Thor, Red Sonja, Best Spider-Man Team-Ups of the Years series, '78
OK, Best Spider-Man Team-Ups of the Years brings you a quartet of comics this time out, so Face Front!
First, the two-parter that won the spotlight: 1978’s Best, with the grand prize, Spider-Man with Mighty Thor versus The Living Monolith in Marvel Team Up #70! What epic spectacle, the great in power shaking the city while our point-of-view character, Spidey, at one point hitches a ride on Thor’s hammer, Mjonir! That scene’s homaged on the very cover of Marvel Team-Up #148, where I first caught that tactic with my young eyes.
So, Marvel Team Up #68 set up the return of Havok, the X-Man whose origins share the source of power with the villain of our piece, the archeologist who also shares mutant solar-absorbing abilities. But should Havok fall…! Let’s say, Thor is just about the only cavalry who’d have a chance.
The 1972 first pairing of the god and the graduate, Marvel Team-Up #7, was my choice of winner in that year! Here, it’s my 2nd favorite Spider-Man/ Thor story.
Finally, 1978’s #2, such a close call, I nearly started a poll first! WE can still have one! Marvel Team-Up #79 has the distinction of being a single issue. (Imagine if that could’ve been a two-parter- with Spider-Man meeting Conan The Barbarian!) It’s paced and drawn so well. Swords, sorcery- and Spidey! Nothing like that since Howard the Duck # 1. (Now there would’ve been an offbeat choice for best team-up, ‘76!)
So! My #1 from ‘78, which is two of two; my Thor Team up choice #2; and my pick for ‘78, #2.
Let’s take’em in reverse order.
As a bonus demanded by virtually no one, I’ll end w/ my team up pick for 1978 from my childhood. What back issue fell wayward into my hands?
Marvel Team-Up #79 This Christmas holiday story actually happens on winter solstice (topically, 1978). A pattern that amuses me: there’s a Bugle-hosted party in this one, as well as my last spotlight comics, Cap #265-6.
Thanks to that party, Peter pretty much stumbles upon the true face of Captain America. Then, in my next entry?
Thor, also at the beginning of their mission together, learns Spider-Man’s unmasked face! (Peter and Thor are nabbed, like Steve was in those Cap stories.)
This issue has one more important commonality with that Howard the Duck sorcery adventure. Red Sonja, popularly rendered by Frank Thorne (whose look is homaged, Byrne-style, here), is another Marvel offering intended for mature reader appeal, with a touch of underground aesthetic that stood apart from Marvel’s very mainstream superhero offerings.
Kulan Gath not only would’ve made a badass foe against a united Conan and Spider-Man (hence, Conan in part two, natch!). When he finally does return under the Claremont pen, we get a completely epic and truly secret war, in X-Men #189-90. What a team-up -between the X-Men, Avengers, and New Mutants, with Spider-Man battling the sorcerer’s revenge as the only modern person trapped in a version of the Big Apple- re-envisioned in the Hyborian Age! My first year as a monthly collector, 1984, was a generous one in Spidey Teams. That story does indeed feature Kulan Gath’s revenge against Spider-Man! But even the reversal of his dark victory heralds dangers unknown- not from the ancient past like Gath, but from Days of Future Past, in the form of Sentinel Nimrod! That storyline goes all the back to the recently-unearthed amulet, displayed here in a museum wing made to look like civilization before recorded time.
Marvel Team-Up #7
Time. It gets kinda wasted over the first three pages.
I understand, do something different: at this point, rarely has Peter fought street crime without the quick change to his alter ego. He takes off his shoes and saves a woman from most likely being raped. She then wants nothing to do with the scene. Peter’s disappointed she doesn’t want to step forward to put the guys away, legally. If the point is, Peter takes responsibility where most will not, okay, but it doesn’t do a thing to connect to or move the main plot. That and a kinda lack luster splash page eat up space I’d like to have seen devoted to Kryllk the Troll’s menace.
Feel free, disagree. I guess Gerry reasoned this cross over into Spidey territory explains why Peter, in his civvies, doesn’t bother to act like he doesn’t recognize Thor! Here and in MTU #70, it’s the scenes between immortal and everyman, the nature of friendship that arises between them, that is the most appealing conceit behind tying two awesomely-mismatched heroes, in terms of power. Their different skill sets can be complementary, but rarely could you put them side-by-side fighting like on the splash.
There are two things I love here at once. Artist Ron Frenz inspired my greater appreciation for scenes of the Thunder God interacting with the Big Apple. Here, he sits astride a balcony, jostling Peter with jest filled with knowing. Mr. Know-it-all Asgardian here acts more in character with Spider-Man, here, but I’ll buy it. Peter’s abrasive and sullen after the attack he ended earlier, and whatever is his hang-up. He really ought not to be so rude to Thor, though. Not just because he’s a thunder god, but one guy to another- which is how Thor sought to address him, for some reason. Thor’s short-lived life coaching phase didn’t fuel great action scenes.
Peter usually needs that web-head mask to really cut loose on anything this side of a physics exam. Here, since he knows Thor as Spider-Man, he continues sort of forgetting he’s not in costume and talks back to Thor!
It’s really funny. Thor is really cool to this random New Yorker- though, if he did witness Peter banging up the gang-bangers, he’d find that courage impressive. It’s not clear he did, but probably! But I love how he sets Peter straight right quick not to exhaust his graciousness. It’s a weird personality struggle that tests Thor’s humilty. The impertinent youth, however, reveals he’s Spider-Man, after the sky and surroundings seem cosmically disturbed.
Thor knows Spider-Man, unmasked ! Cool. Spider-Man realizes he’s seen Captain America unmasked in our last post- in 1981. However, I think it’s this year that Steve Englehart tips that Iron Man and Thor are aware of each other’s alter egos in a cool Avengers scene (after DR. Blake and Mr. Stark had worked to save the life of...who? The Vision, that’s right!). So, maybe we are getting to the point in Marvel history where the new writers wonder about things like, who knows who-is-really. Spidey played into Daredevil’s identity secrets early on, too. Daredevil drops hints each time detects Spider-Man out-of-costume. Peter’s whisked away here in a hammer vortex, like any other mortal, as reality unravels.
To me, all that’s more interesting than the rest. The fight against Kryllk’s a cool plot if you’re a little kid, though. Pretty much a Thor-style story from here out, like that Dr. Strange team-up in ‘65 you’ll see here again, soon.
1978’s MTU # 68, 69 though, while it depends on its previous part, brings X-Man Havok and his nemesis, the Living Monolith, for a true battle royale. Because of its ties to the greater ongoing Marvel Universe story and the awesome fight scenes with giant Monolith and the Thunder God, if I was picking just the best few team-ups, this is my favorite Thor and Spider-Man story. Immortal and everyman have this very interesting back-and-forth I really enjoy, when they meet. The Norse prince’s fraternal concern and aid to brave Spider-Man makes it their best team-up!
Museum mock-ups play the setting for the Havok/ Thor two-parter as well as the story mentioned at the top, with Red Sonja. Be careful going out to museums or circuses in the Marvel U. Play it safe, stay home and read comics!
I found that story when I was twelve, a new Marvel Tales. Very cool, tying the civilian lives of Alex and Lorna, retired X-Men affiliates, into a great tale of Thor and Spidey, versus his arch enemy!
I was disappointed the Hulk wouldn’t be part of the fight, but throughout DAK’s run, he’s been the most non-teammate of Defenders. He spends considerable time in these years both at peace and as Hulk, while rest used to trigger the change back to Bruce Banner. I don’t know what changed that besides storytelling and perhaps a call overall to keep Hulk on the pages rather than his brainy alter ego.
Kyle’s making a dumb plan -helps do something unexpected: not put Hulk and Bug Man on a mission together. It’s weirdly cool the two biggest stars at the company at the time, I’m guessing, appear in the same story, but don’t cross paths. Hulk and Spider-Man are hardly Marvel’s Batman and Robin!
Next: Take yet another 2nd: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2- a pair you can gamble on, from the hand of Steve Ditko! How does Stan Lee deal?
Comments
Post a Comment