My Rating
“Kiss And Tell”
This is a somewhat skeptical editorial written by Marvel’s own Steve Gerber. How did he get introduced to the band and their music? What sparked the idea for a Kiss comic book? How far was Marvel Comics willing to go to sign the hottest band in the land? You have come to the right place for answers.
“A Brief Biography of Doctor Doom”
Doctor Doom has been a thorne in the side of many superheros across the Marvel Universe. It seems Kiss is no exception. To know the enemy, the reader must be informed. Here is a one-page summary of Victor Von Doom.
“Kiss Comics – Part One”
Four youths have been cornered in a Lower Manhattan pinball arcade. Their crime? Two of them accepted a mystic box from a crazy cat named Dizzy the Hun. Now a group of hired thugs want to rearrange their faces.
As Gene, Paul, Peter, and Ace weigh their options inside a cramped photo booth, out on the main floor, they hear the name Doctor Doom muttered in a predominant Bronx accent. No way, not that Latverian terrorist. What have the four rock musicians from New York gotten themselves into? The bigger question. Why the hell did Ace Frehley just open the box, exposing them all to some strange magical light show?! What an airhead!
Will the fledgling rock band survive their first encounter with the agents of Doom? What resides in the Box of Khyscz? Can star newspaper photographer, Peter Parker, take pictures of the bizarre new costumed vigilantes before another paper gets the scoop?
“Blood On The Plate”
The true fans know the legend. Those lucky enough to obtain a copy of Super Special No.01 will soon find out. Kiss gave their own blood for the debut issue. That’s right. The book you hold in your hand was colorized in real superstar red hemoglobin! This is the play by play action of the day Gene, Paul, Peter, and Ace gave their all for Marvel Comics.
“Let Air Latveria Spirit You Away”
This year (1977) is the year. Latveria has just opened its borders to outside lands. Grab a flight and visit the world of Doom! Just don’t ask how you are getting home.
“Where No Band Has Tread Before”
Before the internet and the tell-all books, the only way to learn the history of a band was through music magazines. In this case, Marvel’s impromptu music writer, Steve Gerber, provides every sexy detail of how the Demon, Star Child, Catman, and Space Ace took the country by storm. This article includes the history of the forming of the band, a discography, and a short interview. Poor Steve. How did he handle the level of confidence?
“Precisely As Hot As Hell!”
Plucked from dimensional space, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley awake in the afterlife and the paradise that it contains. But what of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss? Their souls must not muster eternal salvation. But the Demon manifested from Gene senses something much different in this space. Something radically evil.
“The Andromedia Hustle!”
As Gene and Paul have their feet hung over the fires of hell, Ace and Peter find themselves standing in the middle of a dance floor. But where exactly is this crazy nightclub? They will soon discover, in space, no one can hear you squeam.
The music is loud, mechanical, and obnoxious. All around them, alien cat-like beings shake and twist, strutting their stuff to the worst music ever devised. Disco!
“See Latveria And Die!”
The young rock-n-roll band from New York City has survived the trials and tribulations of the road. With their new powers fully realized, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley are finally ready to face Victor Von Doom. In a split second, the four materialize upon a Latverian hillside where a small army of Doombots wait in earnest.
Their programming is straightforward. Force the heroes of Khyscz to relinquish their totems. Or, kill them and take what rightly belongs to Doom. Let the final battle begin!
Review
As a devout fan from the days of yore, I’ve watched Kiss evolve over the past five decades. They have faced changing music styles, band members leaving, and even discarded their make-up personas to blend in with the times. However, even Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons would come to realize that the band represented in Marvel Comics Super Special No.01 is what set them apart from every other group since its conception.
This comic book is not just an adventure story written and produced by some of the best artists in the Marvel Comics arsenal at the time. No, this is a time capsule in its purist form. From the photo spreads to the interviews, anyone who wants to learn what Kiss is about will do so by the very last page. For this reason, I give this comic book five out five stars. It was worth every penny that I spent.
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