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Ramona Fradon pencilled this ish (inked by Joe Sinnott) and it's a fairly nice job, though there are a few areas that appear odd to my eyes, especially when it comes to the size of characters in relation to one another. However, it's a minor quibble, and overall she does a very creditable job on characters that she'd never drawn before (as far as I'm aware). I can't remember how long I kept this comic, might've been months, could've been shorter than that, but I eventually acquired the tale again when it was reprinted (in b&w with grey tones) in The Complete Fantastic Four #1 in September of 1977.
I eventually saw it in colour again when it was reprinted in a volume of Marvel Masterworks, but today I took possession of a replacement for the actual mag itself, after a distance of 49 years since first buying my original copy. As is usual for me, it was like stepping into the past for a while, and I'm glad to have it again in my collection. After all, nothing beats owning the original, does it? Anyway, in celebration of its return, I've decided to share a few pages with you, so feel free to record your appreciation (along with your own personal reminiscences) in our ever-lovin' comments section.
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I always liked Thundra and especially how she was linked to the Femizons from the debut issue of Savage Tales. I first got to read that black and white gem by Lee and Romita when it showed up in Firesides The Superhero Women. I used to concoct alternative teams in head (different sets of Avengers and Defenders and such) and Thundra was often made the cut.
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Yes, this issue was reprinted in The Complete FF No.1 which is where I first read it only three weeks after starting secondary school. I vividly remember the "Thundra At Dawn" splash page but I'd completely forgotten the rest of the story - my main memory of Complete FF #1 is reading the FF's origin by Lee & Kirby at the back. In 1977 FF #1 from 1961 seemed like something from the dawn of history even though it was only 16 years previously, the same distance we are now from 2006.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where I first saw her, RJ - may have been this issue or an earlier FF one. She'd certainly be in any team I could think of when it comes to comicbook cuties.
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And it was only 5 years on from the reprint of their origin in MWOM #1, CJ, which was only 11 years on from FF #1. What's the old saying again? Tempus Fugit.
Thundra had a great costume-- designed by Perez I think-- but somehow she never quite developed as a character over the years. She was too kind-hearted to be a good villain but not altruistic enough to be a good hero.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of the last time I saw her in a comic, GP; I think it was an issue or two of The Thing's own mag back around the mid-'80s. Hasn't really been used to best effect, has she?
ReplyDeleteGreat job by Ms Fradon, but I suspect she was either working over breakdowns, or had some work redrawn after - the crowd in the foreground on that page 19 is pure John Buscema.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm guessing Thundra's costume design was also Buscema's - it was well before Perez's time.
That's more than likely as a result of Joe Sinnott's inks, BS. As for her costume design, that's likely down to whoever first drew her in an earlier issue, which was probably Buscema, but my Masterworks volumes aren't at hand to check.
ReplyDeleteImagine if it had been the FF and not Spidey that had spun out of MWOM into their own mag. A full length FF with The Human Torch as the initial back up strip, then the Silver Surfer and The Inhumans later on. The Complete Fantastic Four but in 1973. Meanwhile over in MWOM, the Thor strips commence - so Spidey, Thor and the Hulk all together in one mag.
ReplyDeleteThat could've worked, CN, though personally I think I'd have preferred MWOM to have stayed the same as it was, with Spidey, Hulk, and FF. Then a second mag could've starred The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and Silver Surfer, with a third mag featuring Daredevil, Thor, and Iron Man. Sky's the limit I suppose.
ReplyDeleteSpider-Man was Marvel UK's most successful comic, lasting (under various names) until 1985 so I suppose they made the right decision. The Complete FF only lasted for 37 issues so who says a 1973 version would have been any more successful?
ReplyDeleteThe only problem with "Thundra At Dawn" being the story in Complete FF No.1 is that we didn't get that terrific cover. I was unaware of the original cover until the internet came along!
That's why I said I'd have preferred for MWOM to stay as it was, CJ, with Spidey, FF, and Hulk. Spidey was obviously the most popular character to UK readers of Marvel mags, so if he'd stayed in MWOM, it could well have been that comic that lasted until 1985.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the cover to FF #133, although I remember it, it was the splash page that made a bigger impression on my memory - perhaps because of being reinforced by appearing in CFF #1. When I saw the cover to #133 reprinted in an FF Masterworks volume, I remembered it, but it wasn't my overriding memory of the issue.
It's good to have an original copy again though; it made the years melt away for a spell.