Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner! Release: March 3, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Story by Smilin’ Stan Lee Pencils by Grinnin’ Gene Colan Inks by Dazzlin’ Dick Ayers Lettering by Snarlin’ Sam Rosen 12 pages
Where were we. Krang and Puppet Master have teamed up to control the Behemoth. Hank Pym and Janet were around at some point. We’ll catch up with them next time in the pages of Avengers.
We’re supposed to believe that because Krang is controlling the Behemoth through the clay puppet, the creature has better reflexes than it would otherwise. That makes little sense to me.
Featuring: Captain America Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Stan Lee, script Jack Kirby, layout Dick Ayers, pencil J. Tartaglione, inks Artie Simek, lettering Irving Forbush, cheerleader 10 pages
But, there was one other! Our lives touched for only a short time– but I’ve never forgotten her! I can still remember our final date– when she whispered to me thru trembling lips… “I’ll wait till you return, Steve! No matter how long– no matter what happens– I’ll wait for you, my darling…!”
We read this issue’s Iron Man story a little while ago, in which Happy had turned into a Freak. We saved this story to make sure it tied into to the issue of Strange Tales that referenced it.
It was a tricky call for reading order, as I don’t like to separate issues, so I’d prefer to have read this story with the Iron Man story, and continuity-wise, the issue of Strange Tales we’re tying into doesn’t fit in where we left off with the Iron Man story. But I just couldn’t find a good way to juggle all the things I’m juggling to assemble a reading order.
This is a good comic with lots going on to talk about. I had to make a checklist for myself to ensure I covered the 10 most important points.
Though we’d taken a pause in reading Cap’s story, there is no break between the beginning of this story and the end of the last. As we open, Cap is hurtling toward the sea after the defeat of the Sleepers.
Except last seen, he had a working parachute. Sometime between the issues, his parachute seems to have failed, so we get a dramatic opening.
We cut to some shadowy figures observing a test of Inferno 42. Nick Fury was aware of this item and had sent an agent to retrieve it. We learned this in Strange Tales #142. Also in that story, Fixer referred to a mysterious organization that was his benefactor, known as Them. Is that who these shadowy figures are?
Back to Cap, we get a great moment. The sailors are in awe of him. One had idolized him as a child.
I have a notion in my head of who these characters are, formed from reading decades of comics beyond these. Cap inspiring awe in those around him is part of my basic image of Cap. But it’s not necessarily something we’ve seen a lot of in these early comics. We did see examples in Cap’s return in Avengers #4. But it’s not yet that common, so every such example is notable, as together they will form the basis for that aspect of Cap’s character.
Featuring: X-Men Release: February 3, 1966 Cover: April 1966 12 cents Story: Stan Lee Pencils: Jay Gavin Inking: Dick Ayers Lettering: Artie Simek (All that, and Forbush too!) 20 pages
The danger is clear– the task is yours– the moment is now!
This Irving Forbush fellow was mentioned in the last Daredevil post as well. What’s that about?
X-Men #10-18 took place over a very short span of time, with one adventure right after the other, likely knocking out of alignment with the other titles. There is now a big gap before this adventure, which hopefully brings us closer to alignment. The X-Men are healed from the battle against the Sentinels. Cerebro has been rebuilt.
Bobby and Zelda seem to be going steady now, so Zelda is setting Hank up with her friend Vera so they can have a double date. Prior to the blind date, Hank stops at the library and meets a woman… and they do not get along at all.
Guess who his date turns to be?
The already fraught romantic situation heats up when Calvin Rankin shows up. He’s basically a stalker who has been pressuring Vera to go out with him and refusing to take no for an answer. Well, he’s angry to find her out with another man and conflict ensues.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: February 10, 1966 Cover: April 1966 12 cents Explosive editing by: Stan Lee Seething script by: Roy Thomas Pulsating pencils by: Dick Ayers Invigorating inking by: John Tartaglione Lacksadaisal lettering by Sam Rosen 20 pages
Armageddon… that the day when good and evil are supposed ta lock horns for the last time… with the good guys comin’ out on top! ‘Course, I know we went through that ‘war to end war’ jazz before! Still, a guy can’t help hopin’–! Yeah, every once in a while, I get ta thinkin’… mebbe this one will be the last war! Mebbe—
We met Roy Thomas in his first Marvel story featuring Millie the Model. He’s since done other work for Millie and for Kid Colt Outlaw. He has a couple other credits out there because he’d submitted some story ideas to other companies before landing the Marvel gig, and they’re now seeing print. We saw him a second time on a confusingly credited issue of Iron Man that seemed like they’d recruited everybody around.
This will be his first ongoing series. He’ll script the next 12 issues of Sgt. Fury. And the first time any of these Marvel titles have seen Stan Lee take a break of longer than a couple issues. Stan Lee has penned his last Sgt. Fury script. Without much fanfare.
Of course, Stan Lee still gets his name first in the credits. He is indeed the editor for this and all the titles.
It’s worth noting that right away Thomas will start referencing the continuity of earlier issues.
Thomas picks up where Lee left off with a tense face-off between Fury and his archnemesis, Baron Strucker. Strucker has a switch which will blow up the entire city; Fury a trigger to blow the building they are both in.
Except Fury is bluffing. His explosives aren’t wired yet.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: January 11, 1966 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Story by: Stan Lee Art by: Dick Ayers Inking by: John Tartaglione Lettering by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
Without weapons, without organization, even without hope, the spirit of free Frenchmen cannot be snuffed out!
We come to Stan Lee’s final issue as writer on this title. It ends with a cliffhanger, though a rather exciting one.
We see some conflict between Hitler and Strucker. Baron Strucker is an aristocrat who hates Hitler, who thinks him a madman. But Strucker follows orders to crush the resistance in Cherbeaux, even if he must kill the entire town to do so.
Featuring: X-Men Release: January 4, 1966 Cover: March 1966 12 cents A fair story by: Stan Lee Adequate art by: Jay Gavin Tolerable inking by: Dick Ayers The world’s greatest lettering by: Artie Simek (Marvel’s birthday boy of the month) 20 pages
The final X-Man– the youngest– and weakest of them all! He dares to challenge me!!!
The joke in the credits is a reversal. Usually, Artie is the punchline. Here, everyone else is.
Art Simek was born January 1916. He turned 50 the month this comic was released. He would unfortunately pass away too young at age 59.
The birthday note gives us a bit of insight into production. Stan knew when this comic would be released to give the birthday wish. The comic is cover-dated March 1966, and was likely prepared a few months prior to January 1966, but Stan knew it would go on sale in January.
As Lee brings in more and more new (to Marvel not the industry) artists, we see a similar pattern. At first he doesn’t trust their storytelling abilities, though he trusts their draftsmanship. So Kirby does layouts for the comic, and the artist fills in the art. That has happened with Werner Roth for the last several issues. Kirby laid out the story. Roth filled in the art. Now Stan is ready to give Roth a proper go, laying out the story himself. Stan is still the credited writer, so it’s at least plausible he’s giving Roth guidance on what the story is about.
Roth had the setup. Magneto had defeated the X-Men and put them unconscious in a balloon headed to space, where they would suffocate and die. Why not just kill them? This inefficient deathtrap is a villain cliché, but not all that common a one in these stories. It was common in the cliffhangers for serial films of the 1940s, including the superhero films. And it will be very common for the cliffhanger endings of a TV series which debuts this month.
Featuring: X-Men Release: December 12, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Story: Stan Lee Layouts: J. Kirby Pencils: Jay Gavin Inks: Dick Ayers Lettering: A. Simek 20 pages
Somehow, when I’m high in the sky this way, I feel there is no danger I cannot face– no problem I cannot solve– no enemy I cannot defeat!! Everything seems clean– and pure– and right! The way it ought to be! The way it must be one day, if man is ever to fulfill his promise– his glorious destiny!
I quite like the red glow of the cover. The cover warns me not to spoil the ending, but, well, I’m gonna do that anyway. Be warned.
Thoughts on the reading order. When books are published is a key factor, as is the order in which characters appear, as are story-arcs. What I’m not considering closely is the calendar date within the stories, as I don’t often know. We paused our X-Men reading because the Sentinels story ended and the next one was about to begin. This gave us a chance to catch up on other titles.
But this story begins the same day as the Sentinels story ended. Similarly, the X-Men had fought the Stranger and Juggernaut on the same day, with a short gap of time while the X-Men were injured between these momentous days.
In particular, it must now be within a couple days of Reed and Sue’s wedding, while most of our stories have jumped forward a bit more from that day.
While it’s been more than a year since the Stranger story was published, it’s only been a few weeks for the X-Men.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Art: Dick Ayers Delineation: John Tartaglione Lettering: S. Rosen 20 pages
The guys who give me orders have what it takes! They’re my kinda Joes! I’m proud to salute ’em… to fight with ’em… an’ to die with ’em if I haveta!
This issue promises the origins of Fury’s eypatch. The idea is that he has an eyepatch in his modern 1960s adventures as Colonel Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, but not in these 1940s adventures as Sgt. Fury of the Howling Commandos. We have seen him fighting in Korea in the 1950s, and he didn’t have an eyepatch then. And we have seen him team up with the Fantastic Four in the 1960s, before the founding of SHIELD. And he didn’t have an eyepatch then either. So presumably this issue will tell us he got it some time in the 1960s. It would seem silly to tell us it happened in the 1940s, so I imagine that’s not what they’re about to do.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: November 11, 1965 Cover: January 1966 12 cents Written with block-buster force by Stan Lee! Drawn with machine-gun power by Dick Ayers! Inked with dive-bomber impact by Carl Hubbell! Lettered with bloodshot eyes by Artie Simek! 20 pages
We last saw Dum Dum two issues back. He was wounded in America and sent to the hospital. The Howlers couldn’t wait for him because they were urgently recalled to base to battle (maybe) the Red Skull. Dum Dum was in for a worse fate, because his wife and mother-in-law were going to visit him in the hospital.
This will be Dum Dum’s chance to shine in a largely solo feature.
We see the rest of the team in the beginning for a mission brief that fills us in on what Dum Dum has been up to since his recovery.
Featuring: Avengers Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Don Heck Inker: Dick Ayers Letterer: Sam Rosen 20 pages
The blind fools! They do not realize that Doom cares nothing for them! He merely plays a role for purposes of his own! Truly, he is evil incarnate! If only the simple peasants could see it!
The Avengers fight Dr. Doom!
For maybe the first time, unless you count Avengers #1½–published in 1999 but set before Avengers #2–as canon: the untold first meeting of the Avengers and Dr. Doom.
Either way, it’s the first time any of these Avengers have met Dr. Doom.
Dr. Doom decides to trap the Avengers. Basically just because. His motivation shifts slightly over the course of the issue. At first, it’s because humiliating the Avengers will inspire fear in the Fantastic Four. Then it’s to take them prisoner and use them as bait for the Fantastic Four.
