JANUARY 1971 AT MARVEL

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero blog post will be in the style of the look at all of Marvel’s January 1970 publications. That post was popular enough to inspire this one.

AVENGERS Vol 1 #84 (January 1971)

Title: The Sword and the Sorceress

Avengers Roster: Thor (Donald Blake MD), the Scarlet Witch (Wanda), the 2nd Goliath (Clint Barton), Black Panther (King T’Challa), Quicksilver (Pietro), the Black Knight (Dane Whitman) and the Vision (not applicable)

Villains: The Enchantress and Arkon

Synopsis: The Black Knight, fearful that his sentient sword the Ebony Blade is infecting him with its bloodlust, uses the mystic brazier at Garrett Castle to find a way of destroying the weapon. This endeavor leads him to Polemachus, the parallel Earth ruled by the Avengers’ old foe Arkon. 

While searching for the Well at the Center of Time, the only safe place to hide the Ebony Blade, the Black Knight is captured by Arkon and his new consort – the Enchantress, another old foe of the Avengers.

NOTE: The Enchantress actually wound up transported to Polemachus when she seemed to be destroyed during her most recent clash with the Avengers, in which she pitted the team of heroes against Ultron-5’s version of the Masters of Evil. 

The Enchantress mystically sends a dream about the Black Knight’s capture to the Scarlet Witch, whom the villainess blames for thwarting her plans in the previous issue. Next, the sorceress teleports Avengers Mansion to Polemachus so that she and Arkon can kill their mutual enemies.

After a lengthy battle with the two villains, our heroes win out over Arkon and the Enchantress and return Avengers Mansion to Earth.

HULK Vol 1 #135 (January 1971)

Title: Descent into the Time-Storm

Villain: Kang the Conqueror

Synopsis: The Avengers’ recurring foe Kang the Conqueror embarks on an attempt to prevent the Avengers from ever coming into being. Kang designates the Hulk as his first victim and goes back in time to World War One to kill off Bruce Banner’s grandfather who served in that war.

A time-storm surrounds the WW I era due to the confluence of events that stem from those years and Kang’s time machine is not able to penetrate that storm. For supreme irony, he abducts the Hulk and uses him in the plan to break through the time-storm and kill off Bruce Banner’s grandfather.

Marvel Comics’ World War One hero the Phantom Eagle gets caught up in the adventure and prevents Bruce Banner’s ancestor from being killed. The Hulk winds up sent back to 1971 by the time-storm, ending Kang’s latest plan.

SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #92 (January 1971)

Title: When Iceman Attacks

Villain: Sam Bullitt

NOTE: This story is set during the aftermath of Captain George Stacy’s death caused by Dr. Octopus but mistakenly blamed on Spider-Man. The authorities have been turning New York City upside-down in an attempt to capture or kill our hero for supposedly killing the former police captain, Gwen Stacy’s father.

Synopsis: Amid the citywide hysteria to bring in Spider-Man, the X-Men member Iceman gets recruited by D.A. candidate Sam Bullitt to capture the webslinger. Bullitt is corrupt to the core, but has been blasting his opponent – incumbent District Attorney Foggy Nelson – for being soft on the super-powered figures who lurk in New York City.

While Spider-Man battles Iceman a few times, his alter ego Peter Parker is being leaned on by Sam Bullitt and his backers to cooperate in arresting his “source” Spider-Man. (This was when Peter was claiming Spider-Man tipped him off when he was about to go into action. He did this to explain why he happened to get so many photos of the hero.)

When Bullitt and his goons physically rough up Peter Parker to try intimidating him, Peter lets J. Jonah Jameson know about it. Freedom of the press concerns prompt Jameson to abandon his support of Bullitt and endorse Foggy Nelson for reelection. The Daily Bugle also runs City Editor Robbie Robertson’s exposes of Bullitt’s corruption.

Spider-Man and Iceman wind up on the same side to save Robbie from being killed by Sam Bullitt, then take down Bullitt and his secret organized crime allies.

CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol 1 #133 (January 1971)

Title: Madness in the Slums

Villains:  M.O.D.O.K., Bulldozer and A.I.M.

Synopsis: M.O.D.O.K. devises a new plan to destroy his old foe Captain America. While ordering his A.I.M. technicians to complete a three-story tall clay humanoid/ android he recalls his origin.

Long ago, the scientists of A.I.M. forced one of their own agents to undergo a 24-hour treatment in a Transformation Tank. The chemicals and other elements swelled his head, shortened his limbs and granted him psionic abilities like brain-blasts and more.

Appalled at his new, horrific form, M.O.D.O.K. refused to go along with A.I.M.’s plan to use him as a weapon toward world conquest. Instead, he savagely killed his way to the top of the organization and has commanded A.I.M.’s intimidated agents and technicians ever since.

When the giant claydroid called Bulldozer is completed, M.O.D.O.K. animates it with his own mind powers and makes it go forth to lure out Captain America by going on a rampage. Bulldozer runs amok in Harlem, where Cap has sought out his latest trainee hero the Falcon.

After working together against a few villains in recent months, Cap asks the Falcon to be his new partner. The pair even share their secret identities with each other.

Before Falc can give his answer, Bulldozer’s rampage distracts our heroes and they rush into the streets to fight the clay behemoth.

NOTE: I have no idea why Bulldozer’s body has those odd symbols all over it. Maybe it was originally going to be a Golem-like character but after it was drawn, a decision was made to make it a scientific rather than supernatural creation.

While Cap and Falc try to contain Bulldozer, Cap has Tony Stark devise a way of blocking M.O.D.O.K.’s brainwaves from controlling the claydroid. That invention works, and with Bulldozer disabled, Cap and Falc battle M.O.D.O.K. together.

In the end, Bulldozer intrudes on the battle, and, uncontrollable now, brings down an entire building on itself and M.O.D.O.K. seemingly killing the villain. In the aftermath, the Falcon accepts the offer to become Captain America’s new partner.

Beginning with the very next issue the series is renamed Captain America and the Falcon for several years. And yes, M.O.D.O.K. turns up alive down the road.

IRON MAN Vol 1 #33 (January 1971)

Title: Their Mission: Destroy Stark Industries

Villain: Spymaster (first ever appearance)

Synopsis: A new armored villain called Spymaster and his five hirelings, the Espionage Elite, enact a multi-step plan against Tony Stark and Stark Industries. While the villains complete stage one of their plan, Tony Stark spends the night tossing and turning over his continued mourning for his fiancee Janice Cord.

NOTE: Yes, years before Gwen Stacy was killed off over at Spider-Man’s series, Tony Stark’s beloved Janice Cord got killed in the crossfire of a battle among Iron Man, the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man in issue #22. Iron Man and the Crimson Dynamo spent years blaming each other for the death of Janice, whom they were both in love with.

To console himself, Tony reminds himself how – as Iron Man – he recently saved Japan from being conquered by Communist China in league with the supervillain Monster Master.

Throughout the next day and night, Spymaster and his agents cause multiple incidents of sabotage at Stark Industries to keep Iron Man busy. When Tony Stark meets with Nick Fury, who says he knows who is behind it all, Fury turns out to be one of the Espionage Elite in disguise. Tony is abducted for the cliffhanger ending.

FANTASTIC FOUR Vol 1 #106 (January 1971)

Title: The Monster’s Secret

Villain: Rambow 

Synopsis: The Fantastic Four’s battle with the energy monster rampaging through New York City continues from last issue.

Eventually, scientist Philip Rambow admits that the monster is really his son Larry, transformed by an experiment that Philip was running.

Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) comes up with a way of turning Larry back to normal, thus ending all the destruction.

DAREDEVIL Vol 1 #72 (January 1971)

Title: The Lord of the Leopards

Villains: Tagak and Quothar

Synopsis: Matt Murdock continues supporting his old friend Foggy Nelson in his campaign for reelection as District Attorney despite the actions of various supervillains to defeat the crusading Nelson.

Sightings of a costumed figure calling himself Tagak, accompanied by his trained leopard, prompt Matt to become Daredevil and investigate. After initially clashing with Tagak, who has even quicker reflexes and greater agility than our hero, Daredevil and the Leopard Lord arrive at an understanding.

Tagak and his leopard Opar come from a parallel dimension. Tagak is a superhero in that world and he was pursuing Quothar – a thief from their home dimension.

Quothar escaped Tagak by entering our world by way of a mystical mirror on display in a New York museum. Daredevil, Tagak and Opar work together to capture Quothar and recover the holy relic he stole from the other dimension.

New York City police arrive during the battle and, believing Opar to be a feral leopard escaped from a zoo, shoot the animal to death. Tagak reveals to Daredevil that he himself is also blind, but his powers enable him to “see” through the eyes of his totem animals – leopards.

The blinded Tagak returns via the mystical mirror to his home dimension with the bound Quothar in custody. He will need to bond with another leopard to regain his sight and resume fighting crime.

NOTE: Despite Tagak’s potential he did not make another appearance until 1978 during the Defender for a Day three-parter in Defenders #62-64.

The character has not made even one appearance since then.

AMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 #4 (January 1971)

NOTE: This book featured two series – one for the Inhumans and one for the Black Widow.

Inhumans Title: With These Rings I Thee Kill

Villain: The Mandarin

Synopsis: Continuing the story from the previous issue, the Inhuman Royal Family (Black Bolt, Medusa, Triton, Karnak and Gorgon) clash with Iron Man’s archenemy the Mandarin. He has succeeded in adding the power of the Eye of Yin to that of his ten Rings of Power.

After a lengthy battle, the Inhumans defeat the Mandarin and bury his rings far underground in a concrete-covered vault. In the near future, the villain will manage to recover the rings and once again try to kill Iron Man.

Black Widow Title: Deadlock

Villain: The Don

Synopsis: Continuing the story from the previous issue, the Black Widow battles the gangsters sent to her penthouse apartment to stop her from intervening in the armed standoff between the NYPD and a group of charity workers demanding a building from which to run a free food program.

NOTE: This was back when the Black Widow’s origin and background was tied to the Cold War Era and earlier. Natasha Romanov, though secretly a spy for the Soviet Union, dwelt under deep cover among wealthy White Russians (anti-communist Russians who had lost to the Red Russians during the Russian Civil War and had since been expatriates living in other countries … along with their wealth).

        The Black Widow had since defected to the U.S. after fighting Iron Man a few times, but Natasha still had her lavish inheritance back then. In this issue she even makes reference to a clock that was a gift to her grandmother from the Czar. (The clock was broken during the battle.)

Back to the story, the Black Widow defeats all five gangsters AND their masked boss, the Don, who turns out to be corrupt politician Anthony Scarola. Next, the Widow has her chauffer Ivan drive her to the site of the standoff between the cops and the charity group.

Natasha prevents any violence, negotiates a settlement involving no arrests, and buys a building for the charity group to use as their free meal establishment for the poor.

THOR Vol 1 #184 (January 1971)

Title: The World Beyond

Villains: The Silent One and Infinity

Synopsis: Thor arrives in Asgard, where Odin informs him that a location called the World Beyond is expanding like a cancer in the heart of creation. Odin sent Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg into that world to investigate but they have disappeared.

The Silent One, an emissary from the World Beyond, wants Odin to accompany him into that world for an unknown purpose. Thor tries to force the Silent One to reveal what is going on, but the unspeaking entity cannot be forced, and Thor abandons the battle.

Next, Thor volunteers to go with the Silent One in Odin’s stead, but his father says no and orders Thor to remain in Asgard to protect the realm from any menaces who may try to attack in Odin’s absence. True to form, Loki escapes from the realm to which he was most recently exiled once he senses that Odin can no longer monitor him.

Loki then rallies an army of Storm Giants and leads them in an attack on Asgard. Thor, Sif and Balder lead the defensive effort against them, driving away Loki and his army. Odin communicates with Thor and the others from inside the World Beyond, stating that Infinity, the evil counterpart of the benevolent being Eternity, is behind the way the World Beyond will soon engulf all of existence.

Odin is defeated by Infinity, ending the transmission, and Thor resolves to enter the World Beyond to confront Infinity in the cliffhanger ending. In the next few issues, he naturally saves all creation from this incredible menace.

SUB-MARINER Vol 1 #33 (January 1971)

Title: Come the Cataclysm

Villains: Lord Byrrah, Warlord Krang and Dr. Dorcas

NOTE: This issue combines the old and the new regarding the Sub-Mariner. He and his true love Lady Dorma were both introduced back in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939 when the company was known as Timely Comics. The villainous Lord Byrrah first clashed with Sub-Mariner in Sub-Mariner Comics #35 in May of 1954 when the company was known as Atlas Comics.

        Warlord Krang and Dr. Dorcas (lower right) became part of Sub-Mariner’s Rogues Gallery of foes in the 1960s, when the company was finally operating under the name Marvel Comics.

Synopsis: Prince Namor at last returns to Atlantis following his adventures in the Pacific Ocean’s subaquatic kingdom of Lemuria. In his absence, a massive seaquake has caused incredible destruction in Atlantis.

Even worse, during Sub-Mariner’s absence, his old foe Lord Byrrah, the brother of his late mother Princess Fen, has returned from exile to help the Atlanteans recover from the disaster and begin rebuilding. As Fen’s brother, Byrrah has claimed Namor’s throne, with the acceptance of the aristocracy since Byrrah was there to help them while Sub-Mariner was off adventuring.

Our hero suspects something is up and demands time to prove this is all part of a plot. He is given 24 hours, and in that time Sub-Mariner flushes out two of his other recurring villains, Warlord Krang and Dr. Dorcas.

Namor defeats the pair and takes them to Atlantis, where they testify that they conspired with Byrrah to follow up Dorcas’ infliction of a seaquake on the kingdom by pretending to come forth as Atlantis’ savior. Byrrah is again exiled.

As Namor again becomes King of Atlantis, he stuns everyone by at long last proposing marriage to Lady Dorma (above right) and she accepts. (Hey, why not, after their 32-year whirlwind romance?)

NOTE: Soon, in Sub-Mariner #37, Lady Dorma gets killed by the supervillainess Llyra of Lemuria, making her another longtime Marvel love interest to be killed off before Gwen Stacy was.

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