captain america – Page 6 – Coke ⊕ Comics

Journey Into Mystery #116

The Trial of the Gods!

Featuring: Thor
Release: March 4, 1965
Cover: May 1965
12 cents
Written by imperial Stan Lee
Illustrated by impregnable Jack Kirby
Inked by implacable Vince Colletta
Lettered by impossible Artie Simek
16 pages

Previous	#340	Next
Daredevil #7	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #116, Story B
Journey Into Mystery #115, Story B	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #116, Story B

Colletta graduates from inking the backup stories to the main Thor feature. He will be the Thor artist for a very long time to come. For better or worse. In fact, he will ink the next 52 consecutive Thor stories, and a good many of the next 50 after that over the course of an 8-year run.

We’ll reserve commentary on the his style for now. Let’s spend a few issues taking in this new art style before we try to see how we think Colletta compares to Chic Stone.

Another compelling Thor title. “The Trial of the Gods!”

We’ve known the phrase since we read Avengers #16, which was actually published a week after this, but took place earlier. At least, Thor’s appearance in the story took place before this issue.

Kirby seemed to use the same concept for cover and first page.

I’ve never really understood Odin and never will. Everybody seems to agree he is wise, but his wisdom must be too much for my mortal intelligence to grasp. Thor claims Loki kidnapped Jane to Asgard; Loki claims Thor brought Jane to Asgard because he loves her. Who is lying? The God of Thunder or the God of Lies?

Only one way to find out, says Odin. The Trial of the Gods!

Avengers #16

The Old Order Changeth!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: March 11, 1965
Cover: May 1965
12 cents
Dazzling script by: Stan Lee
Dashing layouts by: Jack Kirby
Darlin’ artwork by: Dick Ayers
Delicate lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#334	Next
Avengers #15	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #114
Avengers #15	Avengers	Avengers #17

“Avengers Assemble!” shouts Captain America. With quite the assemblage of heroes and villains behind him. Check out our pretty full cast list near the end.

A little annoyed with myself as I make this post. I screwed up. In the middle of a move and all my comics are in transit. I have this issue, my second oldest Avengers comic after issue 8, and I thought I had scanned this before I packed and shipped it. I remembered doing so. Apparently I only scanned the single page I used in my Wandavision post.

I considered pausing our reading for a bit until I could scan my comic, but who knows when that will be. So we’ll press forward with scans, err, found on the internet. We’ll call them temporary. I’ll come back in a month or so and replace them with my own. You probably won’t even notice the difference. I just prefer to scan my own comics when I can.

And this issue means a lot to me.

Had it since early childhood somehow. My cousin had borrowed it for an extended period of time, but I eventually got it back.

This is a pretty historic issue. For whatever reason, Heck chose this issue of all issues to take a breather, leaving Ayers to do the artwork over Kirby’s layouts… or perhaps Kirby’s loose pencils, or maybe full pencils for some of the comic.

Here’s an interesting post on the breakdown of artistic labor in this issue, including speculation that Carl Hubbell was involved: https://nick-caputo.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-unknown-art-of-carl-hubbell.html

First, we need to wrap up the story from last issue. Captain America had just fatally defeated Zemo, and now needs to get back to New York with Rick. He’ll have some trouble with Zemo’s henchmen. Meanwhile, the battle with the Masters of Evil continues in New York.

Let’s just say the Avengers win, though Enchantress and Executioner escape. The battle’s anyway over by page 4, and we have more important things to discuss.

It turns out this was these heroes’ final battle together.

Avengers #15

Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: February 11, 1965
Cover: April 1965
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: Jack Kirby
Pencilling: Don Heck
Inking: Mickey Demeo
Lettering: Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#333	Next
Fantastic Four #38	Reading order	Avengers #16
Avengers #14	Avengers	Avengers #16

For several issues, Avengers had become a Lee/Heck production and was much the worse for it. Last issue had everybody working at Marvel pitch in. Now, Kirby is on hand with the layouts. Recall, we’re basically talking positioning of characters, but with that comes the storytelling, and this story is a cut above the last several issues. That’s likely Kirby’s hand. He’s been the missing ingredient. He’s back to do layouts for two issues, and they’ll be two of the best Avengers stories of the era.

Ordering is funny, as continuity is getting tight. Everybody is embroiled in multi-issue arcs, stories are flowing into each other; Avengers is always tricky continuity because it needs to be fit around the solo titles; and there’s a wedding any day now.

That’s why we already skipped ahead 5 months in our X-Men reading and are so far behind in our Dr. Strange and Hulk reading. Trying to fit it all together. This is the February issue of Avengers. We’re already mostly on to March, but about to read the January Thor. I think it all makes sense. This issue for significant reasons plainly takes place after the July issue of X-Men.

Tales of Suspense #65, Story B

The Red Skull Strikes!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: February 12, 1965
Cover: May 1965
12 cents
By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inking: Chic Stone
Lettering: S. Rosen
10 pages

Previous		Next
Tales of Suspense #65	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #24
Tales of Suspense #65	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #66

As with the last two issues, this is closely based on a story from Captain America Comics #1. As with the last two issues, Joe Simon is not credited.

We at this point are well versed in the Red Skull stories of the 1940s and 50s. We are now primed to see the modern take on the Red Skull, beginning with this retelling of his first adventure.

There are significant changes, many with the effect to sanitize the story, make it less violent and more kid-friendly. For example, in this version the Red Skull is not a killer. The plot of the original was all about him murdering people.

I’ll note the shared story beats common to the stories.

The story begins with Private Rogers and Mascot Barnes escorting Major Croy. They warn him it’s not safe to be alone, but he dismisses them any way.
The Red Skull attacks Major Croy.
Red Skull’s henchmen loot a bank.
Captain America and Bucky track down the Red Skull, but the Skull escapes them.
Mr. Maxon is observing a test of his new plane. Private Rogers is present. When the plane crashes, likely due to sabotage, Maxon expresses concern, but not for the lives lost, which upsets Rogers.
Red Skull attacks a General, and then is revealed to be Mr. Maxon.

With that corresponding outline, there are heavy differences.

PRELUDE: Young Men #27, Story B

The Return of the Red Skull!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: January 25, 1954
Cover: April 1954
10 cents
7 pages

Previous		Next
Young Men #24, Story B	Prelude
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

No credits given. The GCD credits Don Rico and John Romita.

With a big sigh of relief, we come to the last Red Skull story from the pre-Marvel era. By my count he made 13 appearances, and we’ve read 11 of them, all to get ready for his triumphant return in 1965. That was more than I meant to read, but there was a particular reason for each choice.

Captain America and Red Skull, now a card-carrying Communist, battle one final time.

PRELUDE: Young Men #24, Story B

Back from the Dead!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: August 19, 1953
Cover: December 1953
10 cents
6 pages

Previous		Next
Captain America’s Weird Tales #74	Prelude	Young Men #27, Story B
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

No credits are given. The GCD attributes the story to Don Rico and John Romita, except the first panel which it attributes to Mort Lawrence.

It is 1953, 4 years since the final Captain America story, which itself brought and end to the company’s entire line of superhero books, the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner sagas having ended a little sooner.

Marvel’s only nod to the superhero genre in the time since is their science fiction hero, Marvel Boy, whose series lasted 6 issues.

They’re ready to try again. Now generally branded as “Atlas Comics”, the company that had been known as “Timely” and would be best known as “Marvel” offers this superhero revival, bringing back their 3 most successful superheroes of the 40s: Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America.

All three return in this very issue. We read the Sub-Mariner story previously. Spinning out of this Young Men series, all three will soon get their own titles as well. Sub-Mariner’s return will last 10 issues, while Human Torch and Captain America each get three issues, before again being consigned to oblivion for another decade.

We read several issues of the Captain America revival to prepare to read Captain America’s lasting return in 1964. Those posts met with the sharpest criticism in the comments section I have yet received. I was called naive, arrogant, ignorant about comics… The internet can be a cruel place sometimes.

PRELUDE: Captain America’s Weird Tales #74

The Red Skull Strikes Again!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: July 4, 1949
Cover: October 1949
10 cents
Editorial Consultant: Jean Thompson, M.D., Psychiatrist
6 pages

Previous		Next
Captain America Comics #61	Prelude	Young Men #24, Story B
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

No credits are given, except for Dr. Jean Thompson, the psychiatrist whose name assures parents this comic is okay for kids to read. Something I’m not even convinced about.

We saw her name before when we got to this time period in our Sub-Mariner reading. I don’t know a lot about her, and the internet isn’t telling me much. In attempting to search for information about her, my own blog was one of the top hits. And that was just me saying I don’t know much.

It’s 1949. Kids don’t read superhero comics anymore. They want horror comics now. Marvel tries to split the middle with Captain America. The title changes its name from Captain America Comics to Captain America’s Weird Tales. It opens with a horror-tinged Captain America story, and then continues as a pure horror anthology: “The Frozen Ghost!”; “The Thing in the Swamps!”; “The Tomb of Terror”.

In his last appearance, Red Skull died. He died in almost every appearance, then his next appearance showed how he actually survived. Not this time. This issue opens with the Red Skull dead. And in Hell.

He will drag Captain America down to Hell with him. Sorry, the “Lower Region”. I forgot this comic has been approved for children by a psychiatrist. It’s also referred to as the “Flaming Pits”. But never H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.

PRELUDE: Captain America Comics #61

The Red Skull Strikes Back

Featuring: Captain America
Release: January 16, 1947
Cover: March 1947
10 cents
12 pages

Previous		Next
Captain America Comics #37, Story C	Prelude	Captain America’s Weird Tales #74
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

No credits are given.

This is the first post-WWII appearance of the Red Skull. According to 1960s continuity, Captain America was frozen in a block of ice prior to war’s end, and Bucky was killed. Per 1940s continuity, they both survived the war and went on to fight crime on the homefront. So something already needs reconciling well before we throw Red Skull into the mix.

PRELUDE: Captain America Comics #37, Story C

Frozen Death

Featuring: Captain America
Release: February 11, 1944
Cover: April 1944
10 cents
15 pages

Previous		Next
Young Allies #4	Prelude	Captain America Comics #61
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

The GCD credits the story to Otto Binder, Al Gabriele, and Vince Alascia.

Mostly a miscellaneous story we won’t dwell on. Three things stand out.

First, we note all clues about the identity of the Red Skull. He’s taken to using more German phrases than ever before. “Himmel”, “Donnervetter”. He refers to Captain America and Bucky as “American scum”. So perhaps this is a German villain, and not George Maxon.

Captain America and Bucky unmask him and recognize him as the “real” Red Skull they’ve fought before. This also implicitly acknowledges there may be “fake” Red Skulls out there.

PRELUDE: Young Allies #4

The Most Amazing Story of All Time…

Featuring: Young Allies
Release: June 17, 1942
Cover: Summer 1942
10 cents
Script and editorial: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Al Gabriele
45 pages

Previous		Next
Captain America Comics #16, Story D	Prelude	Captain America Comics #37, Story C
Sgt. Fury #16	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #65

Let’s begin by noting this is not the most amazing story of all time. This is an awful series and nobody should read it. Least of all me.

This story drags on for 45 bloody pages. At least it’s not as bad as the last one we read. And it’s actually a much faster and smoother read than the first issue. Perhaps that’s Stan Lee’s scripting at work.

We noted last time how awful all the characters are, so we’ll just try to skip to the Red Skull stuff this time.

I’m including this story only because the continuity remains pretty tight, and I do want us to be able to untangle Red Skull’s contradictory appearances intelligently.