Bid High! Bid Often!

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I discovered by chance that full-page in-house Marvel ads are available on eBay--and at a pretty penny (for old ads, at least), which indicates some level of demand. I can't begin to imagine what there would be about a house ad that would generate enough interest for someone to make a bid for it. But you never can tell what someone will find to be of value, eh?

No matter how incredibly strange it may be.

Perhaps the value of the ad has to do with the fact that, in the days before the Internet, it was the "first look" at an upcoming character or series. For instance, this really odd ad for The Avengers also featured an outline of the new Captain Marvel, who would eventually become a member of the group:

Of course, the ad fails to give Iron Man one of those clever captions: "I'm not an active Avenger, so you won't see me in the book--but watch for me!" (For that matter, they could paste in the Hulk and get away with the same caption.) And why isn't the She-Hulk responding with, "Gosh, you should be up there, Wasp--you're the team leader!"

But at least we can make Hawkeye happy, since he does indeed get a promo for his limited series:

Mark Gruenwald, however, was likely unhappy at seeing his name partially occluded by Mockingbird's leg. On the other hand, isn't Hawkeye supposed to sell this book?

And speaking of marksmen, here's one who has Captain America in his crosshairs:

Some of those eBay offerings featured the original transparencies used for the house ads--and I must admit that reproducing the Deathlok ad in all its gorgeous color would be a beaut.

Finally, one of the cryptic ads for the New Universe line of books:

I haven't checked, but I can't help but wonder if these New Universe ads ended up fetching a higher price on eBay than the actual titles.

I've Got A Crush On You

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

Birth Of A Symbol!

This little "schematic" of Captain America's shield covers a decent amount of ground for something apparently so simple in design. We learn both its weight and diameter; and while a 30-inch circumference sounds about right, it's a bit too wide a span to allow Steve Rogers to covertly strap on this thing underneath street clothes and appear as if he just has a broad back. But the shape resembling a tank's hatch cover makes sense, while also helping to blunt and disperse the impact of explosions or other forms of attack. (And it's a nice reference to Cap's wartime roots.)

The only odd part I couldn't quite get to make sense was the casting of the shield by Dr. MacLain, who must have begun his career in metallurgy in his early 20s if he's the same Dr. MacLain who later appeared in The Avengers. Yet, in that later tale, Adamantium is a completely new discovery, undergoing thorough testing for the first time:

As a result, the only way MacLain could have cast the shield as a mixture of Vibranium and Adamantium is if MacLain stumbled upon the second metal back in the '40s and didn't quite know what he was dealing with (and not even bothering to name it at the time). The Marvel Database specifies that MacLain created the shield using a Vibranium-iron alloy; but since MacLain was never able to duplicate the mixture of metals, perhaps there's a quantity of Adamantium in there and he simply doesn't recall how it was formed (or even what it was at the time). You'd think the man would have kept copious notes on what he was mixing every step of the way in the process--but glitches in the lab happen.

The "Ultimate" Fantasti-Car

Were any of you fans of the Ultimate line of comics from Marvel? I enjoyed them up to a point, but eventually they all seemed to run out of steam. If you haven't yet sampled them, I'd suggest picking up their earliest stories (say about two or three years' worth of issues), when their writers' creative juices were really flowing. They offer fresh, innovative takes on the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Spider-Man, et al., in the "Ultimate" universe where these characters evolved a little differently than their counterparts here on "our" Earth.

For one thing, you'll discover the "ultimate" Fantastic Four are considerably younger than the FF we're familiar with, which takes a little getting used to. The camaraderie amongst the four is on more level ground, which sacrifices some of the fire and unpredictability of their interaction but is still fun to read. For instance, with the unveiling of the Fantasti-Car, which in this reality was created by Reed when he was 13 and was looking for some quick transportation to visit his parents, we see that Reed and Johnny cut him no slack when it's pulled out of mothballs for a mission and they learn of the name he gave it.

And during the mission briefing, we learn that Ben's "calling card" also has a little history to it:

Unfortunately, there's one little detail about the "Fantasti-Car" that Reed doesn't bother to mention until the last minute:

Fear not, the Fantasti-Car's maiden flight is a success...

...at least until it gets an explosive reception from Dr. Doom.

In future posts, we'll check out some other samplings from the Ultimate books.

Prisoners Of Love!

When I first came across issue #91 of The Avengers, I had only just started reading the comic with its next issue and was in the process of working my way back. I'm not sure why I decided to pass on the previous issue--I suppose the cover of #91 looked a little too "busy" for me to get my feet wet with this team, and, despite their costumes, it was a little difficult for me to pick out "the Avengers" from the mix of characters present. Look at what I had to sift through. One obviously evil guy; two giants with hostile intent; another guy held prisoner; and three characters with their backs turned (which seemed a bad idea for a cover). Issue #92 would acclimate me to most of these characters, as well as a little of what was involved with the evil guys (i.e., Ronan and the Sentry), which made reading #91 a little more fun for me by the time I was ready for it.

This issue wraps up bits and pieces of events from issue #90. Captain Marvel, helpless after a medical procedure, was captured by a Kree Sentry (#459--with its frequent use, you'd think #459 was the only Sentry in service); Goliath is in the Arctic investigating a call for help from the Wasp, after the disappearance of Yellowjacket; the Vision, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch (with Rick Jones in tow) have raced off to join him; and the Kree (in the form of Ronan the Accuser), alarmed at the speed which humans are progressing in development, have initiated Plan Atavus--raising a citadel in the Arctic and sending out rays which are de-evolving all life in an ever-increasing radius.

Complicating matters, Yellowjacket has already been affected by the "evo-rays" of the citadel and reduced to a hulking, near-mindless brute who's menacing the Wasp--and Goliath, captured by Ronan, has had his will sapped by the Sentry (Sentries can sap wills?) and is now fighting alongside him against the other Avengers. All of which gives a better idea of the players involved and makes this battle issue much easier to assimilate and follow. "Take One Giant Step--Backward!" serves to pave the way for the Kree-Skrull War, while containing some interesting developments of its own.

The Fan Behind The Comics!

Your humble host--in a humble selfie.

(You can find the details on the custom artwork behind me in a prior post.)

Target: The Richards Children!

Where the New York City Child Welfare Department is concerned, it's gratifying to see its attention to diligence--especially regarding the offspring of Reed and Sue Richards, children who have the love and best intentions of their parents but whose measures have proven insufficient to assure their children's safety and well-being while spending their childhood within the dangerous world of the Fantastic Four. We've already seen Simone Debouvier, a caseworker of the Department, pay a visit to the Baxter Building and inform Sue of her office's intent to evaluate the home environment of her children, Franklin and Valeria, to determine if it was suitable for them to remain in. Ms. Debouvier's initial interview with Sue and Franklin, to put it mildly, was quite a wake-up call for Sue, with Ms. Debouvier scheduling a follow-up visit to continue the investigation as well as to hopefully meet with the children's father, Reed--a meeting which occurred while Reed was pursued by Federal agents and, consequently, failed to win the Richardses any points with our caseworker.

Since that time, life for the FF has continued, in full crisis mode--with the Baxter Building suffering heavy damage in an alien attack, as well as the children (and their trial nannies!) barely escaping death. Under the circumstances, it comes as little surprise when the Department makes an interim decision pending a formal hearing:

Yet even now, the FF can't simply discard its responsibilities in other matters--and so Reed makes the call to send Ben and Johnny to deal with a current situation involving the Hulk on a rampage, while the kids' parents devote their attention to the domestic crisis:

Yet, when Ms. Debouvier arrives to act on the Department's decision, Reed and Sue are surprisingly cooperative. After all, they can hardly deny Ms. Debouvier's assertions as to the children's exposure to danger. But they seem to have a counter-proposal in mind:

Bureaucracy is a fine thing in theory--however, in practice, it often fails to look down the road and take into consideration other factors in play, particularly in a world where super-powered beings can often work around the red tape. But for Franklin and Valeria, has that realization come too late?

Fortunately, the Richardses are well aware of the world they live in.

Of course, Sue's declaration doesn't quite hold up under scrutiny--Franklin has suffered both physically and psychologically when his parents were powerless to prevent it, nor has their presence in the Baxter Building been much of a deterrent in preventing any number of blatant attacks on the FF while in residence. But Simone seems satisfied that, under the circumstances, the best possible solution for the children is already in place:

It was a nice sub-story by writer J. Michael Straczynski, appropriately taking place while the FF were in the middle of matters pulling them in all directions.  I think Simone sums up the lives of Reed and Sue and the choices they face very well, with the bottom line being that there are no easy answers for this situation--which can be as satisfying an end to an FF story as a simple checkmark in the "Win" column.

Wear And Tear

I feel compelled to confess that I own no comic book-related underwear.

This really strange advertisement from 2006 isn't likely to change my mind.

It isn't any one thing that strikes me as odd about this ad. But if I had to make a list:

• Maybe it's the ad's caption:  "My boxers, bub!" What does this mean? If it's clever or funny, I couldn't tell you why. Is Wolverine daring us to disagree with him? Is the caption supposed to be followed by "Wanna make something of it?" I'm not getting the catch here. OR:
• Maybe it's because the "mad men" behind the ad insisted that Wolverine shave his chest. Were hairy chests in underwear advertisements risqué in 2006? OR:
• Maybe it's the, ah, unfortunate placement of the costumed Wolverine's left thigh in a rather suggestive location and angle. Perhaps the caption should have read, "Eyes up here, bub!"

If you're interested in acquiring these deadly undies, you'll have to use your tracking skills to locate a pair. Most outlets on the web that I saw were out of stock, if they listed them at all.

So Close, And Yet So Far

It was always nice when Marvel made the effort to take a title's 50th issue (whether #50, or 150, or 250, etc.) and make it something special--as if tipping its hat to what's come before, and promising more great things for the character to follow. I don't know if that level of dedication was on the minds of writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema when they reached this "halfway" point with Incredible Hulk #250, but they nevertheless pulled out all the stops for this double-sized issue and gave readers a heck of a story to hold in their hands.

The prospect of the Silver Surfer being able to cure Bruce Banner of his curse as the Hulk has been raised before; and with their association in the Defenders and in other meetings (such as with the Sub-Mariner's own such group), the Surfer has stood out like a sore thumb in terms of a cure for Banner being within arm's reach. I suppose there was really no reason for the Surfer to make another attempt with the Hulk, with the first experience being something of a rebuff--and Banner never had the opportunity to solicit the Surfer's aid directly (though you'd think Reed Richards might have put in a good word for him). But with continued contact between the Surfer and the Hulk, obviously it becomes more difficult to keep from broaching the subject.

In this story, though, Mantlo puts the issue front and center, for it's Bruce Banner's expertise the Surfer needs--and there's simply no getting around quid pro quo.

When there's a "guest star" in another character's title, it's interesting to see what circumstances a writer will come up with in order to bring the characters together (a concept which surely got a workout in monthly books like Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One). Where the Hulk and the Surfer are concerned, it's hard to imagine the two of them finding themselves in the same place at the same time except through coincidence--but for this story, their paths will cross because both of them are seeking the same two things: peace, and escape. For the Hulk, the two terms mean one and the same--and in the farmlands of Liberty, New Mexico, he hopes to find both.

One Wingman Short

In a prior post, it became clear how valuable the presence of the Hulk was in promoting sales of The Defenders, even if the Hulk wasn't actually in the issue(s) in question. I suppose when you think about it, there wasn't any other character on the team who could carry the ball in that respect--not even Dr. Strange, who mostly kept a low profile in comparison to other Marvel characters and whose book likely wasn't a strong seller in the first place. So a cover like this one, while infuriating in terms of being a blatant misrepresentation of the events in the actual story, fully met the spirit of "shameless marketing ploy":

Just to make things crystal clear: the Hulk was never present (conflicted or otherwise) during the confrontation between Luke Cage, Strange, and Nighthawk--therefore, neither Strange nor Nighthawk addressed him or questioned his loyalties. The Hulk never even knew such a meeting took place--because, in the first few pages of the issue, the Hulk angrily left the Defenders without a backward glance. Strange decided to accompany Nighthawk in investigating the mysterious destruction of buildings owned by Kyle Richmond (Nighthawk's true identity), which led to their unfortunate meeting with the private security which Richmond's C.F.O. hired to protect the premises.

Yes, a slight over-reaction on Cage's part. He compounds the blunder by decking Strange--but that opens the door to this nice little dust-up with Nighthawk:

I don't really see Nighthawk as being Cage's match--after all, even though Nighthawk has twice the strength, skill and stamina of a normal man at night, Cage's strength and stamina go beyond that. And since Nighthawk really isn't looking for a fight while Cage is, the man interested in putting the other down is likely the one who'll prevail here.

So it's a good thing that Nighthawk has Strange as a wingman tonight, because once the stars stop circling Strange's head, this fight's going to be over. Oh, wait--isn't his "mystic might drained"? I GUESS NOT.

For what it's worth, the Hulk returns in the next issue to help battle the Wrecking Crew.  At least that's what it looks like on that issue's cover.