The Back Issue Bin - Quasar #1

Quasar (1989) #1
writer: Mark Gruenwald
artists: Paul Ryan, Danny Bulanadi
rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I have a slew of Quasar comics in the long boxes in my nerd cave.  I first learned about Quasar in an issue of Marvel Comics Presents where he met Man-Thing and Quagmire.  I collected the title sporadically for a few years until I dropped out of comics.


Quasar is similar to DC's Green Lantern at first glance.  The Quantum Bands do pretty much everything Green Lantern's power ring can do.  I knew some of Quasar's origin but this was the first time I read it.

The Quantum Bands originally belonged to the Marvel Boy of the 1950's, who was disintegrated by them in battle with the Fantastic Four.  The bands fell into SHIELD's hands around the time Wendell Vaughn washed out of the SHIELD field agent training program.  Wendell was on security detail while his father was working with Stark Industries to study the bands.  The original candidate for the bands panicked and disintegrated himself when he found he couldn't remove the bands.

AIM attacks, gunning for the bands.  In order to save everyone, Wendell puts on the bands and uses them to repel an AIM task force single-handedly.  Not bad for a guy who SHIELD said had no killer instinct.

For the late 1980's, this was a exceptional origin issue.  It pales toward what comes later, when Quasar finds the origins of the bands, dies, gets resurrected, and becomes the Protector of the Universe before traveling across realities...  I get ahead of myself.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Back Issue Bin: Incredible Hulk #250

Incredible Hulk #250
date: August 1980
writer: Bill Mantlo
artists: Sal Buscema
rating: 3 out of 5

Confession Time: I originally bought this back in the day because an issue of Marvel Team-Up Index told me it was the next American appearance of Captain Britain, whom I was briefly enamored with.  It's only a one panel cameo, though.


While looking for a place to belong, the Hulk encounters the Silver Surfer.  The Surfer wonders if an infusion of Gamma radiation will give him enough power to breach the barrier that keeps him from leaving Earth.  The Surfer siphons off the Gamma radiation in the Hulk's body, leaving Banner powerless.  The Gamma-infused Surfer runs amok and only the Hulk can stop him...

The Surfer pierces the barrier but has to go back to save Banner from falling to his death, maintaining the status quo.

All things considered, it's a fun issue but also a great example of Marvel's Illusion of Change doctrine.  Three out of five stars.

The Back Issue Bin - Daredevil #43

Daredevil (1963-1998) #43 by Stan Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fresh from a break-up with Karen Page, Daredevil swings around NYC in a foul mood. After some radium scrambles his brains, he picks a fight with... Captain America?

Back in my pre-pubescent days, I frequently bought comics mail order through Mile High Comics. This was one of the ones I bought based purely on the cover. Daredevil vs. Captain America, one of my favorites. Sold! It was the first Daredevil comic I ever bought after reading an issue of Marvel Team-Up where he teamed with Spidey.

The story was pretty simple. Radium turns Daredevil into a dickhead and he interrupts one of Captain America's fighting demonstrations. The fight rages all over the building like one of those falls count anywhere wrestling matches. Old Horn-head eventually comes to his senses and all is right with the universe.

Gene Colan drew the shit out of this! After experiencing this issue and Captain America (1968-1996) #132 in rapid succession, I have a new found admiration for Gentleman Gene's art. The fight was pretty dynamic and I'll be digging up more Colan from my back issue bin at home. Four out of five stars, adjusted for the passage of time.

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The Back Issue Bin - Captain America #132

Captain America (1968-1996) #132 by Stan Lee
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Reunited for the first time since World War II, evildoers everywhere face the might of Captain America and Bucky. But what is The Fearful Secret of Bucky Barnes?

Captain America #132 is the first comic book I remember buying based solely on the cover. Captain America on the ground with Bucky looming over him clutching a boulder, with MODOK looking on. I say "buying" but I'm pretty sure I got it free for spending $20 at Mile High Comics. Man, those days of waiting 6-8 weeks when you ordered something were murder, especially since 6-8 weeks passes like roughly thirty eight years when you're twelve.

I was going through my long boxes of back issues, gathering material to write about at Dantastic Comics when I unearthed this gem.

Anyway, the bliss of being reunited with Bucky is short-lived, for Bucky is a robot built by Doctor Doom at the behest of MODOK for the killing of Captain America. Fortunately for Cap, Doom built Bucky a little too well and the memories of the human Bucky overwhelm the android and he self-destructs rather than killing Cap.

The art by Gene Colan is pretty sweet and is above average for the 1970 publication date. The story is fairly simplistic, as was the style at the time, but I dug the robot Bucky being a little too much like the original. The cameos by Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, Dum Dum Dugan, and Falcon, in his shitty original costume, were fun.

Captain America #132 is a fun Silver Age story but isn't a milestone by any means. 3.5 out of 5 stars.


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