Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: January 11, 1966 Cover: April 1966 12 cents Story: Stan Lee Art: Jack Kirby with an assist by: Howard Purcell Inking: M. Demeo Lettering: A. Simek 12 pages
Howard Purcell is a new name to us, but he’s been in the business since 1940, mostly doing work for the companies that would become DC. He’s not going to be a regular Marvel artist. It’s not even clear what he did this issue. Some form of finishing Kirby’s pencil art before handing it off to Mike Esposito to finish in ink.
Here’s a sampling of his work for DC.
Adventure Comics #53, featuring Mark Lansing of Mikishawm, 1940
World’s Finest Comics #2, feat. Lando Man of Magic, 1941
All American Comics #25, 1941
All American Comics #26, feat. Sargon the Sorcerer, 1941
Sensation Comics #1, feat. The Gay Ghost, 1942
Comic Cavalcade #15, feat. Johnny Peril’s Surprise Story, 1946
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Stan Lee, writer! (Our answer to Bond) Jack Kirby, penciller! (Our answer to UNCLE) Mike Demeo, inker! (Our answer to Brand echh) Artie Simek, letterer! (Our answer to Rosen) 12 pages
We’re a team, blast it! We trained month after month ta live like a team– fight like a team– die like a team!
I’d like to open this post with a happy birthday to the issue’s artist, Jack Kirby. He would be 106 years old today.
The story breaks have become increasingly unclear. Last issue seemed to both end the Hydra saga and begin this Mentallo/Fixer saga we find ourselves embroiled in. We took a pause at the end of the last issue, so let’s recall where we were.
Hydra was finally defeated, the Supreme Hydra murdered by his own agents; Nick allowed his daughter Agent H to escape because he had a soft spot for her. We were then introduced to the “Thinkers”, SHIELD’s ESP division. Mentallo had been a former agent of this division, who had gone rogue. Mentallo decides to form an alliance with a villainous inventor called the Fixer. And Nick Fury realizes Mentallo must be stopped at all costs.
This issue opens with a robot out of control. Lee, as the narrator, lets us know this robot has nothing to do with the main story. Sometimes it feels as though he is offering his commentary on Kirby’s storytelling as we go.
But whatever, Stan. Check out Jack’s awesome robot design!
We must find and train at least three special agents… the best!
We’re breaking my normal format for posts beyond the fact that this is plainly not a Marvel comic.
Normally, we read one story at a time, but I want to read the entire issue in one go. It consists of several shorter stories by different creative teams that add up to one larger story, all overseen by Wally Wood.
The issue has no credits, though sometimes artist signatures are visible. I have this in a collection, which credits the writers and artists involved when known. One or two names may be lost to history.
One of the disagreements between Wood and Lee was Lee taking the writer’s credit when Wood felt he was doing most of the writing. But this comic doesn’t credit anybody. In fact, most comics of the era don’t credit their creative teams. Lee was ahead of his time in trying to credit everybody. He just claimed a lot of credit for himself as well. Perhaps to Wood it was more about credit in the form of compensation than his name appearing in a box.
A couple notable differences from what we’ve been reading. First, the publisher is Tower Comics, a brand new publisher. Second, the price is 25 cents rather than 12 cents. Marvel prices its Annual comics at 25 cents, but its normal comics at 12 cents.
For 12 cents, Marvel comics give you 20-22 pages of content. The Annuals tend to be 70-72 pages for 25 cents, but with a lot of that dedicated to reprint material. This give you 60 pages of story for 25 cents.
Across the decades, comic prices had not changed much. Marvel Comics were 10 cents in 1939 and 10 cents in 1961 and 12 cents in 1965. They were very averse to raising the price, and had instead steadily decreased the page count over the years.
Thus, the page count of this comic is more reminiscent of 1940s comics than of its contemporary competitors. The idea that the individual stories all tie loosely together isn’t novel either, as 1940s Justice Society stories from DC had a similar structure, one Marvel imitated in the later 1940s with its All-Winners Squad.
We learn from the cover that THUNDER is an acronym. (Note for this blog, we’re not often including the “.”s in acronynms. I’m just too lazy to repeatedly type out S.H.I.E.L.D., finding it easier to type SHIELD.)
THUNDER: The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.
I can’t believe the “T” stands for “The”.
This title is a mix of superhero and spy adventure, with the acronym name likely inspired by “The Man from UNCLE”, and of course, the aforementioned SHIELD.
The concept was created by Len Brown and Wally Wood, who had previously co-created the science fiction trading card series, Mars Attacks.
Why are we reading this anyway? Because I wanted to see what Wally Wood got up to when he left Marvel. I think it will illuminate some discussions.
We’ll read through each story at a time, noting the title, creative team, and page count as we go. So don’t just stop when you get to the character lists. More stories to come below.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: September 9, 1965 Cover: December 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Don Heck Inker: Mickey Demeo Letterer: Artie Simek 12 pages
The nation asks– no, it demands to know the true identity of one of its greatest heroes! We must learn– Who is Iron Man?
Let’s start with a bit of an apology to Iron Man. His character was introduced in Tales of Suspense #39, released December 10, 1962. So we just passed his 60th birthday and failed to mark the occasion with appropriate fanfare. Happy belated 60th, Iron Man.
Iron Man returns to America and cheering crowds, having triumphed over Titanium Man. But the victory was costly, as Happy now hovers on the edge of death.
Reporters seem eager to get the scoop on Iron Man’s true identity. I don’t really think it’s that hard if you want to do any amount of investigating.
Nobody ever seems concerned how casually Iron Man walks into Stark’s office and makes himself at home.
Featuring: Iron Man Release: July 8, 1965 Cover: October 1965 12 cents Story: Scribbled and scrawled by: Stan Lee Illustration: Doodled and dawdled by: Don Heck Delineation: Battered and blotted by: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Mumbled and jumbled by: Sam Rosen 12 pages
Featuring: Hulk Release: September 2, 1965 Cover: December 1965 12 cents Dreamed up by: Stan Lee! Designed by: Jack Kirby! Drawn by: Bob Powell! Delineated by: Mickey Demeo! Doodled by: S. Rosen 10 pages
I am the Watcher! That is enough! That answers all!
Tales of Suspense #60 was released in September 1964, a full year earlier. That began Marvel’s first extended saga. The threat of the Leader has united the disparate threads and arcs from that issue until this one. At the time, Marvel stories were self-contained things. Just a few years earlier, they tended to fit into under 10 pages. The full-issue 20-page long Fantastic Four epics stood out in their length. Since then we’ve had the occasional 2-part arc, often two standalone issues that tie together. Because Dr. Octopus or Dr. Doom hadn’t quite been defeated in the previous issue.
This month, Dr. Strange begins a proper 2-part arc against Dormammu. About 4 months after the debut of Tales of Suspense #60, Thor’s title followed suit. Journey Into Mystery #114 moved away from discrete stories to a series of interconnected threads, which we are still untangling 6 issues later and nowhere near done with. Three months later, Dr. Strange’s story (also by Ditko) would follow suit, beginning a 17-part saga we are almost ready to sit down to read.
Thor and Dr. Strange have the benefit of a consistent creative team. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta have brought consistency to Thor, just as Lee and Ditko have with Dr. Strange.
This saga opened with a variety of artists attempting the impossible task of inking Ditko before Kirby took over again briefly, before moving to the current state where Kirby does the layouts for another artist to fill in with art. Too many artists across these 15 issues. No consistency of anything.
Let’s review the story so far. It began with an unnamed spy stealing a robotic suit of armor Banner had designed for the military. Hulk dealt with the robot, but found himself a prisoner of General Ross. Meanwhile, Major Talbot joined the base with the express intention of learning Banner’s secrets, and also possibly stealing Betty’s heart. Then Chameleon attacks the base, working for the mysterious Leader, whose face we don’t see. We learn the spy from the previous issues had also been an agent of the Leader. See how the loose connections work? We finally meet the Leader, and learn he is also a victim of a Gamma-based accident, which gave him green skin and a powerful mind. He has created something called the Humanoid, which he sends against the Hulk. Rick reveals Hulk’s secret to the President to clear Bruce’s name. When Banner is conducting his next military experiment, more Humanoids attack. In the wake of the battle, he finds himself a prisoner aboard a Soviet sub and taken behind the Red Curtain. His adventures there don’t have much to do with the Leader, but it spins directly out of and into confrontations with the Leader. There’s always a cliffhanger to tie the arcs together. Hulk breaks free of the Soviets and ends up in Mongolia. And soon becomes a prisoner of the Leader. The military raid the Leader’s complex and shoot and kill Banner. By transforming into Hulk and staying that way, Hulk is able to stay alive. But then the military raid Hulk’s lab and he has no choice but to turn to the Leader for help. This time, Hulk willingly joins the Leader. The Leader sends Hulk to the planet of the Watcher to steal the Ultimate Machine. But first he will have to battle the most powerful creature in the galaxy.
Whew. That’s almost a story. Let’s see how it all ends.
Hulk is famous for battling monsters. But he hasn’t had much of a chance to yet in his career, usually facing off against the US military. Here we go. Finally. A Hulk-sized foe for the Hulk.
The Watcher relocates their battle to a barren land. While this might seem like an act of interference from one forbidden to interfere, there’s an explanation…
Featuring: Hulk Release: July 1, 1965 Cover: October 1965 12 cents Thrills, as only Stan Lee’s story can provide them! Power, as only Jack Kirby’s layouts can create it! Drama, as only Mickey Demeo’s artwork can present it! Sound effects, as only Sam Rosen’s pen point can letter them! 10 pages
I mustn’t change… I won’t let myself change…!! For… if I change… I die!!
Where were we. Banner has a bullet in his brain. Only alive so long as he stays in Hulk form. He has Banner’s intelligence, but his personality seems darker, more like Hulk’s. The equipment he needs to maintain his Hulk state is in his secret lab, which has been uncovered by the military, who are closing in.
His only way out is to accept an offer of help from his enemy, the Leader.
The Leader is Hulk’s opposite. Both exposed to gamma radiation, Hulk received the world’s most powerful body, while Leader received the world’s most powerful brain. Together, they could be unstoppable.
The Leader transforms Hulk into electro-waves to transport him to Italy. “Matter-portation”, he calls it. Star Trek premieres next year; did the writers read this comic?
I appreciate the Leader’s science experiments; they’ll get this story a higher score. His ambition is to create a new life.
He secretly exposed Hulk to a gas that he himself has built up an immunity to. Similar to what one might do with iocaine powder.
Featuring: Hulk Release: June 1, 1965 Cover: September 1965 12 cents Stunning story: Stan Lee Lavish layouts: Jack Kirby Awesome art: Mickey Demeo Luscious lettering: Artie Simek 10 pages
Don’t ever call me “Doc”! Dr. Banner is dead! From now on, I’m just the Hulk!
Notice Kirby is only credited with layouts. Mike Esposito (alias Mickey Demeo) is the credited artist.
We get a scene with a poetic callback, perhaps intentional. Rick rushes into the path of a blast to save Hulk just as Banner had once raced into the path of an explosion to save Rick.
Are they using nuclear weapons on American soil? That seems like a big deal. Oh, I guess this is a “clean bomb”, which leaves no radioactive fallout. I feel better, I guess.
The new status quo is pretty confusing. Hulk apparently has Banner’s mind, but also insists Banner is dead. And his speech reminds us more of Hulk’s.
Featuring: Hulk Release: May 4, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Take a Stan Lee story, add Jack Kirby artwork, mix with Mickey Demeo inking, and Artie Simek lettering… Presto! Instant confusion! 10 pages
A little surprising this series is continuing since last issue ended with Bruce Banner dead. But then, the title of this issue is “To Live Again!” So maybe we shouldn’t give up on him.
We’d probably have gotten around to this story sooner if I hadn’t just assumed he was dead and it was over. Now I’m beginning to think this Hulk guy is Immortal.
Plus, the threat of the Leader still looms.
Are we going back to the days of the constantly changing status quos for Hulk? We’d been able to hold on to this one for an entire dozen issues. Now we’re back to: always Hulk, Banner’s mind. Perhaps all creators except for Ditko struggle with how to deal with a non-heroic protagonist.
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.
