Clap for the... Man-Wolf - Creatures on the Loose 30

Creatures on the Loose #30 (July 1974)
"Full Moon, Dark Fear!"
Doug Moench-George Tuska/Vince Colletta

Doug: We're about to let October sneak away without much Monster Mayhem. Pretty uncharacteristic on the BAB, huh? I'll do my part today with a review of the first solo outing of John Jameson, the Man-Wolf. You may recall that the character debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #124 (September 1973), and the story finished an issue later. He next menaced our favorite Web-Spinner in Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1 (June 1974), and then won this ongoing series the very next month. Again, it's strange to see a so-called "super villain" as a headliner, but with all of Marvel's other monster-type mags at the time, this seemed fitting. Fitting, particularly if Spider-Man might cameo for marketing purposes. He did, of course, but the series was more notable for the George Perez art that came our way after a few issues of George Tuska.

Short plot summary, you said? Sure! Here -- have a 100-Word Review:

Our tale opens with a raging Man-Wolf crashing through an upper floor window. Immediately we flash back to a time when John Jameson and his father, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson discussed John’s situation concerning the moonstone that had become grafted to his neck. We’re told that John becomes a werewolf when the moon is full, and sure enough… Back in the present, the NYPD hires former CIA agent Simon Stroud to solve the “werewolf problem”. With clues garnered by the police, Stroud confronts JJJ, and begins to track the younger Jameson. Their encounter ends atop the Statue of Liberty!

The Good: I chose today's review strictly on its monster merits. Truthfully, I had no idea about the level of satisfaction I'd have upon completion. It was not a waste of my time. If I can open this secton with a general comment, it's that the story was all set-up for the most part. Spider-Man actually did not appear, and thus the purpose of the events in between these covers was the creation of a storyline and new supporting cast of characters. In that regard, it's a simple story with really no surprises. But as I said, that was OK.

The character of Simon Stroud seemed a bit bold for being former CIA. Let's just say that if he was a spy of any caliber, he forgot what he learned. He's brash, a real "warhawk" in terms of hunting werewolves, and he's certainly not afraid to be dangerous in public. But it's this over-the-top sort of guy who fits right into the Bronze Age, when we all agree comics might have been a bit more brash, like Stroud. I'm guessing in a "Fugitive" sort of way, Stroud made for a good antagonist. We're also reminded that John Jameson has a lady friend, his fiance' Kristine, but we only see her in a portrait smashed by the Man-Wolf.

I'm going to slot the art in this category, not because it was great, but because I got what I expected. It seemed in the mid-70s more often than not George Tuska was paired with Vinnie Colletta. Vinnie's feathery touch really didn't do Tuska any favors, as the penciler by this time perhaps needed a stronger line. I thought the art on humans and objects was pretty good, but the Man-Wolf seemed to lack something, maybe around the ears. Not bad, just not quite as the team of Gil Kane and John Romita first imagined the character.

In the spirit of Dick Sprang and those huge Silver Age Batman backdrops, the Statue of Liberty was a nice scene for the climactic battle.

The Bad: So Stroud was a good character for this story, said I, and I'll stand by that. But he's a loud guy, and by that I mean what I also alluded to above -- there doesn't appear to be any sizeable amount of stealth in this fellow. I just felt that scribe Doug Moench might have given him a different background than ex-CIA.

I wasn't sure what to make of JJJ. He was written sympathetically, and that's not the first time (or last) it would happen. But for there to be only one panel of his bravado, his megalomania... it almost seemed like I got short-changed.

The Man-Wolf presents a problem akin to Man-Thing -- a protagonist who does not speak. And similar as well to the muck monster, there's nary a thought balloon either. This is the only solo Man-Wolf adventure I've ever read, so if this changes later I'd appreciate being informed. I guess it can work. But honestly, when the Man-Wolf was on-camera here, he was just running amuck. Nothing else. That could get boring in a hurry.

The Ugly: You know I'm usually at a loss to put anything in this section. It's not often I strongly dislike any elements of the comics I read. But in the era at hand, I've come to really notice some of the cartoony faces Tuska draws. In a humor mag I'd probably laud them as caricatures. But in a horror story it's an odd mix -- terror from the fangs of the Man-Wolf, yet goofy-looking mugs on other characters.


I'd welcome any thoughts from our readers who were able to go beyond this issue, deeper into the Creatures on the Loose Man-Wolf series. Karen reviewed a couple of these stories several years ago. I'd be especially interested in thoughts on the art of a very young George Perez, and I thank you in advance.

Just a Guy in Need of Some Bat-Snake Repellent - Iron Man 50

Iron Man #50 (September 1972)
"Deathplay"
Mike Friedrich-George Tuska/Vince Colletta

Doug: Today I'll close out a series of comic reviews that I had no idea would become a series of comic reviews. In April I posed a question about favorite (or non-favorite) mismatches in comics. In that post, as samples to get you thinking, I displayed the covers to Daredevil #163, Thor #269, and today's mag: Iron Man #50. Well, as I went ahead and reviewed two of those books, and being the completist that I am, it only seems proper to review the third. Here it is. If you read the first two reviews, we generally gushed over the DD book, but felt that the Thor story left quite a bit to be desired. My preconceived notion on today's story was that it was going to stink as well. Iron Man, against a big snake? C'mon... Read on, O' Curious One.

Were you a regular Iron Man reader in the Bronze Age? I was not. I don't know why. I bought Thor pretty regularly and generally picked up Captain America. I always enjoyed the Big Three when they were in the Avengers together, but for some reason never warmed to Iron Man's solo book. In fact, I am having a difficult time recalling if I ever bought an issue! I know I bought Iron Man Annual #4, but that was due to the Champions crossover. Go figure - I bought every issue of the Champions, but passed on the Golden Avenger. Forty years later, that kinda boggles the mind. Anyway, you're waiting on a 100-Word Review...

Tony Stark’s in bad shape. His armor drained after a battle against the Super-Adaptoid, Stark struggles to get to an electric outlet. In the nick of time he’s successful; until Jarvis barges in on him. With IM’s armor scattered about Stark is forced to lie to his faithful butler. Later, Princess Python attacks Jarvis in anticipation of attacking Stark. A young ESPer named Marianne plays heavily in the plot. The Princess eventually captures Stark, but he frees himself to change to Iron Man. IM tussles with a mutated python, but of course wins. Naturally, the next menace lies around the corner… 

You know, when I began reading this (from the Iron Man DVD-ROM), I was prepared to come to you in review with a "this was sillier than Thor vs. Stilt-Man" conclusion. However, I cannot report in that manner. I actually really liked it, and here's why:

The Good: As I usually do, I'll start with the art. When you think of "classic" Iron Man pencilers, I'm sure Don Heck and Gene Colan come to mind. But if George Tuska isn't in the same thought, I don't know what's wrong with you. I've always enjoyed Tuska's rendition of ol' Shellhead. "Stock poses"? You bet; and they're great. Tuska has a very dynamic style akin to Jack Kirby or John Buscema. While his draftsmanship isn't near Buscema's realism (in fact, Tuska seemed to pride himself on making supporting characters somewhat cartoony) and of course Kirby has no peer, Tuska nevertheless gives us a kinetic Iron Man. You can feel the whirl of a character, the power of a punch, the wind in flight. Later, truthfully only a few years from the publication of this issue, I'd probably take issue with the stiffness of a Tuska-drawn book. But here, in the early Bronze Age, he was solid.

Mike Friedrich's script is wordy! So why is that a good thing? I guess I enjoyed the existentialism with which he wrote Tony Stark. It's a far cry from the Stark current fans know -- the Robert Downey, Jr. Tony Stark of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This Stark seems to be a pretty deep fellow, very sober and introspective. He's not covering for his inadequacies and doubts with witty banter. Conversely, this version of Stark seems cut straight from the early cloth stitched by Stan Lee and Kirby -- feet fully made of clay and struggling to deal with that fact. I've read other scripts by Friedrich, and wordiness is a "thing" of his. In that regard, I can say that I got what I expected when coming to this tale.

I got a real kick out of the manner in which Tony Stark had to remove his armor. It certainly wasn't the drone-service we've seen lately in films.

The Bad: Let's face it -- no way Princess Python gets on Iron Man's dance card. I'd like to have been in whatever meeting took place where editor Roy Thomas signed off on this as a good idea. Thor vs. Stilt-Man, indeed! In a way it works, but only because of the silly "mutation" that takes place with the Python -- the chemical cocktail that slithery monster was bathed in must have been second only to what befell poor Barry Allen. That doesn't happen, we got no story. Period.

I was also unsure of the Princess's speech patterns. I would not pretend to be a connoisseur of the adventures of the Circus of Crime, but no where in my memory does it stand out that the Princess speaks "tough broad"-ese. I was further confounded by what appeared to be a different style of speaking as depicted later in this same story. Perhaps I missed something.

Above I said that Friedrich wrote a much more introspective, self-critical Tony Stark. While I'll stand by my liking of that in my comments above, I will say that upon cracking the book it was a bit of a shock to the system. Downey's portrayal of Stark/Iron Man has become the norm, hasn't it? Again, with no rich history of reading Iron Man throughout the character's history this philosophical Stark caught me a bit off guard. Not bad overall, just maybe for me during the reading.

The Ugly: I dunno... I find myself getting to this section with rarely a thing to mention. But today I do have one, and it was in fact a trope we saw in the aforementioned Thor story. Well, actually in the issue after the one I reviewed. Thor is separated from Mjolnir by the big ugliness that is Blastaar. The Thunder God doesn't recover it in time and hence turns back into Dr. Donald Blake. Of course he ends up recovering his walking stick and later knocking Blastaar all the way back to the Negative Zone. Here we see Tony Stark afflicted by an old Silver Age malady, and that's the draining of power from his armor -- notably, the life-sustaining chestplate. In this story Stark even remarks to himself that he has only around 60 seconds to find electricity. And then he counts it down. Like I ever thought he wouldn't find it? Pfah... If the trope doesn't provide drama or advance the story in a fresh way, then lose it. So there -- my "ugly" for this story.

Overall, though, this was time well spent. I really did enjoy this book quite a bit more than I expected. This story really had that early Bronze Age feel to it. The 20c price tag seems to ooze such a sense, am I right?

NOTE: Just an observation here. I own most of the Marvel DVD-ROMs (and again, they are wonderful things! -nearly as swell as sliced bread!), but I have never seen a scanned issue that looked like it was owned by an actual consumer. I always figured that the comics used to create those literary keepsakes came from some Marvel vault. Go figure -- apparently Iron Man #50 was secured from some kid! See below, at the Mighty Marvel Checklist:

Hooking the Reader, Only to Fizzle?

Doug: For my 49th birthday, which was 10 days ago, my in-laws got me a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card. I'm usually an Amazon kind of guy, because I feel their prices are better. But of course I took the plunge and snagged a used (although when it arrived it was as new as new can be) copy of Super-Villains Unite: The Complete Super-Villain Team-Up for $16. Thumbing through the book (which is thick -- I got a great deal) I was struck with how below-average the art was in the series. Lots of not-so-good Herb Trimpe, some really early Keith Giffen that is baaaaaad, etc. But the first appearance before the ongoing was actually in Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up #1. It featured two reprints, but the framing story was drawn by Big John Buscema. For the second G-S issue, DC guys Mike Sekowsky and Jack Abel turned in the pictures. While obviously a couple of notches below JB, it was serviceable. When the series finally began in 25c form the first issue featured George Tuska and the second Sal Buscema. So really, to get this ball rolling there was some pretty solid art. But as I said, it devolved quickly.

Doug: All this got me to thinking -- Marvel seemed to have a "hook" artist at the beginning of many of their 1970s start-ups. But did that last? Did the series (of course most of them barely made it past a second year of circulation) continue to deliver? Let's stick to the John Buscema theme for a minute. Below are the covers to three other series that Buscema was tapped to kick off: Ms. Marvel, Nova, and She-Hulk.

Doug: Obviously John Romita provided the cover for Ms. Marvel #1, and Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott did the honors on Nova. Big John penciled the She-Hulk book. For the record, Buscema stuck around for three issues on Ms. Marvel, two on Nova (before giving way to his brother, Sal), and only penciled the inaugural issue of She-Hulk. I'm not going to denigrate the work of guys like Mike Vosburg, but let's be honest -- he isn't JB! And as I said above, each of these books petered out around the 25th issue.

Doug: So what else? Marvel had tried to get an Inhumans series going earlier in Amazing Adventures. It lasted around 10 issues before the second attempt was made a few years later. It should have succeeded -- during its short life, the book featured pencils by George Perez, Gil Kane, and Keith Pollard. Perez, young and green, handled five of the first eight issues. But Kane's style is such a stark contrast to that of Perez, was that a factor in perhaps driving readers away? Hard to say. Another book in which Kane was involved was the Champions. Maybe this book had other issues involving the writing and/or hero line-up, but covers by Kane, Ron Wilson, and Rich Buckler couldn't save the book from the interiors of Don Heck and George Tuska (in fairness, both past their prime). 

Doug: So speaking of interiors, one of the great mysteries of short-lived series in the Bronze Age is the survival of The Invaders. From the get-go Frank Robbins was on duty (often inked by Frank Springer) -- to say Robbins' art is not to my liking would be an understatement. I've read his scripting on the Batman books -- I absolutely have no problem at all with him as a writer. But I have a struggle each time I try to read books he penciled. To further confound the Invaders problem, the series enjoyed wonderful covers by John Romita (I'm featuring the second issue, as I'd shown the first issue's cover a few weeks ago) and then an extended run by Jack Kirby. Many have said that Kirby should have done the interiors as well. By the way, the fifth issue, penciled by Rich Buckler, was a treat.

Doug: What do the readers say? I guess we're talking about a subject that comes up then and again -- covers vs. interior art and also the major issue of short-lived series -- the often-revolving creator carousel. And what's your opinion on those first-issue artists? I was surprised at how many kick-offs John Buscema shepherded us through. Was he editorial's go-to guy? Was he the Bronze Age's Jack Kirby, in terms of "if we want this to be good and get off the ground, Big John has to do it"? Do you think these series had a focus, or were they merely to take up shelf space in order to cut into DC's market share? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.