Secret Wars Novel, Novo Seculo Brazilian Edition (“Guerras Secretas”), 2015
The Hulk saves his fellow superheroes by holding up a … mountain.
And no, you can’t make this up. It’s Will Conrad’s very dramatic rendering of the original Secret Wars story (Issue #4, 1985) for a contemporary Brazilian edition of a Secret Wars novelization.
How did Jim Shooter come up with 150 Billion Tons? I’m really going to have to ask him that one of these days. All I know is there are some pretty powerful heroes counting on ‘Ol Greenskin, no matter how much those rocks weigh.
Will has done a number of these Brazilian novelization covers and they are all fabulous, but this is my favorite.
Another version of Hulk holding the mountain, from Spider-man and the Secret Wars #1(2010.)
Can lightning strike twice in the toy biz? Inventor Stan Weston thought so, and I for one, became proof of concept.
Weston had created the original 12” G.I. Joe “doll” for Hasbro in 1964 and younger baby boomers like myself quickly became obsessed with the figures and all their wonderfully detailed accessories.
Next up: Weston took his invention to Ideal Toys in 1966, and turned it into a superhero concept, capturing the zeitgeist of the era. Captain Action was born, and despite the goofy name, its dozen licensed superhero costumes were a terrific gimmick.
Kids could turn the good captain into a number of well-known characters including Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America and Aquaman.
And the best part? The costumes and accessories worked just fine with existing G.I. Joes, so any crafty kid (we were all crafty, FYI) could create a multiverse Justice League without buying multiple Captain Action figures.
The toy line burned brightly, but briefly, and by 1968/69, the product was heading to the closeout racks. That apparently didn’t concern DC, which licensed the character for yet another brief comic book series.
Fortunately, visual storytelling chores were handled by Gil Kane and Wally Wood, making for some great original art. (Wood drew issue #1 solo, and then inked Gil on issues #2, #3 and #5. Gil scripted, penciled and inked issue #4.)
This cool page features the origin of “Dr. Evil,” main nemesis to the good Captain. Remember when I said the Captain Action name was goofy? I have no words for naming a villain “Dr. Evil.”
Death in superhero comic books had always been a gimmick. “Robin
Dies at Dawn” likely meant he would be back by dinnertime. (In fairness, it’s a
pretty good story.)
So back in the 60s, legitimately killing a character was in
fact, a groundbreaking novelty. And this T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents story is one of
the first. Ditko, Wood and company had spent 6 issues developing the character
of Menthor (John Janus), and they shot him to death on this page in Issue #7.
This historic page captures that collaborative methodology
of Woody and the Tower artistic team on T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents. Dan Adkins scripted
and provided layouts, Ditko penciled the story, and Wood inked it, with assists
by Adkins.
The original T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents lasted only last 20
issues, and perhaps, had it survived, John would have been resurrected at some
point. But it certainly did not appear that way.
Unlike, say, modern times where killing a lead character is a
gimmick once again.
Superman. Dead. Then alive.
Batman. Dead? Nope, he’s back.
Captain America? Reborn. Bucky? Not dead, just hiding in
Russia for a few decades.
Etc.
A few months after the death of Menthor, teenaged writerJim Shooter kills off (spoiler alert) Ferro Lad in the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Menthor’s powers derived from a “cybernetic” helmet, so t was no surprise that another character would don the helmet and ultimately become a new Menthor when T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents was resurrected by other publishers. John Janus? Still dead, I believe.
