Marvel Team-Up #127

It appears that it's going to be a nice, quiet Christmas for Peter Parker. That is until he's visited by Uatu The Watcher! Now, Spider-Man must race the clock to save a young woman whose managed to get in way over her head.

THIS IS THE TYPE OF CHRISTMAS SPECIAL I WANT! 

Last night, I reviewed DC's latest holiday offering. It was far from superior. Here's a book from 1983 and it blows Tis The Season To Be Freezin' out of the water- even with the Paul Dini penned Batman story included. 

There was so much talent involved in this book. JM DeMatteis (Justice League) wrote the story. Al Milgrom (Marvel Fanfare) illustrated the cover along with Ed Hannigan. Glynis Wein was the colorist. And my Candy Crush buddy, Tom DeFalco, was the editor. Oh- and don't forget! The Editor-In-Chief was Giant Jim Shooter! 

Man, this was a great line-up!

When it came to it's portrayal of social norms; the book was far from perfect. Sure, there were drugs, domestic violence and other types of debauchery. But this story entertained. And it had a happy ending. I'd rather have comics that are flawed (and maybe a pinch outdated) compared to the guilt-tripping modern drivel that is disguised as a Christmas comic. Holiday books are all about the feels and this special issue of Marvel Team-Up is a feel good treat!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Team-Up #1 (2019)

I'm a sucker for team-up titles! From The Thing's adventures with friends and foes in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One to Batman's innovative run in the pages of The Brave and the Bold- if it pairs two (or more) characters on a monthly basis, I want it in my collection! So of course when it was announced that Marvel Team-Up was making another return to print, I was first in line!

The classic crossover series returns in time for Marvel's 80th anniversary! In this first issue, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is paired with Kamala Kahn: Ms. Marvel. 

The villain for the premiers is the Jackal. I'm not very familiar with him. In fact, I was so out of my element in my knowledge of this character, that at first, I thought it was the Green Goblin. Immediately, I started thinking that the rumors are true- the artwork of the world famous Bullpen really is that sub-par! Instead, it's just a knock-off of one of Spidey's most famous foes!

MTU #1 has a gimmick. It's a flip-book! The premise is that the reader is supposed to notice the parallels of a day-in-the-life in both Peter Parker and Kamala Kahn's eyes. 

Things don't really seem to have changed that much for Ms. Marvel. She's still a high-schooler from Jersey in a Muslim family. And she's the ultimate Marvel fan girl! But man, has things fallen flat for Parker. No longer does Parker ride high as the founder of a multi-billion dollar company. Nor does Peter have his Ph.D, having been stripped for plagiarism. At least he's not back to living with Aunt May. (Oh God- is she dead? faux pas!?)

Back to the flip-book aspect. These type of stories are supposed to be perfectly balanced. Spidey's half is supposed to be perfectly reflected in Kamala's half. But Ms. Marvel's side of the story reveals more of the Jackal's motives for his reign of terror. Spider-Man's half of the book is more character heavy. I'm hoping this means that this version of Marvel Team-Up will be focusing on 'Spider-Man and...', instead of being a Ms. Marvel title.

While this wasn't a perfectly balanced story, it was still an enjoyable read. For now, I've informed my LCS to add this new monthly series to my pull list. Even if this turns out to be a Ms. Marvel vehicle, I'm going to stay with this volume of MTU. I just hope that the quality of this series goes up from here. 

Maybe just stay away from the flip-book gimmicks...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4

Another collection of Spider-man team-ups with some of the best, brightest, and most unusual characters in the Marvel Universe. (The Adam Warlock/ Strangers tale might be one of the best cosmic stories that I've ever read!) It may not seem like much, this volume. But, this is perhaps one of the most important collections of Marvel Team-Ups ever put together. 

Volume 3 includes the some of the first ever appearances of Iron Fist, the Giant-Sized X-Men, the villain Arcade, and the first American appearance of Captain Britain. A number of these issues are the first ever pairing of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, right before their lengthy partnership on X-Men. If anything else, this book also opened me up to a slew of issues and reprints that I didn't know I wanted until now, including the ultra-rare Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4.

There's a wealth of great Spider-man stories in this volume. But there's one noticeable omission, Marvel Team-Up #74 in which Spidey teams up with the Cast of Saturday Night Life. Due to licensing agreements, that issue could not be reprinted. But that's okay, as a very long time ago I bit the bullet and bought that classic issue for about $15- and it was worth every penny!

Along with Claremont and Bryne, there's a ton of great talent in this book including Bill Mantlo (Rom: Spaceknight), Sal Buscema, and Ralph Macchio. 

A collection that should not be overlooked just because it's in black and white.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Team-Up #74 (Volume 1)

This is not a joke. This is not a dream. In 1978, Spider-man really did team with the original not-ready-for-prime-time-players of Saturday Night Live!!!

In perhaps the most bizarre comic of all-time, the mutant Silver Samurai and his goon’s take SNL hostage as he searches for an ancient Chinese ring that John Belushi happens to be wearing. Thankfully, Peter Parker had tickets to watch a live taping of the show with Stan Lee hosting. With the building locked, the only hero in the building is Spidey. So, with the help of the cast of Saturday Night Live, the wall-crawler manages to save the day.

There are hi-jinx galore- Garrett Morris as a Black Thor (Shouldn't he be Ant-Man???), Belushi goes Samurai Delicatessen vs. Silver Samurai, and Waldorf and Stadler from the Muppet Show even make an odd cameo.

I love this issue. It’s so bizarre and strange. I’ve been searching for it for just about forever. Great art, though Bill Murray looks nothing like himself. But a good job on renderings of everybody else.

A note for Essential Marvel Team-Up collectors: This issue is not reprinted in any of the 4 volumes currently on the market. That’s probably because Marvel doesn’t have the license for the SNL product anymore or there’s some royalty tie-ups with the Belushi and Gilda Radner estates.

Madcap fun- Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers, Volume 2

 

When the original Guardians of the Galaxy were cancelled in 1977 with issue #12 of Marvel Presents, many assumed that was the last of the team. I was one of those when I finished Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Avengers, Volume 1. I should have known if there's a volume 1 then there must a volume 2. But that's not always the case as some Marvel Essentials such as Marvel Super-Villain Team-Up were issued as a volume 1 without there ever being any material for a second volume. A couple of weeks ago I finally got my answer as I found volume 2 at my local library.
 
  Volume 2 is a cornucopia of different series and issues. It starts with an annual from the first series of Mighty Thor. That tale begins with a prequel of sorts to the Korvac Saga. In this issue, a man in the year 3000 is turned into a living computer and has his sights on conquering the world. Thor is transported to the future and ends up teaming with the Guardians.

    With the prequel to the Korvac Saga comes the complete Korvac Saga from the pages of the Avengers. Fans of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, take note, if you own this book and you're looking for the Complete Korvac Saga- stop right there! It's in this volume and you will not need to buy that series as the trade-only epilogue and the complete set of Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe entries regarding the Guardians and Korvac from that edition are included as well! Plus, every variant cover to the Korvac Saga trade and some cool sketch pages are added as well.

    In addition to the Korvac Saga ( sometimes referred to as the Michael Saga) are several issues from Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One. Most of those tales wrap up the end of the Adam Warlock Saga, exploring what happened to his body and the final fate of Counter-Earth. The art in those issues, especially of Warlock's potential mate, Her, and the High Evolutionary are some of the best of the late Silver Age I've ever seen. Yes, the artwork has been remastered but with it's vibrant colors and high-quality paper stock, this is museum level stuff. Then the Guardians re-team with the Thing in a two-parter that explores Lance Astro taking a risk with all of space-time by trying to prevent his teenage self from becoming an astronaut. It's probably my favorite story in this massive volume.

    These final tales wrap up the last of the Guardians appearances in the Marvel Universe until 1990. Well, there was a one-panel appearance of the team in the pages of Sensational She-Hulk. Fret not, that's included in this definitive guide to the second half of the Guardians first trip through the Marvel Universe.

     Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Treasury Special: Giant Superhero Holiday Grab Bag

The phrase 'Holy Grail of Comics' is used quite a lot lately amongst comic book collectors. Oddly enough, it's perhaps the most un-nerdy of films that coined the phrase. The film in question is a little gem that my wife just loves called 'Coyote Ugly.' In the film, the lead character meets a guy and for a date works at a fish market. For payment, the guys received a bag and is very secretive to let her know what's inside. After she accuses him of buying drugs, the guy pulls out a mint copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129- the first appearance of the Punisher, proclaiming that the book is the "holy grail of comics.

   Whether that particular issue is the holy grail has been up for debate. But now, fans of all ages will tell you of that one special book that would make their collection complete or at least until the next holy grail pops up. For me, it's Action Comics #252- the first appearance of Supergirl. It's not that I'm a huge fan of the hero but when I was younger, I actually got that issue for my 12th birthday. I've since lost it but would love to have my hands on it again one day.

   Action Comics #252 is expensive. I probably won't be getting my hands on it anytime soon. But a couple of months ago, I had the chance to purchase what many readers consider their holy grail. The book in question is the 1974's Giant Superhero Holiday Grab Bag.

   The book isn't so much hard to find as it's almost impossible to locate in good condition. There're several reasons for this. First, the book, published as part of the Marvel Treasury Series, was gigantic. It was about 3x the size of a normal comic. Roughly about the size of a Life Magazine, it was not easy to store. Finding a plastic bag in which to store it was even harder to find and most bags at the time weren't air tight or treated to prevent it from the elements or light. Secondly, the pages were stapled, but the stack was glued along the spine. After 40 years, that glue has all but dried up and to find a copy of the Grab Bag with the cover still attached without new glue or added tape is rare as well.

    The copy I found was in beautiful shape. The cover is pristine but also is no longer attached to the spine. Plus, the papers inside are nicotine yellow in color. For only $8.00 plus shipping on Amazon, it was a tremendous deal. When I got it in August, I shared some pics of it with my now jealous friends on Facebook and made a goal with myself to hold out on reading this book until Christmas Eve.

     The Marvel Grab Bag contains 5 stories, but they're not all holiday themed. This is actually forgivable even amongst the staunchest of collectors. By 1974 standards, a Christmas themed comic was rarely done by Marvel, but not unheard of.

    The first story is a Christmas-themed reprint of Marvel Team-Up #1 starring Spider-Man and the Human Torch who're both on the trail of the sinister Sandman. Then in a classic Daredevil story, the Sub-Mariner seeks Matt Murdock to represent him in a court of law in hopes of suing the human race for taking over all of known dry land. Then we get back to the holidays with a Black Widow story about a teen who seeks her help in fleeing a cult. That story is a bit of a downer, but the art was quite good.

     The final story was a two-parter from Fantastic Four issues #24-25. This story teams up the Avengers with Marvel's First Family against the might of the Incredible Hulk. For years, this issue was sought after just for this tale which was reprinted here for the first time ever.

    Lots of fans I know want this issue because it was under their tree when they were kids. I wasn't quite born yet for this issue to have been a gift, but I dreamed of this book as a kid, seeing it at conventions, shops, and in ads in back issues. There are a few other books in this format from both DC and Marvel and I want them. So what if not every story is holiday related or that I've read a couple of these stories before. This book brought back memories and above all, made me feel like a kid again.

     Hopefully, if you'll ever get your hands on this collection, you might get to enjoy some of that Christmas magic that I enjoyed when reading this.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.