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!
…To Become an Avenger! Featuring: Spider-Man Release: August 2, 1966 Cover: November 1966 25 cents Smilin’ Stan Lee Layouts by Jazzy Johnny Romita Pencilin’ by Dashin’ Donnie Heck Inking’ by Mirthful Mickey Demeo Letterin’ by Adorable Artie Simek 21 pages
I can’t fight it any longer! I’ve got to follow my own destiny– and let the chips fall where they may! I must have been given my spider-power for a reason! Thor was right! I do have an obligation– to mankind!
This is a “King-Size Special”. Which Marvel will sometimes be calling their Annual issues.
It boasts “72 Big Pages”. Let’s do math. The story is actually a pretty normal-sized 21 pages, but they reprint two old Spider-Man stories (issues 11 and 12), which brings the total to 64 pages. What are the other 8 pages? A table of contents, and some ads. When they advertise 72 pages, they are advertising 7 pages of ads.
The first stories I ever read with Spider-Man were Transformers #3 and Avengers #317. In the Avengers saga, Spider-Man was offered membership in the Avengers, but when Spider-Man struggled to keep up on their space adventure, Captain America and Spider-Man both agreed membership wasn’t for him. Avengers was one of the first series I regularly followed, so I read Avengers #329 a year later, in which Spider-Man does officially join the Avengers. No explanation was given for why Cap and Spider-Man changed their mind. Avengers #329 is the first time he officially became an Avenger, but the arc in #314-317 was not the first time he came close. That is here.
The Avengers are an interesting grouping. They began as Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. All characters who had had solo (or duo) series. Left out of the Avengers were the Fantastic Four, already an established team, as well as Dr. Strange and Spider-Man. Behind the scenes, there seems a clear pattern that Kirby formed the Avengers from characters he had created, but left off the characters Ditko had created. They were soon joined by a revived old character of Kirby’s, Captain America.
When the original team disbanded, they needed replacements. Rather than turn to established loner superheroes like Daredevil, Dr. Strange, or Spider-Man, they sought out old enemies like Namor and Hulk, and accepted applications from reformed villains, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch.
The Avengers know Spider-Man, or at least of him. He teamed up with Giant-Man and Wasp in Tales to Astonish #57; Wasp hated him because wasps and spiders are natural enemies. Spider-Man briefly ran into the individual Avengers in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1. They fought a Spider-Man robot created by Kang in Avengers #11. And they were all guests at the wedding of Reed and Sue.
For his part, Spider-Man has mostly been a loner, but at the start of his career, he tried to join the Fantastic Four, only to learn they don’t pay a salary. You sometimes find yourself asking if things might have been different. What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four?
But the Avengers are funded by Tony Stark. Maybe they can afford to pay Spider-Man?
I think this is a really good comic, if we forgive some nonsense in the premise. Which we’ll get to.
It even has great art. Heck is the credited artist, and Romita is just credited with layouts, but a lot of Romita shines through, perhaps due in part to Esposito’s finishes. Layouts have been Heck’s biggest weakness as an artist.
Where does this fit in in Spider-Man’s story. The most important thing to note to me is that Peter Parker has the motorcycle he acquired in Amazing Spider-Man #41, so it’s after that. I think Amazing Spider-Man #41-43 read well as a story, united by arcs for the Rhino, Mary Jane, and John Jameson. So I didn’t care to break that up. Hence we are reading it after #43. This is where a lot of collections place it, including the Essential, Omnibus and Epic Collection. The Masterworks weirdly places it after issue 50. But I think the thinking there was just to put it at the end of one of their volumes and not worry about where it “goes”. The MCP wants it before issue 42, and the CMRO agrees, but that seems unnecessary when there are so many unresolved plot threads from issue 41 to deal with first.
“We’ve studied that photo of Spider-Man long enough” says Cap. How much was there to study in one photo? Detail-oriented heroes, I guess.
In the funniest line of any of these comics we’ve read, Hawkeye describes Spider-Man as “a real swinger”.
Captain America, famous for his tact, notes Hawkeye identifies with Spider-Man because they’ve both been outlaws.
The question before them is: Should Spider-Man be offered membership in the Avengers.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: May 10, 1966 Cover: August 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Layouts: Jack Kirby Pencils: Don Heck Inks: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Sam Rosen Weapons: Forbush Novelty Co. 12 pages
…we of AIM feel we simply cannot deal with such an unlettered oaf! We find his very appearance offensive! The idea of America’s highest-priority counter-espionage leader going around in his shirtsleeves… unshaven, unkempt, and making a mockery of your own language– shocking!
Shadowy organizations. These secret power-hungry cabals. Hydra had been the big one, but they fell to SHIELD in Strange Tales #141. The Secret Empire seemed to collapse from within in Tales to Astonish #83. An unnamed shadowy cabal was behind Batroc in Tales of Suspense #75. Not sure if they are connected to one of these others, or their own thing.
Most relevant is the organization called Them. We learned they had employed the Fixer in Strange Tales #145. In Tales of Suspense #78, Fury warns Captain America that Them is a group of scientists looking to overthrow the government. We see they have beekeeper-like uniforms and work for someone called the Imperator. They send a Chemical Android after Captain America.
AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a defense contractor looking to supply the US government weapons to make up for the shutdown of Stark Industries. Count Bornag Royale is their representative, and has claimed SHIELD needs someone more sophisticated than Nick Fury at its helm.
AIM and Them seem to be the same organization, with AIM the public-facing front. In Tales of Suspense #79, we see Them/AIM is responsible for the return of the Red Skull and the creation of the Cosmic Cube. Fortunately, Captain America dealt with both threats. Seemingly for good.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: July 7, 1966 Cover: October 1966 12 cents Stan Lee, writer John Romita, artist M. Demeo, inker Art Simek, letterer 20 pages
I realize now– we never had anything in common! It’s just that she was the first girl I ever thought i loved!
One of the great things Ditko did was come up with a seemingly endless stream of memorable and enduring villains for Spider-Man to fight. A good many were animal-themed: the Chameleon, the Vulture, Dr. Octopus, the Lizard, the Scorpion, and the lion-themed Kraven the Hunter.
Romita needs to score with a bold new villain in that vein. The Rhino suffices.
For much of the Ditko run, Aunt May had been trying to set Peter up with Aunt Anna’s niece, Mary Jane Watson. Peter never made time for that date, and we’ve still never even seen Mary Jane’s face. Now we learn Mary Jane is moving out of Aunt Anna’s to get her own place.
A lot of teenagers in that neighborhood living with elderly aunts. I wonder how long she’d lived across the street from Peter without him ever even glimpsing her.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: June 9, 1966 Cover: September 1966 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: John Romita Inker: Mickey Demeo Letterer: Sam Rosen 20 pages
And so, at long last– The Green Goblin will introduce himself– Take a look, Parker– a good, long look– It’s the last face Spider-Man will ever see– It’s the real face of the Green Goblin– the face of [SPOILER REDACTED]
Steve Ditko has officially left Marvel, which won’t leave me with too many other excuses to bring up Steve Ditko. However, this is the first issue of Spider-Man to not be drawn by Steve Ditko. Which is a fine excuse for bringing up Steve Ditko.
Among those interviewed was Steve’s younger brother, Patrick Ditko, who passed away just last month.
I’ve made no secret how much I love Steve Ditko’s work on Amazing Spider-Man, and have spent this blog clumsily trying to explain why over 38 issues worth of posts. Perhaps this characterization of Spider-Man from the Rolling Stone article gets to the core of how I see myself reflected in the character.
He lacked social skills.
A more charitable interpretation of my own character is perhaps found in their characterization of Steve Ditko as a man…
…who never fit into social norms, yet cultivated thriving relationships.
They go on.
Similar to how Peter Parker never lets loved ones get too close for fear it would put them in danger, Ditko compartmentalized his life, keeping work and family distinct to retain some power in a world that overwhelmed him. And the same way Spider-Man’s neuroticism makes him amazing, the traits that people marginalized Ditko for are what transformed comics forever.
…he had much more in common with his most popular co-creation, Spider-Man, especially his alter ego, Peter Parker. They had the same lanky build. Same comb-over. Same thick glasses. Same bumbling social skills. Ditko’s senior-yearbook photo could have been Parker’s. With their collared shirts and slacks, it looked as if they shopped at the same clothing store —
The late comics retailer Bob Beerbohm assembled this high school photo of Ditko next to high school Peter Parker. Perhaps there is a lot of Ditko in Peter.
So what then is Spider-Man without Steve Ditko? Is the series over?
In some sense, it is plainly not. We have here issue 39. Stan Lee continues to write the comic and has found a new artist to draw it (and probably soon to do most of the writing as well).
If issue 38 was the ending, it wasn’t a clean one. Lots unresolved. Betty is missing. Gwen and Peter are growing closer. Norman Osborn is up to some shady stuff. We never learned the secret of the Green Goblin.
Some say the reason Ditko left Spider-Man is because he and Stan disagreed over the secret of the Green Goblin. We’ll reflect on that at the end of the post.
For now, let’s see what life after Ditko looks like for the Amazing Spider-Man.
John Romita is on art. Unlike Ditko, he tends to draw good-looking people. His career in advertising taught him well to draw good-looking people.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: April 12, 1966 Cover: July 1966 12 cents Far-fetched script by Stan Lee Fantastic layouts by Jack Kirby Fabulous pencilling by Don Heck Fanciful inking by Mickey Demeo Freehand lettering by Sam Rosen 12 pages
We’re dealin’ with an outfit that can turn out artificial men to do any kinda job… just like Marvel can grind out comic books!
The word of late has been Them. Them financed the Fixer. Them sent a chemical android to attack Nick Fury and Captain America. Them consists of several brilliant scientists.
Spinning right out of the Captain America adventure, Nick Fury has traced that android to this swampland.
In a bit of bravado, and a wink at the other titles, Fury notes that SHIELD agents aren’t superheroes. They don’t always win.
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Designer: Jack Kirby Penciller: Don Heck Inker: Mickey Demeo Letterer: Sam Rosen Badge polisher: Irving Forbush 12 pages
A simple smoke grenade should do the job nicely in this instance… and it won’t cost the taxpayers as much as a noisy, explosive grenade! For we guardians of the public trust must ever have the average citizen’s interests close to our hearts!
Quite the opening page. Somewhat disturbing.
Curious if it inspired images in the modern horror series, Locke & Key.
Where were we? The Druid wants to destroy SHIELD for some reason. He pretends to have mystical powers, but technology underpins everything he does. Oh, and we just met the eager new recruit, Jasper Sitwell.
Featuring: Hulk Release: November 4, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Layout: Jack Kirby Pencilling: Scott Edward Inking: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Artie Simek 10 pages
Stay back!! Back!! You’re just a pack of men– but me, I’m the Hulk!
I like to think I know Marvel decently well, but I’ve never heard of Scott Edward. Usually means a regular DC artist is moonlighting at Marvel on the down low. Indeed, Scott Edward is the already legendary Gil Kane. He’s got some great work at Marvel ahead of him. Of course, Gil Kane isn’t actually his name either. His birth name is Eli Katz, but we all know him as Gil Kane.
But let’s see what he’s done in his 20+ years in comics before getting here. We technically did meet him as one of the artists working with Wood on Thunder AGENTS.
By this point in his career, his biggest claim to fame is the creation of the new Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.
As well as the new Atom, Ray Palmer.
Inks by Murphy Anderson
Arguably, the sleek stylish sci-fi looks of Gil Kane– along with those of Carmine Infantino– are what gave birth to DC’s Silver Age of comics.
