I was just getting around to Being at the time, but looking back at the early and mid-70s, I have a question that applies to movies, books- even my starting point, comic books, which took on a moody, melancholy aspect, particularly with Marvel Comics, which had just begun its publishing period of the roster of characters that we see in abundance across media and toys, today. What are the causes of the increase in violence and death and overall downbeat tone that defines 1970s storytelling? Do you think the new permissiveness post-60s was at the root of the violence and death portrayed? My first thought was, word was getting back about Viet Nam, and young people were disillusioned with institutions they'd been inculcated culturally to trust. I often think the idealism emerging within the counter-culture was just not manifesting quickly enough, for the impatience of the youth. I'm clear, too, that the rise of counter-culturalism 1) certainly does not match the rural values...

Working at Marvel Comics has been a job dreamed of by so many young people, every since the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man and the original Avengers made it the cool, connected, offbeat place it was in the Marvel Age. Virtually every one who came to work there, from the late 60's onward, was a massive fan of some (or nearly all) Marvel character. So here's the story about one of those young people. (And here is Glam rocker Marc Bolan- who once interviewed Stan Lee for a BBC show-holding the first comic scripted by DAK! Yeah!) Stream or download, and happy 2019! DAK: Everyone likes to use the phrase, “break into comics”- but I like to say, I was invited. Not that I wouldn’t have broken in! Lue: You already had taken on work, in high school, as a literary agent for the work of pulp writer Otis Adelbert Kline. You simply wrote, expressed some knowledge and interest- boom, you got it. DAK: I put an inquiry to see if I could work for Marvel. One day, I went ...

Captain (Ms.) Marvel - Thanos - Avengers! Best Spider-Man Team Ups, 1977 So, the game goes, team-ups with Spider-Man during the year 1977. Imagine if Spider-Man could’ve even once met the Superfriends, or just apppeared with Batman, drawn by Steve Ditko and Alex Toth. Ah well, when you’re a kid, publishing universes are yours to blend like phonics. 1977. How'd that go...“Night Fever,” Three’s Company….come and knock on our door, dun-na-nuh-na-nuh-na-here we go! Marvel Team-Up #56 I guess 1st true 1977 calendar date releases. MTU probably shipped first in the rotation of new books? See, by that year, a different Spider-Man comic book series from Marvel published a new issue each week. Marvel Team-Up, Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker(bear w/ me it’s long), The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Marvel Tales. Marvel Tales settled into a groove of reprinting Amazing Spider-Man stories in order from about five years before, and remained so until 1982, the year the ti...

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. ...

To be clear, photos with this kid are from Will Alovis! Thanks, Will! Ken and I had a hoot talking about adventure as a ten year old at Marvel Con '75, the first hosted by Marvel Comics Group. Did he meet STan? Did he pose with Red Sonja? Did he put his face in a cut-out? The pictures tell the tale...but why not listen to Ken himself? Look him up on imdb for a big smile, too. He's a massive Submariner fan, has some great Golden Age comics you'll never pry from his cold cybernetic hands, and was a big fan of Hulk, Spidey and The Thing back in those classic times, too. I have more of our audio I think I'll spring on you one day where we talk fan stuff and a bit about his career. And Harold, I almost have our interview ready, too! I had like two hours to wade through but I have almost isolated the Marvel Con stuff. I see a conglomerate Marvel Con podcast coming in March where I put out the other stuff from everyone with whom I spoke...and if I could find the ho...

Or Download it, here! Download this episode (right click and save) "> David Anthony Kraft tells the story behind the story about writing The Defenders for Marvel Comics Group. He goes into the heads of some of the characters and provides some unique insights as well as some creative background. It's actually part two! Take a look at my August posts.

Black Cat, female comics characters, and character development. I’ve seen it noted elsewhere that Marv Wolfman overwhelmingly chose non-physically super-powered antagonists for the wall crawler in his year and a half run on The Amazing Spider-Man. it’s true: they use gadgets, conventional weapons, and disguises, but a Wolfman foe- unless, of course, he’s a Man-Wolf!- is a non-super powered foe. (He does bring in a formidable even-match criminal Human Fly who adds to the drama nicely during the twenty-four hours spent shackled to a bomb with Jonah, and there’s a Starlin- drawn bout with Electro I believe was intended for Marvel Team-Up.) He created one, too. In genuine Wolfman fashion, her apparent gimmick’s later revealed to be a gadget-type set-up, but if Luck be a Lady, the Black Cat’s bad news all around for Spider-Man! Say what you will about Madame Web, but I recognize how cool it was for Spider-Man to gain a character who’s enigmatic, non-physically powered, elderly, phy...