Here’s a big laugh courtesy of John Byrne, from The Comic Reader 143, circa 1977. It was around this period when Iron Fist was set to become Luke Cage’s best buddy—and share the masthead when Power Man was re-titled Power Man and Iron Fist with issue #50. Claremont and Byrne were the creators behind this odd couple pairing.
The signature reads: John Byrne, from an idea by Roger Stern, with apologies to Don Martin. Don Martin was one of the premiere artists from Mad Magazine, who drew funny characters with elongated features. Why not take a visit to the Don Martin Shrine today? Nuff Said!
John Byrne drew this pinup of Red Sonja in 1975. I thought he captured everything great about this character in a single pinup. Beyond her beauty, the way she carries that sword would make you think twice about propositioning her!
Red Sonja graduated from the pages of Conan to her own series, beginning in Marvel Feature #1, also circa 1975. This title, written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Frank Thorne, lasted seven issues. You can see from this cover to issue #6 that Mr. Thorne had an unmistakable art style.
Dave Cockrum drew this great pinup featuring Storm and Red Sonja, where they swap costumes. It’s hilarious to see Storm wearing Sonja’s metal bikini, and her thought balloon says Good Lord—This bra is enormous! It’s cold too! Near Cockrum’s signature he says Heh Sorry, Ladies. I think we all celebrate Cockrum’s art and design, but let’s not forget his fantastic sense of humor!
Ghost Rider in a Marvel Swimsuit? It really happened, true believer!
The 1993 Marvel Swimsuit issue had this groovy centerfold featuring the Spirit of Vengeance on a beach. Naked, which means burning on the beach. Imagine your surprise if you got to this point in the magazine, expect to see something like a sexy Adam Hughes She-Hulk? Nuff said.
I just watched the first two episodes of Marvel Super-Hero Squad on Cartoon Network. I had to admit that I was wondering if this kid-friendly show (with cute condensed versions of Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine, etc) would appeal to a veteran like me. Well, the show had me hooked from the opening scene, which featured Stan Lee as the mayor of Super-Hero City. The second episode had an establishing show with an X-Men pavilion, a SHIELD helicarrier, and the rainbow bridge leading out of the city to a floating Asgard.
If modern comics are know for decompressed storytelling--Marvel Super Hero Squad's episodes are compressed to the nth degree! The second episode had Captain America, Falcon, Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor and Hawkeye--tackling Dr. Doom's evil dudes--the Wrecking Crew, Modok, the Abomination, etc. The jokes on this show just keep coming--sometimes in the most bizarre ways! Modok and the Abomination play a video game together. At one point the Hulk jumps off the Helicarrier to join a fight but winds up with a Mexican band--wearing a sombrero. Another scene features the heroes looking for a powerful fractal (the series MacGuffin) in a fountain. The camera pans up and you see the fountain is a statue of Lockjaw, with the water spewing out of his mouth and tongue.
The Hulk provides a lot of comic relief, in his "Hulk smash" persona. One thing I noted in the opening credits--there seems to be a different Hulk joke each time? In the first episode, Hulk changes into baby Hulk. In the second episode credits, he changes into grey Joe Fixit.
The voice talent on this show features well known character actors--check out a list of them here on Valerie's site. The Silver Surfer really sounds like a California beach bum and Thor's dialogue is cornier than ever ("Methinketh that what you thinketh").
Marvel Super-Hero Squad is a must-watch program for Marvel fans, young and old. It's currently on Cartoon Network, Saturdays at 8:30am. Nuff said!
We've seen many female versions of Marvel's characters: Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, etc. Now, courtesy of this fan at San Diego--we have female Deadpool! She-Deadpool? Deadpool-Woman? Deadpool-Babe?
Several people mentioned this fan during the San Diego 2009 coverage yesterday, including Agent M. Fortunately, she was easy to find on Flickr.
Wouldn't it be cool if Daniel Way or another Marvel creator made a female version of Deadpool as a joke? I bet they are considering it now. Nuff said.
In California, we have earthquake insurance. In Hawaii and Florida, residents can buy hurricane insurance. What type of protection does a homeowner really need in the Marvel Universe?
Hulk insurance!
Great faux insurance ad, drawn by Dale Keown during his merged Hulk period, from the 1992 Marvel Swimsuit special. The Hulk from this period of time was always one of my favorite versions of the character, and only Keown could draw that wicked look on his face. Nuff said.
The best thing from the Marvel Swimsuit issues were the faux advertisements. Take these two, from Marvel Swimsuit 1991:
The Beast, drawn by George Perez, selling Ultra-X shampoo! Seeing this reminds me that I prefer the Beast in his blue and furry form. After reading Dark Avengers #7, do you think it’s possible Marvel will revert him back?
If you’ve ever given a dog a bath, you’ll know how much hair comes out—it can clog your drain if you do it in the bathroom. The amount of hair the Beast would shed…OMG. Probably there would be hair all over his bedroom and lab as well.
Wolverine, drawn by Mike Zeck, selling Macho speed stick deodorant! Notice that it’s misspelled “deoderant”. Never thought about superhero sweat until reading this ad. The Marvel Universe must be a very stinky place indeed. Nuff said.
The Marvel Swimsuit specials in the early 1990s contained some of the funniest depictions of Marvel's characters. As evidence, I present to you this double page spread from the 1991 issue, by Paul Ryan:
Avengers (from New York City) versus the West Coast Avengers in a tug of war match! It only takes 4 classic Avengers (Thor, Hercules, She-Hulk, Captain America) to compete with six West Coasters (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, US Agent, Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch, Iron Man). Sersi is in the middle as the referee. The outfits here would give Tim Gunn nightmares. Cap wearing just his mask and thong--man, that just seems x-rated. Nuff said.
Photon Torpedoes: DC Comics, Games, Pop Culture Blog
