Episode 14: Phantom of the Galaxy
Today we’ll be covering Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) 18, and Marvel Two-in-One (1974) 4-5. This is a more relaxed episode so we can try to get caught up.
Dramatis Personae:
PROTAGONISTS
Guardians of the Galaxy
Charlie-27
Major Victory - Vance Astrovik
Martinex - Martinex T’Naga
Yondu - Yondu Udonta
Fantastic Four
Mr. Fantastic - Reed Richards
Thing - Ben Grimm
Medusa - Medusalith Amaquelin-Boltagon
Avengers
Captain America - Steve Rogers
Sharron Carter
Namorita - Namorita Prentiss
ANTAGONISTS
Brotherhood of Badoon
Drang - Supreme Commander of the Eastern Sector
Monster of Badoon
Misc Badoon
Zoms
Saturnian Hound-Hawks
Preface:
- This is the first few appearances of the Guardians of the Galaxy
- To clarify, this isn’t the GotG from the movies, this is the original team.
- They are no longer in existence
Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) 18 - “Earth Shall Overcome!”
- Charlie-27 is fifth generation Jovian. He’s been on Space-Militia Duty and returns home after six months to find it overthrown by Badoon
- He flees death, taking the Living Matter Transmitter in a mad frenzy, ending up on Pluto
- Again he is attacked by Badoon, chased by Saturnian Hound-Hawks
- Martinex is a crystalline human Pluvian.
- Charlie-27 and Martinex work together to escape Pluto
- Yondu and Major Vance Astro are captured, in the Badoon throne room on Earth
- Major Vance Astro is the first human to leave Earth for a distant star, Centauri. He’s in a full body copper suit which protects him from aging but if it’s ever breached then he’ll age and die instantly
- When he arrives at his destination, due to advances in technology there’s already human colonists there, celebrating him as a hero
- Yondu is from Earth’s first non-solar system colony on Centauri-IV
- Having teleported again using the Pluvian Tele-Tran, Charlie-27 and Martinex appear in the throne room on Earth and help Vance and Yondu fight their way out to a Jump Tube and land on Planet New New York to begin the fight to defeat the Badoon
Marvel Two-in-One (1974) 4 - “Doomsday 3014!”
- Much of this issue is setup, I’ll skip that here
- In the Baxter Building there is a scream in the lab. Thing, Sharron Carter, Medusa, Reed, and Captain America respond and find a woman who’s been teleported there
- She’s from the future and is shocked to discover Captain America and the Fantastic Four, fainting
- Her name is Tarin and after getting the info on the Badoon invasion Steve knows they need to travel to the future to help
- Cap, Sharron Carter, and Thing escort Tarin to the future with Medusa and Reed staying behind to run the time machine
- They’re immediately beset by Zoms, enslaved humans under Badoon control
- The Monster of Badoon attacks and makes short work of the team, Tarin flees for further help
Marvel Two-in-One (1974) 5 - “Seven Against the Empire!”
- The Monster of Badoon and Zoms bring our heroes before Drang in the throne room
- Drang mind-probes Cap learning the back story
- The heroes awaken and begin to fight back
- Ben may not know how to drive alien cars, but he knows how to smack a baboon with one!
- Sharron Carter is dope and she does dope stuff
- Thing is definitely struggling with anger throughout these two issues
- Tarin gets to the Human Resistance, once they are caught up on events they summon the Guardians back to help
- Their starship, named the good ship Captain America is absolutely a Star Trek Galaxy Class ship, dead ringer
- With all the heroes combine they fight a fraught battle but defeat Drang and his forces
- Sharron, Thing, and Cap return to their home time
Creators of these issues:
Arnold Drake, Gene Colan, Mike Esposito, Stan Goldberg, Herb Cooper, Stan Lee, Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, Frank Giacoia, Petra Goldberg, Charlotte Jetter, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, and Joe Sinnott
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