The Drink Tank 344

Thats a Kurt Erichsen civer! Its been a while since weve had him in these pages! Also, youll be seeing that there Gallifreyan symbol (a hapenny to the first person who can tell me what it means!) from the wonderful Jesi Pershing a bunch! Its awesome, no? Plus, Teddy Harvia, and words from good folks, including Hugo-nominee (and Future Supremem Court Justice!) Steve Stiles. But mostly, this issue is about Chuck Serfaces piece leading in to our MASSIVELY AWESOME Marvel Comics edition of Nerdvana Podcast (JC Arkham and JoshBot do a GREAT job with it! You can listen to it at http://nerdvanapodcast.com/ and its all over the place and a lot of fun (start with the Batman episode at http:// www.nerdvanapodcast.com/Episodes/Nerdvana-S01E03a.mp3) and keep on going! Ive got a lot of thoughts about Marvel, its a comic line Ive only been into at times, but largely Im not a fan. I love The Flash, Batman, Plastic Man, Elongated Man, Johnny Thunder, Wildcat, and especially The Justice Society. Always my favorite. Marvel had The Hulk, who was awesome at times, and Daredevil. When I was growing up, there was the X-Men, at the time the biggest thing in comics. I liked the X-Men to a degree, but always into the DC stuff far more. On the plus side, there were stories back in the day that were awesome. There was a X-Men issue where it was Kitty telling a bedtime story about Pirates! But mostly, it passed over me while I was reading about Barry Allen and Crisis On Infinite Earths. Of course, there is stuff where the creators were so good, the material so awesome, that you have to love it. Frank Miller on Daredevil is one of my all-time favorites. I read it on the same flight that I read Alan Moores run on Swamp Thing, which it held up very well against. The Hulk was written by Greg Pak for a while, and it was Awesome! There was Secret Wars, which was so prevalent when I was at the exact right age! And then, there are the movies. You cant argue that they havent been so powerful, so well-done. There have been some dogs, Elektra, Daredevil (though not completely), the Fantastic Four (again, there were moments) and even the third Spider-man movie wasnt that great. I HATE the Blade movies, which some argue is not a Marvel film, but it is. I liked the Ang Lee Hulk movie, though The Incredible Hulk was much more watchable, and Captain America was slightly better than decent. I loved all the Iron Man movies, and The Avengers, and especially Thor.. I may be the only person who thinks Thor was better than The Avengers, but thats what Ive thought from as soon as Id seen them both. Marvel TV has been hit-or-miss. In the before times, there was Spider-Man at the time there was also Wonder Woman (from DC), and there have been some great, and terrible cartoon. In fact, the X-Men cartoons were bad, and at the same time you had the brilliant Batman cartoons to contrast. There was also a 70s Spiderman-Man was was pretty good, and a really good Secret Wars cartoon series. So its hit or miss, though I really want to see what Joss Whedon does with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. next season. So, Im not much of a Marvel guy, though Ive certain read a fair bit of Marvel along the road, but Ill probably always be a DC guy. Marvels never really had anything to compare with the Vertigo line, which makes me think that Marvel knows what audience pays its rent! So, this issue is Marvel Comics and I hope you enjoy it!

Art from Steve Stiles on pages 11 and 12. Cover from Kurt Erichsen. Gallifreyan Drink Tank Logo by Jesi Pershing.

Five Episodes from the History of Marvel Comics You Might Not Remember by Chuck Serface
On Saturday, June 8, 2013, the insane crew of the Nerdvana Podcast will undertake the daunting task of outlining the entire history of the Marvel Universe, from the very beginnings of Timely Comics, to the horror stories of the Atlas Era, to the rise of heroes during the Silver Age, to the current multimedia subsidiary of Disney known as Marvel Entertainment. We could go in any number of directions, and I suspect that upon meeting that symbolic fork in the road well take both directions. Nonetheless, I decided to review back issues and critical commentary to discern those episodes that shine most brightly in the firmament of Marvel. Marvel has given us an impressive number of memorable occurrences. Roy Thomas, for example, penned the Kree-Skrull War arc that ran in Avengers (Volume 1) #89 -97, a groundbreaking epic that forever altered the course of all superhero comics. An adaptation of another industry changer, Chris Claremont and John Byrnes Days of Future Past that first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 will soon grace the silver screen. Many are the blockbusters, the moneymakers that inspire creative projects in various media, commentary, spin-offs, and which never will be forgotten, especially now that reprinted trade compilations have become so widely available. As a longtime reader, I remember passages from Marvel that might not but should survive the ages, passages that entertained, caused me to reflect, or both. Ive chosen five such cases in point for discussion. Each presents an element that reveals some aspect of character or circumstance that, whether one realizes it or not, potentially changes the path of continuity, and I say only potentially, because, damn it, were in danger of overlooking their importance.

Captain America Lifts Mjolnir

Odins enchantment inscribed on to the face Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, resonates throughout the history of Marvel Comics and reads like Excalibur defining Arthur as the One True King: Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor. Over the decades, a handful of characters have taken turns at swinging the hammer while the rest of us couldnt dream of even nudging it along the ground. These honored few include Beta Ray Bill, Jane Foster, Eric Masterson, Rogue, Storm, Conan the Barbarian, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Odin himself. And so I wonder: just what does it mean to be worthy? What does it take to lift that mystic mallet, something the Hulk couldnt do even after a good nights sleep and a heaping bowl of Wheaties? In 1988, the answer came from Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, the writer and the artist of The Mighty Thor #390, at a moment when Thor gets dog-piled beneath a horde of demon soldiers and separated from Mjolnir. Suddenly Captain America, at that time operating as The Captain, scoops up the weapon in question and swats away the invading forces before returning it to Thor. The story ends with Thor noting the importance of the occasion and how the two heroes now are linked as those with

 Why shouldnt Captain America be worthy? Since his reappearance in Avengers (Volume 1) #4, writers such as Stan Lee and Steve Englehart successfully had evolved him from the Golden-Age soldier sticking it to Adolf into the solid moral core of the Marvel Universe, the man who twice walked away from his heroic identity when retaining it would have meant betraying his ideals. Were in the presence of no government tool or callow patriot here, my friends. Beyond doubt, Steve Rogers is the real deal, who even during a period when he foreswore his red, white, and blue costume and shield still had what it took to raise Mjolnir from the ground. Years later, he temporarily would rebel against the injustices depicted in the Civil War, leading to his temporary death. Most likely, fans dont much discuss this event, because it occupies a few pages in a so-so story with nothing-special art. Regardless, let us not forget that these few pages delivered an important instance in the history of Thor and Captain America, teaching me at least what it means to be worthy.

The Death of the Ancient One

Were familiar with Stephen Strange, the venal surgeon whose hands were damaged irreparably in an auto accident. Destitute, he travels to the Himalayan retreat of the Ancient One, rumored to possess the power to cure his condition. But what condition does the master cure? After determining his worthiness, the Ancient One puts Strange through a course of training that leads him toward becoming a master of the mystic arts and eventually the Sorcerer Supreme, he who protects the Earth dimension from magical danger. Doctor Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110, dated July 1963. Ten years later, after endlessly battling supernatural threats of infinite variety, finally he obtains the title Sorcerer Supreme. Readers learn that Strange achieved in decades what had taken the Ancient One centuries to obtain, beginning back when he was just Yao from the village of Kamar-Taj. Even with an enviable aptitude it still took decades. Surely Batman would nod in appreciation of such discipline and patience. What finally happened to bring the good doctor to the point of graduation? Co-written by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner with art by Frank Brunner, Marvel Premiere #10 from September 1973 stands as one of my favorite comics ever and tells how nothing less than the death of the Ancient One, brought about by Strange himself, will stop the demon Shuma-Gorath from invading Earth through the Ancient Ones mind. In a sequence that presages the sacrifice of Obi Wan Kenobi or the passing of Yoda in the Star Wars films, the Ancient One transcends his physical existence to become one with Eternity, the essential nature of the universe itself. As he departs, the Ancient One passes on his exalted mantle to Strange. Readers must remember this development not only for the stirring writing and art, but because of the sense of something earned. Strange put in his time -- no bolts of lightning or lab accidents for him, but power gained through worthiness and discipline. How sad that recently Doctor Strange has been removed as Sorcerer Supreme, the job now handed over to Brother . . . er, I mean Doctor Voodoo. Marvel Entertainment has announced possible plans for a film adaptation of Doctor Strange. Taking into account that film as a medium doesnt allow for certain comic-book tropes, lets hope that at least some aspect of Stranges commitment remains. The death of the Ancient One is but one chapter in our mystical heros journey, albeit one that remains a classic milestone.

Dr. Doom Frees His Mother From Hell

Dr. Doom, arguably the greatest super-villain of all time: the super genius, the scarred despot of Latveria, the armored terrorist bent on world domination, the . . . mamas boy? Victor Von Doom was born into a traveling tribe of Zefiro Roma, derogatively known as gypsies. His mother, Cynthia, practiced magic, and sold her soul to Marvels devil figure, Mephisto, for power, so when a Latverian soldier later killed her, she went straight to Hell. Young Victor vowed hed learn magic and science to free her from this fate. Indeed, the machine Von Doom was developing at Empire State, the one involved in that historic moment when Reed Richards tried to point out the computational errors Doom had made, would have been a transdimensional teleportation device for opening a door into Hell had it not exploded and set Victor on the road to becoming Doctor Doom. Years later, Doom gained his opportunity to free his mother, as recounted in Triumph and Torment, a one-shot graphic novel issued in November 1990, starring Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange. Roger Stern and Mike Mignola remind readers that ascending to Sorcerer Supreme is not only difficult to achieve, but difficult to retain. Periodically, the Vishanti, a trio of magical deities, summons Earths magic users to combat for the title. Strange comes in first, while Doom finishes second. However, the second-place finisher always earns the right to ask the winner for a favor. Rather than world conquest, Doom asks Strange to help him free his mother from Hell, which in many ways constitutes a task more daunting than global domination. Each Midsummers Eve Doom had retreated to his castle in Doomstadt, opened a portal to Hell, and battled demons in vain efforts to free his mother. Now with Strange at his side, we see the depth of Dooms torment as upon meeting his mothers soul the proud monarch drops to her feet weeping like a wounded child. Stern, by this point famous for his excellent writing in the Avengers, and Mignola, who later would gain fame for Dark Horses Hellboy, reveal aspects of Doom that distinguishes him from other villains. One cannot imagine the Red Skull caring for his mothers soul, and probably he would have sold her to Mephisto before shed found the opportunity to do it herself. Why this graphic novel, this crucial exploration of Dooms psyche, has gone out of print defies explanation. I demand a reissue -- now!

Dr. Octopus Could Have Saved Invisible Womans Baby

Fans have expressed mixed feelings about events unfolding in the world of Spider-man. The spirit of Doctor Octopus now occupies Peter Parkers body? How can an established villain hope to act as a hero? John Byrne provides a possible answer with A Small Loss, the story in Fantastic Four #267, first released in 1984. Consistently Ive erred when paraphrasing this story to friends. Always I give the benefit of the doubt to Doctor Octopus, wrongly crediting him for saving Susan Richards. I forgive myself, however, given that Byrne successfully brings readers to empathize with the pitiful condition of this villains life. After rereading the story, Im now straight on the facts and, as I was with Sterns depiction of Doctor Doom, impressed with the complexity Byrne adds to Octopus. The story begins with Reed Richards consulting the most prominent scientists in the Marvel Universe hoping to save Susan Richards, in labor with their second child, a mutant whose powers are placing both her and her mother in mortal danger. Walter Langkowski, one of the scientists present, urges Richards to seek out the only man with the specific expertise for the job at hand, Doctor Octopus -- uh-oh. Richards approaches Octopus in his prison cell and addresses him as Dr. Octavius, the true identity buried beneath the damaged psyche born in the accident that deformed both his body and his mind. The ploy works, and Octavius agrees to help. On their way to Susan, however, Octavius sees an image of Spider-man on a billboard and relapses into Octopus. Richard must fight him, and the baby dies during the delay. I want to remember Octavius as having saved Susan Richards but not the baby. It turns out neither situation is true, but both could have been true if Octavius had remained stable and not reverted to Doctor Octopus. For less than an hour, we see the personality buried beneath the damaged criminal, and perhaps a bit of this personality is driving him now as he undertakes his current role as Spider-man. I do not know, and truthfully I hope that Peter Parker regains control of his body. But I argue that this now almost forgotten story from the archives of the Fantastic Four provides for the possibility of more than some might expect from Doctor Octopus.

The Arrival of Howard the Duck

Marvel Comics in the late 1960s and 1970s developed into a breeding ground for creative excellence. Jim Steranko forever elevated comic-book art to the avant-garde with his efforts on Nick Fury. Frank Brunner intensified the surreal imagery that Steve Ditko had established in Doctor Strange to psychedelic levels, and Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy brought a martial-arts/espionage ambience to Master of Kung-Fu after the exit of co-creators Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. Englehart produced a wonderful line of story arcs for Captain America and the Avengers, my favorite of which, The Celestial Madonna Saga, provided my introduction to Marvel Comics. Starlin then redefined outer space in Captain Marvel and Warlock, both vehicles for the Thanos Cycle which I hope will influence upcoming films, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers II. A host of horror comics for example, Tomb of Dracula, Ghost Rider, and Marvel Spotlight on Son of Satan sprang up after the Comics Code Authority loosened its rules in 1971. Finally, among all this innovation arrived Howard the Duck. n 1973, writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerick brought the cigar-chomping waterfowl to Earth in Adventure into Fear #19, when that title featured the bizarre adventures of the swamp monster called ManThing. Thanks to Thog the Nether-Spawn and his shifting of the Cosmic Axis, Howard fell from Duckworld to our reality dominated by what he terms, hairless apes. Marvel released the first issue of Howard the Duck in 1976 and the tone throughout read more as underground than mainstream. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Howard reigned as a satirical outlet for politics and humanity in general as he ventured forth, trapped in a world he never made. Gerber often used Howard to poke fun at the comic-book medium and at Marvel Comics itself, especially when Howard adopted the personae of Iron Duck and the Master of Quack-Fu. Students on college campuses nationwide transformed Howard into a cult hero. In his Marvel Comics:The Untold Story, Sean Howe relates how students at one university besieged the visiting Stan Lee with questions about the duck of the moment. Lee, who hadnt been in Marvels offices for a while, answered, Howard who? Who? The Howard who ran for President of the United States as the candidate for the All-Night Party, who faced villains such as the Space Turnip, Doctor Bong, and my favorite, Hell Cow. Once upon a time, I nearly named a family pet Howard the Duck, a decidedly strange name for a cat. I went with Adam Warlock, which did less to ease my familys anxieties. Comic fans during this era loved Howard madly, and felt bitterly disappointed in the film that weakened his bite. Today younger fans can experience black-and-white reprints of Howards stories in Marvels Essential volumes, or in color with the expensive Howard the Duck Omnibus. I urge them to do so, as the film fails to capture the true feel of the Howard phenomenon, beloved now and forever for challenging boundaries and kicking asses.

What The Silver Age Hath Wrought

Julie Schwartz & The Flash, Stan Lee & Spider-Man by Christopher J Garcia Pencils by Steve Stiles

Without Julius Schwartz, Marvel Comics would not exist. OK, thats a bit of an inflamatory statement, but there is enough truth to it that I think I can say it and not have Stan Lees ghost come and visit me while I sleep tonight. Lets start with the Golden Age. These were the days when comics like Detective Comics, All-American Comics, Adventure Comics, and Marvel Comics were published, introducing many of the most famous comics character in history. Superman, Batman, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman all appeared in these titles, which were 64 pages and typically featured more than one story focusing on various different characters. These evolved into single character titles, and then team titles, and on and on. DC wasnt the only company that was around at that point. One of the others went by the name Timely Comics. They did a bunch of great titles, they sold pretty well, and introduced characters like The Human Torch (who was an Android at first), Namor the Submariner, and eventually, Captain America. They changed their name to Atlas Comics during the 1950s, and in the very early 1960s were going by Marvel comics, which was the title of one of their earliest books (which often had Frank R. Paul covers!) So, the guy who was always there was Mr. Stan Lee. He started with Marvel when it was Timely, in 1941. He was eventually made the Editor of Marvel. He was editing a number of books, came up with a few great issues under his belt. After World War II, the Superhero sunk a bit in the standing. Actually, a fair bit. Romance comics, Horror comics, Science Fiction comics, they became more popular through the late 1940s and early 1950s, but mostly, the Superhero was not the big name in comics. Yeah, they were still around, and many were very successful, but not the big ones. Julius Schwartz was working at DC. Hed been working on All-American Comics from 1944 until 1948, when it folded. He was given more and more editorial power at DC, and in 1956, he got Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino to do an issue of Showcase Comics where they introduced a new, more modern, Flash. This was a BIG MOMENT. This was the start of the Silver Age.

 Julie Schwartz got rid of a lot of the chaff that had accumulated around the Golden Age heroes that were still around. Batman had added a lot of silliness, but Schwartzy, he got rid of it and put heroes back on track! He was a bit of a control freak, hed help develop the stories, then the writers would do their stuff, and often hed do big re-writes. He was very much involved in the direction of the titles he edited, and it changed comics forever. One thing that he was very much responsible for was greater levels of science fiction in Superheroes.Think about The Flash. In the Golden Age version, Jay Garrick inhales Hard Water vapors and that gives him super-speed. Hes just a regular student at the time. In the Silver Age version, Barry Allen is a forensic scientist, hes known for taking his time, but while hes working on night, theres a lightning strike that hits his chemical cabinet, giving him superspeed. Its an accident, but its because of his scientific bent that hes given the power. Now, Stan Lee has been at Timely/Atlas for nearly 20 years, and DC is riding the whole Silver Age hero thing all the way. They were just transitioning to being Marvel Comics, and he had seen the success of what Schwartz had done at DC, so it was time for Marvel to take that path. If youve read any of the Atlas Comics, theyre not great until Lee introduces the Fantastic Four.That was a HUGE deal as it was a new kind of team, one that was more family than Superhero gathering, like the old Justice Society. In fact, they had a monster in their midst, and brought back a variation on the Human Torch. This was exceptionally Science Fictional, right down to getting their powers from being in space! They also lived without Alter Egos, for the most, which was kinda new. They also squabbled, but they played the entire heroing thing like a family. The next big step was Spider-Man. And it was basically The Flash again. How? Well, a lab accident leads to a regular young guy getting spectacular powers, they both had girlfriends who became a major part of the story, and most of all, they were both very different when they were under their masks. Spidey basically became the biggest thing that Marvel would ever do, though at times theyve had The X-Men as bigger deals. The difference between Schwartz and Lee is that Lee was something of a glory hog, only begrudgingly giving credit to his co-creators, which Schwartz was a control freak. Both had a rather singular vision for what their company should be, but while Schwartz was more apt to guide his vision, Lee was often busy making himself the symbol for his company. Lee was also a bit better at bringing a more human element to comics than many of Julies writers. Without Julie Schwartz bringing comic book heroes back to the front, its doubtful Marvel would have been able to come out into the light like they did.While I wouldnt say Lee and Marvel were aping DC, they were certainly followers of their style, and while they would eventually become the most innovative comics company in the marketplace, they started out following a path beaten by Schwartz & Co..

Letter Graded Mail sent to garcia@computerhistory.org By Our Gentle Readers

Dear Chris, Due to seemingly always being up to my ears in all sorts of stuff not having to do with fandom like, to cite merely just one example, maintaining a house that, like me, seems to be on the verge of falling apartI usually am compelled to limit my fanac to fan art at the expense of writing letters of comment. I had thought that my retirement would open up more free time but instead what has happened is that tasks have multiplied to fill up the vacuum. People warned me that this would happen; I laughed, but the joke was not on them. I am looking forward to my retirement, hopefully after winning the Lottery to the tune of 40 Billion dollars so I can simply retire. Otherwise, I plan on working until I die, probably putting together a zine behind my computer at the Museum. Anyway, what incited me to write you was Tarals brief ruminations on Pat and Dick Lupoffs fanzine Xero, published a long time ago. Just now I checked on my nearly complete collection (nearly because I am dismayed to discover Im missing the first issue) and #2 is dated November 1960. The final issue, not including the index, was #10, in the fall of 1963 (it is incredible to me that a fanzine with such a large page count sometimes reaching 80 pages for a single issue--should reach the tenth issue in such a short period of time). I had been in fandom in a little under three years before the first Xero but had begun attending Fanoclast meetings (held at the Lupoffs Manhattan penthouse apartment) by then and was there during the fanzines birth. I only have a couple of issues, but theyre great! I really should get another copy of the Best of Xero, as the one I had walked away from the Fanzine Lounge at some point! The Lupoffs, the Fanoclasts, and Xero were all developmental for me in those days, and each time an issue was printed I helped collate it as did Roger Ebert (who had material in four issues) at least once, if Im not mistaken. I even ran off an issue, the multicolored #9 on Larry and Noreen Shaws Rex Rotary out on Long Island, and the money that Dick paid me for that, not a huge sum, enabled me to go to my first worldcon in Chicago, accompanying Ted White in a truly epic car journey. Ive seen that cover! Its one of the ones I think of when I think of early 60s fanzines! I would pay good money to hear the story of that car trip to Chi-town!

In the early sixties I was not an accomplished cartoonist I was a crappy one; the few published cartoons of mine, like my first one in Cry Of The Nameless #116, were pretty crude and lacked any kind of stylistic direction. But, on one evening when I was visiting the Lupoffs, Dick sat me down in front of a light box, handed me some stencils and styli and said something like You want to be a cartoonist? So, draw! Under the pressure of this command performance I actually produced a vertical multi-paneled cartoon, possibly about Lin Carters cranky pet rabbit: it was still crude but it did have a sense of style I could build on, eventually leading to a mimeoed comic strip in Dicks FAPA zine Horib, a collaboration between us entitled The Adventures Of Professor Thintwhistle And His Incredible Aether Flyer. Dick eventually turned the strip into a novel, and later Ted White commissioned us to redo it for Heavy Metal magazine, a professional cartooning effort of mine that Im still very proud of, quite possibly the first steampunk graphic novel when it was reprinted by Fantagraphics Books. Its one of my favorite graphic novels! I read Dicks novel, too! On top of all that, Xero helped launch what we know today as modern comics fandom. So its all Dick Lupoffs fault! Taral also mentions Dan Adkins, a friend of mine who died on May 4th. Although Ive been out of contact with Dan for many years, I was saddened by his death and feel as if a chapter in my life has closed. Besides liking him as a friend, the fanzine he coedited with Bill Pearson, SATA Illustrated, was largely instrumental, along with Cry Of The Nameless, in getting me involved with fandom. SATAs written material was mostly fluff, but to my 14-year-old eyes the illustrations and layout by Dan were spectacular, the former being obviously influenced by those who also influenced me, Ed Emshwiller and Wallace Wood. When I first attempted doing serious illustrations people thought I was an Adkins clone. When Dan was working on Dr. Strange, the Submariner, Woods magazines, the Warren titles, I spent many an evening watching him work. When he was doing art for Amazing and Fantastic, I inked a few of his illustrations and pencilled a few that he inked. We would listen to Elvis records all night long, and the first record I ever owned was an Oscar Brown Jr. lp that Dan gave me. I certainly identify Adkins with Doc Strange. In fact, his version is THE one that certainly visually comes to mind when I think of Doc Strange. No doubt. I stopped reading DS for years and years. and when I started to again, new issues and not the 1960s issues I could get for a buck or two out of the cheap bin at Brians Books, it was a bit of jar getting used to other artists. That doesnt happen with a lot of other characters. I picked up a lot of art tips from Adkins, and through him got to meet one of my E.C. heroes, Wally Wood, quite a few times. Unfortunately, it was my proximity to Wood that discouraged me from attempting to get into comics for many years: Wood was a workaholic and from what I could see, and what Dan told me, he seldom got away from the drawing board, putting in nonstop work weeks. That wasnt for me: I had spent too much time as it was in the advertising grind (which did, however, pay much better); I wanted to have a life, to smell the roses (read: weed, women, and rock n roll).

Have you read Seduction of the Innocent, the novel from Max Allen Collins? Wally Wood is a minor character in it! Dan and Bill were also among the first s.f. fans I ever met. I can still remember the first time I met them in their tiny apartment in lower Manhattan. Dan was recovering from the flu, dressed in a bathrobe, sitting on a narrow bed, chain smoking when he wasnt drinking his usual coke, working on some art taped to a board propped in his lap. His first paying work, to my knowledge, were little stfnal spot illos, for some digest sized men s magazines. Mention Dans work and it is inevitable that people will bring up his swipes which were legendary because they were practically tracings --one illustration based on the movie poster for Judgement At Nuremberg comes to mind. Most artists use reference material and most artists --including Michaeangelo and Raphael--swipe. I did; if I was unsure of how a muscle would look in a certain pose, Id look at Buscemas stuff, or whoever. But I also tried to teach myself to draw from the ground up by hitting the anatomy books. I dont think Dan ever did.What he did do, however, was to ink and in his heyday he was one of the best inkers in the business. Aside from all that, I really liked Dan Adkins. Its hard to realize hes gone, like a chunk of my own life.

Wikis That Were Not Wikis The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe & Whos Who in The DC Universe by Christopher J Garcia
I am a big fan of Non-Fiction comics. Thats been true for a long time, since I was a kid, in fact. I liked the old stuff, the Cartoon Guides to various things by Larry Gonnick, and the ones that dealt with history or physics or on and on. One thing that I love is comics about comics. Of course, I love things like Understanding Comics, but the first ones I was devoted to came out at almost the same time: Whos Who in the DC Universe and The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe. Oddly, it was the Marvel one that I loved more Now, these were two comic book series that did the same thing: they told the stats and basic stories of (almost) every major character in the respective comics universes. Thered be their stats, both in-universe (like Height,Weight, combat knowledge, alliances, etc) and out of Universe (like First Appearance) and the combination was hyper-important to a kid like me who really loved the old stuff and was always looking for firsts and such. The entries were so simple, just the kind of thing that a kid of 8 and 9 wanted to know about ALL the heroes. Now, I knew DC heroes (not all, and it was Whos Who that got me all interested in The Newsboy Legion and Ma Hunkles turn as Red Tornado), so the Marvel Handbook was exactly what I needed. I could get myself into training shape with it, be able to talk with my friends who read Marvel by reading the entires for all the characters that the other kids were reading. And every kid at Westwood Elementary, all grades, all genders, all social classes, were reading Marvel comics, mostly X-Men. The layout of both was pretty much the same, though looking now Ill say that the design for Whos WHo was much nicer, especially the way they had single color background imaging on every entry.That was a very very cool technique, and I think they had better artists working on the project. The real art treat, in both case, but especially the Marvel version, were the covers.They were wrap-around and they had all the heroes included in the issue together, usually rushing forward towards some unknowable goal.They were great! I still remember being hyper-excited about seeing them on the racks at Brians old location. There are tons of websites now that do a far better job than any of these could do. Both Marvel and DC did updates, and multiple volumes, but today, it would be incredibly easy to have this information out there and easily updatable, never having to worry too much about retcons and other changes to characters and places. Still, theyll never get the feeling of those wrap-around covers!

A Review of Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe Review by Michael Lee

Ive been reading Marvel Comics for my entire reading life, more or less. Its my comfort reading, both the latest issues as well as all of the classic issues that are now available in collected editions and online. So I read Marvel Comics: The Untold Story with great interest, and what greatly appealed to me is that this book extends beyond what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby built, but extends to how Marvel handled creative and business challenges for decades. This is the fall and rise and fall and rise of Marvel Comics, and can be as fascinating as the comics themselves. The boom focuses less on the last ten years and mostly on the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. But these were fascinating times, and you see the creative and business tensions evolve over the decades. One thing that is also pleasing is that this book is well balanced - a lot of works about Marvel Comics either attempt to make Stan Lee either a hero or a villain, and focus on the collaborations and tensions between Stan and Jack Kirby or Stan and Steve Ditko. But the heart of this book for me was on the years when I was first discovering comics so when you hear the tales of Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Jim Shooter, and quite significantly and tragically Mark Gruenwald. These are stories less frequently told, and are even more complicated than the origins of Marvel Comics. If youre a fan of Marvel Comics, and want to understand the behind-the-scenes stories, this is absolutely required reading. I learned more about Marvel Comics through this one book than in stacks of Essentials, Omnibuses, and Official Handbooks. CG - You can find out more about Marvel Comics: The Untold Story at http:// seanhowe.com/Marvel.html. Its well-worth reading1