The Mighty Thor #198

Cover date: April 1972

Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Vince Colletta

Returned to Asgard from his quest for The Well At World’s End, Thor must now do battle with the mighty Mangog. So there be plenty of pulse pounding action, ‘till the near- death Odin revives and puts an end to the Mangog before collapsing (again). This time, Odin be proper dead methinks... but hark? Thor doth realise that Hela hath yet to claim his soul; so he freezes time about Odin’s sacred form, denying Hela’s cold hand once they reach their own dimension.

Elsewhere, and more interestingly, Sif and Hildegard (accompanied by Silas Grant) are still on Blackworld – a strange planet that keeps shifting from one Earth era to another – where they run into the Rigelian Coloniser Tana Nile. Tana appears to be in a bit of a flap about “HIM”! Or as Hildegard puts it...

“By the stars! It can’t be! It can’t BEEEEEEE!”

This was a lot more fun than previous issues, now that Thor’s boring old quest is over; and Colletta’s inks are a lot more sympathetic to Buscema’s pencils than usual. I’d like to see Gerry Conway write more Earthbound adventures, though, as the contrast between gods and humans is always more interesting than adventures set in Asgard alone.

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Fantastic Four #121

Cover date: April 1972

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Joe Sinnott

After last issues arrival of Gabriel, the Air-Walker, heralding the end of the world, it is left to the Fantastic Four to confront him - as all across the Earth, civilization falls into despair. Riots, looting, industry shutting down because no one wants to work; all within a few hours it seems.

Gabriel convinces the denizens of New York City to destroy the Fantastic Four, so the team makes a quick exit. They appear particularly ineffectual against Gabriel, for as Johnny Storm rightly points out,

“How? How can he stand on air like that?”

That would be Johnny Storm, the teenager who turns into a Human Torch and flies.

After getting no joy at the nearest TV network, Reed orders the team back to the Baxter Building so he can grab a weapon – for they cannot face Gabriel again empty handed – and race after him in the Fantasti-Car. Reed fires his Beta Ray and Gabriel starts to fade away, but that’s not what Reed expected because,

“No! It’s wrong...it’s mad! It’s not what should have happened!”

So what should have happened Reed? Ah well, we’ll never know now, as suddenly a ship rises out of the water straight at them. The Fantasti-Car crashes into the sea and the ship lands on top. The Fantastic Four escape unscathed however, just in time for Gabriel to show up again, asking,

“Surely you didn’t expect your puny ray to defeat Gabriel!”

To which Reed answers,

“No, I didn’t!”

Wha? So what was the point of going back to the Baxter Building to grab your Beta Ray, eh Reed?

Never mind, because Gabriel creates a massive tidal wave that sweeps the Fantastic Four into the city, where they become separated. The Thing ends up on the same roof-top as Gabriel for some “CLOBBERIN’ TIME” while Reed and Sue race to help him. The Human Torch gets there first, however, and goes after Gabriel with his NEAR-NOVA HEAT to no avail. How are the Fantastic Four going to win this one? Cut away to...

The Silver Surfer moping around on an asteroid in the distant sub-stratosphere. Despite his persecution complex, he decides once again to aid us mere mortals. Surfing to Earth he confronts Gabriel with his POWER COSMIC, and Gabriel admits that all that went on before was a meaningless sham as it is the Surfer that he sought to destroy.

Not sure why he didn’t just go and find him then.

After a brief battle, the Silver Surfer uses his POWER COSMIC to tear Gabriel’s cape, which is, as Gabriel announces...

“It is my power! It is the source of...my life!”

...before crashing to the ground and revealed to be a robot. The Silver Surfer asks the question on everyone’s lips,

“What of him who made the robot?”

The final page cliff-hanger reveals all.....

GALACTUS!

As with the previous issue, the plotting is shambolic and the dialogue makes little sense. The best bit is the last splash-page reveal of Galactus.

Which is AWESOME!

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The Avengers #97

Cover date: March 1972

Writer: Roy Thomas

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Tom Palmer

I love this cover!

This is the final part of the Kree/Skrull war, and Rick Jones has been hurled into the Negative Zone to be menaced by Annihilus. One quick, unexpected, mind-blast from Rick and Annihilius is beaten, before Rick is transported back to the Supreme Intelligence for an explanation of where the mind-blast came from. It appears Rick is exhibiting the ultimate expression of the evolutionary capacity of the human race – handy that, because he then whips up the Golden Age heroes that appear on the cover, to fight of some Kree soldiers and Ronan the Accuser!

Rick then puts an end to the war by immobilising all the Kree and Skrull troops, before collapsing. Never fear, Captain Mar-Vell is on hand to merge with Rick and restore him to good health.

The Avengers return home, minus one. Clint ‘Goliath’ Barton is missing, presumed dead!

A satisfying conclusion to the first real Marvel epic, spoiled only slightly by some questions regarding just what is going to happen once all those Kree and Skrull come around– the Skrull Armada is still floating around out there in space!

It’s a pity that Neal Adams wasn’t able to complete the story, but Buscema inked by Tom Palmer is more than palatable.

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The Mighty Thor #197

Cover date: March 1972

Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Vince Colletta

Thor and his Warrior’s Three have reached the Well at the Edge of the World, so it’s time for a fight with “yon craggy giant”. Kartag (for that is his name) and Thor take a head dive into the Well, which shows Thor various visions, including the low down on why Odin sent Thor on this sorry arse quest in the first place. So it’s back to Asgard for Thor and the Warrior’s Three (accompanied by Kartag).

Sif and Hildegarde are still on that other planet, where everything appears to be not quite right; a steam boat shows up and Sif and Hildegarde are met by one Silas Grant.

Back on the Rainbow Bridge, Thor and his companions discover that Asgard is no longer in situ, but with some water from the Well - and Mighty Mjolnir – that’s not a problem. Once they locate Asgard, it’s time to fight Mangog!

This is really hard work, basically because Thor has the personality of a turnip. How did he ever get both Jane Foster and Sif interested?

I can only recommend this comic for the art of Buscema - despite the thin, scratchy, inks of Colletta.

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Fantastic Four #120

Cover date: March 1972

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Joe Sinnott

A very well executed cover by John Buscema.

A random group of terrorists attack the Baxter building, get defeated, the landlord shows up and shouts a lot, and then Agatha Harkness’s mystical projection shows up to warn the FF that a major threat to Earth has arrived. Gabriel, the Air-Walker appears, provoking a fight with the FF.

Wow! Stan Lee returns to ‘writing’ the Fantastic Four and proves he never really had much input beyond offering a brief plot synopsis for the artist to work from. As good as Buscema’s art is, he doesn’t have the imagination of Jack Kirby, and Lee just seems to be writing random captions and dialogue to fill the panels. I have no idea what the opening scene with the terrorists was about – they’re not even named or given a reason for being; and Sue is given some truly bizarre dialogue while showcasing her particular talents (that would be being totally ineffectual in combat, then).

Worst of all was this particular piece of dialogue after Reed gets bashed;

“Be careful, BEN! Anyone who could fell Reed so easily...”

That would be Mr Fantastic, the human rubber band.

Anyway, whatever happend to Reed's cure for Crystal he was working on last issue?

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The Mighty Thor #196

Cover date: February 1972

Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Vince Colletta

Yea, Thor and the Warriors Three be on a quest to find the Well at World's Edge (is it me, or was Thor always on some quest or other?), while mighty Asgard be laid siege to by the Mangog! Meanwhile, Lady Sif and Hildegarde are hanging out on some backwaters planet called Blackworld.

Yep, a pretty typical Thor comic, with faux Shakespearean dialect, trolls, demons and Odin knows what else. It doesn't help that I've come in halfway through a storyline, but it pretty much sums up why I never really took to Thor. John Buscema's pencils aren't served particularly well by Colletta's scratchy inks and the letter column was especially boring.

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Fantastic Four #119

Cover date: February 1972

Writer: Roy Thomas

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Joe Sinnott

Curiously, the Black Panther appears on the cover, but is referred to by his civilian name T’Challa. I wonder if there’s a reason behind that. Let’s see, shall we....

The story opens with a typical bickering scenario between the Human Torch and the Thing. Johnny Storm is still on a downer about Crystal, his one true love, having to remain in the Great Refuge (home to The Inhumans) because of her allergy to air-pollutants, and it doesn’t take much to rile up blue-eyed Ben Grimm. Their irresponsible fighting is broken up by Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Girl, and then we’re introduced to the issue’s plot.

It appears T’Challa, the Fantastic Four’s old friend and ally the Black Panther, has gone after some crooks and entered into the only remaining white supremacist nation left on the African continent – Rudyarda.

Yes, it’s the Seventies, and comics are relevant.

Reed Richards asks the Thing and the Human Torch to go on a rescue mission while he and Sue stay behind (Reed’s working on a doohickey to help Crystal), and after preventing a plane hijacking Ben and Johnny arrive in Rudyarda where the people are separated into Europeans and Coloreds. They track down one of the crooks, and discover that T’Challa has been imprisoned.

We now learn why the Black Panther was referred to as T’Challa on the cover; he’s taken on a new name - The Black Leopard – to dispel any connection to the Black Panther Party in the USA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party

Eventually Klaw shows up for a fight, our heroes win, and everyone goes home after making a symbolic gesture towards bringing down the walls of apartheid.

This was an enjoyable example of an early Seventies Marvel comic, with all the elements you might expect from a Fantastic Four story from this period. Guest writer Roy Thomas captures the voices of the Fantastic Four well, and John Buscema and Joe Sinnott’s art is solid craftsmanship.

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