Dedicated to the definitive superhero non-team.


Monday, February 3, 2014

Late Night

To boost his exposure as an actor, Wonder Man used his status as a reserve member of the Avengers to get booked on Late Night with David Letterman. The only catch was that he needed to bring other Avengers on the show with him.

All active members of the Avengers were unavailable at the time, so four other reserve Avengers agreed to fill in: Hawkeye, Black Widow, Black Panther, and Beast.

The TV appearance posed a conflict of interests for Beast, who used the opportunity to plug his newfound place in the Defenders and announce he would be stepping down as a reserve Avenger. Near the end of the issue, Beast turned in his Avengers I.D.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 239. January 1984. "Late Night of the Super-Stars!" Roger Stern (writer), Allen Milgrom & Joe Sinnott (artists), J. Novak (letterer), C. Scheele (colorist), Michael Carlin (editor), Larry "Bud" Melman (inspiration).
Also published that month (more specifically, Assistant Editor's Month) was New Defenders #127.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Foreshadowed

Dr. Strange hadn't picked up a deck of Tarot cards in years, so imagine his surprise when he received a Tarot deck in the mail. The cards came courtesy of Marie Laveau, the legendary Witch-Queen of New Orleans, who hoped to warn Dr. Strange of impending doom (Marvel Team-Up #76).

Out for revenge, the villain Silver Dagger would magically trap Clea's spirit within the Orb of Agamotto. In Greenwich Village at the time, Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel agreed to assist Dr. Strange in the quest to defeat Silver Dagger and rescue Clea.

When Dr. Strange became trapped as well, he recognized the Caterpillar of Wonderland as call back to his prior imprisonment within the orb.

But when Dr. Strange located Clea inside the surreal realm, her fiery appearance and cold-hearted demeanor made her almost unrecognizable. This was the woman Clea would have become had she been raised by her wicked mother, Umar the Unspeakable (Marvel Team-Up #77).

As Spider-Man fell within the orb, images of the character's loved ones and enemies filled the mataphysical dimension.

Back in the outside world, Ms. Marvel defended herself against Silver Dagger until Marie Laveau finally subdued the villain—allowing Clea, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man to escape.

Fitting tightly into continuity, the adventure took place on the heals of Defenders #58-60, when the non-team helped Dr. Strange retrieve the Eye of Agamotto.

Spider-Man guest-starred in Defenders #61. Ms. Marvel had guest-starred in #57, but then declined joining the team in #62.

Chris Claremont wrote Marvel Team-Up #76-77. Chaykin, Aclin & Ortiz were artists on both issues. Dr. Strange would later consult Tarot cards regularly while leading the Secret Defenders.