both Marvel and DC Comics in a whopping 68-page story--long overdue for a presentation in the PPC and, as a real treat for yours truly, one which I'm looking at myself for the first time, having initially passed on it at the counter over forty years ago.

Given the listing of credits, it's no wonder that DC gave its approval to those assigned to the job:

• Pencils: John Buscema, arguably Marvel's biggest gun on story art at the time;
  
• Inks: Nine different artists inking Buscema's backgrounds, with Joe Sinnott handling all of the characters;
  
• Letters: Joe Rosen, brother to fellow Marvel letterer Sam Rosen*;
  
• Front cover art: John Romita (layouts) and Bob Larkin

*In such stellar creative company, I almost expected to see Sam Rosen's name joining them; but by this point, he'd left Marvel, his final (albeit incomplete) work for the company having been submitted about nine years prior. But I think you'll find that Joe turns in exemplary work on this story.

While on scripting, we have Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, with plotting suggestions submitted by Marv Wolfman--though initially different arrangements had been made, as Mr. Shooter explains**:

   "I picked Marv Wolfman to write the book for a number of reasons: he was a marquee name and deservedly so, he was in New York, conveniently, he was absolutely reliable, and most of all because he really, really wanted to do it.
   "Somewhere in the middle of plotting, Marv’s employment agreement expired. We weren’t able to come to terms on a new one. He had an offer from DC, and opted to take it. So, Marvel was obliged to provide another acceptable writer. I was the only Marvel writer who had written both Superman and Spider-Man. I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands, but neither did the other leading candidates. So, I took it on. DC had no objection."

**Condensed for brevity. You can find Shooter's full and fascinating remembrances of this project on his blog, in three parts.

Predictably, there are a number of things to look forward to here, as those of you already familiar with this edition know. For one thing, it's a fine overall story. The beginning lays out its direction with Spider-Man's discovery of suspicious activity; the heat is turned up a bit by out of the ordinary behavior on the part of the incredible Hulk (if one can even use the word "ordinary" in regard to his actions); Superman arrives and begins his own investigation, leading him to the doorstep of the Latverian Embassy and you-know-who; there's the added variable of the man named Parasite, an energy-draining character who had been imprisoned by Superman but becomes aligned with Doom; there is also Wonder Woman's presence, lured by Dr. Doom to New York for some unknown reason; while Spider-Man's own progress in the investigation leads to joining with Superman against both Doom and Parasite.

The key player in leading us through this story's developments, however, would be Doom--whom we come across early on and provides us with the knowledge of an ongoing plan that brings him closer to world domination. This early in Shooter's story we're provided with no specifics as yet; yet the master of menace, and manipulation, will be responsible for a good deal of what you and I will see from this point going forward.

The Sound Of... GalactiTrek!

 

Judging by some of the comments made in a PPC post from a few weeks ago, there are a few Star Trek fans lurking in our rafters who enjoy a Marvel comic as well as the next Melkotian--and I found myself remembering an old file which was the result of a train of thought I was exploring a few years ago concerning two original shows that went on to greater things: Star Trek, which aired from 1966-69, and Battlestar Galactica, running from 1978-79, each of which had noteworthy composers on its payroll.

Here, we throw the spotlight on one such virtuoso--Stu Phillips, who came aboard Galactica in '78, and, following the pilot episode for the show, composed the fanfare which would accompany the prelude to each episode of the series (the segment which presents the episode title, additional cast members, and any guest stars). It's such a grand, sweeping piece that it was intriguing to consider: Could this introductory music be mixed to open a classic Trek episode, at the point where its opening credits are presented? And would this music be suitable with the visuals?

With the music already selected, it came down to the matter of which Trek opening to choose. I knew I wanted a decent amount of footage of the Enterprise, which meant an orbital sequence or something that indicated approach--hopefully a scene that would segue to the ship's bridge, all of which would convey a sense of the ship, its crew, and its bold, ongoing mission. What I ended up choosing would catch Capt. Kirk at the tail end of his log entry--but given the roughly forty seconds I had to work with, it all came together fairly well, with the score turning out to be an impressive episode opener for these explorers.

Unlike Galactica, I wouldn't see this sort of intro being suitable or even possible for every Trek episode, as Galactica's episode opener sticks with the same format and visuals and isn't required to blend with whatever circumstances are leading into the story; but every now and then, Galactica's score, combined with some stunning Trek visuals, would have been a treat--an impossibility, to be sure, since Star Trek's final episode was well before Galactica's time. For this particular clip, I would have preferred to have a vibrant planet featured, rather than the dead world where the consciousness of its three survivors wait to be discovered; on the other hand, the music as revised plays into the decision Kirk would later make to help Sargon and the others.

NEXT: (Come on, you saw this coming a mile away!)
Battlestar Galactica makes its way to Marvel Comics!

Look Forward, Avenger!

The third encounter between Kang the Conqueror and the Avengers was something of a turning point for the team, now numbering just four members following the departure of nearly all of the original lineup. With only Captain America remaining to train the three new Avengers--Quicksilver, Hawkeye, and the Scarlet Witch--it quickly became apparent that his training would have to sustain them and see them through the challenges they would face, since they lacked the raw power of their predecessors and they were fewer in number. One other important difference between the two teams is that these three raw recruits lacked the maturity of Thor and the others, as well as being overly competitive with each other--something which the original team members, having distinguished records in their own right, wouldn't have given even a passing thought to.

Ordinarily, Cap might have harnessed that undercurrent of competition in his trainees and channeled it into camaraderie and a stronger sense of unity; but, in asserting himself, he often came into conflict with Hawkeye, who bristled at constantly following Cap's direction and orders and whose discontent and temperament began to affect the behavior of his other teammates as well. Soon, the Avengers found themselves bickering at the drop of a hat, with only the danger of a current threat holding them together for the short term.

It was during the team's desperate battle with the Enchantress and her super-strong ally, Power Man, which led to a moment of truth for the Avengers, where they could either resolve their differences and become a stronger unit or grow even more fragmented than they already were. The machinations of their foes had left them at their lowest ebb--discredited and framed as reckless and unlawful, and eventually declared a public menace and forced to disband. Eventually, Cap was able to uncover the truth about the pair's operation, and the Avengers redeemed themselves with the law and settled the score with Power Man--but the damage was done, and Cap had finally reached his breaking point.

And so the story that follows faces the question of not only if the Avengers will survive, but also whether these individuals are prepared to put aside their petty differences and commit to this team and build it into a force to be reckoned with. With the dust still settling from Cap's abrupt departure, these three are going to have to regroup on several levels before we see indications of improvement. For now, with Cap no longer a focal point for their discontent, it isn't long before the remaining Avengers feel the void of his absence in their ranks--nor has it improved their disposition toward each other.

Cover to Cover to Cover

We've already seen a sampling of the many wrap-around and fold-out covers offered by Marvel and its talented artists--yet there's a wealth of such material that's occasionally been tucked away on the sales rack, gems waiting to be discovered by readers who weren't expecting such a dividend in their comic book purchase. The real treat on these oversize covers, just as with many of their single-page counterparts, lies in the creative way that the artist chooses to convey the representation of characters--symbolic portrayals/collages of the content within, and perhaps one of the last few places to be found where word balloons are, thankfully, verboten.

Today, buyers of music lament the absence of the vinyl jacket with its oversized cover photography and/or artwork; and with the comic book, we've come to realize that when it comes to cover artwork which goes well beyond the cover, in no medium but print can you realize the instant gratification of extending a comics cover in your hands to find much more than first met your eye.

So in that spirit, let's take a look at a few more of these dazzling covers--digitally presented, but still a feast for the eyes.

Art by Kerry Gammill and Bob Layton

The Many Days of Doomsday!

Of all the fun sales captions that Marvel has slapped onto their covers ("This one you DARE NOT MISS!!" ... "You won't believe this issue's SHOCK ENDING!" ... et al.), there was one word that probably got more exposure than it should have:

Whoops! Not that Doomsday, of course, though this creature can't help but spring to mind. Maybe we should let a Marvel character take it from here:

"Doomsday" is generally regarded as a term describing the day that the human race--and, perhaps, everything--will be wiped out by some man-made force or natural disaster, a day which will see no hope, and no survivors. Yet, with all due respect to the good Doctor, you'd be surprised at how often Doomsday has come and gone in Marvel comics. Even Superman came back from his Doomsday, which should tell you something about how watered down a concept it could become.

The dramatic aspect of Doomsday lies in its prevention--in warding it off. We all know how resourceful Marvel's heroes are, but criminy! Has Marvel overplayed its hand with its use of this dreaded word on its covers? Let's find out.

Great Scott! It's The Son of Spragg!

When I saw the cover to Journey Into Mystery #68, I had an instant feeling of déjà vu, even though I wasn't reading comic books in mid-1961 when the issue was published.

The creature's name, "Spragg," didn't ring a bell, either. What, I wondered, was this creature reminding me of??

It took awhile before my brain kicked in with the answer:

The invisible "paint" monster from "Jonny Quest." Heh heh.

Admit it, you were thinking the same thing.

No Driver Is Safe!

Action Comics #1 certainly makes for a tempting cover to parody:

So you might enjoy this look at two such efforts by Marvel artists Todd McFarlane and John Byrne, who pay homage to this true classic.

Though I think artist Bruce Ozella might have set a new standard, using another classic character:

There's Only One Nurse Diesel

It was just before the end of the year 1977 when the motion picture High Anxiety was released, featuring a stellar comedic cast of Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, and Harvey Korman--raking in over $31 million at the box office on a budget of just over $4 million. I don't know how much money the Howard The Duck comic book made, but as to which story gave you your money's worth:

...my money's on Mel.

Kang, The Time Lord!

In a conflict with the mystic villain, Necrodamus, during the event known as Inferno, Kang the Conqueror levels a ray blast at his enemy. And while you and I as comic book readers have seen our share of wild, creative sound effects associated with punches or weapons fire, letterer Joe Rosen gives Kang's ray a sound that may seem rather familiar:

Perhaps it's just Kang's way of letting us know that he'd rather have a much cooler time travelling ship.

Have a look at some other fun and out of the ordinary comics sound effects featured in a separate post by contributor Kev Stewart.

Faster Than A Speeding Bidder

In February of 2010, this puppy sold at auction for $1 million:

In 2011, the winning bidder for another copy shelled out $2,161,000.

Last Sunday, a copy graded 9.0 in condition by the Certified Guaranty Company went for a staggering:

I'm more than a little curious about the shipping options being offered. Armored car? Blackwater Security? The Winter Soldier?

The seller, collectibles dealer Darren Adams, will be donating part of the proceeds to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

The Dark Horse of Comics

"In a skyliner high above the Alien-contaminated earth, Caryn Delacroix can't sleep. Terrifying images of pursuit, disfigurement, and bloody death have invaded her peaceful dreams in her safe and privileged world. But they're only nightmares . . . or are they? The beautiful trophy-consort of corporate magnate Lucien Delacroix soon discovers that nightmares do come true, and that there are fates worse than death, when a Predator comes to call."

About two years after he'd left the X-Men series, writer Chris Claremont began doing work for Dark Horse Comics, founded in the late 1980s by Mike Richardson and described by Wikipedia as being created with "the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals." You could probably only interpret that one way--writers and artists rediscovering the reason they got into writing and drawing comics in the first place, only this time not engulfed by the directives of Marvel or DC Comics.

The quote above comes from the mid-1993 Aliens/Predator: The Deadliest of the Species 12-issue series written by Claremont. I don't clearly recall why I happened to start reading this series--I was either intrigued by the combination of the two popular Aliens and Predator concepts, or the guy at the comics store I patronized sneakily stuck the first issue into my pull stack. The series has many if not all of the Claremont touches you're used to seeing: a plot revolving around a female lead with a distinctive and somewhat atypical name ("Caryn Delacroix")... sentences that drop their pronouns to make their characters appear self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-confident (the key word here should be obvious)... cocky combatants... as well as letterer Tom Orzechowski, along for the ride.

For a time, during the mid- to late-1990s, Dark Horse stabled some noteworthy talent under its "Legend" imprint, and you couldn't help but be curious about the work that would be turned out by creative personnel who were free to be a bit more creative:

From what I understand, though, Dark Horse's line of superhero books had only a brief run, with the company opting to focus its energies on a diverse collection of projects including fiction/nonfiction books, manga, collectibles, and digital media, as well as comics adaptations of films and TV series, which by all accounts have done fairly well to this day.

All This, And Galactus, Too

Looking over the differences between the original cover of Fantastic Four #50 and the cover for Marvel's Greatest Comics #37 (which reprinted that issue), it occurred to me just how strange a read that issue's story was. On paper, it must have seemed pretty clear-cut: the resolution of the introduction of Galactus, featuring a battle between the alien and his herald, the Silver Surfer, while the Fantastic Four's Human Torch carries out a behind-the-scenes mission under the direction of the Watcher. You'd think there would be enough happening to easily fill out the entire issue; yet the story was wrapped up in just over half the space, leaving the other half to essentially spin its wheels with plot and character development.

So perhaps it was felt misleading for Jack Kirby's original cover to have suggested an image of an epic conclusion to the story of Galactus, when that story instead ends with an over-before-you-know-it quality. But Gil Kane's rendering of the issue for the reprint gives us an idea of the kind of cover we were expecting for the story:

With all the action crammed into Kane's depiction of the story, it's a little easier to understand why the original cover may have been toned down a bit. After all, the newer version gives us an impression of a different final product than we got, with a wider scope of action than we saw. For one thing, the FF were mostly on the sidelines while the battle between Galactus and the Surfer took place, with the exception being the Torch who was sent on a glorified errand. For whatever reason, Galactus--the main threat in this three-part story--is downplayed on both covers. On Kirby's he's absent altogether--while the Surfer, who at most has had a minor role throughout, is given practically the entire allotment of cover space.

Yet both covers have one thing in common--their perplexing captions. Given that this is the character's first appearance, the Silver Surfer has had no saga, startling or otherwise--nor will he have had one by story's end. In hindsight, he's unquestionably starting a saga--and with a cover appearance that eclipses the Fantastic Four in their own magazine, as well as scoring the issue's title, he's clearly being primed for greater exposure. But he'll need to get some mileage under his board before we can look back on his saga. Maybe he's making more of a startling appearance right now. Also, it probably goes without saying that the caption mentioning him on Kane's cover is shamelessly pulling in fans of the Surfer's subsequent appearances with a "hey, here's more of him" teaser--yet the Surfer is only "back" in a nostalgic sense.

As for the "Doomsday--Plus One!" caption, the reference is somewhat lost on me. The reprinted story is about four years before the Joe Gill/John Byrne Charleton Comics series of the same name--but if I had to take a guess, I suppose the phrase refers to the day after doomsday. If so, the newer cover mimics Kirby's in the sense that the original also makes such a reference, by having a graphic of Johnny Storm's first day at college be an indication that the danger from Galactus will pass, and life will go on.

And boy, does it ever; in fact, you'd think the departure of Galactus by "dimensional displacement" also swept everyone back to their normal lives as if he'd never appeared. After the Surfer departs, off to start his startling saga, writer Stan Lee takes advantage of all the leftover pages to lay some groundwork for future developments. Though it's debatable how much of a substitute Coach Thorne is for Galactus:

But there's still plenty of the FF to shuffle around. Like Sue and Reed, who seem to have a more difficult time being married in the Baxter Building than they did being single in the Baxter Building:

And the Thing, who thinks his girlfriend, Alicia, has dumped him for the Silver Surfer, and sees that his options with other women are limited:

And the Torch, who tries to forget about Crystal (who's trapped behind a barrier around the Great Refuge) by enrolling in college classes:

But even the issue's last panel acknowledges that the story turns out somewhat at loose ends, while doing what it can to make sure readers know things will be back on track in future issues:

Though come to think of it, we probably could have called this issue "The Startling Saga of Wyatt Wingfoot!", put his image in place of the Surfer's on Kirby's cover, and pretty much ended up with no discrepancy in the tone of the story, eh?

Blinded By Rage

By the time the Sub-Mariner series ended in September, 1974 (though as The Savage Sub-Mariner for the past year), the book was arguably on its last legs. The spike in readership which Namor's dramatic costume change had been meant to usher in hadn't materialized, and the book went to bi-monthly publication directly afterward. Also, artist/writer Bill Everett, who had come back aboard and given the series something of a new lease on life in 1972, had passed away in early 1973, resulting in the book shifting in writers and artists as it tried to find stability. Even Atlantis, which Namor had finally returned to, had for all intents and purposes been removed from the book, its population victims of exposure to nerve gas (or of the editorial change in direction, take your pick); and from then on, Namor spent much of his time following leads that would hopefully result in a cure and restore his people.

But time had run out for Namor, and Marvel pulled the plug on The Savage Sub-Mariner with issue #72. Not unexpectedly, the cover of its final issue was as sensationalized as prior issues which sought to coax readers:

For instance, the creature attacking Namor wasn't called the "Slime-Thing"; in fact, it never spoke a word, much less gave itself a name (and a self-degrading one at that). Nor were the men at the waterfront armed. And as for the fate of the "two worlds" of Atlantis and the surface world being at stake--or even relevant--nothing could be further from the truth, as the fights taking place in the issue were strictly personal.

The Colonizers

I've been wanting to give a non-Marvel nod to a series that's one of the jewels of my comic collection--the adaptation of Lost In Space published by Innovation in the early '90s. You always had to keep an eye out for this book on the racks, since Innovation's funds were generally in a state of flux and its various titles were published when the money was available. (The company went out of business in 1994, which gives you some idea of the juggling involved.) But for the short time Lost In Space was in production, it was clear that the book was a labor of love and that its creative staff was putting in the time.

The series took on a somewhat darker tone than the television production, and dealt with several things that the show steered away from, particularly when its second season made clear that the show would take a sharp turn from the serious and become more frivolous in both its scripts and stories. And there was a wealth of subjects for the comic to "revisit" or otherwise expand on. For instance, Zachary Smith's association with the mysterious Aeolus 14 Umbra:

Or the circumstances of the Jupiter project and the destruction of its first ship:

There were also the lives of John and Maureen Robinson, and the events leading up to their decision to take their entire family and leave Earth:

Also, the Robinsons' primary mission of Point A to Point B colonization made it clear why the Jupiter 2 wasn't exactly suited for space travel with conscious passengers:

There was also Alpha Centauri itself, and the less-than-warm welcome the mission's destination planet gave the Robinsons when they finally arrived:

And there were the characters themselves to explore. Maureen's background in biochemistry; Judy's decision to give up a career in musical theatre in order to join her family; John Robinson's status as an ordained minister. And Will, growing into a young man, had some issues, as well:

There were stories of Lost In Space written by both Bill Mumy and Mark Goddard, with some early work by Mike Deodato and Peter David. Before Innovation folded, the series produced only 18 issues (along with two annuals and two or three special editions). The comic helped to show me the importance of treating a comic book adaptation as a separate entity from its television or film predecessor--in much the same way that we can't expect film adaptations of comic books to cling to every detail of their namesakes in print. For example, I found in the comic that there was less of a tendency to bring in an Alien Of The Week for each issue; and more flamboyant characters like Dr. Smith and the Robot tended to be played down in both characterization and limelight. Your mileage may vary as far as how the differences affect your reading experience.

I hope you're able to pick up and sample the series at some point.  Until then, here's something to get you in the mood:  a cool retrospective of the Jupiter 2, courtesy of the Sci-Fi Air Show.

This Is A Job For...

And you think you've had a tough day.

Enjoy This
Stupor Duck Moment

Holy Crushed Sofa, Batman

Have a look at what sold for a cool $4.6 million

at the annual Barrett-Jackson collector car auction:

George Barris's Batmobile from the 1966-68 TV series

(customized from a 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura Concept)

The Batmobile was successfully bid on by buyer Rick Champagne, who said that the car would go in his living room. Though how he plans to get it in his living room is probably something only the Bat-Computer could figure out.