Watching a Bunch of Old Marvel Cartoons

[The Baron]

OK, a gap opened up in the Sourcewall, see, and out dropped disks of the old 60's Marvel Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner cartoon.  It's been close to forty-five since I've seen them last, and I never even knew they was Thor and Sub-Mariner ones when I was a kid. So, anyway, let's see what I see.

[Luke Blanchard]

That's a good point. In the comic he's trying to steal a "nuclear device" invented by Banner without knowing what it is. In the next instalment this is revealed to be "the world's first nuclear absorbatron [...] built to absorb the impact of an atom bomb blast".

The image of the Hulk during the "ain't no monster clown" part of the credits is based on the final panel of his story in Tales to Astonish #65.

[Ron M.]

"SKROONK!" What's a skroonk?"

[The Baron]

Episode Two: "Chained Evil"

We see Thor providing special effects for a movie, 'cause, yeah, that' probably what Odin sent him to Earth for.

Loki tricks Thor into freeing him, then lures him into a trap. Thor's no rocket scientist.

Loki then empowers a carnie, who defeats himself, really.

Thor calls to Odin for help twice in this one. You know, you're not all that inspiring of a hero if your battle cry is "Dad, help!"

[John Moret]

I have to say I kind of enjoyed THIS episode of Submariner I recently found on youtube. It combines Fantastic Four Annual # 3 and Fantastic Four # 6 and the FF doesn't appear at all in the thing. Nice to see those nice X-folk get so much coverage. It is a shame they didn't go on to bigger and better things ;)

[Ron M.]

Apparently they didn't have the rights to X-Men either, since they called them something else. Very strange they'd try to adapt two Fantastic Four stories when they didn't have the rights to the Fantastic Four. This episode contains the most bizarre bit of animation in this mostly unanimated series, the unintentionally hilarious scenes of Iceman running.

[The Baron]

Episode Three: "The Enchantress and the Exectuioner"

Odin tasks Loki with breaking up Thor and Jane.  Loki calls in the Enchantress, who calls in the Executioner. They all fail, which leads to Odin going down to Earth, leaving Loki in charge. (!)  Loki summons up Skagg (sp?) and Surtr, and we end up with Thor and Balder fighting them.   In the end, Thor has not broken up with Jane Foster.

Odin is awfully trusting of Loki in this for someone who's supposed to be all-wise.  

[Randy Jackson]

As anyone who has read Thor comics can tell you, Odin is many things, but all-wise is definitely not one of them.

The Baron said:

Odin is awfully trusting of Loki in this for someone who's supposed to be all-wise.  

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I didn’t know where you were going after Cap, so I moved on to Iron Man. I’m currently half way through. Too bad about that Hulk disc. If you didn’t get to “Khrushchev” episode I mentioned last week, you’ll have another chance to see him in the Iron Man episodes.

SLEEPERS: During their final battle in WWII, the Red Skull told Cap that the Third Reich had three “Sleeper” robots, but there were eventually five. (The Fourth was in #101 and the Fifth was in #148.) The way I have always explained that is the first “three” Sleepers were actually three components of the First Sleeper. That would make the “Fourth” the Second and the “Fifth” the Third. The Skull allowed Cap to believe the three components of the First were actually the first three so as to have two in reserve. Presumably in order to keep the concept from being milked any further, either the writer or the editor of #148 had the Skull declare that the one in that issue was “The fifth and final sleeper!”

THE GIRL FROM CAP’S PAST: Originally, “the girl from Cap’s past” was Peggy Carter and her present day lookalike was her sister, Sharon. A more recent retcon made them aunt and niece. Someday I suppose Peggy with be Sharon’s grandmother.

“Batroc is played like a comedy Frenchman.”

Wait’ll you get to the Mandarin. If you think Go-Go Gomez (from 1960s Dick Tracy cartoons) was politically incorrect, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! And speaking of Dick Tracy…

…there were many German technological advancements during World War II that were well ahead of their time.

Nazi sleeper agents in the U.S. stole Pruneface’s frozen body in the 1940s and cryogenically froze it to menace Tracy anew in the 1980s.

“Another great theme”

Anyone in the “party suite” at Mid-South Con a couple of years ago will probably remember Tracy’s and my duet rendition of the “Hulk” theme song. (She sang the “Ain’t he un-glamo-rays” part.) Cap, you were there. Do you recall that, or is that a memory you have successfully repressed?

And, yes, the first villain was “Gargoyle” in the comics, not “Gorgon.”

Regarding “the most bizarre bit of animation in this mostly unanimated series,” I would award that to the Hulk episode in which the Hulk squeezed one of the Leader’s humanoid hordes around the middle and the sound effect “SWOOSH!” came out it’s backside. (Too bad if you missed that one, Bob.)

Finally, the Subby episode John Moret mentioned above is the one I alluded to last week concerning bizarre editing: FF #6 and Annual #3, with no appearance of the FF at all. It’s odd, too, that those comics were released a couple of years apart.

[The Baron]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

“Another great theme”

Anyone in the “party suite” at Mid-South Con a couple of years ago will probably remember Tracy’s and my duet rendition of the “Hulk” theme song. (She sang the “Ain’t he un-glamo-rays” part.) Cap, you were there. Do you recall that, or is that a memory you have successfully repressed?

I would pay good money to see video of that. (If I had good money!)

[Luke Blanchard]

"Chained Evil" sounds like a combination of the Thor stories from Journey into Mystery #92 and #91, in that order.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

The Baron said:

I would pay good money to see video of that. (If I had good money!)

Unfortunately, video footage does not exist. I have been unable to get her to sing it in public since.

[Richard Willis]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

During their final battle in WWII, the Red Skull told Cap that the Third Reich had three “Sleeper” robots, but there were eventually five.
The way I have always explained that is the first “three” Sleepers were actually three components of the First Sleeper. That would make the “Fourth” the Second and the “Fifth” the Third. The Skull allowed Cap to believe the three components of the First were actually the first three so as to have two in reserve.
Presumably in order to keep the concept from being milked any further, either the writer or the editor of #148 had the Skull declare that the one in that issue was “The fifth and final sleeper!”

He's the Red Skull! He wouldn't lie!