1986 - Whatever happened to the Phoenix miniseries?

From Marvel Age Annual #2:

Phoenix 6-issue limited series
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artists: Rick Leonardi/Dan Green.

“It is basically Phoenix discovering who she is, what she is and why she is and discovering her origin,” Chris Claremont said. “It is a much more psychologically oriented series than most.” The Limited Series begins with the results of what happens in X-Men #209. Power Pack and Franklin Richards are among the guest-stars. And the featured villain will be Spiral.

This limited series was also announced on the letter pages of the Uncanny X-Men #208, 213, and 215. It was to occur between the Uncanny X-Men #209 (when Rachel leaves with Spiral) and the Excalibur Special (where Rachel escapes from the Mojoverse and ends up in London). In the Uncanny X-Men #209, Phoenix was mortally wounded by Wolverine and then lured into the Body Shoppe by Spiral, the former assassin of Mojo.

From the letter page of the Uncanny X-Men #208:

As you have no doubt seen from this issue, Rachel's going to need all the friendship and support and affection she can get, not simply in the X-MEN but also in the upcoming PHOENIX Limited Series we have planned for later this year, which Chris Claremont will be writing and Rick Leonardi penciling. We think it'll be something as different and special as the lady herself.

And then from the letter page in the Uncanny X-Men #213, it was apparently delayed until late 1987. And lastely, the Phoenix Limited Series was promoted in the Uncanny X-Men #215 letter page:

We have a PHOENIX Limited Series in the works, written and inked by the X-MEN team supreme of Chris Claremont and Dan Green, and penciled by the aforementioned Rick Leonardi! This series should answer all your questions about Rachel and them some!

Another blurb from Marvel Age #43 (Oct. 1986):

Coming Soon: PHOENIX Limited Series
She's from a future that may or may not be ours. She's living in a past that isn't quite the way she remembers it. She's Rachel Summers, daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, Cyclops and Marvel Girl of X-FACTOR! But her mother was Phoenix, and in the Marvel Universe Scott and Jean aren't married. In fact, Scott has a son by his wife Madelyne! These are definitely not the average problems that face most young women. But then, Rachel isn't exactly average.

This is the background for THE PHOENIX Limited Series, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Rick Leonardi and Dan Green. Rachel having retreated to current time to escape from a grim anti-mutant future, has joined the X-Men and is using her telepathic powers as the new Phoenix. But since she adopted her mother's name in the battle against the Beyonder, nothing has gone right.

The plot of the Limited Series deals with the dread villainess Spiral (remember her from LONGSHOT and, more recently, the Freedom Force?) and lots of psychological ramifications and complications. It examines how Rachel is coping with being in a past that resembles - but isn't quite - the one that proceeded her world. She will meet Power Pack in the first issue and see little Franklin Richards. In her time, Rachel is in love with a grown Franklin! Here he is a child, and she is much older than him, and this situation will cause her to do some serious soul searching.

There will also be lots of cameos and guest appearances, lots of flash-forwards, and lots of fantastic visuals by Leonardi and Green. We'll have more information on the Limited Series as its publication approaches, so stay tuned.

In an installment of Cup of Joe, Quesada had editor, Andy Schmidt contact Rick Leonardi about the project:

The series was going to be written by Chris Claremont and inked by Dan Green. Rick said it dealt with Rachel and her relationship with Franklin Richards and the Power Pack. The going logic at the time was that it got too complicated with past/present/future continuity and was subsequently shelved with I believe less than an issue having been penciled. That’s the whole story, folks, wish I had better news to report but it seems that this project was no where near completion before it was killed.

Chris Claremont wrote the script for at least the first few issues. Rick Leonardi penciled the first issue and a few pages were inked and lettered.

This Phoenix Limited Series is not the same as X-Men: True Friends miniseries published in 1999 featuring Phoenix and Shadowcat.

1981 - Whatever happened to … Frank Miller on Doctor Strange?

In February 1981, the following house ad ran through several Marvel comics that month:

Following up after Chris Claremont and Gene Colan, Frank Miller was set to join Roger Stern on Doctor Strange with issue #48.

However, from Roger Stern:

I’m afraid that the story of why Frank never drew Doctor Strange isn’t very interesting. As I recall, Frank was under consideration for some sort of James Bond project, so he bowed out of drawing Doc — temporarily, we thought at the time — to get ahead on his other deadlines. Luckily, Marshall Rogers came along and delivered six very tasty issues. And after that…well, by that time Frank was really caught up in writing and drawing Daredevil (and later, Ronin), so we never did get to work together on Doctor Strange.

File the Stern/Miller Doctor Strange with the Stern/Miller Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. – under "Things That Might Have Been"…

What?! A Stern/Miller Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? That would have been amazing…

1983 - Cloak and Dagger

Cloak and Dagger miniseries - #1-4
November 1983 - January 1984
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Art: Rick Leonardi/Terry Austin

Cloak and Dagger made their first appearance in Spectacular Spider-Man #64. After a few sporadic appearances in that title, the powers that be at Marvel decided that it was time to try them on their own.

This four issue miniseries was clearly setting the stage for a ongoing series. It successfully established a secondary cast of characters that tempered Cloak and Dagger's vigilante tendencies. Mantlo introduced two characters, a police detective, Bridgid O'Rielly, and a priest, Father Delgado, who would challenge their vigilante behavior from the point of view of the law and of the church, respectively.

In their early appearances, Cloak and Dagger had no problems killing the drug dealers they preyed upon, but if they were to now be heroes they would have to stop killing. The series also focused on the powerfully symbiotic relationship between Cloak and Dagger that bind the two teenagers together.

Issue #4 retells their origin and goes into a bit more of the background of who Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen were before they become Cloak and Dagger.

After this miniseries, they would make an appearance in Marvel Team-Up Annual #6. In 1985 they would get their own regular series which would run for 11 issues. And after a run in Strange Tales (1987), they’d get another regular series that actually ran 19 issues before being cancelled.

Cloak and Dagger was always a tough sell for me. I enjoyed the odd issue when it crossed over, but I never found it compelling enough to add to my pull list. Interestingly, the two supporting characters, Delgado and O’Rielly stand out in my mind more than Cloak and Dagger actually do!

1980 - The Uncanny X-Men

The Uncanny X-Men #128-138
Writer(s): Chris Claremont and John Byrne (co-plot)
Artist(s): John Byrne (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks)

Although John Byrne and Chris Claremont had been collaborating for over two years on The Uncanny X-Men, they reached their creative peak with the Dark Phoenix Saga. The Uncanny X-Men became Marvel’s flagship title in the mid-1980s and its success spawned a rather bulky family of titles that still manages to keep Marvel Comics afloat financially.

However, there was a time when an X-Men story could be told without a twelve-part crossover involving dozens of mutants making cameo appearances simply to promote their own titles. Also, this story line is uncluttered with the multiple and obscure plot threads which tend to drag down the current X-Men titles.

The Dark Phoenix Saga didn’t bring much attention to itself: no cover captions, no in-house ads, no gimmicks. Despite the lack of hype, solid story telling, compelling characters, and beautiful art ensured this story line’s legendary status.

In X-Men #101, Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), an original X-Man, sacrificed herself to ensure the safety of her teammates. However, she was resurrected and was given new powers that allowed her to tap into a cosmic source called the Phoenix force. Unfortunately, one of the X-Men’s oldest foes, Mastermind tampered with Jean’s mind and upset her control of the Phoenix force. The power corrupted Jean and she was transformed into the Dark Phoenix. Jean became a cosmic threat and its up to the people who care about her the most, the X-Men, to stop her.

The return of the Angel and Beast to the X-Men’s ranks for this story line was a nice touch, especially when you consider their close relationship to Jean. It was unfortunate, that Ice Man, the only other original X-Man, wasn’t brought back to participate. The Dark Phoenix Saga also introduces several key characters like Kitty Pryde, who would later join the X-Men, Dazzler, who would earn her own regular series, and the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle, a group of powerful and wealthy mutants who would plague the X-Men in years to come.

Scott Summers, alias Cyclops, had fallen in love with Jean the moment he first set eyes on her. Claremont and Byrne leverage this emotional tie and at several points along the story line there seems to be moments where love will conquer all. However, that’s where the tragedy comes in and makes Jean’s suicide and sacrifice that much more poignant.


A couple of years after this story line was published, the original ending to the Dark Phoenix Saga surfaced in Phoenix: The Untold Story one-shot. This ending had Jean Grey survive the Dark Phoenix ordeal, but she was exorcised of her connection to the Phoenix and stripped of her mental powers. This issue also included an insightful interview with the Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter and the creative team, and brought to light the fact that there was a bit of a dispute over where the story was going. As the story goes, Jean’s destruction of an inhabited star system, in issue #134, caught Jim Shooter’s attention and he felt strongly that the Phoenix hadn’t been held accountable for her actions.

Shooter spoke with Claremont and asked him to change the story. He felt that “Marvel really does treat these characters as if they were alive. And, that there will be consequences and there will be logical ramification for whatever happens, and that there is no limit to what may happen to our characters”. Byrne, however, “thought of the Dark Phoenix as a tenant” and he was satisfied with the first version.

Claremont didn’t see it that way, and backed the theme that power corrupts. However, in an interview with Comic Book Profiles, looked back at the decision in a different light: “Without meaning to, we stumbled into the right ending for the story; an ending which defined the X-Men better than anything did at the time. It gave the book a weight it hadn’t had before and that no other book had achieved.

The Dark Phoenix Saga is a story line that is worthy of being called an epic. It’s a defining moment in the history of the X-Men and a fabulous example of a well-told story that modern X-Men writers and editors have clearly forgotten.

1987-88 – The Mighty Avengers

The Mighty Avengers #275-286
Roger Stern, writer
John Buscema, penciling/breakdowns
Tom Palmer, finishes and inks

Roger Stern is perhaps the most underrated writer for Marvel Comics in the 80s. Despite the volume and quality of his work, which included major titles like Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and the Incredible Hulk, he never really broke into that superstar category, like Chris Claremont, John Byrne, or Frank Miller. However, the collaborative energy between Roger Stern and artists “Big” John Buscema and Tom Palmer produced the best Avengers stories in decades.

A key ingredient that made this run so successful was Stern's strong characterization. Each character had their distinct attitude and direction, as well as flaws, which provided a solid impression that these characters weren’t just stereotype, but actually real people. For example, Hercules, the Greek god of strength and the most powerful Avengers on the roster, didn’t take to well being ordered around by the team’s current leader, the Wasp, because she was a woman. His attitude, assisted by a bit too much alcohol, put his teammates in a dangerous situation. Stern succeeded in making these characters feel real despite their extraordinary powers.

Stern also paid particular attention to his female characters and developed them into strong, leading women. Captain Marvel had joined the team as an Avenger-in-training, and had developed into a formidable member in a relatively short time. She gradually became more skilled with her powers and gained confidence as an Avengers which lead to an eventually leadership role.

Another female character, the Wasp evolved throughout his run during her tenure as the Avengers' chairwoman. She was no longer a lovesick teenager, or dippy female sidekick who cared more about her clothes that she did her place among the Avengers. The Wasp matured and she earned her place as Avengers’ chairwoman and commanded respect. During the “Siege of Avengers Mansion” (Avengers # 273-277) story line, she faced her toughest challenge as chairwoman and as an Avenger. The Wasp was faced with the total defeat of the team and turned the situation around and freed her captured teammates which eventually led to Baron Zemo’s defeat.


Also, during the “Siege of Avengers Mansion”, Stern's portrayal of the super-villain team and its leader Baron Zemo II was notable. The dynamics and infighting within the Masters of Evil was realistic and broke the super-villain stereotype. Baron Zemo II, the son of the original Baron Zemo who died in a battle with Captain America, set his sights on destroying the Avengers in order to utterly defeat his arch nemesis, Captain America. Rather than having a group of super villains pursue their goals of world domination and eventually be stopped by the good guys, Stern came up with a wonderful idea that had the villains take the battle to the good guys directly. Once the good guys were defeated, then the villains could leisurely continue with their plans for world domination.

Zemo II patiently waited for the precise time to strike, and plotted and schemed to take advantage of the Avengers' weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Zemo II had assembled a rather large group of super villains to form the Masters of Evil and Stern didn’t shy away from presenting some realistic problems in terms of keeping the group together as a team. The more physical members of his team itched for some action, while others were completely unpredictable including some who refused to acknowledge his leadership and became defiant rivals for leadership. Stern kept the story’s main villain busy juggling the logistic of keeping everyone busy, and also ensuring the team’s loyalty through respect or fear.

The veteran art team of John Buscema and Tom Palmer was a familiar one for long-time Avengers fans. Buscema enjoyed an earlier stint on the Avengers and was joined at the end of it by inker Tom Palmer. Buscema had since worked on other Marvel titles such as Conan the Barbarian and The Silver Surfer, while Palmer’s work graced the panels of Dr. Strange and The Tomb of Dracula.

Buscema’s dynamic layouts are seasoned with a wonderful sense of perspective. He employed a variety of “camera angles” that heightened the intensity of an action scene. His elaborately rendered figures and his mastery at drawing faces and expressions stood out in this run.

Tom Palmer’s inking style truly deserved to be described as embellishment. His finished art and lavish inks completed the overall artistic effort. His inks created the mood and added to the overall panel flow.

Unfortunately, the Olympian story line that ran through Avengers #282-285 was Stern’s last. He was fired by Avengers’ editor Mark Gruenwald after a disagreement over the upcoming story line. Here’s what Gruenwald had to say about the situation:

“I was not interested in doing any injustices to the characters either, but I also believed that the story line could be done without hurting any characters. I was also not interested in forcing a writer [Roger Stern] to write something he didn't want to. So, despite our five years' plus of amicable working relations, we had developed what seemed to be irreconcilable differences. Something had to give. I informed Roger that I wanted to proceed with the agreed-upon story line and thus, I would hire another writer who could get behind the scenario enough to do it justice.” (Taken from the letter column in Avengers #288.)

John Buscema and Tom Palmer chose to remain as the title’s art team, but despite the best efforts of Ralph Macchio and Walter Simonson, it never returned to same level it had enjoyed under Stern. The Buscema/Palmer art neatly complemented Stern's writing and allowed the title to reach one of its high points.

Marvel Solicitations February 2010 - 1980s goodness

WEST COAST AVENGERS: ASSEMBLED PREMIERE HC
Written by ROGER STERN, ROY THOMAS & BOB HARRAS Penciled by BOB HALL, AL MILGROM, DON HUDSON & LUKE MCDONNELL

After operating for years out of New York, the Avengers form a second team -- this time based in California! Fresh off their honeymoon, Hawkeye and Mockingbird -- under the direction of the Vision, chairman of the East Coast Avengers -- gather Tigra, Wonder Man and Iron Man (secretly James Rhodes) to fight the forces no single super hero can withstand! See the team's earliest adventures against the deadly Maelstrom and his Minions! The malevolent Crossfire! Spider-Man foe the Blank! The ionic-powered Goliath (later Atlas of the Thunderbolts)! The all-powerful Graviton! Guest-starring the Shroud, Tony Stark and honorary Avenger Moira Brandon! Collecting WEST COAST AVENGERS (1984) #1-4, IRON MAN ANNUAL #7 and AVENGERS #250 -- plus material from AVENGERS #239, #243-244 and #246; and AVENGERS WEST COAST #100. 208 pages, $29.99.

Jay's Notes:
Another excellent Marvel Premiere HC collection. Not sure what Avengers West Coast #100 is doing in this collection. Would have liked to see the first few issues of the Regular series. Hopefully, that'll be up next.


CAPTAIN MARVEL: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL PREMIERE HC
Written by JIM STARLIN, STEVE ENGLEHART & DOUG MOENCH Penciled by JIM STARLIN & PAT BRODERICK
Witness the classic and tragic end of one of the greatest heroes of all time, Mar-Vell of the Kree, who became the Earth hero Captain Marvel! After dozens of battles on Earth and across space, and with the power of his Nega-bands and his all-knowing Cosmic Awareness, can Mar-Vell fare well in his battles with Nitro (the exploding villain who later sparked Marvel's super hero Civil War), the death-defying Stellarax and the seemingly dead Thanos? Guest-starring Rick Jones, Drax the Destroyer, Starfox and all your favorite Earth heroes! Collecting CAPTAIN MARVEL (1968) #34, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1979) #1-2 and MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #1: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL. 128 pages, $24.99.

Jay's Notes:
Not sure about the other issues included in this collection, but the Death of Captain Marvel is a wonderful story worthy of this nice HC reprint.


DAREDEVIL: LONE STRANGER TPB
Written by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr. art and cover by Romita.

The Man Without Fear becomes the Man Without Hope as Manhattan falls beneath the fangs and claws of Inferno! Losing everything in more than one kind of fire, DD leaves Hell's Kitchen to walk to and fro upon the Earth ‹ but no matter where he goes, Mephisto's waiting for him! Inhumane experimentation and Inhuman secrets abound! Guest-starring Spider-Man and Freedom Force! Collecting Daredevil (1964) #265-273. 216 pages, $24.99

Jay's Notes:
One of my favorite DD runs continues in this TPB collection. Great art by Romita Jr and a wonderful storyline by Nocenti that gets DD out of Hell's Kitchen.

Marvel 1980s goodness out this week

Alien Legion Omnibus Vol. #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Writer: Alan Zelenetz
Artists: Frank Cirocco, Chris Warner, Terry Shoemaker, Terry Austin, and Randy Emberlin

Originally published under Marvel's Epic imprint, this series was pretty kick ass for the day and featured great art by Cirocco.

Footsloggers and soldiers of fortune, priests, poets, killers, and cads-they fight for a future Galarchy, for cash, for a cause, for the thrill of adventure. Culled from the forgotten and unwanted of three galaxies, they are trained to be the most elite, and expendable, of fighting forces. Sometimes peacekeepers, sometimes shock troops, the Legion is sent into the Galarchy's most desperate internal and external conflicts. Legionnaires live rough and they die hard, tough as tungsten and loyal to the dirty end. 352 pages

The 'Nam TPB
Writer: Doug Murray
Artists: Mike Golden/Wayne Vansant

Don't worry about choosing sides, because this far into the heart of darkness, things get pretty gray. Follow Private Ed Marks and his fellow soldiers through a jungle of blood, lies, betrayal and valor. It's the war that defined a generation, where the heroes may not be super, but they're all too human. Collecting THE 'NAM #1-10. 248 pages.