Obscure BRONZE age characters 1st appearances 1 1

[Dogsupreme]

Before she became a TEEN TITAN!

[Dogsupreme]

What better name can you ask for?

[Dogsupreme]

Gotta give Marvel credit. They'll try anything once!

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 12/05/2017 at 1:33 AM, Brian48 said:

He only lasted two issues, but I always loved the Copperhead villain from Daredevil. Don't remember exactly which issues it was, but he predated Bullseye. 

Copperhead appeared in DD #124-5.  Len Wein wrote the first half of #124, with Marv Wolfman writing the second half and taking over as DD's regular writer. Gene Colan and Klaus Janson provided excellent artwork for that issue, marking the start of Janson's long association with DD.  Janson inked Bob Brown's pencils in #125, and also coloured the issue, which was always a treat. 

Copperhead returned in Human Fly #8-9, in which someone else assumed the identity.  Frank Robbins's art on those issues probably isn't to everyone's taste, but John Byrne and Terry Austin's cover for #9 was quite nice. 

In 2001, Paul Jenkins brought back  the original Copperhead with supernatural powers in the Marvel Knights Daredevil/Spider-Man miniseries.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Chaykin Stevens

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 18/05/2017 at 1:39 AM, 50AE_DE said:

It explains it on the WIKI page.  Something to do with one of the editors not liking the character due to it's sympathetic view of the hippie subculture.  

Thank you for that information.  The wiki page contains lots of interesting stuff.  I didn't know the name was originally intended to be Brother Power, the Freak, or that the art was ghosted for Joe Simon.  I vaguely recall that in the 90s a Brother Power series, perhaps by Stefan Petrucha and Chas Truog, was announced but never published - does anyone have any info about that?

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 18/05/2017 at 2:22 AM, Dogsupreme said:

Believe it our not this was one of the first Spiderman comics I bought right off the stands. Something about the Big Pig, RAZORBACK just screamed to me "BUY THIS COMIC, SON"! He's a really a great character and would love to see a return with new outfit and abilities.

I remember really liking Buford Hollis's pig-headed alter-ego when I was a kid.  I've not read any of his later appearances, but his wiki page says he turned up in Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne, and was impersonated by a Skrull in Avengers: the Initiative.  I think the villain in the above Spectacular Spider-Man issue was called Brother Power - I wonder whether Archie Goodwin or Bill Mantlo was a fan of the Geek.

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 18/05/2017 at 11:49 PM, Ken Aldred said:

Marvel Treasury Edition 12 : The Spanker

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 by Mark Martin featured a similar Punisher parody.  In the story, crime has been eradicated and, instead of fighing evil as Gnatrat, Boo Swain catches and punishes truants as the Fannywhacker.

Edited May 22, 2017 by Chaykin Stevens

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 18/05/2017 at 4:35 PM, electricprune said:

Oddly enough, yes. He was used many years later in the Marvel Western universe, at least. Someone can verify probably, but I believe he was killed off in a super hero book.

Caleb Hammer was killed in a flashback in X-Force #37.  He featured alongside most of Marvel's western Characters in the Blaze of Glory miniseries by John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco.  I always liked Hammer's original appearance, with a nice cover by Frank Miller and the original Jonah Hex artist, Tony DeZuniga.

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 18/05/2017 at 0:46 PM, Dogsupreme said:

Marvel Premiere #41. Marvel's STAR TREK? Would love to see them in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Dan Abnett co-wrote a Seeker 3000 miniseries in 1998 before he worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, so a crossover wouldn't be inconceivable.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Chaykin Stevens

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 19/05/2017 at 3:16 PM, Dogsupreme said:

For the longest time I never knew this was a Jack Kirby creation. Mainly because he did not do the cover. This is a very under-rated Jack Kirby creation and is actually very cool character. Also, issue 1's are EXTREMELY hard to find in true mint. It's that damned black cover.

Some of the characters were redrawn by Pablo Marcos to make them look younger, and I think they rearranged the order of some of the panels..  I would rather have read Kirby's original version.

[Chaykin Stevens]

On 20/05/2017 at 1:55 PM, Dogsupreme said:

Before she became a TEEN TITAN!

Sadly for investors, this version of Starfire was unconnected to the one in New Teen Titans.  Starman #55, hovever, featured a story with three accounts of Starman rescuing Starfire from space pirates, with a different Starfire in each version: the one above, Koriand'r and Leonid Kovar, the original Silver Age Starfire from Teen Titans #18.

[rjrjr]

This is what made the Overstreet Price Guide so cool pre-Internet.  They broke out 1st appearances (even for obscure characters) in the guide.  Just an observation, but it seems like so much incorrect information is being passed off as truth in this Internet Age.  Six pages in and we've already had 3 or 4 characters identified incorrectly.  I really don't mean this to sound harsh to those who didn't know because I think it is hard for new collectors to get correct information these days.

I wish I had a character to contribute (maybe Rima?) because there have been some good suggestions in this thread.

Edited May 29, 2017 by rjrjr

[joe_collector]

On 5/16/2017 at 6:19 PM, Ken Aldred said:

Not really obscure because it's considered one of the best stories of the 70s.

The Manhunter (short) series was mined for virtually every great character of the 70's, not to mention was the basis for Frank Miller's DD work.

[grayzr]

On 5/12/2017 at 10:29 AM, Dogsupreme said:

No longer obscure?

 

Still obscure just slowly becoming popular because of the tv show.

[Chaykin Stevens]

Does anyone remember Avalon, the keeper of the inner cosmos?  His only appearances that I know of were in Thor #219-220 by Gerry Conway and John Buscema.  I always liked Gil Kane's cover to #220.

[the blob]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:19 PM, Dogsupreme said:

And whose bright idea was this? Still bought it though surprisingly hard to find in high grade but cheap.

some of the later issues with weird painted (sort of covers) are tough.  I find them now and then but can't pull the trigger, even cheap, because they are messed up.

[joeypost]

Jack of Hearts

 

[divad]

DHOKF #22? No?

[Broke as a Joke]

10 hours ago, divad said:

DHOKF #22? No?

22 cameo.  23 first full.  Underrated mags.

[divad]

50 minutes ago, Broke as a Joke said:

22 cameo.  23 first full.  Underrated mags.

I suppose the phrase "underrated mags" is redundant.