From the first moment I saw the splash page I was hooked. And then the story. To sum up, Super-Skrull and Skragg try to drive Mar-Vell nuts by appearing as his defeated, dead enemies. Of course, Captain Marvel (with the aid of his alter-ego, eternal sidekick Rick Jones) beat the baddies at their own game. But this only sets the stage for what was to follow – the high water mark of Captain Marvel.

(As a side note, I love Cap’s expletives. “By the Code of the Kree! By Hala! By the Great Pama!”)

Also around this time, the Mighty Man of Molecules also caught my attention. Megaton Man was a parody of all the Silver Age heroes I grew up with. And he wasn’t afraid of taking shots at the (then) current trends in comics as well, to wit:

Of course he addressed the subject of why no superhero ever rose above the rank of captain:

(Megaton Man 1–10 is now available in a hardcover reprint).

Next time: More Captain Marvel, Megaton Man, and

Looking back on it now, I still can’t figure out why I bought that particular issue of Iron Man. It sure as hell wasn’t the cover. But from the moment I saw the first page I was hooked.

Iron Man was not a big draw for me as far as comic buying habits went. I seem to remember him most from reading a reprint story from Strange Tales when he kicked the crap out of the Crimson Dynamo (the Commie imitation, who, naturally, was no match for Yankee know-how and ingenuity). In an act of mercy, Shell-head let CD escape. After failing his mission, he returned to his rendezvous point with a Soviet sub and they let him drown, stating that failure could not be tolerated. For a kid, that was pretty heavy stuff so maybe that’s why I picked up #55, plus it had a green guy a la The Hulk on the cover.

To cut to the chase, our heroes win, but there was a new cool bad guy with a cool backstory .

Thanos.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I used Iron Man’s line – in modified form – to a politician who has now attained national prominence. Be happy to tell you about it).

And then I chucked Iron Man #55 into my giant box of comics to be re-read over and over again. So many classics in that box that found its way to the dump. I’m sorry, I can’t talk about it. Like talking about Domino.

But this is about the LIFE of Captain Marvel, right?

Once again a cover sold a comic:

The Hulk! Namor! Another Green Guy! How could I go wrong?

And if the splash page doesn’t make you want to tune in for the next installment, ESADMF.

The Closet of Comics was a nondescript little store located in the basement of a building next to a major shebeen on Route 1. Which is probably how I discovered it. I had been out of the comic-reading business since roughly the age of fourteen. By then the callipygian assets of Linda Guadanole had captured my imagination. Anyway in I walked and I was greeted by the proprietor and his large black Lab-mix dog Rhoda. I took a look around and my eyes fell upon the cover of a comic that brought it all back. The Life of Captain Marvel. I mean that’s it. Right there. All in one little package. All the wonder, excitement, and joy of comics came rushing back in an instant.

First things first. MY Captain Marvel is NOT The Big Red Cheese from the Golden Age of Comics. Prior to his more recent resurrection he was one of the more nubilous heroes of the Make Mine Marvel line. I don’t remember seeing him in any other book at the time. The first Captain Marvel comic I bought because I liked the cover. I didn’t know anything about the character or his powers or background. Looking back now, is it possible I bought it because of the similarity of the cover of the first comic book I remember owning? (Captain Action #3) Even though the two books are over a yahren apart. They both have similar graphics and the same artist. As for Captain Marvel #21, it was pretty simple. It had the Incredible Hulk on the cover. Now I know why Kate Gooseneck is on all these magazines in the checkout line.

I forgot about Captain Marvel until I opened the first page of that reprint mag in August 1985 (since comic publishers usually date magazines at least four months ahead who knows when it really was) and saw not my hero of the days in the scrub brush of southern Texas, but…..

Iron Man. That’s right, the Invincible Iron Man (before he became “The Insatiable Money Machine” for Make Mine Marketable).

And that is where we will pick up this little tale next time folks.

I realize this didn’t actually go up Sunday, but the title seemed appropriate since it is the 7th comic in the series.

From Mike’s Desk

M.I.F.C. is a new comic we are debuting as part of Protozoic’s Funny Pages. The comic will also be going up on Two Sentz.

Peace,
Mike

From the Editor’s Desk

Greetings from the BunkeGGGRRR!!! That’s right, I said, “GRRRR!!!” I bet you are wondering why? The pet ferret is loose again and he’s a crafty son-of-bitch. Yesterday he got into the Honey Nut Cherrios, and let me just say that His Majesty Rudolph was not in the slightest pleased. The funny thing is that no one has actually seen Jerry the Ferret anywhere ferrying about.

This has raised a couple eyebrows and led some to ask the question, is it actually Jerry???

Fact: On Tuesday our handy-man came to clean out our gutters. He expressed a keen interest in Jerry and asked if he could buy him off us. We politely explained that Jerry was the Bunker’s pet, and wasn’t for sale as such. I’m not so sure if our handy-man comprehended. I think I saw his blue pickup truck outside the office last night at around 10:30 p.m… Maybe the handy-man has a taste for Honey Nut Cheerios too…

Yours in the Future & Worried about Jerry,
Curtis, Sr. Editor

From the Editor’s Desk

Salutations and thanks for reading! Here at Futurists HQ, which we fondly call the Bunker, we’re always cooking up ways for more Pornbots. Problem is we’re plum Bo Diddlely out of ideas! And how about that Bo Derrick? Is she a 10 or what! This is why we love getting mail! Be sure sure to keep your peepers peeled for next week’s comic when a grocery bag mishap befalls one of our beloved robots, and Thomas finally asks Suzy out! Way to go Tom-Cat!!!

Curtis, Senior Editor

Marah, The Shalitas and Adam and Dave’s Bloodline — 12.07.07, TLA, Philadelphia, PA

I would ask that our readership consider the following review a late Christmas present. It is for a show that occurred over a month ago. However, without making excuses, as we all know, coming in and out of the holidays is always a rather hectic affair. Marah’s annual Christmas show at Philadelphia’s Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA) this year was no different.

The show, attended by a surprising amount of children, found guitarist/singer Dave Bielanko in somewhat of a bad mood. Failing equipment, and particularly Dave’s guitar, plagued the band throughout the show. Equipment tension came to a head when Dave went so far as to throw and curse his guitar. Later, he would make a serious appeal to the audience that if they had money, to please send it the band’s way so that they could buy better equipment.

Bum gear didn’t seem to phase the rest of the band’s festive spirits. When Serge Bielanko leaped off the stage into the audience, taking half the Christmas lights and equipment with him, all Dave could do was look bewildered and mutter, “What the fuck is going on?” The band’s set was quite lengthy, filled out with Christine Smith, pensive keyboards, and Adam Garbinski and Dave Petersen giddiness from their earlier performance with Adam and Dave’s Bloodline. Marah would also be joined by opening act The Shalitas for several songs.

Click here for photos of Marah.

Click here for photos of The Shalitias.

Click here for photos of Adam and Dave’s Bloodline.