Panel Vision - Kickers Inc

Edited by Robert Beach

This Sunday marks the special occasion of Super Bowl 50. All across the nation, the people of America gather round TV sets, bars, and in a stadium to view the epic clash of titans between um…two different sports teams. I’m pretty sure. Okay, obviously I’m a geek and not terribly interested in sports. I know a bit because I grew up in the triple threat area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts where if you don’t support your local sports team, you’re basically screwed. 

So while I know enough to root for the Patriots whenever they make it big, I honestly couldn’t tell you who’s playing at this major event. However, I’ve always maintained a weird affection for the bizarre ephemera of sports, mainly because they’re essentially a pitched battle of physical skill and strategy between two groups in colorful costumes. That’s pretty similar to a superhero set-up and, in 1986, Marvel had that same idea and so the world was gifted Kickers Inc. The greatest gift we could receive. 

To understand what Kickers Inc really is, we need to discuss some Marvel history. Experimentation in comic books is a pretty standard occurrence owing to how easy it is to course correct and capitalize on current trends within the confine of the comic medium. Over the years, this has led to a lot of bizarre cultural artifacts like the various fantasy and horror comics of DC in the 1970s or Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula or Howard The Duck. 

The big difference between the big two when it comes to experimentation is DC tended to devote whole new books to their experiments while Marvel folded their weird ideas into pre-existing books or larger corners of the Marvel universe. That’s why DC stuff like Beowulf Dragonslayer, or Warlord were confined to their own continuity while Howard the Duck and Dracula have both met Dr. Strange and the Avengers. And yet in 1986, Marvel decided to try a seriously risky experiment in comics by launching a whole new imprint entitled the New Universe.

This was the first time either of the big companies had tried creating a secondary publishing imprint separate from their main collection of books. The New Universe was meant to try and bring Marvel back to their roots with more grounded storytelling, a real-time approach to the passage of time, and a moratorium on superheroes (sort of, but we’ll get back to that.) 

Like I said, the whole thing was a big deal and part of a larger celebration of Marvel’s 25^th anniversary at the time that was meant to herald the company into another 25 years. Unfortunately, most of the New Universe comics really didn’t take off and the experiment ended up defunct by 1989. There was a brief attempt to revive the brand and recently New Universe characters like Starbrand and Nightmask have been integrated into the main Marvel universe, but for the most part, the New Universe has passed into comic obscurity. 

So, how does Kickers Inc tie into all of this? Well, they were sort of the odd man out of the entire New Universe in that they’re basically superheroes, and they tended to fight the various outlandish insanities Marvel started the entire line to get away from. I’m not sure what possessed author Tom DeFalco to go so violently off message, but I’m forever grateful he did because Kickers inc. is absolutely glorious because of it. Seriously, the team has gaudy costumes, code names, and fought all kinds of giant robots, evil druids, and super-powered mutants; it was a delight. 

Now, some of you might be wondering how this ties into football. Well, the answer is stupid. The set-up for the comic revolves around the team’s leader Jack Magniconte AKA Mr. Magnificent.  Before founding Kickers Inc., Magniconte was a star quarterback for the New York Smashers. Nevertheless, Magniconte is a lame quarterback. In an effort to gain the edge he needs to win, he convinces his brother to use weird science to turn him into the world’s most might pro-baller. Yep, nothing but grounded and realistic stories here as far as the eye can see. 

In another life, I could see how this story would end up linked to something like steroid abuse or the like to lend the proceedings a more somber and meaningful feel but as it stands, Kickers Inc plays a lot more like Strangest Sports Stories as told by Marvel in the ‘60s rather than DC in the ‘50s. There are some attempts at greater drama, like Magniconte’s brother falling back into a gambling addiction now that he knows his brother is the Captain America of football. That’s definitely the outlier rather than the standard.  

Eventually, Magniconte’s brother gets killed because with great powers comes great responsibility. Magniconte then quits football after convincing four of his fellow teammates to join him and get supered up as well. Together they become Kickers Inc. starring Mr. Magnificent, Brick Wall, Dasher, Suicide Smythe, and Doll. If you’ve got a problem and no one else can help you, you can hire: Kickers, Inc. 

In case that last sentence wasn’t enough of a clue, the team is a pretty transparent A-Team riff as the show was enjoying a successful 4^th season at time of creation. This most comes through in the character dynamics and the way the Kickers interact with clients looking for help with their problems. They’re not a perfect analog for the A-Team, but Mr. Magnificent and Brick Wall act as pretty transparent counters to Hannibal and Mr. T. 

None of that is a bad thing. The A-Team were always fun, and Tom DeFalco takes the parallel as a chance to tell the insane and comic booky A-Team stories the show never did. Ironically, Marvel had actually published a legitimate A-Team mini-series back in 1983 that, allegedly, sold very well and did very well for the company, so going back to that particular well makes a lot of sense. The only really weird thing about the set-up is that between running off to battle robots and albino lions, the team are all actively still members of the New York Smashers having to play and perform and such. 

This comes up very briefly in the 4^th issue, a weirdly dark story about a rival team called the Wreckers who end up paralyzing one of the Kickers’ non-powered teammates. Sports really don’t lend themselves to comics very well. It’s hard to capture the intensity and time sensitivity of a game within the very static medium of sequential art, yet this issue is still enjoyable for the grudge match aspects of the story. That fact seemed to be picked up by Marvel editorial because eventually stories like issue 4’s became the norm for Kickers Inc. 

Starting with issue #8, the comic took a pretty radical change in direction, allegedly owing to Marvel editorial disliking DeFalco’s more fanciful approach to the New Universe. As a result, the A-Team concept is more or less abandoned, and Magniconte undergoes treatment to basically “cure” him of his superhuman abilities. From there, you’d think the comic would just become a straightforward sports series. It really doesn’t change. As mentioned, sports really aren’t that interesting in comic book format.

Continuing from issue 8, the stories were a bizarre blend of the previous sports and adventure fair only now filtered through a much harsher and grittier lens. Without his powers, Magniconte gets drummed out of football and briefly becomes a tennis player right before going on a First Blood Part 2-esque rescue mission to some Banana Republic where he guns people down with an AK-47. 

The whole thing is a real mess, not helped by the fact that DeFalco was replaced with a rotating team of writers with, I’ve read, a greater editorial oversight. The whole thing gets a lot less fun and a lot more dour, though the final issue revolves around a staged alien invasion and Big Foot sighting as part of some bizarre Canadian film shoot. Seriously, despite seeing holograms and actual flying saucers, it all turns out to be fake with the only explanation for the all the ridiculousness being “eh, they’re Canadian.” 

Kickers Inc really wasn’t a comic that was built to last. The basic ideas are certainly fun, and I appreciate the bizarre overlap between sports and superheroes that DeFalco initially tried to tap into, though that’s really not a premise that can sustain itself. There’s a very good reason none of DC’s Strangest Sports Stories comics have managed to endure for much longer than about 6 issues. 

It’s pretty much the same reason Kickers Inc goes so wrong around issue 8. Maybe somewhere down the line people will figure out how to make sports in comics as compelling as they are on TV or in the movies. For right now, it’s probably better this is an idea left to short mini-series and such.  

Even so, I do recommend the first 6 issues of Kickers Inc if you can put your hands to them.  Everyone involved is having a blast and the work of illustrator Ron Frenz and colorist George Roussos is absolutely top notch. They’re two of Marvel’s under-appreciated workhorses, but they always do top quality work. This is some of their most fun and enjoyable stuff. 

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