Tag Archives: book reviews

This weekend’s escapist and light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will look at all of the Marvel Comics published in May 1966 except for reprints.

SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #36 (May 1966)

Title: When Falls the Meteor

Villain: Meteor Man

Synopsis: A meteor comes crashing down in upstate New York and is retrieved by unscrupulous scientist Norton Fester. He discovers microscopic organisms inside the meteorite and those organisms grant him incredible strength.

Fester dons a costume and begins robbing banks on a daily basis as Meteor Man. Meanwhile, Peter Parker is continuing his classes at Empire State University where his interest in science over dating intrigues fellow student Gwen Stacy.

She makes a point of showing up at an astro-science exhibit that Peter is visiting and is exasperated once again as the fragments of meteorites and other displays capture Peter’s attention instead of her blonde hotness. (Save your own life and just walk away, Gwen!)

The villainous Meteor Man, however, has noted that his personal meteorite no longer shows signs of microorganisms or unearthly gases. Worried that this means his powers may wear off some day he goes to the Empire State exhibit to steal some of the meteor fragments hoping they contain more. Continue reading →

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at Marvel’s superteams of the 1960s and 1970s.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Debuted: January 1969

Comment: Yondu, Vance Astro, Charlie-27 and Martinex originally fought the alien race called the Badoon. Those alien invaders conquered 31st Century Earth and killed all but around 54 million humans to use as slave labor. 

Over the years, the Guardians’ adventures came to involve time travel as superheroes from 20th Century Earth visited them in the future, like Captain America, the Thing, Sharon Carter, the Defenders and Thor. Eventually the G of the G moved to the 20th Century to fight their fugitive 31st Century foe Korvac alongside the Avengers.

Throughout it all, new Guardians members came along, like the woman Tarin, who ultimately became the President of Post-Liberation Earth of the future. Others were Starhawk, whose origin was later retconned to fit Starlord instead, and the woman Nikki, sole survivor of Earth’s Mercury colony in the 31st Century. Click HERE.

THE DEFENDERS

Debuted: December 1971

Comment: Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner and the Hulk banded together to save the world from the menace of the Omegatron, which wielded both science AND sorcery. Back in 1971 Marvel’s only other superteams were the Fantastic Four, Avengers, X-Men and the Inhumans so Dr. Strange and other heroes periodically joined forces to combat threats to the Earth, the universe or the multiverse.

At first Marvel pushed the notion that the Defenders were a “non-team” that had no headquarters, held no meetings and kept the group’s existence a secret from the world at large. Additional heroes came and went, like the Silver Surfer, Clea, Valkyrie, Namorita, Hawkeye, Nighthawk, Power Man, Son of Satan, Daredevil and many, many more. Continue reading →