By Terrence J. Brady
JUNE 2004
What if....?
Yes, monsters do really exist
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You remember those great Marvel yarns. How's this for a possible issue: "What if... Peter Paul controlled the CGC?" Peter who...? Who's that? Sounds like two thirds of a '60s folk band, you say? Maybe the 13th Apostle?
Nah, the infamous Paul I refer to is a man who makes the Yancy Street Gang look like a group of choir boys. A man who forever tarnished the purity of an industry, pilfered the wallets of many an innocent and betrayed, disgraced the reputation of a legend.
Flashback to 1998. Paul and Stan (The Man) Lee formed one of the most hyped dot-coms ever: Stan Lee Media. The sky was the limit as to what this company would create in the coming years but faster than you can say "It's Clobbering Time," the company was in utter ruin as the stock plummeted from $31 to 13 cents a share, in late 2000, when trading was finally halted. In the end, this "Disney of the 21st century" had become bankrupt and co-founder Paul (a former convicted con-artist) was charged with a $25 million stock manipulation scheme. Now some four years later, Paul sits in a New York jail awaiting his September trial on charges of securities fraud and conspiracy. What we are sure to hear from his legal team will be yarns that even Lee could not conjure up. He'll plead his "innocence" with tales of how he's a pawn of the government; a fall guy. (Can't wait for the made-for-TV movie). So... what if Paul had owned the CGC? I can only speculate however I would see a new CGC. A CGC where they not only slab comic books but also slab the company's stock certificates -- and then declare they're worth more than the non-slabbed certificates! (haha)
As for Stan Lee Media ... read the scandalous details at USA Today and while we may no longer fall victim to Paul's deceptions, we must still be wary for there are many others who would promise us the mountain yet only deliver a sack of dirt. For example .... back in column #5 we saw a copy of SECRET WARS #8 sell for (what at the time seemed insane enough) $405. Just like Peter Parker found out his nifty new costume was not all that it seemed, we here at the Hall have come to a grave discovery as well. $405? Heck, that's peanuts! Greg S., a reader from Port Hardy, British Columbia, has revealed an even bigger deception; tripling that amount at $1,225.55.
Yeouch! Like MC Hammer use to say ... "Can't touch this!"
PUNISHER: THE END #1- Mint 10.0
Price: $149.95
Non-slab price: cover
This auction was actually a re-listing. It started out with an opening bid of $249.95 (or the low Buy-It-Now price of $274.95) but received no bites so it was lowered to the bargain basement bid of $149.95. And guess what? Some lucky devil snatched it up. Talk about your educated shopper!
If you haven't heard of PUNISHER: THE END, you're not alone. This June 2004 cover issue is one of those "Max" comics Marvel puts out with the cautionary "Parental Advisory. Explicit Content" labels. As I recall (from the music industry) when Tipper and company started slapping similar tags on album/CD covers, it didn't deter the youngsters. Matter of fact, it had the opposite result in which anything with that label was quickly consumed by the purchasing public. (They even had T-shirts made up with the logo). If Marvel wanted such material out of the hands of the innocent, they need to slap a Winnie-the-Pooh sticker or some Smiley faces on the covers instead. Kids will stay away from them books like they were the plague!
Haven't seen this title yet but from the reviews I've read, its set in a post-apocalyptic setting and is (quote / unquote) very dark. Not that I'm criticizing this particular series but want to make a general observation. Just because a book (or film, song, etc.) is dark, doesn't necessarily mean its worthy of some artistic applause. If anything, its been done to death (no pun) and maybe its time for the artists of the world to break with tradition and shoot (pun) for more positive things in life. [ End of soapbox ]. Big thanks to Domenick B. of Montreal, Quebec for sending in this "punishing" issue.
THOR #337 - NM 9.8
Price: $158.05
Non-slab price: $5.00
I've never really considered myself a big fan of THOR, though I enjoyed his presence in the AVENGERS and his X-over appearances elsewhere. That all changed in late 1983.
When Walt Simonson jumped onboard with issue #337, he had his new creation BETA RAY BILL shatter the logo design that had been around since 1966 - but - this was just the beginning. Simonson completely revitalized the Asgardian universe with his compelling tales and majestic illustrations. His ability to realistically mix old Norse legends with the Marvel Universe made his run on THOR one of the most popular titles of the '80s, as well as, one of my personal favorites of a writer/artist on any title; before or after.
Prior to Simonson, my knowledge of mythology was limited to the classics (Greek & Roman). Now a whole new universe had become available to me. After reading these THOR tales, I sought out and read several books on Norse mythology, penned a short story based in Asgard and even have a feature-length spec script waiting in the wings to be typed out. And that's the gift of comics: "To inform and to inspire." How are you ever going to get motivated from a slabbed book? You're not. All you can do is wait and watch. Wait as the book inside turns to dust and watch as your investment shrivels into nothing....
Not only can you pick up issue #337 for less than a fin, you can buy all the Simonson THOR issues very cheap despite the 20 years that have passed. If you don't want to hunt down the individual issues, check out the Visionaries: Thor paperback that reprints THOR #337-#348 and The Mighty Thor (#349-355 and #357-359). Thanks to Ray Ray B. of São Paulo, Brazil for submitting. Hey, my first South American visitor. Welcome!
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1 - Mint 10.0
Price: $810.00
Non-slab price: cover
Speechless? So am I.
Sometimes seeing is believing and I'm still not believin' what I'm a seein' --- EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS PLUS for... how many copies?
One copy?
One BRAND NEW copy of ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1?
...ugh...
Well, the title certainly says it all as it's the "ultimate" in CGC greed.
The ULTIMATE line of books Marvel has put out in recent years has been a popular one for the fans and the ULT FF is sure not to disappoint. Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar and Adam Kubert have deconstructed Lee & Kirby's 1961 concept for the modern reading audience and so far seems to be a promising title. However, when copies of this book are still floating around at cover, its hard to imagine why anyone would persecute their wallet by fishing out 8 Benjamins. For that amount, you could have picked up the Lee/Kirby FF #1 - though in a slightly used (haha) condition.
I've heard rumors the new FF film was to be based more upon the ULTIMATE series but (if it is or if it isn't) it still would not rationalize this ultimate waste of money. Thanks to John S. of Miami, FL for submitting this fantastic illustration of why this column exists today.
Now, while this comic is an example of so-called perfection of the FF, how about we take a look at something that wasn't so perfect. It has now been ten years since the FANTASTIC FOUR movie came out and... what's that? You don't recall seeing this film in theaters? Well, it didn't exactly win Cannes. (In order to take that coveted prize, one's film has to consist of propaganda and self-indulgence - but I digress.) Yes, back in 1994 we had the non-premier of the first FF film by B-legend, Roger Corman. This low-budget flick was so full of cheesy special effects, stock footage and bland acting that not only did it bypass a theatrical release but jumped over the straight-to-video route and landed square on the shelves of someone's locked vault. Luckily for us, some good ol' bootleggers managed to copy prints of this film and the video has been floating around the comic book con circuit for years.
So why did they shoot a film and then never release it? In Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels, Lee revealed the film went into production only because the owner was to lose the option on the property if they didn't do something with it. The sad reality, according to Lee, was those involved gave 110% in their efforts but were unaware the film would never see the light of day. BTW, if you have yet to see this Stan Lee documentary (made by some Jersey filmmaker -- whatever happened to that guy anyhow?), I would suggest you seek out this DVD to add to your collection.
So now we know the chronicle of the film but what of the cast members? Where are they now...?
Alex Hyde-White (Reed Richards) has had his fair share of employment since the FF. Working in both film and TV, some of his recent appearances include the Civil War film, "Gods and Generals" (2003) and Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" (2002). If you're a fan of daytime soaps, White played Charles Cahill III in "Days Of Our Lives."
Jay Underwood (Johnny Storm) was most recently seen in "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" (2004). He's also been in several B-type TV movies and indie films but played the lead as Sonny Bono for "And the Beat Goes On: The Sonny and Cher Story (1999)." It is Underwood's pre-FF film though that will always be his claim to fame: "The Boy Who Could Fly" (1986) .
Rebecca Staab (Sue Storm) got her start in the bright lights as Miss Nebraska in the 1980 Miss USA Pageant. More recently she has been seen as Elizabeth Barrington on the daytime soap "Port Charles;" a spin-off of "General Hospital."
Michael Bailey Smith (Ben Grimm) has been very active in the past decade, appearing in over two dozen film/television projects. This former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne (and one time free-agent for the Dallas Cowboys) made recent appearances with Jean-Claude Van Damme in "The Savage" aka "In Hell" and as the character called "Creepy" in the mega-hit "MIB 2" (2002).
Ian Trigger (The Jeweler) seems to have gone underground since the film. The British born actor had a handful of acting gigs in the 70s but anything since 1994 seems to be unknown.
Joseph Culp (Victor Von Doom) is probably known best as the son of actor Robert Culp. The elder Culp played agent Bill Maxwell in the TV series "The Greatest American Hero" (1981). As for Joseph, he's had been in a handful of projects since 1994. One of the latest was Mario Van Peebles, "How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass" aka "Baadasssss" (2003). With a title like that, you'd think poor Doom should forgo the acting career and just stick with that world domination thing.
Carl Ciarfalio played The Thing (in costume). Just like David Prowse never gets enough credit as Darth Vader, I thought Ciarfalio deserved mentioning. A 25-year veteran of film, Ciarfalio has had bit parts in a slew of Hollywood hits from "Casino" (1995), "Con Air" (1997), "Fight Club" (1999) and "The Whole Ten Yards" (2004). Ciarfalio is also an accomplished stunt person working in over 30 productions since 1994. Credits include: "Batman & Robin" (1997), "A.I." (2001), "Daredevil" (2003) -- and even "Mallrats" (1995).
Check out eBay for copies of this film. There's usually a few auctions going on each week and you shouldn't have to spend more than five bucks for a copy. As for the [new] FANTASTIC FOUR film .... rumors continue to abound as who will play what role but Avi Arad of Marvel Studios recently made some comments during Marvel Enterprises' Q1 Report. He stated principal photography begins this August for a Fourth of July weekend (2005) release. The movie will reportedly "have five different toy lines for the different characters in the film" and Activision is developing a videogame tie-in. Lastly, Arad revealed that the FF movie will be a PG-13 rated "funny family action film." Hey Arad, funny is fine just don't let it become a farce.
That's it for now ladies and gents. I'm off to the beach....
Feeling shameful yourself and want to get into the Hall? Just follow these simple rules: (1) The comic must be Modern Age - 1980 to the present. No Gold or Silver books please. (2) The comic must be from an on-line auction house; like eBay. (3) The comic must be CGC graded and fetch a minimum winning bid of 10X Overstreet Guide. Include your first name and last initial with your city/state (or city/country). To better your chances, check the archives to be sure the book you're submitting hasn't already been featured.
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