My 10 Favourite Moments from Star Wars #51-52

With that new Star Wars thing happening, I've consciously blogged a little about the franchise - about how I first saw the prequels and a six-part series about Roy Thomas & Jaxxon in the Marvel Star Wars comics (part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).

One more blog post idea came to me: why not list my 10 favourite moments from the Marvel Star Wars comic? The problem was, so many of those moments came from the two-part "Tarkin" story in issues #51-52, as written by David Michelinie and drawn by Walter Simonson. The obvious solution? My Top 10 Favourite Moments from Star Wars #51-52!

#1: A Walk to the Airlock

David Michelinie took over Marvel's Star Wars from Archie Goodwin shortly after The Empire Strikes Back. He seemed eager to incorporate ideas from that film into the Marvel series and among these was the constant abuse Darth Vader inflicted on his Imperial officers. In this sequence, a disappointed Vader orders his subordinate to take a walk - out the nearest airlock. It's darkly humourous, as the sequences in Empire had been.

#2: Lando the Loathed

One of Michelinie's challenges would be adding Lando Calrissian to the series. Michelinie didn't get to write Han Solo and was instead stuck with the guy who betrayed him - a betrayal felt by many of the children who watched the film to judge from anecdotes shared by Lando's actor (Billy Dee Williams). Michelinie put that into play in the series: Lando would have to earn the trust of the other characters and that was one of the subplots in #51-52.

#3: Leia Doesn't Know Her Own Strength

In a very amusing scene, Luke and Leia need to obtain a set of uniforms to impersonate contractors toiling on the new Imperial weapon. Leia attempts the old trope of trying to seduce a man, only to find it backfire somewhat when the man is way too willing. Amusing moments and fun dialogue are peppered throughout these two issues and help make it feel like a story set in the same universe as the films - which, in case you've forgotten, have a lot of pretty funny moments, many of them derived from toying with familiar tropes.

#4: The Tarkin Superweapon

Walter Simonson went all-out with his design for the Tarkin weapon, a duplicate of the Death Star's superlaser weapon. It's not very Star Wars-ish in design, looking more like something which might bedevil some anime heroes, but it's an instantly impressive visual. And, as has been circulated many times, originally Michelinie meant for it to be a 2nd Death Star but was prevented by LucasFilm.

#5: The Conspiracy to Kill Darth Vader

Given the above noted sequences of Vader killing his subordinates, the idea of a conspiracy within the officers' ranks to have him killed makes perfect sense. It's not only a great cliffhanger reveal for issue #51, it provides great complications in #52 as the attempts to kill Vader inadvertently aid the Rebels.

#6: Stormtrooper Tossing

In another fun scene, Chewbacca has to shut down a shield generator on the Tarkin, much as Obi-Wan Kenobi did in the first film. Of course, this is Chewie we're talking about - he's not big on subtlety. Hence, he lobs a Stormtrooper at the generator to smash it up!

#7: Vader Walks on Air

The officers' best effort at killing Vader occurs when they blow open an airlock hatch, blasting Vader into space. And then... Vader calmly walks back inside. And he knows exactly what just happened. You come at the king, you best not miss.

#8: Lando the Loquacious

Micheline happened upon a great idea for how to make Lando work in the series ensemble without simply being a clone of Han Solo. Lando's best-identified skill under Michelinie is his love for subterfuge. Unlike Han (who audibly noted his displeasure for "sneaking around" once), Lando enjoys matching wits, bluffing and lying to his enemies. As the series would progress, Michelinie's eventual replacement Jo Duffy would make Lando's sneaky tactics even more fun and useful to the Rebels' plans.

#9: Bluffing the Stormtroopers

In the original Star Wars, the escaping Rebels had to reach their ship despite it being surrounded by guards; thankfully, a Jedi duel broke out to distract the Stormtroopers. This time, they have to create their own diversion and Luke manufactures one by hurling a makeshift grenade. Except, it's not a grenade - it's two comlinks tied together, as one of the Stormtroopers subsequently discovers. Easily the funniest moment in the two-parter.

#10: Instant Asteroid Field - Just Add Water!

Finally, as in Star Wars we have Darth Vader in his TIE Fighter and a clash with the Millennium Falcon. This time, it's the Falcon being pursued, but Luke comes up with an extremely clever trick: dump the ship's water supply! The water freezes into giant clusters of ice and appear too quickly for Vader to dodge. He has time to remark, "Well done, young Skywalker!" before the ice smashes his craft out of the pursuit.

You can buy issue #51 from Comixology right here and issue #52 here.

Avengers: Age of Ultron creator credits

The usual caveats apply: it is difficult to know precisely who is responsible for many of the ideas which appear on comic book pages; although I attribute them to the original credited writer & artist, this does not mean the letterers, colorists, inkers, editors or people whose names didn't appear in the books did not have a significant degree of influence on the finished product. With that out of the way...
Say, look at how much Len Kaminski material made it into this film! Pretty validating for the Kaminski Krew!
Stan Lee: co-creator of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, twins Wanda and Pietro from eastern Europe; Pietro's power of superhuman speed, Wanda's vaguely-defined powers (X-Men #4, 1964); Hawkeye, an expert archer with a variety of trick arrows such as those with explosive tips; Hawkeye having a close relationship with the Black Widow; Iron Man's repulsor ray weapon (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a one-time enemy agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); Iron Man, Tony Stark, a wealthy playboy and inventor of a suit of power armor which allows him to fly and fire various weapons (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); Hydra, a secret society dedicated to world conquest and outfitted with advanced weapons, enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D.; S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency; Nick Fury wearing an eye-patch; Nick Fury as director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, a hovering battleship and mobile base of operations (Strange Tales #135, 1965); Thor, god of thunder, hero on Earth, wields hammer Mjolnir which only those are worthy of its power can lift, commands power over the elements, wears blue costume with discs on chest and red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); Jarvis, an entity who serves the Avengers (Tales of Suspense #59, 1964); unibeam in the center of Iron Man's armor (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); The Hulk, Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist who transforms into an immense, monstrous creature with superhuman strength; calls humans "puny"; often wears purple pants (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); The Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970); The Avengers, a team titled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" whose ranks include Iron Man, the Hulk and Thor (Avengers #1, 1963); Baron Strucker, a German villain (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5, 1964); Iron Man wearing red & gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); The Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as members of the Avengers; Captain America as the Avengers leader who notably leads the aforementioned trio together (Avengers #16, 1965); Captain America as an Avenger (Avengers #4, 1964); Captain America using a device to return his shield to his hand (Avengers #6, 1964); Quicksilver and Hawkeye not getting along with each other (Avengers #17, 1965); the Hulk's transformations triggered by his emotional state (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964); the Falcon, a costumed African-American hero who is friends with Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); Pepper Potts, a romantic interest to Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); Jane Foster, a romantic interest to Thor (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to him (Avengers #5, 1964); Wakanda, a remote African nation (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual, unpredictable properties; Klaw, a mercenary; Klaw invading Wakanda to obtain Vibranium; Klaw losing one of his hands (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); Asgard, home of Thor and the other Norse gods including the guardsman Heimdall and Thor's father Odin; Asgard connected to Earth by Bifrost (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); Peggy Carter, Captain America's wartime love interest (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); the Cosmic Cube, a containment device of immense power (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); the Hulk traveling vast distances by leaping (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); the Skrulls, extraterrestrial villains who inspired the Chitauri (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); Tony Stark providing the Avengers with their headquarters (Avengers #2, 1963)
Jack Kirby: co-creator of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, twins Wanda and Pietro from eastern Europe; Pietro's power of superhuman speed, Wanda's vaguely-defined powers (X-Men #4, 1964); The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a one-time enemy agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); Iron Man, Tony Stark, a wealthy playboy and inventor of a suit of power armor which allows him to fly and fire various weapons (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); unibeam in the center of Iron Man's armor (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); Hydra, a secret society dedicated to world conquest and outfitted with advanced weapons, enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D.; S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency; Nick Fury wearing an eye-patch; Nick Fury as director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, a hovering battleship and mobile base of operations (Strange Tales #135, 1965); Thor, god of thunder, hero on Earth, wields hammer Mjolnir which only those are worthy of its power can lift, commands power over the elements, wears blue costume with discs on chest and red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); Captain America, Steve Rogers, a hero from World War II who received his abilities in an experiment; Captain America wielding a triangular shield; Captain America's costume with 'A' on forehead, red and white stripes on stomach, blue chest with white star, red gloves (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); Jarvis, an entity who serves the Avengers (Tales of Suspense #59, 1964); The Hulk, Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist who transforms into an immense, monstrous creature with superhuman strength; calls humans "puny"; often wears purple pants (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); Captain America's round shield (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); The Avengers, a team titled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" whose ranks include Iron Man, the Hulk and Thor (Avengers #1, 1963); Baron Strucker, a German villain (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5, 1964); Iron Man wearing red & gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); The Hulk having green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch as members of the Avengers; Captain America as the Avengers leader who notably leads the aforementioned trio together (Avengers #16, 1965); Captain America as an Avenger (Avengers #4, 1964); Captain America using a device to return his shield to his hand (Avengers #6, 1964); Pepper Potts, a romantic interest to Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); Jane Foster, a romantic interest to Thor (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); Captain America throwing his shield so that it ricochets and returns to him (Avengers #5, 1964); Wakanda, a remote African nation (Fantastic Four #52, 1966); Vibranium, a rare metal found in Wakanda with unusual, unpredictable properties; Klaw, a mercenary; Klaw invading Wakanda to obtain Vibranium; Klaw losing one of his hands (Fantastic Four #53, 1966); Asgard, home of Thor and the other Norse gods including the guardsman Heimdall and Thor's father Odin; Asgard connected to Earth by Bifrost (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); Peggy Carter, Captain America's wartime love interest (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); the Vision, a green-garbed man in a cape (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940); the Cosmic Cube, a containment device of immense power (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); the Hulk traveling vast distances by leaping (Incredible Hulk #3, 1962); the Skrulls, extraterrestrial villains who inspired the Chitauri (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); Tony Stark providing the Avengers with their headquarters (Avengers #2, 1963)
Roy Thomas: co-creator of Ultron, the Avengers' enemy, a robot who disguises himself in red robes and works with Klaw (Avengers #54, 1968); Ultron being built by one of the Avengers, but turning against him; the Vision joining the Avengers (Avengers #58, 1968); Hawkeye's real name Clint Barton (Avengers #64, 1969); Ultron as a program which can survive the destruction of its body and live on in a new robot form; Ultron rebuilding himself into a near-indestructible form (Avengers #66, 1969); the name Colonel Klaue (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #39, 1967); Quicksilver wearing the colors blue and white (Avengers #75, 1970); Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); the Infinity Gems, powerful jewels which can rest upon the wearer's brow (Marvel Premiere #1, 1972); the Vision, a synthetic man with red skin, green costume and yellow cape with a jewel on his forehead; Vision created by Ultron but turned against him; Vision's powers of flight and altering his density (Avengers #57, 1968); the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, an eagle within a circle (Strange Tales #154, 1967); the name Klaue being related to Klaw (Fantastic Four Unlimited #1, 1993)
John Buscema: co-creator of Ultron, the Avengers' enemy, a robot who disguises himself in red robes and works with Klaw (Avengers #54, 1968); Ultron being built by one of the Avengers, but turning against him; the Vision joining the Avengers (Avengers #58, 1968); Quicksilver wearing the colors blue and white (Avengers #75, 1970); Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); Iron Man and Captain America having a tense, argumentative relationship (Avengers #153, 1976); the Vision, a synthetic man with red skin, green costume and yellow cape with a jewel on his forehead; Vision created by Ultron but turned against him; Vision's powers of flight and altering his density (Avengers #57, 1968)
Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Hawkeye's sleeveless costume; Hawkeye and Black Widow as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who joined the Avengers (Ultimates #7, 2002); Nick Fury based physically on Samuel L. Jackson with visible scars around his left eye; Iron Man's armor glowing light blue in eye slits and repulsor beams; the Avengers being created by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Ultimates #2, 2002); Captain America wearing a helmet version of his mask with wings painted on the sides (Captain America: Reborn #1, 2009); the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial race who fought the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002); the title "Age of Ultron" (Point One #1, 2012); Hawkeye married to a woman named Laura with three children (Ultimates 2 #2, 2005)
Don Heck: co-creator of Hawkeye, an expert archer with a variety of trick arrows such as those with explosive tips; Hawkeye having a close relationship with the Black Widow; Iron Man's repulsor ray weapon (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a one-time enemy agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); Iron Man, Tony Stark, a wealthy playboy and inventor of a suit of power armor which allows him to fly and fire various weapons (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); Quicksilver and Hawkeye not getting along with each other (Avengers #17, 1965); Pepper Potts, a romantic interest to Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963)
Larry Lieber: co-creator of Iron Man, Tony Stark, a wealthy playboy and inventor of a suit of power armor which allows him to fly and fire various weapons (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); Thor, god of thunder, hero on Earth, wields hammer Mjolnir which only those are worthy of its power can lift, commands power over the elements, wears blue costume with discs on chest and red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); Jane Foster, a romantic interest to Thor (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); Asgard, home of Thor and the other Norse gods including the guardsman Heimdall and Thor's father Odin; Asgard connected to Earth by Bifrost (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962)
Len Kaminski: co-creator of an army of Iron Men called "the Iron Legion" (Iron Man #300, 1994); Iron Man using an artificial intelligence to design his armors (Iron Man #298, 1993); the War Machine armor, a suit of Iron Man armor colored silver and grey and outfitted with heavy weaponry, including a shoulder-mounted canon (Iron Man #281, 1992); Iron Man using modular attachments to his armor to create a larger suit better able to fight the Hulk (Iron Man #304, 1994); the War Machine armor being worn by James Rhodes with a unibeam designed for its chest (Iron Man #284, 1992)
Mark Millar: co-creator of Hawkeye's sleeveless costume; Hawkeye and Black Widow as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who joined the Avengers (Ultimates #7, 2002); Nick Fury based physically on Samuel L. Jackson with visible scars around his left eye; Iron Man's armor glowing light blue in eye slits and repulsor beams; the Avengers being created by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Ultimates #2, 2002); the Chitauri, an extraterrestrial race who fought the Avengers (Ultimates #8, 2002); Hawkeye married to a woman named Laura with three children (Ultimates 2 #2, 2005)
Kevin Hopgood: co-creator of an army of Iron Men called "the Iron Legion" (Iron Man #300, 1994); the War Machine armor, a suit of Iron Man armor colored silver and grey and outfitted with heavy weaponry, including a shoulder-mounted canon (Iron Man #281, 1992); Iron Man using modular attachments to his armor to create a larger suit better able to fight the Hulk (Iron Man #304, 1994); the War Machine armor being worn by James Rhodes with a unibeam designed for its chest (Iron Man #284, 1992)
Joe Simon: co-creator of Captain America, Steve Rogers, a hero from World War II who received his abilities in an experiment; Captain America wielding a triangular shield; Captain America's costume with 'A' on forehead, red and white stripes on stomach, blue chest with white star, red gloves (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); Captain America's round shield (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); the Vision, a green-garbed man in a cape (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, 1940)
Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Star Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005); Maria Hill, next-in-line to command S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret War #5, 2005); Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001); the title "Age of Ultron" (Point One #1, 2012); Maria Hill working for the Avengers (Avengers #1, 2010)
Mark Gruenwald: creator of Tony Stark running a charitable foundation through the Avengers (Avengers Annual #11, 1981); Hawkeye's archery gloves (Hawkeye #2, 1983); co-creator of Wanda and Pietro's surname Maximoff (Avengers #186, 1979); the Avengers having a civilian support crew to maintain their base and vehicles (Captain America #352, 1989)
David Michelinie: co-creator of Ultron seeking Vibranium to enhance his robotic body (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #25, 1991); of Wanda and Pietro's surname Maximoff (Avengers #186, 1979); James "Rhodey" Rhodes, close friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979); the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979)
Salvador Larroca: co-creator of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as a couple (Invincible Iron Man #15, 2009); Maria Hill employed by Tony Stark (Invincible Iron Man #8, 2009); Iron Man armor with smaller lights across chest and large swaths of yellow (Invincible Iron Man #25, 2010)
Matt Fraction: co-creator of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as a couple (Invincible Iron Man #15, 2009); Maria Hill employed by Tony Stark (Invincible Iron Man #8, 2009); Iron Man armor with smaller lights across chest and large swaths of yellow (Invincible Iron Man #25, 2010)
John Byrne: co-creator of Wanda and Pietro's surname Maximoff (Avengers #186, 1979); James "Rhodey" Rhodes, close friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979); Captain America's shield being indestructible (Captain America #255, 1981); the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979)
George Perez: co-creator of Jocasta, an artificial intelligence (Avengers #171, 1978); Ultron assaulting an eastern European nation (Avengers #19, 1999); Ultron leading an army of similar robots into battle (Avengers #20, 1999)
Kurt Busiek: co-creator of Tony Stark wearing a goatee (Iron Man #1, 1998); Ultron assaulting an eastern European nation (Avengers #19, 1999); Ultron leading an army of similar robots into battle (Avengers #20, 1999)
Barry Windsor-Smith: co-creator of Ultron as a program which can survive the destruction of its body and live on in a new robot form; Ultron rebuilding himself into a near-indestructible form (Avengers #66, 1969)
Gene Colan: co-creator of the Falcon, a costumed African-American hero who is friends with Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); Hawkeye's real name Clint Barton (Avengers #64, 1969)
Robert Bernstein: co-creator of unibeam in the center of Iron Man's armor (Tales of Suspense #40, 1963); Pepper Potts, a romantic interest to Tony Stark (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963)
Steve Ditko: co-creator of Iron Man wearing red & gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); the Hulk's transformations triggered by his emotional state (Tales to Astonish #60, 1964)
Jim Starlin: co-creator of Thanos, an extraterrestrial conqueror (Iron Man #55, 1973); the Infinity Gems bearing that moniker, being sought by Thanos (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)
Sal Buscema: co-creator of Captain America based out of Brooklyn (Captain America #237, 1979); the Falcon wearing a pair of mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974)
Warren Ellis: co-creator of the Falcon's grey military costume (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004); Iron Man assembling his armor around his body remotely (Iron Man #5, 2006)
Jim Steranko: creator of Baron Strucker as the leader of Hydra (Strange Tales #155, 1967); the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, an eagle within a circle (Strange Tales #154, 1967)
Mike Friedrich: co-creator of Thanos, an extraterrestrial conqueror (Iron Man #55, 1973); the Falcon wearing a pair of mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974)
Roger Stern: co-creator of Captain America's shield being indestructible (Captain America #255, 1981); Rhodes as one of the Avengers (West Coast Avengers #1, 1984)
Luke McDonnell: co-creator of Iron Man's ability to control his armors remotely (Iron Man #174, 1983); James Rhodes wearing Iron Man armor (Iron Man #169, 1983)
Dennis O'Neil: co-creator of Iron Man's ability to control his armors remotely (Iron Man #174, 1983); James Rhodes wearing Iron Man armor (Iron Man #169, 1983)
Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); the Falcon wearing a pair of mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974)
Bob Layton: co-creator of James "Rhodey" Rhodes, close friend of Tony Stark (Iron Man #118, 1979); Black Widow's ballerina training (Solo Avengers #7, 1988)
Adi Granov: creator of Iron Man armor design (Iron Man #75, 2004); co-creator of Iron Man assembling his armor around his body remotely (Iron Man #5, 2006)
John Romita: co-creator of the Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970)
Ed Brubaker: co-creator of Captain America wearing a helmet version of his mask with wings painted on the sides (Captain America: Reborn #1, 2009)
Patrick Zircher: co-creator of Iron Man creating a defense program with his armors which someone else seizes control over (Iron Man #11, 2006)
Charles Knauf: co-creator of Iron Man creating a defense program with his armors which someone else seizes control over (Iron Man #11, 2006)
Daniel Knauf: co-creator of Iron Man creating a defense program with his armors which someone else seizes control over (Iron Man #11, 2006)
Kieron Dwyer: co-creator of the Avengers having a civilian support crew to maintain their base and vehicles (Captain America #352, 1989)
Ryan Odagawa: co-creator of Friday, an artificial intelligence used by Iron Man which has a feminine personality (Iron Man #53, 2002)
Mike Grell: co-creator of Friday, an artificial intelligence used by Iron Man which has a feminine personality (Iron Man #53, 2002)
Gil Kane: co-creator of the Infinity Gems, powerful jewels which can rest upon the wearer's brow (Marvel Premiere #1, 1972)
Guang Yap: co-creator of Ultron seeking Vibranium to enhance his robotic body (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #25, 1991)
Gerry Conway: co-creator of Iron Man and Captain America having a tense, argumentative relationship (Avengers #153, 1976)
Scott Lobdell: co-creator of the red widow icon worn on the Black Widow's costume (Journey into Mystery #517, 1998)
Randall Green: co-creator of the red widow icon worn on the Black Widow's costume (Journey into Mystery #517, 1998)
David Finch: co-creator of Star Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)
Devin Grayson: co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)
Don Rico: co-creator of the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, a one-time enemy agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)
Tom Tenney: co-creator of Iron Man using an artificial intelligence to design his armors (Iron Man #298, 1993)
Alex Schomburg: creator of Captain America riding a motorcycle into battle (Captain America Comics #27, 1943)
Ron Lim: co-creator of the Infinity Gems bearing that moniker, being sought by Thanos (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)
J.G. Jones: co-creator of the Red Room, the spy program which created the Black Widow (Black Widow #2, 1999)
Gabriele Dell'Otto: co-creator of Maria Hill, next-in-line to command S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret War #5, 2005)
Mike Carlin: co-creator of Captain America's shield being made of Vibranium (Captain America #303, 1985)
Paul Neary: co-creator of Captain America's shield being made of Vibranium (Captain America #303, 1985)
Frank Tieri: co-creator of Ultron recreating itself from within Iron Man's armor (Iron Man #47, 2001)
Keron Grant: co-creator of Ultron recreating itself from within Iron Man's armor (Iron Man #47, 2001)
Dave Hoover: co-creator of the name Klaue being related to Klaw (Fantastic Four Unlimited #1, 1993)
J. Michael Stracynski: co-creator of Thor's full body armor with chainmail sleeves (Thor #1, 2007)
Mike Allred: co-creator of Nick Fury as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)
Chris Claremont: co-creator of Captain America based out of Brooklyn (Captain America #237, 1979)
Roger McKenzie: co-creator of Captain America based out of Brooklyn (Captain America #237, 1979)
Dick Ayers: co-creator of the name Colonel Klaue (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #39, 1967)
Trevor Hairsine: co-creator of the Falcon's grey military costume (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004)
Tom DeFalco: co-creator of Captain America attempting to lift Thor's hammer (Thor #390, 1988)
Ralph Macchio: co-creator of the Black Widow wielding handguns (Bizarre Adventures #25, 1981)
Olivier Coipel: co-creator of Thor's full body armor with chainmail sleeves (Thor #1, 2007)
Gaspar Saladino: creator of the Avengers logo with enlarged letter 'A' (Avengers #96, 1972)
Ron Frenz: co-creator of Captain America attempting to lift Thor's hammer (Thor #390, 1988)
Paul Gulacy: co-creator of the Black Widow wielding handguns (Bizarre Adventures #25, 1981)
John Romita, Jr.: co-creator of Maria Hill working for the Avengers (Avengers #1, 2010)
Jackson Guice: co-creator of Black Widow's ballerina training (Solo Avengers #7, 1988)
Steven Grant: co-creator of Wanda and Pietro's surname Maximoff (Avengers #186, 1979)
Bob Hall: co-creator of Rhodes as one of the Avengers (West Coast Avengers #1, 1984)
Jim Shooter: co-creator of Jocasta, an artificial intelligence (Avengers #171, 1978)
Sean Chen: co-creator of Tony Stark wearing a goatee (Iron Man #1, 1998)
Walter Simonson: creator of Thor wearing a beard (Thor #367, 1986)
If you see an error or an admission, let me know!

Marvel in March!

Another of my old projects is being reprinted:

CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by ZEB WELLS & ANTHONY FLAMINI Penciled by STEFANO CASELLI Cover by JIM CHEUNG

As the tide of public opinion turns inexorably against Marvel's heroes, the gears of Civil War threaten to crush the young heroes known as the Runaways. But when the Young Avengers offer their assistance, can the Runaways believe they're on the same side? The warden of the prison called the Cube wants both teams taken down — and he sends his most powerful weapon to do it: Noh-Varr, the young Kree known as Marvel Boy! Can the two teen teams put aside their differences and work together to free their captured teammates? And what happens when Marvel Boy busts loose? This CIVIL WAR tie-in has lasting repercussions for both popular teams! Plus: Look deep into Iron Man's classified files and learn all about the major players of CIVIL WAR! Collecting CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS #1-4 and CIVIL WAR FILES #1. 160 PGS./Rated T+ ...$19.99 ISBN: 978-0-7851-9572-6

How and Why I Watched the Star Wars Prequels: An Embarrassing Anecdote

Before I can share the story of how I watched the Star Wars prequels, first I need to speak briefly about my history with the Star Wars franchise so that you might better understand why I deserved my punishment.

It would have been at my 3rd birthday that I received my first two Star Wars toys (R5-D4 & Yoda); I bought my third with birthday money (Dengar). I memorized the book & tape versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back from the children's cassette collection in my house. Star Wars was the first Marvel comic book I was a fan of. Even after I stopped playing with the toys, I kept filling gaps in my toy & comic collections. I went to the theatrical 'Special Edition' re-releases.

Then came college. I made a conscious decision at that time to set the Star Wars films aside because I felt I'd watched them too often and needed a break so that when I watched them next, it would seem more fresh to me. Still, I'd made no conscious decision about the forthcoming movie The Phantom Menace. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the idea that there would be an actual brand-new Star Wars movie, but I was intrigued. Except... I was a college student who worked every evening of the week and I'd moved to a new city where I had no friends. I had no one to see the film with nor much free time in which to see it. I never decided "I'm not going to watch it," but it quickly became clear I wasn't going to see it in theaters. Heck, I didn't even see the trailer (though I recall hearing about all the people who went to Meet Joe Black so they could watch it). As the online reactions came in, I began to think I'd done right to keep away from the film; people on the internet claimed it was plagued by juvenile comic relief and flat dialogue. And I came to realize then that I was okay with moving on from Star Wars. As a teenager, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and in my listlessness, I had time to indulge many obsessions. However, by '99 I was heading towards my career and becoming passionate about that - some of my old obsessions had to be let go, and Star Wars wound up among them (comics & old-time radio were spared).

I became so detached from Star Wars that when the film Attack of the Clones came up somewhere in my online travels my immediate reaction was, "Huh, they're still making those?" The mocking reception The Phantom Menace received had all but convinced me it would be ridiculous to continue the intended prequel series. Some time after that, I began to openly jeer at Star Wars. I don't recall much of what I said, but one point I made to my friends was they had had to suffer through watching the nadir of the franchise unfold on the big screen, while I had been spared. I don't know how obnoxious I might have been on that point, but (as this anecdote will bear out) I definitely struck a nerve.

So.

Thanksgiving weekend, ten years ago: My sister and I had been visiting my brother and his wife and just finished the long drive home. It was late afternoon of Thanksgiving Monday, meaning I would be back to work the next morning. I returned to my apartment to find a message from my friend Alex, wondering if I would like to watch movies with he and our friend Craig.

An invitation to watch movies with Alex was not to be discarded lightly. Besides enjoying the company of my friends (especially with the return to work looming), Alex owned a digital projector and thus offered the best home theater option of our group. For me to refuse an invitation to Alex's, I would have to be either very busy or the movie would have to be very lousy. I phoned him up and he confirmed the evening's plans: "Do you want to see Willow and THX-1138?" I answered him honestly: "I don't really want to see Willow again but you know, I've always been curious about THX-1138." Great; Craig would be at my apartment soon to ferry me over to Alex's. If there were any hints in Alex's tone of voice - any suggestion of deceit or mockery - I completely failed to notice.

Craig arrived and we began the trip to Alex's. "It should be interesting to see THX-1138 anyway," I remarked. I didn't understand why Craig was smiling so broadly, but then he'd always been a gregarious John Banner-like fellow. Anyway, Craig had to make a detour and run an errand before we could reach Alex's and we talked about many things during the trip. At last, we arrived. Alex had already darkened the room, lowered the screen, turned on the projector and paused the film before its opening credits.

Now, that was unusual for Alex. When you went to see a film at Alex's you first had to get through the pre-show; Alex would have an image from Something Awful he wanted you to see or an article from Slashdot or a gif at YTMND. Much like the olden days when films were preceded by newsreels and cartoons, there would be some pre-entertainment entertainment. But not on that night. And how strange that the film was on a DVD (not a computer file) and the DVD already loaded and begun to play, rather than waiting on the DVD main menu.

I tell you all of this so that you might appreciate both my naivete and the amount of effort my friends indulged in.

Alex unpaused the film.

"Was THX-1138 a Fox film," I wondered to myself. "I guess so."

"Ah, Lucasfilm - of course."

Now I exclaimed something aloud; either "What?" or "Oh, no!"

I looked to my friends for an explanation and they were quick to provide it: "We're tired of you lording it over us because you've never seen the prequels, so tonight we're watching them!" They had even gone to the expense of rentals just to pull this off.

And so, I watched the first two Star Wars prequels. They definitely weren't great movies. And yet, I had to admit I could still claim I had an advantage over my friends: at least I was seeing those films for the first time - they'd witnessed them before and now had to watch them again. Regardless, I had learned a lesson about controlling my pride and for that, I do genuinely thank my friends. Even if they did make me sit through those movies.

I don't know why I'm reminded of this anecdote now, but anyway everyone - enjoy that new Star Wars movie!

My 100 Favourite Movies

Until last week, I suppose I didn't know what my 100 favourite films were.

However, my IMDB list My Favourite Films now has 100 titles listed in it. I've listed them chronologically, rather than ranking them by any notion of quality. I would never claim they are the greatest 100 films ever made - 'cause I know some of them couldn't be. These are, simply put, 100 films which do not tire me; to me, they are absorbing films.

I've also got a 2nd place list, 3rd place list and 4th place list, just in case you've seen everything in my top 100 yet want more recommendations. There's no chance your taste in film is quite like mine, but I hope some of my listings interest you in checking out pictures you might have otherwise overlooked.