I recall seeing Fantastic Four Annual #4 on the spinner rack within a month or two of my starting to buy the Fantastic Four with issue #55.
I flipped through it, to try to understand WHY there were two human torches fighting on the cover.
Clearly, one was a brighter yellow and flame than the current torch's duller red body when flying, To stan and jack's credit, they did a good enough job for me to understand there was a Golden Age torch, as well as a silver age one, and that was the point of the story....even on just a flip-though by a kid at a spinner rack. ( "Hey Kid, this ain't a library...either buy the book or get outta here...")
I didn't buy it.
But little did I know how important that story would be to future generations of Avengers fans.
I did buy the Second Avengers Annual, a really good story that seemlessly fits between #56's time travel adventure that proves that Bucky died (right!) and #57 that introduces the Vision.... another milestone that would be eventually linked back to FF Annual #4 in time...
But I also have to point out the few that were TERRIBLE ideas...and that should never have seen the light of day. The first that pops to mind is the AWFUL Avengers Annual #1...featuring a handful of villains thrown together to fight the avengers in an annual. The writing is terrible and people act out of character...and the artwork suffers also. (Sorry if you disagree, but I challenge anyone to read it in one sitting and tell me that it was a good story.)
It seems that it was an all too common effort to assemble a heroes most common enemies into a "team" and turn them loose for a 64 page slugfest... in Daredevil's case, they wait their turn so that he can whip them one at a time. Something similar was done with Spidey, and the Sinister Six.
But I've got to tell you, I really can't see most of these fellow working together, let alone cooperating to take turns. (Something similar is being tried in the current FF storyline, where villians have joined forces to beat some future Reeds who are making a mess of everything. Wisely, the writer is showing them fall apart at the first opportunity.) Seems to me that something was also done along these lines in the much better executed "Acts of Vengence"... with discension in the ranks almost immediately, with some bitter in-fighting between some of the villians that felt true to characters.
But I drift from my initial topic... Annuals that soared or fell flat.
Can anyone make a list of the annuals by title during the Silver Age (original stories, please...not reprint volumes, and there were alot of them later on)? I'd love to see a ranking of them as to which are good, and which were bad.
Replies
I hold the first six FF Annuals as the Gold Standard by which all subsequent annuals should be judged.
AVENGERS ANNUAL #1 was nothing less than Roy Thomas' shameless tribute to all those Gardner Fox JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA stories where the team splits up to fight the villains separately, then reunites at the end.
But along the way, all these menaces who had been so formidible, so dangerous, so unstoppable on their own, get beaten far too easily. Especially Ultimo!
That said, I found it a lot more enjoyable than AVENGERS ANNUAL #2, which jusat bugs me no end on every single level.
I wasn't going to go that far, but I suspect that's true. Certainly that great Jack Kirby art helps carry them...
So, let's start our list:
Annuals: FF #1- Submariner vs the Human Race (not bad, in a sort or early early Silver age way...small artwork)
FF# 2 - The Final Victory of Doctor Doom (establishs Latvaria and plays into continuity)
FF 3- The Wedding of Reed and Sue (wonderful...lots of guestars...even Stan and Jack)
FF#4 - The Original Human Torch vs. Johnny
FF#5- Inhumans and Black Panther vs. Psycho man?
FF#6- Let there Be Life -- Annilius and Franklin Richards birth
I'm not sure if I'd really count FF#5 annual as an FF anual...cause the FF barely even show up...and if the villian was there at all, he doesn't interact with the FF much at all.
I did a "fantasy" cover for FF ANNUAL #1 where I turned it into a SUB-MARINER ANNUAL. It seems it was really his show all the way, the FF were almost guest-stars in their own Annual.
I suppose you might almost say that about FF ANNUAL #2 as well, since it also contains Dr. Doom's origin story (often considered one of the 3 really great, "classic" villain origin stories of the 60's-- the others being The Red Skull and The Mandarin).
Of course, I've probably read FF ANNUAL #3 more times than any other Marvel Comic. It was actually the very 1st Marvel I ever got ahold of-- and what a place to come in! I knew Reed & Sue as a married couple from the '67 cartoon show, and it was cool to see the wedding. Most of the guest-stars were new to me-- it took years and years for so many of them to really sink in. I tend to view the story as the "grand finale" of early-60's Marvel. In a way, it's really a precursor to CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS-- except, with much better storytelling. In my view, NOBODY has ever done a "company wide crossover" as good-- or as fun-- as this one self-contained story.
And I love how, of all the heroes involved, it's DAREDEVIL who saves the Baxter Building from being levelled, by tackling the Hydra agents (and their hired goons, moon-lighting from The Hate Monger-- took me ages to figure out who those guys were!!). And then, without even realizing it, he ALSO saves all of Manhattan from being invaded by Attuma's barbarian army!!! Wow. The scene of his driving the truck and arriving at the pier EXACTLY when they're emerging from the water never fails to have me howling with laughter.
I see Avengers Annual #2 as a trick to pit the new Avengers (Roy's baby) against the original Avengers (Stan's baby)... and the time travel is just the method to do it.
I didn't care for the sudden creation of the Scarlet centurian, but it could just as easily have been Kang...and in some ways, I wish that it was. It would have simplified an already growing confused stage a lot.
The fact that you can read issues #55-56-57-58-59-60 without the Annual simply makes it wonderful, in my book.
I especially like the comment as they walk off, "Don't worry about it, Jan. After all, how important could it be..." (that you fell asleep and flipped a switch that changed where we were and what we did, and caused the entire adventure to happen.)
Henry R. Kujawa said:
...I LUUVVEEE AVENGERS SPECIAL ( Marvel used the phrase " Special " then , not " Annual " . ) #2 , myself .
Ah , well...
Anyone else recall a particular special or Annual that deserve mention?
How about the Strange Tales Annual?
There were several Spider-Man annuals, including the Sinister Six debut... and the big #5, that revealed Peter Parkers' parents were spies AND guestared the Red Skull. WOW!
Which annual featured the team-up of Spidey and Torch against Mysterio and the Wizard?
...That " Parents Of Peter Parker " featured the Skull that was , I'm sure later on and approved/written by later Marvel management , ( " Magazine Management " ? Hnr hnr hnr hnr hnr hnr hnr hnr hnr . ) declared to be a false Skull , the Skull of the Fifties stories , the " Red " ( As in " Commie " . ) Skull !!!
Did Larry Leibre draw only two Spidey storis in the comic books , the '67 and '8 annuals ??? Ironically , with his DECADES on the daily newspaper strip , I believe he may lay laim to being the most prolific Spidey artist of all time .
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 6 Next