Scaredy Cat

A sight gag on the cover of Patsy and Hedy #7 (Sept. 1952) pictured the two friends double dating at the movies. Patsy's boyfriend, Buzz, was so frightened by The Bride of the Vampire that he clung to Hedy's date. In contrast, Patsy Walker #93 (Feb. 1961) showed Patsy clutching Buzz in fear at the sight of a mouse. The symbolism of the two scenes takes on additional subtext when we consider that Patsy later becomes the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and marries the Son of Satan (after divorcing Buzz, who then becomes the villain Mad-Dog).

  

Classic John Byrne

My favorite scene from Deadpool & Wolverine occurs relatively early in the film. In that scene, Deadpool encounters a version of Wolverine sporting a brown costume (rather than the yellow suit he wears throughout most of the picture). Deadpool describes the brown costume as "classic John Byrne" … just before Hulk moves into frame and pummels the wisecracking Deadpool.

In comic book history, Wolverine first wore that brown costume in X-Men #139 (although the cover still depicted him in yellow). In that issue, Wolverine returned to Canada to reconnect with members of Alpha Flight who were on the trail of the monstrous Wendigo. That story contained flashbacks to Wolverine's first encounter with Wendigo from Incredible Hulk #181. Because Wolverine wore his original yellow uniform in the flashback panels, the new brown costume helped to delineate the past from the present.

Illustrated by John Byrne, this panel from X-Men #139 shows an unmasked Wolverine in his new brown costume. Beside him are Vindicator and Snowbird of Alpha Flight.

Deadpool and Wolverine

I've never cared for Deadpool, but I am enough of a Hugh Jackman fan to see Deadpool & Wolverine, which opened in movie theaters today. Both characters were members of the Secret Defenders at different times, although it would be a stretch to draw many comparisons to that team. Even so, I did like seeing the Human Torch as a supporting character in the film, given his appearances on the DEFENSE Lines letters page as well as the cover of Defenders #62. Of all the surprises in the film, my favorite may have been an "easter egg" referencing illustrator Rob Liefeld.

Defenders Trek

With his pointed ears and hybrid heritage, Sub-Mariner was compared to Mr. Spock more than once. But the Prince of Atlantis was not the only Defender with a doppleganger aboard the Enterprise. Moondragon was a shoo-in for Ilia, the bald navigator from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. An ad for the film appeared on the back cover of Defenders #74 and other Marvel Comics with a cover date of August 1979. Moondragon guest starred in #76-77 and later joined the New Defenders.

Friendly Neighborhood Vampire

Spidey Super Stories #14 teamed up the web-slinger to a vampire who had made cameo appearances in previous issues of the series. Physically resembling Blacula from the 1972 horror film, this mid-mannered vampire was in fact the nephew of Dracula. The story delivered a subtle message against prejudice. J. Arthur Crank, president of the Better Neighborhood Club, wanted the vampire out of town. Spider-Man, however, was more interested in stopping wanted criminals.

Spider-Man: Unless your vampire does something wrong … I can't touch him.

While investigating strange occurences in the area, Spider-Man discovered that the evil inventor known as the Mad Thinker had been using using the vampire's attic as a secret hideout. Since the vampire slept until sunset, he was unaware of the Mad Thinker's activity.

Spidey Super Stories. Vol. 1. No. 14. Dec. 1975. "Haunting Season." Jean Thomas (writer), Winslow Mortimer (penciler), Mike Esposito/Tony Mortellaro (inkers), A.J. Hays (editor), John Romita (art director).

Adapting Alice

In the opening paragraph of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, protagonist Alice asked, What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations? This telling question would make the 1865 novel ripe for a comic book adaptation, specifically Marvel Classics Comics #35 (1978). Titled Alice in Wonderland, the comic-book retelling stayed faithful to Lewis Carroll's original text, with slight modifications. For instance, the comic book changed the name of the Hatter to the Mad Hatter, as he became commonly known in popular culture.

Within the comic book, Alice looked similar to her depiction in the 1951 animated Disney film. Most other characters in the comic, however, resembled the illustrations of John Tenniel originally published in the novel. In fact, the comic book reproduced some of Tenniel's artwork on the inside back cover, along with the poem You Are Old, Father William; in the novel, that poem appeared in the chapter with the Caterpillar (a character who would cross over to superhero comics and meet Dr. Strange.)

Abridging the story for space left the Marvel Classics Comics adaptation with the following chapter order:

Down the Rabbit Hole The Pool of Tears A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill Advice from a Caterpillar Pig and Pepper A Mad Tea-Party The Queen's Croquet-Ground Who Stole the Tart Alice's Evidence

The following two chapters did not appear in the comic book:

• The Mock Turtle's Story (although a scene with the Duchess moved to chapter VIII)
• The Lobster-Quadrille

Additionally, Marvel Classics Comics did not incorporate material from the 1872 sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Nevertheless, Defenders #131 drew inspiration from a poem within that novel by introducing a supervillain called the Walrus and a scientist with the surname Carpenter.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Sub-Mariner Meets the Creature from the Black Lagoon

In 1954, the same year that The Creature from the Black Lagoon premiered in theaters, Prince Namor faced a menace with a striking resemblance to the Hollywood monster. The story opened with Namor showing his friend Betty Dean a letter asking for help. The ambiguous letter was signed by a Professor Zunbar (Sub-Mariner Comics #35).

Going to the address on the letter, Namor entered a waterfront building only to find himself overpowered by a pair of mechanical robots. The robots reported to Professor Zunbar, who intended to surgically transfer Namor's brain in the body of Elmer, a green amphibian the professor had created. Among his character flaws, Elmer was afraid of water.

Namor narrowly escaped from the surgical table and turned Professor Zunbar over to the police. As for Elmer, the creature apparently died when a box of nitroglycerin he'd gotten hold of exploded.

Triplicate explanation points appeared at the end of several sentences of dialogue in the story, appropriately titled "Vengeance!!!"

All the World's a Stage

Dr. Strange #55 found the sorcerer supreme distraught. Clea had ended their relationship two issues before … a decision some time in the making.

Acting as a mystical guide, Dakimh the Enchanter visited Dr. Strange, who was experiencing visions that his life lacked substance—an understandable fear for a sorcerer who spent so much time traveling across dimensions. To Dr. Strange, his teammates in the Defenders were now a facade and his home was no more real than a theatrical set. Wandering outside, he saw a movie marquee promoting the film Doctor Strange II: Beyond Raggadorr! To the world, Dr. Strange was a fictional character.

An element of reverse psychology was at work here. In presenting Dr. Strange with visions that nothing in his life was real, the story showed the sorcerer how much he still had left.

This image from from Dr. Strange #55 (Oct. 1982) features Dakimh and Dr. Strange, with visions of Gargoyle, Daimon Hellstrom, Hellcat, and the Sanctum Sanctorum.

The New Mutants

The New Mutants have, at best, a tertiary connection to the Defenders. Even though I've written next to nothing about superhero films since my first post, I wanted to acknowledge the theatrical release of The New Mutants. Originally slated to open two years ago, the highly anticipated film officially opened today, with limited seating to ensure social distancing during the pandemic.

The film draws inspiration from New Mutants #1-3, 18-19 of the original series while crafting a unique story. Eagerly catching a matinee, I liked the film's rendering of all the characters—in some cases better than their comic book counterparts. More cinematic thriller than action-adventure, the film shows the young mutants coming to terms with their powers without the conventions of heroic costumes or dual identities. The stakes are personal and contained, a refreshing change of pace from the cosmic threats that have become commonplace in superhero films.

As a pair, X-Men and X2 are my all-time favorite superhero films. The New Mutants wisely acknowledges the existence of the X-Men while working as a stand-alone picture.

Star Jaws

Spidey Super Stories #31 paid homage to the 1977 film Star Wars by retelling the story with an unlikely cast of characters drawn from various media.

In this version, Dr. Doom held Moon Dragon captive aboard a space station called Star Jaws. Moon Dragon's robot companion SAM (a recurring character from Sesame Street) escaped in a rocket ship to Earth, where he enlisted the help of Spider-Man and Marvel Boy (a hero originally from the 1950s).

Once rescued, Moon Dragon used her Mind Force (or Force for short) to create an illusion that tricked the Star Jaws space station to swallow one million tons of T.N.T. instead of engulfing the Earth.

Spidey Super Stories. Vol. 1. No. 31. February 1978. "Star Jaws." Kolfax Mingo (writer), Winslow Mortimer (pencils), Mike Esposito (inker), A.J. Hays / Julie Mishkin (editors), David Kraft (consulting Marvel editor), John Romita (art director).

Though a number of villains from the live-action Spider-Man segments of The Electric Company would appear in Spidey Super Stories, the comic book series did not have inherent ties to Sesame Street, making SAM an anomaly. This image of SAM (short for Super Automated Robot) comes from an early episode of Sesame Street.

Chaotic Neutral: Rufus T. Hackstabber

A recurring character in the pages of Master of Kung Fu, taxi driver Rufus T. Hackstabber made an unexpected appearance in New Defenders #148. With his propensity for reckless driving, sexual innuendo, and comedic banter, the Groucho Marx lookalike could be a minor source of tension for the heroes he met.

Of the classic nine alignments from Dungeons & Dragons, Rufus T. Hackstabber demonstrated the waggish side of Chaotic Neutral, much like Groucho's on-screen persona.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Hackstabber was undoubtedly named after Groucho's character Rufus T. Firefly from the 1933 Marx Brothers film Duck Soup.

Watching the Watchmen

Many fans already know that the Watchmen are gritty reinterpretations of Charlton characters acquired by DC Comics. After enjoying the film this week, I noticed similarities between the Watchmen and the Defenders as well.

What do you get when you cross Hulk's origin with Silver Surfer's powers and disposition? The answer, of course, is Dr. Manhattan.

With acrobatic skills, mother issues, and frustrations with men, Silk Spectre is the Hellcat of the Watchmen.

As a financial heir with modest self-esteem and a bird motif, Nite Owl is like a brainy rendition of Nighthawk (who himself was an homage to Batman).

It would be a stretch to describe Rorschach, the Comedian, or Ozymandias as direct counterparts to any of the Defenders. But their grim, violent, and self-righteous existentialism would be no stranger to the non-team of Marvel Comics.

A peripheral character in Watchmen history was Dollar Bill, who died with his cape stuck in a revolving door (providing a guilty moment of comic relief). For a time the Defenders also featured a minor character called Dollar Bill. He was the the documentary director responsible for Defenders for a Day, a goofy chapter in the team's own history.

Alan Moore wrote the Watchmen graphic novel, originally published as a 12-issue series in 1986-1987.

For He's a Jolly Green Fellow

The plight of Dr. Bruce Banner continues on the big screen in June, when The Incredible Hulk film hits theaters. The trailer depicts Banner as a political fugitive struggling to control his anger-induced transformations.

But the green goliath has known better days.

Twenty-five years ago, Bruce Banner seemed to achieve the impossible by maintaining his intellect when becoming the Hulk.

The world took notice, and Hulk (with Banner's mind) received a full presidential pardon for his previous acts of destruction (The Incredible Hulk #278). Afterward, he got a key to New York City and a parade in his honor. Heroes from across the globe gathered for the commemoration (#279).

Yet when Iron Man recalled how the once-menacing Hulk had been a founding member of the Avengers, two heroes in the audience responded with chagrin.

Hellcat: Hey, Doc—You gonna let the Avengers claim the Hulk as one of their own? The green guy's a Defender now!

Dr. Strange: I am no longer sure, Hellcat. The old Hulk was a member of our non-team. The new Hulk may not so readily fit in.

These reactions made sense. Hulk left the Avengers after only a few issues but fought regularly alongside the Defenders throughout most of the original series, even with his lowered intelligence and tendency toward rage. One of the Defenders' ongoing accomplishments was keeping Hulk calm so he wouldn't smash everything to pieces.

During Hulk's amnesty, long-time love interest Betty Ross felt remorse in a different way. After sticking by Banner for years as he struggled to cure his uncontrollable alterations, she didn't like the idea of a man who now wanted to become the Hulk, even with his brain intact.

Bringing Hulk and Banner together, even temporarily, brought challenging questions to the table. Was turning into the Hulk, under any circumstances, a type of affliction? Was Hulk's mind a mere side effect of gamma-radiation poisoning, a repressed aspect of Banner's core personality, or a new person in his own right?

The Incredible Hulk. Vol. 1. No. 278. December 1982. "Amnesty!" Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema and Joe Sinnott (artists) , Jim Novak (letters), Bob Sharen (colors), Allen Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

The Incredible Hulk. Vol. 1. No. 279. January 1983. "Acceptance." Bill Mantlo (author), Mark Gruenwald and Greg LaRocque (artists), Janice Chiang (letters), Bob Sharen (colors), Allen Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).