Electro, the Marvel of the Age
Featuring: Electro
Release: December 20, 1939 (estimated)
Cover: February 1940
10 cents
By: Dahl
8 pages
The comic is signed “Dahl”. This refers to creator Steve Dahlman.
We just met Spider-Man’s new nemesis, Electro. Electro is the third Marvel character with that name. The second was a 1950s foe of Captain America. We’ll read his story in the near future with some other Captain America stories. The original is this robot.
Continue reading “PRELUDE: Marvel Mystery Comics #4, Story E”The Man Called Electro!
Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: November 12, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko
Lettered by: Art Simek
22 pages
We’ve had some great superhero battles in these pages. Put Spider-Man’s wits and abilities to the test against great foes. We get a new foe this issue.
But this issue also gets to the core of what Spider-Man is really about: balance.
His first appearance ended with the famous phrase about responsibility. That suggested he had a responsibility to use his powers to stop criminals and such. But this comic underscores other responsibilities. His aunt is sick and he has a responsibility to her. He also has financial responsibilities. He’s also a student, responsible for his studies. But what of his social responsibilities? What does he owe the kids in his class toward attempting to be friends with them? What about responsibilities to his romantic life? He’s also a photojournalist, and has a responsibility to journalistic integrity. He has a lot of responsibilities. How to balance them all? That’s the main theme of this series, and this issue is the best microcosm yet.
In fact, Stan’s opening hype seems pretty accurate to me for once. I’ll go ahead and call that my review.
There’s a lot going on in this issue, as my preamble may have implied. Let’s dive in.
Continue reading “Amazing Spider-Man #9”The Many Traps of Baron Mordo!
Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: November 12, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko
Lettered by: S. Rosen
8 pages
All the original Dr. Strange stories, except for the origin story, bore the subtitle “Master of Black Magic”. He was Dr. Strange, Master of Black Magic. It’s gone now. In this comic, he’s just Dr. Strange. That tagline will never return. However, the narrator remembers it, possibly for the last time.
We get some nice clear exterior shots of Dr. Strange’s house. Before Mordo sends it to another dimension. Note the distinctive window.
I quite like this shot of Dr. Strange, shrouded in shadow, walking down the street with an aura of mystery about.
The Return of the Eel!
Featuring: Human Torch
Release: November 12, 1964
Cover: February, 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: Art Simek
14 pages
Hey, look. Dr. Strange has become popular enough that the cover mentions his name in a little text box.
The Eel was released from prison having served his sentence. Let’s think that through. He stole Project X. I’m certain that would qualify as felony theft. Even with good behavior, that should carry a minimum 10 months in prison. That is to say, Johnny should have been able to finish a school year in the time the Eel should have been in prison. It’s not exactly clear how old Johnny is, but I’d taken him to be 17 and a senior in high school. Too much younger and you really have to wonder what Reed was doing taking him into space in a stolen experimental spacecraft. They were explicit that one new school year had begun between the start of the Fantastic Four series and the start of this series. And we know he has a driver’s license. I also take Spider-Man to be a senior in high school, though they’re not explicit about that either.
Continue reading “Strange Tales #117”The Master Plan of Doctor Doom!
Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 12, 1963
Cover: Februrary 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: George Bell
23 pages
We open with a dinosaur running loose. Ben refers to Reed as “Stretch”. This nickname will stick.
We get some drama with the team. Reed is being too bossy, so they try to pick a new leader. It doesn’t go well. Reeds turns out to be the only fit leader on the team. After all, Johnny is a teenager. Ben loses his temper so easily. And Sue is a woman.
The last issue promised the Four would face off against four super-villains this issue. Turns out they meant one super-villain and three henchmen. At least by my count.
Continue reading “Fantastic Four #23”Sub-Mariner!
Featuring: Avengers
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: P. Reinman
25 pages
We see a new cover box. Acknowledges that Hank is now Giant-Man and that Wasp exists.
Welcome to a special Mothers Day post. What makes this a Mothers Day post? Well, today is Mothers Day. Also, my mother likes the Sub-Mariner, and this is the issue where the Avengers meet Sub-Mariner.
Sub-Mariner doesn’t show up until page 15, but still gets the issue titled after him. Good for him.
In the first issue, Loki tricked the Avengers into attacking the Hulk.
In the second issue, Space Phantom tricked the Avengers into attacking the Hulk.
This issue, the Avengers just decide to attack the Hulk.
Continue reading “The Avengers #3”Not What They Seem!
Featuring: Wasp
Release: November 6, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Story plot: Stan Lee
Script and art: Larry Lieber
Inking: G. Bell
5 pages
Wasp visits an orphanage to tell another sci/fi tale. The main plot about prisoners pursued by the Space Patrol doesn’t have too much going for it. But along the way, one convict lists some weird planets he was aware of. And those planets all represent some cool sci/fi ideas.
Continue reading “Tales to Astonish #52, Story B”The Black Knight Strikes!
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: November 6, 1963
Cover: February 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Dick Ayers
18 pages
This story is 18 pages. They’d been seeming to have trouble filling 13, but 18 will be the new norm. The 5-page difference is made up for by the lack of a science fiction backup, save the tale the Wasp tells. An era is soon coming to an end.
While I mostly think of him and appreciate him as an inker, I’d like to note that Dick Ayers is a pretty solid draftsman in this issue. I complained recently about his Strange Tales work with George Roussos. But, inking himself, he gives a very clean take on these characters.
We meet the new Black Knight, Professor Garrett. He’d been a spy busted by Giant-Man. He fled the country to his castle in the Balkans. (Yes, another super-villain with a castle; at least this one’s in a part of the world with lots of castles.) He used his science knowledge to genetically engineer a winged horse and build a lance that has all kinds of weapons attached.
In particular, his lance can melt metal. Since that’s the only power of the Melter, the Melter would feel pretty useless if the two ever teamed up.
Continue reading “Tales to Astonish #52”The Menace of Modred the Evil!
Featuring: Black Knight
Release: January 14, 1955
Cover: May 1955
10 cents
By: Stan Lee and Joe Maneely
10 pages
In the next post, we’ll be covering the battle of Giant-Man and the Wasp against a new super-villain, the Black Knight. That character will not be Marvel’s first or last Black Knight. The following iteration will be a superhero, and one of my all-time favorites.
We have already seen a version. A Merlin story in one of the fantasy backups, the ones we’ve mostly skipped, introduced a Black Knight that served Merlin, which turned out to be an empty suit of armor animated by magic. Merlin had created that Black Knight to combat the schemes of Sir Mogard.
We meet here Marvel’s original (with a caveat) Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, recruited by Merlin to combat the schemes of Modred.
Beware of the Blob!
Featuring: X-Men
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Paul Reinman
24 pages
Before we start dissecting the bizarreness of this comic, I’d like to draw attention to the cool title font. Hat tip I presume goes to Art Simek.
I have a bit of difficulty assessing this issue. I can see two different stories: the one on the page, and the one Stan meant to write. In the story Stan meant to write, he failed miserably. I am confident he meant to portray Professor X and the X-Men as virtuous heroes. But any reasonable reading of the issue shows them to be the villains. That latter interpretation is interesting to me, but clearly not intentional.
This issue makes clear that Professor X and the X-Men have questionable ethics, though I don’t think Stan intended it that way. He just didn’t think it through. But later writers will look to stories like this as evidence that Professor X has a dark side.
Continue reading “The X-Men #3”
