Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1972!

Redartz:  Good day, and welcome everyone! For this episode of  "Rank and File" we cast our eyes upon the earlier Bronze age, to 1972. Our goal: to select some of the finest examples of comic book storytelling available in that fine, vintage year. I've chosen my favorites, using my admittedly subjective criteria (have I actually read it, and did I like it) along with considerations of historical significance, creativity and just plain coolness. Therefore, let us dally no longer with explanations; on with the show...


 

1. Avengers 100- "Whatever Gods There Be", by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, Joe Sinnott and Syd Shores. Great classic tale with a plethora of Avengers.













 

2. Fantastic Four 121- "The Mysterious Mind Blowing Secret of Gabriel", by Stan Lee, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. One of Stan's last stories, but an interesting way to bring Galactus back...












 


3. Green Lantern/Green Arrow 89- "And Through Him Save a World", by Dennis O'Neal and Neal Adams. A bit heavy-handed, but a dramatic finish to the O'Neal/Adams run.












 



4. Marvel Premiere 4- "The Spawn of Sligguth", by Archie Goodwin, Barry Windsor-Smith and Frank Brunner. A tale smacking of horror; a bit different for Dr. STrange, but a good read. And unusual, but nice, artistic pairing of Smith and Brunner.










 


5. Marvel Team-Up 4- "And Then-The X-Men", by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and Steve Mitchell. A Solid team-up, solid art, solid stories, just a solid issue. 












 


6. Amazing Spider-Man 113- "They Call the Doctor...Octopus"; by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Jim Starlin. A great start to the Ock /Hammerhead war. And interesting to see Jim Starlin over Romita, as well. 











 


7. Captain America 155- "The Incredible Origin of the Other Captain America", by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Frank McLaughlin. Englehart's phenomenal run on the book is just starting, and already he tackles a biggie: the '50's' Cap!











 



8. Conan the Barbarian 20- "The Black Hound of Vengeance", by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith and Dan Adkins. A personal favorite among the Thomas/Smith Conan stories. Absolutely great; and what a cover. Incidentally, this must have been a good year for Mr. Windsor-Smith.









 


9. Kamandi 1- "The Last Boy on Earth", by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer. The King starts off his post-apocalyptic epic in fine form. Dialogue may  be a bit clunky, but you can't fault his imagination.











 



10. Swamp Thing 1- "Dark Genesis", by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. A more detailed origin for the swamp monster, courtesy  of his two initial creators. 






 





There's my picks; take'em or leave'em. Either way, let us all know why you took them or left them, and pass along your own lists for the Best of '72!

Chew the Fat: Writers to the Rescue...

Redartz: Recently our friend Marti guided us through a discussion on comics that had "jumped the shark". That led me to wonder, have there been instances where  you have given up on a title, only to be pulled back into it by  irresistibly skilled writing? Have you found yourself losing interest in a title or character, disillusioned by (in your opinion) less-than-ideal stories, only to find your interest revived by a new hand on the typewriter? Let's consider those writers who have 'rescued' some fading books.

The example I provide today is Amazing Spider-man. Most of you are aware that the web-slinger has always been my favorite character, and his signature title was the highlight of my collecting. Over many years and through many creative teams, I followed Peter Parker's adventures each and every month. However there was one Bronze age period in which buying and reading the book became a chore for me. I had (and still have) great respect for Denny O'neil, but I found his tenure on ASM difficult to enjoy (with the definite exception to his two excellent Spider-Man Annuals). 

In my opinion, the scripts were a bit flat, and the familiar cast of characters didn't sound quite right. Worse, some of the stories just struck me as silly; particularly the "Fusion- the Twin Terror" book and the blending of Sandman and Hydro-Man ("Here's mud in your eye, Spidey"- to someone who grew up reading the drama produced by Stan Lee, Gerry Conway and Len Wein, it just felt wrong. As the months passed, I considered the option of dropping the title completely. 

But events soon changed my outlook, or rather, a writer. That writer was Roger Stern. I'd followed and loved his work on "Spectacular Spider-man", and often pined that it was a better book than ASM. So when Sterno made the switch over to the banner title, I was thrilled. And I wasn't disappointed, either- tales with Black Cat, landmark stories with the Vulture, a cool Foolkiller story, and some notable issues involving Juggernaut. 

Oh, and there was this Hobgoblin fellow, too. And topping off Stern's tenure, in my opinion, was his truly excellent story "The Kid who Collects Spider-Man". A story I consider to be, arguably, the best single Spidey story ever...

In short- what a turnaround.  Roger Stern reignited the fires of my interest in the book, and kept it at the top of my purchase list. Which, of course, is the point of a good comic- keep 'em coming back for more.

Now then, it's time for your input. What books were on your 'endangered list', only to be saved by the intervention of a stellar scripter? Go ahead and chew the fat...

Chew the Fat: A Treasury of "Batman's Strangest Cases"

Limited Collector's Edition C-59, 1978

Batman's Strangest Cases

Redartz:  Ever since I first started collecting comics, I've been a Marvel Zuvembie. And this is reflected, no doubt, in the many Marvel-themed posts you've seen from this aging fanboy. But today it's time to give DC a little love. Specifically, a spectacular issue of the "Limited Collector's Editon" featuring everyone's favorite Darknight Detective. DC's treasury-sized books predated the "Marvel Treasury Editions" , but I had never sampled them. I'd focused entirely on the Marvel giants. Until this one, that is. 

 



"Batman's Strangest Cases"; from the striking Neal  Adams wrap-around cover to the all-star lineup of creators, this treasury offered a wealth of pleasures. And as for the story selection- wonderful; most of the included tales, it turned out, I'd never read. So finding this gem at a flea market for two dollars was an irresistible temptation. Oh, a couple notes regarding that cover: according to the Grand Comic Book Database (and many thanks are due those folks for some of the information in this post), the cover was pencilled by Adams and inked by Bernie Wrightson. That may be the first time I've encountered that creative teaming. Also, Robin is featured prominently on this cover, but never appears inside. Ah well...

The lineup included:

"Red Water Crimson Death" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams
This is an eerie tale of ghosts, plots and menace. Originally presented in  Brave and the Bold 93, featuring Batman and the House of Mystery (or more specifically, Cain from the House of Mystery, who narrated the story). This story starts the treasury off beautifully, with some truly fine artwork. That first page is really sharp...






















 Here's the final spread from the story; the colors here are spectacular and quite effective (and are credited, incidentally, to Bob LeRose).
 

 "Night of the Bat" by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson
This story, from Swamp Thing 7, was the only story I'd previously read in this collection. A classic, made all the better by the larger size of the artwork (a big advantage to the Treasury-size format).  

 

  
"The Batman Nobody Knows" by Frank Robbins and Dick Giordano
This was a novel little short, with Bruce Wayne chaperoning a group of kids at a campout. But rather than ghost stories, the group shared their impressions of Batman. Reprinted from Batman 250.

 
"The Demon of Gothos Mansion" by Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano
 Another ghost story, with the added threat of a group of cultists. As with the first story in this book, Denny O'Neil delivers a good one, nicely illustrated by Novick and Giordano. Batman seems well-suited for these somewhat more macabre tales; a nice change of pace from super-villains. This first appeared in Batman 227.

 
"A Vow From the Grave" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano 
I remembered the cover from this story, showing the 'boy with flippers', but this marks the first time I've actually read it. Batman follows a killer, and the trail leads him to meet some rather unusual folks. First seen in Detective Comics 410, this story concludes the collection with yet another entertaining yarn; and with typically striking art from Adams/Giordano. Again colored by Bob LeRose; he does some nice work. By the way, that opening page seems a bit evocative of Joe Kubert. Not that that's any fault; far from it!

This treasury ends with an informative write-up, by Mike W. Barr,  of some other 'strange tales of Batman' (occupying the inside back cover) . He discusses several other notable stories from several points in Batman's lengthy history, and summarizes each nicely. It makes for compelling finish to a full package of comic entertainment. The 2 dollar price for this edition would have been well worth it in 1978. Much, much more so as a lucky find in this day and age!