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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 20, 2022 5:03:17 GMT -5
I graduated from high school in June 1975. When my brother marched down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance” seven years earlier, my parents gave him a car (a beater, true, but still his very own set of wheels). That, obviously, was not an option for me, so instead they paid for my road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles with my buddy, the late, great Ted Strom, and bought another friend's comic book collection for me, paying $200 for some 700 comics. I was so excited when the books were delivered because I knew from our many conversations on that topic that my pal, Rob Luettgen, had great taste in reading material. The first comics I read when I opened the first box were Fantastic Four #61-63, a three-part Lee and Kirby extravaganza featuring today's picks: 5. The Sandman and Blastaar
Since this selection is based purely on nostalgia, I don't have a lot to say about the story itself. It came at the tail-end of Stan and Jack's most creative period on the title (#44-65) and was thus a top-quality excursion into science fantasy. The savage Blastaar, an exile from the Negative Zone, chose Spider-Man's old nemesis pretty much at random to act as his guide on Earth. Kirby delivered his usual brand of imaginative action (Heresy Alert: I much prefer the Kirby/Sinnott Sandman to Ditko's) but it was Stan the Man who provided the contrast between the villains' personalities—and thus, for me, most of the entertainment—through his dialogue. But ultimately, to repeat myself, the dastardly duo made my list because of their association with one of the happiest summers of my life. Still, it's worth noting that the trilogy remained in my collection for more than forty years until I sold them to our pal Rob Allen a few years back. It makes me happy knowing they found a good home with someone who appreciates them as much as I did. Cei-U! I summon the blaast from the paast! |
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Post by foxley on Dec 20, 2022 5:43:32 GMT -5
Because old school is cool... 5. The Joker and the Penguin ("The Knights of Knavery" Batman #25 1944) After the Penguin is stopped from stealing the Van Landorpf Emerald and thrown into prison once more by Batman and Robin, he bemoans his misfortune as "the smartest crook in town". This attracts the attention of his new cellmate, the Joker, who mocks his incompetence. The two men quickly develop a rivalry, deciding that Gotham's underworld is not big enough for both of them. Together, they escape prison and agree on a wager: whoever steals the Van Landorpf Emerald has the right to stay in Gotham City. Upon hearing of the breakout, Batman and Robin cooperate with Mrs. Van Landorpf to set a trap for the two arch-criminals. As predicted, both the Joker's and the Penguin's gang appear at the Van Landorpf house to steal the gem. The Dynamic Duo swoops down to arrest the two men, however, desperation causes the Joker and the Penguin to work together. Though they both fail to steal the emerald, the Joker and the Penguin are able to escape Batman's clutches; more importantly, each now recognizes the other's talents and agrees to a full partnership. This is just pure Golden Age goodness. I think this must be the first time two of Batman's established foes teamed up (if anyone knows of an earlier example, please let me know) and thus is the direct ancestor of all of the other Bat-villain team-ups, many of which are on my list. The Joker and Penguin manage to come off as both amusing and menacing by turns, and this story falls into that brief period after the Joker stopped being the cold-blooded murderer of his first few years, but before he became the comedy clown of the Silver Age, so you're not sure which way he might jump. The Penguin, of course, has been pretty much the same since his first appearance, so you have the poetry quoting badass. Writer Don C. Cameron turns in an excellent story, even if the characters have an odd habit of speaking in rhyme occasionally. Jack Burnley supplies superb pencils, wonderfully enhanced by Jerry Robinson's inks. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 5:44:22 GMT -5
Deathstroke and Terra
 I never saw it coming. None of us did. One of the most wicked twists I've ever read to this day, I remember reading this title monthly off the newsstand at the time. I can still remember my jaw dropping. Sure, there had been plenty of other prior “traitor in their midst” stories. But Terra was literally a child, and we had been led down a long road believing she was starting to bond with the Titans and working through her problems. This was surely a “teen with a troubled past” we were seeing, and you could maybe even feel things were somewhat getting better during her time with the team, despite her temper almost giving her away and Raven sensing all was not right. And to think Wolfman and Perez had this planned all along. It was 1984 when this reveal and the resulting events occurred in the “Judas Contract” storyline in the New Teen Titans title (the classic storyline in which it was revealed she was working for Deathstroke as a spy on the team all along). This was not a “mature readers” title by definition, this was supposed to be a mainstream superhero book. It wrenched my heart to see both Tara Markov tragically out of control, as well as the horror of Deathstroke being perfectly accepting of it to the extent it fit his goals. Truly the most heart-breaking of “villain teams” to me, but one of the most memorable stories ever and therefore my selection for today. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 6:14:19 GMT -5
5. The Snake Men (Masters of the Universe, published by Egmont in the 1980s) The Snake Men are an evil group in Masters of the Universe. You’ll find them as toys, cartoon characters - and, of course, in the comics. From 1986 to 1988, Egmont published an MOTU comic, edited by “Scrollos” (I wonder if that name was on his birth certificate). It featured original content. The Snake Men featured in various stories. They are Rattlor, Sssqueeze, Tung Lashor, Kobra Khan and King Hiss (the leader). I actually do not like snakes, they give me the creeps. I never go near a reptile house in a zoo, and if I saw a cobra (or any species) in the wild, I’d run faster than the Flash. Oddly, though, I found the Snake Men to be a compelling faction - and they made the MOTU universe richer because, while Skeletor is He-Man’s archenemy, the Snake Men remind you that threats to Eternia come from all quarters. Plus, isn’t Rattlor a cool name?
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 20, 2022 6:15:11 GMT -5
5. Kang and Rama-TutOccurred in Giant-Size Avengers #2 (November 1974) By Steve Englehart and Dave Cockrum A theme that will appear once more on my list is that, while I'd hardly consider myself much of an Avengers fan, I cannot get enough of Kang's mind-bending time-travel stories, even when they're full of logic lapses. In the case of Giant-Size Avengers #2, Kang encounters Rama-Tut, who we know is Kang's future self. Watching the frustration of Rama-Tut (an older and wiser Kang) trying to prevent his past self from making the same mistakes twice, was extremely powerful. Somehow, somewhere, this taps into some psychological struggle within each of us that I'm too lazy to explore at the moment. Still, I felt it in a big way:  The Celestial Madonna remains my favorite Avengers storyline, and this is absolutely the high point of it. So big on imagination, time travel paradoxes, and deep psychological truth all at once. I guess everyone has that point in their list each year where there is a canyon of difference between one selection and all the ones below it. Well, here we are. Everything up until now on my list was pretty great, but this selection and all above it positively rock my world.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2022 6:20:46 GMT -5
What's going on here. How is it Day 8? Christmas isn't close yet? Isn't it still November?
Oh dear. I seem to have lost track of time.
I summon lots of gift certificates for Christmas!
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Post by commond on Dec 20, 2022 6:23:19 GMT -5
I totally forgot about the Judas Contract. One of the great twists in comics history.
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Post by foxley on Dec 20, 2022 6:26:32 GMT -5
I actually do not like snakes, they give me the creeps. I never go near a reptile house in a zoo, and if I saw a cobra (or any species) in the wild, I’d run faster than the Flash. You might not want to visit Australia, then.  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 6:29:39 GMT -5
I actually do not like snakes, they give me the creeps. I never go near a reptile house in a zoo, and if I saw a cobra (or any species) in the wild, I’d run faster than the Flash. You might not want to visit Australia, then. That’s precisely why I won’t be heading to Australia.  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 20, 2022 6:36:59 GMT -5
5. Masters of Evil Original edition
Avengers #6
Marvel Comics ( 1964)
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker : Chic Stone
It’s a simple tale of revenge. Zemo , who has been hidden away in south America discovers that Captain America is still alive and wants him to pay for his deformity of having a mask glued to his head. Ah the Silver age. He enlists the Black Knight , the Melter and the Radioactive man to attack New york to draw Cap and the rest of the Avengers out by attacking and paralyzing the city with a glue substance called Adhesive X. The story ends of course, with the Assemblers triumphing but it sets in motion an obsessed Zemo who will return many times with different rosters to Kill the Avengers. The " Under Siege Iteration is probably the most famous but I have a soft spot for this issue. A few points about the book:Cap and Giant man are stuck on a slab of concrete sidewalk and are pulled by a truck almost like they’re skiing. It’s a Goofy but fun visual.  The Avengers enlist the aid of Paste Pot Pete to dissolve the adhesive that is all around the city in exchange for a lesser sentence. The Avengers switch foes and Thor has a cool fight with the Black Knight. Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade are instrumental in helping defeat Zemo in one of their few appearances in the book. It’s possible that Stan meant for them to be a presence in the book but i don’t think we see them again after issue # 8 , the first Kang story. Thor looks cool on the Knights horse after the wrap up. 
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 20, 2022 6:40:17 GMT -5
5. Secret Society of Supervillainsfirst appearance (in this incarnation): JLA #195 (in the annual JLA/JSA crossover) line-up: Ultra-Humanite, Killer Frost, Cheetah, Brainwave, Monocle, Plant Master, Ragdoll, Signal Man, Psycho Pirate, and Mist  The only other DC entry in my otherwise Marvel-heavy list… The ‘Secret Society of Supervillains’ is such a cool name. Unfortunately, the series of the same name was mostly – not so good. However, this group assembled by the Ultra-Humanite really lived up to the coolness of the name, and proved quite formidable. I simply loved the idea of a group of villains from both Earths working together to carry out Ultra-Humanite’s nefarious scheme and ultimately succeed – and the fact that plan only fell apart because the Earth 1 villains were furious over being double-crossed by the Ultra-Humanite. The story, co-written by Gerry Conway and George Perez, with the latter also doing the pencils (inked by John Beatty and then Romeo Tanghal), is tied with JLA #183-185 (also starring the New Gods) as my favorite JLA/JSA team-up.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 20, 2022 6:42:12 GMT -5
What's going on here. How is it Day 8? Christmas isn't close yet? Isn't it still November? Oh dear. I seem to have lost track of time. I summon lots of gift certificates for Christmas! I was wondering where you were... |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2022 7:07:35 GMT -5
5. The Suicide Squad
Legends #3, DC, 1986  Ostrander and co. did something special with this idea. Amanda Waller and her gang of mostly villains, semi-reformed. If they want to keep their limbs, at least.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2022 7:08:09 GMT -5
And hey, I'm all caught up!
Now I just need to explain to my boss why I'm so late for work...
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,199 
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Post by Confessor on Dec 20, 2022 7:22:28 GMT -5
#5 – J. Jonah Jameson and Professor Spencer Smythe (and his Spider-Slayers)As seen in Amazing Spider-Man #25, #58 and #105–106 (1964, 1968 and 1972)  Of course, every sensible fan of Spider-Man knows that J. Jonah Jameson is the Wall-Crawler's number 1 arch-nemesis. But unlike Spider-Man's other foes, Jameson doesn't actually want to kill the Web-Slinger: he simply believes that he is a dangerous vigilante and a menace to society who should be handed over to the proper authorities. His moral and (let's face it) personal crusade against Spidey has, on occasion, led Jameson to align himself with several dubious individuals, and none more so than Professor Spencer Smythe. Smythe first approached Jameson in Amazing Spider-Man #25, having read the irascible editor's many anti-Spider-Man articles in The Daily Bugle. The professor had developed a robot capable of tracking down Spider-Man via his "spider powers" and ensnaring him in thick, coiling steel arms. Better yet, Jameson is able to control the robot from a remote location and actually watch the final fall of the Web-Slinger in real time via the robot's viewing monitor. Smythe's robot actually almost manages to defeat Spidey in its first outing, and only some quick thinking on the Wall-Crawler's part allows him to save himself. In ASM #58, Smythe returns with a second, all-new and improved Spider-Slayer – which looks way more menacing that the original – and it is at this point that Jameson, to his credit, first realises that Smythe is insane and just out for blood-thirsty revenge against Spider-Man. Still, Jameson continues to work with the professor and is only too happy to take control of his new robot. Yet again, Spidey manages to defeat the mechanical terror, which leads to Smythe and Jameson teaming-up for a final time in ASM #105 and #106. This time Jameson actively bankrolls the development of the professor's third Slayer, which is a bizarre, spider-shaped iteration. In the end though, Smythe double-crosses Jameson in a bid to steal the Spider-Slayer technology and use it himself to become the city's newest crime boss, effectively ending their partnership. Although he has a burning, irrational hatred of Spider-Man and is certainly capable of being a hard-hearted ol' son-of-a-b*tch sometimes, Jameson is actually a decent guy at heart. To see him team up with a brilliant, but utterly mad scientist like Professor Smythe is a joy, and it's the friction between the demented evil-doer and the slightly misguided, Spidey-hating newspaper editor that makes this pairing so memorable and such a joy to read. 
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