Featuring: Captain America Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Wondrous words by: Stan Lee Awesome art by: Jack Kirby Incredible inking by: Frank Giacoia Lop-sided lettering by: Artie Simek 10 pages
…the world will soon tremble before the power of– Them!
In Captain America’s recent battle with Batroc, Batroc was working for some secret cabal. In the pages of Strange Tales, we learned the Fixer was working for some secret cabal called Them. They had some plot involving miniature brains. I don’t know if these two cabals are connected.
Nick Fury confronts Captain America at Avengers HQ. This is their first meeting in the present. Captain America refers to him as “Sarge”, but it’s Colonel Fury now. They reference fighting together, presumably referring to Sgt. Fury #13. That is the only prior meeting we know of.
When Fury notes Cap hasn’t aged much, Cap says Fury seems pretty well-preserved himself. Is this just a compliment? Or a first hint that Fury uses some form of special formula to keep himself young. They last met 20 years ago. Fury could have been in his ’20s then and ’40s now.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Spectacular story by Stan Lee Pace-setting pencilling by Gene Colan Indescribable inking by Gary Michaels Lonesome lettering by Artie Simek 12 pages
Ultimo, who never really lived– is now truly dead!
Stark factories are closed because Senator Byrd has cancelled the Defense contracts. Tony Stark is missing because Iron Man is in Asia battling Ultimo, the android creation of the Mandarin.
We get a cool time lapse splash page. Ditko often did these time lapse panels in his Spider-Man stories.
Of course, the flip side of all these splash pages and large panels is we get fewer panels to tell the story.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Eerily edited by: Stan Lee Spookily scripted by: Dennis O’Neil Demonically drawn by: Steve Ditko Laconically lettered by: Artie Simek 10 pages
Am I a child, to be frightened by a mere illusion– a shadow of shadows?
Lee seems to have stepped away as the regular writer for the end of Ditko’s run. Just as well as Ditko has been doing most of the writing and refusing to even speak to Lee for a little while anyway.
Roy Thomas stepped in the last two issues, and now we have Dennis O’Neil. While for artists, Stan has been seeking veterans from the ’40s and ’50s, for writers, he has been giving new talent a try. Thomas is new to comics, and O’Neil was hired at his suggestion. This is O’Neil’s first comic work. He’ll go on to do some good things, and will perhaps be eventually better known for his work with the Distinguished Competition.
That Lee is handing off scripting duties to new and untested writers gives a hint as to how important these Dr. Strange stories are to him.
We meet a villain named Mr. Rasputin. He uses magical and scientific means to do espionage. His ancestor had been a famous Russian advisor.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: February 10, 1966 Cover: May 1966 12 cents Edited with percipacity by: Stan Lee Written with precocity by: Roy Thomas Plotted and illustrated with profundity by: Steve Ditko Lettered with the windows closed by: Artie Simek 10 pages
How dare you make a request of the great Tazza! In the name of Satannish the Supreme, you shall join the other unmoving forms in my hallowed halls…
We are in what I see as the spinning-the-wheels phase. We had an extremely tense and fast-paced adventure that took us from issues 130-141. Then it slowed down. Mordo was defeated. Dormammu was humbled. Loose plot threads included servants of Mordo’s to deal with, and this woman who had helped Strange, who was now a prisoner of Dormammu. We’ve spent the last couple issues dealing with Mordo’s servants and now we’ll go look for this unnamed woman.
Dormammu was beaten with yet another vow to not move against Strange. But there’s a loophole if you read the fine print. Dormammu agreed not to attack Strange on Earth. But if the good Doctor travels to another dimension…
Let’s talk about your costume! Those red longjohns break me up– but I liked your old yellow duds better! … I mean they matched your new yellow streak!
This might be the first time we learn the true identity of Frankie Ray, really Frank Giacoia. For a lot of these people, the aliases are about not sabotaging regular gigs with Marvel’s competition. Frank Giacoia was a regular DC artist at the time, and hadn’t necessarily wanted them knowing he was freelancing for Marvel. But at some point it becomes clear, or his Marvel gig becomes the more regular gig, and it just stops mattering. Though by this point Marvel fans might know him best as Frank or Frankie Ray and not recognize the name Frank Giacoia.
Just like they might be confused if a comic were credited to Stanley Lieber or Jacob Kurtzberg.
That’s a great cover by Romita and Giacoia. The cityscape is detailed but the lack of color keeps it subtly in the background, leaving the focus on the two colorful characters. This is our first chance to see Spider-Man as rendered by John Romita. He captures that sense of agility that Ditko creates, and you can feel the motion of the cover, even without the helpful motion lines.
We’ve talked a bit about the tension in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. Lee and Ditko aren’t getting along and Ditko is looking out the door. Lee is well aware of this, but has a huge problem. Spider-Man is his best comic, indelibly associated with Steve Ditko. You can’t just throw anybody on the book. Jack Kirby is Stan’s go-to artist when he needs a good one, but Jack had drawn Spider-Man a couple times by this point, and it was never right. And Jack’s style– while perfect for Fantastic Four– just wasn’t Spider-Man. Nobody was Steve Ditko.
We talked in the last issue about John Romita, who recently passed away. He’s been on Daredevil since Wally Wood left, following a succession of legendary talent from Bill Everett to Joe Orlando. And Romita has been more than up to the task of making his own mark on Daredevil.
But John Romita is not famous for drawing Daredevil. And while he excelled at the romance comics he had been drawing, that’s not really what made him a household name amongst fans. His step into legendary status will come with his next assignment, and this issue will serve as his audition for that assignment.
So, how well can John Romita draw Spider-Man? Let’s find out.
Featuring: Thor Release: May 3, 1966 Cover: July 1966 12 cents Stan the Man Lee, Writer Jack King Kirby, artist Vince the Prince Colletta, delineator Artie Pussycat Simek, letterer 16 pages
” Let there be no further battle! Only the weakling seeks to prove his strength at every turn!” “Thy words have wisdom, Thor– even as thy limbs have power enow to make Hercules pause! Henceforth, I shall call thee friend!” “And I thee!” “What riotous revels we shall enjoy together! What battles we shall share, at each other’s side!” “Alas, Olympian– revels are not for such as me– And, my hammer swings only for justice– never for the thrill of battle alone!” “But, what good then to be a god?” “Thy careless query, Hercules, is far more profound than you suspect!”
Stan the Man Lee. Jack King Kirby. Every issue Stan’s had new nicknames for the creative team. We’ve seen this particular set of nicknames before. And we’ll see it again. These are the nicknames that will stick for Stan and Jack. The Man and The King.
The issue’s title is “Thunder in the Netherworld”. Seems like a missed opportunity to call it “Thunder Down Under”.
Hercules had stupidly signed a contract saying he’d rule the Netherworld and let Pluto free. Hercules thought it was a movie deal. Zeus is enforcing the contract. Hercules’ only way out is for a champion to fight in his stead, to challenge Pluto and the armies of the dead to win Hercules’ freedom.
Featuring: Tales of Asgard Release: April 5, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Fabulously written by… Stan Lee Fantastically drawn by… Jack Kirby Fastidiously inked by… Vince Colletta Finally lettered by… Artie Simek 5 pages
Yet, the Lord of Asgard must first be a monarch– and then a father!
Clean story breaks are hard to find. The Odinsword Saga seems to be over. It bled into stories about the prophecies of Ragnarok. Which brings us here. For his role to be in Ragnarok, Loki is to be punished.
I don’t know if I approve morally of punishing someone for what he might do in the future.
I have received plaudits and accolades from the highest and mightiest of mortals, yet, the words you have spoken shall gladden my heart for as long as memory endures!
Thor and Hercules have beaten back Pluto in Los Angeles, but Pluto escaped, and still has Hercules’ signed contract, which will condemn Hercules to rule the Netherworld in his place. Thor has returned to New York.
People usually credit the turnaround in the Thor stories to Kirby taking more control and bringing in his interest in mythology. But Stan also pulls his weight. I actually have to make a hard choice to get a pull quote out of the issue. I found at least four good options. The first I considered was the most humorous, where Thor shouts to the New York crowd: “The endless prattle of thy voices proves wearisome to mine ears!” Stan seems to have Thor’s Shakespeare-lite dialogue down now.
This unnamed taxi driver is a favorite character of mine. Thor’s sentimental words to him are what I chose for the pull quote above. The cabbie had been a soldier, and thus Thor finds a kindred spirit. He’d fought in World War II, and been wounded in Anzio, Italy, which would have been in 1944.
Featuring: Tales of Asgard Release: February 3, 1966 Cover: April 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Pencilling: Jack Kirby Delineation: Vince Colletta Lettering: Artie Simek 5 pages
In the name of the omnipotent Odin– in the name of eternal Asgard– by the power of my hammer– for the glory of our cause– onwarrrrd– to victory!
The Odinsword Saga might be over now. Unclear. The story never seemed to be going anywhere and in the end it didn’t go anywhere. The whole thing was a ruse by Odin, who felt his warriors needed a bit of adventure.
So why was the Odinsword cracked if there was no enemy? Was it really cracked? Had it just always been cracked? We’ll never know. We’re moving on.
