dr. zemo – Coke & Comics

Tales to Astonish #59

Enter: The Hulk

Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: June 2, 1964
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Rapidly written by: Stan Lee
Dashingly drawn by: Dick Ayers
Instantly inked by: P. Reinman
Lazily lettered by: Art Simek
18 pages

Art Simek’s lettering is referred to as “lazy”. Indeed, he seems to have forgotten Paul Reinman’s name, crediting him as R. Reinman, rather than the usual P. Reinman.

This is Ayers’ first time drawing the Hulk. In fact, it’s the first time anybody but Kirby or Ditko has drawn the Hulk.

It’s clear that prior to this point, Hulk is not yet the character modern readers (or TV viewers or moviegoers) have come to know. Steve Ditko will take over the art/plotting duties on Hulk’s new ongoing series, and often gets the credit for inventing Hulk as we know him. But it seems to me all the groundwork is laid right here by Lee and Ayers. This issue introduces a more recognizable version of Hulk.

For several months, Hulk has been bouncing title to title (Avengers, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man) ever since his own series got cancelled a year earlier. This guest appearance in Giant-Man’s comic is his final bounce, and a transition into the return of his ongoing solo adventures in this very title. This is why they cancelled Wasp’s solo adventure backups, to make room for Hulk’s return. And this time, Hulk’s series will endure for a long time.

They refer to Hulk as the “Jolly Green Giant”. Think they took that name off a mascot for canned vegetables.

Besides being the lead-in to his new series, this is a significant issue for Hulk. We learn his full name for the first time: Dr. Robert Bruce Banner. This explains why Stan sometimes called him Bruce and sometimes Bob. I had assumed Stan just got careless with details.

Avengers #7

Their Darkest Hour!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: June 9, 1964
Cover: August 1964
12 cents
Magnificently written by: Stan Lee
Majestically illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Masterfully inked by: Chic Stone
Meticulously lettered by: Art Simek
22 pages

In Tales of Suspense #56, Tony Stark very briefly flirted with giving up his Iron Man identity. He now faces a board of inquiry for his failure to answer an Avengers call. At that very moment, Odin is rendering judgment on Enchantress and Executioner for their part in the events of Journey Into Mystery #103. These events show the ever-tightening interconnectedness of the series.

Recall that Thor’s title went over a dozen issues without referencing or being referenced by any other series. There was no evidence it was set in the same world as that of the other heroes. Now, they are rather intertwined.

But continuity brings continuity errors, even when a single writer is nominally writing every title. The inquiry is tricky to reconcile with the details of Tales of Suspense #56 in a few ways. Thor charges Iron Man with ignoring a call. However, the Avengers didn’t really know how to contact him and never reached him. They talked to Mr. Stark’s secretary. She was able to talk to Mr. Stark, but never (as far as anyone knows) Iron Man. It would be like somebody who doesn’t know my phone number charging me with not answering my phone they didn’t call.

Secondly, they were trying to contact Iron Man to ask him to look into the Unicorn. Within a couple hours of that failed call, Iron Man did indeed find, battle, and defeat the Unicorn. So they attempted to contact Iron Man, didn’t know how to, never reached him, and thus it was, say, 2 hours between their attempt at contact and his completing the mission they sought to assign him. That hardly seems worth an inquiry.

There was no mention of this coming inquiry in the Iron Man comic. In fact, at the time, the Avengers all seemed to agree that Iron Man was in his rights to live his own life.

Sgt. Fury #8

The Death Ray of Dr. Zemo!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: May 5, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Not a bad story by: Ex-Sgt. Stan Lee
Passable art by: Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers
Inked by: Geo. Bell
Lettered by: S. Rosen
22 pages

I know what you’re thinking.
Didn’t we just read Sgt. Fury #7 pretty recently?
Yes.
But isn’t Sgt. Fury bimonthly?
Yes.
Wait. This comic is from May. You were just reading March comics.
Yes.
You haven’t even finished March yet. We haven’t read the March Iron Man story.
True.
I know you’re mostly going in publishing order, but sometimes move things around for story reasons.
I do.
But that doesn’t make any sense here, right? You only move things around when comics tie into each other, and Sgt. Fury is set in WWII. How can it tie in directly with any superhero comics?

Well, there’s the rub. For reasons we’ll go into later, we are reading Avengers #6 two months early. And, as noted on the first page, this issue does tie into Avengers #6! Sort of, at least. They were released the same day and star the same villain, Dr. Zemo.

It makes for a pretty uncommon occurrence in comics, where fans like to track what a character’s first appearance is. Dr. Zemo has two. He was introduced on the same day in two different titles, two stories set twenty years apart. We’ll meet him here in Sgt. Fury, then see what he’s up to twenty years later menacing the Avengers.

It’s a pretty cool and unique quasi-crossover. In service of it, we’re reading Sgt. Fury #8 two months early.