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Thats a Kurt Erichsen civer! Its been a while since weve had him in these pages! Also, youll be seeing that there Gallifreyan symbol (a hapenny to the first person who can tell me what it means!) from the wonderful Jesi Pershing a bunch! Its awesome, no? Plus, Teddy Harvia, and words from good folks, including Hugo-nominee (and Future Supremem Court Justice!) Steve Stiles. But mostly, this issue is about Chuck Serfaces piece leading in to our MASSIVELY AWESOME Marvel Comics edition of Nerdvana Podcast (JC Arkham and JoshBot do a GREAT job with it! You can listen to it at http://nerdvanapodcast.com/ and its all over the place and a lot of fun (start with the Batman episode at http:// www.nerdvanapodcast.com/Episodes/Nerdvana-S01E03a.mp3) and keep on going! Ive got a lot of thoughts about Marvel, its a comic line Ive only been into at times, but largely Im not a fan. I love The Flash, Batman, Plastic Man, Elongated Man, Johnny Thunder, Wildcat, and especially The Justice Society. Always my favorite. Marvel had The Hulk, who was awesome at times, and Daredevil. When I was growing up, there was the X-Men, at the time the biggest thing in comics. I liked the X-Men to a degree, but always into the DC stuff far more. On the plus side, there were stories back in the day that were awesome. There was a X-Men issue where it was Kitty telling a bedtime story about Pirates! But mostly, it passed over me while I was reading about Barry Allen and Crisis On Infinite Earths. Of course, there is stuff where the creators were so good, the material so awesome, that you have to love it. Frank Miller on Daredevil is one of my all-time favorites. I read it on the same flight that I read Alan Moores run on Swamp Thing, which it held up very well against. The Hulk was written by Greg Pak for a while, and it was Awesome! There was Secret Wars, which was so prevalent when I was at the exact right age! And then, there are the movies. You cant argue that they havent been so powerful, so well-done. There have been some dogs, Elektra, Daredevil (though not completely), the Fantastic Four (again, there were moments) and even the third Spider-man movie wasnt that great. I HATE the Blade movies, which some argue is not a Marvel film, but it is. I liked the Ang Lee Hulk movie, though The Incredible Hulk was much more watchable, and Captain America was slightly better than decent. I loved all the Iron Man movies, and The Avengers, and especially Thor.. I may be the only person who thinks Thor was better than The Avengers, but thats what Ive thought from as soon as Id seen them both. Marvel TV has been hit-or-miss. In the before times, there was Spider-Man at the time there was also Wonder Woman (from DC), and there have been some great, and terrible cartoon. In fact, the X-Men cartoons were bad, and at the same time you had the brilliant Batman cartoons to contrast. There was also a 70s Spiderman-Man was was pretty good, and a really good Secret Wars cartoon series. So its hit or miss, though I really want to see what Joss Whedon does with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. next season. So, Im not much of a Marvel guy, though Ive certain read a fair bit of Marvel along the road, but Ill probably always be a DC guy. Marvels never really had anything to compare with the Vertigo line, which makes me think that Marvel knows what audience pays its rent! So, this issue is Marvel Comics and I hope you enjoy it!
Five Episodes from the History of Marvel Comics You Might Not Remember by Chuck Serface
On Saturday, June 8, 2013, the insane crew of the Nerdvana Podcast will undertake the daunting task of outlining the entire history of the Marvel Universe, from the very beginnings of Timely Comics, to the horror stories of the Atlas Era, to the rise of heroes during the Silver Age, to the current multimedia subsidiary of Disney known as Marvel Entertainment. We could go in any number of directions, and I suspect that upon meeting that symbolic fork in the road well take both directions. Nonetheless, I decided to review back issues and critical commentary to discern those episodes that shine most brightly in the firmament of Marvel. Marvel has given us an impressive number of memorable occurrences. Roy Thomas, for example, penned the Kree-Skrull War arc that ran in Avengers (Volume 1) #89 -97, a groundbreaking epic that forever altered the course of all superhero comics. An adaptation of another industry changer, Chris Claremont and John Byrnes Days of Future Past that first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 will soon grace the silver screen. Many are the blockbusters, the moneymakers that inspire creative projects in various media, commentary, spin-offs, and which never will be forgotten, especially now that reprinted trade compilations have become so widely available. As a longtime reader, I remember passages from Marvel that might not but should survive the ages, passages that entertained, caused me to reflect, or both. Ive chosen five such cases in point for discussion. Each presents an element that reveals some aspect of character or circumstance that, whether one realizes it or not, potentially changes the path of continuity, and I say only potentially, because, damn it, were in danger of overlooking their importance.
Why shouldnt Captain America be worthy? Since his reappearance in Avengers (Volume 1) #4, writers such as Stan Lee and Steve Englehart successfully had evolved him from the Golden-Age soldier sticking it to Adolf into the solid moral core of the Marvel Universe, the man who twice walked away from his heroic identity when retaining it would have meant betraying his ideals. Were in the presence of no government tool or callow patriot here, my friends. Beyond doubt, Steve Rogers is the real deal, who even during a period when he foreswore his red, white, and blue costume and shield still had what it took to raise Mjolnir from the ground. Years later, he temporarily would rebel against the injustices depicted in the Civil War, leading to his temporary death. Most likely, fans dont much discuss this event, because it occupies a few pages in a so-so story with nothing-special art. Regardless, let us not forget that these few pages delivered an important instance in the history of Thor and Captain America, teaching me at least what it means to be worthy.
Without Julius Schwartz, Marvel Comics would not exist. OK, thats a bit of an inflamatory statement, but there is enough truth to it that I think I can say it and not have Stan Lees ghost come and visit me while I sleep tonight. Lets start with the Golden Age. These were the days when comics like Detective Comics, All-American Comics, Adventure Comics, and Marvel Comics were published, introducing many of the most famous comics character in history. Superman, Batman, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman all appeared in these titles, which were 64 pages and typically featured more than one story focusing on various different characters. These evolved into single character titles, and then team titles, and on and on. DC wasnt the only company that was around at that point. One of the others went by the name Timely Comics. They did a bunch of great titles, they sold pretty well, and introduced characters like The Human Torch (who was an Android at first), Namor the Submariner, and eventually, Captain America. They changed their name to Atlas Comics during the 1950s, and in the very early 1960s were going by Marvel comics, which was the title of one of their earliest books (which often had Frank R. Paul covers!) So, the guy who was always there was Mr. Stan Lee. He started with Marvel when it was Timely, in 1941. He was eventually made the Editor of Marvel. He was editing a number of books, came up with a few great issues under his belt. After World War II, the Superhero sunk a bit in the standing. Actually, a fair bit. Romance comics, Horror comics, Science Fiction comics, they became more popular through the late 1940s and early 1950s, but mostly, the Superhero was not the big name in comics. Yeah, they were still around, and many were very successful, but not the big ones. Julius Schwartz was working at DC. Hed been working on All-American Comics from 1944 until 1948, when it folded. He was given more and more editorial power at DC, and in 1956, he got Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino to do an issue of Showcase Comics where they introduced a new, more modern, Flash. This was a BIG MOMENT. This was the start of the Silver Age.
Julie Schwartz got rid of a lot of the chaff that had accumulated around the Golden Age heroes that were still around. Batman had added a lot of silliness, but Schwartzy, he got rid of it and put heroes back on track! He was a bit of a control freak, hed help develop the stories, then the writers would do their stuff, and often hed do big re-writes. He was very much involved in the direction of the titles he edited, and it changed comics forever. One thing that he was very much responsible for was greater levels of science fiction in Superheroes.Think about The Flash. In the Golden Age version, Jay Garrick inhales Hard Water vapors and that gives him super-speed. Hes just a regular student at the time. In the Silver Age version, Barry Allen is a forensic scientist, hes known for taking his time, but while hes working on night, theres a lightning strike that hits his chemical cabinet, giving him superspeed. Its an accident, but its because of his scientific bent that hes given the power. Now, Stan Lee has been at Timely/Atlas for nearly 20 years, and DC is riding the whole Silver Age hero thing all the way. They were just transitioning to being Marvel Comics, and he had seen the success of what Schwartz had done at DC, so it was time for Marvel to take that path. If youve read any of the Atlas Comics, theyre not great until Lee introduces the Fantastic Four.That was a HUGE deal as it was a new kind of team, one that was more family than Superhero gathering, like the old Justice Society. In fact, they had a monster in their midst, and brought back a variation on the Human Torch. This was exceptionally Science Fictional, right down to getting their powers from being in space! They also lived without Alter Egos, for the most, which was kinda new. They also squabbled, but they played the entire heroing thing like a family. The next big step was Spider-Man. And it was basically The Flash again. How? Well, a lab accident leads to a regular young guy getting spectacular powers, they both had girlfriends who became a major part of the story, and most of all, they were both very different when they were under their masks. Spidey basically became the biggest thing that Marvel would ever do, though at times theyve had The X-Men as bigger deals. The difference between Schwartz and Lee is that Lee was something of a glory hog, only begrudgingly giving credit to his co-creators, which Schwartz was a control freak. Both had a rather singular vision for what their company should be, but while Schwartz was more apt to guide his vision, Lee was often busy making himself the symbol for his company. Lee was also a bit better at bringing a more human element to comics than many of Julies writers. Without Julie Schwartz bringing comic book heroes back to the front, its doubtful Marvel would have been able to come out into the light like they did.While I wouldnt say Lee and Marvel were aping DC, they were certainly followers of their style, and while they would eventually become the most innovative comics company in the marketplace, they started out following a path beaten by Schwartz & Co..
In the early sixties I was not an accomplished cartoonist I was a crappy one; the few published cartoons of mine, like my first one in Cry Of The Nameless #116, were pretty crude and lacked any kind of stylistic direction. But, on one evening when I was visiting the Lupoffs, Dick sat me down in front of a light box, handed me some stencils and styli and said something like You want to be a cartoonist? So, draw! Under the pressure of this command performance I actually produced a vertical multi-paneled cartoon, possibly about Lin Carters cranky pet rabbit: it was still crude but it did have a sense of style I could build on, eventually leading to a mimeoed comic strip in Dicks FAPA zine Horib, a collaboration between us entitled The Adventures Of Professor Thintwhistle And His Incredible Aether Flyer. Dick eventually turned the strip into a novel, and later Ted White commissioned us to redo it for Heavy Metal magazine, a professional cartooning effort of mine that Im still very proud of, quite possibly the first steampunk graphic novel when it was reprinted by Fantagraphics Books. Its one of my favorite graphic novels! I read Dicks novel, too! On top of all that, Xero helped launch what we know today as modern comics fandom. So its all Dick Lupoffs fault! Taral also mentions Dan Adkins, a friend of mine who died on May 4th. Although Ive been out of contact with Dan for many years, I was saddened by his death and feel as if a chapter in my life has closed. Besides liking him as a friend, the fanzine he coedited with Bill Pearson, SATA Illustrated, was largely instrumental, along with Cry Of The Nameless, in getting me involved with fandom. SATAs written material was mostly fluff, but to my 14-year-old eyes the illustrations and layout by Dan were spectacular, the former being obviously influenced by those who also influenced me, Ed Emshwiller and Wallace Wood. When I first attempted doing serious illustrations people thought I was an Adkins clone. When Dan was working on Dr. Strange, the Submariner, Woods magazines, the Warren titles, I spent many an evening watching him work. When he was doing art for Amazing and Fantastic, I inked a few of his illustrations and pencilled a few that he inked. We would listen to Elvis records all night long, and the first record I ever owned was an Oscar Brown Jr. lp that Dan gave me. I certainly identify Adkins with Doc Strange. In fact, his version is THE one that certainly visually comes to mind when I think of Doc Strange. No doubt. I stopped reading DS for years and years. and when I started to again, new issues and not the 1960s issues I could get for a buck or two out of the cheap bin at Brians Books, it was a bit of jar getting used to other artists. That doesnt happen with a lot of other characters. I picked up a lot of art tips from Adkins, and through him got to meet one of my E.C. heroes, Wally Wood, quite a few times. Unfortunately, it was my proximity to Wood that discouraged me from attempting to get into comics for many years: Wood was a workaholic and from what I could see, and what Dan told me, he seldom got away from the drawing board, putting in nonstop work weeks. That wasnt for me: I had spent too much time as it was in the advertising grind (which did, however, pay much better); I wanted to have a life, to smell the roses (read: weed, women, and rock n roll).
Have you read Seduction of the Innocent, the novel from Max Allen Collins? Wally Wood is a minor character in it! Dan and Bill were also among the first s.f. fans I ever met. I can still remember the first time I met them in their tiny apartment in lower Manhattan. Dan was recovering from the flu, dressed in a bathrobe, sitting on a narrow bed, chain smoking when he wasnt drinking his usual coke, working on some art taped to a board propped in his lap. His first paying work, to my knowledge, were little stfnal spot illos, for some digest sized men s magazines. Mention Dans work and it is inevitable that people will bring up his swipes which were legendary because they were practically tracings --one illustration based on the movie poster for Judgement At Nuremberg comes to mind. Most artists use reference material and most artists --including Michaeangelo and Raphael--swipe. I did; if I was unsure of how a muscle would look in a certain pose, Id look at Buscemas stuff, or whoever. But I also tried to teach myself to draw from the ground up by hitting the anatomy books. I dont think Dan ever did.What he did do, however, was to ink and in his heyday he was one of the best inkers in the business. Aside from all that, I really liked Dan Adkins. Its hard to realize hes gone, like a chunk of my own life.
Wikis That Were Not Wikis The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe & Whos Who in The DC Universe by Christopher J Garcia
I am a big fan of Non-Fiction comics. Thats been true for a long time, since I was a kid, in fact. I liked the old stuff, the Cartoon Guides to various things by Larry Gonnick, and the ones that dealt with history or physics or on and on. One thing that I love is comics about comics. Of course, I love things like Understanding Comics, but the first ones I was devoted to came out at almost the same time: Whos Who in the DC Universe and The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe. Oddly, it was the Marvel one that I loved more Now, these were two comic book series that did the same thing: they told the stats and basic stories of (almost) every major character in the respective comics universes. Thered be their stats, both in-universe (like Height,Weight, combat knowledge, alliances, etc) and out of Universe (like First Appearance) and the combination was hyper-important to a kid like me who really loved the old stuff and was always looking for firsts and such. The entries were so simple, just the kind of thing that a kid of 8 and 9 wanted to know about ALL the heroes. Now, I knew DC heroes (not all, and it was Whos Who that got me all interested in The Newsboy Legion and Ma Hunkles turn as Red Tornado), so the Marvel Handbook was exactly what I needed. I could get myself into training shape with it, be able to talk with my friends who read Marvel by reading the entires for all the characters that the other kids were reading. And every kid at Westwood Elementary, all grades, all genders, all social classes, were reading Marvel comics, mostly X-Men. The layout of both was pretty much the same, though looking now Ill say that the design for Whos WHo was much nicer, especially the way they had single color background imaging on every entry.That was a very very cool technique, and I think they had better artists working on the project. The real art treat, in both case, but especially the Marvel version, were the covers.They were wrap-around and they had all the heroes included in the issue together, usually rushing forward towards some unknowable goal.They were great! I still remember being hyper-excited about seeing them on the racks at Brians old location. There are tons of websites now that do a far better job than any of these could do. Both Marvel and DC did updates, and multiple volumes, but today, it would be incredibly easy to have this information out there and easily updatable, never having to worry too much about retcons and other changes to characters and places. Still, theyll never get the feeling of those wrap-around covers!