 |
| Left click to enlarge |
|
|
I've known for a little while about the death of The Jack of Hearts in Avenger 491 and I'm sure most of you know about it too so I'm not going to go into a recap of it. A Google search with key words "Jack of Hearts Avengers" will send you to sources for the synopsis and more clip art easily enough. And speaking of clip art in regards to his death I only came across what you see here fairly recently. As a hero who's father (who loved playing cards) was murdered and had led a life of torment due to the unstable nature of his powers I can't think of a better bit of writing in regards to Jack's final words. Now I can't say if Bill Mantlo would have approved or disapproved of his creation being killed off but I'm willing to bet if he were to be ok with it he would have been really happy about the way it was handled in Avengers 491.
After all Mantlo killed off The Torpedo who didn't exactly go out in a blaze of glory but at least he went down swinging. Although created by Marv Wolfman The Torpedo had his longest notoriety in the Rom spackenight series. Now I've heard, but don't quote me on this that Jack has appeared since then in the Marvel Universe. If you know anything about that please do share with the rest of us. In closing I just wanted to say that I really love the costume that Jack was sporting by the time of his death and the art here is amazing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to draw a face from that perspective? Moving on to more Mantlo inspired work . . .
This tribute page comes from the 1997 Bug 1 shot. Of course you can't list the greats of the Marvel 80s with out including
The Boisterous one. On the flip side I can think of at least one name here I would have left off however.
His name was left off? You are kidding me? Sometimes you have to wonder what editor's approve these things or check them. The more I hear about talent being neglected in credit the more I realise they really must've loved what they do to continue.
ReplyDeletei think you misunderstood what i wrote mate. i was saying that if it were up to me i would have left a name off that tribute list.
DeleteHA! I bet you would have left Ditko off the list. :)
Deletemy goodness RT, what ever would give you that idea?
DeleteHA! Score one for me!
DeleteI was under the thought that jack died twice already .blew by suicide .didnt know he died again.didnt he pop up as a zombie only to die a third time? So is this a fourth time ? I like his last words here does fits him just right.
ReplyDeleteNice pic of bill always nice to sed
*always nice to see*
Deletei just read the Marvel Wikia site entry for Jack in regards to his "death" and it left me more confused, go figure.
DeleteJack of Hearts is a great character. Even his code name is pretty cool. I'll have to give a reading to that Avengers issue.
ReplyDeleteBruce, check your email.
Delete*Aww
DeleteJack hit the jackpot in hades ding..ding.ding..ding. last (i think)
ReplyDelete9 isues after this death in the pic he returns and self destructs at avengers mansion with with ant man seemingly killed.
Deletelet me know if you ever find out what issue that is. i'm assuming it's an Avengers title? if i know what the cover looks like i can be on the look out for it.
DeleteAvengers 500 . black cover with chaos written on it... Ill prob check my LCS this weekend to see if they have it and this 491 issue.
DeleteNot sure of him in hades issue? sometime after 500 takes place.
Deletei dunno about anything after Avengers Disassembled 500 but in that issue he looks like he came back "zombiefied" after he supposedly flew into space and blew up in Avengers 491 http://www.comixology.com/Avengers-85-500/digital-comic/2848 happy hunting at your LCS this weekend.
DeleteAfter 500 and in 2011 He appears in Marvel Zombies Supreme Vol 2 to 5. He is on cover of issue 5(though cant call these zombie ones real marvel)
DeleteThen in
Avengers: The Children's Crusade issue 5 they go back in time to the point where he blew in 491 to undo it.he makes the cover here too.
I will NOT be hunting for those at the LCS. Lol. Modern marvel just plain sucks
DeleteIts a hand with the suicide king in it with the jack of hearts death/timeline lol.
Deletei hear ya on modern marvel although if it suites me i'm not a opposed to picking up something from time to time in a discount box for more recent back issues like that Avengers Academy issue i posted about last week. but yeah, when it comes to buying new marvel comics for the cover price? not gonna happen, they've pissed me off too much in recent years.
DeleteI can't remember much about Jack of Hearts so I can't really comment on that, but I love the pic of Bill with the ROM shirt!
ReplyDelete..Torpedo was awesome, and even though some might say he got "sucker punched" thats not the same thing as going out like a sucker. I still remember taking a minute to absorb what I had just read when he was killed off. I was a very sensitive kid...Great stuff Shlomo!
yeah that's a still shot from the video i like how you can see the t-shirt there but i wish we could have seen him wearing though.
DeleteSo few deaths in the comics world (or literary world) actually fit the character. In both art and words, they nailed it. Of course, if they brought him back that kind of...but we're used to that. No one dies in comics forever. Not even Bucky. Geez, remember when we used to say Bucky and Jason were the only two constant dead people? Now we really know it'll never keep.
ReplyDeletei wish when Jack flew into space and blew up he had also taken jonothan hickman with him.
DeleteMaybe he did, and now it's a robot in his place.
DeleteWell I've done some research on this Jack of Hearts fellow,..I know I'm preaching to the converted but HE WAS AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know much of anything about this guy until Shlomo stared breaking it down to me. WOW. Hats off to Shlomo for once again introducing me to some awesome, new, Bill Mantlo stuff. Mantlo's creations are so next level, outside the box. I couldn't believe the history Jack of Hearts had and that he was so powerful. He seems a critical part of the Avengers history in my opinion. I'm just surprised that Marvel allowed a character created by Bill Mantlo to actually survive until 2004, and become a pivotal character in one of their main franchises like the Avengers. By the way if they put Rocket Raccoon in that Guardians of the Galaxy movie does Bill get ANY money out of that or what?
Sorry if thats a stupid question but I have to know.
good question but i'm pretty sure in almost all cases the characters that writers and artists come up with for use of projects they get paid for become properties of the publishing company.
DeleteI was not aware that Jack of Hearts had died until I read Avengers Disassembled. I've wanted to read Bug since I've learned it existed, but I'm still making my way through Micronauts, so I gotta pace myself. It's really nice to see Bill surrounded by gifts from his admirers. I hope he knows how much he is loved by his fans.
ReplyDeletei hated frackin Bill Mantlo
ReplyDelete