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Post by badwolf on Jul 11, 2019 10:33:05 GMT -5
That Two-in-One was written by Tom DeFalco, yes? He really had the anti-Midas touch in those days: everything he touched turned to crap. I truly despise his scripting in this era. He may've gotten better--I hear nice things about his Thor run--but if so, it happened after I walked away from Marvel. Cei-U! I summon the hard pass! Tom DeFalco wrote this two-part story as well as the Machine Man issue. I think it's clear he's writing for younger readers, which is fine, major comic companies should have comics for various reading levels, but it's jarring in the midst of Claremont and Byrne.
One thing I noticed in the MM issue is that he still wrote "the Marvel way", using big words like "Machiavellian", even though the stories and situations were aimed lower.
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Post by badwolf on Jul 11, 2019 10:34:16 GMT -5
That kinda describes the entire run of " MARVEL TEAM-UP". In fact, since Spider-Man was in pretty much every issue of that series, it makes Spider-Man, in particular, seem like the stupidest "super-hero" in comics history.
Did anybody else notice that in the Spider-Man: Far From Home film, when Spider-Man got into Nick Fury's car, the license plate was "MTU..."? Another license plate was ASM. I still think the previous incarnation of Spidey on film missed an opportunity by not calling the second film "The Spectacular Spider-Man."
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Post by badwolf on Jul 11, 2019 11:20:19 GMT -5
Marvel Two-in-One #84 "Cry for Beloved Canada!" Ranark encounters a married couple on a camping trip and is fascinated, then enraged, by their boombox. It's playing Elvis Costello so that's totally understandable. When they fight back, he drives the husband mad and leaves in a huff. Thing, Sasquatch and Shaman reconvene at Vindicator's home and discuss the situation over tea, where they explain to Ben that their team has been officially disbanded and has no budget (hence no headquarters). The previous issue is re-capped for those who missed it. Ben explains Bill Foster's situation, and Langkowski says he'd like to help but... Ranark must be dealt with first. Vindicator ponders the superhero life, which he still feels is not really for him, and decides to call in the rest of the team. Unfortunately, Snowbird, the best member of Alpha Flight (FACT) is unavailable. Ranark enters military airspace and demolishes some jets. The pilots parachute to safety. Northstar and Aurora argue about whether or not to answer the call. Northstar is not interested in "these silly super hero games" but Aurora believes they have a responsibility. She leaves to join the others. Ranark wreaks havoc in the city of Winnipeg and is intercepted by Thing, Sasquatch, Shaman and Vindicator. He causes a building to start to collapse but the Thing and Sasquatch are able to hold it upright until everyone can evacuate. Aurora arrives and catches a child that was for some reason hanging out a window. Meanwhile back at the Baxter Building, Bill Foster is succumbing to despair, but Reed tries to keep his spirits up and tells him Ben and Langkowski are probably on their way. The rest of the heroes continue to try to subdue Ranark. Sasquatch is impressed by the Thing's efforts on their behalf, and hopes to help his friend if he can. Northstar watches the battle on TV and sees his sister in danger. His choice is made for him. Battle continues on for a while but when Northstar arrives he and Aurora are able to use their blinding power to stun Ranark. Thing and Sasquatch throw a couple cars at him, which explode and knock him out long enough for Shaman to cast an imprisoning spell. Grimm takes Langkowski back with him to New York, but he is unable to help with Foster's peculiar brand of radiation poisoning. He doesn't believe there's any way to save him. -- In this issue we find out how Hudson accomplished his disappearing act when he fought the X-Men in X-Men #109: his suit can negate the effects of Earth's magnetic fields, holding him in place while the planet continues to spin. However, I don't believe the Earth spins so fast as to let him off on the other side of the world, as is shown here. Ben gives no indication that he has ever encountered James Hudson before, in FF #220, but I suppose it wasn't necessary to show "on-screen."
Ranark is a rather lame, cliche villain, in my opinion. A typical genie from the bottle whose power is to do anything the writer or artist can come up with to keep the heroes at bay.
Bill Foster's condition will be cured in the next issue thanks to a blood transfusion from Spider-Woman, though it would result in the loss of one of her powers. (If I remember correctly, she loses her immunity to poisons.)
I've been forgetting to include credits for these issues. The two-part MTIO story was by Tom DeFalco with art by Thing regular Ron Wilson.
--
Even though I feel (as an adult) that these last three collected issues were mediocre, I am glad they were included for a completely subjective and personal reason: I had them as a kid and still felt nostalgic re-reading them. It saves me the trouble of having to track them down again individually. (For the last few years I've been trying to reacquire many of the old comics I don't have any more.)
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Post by zaku on Jul 12, 2019 11:23:32 GMT -5
I never realized that they had so many appearances before their regular series...
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 12, 2019 21:18:57 GMT -5
I never realized that they had so many appearances before their regular series... There was a very vocal fanbase that kept asking for a series, especially in X-Men letter spages; but, it took a lot of proof before Marvel greenlit the thing. Kirby knows why, given some of the crap they were peddling before and after they did go to series.
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Post by badwolf on Jul 25, 2019 10:15:04 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk #272 (and a bit of #273)
"Weirdsong of the Wendigo!"
or
"Canada is for Cannibals!"
(just kidding, I made that one up...but seriously why are you people always eating each other?)
Written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by Sal Buscema. Cover by Al Milgrom.
Bruce Banner/Hulk is returning from a craaaaazy adventure with Rocket Racoon and arrives in the woods of northern Canada. Very cold in nothing but his purple pants, Banner wanders around until he finds a cabin. Also out that night is Walter Langkowski, who on the hunt. He hears a scream and transforms into Sasquatch. He finds the smashed remains of a camper and footprints that can only belong to the Wendigo. We get a recap of the X-Men story for those who might have missed it, and Sasquatch muses about how the Wendigo almost beat the Hulk once, and the Hulk beat him.
In an interlude, Betty Ross watches over an ailing Rick Jones, who is suffering from gamma radiation poisoning. With her is Bereet, an alien filmmaker of sorts, whose strange "Star Eye" records real events and fictionalizes them. She plans to film Rick's death as a documentary. She's bored of fiction. (Bereet's movies would be used to retcon Rampaging Hulk stories that conflicted with established continuity--thanks to Cei-U! for the info.)
Banner explores the cabin and finds skeletons in the closet and other places. Realizing the people have been eaten, he exits and comes face to face with the Wendigo. It grabs Banner but he is saved at the last second by Sasquatch.
Sasquatch is distracted when he recognizes Banner and Wendigo gets the upper hand. Banner wants to help but suddenly realizes he hasn't changed into the Hulk. He recounts his recent exposures to gamma radiation--bombarding himself with it to cure himself, fighting the cosmic Galaxy Master, and the gamma beam that transported him from Rocket's world--and surmises that his cure has worked. Too bad he needs the Hulk now. Through sheer force of will, he forces himself to change, and he joins the fight.
Hulk speaks--intelligently--and both heroes realize something has changed about him. He now has the mind of Bruce Banner, though he isn't such a milquetoast any more.
We get a recap of how this Wendigo came to be, and Sasquatch thinks about how Hulk's intelligence could be a liability in this case. After all, Snowbird only defeated the creature by becoming even more ferocious and mindless.
Hulk continues to fight the Wendigo, and Sasquatch notices Hulk slipping into savagery. He manages to talk Banner back into control so they can employ a strategy.
Caught between two irresistible forces, the Wendigo finally falls. Sasquatch goes to radio Shaman so that he can cast a spell to remove the Wendigo curse, and Hulk remains to watch over the fallen monster, gloating. Sasquatch wonders if Banner is perhaps enjoying being the Hulk a little too much.
The omnibus also includes the beginning of the next issue, which is an extension of the previous scene. Hulk and Sasquatch talk further about Banner's condition, and they slug it out a bit when the soldiers arrive, but Hulk is driven off.
This excerpt is one I don't mind. It directly follows the previous story and doesn't seem random, disconnected, or incomplete.
Buscema again draws Sasquatch with "normal" eyes, as did Ditko and Wilson. You'd have thought one of the editors, Shooter in particular, would have had them change it or done it himself. I can only speculate that maybe someone thought Sasquatch looked more human/relatable/heroic this way. I really like Sal's take on Wendigo, thankfully based on Byrne's version rather than Trimpe's.
This is the last issue featuring a member of Alpha Flight to appear before their series began. It seems like Sasquatch was by far the most popular guest-star. Even in issues featuring other teammates, he seems to get more "screen time." Maybe it's because he's more colorful or more likely, it's just less work to have two strongman types engage in a slugfest for a large portion of the issue. The other members would require more complex writing.
NEXT ISSUE: Because you (yes, you) demanded it--Alpha Flight in their own book!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 25, 2019 13:55:52 GMT -5
Marvel must have been waiting for more favorable exchange rate before they gave Alpha Flight their own title.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2019 13:58:00 GMT -5
badwolf ... That's issue ^^^ is one of my favorites.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jul 26, 2019 7:59:29 GMT -5
Bereet's movies were specifically the explanation for the stories in Rampaging Hulk #1-9, an early attempt at retroactive continuity that wreaked merry havoc with early Marvel history (though the stories weren't bad apart from that). I was glad to see them declared non-canonical. If she was used as the justification for undoing later stories, I'm unaware and can't comment.
Cei-U! I summon the bucket o' popcorn!
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Post by badwolf on Jul 26, 2019 9:47:18 GMT -5
Bereet's movies were specifically the explanation for the stories in Rampaging Hulk #1-9, an early attempt at retroactive continuity that wreaked merry havoc with early Marvel history (though the stories weren't bad apart from that). I was glad to see them declared non-canonical. If she was used as the justification for undoing later stories, I'm unaware and can't comment. Cei-U! I summon the bucket o' popcorn! Ah, maybe that is what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction and I have edited that bit out. What was it about the Rampaging stories that didn't fit in continuity?
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Post by Cei-U! on Jul 26, 2019 10:17:39 GMT -5
Bereet's movies were specifically the explanation for the stories in Rampaging Hulk #1-9, an early attempt at retroactive continuity that wreaked merry havoc with early Marvel history (though the stories weren't bad apart from that). I was glad to see them declared non-canonical. If she was used as the justification for undoing later stories, I'm unaware and can't comment. Cei-U! I summon the bucket o' popcorn! Ah, maybe that is what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction and I have edited that bit out. What was it about the Rampaging stories that didn't fit in continuity? Primarily, they showed characters--including all the original Avengers--meeting each other before they met in the original Silver Age books. There were probably other things, too, but it's been at least six years since I indexed them so I can't say for sure.
Cei-U! I summon the senior moment!
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Post by badwolf on Jul 26, 2019 10:33:13 GMT -5
Ah, maybe that is what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction and I have edited that bit out. What was it about the Rampaging stories that didn't fit in continuity? Primarily, they showed characters--including all the original Avengers--meeting each other before they met in the original Silver Age books. There were probably other things, too, but it's been at least six years since I indexed them so I can't say for sure.
Cei-U! I summon the senior moment!
Ok, I added that info to my review. Thanks again.
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Post by badwolf on Jul 31, 2019 21:10:05 GMT -5
Alpha Flight #1
"Tundra!"
Written and drawn by John Byrne
James MacDonald Hudson stands in the abandoned building that once housed Department H, the secret branch of the Ministry of Defence, and ponders his future, and that of his erstwhile teammates. After a brief recap of the most recent X-Men story, we get a glimpse of the Flight trainees. Beta Flight are in costume so we at least get a hint of what their natures might be, but Gamma Flight all wear the same trainee uniform, although one member, a woman, is significantly taller than the others. I remember I couldn't wait to find out more about these characters.
His reverie is interrupted by Gary Cody, the team's government liaison. Cody tells Mac he'd like to remain an unofficial liaison, and Mac says he'll be on call if needed. But he worries about supporting himself as now they only have his wife's paycheck.
Meanwhile, out in the barren and spacious northwest territories, a graying man in thick spectacles mutters to himself about how he's going to show all the people who laughed at him how wrong they were. With his feet, he begins to etch a large, vaguely humanoid shape in the earth. When that's finished, he dons an ancient metal circlet, and the very air around him begins to move and change...
Over in Calgary, Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen opens a box containing the skull of his grandfather and beseeches it speak to him...
In La Valle, Quebec, Jeanne-Marie Beaubier teaches at a Catholic girls' school. The schoolgirls have heard that her brother, the famous skier Jean-Paul Beaubier will be arriving and are ecstatic. He greets them and the two siblings go off for some private time. The Sister in charge chastises Jeanne-Marie for bringing a man into the dormitory but when she realizes who he is, she too is somewhat starstruck. Once they are alone, Jean-Paul berates his sister for choosing to exist in this repressed state. He sees it as a prison for the free spirit she really is. He tries to shake her out of it but it's too much for her and she faints. We see that he truly cares and wants the best for her, for her to be herself. While he dislikes being in Alpha Flight, he thinks it might be the only way for Jeanne-Marie to really live.
Back at the Hudson home, Mac and Heather catch an alarming news report. There's some weird atmospheric phenomena going on over Resolute Bay, so he heads back out to investigate. Heather doesn't want him going alone, so she activates the signal to summon the rest of Alpha Flight. She notices two new, unfamiliar names, members who have just graduated: Puck and Marrina.
Puck is bouncing down the pub when he gets the call. He's super-excited about it!
Marrina is standing on the coast when she's joined by her stepbrother, Dan Smallwood. He brings her the brooch which contains her Flight signal; it's active and she knows she has to leave. It's apparent Dan has some strong feelings for her that may extend beyond familial love.
Walter Langkowski is hiking in the woods when he receives the call. He immediately transforms into Sasquatch, noting that the process is becoming a lot easier for him.
Snowbird was already in the area and is the first to arrive at the ritual site. She sees the remains of a human being and recognises the shape in the dirt. The corpse's arm rises and the gesture is duplicated by the earth itself. Behold TUNDRA, the mountain that walks like a man!
Some seamen on a weather ship register something moving at incredible speed through the water. Marrina emerges, trailing a water spout behind her.
Aurora seems to have recovered and she and her brother are on their way to join the rest of the team. Now she insists on being called only by her code name, confounding Northstar, who worries about her sanity.
Puck arrives at an airbase to try to get a lift to the trouble area, but they won't let him in without written clearance.
Snowbird speaks to Tundra in an ancient tongue, and it recognises her as its sworn enemy. It unleashes a swarm of mosquitoes upon her, and she realizes she dare not use her animal transformation power, lest Tundra gain control of her as well. Fortunately Vindicator arrives and uses his suit's electromagnetic powers to get rid of the insects. Tundra sends a spray of earth at him.
Shaman tries to reason with the mortal mind he thinks is controlling Tundra, but that mortal was weak and used up quickly. Tundra is under its own power now. Vindicator attacks Tundra, but ends up wreaking havoc on the landscape itself. As Tundra walks, Tundra grows.
Sasquatch arrives, using his "dropping out of a helicopter" trick, and begins tearing great chunks out of Tundra's form. He is swatted away as he utters the old refrain, "How can something so big move so fast?" He flies past the arriving twins, who use their flying speed to try to erode the beast, which seems to work. Shaman calls a rainstorm to further wear the Beast down, but it isn't enough. Tundra is regenerating itself from the earth upon which it walks. Fortunately Marrina has arrived, and brought with her a very large quantity of water. The twins use their joined power to blind Tundra and the deluge melts it away. There is now a new lake on the plain, and beneath it, a dead dreamer...
The team gathers at the Hudsons' place to discuss things. It's clear none of them could have defeated Tundra alone, and it was their teamwork that did it. Mac confirms Marrina's promotion to the Alpha team. There's a knock on the door. Puck is finally here and ready for action. Mac tells him they were trying to think of a new team name, since officially Alpha and the other teams have been dissolved, but he won't have any of it. He came there to join Alpha Flight, and he's going to join Alpha Flight! Walter teases him, and a brawl ensues. Heather wonders if this was all such a good idea after all.
--
Gary Cody is an illustrator friend of Byrne's. In addition to having his own career as a painter, comics readers might know him as the guy who finished and colored the covers for Byrne's various Dark Horse comics. An inside joke it would take me a few decades to get.
One plot point that bugs me on re-reading this story is how did Marrina know all that water would be needed? She had no idea what she was getting into. Does she just bring massive quantities of water wherever she goes, just in case?
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 1, 2019 10:55:28 GMT -5
Bought this on the stands, after hearing about the group in X-Men letter pages (and after the MTIO with Sasquatch). Good first issue, though another villain who will "show everyone" was pretty cliched, though I suspect that was deliberate, as much to grab attention.
It's obvious this is meant to be an introduction to those of us who missed the X-Men appearances, so Byrne kept the plot relatively simple, using it to grab your attention, so you will come back for the more complex stuff, to follow.
I noticed that superheroes always seem to favor duffel bags for their luggage, when in civies.
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Post by badwolf on Aug 1, 2019 10:59:58 GMT -5
Bought this on the stands, after hearing about the group in X-Men letter pages (and after the MTIO with Sasquatch). Good first issue, though another villain who will "show everyone" was pretty cliched, though I suspect that was deliberate, as much to grab attention. We'll find out why this man was so disgruntled in an upcoming story.
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