Featuring: Wasp Release: March 3, 1964 Cover: June 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script + art: Larry Lieber Inking: Paul Reinman 5 pages
Giant-Man is humiliated that Hulk is stronger than he. Humiliated. At some point we have to address that Hank has some pretty severe issues.
Wasp tells Hank a story of a far-off planet and three suitors competing for the hand of a princess guarded by the Bog Beast. The Bog Beast overcomes those who seem to be the most powerful suitors, but the peasant Lorenzo will win the princess’ hand.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: March 3, 1964 Cover: June 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee Drawn by: Dick Ayers 18 pages
The story leaves out the letterer credit for some reason. The GCD notes it’s Sam Rosen.
They spend a page detailing how Giant-Man’s ring transport method works. It really might be the dumbest thing in this series.
Giant-Man’s costume has been undergoing a gradual evolution. Ayers has been drawing him with these thick black suspenders, while everybody else has favorited light vertical stripes, as on the cover. They will eventually converge on the black suspenders look. Ayers adjusts them slightly in this issue. They had always been vertical like suspenders on the front, but now Ayers has them in a V-shape, meeting at his belt. I’d like to use costumes as a clue for how these issues fit around the Avengers issues, but Giant-Man must be changing back and forth.
Wasp also gets a new look this issue. This is also unhelpful to chronology considerations as this look never shows up in the Avengers comic. She has a new hairdo and new headpiece to show it off. In Avengers #5, she appears to have her old hairdo and headpiece. By Avengers #6, she is wearing a whole new costume. It will be hard to reconcile.
The big news of this issue, besides Wasp’s new do, is that Hank has finally bought a ring, and intends to propose to Jan. She’s been wanting that basically since they met while he has always been too preoccupied with science and superheroing.
Featuring: Wasp Release: February 4, 1964 Cover: May 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script and art: Larry Lieber Inking: George Bell Lettering: Sherigail 5 pages
This is the first lettering we’ve seen attributed to “Sherigail”, a pseudonym for Morrie Kuramoto. The name is a combination of both his wife and daughter’s names.
I originally attributed the lettering to Ray Holloway. Thanks to Nel Yomtov for the correction.
I recognize that “gypsy” is an outdated and offensive word, but it’s in the title of the comic, and it’s how the comic describes the strange alien visitor.
Though the era of weird tales is ending, through the Wasp’s stories we get two more in this title.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: February 4, 1964 Cover: May 1964 12 cents Story by: Happy Stan Lee Art by: Heroic Dick Ayers Lettering by: Honest Art Simek 18 pages
For the third comic in a row, I feel the need to point out that we are reading a February comic when not yet done with the January comics. I have reasons.
Please recall that Hulk and Namor remain at large.
How does Wasp feel about not getting her name on the jackets?
Actually, you often look foolish and clumsy. Do you have any footage of your recent battle against El Toro?
Human Top is Dr. Pym’s third repeat villain, after Egghead and Porcupine. Returning villains have become much more common across all the titles these last couple months, now that a staple has been built up.
Featuring: Wasp Release: January 3, 1964 Cover: April 1964 12 cents Dreamed up by: Stan Lee Scribbled + sketched by: Larry Lieber Finished in India ink by: Sol Brodsky Lettered + bordered by: At Simek 5 pages
Last issue, Porcupine seemed very interested in trying to learn Giant-Man’s secret identity. But Wasp’s mask has never covered her face and she doesn’t seem that concerned about her secret identity.
In fact, here we see her babysitting a friend’s child in costume. He refers to her as “Aunt Jan”. Maybe Porcupine wasn’t the genius he thought he was. It’s like thinking people somehow knew Sue was Invisible Girl but not that Johnny was Human Torch.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: January 3, 1964 Cover: April 1964 12 cents Daringly written by: Stan Lee Dramatically drawn by: Don Heck Deftly lettered by: Art Simek 13 pages
The placement of this story is tricky. Where we have it, Hulk and Namor are still on the loose, so this is no time for Wasp to be talking about a vacation. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be. Hank does note they don’t have time for a vacation. I choose to treat this as a veiled reference to the whole Hulk/Namor situation, whether intended or not.
On the subject of chronological concerns, notice Giant-Man is in his older outfit, last seen in issue 51. This indicates to me that he alternates between the outfits. In reality, the outfit seems to correspond to the artist. Ayers drew the issues with the thick suspenders. Kirby and Heck seem to be drawing Giant-Man with the lighter stripes. They will all eventually converge on thicker suspenders.
We see some pretty rough play between Giant-Man and Wasp. It seems to be all in good fun, but may be early warnings of an abusive relationship forming.
Featuring: Wasp Release: December 2, 1963 Cover: March 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script + Art: L.D. Lieber Inking: D. Heck Lettering: R. Holloway 5 pages
Once again, we get a Wasp story where she narrates another story. This time, she tells her story to Hank before heading to the Veterans hospital.
It concerns a warlord named Mingo (perhaps inspired by Ming from Flash Gordon). An atheistic conqueror, he takes advantage of his targets’ religious beliefs, easily defeating a people who don’t believe in fighting at night and another who can’t fight soldiers wearing sacred animal garb.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: December 2, 1963 Cover: March 1964 12 cents Story by: Daring Stan Lee Art by: Dazzling Dick Ayers Lettering by: Dynamic S. Rosen 18 pages
Porcupine is only Dr. Pym’s second recurring villain. Egghead was the first.
Giant-Man’s costume seems to be undergoing frequent slight alterations. I’m not sure what’s going on with the black suspenders. They may be adjustable. Whatever is going on, this issue they seem to form an “x” on his back.
Featuring: Wasp Release: November 6, 1963 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script and art: Larry Lieber Inking: G. Bell 5 pages
Wasp visits an orphanage to tell another sci/fi tale. The main plot about prisoners pursued by the Space Patrol doesn’t have too much going for it. But along the way, one convict lists some weird planets he was aware of. And those planets all represent some cool sci/fi ideas.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: November 6, 1963 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee Illustrated by: Dick Ayers 18 pages
This story is 18 pages. They’d been seeming to have trouble filling 13, but 18 will be the new norm. The 5-page difference is made up for by the lack of a science fiction backup, save the tale the Wasp tells. An era is soon coming to an end.
While I mostly think of him and appreciate him as an inker, I’d like to note that Dick Ayers is a pretty solid draftsman in this issue. I complained recently about his Strange Tales work with George Roussos. But, inking himself, he gives a very clean take on these characters.
We meet the new Black Knight, Professor Garrett. He’d been a spy busted by Giant-Man. He fled the country to his castle in the Balkans. (Yes, another super-villain with a castle; at least this one’s in a part of the world with lots of castles.) He used his science knowledge to genetically engineer a winged horse and build a lance that has all kinds of weapons attached.
In particular, his lance can melt metal. Since that’s the only power of the Melter, the Melter would feel pretty useless if the two ever teamed up.
