Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Tag: MCU

George Perez — Infinity… And Beyond

Original Art and The Artists

Infinity Gauntlet #3, September 1991

George Perez delivers what George Perez does best: Multiple characters with terrific detail, and imaginative “camera angles” on this great page from the original Infinity Gauntlet mini-series.

It’s almost impossible to believe that this week marks the 2-year anniversary of Avengers Endgame, which wrapped up the Gauntlet saga, and the “early” phases of the MCU. Except for the December 2019 Spider-Man: Far from Home flick (which although in the greater MCU, is a SONY production) no Marvel films in two years just seems… wrong. Thanks, pandemic.

The good news is that we’ve had two quality TV series in recent months, with another one launching in a month.  And if my math is correct, because of delays and rescheduling, there are four Marvel films to debut this year, and four more scheduled for next year.

Whew.

The bad news — if there is any — is that Marvel is setting up so many potential storylines at this point that we are going to have to keep a character encyclopedia and Gantt chart with us at all times.

Dark Avengers?

Thunderbolts?

Young Avengers?

House of M?

Kree Skrull War?

Secret Invasion?

A Multiverse thread in both Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, at a minimum.

Plus, Kang as the next “big bad?”

Like I said… whew.

It’s one thing to accomplish all of this in 80 or so monthly comic books. It’s another to do it in filmed media. But if anyone can, I think Marvel and Disney might pull it off.

Fasten your seat belts…

Despite the comics inclusion of many characters that are not in the MCU version of Infinity Gauntlet / Endgame, this Perez page does highlight three of the films’ most important heroes: Iron Man, Captain America and Spider-Man.

Bob Powell And Wallace Wood — Buddy Movie

Original Art and The Artists

Strange tales #134, July 1965

The Human Torch and Thing buddy comedies of the early 60s come to an end in this cool penultimate page by Bob Powell and Wallace Wood. 

Torch solo stories started in Strange Tales #101 (hey, it worked in the Golden Age) and within a few years, the Thing was added to the strip as well.  An ever-changing group of creators, and frankly, some second-rate stories and villains, didn’t apparently do much for sales, and our Fantastic two get bumped by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. in the very next issue.

Meanwhile, this amusing story features time travel, The Watcher, Merlin the Magician, and Kang the Conqueror, who is apparently about to play an important role in the MCU. (It’s only his third appearance as “Kang” at this point, following two run-ins with the Avengers.)

Because I love time travel stories I can forgive all of it — except maybe Powell and Wood’s execution of the Thing. They are not alone though in rocky renditions of Ben Grimm. Flipping through these old Strange Tales stories, very few artists other than Jack Kirby seemed to figure out how to successfully make anatomic sense of a character made from rocks.

It’s clobberin’ time, indeed.

The Silver Age gets retro-golden very quickly in these early Torch Strange Tales stories. (Although, for the record, that’s an imposter pretending to be Captain America. But you wouldn’t know it until you bought the issue, or stood around reading it at Dave’s Luncheonette until he kicked you out.)

Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema — Split Screen

Original Art and The Artists

Spider-Girl #97, June 2006

Continuing our celebration of the two-year anniversary of the groundbreaking animated film, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. 

The original Spider-Girl (The “future” daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson) is a member of the Spider-Verse who refused to die. Every time her series was on the verge of cancellation, a small, but very passionate group of fans persuaded Marvel to keep he book going. You can read more about that here and here.

In this story arc, the final one of the first 100-issue ongoing series, the original Hobgoblin returns, and Spider-Girl switches to the black spider-costume. This of course echoes the choice made by her dad way back in the historic Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984), also penciled by the talented Mr. Frenz. (And Ron also drew the original Hobgoblin saga in ASM as well.)

And this vertical split screen “mirror” effect on the final page? Seldom used, but very cool. I don’t own another page like it.

David Williams — Into The Spider-Verse

Original Art and The Artists

Spider-Verse Team-Up, #3, March 2015

Two years ago this week, many of us settled into a comfy (hopefully) movie theater seat to catch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I think I’m speaking for the majority of filmgoers when I say: “Brain Blown.”

The Spider-Verse concept was so successful in this ground breaking animated film, that apparently some of its alternate Spidey universes appear to be creeping into the next live action Spider-Man film, currently due in theaters in a year from now.

Rumors are swirling in recent weeks that many actors and characters from the two previous Spider-Man film universes will reappear in this film, with supposedly Jamie Foxx (Electro) and Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus) confirmed.

A multiverse Sinister Six? I say, bring it on! (I’ve confessed my love of multiverse storylines previously.)

Meanwhile, in the comics, you don’t have to wait for Disney and Sony and the talent and the screenwriter and the director to have a meeting of the minds. 

You can simply read any number of Spider-Verse related comic book titles, including this one featuring art by the vastly underrated David Williams.

Here you get six Spider-People for the price of one.  Seems like a good deal to me.

The film poster, the original art for Bill Sienkiewicz’s promo poster, and the cover to IDW’s Marvel Action :Spider-Man featuring the first comic book team-up of Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.
All three actors in one Spider-Man film? You never know…

John Cassaday — The First Avenger

Original Art and The Artists

Fallen Son: The Death Of Captain America #5, August 2007

John Cassaday — a fan favorite artist if ever there was one — delivers a striking double-page splash of the Silver Age Avengers, with Captain America dominating the scene.

In the original comic, it was the Avengers that discovered the World War 2 legend floating in suspended animation in (essentially) a large ice cube. Of course, they never would have found him if it wasn’t for another Golden Age icon, Namor the Sub-Mariner, but as always, we digress.

This rendering actually combines multiple 60s Avengers line-ups into one image; The Hulk quit in a huff at the end of issue #2, fought against the team in issue #3, and was MIA by the time Cap thawed out in issue #4.

Cassaday’s art is stunning throughout this issue, but, biasedly perhaps, I think this is by far the best page(s) among many great ones.

The spread has appeared as both a poster and a limited edition Giclee, so, clearly it’s had some impact.

Assemble indeed!

In short order, Cap returned to the Marvel line-up, received his own solo feature, and then a few years later, his own series. (Picking up the numbering from Tales of Suspense.)

Gabriel Hardman — Of Monsters And Magic

Original Art and The Artists

Savage Hulk #6, January 2015

Doctor Strange battling the Hulk? Seems like a great page to kick off our 2020 Halloween salute. As suggested previously, Gabe Hardman would likely be one of the best known talents in comics — if he were a full-time comic book storyteller. His main gig, though is film storyboard artist, and his many credits include Logan, Spider-Man 3 and The Dark Knight Rises. (And many well known non- “comic book” films as well. But we digress.)

He creates his storyboards digitally, but fortunately, for us, he creates his comic book art using traditional physical methods. Something he does very well.

The story itself is co-written by Gabe and his wife, Corinna Bechko who have collaborated on a number of projects, perhaps most notably the Hugo-nominated SF series Invisible Republic.

Frank Cho — Visiting Steranko

Original Art and The Artists

Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1, February 2015

Starlord and the rest of The Guardians of The Galaxy probably never looked as good as they do in this enjoyable one-shot drawn by the incomparable Frank Cho.

When I first saw this original title splash page offered for sale, it immediately brought to mind to Jim Steranko’s iconic cover to Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD (#6, 1968). It is Itself an homage to Wallace Wood’s classic and incomparable EC science fiction covers.

It was only after I had tracked down the actual comic itself that I realized there was even more to it. Not only had Frank subtly referenced that classic cover with this great opening splash, but he had also taken a more direct route later in the issue. (See below)

And for my two cents, that’s a fun move by Cho and writer Brian Michael Bendis.

In the MCU, Guardians and Captain Marvel both present opportunities to expand the cosmic part of the Marvel Universe. Nova? Adam Warlock? Both have been hinted at in the Guardians films, and, based on anecdotal references in Avengers Endgame, Carol Danvers has been universally occupied during the five year “blip” between the Avengers films.

That opens up all sorts of possibilities to look forward to.

Jim Steranko’s classic 1968 cover alongside Frank Cho’s version — printed page and original art.

P. Craig Russell And Dan Adkins — Bite Size Action

Original Art and The Artists

Marvel Feature #7, January 1973

Ah, Hank Pym. 

Ant–Man (no costume.) Ant-Man (costume.) Giant-Man. Goliath. Yellowjacket. Hank Pym, scientist, no alter ego.

And here, Ant-Man again.

Hank Pym was definitely having an ongoing identity crisis in his 10 years in the Marvel Universe.

Needless to say, seeing Ant-Man and Wasp as a full-length feature on the newsstands was a surprise. It lasted seven issues of Marvel Feature, before disappearing once again.

Here, P. Craig Russell and Dan Adkins present us with a nice Bronze Age action page.  This is some of Russell’s earliest professional work, and his distinctive style has yet to develop.

In fact, since Craig broke in as Adkins assistant, it definitely feels much closer to Dan’s work than Craig’s.

Ina few months, Craig would take over the art chores on Killraven in Amazing adventures, and as “they” say (and I say too much) the rest is history.

As for Hank Pym, the identify crisis would continue. He returns as Yellowjacket, joins the Defenders, then rejoins the Avengers, and then… well, it actually becomes even more complicated. 

But of course, Scott Lang eventually takes the role of Ant-Man, and as they say…

  • Hank Pym returns in his Ant-Man persona — with the lamest of reasoning — in the classic Avengers #93.
  • TTACVRS_5
So many identities and costumes, so little time.

John Buscema and Tom Palmer — The Once And Future MCU

Original Art and The Artists

Avengers #268, June 1986

Ant-man has made much news lately with talk about the villain Kang (The Conqueror), who would be a cool choice as the next “big bad.” Time travel is his bag, and we know how that topic has already a few twists in Avengers Endgame.

Kang has given time-twisting headache to the Avengers and the Fantastic Four in the comic book pages. He could be an obvious thread to introduce the FF into the MCU. 

Or not.

Marvel has no shortage of interesting antagonists.

Because I devour time travel stories, Kang was a favorite among many great villains. Even when his story was, how shall we say? A bit convoluted.

In this 1986 story arc by writer Roger Stern, The Avengers have to contend with multiple versions of Kang, because, well, you know — time travel, the multiverse, alternate realities, that sort of thing. 

Legendary penciller John Buscema had returned to Avengers a few years prior, and, although he only provided breakdowns in most stories, Tom Palmer’s lush inks make this run visually compelling. 

VERY compelling.

The Avengers lineup at the time includes Captain America, The Wasp, Black Knight, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau version) and both Sub-Mariner and Hercules, the clothing-optional pair of the Marvel Universe. They all appear on this cool end page.

Of course, that’s just the East Coast Avengers. The 1986 West Coast branch includes an ever-changing line-up featuring Hawkeye, Tigra, Iron Man, and others.

But as always, I digress.

Next up this week: Ant-Man, The Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel… 

See you soon.

Get your scorecards out: Rama-Tut, Kang, Immortus and the Scarlet Centurion are all alternate versions of each other. Or not. Or both. You can look it up.

Chris Sprouse and Karl Story — Love and Thunder

Original Art and The Artists

Thors #4, January 2016

Thor “4” is entitled Love and Thunder.

Love and Thunder? 

Sounds potentially a bit comedic. But if only “a bit”… I’m ok with that.

Thor Ragnarok mixed seriousness with humor as well.  I like the film — and mass audiences responded to it very much— but it comes a bit close to camp in places.

Fingers crossed that a new film doesn’t cross that line that line completely.

I’m definitely intrigued to see Thor’s pal girlfriend Jane Foster take on the Thor role. (It’s already happened in the comics.) Might we have more than one Thor when the film ends? 

Maybe. Chris Hemsworth has said he isn’t planning on going anywhere if he has anything to say about it, so who knows.

We can have more than one Thor. We have had at least a few in the main Marvel Universe. And throw in alternate realities, the multiverse, etc., and you have many, many Thors.

Case in point: This Secret Wars (2015) spin-off, appropriately titled Thors. The plot is too complex to cover in detail here, but in this pivotal splash on Doomgard, Jane Foster attempts to rally the other Thors to fight a common foe instead of each other.

See, she’s not only Thor — she’s now a leader among Thors.

And great art, as always, by the terrific team of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story.

“Ink and Thunder” sounds about right to me.