Space Frogs and Hermaphroditic Heroes? Marvel Presents 4

 This is the 500th review written by the Bronze Age Babies!

Marvel Presents #4 (April 1976)

"Into the Maw of Madness!"

Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom

Doug: Space frog. It looks like a space frog. Admittedly, I am not as big a fan of Steve Gerber as I know many of our readers are, but then in the Bronze Age I did not really care for Gil Kane or Jack Kirby; I've acquired tastes for both. If you were around last week you will recall that I had some serious reservations about the Guardians' inaugural voyage steering their own title. I went so far as to say, at the end, that had the producers of the major motion picture presently running in a theater near you been shown a copy of Marvel Presents #3, it might be no wonder they shied away from the classic incarnation of the team. In my opinion, Gerber's script was oddly paced and the characterizations he'd used in his previous forays into "Guardiandom" now seemed off. So we'll take a dive into this second chapter and see how we like it. I did remark last time, too, that Al Milgrom's art, under the embellishment of Pablo Marcos, was surprisingly good. I've never been a fan of Milgrom's art, and not of Marcos as an inker, either. But the combination by and large seemed to click. You'll notice today that Milgrom inks himself. So at the end, be sure to leave a comment on the lines as well as the words.

Karen: I really like the cover, although it is completely symbolic. I thought perhaps it was Milgrom inked by someone else, but Comic Book Database attributes it solely to Milgrom. I wouldn't be surprised though if some of the figures (Astro in particular) were touched up by art director John Romita.

Doug: Charlie's left leg seems really off, so I am going to assume that if the Jazzy one touched that cover, it wasn't there.

Doug: We find the Guardians stopped on Centauri-IV, the home planet of Yondu. At the conclusion of last week's issue, the team had abandoned the very Earth they'd helped to free from the Badoon. Each Guardian tried, in his own way, to ease himself into terran society... and each had failed, been grossly dissatisfied. So Starhawk had come up with a mission for the team, one that would take them across the stars. But Yondu felt like in order to proceed, he needed to seek the will of his gods. So the field trip was not planned, but necessary. Yondu went through his rituals, praying for a sign as to whether he would live or die on the mission. He received an omen that he would indeed live. Now last ish I complained about an abrupt shift in the personality of Major Vance Astro. Gerber writes him consistently here from the previous chapter, so I think I begin to see where he's going with it. One of our regular knocks on Silver and Bronze Age characterization at DC Comics is the "cookie-cutter" superhero, showing no discernible differences between any of the males on Super Friends (for example). As no one had really stood out as the loose cannon in previous stories featuring the Guardians, I guess Gerber decided that it was going to be Vance. So I guess I can get used to this. I'll have to.

Karen: Again, we see Yondu seeking signs that he is to continue on with living. The small bug crawling up to him in the midst of the storm is a nice touch. I find Charlie to be very similar to the Beast -a big, hulking guy with a strong intellect. It's Charlie rather than Martinex who decides to inform Astro about Yondu's society and culture. Of all the team, Vance, the man from old Earth, is the least inclined to believe in spiritual matters. But then given his situation, is it any wonder he might not have any faith any more?

Doug: So the team teleports up to the waiting Captain America to resume their mission. Astro continues to mutter about religion/metaphysics, etc. Martinex tries to talk him down, but eventually Astro gives up and leaves the room. As he enters his quarters, we find that his lodging is set up as it might have been when he was a child. Images of Captain America adorn the space. Astro complains to himself about his condition, of being over 1000 years old, yet trapped in his sustaining metal foil suit. Suddenly he is addressed by Starhawk. Astro whirls, and accuses Starhawk of invading his privacy. But Starhawk tells him the door was open; he assumed his mind was as well. This ticks off Astro, who then fires a mind bolt at Starhawk. What follows is unnerving, for both men. For a split second, Astro sees a woman standing just barely in front of Starhawk, but then just as quickly gone. Starhawk is staggered by the bolt, and as he rises from a knee he reminds Astro that he is the giver of light and of life, and while he has killed in the past, he's only once regretted it. This was a strange little monologue, as Gerber wrote Starhawk at one time Christlike, yet more of as a judge/jury/executioner all at the same time. Perhaps that was Gerber's view of Christianity, or at least of the institution as represented by its various institutions/denominations. Starhawk leaves, and Astro wonders what he just saw.

Karen: I was going to remark on how odd it is that Astro chooses to reside in a room designed for a 12 year old -til I took a look around at my own room! Perhaps we are all most comforted by the carefree days of youth. Yet the room is a constant reminder of how unhappy he now is. As Starhawk points out, Astro got to do something few of us can, fulfill his dreams, by becoming an astronaut, but the reality was not what he expected.

Doug: I think that Vance had lost all connection to his boyhood hero, Captain America. It seems like he's very far removed from those values and leadership qualities. I get what's been said about the hand he's been dealt in regard to the containment suit, etc. But he's so far removed from any semblance of a team player. 

Doug: On the bridge, Yondu tells Charlie-27 and Martinex that an object is coming up on the viewscreen. It's a small Earth-based craft, directly on a collision course with the Captain America. It's meteor deflection shields are causing a problem, so Starhawk tells Martinex to employ the CA's tractor beams and haul the craft on board. Shortly, once in the airlock, a figure emerges from the small ship. It's a girl, a Mercurian, and she's feisty! She assumes the Guardians are Badoon in disguise, and levels a gun at them. They assure here that they are not, and ask her her story. We have been introduced to Nikki, the sixth member (soon, anyway) of the GotG. She relates her origin, of the Badoon murdering her parents before her eyes as they subjugated Mercury. She was only 11, but knew how to pilot the family's space craft so took to the stars. She got away from our solar system, and drifted throughout the galaxy for seven years, until this time. Along the way she saw a lot and learned a lot, and allowed the Guardians to see the course she had been on. Interestingly, Martinex said he'd get her some clothes, as she found the CA's climate control system to be a bit cool to her tastes -- he got her some caveman furs. Odd choice...

Karen: Reading this, I began to think about Nikki, who was a new character created just for this team, and compare her to Mantis, who Steve Englehart had created for the Avengers. I like Nikki a lot better. Gerber gives Nikki a background of self-reliance, and although she's clad in a midriff exposing two-piece outfit, she doesn't come across as particularly sexualized. If anything, she's 'plucky' and a survivor, which makes her a good fit for this group. The furs, though, make no sense!

Doug: I think "plucky" is a great term for Nikki. And I agree about the lack of sexualization, even though they remarked that she was 18 or so. We'll see beginning next issue, though, that she forms a special bond with Charlie. As Nikki related her adventures, Starhawk asked her if she had ever noticed a strange odor on any of the dead planets she'd visited. She said that yes, she had! Comparing notes, it was determined that she had been through space zones where a cosmic being had been previously -- draining the life forces from planets and even solar systems. But in the midst of this conversation, Astro again piped up as abrasively as getting your face sandpapered. I don't mind controversy and/or conflict. I guess my main trouble here is that I want to like my heroes. And Gerber is putting Vance Astro into that Sunfire category for me -- know what I mean?

Karen: Basically, anything Starhawk says, Astro is going to object to or belittle it. It feels like he's lost his leadership role and he's fighting back, but just making it worse. The events on Earth obviously took their toll too. But I agree, it's tough to see him make an ass of himself repeatedly after seeing him as essentially a normal guy in those Defenders issues.

Doug: We cut to a farm, but where we know not. Three children play in a pasture with a horse, until a foreboding shadow casts itself over the landscape. The children hurriedly head for a log cabin, but inside to a computer. As they run, they say they will contact Aleta, if Starhawk is not there. He is not, so they sit down to the computer. Immediately a beautiful woman appears onscreen, her calming face quieting the children. Beams shoot form her eyes, and the children immediately turn to get into bed (a Three Stooges bunk bed, no less!). But up on the Captain America, we see Starhawk first take leave of his fellows (to Astro's jerk-like protestations), and then seated in a chair in his quarters, where Aleta emerges from his very being -- no, replaces his being! This was the woman that Astro had glimpsed previously! She stretches, now wearing a mini-dress version of Starhawk's costume. She looks for something to write a note on, but finds nothing. Vance enters the room, and obviously is quite alarmed at the person who greets him. But Aleta plays it off and tells Astro that she needs for him to relay a message to Starhawk -- the children need him. And then she exits the room. Almost immediately Starhawk enters the room, and Vance loses it (again). But as he's going off on Starhawk and how he's so mysterious, yada yada yada, Martinex comes over the comm system and tells them both to get to the bridge -- they've found their planet eater.

Karen: We wouldn't learn the full story about the children, and Aleta and Starhawk, until issue 9, so it was a bit of a tease here. I thought Aleta's costume was pretty lame -maybe they should have asked Dave Cockrum to design something for her? Astro's bewilderment over Aleta and then righteous indignation with Starhawk is par for the course.

Doug: Starhawk readies to head into space to try to get some readings on this creature. Charlie and Yondu explain to Nikki, as well as they can, how Starhawk can exist in space without a spacesuit. He has a biorecorder, and drops from the Captain America. His cosmic sails emerge, and the faceplate drops into place. He flies close to the "creature", and it begins to negatively affect him in multiple ways. Martinex remarks that they are getting no readings, that this "being" has no form and no life essence -- rather, it is "Karanada" to Yondu -- "the emptiness that devours". In our vernacular, I suppose it would be a sentient black hole. Of course Vance has to ridicule Yondu's Centaurian mythology, denigrating it rather than embracing it as a "what if...?" Outside, Starhawk is grabbed by the "creature" and pulled toward its "mouth".

Karen: I have to wonder who thought that a giant celestial toad was a good design for a terrifying galactic destroyer? I can't look at the thing and take it seriously. It looks like it's made out of marshmallow creme. So silly.

Doug: Perhaps various herbs were consumed during those editorial sessions?

Doug: Inside, Martinex is alarmed that he can no longer find any signs of Starhawk, nor of the biorecorder. Yondu bows his head, knowing that his people's prophecies have come true. Martinex relays that Starhawk had left instructions should he not come back, but before anything can be implemented there is a large explosion -- some of the computer systems aboard the Captain America are beginning to malfunction. The team begins to pick themselves up from the deck when Nikki notices on the viewscreen that the space frog (my term) is heading straight for the CA. Everyone scrambles to attempt to get the team out of there -- hyperdrive, anything! They succeed, but not without damage -- the creature somehow introduced a virus into the ship's systems, rendering them increasingly useless. And Starhawk? As the CA zips by, Martinex locates the biorecorder -- floating unattached. Just floating in space.

Karen: This is certainly a cliff-hanger -life support failing, Starhawk presumed dead., and a dangerous space frog on the loose!

Doug: I thought Al Milgrom's art was again pretty solid. He had a bit of a Vinnie Colletta vibe at times, particularly on the opening splash page. He and Gerber do seem to be in tune on the plot, and on Gerber's various weirdities. I've commented that all this seems a bit unconventional, yet Milgrom is along every step of the way. So it works (at least visually -- I'm still not sold on the elements of which I've voiced concern). As I write this, I've not yet read the third book -- my curiosity is up, however, and I declare that even if I didn't "have" to read it, I do think that I would. So there's a sale for you!

Karen: We will see a number of different inkers on Milgrom over the course of these reviews, including Milgrom himself, so it gives us an opportunity to really take a look at his art. I thought his work here was a little rough but not bad. As for the story, I feel it is still getting going. I'm really more interested in the characters than the space frog though!

Keep on Rocking in the Free World... or Not - Marvel Presents 3

Marvel Presents #3 (February 1976)
"Just Another Planet Story!"
Steve Gerber-Al Milgrom/Pablo Marcos

Doug: I can honestly say I got more from Al Milgrom in this issue than I expected, but way less from Vance Astro. So should I applaud Pablo Marcos and pan Steve Gerber -- is that what I'm trying to say? As we go through the month of August (and a temporary return to weekly partner reviews -- how's that for a taste of the past in a mag about the future?), I am confident that I'll be analyzing what it was that I liked about this incarnation of the Guardians. Of course the heavily-publicized feature film debuted just days ago here in the States, and I admittedly have no knowledge of the present team (I am assuming that these modern versions of Gamora, Groot, and Drax have no relations to their Bronze Age namesakes). So I'm definitely looking at the first five issues of the Marvel Presents Guardians series with an eye toward successes and failures.

Karen: I had most of the issues of this short series, and recall liking it well enough. I also enjoyed a lot of the more recent Guardians stuff (back when I was actively buying comics) although the original team are still the "real" Guardians to me -it's just a matter of perspective. I can say before we even get started, that this series is drenched in 70s attitude, most of it of the negative or bad variety, so on some level I have an automatic appreciation for it, although it gets a bit too bizarre for my tastes.

Doug: I think we can all agree that Steve Gerber often (OK, always?) injected his own politics into his stories in the form of satire. This series seems to be no exception, as right from the front page we get some POV narration from Gerber about the significance of the Milky Way, the Earth, and life. It ends well enough, and sets up the story, but I thought it read just a bit heavy. So do you suppose that imposing his own point of view on readers led Gerber to the Guardians strip, or would he have played it as heavy-handed in any title on which he would work? Gerber's writing style is quite different from that of Denny O'Neil, yet as I've read through the first few issues of this series I have found Gerber writing with as heavy a hammer as O'Neil in his Green Lantern/Green Arrow feature.

Sorry - small scanner bed!

Doug: We turn the page and we're faced with a nice two-page splash from Milgrom and Marcos that shows a full-on war between the Earthlings, the Badoon, and the Guardians. It's a summer movie spectacular, with fire, energy beams, and explosions! And the four main heroes are all in action, dutifully aiding those seeking to throw off Badoon imperial oppression. From the beginning, there is a reference to the storyline in Defenders #s 26-29, and keep in mind that prior to this issue, the Guardians had only been seen in less than ten comics. The creative team uses the next four pages to spotlight each member actively engaged in the skirmish, giving their backgrounds, power set, etc. Most of this is accomplished through narration boxes and relates information with which we are all by now familiar. I will say, though, that I was a bit surprised on the re-read that Milgrom showed us both a Badoon taking an arrow bloodily through the neck as well as Martinex turning a Badoon governor to ashes. It seemed a bit rough for a newsstand comic.

Karen: I guess all's fair in war, huh? In retrospect, this was shockingly violent.

Doug: Once reunited, the team quickly discovers that they have been victorious over the Badoon and have effectively freed the Earth! As the comrades celebrate, Vance Astro wonders where Starhawk is, and why he didn't help out. And then Astro seems to become a cipher for that guy on the street, the one who used to turn up from time-to-time in the Lee/Kirby books, doubting the heroes, dwelling on the power they have and that they don't have to answer to anyone for it. It's an odd voice I hear coming from Astro, as I don't believe it's the same characterization we've seen in the Marvel Two-In-One two-parter nor in the Defenders stories. I think in those stories Astro had more of a Captain America-type voice; here he's a grump, even a loose cannon. Maybe that's Gerber shaking things up, bringing us the unexpected. So we see Starhawk, rather aloof from the fighting, who takes off to survey the damage and to see what the next steps will be. He listens in on some Earthlings railing on about an eye-for-an-eye form of justice, and then Gerber gives Starhawk the moralizing voice, thinking to himself that the challenge will be to create a new society based on dignity, not hatred.

Karen: To play Devil's advocate, I can see why Gerber gave Vance Astro the personality he did. In his other appearances, he was a pretty bland guy -sort of your generic hero, nice, upstanding, etc. But if you start thinking about his situation, and the extreme,  ironic cruelty of it all (the thousand year old man whose mission was pointless, and who can never leave his foil suit), well, making Astro into a somewhat bitter, angry guy makes a lot of sense. He's not the most pleasant character, I'll grant you that, but he definitely has some layers. All of the characters have something of an edge to them, and looking back, it's surprising that a lot of this made it past the Comics Code!

Doug: I agree with your assessment of the change in Astro. Prior to this issue, ol' Vance could have been a cut-out from a Silver Age DC comic. So he provides some depth, some controversy on the team. I guess he was odd man out, huh? I couldn't have seen this personality being foisted upon Yondu or Martinex, and Charlie-27 is sort of a gentle giant, like Ben Grimm. Yup -- Vance was the guy. But what a jerk...

Doug: But just as we think the worst is over, there's a relapse to the situation. Another starship is landing -- a Badoon starship. Immediately Charlie-27 joins the Astro I-don't-trust-Starhawk chorus, this time to be coaxed back to his senses by Martinex. Everyone is understandably on edge, but in this short time span of a few panels it reads as over-the-top to me. But most fears are allayed -- or at least confused -- when the ship lands, opens, and out walks the female Badoon. We're reminded that the two Badoon genders hate each other and only reproduce to continue the species. The males are warlike conquerors, while the females are rational and would like to keep the males in check. They have come to take the males away and to deal with them. Of course the males want no part of this, and actually encourage the Earthlings to flay them alive! Wow... The man on the street, all couple hundred of them, of course think any Badoon is a bad Badoon and don't trust anything about this -- nor do they trust Starhawk, who seems to be in league with the Badoon women. The Badoon queen, growing weary of the arguing and accusations, basically says "you want the males dead, fine -- deal with them yourselves" and turns to leave. Astro steps in to calm the crowd, but Starhawk interrupts him. This causes friction between the two, and Astro again states his opinion about Starhawk's lack of assistance during the fighting. Starhawk says he answers to only himself, and one other -- and the other one is not Astro's god. We then get an odd page in the story, half art and half text, where Starhawk explains his position.

Karen: It sure seems like Gerber used a lot of text boxes, doesn't it? I can't think of another writer who had large runs of text like that. The mystery of Starhawk was one of the more interesting aspects of the title and the way it unfolded was well done. He certainly had an angelic aspect to him, and Astro's sarcastic response of "I suppose He speaks to you directly" properly shows the friction between the two of them. 

Doug: To close the issue, we again get one-page vignettes focusing on each of our main characters. Yondu heads to the forests of Earth, which reminds him of his homeworld. Yondu is a bit of a mystic, and in his meditation is nearly taken down by a... caveman? Wait, wait, wait. Every Earthling in the first half of the story, despite the advancement of time, was dressed much as we are. But only months later, and on the same planet, Yondu is attacked in the woods by a caveman? Who cannot speak? And as the guy leaps from a tree Yondu runs him through the vital organs with an arrow -- and then says he'll nurse the guy back to health? A few months later Martinex is hoping to get back into the science game -- that's his background. But while inspecting a command center of some sort, he's told by the resident director that the knowledge fell to the will of the Badoon -- there was time and space to craft shelter for humans or for their physically stored knowledge. But not both. And during the conversation, in a human effort to console, the Earthman reaches out to touch Martinex, but draws back. Martinex picks up on this and asks him why. And here Gerber asks us to consider bigoted behavior.

Karen: The scene with Yondu is a bit puzzling. I assumed that some humans had reverted to a more primitive state -that's really the only explanation I could come up with! The more disturbing thing here is that Yondu was considering suicide before the attack, but was convinced that his reflexive defense was a sign from his gods that he was not ready to die yet. Then again, he (like Martinex and Charlie) is the last of his kind - the Badoon really did a job on the galaxy! The encounter between Martinex and his colleague was very well handled by Gerber and Milgrom. Martinex, like Charlie, is of human descent -his ancestors were humans with genes altered so they could live on Pluto. He's not an alien. But his appearance causes unease. Despite helping to free the Earth, he has no place there.

Doug: On the west coast, Charlie-27 has gone to work for a construction company. He's a grunt, with a tyrant for a foreman. Toward the end of the shift Charlie finds that he can take no more. So, right before the whistle (why all these 20th Century conventions for a story set in the 31st Century?) to end the day, Charlie decides to wrap the boss in a girder... and leave him there. Lastly, we look in on Major Vance Astro. He's in a strip club (seriously? I was only 9 years old when this was on sale, and I could tell you 2-3 grocery stores/drug stores where I could buy this off the spinner racks) feeling sorry for himself due to his condition of advanced age -- after all, if not for his containment suit, he wouldn't exist. He cannot eat, cannot touch, nothing. So when one of the ladies strolls over and asks him about a good time and all that, Astro brushes her off. He's mocked by a nearby patron, and Astro's response was -- to me -- startling. I don't know that he was vaporized, but I'd be willing to bet he got more than a taser's worth of shock from Astro's mind blast.

Karen: All four of these vignettes stuck with me from when I read them as a kid, but the one with Astro really got burned into my brain, because you just did not see super-heroes in strip clubs back in the 70s! I don't know that I truly grasped everything that was behind this scene when I first read it, but upon re-readings as I got older, the meaning became crystal clear. Again, how this got through the Comics Code I have no idea, as it speaks of sexual frustration. The shot with Astro staring at the dancer's torso and the jewel in her navel pretty much says it all. I felt that this scene laid out the reasons for Astro's borderline mental breakdown later on -all of the normal physical activities that humans engage in are completely denied to him. Who wouldn't be angry and even a little nuts from that?

Doug: We end back on the Captain America, as Vance Astro is teleported aboard. He's, in his own way, happy to see his teammates. The same could not be said, however, for his greeting to Starhawk as the mystery man informs Astro that they are embarking on a mission of his own choice. They are leaving Earth for the stars, on a pre-destined course of travel. Astro's not sure he's given his consent to any of this...

Karen: Who's leading this thing? And we've got a crew of outcasts and malcontents -oh boy...

Doug: I can't say that I truly enjoyed this story much past the nostalgia factor. In fact, if I were to put myself in the shoes of the current film's producers and this was the issue I was shown as backstory for the original characters, I think I might have gone with the updated incarnation of the Guardians. We'll see how this goes as we move through the next four issues (week #4 of our series will be a two-for-one, as we were originally going to end in the middle of a story), but I have to say as we begin that I'm a bit edgy about Gerber's style and the art -- it was overall better than expected, but could still be uneven here and there.

Karen: I still have fondness for these issues, but I'm trying to evaluate them on their own merits. I have to say, this issue is pretty dark! But it's entirely set-up, so I'm prepared to see where it takes us. The art was solid -I've found Al Milgrom to be a mixed bag, really varying in quality depending on who's inking him. Here, Marcos is a good match.

A Classic Review from Doug -- Marvel Super-Heroes 18

Note: This review was originally published at Two Girls, A Guy, and Some Comics on 26 July 2009.

Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969)

"Earth Shall Overcome!"

Arnold Drake-Gene Colan/Mickey Demeo

Doug: I recently picked up the Marvel Premiere Hardcover, Guardians of the Galaxy: Earth Shall Overcome. I recalled the Guardians mainly from the pages of the Defenders, back in my early comics-buying days. When I saw that not only this collection was coming out, but its sequel (Guardians of the Galaxy: The Power of Starhawk), I was very excited to read them. I am a big fan of Marvel's recent strategy of getting not only important storylines from the Bronze Age back into print, but entire runs of short-lived series.

Since we tend to focus mainly on the Silver Age here at TGAGASC, I thought I'd stick to the first appearance of the Guardians from 1968 -- Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (cover-dated January 1969). The tale was authored by Arnold Drake and rendered by Gene Colan and Mike Esposito (under the latter's pen name of Mickey Demeo).

Arnold Drake, creator of the Doom Patrol and Deadman, was a longtime writer for DC Comics who fell out of favor with editorial toward the end of the 1960's. Shortly after seeing his workload dwindle to nothing, he moved over to Marvel Comics, where he created (with Colan) the Guardians. You can read more about Drake in a wonderful obituary penned by Mark Evanier at the following link:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_03_12.html#013083

I'll be honest -- this story reads just like a 1960's DC science fiction yarn! Colan's pencils (and I am speaking of figural form, speed lines, etc.) somewhat lend themselves more to the DC style than to what Marvel was then producing. Saying that, however, other than one splash page, there is not a single panel in the story that has right angle corners! Colan was really pushing the envelope with panel lay-outs here. Although there are no characters or backgrounds that break the panel boundaries (as we'd see a little later from not only Colan but also from the likes of Neal Adams, et al.), Colan's style is somewhat unnerving to the unsuspecting reader. A Colan-art veteran, I was nonetheless taken aback by the frenetic pace of the storytelling -- it was as if Drake's words could not keep up with Gene the Dean's pictures!

Drake's characterization is pretty basic. The bad guys, an alien race known as the Badoon, are pretty typically malevolent. They posture, they say all the right (or wrong, I suppose) things, and are pretty menacing in speech and in their looks. The goal of the Badoon is to eradicate the galaxy of humanity. On the other hand, the good guys fall into pretty basic team-book dynamics. It's difficult at this point to tell any pecking order among the four white knights, but it is pretty clear that Yondu the archer will be toward the bottom. I really had to laugh at the total lack of political correctness in Yondu's speech patterns -- reading him here was to "hear" Jay Silverheels speaking as Tonto! It really was funny. Vance Astro is a little bit of a smart aleck, and nowhere near the Captain America-clone he will become in subsequent incarnations of the team. Martinex is basically written as he will be later -- serious, focused. Charlie-27 is the one character who seems really undefined. He is listed as a survivor of the Jupiter colony, with a mass 11x that of an Earthman. However, the way Colan draws his head is quite odd, as it seems almost to flow -- it certainly changes shapes throughout the story. And, one would think that in spite of his bulk and weight that Charlie-27 possesses super-speed. He is drawn on many pages either with an overabundance of speed lines, and even at times in sequential pictures as if moving faster than the eye could normally follow -- as if he were Quicksilver or the Flash! I never remembered Charlie-27 possessing super-speed in any other stories, and indeed I can find no online references to that power in regard to his character. So perhaps Drake/Colan wanted to tinker with this later...

And that "later" wouldn't come to pass anytime soon. The Guardians, after their one-page, cliffhanger first appearance, would be back-burnered until Steve Gerber chose to unshelve them in 1974. After that, they would appear somewhat regularly as guest-stars in Marvel Two-In-One and the Defenders (1975), before gaining their own series in the pages of Marvel Presents (1977).

If you're a fan of the Bronze Age, or of science fiction, or just of today's Guardians (which I admittedly know nothing of), then you should seek out this hardcover. For my money, I wouldn't plunk down any change just for Marvel Super-Heroes #18, but for the added content the collection was the way to go.

PS (27 July 2014) -- I think I've gotten better at writing reviews over the years...

Discuss: The Guardians of the Galaxy

Doug:  All things Guardians today, kids -- comic appearances, your favorite character (Yondu's my guy), thoughts on the upcoming film and modern line-up, etc.

Don't forget about us...!

Badoon Go Home!: Guardians of the Galaxy part 4

THIS IS THE 100th COMIC BOOK REVIEWED BY THE BRONZE AGE BABIES

Defenders #29 (November 1975)
"Let My Planet Go!"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artists: Sal Buscema/Vince Colletta

Karen: This is our final review in this Guardians of the Galaxy storyline which ran through the Defenders. What I find so amazing about this storyline is that it is both conventional and highly unconventional, all at the same time. The familiar super-hero cliches are still here, and yet, there's a real eccentricity to it. But in a very readable and enjoyable way.

Doug: It's intergalactic, yet homey -- it's a hodgepodge of images from previous stories and sources. And the freedom-fighter aspect holds it together nicely. There's a real sense of purpose throughout.

Karen: We pick up the action with a Badoon firing squad about to blast Nighthawk, Charlie-27, and Martinex. Valkyrie and Vance Astro have been teleported to the scene by the astral form of Dr. Strange. They stop the execution and the combined heroes attack the Badoon.
Doug: Yes, it's all a little too convenient, but the sense of urgency with which the heroes burst forth from this scene is still strongly suspenseful.

Karen: Back on the planet of the drunks, the Hulk and one of King Goozot's wives, who strangely enough found herself attracted to Hulk, are transported to an icy land, all as a part of the bizarre game show from last issue. It's fun to see the old, childlike Hulk here. Personally I've had too much of the modern, mass murdering Hulk.
Doug: "Hulk's name is "Hulk" -- not stupid "Mr. Green". But Hulk will help girl." Vintage...
Karen: He and the girl are attacked by robotic bugs, but of course, Hulk eventually destroys them all, bringing down a mountain to boot! Just as Hulk is about to smash show host "Mon-Tee", he and Yondu are teleported to Earth to join the fight with their team-mates.
Doug: There was a nice little hydra motif to the bugs -- the more Hulk smashed, the more there were.

Karen: Back on the Guardians' ship, Strange comes out of his trance and finds a stowaway - Jack Norriss, the husband of Valkyrie's mortal form, Barbara Norriss. Seems Jack sneaked aboard the ship before they took off to stay close to Val. Now he tells Strange that he wants to help in the fight against the Badoon. Unfortunately, here's where I feel like the wheels came off a bit. Strange and Norriss travel to Badoon-controlled prisons all over Earth, freeing the humans in each place, allowing them to attack their oppressors. It sort of makes the rest of the team members seem unnecessary, but then, that's always a problem when you have such powerful characters - whether it be Dr. Strange or the Surfer or Superman or the Spectre - on a team book. As Norriss says to Strange, "You could've zapped the Badoon off the face of the Earth all by yourself, couldn't you? Why--?" "It would have rendered all the years of enslavement meaningless, even if it were within my power," Strange replies. Still, it felt a bit like a 'deus ex machina' ending to me.
Doug: I totally agree with you. I also found it a bit uncomfortable that Strange allowed the now-free prisoners to work their will on the Badoon. I was left wondering about any sense of justice, of whether or not there should have been some way of meting out a punishment beyond death. I just felt that Strange had all of this power to change the course of this history, yet when it further degenerated into more slaughter, he chose sides and allowed it to happen on the human-vs.-Badoon side.

Karen: We get a few more scenes with Starhawk -"the one who knows" -sheesh, that's almost as maddening as Mantis' "this one"- and the suggestion that he will accompany the Guardians in their quest to free Earth. Doc rather unceremoniously transports the Defenders back to Earth circa 1975, which ticks off Nighthawk, who wanted to finish the job back in the future. I have to say it was a bit unsatisfying to me. But the overall story was very engaging, and it certainly compelled me to read the Guardians series that ran in Marvel Presents.
Doug: You're right -- if Gerber was charged with selling books, he certainly set us up with a story that ended right in the middle. I really can't recall if I had too many of the Marvel Presents issues -- I'm sure I had at least one. I thought the real mystery here that was left hanging was when Starhawk visited his seeming "home", was embraced by children, and we met Aleta for the first time. That's the dangling plot thread that made me want more.
Doug: I really enjoyed this look back. The first time we inspected the Defenders was in their earliest appearances in Marvel Feature. By this time the team had hit its stride with the line-up I was most familiar with from my childhood, and Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema provided a solid story that for the most part was well-delivered. Truly, this was the second Marvel Age of Comics!

Female Trouble: Guardians of the Galaxy, part 3

Defenders #28 (Oct. 1975)
"My Mother, the Badoon!"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inkers: Frank Giacoia and John Tartaglione

Karen: Welcome back to the third part of our Defenders/Guardians review. You may have noticed the unusual title for this issue - another sign of Steve Gerber's sense of humor. It has to be a reference to what some people consider to be the worst TV show of all time, My Mother the Car. Sadly, I have never seen this show but its legend lives on.

Doug: Nope, I've not seen it either. However, I do recall Car 54, Where Are You? with a young Fred Gwynne co-starring before he went on to fame in The Munsters!

Karen: I particularly like the cover to this issue: it's a great design, with small shots of each Defender in action (even if they are somewhat misleading), and a spectacular full-body shot of Starhawk, who was a brand new character when the issue premiered.

Doug: This was a motif applied often in the Bronze Age -- not always successfully. But here it is nice, for all the reasons you state.

Karen: Anyway, on to our comic: when we last left our heroes, the Captain America was being boarded by the nasty Badoon while Dr. Strange sat unconscious, hooked up to the ship's computers. Martinex, Nighthawk, and Charlie-27 (who is now wearing a mask for some reason) make a valiant effort but Nighthawk winds up getting captured and the two Guardians stand down to save his life. Boy, I have to say, I always wondered what the heck Nighthawk was doing on a team with Dr. Strange and the Hulk. Seriously, the guy can fly and is twice as strong at night. That's it. Don't get me wrong, I did like his personality, but power-wise, he was unnecessary.

Doug: When you look at the roster of the early Defenders, including those members you stated as well as Namor and the Surfer, I suppose Nighthawk was the "usual joe" that rubes like me could relate to. Plus he had a cool costume! I am glad they didn't play out any sort of inferiority complex with him, though.
Karen: The Badoon take notice of Dr. Strange, who has used his astral form to locate the missing Vance Astro and Valkyrie. They are now in the company of the mysterious being known as Starhawk. They discover that they are on the homeworld of the Badoon -which is now populated entirely by the female of the species! The creatures who attacked them in the previous issue were females driven mad by a mating lust. It seems many centuries prior the two sexes split, as neither could stand the other -more commentary from Gerber or just a joke? In any case the females are nothing like the warlike males, although they are relatively apathetic. I had to laugh at the way the 'civilized' females were portrayed by Sal Buscema. Although reptilian, they have hair -and the queen has quite a bouffant !

Doug: Sometimes backstory or origin-type exposition is lame or seemingly unnecessary, but in this issue and the last couple Gerber's "storytelling" has been fun. It's really been well-done. And you're right about Sal -- funny stuff. I imagine some of these guys just hated drawing certain types of characters and had to amuse themselves to get through the assignment.
Karen: Back on the starship, the Badoon find Dr. Strange and assume he is dead, but in reality, his life signs have just dropped to a minimum as he voyages in his astral form. The badoon take Nighthawk, Charlie, and Martinex to Earth to execute them.

Doug: Isn't that a staple of being a bad guy? Never, ever off an enemy on the spot. Transport them, come up with some sort of torture device, even let 'em go just to mess with their heads. This is perfect!

Karen: Doc sends his astral form out to find Hulk and Yondu, who are forced into televised combat on what previously appeared to be a world of medieval-level development. I'm sure the temptation to insert Monty Hall into a Defenders story was too great for Gerber. Yondu fights some hot-rodding robots and destroys them. We'll have to wait for next issue to see what old Greenskin does.

Doug: I really enjoyed this scene. For some reason I like Yondu -- he's very visually-appealing. The whistling-with-the-arrows deal is sort of weird, but I like the costume and love the fin on his head! I couldn't help but think of all the "Planet Hulk" stuff when I saw Jade Jaws in that suit of armor.

Karen: As the issue comes to a close, Strange manages to mystically transport Astro and Val to Earth, right in time to see their compatriots face a badoon firing squad!

Doug: Like I said, shoulda deep-sixed 'em when ya had the chance.

Karen: Another fun issue, although I felt this one dragged a bit in comparison to the previous two. Still, it reminds me of why I enjoyed Marvel Comics so much in the 70s: there's a sense that anything can happen. It's fun and exciting, but also provocative. Gerber manages to inject a lot of social commentary into his stories, but still keep them entertaining.

Doug: I agree -- this series we're looking at is a case of a writer and artist clicking. There aren't any glitches here at all, and other than the Colletta inks we've both commented on over the past two issues (he's not on the job here, but returns next issue), these books are really quite solid.

Having A Badoon Day: Guardians of the Galaxy, part 2

Defenders 27 (Sept. 1975)
"Three Worlds to Conquer!"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artists: Sal Buscema/Vince Colletta

Karen: First things first: I hate spoilers, and this cover has a big one, which isn't even revealed in this issue! What the heck was up with that?

Doug: No idea, but you sure are right. Without the word balloon it would have been OK. I wonder why Len Wein (series editor) approved the copy?

Karen: Maybe he didn't. Who knows? But to get back to our story: The Defenders and the Guardians, aboard the starship The Captain America, have managed to travel forward in time to the Guardian's era of 3015 AD. They enter Earth's orbit and are about to teleport down to the planet, when the alien conquerors, the reptillian Badoon, detect them and disrupt their teleportation beams, sending Hulk, Vance Astro, Yondu, and Valkyrie off to planets in the far reaches of space!

Doug: Many of the conventions of recent science fiction were in this scene. Anyone with any knowledge of pop culture during and prior to the mid-1970's was sure to know what was going on, just by looking around Sal's panel work.

Karen: Oh yeah, well I've always thought a lot of Marvel comics, particularly the early stuff Stan, Jack, and Ditko did, were influenced by the sci fi films of the 50s and 60s. The teleport tubes on the Guardian's spaceship did remind me of the stasis tubes on the spaceship seen in the film This Island Earth. Unfortunately though, the aliens here are the Badoon, who were always one of the worst-looking alien groups in the Marvel Universe. I mean, they just look silly! Particularly with those little forked tongues popping out of their mouths.

Doug: I've always been indifferent toward the Badoon. The one thing I really don't like about them is that they all always have their mean-face on. Sal never gave them a pensive look, a quizzical look, nothing -- just straightforward sour grapes! So that certainly serves to give them less depth.

Karen: Our heroes teleportation goes haywire and Astro and Valkyrie wind up on a strange, swampy world, while Hulk and Yondu arrive on a degenerate medieval-type world. Val and Astro are attacked by strange lizard-monkey creatures, and Val feels pain whenever she strikes one of the critters. Astro manages to drive off the attackers with his psionic blasts, but Val is in bad shape. Suddenly, a strange glowing being appears, and offers help.

Doug: For whatever reason, I thought the world that Hulk and Yondu went to was reminscent of the time the FF were stuck on that Skrull world where everything was like a gangster film. Hulk and Yondu seemed like they were stuck in a Mel Brooks movie! And don't you love how Hulk calls Yondu "Flag-head"?

Karen: It was a nice pairing by Gerber. On the other planet, the two teams' most primitive members try to make sense of what they are seeing. People wander around drunk and disheveled. As Hulk notes, "Nothing is right here! People laugh--dance--sing--! But people look stupid-not happy!" The two save a woman who is being attacked, only to have her angrily rebuff them. Our two confused heroes are then confronted by a group of robot soldiers, which the Hulk easily destroys. However, this brings out the robots' "mother", a bizarre-looking contraption, which screams, "You killed my babies!" And zaps the two into unconsciousness. Even in a typical superhero fight, Gerber always managed to throw in some weirdness!

Karen: In the meantime, the Defenders and Guardians still on the starship are trying to figure out where their comrades have gone. They hook Dr. Strange up to the ship's scanners to vastly increase their power. There's a really nice shot of Strange here, his mind reaching out across the cosmos. Well done Sal! The Badoon detect this increase in power on the ship and determine that they must have it, and prepare to send troops over to get it.

Doug: Fully agree on the large panel of Strange. You know, I never read the Defenders past the late '70's, so to me Sal is "the" artist of this title. As we've said in many recent posts, he's just a solid, reliable artist. You can always seen John's influence on him, yet Sal has enough of his own nuances to separate himself. And a comment on Vince Colletta's inks: Last issue I disagreed with you as to Vinnie's impact on the story. You didn't like it, I did (especially his work on Valkyrie). I did comment that I felt Colletta was the wrong guy for the Hulk and Charlie-27 and that's where I arrive at his work on this issue. Still feel that way, and overall I'll go along with you that Sal's pencils suffer a bit here under Vince Colletta's influence. In this issue it's not a good marriage.
Karen: Back on the swamp planet, the mysterious glowing being -"the giver of the light" - uses his powers to heal Valkyrie. As his glow decreases, we get our first real glimpse at Starhawk, who declares that both Val and Astro are in his debt.

Doug: So I'm reading this and I'm thinking "Wow -- how Christlike". Then he drops the debt bomb.
Karen: Ha! Yes, not exactly the Good Samaritan here, was he? Back on Drunk-world, The Hulk and Yondu are under the mental control of the funky robot, and are brought before the ruler of the city, a grossly fat man named Goozot (no I did not make that up). Goozot is a human Jabba the Hutt! He decides that it would be amusing to have the two put into the arena.
Doug: Do you think George Lucas read this arc? There are several things that could have influenced him, most notably in this issue the red swamp world -- reminded me of Degobah, homeworld of Yoda.

Karen: I think Lucas must have read a lot of comics...but then Star Wars is chock full of influences. The issue ends with the Captain America being boarded by large band of Badoon, and Dr. Strange is still unconscious, attached to the computers. It's up to Nighthawk, Charlie-27, and Martinex to repulse the invaders! Talk about leaving us hanging.

Tomorrow is Yesterday: The Guardians of the Galaxy!

Defenders #26 (Aug. 1975)
"Savage Time!"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artists: Sal Buscema, Vince Colletta

Karen: Is there any device more over-used in the science fiction genre than time travel? And yet, is there any device more fun than time travel? And time travel in superhero comics - well, that's like dipping your chocolate in peanut butter!
Doug: And we know that's good!! There are truly so many possibilities. That's why I love the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Kang the Conqueror. I'd also have to say that the arc in the Avengers with the Wild West heroes was a personal fave.

Karen: Same here. That's why Defenders 26 was one of those books I just ate up as a kid. We had superheroes, aliens, spaceships, time travel, a dystopian future - this was pure joy!
Doug: Yep. While I'm using the first Guardians of the Galaxy Premiere Hardcover for my resource here, I did have this arc off the spinner racks as a kid. Really fun story...

Karen: The Guardians of the Galaxy are a group of freedom fighters from a thousand years in the future, who have crashed on Earth circa 1975. The Defenders are trying to help them, but the presence of one of them -Major Vance Astro - is wreaking havoc with Earth's weather. It seems Astro, who is a one thousand year old astronaut from Earth, also exists as a young boy in this time, and as Dr. Strange explains, the presence of one person in two places at the same time is causing a disruption of the time stream. Now why this would affect weather is beyond me, but who cares, let's roll with it.

Doug: I got nothing... can't even offer a smart alleck comment on the weather. But it was an able plot vehicle. Beats a steady diet of that earthquake at the beginning, I guess. As a kid I recall being fascinated by the notion that Vance Astro could be a child and an adult at the same time in the same story. I guess I don't care for the idea that he'd grow up to become Justice. Now you're bordering on Kang's multiple personalities!
Karen: As it turns out, young Vance Astro has stumbled upon the Guardians' crashed spaceship, The Captain America (Astro is a big Cap fan). As part of the group works to effect repairs, the elder Astro gives little Vance, as well as Dr. Strange and Nighthawk, a history lesson about "his" planet (young Vance is kept in the dark about who the Major is). This must have come right from Gerber's heart, as we are told how the people of Major Astro's world went about destroying their ozone layer, thereby destroying much of their food supply, and causing massive wars to break out. It may be hard to understand today, but when I read this as a youngster, this all sounded incredibly plausible. Much as we worry about climate change today, environmental disaster was a looming menace way back when too.
Doug: I agree. I don't think my students have any idea how, as children their age (now doesn't that make me sound like an old man... "Back when I was your age...") we faced oil shortages and the threat of nuclear disaster or war. Those were troubled times indeed, and you're absolutely right about Gerber. He often if not always punctuated his stories with real life fears and concerns. I do find it humorous, however, to see science fiction that envisions certain events by a certain time. Man, I'm glad 1982 wasn't as bad as fatalist-Gerber saw it! He did write a great line, from Vance Astro late in the book: "No world's future is predestined... only its history is absolute!"
Doug: I love that the Guardians' ship is called The Captain America! And I loved that in the scene when young Vance disembarks the ship with Martinex, Dr. Strange recognizes right away that should a national guardsman accidentally fire and hit little Vance then all of history (really in two timelines) would be irreparably damaged. Great stuff, and a little hard for the mind to wrap around as well! Although long, Vance's "history lesson" was a really good read. Having read all of the Guardians' appearances prior to this one, I must commend Gerber for his presentation in this issue. It was the best by far, and really launched the team into another set of fine guest appearances in the pages of the Avengers.
Karen: Gerber does a nice job tying in another of Marvel's alternate histories by telling how the Martians attacked and were eventually driven back by a mysterious warrior known only as Killraven. After many years of strife, a united Earth develops genetic engineering that allows humanity to colonize the most inhospitable planets in the solar system. Two other Guardians are members of these sub-species: Martinex, a silicon man from Pluto and the group's resident scientist; and Charlie-27, a massive soldier from space stations orbiting Jupiter. The remaining Guardian, Yondu, is an actual alien, and a master of archery.

Doug: There's a little foreshadowing in the scene where the Federation of Earth is signing the treaty. One of the diplomats is of the same species as Nikki, who will be introduced in a later tale.
Karen: Yes, she would show up when the team got their own series in Marvel Presents. Unfortunately, just as things appear to be going great, the alien Badoon attack Earth and its colonies, killing the vast majority of the population and enslaving the rest. Hence, the formation of the Guardians.

Karen: The team actually first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 in 1969. They sat dormant for five years until Gerber decided to use them in Marvel Two-In-One and then here in Defenders. Our story ends with the two groups joining together on the repaired Captain America, ready to return to the Guardians' time and take on the Badoon invaders.

Doug: I've hyperlinked above to a review of Marvel Super-Heroes #18 that I did on our old blog. It was certainly a strange story by Arnold Drake with some far-out art by Gene Colan. Gerber's depiction of the Guardians here is much more to my liking.

Karen: I agree, I'm glad that the team's appearances were modified -it was a definite improvement. The Guardians were able to occupy a unique niche in the Marvel universe, and it was great fun to see them and the Defenders together. This is a well-crafted story that mostly serves as prologue to the next issue, where the real action begins. Sal Buscema does his usual solid work, but I would prefer to see a different inker on him than Colletta. I don't think his light style was all that suited to Sal's powerful pencils.

Doug: I agree that Sal was quite good, but I actually thought Vinnie did a stellar job. I especially thought he was good in the opening scene with Valkyrie and her "husband". While I agree that Colletta can be too light on the India ink, for me it worked here. I'll give you, though, that Vinnie's feathering didn't look good on Charlie-27 or the Hulk -- big guys need a heavier line.

Karen: Next time around, it's the dazzling debut of Starhawk!