Who's The Best... Marvel Premiere Premiere?

Martinex1: In the great rotating try-out title Marvel Premiere there were a number of fringe characters and teams who were spotlighted along the way...who was the best?   The first twenty-five issues focused on superstars like Warlock, Dr. Strange, and Iron Fist, but after that we were treated to oddballs like Woodgod, Caleb Hammer, and 3-D Man...who was the best and had the most opportunity for success in your eyes?

  

  

  

  

  

Marvel Premiere 48: Let's Get Small -- the Conclusion

Marvel Premiere #48 (May 1979)
"The Price of a Heart"
David Michelinie-John Byrne/Bob Layton

Doug: Almost six years ago (!) I wrote a review of Marvel Premiere #47. I obtained that comic as a pack-in with the Marvel Legends Ant-Man figure. But I did not back in 1979 nor did I in the present ever have a copy of Marvel Premiere #48... until now! Last Tuesday I received my copy of the Marvel Pocketbooks The Astonishing Ant-Man: Origins, published by Panini Books. As Edo Bosnar has long sung the praises of these little tomes, I'll again echo his encouragement. They are so compact, yet contain the same number of reprints as would a regular size trade. And you cannot, cannot beat the price -- under $8.00 (free S&H) for this, which is less than a buck a book! The contents, you ask?

• Marvel Premiere #s 47-48
• Iron Man #s 131-133
• Avengers #s 195-196 and 223
• Marvel Team-Up #103

Doug: I'll get a couple of first impressions off my chest as we begin. David Michelinie tired me out real fast with his constant references to the pop culture of 1979. He mentioned the Dino diLaurentis King Kong film in this issue, but in part one he'd subjected me to Steve Martin (you know that's where I stole the title), Raquel Welch, James Whitmore, Bobby Riggs, and E.R.A. If that's what "holds up" means, then it didn't. It was just a bit much at times.  The art, on the other hand, was absolutely beautiful. Many of us have remarked through the years that as big fans of John Byrne's Bronze Age art, we're even bigger fans when he's inked by someone as polished as Terry Austin or in this case Bob Layton. It's a fantastic pairing, and one we should see more of (like on Hulk Annual #7).

Doug: So as we finished the last issue, our new Ant-Man Scott Lang was on a mission to enlist the aid of a Dr. Sondheim. She might have been the only physician on earth who could save Lang's daughter, Cassie. Cassie suffered from a heart ailment where the aorta had grown inward and created severe complications. Lang had gone to find Sondheim, but upon locating her was dismayed that she would not see him and was under the protection of armed toughs. Pressing the issue, Lang got himself slugged by some shadowy dude the size of the Hulk... but with a pink arm (?). So, having been a former burglar Lang decided he'd just trail Sondheim to wherever it was they took her. Her destination happened to be Cross Technological Enterprises, a company that made just about anything that could make its owner richer. And that owner just happened to be the body on the other end of that pink arm -- one Darren Cross, who really was as big as the Hulk!

Doug: Once inside CTE, Lang had stumbled across a closet that contained an Ant-Man suit. It seems Hank Pym had some association with CTE, so had apparently stashed a costume there. Lang stole it, took it back to his apartment and tried it on. The next thing we knew, he was superheroing. Accosting Dr. Sondheim in an operating room (after roughing up some of the goons standing guard), Lang was shocked to see Darren Cross rise from an operating table and state in no uncertain terms what was and was not going to happen. So as we pick it up in the conclusion, Cross and Ant-Man battle for a few panels before Cross knocks Ant-Man out of his senses. Using tweezers to pick up the tiny hero, Cross uses the growth gases on the front of the suit to return Ant-Man to his normal stature. Breaking the antennae on the helmet and ripping the gas canisters away, Ant-Man is tossed into a cell. Cross later comes by to visit his prisoner, and it's here we learn his origin.

Doug: Darren Cross was a successful businessman who had amassed a fortune. Driven, the tension in his life eventually caused his heart to malfunction. Seeing doctors, he was of course told to slow down, take a vacation, etc. Cross would hear none of it, and so sought a solution within his own company. He found it, in the form of an experimental device called the Nucleorganic Pacemaker. Immediately undergoing the implant, it was not long before Cross began to experience side effects. His strength and senses seemed heightened, but his complexion was turning a pink hue. Going into seclusion, Cross implored his doctors to cure him. They transplanted a heart... and another and another. Still no good, as the pacemaker was now basically eating the hearts. So Cross enlisted (involuntarily) Dr. Sondheim to help him with her knowledge of laser surgery. Ant-Man stopped Cross's monologue and asked how this would end -- if the pacemaker were to be removed, wouldn't that kill Cross immediately? Affirmative. But he'd never run out of replacement hearts, as Cross revealed a room filled with homeless men, kidnapped to be his endless supply of spare parts!

Doug: Cross left Ant-Man alone after telling all the dark secrets -- after all, that's what super-powered and over-confident knuckleheads do. Lang was nothing if not resourceful. He'd stashed a couple of spare antennae in his boot, just in case (Deus. Ex. Machina.). Getting the cybernetic helmet back up and running allowed him to call for troops. The ants came quickly, helping to also get the gas canisters back. Lang immediately went into attack mode, knowing that he had to a) stop Cross, and b) get Dr. Sondheim out so she could operate on Lang's daughter. The action over the next several pages is outstanding -- extremely well-delineated, choreographed, and paced. One of the treasured shots from Marvel Premiere #47 was a growing-and-punching Ant-Man -- Byrne and Layton repeat that here a couple of times, to great effect. As the fisticuffs continue to rise in intensity, Cross suddenly seizes up, then collapses. Dead. Ant-Man whirls toward Dr. Sondheim, incredulous. She says that it wasn't anything Ant-Man did (which was actually the answer Lang was looking for), but something she had done to Cross earlier. You see, she knew of Cross's "source" for the constant heart transplants. And so when Ant-Man had interrupted her surgery, she had just finished leaving Cross's old heart inside him, rather than giving him a new one. She told Ant-Man that she knew her oath, but she also knew the horrible truth about Cross. Do no harm, indeed.

Doug: But wait, there's more! The creators don't leave us hanging in regard to Cassie's surgery, which was good since this is a try-out book filled generally with one-shots. Dr. Sondheim was able to get Cassie's heart back in functional order. But as Lang was breaking his conversation with her, a voice from behind him made an address. It was none other than Yellowjacket -- the very inventor of the Ant-Man technology. Lang stuck both his hands out in front of him as if waiting for cuffs, assuming the Avenger had come to reclaim what was his and to take Lang back to prison for the burglary of CTE. But no -- Hank Pym had sought out Scott Lang only to give his blessing. Pym explained that he'd actually watched, through surveillance cameras, Lang steal the suit. Keeping an eye on Lang, YJ had followed him into CTE on the quest to find Dr. Sondheim. However, the more experienced hero had been knocked out while trying to move about in stealth mode and was not able to give Lang any back-up. Since Lang had won the day on his own, it only made sense to Pym to welcome Lang into the fraternity. And thus, as they say, was born a hero!

Doug: Shame on me perhaps, because the entire time I was watching Ant-Man this past July I made no connection to the Darren Cross in the film with the big pink guy here in Scott Lang's origin story. But I'm going to give myself a pass on it, since as I remarked at the top I had never seen today's issue until just a few days ago. So the meat-and-potatoes of the comic book version of Cross were largely unknown to me. But I was surprised at how much of this two-issue introduction formed the backbone of the Ant-Man film. That Pym saw Lang steal the suit, that Pym and Cross were connected, that Pym gave Lang his blessing -- all of that made the final cut. So really, if you think "comic accurate", the writers and creators of the film really honored the source material. It's refreshing to now know that. This was a really fun two-parter, and to those of you who got to read both sides of this tale back in the day, I'm envious. This would have hit the spinner racks only several months before I took my high school hiatus from collecting. My loss, as I'd have liked to have been able to spend some more time with our new hero, Scott Lang.

PS: The Ant-Man costume is a classic design, isn't it?

Arc of Triumph? Invaders 5,6, Marvel Premiere 29, 30

Karen: This four-parter, over four months, was the introduction of the Liberty Legion, the American homefront WWII super-team full of obscure characters that Roy Thomas plucked out of his old comics and brought back to give modern Marvel some history. I dug it, even if they didn't pop up too often. There were a bunch of artists who worked on these four books: Rich Buckler, Dick Ayers, Don Heck, and of course...Frank Robbins. Any thoughts on this hero-filled extravaganza?

Marvel Firsts: Enter the Fist

Marvel Premiere # 15 (May 1974)
"The Fury of Iron Fist"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane
Inker: Dick Giordano

Doug: Everybody was kung fu fighting back in 1974, weren't they? Going back to the days when publisher Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to jump on every trend in pop culture, Roy Thomas was certainly part of that legacy. Our subject today follows Shang chi, the Master of Kung Fu by about six months. This character will lean much more toward super-heroics than did the son of Fu Manchu. So let's check out this so-called K'un-L'un Kid!

Doug: We pick it up right in the middle of a brawl. Iron Fist is poised to strike against a cadre of attackers, while several mysterious masked strangers observe. This opening scene covers the better part of four pages, and to be honest I found that it got somewhat boring. Roy seemed to strain to work in the name of every martial arts move that could be identified. Gil Kane's choreography was outstanding, however, and his style really fit the dynamic fluidity of the story. Might as well get the whole art commentary out of the way early -- Dick Giordano was a nice fit for Kane, bringing some of that Neal Adams-like polish to Kane's sometimes-weird contortions.

Karen: You know, two of the things that had often annoyed me when reading Chris Claremont's Iron Fist stories was the narrative tool of "You are Iron Fist..." and the constant naming of martial arts moves. But re-reading this origin tale after so many years, I realize I have Roy Thomas to blame for setting the precedent! But that aside, it's a well drawn sequence.
Doug: As our hero vanquishes his last adversary, he is prompted by the leader of the mysterious figures, the August Personage of Jade, to think back to how he came to be in K'un-L'un. Iron Fist's mind drifts, then, to a time when he was a boy named Danny Rand. His father, Wendell Rand, his mother, and his father's business partner, Harold Meachum, wander the Himalayas. Wendell Rand has brought them on an expedition, looking for his own Shangri-La, the fabled city of K'un-L'un. As the group hiked along, Danny and his mother suddenly lost their footing and plunged off the path to an ice shelf below. Wendell Rand had been roped together with his wife and son, and as the bottom of the rope snapped, Rand clinged precariously to the ridge on which they'd been walking. That's when Meachum revealed his true colors, stamping on Rand's hand with his cleated boot -- and knocking him off and into a death-plunge!


Karen: As usual, Roy Thomas does a good job of filling in the background. We learn that Wendell Rand mysteriously appeared on the scene about a decade prior, becoming a successful businessman in no time. Obviously there is more than meets the eye to him. It seems ludicrous that he would drag his wife and young son with him at first glance, but then, it seems like he needs to show them this mythical city of K'un-Lun. Of course that's all cut short by his surprisingly violent fall down the mountain. Seriously, I was taken aback by the full page shot of his limp body falling, leaving a huge blood splash on the rocks above.

Doug: Danny Rand watched his father die, and his mother hoped that one day her son would avenge her husband. Meachum proclaimed love for Heather Rand -- of course she spurned him. Believing he'd now take over Rand's company, Meachum exited the scene, leaving the young mother and her son to die in the brutal mountain elements. As that was his first test in life, Iron Fist now faced another more immediate trial -- a giant of a man, bigger and faster and stronger than he. And bent on destroying him! Again, Iron Fist finds himself in mortal combat. As it doesn't go well, he hears naysayers among the mysterious ones, calling him a weakling, and not fit. But Iron Fist is scrappy, and battles on. But his adversary this time is far too strong. Near defeat, his mind wanders again to his youth.


Karen: Did you think it was kind of weird that Danny's Mom was throwing rocks at Meachum? Wouldn't her just telling him she wanted him dead be enough? The battle with Shu-Hu ("He whose fists are like twin thunderbolts") is exciting, since our hero clearly seems out-matched. On a side note, with all the references to Chinese myth and martial arts, I can see in my mind's eye Roy hunched over a bunch of books, trying to fit all this stuff in his script!

Doug: Danny's mother was boldly driven to save her son. She nurtured him, protected him, and encouraged him to have strength as they attempted to march to safety. What she didn't know was that a pack of wolves had picked up their scent and was in a distant pursuit. After some time, the animals sensed that their prey was getting weaker, and so charged. Hearing them, Heather Rand now hustled her son along at breakneck speed. Suddenly, a wooden bridge appeared -- could this be her husband's dreamlike civilization of K'un-L'un? Sprinting onto the structure, Heather Rand pushed her son forward... and then turned to face her death. Because that's surely what would befall her. And it did, as the wolves rended his mother. But a savior appeared, as men came onto the bridge bearing crossbows and killed the wolves. Danny Rand was now an orphan.

Karen: Maybe I just like melodrama, but I thought Danny's mother's sacrifice was very touching. Horrific, but touching.
Doug: Regaining his wits, Iron Fist was aware that he was in the shadow of his nemesis. Suddenly the giant emitted throwing knives from the palm of his hand. Huh? Iron Fist now knew that this adversary was more object than man, and with that newfound hope formulated a strategy for defeat. Fighting with abandon, Iron Fist pummeled the robot. Eventually we, the reader, learned why this new hero was named as he was -- summoning unknown energies, Iron Fist's right hand began to glow. He then unleashed a final blow, ending the battle, and the operation of the giant. Turning to face the masked masters, Iron Fist is told that he has earned the right -- to choose between immortality and death!

Karen: The hero gathers his resolve and defeats his enemy. Pretty standard stuff. It's a decent enough tale except for one thing, which really took me out of the story. A robot? The final challenge, in this mystical city based on Chinese legends, is a robot? I found this too incongruous to swallow. Why couldn't it be a spirit or some other supernatural creature? It's like Doc Strange battling some high-tech villain. It just doesn't feel right.
Doug: This issue was OK. I think I've said before, back when we did the Marvel Team-Up issues with Iron Fist, that I've never been a huge kung fu comics fan. I'm not opposed to them per se -- I just don't have the background that Karen does. So I am truly coming to this story as a first-time reader. I'd be curious enough to see the next issue and how this begins to play out -- Roy left just enough along the way to picque my curiosity. And again -- I thought this was some of the best work Gil Kane's ever done (with a nod once more to Giordano's influence).

Karen: I did enjoy the art. It was rare to see Giordano on a Marvel book; I recall reading an issue of Thor where he inked John Buscema and it didn't look/work so well, but on Kane it's a much better fit. Recently I purchased the Marvel Masterworks Iron Fist volume one, as I'd lost all of my Marvel Premieres a few years ago, and I was disappointed with the series overall. I think it really became worth reading when IF got his own title and Claremont and John Byrne were teamed up on it. Now that was good stuff!

Legion of Mediocrity: Marvel Premiere 28

Marvel Premiere 28 Featuring the Legion of Monsters (Feb. 1975)
"There's a Mountain on Sunset Boulevard!"
Bill Mantlo -writer
Frank Robbins -artist
Steve Gan -inker

Karen: Since this is October, and Halloween is looming large over the month, I thought it might be time to review some more monster comics. Unfortunately, the first one I selected is just flat-out terrible. I'm telling you this so you can choose now whether to continue to read this review or duck out before it gets too horrible.
Karen: First up: This book has Frank Robbins art. As I've mentioned in past posts, I am not a fan of his work. I have nothing against the guy but I just don't care for his style. This made it very hard to read The Invaders, but I managed to gut my way through several years of the series, since I loved the World War II setting. But it wasn't easy. And this issue is no different.
Karen: The thing is, I saw ads for this comic when I was a kid, and I desperately wanted it. Why wouldn't I -it had four monsters in it! Morbius, Werewolf By Night, Ghost Rider, and Man-Thing -now that's a monster rally. But I missed it on the newstands, so for years I wondered about it, and then just recently I managed to grab a copy.

Karen: As Mr. Spock once noted, sometimes having is not so pleasing as wanting. Now, the fantastic story of four monsters that lived in a little corner of my imagination has been wiped out by the sad reality.

Karen: Our tale takes place in Los Angeles. An earthquake leads to a mountain sprouting up in the middle of the street, tossing Johnny Blaze (aka The Ghost Rider) off his bike. Blaze switches to his alter ego and rides up the mountain, only to be stunned by a mysterious voice.

Karen: Cut to Morbius, gliding over roof tops in search of a new victim to satisfy his blood lust. Seeing a person on a roof, he dives down and attacks only to discover his intended victim is the Werewolf! Isn't that a coincidence. The two tangle but are interrupted by the burgeoning mountain. For some reason they both decide to investigate. The final member of our cast joins the story when a mountain pops up in the Man-Thing's Florida swamp. I guess it's the same mountain, somehow? This is just one of many things in this story that make no sense.

Karen: Morbius continues to explore the mountain, with the Werewolf literally nipping at his heels. They discover Ghost Rider's bike, and the Man-Thing suddenly pops out of the woods. Then the mysterious voice is heard again and a golden guy riding a golden horse that looks like it's having a heart attack shows up. He calls himself Starseed.

Karen: This Starseed seems friendly, welcoming the four monsters. Ghost Rider declares that he somehow knows the golden boy: "Like a dream I used to have as a kid! A dream of angels, all in gold!" Oh boy. We then get a long monologue by Starseed, which explains that he was once a member of a group of humans who split off from our primitive ancient ancestors. These 'cavemen' were peaceful and went off to live on a mountain in harmony, but that was destroyed when one of the most ridiculous looking aliens I've ever seen shows up. This tentacled alien nut job lands in its saucer and actually steals the mountain! This is just as bad as Hercules pulling Manhattan Island. Why does squid face steal it? Who knows!

Karen: It turns out Starseed and some of his buddies were inside caves in the mountain when it was whisked off to space. They waited and waited and finally used the aliens' technology against them. Then they sent the mountain back to where it had been before on Earth, although for some unexplained reason, Goldy is the only one still alive. Here's where it really gets whacko -first Ghost Rider tries to explain to Starseed that he can't just drop a mountain into a city full of people. Then Morbius goes on a rant about how the continents have shifted since the mountain disappeared and so this isn't really even the spot the mountain originally occupied! Thanks for the science lesson, but what the heck?
Karen: The Werewolf doesn't give a hoot about geography, he just wants to attack Starseed. Then Morbius declares that he must have his blood. Ghost Rider is trying to figure out who these two freaks are when the Man -Thing creeps up behind him. It gives GR a good scare and he takes off on his bike to try to stop Morbius and the Werewolf.

Karen: While the Werewolf is just filled with primal rage, Morbius is jealous of Starseed, of his beautiful form, and wants to kill him. Ghost Rider intercedes with some hellfire. As those two go at it, Starseed manages to toss away the Werewolf. The Man-Thing approaches, wanting to help, but burns Starseed with his touch. Ghost Rider rams the swamp monster with his bike and tries to help Goldy but he is dying. He waves his hand and each of the four are briefly transformed back into their human selves. But then it is over -"The Dream cannot be continued" and all but the Rider take off. Starseed says his good-byes to GR and dies -"I am going home" -and that's that, as GR pushes his bike down the road in search of a gas station.

Karen: Man, what a let down. I was expecting something that would catch the favor of a classic horror flick, but this was just a mess. This is no 'legion', none of these guys are acting in any way as a team. The Starseed idea just does not fit with these characters. Well, I don't know if it would fit with any book, seeing as how it's such a lame idea to begin with. But this issue really did not work, not on any level.