Featuring: Tales of Asgard Release: December 2, 1963 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee Drawn by: Jack Kirby Inked by: G. Bell Lettered by: Art Simek 5 pages
Forces of Evil are set to attack Asgard, but Heimdall stands vigilant. However, Loki has created a hole in Asgard’s defenses and somehow kept it secret from even Heimdall. He tricks Thor into thinking he discovered this gap, and suggests that Thor guard it. This leads to the young Thor having to battle the Forces of Evil alone.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: December 9, 1963 Cover: March 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan (When does he sleep?) Lee Illustrated by: Don (When does he eat?) Heck Lettered by: Art (When will he learn to spell?) Simek 13 pages
Stan notes we are probably wondering how a Scarecrow can cause Iron Man any trouble. I was wondering exactly that, Stan. In fact, I often wonder why most of Iron Man’s villains cause him any trouble. This issue will not answer the question. Iron Man strikes me as far more powerful than you make him out to be.
We get a somewhat interesting origin for a super-villain. It begins with Iron Man making a joke that he’s glad the performer is not a criminal, which inspires the performer to be a criminal. All he needs now is to steal a Scarecrow costume from a costume shop and some trained crows from a colleague.
Those who engage in humor know it to be an art form not free from consequence; we maintain that the rewards, though subtle, are worth the risk.
Featuring: Watcher Release: November 12, 1963 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script + art: Larry Lieber Inking: S. Brodsky Lettering: Art Simek 5 pages
The Watcher tells a tale of the distant future, the 21st century.
Wilbur Weems is a shy space pilot, teased by everybody for his general wimpiness. Having no friends or family or much of anything, he volunteers for an apparent suicide mission to investigate a cosmic dust cloud.
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.
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.
Johnny plans to “streak to the prison”. That could easily be misinterpreted.
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.
