You Mad, Bro?
The early 1970s were a weird time for Marvel Comics. For the first time ever, its books were outselling the Distinguished Competition, but in the long climb to the top something had been lost. Artists Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby had both left Marvel to work for other publishers, while Stan Lee had relinquished writing duties on everything but his pet book Fantastic Four. A new generation of creators, many inspired by Marvel’s ground-breaking work of the previous decade, were now producing the books. Informed by the social and cultural revolution of the 1960s, these creators attempted to bring a contemporary perspective to the stories they told, tackling previously forbidden subjects like bigotry, drug abuse, and violent revolution. Sometimes it worked… but most of the time, they just ended up creating Morts like Angar the Screamer.
Yeah, Hitler called — he’d like his headband back.
David Angar was a hippie radical social activist who decided that super powers would be far more effective than stuffing flowers into gun barrels. This being comics, he had no trouble finding a shady scientist to juice him up. The process enhanced his already-formidable voice (Angar had previously been a rock singer) and the fringe-wearing freak discovered his scream now caused terrifying hallucinations to anyone within range.
Of course, being a Marvel comic, Angar quickly found himself scrapping with Daredevil, Black Widow, and Iron Fist. Judging him on appearance alone, these heroes often underestimated Angar and suffered the psychedelic consequences of their presumption.
Of course, once the hallucinations wore off, the heroes kicked his ass up into his headband, but Angar still gave them a run for their money. Eventually, he teamed up (and fell in love) with the villainess Screaming Mimi, with the pair focusing on personal gain instead of superhuman conflict. During a bank heist, Angar was shot by a guard and bled out before he could reach medical attention. Once dead, the hirsute hoodlum’s corpse was taken by Baron Zemo, who felt there was still some anger in him. Thanks to the Fixer’s machinations, Angar was reborn as Scream, an entity composed of “hyper sound.” He became a member of the Redeemers, a group of b-list villains who’d decided to go straight, and was blasted into the ether by Graviton for his troubles. So much for comebacks.
So by now you’re probably asking yourself, “Is Anthill serious?” Damn straight I am! In spite of his inherent corniness, I really dig Angar the Screamer. But lest you think I’m his only fan, I present to you Fwoosher Rabid_Ewok’s custom!
As you can see, Ewok really nails the look of the character. From his blinged-out headband right on down to his fringed boots, this figure is pure Angar. Just look at the detail on this dude: the death’s head medallion, the earth magnet bracers, the swirly patterns on the vest… that’s attention to detail, folks. Screamy here looks like he just stepped out of the sweat-lodge ready for a Grateful Dead concert. You can practically smell the patchouli!
It’s the Battle of the Boots! Whose cuffs will come out on top?
As you may have noticed, Angar is built on a DC Classics body, but Hasbro certainly has enough new tooling to represent him in a Legendary fashion. He’d be pretty easy to pull off, and would really add some depth and flavor to any Marvel collection. Hey, we got Klaw, didn’t we? With figures like Absorbing Man, Tiger Shark and Baron Zemo himself on the way, could this doobie brother be far behind?
In the end, Angar the Screamer is a goofy character that nonetheless managed to stay in the game in spite of his obvious Mortdom. Yeah, he’s dated and cliche, but in the end that only adds to his appeal. It gives him a distinctiveness and flair that today’s villains sadly lack, and his modus operandi is so off the wall he begs to be represented. Break out the bongos, tighten your brocade headband, and join me when I scream: c’mon, Hasbro, Make My Mort!
Thanks to Rabid_Ewok for allowing us to showcase his custom! Check out more of his work on the Fwoosh custom forum.
Enjoy this article? Discuss it on the Fwoosh forums!
Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!
