Like so many 1970s Marvel books, it starts with a mugging. Bill Foster is accosted by some street hoods, so he grows big and literally bowls them down with a garbage can as they flee. The dialog isn’t great (“Uh-uh! No leaving without saying you’re sorry!”), but at least it isn’t stilted in an insulting black vernacular, like they often do with Luke Cage. And you have to applaud Marvel for having two black solo superhero comics out at the same time. Even today, that’s a rarity.
Sadly, it’s not a very good comic. Foster is working in research and development for Tony Stark. You’ll see a tag for Geoffrey Ballard at the bottom. He becomes a villain much later, in Ms. Marvel #18.
Since he’s in a secret lab, Black Goliath fights off guys who try to steal some tech. First, it’s Atom Smasher.
A villain who can turn himself into pure energy.
Then, a never-seen-again villain called Vulcan. Then, he caps off his series with a fight against Stilt Man. Silt-Man?!?
Along the way, we learn that Foster has cancer.
And to make the book appear more “authentically ethnic,” there’s a bodega called “Pop’s.”
And hoodlums hang out in front of it. Because of course they do.
Also, Kurt Busiek chimes in with a letter-troll letter.
“Fantastic!” ??? Dude. You’re lying. Here’s the yellow box farewell from issue #5:
Tony Isabella (“conceived and written” #1), Chris Claremont (writer #2-4), George Tuska (pencils)