tales of suspense – Page 5

Tales of Suspense #58, Story B

The Watcher Must Die!

Featuring: The Watcher
Release: July 9, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
A tale of most compelling merit by: Stan Lee
Illustrations of singular excellence by: George Tuska
Lettering of breath-taking adequacy by: Art Simek
5 pages

If you caught an early draft of my write-up for the previous issue, you saw me accidentally claim that was the final Watcher story. Either way, it ends with so little fanfare, that it’s hard to tell.

It’s hard to make a story about a character who never does anything. You’re tempted to have him do something in every issue, which is exactly what they did for this series.

The editor enthusiastically welcomes returning artist George Tuska. Tuska’s been working in comics since 1939, and worked for Marvel in the 1950s. Let’s see a sampling of his work.

The samples of Tuska’s work are from (in order, left to right, top to bottom):

Mystery Men Comics #1 (1939)
64 Pages of New Captain Marvel Adventures #2 (1941)
Crime Does Not Pay #22 (1942)
Casey – Crime Photographer #1 (1949)
Strange Tales #1 (1951)
Adventures Into Terror #7 (1951)

If Lee was that excited to have Tuska back, you’d think he could have found a more interesting assignment than filling in on the final Watcher story.

Tuska will continue to do occasional fill-in work for Marvel over the next few years, before eventually settling into a longterm stint on Iron Man.

The rest of the series had been drawn by Stan’s brother, Larry Lieber. Sad he’s not the one to bring it to a close. He’s already started what will be a very long run on Rawhide Kid. We’re not generally reading the western titles, so this is the last we’ll see of Larry for a while. He will pop up again here and there for the occasional fill-in issue or special, so this isn’t good-bye forever.

Tales of Suspense #58

In Mortal Combat with Captain America!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: July 9, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Every word you are about to read was written by ol’ faithful Stan Lee, one of the world’s most prolific script writers!
Every drawing you are about to marvel at, was created by Don Heck, one of America’s most promising illustrators!
Every bit of inking you are about to savor was done by Dick Ayers, one of the industry’s most painstaking artists!
Every sentence you are about to scan was hand-printed by Sam Rosen, one of Marvel’s most perspicuous letterers!
18 pages

The story begins with Iron Man battling a shark. That’s cool.

This story will guest star Captain America. Remember in Strange Tales #123 when Thing was a guest star, and then he was sharing title billing by issue 124? Or how Hulk was a guest star in Tales to Astonish #59, and then had his own regular feature in Tales to Astonish #60? I don’t know why I’m bringing those up.

Kraven and Chameleon return to America after their most recent deportations. Iron Man catches Kraven sneaking ashore, but Chameleon gets away.

I really appreciate the battle between Iron Man and Kraven. So often in superhero comics, they exaggerate the threat the villain poses against the hero. This has been a particularly pernicious problem with heroes as powerful as Thor and Iron Man, who tend to outclass their villains. It is thus rather refreshing to see the battle between Iron Man and Kraven resolved within 3 panels, as it should be.

Tales of Suspense #57, Story B

The Watcher’s Power!

Featuring: Watcher
Release: June 9, 1964
Cover: September 1964
12 cents
Story plot by: Stan Lee
Script + Art by: Larry Lieber
Inking by: Geo. Bell
Lettering by: Art Simek
5 pages

Larry Lieber celebrated his birthday last week. 89 years young. I think he is the only still-living creator we have encountered thus far. The Marvel superheroes of this era have become a cornerstore of our culture, but we have few remaining connections to those who helped make them. The most notable of those connections is Larry Lieber, younger brother of the late Stan Lieber, better known as Stan Lee.

Space pirates set to attack a world run afoul of the Watcher. Like the last would-be attacker to do so, they think the Watcher won’t be a problem, due to his oath. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t read the fine print of the oath.

Tales of Suspense #57

Hawkeye, the Marksman!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: June 9, 1964
Cover: September 1964
12 cents
Written by: Smiling Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Sparkling Don Heck
Lettered by: Sterling S. Rosen
18 pages

Interestingly, this is the first Iron Man cover not drawn by Kirby. In fact, it’s the first major cover of the era not drawn or partially drawn by Kirby or Ditko. In general, Ditko has been drawing the covers of his books, and Kirby has been drawing the covers of his own and everybody else’s. For example, Kirby has drawn very few Giant-Man stories, but has drawn every cover. Since covers were often drawn before the issue, Kirby often had a hand in the creation of the new villains, by virtue of being the first to actually draw them. But not Hawkeye. Hawkeye may be the first major character we’ve met not in any way attributable to Kirby or Ditko. He seems to be entirely the creation of Stan Lee and Don Heck.

For example, Kirby is generally not credited as a creator of Black Widow, but he was involved at the beginning, having drawn her first cover appearance. Same story for Daredevil. I see none of his fingerprints on Hawkeye, but may be unaware of some behind-the-scenes work.

When we met Daredevil, I declared our cast of original stars complete. That was an admittedly arbitrary cut-off. I could have waited just a few months and claimed Hawkeye completes the package.

I said what I said because Hawkeye is not of our stars. At least not yet. He is a just a new super-villain, one of many. Like Black Widow. Like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch…

See the Our Cast So Far page to see how I’m breaking out the characters.

Tales of Suspense #56, Story B

The Watcher’s Sacrifice!

Featuring: Watcher
Release: May 12, 1964
Cover: August 1964
12 cents
Story plot: Stan Lee
Script + art: Larry Lieber
Inking: Geo. Bell
Lettering: Art Simek
5 pages

This story makes me cringe a bit.

There have always been off-color jokes made about the character of the Watcher, suggesting a certain voyeurism to his character. After all, he watches. There seem to be no limits to what we can or will watch. Personal privacy is not a particular concern of his.

I have always taken such comments as jest and not a serious critique of the character of the Watcher, who, after all, is an impossibly advanced cosmic being, indistinguishable to us from a god.

But then we come to this story. Where he falls in love with a woman he is watching.

Tales of Suspense #56

The Uncanny Unicorn!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: May 12, 1964
Cover: August 1964
12 cents
Written with consummate skill by: Stan Lee
Illustrated with blazing drama by: Don Heck
Lettered with bloodshot eyes by: S. Rosen
18 pages

The time of the science fiction short stories has ended, allowing this comic to devote a full 18 pages to telling Iron Man’s story. I’m sure that making it longer was the missing ingredient in making it good.

This issue, Iron Man battles the Unicorn. I’m undecided if that name conjures a powerful Soviet menace. It doesn’t sound like something a tough bad guy would call themself, but then I wouldn’t want to have to fight a unicorn.

The character arc of the issue is that Tony Stark decides to give up being Iron Man and live a normal life. He then feels guilty when Happy is injured by the Unicorn because he had neglected his responsibilities.

Tales of Suspense #55, Story C

The Sun-Stealer!

Featuring: Watcher
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Story plot: Stan Lee
Script + Art: Larry Lieber
Lettering: Art Simek
5 pages

The Watcher’s emotional state in the previous issue led me to conclude it was an ancient story of the Watcher’s youth. This story is clearly taking place closer to modern times, though still in the past. The Watcher has already set up shop on our moon, which he describes as his temporary domain; he will finally leave this home in Fantastic Four #13. The continents of Earth seem to be in their current position. He must already be an ancient being.

An alien plans to steal Earth’s sun to save his own world. The Watcher distracts him long enough to thwart his plans.

Tales of Suspense #55, Story B

All About Iron Man

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Presented by: Stan Lee and Don Heck
Lettered by S. Rosen
5 pages

This is pushing the line between what I’d call a story and what I’d call a special feature at the end of a story. It’s long enough and told in a comics format, so I decided to give it its own entry, but I could have included it at the end of the last one.

This feature fits in where the science fiction tale would normally have gone, but those are done now.

The first page shows some of Iron Man’s major villains:

Black Widow
Mysterious Melter
Mandarin
Scarecrow
Mr. Doll
Crimson Dynamo
Gargantus
Jack Frost

It’s not an exhaustive list. I don’t see:

Wong-Chu
Kala and the Netherworlders
Dr. Strange
Red Barbarian
The Actor
The Mad Pharaoh

One villain is unnamed, and I don’t recognize him.

Tales of Suspense #55

No one escapes the Mandarin!

Featuring: Iron Man
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Written by: Friendly Stan Lee
Illustrated by: Faithful Don Heck
Lettered by: Fearless Art Simek
13 pages

For the second issue in a row, a comic I own in original form, because it was too hard to find the Watcher story in the back any other way.

The title is, “No one escapes the Mandarin!” Iron Man is currently a prisoner. Willing to bet money someone will escape the Mandarin by issue’s end. (In fact, someone will escape the Mandarin by page 3.)

I need everybody to agree on a couple points. Iron Man is a captive. He is tied up just like he was at the end of last issue. That’s the first point. The second is that he is wearing a different helmet than he was a moment ago. There is a clear lack of bolts down the face. Somebody explain.

Tales of Suspense #54, Story C

Hands Off!

Featuring: Watcher
Release: March 10, 1964
Cover: June 1964
12 cents
Story plot by: Stan Lee
Script + Art by: Larry Lieber
Inking: Chic Stone
Lettering: Art Simek
5 pages

As I mentioned in the last post, this is the first comic in our reading I actually own an original copy of. This story is the reason I have it. I had the Iron Man story already in the Essential Iron Man and Iron Man Omnibus. But at the time, nearly 20 years ago, I couldn’t find the Watcher story anywhere else. So I tracked down the original comic, shelling out several dollars for it, maybe as much as 7 or 8. Definitely more than the 12 cents it should have cost.

The Watcher is unusually passionate at the moment. I think of him as more reserved. Here, he plans to stick to his oath, but it torments him.

That makes me think this tale is set in very ancient times. The modern Watcher is a little more accepting of his role, and this tale takes place in his youth, when he struggled a bit more with his oath.

As I’ve expressed before, the Watcher’s conclusions about morality are wrong. It’s better to act. That said, they fascinate me. Especially stories like this that attempt to explore the morality of his oath.