Reed Richards and Sue Storm didn't have a whirlwind romance by any stretch of the imagination--but when news of their engagement got out, you'd think that we *ahem* comics fans were in the presence of Hollywood royalty. However they arrived on such a pedestal, the match of Reed and Sue made them celebrities beyond the status they inherited as one-half of the Fantastic Four. And now that we have the benefit of hindsight, and since super-villains weren't likely to put their plans on hold just because these two became engaged, we can fast-forward through that time and take a look at the rocky road these two navigated as they transitioned to marriage.
And in the process, it allows us to pop the champagne cork on another
Marvel Trivia Question
Did this happy couple ever have an honest-to-gosh honeymoon?
There were many times when writer Stan Lee took the fast track to creating a super-villain to challenge an issue's hero, particularly in comics such as Strange Tales or Journey Into Mystery where there wasn't a lot of panel space available to spend on anything but the basic motivations of the antagonist; but in other cases, there were characters whom Lee would spend a generous amount of time nurturing as they turned toward a darker path, at times even making them sympathetic in the process. For example, they might find the world they lived in to be unfair or otherwise unduly belligerent--where they'd try to do the right thing and work within the system but often would see their efforts scorned, in a frustrating one-step-forward/two-steps-back cycle that would eventually take its toll. Or maybe, as was the case with Martin Blank, "the Gibbon," they would lash out as a result of the world being a place where they struggled to fit in but which nevertheless rejected them. (Even Martin's last name appeared to conspire against his self-respect.)
And in some instances, Lee fashioned a villain's backstory out of circumstances where a person's life might just be a series of bad breaks, and one day they were pushed over the edge or gave in to their frustration. One character who fit that description and was introduced in a late-1969 story in Amazing Spider-Man was Hobie Brown, an aspiring inventor whose profession was washing windows on skyscrapers but who felt like his life was going nowhere. Eventually, he began sounding like a broken record in that respect, causing his girlfriend, Mindy, to walk out on him; and when Hobie tried to bring some of his ideas to his uncaring boss, as she'd suggested, they were flatly rejected, and he soon quit out of anger.
Hobie, in essence, is a good kid who's finding it difficult to get ahead, a basic profile that fit so many of us at his age. But instead of exploring other avenues, Hobie uses his gifts to take a shortcut to success, and turn his talents to what seems a sure thing.
In 2011, the Florida citrus industry created "Captain Citrus" to spread the nutritional message of orange juice in Florida classrooms. As you can see, the Captain's hefty girth sent a rather mixed message to kids about the health benefits of good nutrition:
Granted, there's not much you can do about a waistline when you're the shape of an orange. But last September, the Florida Department of Citrus entered into a $1 million contract with Marvel Comics to create a new character that would not only stimulate interest in orange juice but also direct more attention to its rep as a healthy and wholesome drink. And as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Meet the revamped fighting hero of the groves:
At the time, the citrus industry could have used all the help Captain Citrus could bring its way. According to August 2014 figures, U.S. orange juice sales fell to their lowest level on record--not helped by reports in the news that sugar content in orange juice was contributing to America's obesity problem. Add to that the ongoing problem of citrus greening disease, a bacterial pathogen which was hitting citrus groves hard.
The new launch also partnered Captain Citrus with the Avengers in a three-issue series of comic books that would be distributed free to one million children in schools across the country:
When the Leader threatens to destroy the Florida orange groves--watch out!
The good captain also inundated YouTube, coinciding with the push to reach younger consumers. For instance, there was the joint introductory presentation featuring Bill Rosemann, Creative Director of Marvel Custom Solutions, and Doug Ackerman, Executive Director of the Florida Dept. of Citrus (who also teamed up for an appearance at the 2014 New York Comic Con):
The FDOC also did their own brief plug:
As well as a home-grown BTS vid of citrus grower Christian Spinosa, the voice behind Captain Citrus (or, as he would put it, "Cap'n Citrus"):
Plus Captain Citrus sweepstakes. Pages on Facebook, Twitter, and who knows where else. A broad sweep of news articles in television, print, and online outlets. As for the "Amazing 5" that the captain touts in his appearances, it's super-hero shorthand for a breakdown of the health benefits of drinking orange juice:
The last issue of the comic appeared in May of this year--so Captain Citrus seems to have made his stand, and time will tell if he's indeed made a difference in boosting the appeal of orange juice. But he lives on at his Florida citrus website, and you can enjoy all three issues of the digital comics along with your pulp-filled glass of freshly-squeezed O.J.
There would come a point when Avengers writers would overplay the Ultron card and have the metal maniac reappearing and hatching plots even more often than new Avengers would join the ranks (and that's saying something). But in 1974, it had been five years to the month since Ultron-6 contorted and bit the dust before the fiend resurfaced to menace the Avengers anew. That earlier adventure marked the occasion when Ultron had recast himself from adamantium, the "strongest metal known" and resistant to even a direct strike from Thor's hammer; and he could also build up sufficient ionic force from his energy stores to initiate a fatal explosive reaction which could even endanger an entire city. But Ultron had also incorporated into himself the "molecular rearranger" (a name which, while not sophisticated in the scientific sense, is certainly self-explanatory), which was the only way to affect the shape of adamantium once it had cooled--and it was essentially Henry Pym hacking the device with the help of a biblical verse which led to the end of Ultron-6.
But as we know, Ultron is only out of circulation until he upgrades with a higher numerical designation--and in an Avengers/Fantastic Four crossover, Ultron-7 has arrived.
In the Hulk's original blinked-and-you-missed-it bi-monthly series from 1962, it appeared that writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby were taking the character in the direction of the bizarre. An unassuming physicist, transformed by science into a lumbering, raging monster whose strength was off the scale, encountering ancient civilizations beneath the Earth's surface, or offbeat criminals, or off-world invaders such as the Toad Men, the Metal Master, or even a communist posing as an alien gladiator. At times it felt like Tales Of Suspense had been adapted to include a headliner.
The Hulk's third issue was perhaps the most down-to-Earth issue of the series, in that it featured a major development in the Hulk, while also focusing on a gaudy but otherwise ordinary group of criminals who were ransacking the towns they visited while posing as circus performers. It would be our first exposure to the Ringmaster and his cohorts, who would go on to become one of Marvel's mainstay criminal groups while engaging with some of the company's heaviest hitters. (With the Hulk, they certainly started at the top.)
As for the major development that takes place, at first glance you might think it's related to the startled soldier's observation on the issue's cover:
Instead, it's the issue's splash page which would pave the way to the first change we'd witness in the Hulk's makeup (if you're not counting the adjustment of his skin pigmentation).
Good grief! Could things get any worse for the maybe-not-so-eternal realm of Asgard? The city has been ripped away from its location in the normal universe--Thor has returned from World's End and engaged Asgard's attacker in what seems a hopeless battle--and Odin has fallen into the merciless clutches of said attacker, the murderous Mangog!
And you know things are bad when the issue's splash page gives away Odin's fate in the title! (Which raises the question: Why do people get so up in arms about running into unannounced spoilers in articles, yet don't bat an eye when the story spoils itself?) Not to mention the fact that there's an apparent goof on the cover that's even larger than the girth of the voluminous Volstagg. (Can you spot it?)
But we'd better get back to Mangog, whose hatred for Odin precludes any show of mercy. Are we going to find Odin crushed to a pulp before this story even gets started?
Well, if the mighty Thor is off at World's End, and if he's about to throw down with Kartag, the keeper of the Twilight Well--then why does the cover of his next issue have him battling for his life against Mangog?
Whatever fight he decides to hammer down on, he'd better shake a leg. Because Asgard has seemingly been destroyed in a cataclysmic implosion--Odin is presumed dead--and the cupboards of the Goddess of Death are crammed to bursting! It's time for Thor to get what he came for and vamoose. But first he has to get past:
You've probably already guessed that Kartag doesn't reply, "Okay."
