Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: October 11, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Truly hath Stan Lee authored yon awesome epic– Verily hath Bill Everett such scenes depicted– And, finally didst Artie Simek the lettering incribe! 10 pages
I’d say this issue picks up where the last issue left off, but nothing happened last issue. Except that Clea was captured by Umar after a recap of the last 40 issues.
Everett’s depiction of Dark Dimension is fine, maybe even good. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood since Ditko left and am being unfair to Everett. I do appreciate Everett for his work on Sub-Mariner, Venus, and Daredevil… just not here.
The Power of SHIELD! Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD! Release: October 11, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby Artwork: Jaunty Jim Steranko Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek 12 pages
So long as men such as you exist– men who are dedicated not merely to the cause of nationalism– but to international freedom– to global justice– so long will the lamp of liberty continue to burn bright– until men of good will, everywhere, put down their arms and come forth to reason together!
Once again, Kirby is on layouts with Steranko on art, but the character work looks more like Steranko this issue than last, perhaps suggesting looser layouts from Kirby.
Worth noting this will be Stan Lee’s final work on Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. He remains the editor, of course.
Last issue, Nick had escaped Hydra, but was unwittingly piloting their Overkill Horn. We pick up there this issue. Sitwell is in charge of SHIELD, and manages to destroy the Horn, fearing he has killed Fury in doing so. But Nick gets free.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: September 8, 1966 Cover: December 1966 12 cents Script by Stan Lee, defender of the faith! Art by Bill Everett, keeper of the flame! Lettering by Artie Simek, printer of the word! 10 pages
By the Demons of Darkness! By the oath I now speak! Umar commands– reveal what I seek!
At the end of last issue, we briefly met Dormammu’s sister Umar.
Given how weird and cool Dormammu looked, it’s disappointing to see his sister look just like a human woman. You can try to explain it off as these beings having amorphous forms or such. But it mostly seems like a failure of creativity and design.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: September 8, 1966 Cover: December 1966 12 cents Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby Illustrations: Jaunty Jim Steranko Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek Hood laundering: Irate Irving Forbush 12 pages
So you’re the guys who’re gonna take over the world, huh?
A new name in the credits. Who is this Jim Steranko on the art over Kirby’s layouts?
He had apparently dabbled in comics briefly in 1957, but I have no examples of that. His first work came out for Harvey just three months earlier. He co-created several adventure heroes for them like Spyman. And perhaps contributed to varying degrees to the stories.
Per The Comics Journal, some of this work such as in Double Dare Adventures is illustrated by Steranko.
Either way, he’s new to comics. This is a pretty big assignment for a rookie. Let’s see if he makes anything of himself.
Featuring: Captain America Release: September 8, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents A Stan Lee Jack Kirby premium presentation Inimitable inking by: Frank Giacoia Laborious lettering by: Sam Rosen 10 pages
Indeed, eet shall be for zee last time, mon ami…! For none may strike Batroc in such a manner… wizout paying zee price!
“This must be the place,” thinks Cap, anticipating David Byrne.
In Tales of Suspense #76, Captain America defeated Batroc, but a SHIELD agent on assignment succumbed to poison and was hospitalized. We didn’t learn her name. She reminded Cap of a woman he’d known in World War II, a woman whose name we also didn’t learn.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: August 9, 1966 Cover: November 1966 12 cents Script… Stan Lee Layouts… Jack Kirby Pencils… John Buscema Inks… Frank Giacoia Letterings… Sam Rosen Ear plugs… Irving Forbush 12 pages
‘Cut off a limb, and two more shall takes its place!’ We were right… Hydra still lives!
We read the second half of this issue already. Last issue really ended the AIM stuff, and this issue begins the return of Hydra arc, so I wanted that cutoff. But the Dr. Strange stories cut a bit differently, as this issue ends the Kaluu arc and next issue properly begins the Umar arc.
Kirby is on hand for the layouts, but the main art credit goes to John Buscema. We spoke of him at length with his return to Marvel in Tales to Astonish #85, published one week prior to this. And we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.
We begin with Nick in a strange contraption performing a dangerous test. So dangerous, he won’t let anyone else do it. It’s a prototype Overkill Horn. They are concerned an enemy has a real one.
Perhaps a Super-Overkill Horn. Adding the word Super in front of something already called the Overkill Horn seems like, well, overkill.
Featuring: X-Men Release: September 1, 1966 Cover: November 1966 12 cents Editing.. Stan Lee Script.. Roy Thomas Art… Werner Roth Inks.. Dick Ayers Lettering… Sam Rosen Mayan headdresses… Irving Forbush 20 pages
I hate to sound like a poor man’s Hawkeye, but I can’t seem to stop myself! Why should Jean prefer Scott over me?
Last issue, the gem-hunter El Tigre found a pendant which transformed him into the Mayan feathered-serpent god Kukulcán. He now has the power of the sun. Which sounds pretty powerful.
This seems to be basically what happened to Don Blake. He found a mystic artifact and now finds himself the avatar for a god.
Featuring: X-Men Release: August 2, 1966 Cover: October 1966 12 cents Edited by: Stan Lee Scripted by: Roy Thomas Illustrated by: Werner Roth Inked by: Dick Ayers Lettered by: Sam Rosen Imitated by: Brand Echh 20 pages
At some point, we are faced with the question, are all these heroes interchangeable, or are their distinctions amongst the titles, making some stories more suitable for one title than another.
There are hints here of what I think the X-Men are about. Moments.
Featuring: Fantastic Four Release: August 2, 1966 Cover: November, 1966 25 cents Conceived and created by: Stan Lee (scenarist) & Jack Kirby (illustrator) Inked and lettered by: Joe Sinnott (Delineator) & Sam Rosen (Calligrapher) Recited and ignited by: Irving Forbush (part-time non-entity) 19 pages
The Original Human Torch! Reborn– only to die again!
We began our Marvel reading with Fantastic Four #1, released in August 1961. But Marvel had 22 years of history predating that comic. What is the relationship between those older comics and the modern 1960s ones? We’ve seen some impacts.
What you need is confidence in yourself and your abilities, Captain! From now on, I’m going to be right behind you to help you thru the rough spots until you gain that confidence!
After his triumphant return in September 1953, we come to June 1954, when it was decided Human Torch stories still weren’t selling enough. We’d read his return in Young Men. About 6 months later, they tried bringing back Human Torch’s old series.
They started with Human Torch #36, as the last one from 1949 had been #35. Never mind that they had already given the numbering to Love Tales.
Human Torch #38 is the final issue again.
There are three Human Torch stories and a Namor story. In the first Torch story, a mad scientist is tricked by Reds into sucking all the air out of the world in order to make his crippled daughter queen of the new world. In the second, the Torch and Toro rescue a general and his daughter from Korea.
Let’s read the final story from the final Human Torch comic.
All the Human Torch stories in his self-titled comic’s return have been by Dick Ayers, who we know well from our Marvel Age reading, particularly for his work on Sgt. Fury.
Ayers’ signature appears. The GCD credits Hank Chapman with the script and Ernie Bache with inks.
All the stories in this issue are narrated by Toro, and presented as though he is telling us of a past Human Torch adventure.
The title of the story is “Flame On!”, which is plainly the Human Torch’s catchphrase now. Johnny Storm will steal that catchphrase, along with the name and visage of the Human Torch.
