The Return of Giant-Size Marvel! The 1968 Revival: Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Sub-Mariner!

My little blog and I are back to haunt you with Marvel Madness once again, true believers! Heck, if Bucky, Aunt May, Harry Osborn, Norman Osborn, Warlock and even Odin himself can come back from the dead, why can't little old Giant-Size Marvel?

I wasn't sure what image would be the best one to open with until I opened my Vintage Marvel 2012 calendar and saw this cover for January: Tales of Suspense #98.



To Be Reborn!  Steve Rogers gives up being Cap and then goes around saving all the clowns who decide to replace him.  How many times did he try giving up his Cap identity afterward, only to return again and again?  A future topic for a blog post if there ever was one.

Restarting this blog on the first day of 2012 hit me out of the blue as I took a walk this morning.  No plan to make it a New Year's Resolution or anything like that--I have given those up long ago.  In fact, New Year's Eve and the celebrations that come with it have lost their luster for me.  Why are people so excited?  Because it is a reason to party, imbibe, and eat too much food?  My mind became lost in this mystery, but the answer came when I thought of Marvel Comics in the year 1968.



That year was like a mini Marvel explosion, the year Marvel ended both Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish.  The stars who shared those books (Cap and Iron Man in Suspense, Hulk and Sub-Mariner in Astonish) graduated to their own titles.  Captain America 100 was virtually Captain America #1 for the Marvel age, complete with a nifty Jack Kirby cover showing Cap leading his pals (the Avengers, Black Panther, Sharon Carter, Namor) to victory.  I have a reproduction of this one hanging on the wall.  Perhaps not Kirby's greatest cover but one of the most iconic.  A new era began for Cap, one that would see Kirby eventually leave and usher in new people like Steranko, Colan, Romita, Sal Buscema, etc.



A number one issue is like the the beginning of the new year.  Usually a #1 comic has a really good story and artwork to suck you in, perhaps even make you send in a subscription for a full year.  Iron Man #1 from 1968 had artwork by Gene Colan, who had been illustrating the series in Tales of Suspense.  We like to think that today's artists don't stick around on series long enough, yet Colan was gone from Iron Man after the first issue!  Of course, he had drawn the character for years up to that point.  But a number one issue, with all the great promises it brings, you hope the greatness will continue forever.  You don't think about alcoholism, losing your own mega-corporation, or igniting a Civil War with your Avengers pals!



Hulk #102 was designed to drive comic book collectors and collecting software crazy for decades.  The Hulk premiered in 1962 and lasted for only six issues.  He co-starred in Tales to Astonish starting in issue 60 and up to issue 101.  Then he launched back into his own title, continuing the numbering.  I'll remember this factoid forever, even when I forget the name of my co-workers or where I put my iPod.   This cover by Marie Severin is nice but not as iconic as other Hulk covers.   Notice how all these 1968 launches have the cover caption: Big Premiere Issue!  Just to let you know to get in on the ground floor of something great.



Outside of the Kirby cover, I have always loved the 1968 Sub-Mariner #1 cover by John Buscema.  Why would you ever want to read Aquaman when you could read about Prince Namor?  His body language on this cover just said, "Don't F--- With Me!"  Namor was a rebel with a cause and had an attitude that was unique in the history of comics.  When he was paired up with other Marvel heroes, Namor was a ticking time bomb.  Would he help them or betray them?  Perhaps that is why he was more successful in books like Defenders rather than his own series.

Happy 2012 to all Marvel fans!  May we all endure as long as these classic characters.  Nuff Said!

Marvel Fanfare 45 pinups by Bob Layton, Marshall Rogers and Sandy Plunkett

You have probably seen this famous illustration of Iron Man in his Hall of Armor, drawn by the inimitable Bob Layton.  But did you know that this image first appeared in Marvel Fanfare #45?  It was later made into a poster and used as the cover for trade paperback covers.  I hope Layton got compensated for this, surely one of the most iconic Iron Man drawings ever produced during the 1980s.

Marshall Rogers got the opportunity to draw the original classic X-Men in this pinup.  I think he captures the crazy fun of the early team, in their blue and yellow uniforms, quite well.  I love the Beast bounding towards the reader.  Ah, I miss the days of Hank and Bobby at the Coffee A-Go-Go.  Do you think that will make it into Matthew Vaughan’s X-Men First Class movie?

Sandy Plunkett is like a rare gem that I love to find from time to time in back issues, especially in Marvel Fanfare.  This illustration of the Scarlet Witch among sabre-tooth tigers looks like it takes place in the Savage Land.

If you liked these, take a look at Wednesday’s Marvel Feature pinup special featuring Byrne, Golden, and more.  Nuff Said!

Thor Thursday: Walt Simonson pin-up with a little inspiration by Gene Colan

Here’s a pinup that Walt Simsonson worked on to raise money for a Gene Colan benefit last year, featuring Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk riding a crazy space bike.  Thor and Hulk are done in Simonson’s style, but with Iron Man, Walt managed to portray him in Colan’s classic style.

Here is close up view of Iron Man in one early stage of this drawing.  Colan had a way of drawing IM’s helmet, where the facial expressions came out of the mask.  Simonson nailed that and other classic details, like the larger rings around Iron Man’s gauntlets, shoulders, hips, and boots. 

You can find these and other great Simonson pieces on The Official Walter Simonson Page on Facebook. For Gene Colan news, visit The Invincible Gene Colan Blog, as well as Clifford Meth’s blog.  Nuff Said!

Jack Kirby's Galaxy Tripping Cover for Iron Man 80

Jack Kirby did one of my favorite Iron Man covers for issue #80.  Inked by Al Milgrom, I think this image was used on merchandising.

Why do I think this is such a great cover?  It has no action, fighting, or drama of any kind.  Shell-head even has the helmet with the nose.

I admire it because it puts the Armored Avenger in a trippy outer-space setting, something Kirby excelled at drawing.  We had seen Iron Man in a couple of intergalactic fights before this, most notably during the Kree-Skrull War, when he was tearing into spaceships.  Kirby brought back the vision that Tony Stark's armor could take him anywhere in the galaxy.  Nuff Said!

The 1980s Marvel Heroes Fashion Makeover: Grey Hulk, Spider-Man Black Costume, etc.

Every comics company loves to give their heroes a new look from time to time.  During the Shooter-era of the 1980s, the Marvel heroes were re-designed with new looks and costumes.

• Spider-Man: Black costume from Secret Wars, sans the symbiote.
• Iron Man: Tony Stark designed this red and silver armor in Iron Man #200.
• Hulk: Grey Hulk from Peter David’s tenure on the series.
• Thor: Walt Simonson designed this new battle armor and let the Thunder God grow a beard.
• Captain America: Steve Rogers put on this costume and became a free agent for a while.  Later on, US Agent wore this costume whenever a team needed a third-rate Captain America—like the current Mighty Avengers series.

Were these Marvel makeovers as bad as shoulder pads and mullets?  I liked the Grey Hulk the best out of this lineup.  Nuff Said!

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

2 Comments

By Zebtron A. Rama on February 5, 2010 9:17 AM

Those were the days! I'm with you on the Grey Hulk but also was a fan of the "Captain."

By The Irishman on March 3, 2010 5:46 PM

I'll always have a soft spot for the black Spidey costume: didn't collect comics rigourously, mainly getting the Marvel UK 'Transformers' comic and the odd issue of other series, but that title tended to run other Marvel strips as back-ups. One such strip, taken from the 1986 US 'Amazing Spider-Man' annual, I later learned, showed Spidey coming up against the Iron Man of 2020, and, having only seen Spider-man in the red and blue costume, this cool new look blew me away! At the time, I knew nothing of the origin of the costume, or its alien nature (that said, as that story was printed in 1986, the black costume in it would have been the cloth version anyway), but thought (and still do) that it was aesthetically stunning in its simplicity, the white spider emblem really complimenting the black. We must have had quiet childhoods, because I can remember talking with friends about Spidey's 'new' look: one friend said that the suit was an alien, and I thought he was surely mistaken...

Dave Cockrum Avengers Pin-Ups

In Foom issues 6 and 7 (circa 1974), we were treated to a series of pin-ups from a new artist who had joined the ranks of Marveldom:  Dave Cockrum!  These nifty pin-ups featured the Avengers.  I think they showcase these classic Marvel characters well, and Cockrum's artwork is top-notch.

Thor and Iron Man.  Buddies, way before Clor!

Captain America and the Vision.

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Clint Barton as Hawkeye, Clint Barton as Giant-Man.  Black Widow.

Mantis and Swordsman.  Cockrum was very familiar with these characters--he had drawn Giant-Size Avengers #2 the issue that featured the death of the Swordsman.  Nuff said.

Marvels of Gil Kane: Iron Man Covers

Gil Kane did a number of covers for Iron Man during 1971-72.  Here are four of my favorites:

Iron Man #44 really sent chills down my spine when I first saw the creepy Night Phantom, but it's the expression of horror on the face of Stark's girlfriend Marianne that sells the cover.

Iron Man #45 brings back memories of the Vietnam anti-war protests on many campuses around the United States.  Many Marvel heroes had a "Crisis on Campus!" issue, this was Iron Man's turn.

Iron Man #46 has the Guardsman setting Stark's armor on fire--right in front of Stark Industries.  It's really humilating to be defeated in front of your own co-workers.  I really like the inking on this cover.

Iron Man #54 gives us Kane's view of a fight with the Sub-Mariner.  Namor always works best on a cover when he's launching out of the water to attack his opponent.  Bob Layton did a commission where he re-interpreted this cover, you can probably find it on his website.  Nuff said.

The Revolutionary Roller-Skating Iron Man!

After Iron Man’s adventure with Benjamin J. Grimm in Marvel Feature #12, he was low on power.  How did he get back to New York City?  Wait for it true believers…

…Tony Stark roller-skated his way home!  Nuclear powered roller-skates, I am sure, not like those cushy wheels in Xanadu.  I think if I saw a roller-skating Iron Man on the freeway, I’d probably flip out.

Making a sudden exit on the freeway seems like a bitch.  Do you have to give hand signals?

Steve Gerber was making a joke with this scene and most us never forgot it.  I just ran across an interview with Gerber on Comics Bulletin where he mentions this:  …we used to buy comics because comics could show us things we couldn't see anywhere else -- Weaponers of Qward, Reverse-Flashes, Iron Men on roller skates. Today, comics are still showing readers things they couldn't see anywhere else in 1963. The world has changed; comics haven't.  Nuff said.

Moebius Iron Man Poster

This was part of Moebius 1980s series of posters for Marvel…

I had this on my wall at home.  A friend of mine came by and said, “Where’d you get that butt ugly Iron Man poster?”  But I really dug Moebius’ take on Iron Man’s armor, even though it went totally against the Bob Layton versions.  Notice the way that Tony Stark’s facial expressions bleed through the mask, like the metal is soft or organic.  Nuff said.

See also: Moebius Thing Poster