One sure sign of a "Simply the Best" cover is one that could literally stop me in my tracks. Even though it was waaayyy back in summer of 1975, I still vividly recall the cover of Marvel Team-Up #37 standing out like a neon sign.
As both a Spider-Man fan and a fan of "all-things-monster", a clash between the Wall-Crawler and the Man-Wolf was a no-brainer for my 25ยข investment.
Who's this Man-Wolf guy? Well, I'll tell you: While exploring the moon's surface, astronaut John Jameson (son of The Daily Bugle's irascible publisher) found an other-dimensional ruby named the Godstone, which myteriously attached itself to his body. When Jameson returned to Earth, the light of the full moon would activate the Godstone and turn him into a savage, white-furred werewolf. I just love Man-Wolf's snarling face here on the cover, and how his funky yellow radiation suit (to supposedly minimize moon rays) and superheroic-proportions gave the character a real space-age flair...which put some thematic distance between him and the standard werewolf mileau (fog-shrouded Carpathian villages, gypsies, etc.). Although not much effort was put into explaining his presence in the story, what nine year-old boy would even care? Simply said to be a prisoner of the evil Baron Ludwig Von Shtupf (no relation to Lili Von Shtupp of Blazing Saddles), the Man-Wolf was unleashed on Spidey and his guest star from the previous issue. Which leads me to....
This blurb! For any kid still on the fence after seeing the spectacle of a Spidey in Man-Wolf's lycanthropic leg-lock (as unlikely as that would be), this blurb was surely enough to shake the quarter from his grasp. Besides "Action Aplenty", the Frankenstein Monster was in there, too! Translation: Kid Nirvanna!
Making that great day even better, the previous issue was actually still on sale nearby, making my trip to Duluth's Downtown Book an epic, unforgettable experience. Spider-Man meeting both a werewolf and the Frankenstein Monster? It was almost too much for my young mind to take in. Needless to say, these covers, and the stories inside, remain sentimental favorites of mine all these years later.
Yeah, that cover would've certainly grabbed my attention!
This cover had a similar effect on me a few years later:
http://www.dynamicforces.com/images/072407xx1.jpg
Posted by: suedenim | October 08, 2008 at 10:26 AM
Nice one, oh Comic Coverager! That cover was lettered by the great Gaspar Saladino, who was lettering most of our covers and splash pages at the time. Plus some nice pencils by Gil "Sugar Lips" Kane and inks by "Jazzy" John Romita... not to mention some nice art direction from Yours Truly! Ah, those were the days...
Smiley
Posted by: Stan the Man | October 08, 2008 at 10:55 AM
suedenim-
YEAH! That all-monster issue cover is fantastic (wish I could say the same about the story, though).
"Stan"-
I looked on the Grand Comic Database, and they credit the cover pencils to Ed Hannigan...though I would have said it was Gil Kane as well. I wonder who's right?
Posted by: Mark Engblom | October 08, 2008 at 01:10 PM
Given my memory-impaired medulla oblongata, I'm sure that the GCD is correct. Ed's early cover work looked a lot like Gil's, in part because Glamorous Gil was doing cover layout sketches for us at the time (and had done the majority of MTU covers up through #36). Ah well, at least there's no mistaking Gaspar's lettering...
Smiley
Posted by: Stan the Man | October 08, 2008 at 02:10 PM
Wasn't Man-Wolf's first appearance in the issues following the Death of Gwen Stacey? I always like that trio of issues-- the first introducing Luke Cage, the next two offering us Man-Wolf-- three takes on what it means to be a hero in terms of sacrifice. Such a nice coda to those heart-wrenching Stacey issues (and if my comics memory is working, the final Man-Wolf issue has a sad little image of Peter walking home in the rain that just pulls everything together in one iconic panel).
Nice post, Mark.
Posted by: Brian | October 08, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Thanks, Brian. Yeah, Man-Wolf first appeared in the aftermath of Gwen's death...the kind of thing you can scarcely imagine happening in today's decompressed brand of storytelling.
Posted by: Mark Engblom | October 08, 2008 at 04:55 PM
This is a good time to mention those great Marvel horror comics of the 70s, and I don't mean because of Halloween. Marvel has been publishing quite a few collections of those horror stories over the past year, with more coming out this month. Check Marvel's catalog on their Web site for details.
I just picked up Marvel's Essential Godzilla at my local comic shop. They had a few copies marked down from 20 bucks to 4. Can't beat that!
Posted by: phillyradiogeek | October 08, 2008 at 08:59 PM
Worth every penny at full price, philly. Events are still mentioned in the Marvel Universe, from Dugan's SHIELD activities against the big G to Red Ronin's guest appearance in the MegaMorphs miniseries.
Of course, I'm also a Godzilla fan. :)
Posted by: ShadowWing Tronix | October 10, 2008 at 12:00 PM