frank giacoia – Page 2 – Coke & Comics

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

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Avengers #27	Reading order	Avengers #29
Avengers #27	Avengers	Avengers #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…

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

Previous	#493	Next
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.

Daredevil #15

And Men Shall Call Him… Ox!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: February 3, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Unsurpassed story by: Stan Lee
Unexcelled pencilling by: John Romita
Unparalleled inking by: Frankie Ray
Unabashed lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages

Previous	#474	Next
Sgt. Fury #29	Reading order	X-Men #19
Daredevil #14	Daredevil	Daredevil #16

The cover is evocative of Kirby’s style with the high melodrama and sense of characters leaning forward out of the page, but it is by the now regular Daredevil artist, John Romita, with inks by Frank Giacoia.

John Romita passed away last month. I thought about making a note of it on this blog at the time but didn’t quite have the words.

I didn’t really know John Romita. Never met him or spoke to him. I just know his work. So my reaction to his death isn’t the same as that of his family, or even those professionals or fans who knew him better. The question is, what does the death of someone I just know through their work mean to me.

I’ve had cause to ask this too many times in the last several years. Tom Palmer. George Pérez. Steve Ditko. Stan Lee. The first artist death to really hit me was John Buscema about 20 years ago. What do these people I only know through their work mean to me?

Everything. They mean everything. Their deaths fill me with a profound sense of sadness and loss.

That said, John Romita was 93 when he passed. He lived a full and good life and leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Not the least of which is his son, John Romita Jr., a legendary comic artist in his own right.

Daredevil #14

If This Be Justice…!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: January 4, 1966
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Pencilling: John Romita
Inking: Frankie Ray
Lettering: Artie Simek
20 pages

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Daredevil #13	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #124
Daredevil #13	Daredevil	Daredevil #15

There it is– the most valuable ore of all time!

The kids are growing up. After two issues with Kirby layouts, Lee is ready to let Romita stand on his own feet and draw the comic from scratch, which likely means a lot of the plotting for this issue is also owed to Romita. Frank Giacoia is brought in to finish.

This will wrap up the Ka-Zar saga. Bit of a recap of the key points. Ka-Zar and the Plunderer are brothers. Ka-Zar’s original name was Kevin Plunder. Their father Lord Plunder had been an explorer who discovered a Vibrating Ore with strange and powerful properties. The secret of the mound lies in having the completed medallion that he gave half of to each son.

Plunderer has brought Ka-Zar and Daredevil to his castle in England, and called the local authorities on them, taking advantage of his nobility to accuse them of murder.

INTERLUDE: Modeling with Millie #44

Whom Can I Turn To?/Millie Accused!/A Time for Crying!

Featuring: Millie the Model
Release: October 5, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
18 pages

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Sgt. Fury #24	Reading order	Avengers #23

Someday I’m gonna marry this adorable gal… but I’ve got to wait until she gets this career idea out of her system!

No credits are given. This was a production error as the title usually includes credits. Pencils are by Stan Goldberg with inks by Frank Giacoia and Joe Giella. The script is by a young man named Roy Thomas.

It seems like Millie’s dreams have come true when she, Tony, and Chili are sent to Paris by Mr. Hanover to model for Jacques D’eau, the most famous fashion designer in the world.

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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	INTERLUDE	Modeling with Millie #44
Sgt. Fury #23	Reading order	Avengers #23
Sgt. Fury #23	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. 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.

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

Previous	#437	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #30	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #24
Sgt. Fury #22	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. 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.

INTERLUDE: THUNDER Agents #1

The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves

Featuring: THUNDER Agents
Release: September 1965
Cover: November 1965
25 cents

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Daredevil #11	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #30

We must find and train at least three special agents… the best!

We’re breaking my normal format for posts beyond the fact that this is plainly not a Marvel comic.

Normally, we read one story at a time, but I want to read the entire issue in one go. It consists of several shorter stories by different creative teams that add up to one larger story, all overseen by Wally Wood.

The issue has no credits, though sometimes artist signatures are visible. I have this in a collection, which credits the writers and artists involved when known. One or two names may be lost to history.

One of the disagreements between Wood and Lee was Lee taking the writer’s credit when Wood felt he was doing most of the writing. But this comic doesn’t credit anybody. In fact, most comics of the era don’t credit their creative teams. Lee was ahead of his time in trying to credit everybody. He just claimed a lot of credit for himself as well. Perhaps to Wood it was more about credit in the form of compensation than his name appearing in a box.

A couple notable differences from what we’ve been reading. First, the publisher is Tower Comics, a brand new publisher. Second, the price is 25 cents rather than 12 cents. Marvel prices its Annual comics at 25 cents, but its normal comics at 12 cents.

For 12 cents, Marvel comics give you 20-22 pages of content. The Annuals tend to be 70-72 pages for 25 cents, but with a lot of that dedicated to reprint material. This give you 60 pages of story for 25 cents.

Across the decades, comic prices had not changed much. Marvel Comics were 10 cents in 1939 and 10 cents in 1961 and 12 cents in 1965. They were very averse to raising the price, and had instead steadily decreased the page count over the years.

Thus, the page count of this comic is more reminiscent of 1940s comics than of its contemporary competitors. The idea that the individual stories all tie loosely together isn’t novel either, as 1940s Justice Society stories from DC had a similar structure, one Marvel imitated in the later 1940s with its All-Winners Squad.

We learn from the cover that THUNDER is an acronym. (Note for this blog, we’re not often including the “.”s in acronynms. I’m just too lazy to repeatedly type out S.H.I.E.L.D., finding it easier to type SHIELD.)

THUNDER: The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.

I can’t believe the “T” stands for “The”.

This title is a mix of superhero and spy adventure, with the acronym name likely inspired by “The Man from UNCLE”, and of course, the aforementioned SHIELD.

The concept was created by Len Brown and Wally Wood, who had previously co-created the science fiction trading card series, Mars Attacks.

Why are we reading this anyway? Because I wanted to see what Wally Wood got up to when he left Marvel. I think it will illuminate some discussions.

We’ll read through each story at a time, noting the title, creative team, and page count as we go. So don’t just stop when you get to the character lists. More stories to come below.

Strange Tales #141

Brain Blast!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: November 11, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Rapturously written by: Stan Lee
Resplendently drawn by: Jack Kirby
Rollickingly inked by: Frank Ray
Reluctantly lettered by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #140, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #141, Story B
Strange Tales #140, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #141, Story B

If he’s what ya say, he’s the most dangerous guy in the world!

Jack Kirby returns to full pencils after several issues of laying out the series for various artists, with Frank Giacoia on inks. The difference is noticeable, though I did quite appreciate John Severin’s take on these characters.

They do what is to my mind a very weird thing. The 7-part Hydra Saga is really 6.5 parts. As it’s over by page 7 of this story. They then just begin their next saga mid-issue. It’s a bit obnoxious. I’d like to keep the arcs together to best appreciate them, but Stan seems to want to end everything on cliffhangers now, so the arcs aren’t well-defined.

They’ll head-scratchingly do the same thing next month with Fantastic Four.

We will take a break after this issue. We’ll have started the first few pages of the Mentallo/Fixer Saga, and we’ll return to it one day.

First up, the half-issue Hydra finale. The organization was defeated, but Imperial Hydra, in his true identity as Arnold Brown, is about to destroy the place, killing everybody.