Marvel Read-Through: More Origins

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, along with other Marvel writers and artists, were at their most prolific through the 60s. They created character after character that has lasted into the 2020s. While Kirby left Marvel and Stan moved on to a publishing role, they passed the torch to a whole new generation of creators who emerged in the 70s. The next step on my read-through was checking out the origins of new characters created throughout the 70s, some of which have gone on to be some of Marvel’s most enduring characters.

First on my list was the classic Iron Man #55 with the introductions of Drax the Destroyer and the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. I love the cosmic side of Marvel and one of the things that excites me most about this project is that I get to read the old stories. I’m not too familiar with Marvel Cosmic pre-2004 when it was revamped as an important part of the Marvel universe. Things were different when the cosmic side of Marvel was just starting out and Jim Starlin was the reigning king of cosmic stories. His creation of two of the most iconic Marvel aliens, especially the all-star villain Thanos, is very understated in this issue. It wasn’t until the 90s that Starlin turned these characters into the powerhouses they are now but I really enjoyed reading their humble beginnings.

Continuing with the cosmic side, I moved on to Marvel Premiere #1 where Adam Warlock finally becomes Adam Warlock. It’s been a long time since I read Fantastic Four #66–67 with the story of the character known only as Him and I am very happy to finally have Him become Adam Warlock. Similarly to Thanos and Drax, Warlock will get totally revamped in the 90s, but the transformation of Him into Warlock is an important milestone in Marvel Cosmic. Including also the creation of Counter-Earth, this was an enlightening issue for me. I really didn’t know that Adam Warlock started his adventures on a planet completely separate from the rest of Marvel’s heroes. At this point, no one on Earth even knows of Counter-Earth’s existence, and Warlock has dedicated himself to protecting and saving that planet. In only a few years Warlock and Thanos will play a larger role in the main part of the Marvel universe and I’m very excited to get to the expansion of Marvel Cosmic through the 70s. The origins here are interesting to read but I’m much more looking forward to the main cosmic storylines of the 70s that I will get to in a few more weeks.

Next up on my list of newcomers was the classic anti-hero the Punisher. I knew he premiered in Amazing Spider-Man #129 but I really didn’t expect him to basically be a villain in that appearance. I knew he would clash with Spidey but I was taken aback at how aggressively violent he was with no redemption. I think it is due to the lack of backstory in that issue, which is why I also read Marvel Preview #2 where Gerry Conway fleshed out the character. In his first appearance, the issue was all from Spider-Man’s point of view and offered little to no insight into Frank Castle’s mind, but Preview #2 gave us his backstory and inner monologue. I think this is the defining first appearance of Punisher, painting him as an anti-hero vigilante waging a one-man war on crime. I also liked that Preview, part of Marvel’s ill-fated foray into the magazine market, was geared toward an older audience. The Punisher is violent and has a dark premise, so the more adult-themed magazine format rather than the family-friendly comic book format works for this character. The 30+ page story really showed who he is as a person beyond talented assassin who encounters Spider-Man. Both issues together are a lovely introduction to the character, who I’m mostly familiar with from the Netflix show and a few guest appearances in comics I’ve read. I know he spends the rest of the 70s as a sporadic guest star in Amazing Spider-Man and really becomes the character we know today from his early 80s role in Daredevil and his eventual solo series, but for now I enjoyed the introduction to one of Marvel’s most iconic characters. I also have to shout out Ross Andru and Tony DeZuniga for their artwork in these two issues. Andru is a worthy successor on Amazing Spider-Man and DeZuniga’s black-and-white pencils in Preview were beautiful.

Sticking to the theme of the Netflix characters, my next origin was that of Luke Cage aka Power Man. The first black superhero to headline a title (can you believe it took until 1972?), Luke Cage has become a comic book icon. A black man with unbreakable (bulletproof) skin. It still resonates today. Of course, blaxploitation films were all the rage at this point in time and Marvel absolutely cashed in on the fad with this hero. From the ridiculous costume to the dialogue, it was like reading a 70s blaxploitation movie. I absolutely adored the first half of the first season of the Netflix show and I was looking forward to reading Luke’s book since I’ve read very little with him. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see much of Luke being a superhero in this issue since it was almost entirely his origin and ends just as he becomes the hero Luke Cage, but it was a good read nonetheless. I really like the hero for hire aspect, it’s something I haven’t seen in any other comics so far. I know the character doesn’t come into his own until he shares his title with Iron Fist and they become the Heroes For Hire team, but it was a solid start.

Speaking of Iron Fist, he was next up on my list of new characters. I headed back to Marvel Premiere and read the first issue of Iron Fist’s time headlining the title before getting his own solo series and eventually teaming up with Luke. Much in the same way that Luke Cage, Hero for Hire capitalized on the blaxploitation trend, this was Marvel’s attempt at joining the 70s martial arts craze. It was a standard origin issue once again, and if I had more time and not such a long road ahead of me I would probably read more than just the first issues for a lot of these characters. I have to point out that Roy Thomas writes this in the second person and I found that very unique but effective. It really gets the reader to feel like they are Danny Rand as he pushes himself to his limits to prove his worth in combat. I think it works and the longevity of the character is a testament to this original run’s effectiveness.

On the topic of martial arts, the next hero I checked out was Shang-Chi. I know nothing about this character. I’ve only read one series recently that he starred in, and it was a team book so it didn’t give much focus to Shang-Chi as an individual. The Master of Kung Fu is getting his own movie later this year so I was glad to read his first appearance ahead of that. I never really got into the martial arts craze or 70s kung fu movies so this genre doesn’t grab me as much as others, and that was felt as I was reading this issue. Objectively, it was pretty interesting and well-written; it sets up and intriguing storyline for this character. Subjectively, I’m just not into this genre so I don’t expect to develop an attachment to Shang-Chi or to read much more featuring him, but I’m glad I read this issue.

Another character I know next to nothing about, Brother Voodoo, was next on my list of origins to check out. He’s popped up in some team books I’ve read but never enough for me to really learn who he is other than his name and magic skillset. It was another standard origin issue: the hero fights while flashbacks explain how he became the hero. I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of Voodoo until the 2000s, but I liked learning where he came from. I didn’t know he was actually tied to Haitian Voodoo outside of his name. It’s always a fun experience to see where lower-tier Marvel characters got their start, and the growing diversity to Marvel’s long list of heroes is a breath of fresh air.

Returning to the more major characters of Marvel, I got to check in on one of my favorite heroes, Daredevil. Marv Wolfman co-created one of Daredevil’s greatest villains, Bullseye, and penned an excellent two-part story arc to introduce the character to the world. I love Wolfman since he created Nova and wrote the entire original Nova run through the late 70s. I also love Bullseye. I think he is one of Marvel’s best villains and the way his powers work against Daredevil is genius. So maybe I’m a bit bias here since we’ve got two of my favorite characters written by one of my favorite writers, but these two issues were fantastic. Bullseye’s introduction to the Marvel universe paints him as threatening and pure evil. I was worried he may have started as a much sillier villain before becoming the madman I know today, but he started off just as violently evil as he is now. Wolfman has a great ability to make things feel heavy while still keeping his books lighthearted, and this ability shines through Daredevil #131–132. I’m really looking forward to getting to read more of Daredevil in the 80s when Frank Miller takes over writing duties and really defines these characters. They are already awesome and I loved reading these two issues.

The last origin on my list was that of Spider-Woman. Originally created so Marvel would have the trademark of the female version of Spider-Man (after DC published a character named Power Girl shortly after Marvel’s Power Man), but her debut in Marvel Spotlight #32 proved to be so popular that she was given her own book. My favorite thing about Spider-Woman is that her name is the female counterpart of Spider-Man, but the characters have next to nothing to do with each other. A lot of the female version of male heroes (Batgirl, Supergirl, She-Hulk, etc.) are directly tied to their male versions, but outside of her name Spider-Woman is her own character. She is unique and I like that about her. What I wasn’t expecting is the convoluted origin in her first two appearances. Spotlight implies that she is a direct descendant of spiders, having been tampered with by the High Evolutionary to become half spider and half human. Then, in Spider-Woman #1 we learn that she really was a human named Jessica Drew whose father was the High Evolutionary’s partner. She fell ill and they used a spider-serum to cure her, giving her powers. The only part that stays the same is that she is then manipulated by Hydra to become their agent until she learns the truth of her past. It was a lot to read at once, but it was a necessary retcon. When I read that she was actually a spider somehow turned into a human I was dumbfounded at how ridiculous that is even for comic books. I’m glad that it was decided she needed a more believable origin. I’ve been reading the current Spider-Woman comic and it has made me very curious about the character’s past, so one day I think I would like to read the original solo title, but for now I’m leaving it at her origin. I’m excited to see more of her through the years, especially once she becomes an Avenger.

Next time I’ll be exploring the formation of superhero team The Defenders! Don’t miss it!

(If you’re wondering why I left Nova out of my 1970s origins post, he’s gonna have a whole post to himself soon since he’s my favorite character)

Issues Read:

Iron Man #55

Marvel Premiere #1

Amazing Spider-Man #129

Marvel Preview #2

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1

Marvel Premiere #15

Special Marvel Edition #15

Strange Tales #169

Daredevil #131–132

Marvel Spotlight #32

Spider-Woman #1

Favorite issue: Daredevil #132. I just love ol’ hornhead too much to give it to anyone else!