Synopsis
Marvel Comics (1939 series) #1000 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
There are 1-page entries for each year from 1939 to 2020. Entries written by Al Ewing form a connected narrative concerning the Enclave and the Masked Raider's mask.
1939 Al Ewing reveals that the 3 Scientists Guild members who come to see Prof Horton's Human Torch in Marvel Comics #1 are Jerome Hamilton, Maris Morlak and Carlo Zota of the future Enclave.
1940 AE reveals that as the Three Xs (from Mystic Comics #1) they visit the Ferret (Leslie Lenrow in Marvel Mystery Comics #4-9) to get the mask he wore as the Operative (Dennis Piper in the Mystery Men mini-series). They predict the rise of X-Humans after WWII.
1941 AE reveals that as Steve Rogers is being taken to Project Rebirth to create Captain America he glimpses Project Thunderer where the 3 are creating the Thunderer (Jerry Carstairs) with the mask (Daring Mystery Comics #7-8).
1942 AE tells us that the current Citizen V (Roberto Da Costa) has uncovered the 3's involvement in the above events and discusses them with Jimmy Woo of the Agents Of Atlas. (The original Citizen V (John Watkins) was in DMC#8-9.)
1943 Current Miss America Chavez relates her history. (The original Miss America (Madelynne Joyce) debuted in MMC#49.)
1944 Celebrates the history of Captain America (whose movie serial ran that year).
1945 Currently Hellcat (Patsy Walker) fights monsters. (She started her own 1st comic series that year after co-starring in Miss America Magazine.)
1946 AE reveals that the Enclave, now including Wladyslav Shinski, were behind Horton creating Adam-II who fought the All-Winners Squad and killed the 2nd CA (William Nasland, ex Spirit Of '76) (in What If? #4). Thunderer quits working for them because of this but keeps the mask. (The AWS debuted in All-Winners Comics #19 that year.)
1947 AE shows us JW with Namora currently in a flying saucer controlled by Marvel Boy (Bob Grayson) (they're all in the AOA). JW says Thunderer became Dark Avenger (actually Black Avenger in AWC#6). MB says he met him back then. (Namora debuted in MMC#82 that year.)
1948 AE reveals that in 1880 Matt Masters found the Masked Raider (Jim Gardley) dying and took his mask to become the Black Rider (debuting in All Western Winners #2 this year).
1949 Cindy Smith (of Junior Miss, Teen Comics and her own title) visits her cousin Tessie Tender in New York and sees Rocky Jorden (of Crime Cases - Private Eye later renamed as his own series), MB and Venus (both with their own series) all in action. (The link to this year is that Tessie The Typist ended it's 23 issue run.)
1950 AE tells us that in 1956 MB found the Dark Avenger dead, and a recorded message told him that the X-People (Enclave) had taken back the 'mask that made America', but he knows it won't work for them. (MB debuted in his own series this year.)
1951 Currently Dr Strange has trouble washing his magic Cloak Of Levitation. (Strange Tales premiered this year.)
1952 Currently various versions of Loki are trapped somewhere (probably comics limbo). (Journey Into Mystery started this year.)
1953 A story with Marvel parody chars from Not Brand Echh. (Marvel's 1st parody series Crazy debuted this year.)
1954 AE shows us JW contacting ex-AOA Gorilla-Man (Ken Hale) who's working for the Avengers in their dead Celestial HQ. He wants him to search the Celestial's memories for any mention of the mask. (Gorilla-Man 1st appeared in Men's Adventures #26 that year.)
1955 AE tells us how the Guild Of Strange Science created the Eternity Mask in King Arthur's time and plotted revolution. The Black Knight (Sir Percy of Scandia) fought their low-born champion who wore the Mask that made him the equal of anyone, and only just managed to defeat him. But the wizards took the Mask until they found a country that would embrace equality. (The Black Knight series started in this year.)
1956 AE shows us JW telling Da Costa that the Celestial recorded the Mask active in Camelot, the English Peasant's Revolt, the English Civil War and on the Mayflower. Ben Franklin used it's magic to win the American Revolution. He wonders if it had anything to do with the birth of superheroes. (Jimmy Woo 1st appeared in the Yellow Claw series in this year.)
1957 AE tells us how old Matt Masters (Black Rider) handed the Mask over to Robin Hood-type thief Dennis Piper in 1930. He predicts that he won't actually need its magic (to become the Operative). (BR was revived this year in 1 issue of Black Rider Rides Again.)
1958 AE tells us how the (4) Xs have been kept alive by Shinski's longevity formula The Eternity Mask *doesn't* work for them because they are the the type it fights *against*. Now in this year they rename themselves the Enclave and start working on the cocoon that will give birth to their greatest creation (Him in Fantastic Four #66-67). (in this year Jack Kirby started writing SF tales in the Strange Worlds series.)
1959 Currently someone tries to interview Hulk. (Tales To Astonish began in that year.)
1960 Currently someone interviews Groot and Rocket Raccoon. (Groot debuted as a menace in that year's Tales To Astonish #13.)
1961 Currently someone interviews Thing. (Of course the FF series began that year.)
1962 Spider-Man tried reporting getting powers from the bite of a radioactive spider but Dr Otto Octavius didn't believe him. (Spidey debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 that year.)
1963 Tony Stark reviews his life as Iron Man. (IM debuted in Tales Of Suspense #39 that year.)
1964 Steve Rogers (?!) remembers (while he's frozen in ice) playing in the snow as a boy with Bucky Barnes. (The Avengers revived Captain America from the ice in their #4 that year.)
1965 Currently (or young?!) Black Bolt has a strange dream. (Inhumans intro'd in FF#45.)
1966 Currently someone interviews Black Panther. (BP intro'd in FF#52 that year.)
1967 AE revisits the birth of Him (who will be Adam Warlock) in FF#67 (published that year). Jerome Hamilton of the Enclave is left for dead but he survives blinded and takes the Eternity Mask and swears vengeance on his partners.
1968 Currently Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) reflects on life as a superhero. (CD was intro'd in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 in that year.)
1969 Currently Galactus The Devourer meditates on his role in the universe (while fighting Thanos). (His origin was revealed in Thor #169 that year.)
1970 King Conan remembers his thieving youth. (Conan The Barbarian #1 was published that year.)
1971 A page honouring various versions of Red Wolf. (1 of them starred in Marvel Spotlight #1 that year.)
1972 A typical week for Blade the Vampire-Slayer. (He 1st appeared in Tomb Of Dracula which began publication that year.)
1973 Mary Jane Watson remembers Gwen Stacy (who died in Amazing Spider-Man #121 that year).
1974 Celebrates Wolverine's 1st app (in Hulk #180 that year).
1975 Someone interviews Punisher (whose origin was revealed in Marvel Preview #2 that year).
1976 Celebrating several White Tigers and Sons Of The Tiger. (The 1st White Tiger started his own series in Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu #20 that year.)
1977 Darth Vader survives an assassination attempt. (Star Wars #1 was published that year.)
1978 AE reveals that in 2008 Weapon Alpha (James MacDonald Hudson) investigated an Enclave base in Canada but finds it's already wrecked by Blind Justice (Jerome Hamilton). (BJ 'will' face Hawkeye in Solo Avengers #8-9.) (Weapon Alpha 'will' debut in Uncanny X-Men #109 that year.)
1979 Night Raven describes his endless war with Yi Yang. (He was intro'd in Marvel UK's Hulk Comic #1 that year.)
1980 Jennifer Walters reviews her life as She-Hulk. (She debuted in Savage She-Hulk #1 that year.)
1981 Dr Doom wins a battle with Iron Man but Tony Stark has the better life. (They fought in Iron Man #150 that year.)
1982 Hercules and a Recorder on a galactic tour. (Herc had his 1st (future-set) mini-series that year.)
1983 Storm rescues a child at sea. (She changed to her mohawk look (not shown here) in Uncanny X-Men #173 that year.)
1984 Spider-Man saves a pregnant woman who wants to name her baby after him. (He got his black costume (not shown here) in Amazing SM #252 that year.)
1985 Someone interviews Thor. (Odin (Marvel) died in Thor #353 that year.)
1986 Howard The Duck ponders the meaning of life. (His movie was released that year.)
1987 Wolverine tells Spider-Man to stop beating himself up over the death of someone (in SM Vs W 1-shot published that year).
1988 Speedball can't stop bouncing. (He debuted in ASM Annual #22 that year.)
1989 A Damage Control intern gets randomly killed. (DC's 1st mini-series was that year.)
1990 AE shows Night Thrasher finding Blind Justice dead and the Mask missing. He reports it to Jimmy Woo and recommends consulting Blue Marvel. (Night Thrasher debuted in New Warriors that year.)
1991 Cable describes the creation of X-Force (intro'd in New Mutants #100 that year).
1992 Spidey and Thing argue over defeating Venom. (Erik Larsen took over as writer/artist on Spider-Man that year.)
1993 Punisher and Wolverine bond while fighting ninjas. (Their Damaging Evidence mini-series was published that year.)
1994 Spider-Man remembers all the places where bad things happened in his life. (The Clone Saga began that year.)
1995 Apocalypse remembers his 1st Horsemen. (Age Of Apocalypse began that year.)
1996 Captain America remembers what he fights for. (Heroes Reborn began that year.)
1997 Deadpool wishes Marvel Happy 80th Birthday. (He got his 1st big series that year.)
1998 Someone interviews Daredevil. (The Marvel Knights imprint started that year.)
1999 Someone interviews (old?) Rick Jones who knows he's in a comic. (Hulk's main title ended that year.)
2000 Sage reviews X-history. (Chris Claremont returned as writer in X-Men #100 that year.)
2001 Someone interviews Jessica Jones (who debuted in Alias #1 that year).
2002 Elsa Bloodstone chats to Jeff the landshark. (She took over monster-hunting from her father Ulysses in the Bloodstone mini-series which ended that year.)
2003 Another X overview. (Kia Asamiya was artist for a run of UXM that year.)
2004 Gabby wakes X-23 to witness a mass battle against Fin Fang Foom. (X-23 debuted in NYX#3 that year.)
2005 The original Young Avengers suit up again to fight Terminus. (Their series debuted in that year.)
2006 Someone interviews Luke Cage and Jessica Jones about parenting. (They married in New Avengers Annual #1 that year.)
2007 Hulk's friends gather round him. (Amadeus Cho sided with Hulk in World War Hulk that year.)
2008 The ever-changing Iron Man armour. (Iron Man movie released that year.)
2009 AE shows Blue Marvel, Night Thrasher and Jimmy Woo (without currently Marvel-dead Da Costa) reviewing what they know about the Enclave and the Eternity Mask and agreeing to keep tabs on the situation. (BM came out of retirement in the Adam: Legend Of The Blue Marvel mini-series which ended that year.)
2010 Mary Jane Watson reviews her varied career. (ASM#638 that year revealed why she didn't actually marry Peter Parker.)
2011 Spider-Man (Miles Morales) locks himself out. (He was intro'd in Ultimate Fallout #4 that year.)
2012 Spider-Man (Peter Parker) attends Uncle Ben's grave with Aunt May. (ASM reached #700 that year.)
2013 Time traveller Cable reviews all(?) the times he's been wounded. (Cable & X-Force #1 that year.)
2014 Miracleman remembers the now-defunct Marvel Comics. (His Marvel comic began that year.)
2015 Dr Doom remembers his origin. (He ruled Battleworld in that year's Secret Wars.)
2016 Someone interviews Deadpool. (His movie was released that year.)
2017 Someone asks various chars (including the Watcher) their biggest regret. (Stan Lee played the Watcher in the 2nd Guardians Of The Galaxy film that year.)
2018 Silver Surfer considers morality. (He became Herald Of Galactus again in Infinity Countdown #4 that year.)
2019 AE has Eternity holding Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Sub-Mariner, Masked Raider (Jim Gardley), Angel (Thomas Halloway) and Ka-Zar (David Rand) in his hand (all in Marvel Comics #1). He explains how he is the sum of everything in the universe, but also only part of the multiversal Eternity who is also the latest in a line of cosmic beings from previous multiverses. And he allowed the Infinity Mask to be created from his substance, which makes its wearer the equal of whoever they face. (This year is the 80th publishing anniversary of the Marvel universe.)
2020 AE shows someone donning the Mask to become a new Masked Raider. This person claims to have recorded the interviews in this issue from TV and podcasts, except a few that he did himself.
Tomorrow AE shows us Carlo Zota of the Enclave being told that the Mask is back, but he's more concerned with activating his new Adam-IV who is Korvac.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Black Knight (
Sir Percy of Scandia), Black Rider (
Matt Masters), Blue Marvel (
Adam Brashear), Citizen V (
Roberto Da Costa), Gorilla-Man (
Ken Hale), Jimmy Woo, Namora (
Aquaria Neptunia), Night Thrasher (
Dwayne Taylor), Phineas Horton (
Professor Horton), Thunderer (
Jerry Carstairs), Uranian (
Bob Grayson), Weapon Alpha (
James Hudson).
EnemiesPlus: Carlo Zota, Jerome Hamilton, Morlak, Shinski.