Featuring: Avengers Release: November 11, 1965 Cover: January 1966 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Don Heck Inker: Dick Ayers Letterer: Artie Simek 20 pages
Let us each meet our fate with valor– and heaven bless you all!
When we left off, Ravonna had rejected Kang’s offer of marriage, so he’s now sending his armies to invade her kingdom.
This treatment of Kang makes more sense to me than his previous appearances, and it better conveys his title of “…the Conqueror”. That he commands a legion of troops ready to invade kingdoms. His last attempt to conquer the 20th century involved sending a robot Spider-Man against the Avengers. Invading with an army just makes more sense to me.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Relase: September 9, 1965 Cover: November 1965 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee, Army Vet! Pencilled by Dick Ayers, Air Force Vet! Inked by Frank Ray, Air Force Vet! Lettered by S. Rosen, Teacher’s Pet! 20 pages
Stan and Dick want to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks and well done to the countless wonderful guys and gals who did so much under the banner of the U.S.O., to keep up the morale of lonely Allied fighting men, both near and far from home! We’ll never forget ’em!
Happy Sam orders the Howlers on a furlough back to the States, including Percy and Hans.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: August 10, 1965 Cover: 12 cents Stirring story by: Stan Lee Powerful pencilling by: Dick Ayers Bold brushwork by: Frank Ray Lilting lettering by: Artie Simek 20 pages
Years from now, when our grandchildren tell stories of those who came before them, I rawther suspect that the exploits of Percy Pinkerton will be those that endure the longest!
I always have a general concern about Marvel’s depiction of Asian people during this era, which comes into play when the Commandos encounter the Japanese army on the Burma Road. I’m more on the fence about it than usual here.
The Commandos use racial slurs to refer to the Japanese, and the Japanese officers are depicted attempting to commit horrible atrocities. However, the language likely accurately (if tamely) reflects language soldiers of the time used. And the Japanese military really is responsible for countless atrocities during World War II, many far more horrific than the accusations here. There are certainly ethnic stereotypes in place, but it’s very similar to how the German soldiers are depicted.
The Commandos are sent to rescue Sister Theresa and a group of children who had been living at her mission. The Japanese had burned the mission and are seeking to kill the nun and children.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: July 8, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Story: The greatest, by Stan Lee Art: The first-ratest, by Dick Ayers Inking: The ornatest, by Carl Hubbell Lettering: The straightest, by Art Simek 20 pages
“Figure it wuz worth it, Sarge?” “That’s for the history books, soldier!”
This story sets the Howlers on a mission that ties into a famous mission from World War II, Operation: Tidal Wave. This shows us where we are in time. It’s now August 1, 1943. The real-life operation was an ambitious bombing of Nazi oil refineries near PloieČ™ti, Romania, which this comic will spell “Ploesti”.
Sergeants Fury and McGiveney will both be assigned to take their squads to provide preliminary support by destroying Nazi flak guns. McGiveney’s Maulers will be assigned to sabotage the main emplacements, while Fury and his Howlers will be assigned to destroy a train used to deploy mobile flak guns.
Of course, these two squads don’t get along and we’ve never before seen them try to work together. In fact, the story opens with them in a typical brawl, which gets interrupted by Captain Sawyer.
A Sergeant Lee and Corporal Ayers witness the Howlers going off to their mission. Lee decides he’s going to write stories about the Howlers one day and that Ayers can draw them. Indeed, we’ve met this Lee fellow a couple times before. We know he would go on to write the Fantastic Four comics, but would not get an invite to the FF wedding.
Sure enough, the rival squads step on each others’ toes a bit come the mission. The squads run into each other in the dark and mistake each other for the enemy. The confusion created leads to the capture of Fury and McGiveney.
Featuring: Avengers Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Artist: Don Heck Inker: Dick Ayers Letterer: Artie Simek 20 pages
“Marvel Pop Art Productions”? This phrase started appearing on covers these last couple months. The letters page explains that fans object to these magazines being called comics, perhaps as that implies they are humorous and juvenile. So Stan is going to start calling them “pop art books”. I started reading these things about 25 years later and heard they were called comics, so I’m not sure this rebranding will stick.
Swordsman tries to join the Avengers but is rebuffed after a fight.
Featuring: Captain America Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Script by: Friendly Stan Lee Layouts by: Frolicksome Jack Kirby Rendering by: Frivolous Dick Ayers Lettering by: Fearless Artie Simek 10 pages
Cedric, even if you care nothing for yourself or me– think of your country! You’re betraying us all!
Kirby does the layouts. He’s been doing a lot of that this month as he is over-stretched. Ayers is credited with the rendering. The difference from the previous issues with proper Kirby art really shows.
The plot here is that a scientist has a radiation experiment the Nazis can use to kill Captain America and Bucky. But it will only work if they are first helpless captives. At which point a gun would probably suffice.
Featuring: X-Men Release: November 4, 1965 Cover: January 1966 12 cents Story: Stan Lee Layouts: Jack Kirby Pencilling: Jay Gavin Delineation: Dick Ayers Lettering: Art Simek 20 pages
In my ignorance, my fear, I created an evil far greater than the menace it was built to destroy!
They are still tweaking the tagline. “The most mysterious fighting team of all time!” Usually, they are “unusual” instead of “mysterious”.
This issue is about the redemption of Bolivar Trask. But we see in the pull quote above, that he still doesn’t quite get it. He figures out that the Sentinels are worse than mutants, but the lesson should be that he was wrong to hate and fear all mutants.
Featuring: X-Men Release: October 5, 1965 Cover: December 1965 12 cents Writer: Smilin’ Stan Lee Designer: Jolly Jack Kirby Penciller: Jovial Jay Gavin Inker: Darlin’ Dick Ayers Letterer: Adorable Artie Simek 20 pages
We can only guard the human race by becoming its master! Humans are too weak, too foolish to govern themselves! Henceforth, we shall rule!!
We pick up with Trask a prisoner of the Sentinels he created to hunt mutants, with the X-Men laying futile siege to the Sentinels’ underground layer.
For a long while, the tagline had been “The most unusual teen-agers of all time!”. They’ve changed it, deemphasizing the youthful nature of the team, now referring to them as “the most unusual fighting team of all time!” This recalls the original tagline, “the strangest super-heroes of all time!” The regular tagline about teen-agers first appeared in issue 3.
The Beast is confused about Xavier’s capabilities, unsure where his confidence comes from.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: July 1, 1965 Cover: 1965 25 cents Story: Smilin’ Stan Lee Art: Darlin’ Dick Ayers Inking: Frisky Frankie Ray Lettering: Artful Artie Simek 15 pages
They have been shown, in the only way they understand, that free men can always strike back!
We check in with Sgt. Fury during the Korean War. The Commandos are sent on a secret mission across the 38th Parallel. Based on a cursory knowledge of the war, the massive American presence combined with a reticence to cross the 38th Parallel would place this story in July-August 1950.
The remaining Commandos all survived WWII and re-enlisted when the Korean War broke out. All of them have attained at least the rank of Sergeant, but they still seem to be in the same formation with the same personnel from 1943.
The narrator reminds us that the US are the good guys, who play by the agreed-upon rules of war. Unlike those Reds.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: June 8, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Story by: Smilin’ Stan Lee Pencilling by: Darlin’ Dick Ayers Inking by: Cheerful Carl Hubbell Lettering by: Adorable Artie Simek 20 pages