Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Byrne-ing to Read/Tuesday Team-up: "Two Against Death!" by Wolfman, Byrne, and Perlin
Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! We're back with part two of our BYRNE-ING TO READ/TUESDAY TEAM-UP extravaganza featuring Daredevil and Ghost Rider by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne. Last Tuesday we got down with DD #138 in which DD and Ghost Rider got it all together. Today we're gonna dig on the Spirit of Vengeance and the Man Without Fear putting the smackdown on the Deathstalker and company in Ghost Rider #20 (July 1976). It looks like Marv was trying to cram far more story into 17 pages than humanly possible, but Byrne does a fine job of moving things along. He's forced to use a lot of smaller panels in some action scenes, but he finds a way to make it look plenty dramatic and thrilling. Just check out pages 6, 17, 23, 26, and 27. Packed in, yeah, but packed with punch, baby! Don Perlin's inks are a bit too loose for Ol' Groove's taste, making Death's Head look extra wonky sometimes, but I do dig the shading on DD and GH's costumes. Hang on to your handlebars, Groove-ophiles!
I really liked Stunt Master. He's one of a style of Marvel heroes and villains who couldn't find room today, too weak to hang and bang with the big boys.
ReplyDeleteI don't see types like Stunt Master or The Prowler finding much love these days. The days when a gimmick was enough to hit the streets seem gone. Now you have to get hit by radiation, be a secret mutant all along, or call down dark magic to be considered worthy.
Inventors need not apply.
Rip Off
Regardless of the story, these are some beautifully drawn and designed pages. I don't think I've ever seen Byrne inked by Perlin, but I really like it. It's too bad they didn't team up (pun intended?) more often.
ReplyDeleteI was always a huge Ghost Rider fan, but as with Luke Cage back in the day (another favorite), that meant sucking down a lot of pretty bad comics. So those rare moments when the heroes shined were always savored with special delight.
ReplyDelete"I am no mere mortal, to wither at your touch." Always loved that line, and the fact that Ghost Rider was uniquely immune to his death dealing touch. And once we eventually learned the origin of Death-Stalker (an especially powerful villain), GR's immunity continued to make total sense.