Dedicated to the definitive superhero non-team.


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Hard-Rock Heroes

With unique stage costumes and face makeup to mask their identities, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss of the rock band KISS became comic book heroes in Marvel Comics Super Special #1 (1977).

The foursome gained their super-powers from the Box of Khyscz, which held mystical properties understood by a man identified as Dizzy.

At the Sanctum Sanctorum, Dizzy met with Dr. Strange and a group of the Defenders consisting of Daredevil, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Son of Satan, Hulk, and Red Guardian. The Defenders, along with other established super teams, decided not to intervene as the members of KISS embarked on an inter-dimensional adventure that pitted them against Dr. Doom.

KISS returned in Marvel Comics Super Special #5 (1978). This go-around the group encountered the infamous Elf with a Gun while entering the Land of Leftovers, where symbolic figures of the 1960s lived out that decade indefinitely.

Stever Gerber wrote Marvel Comics Super Special #1 and #5 after his tenure as writer of the Defenders.

3 comments:

pblfsda said...

I've been reading this blog since you've started and I could have sworn you've mentioned Blue Öyster Cult and the Xenogenesis storyline before. When you mentioned Steve Gerber and Kiss (they kind of made a four way circle with Howard, The Defenders and Son of Satan in 1976-1977), it reminded me of David Anthony Kraft and his connection to the BÖC. I looked at your tag list ("Search Terms") but couldn't find either. Was I just imagining that?

james said...

References to the band appear near the end of these two posts:

http://defendersfan.blogspot.com/2012/11/spotlight-on-devil-slayer.html

http://defendersfan.blogspot.com/2013/03/outside-looking-in.html

pblfsda said...

Thanks!