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Underground > Comic Books >

Unsung heroes of your youth

21:46 / 27.04.03

following on from velvet's mental nudge I want to unleash a torrent of nostalgia for old comic characters that you read, enjoyed, even miss now.

And to start the thread I give you Rocket Raccoon

I first saw him as a back up in the old Marvel UK "Transformers" and was lucky enough to pick up the first two issues of this run.

He was great, a lone law-man on an asylum planet where all the humans were "loons" (hey I never said it was politically correct). Imagine Ganesh, only furrier and holding a blaster.

So what are your memories of old. Or alternatively what characters do you remember which no-one else does (the number of times I've talked about Noggin the Nog to blank faces, but that's another thread). Let us know, we can give you validation or refer you to a professional man.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

00:47 / 28.04.03

And, Rocket Raccoon was one of the early works of Mike Mignola.

Ghods, I'm old. I read that book in college.

01:01 / 28.04.03

I barely remember reading him in Hulk, he was with Adam Warlock, I believe.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

03:02 / 28.04.03

My favorite comic as a little kid was "OG Whiz", a Gold Key comic about a small boy who was the owner of a toy factory. I have read a few recently and was shocked at how poorly they were drawn, but I guess the concept was enough to hook me as a kid.

I was also a HUGE Uncle Scrooge fan until I found super-hero books around age 10, then I felt that they were for "babies". Then, years later, I got every Disney comic that came out with my superhero stuff at the comic shop and got crap about it from everyone but the store owner who agreed that they were better than most fo the other stuff on the stands.

11:46 / 28.04.03

Scrouge was my favourite. He only looked like the above picture in 1 of his appearances. He/They were always in a different disguise. Marvel used him to kill off 31 unwanted old super-villians. At random in a bunch of titles in the late 80s, one of these washed-up supervillians would be killed by someone with an explosive bullet, (sound as it appeared in the comic: pum-SPAK!) and the words 'Justice is Served!'

I spent years trying to collect all the ones where he killed someone, the best being Captain America #319 where 18 supervillians meet to discuss what to do about this vigilante killer, and he turns out to be the bartender and kills them all in one panel. Hee hee. I never found it, but he's killed in the next issue by another member of 'the scourge'...

Haus of Mystery

14:42 / 06.05.03

does anybody remember a batman villain called 'the gentleman ghost' from way back or is it just a fever dream image from my youth. he was ,if i remember correctly, fucking cool.

15:55 / 06.05.03

I was the only little boy in America who loved the New Universe, especially DP7:

"Monkey baiter!" I tell you.

16:10 / 06.05.03

Mr. Thompson: The Gentleman Ghost was indeed fucking cool. And it's not just you and me wot thinks so—comix godhead Bryan Talbot did this lovely illo as a portfolio piece...

How can you not love the white suit, the monocle floating in apparently empty space, the shooting pistol and the sword-cane? I'm waiting for a Gentleman Ghost analogue to show up in Warren Ellis's PLANETARY: you know it makes sense.

And Qalyn, you're not the only boy wot loved the DP7. Oh no no no no. I never read any of the other New Universe books (for those unfamiliar with the New Universe debacle, it was Marvel's mid-80s stab at a "what if there were super-people in the real world" kind of thing, only really, really shit, in the Mighty Marvel manner—NIGHTMASK, anyone?), but I loved me some DP7.

I even bought THE DRAFT and THE WAR, for fucksakes.

Sponge... Scuzz... the Black Powers... egads, it was dreadful. And wonderful. And oddly prescient.

Haus of Mystery

23:32 / 06.05.03

Fuck yes, that's the ticket! Nice one Jack. Speaking of the New Universe thing wasn't there a crew called Damage Control responsible for clearing up after sooper hero battles? That always struck me as a nice idea.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

00:12 / 07.05.03

Damage Control was Marvel Universe proper, and while it was a pure fan product, I loved it.

There was a lot of fun little quirky books like that in the late 80's early 90's...like Mazing Man.

*sigh*

02:05 / 07.05.03

I just moved, so got to read through much of my very odd comics collection. For some reason I have three complete sets of the original Frank Miller's Ronin (I have no idea if they're something to be desired). Ye gods, I have all thirty-two issues of both DP 7 and Psi Force, aka Pissy Force. They were awful in the nicest possible way, until Fabian Nicieza took over Pissy Force and sent the quintet of desperate, maladjusted, culturally diverse, paranormal teenagers off to fight commies in Afghanistan. Talk about missing the point. But DP 7 had a lot of heart. You really got the feeling Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan (who was the bomb, by the way) cared and were doing their best in an untenable situation. Yes, Jack, I bought The Draft and The War, too. I thought they were crap (they're even worse now), but wanted to support the line. Oh, to be so young, dumb and full of come!

Also notable: Wolfpack, the saga of another desperate and multicultural teenage quintent, this time in the South Bronx and members of a martial arts cult based on the teachings of the Lost Tribe of Israel. Their sensei was an old black man who learned this Jewish Qi Gong Fu Yoga duing his stint in the Navy before the WWII. What ever happened to Larry Hama? Also featuring a young Kyle Baker on inks.

And I get nostalgic for Wolverine, God help me.

02:06 / 07.05.03

I meant to say that the Wolfpack was totally an Invisibles cell.

03:46 / 07.05.03

Man, the only New Universe series I ever picked up was these guys:

Robot suits and the hot super-intelligent chicks that wield them. What more could a squeaky kid ask for?

12:50 / 07.05.03

Geocities no likey linkouts.

That's SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS, for those of y'all playing along at home.

13:28 / 07.05.03

I used to read Spitfire (with one of Todd McFarlane's first professional jobs) and PSI Force. I didn't read any DP7 until later, but you're right, it was heads above the the other two. Never got into Nightmask, Kickers Inc. (except for a laugh), Merc or Starbrand (even though it had JR jr. on art duties).

Where's Captain Zoom? I gave him all my New Universe comics a year ago. That guy loves that stuff.

Gentleman Ghost is one of my favourites. I read a Batman with him in it at the barber shop I went to as a kid and fell for him. It was the Kubert cover that struck me. Snagged a copy a few years ago. I don't normally get stuff signed at conventions, but Joe Kubert was at one and I couldn't resist having him sign my tattered copy of said comic.

14:48 / 07.05.03

What about the Inhumanoids? It was like the ghost busters but with monsters instead of ghosts and ran in the backup of Transformers UK. The series ended with the woman member being turned into a monster and a message saying "The Inhumanoids will return soon". It got replaced by Action Force and as far as I know the story never saw print in the UK. Was it a reprint of an american comic?

Just answered my own question. It was a 4 issue mini series for Star Comics.

I also enjoyed Spitfire and the Trouble Shooters, Rocket Racoon and the majority of the Transformer backups. I was quite disappointed when it merged with Action Force. As I remember it loads of comics were merged and the weekly marvel UK titles were made up of:

Transformers and Action Force
Thundercats and Galaxy Rangers
Spider-man and Zoids

Sorry, a bit of nostalgic threadrot there.

I also enjoyed Morgan The Mighty, The Battling Bat and Jimmy Grant.

Uatu.is.watching

15:09 / 07.05.03

How about Team America? A badass band of bikers rolling across this great country racing motorcycles and fighting crime. We had Honco, Wrench, Wolf, R.U. Reddy, and Cowboy, who were joined by a mysterious rider clad in all black known as the Marauder. They had adventures with Captain America, Iron Man, and Ghost Rider, and uncovered the fact that they were mutants who had been part of a secret Hydra plot. The "Marauder" turned out to be a manifestation of their mutant powers. When The Teamers were together they could project all their combined skills into someone within a certain area, and that person would become the Marauder and kick some major ass. AS far as I know they were last seen hanging out with the New Mutants and recieving some training from Xavier.

How come there's no comics about motorcyle daredevils anymore?

15:12 / 07.05.03

Some of my favorites I still have in my stash: MADBALLS (for just sheer stupid flatulence and gross out humor, this was a gem), NEW WARRIORS, X-TERMINATORS mini (the kids who ended up joining the New Mutants), VISIONARIES mini (a Hasbro spin-off and one of the coolest concepts before Shadowrun took off with it. Some of Mark Bagley's early early stuff in that one), ROM and STARRIORS.

15:19 / 07.05.03

Wow Chubby. It's been a long time since I've seen the Inhumanoids. Made my Christian relatives cringe if I remember correctly. Those demonic toys and all (D. Compose esp.)

21:51 / 07.05.03

I sorta miss my number one fave comic when a kid, Tomb of Dracula.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

22:33 / 07.05.03

NFL Superpro, i think i own all the issues

Batman and the Outsiders is one of my secret guilty pleasures, i own ALL of them plus the annuals, i shoud read through thoughs again...

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

22:36 / 07.05.03

wow, i used the wrong "those"

i should likely shoot myself now

02:15 / 08.05.03

I rather liked all the backup strips in my weekly digest of Transformers and Thundercats, except Inhumanoids.

I was especially peeved when Bill Mantlo's Insectaurs was cancelled as the backup in the former. There appears to be no web-reference of any use referring to these insect-chaps.

03:03 / 08.05.03

Do you mean Sectaurs, Duncan?

11:29 / 08.05.03

The Inhumanoids pissed me off as a kid. Those battle suits are probably the ugliest, most impractical I've seen. Liked Rocket Raccoon mainly for the art; used to draw him alot. Used to enjoy The Leopard of Lime Street, it was in the Beano in the seventees. He was a schoolboy with a costume and balloons filled with glue as weapons. This all seemed comfortably attainable to a child who longed to be either Wolverine or Spiderman when he grew up, (third choice was The Fall Guy).

13:35 / 09.05.03

God isn't it amazing how many of these strips we've mentioned ended up as the back up stories in the old Transfromer comic. Just goes to show someone in Marvel UK knew what they were doing (well to begin with anyway).

Was exposed to all of these strips through that one title. Spitfire was one of my favourites I have to say, that was until the kids all started having robotic equipment too, then it became a cyber A-Team.

And Pete I remember the Leopard of Lime Street. Of course Billy the Cat beat it hands down in qulaity of stories. Of course they all paled into insuggnificance at General Jumbo.

15:38 / 09.05.03

Roger Daltrey informs me that The Leopard Of Lime Street actually appeared in Buster, not the Beano. I'm really sorry, everyone.

Haus of Mystery

16:44 / 09.05.03

I loved Battle Action Force when I was a kid. This is before AF became Marvelised, and the ailing Battle war comic merged with the toy franchise. BUT when AF moved off the title a really dodgy replacement took over called Storm Force which was fucking bizarro stuff. I stopped reading in a huff but if anyone can remember some of that shit i'd love a memory jog.

Dan Fish - @Fish1k

10:12 / 12.05.03

Billy the Cat = Beano
Leopard of Lime St = Buster

Classic stuff! Both rate highly on 'which UK stuff would you like to see reprinted' polls

10:43 / 12.05.03

I kind of liked Stormforce, with the Mole, Porcupine and Stilleto right?

How about the guy from Knight Zero in 2000 AD?

I'd like to nominate Stretch Armstrong as the Villain of my youth as a combination of his leakiness, poor quality and my carelessness ruined my comic collection.

Haus of Mystery

16:57 / 12.05.03

Hookjaw! I've just rememebered! I think i must have seen my brother's Action annual from the seventies, and the Hookjaw story scared the piss out of me. And this was the cleaned up Action, not the banned version, so I'd love to read all of the pre-censored material.

(Hookjaw was a total Jaws rip-off by the way, about a fuck off huge shark with a harpoon lodged in his jaw, and a penchant for bloody vengeance. It was great and I want it all reprinted NOW!)