An Obscure Midnight Story - Iron Man Annual 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ugly: Nada.

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

Everybody was Kung Fu Fightin'

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

TV Party Tonight! - Kung Fu

Time for another TV party, friends. Only tonight, we won't be having popcorn and soda. No, we're going to brew up some green tea and contemplate the deep meaning behind Kung Fu.

Kung Fu was eagerly watched in my household. When the show premiered in 1972, the martial arts craze was in full swing. Both my father and brother were studying kenpo karate (and I was lucky enough to be taught some moves by them - the teacher didn't take girls!) and more shows and movies were appearing featuring some form of martial arts. Bruce Lee hadn't quite hit it big in the states yet - Enter the Dragon, the film that would make him a household name, didn't come out til 1973. He was mostly known here for his role as Kato on The Green Hornet TV show. But make no mistake, the martial arts and the esoteric philosophies that accompanied them were gaining ground on U.S. soil.

Television usually takes these trends and cranks out a lot of junk. But with Kung Fu, they had managed to create a show that was capable of balancing action and thoughtfulness - much like the main character, wandering Shao Lin monk Kwai Chang Caine.

Caine was a Shao Lin priest, taught to be peaceful, but also taught the fierce skills of kung fu. Born of an American father and Chinese mother, he was always a man apart, whether it was in China or the American West. After angrily killing the Emperor's nephew because his men had slain Caine's beloved teacher, Master Po, Caine fled to the U.S. to seek out his half-brother. Set in the Old West, Kung Fu was an odd mix of conventional Western and martial arts genres. Caine wanted nothing but peace and solitude, and yet, every week, he became involved in some affair that required the use of his deadly talents.

The late David Carradine seemed to be the perfect actor for the role. His Caine was possessed of a calm stillness that contrasted nicely with the violent men he encountered. There has been much speculation that the whole idea for the show was stolen from Bruce Lee, and there does seem to be plenty of evidence to support that assertion. But it's hard for me to imagine anyone but Carradine in that role. In many ways, his 'half-breed' (the unenlightened term used in those days) Caine reminded me a great deal of Star Trek's Mr. Spock, who was also a man apart, not able to find a place in either of the worlds he straddled. I think both of these characters had a strong appeal to teenagers and young adults for these very reasons.

Of course, the late 60s and early 70s was also a time in which many people were exploring eastern religions and culture, and so this also made Kung Fu attractive to viewers. Many of my favorite sequences in the show were the flashbacks which took place during Caine's youth in the temple. Usually these involved his teacher, the blind Master Po, played charmingly by Keye Luke. Master Po would give the young Caine, or Grasshopper as he affectionately called him, some lesson in life. These lessons always informed Caine's decisions in the course of an episode. This was back in the day when some shows were not afraid to moralize.


For comics fans, it's worth noting that writer Steve Englehart has stated that Kung Fu was the major influence on the creation of Marvel's Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. He and co-creator Jim Starlin were fans of the show.

Like most shows that are now decades old, Kung Fu can seem a bit hokey. But I can honestly say, I have seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, and they are packed full of great story-telling, wonderful old character actors, and some pretty cool action sequences (slow-mo, anyone?). It's been a lot of fun to revisit them.

Of course, anyone who watched the show regularly will recall the excellent title sequence, which includes the famous scene with Master Kan intoning, "As quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand." Take a look below.