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Post by ultron69 on Jun 20, 2013 9:01:49 GMT -5
Wow, yeah, Gravitron and Nefaria do look a lot alike, don't they. Come to think of it, I think I'm getting them confused right now. As for Power Man, yeah, he was pretty bland. I do think it's really cool that he fought Luke Cage for the rights to the Power Man name. This is always how such disputes should be resolved. ;D He did get powered up for a time, I think in the late 80s, perhaps?
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Jun 20, 2013 14:53:52 GMT -5
Wow, yeah, Gravitron and Nefaria do look a lot alike, don't they. Come to think of it, I think I'm getting them confused right now. As for Power Man, yeah, he was pretty bland. I do think it's really cool that he fought Luke Cage for the rights to the Power Man name. This is always how such disputes should be resolved. ;D He did get powered up for a time, I think in the late 80s, perhaps? I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D
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Post by humanbelly on Jun 20, 2013 15:10:20 GMT -5
Wow, yeah, Gravitron and Nefaria do look a lot alike, don't they. Come to think of it, I think I'm getting them confused right now. As for Power Man, yeah, he was pretty bland. I do think it's really cool that he fought Luke Cage for the rights to the Power Man name. This is always how such disputes should be resolved. ;D He did get powered up for a time, I think in the late 80s, perhaps? I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D This. . . THIS, boys & girls, is what comes when poorly-enforced food safety regulations allow the rampant contamination of our meat supply with growth hormone. Let Bong be keenly observed as an object lesson & cautionary tale to us all, hmm? ;D (So, what-- now yer gonna want to be called "Bongletron69"-?? Hooooo-boy ;D) HB
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Post by spiderwasp on Jun 20, 2013 20:40:10 GMT -5
Didn't realize I was going to start a battle with my Power Man tribute. lol. Oh well, I guess it will be like an issue of Marvel Team Up. The two will slug it out for a little while before realizing they are really on the same side and settle the whole thing by becoming Dr. Ultron and Bong69. For tonight, however, let's move on to a team of villains/heroes. As I've said before, the Squadron Supreme limited series is my all-time favorite story. The Squadron Sinister was often okay but nothing lives up to that awesome LS. This was the first encounter with the JLA, er I mean SS. I like the cover. One of my favorite all-time lines actually came in the Avengers/JLA series by Busiek when Hawkeye called the JLA a bunch of "Squadron Supreme wannabes." Yep that was clearly the case. The weird thing about this appearance was that even Marvel couldn't keep their confusion under control. If I remember correctly, the team actually meets the Squadron Supreme in this issue. They do end up fighting them but it turns out to be because of the Serpent Crown. At least they got it right this time around. I really do love the Squadron and desperately want to know what happened to them and their Earth that led Hyperion to Hickman's Avengers series. I just don't have the patience to read the months of meandering to get to it. I'd also love to see the limited series turned in to a movie or tv miniseries. However, I know it could never happen because critics would tear it to pieces based on the JLA rip-off aspect without even giving the story a chance. Heck, I even saw one review of the Fantastic Four movie that accused it of being too much like The Incredibles, which I thought was hilarious.
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Jun 21, 2013 7:51:41 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D This. . . THIS, boys & girls, is what comes when poorly-enforced food safety regulations allow the rampant contamination of our meat supply with growth hormone. Let Bong be keenly observed as an object lesson & cautionary tale to us all, hmm? ;D (So, what-- now yer gonna want to be called "Bongletron69"-?? Hooooo-boy ;D) HB Actually, I ate from one of the skrulls who turned into cows and now I suffer from Mad Super-Skrull Syndrome.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 21, 2013 8:11:38 GMT -5
Wow, yeah, Gravitron and Nefaria do look a lot alike, don't they. Come to think of it, I think I'm getting them confused right now. As for Power Man, yeah, he was pretty bland. I do think it's really cool that he fought Luke Cage for the rights to the Power Man name. This is always how such disputes should be resolved. ;D He did get powered up for a time, I think in the late 80s, perhaps? I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D Hmmm, if I lose this tussle, I'll have to challange Humanbelly for that moniker. I guess I'd better eat my Wheaties!
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Jun 21, 2013 16:37:26 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D Hmmm, if I lose this tussle, I'll have to challange Humanbelly for that moniker. I guess I'd better eat my Wheaties! That´s the spirit...! Me, I started hitting the hanging side of cow ribs already... Cue to "The Eye of the Tiger"... .
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Post by spiderwasp on Jun 23, 2013 21:02:16 GMT -5
I guess it's because I'm a fan of Ant-man and the Wasp but I really like Whirlwind. Not the greatest image for Whirlwind but it was a key issue since it was his first appearance as Whirlwind instead of the foolishly named Human Top. This issue also holds sentimental value for me because it was the first 1960s issue of Avengers I ever acquired. I felt like I really had something. I've always liked this cover and the story within too. Old Whirlybird looks pretty cool here.
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Post by wundagoreborn on Jun 24, 2013 9:10:52 GMT -5
This issue also holds sentimental value for me because it was the first 1960s issue of Avengers I ever acquired. I felt like I really had something. You did.
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Post by spiderwasp on Jun 25, 2013 20:24:31 GMT -5
Today's entry - Man Ape. Not really much to say on this one. Like Klaw, Man Ape was intended to be a major adversary for the Panther. However, how can you really take anyone too seriously in that costume? He is presented as a major menace on this cover but, again, that costume... All the villains do look evil here. I'll give them that.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 26, 2013 8:50:27 GMT -5
Yes, great cover art on #79. John Buscema with Sam Rosen inks, apparently.
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Post by humanbelly on Jun 26, 2013 11:41:13 GMT -5
Today's entry - Man Ape. Not really much to say on this one. Like Klaw, Man Ape was intended to be a major adversary for the Panther. However, how can you really take anyone too seriously in that costume? . Oh man, not only that costume, but could there BE a more offensive stereotype identity for a black African male supervillain?? Really?? Just gonna flat-out call him the Man-Ape??? This made me uncomfortable even when I was little. And this was the guy who ran the kingdom while T'Challa was away. . . I think what elevated his status a bit is that he was so well-drawn by John Buscema (all three of those issues and covers, in fact!), so he lingers in our memories visually more than so many others. If he had popped up as a Torch villain in an old Strange Tales, pencilled by Werner Roth or someone, I doubt he'd have even rated a second appearance. I still can't remember his little toady sidekick's name. . . T'Mato or N'Bisco or Ch'baka or something. . . HB
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Post by wundagoreborn on Jun 27, 2013 13:07:58 GMT -5
T'Mato or N'Bisco or Ch'baka or something. . . HB lolz You should give DC names for new critters in the Green Lantern Corps
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Post by sharkar on Jun 27, 2013 17:39:50 GMT -5
Yes, great cover art on #79. John Buscema with Sam Rosen inks, apparently. #79's cover art is all the work of JB--pencils and inks. Just curious, what source or site--er ;D--cited Sam Rosen, letterer extraordinaire, as the inker here?
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Post by sharkar on Jun 27, 2013 19:05:35 GMT -5
Wanda with black hair. Y'know I never noticed that before now. I haven't read all that much of her appearances from that period so I guess I never knew of a difference to start with. But why the change? A colorist got it wrong at some point and it just stuck or did Stan forget himself? Wanda started out with "brown " hair in the old X-Men comic. In those issues her hair had a base color of brown, with a lot of black shading to indicate texture, volume, etc. After appearing in several X-Men issues, Pietro and the brown-haired Wanda left Magneto's group in X-Men #11. As all true believers know, the two of them then moved right into the Avengers comic (the fabled Avg. #16, published the same month as X-Men 11). In this Avengers comic her hair color is now a dark gray base with abundant black shading. So now she is black-haired (like Namor or Tony Stark or Sif) instead of brown-haired (like Jan or Hercules). I'm not sure why her hair changed from brown to black at that time, but in #16 there is a caption (by Stan I assume) referring to her as a "black-haired beauty." Now, maybe he was just being fanciful and someone in production (Sol Brodsky?) took the caption literally and instructed the colorist to color her hair black. Or maybe Stan really wanted to change her haircolor. At any rate, her hair was now "black" and it remained black throughout her first stint with the Avengers, issues #16-53. Also, at some point during her Avengers run, Marvel started using blue or navy blue as a base for the black-haired characters' hair (like DC had been doing for Superman, WW, Lois, etc.). So later on Wanda's base color became blue or navy blue instead of gray, with black shading. Wanda left the Avengers in #53 and over the next couple of years when she made sporadic guest appearances (Spidey, Neal Adams X-Men issues), she still had black hair. But when Wanda finally returned to the Avengers , in issue #75, her hair was back to brown! So...what prompted the change back? Well, a reader asked the very same thing in an Avengers letter column back then. Marvel gave this answer: Avengers writer Roy Thomas had just become aware of those old X-Men issues in which her hair was "auburn" (the term used in the letter for the brown) and he liked the look...so when he had Wanda return to the Avengers, he instructed that her hair be returned to its original color. And in general, her hair has remained brown (aka auburn) ever since #75, though occasionally it's been colored black (some examples: Hulk #128, Avengers #103-5, many covers). And there have been some other--ahem--unfortunate choices along the way--she's at times had tomatoey-red hair a la Medusa, or other colors, as HB mentioned. Personally I like the black hair better; I think it complements her standard costume colors of fuchsia and pink more than the brown/auburn does.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jun 27, 2013 21:21:04 GMT -5
Yes, great cover art on #79. John Buscema with Sam Rosen inks, apparently. Agreed. If I saw that cover on the spinner racks, I'd have to buy it just find out what happens. sharkarInteresting little facts I didn't know about Wanda's hair. Figures that Thomas would be the one who remembered her original hair color and switch it back. It may be a small thing to consider but it does affect a reader's perception of Wanda and as you and I think HB mentioned, black does more to highlight the red/fuscha colors of her costume. Of course, if I'm reading the Essential collections of these stories, it's slightly difficult seeing what her hair color is anyway.
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Post by spiderwasp on Jun 27, 2013 22:17:54 GMT -5
Of course Doc Doom is the FF's main foe but is there anybody he hasn't menaced? Certainly not the Avengers. This is a true classic. What a great challenge to the new and struggling quartet. I'm not sure why but I just like this one. This is a kind of unusual cover since it doesn't have any Avengers on it but it is a nice image. I'm also not sure if it's actually Doom or Kristoff even though I know I read it fairly recently. With Doom, it's almost impossible to tell when you've got the real thing though so I'm using it anyway.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 28, 2013 7:54:43 GMT -5
#25 - great cover, though the poses byt the Avengers are rather melodramatic. #156 - I like that one a lot, too, largely because it was one of the first Avengers comics I ever had. I didn't buy it on the newstand but traded a friend for it.
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Post by humanbelly on Jun 29, 2013 21:18:35 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly agree...! In fact, I´ve decided I want to take the name "ultron69" for myself... . So tell me where and when do you wanna meet for our tussle. Oh it´s on, now... So tell me, ´what yer gonna do, brother, when Bongomania runs wild all over you... !!! ;D Hmmm, if I lose this tussle, I'll have to challange Humanbelly for that moniker. I guess I'd better eat my Wheaties! I would be remiss, Ult, if I neglected to point out that the eating of the Wheaties is very likely NOT going to help you acquire the ample abdominal fortification necessary for one who aspires to achieve the mantle of true HUMANBELLY-! ;D No, lad, no-- first, you must hit a threshold of McDonald's spending sufficient to putting one of Ray Kroc's grandchildren through college. You must (at least in your youthful years) be able to put away two double-beef whoppers w/ cheese. Chocolate must be your primary vegetable (figure, it sort of comes from a bean, right?). Ultimately, though, learning to cook and LOVING your own cooking is the final plateau of Belly-hood. (In all honesty, I'm a fairly big guy, but not huge--- hoverin' around 215 these days. . . ;D And LONG AGO removed all poisonous fast food from my aging system.) HB
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Post by humanbelly on Jun 29, 2013 21:39:38 GMT -5
Of course Doc Doom is the FF's main foe but is there anybody he hasn't menaced? Certainly not the Avengers. This is a true classic. What a great challenge to the new and struggling quartet. This is a favorite cover of mine as well-- the blue sky really makes it pop for me. However. . . the over-wrought poses have always made it somewhat comical in my mind. Without being too crude, it strikes me that at a crucial moment, Doom is having a bout of unexpected. . . wind. . . and it's having a profoundly negative effect on our heroes. . . (at least it would prove he's not a Doombot. . . ) HB
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Post by starfoxxx on Jun 30, 2013 17:38:37 GMT -5
Wow, I'd forgotten how great #25's cover is.
It brings me back to spending hours at my very first LCS, Comics and Robots (great name, and literally was in some guys basement). I was lucky enough to have several long-boxes of 60s and 70s Marvels and DCs to dig through for 25-cents to @ $3---at least that was my price range at the time. And the cover was what sold me---and sometimes still is (oh thank you Marvel for MARVEL PREVIEWS, a deal at $1.25 for ALL the month's worth of covers, saving me a ton of money).
So #25 was, of course, a cover I HAD to add to my early collection, as well as #12, #38, #53, #54, #58, #59, #60, #69, #79, #83, #88, #92, #97, #100, #105, #118, #130, #137, #143, #151, #167 (ONE OF THE BEST, imo), #181, #191, #195 and I ordered #200 from Mile High Comics.
So when any of these issues have been reviewed in this thread, I get a nice flashback to my anticipation of getting home to release these great comics from their plastic bags and check out the interiors! Thanks for the images! starfoxxx
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Post by spiderwasp on Jul 1, 2013 1:12:39 GMT -5
Glad to hear that people are enjoying seeing the old covers pop up. Tonight - The Absorbing Man. I always liked this 2 part story and both covers merit inclusion. Aaaand part 2 The Antman/Wasp cover (275) is awesome but you only see AM from the back and the Avengers Academy storyline was one of the few from that book that I didn't like. Therefore, I decided to go for the goofball (Or is that goofball and chain) and include this cover from Avengers Unplugged.
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Post by sharkar on Jul 1, 2013 10:10:10 GMT -5
This is a true classic. What a great challenge to the new and struggling quartet. #25 - great cover, though the poses byt the Avengers are rather melodramatic. This is a favorite cover of mine as well-- the blue sky really makes it pop for me. However. . . the over-wrought poses have always made it somewhat comical in my mind. Wow, I'd forgotten how great #25's cover is. Interesting how popular #25's cover is (and well-deserved, IMO). And it looks like Marvel really liked that cover too--or at least had the photostat handy -- because a couple of years later, #25's "melodramatic," "overwrought" characters were inserted/pasted into a panel in Avengers Annual/Special #1 (1967). I assume the original Heck panel wasn't deemed sufficient or had become damaged, necessitating the substitution.
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Jul 1, 2013 16:09:32 GMT -5
Hmm... I´m a little confused... How come so many avengers considered the Mandarin such a threat when he was just an oddball hired actor...
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Post by humanbelly on Jul 1, 2013 20:45:14 GMT -5
And who the heck built this enormous space station for him? This seems well beyond the resources of the ol' Mandy I remember, even at his most tyrannical-!
Sheesh, I HAVE that special, but haven't read it in many, many years-- and I can't remember the plot at all.
Shar, AWESOME job of catching that image recycle-! And amazingly, the poses are yet again overblown in relation to what would seem to suit the moment at hand. Heh.
Hey, and where did the rest of the Avengers go. . . ?
HB
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Post by spiderwasp on Jul 3, 2013 0:45:23 GMT -5
The West Coast Avengers often fought the same villains as the East Coast team but they did have a few to call their own. The main one was Master Pandemonium (Or Master Panda Bear as they often called him.) Another of those odd covers where the villain is extremely large for no apparent reason. However, the cover is pretty good. This one really illustrates how weird the character really is. This turned out to be a pretty pivotal issue for years to come. The image is meant to be creepy and it certainly achieves that goal.
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Post by ultron69 on Jul 3, 2013 12:45:51 GMT -5
This is a true classic. What a great challenge to the new and struggling quartet. Wow, I'd forgotten how great #25's cover is. Interesting how popular #25's cover is (and well-deserved, IMO). And it looks like Marvel really liked that cover too--or at least had the photostat handy -- because a couple of years later, #25's "melodramatic," "overwrought" characters were inserted/pasted into a panel in Avengers Annual/Special #1 (1967). I assume the original Heck panel wasn't deemed sufficient or had become damaged, necessitating the substitution. Wow, nice find, Sharkar.
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Post by spiderwasp on Jul 3, 2013 22:52:11 GMT -5
Ditto. And you're right about the reactions and body language being inappropriate for the moment but I think it may even be more inappropriate the second time around. As an actor, I'm trying to imagine a situation where those choices would be appropriate and only one comes to mind: a good old fashioned melodrama. "Dr. Doom has just tied poor Nellie to the tracks and the train is coming, whatever shall we do?" Come to think of it, Stan Lee's writing style was often like that - "If we'd been half a second later, it would have been too late." "Oh no, you musn't. You simply musn't!" "If I only I could muster the courage to say what I really feel..."
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Post by spiderwasp on Jul 3, 2013 22:56:19 GMT -5
Just in time for the 4th of July, the greatest foe of the star spangled Avenger - The Red Skull. Go get him Cap! Neither this story or this cover was much to brag about but there aren't many choices. The Skull turned up several times but, for some reason, normally failed to make the cover. Even when he was the main villain, for example the Red Zone storyline, he never made the cover. This cover is pretty scary and pretty effective. I don't like this one as well but I do like it. And look, Cap is there. See, this 4th of July tribute did make a tiny bit of sense after all.
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Post by humanbelly on Jul 4, 2013 7:16:25 GMT -5
Ditto. And you're right about the reactions and body language being inappropriate for the moment but I think it may even be more inappropriate the second time around. As an actor, I'm trying to imagine a situation where those choices would be appropriate and only one comes to mind: a good old fashioned melodrama. "Dr. Doom has just tied poor Nellie to the tracks and the train is coming, whatever shall we do?" Come to think of it, Stan Lee's writing style was often like that - "If we'd been half a second later, it would have been too late." "Oh no, you musn't. You simply musn't!" "If I only I could muster the courage to say what I really feel..." You have to wonder if someone got hold of a copy of Delsarte's Structural Acting Method, and fell a little too heavily under its influence. Actually, what those cover poses remind me of a lot is the stylized, over-the-top nature of many silent films. Think Fritz Lang's work (and METROPOLIS), in particular. Remember the Father/President character in that film? You could tuck him in right behind Wanda on this cover. . . But it kind of makes sense that the Marvel Method would lend itself to that rather hyperbolic visual style, as one of the goals was for the gist of the story to be entirely clear using only the pictures alone. HB
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