Avengers 237: Grade-School Science and Gibberish

From Avengers #237: "Solid light? Black-star power? Moonstone, what's he talking about? Anyone who's had even a grade-school science education knows that he's spouting gibberish! Black-light is just ultraviolet..."

Electro may be a supervillain, but unlike Blackout he's not clinically insane. And here Electro delivers a delicious jab at comic book pseudo-science, pointing out that Blackout's explanation of his power is nucking futs.

Moonstone (easily one of Marvel's 5 best female supervillains) noticed the same thing, and decided to play along with the still-useful lunatic. But the Rhino had different ideas.I wonder how many superheroes and villains sound insane to their peers, when they talk about how their powers work. How DID Captain Mar-Vell manage to explain his "cosmic awareness" without sounding like he was on drugs?

This is pretty much my reaction whenever I read about the Flash's "speed force". I was bad at grade-school science, but not THAT bad. I don't want my suspension of disbelief to get a hernia.

The art team of Milgrom and Sinnott do a solid job, by the numbers: They open the page with a dynamic tilted angle of Blackout using his power on the Rhino, followed by a close-up of the raving lunatic, viewed slightly from below for dramatic impact. Then we have a wide shot of Electro and Moonstone's quiet chat, viewed from above, to lighten the mood and create a humorous contrast with Blackout. The final three panels deliver a straight cinematic beat, with a madman on the foreground who's oblivious to the incoming thug on the background. It's snappy, lighthearted and clear, as the story required.

Story by Roger Stern, Art by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott.

Spider-Man 89: The Fall

From Amazing Spider-Man #89: Spider-Man falls.

Doctor Octopus had won, and then he threw away the beaten hero like garbage. This was the last panel of issue #89, a classic cliffhanger that owes much of its power to Gil Kane's superb composition.

Note how the metal arms "frame" Spidey from all sides, including behind his back and in front of his foot; he's visually "trapped", even as he falls. The hero's flailing left arm also points at the people below, establishing height and distance. And the perspective is off-center and tilted, as if the reader were also unbalanced. This page is magnificent. 

Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.

Supervillain Team-Up 13: Blasphemous Horror

From Supervillain Team-Up #13: Namor meets the Blasphemous Horror!

Keith Giffen's early work had a powerful Kirby influence (like Bill Sienkiewicz and Neal Adams), and it shows on the design of this sea-monster. Giffen illustrates the scale of the creature by scattering tiny victims around its gaping maw, as the city of Atlantis shatters around it like sandcastles. This splash page really sells the threat of the "Blasphemous Horror".

In terms of design, note how gracefully Giffen (an absolute master of page layouts) guides the reader's eye. The Blasphemous Horror is framed by Namor's water trail on one side, and the crumbling city on the other. At the center, the monster's gaze points us to the tiny Atlantean warlord, spluttering on the bottom of the page. This is excellent storytelling, even though it's one single panel.

Story by Bill Mantlo, Art by Keith Giffen and Don Perlin.

Thor 155: What Lies Before Thee

From Thor #155: "Warrior -- heed our words! Thou know not what lies before thee!"

Thor follows the Mangog's path of destruction, and it's not a good day for Asgard.

In an age of so many decompressed comics, check out the energetic pace that Jack Kirby set here. Thor is already traveling on the first panel, then finds survivors on the second; on the third, we have an over-the-shoulder POV, so we can see the state of the survivors as they briefly share their story. On the fourth panel Thor is already moving forward, emphasizing the urgency of the moment (and always moving left-to-right, for visual consistency). And on the lower-third spread, Kirby offers a grim panorama of what Thor is finding on this journey. All in one powerful page.

Efficient, visually striking and direct: that's Jack Kirby for you.

Words by Stan Lee, Art by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta.

Daredevil 164: Describe This Photograph

From Daredevil #164: "Well, if you're NOT Matt Murdock and you're NOT blind, just describe this photograph to me and I'll leave. I'll forget the whole thing."

A great journalist figures out Daredevil's secret - and lets him keep it.

This single decision not only served as a character-defining moment for Ben Urich, but also cemented him as a key supporting-character in Daredevil (DD's supporting cast was pretty thin at the time, to be honest, so Ben was a welcome addition).

The centerpiece of this page is that cinematic five-panel sequence with the photo, on the bottom row. Daredevil dodges and flails for a way out, until he finally decides to face the music. Note that Miller made sure not to show the photo yet - for the moment, the focus is on Matt's reaction. It's an intentional omission, to keep the reader guessing and build suspense before the Devil's confession. 😈

(spoiler alert: it was a photograph of Matt's father)

Story by Roger McKenzie, Art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.

Tales of Suspense 90: Tony Had a Date

From Tales of Suspense #90: "Your boyfriend? Tony had a date with ME tonight!"

Tony Stark was being held hostage at Stark Industries (without his armor) by the Melter. The police cordoned off the entrance to Stark Industries, but they weren't prepared for a stampede of Stark's many worried girlfriends.

You see, Pepper Potts had dumped Tony for "Happy" Hogan, and Tony's reaction was to start dating every beautiful woman in his phonebook. At the same time.

Tony Stark wears a helmet because he knows he'd get slapped all day long without it.
(and you know Stan Lee wrote it, because women are called "these females") 

On the first two wide panels, Gene Colan keeps the "center" of the compositions on the left side - first the entrance to Stark Industries (framed by police cars), then the Deputy Commissioner waving off the civilians, who's the center of attention of everyone else on the panel. That consistent left-side focus directs the readers' eyes gracefully into the 3rd panel, and on the 4th panel the Deputy Commissioner's bullhorn points us towards the next page. This page was designed for easy reading, with subtle but masterful storytelling.

Story by Stan Lee, Art by Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia.

Warlock 13: Priceless Beyond Measure

From Warlock #13: "Because as pitiful as they may be, they are still life, and as such are priceless beyond measure."

Adam Warlock spells out his ethical code - he may be a freak of science, but he's only a monster if he acts like one.

When the Star-Thief invited Warlock to join forces against humanity, the golden man rebuffed him without hesitation. "You clearly place no worth upon that one treasure that once gone, can never be replaced."

Writer/artist Jim Starlin designs this scene as grand space opera, where a barren alien world is a stage for archetypal characters. The core of the scene relies on Warlock's body language (what Will Eisner called "expressive anatomy") and the panel compositions. Star-Thief is a looming psychic horror, Warlock is a steadfast paladin. Any flamboyant excess you see is there by design; this story was carefully crafted to make its philosophical conflict accessible. Even a child can follow this, and that's not an easy trick to pull - questions like morality and the meaning of life have been tormenting humanity centuries before any of us existed.

This is the great thing about superhero comics: these bombastic, larger-than-life allegories can express so much between their colorful lines. This doesn't look political or philosophical, but it really is.

Story and Art by Jim Starlin.