Now, I'm sure some folks may wonder why I've written a blog on Marvel, when I just wrote one on comic books...
The best answer is, you hadda be there.
Picture this-it's the early sixties, and you're a regular comics reader. If you're a guy, you're probably reading DC, the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. You've been reading them for a few years, and they're okay, but a bit, well...generic.
Bad guy shows up.
Hero shows up, to stop bad guy.
Bad guy throws some kinda monkey wrench into hero's plans.
Hero goes home, paces, talks to butler, dog, whatever.
Hero sees (hears, smells, whatever) something that gives him....AN IDEA!
Hero faces bad guy again, uses idea to defeat him.
Hero flies (swings, runs, drives, swims) away, whilst delivering witty / cute tag line.
For Wonder Woman, read, "heroine".
Yawnsville, daddy-o.
Suddenly, you see a strange title on the racks, or someone lets you read their new comic, and you're blown away....
A hero makes money using his powers, but can't cash the check because he has no I.D. with his codename on it.
One of the strongest men in the world has a teenage gang harassing him, 'cause they dig him; he's from the 'hood, after all.
And so much more.
What really made Marvel special back then was not just the stories, or the art, but the Marvel Bullpen, and their relationship to the fans, the Marvelites....
STAN the Man LEE
JACK King KIRBY
Jazzy JOHNNY ROMITA, and all the rest, those magical grown-ups who had such a ball turning out this modern American folklore, and making us a welcome part of it. Sure, DC had Letters pages in its comics, but they were nothing like Marvel. The Marvel Letters pages were like a big treehouse, where anyone who could climb up was welcome, and had a voice, not to mention that they were just downright fun.
Marvel has changed, and to be honest, I don't like some of what they've done in the past few years. However, Uncle Stan is still around, the films recall the magic of those days, and we Original FrontFacers have long memories.
EXCELSIOR!
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