Saturday 3 October 2009

70 Years of Marvel - 1972


Spoiler: no he didn't.

Amazing Adventures had been launched a couple of years earlier, as a vehicle for the Inhumans and the Black Widow, but by 1972, they'd been turfed from the title, in favour of the X-Men's Beast, now transformed into a furry monster. Written first by Gerry Conway, then by Steve Englehart, who would later introduce him to the Avengers, the furry Beast has fluctuated between furry and human ever since. Currently he's a big cat. Go figure.

Amazing Adventures itself would shortly become home to post-apocalypse hero, Killraven, who would be the book's star for the remainder of its run. More on him later.

1972 also saw the first appearance of Werewolf By Night, the launch of a new Ghost Rider, and the arrival of Dracula in the Marvel Universe, as the 70s Horror Onslaught began. As if that wasn't enough, that year also saw the debut of (Sweet Christmas!) Luke Cage, Hero For Hire. Marvel also introduced 3 more girl heroes: Ka-Zar-wife-to-be, Shanna the She-Devil, Night Nurse, who , after a four-issue run in her own title, would vanish into obscurity for the remainder of the 20th century, and the Cat, who would become better known in later years as Tigra.

In the real world, some important stuff probably happened, but since it was also the year that I was born, damned if I'm letting anyone else share my day.

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