Tales of Suspense #73, Story B

Where Walks the Sleeper!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 cents
Spellbinding script by Stan Lee!
Spectacular layouts by Jack Kirby!
Sensational pencilling and scintillating delineation by George Tuska!
Stereophonic lettering by A. Simek!
10 pages

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Tales of Suspense #73Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #74

I’ve seen the First Sleeper– and this is the Second! What can the Third be like??

Part 2 of a 3-part saga. 20 years to the day since the death of the Red Skull amidst the fall of Berlin in World War II. Red Skull’s revenge is 3 giant robots that will awaken and destroy the world. Last issue, the first one awoke. This issue… the second.

This one flies! Even though the story’s title is ironically, “Where Walks the Sleeper”.

And the two Sleepers join up to form an even bigger robot!

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Tales of Suspense #72, Story B

The Sleeper Shall Awake!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, sultan of script!
Jack Kirby, lord of layout!
George Tuska, archduke of art!
Sam Rosen, tired of lettering!
10 pages

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Captain Atom #78INTERLUDE
Amazing Spider-Man #33Reading orderTales of Suspense #73
Tales of Suspense #72Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #73

You’re too late! You can’t… threaten me… now! There are three sleepers… and… when they awake… the Third Reich will rise again!

The story’s title is, “The Sleeper Shall Awake!”

Coincidentally the exact thing my cat says to me every morning when she wants breakfast.

While I would prefer to read whole comics at once, we read the first half of the issue a little bit earlier, because the Captain America and Iron Man stories of this issue align differently with the Avengers series.

This marks a turning point in Captain America’s adventures, as we’d spent the last several issues focused on Captain America’s adventures in World War II, which don’t create any editorial headaches regarding continuity with Cap’s appearances in Avengers. But now Stan claims readers have demanded modern Cap stories.

So we jump back to the present and see Cap relating the Greymoor Castle saga of last issue to the Avengers. They even answer some plot questions about the story.

Bewilderingly, Hawkeye did not know Bucky was dead.

And then is quite insensitive about it. “It happened more than 20 years ago!” Two notes. It was less than 20 years. Captain America slept for most of those.

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Fantastic Four #47

Beware the Hidden Land!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 11, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Joe Sinnott
Lettering: Art Simek
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #46Fantastic FourFantastic Four #48

If ya got a few spare minutes, it’s time fer us ‘ta save humanity again!

All Johnny can think about is Crystal. Guess we’re over Dorrie. Also, a man is dying. Luckily, Sue is there to point out Triton needs to get to water immediately. Johnny’s head is elsewhere. He’s only thinking with his, let’s say, heart.

The Great Refuge is the home of the Inhumans. They are ruled by Maximus the Magnificent. He had ordered the Seeker to return the others, such as Triton. He had ordered Gorgon to bring Medusa to the Great Refuge. He wanted Medusa back so he could marry her.

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Fantastic Four #46

Those Who Would Destroy Us!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 cents
Story by our leader, Stan Lee
Illustrations by our idol, Jack Kirby
Inking by our star, Joe Sinnott
Lettering by our letterer, Artie Simek
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #45Fantastic FourFantastic Four #47

Although I die– I die– free!

Who is Black Bolt? He’s fast. He’s strong. Strong enough to stagger the Thing with one blow. The antenna on his mask converts electrons into his strength and speed.

He doesn’t speak.

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Fantastic Four #45

Among Us Hide… The Inhumans

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Incredible story by: Stan Lee!
Incomparable pencilling by: Jack Kirby!
Invincible inking by: Joe Sinnott!
Inevitable lettering by: Artie Simek!
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #44Fantastic FourFantastic Four #46

I know how it feels to be a misfit– to haveta depend on your strength– because you aint got anythin’ else to offer anyone!

This is an incredible moment in Marvel’s history. The same month that introduces the Inhumans, the Eternity Saga comes to a climax as Dr. Strange engages Baron Mordo in final battle. And the Master Planner Saga begins in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. (We’ll read that story right after this one.)

Plus X-Men meet the Sentinels; SHIELD vs. Hydra; Odin vs. Absorbing Man. These coming months are the best period in Marvel’s history.

Gorgon has captured Medusa. Dragon Man has captured Sue. The remaining FF members are caught in a collapsing building caused by Gorgon’s shock wave kick.

Thing seems particularly down on himself: “I’ve been nothin’ but a thorn in yer sides for months anyway!” In fairness, he did quit the team and join the Frightful Four.

The Torch too. “I failed you–both of you–when you needed me the most!” Quite the pity party here.

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Fantastic Four #44

The Gentleman’s Name is Gorgon!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Dreamed up by: Stan Lee
Sketched down by: Jack Kirby
Inked in by: Joe Sinnott
Lettered around by: S. Rosen
20 pages

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Avengers #25Reading orderFantastic Four #45
Fantastic Four #43Fantastic FourFantastic Four #45

I’ve had enough of this domestic bliss bit! Hanging around here is like being on the set of Ozzie and Harriet!

“The world’s greatest comic magazine!” That’s what is says on the cover. Despite being a comic not as good as the company’s own Dr. Strange or Spider-Man stories. But it’s always been one of Marvel’s best comics and has gotten continually better. We’ve noted assorted leaps forward in quality, such as in issues 13, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39… At some point, we enter into the great era of Fantastic Four. And if we weren’t there already, we’re definitely there now.

One missing ingredient was Joe Sinnott on inks. Often cited as Kirby’s best inker. He’s not entirely new, as he inked the introduction of Dr. Doom back in issue 5. He’d also been the regular artist on Thor for a bit, but did a pretty terrible job. He later recalled in interviews that he hadn’t realized at the time anybody expected these comics to be good. He took the Thor assignment as a job to churn out some disposable work. He seems to take this Fantastic Four assignment more seriously.

Why are Joe’s inks special?

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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 BStrange TalesStrange 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.

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Strange Tales #140

The End of Hydra!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 pages
Senses-shattering story by: Stan Lee
Power-packed presentation by: Jack Kirby
Drama-drenched drawing by: Don Heck
Dreamy-designed delineation by: Joe Sinnott
Booboo-bulging balloons by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #139, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #140, Story B

Mankind cannot live in fear of Hydra! In the name of SHIELD… in the name of universal freedom… I cannot fail!

Kirby. Heck. Sinnott. That’s a lot of artists to draw 12 pages of comic. (A heck of a lot.)

“Booboo-bulging balloons” took a bit of deciphering. I think Stan’s claiming the letterer makes a lot of mistakes. The word balloons are bulging fit to burst with mistakes.

Hydra could have served as a looming background threat for some time to come. But they decided it was time to settle it up. This is part 6 of the “Hydra Saga”. SHIELD agents are swarming Hydra’s headquarters for the final battle.

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Strange Tales #139

The Brave Die Hard!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Sensationally written by: Stan Lee
Spectacularly laid-out by: Jack Kirby
Superbly illustrated by: Joe Sinnott
Silently lettered by: Artie Simek
12 pages

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Strange Tales #138, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #139, Story B

You know that no insurance company would give a policy to a SHIELD man! There’s only one thing we won’t die of– and that’s old age!

I think you can tell at a glance my copy of this comic has seen better days.

The cover’s an interesting gimmick. It’s mostly just the first page of the issue, but then it has Dr. Strange holding the page. The caption tells us, “Amost everybody reads SHIELD!”

The Dr. Strange figure is drawn by Marie Severin, sister of John Severin, who drew the last couple issues of SHIELD. She’s been doing staff work at Marvel, but will soon enough be chosen to draw Dr. Strange herself.

You kind of get the sense that they didn’t have a cover at all, and this got thrown together by staff. But they get a nice test run for Ms. Severin on the Doctor.

The story opens with Nick Fury in outer space being pursued by…err… that… thing.

Ah, he’s being subjected to some virtual reality thing designed to pry from his mind the secrets of Stark’s new weapon, the, err, braino-saur.

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Strange Tales #138

Sometime the Good Guys Lose!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee, sultan of script!
Laid out by: Jack Kirby, master of melodrama!
Drawn by: Johnny Severin, archduke of art!
Lettered by: S. Rosen, prince of penmanship!
12 pages

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Strange Tales #137, Story BReading orderStrange Tales #138, Story B
Strange Tales #137, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #138, Story B

And knock off that “Colonel” jazz, Mister! I keep thinkin’ ya mean someone else!

Nick Fury gets the cover again, even though the Dr. Strange story is one of the single greatest issues of all time.

Last issue, we watched three SHIELD agents sacrifice their lives in an attempt to find Hydra’s Betatron Bomb. Nick reflects on that as he realizes they are just moments too late to prevent the launch. And Hydra can now hold the world hostage.

Even Hydra has an org chart in every presentation.

Tony Stark has a secret invention which can help, but before he shows it to Fury, Hydra attacks the Stark plant. Tony is able to save himself, but not Fury, who is captured by Hydra.

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