Atlas-Seaboard Comics - April 1975

Atlas-Seaboard's big month for sure! The company's last big stand really before the fragmentation sets in. Actually, that fragmentation is already evident in the books from this month.

WULF THE BARBARIAN #2 is a grand tale of adventure and in it, Wulf meets some compatriots. After a tussle with an evil and mad king, a monstrous elemental creature from beyond, and his own conscience, Wulf finds himself with a buddy, Rymstrdle, a theif and swordsman who puts me in mind of the Grey Mouser from Fritz Leiber's excellent stories. This is decent fantasy story, but the clear vision of the first issue is has disappeared somewhat. The book is no longer written by Larry Hama, and the artwork is one of those hodgepodge Continuity Associates group-jobs that were not uncommon during the Bronze Age. It's good but uneven material.

THE BRUTE #2 continues right where it left off with more Sekowsky-Marcos artwork. The Brute runs across a mad scientist and what are referred to as Reptile Men, though they all seem clearly amphibian to me. The scientist apparently transforms people into these monsters, and he has plans for the Brute as something of a lackey to kidnap other scientists who have offended him. The lady doctor from the previous issue makes another appearance, and there's a hint that the Brute might be able to speak. The story ends with the Brute presumed dead...and with Atlas-Seaboard's publishing history who knows.

 

THE DESTRUCTOR #2 continues under the multiple hands of Goodwin, Ditko, and Wood, but there seems to have been more haste in the artwork. The story gets Jay Hunter, The Destructor out West where he is manipulated into a battle with Deathgrip, a hitman for the Combine, a criminal organization that wants control of the rackets. Jay runs across a possible love interest and gets himself insinuated in a mod organization so he can destroy it from within. Good intrigue.

THE PLANET OF VAMPIRES #2 offers up our astronaut heroes as leaders who gather together the various street gangs for a dramatic battle against the "Domies", the high-tech vampires. The battle rages and our two heroes Chis and Craig survive only to find that their wives have been kidnapped and taken to the Dome. The Vampires, deprived of their high-tech solutions begin to revert to the more traditional fanged variety most of us are familiar with. The cover by Adams is okay, but its image has almost nothing to do with the story. The interiors are drawn by Broderick and McLaughlin again.

 

MORLOCK 2001 #2 continues the tale of the plant-man, and we get a Fleisher-Milgrom-Abel tale that demonstrates the true horror of his condition. The government wants to harness him, but he eludes them and eventually ends up killing a young girl. One detail is that Morlock battles some thugs who are very similar to those famous thugs from A Clockwork Orange. The sci-fi sources are various and sundry as this tale unfolds.

 

WEIRD SUSPENSE #2 gives us another TARANTULA story, and the witch that first put the curse on Count Lycosa returns and a battle of the spider-people erupts. More, great Boyette artwork, and a pretty good Fleisher script make this one of the most reliable reads in the Atlas-Seaboard canon so far.

POLICE ACTION #2 offers more LOMAX and LUKE MALONE stories. The former shows the police detective taking on kidnappers at the airport, while the latter gives us the "origin" story which concerns...surprise...kidnappers in a bank. There is a strange similarity to these stories, but again the better one is Malone by Ploog, though once again Sekowsky's and McWilliam's Lomax is sturdy work.

TALES OF EVIL #2 offers a gem of a three-pager by Grandenetti about a train of death; it's a real highlight. Another story about a Werewolf by some guy named Marvin Channing and the much-missed Tom Sutton rounds out the issue. The headliner though in this issue is the BOG BEAST, with Jack Sparling artwork. This series actually began in the B&W magazine Weird Tales of the Macabre #2, and like another comic this month finds its way into the color books. This is a clear indication that things are changing at Atlas. The Bog Beast is another attempt to tap that Man-Thing idea, but this is a really inferior effort.

 

SAVAGE COMBAT TALES #2 gives us another SGT.STRIKER'S DEATH SQUAD story where the squad is formally given its name by a notorious general the Squad saves then transports to his date with destiny. There is clearly some Patton influence in this story of the war in North Africa. The story by Goodwin and McWilliams is sturdy and worthwhile, but not great. The second story in this issue features WARHAWK, a mysterious pilot in the Burma air war who saves a young pilot from whose perspective this excellent Alex Toth story is told. (Note: Warhawk was apparently one of two stories Toth did in this era, and both are discussed in the current Alter Ego issue.)

 

Two new books debut this month. They are very different from each other, but sadly show the fragmentation of the Atlas line at this point.

 

THE COUGAR #1 is an oddball mix of elements. This comic featuring the adventures of a movie stuntman with story by Steve Mitchell and artwork by Dan Adkins and Frank Springer doesn't deny its source, The Night Stalker TV movie. In fact the creator of that movie is credited as an inspiration for the comic book. The story offers us a movie about a vampire that discovers a real vampire and similar to the famous TV flick, there's a blend of disbelief and mayhem. The Cougar is a weird comic, trapped between genres and oddly uncomfortable in neither. It wants to be a superhero book in places and a horror book in others. Clearly this book was supposed to have been drawn by Dan Adkins, but he must have been unable to finish it and the reliable Frank Springer stepped in to finish it up. The Frank Thorne cover is energetic but seems to have been produced quickly.

TIGER-MAN is another character that debuted in the B&W books before finding colorful glory. The story of Dr. Hill begins in THRILLING ADVENTURE STORIES #1 and he's a researcher in Africa inspired by the instinct for survival that seems to thrive in animals and people of the region.

 

A few scientific experiments and an injection later he is imbued with those instincts and lots of other powers. He's attacked by a a tiger and later gets its hide to use as a totem. He does so months later in the big city when he takes on muggers and rapists. His sister is attacked and killed and Tiger-Man takes to the streets to seek vengeance. He finds it, and then promises to keep at it. The artwork is decent Ernie Colon, but doesn't have the energy of his Grim Ghost work. The cover for this issue by Colon is one of the strangest in the whole Atlas line, and seems to me to be a very quickly produced item. 

There are of course some B&W magazines this month (more on those later this year) as well as more Vicki's but by and large, the company has reached its zenith. After this month, Atlas-Seaboard will continue to lose its focus as books are abruptly cancelled and directions are changed. But not all of them, not yet. 

More Atlas-Seaboard to come in May.

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Iron Fist - The Fury Of The Iron Fist!

Marvel dived into the burgeoning Kung Fu craze with the Master of Kung Fu, a series which worked in Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu and existed on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe and other series such as Sons of the Tiger and White Tiger in the pages of the black and white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, which spoke directly to the fervor that Bruce Lee's films and death had ignited. But the most accessible of the Kung Fu warriors has to have been the four-color Iron Fist, the Living Weapon which debuted in the pages of Marvel Premiere and held court there for many months before being awarded a self-titled series of his own. 

It likely begins in 1933 with a novel by James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon about a lost civilization called Shangri-La in the remote heights of the Himalayas where people can perhaps live forever. This "paradise" is not without its detractors though.  Frank Capra made a movie of the novel in 1937 which was well received by both the public at large and the omnipresent critics. 

So in the earliest days of comics when casting about for a way to explain superhumans (without resorting to the legally treacherous alien planet) Bill Everett created Amazing-Man who came from just such a hidden utopia and was gifted with above average abilities. Amazing-Man was a Centaur publication, one of the earliest publishers of comics. 

The notion was picked up by Pete Morisi under his penname of "PAM" at Charlton when he brought forth Peter Cannon, The Thunderbolt. Once again, we have a hidden paradise which has sent forth a representative who is skilled both mentally and physically beyond normal human standards. Thunderbolt became one of the "Action Heroes" and was for a time seemingly owned by DC until Morisi demonstrated otherwise. 

So, with martial arts all ablaze, it's logical for the creators at Marvel to seek the Himalayan well once again, this time with Daniel Rand-Kai, the Iron Fist. In an origin story by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane and Dick Giordano we learn some of Danny's story, both told in current times as well as copious flashback. He is an orphan raised by the cult which lives and rules the hidden land named K'un-L'un. 

Over the course of the next four issues of the series we slowly learn of Danny Rand's history and see him become the man who in the then current day of 1974 was back in the world fighting the Meachem Corporation headed by the man Iron Fist held responsible for his parents' deaths. Three of the four issues of the series are drawn by the new talent Larry Hama, who brought a sense of legitimacy to the martial artis aspects of the series. Len Wein writes an issue but then Doug Moench came on to write the next three books in the series. By the end Iron Fist has gotten his revenge but its taste is bitter, and the daughter of Meachum now wants her own revenger on Iron Fist. 

Things get incredibly complicated after Iron Fist gets his long-sought revenge when a death cult appears to threaten not only him but his friend Colleen Wing and her father. There is also a mysterious Ninja who has been showing up in the series, and the one who actually killed the murderer of Danny's parents. A trilogy of issues which are written by Tony Isabell and drawn by Arvell Jones. Alas it's a severe drop in quality when Jones takes on the book, though I will confess that I appreciate that he and Isabella hung around for a full story arc. Isabella and Jones are also responsible for introducing Misty Knight, though it will be more than a few issues before we see her again. 

Next it falls to Chris Claremont to take on the writing with Pat Broderick handling the artwork. This team lasts two whole issues, but when the change does come it's a most welcome one. Having solved his own issues Danny Rand as Iron Fist becomes embroiled in the politics of a distant territory called Halwan. Its princess has come under attack by the robotic Monstroid. Iron Fist also battles the murderous Warhawk. 

The twenty-fifth issue of Marvel Premiere is significant for a few reasons. It marks the final issue of Iron Fist's adventures before he gets his own title and more importantly it is the debut at Marvel of one of the most important artists in comics history -- John Byrne. He took on the title when Broderick missed a deadline, and the team of Claremont and Byrne was born. 

The debut of Iron Fist's own title comes in the middle of the storyline, and he is tracking Angar the Screamer when, in classic Marvel tradition, mixes it up with Iron Man. Misty Knight returns in this issue as well, and as rendered by Byrne, she is a knockout owing much to great Pam Grier. 

Master Kahn has kidnapped Colleen Wing as her father suffers in a coma. Iron Fist reflects back on his days in K'un-L'un when he came up against some bizarre plant creatures. The energy on the series is now palpable with Byrne improving with each issue, with first Al McWilliams and then Frank Chiramonte inking his work. 

Claremont takes the action to London where Iron Fist runs afoul of the villain Ravager who turns out to in reality Radion the Atomic Man. There are explosions galore, first a passenger plane and later an iconic tower in the city. Misty Knight's secret is revealed as we learn for the first time she possesses a bionic arm, but sadly it's when she loses it. Claremont likes to set stories in England, where he was born. 

The next three issues of the series follow the quest to rescue Colleen Wing who has been brainwashed and is now poised to attack Iron Fist when he shows up. There are plenty of other baddies such Scimitar and Kumballa Bey for Danny to fight as he tries to save Colleen. Ultimately, he has to use his Iron Fist abilities to bond with her mentally to free her mind and the two then share each other's most delicate secrets. Misty is on the sidelines alas. Khan also shows Danny that K'un-L'un has secrets he didn't know of and that those he trusted all his life might be treacherous. 

It's back to NYC and a trio of tales about a gang called the Golden Tigers led by a chap named Chaka who seek to rule crime in the city. Iron Fist has a really difficult time with this mob even with the help of Misty and Colleen. But ultimately he does indeed win the day. There are also moves afoot on the legal front for Danny to recapture his family's fortune. Byrne in growing by the minute and offers up some truly exciting splash pages showcasing Iron Fist's fighting style. 

Then the Wrecking Crew shows up and they try to force Iron Fist to help them invade the Avengers Mansion with the intention of killing their arch-foe Thor. The God of Thunder never shows up, but Captain America is on hand to assist in bringing these most powerful villains to heel. Of course, before getting down to brass tacks, Cap and Iron Fist mix it up a little bit, following the great Marvel tradition. 

Then it's a one-off as Iron Fist helps a friend he made in England, a former IRA bomber. This move alienates Misty, and she leaves to take on work elsewhere. Iron Fist has his hands full with a returning and souped-up Boomerang. Iron Fist also finds himself being attacked by a mysterious chap who seems to be stealing his chi, or life force. 

Then Claremont and Byrne give us Sabre-Tooth, a ferocious enemy who Iron Fist and Colleen Wing barely defeat in the wilds of Byrne's home country of Canada. 

But the road ends finally with issue fifteen when Iron Fist gets entangled with the then "New X-Men". He takes on Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine. Of course, it's Logan who started it. I can only assume this was intended as a try-out for Byrne on these characters. For withing a few months Dave Cockrum would step away from the X-Men title and the famous team of Claremont and Byrne would make it one of Marvel's most successful titles ever.

The saga of Iron Fist is wrapped up in the pages of Marvel Team-Up when the Steel Serpent reveals himself and his scheme to rob Iron Fist of his powers. It takes the Daughters of the Dragon (Misty and Colleen) and our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to take the villain down. 

What will become of Danny Rand? The Iron Fist will have to wait for a few months when he guest-stars in the book Power Man. As we know he and Luke Cage will become one of Marvel's most successful comics of the era, an odd blending of the blaxploitation and kung fu crazes which blazed forth in the 70's. But that's a whole other "Epic". 

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The Fury Of Iron Fist!

The Bronze Age of Comics produced a cavalcade of heroes and heroines. Alas many of them did not catch fire, or only is a relatively small way compared to the powerhouses created by Marvel in the decade before. A few have found some measure of success -- Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel (as Captain Marvel), and She-Hulk come to mind. But others like Skull the Slayer, IT! The Living Colossus, Killraven, and others not so much. But among the successes is most certainly Iron Fist. Created during the wave of Kung Fu madness which swept popular culture in the early 70's thanks to the amazing Bruce Lee, Iron Fist successfully bonded the Kung Fu craze with proper superhero dynamics. While other Kung Fu artists like Shang Chi and Richard Dragon were true to the tropes of the form, they were not immediately recognizable as superheroes (which they were really). Iron Fist was from the get-go, a legit part of the larger Marvel Universe.

Iron Fist is one of the best designs of any hero created in the decade. I'd say his uniform and general look is perfect from the beginning and requires no tweaking, though I see they have done so in modern days -- a mistake. Gil Kane gave us the awesome Green Lantern and Atom designs at DC and he does great work again with Iron Fist. (Or was the design by Romita?) The story of Danny Rand is also pitch perfect, borrowing the story of Bill Everett's Amazing Man (as Pete Morisi's Thunderbolt had done almost a decade before) the story is rich enough for growth yet has the focus necessary to immediately pitch the character --a young boy sees his parents killed and is raised in a hidden land by martial arts masters before he returns to the world for vengeance.

The success of Iron Fist is also due to the talent which graced the book from its earliest days. Roy Thomas and the late great Gil Kane do the origin story and its a masterpiece. Larry Hama steps in for several issues thereafter with scripts by Len Wein and Doug Moench. Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones give the book a respite before the lasting team of Chris Claremont and a youngster named John Byrne take the wheel (where have I heard of those two before). This is the first Claremont and Byrne work, before they went on to refine an exceedingly uncanny book.

The series is also notable in the creation of Nightwing Restorations, the team of  samurai Colleen Wing and bionic Misty Knight. Wing had been a part of the story from nearly the beginning, an element of Iron Fist's origin story, but Knight was the creation of Isabella but who was put to fantastic use by Claremont, using the duo to add some of the exploitation flare which was the source of the series to begin with. The romance that blossoms between Misty and Danny is one of the most natural in all of comics, and what I like most about the romance is that race is not even brought up. Kickass dames were right there in the early 70's along with Kung Fu and bonding the two was genius. (Later of course Iron Fist would partner with the best of the blaxploitation heroes Luke Cage to create one of the strongest series of the later Bronze Age.)

Here are the covers from the run, the issues included in the Epic collection (and the Essentials volume before that.)

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