Daily Archives: November 4, 2004

The Adventures Of The Fly #1 [2004]

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The recently released collection of the first four issues of ADVENTURES OF THE FLY from 1959/1960. The first issue is all Simon&Kirby, as is half of #2.

Mostly very good reproduction on the Kirby stories, except for one story which is clearly taken from a printed copy and is a bit wanting. The covers (only the first by Kirby) are also taken from printed copies, but look pretty good since obviously they were on better paper.

“The Hide-Out”
A quick two-page feature from THE DOUBLE LIFE OF PRIVATE STRONG #1, introducing the character. Nice preview (the first of two, the second by Joe Simon is also in here), where Kirby gets to draw his trademark thugs getting punched by a briefly seen Fly.

“The Strange New World Of The Fly”
The origin of the Fly, which is about as silly as you’d expect, with orphan Tommy Troy getting sent to live with an old couple, finding a ring which summons Turan, emissary of the Fly People, and transforms him to a super-hero. Fun stuff.

“The Fly Strikes”
The conclusion of the origin, with the Fly rounding up the bad guys who were shaking down the orphanage.

“The Fly Discovers His Buzz Gun”
Hard to believe it took him this long to discover it, it’s right there strapped to his leg. Also introduces Tommy’s neighbour, Dolly Lake.

“Come Into My Parlor”
Great opening, which would have been a centerfold page in the original, but is printed on a single page sideways here. Not sure about that display choice, but it still looks nice. This is the best story in here overall, with great art and the introduction of Spider Spry, a great looking deformed Kirby villain.

“Magic Eye”
Very silly and quick story about a fight with a robot, and I’m still not sure what the title means, but this has some great fighting

“Marco’s Eyes”
The only weak reproduction of a Kirby story in this collection. Still not too bad, just a bit splotchy with the linework and lettering after the double page spread (again printed sideways on one page) that opens the story is great, and it does appear to be from the original art, fortunately. Anyway, it’s a nice story about a hypnotist turned evil, very much with the feel of old Fawcett Captain Marvel stories, I thought.

“The Master Of Junk-Ri-La”
This time the Fly takes on Hans Yunkman, a junkman inventor who makes a safe robbing plane out of junk. Yeah, it looks that silly, too.

fly
Non-Kirby work includes Joe Simon (including a new introduction), Dick Ayers, Al Williamson and others, a cover by Joe Staton and Bob Smith.

Published 2004

Upcoming Kirby – Marvel early 2005

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This is the Kirby stuff from Marvel’s tentative schedule for the first few months of 2005, as posted to rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe.

MARVEL VISIONARIES: STAN LEE HC (some FF and THOR)
BLACK PANTHER BY JACK KIRBY VOL. 1 TPB (#1 – #7)
MARVEL WEDDINGS TPB (one story, which is also reprinted in the MV:STAN LEE book)
MARVEL MASTERWORKS HC: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 8 (#72 – #81, Annual 6)
BEST OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR HC (FF #1, #39, #40, #51 and probably the cover to #176)
ESSENTIAL THOR VOL. 2 TPB (JiM/THOR #113-#126, Annuals #1, #2)

The last one is the most exciting to me. The most odd is the BLACK PANTHER book.

Note two other books of some interest on their own merits, although the Kirby content will likely only be a handful of covers.

MARVEL VISIONARIES: STEVE DITKO HC
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 2

Details of the Kirby books:

JANUARY 2005

MARVEL VISIONARIES: STAN LEE HC
ISBN: 0-7851-1693-1
$29.99
304 Hard Cover Color
Collects:
“Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge,” CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #3, Stan’s first story, a two-page text piece! “The Red Skull’s Deadly Revenge,” CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #16, the defining Golden Age Red Skull story! “The Raving Madman,” SUSPENSE #29, Stan’s satire on Frederick Wertham and the comics witch hunts of the ’50s! “Your Name Is Frankenstein!” MENACE #7, a modern Frankenstein story, featuring many of the elements of the later Marvel books! “Where Walks the Ghost,” AMAZING ADULT FANTASY #11, a short, twist-ending story by Lee and Ditko! Plus: “Spider-Man,” AMAZING FANTASY #15; “A Visit With the Fantastic Four,” FANTASTIC FOUR #11; “How Stan and Steve Create Spider-Man,” AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1; “In Mortal Combat with Sub-Mariner,” DAREDEVIL #7; “The Final Chapter,” AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33; “Bedlam in the Baxter Building,” FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3; “And Who Shall Mourn for Him?” SILVER SURFER #5; “Brother, Take My Hand,” DAREDEVIL #47; “And Now, The Goblin,” “In the Grip of the Goblin,” “The Goblin’s Last Stand,” AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #96-98; “No More the Thunder God,” “When Gods Go Mad,” “One God Must Fall,” THOR #179-181; “While the World Spins Mad,” MARVEL PREMIERE #3; and “The Circle of Life,” SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SUPER-SPECIAL 1995

FEBRUARY 2005

BLACK PANTHER BY JACK KIRBY VOL. 1 TPB
ISBN: 0-7851-1687-7
$19.99
136 Pages Trade Paperback Color
Collects: Black Panther (1977) 1-7

MARVEL WEDDINGS TPB
ISBN: 0-7851-1686-9
$19.99
200 Pages Trade Paperback Color
Collects: FF Annual 3; Incredible Hulk 319; Avengers 59-60, 127; FF 150; ASM Ann 21; X-Men 30

MARCH 2005

MARVEL MASTERWORKS HC: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 8
ISBN: 0-7851-1694-X
$49.99
272 Pages Masterworks HC Color
Collects: FF 72-81, Annual 6

MAY 2005

BEST OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR HC
ISBN: 0-7851-1702-2
$29.99
360 Page Hard Cover Color
Collects: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 – “The Fantastic Four,” FANTASTIC FOUR #39-40 – “Battle of the Baxter Building,” FANTASTIC FOUR #51 – “This Man, This Monster,” FANTASTIC FOUR #116 – “The Alien, The Ally and Armageddon,” FANTASTIC FOUR #176 – Impossible Man by Roy Thomas and George Perez, FANTASTIC FOUR #236 – “Terror in a Tiny Town,” FANTASTIC FOUR #267 – Sue loses the baby, MARVEL FANFARE #15 – Barry Smith Thing story, FANTASTIC FOUR #347-349 – “The New Fantastic Four,” FANTASTIC FOUR v3 #56 – Ben is Jewish, FANTASTIC FOUR v3 #60 – Imaginauts.

ESSENTIAL THOR VOL. 2 TPB
ISBN: 0-7851-1591-9
$16.99
584 Trade Paperback B&W
Collects: Thor 113-126, Annual 1-2