Fantastic Four Annual 3

Bedlam at the Baxter Building!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: July 1, 1965
Cover: 1965
25 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Vince Colletta
Lettered by: Artie Simek
23 pages

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POSTLUDEMarvel: Heroes & Legends #1
Journey Into Mystery #123, Story BReading orderX-Men #14
Fantastic Four Annual 2, Story CFantastic Four AnnualFantastic Four Annual 4

I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss your bride!

It’s the wedding of the century. Today’s the day. Half the Marvels have been invited! And the rest of them are turning up anyway!

This issue represents by far the largest gathering of heroes and villains yet, forever binding these disparate characters into a universe.

This issue represents the idea that there is no status quo, that these characters are at their best when they change and grow. Forward momentum is an essential ingredient to storytelling. Genuine, non-illusionary, change.

This is the most significant moment in the early Marvel Universe.

I think I’d have come up with a better title than “Bedlam at the Baxter Building”.

I wish Chic Stone or Joe Sinnott had been the inker. A few months too late to have Stone and one month too early to have Sinnott. Also, Colletta is uniquely suited to a long special issue with many characters because he’s famously expedient.

I appreciate that the headline takes for granted the public knows who Reed and Sue are without the need for surnames or superhero identities. The cover does the same for its audience.

Pretty cool this worked out to be the 400th story in our reading order. Currently on track to also have the 500th story be a particularly special issue of Fantastic Four as well. When we read Avengers #1, it was the 100th story, but then I went and retroactively mucked with the ordering.

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Tales to Astonish #72

A Prince There Was!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: July 1, 1965
Cover: October 1965
12 cents
Written in majesty by: Stan Lee
Drawn in grandeur by: Adam Austin
Inked in splendor by: Vince Colletta
Lettered in the suburbs by: S. Rosen
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #71, Story BReading orderTales to Astonish #72, Story B
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A Prince of the Blood must be true to his duty… though the sorrow in his breast be more than he can endure!

Once again, Namor gets to dominate the cover. Only the slightest mention that this is also Hulk’s comic.

To be completely honest, stories with a repetitive format get a bit dull to discuss. I can only make fun of how identical the plots are in so many different ways. Last issue, Namor defeated the creature guarding a clue on his quest, found the clue, went to the next spot, found a creature guarding the next clue. To be continued. Guess the plot of this issue?

Meanwhile, the Krang/Dorma drama continues. We get a new development there as he banishes her to the realm of the Faceless Ones for rejecting him.

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Tales of Suspense #66

If I Fail, a World is Lost!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: March 11, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Written in the Marvel tradition of greatness by Stan Lee
Illustrated in the Marvel tradition of grandeur by Don Heck
Inked in the Marvel tradition of drama by Mickey Demeo
Lettered in the coziest corner of the room by Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Sgt. Fury #18Reading orderTales of Suspense #66, Story B
Tales of Suspense #65, Story BTales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #66, Story B

Stark is never around when you want him!

Due to circumstance, I lost the write-up for this particular story I had completed. I’m not a big fan of the Iron Man stories, and I was just unenthusiastic about writing this entry again. Please excuse me if I do a poorer job than usual. I just kind of want to get through this one.

In particular, I feel like I’d previously worked out where Attuma ranks in a particular metric, and I’m not sure I care to recompute it; I’ll just go off the top of my head and let somebody correct me if I’m wrong. Iron Man is the third distinct hero Attuma has fought, after facing the Fantastic Four and Giant-Man and the Wasp. I think that might be a record?

We have to define ‘distinct’ a bit carefully. I think fighting a hero and the team that hero is on should only count as one: Sandman fought both the solo Human Torch and the Fantastic Four; Loki fought both Thor and the Avengers.

With that caveat, Attuma is only the second villain to fight three distinct heroes. The first being Chameleon, who has faced Spider-Man, Iron Man (along with the Avengers), and Hulk.

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