Marvel by the Month

#162: August 1971 (w/Tom Brevoort) - "Three Cows Shot Me Down!"

Episode Summary

Happy 10th birthday, Marvel Comics! Marvel SVP of Publishing and Executive Editor, Tom Brevoort, joins us to talk about Marvel's big move to 48-page, 25¢ comics — and why it only lasted one month. We also talk through Doctor Doom joining the Fantastic Four in the final chapter of the Overmind saga, as well as Neal Adams' first issue of Avengers!

Episode Notes

In addition to being the only person with an @marvel.com address who doesn't immediately flag our emails as spam, Tom Brevoort is Marvel Comics' longest-tenured editor. His official titles are Executive Editor and Senior Vice President of Publishing, but he's basically been shepherding Marvel comics to our local shops for more than two decades, and he's an integral part of charting the editorial direction of Marvel's line on a daily basis. Ensmarten yourself about the history of comics by reading his website and subscribing to his newsletter, and also picking up a copy of the Eisner Award-nominated Fantastic Four No. 1: Panel by Panel.

For an additional 55 minutes of this episode, including our deep dive into Thor #193, our rundown of seven more Marvel comics from this month, and a whole lot more Marvel history (like whether or not Johnny Storm was supposed to be a member of the Fantastic Four, and how Marvel got in trouble with the Nixon administration), support us at patreon.com/marvelbythemonth. Subscribers at the $4/month level get instant access to our bonus feed of content that contains nearly 50 extended and exclusive episodes — with more being added every week!

 

Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:

"The Alien, the Ally, and -- Armageddon!" - Fantastic Four #116, written by Archie Goodwin, art by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott, ©1971 Marvel Comics

"This Beachhead Earth" - Avengers #93, written by Roy Thomas, art by Neal Adams and Tom Palmer, ©1971 Marvel Comics

 

"Marvel by the Month" theme v. 3.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne.

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Much of our historical context information comes from Wikipedia. Please join us in supporting them at wikimediafoundation.org. And many thanks to Mike's Amazing World of Comics, an invaluable resource for release dates and issue information.