Avengers #24

From the Ashes of Defeat!

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

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Avengers #23Reading orderSgt. Fury #25
Avengers #23AvengersAvengers #25

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.

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Sgt. Fury #24

When the Howlers Hit the Home Front!

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

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INTERLUDEModeling with Millie #44
Sgt. Fury #23Reading orderAvengers #23
Sgt. Fury #23Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #25

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.

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Sgt. Fury #23

The Man Who Failed!

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

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Amazing Spider-Man #30Reading orderSgt. Fury #24
Sgt. Fury #22Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #24

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.

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Sgt. Fury #22

Don’t Turn Your Back on Bull McGiveney!

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

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Marvels #2PRELUDE
Tales of Suspense #72Reading orderAmazing Spider-Man #29
Sgt. Fury #21Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #23

“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.

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Avengers #19

The Coming of… The Swordsman!

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

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Tales of Suspense #71, Story BReading orderAvengers #20
Avengers #18AvengersAvengers #20

There must be no surrender!

“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.

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Tales of Suspense #69, Story B

Midnight in Greymoor Castle!

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

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Tales of Suspense #69Reading orderTales of Suspense #70
Tales of Suspense #69Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #70

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.

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X-Men #16

The Supreme Sacrifice!

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

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X-Men #15Reading orderTales of Suspense #69
X-Men #15X-MenX-Men #17

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.

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X-Men #15

Prisoners of the Mysterious Master Mold!

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

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X-Men #14Reading orderX-Men #16
X-Men #14X-MenX-Men #16

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.

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Sgt. Fury Annual 1

Commission in Korea!

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

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Tales to Astonish #76Reading orderJourney Into Mystery #120
Sgt. Fury AnnualSgt. Fury Annual 2

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.

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Sgt. Fury #21

To Free a Hostage!

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

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Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2Reading orderStrange Tales #136
Sgt. Fury #20Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #22

I’m sorry kid. I know what it’s like– to lose someone!

The Howlers seem to have been betrayed by their Czechoslovakian bomb maker, Dr. Zenish.

They deduce that it’s because his family is being used as hostages against him.

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