Silver Surfer #17
Title: The Surfer must kill!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Mephisto
Regulars: Shalla Bal
Guests: Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Tony Stark
The Silver Surfer has promised to destroy SHIELD in order to get Shalla Bal back from Mephisto. Unknown to the Surfer, Mephisto has retrieved Shalla Bal from the snow storm and has placed her in a hypnotised state as a secretary in SHIELD headquarters. Mephisto wants the Silver Surfer to despair when he discovers that he's killed his lover.
In turn, the Silver Surfer wants to betray Mephisto by destroying SHIELD as an organisation without killing anyone. He gives SHIELD a warning and asks them to evacuate their buildings, but they don't obey his requests. Nick Fury and other agents attack him, but he reacts gently, defending himself without hurting them. This gives SHIELD the advantage. Using a new Z-Gun (TM) invented by Tony Stark, they weaken him enough to take him captive.
Mephisto is furious. He places Shalla Bal within arm's reach of the Silver Surfer, then takes her away again. The Silver Surfer strikes helplessly at Mephisto, who is invisible to everyone else, so Nick Fury thinks he's gone mad. The Silver flies away weakly.
This is yet another powerful story by Stan Lee. But really... a Z-Gun? Stan must be running out of good names.
The Avengers #77
Title: Heroes for hire!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Buscema
Avengers: Black Panther, Goliath, Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Kronus, Cornelius Van Lunt
Guests: Tony Stark
After highly praising Roy Thomas last month for his six-year run on the Avengers, this is one of his weaker stories.
Until now we've assumed that the Avengers Mansion belongs to Tony Stark. Now we find out that the building is only rented, and the landlord is a wealthy man called Cornelius Van Lunt. The rent is $2000 per month, and now the arrears are $120,000. I don't understand that. How could a millionaire like Tony Stark forget to pay the rent for five years? Doesn't he have a secretary to deal with stuff like that? Now Stark Industries is going through a bad phase and doesn't have much cash, and Van Lunt is demanding his rent. The Avengers could become homeless!
The Avengers offer their services for hire to pay the bills. Cornelius Van Lunt himself hires them to demolish a newly acquired building. While they're working a bank is being robbed by a costumed criminal called Kronus. Based on his physique, the Avengers suspect that he's Van Lunt. In actual fact it's one of Van Lunt's employees who wants to frame his boss.
The Black Panther gets a job as a history teacher, using a civilian name not mentioned in this issue.
Thor #177
Title: To End in Flames!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Surtur
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg
Unable to stop Surtur, Loki flees to Earth. Thor leads the rest of Asgard in battle against him, but they are unable to stop him.
Balder retrieves Odin from the Sea of Eternal Night at the risk of his own life. When Odin awakens he imprisons Surtur once more.
Fantastic Four #99
Title: The Torch goes wild!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Regulars: Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton
In Fantastic Four #95 Johnny Storm's lover Crystal returned to the Inhumans. Johnny kept his cool for a few months, distracted by various battles, but now he snaps. He's certain they must have kidnapped Crystal against her will, so he flies to the Himalayas to free her. He fights against the combined might of the Inhumans, until the other members of the Fantastic Four arrive to tell him to cool down. Crystal says she went back voluntarily. At first he accuses her of not loving him. Then it's explained that she was needed, because only her elemental powers could save Black Bolt's life.
There's a mistake here. Triton calls Black Bolt Crystal's brother. The exact relationship between the two has never been disclosed, but that can't be right. Crystal is Medusa's younger sister, and Medusa is Black Bolt's lover, which couldn't be possible if they were brother and sister. Could it?
Amazing Spider-Man #85
Title: The Secret of the Schemer!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Schemer (Richard Fisk), Kingpin
Regulars: Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy
This beautiful splash page drawn by John Romita gives a recap of what happened last issue.
The Kingpin is jealous, because his wife Vanessa (who looks remarkably similar to Dormammu's sister Umar) has helped the Schemer escape. Does she love him?
Captain Stacy visits Peter Parker with his daughter Gwen to ask him how he gets such good photos of Spider-Man in action. Fearing that George Stacy is getting close to discovering his secret identity, Peter makes an excuse to leave the room, then returns as Spider-Man, angrily demanding to see Peter because he owes him money.
Spider-Man captures the Schemer and brings him to the address where the $5000 reward was offered last issue. It's the Kingpin's apartment. Spider-Man is trapped while the Kingpin and the Schemer argue, with Vanessa in the middle. The Schemer unmasks himself and reveals that he's the Kingpin's son, Richard Fisk. Spider-Man escapes and slips away unnoticed.
Captain America #126
Title: The Fate of the Falcon!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Maggia
Regulars: Falcon
The Falcon is on the run from the police. He's been framed for murder by a black supremacist gang called the Diamond Heads. Captain America helps him escape, and then goes after the gang. He finds out that the black supremacy is just pretence to make people more scared of them. They really work for the Maggia.
We'll be seeing a lot more of the Falcon in the coming years.
Daredevil #65
Title: The Killing of Brother Brimstone
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Brother Brimstone
Regulars: Karen Page
Gene Colan delivers yet another masterpiece this month. It's difficult to say which of his panels is the best. They're all brilliant artwork.
Daredevil is still in Los Angeles searching for Karen Page. She has a small role in a television show called "Strange Secrets", which obviously refers to "Dark Shadows". One of the show's lead actors, Ross Archer, who plays Brother Brimstone, is due to be written out of the show. He tries to take revenge on the cast and crew, but Daredevil stops him, only to find that the person dressed up as Brother Brimstone isn't Ross Archer after all.
The Incredible Hulk #128
Title: And in this corner, the Avengers!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot
Guests: Avengers (Goliath, Black Panther, Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch)
The Hulk is still underground, walking through the Mole Man's tunnels across America. He's heading towards the San Andreas fault. General Ross fears an earthquake, so he asks the Avengers for help.
Goliath is as macho as they come. He doesn't believe in taking a woman's advice.
The Avengers fight with the Hulk, but even their combined strength is no match for him. They lure him towards a Gammatron Bombarder (TM), which is supposed to change him back into Bruce Banner, but it doesn't work. The Hulk leaps away, and the Avengers let him go, because he's now above ground and the San Andreas fault is safe from him.
Sub-Mariner #26
Title: "Kill!" cried the Raven
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Red Raven
Regulars: Diane Arliss
Prince Namor is hiding in New York in disguise. He sees a newspaper report about a costumed man found unconscious at sea. Namor recognises him as a potential ally in his fight against the surface world. The readers should recognise him as well, because it's Red Raven, who we last saw in X-Men #44. He put himself into a 20-year sleep, but now he's been found after only two years.
Namor finds where Red Raven is being held and revives him. Red Raven is so full of seething hatred for the surface dwellers that Namor considers him unsuitable as an ally. After a brief fight, Red Raven escapes and returns to the place where the rest of his people are in suspended animation. He tries to revive them, but they're all dead.
An explosion kills Red Raven. Supposedly.
Iron Man #26
Title: Duel in a Dark Dimension!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Collector, Shar-Khan
Regulars: Happy Hogan, Pepper Hogan
Pepper Hogan has been kidnapped by the Collector, who we last saw in Avengers #51. He tells her husband, Happy Hogan, that he will only free her if Iron Man delivers to him the Freak, who we last saw in Iron Man #4. Iron Man refuses, because he knows that the Freak is really Happy Hogan, a secret he's kept from him.
Iron Man talks to the Collector and asks him if there's anything else he wants instead. The Collector says he wants something called the Solar Sword. Iron Man is sent to a place called the Dark Dimension, not to be confused with Dormammu's dimension. The Solar Sword is being wielded by a hero called Val-Larr, and it's the only weapon that can protect the innocent people from the demons of Shar-Khan.
First Iron Man aids Val-Larr in battle, then he steals his sword and takes it to the Collector. This prompts Shar-Khan to begin an all-out assault. The Collector accepts the sword and honours his promise to free Pepper, but the sword begins to glow, threatening to do super-nova. It gains its power from light, so it's too powerful to be used in any world with normal light.
Iron Man returns the sword to Val-Larr. Together they defeat Shar-Khan.
Captain Marvel #20
Title: The Hunter and the Holocaust
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Rat Pack (looters)
Regulars: Rick Jones
Guests: Hulk
Captain Marvel returns after a six-month break. I'm glad that Roy Thomas was given another chance with this comic series. The stories are outstanding, even more cosmic than the Silver Surfer comics. Sadly, the series is still ahead of its time. It will only be back for two issues before taking another two-year break.
After Rick Jones performs another small gig before an adoring crowd, Captain Marvel complains that he's been left floating in the Negative Zone for months. That's six months, as we already know. Rick doesn't allow Captain Marvel to come back until he needs him, when he sees an old man being mugged in the building where he lives.
Rick suggests that they visit Bruce Banner to find a way to bring them both back to Earth at the same time. Rick directs Captain Marvel which way to fly to go to one of his hidden laboratories. On the way he's slowed down when he sees a tornado hitting a village and wants to help. He's further slowed down by a gang of looters calling themselves the Rat Pack. When he finally arrives at Bruce Banner's laboratory, his three hour time limit runs out and Rick Jones falls unconscious at Bruce Banner's feet.
This takes place shortly after this month's battle with the Avengers in this month's Incredible Hulk #128. Bruce Banner thinks that Rick might have led the Avengers to him, and the stress makes him turn into the Hulk. The Hulk is in a rage and prepares to kill Rick Jones.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #183 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Mad About Millie #12 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Chili #14 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Our Love Story #5 (Stan Lee, John Buscema)
Rawhide Kid #77 (Larry Lieber, Larry Lieber)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #79 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Chamber of Darkness #5 (Jack Kirby, Jack Kirby)
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