Avengers #32

The Sign of the Serpent!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer and raconteur
Don Heck, artist and bon vivant
Artie Simek, letterer and patron des artes
Irv Forbush, scapegoat, junior grade
20 pages

Previous#578Next
Strange Tales #147, Story BReading orderAvengers #33
Avengers #31AvengersAvengers #33

Freedom belongs to all– or else it isn’t worthy of the name!

Goliath appears to be undressing his enemy on the cover.

The Avengers are caught in their own intruder system, but Hawkeye disables it with ease. Doesn’t seem all that effective.

Continue reading “Avengers #32”

Strange Tales #147

The Enemy Within!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: Jack Kirby
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mickey Demeo
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Weapons: Forbush Novelty Co.
12 pages

Previous#576Next
Tales to Astonish #83, Story BReading orderStrange Tales #147, Story B
Strange Tales #146, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #147, Story B

…we of AIM feel we simply cannot deal with such an unlettered oaf! We find his very appearance offensive! The idea of America’s highest-priority counter-espionage leader going around in his shirtsleeves… unshaven, unkempt, and making a mockery of your own language– shocking!

Shadowy organizations. These secret power-hungry cabals. Hydra had been the big one, but they fell to SHIELD in Strange Tales #141. The Secret Empire seemed to collapse from within in Tales to Astonish #83. An unnamed shadowy cabal was behind Batroc in Tales of Suspense #75. Not sure if they are connected to one of these others, or their own thing.

Most relevant is the organization called Them. We learned they had employed the Fixer in Strange Tales #145. In Tales of Suspense #78, Fury warns Captain America that Them is a group of scientists looking to overthrow the government. We see they have beekeeper-like uniforms and work for someone called the Imperator. They send a Chemical Android after Captain America.

AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a defense contractor looking to supply the US government weapons to make up for the shutdown of Stark Industries. Count Bornag Royale is their representative, and has claimed SHIELD needs someone more sophisticated than Nick Fury at its helm.

AIM and Them seem to be the same organization, with AIM the public-facing front. In Tales of Suspense #79, we see Them/AIM is responsible for the return of the Red Skull and the creation of the Cosmic Cube. Fortunately, Captain America dealt with both threats. Seemingly for good.

We open with Fury returning from having led a successful mission against a swamp headquarters for Them.

Continue reading “Strange Tales #147”

Tales of Suspense #80, Story B

He Who Holds the Cosmic Cube

Featuring: Captain America
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Stupifying script: Stan Lee
Electifying illustration: Jack Kirby
Dazzling delineation: Don Heck
Luminiferous lettering: Artie Simek
Frantic fund-raising: Irv Forbush
10 pages

Previous#570Next
Tales of Suspense #80Reading orderTales of Suspense #81, Story B
Tales of Suspense #80Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #81

So long as evil lives– to muster the forces of bigotry, greed, and oppression– the fight goes on! So long as men take liberty for granted– so long as they laugh at brotherhood– sneer at honesty– and turn away from faith– So long will the forces of the Red Skull creep ever closer to the final victory!

Them is an evil organization. AIM is an ordinary defense contractor. But Fury suspects a connection. Captain America remains unaware of this.

Eisenhower did warn us about the military industrial complex.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

Continue reading “Tales of Suspense #80, Story B”

Avengers #31

Never Bug a Giant!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: June 9, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Story: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Art: Dazzlin’ Don Heck
Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
Bugle calls: Honest Irving Forbush
20 pages

Previous#523Next
Avengers #30Reading orderSgt. Fury #30
Avengers #30AvengersAvengers #32

Soon, my limbs shall be swifter than ever before– while your hex power once again shall dazzle and defeat your enemies! All we need is patience, my sister– and an unaltering faith!

The Avengers are off to South America to save Goliath. And presumably will be here when Galactus attacks.

Hawkeye now likes Captain America, but still dislikes orders. As do I, Hawkeye. As do I.

Wasp recalls how they all used to share the command. It’s the first time they’ve really addressed this change. The original team had rotating chairs. The new team had Captain America as permanent leader. Given this, Hawkeye’s annoyance was understandable.

Continue reading “Avengers #31”

Avengers #30

Frenzy in a Far-Off Land!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee: Writer
Don Heck: Artist
Frank Giacoia: Inker
Sam Rosen: Letterer
Irving Forbush: Arbitrator
20 pages

Previous#522Next
Amazing Spider-Man #38Reading orderAvengers #31
Avengers #29AvengersAvengers #31

But, the past is over now! The past is dead! You are the master no longer! I’m free of you… at last!

We just saw Galactus appear in the middle of New York. There to devour the Earth. The Avengers have a mansion in the middle of New York. Why didn’t they help out?

Well, maybe they were away. Where? Surely not just elsewhere in New York fighting Black Widow. Maybe off wherever the Collector’s castle is? Or in the middle of the Atlantic fighting Attuma? Or perhaps they were in the “Far-Off Land”, as the title suggests. It seems likely they were quite far away.

Now, the Avengers won’t make it to the titular Far-Off Land this issue, but next issue.

And Marvels will claim this is where the Avengers were when Galactus attacked. Which is good enough for me.

Continue reading “Avengers #30”

Strange Tales #146

When the Unliving Strike!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: April 12, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Far-fetched script by Stan Lee
Fantastic layouts by Jack Kirby
Fabulous pencilling by Don Heck
Fanciful inking by Mickey Demeo
Freehand lettering by Sam Rosen
12 pages

Previous#519Next
Fantastic Four #51Reading orderStrange Tales #146, Story B
Strange Tales #145, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #146, Story B

We’re dealin’ with an outfit that can turn out artificial men to do any kinda job… just like Marvel can grind out comic books!

The word of late has been Them. Them financed the Fixer. Them sent a chemical android to attack Nick Fury and Captain America. Them consists of several brilliant scientists.

Spinning right out of the Captain America adventure, Nick Fury has traced that android to this swampland.

In a bit of bravado, and a wink at the other titles, Fury notes that SHIELD agents aren’t superheroes. They don’t always win.

Continue reading “Strange Tales #146”

Strange Tales #145

Lo! The Eggs Shall Hatch!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: March 10, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Designer: Jack Kirby
Penciller: Don Heck
Inker: Mickey Demeo
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Badge polisher: Irving Forbush
12 pages

Previous#509Next
Strange Tales #144, Story BReading orderStrange Tales #145, Story B
Strange Tales #144, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #145, Story B

A simple smoke grenade should do the job nicely in this instance… and it won’t cost the taxpayers as much as a noisy, explosive grenade! For we guardians of the public trust must ever have the average citizen’s interests close to our hearts!

Quite the opening page. Somewhat disturbing.

Curious if it inspired images in the modern horror series, Locke & Key.

Where were we? The Druid wants to destroy SHIELD for some reason. He pretends to have mystical powers, but technology underpins everything he does. Oh, and we just met the eager new recruit, Jasper Sitwell.

Continue reading “Strange Tales #145”

Avengers #29

This Power Unleashed!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: April 12, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Savage script by: Stan Lee!
Powerful pencilling by: Don Heck!
Explosive embellishment by: Frank Giacoia!
Lethargic lettering by: Sam Rosen!
20 pages

Previous#496Next
Avengers #28Reading orderThor #127
Avengers #28AvengersAvengers #30

No matter what else… he’ll always be an Avenger! Just as he’ll always be… the man I love!

Frank Giacoia going by his real name for perhaps the first time. He’s usually been under the pen name Frankie Ray or similar.

Dr. Henry Pym. Ant-Man. Giant-Man. Goliath. He who can’t choose a name.

Or a status quo. His latest shtick is that he can only turn exactly 25 feet tall and only for a period of exactly 15 minutes. What happens if he exceeds 15 minutes? We’re about to find out. He did so last issue, then collapsed while shrinking, having gotten down to about 10 feet.

I think it’s cute how quickly all the Avengers have taken to calling him Goliath. There’s probably a lesson for people today to take from this.

Continue reading “Avengers #29”

Avengers #28

Among Us Walks… A Goliath!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: March 10, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Brilliantly conceived by: Stan Lee, writer
Cleverly perpetrated by Don Heck, penciller
Daringly executed by: Frankie Ray, inker
Stoically buried by: Artie Simek, letterer
20 pages

Previous#495Next
Avengers #27Reading orderAvengers #29
Avengers #27AvengersAvengers #29

Goliath! I like the sound of that! That’s what I’ll call myself from now on– Goliath!!

Today… Hank Pym will be infamous for having taken on too many superhero identities… but this isn’t new. This was a pretty early feature of the character. In under 5 years, he’s on 3, and sort of 4, identities.

When we met him, he wasn’t a superhero at all, just a scientist named Dr. Henry Pym. A year or so later he jumped on the superhero bandwagon as Ant-Man. Another year down and Lee decided the public wanted more powerful superheroes, so Ant-Man became Giant-Man. Those changes all somewhat made sense. But now… he’s no longer Giant-Man… he’s Goliath. That change seems gratutitous.

With the new name comes a new status quo. But he’s had a lot of status quos already. We attempted to recount in the final issue of his ongoing series, Tales to Astonish #69. The rules just keep changing. He drinks a liquid or takes a pill or uses his mind. And he can only chage size every so often or hold the new size for so often or…

Anyways, now he can grow to 25 feet and only 25 feet and remain that way for exactly 15 minutes, no more, no less.

We’ve met one other Goliath, the biblical one, in Avengers #10.

How does he get the new name anyway? It’s a bit weird. We basically learn it’s happening from the cover and title.

We are getting ahead of ourselves. The story begins with Hank Pym contacting the Avengers to help him find the Wasp. We’d last seen her attempting to escape from Attuma. Of course, they don’t know who Dr. Pym is. Because of secret identites.

Now, as secret identities go… Wasp’s costume often didn’t cover her face… she often called Giant-Man Henry or Hank in the presence of others… Giant-Man’s lab was a well known location where his fan club hung out… the kids Jan read sci/stories to knew she was the Wasp… Hank sometimes did experiments in his own house and one day he accidentally turned giant and came bursting out of his house…

Continue reading “Avengers #28”

Avengers #27

Four Against the Floodtide!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: February 10, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Mad, mixed-up story by Stan Lee
Ickie, insane illustrations by Don Heck
Daffy, dizzy delineation by Frankie Ray
Loony, lampoony lettering by Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous#494Next
Avengers #26Reading orderAvengers #28
Avengers #26AvengersAvengers #28

Only a fool– or a liar– says he’s never afraid, Wanda!

A lot of plot threads to pick up on from last issue. Namor headed to New York (though we’ve already seen how that plays out in the pages of Tales to Astonish). Dr. Pym busy with research on ship. Other Avengers captured in attempt to rescue Wasp. Attuma engaging them in trial combat to impress men, as the sea poured in. Hawkeye in a coma attempting to remember his password. A mysterious figure in the shadows. Wasp has escaped Atttuma but her fate is unknown.

The password thing is quite funny. People forget their passwords at work and need to call IT support to get it reset. No such backup here. Hawkeye must hook himself up to a fancy memory-jogging machine.

But the number he couldn’t remember was 1313. How hard is that? It’s not like the password was something actually secure like _b9<Jgu_X^TZDS.

Continue reading “Avengers #27”