Tuesday, April 2, 2013

B: Black Goliath!





is for Black Goliath.

Black Goliath was created by Stan (The Man) Lee and Don Heck, for Marvel Comics,back in the 1970s. Dr. Bill Foster was a kid from the ghetto (seems like a lot of the heroes of color in the 70s where from the ghetto) who had made good. He became a brilliant biochemist, getting a Ph.D and going to work for Iron Man himself, Tony Stark. Later, he goes to work for another brilliant scientist, Dr. Henry Pym (a.k.a. Giant Man, Yellowjacket, Ant Man), at a time when Pym was stuck in his 10 foot 'Giant Man' form. Well, one thing led to another and Bill got a hold of Pym's growth formula....fashioned a costume and started calling himself, "Black Goliath".

As Black Goliath, Foster could grow to about fifteen feet tall and gained proportionate strength for his size....being able to lift about ten tons.

As stated, he was a brilliant biochemist as well as a gifted scientist.


Foster had a pretty long career in the Marvel Universe, showing up here and there and, eventually, landing a pretty steady job at Project Pegasus....a super powered 'think tank' that was the setting for quite a few "Marvel Two In One" issues (featuring The Thing).

Black Goliath inherited the "Giant Man" mantle for a bit, then just went by "Goliath".

Sadly, Foster was killed by a Thor doppelganger during the "Civil War" series.

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Oh...and "B" is also for Bird.....Arlee Bird (cue the James Bond music).

Yesterday I totally forgot to give a shout out to the man who made the A to Z Challenge possible....Arlee Bird over at Tossing It Out.

Thank you, Arlee!


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Oh...and one more "B" (seems there's more "B"s buzzing around there than a honeycomb)....glad I didn't forget this one, though.

B is also for  The Begonia Bribe




The Begonia Bribe: 2nd in the Garden Society Cozy Mystery series by Alyse Carlson
(aka: Hart Johnson)

Roanoke, Virginia, is home to some of the country’s most exquisite gardens, and
it’s Camellia Harris’s job to promote them. But when a pint-sized beauty contest
comes to town, someone decides to deliver a final judgment …

A beauty pageant for little girls—the Little Miss Begonia Pageant—has decided to hold
their event in a Roanoke park. Camellia is called in to help deal with the botanical details,
the cute contestants, and their catty mothers. She soon realizes that the drama onstage
is nothing compared to the judges row. There’s jealousy, betrayal, and a love triangle
involving local newsman—and known lothario—Telly Stevens. And a mysterious saboteur is
trying to stop the pageant from happening at all.

But the drama turns deadly when Stevens is found dead, poisoned by some sort of plant.
With a full flowerbed of potential suspects, Cam needs to dig through the evidence to uproot
a killer with a deadly green thumb.

Pre-order on: Amazon Barnes and Noble
Find Hart/Alyse at: Confessions of a Watery Tart
Facebook Author Page or Profile Twitter

Best wishes to Hart and I hope the book is a great success!

Tune in tomorrow for "C". If you don't....you'll wish you had :)

71 comments:

Jack said...

I should find some of those old comics. I would love to see Tony Stark back when he first made his name. Though I have differing thoughts on Ant Man....

Unknown said...

I'm loving those giant white boots. Shouldn't fighting super villains give him some stains. Unless, cleaning them is one of his super-powers. :)

Mark Means said...

@Jack: Stark was kind of bland until he became an alcoholic...then he got much more interesting

@Melissa: Haha...I have never thought of that. I guess he would only get stains if he stepped on the bad guys... :)

Trisha said...

I can't relate to people who are brilliant biochemists, because I suck at all things science. But I still am fascinated by all things science :)

Elise Fallson said...

Wasn't Antman's girlfriend the Wasp?

Shannon Lawrence said...

I wonder if we'll see Black Goliath in any of the movies? Was he good or bad?

Shannon at The Warrior Muse

Misha Gerrick said...

Interesting character.

I'd love to read The Begonia Bribe. Definitely getting it next month. :-)

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Ha glad you remembered Arlee Bird!

Have a great A-Z

Keep Calm and A-Z
An A-Z of learning English
Round the world from A to Z

Jess Schira said...

How can a guy who turns 15 feet tall and with corresponding strength, and who's obviously fairly intelligent get killed? Some day I'm going to have to explore the Marvel comic universe.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

He and The Thing together could do some damage.
Congratulations, Hart!
And be sure to stop by today...

Laura Clipson said...

Never heard of Black Goliath before, he sounds interesting!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Mark,

I really love those classic Marvel covers! Great theme BTW.

Congrats Hart! On your newest Cozy! The cover is so beautiful! I really appreciate the time it takes to illustrate this type of cover.

Regina said...

All I can say is Awesome!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Mark .. well now I know "Black Giant" .. and B for Bird .. I forgot too - but I often give Lee thumbs up for an amazing challenge ..

Hart's Begonia Bribe .. does look a cozy mystery read ..

Cheers - via Alex' shout out .. Hilary

baygirl32 said...

Classic Marvel- great B post!

A to Z Ninja Minion
http://baygirl32.blogspot.com

Shell Flower said...

Black Goliath is pretty stylin'! And I love how you worked in a book tour stop for B, as well. Yay Arlee!

kjmckendry said...

I never heard of Black Goliath before, that's pretty cool.

And three cheers for Arlee!

John Wiswell said...

His death in Civil War was so sad. Not because it was a tragedy, but because they'd so obviously pulled the character out of storage to have the Thor-robot kill someone in their big crossover. I'm told they did interesting things with his successor later.

Definitely digging this theme, Mark!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats to Hart!

Sorry, my comic book reading tended to be Casper, Scooby Doo, and Bugs Bunny. LOL

ilima said...

This is the coolest A to Z theme ever. I'm not into comics, but I'm liking reading about these obscure super heroes and their stories. Nice.

Tyrean Martinson said...

"Seems like a lot of comic book heroes were from the ghetto" - which is really cool. One reason I love comic books is that many of the heroes were ordinary people who became extraordinary - I think that's a message that we all need to hear, over and over again.
Thanks for an awesome B post!

Mark Means said...

@Trisha: Haha, same here. I love science...but at a distance!

@Elise: Yep, she sure was. See? You know more than you think :)

@Shannon: He was a good guy and I agree, I think it'd be awesome if he showed up in one of the Marvel films.

@Misha: He sure was and, I agree, that books sounds very interesting!

@Duncan: I know, me too! Better late than never :)

@Jess: I can only blame it on bad writing :)

@Alex: And I think they did in a few issues :) Thanks again for the shout out...it was an awesome surprise to start my day!

@Laura: I always thought he was a great, if under used, character.

@Michael: That was a lot of the fun of this theme, going back and finding some old covers. I really like them too...they were so much fun.

@Regina: Thanks! :)

@Hilary: Thank you very much :) I agree, Lee definitely deserves two thumbs up for all he does!

@baygirl: Thank you!

@Shell: Like a lot of the heroes back in the 70s, he was a flashy dresser...I think it might have had something to do with disco, not sure :)

@k: He was pretty obscure, no doubt and agree...Yay for Arlee! :)

@John: I didn't read all of Civil War, but I have no doubt that was why they brought him back out. A shame, really...he was a great character. I haven't seen much of his successor, though. Glad you're liking the theme!

@Diane: LOL....nothing wrong with that. I got my start reading Casper, Richie Rich, and Sad Sack. I used to love those :)

@Ilima: Thank you very much and glad you're enjoying it :)

Ella said...

Wow, I love this post! So vibrant and fun to learn about these heroes!

YOU rock as Bart~ I love that Alex picked you~

I'm looking forward to Hart's book!
Congrats Bart I mean Mark and Hart! ;D

Mark Means said...

@Tyrean: No doubt! I think that's one of the big reasons I started enjoying comics, as a kid. They always told me I could be better and go on to do much bigger things in life...even if I didn't get bit by a radioactive spider :)

@Ella: Thank you..I was totally shocked, seriously. Alex is great and I wish Hart all the best with her new book. It should be awesome!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Fun that you're doing comic book heroes. I'm already learning something new!
Play off the Page

Cross Planes said...

Solid!

Sherry Ellis said...

Old comics are cool. Too bad Foster died. He seemed like a great character.

Unknown said...

I only read about Black Goliath in the Civil War series; I knew nothing about his back story. Thanks :)

Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
www.mithrilwisdom.com

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I am so enjoying hearing about these 'not so famous' superheroes.

Tonja Drecker said...

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know that comic hero. But I have seen the mystery book around! Guess 1 out of 2 isn't bad ;)

Julie Flanders said...

It would be so fun to be able to grow like that and stomp around scaring the heck out of people who are getting on your last nerves LOL. I love Black Goliath.

I'll definitely be here for C so I don't end up filled with regret. :D

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Another cool lesser known super hero. Til tomorrow.

Cynthia said...

I enjoy reading cozy mysteries, so thanks for the recommendation, Mark.

Robin said...

@Jack: Stark was kind of bland until he became an alcoholic...then he got much more interesting.---->>>>

I was reading the comments and this jumped out at me. It totally zapped everything else I had in my head about your Blog Content. All I could then think was this: I wonder if celebs are taking their cue from the comics? In other words, is real life following fiction? Did Robert Downey, Jr. also get a lot more interesting after he became an alcoholic/drug user just like his counterpart Iron Man? IDK? Food for thought...

It sucks when they kill off comic book heroes... Kind of makes you wonder. They are HEROES. They shouldn't get killed. Are they planning on killing Superman? Man, I hope not.

Hart Johnson said...

I feel so behind the times on comic stuff! I only know the stuff that has made movies (I do love Tony Stark though.... Mmmm Robert Downey Jr...)

Thank you so much for the cover and blurb share! I added you to the list on my blog!

M Pax said...

Black Goliath looks like a great superhero. Nice to meet you, Mark! Happy B!

Claire Hennessy said...

I haven't read a Marvel comic in years. Nice B :)

Mark Means said...

@Mary: Glad you're enjoying, thanks!

@Mark: You know it, brutha :)

@Sherry: I totally agree on both counts

@Jamie: I never finished Civil War, so I didn't know about BG's death until I checked up on Wikipedia.

@Susan: Thanks and it's fun bringing them back into the spotlight, if only for just a bit.

@T: That's o.k, I'll forgive you :D Yes, it's great seeing Hart's book make the rounds.

@Julie: No kidding...I guess it would be a dangerous power to have if you had a short fuse :) I'll see you tomorrow then!

@Sheena: I'll be here all month with more :)

@Cynthia: Hope you enjoy it and I always enjoy a mystery, myself.

@Robin: Hmmm...an interesting thought. My comment was more from a character perspective and not from a real world view. I thought it just added some depth to the character and, back in the 80s-90s comic books didn't deal with a lot of those topics. I get your meaning, though :) They already killed Superman once...they might do it again if sales get low :)

@Hart: Anytime and best of luck with it!

@M: Thanks and same to you! :)

Anonymous said...

That brought back memories, not of Black Goliath per se, but of comics in general - thanks for the reminder.

Anonymous said...

The artwork and stories behind these characters is positively amazing!

Christine Rains said...

Another guy I've never heard of. And here I thought I was great with comic book characters!

Elizabeth Twist said...

Here via the A to Z list. I'm an A to Z booster but non-participant this year. Great theme. I love comics as an art / literary form. It's great to see some older, less well known stuff.

Elizabeth Twist: Writer, Plague Enthusiast

cleemckenzie said...

Those comics kept me reading when the textbook plot sagged. Nothing like a coke, a comic and curb to sit on with your buds.

I loved that garden on the cover. I wanted to climb right inside and join the story.

CU manana. I don't want to be sorry.

SpacerGuy said...

Stan Lees a real talent and continues to marvel. You should see his video on retro zombie hehe, hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Seems like I am reading a lot about things I have never heard of today...that book sounds great will have to check it out for sure...blessings!

Shannon @I Survived & Now I Run

Marsha Sigman said...

Ok, blogger is eating my comments!

Love Marvel Comics! My family has been huge fans since we were all kids.

Unknown said...

all things science are great but I'm happy we have those driven scientists out there because if the destiny of our planet would depend on my science skills... bad, very bad...

loved the post.

Golden Eagle said...

Another scientist superhero. Interesting post!

Nick Wilford said...

I'm enjoying being educated here. Black Goliath sounds pretty scary before you know anything else about him!

Allison said...

I love how the comic universes intertwine. I've always wanted to get into comics more, but I just don't know where to start!

Allison (Geek Banter)

Chancelet said...

I never would have guessed there were so many comics other than the big ones, or that the characters intermix in the storylines. Some great info here, thanks.

Unknown said...

I was just saying I want to get some comic books. I used to love them as a kid, but that was back when I didn't appreciate them. I've never heard of Black Goliath, but sounds like something I'd like to take a look at! Great post!

Karen

Unknown said...

Wow! I've never heard of Black Goliath. Thanks for sharing. Congrats on your shout out @ Alex's blog :D
Jenn @Scribbles From Jenn

Carrie Butler said...

I'm loving the obscure superheroes theme, Mark! Thanks for sharing. :)

Dani said...

I'm a huge comic fan but never heard Black Goliath, that or I blocked him out. How interesting!

Anonymous said...

Cool! I also chose to write on lesser knows superheroes! But I'm just focusing on DC, because I know it better. I look forward to reading more! More people should give the little guy a voice.

mshatch said...

I had no idea Tony Stark had been around so long. I'm learning a lot about comics here!

Mark Means said...

@myriteofpassage: I know how you feel. Going back and researching some of these had me feeling the same way :)

@M.J: Totally agree...a lot of creative minds were brewing back then.

@Christine: Well, let's see how many times I can surprise you :)

@Karen: Hart's book does look pretty cool, doesn't it? :)

@Elizabeth: Hey there and welcome. Thanks for stopping by and commenting and I hope you keep enjoying the theme :)

@C. Lee: I know what you mean. I taught myself to read on comic books (according to my mom) and they kept me interested in reading when other books couldn't.

@Spacerguy: I know, he's still putting stuff out at 90! Truly amazing!

@Shannon: Definitely agree and one for my TBR list, as well. Thanks for the comment :)

@Marsha: I have some older Marvel characters waiting in the wings, so I hope you'll stay tuned :)

@Adriana: Oh, I know what you mean and I'm in the same boat. If the planet had to rely on -my- science skills, we'd be sunk :)

@Golden Eagle: A lot of the best heroes were/are scientists. I guess some things just go hand in hand :)

@Nick: Totally agree!

@Allison: You should start with your local comic book shop or try www.dcbservice.com You can order them online and at a discount.

@Nancy: Oh yeah...in fact, some of the lesser known heroes are, sometimes, more popular than the 'big names'.

@Karen: Thank you! I love the older comics where, it seemed, the emphasis was more on fun, good stories, and art and -not- just about 'selling books'. I'm not bitter though... :D

@Jenn: Thank you very much. I was caught totally off guard by that..lol

@Carrie: Thank you and I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

@Dani: I probably remember him better because I'm old :)

Mark Means said...

@pwetzig: I'll be right over! Thanks for the comment :)

@mshatch: Oh yeah, he's been around for a while. So long, in fact, that he got injured in the Viet Nam war. His first suit of armor was pretty clunky looking, as well :)

Shell Flower said...

Congrats on making Alex's list, too. You're a rockstar today!

Meradeth Houston said...

I haven't read many of these comics, I'll admit, but I totally should find some--they seem like something I'd love!

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

This is sooo cool! I love superheros and am soooo excited to learn about the obscure ones. Yay! :) What a fun topic. :) see ya tomorrow.

Al Diaz said...

This is the first time I hear about the Black Goliath but then again I am not any Marvel comic expert. Now I know a bit more thanks to you. :)

Amanda - The Southern UnBelle said...

I want to live in the Marvel Universe. Everyone has a scientific or magical potion to make them big and strong.

Morgan said...

Oh my gosh... you're braving the A-Z??? HUGE props to you... amazing, Mark. And the whole comic scene is something I know nothing about! Great post. :D

Samantha May said...

I've never heard of Black Goliath, but to be fair most of the comic book characters I know are the ones that have movies too.

Thanks for introducing me to a new one!

Mark Means said...

@Shell: Haha, I wish..but thank you :)

@meradeth: You should get a few and see how you like them. Let me know, if you do :)

@Rebecca: Very cool, thank you, and I'm glad you're enjoying the theme :)

@Al: I'm sure he'd be no match for a Dragon such as you, but glad to enlighten you a bit :)

@Amanda: Me too! Everyone, even the scientists, has the build of a bodybuilder...lol

@Morgan: I know, crazy, right? :) We'll see how I do!

@Samantha: Nothing wrong with that :) Some films are great introductions to the comics and glad you liked it!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Mark, nice to meet you. Dropping over from Alex's blog. New follower here.

I would love to read The Begonia Bribe.

Unknown said...

I'm having visions of Sheldon and the gang! Great post.
Connie #133
A to Z Challenge.
Peanut Butter and Whine

Mark Means said...

@Rachna: Hi Rachna and nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by and following. Totally agree..I'd love to read it, too :)

@Connie: Haha, thank you!

Lisa said...

You are really brilliant in finding these "old" heros! I'd forgotten about Goliath, but liked him because he was different from the norm... and the "cosy" sounds good...

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