First of all though, a brief recollection of June 1977. I was in Third Year at Strathaven Academy, probably one of the happiest times of my life. My mum was in Stonehouse hospital for a couple of weeks and we visited her most evenings.My brother and I would always buy a couple of comics in the hospital shop while my parents got a little privacy. These are a few of those memories:
A tense, melodramatic Perez/Shooter collaboration full of cameos and flashbacks. I can only recall the Thanos/Destroyer back-up in LR. It would be another year before I became hooked on the novel and its sequel.
A rare sighting of Professor X's "killer" and a workaday Iron Man comic with a makeover for the Mandarin and a cameo by old favourite Sunfire.
...and a Jubilee edition of Captain Britain as a revamped Lion of London goes into a long, lingering decline.
Oddly, the UK Marvel comic seems like ancient history, while I can remember the Avengers story with crystal clarity, even bringing it into the Language Lab at Strathaven Academy.
I have no memory at all, however, of the Golden Jubilee in 2002. I was still working in call centre recruitment and living in Marwick Street. I had to look up Wikipedia to be reminded of Brian May on the roof of Buck House.
Anyway, many kings, queens and potentates have graced the pages of comics during the reign of Betty Windsor. Let's have a look at some of them, happy and glorious (or not).
Sub-Mariner. An X-Man currently, I understand. I never thought Namor a credible Avenger but he should star in the FF reboot movie, in my opinion. I have a fondness, like many, for his batwinged super-suit but would enjoy the opportunity to re-read his 60s adventures up to the tragic death of Lady Dorma. Imperius Rex!
Dr. Doom: "As a shepherd belongs with his flock, so must a monarch remain with his subjects". The quintessential Marvel villain. Tragic, treacherous, vainglorious, and utterly ruthless: the gypsy orphan who seized power over a tiny nation and mastered science and sorcery, you lowborn clods!
Black Bolt: The second monarch to be introduced in the FF, the elective mute leader of Kirby's superhuman Addams Family remains one of the most enigmatic Marvel characters.
Black Panther: As I've said, I hope the King of the Wakandas features in the Avengers sequel. Marvel's first black superhero (and the third ruler introduced in Fantastic Four) has never been a "marquee character" but has invited a number of varied approaches.I thought Dwayne McDuffie was inspired, placing T'Challa in the FF with his queen, Storm. His recent role as the Most Dangerous Man Alive was cancelled last year but I've been thinking about re-reading the Panther's Rage arc and the wacky Kirby series.
Arkon: Roy Thomas synthesised Conan, Shazam and The Weaponers of Qward to create an other-dimensional barbarian king and occasional Avengers foe. Arkon made an alliance later with the X-Men and wooed Thundra the Femizon.
King Kull: The barbarian usurper from Atlantis was a more moody, cerebral read than Conan. The stories asked questions about roles and identities and, under the Severins, had a lush, dream-like delicacy. His Fawcett namesake, the subhuman Captain Marvel villain, is coming up on the 'optikon soon.
Belit: The Queen of the Black Coast was a supporting character in Marvel's Conan comics for about three years. A Shemitish princess raised by a black tribe, she was an exile with a backstory that was part Prospero, part Rima, part Anne Bonny. Ironically, it was her piratical lifestyle rather than her quest for revenge that led to her final, grisly fate.
In case you're wondering why King Conan isn't on this list: my excuse is that, although he made his début in the pulps as a king, I first encountered him as "Conan the Barbarian". "Kinging it" was just one achievement on his Cimmerian C.V.
Aquaman: I read a few issues of the Sea King's adventures after the death of Aquababy ( one of the most shocking plot devices of the Bronze Age). Despite enjoying his cartoon adventures as a kid, I never warmed to Arthur's comics. Here are a couple of covers for turned out to be false starts for the King and I:
(That's one of my favourite covers of the Eighties)
Wonder Woman: not yet on British screens (incarnated as Lynda Carter) in 1977 but a rather strident and unlikeable JLAer at that time. Many of the girls in school who disliked Avengers Assemble might warm to the Amazon Princess and Jumpa the Kanga. I think there are approaches that would help the character speak to a young audience. I'd like to like her better.
Insect Queen: Two versions of Lana Lang gained insect abilities on parallel Earths. The first- and best known- was an honorary Legionnaire and like Chemical King, not actual royalty. The same can't be said, however, of...
Queen Projectra: Highly-strung and ethereal Kim Novak lookalike Jeckie became one of the most tragic and powerful Legionnaires and one of the most intriguing. Her mediumistic talents are completely forgotten and she's been written out-again-by Levitz, but I liked her even when she was Jeka Winzorr (a giant snake served by raccoons) in the 90s.
Quantum Queen: one of the doomed Legionnaires foretold in young Jim Shooter's Adult Legion storyline then introduced as one of the Wanderers a couple of years later. I've been fascinated by this character for nearly 35 years; I suspect she may not be genuine royalty but I'd be quite thrilled to see her finally join the team.
Geo-Force: Prince Brion of Markovia was a Marvel-style hero transplanted into DC's Outsiders in the early 80s. Dressed in Orion's 70s uniform, with Namor's dialogue and Dr. Doom's postage-stamp kingdom, he was overshadowed by the grim story of his sister Terra. Under Alan Davis' pencil, the ox-like Brion became a Captain Britain-style buffoon but briefly achieved JLA membership thanks to Brad Meltzer. If only the poor boob had been called Geode or Strata or Terrain; Geo-Force is probably one of my least favourite super-hero names of all time.
Coming soon: No Future For You? Punk Rock in my comics.
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Captain Britain - with an inferior redrawn Queen and her hubby ruining the art of Pablo Marcos. Haven't forgotten about the CD, Dougie - will send it shortly.
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