Issue(s): Marvel Fanfare #22, Marvel Fanfare #23
Cover Date: Sep-Nov 85
Title: "Night of the Octopus" / "From the ashes"
Credits:
Roger McKenzie - Writer
Ken Steacy - Art

Review/plot:
These two issues are pretty cool because they are composed entirely of painted art by a Ken Steacy.

Steacy is an indie comic artist that did very little for Marvel or DC.

The story is also pretty good, with Iron Man fighting Doctor Octopus, a character that he's almost never fought before or since...

...and struggling a bit with alcoholism in a way that helps bridge the gap between the Michelinie/Layton and Denny O'Neil stories.

There's a cute sequence with everybody's go-to stool pigeon, Turk.

Issue #23 was the first issue of Marvel Fanfare that i ever bought, and it really lived up to its promise in a way that a lot of issues of this series don't.

There are no back up stories in these issues; just a number of nice pin-ups also by Steacy.

It's too bad Marvel couldn't convince him to do more work with them.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Doctor Octopus is in prison following the events of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man annual #1. Vison & the Scarlet Witch are members of the Avengers. Tony Stark is currently on the wagon. The MCP places this between Iron Man #129-130.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? Y - probably not intentionally, but it's a story published in 1985 that can only take place back in the 1979-1980 period (inventory story).

My Reprint: N/A

The "SQUEEE" is probably a reference to Gold Key'S Magnus, Robot Fighter.

Ken Steacy's first Marvel art was in FOOM#5(4/74).

Every single one of the villains I see here will personally cause problems for Iron Man immediately before and during Fear Itself. :)

Well, except for Turk as far as I know.

This one was reprinted by Marvel UK in 5-6 page instalments as a back-up strip in Transformers, being many readers introduction to the modern day Iron Man (we'd already seen Iron Man 2020 when Machine Man 2020 was the backup strip).

The Grey Gargoyle is living stone again even though the Scarlet Witch reverted him to human at the end of Avengers 191.

There's some amazing use of light and shadow here, far better than in a lot of painted stories Marvel would publish in the 90s. It is sad that Ken Steacy didn't get a regular run on various series he'd be perfectly suited for. Imagine him doing Ff stories in a strange scifi setting, or Doctor Strange ones in odd dimensions, or straightforward Spidey ones, because look how well he draws Doc Ock, Electro and Sandman in their classic looks.

Which reminds me, has Spidey ever gone up against the Grey Gargoyle in any of his own books? Seems like with his archfoe being a goblin, a gargoyle would fit right in.

wow. This art is nice.

Really ahead of its time, stylistically.

@PeterA- he fought the Grey Gargoyle in Amazing Spider-Man 219.

Thanks Michael, I own that one even but it must've completely gone through my mind. I remember the cover but still not the insides, time to crack it open (or go look at fnord's recap of it). The Grey Gargoyle is too underused for such a classic character.