strange tales – Coke ⊕ Comics

Strange Tales #155, Story B

The Fearful Finish–!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: January 10, 1967
Cover: April 1967
12 cents
A mystical Marvel masterwork by: Stan Lee and Marie Severin
Lettered by: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Strange Tales #155	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #86, Story B
Strange Tales #155	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #156

So long as this bridge endures– this bridge which is not a bridge– and yet, which is more a bridge than any other– Just so long shall hope of escape remain alive within us–

In an opening page clearly meant to evoke Ditko, Dr. Strange hurtles at the speed of thought to outrace the death spell Umar has sent toward Clea.

At last, Dr. Strange has rescued Clea, but it’s a long road to get her to Earth. They encounter many hazards along the way. Perhaps too many for a ten page comic, as each is too easily evaded.

But some of them are cool, like when they get caught in a road of repetition, stuck in a loop.

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: January 10, 1967
Cover: April 1967
12 cents
Edited by: Stan Lee (Marvel’s James Bond)
Written and drawn by: Jim Steranko (Marvel’s Man Flint)
Letted by: Sam Rosen (Marvel’s Secret Squirrel)
12 pages

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Strange Tales #154, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #155, Story B
Strange Tales #154, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #155, Story B

And so saying, the SHIELD agent’s finger begins to tighten on the trigger… his trance-like face telling of the incredible turmoil seething within… Then, the overwhelming force of the spell sweeps over his ego, as once again, the Supreme Hydra’s command echoes through his mind…

Jim Steranko is now writing and drawing Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD, and credited for doing so. Wally Wood had wanted that for Daredevil but was turned down.

Does this show Lee’s faith in the newcomer Steranko? Or is it just that he’s busy and become somewhat indifferent?

Steranko delivers quite the opening splash page, so maybe he’ll do okay with this assignment.

What are we looking at? It’s called the Vortex Beam. It seems to be like a tractor beam they use as a fancy elevator. Best as I can tell, people get onto a disc on the ground and then get lifted onto the Heli-Carrier. We see some VIPs and a strange device coming on the ship that way.

Strange Tales #154, Story B

Clea Must Die!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: December 8, 1966
Cover: March 1967
12 cents
A mystic Marvel masterwork by: Stan Lee and Marie Severin
Lettered by: Sam Rosen
10 pages

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Strange Tales #154	Reading order	Strange Tales #155
Strange Tales #154	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #155

Do as you will, Spectral One! Dr. Strange cannot be harmed by the truth!

Where were we? Oh yes, Dr. Strange thought he had rescued Clea. But it turned out to be a Mindless One in disguise.

I’m sympathetic, having grown up thinking I’d been successful in finding a woman only to be constantly told, “Our princess is in another castle.”

Strange Tales #154

Beware… the Deadly Dreadnought!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: December 8, 1966
Cover: March 1967
12 cents
Edited by: Stan Lee
Scripted by: Roy Thomas
Plotted and drawn by: Jim Steranko
Lettered by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #153, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #154, Story B
Strange Tales #153, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #154, Story B

Leave the thinkin’ to AUTOFAC…

The training wheels are off for Jim Steranko. In his first couple issues, he’d been drawing off layouts from Kirby, but Kirby has stepped away. The newcomer Steranko has drawn this all by himself.

And he even gets a plotting credit for his work. Something it took Ditko and Kirby years to get. That folks like Orlando and Wood left the company over.

Roy Thomas was also on scripting duties last issue, but this won’t be a regular gig for him. This is his second and final turn on the series.

AUTOFAC is the AI system that does SHIELD’s thinking. If they feed it what they know about Supreme Hydra, it will deduce their identity.

Can you, reader, deduce the identity of Supreme Hydra before AUTOFAC can? If not, maybe we should just surrender to AI.

We get a detailed diagram of the Heli-Carrier. Below the story notes, we recorded all the rooms and notes.

Strange Tales #153, Story B

Alone, Against the Mindless Ones!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Stupefying story by: Spellbinding Stan Lee!
Inconceivable illustration by: Mystical Marie Severin!
Legendary lettering by: Sardonic Sammy Rosen!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #153	Reading order	Strange Tales #154
Strange Tales #153	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #154

I must endure their blows… regardless of the pain… By the Omnipotent Oshtur, I shall not fail… I shall not fall!

After Ditko left, Bill Everett became the regular artist on Dr. Strange for the next half dozen issues. And I was unimpressed. But I do really like Bill Everett. Last post, I rattled off Sub-Mariner, Venus, and Daredevil. All great works by him.

We get a new artist. Marie Severin. We haven’t seen her work yet. We saw her coloring when we read an old tangentially related EC comic. We saw an issue of Nick Fury illustrated by John Severin. Some possible connection, there. Siblings, perhaps.

But she’s actually been with Marvel for the entirety of our reading, just one of those unsung heroes behind the scenes, working on the production of the comics, sometimes as a colorist, perhaps lending a hand to some bits of art here or there.

Strange Tales #153

The Hiding Place!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: February 1967
12 cents
Seldom-equalled editing by Stan Lee
Seldom-surpassed scripting by Roy Thomas
Seldom-lacking layouts by Jack Kirby
Seldom-rivaled rendering by Jim Steranko
Seldom-legible lettering by Artie Simek
12 pages

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Strange Tales #152, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #153, Story B
Strange Tales #152, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #153, Story B

The hour of Hydra has come at last– And nothing that the human race can do will cease our relentless march toward world domination!

Steranko takes on the cover solo, and does an impressive job. He probably won’t need Kirby’s handholding much longer.

Inside, it’s still the Kirby/Steranko art team, with the art seeming more and more Steranko each issue. What’s changed is the writer. Thomas has been the regular on X-Men and Sgt. Fury and occasionally filled in elsewhere. This is in that fill-in category. He won’t be a regular writer on this series.

We open in the barbershop. Not clear the status of it after the attack by AIM. Is it still a SHIELD base? Is it still secret?

We recognize the two agents working in the barbershop, but still haven’t learned their names.

Strange Tales #152, Story B

Into the Dimension of Death!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
Truly hath Stan Lee authored yon awesome epic–
Verily hath Bill Everett such scenes depicted–
And, finally didst Artie Simek the lettering incribe!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #152	Reading order	Strange Tales #153
Strange Tales #152	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #153

I sense– a female!

I’d say this issue picks up where the last issue left off, but nothing happened last issue. Except that Clea was captured by Umar after a recap of the last 40 issues.

Everett’s depiction of Dark Dimension is fine, maybe even good. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood since Ditko left and am being unfair to Everett. I do appreciate Everett for his work on Sub-Mariner, Venus, and Daredevil… just not here.

Strange Tales #152

The Power of SHIELD!

The Power of SHIELD!
Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD!
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby
Artwork: Jaunty Jim Steranko
Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
12 pages

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Strange Tales #151, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #152, Story B
Strange Tales #151, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #152, Story B

So long as men such as you exist– men who are dedicated not merely to the cause of nationalism– but to international freedom– to global justice– so long will the lamp of liberty continue to burn bright– until men of good will, everywhere, put down their arms and come forth to reason together!

Once again, Kirby is on layouts with Steranko on art, but the character work looks more like Steranko this issue than last, perhaps suggesting looser layouts from Kirby.

Worth noting this will be Stan Lee’s final work on Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. He remains the editor, of course.

Last issue, Nick had escaped Hydra, but was unwittingly piloting their Overkill Horn. We pick up there this issue. Sitwell is in charge of SHIELD, and manages to destroy the Horn, fearing he has killed Fury in doing so. But Nick gets free.

Strange Tales #151, Story B

Umar Strikes!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Script by Stan Lee, defender of the faith!
Art by Bill Everett, keeper of the flame!
Lettering by Artie Simek, printer of the word!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #151	Reading order	Strange Tales #152
Strange Tales #151	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #152

By the Demons of Darkness! By the oath I now speak! Umar commands– reveal what I seek!

At the end of last issue, we briefly met Dormammu’s sister Umar.

Given how weird and cool Dormammu looked, it’s disappointing to see his sister look just like a human woman. You can try to explain it off as these beings having amorphous forms or such. But it mostly seems like a failure of creativity and design.

Strange Tales #151

Overkil!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Layouts: Jolly Jack Kirby
Illustrations: Jaunty Jim Steranko
Lettering: Adorable Artie Simek
Hood laundering: Irate Irving Forbush
12 pages

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Tales of Suspense #85, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #151, Story B
Strange Tales #150, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #151, Story B

So you’re the guys who’re gonna take over the world, huh?

A new name in the credits. Who is this Jim Steranko on the art over Kirby’s layouts?

He had apparently dabbled in comics briefly in 1957, but I have no examples of that. His first work came out for Harvey just three months earlier. He co-created several adventure heroes for them like Spyman. And perhaps contributed to varying degrees to the stories.

Per The Comics Journal, some of this work such as in Double Dare Adventures is illustrated by Steranko.

Either way, he’s new to comics. This is a pretty big assignment for a rookie. Let’s see if he makes anything of himself.