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
“Zowie! He’s the ever-lovin’ gearest! Far as I’m concerned, the mods have had it! That crazy cape really comes on strong!” “Man! Like there’s a boss bunch’a threads! That dad is gotta be what’s happenin’!”
The first issue of Dr. Strange without Steve Ditko. I think the first Spider-Man stories without Steve Ditko actually went pretty well. That John Romita guy is doing all right. But what even is Dr. Strange without Steve Ditko?
Stan Lee never cared about Dr. Strange. He never understood the character. He never understood the character’s appeal. He accepted the character had fans and was fine with that.
You can see this in his treatment of the character. The gap between the early issues, the character rarely being featured on the cover, the story always the back story of each issue, behind Human Torch and then Nick Fury.
He wrote the character for dozens of issues, but almost all the writing really came from Ditko.
On the other hand, Stan Lee loved Spider-Man. And you can tell. There are eternal disagreements over how much of the character and stories come from Lee and how much come from Ditko. But it was a much more collaborative process than Dr. Strange ever was, at least early on. And Stan Lee loved the character of Spider-Man like a son.
So when Ditko left Spider-Man, Lee put everything into making sure the next issue would keep the readership. He found the best artist for the job, told an extraordinarily eventful story, and plainly put his all into assuring readers that Spider-Man would continue to be great after Ditko.
For the first issue of Dr. Strange without Ditko… Lee writes half the script then hands the back pages to his new hire to write, a guy who’s scripted like 5 comics by this point. He just doesn’t care.
This is the second recent comic to refer to Stan Lee as being on vacation. Some reprints of this issue omit that, and change the credits to read “Smilin'” instead of “vacationing'”.
Bill Everett isn’t a bad choice for artist. He created Sub-Mariner and Daredevil. He’s been doing solid work illustrating the Hulk. But Ditko brought something wild and unique to these pages, while Everett is, well, less wild.
Though I’ll give him some credit for this image. He’s certainly taking his best shot at being Ditkoesque.
Featuring: Captain America Release: May 3, 1966 Cover: September 1966 12 cents Script: Stan (The Man) Lee Art: Jack (King) Kirby Inking: Frank (Good Guy) Giacoia Lettering: Artie (Smarty) Simek Recruiting: Irv (Fall Guy) Forbush 10 pages
There is nothing I cannot do! The universe itself must bend to my wishes, so long as I hold the Cosmic Cube! My every wish– my every command– must be instantly obeyed!
At this point, of the many many nicknames we’ve seen in credits, Stan the Man Lee, and Jack King Kirby are by far the most common.
I’m doing a thing I don’t like doing and skipping into the middle of this comic, skipping the Iron Man story at the start.
We had a choice as we have at least two cliffhangers to resolve. See what happens between Namor and Iron Man or between Cap and the Red Skull? I’ve chosen the latter. The fight between Iron Man and Namor continues in Namor’s title, so we have to read that before we get to this Iron Man story. And I was eager to see the resolution of this Captain America story.
Also, this issue’s Iron Man story begins a new saga, one I don’t want to entangle with the web of comics we’re in the middle of.
Red Skull has the Cosmic Cube, giving him godlike power.
He gets in a good villain monologue we use for the pull quote above.
While Cap’s thoughts form a good heroic response.
My life means nothing! The fate of all mankind is at stake! If he isn’t stopped– humanity itself is doomed!
Red Skull creates a creature called the Man-Thing to menace Cap. Won’t be the last Marvel character to use this name.
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
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.
