#phil rachelson | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daydreamerdrew · 8 months

Text

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Iron Man (1968) #95-103

In this batch of Iron Man issues I went from November 1976 to July 1977, according to the Marvel Wiki. These were 17-page stories. Issues #95-97 were plotted by Gerry Conway and scripted by Bill Mantlo and issues #98-103 were written by Bill Mantlo. All of the issues were penciled by George Tuska. Issues #95-98 were inked by Don Perlin and issues #99-103 were inked by Mike Esposito, with Pablo Marcos inking a 2-page flashback in issue #102. And issues #95-97 and #101 were colored by Don Warfield, issue #98 by Roger Silfer, issues #99 and #102-103 by Phil Rachelson, and issue #100 was colored by Janice Cohen.

In issue #95 Tony says, “Next time whoever wants to strike at me through my friends and employees might not stop at taking them hostage! Unless I can make it seem that Tony Stark is as cold and unfeeling as the armor he wears. Just a callous millionaire playboy!”

At the end of issue #95 the heart attack that had been teased by Tony having conspicuous dizzy spells throughout the preceding batch of issues finally happened. He says, “Don’t… understand! Armor held- But I feel so… weak! So dizzy! Got to pull myself together! Come on, Avenger! You’re no novice! There’s a job to be done and- No good! Can’t… stand! Even getting hard to think straight! So… tired! Heart’s pounding… Heart?! No, it can’t be! It-” before dramatically losing consciousness. At the beginning of issue #96 he’s rescued by Jasper Sitwell who pulls him onto a jetcraft and flies him away from the fight. When Tony wakes up his armor has been plugged into the ship’s battery and he says that that’s good specifically because he’ll need that power for the fight. Sitwell protests, saying that, “You look- and sound- like death warmed over- and it’s not going to do anybody any good to watch you throw your life away in a suicide attack on Ultimo!” He tells Iron Man, “I know how you feel, sir. Inaction, for men of our calling, is often harder than to bear than the deadliest of battles!” But then says that’s he’s realized that, “Success lies in teamwork, and not in individual acts of glory!” Tony’s response: “Teamwork is fine in its place, but there are just some things a man’s got to do alone!” Right after this he thinks to himself, “Who am I kidding? Since I recharged in the jetcraft my armor is back up to fighting strength- but the man inside still feels like a wrung-out dishrag from that pain and dizziness a few minutes ago. It was almost as if- No! Mustn’t even think that!” Then throughout the fight he has to be conscious of his weakened state, for example, saying, “Have to engage armor’s cooling system! I can’t afford to have the change in temperature trigger the dizzy spells- not now!” In issue #97 Tony has another heart attack when he’s attacked before he has had the time to properly recover from his last fight. He thinks, “But… lack of power to armor… shouldn’t… cause p-pain! Not unless the strain- were taxing my heart! But… that’s impossible! My damaged heart was replaced by a synthetic organ! I-It can’t give out! I’m cured! Uhhh! G-Go on, Stark! Lie here g-gasping your l-life away like a fish out of water- a-and tell yourself again how you can’t possibly be having a heart attack! Tell yourself how well you are! G-Go on, m-mister- t-tell…” He manages to crawl (as well as fall down a flight of stairs) to a place where he can plug himself in, but he asks himself, “Will the pain return each time I neglect to recharge? Will the shock cause my body to finally reject my synthetic heart? Am I once again a prisoner inside the golden armor of Iron Man?”

In the opening of issue #98 Tony has been awake for 48 hours working on a version of the suit that’s more streamlined for the purpose of having to power his heart and has accepted that he will once again have to wear a chestplate all of the time. During this he is ignoring a congressional subpeona regarding suspicions that he had sold the U.S. defective weapons systems and that he’d been selling weapons to the U.S.’s enemies. Tony thinks to himself, “I- I don’t dare appear before that committee! Not until I know my chestplate will keep my heart from failing again!” This really stood out to me because of the way that Tony’s heart problems were first revealed to the public after he had gone to such lengths to keep them a secret, which was that he had a heart attack in front of congress while testifying in response to a subpeona about Iron Man’s secret identity in Tales of Suspense (1959) #84 and while he was unconscious on the ground his shirt was opened and the reporters there took pictures of his chestplate.

In issue #98 Krissy Longbottom, who first appeared in issue #91, is implied for the first time to secretly be Whitney Frost, also known as Madame Masque. Up until this point she had been straightforwardly portrayed as Tony’s secretary so I suspect that this is an invention of Bill Mantlo’s. The villain Midas reveals her real identity to Iron Man in issue #103, explaining that she had been defending Tony by hindering his plot to legally take over Tony’s company up until that point. Back in issue #95 Tony had thought, “Good woman, Krissy. She doesn’t let the turmoil around Stark International throw her for a minute! But there’s been a lot of good women in your life, haven’t there, Tony? Maybe it’s time for a new one… No! If it isn’t bad enough that I’ve started acting like a living advertisement for ‘Nostalgia Illustrated’- I’ve even forgotten my decision not to allow myself to get involved with-” Tony’s immediate response to the revelation is, “NO! Everything taken from me- even her! Nothing left- because of you!!” This is confusing to Midas, who says, “Really, sir! I should think Mr. Stark- your employer- is the one who has lost all! Not you!” Whitney tells Iron Man, “It is just we two now, Iron Man! I… Can we not… help each other?” Tony says nothing but picks her up and flies off with her and the narration says that, “He knows not what he will do- but he needs someone beside him! Above all else, he needs not to be alone!”

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #260-266

Within the main The Incredible Hulk book I went from March 1981 to September 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki. These were 21-page stories. Issue #260 was plotted by Sal Buscema and scripted by Bill Mantlo, issues #261-262 were written by Bill Mantlo, and issues #263-266 were plotted by Sal Buscema and Bill Mantlo then scripted by Bill Mantlo. Issue #260 was penciled by Sal Buscema and inked by Sal Buscema, Sal Trapani, Frank Giacoia, Walter Simonson, Marie Severin, and Bruce Patterson. The rest of the issues were drawn by Sal Buscema. And issues #260-261 and #264-266 were colored by Bob Sharen, issue #262 by Barry Grossman, and issue #263 was colored by Bob Sharen and Don Warfield.

In issue #260, which takes place in Tokyo, Glenn Talbot finally catches up to the Hulk. I was surprised that the fight between them was only one issue because it had been built up to for awhile. Glenn Talbot apparently dies at the end of the fight. Of more interest to me was the Hulk’s relationship with a Buddha statue throughout the issue. The Hulk was walking through a forest saying, “Hulk only wants to find someplace where he can rest, eat… and be left alone,” when he found it. He says, “Hunh! Little statue is green… like Hulk! Statue cannot eat- yet puny humans bring statue food! They must be afraid of statue like they are afraid of Hulk! Maybe it is because Hulk and statue are both green? Yes, that is it! Hulk and statue are on the same side!” He decides, “Hulk will stay here, hiding in the forest and eat the food the puny humans bring to the statue! This is a good place to be green!” This is when Talbot attacks him. The Hulk becomes upset that, “Golden ship has hurt Hulk- and turned forest of the green statue to ashes!” He says to the statue, “Green statue is alright? Hulk was afraid golden ship had hurt you! Do not be afraid! Hulk will protect you!” And then, “The ground cracks, smoke hisses up from below- but Hulk will not let anything happen to you, little green friend!” At the end of the issue the Hulk says to an old man, who he had recognized as also on the same side as him because he was also trying to protect a Buddha statue, “Take care of this place! It made Hulk feel good!”

In issue #261 Bruce gets a job at a clinic under a false name where very suspiciously the administrator’s son is kept drugged and locked up because he keeps trying to escape, believing that he’s adopted and that his so-called parents are actually aliens. Bruce is uncomfortable with this, but then it’s revealed that the son is actually adopted, though it is he and not his parents that is the alien, when his medications aren’t adequately administered, allowing him to change into his true form and remember what he is. The father explains, “We never told him- but physical changes at puberty made Mark suspect a difference between us and him!” Bruce is triggered to transform into the Hulk by the alien son attacking them all but during the fight the parents intervene. The father says, “Hulk, whatever that creature is- wherever he comes from- my wife and I raised him as our son!” The mother says, “We- We can’t stop loving him just because he’s different… just because he’s bad!” The Hulk is confusing by this, saying that, “Boy is not boy! Boy is monster!” This enrages the father, who asks, “Who are you to call my son a monster?!” In the end the Hulk jumps away, distraught and agreeing that, “Hulk is nothing but a monster!”

In issue #262 the Hulk sees two people with earth powers, Avalanche and Landslide, fighting and thinks, “There are two earth-movers, but their battle is not with the Hulk! Good! Let them destroy each other! But Hulk will leave this place…!” But coincidentally Betty Ross and Rick Jones are also there and are endangered by the fight. Betty sees the Hulk and calls out to him for help. The narration describes, “He has known her- and loved her- in both aspects of his identity. Though time has taken them down different paths, the Hulk has never forgotten Betty Ross.” The Hulk questions why he should help when “every time the Hulk tries to help, he is attacked… called a monster” but the narration says, “In his heart, the Hulk already knows the answer. For Rick. For Betty.” At the end of the issue, after the Hulk has rescued a plane full of people and taken down the instigating villain, he is still targeted by the police, which the Hulk recognizes as what always happens to him. Betty tells him, “You’re right, Hulk! They’ll never understand! They’ll never even try!”

In issue #263 the Hulk tells Rick and Betty that, “All Hulk wants is to be left alone, to find peace, to live someplace where Banner can’t find Hulk!” He explains, “Hulk knows now that it is Banner who hunts Hulk- who hounds Hulk- who torments Hulk even in Hulk’s sleep!” Rick says, “We’re your friends, Hulk- and Doc Banner’s friends! We know the pain both of you have experienced! We want to help free you both!” The Hulk asks, “Free Hulk from Banner?” And Betty says, “Yes, Hulk- and free Bruce Banner from you!” Once the Hulk transforms back into Bruce the group attempts to make their way to one of Bruce’s old abandoned desert laboratories, where Rick and Betty will help keep Bruce from turning back into the Hulk while Bruce works to try to finally cure himself of the Hulk. In issue #266 they are attacked by the High Evolutionary who wants to commit suicide but is unable to because his armor keeps protecting him, so he purposely goads the Hulk into fighting him in order to have his armor destroyed. At the end of the issue the Hulk says, “He made Hulk help him get what he wanted by placing Hulk’s friends in danger! Hulk should hate him, but all Hulk feels is sorry! All he wanted with all his power was to find a way to die! All Hulk wants to do with all his power is to find a way to live! Living is harder, Hulk thinks- but better than dying!” It is unfortunate then that the compassionate approach taken by the Hulk’s friends, in comparison to the approach taken by the antagonists to capture or kill the Hulk, is to try to cure Bruce of the Hulk, which I feel is paramount to killing the Hulk, rather than having anyone actually working to try to find a way for the Hulk to live.

The Defenders (1972) #92-97

In this batch of The Defenders issues I went from November 1980 to April 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki. These were 22-page stories. All were written by J. M. DeMatteis, and the breakdowns for the art of all of the issues were drawn by Don Perlin. The art of issue #92 was finished by Pablo Marcos; issue #93 by Joe Sinnott, Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, and Mike Esposito; issue #94 by Joe Sinnott and Al Milgrom; issue #95 by Joe Sinnott, Al Milgrom, and Frank Giacoia; issue #96 by Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani; and the art of issue #97 was finished by Joe Sinnott, Sal Trapani, and Jack Abel. And all of the issues were colored by George Roussos.

This is the beginning of the new writer’s run and I am unfortunately really not liking it. Dr. Strange is now the leader of the Defenders again even though he has long since left the team. He has consistently worked with them since then on occasional special missions, but no reason is given for why he’s now so willing to be regularly involved. And his home is now being used as the Defenders’ base even though it was accurately said in issue #91 that he’s not “keen on having the Defenders as permanent guests” because it was too hectic for him back when they previously were. Also in issue #91 there was a full page spread of a map of the area surrounding Patsy’s mother’s home that Patsy inherited when she died, as that was becoming the Defenders’ new base. This was captioned: “Note to Defenders devotees: Be sure not to misplace this priceless map, because we’re sure you’ll want to refer to it from time to time during future non-team epics!” This house burned down in issue #94. Also, in issue #91 Patsy talked about her conflicts with her mom regarding her making Patsy a child model and then writing teenage romance comics based on Patsy. In issue #95 Patsy learns that before her mother died she made a deal with a demon promising Patsy to him in an attempt to extend her life, which I felt brought a much less interesting element to that conflict. In issue #93 it was revealed that Kyle is now paralyzed and in issue #95 it was revealed that he’s actually only paralyzed during the day, which I am frustrated by because it’s such a drastic change to his character when I had liked him before. In issue #92 the character Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, who last worked with the Defenders in issue #25, becomes a recurring character again, which would be fine but unfortunately he replaces the Hulk on the highlighted characters box on the cover starting with issue #94. The Hulk was only in the first two issues of this batch and I didn’t think that his portrayal was a good Hulk characterization, it leaned too far into making the Hulk child-like, which was surprising to me because I didn’t have any issues with the depiction of the Hulk in the The Hulk! (1978) story I read written by J. M. DeMatteis last week. There overall isn’t, I think, a very strong continuity to the depiction of the relationships within the Defenders. For example, the Hulk exclusively referred to Dr. Strange as “dumb magician” when the Defenders first formed in Marvel Feature (1971) #1 up until The Defenders #12 when he finally accepted that Dr. Strange was really his friend and has since just called him “magician.” And overtime the Hulk has become more cooperative with Dr. Strange and grown to respect him. However, even though he still considers him a friend and works well with him, the Hulk is now inexplicably back to calling Dr. Strange “dumb magician” again. Also a brand new character, the Gargoyle, joins the team in issue #94, who I really don’t care for and wish wasn’t there.

the Black Widow story in Bizarre Adventures (1981) #25

When I started reading Black Widow comics I started with her first self-titled solo series, Black Widow (1999), having already read her earliest appearances in Tales of Suspense (1959) and not being interested in reading Avengers or Daredevil comics, where I believe she primarily appeared after that. I hadn’t realized that she had a few solo stories within anthology comics. This 22-page black-and-white story was published in January 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki. It was written by Ralph Macchio and drawn by Paul Gulacy.

In this story Natasha was given the assignment by S.H.I.E.L.D. to kill one of her old teachers, Irma Klausvichnova, to which she thinks, “I’m not looking forward to this, Irma, but business is business.” Right after this it’s shown that Irma has been killed and replaced with a lookalike named Stacy Cromwell by S.H.I.E.L.D. that’s leaking data to them and thinks, “Strange… Normal procedure in such an operation would be to overrun the fortress- not pussyfoot around like this. The front office must have its reasons, though. Mine is not to question why…” From the perspective on a third spying person we see that Natasha’s intended contact, Raymond Bishop, sees but does not speak to her. Natasha is able to board the train that will take her to where Irma is anyway and it’s while there that Bishop makes contact. He tells her that it was a test to see if she would still be able to do it. She asks why she should accept that explanation and he says, “For the same reason you accept anything else in this business.” Natasha fills in, “I have no choice.”

When Natasha confronts “Irma,” saying that she was sent there to kill her, Stacy is initially in disbelief. Natasha says, “We once worked for the same organization… Shared the same goals- that’s changed now. Though I won’t ever forget what you-” Stacy, thinking that Natasha has defected back to the Soviet Union, cuts her off, saying, “Then you’ve- You’ve gone over to the other side. You’re not with us any longer.” Natasha, thinking that she’s just now learning about her original defection from the Soviet Union to the United States, says, “Not for some time now. And I would have thought you’d have known that. You, of all people.” Rather than Natasha, it is Bishop that shoots and kills Stacy from behind. He then goes to kill Natasha as well, but then he too is shot and killed from behind, this being done by the man that Natasha had slept with at the beginning of the story before she’d gotten her assignment, Langley, who is also the unknown figure had been spying on her earliest.

Langley explains to Natasha that the entire situation was a ploy to see if Bishop had gone over to the other side. Natasha wasn’t intended to reach the false Irma before Bishop and Bishop had actually been told that S.H.E.I.LD. had replaced Irma with Stacy, so the plan was for the chaos of the situation to give Bishop the opportunity to kill Stacy if that’s what his loyalties led him to do. Bishop was also told that Natasha was suspected of being a traitor on the chance that he would let his guard down with her under the belief that they were both secretly on the same side. Langley tells Natasha, as an explanation as to why she was told her mission was to kill someone that was secretly a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, “We couldn’t deviate from standard procedure in this case and arouse your suspicions. Bishop might have been alerted if you acted strangely.” Natasha says, “And were you there in the shadows long enough to save Cromwell’s life- or did she have to die so you could be certain about Bishop, you miserable bastard?” Langley’s response: “Take it easy. You know the final word- we all do. Everyone’s expendable. Everyone.”

Natasha still questions, “How do I really know it’s all true, Langley. How do I know that this Irma’s really an imposter… Or that you and Bishop weren’t working together and got turned on him for some reason? Can I ever be certain you didn’t really want me to kill this woman?” And her final question is, “How do I know- you’re not a double-agent?” The answer is a resounding: “You don’t.” And the ending of the story is Langley hysterical, apparently buckling under the weight of the subterfuge he orchestrated.

The lesson that Natasha is meant to learn seems really similar to what she tries to teach Yelena Belova in Black Widow (1999) and Black Widow (2001). In the 2008 book she tells Yelena, who wants to be the Black Widow, “You learn to be lost all the time, so as to never be able to direct anyone to your employers. Or your heart. Or your vulnerabilities. And for what, rooskaya, for what? To play pawn to any one of a dozen governments that will shoot you in the back just for becoming the dispassionate creature they require?” And in the 2001 book Natasha tells Yelena, as an explanation of her own plot that psychologically tormented Yelena, “I wanted you to understand, finally, what it meant to be a spy. We are not like Daredevil or the others, Yelena. We are not heroes. We are tools. And tools get used.” I was also reminded of the ending of Black Widow: Pale Little Spider (2002), a book starring Yelena, when regarding a plot to manipulate Yelena into being a better Black Widow, one of the key participants said, “She truly loved Colonel Starkovsky, General. If she ever learns that this was all an exercise, that we were responsible for his death, she could go rogue. You’ll have to kill her.” The General responded, “If it comes to that, Captain. We can always make another Black Widow.”

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #74 and Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #60-61

In this batch of 10 Captain Marvel stories I read through the Captain Marvel appearances in May 1946, according to the issue cover dates. These stories ranged from 7 to 11 pages.

The story “Billy’s Big Day” (writer unknown; possibly drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #60 has Billy unable to call on Captain Marvel after being tripped and chipping his tooth, giving him a heavy lisp, while running an errand for Sterling Morris. He plans on going to a dentist to get his tooth fixed but is determined to finish the errand first. Throughout the story there were many times Billy was prompted to call on Captain Marvel and then was forced to resolve the situation by himself. Halfway throughout the story Captain Marvel appears as an astral projection behind Billy, saying, “That was quick thinking, Billy! You’re getting along fine without me! I’m proud of you!” And Billy says, “I feel as though Capt. Marvel’s spirit is hovering around, giving me moral support!” And at the end of the story, errand successfully completed, Billy says, “I’m sort of… well… proud of myself! I delivered that packet, against all kinds of hazards, without the help of Capt. Marvel! This was my big day!”

the Mary Marvel stories in The Marvel Family (1945) #4-9 and #13

When I was previously reading through the Mary Marvel solo stories in Wow Comics (1941) and Mary Marvel (1945), I was skipping the Mary Marvel solo stories in The Marvel Family, which is an anthology book that contains both family team-ups and solo stories. So I thought I would go back and read those missed The Marvel Family solo stories before continuing on with her Wow Comics and Mary Marvel appearances. In this batch of 7 Mary Marvel stories I went from September 1946 to July 1947, according to the issue cover dates. These stories ranged from 7 to 9 pages.

The story “Mary Marvel Becomes a Fairy Godmother” (creators unknown) in The Marvel Family #5 is a spoof on the Cinderella fairy tale. In it Mary Marvel comes across and rescues a girl named Ella who was being abused by her stepfather because he didn’t want her going to a party. Afterwards Ella tells Mary Marvel that she still can’t go to the party because all she has to wear is rags, so Mary Batson gives Ella one of her own dresses and has her driven their in her family’s limousine. In the end it’s revealed that Ella is actually the daughter of a kind wealthy man and her “stepfather” had kidnapped her as a baby to bring her up as his drudge. This revelation gives Mary Marvel the allowance to bring the “stepfather” to jail, because him being arrested won’t reflect badly on Ella anymore. The story ends with Ella, depicted with a Cinderella storybook, saying, “It was just as if Mary Marvel was my fairy godmother! And even my Prince Charming showed up- my own dear Daddy!”

The story “Mary Marvel and the Quizzical Crook” (written by Bill Woolfolk; possibly drawn by Pete Constanza) in The Marvel Family #6 takes place at Billy Batson’s workplace, Station Whiz. The reason for this is that Billy’s boss, Sterling Morris, has asked Mary to fill in for Billy’s usual broadcast. The reason why Billy can’t make it is difficult to make out due to the quality of the fiche scan. Mary says, “But- But I’ve never been on the radio!” But Mr. Morris tells her, “It’ll make a great human interest story! Sister taking brother’s place in an emergency! You’ll be terrific!” After the news broadcast Mary also helps with, and foils a scheme to cheat at, a quiz show.

#comics read this past week #my posts

0 notes