I've been known to romanticize weird little corners of Marvel like the title Nova. or Machine Man. But I do know a good superhero epic mega-blockbuster, and after a busy summer, I thought I'd relax with Comics and, for the first time in months, write about them. AVENGERS ANNUAL #7 of 1977 and its sequel is, at least, in the Top 7 Stories of the Seventies that ever assembled Avengers. Now, I loved the scope of Marvel-Two-In-One Annual #2 -I wondered if it wasn't the best Spider-Man stories of the 1970s. But it MIGHT be the two-part summer epic that best epitomizes stories of the Avengers, too. The others? I propose, chronologically: Kree-Skrull War from #89-98. Then, the jaunt of ever Avenger to Olympus in 99-100. The Serpent Crown encounter that brought us Squadron Sinister and Hellcat, 141-144 and 147, was it- there's another. Between Grim Reaper and Ultron's machinations next around #159-162 proves, this title hardly let up. #167 -177 compri...

I watched the Avengers all the way through for only the second time, including its cinema debut the summer of 2012, where we went opening day in Horton Plaza, a reliable ways from our first shawarma experience later that afternoon over on Fourth Avenue. Me being my best friend and band mate, Anji Bug. I love how that one post-credit scene, of any of them, does no more previewing than simply showing they socialize. Now, I’m recalling the first of my Marvel Super Heroes. When I’m three, there’s already Spider-Man, and soon after, the Incredible Hulk, who I probably started watching in his first season. I already could read the TV Guide well enough. G-Force is already my favorite superhero team when I’m four, and I love Goldar from The Space Giants, and will meet the Superfriends just before Ultra Man and Spectre Man. Avengers is so great because at its core, it’s got the four of the first five Marvel heroes I found: Hulk, then Iron Man, Cap, and Thor. I’m less sure about Thor, b...

Captain America is such a wonderful touchstone to cultural values, history, and an enduring sense of decency fostered in a time we try to preserve in us. I knew I had to participate in my country’s culture today by discussing someone whose courage transcends politics. He’s just the sort of fellow we need to make real from our own hearts and determination. From soldier to teacher to playground child to handicapped shut-in, to believe in Cap gives an intangible form to what we admire in ourselves in the face of adversity. Yes, in his stories, he’s a hero who finds a way to win. Along the way, he finds a way to never quit! In my selection for Spider-Man’s most awesome team-up of 1981, I went with the spirit of Marvel Comics Group at that time. Frank Miller was completing the new, rather basic crime noir Daredevil; John Byrne began a back-to-basics approach with Fantastic Four. I might’ve cocked an eye at first, how Cap spouts historic object lessons throughout. But isn’t this a ...

CAP #110 “Alone No More!” From the first panels, we get the essence of noir, and a very cinematic approach: the figure, against a repeating background, advances to the fore. The deft caption tells us it’s Steve Rogers- the man who is Captain America. The star literally walks up from the anonymous streets, towards a concert appearance poster of his star-spangled public identity, hanging on a wall. If you happened to be a lonely young person yourself, this moody opening is a sure-fire grabber. Steve lights a pipe- maybe he was depicted smoking occasionally back then still, it’s so out-of-character for the interpretation with which I grew up, but maybe that one was too lilly-white anyway. The dark overcast on his countenance is the beginning of a recurrent visual, where Cap will be presented in silhouette in key moments where our fearless hero feels angst. I love how literally he becomes ‘alone no more’- but we’ll get to the Hulk’s hands bursting through the wall momentarily. ...

Hmm, so fans are sending videos of their flaming copies of the new Cap #1 over Twitter to Nick Spenser, writer. Anything could come of a twist; I just happened to read a review stating why the issue wasn't particularly well made. The truly offensive idea here is that Captain America- co-created by a Jewish artist who joined the Army to fight the military oppression of the Nazis- would be a deep cover member of an organization founded, fictitiously,by Nazis (Hydra). Could I ever burn a comic book? I did. When I was a child, I burned a brittle old copy of FEAR #21 my Dad found tattered in the floorboard of a '56 Chevy. My imagination and Morbius the Living Vampire did not play well, lol- I eventually took my object of morbid fascination to the trash fire in the back yard. I'd never burn another comic book, though. Irony? It was written by Steve Gerber, a writer I now really love! In other synchronicities, the issue went on sale the week I was born- as did the issue o...

Captain America (#275-289) I have none of these, but I tended to enjoy J.M. DeMatteis very much, the maturity in his themes and humor, too. I picked up almost every issue of his Justice League run with Keith Giffen by 2000, and bought the mini-series sequels, too. My friend Johann and I put together a radio drama based on my script featuring the JLI and the 2000 Presidential Election, a 13-person cast---so J.M. is a developmental influence on my writing, for sure! These stories seem to have a stronger supporting cast of regular folks (a Spider-Man strength), as well a new "man out of time" to explore in Jack Monroe, a.k.a. Nomad, and a man out of the future lost, too, in the (apparent) guest shot for Deathlok. Glad to see Spider-Woman again here, too; this is just before the Jessica Drew version sort of slips off to character limbo for a long time. Her series under Chris Claremont's really good, especially if you like the unique style of artist Steve Leialoha. I l...

You can say that again, Cap. CONCLUSIONS (AND CONTUSIONS AND CLEARED-UP CONFUSIONS) Roger Stern had a knack around ’83 for writing one-word titles for his AMAZING SPIDER-MAN stories. So, my little tribute to that: “Conclusions!” Er, I probably ought to read #277 again real quick. Or go on to bed. FIRST: It's really the ideal third or fourth AVENGERS movie, imho. Maybe, with some re-"Vision" even a template to the sequel of the one coming out next summer! I would love to write that treatment...all credit to this team for inspiring me so. Write absent Tony Stark/ Iron Man into absent Namor's place and it starts writing itself. As a kid, one thing I LOVED was pretending to be the different scenes of a fight, heroes versus villains, crossing right over into each other's way. Here, you have Thor on one hand, cursed with brittle bones, fighting the ever-growing Goliath, and on the other, the Wrecker, now with the power of all the Wrecking Crew channeled back i...

fIRST, a word about Captain America, a hero most agree Roger Stern had written well already in his own title. It’s so wise to set an example and lead in ways that allow others to find themselves choosing and doing right on their own, to speak measuredly while others get an idea what it is like to consider everyone on the team, to learn responsibility, without usurping control of everything. --The Vision Cap never fails to speak up when a turn is against his better judgment, but only at the moment he's seen enough; having been the leader, he is accustomed to pondering everyone’s contributions with an open mind, while still maintaining an objectivity in battle situations that spells out one of the reasons he is so trusted by his super hero partners. Another part calls back to his competency, which is built largely on the experience of brooding over what he doesn’t understand, when he realizes it’s important. One thing you often hear Cap point out is when it is not, in fact, the...