Authors Note: since May of 2002, coincidentally the same weekend the original Spider-Man movie was released, comic book retailers have designated the first Saturday in May as “Free Comic Book Day”. Much to say it has become one of my favorite holidays. To celebrate this year, I decided to treat you, my loyal readers, to an original never-before-seen chapter from one of my essay anthologies that started it all: Countdown to Avengers: Celebrating the Marvel Universe.
So, here it is, True Believers…Countdown to Avengers: King-Sized Free Comic Book Day 2024 Special: Guardians of the Galaxy!
In trying to unravel the fabric of Creation and understand the mysteries of the universe there often times appears to be an invisible line of demarcation over humanity, as if to warn us that we can only go so far. Like the fabled sword of Damocles these discoveries loom over us with either great promise, or great threat of destruction. When the Large Hadron Collider was commissioned in Geneva, Switzerland with the ambitious hopes of discovering the long-sought after, and perhaps aptly named “God-particle”, there were concerns that the reaction could result in the creation of a super-massive black hole that could destroy the Earth.
It was hardly the first time such a possible threat lingered and in fact during the Manhattan project there had been concern that in detonating the Atomic Bomb the result could create a chain reaction that could set Earth’s atmosphere on fire. While the looming threat of nuclear war between superpower states of The United States of America and the Soviet Union did not eliminate the possibility of a burning atmosphere, the splitting of the atom still provided fertile ground in the imagination for cautionary tales. When Oppenheimer and his team split the atom there was no telling what they would wrought and as a result comic books, science fiction, and horror began to reflect this narrative.
Comic books saw defenders such as The Flash, Green Lantern, The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men who were born out of science gone wrong to varying degrees, with Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men quite literally coming about through radiation itself. The US was hardly the only country whose creatives dealt with these themes, and perhaps it stands to reason that from the country upon which the devastation of the atomic bomb, Japan, perhaps one of the greatest symbols of the atomic age would arise.
Godzilla (1954)
As Peter H. Brothers notes in “Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare: How the bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla’ from a Summer 2011 issue of the film journal Cineaste,
“In 1954, while barely recovering from a devastating defeat in the Second World War and a humiliating seven-year-long American occupation, the Japanese were once again reminded of their unwilling participation in the Atomic Age, which began with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagazaki. In march of that year a Japanese tuna trawler named The Lucky DragonNo. 5 returned to port after finding itself covered in radioactive ash following the detonation of the first underwater nuclear explosion from the American “Operation Crossroads” atomic-bomb tests, which brought home to the Japanese the recurring and haunting images of the death , destruction and demoralization befalling them at the end of WWII…Inspired by the success of The Beast from 20000 Fathoms ( 1953) and influenced by King Kong ( 1933), the film that resulted is singularly Japanese. Godzilla ( Gojira) is a film less about a giant dinosaur running amuck and more about the psychological recover of a people trying to rebuild their cities, their culture, and their lives threatened by radioactive fallout.”
When it comes to fairy tales, perhaps the one that is examined and reexamined the most is the legend of Beauty and the Beast. Whether it’s in the 1980 fantasy-romance-crime drama TV series, the 1992 Disney movie, the story of a woman finding the humanity inside that which is considered “Other”, is heartwarming to many. Deep down we all long to find that person who can look past our own perceived beastly exterior, and find our humanity. Even if not finding our humanity, that this person may at least look inside and find something sweeter and more lovable.
King Kong ( 1933)
Thus, it stands to reason that it is for this reason that this narrative is so explored in other narrative styles from comic books to fantasy films. From Betty Ross with the Incredible Hulk, Kim Boggs with Edward Scissorhands, or Jean Grey with Wolverine, these retellings tap into our deep longing for connection, belonging and friendship. Yet there is also a tinge of tragedy to these stories, as very often the beast and the beauty cannot be together.
Perhaps the greatest example of the tragedy of a “Beauty and the Beast” narrative comes in the iconic form of a giant gorilla scaling the Empire State Building battling biplanes as he clutches a beautiful woman in his hands. On surface level, we would be inclined to cheer for the pilots, hoping they can rescue the woman from the monster’s clutches. Certainly, small children may be inclined to think as much, seeing only a monster attacking a city, and in our deepest memories, of course the pilots rescuing the damsel are the heroes of the story.
However, to everyone who has watched this movie, really watched, it knows there is something much deeper at the surface as this gorilla was not actually trying to harm the woman and in fact he harbored a deep love for her. Thus, at the end, as he falls to his death, the man who tried to present this ape to the world as a Sideshow Spectacle, is forced to bemoan his passing, declaring at the end of the film,
“Twas not the planes that fell him. It was beauty that killed the beast.”
The Incredible Hulk. Gollum. Chewbacca the Wookie. Yoda. Spock. The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park .For the past 12 years, Jonathon D. Svendsen has brought you some in depth looks at some of the most intriguing aliens and creatures to ever grace pop culture.
This spring, in an exciting two-part series, he will bring you a look at two of the most iconic monsters in cinema history: King Kong and Godzilla in a celebration of these Legendary Monsters.
And what title can he hope to give a series worthy of their titanic reputation?
Only one thing….
Let Them Fight: A Celebration of the Legendary MonsterVerse.
Superhero sequels, in particular those from Marvel tend to be a mixed bag .For every Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United, or X-Men: Days of Future Past that are held up as superior to their progenitor, there’s an Amazing Spider-Man 2, or a X-Men 3: The Last Stand that becomes a byword among fans as being one of the worst sequels .Even the Marvel Cinematic universe is not exempt from this trend, with Iron Man 2, and 3, being considered nowhere near as good as the first Iron Man movie, or Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Love and Thunder that are often seen as lacking the magic of Thor and Thor: Ragnarök.
However, there was on Marvel Sequel that is not only considered better then it’s predecessor, but one of the best films in the MCU. Personally, I never understood what people were complaining about, as I love Captain America: The First Avenger. For me, it was a fun throwback to one of my all-time favorite movies from childhood, Raiders of the Lost Ark, that happens to be starring one of my favorite comic book heroes, Captain America.
The Bard is one of the most revered positions in ancient myths and legends. It was not out of the question for many a hero to have one, or perhaps a minstrel traveling with them on their quests to compose the heroic tales as they happened. The hero may embark on the quest, the enchantress may cast a spell, and the creature may provide some necessary help along the way in acting as a scout, but the Bard was the one to retell the tale, granted with a few embellishments along the way, and in the process reveal deep truths and inspire others to their better angels.
In CS Lewis’ Till We Have Faces it was a Bard who appeared before Psyche’s sister Oreul and presented to her the account of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective to the gods and forced her to confront her jealousy and hubris that led her to plant seeds of doubt in her sister’s mind. In Return ofthe Jedi, C-3P0 took it upon himself to take on the role of a Bard and in relating the story of his friends and their struggle against the Empire, inspired the Ewoks to join their cause. In Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga, a young girl named Leeli, the youngest child of the Wingfeather family, is designated the “Song-keeper” and it’s her job to preserve her family’s quest in the form of a song and make sure they are passed down from generation to generation. In fact, it could even be agreed that in composing their respective memoirs “There and Back Again: A Hobbits Tale” and “The Lord of the Rings” that Bilbo and Frodo Baggins essentially functioned as the Bardic role for Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium.
Fflewddur Fflam
However, as with all artists there may be those who are not particularly good at the trade. In Monty Python and the Holy Grail for example, Sir Robin’s Minstrel not only annoys Sir Robin but the only thing he supplies to the Knights is a sustainable food source when Arthur and his knights are snowbound. This is naturally done more for comedic effect as typically in fantasies and myths, the heroes in question are supposed to represent the very best of our ideals, and to that end, the goal of the Bard is to relate not only the ideals but the truths of the myths and legends to those who may hear the tale.
In fact the final book in the Prydain chronicles, The High King, Lloyd Alexander even concludes his cycle by saying,
“Yet long afterward, when all had passed away into distant memory, there were many who wondered whether King Taran, Queen Eilonwy, and their companions had indeed walked the earth, or whether they had been no more than dreams in a tale set down to beguile children. And in time, only the bards know the truth of it.”
When it comes to the Peanuts Holiday specials, the Easter special tends to be a bit of an afterthought. In fact, long before the airing rights for ABC to air the specials had lapsed in 2020 and the franchise was bought by Apple, the Easter special was the only one not seen on regular rotation. Some could perhaps write-it off due to the movable feast nature of Easter, making it hard to place with NCAA playoffs on the docket, but that doesn’t seem to cut the mustard. After all, ABC seems to show Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments around Holy Week in order to coincide both with the Easter and Passover holidays so it wouldn’t be that hard to a lot a little time for Charlie and the gang and their spring time shenanigans, perhaps even in the half an hour time slot before TheTen Commandments starts.
It has been well documented throughout the annals of art history that despite biblical descriptions to the contrary, or even in contrast to those given by those by literary sources such as John Milton or Dante Algiere, images from ancient myths gradually became incorporated into the cultural of the devil. One only need look at the horns upon the head and see echoes not only of the Greco-Roman Pan, but the likes of the malevolent Norse trickster and bringer of Ragnarök, Loki, or the more relatively obscure Horned King from Welsh mythology.
Even if the being in question may not immediately associated with the Judeo-Christian conception of the evil one, if retelling a tale from mythology, in adapting these myths it isn’t out of the ordinary for these beings to begin to morph into that likeness. This is especially true with villains in Disney films released prior to the turn of the Millenium. In Disney’s Hercules for example, Hades is more like the Christian devil, with a aspects of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor and Terrance Stamp’s General Zod from the Christopher Reeve Superman films thrown into the narrative blender. In Slavic the name Chernabog is simply roughly translated into English as “the Dark god”, but when he appears in Disney’s Fantasia, in the final segment “Night on Ball Mountain”, he strongly resembles the devil as described in Dante’s Inferno. Charles Perraut’s Sleeping Beauty does not appear to include a character like Maleficent, yet she is considered one of the most memorable parts of the animated film as she appears in all her menacing glory with two great horns upon her head summoning, “all the powers of Hell.”
These villains were part of the appeal of the film, and many fans and critics have often lamented their absence in more recent animated fair. Even Emily Kavanagh, who wrote glowingly about the shift in focus towards generational trauma and interpersonal conflict and away from obvious villains in Disney films acknowledged in “From ‘Encanto to ‘Luca”: How Disney pivoted Away from Villains” for Collider,
The Horned King
“Anyone who’s watched an animated film by Disney in the last 10 years might have noticed that newer Disney films are a little different from the ones we grew up with. The Disney Renaissance of the ’90s defined a generation and for the most part followed a pretty simple formula: naive protagonist encounters conniving villain. It worked wonders for revitalizing Disney’s animation team and the classic villains of that era are among the most iconic characters in Disney’s catalog. But the ranks of those villains haven’t seen a new edition in quite some time. While Hans…from Frozen or Ernesto De La Cruz…from Coco are certainly villains in their own right, they don’t get the Renaissance villain treatment and are some of the only recent examples of truly villainous characters in recent Disney animated films. But with Disney still producing multiple animated features each year, one begins to wonder, where have all the villains gone?….”
However, no Disney villain was seen as more malevolent, or exaggerated then the primary antagonist in The Black Cauldron. Despite being unable to kickstart the Disney renaissance, film at least boasted one of the most visually stunning villains in their catalogue of films. As portrayed by legendary film actor John Hurt, The Horned King had all the foreboding dread of Darth Vader making him unlike anything never seen in a Disney film at that time.
Roger Ebert was certainly impressed, and in his positive review of the film, he called him one of the best characters in the film, and comparing the final product to the likes of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in terms of its willingness to go dark. However, even critics who were not so enthralled with the movie, finding it one of Disney’s weaker efforts were at least impressed with the villain, even wanting more screentime for the Horned King.
Long before they began to gobble up IP’s like Marvel Comics and Star War faster than Galactus at a $9.99 all you can eat planetary buffet, Disney had struck a veritable gold mine with their “Disney Princess” line of merchandise. Spinning off from the films within their animated canon the line not only included collectible “fashion dolls” of each character, but books, comics, clothing and even short films and animated TV shows that continued to tell their story. This line stretched all the way back to Disney’s first film, Snow White, and continues on down to Moana.
Naturally there are more than a few animation and Disney film aficionados who note that several characters are left out, including Maid Marian from Disney’s Robin Hood, Kida from Atlantis: TheLost Empire, and Megaera from Hercules. Fans are even beguiled at why animals like Nala form Lion King and Faline from Bambie are left out of the list due in no small part to the iconic status of both films in the history of American animated films. However, there is one princess from a Disney film who inevitably makes the top of the list of forgotten characters, and has yet to see fans demand she be added to the pantheon: Princess Eilonwy from the 1980s film The Black Cauldron.
Much of this has to do with the perceived failure of the film. As Sarah Franks-Allan notes in “Ten Forgotten Disney Princesses” for entertainment website ScreenCrush,
Princess Eilonwy
“Most of the princesses Disney has chosen to forget about come from films that were not financially successful, an understatement in the case of The Black Cauldron. Eilonwy had the double misfortune of starring in a massive flop and being a major downgrade of the strong-willed character from the book on which the film is based. Eilonwy just doesn’t have much to do and the fact that she’s a princess is only barely mentioned.”
One way for a mythic and fantastic story to demonstrate that the heroes are beginning to leave the familiar is for them to encounter some sort of creature. While the homestead represents safety and comfort, the creature represent “terra incognito”. To encounter them, was to remind the hero, and the readers that they had truly strayed off to where the map ended. As it is well documented on ancient maps near the very edge was always reserved for the simple phrase of “Here there be monsters.”
For Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in The Phantom Menace and The Empire Strikes Back respectively, the encounters the two of them have with creatures like Jar-Jar Binks and Yoda are lessons not only in patience, but serve to deepen their understanding of the Force and their place in the Galaxy. For Bilbo Baggins or Harry Potter creatures like Gollum and Dobby the House-elf draw forth their sense of mercy and compassion on the pathetic creature. For the Pevensie children and their cousin Eustace in The Chronicles of Narnia, it goes beyond seeing such things as talking animals, and mythical beasts like Fauns and Centaurs but sentient stars and the perpetual wet-blanket, Puddleglum. Even in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the “creatures” of the Guardians of the Galaxy like Drax, Gamora, Rocket, Nebula and Groot help show Tony Stark the immense size, scale and importance of the quest for the Infinity Gems as this is not just about one world but the fate of the universe.
As Mary Lou Colbath notes in “Worlds as They Should Be: Middle-earth, Narnia, and Prydain” from a December 1971 issue of the National Council of Teachers of English journal Elementary English, in which she discussed the difference between “true fantasies” like The Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles in juxtaposition with then current TV shows that were labeled as fantasy including the Flintstones or The Flying Nun,
“The second limitation is that the fantasy is related in some degree to man’s own mythological heritage. This would eliminate rabbit holes to wonderland, flying governesses, and magic automobiles—however delightful they may be. It would allow heroic quests, brave men, fabulous beasts wizards, elves and all other inhabitants of faierie.”
Readers of Prydain are introduced to such a creature midway through Taran’s journey as he and Gwydion make it through a darkened forest where they are beset by a strange creature named “Gurgi”.
Gurgi
As David Roberts notes in “The Chronicles of Prydain is the Greatest Fantasy Series Ever Written” for Vox.com,
“Alexander’s Prydain series is written more at the level of The Hobbit than at that of (The Lord of the Rings) understandably since both are specifically aimed at children. However, Alexander may be considered one of the first of the new generation of writers over whom Tolkien’s shadow unmistakably falls. The basic situation, repeated in all five books, involves a small group of oddly assorted companions in the quest or confrontation with some kind of magical object. Rather than inventing a new system, the author draws on the mythology of Wales, but many familiar characters show themselves… They include…Gurgi — a creature of uncertain nature and origins who comes across as a Gollum who lacks not virtue but wits.”
Jonathon D. Svendsen 