Mark Gruenwald
Legacy of Greatness
by Phil Perich for the Capes and Lunatics Blog
Welcome to the first entry in the Capes and Lunatics Blog. This is the companion to the Capes and Lunatics podcast hosted by Lilith Hellfire, Charlie Esser, Tyler Patrick and myself. We will focus on all forms of Pop Culture especially the world of comic books, which we all have a deep passion for. I was wracking my brain for something special to write about for our first entry and the idea came to me when I came up with the answer to the weekly question for our podcast. The question I posed to everyone was “If you could interview one person in history, dead or alive, who would it be?” Most people would probably answer some long dead historical figure or a famous celebrity. I came to the conclusion that I wish I had had the chance to talk to a writer who had influenced my early life, and helped foster my love of comics books, Mark Gruenwald.
Mark Gruenwald
In my opinion Gruenwald’s stories were big, action packed, important, and made you think. Not only were they adventure stories, but they explored the mechanics and moral issues behind being a super hero in the Marvel Universe. The following are my favorite examples his work.
Quasar
Wendell Vaughn was the first human to be named protector of the universe. He derived his powers from the Quantum Bands created by the cosmic entity known as Eon. This character was and still is one of my favorites in the Marvel catalogue and it’s all thanks to Mr Gruenwald who wrote 59 of the 60 issues of Quasar’s original run. Gruenwald took some very cosmic ideas and stories and made them fun, enjoyable, and easily accessible telling the story through the eyes of the every man Wendell Vaughn, especially to the child/young teen I was during the books original publication. This series was a gift that I have now started to share with my own son!
Captain America
I had been aware of the character of Captain America before I picked up his solo book, but after my first issue, a Gruenwald of course, I was hooked and over the years I picked up as many back issues as I could, my primary focus being the search for every issue that had been written by Mark Gruenwald. Once again Gruenwald made the main character very accessible, very realistic to the audience. Quite the feat for a living legend like Captain America, a man born in another time. But Gruenwald also focused on the above average morals of the man behind the Captain America mask, Steve Rogers. The classic storyline of Steve Rogers giving up the role of Captain America was Gruenwald’s. When certain members of an organization working for the US government ask Steve Rogers to work for them in some very morally ambiguous ways, this strong character written by this legend is prepared to sacrifice his life’s work and start over from scratch. Gruenwald also created many classic characters during his ten year run of the book, including Diamondback, Crossbones, and US Agent. I judge every Captain America writer, even the greats like Mark Waid, Nick Spencer and all the others against Mark Gruenwald’s high standard.
Squadron Supreme
From what I have read about him, Mark Gruenwald was as much a fan of DC Comics as he was of Marvel even though he only got the chance to work for Marvel. One of his best known works was the twelve issue Squadron Supreme miniseries. Originally created as opponents for the Avengers, the Squadron Supreme answered the question “What if the Justice League decided to take total control of their Earth?” Taking place in another universe separate from the main Marvel continuity, Gruenwald showed in very realistic fashion what would happen if superheroes decided that the only way to save the world was to rule it. Once again questions of morality played a part in this classic tale, including gun control, free will, and does might make right? This story was so beloved by everyone including Gruenwald, that when he passed away from a heart attack caused by a congenital heart defect in 1996, his ashes were mixed into the ink used for the first printing of the Squadron Supreme trade paperback collecting the entire story.
So that is why It is my eternal regret that I never had the opportunity to interview one the greats of the comic industry. Thank you Mr. Gruenwald for showing us heroes come in all shapes and sizes and that there is a hero in all of us!
If you would like to share your thoughts on Mark Gruenwald or suggest a topic for a future blog, you can contact me and my cohosts in any of the following ways:
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You can hear me discussing all things TV, movie, comics, music, gaming and more every week with my friends on the Capes and Lunatics Podcast. You can find my podcast, blog and those of others at www.southgatemediagroup.com. You can also find all my creative endeavors at www.philperich.wordpress.com.