Last Issue Special # 16: Black Goliath

SERIES: Black Goliath

DATE: 1976

THOSE RESPONSIBLE: Chris Claremont (writer); Archie Goodwin (editor)

CATEGORY: PARTIAL SURPRISE

Black Goliath was launched in 1975, "conceived and written" by Tony Isabella, but taken over by Chris Claremont as of issue # 2. Today I think new characters tend to rack up a lot more appearances as guest stars and in mini-series before being granted the prestige of a solo series, but things were maybe a little looser back then. The eponymous Black Goliath has the ability to grow up to 15 feet tall--in other words, he's a goliath who is um . . . black (subtlety sold separately). I actually like the alter ego of the hero better than the hero himself: Bill Foster is a noted bio-chemist with links to the Avengers and Tony Stark. Unfortunately, Big Bill got himself offed during Civil War a few years ago, and this series' five-issue run in the mid-70s was his only solo series glory.

Black Goliath is a pretty standard super hero title, as thefts of nuclear materials by the villainous Atom-Smasher (whose powers seem identical to those of the better-known Radioactive Man) are thwarted, bank robberies by the Stilt-Man are foiled, and a break-in by some guy named Vulcan is kiboshed. A supporting cast is introduced (comprised of Foster's co-workers) and a classic Claremont unresolved subplot stretches through several issues (something to do with a mysterious glowing box). The only surprising thing is that Foster has a one-night stand in issue 2, definitely a rarity for the time period.

The last issue sees Black Goliath sent through a portal to a distant planet, where he has to survive alien threats and cobble together the means to return himself home (we don't actually see him make the trip back, but since he appears later on Earth in future comics, we'll have to assume everything worked out okay). A text box on the letters page is pretty matter-of-fact:

"Like many another mag in their time, Bashful Bill Foster's is biting the dust for that most basic of reasons, namely poor sales. Though the letters indicated that there wer epeople out there who liked what GOLIATH was . . . they weren't enough to keep the book going in these days of ever-spiralling costs. Which is sad, but which are also the breaks of the game."