cold war – Page 2 – Coke & Comics

Tales of Suspense #61, Story B

The Strength of the Sumo!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Stan Lee writer par excellence!
Jack Kirby illustrator without peer!
Chic Stone delineator extaordinaire!
Artie Simek letterer– what else?
10 pages

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Tales of Suspense #61	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #62
Tales of Suspense #61	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #62

Captain America goes to Vietnam and fights a sumo wrestler. I usually associate sumo wrestling with Japan, and suspect that Stan and Jack just haven’t thought too hard about the differences between Vietnam and Japan. However, culture does spread in our modern world, and I can’t confirm Vietnam didn’t have any sumo wrestlers in the 1960s, so I’m going to give them a pass.

Captain America is fighting the Commies. This brings to mind his very brief 1954 return as “Captain America… Commie Smasher!” Of course, those stories are hard to reconcile with the modern Marvel Age continuity in which Captain America was frozen in ice from 1945 to 1963. How could he then have been fighting Commies in 1954?

Tales of Suspense #61

The Death of Tony Stark!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Story by: Stan Lee because we wanted the best!
Art by: Don Heck because we wanted the finest!
Inking by: Dick Ayers because we wanted the tops!
Lettering by: S. Rosen because we wanted to keep him busy!
12 pages

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Strange Tales #128, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #61, Story B
Tales of Suspense #60, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #61, Story B

The cover boasts that Tony Stark will die at the hands of the Mandarin. Covers often exaggerate or outright fabricate such things. This caption is closer to true than usual, though.

We are informed the Mandarin returns by overwhelming popular demand. I was not given a vote. He remains my least favorite Marvel villain.

We meet Inspector Flint, investigating the disappearance of Tony Stark. I spent some mental cycles trying to decide if he was the unnamed inspector we met last issue. He resembles that inspector, and it makes sense he would still be on the case. However, since he introduces himself to Happy and Pepper, that implies they’ve never met. So I assume he is a different inspector.

A journalist overhears Flint talking to Happy and Pepper, so the papers reveal that Iron Man is top suspect in Stark disappearance. Clearly, Iron Man is the only suspect. Either Stark is on vacation like Iron Man claimed, or Iron Man is lying. So if there is a criminal case, Iron Man is at the center of it. Or, Iron Man is telling the truth, and there is no criminal case.

Tales to Astonish #60

The Beasts of Berlin!

Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: July 2, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Excitingly written by: Stan Lee
Exquisitely drawn by: Dick Ayers
Extravagantly inked by: Paul Reinman
Emotionally lettered by: Art Simek
14 pages

The cover hints at a significant change to the title, but we’ll save discussion of that for the next post.

We begin with Giant-Man throwing a temper tantrum and kicking out his fan club. Wasp complains he’s scaring way their fans. She uses the phrase, “our fans”, but all the signs say “Giant-Man”, never “Wasp”.

This series is weird about secret identities in multiple ways. They sometimes act like they have secret identities that are important to protect. Other times, they seem pretty nonchalant about it. For example, Wasp calls him “Hank” in front of the fan club.

Tales of Suspense #54

The Mandarin’s Revenge!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: March 10, 1964
Cover: June 1964
12 cents
Written (in his magic Marvel manner) by: Stan lee
Drawn (in his famous flashing fashion) by: Don Heck
Lettered (in his smooth subtle style) by: Art Simek
13 pages

We reach a personal milestone for me in this reading. Up to this point, every story I’ve read, I’ve used some form of reprint, often a collection from one of their reprint lines like Marvel Masterworks, sometimes a later comic that happens to reprint the old story.

This comic I own. Cover barely hanging on, brown at the edges, but this is mine. That cover? That’s a scan of my copy. Most of the other covers have been taken from the GCD.

So that’s pretty exciting.

Now for the bad news. The Mandarin returns. Iron Man’s lamest villain yet (despite some stiff competition) is back for round 2.

Iron Man gets a new helmet. The face mask no longer protrudes out, making his head a smoother shape, and there are visible bolts along the mask. I get the bolts along where the facemask meets the helmet, but not sure what the ones down the middle are doing. They won’t be around long. In fact, they’ll disappear mid-story suddenly without any plausible explanation.

It’s a pretty weird look, frankly. It will be better when that middle line of bolts goes away.

Tales of Suspense #53, Story C

The Way It Began…

Featuring: Watcher
Release: February 11, 1964
Cover: May 1964
12 cents
Story plot by: Stan Lee
Script + art by: Larry Lieber
Inking by: Paul Reinman
Lettering by: Art Simek
5 pages

I learned this series existed relatively late in my Marvel reading. I’d gotten it into my head that I wanted every Marvel comic some 20 years ago and got to work. But it took time to even develop a good catalogue of what that meant. I had read the old Iron Man and Silver stories in the Essential volumes Marvel put out, but didn’t realize at the time about the Watcher backups not reprinted in those volumes.

As the internet took shape, and comic experts put forth their knowledge, I could borrow from that work to get a sense of the complete list. I meticulously studied the UHBMCC and MCP to find every Marvel Universe comic there was, including the oddities, like this short-lived series of Watcher tales.

My enthusiasm went through a bit of a roller coaster ride. I’d always loved the Watcher from his appearances in What If…? and was excited to learn he had solo adventures. Enthusiasm high. Then I learned the solo adventures were just a light wrapper around other stories he would narrate. Enthusiasm waned. Then I learned some of these stories were reprints of older stories with the Watcher parts added in. Further waning. But then I learned there were a few stories (like this one) which did feature the Watcher in his own adventures. Enthusiasm rising. And then I learned that we would learn the origin of the Watchers. Enthusiasm at its height.

What tragedy at the dawn of time caused this ancient race of immortals to take such a dark vow, to spend eternity observing the events of the cosmos without interference? I was excited to find out.

Then I read it. Enthusiasm has reached equilibrium. It doesn’t help to read so many of these Watcher stories and similar sci/fi tales in close proximity. A very large number of them have the moral that we should end the threat of nuclear war. While I agree, and appreciate that it was on people’s minds a lot back then, it really is overdone in these pages. And then to learn that’s the origin of the Watchers…

We begin with the Watcher making the choice he always makes, to watch a dying patient die and choose not to help, even though he could save the man’s life. He proceeds to explain why.

The Watcher refers to us as “lesser beings”. No offense taken.

His people once shared nuclear secrets with another race, who did with the knowledge what humanity has done and set on a path toward self-destruction.

Tales of Suspense #53

The Black Widow Strikes Again!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: February 11, 1964
Cover: May 1964
12 cents
Story plot by: Stan Lee
Script by: N. Korok
Art by: Don Heck
13 pages

Iron Man takes a big step forward. Since his debut, he’s been the lead feature of Tales to Suspense, featured on the cover with his name somewhere prominently, and his visage in the little box up top. This issue, he gets a logo. Large font in a standard position atop the page reads, “The Power of Iron Man”. The comic is still “Tales of Suspense”, as noted at the top; yet, the comic’s title is the subordinate font. In big bold letters, we see clearly this is Iron Man’s comic. Marvel will do the same with Thor next month. For whatever reason, they seem less inclined to advertise Human Torch or Giant-Man so boldly.

While less impressive, it should be noted that The Watcher gets acknowledged on the cover in a text box. No other covers have or will mention his backup features. That coincides with a change in the Watcher tales. He will no longer be narrating other tales but starring in his own adventures.

Black Widow returns, now with black hair (though this time it looks red on the cover). Last issue, her only role was distraction by seduction. Here, she steals a powerful new Stark weapon, but we still don’t see her demonstrating many talents of her own.

Her plan largely hinges on Stark’s stupidity (which worked well for her last time). He shows her his new top secret super weapon, perhaps because he is smitten with her. She then steals the weapon. We learn Stark was not smitten, but pretending to trust her to learn her plans. There was no need for that. The events of last issue provide plenty of evidence she was a Soviet spy and an accomplice in the murder of Professor Vanko. There was no reason to learn her new plan. Just have her arrested.

PRELUDE: Captain America #78

His Touch is Death!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: May 19, 1954
Cover: September 1954
10 cents
By: John Romita
6 pages

Well, that didn’t last long. After getting his old series back with issue 76, it’s cancelled with issue 78. Something about “Captain America… Commie Smasher!” didn’t resonate with audiences the way anti-Nazi propaganda had a decade earlier.

Captain America fights Electro. Not to be confused with the Spider-Man villain who will be introduced a decade later. Or the robotic superhero introduced 15 years earlier. (Of course, the only reason we are reading this story is to cover our bases and meet all the Electros.)

The opening splash has a lot of detail. The sign in the background was at first confusing, but makes sense within the story. That appears to be a fireman checking out the battle.

PRELUDE: Captain America #76

The Betrayers

Featuring: Captain America
Release: January 18, 1954
Cover: May 1954
10 cents
6 pages

Credits aren’t evident. My copy of the Marvel Masterworks claims John Romita is the artist, but I don’t think that’s correct. The GCD offers a different interpretation, citing the same Marvel Masterworks volume I am looking at. Perhaps they have a newer edition. I am anyways assured the GCD credits are correct by no less an expert than Michael Vassallo, and that this story is the work of Bill Benulis and Jack Abel, not John Romita. It is possible Romita touched up some of the faces.

It’s 1954. The publisher once known as Timely is now known as Atlas. It will eventually be best known as Marvel.

We last checked in with Captain America in 1948, when an injured Bucky was replaced as Cap’s partner by Betsy Ross, the Golden Girl. Let’s briefly review his publishing history in the interim.

Bucky recovered in issue 71 for a couple more adventures. Captain America Comics continued until issue 73, published in 1949. Golden Girl remained his occasional partner until the end.

With issue 74, the series changed its name to Captain America’s Weird Tales. We saw one final battle between Captain America and Red Skull along with a handful of horror short stories. This was the end of Marvel’s time publishing superhero comics. For the next several years, they would focus on romance, humor, horror, crime, and western tales. The final Sub-Mariner story had been published 4 months earlier, with the final Human Torch and Blonde Phantom stories 3 months before that.

Captain America’s Weird Tales #75 (1949) did not feature Captain America at all. His name adorned the comic’s cover, but he was nowhere to be found amongst the horror stories within. With that, the series ended. A somewhat ignoble end to the comic career of America’s favorite superhero.

Jump forward to August 1953. Young Men #24 gave us the return of Captain America, Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner. We already reviewed that issue’s Sub-Mariner story. In that issue, we learned Steve Rogers had retired from being Captain America, but was still teaching at the Lee School, except it now seems to be a college. Bucky was now a college student, though he didn’t look any older. The Red Skull’s return convinces Captain America and Bucky to come out of retirement.

I plan to do a survey of Red Skull’s history separately, so am purposely not covering that story in any more detail now.

We turn now to Captain America #76. The numbering picks up where Captain America’s Weird Tales left off, but Captain America reclaims the book’s interior.

For 3 issues.

Strange Tales #119

The Torch Goes Wild!

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: January 10, 1964
Cover: April 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: S. Rosen
13 pages

No picture this time, but at least the covers are now consistently mentioning that Dr. Strange exists.

The title of this story is, “The Torch Goes Wild!” Not quite sure what that leads me to expect. Maybe Johnny will take his top off, show a little skin.

Our more observant readers might be wondering if we completely forgot about Avengers #4. We did not. For various reasons about story flow and chronology and such, we will be waiting a bit to read it. I promise a future post that explains all these decisions in excruciating detail.

Our story begins with Johnny having a bad day. Perhaps the Rabble Rouser is to blame.

Tales to Astonish #54

No Place to Hide!

Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: January 3, 1964
Cover: April 1964
12 cents
Daringly written by: Stan Lee
Dramatically drawn by: Don Heck
Deftly lettered by: Art Simek
13 pages

The placement of this story is tricky. Where we have it, Hulk and Namor are still on the loose, so this is no time for Wasp to be talking about a vacation. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be. Hank does note they don’t have time for a vacation. I choose to treat this as a veiled reference to the whole Hulk/Namor situation, whether intended or not.

On the subject of chronological concerns, notice Giant-Man is in his older outfit, last seen in issue 51. This indicates to me that he alternates between the outfits. In reality, the outfit seems to correspond to the artist. Ayers drew the issues with the thick suspenders. Kirby and Heck seem to be drawing Giant-Man with the lighter stripes. They will all eventually converge on thicker suspenders.

We see some pretty rough play between Giant-Man and Wasp. It seems to be all in good fun, but may be early warnings of an abusive relationship forming.