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Journey Into Mystery #120

With My Hammer in Hand!

Featuring: Thor
Release: July 1, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Written in the fire of inspiration by: Stan Lee
Drawn in the flame of dedication by: Jack Kirby
Inked in the heat of devotion by: Vince Colletta
Lettered in the other room by: Artie Simek
16 pages

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Sgt. Fury Annual 1	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #120, Story B
Journey Into Mystery #119, Story B	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #120, Story B

There! It is done! My hammer can strike once more!

Continuity. How do these many titles all fit together? At present, Thor is the character making it the most difficult. It’s been over 6 issues since his title has given him a chance to breathe, yet we squeezed his last Avengers adventure in there somehow. We’re going to have to squeeze in a wedding somewhere. By the time of the wedding, his hammer should be intact, and he should have formally resigned from the Avengers.

At present, his hammer is broken and he is not yet aware of the new Avengers.

There will be difficulties and contradictions to come, so just remember where we are. Loki cheated in the Trial of the Gods. Thor must get the Norn Stones to Odin as proof. En route, he encountered the Destroyer, who destroyed his hammer. Loki has been punished and sentenced to serve Ularic for his role in awakening the Destroyer. Prior to the Trial of the Gods, Thor had defeated the Absorbing Man by turning him into helium and sending him drifting into space. Somewhere in all that, he also fought the Viet Cong and joined the Avengers against the Masters of Evil. He has not been in contact with the Avengers since that battle, and much has changed. He has not returned to Asgard since the Trial of the Gods.

We open with Thor at a Pittsburgh factory, repairing his hammer. I would have guessed more mystical means would be needed. With Dwarves or such. Maybe Pittsburgh is more mystical than I think. (I have at least one regular reader from Pittsburgh; perhaps he can tell me.)

Tales to Astonish #74, Story B

The Wisdom of the Watcher!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: September 2, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Dreamed up by: Stan Lee!
Designed by: Jack Kirby!
Drawn by: Bob Powell!
Delineated by: Mickey Demeo!
Doodled by: S. Rosen
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #74	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #75
Tales to Astonish #74	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #75

I am the Watcher! That is enough! That answers all!

Tales of Suspense #60 was released in September 1964, a full year earlier. That began Marvel’s first extended saga. The threat of the Leader has united the disparate threads and arcs from that issue until this one. At the time, Marvel stories were self-contained things. Just a few years earlier, they tended to fit into under 10 pages. The full-issue 20-page long Fantastic Four epics stood out in their length. Since then we’ve had the occasional 2-part arc, often two standalone issues that tie together. Because Dr. Octopus or Dr. Doom hadn’t quite been defeated in the previous issue.

This month, Dr. Strange begins a proper 2-part arc against Dormammu. About 4 months after the debut of Tales of Suspense #60, Thor’s title followed suit. Journey Into Mystery #114 moved away from discrete stories to a series of interconnected threads, which we are still untangling 6 issues later and nowhere near done with. Three months later, Dr. Strange’s story (also by Ditko) would follow suit, beginning a 17-part saga we are almost ready to sit down to read.

Thor and Dr. Strange have the benefit of a consistent creative team. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta have brought consistency to Thor, just as Lee and Ditko have with Dr. Strange.

This saga opened with a variety of artists attempting the impossible task of inking Ditko before Kirby took over again briefly, before moving to the current state where Kirby does the layouts for another artist to fill in with art. Too many artists across these 15 issues. No consistency of anything.

Let’s review the story so far. It began with an unnamed spy stealing a robotic suit of armor Banner had designed for the military. Hulk dealt with the robot, but found himself a prisoner of General Ross. Meanwhile, Major Talbot joined the base with the express intention of learning Banner’s secrets, and also possibly stealing Betty’s heart. Then Chameleon attacks the base, working for the mysterious Leader, whose face we don’t see. We learn the spy from the previous issues had also been an agent of the Leader. See how the loose connections work? We finally meet the Leader, and learn he is also a victim of a Gamma-based accident, which gave him green skin and a powerful mind. He has created something called the Humanoid, which he sends against the Hulk. Rick reveals Hulk’s secret to the President to clear Bruce’s name. When Banner is conducting his next military experiment, more Humanoids attack. In the wake of the battle, he finds himself a prisoner aboard a Soviet sub and taken behind the Red Curtain. His adventures there don’t have much to do with the Leader, but it spins directly out of and into confrontations with the Leader. There’s always a cliffhanger to tie the arcs together. Hulk breaks free of the Soviets and ends up in Mongolia. And soon becomes a prisoner of the Leader. The military raid the Leader’s complex and shoot and kill Banner. By transforming into Hulk and staying that way, Hulk is able to stay alive. But then the military raid Hulk’s lab and he has no choice but to turn to the Leader for help. This time, Hulk willingly joins the Leader. The Leader sends Hulk to the planet of the Watcher to steal the Ultimate Machine. But first he will have to battle the most powerful creature in the galaxy.

Whew. That’s almost a story. Let’s see how it all ends.

Hulk is famous for battling monsters. But he hasn’t had much of a chance to yet in his career, usually facing off against the US military. Here we go. Finally. A Hulk-sized foe for the Hulk.

The Watcher relocates their battle to a barren land. While this might seem like an act of interference from one forbidden to interfere, there’s an explanation…

Tales to Astonish #73, Story B

Another World, Another Foe!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: August 3, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
You’ll never forget Stan Lee’s script!
You’ll never forget Jack Kirby’s layouts!
You’ll never forget Bob Powell’s art!
You’ll never forget Artie Simek’s –eh– let’s see now, what did Artie do?
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #73	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #74
Tales to Astonish #73	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #74

I’m no good to anyone– including myself! The world hates me– fears me–

Mike Esposito has drawn the last few issues over Kirby’s layouts. This time the art goes to Bob Powell, a semi-regular name by this point. Powell brings a distinctive level of details to Hulk’s facial expressions. The failure to find a consistent creative team over this extended story arc is one of the things keeping Hulk from greatness. It would have been better if Ditko could have stayed on, but he clearly never had his heart in this title. Still, the work Ditko phoned in was enough to lay a foundation for the character that writers have spent decades building on.

Notice these need longer and longer exposition boxes at the beginning to explain the plot so far. Hulk is about to turn back into Banner, at which point the bullet in his brain will kill him. But he is also helpless against the Leader’s Humanoids.

Tales to Astonish #72, Story B

Within the Monster Dwells a Man!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: July 1, 1965
Cover: October 1965
12 cents
Thrills, as only Stan Lee’s story can provide them!
Power, as only Jack Kirby’s layouts can create it!
Drama, as only Mickey Demeo’s artwork can present it!
Sound effects, as only Sam Rosen’s pen point can letter them!
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #72	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #73
Tales to Astonish #72	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #73

I mustn’t change… I won’t let myself change…!! For… if I change… I die!!

Where were we. Banner has a bullet in his brain. Only alive so long as he stays in Hulk form. He has Banner’s intelligence, but his personality seems darker, more like Hulk’s. The equipment he needs to maintain his Hulk state is in his secret lab, which has been uncovered by the military, who are closing in.

His only way out is to accept an offer of help from his enemy, the Leader.

The Leader is Hulk’s opposite. Both exposed to gamma radiation, Hulk received the world’s most powerful body, while Leader received the world’s most powerful brain. Together, they could be unstoppable.

The Leader transforms Hulk into electro-waves to transport him to Italy. “Matter-portation”, he calls it. Star Trek premieres next year; did the writers read this comic?

I appreciate the Leader’s science experiments; they’ll get this story a higher score. His ambition is to create a new life.

He secretly exposed Hulk to a gas that he himself has built up an immunity to. Similar to what one might do with iocaine powder.

Tales to Astonish #71, Story B

Like a Beast at Bay!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: June 1, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Stunning story: Stan Lee
Lavish layouts: Jack Kirby
Awesome art: Mickey Demeo
Luscious lettering: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Tales to Astonish #71	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #72
Tales to Astonish #71	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #72

Don’t ever call me “Doc”! Dr. Banner is dead! From now on, I’m just the Hulk!

Notice Kirby is only credited with layouts. Mike Esposito (alias Mickey Demeo) is the credited artist.

We get a scene with a poetic callback, perhaps intentional. Rick rushes into the path of a blast to save Hulk just as Banner had once raced into the path of an explosion to save Rick.

Are they using nuclear weapons on American soil? That seems like a big deal. Oh, I guess this is a “clean bomb”, which leaves no radioactive fallout. I feel better, I guess.

The new status quo is pretty confusing. Hulk apparently has Banner’s mind, but also insists Banner is dead. And his speech reminds us more of Hulk’s.

Tales to Astonish #70, Story B

To Live Again!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: May 4, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Take a Stan Lee story,
add Jack Kirby artwork,
mix with Mickey Demeo inking,
and Artie Simek lettering…
Presto! Instant confusion!
10 pages

Previous	#380	Next
Tales to Astonish #70	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #71
Tales to Astonish #70	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #71

And the madder I get, the stronger I get–!

A little surprising this series is continuing since last issue ended with Bruce Banner dead. But then, the title of this issue is “To Live Again!” So maybe we shouldn’t give up on him.

We’d probably have gotten around to this story sooner if I hadn’t just assumed he was dead and it was over. Now I’m beginning to think this Hulk guy is Immortal.

Plus, the threat of the Leader still looms.

Are we going back to the days of the constantly changing status quos for Hulk? We’d been able to hold on to this one for an entire dozen issues. Now we’re back to: always Hulk, Banner’s mind. Perhaps all creators except for Ditko struggle with how to deal with a non-heroic protagonist.

Journey Into Mystery Annual 1

When Titans Clash!

Featuring: Thor
Release: June 1, 1965
Cover: 1965
25 cents
Mighty story by: Stan Lee
Majestic art by: Jack Kirby
Masterful inking by: Vince Colletta
Mostly lettered by: Sam Rosen
15 pages

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Mystic #39, Story B	PRELUDE
Daredevil #9	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #28

Thus, the Thunder God falls.. for time without end.. through a vast void of heavy nothingness… of shimmering energy barriers and mystic space disrupters…

This is the first Thor Annual. Your 25 cents is mostly buying you reprint stories. But you also get a 15 page new Thor story, which is perhaps more properly a Tales of Asgard story, focused as it is on an early adventure of Thor. In those tales, Loki is always scheming to kill him, but Thor seems blissfully unaware.

We’ve reviewed some early history of Hercules and Zeus. Marvel introduced a gigantic superhero named for Hercules then weeks later introduced a comedic hero named Little Hercules. A mythologically-confused version of Hercules gave his powers to Marvel Boy in 1940 and then to another Marvel Boy in 1943. Tommy Tyme witnessed the mythological Hercules’ legendary battle against Antaeus, which bore quite the resemblance to a Thor story we read where he battled Sigurd.

Jupiter was a recurring character in Venus, and the Jupiter of Roman myth is very similar to the Zeus of Greek myth. We saw Zeus unleash a Fury in a 1955 fantasy story. We know Zeus had given Pandora her box from a 1961 Tales of Suspense story. And that Pandora’s Box was later used by the Sorcerer to menace Johnny Storm. In the early days of our reading, we read a weird tale where Zeus came to Earth to prove his power, and was offered movie deals.

But those appearances of Hercules and Zeus are not necessarily part of our canon. This issue represents the proper Marvel Universe introductions of Hercules and Zeus.

PRELUDE: Daring Mystery Comics #6

Introducing– Marvel Boy

Featuring: Marvel Boy
Release: June 15, 1940
Cover: September 1940
10 cents
10 pages

Previous		Next
Daring Mystery Comics #5, Story H	PRELUDE	USA Comics #7, Story C
Daredevil #9	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery Annual 1

Do not be sad, for I do not really leave you– I shall be back– when America needs me the most–

Well, that’s an unfortunately racist cover from Jack Kirby and Joe Simon.

When we met Marvel Girl in X-Men #1, we took the excuse to meet Marvel Boy from 1950. That was actually not Marvel’s first character named Marvel Boy, and perhaps we should have met the other(s) then. We didn’t.

We’ll read about him/them now due to his/their connections to Hercules. (Join me in the next post to see why I seem so confused about singular vs. plural pronouns.)

This Marvel Boy is a creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, before the same team created Captain America, and before Jack Kirby and various collaborators would go on to create… a lot of famous superheroes.

I think there is a case to be made this might be Kirby’s first superhero co-creation, which makes Marvel Boy quite notable in itself. Moreso because you can see elements that made their way into Captain America, including the basic mask shape, the boots and gloves, using Hitler as an enemy.

Two notes against that point. Kirby had previously co-created with Martin Burstein the feature “Mercury in the 20th Century”. This was about the classic god Mercury. Not precisely a superhero, but if Thor counts, perhaps he should too. (We’ll probably read that Mercury story in the near future when we are ready to meet Pluto.)

That same issue introduced Jack Kirby’s science fiction hero Comet Pierce. In the Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers mold. Again, not exactly a superhero.

Marvel Boy is Kirby’s first standard superhero co-creation.

Except the second note is I have no idea who created Marvel Boy. Harry Mendryk explains the creation of this issue as follows on the Kirby Museum blog. He credits Joe Simon with the initial 3 pages which introduce the character and lay out his origin, and then Kirby with the rest. It’s thus quite possible that Joe Simon created the character on his own, and then gave the partially completed issue to Kirby to finish.

Often, history doesn’t tell us with much certainty what the division of labor going into an issue was. So I usually find it easiest to credit the writers and artists of a character’s inaugural issue as co-creators. By my normal intentionally naive standards, I would say Marvel Boy was a co-creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

But there is probably room for disagreement and assertion this was a Joe Simon creation.

The character only lasts one issue, though there is a sort-of revival 3 years later we will consider in the next post.

I’ve expressed before my opinion that initials are generally the worst logo for a superhero uniform. Imagine that chest with a better logo, like say a star. And imagine he wore pants. Now lose the cape and add some little wings to the cap. You’re getting closer to a good superhero design.

Fantastic Four #43

Lo! There Shall Be an Ending!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: July 8, 1965
Cover: October 1965
12 cents
Daringly written by Stan lee
Dazzlingly drawn by Jack Kirby
Dramatically inked by Vince Colletta
Docily lettered by Artie Simek
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #42	Reading order	Daredevil #9
Fantastic Four #42	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #44

You thought you were the equal of the Fantastic Four– and nobody is!

Another great cover, and showing off Kirby’s versatility. Last issue had a cover beautiful in its simplicity, focused on two men locked in combat. Now we see a lot of complexity, that intricate machinery Kirby is so famous for drawing, but where the complexity frames the emotion of a defeated Fantastic Four.

When we left off, the Frightful Four had brainwashed Ben and Johnny into joining them. Now it’s up to Reed and Sue to fight off 6 enemies and restore their teammates’ minds. The startling conclusion of a 3-part battle.

Fantastic Four #42

To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: June 8, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Produced by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inking: V. Colletta
Lettering: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#373	Next
Fantastic Four #41	Reading order	Fantastic Four #43
Fantastic Four #41	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #43

I am to blame for what happened to him! I can never escape that responsibility!!

Pretty awesome cover.

Last issue ended with Thing about to kill a helpless Mr. Fantastic. Let’s see what happens.

While his back is glued to the board, Reed’s plan of attack is to expand his belly. I didn’t need super powers to be able to do that.