Star-Lord!

The snarky marginally portly chap who calls himself Star-Lord in all those very successful Marvel movies ain't your Momma's Star-Lord. That fellow, named Peter Quill too was a pretty safe distance from the entertaining malarky that defines those Guardians of the Galaxy movies. But due to the success of those movies Marvel saw fit to reprint in one handy volume Star-Lord's earliest appearances. 

Star-Lord kicked off in the fourth issue of Marvel Preview. The story was written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Steve Gan. Beneath this handsome Gray Morrow cover we meet Peter Quill, a young boy and then young man who is filled with anger. His Mother was killed by aliens and Pete saw this, then vowed to get revenge. To that end he seeks service in the space corps of Earth and is not at all concerned about how he obtains his goals. 

He's a very unlikeable character in this first installment. But nonetheless he schemes and brutalizes his way to encounter the Master of the Sun who gifts him with his abilities and weapons. Peter only wants vengeance for his Mother's death, but he then finds out he is meant for more Much is made of Astrology in this story, as Englehart was a devotee at the time. But this aspect of the character was dropped in his very next appearance. 

It is Star-Lord's next appearance in the eleventh issue of Marvel Preview though that really stuck in the memories of many a Marvelite of the time. Chris Claremont and John Byrne were a new team, yet to tackle the X-Men when they came to this space saga. Now we see Star-Lord doing his work, saving people from slavers from space. This is a splendid yarn and we can see the raw talent of Byrne quickening with each page aided by the inks of Terry Austin, while Claremont makes Peter Quill a much more aloof yet still more sympathetic hero. This story also introduces "Ship", the intelligent spacecraft which is Star-Lord's partner. 

This story has proven so popular that it has been reprinted twice as a standalone comic, once in the 80's and again in the 90's. New material was created by Claremont, Austin, and artist Michael Golden to make the story make a bit more sense. 

The fourteenth issue of Marvel Preview brings Star-Lord back under a very handsome cover by Jim Starlin. Chris Claremont stays with the character but the new artist is the legendary Carmine Infantino. His pencils defined the future in many a DC comic of years past and he brings a strong powerful style to this hero. We learn a great deal more about Ship as she adopts a humanoid form to interact with Peter Quill. The two of them are trying to survive on a very deadly planet. 

That same team is back in the fifteenth issue which shows the duo stopping a deadly fleet from destroying worlds. Peter is alerted to this threat by a dream, and given his powers combined with that he seems a real precursor to Nexus who was likewise motivated by dreams. The similarity between these heroes really stood out to me as I read these stories for the first time in years. By the way that's a Joe Jusko cover above. Star-Lord didn't appear often but when he did, he got the best of the best. 

Star-Lord appears in color for the first time in a story written by Claremont but drawn and apparently painted to some degree by Gene Colan. This is a lush package underneath a powerful Earl Norem cover. Peter Quill finds romance of a sort with a creature who only appears to be an Earth woman to suit him. 

Doug Moench becomes the regular writer of Star-Lord in the eighteenth issue of Marvel Preview and is joined by artist s Bill Sienkiewicz and Bob McLeod. Quill is matched up against a race of "Lion Men" (shades of Flash Gordon). Somewhere along the way Star-Lord lost his helmet and it was a mistake in my opinion. The look of his costume is hurt with its absence. But clearly the creators wanted to show his face more, the same reason mask don't last long in most feature films not starring Batman. 

Star-Lord jumps to color comics in the sixth issue of the second Marvel Spotlight series. His origin is revisited, and we learn much more about the Master of the Sun and his connection to a young Peter Quill. Tom Sutton becomes the new regular artist, joining Moench. I really like Sutton's take on the character. 

The pair are back in the next issue in a story in which the life cycle of a species is central to the outcome of the plot. While Peter Quill is a powerful man, he is a man who is often confused by the creatures he meets. Moench is really quite good at presenting alien intelligences. 

The stories jump to Marvel Premiere and we get a story told from the point of view of a planet. That gives the story a larger and more profound perspective. Moench with Sutton's input is really interested in doing interesting things with the character, but alas this issue will be the last Star-Lord story for many years. 

This volume closes out by jumping to the 90's when a three-part mini-series starring the character is launched written by science fiction talent Timoth Zahn and drawn (painted really) by Dan Lawlis. We learn more about then nature Star-Lord's powers and the great cost it requires to use them. Actually this adventure doesn't feature Peter Quill who has been missing for some time as the story picks up but instead installs Sinjin Quarrel, a young telepath in the role. He picks up the mantle when he unearths Ship. The duo are then thrust into an adventure which has them confront some of the worst outlaws in space. I don't know how this fits into the larger Star-Lord saga but I'm not required to know. It was a nice addition. 

And that wraps up the classic adventures of Star-Lord, one of Marvel's more interesting Bronze Age characters. You have to give them credit for really staying with the concept and trying to find a way to launch it. But that old canard about science fiction not selling in comics seems to have proven true, at least back then. 

Rip Off

Captain Britain - Siege Of Camelot!

I usually try to stay positive in my reviews of comics, knowing how difficult it was back in the day to make them. But I have to say the Captain Britian stories which lead off this second volume are really quite terrible. The writer is Jim Lawrence who seems to be sharing credit the Larry Lieber the editor. The artwork by Ron Wilson seems rushed and is quite uneven. The inking is at times absolutely crude. Pablo Marcos is responsible for some issues though I detected the work of Ricardo Villamonte on some pages. Marcos apparently was using a studio. This alternates with Fred Kida who produces inks of tepid quality. The best inking job is a solo one by Mike Esposito and too bad he wasn't tapped for more. 

These stories are from Super Spider-Man and rarely does Captain Britain get a cover notice after the first few issues. In the course of the adventures, he battles the Loch Ness Monster (turns out to be a submarine), a vampire who can also turn into a werewolf, a mad scientist who shrinks people and then threatens them with mutant creaters, and a paid assassin named Slaymaster who seems motivated to murder for vague reasons. The supporting cast disappears after the first two episodes, and we have Captain Britian in costume almost all the time as Brian Braddock seems equally forgotten. 

Much better quality is the debut of Captain Britain in these United States in the pages of Marvel Team-Up alongside the Amazing Spider-Man. The similarities between Peter Parker and Brian Braddock are noted as the two are roommates for a very short time. This is debut of Arcade's Murder World, in a dandy tale by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. 

This tale was reprinted a few times. Above the cover touts the original look of Captain Britian, a look while was on the way out. 

Captain Britain leaves Super Spider-Man and takes up residence in Hulk Comic. He doesn't have his own feature but rather shows up in the Black Knight series which ran as a back-up feature. More on this tomorrow. 

Later Captain Britain gets his own slot, using highly edited versions of the early strips by Claremont and Trimpe. 

For my part, I've always liked the look of this version of Captain Britain. Though he only really found success when he changed his look. More on that next week. 

Rip Off

Captain Britain - Birth Of A Legend!

The later 70's were a time of chaos and creation at Marvel Comics. Stan Lee had pulled away from his firm control of the outfit and new editors-in-chief seem to show up every few months. But good stuff came from this heady brew. New superheroes such as Nova, the Human Rocket, Iron Fist the Living  Weapon, Moon Knight, and 3-D Man. We ever were treated to WWII adventures of the Invaders which was often set in England and had two new English born superheroes named Spitfire and Union Jack. So a new modern superhero set in Britain was exciting news and made more so because I'd never get to see the character save in guest-star appearances. The stories created for Captain Britian were for a British audience first and foremost. 

Stan turns to his brother Larry Lieber to head up the project. Lieber had himself just returned from a tenure as editor at the incandescent Atas-Seaboard company which tried in vain to offer competion to Marvel. Lieber designed the character and also supplied many of the covers of the run along with Herb Timpe and Ron Wilson. Frank Giacoia inked many of those efforts. Wilson who would eventually take over the interiors from Trimpe did most of the covers.  

The first two issues of Captain Britain give us the origin (mostly) of our new hero. Brian Braddock, a young student is caught up in a raid on a laboratory by Joshua Stragg, also known as the Reaver. He is confronted by Merlin the Magician and given a choice between a sword in a stone and a magic amulet and he chooses the latter, not being a warlike chap. He is given the powers of Captain Britain and takes the fight to Stragg who uses the power of the sword. This debut was written by Chris Claremont, an angliophile who was born in Britain and set many stories there. The muscular art is handled by Herb Trimpe with inks by Fred Kida. Sadly the latter is a proven pro, but his work on Trimpe undermines much that is good about Herb's work.  

Next Captain Britain had to take on the deadly supervillain Hurricane. Being new at the gig, Brian makes a lot of mistakes in these early outings. He doesn't even understand his powers completely and has to learn on the job, a job that kills. We are introduced to a supporting cast which include a romantic interest and a rival in the tried-and-true Spider-Man mode. A policeman named Dai Thomas hates superheroes in general and Captain Britian in particular and pursues him throughout the series. 

We visit Braddock Manor and meet his brother Jamie and his sister Betsy. At the same time Captain Britain is forced to battle a hypnotic villain named Doctor Synne. Gary Friedrich takes over the writing chores with the eleventh issue. At this point it's necessary to mention that I found the pacing of the stories unusual. These are long continued stories, mostly because the lead feature is only eight pages long or thereabouts. British comics of course were weekly offerings but for a guy used to monthly bouts these stories seem fragmented. 

Then begins a very long saga with Captain Britain confronting the Nazi menace of the Red Skull. He is helped by longtime Skull enemy Captain America who guest-stars in the next ten issues or so. Nick Fury of SHIELD is also on hand as well as some new characters from a British spy organization called STRIKE. 

The full color episodes end with the twenty-third issue, so Captain Britain and his allies must battle the menace of the Red Skull in glorious black and white. Herb Trimpe says farewell and "Big" John Buscema steps in to fill his shoes with his usual dexterity and aplomb. Fred Kida shares the inking chores with Tom Palmer, one of Buscema's best inkers. 

Finally, the Red Skull is defeated, just in time for the harried Brian Braddock to face the new menace of Lord Hawk. It turns out that Hawk is a put-upon former teacher who had a yen for falconry. Brian built a robot hawk for him and the crazy bastard weaponized and used it in his struggles to end pollution among other things. 

In the thirty-first issue Ron Wilson assumes the interior art chores helped by Bob Budiansky as well as Fred Kida. They wrap up the Lord Hawk story just in time for Brian to get injured. He is whisked away by STRIKE and while unconscious is visited once again by Merlin who tells him more about his origins.

Pablo Marcos joins the art team as Captain Britain is caught up in a battle in another universe helping Merlin and his daughter Roma. The best thing for him is that Merlin gives him a better more effective battle staff called the Star Scepter. It allows Cap to fly for fifteen-minute intervals. 

 

The series run ends with this new more powerful Captain Britain battle the Highwayman and his boss the Manipulator. They are using mind-control to take over the Queen of England during her Silver Jubilee. After a single-issue script by Len Wein, Friedrich leaves the series. 

The Captain Britain feature then becomes a back-up in Super Spider-Man behind Marvel's wall-crawling juggernaut character. The story with Basil Crushstone  the Manipulator comes to a head when the Captain must stop the Royal Navy from attacking a bogus African nation of Umbazi in order to reinstall him as dictator. I must mention that Jim Lawrence has taken on the writing chores with help from plotter Bob Budiansky.  Pablo Marcos has joined the art team. 

Captain Britain's adventures will continue in Super Spider-Man, but more on that next week when I crack open the second volume. 

Rip Off