marvel universe – Page 58 – Coke ⊕ Comics

The X-Men #3

Beware of the Blob!

Featuring: X-Men
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Paul Reinman
24 pages

Before we start dissecting the bizarreness of this comic, I’d like to draw attention to the cool title font. Hat tip I presume goes to Art Simek.

I have a bit of difficulty assessing this issue. I can see two different stories: the one on the page, and the one Stan meant to write. In the story Stan meant to write, he failed miserably. I am confident he meant to portray Professor X and the X-Men as virtuous heroes. But any reasonable reading of the issue shows them to be the villains. That latter interpretation is interesting to me, but clearly not intentional.

This issue makes clear that Professor X and the X-Men have questionable ethics, though I don’t think Stan intended it that way. He just didn’t think it through. But later writers will look to stories like this as evidence that Professor X has a dark side.

Sgt. Fury #5

At the Mercy of Baron Strucker

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Ex-Sgt. Stan Lee, U.S. Army
Illustrated by: Ex-Infantryman Jack Kirby, U.S. Army
Inked by: G. Bell
23 pages

Last issue gave us the death of a Howler. The series hasn’t forgotten that, and the opening of the issue shows Sgt. Fury processing the death of Junior Juniper in his own way.

They also haven’t forgotten about the girl Nick met last issue. We see the Sergeant and Lady Hawley on a date. She encourages more gentlemanly behavior on his part. They seem to be an item.

Journey Into Mystery #100, Story C

The Storm Giants!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: P. Reinman
5 pages

We continue with the anniversary issue of Journey Into Mystery. There is the main Thor tale, then a prose story, a sci/fi tale, and this, a story from Thor’s childhood. We get an extra subtitle for the feature: “Tales of Asgard, Home of the Mighty Norse Gods!: The Boyhood of Thor”.

Up until this point, the series had focused on the earliest days of creation, with Odin as the main star, prior to the birth of Thor. We jump forward in time now to Thor’s childhood.

Journey Into Mystery #100

The Master Plan of Mr. Hyde!

Featuring: Thor
Release: November 5, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Don Heck
13 pages

Congratulations to Journey Into Mystery on reaching 100 issues. The cover doesn’t see this milestone as something worth making a big deal out of. Nor does the story. This is just another Thor story, as far as I can tell.

For contrast, check out Superman #100 from almost a decade earlier. They seemed proud to reach 100.

Let’s celebrate the milestone by briefly reviewing the history of the title and peeking into its future.

Journey Into Mystery #99

The Mysterious Mr. Hyde!

Featuring: Thor
Release: October 1, 1963
Cover: December 1963
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Don Heck
13 pages

Yes, we are jumping back in time a week. This begins a two-part story, so I wanted to get #99-100 together. The CMRO actually puts the Thor stories from each issue together, and then goes back to the “Tales of Asgard” stories from 99-100. I think I’m going to treat reading a whole issue at once as the more important consideration. Of course, I will eventually break that rule. So the plan is to read the whole of Journey Into Mystery #99 followed by the whole of #100, even though that inserts a Tales of Asgard story in the middle of Thor’s battle with Mr. Hyde.

Marvel’s already had a few characters inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hulk is the most famous one, but his character arc has so far been a rambling mess. Lizard did it well, though it made the character of Curt Connors far more sympathetic than Stevenson made Dr. Jekyll.

Now, we get an explicit reference with a villain named Mr. Hyde. Calvin Zabo is written as even less sympathetic than Dr. Jekyll. He is a straightforward super-villain who transforms himself into Mr. Hyde to commit crimes.

Strange Tales #116, Story B

Return to the Nightmare World!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 8, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko
8 pages

Since when is 8 pages feature-length?

We see Dr. Strange and Nightmare go at it again. Nightmare is the ruler of the Dream Dimension. He has found a way to put some humans into an endless sleep, which will trap them as his prisoners.

This greatly reminds me of the 1988 DC comic, Sandman #1, by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg. That tells the story of Sandman, also ruler of the dream dimension, and the plot of the issue involves a very similar sleeping sickness.

Strange Tales #116

The Human Torch In the Clutches of the Puppet Master!

Featuring: Human Torch
Release: October 8, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Dick Ayers
Inked by : Geo. Bell
13 pages

Can’t say I care much for the Ayers/Roussos team on art. Not sure what they’re doing in their rendering of the Thing.

Stan gives an acknowledgement this issue that the story is inspired by an idea from Tommy and Jimmy Goodkind. These were the children of a friend of Stan’s, who lived in his neighborhood.

Amazing Spider-Man #8, Story B

Spider-Man Tackles the Torch!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: Steve Ditko
6 pages

This is Kirby’s third comic story featuring Spider-Man. All 3 have had Ditko on inks. Of course, he also drew the cover of Spider-Man’s first appearance. Also with Ditko on inks.

This is a pretty slight story. A piece of frivolity squeezed into the back of an issue. Spider-Man and Human Torch annoy each other.

Their antics lead to Spider-Man fighting with Mr. Fantastic and Thing as well. Fighting is what superheroes do when they meet.

Amazing Spider-Man #8

The Living Brain!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: October 8, 1964
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko
17 pages

The cover calls this a special “Tribute-to-Teen-Agers” issue. I don’t really appreciate the significance of that. There are teenagers in this issue, and most issues of Amazing Spider-Man, a series which stars a teenager.

Significant couple panels. Last time Peter will wear glasses. The implication is that his spider-powers fixed his eyesight, but he’s continued to wear them anyway.

Fantastic Four #22

The Return of the Mole Man!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: October 8, 1963
Cover: January 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inked by: G. Bell
22 pages

Happy birthday, Mom!

Lee and Kirby put their heads together to solve a problem that’s plagued this series since the beginning: Sue.

Readers have written in to complain. Lee and Kirby even had Reed and Ben respond in-story to their complaints. They listed everything Sue had accomplished with her powers, but also compared her importance to that of Lincoln’s mother and claimed her place was to help morale. Stan even had a poll as to whether she should even stay on the team. Readers voted overwhelmingly in her favor.

But there are genuine problems with her, at least 3. The first is that Lee is very bad at writing female characters. Not sure how to fix that. Maybe hire a single female writer or artist? Perhaps you could lure Ramona Fradon away from DC. There’s a woman named Marie Severin who I think is presently working on the production end of your comics. Perhaps she could help.

The second is that all the female characters feel like tokens. They have 3 superhero teams, each with precisely one female character. The Avengers are four extremely powerful males and a woman the size of a wasp. They will soon introduce the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, again with one female. When we get an all-new team of Avengers in a dozen issues, it will again consist of exactly one female. This is a clear problem with their titles.

The final problem is her powers. Invisibility can be handy, but its uses in a fight are limited. It’s just not a very offensive power.

It’s this final problem they tackle this issue. They will expand the limits of her invisibility powers to actually make her a formidable fighter. This is a good step in the right direction.