“Kiss and tell”
This is a somewhat skeptical editorial from Marvel contributor Steve Gerber. How did he come 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 country? For answers you have come to the right place.
“A Brief Biography of Doctor Doom”
Doctor Doom has been a thorn in the side of many superheroes in the Marvel Universe. It seems that 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 teenagers were cornered in a pinball arcade in Lower Manhattan. Your crime? Two of them accepted a mystical 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 in a cramped downstairs photo booth, they hear the name Doctor Doom muttered in a predominant Bronx accent. Absolutely not, not this Latvian 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 and subject them all to a strange magical light show?! What nonsense!
Will the young rock band survive their first encounter with the agents of Doom? What’s in Khyscz’s box? Can star newspaper photographer Peter Parker photograph the bizarre new costumed vigilantes before another newspaper gets the news?
“Blood on the plate”
The true fans know the legend. Anyone lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of Super Special #01 will soon find out. Kiss sacrificed their own blood for their debut issue. That’s right. The book you are holding has been inked with real Superstar Red Hemoglobin! This is the play-by-play action of the day. Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace gave everything to Marvel Comics.
“Let Air Latveria enchant you”
This year (1977) is the year. Latvia has just opened its borders to foreign countries. Grab a flight and visit the world of Doom! Just don’t ask how to get home.
“Where no band has ever performed before”
Before the internet and collectible books, the only way to find out a band’s history was through music magazines. In this case, Marvel’s on-the-fly music writer Steve Gerber delivers every sexy detail about how the Demon, Star Child, Catman and Space Ace took the land by storm. This article contains the band’s origins, a discography and a short interview. Poor Steve. How did he deal with the level of confidence?
“Just as hot as hell!”
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are ripped from dimensional space and awaken in the afterlife and the paradise within. But what about Ace Frehley and Peter Criss? Their souls must not attain eternal salvation. But the demon manifested from Gene senses something completely different in this room. Something radically evil.
“The Andromedia hustle and bustle!”
While Gene and Paul hang their feet over the fires of hell, Ace and Peter stand in the middle of a dance floor. But where exactly is this crazy nightclub? You’ll soon realize that no one can hear you screaming in space.
The music is loud, mechanical and obnoxious. All around them, alien cat-like creatures shake and writhe and strut to the worst music ever invented. Disco!
“See Latveria and die!”
The young rock ‘n’ roll band from New York City has survived the trials and tribulations of the road. After making full use of their new powers, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley are finally ready to face Victor Von Doom. In a split second, the four materialize on a Latvian hill, where a small army of Doombots awaits them in earnest.
Your programming is uncomplicated. Force the heroes of Khyscz to give up their totems. Or kill them and take what belongs to Doom. Let the final battle begin!
review
As a committed fan back then, I watched kiss have evolved over the last five decades. They faced changing musical styles, the departure of band members, and even shed their makeup personas to blend in with the times. But even Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons recognized that the band featured in Marvel Comics Super Special No.01 has set them apart from all other groups since their inception.
This comic is not just an adventure story written and produced by some of the best artists in the Marvel Comics series at the time. No, this is a time capsule in a purist form. From the photo series to the interviews: If you want to find out what Kiss is about, you will do so on the last page. For this reason, I give this comic five out of five stars. It was worth every penny I spent.
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