"Morbius the Living Vampire" Omnibus by various artists and writers (Part 2 of 2)

 

(oversized hb; 2019; graphic novel)

Overall review

Caveat: (possible) minor spoilers in this review. Part 1 of the review is here.

Morbius is a fun, distinctive (he’s a living vampire!), and overall good read, although the artwork, between its various illustrators, varies in quality (mostly it’s good). Its main characters (despite the era-familiar/sexist damsel-in-distress female players) are mostly consistent and generally interesting—in this second half of original-run Morbius-featuring issues, the living vampire is (for the most part) a more consistently humane (relatable) character, making for better overall writing, between the adult-oriented Fear and Vampire Tales magazines and kid-friendly mainstream comics. Worth reading and owning, this sometimes-melodramatic omnibus.

The original run of the Morbius stories ran from October 1971 and January 1981.

 

Review, issue by issue

Fear: “Night of the Vampire Stalker” (#27): While Martine and Morbius hole in up the supposedly haunted Mason Mansion near Boston, Massachusetts, an ex-CIA agent and monster hunter (Simon Stroud) looks for Morbius, thinking the living vampire is responsible for a string of bloodletting.

 

Fear: “The Doorway Screaming into Hell!” (#28): Boston, Massachusetts. While Morbius recovers from the events of the previous Fear issue, Police Chief Warner (introduced in the previous issue) tells Martine and Simon Stroud about Letitia Mason, former owner of the Mason Mansion, who told the police about strange supernatural happenings at her residence. This information compels Stroud to interview Letitia.

Later, Morbius and Stroud are thrust into a bizarre realm where furry eyeball, fanged creatures torment Morbius while they say the name of their master (Helleyes).

 

Fear: “Through a Helleyes Darkly” (#29): Escaping an ocean of blood they were cast into, Morbius and Simon Stroud—still at violent odds—try to survive bizarre-world oddities like singing, pinching crabs and the eyeball-covered Helleyes.

 

Fear: “The Vampires of Mason Manor!” (#30): Returned to Mason Mansion, Simon Stroud and Morbius wage war on a mini-army of undead vampires (as opposed to the science-experiment vampire Morbius is). Stroud and Morbius’s battle takes them to the Boston Police station, where Martine might be in danger as well.

 

Fear: “The End of a Vampire!” (#31): Martine, now a vampire, fights Morbius and Simon Stroud, even as the latter two try to give her a shot to cure her unnatural vampirism.

 

Vampire Tales: “A Taste of Crimson Life!” (#10): Painesville, Pennsylvania (Pop. 93). In a separate-from-Fear storyline, Morbius takes revenge on this mining town after his kind boardinghouse landlady (Alicia Twain) is attacked.

Again, it’s worth noting that many of the Vampire Tales stories are more complex, darker, and for mature audiences.

 

Vampire Tales: “Death Kiss” (#11): With help from a mysterious wealthy woman (Morgana), Morbius confronts the London-based upper class Brotherhood of Judas, who seek to fill the political and religious seats of power with bloodsuckers like themselves. Morbius being who he is, he makes melodramatic declarations at key moments.

 

Marvel Preview – The Legion of Monsters: “The Madman of Mansion Slade” (#8): In this Hound of the Baskervilles-esque story, Morbius visits Cupar Fife, Scotland, to see an old scientist friend (Ronson Slade), again to find a cure for Morbius’s unique vampirism. Ronson is distracted by problems of his own, though—specifically his “insane” son (Jeremiah), who might have something to do with recent grisly deaths in the nearby Fenwick Moor.

The events of this relatively gory, black-and-white read aren’t shocking, but it’s effectively atmospheric, solid.

 

Marvel Premiere: “There’s a Mountain on Sunset Boulevard!” (#28): After a mountain rips through Sunset Boulevard, Jack Russell (moon-transformed, from the Werewolf By Night comics), Ghost Rider, Morbius,  and the Man-Thing find themselves fighting for or against a golden alien warrior (Starseed), in a conflict that’ll cost them plenty. Palpable sense of comic book-y heartbreak in this excellent issue.

 

Marvel Two-in-One: “The Return of the Living Eraser!” (#15):  The Living Eraser, last seen in Tales to Astonish #49 (where he battled Henry Pym, aka Giant Man, and the Wasp) returns to Earth to conquer it by making more people vanish into thin air. Fortunately, Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) and Morbius are there to stop him.

Also, Morbius meets a green-skinned princess from The Living Eraser’s homeworld—a princess grateful and attracted to Morbius, who is drawn to her too. This is a curious development, as there’s no mention of Martine (Morbius’s fiancée), last seen in the final issue of Fear (#31), and still engaged to the living vampire.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “Cry Mayhem—Cry Morbius!” (#7): Morbius, under the control of The Empathoid, kidnaps Glory Grant (Peter Parker’s co-worker and friend), compelling Spider-Man to rescue her—sans the ability to shoot webbing.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “. . . And Only One Will Survive!” (#8): The Empathoid, a bodiless parasite, attaches himself to Spider-Man, with surprising results. Meanwhile, Flash Thompson (a returned-home Vietnam vet) gets a rude shock when he tries to rescue Shan-Shan, a woman he loved during the war, from a seemingly cruel man.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “Curse of the Living Vampire!” (#38): A stressed-out Peter Parker attends a big party hosted by one of Peter’s fellow college students (Chip Martin, who manifests alarming powers), and more importantly, a party crashed by a blood-thirst-crazed Morbius, headed for a big life-change.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “The Power of the Word” (#9): Jen Walters, struggling more than usual to control her She-Hulk rage-transformations, infiltrates a Los Angeles-based cult run by The Word (an assertive ex-editor of dictionaries) and his jealous, superhuman-strength daughter (Ultima).

Jen tries to help Randolph Harrison, a young ex-hippie, escape from the cult, at her clients’ request (Randolph’s parents).

Meanwhile, Jen’s friend (Zapper, crushing on her) consults Michael Morbius, humanized after being struck by lightning in The Spectacular Spider-Man (#38), about Jen’s bloodwork, possibly the source of her rage/She-Hulk health issues.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “The War—of the Word!” (#10): Jen, addled by her life-threatening, mysterious bloodborne illness, is railroaded by The Word into an immediate, day-after-last-issue’s-events legal trial, for which she is ill-prepared. Later, She-Hulk fights a violently jealous superhuman Ultima, The Word’s daughter, who mistakenly thinks Jen is trying to steal a brainwashed Chip Harrison from her.

Dr. Michael Morbius is mentioned but not shown in this issue.

Bearing in mind that this is a children’s mainstream comic book (not a lot of nuance in this genre) and The Word has strong manipulation/persuasion power (he gets an immediate, per his behest, legal trial), this issue might read as too comic book-y, unrealistic in writing/editorial and real-world ways. (Younger readers probably wouldn’t notice, but reading it as an adult, with writing/editing experience, I couldn’t help noticing this.)

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “In the Shadow of Death!” (#11):  Post-court debacle (see previous issue), a seriously ill She-Hulk is arrested by and imprisoned by LAPD, where her alter-ego’s father (Sheriff Morris Walters, unaware of Jen’s dual nature) rails at She-Hulk.

Meanwhile, at a UCLA “neuro-radiology center”, a pre-legal trial Dr. Michael Morbius creates a cure for himself and She-Hulk while students protest the former vampire’s presence. They’re not the only ones angry at Morbius—he’s stalked by a vengeance-seeking father of one of Morbius’s “dozens of” victims. Worsening these situations, can Morbius resist the urge to drink the small beaker of serum that can save She-Hulk’s exponentially declining life (and turn him fully human)?

This especially exciting, rings-realistic (within its genre) issue is excellent, a great entry in the She-Hulk series, a well-written turning point for its titular character.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “Reason and Rage” (#12): Jen Walters, recovered from her life-threatening sickness, defends Michael Morbius, in serious need of the “stabilization serum” of the one he made for Jen, in legal court even as many around her revile her and her “mass murderer” client. 

Post-trial, the parents of one of Morbius’s “dozens of” victims (Helen LeClerc, his attack/her death not shown in the series), go Paul Kersey/Death Wish (1974) after Gemini (an identity-cognizant/dual-natured android)** accidentally gets pulled into Angela and Thomas LeClerc’s retribution-seeking. During this tripartite deliberation/conflict, Jen struggles to learn how to transform into She-Hulk (something that was impulse-instant prior to her drinking the serum; now that it takes conscious effort, it’s a challenge).

[** = Created by Scorpio, a foe of The Defenders (The Defenders, issues #48—50), he was later “almost deactivated” by Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Scorpio recounts this in She-Hulk #12, continuing with “But it wasn’t that easy. . . I was alive! The good guy all put in a kind word for me. . . I was finally released on my own recognizance.”)]

#

This issue is a satisfying wrap-up to the original-run, almost-forty-issue Morbius storyline, one that doesn’t white-wash the living vampire and his unchronicled fate (he is suitably but humanely punished for his actions and hubris)—and it’s as close to a realistic happy ending as one might get, and one that rings true, character- and otherwise.

"Morbius the Living Vampire" Omnibus by various artists and writers (Part 1 of 2)

 

(oversized hb; 2019; graphic novel)

Overall review

Caveat: (possible) minor spoilers in this review. Part 2 of the review is here.

Morbius is a fun, distinctive (he’s a living vampire!), and overall good read, although the artwork, between its various illustrators, varies in quality (mostly it’s good though). Its main characters (despite the era-familiar/sexist damsel-in-distress female players) are mostly consistent and generally interesting—bearing in mind that, depending on the title, situations and the writers, Morbius veers sometimes from bloodthirsty maniacal to sympathetic anti-hero. Worth reading and owning, this.

These are the first twenty issues of the forty-one original issue run. 

 

Review, issue by issue

The Amazing Spider-Man: “A Monster Called. . . Morbius!” (#101): While hiding out in Dr. Curtis Connors’s (aka the Lizard) summer house (so Peter Parker/Spider-Man can undo an unsuccessful experiment), Spider-Man is thrust into combat with Morbius the Living Vampire for the first time, a situation that compounds into something worse when another unexpected guest shows up.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man: “Vampire at Large!” (#102): Spider-Man, caught between the Lizard (a transformed Dr. Curtis Connors) and Morbius, tries to fend them off, secure a serum for his additional four spider-arms, and transform Connors back into his human self, while subduing (but not seriously harming) Morbius.

 

Marvel Team-Up featuring Spider-Man and the Human Torch: “The Power to Purge” (#3): Martine (Dr. Michael Morbius’s distressed fiancée) contacts the Fantastic Four, seeking help in locating her transformed, missing fiancé. One of the four, Johnny Blaze (aka the Human Torch), with help from a combative Spider-Man, locates Morbius and tries to subdue the desperate, blood-deprived vampire—who’s also created another bloodsucker (Jefferson, a political radical, brother of the more even-tempered Jacob).

As one might expect, Blaze and Spider-Man’s efforts are thwarted by unforeseen complications.

 

Marvel Team-Up featuring Spider-Man and the X-Men (#4): Morbius kidnaps Hans Jorgensen, his former scientific partner, and kills some people. Spider-Man, suffering from the effects of the Morbius-based cure for his extra four arms (The Amazing Spider-Man #101-102), tries to stop Morbius, but runs afoul of the X-Men while doing so. Especially cram-packed with characters and action, this issue.

 

Vampire Tales: “Morbius” (#1): This black-and-white illustrated magazine chapter-story shows a guilt-tormented Morbius—recently escaped from the X-men—in Los Angeles, looking for his erstwhile love (Martine). After making accidental friends with a “Children of Satan” cultist “or just a carnie” (Carolyn), she takes him to Madame Laera, a no-frills spiritualist, who also tries to help him locate Martine. While with Madame Laera, they’re attacked by a kill-happy demon (Nilrac).

Especially fun Morbius micro-tale chapter, more bloodthirsty and fearsome than its color-cousin/younger audience mainstream run.

 

Giant-Size Superheroes: “Man-Wolf at Midnight” (#1): In another effort to procure a cure for his vampirism, Michael Morbius—less maniacal than usual—takes control of the Man-Wolf (John Jameson’s lycanthropic self) with the Moon-Stone, recovered from the East River in New York.

Morbius’s plan also includes Dr. Harold Ward, a hematologist working on an experimental cure for leukemia, and only Spider-Man can save Ward and possibly, Jameson/Man Wolf. This simple clever, self-contained story is fun, above average in its written and visual execution.

 

Fear: “Morbius the Living Vampire” (#20): The titular bloodsucker is strangely calmed by two men religious faith and science (Rabbi Krause, Reverend Daemond) is again experimented upon to see if Michael Morbius can be cured of his need for blood. Unfortunately, the situation goes awry (as it often does), and Morbius, cognizant of his humane aspects, is forced to stalk a new victim.

 

Fear: “Project: Second Genesis” (#21): After Morbius’s reluctant attack on Tara (a child who is more than she appears to be), the “man-bat” and the girl are drawn to the Caretakers, ancient, science-smart beings who compel Morbius to confront the traitorous, satanic Daemond, his mysterious female companion and a supernatural “jungle cat” (Balkatar). Another cliffhanger finish, with at least one shocking (for Morbius) twist.

This issue, like the previous Fear issue, casts Morbius in a consistent, well-meaning anti-hero light. This shift (also hinted at Marvel Tearm-Up #3 and 4 as well as Vampire Tales #1) is  a promising character- and series-expansive take on Morbius, a sea-change for the character.

 

Fear: “—This Vampire Must Die!” (#22): Morbius’s slashing fisticuffs with Balkatar, the intelligent and English-speaking jungle cat, are interrupted by a summoning by Balkatar’s also-biped/feline king (Gerark). Gerark has a terrible but seemingly necessary mission for Morbius, one that means life or death for Gerark’s subjects inside the mysterious land-prison of “within”—a place Gerark and his people are unable to escape.

 

Fear: “Alone Against Arcticus” (#23): In a land bordering the “within”, Morbius meets the denizens of Arcturus, a mix of cyborgs, a mutated super-race, and occasional humans—all of whom were subjugated by Gerark the wild-cat king and his ilk long ago, and all of whom seek to free themselves.

 

Fear: “Return to Terror!” (#24): Lord I (eye-faced, telepathic “potentate of Arcturus”) and Morbius return to our terrestrial realm where, surreptitiously espied by the Caretakers, the living vampire tangles with a bewildered Blade the Vampire Slayer.

 

Vampire Tales: “The Blood Sacrifice of Amanda Saint” (#2): In the more adult-oriented Vampire Tales chapter-tale, Morbius confronts another satanic cult, that of Demon-Fire, led by high priestess Poison Lark and her monstrous lieutenant (Katabolik), so that Morbius might save the virginal Amanda Saint from their “Triad of Solomon” sacrifice that would leave Saint dead. Cliffhanger finish to this fun, fast-moving (if stock-Morbius) microtale.

 

Vampire Tales: “Demon-Fire” (#3): Morbius interrupts Poison Lark (Amanda Saint’s murderous sister Catherine) and Katabolik’s mausoleum sacrifice of Amanda Saint to the spider demon Arachne, while “sweet, silly Justin”—Amanda’s love interest—reveals hidden depths. Also mentioned by Poison Lark: “the arcane text of Lemegeton”.

 

Vampire Tales: “Lighthouse of the Possessed” (#4): Amanda Saint and Morbius, having dismembered the San Francisco-based cult of Demon-Fire, head to Lovecraftian eerie Malevolence, Maine, to find Amanda’s mother and father, the former of whom (like Catherine/Poison Lark) joined Demon-Fire’s cult.

Shortly after their arrival in Malevolence, Morbius and Amanda are attacked by its citizens, most of whom are possessed by a skeletal-clawed hell fiend (Bloodtide), summoned by Amanda’s mother. At least one Scooby-Doo-esque end-twist makes this Vampire Tale especially fun.

 

Vampire Tales: “Blood Tide” (#5): Morbius and Amanda Saint continue to fend off attacks by the Bloodtide-possessed citizens of Malevolence, Maine—this time with help from locals Brock Killbride (a naïve political optimist) and the more cynical Arlene Randolph, while Monte Harris, a shady political consultant for Mayor Duke Mannery, skulks around the eerie town. Then Bloodtide shows up! Mayhem ensues.

Multi-POV storytelling issue highlights this issue, cutting between the story’s core characters.

 

Vampire Tales: “Where is Gallows Bend” (#7): In Gallows Bend, Nevada, Amanda Saint and Morbius, continue looking for Saint’s long-disappeared father. More minions of the Demonfire cult—notably Death-Flame—torture Morbius and Amanda with hallucinatory horrors in the Old West-style town. Appropriately melodramatic, crazy story with jarring POV shifts, something that highlights the rest of the Demonfire storyline.

 

Vampire Tales: “High Midnight” (#8): Howie Rivers (owner of the Old West town Gallows Bend, Nevada), his caretaker (Sagebrush Robbins), Morbius and Amanda Saint face off against Apocalypse and his hench-creatures (griffins, Reaper, Phineas T. Coroner, others) in the mostly satisfying conclusion to Morbius’s Demonfire story arc.

Like the previous six Vampire Tales entries, the characters and atmosphere are laid on thick, the writing’s locquacious  and for “mature audiences”, and there’s multiple POVs throughout (this time these POVs effectively gel).

Amanda Saint, self-aware heroine, gets short-shrifted in the Demonfire arc, often little more than a damsel in distress (especially by today’s standards) despite her intelligence and willingness to fight villainy.

 

Fear: “And What of a Vampire’s Blood. . .?” (#25): Picking up from Fear #24, separate from the Vampire Tales storyline: Caught between the 10,000-year-old Caretakers and the demon-priest Daemond, whose long war threatens all, Morbius and the psychically powerful girl-child Tara confront Daemond anew—a conflict Daemond seems likely to win.

 

Fear: “A Stillborn Genesis!” (#26): Character-based twists abound as the war between Daemond and the Caretakers comes to a head. Fun, wild wrap-up to the Caretakers/Daemond storyline.

 

Werewolf By Night: “Giant-Size Werewolf” (#4) – “A Meeting of Blood”: Michael Morbius (“the living vampire”) is reunited with his amnesiac fiancée, Martine, who may lead him to more than love, when a wolf-mode Jack Russell crosses their path and attacks them, possibly undoing Morbius and Martine’s shot at a sweet new life.

The Best of Creepy edited and published by James Warren

(1964, 1971: regular paperback-sized graphic novel. “Introduction” by

Archie Goodwin)

Overall review

Creepy is an excellent sampler of the titular magazine’s superb early, macabre morality tales, one that thrilled me as a preteen and thrilled me anew as a fifty-year-old man. If these succinct stories are predictable and doomy, they have something that a lot of newer horror works don’t: succinct, plot- and character-driven storylines, great iconic artwork and an Aesop’s Fables vibe that makes these Creepy entries stick in one’s mind. Highly recommended for readers who love older horror stories, comic books and great illustrations.

Stories

“Sand Doom” – Archie Goodwin (author), Al Williamson (illustrator): A ruthless, desert adventurer accidentally falls into treasure room a scantily clad priestess of Nepthy and lots of snakes.

“Overworked” – Archie Goodwin (author), Wallace Wood & Dan Adkins (illustrators): Allan, a comic book writer/artist, finds that his life is being swallowed by his relentless job demands.

“Untimely Tomb!” – Archie Goodwin (author), Angelo Torres (illustrator): After a doctor (Beamish) accidentally contributes to a woman being married alive, his life take a turn toward murder and further horror.

“Vampires Fly at Dusk!” – Archie Goodwin (author), Reed Crandall (illustrator): Carlos and Elena Orsini, a count and countess, move into an old villa in a small village and a rapid string of killings ensue. Do they have something to do with them?

“Werewolf” – Larry Ivie (author), Frank Frazetta (illustrator): In the Gonteekwa Valley in Africa, a confident big-game hunter is hired to track and shoot a giant wolf, thought to be a supernatural creature.

“Grave Undertaking” – Archie Goodwin (author), Alex Toth (illustrator): In Merry Olde England, two resurrectionists get too greedy and pay a grisly price.

“Curse of the Full Moon!” – Archie Goodwin (author), Reed Crandall (illustrator): Bavaria. Sir Henry Langston’s coachman is ripped apart by a werewolf, leading him to deal with gypsies and hunt it.

“Collector’s Edition!” – Archie Goodwin (author), Steve Ditko (illustrator): An intense bibliophile and lover of rare books, Colin Danforth, seeks such a tome (Marquis Lemode’s Dark Visions), unaware that it most certainly will illustrate his doom.

Essential Marvel: Spider-Woman Vol. 1 by various authors and illustrators

(pb; 1977–1979, 2005: graphic novel. Collects Marvel Spotlight #32, Marvel Two-in-One #29–33, and Spider-Woman #1–25.)

From the back cover

“Before she was an Avenger, she was. . .a Hydra agent?! Witness the Arachnidian Adventuress’s dire debut against Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a follow-up arc alongside the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing! After working out a few bugs out of her origin, she set up shop in California and faced an array of eccentric enemies rarely equaled to this day! Featuring Shang-Chi, the Werewolf By Night, the Shroud and more!”

Overall review

Spider-Woman is a fun read if you can get past the initially awkward, fumbling-to-define-the-title-character plotlines of early issues─the first six issues of this collection─as well as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman’s initial romantic, childish neediness with her early male date-mates. Part of this latter complaint can be explained by Jessica’s traumatic childhood (stemming from Hydra-forced experiments upon her, and her expulsion from her village of Wundagore, in the country of Transia─also the birthplace of the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver). But Spider-Woman, being a comic book character, has these attributes exaggerated a bit too much.

Despite these rough-start nits─the Seventies and early Eighties were not a politically correct period─Spider-Woman has flashes of action-punctuated and character-building excellence, and by the eleventh issue, the writers and artists have worked out most of the glaring-even-for-the-Seventies sexism to a time-appropriate acceptable level.

If you are a patient reader with a presentist mindset and an appreciation for pulpy, supernatural-fringed storytelling, this back-then incarnation of Spider-Woman might entertain you. (Presentism: “The notion that we should not judge the actions of people in the past using modern-day standards.” Definition provided by dictionary.com.)

Issues / story arcs

“Marvel Spotlight”─‘Dark Destiny’ (#32): Spider-Woman’s first appearance in comics. Recruited by and experimented on by Hydra after being driven out of her village, she is sent on a mission to kill Nick Fury (Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Her Hydra name: Agent Arachne.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Shang-Chi–Master of Kung Fu”─’Two Against Hydra’ (#29): The two heroes battle Hydra minions in order to rescue a scientist, Dr. Louis Kort. They are unaware that a bigger threat─a brainwashed Spider-Woman─looms in their future.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Spider-Woman”─’Battle Atop Big Ben!’ (#30): Spider-Woman, still brainwashed by Hydra, clashes with Ben Grimm. Meanwhile, thieves hit the famous clock tower.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing Alone Against the Mystery Menace─’My Sweetheart─My Killer’” (#31): Ben Grimm and Spider-Woman fend off the Hydra-mutated Alicia Masters (Grimm’s kidnapped girlfriend), trying to stop her without killing her. . .a near-impossible feat.

““Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Invisible Girl”─’And Only Invisible Girl Can Save Us Now!’ (#32): Spider-Woman, Ben Grimm and Invisible Girl try to contain Alicia Masters, mutated into a giant eight-legged creature.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Mordred the Mystic”─’From Stonehenge. . .with Death!’ (#33): The thieves from issue #30─now four elemental demons─hold human hostages at Stonehenge. Mordred, Ben Grimm and Spider-Woman attempt to defeat the elementals and free the hostages.

“Spider-Woman”─’. . .A Future Uncertain!’ (#1): The first issue of Spider-Woman provides more information about her origins. She is now knows her non-hero name, Jessica Drew, and her inhuman powers are revealed. She also attracts the unwanted attention of a police officer, Jerry Hunt, whose intentions are unclear to her.

All following issues are also Spider-Woman issues.

“A Sword in Hand” (#2): Spider-Woman confronts Excalibur, a thief possessed by Morgan La Fay, in a museum. She also meets Magnus─an old man with mystical powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. associate/lawman Jerry Hunt continues tracking our titular heroine.

“The Perils of Brother Grimm” (#3): In L.A., Magnus tells Jessica (a.k.a. Spider-Woman) that her father was murdered two months prior. While investigating the traumatic mystery of who did it, she tangles with Brother Grimm, a constumed odd character, and Congressman James T. Wyatt, who is somehow linked to the death of her father, John Drew.

“Hell is the Hangman!” (#4): Spider-Woman is trapped between Brother Grimm (who continues to kill people) and the Hangman, a vigilante who seeks to bring Grimm to justice. . .Also: Spider-Woman gets a new lead in her investigation into who murdered her father. And, beknownst to her, Jerry Hunt─S.H.I.E.L.D. associate─arrives in L.A., teaming up with Bill Foster, an employee of Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.

“Nightmare” (#5): Spider-Woman, prisoner of violent hallucinations, tries to escape what appears to be a sorcery-ruled house.

“End of a Nightmare!!” (#6): Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf By Night, is drawn into a battle with Morgan La Fay and Magnus. . .Also pulled into this conflict is Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt, who has fallen for her. Their mutual, wild attraction is sudden, plot-convenient and not well-explained at this point.

“July 4, 1978. . .” (#7): Jessica and Jerry discover what happened to her father, why he died and who killed him. They, once again, face off against Brother Grimm, Congressman James T. Wyatt and minor bad guys. . .Magnus reveals that his not Merlin, Morgan La Fay’s teacher, but her student.

“The Man Who Could Not Die!” (#8): Jessica rescues Samuel Davis (a man doomed to eternal life), and finds herself in a strange, sympathy-tinged fight. . . There is a second, separate story in this issue: “The Suit!”. In this second tale, a haunted suit brings about a case of mistaken identity. This is an especially oddball mini-work, one that requires more than the usual suspension of disbelief.

“Eye of the Needle” (#9): Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt try to end the nighttime terror of the Needle, a silent and vengeful stitcher of his victims’ lips.

“Things That Go Flit in the Night” (#10): Gypsy Moth─a winged mystery woman with a penchant for weaving people in gossamer cocoons─attacks the attendees of a party Jessica is at. Magnus, now a celebrated magician, is also there. . . Jessica and Jerry Hunt have a melodramatic tiff over her focus on her alter-ego’s activities.

“And Dolly Makes Three” (#11): This is an especially fun issue. Jessica Drew and Jerry Hunt are assaulted by Brother Grimm─who looks like two dolls Jessica’s landlady owns. . . these dolls were glimpsed in issue #10. The landlady’s name: Priscilla Dolly.

Meanwhile, Magnus returns to Priscilla Dolly’s boardinghouse, where he also lives, pretending to be Jessica’s uncle. Of course, he walks into a trap. This excellent issue has a cliffhanger finish.

“The Last Tale of the Brothers Grimm!” (#12): Magnus─full name Charles Magnus─is forced to perform a ritual to resurrect Nathan Dolly, Priscilla’s husband, from his possession-slumber. It seems his spirit is split between the man-sized doll forms of their sons, Jake and William, a.k.a. Brothers Grimm. . . Magnus does this because Priscilla holds Jessica/Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt hostage.

Like the previous issue, there are effective twists in this one. This is one of the more fun issues in the series, thus far.

“Suddenly. . . the Shroud!” (#13): Jessica gets a receptionist job at the Hatro Institute For Emotional Research, an organization─unbeknownst to her─with a secret agenda. When the Shroud, a villain-turned-hero, sneaks into their headquarters, Jessica’s alter-ego is there to stop him.

“Cults and Robbers!” (#14): Jessica, with the Shroud unconscious and in her custody, is confronted by knife-wielding thugees (cultic devotees of the dark goddess Kali).

After the Shroud is kidnapped by the thugees, Jessica tries to  track down the thugees’ lair to rescue the Shroud.

“Into the Heart of Darkness!” (#15): The Shroud─whose powers stem from the positive aspects of the goddess Kali─and Spider-Woman further investigate the in-name-only cult of Kali. The head of the cult, unknown by the heroes, is headed by Jessica’s reclusive boss, Adrienne Hatros, a.k.a. Nekra.

“All You Need is Hate” (#16): Spider-Woman fights Nekra. Nekra’s source of invincibility is her hatred, a weapon that may or may not help her defeat Jessica/Spider-Woman. . .There are lesbian overtones to this issue.

“Jessica’s Night Out” (#17): Jessica, depressed about breaking up with Jerry Hunt, goes to a disco─a place she’s not been to before─to lift her spirits. Result: a theft, a rescue, and a meeting with a questionable, strangely-afflicted man.

“Sins of the Flesh!” (#18): Spider-Woman tracks the “Melting Man” who attacked her in issue #17.

“The Beast Within” (#19): Continuation/crossover of Werewolf By Night (issues #42 and #43). . .Spider-Woman and Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf By Night, repel The Enforcer, a silver-pelt-shooting and bolt-throwing masked villain.

Russell last appeared in Spider-Woman issue #6. The Enforcer previously appeared in Ghost Rider (issues #22—24).

“Tangled Webs” (#20): Spider-Woman and Spiderman meet under semi-friendly circumstances.

“Beware the Spider-Woman─Bounty Hunter!” (#21): Taking Spider-Man’s advice (from the previous issue), Jessica focuses on her strengths and goes high-tech, with help from her wheelchair-bound neighbor (Scotty).

As this issue’s cover noted, this is a positive turn-about for Jessica Drew─and this series.

“Bring On. . .the Clown!” (#22): A greasepainted misogynist terrorizes women, drawing Spider-Woman’s ire.

“Enter the Gamesman” (#23): Spider-Woman meets─and is romanced by─Tim Braverman, a reporter who may be more than he says. She also stalks and battles the masked thief (Gamesman), whose gang has been stealing high-profile jewels. Silly, romantic melodrama in this one, given how fast certain characters connect.

“Trapped in the Doomsday Room!” (#24): With Tim Braverman (a.k.a. the Gamesman) in prison professing his love for her, Spider-Woman deals with Braverman’s old gang, who are still on the loose─and perhaps more dangerous.

“To Free a Felon!” (#25): Spider-Woman continues to thwart the Gamesman’s gang as they try to get the loot that Braverman stole from them.

There are some ill-timed inner-dialogue plot explanations in this issue, but it is otherwise okay.

#

On August 30, 2018, Marie Severin, co-creator of the Marvel comics character Spider-Woman, “died at age 89, following a stroke”. The “longtime Marvel Comics artist and colorist. . . was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2001”. Severin designed Spider-Woman’s “iconic costume. . .in 1976”.

I got this from Brian Cronin’s online/CBR article “Spider-Woman Co-Creator Marie Severin Dies At Age 89” (posted 8/30/18). The article also said: “Severin broke into the comic book industry in the early 1950s when her older brother, comic book artist John Severin (1922—2012) asked her to color one of his stories for EC Comics. She did such a good job that she was soon the regular colorist for EC Comics. When EC Comics’ comic book line went out of business following the institution of the Comic Code Authority (which seemed almost specifically designed to put EC Comics out of business), Severin worked for Atlas comics a little bit before leaving comic books entirely to go work at the Federal Reserve.

“In the late 1950s Severin began to get back into comic books, working for Atlas again doing some production work. As Atlas turned into Marvel and began to expand, Severin’s work for them expanded as well. By the end of the late 1960s, Severin was the main colorist at Marvel while also doing the occasional penciling job. When the Hulk gained his own series, Incredible Hulk, Severin was the penciler for the first five issues. . .

“In the 1980s she began working in Special Projects (again, her likenesses were always amazing). She was let go by Marvel during their restructuring following their late 1990s bankruptcy. She continued working as an artist until retiring in the mid-2000s.”

Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago. . . Volume Five by various writers and artists

(pb; early 1980s, 2012: Collects issues #86─107, “the final twenty-two US-published issues of Marvel Comics’ Star Wars series)

From the back cover

“All your favorite Star Wars characters─Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewie, the droids, and others─are bringing peace to the recently liberated galaxy after Return of the Jedi. Even without the oppressive Empire, the young Republic is finding that there are still troubles to confront, and battles to be won!

“Collected here are issues #86 through #107, the final twenty-two US-published issues of Marvel Comics’ Star Wars series from the 1980s.”

Overall review

This last stretch of original Star Wars comics is uneven in quality. Many of the issues sport a familiar, singular plot structure: An alliance character goes on a diplomatic/rescue mission, is betrayed another trusted character, and encounters Imperial troops. The writers try to wring out as many variations of this plotline as they can, but it is clear they are running dry, creatively speaking. I sympathize with them, it must have been difficult trying to maintain fresh action-oriented tension after the fuzzy warmth that is Return of the Jedi.

There are other problem as well. The writing shows some of the characters─Luke and Leia especially─to be petulant, in a distinctly adolescent way. With all these characters have gone through, surely they have matured beyond such behavior? Not according to these writers.

Also, the artwork runs from barely tolerable to godawful.

That said, a few of the issues were fun, well-written and light, and there was an admirable mix of diverse alien types. I especially like Plif, a hoojib.

Bottom line: Is Volume 5 worth reading? Only if you are a die-hard, completist Star Wars fan. If you decide to read it, borrow it from the library before buying it, unless it is really, really cheap.

Story arcs/issue #s

“The Alderaan Factor” [#86]: While embarking on a diplomatic mission to the desert planet Yinchor, Leia is betrayed, meets a fellow survivor from her home world, and tangles with Imperials, led by the nasty Governor Wessel.

“Still Active All These Years” [#87]: Rik, Chihdo and Dani accidentally turn on a doomsday device on Shawken, impelling Luke, Plif and Kiro to shut it down.

“Figurehead” [#88]: On an unfamiliar planet (Herdessa), diplomats Leia and Mon Mothma (“leader of the Alliance of Free Planets”) discover Herdessa’s heinous secret─it is a slave-based economy. When some of the slaves revolt, Leia tangles with Lumiya, a cyborg security/battle droid who used to work in the service of the Empire.

“I’ll See You in the Throne Room!” [#89]: Luke aids an anti-Imperial revolution on Solay (“brilliant planet of ten suns!”). While doing so, he falls in lust with a flighty young woman (Mary) and learns an unexpected lesson about people, and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals.

This issue is one of my least favorite entries in this collection. Skywalker comes off as a rock-dumb boy who has never seen a pretty face. Usually my irritation with his character is limited to groaning at his sometimes-condescending attitude toward others.

“The Choice!” [#90]: Luke returns to Endor with Kiro─wounded  in issue #87─as well as Rik, Chihdo, Dani and the hoojib Plif. There, along with other Alliance of Free Planets members, wrestle with the problems of forging an interplanetary body.

“Wookie World” [#91]: Chewbacca’s homecoming on planet Kazhyyyk is a bitter and violent one: he, Han and Lando discover that it─recently freed from Imperial occupation─has fallen prey to brutal slavers, led by Knife (a Nagai) who hold Chewie’s family hostage. (His family: Mala, his wife; Lumpy, his son.)

This issue features the first appearance of corpse-pale slave trader Knife, a Nagai.

“The Dream” [#92]: This is one of the more sexist, at-times soap operatic issues in this anthology.

Luke and the gang try to help Prince Denin [from the planet Naldar] restore his capitol, occupied by the Imperials─and a Jedi Knight named Flint, last seen in the “King-Sized Annual #3” issue. Not only that, Luke is plagued by nightmares reminiscent of those he experienced in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back.

“Catspaw” [#93]: Leia, Han and Luke try to solve the mystery of who is killing the feline-biped aliens of Cantros Seven, a capitol city in a distant part of the galaxy.

“Small Wars” [#94]: When an Ewok’s jealousy sparks an armed conflict between the Ewoks and the Lahsbee, Leia and the gang try to defuse it─unaware there is a Hiromi plot behind it. (The Hiromi are tall, cricket-like aliens.)

This is an especially fun, silly issue.

“No Zeltrons” [#95]: Han, Leia, Admiral Ackbar and some Zeltron male assistants visit Kabray, a planet, to woo more possible allies. Once there, they find that the Nagai─slave traders─have dominated Kabray.

Meanwhile, Luke, Kiro and Dani head to planet Kinooine, in search of a scouting party who have not checked in at their appointed time. Luke also battles a sword-mistress, Lumiya, who bears a long-burning hatred toward him.

This is one of the better issues: it has a lot of effective humor; its storytelling balances tone, character and storytelling in an admirable way, with a cliff-hanger finish.

“Duel with a Dark Lady!” [#96]: Luke crosses his light saber with Lumiya’s electric whip, is imprisoned by her and Den Siva, is rescued by Kiro, and battles Lumiya─whose true identity is revealed, someone familiar to Luke.

“Escape” [#97]: On Kinooine, Luke and Kiro, with Lumiya as their prisoner, try to elude Imperial and Nagai soldiers, and rescue Dani from Den Siva. (Lumiya, in the last issue, revealed that she used to be called Shira Elan Colla Brie, last seen in issue #63, “The Mind Spider”).

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Alliance of Free Planets decide to go to war with the Nagai, after the latter race’s slaver activities are exposed.

“Supply and Demand” [#98]: Han is sent out to escort a princess and a child from Vandhelm, a planet where another secret Imperial battalion is holed up. This issue has a warm, fuzzy feel.

“Touch of the Goddess” [#99]: Luke mourns Kiro, who is presumed dead. Han, Chewie, Lando and Luke revisit old─perhaps dangerous─”associates” in order to retrieve two statues, seen in earlier issues. Han shows how ruthless he can be.

“First Strike” [#100]: The Alliance of Free Planets has its first official battle with the Nagai. The Alliance is aided by Fenn Shysa (former friend of Boba Fett), The Nagai are supported by Maccabree Warriors, seemingly indestructible robots.

Also: Han discovers a dark truth about his mentor and friend, Bey.

“Far, Far Away” [#101]: Han, after having a serious argument with Leia, goes on a mission to help another royal family on another distant planet.

“School Spirit!” [#102]: Lando and Luke return to Iskalon to tell Kiro’s people about his passing, and find out he is alive─and that the Nagai are stalking and killing his people.

“Tai” [#103]: Leia and her Zeltron assistants take a Nagai prisoner, with unexpected results. Tragic ending to this one.

“Nagai and Dolls” [#104]: Den Siva and some of his soldiers invade a fancy dinner on planet Zeltros, where Han, Leia and others are at. Luke and Plif are taken prisoner by stumble-about Hiromi hit-insects. One of the lighter, more humorous issues.

“The Party’s Over” [#105]: Tofs─green-skinned burly aliens in pirate garb─take Luke, Plif and his former captors (Hiromis) prisoner. Luke, Plif and the Hiromis fight the Tofs.

In another part of the castle, the rest of the gang, along with the Zeltrons, deal with Den Siva and his race-mixed troops, as well as the Tofs. This issue, along with the next one, is also humorous.

“My Hiromi” [#106]: Luke and his new friends, the Hiromi, assault a Tof ship in Zeltros orbit─and rescue Leia’s male Zeltron attachés.

“All Together Now” [#107]: The Alliance work with a motley group of Nagai (Knife, Den Siva), as well as Fenn Shysa, Dani, Bey (Knife’s half-Corellian brother and Han’s mentor), Zeltrons and others. They attack a Star Destroyer commandeered by the Tof leadership. This is the final, optimistic-as-Star-Wars-gets issue of the original series.