Revelation(s)!

Oh, Peter Parker. These little deceptions used to be so easy for you to pull off, didn't they.

Well, kiss those days goodbye, sport, because that was 1965--and these days, May Parker is going to want some answers from you, young man!

While it's true that Peter has had a number of narrow escapes from situations where his secret identity was at risk, he finally had to face the music in the 1990s (and even into the 2000s) when no less than three writers in five separate spider-titles decided to play a part in at last opening the eyes of Peter's Aunt May, the one person he strove to keep in the dark above all others about his double identity.

But, wait--three writers? Five different Spider-Man books? And this wasn't a crossover story? To that, we'd have to answer both yes and no--"yes," in that one of the stories was explained in more detail in another spider-title that crossed over to yet another, but "no" in regard to Aunt May discovering Peter's secret. Which means that, as odd as it sounds, May learned the truth about Peter, from Peter, on three separate occasions. That either adds up to a lot of confessing on Peter's part, or there's more to the situation than is evident.

To clear it all up, let's take each of these stories in sequence and try to bring some context to all of it. (A tall order when dealing with the chaotic nature of Marvel comics published in the decades bookending the turn of the century.)

I Stand With The Thunderbolts!

While there have been a number of times when comic book "gods" have been bested or otherwise humbled by mortals, it's hard to imagine a scenario more brutal than the one we witnessed in late 1986, when Hercules of Olympus was set upon by the Masters of Evil--a rebranding of the classic super-villain group from the earliest issues of The Avengers, this time led by the son of Baron Zemo and with more members added to their ranks.

Unlike the Sinister Six, Zemo's group has obviously embraced the tactic of attacking their foe(s) en masse--and despite their mob mentality, they've also demonstrated that they're adept at intelligence gathering and willing to follow Zemo's carefully laid-out plan. In this case, one of their members, the Wrecker, has bought a few rounds for Hercules at a local bar and goaded him into anger by exposing his growing rift with the Avengers' chairwoman, the Wasp--which later leads to Hercules abandoning his monitor duties at Avengers Mansion in order to accept an offer from a charming woman to join her on a midnight cruise (said woman secretly being in the employ of Zemo), leaving the mansion deserted, and vulnerable.

All of which leads to Hercules disobeying orders and tackling the Masters on his own following their invasion of Avengers Mansion. Even being (thanks to our young lady) thoroughly inebriated and drugged, Hercules gives a good accounting of himself--but the tide is turned against him when the powerhouse known as Goliath (Erik Josten, the former Power Man) steps in and delivers a thrashing that sets up Hercules for one of the most savage beatings of his immortal life.

The road to recovery was likely a difficult one for Hercules (it wasn't so easy for the Avengers, either!). But when he's back in circulation and learns from a news report that the heroes known as the Thunderbolts have been revealed to be former members of the Masters of Evil, he comes looking for Josten (now the Thunderbolt called Atlas) in the Colorado rockies--and his intentions are clear from the moment of his explosive arrival!

Noting the date of this story, it took just over twelve years (our time) for Hercules to at last be on the cusp of some measure of retribution for the trauma he suffered at the hands of the Masters. But since the Wrecking Crew and Mister Hyde never transitioned to the Thunderbolts, it looks like Hercules has settled on the one member he can still hold accountable for the beatings he took--the mocking and insolent villain who struck from behind and then watched, grinning and laughing, as his compatriots beat Hercules to within an inch of his life (if that). But as for Atlas, the jury may be out as to whether he'll be the one who goes down in this fight!

Try Your Hand!

If you had aspirations toward working at Marvel Comics as a writer or artist, you probably took more than a second glance at The Official Marvel Comics Try-out Book published in 1983, which offered you a chance to submit your work samples directly to the source--and, best of all, since by all appearances Marvel was "hiring," you didn't have any concerns of how to get your foot in the door or having your work rejected outright. You were also on a level playing field with other applicants, since each person was applying their talent to the same pages of the sample story in the book which was in various stages of completion. Depending on what area you wanted to concentrate on, you could add your own touches and flair and submit work that would be distinct from anyone else who was hoping to be the next Chris Claremont or John Romita.

Taking a leaf from How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way, a much larger and more detailed instructional aid published in 1978, the Try-Out book clocks in at only 32 pages, but naturally has a format geared for work submission, its weighted pages oversized at 11" x 17" and designed for removal from the book's spine--though many would also have picked up the book just to hone their developing skills. Given its title, it has a only a minimum of introductory and explanatory segments and doesn't go into nearly the detail of its 1978 predecessor; its strength, rather, lies in the fact that it's a hands-on book in the truest sense, and no doubt appealed to those who wished to have a "starting point" in front of them.

Starting with the actual (but unfinished) comic story which gives you a few completed pages by Jim Shooter, John Romita Jr., Al Milgrom, Christine Scheele and Jim Novak, you'll then find sections that break down the work into try-out areas where you can add inking and/or coloring to pencilled and/or inked pages, add lettering to pages which have been scripted, pencil pages that have been plotted, write your own plot, or script pages that have been plotted and pencilled. No doubt there were those who rolled up their sleeves and tried their hand in more than one area, taking advantage of the enthusiasm which a publication that had "Official Marvel Try-Out Book" as its title was bound to generate.

The house ad for the book doesn't appear until April of the following year:

Nearly a year later, perhaps to get a little more mileage from the book's jaw-dropping $12.95 price tag, Shooter decided to capitalize on the book's title and grandfather the concept into a formal contest which in essence "put the word out" that Marvel was actively looking for new talent--and to sweeten the pitch, there was now a bona fide work assignment waiting for the winners, as a new full-page ad appearing in the company's January 1985 books details:

The revised ad was supplemented by a mention in the Bullpen Bulletins section (or what was left of it by 1985). Given its wording, there was apparently a production slip-up that delayed the Bulletins blurb until the following month instead of coinciding with the January ad; yet an explanation has now been added which clarifies that the contest was a way of satisfying rabid fans who were clamoring for the full comics story that remained incomplete in the Try-Out book. To cover his bases, Shooter adds that purchasing the book wasn't required to enter the contest.

Reportedly, over 19,000 submissions were received by Marvel--which, not even tabulating purchases of the book which were made before the contest was conceived and added to the mix, amounts to over a quarter of a million bucks in sales.

It wasn't until February of '86 before the winners were announced, one of whom you'll likely recognize immediately:

Only the Bulletins winners' annoucement includes the wording regarding the winners' "first regular professional assignment," while the ad is careful not to imply that additional work will be forthcoming.

To follow up on the annoucement, the ASM story which would have finished the "Personals" story begun in the Try-Out book never materialized, though Bagley of course went on to pencil a full run of Ultimate Spider-Man and other assignments. Hazlewood, the inking contestant, would mainly make his stamp at DC Comics--while Riggs, formerly a graphic artist, would shift to inking work in Marvel's UK line as well as finding later work at DC. Neither Pasda nor Duffie have been credited in published work (to my knowledge).

A less hyped try-out book was the 1996 X-Men-themed effort (with an intro by Bagley) that makes a point of mentioning the use of computer technology in comic book production, while being less accommodating as far as available pages to work off of directly.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the mid-'80s, of course, so Shooter's message in the final announcement welcoming further submissions post-contest has accumulated a lot of dust. And boy, has Marvel changed its tune and retracted the welcome mat:

"Marvel does not accept or consider any ideas, creative suggestions, artwork, designs, game proposals, scripts, manuscripts, or similar material unless we have specifically requested it from you. Marvel is continuously developing and creating its own ideas and materials, and we don’t have the resources to review or respond to unsolicited material. Unfortunately, any unsolicited material you send will not be read or shared. It will be destroyed, and it will not be returned.

"While we can’t accept your unsolicited submissions, please know that Marvel is always looking for new comic book artists and writers. We constantly read and review indie, self-published, creator-owned, and web-comics, review popular online art communities, ask other artists for opinions and recommendations, and host portfolio reviews at conventions from time to time. If you are an aspiring comic book artist or writer, we suggest you publish or publicly post your material, continue to create, and if you have the right stuff...we’ll find you."

Or, as Mark Alford bottom-lines it in his commentary on the subject: "Don't call us, we'll call you."

BONUS!

Mark Bagley talks about his try-out experience and subsequent career.

Thrall Of The Purple Man!

With Brian Bendis enjoying a gig as Consulting Producer on the Netflix series Jessica Jones, it's easy to see parallels between the season-long arc featuring Kilgrave and the last few issues of the Bendis-written 2001-04 comic, Alias, which focus on Jessica's dealings with the Purple Man, who spells his name "Killgrave" and whose villainy hails back to his introduction in Daredevil in 1964. In both cases, Jessica has gone through hell with this man who kept her captive for months, an experience that haunted her even after she escaped his control; and in each case, we learn of Jessica's ordeal gradually, piecemeal, which more effectively conveys her struggle to put this period of her life behind her. Jessica as a victim is difficult enough to digest; Jessica as a helpless victim is a thought that boggles the mind.

For those of you whose interest in the character's clash with the Purple Man/Kilgrave is piqued and who have sampled (respectively) neither the television series nor the story in Alias, there is no one medium to choose first as far as which version offers more drama and a more powerful impact on the reader/viewer, as each of them has their merits and their own way of presenting the material. There is of course the perk of actor David Tennant in the role of Kilgrave in the series, who does a fine job of bringing the character to life in a real-world setting--yet you'll find the character in print no less compelling, so it comes down to the old debate about whether the book or the movie offers more entertainment for you. Having consumed both stories, I can at least attest that you won't be disappointed with either, no matter which one you prefer to dive into first.

Also, while the Netflix version no doubt brings with it the expectation of pulling no punches as far as portraying the gritty realism and frank reactions inherent in such a situation, the book is able to match the series in those respects, since Alias was the first series published under Marvel's new "Max" designation, with the company finally giving the Comics Code Authority the heave-ho and substituting its own ratings system while coming out with a line of R-rated comics titles. Both versions of Jessica are unarguably damaged, though with the television version being considerably more hard-edged and intimidating than her more vulnerable comics counterpart; but each medium does the character justice in how she copes with this painful reminder of her past.

In Alias, the Purple Man is incarcerated in the prison facility known as the Raft when Jessica is placed in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with him once more, after a group of "survivors" of his assaults on loved ones approaches her in order to obtain some closure for themselves--assuming, that is, that Killgrave decides to cooperate.

And since we're treading into the pages of a comic bearing the Max logo, it's probably a good idea to give you a heads up as to what to expect before we continue:

Exclusive To The Bugle: The Fall of Norman Osborn!

It often came as a surprise to come across stories in Marvel's line of comics when the "Daily Bugle," the mainstay newspaper created and given life by Stan Lee in the early 1960s, was given more exposure than simply a few panels of comic relief in Amazing Spider-Man or other titles. In those early days, ASM helped to make the Bugle, along with its crack staff of reporters and its cantankerous publisher, J. Jonah Jameson, a vital part of the mag, and not simply because of Jameson's designated role as a thorn in Spider-Man's side. (Heck, in practically everyone's side.) But as Marvel branched out, the Bugle followed--its ability to take New York City's pulse, as well as its extensive coverage of the city's crime scene, often put to good use in Daredevil, ASM, and other titles whose characters confined their activities to the streets.

In some of those stories, we saw another side of Jameson on occasion--the hard-nosed newspaper man who ran the Bugle like a taut ship and whose better judgment at times needed perspective from his editor and friend, Joe Robertson, the perfect foil for Jameson's fly-off-the-handle outbursts and his bent toward persecution. "Robbie" was a needed balance for the character, someone who could keep Jameson from becoming two-dimensional and whose presence at the Bugle gave the paper integrity to Jameson's grit. With these two anchors, the Bugle evolved to become an institution in Marvel's comics over the decades. There were stories to be told by this paper, and the potential was always there to evoke a different kind of drama that didn't necessarily have to depend on costumes and powers for its backbone.

In that respect, the 2004 series The Pulse offered something different for someone like me whose collecting bug was winding down and who was sampling other titles to see if anything grabbed me. At the time, Fantastic Four was numbering in the 500s, while the 1998 Avengers run was about to come to a "disassembled" end; and suddenly, here were Jameson and Robertson, breaking ground with virtually their own comic. For this to work, the writer and artists would have to really map out the kind of bustling newspaper office and staff they wanted to present, in a format that would put us in the city room instead of Peter Parker, Betty Brant, or any of the usual suspects who were mainly passing through or taking up space. It was the Bugle that would be the center of attention, the Bugle that would have to carry the story, the reporters who would essentially drive the stories and set the pace. It was a concept that was finally going to get its day.

As to the format, well, with its cover, you've already seen part of its foundation--"The Pulse," a new supplement of the paper that cleverly pulls double duty as the comic's masthead. A few readers will probably get a sense of bits and pieces of prior Daily Bugle concepts being salvaged and folded into the Pulse; for instance, the Pulse is aimed at appeasing newspaper readers who want to see the Bugle's content feature more informative news on super-heroes, something which was attempted with "Now" Magazine:

There's also the presence of Jessica Jones at the Pulse, a super-being who no longer suits up but is hired by Jameson to offer her unique input on stories that will see print in the supplement, which borrows elements from Carol Danvers' stint as the editor of Jameson's "Woman" Magazine:

For the Pulse, writer Brian Bendis produces a more detailed, 21st century version of the Bugle, where circulation is down because the paper's editorial slant against super-heroes has grown tiresome with readers, and whose publisher must be realistic about the paper's future and bite the bullet in terms of giving readers what they want.

Needless to say, what Jessica needs from Jameson, like Carol Danvers, is a salary and benefits, which this time Jameson readily agrees to.

Bendis, together with artists Mark Bagley and Scott Hanna, appear to be the right men for the right job here, immersing the reader into this world of news and investigative reporting and, most importantly, the Daily Bugle we were seldom privileged to get a look at behind the scenes for any length of time. As this series is starting, all three are still in the middle of their well-received run on Ultimate Spider-Man, while Bendis also chronicled Daredevil as well as introduced Jessica as a P.I. in the Alias series. No doubt some of you have reservations about cracking open any project written by Bendis, whose writing style can often be frustrating to follow. Yet if you can overlook the staggered conversations between characters, the constant interruptions they engage in, the maddening loops of subject ==> irrelevant tangents ==> back to subject, all of which try like hell to typify contemporary "casual-speak"... if you can overlook such distractions, there's some good work here and some excellent character development. Jameson, while still Jameson, is less outrageous and exaggerated--more centered and seasoned. Luke Cage, as characterized by Bendis, is one of the most solid versions of Cage I've ever read (and who fit like a glove in New Avengers). Ben Urich is a roll-up-his-sleeves reporter who's been frustrated by the number the job has done on him, but who pushes on because he's a damn good reporter. And if Jameson is the Bugle's soul, then Robbie is its heart, who keeps his eye on things and doesn't hesitate to step in when needed. It's clear there's no lack of commitment in any of the creative talent involved in these first few issues, with everyone bringing their A-game.

For its debut story, the Pulse tackles no less than Norman Osborn in his role as the Green Goblin--someone the Bugle, and Urich in particular, had attempted once before to expose but were swept up in a legal firestorm for their trouble. The series' first issue only touches on what's to come, when a body is discovered in Central Park's lake, a development that its second issue would pick up on; but this first issue is devoted to establishing the Pulse itself and those who make up its core staff. We've already taken a look at Jessica and the next steps she's decided to take in her life with Cage, yet her story unfolds from the beginning of the issue--pregnant by Cage and deciding to segue to a job with more stability. Of course, with Cage's dealings with Jameson having been on a more rocky road, he has reservations about his girlfriend considering a job offer with the man.

As we've seen, Jameson's commitment to the Pulse is real, so much so that he's made quite an offer to Jessica to bring her on board in what amounts to a position as a consultant. It speaks well of his instincts; and as for Jessica, her transition from P.I. to Bugle staffer no doubt strikes those who only know her character from her Netflix series as a bit odd.

As for Urich, the cagey Jameson has a conversation with him similar to the one he had with Jessica, only this time convincing Urich that it's Jessica who will need Urich to hand-hold and motivate her so that she'll do her best work for the Pulse, whereas Jessica is under the impression that it's Urich who needs the Pulse to jump-start his work as a reporter. But Urich is equally motivated by the fact that Jameson is changing his editorial stance and giving the Bugle a different direction.

With the look and feel of the book established, the story turns to what will truly ignite it--an investigation into the death of the young woman found in Central Park, a person who just the day before was a new Bugle reporter who was desperate to find a story that would appease Jameson's expectations of her. And so Terri Kidder takes a lunch with her friend Sheryl, who works at the Oscorp company--and a casual leading question from Terri has her very nervous and shaken-up friend spilling details that could land Terri her first big scoop for her new boss.

Since Terri was already working on a "100 most powerful people in NYC" story, it made sense to use that angle in order to go straight to the source and hope that Osborn would have a statement and/or reaction when she smoothly changed the subject to these reports of missing persons within his company. Unfortunately for Terri, she receives both.