Death Amidst Opulence

As drawn by artist Jack Kirby, the scene of the cover of Fantastic Four #93 doesn't look like it needs many changes for a reprint of its story--but in the FF's reprint mag, Marvel's Greatest Comics, a few are thrown in, nevertheless:

As is usually the case with a cover bearing the MGC logo, it appears that the character of Torgo (the metal-based alien who has the Thing on the ropes) finds himself reduced in stature in order to accommodate the additions of the Marvel Comics banner and the billing of the Fantastic Four, so that his formidable-looking bludgeon weapon doesn't block the one word in the logo ("Greatest") which the cover wishes to retain its prominence. The arena wall has also been reduced in height so that the spectator stands can appear sized as they do in the original. (That puts "Boss Barker" and his fellow hoodlums a little closer to the combatants than they might like, but at the moment it doesn't look like that's a concern for them, does it?)

And since the arena wall now has less height, the contestant entrance doors had to go--replaced by a standard grate which may or may not be used for ventilation of the lower levels. (If it is, a lot of people are probably sweltering down there.) And where to put the story's caption, since the wall height and the Thing's arm leave no room for it? Since the backdrop of the stands is only a backdrop and doesn't serve much use otherwise, there's room for the caption above the spectators. As to why the wording was changed, perhaps it was felt that a greater emphasis should be placed on the threat to the Thing, and so his mysterious opponent is mentioned by name. I would have thought the words "Arena of Death!" combined with Torgo looming over the Thing would have made Torgo's threat clear as crystal--but perhaps one works just as well as the other.

Boss Barker and his friends are mostly intact from Kirby's original depiction--but with the removal of the FF's corner box as well as Torgo's reduced bulk, a few more bloodthirsty mobsters are added to the group. As for the Thing, his seems to be the most obvious alteration, with his face on the MGC cover now visible and looking toward us. It's a peculiar change to make, since it's doubtful the Thing's facial features will make him any more distinctive than the rest of his rocky orange bulk. The change might have made sense if Torgo had made contact with his hand and had the Thing by the throat, but that's not the case here, and Kirby sensibly has the Thing focused on fending off Torgo's threat.  (Though on the new cover, the Thing is kicking up more dirt, giving the appearance of a greater struggle.)

Otherwise, there are several decisions made that have the spectator area being given a less ornate look than on the original cover--or more of one, depending on how true it's felt the cover should be to the story. For instance, despite the plush drapery overhang on Kirby's cover, the stands lack the expensive decor pictured in Kirby's full-page rendition of the room:

And while the same can be said of the MGC cover, the coloring has been changed to better reflect the interior of the stands. Also, strange that the drapery's texture doesn't interfere in the least with the FF's cover logo, but has been omitted from the reprinted cover, perhaps judged to be too distracting from MGC's overall masthead format.

To give either cover's scenario a happy ending, Torgo refuses to deliver the killing blow, and joins his fellow "slaves" in turning the tables on their gangster and Skrull captors. And despite being the fanciest arena money can buy, we can probably assume that Torgo and his buddies brought the house down on it.

The Curse of the Black Widow!

It's difficult to speculate on what exactly the plan was in regard to the relaunch of the Black Widow character in mid-1970--or even if there was a plan. Perhaps just a testing of the waters. The Widow received a makeover in Amazing Spider-Man that tossed out her mask, shoulder cape, and fishnet costume in favor of a sleek jumpsuit, while also shifting her from a brunette to more auburn hair--a transformation which made her less the deadly, seductive spy but more a member of the "jet set" and more approachable and accessible than when she used to unexpectedly drop down out of ceilings unannounced. There was little if anything left of the glamorous and sophisticated Black Widow who began her career at Marvel by mink-stoling her way into the confidences of men like Clint Barton and Tony Stark in order to conduct espionage, or the woman who was later given a costume, wall-crawling abilities, and limited weaponry and went on to become a double-agent. Now, "Madame Natasha" emerged to become a heroine--still the "Black Widow," but mostly in name only.

Once she debuted her new look and more active style in ASM, she immediately transitioned the next month to guest-starring in the new Amazing Adventures book with the Inhumans--not quite as hard to swallow as the Astonishing Tales format around the same time that co-featured, of all combinations, Ka-Zar and Dr. Doom, and interesting in the sense of the Widow finally getting her own solo feature (if only for ten-page increments). A try-out to determine what direction to take her in? A work in progress? With the revolving door of writers chronicling her stories in what only turned out to be an eight-issue stay (among them, Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway), the Widow herself seemed indecisive as to what her plans should be.

One storyline had her becoming involved in inner city struggles--perhaps too quickly pushing her into the public spotlight, but also offering believability in terms of stumbles that any person seeking to change their image might have made in her place. It also helped that she was fully aware that her "new life" wasn't going to be a cake walk as far as finding the right fit for herself:

Yet trying to identify herself with the common man seemed in stark contrast to the status she sought to maintain for herself. Riding around in a Rolls Royce; living in a luxurious penthouse apartment; being chauffeured by her friend and confidant, Ivan. For one so uncomfortable with such a life of ease and luxury that she once declared she "hated every moment of it," she certainly perpetuated it often enough.  It didn't quite make sense that she would so quickly acclimate to those causes she became involved in and sought to mediate--and whatever strides she made were mostly in terms of publicity. Yet, when the story is ready to be wrapped up, how easily she parts the waters and sets things right:

Later stories would attempt to shift her "Black Widow" name from that of a former spy to the more contemporary association of the phrase with a woman who exploits her relationships with males to their detriment or even death. In Natasha's case, she begins to associate her name with a curse, following a story when she becomes involved with a kid who'd become involved in a crime ring and had attempted suicide. (After he's saved and is brought to the Widow's penthouse by Ivan--and yes, in the Rolls--the boy's reaction probably mirrors that of readers who have been trying to get a handle on the Widow thus far: "I can't figure why an uptown queen like you cares if I swan-dive off a bridge or not." Indeed.) When the mobsters he'd become involved with come looking for him, resulting in a fight where the Widow is stunned and is about to be tossed over her building ledge, the kid's selfless act to save her results in tragedy:

From that point, the running theme in these Black Widow stories is much the same: Must those who cross her path find death? Had Natasha's history been far less involved and her self-awareness far less developed, such a pessimistic outlook on her new career might have been possible; but for the Black Widow, someone who's been able to put both risk and death in cold perspective during her career, she doesn't seem like the type to be rattled by tragedy or self-doubt, and certainly not to the point of preoccupation which hovers like a cloud over practically every case she takes:

Once her stint in Amazing Adventures ended, Natasha would find herself quickly folded into the Daredevil book, which she would eventually co-headline. With the first issue sporting a title like "And Death Is A Woman Called Widow," you can assume correctly that Gerry Conway had not left behind the Widow's concern that her life was akin to a curse for those she became involved with--though since she ended up saving Daredevil's life with that first appearance, perhaps the Black Widow could return to making things tough for her opponents, rather than for herself.

BONUS:

Artist Bill Everett's pin-up of the Black Widow from Daredevil #81!

The Awesome Attack of Dr. Blake!

There's no question that Journey Into Mystery raised its profile in the early 1960s when its pages unleashed Thor, the God of Thunder, on the comics world. After twenty issues, Thor's masthead would take prominence over the mag's title--eventually leading to Thor receiving his own book, as he began to journey into legend.

Thor performed some incredible feats in those Journey stories--though in those days when Marvel was trying to get Thor to catch on, "incredible" often stretched the limits of believability, even for 1960s comics. There were certainly some chuckle-inducing moments to be had, when Marvel seemed to be pulling Thor's powers out of a hat to further entice and excite readers. Thank Odin many of those abilities have been left in the dust of the '60s and forgotten--though there are some embarrassing scenes even a Thunder God can't live down.

For instance, the times when Thor didn't even need his hammer to command the elements:

Heck, sometimes we didn't even need Thor. Behold, the mighty Blake!

We also discovered the potpourri of energy bolts that Thor could coax out of that hammer:

(Wouldn't you know it, there are actually such things as alpha particles.)

Thor can also place others under his control, as long as it's not a cloudy day:

And for what it's worth, Thor can handily track other immortals, because it seems they all have built-in homing beacons:

A power which often seems to slip Thor's mind, given the number of times he's been on frantic quests to find Sif, Odin, et al.

But even when Thor segued to his own title, and the outrageous uses of his power began to taper off, there was still the occasional exception. Which leads us to my absolute favorite moment of a never-before-seen Thor power, one which I've made mention of before but which certainly stands in good company with the rest of these examples. Because while I might be able to swallow solar hypnosis and alpha particles, ladies and gentlemen, I draw the line at incantations.

I don't know if it was that thermo-blast that won Thor's release, or if it was Ego, the Living Planet, expelling him in one big, cataclysmic groan of "YECCHH!"

Beware The Judgment Calls of... Ms. Marvel!

The last time we checked in on the Super-Skrull, he was just about to end Spider-Man's annoying interference in his plans forever! And it doesn't look like he's backed off from that position in the slightest:

Despite sometimes being a wisecracking, annoying pest to the villains he goes up against, Spider-Man is also a realist on occasion--and even he knows that he's hard-pressed to survive a battle with a foe who possesses the might of the Fantastic Four, and stronger might at that. And with the Human Torch having been taken out of the fight, Spidey knows that his moments are numbered if he doesn't get help soon. Of course, that annoying sense of humor of his is still functioning at peak efficiency:

And so it's Spider-Man vs. the Super-Skrull, to the finish! But, wait a sec--this mag is called Marvel Team-Up, isn't it? So who's waiting in the wings to join forces with Spidey and foil the Super-Skrull's plan to snatch a rare power crystal which he needs to return to his home planet? None other than the woman warrior known as:

But, here's food for thought:

Why would anyone in their right mind want to prevent the Super-Skrull's departure?

Sound And Fury

In this two-part Inhumans story from 1971, it takes a little digging to get to the truth behind their deceptive covers:

And digging in a good way, since only one of these covers depicts an outright lie. In fact, you may as well know the bad news first: There is no Thor/Black Bolt battle taking place in this story. Thor and the other members of the Inhuman royal family, yes--though apparently they're not regarded as salesworthy as their leader, instead crammed into the corner box. But the good news is that writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams, in tapping into the civil unrest of the early '70s, mix all the book's various ingredients together--the exiled Inhumans, the amnesiac Black Bolt, his young companion, an unscrupulous uncle, the Avengers, and the story's driving force, Lionel Dibbs--to make a compelling read. For a book that was struggling at the time to make both the Inhumans and the Black Widow attractive enough concepts to anchor a title of their own, this story gave every reason to believe that the Inhumans, at least, might have a future, either continuing in Amazing Adventures or elsewhere.

Thomas had laid the groundwork swiftly in the previous two issues, given that he had about ten pages per issue to rope in a potential reader. To boil it down:

In the Great Refuge, Maximus has emerged with an actual super-power--the ability to control minds. With Black Bolt in San Francisco investigating how best to integrate his race to the world of humans, Maximus moves to take control of the Refuge and drive out the royal family, while also afflicting Black Bolt with amnesia. With his cousins now searching for their leader, Black Bolt is befriended by a young boy, Joey, who was trapped in a life of crime by his uncle Roscoe until Black Bolt intervened--and with Joey in need of medical care, Black Bolt abandons his costume in order to more easily seek out and approach a physician.

Unfortunately, it's at this point when Maximus strikes, leaving Black Bolt without knowledge or direction, and Joey his only friend. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Black Bolt has no memory of the deadly power of his voice, a power that could cause untold destruction and death if he should utter a single word. When that moment comes, and Black Bolt, to his horror, destroys a mammoth docked ship, Lionel Dibbs finally emerges to offer a helping--well, gun.

And Then There Was One!

The villainous Super-Skrull has been in the doghouse with his superiors in the Skrull empire ever since he failed in his mission to destroy the Fantastic Four. Nor can he help being reminded of that failure every day, since at the heart of his makeup is the power to duplicate the FF's abilities--which means that every time he attacks a foe with flame, or strength, or elasticity, or invisibility, he'll remember that all of the resources that went into his raison d'être were wasted, and his first mission ended in defeat.

But in the pages of Marvel Team-Up, in a story which featured writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne in a team-up of their own shortly before they began their epic run together in Uncanny X-Men, the Super-Skrull would find himself facing one of the Fantastic Four again, as well as the amazing Spider-Man and a third foe yet to make their appearance. I don't know--does it seem to you like he's mellowed with time?

Final Reckoning!

There was a time when the Kingpin used to take Spider-Man for quite a ride:

The Kingpin emerged in both the pages of Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil to be the crime boss of all crime bosses--ruthless in his dealings with not only his competitors but also those costumed folk who attempted to interfere with his profit margin. But an effort was also made to make him a physical threat--particularly if he was going to have to confront a super-strong character like Spider-Man. Obviously, the Kingpin wasn't going to be an agile fighter; so the emphasis was placed on his unexpected speed and, of course, his considerable bulk, which he described as being all muscle rather than fat. That assertion is probably mostly wishful thinking on his part, though I'm not going to be the one to bring it to his attention; suffice to say that, in those early stories, the Kingpin could hold his own--as well as, apparently, wall-crawlers.

And that brings us to another gripping

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Marvel Trivia Question

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Was Spider-Man ever able to defeat the Kingpin, one-on-one?

Where Walk The Immortals!

It was probably the shortest invasion of Asgard on record, but the incredible Hulk did indeed pay the "Realm Eternal" a visit, as the mag that reintroduced him to readers, Tales To Astonish, drew to a close:

It appears from the cover that all of Asgard is up in arms over the Hulk's presence, but appearances here are a little deceiving. The story in this issue is a mere eleven pages, and the Hulk ends up only engaging with a few of Asgard's secondary players here before becoming more mired in Asgard's internal problems with troll armies when his new solo title is launched the next month. You'll see a good deal of the Warriors Three, nothing of Thor, and very little of Odin by the time it's all over--and even Loki, whom you'd expect to be in the thick of things, is mostly a behind-the-scenes character who doesn't take on the Hulk as he once did the Silver Surfer but is responsible for setting the Hulk loose in the realm:

It's something of a stitched-together plot on Loki's part; basically, he hopes that the Hulk will raise so much of a ruckus in Asgard that it will distract Odin's attention away from aiding his son, Thor, in a recent conflict. (We never learn here why Thor is in such peril--you'd think that an editor's note would make mention of the specifics and thus give the Thor story a plug. According to the date of the story, Thor was in dire straits at this point in time--as well as practically in the arms of Hela, the Goddess of Death--after losing a battle with the Wrecker which he was forced to fight while stripped of his power, thanks to the spitefulness of his father.  So Odin should be feeling a little preoccupied, the old coot.)

Granted, the Hulk vs. the Warriors Three doesn't seem like much of a story. However, we do get some exquisite scenes by artist Marie Severin, who is at the top of her game on the heels of her action-packed rendition of the Hulk/Sub-Mariner battle which took place in the prior issue:

After grappling with the Hulk, Fandral and his comrades come to the conclusion that the brute is in Asgard by mistake and isn't seeking battle with the Asgardians--and since the ceasing of hostilities throws a wrench into Loki's plan (such as it is), he finally appears in the flesh to stoke the tempers of those warriors on the scene. Unfortunately for him, Hogun isn't having it.

And so the Warriors plan to conduct the Hulk to an oracle for guidance in his disposition--but Loki makes good his unspoken threat to strike out of spite (a chip off the old block, this one), and, in symmetry with the story's beginning, changes the Hulk back to Banner just as he's leaping across a chasm, and Banner plummets. Apparently Loki isn't a big believer in the concept of momentum:

In Incredible Hulk #102 (the first issue of his new series, despite the numbering), Banner is saved by the Enchantress and the Executioner, who regret their actions when they find Banner void of useful information--but in threatening to slay him, they cause him to lose control and revert to the Hulk, who goes on to become embroiled in the troll/Asgardian conflict but mostly fights on Asgard's behalf. The brute only encounters Odin when the battle is over and Odin steps in to save the Hulk's life after a lethal strike by the Enchantress, though the meeting is abrupt and not without its rocky moments:

And so back to Earth the Hulk goes, where he runs into a nasty character called the Space Parasite--another haughty foe who, like Odin, could benefit from some people skills.

...From The Ashes Of Defeat!

Yikes! From the look of things, it's open season on the FF!

Let's hope this cover of Fantastic Four proves more symbolic than the cover for the prior story, where Gladiator of the Shi'ar arrived on Earth and proceeded to trounce the FF. At the conclusion of that story, Gladiator found himself confronted by the X-Men, who were closing in for the attack--but why? And more importantly, will the Fantastic Four be able to pick themselves up from Gladiator's assault and pull victory from defeat?

All Is Fair in War

From the cover that heralds its beginning, it's not hard to get the gist of the seven-issue arc of stories in 1988 known as the "armor wars":

I'm not sure where or when "armor wars" became the comics catchphrase for this series of stories.* Originally, it was given the label "Stark Wars," playing on the title of the famous George Lucas film of 1977; and, indeed, Tony Stark is the driving force behind this initiative to safeguard his armor technology from being used by criminal elements. But while "Stark Wars" might serve as the title to the introductory story, "armor wars" perhaps better describes the scope of targets that Stark must take out in order to accomplish his rogue mission. (And it admittedly sounds a lot cooler.)

*Rhodey was seen uttering it in quotes, so he may have coined it--after which Stark also referred to his mission as such. As for "Stark Wars," while applicable as the informal name of the story arc, it's doubtful that either Rhodey or Stark would have been in favor of such a label since it implies a mixture of indifference and ruthlessness on Stark's part, as well as an expectation of accountability for a mission that would turn very ugly, very quickly.

What puts Stark on this road is his examination of the armored suit which was worn by a former opponent, Force. An examination which reveals components which are familiar to their inventor.

Since Force was a former operative of Stark's most ruthless business nemesis, Justin Hammer, Stark immediately suspects Hammer of stealing his Iron Man technology. But the trail leads instead to the Spymaster, whose name of course describes his proficiency at this line of work.

In an attempt to curtail the use of his technology, Stark develops a device which will lead him to the unique signature given off by his stolen circuits--and, one by one, Stark, as Iron Man, begins to hunt down and nullify each suit by use of a specially designed "negator pack." At first, Iron Man's task is made easy by targeting known villains who are employing his technology--starting with the Stilt-Man and, later, the Mauler.

The Controller, one of Iron Man's toughest customers, is also a target. But their altercation causes the death of an innocent, one of the Controller's mindless subjects--and it will be the foundation for a growing feeling of guilt that will haunt Stark throughout this process.

Complicating matters is the fact that Stark's legal machinery treads on shaky ground as far as justifying Stark's intent to confiscate this technology. In addition, the wheels of justice are moving far too slowly for a man who fears every day that his technology is being used by others to cause suffering:

And so, Stark expands and escalates Iron Man's mandate, sending himself on a relentless hunt to seek out and deal with those who register as using his technology. More villains turn up, such as the Raiders and the Beetle:

Yet Iron Man's sweep also targets government operatives, such as the Stingray and the Mandroids:

Also included are the men using Stark's Guardsman armor, facing an attack by Iron Man which crosses the line on several levels:

The Guardsmen act as security for the government facility known as the Vault, which incarcerates super-villains. Iron Man is successful in his mission to nullify their armor--but his invasion of the Vault results in several of its inmates freeing themselves and now being at large. Iron Man also comes into conflict with the Captain (the former Captain America), and chooses to incapacitate his friend rather than stand down--a decision that would later cause a deeper rift in their relationship when the Captain seeks to take Stark into custody.

Stark is also troubled by the fact that his attack on Stingray was the result of a mistake, since Stingray's suit was discovered to be using none of Stark's technology. Regardless, Iron Man's activities and disregard for the law have created a public relations nightmare for Stark Enterprises, and Stark has no choice but to "fire" Iron Man so that he no longer is associated with the company in any way.

Meanwhile, Iron Man's activities are raising eyebrows and concerns with the Avengers, whose west coast team Iron Man is a member of. Eventually he's forced to explain himself; and team leader Hawkeye demands that Stark put an end to what seems to have become a vendetta. Instead, Stark departs without a word, leaving things unresolved between them.

Iron Man then brings his hunt to Russia, taking on both the Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man (whose armor is now manned by the Gremlin) in his stealth armor which has only limited weaponry.

When the Titanium Man seizes the advantage, the situation spirals out of control--and, just as with his battle with the Controller, Iron Man's one-man mission to sidestep the law to do what he believes is right results in yet another death.

The incident forces the Avengers to expel Iron Man from their ranks, though they stop short of attempting to take him into custody. Yet, because Stark considers the death of the Gremlin an accident due to self-defense, he buries the incident in his mind and continues to press on--now making use of his staff to perform a global wipe of databases to erase any details of his stolen technology.

This action essentially concludes the "armor wars" set in motion by Stark; but Iron Man's status as a hero has been damaged beyond repair, his activities having caused a furor with the authorities. Stark himself is at a tipping point, haunted by what he's done and the bridges he's burned--but his worries are far from over, as the government commissions Edwin Cord, once a business rival of Stark's, to test and activate armor that was originally designed to collar out-of-control super-heroes but would now be focused on overwhelming Iron Man and putting him out of action permanently. This new operative, Firepower, is successful, though Stark would survive and go on to live with what he'd done--or, rather, how he'd done it.

In hindsight, the "armor wars" can be seen as one of the earliest instances that offered excellent insight into Tony Stark's penchant for justifying his actions and disregarding the law according to his own moral compass. And while the story hits no reset button, it unfortunately tidies things up as far as Stark is concerned so that Iron Man can go on adventuring in his mag without his actions here constantly dragging him down--a broom and dustpan which are used in Iron Man #232, the story's unofficial epilogue, where a nightmare sequence effectively purges Stark of his nagging guilt and he resolves to "accept" his actions, coming to terms with a part of himself that he realizes will always be with him.  One can't help but notice that he doesn't resolve to keep it in check.