Marvel Monsters, reviewed
GNA contributor Barry Harter takes a look at Marvel’s monstrous roots with a review of the nostalgic and homage-filled hardcover collection, Marvel Monsters.
Read on for the complete review.
It began with Fredric Wertham’s personal, and ill conceived, crusade against comics on principle and certain genres in general. It ended with the fledgling comic book industry voluntarily neutering itself under the glare of a malevolent governmental eye, wilting publishers in the shame of a senatorial spotlight.
Empowered by embarrassment, the Comic Code Authority of America nearly toppled a multi-million dollar industry still in its toddling stage and effectively destroyed the horror market in comics.
When Hollywood found success in splitting the atom to allow grayscale gargantuans to roam across the cinematic veranda of America in the darkened matinees and moonlit drive-ins, these same publishers found new and viable horror fare for monthly fodder.
With an interest in public passion, Martin Goodman, owner of Atlas Publishing, gave orders to Stan “not yet the Man” Lee and Jack “heir apparent” Kirby to set pen and pencil to the task of creating a veritable Bug Eyed Monster du jour in cookie cutter fashion.
Titles like Strange Tales, Amazing Adult Fantasy, Tales to Astonish and Journey Into Mystery became showcases for the monstrous Marvel stable of creatures crawling onto spin racks on a monthly basis.
Marvel Monsters breathes life back into those titanic tales of terror concocted by the draftsmen of the Marvel Age, coupled with the heroes who provided a new flavor and knocked the previous residents of the above mentioned titles out of favor.
Collecting the four-issue mini-series, the book begins with the Hulk squaring off against Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy courtesy of Tom Sniegoski and Eric Powell. The tale is flanked by a reprint of JIM No. 62 featuring a pondering hirsute Hulk that’s more construct than creature and eventually vanquished with a jolt of electricity.
Where Monsters Dwell features two short stories, sans super heroes, including Bombu and Monstrollo, and supported by Titano from TTA No. 10.
The showpiece of Marvel Monsters is a parody of the Fantastic Four titled Fin Fang Four starring Fin Fang Foom, Gorgilla, Electro and Googam, son of Goom. Mr. Fantastic attempts to rehabilitate the wayward quartet with employment at the Baxter Building, but their true redemption comes when the Foom Four defeat the oversized Tim Boo Ba during his bid to conquer the earth.
Scott Gray and Roger Landridge are brilliant in their send up, capturing this feature of fantasy that strikes at the funny bone over and over.
The fourth and final installment of the hardcover is a gathering of monsters from both sides of the fence. The Hulk, Thing, Beast and Giant Man wade into a war begun by The Collector and the Mole Man with monster mayhem reminiscent of Toho’s slugfest in Destroy All Monsters.
The story is followed by a TTA tale of a titanic turtle that bookends, with Droom, the Living Lizard from TTA No. 9, the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and Monster Hunters figures and facts on all the Marvel monsters.
Told through Elisa Bloodstone’s e-mails, diary entries by her father and published accounts are the origins and data of some of Marvel’s most monstrous menaces of the past 50 years.
Not since Carl Kolchak graced the television in 1974 has there been such a cool job.
And, if that ain’t enough for the average reader, those ambitious enough can go back for a taste of the originals with the help of an index cataloging each of those featured’s first appearances in those old dream books of once upon a dime.
Marvel Monsters is a collection of matinee memories for baby boomers and those who may have missed the boat the first time around.
Five out of five fallout shelters for this hardcovered homage to an era that spawned Elvis and the creature features now reserved for Saturday nights on AMC.
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