Panel Discussion: Things I Never Knew; Things We Never Saw!

Martinex1: Good day all!  Sometimes when I am researching the details of a topic or searching for tidbits or art samples for this blog, I stumble across some comic book history, graphics, and stories that I previously knew nothing about.  Even after more than 40 years of collecting comics (and just about as many reading about the inner workings of the industry, the artists, the publishers and all the rest), I still learn new things about the field all the time.

Today I'd like to share three examples from the history of Marvel Comics that until recently I knew nothing about.  I suspect some of our regular commentators and lurkers may contend that this is old hat and some may think we are out of touch.  That is okay, because I found these particular points fascinating.  So I hope some of you do also.

HISTORICAL MYSTERY #1:  Did you know that Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith pitched a new team to Marvel in the late 60s that would have consisted of Quicksilver, Red Raven, and Rick Jones?

I had no idea.  I happened to see an internet inquiry about Quicksilver being considered for a team other than the Avengers, and I found my way to Comic Book Artist, Collection Volume 1 (which includes a CBA issue from the Summer of 1998).  In that periodical, as part of an in-depth interview with Barry Windsor-Smith they reference the proposed book and even include the first few BWS' drawn pages.   Take a look below.

Alter Ego #18 (July 2013) also references the book that never materialized.  Check out this drawing of the Grim Reaper, who was destined to be the team's nemesis, as drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith.  The drawing and caption below are from that Alter Ego issue.

Not much else seems to be recorded about the proposal, but if any of our faithful readers have any insight please share it with us.  What I have been able to glean is that around 1969, Thomas and Windsor-Smith proposed the odd team that would possibly be named either the Outcasts or the Invaders (a name which Roy Thomas eventually used in 1975).

It is interesting to note that on newsstands in March of 1968 was X-Men #44 starring none-other than Red Raven battling the Angel; the story was written by Roy Thomas.  That very same month another Thomas penned tale, Avengers #52, was published and that story introduced the Grim Reaper.   The following month, Thomas' X-Men #45 featured Quicksilver.  And a few months later, the full story of Bucky's life and death and Rick Jones' desire to be like the WWII hero was detailed in Avengers #56.  

So to say that these characters were on Roy Thomas' mind around the key time would be an understatement.  There seemed to be a juxtaposition of key elements to creatively form such a gathering.  Was Thomas looking at a WWII angle for the book?  Hard to say, but he had a golden age hero in Red Raven and a modern version of Bucky with Rick Jones.  There was also supposition that he would bring the Whizzer into the story, but I have no hard data to support that. Though it may fit, as later Thomas would present the Whizzer as Pietro's father (prior to the Magneto revelation).   It is fun to speculate about a book that wasn't; I sure would have liked to have seen what was intended.

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CULTURAL COMIC MYSTERY #2: Did you know that John Byrne drew extra pages for a memorable Marvel Team-Up so that it would fit the UK page plan?

John Byrne is one of my favorite Bronze Age artists and I pay close attention to his work from his heyday in the late 70s.  So it caught my attention when I saw art that I had never seen before pinned to one of my favorite stories.

I recently acquired two Captain Britain hardcover collections, Birth of a Legend and Siege of Camelot. The books collect the early UK Captain Britain stories, prior to Alan Moore's work and the change from his original costume.  A side note:  I am enjoying these UK stories immensely and will have to comment on them in a future Panel Discussion, as there is enough top-notch Bronze Age-iness from Claremont and Trimpe to fill a whole column.

However, in the latter volume, there is also reprinted material of the classic Spider-Man and Captain Britain Marvel Team-Up #65 and #66.  I originally bought these chapters back in 1977; they were among the first 10 comics I ever purchased so I read them cover-to-cover numerous times.  Aside from becoming a Captain Britain fan, I nearly memorized the books.

And that is why I was so stunned and thrilled to see the following pages notated as additions to the originals in the UK version.  Comics, because they were published weekly in the UK, would split our U.S. adventures into chapters to fit the smaller page count of the weekly offerings.  However, sometimes the cuts didn't fall in a perfect position, so on occasion new splash pages were added to enhance the rerun tale.  Sometimes those pages went un-credited and were handled by UK artists; but in this case John Byrne himself added the splash pages.  Check them out below.  From Captain B chasing Spidey from their apartment window in the first, to the British hero recounting his origin in the second.  Pretty cool!  Whoever has the originals is one lucky cat.

MARVEL HERO'S MYTHIC MISS #3:  I can understand a book that was pitched and never launched, but how about a hero that was advertised as appearing in the very next issue, but instead disappeared into the ether?

Starhawk is known far and wide as a member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy.  Sylvester Stallone even portrayed Stakar in the recent GotG second movie. But did you know there was another Starhawk advertised long before the space faring hero made his debut in The Defenders #26.

No, this other Starhawk appeared in a Marvel House ad promising for the character to appear in the very next issue of Marvel Super-Heroes.  Alas, he never does appear.  And despite some fantastic art from Dan Adkins, the story never saw print in a "normal" format.

Our friend and fellow blogger, Rip Jagger, wrote eloquently about this character back in 2009.  And Rip definitely fills in the gaps and brings the story full circle.  So check out this link to Rip's post and then come back to sum up the day.  http://ripjaggerdojo.blogspot.com/2009/12/coming-of-starhawk.html   I appreciate the art of  Dan Adkins so much that I do share a few of his pages here for your perusal. Rip has even more at his site.

  

I like the look of this book.  It seems to touch on the cosmic element blending a bit of the feel of the Silver Surfer and Captain Marvel. I like Adkins' layouts and inks.  It is astounding to me that this book was written, pencilled, inked, lettered and advertised but it would not see print until much later in a less than standard format.

The modern Starhawk is a character" that fascinates me, and I wonder if there is any remnant of his namesake concept within. I guess only Roy Thomas knows if the "one who knows" comes at all from the "one who wasn't."

Well, I hope you enjoyed our brief foray into the unknown and forgotten.   Please share your thoughts and musings.  If you can expand on any of the these three subjects today, please pipe in.  Or if you know of any other created but shelved characters - clue us in.

Cheers!

The Brave Or The Bold: The Micronauts Or The Guardians of the Galaxy?

Martinex1: We are back with our second installment of "The Brave Or The Bold," and we are headed back into space for this face-off.  But this time we have a challenge between two teams forged by Marvel in the 1970s...The Micronauts and The Guardians of the Galaxy!  (Okay, I admit I hedged a little bit as some of the GOTG crowd were first introduced in 1969 by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, but you get the idea).


The teams though significantly different have some striking similarities.  Both bronze age versions consist primarily of six members; five male characters and one female.  They specifically protect their region - our solar system and the Microverse.  The leader in both teams is an exploring astronaut of sorts who because of outdated technology arrives at their respective destinations 1000 years later than expected and is preceded by more advanced spaceships.  Vance Astro and Commander Arcturus Rann share that tragedy.  Their teammates are denizens of specific worlds with the Guardians the last survivors of our surrounding planet colonies and the Micronauts are from "planets" on their interconnected strand of worlds. 


Readers are treated to the stoic mystic warrior Yondu or the stoic monarch warrior Acroyear.  And there is the fiery headed and spirited Nikki or the fiery and spirited princess Mari.  The Micronauts have a couple of robots Biotron and Microtron (who are probably more akin to the Star Wars droids), and the Guardians have the rather robotic crystalline officer Martinex (very much unlike your author today).The Micros hailed from Spartak, Kaliklak and Homeworld, while the Guardians came from Jupiter, Mercury, and Pluto. 


The Guardians have a limited villain class and their most memorable enemies have been Korvac and the Badoon.  The Micronauts have traipsed into the Marvel landscape but their main antagonist is the megalomaniac Baron Karza.  They sometimes get help from the mysterious Time Travelers, while Vance Astro and the gang rely on the "one who knows," Starhawk.


I believe that Bill Mantlo, the Micronauts comic creator, cobbled together a bunch of influences and inspirations to create the conflicts and characters in those books.  They were based on the toy line after all, and like he did for ROM Mantlo created a complex world and series of threats for the heroes.  I enjoyed these stories immensely.  The Michael Golden art in the early issues was top notch.


The Guardians of the Galaxy has gone through some iterations over the years; the more recent team of Starlord, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Gamora made it to the big screen.


I rabidly collected both team's appearances.  Personally I really liked the Bug and Acroyear friendship, but I also enjoyed the mystery of Starhawk and the suit that Vance could never remove. Despite their similarities, I never was distracted by it as I felt both had solid motivations and characterizations with some crazy stories throughout.


There is much to say about these characters and their adventures, so I turn the discussion over to you.  What do you think about these teams?   Do you have a favorite character or storyline?   How do you rate them in the pantheon of Marvel collectives?   Which spacefaring (or inner-spacefaring) group is your favorite?  Did you read and collect their books back in the day?  Do the more modern versions live up to expectations?  And are the original stories unique enough to recommend?   What say you BITBA readers?   Don't be shy ... it is the Brave or the Bold after all.