sam rosen – Page 3 – Coke ⊕ Comics

Sgt. Fury #35

Berlin Breakout!

Berlin Breakout!
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: August 9, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Edited by Stan Lee
Scripted by Roy Thomas
Drawn by Dick Ayers
Inked by John Tartaglione
Lettered by Sam Rosen
Picketed by Baron Strucker
20 pages

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Sgt. Fury #34	Reading order	Fantastic Four #55
Sgt. Fury #34	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #36

I am not a traitor to my homeland! I want to save it… to free it from the tyranny of a madman like Adolf Hitler!

The Howlers are in custody in Berlin, set to be executed. Nick Fury intends to rescue them, but he’ll need help.

Part of that help will come from Fury’s good friend, Bull McGiveney. As well as Corporal Rickets Johnson from the Maulers. We learned his name two issues back, but now we get to put a face to it.

The other person is Eric, a German we met in Sgt. Fury #27. He’d been an aide to Goering, but defected to join the Allies. We didn’t get his surname then, but we now learn his full name is Eric Koenig.

Sgt. Fury #34

The Origin of the Howlers!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
The peerless editing of Stan Lee
The preciocious scripting of Roy Thomas
The power-packed pencilling of Dick Ayers
The pulse-pounding inking of John Tartaglione
The pussycat lettering of Sam Rosen
20 pages

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Sgt. Fury #33	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #35
Sgt. Fury #33	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #35

“I don’t like Hitler’s goose-steppers any more’n you do, but as long as he don’t attack America, it ain’t my war!”
“It’s everybody’s war, Mister… I just hope they realize it before it’s too late!”

Recall last issue the Howlers were separated from Nick Fury during a mission in Greece. He is back in England now without them.

With nothing to do but wait for G-2 to bring back word on the fate of the Commandos, Captain Sawyer reflects on how he first met Nick Fury, and the group’s beginnings.

Sgt. Fury #33

The Grandeur that was Greece..

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: June 9, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, editor
Roy Thomas, writer
Dick Ayers, artist
John Tartaglione, inker
Sam Rosen, letterer
Irving Forbush, camp mascot
20 pages

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Tales to Astonish #88, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #34
Sgt. Fury #32	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #34

My countrymen, the much-vaunted invincibility of our so-called Aryan conquerors is but a myth! They can be stopped… but only by a united front! Do not let petty jealousies divide you in this time of crisis!

Greece. You get the sense these stories are written by looking at a map of where the Howlers haven’t been yet.

We open with a fight between the Howlers and Maulers. A typical Tuesday.

Besides Sgt. McGiveney, we’ve not learned the names of any of the Maulers; we first met the group in issue 7. We now learn that one of them is named “Rickets” Johnson. It’s not clearly identified which one. Izzy claims he started the fight by slugging Rickets.

Tales to Astonish #88, Story B

The Boomerang and the Brute!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: November 3, 1966
Cover: February 1967
12 cents
Hulkamorous script by: Stan (The Man) Lee
Hulkitudinous art by: Gil (Sugar) Kane
Hulkifying lettering by: Sammy (Dozin’) Rosen
10 pages

Previous	#605	Next
Tales to Astonish #87, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #33
Tales to Astonish #88	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #89

The poor, lumbering brute! He was guilty only of being feared– and misunderstood!

Gil Kane is going to become a big name at Marvel. We’ve seen him once before on a Hulk story a dozen issues back under the alias of Scott Edward and we reviewed his career at the time.

It’s possible this is his first properly credited Marvel work.

He brings a distinctive style, a very different take on Hulk from that of John Buscema the past two issues.

It’s been 7 issues since Boomerang entered Hulk’s life. We finally see that saga reach a conclusion. It’s been a long road, and I summarize in painstaking detail that road below. These past 6 months have been the most interconnected the Marvel Universe has yet been. Perhaps fittingly we will soon see that the phrase “Marvel Universe” also debuted in that timespan.

At this point it seems like everybody knows Hulk’s secret identity. But the first person to learn it after Rick was the President of the United States, presumably President Johnson. And that is presumably President Johnson now interceding on Hulk’s behalf.

Unfortunately, Boomerang intervenes and drives Hulk to a rampage and another conflict with the military.

Thor #140, Story B

The Battle Begins!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: March 2, 1967
Cover: May 1967
12 cents
A glory-drenched masterwork by:
Stan (The Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby
Inking: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Sam Rosen
5 pages

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Thor #140	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man Annual 3
Thor #140	Thor	Thor #141

By my blade… it must not end like this!

As we’ve discussed, I just read these Thor back-up stories along with the Thor comic they appear in. With the main stories, I try to combine story arcs into one or otherwise think through the continuity.

Because of that, we’re just kind of reading the middle chapter of this Arabians Nights saga in isolation.

I found the story doesn’t really read any better if I tried to condense it.

So we need to remember what happened, but not much happens in these stories.

Thor #140

The Growing Man!

Featuring: Thor
Release: March 3, 1967
Cover: May 1967
12 cents
Conceived and created by the noblest collaborative combo in comicdom:
Stan (The Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby
Inking by: Vince Colletta
Lettering by: Sam Rosen
16 pages

Previous	#596	Next
Tales of Suspense #86	Reading order	Thor #140, Story B
Thor #139, Story B	Thor	Thor #140, Story B

Thanks to thy valor– thy matchless devotion– Asgard endures! But, many are the battles that lie ahead! Many are the foes we yet must face! Many the dangers to be overcome! Yet, verily I say unto thee– Whate’er may befall… we shall face it together!!!

We are pretty far ahead in Thor’s story compared to the rest of the characters. This comic is from March 1967, but we’re still in July 1966 in the other comics.

This is really because Thor attends an Avengers meeting in an August 1966 comic. And there’s just no space in Thor’s saga for that to happen in a long window of time. A lot happened at once for Thor, involving Hercules, Tana Nile, Ego, and the High Evolutionary. It was go, go, go for lots of issues. Things calmed down a few issues back. But it was clear that Thor was in Asgard chilling with his new crush, Sif. And not on Earth. And then the Troll War broke out.

So we jump ahead to this comic which at last returns Thor to Earth and gives him enough breathing room to attend an Avengers meeting. We’ll discuss as we go through the issue what clues there are as to how long he’s been away.

We open with celebrations marking the end of the Troll War.

Tales of Suspense #86

Death Duel for the Life of Happy Hogan!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: February 1967
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Art: Gene Colan
Inking: Frank Giacoia
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Nail-biting: Irv Forbush
12 pages

Previous	#595	Next
Tales of Suspense #85	Reading order	Thor #140
Tales of Suspense #85, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #86, Story B

And, every one of his rings has a different deadly power!

Happy Hogan/Iron Man has been defeated, but now Mandarin must face Tony Stark/Iron Man.

We see two of Mandarin’s rings in action this issue. One is the impact ring. The other fires sub-freezing gas.

Tales to Astonish #84

Like a Beast at Bay!

Featuring: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner
Release: June 30, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Fabulous script: Stan Lee
Fascinating art: Gene Colan
Fantastic inks: Dick Ayers
Free-hand lettering: Sam Rosen
Fancy haberdashery: Irving Forbush
12 pages

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Tales of Suspense #84, Story B	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #84, Story B
Tales to Astonish #83, Story B	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #84, Story B

You are too conspicuous, walking around the city in that manner! Find the nearest clothing store…

In Avengers #17, the Avengers search for the Hulk, and end up vaguely near him, but not meeting him. But it’s sort of a crossover. Not really, but sort of.

In this issue, Namor is searching for Hulk, because he’s been brainwashed by Number One of the former Secret Empire, who wants revenge on Hulk for destroying the Secret Empire. Even though Hulk has never met the Secret Empire and had nothing whatsoever to do with their demise.

I would suggest the writer of the Namor stories hasn’t been reading the Hulk stories, but both series are allegedly written by Stan Lee.

Tales of Suspense #84, Story B

The Super-Adaptoid!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
A Stan Lee * Jack Kirby powerhouse production
Delineated by: Fearless Frankie Giacoia
Lettered by: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen
10 pages

Previous	#591	Next
Tales of Suspense #84	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #84
Tales of Suspense #84	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #85

After all these years… all the countless battles… and the scars which will never fade… here I stand… still a loner– a human anachronism. All I’ve ever loved… all I’ve held dear… vanished with the past… while the memories remain to haunt me forever! But, I must be true to my trust! Every man has a purpose… a destiny to fulfill… and, whatever mine may be… I’ll never shirk it!

Captain America calls in the Avengers to deal with the Adaptoid. The Tumbler he just left to the police.

Hawkeye recalls the original Avengers foe the Space Phantom, and suspects a connection. But Cap notes the Adaptoid is a robot, while Space Phantom was an alien. Goliath and Wasp, the only ones present who actually fought the Space Phantom, do not weigh in.

Tales of Suspense #84

The Other Iron Man!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Art: Gene Colan
Inking: Frank Giacoia
Lettering: Sam Rosen
12 pages

Previous	#590	Next
Tales of Suspense #83, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #84, Story B
Tales of Suspense #83, Story B	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #84, Story B

SURVEY SHOWS THAT STARK AND IRON MAN NEVER SEEN AT THE SAME TIME TOGETHER

It’s been a year coming. Back in Tales of Suspense #72, Senator Harrington Byrd planned to summon Tony Stark to Washington to make him reveal Iron Man’s secrets, so the US military could use the technology. The following issue, he tried to confront Stark in his office with the summons, but found only Pepper. The next issue, he got Iron Man on the phone, and says he’ll come to New York with a subpoena unless Stark comes willingly to Washington. In the next issue, he made good on the threat and showed up with the subpoena at Stark offices, only to find Iron Man battling Happy, who had turned into the Freak. Once that resolved, he had police escort Stark to a car, to personally escort him to Washington. Only Tony Stark was transported from that car en route to DC, and found himself in Asia a prisoner of the Mandarin. Then Iron Man had to fight Mandarin and Ultimo. Only to return home and find all his factories shut down because he’d failed to answer the summons to Congress. He needed to recharge, rest, and deal with Namor. But finally he called Senator Byrd and agreed to come to Washington. And he did go to Washington. Only to be attacked by Titanium Man. With Titanium Man defeated, Stark should finally be able to appear before Congress a dozen issues after being summoned.

And here he is.

Ready to reveal the secrets of Iron Man.

Until he has a heart attack before the first question gets asked. How convenient.