12 Days of Christmas 2012! The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Marvel Comics 40 Years Ago this Month
December 1972! Which of these Marvel Masterpieces made it from the spinner-rack to stuffing your stockings, Groove-ophiles?
Special thanks to Mike's Amazing World of Comics and Grand Comics Database for being such fantastic resources for covers, dates, creator info, etc. Thou art treasures true!
Note to "The Man": All images are presumed copyright by the respective copyright holders and are presented here as fair use under applicable laws, man! If you hold the copyright to a work I've posted and would like me to remove it, just drop me an e-mail and it's gone, baby, gone.
All other commentary and insanity copyright GroovyAge, Ltd.
As for the rest of ya, the purpose of this blog is to (re)introduce you to the great comics of the 1970s. If you like what you see, do what I do--go to a comics shop, bookstore, e-Bay or whatever and BUY YOUR OWN!
What a month!
ReplyDeleteSteranko, Everettx2, Ploogx3, Starlinx4(at least), Weiss, Windsor-Smith, Severin, Billy Graham, not to mention Buscema, Romita, Kane and more.
This was a odd time for me as a fan. On one had some of my favorites were leaving us. Or were about to. The Beast's solo adventures ended, Warlock's series was cancelled. The Sub-Mariner's series was about to be cancelled in about a year. As well as we lost the great Bill Everett. But on the other hand. A new wave of super stars were here! Ploog, Starlin, Brunner,etc With them cosmic heroes,and the monster mag invasion. The epic B & W Marvel mags were hitting the stands full force. I just wish the Beast, rotating other X-Men had been in a b & w mag too. Why Marvel didn't bring back the b & W or color Spider-Man mag boggled me. As well as a Hulk b & w then too.
ReplyDeleteChristmas 1972, I was 11 yrs.old...this was the Xmas "Santa" brought me a shoe box of various comic books from DC, Marvel, Gold Key, Charlton. I first discovered Jim Starlin's work in Capt.Marvel #25...i wore that book out ! Sub-mariner #59, Avengers# 109,Frankenstein & Capt.America #159 were some of my favorites. Thanks Santa !!!
ReplyDeleteI owned that Cap . . . and still do! It was the first Cap I had (I have no idea now how it came to me--whether I bought it or one of my parents) and one of the few Marvels I had as a kid. I reread it often, in part because I found it mystifying, with rather elliptical dialogue, an obviously extensive backstory that I couldn't figure out, and a cool fight that was only a hint at some larger, action-packed world.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly glad I didn't stuff anyone's stocking with that issue of Sub-Mariner--it wasn't exactly the title's finest hour. On the other hand, Tomb of Dracula was on the way to finding its legs, the Englehart/Buscema run on Captain America was getting high praise (and still does), and I was devouring the FF's early adventures in MGC. Marvel was just getting its second wind, and it was interesting reading all around.
ReplyDeleteI must have gotten a good allowance this month; 13-year-old me had a bunch of these! Spoof, Dracula, Sub-Mariner, Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Feature, Luke Cage, and Avengers...got that Captain Marvel and Conan much later.
ReplyDeleteAh... I remember these comics well! I had just started working at Marvel the Summer of '72, as more or less an intern, at the tender age of 15. I remember Barry Smith working on pages of Red Nails in the office. I was thrilled Steranko had returned, even if it was to do some covers and FOOM. I was excited by all the new artists starting up, and happy to see work from Bill Everett, the Severins, John Buscema, John Romita, Gene Colan, Tom Palmer, even Win Mortimer!It was a great time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and sharing those memories, Jim! Hope you come by--and comment--often!
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