Spotlight On: The Filipino Masters

Doug:  You know these guys, some of whom have been featured in the past on the BAB.  Nestor Redondo.  Tony DeZuniga. Rudy Nebres.  Alex Nino. Romeo Tanghal. Ernie Chan. Alfredo Alcala. E.R. Cruz.  More recently, in the modern age -- Whilce Portacio.  Rafael Kayanan. Leinil Francis Yu.  Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, this group of talented illustrators was seemingly everywhere in the Bronze Age.  Most notably, their work was featured in Marvel's stable of black and white magazines, but guys like Ernie Chan (Chua) had lengthy runs either penciling or inking such titles as Conan the Barbarian, the Incredible Hulk, and the Batman mags.  Lovers of the Teen Titans will recognize Romeo Tanghal's name from the Baxter paper era, and anyone drawn to Rima the Jungle Girl by Joe Kubert's covers would have found the work of Nestor Redondo between the covers.

Doug:  Today let's hear some reminiscences, preferences, pans -- whatever you got.  There's plenty to discuss under this Spotlight.

Nestor Redondo

Inks by Alfredo Alcala

Romeo Tanghal

An Obscure Silver Surfer Story: The Answer

Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980)
"The Answer, A Tale of the Silver Surfer"
Stan Lee-John Buscema/Rudy Nebres

Doug:  Back on January 21, our friend and frequent commenter Edo Bosnar subtly reminded me that back in January of 2010 I'd made a pledge to review a short Silver Surfer story that I'd read within the pages of the hardcover (must-have hardcover to you) Marvel Visionaries: John Buscema.  I told him in a reply that I'd totally dropped the ball on that, and would soon enough provide said review.  That's today.  You'll see that the story was published in the pages of Marvel's Epic Illustrated, the company's attempt to catch on to a bit of the market enjoyed by such publications as Heavy Metal.  One might also consider this an evolution of Marvel's extensive foray into the realm of black and white magazines during the early Bronze Age; you'll note that Epic Illustrated was entirely in color.  Let's check it out --

Doug:  One of the aspects of this story that you may notice right from the get-go is the quality of the artwork.  From the linework to the coloring to the panel details, this is far different from any four-color comic books we've examined in the past here on the BAB.  While the pencils are John Buscema's, I wouldn't say the pages scream Buscema.  Rudy Nebres is overpowering to say the least.  It seems that every time we discuss Big John outside the Silver Age, the issue of lay-outs vs. full pencils comes to the fore.  As this was published in 1980, I honestly don't know how tight John's pencils would have been.  While he could draw anatomically correct figures with the best of the masters, there are details in the story that lead me to believe that Nebres had some real liberty with the finished product.  As I said above, this magazine was a conscious effort by Marvel to get into whatever comics/magazine market periodicals such as Heavy Metal occupied.  For those of you who've seen anything in that genre, I think you'd say this is a pretty solid effort on Marvel's part.

Doug:  The story is only eight pages, and it's quite simple.  What we have here is an untold tale of Galactus and the Silver Surfer, from their earliest adventures together.  This almost has a warm feeling to it, sort of a mentor/mentee vibe.  Norrin Radd asks his master how he might learn the answer to the mystery.  As you can see, Galactus' answer is a flat "There is no answer."  The Surfer pushes him, asking if he himself knows more.  The Surfer, feeling small in comparison to not only Galactus but the universe, compares himself to a mere flyspeck.  Galactus declares that while he himself is more than man, he is less than god.  The Surfer presses him, even accusing the master of lying to him.  Galactus calmly states that he is power absolute, and has no reason to lie.  He repeats that there is no answer, but encourages the Surfer to seek his own resolution.

Doug:  The Surfer takes to his board, seeking to "strip away the final veil of darkness".  In a quest to see beyond the furthest star, he streaks away from the asteroid he and Galactus had occupied.  Pledging to not turn back, the Surfer goes deeper and deeper into space, until finally he finds what he is looking for:  a black hole, a fissure in the very fabric of space.  Entering it, Norrin Radd is positive that his power cosmic will protect him while he searches for infinity.  What he finds is an overload for his senses, a writhing, sharp, stabbing collection of light colors that spiral to the center of the black hole.  This is no Kirby spacescape!  This is akin to a journey to the center of the human being rather than down Alice's rabbit hole.

Doug:  The Surfer begins to feel very emotional -- excitement, anticipation, and perhaps even trepidation.  He nears his goal: the answer.  Yet, closing his eyes, he is astounded upon opening them that he found not what he sought and is instead on his way out of the black hole.  Disappointed, he's somewhat incredulous to return to Galactus so soon.  Asking his master if he had reached the answer first, Galactus assures his herald that he has not moved in the Surfer's absence.  The Surfer cries out, "It cannot be!  There must be something -- somewhere --".  Galactus answers that he tried to warn Norrin Radd.  And here is the resolution:

 

Doug:  Is anyone out there surprised that this comes from Stan Lee and not Jack Kirby?  Kirby had for years explored religious themes in his art and plotting/scripting, but for the most part Stan's dalliances in religious topics seemed to focus more on ethics rather than theology or the existence of God.  Here Stan not only names God, but takes one of Marvel's more powerful beings and humbles him in the presence of God.  This would seem to be an examination of the very nature of and existence of a deity as it might have played out in the Marvel Universe.  The result seems not too different from interpretations of God from the great religions around the world, and Stan seems careful not to make this God slanted toward any of those specific religions.  

Doug:  It's a curious tale, tucked far away from the eyes of the everyday Marvel Comics reader.  While I knew Epic Illustrated existed, this was the time when I was not buying comics.  It was still published, and indeed on its last legs, when I returned to the hobby in late 1984/early1985.  I believe the Surfer series ran throughout, and I'd be in debt to any of our readers who can shed some light on the life of this magazine and even moreso on the Surfer feature.  You have my thanks in advance.

BAB Two-In-One: Mad Gods and Barbarians!

Karen: My selection for this go-round is Captain Marvel #31, from 1974, written and illustrated by Jim Starlin. It wasn't easy to pick a single issue from Starlin's CM run to review, but I think this issue is one of the best. I don't know if anyone at Marvel in the early 70s better exemplified the freedom and creativity that was on display than Starlin. His works were typically on a grand, cosmic scale, and yet, they were also always very personal stories too.

Karen: In the 60s Lee and Kirby gave the readers grand cosmic struggles, but they were mostly devoid of any personal, or human, element. Beings like Galactus and Ego were considered beyond good and evil, and while threatening Earth or the galaxy, there was always this idea that what they did was not truly evil - it was simply their natural behavior. Not so with the menace that Starlin would elevate to that status here. The mad Titan Thanos was motivated by strong, very human emotions in his quest for absolute power. He had fallen in love with the personification of Death (this was another continuation from the Lee-Kirby days of giving metaphysical concepts tangible forms). In his zeal to earn her affection, Thanos planned to give Death the gift of galactic genocide. With the help of the Cosmic Cube, a device that could turn thoughts into reality, it appeared he had the means to do so.

Karen: Fortunately, our stalwart Kree soldier, Captain Marvel, discovers the plan. Realizing he cannot defeat Thanos alone, he requests the aid of the Avengers. Thanos learns of Mar-Vell's efforts and teleports him, Iron Man, Moondragon, and Drax the Destroyer to his base, as he feels these are his most dangerous foes. He imprisons them, and to take away any last shred of hope, he shows them that he has also shackled Kronos, the supreme being! However, Mar-Vell does manage to free them and they briefly remove the Cube from Thanos. But even without it he is formidable and holds them off until he recovers the device. Finally he disappears, only to reveal that he has used the Cube to turn himself into God!Karen: This issue is very fast-paced and exciting. You get everything here: Mar-Vell, the Avengers, the Destroyer, the Titans, tons of aliens, fist fights, psychic battles - it's amazing. I can recall when these issues were coming out and how maddening it was waiting for the next one!

Karen: Starlin's art is superb. You can readily see the Ditko and Kirby influences, but Starlin's style is so different that it is entirely original. These are pages that almost pulse with power, and yet they are not without their subtleties too. Starlin is particularly good with the expressions on his characters' faces. I often look at art without reading to see how well the story is conveyed by the artist - and Starlin is a great storyteller.

Karen: This saga still holds up very well and is well worth reading. If you're interested in getting it, it was reprinted in Marvel Masterworks vol. 95.

Doug: This time 'round I thought we'd get a little primitive and return to the Hyborian Age and everyone's favorite barbarian, Conan. Most people associate Conan with scribe Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, but in this tale we find the pencils ably laid down by John's younger brother Sal. The inks are by Filipino-aritist extraordinairre Rudy Nebres. On, then, with a look back at The Savage Sword of Conan #37 from February 1978.

Doug: I've been a Conan fan for many, many years. The alternate-history of it, tales of a world gone away make these stories close cousins to another favorite -- Tarzan of the Apes.

Doug: Thomas adapts R.E. Howard's short story, Son of the White Wolf, which actually starred another of Howard's heroes -- El Borak, who was based on Lawrence of Arabia. Here is a plot summary of Howard's story, which Thomas for the most part followed:

"Son of the White Wolf" is another El Borak which saw print only shortly after Howard's death. It's a good one, which manages to encompass a wide scope within a remarkably tight narrative.

During the First World War, a group of Turkish soldiers (fighting on the side of the Germans) mutiny under the megalomaniacal leadership of a madman named Osman Pasha. Osman is a little empire builder. He dreams big, planning to renounce Islam and revive the ancient Turkish religion, worshipping the White Wolf. Under its banner, he means to create a New Turkish Empire while the former empires of Europe batter themselves to dust in the War to End All Wars. Their first stop is a small village, loyal to the Germans, called El Awad. Razing the village, they kill all the men but take the women for their wives, including a lovely German spy named Olga Von Bruckmann. But one man, mortally wounded, escapes the massacre and crawls literally miles to bring the word to El Borak. Our impulsive hero sets out on camel alone and without a plan, determine to rescue Olga and hang Osman from the nearest tamarisk...

What is most impressive about "Son of the White Wolf" is how REH manages to portray the stakes as sufficiently high that we believe the fate of empires are in the balance. After all, Osman Pasha only has maybe a hundred men, and he so far has taken only one village. Not exactly the stuff of legends. Nonetheless, Howard makes us believe that, unless Osman is stopped and damn quick, he really might succeed in his seemingly mad quest. Given that this is one of the shorter El Borak stories, this achievement is all the more remarkable.

This is the only El Borak story that makes explicit reference to Lawrence of Arabia, upon whom El Borak was obviously based. We are told that El Borak was living with the Arabs even before Lawrence came along, and now works hand in hand with the great man himself. http://www.pulpanddagger.com/conan/Wolf.html

Doug: Given that this is a Savage Sword story, rather than the four-color monthly Conan the Barbarian, the action is more fierce and ever-bloody. Rape is implied, and an infant and later women are murdered off-screen. Through all of this, Sal Buscema and Rudy Nebres perform quite well. It's hard to imagine that this is the same Sal who pencilled Peter Parker #15, for sale the same month -- this is a Sal Buscema with an edge rarely seen, and who channels his brother often.

Doug: If you've never taken a chance on Savage Sword, Dark Horse (who now owns the Conan Properties license) is reprinting the entire series in the Essentials format. Check 'em out!