Marvel Funnies: June 2009 Archives

If you grew up in the 1970s, you probably watched The Electric Company on PBS.  It was an educational show for the kids who got past Sesame Street.  Spider-Man appeared on the program, along with Morgan Freeman, who played Easy Reader.  As part of the deal with PBS, Marvel published Spidey Super Stories from 1974 to 1982.  The stories in this comic were aimed at much younger kids than Marvel’s usual audience. 

It was a gateway drug for Marvel!

The merry pranksters Roger Stern and John Byrne cooked up this faux Spidey Super Stories cover where Spider-Man says to the audience:  “Hey Kids!  Meet My Pal—The Punisher!”  As he blasts the guts out of a goon, the captions reads:  Bloody Death Scream the Guns of the Punisher!  Easy Reader says, Ouch!  Nuff said.

What if all the major Marvel Kung-Fu heroes were women?  That’s what John Byrne asked in this early 1975 gag from FOOM #9.

Shang-Chi would have been called Shang-She, Iron Fist morphed into Iron Fist, and even Fu Manchu trans-gendered into Su Manchu.

Perhaps these characters exist on the same Earth as Marvel’s Femizons along with Thundra.  Nuff said.

What’s it like for Jarvis, butler to the Avengers, on a quiet day that is bereft of attacks by Skrulls and Masters of Evil?  The cover to Foom #6 in summer 1974 allowed us a peak into the life of the greatest butler in the Marvel Universe.

For Jarvis, it’s a day happily spent in the laundry room, polishing Captain America’s boots, washing costumes, and ironing the Vision’s cape.  The Avengers have left little notes on the cork-board. 

“My good man, there is entirely too much starch in my cape.”  The Mighty Thor

“Send autographed picture of me to Senator Buckley.”  Captain America.

“HELP!”  Your President.  Nixon.  I started to doubt the Captain America Secret Empire story after seeing this.

No idea who drew this cover.  Marie Severin or Paty?  Nuff said.

Here’s another gem from Foom #10 (1975) by Paty Cockrum.  The 1970s Marvel Bullpen as the original X-Men!

Len Wein is the Beast.  Marv Wolfman is Iceman.  Duffy Vohland as Angel?  Paty as Marvel Girl.  And Stan the Man in Professor Xavier’s chair.  Nuff said.

Dave Cockrum was a master of costume design and among his many creations were the outfits for Storm and Ms. Marvel.  John Byrne, after he took over the X-Men, made this observation...

From the booklet for the 1978 Comic Art Convention.  Nuff said.

I found this while researching the launch of the new X-Men in 1975.  Foom #10 had a special X-Men issue, and Marie Severin drew this great cartoon:

Severin drew Len Wein, Chris Claremont, and Dave Cockrum getting roasted alive by Marvel's fans--for replacing the classic X-Men team in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  They were indeed apprehensive about kicking out Angel, Marvel Girl, and Iceman!  No one could foresee the tremendous success that would befall upon the new and improved X-Men.  Nuff said.