dick ayers – Page 6 – Coke & Comics

Strange Tales #128

Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch

Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Monumental story by: Stan Lee
Magnificent pencilling by: Dick Ayers
Masterful inking by: Frank Ray
Melancholy lettering by: Artie Simek
12 pages

Previous	#285	Next
Fantastic Four #34	Reading order	Strange Tales #128, Story B
Strange Tales #127, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #128, Story B

I appreciate that Simek has come up with logos for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Some wooshes over Quicksilver’s name. Some frayed edges for the Scarlet Witch.

Frank Giacoia

We see a new name in the credits. Frank Ray is the inker. Frank Ray is a pen name for Frank Giacoia. He wil become a frequent Marvel inker, initially under the name Frank Ray or Frankie Ray.

Sgt. Fury #13

Fighting Side-By-Side With… Captain America and Bucky!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written and drawn by the Titanic Two: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inked by: Dick Ayers
Lettered by: A. Simek
23 pages

Previous	#283	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #20	Reading order	Fantastic Four #34
Sgt. Fury #12	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #14

Jack Kirby returns for one final issue of Sgt. Fury, likely motivated by the choice of guest star. Under Kirby, this was one of Marvel’s best titles. It’s perhaps lost a step under Ayers, though remains one of the better series we are reading.

So far, one could almost question why we are reading this World War II series along with all the superhero ones. It is certainly the odd duck in my reading list. We have had two points of crossover so far. The Commandos teamed with a young Mr. Fantastic when he was Major Richards of the OSS, and we saw an older Colonel Fury team up with the Fantastic Four. This is the third point of crossover between Nick Fury and the superhero titles. There will be more.

Avengers #10

The Avengers Break Up!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Story superbly written by: Stan Lee
Art adorably drawn by: Don Heck
Inked by darlin’ Dick Ayers
Lettered by stalwart Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#275	Next
Tales of Suspense #60, Story B	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #110
Avengers #9	Avengers	Avengers #11

The issue’s title is “The Avengers Break Up”. Yet, at no point in the issue do the Avengers appear to break up. Instead, characters go to great lengths repeatedly to explain the title via the dialogue. “Now that Thor’s over there and Iron Man’s across the room, it’s basically like they’ve broken up.”

The Heck/Ayers art looks much as it did last issue, which I see as a negative. I’ll give them credit for a couple nice panels. A trippy one of Immortus and an easy-on-the-eyes Enchantress.

We get a weirdly sexist moment in an era filled with weirdly sexist moments. I don’t know if I’m ready to claim it’s the worst, but it’s up there. Iron Man recommends giving Rick Jones a uniform and making him an official Avenger. “…why don’t we make his membership in the Avengers official, as the Wasp’s is…”

Sgt. Fury #12

When a Howler Turns Traitor!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Possibly the most dramatic battle thriller ever written by: Sgt. Stan Lee
Perhaps the finest example yet of the artistic skill of: Cpl. Dick Ayers
A new inking triumph by: Geo. Bell
Another lettering victory by: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#271	Next
X-Men #8	Reading order	Fantastic Four #33
Sgt. Fury #11	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #13

The Howlers are in an English pub. Axis Sally is on the radio. She is broadcasting Nazi propaganda from Berlin, calling on all Americans of German or Italian descent to turn against America and side with their own people. Of course, Dino Manelli is the Italian-American member of the Commandos, and has already had to deal with prejudice within the ranks.

Dino reminds us it’s possible to love his heritage and still want to fight against tyranny.

Tales to Astonish #62

Giant-Man Versus the Wonderful Wasp!

Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: September 1, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written–as if you couldn’t guess by now–by smilin’ Stan Lee!
Drawn–and here’s a little twist for you–by capricious Carlos Burgos!
Inked–as if he knew what he was doing–by devestatin’ Dickie Ayers
Lettered–as though each syllable is a gem–by amenable Artie Simek
12 pages

Previous	#267	Next
Tales to Astonish #61, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #62, Story B
Tales to Astonish #61, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #62, Story B

The cover is vertically split between the two stories. This will be a common format for these shared titles. Hulk’s story comes first on the cover, but the issue opens with the Giant-Man and the Wasp tale.

Don’t think we’ve ever seen Dick Ayers referred to as Dickie before. Carlos Burgos is normally Carl Burgos, who we recall is the creator of the original Human Torch. He’s already shown up once in the Marvel Age to draw a story with the new Human Torch. Art sometimes does go by Artie.

Giant-Man has found a way to make plants grow, as well as humans. It’s a little confusing, as he was able to shrink a chair before he shrank himself. His original goal for the technology was to revolutionize shipping. Originally, it was a liquid he pored on something (an object or his skin) to make it shrink. Then he got it into pill form. Lately, he’s been able to use his cybernetic helmet to make both himself and the Wasp change size with his thoughts. His plant growth serum comes in the form of a spray. He thinks he can use it to help with agriculture and solve world hunger.

Strange Tales #127

The Mystery Villain!

Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written by the Overlord of Originality… Stan Lee
Illustrated by the Archduke of Action… Dick Ayers
Inked by the High Priest of Highlights… Paul Reinman
Lettered by the Lama of Lexicography… Art Simek
12 pages

Previous	#262	Next
Strange Tales #126, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #127, Story B
Strange Tales #126, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #127, Story B

Recall from Strange Tales #126 that Dr. Strange was about to battle the Dread Dormammu. And Human Torch and Thing had just defeated Puppet Master for the 7th time or so. Let’s follow up on Human Torch and Thing first. After all, they get most of the cover space, while one of Marvel’s single greatest stories ever is fit into a tiny little box on the cover.

This story is titled, “The Mystery Villain!” Mystery villains always give me a crisis of conscience. The format I use for these posts necessarily spoils such things. And I wouldn’t want to take away the joy of reading this “excellent” Human Torch adventure fresh.

Maybe this time, if I’m careful, I can avoid explicitly revealing the identity of the mystery villain. Mind you, I can’t actually avoid revealing the identity of the mystery villain (given that I want to stick to my standard format), but I can leave it a little bit subtle, make you have to think if you want the spoiler.

Strange Tales #126

Pawns of the Deadly Duo!

Featuring: Human Torch and Thing
Release: August 11, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Stan Lee is our inspired writer
Dick Ayers is our admired penciller
Paul Reinman is our desired inker
S. Rosen is our tired letterer
13 pages

Previous	#260	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #18	Reading order	Strange Tales #126, Story B
Strange Tales #125, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #126, Story B

Mad Thinker and Puppet Master team up to destroy the Fantastic Four; the plan is to use puppets to manipulate Thing and Human Torch into fighting.

I swear we’ve already read this story. Maybe I’m thinking of Strange Tales #116 where Puppet Master used puppets to manipulate Thing and Human Torch into fighting. Or Fantastic Four #28 where the Mad Thinker and Puppet Master teamed up to destroy the Fantastic Four.

Stan refers to the alliance of the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker as the “Deadly Duo”. That’s what Stan called the alliance of Dr. Doom and Namor in Fantastic Four #6. I guess there are so many alliterative appellations for abhorrent alliances.

Sgt. Fury #11

The Crackdown of Capt. Flint!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes
Release: August 11, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Two-fisted tale by: Ex-Sarge Stan Lee, U.S. Army
Power-packed pencilling by: Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers, U.S. Air Force
Inking by: Geo. Bell
Lettering by: Art Simek
21 pages

Previous	#257	Next
Avengers #9	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #17
Sgt. Fury #10	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #12

This is a familiar story. Captain Sawyer is temporarily replaced by the uptight rules-obsessed Captain Flint.

He does things like insist on uniform regulations that end up giving their position away on a mission that required subterfuge.

By the end of the story, the Howlers have taught him to loosen up a bit. I don’t much care for rule sticklers myself, hate when I have to work with them. My experience is that they don’t come around quite so easily in real life.

Avengers #9

The coming of the… Wonder Man!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: August 11, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Sensationally written by: Stan Lee
Superbly illustrated by: Don Heck
Selectively inked by: Dick Ayers
Sufficienty lettered by: Art Simek
21 pages

Previous	#256	Next
Tales of Suspense #59, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #11
Avengers #8	Avengers	Avengers #10

To ring in the new year, we get the debut of a promising new character with a solid design aesthetic: Wonder Man.

I have questioned characters whose logos are just letters, but at least the “W” here is nicely stylized.

That title is probably the last time he is ever referred to as “the Wonder Man”.

Tales of Suspense #58

In Mortal Combat with Captain America!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: July 9, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Every word you are about to read was written by ol’ faithful Stan Lee, one of the world’s most prolific script writers!
Every drawing you are about to marvel at, was created by Don Heck, one of America’s most promising illustrators!
Every bit of inking you are about to savor was done by Dick Ayers, one of the industry’s most painstaking artists!
Every sentence you are about to scan was hand-printed by Sam Rosen, one of Marvel’s most perspicuous letterers!
18 pages

The story begins with Iron Man battling a shark. That’s cool.

This story will guest star Captain America. Remember in Strange Tales #123 when Thing was a guest star, and then he was sharing title billing by issue 124? Or how Hulk was a guest star in Tales to Astonish #59, and then had his own regular feature in Tales to Astonish #60? I don’t know why I’m bringing those up.

Kraven and Chameleon return to America after their most recent deportations. Iron Man catches Kraven sneaking ashore, but Chameleon gets away.

I really appreciate the battle between Iron Man and Kraven. So often in superhero comics, they exaggerate the threat the villain poses against the hero. This has been a particularly pernicious problem with heroes as powerful as Thor and Iron Man, who tend to outclass their villains. It is thus rather refreshing to see the battle between Iron Man and Kraven resolved within 3 panels, as it should be.