Marvel Premiere #29 (April 1976)

Back in September 2022, I discussed the debut of the Invaders. Now, for those who do not know, in the Marvel Universe of the comic books during World War II, a group of heroes banded together to take the fight to Hitler and his "Fortress Europa" on the front lines of the war itself. Now, the Invaders themselves were not a team that was actually published by Timely (the 1940s predecessor to Marvel Comics), but the team was composed initially of action Golden Age-era superheroes: Captain America I (Steve Rogers), Human Torch I (Jim Hammond), Bucky Barnes, Thomas "Toro" Raymond, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. This group was created as a result of a retcon dreamed up by Golden Age comic fanboy Roy Thomas. He introduced the group during his 1970s Avengers run, which led to the Invaders getting their own series. 

However, the Invaders fighting on the front lines did leave a question: what about the home front? Who was keeping the good old USA safe from spies, saboteurs, and supervillains? Well, the Liberty Legion, of course. And yup, this was dreamed up by ol' Roy Thomas himself. And much like with the Invaders, the Legion would be comprised of Timely Comics characters. So, how did this bunch of homefront-watching heroes get together? Let's find out in Marvel Premiere #29!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia piece. It's pretty darn good. It gives the vibe of the iconic Giant-Size X-Men #1 cover (which is funny as this comic came out first if we're going by cover dates). As such, it feels like a predecessor to it. You have the Liberty Legion front and center bursting out of a giant newspaper with "Bataan Falls", referencing the Japanese invasion and conquest of the Philippines during World War II. The cover basically tells you "This is the team you're going to read about here". And of course, Bucky is front and center. Makes sense, considering his role in this story.

"Lo, The Liberty Legion!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Don Heck
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Roy Thomas
Editor-in-Chief: Gerry Conway

The story begins in New York City. The year is 1942. The fires of World War II are burning, but that won't stop the City that Never Sleeps from being one of the hottest spots in town. And a prominent radio station is about to get a big-time visitor. 

"Outta my way! I want a hot dog!"

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes has an appointment, and he's not going to let these burly Army men get in the way. So, why is our man hell-bent to get there? Well, he has a man to see.

"Gimmie a F#$%IN' mic!"

Meet Jeffery Mace, aka the original Patriot. Created by writer Ray Gill and artist Bill Everett (yes, the same man who created Namor the Sub-Mariner) in Human Torch Comics #4 (March 1941), a version of him appeared in Agents of SHIELD, portrayed by Irish-American actor Jason O'Mara. He's doing a radio announcement when Bucky decides to pull a Kanye West on Taylor Swift: "I'm sorry Jeff, Imma let you finish", that kind of thing.

Mace doesn't take too kindly to Bucky's stunt, and the two have a bit of a scuffle on stage.

The two then finally calm down. The Patriot had gone on the radio to reassure people that there were still costumed heroes on America's side after the events of Invaders #15. In that comic, the Red Skull brainwashed members of the titular group, but Bucky managed to escape. Some guards burst in, but Jeff convinces them to back down as he wants to hear Bucky's story. Bucky said that he wants to bring together a bunch of costumed heroes to stop the Invaders and hopefully get them back to their senses. The broadcast goes live again, and Bucky makes the call to any costumed heroes in the country. The Patriot suggests someone, but he's rather hard to reach: Red Raven.

"Drill wing, activate!"

First appearing in Red Raven Comics #1 (1940), created by Joe Simon and Louis Cazeneuve, Red Raven was a man who was adopted as a boy by a group of "Bird-People" after surviving a plane crash. Lacking the wings of his adopted people, Raven uses a pair of artificial ones to fly. Think Hawkman, but without the mace and actually being willing to put a shirt on. 

As luck would have it, the Red Raven is in action. He's investigating a plane that has no running lights on in the skies of Pennsylvania. Raven naturally is suspicious about said plane. He was right to be, as it has some Nazi spies on it. The spies get the drop on the winged hero, sending him to dreamland.

However, the Raven had some unexpected backup: Bruce Dickson, Ph.D.: The Thin Man.

"You also smell bad!"

The Thin Man first appeared in Mystic Comics #4 (August 1940), created by artist Klaus Nordling and an unknown writer. An explorer and adventurer by trade, he discovered a cave in the Himalayas that hid a utopian civilization called Kalahia. The people of Kalahia had the ability to make themselves super-thin and paper-like, a power they gave to Dickson. He then left alongside the Kalahian princess Ollana to fight crime. Fun fact, he is one of the first superheroes with a "stretching" power, predating Plastic Man by one year. Also, the green-and-yellow costume he wears here is a new look for him. In his one Golden Age story, he wore a red and blue costume. As such, he was given the green and yellow outfit to help make him visually more distinct from the other Legionnaires, as many of them used red and blue heavily in their costumes.

Using his power, the Thin Man is able to get inside the plane and give the Nazi spies a good beating. He then rescues the Red Raven, and the two team up. He gets a call from Olanna, who picked up Bucky's radio message on her ship's comms. 

The next Golden Age hero we focus on is Robert L. Frank, aka the Whizzer. First appearing in USA Comics #1 (August 1940), he was created by an unknown writer and artist Al Avison. Frank is a speedster, getting his power from...being injected with mongoose blood after being bitten by a cobra. Yeah, it's the Golden Age, just go with it. He would later be retconned to be a latent mutant. 

We find in upstate New York, racing to save a train from a bridge. A bridge that had a bomb put on it by Nazi spies. Unknown to him, he also has some help in the form of Madeline Joyce, aka the first Miss America. First appearing in Mystic Comics #49 (November 1943), she was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Gabriele. She got the power to fly, as well as superhuman strength and durability thanks to being caught in an electrical accident.

She causes the spies' car to crash into a tree, much to the Whizzer's surprise. The two end up taking a slight dislike to each other, but it's tabled when the car's radio broadcasts Bucky's call for costumed help.

The scene next shifts to the Museum of Natural History in New York City. There, an anthropologist named Elton Morrow is giving a lecture. Thing is, Elton is also a superhero: The Blue Diamond. First appearing in Daring Mystery Comics #7 (April 1941), he was created by Ben Thompson. I'm not sure if he did both writing and art. 

After finding a strange diamond in Antartica and surviving the Germans' destruction of his boat, shards of the diamond got embedded in his body, giving him the power of invulnerability and superhuman strength. A group of Nazi sympathizers attack the lecture, but Elton got his Blue Diamond outfit with him. He suits up and proceeds to take care of the masked men.

The hospital got a new record for patients with broken jaws.

Even though Mr. Morrow is more of a part-time/reluctant crime-fighter, he has no qualms easily breaking a Nazi jaw or two with a diamond-hard punch.

He overhears a car radio broadcasting Bucky's call for help. Sometime later, Bucky has continued broadcasting, to the point where his voice is about to give out. Wait, couldn't they have just recorded Bucky's call and broadcast it repeatedly? I mean, I do get that this story is set in the 1940s. I understand that. Radio technology back then was not as advanced as today, but I still think they could have done that. Either way, the heroes have made their way to NYC, and to the studio.

One of the radio engineers reveals himself to be a Nazi spy. He has a bomb, seeing an opportunity to not only kill a bunch of superheroes, but also help demoralize America presumably. However, his plot was foiled by another hero making himself known.

That Nazi agent would go on to be called "One-Hand". Why is obvious.

Meet Jack Frost, who first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1. Inspired by the folklore embodiment of winter of the same name, this Jack Frost was later established to the be the diminutive (by their standards) child of an Asgardian Frost Giant. However, at the time of his debut and in this comic, his origins were unknown, and Thomas kept it that way. Frost explains that in his Arctic home, he's able to monitor all radio broadcasts, which is how he heard Bucky's call for help. 

Now that this group are together, Bucky gives them their mission: to well, stop the brainwashed Invaders. And with that, the Liberty Legion are born.

This comic was pretty fun to read. The big hook of it is seeing these Golden Age heroes, who by the 1970s had been pretty much (outside of Bucky), be revived and brought together to face a big threat they can't face alone, making them an in-universe predecessor to the Avengers in a way. I can imagine that a young reader in the 1970s would be amazed by these classic heroes being given new life. If I did have to criticize it, I have to say that I didn't really get a bead on the individual members' personalities from this comic. However, it's kind of appropriate here. These are Golden Age characters; characterization was not the biggest deal at the time of their original adventures. I think that if Thomas did manage to get the spin-off book focusing on the Legion, he would have been able to give them more depth. 

Don Heck turns in some fine art for this. It has a slight Golden Age, yet modern (for the 70s) vibe to it, perfect for a story set in WWII.

If you really want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback The Invaders: The Complete Collection Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Marvel Premiere #32 (October 1976)

In 1972, Marvel Comics' then-publisher and president, a Mr. Stan Lee, proposed a title called Marvel Premiere. In my review of Doctor Strange #1 (June 1974), I talked a bit about this anthology series. The comic would also be used a place for stories that fit nowhere else. The tale we're looking at here was one of them. A tale of a far future intergalactic bounty hunter. He is a space cowboy, he is the gangster of love, he is Monark Starstalker! And this is Marvel Premiere #32!

The cover is a Howard Chaykin and Danny Crespi piece. It's a well-drawn cover, if a bit basic. It shows our man Monark pointing a gun while proudly holding up a bird. You will admire his pretty bird, you will admire his pretty birdie! There's also a pretty woman at his feet. It feels like one of those old pulp novel covers. The comic promises "Savage Science Fantasy", although I think "Savage Science Western" would be more appropriate. You'll see what I mean.

"Monark Starstalker"
Writer: Howard Chaykin
Penciler: Howard Chaykin
Inker: Howard Chaykin
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterers: Annette Kawecki, Jim Novak
Editor: Archie Goodwin 

The story beings on the icy planet of Stormking. It's a frontier world that truly embodies the words "cold and remote". It only has one link to the rest of the galaxy: A starship called the Host of the Air, based out of Istanbul on Earth. It ferries supplies and tools to the inhabitants of this world. It rarely carries passengers, as nobody wants to go there. However, on this day, the ship does have a passenger. A very special one.

"God, I hope there's hot chocolate here..."

Meet Emanuel Shaw, the 3rd vice president of Triplanet Metals, Incorporated. He's accompanied by his aide, a Miss Brigid Siebold. The two of them are on their way to a town on Stormking known as New Canaan. Shaw is hoping that people will greet him like this.

However, the reality is...nope. You see, Stormking was one of the frontier worlds that fought for independence from some space-wide Federation. The fight resulted in a loss for the frontier worlds, and many sons of Stormking died because of the Federation's guns. As a result, the people of Stormking see Shaw as a representative of this Federation. So yeah, he's not popular there. The ship also has another passenger on board: our man Monark. 

Some wannabe tough guys try to pick a fight with him, but Monark shows that he is truly one of the more dangerous men in the galaxy. He gets into a brawl with the men...well, less a brawl and more Monark jobs the men out, to use pro wrestling parlance.

Monark Starstalker has a black belt in "Beat-You-Down".

A local sheriff ends the fight by using a vortex pistol, a crowd control weapon that causes temporary blindness and nausea. All in its range are affected...except for Monark himself. 

The sheriff introduces himself as Bob Hightower. After Hightower, Monark, Shaw, and Siebold do introductions, Monark reveals that he on this world for business. You see, he's a bounty hunter/vigilante, and his bounty is right now on Stormking.

"That looks more like his cousin, John Screwdriver." 

This is his target: Kurt Hammer. He murdered six people in a place called Tycho six weeks earlier, and then mooned a bunch of kids. Hightower likes things peaceful, so he wants to check Monark's weapons. Starstalker is cool with it, as right now, he just wants to have a hot meal. And the only restaurant in town serves some excellent mac and cheese. Mmmm, mac and cheese...

At the restaurant, Monark makes a new friend: a young lady named Robin Goodfriend. That sounds like the name of a character in a James Bond parody. Miss Goodfriend is in a rather unique position, as her mother was a native of Stormking, but her father was a member of the Federation. Love is funny like that. 

She knows Kurt Hammer and can believe he's a murderer. According to her, he's a sadist. Put him in a war, slap a few medals on him, and he's suddenly a hero. Robin also reveals that she is not too fond of her fellow New Canannites. A man walks up to Monark and asks if he's going after Hammer. Monark's like "Yeah", and the man sees that as fighting words. However, Monark doesn't fight drunken morons. The man doesn't care.

"IMMA FIGHTING GAWD OW MAH HAND!"

And we get a classic Western trope with a sci-fi twist: the barfight.

Robin and Monark take care of the brawlers. Bob Hightower has had enough. He wanted no trouble, and Monark brought some. As such, he tells Monark to get out of Dodge.

Robin has a cabin outside of town Monark can bunk in for a while, and they head there by "iceboat". She notices that Monark has a golden robotic falcon flying around him, and that it's an odd choice for a pet. To Monark, "Ulysses" is more than a mere pet. Seven years ago, Monark was once a "rigger", a ship pilot. His nervous system was hard-wired into his craft, making them one in a way. I can imagine that being very painful. And inconvenient.

He was attacked by hostile forces (He doesn't exactly say who), and tried to escape. However, the only way out was through a star that was going nova. The star's energies, for lack of a better term, fried him.

He was rescued, but the doctors on board thought he was a lost cause. However, the engineers created Ulysses for him. Ulysses functions as a nervous system for him, and the two are telepathically linked. Basically, he needs Ulysses to function. I wonder how that works? 

Anyway, the two make it to the cabin, where they beat the cold of Stormking by engaging in some hot lovin'...

The next day, Robin goes out to get some supplies from New Canaan. There's a storm coming, and she wants to make sure she has it ridden out. The people of Stormking are watching a dance performance by Brigid. Shaw takes this opportunity to talk to the people about the vast wealth of minerals and ores under Stormking's surface. Triplanet Metals, in exchange for the mining rights, will give the people of Stormking "Terranizers". Terranizers are presumably terraforming devices, allowing rough worlds like Stromking to support things like oceans and green grazing land for livestock. The crowd are infuriated by this, as they'd rather watch the dancing girl. Not to mention they likely fear this will put them under the thumb of the Federation. More trouble arrives...in the form of Kurt Hammer himself.

"Yes, I am the villain in this story!"

Hammer shoots Shaw and Hightower, then races off on a small hoverbike, Siebold his hostage. Robin witnessed this and gets her butt back to her cabin as fast as she can. She alerts Monark to what is going on. Monark grabs a horse and heads out to deal with Hammer. After all, he's got a bounty to collect.

Up ahead, Kurt is trying to call for a pickup, but the storm is screwing with his comms. It's revealed that Brigid is Kurt's lover.  

She asks him why he had to kill Hightower. After all, he was paid to kill Shaw, not the sheriff. Hammer reveals he shot the sheriff to give the citizens of New Cannan a scare. But who paid him to kill Shaw, you may ask? Well, Triplanetary Metals themselves.

Evidently, Shaw's bosses saw him as an incompetent moron, but they couldn't simply fire the guy because he supposedly knew too much. To me, this implies that Shaw was aware of some...under the table dealings, as it were. Triplanetary was hoping that Shaw being murdered would scare the natives of Stormking into giving them the mining rights. Yeah, we saw that the people of Stormking not take too kindly to Shaw's offers. I don't think this would discourage them. If anything, they probably were cheering Hammer for taking him out. 

The storm is also bad, but Hammer isn't worried. He and Brigid will make it. Hammer leaves his sled behind, hoping Monark will find it. After all, Hammer left it in a canyon. Monark can easily find it. Which will make him a sitting duck. And true to Kurt's prediction, Monark finds the sled. Kurt tries to snipe Monark, but Ulysses the robot falcon is able to alert the bounty hunter. Thanks to Ulysses, Monark is able to fire back at the assassin. Hammer realizes that Ulysses is warning him. He tries to shoot the robot falcon down but ends up causing an avalanche. Whoops.

Hammer thinks that the Starstalker was killed by the avalanche, so he tries to shoot down Ulysses. However, it'll take more than several tons of snow to take down Monark Starstalker.

Monark is like a horror movie villain: Unkillable.

Monark takes down the killer with one Mighty Punch. Hammer asks why Monark doesn't just put a bullet in him. After all, he'll presumably still get paid. Hammer doesn't have to be alive for Monark to collect his bounty payment. Thing is, Monark would kill Hammer, but presumably unlike him, Brigid Siebold would not make it back to New Canaan on foot. Not in this weather. And Monark is not going to carry her. Congratulations, Kurt! You are playing pack mule!

Three days pass. Shaw's body is sent home, and Hightower is buried. Monark arrives at New Canaan, carrying Siebold. She'll live if she gets some medical attention. As for Hammer? Well, pneumonia got him on the way there. Monark staked him out twenty miles north. With Siebold returned and Hammer dead, Monark decides to get his pay and take his leave. He asks the presumably new sheriff to send a thank-you message to Robin. The sheriff tells him that they can delay the ship's takeoff until tomorrow so he can go see her himself. He turns it down. The story ends with him heading out, saying Robin will understand. 

I enjoyed this comic, even if it is a bog-standard Western-style story. I wish that more stories could have been told with Monark, as I think there was some potential there with him, playing space bounty hunter and having his falcon. Chaykin's art helps give a moody vibe to the story.

Monark would fade into obscurity in the decades since. However, he would make another appearance, in the 2011-2012 miniseries Wolverine: The Best There Is. That miniseries would retcon that in reality, Monark was a living hive of nanobots (very tiny robots. As in, microscopic robots). He would also be shown to be romantically linked to another obscure Marvel sci-fi character: Mark Esterhase, aka Paradox. 

Sadly, this comic has never been reprinted in trade, to my knowledge. You will have to hope you find a copy in the back issue bins of a comic shop. I found my copy in a mall. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!