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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Meet Attuma. We’ll be seeing him again.
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?
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: September 1, 1964 Cover: December 1964 12 cents Written–as if you couldn’t guess by now–by smilin’ Stan Lee! Drawn–and here’s a little twist for you–by capricious Carlos Burgos! Inked–as if he knew what he was doing–by devestatin’ Dickie Ayers Lettered–as though each syllable is a gem–by amenable Artie Simek 12 pages
The cover is vertically split between the two stories. This will be a common format for these shared titles. Hulk’s story comes first on the cover, but the issue opens with the Giant-Man and the Wasp tale.
Don’t think we’ve ever seen Dick Ayers referred to as Dickie before. Carlos Burgos is normally Carl Burgos, who we recall is the creator of the original Human Torch. He’s already shown up once in the Marvel Age to draw a story with the new Human Torch. Art sometimes does go by Artie.
Giant-Man has found a way to make plants grow, as well as humans. It’s a little confusing, as he was able to shrink a chair before he shrank himself. His original goal for the technology was to revolutionize shipping. Originally, it was a liquid he pored on something (an object or his skin) to make it shrink. Then he got it into pill form. Lately, he’s been able to use his cybernetic helmet to make both himself and the Wasp change size with his thoughts. His plant growth serum comes in the form of a spray. He thinks he can use it to help with agriculture and solve world hunger.
Featuring: Human Torch and Thing Release: September 8, 1964 Cover: December 1964 12 cents Written by the Overlord of Originality… Stan Lee Illustrated by the Archduke of Action… Dick Ayers Inked by the High Priest of Highlights… Paul Reinman Lettered by the Lama of Lexicography… Art Simek 12 pages
Recall from Strange Tales #126 that Dr. Strange was about to battle the Dread Dormammu. And Human Torch and Thing had just defeated Puppet Master for the 7th time or so. Let’s follow up on Human Torch and Thing first. After all, they get most of the cover space, while one of Marvel’s single greatest stories ever is fit into a tiny little box on the cover.
This story is titled, “The Mystery Villain!” Mystery villains always give me a crisis of conscience. The format I use for these posts necessarily spoils such things. And I wouldn’t want to take away the joy of reading this “excellent” Human Torch adventure fresh.
Maybe this time, if I’m careful, I can avoid explicitly revealing the identity of the mystery villain. Mind you, I can’t actually avoid revealing the identity of the mystery villain (given that I want to stick to my standard format), but I can leave it a little bit subtle, make you have to think if you want the spoiler.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: August 11, 1964 Cover: November 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee Prince of Prestidigitators! Illustrated by: Steve Ditko Lord of Legerdemain! Lettered by: Art Simek Nabob of Necromancy! 10 pages
The last few issues of Dr. Strange have essentially been filler. Forgettable stories, with Ditko not even supplying his own finishes on the art. I begged your indulgence, promising they had something good in the works. They did. This is it.
Lee and Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange is recognized as one of the best runs of comic books ever. For the next 20 issues, we’ll see why.
Generally speaking, Ditko does the heavy lifting on this series. But, assuming all the narration is attributable to Stan, he does his share here with some evocative prose.
There is a world half-hidden between the real and the imaginary!
A world in which the impossible is believable, and the incredible is commonplace…
Original
Dr. Strange enters the Realm of Darkness, ruled by the Dread Dormammu. Dormmamu is a powerful sorcerer the Ancient One himself had once fought and been unable to defeat. Now, Dormammu plans to expand his domain and conquer Earth. Only Dr. Strange can stop him.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes Release: August 11, 1964 Cover: October 1964 12 cents Two-fisted tale by: Ex-Sarge Stan Lee, U.S. Army Power-packed pencilling by: Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers, U.S. Air Force Inking by: Geo. Bell Lettering by: Art Simek 21 pages
This is a familiar story. Captain Sawyer is temporarily replaced by the uptight rules-obsessed Captain Flint.
He does things like insist on uniform regulations that end up giving their position away on a mission that required subterfuge.
By the end of the story, the Howlers have taught him to loosen up a bit. I don’t much care for rule sticklers myself, hate when I have to work with them. My experience is that they don’t come around quite so easily in real life.
Featuring: Avengers Release: August 11, 1964 Cover: October 1964 12 cents Sensationally written by: Stan Lee Superbly illustrated by: Don Heck Selectively inked by: Dick Ayers Sufficienty lettered by: Art Simek 21 pages
As the cover indicates, it’s a moment of big change for this title. The science fiction tales are gone, and the horror stories (or tales of suspense) this title was founded on are long gone. But gone now also are the Watcher stories, which blurred the line between the older science fiction tales and our new superhero ones.
Henceforth, this title will contain two stories: an Iron Man adventure and a Captain America adventure.
Captain America’s return has been successful enough to give him his own title, but Marvel is still artificially limited in the number of titles it can publish, and seemingly reluctant to get rid of titles, preferring to repurpose them. Thus Captain America and Iron Man have to share a book. Just as Hulk has to share Tales to Astonish with Giant-Man and Wasp, and as Dr. Strange has been sharing Strange Tales with Human Torch and Thing.
Recall that Professor Nathan Garrett adopted the identity of Black Knight and fought Giant-Man and Wasp. He was not the first Black Knight, but the first of modern times. He genetically engineered a flying horse and built an arsenal of gadgets and weapons, primarily his multifunctional lance.
The fancy credits neglect the contributions of Chic Stone and Art Simek.
Having been defeated, he agreed to join the Masters of Evil to fight Giant-Man and the rest of the Avengers.
Having been defeated by the team of superheroes he attacked, he now wants revenge, and so is planning to attack the Avengers individually. He begins with Iron Man, starting with an attack on Stark’s factory.
