EDAM and GOUDA
Real Name: Edam and Gouda
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial race (Froma race)
Occupation: Scouts, would-be conquerors
Group Membership: Agents of Froma race
Affiliations: The
other members of their scouting party (Colby, Havarti);
Freebooters (Gunthar, Levan, Kehl,
Skunge) and other extraterrestrial criminal
Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Punisher (Frank Castle)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: The green aliens named after cheese
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly an intergalactic prison;
formerly a base on Earth's
moon;
presumably originally planet Chize, Delee star system, Milky Way Galaxy
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#68 (August, 1965)
Powers/Abilities: As natives of the Froma
race, Edam and Gouda are large (about 7'6") and strong (enhanced
human?). Their native physical abilities have been attributed to heavy
gamma radiation coming from their sun. They may require a different
type of atmosphere to breathe, as they have only been seen wearing
space helmets.
In addition, they possess access to advanced technology, such as intermediate level starships and energy blasters.
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#68 (fb) - BTS) - The Froma established a colony on Earth's moon, to evaluate the potential of the planet for conquering.
(Tales of Suspense I#68 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#4: Gamma Mutates) - In response to previous moon landings and a planned new rocket being sent to the moon (see comments), a group of Froma -- Colby, Edam, Gouda, Havarti, and at least one unidentified-- traveled to Earth to prevent this mission.
(Tales of Suspense I#68) - Upon landing on Earth,
Edam and Gouda reported their arrival back to their moon base and noted
that they were proceeding as planned. Spotting an Iron Man -- who had
discovered their ship while investigating a hoax perpetrated by Morgan
Stark under direction of Count Nefaria -- Gouda ordered Edam to
eliminate him. Edam fired his blaster weapon, but when Iron Man dodged
the blast, Gouda told him he had better improve him aim; Edam asserted
that his aim was flawless but that the Earthman had moved with the
speed of moonbeams.
Colby, Havarti, and the other, unidentified Froma
then emerged from the ship; one of them, carrying a spear, exclaimed
that if the Earthman escaped, they would return to the moon in
disgrace, and he exhorted the others to get him. He continued that they
needed to finish the Earthman and get on with their mission: The Earth
people were preparing to launch another rocket towards their beloved
moon, and it must be destroyed. Edam or Gouda countered that this
objective may not be easy, as the Earth people could fire electric
bolts from their fingers. Meanwhile, Iron Man plotted to lure the
aliens to the nearby Nike Base so their defense command could help
against them.
Taking to the air, Edam and Gouda figured they
could use their numbers to overwhelm him and that one of their blasts
had been a near-miss, enough to affect their target's propulsion unit.
All five Froma then closed on Iron Man, with one of them slamming into
him from behind but finding his strength unable to damage his armor.
The spear-wielder attempted to plunge his spear into Iron Man's chest,
but the spear crumpled on impact. As Iron Man cast off the Froma
holding him, Edam and Gouda assaulted him with their blaster weapons.
Iron Man attempted to cloak himself behind a smoke-screen from his
"super-deluxe vapor-ejector"; however, accustomed to seeing through
moon dust, the Froma closed on him again and then finally nailed him
with their blasts, dropping him. 
One of the Froma acknowledged that their opponent
had fought with valor and that their victory was a credit to their
numbers, and another feared that their mission would be in jeopardy if
all Earthmen fought as he did. However, when they prepared to take him
into their spacecraft, Iron Man, having feigned unconscious to allow
his armor to recharge and to lure them into close proximity, blinded
the Froma with a blast from his chest beam's "ultra-beacon."
The Froma then elected to abandon their mission
and to flee in their craft; en route, they encountered Morgan Stark.
Assessing the unarmored human as another species of Earthman, they
planned to capture him as a meager trophy from this expedition, but
before the Froma could fire the trigger on his weapon, Iron Man
adjusted the prism of his ultra-beacon, directing an invisible shield
between Morgan and the Froma.
The Froma then rushed back to their ship and took off, resolving that they could not destroy Earth's rocket and that they must evacuate their base on the moon and find another planet instead.
(Maximum Security#1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Edam and Gouda, at least were imprisoned in some interstellar prison.
(Maximum Security#1, [2 , 3]) - As part of the events
of Maximum Security, a number of interstellar criminals/prisoners -- including Edam and Gouda -- were
sent to Earth.
Alongside some members of the Freebooters (Gunthar,
Kehl, Levan, and Skunge), Edam and Gouda battled the Punisher.
Many of the space criminals either gained their freedom or were
returned to prison after the resolution of this plot.
The fate of Edam and Gouda is unrevealed.
Comments: Created by Al Hartley and Don Heck.
The name of their race, Froma, is obviously a play on fromage or whatever the French word for cheese is. In their first appearance, their race was not identified, but they discussed sending a message back to "the moon." I guess the whole deal was a little play on the moon being thought of as being made of green cheese. Their race was identified in the OHotMU I#4.
While the first populated moon landing took place in 1969, there were a number of unmanned moon landings starting with the USSR's Luna 2 in 1959. Even with the sliding timescale, rockets to the moon may have occurred at any point.
The Froma are among the Gamma Mutates in World War Hulk: The Gamma Files. In this book the names of two of Edam and Gouda's teammates, Colby and Havarti, were revealed.
CLARIFICATIONS: not to be confused with other large green aliens named after cheese.
images: (without ads)
Tales of Suspense I#68, pg. 8, panel 3
(Edam and Gouda main image);
pg. 9, panel 1 (Edam & Gouda (presumably) flying)
Maximum Security#1, p12, pan2 (Edam and Gouda vs. Punisher)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#68 (August, 1965) - Al Hartley (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Maximum Security#1 (December, 2000) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Jerry
Ordway (pencils), Will Blyberg, Paul Ryan, Al Vey & Chris Ivy
(inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 04/10/2002
Last updated: 08/21/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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