More Coming Attractions

Building on the popularity of an earlier post about Coming Attractions, here are additional teasers from the pages of Marvel Age.

Marvel Age #3 (June 1983):

• DEFENDERS #123—Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS. Pencils by DON PERLIN. Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and the Submariner are trapped in time and must relive the most traumatic points in their lives—and this time they might not survive.

Marvel Age #9 (December 1983):

• DEFENDERS #129—It's the beginning of the end of the Secret Empire Saga, as the New Defenders—aided and abetted by Cloud and the mysterious Seraph—try to stop Professor Power's plans to topple both the United States and the USSR! It's not as simple as it sounds, though—not when the New Defenders must also battle the New Mutants—sort of! "Countdown" is written by J.M. DeMatteis, penciled by Don Perlin, and inked by Kim DeMulder.

Marvel Age #23 (February 1985):

• THE DEFENDERS #141—Just when the Defenders had totally forgotten them, the gamma ray spores seen in issue #132 are back—and have spread into everything! If the spores cannot be stopped, they will destroy the Defenders! "All Flesh is Grass!" written Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder. 60¢.

Marvel Age #26 (May 1985):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #144—The evil Dark Dragon offered her almost limitless power—and Moondragon took it! Now she's a rampaging emissary of evil whose first task is to slay her friends, the Defenders! "Dragon Midnight!" written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder. 65¢.

Marvel Age #32 (November 1985):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #150—The New Defenders are in space. The galaxy destroying Star Thief is why. Even with the help of The Cosmic Cube and the aliens Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp, will the New Defenders be able to stop him? "The Stars in Their Courses" is written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Randy Emberlin and Alan Kupperberg. A double-sized issue! $1.25.

The image of Moondragon's attack against Valkyrie in New Defenders #144 also appeared in the Coming Attractions section Marvel Age #26.

The Return of Mimic

Of all the explanations for a character cheating death, the revival of Cal Rankin was among the most impressive.

With his ability to absorb the powers of super-beings spiraling dangerously out of control, Cal Rankin (Mimic) went into hiding in a secluded area of Canada. Seeking a cure for his predicament, he enlisted the scientific know-how of Henry McCoy (Beast).

Escaping from authorities, Hulk leapt through Canada and crashed into the log cabin where Mimic was staying. In fighting off the green goliath, Beast noticed that Hulk seemed far weaker than usual, as Mimic was draining the strength Hulk originally acquired from exposure to gamma radiation. But instead of turning green and becoming more powerful himself, Mimic grew ill from radiation poisoning. The issue ended with Mimic left for dead (Incredible Hulk #161).

On the trail of the monstrous Wendigo (who first battled Hulk in #162), Wolverine originally appeared in Incredible Hulk #180-181 as a super-powered agent of the Canadian government.

In an amazing twist of fate, Marvel Comics Presents #59 surmised that because Wolverine was already in the general vicinity at the time, Mimic survived by inadvertently duplicating Wolverine's mutant healing factor and physical traits.

The top panel comes from Incredible Hulk #161. The version of Mimic who appeared in the Exiles had an altogether different fate as a member of the Defenders.

Greatly Exaggerated

The closing pages of New Defenders #152 found Angel, Iceman, and Beast mourning several teammates who had turned to ash. Disbanding the Defenders, the threesome joined with other original X-Men to form the group X-Factor.

Imagine Beast's surprise when he later crossed paths with Andromeda, one of the New Defenders he thought was dead. During her short time with that team, Andromeda initially hid the fact that she was a native of Atlantis. But why was she so guarded about her past? Because, as she disclosed to Beast at last, Andromeda's father was the Atlantean warlord Attuma. Andromeda still did not explain to Beast how she astonishingly was alive (X-Factor Annual #4).

X-Factor Annual. Vol. 1. No. 4. 1989. "I Just Go Down to the Sea Again…" John Byrne (story and pictures), Walter Simonson (embellishment), Jim Novak (lettering), Tom Vincent (coloring), Bob Harras (editing), Tom DeFalco (down the hall, turn left). The Defenders initially battled the forces of Attuma in Defenders #8. The non-team later faced Attuma in Fear Itself: The Deep. The top panel comes from New Defenders #152. This image of Andromeda in her natural blue form appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Ruffled Feathers

Angel's decision to accompany Beast and Iceman in Defenders #125 turned the non-team into a partial revival of the original X-Men. And that's exactly what Angel wanted.

Before joining the New Defenders, Angel tried renewing his involvement with the mutant team. Yet beginning with X-Men #137, the high-flying Angel was uncharacteristically careless and klutzy when working alongside the "new" X-Men who largely replaced the original team in #94.

Though initially depicted as out of practice, that wasn't the full story. Rather, any beginner's mistakes on Angel's part resulted from him feeling ill-at-ease among the reconfigured team. A disapproving attitude toward Wolverine, and shock that the X-Men would tolerate anyone with such homicidal tendencies within their ranks, led Angel to again fly the coup in #148. Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters no longer felt like home.

The above image comes from from Uncanny X-Men #148 (August 1981).

Recollections

In the five years since I started this blog, this is the first time I've felt prompted to mention Free Comic Book Day. Available Saturday, May 4, 2013, one of this year's titles is a sampling of work by authors Jonathan Kellerman and Louis L'Amour. The free offering brings back a memory from my early years reading comics.

While growing up, I occasionally perused a secondhand bookstore in my neighborhood that also sold back issues of comic books. One summer around the time I was in junior high, the owner of the shop started up a conversation with me by saying I looked like someone who spent a lot of time at the library. He then asked if I would be willing to do some research for him by reading through the neighborhood library's microfiche catalog and writing down every entry for Louis L'Amour. The shop owner was a fan of L'Amour's westerns and said he would pay me for the legwork.

In all honesty, I actually did like going to the library on my own. But I felt self-conscious that I came across that way. So even though I had the time, I declined the offer. In retrospect, I wish I had said yes.