Tag Archives: Marvel Comics

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will look at a short-lived VILLAIN series.

GIANT-SIZE SUPERVILLAIN TEAM-UP Vol 1 #1 (March 1975)

Title: Encounter at Land’s End

NOTE: Marvel’s Giant-Size comics in the 1970s were an experiment in quarterly publications which would offer a slightly lengthier new story with the rest of each issue filled up with reprinted stories from years or decades earlier. None of these “giant-sized” series even made it to their 9th issue.

Villains: Dr. Doom, Sub-Mariner and Diablo

Synopsis: Dr. Doom’s armored body lands in the Atlantic Ocean following his most recent clash with the Fantastic Four, which ended with him seemingly being killed. Instead, he survived but was knocked unconscious and fell back to the Earth below.

Sub-Mariner, aka Namor, the monarch of Atlantis, caught sight of the falling object while piloting his Atlantean submarine which can also serve as an aircraft. Sub-Mariner rescues Doom, whose armor protected him from re-entry, and the two contemplate an alliance even though their few previous attempts ended with the pair falling-out. Continue reading →

For this weekend’s escapist and lighthearted superhero post I will take a look at Marvel’s January issues from 1969. 

X-MEN Vol 1 #52 (January 1969)

Title: Twilight of the Mutants

X-Men Roster: Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Marvel Girl, Angel, Polaris

Villains: Magneto, Mesmero, and the Demi-Men

NOTE: This is the fourth and final part of the storyline which saw the X-Men get drawn back together after they disbanded following the first of Professor X’s many false “deaths.” Polaris (Lorna Dane) joins the team.

Synopsis: The recently arrived evil mutant called Erik the Red says he has come to Magneto’s subterranean lair out west to join his forces. Erik demonstrates his powers against the Demi-Men, Magneto’s latest team of mutants intent on conquering humanity.

Polaris, who has joined Magneto’s team under the impression that she is his daughter, learns the truth about his villainous intentions from conversations among Mesmero, Magneto and Erik the Red. While Mesmero plots against Erik, and Magneto assigns Polaris to keep an eye on both figures for him, Marvel Girl, Angel and the Beast slip back into Magneto’s headquarters. Continue reading →

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at the Marvel publications from January of 1974, excluding reprints.

THE AVENGERS Vol 1 #119 (January 1974) 

Title: Night of the Collector 

Avengers’ Roster: THOR (Donald Blake, MD), IRON MAN (Tony Stark), CAPTAIN AMERICA (Steve Rogers), THE SCARLET WITCH (Wanda), THE BLACK PANTHER (King T’Challa), THE VISION (Not applicable), THE SWORDSMAN (Jacques Duquesne) and MANTIS (Full name unknown at the time).

Villain: The Collector

Synopsis: The Avengers arrive back in New York after the previous issue’s final chapter of the Avengers-Defenders crossover story in which Dormammu and Loki teamed up to threaten the entire universe via the Evil Eye of Avalon. The eight Avengers – accompanied by Loki, who has been rendered helpless and insane from what happened in the Dark Dimension – return to Avengers Mansion. 

NOTE: I previously covered the entire multi-part Avengers vs the Defenders war instigated by Loki and Dormammu HERE and HERE if you’re curious about what happened to Loki.

The crazed, uncomprehending Loki is kept in custody at Avengers Mansion because this is set during a period when Odin had forbidden him to return to Asgard under any circumstances. Time passes, and at one point the Black Panther pursues with Mantis his wish to learn some of her other-worldly martial arts. T’Challa first got the idea when he saw how well Mantis fought Dr. Strange during the Avengers/ Defenders War.  Continue reading →

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at the Marvel publications from January of 1973, excluding reprints.

DAREDEVIL AND THE BLACK WIDOW Vol 1 #95 (January 1973)

Title: Bullfight on the Bay

Villain: The Man-Bull

Synopsis: Matt Murdock has relocated his law practice to San Francisco in order to move in with his new lady, the wealthy Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow. Matt’s alter ego Daredevil has also made San Francisco his new home, but because this is just a comic book nobody makes the connection that Matt is Daredevil … even though DD has become the Black Widow’s crimefighting partner.

Back in New York, Daredevil’s old foe the Man-Bull has his gang break him out of prison so he can go to San Francisco and kill Daredevil. The unsuspecting Matt Murdock is settling in at Broderick & Sloan, his new law firm.

When the Man-Bull begins rampaging through Frisco in order to flush out our hero, the Black Widow and Daredevil swing into action against him. Eventually the villain renders Daredevil unconscious, leaving the Black Widow alone against him for the cliffhanger ending. Continue reading →

This weekend’s escapist, lighthearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at all the Marvel Comics publications for January of 1972, excluding reprints.

SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #104 (January 1972)

Title: The Beauty and the Brute

Villains: Kraven the Hunter and Gog

Synopsis: This issue picks up from the previous issue’s cliffhanger ending – Spider-Man is sinking in quicksand in the hidden Antarctic realm called the Savage Land.

NOTE: Introduced in X-Men #10, the Savage Land was a “lost world” in Antarctica. Geothermal heat kept the place a tropical rainforest year-round, and the Savage Land was home to countless species of dinosaurs, primitive humans and monstrous creatures. The U.N. looked after the Savage Land to preserve it.

        Vibranium was plentiful in the Savage Land and it was depicted there even before its presence was mentioned in Wakanda.

Back to the story, Spider-Man is saved from the quicksand by the timely arrival of Ka-Zar, the blonde Tarzan-like hero of the Savage Land, and his sabretooth tiger companion Zabu. Soon, Spider-Man, Ka-Zar and Zabu are attacked by Kraven the Hunter and his enormous creature Gog. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

For this weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero blog post let’s do something different. Here’s a brief look at all the Marvel Comics publications from January of 1970. Reprints excluded.

AVENGERS Vol 1 #72 (January 1970)

Title: Did You Hear the One About Scorpio?

Avengers Roster: The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Goliath (Clint Barton), Yellowjacket (Hank Pym, PhD), the Vision (not applicable) and Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell, Kree Captain)

Villains: Zodiac (first appearance)

Synopsis: At Avengers Mansion, Captain America reconciles with Rick Jones, explaining that it was really the Red Skull and not him who savagely beat Rick when he was serving as the new Bucky. NOTE: The Red Skull had used the Tesseract/ Cosmic Cube to transfer his mind into Cap’s body and vice versa.

During a briefing from S.H.I.E.L.D. the Avengers are informed that three high New York officials have been abducted by a costumed supervillain called Scorpio, a recurring foe of S.H.I.E.L.D. back then. Scorpio was really Nick Fury’s evil brother Jake Fury.

This leads to the Avengers learning that Scorpio is not alone – he is a member of a global, astrology-oriented team of supervillains called Zodiac. Each member rules their own crime empire in various locations around the world.

Our heroes clash with Zodiac, whose members wield powers based on their zodiacal signs. The Avengers thwart the villains’ plan to seize the capital cities of a dozen nations as part of a plan to take over the world.

Zodiac is defeated in battle, but they escape to face the Avengers multiple times in the future. NOTE: The Zodiac member Libra will be revealed as Mantis’ father in Avengers #122 (April 1974). Continue reading →