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
MARVEL PREMIERE Vol 1 #20 (January 1975)
THE AVENGERS Vol 1 #119 (January 1974)
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
DAREDEVIL AND THE BLACK WIDOW Vol 1 #95 (January 1973)
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.
SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #104 (January 1972)
Back to the story, Spider-Man is saved from the quicksand by the timely arrival of
AVENGERS Vol 1 #84 (January 1971)
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 –
AVENGERS Vol 1 #72 (January 1970)
This leads to the Avengers learning that Scorpio is not alone – he is a member of
POWER MAN Vol 1 #21 (October 1974)
The hurt and angry Power Man returns to his Hero for Hire office above the Gem Theater. Luke gets attacked there by the original Power Man, a former operative of Baron Zemo who was given his super-strength by the Avengers foe the Enchantress.
FANTASTIC FOUR Vol 1 #129 (December 1972)
Crystal, Johnny Storm’s longtime girlfriend and former member of the Fantastic Four, was forced to move back to the Inhumans’ hidden city of Attilan due to her body’s negative reaction to air pollution in the human world.
SKULL THE SLAYER Vol 1 #1 (August 1975)
It is not truly the Earth of millions of years ago, because it is anachronistically populated by dinosaurs and primates that were never alive during the same time periods. The only survivors of the plane crash are Scully, a young Native American man named Jeff Turner, an African American physician named Raymond Corey, and Corey’s young research assistant Ann Reynolds.