Panel Discussion: The Costume Made Me Buy The Book!

Martinex1: In the past, and often at the illustrious Bronze Age Babies' site, we had discussions about comic covers that made us buy a book.  Today, I am starting a conversation about costumes that made me buy a book (or books).  We will come back to this from time to time, but the inaugural discussion is around the Jack of Hearts.

Jack Hart (ahem) had a complicated history and a strange path to becoming a hero.   To begin with he was half human and half alien Contraxian.   As a young man, he was accidentally doused with his father's invention "Zero Fluid" which left him in a constant state of destructive decay.  Half of his body was darkened as his life slipped away.   He also had to periodically release the destructive energy in blasts that he could barely control.  He developed a suit, one looking inexplicably like the Jack of Hearts' playing card, to keep his energy and destruction in check.  And it is that costume that interested me and drew me in long before I knew any of the character's history.

In fairly rapid succession, in the Summer of 1977, I started seeing Jack of Hearts on covers battling a couple of heavy hitters in Marvel's pantheon.  Jack was a bit of a hot head and tended to stumble into misunderstandings and confrontations with heroes.  This ultimately lead to an apprenticeship of sorts with Iron Man.  But it was the costume on those covers that made me wonder who this guy was.  His elaborate fighting togs were easily recognizable and cool.

Once in, I was fascinated that Marvel elevated a newcomer to the elite status of being able to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk.  Jack was not a lightweight as he set out to avenge his father's death with classic superhero motivations.  His appearance in Iron Man is what actually got me following that book during the wonderful Midas arc of that era.

The character was created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen for a tale in the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu  issue #22.  I never saw the black and white magazine for many years but it also included an appearance of another costume favorite, the White Tiger.

Later in the Bronze Age, Jack made guest appearances in Marvel Two-In-One and Marvel Team Up.  Bill Mantlo tried to find a spot for Jack of Hearts whenever possible.   I always wondered how difficult it was for an artist to follow those intricate patterns on Jack's costume.  Nevertheless, Jack continued to demonstrate his power and strength against the elite class.

Eventually Jack of Hearts became enough of an attraction to get his own limited series.  He went from a guest star in a black and white magazine to a four-issue run in a matter of a few years (with Mantlo shepherding him along the way).

In fact, Jack of Hearts got me started collecting one of my Bronze Age favorite titles.  ROM Spaceknight #12 featured Jack predominantly on the cover in another face-off.  I read that issue and was hooked, causing me to quickly collect back issues and the ongoing ROM series.

 The mini-series itself was a bit of a letdown. I struggle to even remember what went on, but again Jack and his costume got me to buy those books as well.

Toward the end of my 1990's collecting cycle, I was glad to see the Jack of Hearts continuing to grace the cosmic covers.   Again he would mistakenly battle the likes of Silver Surfer and Quasar.  A side note to anybody who has missed it - Quasar was a good series despite lackluster and inconsistent art.

Jack actually had a stint on the Avengers, just prior to the "disassembling" of the team.  There he died a tragic death, and I haven't followed his character (or many comics at all) since.  But I am fond of this hero and always had hoped for better things for the character.

 So what do you think about Jack of Hearts?  And particularly his costume?  Was it too garish for your tastes, or did it draw you into stories you may not have otherwise sampled?  Share your thoughts on BitBA today!  Cheers!