Chew the Fat: Giant-Size Marvels!

 

 

Redartz:  Back in the Bronze age, specifically two memorable years in the mid 1970's, Marvel Comics engaged in a noble experiment in four color entertainment. 1974 and 1975 saw the publication of the Giant-Size Marvels! Extra-sized editions of many of Marvel's most popular titles, each appearing on a quarterly basis. Granted, Marvel had published bonus-sized Annuals in the past, and DC had been doing giants for some time; but this was still a leap of faith for Marvel. 

Although that 'leap of faith' lasted only about two years, it produced quite a few great stories, and one truly monumental one. Marvel's 'Giant Size' era began with "Giant Size Super Stars", a 35 cent gem featuring the Fantastic Four. This was immediately followed by "Giant Size Super Heroes" with Spider-man; both of these books hold fond memories for me. I'd just started collecting, and these two seemed like a reward for taking that 'leap' of my own! 

Marvel had originally planned to release books at the 35 cent level as well as a series of "Super Giant" titles, but apparently that all got too confusing; starting the next month the Giant Size titles all cost 50 cents for 68 pages. The format was a new 'novel length' lead story, followed by a reprint of a classic Marvel tale appropriate to the particular title. All the 'big guns' had Giant-Size editions: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Defenders. Additionally, numerous other Marvel books got the Giant treatment: Master of Kung Fu, Dracula, Man-Thing. Even an attempt was made at another horror anthology with new stories: Giant-Size Chillers! 

As the  months went on, Marvel made the Giant format a means to debut new features: Super-Villian Team Up, with Dr. Doom and the Sub-Mariner; and Invaders- telling WWII stories of Marvel's Golden Age Captain America, Sub-Mariner and Human Torch. Then of course, the most monumental of all was the return and reboot of the X-Men by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum; a book that launched one of the most successful franchises in comic book history. 

But as 1975 wore on, it looked like the days of the Giants were numbered. The last round of Giants were all reprints, adding such titles as "Giant Size Thor" and "Giant Size Dr. Strange" in a sort of revival of the old Annuals. Those Annuals, incidentally, would return the next year in 1976, which helped offset the sting of losing those monthly Giants. 

My personal favorites? I mentioned the Spidey and FF issues above, another huge favorite was Giant Size Avengers 2: with the "Celestial Madonna" and Kang, it was one of the best Bronze age Avengers tales ever. Then there was Giant Size Defenders 3, with Daredevil guest starring; a cool story with the Grand Master. Yet another that I loved was Giant Size Man-Thing (you knew I'd fit that in somewhere, didn't you?) 4: a particularly intense Manny story by Steve Gerber, and the first solo story for Howard the Duck. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It was a huge treat to see these big editions supplementing the regular four color fun we got in the 32 pagers. 

In conclusion, here's a selection of covers to prompt your memory and excite your eyeballs. What Giants were your favorites? How did they compare to DC's giants? What other characters should have had Gant sized books? For our UK contingent, did those stories ever see print across the pond? Were you ever fortunate enough to encounter any of the US Giants? This week, we're all Giants...

 

 

    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1982!

Redartz:  Hello gang; are you ready to delve into some of the finest four color offerings of that vintage year 1982? I am too, so let's jump right in. As always, the choices are simply my subjective picks , based upon personal enjoyment, history, and whether I've read it or not. After all, can't really make a call on an unfamiliar book...

Here we go:   

Amazing Spider-man 229-  "Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut", by Roger Stern, John Romita Jr. and Jim Mooney. One of the high points of Stern's admirable run on the title. A showpiece for Peter Parker's determination and self-sacrifice.













Dr. Strange 53-  "The Land of the Pharoahs" by Roger Stern, Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin. A very clever, entertaining climax to the all-too-brief run by the Stern/Rogers team. The intertwining with the classic Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four tale is most engaging. And Doc never looked better.












 

X-Men / Teen Titans-  "Apokolips...Now", by Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson and Terry Austin. Arguably the greatest inter-company crossover ever. Claremont voices both teams, and both mega villains, perfectly. And Simonson  inked by Austin? Spectacular.












Marvel Graphic Novel:  The Death of Captain Marvel- "The Death of Captain Marvel", by Jim Starlin. A poignant tale of loss and nobility, with many fine moments among the gathered individuals. Starlin gives Mar-vell a sendoff worthy of a warrior. And Starlin's writing and drawing carry it off in fine fashion.















Legion of Superheroes 293-  "Within the Darkness", by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen and Larry Mahlstaedt.  Darkseid is revealed as the power behind the "Great Darkness", one of the Legion's greatest sagas ever. This spectacular tale reveals why the Levitz/Giffen/Mahlstaedt Legion was my favorite DC title back then, even more than the Titans.














Love and Rockets 1-  Numerous stories by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. Fantagraphics' long running series starts here, and with great artistic and literary form. Great, great reading.













 

Fantastic Four 243-  "Shall Earth Endure?", by John Byrne. Everyone vs. Galactus, indeed. One of Byrne's best FF stories, art and story definitely at the top of his game. Loved seeing Spidey and Daredevil sit back and watch.
















 

Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures-  Several stories by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty. Terrific old-school detective fare with great characterization. Beatty's art at times makes me think of Ditko, and that's a high compliment.












 



Marvel Graphic Novel: God Loves, Man Kills-  "God Loves, Man Kills", by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. A melodramatic, but affecting, tale of prejudice with Marvel's Mutants. Nice to see Brent Anderson's take on them.











 


Fantastic Four Roast-  "When Titans Chuckle", by Fred Hembeck, Jim Shooter and just about everybody. Enough puns and visual jokes to fill a dining hall full of heroes, which is pretty much what happens. Absolutely, the "Just Plain Fun" book of 1982!














Another Marvel- heavy year, in my opinion. But the indies are really starting to make an impact, and DC still has a lot to offer. The new formats such as miniseries and graphic novels add some serious competition to the monthly newsstand titles. All things considered, it's a great year to be reading comics. Your thoughts and nominations?

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1975!

Redartz:  1975; what a year! Marvel was still putting out the "Giant-Size" issues, as well as Marvel Value Stamps. Atlas Comics were trying to make a go of the comic business. DC was debuting numerous new titles and characters. It was an exciting time to be a comic reader, which leads us to our topic today: the best stories of that fine year. 

I've pored over loads of issues, and prodded my memory to recall my favorites. So, as always, this subjective list; based upon a combination of personal preference and historical impact. Your list my vary. Order is random. No deposit, no return. Void where prohibited. 

Ok, now that the formalities are complete, on with the countdown:



 



1. Defenders 33- "Webbed Hands, Warm Heart" by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema and Jim Mooney. Inspired lunacy from Mr. Gerber with 'musical brains', the Headmen and a very angry baby deer.










 

2. Detective Comics 457- "There is no Hope in Crime Alley" by Dennis O'Neal and Dick Giordano. A nice closer look at the Batman's origins by a couple of his best storytellers. Oh, and uncredited backgrounds by the great Terry Austin.











 
3. Warlock 11- "How Strange My Destiny, Pt. 2" by Jim Starlin and Steve Leialoha. Starlin's epic tale continues the exploration of Adam Warlock. Great cast, great art, great story, great comic.













 
4. Tomb of Dracula 41- "Re-Birth" by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. Dracula returns, in another fine issue of this fine series. Wolfman, Colan and Palmer just keep it rolling.














 
5. All-Star Comics 58- "All-Star Super Squad" by Gerry Conway, Ric Estrada and Wally Wood. Power Girl debuts in this engaging revival of the classic DC title.












 

6.  Howard the Duck 1- "Howard the Barbarian" by Steve Gerber, Frank Brunner and Steve Leialoha. A very imaginative,enjoyable first issue, Brunner and Leialoha rock visually. A fun guest appearance by Spidey, and a tower of credit cards. 











 
7.  Amazing Adventures 34, "A Death in the Family" by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell. A dramatic high point in this excellent series. Phenomenal art, as usual. 













 
8.  Avengers 142- "Go West, Young Gods" by Steve Englehart, George Perez and Vince Colletta.The Avengers in the old West. Absolutely wonderful. Another Kang war, Immortus, the Brand Corp., Thor and Moondragon on a train, and Hawkeye having way too much fun. How did they pack so much into one issue?













 
9. Giant-Size X-Men 1- "Second Genesis" by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.There are better stories of the 'new team', but this classic giant introduces us to the group that became a pillar of the Marvel Universe. Wein and Cockrum get things started with a bang.















10. Giant-Size Man-Thing 4- "The Kid's Night  Out" by Steve Gerber, Ed Hannigan and Frank Springer; "Frog Death" by Steve Gerber and Frank Brunner. A  personal favorite, with a rather emotion-laden lead story. A bit preachy perhaps,but quite impactful to a shy fourteen year old comic fan. And it's offset by the return of Howard the Duck in a Brunner-illustrated short. Loads of fun, the scene in the cigar store is a blast.

Incidentally, if Will Eisner's Spirit stories in the Warren magazine had been 'new', they would certainly have made the list. Those "Spirit"s were high on my buying list all that year. And this year, it seems, was a very solid one for Marvel (and for one Steve Gerber). But, that's just my take. What think you?