Featuring: X-Men Release: November 3, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Stan Lee editor Roy Thomas writer Werner Roth artist J. Tartaglione inker Artie Simek letterer Irving Forbush noise-maker 20 pages
How could these puny humans– who dwell among the smoke and noise that they call civilization– hope to appreciate such matchless beauty?
So my normal standard for making posts is to prepare the post one day, but not publish it the same day. I sleep on it and give it a last lookover before publication.
I’m skipping my usual standards today. Because today is St. Patrick’s Day. So I’m posting this without my usual extra day to edit. And from a pub. While some number of drinks in.
As seems appropriate.
This issue feels appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day because it introduces the character of the Banshee.
Who I think is Irish. Though they don’t say so. At least, I associate banshees with being Irish. Of course, I also associate banshees with being women, so shows what I know.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: October 11, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Story: Smilin’ Stan Lee Illustration: Jazzy John Romita Lettering: Swingin’ Sam Rosen Luggage: Honest Irving Forbush 20 pages
Ditko and Lee created a number of great villains for Spider-Man: Chameleon, Vulture, Tinkerer, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Living Brain, Electro, Big Man and the Enforcers, Mysterio, Green Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, Scorpion, the Spider Slayer, Molten Man, the Cat, Looter, Robot Master, a Guy Named Joe…
A temptation when writing a Spider-Man story is to have the premise: “Spider-Man fights _ again.”
Which is the worst idea for a Spider-Man story. In fact, two of Ditko’s weakest issues, written after he had basically given up on the series, involve Spider-Man fighting Kraven or Molten Man again.
That’s not to say these villains shouldn’t return. They should. But their return needs to tell a different story with them or move their own story forward.
That’s the big question. Is this story advancing the saga of this villain or bringing it in circles?
Dr. Octopus fought Spider-Man. When they fought again, it led to the death of Betty Brant’s brother and Spider-Man being unmasked. The villain returned but it was a new story. When they fought again, Dr. Octopus assembled six of Spider-Man’s most sinister foes to battle him. Again, a different story. Finally, they had their greatest battle with Dr. Octopus in the guise of the Master Planner. I heaped plenty of praise on that saga at the time. But suffice it to say, I think there was more of a premise to that story than “Spider-Man fights Dr. Octopus again.”
Spider-Man fought the Lizard, but then learned he was a good man Dr. Connors transformed by his own science experiments.
We saw that man again, cured of his Lizard ways, now acting as a scientific advisor to Spider-Man. We saw him again last issue in a similar capacity, advising against the Rhino. That time he idly wondered if the powers of the Lizard could be used against the Rhino. Spider-Man convinced him that thinking is dangerous.
So as we read stories where Spider-Man fights a classic villain again, I have a couple thought questions. Is the story moving the villain’s story forward? Is it telling a new story with the villain? Is there more to the premise than “Spider-Man fights _ again”?
I’m not objecting per se to Spider-Man fighting the Lizard again. Romita is an artist with a distinctive style from Ditko, so it’s fun to see his take on Ditko’s villains.
And the story will be good because Romita’s art is good and because he’ll do a good job with the side characters and soap opera. But will the story be good?
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: September 8, 1966 Cover: December 1966 12 cents Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby Illustrations: Jaunty Jim Steranko Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek Hood laundering: Irate Irving Forbush 12 pages
So you’re the guys who’re gonna take over the world, huh?
A new name in the credits. Who is this Jim Steranko on the art over Kirby’s layouts?
He had apparently dabbled in comics briefly in 1957, but I have no examples of that. His first work came out for Harvey just three months earlier. He co-created several adventure heroes for them like Spyman. And perhaps contributed to varying degrees to the stories.
Per The Comics Journal, some of this work such as in Double Dare Adventures is illustrated by Steranko.
Either way, he’s new to comics. This is a pretty big assignment for a rookie. Let’s see if he makes anything of himself.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: August 9, 1966 Cover: November 1966 12 cents Script… Stan Lee Layouts… Jack Kirby Pencils… John Buscema Inks… Frank Giacoia Letterings… Sam Rosen Ear plugs… Irving Forbush 12 pages
‘Cut off a limb, and two more shall takes its place!’ We were right… Hydra still lives!
We read the second half of this issue already. Last issue really ended the AIM stuff, and this issue begins the return of Hydra arc, so I wanted that cutoff. But the Dr. Strange stories cut a bit differently, as this issue ends the Kaluu arc and next issue properly begins the Umar arc.
Kirby is on hand for the layouts, but the main art credit goes to John Buscema. We spoke of him at length with his return to Marvel in Tales to Astonish #85, published one week prior to this. And we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.
We begin with Nick in a strange contraption performing a dangerous test. So dangerous, he won’t let anyone else do it. It’s a prototype Overkill Horn. They are concerned an enemy has a real one.
Perhaps a Super-Overkill Horn. Adding the word Super in front of something already called the Overkill Horn seems like, well, overkill.
Featuring: X-Men Release: September 1, 1966 Cover: November 1966 12 cents Editing.. Stan Lee Script.. Roy Thomas Art… Werner Roth Inks.. Dick Ayers Lettering… Sam Rosen Mayan headdresses… Irving Forbush 20 pages
I hate to sound like a poor man’s Hawkeye, but I can’t seem to stop myself! Why should Jean prefer Scott over me?
Last issue, the gem-hunter El Tigre found a pendant which transformed him into the Mayan feathered-serpent god Kukulcán. He now has the power of the sun. Which sounds pretty powerful.
This seems to be basically what happened to Don Blake. He found a mystic artifact and now finds himself the avatar for a god.
Featuring: Fantastic Four Release: August 2, 1966 Cover: November, 1966 25 cents Conceived and created by: Stan Lee (scenarist) & Jack Kirby (illustrator) Inked and lettered by: Joe Sinnott (Delineator) & Sam Rosen (Calligrapher) Recited and ignited by: Irving Forbush (part-time non-entity) 19 pages
The Original Human Torch! Reborn– only to die again!
We began our Marvel reading with Fantastic Four #1, released in August 1961. But Marvel had 22 years of history predating that comic. What is the relationship between those older comics and the modern 1960s ones? We’ve seen some impacts.
Featuring: Fantastic Four Release: July 7, 1966 Cover: October 1966 12 cents Scripted with a smile by: Stan (The Man) Lee Pencilled with a passion by: Jack (King) Kirby Delineated with a dignity by: Jovial Joe Sinnott Lettered with a lilt by: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen Applauded with Aplomb by: Honest Irving Forbush 20 pages
I have seen men build… and destroy! I have seen this world, which could be paradise, reduced to a planet of greed, and fear, and hatred! I have seen humanity with its heritage betrayed!
When Galactus came to devour Earth, Silver Surfer was his herald. But Silver Surfer met Alicia Masters, and she convinced him that humanity was worth saving. So Silver Surfer betrayed his master. As punishment, Galactus took Silver Surfer’s space-time powers from him. This presumably means he cannot fly faster than light speed, so is practically confined to within a lightyear or so of Earth.
Thing hadn’t been happy that Alicia seemed so impressed by the Silver Surfer, and spent some time moping in the rain about it.
Johnny and Wyatt have been on their way to the Great Refuge of the Inhumans since they left Wakanda. Along the way, they came across Prester John and the Evil Eye, which Johnny thought might break the Negative Zone barrier around the Great Refuge. But that didn’t work out.
Shouldn’t Johnny and Wyatt be in school?
Reed still owes Sue a proper honeymoon. Though he has taken her to the Great Refuge and Wakanda. But I guess she wants somewhere just the two of them where they don’t battle evil. Women, eh.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: June 9, 1966 Cover: August 1966 12 cents Stan Lee, editor Roy Thomas, writer Dick Ayers, artist John Tartaglione, inker Sam Rosen, letterer Irving Forbush, camp mascot 20 pages
My countrymen, the much-vaunted invincibility of our so-called Aryan conquerors is but a myth! They can be stopped… but only by a united front! Do not let petty jealousies divide you in this time of crisis!
Greece. You get the sense these stories are written by looking at a map of where the Howlers haven’t been yet.
We open with a fight between the Howlers and Maulers. A typical Tuesday.
Besides Sgt. McGiveney, we’ve not learned the names of any of the Maulers; we first met the group in issue 7. We now learn that one of them is named “Rickets” Johnson. It’s not clearly identified which one. Izzy claims he started the fight by slugging Rickets.
Featuring: Hulk Release: August 2, 1966 Cover: November 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Pencils: John Buscema Inks: John Tartaglione Lettering: Ray Holloway Hulk’s pants-pressing: Irving Forbush 10 pages
“Who is it, Phil?” “We’ll probably never know! From the looks of things, I’d say he was pretty much beyond recognition!”
Colan has been the regular penciller on Namor’s adventures of late. Bill Everett is the creator of Namor, and this is his second time working as Colan’s inker on the series.
Where were we? The head of the ruined Secret Empire had tricked an amnesiac Namor into being his pawn, until a blast from Krang’s ship sent Namor into the ocean, where he regained his memory. We pick up with Krang flying away, thinking he has killed Namor.
Dorma has been with Krang for a while now. Originally she had agreed to marry him in exchange for saving Namor’s life. Namor doesn’t know this and is mad at Dorma for betraying him. Krang keeps trying to kill Namor anyway, and Dorma keeps staying with him, so it’s all a bit confusing.
Also confusing that Number One blames Hulk for the destruction of the Secret Empire, when the Hulk had nothing to do with it. It was a combination of internal strife and infiltration by Gabe Jones of SHIELD that took them down.
