TWOMORROWS COMICS GROUPBACK ISSUE No.139 OCTOBER 2022 $10.95 STARFOX • THUNDERBIRD • WUNDARR • WOODGOD • MODRED MARVELFOR-PRIMETIMENOT-READY-HEROES! 1 8 2 6 5 8 0 0 4 7 7 4Inc.Characters,Marvel©&TMcharactersAllInc.Characters,Marvel©&TMcharactersAll
The scattershot appearances of Bill Mantlo’s weirdo man-beast BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Paladin 66 This Daredevil villain became an antihero and ally to Silver Sable
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Volume EDITOR-IN-CHIEFOctoberNumber1,1392022 Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Mike Zeck and Rudy Nebres, Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia, George Pérez and Gene Day, and Herb Trimpe and John Severin COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER David Baldy & Co. SPECIAL THANKS Miki Annamanthadoo Jim JephJamesDr.DouglasTonyHeritageGlennCharlesGrandGeorgeSteveJ.PeterChrisEdGlenJarrodKurtRandyBeardBowenBusiekButteryCadiganCattoClaremontDavidM.DeMatteisEnglehartFreemanComicsDatabaseHatfieldHerdlingComicsAuctionsIsabellaR.KellyChristinaKnopfHeathLantzLoebEdMarvChrisRoyDanRogerJerryJimBenjaminJosephFabianIanDavidBrianAndyRalphLuteMacchioMangelsMartinMichelinieMillstedNiciezaNortonRaabSalicrupSmithSternTandarichThomasWildrickWolfman C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! ORDOWNLOADDON’TREADILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at www.twomorrows.com or through our Apple and Google Apps! & DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one! Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions! BACKSEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury 2 BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Nighthawk 3 The ruffled feathers of villain-turned-hero Kyle Richmond BACKSTAGE PASS: Stingray 9 Oceanography 101 with the scientist and occasional superhero FLASHBACK: Doc Samson .............................................. 14 Get inside the head of Marvel’s gamma-irradiated go-to shrink FLASHBACK: Thundra 21 This product of Women’s Lib had a thing for the Thing FLASHBACK: Starfox 31 From Titan with love, Thanos’ brother who became an Avenger FLASHBACK: Wundarr ................................................. 36 How Steve Gerber’s Superman pastiche became Marvel’s problem child ONE-HIT WONDERS: Thunderbird 42 An X-Man’s sacrifice inspires a vengeful brother to pick up his mantle BEYOND CAPES: Modred the Mystic...................................... 46 After a short-lived solo career, this horror hero became a Marvel villain FLASHBACK: Jack of Hearts ............................................. 51 From a kung-fu magazine emerged this explosive hero with a complicated costume FLASHBACK: The Shroud 58 This master of shadows keeps the company of crooks and creeps
BACK ISSUE™ issue 139, October 2022 (ISSN 1932-6904) is published monthly (except Jan., March, May, and Nov.) by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Back Issue, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $90 Economy US, $137 International, $39 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Doc Samson, Incredible Hulk, Jack of Hearts, Stingray, Union Jack, and related characters TM & © Marvel. All Rights Reserved. All editorial matter © 2022 TwoMorrows and Michael Eury. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond! Heroes ISSUE
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…And It’s Only Gonna Get Worse If Nighthawk is repulsed by his past at this early stage of his career, wait’ll he gets a load of what’s in store for him in future issues! Defenders #32 (Feb. 1976) cover by Gil Kane and Klaus Janson. TM & © Marvel. by Brian Martin TM
In the contest in Avengers #69, Nighthawk is the only Squadron member who manages to kayo his opponent, Captain America in his case, as he lassos the good Captain’s feet and propels him into a wall. Unfortunately, to win their bout it seems he has to destroy the Statue of Liberty. Yet for his part, the Star-Spangled Avenger merely needs to knock Nighthawk unconscious, which he of course proceeds to do. Maybe that foreshadowed our subject’s entire career. The pinioned paladin made one more villainous appearance before he decided to change the col or of his hat. In Daredevil #62 (Mar. 1970) he masquerades as a hero to basically steal from crooks he pretends to capture.
While DC had an existing Western character with the same sobriquet, Avengers writer Roy Thomas had a different inspiration for Nighthawk’s name. In The Justice League Companion (written by BACK ISSUE’s own Michael Eury), Thomas revealed that the name came from “a hoax that [legendary comic fan] Richard Kyle pulled on Don and Maggie Thompson’s newszine Newfangles , in which he referred to a pulp mag named ‘Nighthawk’ with a Batman-like character, and later it turned out that pulp had never existed.”
While a number of Bronze Age heroes were given a tough time by their various writers, I would have to say that Kyle Richmond, a.k.a. Nighthawk, was put through the wringer as much as or more than any of them. Let’s examine his many trials and tribulations.
NOT SO BAD TO THE BONE
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For a start, Nighthawk debuted as a villain, in the final panel of The Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969). In that tale, the cosmic-game-playing Grandmaster creates Nighthawk and his fellow members of the Squad ron Sinister as pawns in a contest against Kang the Conqueror. The Squadron members are analogues of competitor DC Comics’ Justice League of America: Nighthawk (Batman), Hyperion (Superman), Dr. Spectrum (Green Lantern), and the Whizzer (The Flash). To differentiate Nighthawk from DC’s Darknight Detective, he is given a marginal superpower by a serum that endows him to double his normal strength when the Moon shines. The Squadron Supreme’s appearance in the following issue, Avengers #70, was accompanied by an unofficial company crossover with Marvel analogues appearing in DC’s Justice League of America #75 (Nov. 1969).
Kyle’s true calling manifests itself in the two-part tale contained in Defenders #13 and 14 (May and July 1974). Richmond is invited to a reunion of his old gang. Therein, they reveal they have teamed with a different celestial entity, Nebulon by name, and have consented to flood the Earth for him by melting the polar icecaps! (Just remember, folks, Climate Change is in reality a plan by a nefarious interstellar entity!) Nighthawk wants no part of this plan, but goes along until he can sneak out and try to contact the Avengers. Unfortunately, he finds that Nebulon has arranged things so that he becomes immaterial if he comes near the Avengers. Luckily, he overhears mention of the Marvel’s “nonteam,” the Defenders, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Befitting his new heroic role, Kyle dons a new costume as Defenders #15 (Sept. 1974) begins. Further distancing him from his derivative origins, Nighthawk is also provided with a jet pack concealed beneath his cape. From the very beginning it is established that Kyle Richmond is, well, rich, befitting a Batman knockoff. In the same sequence, he also makes a phone call to his financial wizard Pennysworth to have him buy a riding academy when fellow Defender Valkyrie announces she needs to board her winged horse while she investigates the life of the woman whose body she inhabits. (Sorry, that story is waaay too long to go into here. And while I think of it… Pennysworth??) In Defenders #17 (Nov. 1974), Valkyrie does in fact depart, but not before Kyle gives her a kiss full on the lips. The academy itself has been outfitted to house the fledgling super-group, telegraphing Kyle’s vision for them, though it would be a while before they would actually inhabit it.
The Defenders manage to foil this nefarious plot, even allowing Nighthawk to be the hero. But the victory does not come without a price. Nighthawk is mortally wounded, and the only way to save him is by Dr. Strange taking a small portion of each of the other Defenders’ life forces and giving them to him. Nighthawk is incredibly grateful and joins the group. “Adding Nighthawk gave me a character to play with who didn’t have a whole lot of previous history,” Defenders scribe Len Wein told Dan Johnson in BACK ISSUE #19. “Essentially, it gave me at least one character I could do anything I wanted to without worrying how it would affect any other titles that character might appear in.”
The bad luck for Kyle continues as he is informed that someone is knocking down buildings owned by Richmond Enterprises. This leads to the first appearance of the villainous quartet the Wrecking Crew, while revealing that behind-the-scenes machinations by Pen nysworth are responsible for the Crew’s rampage.
Avengers #70 (Nov. 1969). Iconic cover art by Sal Buscema and Sam Grainger. (right) Nighthawk horns in on Ol’ Hornhead in Daredevil #62 (Mar. 1970). Cover by Marie Severin and Syd Shores. TM & © Marvel.
CHANGES IN ATTITUDE, CHANGES IN… WARDROBE
Valkyrie’s identity issues are partially solved in Defenders #20 (Feb. 1975), the debut of the writer who is arguably the most iden tified with the Defenders, Steve Gerber. Gerber soon reveals that Valkyrie’s host body, Barbara Norriss, is married. Her husband Jack is introduced in issue #23 (May 1975). This does not sit well with Kyle when he finds out, and he leaves in a huff. Dr. Strange reveals what we readers realized: that Kyle was beginning to develop feelings for the Asgardian swordswoman.
A RELATIVE PROBLEM To soothe things, though, arriving back in New York, Nighthawk receives a visit from an old girlfriend, Trish Starr. If that name seemed familiar to readers, they only had to wait until Giant-Size De fenders #4 (Apr. 1975) to receive a refresher on her place in the Mar vel Universe. Trish Starr is the niece of Ant-Man foe Egghead, and she and Kyle renew their relationship. Meanwhile, Egghead has become destitute, while Trish is a successful model. So in true villainous fashion, as revenge for this cruel twist of fate, Egghead plants a bomb in Rich mond’s car that explodes with Kyle and Trish inside. In a truly inspired move, neither is killed since Egghead siphoned most of the gas from the car, his blood-chilling rationale being that he did not want to kill her, only to maim her. He succeeds, as Trish loses an arm. Kyle recovers, probably since the explosion took place at night when he was at double-strength. As a further punch to the gut to Nighthawk, however, Trish, fearing Kyle’s main feel ing for her now is pity, says she will only stay if Kyle marries her. He is not ready for that step, and she walks out of his life. It was probably just an error, but those events affected Kyle so much that for the entirety of the next regular Defenders issue, #22 (Apr. 1975), his hair was colored blond instead of its regular brown! For that issue and the next three, the Defenders battle the Sons of the Serpent, Marvel’s bigoted hate group. As the arc ends, we dis A Bad ‘Batman’ (left) costume,inNighthawk,hisoriginalwasoneofwriterRoyThomas’SquadronSinister,evilanaloguesofDC’sJusticeLeague,in
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cover the money behind the Serpents comes from… Pennysworth. When Kyle confronts him, he is told that much of his money has been invest ed in questionable endeavors about which Kyle never had a problem, as long as it made him a profit. This leads to our hero flying off at tale’s end to do some well-needed soul-searching.
BRAIN DAMAGE
Joining the ‘Non-Team’ (top) With his snazzy new threads, Nighthawk—or “Birdnose,” as Hulk called him—was flying high in Defenders #15 (Sept. 1974).
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY In the midst of these events, Nighthawk joins the Marvel big time by making a guest stint in Marvel Team-Up #33–34 (May–June 1975). Not quite groomed for stardom, however, our hero doesn’t even rate a distinctive logo on the cover. The story inside, by writer Gerry Conway and artists Sal Buscema and Vince Colletta, teams Nighthawk with Spider-Man against Spidey foe the Looter. In the course of their adventure, Kyle determines that the villain is not evil but in need of mental help, and he decides to let the miscreant alone. Spidey vehemently opposes this idea, to the point that Kyle takes a poke at him! Nighthawk departs, but in the second issue, he speaks to Valkyrie about the encounter. She chastises him for what she sees as neg ligence and heads off to clean up the matter. For Nighthawk this wasn’t a completely flattering appearance, but consistent with his tendency in Defenders to be portrayed as slightly aloof.
INTERSECTION
Standing at a misty crossroads, Kyle reflects on the trials and tribulations of his pre-Nighthawk life. These include: his mother dying when he was quite young, an absentee father, and an underlying rage that causes considerable trouble at school that his father’s money always manages to smooth over. That is, until he kills his girlfriend Mindy in an accident while driving drunk. A heart murmur keeps him from military service, and the replay climaxes as his father dies in a plane crash, and we return to Kyle stranded at those crossroads with all of these occurrences, explaining much about who he is and why he does what he does. His reflections on his experiences during his period of disembodiment are related in a conversation with Dr. Strange in issue #37 (July 1976) and put Kyle in touch with his spiritual side. Nighthawk gets another semi-starring moment in the very next issue as he finally resumes his superhero career with a stunning panel by regular Defenders penciler Sal Buscema and inker Klaus Janson.
“Violation” is a kind way to describe what is next done to Nighthawk, as he becomes probably the first prominent comic-book hero to be subjected to a brain transplant! The perpetrators of this heinous act are the Headmen, as iconic a Gerber group as there ever was, owing to the fact that their stated goal is taking over the world. Peacefully. They replace Kyle’s brain with that of their own mystical member, leading the altered “Nighthawk” into conflict with the Defenders… and into horror for the heroes as they almost kill him, thinking him an imposter! Now, poor Nighthawk’s brain has been removed, and his body has had the stuffing knocked out of it! The Defenders manage to reacquire Nighthawk’s gray matter in #33 (Mar. 1976), with Jack Norriss’ mind now in control of Kyle’s body (don’t ask). In issue, #36, the transplant is reversed. In between, though, Defenders #32 (Feb. 1976) presents the hitherto untold life history of Kyle Richmond. But beware, as you probably expect by now, it is not pretty.
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Cover by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito, with alterations by John Romita, Sr. (bottom) Writer Steve Gerber got inside Kyle Richmond’s head—literally—in the bizarre Defenders #31 (Jan. 1976). Cover by Gil Kane and FrankTMGiacoia.&©Marvel.
The next trial for Nighthawk—and admittedly it is a major one—begins in Defenders #31 (Jan. ‘76). In the aforementioned BI #19, Defenders writer Steve Gerber admitted, “For me, the fun in comics has always been writing those ‘backwater’ characters, the ones that haven’t become inviolable icons and trademarks.”
Enter: Stingray! Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #19 (Nov. 1969) boasted a stunning cover by Marie Severin featuring a new red-and-white–colored character emerging out of the water with the cover copy “Nothing Can Stop the Sting-Ray!” Even though he and the Sub-Mariner battled (who hasn’t fought with Namor at one time or another?), Stingray makes his first costumed appearance here in Roy Roils Royal Waters Stingray—originally Sting-Ray—makes his first appearance (in costume) in Sub-Mariner #19 (Nov. 1969), written by Roy Thomas.
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Dr. Newell, still in full scientist mode and working for the US government, made his next appearance more than two years later in Prince Nam or, the Sub-Mariner #16 (Aug. 1969) by Thomas, Marie Severin, and Joe Gaudioso, in “The Sea That Time Forgot!” The stage was being set for Newell to become a bigger supporting player in the Sub-Mariner’s world and a superhero in his own right.
In the Marvel Universe, when the situation needs an underwater superhero, the Sub-Mariner makes the scene. When the Sub-Mariner can’t make it, the Inhuman Triton gets the call. When Triton takes a vacation, Stingray dives into the action, Marvel’s third favorite aquatic superhero! But that’s the way he wants it, as he’s a researcher first and superhero second. First appearing in the pages of Sub-Mariner as a human ally to Prince Namor, Dr. Walter Newell, a.k.a. Stingray, oceanographer and marine humanitarian, wanted to help save the planet, starting with the ocean. Hydrobase would be synonymous with the character for years. The floating artificial island would bring the part-time superhero into the action, eventually becoming a member of the Mighty Avengers, although more reserve-status than full-time starting lineup. And he may have one of the coolest costumes in the Marvel Universe! No more supporting character—for this article, Stingray gets the spotlight!
AQUATIC ORIGINS Dr. Walter Newell, who would later become Stingray, made his debut in the “Sub-Mariner” feature of Tales to Astonish #95 (Sept. 1967) by Roy Thomas, Raymond Marais, Bill Everett, and Vince Colletta. Newell created a sub-sea city complete with a waterproof dome to help access minerals and food for an overpopulated world as well as a mu tually beneficial relationship between humans and Atlanteans. But he didn’t run that idea past Nam or first, creating a problem. Newell only had good intentions, and although Namor and Newell didn’t exactly become the best of friends in this issue, the Sub-Mariner did gain a human ally.
Cover by Marie Severin and Johnny Craig.
TM & © Marvel. by Dan Tandarich TM
Water You Guys Fightin’ For?? (top) This house ad appeared in Marvel’s November 1970 cover-dated titles. Courtesy of Dan Tandarich. (bottom left) Marie Severin’s cover rough for Sub-Mariner #31 (Nov. 1970), courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). (bottom right) Sal Buscema’s finished rendition of Severin’s layouts.
ROY THOMAS: Marie designed it… she knew I wanted it to look like a human stingray, but she had lots of leeway. I don’t recall having her change it at all. Sub-Mariner #19 takes on significance for the character of Dr. Newell because, other than his superhero debut, he also meets his future wife, Diane Arliss. Diane and Todd Arliss, sister and brother, made their debuts in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mar iner #5 (Sept. 1968). They also first encounter Dr. Dorcas, who turned Todd, the once-Olympic swimmer, into the villain ous Tiger Shark using both the powers of a shark as well as the strength of Namor. Heroes Issue
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DAN TANDARICH : Do you remember if you and Marie Sev erin collaborated on the superhero costume of Stingray or did Marie design it herself? The look of Stingray is one of the great Marvel costumes!
TM & © Marvel.
“Support Your Local Sting-Ray!” by Thomas, Severin, and Johnny Craig. Upon first seeing Dr. Newell’s alter ego, Sub-Mariner exclaims, “A man—but garbed like some gliding manta-ray from the teeming ocean floor!” In effect, he transformed into a human stingray. Like his namesake, Stingray had fins/glider membranes that allowed him ease of movement underwater. Instead of a deadly stinger that can secrete venom, Newell came equipped with electro-stings that emanated from his hands. His outfit included a reinforced exoskeleton and body armor to withstand the pressure of the ocean depths. After Newell’s heroics in his last appearance almost killed him when he steered a freighter into the path of a deadly submarine, he explains, “I developed this sub-sea outfit, whose artificial powers may even surpass your [Namor’s] own! You were captured by… Sting-Ray!”
Doctor Leonard Skivorski, Jr., better known as Doc Samson, has had to deal with a lot since his first ap pearance in Roy Thomas and Herb Trimpe’s classic The Incredible Hulk #141 (July 1971). In addition to battling various gamma radiation–spawned crea tures with his fists, since his psychiatric career began in the early Bronze Age Samson has had to help heal people’s psychological wounds that were caused by the Hulk, the Hulk’s indefatigable pursuer General “Thunderbolt” Ross, Bruce Banner’s abusive father Brian, and so many others.
SAMSON BEGINS
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“I was thinking of that [Amazing] Spider-Man issue in which Spidey saw a shrink,” Thomas states, “and I decided to turn a shrink into a superhero. Why not, when so many superheroes were scientists al ready? Herb had never heard of Captain Tootsie, but I liked his basic look. I showed a picture of him to Herb and instructed him to adapt it. That he did enthusiastically, I think, and quite well. It amused me because the look of Captain Tootsie was partly based on that of the original Captain Marvel, having been designed by the original CM artist C. C. Beck. Of course, Doc Samson had to have green hair. In addition to the natural Hulk connection, I always remembered a tale of prejudice from my Lime-Locked He-Man You’ve gotta have some nerve—and superstrength—to take on the Green Goliath. But Doc Samson seems up to the challenge in his inaugural appearance, in The Incredible Hulk #171 (July 1971). Cover art by Herb Trimpe. TM & © Marvel. Commons. by James Heath Lantz
BACK ISSUE is about to show readers why Doc Samson rivals I Dream of Jeannie’s Dr. Alfred Bellows when it comes to being one of the greatest shrinks in pop culture. Just remember to duck if he’s punch ing the Hulk.
The early Bronze Age of Comics, which began in 1970, unveiled a number of key moments from Marvel. Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian made his comic-book debut. Luke Cage became the first African-American superhero to star in his own title, Hero for Hire (later retitled Power Man ). And a psychiatrist named Leonard Samson was introduced to readers. One of the men behind the aforementioned milestones, including Samson, is legendary writer Roy Thomas. Thomas and artist Herb Trimpe brought the good doctor into the Green Goliath’s life in the aforementioned Incredible Hulk #141. Trimpe, ac cording to ComicVine, had based Samson’s costume on that of obscure Golden Age superhero and Tootsie Roll mascot Captain Tootsie. Roy Thomas confirms this while discussing the creation of Doc Samson and his perception of the character with BACK ISSUE.
‘BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR’ Hulk vol. 2 writer Jeph Loeb tells BACK ISSUE of his perceptions of Doc Samson and of his work with artist Whilce Portacio on Hulk #18 (Feb. 2010), which gave readers a deeper look into Samson’s past and psyche. “I was very lucky during the three years I was on Hulk,” Loeb says. “Editor Mark ‘Panic’ Paniccia made it so I could work with my friends, who happen to be the most talented artists in the business. I’d known Whilce for a long time and really admired his work on so many things, but I got to know him better during Heroes Reborn. He drew the Hulk with such power. So when it came time to do a Doc Samson story, Whilce was my first and only choice. It just hap pened that he was available. “Looking back over that story, his storytelling is just so masterful. Really, a gift. Samson was a char acter I often felt was kept in the background, sort of like his own story. I thought if we could bring him into the foreground, make him more of the de tective, then twist back on the reader as to his real motivations, it would fit in nicely with the stories that had been told before. “That was the amazing thing about doing my research and homework,” Loeb admits. “All the previous writers and artists had left this wonderful Inspirations Doc Samson’s roots include (left) the C. C. Beck–created Captain Tootsie #1 (Oct. 1950) and (center) the 1948 movie The Boy with Green Hair (poster courtesy of Heritage), both of which imprinted writer Roy Thomas. (right) Writer/artist Erik Larsen brought Captain Tootsie out of retirement in his Savage Dragon series, even riffing on Herb Trimpe’s classic Hulk #141 cover for issue #241 (Dec. 2018). The Boy with Green Hair © 1948 RKO Pictures. Savage Dragon TM & © Erik Larsen.
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childhood movie-going days—a young Dean Stockwell in The Boy with Green Hair “I used him as much or as little as I wanted,” Thomas says of the Doc Samson character. “I was happy to see a ‘Len’ (obviously meant to be Samson) in one of the Hulk movies, and I hope he makes it into the MCU yet. He’s as good a character as many of them, better than some. Samson is just a good man trying to reconcile his intellectual and physical prowess.” After Hulk ’s Betty Ross is turned to crystal, her father General Ross hires Dr. Leonard Samson to cure her. Samson’s experimental Cathexis Ray must siphon gamma radiation from the Hulk to do this— possibly ridding Bruce Banner of his angrier, emerald alter ego in the process. Betty is cured, but Samson later exposes himself to controlled gamma bursts to become the superhuman being he had always want ed to be—Doc Samson. While Incredible Hulk #141 was the first time readers saw Doc Samson, much of his past before the events of that issue were actually revealed in the late Bronze Age and beyond. Samson was born Leonard Skivorski, Jr., in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He grew up in a Jewish family and regularly attended yeshiva, as discussed in Peter David and Dale Keown’s Incredible Hulk #373 (Sept. 1990) when a Catho lic soldier is scolded by the Mother Superior of the convent where Bruce and Betty Banner had sought asylum. Samson comments humorously, “Intimidated by nuns , eh? Common phobia for Catholic school grads. Now me, I attended a yeshiva. I’m fine, unless a very strict rabbi shows up.” Samson’s father, Leonard “Leo” Skivorski, Sr., was a prominent psychiatrist specializing in eating disorders, according to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Hulk (2004) and 2010’s Hulk #18. He was given the nickname “Samson” by his wife because of his long hair. The elder Leo spent little time with his wife and son, instead delving into his work and affairs with female patients. The Skivorskis were left broken by Leo’s actions. In his youth, Leonard, Jr. hated his father for what his profession and his infidelity had done to his fam ily and originally had no desire to follow in Leo’s professional footsteps. As the man who would be come known as Doc Samson got older, perhaps sometime after Leo had passed away, he wanted to understand both his own feelings and his father. Thus, he, like Leo, earned a Ph.D. in psychology and became a psychiatrist.
Former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas re veals that Thundra’s pop-cultural antecedent was Kir by’s Big Barda, For Thomas, creating Thundra was “a kind of casual response to a character like Kirby’s Big Barda—not that anyone was especially calling out for such. But I wanted a woman who’d give the Thing a tussle, and Thundra fit the bill. I had that bando lier (the ammunition belt strung over her shoulder) because a few ardent feminists of the time were af fecting such things. The name was probably inspired by the Magazine Enterprises hero Thun’da [King of the Congo, a Tarzan clone].” Who was this Big Barda, and why is understanding her important to the origins of Thundra? Big Barda was created by Jack Kirby as part of his visionary Fourth World saga, published by DC Comics in the ’70s. She was the female lead in Mister Miracle. Unlike many of the heroines of the time that may have used weapons, magic lassos, or martial arts to overcome opponents, Barda was all about brute strength. She was a towering woman— beautiful and strong. And like Thundra, Barda “wasn’t from around here.” Big Barda was raised on the distant planet Apokolips by the cruel Granny Goodness to become the ultimate warrior woman. In fact, she was an “Al pha Female,” leading the Female Furies, a group of battle-ready women. While the word “furies” has historical and mythological origins, the implied no tion is that women who are blinded by rage, i.e., their fury, are dangerous and out of control.
And while Thundra was aggressively confident, she was statuesque and beautiful. Thundra, the warrior woman from the far-flung future, was full of unrealized potential. And for a woman of the future, as a Marvel heroine she might have simply been before her time So, to best understand Thundra, we need to start with another character. And as is often the case with so much of comics history, it starts with Jack Kirby.
She was a strong, striking woman with a purpose. She was oftentimes overwhelming, frequently intimidating, and always interesting. She’s part Ronda Rousey, part quintessential tall supermodel. She could be as frightening as a sudden thunder storm. And she could bring issues of gender equality to the forefront in a fresh and important way. Well… that last part, maybe not so much. At first glance, there are many echoes of Wonder Woman in Thundra. Both warriors come from a distant matriarchal society. But when Thundra burst onto the scene, she embodied everything scary, yet interesting about mainstream America’s view of the 1970s Women’s Movement. She was demanding. She was driven and strong. She had “had enough and wasn’t going to take it anymore.”
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She Is Woman, Hear Her Roar Thundra’s first appearance, in Fantastic Four #129 (Dec. 1972). Cover by John Buscema. TM & © Marvel. by Ed Catto
BIG AND BEAUTIFUL
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During the “second wave” of women’s rights efforts, Marvel Comics offered a similarly cynical perspective on the future of the Women’s Liberation Movement, says Dr. Christina Knopf, a rhetorician, qualitative sociologist, and comics studies scholar from SUNY Cortland. “In 1971, Savage Tales asked of Women’s Lib, ‘What if women turn the rascals out—and we do mean out !
Jim Kingman, in his “Furious Female” Barda history in Back Issue #54 (Feb. 2012), revealed that “Big Barda’s statuesque body and strong facial features were inspired by actress and singer Lainie Kazan, while aspects of her personality came from right at home, that of Kirby’s beloved wife, Rosalind (Roz).” Jack Kirby admitted as much himself to J. Michael Stracyznski and Larry DiTillio in an interview on April 13, 1990 for Mike Hodel’s Hour 25 radio show. “I happen to like big girls and Big Barda was a natural type of girl for me to draw,” said Kirby. “If you’ll dig into this a little deeper, in a psychological way, you’ll find that short men like large women. If you’ll notice my wife, she’s maybe an inch or two taller than I am.”
FEMIZONIA Thundra comes from an Amazonian society in an alternate future of the 23rd Century. In this possible future, Earth—Femizonia— is a world dominated by women. “Her origin came from the Stan Lee/John Romita ‘Glamazons’ story in the black-and-white Savage Tales #1, which was not either of the legendary creators’ finest hour,” explains writer Tony Isabella.
LIGHTNING STRIKES:
It makes all the sense in the world that Big Barda would be an impressive character to in teract with Ben Grimm, the Thing, in The Fantastic Four . Since Barda was published by publishing rival DC, Roy Thomas did the next best thing—he, along with artist John Buscema, created Thundra.
“Stan Lee, with John Romita, had created the Femizons for Sav age Tales #1,” adds Roy Thomas, “and I thought Marvel might as well get some more use out of them. I had heard that Stan didn’t voucher Femizons because he wanted to have some ownership of it, but I never asked him about that rumor… and he never objected to the Femizons connection.”
But ultimately, the personality of Big Bar da was pretty much Roz, and Jack was pretty much Scott [Mister Miracle] Free.”
“The Women’s Movement in the early 1970s was in full gear and comics were right there at the forefront,” explains artist Joe Jusko. “Marvel made its mark with the Valkyrie and the Lady Liberators in Avengers #83. The classical design of the Valkyrie was pure John Buscema, an artist who preferred classical design to superheroes (though his brilliant work in that genre always belied his protestations). A couple of years later, Big John got another shot at a strong, liberated character. Thundra was more generically ‘superhero’ in design than Valkyrie, but Buscema played her for all she was worth. Over seven feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds, she was built and dressed like a futuristic WWF wrestler, all the while exhibiting tureathirdwascharacterwhenYoufinedtudeandlanguage,drawingtellwomen.renderingundeniableBuscema’sskillatbeautifulYoucanhehadfunasherbodyposturing,no-nonsenseattiallinstantlydeherpersonality.couldalwaystellJohnembracedaandthisoneprettyobvious.”RichBuckler,theartisttoillustrateThundraadven( Fantastic Four #148–149), was also drawn to strong female characters. “Medusa was okay,” he reported in Back Issue #74. “She had a great look, with all that hair, and she moved a lot. But she wasn’t a particular favorite of mine. Thundra was more fun to draw. And overall, I prefer drawing female characters in aggressive roles. Feminine, but strong—and not helpless. The ‘helpless female’ is such a boring cliché.” THE LOOK OF THUNDRA
While Kirby wasn’t focused on any feminist or equal rights issues, it is clear he liked the concept of a powerful woman, and thought it was a fresh idea that would help the story. “Barda was a character that Jack put in because he thought it was a great idea, one that was not being done in super-hero comics at that time,” said writer and Kirby expert Mark Evanier, in a Comic Book Special Edition #1 (Oct. 1999) interview. “There had never been a really strong woman charac ter who looked strong, except maybe for Lit tle Lotta. Jack noted that female bodybuilders were starting to catch on in the mass media. He saw these pageants on ABC’s Wide World of Sports , and in other places, and he said, ‘That’s a great idea for comics.’ So Big Barda was suddenly in the next Mister Miracle he drew. He was also inspired by Lainie Kazan being in Playboy ...
John Buscema, Thundra’s co-creator, designed a striking look for the Femizon. One can consider her outfit an update of the original Captain Marvel’s design, right down to the lightning bolt design, buccaneer books (originally dark blue, later yellow), and off-the-shoulder look.
Timm.BrucebyartCoverComics.DC©&TMBardaBig
In his introduction to Thanos: The Infinity Ending (2019), Jim Starlin wrote of his youth: “A psychology class, without fanfare, introduced me to the Freudian concept of Thanatos and Eros, the darker and lighter side of hu man nature. Only years later would I come to realize that was a life-chang ing Starlinevent.”created Thanos and introduced him in Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973). Therein, a flashback reveals that Titan—largest moon of the planet Saturn—hosts a paradise below its surface: the home of the Titans, maintained by the gargantuan supercomputer ISAAC, “and ruled by wise Mentor and his sons… Eros… and Thanos.” Thanos was exiled for the crime of creating weapons, but returned with “a raging horde of interstellar malcontents” to conquer Titan. Amus ingly—in this flashback—Thanos, Eros, and Mentor all appear to have purple skin. Starlin quickly made Thanos the major antagonist during his run on Captain Marvel , and in issue #27 (July 1973) we and Rick Jones meet Mentor and Eros (both of whom have pink, or Caucasian, skin). Eros sports his red-and-white unitard (with yellow chest-symbol and accents). When Rick inquires, he’s told, “The name’s Eros, lad… man of love, man of adventure. I’m famous in Earthly legends… and also Thanos’ brother.”
Okay, we’re not perfect. Every hundred issues or so,
jim starlin by Jarrod Buttery
And You Thought ‘Hot Stuff’ Was a Harvey Character The lover of adventure (and other things) becomes an Avenger! Avengers #232 (June 1983). Cover by Al Milgrom. Special thanks to Jarrod Buttery for this article’s art scans.
BACK ISSUE makes a mistake. This issue’s theme is “Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes,” and yet—in the time it has taken to prepare what you hold in your hands—this particular rogue has invei gled himself onto the big screen. One might almost suspect some sort of coercive abilities…
TM & © Marvel.
Rick summons Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), who joins Mentor and Eros in battling Thanos’ hordes. We see Eros throwing a punch, so we know he’s strong. Soon after, in Captain Marvel #32 (May 1974), we see Eros flying into battle alongside Mar-Vell and Iron Man, so we know he can fly. After Thanos is defeated, we see Eros—in Captain Marvel #34 (Sept. 1974)—celebrating with three scantily clad women, so we know that he is, indeed, a man of love.
LOVE AND DEATH Thanks to a couple of films that did reasonably well at the cinema, Thanos is now a cultural icon. However, until recently, the general public was unaware that the Mad Titan has a brother.
Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 31
Roger Stern scripted Avengers for five years and very kindly spoke with BACK ISSUE . Stern was the editor during Doug Moench’s Captain Marvel storyline. Did that exposure to Eros pave the first steps to Starfox becoming an Avenger? “What really came first was assembling a roster of fulltime Avengers,” Stern replies. “At the time, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor all starred in monthly series—and that complicated things for the Avengers title. Due to the events in his own title, we’d already lost Iron Man for the foresee able future. And Thor would soon be tied up with Walter Simonson’s first major storyline. Even Hawkeye was about to get a four-issue limited series, which would take him away from the Avengers for a few months. We had Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) about to graduate to full-time Avenger status, but we needed to find at least one additional Avenger to round things out. To the best of my recollection, it was Mark Gruenwald who suggested that we add Eros to the Avengers. His reasoning was that having a more cosmic hero on the team could lead to some interesting group dynamics. “I liked Mark’s idea of introducing Eros to the series, but felt that we should give him a superhero codename of some sort. That’s when Mark pointed out that the design on the front of Eros’s tunic resembled the head of a fox. I looked at him and said, ‘So… Starfox?’”
PabloStarlin/MikeFriedrich/Marcos.TM&©Marvel.
A seemingly impenetrable force field (generated by Anni hilus from the Negative Zone) appears in New York in Aveng ers #233 (July 1983). The Vision turns intangible to walk through the barrier but then collapses. Starfox considers, “I came here from Titan in search of adventure, but I seem to be of no help in this mission. Neither my strength nor my flying ability are of any use… and I doubt my other talent would cause the wall to crumble.” Starfox is incorrect: his Titanian scientific knowledge is definitely useful. When a second force-field begins to grow within the first, he recognizes that when the positive and negative fields merge, our universe and the Negative Zone will also merge—destroying both universes. Starfox correctly hypothesizes that if Captain Marvel uses her energy abilities to slingshot around the Sun and transform into a high-powered gamma-ray laser, she may be able to pierce the barrier. Heavy, He’s My Brother (top) A coverpulse-poundingmeleeTitan-icrocksJimStarlin’sof Captain Marvel #27 (July 1973). (bottom) Inside, Eros reveals his family ties.
A STERN OPPORTUNITY Time is a great healer. In Avengers #230 (Apr. 1983), Eros is feeling antsy. Elysius tells him that he can leave—and so he does. Straight to Earth, arriving at the tail end of Avengers #231 (MayThe1983).cover of Avengers #232 (June 1983) sports an iconic im age of Eros by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott. Eros has arrived just as the team is short on active members, and proclaims, “I am a lover of adventure… among other things… and what better way to seek it than as an Avenger!”
We next see Eros when writer Doug Moench begins a “Return to Titan” story in Captain Marvel #58 (Sept. 1978). During this tale, Mar-Vell and Elysius begin a romance. Eros is given his first real opportunity to shine when Starlin returns for The Death of Captain Marvel (Apr. 1982). Mar-Vell— aware of the cancer within him—asks his friend to take care of Elysius after he’s gone. Of course, Eros agrees—shedding a silent tear—but it is testament to their friendship that Mar-Vell would ask such of him.
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By
The Wasp (Jan), as Avengers chairperson, gets presidential approval for Eros to become an Avenger-in-training but tells him he needs a codename: “The president was hesitant to approve of anyone named Eros. He would rather you were called something less provocative in pub lic. You’re a pretty foxy guy… and you’ve been out among the stars… how about ‘Starfox’?” And just like that, he gets a 1980s John Byrne–pencilled headshot in the corner box on the cover.
TM & © Marvel. 36 • BACK ISSUE • Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes Issue
BORN ON THE BAYOU In Gerber’s version in Fear #17, the superhuman named Wundarr hails from Dakkam (possibly a nod to Daxam, DC Comics’ home world of Mon-El, an analogue of the Silver Age Superman’s teen age self, Superboy). Wundarr’s parents are an astronomer named Hektu and his wife Soja. And on a fateful day Hektu stands before Dakkam’s Planetary Triumvirate, requesting the budget to build a fleet of spaceships to allow the world’s inhabitants to escape, as the star-studier has reckoned that their sun will soon go supernova. With unwavering conviction he warns, “Picture the sun growing ever larger, hotter, until it hangs in the sky like a great orange fireball , drying up our rivers and seas!” It will be hell on Dakkam from then on, Hektu claims, and a horrifying montage panel by artists Mayerik and Trapani shows readers the astronomer’s worst nightmares. It’s here where Gerber goes gonzo with the legend of Superman. In early 2006 in an interview conducted for my TwoMorrows book The Krypton Companion, Steve Gerber, who died of pulmonary fibrosis on February 10, 2008, told me, “Wundarr’s home planet never exploded. His father was the alarmist the Krypton elders sup posed Jor-El to be.” It always pays to triple-check your calculations, Hektu! And thus, Dakkam Internal Security Police raid the workshop of the “traitor” Hektu, whom they regard a threat to the populace Wonder Who This Guy Is? Appearances are deceiving on this dynamic Frank Brunner–illustrated cover for Adventure into Fear #17 (Oct. 1973), as newcomer Wundarr’s costume colors are reversed and the character, intellectually a baby, is articulate. Still, it grabs your eye, doesn’t it?
Courtesy of Alan Light. by Michael Eury
IT CAME OUT OF THE SKY If they had left him alone, Wundarr might have been a one-hit wonder. Writer Steve “Baby” Gerber’s takeoff of DC Comics’ mighty Man of Steel first appeared in—of all places—Marvel’s Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear (Fear) #17 (Oct. 1973). The story clearly sig naled to readers that it was a parody. “It Came Out of the Sky!” not only described the Val Mayerik/Sal Trapani–drawn spacecraft whose nosecone was mired into the swamp on the splash page, but the title itself was Gerber’s playful appropriation of the name of a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 album, Willy and the Poor Boys, as Gerber’s “special thanks” note to the band and front man John Fogerty confirmed. Like the upside-down spaceship, Gerber— the madcap Marvel scribe renowned for challenging the medium’s norms with offbeat material like The Defenders, Omega the Unknown , Crazy Magazine, KISS , and his most famous creation, Howard the Duck—was turning comics on its ear as he was so prone to do, poking fun at the best known of all superhero origins. That familiar tale has been updated and redressed over the decades but has essentially stayed the same: Scientist Jor-El of the highly advanced world of Krypton warns his learned colleagues of his discovery of the planet’s impending doom. When his dire predictions come to pass and Krypton quakes in its death throes, Jor-El and wife Lara stay behind and rocket their infant son to a distant world, affording the child a new lease on life as a superhuman.
steve gerber
THUNDERBIRD When writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum developed what would become the seminal clas sic Giant-Size X-Men ( GSXM ) #1, they wanted a more diverse cast of characters. The issue featured several characters that previously ap peared in the title as adversaries to the team, including Banshee from Ireland (issue #28, Jan. 1967) and Sunfire from Japan (#64, Jan. 1970). Our neighbors to the North were also featured in the form of the Canadian Wolverine, who had made his debut in The Incredible Hulk #181 (Nov. 1974) after a cameo appearance in the previous issue. GSXM #1 also featured several newly created characters, most of which were international and developed with diversity in mind, with Storm (Africa), Nightcrawler (Germany), and Colossus (Russia) being introduced. The creators did save one roster spot for an American, with Native-American John Proudstar taking part in the new X-Men’s mission to save the original X-Men from the men ace of Krakoa. John’s X-Men codename was Thunderbird. In a May 2014 interview with the m0vie blog, writer Chris Claremont (who began his 16-year writing stint on the title when co-wrote the second appearance of the new X-Men in The X-Men #94, Aug. 1975), discussed the diverse cast of the new team. “That was the intent for the title from the beginning. [Publisher] Stan Lee, [editor-in-chief] Roy Thomas, and Len [Wein] were all working on the presumption that the X-Men would be a possible means of expanding the sales to foreign venues. “Marvel had a reprint operation going in England, they were starting to talk to people in Paris and Italy, so there was this hope of moving beyond the domestic United States. And this was the thought of saying, ‘Let’s see what happens if we make it a more international group.’ Because, at that point, all the Marvel teams were all collections of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant males, with an occasional girl as a chaser.” John Proudstar was an Apache. His costume contained many elements that were reminiscent of what many Americans at the time thought to be Native-American cultures. There was an eagle motif to the brightly hued red-and-blue costume that also contained tassels on his arms and legs. However, this wasn’t Cockrum’s original design for the character’s costume. In a 1999 interview with editor Jon B. Cooke for TwoMorrows’ Comic Book Artist vol. 1 #16, Cockrum discussed designing the costume. “When I brought in the first design, everyone said, ‘He looks like an Air Force pilot!’ I had this strange helmet on dave cockrum © Eliot R. Brown. ‘Not a Hoax! Not a Dream!’
When Giant-Size X-Men #1 (cover-dated May 1975) hit the news stands in February 1975, it ushered in a new era of greatness for Marvel’s Merry Mutants, with the issue becoming one of the most iconic and important Bronze Age comic books. It was the begin ning of X-Men’s rise to becoming one of Marvel’s premier titles and made superstars out of its cast of mutant superheroes including Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Thunderbird. Wait! You don’t know Thunderbird, the Native-American mutant superhero? Even though the other characters went on to great success in comic books, animated series, video games, toy aisles, and movies, Thunderbird is oftentimes seen as little more than a footnote in X-Men history. He’s more than that, however, as you will see as BACK ISSUE explores the legacy of both John Proudstar (Thunderbird) and his younger brother James Proudstar (Thunderbird II/ Warpath), and shows how they both made their mark on the Marvel Universe.
TM & © Marvel. by Ed Lute
Thunderbird, with barely any “screen time” behind him, was the ill-fated X-Man touted to die on this dynamite Gil Kane/Dave Cockrum cover to X-Men #95 (Oct. 1975).
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The Marvel Universe is well stocked with characters that have taken the path of redemption from villain to hero—Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Swordsman. You can probably name many more. Less familiar is the descent from good guy to evildoer, but such was the plight of Modred, and to be honest, it may ultimately have been the right career move. From his secret fortress near Stone henge, Ian Millsted explores the brief, heroic career of the twice and future mage, Modred.
HE’S A MAGIC MAN
In 1975 Marvel was still launching many new titles, partly to squeeze out the emergence of Martin Goodman’s Atlas (Sea board) Comics. Among these was Marvel Chillers #1 (Oct. 1975), fea turing the brand-new character of Modred the Mystic. At just 16 pages, “Magic is Alive” starring Modred was originally intended as a backup strip in a Giant-Size title. But as Marvel’s Giant-Size books were being discontinued by this time, the story was repurposed for a starring slot in what was clearly intended to be a tryout title for horror-tinged heroes. In fact, the first of those 16 pages is an add-on frontispiece by Ed Hannigan, inked by John Romita, Sr. and Frank Giacoia, to entice the reader in and bulk out the meager 15-page count for the story. The story proper starts on page 2, with two archaeologists investigating caves on the Isle of Wight, England. The explorers, Janet Lyton and Grant Whitaker, find a human figure dressed in a hooded cape, instead of the Darkhold they had been looking for. “Darkhold” was a reference to events in the Werewolf by Night title from Marvel, suggesting the intention was to link Modred to the publisher’s horror line. The inevitable, and legitimately Arthurian, revival of the long-dormant Modred is quickly accomplished and the second act of the story moves into flashback to tell who and what Modred is. Modred tells his rescuers that he had lived 11 hundred years earlier, in the 9th Century, and had been an apprentice to a secondtier mage, Gervasse, during the reign of King Arthur. He was also in love with Gervasse’s daughter, which might be why the old mage was intending to send him off to continue his studies with Merlin. A less-than-thrilled Modred instead seeks the shortcut option of gaining access to the Book of Darkhold, to acquire magical powers that will enable him to tell Gervasse and Merlin where to go. What could possibly go wrong with that? It is interesting to note that the narrative in this section places the story toward the end of King Arthur’s reign, when he is engaged in civil war with his half-brother and has been deserted by his wife. Back in the present day (well, 1975, anyway), Modred uses unspecified magical powers to move earth and rock around so that he, Janet, and Grant can get back to the surface while burying the legacy of the Darkhold. The final caption promises the reader that the next issue of Marvel Chillers will feature Tigra the Were-Woman. This debut outing for Modred was written by Bill Mantlo and drawn by Yong Montano. Montano clearly had fun on the section set in Arthurian times, but the bookends seem a little cramped. Unfortunately, Bill Mantlo is not in a position to be able to share any memories of this story due to a brain injury. The editor, Len Wein, is no longer with us. The credits also list the tale as “inspired by” Marv Wolfman, who shares with BACK ISSUE, “Honestly, I don’t remember anything other than we did it.” We should also mention the dramatic cover by Gil Kane. Magical Mystery Tour Modred began his brief history as a hero in Marvel Chillers #1 (Oct. 1975). Cover by Gil Kane and Tom Palmer. TM & © Marvel.
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Marvel Heroes by Ian Millsted
He wears one of the most intricate costumes in comic-book history , designed by an artist lat er known for his minimalism. He is a half-alien with a tragic backstory, but he was intro duced in an urban martial-arts series. Written almost exclusively by one writer, he guest-starred in a dozen or so Marvel titles, over the course of eight years, before he finally got his own miniseries. If there was ever a hero that defined “Not Ready for Primetime,” it was Jack of Hearts, the cosmic creation of Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen. At the age of 23, Bill Mantlo got a job at Marvel Comics in 1974, working first as an assistant to production manager John Verpoorten, then as a colorist for seven months. Mantlo debuted as a writer in October 1974, and became indispensable in the Marvel offices for writing fill-in issues for when deadlines were missed by other creators. A fill-in on Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #7 (Dec. 1974) led to him being offered the writing job on the strip regularly, often working with newcomer artists like a young George Pérez and Keith Giffen. With Pérez, Mantlo cre ated the White Tiger, comicdom’s first Hispanic hero, in Deadly Hands #19 (Dec. Because1975).hedidn’t really care for martial arts, Mantlo wanted to add more cosmic and superhero elements to the series. He had another new hero up his sleeve to introduce a few months later, but Pérez was unavailable. The concept was Jack of Hearts, a character that would wear a costume inspired by playing cards. “George left the strip and an artist named Keith Giffen came along and I mentioned the idea to him, and he came up with the incredible What’s in the Cards for Jack? (left) Decked out for a solo shot, the Jack of Hearts got the spotlight in Marvel Premiere #44 (Oct. 1978). Cover by Mike Zeck and Rudy Nebres. (right) Its splash page, by Bill Mantlo, Keith Giffen, and TMNebres.&©Marvel. by Andy Mangels
Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 51 bill mantlo © Marvel.
Eye of the Tiger (top) The Jack of Hearts squares off against the White Tiger in Jack’s first appearance, in the “White Tiger” feature in the B&W mag The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 (Mar. 1976). Story by Bill Mantlo, layouts by Keith Giffen, finishes by Rico Rival. (middle) Costume model sheet by Dave Cock rum, in color. From the collection of Miki Annamanthadoo, courtesy of Glen Cadigan. (bottom) Among the Jack of Hearts’ guest-appearances: Incredible Hulk #214 (Aug. 1977, cover by Rich Buckler and Ernie Chan); Iron Man #103 (Oct. 1977, cover by George Pérez and Mike Esposito); and Marvel Two-in-One #48 (Feb. 1979, cover by Chic Stone). TM & © Marvel.
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TM
SUPERVILLAINOUS ORIGIN Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe, the Shroud is first seen in Super-Villain Team-Up ( SVTU ) #5 (Apr. 1976), teaming up with Prince Namor, who is embroiled in a clash of royal egos with Dr. Doom that eventually dragged in the Red Skull as well. The Shroud is introduced in this sto ryline (which contains a panel of US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shaking hands with Doom, ruler of the nation of Lat veria, as the Shroud observes from the darkness) pretty much as he has lived out his character arc to the current day, a shadowy figure with ultimately noble intentions working both ends of theIngame.
BACK ISSUE examines the Shroud’s origin, his strange journey from hero to possible villain to undercover hero and back again, and why he just kept missing the big time.
Cover by Rich Buckler and Klaus Janson. & © Marvel. by Joseph Norton and Ed Lute steve englehart steveenglehart.com.
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The Bronze Age was a wild time for Marvel titles were coming and going, the bizarre storyline was commonplace, and the newly introduced titles were even more out there. During the Bronze Age, Marvel Comics capital ized on its ever-growing market share and its reputation for more energetic and anythinggoes characters, and wasn’t afraid to introduce them at a fast pace to further distance itself from their Distinguished Compet itor’s stagnant stable of old reliables. Just a year after charac ters like Colossus, Storm, and Nightcrawler were introduced in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), Maximillian Coleridge, a.k.a. the Shroud, made his debut. The Shroud wasn’t quite as exciting or ground breaking as the New X-Men and was certainly the opposite of colorful, but he was an example of what made the Marvel Universe so exciting to so many readers. Over the ’70s, ’80s, and into the ’90s, the Shroud was used as a stable supporting character with his own internal established continuity, a strong storyline that evolved in several titles like Spider-Woman , Cap tain America, and West Coast Avengers. Not only did the Shroud make the expected appearances in titles like Marvel Team-Up and Solo Avengers, books known for their utilization of B-level heroes and more often C-level villains, he was given an unfolding storyline that culminated in the Shroud leading in his own super-team… with the rubber stamp of Captain America himself!
SVTU #7 (Aug. 1976), the Shroud is given an origin story reminiscent of other familiar genre characters, albeit with a martial-arts theme tossed in to please readers of the ’70s. A rich kid who watched his parents gunned down by a mug ger (Sound familiar? Everything but a broken string of pearls is there…), Maximillian Coleridge channeled his grief into the study of martial arts and criminology. In his own words: “As I entered manhood, suddenly others appeared to seemed to share my goal, super-heroes. In turn I decid ed to share their methods! I set out to become personally a force, a symbol, a power against evil.” Such grandiose language is as common in comics as the origin tale, but Englehart tying the Shroud’s own origin to the rise of Marvel’s super-hero community is a great touch, giving the Shroud instant credibility to share the stage with the powerful figures that graced the pages of SVTU at the time. Englehart also throws in a splash of pulp heroes into the mix, as well as a touch of Iron Fist’s K’un L’un (a red-hot Cult of Kali brand to the face, blinding him) to top off the bloated origin. Martial-art skills, a long and dark distracting cowl, and a thirst for vengeance are all the Shroud needs to defeat evil!! The Dark Knight Rises The mysterious Shroud—just whose side is he on anyway? Super-Villain Team-Up #7 (Aug. 1976).
Just as Rocket Raccoon was conceived by Bill Mantlo, so too was Woodgod. If nothing else, it can be said that Bill Mantlo was not afraid to take chances and try new things. One such experiment manifested in the pages of Marvel Premiere #31 (Aug. 1976). Mantlo’s tale opens with Woodgod—a satyr-like creature— calling for his father while wandering the seemingly deserted New Mexico town of Liberty. Woodgod is attacked by a rabid dog, and we’re told: “Scream starts within him, echoed in the madness of the slavering animal. Scream screams out as foam-flecked teeth bite deep into the skin/muscle of his arm… and Scream goes mindlessly berserk as animal takes over… Scream screaming out again as animal breaks animal… and it is over except for Scream.”
As this edition of BACK ISSUE proves, not every character is ready for primetime —not every creation is an immediate star. Although Rocket Raccoon is now a household name but only made ten appearances in the initial 30 years following his debut. Never say never.
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Satyr Day in the Park Cover to Marvel Premiere #31 (Aug. 1976) by Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten. All scans illustrating this article are courtesy of Jarrod Buttery.
TM & © Marvel. by Jarrod Buttery TM
Issue
MANTLO WITHOUT FEAR
Unfortunately, rednecks storm the farm, break into the laboratory, and smash a canister containing nerve gas—killing everybody in the town almost instantly, except for the genetically engineered Woodgod. The scene changes to the nearby Vertigo military base, which is monitoring the town. Major Del Tremens monologues that David and Ellen Pace were working on the nerve gas they’d been ordered to synthesize. Seemingly, genetic engineering was an unauthorized side-project, because Tremens has no knowledge of Woodgod. Tremens takes a military team into Liberty and Woodgod kills them all, except for Tremens himself—who vows that Woodgod is going to pay…
Through a flashback we learn that scientist David Pace—on an isolated farm that doubles as a laboratory—has genetically engineered his “son”: “Born of a clone graft… a combination of human and animal genes.” Within two days, the fully grown Woodgod was walking and talking. David tells his wife, Ellen, “We’ll just let him grow his own way. Let him play. We’ll just let him alone and watch the beast-boy become a Woodgod.”
HULK SMASH I It doesn’t take long for Mantlo to write the follow-up. Thirty-six hours later, in Marvel Team-Up #53 (Jan. 1977), drawn by John Byrne, the Hulk lands in Liberty, thinking it a quiet, empty town. Almost immediately, he encounters Woodgod. Meanwhile, Spi der-Man and the X-Men are flying nearby after an adventure in Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 (1976). They intercept a communication from Tremens and Spider-Man decides to investigate. We soon get a better idea of Woodgod’s abilities. Previous ly, Woodgod dispatched the military, but here he effortlessly snaps Spider-Man’s webbing and holds his own against the Hulk. Clearly, he’s a powerhouse. Woodgod earns the Hulk nickname of “Goat-Face,” and we also get an explanation of “Scream.” While it seems fairly obvious that “Scream” is Woodgod’s child-like description for pain and grief, his unusual mode of speech prompted a text box in the letters page. Mantlo writes: “Jo vial Jim Shooter has asked me to clear up the concept I call ‘Scream’ as used in conjunction with this issue’s extra guest star… the ManBeast called Woodgod. “When I first created Woody (back in Marvel Premiere #31), I wanted to portray him as a child-innocent, rapidly maturing due to bio-genetics, but with an animalistic, pathological side that would take over in moments of anger/tension/rage, etc. I wanted to personalize that side of my creation, so I called it… Scream. Heroes
66 • BACK ISSUE • Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes Issue
Horning in on DD Without a doubt, the coolest Paladin cover of them all: Daredevil #150 (Jan. 1978), featuring the debut of the “Man-Stalker.” Cover art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. All scans accompanying this article are courtesy of Doug Kelly. TM & © Marvel. by Douglas R. Kelly
“Have gun – will travel” reads the card of a man… a knight without armor, in a… wait, what? Oh, that’s the other Paladin, the hired gun that appeared in the television series Have Gun – Will Trave l. And then Marvel Comics introduced its own Paladin, who was a… hired gun… in the pag es of Daredevil The television series and the Daredevil issues with Paladin weren’t separated by too many years—the show ran on CBS from 1957 until 1963, while Marvel’s Paladin debuted in Daredevil #150 in late 1977. Perhaps writer Jim Shooter, the creator of Marvel’s character, figured that readers wouldn’t remember or even know of the television character. Or he may simply have been unaware of the television character himself. The two Paladins shared a name and occupation, and Marvel’s version could reasonably be seen as a modern-day updating of the character. For that matter, the television Paladin likely was named for the Twelve Paladins, a group of knights that served under Charlemagne in Europe during the early Middle Ages. They were known to be elite warriors devoted to a strict code of honor, dedicated to helping those who were vulnerable andButhelpless.there were basic differences between the television and comic-book characters. Have Gun – Will Travel was set in the Old West of the 1870s, while the Marvel Paladin plied his trade a century later, in the 1970s. The television Paladin was a gunfighter who relied for the most part on a Colt .45 long-barrel revolver to capture his quarry, while the Marvel character possessed super-strength and superhuman reflexes, which enabled him to hold his own even with other sim ilarly enhanced characters. But perhaps the most important difference was that the Paladin on television lived by a moral code of ethics that governed his actions and decisions. True, he sold his services, and they didn’t come cheap; but he generally did so to those who were unable to protect themselves. He also often waived his fee when he felt that a client couldn’t—or shouldn’t have to—pay it. In contrast, the comic-book character sold his services to whomever would pay his price. This mercenary, “bottom-line first” approach would come to define Marvel’s Paladin, as we’ll see as we look at the best of the stories in which he appeared.
Hero identification time! He is a Marvel hero, forged in the fires of a world war, has no superpowers, carries a weapon at his side, and wears a version of his country’s flag on his costume. Easy! Captain America. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Sorry. Think European. Oh. Captain Britain, right? Judges say… wrong! But you’re getting warmer. Must be the Black Knight! Nice try, but no chest flag. Give up? Today we are taking a deep dive into the history of one of the UK’s most long-lasting but obscure he roes who has never really had his day in the sun… perhaps because he lives in England (apologies, British readers!). No, today we speak of that patriotic paragon of virtue formed in the crucible of World War I: Union Jack.
Not-Ready-for-Primetime
UNION JACK I Created by comic-book creative fountain Roy Thomas and first drawn for publication by Frank Rob bins, Union Jack sprang into life in the pages of The Invaders #7 (July 1976). The Invaders, of course, were Marvel’s premier superhero team of World War II. Team membership at the time included Captain America and Bucky; the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond, and his kid sidekick, Toro; and Namor the Sub-Mariner (then an ally of the Allies—for the moment). The Invaders fought the Axis all over the world, but in issue #7 they were licking their wounds in England after a recent battle. In the story, which also introduces Nazi vampire supervillain Baron Blood (see BACK ISSUE #116 for a BB history), Jim (Human Torch) Hammond rescues a woman on the street from an attack by Baron Blood. Escorting her home to recover, he discovers she is none other than Jacqueline Falsworth, daughter of aristocrat Lord James Falsworth. With Jacqueline safe, Lord Falsworth confesses to the Torch that he was World War I’s famous war superhero Union Jack, a “special secret operative of His Majesty’s government.” Lord Falsworth relates that not only was he the famous masked spy-buster, but he was part of a WWI superhero team known as Freedom’s Five, consisting of Union Jack, Phantom Eagle, Crimson Cavalier, Sir Steel, and the Silver Squire. The team is stocked with typical Roy Thomas war superheroes (a good thing), and Robbins’ rubbery art makes for a fun visual of the WWI team. Union Jack fought to the end of the war, with the defeat of Baron Blood being his last official mission as the hero. Writer-editor Roy Thomas was kind enough to explain to BACK ISSUE the creation of the flagged champion. “Since the book was called The Invaders,” Thomas relates, “I didn’t want them to spend all their time in the US. And I also felt it was high time Marvel You Don’t Know Jack …but now you do! Comics’ most famous Jack—Kirby, of course—inked by Frank Giacoia, produced this powerful Union Jack cover for The Invaders #8 (Sept. 1976). TM & © Marvel. Marvel Heroes Issue •
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