Panel Discussion: Spotlight on Steve Gerber!

 

Redartz:  Usually when we open these 'panel discussions', we are talking about art and artists. Today we're going to look instead at one of the Bronze Age's most unique writers: Steve Gerber. Most readers know him from his extensive work for Marvel, but he also did work for DC and some Indies as well. He even had a second career life in tv animation, including the creation of "Thundarr, the Barbarian". 

 Gerber's writing style was often esoteric, quirky, and deeply personal. This was one of the things which attracted me to his work; beginning with his classic writing on Marvel's "Man-Thing". About the same time (this was actually the time at which I first started collecting comics and was eagerly sampling anything in four color print) I discovered his "Defenders" and "Daredevil", and he became one of my top favorite writers. 

When Gerber wrote a comic, it was jam-packed. It was sure to be a good half hour read, at any rate. Frequently he included text pages in his stories, which probably was a break for the artists. 

And the characters he revived or created: Howard the Duck, the Foolkiller, the Headmen, Omega the Unknown, Starhawk, and a certain infamous Elf With a Gun. The same young teen who loved
Dr. Demento on the radio was enthralled by such oddities. I mentioned above Gerber's penchant for introspection; it was this tendency that made "Omega" so appealing to me. And the same was true for another of Gerber's psychological studies, "The Kid's Night  Out" in Giant Size Man-Thing 4. Gerber seemed at the time to be writing specifically to me (yes, I was a hopeless nerd, but a harmless one). 

 

 

 

 

And aside from weirdness and navel-contemplation, Gerber could write some darned fine stories. His "Night of the Living Dead" was excellent. His "Phantom Zone" miniseries for DC was quite interesting. And we haven't even touched on "Howard the Duck" or "Guardians of the Galaxy".

 

 

 

 

 

So here's a few more images from 'Gerber's Greatest Hits'.  While you pore over them, you can consider your own thoughts about the man and his work. Were you a fan? Gerber's work didn't appeal to everyone, granted. If you were, what were your favorites? What titles would  you have liked to see him tackle? Which artists seemed to mesh best with his unique vision? Comment away...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1975!

Redartz:  1975; what a year! Marvel was still putting out the "Giant-Size" issues, as well as Marvel Value Stamps. Atlas Comics were trying to make a go of the comic business. DC was debuting numerous new titles and characters. It was an exciting time to be a comic reader, which leads us to our topic today: the best stories of that fine year. 

I've pored over loads of issues, and prodded my memory to recall my favorites. So, as always, this subjective list; based upon a combination of personal preference and historical impact. Your list my vary. Order is random. No deposit, no return. Void where prohibited. 

Ok, now that the formalities are complete, on with the countdown:



 



1. Defenders 33- "Webbed Hands, Warm Heart" by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema and Jim Mooney. Inspired lunacy from Mr. Gerber with 'musical brains', the Headmen and a very angry baby deer.










 

2. Detective Comics 457- "There is no Hope in Crime Alley" by Dennis O'Neal and Dick Giordano. A nice closer look at the Batman's origins by a couple of his best storytellers. Oh, and uncredited backgrounds by the great Terry Austin.











 
3. Warlock 11- "How Strange My Destiny, Pt. 2" by Jim Starlin and Steve Leialoha. Starlin's epic tale continues the exploration of Adam Warlock. Great cast, great art, great story, great comic.













 
4. Tomb of Dracula 41- "Re-Birth" by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. Dracula returns, in another fine issue of this fine series. Wolfman, Colan and Palmer just keep it rolling.














 
5. All-Star Comics 58- "All-Star Super Squad" by Gerry Conway, Ric Estrada and Wally Wood. Power Girl debuts in this engaging revival of the classic DC title.












 

6.  Howard the Duck 1- "Howard the Barbarian" by Steve Gerber, Frank Brunner and Steve Leialoha. A very imaginative,enjoyable first issue, Brunner and Leialoha rock visually. A fun guest appearance by Spidey, and a tower of credit cards. 











 
7.  Amazing Adventures 34, "A Death in the Family" by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell. A dramatic high point in this excellent series. Phenomenal art, as usual. 













 
8.  Avengers 142- "Go West, Young Gods" by Steve Englehart, George Perez and Vince Colletta.The Avengers in the old West. Absolutely wonderful. Another Kang war, Immortus, the Brand Corp., Thor and Moondragon on a train, and Hawkeye having way too much fun. How did they pack so much into one issue?













 
9. Giant-Size X-Men 1- "Second Genesis" by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.There are better stories of the 'new team', but this classic giant introduces us to the group that became a pillar of the Marvel Universe. Wein and Cockrum get things started with a bang.















10. Giant-Size Man-Thing 4- "The Kid's Night  Out" by Steve Gerber, Ed Hannigan and Frank Springer; "Frog Death" by Steve Gerber and Frank Brunner. A  personal favorite, with a rather emotion-laden lead story. A bit preachy perhaps,but quite impactful to a shy fourteen year old comic fan. And it's offset by the return of Howard the Duck in a Brunner-illustrated short. Loads of fun, the scene in the cigar store is a blast.

Incidentally, if Will Eisner's Spirit stories in the Warren magazine had been 'new', they would certainly have made the list. Those "Spirit"s were high on my buying list all that year. And this year, it seems, was a very solid one for Marvel (and for one Steve Gerber). But, that's just my take. What think you?

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1973!

Redartz:  Hi gang; ready for another survey of the best that comics have to offer? For today's installment, we go back to 1973, a very impressive comics year indeed. One I missed out on originally, as I was still reading exclusively Archies until 1974. But once I got the collecting bug, I picked up many of these and other gems from '73. 

As always, we make our selections based on books on sale between January and December 1973, cover dated Apr.73  to Mar.74. And now, in no specific order, here are my picks for the year's best:


 



The Shadow 1- "The Doom Puzzle" by Denny O'Neil and Micheal Kaluta. O'Neil and Kaluta revive the classic pulp character with this striking debut issue.

Marvel Premiere 14- "Sise-Neg Genesis" by Steve Englehart, Frank Brunner and Dick Giordano. The climax to an epic Dr. Strange story, to creation and back. And who knew that it would only get better, soon, in Doc's own title?










 



Savage Tales 2-  "Red Nails" by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor- Smith. The first half of perhaps the greatest Conan tale of all; a masterpiece. Windsor-Smith's art is a museum piece.










 


Avengers 117- "Holocaust" by Steve Englehart, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito. Marvel's first big crossover event, and it was a doozy. The first battle between Captain America and Sub-Mariner since the Golden Age, and that's only part of the book.












 



Plop! 1-  Various content by Sergio Aragones, Steve Skeates, George Evans, Sheldon Mayer, Bernie Wrightson, Frank Robbins and Alfredo Alcala. This wonderfully twisted humor book gets off to a great start with a fine lineup of top creators. Wonder if this book is collected anywhere...









 


Amazing Spider-man 122- "The Goblin's Last Stand" by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.  So much has been written about this monumental issue, nothing I can say is very novel. But it turned the comics world upside down, and still packs a staggering punch all these years later. Plus, one of Mary Jane Watson's most powerful scenes ever.













Batman 251- "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" by Denny O'Neil and Neil Adams. An instant classic; one of the best Joker stories in the long history of the Dark Knight. 










 


Defenders 10- "Breakthrough" by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Frank Bolle. Okay, I know it's part of the Avengers/Defenders war already represented above. But hey, it's a different title, it's Hulk vs. Thor, it's a gargantuan tale, and it's my choice anyway...










 


Fantastic Four 141- "The End of the Fantastic Four" by Gerry Conway, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. Man, it was a tough year in Gerry Conway's titles. Nevertheless, this story has enough action and drama for a year's worth of books. Annhilus is always cool, and that ending left me stunned the first time I read it.











 


Swamp Thing 7- "Night of the Bat" by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Many issues of this run could have been chosen for this list, but this one is a favorite. Batman by Wrightson is certainly a perk, great story and beautifully moody art. But why did they have to kill the dog? 













Whew, as always, it's a tough call. There was a ton of great material that year; so you probably have some other suggestions to consider. Fair enough, let's hear from you!

Panel Discussion: The Group Shot!

Martinex1: Today will be a feast for the eyes - I assure you!   Since the dawn of hero team comic books, there has been the group shot!  Pin-Ups, covers, posters, and double-page spreads have highlighted the characters as a team and highlighted the particular artist's skills.

I believe the first group team shot that I was exposed to came at the end of Avengers #71.  On the final page, the team assembled for a posed picture that still resonates with me.  Sal Buscema crafted that particular pin-up but team art by John Buscema, Jack Kirby, John Byrne, George Perez, Ron Frenz, and others are just as noteworthy.  Today we will look at all kinds of teams (and non-teams, and general groups, and all-out mobs) as they appeared throughout Bronze Age history.  Be prepared to discuss your favorite examples whether shared here or not. Let's get started with some other Avengers art that caught my fancy.

Marvel seemed to revel in their various superstar teams from the Avengers to the X-Men, but DC also capitalized on their mightiest with beautiful groupings.  They established a cover trope initiated by Keith Giffen that always made me smile.

But let's not stop there,  DC's premiere team was spotlighted by everybody from George Perez to Alex Ross.

But it doesn't stop there for DC, they had some memorable poses from the Teen Titans as well.

Back at Marvel, the Fantastic Four was know for their Jack Kirby pin-ups almost from the beginning.  John Byrne carried on the team "photo" idea in his run on the book.  He also supplied some magnificent poster art for the FF and all of their cast.

The Defenders, X-Men, Champions, Inhumans, and others all have had their days in the sun as well. Whether in commissions starring our Bronze Age favorites, or from long forgotten pin-ups, the team photo has become a favorite of mine to gaze at.

The X-Men, of course due to their popularity, appeared in many groupings...

 
Sometimes it was fun to gather all of the heroines together...

Or all of the villains...

Or the whole Universe (or at least as much as the paper size would allow)...

So what were your favorite group poses?  How did this type of page or cover or poster affect your collecting?  Did you long for this style of art or did it leave you cold?  Which artist did it best? And which did you own?  Bring your group positions to the group discussion today at BitBA!  Cheers!




UPDATE ALERT:  Martinex1: From all of these great comments, I have added some additional images so everybody can see the other suggestions.  How did I leave off the Legion?   No answer... sometimes at BitBA things slip the mind.  Cheers!