Redartz: Some time back, we ran a post asking for suggested topics. Many of you gave us some great ideas, some of which have appeared, some are still upcoming. Today's post is a result of the great suggestion from frequent commenter William, who put forth "Two Part Stories". An excellent topic; thank you William! Two part stories are much less common in comics today, but once were pretty common. They were appealing because they gave you a cliffhanger to get you back next month, but didn't require a six-month investment of time and fortune. And you can fit both parts of the story in one comic bag!
Now let's consider some of those two issue epics. For my part in today's discussion, I'll stick with Bronze age books, but don't feel you have to do so. Additionally, I'll leave aside some obvious choices ("Death of Gwen Stacy", "Joker's Laughing Fish"). Instead, here are a few personal favorites that might be less commonly mentioned. My choices:
Avengers 127 - Fantastic Four 150, the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver. Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Joe Staton started it; Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott finished it. Featuring Ultron , the Inhumans and loads of heroes, it's a showcase for crossover cooperation. Great art in both books, and the story moves beautifully from one team to the other.
Conan the Barbarian 43 - 44, "Tower of Blood". Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Ernie Chan and the Crusty Bunkers give us a great Conan/Red Sonja team up. A creepy story which actually features Conan put to stud service. Don't ask; just read it.
Detective Comics 478 - 479, " The Coming of Clayface III". Immediately following the classic Joker story , Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Dick Giordano produce another fine tale. We meet the new Clayface, in a story both horrific and tragic.
Avengers 170 - 171, The Bride of Ultron. An easy pick, with Jim Shooter, George Perez and Pablo Marcos at the top of their game. A dynamite story, fantastic art, excellent covers, it doesn't get much better than this.
Amazing Spider-Man 145 - 146, featuring the Scorpion and the Jackal. Served up by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Frank Giacoia, Dave Hunt and John Romita Sr. It takes place right in the middle of the first Spidey clone saga, and has all the elements that make the web-slinger so great: cool villains, supporting cast drama, and some humor- we get to see Aunt May lecture the Scorpion! Plus issue 146 had some guest inks by Romita, always a special treat.
Action Comics 545 -546, with the new Braniac. Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane were nicely handling the Man of Steel, with a solid, character-driven approach and good Kane artwork. This story had Superman faced with the threat of the recently updated Braniac, and calling in some help from the Justice League and the Teen Titans.
Fantastic Four 280-281, inroducing Malice. John Byrne and Jerry Ordway give us a whole new look at Susan Storm Richards. Some may not be fond of this story, but I found it fascinating; and helped bring a welcome new strength (and new name) to the Invisible Woman. Loved She-Hulk's dawning realization of Malice's actual identity, and Sue's use of new applications of her force field.
There you have it, a few choice tales from my stack of faves. Now you get to pick your fondly remembered twin tellings. Come on, don't leave us hanging...
19 comments:
Great suggestion William. And Red you have some unexpected but great choices there. I have read neither DC offering but now you have me curious. That Clayface tale had some very nice covers.
A couple suggestions I have are MTU 65 and 66 - the Claremont /Byrne teaming of Spidey and Captain Britain which was a nice tight story that introduced CB nicely to the U.S. audience in a battle with Arcade.
The second is the Avengers #183 and 184 as they battle the Absorbing Man. A classic cover on the second issue and some nice team play and characterization throughout for the Avengers as they deal with the changes in their team structure.
An earlier MTU, Spidey with Mar-Vell, then with Mr. Fantastic, ish 16-17. Wonderfully bewildering for Spidey, one of the first true stretches for that mag in terms of concept and style. An even cooler one was just a few issues later with Stegron, first with Kazar, then T'Challa (ish 19-20).
Considered a minor story with a so-so villain, I'll always enjoy FF 138-139 with the Miracle Man, where the villain (to me) is somewhat upstaged by the remorseful overtones (at times wistfully-told) of Reed and Sue's separation, but just a corny old, enjoyable tale.
A highpoint of Medusa's tenure during that time, and also one of my FIRST Marvel comics ever.
That's a good list, Red, I would have picked a few of those myself, like Avengers 170-171 (even though the story sort of picks up from Avengers 161-162, making it a bit of a non-consecutive 4-parter) and Detective 478-479. Just a correction, though: the writer on those two issues was Len Wein; Englehart's last issue of Detective was #476.
Anyway, this is a good topic, but also broad, I can think of tons of beloved 2-part stories; like Martinex, I also liked Avengers 183-184, and I would also add #s 190-192, the Gray Gargoyle story. MTU 65-66 is another that came to mind, and speaking of the Claremont/Byrne run on that title, there's also MTU 59-60, with the Wasp and Yellowjacket v. Equinox, and 69-70, with Thor, Havoc and the Living Monolith.
Here's some others I thought of:
To the extent that you can say there were any simple 2-parters in Claremont's X-men, what with all of the ongoing sub-plots running through them, I'd pick #s 118-119 (their fight against Moses Magnum in Japan), #s 120-121 (introduction of the Alpha Flight), #s 123-124 (v. Arcade) and, of course, #s 141-142 (Days of Future Past).
Man-Thing 9-10 (the touching and sad Dawg story)
New Teen Titans 121-122 (v. Brother Blood; although it has that cliff-hanger epilogue that leads into the Starfire/Blackfire saga in the next few issues) and #s 126-127 (the runaways story)
Iron Man 120-121 (featuring the Sub-mariner) and #s 149-150 (the epic Dr. Doom issues, in Camelot, no less)
Fantastic Four 249-250 (with the Gladiator and some dastardly Skrulls)
JLA 189-190 (v. Starro), 193-194 (in which we find out the real secret origin of Red Tornado)
Captain America 253-254 (Baron Blood returns)
Marvel Premiere 33-34 (Solomon Kane) and #s 47-48 (introduction of the new Ant Man)
DC Comics Presents 1-2 (great Superman & Flash time-traveling story)
Man, I'll just cut it off here, there's tons more...
Resounding 'yes' to the previously mentioned Avengers Ultron 2-parters, Claremont/Byrne X-Men and Marvel Team-Up stories, Iron Man vs. Doom, Ant-Man, Baron Blood...
Want to give a huge shout-out to Child's Play, with Daredevil vs. Punisher
X-Men vs. Kulan Gath, Paul Smith's Morlock and Silver Samurai stories
Alpha Flight 9-10 (Sasquatch), 11-12 (Omega Flight), 18-19 (cool time travel stuff), 23-24 (Great Beasts stuff)
Fantastic Four's Dr. Doom 246-247 (retaking Latveria) and 278-279 (Kristoff stuff)
Also, not mentioned yet:
Cap vs. Batroc and Mr. Hyde
Spidey vs. Juggernaut
Avengers vs. Taskmaster (1st time)
Okay, I can clearly go on and on, but that'll do!
-david p.
Hi, friends --
Avengers 139-140 w/ Whirlwind, Hank as YJ growing (whoa!!) and then facing the repercussions in the concluding issue. Great character moments for Hank, Beast, and Vision. Love that 2-parter with solid George Tuska art.
Umm... Amazing Spider-Man 121-122? Also, X-Men 94-95? Those aren't bad...
Doug
There's been quite a few great suggestions. Much like Doug, one of my first thoughts was ASM 121-122, but that was mentioned in post as being a given, mostly. Funny thing for me, the first two Spider-Mans I bought were 121 and 123, For some reason, my local convenience store did not have 122!!! I know! Right?
Again, still gravy training off of Doug's post, the first Avengers I purchased was 139. Bought the follow up the next month. Annnnd, bought X-Men (remember when they weren't Uncanny?) 94-95 at that same convenience store!!!
Yet they never had ASM 122....
Dittos on 141-142.
One I'd like to throw out is Fantastic Four 266-267. She-Hulk's introduction to the team, Sue's near fatal collapse, Mr Fantastic reaching out to Otto Octavius and then their epic battle. To see Mr Fantastic battle Doc Ock, one would think it should have happened before!!! And the finale, "A Small Loss", as Reed has to confront his own limitations...
Heavy... to say the least.
(She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
'Let them eat cake,' she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Kruschev and Kennedy
At anytime an invitation
You can't decline
Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah
Then again incidentally
If you're that way inclined
Perfume came naturally from Paris
For cars she couldn't care less
Fastidious and precise
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Drop of a hat she's as willing as
Playful as a pussy cat
Then momentarily out of action
Temporarily out of gas
To absolutely drive you wild, wild..
She's all out to get you
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try...).
OK, so Prowl caught me... Glanced at the covers in the main post without reading all of the text.
I am a hypocrite, because that used to drive me nuts at the BAB.
Red-faced, and apology submitted! Doh!
Doug
Excellent suggestions, everyone! And before I go any further, thank you Edo for the correction on those Detective issues. That's what I get for not proofreading a post. That, and using " common" three times- twice in one sentence. How mortifying.
Marti, David_b and Edo- yes, Marvel Team-Up offered many juicy stories. I nearly went with the Thor/Havoc story you mentioned, Edo.
David p.- you also name some greats. By the way, the X-Men/Kulan Gath tale you referred to- trying to recall, was Kulan Gath a character from a Conan story?
Doug- yes, the Avengers during that era were rife with terrific stories (albeit often longer than two issues. Partly Kang's fault).
Prowl- great call on those FF issues. Man, what a spectacular run Byrne had on that book. And another fine observation about Doc Ock- amazing they hadn't faced off before.
Interesting timing ... I've got a review of Detective 478 appearing on my blog on Friday (#479 will show up at the end of October).
There were some pretty good Legion two-parters (the Super Stalag of Space from Adventure, though I guess that's pre-Bronze Age; the League of Super-Assassins story in LSH 253-254; the Death of Superboy). I always liked Spectacular Spider-Man 69-70, guest starring Cloak and Dagger.
Yes -so many great great great two-part stories out there. Does the MTIO and Avengers Annuals' Thanos story count? For some reason I discount it because Annuals are giant sized.
Aside from the masterpieces mentioned, I have to give kudos to MTIO 71 and 72. It is a nostalgic favorite with Mr. Fantastic and the Inhumans and introducing Maelstrom and his minions. I particularly liked the scene where Ben and the Inhumans play a weird game of ball that in retrospect reminds me of quidditch.
Also I liked the Avengers in a minor two-parter with Red Ronin in isssues 198 and 199.
Sometimes during the Bronze Age it was difficult to distinguish two parters as there were so many ongoing and overlapping plot threads.
Hard to top Iron Man 149-150....my all-timer....but I did enjoy the Clayface III two-parter, too.
Yikes! I was so busy today I almost missed this one! Thanks Redartz! Glad you liked the suggestion. It just seems that some of my all time favorite stories are 2-parters.
Here are a dozen of my absolute favorites.
1. Amazing Spider-Man #260-261 - by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz (Probably my favorite Spider-Man story of all time).
Spider-Man returns to his red and blue costume and then fights Hobgoblin in one of the best battles ever. This story was a ton of fun. A must read!!
2. ASM #229-230 "Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut" -by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. - Nuff said.
3. Marvel Premiere #47-48 "To Steal An Ant-Man" by David Michelinie and John Byrne (you will see them again on this list)
Featuring the the first appearance of Scott Lang as Ant-Man. Definitely one of my favorite comic stories ever. It was even adapted as an episode of "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes".
4. Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One #2. - by Jim Starlin
The Avengers, Spider-Man, and The Thing all face Thanos in final battle. This story also features the tragic death of Adam Warlock. When I was a kid this was my favorite comic story at the time.
5. Avengers #161-162 - "The Bride of Ultron" - by Jim Shooter and George Perez
This was the first Ultron story I ever read, and it blew my mind when I was a kid. Love Love Love these comics!!! (This one also made me a big fan of Ant-Man). This is actually my second all-time favorite Avengers story. The only one that I like slightly better is Avenges #164-166 where they fight Super Count Nefaria (but that's a 3-parter so it doesn't count here).
6. Marvel Team-Up #61-62 by Claremont and Byrne
One of my very first John Byrne books. Spider-Man and the Human Torch and Ms. Marvel "team up" to take on Super Skrull! Why aren't comics this much fun anymore? Why??!!
(To be continued in Part 2!!)
7. Marvel Team-Up #69-70 - by Claremont and Byrne (again)
This time it's Spider-Man teaming up with Havok and then Thor to take on the Living Pharaoh / Living Monolith in an earth shattering showdown that only John Byrne could illustrate. (Seriously the art in this one is off the charts).
8. Fantastic Four #249-250 by John Byrne (yes I really really like John Byrne… so sue me.)
The FF must battle the seemingly invincible Gladitor, with a little help from Spider-Man and Captain America. (and the X-Men?) maybe. This one is all out action from cover to cover. So good!
9. Avengers #183-184 - Another Byrne / Michelinie joint. (Told you they'd be back).
This time it's the Avengers vs. The Absorbing Man in an battle of epic proportions. This story made Absorbing Man one of my favorite villains.
10. Marvel Team-Up #63-64 - by Claremont and Byrne (again again)
When Iron Fist was prematurely cancelled, Claremont and Byrne moved the conclusion of the story they were working on over the Marvel Team-Up, and the results are nothing less than spectacular. (Hey, Spider-Man makes everything a little better).
11. Marvel Team-Up #65-66 - by Claremont and Byrne (again again again)
This time we have Spider-Man and Captain Britain (who?) trapped in Arcade's Murder World. Yes, it's just as awesome as it sounds. I had no idea who Captain Britain was at the time, but I thought he was really cool. I especially loved that original costume of his. Too bad they changed it.
12. Amazing Spider-Man #256-257 - by DeFalco and Frenz (my favorite Spidey creative team).
I loved the black suit era of Spider-Man, and this was one of the best stories from that time. Spider-Man is being hunted by the deadly assassin for hire known as The Puma! This was a great story with a great new super-villain for Spidey to fight. I really loved the Puma in these issues. (They kind of ruined him later with too much mumbo jumbo).
Whew! Man, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I could easily list 20 more awesome 2-part stories (like ASM #231-232, ASM #238-239, ASM #269-270, ASM #280-281) and those are just Spider-Man stories. But you get the idea. Two-pars seems to be the perfect format for a great comic book story. (Even this post was a 2-parter) LOL
Great subject!
My sweet spot of comic collecting was around 1971 – 1973 and Spidey 100 – 102, which was a 3-issue run, kicked it off! At 10 years old, I was shocked (!) by the 3-issue concept! The point being that I truly noticed the subsequent issues of Spidey being 2-parters.
My fav being ASM 103-104 which has Pete, Gwen (dear, dear Gwen, I miss you so) going to the Savage Land where they encounter Kazar and Kraven the Hunter. Beautiful Kane art. Wonderful cheese-cake spread of Gwen in a bikini for a photo shoot (dear, dear Gwen, I miss you so). The cover to 104 still rocks my world and knocks my sox off!
I would also add 108-109 where Pete (and eventually Dr. Strange) rescue a hostage Flash from Vietnamese who were upset Flash’s military unit in Vietnam bombed their temple and killed a bunch of innocents.
IMHO this is a great example of where a comic could captivate adults and kids alike, with more profound concepts, that don’t involve killing Gwen, or spouse abuse, or extreme violence, or a family divorcing (FF)… and thus wrecking a young kid’s fun and hobby. I mean, having Flash cheat on the girl from the Vietnamese temple, losing his legs in Iraq war, becoming Venom... How is that enjoyable? Sorry for the digression...
Ha ha. CH47, I wasn't quite sure if you liked Gwen. You may need to be more clear. Ha.
You've inspired me that maybe we should cover two part stories we disliked. I have a feeling that some of the books presented as favorites may be on others' worst lists! It would be interesting to find out. Some classics can be polarizing for some reason.
William - that is a great list. We share many like tastes. MTU and Avengers and Ant-Man for sure. Again thanks for suggesting the topic.
Doug - back in the day I traded five comics for that Avengers / Whirlwind story.
A couple people mentioned the X-Men issues 141 and 142 which are classics indeed but I also liked the two part Wendigo story that preceded it.
All I can say in conclusion is that they crammed a lot of storytelling into 34 to 40 pages back in the Bronze Age. I don't know how they did it. But cramming "Days of Future Past" or "Death of Gwen Stacy" into just two issues is pretty darn astounding. Those had novel-like impact and demonstrate the depth that there can be in comic storytelling.
Marti - I really agree with you last line that comics can carry a lot of depth and have novel-like impact! Good writing is good writing! There is so much that comics can do to be profound or entertaining to adults and kids alike!
Mike W.- glad to hear of your upcoming Clayface review. Will be checking out your take on it!
William- great list! Knew you could be counted on to highlight some standout Spidey tales. And don't worry, there are plenty of Byrne boosters here. Yours truly emphatically included.
Charlie- ASM 103 and 104; good call! A good, solid, all round fun comic story. And you and Marti are so right about the dramatic / inspirational potential of comics. Doing the flip side of today's post sounds promising.
Now if you'll all excuse me for a bit, I'm going to go proofread the next post...
@Redartz
Sorry I'm only responding in the middle of the night.
I'd never encountered Kulan Gath before that X-Men story, but I understand he appeared in a Marvel Team-Up by Claremont and Byrne, with Spider-Man and Red Sonja (only I think it was really Mary Jane under a spell). I don't know if he maybe appeared in Conan before that. It would be standard Claremont practice if he created him for Marvel Team-Up and then, of course, used him again for X-Men. Guy loved to bring back his characters, especially against his beloved mutants!
Good night!
-david p.
David, yes Kulan Gath did indeed appear in that excellent(best-ever in my opinion) issue of Marvel Team-Up. You can find a short review of it in this post.
And yes, he had appeared in the Conan comics a long time before that; interestingly, though, the character was not a part of the original Howard canon, as he was created specifically for the comics by Roy Thomas and BW Smith.
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