An overview of 1970s Marvels. Covering almost everything related to 616 that was published from 1973 onward, with some stuff thrown in from before that.
Breaking every title down into creator runs and offering brief comments and marks out of 10 on every story.
Avoiding spoilers and information easily available elsewhere, as much as possible.
Just giving my opinions/views (right or wrong! ) and hoping to hear back from an occasional fan/collector who agrees/disagrees and wants to chip with in their own thoughts/scores.
Writers: Gary Friedrich (11), Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench. Pencillers: Mike Ploog (4 credits), Tom Sutton (4 credits), Jim Mooney (4 credits). Inkers: Frank Chiaramonte, Chic Stone, Syd Shores, John Tartaglione, Vince Coletta, Sal Trapani. Editor: Roy Thomas.
Ghost Rider - GF/RT/MP - 4/10
Angels From Hell! - GF/MP - 2/10
Die, Die, My Daughter! - GF/MP - 2/10
The Hordes of Hell! - GF/MP - 2/10
The Snakes Crawl at Night - GF/TS - 3/10
The Coming Of… Witch-Woman! - GF/TS - 3/10
Season of the Witch-Woman - GF/TS - 2/10
A Woman Possessed! - GF/TS - 2/10
Shake Hands With Satan! - GF/JM - 2/10
Wheels on Fire - GF/JM - 3/10
Death Stalks the Demolition Derby - GF/JM - 3/10
And Vegas Writhes in Flame! - MW/DM/JM - 3/10
Average: 2.6/10
Ghost Rider Strange origin issue. A hero who (in flashback) makes a lot of bad choices and appears to have no powers, just a very odd appearance. Roy Thomas & Gary Friedrich deliver a character with a great look, and a tragic past. So much death has dogged the life of Johnny Blaze that it is tempting to laugh. And when he turns to Satan in his hours of need I think I did give a little chuckle. Because of decisions like this, and other ones (like keeping the secret of the deathbed promise), Johnny comes across as kinda stupid. His supporting cast, however, appear to be both dumb and mean (as they give the poor guy grief of the strangest of things, and his girlfriend seems to somewhat of a stalker type: always watching him in silence and borrowing/reading his books on Satan without ever mentioning it, etc.). In general all this odd behaviour lessens the (intended) power of the origin. Instead of feeling sympathy for Mr. Blaze you are inclined to keep thinking to yourself how unlikely all of this is, and what a strange/unfortunate bunch they all are. It’s doesn’t help that, at this point, Johnny’s alter-ego appears to have no discernible powers/purpose. Thanks to Mike Ploog, however, all of this looks kinda cool. This is the first of 4 credits for Ploog as penciller on the series. And this is the first of 11 credits for Gary Friedrich as writer on the series. 4/10
Angels From Hell! Very stupid. At this stage in his evolution Ghost Rider is still a pretty lame super-hero. He appears to have no real super-powers, and no real purpose in life. Both his stories so far have shown that, depressed by his strange appearance, he basically just wants to ride around on his motorbike at night, all night, and hope that nobody sees him. In New York. That’s pretty lame. And weird. And useless. Even worse… for the second time in a row he is seen by bad guys who (of course) give chase. Later on these same bad guys will hatch a plan to abduct his girlfriend from in front of a crowd of thousands. Because, you know, that’s what biker gangs do. This forces Johnny to come to her rescue. And he does. Without using any real super-powers. Just his skills as a biker. But that’s not the lamest/weirdest/saddest part of this whole mess. That honour is reserved for the identity of the main villain. Who is it? Why, the very man that died in the first story: Crash Simpson. The guy that Johnny made his deal with Satan to try and save. Twists and turns I like… but this is nonsense. 2/10
Die, Die, My Daughter! This is dumb. We get more of the same nonsense as before: with Johnny riding around in plain sight hoping that nobody will notice him! He’s also seen to bitch and moan about his lot in life, being shunned by society and all. Except… this really doesn’t hold true for him. But it does read like a standard moan for a Marvel hero. Sigh. Then there’s the whole business of this issue’s bad guy: a former good guy (father to Johnny) who is now trying to sacrifice his own daughter. Crazy, crazy stuff. And not much fun to read, to be honest. 2/10
The Hordes of Hell! Awful. It’s an odd, disjointed affair that goes on and on for far two long. In many ways, it feels like two separate issues, two separate stories. The first half deals with the Crash Simpson storyline. Johnny, Roxanne, Crash and Satan are all involved. None of the characters are behaving in a way that is consistent with what was established about them (and their motives) previous to this. None of this makes much sense. What exactly were Crash’s goals? To kill his daughter? Or save her life and life with her? It all depends upon what section you are reading. The battle in hell is awful and comes to a crazy conclusion when Johnny trusts some random stranger. Then, back on Earth, Roxanne conveniently forgets everything that has just happened. I wish I could. But, within a page, Johnny is in Arizona and fully ensconced in a completely different storyline. About some crazy jump on some Indian territory. This, too, is full of characters whose goals make no great sense. Idiotic. 2/10
The Snakes Crawl at Night Not quite as bad as previous episodes, but still pretty dire. We’re only a few issues into the series and we can already see major flaws in the concept: Roxanne is constantly being kidnapped and menaced, it’s not really clear what Ghost Rider does when he appears and Johnny’s desire to maintain a low profile (as GR) seems at odds with his being billed as the Ghost Rider in his motorcycle show. It’s all a bit badly thought-out. Then there’s this issues villains. The desire to stop the cycle show because it will make the land famous doesn’t exactly make a whole lot of sense. I was hoping this saga would end in this issue, but no… there’s a cliffhanger and a further chapter. F**k! This is the first of 4 credits for Tom Sutton as penciller on the series. 3/10
The Coming Of… Witch-Woman! Full of contradictions. That’s one of the major problems with these early Ghost Rider comics: events/characters contradict earlier ones. All the time. Bad guys change plans/motivations and Johnny seems to want different things on different pages. It’s all very frustrating. Even aside from that, this episode is weak because some of it is hilariously bad. Johnny takes Roxanne to the hospital in this one, to try and save her life, and pretty much everything he and the doctor says to one another is… awful. And, in the right frame of mind, it will make you smile. Linda Littletrees appears here for the first time. She’s hot. Seriously sexy. It’s not much, but it means there’s something to enjoy… 3/10
Season of the Witch-Woman Awful. Once again. Half the issue is a flashback/origin story all about Witch-Woman, who promptly dies… So you gotta wonder ‘Why?’. At least she’s hot, and her origin story is full of other scantily-clad hot ladies. The other plus is that it’s hilariously bad. Linda and her college roommate come across as idiots, and the story progression is clunky. The other half of the issue involves the escape of Ghost Rider from the clutches of Witch-Woman (isn’t that an awful name?). His desire to escape highlights another central flaw in the character (at this stage in his development): he has no discernible powers/abilities. He just rides his bike around and he pretty much helps nobody. He just rides around being chased and attacked. For the oddest of reasons, as this tale attests. And when he does get free from his shackles he only recourse is to: flee. Yawnsville. Again. 2/10
A Woman Possessed! Bad. Once again, I’m mesmerised by how stupid these people are. Johnny starts off the issues by - inexplicably - trying to bust through a police roadblock and getting himself badly injured in the process. It makes no great amount of sense. Neither does the fact that, later on, he leaves the hospital (as Ghost Rider) when it’s been clearly established that he’s going to be left alone there all night. Johnny is not the only one cursed by odd behaviour. All the characters are crazy/dumb in the exact same fashion. And one of them apparently gets himself killed in the process. Who cares? When does this series get good? I know it gets good (really good) because I’ve read later issues, but this early stuff is total crap. 2/10
Shake Hands With Satan! Crazy bad. I look forward to each issue with curiosity, wondering what crazy twists the story will take. And it never disappoints. Witch-Woman returns. Boy, does she ever look hot. But, thing is, it’s not really her. It’s really Satan. For some reason that’s not adequately explained. I mean, sure, they do explain it, but it’s not much of an explanation. Anyway, GR is face to face with Witch-Woman (such an awful name) and a bunch of so-bad-they-are-funny bikers show up to cause trouble. Once again, the series shows inconsistencies with regard to how famous Ghost Rider is, and how much the general public knows about him and his powers and such. This bunch immediately recognise GR and want to fight him. And he… won’t fight back. For odd, badly explained, reasons. So, he gets thrown around and eventually dragged off to Hell by WW/Satan. Damon Hellstrom gets a couple of long scenes in the issue. The first is good, as it builds mystery and character, but the second is dumb as the two guest stars promptly do exactly what they were told not to do. Crazy stuff. Bad, but crazy. This is the first of 4 credits for Jim Mooney as penciller on the series. 2/10
Wheels on Fire More frustrating storytelling. Johnny stumbles into traffic and causes a horrific accident. So… Johnny’s a bit of moron, really. Then he finds himself back in hospital. Again. Just like before. And eventually he transforms into GR. Again. Just like before. Once gets the feeling that the series is careering along, without much sense of direction or purpose. There are some good elements here. The introduction of the fire cycle is cool, and Witch-Woman continues to be a total babe, but the frustrating stuff is really frustrating. For instance: GR ends the issue fighting a truly lame villain instead of rushing off to rescue Witch-Woman. And it really does read like an oversight. 3/10
Death Stalks the Demolition Derby I love the first Ghost Rider series, but the early issues are rubbish. The series has no concept/status quo yet, (dumb) random coincidences drive the stories and the way Johnny is able to get away with being GR in public is really, really stupid. And his girlfriend is annoying, too. This is the last of 11 credits for creator Gary Friedrich as a writer on the series. 3/10
And Vegas Writhes in Flame! The series continues with Doug Moench taking over as writer (for this one issue) and Marv Wolfman providing the plot. I had hoped that this would improve on what went before - with new writers - but it’s still dumb. Nonsense. Aimless mess. Sigh. I know the series gets great. Eventually. But I’ve never read the first 30 issues. I sure hope they’re not all like this. 3/10
Cool, it'll be interesting to your thoughts on the era
Personally I'm not too keen on 1970s Marvel (bar Claremont X-Men of course) but there's a lot I'm not familiar with.
Thanks!
It's a mixed bag, tbh. But there are some real gems in there. For me, Master of Kung Fu, Man-Thing and Howard the Duck were real stand-outs. As well as obvious ones like the X-Men run you mentioned.
6 stories in MARVEL SUPER-HEROES 12-13 and CAPTAIN MARVEL 1-4 (1967-1968).
Writers: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas (5). Penciller: Gene Colan. Inkers: Frank Giacoia, Paul Reinman, Vince Colletta, John Tartaglione.
The Coming of Captain Marvel! - SL/GC - 5/10
Where Stalks the Sentry! - RT/GC - 4/10
Out of the Holocaust – A Hero! - RT/GC - 5/10
From the Void of Space Comes… The Super Skrull! - RT/GC - 7/10
From the Ashes of Defeat! - RT/GC - 6/10
The Alien and the Amphibian! - RT/GC - 6/10
Average: 5.5/10
The Coming of Captain Marvel! Very little happens, but the set-up is interesting. 5/10
Where Stalks the Sentry! Gad, these people talk a lot! Often repeating exposition we already know from the last time they said it! By issue’s end, something has almost happened. 4/10
Out of the Holocaust – A Hero! A somewhat tedious battle that goes on and on, while nothing much appears to actually happen. 5/10
From the Void of Space Comes… The Super Skrull! There’s still a lot of talk, but this is the first issue with a real sense of urgency. Several plot elements converging also adds to the enjoyment. 7/10
From the Ashes of Defeat! Super-Skrull. There’s still way too much talking, particularly in the first half. But, when it gets going, the resolution is an enjoyable mixture of action and smart thinking from our likeable hero. 6/10
The Alien and the Amphibian! Namor. The event that starts the story is complete bananas (“Let’s launch deadly bacteria into space. For No Reason.”), but the issue certainly ends up as a clever way to play Mar-Vell and Namor off one another without it being just another hero vs hero battle. 6/10
I think Tomb of Dracula, Warlock, and The Defenders are some others that are usually held in high regard right?
Absolutely. And Warlock by Starlin and the Defenders in general are favourites of mine. ToD can be hit and miss, depending on what story arc the guys are doing but, as a rule, it's pretty darn good. And certainly revered.
Black Widow Gary Friedrich/Roy Thomas/Gene Colan/Don Heck
8 stories in AMAZING ADVENTURES 1-8 (1970-1971).
Writers: Gary Friedrich (3), Mimi Gold, Roy Thomas (3), Gerry Conway. Pencillers: John Buscema, Gene Colan (3), Don Heck (3). Inkers: John Verpoorten, Bill Everett, Sal Buscema. Editor: Stan Lee.
Then Came the Black Widow - GF/JB - 6/10
The Young Warriors - GF/JB - 5/10
The Widow and the Militants - GF/GC - 3/10
Deadlock - MG/GC - 3/10
And To All a Good Night - RT/GC - 5/10
Blood Will Tell - RT/DH - 3/10
The Sting of the Widow - GC/DH - 5/10
How Shall I Kill Thee? Let Me Count the Ways - RT/DH - 4/10
Average: 4.3/10
Then Came the Black Widow The Black Widow decides to try life as a superhero. Fine. Nothing spectacular. It’s simplistic. But like most Marvel Comics from the ‘60s and early '70s there is a considerable charm to that crudeness of form. And it certainly doesn’t detract from enjoyment. Especially here where - although simple - the story is good. 6/10
The Young Warriors Oddball mixture. The Black Widow helps a gang of well-meaning teens run some gangsters from a building. The oddest part is probably when a teenager shows up at her home, and she puts on her Black Widow costume and does a work-out for him. Um…??!! 5/10
The Widow and the Militants Black Widow easily over-powered? Check! Unbelievable situations? Check! Faux social commentary? Check! Of all the things I didn’t like, it was the portrayal of Black Widow that really bugged me. She’s a fairly unimpressive ‘hero’ here. And 'The Don’ and his bunch are lame. 3/10
Deadlock The disappointing Black Widow story reaches it’s dismal ending. Once again, the heroine is overcome by some bad guys. Luckily, a friendly (male) journalist is able to, uh, create lots of smoke with his pipe and she escapes… The standoff between the street gang and the police is brought to an end with several implausible events that could - just as easily - have happened early in the story and prevented the standoff happening. Also: it’s not really clear why the gang relies on the Black Widow so much. The writer tells us that they do but BW has accomplished nothing except get overpowered by lame bad guys. 3/10
And To All a Good Night A very bleak story. It opens with an attempted suicide and ends with a - very shocking/surprising - death. This issue continues the trend of BW being ineffectual. At one stage, her driver heroically deals with attackers while she stays back to question a kid. Huh?! Nothing particularly heroic about that. Roy Thomas’s script tells us that BW is great but never actually shows us. Instead we are shown panels of BW emerging from a bath. Nothing particularly heroic about that either… 5/10
Blood Will Tell Haunted by the deaths she’s ‘caused’ Black Widow isn’t quite herself. Angst + Indecision = 3/10 Lots of other stuff - like the bad guy’s plan and the police captain’s treatment of Black Widow at the end - didn’t make much sense, or ring true. And BW spends a few panels in each issue getting dressed/undressed! All very ho-hum. 3/10
The Sting of the Widow A mixed-bag. Most of the heroic stuff is (once again) done by her ‘sidekick’ while 'Tasha (a) feels sorry for herself, and (b) changes clothes. On the plus side, once she actually goes into battle… it’s well done and enjoyable. 5/10
How Shall I Kill Thee? Let Me Count the Ways The final Black Widow story is just like all the others: Disappointing. There’s lots of action, though. The entire Black Widow run in Amazing Adventures can be summed us as follows: BW feels sorry for herself a lot, spends a lot of time semi-undressed and gets bested by bad guys frequently. Meanwhile her sidekick (Ivan) is the more proactive of the two. He’s always out and about chasing leads and he handles himself much better in a fight. Also: we NEVER see him semi-undressed :) 4/10
These reviews are great and really shows the sort of innocent approach to narrative that permeated a lot of comics back then. I smiled a lot reading through all this.
Female character getting sexually exploited all the time - what's new hey Marvel and DC?!
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire Archie Goodwin/Steve Englehart/George Tuska/Billy Graham
16 stories in LUKE CAGE: HERO FOR HIRE 1-16 (1972-1973).
Writers: Archie Goodwin (4), Steve Englehart (11), Gerry Conway, Billy Graham (2). Artists: George Tuska (10), Billy Graham (6). Inkers: Billy Graham (13), Syd Shores, Paul Reinman, Frank McLaughlin.
Out of Hell – A Hero! - AG/GT - 6/10
Vengeance is Mine! - AG/GT - 5/10
Mark of the Mace! - AG/GT - 7/10
Cry Fear… Cry Phantom! - AG/BG - 7/10
Don’t Mess with Black Mariah! - SE/GT - 6/10
Knights and White Satin! - SE/GC/BG - 6/10
Jingle Bombs! - SE/GT - 3/10
Crescendo! - SE/GT - 6/10
Where Angels Fear to Tread! - SE/GT - 10/10
The Lucky… and the Dead! - SE/GT - 10/10
Where There’s Life…! - SE/GT - 9/10
Chemistro! - SE/GT - 9/10
The Claws of Lionfang - SE/BG - 6/10
Retribution! - SE/BG - 9/10
Retribution: Part II - SE/TI/BG - 9/10
Shake Hands With Stiletto! - TI/BG - 6/10
Average: 7.1/10
Out of Hell – A Hero! Not bad, as origins go. It moves fast and introduces a likable new character. There’s also a (revenge-based) story arc. All told, it’s entertaining and when it’s over you want to see what happens in the next episode. First of 20 penciller credits for George Tuska (spread out over the first 47 issues). 6/10
Vengeance is Mine! So, the doctor that made Cage a super-hero is his first client, huh? After they accidentally meet in New York City. That’s a crazy coincidence, and it bugs me… But it’s the only thing I didn’t like in this issue. It moves fast, sets up Luke Cage, Hero For Hire, with an office and gives him a chance to get revenge on the man who framed him all those years ago. 5/10
Mark of the Mace! Better than it has any right to be. It opens slow, with far too much talking and far too much continuity with previous issues. Once the talking is out of the way, the story begins properly. It’s the “hours before dawn” and a desperate man stumbles into Luke Cage’s office with a tale to tell. Before long assassins are on his tale and Cage is fighting them and - eventually - setting out to avenge his (now) dead client. Cue more violence. Sure: it’s dumb, but Cage is a likable hero, the art is good and - except for a talky start - the pace is fast. Better than it has any right to be. 7/10
Cry Fear… Cry Phantom! More fun than it should be. The ending is kinda naff and ordinary, but it doesn’t spoil an issue that fairly zips along and is a lot of fun to read. Sure, it’s a bit weak that Cage’s office is the location for the story (I prefer when characters like Cage actually have clients, rather than stuff just happening to them.) but the story is interesting and moves at a fast pace. I really like the art and the fact that everything happens late at night. It’s not the greatest story every told, but it’s fun. This is the last of 4 writing credits for Archie Goodwin on the series. 7/10
Don’t Mess with Black Mariah! This issue has a quirky, interesting crime as Luke Cage tracks the missing body of a murder victim. And a refreshingly un-PC tale it is. Very 1972. The Frank Jenks murder is never really explained, however. I know Cage caught the killers early on, and the issue was mostly about the fake ambulance crew, but I was left wondering why exactly Jenks was murdered and what he wanted to talk to Cage about. Guess we will never know. This is the first of 11 writing credits for Steve Englehart on the series. 6/10
Knights and White Satin! Enjoyed this. It’s a change-of-pace tale that takes the Hero For Hire away from hoodlums/street crime and into the drawing room. Which, in an odd way, allows the reader to get a better insight into Luke Cage’s character. And it’s a good story. Like the setting a lot. Wish it had been a two-parter. 6/10
Jingle Bombs! Oh dear. An awful Luke Cage Christmas Story. Bending logic to parallel the ghosts of past, present & future. Not worth it. First duff issue in an otherwise very enjoyable run. 3/10
Crescendo! Love the continuity as Luke Cage starts to piece together some events from issues 5 and 6. Plus I love the art! The case-of-the-week is pretty good, too. And it hints at continuation in the next issue, which works for me. 6/10
Where Angels Fear to Tread! Rare/Wonderful to find a comic that puts a genuinely fresh spin on the ol’ Hero Vs. Villain yarn. This is such a comic. Luke Cage wants to be paid his $200 fee for the job he did in Issue 8. And he’s willing to travel around the world, and get into a fist-fight with Doctor Doom to accomplish that end. And everything about it is kinda awesome. This isn’t just a superhero tale, this is a story about knowing what’s important to you and standing up for it. 10/10
The Lucky… and the Dead! A great private eye-type yarn, with Luke puzzling over a murder and stumbling into a bank robbery. The bad guy of the piece is terrific. I have great fondness for this comic, it was one of the very first Marvel Comics that I ever read. 10/10
Where There’s Life…! This story finds Luke Cage up against a genuinely fascinating villain. Also: Cage’s extremely well written here. Much of the story finds him contemplating his own death, in a very real way, which makes a refreshing change. His attempts to escape (which dominate the first half of the tale) are thrilling. Great stuff. 9/10
Chemistro! A good case-of-the-week story, with an interesting baddie, and a nice ongoing subplot bubbling beneath the surface. Great ending, too. 9/10
The Claws of Lionfang Perfect mix of the superhero and private eye genres. Quirky villain, great action scenes. And simmering sub-plot in the background. Nice. 6/10
Retribution! Much to enjoy here as a plot that’s been simmering in the background takes center-stage with surprising results. I particularly love the fact that this chapter takes place late on Saturday night, and early on Sunday morning, in the hours around dawn. Perfect for a New York-based private eye-type series. 9/10
Retribution: Part II Great private eye-style tale, with super-heroics firmly rooted in the real world. A great read. And, as with part one, I really love the fact that all events are taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning. There’s even a constant reminder of the exact time. 9/10
Shake Hands With Stiletto! The final chapter is a bad place to introduce a (lame) new character. Distracts from the death and mayhem a bit. This is not up the quality of the previous parts, but it does provide a satisfactory ending to the Rackham/Fox storyline. Shame about Stiletto… Even if the character had been any good (which he’s not) it’s a strange point in the story to bring him in. 6/10
@silent_bomber: Yeah, I think I felt that way at the start, but - by the end of the run - I had grown quite fond of it. Unlike almost any other Marvel title it has a built-in flaw in the premise: if they catch/kill Dracula then the series is over. So it's impossible to get invested in anything Frank Drake and the gang get up to. Whenever that was the focus, I wasn't all that interested. But, when there was something else at stake (no pun intended!) then it was generally a much more enjoyable read.
@silent_bomber: Yeah, I think I felt that way at the start, but - by the end of the run - I had grown quite fond of it. Unlike almost any other Marvel title it has a built-in flaw in the premise: if they catch/kill Dracula then the series is over. So it's impossible to get invested in anything Frank Drake and the gang get up to. Whenever that was the focus, I wasn't all that interested. But, when there was something else at stake (no pun intended!) then it was generally a much more enjoyable read.
I don't think it does enough new stuff with the Dracula character or mythos personally, Its very much like the vampire movies of its era.
Its very polished and pulls its influences together well, just doesn't keep me particularly engrossed. Its a little predictable
7 stories in MARVEL FEATURE 1 and MARVEL PREMIERE 3-8 (1971-1972).
Writers: Roy Thomas, Stan Lee, Barry Windsor-Smith, Archie Goodwin, Gardner Fox (4). Pencilers: Don Heck, Barry Windsor-Smith, Irv Wesley, Frank Brunner, Craig Russell, Jim Starlin. Inkers: Frank Giacoia (3), Dan Adkins, Frank Brunner, Don Perlin, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, Dave Hunt.
The Return! - RT/DH - 8/10
While the World Spins Mad! - SL/BWS - 10/10
The Spawn of Sligguth! AG/RT/BWS - 10/10
The Lurker in the Labryinth! - GF/IW - 9/10
The Shambler from the Sea! - GF/FB - 10/10
The Shadows of the Starstone! - GF/CR - 10/10
The Doom that Bloomed on Kathulos! - GF/JS - 8/10
Average: 9.3/10
The Return! (#1) Good story, well told. It’s carries extra significance because it brings DS back to the Marvel Universe, but it’s also a compelling - if basic - mystery in it’s own right. Who is the fake Stephen Strange that lives in his old house? 8/10
While the World Spins Mad! (#3) Superb. This is a hoot from start to finish. Moody and inventive and downright cool. It starts with Stephen Strange walking through the rain-swept streets of the city, eventually finds him in battle for control of his own body and ends with a great revelation and a terrific all-out battle. Flawless stuff. 10/10
The Spawn of Sligguth! (#4) Absolutely superb. From the moment it starts this tale pulls you in, and entertains and grips. It starts off late at night - hot on the heels of the previous issue - and Doctor Strange finds himself with an unexpected visitor. He listens to the man’s story through the late night hours and in the morning sets out on a journey with him. Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas fill their story with wonderful detail and by the time the hero (and his charge) enter the town that is their destination there is a real sense of doom and menace to be felt. Helped a lot by the artwork of Barry Windsor-Smith. The twists at the end are chilling and the cliffhanger is fantastic. 10/10
The Lurker in the Labryinth! (#5) Since I read part one of this, a few days back, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. And looking forward to finding the time to read part two. Well, I finally did and it did not disappoint. While part one was completely story-driven, this chapter is more of an all-out action affair. Doctor Strange captured, weakened and battling many foes at once. Great stuff. 9/10
The Shambler from the Sea! (#6) This is awesome stuff. An absolute joy to read. The art - by Brunner and Buscema - is moody and evocative. The setting - a deserted town late at night - is genuinely creepy. The foes are possessed townsfolk and nightmarish creatures. The stakes seem high, and the hero appears to be without a chance of winning. I loved it! 10/10
The Shadows of the Starstone! (#7) Great stuff. In many ways, this is similar to the story that went before it (a man and a woman trapped in a town where everyone is possessed) but, despite that, this is a thrilling read. Picking up from the previous cliff-hanger, Doctor Strange deduces that he must head to England. While he travels there, the narrative shifts to focus on a young man inheriting a creepy, old house and meeting a mysterious woman in the process. We follow their story for quite a while, before Strange arrives (in the nick of time to save them from certain doom) and all the character work together to put together the clues about what is happening… You feel that you are really reading a story here, and the art is beautiful. 10/10
The Doom that Bloomed on Kathulos! (#8) It starts off strong, gets a big talky and boring before coming round to be lots of fun again before the end/cliffhanger. Strange and his friends open the issue in the same creepy place as before. Art conveys mood and atmosphere and it’s a great start. After that, Strange is on his own and fighting demons. And talking. Lots of talking. Exposition/Supposition and so on. But the final section is good, as our hero finds himself on an alien planet. And the cliffhanger is guaranteed to make you want to come back next time… 8/10
Writer: Arnold Drake. Pencillers: Don Heck (6), Dick Ayers. Inkers: John Tartaglione, Vince Colletta, Syd Shores.
The Mark of the Metazoid - AD/DH - 8/10
In the Path of Solam! - AD/DH - 3/10
Die, Town, Die! - AD/DH - 3/10
And Fear Shall Follow! AD/DH - 3/10
Between the Hammer and Anvil - AD/DH - 6/10
Die, Traitor - AD/DH - 5/10
Rebirth! - AD/DA - 6/10
The Moment of the Man-Slayer - AD/DA - 4/10
Average: 4.8/10
The Mark of the Metazoid (#5) The sympathetic nature of the villain makes this a cut above the typical action comic. His story, and sad end, are really rather superb. The rest of the issue is basic, but anything ordinary fades in the background when contrasted with the strong main story. This is the first of 8 writing credits for Arnold Drake and the first of 7 penciling credits for Don Heck. 8/10
In the Path of Solam! (#6) Various elements of this series are tedious and repetitive. There’s too much of the same stuff over and over. And it doesn’t help that the actual story in this issue is weak. 3/10
Die, Town, Die! (#7) Quasimodo. Establishes an improbable dilemma for the hero, gives him a pointless villain to fight and resolves his dilemma in ridiculous fashion. Sigh. 3/10
And Fear Shall Follow! (#8) Strange stuff. It opens with a fierce battle with aliens that has nothing to do with anything that came before in the series or anywhere else in this issue. It’s just a brutal battle that is completely random. Fine. Next: the middle third of the issue reveals lots of dubious backstory on the person our hero has been pretending to be since his first appearance. And the final third introduces a massive robot that has supposedly been wandering around for weeks(!!). Everything about this is badly thought-out. 3/10
Between the Hammer and Anvil (#9) Good fun. Elements that seemed absurd in earlier issues are a big part of this adventure, but this time… they work. Disparate elements they surely are (aliens, giant robot, secret identity troubles, love triangle) but writer Arnold Drake plays them off one another very well. There is plenty of action, and a credible sense of tension. It’s occasionally simplistic and/or silly, but mostly it’s just a fun superhero comic. 6/10
Die, Traitor (#10) Fast-moving and action-packed. Occasionally the stupidity of the characters is annoying. 5/10
Rebirth! (#11) Wow. A dramatic change of pace! A major regular is killed off (in shocking fashion) and the series premise is altered. Very keen to see what happens next. 6/10
The Moment of the Man-Slayer (#12) Curious mixture of cosmic mystery and painfully mundane action. Most of the issue is taken up battling a bland foe with a bland plan/objective. It would be difficult to imagine a more generic story for CM. Despite the hero being revamped… the series delivers a silly plot that could have appeared in any earlier issue (and variations of it did). Plus: CM doesn’t save the day, a guest star does. It’s all a bit messy. Badly thought-out. CM’s new cosmic benefactor has wonderfully sinister undertones however. 4/10
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