Featuring: Tales of Asgard Release: January 5, 1965 Cover: March 1965 12 cents By: Stan Lee + Jack Kirby Inking: Vince Coletta [sic] Lettering: Artie Simek 5 pages
Featuring: Thor Release: January 5, 1965 Cover: March 1965 12 cents Written at white heat by: Stan Lee Drawn with purple passion by: Jack Kirby Inked with golden serenity by: Chic Stone Lettered on a blue Monday by: Sam Rosen 16 pages
Well, damn. That’s maybe the most compelling title yet. It turns out to also make complete sense into the context of the story. I like it.
“souped up bucket racing car”
This is the issue Thor finally gets good.
Quality-wise, Thor’s been turning around since about a dozen issues back. It went from being the single worst title to a pretty decent one. The stories still haven’t been much to speak of, but the art and action have been excellent. There’s been great storytelling of late, even if not applied to many stories worth telling.
The great storytelling has been owed to the pairing of Kirby and Stone. We just bid farewell to Stone’s tenure on FF. Now we must bid farewell to him on Thor (recall we’ve jumped back in time, so this is a month before his final FF issue). Vince Colletta will graduate from the Tales of Asgard backups and start on the main strip. There are those who love Colletta’s work on Thor, and there are many others who… don’t. We’ll see what we think in the months to come.
We are jumping back in time a couple months. Thor is changing. It has so far mostly consisted of identifiable discrete stories, usually one or two issues long. No more. Stories will flow into each other; it will be hard to tell where one begins and ends. It will be hard to identify where Thor gets enough of a breather to go be an Avenger. (Though we know that soon won’t be an issue.) We’re already behind on our Dr. Strange and Hulk reading because they’ve started the “saga” approach to storytelling.
To that end, the plan is to read the next 6 issues of Thor basically together, pausing only to check in on Daredevil, because it’s relevant to the happenings in Thor.
Most of the issue is dedicated to Thor’s battle against the Absorbing Man, but it ends indecisively. It’s over for the moment, but Thor’s foe remains at large. Meanwhile, we get a second conflict in the final pages. Loki has kidnapped Jane and holds her in his stronghold. Thor must go battle Loki and rescue Jane. Next issue will pick up both of these plots, but the Absorbing Man story still won’t conclude, and it will bleed into the Trial of the Gods” arc, which has already been hinted at in our Avengers reading because we got 2 months ahead.
We’ll talk in more detail about chronology next issue, but my loose idea is that this story takes place between the pages of Avengers #15. After the first Thor scene but before the second. The MCP disagrees, placing this squarely after Avengers #16.
“Avengers Assemble!” shouts Captain America. With quite the assemblage of heroes and villains behind him. Check out our pretty full cast list near the end.
A little annoyed with myself as I make this post. I screwed up. In the middle of a move and all my comics are in transit. I have this issue, my second oldest Avengers comic after issue 8, and I thought I had scanned this before I packed and shipped it. I remembered doing so. Apparently I only scanned the single page I used in my Wandavision post.
I considered pausing our reading for a bit until I could scan my comic, but who knows when that will be. So we’ll press forward with scans, err, found on the internet. We’ll call them temporary. I’ll come back in a month or so and replace them with my own. You probably won’t even notice the difference. I just prefer to scan my own comics when I can.
And this issue means a lot to me.
Had it since early childhood somehow. My cousin had borrowed it for an extended period of time, but I eventually got it back.
This is a pretty historic issue. For whatever reason, Heck chose this issue of all issues to take a breather, leaving Ayers to do the artwork over Kirby’s layouts… or perhaps Kirby’s loose pencils, or maybe full pencils for some of the comic.
First, we need to wrap up the story from last issue. Captain America had just fatally defeated Zemo, and now needs to get back to New York with Rick. He’ll have some trouble with Zemo’s henchmen. Meanwhile, the battle with the Masters of Evil continues in New York.
Let’s just say the Avengers win, though Enchantress and Executioner escape. The battle’s anyway over by page 4, and we have more important things to discuss.
It turns out this was these heroes’ final battle together.
Featuring: Avengers Release: February 11, 1965 Cover: April 1965 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Layouts: Jack Kirby Pencilling: Don Heck Inking: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Artie Simek 20 pages
For several issues, Avengers had become a Lee/Heck production and was much the worse for it. Last issue had everybody working at Marvel pitch in. Now, Kirby is on hand with the layouts. Recall, we’re basically talking positioning of characters, but with that comes the storytelling, and this story is a cut above the last several issues. That’s likely Kirby’s hand. He’s been the missing ingredient. He’s back to do layouts for two issues, and they’ll be two of the best Avengers stories of the era.
Ordering is funny, as continuity is getting tight. Everybody is embroiled in multi-issue arcs, stories are flowing into each other; Avengers is always tricky continuity because it needs to be fit around the solo titles; and there’s a wedding any day now.
That’s why we already skipped ahead 5 months in our X-Men reading and are so far behind in our Dr. Strange and Hulk reading. Trying to fit it all together. This is the February issue of Avengers. We’re already mostly on to March, but about to read the January Thor. I think it all makes sense. This issue for significant reasons plainly takes place after the July issue of X-Men.
Featuring: Fantastic Four Release: February 11, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Illustrator: Jack Kirby Inker: Chic Stone Letterer: S. Rosen 20 pages
My sincerest apologies, faithful readers. Been a few weeks now since we covered the epic battle between the X-Men and the unstoppable Juggernaut. That’s life nonsense getting in the way of my priorities. Let’s pick up our reading with the Fantastic Four.
I’ve teased for years now that at some point this title goes from “good” to “transcendentally great”. The precise transition point is unclear and I’ve repeatedly noted some key issues that seemed to step up the quality. I feel like that transcendentally great era is now here. I could maybe hear an argument it begins with issue 44, but I feel like it’s here now.
We’ll talk about 44 when we get there, as there is a notable change that issue. This issue also represents a change. This is Chic Stone’s final issue of Fantastic Four.
Stone has inked the last 10 issues of Fantastic Four, and it’s now hard to remember the title without him. Prior, it had been Roussos or Ayers, and the difference is just night and day. The only standout prior to Stone was the couple issues inked by Joe Sinnott. (Hint, hint.)
The art popped under Stone. He highlighted the melodrama Kirby was infusing the stories with. He didn’t soften the exaggerations of Kirby’s faces or poses. He outlined them; he leaned in to just how over the top–and larger than life– Kirby wanted this all to be. And you see this across titles, just as evidently in the Thor stories, for example. The action and tension and emotion and drama are all just illustrated to the max under the Kirby/Stone collaboration. It will be sad to see him go.
This isn’t goodbye forever to Stone. He did a couple other titles this month we’re yet to read, and he has the odd cover or fill-in issue still to come. But here we bid goodbye to his work on Fantastic Four.
Featuring: X-Men Release: July 1, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Story by smilin’ Stan Lee Layouts by jolly Jack Kirby Penciling by Jay Gavin Inking by Joe Sinnott Lettering by Swingin’ Sam Rosen 20 pages
We are jumping a bit ahead with X-Men, as issues 11-13 all take place the same day, but the comic is bi-monthly. In general, we are still in March 1965, which is when X-Men #11 was released.
Last issue sort of introduced the Juggernaut. We mostly saw him in shadow and marveled at how easily he broke through the X-Men’s defenses. He was revealed in the last panel. Most of the issue had been about Xavier’s youth. Now, we meet Juggernaut properly.
We also had the legendary Alex Toth on art, as Kirby is moving off X-Men. Kirby has often been the go-to guy for getting series started, but then usually soon handed off the reins. Fantastic Four is the only series he’s really stuck with so far. Though he’ll do a decent stretch on Captain America, and his recent return to Thor is for the long haul.
Let’s look at the credits. Jay Gavin is a new name, and not even a real one. Jay and Gavin are the names of the sons of Werner Roth, our new artist. Werner Roth is not quite the legend that Alex Toth is. He is probably most notable for this stint on X-Men, where he is unfortunately stuck being “the guy that followed Kirby”. He got started in comics later than many peers, already 30 or so before working regularly. He’s already 44 at this point as he takes the reins on X-Men. He died tragically young at the age of 52, never quite having set the world of comics on fire.
Featuring: X-Men Release: May 4, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Stupifying story by: Stan Lee Spectacular layouts by: Jack Kirby Slam-bang pencilling by: Alex Toth Sensational inking by: Vince Colletta The usual lettering by: Sam Rosen Kibitzing by: the whole blamed bullpen! 20 pages
Happy Labor Day. Thanks to all the workers, past and present, for all they have done to shape this nation by the fruits of their labors.
We just read X-Men #11. And by just, I mean over 2 weeks ago. Sorry, life stuff got in the way of my comic reading priorities. That issue ended with alarms warning the X-Men of what Xavier called the most deadly danger they had ever faced approaching. Seeming to ignore the fact that they’d just faced a godlike alien being.
I’ve left us hanging with that cliffhanger for 2 weeks now. But it’s better than kids in the 60s had it. They had to wait 2 months to meet this new menace, and then perhaps be disappointed to learn we don’t actually glimpse him until the very final panel.
Before we get to the story, we must ask questions about the credits: Why are there so many artists? And who is this Alex Toth? What’s this bullpen?
This is the second time Stan has referred to the “bullpen” in the credits, and the second time he has credited them with kibitzing.
Happy birthday in Heaven to Jack Kirby, born on this day in 1917. The artist and creator and writer on more than his share of the comics we’ve been reading, and the King of Comics.
Featuring: X-Men Release: March 4, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents X-traordinary script by: Stan lee X-travagant art by: Jack Kirby X-ceptional inking by: Chic Stone X-emplory lettering by: Artie Simek 20 pages
The basic tension of the series is that every mutant that comes along, Magneto wants to recruit them to be evil. And Professor X wants to recruit them to be not evil. General agreement that no third option is acceptable; every mutant must join either the X-Men or Evil Mutants. When Blob tried to do neither, the X-Men attacked him and tried to mindwipe him. The only fine print there is the word “mutant”. Occasionally, someone such as Ka-Zar turns out to not be a mutant, in which case they are not obligated to join either team.
Now we meet a man who describes himself as a Stranger. He is very powerful. Is he a mutant? If so, they must recruit.
Featuring: Human Torch and Thing Release: April 8, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Soul-stirring script by: Stan Lee Breath-taking art by: Bob Powell Eye-popping inking by: Wallace Wood Heart-rending lettering by: Artie Simek 12 pages
All good things must come to an end. And so must this.
Hulk’s series only lasted 6 issues. But then he started showing up all over the place. Avengers, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, and finally he got his own series back, this time to last for over 50 years and counting.
The Wasp had a back-up feature in Tales to Astonish behind the main feature she shared with Giant-Man. It started with her narrating science fiction tales, but then she started going on her own adventures. They were short-lived; she was the second character to lose a series.
The Watcher had a back-up feature behind the Iron Man stories in Tales of Suspense. It started with him narrating science fiction tales, but then he started going on his own adventures. They were short-lived; he was the third character to lose a series.
This month, two long-running features get cancelled. We’ll talk about the other in due course. (We’re reading this one a little early to get the Fantastic Four chronology in line.)
For the moment, let’s reflect on the history of Strange Tales…
