A Modern Stone Age Fantasy - Marvel Fanfare 1-2

Marvel Fanfare #1 (March 1982)
"Fast Descent Into Hell!"
Chris Claremont-Michael Golden

Marvel Fanfare #2 (May 1982)
"To Sacrifice My Soul"
Chris Claremont-Michael Golden

Doug: Hey, it's a Two for Tuesday! Except today is Monday. Well, you're still going to get some extra bang for your time spent on the BAB today, kids. Marvel Fanfare was a book that landed during my hiatus from comics, which stretched from around the spring of 1980 to the spring of 1985 (give or take). The whole direct market thing, comic shops, creator-owned properties, the "Indies"... all of that rose up while I was chillin' in high school and my first three semesters of college. Today's review material came to me in the form of one of Marvel's very early forays into the trade paperback business, in a tome titled The Savage Land (1987) and containing reprints of Marvel Fanfare #s 1-4 -- all for the low, low cost of $5.95! I also have the collected Wolverine mini-series in the same format; maybe we'll get to that some day (if I can stand Claremont's repeated "I'm the best at what I do, and...").

Doug: That's a sweet cover above left, isn't it? I always gape at it in all its airborne terror. That is, until I look at Spidey's legs. Umm... yeah, it just looks weird. But then I come back to the flying lizard from the bowels of hell, Spider-Man's hands working to free himself, and the Angel -- and I gape at it some more. But those legs.

Doug: Today, as you can see, we're going to look at the first two issues of Marvel Fanfare, brought to you by long tenured (even by 1982) X-Men scribe Chris Claremont and artist Michael Golden. At the time Golden was perhaps best known as the penciler of the Man-Bat feature that ran in Batman Family, the Mister Miracle book, and long runs at Marvel on Micronauts, ROM, and Savage She-Hulk. To me, Golden's detailed and expressive style at times channels Alan Davis, but also Marshall Rogers. Not bad company, huh? -- at least in my mind. Here's some background on the series, from Wikipedia (one reference is left in for those concerned with such things):

Marvel Fanfare was envisioned as a showcase of the comics industry's best talent. Each issue featured 36 pages of material with no advertisements and it was printed on magazine-style slick paper. it was more than twice as expensive as standard comic books ($1.25 in 1982 when most titles were 60 cents and $2.25 in 1991 when most were $1).
Editor Milgrom wrote of his experience with the series:

“

It was intended that [Marvel Fanfare] would appeal especially to the fans. [I] tried to get the best possible stuff (...by either established pros or talented newcomers). At least part of the purpose was to use better paper, more elaborate, detailed coloring and, by charging a higher cover price, to eliminate all those unsightly ads. The creators were paid a bonus 50% rate, too. I was sometimes 'accused' of just using up inventory material — as if that was necessarily a bad thing. I did use some inventory stuff — if I thought it was of high enough quality. As with any grand vision, the results sometimes fell short of the goal... What finally killed it was the advent of incentive payments to freelancers — top creators could make far more than the rate-and-a-half Fanfare paid if they worked on many of the better-selling regular titles. That and my workload and family obligations made it tough to keep the book going. And sales had begun to drop as well.[7]

Doug: I know not whether the material we're looking at today was "inventory" or specifically created to launch the book. My guess is that even if it was inventory for an annual or some such thing, Al Milgrom made a solid choice in choosing it. I think you'll agree that the story is OK, but the art is simply gorgeous! Let's get rolling then, with not one but two 100-Word Reviews (one for each issue) --

Marvel Fanfare #1 (17 pages): Tanya Anderssen loved Karl Lykos. Trouble was, Lykos was the mutant energy vampire Sauron, who leached life force from others to keep himself alive. Lykos was believed killed in the Savage Land, until a photograph of him surfaced, taken six months prior. Anderssen enlisted the Angel to find Lykos. Meanwhile, the Daily Bugle is doing a feature on the Savage Land and sends Peter Parker to do the photos; he ends up on the same transport as the Angel and Anderssen. The chopper is wrecked and our heroes are captured by Magneto’s Savage Land mutates. To be continued!

Marvel Fanfare #2 (19 pages): Brain Child hooked Spider-Man and the Angel up to some nefarious gizmo that would in turn mutate each of our heroes. Ka-Zar and his warrior friends rescue Tanya Anderssen from a t-rex attack, but later they themselves are attacked by the horribly disfigured Angel and Spider-Man. Anderssen is kidnapped by the Angel; Spider-Man fights his transformation. Ka-Zar figures out that our heroes are at Zaladane’s citadel, so leads a band to rescue them. Brain Child, however, has subjected Anderssen to his ray, devolving her. Lykos knows only one way to reverse the process, so drains some of her life force. And Sauron returns…

The Good: As you may have guessed, and can see plainly for yourself from the samples I've provided, Michael Golden's art is fabulous. He is also the credited colorist on both issues. You can see that the evolution of paper and printing technologies really gives the art a clean, lush look. I mentioned above the level of detail -- there is great care taken in the rendering of each panel, every figure and even most backgrounds. Golden truly took no shortcuts here. And I think the fact that he was the whole enchilada on the pictures really gave him an investment in the work.

The teaming of Spider-Man and the Angel provides some solid visuals, although I'd argue that dropping Spidey into the Savage Land strips the character of some of his strengths -- notably web-swinging. Still, Golden's backgrounds, colors, and detailed clothing pulled my attention away from that small gripe. I enjoyed the links between this story and X-Men #s 60-63 and #s 113-116 with appearances by Magneto's Savage Land Mutates and references to Garokk and Zaladane. The Savage Land truly is a great backdrop for a story; who doesn't like dinosaurs?

The Bad: I don't really have any severe complaints at all about the story. Sure, Claremont's writing is Claremont's writing, and I can't say I didn't get what I was expecting. But I think taking Spider-Man and mutating him into a voiceless Spider-creature detracted from what one might normally wish to receive in a Spidey mag. In that regard, this was a loss -- sort of like Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye in Marvel's The Avengers. Dude spent 2/3 of the film possessed! Same thing here. But the Ka-Zar and Zabu action sort of made up for it.

The Ugly: Brain Child is one ugly dude. Barbarus is another. Sauron is also one ugly dude. A flying lizard with tattered pants and a gun. But then, what's not to like? I would say, on the serious side, that Ka-Zar comics suffer from one of the same tropes that Tarzan stories suffer, and that's the great white hope coming to save (and even subjugate) the local savages. We get a little of that here, but it's somewhat tame.

Doug: In that Wikipedia article linked above there was a section that shows where several Marvel Fanfare stories have been reprinted. I have the Marvel Premiere Hardcover Black Widow: Web of Intrigue that reprints a George Perez-drawn Widow story. There are plenty of other locations for this material. However, it's high time Marvel did a nice, neat package in their relatively new Epic Collection format and put this varied product between two covers.

Doug: At some point maybe I'll return to finish this tale -- obviously it ends in a pteranodon-level cliffhanger! Marvel Fanfare #3 features the X-Men and was drafted/finished by Dave Cockrum and Bob McLeod; Marvel Fanfare #4 has pictures provided by Paul Smith and Terry Austin. Shoot, those art teams alone are reason enough to revisit!

Guest Reviews - Arc of Triumph? The Rocket Raccoon Mini-Series

Doug: Welcome to another work week! And what better way to face the day (well, the next five days actually!) than with comics! Our pal from the Great White North, Mike W. is here to offer his critique of the 1985 Rocket Raccoon mini-series. I've not read it, although a few times I've been tempted to purchase the digest-sized version that reprints the series. So if you're like me, after reading Mike's thoughts -- what do you think?

M.S. Wilson: I thought I’d tackle something a bit different this time, namely the Rocket Raccoon miniseries from 1985. This was one of the few Marvel miniseries that I actually bought back then...along with Jack of Hearts (which I don’t remember at all), West Coast Avengers (which was great ... hmm, maybe I should review that next?), and Secret Wars. Miniseries like Falcon, Gargoyle, Iceman, and Hercules didn’t really appeal to me. The weird thing is, I wasn’t actually familiar with Rocket Raccoon at the time; he first appeared in 1976 in Marvel Preview #7 (by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen), which I’ve never read. He popped up again in Incredible Hulk #271 (by Mantlo and Sal Buscema), which I also hadn’t read at the time. So why did I buy all four issues of Rocket’s miniseries when it came out? I guess I just thought the idea of a talking raccoon was cool. We’ll see how well it holds up, bearing in mind the character is written differently here than in the Guardians of the Galaxy comic three decades later (where I believe he’s more intense...almost OCD at times). This also isn’t the Rocket from the movie...at least I assume it’s not...I haven’t actually seen the Guardians movie. Now that I’ve destroyed all my geek credibility, let’s get on with the review, shall we?

 Rocket Raccoon #1 (May 1985)

“Animal Crackers” 

Written by Bill Mantlo. Art by Mike Mignola and Al Gordon

The story opens in a sector of space known as the Keystone Quadrant, on Spacewheel, one of those old-fashioned space stations shaped like...well, like a wheel, of course. On Spacewheel, the chief Toymaker (an iguana) labors to finish some toys for his employer, Lord Dyvyne. He’s interrupted by a Killer Clown, a robotic assassin that looks like the Joker and Pennywise had a child. The clown works for Lord Dyvyne’s rival, another toy mogul named Judson Jakes. The clown guns down Dyvyne’s chief toymaker, then flees, fighting his way through chimp sentries until he’s finally blasted by a gang of rabbit mercenaries led by Blackjack O’Hare (who doesn’t really look like Bucky O’Hare, but I keep mixing up their names anyway). Lord Dyvyne (a snake) shows up and realizes that Jakes sent the Killer Clown to kill his toymaker in order to start a trade war. Dyvyne decides to call in the furry arm of the law...Rocket Raccoon!

We find Rocket on the planet below, known as Halfworld. He’s reading a book beside a waterfall while his girlfriend (an otter named Lylla)  and her uncle Wal Rus (three guesses what animal he is) frolic in the water. Rocket is absorbed in his book, the Halfworld Bible, which is written in an obscure code (or maybe just a different language...the book is depicted later as being written in English, but that may just be for the convenience of readers). This scene is a little weird...all the animals wear clothes, but Lylla takes her clothes off here to go swimming, so even though she’s covered in fur, I guess she’s sort of naked? It gets Rocket’s attention anyway, and he’s soon swimming with her. She invites Wal to join them (?!) but he suns himself and changes his prosthetic tusks with the help of some robotic arms in his chest pouch. They’re interrupted by the Keystone Kops, Rocket’s human deputies, which freaks Lylla out, so I guess she is naked...at least as animals go. The Kops tell Rocket about the assassination of Dyvyne’s chief toymaker and Rocket sends them back to their previous assignment (tracking the Snail Gang to their lair, which—according to Wal—should take them the next century and a half). It turns out that the humans on Halfworld are all insane; the animals look after them and provide them with entertainment, while the toymakers provide toys to keep the Loonies (as the humans are known) distracted and happy. Rocket realizes that a trade war between the top two toymakers could stop the flow of toys and jeopardize the Loonies’ carefree lives.

Rocket returns the Halfworld Bible to its shrine and watches the Loonies perform a ritual (involving straitjackets and what looks like a really weird form of breakdancing). We learn that the Bible was written long ago by the Shrinks and no one has ever managed to decipher it. Rocket meeets with Lord Dyvyne, who accuses Judson Jakes of assassinating his chief toysmith, displaying the Killer Clown’s head as proof. Apparently Jakes has a monopoly on the manufacture of Killer Clowns. Mantlo tends to use a lot of exposition, some of which falls squarely into “as you know, Bob” territory. We learn that Lylla’s parents owned Mayhem Mekaniks (Judson Jakes' toy company) and Lylla will inherit it when she comes of age. Jakes is her guardian until then, which is why he’s running the company. I can’t help wondering why Wal Rus isn’t Lylla’s guardian, if her parents are dead and he’s her uncle. Anyway, Dyvyne wants to marry Lylla (for her toy company, of course), but she only has eyes for Rocket.

Rocket and Wal go to see Judson Jakes in their spaceship, the Rakk N’ Ruin. On the way, we get some more exposition on the status quo: Halfworld is (appropriately) divided in half—the animals live in the forested half, providing protection and companionship to the Loonies, while robots live on the other half of the planet, where they build ceaselessly. The robots provide toys for the Loonies (apparently Dyvyne and Jakes design the toys and sell them to the Loonies, but the robots do the actual building), appendages for the animals (like Wal’s prosthetic tusks), and the robots are also constructing a gigantic humanoid-shaped starship. Nobody can figure out why the robots are building this starship, since an energy field around the Keystone Quadrant prevents anyone from entering or leaving (except the Hulk, who’s mentioned here). When Rocket and Wal arrive at Mayhem Mekaniks, sited in the desolate border between the animal and robot halves of the world, they fly the ship down into a hollow crater so they can approach from underground. Lord Dyvyne watches on a monitor (which not only contains the image from the previous panel, but the caption as well...a nice meta-moment). Dyvyne realizes Lylla is unprotected, so he sends Blackjack O’Hare to get her.

Back at Cuckoo’s Nest (as the Loonies’ home is known), they prepare for their Great Masquerade as Lylla looks on. The Loonies explain that the Great Masquerade is an annual tradition, in which they get to dress and act like whomever they think they truly are. According to the ancient wisdom of the Shrinks, this is supposed to be therapeutic, though I can’t help wondering where this wisdom comes from...if their Bible is indecipherable, it must have been passed down orally, but it’s remarkable that the Loonies were able to remember it. A cloaked figure enters the shrine where the Bible is kept and gloats to himself that HE alone has cracked the code and read the sacred text. He then substitutes a different book and leaves. Lylla spots him and thinks he looks familiar, but it’s not until the Loonies discover the book switch that she puts two and two together: the mysterious figure is...Uncle Pyko! (Yeah, I don’t know who that is either. It turns out he works as Judson Jakes’ chief toy designer, but we don’t find that out for a while.) Before Lylla can go after him, she’s grabbed by Blackjack O’Hare.

Rocket and Wal fly underground toward Judson Jakes’ headquarters. Jakes is a mole, so there are tunnels galore, holding supplies, assorted junk, and creepy deactivated clowns. TheRakk N’ Ruin is suddenly grabbed by a giant pair of nutcrackers (yes, you read that right, nutcrackers). Rocket heads out to blast them loose and is confronted by a posse of Killer Clowns called the Psycho Circus (which I think was the name of a KISS album), as well as another meta-reference when Jakes responds directly to one of the panel captions. Rocket fights off the clowns and blasts the nutcrackers, giving Wal a chance to repair the  ship (although Wal gets in on the action by swapping his tool tusks for “more martial molars” and blasting some Killer Clowns). Jakes reveals that he started the trade war on purpose and that he also wants to marry Lylla to get control of her toy company once and for all.

Rocket finishes off the clowns, but before he can go after Jakes, they’re interrupted by Uncle Pyko, who’s mad at Jakes for letting the toys he designed get blown away. Pyko reveals that Blackjack O’Hare has Lylla (though I’m not sure how Pyko found this out so quickly). As soon as O’Hare takes Lylla back to Lord Dyvyne, he intends to marry her and gain control of her toy company. I'm not sure why these guys waited so long to go after Lylla...unless it's because she doesn't inherit the company until she "comes of age", and maybe they can't marry her until then? Jakes exhorts Rocket to save Lylla (which he would’ve done anyway...she IS his girlfriend, after all) and in the last panel, we get a glimpse of the more intense Rocket Raccoon from a few decades later.

 Rocket Raccoon #2 (June 1985)

"The Masque of the Red Breath" 

Bill Mantlo-Mike Mignola/Al Gordon

Rocket and Wal Rus hunt through the Loonies' Masquerade for Lylla and her captor, Blackjack O'Hare. We get some more exposition, recapping the first issue. Wal scans for Lylla, but she and O'Hare are in one of the parade floats, heavily shielded. Rocket is attacked by one of Judson Jakes' Killer Clowns and by a Drakillar (which seems to be some kind of giant space bat) sent by Lord Dyvyne. I get why Dyvyne is after Rocket's hide, but I'm not sure why Jakes wants him dead. At the end of last issue, Jakes was badgering (or moling, I suppose) Rocket to get Lylla back for him, so it seems strange for him to send the Drakillar after Rocket. Maybe Jakes realized he'd never be able to marry Lylla while Rocket was still alive, and figured now was as good a time as any to get rid of him ... but you'd think he'd have waited until Rocket got Lylla back from O'Hare. Speaking of O'Hare, he was sent by Lord Dyvyne to kidnap Lylla so Dyvyne could marry her, but he decides to keep Lylla for himself. Who woulda thought a mercenary couldn't be trusted? Lord Dyvyne gets mad and summons the Red Breath, which is a red cloud of vapour (I guess?) that erases everything it touches. Dyvyne sends the Red Breath after his "enemies"-- which at this point should include O'Hare and Judson Jakes -- but the Breath seems to lock in on Rocket for some reason. Dyvyne also mentions that the Breath was created by his chief toymaker (the one who was gunned down at the beginning of issue #1), but I'm wondering what kind of toymaker could design something like that? And how was it "manufactured"?

Rocket manages to use his two foes against each other...the Drakillar is blown up by the clown's grenades and then Rocket shoots the clown. Wal picks him up and, using the superior scanners on the ship, they track O'Hare and Lylla. The Red Breath arrives on the planet and heads after them. There's a panel where the caption reads "...the Red Breath appears, consuming even the sound effects of its passage." The panel shows the sound effect (SHREEOOM), but it's not being "consumed" by the Breath; I assume this was meant to be another meta-reference, but some wires got crossed somewhere. Too bad... it would've been a funny effect. At Mayhem Mekaniks, Judson Jakes' headquarters, Jakes is mad at his chief toy designer, Uncle Pyko. It seems Pyko has been studying the Halfworld Bible again, instead of making toys (or weapons) for Jakes. Pyko knows Jakes is crazy (which Jakes doesn't really dispute), but he gives Jakes his newest inventions to shut him up ... Vacu-sleds, which can suck up anything in their path.

Back at Cuckoo's Nest, Rocket and Wal crash the Loonies Masquerade to find O'Hare and Lylla, followed closely by the Red Breath which starts erasing Loonies. Rocket, knowing his duty is to protect the Loonies, fights the Breath and loses one of his rocket skates. He refers to the Red Breath as a "nightmarish kneaded eraser", which I think is one of those malleable erasers that artists like because they don't leave crumbs all over the page. Meanwhile, Wal catches up with Blackjack and his mercenaries and starts blasting bunnies. When Wal and Blackjack square off, Lylla is worried her uncle will get hurt, so she agrees to marry O'Hare. I'm not sure if that was meant to distract him or if it was sincere. Lylla's characterization is inconsistent: most of the time she's the damsel in distress, but every now and then she seems capable of taking care of herself. She actually punches out one of her captors here, but then she turns right back into a shrinking violet. Luckily (or not) it doesn't matter, because a bunch of Killer Clowns riding Vacu-sleds come crashing through the window. (I'm pretty sure that's the only time in my life I've ever used THAT sentence.) All of O'Hare's mercenaries get vacuumed up, so he (predictably) changes sides. The three of them run, pursued by the clowns, and end up in the main room where Rocket is trapped against the wall by the Red Breath. Lylla gets really annoying here, as she basically scolds Rocket for not flying to safety. O'Hare jumps down, drawing the Vacu-sled-mounted clowns after him, and the diversion is enough for Rocket to fly them both out safely. The sleds suck up the Red Breath, and the Breath destroys the sleds (and their riders), until a perfect equilibrium is reached ... the Breath disappears and the sleds are all consumed. Conveniently, all the Loonies who were erased by the Breath pop back into existence (with no explanation as to why the Vacu-sleds don't reappear too). Rocket decides they need to fight a guerilla war against the two toymakers. O'Hare joins them; Rocket doesn't seem to trust him, but says his knowledge of hiding places and other shady stuff could come in handy. So they set off to take the fight to their enemies.

Rocket Raccoon #3 (July 1985)

"The Book of Revelations" 

Bill Mantlo-Mike Mignola/Al Milgrom

This issue opens with Rocket, Wal, Lylla, and Blackjack O'Hare caught between the forces of their two enemies. Lord Dyvyne's simian soldiers man a Chimp Blimp (which spits explosive bananas) and Judson Jakes' Killer Clowns man Prank Tanks, firing on the ship from the ground. O'Hare (after making an obvious joke about a "gorilla war") leads them to a hollow crater that he claims will be a way to escape. They sacrifice their ship and bail out, tumbling down into the crater and landing far underground. O'Hare again shows his worth by summoning the Wild Worms, which live in the tunnel. The worms come equipped with saddles and Rocket and his friends ride them through the tunnels. Apparently they're called "wild worms" because the saddles straddle their pleasure centers, so having riders drives them wild (yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me either), but I'm wondering who saddled them in the first place? How did anyone figure out the thing about the pleasure centers? You know what, I don't think I want to know.

Elsewhere, Jakes and Dyvyne agree to cooperate to eliminate their foes, although their forces seemed to be already cooperating earlier. They also agree to split profits from selling toys to the Loonies 50/50, but it's obvious that neither one really trusts the other. They aren't quite certain if Rocket and the others are dead, since no bodies were recovered from the wrecked ship or the crater. Lylla is again referred to as nothing more than a means to an end ... in fact, they speculate that if Lylla had control of Mayhem Mekaniks, she'd put Rocket in charge and he'd give toys to the Loonies for free. Apparently it never entered their heads (or Mantlo's for that matter) that Lylla could run the company herself. She's just as altruistic as Rocket, so she'd probably give the toys away too, but everyone seems to assume she'd need her boyfriend to do it for her.

Anyway, O'Hare leads Rocket and the others to the robot side of Halfworld. O'Hare says he's familiar with the place because he sometimes comes there to steal toys that have been built by the robots; I'm not sure if this means he's stealing them so his employer doesn't have to pay for them, or if he's stealing from the competition...he is a mercenary, so I guess he works for whomever pays him. O'Hare takes them to a cantina (and yes, it's full of creatures). They run into Uncle Pyko, Judson Jakes' head toymaker, and he tells them he's cracked the indecipherable Halfworld Bible. We then get a lot of exposition explaining the history of Halfworld, as Blackjack O'Hare sneaks away (he's probably bored by the history lesson too). Actually, the exposition is needed, I guess. We learn that the Loonies were incurably insane people brought to the planet by their psychiatrists to cure them, since they were unwelcome at home. The animals were originally pets, and the robots were used to take care of all the day to day stuff, so the shrinks could concentrate on their patients.  The shrinks were recalled, leaving the animals and robots to look after the Loonies, and erecting the force field around the Quadrant to protect the Loonies ... apparently whatever planet they came from had an irrational hatred of crazy people.  The Bible ends there, but Uncle Pyko speculates that the robots grew tired of ministering to the irrational humans, so they genetically engineered the animals into sentience so they could do it. The robots then retreated to their side of the planet to make toys, tools, and the giant humanoid-shaped starship. Rocket is understandably chagrined--he's been searching for some meaning in Halfworld's mixed-up society, but now he's found out that his raison d'etre (or that of his ancestors) was to be a pet for a bunch of crazy humans.

Before Rocket can have a full-blown existential crisis, O'Hare returns with a multi-species gang of mercenaries he calls the Awful Eight. (He also makes a John Updike reference, which I find strange rather than funny.) O'Hare wants to get back into Lord Dyvyne's good graces by bringing Lylla to him. A big shootout starts (it is a cantina, after all!) and Lylla has one of her rare moments of agency when she decks O'Hare. Rocket and the others (including Pyko) whittle the Awful Eight down to the Terrible Trio, and then take off. Pyko makes a reference to them "running low on powder and ammo", but they're using energy weapons, so that doesn't make sense. Pyko takes them to the Assembly building to meet the Head Robot (literally...it's a giant robotic head). Pyko says the Halfworld Bible can be fed to the Head Robot and it'll be able to manufacture a toy that might be therapeutic...maybe even cure the Loonies of their madness. He leaves the choice up to Rocket, who is torn: he's just found out that he's basically a glorified pet, but his mission has always been to help the Loonies in any way possible. Being the heroic raccoon we all know he is, he decides to do what's best for the Loonies, even though their being cured would leave the animals with no real purpose. Rocket feeds the Bible to the Head Robot and the assembly line soon spits out...some weird-looking helmets? How are those supposed to help the Loonies? Maybe we'll find out in the final issue.

Rocket Raccoon #4 (August 1985)

"The Age of Enlightenment"  

Bill Mantlo-Mike Mignola/Al Gordon

This issue opens with Rocket, Wal, Lylla, and Uncle Pyko (plus a sassy robot horse) travelling around and distributing the helmets from last issue to the Loonies. The set-up is kind of like an old medicine show, with Rocket and company doing weird skits and puppet shows to demonstrate the helmets. I guess they're doing it this way so Lord Dyvyne and Judson Jakes have a harder time tracking them down. Unfortunately, one of Jakes' Killer Clowns is disguised as a Loony, so word gets back to the two toy moguls pretty quickly. The helmets are said to make people "think more clearly", which should cure the Loonies of their insanity. When Rocket puts on a helmet, it makes him realize the depths of his feelings for Lylla, and he lays a big smooch on her. We also get some more expository dialogue from Uncle Pyko, recapping the first three issues. By the time all the helmets have been distributed, silence reigns in the Cuckoo's Nest. Rocket and his friends are worried at first, but Pyko explains that the Loonies are doing something they'd never really done before -- thinking.

Lord Dyvyne and Judson Jakes join in an all out attack against Rocket. The heroes are hard-pressed, but the robot horse goes for reinforcements. We get another glimpse of the later, more intense Rocket Raccoon as he goes wild during the fight. In spite of that, he's almost overwhelmed, but is saved at the last minute by Blackjack O'Hare, who shows up out of nowhere like Han Solo at the end of Star Wars. It's a cool moment, but I'm not really sure what Blackjack's motivation is supposed to be here. He says "I guess I finally realized that there wouldn't be much future for a merciless mercenary if I let Jakes and Dyvyne skin you!"...which doesn't really explain anything. I guess we're just supposed to accept that O'Hare isn't as bad as he seems, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.

As the heroes prepare to make a last stand, the fight is interrupted by the giant humanoid-shaped starship, which lands nearby. Dozens of cured Loonies pour out of the ship and join the fight, tipping things in favour of the good guys. There's a scene (which I'm assuming was done on purpose) that looks like a reverse Planet of the Apes reference where humans are catching the ape soldiers in nets. Jakes and Dyvyne flee on a Drakillar, pursued by Rocket. The Drakillar gets tired of them arguing, so it umps them onto a garbage heap. I'm not sure if they're meant to be dead here, but they certainly look dead. Now that the Loonies are cured of their madness, they want the animals to stay and help them remake the planet. Some animals do decide to stay (like Uncle Pyko, since he makes toys not for profit, but for the sheer enjoyment of it), but most of the animals and the robots decide to leave on the giant starship. The robots have figured out a way to deactivate the force field around the Quadrant, so the whole galaxy is open for them to explore. The last panel shows Rocket, Wal, Lylla, and O'Hare setting out for new adventures...which, as far as I can tell, didn't really materialize. Rocket showed up a few years later in Quasar #15 and Sensational She-Hulk #44-46, but the others never appeared again. I'm not sure if any explanation was ever given as to what happened to them.

This series was pretty good overall, but there were a few things that jumped out at me this time around. Mantlo uses a lot of expository dialogue to convey information. I know sometimes there's no choice, but it can get tedious. There were also a few places where the story seems to jump ahead in order to advance the plot, and there were a couple of places where dialogue seems to be coming from the wrong person. Also Dyvyne and Jakes really didn't have any reason to be bad guys; supposedly, they were greedy, but it seemed like they were just there to give Rocket someone to fight against. I also can't help wondering about the larger story. The Loonies look human (and are referred to as humans), but where did they come from originally? They can't be from Earth, because the technology level is too advanced, so I guess they're from some kind of parallel earth? Also, I'm not sure how they existed on the planet for so long; the story said they'd been there for hundreds of years, and after the first (insane) generation died off, their kids (and their kids, and so on) were all insane too, just from being raised in that environment, by insane parents. So, nurture over nature, I guess? But it makes me wonder how they even procreated...did the robots teach them? Maybe some questions are better left unanswered. On the positive side, there was some good action, some humourous scenes, and the art was great. I normally find Mike Mignola's art a bit too weird for my taste, but it fits perfectly here. As we all know, Rocket went on to become something of a star with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's interesting to see his (somewhat) humble beginnings here.

Tales from Topographic Men: Marvel Presents 6 and 7

Marvel Presents #6 (August 1976)
"The Topographical Man"
Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom/Terry Austin

Karen: Today you're getting a "two for the price of one" deal. We realized the Guardians storyline we were reviewing didn't wrap up until issue 7, but we had only slotted out for issue 6, so we're going to cover both issues in one post. It may be a little more succinct than normal, but we'll still cover the salient points. Oh, and that scene on the cover? Never happens.

Doug: It is a bit of a grabber, though. From most of the interiors we've looked at so far, the depiction of Martinex is the best I've seen. I'm thinking that Joe Sinnott could work some magic on Marty's face.

Karen: The team has beamed back aboard the Captain America and is stuck watching the cosmic space frog devour a planet. They have no way of stopping it, as their weapons are ineffective against it. It's all too much for Nikki though, and she drops the hammer and heads straight for the creature in hyperdrive. Instead of being destroyed, the team passes through the thing's energy field and crashes onto the surface of ...something. Martinex suggests they go out to explore -that this may be what happened to Starhawk too. But Vance is once again in full-on fit mode, and retreats to his room. Nikki tries to apologize and lure him out, but Vance seemingly begins to crack up, saying they're all nothing but "motes," and then begins to proposition the young Mercurian. Charlie puts his head in the door and sees this and growls at Vance to leave her alone. The big Marine walks off with the girl, telling Vance to get his head together.

Doug: I remarked to Karen a week ago in an email that I really haven't enjoyed this set of posts. I really thought I had read some of these stories 40 years ago, but I certainly did not. Which I cannot figure, as I know I'd have wanted this series -- I loved the Guardians' appearance in the Defenders. But this is all too weird for me. I don't want to read stories where I hate one of the protagonists. And I hate (strong word, I know) Vance Astro. There is no redeeming quality about him. He is rude, crude, full of self-pity, and just a general wet blanket. And then we get this scene. They've known Nikki by now for what -- a couple of days? I believe I recall that Gerber made a point to say that Nikki was 18, but still. Charlie should have throttled Vance.

Karen: It really is hard to feel anything more than contempt for Vance at this point. But he also seems to be cracking up. There's no real other explanation for his behavior.  The Guardians, minus Vance, find themselves on a desert-like world. They soon come across aliens who live just like Bedouins, complete with camels and tents. They are attacked but  quickly overcome their foes. The chieftain introduces them to his son -Starhawk!

Doug: The influence of Jack Kirby's Skrull world where they were all gangsters lives on! Except these guys look like the long-lost relatives of Curt Connors. In the scene with the harem, why were all of the females humans? Man, outer space sure can be confusing!

Karen: We get another story with the "parallel culture" riff -boy, I really don't care for this! Why were the women human? I don't know, for eye candy purposes? I can't think of any other reason. Back on board the ship, a tiny version of the space frog has attacked Vance. He fights back with his psionic powers and eventually overcomes it. He takes it and looks at it under a microscope and discovers that it is essentially a grain of sand surrounded by an energy shell -it's possible every grain of sand on the planet could be like this. He heads toward the radio to warn his team-mates when an earth-tremor occurs. The Guardians also feel it and call Vance. Starhawk tells them to have Astro start the engines. Vance is incredulous, but does it. He blasts right through the soil and past it, coming out the other side, and soon discovers that it was no planet they were on, but a colossal, light-years long humanoid body, composed of mountains and deserts and oceans.

Doug: Do you suppose Gerber meant for Vance's rant about everyone being just a mote to tie into this

vignette with the mini-me of the space frog? Obviously Vance uses the term again, but what is the greater meaning? Perhaps Gerber was mocking man's insignificance in the scene with Vance and Nikki, and I suppose here, further into the story, he cements that by showing that even if man's life is insignificant, he is yet able to be felled by entities even more insignificant than he... Maybe I am over thinking it.

Karen: No, I think you're onto something there. In general, Gerber's opinion of humanity seems to be pretty low, if his writing is any example. 

Doug: I was about to question the vegetation that must have been consumed in coming up with the look and even idea for the Topographical Man. But then I assumed Kirby was playing it straight when he created Ego, the Living Planet. 

Karen: Back on the "man-planet" Starhawk leads the others to a mountain where they enter a cave and go deep underground to discover a huge temple built in a cavern. He says it is the Convent of Living Fire. On board the Captain America, Vance, still stunned by the revelation of the gigantic humanoid, discovers that the being holds a star in either hand -and he's accelerating their growth towards supernova status, and fast. Vance calculates that they are smack dab in the hub of the galaxy, where the stars are most densely clustered. If those two stars explode, it will  start a chain reaction. But before he can do anything about it, his doppleganger shows up -it's a young Major Vance Astro, in his astronaut suit, prior to being put into his foil encasement. Vance immediately recognizes him as either an illusion or something similar. But this does him little good, as the creature strikes out with an energy-sapping tendril.

Doug: I struggled throughout to get in tune with Gerber's take on religion and religious conventions. I keep thinking he mocks it as a belief system as well as institutionally, yet he comes back to it often. Starhawk is often an edgy sort of Christ-like.

Karen: Vance is beyond flawed, but I suppose he's more "human" and perhaps supposed to be more relatable than Starhawk, who is enigmatic. Was the idea to set up two diametrically opposed personalities here? If so, it doesn't really work for me.  Before we get to the next issue, I want to say how much I loved Terry Austin's inks. Can the man do any wrong? He just elevates anything he works on. Fantastic inking job, and my favorite of all the inkers we've seen (including the next issue).

Doug: Agreed. This pushed Pablo Marcos into second place, and I continue to be impressed that I liked his work so much. But you're right -- Terry Austin is the gold standard.

Marvel Presents #7 (November 1976)
"Embrace the Void!"
Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom/Bob Wiacek

Karen: The Guardians enter the Convent of Living Fire and hear a loud wailing sound. The Mother Superior

explains that it is their prayer -a song of joy and anguish. The Guardians are baffled but walk further in, past what appear to be flaming sculptures of women. They soon discover these are actually live women -who quickly burn to ash! And Starhawk tells Nikki she must do this, to save the galaxy!

Doug: So Nikki had to do this because... why? She was the only woman they had on hand? She was a Mercurian? She was a virgin (although lord knows if Vance really wanted to change that last issue)? Additionally, although the Mother Superior had reptilian features, her markings were different from the males of the desert tribe we'd seen the previous issue. Were these nuns their "women"?

Karen: None of this is explained. There's so much left for the reader to try to figure out. Had the nuns been trying to do what Nikki does and failing for some time? A lot of this story felt rushed to me. Aboard the Captain America, Vance faces off against his younger duplicate, giving him the most potent psychic blast he's ever unleashed. Both beings fall to their knees -and then Vance falls to the floor!

Doug: I got a real Rocky II vibe out of this scene. I also wondered if somehow Vance's essence was transferred to his younger self and he'd be freed from the imprisonment inside his foil suit -- that maybe, just maybe, he would quit acting like such an ass.

Karen: We cut away from the actions swirling in and around the Topographical Man, and go instead to an asteroid base far away. The clear dome surrounding it has been cracked, and all atmosphere has been eliminated. No life is present. On a computer screen, the woman Aleta cries for her children, until at last the computer also malfunctions and explodes.

Doug: I've not read all the way to the conclusion of this series -- are those kids hers? They only seem to be referred to as the children.

Karen: Yeah, the kids are theirs. I actually like the Starhawk origin story better than this one! Back in the convent, Nikki is put into a gown and led to a chair for the ritual (this seemed awfully quick). The Mother Superior explains that the woman's body bursts into flame as her mind expands  across the universe. Most die soon after but some do return -only the strong willed. She emphasizes that Nikki will experience supreme ecstasy. Nikki insists she's not the martyr type, but Starhawk is emphatic that only a woman can do this. A switch is flipped and the process begins. At that very moment, Starhawk convulses in pain and takes off, imploring the others not to follow him. So of course Martinex does. They climb up out of the cave where Starhawk transforms into Aleta, shocking Marty. She says Starhawk abandoned the children to the reavers of Arcturus. While this is going on, Nikki slowly begins to ignite.

Doug: Gerber again used this scene for commentary of his own, referring to "the chair" and "the rap". Then his words had the Mother Superior equate marriage to an execution. And how about the Mother Superior explaining what will happen as the ultimate sensual experience? Seemed an odd description. I wonder why, if Starhawk is the One Who Knows, that he didn't ask Aleta to be the martyr? Hrmph -- some hero...

Karen: They all seem awfully willing to let Nikki hop up there and burn. On the ship, Vance has awoken -but he's inside the body of the dopplelganger! He's somewhat pleased to be out of his foil shell, but he can't stop to enjoy it, as the two suns in the Topographical Man's hands have started to go nova. As he tries to figure out what to do, his body becomes energy and is absorbed into the Topographical Man. Back at the Convent, as Vance's spirit enters the Topographical Man, Yondu senses that something has changed. He feels that Nikki's soul is in danger and tries to get to her but Charlie, not understanding, stops him. Moments later, all assembled see the shining white form of the girl's spirit ascend from her body and go off into space.

Doug: I gotta be honest -- what is going on in this scene totally escaped me when I read it the first time. However, on the second read I definitely got it.

Karen: Once in space, Nikki's spirit sees the Topographical Man and realizes what she must do. She

expands to equal his size, and then touches his face to awaken him. However, since the T.M. is the opposite of life, he cannot awaken, and so she has roused another spirit -Vance. The T.M.'s form takes on the appearance of Vance, although it is his-foil-suit-covered appearance. Got all this? The two of them together will work to destroy the T.M. The illustration shows Nikki embracing him.

Doug: Yeah, embracing him with her left leg curled around him. Good grief.

Karen: Back in the cavern, they are experiencing a major earthquake. The Mother Superior is pleased that the T.M. is being torn apart, and says to leave Nikki, she's done her job. But Yondu is having none of that. He picks her up and carries her out, despite the fact that she's still on fire. Charlie clears a path for them and Martinex and Aleta show up and transport them out, just in time to beam back to the ship. They get a look at the viewscreen to see that they were never on a planet...as the Topographical Man and Nikki's spirit are blown apart. Yondu explains for us that, "Nikki and Vance have brought it about the only way possible - by force of spirit alone - causing the demon to engage in an act of love -- an affirmation of its own opposite, which is life!" Well, OK then.

Doug: I got nuthin'.

Karen: Nikki and Vance both awaken and at first seem a bit caught in the afterglow. Martinex points out that there's a new star, right where the Topographical Man used to be. Vance says to Nikki that they felt the creation of it, and Aleta points out that they are holding hands, which makes Vance feel awkward, and he pulls his away. He walks off with Nikki telling him there's no reason to be shy about it...

Karen: OK, well, this is a pretty damned weird story, and although I read it when it came out, I can honestly say I thought it was pretty weird then too. The space frog is like a cut-rate Galactus, or perhaps Thanos, in that it seems to actually desire death. But the frog wasn't the actual enemy I guess, but the Topographical Man? I'm not sure, and I'm not going to re-read it either. Although nothing graphic is actually shown (it was still a Code-approved 1976 comic) the implication that Nikki and Vance had sex is there, and seems like the only reason for the story -there's just not much of a plot here.  The Starhawk story that follows is much better, in my opinion.

Doug: I've voiced here, and before, my doubts about Steve Gerber. And I think it's OK among our friends if I say maybe he's just not my cup of tea. But I will say this about the man -- as we focus on the Bronze Age around here, Gerber's about as Bronze Age as it gets. Karen mentioned the Code, and certainly we've discussed that by the mid-70s the Comics Code Authority had been relaxed or reformed. Gerber was on the edge of wherever that reform fell. And he was loving it. Tip of the hat to the man for that.

Soapbox Steve and Underground Al Bring You -- Marvel Presents 5

Marvel Presents #5 (June 1976)
"Planet of the Absurd!"
Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom/Howard Chaykin

Doug: You want "absurd"? You've come to the right comic, friend! I remarked at the end of last week's review that while not totally sold on what Gerber was doing with characterization, etc. in this series, he at least had me intrigued enough to read on. Well, as I write this I am on my second read of this story. My first one was near the beginning of my 10-day trek to Washington DC a month ago and I admittedly put the book down somewhat disgustedly. But after two weeks of Karen's (and our readers') comments, as well as some off-line conversations with my partner, I'm seeing this with new eyes. So let's see what sort of mood I'm in by the bottom of this write-up.

Karen: This is one of those rare occasions where you and I differ in our opinions on a book. I'll admit I'm looking at this with a sheen of nostalgia over my eyes. Even so, I can say I'd only give it a B- or so -it's certainly not in the top ranks of favorites, but I've enjoyed revisiting it.

Doug: If you'll backtrack in your brains seven days, you might remember that after the Guardians did battle with the giant space frog the beastie not only ate Starhawk, but also infected the Captain America with some sort of virus. With the ship's life support on the fritz, Martinex orders his mates down to the nearest planet -- which hopefully has a favorable environment! So Vance, Charlie, Nikki, and Yondu "beam down" to some place they know nothing of. And what a sphere it is! Martinex thinks he's dropping them into a city, yet they end up in a forest. Or do they? Yondu gets in tune with Mother Nature right away, and senses that all is not good with the flora. Suddenly a humanoid appears, toting a double-barreled shotgun. He tells our assemblage of wanderers that he's the gardener, and his main job is to keep pests off the private property. And then everyone moves toward a door. A rooftop door. They were in a huge urban garden all along -- which sort of gave me a vibe from Daredevil #s 142-143, where DD had to fight the Cobra and Mr. Hyde in a rooftop jungle.

Karen: The 'gardener' looks like the Heap! But he sounds like a redneck. Uh oh. I'm not real fond of "parallel cultures"...

Doug: Once inside the building, we're treated to a cast that looks like they jumped ship from a Dick Tracy strip. Planet of the absurd, indeed. The dudes in the room appear to be some sort of mobsters, and they think the Guardians are hit men assigned by some rival boss. After the godfather of this troop, a Mr. Slech, tries to get fresh with Nikki, Charlie takes exception. Well, OK -- he bodily threatens Slech. And of course, all hell breaks loose. But the thugs are no match for the Guardians' powers, and with Slech in tow, the displaced heroes make it out and onto an elevator. They head for the ground floor to be greeted by more weirdos, and then the kicker -- the planet (or at least this part of it) is made up to resemble Times Square, circa 1980! Vance contacts Martinex, who says he's really having trouble getting the ship running. He rattles off some device that he needs, which Vance recognizes as basically a transistor. So, ordering Charlie and Nikki to stay put, Vance and Yondu head off in search of such a thing.

Karen: If Milgrom wanted to make this pseudo-New York look as unappealing as possible, he succeeded. It was almost as if you could feel the slime oozing out of the pages.

Doug: Vance tells Yondu that he's along for the ride because he's basically too innocent to survive by himself. Before Yondu can really muster a protest, the two enter what amounts to a pawn shop. Vance asks if the proprietor has what they need, which he does, but doesn't seem so willing to part with. So they begin to dicker over the price, how will Vance pay, etc. With no resources on him, Vance offers up one of Yondu's arrows. Yondu protests, but to no avail. The deal cut, Vance hurries his buddy out the door. But Yondu's going to stand up for himself, and rips Vance's stealing of an arrow that was not his to give. And in his soliloquy, Yondu shows Vance how his whistle makes the yaka arrow react -- and it basically comes right to Yondu's hand. And in a moment of mid-70s political incorrectness, Gerber has Vance call Yondu an "Indian giver". The two run like thieves, and split up in case the cops trail them.

Karen: Once again, Vance acts like a jerk. It is kind of hard to like the guy.

Doug: It seems that Gerber feels most comfortable using that tried and true super-team method of dividing the players and then telling short vignettes about each group. We check in next on Charlie and Nikki -- right away, this looks like it's going to play out as a big brother/little sister relationship, doesn't it? They come across an arcade, and Nikki remarks right away about the cacophony that greets them upon entrance. Well, that, and the gang of local teens hanging out. The leader of the pack tries to hit on Nikki, and as we saw in the gang leader's board room earlier, Charlie is having none of it. The toughs pile on, but you know they're no match for Charlie's mass. He shrugs them off easily, until the cops show up and hit him with some tear gas. Nikki bolts, her fire-like tresses blending in with the rest of the weirdos in the crowd.

Karen: You know, I didn't think of the "brother/sister" thing at all, so it was interesting to read that and then go back and read that scene again. I can see how it could be interpreted that way. I think I always felt Charlie was a bit of a white knight, living by his own code of honor -perhaps influenced by his military background?

Doug: Gerber saves his most in-your-face bit of satire/political criticism for the next scene, where Yondu wanders into the midst of a crowd watching a candidate stumping for the presidency. As fate would have it, this nation on the planet of the absurd is also celebrating its bicentennial. Who'd have thought? We present the entire page for your perusal -- no subtleties here, no sir! Note Yondu's line at the bottom of the page, about post-Watergate Americans -- "They are... to be pitied."

Karen: Did you notice the "WIN" button on the presidents' collar? Who here does not remember "whip inflation now"? Boy that sure was a great slogan. Yeesh. Yes, this was as subtle as using a cannon to hit a mosquito.

Doug: Vance, in his effort to avoid the cops after the what's-now-a-theft from the pawn shop, wanders into some sort of hippie gathering. I'll give Al Milgrom credit in this issue -- I don't know that he duplicated any of the "creatures" on this planet of the absurd. At least to my eye as I move through this tale, they all look different. Perhaps that's by design, intentional -- maybe that's Gerber's way of saying that conformity and/or sameness is part of the problem in the society in which he was writing. Either Milgrom felt the same way, or at least took Steve's instructions and filled them to the letter! Anyway, a young lady who I swear looks like a character in the Inhumans mag published at about this same time, wants Vance to tune in, turn on, and drop out. Vance says that maybe he's not ready for that sort of therapy and hightails it past this group.

Karen: I felt this scene in many ways duplicated the scene from issue 3, with the bar dancer, in as far as showing Vance's discomfort with physicality. Was it necessary to give this to us again so soon? Then again, this was a bimonthly book, so maybe Gerber felt he had to reiterate major themes, like Vance's isolation.

Doug: Back to Charlie, now cooling his heels in the city lock-up -- and Gerber uses it for another platform, this time his views on our judicial and penal systems. Charlie's cellmate tells the Jovian that he's in for grand theft auto -- been in the clink for many years. But while he narrates his sad, sad story, a fellow from down the block walks by, paroled... for murder. Gerber takes a shot at parole boards through his cipher, but Charlie doesn't have time for this -- gotta run. As only Charlie can. Right through the wall! Outside, Nikki is accosted by a woman who wants her to hear a message of salvation. Obviously Gerber is seguing into a bashing of organized religion, cults, salvation messages, messiah complexes, you name it. And he does -- actually gets quite a few rip jobs into only eight panels! The man certainly made use of the space he had to work with. In the end, Nikki ticks off the entire "congregation" and has to run for her life, accused of blasphemy. And you know what the penalty for that is... Leaping outside, she encounters Charlie -- also running from the law and anyone else who wants a piece of his hide. So the two make tracks together, attempting to hook back up with Vance and Yondu.

Karen: Of course, it was also the time of the so-called "Jesus Freaks," "Moonies," and a zillion small cults; even in my small town, we had people handing out flyers on street corners, proclaiming their leader to be the glorious incarnation of God, or whatever. Gerber captures this lunacy and magnifies it here.  

Doug: We've had cults in our area. One notable group was known as "His Community"; I think it was in 1977 or '78 that the cult left town in the middle of the night, families split apart as one parent took the children, and stuff like that. To this day, long-time residents of our county recall that.

Doug: As Charlie and Nikki run, they come face-to-face with Yondu! He's about to fire an arrow into the crowd, which cause Nikki to question his sanity. But the yaka arrow does its thing in response to Yondu's whistle, and throws the mob off its collective game. This gives the now-three Guardians a chance to catch their breath. Not too far away is Vance Astro, communicating with Martinex. Marty tells him to hurry and find the others, and they'll communicate again. Just then, Yondu's arrow sails by -- Vance has his troops back. They gather, but before they have time to relate all that's gone on, a ship appears in the sky. Charlie says there's no way these chumps on this planet could have built something like the space shuttle now hovering above. And -- as you might guess -- a tractor beam lifts the Guardians up and aboard.

Karen: Really enjoyed the two panels with Vance watching Yondu's arrow go by -that was a nice comedic bit, well done.

Doug: The Guardians are brought aboard the craft and greeted by a Dr. Pazz-ko and his associate, Dr. Roh-ma. They are the custodians of the planet below, a place they call "Asylum". You see, it's for all the crazies they've collected from 50 planets in the area, all loosely confederated. Astro asks about the parallels to the Earth of his time, and Pazz-ko tells him that he and Roh-ma made no designs or promptings. What was created below is the result of the will and desire of the asylum's... inmates. They live in what they want to live in. The story ends with the team reunited aboard the Captain America, Martinex having been given the components he needed for repair. And then Gerber leaves us with his final political treatise: when asked by Martinex if he's still up for saving the galaxy, Vance replies, "Why not? It's a mission for a crazy man if ever I've heard of one."

Karen: Yeah, parallel culture development. Like I said at the beginning, not my cup of tea. Tie that to the idea that modern humans are completely crazy, and this issue gets a big yawn from me.

Doug: As I said at the top, I was going to try to read this with a different attitude, and I think I was successful. I decided this time that rather than react to Gerber's promptings/rantings/warnings -- whatever you want to call them... I was instead going to just let them come to me and approach them with a more reflective mindset. After all, I wasn't in my 30s in 1976, didn't live in New York City, and overall was not that much affected by the Vietnam and Watergate eras. I was simply too young through all of those events and happenings to have understood. But reading this now, as an adult with a penchant for wanting to learn about history, I sort of appreciate Gerber's thoughts. I still feel it's a bit heavy-handed to do this in a mainstream superhero comic, and I'd love to know what "tweens" who read this off the shelf thought of it -- probably that it was just weird. But I'm sure some older high school-aged kids and college students would have "gotten" what Gerber was trying to say. And how about the art? First off, I thought Howard Chaykin's inks were terrible. Very heavy at times, generally uneven, and really didn't help Milgrom (whose pencils weren't terrible). After three issues, I'm still voting for Pablo Marcos as "best inker".

Karen: So far, I agree, Marcos was the best. I completely agree with you about Chaykin. But next time we get -Terry Austin!