Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: January 12, 1965 Cover: April 1965 12 cents Written in a stygian swampland by: Stan Lee Drawn in a dismal dungeon by: Steve Ditko Lettered in a conjuror’s castle by: Artie Simek 10 pages
…it is almost like the calm before a terrible storm!
We read the first half of this issue in June 2021 and wrote the following.
I must emphasize that the Dr. Strange story is one of the single greatest Marvel stories of all time, yet the Bouncing Ball of Doom is what gets spotlighted on the cover.
The first page almost serves as a cover, as is common for Ditko stories. The story really begins on the next page, which picks up exactly where the previous issue went off. I’ve seen arguments online that how well this reads if you just chop off the splash page chapter breaks means this should just be read as a 153 page graphic novel, perhaps the first graphic novel ever.
We saw this same servant of Mordo’s last issue. Ditko is good about using distinctive faces and taking care to repeat characters. Lee is often unconcerned about naming these repeat characters. This random dude will eventually get a name, and then weirdly get chosen as the lead villain in the first Dr. Strange film.
I appreciate how Ditko illustrates the espionage thriller, where Dr. Strange is furtively trying to escape detection.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: December 10, 1964 Cover: March 1965 12 cents Written by the nabob of the netherworld: Stan Lee Illustrated by the sultan of the supernatural: Steve Ditko Lettered by the overlord of the occult: Artie Simek 10 pages
Man. Remember when Ben and Johnny met the Beatles? Seems like a lifetime ago.
I have a grammatically annoying habit in these posts to confuse time with my tenses. Sometimes I speak as though the present is 2022, and sometimes I speak as though the present is 1964. I’m going to double down on that confusing habit.
Strange Tales #130 was released December 1964, and we read the first story, in which Ben and Johnny meet the Beatles, back in May 2021. It’s now November 2022, a good 18 months later we are finally finishing the comic. Wow.
In our last post, we read Avengers #20, from July 1965, a good 7 months after the release of Strange Tales #130. We’re going back in time 7 months and 18 months.
18 months ago, I wrote the following:
Dr. Strange finally gets the cover almost to himself… but we won’t be reading his story. As we’ve discussed, the plan is to take a break from Dr. Strange, but keep reading the Human Torch/Thing stories. The Dr. Strange stories have mostly been happy to be single short episodes that fit in 10 pages. The only exception has been the 2-part battle against Dormammu. But even that epic was only 20 pages, the length of a normal Fantastic Four or Spider-Man story. Not one to make incremental change, Ditko decided he needs 170 pages and 17 months to tell the next story.
We’ve been waiting a long time for this story. Over the months, I’ve occasionally reminded you of it, asked for patience, and hinted at just how much I love it. Let’s see if it was worth the wait.
We’ve already read the first stories from Strange Tales #130-136, finishing up the Human Torch/Thing stories and beginning the Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD stories, including the first two parts of the “Hydra Saga”.
We’ll now catch up on the Dr. Strange stories of 130-136, and then read the entirety of Strange Tales #137-141, which will finish off the Hydra Saga and bring us to a climactic moment and decent enough pausing point for the Eternity Saga. (By “decent enough pausing point”, I mean the issue will end with a bomb about to explode in Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum. But decent enough.) We’ll then need to spend a bit of time catching up with the rest of the Marvel Universe before coming back to finish off the Eternity Saga, which runs through issue 146.
I think of this 17-part saga as the “Eternity Saga” or the “Dormammu/Mordo War”, or some mixing and matching of those words. There’s no real official name. A quick browsing of the internet suggests “Eternity Saga” is the most common name, and that’s anyway my preferred name, so we’ll call it that.
This spins out of Dr. Strange’s 2-part battle with Dormammu in issues 126-127. If you look to the Best We’ve Read, you’ll see both parts of that saga are presently in our top ten, though that list is about to get shaken up. Much of this 17-part saga will find its way to that page presently, so check out the bottom couple rows of entries while you can. They’ll be getting pushed off.
Prior to that Dormammu arc, we’d heard a lot of invocations with strange words in them. Vishanti. Agamotto. Hoggoth. Dormammu. It wasn’t that clear what these words referred to. They almost seemed like magic words like Abracadabra. With issue 126, we understood that Dormammu is a demonic sorcerer who rules the Dark Dimension. And that when Dr. Strange or Baron Mordo would invoke his name, they were literally calling upon him to lend them power. That Dr. Strange’s power might come from an evil demon seems a bit of hypocrisy.
In an adventure in the Dark Dimension, Dr. Strange met a pretty girl and faced off with Dormammu, whose power dwarfed his own. He won the day only because of Dormammu’s strange sense of honor. While evil, Dormammu does defend his own realm from the Mindless Ones, and Dr. Strange aided Dormammu against the Mindless Ones. Dormammu then felt obligated to not kill Dr. Strange. Honor and all that. Because his sense of honor is really strange, he has now sworn revenge on Dr. Strange for being in debt. Dr. Strange did Dormammu a favor, and now Dormammu must destroy him. Honor and all that. And while Dormammu swore not to attack Dr. Strange, he didn’t promise not to lend his power to Dr. Strange’s greatest enemy Baron Mordo so that Mordo could kill the good Doctor.
OK, maybe some mild spoilers above. I see the opening of the story does obscure just who it is Mordo is talking to. But it will be revealed by page 5 and this is a 170 page saga.
Given how long this saga is, you’d expect a bit of prelude. But we get basically one panel of Strange and the Ancient One doing their thing, the calm before the storm. By panel 3, the attack begins.
By page 3, the Ancient One has fallen, Mordo controls his temple, and Dr. Strange is on the run.
Featuring: Avengers Release: July 8, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Wham-Type script by Stan Lee Pow-type pencilling by Don Heck Zowie-type inking by Wallace Wood Rather nice lettering by Artie Simek 20 pages
There’s something about being an Avenger… that seems to get into your blood and never let go!
The creative team is almost never mentioned on the cover of these (or any) comics. This is certainly the first time we’ve seen the inker advertised. Stan knows he’s lucky to have Wally Wood, and perhaps already knows he won’t have him much longer.
We saw Wood inking Heck in Tales of Suspense #71, which comes out one month after this one. So this is properly their first collaboration.
The cover is a rare Kirby/Wood collaboration, and pretty awesome. A team I think many would like to have seen more work by.
We see a rare feat of teamwork for these new Avengers. They seem to be defeating the Swordsman when he disappears.
He finds himself in the lair of the Mandarin. Who wishes to destroy the Avengers, though he’s never met them*. His foe is Iron Man, who used to be an Avenger. And it follows that he must destroy these Avengers, which don’t include Iron Man. Because Iron Man is his foe. And… the Mandarin’s plans may just be too crafty for my little brain.
Featuring: Avengers Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Artist: Don Heck Inker: Dick Ayers Letterer: Artie Simek 20 pages
“Marvel Pop Art Productions”? This phrase started appearing on covers these last couple months. The letters page explains that fans object to these magazines being called comics, perhaps as that implies they are humorous and juvenile. So Stan is going to start calling them “pop art books”. I started reading these things about 25 years later and heard they were called comics, so I’m not sure this rebranding will stick.
Swordsman tries to join the Avengers but is rebuffed after a fight.
Featuring: Captain America Release: August 10, 1965 Cover: November 1965 12 cents Written with the passion of Stan Lee Laid-out with the power of Jack Kirby Pencilled with the punch of George Tuska Inked with the prowess of Joe Sinnott Lettered with the penpoint of Sam Rosen 10 pages
In a war, Bucky, many people suffer! It isn’t necessary to be in the armed forces.. to be a casualty!
Because this Greymoor Castle story is a 3-part saga, we’ve gotten a little ahead in Cap reading. This comic premieres the same day as Fantastic Four #44. They share an inker, Joe Sinnott. This is an important development, and I have a lot to say about Joe Sinnott. But I’m going to save it for when we get to FF#44. Stay tuned.
The FF comic will feature Sinnott properly inking Kirby. While Kirby did the layouts for this issue, the art is really Tuska/Sinnott.
It’s time now for the conclusion of this tale. Dr. Rawlings has betrayed his country to the Nazis. His sister Celia is opposed to this.
When the Nazis try to kill Celia, Rawlings at last turns against them.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: August 10, 1965 Cover: November 1965 12 cents A study in splendor by Stan Lee, writer! A muse of majesty by Don Heck, artist! A glimmer of glory by Wally Wood, inker! A nice lettering job by Art Simek, bon vivant! 12 pages
Featuring: Captain America Release: July 8, 1965 Cover: October 1965 12 cents Story by Stan Lee Layouts by Jack Kirby Lettering by S. Rosen Art by George Tuska 10 pages
My own nation has refused to recognize my talents! But the Nazis are willing to pay me handsomely for my help!
We get a new artist, George Tuska. “One of the giants from the golden age of comics”, says Lee. As with most new artists, Lee still needs Kirby to lay out the story for them.
Tuska has worked in the industry since 1939, and became well known in the 1950s for his stellar work on crime comics. His first work with Marvel was in 1949. Lately, he’s been focused on newspaper strips, having taken over Buck Rogers in 1959. Here’s a sampling of his earlier work.
Zanzibar the Magician, Mystery Men Comics #1, Fox, 1939
Tom Barry of the Royal Mounted, Wonderworld Comics #4, Fox, 1939
Featuring: Iron Man Release: July 8, 1965 Cover: October 1965 12 cents Story: Scribbled and scrawled by: Stan Lee Illustration: Doodled and dawdled by: Don Heck Delineation: Battered and blotted by: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Mumbled and jumbled by: Sam Rosen 12 pages
Featuring: Captain America Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Script by: Friendly Stan Lee Layouts by: Frolicksome Jack Kirby Rendering by: Frivolous Dick Ayers Lettering by: Fearless Artie Simek 10 pages
Cedric, even if you care nothing for yourself or me– think of your country! You’re betraying us all!
Kirby does the layouts. He’s been doing a lot of that this month as he is over-stretched. Ayers is credited with the rendering. The difference from the previous issues with proper Kirby art really shows.
The plot here is that a scientist has a radiation experiment the Nazis can use to kill Captain America and Bucky. But it will only work if they are first helpless captives. At which point a gun would probably suffice.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Story by: Stan Lee, the idol of Millions! Art by: Don Heck, the toast of two continents! Inking by: V. Colletta, the pride of the bullpen! Lettering by: Sam Rosen, the last angry letterer! 12 pages
But, Iron Man must accept the challenge! It’s a matter of national pride… of prestige!
There are many stories I consider iconic. And, usually, who knows how this impression forms. Decades of reading comics and talking about comics has given me a sense of some stories that stand out.
I think of this as an iconic story and I know exactly why I think that. Very early in my Marvel reading, I also collected Marvel cards. The 1990 set had a set of famous battles. This was one of the chosen battles.
We’ve seen one famous battle (per that card deck) before, the Hulk/Thing fight from Fantastic Four #25–26. And are currently in the middle of another, the “Nick Fury vs. Hydra” battle begun in Strange Tales #135.
Of course, Titanium Man has one other claim to fame. Paul McCartney selected him alongside Magneto as villains to write a song about. (He also references Crimson Dynamo.)
The MCP wants Iron Man to attend the wedding in the middle of the events of this issue. I don’t see why it can’t just be before this issue. Maybe I’m missing some subtlety. As the issue opens, he’s spent weeks working on this sub-miniature reverser. He could have taken a brief break to attend a wedding.
Continuity does get complicated here though. Avengers #20 is concurrent to Tales of Suspense #70. Avengers #19 takes place in the middle of the Hydra Saga, yet Tony Stark’s life gets complicated starting now, so issue 69 or before is the best chance for his appearances in Strange Tales, including his appearances after the Hydra saga. And of course Iron Man shares a comic with Cap. As Nick Fury does with Dr. Strange, the latter of which we are months behind on reading.
For a reading order, we’ll read the Iron Man/Cap stories, then the Avengers stories, then the Dr. Strange/Nick Fury stories. But we’ll talk about what must be concurrent and what must fit where as we go.
Titanium Man is the Soviet answer to Iron Man. He issues a public challenge to prove Soviet superiority. Titanium is more powerful than Iron, so his armor is more powerful, but also slower and bulkier.
