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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 7, 2018 23:42:31 GMT -5
Slight correction to the 1976 Presidential Election stuff above; Kennedy did not run. He had been considered a potential contender in 1974; but, Chappaquiddick was still fresh in people's minds. He, instead, ran for re-election in the Senate. He did run in 1980. The main contenders for the Democratic nomination were Carter, Brown and Arizona Representative Morris Udall. Carter was the dark horse candidate; but, ended up with the nomination and won, though Ford did strongly in the West and parts of the Midwest. Carter won 50.1% of the popular vote to Gord's 48% and 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240. Ford's main challenger had been Ronald Reagan, which would have been really interesting had he and Jerry Brown won their parties nominations, as it would have been current California governor vs former California governor.
Reagan had to wait 4 more years. Had he won the nomination, Gerber would have had to change Bozos to Bonzos!
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 15:25:12 GMT -5
Defenders#41Once again, the cover is a bait-and-switch, as no such scene (or comparable) appears inside. Creative Team: Steve Gerber-writer, Sal Buscema & Klaus Janson-artists, Denise Wohl-letterer. Don Warfield-colorist, Archie Goodwin-editor This is Gerber's last issue of the series. In the letters page, he gets a bit of a left-handed send off, disguised as the flippant editorial style. A letter that talks about too many subplots crammed together is answered with the remark, :In any event we're not necessarily sorry that you disagree with Steve Gerber's plots, or that they disagree with you, because Gerber's been relieved of his duties on the book. Next issue, Gerry Conway takes over the scripting, and he promises that The Defenders will shortly resemble a superhero book-and not the outtakes from 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'-in plotting and dialogue once again." That's definitely not Arche writing; it's not his style. My guess would be Conway, himself, or an ally. When Conway came back to Marvel and took over as E-I-C, it was after lobbying through friend Roy Thomas. When he quit the job, after about a month-and-a-half, he negotiated a writer/editor contract that guaranteed him 8 ongoing scripting assignments. Gerber was taken off Defenders to accommodate Conway's quota. Some have suggested this was Stan's doing, as the writer/editor deals meant those people reported to Stan, not the EIC. It's certainly not Archie's editorial style. Anyway, Gerber got the shaft here, in my opinion (though there is a lot of he-said, she-said of this time period and the truth gets a bit murky and editorialized in places like The Comics Journal and Sean Howe's book). So, buckle up as he resolves a dnagling plot thread, before Gerry Conway turns the Defenders back into a "superhero book." Synopsis: After a symbolic splash page (after a fantasy cover), we head out west to a ranch/commune, in Nevada (I suspect Mary Skrenes is assisting Gerber on the scripting, here). Dr Strange and Kyle Richmond are there and are introduced to David Anthony, a member of the commune. They are there to determine what happened to Kyle's old flame, Trish Starr, who lost an arm in an explosion, from a bomb wired to Kyle's car. Kyle is rather aggressive and more than a pit of an ass. Doc plays diplomat and gets David to tell them the story. Trish had come to live at the commune and immersed herself in it, even creating a plan to revamp its operations, improving it for all. Then, she seemed to withdraw and turned to mysticism. She was one day, suddenly enveloped in energy, making an atomic effect (electron paths) and then she was wide eyed, distracted, always obsessing about time. She grew at odds with the others, especially David and disappeared into the desert. Doc and Kyle go to search and run into a mystic barrier. The change clothes and Doc goes astral to move beyond the barrier. He locates Trish's body floating there, and some kind of demon-dogs (said in your best Thundarr voice...) yapping. he sends them away and brings Trish out. Turns out she had been possessed/manipulated by a sorceress, Shazanna (Roseannadana). Her minions threaten Trish and Doc and Nighthawk surrender and spend a night in the box... Doc fills in Kyle about his past history with Shazanna (Roseanannadana) and then uses the psychic link between Trish and her to make a psychic collect call to Clea and Hulk. Shazanna (Roseannadana) pulls Trish out of the box to have her neck match her left shoulder, and a headsman is poised, when Clea shows up with the rest of the Defenders. Hulk smashes the axe, and half the knights and Red Guardian attacks the others, as Clea frees Doc and Nighthawk. Everyone else goes to town on the knights, while Doc mystically spanks Shazanna (Roseannadana). They win, cheers are heard and it's sno-cones for everyone! Kyle and Trish move away from the others to talk. Thoughts: Here endeth the sublime and gonzo run of Steve Gerber on the Defenders; the one tenure that was a classic. The Defenders was fairly run-of-the-mill before he came on and would go back to that status, after he left; but, for gerber's reign, it was something unique. It was a mixture of satire and commentary, philosophy, and metaphor, in superhero drag. It wasn't a massive seller; but, it did alright and was certainly more memorable than what came before. For my money, the best of the subsequent Defenders stories are those where they emulate what Gerber had done, mixing the action/adventure with a bit of weirdness, such as the upcoming "Who Remembers Scorpio?". David Anthony Kraft did a decent ob of it, JM DeMatteis did a great job of it. Others were more hit and miss. The story, itself, isn't anything spectacular and has Doc incapacitated, so that the others can get in their licks, then saves the day when he is free. Really, aside from Kyle, the rest are superfluous. Val and Red Guardian get two whole lines of dialogue, apiece. Val's costume is colored more of a silver-white, than the previous gold. Don't know if that was a mistake or deliberate (the gold did tend towards flesh color). She would revert back to her opera costume for an issue or two then get her spiffy whit dud, with gold thigh boots. Lot of 70s artists that seemed to e big on thigh boots for superheroines; I wonder if they were spending too much time in Time Square? Well, Gerber is unceremoniously dropped, leaving Elf With A Gun unresolved, too. Well just have to see if Gerry Conway can make this a superhero classic, as he (or whoever on the letter page) made claim. Sal Buscema would also leave the book (willingly or unwillingly, I don't know) and young Kieth Giffen will take over, for a while.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 16:29:46 GMT -5
Defenders #42Cover by Kirby and Janson. Looks to me like Val, Doc and Hulk were either done by Janson (Val almost entirely, possibly Doc and at least Hulk's face) or Romita and his crew. Cage and Solarr definitely look Kirby. It is fitting to have Jack on the cover, as, at this point, Giffen was pretty much aping Kirby. It looks like Cage pulled a hamstring! Creative Team: Gerry Conway-writer/editor, Kieth Giffen & Klaus Janson-artists, John Costanza-letterer, Klaus on colors. Archie running things behind the scenes, though he has no say over Conway (or Thomas, Wein or Wolfman). Giffen and Janson are listed as "Artists/Storytellers." Not sure if that means they are involved in plotting or not. I do believe Giffen was co-plotting with DAK, down the road. Synopsis: Our story opens with a bang, as Nighthawk bursts into flame... The fire came through the window. Val and Doc attend Nighthawk, while Hulk smashes through the wall, taking Luke Cage with him. there, they find Solarr, who threatens more burning, unless he gets what he wants and he wants the Star of Capistan (some kind of jewel, possibly with the likenesses of Captain America and Stan Lee within it). Hulk says bite me and smashes, but gets hit from behind by Rhino. Doc tries to zap Solarr; but is has no effect and he smells a rat. He is enveloped in flame; but, Hulk smashes a hydrant and douses Strange, who reveals that Solarr's giant form is an illusion. Rhino tries Hulk again and gets swatted away, into Cage's hands... Kind of reminds me of the early days of the Road Warriors. (The Mulkey Brothers were the whitest guys in pro wrestling!) Val faces off with Solarr (and Conway notes the return of her old attire) and he runs off when he realizes they don't have the jewel, calling Rhino to leave, too. They beam up to a spaceship, orbiting the North Pole, which is under the command of Egghead!. They report in, he is POd and zaps them for punishment. This is a big change from GS Defenders 4, where he blew up his own niece, but was pathetically beaten by Hank Pym (as Yellowjacket). Suddenly, he has money and technology, which he tells us about. After being paroled, he swiped a NASA space station (just by distracting a guard. That's budget cuts for you!) and feeds NASA bogus info, while he upgrades the tech. he pulled Rhino from the desert, after a battle with Hulk and the Abomination (I think I had that issue!) and Solarr after a tussle with Cap. Egghead does major monologuing about secret Pakistani cults and the Star of Capistan, Omar Kindu (friend of Dr Strange) and insists that Dr Strange has the jewel or knows where it is. We cut to the hospital, where Nighthawk is being treated; but, has no visible burns. red Guardian isn't there and no one knows where she is. A stereotypical Idian/Pakistani appears with a message for Dr Strange, who goes to meet his friend Omar Kirindu (from Strange Tales #136). he shows him the Star of Capistan, which has grown out of the cult's control. Doc senses something; but, Conway cuts to a park and a overcoat-clad Hulk (like that hides anything), and the appearance of the Cobal Man, who erupts from underground, all glowy and stuff! They fight and then Cage notices the battle, out the window. The rest of the gang joins in and Conway demonstrates his ignorance of nuclear physics, as he has Egghead say he will press a button that will create a breakdown, which will launch an explosion. Giffen and Janson show Cobalt man getting all Kirby Crackle and Luke Cage talks about Sweet Christmas. Thoughts: Well, Conway pretty much throws everything that came before and even makes a plea to readers to consider this a first issue for defenders. Um, yeah, that approach will work. Val is inexplicably in her old costume, which was destroyed, Red Guardian is gone and Jack Norris is also missing. Conway is doing his attempt at Stan Lee, with all kinds of editorial hyperbole (more at the end) a ton of villain monologing for info dump exposition, and bringing up all kinds of obscure characters and references, as well as asides to other comcs, we may not have read and may not have access to (I hated that, at Marvel). Giffen and Janson keep everything reeling and they make a great pairing on the art. The visual confusion (especially the double-page layout, on pages 2 & 3, with the panels flowing across) add to the chaotic story, giving you the perspective of the defenders, as they reel from the attack. Problem is, Conway doesn't sort things out very well and is throwing way to much at us. Compare this to the first storyline of James Robinson's Starman, where we open with an attack on David, then Jack and Ted and Opal City itself, yet Robinson doles out info across the book, instead of dumping it all on us at once. We learn as the character learns what is going on, making it easier to process and keeping us interested. Conway's Egghead rants are rather old school and go on way too long. He's got a decent plot here; but, he's hurling it like a tennis ball launcher run amok! The idea that Egghead could swipe a NASA space station, just by distracting a guard is more than a bit ridiculous and convenient and stretches even comic book logic. The station is shown to be massive, dwarfing Skylab, yet there isn't a crew manning it? Conway expects you to swallow a lot. Cobalt Man is a problem of lack of knowledge of nuclear science. Conway implies that he is building to an explosion, yet talks about breakdown. He seems to be confusing a meltdown with a nuclear weapon explosion. Based on the visuals, Cobalt Man seems to be losing control of his radioactivity and going into meltdown, where the radioactive material is generating such great heat that it will literally melt through the Earth's crust. For an explosion, the nuclear material would need to be excited and then a sudden release of energy, usually by explosively introducing another nuclear material, like plutonium, creating the massive explosion. What they are showing is that Egghead has sabotaged Cobalt Man's control system, allowing the nuclear material to continue it's chain reaction, building in intensity. Science was not Conway's forte (nor geography, as he would demonstrate, repeatedly, when he came back to Marvel, later). This is definitely superhero stuff, though fairly average superhero stuff. It's all action and exposition, with little character development (no room for it). We will have to see if the next issue can provide some of that.
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Post by beccabear67 on Sept 12, 2018 16:53:40 GMT -5
Luke cage doesn't seem like a good fit somehow for The Defenders. Iron Fist was mentioned in early letters suggesting new members but he might not have been a good fit either, and once he was paired with Cage/Power man that worked so well why would you bother? I think they could've had The Black Knight (the second good one) return and be in the Defenders, but maybe as Valkyrie already had a flying horse that would've been seen as too much duplication? Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner always seemed like perfects fits with Dr. Strange and Valkyrie to defend the Earth in ways specific to themselves... the Hulk never seemed a logical fit and yet the various writers seemed to pull it off to make him fit for a long time. Gerber brought some unique things from what I have been able to read of his issues, but some things didn't really pan out or develop into much (Val's human husband). A lot was space filler, there because something had to be there if not to parody something, instead of focusing on the core relationships of the main and sometimes members, which I think later on Kraft/Hannigan and DeMatteis were very good at.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 17:33:02 GMT -5
Defenders #43Kirby & Milgrom on the cover. Faces still look redrawn; but, this looks more Kirby than last issue. Creative Team: Conway-writer/editor, Giffen & Janson-art/storytellers (Janson-colors, too), Irv Watanabe-letters. Synopsis: We pick up where we left off, with Cobalt Man going into meltdown (not nuclear explosion, unless Hulk punches him with plutonium knuckles), while Egghead watches from his stolen NASA space platform. Amazingly, Valkyrie is the one to explain to Hulk about what is happening, in regards to the nuclear fission going critical. Since when does Valkyrie, who has been shown to be ignorant of human culture and history, know anything about nuclear physics? Hulk has more experience with it, childlike brain or not! Hulk wants to smash and Cage is doing his best to stop him; but, he isn't strong enough. Nighthawk remembers something about nuclear piles (wait, Cobalt Man has hemorrhoids?) and has Hulk carry Cobalt Man to the river and dump him in, to use it as a coolant (which is going to do a ton of environmental damage; but, hey....comics!). Egghead gets a bit personal in his anger.... You definitely could not get away with a line like that in today's comics. Cobalt Man is shut down and the rest catch up to Hulk and Nighthawk at the river, with Red Guardian in tow. She had been at the Russian consulate (not embassy, like Conway says) and came when she heard a radio report. Bird-Nose asks if she can save Cobalt Man. Meanwhile, Egghead sends Rhino and Solarr to the hotel where Doc and Omar are meeting, even though they have had enough of Egghead. They argue about killing Egghead or following him to power (not withhis success rate) and Rhino is ripping open an elevator door, when the pair get blasted by our latest character... Ol' Red Rajah zaps them again and says he took out Doc. He takes down Solarr by overloading his power amplifier (since it is nighttime) and then Rhino attacks. Red grows in size and kicks Rhino's tail. Up on the space platform, Egghead decides that he must take care of things, without having seen his lackey's get their hinders kicked by RR. He pulls out some egg gimmick and cackles. At the Sanctum, Red Guardian and Cobalt Man are hooked up in a Kirby Machine and Clea helps Tania link to Cobalt Man's brain. Over the subsequent pages, we see his history recapped, from iron man copycat, to fighting the X-Men, to the Hulk. He then wakes up. While this goes on, Egghead beams into the Sanctum and throws an egg at Hulk, which envelops him in some kind of material, possibly pantyhose (it did pop out of an artificial egg shell, like L'eggs)! He then proceeds through the house and runs into Valkyrie and zaps her with an egg, then Nighthawk, then tries it on Cage; but, Mister Know-It-All didn't do his homework and didn't know that Cage was somewhat invulnerable (what and Val isn't? Or the Hulk?) The egg breaks and Luke knocks him through a door, into the hands of the awakened Cobalt Man, who implodes, taking Egghead with him. Conway ends with what is supposed to be a poignant statement by Tania, which makes me cry "Bull...COUGH...t!" Thoughts: Again, a lot of action, a rather convoluted plot and yet another character introduced, without factoring into the ending. Conway tries to display his cleverness, with dumping CM in the river, then has Hulk taken out by one of Egghead's gadgets, as well as Valkyrie, but, they have no effect on Luke Cage's skin. Didn't quite think that one through. Doc is, once again, removed from the board, because he is too powerful (except when it comes to removing him from the board). Red Rajah waits for the next issue. All-in-all, these aren't bad comics; but, they aren't exceptional, especially after following Gerber and upsetting the applecart, the way Conway did, at Marvel, for this short period. When I was young and these were new, I read them at my cousin's house and thought it was a pretty exciting story. But, he had bits and pieces of the Defenders, without much of Gerber's run. For random superhero comics, they are pretty decent and Giffen and Janson on art is pretty exciting. However, reading it as an adult, again, after reading gerber, it seems like a step backwards, in maturity and quality. Janson is dominating on art, so there is a consistency from Buscema to Giffen, though Giffen gives it more Kirby visuals. Janson smoothes out the rough edges, with faces and expressions. Conway is still pretty young (24) and is still doing his Stan Lee imitation, by way of Roy's model. Conway wrote some great Spider-Man comics (Death of Gwen Stacy, among others); but, he is not working at that level, yet.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 17:42:43 GMT -5
Luke cage doesn't seem like a good fit somehow for The Defenders. Iron Fist was mentioned in early letters suggesting new members but he might not have been a good fit either, and once he was paired with Cage/Power man that worked so well why would you bother? I think they could've had The Black Knight (the second good one) return and be in the Defenders, but maybe as Valkyrie already had a flying horse that would've been seen as too much duplication? Silver Surfer and Sub-Mariner always seemed like perfects fits with Dr. Strange and Valkyrie to defend the Earth in ways specific to themselves... the Hulk never seemed a logical fit and yet the various writers seemed to pull it off to make him fit for a long time. Gerber brought some unique things from what I have been able to read of his issues, but some things didn't really pan out or develop into much (Val's human husband). A lot was space filler, there because something had to be there if not to parody something, instead of focusing on the core relationships of the main and sometimes members, which I think later on Kraft/Hannigan and DeMatteis were very good at. Well, that was Black Knight's horse; so, that would have been a problem! Cage is not a joiner, yet, Defenders was a "non-team" As things evolved, it went from being a specific group of heroes (Dr Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer) to a sort of team-up book, with a larger anchor cast, like Marvel-Five-In-One. That made for an interesting gimmick, in the right hands, and pointless guest stars, in others. Gerber kept it mostly to the core group. Cage's addition is logical, though, thanks to Jack Norriss; but, I doubt anyone expected Cage to stay (or Red Guardian, for that matter) In issue #43, Conway is already making hints that Cage is itching to leave. His tenure on the book was about what it should be. Most of the characters were misfits and he fell into that. Power Man and Ironfist was a similar pairing of misfits (plus their girlfriends), which worked well, especially on the smaller scale. We are getting deeper into when I was first consistently reading Defenders (with some gaps) thanks to my cousin and my own money, which bought some of the Scorpio issues. PS. The letters page of 43 promises a resolution to Elf With A Gun, by issue 50, though they made it sound like it was going to be epic. I think that was Conway talking, who was gone before that happened. Probably just as well as the actual ending was a bit more fitting, given the random nature of it.
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Post by beccabear67 on Sept 12, 2018 22:14:38 GMT -5
The test of a good comic writer would be if they can make Egghead not seem lame. "Hey Eggy... who you calling a mongoloid? And oh yeah... have you met Edie the Egg lady yet?" But Joey got there first... we now return you to your regularly scheduled Defenders review...
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 11:08:59 GMT -5
Egghead was handled far better when Hank Pym went on trial, in Avengers (after the infamous slap). They built more of a personal history between Hank and Eggy and he was far nastier. Conway is writing him as a stock villain, in the Stan style and that wasn't going to sustain readers long, after characters like the Headmen and Nebulon. Thankfully, we have Scorpio coming up and David Anthony Kraft and Giffen & Janson do a really great job in making him an interesting character (helped by the groundwork laid by Jim Steranko).
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Post by brutalis on Sept 13, 2018 13:24:08 GMT -5
Conway's issues felt more like fill-in issues between Gerber and DAK. But they were filled with real purty pictures when Giffen was still in his full on Kirby imitation mode. Janson's inks cleaned it all up nicely making for some really great visual enjoyment. I do remember in the day doing a lot of my own freehand copying of lots of the Defenders artwork. Getting down the Giffen/Kirby style was easy, it was duplicating the luscious Janson inks which was so difficult for me.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 17:11:54 GMT -5
Defenders #44The Defenders battling the Red Rajah. now, that calls for some theme music... Creative Team: Gerry Conway-story/editor, Roger Slifer and David Anthony Kraft-dialogue, Kieth Giffen and Klaus Janson-art, John Costanza-letters, Glynis Wein-colors Hmmm, Conway needs an assist........ Synopsis: Hulk is on a tear.......... Sweet Christmas, indeed! Cage and Bird-Nose can't get him to calm down; but, Girl (Valkyrie) can. Red Guardian has been dealing with Soviet officials, who make veiled threats to family in the USSR. She stays behind to deal with that, while Val stays with her; but tells the boys to call if they need them. Tanie recognized the name Omar Karindu and tells the boys about him, so they head over there to find Doc. Meanwhile, Jack Norriss comes in to whine some more. He's less aggressive and more pathetic, and a little more sympathetic, as Val basically tells him to take a hike, making her out to be rather a bitch. Jack goes, then runs into something unseen, but recognized and runs off. We then switch to Karindu's hotel, where SWAT is removing Rhino and Solarr, thanks to some SHIELD tech. They didn't stop them, Red Rajah did. the Lieutenant (who looks a bit like Kojak, with hair) leads them to Karindu... Karindu begins to tell them about the Star of Capistan. Meanwhile, Val and Taia are interrupted by the appearance of Hellcat... aka Patsy Walker, who picked up Greer Grant Nelson's former costume, from her time as the Cat (and who was transformed into Tigra) and was taken by Moondragon to train on Titan, in Avenger #151. She had just egun training when Moondragon sensed some big danger and sent Patsy to alert the Avengers and Dr Strange, which brought her to the Sanctum. Tania notices people walking the streets, like zombies, and the ladies head after them (while Val introduces Tania to Hellcat). Back at the hotel, Omar continues with his story. The Star of Capistan was discovered, in 1933, in the ruins of a city. The person who found it was taken over and became the host body for the Red Rajah. However, the host had no special powers and Omar, as part of the Cult of the Undead Four, stopped him and they guarded the jewel, ever since. However, it began to grow out of control and when Doc was examining it, it took over his body. Dr Strange is the Red Rajah!!! They then notice more zombies and follow to a red glow, where they find Doc.Rajah. he sounds like Maharishi Mahesh and the boys interrupt, only to get owned. Then, the ladies show up! Thoughts: Rajahs and Hellcats and Hulks; oh my! So, Dr Strange is the Red Rajah, having been possessed by the Star of Capistan (like you didn't see that coming, when Doc gets all weird, gazing into the jewel. The Pakistani/Bangladeshi stuff is rather stereotyped; but, it fits, a bit, with some Hindu myths. The villain misdirection is an old Marvel trait, as the Crimson Cowl, leader of the revived Masters of Evil, was revealed to be Jarvis, who turns out to be the pawn of Ultron. The Rajah personna looks rather 4th World, as Giffen is deep in his Kirby period. He also swipes some Kane layouts, in the previous issues). Like Rich buckler, Giffen struggled to find his own artistic identity, as he filtered Kirby and Kane (and Adams & Kane, at DC). he eventually seemed to develop his own style, on Legion, then went into his Munoz period (though he was aping Druillet, on some of design elements, in Legion). Klaus pulls him back from Kirby pastiche in different stages and his influence if very noticeable in the sequence of the three women talking. It looks rather like Conway is already out of things, though he might have just overtaxed himself. His writer/editor stint lasted only about 6 months, before he went back to DC and stayed for a while. It's still his plot; but, it is veering away from his style.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 17:22:49 GMT -5
ps, when Omar first enters the story, he speaks of the Bangladesh "war." When India was granted independence, by the British, it was partitioned into the states of India (predominantly Hindu) and Pakistan (predominantly Muslim). Widespread violence broke out, as minority groups in each region were driven out of ancestral homes, due to religion & politics. Gandhi helped quell some of that, before his assassination; but, India and Pakistan remained at odds for decades. Part of the rivalry involved the portion of Pakistan, called East Pakistan, along the Bay of Bengal. This was also a strong Mulsim region; but, ti was cut off from the rest of Pakistan by Indian territory. Other cultural differences with the Pakistani region (there are many diverse ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent, including the Parsee, who are descended from Persians who left Iran to escape Islamic domination, of which ethnic group Freddy Mercury's family came from), and a totalitarian regime in Pakistan led to a couple of uprisings in East Pakistan, which culminated, in 1971, with an independence war, aided/manippulated by India, which led to the modern state of Bangladesh. It was this turmoil that led to a loss of control over the Star of Capistan, which takes over Dr Strange's body.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 17:52:39 GMT -5
Defenders #45(Looks like Aretha had Michael Jackson's other glove...) Creative Team: Gerry Conway-plot, Roger Slifer and David Anthony Kraft-dialogue, Giffen & Janson-art, John Frost-letters, Dave Hunt-colors, Archie Goodwin-editor. So, Conway's definitely gone, as he is listed as plot only; no mention of editor. So much for his stamp on the book. Synopsis: Valkyrie, Hellcat and Red Guardian have shown up to put a stop to the Red Rajah, who id Dr Strange under the spell of the Star of Capistan. Now that's the Valkyrie we've been missing! They confront the Rajah, who tells them to submit to his will and they fight. He starts mesmerizing Red Guardian, until hellcat knocks her aside. He throws an earthen Dr Strange at them... Things get nasty and they retreat, and run into some women who were also not affected. We cut to Jack Norriss, who is the target of a high speed pursuit, from unknown assailants. He still has the Jaguar he bought for his brief spy gig; but, wrecks it escaping from his pursuers. Back in the park, Red Rajah controls the Hulk and looks pretty powerful. back at the Sanctum, the ladies theorize that the notion of collectivity, fostered by the Communist teachings in the USSR, factored into why Tania fell under Rajah;s spell; but, not the rest. They find Clea, who has figured out, independently, that Doc is RR. They head back and Valkyrie goes Apocalypse Now one better, as she attacks from the sky, while the others drop from trees. RR sicks the other Defenders on them, while Clea tries to reach Doc's consciousness. Tania fights Nighthawk, Valkyrie battle Cage, and poor Patsy has to avoid the Hulk! Clea succeeds in freeing Stephen's mind and he puts an end to things, like always. They head back home and Doc announces he is leaving the group! Thoughts: Nice to see the female Defenders get their due, though, once again, everything hinges on Dr Strange. His leaving was necessary, for the group and the stories to develop beyond his saving the day, though he was one of the mainstays of the group. He'd stay away for a while, while he was busy, again, in his revived series. We now enter my favorite storyline of this era, as the defenders are about to collide with Scorpio. We will see a team shake-up and a solidification of the cast, which will stand for the next couple of years. This i deep in my era of the book, as I came in, for earnest during the end of the Headmen/Bozo storyline and in the transition to DAK and the Scorpio storyline. After that I stuck around for a bit (with some gaps, due to steady access). Next, "Who Remembers Scorpio?" and the finale of ELF WITH A GUN!!!
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 19:04:58 GMT -5
Defenders #46Creative Team: Roger Slifer & David Anthony Kraft-writers, Keith Giffen and Klaus Janson-artists, Irv Watanabe-letterer, Dave Hunt-colorist, Archie Goodwin-editor Synopsis: The Defenders are reacting to Dr Strange's announcement, that he is leaving... Hulk look sad! Kyle tries to argue and Doc says he needs to concentrate on why his mystic powers have diminished and it is time for Nighthawk and the rest to leave the nest. Cage takes the opportunity to also bow out, as he tried to tell Kyle, before. Tania is also headed back to the USSR and Nighthawk gets Empty Nest Syndrome.. Hellcat decides to stay, if she is welcome and Kyle says he'd settle for Howard the Duck (coming up, next). Val sounds like she wants to leave; but, doesn't know where she would go and Kyle says they still have the riding academy, away from the Sanctum. Hulk gets mad, until Val calms him down, explaining Magician wants to be alone, not end his friendship with Hulk. Hulk understand being alone, so Hulk go with Girl and Bird-Nose (and Kitty Lady). They make their departures and we cut across the city, to Jack Norriss, who is on the run from unknown assailants. He sneaks around a corner, then gets shot from behind and we see that the shooter is Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD! The Defenders head north and come to Kyle Richmond's riding academy, where Hulk remembers the countryside and Aragorn graises. Everyone is looking forward to a rest, when they enter the secret conference room and find..... Scorpio expected to find Kyle richmond (and does, but doesn't know it). The team attacks and Scorpio responds with the Zodiac Key. He nabs Hellcat in a stasis field and throws her at Nighthawk, when he swoops down to rescue her. he uses it to throw machinery at Hulk, then faces Valkyrie. He points the key and nighthawk knocks it away, allowing Patsy to nab it with her retractable claws. He faces Val with his metal belt-thing and she knocks it aside with Dragonfang. He triggers the key and turns into water (since Scorpio is a water sign) and then steals the key ack from Hellcat and reforms, only to face the Hulk. He decides discrecion and all that and buggers off, leaving the team stunned by his absence, as much as his initial presence. We then get the epilogue we have all been waiting for.......... Thoughts: Well, that pared the team down quickly! The team needed a bit of streamlining, after the Headmen and now we have it, giving us a core group to expand upon, and one without their own books, apart from Hulk. As soon as they relocate to the forgotten riding academy (it's been a while since they were here), where we find Scorpio, who had been missing for a while. We get a big battle, with an inconclusive ending and are left wondering what he wanted with Kyle richmond? Whatever the answer, we will return to see, which is good storytelling. We also see who has been chasing Jack Norriss and it turns out to be Nick Fury! What's up wit dat? Scorpio was a great design, from Steranko (in his second appearance, where he got the sleeker costume, with the stylish mask) and the color reversal the costume got looks much better. This is a really great set-up, to one of my favorite Marvel storylines of the 70s. Now, the real reason for this comic: the end of ELF WITH A GUN. Well, it's different! At the time, I was a bit miffed, as it seemed a cop out; but, it is a fitting ending. The Elf's murders were seemingly random, symbolizing random acts in life. his end was equally random, while also suggesting poetic justice or divine retribution (take your pick). Gerber later said it wasn't what he intended; but, it worked pretty well. Marvel was smart enough to leave it there, until the later 80s, when Elves with Guns turn up, in Defenders, working for the Tribunals, though that is revealed to be a hoax. Better to just let it lie. Of course, according to Wein's rule, since we didn't see a body, he might not be dead.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 13, 2018 19:48:21 GMT -5
Marvel Treasury Edition #12WAUGH!! Creative Team: Steve Gerber-writer, Sal Buscema & Klaus Janson-artists, Joe Rosen-letterer, Marie Severin (RIP)-colorist Synopsis: A group of weirdos are roasting marshmallows, in Central Park, at night. Introductions are made. There is Sitting Bull, a government agent (who seems to be based on both Simon & Kirby's Bullseye and the Big Jim Wolf PACK character, Warpath) who infiltrated the American Indian Movement, got caught and was tattooed with the bullseye and run off. He spouts old movie cliches about indians. Next is Tillie the Hun, a big battleaxe of a woman, with a swastika armband. There is The Spanker (based on the Punisher), former headmaster of a private prep school, who's big into corporal punishment. Then there is Black Hole, who has a pief of dwarf star embedded in his chest... They are interrupted by the cops and they attack the officers, demonstrating their skills, until Black Hole opens up the hole in his chest and sucks the cops into it, grossing everyone out. They then meet Dr Angst, a pseudo-wizard, who gathered them all. He calls them all losers and offers them a chance at success, by assassinating a presidential candidate, for the All-Night Party: Howard the Duck. We cut to Howard and Bev being ejected from the Plaza Hotel (with or without Walter Matthau) and they look for a place to stay. Bev suggests some stewardess friends, who have a place in Greenwich Village. They head that way, but need directions and get them from Peter Parker (who knows them) and his date, May Jane. They follow the directions and end up in front of a familiar townhouse, where the door is answered by a guy in a bird costume, who tells Howard that he is a duck! Nighthawk calls for Doc and the couple meet the Defenders... Doc prevents Howard form leaving and we cut over to a dingy apartment, where Dr Angst gives the foursome Mettle Spheres, which will boost their powers. They use his Pedestrian Prognosticator (a shoe) to locate Howard, then launch their attack. Doc and Howard talk and he confirms he is no magician and then asks if Doc can magic him home. They consult the Orb of Agamotto, then get hit by tennis balls! The rest hear the commotion and Nighthawk goes to investigate, when the stairs are blocked by a white picket fence. The goofballs burst through the windows and it is on! Howard tries to wake Doc and can't, then looks out the window to see the Sanctum is surrounded by a giant Shredded Wheat box and Doc's astral form gives him some magic powers and a Doc costume. Strange guides Howard, who launches a spell that makes everyone disappear, then loses contact. Dr Angst informs him that Doc is incapacitated, and we see his face behind a catcher's mask. The Defenders are on a football field, where they battle the villains... The villains have the element of surprise; but, Val whoops Bullseye, Nighthawk kicks away Spanker's plastic rifle (obviously someone's childhood nightmare given form) and Hulk, who can't hit girl, yanks up the turf, like carpet. Everyone goes flying, then Black Hole opens his chest. Bev sneaks up and shoves his arm into the vortex and he is sucked inside his own chest! Back at the Sanctum, Howard gets free from Angst's trap and is able to beat him, with help from the Cloak of Levitation. He frees Doc, who brings everyone back and restores Black Hole and hs previous victims, while explaining that Angst Promethium Mettle Spheres were a placebo. Howard and bev decide to go look for a quieter place. Thoughts: This was Gerber's single greatest Defenders story and Howard story, all in one. It's full of satire, with Dr Angst's Eucha-Ritz Crackers, Mettle Spheres and Pedestrian Prognosticator, as well as the villains, who are analogues for the Defenders, with Angst as Dr Strange's opposite number. His spells all involve ordinary objects, like tennis balls, the catcher's mask, a needle & thread, tires, and more. Bev saves the day and all ends rather goofy. Only weak part is Tillie the Hun is the only character with no backstory. I suspect Mary Skrenes worked with Gerber on this, as she did with most of Howard (she was the inspiration for Bev). Lucas should have used this for the Howard movie. The rest of the book features reprints of Howard's appearances in Giant Size Man-Thing (most offensive title in mainstream comics), falling off cosmic stairs, meeting killer giant frogs and vampire cows and Howard #1, where he meets Pro-Rata, the Financial Wizard and Bev, in a Conan parody. Just one of the best of all of the Treasury Edition comics!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2018 21:00:29 GMT -5
I love Scorpio --- One of Steranko coolest creation! I still have that book Defenders #46.
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