INTERLUDE: THUNDER Agents #1

Featuring: THUNDER Agents
Release: September 1965
Cover: November 1965
25 cents

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We must find and train at least three special agents… the best!

We’re breaking my normal format for posts beyond the fact that this is plainly not a Marvel comic.

Normally, we read one story at a time, but I want to read the entire issue in one go. It consists of several shorter stories by different creative teams that add up to one larger story, all overseen by Wally Wood.

The issue has no credits, though sometimes artist signatures are visible. I have this in a collection, which credits the writers and artists involved when known. One or two names may be lost to history.

One of the disagreements between Wood and Lee was Lee taking the writer’s credit when Wood felt he was doing most of the writing. But this comic doesn’t credit anybody. In fact, most comics of the era don’t credit their creative teams. Lee was ahead of his time in trying to credit everybody. He just claimed a lot of credit for himself as well. Perhaps to Wood it was more about credit in the form of compensation than his name appearing in a box.

A couple notable differences from what we’ve been reading. First, the publisher is Tower Comics, a brand new publisher. Second, the price is 25 cents rather than 12 cents. Marvel prices its Annual comics at 25 cents, but its normal comics at 12 cents.

For 12 cents, Marvel comics give you 20-22 pages of content. The Annuals tend to be 70-72 pages for 25 cents, but with a lot of that dedicated to reprint material. This give you 60 pages of story for 25 cents.

Across the decades, comic prices had not changed much. Marvel Comics were 10 cents in 1939 and 10 cents in 1961 and 12 cents in 1965. They were very averse to raising the price, and had instead steadily decreased the page count over the years.

Thus, the page count of this comic is more reminiscent of 1940s comics than of its contemporary competitors. The idea that the individual stories all tie loosely together isn’t novel either, as 1940s Justice Society stories from DC had a similar structure, one Marvel imitated in the later 1940s with its All-Winners Squad.

We learn from the cover that THUNDER is an acronym. (Note for this blog, we’re not often including the “.”s in acronynms. I’m just too lazy to repeatedly type out S.H.I.E.L.D., finding it easier to type SHIELD.)

THUNDER: The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.

I can’t believe the “T” stands for “The”.

This title is a mix of superhero and spy adventure, with the acronym name likely inspired by “The Man from UNCLE”, and of course, the aforementioned SHIELD.

The concept was created by Len Brown and Wally Wood, who had previously co-created the science fiction trading card series, Mars Attacks.

Why are we reading this anyway? Because I wanted to see what Wally Wood got up to when he left Marvel. I think it will illuminate some discussions.

We’ll read through each story at a time, noting the title, creative team, and page count as we go. So don’t just stop when you get to the character lists. More stories to come below.

First Encounter

Featuring: THUNDER Agents
By: Larrie Ivie and Wally Wood
4 pages

We of course know Wally Wood by this point. Larry Ivie we met once before when he wrote a Human Torch story in Strange Tales #132.

It opens dramatically; we a team of three nondescript and unnamed agents finding a dead scientist. They were able to recover 3 inventions, but won’t be able to duplicate them, as the scientist kept no notes.

Lots of scientists don’t keep any notes it seems. The super soldier serum was all in Dr. Reinstein’s head and Hank Pym’s shrinking formula was all in his. We see three inventions of his that THUNDER cannot duplicate, and are informed there are others still yet.

A plan is formed to find three special agents to give these inventions to for the battle against the Warlord.

“…And so the search begins..”

Characters:
None named

Story notes:

• Team described as UN agents.
• Team finds Professor Jennings dead, likely the work of the Warlord.
• Warlord has men active in every nation on Earth; out to steal every scientific development he can.
• Warlord first revealed 2 years earlier when his men attempted to steal a new atomic engine.
• Warlord has recruited every criminal and spy, but none has seen him.
• Recovered inventions of Professor Jennings: electron molecular intensifier which will make the wearer’s body structure change to the consistency of steel; light polarizer material– an invisibility cloak; cybernetic helmet; numerous others.

Menace of the Iron Fog

Featuring: Dynamo
By: Len Brown and Wally Wood
12 pages

The first of Professor Jennings’ devices finds its user. Leonard Brown is working in the administrative part of THUNDER HQ, but tired of pushing papers. The myserious Council of THUNDER selects him to wear the thunderbelt that will make him Dynamo. The belt is encoded to him so that only he can use it. It is dangerous to use for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Notice the character shares a name with the writer. That was apparently a change made by Wally Wood, having a bit of fun with his partner.

We get a glimpse of the mysterious Warlord, cast in shadow. The main villain of the story will be Iron Maiden, a femme fatale who will be Dynamo’s great enemy and potential love interest at once. She has a squad of henchmen in robotic armor.

Dynamo holds his own against the armored goons… until his time runs out. Then he is taken prisoner and brought to the Iron Maiden. He lets slip that the belt is important to him.

Interestingly, for the first Dynamo story, it ends with his failure. We’ll then move on to the next story that introduces Noman. But that’s why this feels like one big story, even though each chapter has different writers and artists.

Dynamo’s battle against the Iron Maiden is not quite done.

Dynamo will become the star of the THUNDER Agents, the character Wally Wood treats as the centerpiece. He’s got this powerful belt, with one weakness. And we’ll soon meet other, less evil, women in his wife, and see he has other weaknesses as well; the courageous Dynamo’s bravery sometimes will slip in the guise of Len Brown and the company of Alice Robbins. And we’ll see him chastised by superiors for making mistakes that risk losing his belt.

Next issue’s Dynamo story will feature an all-out brawl worthy of Kirby. But we’ll return to our Marvel reading.

Characters:

• Leonard Brown/Dynamo
• Iron Maiden
• Warlord

Story notes:

• Administration worker Leonard Brown summoned to Level 7, strictly off limits for regular personnel.
• Level 7 appears empty but a fake wall is the entrance to the Inner Council of THUNDER.
• Body several times denser, with weight increased in proportion. Able to punch through a wall that could withstand an artillery shell.
• Iron Maiden’s armored squad covers city in a mysterious fog.
• Warlord only glimpsed on shadow.
• THUNDER science squad analyzes the fog and finds it to be man-made, composed of metallic particles. They propose a plan to remove the fog with a huge electomagnet. Dynamo is assigned the task.
• When Dynamo’s parachute breaks, he activates the thunderbelt.
• After dealing with the fog, he faces Iron Maiden’s agents. He holds his own until his timer starts to run out.
• Agent nearly kills Dynamo, but they decide Iron Maiden will want him alive. He is taken to Warlord’s island stronghold.

THUNDER Agent Noman

Featuring: Noman
By: Reed Crandall and Wally Wood (Writer Unknown)
10 pages

Reed Crandall is one of the many already legendary artists on this issue. Like Wood, he made his name at EC Comics. Crandall had specialized in science fiction and horror comics.

The Wally Wood credit is taken from my Archives book. GCD credits the art entirely to Crandall.

Dr. Dunn is an old man who agrees to an experiment that will make him immortal, transferring his mind into an android body. In fact, there are several android bodies, and he can move his mind between them at will. He is also supplied with Professor Jennings’ invisibility cloak and becomes Noman.

We meet the villains in what seems to be an underground lair. Also in league with the Warlord. The beautiful Satana and scheming Demo, with his army of Sub-men.

The Sub-Men can’t defeat an invisible Noman, but Demo splashes chemicals on him to reveal his outline and gets a shot off. Fortunately, Noman transfers his mind before the android body dies. If he’d transferred too late, his mind would have been lost with the body. But they only have one invisibility cloak and can’t let it fall into enemy hands, so Noman returns to retrieve it. Fortunately, Demo didn’t think to take it.

Best scene is the ending. We see how much of a bureaucracy THUNDER is. Noman saved the day, but is chastised by a supervisor for almost losing the invisibility cloak, and for almost dying.

Characters:

• Doctor Dunn/Noman
• Demo
• Satana

Story notes:

• Dr. Dunn had perfected experiment with Prof. Jennings.
• Since he is old and crippled, Dr. Dunn feels he has nothiing to lose by volunteering.
• Nicknames for Noman: Immortal Agent; Unseen Agent.
• Sub-Men sent to steal from Martin Chemical Works.
• Noman takes along second body as spare, leaves it in the car.

Face to Face

Featuring: Noman
by: Larrie Ivie
2 pages

Noman shows up again in a short text story in which he infiltrates Warlord’s old fortress and is able to stop a super-computer from completing computations necessary to Warlord’s plans.

Characters:

• Noman

Story notes:

• THUNDER computer able to process all known info on Warlord and determine likely base; Noman sent to investigate.
• Base was old base which still housed computer performing calculations Warlord needed to complete conquest.
• Warlord’s scientists instructed to wait for computer to finish, then set self-destruction timer, leave the base, and collect their $2.5 million dollar paychecks. Warlord lied about the timer. The scientists would die with the base.

The Enemy Within

Featuring: Menthor
By: Gil Kane, George Tuska, and Mike Epsosito (Writer Unknown)
12 pages

George Tuska is a name we’ve seen a few times now in our Marvel reading, giving us a Watcher story and a Captain America arc. Mike Esposito has recently inked several Hulk and Iron Man stories under the pen name Mickey Demeo. Gil Kane is not a name that’s shown up in our Marvel reading, but it certainly will in a big way in the years to come. He was already a superstar artist by this point, for example as the co-creator of the new Green Lantern.

One more invention, so one more character to meet. I think this is a cool character concept. Janus is chosen for the helmet… but Janus is secretly a spy for the Warlord.

In the other stories, we’d glimpsed the Warlord only in shadow. Tuska or Esposito didn’t get that message, as we finally see the Warlord. Except… when we finally see his face revealed again in a later issue, he’ll be very different indeed.

The helmet gives Janus telepathy, advanced intelligence, and the ability to harness mental energy.

But here’s the twist. It also changes the personality of the wearer in ways unintended. Janus almost has a whole other mind with the helmet on, and no memory of what happens when he wears the helmet. The helmet makes him an actual hero. When he removes the helmet, he becomes his treacherous self again with no memory of being Menthor.

Note that when he’s Menthor, it does seem as though he remembers who Janus is. He seems to know he’s working for Warlord. Just his personality has changed to make him good.

This is a pretty good hook for a character, but they change it up next issue when Janus himself decides he’s done working for the Warlord.

Characters:

• Mr. Janus/Menthor
• Mr. Sumo
• Warlord
• Id

Story notes:

• Mr. Janus passes mental and physical tests with ease.
• Mr. Sumo and expert in karate and judo.
• Only one recruiter suspects something is wrong.
• Warlord uses Professor’s counter-evolution machine to create elemental being.
• Warlord sends agents on “Operation Cyclone”, to steal remaining technology from THUNDER.
• Warlord planned to double cross and kill Janus.
• Menthor able to take control of minds and mentally draw strength from others, increasing his own.
• Menthor destroys Id with cobalt dynamo.

THUNDER Squad

By: Larrie Ivie, Mike Sekowsky, and Frank Giacoia
10 pages

Mike Sekowsky we wouldn’t know from our Marvel reading, but he’s the artist behind Justice League of America. Frank Giacoia we know very well; he’s usually inking under the name Frank Ray or Frankie Ray at Marvel.

The THUNDER Squad are the non-superhero component of the book. There’s a character named Weed. Perhaps not coincidental the name resembles “Wood”.

After a battle with Warlord’s Zombie Men, it’s the THUNDER Squad who learn that Dynamo has been captured, and go to take part in a rescue.

Characters:

• Guy
• Dynamite
• Kitten
• Weed
• Egghead
• Warlord

Story notes:

• THUNDER Squad called in when parachutists attack Weapons Development Center
• Guy: leader; Dyanamite: weapons; Kitten: technical device expert; Weed: Locksmith; Egghead: super brilliant strategist.
• Warlord’s zombie legion attacks.
• Zombie-men capture laser from military.
• Laser has 160-yard range.
• Warlord exerts telepathic power.

At the Mercy of the Iron Maiden

Featuring: Dynamo
By: Len Brown, Wally Wood, and Dan Adkins
10 pages

Dan Adkins is another name we haven’t met, but will.

We pick up with Dynamo a prisoner of Iron Maiden. Now we get to see all the stories come together as Menthor, Noman, and the THUNDER Squad will all team up to rescue Dynamo.

Noman gets a good heroic moment. We know he needs to move his mind to another body before this one dies. He cuts it close, using every ounce of energy left to get Dynamo his belt before his body collapses.

Characters:

• Dynamo
• Iron Maiden
• Menthor
• Noman
• Guy
• Dynamite
• Kitten
• Weed
• Egghead

Story notes:

• Iron Maiden has taken Dynamo’s belt. THUNDER able to detect tampering and trace signal.
• Iron Maiden’s squad has goggles to counter Noman’s invisibility.
• Fake robot double of Warlord on island.

So what did we think? The quality was a bit of a mixed bag, but it’s a solid collection of character concepts that showcases the creativity of Wally Wood. And we’ll see this as the first of a pattern. When Lee’s collaborators break away from him, they keep on creating cool concepts.

But… they create concepts far less successful than the work they did with Lee. While THUNDER Agents is a good comic, the characters are not household names. They haven’t yet starred in a billion dollar movie.

Wood also shows off his skills as an editor here, as he’s wrangling the large team of writers and artists to get these 60 pages fitting together. This issue featured a lot of legendary artists like Reed Crandall and Gil Kane, and the ranks of superstars on this title will only grow. Even Steve Ditko will show up once he too has cut ties with Stan Lee and Marvel

Ultimately, Tower Comics will hit financial troubles early on and be a short-lived company and the THUNDER Agents will only last 20 issues, with several of the stories from the later issues just being reprints of earlier stories.

Rating: ★★★½, 61/100

I read this story in THUNDER Agents Archives vol. 1.

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Daredevil #11	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #30