Mountain Comics #7 – Avengers #237

MOUNTAIN COMICS #7 – AVENGERS #237

Writer/artist Michel Fiffe (COPRA) visits Rob’s Mountain Comics series to talk about “Meltdowns and Mayhem” by Roger Stern, Al Milgrom, and Joe Sinnott, from AVENGERS #237!

Check out images from this comic by clicking here!

Subscribe to FW PRESENTS on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fw-presents/id1207382042

This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK:

Thanks for listening!

11 responses to “Mountain Comics #7 – Avengers #237

  1. Having the inside scoop on what Rob’s Mountain Comics actually are, I can safely say that there are very few of them in my own collection. This issue of Avengers is a rare exception. It’s not my oldest Avengers issue (thank you, flea markets!), but it was, I think, my first. It was my introduction to many of the villains, to Starfox and Captain Marvel, and most clearly in my mind, to the Scarlet Witch whose powers fascinated me at the time.

    It did not however lead to immediately collecting the Avengers. That would wait for me to fall in love with the West Coast Avengers in their own mini, and then appearing in Avengers #250, at which point, there was no going back.

    Joe Sinnott, by the way, is my favorite Bronze Age inker. Possibly the first inker I ever noticed. That has to do with his mid-70s Marvel work that filled those old French-language translations I read as a kid.

  2. Fun episode! I didn’t have this one as a kid, but I think it’s reprinted in the recent Avengers Digest from Archie?

    I liked the Milgrom/Sinnott combo. There was something oddly old-fashioned about it. I hate to say this on a network partially founded on Firestorm, but I was never a big Milgrom fan, esp. when he inked himself, or others. I did like Sinnott’s inks on Kirby and just about everyone.

    Roger Stern…I love that guy. I met him at a con year’s ago. Mid-Ohio Con? I think that was it. As humble and nice as you’d imagine. His Amazing Spider-Man run may be THE best after Lee/Ditko/Romita. And his Superman stuff was great too.

    And man, I still regret I didn’t introduce myself to Michelle at Heroes Con. My kid had to go and get a tummy ache that night at dinner. Sigh. 🙁

    Chris

  3. Always happy to hear Roger Stern get some love. He is one of my favorite comic book writers. He was writing Avengers and Superman when I started collecting their titles, and is probably why I developed a life long attachment to both. It does make me sad that his name does not seem to get brought up as much as other classic writers among fandom, I have always thought he deserved to be listed among the best. I think the point made on the show about how he gave each character their own voice was spot on…he excelled at making each character feel like a real person, with their own distinct personality, no matter how small their role may be in a particular story. And his Under Seige storyline on the Avengers (in which the Masters of Evil take over the mansion) is my all time favorite Avengers story.

  4. I had never read this story until last month when I picked up the Marvel Comics Digest from Archie. Never was a fan of Milgrom, regardless of the inker, as pencils always felt too… gritty? muddy?

    OTOH, I always thought Roger Stern was one of the best of the journeymen writers, and as a DC geek was very happy when he made the jump to the light side in the late ’80s.

  5. What a love-fest for Roger Stern. I have to agree. He was writing Amazing Spider-Man when I start collecting comics, and I have his entire run on Avengers from this era. All of it was simply comics gold. While fandom doesn’t necessarily give Stern his due, Marvel has recognized his importance and ability, letting him straighten out and restore some characters, like the Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives and Avengers 2 (Wonder Man and the Beast) mini-series. Those characters were a bit of a mess, and Stern was able to restore some sense. Not an easy thing to do.

    I may be mistaken, but another factoid about this issue was it coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Avengers #1. That was part of the reason for having Spider-Man guest star. Sheesh, can’t remember my teachers from Elementary school, but I remember that????

    Thanks for the great episode, Rob and Michel. It was lots of fun!

  6. I had stopped reading The Avengers well before this issue, so I’m only going by Rob’s summary of the story. Spidey is rejected for the Avengers because the U.S. Government couldn’t vouch for him? I can buy that. But then you say that Starfox makes the issue-ending joke. Which makes me think of Starfox. Who is an alien. From another world. Who must have been cleared by the Feds, right? That’s the kind of thing that bugs me. I don’t mean to dump on Roger Stern. He wrote some great Spider-Man stories, and the best Captain America stories, but that little lapse in internal logic annoys me. So does/did Starfox.

  7. O.k. finally got around to listening to this episode. Very enjoyable, and like others above, I have to say it’s nice to see Stern get his due. I won’t go into any more detail, as anyone who’s just burning with curiosity about my thoughts on him can see my comment in the post for the most recent episode of the Digest Cast. I will just add that I totally agree with Michel’s point about the way Stern seems to almost effortlessly put together such densely plotted stories, and also nail every character’s voice. And stay mindful of past continuity, and often ‘fix’ the poor story choices of previous writers without stepping on anyone’s toes. And – er, I’ll stop now…

  8. Great episode!! Always a joy to hear Michel on the network!!

    After reading this issue myself for the recent DIGESTCAST, listening to you guys, and then listening to Van Allen Plexico’s AVENGERS ASSEMBLED PODCAST… I’m thinking I need to read Roger Stern’s entire Avengers run. I’ve never read it and have heard wonderful things. I’d really like to read the entire run.

    Thanks for a great episode!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *