Arc of Triumph? Daredevil 138 and Ghost Rider 20

Doug: I recall buying these two issues around August of 1976 while staying for a week with my aunt and uncle in the western suburbs of Chicago. They had a 7-11 about a block from their home. Not only was it my haunt for comics, but Slurpee cups as well! This 2-parter contained two of my favorite characters in DD and Ghost Rider (I really only warmed to him due to his appearances in the Champions mag), and the John Byrne art was no small attraction, too! What are your memories of this little tale?

Shrouded in Mystery... Super-Villain Team-Up 5

Super-Villain Team-Up #5 (April 1976)
"...and Be a Villain!"
Steve Englehart-Herb Trimpe/Don Perlin

NOTE: Doug's resource for images used in this series of posts didn't reproduce well for the blog. You'll notice that the panels we've chosen appear somewhat distorted. Our apologies to all of you, our following masses, for falling below our usually high standards!

Doug: You know, Karen and I regularly bat around ideas for the blog -- we're always chewing on a "to-do" list. One of the books that keeps coming up is Super-Villain Team-Up. We whet our appetites just a bit earlier in the summer during "Giant-Size June" when we looked at G-S SVTU #1. We'd now like to take a three-issue spin through a story chock full of heroes, villains, and a new mystery man named... the Shroud!

Doug: Of your two faithful critics, I would say that I am more picky about my comics to the art side, while Karen probably leans more toward the story side. That's not at all to say that we don't think both are important -- I just think that my impressions and/or prejudices of a book are formed as soon as I open the cover and see the interior artwork. This book in particular, with the nice Buckler/Sinnott cover was a disappointment to me when I saw that Herb Trimpe did the story. Now, before you folks from Herb Trimpe's Hulk and other parts unknown jump all over me, let me say that I felt that Trimpe's Hulk was fine. In fact, I liked his work there. But I'll say that reading through this issue gave me a "throwback" feeling... I felt like I was reading a Larry Lieber/Dick Ayers composition from one of Marvel's B-list Silver Age titles. This book just didn't have that Bronze Age feel for me that some of the other things we've reviewed have given. Thoughts?

Karen: I pretty much agree with you, Doug. The combination of Trimpe and Perlin does no one any favors. While I enjoyed Trimpe's work on Hulk, I've never thought he could draw the Thing particularly well. This issue just felt flat to me. And as much as I usually praise Englehart, I thought this was one of his weaker efforts. Doom in particular seems to come across as a one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain, not something I expect from Englehart.

Doug: As we begin, Namor bursts into Reed Richards' lab through a window. I don't know about you, but I'd think that there would be some external security, cameras, something -- you telling me that a guy (no matter how strong) can just fly right up to the Baxter Building unannounced and unimpeded and penetrate the outer skin? Seemed a bit lackluster for a big brain like Reed to be so defenseless. Anyway, Namor collapses on the floor of the lab and Reed immediately picks him up and places him in a huge vat of water (because scientists just always have huge 2,000 gallon vats of water sitting around). The rest of the FF barges in to see what all the commotion is, and Namor revives and tells them a story.

Karen: I almost laughed to see that big open tank of water in the lab!

Doug: Namor recounts how Dr. Doom had been after him to form an alliance and that Doom was becoming desperate, so much so that he ambushed Namor and zapped him with a ray that negated the operations of his lifesuit. Once felled, Doom gathered up the prince and flew him over and then into the ocean, to Atlantis. While there, and threatening him all the while, Doom unleashed an assault on several buildings and monuments in an effort to secure Namor's unyielding allegiance. At the sight of his kingdom's destruction, Namor relented and swore himself to Doom's service.

Karen: My memory is a little hazy regarding what was happening with Atlantis in the Marvel Universe at this point. Doom comments on Subby's "comatose subjects" -but I can't recall how they got that way. And we never actually see them, just the city.

Doug: Doom's image appears in the middle of Reed's lab (of course, Ben has to make the obligatory leap at Doom, even though Doom's a wraith), and Doom postures a bit for the crowd and informs the FF that Namor is in his service now. We cut away to Latveria and see a confident, even triumphant Doom stroll around his kingdom's streets. I think it was really at this point in the story when I came to the realization that this was a story being told ten years later than it probably should have appeared. I just didn't think Englehart was at the top of his game, and Trimpe's page layouts were so simplistic, often employing a very boring 4-panel structure. None of the envelope-pushing in panel design that had begun the Bronze Age from the likes of Adams and Steranko, Colan... that just wasn't here. It was really just a very straightforward story. Not a bad story, but just not overly dynamic.

Karen: Exactly, the whole affair was very pedestrian. I got the feeling that, for Englehart at least, this book might have come last on his list. The effort here is just so...blah.

Doug: As Reed works to beat the clock against the serum to which Doom has subjected Namor, Johnny spies a shadowy figure across the street on a rooftop. Assuming it to be one of Doom's spies, Johnny flames on and goes on attack mode. To his startled eyes he comes face-to-face with a man clad in all black, with no visible eyes. This is our introduction to the Shroud, a Batman-like fellow. I draw that comparison for a few reasons -- he seems prepared for any eventuality (like Johnny's flame), he has a dark personality, and he's quite adept at fisticuffs.

Karen: The Shroud was the one interesting thing in this story. He's definitely got that 'Dark Knight' feel to him, but also that mystery man thing going, like the Shadow. That becomes much more evident later on. I did kind of think the asbestos-lined cape sounded a little silly. And did Johnny launch a fireball at him before he knew that?!

Karen: Something I thought was kind of odd: Johnny musing about how much better Namor looked in his swim trunks instead of his blue uniform. Johnny thinks that Namor looked like a Bronx gang leader! I have to say it took a long time for that blue outfit to grow on me.

Doug: That's funny, because I always thought Namor's black suit was really cool -- I especially liked the wings. So Johnny takes his whuppin' and then hustles back to the Baxter Building. Reed snaps at his interruption, which shows everyone that this may be the one time Reed fails to solve a problem. Namor, feeling helpless and defeated, breaks out of his vat (hey, duh, dude -- there was no lid on the thing!) causing untold water damage throughout the FF's headquarters, and flies off (but he does thank Reed for his efforts). Of course, since Doom had infected Namor, he doesn't get too far until he begins to fall. Doom appears in the sky, zaps Namor right out of the air, and they both disappear. From one side of the street the FF swear to defeat Doom, while on the other the Shroud makes the same personal pledge. To be continued...

Karen: Yes, we will continue to look at this series, but I have to say that this issue was not the most encouraging. It's been years since I read SVTU; I hope my good memories are not displanted with this new read-through!