Amazing Adventures #11

Cover date: March 1972

Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: Tom Sutton

Inker: Syd Shores

Following last month’s introduction of Werewolf By Night, in Marvel Spotlight # 2, Marvel gives us another monster feature in The Beast; but this isn’t a new character. The Beast is the further mutated Hank McCoy of X-Men fame.

The effusive Hank McCoy was the first to graduate from the X-Men, taking up a position within the Brand Corporation to study genetic mutation, where he develops a serum that can mutate ordinary humans for a limited period. Discovering that one of his co-workers is working for an enemy organisation, Hank drinks the serum (to disguise his true identity) and sets out to prevent the planned espionage. He loses track of time, and when he returns to his lab to reverse the beast-like mutation, Hank discovers that it has become permanent.

As with Werewolf By Night, Gerry Conway appears to like writing these creature-features, breathing new life into a character not seen for a few years. He sets up a solid premise and introduces a love interest that will lead to further drama. Tom Sutton, much like Mike Ploog on the Werewolf By Night feature, is well suited to a less super-heroic comic, capturing Hank McCoy’s new bestial qualities, and the darker tone, perfectly.

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Daredevil #84

Cover date: February 1972

Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: Gene Colan

Inker: Syd Shores

A very dynamic Gil Kane cover; Daredevil bursting out of the ‘frame’ into the foreground is an exceptional use of the cover format.

Erm, I’m not entirely sure what was going on here – something to do with an android from the future called The Assassin, who’d been masquerading as someone called Mr Kline, working for some bozo called Baal to prevent some terrible future coming about. Apparently, so I glean from a couple of footnotes, this also ties into some stuff going on in Iron Man and Sub-Mariner. That’s alright then...!

In this ish, Matt (Daredevil) Murdoch and Natasha (Black Widow) Romanoff get it on in Switzerland while putting an end to this particular plot line; at least I think the story is concluded – I may be wrong. Gerry Conway’s script is OK, but I got the distinct impression that he was basically just tidying up some loose ends before moving on. Gene Colan’s art is superb, and I very much enjoyed the inks of Syd Shores (despite Fred Hembeck contradicting me on the attractiveness of the Colan and Shores' team in the letter column).

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