Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thursday Terrors: "Power Times Four!" by Isabella and Mayerik

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Another new department: Thursday Terrors! This brand new but already moldy and mysterious department is kicking off with The Living Mummy in "Power Times Four!" from Supernatural Thrillers #8 (May 1974)! With this issue, writer Tony (the Tiger) Isabella was manning the typewriter, and did he ever come up with a doozy of a tale! Not only is it filled with action, intrigue, and moment after moment of macabre mysticism, but buried within it is the origin of a future Marvel villain--who would exist in the past! Can you catch the clues without reading Ol' Groove's end-notes, baby? Oh, and take your time--Val Mayerik's art is stunning, amazing, far-out, and kozmik! His pencils and inks were killer here, weren't they?















Didja catch the homage to the Golden Age Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett? A few years later, September, 1976, to be exact, writer/editor Rascally Roy Thomas would snatch up the origin of the scarlet scarab as the focal point of the origin of the villainous Scarlet Scarab in Invaders # 23! Did he and Tony plan that character/connection out way back in early 1974? Or is that just another example of the Rascally One's mutant ret-conning abilities? You out there, Tony? Can you give us the real skinny on The Scarlet Scarab's Living Mummy connection? (If there really is one?)


3 comments:

  1. I have this story in an Essentials book; it's nice to see these in color, though. Yes, Mayerik's art is stunning, and the Living Mummy stories in general were pretty good.
    And no, I did not catch any of the references you mentioned, but they are indeed cool.

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  2. Wow. This looks great. For some reason, I haven't read many of these stories. I should rectify that situation, especially since my daughter is obsessed with all things Mummy these days.

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  3. Marvel brought the Mummy back in a Daredevil story a while ago as part of a horror team but they didn't really treat him with respect.

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