No credits are given. The story is by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella.
The cover is another cover in sequential art panel format. We’ve seen very few of those. Amazing Spider-Man #4 a rare exception.
Joker’s plot is to pretend to be a movie producer making movies about fake crimes that are actually real crimes being filmed. Mr. Fear had a basically identical plan in Daredevil #6, released 5 months earlier. I pointed out then that filming your crimes is a bad idea.
Joker is writing, directing, producing, and starring in all these films. His first role is as the Tramp robbing a bank.
Featuring: Captain America Release: May 11, 1965 Cover August 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Artist: Jack Kirby Inker: Frank Ray Letterer: Sam Rosen 10 pages
The story’s title, “The Sentinel and the Spy”, seems to refer to Captain America’s nickname, “The Sentinel of Liberty”. It’s not clear to me how established that nickname is at this point. It’s been associated with the character since his first appearance in 1941, as the Sentinels of Liberty was the name of his fan club.
At the end of last issue, Cap still seemed to be brainwashed, but he’s snapped out of it by the opening splash page.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: May 11, 1965 Cover August 1965 12 cents Edited by: Stan Lee (who hasn’t slept since!) Written by: Al Hartley (who could never sleep!) Art by: Don Heck (who was under sedation!) Inked by: Mickey Demeo (who couldn’t have visitors!) Lettered by: Sam Rosen (who knows!) 12 pages
This is the third Al Hartley story we’ve read. He wrote last month’s Giant-Man finale and drew a Thor story way back. He is a Marvel regular, just normally on the humor titles this blog hasn’t focused on.
We can still count on one hand the number of stories Stan hasn’t claimed writing credit on. But he gets his name at the top of the credits anyway.
From the title page, this almost seems like the same story as last issue. Last issue, Count Nefaria took over Iron Man’s dreams to make him fight visions of his enemies. Now it looks like Iron Man is seeing visions again. Turn the page, and we learn Count Nefaria is involved again.
Featuring: Captain America Release: April 8, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Story and art by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Inking: Frank Ray Lettering: Artie Simek 10 pages
Featuring: Iron Man Release: April 8, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Written by our roguish writer: Stan Lee Pencilled by our prankish penciller: Don Heck Inked by our impish inker: Mickey Demeo Lettered by our other letter: S. Rosen 12 pages
The drama from last issue continues. Happy has quit; Pepper is sad; she blames Iron Man.
Count Nefaria of the Maggia returns, but with a new gimmick and identity. He now calls himself the Master of Dreams. Perhaps also Dream-Maker or Dream-Master; Stan can’t decide from one page to the next. He controls Iron Man’s dreams and sends old foes against him; if Iron Man dies in the dream, he will die.
Featuring: Captain America Release: March 11, 1965 Cover: June 1965 12 cents By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Inked by: Chic Stone Lettered by: Artie Simek 10 pages
We’ve been very slowly saying goodbye to Chic Stone, as this represents his last month with Marvel. So we’ve seen his last work on many titles already. This is his final Captain America Story. He is Kirby’s best inker on these books so far, for my money. And he will be missed.
These Captain America stories have been set in his early days. The last three issues retold stories from Captain America Comics #1, with last issue retelling the introduction of the Red Skull (and making it really lame). This issue offers a new Red Skull story. At last we learn his origin.
In the original story, Red Skull was revealed to be American industrialist George Maxon. Last issue played out similarly, (though now he was John instead of George), but it added that Red Skull was not the real Maxon. He had killed Maxon and was impersonating him. That leaves room for his new origin here. As we’ve noted before, for my purposes we are treating the post-1961 stories as canonical for this Marvel Universe. The 1940s Marvel canon is separate. So the origin of the Red Skull is what gets told here. He is not Maxon.
We learn in this issue that he had also not been impersonating Maxon. That was someone pretending to be the Red Skull pretending to be Maxon. Yeesh. And apparently Captain America is desperate to hunt down the real Red Skull based on the crimes of a fake Red Skull. Maybe?
Will the real Red Skull please stand up?
The story opens with Captain America a prisoner of the Skull. That is not where the last issue left off at all. Perhaps they will fill us in how we got here.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: March 11, 1965 Cover: June 1965 12 cents Written in the Marvel tradition of greatness by Stan Lee Illustrated in the Marvel tradition of grandeur by Don Heck Inked in the Marvel tradition of drama by Mickey Demeo Lettered in the coziest corner of the room by Sam Rosen 12 pages
Due to circumstance, I lost the write-up for this particular story I had completed. I’m not a big fan of the Iron Man stories, and I was just unenthusiastic about writing this entry again. Please excuse me if I do a poorer job than usual. I just kind of want to get through this one.
In particular, I feel like I’d previously worked out where Attuma ranks in a particular metric, and I’m not sure I care to recompute it; I’ll just go off the top of my head and let somebody correct me if I’m wrong. Iron Man is the third distinct hero Attuma has fought, after facing the Fantastic Four and Giant-Man and the Wasp. I think that might be a record?
We have to define ‘distinct’ a bit carefully. I think fighting a hero and the team that hero is on should only count as one: Sandman fought both the solo Human Torch and the Fantastic Four; Loki fought both Thor and the Avengers.
With that caveat, Attuma is only the second villain to fight three distinct heroes. The first being Chameleon, who has faced Spider-Man, Iron Man (along with the Avengers), and Hulk.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: March 11, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Dick Ayers Inker: Chic Stone Letterer: Artie Simek 20 pages
“Once again, sudden death claims another victim!” reads the cover.
The “once again” refers to Junior Juniper, the first Commando to fall in battle, all the way back in issue 4. Letting us know that this was a series with consquence. It wasn’t a sure thing our heroes would make it back after each mission.
Since then, they all have turned out okay. But let’s read on.
The art is credited to Ayers and Stone, but Jack Kirby was brought in to redraw most of the famous final sequence.
The issue begins in the middle of intense action. Sgt. Fury is in his fancy duds, clearly having been on a date that’s been interrupted by an air raid.
Featuring: Avengers Release: April 8, 1965 Cover: June 1965 12 cents Story by: Stan Lee (Who else?) Art by: Don Heck (Why not?) Inked by: Dick Ayers Lettered by: S. Rosen 20 pages
Here it is, the first outing of the New Avengers. How will they measure up to the old team? Lots of differences. In terms of power level, we’ve traded in a god and a man in a powerful suit of iron armor for a guy with a bow and arrows and a guy who runs fast. In terms of character strength, we’ve traded in four people who sustained their own features for 3 years now for three who have only been side characters. In terms of ethics, we’ve traded in four superheroes for three characters who were super-villains a month ago. Two members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and one lovesick Soviet stooge.
The opening tag refers to the team as the New Avengers, which is what I have always called them. Similarly if you hear me refer to the New X-Men, I probably mean the 1975 team.
It also lets us know the Avengers have begun the search for the Hulk. I’m not convinced they look very hard at all.
Featuring: Hulk Release: April 1, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Hulking story by: Stan Lee Hulksome art by: Jack Kirby Hulkish inking by: Mickey Demeo Hulkable lettering by: Art Simek 10 pages
This is the 10th chapter of the Leader Saga. For 9 issues, Leader has been lurking in the background, secretly behind various threats Hulk has faced. Now they finally meet.
This weird scene weird Hulk is being transported by magnetic waves is notable as it directly ties into Avengers #17, which we will read next.
