don heck – Page 2 – Coke ⊕ Comics

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

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Avengers #26	Reading order	Avengers #28
Avengers #26	Avengers	Avengers #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.

Avengers #26

The Voice of the Wasp!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: January 11, 1966
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Incredible script by: Stan Lee
Inconceivable art by: Don Heck
Indescribable inking by: Frank Ray
Indelible lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages

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Tales to Astonish #80	Reading order	Avengers #27
Avengers #25	Avengers	Avengers #27

He endures so much– to hold the Avengers together! And yet– none can help him! He walks– alone!

A recap. Giant-Man and the Wasp left the Avengers in Avengers #16. Then in Tales to Astonish #69, they agreed it was time to retire from superheroing and work on their relationship. And presumably on Pym’s scientific interests as well. Flash forward to Tales to Astonish #77 and Hank’s experiments involve drilling into the ocean to learn the secrets of life. These experiments are wreaking havoc on Namor’s domain. This leads to conflict. Namor breaks their equipment and then decides to head to New York. In a nonsensical plot decision, Jan decides to become the Wasp once more to race Namor across the ocean to New York. But she’s the size of a wasp, and can presumably fly at about the speed of a wasp. She obviously can’t cross an ocean. But she tries anyway.

Unsurprisingly, we haven’t heard from her since. Surprisingly, we will hear from her again.

I’d like to start thinking about something as we read the next several Avengers comics. At some point very soon, the Fantastic Four are going to fight a massive global threat, one the Avengers probably should have helped them with. The Avengers do not show up to help, which implies the Avengers are busy. So let’s be on the lookout for where the Avengers might be at the time that they don’t notice a very noticeable world-ending threat.

Avengers #25

Enter… Dr. Doom!

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

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Sgt. Fury #25	Reading order	Fantastic Four #44
Avengers #24	Avengers	Avengers #26

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.

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 #23	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #25
Avengers #23	Avengers	Avengers #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.

Avengers #23

Once an Avenger…

Featuring: Avengers
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Stan Lee, Rollickin’ writer!
Don Heck, prancin’ penciller!
John Romita, dazzlin’ delineator!
Sherigail, liltin’ letterer!
20 pages

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Modeling with Millie #44	INTERLUDE
Sgt. Fury #24	Reading order	Avengers #24
Avengers #22	Avengers	Avengers #24

The crown is still yours by my leave only! ‘Tis Kang who is the power here! Though countless worlds have fallen before my banner, yours have I spared… but only because of love for you!

Serendipitous timing. We get to see a major battle between Kang and the Avengers just in time for Kang to make his big screen debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this Friday, portrayed by Jonathan Majors. We had met Jonathan Majors as Kang before in the Loki series.

This story is particularly notable for introducing Kang’s great love, the Princess Ravonna. She was portrayed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the Loki series.

John Romita is a new name in the modern Marvel reading, but we’d seen him before in our looks back, as he was the Captain America artist in the 1950s. We’ll be seeing more of him, and have more to say soon.

Sherigail we recall is an alias for for Morrie Kuramoto. We haven’t seen him in a while, with Rosen and Simek dividing up most lettering between them. He married Gail Masuoka in 1955, and they had a daughter Sheri– hence the pen name. As a young adult, Morrie had seen his possessions confiscated and his family sent into prison camps by the US government for having Japanese ancestry. He was able to enlist in the military to escape imprisonment. He worked as a letterer after the war, and continued to do irregular lettering work until his death in 1985.

Tales of Suspense #72

Hoorah for the Conquering Hero!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Don Heck
Inker: Mickey Demeo
Letterer: Artie Simek
12 pages

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	PRELUDE	Weird Science #20
Avengers #22	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #22
Tales of Suspense #71, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #72, Story B

The nation asks– no, it demands to know the true identity of one of its greatest heroes! We must learn– Who is Iron Man?

Let’s start with a bit of an apology to Iron Man. His character was introduced in Tales of Suspense #39, released December 10, 1962. So we just passed his 60th birthday and failed to mark the occasion with appropriate fanfare. Happy belated 60th, Iron Man.

Iron Man returns to America and cheering crowds, having triumphed over Titanium Man. But the victory was costly, as Happy now hovers on the edge of death.

Reporters seem eager to get the scoop on Iron Man’s true identity. I don’t really think it’s that hard if you want to do any amount of investigating.

Nobody ever seems concerned how casually Iron Man walks into Stark’s office and makes himself at home.

Avengers #22

The Road Back

Featuring: Avengers
Release: September 2, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Star-studded story by: Stan Lee!
Peerless pencilling by: Don Heck!
Dazzling delineation by: Wally Wood!
Lonesome lettering by: Artie Simek!
20 pages

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Avengers #21	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #72
Avengers #21	Avengers	Avengers #23

I was chosen to be– keeper of the flame! But now– the torch has– gone out!

Captain America is certain there is somebody behind Power Man. Since he knows nothing about Power Man, I’m not sure where that certainty comes from.

The Avengers have been ordered to disband by the city. That’s enough for most of the team, but not for Captain America. He thinks they stand for something bigger than obeying laws.

This leads the Avengers to fight amongst themselves. They do this a lot. But this time, the fight dissolves the team.

Avengers #21

The Bitter Taste of Defeat!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: October 1965
12 cents
Written with the usual Stan Lee madness!
Drawn with the usual Don Heck magnificence!
Inked with the usual Wally Wood magic!
Lettered with the usual Artie Simek mistakes!
20 pages

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Strange Tales #141, Story B	Reading order	Avengers #22
Avengers #20	Avengers	Avengers #22

When I took command, the Avengers were at the height of their power, their prestige, their fame! And now– look what I’ve done!

Yesterday was Don Heck’s birthday! He would have been 94 years old, but he passed away at the age of 66.

The story opens with a lot of chastising.

Well, first Hawkeye is fixing a fuse. The narrator seems to mock that the artist chose to begin the story in such a “prosaic” way. Stan, if you want the stories to open differently, you have to write the stories.

The machinery seems unusually detailed. I suspect that has a lot to do with Wood’s inking.

Strange Tales #140

The End of Hydra!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 pages
Senses-shattering story by: Stan Lee
Power-packed presentation by: Jack Kirby
Drama-drenched drawing by: Don Heck
Dreamy-designed delineation by: Joe Sinnott
Booboo-bulging balloons by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #139, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #140, Story B
Strange Tales #139, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #140, Story B

Mankind cannot live in fear of Hydra! In the name of SHIELD… in the name of universal freedom… I cannot fail!

Kirby. Heck. Sinnott. That’s a lot of artists to draw 12 pages of comic. (A heck of a lot.)

“Booboo-bulging balloons” took a bit of deciphering. I think Stan’s claiming the letterer makes a lot of mistakes. The word balloons are bulging fit to burst with mistakes.

Hydra could have served as a looming background threat for some time to come. But they decided it was time to settle it up. This is part 6 of the “Hydra Saga”. SHIELD agents are swarming Hydra’s headquarters for the final battle.

Avengers #20

Vengeance is Ours!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: July 8, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Wham-Type script by Stan Lee
Pow-type pencilling by Don Heck
Zowie-type inking by Wallace Wood
Rather nice lettering by Artie Simek
20 pages

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Avengers #19	Reading order	Strange Tales #130, Story B
Avengers #19	Avengers	Avengers #21

There’s something about being an Avenger… that seems to get into your blood and never let go!

The creative team is almost never mentioned on the cover of these (or any) comics. This is certainly the first time we’ve seen the inker advertised. Stan knows he’s lucky to have Wally Wood, and perhaps already knows he won’t have him much longer.

We saw Wood inking Heck in Tales of Suspense #71, which comes out one month after this one. So this is properly their first collaboration.

The cover is a rare Kirby/Wood collaboration, and pretty awesome. A team I think many would like to have seen more work by.

We see a rare feat of teamwork for these new Avengers. They seem to be defeating the Swordsman when he disappears.

He finds himself in the lair of the Mandarin. Who wishes to destroy the Avengers, though he’s never met them*. His foe is Iron Man, who used to be an Avenger. And it follows that he must destroy these Avengers, which don’t include Iron Man. Because Iron Man is his foe. And… the Mandarin’s plans may just be too crafty for my little brain.