Comic Books: November 2006 Archives

As we all know by now, Dave Cockrum died last Sunday, November 26th. There's been a surprising number of obituaries for him in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Blogcritics. The Times article has quotes from Neal Adams and reports that Marvel only offered Cockrum $200,000 during the time he suffered from crtical pnuemonia. What a shame! You would have to think that Marvel would be deeply embarassed by this news and work to put together policies that could at least give more to their veteran creators. DC Comics has been better about this than Marvel, although Adams shamed them into helping Siegel and Schuster back in the 1970s. Click to enlarge one of Cockrum's most famous pieces above, the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel, rendered in black and white from Amazing World of DC Comics #9.

Most fans first encountered Dave Cockrum in one of two historic series, either the Legion of Super-Heroes or the X-Men. I caught up on the Legion later on, but my introduction to Cockrum was in Giant-Size Avengers #2 (1974). This issue was notable for a number of reasons. One, written by Steve Englehart, it concluded an ongoing Avengers drama involving Kang, Rama-Tut, the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Mantis. Two, the artwork was spectacular, because Cockrum pencilled and inked the story. And if that wasn't enough, Hawkeye returned to the team in his classic costume, as we found out on the splash page!

Englehart's stories were often cosmic in scope. He had a sense of wild dramatic flair, and a respect for Marvel continuity. At the climax of the story, Rama Tut starts fighting Kang the Conqueror in order to stop his plan to capture the Celestial Madonna. (no, it wasn't the blonde yoga singer.) This is a unique event, because Kang and Rama are actually the same person! Rama is the future incarnation of Kang, who came from the past into the present via a time travelling sarcophagus! Yes, thinking about it does warp your brain, and Cockrum warped this page, bending time to show a number of cool Avengers elements.

The page that followed was even more trippy, when everyone present at last realizes that Mantis is the Celestial Madonna. The fear on the Swordsman's face is evident, and it makes his heroic sacrifice at the end (where he saves Mantis using his own body as a shield) all the more bittersweet. I had no idea who Cockrum was, but from this point forward, I would be a Cockrum fan for life!

Outside of the Neal Adams Kree-Skrull war, this was the finest Avengers artwork I had ever seen. I kept thinking that some day, Cockrum would return to the series as the regular penciller. Seeing these Cockrum pin-ups (click to enlarge) in FOOM #6 (1974) fanned that flame for a while, but alas, it was not to be. I was happy when I found that out that he would revive my beloved mutants in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), which thrilled me to no end. Rest in peace, Mr. Cockrum. Nuff said.

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Neal Adams did more covers for Deadly Hands of Kung Fu than any other Marvel magazine. Do ya think that's why it was the most successful? It sure didn't hurt sales any, take a look at these wonders...

The cover to Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 was instantly recognized by anyone who had seen Enter the Dragon. This is the first of many covers featuring Bruce Lee.

Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, was the star of Deadly Hands, even though he had appeared in less than half a dozen tales in the color comics. Deadly Hands #2 cover depicts Shang-Chi, a stranger in a strange city (New York), beatin' down anyone foolish enough to pick on a man in his pajamas.

Deadly Hands #4 was a tribute to ABC's television show Kung Fu, starring David Carridine. I couldn't wait for this show to come on TV when I was a kid. This cover shows Caine in the Old West beatin' down cowboys like I wanted to beat down rednecks!

Raise your hand if you remember Billy Jack! If you remember Billy, I bet you also remember Adrienne Barbeau and Lynda Carter! This here cover to Deadly Hands #11 depicts a scene from The Trial of Billy Jack. A movie that Marvel and Steranko (if I remember correctly from MediaScene) told me was IMPORTANT! But actually, it just sucked. Nevertheless, this cover is good.

Deadly Hands #17 had the last Adams cover, but it was another doozy with Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon. Kinda makes me wish that Neal Adams had done an adaption of that flick, or better yet, a sequel or ongoing adventures of Bruce Lee. Adams could capture Bruce Lee's likeness perfectly. Nuff said.

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Continuin' my blast from the Kung Fu days, the Hector Ayala White Tiger had his moment in the sun with these two covers...

Ken Barr painted this cover to Deadly Hands #22 and it's one of my favorites. The White Tiger, standing on the end of a high-rise girder, has no alternative but to fight that gang waitin' for him with an arsenal of asian weapons. Does he look scared? Nosireee.

Earl Norem painted this cover to Deadly Hands #29. I think this must be the same bar that Turk (from Miller's Daredevil) likes to hang out in--they better have good insurance. Nuff said.

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With the first issues of White Tiger and Iron Fist, it seems like everybody is Kung Fu Fightin' all over again, true believers! Let this old coot take you through some 1970s covers featurin' these dudes, from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu...

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu was a pretty good seller in Marvel's black and white line. They were going to follow this up with an Iron Fist black and white magazine, but somehow it got cancelled. I suspect the cover and story in Deadly Hands #10 were making use of the aborted Iron Fist Magazine #1.

The response to Danny Rand's black and white story must have been pretty good, because he returned in Deadly Hands #19 for a serialized story by Chris Claremont and Rudy Nebres that ran through issue 24.

Naturally, Shang Chi (Master of Kung Fu) couldn't take being replaced by the blonde newcomer. He was forced to fight Iron Fist in Deadly Hands #29.

Howard Chaykin contributed this dynamic Iron Fist pinup, that was also featured in Deadly Hands #29. A skeletal samurai, hot diggity dang! Nuff said.

Technorati : Iron Fist, White Tiger

Based on his interviews, I knew Ed Brubaker understood the character of Iron Fist. Immortal Iron Fist #1 lives up to the hype, returning Danny Rand to classic form. He's not only a kung fu master from a hidden refuge called K'un-Lun, but he's also a Fortune 500 CEO. Brubaker and his writing buddy, Matt Fraction, are adding to the mythos as well by establishing a history of the Iron Fist wielders throughout history. Fans of the classic Iron Fist story by Claremont and Byrne that featured Davos (a K'un-Lun exile) stealing Danny's Iron Fist power will be intrigued by the last pages of this story. I loved this issue and it holds great promise for the future.

Hydra's put Danny in a pretty bad cliffhanger as well. I have a theory about how he will get out of this situation, baesd on one memorable scene from Iron Fist #4 (1976). A villain called Radion had destroyed a building, most of which had fallen on top of Iron Fist. Danny Rand was dying, but a dream from his teacher explained that the Iron Fist could be used for more than mere fighting--it could heal as well. And it did work to save Danny's life, though it hurt like hell. To my knowledge, he hasn't used this ability since the 70s, but I haven't re-read every Iron Fist story. Let's see if this returns in Immortal Iron Fist #2. Nuff said.

Technorati : Ed Brubaker, Iron Fist, Matt Fraction

Fucking hell, I blew it on that Cyclops-Dick article, didn't I? How can I possibly redeem myself? WITH THE MOST X-RATED POST IN PHOTON HISTORY! These outrageously hot pics of Vampirella by Bruce Timm should do the trick. Vampirella was always my favorite seductress, although her stories never lived up to the covers in the old Warren Magazines. I was always fond of Vampi's legs and buttocks, and apparently, so is Mr. Timm.

This drawing, with the erotic come-here gaze in Vampi's sweet little face is right up there with the Satana pic that Kid Flash posted. Bruce Timm did draw a short story in Vampirella Monthly #20, where she was naked, in similiar poses to this one.

Warren Magazines' other two big publications were Creepy and Eerie. Here you see another fantasy fulfilled, Vampirella dancing at a strip club while the mascots of these two titles drooled in ecstasy.

Here's one that will send fanfic writers gushing to their keyboards: Vampirella versus Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No Freudian overtones in this picture. What could that stake possibly represent? Nuff said.

Technorati : Vampirella

On yesterday's post about Astonishing X-Men 18 (Cyclops Isn't A Dick), reader Gareth Wilson made this observation:

"There are some writers who treat Cyclops like a dick--and Bryan Hitch didn't help with Wolverine's infamous quote in the first movie."

The "you're a dick" line was actually written by Joss Whedon, one of only two lines of dialogue that survived from his script.

First, of all, what a faux pas Warlock made in that one! Any fanboy knows that Bryan Singer directed the X-Men movie, not Bryan Hitch. And that's a very interesting factoid about Whedon's line in the first movie. Thanks, Gareth! How appropriate, Whedon turned Cyclops into a dick, now he's undicking him! Nuff said.

Now here's a Marvel comic that I can wholeheartedly recommend: Astonishing X-Men 18. It's the end of a six-issue arc, which really doesn't resolve much but multiplies the stakes even higher for the next arc. The mystery behind the duplicate Emma Frosts is cleared up, but what I really liked was Cyclops taking charge of the situation. Back in the day, before Wolverine came around, Cyclops was the Captain America of the mutants. There are some writers who treat Cyclops like a dick--and Bryan Hitch (correction: Bryan Singer) didn't help with Wolverine's infamous quote in the first movie. I thought Cassandra Nova was Morrison's greatest contribution to the X-Men, and I love how Whedon uses her in the story. There's an incredible cinematic tension between Cassandra, Emma, Kitty, and Scott that Cassaday executes brilliantly.

The message boards must be taking bets on what happened to Nova. I'm thinking it's the Armor girl mutant, though it could also be Blindfold. Nuff said.

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Squadron Supreme #7 is one issue-long down and dirty superhero fight. Lucky for J. Michael Straczynski that Gary Frank returned to draw this issue. I am fluctuate like crazy on JMS' stories--mostly I hate them. But this issue was very good. One of the things I hate about superhero fight scenes is when the adversaries are too nice to each other. With Redstone (the super-powered serial killer from Supreme Power) back for a second round, it's a battle that rivals Kid Miracleman's return. Civilians get in the way and discarded like toilet paper. Frank draws this carnage in all of its glory, and it's a wickedly fun spectacle to read. Hyperion fights smart, too, trying to using flying power to take him out (a la what Miracleman did to Gargunza), but Redstone has that avenue covered.

Of course, I still hate JMS. Not for Gwen, Peter, or Reed Richards. No, I hate JMS because he destroyed my afternoon. After what happened in this issue, I had to dig out Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme maxi-series from 1986. Because even though JMS' version is modern and different, every once in a while, he throws something in there that reminds me of Gruenwald's version. There's an event that happened in the 1986 Squadron Supreme #8: Hyperion used his Atomic Vision to an extent that he never had before, with serious repercussions to his health.

Damn, those Gruenwald Squadrons were good. The artwork was spotty (Paul Ryan's issues were the best) and the story was Silver Age soapy, but it sure was fun seeing DC's archetypes Marvelized. There were love triangles and outrageous events that DC never would have pulled at the time. It's a great twist when the Golden Archer (Green Arrow) uses the Squadron's "Behavior Modification Machine" on Lady Lark (Black Canary) to brainwash her into loving him. The other romantic tangle occurs in Squadron Supreme #7 when Hyperion's evil duplicate secretly kills Zarda's (Wonder Woman) elder husband (Steve Trevor) and finally nails the Amazon. Good stuff, worthy of putting your ashes into. Nuff said.

Technorati : J. Michael Straczynski, Squadron Supreme

We've been passin' around our favorite Bruce Timm drawings, and I just gotta spew out a few of 'em, featurin' ol' Ben Grimm, the Thing! This drawin' makes fun of the famous "Clobberin' Time" poster and t-shirt by Jack Kirby, but flippin' it around to show us his underpants. Timm's signature says "B.T. after Kirby".

Here's a more classic pose, where Grimm is launchin' into action against some baddie! Timm's really bringin' his inner Kirby out.

This one's also a knee slapper. Could Grimm be complainin' about the Fantastic Four movie? I missed that Jessica Alba sex scene. Was she invisible?

Thing vs. Hulk. They go together like Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Nuff said!

I have a number of Bruce Timm's drawings that fans have collected throughout the years. This man can take almost any character that I love and render them beautifully. While we've come to associate the Timm style as being cartoon-like, his women are undeniably sexy. This is Timm's rendition of Satana--I love this seductive pose--it could make any man lose his soul. Timm used Romita's original costume design, too, gotta give him bonus points for that! Nuff said.

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This is exciting news. At the end of Friday's Cup of Joe in Newsarama, there's a sneaky solicitation for a one-shot special called Legion of Monsters #1: Werewolf By Night. Written by Mike Carey and drawn by Greg Land! This looks like the classic Jack Russell--Land doesn't try to redesign the Ploog model, doesn't try to make him dog-like or anything. (Dog-like Werewolves are my pet peeves, no pun intended.) Here's the blurb:

In the first of three high-octane horror comic one-shots, Werewolf by Night returns to the Marvel Universe! This shocking story by X-Men's Mike Carey and Ultimate Power's Greg Land (in the comic he's waited his whole life to draw!) is a powerful, brutally terrifying tale that will redefine Jacob Russel forever! And as if that wasn't enough - join writer/artist Skottie Young in a no-holds-barred look at the afterlife of the Monster of Frankenstein! It's an extra-length comic at no extra price, and it's destined to keep you sleeping with your lights on…till the upcoming Legion of Monsters: Morbius and Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing!

Greg Land has waited his whole life to draw Jack Russell? Yes, he's a real true believer, and that cover looks fantastic! I can't wait to read this. Nuff said.

Wisdom #1 really snuck up on me, because I knew little about Pete Wisdom (other than remembering he shagged Kitty Pride during the Warren Ellis Excalibur days). CBR's recent interview with Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell tipped me to read this first issue, and I am glad I did, because it's a riot from start to finish. Wisdom is an Intelligence Agent for Britain's MI-13, an agency that deals with otherworldly invasions. Fairies from Otherworld have kidnapped a cabinet minister's son, so MI-13 sends Wisdom's team over to get him back. There's Tink (a Fairy dissident), Captain Midlands (Britain's Super Soldier) and my favorite, John the Skrull (who has taken on John Lennon's form). There's a lot of humorous scenes in this issue, such as the briefing before the mission, where Wisdom tells his crew: "You run into King Arthur: Do not hurt him. Do not join the Round Table. Don't eat anything. Don't pull anything. Don't marry anything." Trevor Hairsine's artwork is more than a match for the script--I think it may be his best job to date. He does some incredible full page splashes and the coloring work here is also top notch. Wisdom #1 is the best debut issue from Marvel this year. If you're into material like Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Nextwave, or even a show called Coupling, you won't want to miss it. Nuff said.

External Links:
Paul Cornell Wisdom Interview at Newsarama
Paul Cornell Wisdom Interview at CBR
Paul Cornell's Blog (House of Awkwardness)

Technorati : Paul Cornell

The second issue of Doctor Strange: The Oath is even better than the first one. Brian K. Vaughan has re-discovered Strange's past as an asshole surgeon and mines it for all it is worth. The transitions between the past and present day are very cinematic. We learn how Strange got shot and there's an old foe from the past who shows up, Baron Mordo--I can't say I'm surprised. Night Nurse accompanies Strange on his mission to save Wong and becomes his "Watson". She's a delightful foil and a possible new love interest? This is the best version of Dr. Strange that I've read since Roger Stern left the character. Can this be an ongoing series, please? Nuff said.

Fantastic Four: The End #1 was released last week to a bunch of tepid reviews. Granted, the story doesn't approach anything resembling Kingdom Come or Astro City, but it's a fun read. There's a lot of neat throwaway ideas in the first 10 pages. Reed Richards' technological inventions have finally transformed life on Earth. Such wonders as interplanetary travel and extended lifespans are now commonplace. A different writer might explore that territory, but instead Davis concentrates on Marvel's First Family, who are scattered throughout the solar system. Reed's on an orbital laboratory, with She-Hulk as his psychologist! Jennifer switched careers now that there is no need for lawyers (but if it was me I would just keep staring at her awesome green rack). Reed is kind of nuts because he hasn't seen MILFerick Sue Storm in over a year--she's playing Indiana Jones in Atlantis with Namor the Sub-Mariner. Ben Grimm lives on Mars with Alicia and his kids. Johnny Storm is with the Avengers, trying to put down a group of baddies on Titan.

It seems like this is Davis' version of Marvel Universe: The End as well as the FF. We get to see futuristic versions of the Inhumans, Iron Man, Thor, Silver Surfer, Nick Fury, and Dr. Strange as well. Some of the characters, like She-Hulk and Medusa, have been apart of the FF's rotating cast. I have a feeling that some fans are getting burnt out on Alan Davis' remarkable high quality that has been consistent across many projects over the past 20 years. But this fellow is one of the giants in the industry to me, and I love seeing his renditions of these characters. Marvel also released Fantastic Four: The End Rough Cut #1 last week. At $3.99 it is a dollar more than the regular edition, but if you're a Davis fan, it's well worth it. Davis' pencils are very detailed. It makes me what to print some pages and try inking them myself! It's interesting to see where he leaves room for the colorists to do their magic. Davis' script is included in the back, and it fills in a couple of details that I didn't pick up on, like the identity of (the new) Dr. Strange's mother. I wonder if this entire Rough Cut will be in the trade paperback? Nuff said.

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The other day I discovered that DC has a podcasts area on their downloads page as well as a feed for ITunes and Juice. The very latest download in this series is in the middle of the 52 crew discussing the creation of the weekly series. I've never heard Grant Morrison's voice before, and I don't know what I thought it would sound like, but he sure is a Scotsman! Besides Morrison, you'll hear Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Dan Didio, JG Jones, and Keith Giffen. I've downloaded all the podcasts in this series and listened to a number of them taped at San Diego Comic-Con 2006: Gail Simone, JLA/JSA (with Meltzer and Johns), Mark Buckingham, and Kurt Busiek. The Busiek podcast is fascinating, especially if you want some insight behind Astro City storytelling compared to his DC/Marvel superhero work. Lots of cool info there about Arrowsmith, Aquaman, and Avengers Forever as well. One of audience members rakes Busiek over the coals about the anti-climatic fight between Captain America and Batman in JLA-Avengers. Busiek replies that he thought it was conclusive--Captain America would beat Batman, although it would take a long time. Given the fact that we had such a great knockdown-drag out fight between Thor and Superman, I really didn't care, but this guy was really pissed at Busiek: "Why? Why did you do that?" Busiek's exasperation is really funny. Nuff said.

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Comics Should Be Good is quickly becoming one of my top blogs to read everyday. Yesterday they wrote an article about Top 5 Thing/Hulk Fights. Unfortunately, they didn't list my top picks, so here they are...

Marvel Feature #11 (1973), written by Len Wein, drawn by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott. Wein's dialogue coupled with Starlin's powerful layouts made this fight memorable. The Leader and Kurrgo (Master of Planet X) transport the Thing to the desert and force him to fight the Hulk. To give Ben Grimm extra incentive, he must defeat the Hulk to deactivate a planet-destroying bomb. Try explaining that to dumb Hulk! "Huh? You beat up Hulk for Hulk's own good? Hulk may be slow! It may be hard for Hulk to think, but not even Hulk believes that!"

I'm not the only one who loves this story, Art Adams does as well. He re-created the cover to Marvel Feature 11 for a collector. Too bad this wasn't sold as a poster, I would buy it in a second. I wonder how much time it took for Adams to recreate this, versus the original cover artists (Kane and Romita?) back in 1973?

Jim Starlin loved both of these characters so much that he wrote and drew a Hulk/Thing rematch in Marvel Fanfare #21 (1985). He later revisited both monsters in Marvel Graphic Novel #29 (1987), The Big Change. Starlin wrote the story and Berni Wrightson did the full artwork. While there was no big fight scene between them, the Thing and the Hulk are teamed up like two characters in a buddy movie. After defeating a monster for an alien race, at the end they are rewarded with two wishes. While Ben Grimm sees there's a chance for both of them to become human again, the Hulk makes a quick, Kramer-like decision that spoils the whole deal.

In 1974, Marvel decided to start their own series of bigger comics with Giant-Size Superstars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four. What better way to start than by having "The Wildest Thing vs. Hulk Battle of All". Written by Gerry Conway, it had a unique twist. When Bruce Banner arrives in New York and visits the Baxter Building, he notices a device built by Reed Richards. Banner decides to use this device to cure both himself and Ben Grimm at the same time. Something goes snafu (as usual) and a mind-swap occurs between the Thing and the Hulk. Rich Buckler draws this tale in a style very similiar to Jack Kirby, and the fight between them rages from skyscrapers to the subway to Madison Square Garden. Throw in the Amazonian babe called Thundra (looking to mate with Mr. Grimm) and you've got a comedy of errors. Huh, Joss Whedon and the Buffy writing staff were Conway fans, and Buffy/Faith swapped bodies and fought, do you think this could have been an inspiration? Nuff said.