With so much going on lately and the neurotic level of details that I use in my writing. Animal Man Pt2 is still in development.
To fill this intermission, I present you with the amazing covers that Animal Man Pt2 with include!!
See you soon!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Marvel UK Invasion Part 1 – Genesis ’92: By Sparky Ryan
Hi,my name is Mark (Sparky) Ryan and I’m delighted to have been invited to do this blog post by my good friend Dean Compton, who like yours truly is a huge fan of comics of the ’90’s variety. This blog is more or less unique in the blogosphere, in its focus.I commend Dean for that.It’s a great blog he’s got here Please visit my own blog http://sparkyslongbox.blogspot.ie/ if you wish, for reviews of individual issues from both Marvel and DC from the start of the Bronze Age, or find us on Facebook at Marvel UK Comics.
What was Genesis ’92?
In 1992 Marvel UK launched a bevy of titles directed at the US market. Many of you reading this, actually probably most, will remember Deaths Head ||. This was probably the most successful title in the line and is still fondly remembered by many on both sides of the Atlantic to this day (Death’s Head || and the other Marvel UK characters returned in Revolutionary War earlier this year).
Marvel UK created many properties or characters in the early 90’s. Some were very good, some mediocre and some were plain atrocious. Most anyone that has read Marvel comics over the last 20 years or so should be familiar with some or all of these names; Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Geoff Senior, Charlie Adlard, Doug Braithwaithe, Simon Furman, Bryan Hitch, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca, Alan Davis, Gary Frank, Andrew Wildman. All these gentlemen cut their teeth working for the UK branch of Marvel and have gone on to have varying degrees of success in the US.
A Little Background. ..
Marvel UK have existed since 1972. They were originally created to reprint US Marvel titles in weekly format for UK consumption. These reprints proved popular. They were in a larger format and normally black and white. It was ultimately controlled by the US operation but had UK editors and staff.
Captain Britain
Marvel US had the idea in 1976 to create a character exclusively for the UK market in attempt to ground the line of mags, and give British readers their own superhero. Captain Britain was born.
Now Cap B was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Herb Trimpe and later John Buscema. It was very much a US type superhero and the only thing that differentiated him from the US stable of heroes was a perfunctory illustration of London’s Big Ben or Trafalgar Square and some English type expressions that often failed in their attempt at naturalism.
It was a fairly popular strip that eventually faded from the pages of Marvel UK until the early ‘80’s when Alan Moore took over the writing duties, who, aided and abetted by the gifted pencils of Alan Davis gave the character a second lease of life in a classic and much celebrated run.
Captain Britain is still the most popular and important Marvel UK character ever, appearing for many years in the pages of Chris Claremont’s Excalibur, a popular X-title. Except he wasn’t really a Marvel UK created character as he had his origins in the US.
Marvel UK’s first attempts at reaching the US market.
After the Secret Wars 2 and tie-ins dried up for Marvel UK they took the editorial decision to stay away from superheroes due to falling sales and concentrate on profitable licensed products such as the hugely popular Transformers, Thundercats and Action Force/GI Joe.
These mags had a mix of US material and fresh UK originated material that still proves popular with collectors today, particularly fans of the Transformers.
1987 – Death’s Head Appears
In 1987 Simon Furman and Geoff Senior create the first Death’s Head robot, a bounty hunter that kills Transformers. He proves popular with the readership returning several times, even though he had nothing to do with established Transformers continuity in the US. The seed is planted for the UK line.
In 1988, due to his popularity with Transformers readers the Freelance, Peace-keeping Agent/Bounty Hunter gets his own title, yes?. It’s written by Simon Furman and drawn by Bryan Hitch/Mark Farmer. It is in US format with the Marvel US logo and is sold in US comic shops alongside popular US comics of the day. It lasts 12 issues and features appearances from Iron Man 2020 and the Fantastic Four in an attempt to appeal to the US market and also ground the character in the greater Marvel Universe. Although the early issues had no appearances by US characters, the character appeared in Dragon’s Claws,, with the Claws then also appearing in Death’s Head’s book. I honestly believe the first Death’s Head character is superior to the second – but that’s just personal taste.
This initial series is a damn good read.
Note: This 12 issue series was re-released in the US in 1992 as ‘The Incomplete Death’s Head’.
1990 – The Knights of Pendragon
Death’s Head and its companion title Dragon’s Claws didn’’t last due to low sales. In 1990 Marvel UK releases the Knights of Pendragon. This was a classy title with tenuous links to Captain Britain that was steeped in Anglo/Arthurian mysticism and environmental concerns. It featured gorgeous artwork by Gary Erskine and featured appearances by several US characters such as Iron Man and the Fantastic Four. It proves popular and again, is sold on the direct market in the US along with a fortnightly glossy magazine called Strip which featured Marshall Law, Death’s Head (again) and a variety of mature European type strips.
Genesis 1992 – The Big Push
By 1992 Marvel UK already looking to expand, were encouraged by the popularity of comics, even the cool kids were reading ‘em in the wake of the million + selling X-Men #1 & X-Force #1 in Summer ’91.
In April 1992 they release an anthology title in the UK called Overkill. It features five strips, Hell’s Angel, Warheads, Knights of Pendragon, Digitek and Motormouth and Killpower.
It was also sold in the US as separate standalone titles. It was a two pronged assault. The UK had a 2000AD type anthology title that didn’t always include the appearances from X-Force or Iron Man and the US editions included this extra material in an attempt to appeal to the US market. Paul Neary, who many US readers will remember from his pencils on Captain America (1985-1986) was the Editor-in-chief at the time and the major driving force behind this publishing initiative.
These characters didn’t particularly look like regular US superheroes and they battled a Faustian evil conglomerate that was given nefarious powers in the 16th century called Mys-Tech. Hell’s Angel /Shevaughn Haldane(later Dark Angel after a costly legal dispute with the biker club) had part of the universe implanted in her that gave her powers. (yes, really). The strip was nothing special but was anchored by the gorgeous artwork of Geoff Senior, whose dynamic work I could look at all day.
Digitek is a little remembered computer warrior who teamed with Deathlok at one point. It was a little bland at times but featured gorgeous painted artwork by Dermot Power. It was a feast for the eyes. It lasted 4 issues and wasn’t bad at all, however Digitek is very much a hero of his time and is rooted in the technology of the early 90’s.
The Knights of Pendragon, were heroes of Arthurian legend and more of a Saturday morning cartoon. They were bland and uninteresting in my opinion. They teamed up with Iron Man early in their series. Again, they resembled actual superheroes to a very small degree and had little connection to the earlier, excellent KoP series in terms of flavour or theme.
Warheads were a ragtag group led by the scarfaced Col. Liger who travelled around wormholes (because it seemed hip at the time) and fought against Mys-tech aswell. The Warheads book wasn’t bad, but far from great. It was a book that had pronounced peaks and troughs. It featured the sublime artwork of Gary Erskine in the early issues and was later drawn by Simon Coleby.
Motormouth and Killpower was a pretty good strip with gorgeous art by Gary Frank. Motormouth /Harley Davis was a foul mouthed street rat who cursed constantly and travelled between dimensions. (Notice a trend) fighting against the forces of Mys-tech. Killpower was her simple minded Hulk-like friend. She and Killpower had the distinction of being the only UK characters to appear in a main US book, as Killpower battled with the Incredible Hulk in the pages of his book. (Probably prompted because M & K artist Gary Frank was now the artist on Hulk).
I was excited as anyone at the time when these strips arrived as I was a Marvel zombie and voraciously consumed any product I could get my hands on.
The big breakthrough was with the appearance of Death’s Head || an upgrade from Death’s Head | who was more technologically advanced and had the same bad-ass, extreme attitude of Cable and his crew, an anti-hero. He was one part Predator, visually and another part the molten metal guy from Terminator 2. The book and character proved an instant hit with both audiences on either side of the Atlantic with his first issue reaching high numbers, largely in part to the Image stylised, yet individual artwork of one Liam Sharp. Death’s Head’s stories were irreverent and full of attitude and black humour. Marvel UK now had a real and tangible hit and a property they could really bank on. It really was the title that anchored the entire line.
Make sure and come back for part 2, as we take a look at some of the many crossovers and titles that the line spawned as it reached its commercial zenith in ’93.
The World You Have Always Known is Born Part 6-MC2 Universe featuring Wild Thing!!!
The days start getting shorter, kids go back to school, the baseball season tightens up (My cherished Kansas City Royals are in first place as I write this! What?!?), and even The Unspoken Decade is not immune to the end of the season as we wrap up the MC2 summer today. I know you have had all sorts of fun, folks, but all good things must end, and this one ends with a WILD THING!
Wild Thing you know already because we met her in our J2 write up, part 2 of the MC2 summer, and if you don’t, well I just provided a link for you to check it out via the hyper magic of the internet! When last we saw her, we were informed that she is the daughter of Elektra and Wolverine and that she has psychic claws in lieu of her father’s adamantium ones.
In all honesty, I was sort of dreading this title, as I was worried we would get more of the teen hero trope that permeated almost all of the line except Fantastic Five, where the teen is confused, upset, and uncool despite having nearly limitless power. I liked it in J2 and Spider-Girl, but it was getting tiring by A-Next. Thankfully, though, I was wrong here, as we get something similar, but the trope is warped just enough to keep the teen interaction interesting. Larry Hama does a fantastic job on the title with dialogue and serviceable plots that definitely would have interested folks new to comic books. We even get to start the entire shebang off with that lovable invention of the 90’s, the Zero Issue!
Tom DeFalco wrote this issue, and it is just straightforward action. One should expect nor be given no less, as a cover with Hulk vs. Wolverine vs. Wolverine’s daughter must deliver action. We are also graced with the creature that first brought us Wolverine and first brought Hulk and Wolverine together – WENDIGO!!!!
My brother used to love Wendigo when we were growing up. Our primary exposure to the guy was the X-Men arcade game, where he jumps at your character(s) over and over again, screaming ‘WENDIGO” as though he is utterly frightened that if he stops you or he will forget his name and he will somehow cease to exist. My brother used to love yell “WENDIGO” and follow that up with a much more quietly said “to the bathroom.” He’d then cackle as though he had invented a joke so funny Rosie O’ Donnell was going to discover his humor and offer him a spot on VH-1 Stand-Up Spotlight.
But back to Wild Thing. She shows up here and attacks Hulk for no discernible reason, only to discover he is working with Dr. Strange. Her behavior earns Wolverine the ultimate punishment, a verbal rebuke from Dr. Strange about kids.
I want to address one of my big pet peeves with superheroes here, and that is when they express incredulity in a world of amazement. Wild Thing makes a comparison of the Wendigo to The Blair Witch Project (a very hip and contemporary reference for DeFalco to make. Remember that movie and how big the build-up was?) as though the curse of the Wendigo is somehow a ludicrous assertion. Keep in mind she has no problem believing in Dr. Strange, and keep in mind that her FATHER, Wolverine, is the one who has told her it is real. Why would she doubt this? Why does every hero do this? Why does it bother me so?
The rest of the issue has some fun action, but the last page reminds us this ain’t your Daddy’s Marvel Universe!
Of course, no teen ever believes their parents allow them any fun. MC2’s parents really hammer the belief home and make it seem as true as the fact that Waffle House is beyond delicious. Also, can you get over Dad Wolverine? Because I cannot. The idea of the most savage killer and beloved maverick in Marvel Universe history doling out punishments for things like ignoring instructions is just beyond uproarious. It would be like Kim Kardashian chastising someone for drawing fame from the reality show business. You’d be like, “Really?!”
Larry Hama does the writing on the ongoing series, and he brings a charm that I think DeFalco could not match in his #0 issue. Hama inverts the entire “uncool” teen thing, by having the so-called “cool girl” constantly attempt to make our hero look bad but never succeeding at it. That’s a nice change of pace from what we have seen thus far in J2 and A-Next, and it’s the first original treatment of our teen heroes attempting to fit in since Spider-Girl. First, though, let’s not forget what a badass Wild Thing is supposed to be, and let’s help you remember via a close-up on her psychic claws.
You really hate Cameron until you find out that her father isn’t just a bad father, but he is actually the world’s worst father combined with the worst aspects of all of those 1980’s yuppie villains. He’s not above negotiating anything, so his natural first reaction to his daughter’s kidnapping is to try and get the kidnapper to lower his demands. Shrewd is one way to put it, but I’d probably just call him an asshole. That is, if I was being nice.
The dynamic between Rina (Wild Thing) and Cameron continues in one of my favorite moments of the book. Of course, part of it being one of my favorite moments is the fact that Elektra is going shopping. Not just shopping, mind you, but shopping at the mall. Not just shopping at the mall, mind you, BUT SCHOOL CLOTHES SHOPPING with her DAUGHTER at the mall.
I am sure that during all that groundbreaking work he was doing, Frank Miller was secretly pining for a day when his creation Elektra could finally reach her true potential as a Mom, shopping at the mall with her daughter. I bet he always intended her character to be fulfilled by driving her daughter (who looooooooooooooooves video games) to the mall for some clothes.
You know, I was being facetious, but with what we know about Mr. Miller and his paeans in favor of fascism, maybe that is what he thought. If so, brilliant, sir, brilliant.
Cameron continues her attempts to spoil Rina’s social life faster than a wet tomato in the sun, but they all continue to backfire. I do have to agree with Cameron, though, in that other than for our entertainment, there’s not much of a reason for John and Colin to be so interested in Rina. Her Dad does ride a Harley, though, so her Mom has to up the cool ride quotient, lest Josh and Colin not be down with Rina any longer.
Now is where we stop reading a comic book and Larry Hama and Ron Lim start giving us a plot that would have seemed more at home in a 1980’s movie than a comic book. Elektra has a few errands to run prior to taking Rina school shopping, one of which is just stopping at this MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL and saying hello to an old pal. Then he asks her to help teach his class Sai technique, because why wouldn’t a martial arts school in the mall be teaching deadly weapons to its clientele? Also, why wouldn’t Josh, Colin, and Cameron stumble upon this and find another reason for the two boys to be enamored with Rina?
I have to mention one other moment, where Wolverine and daughter howl at the moon. LITERALLY.
That’s basically the book. Hama does a fantastic job with dialogue on a fun title. This one ain’t gonna change your life or make anyone write one of those articles for the New York Times designed to convince mainstream folks that comics are now high class entertainment. On the other hand, it is a fun romp where we get to see an inversion of the “uncool kid” trope done well along with Ron Lim’s splendid pencils.
I think my only real complaint of this book would be that we don’t get to see Elektra and Wolverine interact. I don’t know if they are divorced, married, together, etc. I would have enjoyed seeing their interaction, if for no other reason than it probably would have inspired at least four more snarky jokes.
The MC2 summer is over, folks! I hope you were able to enjoy a sunbeam or two along with this look back at an innocent imprint for a decidedly non-innocent time. I had a lot of fun looking back at it, and I am sure you did too. All in all, the verdict is positive. Not just positive, but much more positive than I had imagined the verdict to be. When I first picked these up, I was sort of dreading them. I figured they’d be hokey, silly, and awful. While they were hokey, and they could be silly, they were never awful. In fact, I feel like if they had gotten the push to a market for kids like MC2 was intended to do, they’d have taken off.
As it is, they no longer go Unspoken.
The Unspoken Decade: 90's Comic Book Blog Extraordinaire 