The Human Fly #9-12

HUMAN FLY #9.
COVER TITLE. Doomsday Dawns at Night!
INSIDE TITLE. …And Daredevil makes Three!
COVER DATE. May 1978
COVER PRICE. 35¢
COVER ARTIST. John Byrne and Terry Austin
NUMBER OF PAGES. 17
WRITER. Bill Mantlo
PENCILLER. Frank Robbins
INKER. Mike Esposito
LETTERER. John Constanza
COLORIST. Mary Titus
EDITOR. Archie Goodwin

Let’s finish the story the begun in issue eight. The Human Fly was leading a group of children, a curator and his crew far away from the shooting that Copperhead was producing. The White Tiger was fighting him. As we could notice, the Human Fly is no crime-fighter. He is a rescuer. The problem is, they are going directly to the center of the action and they must run away from the trap bellow the Greek Amphora and away from the flood of water from the Hudson River that awaits them!

The waters rise in the tunnel bellow the Metropolitan. The only light comes from the Human Fly’s baton. With the help of the adults in the group, the children are put to safety up to the dais upon which the Urn rests. But the water keeps rising.

Copperhead has left the White Tiger unconscious and the two members of the security police from the Museum keeps firing at him with no result. The armor of Copperhead is bullet-proof. The White Tigers chages back to his human self and the venom injected with the Copperhead’s darts is being neutralized.

Bellow, the Human Fly takes the only possible solution. They must get into the Urn. In no time, the Amphora is moving with the flood to wherever Copperhead planned on delivering it.

A new superhero comes in scene. It is the Daredevil. It is a logic option. First, is the superhero with enhanced senses and a great physical shape. No superpowers involved. Second, the uniform is the same as those of the Human Fly. They wear red and masks. I think this condition of likeliness would be a nightmare to Frank Robbins, John Costanza and Mary Titus, because one could have problems recognizing them.

Daredevil has sensed a dozen of New York’s hottest art smugglers watching the Human Fly in previous issue. He has followed them to the Zoo in Central Park where they gather around an open-shaft construction site, part of the new subway extention. He must wait.

Back to the combat between the White Tiger and Copperhead, Hector Ayala has returned to his amulet induced powers. Both of them parry and fall down into the hole where the urn was. They are swept along through the subterranean tunnel.

Just a little further up the flooded tunnel, the Fly and his friends reaches the end. Then the crooks and the Human Fly are face to face.

Daredevil intervenes, firing starts and the people into the urn ducks. The Fly does not gets involved in the fight. The superhero is doing just fine all by himself. And he does! Several pages of action follow this Human Fly’s statement and Daredevil gets rid of the smugglers. Meanwhile, the Human Fly rescues the children, the curator and his crew.

When everything seems to go smoothly, the Copperhead reappears and points a gun to the curator, Margarita Mercado. He is discovered. His real name is Reynolds, his former employee. He helps restoring the urn to his glorious beauty. The former Copperhead, Lawrence Chesney pass away and Reynolds knew where the armor were. Along with the outfit, was the master plan to steal the urn.

The new Copperhead is ready to shoot the curator and them both the Human Fly and the White Tiger interfere with him, but the armor is more than they can chew. Daredevil gets to know that the Copperhead (a new one) is behind all of this and runs to oppose him. Meanwhile, with the Human Fly and the White Tiger lying on the floor, Cooperhead means to kill the children and Margarita, but the smugglers shoot at the villain. They are no kid-killers.


Then the Human Fly hits Copperhead and leaves him off-balance and the White Tiger ends the action by letting the villain fall into the waters. He will sank like a stone. But he will escape, of course.

I don’t think this two issues were that great, and the Human Fly will return to his Stunt adventures after this super-heroic adventure. In the end, the resolution of the Fly, being not a superhero, was forgotten, because his final stroke were decisive. The White Tiger was something close to inefficient and Daredevil guest starring was un-called for.

Steve Peters praises the magazine and considers that being a no-crime-fighter could be something that could be out-ruled once in a while. As a response to his interests in subcribtion, Marvel announces the creation of a Human Fly Fun Club. Alan Snider questioned the art in issues three and four.
Commander Quotey writes a very long letter. Some critics about the art, the two-dimensional supporting crew of the Human Fly. He considers the importance of Harmony as a character and the idea of a no-superhero series. He critics the clichés used in the series. Tom Hall praises the whole creative team.

HUMAN FLY # 10.
COVER TITLE. It’s Dark as a Dungeon Down in the Mine!
INSIDE TITLE. …Dark as a Dungeon Down in the Mine!
COVER DATE. June 1978
COVER PRICE. 35¢
COVER ARTIST. Un-credited
NUMBER OF PAGES. 17
WRITER. Bill Mantlo
PENCILLER. Lee Elias
INKER. Mike Esposito
LETTERER. Pete Iro
COLORIST. Francoise M.
EDITOR. Archie Goodwin

Back to the origins. The Human Fly is a dare-devil and a rescuer. Nothing more, nothing less. In this adventure, he will perform a stunt similar to that we could read in the second issue of this series.
The action takes place on Harlan County, Kentucky. The United Mine Worker’s Fair is the place where the Human Fly jumps to dive into a pool full of water. Then he strikes the base of the tank with all his strength and a powerful spring coils tightly and the Human Fly is shoot up out of the tank like a human rocket, back to the platform where the jump begun. The device designed by Ted Locke work. The crowd is overwhelmed by the surprise.

But, what is a comic if we don’t have a villain? This time is a big boss, owner of the company that manages the mines. Mister Dukas is the name. The Union fears that every man in this county will be ruined, because a mine will be closed. The Union thinks that that’s only the beginning. Dukas knows that the representative of the Union, Joe Shields, will be listen and followed by the miners, because everyone of them respect him.

Dukas has hired a thug by the name of Maddox. From the stage, the Fly watches Joe Shields and his son being followed by Maddox and the gun he has in his hip pocket. The whole Human Fly hurry up. Maddox is driving a cab full of dynamite, following the Shields’ and into the mines.

Father and son have in mind to report the conditions of the Sutter Mine. With the report the think they will stop the company in its runaway. Dukas will pick and move, leaving the miners to starvation. With this ideas, the come into the mine. Maddox has them the perfect excuse. He will say that he didn’t know they were there and that in fact, they were trespassers. And that he has his orders to seal up the mine.
Maddox prepares the charge while the Shields’ document the bad conditions of the shorings of the mine. So many safety code violations could be found that they could stop Dukas. Junior is sceptics, but his father knows that this will be enough to keep the miners together.

Just before Maddox uses the detonator, Ted jumps to intercept the thug and the Human Fly runs to alert the man inside. Blaze, Arnie and Ted fight Maddox, but and accident threw Ted on the detonator, activating it. The tragedy could not be averted. When Blaze and Arnie get to the shovels to dig them out, Dukas appears with an army of bad guys.
In the darkness of the mine, the Fly recovers from the shock and finds a dim light (the baton is back in the van). This light come from the Shields’ helmet beams. They are both trapped and pinned by crossbeams.

Joe Shields senior is in critical condition, barely breathing. His son remembers that there is a way out, a tunnel, that the Human Fly must find to send help back for them. But the Fly knows that he must not leave. The old man will not survive that long.

Outside, Dukas and his thugs pretend to kill the Human Fly crew. Blaze fools the men and switch on the radio in hope that someone is listening. Well, there is many people hearing them. And the miners run to their cars to stop the killing.

The Human Fly has an idea. He will use the physics of the stunt that opens the book to jump, hitting the crossbeams to get the leverage needed to lift the lower beam and extricate the trapped miner.

They are all free and helps the father along the tunnel, but there is water ahead because it is flooded. The three of them dive. The water that appeared in the stunt, appears again now.

While Joe Junior leads the way, the Human Fly gives air to Joe’s father. They succeed.

Outside the mine, the miners arrive just in time to save our friends. Dukas and his men suffer the consequences of being bad guys and they pay for their actions. The police will take care of them.

The Human Fly and the Shields appear in scene. Old Joe has beaten the company and his son informs that the blast has opened up a whole new seam of coal. The miners get Joe senior to the hospital.

First, an announcement. Issue eleven will tell the story of the jump over twenty six buses. In that issue, the Real Human Fly will make a startling announcement. Thirdly, the photos will appear on the magazine. It was true, but in issue fifteen.

Rob Fagerlund emphasizes the compassion for other people of the Fly. Harmony is remembered. Marco Favasoli praises issue seven points a mistake. Issue five takes place in Quebec, but it is mistake by Ontario in issue seven. Bill Mantlo wrote the adventure to be set in Ontario, but Roger Stern suggested that it would be better set in Quebec, showcasing French speaking children. But the episode was already in print.

Joe Murphy comments that the distance between the Evans and the bear in issue seven varies from one panel to the other. It was a decision made by Lee Elias, Mike Esposito and Patterson.

HUMAN FLY #11.
COVER TITLE. Legends Die Hard!
INSIDE TITLE. Silver Charity, Sudden Death!
COVER DATE. July 1978
COVER PRICE. 35¢
COVER ARTIST. Un-credited
NUMBER OF PAGES. 18
WRITER. Bill Mantlo
PENCILLER. Lee Elias
INKER. Mike Esposito
LETTERER. I. Watanabe
COLORIST. G. Roussos
EDITOR. Archie Goodwin

This comic is gold! An impossible issue that came to reality in those impossible seventies. So good, so groovy, so amazing and so freaky that it should be considered one of the best of the decade. Or one the worst, but, who knows? Looking back at it, I can not believe this was a common issue. The hippie era of thought and the glam rock collides in this pages!

The Human Fly playing the guitar? This is the first page of the issue eleven of this great series. If I am not wrong, he is playing an Epiphone. I love this guitar and a friend of mine has one from that era. I must say this guitar tone is amazing. The captions are poetics, perhaps not really inspired, but poetics in the end.

I have a problem here. Playing guitar with thick globes? No way. That is impossible. But it doesn’t matter, this is a comic book and this is the outfit of the main character. Does Spiderman has problems with his globes when he is climbing a building? Then, Why could not the Human Fly play a guitar while wearing with globes?

The Fly is moody after the accident in Montreal (as you all know, he failed attempting the world record of a jump over twenty six buses, and that was in real life!). The cover of this issue shows the moment of the accident.

I love this panels. The story of Harmony Whyte is as interesting as those of a Lois Lane. We can see in a flash back the accident. Blaze is really mad at Harmony. And Harmony feels sorry, but no one would understand her. Phisically, the Human Fly healed, but he barely accepts the fail.

Now we are in St. Louis. Beneath the Gateway Arch, Willie Silver, the rock star that leads the band “Silver Charity” has a rattle with his road manager, “Candy” Mike Flynn. Willie does not want to sing his hit song, called “Death of a Superstar”, because every time he plays is, something bad happens and he doesn’t want to die like the rock star in his song. Remember that the risk of electrocution with an electric instrument was higher them than now.

Meanwhile, the Human Fly prepares his next stunt. A dangerous ride with a motorcycle all along the Gateway Arch. And he will ride with Death of a Superstar being played at the same time. Isn’t it morbid?

But there is no action without a villain. And Candy Mike is! Silver Charity’s broke because he has been embezzling the profits. So he though, a death rock star is more profitable than a live one. Candy Mike is the owner of all the rights, the insurance of the band. So he fix a device that would kill Willie Silver on stage.

Harmony is threaten again by her boss, Mr. Braden. He wants results of her exposé of the Human Fly. Harmony states that the Fly is no fraud, but is the Human Fly or her job.

Then we go to the stage under the Arch. The band is going to play with all their hearts for charity and the crowd is ready to enjoy the music and the musicians they love. But before the show, the Human Fly performs his stunt and, perhaps, renews his faith in himself. Harmony is with Mr. Braden, who is infuriated and she quits! What a girl!

This page is really special. Here we can see what this series is for. The Human Fly gives hope and shows the World that his message is real. With tears in his eyes (nice rendition by Elias) he is full of gratitude.

Willie Silver is full of joy, too. The music show begins and Candy Mike activates the device that will electrocute Willie. The Human Fly sees the guitar shorting out and reacts. Riding the motorcycle he races into stage and cuts the current before Willie Silver is burned to death. The Fly knows it was a murder attempt.

Harmony has spotted Candy Mike plugging the device and gives him a strong hit that crashes the microphone into the manager’s face. Police take care of him. She has quitted and leave his boss and the camera man behind.

Willie is burned so bad that the Fly takes his guitar and plays (again with his globes) the song with a new lyrics: the Birth of a Superstar! We don’t know if Willie Silver will recover (I hope he will!), but this is clearly a message to the World. Mantlo, the human rights activist, the Public Defender, is writing his heart out.

This issue reminds me of those old TV movies with stories of people surviving and living their lives after an unfortunate event. So seventies, I said.

No Fly Papers in this issue.

This is the last episode with Archie Goodwin as Marvel Editor. The end of a golden era…

HUMAN FLY # 12.
COVER TITLE. Suicide Sky-Dive!
INSIDE TITLE. Arnie’s Story!
COVER DATE. August 1978
COVER PRICE. 35¢
COVER ARTIST. Un-credited
NUMBER OF PAGES. 18
WRITER. Bill Mantlo
PENCILLER. Lee Elias
INKER. F. Springer
LETTERER. Joe Rosen
COLORIST. G. Wein
EDITOR. Jim Shooter

… and the beginning of a new golden era. Hello, Jim Shooter! The Human Fly lasted only eight issues in that era, but this could be considered a logic movement. Marvel was the house of Goodwin and many series had to go and give room to the new editor. And the Human Fly was among them. I think it didn’t matter much at the time, because the real Human Fly schedule become more and more unnoticed by the general public and the real time of the character, the seventies, were singing their swam song. I am grateful because there was a Human Fly comic book after all and the nineteen issues run was short but wonderful.

We start the issue reading about the craziest of the stunts ever produced by Ted and the Human Fly. The story is a minor one, the fleshing up of a secondary character, Arnie Berman. After to issues of Human Fly glory, a low fly story. It does not matter. I think it was an answer to a real need. To give a depth origin to the supporting crew while developing the Human Fly personality. The problem was that the series was close to cancellation.

Back to the stunt, the Fly is on a rocket-chair moving at 300 miles per hour, down a track and towards a concrete and steel target. To Arnie, this is certain death (and to me). He has half a minute to set him free. The money raised with the spectacle will go directly to the Special Transportation Coaches for the Handicapped, sponsored by the Southwestern Railroad Company.

The Human Fly takes off and escapes death. He them punch the seat-ejector, gains altitude and lands in front of a group of fans (anyone who did not admire him, now will be a die-hard follower).

Our friends get into the train nearby and prepare the next feat and Arnie takes his turn to eat at the Dining Car. Harmony Whyte approaches him and, although Arnie is a little unfriendly, they begin talking. The revelation that Harmony is not already a newscaster softens the situation a lot. As Arnie says, “people don’t lie about believing in the Fly!”

A little chat and Arnie explains that he is an unpaid promoter. He work for a small San Diego Newspaper. He had no confidence in himself and that resents his work. He quitted his job before they fired him. He stutters and is not taken seriously by no-one. Then he saw an advertisement of a Human Fly show at San Diego Beach. He proposes himself to unmask the Fly and earn the money and fame that will come out of it.

While the Fly goes out to the Main Gate to greet the crowd, Arnie runs to the plane where the Human Fly will perform the jump and hides himself aboard in the cargo. He hides behind a pile of spare parachutes and waits.

What Arnie admires about the Human Fly is his self-esteem and the closeness to his friends. The stunt-plane leapt forward and they are airborne. There was no turning back. The Human Fly takes off his mask because the air in the plane become a bit stuffy. Arnie can see now the face of our hero. He did not know who the Fly was, but it was love at first sight. His face was honest, strong, decent and courageous and inspired hope, trust and belief. If Arnie could match the face with an archive and identify him, that would make him famous as a top-flight investigative reporter.

The plane kept gaining height till they raise to an altitude no one has ever attempted a sky-dive. Arnie then noticed that the parachute strap is torn and he has no time to alert the Human Fly.

Arnie wouldn’t let the Fly alone. He appears in front Blaze and Ted, grabs a parachute and jumps after the Human Fly. For the first time in his life, he did not feel fear at all.

The strap broke and the Human Fly parachute was flying off. There is no way to survive but the Fly sees Arnie and guesses right that his intentions were to save him. He manoeuvres in a way that slows his fall so Arnie can draw near him.

The Human Fly grabs the hand of Arnie and they get the parachute on. Now Arnie has found something worth living for. The Fly pulls the rip-cord and the parachute opens. Arnie becomes the new member of the Human Fly’s team. He left stuttering since then.

Then the whole crew appear and Harmony Whyte is accepted. Great. But now Harmony has loosed some of his appraising glamour and has become one more of the crew. I don’t think I like that, being this a comic book, but in real life, as this comic pretends, that would be for the best.

No letter page on this issue.