Space-Born Super Hero Part 41: The End.

Here are my parting thoughts on the series I've been running on this blog called 'Space-Born Super Hero'. The recent Captain Marvel motion picture prompted me to think about the character of Captain Mar-Vell, and in particular how out-of-focus his adventures prior to the arrival of Jim Starlin were. By the time Starlin drew Captain Marvel #25, Captain Marvel had been a Marvel super hero for about six years. What went on during those six years?

Now, my own exposure to Mar-Vell's earlier adventures was somewhat limited - although I wrote for The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, I never needed to delve into the character often. Heck, I'm not sure if I even had to do a write-up on the Kree. I suppose blogging about the early Captain Marvel stories interested me because it was an avenue of Marvel Comics I hadn't delved into before, likely the only 1960s super hero stuff I hadn't read from start to finish.

At the same time, I knew of the book's reputation. I knew many in fandom at the time despised the series because he had 'robbed' the moniker 'Captain Marvel' from the defunct Fawcett hero. I have some fascination with terrible comic books, as my Bitter Fruit series targeting the Shadow will attest. However, I also enjoy defying conventional wisdom. Perhaps the comics weren't that bad? So... what did I find?

Not as advertised.

Perhaps the strangest discovery I made was that the picture I had in my head of Captain Marvel's personality was all wrong. I'd based my ideas on Jim Starlin's stories (which I first read in The Life of Captain Marvel) and I had the impression that Mar-Vell came to Earth as an invader but had the heart of a hero, causing him to take a stand against the Kree. I knew he had loved Una and lost her to one of his enemies. I had this image of a noble but tragic hero who gives up everything from his upbringing to save Earth.

But... that's not really what happened. Mar-Vell is frustratingly obtuse about his motives throughout the early parts of the series. There is a sense that he's a dedicated soldier who refuses to betray his uniform, but at the same time is ordered to take hostile actions against humanity. However, he would find loopholes to avoid having to take a stand for his principles, such as in Captain Marvel #7 where he tricked Yon-Rogg into thinking he killed a town of people with a plague (they were all robots).

Instead, Mar-Vell lacks agency; Yon-Rogg despises Mar-Vell from the start and wants him dead (although strangely, not so much because of Una, which is what I thought his motivation was; he only really claims that was his motivation after Una dies). The Kree are shown as paranoid war-mongers who have it in for Mar-Vell and will execute him the moment he shows signs of disloyalty. In the end, what causes Mar-Vell to leave the military? He destroys the Organization after being told to form an alliance with them. Like, seriously, Mar-Vell is given the death sentence because he killed humans.

Once Mar-Vell is forced out of the military, he's motivated by revenge, not any affection for Earth or anyone else. His nobility is still lacking; even after bonding with Rick Jones, where Mar-Vell is frequently cast in the role of Rick's conscience, he mostly pops out of the Negative Zone to help save Rick from a problem he's gotten himself into. Again, where's the agency? What does Mar-Vell want for himself? Why does he do the things he does?

Such a limited sphere.

Part of what makes Captain Marvel so boxed-in and easy to avoid is that almost no one introduced in the pages of Captain Marvel goes on to bigger and better things. You've got Mar-Vell and his two iconic costumes; you've got him bonded to Rick Jones via the Negative Zone; you've got supporting character Carol Danvers... that's it. He is part of the Kree-Skrull War, but it goes on entirely in the pages of the Avengers, where the character with the most impact on the plot is the Vision. None of Mar-Vell's brand-new foes such as the Metazoid, Solam or the Organization went on to greater things. Heck, outside of Lou-Ann Savannah, almost no one in the first 24 issues has any bearing on Jim Starlin's run.

And there's Zo.

Yeah, Zo. So, Zo was terrible, but not quite as terrible as I'd been led to think. The idea of Mar-Vell having a cosmic benefactor is one which Starlin came back to with his character Eon. Zo, however, is just way too much of a non-character. Eon's purpose is clear from the start - he's a champion of life and needs Mar-Vell to help defeat Thanos, so gives him the power he needs. Zo doesn't explain what he wants or why Mar-Vell is the person to help him get it and grants him odd powers which Mar-Vell barely ever thinks to employ. Gary Friedrich added some minor interest to the character by bringing in trippy hippie visuals, but Zo's presence continued to highlight the problems with the series - which again and again, come down to Mar-Vell possessing a poorly-defined character motivation.

Was it all terrible?

No, certainly not. Gil Kane's issues were absolutely lovely and Mar-Vell appearances in the Avengers were all classic stories I quite enjoyed. I found much of Don Heck's art lacking, but he pulled off some very nice art in Captain Marvel#16.

There was promise, certainly. That's what I felt in the last few issues of Captain Marvel. Gerry Conway's story in Captain Marvel #22 started off well enough, but I felt Marv Wolfman whiffed it on the second half; the same thing happened with Captain Marvel #24, which had some nice art by Wayne Boring and great character designs, but became a little muddled when Wolfman had to write an ending to the story.

The nadir, I'm sorry to say, were the Arnold Drake issues. I commend him for trying to create new adversaries for Mar-Vell, particularly the Aakon. I also think his idea that Mar-Vell's other identity - Dr. Walter Lawson - was actually a villain was a fascinating idea, yet he barely glanced on it, other than using it as a means to get the world's worst robotic assassin into comics. I'm torn between which of his stories was the worst; was it the rushed and poorly-scripted Captain Marvel #10? Or was it Captain Marvel #11, where they muffed up Una's death, drew the wrong villains and introduced Zo? Wait, I take it back, #11 was definitely the worst.

I'm glad I know more about this little cul-de-sac of the Marvel Universe. And now to move on and never think of it again...

Space-Born Super Hero Part 18: Captain Marvel #15

Welcome back to "Space-Born Super Hero" and this time I'm examining Captain Marvel #15 (1969) and the story "That Zo Might Live... a Galaxy Must Die!" by Gary Friedrich and new artist Tom Sutton (inks by Dan Adkins). I'm disappointed that Frank Springer is gone as I'd quite enjoyed his work, but Sutton gets off to a strong start with a first page depicting a flash of energy which draws closer and closer to the reader across 12 panels.

This swirl of energy is apparently Zo himself, who had previously appeared as a talking tower. Captain Marvel isn't entirely pleased with this change. "If you are truly the all-encompassing entity you claim to be... prove it to me". Zo responds by showing Mar-Vell the history of Earth, from its creation to destruction in nuclear holocaust; this kind of abstract imagery would have been muffed just a few issues earlier, but Friedrich & Sutton are pulling it off, mainly because Sutton carries the page alone with no script from Friedrich. Zo then shows Mar-Vell a vision of his own future: in the vision, Mar-Vell sees himself planting a bomb which seems to destroy Mar-Vell's homeworld. He's horrified by this prediction. "In spite of you, I will never lift my hand against them!" Mar-Vell growls at Zo. He accuses Zo of casting illusions, which is a good guess since Zo gave Mar-Vell that same ability. Zo continues to claim he has the power to control the universe (obvious question, then: what does God need with a Captain Marvel?).

Zo sends Captain Marvel into a place "without time or dimension... where mind and matter are without meaning... where all that is visible is far beyond the grasp of the highest echelons of civilized learning..." That's the signpost up ahead... This results in several pages of trippy Tom Sutton artwork as Mar-Vel flails through weird landscapes, steadily becoming convinced that Zo really is all-powerful. Mar-Vell reappears in "some utopian garden" which Mar-Vell likens to Heaven, then to a demonic dimension which he assumes to be Hell. The visions end and Mar-Vell finds himself back on the asteroid, now convinced to serve Zo's plan. Zo guides Mar-Vell to his home world, Kree-Lar (first time we've seen this in a comic), "cradle of the Kree civilization". Mar-Vell wonders why Zo wants the planet destroyed. "Surely, by the wonders they have performed through the ages, my people, above all others, deserve to live!" With his usual evasiveness, Zo claims he'll explain it later.

Zo show Mar-Vell an idol built to Tam-Bor, the "pagan god of Kree-Lar's forzen wastelands". Zo claims the worship of Tam-Bor imperils all life in the universe because the idol is built from rock so heavily magnetized that it is exerting its magnetic strength on other worlds. That sounds impossible, but at the very least it could imperil all of Kree-Lar. Zo then leaves Mar-Vell and our hero finds himself in Rad-Nam, his home city. It looks vaguely Kryptonian, full of scientific wonders. Unfortunately, Mar-Vell is recognized by a Kree Accuser Patrol. Later comics will have all Accusers dress in the same garb as Ronan, but for now this Accuser Patrol just looks like a couple of mooks. Recognizing Mar-Vell as a traitor, the Accusers pursue him in their vehicle. Before Mar-Vell can teleport, the Accuser Patrol hit him with a stun beam; unable to concentrate, Mar-Vell is carried aboard the vessel and starts a fight with the Accusers (all the Kree we see in this issue are pink-skinned, by the way).

Just as Mar-Vell commandeers the vessel, they run across a warship of Tam-Bor. So the worshipers are warshippers? Mar-Vell is stunned to learn Tam-Bor's followers have their own army (good job on the briefing, Zo) and the larger warship swallows the Accuser Patrol craft. The men aboard declare Captain Marvel is now a prisoner of Tam-Bor!

Thoughts: And just like that, Gary Friedrich is gone - he lasted only three issues. By this time, fandom was rebelling against all the changes and especially against Zo (as the letters page in this very issue will bear witness). This turned out to be Sutton's only issue of Captain Marvel. Perhaps Friedrich could have saved this "Zo" plot, but the decision had evidently been made to completely retool the series and write Zo out as quickly as possible - which is what happens next issue.

Next: A fill-in issue? Yep, a fill-in creative team steps in to wrap up almost every dangling plotline in the series thus far. Be here for the sea change which is Captain Marvel #16!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 17: Captain Marvel #14

Welcome back to "Space-Born Super Hero" and my ongoing look at the pre-Jim Starlin days of Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel. Today I'm looking at Captain Marvel #14: "When a Galaxy Beckons!" by Gary Friedrich and Frank Springer (inks by Vince Colletta). Captain Marvel has just saved Carol Danvers from the Man-Slayer but --oops!-- he's still wanted for treason and the soldiers at the Cape have been ordered to shoot on sight. Carol begs the Captain to surrender and clear his name through due process, but Mar-Vell doesn't think he can "take such a risk! How do I know I won't be shot the moment you leave my side?" Carol promises to vouch for him at his trial. Mar-Vell believes her, but he's not sure why he should bother with human laws when he could simply teleport himself to safety. "Yet, in spite of the love I feel for the slain Una... I am not without feelings for Carol Danvers!"

We switch scenes to a commercial airplane headed to Florida; aboard is Tony Stark, flirting with a stewardess. However on an island in the Caribbean, the Puppet Master has created a doll of Iron Man so that he can control the hero (this is part of a minor crossover with Avengers and Sub-Mariner in which Puppet Master, Egghead and the Mad Thinker have joined forces to take over the world, but the story remains confined to each individual title; at the time, Roy Thomas was writing the other two titles, not sure why Captain Marvel was roped in). As the Puppet Master plays with his Iron Man doll, Tony Stark is compelled to kill Captain Marvel; he enters the airplane's lavatory and dons his Iron Man armor then exits the airplane (which has a double airlock hatch, fortunately for the other passengers). But why does the Puppet Master want Captain Marvel killed? Is he the same person in the Caribbean who sent the Man-Slayer?

When Iron Man swoops in to the Cape and declares he's after Captain Marvel, Carol refuses to abandon the hero; Iron Man resolves he'll simply have to destroy her as well; he stuns Carol with his repulsor rays, then begins a slugfest with Captain Marvel. The soldiers at the Cape move in to aid Carol: "Miss Danvers' life is worth more than a thousand missiles!" says one soldier. Mar-Vell grabs the lasonic disintegrator which wrecked the Man-Slayer last issue and fires it at Iron Man, but it only stuns Iron Man for a few moments; Mar-Vell tries to increase the weapon's power, but accidentally wrecks his own weapon; shoddy Kree manufacturing. It seems Puppet Master is after the Cape's rocket because Egghead (over in Avengers) is using a space station and he wants to defend his ally. Tony Stark finally suffers a heart attack and collapses; realizing the man in the armor is wounded, Captain Marvel ends the fight and asks the Cape's soldiers to get medical help for Iron Man. Good work, Mar-Vell! It's nice to see our hero behaving nobly.

Angered by Iron Man's failure, the Puppet Master throws his Iron Man doll at a computer bank; it causes an explosion which would seem to kill the Puppet Master (if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you). To avoid further questions, Captain Marvel teleports away; Iron Man soon recovers from his heart attack and leaves the ambulance he was placed in. Mar-Vell finds himself in outer space, simply wandering... not certain where he's going (kinda like his series). Suddenly, Zo's voice appears and angrily demands Mar-Vell fulfill their bargain: get revenge on Yon-Rogg, already! His new instructions are for Mar-Vell to return to his home planet in the Kree galaxy. So, for the first time, we're going to see the Kree's home! We actually haven't seen the Kree galaxy beyond what was visible over Ronan's shoulder in various video calls. Zo shows Mar-Vell his home galaxy and tells him in the days ahead, "they hold for you the balance between life and death!"

Thoughts: So the Man-Slayer story comes to a rather muddled finish; the Black Widow turns up in Avengers #63, which is where the Egghead/Puppet Master/Mad Thinker plot is firmly established and the Thinker is identified as the one who sent the Man-Slayer. It's an odd kind of crossover for Captain Marvel as it doesn't really explain how to follow the storyline. Still, it led to a guest appearance by Iron Man, who is the first big guest star in this series since the Sub-Mariner.

Although Zo has made his return, I'm actually intrigued for once; the Kree haven't been very fleshed-out at this point and I'm interested to see Mar-Vell visit his homeworld and see his people's culture given some definition beyond would-be conquerors. However, the best part of this issue is the art by Frank Springer, who really goes to town with the outer space imagery - he's proving more adept at this book than I first supposed; I actually prefer Springer's art here over that of Gene Colan's earlier work.

Next: Mar-Vell's gone home, but it's a working vacation. Captain Marvel #15!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 16: Captain Marvel #13

Welcome back to my issue-by-issue examination of Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel in his pre-Jim Starlin days. Today I'm up to Captain Marvel #13. The previous issue was the farewell of writer Arnold Drake, who left just as a weird new status quo was introduced. This issue's story is titled "Traitors or Heroes?" and is written by Gary Friedrich with artist Frank Springer (inks by Vince Collettta). As we open, Captain Marvel and Walter Lawson have both been charged with treason (not sure how a non-US non-human citizen can be guilty of treason?). Mar-Vell realizes he's in a quite a fix now - he was already an outcast among the Kree, now it seems he's an outcast among humans too. While back at the Cape, the inert Man-Slayer suddenly gets back up and resumes its path of destruction towards the rocket (yep, like all the other robots in this series it can self-repair).

Mar-Vell is still in hiding as 'Walter Lawson' at the same hotel; what, and this wasn't the first place Carol Danvers' security team checked to find him? There's been enough time to publish magazines with Lawson's face on the cover calling him a traitor, but not to stakeout his hotel room? 'Lawson' has added a beard and glasses to help disguise himself but when he hears the Cape is under attack by the Man-Slayer again, he dons his battle-suit to stop it. However, things are different this time: the Man-Slayer has regained consciousness and is quite chatty (again, like all robots in this series) but it seems it is no longer under the control of the mysterious man in the Caribbean from last issue. Consequently, Man-Slayer has begun to question its orders; it knows it should destroy the rocket, but can't understand why. In its confused state, Captain Marvel has an easy time gaining the upper hand; the Man-Slayer doesn't even recognize Mar-Vell or understand why the hero is trying to stop it.

Amazingly, the Man-Slayer has a 'repulsor ray' in its hands, which I think is the first time someone other than Iron Man has used that weapon. So, is there a Stark Industries connection behind this robot (my curiosity has been piqued)? The soldiers at the Cape are confused at Captain Marvel's aid but finally decide to obey orders and try to shoot him down. Irritated, Mar-Vell decides to teleport to the Helion and see if he can pierce the security barrier protecting Yon-Rogg. One soldier is amazed by Mar-Vell's disappearance and remarks to a comrade, "It's like somethin' outta them Doctor Strange comics you're readin' all the time..."

Just as Mar-Vell arrives near the Helion, he sees it dock with a Kree supply ship, creating an opening in the Helion's force field. Seizing the opportunity he boards the craft and goes hunting for Yon-Rogg. Confronting his hated enemy, he tells Yon-Rogg, "You cannot imagine the anguish I have suffered while awaiting this moment, but..." however Yon-Rogg cuts him off and reminds him how he shifted his affections to Carol Danvers. Yeah, what about that, Marv? "This was in the line of duty, Colonel." Is he saying he kissed Carol in the line of duty? Cool story, bro. All at once, Yon-Rogg attacks Mar-Vell and begins besting him in hand-to-hand combat. "Nobility has always been... your greatest weakness!" Yon-Rogg gloats. Yeah, even though Mar-Vell is now vastly more powerful than before, the non-superhuman Yon-Rogg mops the floor with him. All of a sudden, Yon-Rogg decides now is the time to retroactively claim he was in a love triangle: "Had she never met you, she might well have loved me!" Yon-Rogg declares.

I have to admit, I always thought there Was a love triangle between Una, Yon-Rogg and Mar-Vell because of how the three are tied together in Mar-Vell's backstory, but it's only here, two issues after Una died that Yon-Rogg claims he had affection for her. And the big revelation here is that Yon-Rogg claims the Helion has a device aboard which can restore Una to life, which Yon-Rogg intends to use so Una will marry him. He might well be lying about the whole thing, but it does at least give Mar-Vell a reason not to kill him where he stands. To get Mar-Vell off the ship, Yon-Rogg shows him footage from the Cape (not sure how Yon-Rogg can monitor places on Earth without the wrist monitor Mar-Vell wore), showing the Man-Slayer about to attack Carol Danvers. "I will leave you to watch, Captain... and to suffer... then, in good time, I will kill you!" Um, yeah, Yon? Can I call you 'Yon'? You've been trying to kill Mar-Vell since his first appearance. You're very bad at it.

Mar-Vell grabs a switch on a wall which causes a giant device to fall from the rafters and crush Yon-Rogg (I suppose an Acme-brand anvil would have been too on-the-nose). Yon-Rogg survives this and Mar-Vell is confident his foe's injury can be healed "in the rejuvination tubes". Sure hope Una wasn't the only medical officer on the Helion. Mar-Vell turns his attention back to the Cape: "For, though I do not know why, I feel I must save Carol Danvers... or die in the attempt!" You don't know why? 13 issues in and you're still trying to find your motivation, Marv? After all that Carol has done for you? Anyway, grabbing a weapon from Yon-Rogg's arsenal (the lasonic disintegrater) Mar-Vell teleports to the Cape. The Man-Slayer is confident Mar-Vell won't shoot the gun at it for fear of hitting Carol, but Mar-Vell tells her he has to. "What happens to me doesn't matter," Carol replies, "...now that I know you care!" Mar-Vell's gun blasts one of the energy cables connected to the robot's head and renders it inert; for good, this time? Carol takes a bad jolt from the blast but survives and gives Mar-Vell a hug; I guess she forgives him for stealing that rocket a few months earlier. However, the soldiers on the base move in to arrest Mar-Vell, forcing Carol to make a decision... which will have to wait until next issue.

Thoughts: An improvement over the last few issues; if you didn't check the creator credits you might think Arnold Drake were still writing, but that's basically because Friedrich is careful to use the same characters and characterizations as Friedrich (aside from Yon-Rogg's claim of love for Una). Friedrich also helps salvage the book's current status quo, taking steps to restore Mar-Vell and Carol's friendship and giving Mar-Vell a reason not to have Yon-Rogg killed. He does seem to have forgotten about Mar-Vell's new power of casting illusions, but that was an odd power to give Marv in the first place.

Another recurring trend in Captain Marvel is to assign an artist who struggles to convey a science fiction setting; Gene Colan, Don Heck and Dick Ayers each struggled at times with the sci-fi trappings and I don't find Frank Springer to be all that at ease with it either, but he puts a lot more effort into detailing the environments of the Helion than his predecessors. There's reason for hope in this series... that is, if Friedrich & Springer were going to hang around for very long...

Next: Did someone say "repulsor rays"? Iron Man guest stars in Captain Marvel #14!

RIP: Gary Friedrich

Comic book writer Gary Friedrich has died.

Friedrich had plenty of detractors during his career, but I've never had the heart to be one of them. Sure, he wrote the fascinatingly-misguided Gunhawks series for Marvel and he was never well-suited to super hero material, as his turns on Incredible Hulk, Captain America and X-Men proved. He also struggled as the follow-up to Jim Steranko's Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., telling stories which were visibly straining the efforts of artist Frank Springer to emulate innovative storytelling.

Yet Friedrich did have some talent when outside of the typical super hero format. He wrote all of Marvel's 70s-era war comics: Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders and Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen; sometimes he did very well in that genre with thoughtful parallels to the contemporary situation in Vietnam. Other times he missed the mark.

His western work - outside of the aforementioned Gunhawks - had a bit more pep than most Marvel westerns and he toiled for a time on all of Marvel's big names - most prominently the super hero-esque Ghost Rider but also Kid Colt, Outlaw, Rawhide Kid, Two-Gun Kid and the revival of Outlaw Kid. His Monster of Frankenstein was very good and he's definitely going to be remembered for his creation of the Johnny Blaze version of Ghost Rider, hands-down his most significant contribution to Marvel Comics.

Followers of this blog may recall I reviewed Friedrich & Ditko's Morlock 2001 and the Midnight Men #3 and rather enjoyed it; I also covered his Fright #1 and poked fun at some bad continuity in one of his Rawhide Kid stories.

Rest in peace, Mr. Friedrich.

Dracula Month Day 31: Unearthed: Fright #1!

Happy Halloween!

Welcome to the end of Dracula Month and another installment of my occasional series Unearthed wherein I delve into forgotten comic books of the past. Once again I'm going back into the archives of the 1970s Atlas comics; before I begin, here's what I've previously featured:
The Destructor #1
The Destructor #2
The Destructor #3
The Destructor #4
The Hands of the Dragon #1
Morlock 2001 and the Midnight Men #3
Tigerman #1
Tigerman #2
Tigerman #3

Today it is Atlas' one-and-only Dracula comic, natch. Said comic book is Fright #1 with the feature 'Son of Dracula'! This was the only issue of Fright, printed in June, 1975. By the time it came out Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula was well underway and had proven there was an audience for a monthly dose of the ol' count. Let's get started!

The cover depicts Dracula's image looming over that of his son while said son is trying to neck with a lady. "Spwaned in Hell to stalk the night! The strangest vampire of all!" Note the chalk-white skin on the son, which is also how Marvel initially coloured Dracula in their comics before granting him fleshy tones. The story is entitled "And Unto Dracula Was Born a Son" by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Frank Thorne. Friedrich is no stranger to Atlas or this feature, having also written Morlock 2001 and the Midnight Men. Frank Thorne remains best-known for his lovely renderings of Red Sonja. This is another Atlas book with a perfectly fine creative team; again, this publisher had all the resources they needed to succeed.

We open in rural Transylvania as some villagers who look like they came straight from Universal casting are trying to burn a supposed witch to death upon a brier. Dracula sees and judges them "Fools! Such a waste of young beauty -- of fresh blood!" Dracula swoops in and easily frightens the villagers then carries the woman back to his castle in the form of an immense bat. Some spectacular horror art from Thorne ensues as his giant bat is rendered as something perfectly monstrous.

As Dracula examines the woman he discovers a mark upon her breast which he identifies as "the mark of my family." He determines the woman is his only living relative and decides to spare her life (the mark is not depicted on-panel). When she awakens Dracula greets her as his cousin, identifying her as his fourth cousin. However, the woman knows what Dracula is and is afraid of him. Dracula offers to transform her into a vampire but she offers him something better: "A son, cousin!" Yes, inbreeding is popular amongst hillbilles, royalty and vampires. The woman's only condition is that Dracula not transform her into a vampire, then he can have their son to raise as his heir. The duo are seen "hours later" in what is supposed to be a post-lovemaking session (but although this is Thorne it's tasteful).

Nine months later the woman shows off her newborn son to Dracula but informs him: "As soon as I'm able, you'll not see him again! He must never become one of your kind!" That wasn't part of the bargain she made which makes one wonder why she made the proposal to begin with - sure, it saved her life in the short-term, but why didn't she escape during those nine months when she knew what would happen at the end? Anyway, threatening a vampire never goes well and when she claims she'll smother the child if Dracula draws too close he determines "You are of no further use to me!" and lunges in to drink her blood to transform her into a vampire. However, although she's weakened from the assault she slips out of the castle with her baby the next morning and rides to the sea, entrusting her child to someone else for safekeeping. She places a charm around her son's neck and claims if anything happens to the charm, "the boy might die!"

Dracula catches up to the woman at the docks, noting that in one more night she'll be a vampire like him and he wants their son to join them (this is some odd vampire lore - usually vampire victims are dead while transforming into vampires whereas here they can apparently remain alive and human during the interval). The woman refuses to become a vampire and throws herself upon a sharp piece of wood, dying. Dracula vows to find his son.

Seven years later in Appalachia... because again, hillbillies, royalty and vampires have much in common... we see the woman who was charged with protecting Dracula's son (now called 'Derek') has kept the charm around Derek's neck and has him sleep with a cross in his arms each night. As Derek wonders why he must do these strange things, Dracula bursts in to explain. The adopted mother drives Dracula off with a cross but Dracula vows to return and claim Derek. Or rather 'Adam' because the adopted mother suddenly begun calling him that. Anyway, she seals Adam up inside a wine cellar then blows up the entrance with gunpowder so that Dracula won't be able to find him... so instead he'll suffocate inside the buried wine cellar? And how is it helping Adam to deprive him of his only caregiver and sole person who understood his condition as the son of Dracula? Pay no attention to those questions because once the explosion clears we jump ahead to Adam's adulthood.

It's now 1975 (present-day) and Adam Lucard (because the Dracula family has that terrible knack for choosing obvious aliases) is a teacher at Columbia University, New York City. Adam lectures his students abothe the occult and shows off his charm to the class as an example of supernatural belief. Adam's student Debbie Porter is quite hot for teacher and reveals she's a practising witch, but Adam is brooding for that evening he must seal himself up in his home with his cross to abate his thrist for human blood. Hold up, what? It seems even though Dracula didn't convert Adam into vampirism he has basically inherited it and must be eternally vigilant against it. A flashback reveals Adam only recently learned all of this when his 2nd adopted mother was on her deathbed and gave him a book which the 1st adopted mother had left with him, containing details of the occult powers of vampires.

While Adam is trying to sleep Debbie breaks into his apartment because she doesn't understand 'personal space.' Debbie sees Adam asleep with the cross on his chest and decides to awaken him with a kiss - but first removes the cross. The joke's on her as he awakens to kiss her - as a vampire! Yes, despite all the long decades of work done by Adam's mother, adopted mother and 2nd adopted mother it's all for naught - he's become a vampire and he bites Debbie in the neck for her blood. In his vampire form Adam doesn't even recognize Debbie.

Adam leaves his apartment to go hunting for more blood. It turns out Debbie brought a friend with her who was waiting down in the street and he attacks her as well. Adam returns to his apartment and falls asleep. He awakens in the morning as a human but at the sight of Debbie's body Adam realizes he must have lost control and claimed other people's lives. Adam drives a stake into Debbie's heart to prevent her becoming a vampire then ponders whether he should destroy himself to keep him from killing again. And on this somber note, the book ends.

Thoughts: This premise suggests not only that Atlas was looking to Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula but also to their hero Morbius, the Living Vampire, a similarly human who transformed into a vampire. It also reminds one of heroes who transformed into monsters at night such as Werewolf by Night and Gary Friedrich's own Ghost Rider.

There are glitches in the story - as noted, there is confusion about the Son of Dracula's name as it appears he was supposed to be 'Derek' with the 1st adopted mother and 'Adam' with the 2nd, but through a slip-up he was called 'Adam' before the 1st adopted mother's death. Frankly, I'm not sure why the entire scene of the 1st mother killing herself and burying Adam alive is even in the story - it necessitates the creation of a 2nd adopted mother who then dies herself in flashback and I have no idea how burying Adam alive was supposed to deter Dracula.

Still, as noted, this could have worked out in the same way other reluctant monsters such as Morbius, Ghost Rider and the Werewolf. This is a decent Atlas comic with great Frank Thorne artwork.

(Scans in this post from The Horrors of It All blog)

Unearthed: Morlock 2001 and the Midnight Men #3

Why, hello there! I promised you another installment of Unearthed which would delve into those kooky 1970s Atlas Comics, didn't I? Well, we should first recap where we've been:

The Hands of the Dragon #1

The Destructor #1

The Destructor #2

The Destructor #3

The Destructor #4

Tigerman #1

Tigerman #2

Tigerman #3

This time will be a little different as I'm not going back to the first issue of the particular series to follow it from its origins. As you may have noticed, much of my interest in Atlas is to see what Steve Ditko drew for them, which leads us to Morlock 2001 #3, the last issue of that series and the only one Ditko drew. When Mike Sterling recently blogged about this comic I knew I had to see it for myself. So, my ability to recount what happens in this story is somewhat hampered by the fact that I haven't read Morlock 2001 #1-2.

The word "Morlock" naturally comes from H. G. Wells' first novel, The Time Machine. Pairing that public domain moniker with "2001" would hopefully attract either fans of The Time Machine or 2001: A Space Odyssey. But to what end?? To what end?!?

Thanks to my comrades at The Grand Comics Database I can at least know who was responsible for issues #1-2; Mike Fleisher wrote #1-2 & Al Milgrom penciled them. Both men contributed a lot of work to Atlas but it's not for me to say whether their Morlock 2001 was to their credit or not. Let's proceed by examining the cover of Morlock 2001 #3... or, rather, as the cover puts it, Morlock 2001 and the Midnight Men #3! Yes, we've arrived at the point where the series is being retooled, much as the other Atlas books were frequently tinkered with.

The GCD credits the cover to Rich Buckler; our protagonist, Morlock, is lying front and center on the cover which is a good prominent location for him. Unfortunately, he's flat on his back as a masked man declares "To save Morlock I had to kill him!" Which naturally prompts:

This isn't a bad cover at all - it does prompt the reader to pick it up and find out what's going on - is Morlock dead? Are the Midnight Men booting him out of his own comic? A flea-sized company like Atlas had the freedom to tear down its heroes which Marvel & DC comics of the time would not.

The story is titled "Then Came the Midnight Man," courtesy of writer Gary Friedrich, penciler Steve Ditko and... oh my goodness... BERNIE WRIGHTSON as inker! Mr. Wrightson has, unfortunately, announced his retirement from comics this week so this an appropriate time to appreciate his work, especially for the rarity (or is that oddity) of him inking the legendary Ditko. We open on Eugene Whitlock in his private library as a caption informs us in this world, books are banned (so toss Fahrenheit 451 in the blender with the other sci-fi properties I listed). Two men clad in black who represent the Thought Police (add 1984 to the heap) discover Eugene with his treasure trove and accuse him of "high treason," then execute him by turning a flamethrower upon him. I'd like to note above how the credits appear on the covers of the falling books. I like it when a little effort is made to insert the credits into the story.

Outside the home we have our hero Morlock, a man wearing a mix of light & dark blues and silvery hair. Morlock is seeking out Whitlock, hoping Eugene might help him. It seems Morlock has a strange condition where he transforms into a "bestial vegetable form!" (I dunno, maybe toss in Howard Hawks' Thing from Another World?) and while Morlock has a serum to inhibit this transformation the serum is almost gone and he's due to transform soon. Morlock hears Whitlock's screams and realizes he might be too late so withholds using up the last of the serum, figuring that in his monstrous form he might save Whitlock or at least kill the Thought Police. At this point a caption asks "Confused? Well, if you missed our first two issues, hang in there! We promise all will be made clear pretty soon -- we hope!" signed by editor Larry Lieber. Here, Lieber demonstrates some good editorial instincts much like those of his brother to welcome in first-time readers - such as me, 40 years later.

Morlock makes it about five steps before transforming into a monster (no idea what happened to his clothes). He grows two additional arms and looks rather tree-like, similar to what was hinted on the cover. Friedrich's script goes all in: "a nightmarish change from bodily tissue to rotting fungus!" He doesn't look that awful - Ditko was no Bernie Wrightson - but the scripting puts the reader into our hapless hero's shoes to comprehend what it is he's going through. Inside the home, the Thought Police are burning the books when one of them announces a monster has appeared and eaten one of their ranks. The leader sets out to investigate musing "the law says all Thought Police are trustworthy -- and that means I gotta check... even though I know the guy's lost his marbles!" But sure enough, there's Morlock eating one of the Thought Police by pressing it into his body. At this, the leader freezes in place, unable to move. The other Thought Police run away as Morlock winds up eating the leader as well. "His flesh is instantaneously melted by enzymes secreted from the monstrosity that holds him captive -- and in liquid form that flesh is quickly absorbed into the vegetable body of Morlock!" Can you imagine how ghastly this comic would look if Wrightston had penciled it?

Within the house, Whitlock gets up, now just a featureless mass of pink flesh. He's surprised to find he survived being burned alive and muses "I must be close to death! But the shock syndrome will not allow my mind to accept it!" Noticing his clock has stopped at 12:00 he adopts the codename Midnight Man (meanwhile Midnight calls his lawyers) and resolves to raise up an army which will combat the Tribunal which leads the Thought Police. Exiting his house he finds Morlock standing before him, but Morlock collapses to the ground and shrinks back to his human form. Elsewhere, the Thought Police who fled from Morlock return to the Tribunal (three men who sit behind chairs which conceal their faces; The Prisoner?) and relate what happened. The Tribunal believe them, but blow up the policemen's car to keep them silent about Morlock. And with that, the Tribunal begin a recap of what happened in Morlock 2001 #1-2, which is great for people such as I. It seems Morlock emerged from a giant plant pod which came from space (Invasion of the Body Snatchers?). The Tribunal attempted to place Morlock under their control and sent a female agent to win his trust; when Morlock learned she was spying on him for the Tribunal he turned into his monster form and killed her (recalling this recap comes from stories written by Mike Fleisher I'm unfortunately reminded Fleisher was judged a misogynist for the way he depicted female characters in his comics).

Anyway, back to Morlock; he's human again and clad in his blue duds once more. Although Whitlock's home is gone he has a "great refuge" located underground and opens a passageway to the "emergency underground railway." Wait a minute, if he had all these elaborate underground spots why couldn't he have hidden his books down there? Morlock revives as Midnight Man leads him down the steps into the Great Refuge (Inhumans not included). Below, it seems the "railway" was literal as the passage connects to the old subway tunnels of New York and a train car carries Morlock and Midnight Man to their destination.

We return briefly to the Tribunal who are upset to learn Whitlock's corpse was not found in his burned home and there's also no trace of Morlock. Back to the Great Refuge and it seems two days have passed. A female follower of Whitlock's (apparently his opposition to the state consisted of more than book ownership) spends some time with Morlock to befriend him. She should be safe, Fleisher's not writing now. Elsewhere, Midnight Man gathers his followers in a cavern looking something like he's about to begin a witch's Sabbath - but really, he's there to show off his new costume (at least he finally got dressed!) complete with an "MM" over his navel. He's a super hero! A super hero with the power to inexplicably survive third degree burns! Midnight Man summons his followers to join his "revolutionary army" against the Tribunal. He calls his army "the Midnight Men" claiming it's because it's similar to the "Minutemen", but I think he must have read the cover.

Midnight Man returns to Morlock and Felicia (thus naming his female follower) and finally explains he's Eugene Whitlock (Morlock stayed with him for two days without having this conversation?). Midnight Man explains his goal of overthrowing the Tribunal and Morlock agrees; "Our cause is the same!" Midnight Man hopes he might find a means to control Morlock's transformations but warns his plan will mean risking Morlock's life. But back again to the Thought Police - who have found the secret tunnel entrance outside of Whitlock's house! The Tribunal is pleased at this news as the Thought Police pour into the tunnels.

Midnight Man explains his plan to Morlock: there was a second plant pod next to Morlock's which is still in the Tribunal's custody. If they can capture that pod he can cure Morlock; the pod is heavily guarded, but the plan goes no further as the Thought Police break into Midnight Man's base, setting off alarms. The Midnight Men surge into battle but as Midnight Man goes to join them Morlock starts to transform again. "Help me -- don't let me become -- a mindless monster -- again!" With the serum depleted Midnight Man can offer only one solution to Morlock's trouble: "All I can do is to bring your torment and suffering to an end, forever!" So saying, he shoots the monstrous Morlock to death. Yipe! Looks like the Midnight Men really are taking over this comic!

As Midnight Man races to enter the fight, behind him Morlock's body reverts to its human form. Midnight Man doesn't believe his Midnight Men stand a chance against the invading Thought Police so there's only one solution: "Destroy our refuge -- and myself and my followers along with it! With the pressing of this button -- all hope for free-thinking mankind is ended! Yet -- better death than slavery on the surface!" So Midnight Man pushes the detonator and thus, the horribly disfigured person who wears a mask has activated a bomb to seemingly kill off the entire cast (Beneath the Planet of the Apes). Is this the end of Morlock and the Midnight Men? According to the final blurb, "Don't bet your last two bits on it!" They promise more next issue, but... there is no "next issue." I guess Morlock and Midnight Man are both dead. The Tribunal won. Well ain't that a kick in the groin?

There is a letters page in this issue and much of it features complaints about issues #1-2. More than one reader complains about Milgrom's art ("I happen to be an Allen Milgrom fan, but the stuff is not up to par" writes one). Complaints are also raised about the obvious recycling of other science fiction concepts ("In fact, you should give George Orwell some credit in the front of your mag. It is obviously based on his world of the police state and 'double think'" writes another). Another complains about the poor distribution of Atlas Comics, finding it difficult to locate them on the stands. Indeed, the staff at Atlas complained about Marvel deliberately flooding the marketplace with additional titles (mostly reprints which were cheap to produce) to help crowd Atlas off the racks.

Thoughts: Gary Friedrich has his detractors but I am not one of them. As the many quotes I pulled may suggest, I enjoyed his scripting, especially when he delved into the horror of Morlock the muck-monster. I don't know quite what to make of Midnight Man but there's something endearing about the idea of this character who is introduced seemingly to be bumped off on page 1 but instead becomes a costumed freedom fighter who basically takes over the book. The many obvious allusions to popular science fiction films & novels don't really help the story but I imagine most of them came to Friedrich from Fleisher.

Much as I love Ditko's artwork he's not quite right for muck-monsters. Ditko could do horror - his work on the Warren mags proved that - but a plant-like monster needs to appear soft and round on the pages, which is an ill match for Ditko harsh, triangular lines. Wrightson helps to some extent and his influence is most keenly felt on Midnight Man's burns. Ditko's more in his element with the Thought Police and the Tribunal who both look like they stepped out of one of Ditko's breezy sci-fi strips.

This brings my series of Unearthed posts on Atlas Comics to an end, for now. Unearthed will be back eventually. If you liked this, make sure you've read my other Atlas posts which I linked above.

A Tale of Two Custers

General George Armstrong Custer and his pitiable Battle of Little Big Horn: it's a popular historical tale ripe for the improvement which can only be found through the pages of a Marvel western hero comic book. So it is I bring you "Massacre at Medicine Bend!" from Rawhide Kid#60 (1967) by Gary Friedrich, Dennis O'Neil and Dick Ayers.

The Rawhide Kid meets with a Sioux leader named Bald Eagle who wants to make peace with the army before things get out of hand; the Kid brings his request to General Custer himself, but the Kid has to conceal his own identity, being a wanted man.

Custer isn't particularly inclined to believe the Kid's tale, but if there's any chance of averting a massacre, decides it might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately, when Custer heads to the appointed meeting place some Sioux agitators (and a white man selling them guns) start a fight; Custer winds up thinking the Kid was part of a conspiracy to have him murdered.

Considering this, he's rather merciful, simply ordering the Kid to leave and not return. To set the timeframe for this tale, we learn in closing the infamous Battle of Little Big Horn occurred just one week later. This dangling subplot would eventually be picked up in Rawhide Kid#91 (1971), just 31 issues after (even in western comic books, Marvel-time applies). This time, we peer in on "The Outlaw, the General, and the Little Big Horn!" by Roy Thomas and Dick Ayers.

The Rawhide Kid has returned to the Black Hills to find his never-before-heard-of cousin, son of the Kid's uncle Ben who died in his origin story; the Kid somehow thinks his cousin's testimony could clear him of being an outlaw, even though his cousin wasn't present when the Kid's uncle died... and never mind the Kid becoming an outlaw had nothing to do with his uncle's death (a sheriff saw him shoot a cattle rustler and didn't understand the circumstances; the Kid refused to be arrested, fled the sheriff and thus became an outlaw).

In the week since they last met, Custer has been to his stylist to have his hair curled. Fortunately, he hasn't been taking his lithium and doesn't recognize the man he promised to try for treason just seven days earlier. The Rawhide Kid has two factors in his favour:

1. He didn't give Custer his real name or alias last time.
2. The colourist has camouflaged him by colouring his hair blond.

Custer hires Johnny Bart to be a scout for the army. Unfortunately...

...Yep, Custer woke up sober that day. Soon he'll be asking himself, "where was this wanted poster last week when I needed it?"

Thus it transpires that the Rawhide Kid is sent to the stockades; Custer rides out to Little Big Horn to meet his appointed massacre and the Kid's cousin is amongst those who perish. What a senseless waste. Of trees.

It's a good thing both stories were drawn by Dashin' Dick Ayers and edited by Smilin' Stan Lee or some continuity errors might have crept in!