Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man - Spirits Of The Earth

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man - Spirits Of The Earth
Marvel Graphic Novel: 63
Release Date: January 1990

Highlights

• First appearance of Dark Mairi Of The Shore, Alan Sinclair, Hugh Monro Jr., Duncan Munro, and the robber Louis
• First appearance and death of Sir Hugh Munro, and Angus Munro
• First appearance of Castle Duncraig
• Beautiful artwork by Charles Vess fills each page from cover to cover - worth reading just for that alone (but see low points and oddities)
• After breaking up a petty robbery as Spider-Man, Peter high tails it to a restaurant to meet Aunt May for dinner
• Peter inform her that a Mrs. McLeod has passed away, and left her home in Scotland to Mary Jane, and that the two are taking a second honeymoon of sorts to head out there
• The letter from Mrs. McLeod explains that she hopes Mary Jane will love the property, and not give in to the developers who are trying to purchase all the surrounding land
• In Scotland, as Mary Jane plays pool against Angus Munro, Peter is regaled with a tale by Sir Hugh Munro of the faeiries and a kidnapping his grandsonson, Hugh Munro Jr.
• As Mary Jane returns to Peter's side, she mocks the ghost story of the townsmen
• Mairi enters the tavern, and informs them all that their fears of the faeries have made them all fools
• Spider-Man heads to the castle to investigate everything, and while there hears howling, which alerts him to some ghosts wandering about outside
• A ghost with a sword spots him, and floats upwards towards him, attacking
• The ghost then gets larger, and literally blows Spider-Man and the castle tower wall down
• Mary Jane is accosted by Angus in the kitchen while making tea
• Fortunately, Sir Hugh breaks it up
• The next morning, Peter heads out to visit Mairi, who tells him she will answer all of his questions
• She explains about the magic still feeding the land, despite developers trying to cover it with concrete and steel
• That night, everyone is meeting about selling their land to the developers
• Mary Jane apparently gave Sir Hugh some city spunk to speak out against the sale, but he bites his tongue at the last minute
• Despite this, Alan Sinclair speaks out about it, stating that this is his and their home, and has been for a long time
• He questions where they will all go if they sell their land
• The ghosts reappear, but disappear again in a firework explosion, drawing attention to Spider-Man on the rooftops
• The people think he's a demon, and give chase
• Mairi is able to calm the mob, and tells them she will do away with all the ghosts that evening
• When they disperse tells Spider-Man she knows who he really is, and tells both him and Mary Jane they will be needed this night
• She directs Spider-Man to the castle, and takes Mary Jane with her, stating her youthful energy will be needed to bring him back safely
• In the castle, Spider-Man tracks down a running generator, and in doing so, deduces the ghosts are just holograms that can't hurt him
• His theory is tested and proven almost instantly by a ghost which appears
• Spider-Man follows his spidey senses down a drain inside the castle, and comes across a hidden base
• He overhears some Hellfire Knights talking about how command has gotten tired of waiting for the people to willingly sell, so they'll be making a physical move against the people
• Spider-Man is spotted on camera trying to infiltrate the place, and the whole station goes on alert
• He's subdued by a sound magnification device which renders him unconscious, and when he awakens, he's imprisoned with Sir Hugh
• The prison is surrounded by an energy wall, which Spider-Man says they better not touch, only to learn that Sir Hugh already has, and his hand is all mutilated from doing so
• Angus Munro is behind it all, having learned that an ancestor, Duncan Munro was part of the Hellfire Club, and disowned by the people
• Angus found a powerful crystal buried deep in the land, and thus orchestrates everyone giving it up to take ownership of it with the Hellfire Club
• Angus informs Hugh that they have grown tired of waiting on everyone to leave of their own accord, and will kill everyone tomorrow
• Angus is also who kidnapped Hugh Munro Jr., and brings the boy out to die in front of his grandfather, but doesn't get the chance to carry his deed out
• Above ground, Mairi embraces Mary Jane, and begins to chant, awakening the Earth, which begins to crumble, sending giant rocks down on the cavernous base below
• The destruction kills the power to the cell holding Spider-Man and Hugh
• While battling the Hellfire Knights, Spider-Man dodges gunfire which strikes Hugh, as he lies dying, he gives Spider-Man his ring, telling him to give it to his grandson
• After being defeated by Spider-Man, Angus deems himself weak, and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff
• Mary Jane tells young Hugh he can live in her cottage until his castle is rebuilt

Low Points

• Ghosts and land developers? This reads like an episode of Scooby-Doo
• The (mostly) great artwork can't save this story (see oddities) - It's incredibly long (over 80 pages), and boring
• Why are the long ones always the boring ones?
• The mystical elements of Mairi seem out of place and unnecessary
• With tighter editing, this story could have still gone from point A to B without the supernatural element, and been shorter too
• If not for the (mostly) great artwork, I would have given this book zero Stans
• After initially seeing the artwork, I was sad that I didn't get this book signed by Charles Vess
• After reading it, I no longer have that desire
• Vess also wrote the story
• I stayed up way past my bedtime to read this one because I knew if I put it down that I wouldn't want to come back to it

Oddities

• Mary Jane has been left a property in Scotland, but when they arrive they stay in a room they've rented from someone else in a tavern?
• Editor's Day Off: Spider-Man says to himself, "Hope there aren't any side passages off this tunnel. A guy could get lost in this place and spen the rest of his life looking for..."

• While most of the art is wonderful, some of it is off, such as this weird drawing of young Hugh Munro Jr., who is just a kid...or is he?

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Marvel Graphic Novel 17

   

Title: Marvel Graphic Novel
Issue Number: 17
Release Date: October 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Apocalypse, though he remains unnamed
• First appearance and death of Filene Abdol, and Fayah Sahid, AKA Salome Abdol
• First appearance of Living Planet, AKA Ahmet Abdol, Hassan, Ms. Kweston, the Living Pharaoh cult, and named member, Arani
• A young Ahmet believes he will one day be a king, but this only serves for Hassan to bully him
• As he grows up, and attends college, he believes he's found documented proof that his family are decedents of the Pharaohs
• Ahmet marries his childhood sweetheart, Filene
• Ahmet's research concludes with him telling the scientific and religious communities of Cairo that the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt were mutants, a statement which is met with anger from his audience
• The crowd gives chase, and Ahmet, his wife, and infant child, Salome, flea in their car, only to end in an accident that leaves both him and his daughter thrown from the vehicle, and his wife trapped within
• The crowd catches up, but refuse to help him get his wife from the car, and it explodes, resulting in her death
• In a fit of rage, Ahmet fires a beam from his hand at the crowd, killing some, and sending the rest running
• Ahmet is led to a hidden cult who believe he is their long awaited God
• Ahmet sends his daughter away to school, and with her gone, he focuses on becoming more powerful, only to be thwarted repeatedly by the X-Men
• Ahmet awakens from all of the above, a dream he was having while locked in prison, his hands sealed in electronic shackles to prevent him from using his powers
• Hassan works at the prison as a guard, and continues taunting Ahmet, only to find out the hard way that the Living Pharaoh has been weakening his arm shackles over time, and blasts the bully
• Living Pharaoh's men storm the prison, aiding their master in his escape, and taking Hassan with them
• Two of the Pharaoh's men don't make it to the escape vehicles, and he blasts them from the sky, killing them so that they can't be captured and questioned
• In New York, Fayah makes her way to the Baxter Building, only to be surrounded by the Pharaoh's men - Human Torch intervenes, sending all the villains running for their lives
• Fayah informs the Fantastic Four that Living Pharaoh had created a machine that would force all humanity to bow down to him - Stealing a piece of that machine, she sought out the FF4 to get help stopping him
• Despite Johnny Storm saving her earlier, Fayah insists She-Hulk stay with her instead of Torch while Reed examines the machine part - But the look on her face spells that it's all a ruse, and Fayah has ulterior motives
• Fayah was indeed playing the FF4, and springs a trap which captures Human Torch, Mister Fantastic, and Invisible Girl, sending them to Egypt, and into the presence of Living Pharaoh
• Living Pharaoh orders his men to attack, but this too is all a ruse
• As the FF4 battle, the Pharaoh's scientists are analyzing their cosmic signatures, drawing their power into an ankh projector
• Fayah gets trapped in the Baxter Building, and Pharaoh doesn't want to activate her shock collar to kill her
• It's revealed that Fayah is really Salome, Pharaoh's daughter
• Hassan taunts Pharaoh, calling him a wimp as he battles with himself over not wanting to kill his daughter, but knowing he should
• Pharaoh activates her collar, killing his daughter
• Angry, and pushed over the edge, Pharaoh steps into his machine, transforming into the Living Monolith, powered by the cosmic energies being syphoned off of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, and Human Torch
• Monolith decides to destroy New York as his revenge for the loss of his daughter
• She-Hulk reaches out to Captain America for help, and he decides they need someone with a scientific brain who can analyze the energy pyramid which took her three team members
• Cap thinks of Spider-Man, but admits he doesn't know how to find him
• Captain America heads to the Daily Bugle to find Peter Parker, knowing he takes a lot of photos of the hero
• Peter see's Cap in the Bugle, and decides to wait for him outside as Spider-Man
• Spider-Man is taken to the Baxter Building, and given free reign of Reed Richard's lab to analyze the Egyptian components
• Monolith attacks, and though She-Hulk insists they find the remaining FF4 first, Cap reminds her of their duty to protect the city
• The heroes are no match for Monolith, who ignores their attacks before swatting She-Hulk through a series of buildings
• Spider-Man uses the pyramid technology to transport himself to the Monolith's base
• Spider-Man decides to destroy the machines to free the FF4, but is warned that the equipment's destruction would trigger nuclear reactors to blow, killing everyone
• Monolith hesitates in his rampage when he sees children fleeing a school, running from him in terror
• Cap uses the opportunity to try to reason with Monolith, telling him that he is acting out in the same way he feels people did against him
• Just as Monolith is about to see Cap's point, the army hits him with a rocket, sending him into a rage again, and accusing Cap of trying to trick him
• The military follows up with a bombardment of bombs from fighter jets, which do nothing but anger the Monolith further, but expose a massive wire which powers all of Manhattan
• Using timing, Cap and She-Hulk deenergize and reenergize the line when it makes contact with Monolith, knocking him down
• Spider-Man returns with the FF4
• Monolith's body continues to grow, even though he lays unconcious
• Captain America calls in Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, and Starfox to help
• Monolith's men arrive, and a war breaks out, which the citizens of New York rush in to join
• As Monolith awakens, he witnesses the battle before him, and questions why the citizens of New York would fight, and risk their lives, particularly one man who pushes a random child out of harms way, losing his own life in the process
• Monolith and Thor work together to literally throw Monolith into space, where he'll do no more harm
• As Monolith drifts through space aimlessly, he's pulled into the orbit of a star, where he suddenly begins to sprout vegetation, transforming into Ahmet Abdol, the Living Planet, finding peace that good has finally come from him
• It's different to say the least

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Marvel Graphic Novel 1 - The Death Of Captain Marvel

   

Title: Marvel Graphic Novel: The Death Of Captain Marvel
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: April 1982

Highlights

• First appearance of Zedrao, Bartak (disguised as Silver Surfer)
• Cameo by Superman
• A laundry list of heroes and villains make appearances either as part of the main story, and recaps
• Considered by fans as one of the greatest stories in Marvel Comics for its impact on the Marvel Universe, relatable a realistic storyline, and overall legacy and influence
• Captain Marvel sits in a chair on the first page, narrating into a microphone his own autobiography
• The retold origin is told of why Captain Marvel left the Kree, and instead joined the people of Earth
• Captain Marvel gives a brief synopsis of receiving his cosmic powers from the being known as Eon
• Captain Marvel concludes by telling us he's in semi-retirement on Titan
• Captain Marvel retells about the deaths of Adam Warlock and Thanos
• Mentor and Eros are there to collect the stone encased body of Thanos to take their family member back to Titan, but are attacked by various creatures who were essentially waiting for Thanos' resurrection, worshiping him as a God
• During the battle, Marvel starts to show symptoms of being sick, when diagnosed, it's confirmed he has what Titan calls the inner decay, Kree call blackened, and Earth calls cancer, a diagnosis met with no cure, and a three month life expectancy
• Captain Marvel recounts a battle with Nitro, who unleashed a canister of nerve gas, needing to seal it, Marvel grabbed it with his bare hands, and believes this served as a carcinogen which began his slow death
• Captain Marvel tells his girlfriend, Elysius of what's happening
• Captain Marvel retells the story of being tricked by the Kree, and sent to the Negative Zone where he met Rick Jones, and how the two could trade places with the use of Kree nega-bands
• Its because of this ability to shift space with each other that Marvel seeks out Rick to tell him about his disease, and inform his old friend that he's set up for him to go to Avenger's Mansion for a full physical checkup
• Rick gets angry at Marvel, and tells the hero he can't believe he's giving up on hope of a cure
• Rick seeks out Yellow Jacket, Black Panther, Vision, Wonder Man, Beast, Iron Man, and Thor, and asks them to band together to find a cure for Captain Marvel, they tell him the reality of the matter is that they're not miracle workers
• A distress call goes out across the universe from Titan - One pleading for help to find a cure
• As time passes, options come in, but none pan out, with exception of what is called a life support tunic, which slows the growth of the cancer down by 20% - It's also during this time that Marvel comments the wardrobe change is good timing because he's lost too much weight to fit in his red costume
• Marvel confides in Eros that he knows how he feels about Elysius, and asks him to be there for her when he dies
• Captain Marvel talks about how he and Elysius met
• Captain Marvel gets angry, thrashing out against the inanimate computers around him because of all the villains who tried to kill him, it turned out to be his own body that would turn on him
• While all the heroes gather around a dying Captain Marvel to visit, Spider-Man has to excuse himself, telling Beast and Cyclops that it's just too much for him
• Rick Jones comes to see Captain Marvel one final time, apologizing for his outburst
• General Zedrao of the Skrull Empire comes out of respect, and bestows upon Captain Marvel a royal Skrull medal of honor
• Captain Marvel falls into a coma
• The spirit of Thanos comes to Captain Marvel, presumably curing him, and brining him to the essence of his soul for one final battle - Thanos trying to destroy Marvel's soul, and Marvel fighting to save it - Why? Because Thanos wants Marvel to die the hero he deserves to go out as
• Captain Marvel dies as Thanos and Death take him to not the end that some people perceive as dying - Rather...

Low Points

• At its core, its a very sad story that may hit too close to home for many
• Though it's part of Spider-Man's chronological reading order, he's only in it very briefly

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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