The Marvel Universe: Unlike DC No Crisis Required!
Here’s a secret: During the Silver Age, I read twice
as many DC comics as Marvel but as much as I did enjoy DC, I enjoyed Marvel
more. There were several reasons, this
blog is about one big one!!!:
I was there in the
beginning! 1961!
Or I thought I was!
There was a “Golden Age,” a Timely and Atlas era, which, took
place in the 1940s and 1950s. But the Marvel Age basically disregarded those
stories.
The New York Times wrote: The edges of historical eras tend to be fuzzy.
It would be nice to think that someone awoke in Florence, Italy, one day in the
late 1300s …and said, “Today the Renaissance begins!” We can be sure no one
did, if only because historians discern such eras only in retrospect.
Both Marvel and DC both used, or reused, characters from
their “Golden Age.” But Marvel gave their Timely and Atlas characters new
“Marvel Age” identities and backgrounds.
This included not just major characters, such as Captain America and Sub-Mariner,
but secondary characters such as The Owl, Ringmaster, and Black Widow. They
came to the Marvel Age without any luggage.
The Owl from Young Allies and Daredevil
The original Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, and Hawkman began in the 1940s and their comics were cancelled by 1950. The Earth I and Earth II concept was introduced with “The Flash of Two Worlds” (Flash Comics #123)
But the Multiverse really begins in Showcase #4, when
the first “Silver Age” Flash story
was introduced. DC essentially established that DC’s history all took
place, but in another universe. This created an inconsistency in the DC
line-up. Events in one title did not often relate to events in another. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, were never cancelled and were still in
their ‘golden age’ continuity.
It was different at DC. For their super-hero titles they had
FOUR editors: Mort Wessinger for Superman,
Jack Schiff for Batman, Julius Schwartz for Flash, Green
Lantern and others, and Robert "Bob" Kanigher for Wonder
Woman. Unlike Lee and Thomas the four not only did not collaborate much,
they kept their creative staffs separate. Each hero was placed in his own isolated
town, which, to a young reader such as me, was like placing them in their own
universes. So the Flash, The Green Lantern and Atom of
Earth I would have Justice League meetings with Batman, Superman
and Wonder Woman of Earth II.
As a young reader, with DC felt that I was coming aboard late
and had missed much. Best Example: When Batman #171 (May 1965)
re-introduced the Riddler to the Silver Age readers the editor directs you to
read his appearance from Detective Comics #142, published in 1948, to
get up to date on the character. This
was as if I could just go and pick that issue up at the local stands. There
were no reprints then or comic book stores then.
If DC did revisit an origin, they usually altered it. Retconning
is retroactively changing something to a character’s continuity which changes
his history. For example Superman who had his full origin in Superman #53, 1948. DC never stopped reconning him. There was
Superboy! Then a dog, (1955), a monkey
(1959), and a cousin (1959).
Had DC
developed their characters, as Marvel did, and left their Golden Age Continuity
behind, there would have been no need for a Crisis on Infinite Earths. Or any
Earth.
Both at
Marvel and DC, comic book characters read old comics from the 1940s. Barry Allen, in his first Flash tale in 1956, reads about the original Flash.
In Strange Tales #114, in 1962, after fighting an imposter,
Johnny wonders about the real Captain America, who he read about in
comics. He even knew he was Steve
Rogers! Stan asks fans if they would like to see Cap return. Apparently, everyone got amnesia by Avengers
#4. Of course, Bucky and Toro can only read comics from the 1940s.
During the Marvel Age, Marvel mostly overlooked their “Golden
Age continuity” and presented “Timely” characters as if they were new. A great
example of how Marvel was handling their history was in the Fantastic Four
appearances of the Sub-Mariner, who I knew nothing about at that time. In Fantastic Four Annual #1 the
Sub-Mariner appears at the UN and gives new history of his race.
During the next 15 years of the Marvel Age there were five or so of exceptions.
With not much of a background, the original Human Torch appeared in Fantastic Four
Annual #4 (1966). Johnny Storm was not really the re-creation of the Human
Torch. The original Torch was a
mature adult android. Johnny Storm was human, a teen aged hothead. Johnny Sorm was the reincarnation of Toro
the Fleming Kid!!!! More on this in a bit.
Stan and Jack reworked original Captain America stories from the 1940s in Tales of Suspense #63-71. Caps origin was first told in Captain America Comics #1, 1941 where Cap is given an injection by Professor Reinstein. In Cap’s first of three Marvel Age origins (Tales of Suspense #63, March 1963) where he is given a serum to swallow by Dr. Erskine. In Captain America #109, January 1969, Professor Reinstein is back. Steve Rogers is given an off-screen injection and then is exposed to zeta rays.
Roy Thomas referred to the Sub-Mariner’s Timely incarnation in issues #8 (1968) and #14 when he unexpectedly brought back Betty Dean and Toro from the Sub-Mariner’s initial run of the 1940s. Roy demonstrated that if you are NOT in a current comics continuity you will age!!!
In introducing the new Black Knight, Dane Whitman, Roy Thomas made several references to his 1950s past in Marvel Super-Heroes #17 and Avengers #70-71.
In reality, Captain America Comics continued until
1950 and he returned in 1954 for a few issues.
Disregarding the past, in the Marvel era, he was frozen in 1944 and
defrosted twenty years later in Avengers #4. In 1972, Roy Thomas, now editor,
wanted to connect the dots and fill in Cap’s missing years. So Roy brilliantly referenced
Caps’ Atlas era in Captain America #153-156 (1972), even reprinting
Cap’s return from Young Men #24 (1953). Roy gave the writing assignment
to Steve Englehart, who did an excellent job.
“Only thing is,” Roy said
in What If? #4, 1977, “Steve decided at the last minute to
forget about the years 1945-1953 and have his “substitute CA” be a Red-baiter
from the McCarthy era. This left a hole which a zillion Marvelites have never
ceased (and properly so) to point out to us. (I) preferred to let Steve E. do
his thing-but he’d really wanted to take care of those immediate post-Cap and
post-War years, as well.”
Several “Golden Age characters, including the Vision, Red Raven and Marvel Boy (Fantastic Four #164-5) were brought into the Marvel Age in name, and perhaps, costume only.
That was it for the first 15 years. In 1975, Roy, was once again thinking of the “Timely” world.
The All-Winners Squad is mentioned in Giant-Size
Avengers #1 (August 1974). The story featured the Whizzer and Miss America
with a modern day, Marvel Age surprising history.
In a continuous story line, edited by Roy and written by Roy
and Steve Englehart, they begin a storyline that stretches from Giant-Size
Avengers 2-4 (November 1974-June 1975 and Avengers #129-135. These
issues are so eventful that so you may need a scorecard to keep up.
Relating to Fantastic Four Annual #4, this story
tells how the Mad Thinker obtained the
body of the original Human Torch. Then Ultron and the Torch’s creator,
Professor Horton acquire it and they
transform the Human Torch to create
the Vision, but with Wonder Man’s mind. The idea of the Vision’s body being
that of the Torch came from Neal Adams when they were doing Avengers #93.
In 1975, as the Marvel Age was ending, Thomas created The
Invaders, which took place in the early 1940s. Roy eliminated the Timely
history by writing “…We’re ordinarily not going to consider ourselves bound
by anything which occurred in the Timely mags unless we also verify it in the
Invaders tales themselves.” But Marvel had been doing that all along!
In The Invaders first issue there are two items, on
this subject to note. First, Roy retells the origin of Captain America for the third time this era. Here, Roy explains
that “Reinstein” was just a code name for Erskine. Cap drinks his
serum, but is not exposed to zeta radiation.
This issue reprints a story from the 1940’s Sub-Mariner
#1. As originally published, the Emperor of Atlantis dies. In this reprint Roy
adds a NEW Marvel Age footnote: The Emperor went through a process of suspended
animation and was able to appear in Roy’s Sub-Mariner
#1 (1968).
In 2010 Roy Thomas
wrote: ...you indicate that my saying the Emperor of Sub-Mariner’s Antarctic kingdom had survived his apparent “death” in
1941, was revived in the 1950s and died in 1968, ‘changes the past.’ Not quite
right. After all, the Emperor was in the 1954-55 issues of SUB-MARINER, etc., so the discrepancy was already there. All I
could do, all I did do, was find a way to explain why the Emperor would
seemingly die in a reprint of a 1941 story, then be alive in stories we reprinted
from the 1950s.
Roy also created What If…?, a comic that told
alternate versions of Marvel’s stories. Well,
almost. The fourth issue is a real part of Marvel’s history, not an
alternate one. It should have been
printed in an Invaders Annual.
In the fourth issue, “What If The Invaders Had Stayed
Together After World War Two?” The Invaders, stay together and are joined
by Ms. America, the Whizzer, the Patriot and Union Jack.
Roy:
I’d always intended WHAT IF? #4 to be ‘canonical,’ and
shouldn’t have edged it with that cutesy “could have” and “maybe”…It was clearly
stated at the time…and has been treated as such in Marvel continuity…, that
the…events of that issue--and that included of course the flashback--DID occur in…the
Marvel Universe, in the main dimension, not in some sidereal world merely
noted by The Watcher.”
It was always there, Roy had affection for the comics he
grew up with. When he became editor his
outlook became more evident.
Roy Thomas: “I certainly admit
that Marvel played fast and loose with a lot of its history for years... I
never felt comfortable pushing for too much consistency, since Stan had little
interest in the old material and would’ve had little sympathy for my desire to
account, for instance, for the 1945-1954 Captain America, as I had Steve
Englehart do later (and when Steve didn’t cover the whole thing the way I
wanted, I finished it up in WHAT IF #4”.
Invaders #1 one also has a reference to Young
Allies #1, but Roy Thomas explains Invaders #8: As far
as we’re concerned, Young Allies #1 didn’t strictly occur— but, as Giant-
Size Invaders #1 confirmed, Bucky and Toro did have a run-in with the Red
Skull some months before the Invaders were formed.
Let’s do the time warp again: Roy does present one more reprint in Invaders #10, when the comic went monthly. Here he has Cap introduce a story saying that it was “by sheer coincidence a basically accurate account…”
In Invaders
Annual #1, Roy gives my favorite footnote of all time. Here, as seen in Avengers #71the
Invaders fight the Avengers.
Roy writes, without yet referring to that issue, “Special Note: If
you’ve been a Marvel Madman for less than eight years you might be a bit
confused right about now!
The
Invaders and the soon to be Liberty Legion borrowed from the past,
but they always remained in the Marvel Age.
No Crisis was ever needed.
Looking back,
others may reach a different conclusion. But I was there at the beginning and I
was there at the end. The “Marvel Age” ends about 1975 when Roy Thomas, who
succeeded Stan, left as editor. After Roy left, Marvel initiated the “Editor of
the Month Club.”
The continuity and consistency were soon gone. There were still wonderful and engaging stories to be told, just not as much as before and not enough to sustain an age. The story pages in the comics went from 20 pages to 17, leaving less space to tell a tale, yet the price of the comics continued to rise. Annoying was the half page ads that were added that interrupted the flow of the stories. Also, with cheaper paper, cheap plastic printing plates, cancelled titles, printing quality was not maintained. The comics became hard to read.
“Stan
had a sense—which he understood better than Ditko, Kirby, or anybody— of a real
universe. ‘The Marvel Universe,’ but it was really his construct, far more than
anybody else’s. He had the idea that this was a consistent world where all
these people lived and he was the ultimate puppet master.
Roy Thomas, Alter-Ego #50, July 2005
So now, we can all look back and marvel.
Avengers #129-135 Avengers Masterworks #14
Avengers #71 Avengers Masterworks #8
Captain America 153-156: Captain
America Masterworks #7
Fantastic Four Annual #4: Fantastic
Four Masterworks #6
Giant-Size
Avengers 2-4 Avengers Masterworks
#14
Invaders
#1,8 and #10 Invaders
Omnibus
Marvel
Super-Heroes #17: Avengers Omnibus
#3
Marvel Boy #1 Heroes Masterworks #1
Sub-Mariner #8 and 14: Sub-Mariner
Masterworks #3 and 4
Tales of
Suspense 63-71: Captain America Masterworks #1
What If #4
and #5: What If?
Omnibus
Young Allies
#1 Young Allies
Masterworks
Young Men
#24 Heroes
Masterworks #1
Superman
#53 Superman:
Golden Age Omnibus Volume Six
Detective
Comics #142, Batman Golden
Age Omnibus #6
Batman
#171 Batman: The
Dynamic Duo Archives #2
Flash #123 Silver Age Flash Omnibus #1
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