An Obscure Midnight Story - Iron Man Annual 4

Iron Man Annual #4 (1977) - Midnight story
"Death Lair"
Roger Stern-Jeff Aclin/Don Newton

Doug: You might think that it would be strange if I sought out the Midnight story when the main yarn in that summer extravaganza boasted pure Bronze Age heaven. Well, it would be strange, and I did not. But in reading this annual I did see the Midnight story tucked near the end, thought that in itself we had an oddity, and so bring it to you today. Think the story's obscure? Heck, Midnight's obscure!

Many among my Bronze Age brethren (and sisthren) were kung fu fighting during the 1970's. I was a pacifist in my pudgy pre-teen days, so was not. OK, that's not entirely true, because I did beat up my neighbor Donald one day because he'd irritated me one time too many. My issue with the kung fu books was strictly monetary. With only so many quarters in my pocket and out on my horizon, I wasn't going to stray too far from the superheroes I knew and loved. It was more of a nominal genre allocation problem than anything else. So without any sense that I didn't like those sorts of books in my youth, I will truthfully plead ignorance and trudge forth today. After all, this is only a 5-pager; if I don't like it, then we really won't have wasted much of our time, right?

I did know of Midnight back in the day, as they say. Everyone knows the Avengers was my mag, and everyone knows that the "Celestial Madonna" arc is one of my all-time fave stories. And who should appear in Avengers #131-G-S Avengers #3? Yup - Midnight. But that's all I knew of him. I had a copy of Iron Man Annual #4, but honestly did not remember this story until I laid eyes on it again several weeks ago. I'd wager that when I bought this as an 11-year old I didn't even read the back-up. As I said at the top... Iron Man and the Champions? Take two quarters!

I'm going to present this story in its entirety, so you can make your criticisms along with me, just below. I'll start by criticizing myself and my inability to provide a good scan when using PowerPoint to bring a .pdf file over from the DVD-ROMs. Just looks drawn... sort of like watching analog television in widescreen.

No 100-Word Review today -- that was so short, it probably didn't take you much longer to read the whole story! So, on with --

The Good: This was a compact story with no beginning and no end -- just a whole lot of middle. But I didn't mind that. Roger Stern's words and the art team of Jeff Aclin (I got nuthin'... anyone familiar with his work in other places?) and Don Newton moved things right along. Characterization on the toughs was pretty standard comic book fare, which was OK -- nothing campy or contrived. Without much background beyond his appearance in the Avengers, I am uncertain of whether or not I should root for Midnight. This Half-face guy was also a mystery to me. I think that's part of the appeal of this tale for me -- it has me curious. I am planning to somehow acquire the upcoming Deadly Hands of Kung fu Omnibus that reprints the '70s black-and-white magazines of the same name. I don't know if Midnight appears anywhere within, but I kind of hope he does.  

Tell me -- is it always a thing in martial arts comics to use the various weapons? Because that really ups my stress level, people start throwing stars and such. Man... those guys are super bad.

I'm also digging the ads adjoining that last page sample.

The Bad: My scans. Hate 'em. Other than that, really nothing to report. For a back-up story, and I'm left wondering what sort of stock filler this must have been, it was just that: filler for a large comic.

I like Midnight's look when wearing his coat and cape, but he really gives me a Death-Stalker vibe. When he's in the all-black body suit, I felt like he should have been lighted a bit more than he was. Otherwise he just shows as a void on the page. But maybe that's the point.

The Ugly: Nada.

That's it. Pretty short collection of thoughts for a really short story. But hopefully some of you who stopped by today will leave a thought of your own. I'd certainly appreciate some of our readers taking the time to educate me on Midnight, but also on kung fu comics in general. Thanks in advance.

The Collected Works of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu

Karen: We have frequently spoken here of our frustrations about not being able to get reprints/trade paperbacks of Master of Kung Fu. Marvel has had legal problems with reproducing the original issues of the series due to the appearance of the Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu characters in the stories. But something has been worked out with the Rohmer estate, and Marvel is publishing Master of Kung Fu in omnibus form! In fact, there will be four of them reprinting the entire run. Volumes 1-3 will reprint the Master of Kung Fu series, along with Giant Size and Annual issues and other assorted stories, and a fourth volume will print the black and white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Based on Amazon's listings, volume 2 should be out in September, and  the Deadly Hands omnibus (which is not using the same numbering as the MOKF volumes) will be out in November. I'm not sure when volume 3 of MOKF will be out but presumably after that.

Karen: While this might not be the ideal format for everyone, at least we are getting the stories collected. It seemed like it might never come to pass, so it's a pretty big deal.

Karen: The first omnibus debuts this Tuesday, the 14th. The MSRP is $125, but In-Stock Trades is selling it for $68.75! Below is a description of what is in volume one:

SHANG-CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC

Written by STEVE ENGLEHART, DOUG MOENCH, LEN WEIN & MORE
Penciled by JIM STARLIN, PAUL GULACY, AL MILGROM, KEITH POLLARD, JOHN BUSCEMA, SAL BUSCEMA, ROSS ANDRU & MORE
COVERS BY TERRY DODSON & JIM STARLIN

One of the most groundbreaking Marvel Comics of all is collected for the first time! Born to be the world’s most fearsome fighter, Shang-Chi’s life takes a major turn when he discovers the truth about his father, the villainous Fu Manchu! So begins the epic story of the Master of Kung Fu! On a quest to end the reign of his pernicious patriarch, Shang-Chi pits his deadly hands and furious feet against incredible foes like Tiger-Claw, Razor-Fist, the mysterious Midnight — and even the macabre Man-Thing! But will his mastery of martial arts be enough in a throwdown with the Amazing Spider-Man? Collecting SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #15-16, MASTER OF KUNG FU (1974) #17-37, GIANT-SIZE MASTER OF KUNG FU #1-4, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #2 and material from IRON MAN ANNUAL #4.
696 PGS./Rated T…$125.00
ISBN: 978-1-302-90129-5
Trim size: oversized

Spotlight On... Keith Pollard

Doug: If you were reading Marvel Comics in the late Bronze Age, then you were looking at Keith Pollard's pictures. With extended runs on Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Thor, as well as work on the Inhumans, Master of Kung fu, Captain America, and seemingly a million one-offs. Pollard was everywhere. And how about this distinction? Pollard was the penciler on the 200th issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, as well as on the 300th issue of Thor. That's an honor. Thoughts?

I Really Wish I Had ----- More in the Bronze Age

Doug: If you're in your mid- to late 40s, you may associate today's title with that often bawdy game show hosted by Gene Rayburn -- Match Game! Laughed myself silly, even as a kid. Once we got the Game Show Network several years ago, my wife and I laughed again at repeats of this program. But today we might keep it a bit tamer than some Charles Nelson Reilly answer, and focus more on the following --

An example: "I really wish I had appreciated Gil Kane's work more in the Bronze Age."
Another: "I really wish I had read Swamp Thing more in the Bronze Age."

Get the idea? I guess in some way today is about regrets. But don't feel badly about that... if nothing else, someone will probably be along to either confirm your statement or encourage you to make it right after all these years. As Karen has said, we are living in the Golden Age of comic book reprints.

I wish I'd read more Steve Gerber-penned books in the Bronze Age!

Everybody was Kung Fu Fightin'

Karen: The late 60s/early 70s gave us martial arts mania -Bruce Lee and a wave of Hong Kong films, David Carradine and the Kung Fu TV series, and of course both DC and Marvel had martial arts characters galore -Shang Chi, Iron Fist, Karate Kid, Richard Dragon, etc. In modern film and comics, it seems like everyone knows some form of martial arts. Share your thoughts on any and all aspects of the 70s craze, and how it has influenced modern media.

BAB Two-In-One: Masters of Kung Fu and C-List Baddies!

Karen: As I said in my Wonder Con report, I picked up a few Master of Kung Fu books, so let's start at the beginning, with Shang Chi's first appearance, Special Marvel Edition #15 (Dec 1973). First off, it was produced by two of my favorite comic pros, Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. These two guys did so many amazing and creative books in the 70s, I really don't know how I never got in on Master of Kung Fu! The two of them wouldn't stay on the title very long however. But this first issue is pretty fun. Oh, and besides writing the thing, Englehart also colored it! But the guy did apprentice under Neal Adams before he started writing comics.

Karen: There's a long story about how Marvel had the rights to the Fu Manchu character created by Sax Rohmer, and how that concept was married to Shang Chi, but I don't want to get into it here. You can check out the letter page of this book for that. Suffice to say, Shang Chi, the living weapon, master of Kung Fu, is the son of the notorious Fu Manchu. However, Shang has no knowledge of his father's evil ways; in fact, he believes Pops is trying to help the world! So when Dad sends him off on a mission to assassinate an old foe, Shang goes unquestioningly. However, once he finds his target and discovers that he is a decrepit old man, he begins to doubt the virtue of his mission.

Karen: Regardless of these feelings, Shang actually does kill the man! This was a bit shocking. He encounters Sir Denis Nayland Smith, a former British agent, now confined to a wheelchair due to Fu's villainy. He tells Shang the truth about his father. This info disturbs Shang, who returns to his American mother, to find out the truth. She confirms Shang's worst nightmare -that his father is a power-hungry, amoral man.


Karen: Shang Chi then makes his way through a deadly maze towards Fu. Starlin's art is just fantastic throughout the book, but the combat sequences here are outstanding. When father and son come face to face, Fu makes no apologies, merely states his goal of world domination. Shang says he is mad, and that from now on, they are enemies. He leaves, disillusioned, yet now more free than he had ever been.

Karen: This was an outstanding origin issue. Everything works in this story; it's a perfect combo of word and art. While wordy by today's standards, I relished it. It was like reading a novel - only with pictures. This book really demonstrates what a talented writer can do using those now-extinct comic book tools, captions and thought balloons. We get into Shang's head, but it never feels forced. I highly recommend this book!

Doug: Our fare today is my first issue of The Secret Society of Super-Villains, #7 from May-June 1977. The creators were Bob Rozakis on the words and Rich Buckler and Bob Layton on the pictures. As we begin, apparently Lex Luthor has just infiltrated a meeting of the Secret Society, and the story is entitled, "Luthor's League of Super-Villains".

When I was a lad, I didn't know anything about the problems between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, so the whole Funky Flashman bit went right by me. However, upon re-reading some of this stuff knowing all the backstory -- whoo-boy!! What a dig! Here's what's going on -- as I said, Luthor's busted in and is seeking to exert his authority on the Secret Society. He's just broken Copperhead out of jail, and has come to the "Secret Citadel" to get help in his never-ending war on Superman. The Wizard had been proclaimed leader of the sinister cartel by Flashman; ol' Funk doesn't make much of a move, however, to assist Wiz when Luthor kicks his butt. I was never a reader of Silver or Bronze Age Superman books (followed Superboy in the Legion, though), but loved Luthor's outfit here. Not the battlesuit from Super Powers fame, but the more utility-equipped outfit. I also don't recall Luthor being as physical as he is here.

Luthor requests Flashman to find Felix Faust and the Matter Master, two other magicians. Combined with the Wizard, it's Luthor's intent that these three bozos, er, purveyors of mystical energy, will finally defeat the Man of Steel. So Luthor orders Flashman to get his new assistants over to Japan, where the Superman movie is being filmed. They arrive, but like the dopes they are, attack the guy doing the main acting; seems the real Superman was only going to do the stunts. The scene cuts to the JLA satellite, where Batman arrives to relieve Hawkman of monitor duty. The Hawks and our star, Captain Comet, head to the Hawks' orbiting rocket to enjoy a little Thanagarian ghoulash. But, while Comet and Hawkgirl watch the news on a very ordinary looking telly, they notice the Wizard making havoc at the Superman set. As Comet has it on for the Wizard, he leaps up; Hawkgirl says she'll join him, as Katar is doing the cooking this day.

Cut back to Japan... what a bunch of morons. The three mystics create landslides and other trouble, but the "Superman" in front of them does nothing to stop it. Matter Master cooks up a two-headed dragon, and it's at that point that Comet and Hawkgirl arrive. They quickly deduce that the Wizard isn't the only enemy; meanwhile Lex, watching on a monitor (much slicker than the Hawks' tech -- Flashman must be lightyears ahead of Thanagar!). The dragons are defeated and Hawkgirl rescues "Superman" from a tiny volcano the Wizard created. Assuming Superman to be powerless, the three magicians attempt to rally. They don't anticipate that the actor in the suit will fight back, yet he does -- and quite successfully. I thought a funny line in this sequence was Hawkgirl telling Felix Faust to "stuff it"!

Everything ends well. Back at the Secret Citadel, Luthor and Flashman part ways with each intending to call the cops on the other. Funny thing is, Flashman turns the trick on Luthor first, who is arrested as soon as he sets foot outside the HQ. Meanwhile, on the Thanagarian rocket, Captain Comet and Hawkgirl arrive back just in time for Katar's ghoulash.

This was a fun story, not diminished over time as some stories can be (see our recent reviews of Marvel Team-Up). The lens of the adult reader is different than that of the pre-adolescent and some of these stories don't hold up. While this was in no way great literature, it was a fun story with a decent beginning, middle, and end -- a done-in-one as was typical of DC's in the Bronze Age. Rich Buckler's pencils were aided by Layton's inks and the overall art was pretty good -- one quibble I'd have is a litte inconsistency in faces from page to page. The panel lay-outs evoked Adams or Colan, but weren't distracting -- in fact, it probably enhanced the art. But overall, and I don't know anything about Buckler using panel swipes at DC, this was a good-looking book! Rozakis' script was good, too, and I've not always been able to say that about his work. If ever a guy epitomized the contrast between Marvel and DC, it would be "The Answer Man". This is a series I hope to revisit in future Two-In-Ones.