Marvel: The Lost Generation #8 (July 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to look in on the adventures of the First Line, the Lost Generation of Marvel Super Heroes! Last time, we saw the First Line's disastrous mission in the country of Halwan, one that caused the Black Fox to pull a "Screw you guys, I'm going home" on the team. And that was basically it. So, where do we go from here? As we go further backwards through the First Line's history, what further key moments for the team will we see? Let's find out in Marvel: The Lost Generation #8!

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. It's really cool, showing the vampiric Nocturne looming over Pixie, ready to tear into her neck like a hungry man at a buffet. The background shows the Black Fox with stake in hand, ready to try and save his longtime ally from his also-longtime enemy. It gives me the vibe of a movie poster. 

"The Tomb of Diablo"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins in a time we really haven't seen yet: the late 22nd century, the home time of Cassandra Locke, that time-traveling scientist that kept popping up in previous issues. In Tranquility City, her father Dr. Alexander Locke and his team have managed to find Cassandra in the era of the Cold War, her specialty when it comes to historical research. They manage to get a visual of her reading some microfilm in a library. 

They're amazed that Cass would go this far in her research, but Alex is not surprised. She's always been a bit reckless. A Skrull ambassador named Zorn is outraged. Cassandra's actions threaten to alter history in a very bad way. The team are doing what they can to prevent this, and Zorn hopes they succeeded. 

In said library, Cassie is doing some research. She's discovered that there has been Skrull activity on Earth as far back as 1947. She finds this contradicts Zorn and his peace delegation. Cassandra's thoughts imply that a lot of this history was lost by her time, and she laments that she can't record it all now. As she leaves, she is amused by the 1970s fashions of the passers-by.

The scene next shifts to Chicago, where a certain family is enjoying a Grateful Dead show. 

"Next time we should go see the Byrds!"

Yup, it's the MacRae family. Freddie MacRae, aka Captain Hip, got his leg busted fighting a group called the Purple Gang, which is likely a nod to the Detroit-based Jewish Mafia criminals that operated during Prohibition. A group of masked men attack the family, only to be saved by the Black Fox. 

"Besides, they're heavy!"

Little Truth thinks he's the coolest thing ever, the beginning of an obsession that she would have for her entire short life. Fred is furious with the Fox, calling him a violent fascist and a Nixon supporter. The Fox jokingly admits he did, and it's not something he's proud of. As he flies off, he thinks about the MacRaes. His Foxcopter touches down in a hangar at Foxwood Farms, just outside of Chicago, Illinois. He notes that the old hippie seems familiar, a bit of foreshadowing. 

It leads him to think about how lucky the old hippie is to have a wife and kid. It's something that Robert Paine himself never could dedicate his life to. He wonders if he should have taken in a ward (a clear reference to Robin, as Black Fox is a Batman pastiche), but decides against it, as said ward may have ended up as screwed up as Kid Justice, always trying to live up to the legacy of the Yankee Clipper. But Robert's thoughts are tabled as he has a visitor.

"Like my new headband?"

Pixie's call is not just a social one, though. Turns out that she needs the Fox's help for a mission. The two head to the nation's capital, where they meet up with Colby, who gives them a briefing. The government's been keeping tabs on Ionel Ceausescu, who is a distant relative of the president of Romania at that time. So, this story is set at some point after March 28, 1974, as that was when Nicolae Ceausescu became president of the country, and would rule it with an iron fist until shortly before Christmas 1989. 

Yeah, I'm a bit of a history buff. Ionel's been suspected of criminal ties. He was photographed talking to another man. It didn't seem odd, until the film was developed. Remember, this is decades before digital photography. It turns out the man Ionel was talking to...was invisible to a camera. 

"Well, that's a neat trick."

It's clear that the First Line's old nemesis Nocturne is active. Pixie thought he was dead, naturally. Black Fox refuses to believe he is truly gone until he is holding the vampire's heart. Pixie used to know Romania pretty well, so she could help out here. The two go to the Romanian village of Petralova. They're to meet an Agent Groza. They meet him, alright. But not in the condition they hoped.

Turns out he died of boredom waiting for the heroes to arrive.

Yup. He's dead, First Line. At the hands of Nocturne. It's here that a man from the home militia points a gun at them, announcing they are under arrest. Classic detective story trope. Fox and Pixie try to convince the guardsman that they're just an executive and his secretary who was meeting a man to talk a trade agreement. Thankfully, someone else vouches for them as well.

"I also have glorious 70s facial hair!"

Yes, Doctor Strange. He was shown to be around in issue #12, set in the late 1980s. So it does make sense he'd be around in the 1970s. Strange is able to get the militia man to back off, presumably with the help of some magic, and the two catch up. It turns out that Fox and Strange have known each other in the past, as they dealt with an issue with a "haunted house". The Marvel Appendix's entry on Black Fox theorizes that this may have been a reference to the House of Shadows, which first appeared in Strange Tales #120 (May 1964), and would go on to appear in Moon Knight's book as the Midnight Mission.

So, why is Strange here? Well, sadly, like Pixie and Bobby Paine, he's not here to sightsee. He fears that someone is attempting to interfere with the tomb of future Fantastic Four villain Diablo.

It makes sense that Diablo would be around in the 1970s. In the 9th century, he sold his soul to Mephisto (Marvel's version of Satan) for long life so he could find the alchemical secret to true immortality, as established in Fantastic Force #18 (April 1996). In Fantastic Four #35-36 (November-December 2000), it was revealed that in the 19th century, Diablo was in Transylvania, making alliances with the local vampires, including presumably Dracula himself. Yes, Dracula is a thing in the Marvel Universe. That whole thing would end up with him magically trapped in his castle. So, it makes sense that in the 1970s in the Marvel Universe, he's still trapped in there. If Diablo is released, he'll start a new reign of terror in the region, which is right up Nocturne's alley. Also, if Nicolae Ceausescu was bad, Diablo would be even worse, because he has alchemy. 

Yeah, remember what I said about Diablo making alliances with vampires. Keep that in your brain, it'll come in play later.

The three head to Castle Diablo.  They pull a Fred Jones and split up over Black Fox's objection because time is of the essence, and they can search the castle faster that way.

Pixie finds something interesting in the castle. 

"I know Klingons have their blood wine, but this is ridiculous!"

Amusingly, Pixie remarks that this place is somewhere Dr. Frankenstein would love. It's funny she says that as the Frankenstein family is part of the Marvel Universe, too. Gotta love public domain. She discovers jars full of blood on a shelf, and someone calling to free her, presumably Diablo himself. Pixie's speech balloon hints that ol' Esteban is hypnotizing her, but Nocturne steps in, saying his will a greater...and she will obey him.

On the southern face of the castle, Black Fox sneaks his way into the castle, noting how appropriate Nocturne would come to a place like this. After all, the old monster has always played the child of the night. We then get a flashback of a moment that changed the Fox's life forever. In the past, the villainous Nocturne had captured the Fox's girlfriend Miriam (no last name given) The Fox tried to save her from the vampire, but he was unable to thanks to Nocturne breaking his legs. The vampire killed Miriam, and that was the day the Black Fox was truly born.

Back with Pixie! She wonders why she can't break her bonds, even though she should easily be able to. A bit of hypnosis is why. She gets grossed out by Nocturne drinking some blood, see it as taking his vampire act too far. Thing is...it's no act. Nocturne is a legit vampire.

"I managed to have a face even my mother couldn't love!"

Pixie finds a flaw in his confession. You see, Nocturne has been known to use a device to drain the blood from people that leaves five holes in the neck to kill people. Well, he uses it to avoid siring more vampires. He doesn't need the competition. You know, I can't help but wonder if Nocturne ever crossed paths with Dracula. He does consider trying to make Pixie a vampire, though. After all, he loves the idea of the First Line hunting her down, and it would hurt Black Fox more. Thankfully, that possibility 2never comes to pass thanks the Black Fox swooping down like an avenging angel and staking Nocturne in the heart. He has suspected that Nocturne was a legit vampire. Which make sense, this is the Marvel Universe, after all. He is admittedly a bit disappointed, as it was too easy.

However, Nocturne is not easily brought down. He yanks out the stake, pointing out that only keeps a 2vampire trapped in a coffin. I'm not sure if that's true. Thankfully, Doctor Strange is around, and he has something that can give a vampire a ton of pain. 

"I can finally see!"

Thing is, that don't work, either. It's here that Nocturne reveals why he was at Diablo's castle. Remember when I said earlier about Diablo making alliances with the local vampires in the 19th century in Romania? That's why Nocturne is here. Diablo's potions have altered his vampiric physiology, making him more biologically human. Which means he can now stand the light of the sun. Pixie then gets an idea.

Nocturne's altered physiology now allows him to be affected by the Eternal's petrifying pixie dust, which she demonstrates on Nocturne by turning his right arm into a rock. 

Nocturne learned the hard way why no one touches Pixie without consent.

Robert Paine nails the vampire with a Mighty Punch to the jaw, forcing him into retreat.

Fox yells for Strange to stop him, but there's a bigger problem: Diablo's crypt is opening up. Fox realized Nocturne planned this. Strange is able to reseal the alchemist and the castle, setting the stage for his eventual return in the Modern Age of Marvels. The Black Fox laments that now they have no idea where Nocturne is, nor where to start looking for him. Pixie isn't worried about that. He may come to them. After all, they still have his stone arm. 

I didn't realize this until I wrote this blog entry, but it can be hinted that the knowledge that Nocturne picked up in his time in Diablo's castle helped lead to the development of his Alchem-Tech that he unleashed in NYC around a decade later in issue #11.  

I enjoyed this issue. It's a solid, fun adventure story. I also liked that we get to explore the past of the Black Fox a bit more, showing exactly why he is the way he is. Yeah, you can criticize this as part of the whole "Women in refrigerators" thing, and I can see why. It's an old trope in comics, arguably in media in general. It especially doesn't help that we don't really know anything about Miriam. Just that she was Robert Paine's girlfriend and a victim of Nocturne, who only did it to torture Paine.  So, yeah. Take that for what you will. 

I also enjoyed seeing the MacRae family again, as well as the beginnings of Truth's obsession with the Black Fox. I would have loved to have seen them explored more because a pair of married superheroes isn't something you see often in Marvel Comics outside of Scott Summers/Jean Grey and Reed 2Richards/Sue Storm. Especially if the two married heroes are former hippies raising a child. You could get some good stories out of that. I can imagine Truth, as a way of rebelling against her, pulling an Alex P. Keaton. Her obsession with the Black Fox could tie into that, seeing him as a true example of a superhero that fights for "law and order", unlike her hippie parents. Just a thought. 

I've said it before about John Byrne's art, but I do like it here, even though it's not as "clean" as twenty years earlier with his work on X-Men. Again, art evolution, age, inkers, they can all have an effect. 

If you want to read this yourself, sadly, as I said before, this maxiseries has never been released as a standalone trade. It was collected as part of a 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne, Vol. 2. Otherwise, you're just going to have to search your local comic shop's back issue bins and hope they have it. Or get the issues on Amazon or eBay. Honestly, I'd love a trade of this maxiseries. It's a lost part of the Marvel Universe's history, and it deserves more exposure. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!