Last month, in our post about Captain America #180, we covered the debut of the former Captain America, Steve Rogers, in his brand-new superheroic identity of the Nomad. As regular readers will hopefully recall, the Nomad’s initial outing was somewhat less than completely auspicious, as he tripped over his own cape and failed to prevent the kidnapping of the president of Roxxon Oil by the new and improved Serpent Squad. Of course, that misstep ultimately did nothing to discourage or deter our hero, who immediately ditched the offending costume piece with no regrets, vowing as he did so that the Squad would get what was coming to them the next time they met — completely unaware that the group’s roster was about to be enhanced by the addition of the evil Warlord Krang of Atlantis, who came bearing the ancient, sorcerous Serpent Crown of Lemuria, no less.
One month later, behind a cover by Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia, and (maybe) John Romita that promises we’ll see two other costumed heroes in addition to Nomad before the issue is done, Captain America #181 opens with a scene in which the regular creative team of writer Steve Englehart, penciller Sal Buscema, and inker Vince Colletta lets us know right away that Steve Rogers is still in the city where he had his first dust-up with the Serpent Squad — Washington, D.C., that is — and also that regardless of his disillusionment with the United States government in the present day, he still holds to the ideals espoused by America’s founders, as well as by the greatest of their successors:
What was that I was saying before about this issue featuring two other costumed heroes in addition to Nomad? Here’s a third such figure, the Sub-Mariner, whose appearance wasn’t so much as hinted at by the cover. Now that’s what I call a Surprise Guest Star…
Namor’s blow sends Nomad hurtling down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; then, before our hero can recover, his foe crashes into him once again…
The Serpent Crown — or, as it was originally known, the Helmet of Power — had first appeared in the Sub-Mariner story in Tales to Astonish #101 (Mar., 1968); it had picked up its Lemurian backstory a few months later, in a storyline that ran in the 6th through the 13th issues of Subby’s own comic. In later years, the Crown’s lengthy history would be considerably expanded, ultimately tying in both to serpent-god concepts from the Conan and Kull stories of fantasy author Robert E. Howard (as adapted and added to by Marvel in their comics based on those properties, naturally) and to the Lemurian Deviants of Jack Kirby’s Eternals series (the creation of which was, in October,1974, still well over a year in the future). At this point, however, the mythology surrounding “this sinister headpiece” was still relatively small and self-contained, allowing writer Englehart a largely free hand to do whatever he wanted with the concept.
Faced with being turned into the Crown’s helpless thrall, the terrified Roxxon Oil exec (whose actual name, we’ll learn in a later issue, is Hugh Jones) looks desperately to the Viper: “You’re a woman! You wouldn’t — you couldn’t — let this happen!” To which the Viper sneeringly declares that Jones shouldn’t assume that her sex makes her soft; rather, “I am the hardest person you will ever encounter!”
I love the conversation between Steve and Namor in the sequence above — it’s exactly the sort of character-centered bit that Steve Englehart did so well, while making it look so easy you wondered why all comics writers couldn’t do it. One has no trouble at all in accepting these two men as guys who, while they may not have ever been bosom buddies, have known each other for a long time.
It’s kind of funny (if maybe a little unlikely) that Nick Fury is still mispronouncing the Sub-Mariner’s name after all these years… but, anyway, the information provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. confirms what Nomad suspected — that there’s a Roxxon oil drilling rig very near the location of sunken Lemuria. Hopping into the submersible craft Namor has left moored on the Potomac River, the two heroes head for the depths.
At this point, the narrative focus turns to other members of the series’ cast. First, we check in with Sharon Carter, who shows up at her parents’ Virginia home looking for her boyfriend Steve (who, you’ll remember, had gone there in issue #180 to work out the details of his new superheroic persona), hoping to make up following their recent argument (also shown last issue), only to find…
Meanwhile, back in New York City, Steve’s erstwhile partner in crime-fighting, the Falcon, is running some experiments to determine the extent of his mental bond with his own actual falcon, Redwing…
(Roscoe is of course quoting here from the Beach Boys’ classic single, “I Get Around”.)
Um, Falc, given that Peggy and Gabe are both mature adults (but not that mature, if you know what I mean), I think that you should be able to work it out… though perhaps we should make allowances for the fact that interracial romance was even less commonplace in the comic books of 1974 than it was in the real world…
Once the rig workers learn that their boss is the Serpent Squad’s enthralled hostage, they have little choice but to stand down and cooperate…
Using Princess Python’s pet, Precious, as an extremely pliant (but nonetheless heavy) club, the Nomad wallops both P.P. and the Eel, knocking them off their pins. But the Cobra is not so easily cowed…
Is it disappointing that, following his unnecessary (if obligatory) brawl with Nomad in this book’s opening pages, Namor ultimately plays no role in bringing the Serpent Squad down? Yeah, it is — especially considering how few meetings there had actually been between these two World War II veterans, as of 1974. (We’d certainly be getting our fill of Captain America/Sub-Mariner team-up action once Invaders got started, of course, but that feature’s launch was still five months off at this point).
And as long as we’ve paused here — yeah, that coloring in the final panel above is a little disconcerting, as it makes it look like Namor’s face is melting, rather than simply dripping seawater…
Hmm, methinks that Nomad has overreacted just a bit to the Roxxon security guy’s lack of gratitude; sure, the guy was obnoxious, but a “KA-POW!” level punch seems disproportionate to the offense. Maybe Englehart was trying to demonstrate that, for all his idealism, Steve Rogers is in the end just as fallible as the rest of us mortals; unfortunately, the moment still plays right into an old, familiar criticism of the superhero genre, i.e., that its protagonists routinely resort to force to resolve their problems. On the other hand, every fan who’s followed the career of Sal Buscema knows that the man did seem to love to draw these send-’em-flying big punch moments, so maybe he came up with that panel on his own.
And speaking of Our Pal Sal… this issue marks the end of his 35-issue run as the regular penciller on Captain America. Making his debut with #146 — eight issues ahead of the arrival of Steve Englehart as the book’s new writer — Buscema had defined the look of the feature during what still stands as one of its most classic runs, half a century later, offering consistently clear and dynamic graphic storytelling. His replacement would be a veteran artist with a dramatically different style — and probably one of the most polarizing figures to draw for Marvel or its primary rival, DC Comics, during the 1970s. But, naturally, we’ll have a lot more to say about the debut of Frank Robbins when we cover Captain America #182, one short month from now.
Oh dear, Frank Robbins …
Between this arc and Avengers, Steve Englehart pretty much creates the Serpent Crown mythos. In Sub-Mariner it was a straight up magical talisman that corrupted its wearers and gave them tremendous powers. Establishing wearers are linked to an elder god and to each other was his stuff (though it fits perfectly). I’m often fascinated how many forgotten characters he turned into going concerns (Space Phantom, Immortus, Hugo Strange, Patsy Walker) and the Crown is another.
That aside, a fun story. And you’re right about the Namor/Nomad conversation. I’m guessing Fury was mocking Namor — as an official figure he probably has less patience with Subby’s antiheroic actions than Cap does.
Yay, Frank Robbins!!!!!
This was the month, 50 years ago, that I decided to go all in with Marvel. As anyone who has read any of my comments on this blog before will know I was a dedicated DC fan and had decided to buy and collect all of the Superhero comics they were publishing back in April 1972. Over the past few months, however I had felt increasingly let down by what they were publishing. Don’t get me wrong, I loved and still love their 100 page Super Spectaculars but there were just too few of them. Some months there were only 6 new comics being published that I was collecting and I would read those in a couple of days, leaving me waiting for more for the next 28 days or so.
I had seen loads of my favourites such as Green Lantern and Teen Titans cancelled, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Supergirl being combined into Superman Family and many all reprint books such as Secret Origins, Wanted, Doom Patrol, Metal Men and The Legion of Superheroes last for a few months before vanishing from the spinner rack. I had sampled other titles, outside my normal superhero comics like The Shadow, Phantom Stranger and even Rima but was less than impressed by them.
I had been picking up the odd Marvel comic from second hand bookshops to fill the gap but was frustrated at reading one issue of a continuing story and never being able to find the issue that contained the resolution. So I decided, this month 50 years ago, that I would add all the Marvel Superhero titles to my monthly “must buy and collect” list. This was the time in the UK when Marvel UK were publishing weekly black and white reprint titles The Avengers, The Mighty World of Marvel (featuring the Hulk), and Spider-Man. This meant that the ongoing US colour monthly versions of their comics were not being distributed in the UK. So, for the record the comics I started buying (and would continue buying for the next 10+ years) were Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, The Defenders, Doctor Strange, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Jungle Action, Marvel Team Up, Marvel 2 in 1 and Thor. Others titles would be added as they came along and my tastes developed and changed.
Looking forward to being reminded of, and sharing my memories of the future issues of some of these comics in the months and years to come.
Thanks again Alan.
Another UK reader of mature years here. I found it really annoying when Avengers, Spider Man and Hulk stopped being distributed here back in the day. I couldn’t really see the point behind that plan. Surely, fans of the characters would want to read both the UK reprints and the current adventures of the characters.
Agreed, I think that Marvel UK didn’t want the competition of other comics that might draw sales away from their own publications even if it infuriated the fans. The consequence was that I was denied the opportunity to buy Avengers 121 – 152. I remember the delight of turning the spinner rack and seeing Avengers 153 there just waiting for me to grab it after Marvel UK stopped publishing the black and white avengers weekly.
Snap. October was the month I started regularly buying US Marvels….but the distribution was patchy leaving lots of holes. Cap was one of the ones I managed to regularly find. I am looking forward to seeing comments next month on the arrival of Robbins.
Until I read your comment, I never made the connection between Marvel UK trying to preserve its share of the British weekly comic market and the non-availability of US Marvel comics. I just put it down to living in a small town in N-W England in the early to mid-1970’s.
Following a conversation with my Mother only the other day about the newsagents that used to be located in my home town, I have been racking my sixty two year old brain to try and remember when I first came across an actual up-to-date Marvel comic in a Congleton newsagent’s shop. I know it was a Marvel Triple Action featuring a reprinted Avengers story and bought from a Martins store, but it was something totally new for me and it set me off on a regime that would see me walk (or cycle) a five mile route at least twice a week checking out all the local newsagents for any available Marvel comics. Over the following years, I built up a good relationship with most of the newsagents in town and had a pretty good system in place by the time it came for me to leave home for student life in big bad Manchester… where comics proved to be much more readily available.
I know that I was doing newsagent trawls in 1976 because I vividly remember buying issues commemorating the American Bicentennial. I just can’t say with any sense of certainty whether it was ’74 or ’75 when those new US issues first became available to me. I am going to go with the latter year because I know that I was still getting the weekly horizontal reprint comic, The Titans, in ’74.
I reckon it was late 1976 as that was when Avengers 153 came out and I had just started university in Aberdeen. I was going to go back home for the weekend and went into a newsagent near the bus station as I was early. I saw the new month’s Marvels in the spinner rack and was delighted to find Avengers 153 amongst them. Funny how I can vividly remember where I bought certain comics (almost) fifty years ago!
Ah, yes, the fun of touring the newsagents to find all the month’s comics. I lived in Cleethorpes at the time, and us seaside kids had the blissful bonus of two or three year old comics turning up in batches in the seafront bazaars. Amazing how nostalgic we become in our 60s.
Poor Namor. 1974 was just not his year. First removed from the Defenders earlier in the year. Then having his series canceled in June 1974, with only 3 issues appearing, 2 issues being a 2 part story that really had nothing to do with his “new direction” so probably not helping sales, and the last issue being an inventory story, so long standing plots were left unresolved. Then being basically killed in GS Defenders 3 discussed last week (Yes, I know..he got better). And now in Cap 181, not cover featured and not even taking part in the battle against the Serpent Squad, which I don’t think I noticed at the time, but in retrospect does not really make sense….It’s five against one and although Krang has no super powers he has the Serpent Crown, and Namor knows exactly how dangerous that is… And that leads to something else that doesn’t make sense in retrospect. Namor lets Viper and Cobra go…with the Serpent Crown (why?), and again Namor has experienced exactly how dangerous the Crown (or Helmet of Power) is, several times! In Sub-Mariner 1, 7, 9-13! Also it’s never really explained how Namor knew to come after Krang. By the way, all this I am considering now..I admit I just read and enjoyed Cap 181 at the time. But now there are certain things one can’t help but notice, such as the cover of Cap 181 which is a nice cover but has absolutely nothing to do with the story and never happened. Also, Cap/Nomad’s indignation at the end is a bit much, since he is just starting out as Nomad and nobody knows him or his capabilities at this time. He may not realize that he is acting like he’s CA even though he’s wearing a different costume (like his continued hints to the Cobra again this issue).
I know that things would improve somewhat for Namor in 1975 with the coming of the Invaders and Super Villain Team-Up, but even when the first Giant Size Super Villain Team Up appeared in December 1974 it was really just a framing sequence for 2 reprints (I remember buying it, but being a bit disappointed because I was familiar with the reprints). Still it was a pretty good framing sequence, done by Thomas, Buscema and Sinnott…and it did explain what happened to Dr. Doom in FF 144.
Thanks for another excellent review Alan, and for pointing out Sal Buscema’s essential contributions. Steve Englehart in various interview has mentioned how important Sal’s art was to the success of Steve’s Cap series of stories and I certainly agree. I look forward to your review of Cap 182 and expect I will have some comments about what I remember as a very dramatic change in the artwork.
I forget when I finally got this mag (along with 182 & 183), sometime in the mid-80s, I think. Anyhow, I concur with many of Bruce’s comments as well as your overview, Alan. I can understand Englehart wanting to show Steve Rogers as Nomad trying to prove himself in battle after his embarrassing tumble last issue! Hence, having Namor sit on the sidelines, but it still seemed odd for him to let Krang and the killer snake krew get away with the Serpent Crown. It was fun to see them actually conversing, even if after a little smacking each other around. Strange to consider that at the point this story was published, as far as current continuity was concerned, Cap & Namor had only encountered one another in three previous storylines (to the best of my recall just now) — in Avengers #4, and only briefly there, with no hint at all that they even knew of one another from the World War II era; in Avengers #71, wherein they were pulled out of time from the war era along with the original Human Torch to fight a trio of Avengers in 1969 (well, at least that’s when it was published — in current Marvel mythos, that battle took place in an everchanging never-to-be specified again date in the past along with every other event that took place from 1961 to roughly 7 years in the past of whatever the present is, whether today or 150 years from now, if anyone’s still creating new stories featuring all these characters in 2174!). Oh, and to finish my original thought, the third encounter being their tussle as part of the Avengers/Defenders clash. But in just a few months, Roy Thomas would mess with the old timeline to show that the Cap/Namor/Torch team-up wasn’t just a one-time deal orchestrated by Kang & the Grandmaster as part of a game but an ongoing concern during the grand war against the Nazis & Japanese Imperialists. By the time I read this issue, that version of the past was already long set, even if the Invaders mag itself had long since bitten the dust.
Also notable in this issue was how Englehart continued to build up Madame Hydra/Viper’s rep as an ice cold, heart of stone villainess, and this being only the 2nd storyline she took part in as an active character, the first after her debut in the Steranko trilogy (but not counting the flashbacks and revelations in the Avengers story featuring the Grim Reaper and Space Phantom). Even whatever magical forces animate the Serpent Crown somehow knew of her nasty rep and guided Krang to her.
Now I can’t help but imagine Namor & Nomad vs. Kang & Krang — can the writer or letterer keep the names straight and avoid referring to the “Scourge of the Seven Seas” as “Nomad” or mistaking the scheming warlord of the 31st century for the scheming warlord of the watery depths? Keep turning the pages, faithful Marvelites!
Meanwhile, I’m lazing away the morning while getting three administrative days off from work due to the approaching forces of Hurricane Milton. Hoping it won’t cause too much havoc in my neighborhood by the time the expected outer edges of the storm hit Jacksonville tonight or tomorrow. Also hoping everyone else within Milton’s path, including my dad & stepmother in Clearwater, stay safe and don’t have to endure extreme losses, but the prospects look pretty grim for those on the Gulf coastlines. And this only about two weeks after Helene rampaged through Florida up through North Carolina and even impacting Ohio, among many other states. Take care, everyone!
Frank Robbins is coming, and with him people who will spit like malfunctioning water fountains…
Alan, your comment about Peggy Carter and Gabe Jones, coming along with the plug for Nomad’s appearance in Avengers #131, reminded of how seriously Steve Englehart took continuity.
In Sgt. Fury #56, Gabe meets a disgruntled African-American singer named Carla Swain,* who, fed up with racism in the U.S., is singing for Germany. She sees the light, thanks in part to Reb Ralston (who had to learn tolerance himself: his account of the Howlers’s first mission shows him to be very racist towards Gabe), and in the 1968 Sgt. Fury Annual, Gabe introduces her at a Christmas party as his fiancee.
Fury calls her “Miss Williams.”
That’s the last we see of her, but Englehart does mention Carla in one of his last issues of Captain America, explaining that things had ended between her and Gabe.
I appreciated that. Ah, Stainless Steve, if only you would go to DC and write a story about what happened with Rex Mason between Metamorpho #17 and Brave and the Bold #101…
(After fifty-six years, I think my odds of seeing that are between slim and none. Urania Blackwell died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.)
*
Gary Friedrich, who wrote the two Carla stories, may have been under the influence of a 1967 episode of “Hogan’s Heroes” called “Is General Hammerschlag Burning?” here. Barbara McNair plays Kumasa (nee Carol Dukes), an old friend of Sgt. Kinchloe who’s also none too happy with the racial situation back in the U.S.A.
I like Frank Robbins’ writing but no, not so much his art. I agree, it will be interesting to see the discussion.
And yes, the abrupt end of Metamorpho mid-reboot left a lot hanging. As I said blogging about it at Atomic Junk Shop (https://atomicjunkshop.com/anybody-here-seen-my-old-friend-rex-can-you-tell-me-where-hes-gone/) my guess is that when Haney wasn’t invested in the reboot and went back to the previous status quo. That’s only a guess.
I very much enjoyed your consideration of the fortunes of the Element Man (it would be more alliterative to write “emoluments,” but it wouldn’t be proper English).
Thank you so much for the link about Metamorpho. I enjoyed it immensely.
In the 1930s and 1940s, there was a roman-fleuve called Men of Good Will.* Most of the critics of the time responded favorably to it, but one didn’t, Malcolm Cowley in The New Republic. He likened his reaction to a New England lady who didn’t like Great Expectations: “I’ve read that book forty times,” she said, “and I still don’t like it.”
Such is my feeling about what Neil Gaiman did with Element Girl. I can be quite boring about it, so I’ll spare you.
(Leonard Nimoy, believe it or not, covered “Abraham, Martin and John.” In National Lampoon’s “Grand Fifth Term Inaugural Issue” — President Kennedy survives Dallas and goes on to be re-elected four times** — we have a Top 40 listing, with a big hit being Dion’s “Abraham, Marilyn and Jackie.”)
Oh, yes, it’ll be interesting to read reactions to Frank Robbins, especially on the difference between the Alchemoid he introduced shambling towards the Star-Spangled Avenger on the final page of Cap #187 and Sal Buscema’s rendering of the Alchemoid who fought our hero.
*
The author is Jules Romains. It’s twenty-seven volumes long and covers the period of 1908-33.
**
I’m not sure whether Alan Moore had this in mind when he showed us Richard Nixon in his fifth term in Watchmen. Handling the 22nd Amendment or the repeal of the 22nd Amendment has always struck me as a tricky matter. The wording of the Amendment would have allowed Harry Truman to run again in 1952 if he’d so chosen, and I can’t imagine that repealing it would allow a Kennedy or a Truman to continue indefinitely in office.
My feeling is that a proper repeal would treat the President as the Alabama Constitution George Wallace created treated the Governor: the President could succeed himself and serve eight years, but after that, he’d have to wait four years before he could serve another eight.
After all,
Washington wouldn’t,
Grant couldn’t,
Roosevelt shouldn’t!
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” says Hamlet.
Thank you. In hindsight Urania’s death was an early example of the “let’s kill off a character who no longer has their own series because that’s hardcore!!!” school that would become much more common.
I didn’t know about the National Lampoon issue but that’s pretty funny. I imagine repealing the amendment would be tough in the real world — as Nixon in Watchmen apparently murdered Woodward and Bernstein to cover up Watergate who knows what he might have pulled?
Trivia note: between Metamorpho #17 and The Sandman No. 20, as far as I know, the only reference to Element Girl is in a letters column in Batman and the Outsiders. The correspondent asked whether we’d see Urania in the book, and the answer was most likely not, because she’d undercut the uniqueness of Rex.
The “Grand Fifth Term Inaugural Issue” is very funny, and contains, among other delights, a neat R. Crumb parody and a poster for the new James Bond movie, “The Spy with the Biggest Penis You Ever Saw in Your Life” (Joey Heatherton sings the song “A Real Mouthful”).
There are things in Watchmen which don’t stand much looking into (as Joseph Conrad’s Winnie Verloc in The Secret Agent might put it), such as:
Given VVN, wouldn’t Nixon have a lock on 1972? Would there have been a Watergate break-in leading to the demise of Woodward and Bernstein?
Spiro Agnew was Vice-President in 1971, yet Gerald Ford is Vice-President in 1985. Did Agnew resign as he did in real life?
How did Vietnam become the 51st State? (Wouldn’t it have been more likely for the Vietnam War to end as the Korean War did, leaving the world with two Vietnams? Remember, it was the U.N.’s attempt to reunify Korea which led to the entry of the Chinese in that war. It made more sense in the “Grand Fifth Term Inaugural Issue” for “Cuber” to become the 51st State and the District of Columbia to become the District of Bouvier.)
The historical Nixon never had a Republican House or a Republican Senate (The Republicans didn’t have both Houses until 1995, though Reagan’s coattails gave them the Senate in 1981-87.) What does Congress look like in the Watchmen world?
But what do I know? In the words of the Lampoon’s Simon & Garfunkel song, “I am a schmuck, I come from Long Island…”
Plus, it’ll soon be midnight, and all the agents will be rounding me up…
Good points all.
Roxxon Oil exec Hugh Jones…any relation to Rick? I’m thinking we could have a real “Luke, I am your father,” moment with their meeting, if there was. Oh well.
While the A story to this issue was as solid as most Englehart stories usually were, it’s the personal, character-driven moments that set this issue apart…some for the good, some for the bad. Let’s look:
It was perfectly reasonable that Namor didn’t recognize Nomad as Cap, though it was equally reasonable that he could have, considering how long he’s known the man and how long he’s stared at that chin (shades of Silver St. Cloud!) jutting out of that same kind of mask. And it’s even in keeping with Namor’s hot temper that he’d make one attempt speaking to Nomad reasonably before losing his temper and jumping in to fight. That said, you’d think by now, Namor would have learned how to control his temper and not go from zero to sixty on the murder-meter just because Nomad doesn’t know the answer to his question. It’s called “personal growth,” dude.
It’s obvious Steve is feeling a bit sensitive about his new identity, what with wanting to know why Namor didn’t ask him about the new suit (Namor’s response was pitch-perfect, however) and then later asking Namor to hold off and allow Nomad to redeem himself by fighting Krang and the Serpents alone. This response was NOT pitch-perfect. This is Krang, for Neptune’s sake! No way is Namor going to let someone else fight Krang while Namor just sits there. Same with letting Viper get away with the crown. Namor knows better than anyone how dangerous the crown is and would consider it his responsibility to chase it down and get it back.
As for the Gabe and Peggy Carter scene, did anyone ever come out and call the brain damage or dementia she was suffering by name? Her constant insistence that Cap was the same guy she knew back in ’41 and that they were still involved, not to mention all of the other reinterpretations of her current life that belief would cause that, more often than not, went unmentioned in these pages, suggests a condition that requires some sort of treatment, rather than a new boyfriend. I know mental illness was just a convenient plot point in the seventies, but it’s a shame this was never pursued, as it would have made an excellent character arc for Peggy, a character Marvel writers seldom knew what to do with.
Speaking of the Carter family and what to do with them, what’s up with Sharon? Did she really think Steve was going to walk away from the super-hero life cold turkey? A rare misfire on Englehart’s part, especially considering how good he usually was with female characters.
The guys in the green body suits at the end. Roxxon security? Not SHIELD or ordinary cops, that’s for sure. Not very bright either, since that one moron is lighting up a ciggy on an OIL rig. Steve completely over-reacted to the guy’s dismissal however. If he wants folks to treat him like Cap, he needs to put the stars and stripes back on.
A great run-down, Alan! Glad the wedding went well and I hope my fellow Floridians made it through the storms OK. My area missed both and I am extremely thankful for that. Thanks!
Yes, Englehart did not get Sharon at all. It’s disappointing as she was probably Lee and Kirby’s most capable woman character in the Silver Age.
Good point about Peggy. II’d go with “Dr. Faustus doped her and it’s wearing off” as a retcon.
I don’t think Cap and Namor knew each other at all well, prior to the retcon of the Invaders. They had a brief clash in #4, then a fight during the Avengers/Defenders war and I believe that’s it. So no more improbable than any other character not seeing who’s behind that mask (or any mask).
There was also Thomas’ earlier time-travel story from Avengers #71 which brought Cap, Namor and the original Torch together for the first time since the brief All-Winners Squad era of 1946, although they were supposedly taken from whatever they were doing in 1941 or so to 1969 to fight Black Panther, Yellowjacket, Wasp & Vision. The Timely heroes weren’t yet the Invaders but later Thomas re-represented the story, as re-drawn by Frank Robbins and from the perspective of their ret-conned status as Invaders rather than individual heroes from the same era but who didn’t work together — at least not in stories actually published in that era of 1941 – 1945. As things still stood 50 years ago, Steve Rogers and Namor hardly knew each other at all and the only previous mag of the Marvel era in which they’d ever been shown having any sort of meaningful conversation was in Avengers #117. And as far as Marvel continuity went, the “Captain America” whom Namor worked with in the All-Winners Squad was not Steve Rogers although that hadn’t yet been spelled out.
All true, fred — though in regard to Cap and Namor’s appearance together in Avengers #71, since neither they nor the Torch gave any indication in that story that they’d never met before, I’m inclined to believe that — at least as far as Steve Englehart was concerned — they’d known each other at least casually back in the WWII era, and that their lack of recognition of each other in Avengers #4 can be chalked up to Namor’s recent amnesia, plus Cap still being understandably dazed after being frozen for a couple of decades. (Of course, as you noted in your previous comment, Giant-Size Invaders #1 would make all such speculations moot, just a few months later.)
Good point about that Avengers vs. “Invaders” story, which I’d forgotten. Even before Invaders, Thomas obviously liked the idea of Timely’s Big Three working together more than they actually did in the Golden Age.
Giant-Size Avengers #1 established the All-Winners Cap was a fake though no, we got zero explanation
This was Sal’s last issue, and also Colletta’s. I thought they made a good combination. It was easy on the eye, At the time Colletta was my 3rd favourite inker, behind Palmer and Sinnott. And another nice Gil Kane cover.
I recall that the reaction in the letters pages to Sal’s leaving was akin to civilisation ending. Yet I don’t recall there being much reaction to his return in ’78….. but during his 72-74 run Sal really made Cap his. One disappointment was that Steranko made Madam Hydra/Viper one of the/ if not the, sexiest woman in comics. It was something that Sal failed to replicate.
Sal was one of those guys whose characters all looked the same with different hair and clothes. Male and female. Viper looked like Valkyrie looked like Sharon Carter looked like Black Widow and so on. Steve Rogers looked like Clint Barton looked like Hank Pym looked like Stephen Strange…he put different clothes on them and they all had different hair styles, but the faces were basically interchangeable. Sal is probably the reason Clint wore his Hawkeye mask underneath his Golden Archer mask. Without it, you’d have never been able to tell who it was.
This is not a knock against Sal. He was a wonderful penciller. His faces, however, all looked the same.
Btw…have we ever had this much anticipatory salivating about the arrival of an artist before? Half of us can’t wait to tear Frank Robbins apart and the other half can’t wait to watch us do it. It’s gonna be a fun post, Alan.
As a kid, I loved Sal’s art. Not as much as I loved Starlin’s or even big brother John’s, but it worked for my much younger self. Of course, IMO, certain inkers, such as Klaus Jansen and Ernie Chan significantly improved Sal’s art, IMO. I must admit, however, as a much older comics aficionado, much of Sal B’s art strikes as rather blah and far too repetitive and devoid of imaginative layouts such as those by Steranko, Smith, Gulacy, Adams, Starlin, Wrightson, etc. But then, Sal could whip out the pages that much faster than pretty much anyone else in the biz, aside from Kirby maybe, in large part because he didn’t fuss over details or imaginative layouts or distinct faces, etc. And as he spent more time simply doing layouts, the art got ever simpler unless he had a very good embellisher. I was appalled by some of his work I saw on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #200 in 1993. I hadn’t gotten any Spider-Man comic in years but for whatever reason I decided to check that one out. J. M. DeMatteis’ story was all right, but Sal’s art looked exactly like what Stan Lee & John Buscema portrayed as Brand Ecch art in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. It seemed like Sal had seen his sibling’s purposely bad art in that book and opted to draw in that manner rather than take inspiration from the more dynamic samples provided in the book. That would be the last issue of any Spider-Man title I bought while it was brand new in the comic shop racks. My 30-something self was becoming far more discriminating in what sequential art periodicals I purchased than was the case a decade earlier.
Hey, I’m right there with you, Fred. In my younger days, I loved the simple economy of Sal’s work, especially as inked by Vinnie. He was a machine who pumped out pages like other people pumped out their next breath. His style wasn’t terribly nuanced or dynamic, but he had talent and what he turned out was, for the most part, pleasing to look at. Unlike Don Heck, who gets a bum rap because he was no good at super-hero books or Frank Robbins (look at me get a shot in one week early!), who was just plan bad, I never dreaded seeing Sal Buscema’s name on a comic.
Is Heck’s romance art available online anywhere? As that’s supposed to be where he was best, I should check it out sometime.
Maybe I am jumping the gun, but for those interested in some Robbins pre Marvel art, see this link
https://13thdimension.com/frank-robbins-johnny-hazard-an-80th-anniversary-salute-in-13-strips/
I was really surprised that Marvel only used Robbins as a penciller, and not as a writer. I thought the stories he wrote for both Batman and Batgirl were strong.
For Heck, check out this link:
13 COVERS: A DON HECK Birthday Celebration | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture
Not romance though!
I have really good memories of Sal’s art from the early 70s, in particular Avengers #71 and Subby #39.He did some really good covers too, particularly when he inked himself…Avengers #89, Avengers Annual #3, DD# 69 and #77. Iron Man # 33. And Sal was a strong inker. However by the later 70s the work became a turn-off to me….Marvel Team-Up Annual#1 anyone? But we still have a year of good Sal art, on the Avengers, the Defenders, even some Marvel Team-up and Spotlight (Son of Satan).
Alan, you are based in Florida, correct? Hope all is well for you and your family and you were not affected by the Hurricane. It was probably fortuitous that the wedding was last week.
I’m actually in Memphis, TN, Spirit, though I appreciate the well-wishes! At least a couple of your fellow commenters are Floridans, however, and I’m glad to read from their remarks here that both frednotfaith2 and DontheArtist came through Milton unscathed.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★…8101stars