Does it Stand? The Infinity Gauntlet

Recently I reread Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet, a story that if you collected comics in the early 1990s you've probably read at least an issue as well. Written by Jim Starlin with art by George Perez and Ron Lim, this six issue mini was released between July and December 1991 and told the story of the earthly and celestial superheroes and gods teaming up to battle (and then join) a Mephisto-influenced Thanos who's six gem Infinity Gauntlet has given him God-like powers. The legacy of this series was a lot of Infinity themed stories in the early 90s but can also be seen today in series like Marvel NOW!'s New Avengers.

Cover of Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #1 (TPB - January 2005) Written by Jim Starlin with art by George Perez and Ron Lin. Originally published July 1991-December 1991

While reading I wondered if it was worth writing about a series that has been out for over twenty years. Comic books are a nostalgia driven hobby and so many of us remember fondly those stories of decades ago. But what of the period when comics were almost everywhere and all those guys in your grade-school class stumbled into the hobby just when you thought it was yours? Remember that moment when you were ticked off that a friend -- let's call him 'Adam' -- had the ‘next big thing’ when you couldn’t afford it? Have those books stood the test of time like Stan and Jack's run on The Fantastic Four or Neil Edward’s Green Lantern? Or do they now just look rushed and silly?

 

From Marvel's The Infinity Guantlet #4 (October 1991) 

That’s what WGTB's “Does It Stand?” feature is going to be about. We're going to write about those comic stories published in the mid 80s and early 90s boom and let you know if we think they stand the test for today's discerning reader. They won't be called reviews per se, but just short commentaries (with lots of images) on how the medium has changed is that period. 

From Marvel's The Infinity Guantlet #3 (September 1991)

So let's get at it. There's no doubt that sequential art storytelling has changed a lot since the 1990s, but as a modern reader I'll say The Infinity Gauntlet, while not outstanding is somewhat enjoyable. The first three issues were clearly better than the rest, with a couple silly moments throwing the plot off in the latter issues and some obvious deus ex machina to wrap up the series. But on the whole it wasn't bad. The art is certainly very different than what you see today (even from George Perez who is still working) with the colours being much brighter and less realistic. Indeed, even when something terrible happens, it is never as menacing and dark as you'd see today and unfortunately high concept material like the Celestials or Galactus especially suffer in the brighter themes of a decade ago.

 

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #5 (November 1991)

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #3 (October 1991)

The characterization of Thanos as the maniacal yet (nearly) goofy God-like antagonist is also something that doesn’t really stand up, and I certainly don’t see Jonathan Hickman or Jason Aaron writing that character today like Starlin did then. Likewise, Adam Warlock, the closest thing we have to 'hero', was also unremarkable and someone I couldn't really enjoy seeing successful. But on the whole it does stand up as a piece of nostalgia-driven fun and if you have old copies of it kicking around The Infinity Gauntlet might be worth an hour or so of your time.

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #6 (December 1991)

SuperSoundtracks #6: The Silver Surfer & Babylon Zoo

Welcome to another super-soundtrack blog entry. In this (somewhat) regular feature, I take a good song and pair it with a comic book character. Today's comic subject is yet another creation from the minds of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; a character who first appeared with his master Galactus in the pages of Fantastic Four in March 1966. The musical subject today is the mid-90s hit 'Spaceman' by the English band Babylon Zoo.

An advert from The Avengers #25 (February 1966) This blogger (shamefully) doesn't own a copy of Fantastic Four #48 (March 1968)

Hailing from the highly advanced world of Zenn-La, the Silver Surfer was originally a scientist named Norrin Radd. When Galactus, the god-like devourer of worlds arrived at his home planet to consume it, Radd took a long unused spaceship and flew to Galactus for a parley. The resulting deal he struck was that he would serve as 'Herald' to Galactus and spare both his and other inhabited planets that Galactus would normally feed upon.    

The Silver Surfer is born! From (Silver Surfer Vol. 2 #1 1982)

At first this bargain served both parties well. Galactus, slow and cumbersome, was able to devour planets that were void of life and thus spare living creatures. At the same time, Norrin Radd as the Silver Surfer was able to explore the universe. But when the two came upon Earth conflict ensued: the Surfer grew to care about the humans while Galactus needed to eat them. Ultimately, when he aided the Fantastic Four in saving their planet, the Silver Surfer was released from Galactus' service and bound to the planet he helped spare as punishment.

Splash from Silver Surfer Vol. 2 #1 (1982). This one-shot told about the Surfer's Earth-bound captivity and starts with him in despair. Script by Stan Lee and plot and pencils by John Byrne.

It also featured a back story for readers not familiar with his creation story and...

...culminated with a conflict involving the Silver Surfer battling Mephisto. The Silver Surfer is very much an angelic presence in the Marvel Universe and it's fitting that he would count its devil as one of his chief adversaries. Above images also from Silver Surfer Vol. 2 #1.

The Silver Surfer is among the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe and has had many great creators take their turn at writing and drawing him. After appearances in the Fantastic Four he was given his own book for a short time between 1968 and 1970. This 18 issue series was silly in parts, yet is still well received to this day. Since then, the Silver Surfer (and Galactus) have appeared in many guest spots, minis and one-shots and between 1987 and 1998 Volume #3 of the Silver Surfer ran for 146 issues, an impressive run especially since it survived the mid-90s comics bubble. More recently, when it launched in 2011, The Mighty Thor featured a great opening story starring the Silver Surfer and in late 2011 Matt Fracton and Terry Dodson's Defenders also included the Silver Surfer. So far I haven't heard what Marvel NOW! plans to do with this cosmic hero, but we will be watching.

The Silver Surfer battles a pirate in the service of Mephisto in Silver Surfer Vol. 1 #9 (October 1969)

Marvel's (Marvel Knights) Silver Surfer: Requiem (July 2007) Writing by J. Michael Straczynski & art by Esab Ribic

Croatian artist Esad Ribic's work was especially good in Silver Surfer: Requiem (July 2007)

Today’s super-soundtrack chosen for the Silver Surfer is ‘Spaceman’ by Babylon Zoo, a band from Wolverhampton, England. You may remember these guys: especially if you're from the UK and heard them rocket to the top of the charts in early 1996. Unfortunately, this early success did not translate into long-term viability, and they quickly fell off the music map after their first album. Interestingly, it appears that Babylon Zoo were comic book fans -- their second album featured a song called ‘Chrome Invader’ which was originally called 'Silver Surfer' but was changed for copyright reasons. 

Spaceman is a cosmic-sounding mash of psychedelic and indie/alternative musical styles. With hauntingly slow lyrics, heavy beats and at times spoken words, it certainly has a mid-90s feel to it, yet still holds up to the 2012 listener. Its lyrics are also very appropriate to the Silver Surfer, with the below sample being particularly well matched:    

 There's a fire between us  

So where is your God?  

There's a fire between us  
I can't get off the carousel
I can't get off the carousel 
I can't get off the carousel 
I can't get off this world

If you can think of another song that would match the Silver Surfer or have a super-soundtrack of your own, please leave a comment below. That's it for now, so thanks again for reading and with the Marvel NOW! coming soon look for more reviews in the weeks to come.

Remembering Gene Colan

This past Thursday saw the death of comic artist Gene Colan. WGTB would like to add to the chorus of appreciation and thanks we have heard since his passing, and briefly reflect on the career of this great artist.

Gene Colan was born in Brooklyn in 1926. His first job in comics was in 1944 and after briefly serving in the US Army, he returned to the business and Timely Comics in 1946. During the slower years of the early 1950s, he worked as a freelancer, but would go on to become a key figure in the comic book resurgence of the 1960s. Indeed, it would be in Silver and early Bronze Ages where Colan would leave his greatest mark. Not only did he create African-American characters like Falcon and Blade, helping keep Marvel on the forefront of important social issues in the United States, he and long-time collaborator Marv Wolfman, also created the definitive Horror comic of the Bronze Age, Tomb of Dracula. This title would run for 70 issues and become a very successful Horror outpost in a world of superheroes.

In the late 70s Gene Colan moved back to DC where he had impressive runs with Batman and Detective Comics in the early to mid 1980s. At this time he would also flex his creative muscle with such non-superhero titles such as Nathaniel Dusk: Private Investigator and Night Force. Moving back to Marvel towards the end of his career, Gene was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2005 and won an Eisner Award in 2010 with Captain America #601 (Best Single Issue).

Gene Colan passed away from complications of an injury and liver disease on June 23, 2011 at the age of 82.

WGTB would like to offer our condolences to Colan’s family and friends. Comics has lost one of its all time greats and in tribute, we have surveyed our humble library and decided to post some Gene Colan drawings we have enjoyed over the years. This is not an exhaustive list, and unfortunately does not include any of his great Silver Age works, but it does showcase the significant talent of a great creative mind. We hope you enjoy our selection and ask that you support the Hero Initiative, a charity that works to ensure the greatest of our medium retire in dignity.

We begin with Tomb of Dracula #50 (Marvel Comics - November 1976) where the Dracula storyline was visited by the Silver Surfer. This book gave us some of amazing art and captured the essence both the Surfer and Dracula remarkably well.

Moving to DC, let's look at Detective Comics #535 (DC - February 1984) foreshadowing events to come:

or Detective Comics #535 (DC - Janurary 1984) with Poison Ivy.

From Nathaniel Dusk: Private Investigator (DC -- February 1984) where Gene’s artistic flair gives us some very cool images.

And finally Wolverine #35 (Marvel - 1990) where Patch helps some street kids.

We hope you enjoyed this short tribute and thank you for visiting.

Gene Colan 1926 - 2011

SuperSoundtracks #2: Terrax the Tamer and KMFDM

Stories about the Heralds of Galactus are always interesting reads. Some have been exiled to Earth, others fallen hopelessly in love with their employer, and still others have gone off and done some pretty awful things within the larger Marvel Universe. In this, the second edition of Super-Soundtracks, we’re going to discuss a former Herald – a nasty, brutish yet sometimes honourable fellow named Terrax the Tamer.

(Galactus discusses his previous employees in FF #211)

Terrax the Tamer first appeared in Fantastic Four #211 (1979) and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne. In the story, the FF find themselves on a quest for a herald for Galactus in yet another attempt to Earth. At first, Terrax is named 'Tyros' and is a nasty city-state dictator with both a mutant-like power to manipulate stone and a less than amicable personality. When this comes to the attention of Galactus (via our protagonists) he is drafted into the service of Big G and given the Power Cosmic.

(Terrax The Tamer is born in FF #211)

Like most Heralds, Terrax eventually rebels and goes freelance. He would return for a number of stories including FF #237, where he assists the Four against the Sphinx, ROM #37 where he would do battle with the Galadorian and Silver Surfer #73 (The Heralds Ordeal) where he helps the Surfer against Galactus and Morg the Executioner.

Terrax the Tamer is mostly malevolent and even when he does the honourable thing (and teams with the Surfer or FF) it's usually done for self interest. So in keeping with these characteristics, the track WGTB has chosen as Terrax’s theme is Godlike by the German Industrial-Metal band, KMFDM. The driving beat, heavy guitar (sampled from a Black Sabbath track) and the brutish, nihilistic and destructive lyrics match our character to a tee. Moreover, and perhaps more appropriately, ‘godlike' is what one becomes when they get they acquire the Power Cosmic so the title fits perfectly. He’s not the most memorable foe to have faced the Fantastic Four or even the most memorable Herald of Galactus, but that’s what makes him a perfect candidate for a Super Soundtrack!

Here it is: Godlike by KMFDM for Terrax the Tamer.

(DISCLAIMER: WGTB’s Legal Department would like to remind you -- DO NOT play this industrial metal song in your workplace. You’ll come across looking a little... maladjusted.)