In the 1970's comic companies pushed their content in new and wildly different directions inspired by the anything goes social attitudes of the times, while also balancing new fan fostered talent at the helms of post Comics Code adherent, kid friendly books.
While not much born of the era had lasting impressions, there's a cool factor to the books that's singular in style, and inescapable if one looks just a bit closer...
That's where I come in, with Bronzed Beauties, my weekly look at some of the books from the era, that feature more were-men, cyborgs, man-things, barbarians, sorceresses, dinosaurs, monsters, and damsels in distress than any other time, all in striking and vibrant (or should I say faded) four color ink!
Since it's been a few months since I last featured any bronze age beauties, before I get back into doing full weekly book reviews, I thought I'd do quick reviews of multiple bronze books I read through a while back, just highlighting some of the key bronze attributes for each, and not fully detailing them this time. With some cool new books in full review to follow, starting next week!
ISSUE NUMBER: 2
COVER PRICE AND YEAR: 35cents - May 1978
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
You may recall, I left off my tales from the bronze age with a look at this book's first issue. And, since I was on a bit of a Spider-Woman kick (having never checked out her original run), I dove into the second issue as well...
COVER (HOW COOL AND/OR CRAZY IS IT):
It's crazy! Spider-woman amidst a scene that includes a colorful knight on horseback and a wizard?!? With talk of excalibur?!?!
WHO'S IT ABOUT (AND HOW COOL AND/OR CRAZY ARE THEY):
We met Spider-Woman in the aforementioned previous review, so please revisit that (and the link above) if you'd like to get the skinny on Jessica Drew...
OVERALL BRONZE FACTOR - ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 Hostess snack cakes:
With the same creative team as her first issue, the second issue continues the storyline, with Jessica (aided by what may be Merlin) finding her destiny leading her to the states, with the smitten London SHEILD agent still hot on her trail, and ready to follow Drew to America, agency job be damned. Oh yeah, and a lowlife gets possessed and turned into a knight that wields the excalibur. On paper it sounds nicely wonky, but in execution it's still fairly middling...
Silly, but borying, with decent art, and a lame story... 5 out of 10 variety of snack cake!
ISSUE NUMBER: 1
COVER PRICE AND YEAR: 30 cents - June 1977
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
With a major live action Disney feature film (from a Pixar director) due out early next year, and John Carter all over the 2011 comic shop racks, it was really hard to resist picking up a full run of the bronze age Marvel comics on the cheap...
WHO'S IT ABOUT (AND HOW COOL AND/OR CRAZY ARE THEY):
Before he created Tarzan, Edgar Burroughs created John Carter, the civil war soldier who was mysteriously transported to Mars, only to wield amazing strength and power because of the difference in Martian gravity. Turns out Mars had a couple waring races, one almost completely human, except for their redder skin, and the other, massive, green, and with extra appendages. Oh yeah, there was also a stunning Martian princess, that John Carter took for his mate!
ART (INSPIRED OR PEDESTRIAN):
Inspired!
Gil Kane does the heavy lifting here, and is joined by Dave Cockrum (of Uncanny X-Men fame) on the first issue (and cover). It's illustrative, detailed, and expressive. Some of the best you'll find for the era.
STORY (WHAT CRAZY SHIT HAPPENS):
Here's where this one falters, for a couple reasons. First, the scripting is dense. Marv Wolfman runs the show there, and being that this is tied into a series of books (if I understand it correctly, the comic actually takes place between two paragraphs of one book), Wolfman tends to be a bit verbose (especially by today's standards). The book is filled with text, often times describing the action in prose, and also fleshing out the backstory of the books. Which leads to the second weak point, that while this is a first issue comic, it doesn't really begin at the start of the story, instead it drops us into the middle of a conflict for our hero, who's already been established on Mars for years. Thus, the narrative is filled with text catching us up on the story of John Carter, while little action happens on the page. And if you're familiar with the John Carter backstory (I've only just begun to learn it with the current Dynamite series/s), this is a bit tedious. But, on the other hand, if you're not familiar with the story, it's kind of a lame introduction to it.
OVERALL BRONZE FACTOR - ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 Hostess snack cakes:
With the storytelling issues here, and the so far fairly generic impression of John Carter as a character and hero, I can only give this one so much love for the great art and concepts...
7 out of 10 variety of snack cake!
ISSUE NUMBER: 2
COVER PRICE AND YEAR: 25cents - July 1977
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
Like I said, I picked up a fat stack of this run, so I decided to try my hand with the next issue...
After being disappointed by the first issue, I wasn't too pumped to slog through the second issue... but I'm really glad I did! With the same creative team as the first issue, with the exception of Rudy Nebres replacing Cockrum on inks (and actually adding a quite different lush textured style), John Carter gets off to a bit of a slow start, still weighed down heavily by Wolfman's text heavy style (which of course, again, is standard for the era), the book really takes off and gives us a full arcing, and fun, sci-fi story, that leaves me anxious for resolution in the next issue.
8 out of 10 snack cakes for this issue!
ISSUE NUMBER: 6
COVER PRICE AND YEAR: 25cents - August 1976
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
COVER (HOW COOL AND/OR CRAZY IS IT):
First off, how about that title!!! Wow, they don't make 'em like that any more!
But yes, there's plenty to love about the cover too!!
There's Tigra, fierce and feral, in chains, with her claw and skull adorned bikini... in some kind of high tech location... being assaulted by a hatchet throwing muscle-bound native with a wolf headdress and sidekick screaming, "DIE, WERE-WOMAN, DIE!"!!!
Wow!!!!!!
WHO'S IT ABOUT (AND HOW COOL AND/OR CRAZY ARE THEY):
Tigra, formerly known as "The Cat".
The Cat was a four issue limited-series in the early 70's that was part of a small group of female characters, by female creators, that also included books like Shanna The She-Devil, and Night Nurse.
As the top first page blurb tells us, The Cat was killed early in her super hero career, only to be brought back by a mysterious race of Cat People... making her stronger, faster, and more agile and aware, at the cost of her humanity (perhaps explaining her tiger stripes)!!!
ART (INSPIRED OR PEDESTRIAN):
Inspired baby!!!
It's got the legendary John Byrne, very early in his career.
Byrne could not only draw with style and detail, but also was well adept at illustrating the ladies!!
Of course, he never looked better than when being inked by Terry Austin (as with many artists), but here he's inked by Frank Springer, and although overall his work does look decidedly different, there's still plenty of magic in his effort here.
Plus, after the first page splash, we're treated to an amazing double page splash... recreating the stunning cover image (that was not by Byrne), from the reverse angle!!! I always love when we get a massive splash page in forced perspective with foreground characters looming large and nearly bursting off the pages!!!!
STORY (WHAT CRAZY SHIT HAPPENS):
Well, we pick up the action of the last issue or issues, with Tigra chained in some kind of underground lab set to explode!!! Enter Red Wolf and Lobo (also from the cover), who appear to be coming to finish Tigra... but actually set her free!
It's written by Tony Isabella, and his style is light and zippy. With text that doesn't weigh things down like Wolfman, but gives us insight into the character and puts an exclamation on the action! This is my first taste of his work, and I really like it. It's very in line with the newer creator driven vibe of the bronze age.
But hey, that's just the first few pages, there's still escaping from the collapse, high speed rail rides, and a face off with The Rat Pack to be had!
The Rat Pack?? Well there like a mid-70's styled group similar to AIM or any number of Marvel hench organisations... led by some dude with a "weird beard" and a soul-catcher device!!!
GUESTS (ARE THERE ANY, HOW COOL ARE THEY):
Well, it doesn't get much cooler than Red Wolf and Lobo does it?
How about...
The Super Skrull!
Yep, tune in next issue for the face-off with the skrull with the super powers of the mighty Fantastic Four (all four of them), in a single (Skrull-faced alien) being!!!!
OVERALL BRONZE FACTOR - ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 Hostess snack cakes:
I fucking loved this book!!!
It was so much fun, with such great art!
It really doesn't get much better than this, but, since I'm new in the bronze game, I'm going to leave a bit of leeway for perhaps something greater, and give this one 9 out of 10 variety of snack cake!
So there you have it, a look at four fabulous funnies from the famous era four decades gone by!!!
Keep your eyes peeled for more 70's beauties very soon in this same space bronze believers!
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