Stronguy Reviews The Marvel Bronze Age

[jools&jim]

 

Great thread, and a great service to BA Marvel collectors! If I saw an illustrated book of reviews like this in paperback format at the LCS, I know I'd buy it!

[arexcrooke]

you got that right :thumbsup:

[Stronguy]

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Battlestar Galactica

Issues: 1-10

March 1979 - December 1979

 

Rating: 3/5

 

A friend of mine used to jokingly say, when we were comparing crappy comic runs (like Dazzler, Human Fly, US 1), that he has a full run of BSG and actually liked them. Imagine my surprise when I sat down to read these and actually enjoyed them too. Shakespeare? War and Peace? No! But IMO they are equally as entertaining as the TV show they represent.

 

Summary: The writing throughout the series is just ok at best. Typical taking head dialogue but, come on, it's a TV adaptation. However with issue 6 they start a running back story where Adama enters a memory machine to try and help him recover the memories of what he saw in the Temple of Kobol... the way to Earth. However, there is a shootout and the machine is hit causing Adama to be trapped inside reliving some of his past life. This arch continues beyond issue 10, the December 1979 cutoff for me, and, if you're going to pick these up you need to get the rest of the story.

 

Art wise it's a mixed bag. It starts off with Ernie Colon (best know for his work at Harvey) art but it's loose, styalized and not that good. Walt Simonson picks up in issue 4 and things improve. Issues 6 and 7 give you another solid effort by Buckler and Janson. Sal Busceam and Janson are in 8 and 9, still pretty decent. Issue 10 introduces Pat Broderick. I'm not sure how I feel about his work (pretty much all of it from this time period). He has a semi-cartoonish style but uses some fine lines and shadowing to do some detailed work. It almost reminds me of a prototype (but not nearly as good) for Todd McFarlane. I'm still on the fence about his work.

 

Anyway, that's all for this run. A solid effort and worth picking up if you can pick all of them up $5 or so.

 

[Stronguy]

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Beware!

Issues: 1-8

March 1973 - May 1974

 

Rating: 3/5

 

This is one of the many Marvel Bronze Age reprint titles. Marvel had a huges stockpile of art and stories from when they were Atlas and Timely. Deciding to maximize their profits and compete with some of DCs horror titles they did a cut/paste and gave you 32 pages of reprinted material with a new, and often times, kick-azz cover.

 

If you like '50s horror comics or you want to check them out without breaking the bank this is the way to go. Pick 'em up cheap ($1-$2) and enjoy the read.

 

[Stronguy]

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Big Jim's P.A.C.K.

Issues: Promo

1976

 

Rating: 2/5

 

This is a mini (6.5" x 9.25"), promo comic that came with the Big Jim's PACK action figures. John Buscema art. This thing is pretty tough to find and pricy (for a BA book) when it shows up. However, if you search eBay in some of the non-comic sections you will find it sometimes.

 

FWIW, Jack Kirby did the box art work on this line of Big Jim.

 

[Stronguy]

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Black Goliath

Issues: 1-5

February 1976 - November 1976

 

Rating: 2/5

 

From the brain of Tony Isabella comes... well... let's just say it's another one of Tony's Bronze Age masterpieces.

 

Chris Claremont writing... George Tuska art (1-3), Buckler art (4), Pollard art (5).

 

Bill Foster, scientist, helps Hank Pym with some of his Goliath problems (back in Avengres 32) and "learns" the secret of Pym's growth serum. "Learns" must also mean "steals" because he modifies the formula, removing all the harmful side effects that have "palgued Hank throught his career" and uses it himself. Some friend... just let the guy whos secrets you "learned" suffer with mental issues, anger issues, split personalities.

 

Anyway, BG pretty much does the same thing every issue. He's doing something, a bad guy shows up, they fight, BG starts to get his butt kicked but in the end he prevails. That probably explains the 5 issue run.

 

No need to pick these up. Pretty much a standard BA formula book.

 

Fan Letter (I think I'll start noting these when I come across them):

Issue 3... Kurt Busiek

 

[Sal]

I know Black Goliath's fight with Atom-Smasher resulted in him contracting radiation sickness, but did it ever kill him? All I remember about BG was he was in a perpetual state of dying in the BA

[JuliusSeizure]

I know Black Goliath's fight with Atom-Smasher resulted in him contracting radiation sickness, but did it ever kill him? All I remember about BG was he was in a perpetual state of dying in the BA

Last night I happened to read Marvel Two-In-One #67...he's still dying...

[awe4one]

I know Black Goliath's fight with Atom-Smasher resulted in him contracting radiation sickness, but did it ever kill him? All I remember about BG was he was in a perpetual state of dying in the BA

 

He's evidently better. He appeared in a Giant-Man back-up story in one of the Avengers flip-books released in the mid-90s.

 

Jim

[Stronguy]

I know Black Goliath's fight with Atom-Smasher resulted in him contracting radiation sickness, but did it ever kill him? All I remember about BG was he was in a perpetual state of dying in the BA

 

Black Goliath doesn't die, in fact he's a supporting character in the later issues of the Champions. Trivia... the original lineup of the Champions was supposed to have BG in it but they decided he would do better in his own book. Guess "they" were wrong.

 

BG eventually changes his name to Giant Man. He dies in Civil War #4 in the battle with clone Thor.

[bigfiver69]

I'm saying what has been said before, but what a killer thread... and your reviews are well-written and insightful.

 

I'm a DC guy, but I grew up in the 70s, and a lot of these titles found their way under my nose - just some great memories in here for me.

 

Nice one!

Shep

 

 

[Sal]

I know Black Goliath's fight with Atom-Smasher resulted in him contracting radiation sickness, but did it ever kill him? All I remember about BG was he was in a perpetual state of dying in the BA

 

Black Goliath doesn't die, in fact he's a supporting character in the later issues of the Champions. Trivia... the original lineup of the Champions was supposed to have BG in it but they decided he would do better in his own book. Guess "they" were wrong.

 

BG eventually changes his name to Giant Man. He dies in Civil War #4 in the battle with clone Thor.

 

technically, we don't know if they're wrong, because it's entirely conceivable that Black Goliath in the Champions would have stone kilt that book

[Stronguy]

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Black Panther

Issues 1-15

January 1976 - May 1979

 

Rating: 2/5

 

As with 2001, you can really tell Marvel must have really wanted Jack Kirby back in a bad way. King Solomon's Frog... that's all I really need to say. But, of course, I'll say more...

 

The first few issues of this title is some suckage right out of 3rd World. King Solomon's Frog, Mister Little, Princess Zanda, The 6 Million Year Man... WTF was Jack smoking? So instead of doing a book about the Black Panther ruling Wakanda by day and kicking bad guys in the butt by night (or some such super hero BS) you get BP as a hired hand looking for lost treasure (more or less). There's this little guy... let's call him Mister Little... and he convinces the ruler of Wakanda to help him find King Solomon's treasure. So they find this frog statute and all hell breaks loose. Some Kirby-chick named Princess Zanda wants the frog, there's some fighting, the frog gets shot by one of her goons. So that's the end of the frog, right. Hell no, not if you're Jack Kirby. All that does is bring a guy from 6 million years in the future out. And now this guy wants to kick everyone's butt. So for the next 3 issues you get a bunch of 100% bronze age suckage. Then they blow open King Solonon's mine and spend more time (and your money) fighting stuff that comes out of it. The splash of issue 4 sums it up...

 

"Deep in the core of the Atlas mountains, the secret burial chamber of King Solomon has yielded one deadly surprise after another. It is a place of wonders not meant to be touched, yet violators throughout the centuries have dared its dangers. They've done it for greed, profit and the strange compulsion to own the rarest of posessions! The collectors have ensnarled the Black Panther!"

 

So BP is getting into all kinds of trouble... fights a Yeti... fight a bunch of Samurai... learns that he's been played the whole time by a bunch of fools call The Collectors. Oh, and while he was out having fun Wakanda got attacked by some creature. So who steps up to defend Wakanda... none other than The Black Musketeers.

 

Yup... just when you think you've seen suckage you get uber-suckage. Three of T'Challa's homies put on some jiveass Black Panther wannabe costumes and try to hold down the fort. No kidding. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Eventually BP gets out of the hospital (after getting his butt handed to him by a giant pink Kirby-monster) and these guys disappear. Thank god!

 

This brings us up to issues 12 and 13 where we get introduce to Frederick Kiber, a bad mofo who wants to take over the world (go figure). BP gets into more fights and kick the bad guys around. Issue 13 brings in Jerry Bingham on art and, I must say, the whole book takes on a new vibe with Kirby gone. Bingham's art kicks butt... I don't know what happened to the guy but he was way under rated.

 

Anyway, BP is back in New York. A guy ends up unleashing Klaw and there's a throw down for a couple of issues. Issue 15 is the last one in the title and Black Panther's adventures get continued in Marvel Premiere.

 

Summary:

It's pretty awful except for the Bingham art in the last 3 issues. If you're into that mid-'70s Kirby suckage then this is right up there with the best of it.

 

[gaute]

Great thread, and great work You make me want to go out and buy all of these books. BA Marvel suckage rules

[Comicopolis]

The Black Panther issues sound so bad that they are probably good

[universal soldier]

I have almost a full run of these. I remember them being alot better when I read them back in the 70's.

[Stronguy]

The Black Panther issues sound so bad that they are probably good

 

If you go into them knowing they're pretty bad you're prepared for it. But I can't imagine buying these off the stand every 60 days. Good lord, these would have sucked goat balls to read over an extended period of time.

[Inhuman Fiend]

Trivia: Herb Trimpe told me the plane in the opening page was his plane. He also said, with the money he made off Crest and The Cavity Creep, he bought another one some time later.

 

Wow...I never knew Trimpe was responsible for the Cavity Creeps commercial. I just went to Youtube and watched one and sure enough, you can recognize his work right away. Cool!

[canickus]

I nominate the Black Panther review as post of the year. Honestly, I after reading the review, I broke open a couple of those books and my overall impression is if possible the suckage is worse than described.

 

This is why the Miller Daredevil and the Stevens Rocketeer books stand out so much.

[kevnaminute]

Can't wait until you get to the Marvel Premier issues of Iron Fist....talk about uggh....