An industrialist inventor’s effort to launch a tidal power station runs afoul of the Sub-Mariner – and the Magaia. Throw in Daredevil and Black Panther and this annual – by the creative team of Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont, George Tuska and Frank Chiaramonte – still falls short of entertaining.
READBad science and other silliness undermine what should have been a promising superhero anthology. Only the Neal Adams cover and some above-average Batman art from Michael (Nasser) Netzer save this one from being a total stinker.
READThe Amazing Spider-Friends thwart a disgruntled ballet-wannabe-turned-supervillain, then take in a production of the Dallas Ballet Nutcracker. This weird promotional comic by Jim Salicrup, Jim Mooney and John Tartaglione is equal parts C-list Spidey story, Classics Illustrated and Fun & Games Magazine.
READPuppet Master crashes the Fantastic Four’s Christmas party in a plot to return to Europe and harvest more radioactive clay. A ho-hum-but-not-completely-humbug holiday outing from the team of Mark Gruenwald, Frank Springer and Chic Stone.
READDespite strong art from up-and-comers like Tom Sutton, Rich Larson and Mike Zeck, Creepy Things #2 is still a bit of a mess.
READA hodgepodge of reprints repackaged to look like a horror comic, this issue is largely a bland affair. While most of the work is uncredited, the lead story – featuring the debut of Tragg – offers stylish art by Jesse Santos.
READA “hitherto undiscovered bacterial force” “activates” algae and turns a washed-up Olympic swimmer into Man-Monster. Yes, this uninspired origin story by Tony Isabella, Rich Buckler and Mike Vosburg is as bad as it sounds. But the backup tale – featuring art by Enrique Badía Romero – is decent.
READSpider-Man and the Frankenstein Monster team to stop Monster Maker Baron Ludwig von Shtupf – but Man-Wolf stands in the way! A weirdly unsatisfying conclusion to a monster-themed two-parter by Gerry Conway, Sal Buscema and Vince Colletta.
READSpider-Man is zapped while breaking up a bank robbery and wakes to find himself imprisoned next to the Frankenstein Monster. What sounds like a comic with some monstrous potential turns out to be a ho-hum affair from the creative team of Gerry Conway, Sal Buscema and Vince Colletta.
READSpider-Man battles the Prodigy, an alien villain who is promoting misinformation to trap America’s teens with unplanned pregnancies. While just a so-so as a Spider-Man story, the Planned Parenthood giveaway by Ann Robinson, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito is a telling historical relic.
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