sam rosen – Page 5 – Coke & Comics

Fantastic Four #44

The Gentleman’s Name is Gorgon!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Dreamed up by: Stan Lee
Sketched down by: Jack Kirby
Inked in by: Joe Sinnott
Lettered around by: S. Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#443	Next
Avengers #25	Reading order	Fantastic Four #45
Fantastic Four #43	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #45

I’ve had enough of this domestic bliss bit! Hanging around here is like being on the set of Ozzie and Harriet!

“The world’s greatest comic magazine!” That’s what is says on the cover. Despite being a comic not as good as the company’s own Dr. Strange or Spider-Man stories. But it’s always been one of Marvel’s best comics and has gotten continually better. We’ve noted assorted leaps forward in quality, such as in issues 13, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39… At some point, we enter into the great era of Fantastic Four. And if we weren’t there already, we’re definitely there now.

One missing ingredient was Joe Sinnott on inks. Often cited as Kirby’s best inker. He’s not entirely new, as he inked the introduction of Dr. Doom back in issue 5. He’d also been the regular artist on Thor for a bit, but did a pretty terrible job. He later recalled in interviews that he hadn’t realized at the time anybody expected these comics to be good. He took the Thor assignment as a job to churn out some disposable work. He seems to take this Fantastic Four assignment more seriously.

Why are Joe’s inks special?

Avengers #25

Enter… Dr. Doom!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: December 9, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Don Heck
Inker: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Sam Rosen
20 pages

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Sgt. Fury #25	Reading order	Fantastic Four #44
Avengers #24	Avengers	Avengers #26

The blind fools! They do not realize that Doom cares nothing for them! He merely plays a role for purposes of his own! Truly, he is evil incarnate! If only the simple peasants could see it!

The Avengers fight Dr. Doom!

For maybe the first time, unless you count Avengers #1½–published in 1999 but set before Avengers #2–as canon: the untold first meeting of the Avengers and Dr. Doom.

Either way, it’s the first time any of these Avengers have met Dr. Doom.

Dr. Doom decides to trap the Avengers. Basically just because. His motivation shifts slightly over the course of the issue. At first, it’s because humiliating the Avengers will inspire fear in the Fantastic Four. Then it’s to take them prisoner and use them as bait for the Fantastic Four.

Sgt. Fury #25

Every Man My Enemy!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Written in rage by: Stan Lee
Pencilled in panic by: Dick Ayers
Delineated in despair by: John Tartaglione
Lettered in the office by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#441	Next
Avengers #24	Reading order	Avengers #25
Sgt. Fury #24	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #26

They seek a simple Nazi spy… an impersonator… nothing more! Little do they dream that they have the Fuehrer’s most dangerous agent in their midst! How they would tremble if they knew their foe is actually– the Red Skull!

Evocative cover not in Kirby’s usual mold for Sgt. Fury covers. Brings to mind the war comics covers of Joe Kubert, which this title owes many a debt to.

This is the first time we’ve seen John Tartaglione. He’s worked for Marvel on and off since the 1950s, with most of his work being in the romance genre. He’s going to become Ayers’ regular inker on this title for the next couple years.

Here’s an early example of his inking, over Pierce Rice from Marvel’s Amazing Detective Cases #6 (1951), and a contemporaneous example from Patsy Walker #124 (1965), over Al Hartley’s pencils.

Here are two examples of his pencil art, from Young Men #11 (1951) and True Secrets #13 (1952), both from Marvel.

Recall last issue, the Howlers were on furlough in America when they got urgent orders to return to Europe, with sealed instructions to be opened on the plane. Dum Dum was wounded and so remained in America. And Hans has gone to live with the Ralstons until the war ends.

Sgt. Fury #24

When the Howlers Hit the Home Front!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Relase: September 9, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee, Army Vet!
Pencilled by Dick Ayers, Air Force Vet!
Inked by Frank Ray, Air Force Vet!
Lettered by S. Rosen, Teacher’s Pet!
20 pages

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	INTERLUDE	Modeling with Millie #44
Sgt. Fury #23	Reading order	Avengers #23
Sgt. Fury #23	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #25

Stan and Dick want to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks and well done to the countless wonderful guys and gals who did so much under the banner of the U.S.O., to keep up the morale of lonely Allied fighting men, both near and far from home! We’ll never forget ’em!

Happy Sam orders the Howlers on a furlough back to the States, including Percy and Hans.

Daredevil #11

A Time to Unmask!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: October 5, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Writer: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Penciller: Bubbly Bobby Powell
Inker: Wonderful Wally Wood
Letterer: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#435	Next
	INTERLUDE	THUNDER Agents #1
Daredevil #10	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #30
Daredevil #10	Daredevil	Daredevil #12

Wally Wood wrote part one of this two-parter just for a lark! But now it’s up to sly ol’ Stan to put all the pieces together and make it come out right in the end! Can he do it? See for yourself!

This really is goodbye for Wally Wood. He was heavily involved with 4 issues of Daredevil, then partially involved with 3 more. Now he’s just on inks, making no claim to having written this story in any part. After this job, he’s out the door.

Bob Powell provides the main art.

The narration box is again important. Stan is speaking in his normal salesman voice, but it barely conceals the behind-the-scenes drama of Wood writing the first half of this tale and then resigning.

I’m guessing Wood left before making a cover, as the cover is just a repurposed interior panel.

Here’s a good rundown from the Marvel in the Silver Age blog about Wally Wood’s career and time with Marvel and on Daredevil.

We’re left with one of those “What If” scenarios. What if Wood and Lee had gotten along better? Then Wood was probably going to be the one to revive Sub-Mariner instead of Colan. We got a taste of Wood’s Sub-Mariner in Daredevil #7.

I want to take a peek at Tower Comics to see what Wood is up to next. We’ll see he’s cocreated the superhero/espionage team the THUNDER Agents. Maybe he could have brought ideas like that to Marvel. Who knows what he and Lee could have come up with if they’d been able to work together.

Amazing Spider-Man #29

Never Step on a Scorpion!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: July 8, 1965
Cover: October 1961
12 cents
Writing and editing by: Stan Lee
Plotting and drawing by: Steve Ditko
Lettering and loafing by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#433	Next
Sgt. Fury #22	Reading order	Daredevil #10
Amazing Spider-Man #28	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #30

I don’t believe in false modesty! The best thing about being a publisher is you can write what you please about yourself!

Again, notice the plotting credit for Ditko. Ditko has plotted every issue and exclusively plotted the last several issues, but Stan is doing better at giving him credit in an attempt at appeasing Ditko’s concerns. It will prove to be too little, too late.

We’ve remarked repeatedly on just how many iconic villains Ditko came up with in a short period of time. By issue 15, we’d met: Chameleon, Vulture, Tinkerer, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Living Brain, Electro, Big Man and the Enforcers, Mysterio, Green Goblin, and Kraven the Hunter. That’s insane. Since then, Ditko has slowed down some, and Spider-Man has had rematches with foes like Green Goblin, Sandman, and Mysterio, while also borrowing foes from other heroes, like the Circus of Crime or the Beetle. However, we’ve still gotten some good creations in the latter half of this series, including Scorpion, the Spider Slayer, and just last issue, the Molten Man.

Ditko is basically done with creating cool iconic villains for Spider-Man. He’ll create a few more villains, but they won’t fall anywhere near the iconic camp: the Cat, the Looter, Robot Master… Otherwise, he’ll just have Spider-Man fight the villains he already has. Hence, this issue is a rematch with the Scorpion. The series is winding down. Ditko is winding down. He has one great Spider-Man story left in him, and then it’s time to say goodbye.

This issue is treading water. It’s still well told. Ditko’s a good storyteller and can churn out a solid action yarn. But we’re basically biding time.

Strange Tales #141

Brain Blast!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: November 11, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Rapturously written by: Stan Lee
Resplendently drawn by: Jack Kirby
Rollickingly inked by: Frank Ray
Reluctantly lettered by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #140, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #141, Story B
Strange Tales #140, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #141, Story B

If he’s what ya say, he’s the most dangerous guy in the world!

Jack Kirby returns to full pencils after several issues of laying out the series for various artists, with Frank Giacoia on inks. The difference is noticeable, though I did quite appreciate John Severin’s take on these characters.

They do what is to my mind a very weird thing. The 7-part Hydra Saga is really 6.5 parts. As it’s over by page 7 of this story. They then just begin their next saga mid-issue. It’s a bit obnoxious. I’d like to keep the arcs together to best appreciate them, but Stan seems to want to end everything on cliffhangers now, so the arcs aren’t well-defined.

They’ll head-scratchingly do the same thing next month with Fantastic Four.

We will take a break after this issue. We’ll have started the first few pages of the Mentallo/Fixer Saga, and we’ll return to it one day.

First up, the half-issue Hydra finale. The organization was defeated, but Imperial Hydra, in his true identity as Arnold Brown, is about to destroy the place, killing everybody.

Strange Tales #140, Story B

The Pincers of Power!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Lettering: S. Rosen
10 pages

Previous	#426	Next
Strange Tales #140	Reading order	Strange Tales #141
Strange Tales #140	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #141

Only for those without faith can there be no hope! The faith of the righteous will never waver!

How does our hero fight a being of unimaginable, godlike power? That’s a hard question for a writer. And the answers don’t always satisfy me. The last time, Dormammu’s sense of honor prevented him from continuing the battle. While this can often be a cop-out, it worked well because Dr. Strange really had suddenly switched to side with Dormammu against the Mindless Ones. He truly won the day through his sense of heroism and righteousness. I liked it.

I like the answer that Stan and Jack have come up with so far when they introduced beings like the Watcher and the Stranger. When the Watcher captured the FF, what can they do? Nothing. Just go along with it. What can the X-Men do against the Stranger? Nothing. Let him do as he wills. Fortunately, what these beings willed was agreeable to our heroes. Not so with Dormammu.

Another answer is for the godlike being to agree to a duel of honor, where he doesn’t use his powers. That’s the answer they go with here. I find it unsatisfying.

Fortunately, this will not be the final battle with Dormammu. And we’ll soon see other heroes face a similar godlike power. In these battles, we’ll see other answers to the question.

That said, once I accept that Dormammu has agreed to this no-powers duel, I find a pretty cool duel. These pincers they use as weapons make for awesome visuals, befitting this series.

Also, in an interesting twist, Dr. Strange still loses the duel.

Strange Tales #140

The End of Hydra!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 pages
Senses-shattering story by: Stan Lee
Power-packed presentation by: Jack Kirby
Drama-drenched drawing by: Don Heck
Dreamy-designed delineation by: Joe Sinnott
Booboo-bulging balloons by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #139, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #140, Story B
Strange Tales #139, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #140, Story B

Mankind cannot live in fear of Hydra! In the name of SHIELD… in the name of universal freedom… I cannot fail!

Kirby. Heck. Sinnott. That’s a lot of artists to draw 12 pages of comic. (A heck of a lot.)

“Booboo-bulging balloons” took a bit of deciphering. I think Stan’s claiming the letterer makes a lot of mistakes. The word balloons are bulging fit to burst with mistakes.

Hydra could have served as a looming background threat for some time to come. But they decided it was time to settle it up. This is part 6 of the “Hydra Saga”. SHIELD agents are swarming Hydra’s headquarters for the final battle.

Strange Tales #138, Story B

If Eternity Should Fail!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Written and edited by incredible: Stan Lee
Plotted and illustrated by invincible: Steve Ditko
Lettered and bordered by indelible: Sam Rosen
10 pages

Previous	#422	Next
Strange Tales #138	Reading order	Strange Tales #139
Strange Tales #138	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #139

I am Eternity!

This is part 9 of a 17-part saga. We’re halfway there. This midpoint issue is also the turning point issue. Dr. Strange has spent most of the saga on the run, and then on the run while also searching for Eternity.

The reason this saga is one of my favorite Marvel stories largely comes down to this being one of my favorite Marvel comics. And that mostly comes down to two great pages. Let’s give them some attention.

Start with page 2.