Chris Coke

Strange Tales #135

The Man for the Job!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: May 4, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: Artie Simek
12 pages

Previous	#369	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #27	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #20
Strange Tales #134, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #135, Story B

Your entire life qualifies you for this job!

It’s 1965. Thunderball will be hitting the cinemas in Decembr, the 4th consecutive year Sean Connery will go into action as 007.

In the second film, From Russia with Love, we were introduced to a global criminal organization that it takes a dedicated government to fight– SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion).

The head of SPECTRE wasn’t named and we didn’t see his face, only his kitten. The kitten plainly identifies him as evil.

These movies are popular, and the rest of the entertainment industry is taking notice.

Michael Caine just went into “action” in a more subdued and bureaucratic spy tale as Harry Palmer, definitely not the world’s best spy.

Television will soon be satirizing this secret agent genre with Get Smart, in which Maxwell Smart of CONTROL fights against KAOS, an international organization of evil.

The following year, secret agents on TV will be offered an impossible mission, if they choose to accept it.

Probably most relevantly, the previous year introduced The Man from UNCLE (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement), letting us know that these organizations should have acronyms for names.

(Picture chosen especially for my mother)

In the 1950s, Marvel had dabbled in every genre, including the occasional spy series like Spy Fighters or Kent Blake of the Secret Service.

Now they are bursting at the seams with the expanding superhero genre. They have one current war title, Sgt. Fury, which we’ve been reading with the superhero comics for some reason.

They haven’t abandoned their long successful romance/humor girl genre, and Millie and Patsy each carry two titles still. And three western heroes still carry titles: Two-Gun Kid, Rawhide Kid, and Kid Colt.

They’re ready to ride on the booming spy genre with their own 007 or Man from Uncle. They’ll need a secret spy organization with a cool title that’s really an acronym. And they’ll need an evil organization to pit them against. Preferably headed by a mysterious man with a kitten.

And a star to headline these adventures. New character? Or look to their already expansive cast of characters.

We know from the pages of Fantastic Four that Sgt. Fury of World War II is now Colonel Fury of the CIA. Why invent a new top spy when you already have one?

Where to put them? Make a new title? No, you’re having crazy distribution problems at the moment and are artificially limited in the number of titles you can put out. Why Captain America and Iron Man need to share a book.

I’ve got it! Strange Tales. The Human Torch/Thing stories all sucked, so we cancelled them. Our new spy series can share this former horror title with Dr. Strange. Makes sense to me.

On that note, I then have to recall that we haven’t actually read any Dr. Strange stories since issue 129, 6 issues ago. We read the wonderful Human Torch stories from issues 130-134, but skipped the Dr. Strange stories.

But now that Nick Fury is taking over the first half of the book, I would like to… still not read the Dr. Strange stories. Not just yet. We’ll read this first half of this comic, then return to it later. Even though, with the new Dr. Strange movie out, a Dr. Strange post would be topical.

Who is Morbius?

Morbius: The Living Vampire #1
Rise of the Midnight Sons
by Len Kaminski, Ron Wagner, and Mike Witherby

If I must drink blood, let it be the blood of the corrupt– of those who deserve to die. The blood of the guilty.

Check out that the cover comes in a bag. That means they don’t want you to open it, because it’s a collectors item if it stays in the bag. You can tell it’s a collectors item, because it says so on the cover. But only if it stays in the bag.

Here’s a thought question for the audience. If I make a comic and think it’s good and worth reading, how much effort would I go to to convince you not to read it after buying it? Reflect on that.

So we’ve got this idea now for Reading Topical Comics. While topical, they may not always be timely. We just talked about last night’s Dr. Strange movie. Now let’s talk about last month’s big Marvel hit, Morbius.

By “talk about it”, I mean let’s read a single Morbius comic and hope that tells us enough about the character to appreciate the movie.

The premise of Morbius is that he’s a science fiction vampire, so he has the powers of a vampire and the bloodlust, but his powers are rooted in superhero science, not fantasy. And he’s not undead; he’s a living vampire. Morbius was introduced as a villain/antihero in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. Which is why Sony has the rights to make a movie out of him. Morbius was able to help Spider-Man with a limb-based condition.

And Sony seems to be planning to make a movie out of every side character from the pages of Spider-Man comics they can find. As a huge fan of Spider-Man comics, I am all for this.

I’d prefer they be good.

Who is America, from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

America #1
Pa’ Fuera, Pa’ La Calle
by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, Joe Rivera, Paolo Rivera, José Villarrubia, and Travis Lanham

Doing the work means taking inventory. Stare every decision you’ve made in the face and own each one. You are powerful enough to evolve. That’s where the magic is, and that’s where you find your light. It will be bright and endless. It cannot be destroyed. It is infinite. It is you.

Welcome to a new feature I’m trying, called Reading Topical Comics. The idea is that I will choose a comic related to a recent Marvel multimedia property, and read through it. Blogging as I read.

For example, we all watched and loved the Dr. Strange movie last night. And it’s possible some people want to learn more about his newfound ally, America Chavez.

A delicate issue with this feature will be spoilers. I hate spoilers, and recognize someone may have been sick yesterday and unable to see the film. Sometimes the very existence of a character in a film is a spoiler. America is featured heavily in the trailers. I’ll keep this post nearly spoiler-free. If you are the one person who hasn’t seen Doctor Strange yet, this post shouldn’t reveal any more about the film than the trailers. We’re mostly just going to read a comic about America.

Amazing Spider-Man #27

Bring Back My Goblin to Me!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: May 11, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Edited and written by Smilin’ Stan Lee
Plotted and drawn by Scowlin’ Steve Ditko
Lettered and gift-wrapped by Swingin’ Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#372	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #26	Reading order	Strange Tales #135
Amazing Spider-Man #26	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #28

Spider-Man is still Green Goblin’s prisoner, as Green Goblin is trying to take over the gangs instead of Crime-Master.

Lots of mysteries left over from last issue. Who is Green Goblin? Who is Crime-Master? Who is Patch? What is Foswell’s secret connection to all this? We should answer all but one of those questions by issue’s end.

Spoilers likely follow.

Amazing Spider-Man #26

The Man in the Crime-Master’s Mask!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: April 8, 1965
Cover: July 1965
12 cents
Stealthily scripted by: Stan Lee
Painstakingly plotted and drawn by: Steve Ditko
Lovingly lettered by: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#371	Next
Sgt. Fury #19	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #27
Amazing Spider-Man #25	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #27

The issue credits Ditko for the plot. Ditko has probably plotted most of these stories and has been largely responsible for the writing. But he has only so far been credited as the artist, with Lee taking the writer’s credit. Lee’s role is that of editor and making the final script off Ditko’s notes. Most of the storytelling is done through the art, which is entirely by Ditko, accompanied by notes as to what is happening and what type of thing each character might be saying.

The first page serves as a detailed teaser for the comic. Crime-Master is a new character to us, but we are told his identity will be a mystery. Green Goblin was introduced in issue 14; he’s yet to be caught, and his face has always been hidden from us, so his identity remains a mystery. Issue 10 revolved around the mystery of the Big Man’s identity. He turned out to be meek Frederick Foswell of the Daily Bugle. Ditko’s noting this plot will resemble plots we’ve seen, but also take its own twists. We now have three crime bosses or former crimes bosses with a secret.

Sgt. Fury #19

An Eye for an Eye!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: April 8, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
You’ll relive the torment of warfare in this script by Ex-Sgt. Stan Lee
You’ll see the blaze of battle in this artwork by Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers
You’ll feel the drama of conflict in this inking by Ex-Corp. Frank Ray
You’ll hear the sounds of attack in this lettering by exquisite S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#370	Next
Daredevil #8	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #26
Sgt. Fury #18	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #20

Let’s remind ourselves of the dramatic final page of the previous issue.

This story picks up where that left off. Lady Pamela Hawley died in a bombing raid before Nick could propose to her. Now we see him trying to deal with his pain and frustration. Will revenge bring him catharsis?

After Nick is working the Howlers too hard, Captain Sawyer orders a furlough. They decide to take their “furlough” in occupied Holland and track down the Squadron behind Pam’s death.

Daredevil #8

The Stiltman Cometh!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: April 1, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Written with the inventive genius of Stan Lee
Drawn with the artistic brilliance of Wally Wood
Lettered with the scratch penpoint of S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#369	Next
Fantastic Four #40	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #19
Daredevil #7	Daredevil	Daredevil #9

Wood repeats a cover trick from last issue, using a newspaper headline to provide the text for the cover.

We open with some action. An out-of-control driverless car is careening toward a woman. Fortunately, Daredevil is on hand to save the day.

He needs the woman to keep screaming in order to locate her. Not clear why his radar sense isn’t sufficient.

The Tick #3

Night of a Million-Zillion Ninja
by Ben Edlund and Maxfield Banks

He stands… Like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant. Staring out over the city he’s sworn to… to stare out over… And it’s evident… Just by looking at him… That he’s got some pretty heavy things on his mind.

After dedicating this “great comics” series to such artistic masterpieces as Sandman, Astro City, Swamp Thing, Usagi Yojimbo, and Zot!… how can I make the next entry The Tick?

And what is there to possibly say? How many words can I squeeze out of, “It’s funny.” (Over a thousand, it turns out.)

I guess I could point at different gags and say, “Look isn’t this one funny?” That’s kind of like commentary.

And if we’re going to talk about an issue of The Tick, why this one?

The answer to that is easy: I like this joke about a hedge.

I could have covered the first issue insead. That tells his origin, and I do like his origin, enough to quote it here.

Destiny is a funny thing. Once I thought I was destined to become Emperor of Greenland, sole monarch over its 52,000 inhabitants. Then I thought I was destined to build a Polynesian longship in my garage. I was wrong then, but I’ve got it now. I’m the destined protector of this place. I’m this City’s superhero.

Fantastic Four #40

The Battle of the Baxter Building

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: April 8, 1965
Cover: July 1965
12 cents
Spellbinding script by: Stan (The Man) Lee
Astonishing artwork by: Jack (King) Kirby
Inked by: V. Colletta
Lettered by: Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#368	Next
Fantastic Four #39	Reading order	Daredevil #8
Fantastic Four #39	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #41

Stan’s repeaing himself here. He used those same credits in Journey Into Mystery #107 the previous year. Stan (The Man) Lee. Jack (King) Kirby. Basically every comic has had a different nickname for the creators. These may be the first repeats. They are certainly the most famous and today recognized as the semi-official nicknames of the two creators.

Dr. Doom purloins Reed’s remote-control TV eye. Basically what we today would call a drone. Now readily available. Invented 60 years ago by Reed Richards. Reed refers to the drone as a “flying spotter”. Another invention Reed refers to is the “electronic stimulator”. I wonder if that resembles any modern devices?

We’ve seen Daredevil’s billy club has some neat tricks, like becoming a grappling hook. But now we see it’s a gun. That’s new.

Fantastic Four #39

A Blind Man Shall Lead Them!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: March 11, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Splendiforious story by: Stan Lee
Delectable drawings by: Jack Kirby
Deliciious Delineation by: Frank Ray
Laconic lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#367	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #25	Reading order	Fantastic Four #40
Fantastic Four #38	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #40

I don’t normally post things on Sundays, so I had planned this for Monday. But today is April 10, 2022. And it just seemed too fitting not to post this today, in honor of the introduction of Dr. Doom, April 10, 1962. Here’s the post we did on his introduction almost 3 years ago.

So, happy birthday to the greatest comic book villain of all time. Let’s celebrate by reading his first truly great battle against the Fantastic Four, still one of the greatest Dr. Doom stories ever.

Just don’t mention his age to him. He’ll probably kill you. He can be a bit vain.

After a battle with the Frightful Four, the Fantastic Four were caught in a Q-bomb explosion and left for dead in the middle of the ocean. When we last saw them, it appeared as though Ben was turning human again.

To me, that’s a good excuse to jump straight to the next issue where they are getting dragged out of the water.

But we didn’t do that. We read another 35 comics in between the two. Why? Well, a lot was happening all at once. While they were still at sea, the Frightful Four showed up in Thor’s comic during the Trial of the Gods. That’s a whole thing. That tied into this Daredevil/Sub-Mariner battle as well as to this milestone Avengers issue where a new team of Avengers formed. That spun out of an X-Men story which happened before Human Torch showed up in the pages of X-Men. It’s tightly connected.

Obviously, the FF couldn’t be at sea that many days without the submarine finding them. They need water at some point. But it could have taken a bit of time to get back to their headquarters. And all the other superhero adventures must have elapsed in that time.

Frank Giacoia is the credited inker (under the pen name Frank Ray), but Wally Wood was brought in to ink Daredevil specifically, to ensure consistency with Daredevil’s look across the books.