Contest of Champions was the first Marvel miniseries, and is widely hailed as the first “event” comic: Every major Marvel character, and most of the minor ones, made at least an appearance in this book–and many of them got a decent amount of screen time.
Supposedly, the book was written and penciled back in 1980, and was intended to be an oversize original book to be released when the 1980 Olympics were happening. That’s why it featured a ton of new-and-already-existing international heroes, like Captain Britain, Israel’s Sabra,Native American Jason Strongbow who goes by American Eagle, U.S.A.’s Captain America, Russia’s Vanguard, Africa’s Black Panther, Japan’s Sunfire, the Arabian Knight, etc. Many are ones we had seen briefly but now for the first time really get to see their powers. Like China’s Collective Man, shown fighting Canada’s Sasquatch (from Alpha Flight)…
It also introduced a bunch of characters: From Germany, a new Blitzkrieg…
Ireland’s Shamrock…
Talisman of Australia…
…Who manages to take on Invisible Girl…
France’s Peregrine…
and Defensor from Spain, who gets trounced by Iron Man (shades of Iron Man vs. Cap?)…
Storywise, it’s basically a sporting event where heroes are broken into teams and have to compete to obtain certain pieces of the Golden Globe of Life, not knowing that they are working for Grandmaster and Death, who are playing their own, larger game.
It’s a plot not all that different from many Justice League stories. But then the United States decided to boycott the Olympics after Russia invaded Afghanistan and the project was scrapped–until, years later, inker Pablo Marcos turned in the finished art because nobody had told him that the book was cancelled. At least, that’s what this site says, and it sounds crazy enough to be true.
In the end, Death’s team wins but the whole thing is kind of a copout because they’re returned to Earth and no time has passed, so it’s like it never happened. The only reason we know it’s canon is because a few of the international heroes who first appeared in this book do in fact appear in later Marvel books.
This book served as the prototype for Marvel’s Secret Wars, a much better, much more important miniseries.
Mark Gruenwald and Steven Grant helped plot this, with a script by Bill Mantlo, and more contributions by Gruenwald as editor.
This is the second best Mark Gruenwald comic of all time. Want to know the first? Go here.
I found this entire miniseries to be extremely pedestrian, both in terms of story and artwork. You’re right about one thing: The plot was shamelessly lifted straight out of those old Gardner Fox/Carmine Infantino/Mike Sekowsky “Justice League of America” comics from the 1960’s. This basic plotline also served as the basis for Marvel’s 1973 “Avengers/Defenders War”, which was really Marvel’s very first major crossover event. The artwork was routine, as well. The only point of the entire miniseries that I noticed and appreciated was the writer’s decision to include the Angel- one of my top-five favorite superjocks- into the contest. The Angel is, like myself, one of Life’s Great Underdogs- and watching him pull a skin-of-his-teeth victory out against a physically-superior opponent was nothing short of heartwarming. ( “This guy flies every bit as good as I do- and fights even better! I might be in trouble, here!” / “Monseiurre Angelle! Perhaps, aftair zis, ‘zey weel ask me to join zee X-Men, oui-???” “Maybe, Peregrine- but, somehow………….I doubt it.” BAM!!!!!!!!! Right in the ol’ beak! That’s my boy! Taught ’em everything he knows!!
I don’t think it was “lifted” so much as paying homage. There were lots of those kinds of group-quest comics and they’re often really fun to read. So, yeh, it’s a little pedestrian…but it’s a fun read.
Lifted/”paying homage”- tomato/tomah-toe!!! The best usage of this plot device, as noted earlier, was in Marvel’s very first epic crossover event: The 1973 Avengers-Defenders War! Yes, that’s right- exactly fifty years ago- an even half-century ago- all across the Summer of 1973, the Mighty Avengers and the Dynamic Defenders were trying very, very hard to DESTROY each other!!!! That’s right!! And the prize-??? Why, none other than the six segmented pieces of the Evil Eye of Avalon!! You know, that endlessly-repeated plot-device from all those 1960’s ‘Justice League of America’ stories!! The entire miniseries was worth following just to get to the “Main Event”- Chapter Ten: “Breakthrough!!!!! The Incredible Hulk versus The Mighty Thor!!!!” ( chronicled in ‘Defenders’#10 ) I can’t say it was the most decisive Thor/Hulk bout we’ve ever been given, but, for a bunch of little boys in Taylors, South Carolina, it was definitely damned exciting!! “Do it TO him, Thor!!!!” / “Get DOWN on him, Hulk!!!!” YEAH!!!! Now, THAT’S a “fun read”!!!! X-celsior!!!!