The Defenders by Michael Golden

A recent commission by master Michael Golden...

The Defenders!  In their classic line-up of the Big Three plus the Silver Surfer.  Nuff Said.

My Favorite Giant-Size Marvels of the 1970s

When I created this blog back in 2008, I needed an idea for a title.  My favorite Marvel Comics from the 1970s were always the Giant-Size titles that sold for 35 or 50 cents.  Just the thought of extra pages of Marvel-ous content made me heart beat a little faster.  Here are some of my favorite titles from this era...

Giant-Size Superstars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four and wildest Thing versus Hulk match ever, was one of the first giant-size titles.  The story by Gerry Conway is fun, light-hearted, a done-in-one romp that is perfectly constructed.  The artwork by Rich Buckler showcases Marvel over the top action in the best way, with a fight that goes from skyscrapers to the subway system.  I first wrote about this comic in 2008.

Giant-Size Superheroes #1 followed a month or so later, with another whopper of a story by Conway, where Spidey's misunderstood monsters teamed up: Morbius and the Man-Wolf.  I couldn't imagine how these two got together, but it was an interesting setup.  The art by Gil Kane featured some great midnight action in New York City.  I mentioned this comic earlier in my look at Morbius' creation.

At this point you may think all my favorites were the first issues of the Giant-Size books.  That is true--except in the case of this one.  I longed for these Giant-Size comics to somehow tie into the story from the regular monthly titles.  Steve Englehart finally broke this barrier with Giant-Size Avengers #2.  Kang the Conqueror had attacked the Avengers in the regular monthly title, clobbering Thor, Iron Man, and The Vision into unconsciousness.  And kidnapping the Scarlet Witch and Mantis to boot!  Kang left the Swordsman behind, because he was a loser.  Bad mistake!  In this issue, the Swordsman recruits Hawkeye and the two of them start to unravel Kang's plan for world domination.  The climax of this story had a big revelation--the Celestial Madonna was actually Mantis--and the Swordsman died trying to save her.  One of my favorite Avengers stories of all time.  The artwork by Dave Cockrum, who also inked himself on this issue, is one of the best art jobs of his career.  I noticed that Doug and Karen mentioned this issue in their recent article on The Vision.

Monster Monday: Michael Golden Ghost Rider covers

It's going to be a monstrous week for me.  The only thing that can make it better is a week of Michael Golden covers...starting off with my favorite hell-raiser, Ghost Rider!

This 1991 cover appeared in the Doctor Strange Ghost Rider special.  The interior story wasn't that great, but the cover alone justified the buck fifty.  I love how Golden draws that hellcycle climbing up that mystic bridge.

Surprisingly, Doctor Strange is very small, even though he's the co-star.  I am sure the editors wanted Ghost Rider to be the focal point, since his popularity was much greater.  The version above was the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider.

Golden did draw the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider 10 years earlier in this cover to Defenders 96.  Blaze's hellcycle is literally ablaze in flame, which Golden details in utter delight.  Doctor Strange and Daimon Hellstrom appear in the background.

Which Ghost Rider do you prefer?  Ketch's bike is cooler, but Blaze's uniform, an ode to Evel Knivel, simply can't be beat.  Nuff Said!

Neal Adams Classic Defenders Cover: Original and Re-Colored

In 1972, the Defenders appeared in Marvel Feature #1, with this dynamic cover by Neal Adams.



It’s a great cover.  Each hero has a dynamic pose.  And you are not sure if these guys are here to save the world or destroy it!

In a recent Doctor Strange Barry Smith article, I came across a Marvel Milestones reprint that also had this version of Neal Adams’ cover, sans logo and with new coloring.



The colorist went for more muted tones here, rather than the bright colors on the original.  Doc’s left hand is obscured by the glow of the spell he is casting.  This cover was probably used on an Essentials reprint.  It’s an interesting experiment—but I can’t help think the original version is still superior.

The Defenders are one of my favorite super-hero teams of all time.  I can’t understand why modern Marvel can’t get the formula of Doc Strange + Hulk (smash) + Sub-Mariner to work.  Nuff Said!

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

6 Comments

By Andrew Wahl on January 22, 2010 11:34 AM

Richard:

I agree that the color on the original was better, but that's almost certainly our Bronze Age bias at play. Color palates were much more limited back then. There's a sample palate from the period in the DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering, and it's completely made up of different 25 percent combinations of CMYK. Certainly more limited, but, damn, if it doesn't look more like comics to me!

Cheers,
Andrew
ComicsBronzeAge.com

By Milt on January 22, 2010 6:42 PM

This is one of my favorite Marvel covers by my all time favorite comic book artist as well as my favorite Marvel superhero team! Thanks for posting this! Hopefully soon we'll see some of Neal's Avengers stuff!

By Richard Guion on January 23, 2010 10:53 AM

I agree, I am very biased towards the old material. Yet strangely proud of it! Thanks for all your comments and tweets, Andrew!

By kcekada on January 27, 2010 11:04 AM

I do believe there are ways to make the classic lineup of the Defenders work. I think Busiek tried to recreate the zaniness of the Gerber era in the 90s Defenders series, and failed. Of course, Erik Larsen's artwork didn't help matters. I think a straightforward approach would be better.

I agree about the covers. I think the artist went a bit too dark.

By the way, I'm a first time poster on this blog. Just discovered it yesterday, and I love it! I saw some panel art from G.S. Defenders #2 with art by the late great Gil Kane and Klaus Janson. I dont buy back issues these days, but I'm going to make an exception and track down that issues.

Keep up the good work.

By Richard Guion on January 27, 2010 1:56 PM

Thank you for the kind words!

By DonKingKong on May 3, 2010 4:16 PM

With the Hobbit movies somewhat on hold, Marvel is gunning for Guillermo del Toro to direct and Neil Gaiman to write Dr. Strange [link removed]

Can a Doctor Strange-centric "Defenders" movie that fits into what Marvel is now calling the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” finally be in the works?...

SHIELD pulls together a paranormal special ops team after the Military/SHIELD/NASA made contact with a "Beyonder" (or Celestial, some sort of "magical" trans-dimensional entity, perhaps an Asgardian?) SHIELD realizes it doesn't have the capabilities to ascertain if this “thing” is a threat or not. Thus sets the premise for the Defenders movie, where the use of occult, fringe science, brains, and brawn are employed to defeat a multi-dimensional and or “secret invasion” cosmic threat to save the day in such a way that Avengers cannot.

The team that SHIELD assembles to defend us from such an invader will be a group of eccentric scientist/academia types culled to form the "Defenders", the oddball counterpoint to the distinguished Avengers team. Project "Defenders" will be the “Twilight Zone” of the new Marvel movie franchises; they want it to be less of an action movie and have more of a creepy thriller type of vibe to it. The Defender operatives will consist of group leader - the brilliant Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange former renowned neurosurgeon turned occultist scholar and “metaphysicist” (character to be loosely based around Aleister Crowley/Terence McKenna eccentric by way of Robert Langdon), Namor McKenzie (Sub-Mariner, the superhuman Jacques-Yves Cousteau by way of Rudolf Steiner, believes he’s the literal Prince of Atlantis) , Dr. Robert Bruce Banner (Hulk, brilliant “omnidisciplinary” scientist, the world’s greatest expert on gamma radiation… need we say more?), Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym (Ant-Man, MIT professor renowned quantum physicist), and his partner Janet Van Dyne(Wasp, one-time student to Pym now associate, extremely bright but introverted Lady Gaga “individualist” type). Themes incorporated into Defenders movie include motifs from the bestselling magical/occult/secret society Dan Brown books, along with themes from the more recent Marvel series involving Secret [link removed] storylines (specifically the newer S.H.I.E.L.D. 2010 comic series). They'll be looking for lean lesser-known actors to play non-super hero type characters, and there are ruminations that Strange may be pushed forward to play a crucial role as catalyst to merge the magical other-dimensional realms like Asgard into the more "realistic" Iron Man universe.

Questions remain about the timeline and release of the Doctor Strange character into the big screen. Will we see Doctor Strange in a smallish part for the upcoming Avengers movie helping to usher in the “magical” component onto the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Or will Strange remain left out of the Avengers universe altogether for now, and another plot device or character be used to infuse the “magical elements” instead of him?... They are determined to bring on Dr. Strange movie post Ant-Man, the question remains will Strange remain side-lined for now? Some at Marvel are extremely hush-hush as plot points, characters as well as want-lists that are still being hashed-out for upcoming films, others think it’s good to gauge public opinion about what properties the public truly cares for and how they can be incorporated to the larger Marvel Movie-verse whilst staying true to the premise of the characters. Some of us like me see the potential and are really pushing for a Doctor Strange-centric Defenders movie but more importantly having Strange play a pivotal if not smallish role in the upcoming Avengers movie.

A Tribute To Artie Simek, Master Letterer of the Marvel Silver Age

Comic fans usually revere writers and artists and inkers (despite Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy).  The most overlooked creators are often the letterers, especially the ones from the golden/silver/bronze ages.  My favorite letterer whose style I could easily identify as a kid was Artie Simek.



Letters were painstakingly hand-drawn in those days.  I am sure if you asked a non-fan, they thought a machine put the letters in the comics.  Artie Simek spent his entire professional life perfecting this craft at Marvel and DC Comics.



Artie Simek became exclusive to Marvel during their 1960s rebirth.  Many of the early Fantastic Four comics were lettered by Artie.  Why do I like his lettering style so much?  Number one, the letters are big, clear, and extremely easy to read.  There’s a style to his letters that gets specially accented in the captions and credits.  I love the way he drew those bold characters.



On this Defenders splash page, you can see that Artie designed Giant-Sized logos for the title of the story, slanted against the tornado.  There’s a TS Eliot quote that Steve Englehart threw in there, giving Artie an opportunity to do some fancy calligraphy.



Nutty little details, like the “Y” peeking out of the top rim of the panel, just tickle me.  Simek probably lettered all of Marvel’s major titles during the 1960s and 1970s: Fantastic Four, Avengers, Defenders, X-Men, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, I also liked Sam Rosen, John Costanza, Tom Orzechowski, Gaspar Saladino and Todd Klein.

I always looked forward to seeing the name “Artie Simek” in the credits.  Giving letterers a credit was unheard of before Stan Lee started doing it in Marvel Comics.  Way to go Stan—and way to go, Artie!  Nuff Said!

Link:  Artie Simek Wikipedia page.

Update: Comments from my previous MovableType blog:

By Andrei on January 19, 2010 1:13 PM

Letterers are great. They accompany the artwork with their beautiful writing, thus making the panels look better. One thing that I hate in comics are those very thin and artsy letters that some issues have. Very hard to read if you don't go very close. Your blog is an inspiration for me. Keep up the fantastic job!

By Andrew Wahl on January 20, 2010 8:23 AM

Great topic for a post. Never really paid much attention to Simek's lettering, but had passed away before I came into my comic-collecting prime. The first letterers who were on my radar as a Bronze Age reader were Tom Orzechowski on X-Men and John Workman on Thor. (I came to love Workman even more as a writer and artist, though.) My all-time favorite would have to be Dave Sim, for his amazing work on Cerebus.

Cheers,
Andrew
ComicsBronzeAge.com

By C Lue Disharoon on February 28, 2010 5:56 AM

What kind words for an unsung hero, R.G. I appreciate the sincerity of all your brief columns; they really do capture the delight and enthusiasm of the discovery of comics, each and every time, anew.

People who appreciate little details also go out of their way to observe them in their love for others, I find.

Very enjoyable examples, too. The Defenders have given me great delight, and I still have the Englehart (who I love!) issues ahead of me to read, as they came out before I did! LOL

Hope you enjoy my Defenders story, too; they helped me work out details of my novel, adapted for their participation, as a learning experiment/ call back to a quirky joy of my childhood (of course, it'll be adapted BACK, LOL!).

By David Marshall on September 28, 2010 6:08 AM

Richard, thanks for this excellent memorial. I didn't start paying attention to lettering until having to teach a traditional ink-on-paper class for making comics. Turns out Artie Simek was my favorite letterer of the silver age. To this day, I still try to "box up" my word balloons and mimic his letter forms (this was a MUCH easier task working 12" x 18"). As a kid I never knew the letterers, but felt Marvel's lettering took a turn for the worse when he died (until Orz, Workman and Costanza took over).

How A Marvel Fan's Letter Influenced Giant-Size Defenders #1

Nearly a year ago, I blogged about one of my favorite comics of all time, Giant-Size Defenders #1.  Today another fan, Juan Ortiz, wrote in to tell me an interesting story about this comic:

When I was just a kid, I sent a letter to Marvel asking them to print giant-size comics, just like DC had been doing. Having been a Defenders fan back then, I suggested a giant-sized issue. For which I received a No-prize for. I also think my name was printed on the Defenders pin-up in this issue. Although I can't confirm it, since they spelled Juan with a T. It reads Tuan. But back then, my lettering was not the best. So it may have read as Tuan to them. Juan




Here you can see the double-page pin-up by Sal Buscema of my favorite non-team of all time.  The three big guns--Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange--are front and center, with Valykrie and Silver Surfer flanking the sides.  Look at the blurb on the lower right hand corner.




See you in our 25 cent Titan-fest, Tuan!  I find this story entirely plausible--since a J can look like a T in certain circumstances.  Or it may not have been your lettering, Juan--it could have been the Marvel staffers were high on ink fumes!  I remember originally seeing this blurb when it was first published, and wondering who the heck Tuan was.  Thirty plus years later, the mystery is solved! 

Thanks for writing T--er, Juan!  I hope you kept your No-Prize letter, I never got one.  Nuff said.

Update:  Here were 2 comments posted on my previous blogging platform:

By Juan Ortiz on December 1, 2009 12:12 PM

WOW! Thanks for writing and printing that.
Unfortunately, I did not keep the No-prize. At my age I don't even think I knew what a No-prize yet was. And besides, my brother had opened it. Uhgg!

By Tott Teeto on December 1, 2009 2:13 PM

I consider it an honor to be friends with Tuan for so many years.

Giant Size Defenders 2: Gil Kane teams up with Klaus Janson

Why did I like the Defenders so much?  Because you never knew what to expect with each story arc.  The writers—Thomas, Englehart, Wein, and Gerber—all broke with conventional formulas in their own ways. Giant Size Defenders #2 did so when the team had to enlist a horror character—the Son of Satan—to rescue the Hulk from Hell!

 

This story featured Klaus Janson’s beautiful inks over Gil Kane’s pencils.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say this was the first Kane-Janson pairing.  Glynis Wein did a superb job on the colors as well.  The Hulk goes on a city wide rampage before getting tricked into Hell by a little girl.

This appearance by Daimon Hellstrom setup a long association with the Defenders.  He joined the team again for the Sons of the Serpent storyline in issue #22-24 and later joined as a full time member.  It’s nice to have Satan’s spawn in your back pocket.  Nuff said.

Giant-Size Defenders 1974 Marvel Ad

Here’s one of the house ads promoting the first Giant-Size book featuring the Defenders…

Except they promoted it as “Giant Size Super-Teams featuring the Defenders!”  What marketing genius came up with that title?  Fortunately, it was changed to Giant-Size Defenders by the time it was published.  No wonder these books didn’t last long, we could never find them!  Nuff said.

Giant-Size Defenders #1: the Hulk and Wong's Drumsticks

Out of all the Giant-Size books, Giant-Size Defenders #1 is one of my favorites.  I used the logo on the cover as the masthead for this blog.  There's something about seeing Doctor Strange, the Hulk, and Namor teaming up that just gives me a thrill.



The cover looks like it was done by Gil Kane, and I've always liked that motif where they burst of out of comic book pages from previous stories.  It's appropriate because this issue appears to have been produced in a rush, consisting of mostly reprints and only 10 pages of new material!  Yet when it starts off with a splash page like this by Jim Starlin...



...you can't help but be amazed.  Starlin's Hulk looks like he could burst through anything, Strange looks cosmic, and Namor looks regal.  Here's the inked version of this page without color:

Looks like paste up behind the characters for the comic panel motif. 

The rest of the story is quite a lark.  The Defenders had been together for a couple of years, and by this time had survived the Avengers-Defenders conflict. 

Valkryie suddenly realizes that she knows little of her team-mates even though she's been fighting alongside them since Defenders #4.  Clea realizes this, and uses her magical abilities to help Val relive some key moments in the lives of the Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Namor.  What a convenient framing device for a series of reprints!  They are very good reprints, and I didn't care as a kid when I read it.  It was all new to me and flowed into the new material pretty seamlessly.

One of the best things about this story is that it gives us more insight to the relationship between the Hulk and Doctor Strange.  What do they do when they are not saving the world?  The Hulk chows down on massive chicken drumsticks prepared by Wong!  Wong must have Colonel Sanders secret recipe from the look on the Hulk's face in this panel.

I can't wait for Jeff Loeb to bring back the Defenders in the Hulk.  The Offenders (Red Hulk, Tiger Shark, Baron Mordo, and Terrax) sounds like a great enemy for them.  Nuff said.

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

2 Comments

By Juan Ortiz on November 30, 2009 10:44 AM

When I was just a kid, I sent a letter to Marvel asking them to print giant-size comics, just like DC had been doing. Having been a Defenders fan back then, I suggested a giant-sized issue. For which I received a No-prize for. I also think my name was printed on the Defenders pin-up in this issue. Although I can't confirm it, since they spelled Juan with a T. It reads Tuan. But back then, my lettering was not the best. So it may have read as Tuan to them.

Juan

By Richard Guion on December 1, 2009 11:39 AM

Thanks for sharing your story. You prompted me to go back and look at that pin-up. I did another blog post about this since I found it so fascinating.
http://giantsizemarvel.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-marvel-fans-letter-influenced-giant.html