Chew the Fat: Giant-Size Marvels!

 

 

Redartz:  Back in the Bronze age, specifically two memorable years in the mid 1970's, Marvel Comics engaged in a noble experiment in four color entertainment. 1974 and 1975 saw the publication of the Giant-Size Marvels! Extra-sized editions of many of Marvel's most popular titles, each appearing on a quarterly basis. Granted, Marvel had published bonus-sized Annuals in the past, and DC had been doing giants for some time; but this was still a leap of faith for Marvel. 

Although that 'leap of faith' lasted only about two years, it produced quite a few great stories, and one truly monumental one. Marvel's 'Giant Size' era began with "Giant Size Super Stars", a 35 cent gem featuring the Fantastic Four. This was immediately followed by "Giant Size Super Heroes" with Spider-man; both of these books hold fond memories for me. I'd just started collecting, and these two seemed like a reward for taking that 'leap' of my own! 

Marvel had originally planned to release books at the 35 cent level as well as a series of "Super Giant" titles, but apparently that all got too confusing; starting the next month the Giant Size titles all cost 50 cents for 68 pages. The format was a new 'novel length' lead story, followed by a reprint of a classic Marvel tale appropriate to the particular title. All the 'big guns' had Giant-Size editions: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Defenders. Additionally, numerous other Marvel books got the Giant treatment: Master of Kung Fu, Dracula, Man-Thing. Even an attempt was made at another horror anthology with new stories: Giant-Size Chillers! 

As the  months went on, Marvel made the Giant format a means to debut new features: Super-Villian Team Up, with Dr. Doom and the Sub-Mariner; and Invaders- telling WWII stories of Marvel's Golden Age Captain America, Sub-Mariner and Human Torch. Then of course, the most monumental of all was the return and reboot of the X-Men by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum; a book that launched one of the most successful franchises in comic book history. 

But as 1975 wore on, it looked like the days of the Giants were numbered. The last round of Giants were all reprints, adding such titles as "Giant Size Thor" and "Giant Size Dr. Strange" in a sort of revival of the old Annuals. Those Annuals, incidentally, would return the next year in 1976, which helped offset the sting of losing those monthly Giants. 

My personal favorites? I mentioned the Spidey and FF issues above, another huge favorite was Giant Size Avengers 2: with the "Celestial Madonna" and Kang, it was one of the best Bronze age Avengers tales ever. Then there was Giant Size Defenders 3, with Daredevil guest starring; a cool story with the Grand Master. Yet another that I loved was Giant Size Man-Thing (you knew I'd fit that in somewhere, didn't you?) 4: a particularly intense Manny story by Steve Gerber, and the first solo story for Howard the Duck. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It was a huge treat to see these big editions supplementing the regular four color fun we got in the 32 pagers. 

In conclusion, here's a selection of covers to prompt your memory and excite your eyeballs. What Giants were your favorites? How did they compare to DC's giants? What other characters should have had Gant sized books? For our UK contingent, did those stories ever see print across the pond? Were you ever fortunate enough to encounter any of the US Giants? This week, we're all Giants...

 

 

    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Panel Discussion: Frankly Fond of the Fantastic Four...

 

Redartz:  Yes, it's true. I'm quite fond of Marvel's 'first family', the Fantastic Four. And this affinity goes  back a long way, to nearly the start of my comics interest. You've all heard how I cut my comics teeth on Superman and Spider-man; well after the wall crawler, the FF pulled a strong second place. This probably stems from exposure to (and devotion to) the 1967 Saturday morning exploits of the FF as presented by Hanna Barbera. 

 

That and Spidey were the definite highlights of those cartoon mornings for me, and it led to me picking out some FF issues off the spinners (which was, no doubt, the hope and expectation of Marvel executives). Oddly, though I recall almost all my old Spidey issues easily, those FF issues are more difficult to pin down. One that I do remember distinctly having was Fantastic Four Annual 6, with Annhilus. I was drawn irresistibly to that swirling red Kirby/Sinnott masterpiece cover. It's still a favorite. Incidentally, that summer had two 'swirly' covers, both of which I picked up- the other being, of course, Spider-Man Annual 5. What a combination those two books made...

 

Years later, when I returned to Marvel after years of Archie exclusivity, the second book I picked up was, again, Fantastic Four. This time it was issue 147, in the heart of the Thomas/Buckler era. And I loved it; making the FF another 'must buy' each month. Oh, and Rich Buckler's Kirbyish art really grabbed me. Yes, it was obvious, but the book looked great., and the stories were classics. Doom and the Surfer, Counter Earth, the Inhumans- just so much good reading.  Thomas, Wein, and Wolfman put together a very solid multi-year run on the title. Yes, there were a few reprints and a few clinkers, but overall the FF held a level of quality few comics could match.

 And returning to art, the FF seemed blessed with solid art for most of it's history. From Kirby to Buscema to Buckler to Perez to Byrne; it was like a Comics Art Hall of Fame! Much as I hated to see Buckler leave the book later on, his replacement by George Perez really eased the pain. Still later, Keith  Pollard did wonderful work on the book, and Seinkewicz was different but interesting.  

 

Then there was John Byrne. He took the Four to heights unseen since the days of Lee and Kirby. Under his auspices the Fantastic Four became my number one favorite; even beating out Spider-man and the X-Men. Which was an accomplishment, believe me. His run on the book, over several years, still stands up as a high point in 80's comics. I look through those books even today and am stunned by how good they were, and are. 

But what about the Fantastic Four themselves? What made them appealing to 7 year old, 14 year old, and 23 year old Redartz? The characters, obviously. "Marvel's First Family", indeed. The series had a feel unlike any other, with that family dynamic guiding the storylines and character development. And the characters- four fascinating ones. Reed, the rather obsessive intellectual. Sue, who grew from a seemingly supportive role to become perhaps the team's strongest and most interesting member. Johnny, the Kid, but with heart (and his terrific 'frenemy' relationship with Spidey). And Ben, wonderful Ben. Ben Grimm may be the greatest, deepest character to arise from the minds of Lee and Kirby. So, so many excellent stories have been focused on him, his frustrations, his conflicts, and his personality. No wonder he trails only Spidey on my list of favorites. 

So there's the reasoning behind my fondness for the Fantastic Four. We'll wind up with a few more eye-catching covers that capture the greatness of the series. So after you feast your collective eyes upon them, let's share our thoughts about all things Fantastic!