Astonishing Tales 25 and the Birth of Deathlok, with insights from Rich Buckler!

UPDATE: I originally wrote this article on Deathlok back in February 2011.  At the time I wrote it I was using information in FOOM Magazine #5 and the back pages of Astonishing Tales #25.  I made some unintentional errors which were cleared by Rich Buckler, after I met him on Facebook.  I am republishing this article along with comments made by Rich in our email correspondence in November 2014.  

The cover blurb at the bottom of Astonishing Tales #25 called Deathlok: Perhaps the greatest creation yet in the Marvel Age of Comics, Phase Two!  You could call Phase Two the entire era under the editorship of Roy Thomas, the 70s period that saw the rise of creators like Steve Englehart, Don McGregor, Doug Moench, Steve Gerber, etc.  A period of wild creativity and doing new things with the toys that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko had left behind.  But there were also brand new characters during this period, and one of the most different and daring creations came from Rich Buckler.

UPDATE 2014: Originally I gave more credit to Doug Moench for Deathlok's conception, but this is incorrect.  According to Rich:

"Doug Moench is not the co-creator of Deathlok.  If he were then he would have been listed on the credits as such of the very first story page of Deathlok's debut in Astonishing Tales #25.  That is because when Roy Thomas introduced me to Doug, I came to Doug with the concept--not the other way around.  Also, importantly, my work for Marvel on Deathlok was contractual."

When I think of pop culture in the 1970s, the term anti-hero comes to mind.  In comics, movies, and novels.  Marvel was more prone to anti-heroes, since the writers and artists were more in tune with the counter culture.  Deathlok was a prime example of an anti-hero: in the first few pages he kills a few guys quite brutally.  At the same time he’s fighting against The Man, General Ryker and his military industrial complex—from a future set in the 1990s (that seemed so far off then).  You didn’t have to explain back then why anything connected to the military was bad, it just was evil by inherent nature, you dig it?

For the guys who read this first issue of the newsstand like I did, you will remember that The Six Million Dollar Man was on TV.  But this wasn’t a cheap rip off of ABC’s Cyborg.  Rich's original name for the character was DEADLOCK (as in a man locked in death), which was at a later stage refined to DEATHLOK as suggested by Doug Moench.  In the first issue we discover that Colonel Luther Manning, described by Ryker as one of the most brilliant battlefield strategists alive, was killed on the battlefield.  Half of Manning’s face and his entire right arm were blown off by a concussion bomb.  Ryker’s scientists have kept Manning’s brain alive, and they rebuild his body with cybernetic parts, making him better, stronger, faster, and more lethal than anyone in the future!

Deathlok was Rich Buckler’s idea—he created the visual of the character and initially envisioned it as a novel.  My favorite thing about this character is that he shares his brain with a computer, who constantly challenges his decisions.  This sequence from page 2 of Astonishing Tales #25 is truly remarkable.  It is very cinematic, drawn by Buckler as if he is a movie director, with the sequence of the victim running away—every movement tracked by Deathlok’s computer.  The second is that there are three levels of narration in the captions: Deathlok’s computer voice, Manning’s voice, and an omniscient narrator that was written in a sort of stream of consciousness style.  The "omniscient narrator" was dropped in later issues to clarify the storytelling.

UPDATE 2014: Rich filled me in with more details on the conception of Deathlok and the particular sequence above:

"That story page with the victim/target running away from Deathlok--that was one of the first fully drawn pages submitted to Roy Thomas as samples. It was written and drawn by me (with Doug contributing embellishments in the final script), and the actual page was included and printed as part of the finished product. Doug followed my story notes which were penciled in on the borders of the art pages."

I think Deathlok is truly remarkable as a unique character, both visually and narratively.  Marvel has tried to reboot the character many times, but to me each attempt has always failed, because they lost the internal conflict of Manning versus Computer.  Who wants to have their decisions ruled by a computer telling them what to at every step of the way? Deathlok’s computer threatens to override his functionality and shut him down entirely.  Manning is constantly fighting against it. I ain’t nobody’s bloody machine! Manning screams in the second issue. --and ain’t no more orders gonna be plugged into my arm—or my brain!

The other remarkable thing about Deathlok’s first appearance was the promotional push that it received.  Back then we didn’t have Previews or web sites or any type of magazine telling us what was coming.  F.O.O.M. (Friends of Old Marvel) subscribers who received FOOM #5 in 1974 read this short article by Doug Moench: Buckler & Me & Deathlok Makes Three.  His first meeting with Buckler and discussing the artist’s ideas for the character over deli sandwiches in New York City.  How many kids dreamed of working for Marvel after reading that, hanging out with Moench, Gerber, Thomas, and throwing around ideas for Marvel Comics?  I know I did.

To whet the appetite for this character, FOOM #5 also had this diagram schematic of Deathlok’s costume and gear.  All of which looked ultra cool to me.  Hmm, I wonder if Eliot R. Brown saw this diagram and that was the birth of his interest in doing this kind of stuff for Marvel Universe Handbooks?

UPDATE 2014: Not only is it clear that Deathlok was Rich Buckler's creation, he had a very unique deal at Marvel in 1974.

"All of the designs,  character names, story titles and original concepts in the original Deathlok series were mine.  I even designed the book's logo. I did originally own a 'piece' of the intellectual property.  Fifty percent, actually, of all merchandizing, licensing and novelization rights.  I lost out on that subsequently in an out of court battle."

 Maybe you were not an exclusive FOOM club member.  Well, you couldn’t have missed this promo column announcing Deathlok in the Bullpen Bulletins page for August 1974.  I just love everything about this column, how Marvel trumpeted their comics and creators to the world. We’re shifting into high gear, troops—but we’re not going anyplace without you!

Back to Astonishing Tales #25.  The first story ended a bit abruptly, but there were some extra pages of content.  There was a two page discussion between Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler, and Doug Moench over the creation of Deathlok.  Buckler mentions again how he would like to eventually write a novel about Deathlok.

Looking back at the whole launch of Deathlok, Marvel gave it a really good promotional push.  He had a two year run in Astonishing Tales, which ended with issue #36, with Buckler staying on until the end.  Moench left after the second issue, Astonshing Tales #26, and Buckler took on writing duties as well as the artistic ones.

UPDATE 2014: As we discussed his work on later issues, Rich said it was challenging at times:

"After the first two or three issues I did not let up on the experimental storytelling and bold treatment of unexplored conceptual territory.  There were many conceptual and graphic firsts throughout that run in Astonishing Tales. And back then I was editing, writing and drawing all of that while struggling to keep up with penciling a monthly title and a handful of covers for Marvel at the same time.  So, of course, there were deadline problems now and then--and sometimes creative control was wrested from me (particularly during one short period where I moved back to Detroit and in New York Marvel was switching Editor-In-Chiefs).  Sometimes the writers I worked with would veer off or not understand and communicate the story material clearly.  I took over the writing reigns completely whenever I could.  It was a crazy time, and nobody at Marvel had a creator deal like mine (and I think, no one ever will after that!)."

Indeed there are many strong visual storytelling elements in later issues of Astonishing Tales!  Here are a few of them.

A nice fight sequence from Astonishing Tales #27:

Splash page from AT #28 with Luther Manning in turmoil:

AT #34 splash page with a dynamic angle:

I think Deathlok (along with Killraven) is one of the most unique characters created during the 70s.  I wish Buckler still owned a piece of it.  He doesn’t even get a “created by” credit on any new appearances in Marvel Comics, which seems quite disgusting.  There is something at the core of the character, a potential for untapped stories that Marvel has failed to realize despite many reboots.  I suspect Deathlok has influences beyond comics; when I saw the 1987 film Robocop, it seemed to me that character was similar to Deathlok in many ways.  Nuff Said! 

Update 2009: Giant-Size fan Toby sent me this scan, for Rich Buckler's variant cover to the 2009 Deathlok #1 mini-series!  Hated this series entirely, but it is good to see that Marvel commissioned Buckler for this gem, a re-take on the classic Astonishing Tales #25 cover.

Update 2014: Rich Buckler did a variant cover for the new Deathlok series coming out from Marvel.  How many Deathlok reboots have there been now?

Please follow Rich Buckler on Facebook! You can see lots of original artwork there and find lots of information about his work.  Thanks for writing, Rich!  Nuff Said.

Monster Monday: Vampire Tales, Morbius, Satana are back in print

At the comic shop the other day, I noticed the digest sized reprint of Vampire Tales - Volume 1.  This reprint contains the first 3 issues of the Marvel magazine, in glorious black and white, the way it was originally published.  It features stories by Steve Gerber, Pablo Marcos, Don McGregor, Rich Buckler, Gerry Conway, John Romita (Sr) and Esteban Moroto!

The star of Vampire Tales was Morbius, the Living Vampire, but he didn't make on the cover of the magazine until issue #3.  This cover painting was credited to Luis Dominguez, but it also has touches of Romita, especially on the girl's face.  I suspect that Romita did a cover rough and gave it to the painter.

I loved Morbius and these stories in Vampire Tales were far more graphic than his Spider-Man appearances.  Don McGregor portrayed Morbius like a heroin addict, trying to refrain from drinking blood, then going crazy when he can't control the urge.  McGregor set up an arc of stories involving the Demon Fire cult, and the first two were drawn by Rich Buckler.  This is the splash page of the story in issue #3 and you can see Buckler's knack for innovative panel layout once again.

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Besides Morbius, you get the first two Satana stories in this volume.  The very first story was a teaser by Conway and Romita, only 4 pages long, but just perfect in execution.  Romita's design for Satana's costume is wonderful.  In the third issue it was Esteban Moroto who drew Satana.  A wonderful artist, 180 degrees different than any Marvel artist, but the first thing he did was ditch Romita's costume!  And it has been used rarely since. But the costume was resurrected a few years ago, in the Alex Ross/John Romita poster titled Mighty Marvel Heroes and Villains.

If you're a retro dude like me, or if you appreciate classic monsters with a bit of cheese, I think you'll like this reprint volume.  Nuff Said!

Link: Vampire Tales - Volume 1 on Amazon

Thor Thursday: Comic Reader covers by Joe Sinnott and Rich Buckler

A couple of Silver Age Thor covers today, from The Comic Reader…

Here’s a 1975 cover (Comic Reader 115) that showcases not only why Joe Sinnott was a great inker—he was a damn good artist as well!  Sinnott inked many issues of Thor, though ironically, he never inked Kirby on this title.  What would have happened if all those Vinnie Colletta issues were done by Sinnott instead?

Uh-oh, I’ve just made myself a target for the Colletta Club. 

Rich Buckler did this 1972 cover for The Comic Reader 1972.  Buckler during this period was the perfect second-generation Marvel artist, combining the best of Kirby and Buscema in his work.  Thor must be fighting one of the High Evolutionary’s creatures in this pic…perhaps the Man-Beast? 

Have a great Thor Thursday and skip the trip to Valhalla.  Nuff Said!

Giant-Size Avengers #1: John Romita Sr. Cover Evolution

The Marvel Bullpen Bulletins had whipped me up into a frenzy in anticipation of the Avengers new larger than 20 cent title back in 1974.  At first they were going to co-star in a rotating wheel title called Giant-Size Super-Teams (along with the Defenders and Fantastic Four).  A month or so later, the BB announced they were going to be in a title called Avengers Super Giant.  But when it finally arrived it was, like everything else, GIANT-SIZED!

The cover by John Romita Sr. is certainly dynamic, despite the sidebars, word balloons, and logos.  You’ve got the big three—Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man—plus the central characters of the Avengers—the Vision and Scarlet Witch—in the background.

In an issue of FOOM, we got an inside look at the making of this cover.  John Romita (1st and final one) and Rich Bucker (last two concept ones) did these sketches of three possible covers.  Notice that two of them have the Super-Giant title.  From what I gather, Romita took some of Buckler’s sketch (#2) and made Thor even more centrally prominent to draw the reader’s attention.  Of course, the FOOM proofreaders took a break the day this page went to press…spelling GIANT as GAINT.

I don’t have a scan of the original Romita black and white art to Giant-Size Avengers #1.  If you do, please send it to me and I will add it here!

The story in Giant-Size Avengers #1 was by Roy Thomas, who brought back some of the Golden Age characters, most notably, the Whizzer.  The art was by Rich Buckler, who drew the Avengers in epic Kirby-esque proportions.  Most of them look fantastic, except for Mantis, who looks like a sumo wrestler instead of a svelte Kung Fu expert.  While it was an interesting story, I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t tie in directly with the main Avengers book.  For that event, we’d have to wait until issue #2, when regular writer Steve Englehart took over.  Nuff said.

Black Panther's Rage: Revolt in Wakanda

In the 1970s, there were a number of Marvel Comics writers that I idolized.  Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Steve Gerber, Marv Wolfman, etc.  Yet perhaps none was more revolutionary than Don McGregor, who I first encountered when I picked up the seemingly innocuous Jungle Action #6, the first all-new solo title featuring the Black Panther!



What a shock this issue was to a reader accustomed to seeing the Panther fighting alongside the Avengers in New York City.  Don McGregor took the Panther back to his kingdom--Wakanda--the seemingly glittering nation full of Vibranium and people with advanced engineering degrees.  But this facade is pulled back, and we discover--due to his long periods in the United States (with the Avengers)--the Panther was close to being usurped by a powerful Wakandan named Killmonger.  In the first chapter, Killmonger thrashes T'Challa with a spike-studded strap and throws him down the aptly named Warrior Falls!



McGregor was joined in the first few chapters of Panther's Rage by an artist well suited to draw his stories--Rich Buckler.  Many of Buckler's pages had a cinematic feel, and he did incredible things with logos--like this one for the issue titled, Malice by Crimson Moonlight.



As a dyed-in-the-wool Marvelite, I kept waiting for the Fantastic Four or the Avengers to show up and help T'Challa out.  They never did; this was an internal fight for T'Challa, a spiritual battle as well as a physical one.  Instead, McGregor created an all-African cast of supporting characters and made them come alive: W'Kabi, Taku, and his American girlfriend, Monica Brant.  And most of the villains were black as well: besides Killmonger, we had the super-spear throwing Malice, Baron Macabre, Karnaj, Sombre, and my favorite, Salamander K'ruel.  The only white guy I can think of was the Killmonger's lieutenant, Venomm.



Buckler left the series, Gil Kane did a nice guest spot, and then the series really kicked into high gear when Billy Graham came onboard.  I had enjoyed Graham's work on Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, but his work on the Panther were simply at a higher caliber.  Perhaps being one of the few African-American professionals in the comic book industry, he was inspired by the Panther as well as McGregor's scripts?  I'll never forget his work on Panther's Rage, particularly Jungle Action #13 with the chapter titled "The God Killer".  In the opening sequence, the Panther, who has been badly injured and stranded in the cold winter mountains of Wakanda, comes across two armed thugs working for Killmonger.  The Panther's running on fumes, but he defeats them in an amazing sequence.




Another issue had T'Challa reuniting with his girlfriend Monica after nearly dying a few dozen times while chasing Killmonger.  The title, "All Our Past Decades Have Seen Revolutions", is a hard one to fit on a comics page.  Billy Graham made it part of the mountain leading into the sea!



There's a sweet moment in Jungle Action #16 for a little intimacy, which I thought Graham depicted in an unusual way.  I think very few romantic scenes in superhero comics are touching.  This is one of the rare ones.  I suppose it was made more romantic by their situation in Wakanda--the people there did not approve of T'Challa mating with a foreigner.

I didn't know until I read Billy Graham's Wikipedia page that he had passed away.  What a loss!
At this point in time, Marvel Comics usually did 1-2 issue storylines.  I kept expecting the Killmonger storyline to wrap up in 2 or 3 or 6 issues.  It did not!  By Jungle Action #9, we learned that this story--Panther's Rage--was a saga that was going to continue for a while.  It began in Jungle Action #6 in 1973 and concluded in Jungle Action #17 in 1975.



The series was bi-monthly, sometimes quarterly due to delays (the Dreaded Deadline Doom) as I remember, but the hardcore fans who knew this was something exceptional and stuck with it.  In the letters pages you can find missives from a young Ralph Macchio (later editor at Marvel), Peter B Gillis (future writer of Strikeforce Morituri) and Dean Mullaney (later publisher of Eclipse).

Don McGregor continued the Panther's adventures in Jungle Action, pitting him against the Ku Klux Klan.  That storyline was terminated midway in Jungle Action #24...with the stunning news that Jack Kirby would take over the character!  Black Panther #1 debuted shortly thereafter, with story and art by the King.  Take about dramatic changes--I thought the editors at Marvel had been lobotomized to make this change! 
Kirby's Black Panther was 180 degrees different than McGregor's take on the character.  I am sure Kirby never read any of McGregor's stories and didn't bother to incorporate any of the supporting cast.  Now I can see it from a different perspective: Jack Kirby must have felt like he owned that character as he co-created the Black Panther in the Fantastic Four!   

Well, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did give birth to the Black Panther, but it was Don McGregor, Rich Buckler, and Billy Graham who gave him a soul.  Nuff said.

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

3 Comments

By Tom McLean on February 12, 2009 9:29 AM

Has this ever been collected? It's a crime if it hasn't.

I remember MacGregor did a sequel in a 25-part story in Marvel Comics Presents, with art by Gene Colan, I think. It was great — I'd gladly buy a two-volume trade set of this if only Marvel would put it out.

By Damon Owens on May 13, 2009 4:32 PM

I just happened to inadvertantly come across your blog and was happy to find another fan that enjoyed the "Panther's Rage" storyline in Jungle Action as much as I did, lo, those many years ago. In fact, I just recently did a tribute to that storyline by commissioning a piece featuring the villains from those issues, Killmonger and his lieutenants. You can check it out here:

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Page=1&Order=Date&Piece=484169&GSub=18769&GCat=0&UCat=0

Enjoy!

By Dennis Sweatt on July 15, 2009 11:35 AM

Just found this site, great stuff.
Loved seeing Rich Buckler's work again, brings back memories.

Thing Tuesdays: Rich Buckler's Foom Thing

In 1974, I waited breathlessly for the fifth issue of FOOM, Friends Of Ol' Marvel, the official Marvel fan club magazine.  The fifth issue was important, as it would be the first one not edited by Jim Steranko.  Fortunately, when it arrived, I was not disappointed by the cover...

Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott drew this dynamic cover featuring Ben Grimm.  The pose is definitely inspired by Jack Kirby; I searched in vain for the Kirby source but I could not find it, if you do remember, please let me know.  The printing on the FOOM magazines were terrible, but I have touched it up here a bit.  Notice on the billboard behind the Thing reads: "Deathlok is here!"  This issue also an article about Buckler's creation, Deathlok.

The Thing article inside featured some interesting comments from Stan Lee, Gerry Conway, and Steve Gerber.  "When I first got the assignment to write MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE," says Steve Gerber, "I basically thought of him (the Thing) as all wisecracks.  But when I started writing, I found myself just taken over by his character."  Stan Lee said, "I totally fell in love with the Thing.  He was the most appealing character of the FF to me, the character who held the group together."  Gerry Conway sees the Thing-Torch relationship as a descendant of the Monk Mayfair-Ham Brooks "feud" in the Doc Savage pulp magazines.

The last page of the article features a drawing of the Thing sitting on his throne after mopping up a gallery of villains.  This illustration looks like it was drawn by a very young John Byrne with Duffy Vohland.

 

Rich Buckler is now doing some amazing fine art, which you can see at this website.  I've also seen some amazing cover recreations (notably the first appearance of Deathlok in Astonishing Tales) and commissions.  You can see some of the FF-related recreations over at the Fantastic Four Headquarters.

Nuff said.

Link: Rich Buckler's web site

Link: Rich Buckler Interview at Fantastic Four Headquarters

Giant-Size Superstars #1 and the wildest Thing vs Hulk match ever!

In February 1974, Marvel decided to start their own series of deluxe comic books with Giant-Size Super-Stars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four.

As a kid growing up, I can't possibly describe the thrill and excitement this concept of a "Giant-Size" Marvel book being published.  Perhaps it felt like a special 2-hour TV movie instead a regular episode.  During the same period of time, the NBC Mystery Movie featured rotating characters such as Columbo, McCloud, McMillian and Wife, Banacek, etc.  I think I equated the Giant-Size specials with those, and I just had the damndest feeling like Something Big Was Gonna Happen.  It had to live up to this expectation, because it cost 35 cents and regular comics were only 20 cents!

What better way to start than by having "The Wildest Thing vs. Hulk Battle of All" by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler!  The cover had a dynamic picture of Ben Grimm clobbering the Hulk while Johnny Blaze cheered him on from the sidelines.  The Hulk is on the ropes. But how could this be?  Everyone knows the Hulk is stronger.  And why was Reed Richards reaching out to stop Ben?

The story begins in a big way as we see the Hulk being chased by the police on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.  If Rich Buckler didn't grab me from the cover, he sure as hell did on this fantastic splash page.  Everything seemed bigger in scope already!  "Hulk wants peace...and Hulk wants it now!"  If I get any kind of classic dialog like that in a Hulk movie, I'd be happy.  The Hulk reaches New York City and stays hidden long enough (this was when the Hulk was only 7 feet tall, not that gargantuan creature he is today) to calm down and revert to back to Bruce Banner.  Banner decides to seek refuge in the Baxter Building and gets some sympathy from Ben Grimm.

Ben starts talking about the various cures that Reed Richards has attempted, the latest being a device called the Psi-Amplifier. Banner decides to use this device to cure both himself and Ben Grimm at the same time. Something goes snafu (as usual) and a mind-swap occurs between the Thing and the Hulk.

Rich Buckler draws this Thing-Hulk fight with Mighty Marvel Kirbyesque Magic.  It sure didn't hurt to have Joltin' Joe Sinnott on the inks.

The fight between them rages from skyscrapers to the subway to Madison Square Garden. Throw in the Amazonian babe called Thundra (always looking for a sperm donation from Mr. Grimm) and you've got a comedy of errors.

Besides the main feature, the remaining pages featured pinups, which had already been used in various Fantastic Four annuals.  It seemed like a great value for a kid...at that point we didn't have Official Marvel Indexes or Guides or anything like that.

Update #1: The original art to the opening splash page by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott featuring the Rampaging Hulk!

Update #2: The original art to the splash page with The Thing cloberring the Hulk in Madison Square Garden!

This was the first and only issue of Giant-Size Superstars.  With the second issue, Marvel gave up the rotating wheel concept and the title became Giant-Size Fantastic Four.  Nuff said.