Writer/Artist: John Byrne
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Andy Yanchus
“Story (Captain America Story)”
Writer/Artist/Letterer: Norm Breyfogle
Colorist: Bob Sharen
(Cover Date: November 1986)
Marvel Fanfare was an awesome anthology series overseen by legendary editor Al Milgrom which showcased stories featuring such iconic Marvel characters written and drawn by either some independent creators, the latest writers/artists who were hot at the time or new-to comics creators. It was one of those titles that made Marvel so great in the 1980s.
The first story features The Incredible Hulk written and drawn by John Byrne (Which I believe was his last work for Marvel before heading over to DC to revamp Superman as he was probably winding down on his Fantastic Four run)
this story, Hulk meets a mysterious medicine man who calms him down (During Byrne’s short-lived run on Hulk, Bruce Banner was separated from the jade giant) but it turns out the “medicine man” was really The Scourge, a villain who got a kick out of carrying out his own brand of justice on various villains and then yell out “JUSTICE IS SERVED” his victims- a duo named Hammer and Anvil who then attack the Hulk and afterward die (I won’t tell you how) but it was a wonderful effort by Byrne who gave us the entire story in splash pages (SPLASH PAGES- How cool is that!!!) and still stands out as the most unique Hulk story ever!
The next story features none other than Captain America and it was written and drawn by Norm Breyfogle, who would become an iconic Batman artist soon after this story was published. It features two kids- the smart kid and the bully who gets taken as hostages by a gun-wielding maniac all while being pursued by Cap himself. what follows next is some great action sequences by Breyfogle and it was an excellent job for a first-time writer as he really did a good job of showcasing Captain America’s fighting skills plus it has a very amazing ending (NO SPOILERS!!!)
And to think I only got this issue for a dollar about two weeks back at the local Weekend Blender (A $1 well spent I might add!) and while I may not get my wish that Fanfare may never make a comeback (Marvel gave us a less-than-stellar relaunch back in 1996) this issue showed me and anyone who got the privilege of reading it how cool this series really was.
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