Reading the Marvel Universe – Page 34

Journey Into Mystery #111, Story B

The Secret of Sigurd!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: October 1, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Superbly written by: Stan Lee
Supremely drawn by: Jack Kirby
Savagely inked by: Vince Colletta
Sagatiously lettered by: Artie Simek
5 page

Previous	#279	Next
Journey Into Mystery #111	Reading order	Daredevil #5
Journey Into Mystery #111	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #112

The theme of many of these early Thor stories is that Loki is still considered a friend and ally by Thor, yet Loki is always secretly trying to get Thor killed, usually in pretty non-subtle ways. This has been going on since they were children.

Loki has recommended a short cut through a forbidden forest, then goads Sigurd and Thor into battle. Balder is suspicious.

Journey Into Mystery #111

The Power of the Thunder God!

Featuring: Thor
Release: October 1, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written with the mastery of: Stan Lee
Illustrated with the genius of: Jack Kirby
Delineated with the delicacy of: Chic Stone
Lettered with the India ink of: Artie Simek
16 pages

Previous	#278	Next
Journey Into Mystery #110, Story B	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #111, Story B
Journey Into Mystery #110, Story B	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #111, Story B

It is a pretty cover. I would argue the box about not having captions counts as a caption.

The two panels devoted to the love of Odin’s youth is far more interesting than the many pages devoted Thor fighting Cobra and Mr. Hyde.

It’s tantalizingly sparse in details. Balder sings a song of Odin’s youth and own forbidden love, until Loki interrupts, fearing Balder is trying to sway Odin to be fairer to Jane. Odin and the unnamed girl he was forbidden to marry took “one last ride over the eternal chasm together”. What does that even mean?

Journey Into Mystery #110, Story B

The Defeat of Odin!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: September 1, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Illustrator: Jack Kirby
Delineator: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Art Simek
5 pages

Previous	#277	Next
Journey Into Mystery #110	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #111
Journey Into Mystery #110	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #111

King Rampok is dead. The meek Prince Rivvak must now lead their forces against Asgard. Armies gather, and not for tea.

During the battle, Odin repeatedly employs questionable tactics and does not seem to bring his full power to bear. Ultimately, the Asgardians retreat in defeat.

Journey Into Mystery #110

Every Hand Against Him!

Featuring: Thor
Release: September 1, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Spectacularly written by: Stan Lee
Magnificently drawn by: Jack Kirby
Powerfully inked by: Chic Stone
Eventually lettered by: Art Simek
16 pages

Previous	#276	Next
Avengers #10	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #110, Story B
Journey Into Mystery #109, Story B	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #110, Story B

This image of Thor holding the wounded Jane resembles an extremely common trope in superhero comics. It’s a standard way to depict a character as dead while another mourns them. This is the first time we’ve seen it in our Marvel reading. The Distinguished Competition had a cover with a similar pose a year earlier to depict the death of Robin.

Generally, these are described as “pieta covers”, referring to the resemblance to La Pieta by Michelangelo, in which Mary holds the body of her dead son, Jesus.

This blog post on metropolisplus gives an overview of the trope. Depending on how much of a purist you are, this Thor cover might not quite fit the pieta trope. As Jane is wounded, not dead; and Thor is protecting her, not mourning her. But it’s pretty close.

Tales of Suspense #60, Story B

The Army of Assassins Strikes!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: September 8, 1864
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Chic Stone
Lettered by: Art Simek
10 pages

Previous	#274	Next
Tales of Suspense #60	Reading order	Avengers #10
Tales of Suspense #60	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #61

Last issue, Captain America fought a gang of generic villains in purple jumpsuits. This issue, the generic villains are wearing green jumpsuits and work for Zemo. “Army of Assassins” may be their official name, as it’s used repeatedly.

There really won’t be much in the way of a story here, so what value we find will have to be in dramatic expressions and posing, and of course in the high energy action on display. I suspect Kirby will come through.

Tales of Suspense #60

Suspected of murder!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: September 8, 1864
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written by the king of comi-drama: Stan Lee
Illustrated by the master of panoramic spectacle: Don Heck
Inked by the prince of line design: Dick Ayers
Lettered by the sultan of shaky borders: Sam Rosen
13 pages

Previous	#273	Next
Fantastic Four #33	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #60, Story B
Tales of Suspense #59, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #60, Story B

Iron Man is suspected of murdering Anthony Stark! But how can that be when Iron Man and Stark are the same person!

The art team is Heck and Ayers. We recently saw their work on Avengers #9 and will soon see it on Avengers #10. I was not impressed with their Avengers work. They acquit themselves much better here, even when rendering the Avengers. The faces are clear and distinct. The lines are clean.

Here’s where we were. Iron Man’s heart problems have accelerated. He needs the constant flow of power from his suit to his heart. He cannot remove his suit even for a minute, lest he risk his heart giving out. This means he cannot appear as Tony Stark. He made some excuses as Iron Man for Tony’s disappearance, but Pepper and Happy are suspicious.

This story seems to take place pretty soon after the ending of last issue. Pepper and Happy are searching for Mr. Stark. We saw that Avengers #9 explicitly took place in the middle of all this, with Iron Man reflecting on Stark’s disappearance and Pepper and Happy’s suspicions.

Avengers #10

The Avengers Break Up!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Story superbly written by: Stan Lee
Art adorably drawn by: Don Heck
Inked by darlin’ Dick Ayers
Lettered by stalwart Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#275	Next
Tales of Suspense #60, Story B	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #110
Avengers #9	Avengers	Avengers #11

The issue’s title is “The Avengers Break Up”. Yet, at no point in the issue do the Avengers appear to break up. Instead, characters go to great lengths repeatedly to explain the title via the dialogue. “Now that Thor’s over there and Iron Man’s across the room, it’s basically like they’ve broken up.”

The Heck/Ayers art looks much as it did last issue, which I see as a negative. I’ll give them credit for a couple nice panels. A trippy one of Immortus and an easy-on-the-eyes Enchantress.

We get a weirdly sexist moment in an era filled with weirdly sexist moments. I don’t know if I’m ready to claim it’s the worst, but it’s up there. Iron Man recommends giving Rick Jones a uniform and making him an official Avenger. “…why don’t we make his membership in the Avengers official, as the Wasp’s is…”

Fantastic Four #33

Side-by-side with Sub-Mariner!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ S. Lee
Art: Jolly Jack Kirby
Inks: Chucklin’ Chic Stone
Lettering: Amiable Art Simek
20 pages

Previous	#272	Next
Sgt. Fury #12	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #60
Fantastic Four #32	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #34

Kirby has used these photo collages a few times now, but this is the first cover that combines art with photographs in a cool collage.

This is the first time Stan’s name has ever been abbreviated in the credits: “S. Lee”. I’m guessing the letterer just ran out of room.

Namor is again the king of Atlantis (the exact same month Aquaman is first named king of Atlantis at the Distinguished Competition). Namor has the most fickle people. They moved the entire kingdom once so he couldn’t find them because of his affection for Sue. But I guess that’s all forgotten now.

The story is that Dorma betrayed Namor because he scorned her love, so she helped Attuma’s armies gain entry to Atlantis so Attuma could seize the throne. Women, eh?

Sgt. Fury #12

When a Howler Turns Traitor!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Possibly the most dramatic battle thriller ever written by: Sgt. Stan Lee
Perhaps the finest example yet of the artistic skill of: Cpl. Dick Ayers
A new inking triumph by: Geo. Bell
Another lettering victory by: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#271	Next
X-Men #8	Reading order	Fantastic Four #33
Sgt. Fury #11	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #13

The Howlers are in an English pub. Axis Sally is on the radio. She is broadcasting Nazi propaganda from Berlin, calling on all Americans of German or Italian descent to turn against America and side with their own people. Of course, Dino Manelli is the Italian-American member of the Commandos, and has already had to deal with prejudice within the ranks.

Dino reminds us it’s possible to love his heritage and still want to fight against tyranny.

X-Men #8

Unus, the Untouchable

Featuring: X-Men
Release: September 1, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Chic Stone
Letter: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#270	Next
Fantastic Four #32	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #12
X-Men #7	X-Men	X-Men #9

The X-Men are no longer students, but the status quo hasn’t changed much. They now train for missions; their training sessions look very similar to the classes they used to take. Professor X is still away and Cyclops is in charge; so he is running the training session. Hence, he is in a suit rather than a uniform. So you know he’s in charge.

Iceman practices making his body icier. As he does, some of the smoothness fades, allowing defined corners within his now icy body. These are the first hints of a new look forming. Iceman’s visual evolution is similar to Thing’s, going from a softer ill-defined look to lots of defining lines and corners.

It’s weird that Iceman is described as transparent and compared to the Invisible Girl. I usually think of the ice as a layer around him; they seem to be suggesting his insides are turning to ice as well, though the art indicates nothing of the kind.