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: Hulk Release: October 11, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Story: Smilin’ Stan Lee Art: Big John Buscema Inks: Mighty Mickey D. Lettering: Adorable Artie S. 10 pages
“Have you gone mad?” “I hope so! It’s what I’m counting on!”
Every issue has a nickname for these creators. I claim the most enduring for Lee is Stan (The Man) Lee. Though I might guess that in our reading so far, Smilin’ Stan Lee is the most common nickname.
This is only John Buscema’s second month in his return to Marvel, and Stan has already found the nickname that will stick. Big John Buscema is the one I most associate with him.
Adorable Artie is also one of the more common ones. Stan loves his alliteration.
We left Hulk in Manhattan battling the Leader’s Hulk-Killer Humanoid. The Secret Empire is defeated. Boomerang is still up to stuff.
Though I’ve lived as the monstrous Hulk– I’ll die as Bruce Banner– I’ll die as– a man!
John Buscema still on art.
The Secret Empire stands defeated, but their agent Boomerang remains at large. The Orion Missile is heading for New York. Hulk leaped at the missile, and somehow this calmed him down. So now Bruce Banner is riding a missile.
The transformation here is really badly storyboarded; just Bruce one panel and Hulk the next. Stan compensates with narration to make up for the artistic failings. Come on, Big John!
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
Featuring: Fantastic Four Release: June 9, 1966 Cover: September 1966 12 cents Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee Art: Jolly Jack Kirby Inking: Jovial Joe Sinnott Lettering: Snarlin’ Sam Rosen 20 pages
My name is Prester John… and long have I travelled the world, seeking to unravel the mysteries of mankind! That is why men have ever called me… the Wanderer! And, the sights I beheld… the secrets upon which I stumbled… were far beyond description… yea, almost beyond belief itself… Can I ever forget those lonely mountain peaks from which I barely escaped with my life… after finding a savage race who thrived only in the land of endless snow…? And, I wonder if time has erased the glory of Cathay… where I witnessed the flight of giant projectiles… like roaring comets, soaring high into the heavens! Even madness did I encounter… such as the time I crossed the angry sea only to find a tribe who studied the stars… and who insanely proclaimed Earth to be round, like some great spinning egg shell! But, the greatest triump of my life was finding the fabled isle of Avalon! Avalon… hidden realm of miracles without end! Avalon… whose wizards created mighty machines which harnassed the natural forces of the universe!! Alas, that those same forces should have destroyed their own land… causing them to vanish forever from the sight of men!
Still in Wakanda, the Fantastic Four and Black Panther play a baseball game.
When Reed and Sue go off to “shmooze”, Ben exclaims, “What a revoltin’ development!” Not the first time he’s used the phrase in response to Reed and Sue going off to shmooze. We’d seen it before in Fantastic Four #35. Brian Cronin traces the evolution of the phrase from Life of Reily to Daffy Duck to Ben Grimm here.
Featuring: Everybody Release: August 21, 1996 Cover: October 1996 $2.95 Scintillating script by Stan Lee Prurient plot by Fabian Nicieza Pulse-pounding pencils by Sal Buscema, John Buscema, John Romita, Sr., Steve Ditko, Gene Colan, Marie Severin & Ron Frenz Incredible inks by Tom Palmer, Joe Sinnott, Terry Austin, Bill Reinhold, Marie Severin & Al Milgrom Kaleidoscopic colors by John Kalisz (with perfect page one and colossal cover coloring by Paul Becton) Lascivious letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft/ad Effervescent edits by Matt Idelson Aching assistant edits by Paul Tutrone Evil editing-in-chiefing by Bob Harras Very special thanks to: Mariano Nicieza, Darren Auck, Scott Koblish, Gil Kane, The Raiders, and the many terrific talents of the Mighty Marvel Bullpen Based on Fantastic Four Annual #3 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 48 pages
Just between us, Alicia– I’ve been ready ever since I met the man!
I’m not trying to include too many POSTLUDE entries, but don’t have a clear standard for when I do. Having a copy of the comic in my living room as opposed to in storage somewhere is a good motivator. Plus, I actively used this comic as a reference when making my Fantastic Four Annual post, in deciding who might have been present at the wedding but off-panel.
Heroes & Legends is a loving retelling of the wedding of Sue and Reed from 1996, by continuity nerd Fabian Nicieza with a rotating cast of classic artists and a script by Stan Lee.
We know Steve Ditko very well by this point. We’ve seen some early work of John Romita, but he’s just about to join our regular cast of artists. Gene Colan just started drawing Namor’s adventures. Marie Severin has been working behind the scenes, and we’ll see her artwork soon enough. We’ve already seen some artwork of her brother John. John and Sal Buscema will be shaking things up eventually, and Ron Frenz in the more distant future. We’ll see Tom Palmer soon enough. We’ve briefly met Joe Sinnott a couple times, but he’s just about to become a regular. I’d bemoaned he wasn’t the original inker on the annual. It came out just one month too early. The other inkers will be coming along later.
This tells the same story as the Fantastic Four Annual, but with over twice as many pages.
In a short while, we’ll also read Marvels #2, which includes yet another take on this wedding to contrast with these two takes.
We’ll compare the new comic to the original and note the artist on the new comic. The original art is all by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta. As noted above, for everything but the first page, John Kalisz did the colors in the new one.
The opening page deliberately mirrors the original.
New art by Sal Buscema & Tom Palmer with colors by Paul Becton
The big addition is a kid named Mark, a superhero fan who gets separated from his father in the commotion, and targeted by villains and saved by heroes. He serves as the centerpiece for this retelling.
