Featuring: Avengers Release: January 10, 1967 Cover: March 1967 12 cents Edited for everyman by Stan Lee Scripted for somebody by Roy Thomas Penciled for posterity by Don Heck Inked for immortality by Geoge Bell Lettered for a living by Artie Simek 20 pages
Nuts! Those creeps yell “Avengers Assemble” every time somethin’ goes wrong with the pop-up toaster!
Goliath and Hawkeye are fighting because Hank doesn’t want Black Widow to join the Avengers. He doesn’t quite say why. Because she’s Russian? Because she’s a woman?
The other male Avengers join the fray. Because.
Goliath finally admits he doesn’t know why he’s so opposed to her joining. This is a concept known as unconscious bias.
Featuring: Hulk Release: November 3, 1964 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Written with the sparkling skill of Stan Lee! Drawn with the peerless power of Steve Ditko! Inked with the classic clarity of George Bell! Lettered with the TV set on by: Artie Simek 10 pages
Recall we read the Giant-Man/Wasp story in this issue a while back, but we’ve saved the Hulk stories for a big push.
Interesting that Stan refers to this as “the only super-hero soap opera”. I feel like that phrase with epitomize Marvel comics for decades to come.
I think it’s time to bid farewell to George Roussos, one of the most prominent inkers of our early reading, always under the pseudonym George Bell (oft abbreviated to Geo. Bell). We’ve read almost 50 stories with his inks, including Fantastic Four, Sgt. Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Human Torch, Giant-Man/Wasp, and Hulk stories. He’s off to do other work. He’ll return to Marvel in the 1970s and become one of Marvel’s most prominent colorists. He’s also been coloring much of the work we’ve been reading, but I’ve read most of his stories in recolored reprints, so miss out.
We open with Banner in jail, suspected of treason. He is taking tranquilizer pills to keep himself from transforming. Remember, it’s now strain that triggers the transformation.
Featuring: Hulk Release: October 1, 1964 Cover: January 1965 12 cents Only Stan Lee could have written this monumental masterpiece! Only Steve Ditko could have drawn these powerful panels! Only Geo. Bell could have inked this sensational saga! Only S. Rosen would have lettered his name S. Rosen! 10 pages
We’re nominally on the March books, but we just got up to June with Thor comics and July with X-Men, and now we need to go back to October of 1964 for Hulk stories.
We read the first story of this issue a while back. We’ve been skipping the Hulk stories because they are so intertwined with each other. Hulk is in the middle of a saga that really began in issue 60. We’re going to try to do the whole saga in something like three chunks.
Let’s review the story so far.
Dr. Bruce Banner is a weapons builder on a military base who is frequently absent. General Thunderbolt Ross has little patience for Banner and is uspet his daughter Betty seems so fond of the “weakling”. Of course, Bruce is also the Hulk. He recently decided that strain was the trigger of his uncontrollable changes into a monster with its own personality.
Dr. Banner has built a robotic suit, but a spy has stolen it. Hulk fights the spy in the robot suit. After a couple encounters, the robot is tossed into a bottomless pit.
Major Glen Talbot has been hired as the chief of security, with a particular remit to look into Dr. Banner’s strange behavior and any connection between Banner and the Hulk. He also seems fond of Betty, and the General would much prefer his daughter choose someone like the Major.
Hulk finds himself captured by the military. Rick has been spending time with Captain America and the Avengers, but still feels a debt to the Hulk. He returns to the New Mexico military base and helps Dr. Banner escape the military. This was likely before the Avengers’ battle with Immortus.
We learn the spy was working for someone named the Leader, whose face we do not see. Since the spy failed, the Leader dispatches the Chameleon to investigate what happened. When the Hulk foils Chameleon’s plans, Leader decides to get personally involved. He has just perfected a creation called the Humanoid.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: November 10, 1964 Cover: January 1965 12 cents Written with the explosive power of a live grenade by: Ex-Sgt. Stan Lee Drawn with the savage impact of a block-buster by: Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers Inked with the smashing force of a Sherman tank by: Geo. Bell Lettered with a brand new bottle of India ink by: Artie Simek 20 pages
We’ve met Baron Strucker twicebefore. Fury’s only recurring foe at this point. But now he’s got his own team of commandos backing him up, the Blitzkrieg Squad.
The idea of the Blitzkrieg Squad is that each is specifically chosen to be a match for a commando. The brawler matches Dugan; the charmer, Manelli; the musician, Gabe; the mechanic, Izzy; the horseman, Reb; the aristrocrat, Percy.
I was a bit confused by the word “Junker” in the context and had to look it up. It refers to a Prussian noble, not somebody who trades in scraps.
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
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.
Featuring: Hulk Release: September 1, 1964 Cover: December 1964 12 cents Sensationally scripted by: Stan Lee Dynamically drawn by: Steve Ditko Impeccably inked by: George Bell Lovingly lettered by: Sam Rosen 10 pages
Even if he escapes this mess, the status quo is unsustainable. If Hulk might revert to Banner at any moment and has no control… he can’t keep that identity a secret.
In a recent issue of Amazing Spider-Man, we remarked the Enforcers were distinguished from other super-villains in that they were content to be lackeys, serving a major super-villain. Most of the super-villains are to arrogant to serve anybody, a plot point whenever two try to team up. The other “lackey” villains we’ve met are Dr. Doom’s Terrible Trio and Magneto’s Evil Mutants. The Terrible Trio tried to make the leap from lackeys to being their own bosses with limited success. Magneto’s mutants only serve him, while the Enforcers are clearly for-hire.
Chameleon is the first villain we see make the leap from super-villain to lackey. He’d teamed up twice with Kraven, but those seemed more like partnerships. Now, he works for the Leader. Chameleon has been getting around. Originally a Spider-Man foe, he recently fought the Avengers, and now faces off against Hulk.
More than the major crossovers, I like the cameos. I like that Captain America can just show up for a panel if the story calls for it. Makes the universe feel cohesive.
I’m loathe to call this the introduction of the Leader since we don’t see his face. I suspect Ditko hadn’t even finished designing him yet.
Featuring: Hulk Release: August 4, 1964 Cover: November 1964 12 cents Author: The incomparable Stan Lee Illustrator: The inimitable Steve Ditko Inker: The indescribable George Bell Letterer: The inevitable S. Rosen 10 pages
Last issue, Bruce Banner built a robot. (They call it a robot, but it’s more like Iron Man’s armor, since somebody needs to be inside to pilot it.) An unnamed spy stole it. Hulk fought the “robot” to a stalemate. The robot escaped. Since the story didn’t end there, it might have been nice to read this next chapter immediately. Except… this Hulk story will basically never end. So we take the breaks where we can.
The robot has now found Hulk’s secret cave laboratory. Ditko really likes the shot of Hulk’s visage standing over Bruce’s shoulder.
Meanwhile, we meet Major Glen Talbot. He’s in charge of security now and suspects Bruce Banner is a traitor due to a pattern of suspicious behavior General Ross had noted. The Pentagon agrees with Ross’ assessment that Banner should be investigated.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: August 4, 1964 Cover: November 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee (He’s getting to be a habit) And then the credits get complicated. 14 pages
We get a new logo for the shared title. Giant-Man never got a logo before. Tales to Astonish had remained the logo despite his starring role. The new logo somewhat cramped to fit all the names. “Giant-Man” is spread across two lines and has to share its text box with “and the Incredible”. No mention of Wasp in the logo. The cover real estate is split about equally between the two stories, with Hulk’s story up top. The cover box is similar to last issue, just rearranged a bit to put Hulk on top.
Somebody’s muscling in on your territory, Giant-Man.
The first page has Stan Lee’s credit, then some typed text pasted over the rest of the credit box. It explains that Ayers is on vacation, they had hired a new artist to fill in, but circumstances altered the plan, and Ditko and Roussos stepped in last minute to draw the issue.
As with most things Stan Lee says, that text box contains partial truths and partial falsehoods. Last issue, they had announced the artist would be Dick Rockwell. Rockwell had been working in comics since 1949. He did a little work for Marvel at the time.
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
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.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: July 9, 1964 Cover: October 1964 12 cents How proud we are that Stan Lee wrote this sensational thriller! How fortunate we are that Steve Ditko drew these magical masterpieces! How triumphant we are that Geo. Bell inked these priceless panels! How ecstatic we are that Artie Simek lettered these deathless phrases! 10 pages
This is the actual first page for the comic, found online. The Masterworks version colors the characters white, as though both in their astral form. Marvel Collectors’ Item Classics #16, where most of the scans below come from, colors all the astral forms a weird bluish color, and the front page from that issue follows suit.
The Masterworks also colors Mordo’s disciples white. They are garbed in green in the original and light blue in the scan below.
This is the last of the “filler” issues of the Dr. Strange stories. One more issue until Ditko returns to full art duties and the series kicks into high gear. As these go, this issue’s actually pretty good. Despite the story where Dr. Strange and Mordo battle for the 77th time.
The most egregious coloring error in my reprint is the coloring of Dr. Strange’s cloak. It is quite possibly an intentional error, aimed at consistent marketing to match Dr. Strange’s cloak at the time of the reprint. But, quite obviously, Dr. Strange’s cloak should be blue, as it is in any other reprint of this story.
