What if Hulk was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? I don’t know about you, true believers, but I find myself pondering the stories of our favorite Marvel heroes and wondering about the events unseen by readers’ eyes. What heroism might Luke Cage be hired to do between issues? What muggings might Spider-Man be foiling before we see him on page one? What board meetings might Tony Stark be attending over at Stark Industries? While the untold activities of our favorite costumed characters may be limitless, we have been blessed to benefit from the spectacular stories which inhabit the alternate time continuum which exists alongside our own, separated from it by the merest, thinnest reality! These are the stories of What If?, where the enigmatic entity known as Uatu the Watcher shares the lives of Marvel’s heroes and villains in worlds where events transpire slightly differently than those we know. Such questions have been explored as “What If The Phoenix Had Not Died?” (Vol. 1 #27), “What If Elektra Had Lived?” (Vol. 1 #35) and “What If The Amazing Spider-Man Had NOT Married Mary Jane and HAD Married the Black Cat?” (Vol. 2 #20-21). In the […]
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America’s powerful patriot battles energy wasters and teaches us how to keep the power flowing long into the future! Comics teach us many valuable lessons, such as how underwear looks better on the outside and that radiation exposure is a sure-fire way to gain super powers. When it comes to solving the energy crisis, however, there’s only one hero who can fill up a bread bowl of patriotism with a red, white and blue grilled cheese on the side! Captain America and the Campbell Kids is brought to us by the Campbell Soup Company and Marvel Comics Group in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy in the crossover event of the decade (even hotter than the time Superman teamed up with the Quik Rabbit!). When ol’ Winghead takes time off from his duties as an Avenger and defender of Old Glory, he spends his days partnering up with toddlers of the pinched-cheek variety to bring us a lesson on saving energy hidden within all the joy and merriment of a comic book adventure. The Campbell Kids were a pair of children sporting the rosiest of cheeks created by Grace Wiederseim (also known as Grace Drayton and Grace Gebbie), a […]
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I tried to be a future warrior – But the Martians ever came – I know now, fighting to be a freeman – Finally found myself – Fighting for a chance! Even to this day, I find myself reading comics about characters of which I have no previous experience or knowledge. This is the fun of back-issue bin diving: finding new heroes, stories and universes which bring us sheer joy and spark our imaginations! Earlier this year, I shared with you my very first experience reading a book about the cyborg, Deathlok, in the far-flung future of 1990. Now, another hero from days yet-to-pass
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HONEY, WE SHRUNK THE MONSTER! (or you’ll laugh your fedora off, unless you have a shrinking sense of humor) I like to think of myself as an experienced comic book reader, perhaps even an aficionado of this pleasant pastime. As such, I’ve read a fair share of diverse material: super-hero, espionage, thriller, horror, romance and other themes, including comedy comics. I have to admit that I’ve never found “funny” comics to be all that humorous, with the exception of Love & Capes by Thomas Zahler, and that includes both elbow-jabbing parodies and slap-stick joke-fests. For the most part, they are either decidedly un-clever and predictable or in poor taste. But then, there are the few unexpected books which are laugh-out-loud hilarious, which is even better when it’s totally unintentional. Now I am no mind reader, true believer, so for all I know the creators saw this project as a either a farce or as high art. Regardless, Godzilla King of the Monsters is a whole mess of fun (emphasis on the “mess”). Welcome to another Comics ‘n Coffee and thanks for sticking with me these past 20 weeks! In 1954, a 50-meter tall amphibious reptile burst from Tokyo Bay to […]
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HIT ‘EM WHERE IT HERTZ! (or… Amped-Up Battery Above the Loop) Dear reader, I could converse about The Incredible Hulk all day and night long. This is not exaggeration in the slightest, for my love of the green goliath has spanned 30 years and spurred a silly audio podcast production about the Hulk which earned me the nickname “Smash”. But even before I began reading the adventures of ol’ mean and green, he was stomping across the Marvel Universe, putting fear in the hearts of citizens and evil-doers alike. For 25¢ in January 1975, you could join Bruce Banner and his alter-ego for another monthly adventure courtesy of Len Wein, Herb Trimpe and Marvel Comics Group. Grab your favorite hot beverage mug and join me for “Fury at 50,000 Volts!”. As with most Marvel titles during the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the characters of note are presented in quick, detailed clarity. The Hulk appears on the very first page and within a few frames, his completely avoidable confrontation with a passenger train ends badly … for the train. In one page, however, we see not only the simple-minded Hulk threaten the safety of a train full of passengers, but […]
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