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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
After CAPTAIN MARVEL #1, the next issue I remember buying was #25. I probably bought it because I recognized the style of art from the early covers of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL, not to mention the 'Marvel' part of the masthead, which had been pressed into service for the selfsame publication. I used to have a 'Fortress of Solitude', a 'hideout', under the stairs of an office building in the local town centre, to which I sometimes repaired to read my newly-bought comics by torchlight 'cos I couldn't wait 'til I got home. This ish was one among many that I yet associate with the place to this day.
I say 'Fortress of Solitude', but that was usually only when I was 'dogging' (no, not what you're thinking) school, which was normally a solitary pursuit. However, on weekends I'd sometimes take some pals with me, and it was a thrill to sneak into 'my' hideout and while away some time, reading comics, drinking bottles of ginger, eating sweets and feeling like WILLIAM BROWN's OUTLAWS. Ah, happy days! Wish I could have those glorious times back again.
Got your own memories of this particular issue you'd care to share with your fellow Crivvies? The comments section awaits!
I remember really liking Starlin's Captain Marvel . I think it was all reprinted in mighty world of Marvel. Because I remember reading it in black and white. Years later it was confirmed that Starlin was completely stoned out of his mind when he wrote it. I still consider this 70s run the definitive Mar-vell run and would definitely pick it up in reprints. I also liked Drax the destroyer. Great name, awesome costume and reason for existing. I'm not keen in his new look. I liked the homage to the golden age character.
ReplyDeleteThere was a collected edition a few years back, Phil, called 'The Life Of Captain Marvel', which reprinted a lot of these issues. Might be worth looking for on eBay.
ReplyDeleteCool. This was one of the first Marvel comics I bought......not sure why because I was on familiar with the Hulk. It was pretty exciting, but I didn't read any more of the series until the late 70's.
ReplyDeleteGlad to revive your happy memories, G. These stories may well be reprinted in a volume of the current Marvel partworks series which has just been reissued. Might be worth looking into.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realised it was Chic Stone doing the inks on this issue. Chic Stone inking Kirby = blah. Chic Stone inking Starlin = not too shabby at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Captain Marvel fan from the get-go. I prefer the sci-fi green and white Captain, but followed him as he morphed slowly but surely into the cosmically aware Jim Starlin superhero. Marvel wanted (still does) to keep the "Captain Marvel" name out there, so despite lackluster sales they kept trying to reignite the series with several revivals. Gil Kane and Wayne Boring were two artists who gave Cap some juice, but it must be said that Starlin brought his Titanian epic to Mar-Vell's pages and didn't look back. This issue is fun because you can see Starlin evoking that Gil Kane essence throughout, before he brought his own mature style to the fore.
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Stone did all right with this issue, but I always preferred Sinnott inking Starlin, BS. Probably because of the Kirby connection.
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As you'll know, Rip, this version of Captain Marvel was 'based on' Fawcett's CM, which is why Rick Jones swaps places with Mar-Vell in the Negative Zone. This, essentially, mirrored Billy Batson turning into The Big Red Cheese. I was never quite sure if CM was a grown-up Billy, or a separate character altogether.
Captain Marvel, does his costume seem a bit like the old Captain Atom one to you? Cos it's looking that way to me. Being naive, when I read of the exploits of Marvel's CM, I was a bit confused, wondering why he was really a kid called Billy. I also thought he should get his girl locks cut
ReplyDeleteWithout looking it up for a direct comparison, there does seem (in my mind's eye) to be a similarity between them, now that you mention it, DSE. (You mean Fawcett's [later DC']) CM, surely?)
ReplyDeleteI have a strange(ish) memory of picking this issue up (my first Capt Marvel comic) in a newsagents in Rutherglen ( Glasgow end of the town) after school. I remember for some reason that around the age of 13 / 14 I got embarrassed at buying comics thinking I was way too young to read them and folk would think that strange. So on seeing this issue of Capt Marvel that I immediately wanted , for some reason I didn’t buy it but instead of getting a newspaper or a music paper etc I picked up another comic, in this case it was Sgt Fury issue 110 (thinking for some unknown reason to me that a war comic was more "mature"?!! ). Sgt Fury was a really well drawn comic (John Severin art is always good to me) but I really regretted not buying Captain Marvel (which I bought the next day). I can still see those comics in my mind’s eye on the counter of that newsagents and from that date onwards I was always a bit coy about buying my comics until the specialist shops were set up.
ReplyDeleteYou've confused me (not hard to do, admittedly), McS - too young to read comics? You mean too old, surely? (Don't call me Shirley.) So you were a closet comic reader, eh? Isn't it amazing how some comics can whisk you right back to the moment you first saw them, whether you actually bought them or not? It's a great sensation.
ReplyDeleteGawd sorry Kid I did indeed mean "I thought I was OLD to read comics..." - yeah both Cap Marvel 25 and Sgt Fury 110 take me right back to Rutherglen as a 13/14 year old - not all comics do that but a few do and its pretty cool to re visit those times even for a nano second.
ReplyDeleteI tend to revisit for a little longer than that, McS - as this blog testifies.
ReplyDeleteThere was an artist called Wayne Boring ??
ReplyDeleteOnly one of the most significant Superman artists of the '50s and '60s, CJ. You mean you've never heard of him? More people will find that far stranger than Wayne Boring's name.
ReplyDeleteHave to admit I do find the gaps in Mr Jones's knowledge intriguing.
ReplyDeleteCJ isn't a DC fan, BS, but even then, it's curious that he seems never to have heard of Wayne Boring. Are you reading this, CJ? We're going to have to start giving you homework.
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't know who Curt Swan was there is no hope.
DeleteDon't let me down, CJ. Say you know who Curt Swan is - even if you don't.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kid - I have heard of Curt Swan - honestly. But I've never seen any of his work...as you said, I was never a DC fan.
ReplyDeleteOf course you've seen his work, CJ - I've featured it on the blog a few times.
ReplyDeleteI think we know a topic for the near future now....
ReplyDeleteDunno about NEAR future, Phil, but no doubt Curt Swan will pop up on the blog again at some stage.
ReplyDeleteAh - then I have seen his work, Kid...in fact, it was probably your blog where I first heard of him. Just a thought - was Mr. Boring one of the Mr. Men ?
ReplyDeleteOnly until his sex change - but that was a different Mr. Boring, not the Superman one.
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