Fantastic Four #28
Title: We have to fight the X-Men
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Mad Thinker, Puppet Master
Regulars: Alicia Masters
Guests: Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman, Marvel Girl
The Mad Thinker (last seen in Fantastic Four #15) and the Puppet Master (last seen in Strange Tales #116) team up to make the X-Men battle the Fantastic Four. The Puppet Master uses a puppet to control Professor X, who then tells the X-Men that the Fantastic Four need to be stopped because they're planning world domination.
The Thing utters his battle cry again.
Note the Crazy Credits box again. See how deftly Stan Lee can mock Artie Simek without saying anything bad.
Amazing Spider-Man #14
Title: The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Green Goblin, Fancy Dan, Ox, Montana
Regulars: Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant
Guest: Hulk
This comic introduces the Green Goblin, who goes on to be Spider-Man's greatest enemy. His ridiculous costume makes him all the more sinister. In the story's first panels he seems to be appearing as the Green Goblin for the first time after perfecting his flying broomstick.
The Green Goblin's first step is to hire henchmen, and who better than the Enforcers, who we saw in Amazing Spider-Man #10. He approaches the boss of a film studio and suggests he makes a film of Spider-Man vs the Enforcers. negotiations take place quickly, and Spider-Man is promised $50,000 for his part in the film. They all travel to New Mexico to make the film. The battle becomes more complicated when they enter a cave in which the Hulk is hiding.
The Hulk fights with Spider-Man, so maybe I should have called him a villain, not a guest. Or at least an adversary, which is a more neutral term.
A mystery is made about the Green Goblin's identity. It seems as if he's someone we know already.
Look at this month's Crazy Credits. What has Artie Simek done to deserve this?
Tales to Astonish #57
Title: On the Trail of the Amazing Spider-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Egghead
Guest: Spider-Man
It's one of the standard tropes of Marvel comics, especially the early years, that the super-heroes have to fight against one another. The fans want to know who's stronger, and most fights end up in a draw. Unless, of course, the Hulk is fighting against another super-hero. The Hulk is stromger than everyone.
This is Spider-Man's second fight against another super-hero this month. After facing the Hulk in Amazing Spider-Man #14 he has to fight Giant-Man and the Wasp. This battle has been set up by Egghead, who we last saw in Tales To Astonish #45. He has sent a false news report to the ants which leads Giant-Man to pursue Spider-Man.
The Wasp receives a new weapon in this story, a gun which fires highly concentrated blasts of air. This is called the Wasp's sting.
Even after the misunderstandings are cleared up, Spider-Man and the Wasp still dislike one another. Giant-Man explains this by saying that spiders and wasps are natural enemies.
This month's Crazy Credits box is kind to Sam Rosen. Maybe he's July's employee of the month.
Title: A Voice in the Dark
Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Artist: Larry Lieber
Did you notice the Crazy Credits on the splash page? Once more Sam Rosen is spared ridicule.
Journey into Mystery #106
Title: The Thunder God strikes back
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Cobra, Mr. Hyde
Regulars: Jane Foster
This is the conclusion of the two-part story that began in the last issue.
After losing his cane Don Blake tricks Cobra and Mr. Hyde. He promises to deliver Thor to them if they retrieve his cane. Jane Foster sees this on television, and when he returns to his surgery she accuses him of being a coward and a betrayer.
The Crazy Credits downplay the talent of everyone involved with this story.
Title: Balder the Brave
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Odin, Thor, Balder
The last two stories focused on Heimdall. This story is about Balder.
Tales of Suspense #55
Title: No one escapes the Mandarin
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Mandarin
Regulars: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan
This is the conclusion of the two-part story that began in the last issue.
Artie Simek has been spared humiliation in the Crazy Credits.
There are two special features in the comic. The first is a four-page description of Iron Man's suit.
The second is a pin-up of Pepper Potts. This is a surprise, because she was initially introduced as a plain looking woman.
Tales of the Watcher
Title: The Sun-Stealer
Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Artist: Larry Lieber
The Watcher is shown observing the Earth. An alien called Xakku arrives on Earth who intends to steal the Earth's sun. The Watcher isn't allowed to interfere, but he does so indirectly. He engages Xakku in a conversation to distract him while his spaceship is sinking into quicksand.
This issue also contains a short anthology story.
Strange Tales #122
Title: 3 against the Torch
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Bull Brogin, Handsome Harry Philips, Yogi Dakor
Regulars: Susan Storm
This is one of my favourite ever Marvel covers. I love the bottom left, where it says "Doctor Doom does not appear in this story. We just felt like drawing his face". He does actually appear in a flashback, though not in the story itself. That still doesn't detract from the cover's sublime quality.
The so-called Terrible Trio return, who were Doctor Doom's henchmen in Fantastic Four #23. They intend to capture all of the Fantastic Four, one by one, but they can't succeed in trapping the Human Torch.
In the Crazy Credits Sam Rosen is accused of being lazy.
Title: The World Beyond
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Nightmare
Doctor Strange foolishly falls asleep without speaking a protective incantation first. He finds himself trapped by Nightmare, who we last saw in Strange Tales #116.
The Crazy Credits subtly looks down on Artie Simek's work. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko work magic, Artie Simek has a pen.
The Avengers #6
Title: The Mighty Avengers meet the Masters of Evil
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp
Villain: Zemo, Black Knight, Radio-Active Man, Melter
Regulars: Rick Jones
Guests: Paste-Pot Pete
The Avengers are challenged by the Masters of Evil, a group of villains who have already fought with each of them individually.
The leader is Zemo, the man who was responsible for the death of Bucky, Captain America's partner. Captain America talks about this incident without naming Zemo in Avengers #4.
The Black Knight fought with Giant-Man and the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #52.
The Radio-Active Man fought with Thor in Journey into Mystery #93.
The Melter fought with Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #47.
In the Crazy Credits box Sam Rosen is only mentioned as having a scratchy pen.
X-Men #6
Title: Trapped: One X-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Magneto, Mastermind, Toad, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Regulars: Professor X
Guests: Sub-Mariner
In this story Magneto tries to recruit Sub-Mariner as a member of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Is Sub-Mariner a mutant? That depends on the definition. In some comics mutants are considered to be "children of the atom", i.e. they're people born after 1945 who have been affected by atomic tests. That definition would cover the young X-Men, but it wouldn't explain mutants like Professor X and Magneto who are evidently older than 19. The more general definition is that a mutant is anyone who has evolved to a state different to his parents, for whatever reason. Sub-Mariner has evolved by being the product of a marriage between an Atlantean princess and a human sailor.
At first Sub-Mariner allies himself with Magneto. This changes when he hears Magneto threaten the Scarlet Witch. He cannot respect anyone who doesn't respect women.
In this story we see that the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is on a hidden island, not the asteroid we say in the previous issue.
What do these Crazy Credits mean? Sam Rosen only lettered the comic because he was dared to do it? Strange.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #121 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #117 (Stan Lee, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #70 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #8 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
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