Cheers all see you in a few :)

An absolute cracker of a show mate. See you in 30 mins.

This part of the drama today is actually taken from the Fantastic Four comics, which you'll hear a different version of afterwards :)

Tribute from Chris Dingsdale :)

You can hear how passionate a person he was and how passionate he was about his work.

and now...

Thanks for adding my clip, Baron. RIP Stan 'The Man' Lee.

The radio series jumps to issue 3 for the next story....

Yup Bill Murray is... The Human Torch!

And yes, it is Stan Lee narrating :)

Afternoon all.

Afternoon folks, shall we rock it up for Stan Lee???

Are you ready for some superheroic fun???? See you at 2pm for AC/DC, Uriah Heep, Veruca Salt and more music wise, but also The Amazing Spiderman and the Fantastic Four, as well as an interview with Stan "The Man" Lee himself. See you at 2pm.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 2: Ms Marvel/Cpt Marvel (Carol Danvers)

Sigh. Only just missing out on the Number 1 OVERALL slot, my love affair with Carol Danvers is as long and complicated as her own comic book history.

Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, Major Carol Danvers first appeared as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (March 1968) in the Captain Marvel strip and debuted as the first incarnation of Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel #1 (January 1977) after a fusion of alien Kree and human genes gives her superhuman powers, which occurred in Captain Marvel #18 (November 1969). Debuting in the Silver Age of comics, the character was featured in a self-titled series in the late 1970s before becoming associated with superhero teams the Avengers and the X-Men. The character has also been known as Binary, Warbird, and Captain Marvel at various points in her history, and has been featured in other Marvel licensed products including video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards.

Due to her long history in Marvel Comics, Carol Danvers has been highly regarded. She has been labeled "Marvel's biggest female hero", a "feminist icon", as "quite possibly Marvel's mightiest Avenger", and now "Earth's Mightiest Hero". Marvel Studios announced a live-action film featuring the character, titled Captain Marvel and starring Brie Larson, which is scheduled for release in 2019.

I first encountered Carol Danvers in the Marvel UK comic Titans, which reprinted various US Marvel comics in a weekly anthology format. Included in the comic was the original Cpt Marvel strip. This Captain was a soldier of the Kree, sent to spy on Earth but who would rebel against his high command and instead become one of its greatest champions. Carol was introduced as the love interest, and despite being a USAF pilot, often fell into the Marvel trap of helpless female needs rescuing plot mechanism. This would be around 1975 if memory serves.

Gradually Carol became more independent minded and would leave the Captain to find her own identity (becoming a successful editor and business woman) after being almost fatally injured (more on this later).

Shortly after this in 1977, I stumbled across 4 issues of the US Marvel Comics Ms Marvel in a newsagent on the Norfolk Broads. Released to cash in on the Women's Lib movement, the title was,at first, an odd mix of what was perceived by the male writers as women's lib rhetoric ("Face it Scorpion, you're just not man enough to beat me!"), traditional superheroics and alien conspiracy theories tied in with secret Spectre type world domination types.

Her origin is explained by referring back to the issue of Cpt Marvel in which Danvers is caught in the explosion of a Kree device after trying to get close to Captain Marvel. Although Captain Marvel manages to save her life, Danvers sustains serious injuries, leaves the strip and later resurfaces with superhuman abilities and becomes the hero Ms. Marvel in a self-titled series in January 1977, at first written by Gerry Conway and later by Chris Claremont. The twist is that Carol and Ms Marvel are initially two separate personalities, each not knowing the other, with Ms Marvel believing herself to be a Kree warrior. In the series, it is revealed that the energy exposure from the explosion of a device called the "Psyche-Magnetron" caused Danvers's genetic structure to meld with Captain Marvel's, effectively turning her into a human-Kree hybrid.

At the time of the publication of Ms. Marvel #1 in 1977, the title was self-consciously socially progressive for its time. This was reflected in the use of the word "Ms.", then associated with the feminist movement, and in Danvers fighting for equal pay for equal work in her civilian identity.

Despite having Gerry Conway and Chris Claremont at the writing helm, and artists like John Buscema, Sal Buscema and John Romita Jr producing awesome artwork, it could be argued that the most entertaining part of the title were the letters pages, which featured some of the most intelligent letters ever seen in a title outside of Dr Strange (and possibly Jim Starlin's Warlock). Gradually, the feminist movement, through these letters, managed to educate the writers and the character became more and more true to both herself as a character and as a strong, individual, self-dependent woman.

When Dave Cockrum and Mike Vosburg took over the title, it entered a new, more mature (and ultimately more satisfying) run but sadly ended with issue 23 (issues 24 and 25 would later appear in their entirety in Marvel Superheroes Quarterly). Ms. Marvel then had a series of semi-regular appearances in The Avengers, with additional appearances with the Defenders, Spider-Man,[ the Thing, and Iron Man and of course in MSH. In one of these stories, the mutant terrorist Mystique kills Michael Barnett, Ms. Marvel's lover.

Okay, now it's time to take a deep breath and not let your head explode because it's gonna get complicated!

In The Avengers #200 (October 1980), Ms. Marvel is kidnapped by a character named Marcus (the apparent son of Avengers foe Immortus) and taken to an alternate dimension, where she is brainwashed, seduced, and impregnated. She gives birth on Earth to a child that rapidly ages into another version of Marcus, who is ultimately unable to remain on Earth after Hawkeye mistakenly damages his machine, takes Ms. Marvel back to the alternate dimension with no opposition from the Avengers, who perceive Ms. Marvel and Marcus to have fallen in love. Comic book historian Carol A. Strickland criticised the storyline in an essay titled "The Rape of Ms. Marvel". Citing Marcus' line, "Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts—and admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus' machines—you became mine", Strickland posited that Ms. Marvel's impregnation was simply rape by another name. As former writer of the solo title, Chris Claremont also commented on the inappropriateness of the storyline. At the time of reading this issue myself, I remember feeling uncomfortable with the story and didn't believe Carol would act this way.

Thankfully, Claremont effectively "undid" the Marcus story in Avengers Annual #10 (1981). In that story, Danvers is revealed to have returned to Earth—courtesy of Immortus's technology after Marcus continued to age and die of old age— and now free of his psychic influence, but is attacked by the mutant Rogue, who permanently absorbs the character's abilities and memories. Danvers' memories (but not her powers it first seems) are restored by Professor X, and an angry confrontation with the Avengers concerning their failure to realise Marcus had brainwashed her follows.

Claremont continued to develop the character in the title Uncanny X-Men. Danvers enters the Pentagon and, while wiping the government's files on the X-Men, also deletes all records of herself in a symbolic break with her life as Ms. Marvel. During an adventure in space with the X-Men, Danvers is changed courtesy of experimentation by the alien race the Brood into a newly empowered character called "Binary". Drawing on the power of a cosmic phenomenon called a white hole, Danvers becomes capable of generating the power of a star. As Binary, the character has a number of encounters with the X-Men, New Mutants, and the British team Excalibur, as well as a solo adventure.

Claremont also expanded on the incident with the character Rogue by having the Carol Danvers persona manifest itself within Rogue's mind, sometimes overpowering Rogue's personality- and effectively saving Rogue on more than one occasion. After Rogue passes through the ancient supernatural gateway called the Siege Perilous, the Ms. Marvel persona is separated from her as an independent entity. Within the same issue, the Ms. Marvel persona is killed by Magneto.

During the 90s, the character continued to make sporadic appearances, including the inclusion of the two additional issues planned for the original title in MSH. The same year the character was also used extensively in the storyline "Operation Galactic Storm". By the conclusion of the story the character had lost her connection to the white hole she drew her powers from, reverting to use of the original Ms. Marvel powers, but retaining the energy manipulation and absorption powers she had as Binary, albeit on a smaller scale.

After several more team and solo appearances the character then rejoins the Avengers with the new alias Warbird. Writer Kurt Busiek adds a new dimension to the character and casts her as an alcoholic, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her cosmic powers and memories. Danvers disgraces herself during the "Live Kree or Die" storyline and is soon suspended from active duty.

When the 2000s began, the character was then featured as "Captain Marvel" in a false reality created by mutant the Scarlet Witch in limited series House of M. This reality pandered to Danvers' subconscious desire to be accepted as she proved to be the most popular superhero on Earth. Ms. Marvel then came to prominence again when the character was launched in a second self-titled volume, one of the most exciting titles that Marvel had out at the time. Together with fellow Avenger Iron Man, Danvers also becomes a principal advocate of the Superhuman Registration Act during the events of the 2006-7 "Civil War" storyline. The story also continues in Ms. Marvel's own title as the character battles the anti-registration heroes led by Captain America. Thankfully, the Ms Marvel stories in this so-called event, were not as dire as the rest of the crossover issues, but still detracted, for me, from Carol's title and ongoing storylines.

The storyline has major consequences for the New Avengers, causing the team to split and the pro–registration heroes—including Ms. Marvel—form their own team, debuting in The Mighty Avengers. Danvers enters into a relationship with fellow member Wonder Man,appears in a crossover series with the robot Transformers,] and becomes leader of the Mighty Avengers. The character makes an agreement with Tony Stark, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to lead a covert strike team called Operation: Lightning Storm, its designated mission being the elimination of supervillains before they become global threats.

Eventually, Ms. Marvel was captured by the Brood on Monster Island, whereupon she found the Brood Queen. An intense confrontation ensued during which Ms. Marvel was temporarily cut off from her powers and had to fight the Brood Queen as Carol Danvers and, at one point, she is forced to drift through space until she was able to access her powers.

Ms. Marvel also plays a significant role in the 2008 limited series Secret Invasion (which has the dubious honour of being even worse and more ludicrous than Civil War) against the alien shapeshifting Skrulls. She befriends Captain Marvel's Skrull impostor and proves to him that she is not a Skrull by revealing intimate details about their life together. At the conclusion of the war with the Skrulls, Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) is placed in charge of the registered Avengers team. Refusing to serve under Osborn, Ms. Marvel joins the New Avengers, becoming second-in-command. Osborn appoints former Thunderbolt member Moonstone (Karla Sofen) as the "new" Ms. Marvel to his Dark Avengers team; Moonstone wears a variation of Ms. Marvel's original costume. Osborn engineers a battle that results in Danvers's powers overloading, causing her apparent death. The character Moonstone takes over the title role in the ongoing Ms. Marvel series. Danvers returns with the aid of the New Avengers, a group of MODOK embryos (creations of the organization Advanced Idea Mechanics [AIM]), and a character known as the "Storyteller" and reclaims the title of Ms. Marvel from Karla Sofen.

The increased use of Carol Danvers as a prominent character in many story arcs throughout this decade eventually prompted one commentator to note that "she's now the House of Ideas' premier heroine". Of course, those of us who had been with Carol from the start ALWAYS knew she was 📷:)

In the conclusion of the second volume of Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers battles her old nemesis Mystique and a clone of Captain Marvel created by the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion, after they carry out a series of tragedies at temples belonging to the Church of Hala, a church dedicated to Mar-Vell. (the Kree name of original male Cpt Marvel, get it?). Danvers later aids the allied forces of Steve Rogers against Iron Patriot during the Siege of Asgard. Danvers also begins to develop a friendship with Spider-Man. Though he infuriates her the first time they work together, the two become closer when he helps her during the "Dark Reign" storyline, and she later admits to having feelings for him. Following the conclusion of the "Siege" storyline, Ms. Marvel returns as a regular character in the second volume of The New Avengers.

In July 2012, Carol Danvers assumed the mantle of Captain Marvel in an ongoing series written by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy. Danvers dons a jumpsuit and explores her own past. When describing her pitch for the series at WonderCon 2012 DeConnick said it could be "pretty much be summed up with 'Carol Danvers as Chuck Yeager.'" She said the series would contemplate what Captain Marvel's legend means to Danvers, how she will wield it, and how the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts.

Danvers also rejoined the main Avengers team as Captain Marvel in vol. 5 of The Avengers and in the spin-off series, Avengers Assemble, also written by DeConnick. Editor Lauren Sankovitch said that Marvel editors liked DeConnick's work and that adding her to the team would "get some lady power in the Avengers lineup". DeConnick said, "You might know this -- I have a certain affection for [Carol Danvers]. And I decided, 'Well, if I'm deciding, there will be a slot available for her as well.'"

In 2013, Carol Danvers starred in the Captain Marvel / Avengers Assemble crossover storyline, "The Enemy Within". In the story, Danvers and her Avenger teammates battle Yon-Rogg, the Kree commander who was responsible for the explosion that caused Danvers to receive her powers, and in defeating the Kree Danvers loses her memories.

In November 2013, Marvel announced that Danvers would be joining the Guardians of the Galaxy beginning in Free Comic Book Day: Guardians of the Galaxy (May 2014) by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. In March 2014, Marvel launched an eighth volume of Captain Marvel written again by DeConnick and starring Danvers in the title role but drawn by artist David López. DeConnick said, "The big difference is we were grounded in New York City for the previous volume; at least in the latter part of it. With the new Captain Marvel #1 we start in NYC but after that we're letting her go cosmic. Carol will be spending time off planet."

During the 2015 Secret Wars crossover event, Danvers headlined her own tie-in series, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps co-written by DeConnick and Kelly Thompson and drawn by López. In the series, Danvers leads an elite squadron of female fighter pilots stationed at an airbase called Hala Field, where she is the only superpowered being; this leads the corps to help Danvers answer questions about her origin, which puts her in conflict with the controlling forces of Battleworld. Also during the Secret Wars event, Danvers appeared as a member of A-Force, Battleworld's all-female team of Avengers. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson, continued into the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" relaunch following the conclusion of Secret Wars with Danvers in a key role.

Beginning in October 2015, Danvers starred in the ninth volume of Captain Marvel, written by Agent Carter showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas with artwork by Kris Anka, as part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" initiative. The series, set eight months after Secret Wars, sees Danvers taking over the responsibilities of S.W.O.R.D., the military agency that was previously designated to protect Earth from intergalactic threats. Editor Sana Amanat said, "This is really meant to be the next level for Captain Marvel. Carol is really meant to be a soldier and a commander, and also a diplomat. We're really trying to build up this space complex and this space world." At this time, Danvers also joined The Ultimates. Series writer Al Ewing said, "Carol's currently running Alpha Flight, which is Earth's premier space agency. [She has] seen the highs and the lows of the superhero business, and come out the other side. Right now, Carol's in the ascendant, culturally, both in-universe and outside it... Carol's story in The Ultimates is very much about her links with the ordinary super-hero world, and about trying to form a bridge between that world and the world of The Ultimates."

In 2016, Danvers played a predominant role in Civil War II, by Brain Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez, as the leader of a faction of superheroes who wish to use Ulysses' precognitive power to profile future crimes before they occur. About her position Bendis stated, "From Carol's point of view, she is like, 'You're telling me the world is still turning at the end of the day and everyone is safe? I don't care... If it keeps us safe, that's fine.'" Following the conclusion of Civil War II, Danvers starred in The Mighty Captain Marvel, by writer Margaret Stohl and artist Ramon Rosanas, which sees Danvers become a household name. Stohl explained, "She will be one of the most popular heroes on the planet—but that's not something she is very comfortable with. And of course she's lost a lot of folks that she's loved so she has to cope with that, too That being said, she still has a job to do as commander of the Alpha Flight. Her latest mission being recruiting and training new cadets. It'll also bring with it a mysterious danger that will threaten everything Carol has built."

Phew!

The issue with all this is simple- Marvel does too many events, crossovers and relaunches! Only a truly strong character- one who lives and breathes and acts in a consistent way- could survive. Carol Danvers, thankfully, always manages to rise above, sometimes narrowly and sometimes after time true, the noise and say, "wait a minute, I am still here and I am still me!"

It's also true to say that the new Captain Marvel titles, alongside She Hulk and Scarlet Witch (and Daredevil), have been by far the best of the Marvel Now!, Marvel All New & Different and Marvel We Don't Know What To Call Ourselves This Year relaunches, just as the Ms Marvel Vol 2 series was one the best from the noughties (along with She Hulk it has to be said).

Why do I love her so much? Because she was the first Marvel female superhero to break the mould? Possibly. Because she is a strong, assertive woman who knows her own mind? Hmmmm. Because she's blonde with long legs and large boobies? Oh come on! No, I love her because she's been with me since I was 10 years old and as I've grown, I've seen her grow as well. She's had terrible story-lines to deal with, as well as bad writers, the occasional bad artist, terrible Marvel-Disney editorial decisions and money grabbing crossover events that made no sense. Yet, she's still here, still winning over new fans whilst holding on to her original fans at the same time.

Not many superheroes can say that now, can they?

Again, the order came from Stan to create Ms Marvel.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 10: The Scarlet Witch

I first encountered Wanda Maximov in Avengers Weekly and even as a 9 or 10 year old, I was drawn to her. By the time the title had finished and merged into Mighty World of Marvel Weekly, I was 11 years old and was really noticing her... charms (yes, pun intended lol).

Scarlet Witch actually debuted, together with her brother, Quicksilver, as a part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Men #4 (March 1964). They were depicted as reluctant villains, uninterested in Magneto's ideologies. Scarlet Witch is depicted as calm and submissive, as with most female comic book characters of the time. Her costume was mainly composed of a bathing suit with straps, opera gloves, short boots, a leotard covering her body, a superhero cape, and a wimple, all of which were coloured in shades of red.

After several appearances as a villain in issues #5 (May 1964); #6 (July 1964); #7 (September 1964); and #11 (May 1965), Wanda and her brother were added to the cast of the superhero team the Avengers in Avengers #16 (May 1965).Scarlet Witch was a semi-regular member of the team until issue #49 (February 1968), and then returned in issue #75 (April 1970) and was a perennial member of both the main team and several affiliated teams—such as the West Coast Avengers and Force Works—until Avengers #503 (December 2004), the final issue of the first volume. Upon her return to the Avengers she was given a long-running love interest in the form of fellow Avenger the Vision. Writer Roy Thomas recounted:

"I felt that a romance of some sort would help the character development in The Avengers, and the Vision was a prime candidate because he appeared only in that mag... as did Wanda, for that matter. So they became a pair, for just such practical considerations." The two characters were married in Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975).

Thomas's successor on The Avengers, Steve Englehart, considerably expanded Scarlet Witch's powers, adding genuine sorcery to her mutant "hex" power. He later explained, "Having decided she would be a full-fledged player, she then naturally developed a more assertive personality, and I wanted to know more about her rather vaguely defined powers since she'd be using them more. I could certainly have pushed her more toward the mutant end of the spectrum, but the name 'Witch' seemed like it could be more than just a superhero nom de guerre, so I went that way."

The character made occasional guest-appearances in other Marvel titles such as Marvel Team-Up #41–44 (January–April 1976), and Marvel Fanfare #6 (January 1983). Scarlet Witch starred in two limited series with husband and fellow Avenger the Vision: Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1–4 (November 1982 – February 1983), by writer Bill Mantlo and penciller Rick Leonardi, and a second volume of the same title numbered #1–12 (October 1985 – September 1986), written by Englehart and penciled by Richard Howell. Howell later wrote, penciled, inked, lettered, and colored a Scarlet Witch solo story which appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #60–63 (October–November 1990). A solo limited series, titled Scarlet Witch, ran four issues in 1994. A one-shot titled Mystic Arcana Scarlet Witch was published in October 2007 and an Avengers Origins: The Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver one-shot followed in January 2012.

Artist George Pérez designed a new costume with a strong Roma influence for the character in 1998.This design has rarely been used by artists other than Pérez. Alan Davis stated that when he became the artist on The Avengers, he "asked to change the Scarlet Witch just because I didn't feel the design George Pérez created worked with my drawing style. I tend to go for simpler, more open lines and don't do lots of detail in rendering."

The character eventually had a schism, having "lost" her children, being possessed by Mephisto, manipulated and possessed by several other dimension beings, losing the Vision, having her memories tampered with so she wouldn't remember her children etc etc. Because of this she would turn dark, unleashing her full power and therefore played a pivotal role in the Avengers Disassembled storyline and related limited series House of M, during which she altered reality, killing several Avengers and X-Men, and setting up her father, Magneto, as ruler of this new Earth.

Eventually, her true nature would breakthrough and she restored the world to what it was, becoming a hero again and finding the inner strength that she had always had.

Don Markstein asserts: "The Scarlet Witch is unique among superheroes, and not just because she's the only one who wears a wimple. Her super power is unlike any other—she can alter probability so as to cause mishaps for her foes. In other words, she 'hexes' them."

Scarlet Witch is a regular character in Uncanny Avengers (2012), beginning with issue #1. The Axis crossover revealed that Magneto was not her father after all, doing away with a relation that has been canon for decades. It also revealed that she was not a mutant, but a common human that received powers with the experiments of the High Evolutionary. This plot twist was published when Marvel and Fox had a legal dispute over the film rights to the character, as Fox has a film license for the X-Men, mutants, and their related characters.

Under the All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, the character received her own ongoing solo series[ written by James Robinson in late 2015. Robinson explained that he has been influenced by the work of Matt Fraction and David Aja on the Hawkeye title stating:

[Matt Fraction and David Aja] managed to stay true to the character in the Avengers while also taking it in a fresh direction, so it wasn't just that same Avengers character doing solo things, which I don't think ever really works for any sustained period of time for any of those second-tier characters."

Whilst I object to calling Wanda a second tier character, I do note that he did produce probably 1 of the best 5 Marvel series in years but sadly the title has been cancelled in the last month or so. The reason why is such a favourite of mine is because I saw her character grow in The Avengers Weekly just as I was growing up too. She may have started off as a bit of a shy, doubting creature, but that was not her true nature. She is The Scarlet Witch after all, and why choose the colour and title of Scarlet if she weren't someone with a fiery, tempered bit of steel inside her? :)

Stan Lee created the Scarlet Witch.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 12: DOC SAVAGE

Doc Savage isn't just a Marvel character- he's been all over comics, books and magazines since 1933!

The Doc Savage Magazine was printed by Street & Smith from March 1933 to the summer of 1949 to capitalise on the success of the Shadow magazine and followed by the original Avenger in September 1939. In all, 181 issues were published in various entries and alternative titles.

Doc Savage became known to more contemporary readers when Bantam Books began reprinting the individual magazine novels in 1964, this time with covers by artist James Bama that featured a bronze-haired, bronze-skinned Doc Savage with an exaggerated widows' peak, usually wearing a torn khaki shirt and under the by-line "Kenneth Robeson". The stories were not reprinted in chronological order as originally published, though they did begin with the first adventure, The Man of Bronze. By 1967, Bantam was publishing once a month until 1990, when all 181 original stories (plus an unpublished novel, The Red Spider) had run their course. Author Will Murray produced seven more Doc Savage novels for Bantam Books from Lester Dent's original outlines. Bantam also published a novel by Philip José Farmer, Escape From Loki (1991), which told the story of how in World War I Doc met the men who would become his five comrades.

Clark Savage, Jr. first appeared in March 1933 in the first issue of Doc Savage Magazine. Because of the success of the Shadow, who had his own pulp magazine, the publishers Street & Smith quickly launched this pulp title. Unlike the Shadow, Clark Savage, "Doc" to his friends, had no special powers, but was raised from birth by his father and other scientists to become one of the most perfect human beings in terms of strength, intelligence, and physical abilities.

Doc Savage set up base on the 86th floor of a world-famous New York skyscraper (implied, but never outright stated, as the Empire State Building; Phillip Jose Farmer, in his Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, gives good evidence that this is likely the case). Doc Savage fights against evil with the assistance of the "Fabulous Five".

The best comic book version simply has to be black & white magazine Doc Savage, featuring full length novelisations in each issue, produced by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. The quality of this magazine is simply awesome, and the art of Tony DeZuniga and others never looking better, this was MY introduction to the character. Sadly, the flop of the movie by George Pal starring Ron Ely, killed the magazine, especially as the film had the camp feel of the Batman TV series rather than the dark tones of the original series, a dark tone that the Marvel Magazine properly captured.

The Marvel Comics colour comic was okay, as have been the other titles produced by various comic companies, but none of them match the quality of these 8 issues and his placing at number 12 in my all time fave superheroes is mostly based on just those issues.

We played a Doc Savage radio drama on the special show I did, and it's just been confirmed that Dwayne Johnson (the Rock!) will play Doc Savage in a new movie version. Let's hope that it avoids the campness of the 1970s movies. In the meantime do whatever you can to secure Doc Savage Magazine 1-8!

My Top 20 Superheroes: 13: MISTY KNIGHT

Misty Knight is difficult to explain. She is a cop, a chick with attitude,a former NYPD officer turned superhero, a minor supporting character who demanded that she become so much more, and who has survived all the various Marvel Comics reboots more or less intact as, well, Misty Knight (this latter fact being no mean feat!) Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in Marvel Premiere #20 (January 1975 in the Iron Fist series) and appeared in the next issue, although a later retcon in Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #64 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne would reveal she had previously appeared as an unnamed character in Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #1 (March 1972), written by Roy Thomas and penciled by Ross Andru.

Within the context of the Marvel Universe, Knight is a former NYPD police officer, whose arm was amputated following a bomb attack. After receiving a bionic prosthetic from Tony Stark, she started a private investigation agency with close friend Colleen Wing. The two would later form the crime fighting duo, Daughters of the Dragon. As private investigators, Knight and Wing frequently work with Heroes for Hire: Luke Cage and Iron Fist. In 2013, Knight became co-leader of the Valkyrior with Valkyrie in Fearless Defenders #1 by Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney.

Comics in which Knight and Colleen Wing have starred include a storyline first printed in Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #32-33 (January — February 1977) and Bizarre Adventures #25 (March 1981) by writer Chris Claremont and penciller Marshall Rogers. The original depictions of Knight, a bionically enhanced black female detective with martial arts skills, were strongly influenced by the blaxploitation and Kung Fu crazes of the 1970s.

She was a longtime supporting character in comic books such as X-Men and Power Man and Iron Fist (falling in love with Danny Rand and having an on-off relationship with him, as well as having an affair with Luke Cage); she also had a major role in the Deathlok story arc 'Souls of Cyber-Folk' that ran from issue 2-5 of the 1991 Deathlok series (Vol. 2). The character, alongside her partner Colleen Wing, starred in Daughters of the Dragon, a 2005 six issue limited series by writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and penciller Khari Evans. Knight is one of the stars of the 2006 Heroes for Hire series as well as a supporting character in the ongoing series The Immortal Iron Fist.Her friendship with Colleen endures many spats- not least of which is over Danny Rand- and breakdowns, but the two always mend their differences, behaving more like sisters than friends (hence the "daughters" of the dragon moniker).

In 2010, Knight appears in the crossover event "Shadowland", and is the central character in the spin-off title Shadowland: Blood on the Street. She then goes on to star in the new version of Heroes for Hire. Knight appears in the 2013 series Fearless Defenders, by Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney, easily one of the best Marvel Comic titles for over a decade. In it Misty shows her natural leadership skills as well as that sassy attitude that made her so noticeable in the first place.

Simone Missick portrays the character, so far without a bionic arm, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Luke Cage and has not as yet met the TV versions of Iron Fist and Colleen Wing.

So, why is this character so high up on my list of fave superheroes? Simply because she has always been a fascinating character who grew in importance within the Marvel Universe slowly and surely, almost without the creators realising she was taking a bigger and bigger slice of their pie. And if you read her very first scenes, you will see Misty always wanted more of the pie.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 15: Spider Woman

Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, is the one I am talking about here.

Her creation was not particularly auspicious. Marvel Comics' then-publisher Stan Lee said in 1978, shortly after Spider-Woman's SOLO debut in Marvel Spotlight #32 (Feb. 1977) and the start of the character's 50-issue self-titled series (cover-dated April 1978 – June 1983), the character originated because, "I suddenly realised that some other company may quickly put out a book like that and claim they have the right to use the name, and I thought we'd better do it real fast to copyright the name. So we just batted one quickly, and that's exactly what happened. I wanted to protect the name, because it's the type of thing [where] someone else might say, 'Hey, why don't we put out a Spider-Woman; they can't stop us.'"

Created to be a super-agent by HYDRA, Spider-Woman's powers include the ability to glide, shoot bio-shocks from her hands, super strength, agility and speed. Thankfully she escapes the brainwashing of Hydra and becomes instead a superhero, initially battling villains of a supernatural basis in her own title, before becoming more mainstream as the series developed.

She was created by Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin, but for her own series Marv Wolfman was asked to take the writing reins. Wolfman introduced Spider-Woman's mentor Charles Magnus and archenemies Morgan le Fay and the Brothers Grimm. He left the series after issue #8, citing a heavy workload but later admitted, "If truth be told I never felt comfortable writing her. I never found a handle for her and kept trying until I finally decided to leave the book." Neophyte Mark Gruenwald became the writer, while the series's regular penciler, comics legend Carmine Infantino, remained on board, having developed a fondness for the character and her stories. I think it's true to say Carmine also did some of his best work of the later 70s on this title!

Gruenwald continued with the macabre themes Wolfman had used, while putting more focus on Drew's struggles to deal with her social awkwardness, shyness, and the negative reactions she produced in nearly everyone she met. The last of these is revealed to be caused by fear-inducing pheromones, a previously unrevealed ability. Gruenwald also introduced outgoing aspiring actress Lindsay McCabe, who became Drew's best friend and the mainstay of her supporting cast.

Marvel had been heavily advertising the series from the start, and during Gruenwald's run an animated TV series began airing. But Roger Stern, who replaced Wolfman as editor, recounted that Spider-Woman had already lost her status as a top seller by this time. Despite her differing origin and powers and Wolfman's deliberate effort to avoid Spider-Man guest appearances or crossovers, readers still tended to see the character as a female Spider-Man. "They saw her, and later the She-Hulk," Stern explained, "as running a good idea into the ground, much as DC had done in the ’60s with its then-ever-growing families of Super- and Bat-characters."

Issue #20 saw the departure of Gruenwald, Infantino, and Stern. New writer Michael Fleisher gave Spider-Woman a career as a bounty hunter, abandoned both the series' macabre tone and outstanding subplots such as Charles Magnus' mysterious disappearance, and replaced them with such superhero standbys as criminal masterminds and a love interest who is enamored with the protagonist's costumed guise but oblivious to her in her civilian identity. Many fans criticized that Fleisher had taken away everything that made the character special. Fleisher would be retained on the series up until #32, after which Chris Claremont, already a big-name writer for his work on Uncanny X-Men, took over and switched Jessica Drew's occupation from bounty hunter to private investigator. Steve Leialoha was drawing the series by this time.

The series had already come under criticism for its rapid turnover of writers, and like all of its writers, Claremont had a fairly short stay on Spider-Woman. After 13 issues, both he and Leiahola were compelled to leave for other projects. Their final issue marked the return of Gruenwald, this time as editor. He was promptly informed that due to dwindling sales, Marvel was canceling the series, and issue #50 would be the last.

Gruenwald hired comic book novices Ann Nocenti and Brian Postman as writer and penciler for the final four issues, under the theory that their inexperience in the medium would give them a unique perspective and perhaps take the series out with a bang. Under Gruenwald's direction, the series returned to its macabre roots and resumed the long-abandoned subplot of Magnus's disappearance. The final issue used a photo cover of Marvel staffers (including Gruenwald and Nocenti) in costume as the issue's cast and had Spider-Woman perish in a climactic battle with her nemesis Morgan le Fay. Nocenti reasoned, "These are licensed characters and you want them to have a forever life. At the same time, they live in a violent world and occasionally you feel like someone has to die, otherwise it’s too unreal."

Readers were outraged at the character being killed, and Nocenti and Gruenwald both came to feel remorse over their decision. Gruenwald took the readers' reaction especially to heart, and became determined to fix what he saw as a major mistake. He and Stern had been paired up again on Avengers, but with their jobs swapped, and he instructed Stern to write a story reviving Drew. Less than a year after her death, Spider-Woman was resurrected in The Avengers #240-241 (Feb.-March 1984).

None of this history actually explains WHY SW is so loved- especially the series from the 70s/early 80s. Sometimes a character comes along that is just always true to the character and no matter what the writer does or who they are, they find it impossible to make the character do something out of character. And so it is with Jessica- and why she is so high in my all time fave characters list.

Check out Marvel Spotlight 32, Marvel Two in One 29 to 31, Spider-Woman Vol 1 1 to 50 in particular (all 70s and into the very early 80s for the solo comic) and you will see what I mean.😎

Stan didn't create Spider-woman, but he TOLD Marvel Comics to create her.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 16: Daredevil Matt Murdock, blinded by a radioactive isotope, develops incredible sensory abilities including being able to "see" via a kind of sonar imaging in his brain created by the sounds he hears. Matt becomes a hot shot lawyer but after his father is murdered for refusing to take a dive in a big mob boxing match, Matt uses his abilities to train hard and become the athletic Daredevil, the man without fear.

Ok, so getting away from the fact that everyone got their powers from radioactive substances or waves, DD has always been that special character and comic book that rarely stopped being a great read in the 40 odd years the title has been running. DD never quits, he pushes himself all the time, is driven to bring justice to the streets. For DD the cosmic battles are unimportant, what matters to him is how the people in his city behave, live, are protected and so on. He is probably the most human of all the Marvel creations, and because he has always fought on that level, it might be the reason why his title has always had that extra grit, extra level, that other comics don't have.

Getting hold of the Vol 1 series will cost you a fortune, but if you want to be in at the ground level, look out for the British reprint weekly Mighty World of Marvel, which started to feature Daredevil early in its run (issue 21 or so??). Also YOU MUST check out Frank Miller's run from Daredevil 158 to 191 or so, which introduced Elektra and the hand (see also the netflix Daredevil series which is awesome it has to be said) and saw DD go up against the HULK in an incredible display of bravery that gets through to even the dim brain of the green giant.

But to be fair, any run of DD is going to be great. I have a very high regard for the series from issue 100 to 157, which saw DD become slightly more mainstream superheroic, but still with that humour and dark grittiness.

Stan Lee created Daredevil.

My Top 20 Superheroes: 17: The Hulk The Incredible Hulk is an ongoing comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero the Hulk and his alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner. First published in May 1962, the series ran for six issues before it was cancelled in March 1963, and the Hulk character began appearing in Tales to Astonish. With issue #102, Tales to Astonish was renamed to The Incredible Hulk in April 1968, becoming its second volume. The series continued to run until issue #474 in March 1999 and after that it just became plain silly (Marvel really lost the plot for over a decade, although, thankfully, there are signs they are finding their own voice again).

That's the basic info, but what is the Hulk and why is he in my top 20? I first encountered The Incredible Hulk in the UK reprint weekly Mighty World of Marvel in 1972 and what a story he had to tell. Obviously inspired by Frankenstein and Jekyl & Hyde (Stan Lee admits it), the strip, written by Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, and later Steve Ditko, told the story of a monster that is, to quote the TV series, fuelled by rage.. but had the gentle heart of a human and who showed more compassion for those who were not his enemies than most humans. It is a story of a misunderstood and feared being who simply wants to be left alone. And Marvel were brilliant at those kind of stories in the 60s and 70s.

Being a massive fan of gothic horror even at a young age (I LOVED the Universal films thanks to BBC2's regular Saturday night double bills of classic horror films) the Hulk made for must read activity. Later, in the late 70s, I would discover the US black and white magazine The Rampaging Hulk which took the Hulk back to his early days, when he had basic intelligence and speech (both these skills would greatly vary over the decades of the US colour comic) and a lot of anger. Sadly, that run only lasted 9 issues before Marvel lost its nerve with the b&w titles, and Hulk became a full colour modern Hulk, but those 9 issues blew my mind with the savage artwork (and this magazine also introduced me to Shanna, see Outside my Top 20).

The Hulk also introduced what would become THE best series of punchups in Comic history- The Hulk vs the Fantastic Four's Thing. Every single one of those battles from the late 60s to the early 80s is simply awesome to read. The Hulk was also a founder member of The Avengers but his savagery would mean that he would become a foe of them after just a couple of issues. Later, when he becomes more simple in mind, he would join The Defenders with Dr Strange and Namor, the Submariner (and later Valkyrie, see Outside my Top 20 posts here) (first issue Marvel Feature 1 and then the first 50 issues of the colour comic- or you could get the UK Rampage Weekly for the reprints).

In the 80s, with the success of the TV series with Bill Bixby & Lou Ferrigno, Marvel UK gave Hulk his own comic and, for the first time, original stories from the UK- well worth checking out the 50 issues or so (go contact Sumyra at Lucky Target Comics (she's on Facebook) to see if she still has a set for sale), and another great place to start is the 3 or 4 Marvel Treasury's featuring the Hulk- huge oversize full colour reprints of key stories.

If not for the mess Marvel made after 1999 with the Hulk, he probably would have been higher up in my Top 20.

The HULK was obviously created by Stan Lee, with early collaborations with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

More just outside the Top 20.

Valkyrie

This is Valkyrie. Val has a strange convoluted origin in that her first appearance wasn't even her! In the Avengers, written at the height of women's lib movement, she mesmerises the female Avengers to turn on the male members before being revealed as long time foe, the Asgardian goddess, the Enchantress. Later, in The Defenders, Enchantress returns- but as a prisoner along with Dr Strange, Nighthawk, Namor and the Hulk and a mad woman. Enchantress casts a spell to bind the spirit of a Valkyrie to the body of the mad lady.

Valkyrie then becomes one of the most interesting female characters that Marvel created as she, a demigod, struggles with who she is in a mortal world. Check out the Avengers Treasury to see the awesome artwork of John Buscema in oversize glory, plus Defenders 1 to 50, and The Fearsome Defenders 1 -12.

Stan is indirectly involved with Valkyrie's creation in that he co-created with Jack Kirby The Enchantress.

Red Sonja

Set in the same world as Conan, Red is THE warrior woman before all other warrior women. Please forget the terrible movie with Stallone's ex in it, Sonja is a magnificent, fierce, passionate, sexy and chain-mail-bikini wearing goddess- most brilliantly drawn by Frank Thorne. She's now with Dynamite Comics but really, Marvel in 70s had the definitive run.

Here are some more of my fave heroes from outside my Top 20.

Black Panther

It's clear that the Black Panther is one of the most popular superheroes today. He is one of the most iconic characters. He is a positive role model for black people in his stature as one of the most intelligent men on earth, one of the richest, is a king and respected by all. That's not to say that all black people are going to look at T'Challa (Black Panther) as a pipe dream. No, I'm saying that his image is a welcome one. For a while we have seen ethnic superheroes take on the role as the token sidekick but never a mainstream one. But Black Panther has always been the one ethnic superhero that is equal or surpasses the mainstream white heroes. But let's be clear, I'm not saying that Black Panther's race is the only reason for his popularity. No, his popularity is because, quite simply, he is a fantastic character. His own image is that of a caring king who not only cares passionately about his people of Wakanda but to the other nations. He is a representative of peace but will fight whenever there is an injustice.

Checkout the issues in the attached pics.

STAN LEE co-created the Panther with Jack Kirby.

Iron Fist

Now a Netflix series, Iron Fist was created to be a superhero who did kung fu but the character slowly became much more than that- but then again, created by Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane (comic fans will know) what else could he become? The basic story is rich kid and parents betrayed by business partner and only Danny survived, vowing revenge. Taken in by strange monks, he is taught kung fu and other martial arts and eventually masters the art of Iron Fist, literally making him a living weapon of explosive proportions. Over the decades he's had amazing artists and writers including John Byrne. Check out the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu black & white magazine, the run in Marvel Premiere and of course Iron Fist 1 up from the 70s

White Tiger

Created by Bill Mantlo and George Pérez, Hector is the first Puerto Rican superhero in the history of comics, and Marvel's first superhero of Hispanic descent. Hector is the uncle of Angela del Toro (the current White Tiger) and the brother of Ava Ayala. Hector Ayala was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a college student at New York's Empire State University,[2] he discovered the tiger amulets that were formerly worn and thrown away by the Sons of the Tiger. Donning all three amulets, he transformed into the superhuman White Tiger. He discovered that wearing all the pendants at once increased his strength and gave him nearly superhuman skill in the martial arts. After many years, having gained an unhealthy psychological and physical addiction to the tiger amulets, Hector abandoned his identity as the White Tiger. He gave the amulets to a private detective nicknamed Blackbyrd, who returned them to the Sons of the Tiger. Hector then moved out west with his girlfriend Holly Gillis.

After a while, the call to don the amulets and fight evil became too strong and Hector once again became the White Tiger. Soon after, Hector was wrongly accused of murder and convicted despite the efforts of his lawyer, Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil). Ayala was shot dead trying to escape, shortly before evidence emerged that belatedly proved his innocence.

Check out Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.