• Archives
  • Contact
  • Drawings
  • Meteor Mags
  • Music Albums
  • Paintings
  • PBN
  • Sea Monkeys
  • Secret Origin

Mars Will Send No More

~ Comic books, art, poetry, and other obsessions

Mars Will Send No More

Tag Archives: Red Skull

john cassaday’s captain america tribute

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by Mars Will Send No More in superhero

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Avengers, Captain America, captain america funeral, Falcon, fallen son, jeph loeb, John Cassaday, Red Skull, Sub-Mariner

john cassaday captain america funeral (2)

If every dark cloud has a silver lining, then Captain America’s funeral was the silver lining of his death a few years ago. Well, the silver lining would have been the gut-wrenching epic of the surrounding 50 or so issues of Captain America with Ed Brubaker at the helm. So, let us just say this funeral full of Cap memorials by John Cassaday is not the silver lining. It is the vibranium-adamantium alloy lining. If you know why such an alloy is relevant here, you spend entirely too much time reading Marvel Comics. Welcome to our world.

These pages come from the fifth and final issue of Jeph Loeb’s Captain America: Fallen Son; Marvel Comics, 2007.

Behold.

john cassaday captain america funeral (4)

john cassaday captain america funeral (5)

john cassaday captain america funeral (7)

john cassaday captain america funeral (8)

john cassaday captain america funeral (9)

The Day the Nazis Ruled Latveria, and Other Astonishing Tales!

13 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Mars Will Send No More in superhero

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Astonishing Tales, Barry Smith, Black Panther, collection, Dr. Doom, Gene Colan, Gerry Conway, Herb Trimpe, Jack Kirby, Ka-zar, Kraven, Larry Lieber, Marvel Comics, Red Skull, Roy Thomas, Stan Lee, Wally Wood

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (1)

Of all the glorious splash pages in Astonishing Tales #1-8, this one of the Red Skull turning Latveria into Nazi Nation cracks us up the most. It’s so wrong in so many ways. Red Skull, what were you thinking? Do you have ANY idea what Dr. Doom is going to do to you when he gets home? And why does the decor look like a high-school assembly?

But let’s start at the beginning. Long before we used the controversial picture above to sell the set on eBay, Jack Kirby kicked off Astonishing Tales #1 in 1970 with a Ka-Zar story.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (4)
astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (5)

Ka-zar versus Kraven sounds like a manly jungle free-for-all, but the tale lacks substance. Each issue, however, provided two stories, and the second one features Dr. Doom. Roy Thomas teams up with artist Wally Wood for several issues of unique stories in the Dr. Doom archives.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (6)

After Stan & Jack wrap up the Kraven story, Gerry Conway and Barry Smith tell what may be the greatest Ka-zar story of all time. X-men fans may recall Garokk the Sun God from the days of Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s run. Byrne & Claremont’s tale, one of our favorites, has its roots in the pages of Astonishing Tales. Barry Smith renders the Savage Land and its inhabitants like never before or since. Conway’s tale is so awesome we could almost forgive him for killing Gwen Stacy — but we won’t.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (7)
astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (11)

Stan’s brother Larry Lieber takes the reins from Roy Thomas to continue Doom’s adventures, which include revolution, androids, and bringing a mummy back to life. It’s a whacky mix of themes that Wally Wood renders like it’s still the golden age at EC Comics. And did we mention the Red Skull shows up while Doom is on vacation? Guess what — he turns Latveria into Nazi Nation! What an idiot.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (10)
astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (8)

Just when you are thinking that you might subscribe to a monthly title featuring Dr. Doom drawn by Wally Wood, the creative team begins changing. Gene Colan joins Gerry Conway for a pretty awesome Black Panther story, the goofy gimmick of drilling underground in Wakanda serving as an excuse for a fine character study of the opposing monarchs, Doom and T’Challa.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (12)

Colan’s pencils seem to become more flowing and abstract in his next few issues of Doom.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (15)

Doom’s mystic battle is one of our favorite examples of Colan’s style, rendered in bold flowing areas of black ink.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (16)

Herb Trimpe steps in with what seems a Frazetta-inspired pose for Ka-zar.

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (13)
astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (14)

But despite these creative high points in these little-known and certainly underrated stories, they might have been too odd for the market at that time. Doom got the axe, and the book became Ka-zar’s title for more than a year beginning with the ninth issue.

Later, it would become a sort of proving ground for potential characters. Tony Isabella and Dick Ayers would give us “It!” for a few issues, and then Deathlok by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. The Guardians of the Galaxy also make an appearance, but Marvel axed the whole title after issue #36, six years after it began.

We recently sold our ‘reader’s copies’ set of the first eight issues, but you can usually find Astonishing Tales (Marvel, 1970) in stock. Many well-worn copies exist, so prices on VG+ Marvels from this era remain relatively cheap. Just try finding VF/NM copies, though, and you will have yourself a collecting challenge!

astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (2)
astonishing tales 1-8 ka-zar doom set (3)

Wolverine Aces the Red Skull!

02 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by Mars Will Send No More in superhero

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Mark Millar, Old Man Logan, Red Skull, Steve McNiven, Wolverine

Wolverine does to the Red Skull what Captain America should have done years ago. Backstory: Red Skull killed all the heroes years ago. He keeps their costumes in his trophy room. He especially likes wearing Cap’s outfit. But if you take Wolverine prisoner, you should lock up all the dangerous toys first!

Collector’s Guide: From Wolverine #72, part of the Old Man Logan series from 2008-2009 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.



A Circuit Which Would Jam Any Hypnotic Waves!

28 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by Mars Will Send No More in superhero

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Captain America, Cosmic Cube, Jack Kirby, Red Skull, Stan Lee, Tales of Suspense

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jack! We honor you today with this full-color reprint of “The Red Skull Lives” from Tales of Suspense #79. What? The Red Skull is back from the dead — and he’s going after the cosmic cube? Maybe Ed Brubaker could write a story like that!





Mars Will Search No More!

Mars Will Stat No More!

  • 6,107,129 minds warped since 2011
Follow Mars Will Send No More on WordPress.com

Mars Will Advertise No More!

My Comic Shop banner

Mars Will Categorize No More!

  • art studio (95)
  • crime (41)
  • dinosaur (222)
  • educational (140)
  • first issue (110)
  • golden age (133)
  • humor (23)
  • indie (182)
  • jungle (58)
  • MeteorMags (11)
  • music (40)
  • occult (77)
  • poetry (56)
  • postcards (34)
  • quarterly report (28)
  • science fiction (404)
  • superhero (435)
  • war (45)
  • western (10)
  • writing (19)

Mars Will Tag No More!

2000AD abstract acrylic advertising Alan Moore Alex Nino alien Al Williamson Amazing Spider-man animal inside you animals art Avengers Batman big box of comics Bill Mantlo birth black and white Black Panther books brains Brave and the Bold Captain America Carmine Infantino Cat Charles Yates Chris Claremont Classics Illustrated collage collection comic book collage comic books crime Dark Horse Comics DC Comics dinosaur dinosaur books dinosaur comics Dinosaurs an Illustrated Guide Dr. Doom drawing Dreadstar dreams EC Comics EC Comics reprints Fantagraphics Fantastic Four first issue Flesh Flesh the Dino Files Galactus George Perez Gilberton Gil Kane Godzilla golden age guitar Harvey Comics Image Comics indie box Indie Comics Inhumans Jack Kirby Jack Kirby art Jim Lee Jim Starlin Joe Simon John Buscema John Byrne jungle Ka-zar Kevin O'Neill Last Gasp library of female pirates Life on Other Worlds lizard Man-Thing Mark Millar Marvel Comics Marvelman memoir meteor mags Micronauts MiracleMan monsters music occult OMAC origin painting pastel Pat Mills pen and ink pirates Planet Comics planets poems poetry postcards prehistoric mammals Prehistoric World Prize Race for the Moon racism Ray Bradbury Robert Kanigher robot Roy Thomas Satans Tears Savage Land science fiction self publishing Silver Surfer sketchbook sundays Smilodon Spider-man Stan Lee Steve Bissette Steve Ditko Steve Rude Strange Sports Strange Sports Stories Strange Tales Strange World of Your Dreams Superman Swamp Thing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teen Titans Thor time travel Triceratops Turok Turok Son of Stone tyrannosaurus rex underground comix Vertigo Comics VT Hamlin war war comics Warren Ellis Warrior Weird Fantasy Weird War Tales WildC.A.T.S Wolverine writing X-men X-men covers Young Earth Zabu

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Mars Will Send No More
    • Join 935 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Mars Will Send No More
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...