Fantastic Four #22
Title: The Return of the Mole Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Mole Man
The Mole Man returns after last being seen in Fantastic Four #1. Or is he the Moleman? The spelling is inconsistent.
In previous issues of Fantastic Four and Strange Tales the Human Torch has been gathering new powers, some less feasible than others. Now it's his sister's turn. Susan Storm can do more than just turn invisible.
Susan Storm can create an invisible shield.
Susan Storm can make other objects or people invisible.
She can also use her powers to make anything that's invisible visible. This is the most curious of her new powers.
Reed Richards thinks that Susan's newly discovered powers might make her the team's strongest member. Three cheers for women's liberation!
Another landmark in this issue is that it's the first time the Thing speaks his famous phrase, "It's clobbering time".
Amazing Spider-Man #8
Title: The Terrible Threat of the Living Brain
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: The Living Brain (a robot)
Regulars: Flash Thompson, Liz Allan
This comic contains two stories. In the first 17-page story Spider-Man battles a robot that's running out of control.
The smaller sub-plots from Peter Parker's life are more interesting. Peter has a boxing match with Flash Thompson. He wins easily, despite attempting to hide his strength.
At the end of the story Peter Parker begins to spread rumours that Flash Thompson is really Spider-Man. It's a great strategy. Everyone at school believes it, which takes any suspicion away from Peter himself.
Title: Spider-Man tackles the Torch
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Guests: Johnny Storm, Susan Storm, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Doris Evans
This 6-page story doesn't feature a villain as such. If anything, Spider-Man is the villain.
Spider-Man wants to flirt with Doris Evans, the Human Torch's girlfriend, to show her what a real man is like. This leads him into a battle with the Human Torch while the other three members of the Fantastic Four sit watching. Before leaving he flirts with Susan Storm and leaves her a heart made out of his spider's web.
At first I thought it was out of character for Spider-Man to chase girls, but I was wrong. It's all about the mask. When he's Peter Parker he's shy and has no success with girls. When he puts on his mask he's brash and self-confident. He assumes he can do anything. He becomes an alpha male, and like all alpha males he's stupid.
Tales to Astonish #51
Title: Showdown with the Human Top
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Human Top
This is the conclusion of the two-part story that began in Tales to Astonish #50.
Title: Somewhere waits a Wobbow
Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Artist: Larry Lieber
Janet Van Dyne doesn't just visit veterans' hospitals out of the kindness of her heart. There's nothing she likes more than being in a room full of men, as she already told us in the previous story. It must be even better if they're horny young men who haven't been with a woman for months. She relishes the attention and feels a tingle when she realises they can't take their eyes off her body.
Journey into Mystery #100
Title: The Master Plan of Mr. Hyde
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Mr. Hyde
Regulars: Jane Foster, Odin
This is the conclusion of the two-part story that began in Journey into Mystery #99. Maybe it's wrong to call it a conclusion, because the story doesn't reach a tidy end. Mr. Hyde flees when Jane Foster interferes with the battle, which leads Odin to decide she's unworthy of becoming an immortal.
Title: The Storm Giants
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Odin, Thor, Loki
Thor and Loki are shown when they were boys. They challenge the Storm Giants to retrieve golden apples they've stolen. I don't know whether or not this story is based on Norse legends.
This issue also contains a short anthology story.
Tales of Suspense #49
Title: The new Iron Man meets the Angel
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Angel
Regulars: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan
Guests: Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp, Hulk
An atomic explosion causes the Angel to become evil. Professor X tries to enlist the help of the Avengers to capture the Angel, but he can only reach Iron Man.
Don't you just love the subtle humour behind this disclaimer panel?
Title: The Saga of the Sneepers
Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Artist: Larry Lieber
This issue also contains a short anthology story narrated by the Watcher. This feature was called Tales of the Watcher. After four issues as an anthology story it was turned into original stories about the Watcher himself.
Strange Tales #116
Title: In the Clutches of the Puppet Master
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Puppet Master
Regulars: Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm
The Puppet Master returns, after last being seen in Fantastic Four #14. He takes control of the Human Torch and makes him fight with the Thing.
Title: Return to the Nightmare World
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Nightmare
Regulars: Wong (unnamed)
Doctor Strange has to face Nightmare, who we last saw in Strange Tales #110. One of Nightmare's subjects has invented a device that will trap humans in the Nightmare realm while they're asleep, not allowing them to ever wake up again.
This issue also contains a short anthology story.
The Avengers #3
Title: The Avengers meet Sub-Mariner
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Avengers: Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp
Villain: Hulk, Sub-Mariner
Regulars: Rick Jones
The Avengers are down to four members after the Hulk quit at the end of the previous issue. They try to find him to persuade him to return, but this leads to bitter fights. Sub-Mariner (whose name is inconsistently used with and without a direct article) enters the battles as an ally of the Hulk.
Giant-Man briefly returns to his Ant-Man identity because he says he can travel faster on a flying ant. That's difficult to believe.
It's now becoming common to feature the heroes from other Marvel comics in one another's stories in brief cameos. This is partly as an advertisement for the other comics, but it's also Stan Lee's way of underlining that all the comics take place in a single universe.
With 25 pages, this was one of the longest stories in a monthly comic.
X-Men #3
Title: Beware of the Blob
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Blob
Regulars: Professor X
The Blob is a mutant whose body is unmovable and impenetrable. Nothing can knock him over, and nothing can pierce his skin. He's invited to join the X-Men, but he refuses because he thinks he's too strong and the others will slow him down.
All of the X-Men have a crush on Jean Grey. Angel, Beast and Iceman fight with one another to be close to her. Cyclops loves her in silent, but doesn't approach her because he's scared his uncontrollable eye blasts could kill her. Even Professor X loves her in silence but thinks it inappropriate to tell her what he feels.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #118 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #114 (Stan Lee, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #67 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5 (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby)
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