Rampage Magazine #25 (Marvel UK/1980)

 

One of my favourite Marvel Magazines was Rampage Monthly, a continuation of the old Rampage weekly that reprinted the early adventures of the Defenders though only the Hulk is anywhere in sight in this mag! The Hulk stories are from the American magazine Hulk which started in glorious black & white, went into colour as a result of the popularity of the TV show and reverted to black & white for the final issues of it's run.

The "Robinson Crusoe" story featuring Bruce Banner as The Hulk is rather more TV show than comic book Hulk but worth a quick read in any case. Cast Away sees Bruce stranded on a desert Island but even here Banner cannot get away from his rampaging persona. The really entertaining part of this story is where old green-skin knocks the shite out of the island and takes it to the African coast so the young man can get treated!"

Next up is the introduction to Luke Cage Power Man a character that was very much a product of the blaxploitation period of entertainment in the late seventies. Never really caught on with me not even when in modern times Luke married Jessica Jones whose short lived solo series was a joy to read.

Finally we are given another full length adventure with the New X-Men whose popularity was on the brink of exploding. In this instalment Where No X-Man Has Gone Before, set in space if the parodied story title doesn't immediately spell that out, sees the team arrive on the Shi'ar home-world seeking to free princess Lilandra when an all mighty battle breaks out.

We also get to meet the Star-Jammers one of whom seems to be out of Thundercats but I digress! As always back issues of Rampage are always worth picking up. Mine's not in great condition but highly readable all the same and at the end of the day that's what comics are for is it not!/

Spider-Man: Life Story (Panini)

 

Peter Parker was originally bitten by a radio active spider in Amazing Fantasy #15 published i 1962. He was fifteen years old. I was five. In 2021 peter Parker seems to be around 29/30 like most "human" super-hero types. I'm now 63. Time works differently in the Marvel Universe we are told.

Spider-Man was older than me when he started out, now he's younger. That's just how comics work. For me and most fans that's fine. I hope that new readers in the years to come enjoy reading the adventures of heroes like Peter, Clark, Bruce and the others in familiar settings to them long after I've gone.

But what if it didn't........

What if the heroes aged as we do. How would their stories have panned out?

That is the premise of this story originally published as a six issue mini-series back in 2019. That's how things develop here with the world as it was and is in the Marvel Universe behind the lives of Peter Parker, His friends, loves and Aunt May.

As Peter grows up Iron Man is active in the Vietnam War whilst peter, still a student "simply" fights crime on the street. Should he do more and set a example. His old nemesis "Flash" Thompson does go to Vietnam and dies for his country as he thinks it's what Spider-Man would do.

Peter marries and still confronts the Green Goblin, walks a lonely life and as each chapter takes us through another decade Peter ages as do the others. Tony Stark becomes the menace we all expect in the Civil War but there's more. How will Petey's life finally end. This is his entire life story after all.

Six chapters covering six decades with the most interesting of premises. One that could eventually be applied to other denizens of the Marvel Universe. The Fantastic Four being probably the best bet after all they along with Spidey form the basis of all that Marvel is, was and will ever be.

Give this is the third printing by Panini in the UK this story has attracted a lot of positive attention. If you have yet to read this wonderful tome please add it to your list!

Rating 5 Stars Plus

Superman and the Authority #1, Blue & Gold #1

 

In addition to getting the Infinite Frontier limited series I also decided to pick up a couple other interesting looking mini's from DC. First up is Superman and the Authority a four issue mini featuring two of my personal favourites, though the Authority promises to be different to the one we all know or at least the one I do.

Starting with a promise to President Kennedy in 1963 this Superman isn't the one I'm familiar with either. He's lost his cape by the time he picks up his necessary ally in the form of Manchester Black who is a bit of toerag as we all know.

There's a major threat to Earth and Superman isn't as powerful as he used to be. There are other familiar threats waiting in the background but where Grant Morrisson is setting all this remains a a bit of a mystery to me since there's a lot of recent DC stories and continuity changes I remain unfamiliar with. Did I enjoy the story? Yes.  I found it intriguing and want more to see how this all pans out.

Next up however was a much more straightforward story..... sort of in the form of Booster Gold coming to the rescue of the Justice League who have bee captured by some unfamiliar allies.  Despite all his 25th Century technology Booster is having difficulties and needs help. Enter a reluctant Blue Beetle ad the Blue and Gold team are born.

Ted and Booster succeed in freeing the JLA and the allies depart to wherever the came from. WE will be hearing from them again rest assured. Meanwhile despite being thankful the Justice league are only prepared to offer Blue Beetle membership so he refuses and sticks with his buddy.

Towards the end a mystery will be revealed and these two are going to have the fight of their lives.  Seve more issues...will the two survive. Heck will the Earth?

Ratings:

Superman & the Authority: 4.5 Stars

Blue and Gold: 4 Stars

Marvel Essentials #3 (Panini)

 

The latest issue of Marvel Essentials featuring the Empyre story-line hit the shelves today and publishes the last three issues of the mini-series. There's lots of action as plots within plots are revealed and some characters finally are show to be who they really are. 

The final battle is taking place in Wakanda as the Black Panther and his allies try to stop the Quoi and their Messiah from planting their seeds in vibranium enriched soil. If they succeed all animal life is doomed. The Hulkling is deploying a weapon that will explode the Sun and destroy Earth before it's too late.

Meanwhile Tony Stark and Reed Richards wander around Avengers Mountain inside a dead Celestial's head. Can they yet save the day. And how can Wicca help. All these questions will be answered as the story concludes.

There are a number of references to events that have take place elsewhere in comics we have not seen as part of the series which is why I get annoyed with these crossovers. If you don't spend huge amounts of money and get every tie in the story is not actually complete. May of these tie-is can be spurious as I found with Secret Invasion which ended my lifelong collecting of Marvel.

Panini has brought me back and although the Empyre story line was interesting it wasn't that great and certainly I would have preferred to buy a collected edition rather than three quite expensive comics which contained huge amounts of Venom, a character I have no interest in. 

This will be my last "Essentials" though their Spider-Man and X-Men comics will remain on my monthly list. I may instead get the occasional TPB especially as the next advertised story looks interesting.

Rating; Empyre 3 Stars, Venom No Stars.

Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars Annual 1985 (Marvel/Grandstream)

 

One of Marvel Comics most famous  stories back in the eighties was the Secret Wars maxi-series which brought together some of the best of their heroes against some of the worst villains into a battle arranged by the mysterious Beyonder a powerful being from "beyond the universe". I recall reading this first time round though no longer have the issues and frankly don't remember being that impressed with it.

For Marvel however this was a big success and inevitably spawned a sequel which I managed to not read. That it was reprinted for the British market comes as no surprise. I have seen a couple of copies and these were magazine sized full colour reprints but given my lack of interest I never bothered with.

Times change and I no longer even have the original series this particular annual caught my attention as I've been collecting Marvel UK material for a while so picked so picked a copy up. This full colour volume collects the first issue or part of it at least which is "too be continued in Secret Wars Fortnightly.

 

Not having seen the first issue I have to assume readers had to buy this annual to get the full introductory story. Perhaps someone with a copy could let me know. Interestingly there's a bit of a spoiler as the bulk of the annual is actually taken up with a reprint of Marvel Team-Up Annual # 7 starring Spider-Man in his new outfit (and back on Earth) which he picks up during the Secret Wars saga.

The story also features Alpha-Flight the Canadian super-hero team (which I've never bothered with) and the Collector, one of the Elders of the Universe who is up to his usual tricks. It's an enjoyable read and certainly makes me think I ought to try and get a collected edition of Secret Wars and give the story another try.

The Spencer Nero Club #2 (Ind)

 

If you thought Hogwarts was a strange place then be prepared for something a little weirder when you arrive at Blackabbots School for boys. There's no wizards, well in particular but there are superheroes and villains of sorts. Did I mention this is set in pre-war Britain?

I came across the first issue of this wonderful little independent comic by chance. Sometimes Facebook posts are worth reading and I don't just mean mine. Seriously though this is a gem with everything you would want from an adventure including your favourite superheroes villainous doppelgangers head in a jar.

The kids want to sign up to fight "the Boche" but are too young and one of the teachers has seemingly lost his marbles after giving out some pencils and being one short after their return. Happens a lot at Blackabbots.

What's more there be a girl hiding in plain sight with the gang, The Spencer Nero Club are simply fans of the eponymous British hero. Spencer himself is elsewhere. 

In fact everything from the school through the gang and the world around these characters is weirdness personified by writer Greg Meldrum as is the highly suitable art from Scott Wells.

If you don't buy another independent comic this year you must get The Spencer Nero Club. The First issue (also recommended) is also still available.

Rating: 5 Stars 

Available from: www.comicsy.co.uk

Judge Dredd Megazine #434 (Plus the latest Prog!)

 

Having got behind with my reading over the last few days i decided to sit in the shade and catch up with the latest Megazine and Prog from Rebellion that dropped through my letter box yesterday along with a couple of other items I'll be reviewing in due course.

The Meg has a great cover and as a subscriber my copy comes with a print which will find a home somewhere o a wall in the flat! Oh and the story that goes with it is a good one. Set inn the Texas badlands with a wonderful take on the old wild west this story sees out favourite Angel kidnapped ad the chase is on! 

The time travelling story (of sorts) Project Providence continues in Judge Dredd and things are heating up as the Japanese Judges are not happy with their discoveries.  Of less interest is Diamond Dogs which hasn't really struck any chords with me yet. Hopefully this will either get better or not last that long. 

I feel a bit the same about The Returners which doesn't interest me much either. Fortunately the Meg has an explosive end as the ever excellent Evelyn Waugh confronts the actual Devil and doesn't like the redecoration of his pad much. Also where has that football team gone?

There's a couple of features including news of a major environmental comic which is being produced. It's attracted a lot of good creators but I'm weary of political comics even one as worthy as this. Depending on it's cost (as my budget is ow severely limited) I may give it a try.

I have to say the latest issue of 2000AD was worth a read. The new Judge Dredd Story is a good if messy read (I find the presentation a little off putting, not sure why) and Department K continues to fascinate as does Skip Tracer. He's a father now if you have't been keeping up.

There's the return of Sinister less Dexter for now it would seem. I find these stories a bit hit and miss myself but I'll keep a ope mid as the story progresses. Finally we see the next instalment of Aquila. There was a request for a body part payment that made me cross my legs for a minute but...

Rating: Judge Dredd Megazine 3.5 Stars, 2000AD: 4 Stars

Marvel Select: Black Widow Deadly Origin (Panini)

 

When I went into WHSmith's this afternoon they had already sold out of this Marvel Select edition which isn't surprising given there is a movie of the Black Widow out. However my local Sainsbury's had a pile of copies so if you're having difficulties in grabbing this volume do try your local supermarkets!

That said I ever thought I would ever be that interested in picking up a whole volume of Black Widow as my memory of the character from pre-Marvel Cinematic times was of a secondary character who went from villain and spy to Avenger shagging Tony Stark, Daredevil and Hawkeye along the way. Which is fine by me. She's a strong woman character who deserves an outing in the Marvel Universe.

Of particular interest to me was the four chapter origin story which I only partially knew and was I guess retro-engineered to tie into the appearance of the Winter Soldier amongst other things. This story which goes back to the late twenties explains so much ad gives a good political and practical introduction to Natasha's world.

Also in this volume are stories highlighting her earlier appearances in the Marvel Universe including her first form Tales Of Suspense #52 in an Iron Man Story plus early appearances in Amazing Spider-Man #86 and Avengers #111, the latter being the only one I'd read before.

Rating: 5 Stars

Available from:www.panini.co.uk

Thunderbirds: Terror From The Stars (Gerry Anderson/audio)

 

Thunderbirds are back and in a brand new audio adventure in a joint venture between Anderson Entertainment and Big Finish. This massive four CD, four hour extravaganza is not only highly entertaining but brings back those halcyon days of more wholesome family entertainment that seems so sadly lacking in this modern day ad age.

There's everything in this story that the listener needs for a good story. All five Thunderbirds and all the Tracey's have a piece of the action plus Lady Penelope and Parker are central to the story too. Did I mention The Hood, International rescues constant nemesis.

There also be aliens....

Photo: By Source, Fair use,

The adventure begins aboard Thunderbird Five as contact is lost and Thunderbird Three is sent to investigate. The crews all face blackouts from strange radiation the origin of which is a mystery. The  object is seen to crash in the Gobi desert. Is this really a UFO?

One nod to continuity is mention of UFO's over England turning out to be real so now we know UFO exits in the same shared universe as International Rescue but in the past. Always good to know. After all in this format so much more is possible and a crossover with either Stingray and Captain Scarlet or both always remains an interesting possibility.

Certainly one I'd like to see.....

Meanwhile the mystery escalates, there's mysteries and a pursuit across the world to find out what is going on. There'll be no spoiler's from me.

This audio is a mixture of story reading, acting and special effects. A similar format was used for the Captain Scarlet audio adventures which are still available.

Terror From The Stars is well worth adding to you Thunderbirds collection or just picking up for pure nostalgia!

Rating: 5 Stars

Avaialble from: shop.gerryanderson.co.uk

2000AD Sci-Fi Special (Rebellion)

 

Despite the gloom I see outside the window as I write the arrival of the 2000AD SciFi Special reminds me it is the summer holiday season not for me as I'm long retired but for you kids out there.! I used to love the summer special editions of comics we used to get back in the sixties. Huge volumes they were if published by Fleetway or giant sized from DC Thomson.

Today's editions are few are far between and Rebellion has cut back on them this year due to the pandemic which is understandable. However whilst the number of comics has bee reduced the quality certainly hasn't.

This Special really is what it says it is on the cover as it features one interconnected story across the Dreddverse which helps newer or less regular readers understand continuity. The action begins in a Judge Dredd story featuring an attack on one of the corporations. 

The action crosses over to Chopper now living in Australia and then hits Evelyn Waugh & Armitage in Brit City before crossing over into Japan.  It even possesses out favourite Psi-Judge! The world is under attack.

 

Humanity is under threat .

Can Dredd stop this threat from this unexpected yet understandable source? 

Humanity is guilty.

Rating: 5 Stars plus

Available from good newsagents or: 2000ad.com

The Indestructible Man (Hibernia)

 

The second of Hibernia's "Fleetway Files" volumes arrived yesterday featuring the adventures of a little known British comic book character The Indestructible Man which appeared in Jag  launched in May 1968.

Jag was a unusually large sized comic even for it's time with only The Beezer and The Topper being i the same range. It was't a comic that I remember particularly well and only had one or two copies back in the day. I certainly don't recall much of the content which means this story was quite fresh.

The introductory notes refer to influences from the superhero genre that was becoming popular as a result of the importation of American comics but The Indestructible Man was more than that being influenced by The Saint and Danger Man which were big British TV shows back the.

Certainly The Indestructible Man or Mark Dangerfield as he became known had a proper origin story and the stories were certainly comparable with much of the Silver Age output of both DC ad Marvel. It is easy to see that this could have been published in that format.

A man from ancient Egypt wrongly entombed alive for the murder of his father, the Pharaoh rises through the use of magics and fights evil wherever he finds it. Mark Dangerfield even has a weakness. Every so often he must enter fire or die of old age.

Readers should be aware that in order to producer this story the pages have had to be substantially reduced which means if you are a old git like me a strong pair of reading glasses is required but it does not ruin the enjoyment of these excellent stories. The last few pages are of "normal" sized reproductions as Jag reverted to the size of Fleetway's other titles in a short run before Jag merged with Tiger.

I look forward to further volumes of old British comics from this imprint which is produced in conjunction with Rebellion.

Rating: 5 Stars

Available from: www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia

Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #1 (DC)

 

In for a penny in for a pound as they say with this interesting but not cheap addition to the Infinite Frontier series. This is a collection of short stories by a variety of writers and artists with Bones of the Department Extranormal Operations at the centre.

Through a number of taped reports from Agent Chase we get to look into President Superman from Earth 23 and meet The Totality, well actually two of them both run by the respective Martian Manhunters of their Earths, An interesting mix of characters and a mission that the DEO will fid impossible to infiltrate it would seem.

We get to see Roy Harper get a beating plus Jade and Obsidian confront a near god-like being who has come to Earth to sing a song which despite it's inherent beauty will destroy the planet.

It seems that the recent destruction of the multiverse left some changes in our favourite Aussie villain that frighten even Bones with his cyanide skin. However it's the best that's saved till last as we meet the survivor of all the Crisis events and more, The Psycho Pirate which is best read rather than reviewed. It is important to the story overall.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Essential Reading for the Infinity Frontier event)

The Shield #1 (Archie Comics)

 

Being a fan of both the Archie Superhero line and Rob Liefeld ordering this comic was a no brainer when originally solicited and despite everything that has happened since I wasn't disappointed. 

This comic is very much a prelude to a much wider story and looks like an art showcase for Liefeld's work which is a joy for his fans though I'm aware he has his critics. The story such as it is is quite straightforward though since Liefeld got the boot before the whole four issue project was completed it's not clear whether this will ever go anywhere. One of the reasons Liefeld has his critics.

The Shield in the form of Joe Higgins the son of the original created in 1940 a full year before Captain America) is being attacked by a group known as the Burning Hand who are after his armour but are seemingly totally unprepared for the reality of it's indestructibility and the fighting abilities of it's wearer.

Meanwhile a group of Crusaders from different Earths are planning to track him down led by the latest incarnation of The Shield from what I assume is Archie' "Earth One" for want of a better term. 

The only one question remains. Will this story continue or ever be completed?

 

The Verdict? I really enjoyed this comic and it joins my ever growing pile of unfinished Liefeld projects...for now.

Rating 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)

Infinite Frontier #1 (DC)

 

A rocket comes to a field on Earth. The occupant is found by a middle aged couple. This is Kansas but the occupant isn't a baby Kryptonian, it's a adult Batman. The couple aren't the Kents either. Their adopted son is President Superman.

This isn't the Earth we normally see in DC. it's elsewhere in the Multiverse.

Thing is this Batman does't know which Earth he's from and wants Barry Allen The Flash to explain but as president Superman says..which one?

And so the latest event in the continuing saga of the DC universe begins with a mystery. Meanwhile elsewhere Ala Scott the original Green Lantern fights the good fight before meeting up with his so and journey to meet his daughter Jade when there's an explosion.

Meanwhile the Flash reaches a place no one has yet been Earth Omega and there is someone familiar waiting for him though in a new uniform and with a new Master who we can only guess at.

The multiverse has been reborn but there is another crisis coming.

Did I mention a Black Lantern?

Overall a good opening issue that opens up the promise af an adventure across the rich worlds of DC's characters and their doppelgangers across multiple dimensions. Even Captain Carrot puts in an appearance as does a Black Lantern so the die is cast for DC's latest Epic.

Rating: 5 Stars. (Highly Recommended)