1986 - Phoenix Rising unpublished pages

Here are the unpublished pages from Fantastic Four #286 written and drawn by John Byrne.

The pages that saw print were altered at the request of Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter. These alterations were scripted by Chris Claremont and drawn by Jackson Guice.

1986 - Fantastic Four

I’ve been on a bit of Fantastic Four back issue kick, so here goes tackling Byrne’s exit from the title and what might have been…

Fantastic Four #293 was John Byrne’s final issue as writer/artist with Roger Stern and Jerry Ordway pinch hitting in issues #294-295. Fantastic Four #296 was the Fantastic Four’s 25th anniversary issue the pinnacle in the Marvel 25th anniversary celebrations.

I can only imagine the chaos that must have been going down in the Marvel Bullpen as Byrne left the title at such a critical time. Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter plotted the story and pulled in Stan Lee to write the script. Shooter also pulled in most of the Marvel Bullpen at the time to get this issue out the door: Barry Windsor-Smith, Kerry Gammill, Ron Frenz, Al Milgrom, John Buscema, Marc Silvestri, Jerry Ordway, Vince Colletta, Klaus Jason, Steve Leialoha, Joe Rubensein, Joe Sinnott, and Bob Wiacek

Interestingly, in the preface to the issue, Shooter states that he “was asked to write the plot for this, the Silver Anniversary issue of the Fantastic Four.” I can’t help but imagine Shooter in front of a mirror asking himself to write this issue…

As for what might have been… An interview in Comics Feature #44 (published in May 1986) with John Byrne apparently took place before his decision to leave the Fantastic Four.

"The whole thrust of FF 236, the 20th anniversary story, was to do a story that was more or less completely divorced from the regular book so that it could sort of stand on its own as a 'movie.'

"In the 25th anniversary issue I'm going to be doing essentially the same thing in that you'll be able to pick up on these guys even if you've never seen them before. But I also want to fill it up with all kinds of little, almost subliminal, fanish type stuff that people will recognize as being references to earlier stories."

"The basic premise is that Reed, Sue, Johnny and She-Hulk are out in California and they go out to the old rocket base in Central City. It's all grown over with weeds and looking pretty scraggy, the way Cape Canaveral is these days. The first part of the issue, as it now stands, will be a retelling of Fantastic Four number one, as they tell their origin to She-Hulk -- their first battle with the Mole Man and all that." But things start happening as the world is assaulted by wide-ranging earthquakes, which Reed Richards pinpoints as having their source at Monster Island. But Monster Island blew up at the end of FF 1 -- or did it?

"So they go tripping off to Monster Island, or where it used to be, and discover that what is now there is basically a very large hole -- into which sea water has been pouring for years. It's been gushing down into the tunnels that the Mole Man appropriated from the Deviants and has managed, in many cases, to work its was quite a ways down into the vicinities of the center of the Earth. As a result, it's coming back as super-heated steam which is causing vast pressures to build up underneath the crust of the Earth -- which is what's causing all of these giant earthquakes, globally.

"They are about to do what they can to undo this damage when... the Mole Man turns up. He's still there, still lurking around, and he's got all kinds of things happening involving that group of outcasts he put together.

"The Mole Man has discovered that the Valley of the Diamonds is not in fact a natural phenomenon. The diamonds are mystical, and he's discovered that if he melts down the diamonds he gets this glib which, if you immersed yourself in it, you are transformed into whatever you are in your heart of hearts.

“What follows is a story in which the FF try to avert final disaster for the world while the Mole Man is convinced that they're just there to make trouble for him again. But if that's not enough (remember this is a triple-issue filled with triple-threats and triple-promises), an important former member of the FF turns up there -- the Thing. Certain changes planned for the Thing, which have not yet been revealed but will have come to pass by late summer, will have driven him to Monster Island, convinced that it is the only place for a monster such as himself. There, the Thing comes face to face with what he is in his heart of hearts.

“The Thing is reunited with the FF in this adventure, and at the end, "We get back to New York for an anniversary party! It's kind of a separate story at the end of the issue which unveils the FF's new headquarters and has virtually the entire Marvel Universe guest-starring, including folks from Marvel."

Beyond the anniversary issues, Byrne looked forward to challenging the status quo:

"We will have to address the very serious questions of whether they will be the Fantastic Four or the Fantastic Five.”

Also mentioned in the interview were hints at possible wedding in issue 300 and the conclusion to Epic Illustrated’s The Last Galactus Story. Ah, what might have been…

1984 - Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
12 issue miniseries
May 1984 - April 1985
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciller: Mike Zeck/Bob Layton
Inker: John Beatty

Jim Shooter, Editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, was prompted by fan mail to create a story similar to Marvel's first limited series, The Contest of Champions. Originally called Cosmic Champions, Shooter saw this series as the fulfillment of the Marvel Universe's destiny (Comics Interview, August 1984). The series was renamed the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and was tied in to a Mattel line of action figures and toys.

This series was a financial success and would spawn a sequel, Secret Wars II. It would also later inspire more limited series involving most of the Marvel Universe's heroes, such as The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, and The Infinity Crusade.

The Secret Wars featured a mysterious, omnipotent being, calling itself the Beyonder, who was intrigued by humanity and the concept of good and evil. The Beyonder whisked away the more prominent heroes and their villainous counterparts to a world that would be their battle arena.


The heroes kidnapped by the Beyonder were: Wasp, She-Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Professor X, Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Cyclops, Colossus, Lockheed the dragon, Hulk, Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, Thing, and the Human Torch. The villains were Galactus, Dr. Doom, Kang, Enchantress, the Wrecking Crew (Piledriver, Wrecker, Thunderball, and Bulldozer), Lizard, Dr. Octopus, Absorbing Man, Ultron and the Molecule Man.

The Beyonder plainly set the ground rules for this competition: "Slay your enemies and all you desire is yours". Galactus, who was not amused at being kidnapped, confronted the Beyonder. Galactus had been, until that point, the most powerful cosmic being in the Marvel Universe and was batted aside effortlessly by the Beyonder. The heroes and villains, intimidated by Galactus' defeat, began to play the Beyonder's little game.

In early 1984, the characters of the Marvel Universe were undergoing a lot of changes: Jim Rhodes had replaced Tony Stark as Iron Man; Bruce Banner's intellect controlled the Hulk; Professor X could walk and joined his X-Men in battle; and Susan Richards was expecting her second child.

These changes were good subplots that added a bit of depth to a rather shallow story line. Rhodes had the Iron Man image to uphold and he became conformable with his new role. Professor X came into conflict with Storm, who refused to be overruled as leader by her teacher who lacked battle experience. Reed Richards worried about Sue and their unborn child.

Unlike The Contest of Champions, The Secret Wars had an impact on the core Marvel titles: the Thing's departure from the Fantastic Four and subsequent replacement by the She-Hulk; Spider-Man's new costume, that would turn out to be a living creature and become a deadly enemy called Venom; Colossus' romance that forever changed his relationship with Kitty Pryde. The Secret Wars as a whole prompted a closer relationship between the characters in the Marvel Universe.

This series established Captain America's leadership in the Marvel Universe and the respect the other heroes had for him. Dr. Doom showed Molecule Man the full extent of his power which established him as a major power in the Marvel Universe. This series also introduced several new characters, such as Titania and Volcana, who where created by Dr. Doom, and a new Spider-Woman who joins the heroes.

The Beyonder's battle world setting removed heroes from their usual locales and allowed them to engage in an all-out battle with little collateral damage or concern about civilians getting hurt.

I didn't really like John Beatty's inks. They seem a little heavy and choppy. However, I liked Mike Zeck's penciled art so much I eagerly hunted down his run on Captain America. Jim Shooter's script is unspectacular, but he tries his best to build a story around a weak, action-driven plot.


One of the most spectacular (and one of the more unbelievable) events occurred in issue #4, when the Molecule Man dropped an entire mountain range on the escaping heroes. The Hulk managed to hold up part of the mountain while Reed tinkered with Iron Man's repulsor rays to tunnel them a way out.

The Secret Wars #8 was the best read simply for its fan appeal. The heroes finally took the offensive and attacked the villains: Captain America took down the Enchantress, just after she subdued the Hulk; Spidey dished out a humiliating defeat to Titania; and the Human Torch defeated Ultron with his nova flame.

How the villains were chosen wasn't explained, leaving the impression that Shooter had added the most physical villains (such as the Wrecking Crew), but even then, that's a questionable theory, with so many of the Hulk's foes not included such as the Leader, Abomination, and Rhino. Galactus' presence was strange especially when Byrne had strongly emphasized in Fantastic Four #261 that Galactus was a neutral cosmic entity!

Interestingly, Dr. Strange, Power Man, Iron Fist, the entire roster of Alpha Flight, Daredevil, Namor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Moon Knight were some of the more prominent heroes left out. Kitty Pryde was originally included in the promo material, but later removed as one of the series' plot points involved Colossus falling in love with someone else.

Another great Shooter catalyst was putting Magneto among the heroes. Magneto was slowly making the transition from a megalomaniac to simply a maniac. A few years later, Magneto would actually become the headmaster at Xavier's Institute. This plot point was a great source of conflict with the X-Men who had to reluctantly defend Magneto from the scrutiny of the other heroes. Also, another interesting twist was the Magneto and Wasp romance.

The manner in which the series was released was a bit awkward. The heroes were taken in one issue of their respective issues, and returned the following issue, while the series itself ran a full year. When the heroes returned to their regular issues, all the changes that would happen at the end of The Secret Wars were revealed, but had yet to happen in the actual limited series.

Here's a look at some of the Secret Wars toys. I guess Baron Zemo was a last minute drop from the villains' roster.

1985 - Return of the Beyonder!

As I picked up the ridiculously large Secret Wars II omnibus, I thought I'd post an entry about this infamous 1985 miniseries.

Secret Wars II 

Writer: Jim Shooter 

Artists: Al Milgrom, Steve Leialoha, and Joe Rubinstein 

9-issue limited series  

July 1985 - March 1986

Marvel Comics hoped to capitalize on the financial success of the Secret Wars and released a follow-up limited series called Secret Wars II. The series turned out to be a disaster and failed on several levels. Despite the crossovers, the series didn’t sell as well as the original one. The art, which was one of the bright spots from the original series, was significantly weaker. Jim Shooter returned as the series’ writer, but hadn’t learned anything from the harsh criticism of the original Secret Wars series. The plot is buried in the crossovers that are juggled by dozens of different writers. 

With his curiosity peaked in the Secret Wars, the Beyonder made his way to Earth and assumed a human form based on Captain America’s body. He wandered about the Marvel Universe experiencing everything humanity has to offer. He visits practically every Marvel character. Highlights include Peter Parker (Spider-Man) showing him how to use the bathroom, and Dazzler rejecting the Beyonder’s attempts to “court” her.

The Beyonder went through several stages of development. He began with curiosity which developed into a frustration with humankind. He took another turn and decided to become a super-hero, but even then he doesn’t find his purpose. He finally settled on becoming human. However, the process was interrupted and the Beyonder dies during his "birth".  

 

"The inherent fatal flaw in this is that no human writer can convincingly portray utterly omnipotent characters, and Jim Shooter proceeds to demonstrate this. The resulting escapade depicts a spoilt two-year-old brat with limitless power flitting around the globe as multitudes of heroes chase mindlessly." 

     - The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide

Shooter pulled out a lot of themes, like power corrupting, stranger in a strange land with an omniscient twist, good versus evil, and the purpose of life. However, they were like signposts passed by a speeding car. A brief, blurry glimpse of an idea that was quickly left behind. Shooter’s story was weak and painfully drawn out into nine issues, which includes a double-sized finale. The story was also distorted by the obscene amount of crossovers (33 issues!). 

The heroes in this series were cardboard cutouts who attack the Beyonder in waves, with no real strategy or reason. Just as in the Secret Wars, the characters behaved the way Shooter interpreted them and not how they were necessarily portrayed in their own series. 

The ending was simply bad. If the Beyonder is omniscient, why would he need to construct a machine that could make him human? Wouldn’t he just think it and it would happen? The machine plot point existed only to give the heroes a realistic chance at stopping an omniscient character.

The dialog was absolutely dreadful. Here’s a sample. At the climax of the Beyonder’s relationship with Dazzler, he attempts to express his “love”: 

“Why do you flee? There is cosmic ecstasy in our being as one! If I feel it, you must feel it too! It is glorious --! Wonderful! Do not deny it to me!”

The combination of Milgrom and Leialoha was a mistake. Their art styles clash. Milgrom’s penciled art required a good finisher and Leialoha’s inks are just too loose and scratchy. There are several pages, mostly at the end of issues, where the veteran inker Joe Rubinstein helped finish the issue, and those pages are superior to Leialoha’s art. Take a look at the early issues of The West Coast Avengers where Joe Sinnott provides the inking and compare for yourself.

If this series accomplished one thing, it captured a snapshot of the 1980s. From the Beyonder’s perm, to the Dazzler’s leg warmers, to Ronald Reagan; it’s all there in its 80s glory.