Featuring: X-Men Release: February 14, 1967 Cover: April 1967 12 cents Good as gold editing by: Stan Lee Solid-silver scripting by: Roy Thomas Platinum-plated pencilling by: Werner Roth Iridium-bright inking by: John Tartaglione Lead-lined lettering by: Sam Rosen Stable elements all! 20 pages
From the cover, it looks like the X-Men are battling Iron Man. But it’s not Iron Man… it’s the Cobalt Man. Cobalt is better than iron, maybe? I’m not really a chemist or metallurgist.
Probably close enough to seeing a battle between the X-Men and Iron Man.
I think it’s worth noting Professor X refers to the team as “my X-Men”, a phrasing which will be common. “To me, my X-Men” is later a famous catchphrase.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: February 2, 1967 Cover: April 1967 Stan Lee proudly presents.. A Roy Thomas-Dick Ayers movie-length masterwork! Inking: John Tartaglione Lettering: Sam Rosen Technical advisor: PFC. Irving Forbush (retired) 20 pages
“I know it don’t help much for me to say this, Dino… but, we’re gonna pay ‘im back! For Nina– For Pam– An’ Junior Juniper… for all of ’em!” (An’ mebbe, when that day comes, Nick Fury’ll finally know what it feels like to be at peace… with the world, and with himself!)
My copy seems to have some extra artwork.
There’s a phrasing in the credits which will be important, and I think it’s the first time we’ve seen it. “Stan Lee proudly presents..”
When I started reading comics in the eighties, every Marvel comic featured the phrase “Stan Lee presents”, though Stan’s role in production by that point was purely symbolic. As Stan has gone from writing everything to letting Roy Thomas write several titles, he’s still made sure his name goes on top of the credits, usually with an “editor” credit.
But here, it’s “Stan Lee… presents”, a phrase we will see again. And again.
Also of note, the comic is described as “movie-length”. It’s 20 pages. That’s not movie-length. Maybe the length of a movie from the 19th century. That said, I think the phrase is really a nod to this issue’s plot.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: January 10, 1967 Cover: March 1967 12 cents Explosive editing by Stan Lee Scorching scripting by Roy Thomas Piping-hot plotting and drawing by Dick Ayers Inflammable Inking by John Tartaglione Lukewarm lettering by Sam Rosen 20 pages
Featuring: Captain America Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: March 1967 12 cents Editing: Stan Lee Script: Roy Thomas Drawn by: Jack Sparling Inked by: Joe Sinnott Lettered by: Sam Rosen Subway swept by: Honest Irv 10 pages
You may have had hours of practice… but I’ve had years!
That’s quite a surprising line-up of creators. Lee and Kirby have been handling Captain America thus far. Kirby took a couple issues off last year, with fill-ins by Ayers or Romita. And Kirby isn’t done with the book, but it will be a few issues until we see him again, with Gil Kane taking over. Lee is only taking this one issue off.
Thomas is Lee’s standard backup at this point, so his name isn’t that surprising. Joe Sinnott is our favorite inker these days, so it’s good to see him.
But who is Jack Sparling? That’s a new name to us. He’s one of those guys that’s worked in comics since the 1940s, seemingly at every company but Marvel. This is his first Marvel work and he won’t become a regular.
Here’s a sampling of his work.
The Yorktown Younger Set, Calling All Girls #3, Parents’ Magazine Press, 1942
Hap Hopper, Sparkler Comics v2 #10, United Feature Syndicate, 1942
Nyoka the Jungle Girl, Master Comics #50, Fawcett, 1944
Claire Voyant, Keen Teens, M.E., 1945
Lovers Lane #2, Lev-Gleason, 1949
Texas Rangers, Action Comics #140, DC, 1950
Kid Lochinvar, Great Lover Romances #1, Toby, 1951
Warfront #1, Harvey, 1951
Masked Raider #1, Charlton, 1955
The Sword and the Dragon, Four Color #1118, Dell, 1960
Adventures into the Unknown #121, ACG, 1961
Immortal Man, Strange Adventures #177, DC, 1965
He’s at this time a fixture of DC’s horror books, while still drawing romance, war, or other comics for companies like Harvey and Dell.
Featuring: Avengers Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Electrifying editing by Stan Lee Scintillating scripting by Roy Thomas Invigorating illustrating by Don Heck Languishing lettering by Artie Simek 20 pages
How must it feel to be the last of your kind– alone in a world where you don’t belong? Can it be even lonelier than to live forever behind the colorful mask of… Captain America?
Ixar’s Ultroids have defeated the Avengers and plan to absorb their powers.
We learn the Ultroid who had impersonated Scarlet Witch is named Ultrana.
Featuring: Avengers Release: November 10, 1966 Cover: January 1967 12 cents Edited by: Stan (The Man) Lee Scripted by: Roy (The Boy) Thomas Drawn by: Don (The One) Heck Lettered by: Sam (The Sham) Rosen 20 pages
It was with a feeling of eagerness… almost of exhilaration… that I donned my crimson costume once again…
Stan the Man is by far Stan’s most common nickname at this point. I think this is our first time seeing Roy the Boy. I appreciate the rhyming scheme they have going on here, except… Don and One don’t rhyme. Maybe they do in the same way as eye and symmetry.
Who was the mystery figure who confronted Captain America at the end of last issue? It turns out to be the Scarlet Witch.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Herculean editing by Stan Lee Halcyon scripting by Roy Thomas Heroic plotting and drawing by Dick Ayers Heavenly inking by John Tartaglione Homogenized lettering by Artie Simek 20 pages
Featuring: X-Men Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Stan Lee… editor Roy Thomas… scripter Werner Roth… artist John Tartaglione… inker Sam Rosen… letterer Irving Forbush… skating instructor 20 pages
Funny… it took an inhuman, emotionless thing like the Super-Adaptoid… to make me realize the true value of the emotion called… friendship!
We haven’t seen many seasons yet in our years of Marvel reading. But now it’s clearly winter. We’ll think at the end of the post about what that means for our continuity.
Jean is in town for the weekend from college. Going off to college seemed like a way of sidelining her from the series, but she’s managed to miss very few adventures.
We learn Warren is recovering from his accident.
And see Scott standing alone and aloof off to the side while his teammates enjoy themselves.
Featuring: Ghost Rider Release: December 1, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Edited by… Stan Lee Written by… Gary Friedrich and Roy Thomas Plotted and drawn by… Dick Ayers Inked by… Vince Colletta Lettered by… J. Verpooten 17 pages
Magazine Enterprises is long since defunct. So nobody owns the character of Ghost Rider we met in Tim Holt #11. The co-creator Dick Ayers is now a Marvel regular, so Marvel takes the character and has Ayers revive him.
Of course this means Marvel, now owned by Disney, owns the character of Ghost Rider and will for all time.
Ayers would attempt to return to his character in the ’90s, adding some new covers to the old stories, but they had to call him the “Haunted Horseman”, as they had no rights to the name. Because of the world we live in (or at least the country I live in) and laws built to serve corporations and not artists.
Gary Friedrich is a mostly new name to us. This is his first Marvel work. He’s in his early ’20s. He started at Charlton and we saw his work with Steve Ditko on Blue Beetle over there. He’ll become a prolific writer over the decades.
Gary has no relation to Mike Friedrich, who will be starting work at DC soon.
The letterer John Verpooten is also new to us. He’s just started as a regular at Marvel, working on staff. He’s here for behind-the-scenes stuff, and we’ll start seeing him occasionally as a letterer, and soon enough as an inker. He’ll spend a decade with Marvel until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 37.
Giving Ayers a plotting credit is part of a general trend we are seeing of recognizing artists for their plotting contributions.
Though Thomas would much later claim that credit was false, and the plotting was entirely done by Friedrich and himself.
While the name and likeness are lifted directly from Ayers’ 40s hero, this is a different character with a different origin. The original Ghost Rider was Rex Fury. This issue introduces Carter Slade.
