New York City and The Marvel Universe

A blog about NYC and Marvel Comics by Jim McGrath. Twitter: @JimMc_Grath. Email: james_mcgrath[at]brown[dot]edu

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Captain America #309 (September 1985). Mark Gruenwald (Writer), Paul Neary (Pencils), Dennis Janke (Inks), Diana Albers (Letters), Ken Feduniewicz (Colors)

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Captain America #307 (July 1985). Mark Gruenwald (Writer), Paul Neary (Pencils), Dennis Janke (Inks), Diana Albers (Letters), Ken Feduniewicz (Colors)

remember when Captain America was dating a woman who worked at a head shop in the Village?

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Captain America #307 (July 1985). Mark Gruenwald (Writer), Paul Neary (Pencils), Dennis Janke (Inks), Diana Albers (Letters), Ken Feduniewicz (Colors)   

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Captain America #302 (February 1985). Mike Carlin (Writer), Paul Neary (Penciler), Dennis Janke (Inker), Diana Albers (Letterer), Bob Sharen (Colorist)

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Captain Marvel #51 (July 1977). Scott Edelman (Writer), Al Milgrom (Artist), Terry Austin (Inker), Joe Rosen (Letterer), I.  Vartanoff (Colorist), Archie Goodwin (Letterer)  

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Captain Marvel #51 (July 1977). Scott Edelman (Writer), Al Milgrom (Artist), Terry Austin (Inker), Joe Rosen (Letterer), I.  Vartanoff (Colorist), Archie Goodwin (Letterer)  

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Captain Marvel #51 (July 1977). Scott Edelman (Writer), Al Milgrom (Artist), Terry Austin (Inker), Joe Rosen (Letterer), I.  Vartanoff (Colorist), Archie Goodwin (Letterer)  

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Ms. Marvel #3 (March 1977). Chris Claremont (Writer), John Buscema (Artist), Gerry Conway (Plot), Joe Sinnott (Inker), John Costanza (Letterer), Don Warfield (Colorist), Archie Goodwin (Editor).

The South Bronx, home of the secret lair of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Claremont’s description of one corner of the borough populates it with nothing but “junkies and street gangs,” none of whom we actually see in the panels drawn by Buscema and Sinnott. An abandoned car and a turned-over trash can are the visual shorthand for the “war zone” being described in the captions. New York in 1977 may be recognizable to some readers as the year of “The Bronx is Burning.”    

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Ms. Marvel #3 (March 1977). Chris Claremont (Writer), John Buscema (Artist), Gerry Conway (Plot), Joe Sinnott (Inker), John Costanza (Letterer), Don Warfield (Colorist), Archie Goodwin (Editor).

Continuing the previous issue’s fight at Columbus Circle. Mainly posting this splash page because I dig Buscema’s New Yorkers here. That story title, on the other hand...

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Ms. Marvel #2 (February 1977). Gerry Conway (Writer and Editor), John Buscema and Joe Sinnott (Artists / Storytellers), Joe Rosen (Letterer), John Warfield (Colorist).

The Scorpion takes on Carol Danvers at Columbus Circle, home of Gaetano Russo’s Christopher Columbus statue.

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Ms. Marvel #1 (January 1977). Gerry Conway (Writer, Creator, Editor), John Buscema (Art and Storytelling), Joe Sinnott (Care and Embellishment), John Costanza (Letters), Marie Severin (Colors)

this panel basically tells you everything you need to know about Brooklyn

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Ms. Marvel #1 (January 1977). Gerry Conway (Writer, Creator, Editor), John Buscema (Art and Storytelling), Joe Sinnott (Care and Embellishment), John Costanza (Letters), Marie Severin (Colors)

Deadly...Abandoned...Derelict...BROOKLYN! How Sweet It Is!

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Ms. Marvel #1 (January 1977). Gerry Conway (Writer, Creator, Editor), John Buscema (Art and Storytelling), Joe Sinnott (Care and Embellishment), John Costanza (Letters), Marie Severin (Colors)

Trying to wrap my head around a book about the space industry that’s so popular that it pays for rent on a Central Park penthouse. Maybe Tom Wolfe read this issue and it gave him some ideas: The Right Stuff comes out two years later.

Fans of New York City celebrity culture are likely familiar with Sardi’s.

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Ms. Marvel #1 (January 1977). Gerry Conway (Writer, Creator, Editor), John Buscema (Art and Storytelling), Joe Sinnott (Care and Embellishment), John Costanza (Letters), Marie Severin (Colors)

Those “cynical New Yorkers” strike again! Although as you can see, not everyone in the city is skeptical about this new superhero.

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Incredible Hulk #384 (August 1991). Peter David (W), Dale Keown (P), Mark Farmer (I), Glynis Oliver ©, Joe Rosen (L), Bobbie Chase (E).

This issue features The Abomination doing his best Beauty and The Beast (the Ron Perlman show from the 1980s, not the Disney cartoon; also, George R. R. Martin apparently worked on that show!). 

“The only way to survive here is to be numb” is a classic New York City Hot Take from the House of Ideas (and from lots of other places in North American popular culture) in the 80s and 90s. New York basically had entire cities in its sewer system and a barrel fire on every street corner. I’ve covered a bit of this in the posts about Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man run.  

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Incredible Hulk #384 (August 1991). Peter David (W), Dale Keown (P), Mark Farmer (I), Glynis Oliver (C), Joe Rosen (L), Bobbie Chase (E).

This image, believe it or not, comes from an Infinity Gauntlet crossover issue. During the cosmic battle with Thanos, the Hulk ends up stranded in the sewers of Manhattan in miniature form. Things do not go well for this rat in the pages that follow. Dale Keown and Mark Farmer have some really great pages and images in this issue. That being said, The Hulk’s outfit has not aged well.

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Advertisement in Marvel Mystery Comics #17 (March 1941)

“New York in All Its Glory!”