This is a sad month for Marvel. It's the first month since 1961 that Stan Lee has written none of the super-hero comics. According to the Bullpen page he's spending a few weeks away, but from now on his writing is sporadic, and he'll stop completely by the end of 1972.
Note: There are no issues of the comics Thor, Avengers and Daredevil dated October 1971. However, the series weren't interrupted. Marvel's comics were published throughout the month, from one week to the next, but they were dated monthly, always two to three months ahead of the release date. This month Marvel adjusted the dates. The comics released at the end of the month, which would usually have been dated October, were dated November instead. I hope that makes sense.
Amazing Spider-Man #101
Title: A monster called Morbius!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Morbius, Lizard
Regulars: Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson
Even though I'm sad that Stan Lee has given up writing Spider-Man after 100 issues, plus Amazing Fantasy #15 and various annuals, I have to admit that this is a great story. Roy Thomas is one of Marvel's best writers, and what I like about him most is that he's very Stan-Lee-ish. His style is so similar to Stan's that it's sometimes difficult to tell them apart.
At the end of the last issue we saw that Peter Parker's potion to remove his spider powers backfired. He now has six arms, like a real spider. There's no way he can blend in as a normal teenager any more.
Peter Parker thinks about the Shadow and the Spider, pulp fiction characters from the 1930's, but he also thinks about Batman, a super-hero from Marvel's rival, DC comics.
Peter rings up Dr. Curt Connors to ask him for help. He tells him he has a holiday home in Southhampton, Long Island, with a laboratory in the cellar. Spider-Man sneaks there at night to search for a cure while he's in hiding.
A ship comes from sea (Europe?) carrying a man called Morbius. He's similar to traditional vampires, except that he isn't compelled to sleep during the day. He can sleep if he wants to, but if he's awake he has reduced speed and strength. Morbius sees Dr. Connors' house and enters it, thinking it's deserted. When he sees Spider-Man he attempts to drink his blood, which leads to a fight. Dr. Connors returns to the house, and the shock of seeing the fight makes him turn into the Lizard.
Three recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man, #96 to #98, were printed without the stamp of the Comics Code Authority. A reader wrote that nobody, not even Peter Parker, cares about the CCA. Marvel's reply, probably written by Roy Thomas, defends the CCA with these words:
Fantastic Four #115
Title: The Secret of the Eternals
Writer: Stan Lee, Archie Goodwin
Artist: John Buscema
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Villain: Over-Mind
Guests: Watcher
Stan Lee plotted this issue before he disappeared, but Archie Goodwin has written the script. Strangely, the credits say that Archie Goodwin is substituting for Roy Thomas, even though it's Stan Lee who would normally have written the script. Maybe Roy Thomas was the official Marvel Substituter, so if there was too much substituting to be done, Archie Goodwin was the Substituter Substituter.
The Watcher recounts the origin of the Over-Mind. He's a being from an ancient alien race called the Eternals. We also hear that the Earth itself was formed from the debris of a planet called Gigantus that was destroyed by the Eternals.
The Watcher also reveals that the Over-Mind has turned the public against them.
The Fantastic Four want to challenge the Over-Mind, but Reed Richards insists on doing it by himself. When his team mates refuse to let him go it alone, he becomes violent and fights with them. Has the Over-Mind affected him somehow?
Captain America and the Falcon #142
Title: And in the end
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Grey Gargoyle
Regulars: Sharon Carter, Leila Taylor
Guests: Nick Fury
Gary Friedrich isn't standing in for Stan Lee on a temporary basis, he's become the permanent writer for Captain America and the Falcon, beginning this issue.
Captain America and the Falcon enter the SHIELD compound to challenge the Grey Gargoyle, leaving Nick Fury and Sharon Carter behind to recover from being turned to stone. The Grey Gargoyle takes the vial of Element X, but the Falcon tricks him into entering a space rocket that had been built to eject the Element X into space.
The Grey Gargoyle is fired into space where he can do no more damage. Will he be back? What a silly question! This is Marvel, they always come back!
The Incredible Hulk #144
Title: Monster and the Madman!
Writer: Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Doctor Doom
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross, Doctor Samson
Guests: Iron Man (flashback)
General Ross shows video footage of a battle between Iron Man and the Hulk, who is now thought to have died. In actual fact, Bruce Banner is being held captive in Doctor Doom's castle in Latveria. He's been brainwashed to help develop a gamma bomb.
Doctor Doom's lover Valeria, who we last saw in Marvel Superheroes #20 – Stan Lee gets the issue wrong – is invited to watch the development of the gamma bomb, which Doctor Doom says is being developed for self defence. When she recognises Bruce Banner and says the Hulk's name, the change is triggered and he becomes the Hulk. Doctor Doom is prepared for this and knocks the Hulk out with a tranquilliser ray that turns him back into Bruce Banner.
This was all a show for Valeria. Doctor Doom has also hypnotised the Hulk. The next time Bruce Banner changes he steals the gamma ray bomb and leaps with it into a neighbouring country that Doctor Doom wants to attack. Against Doctor Doom's plans, the bomb explodes in an uninhabited area.
The bomb blast breaks the Hulk's brainwashing. He comes back to Latveria to attack Doctor Doom. The Hulk is about to kill Doctor Doom, but Valeria begs for his life. The Hulk leaps away.
This story takes place after Astonishing Tales #7.
Sub-Mariner #42
Title: And a house whose name is Death!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Rock (Karl Serr), Lucille Serr, Aunt Serr
Regulars: Diane Arliss
Prince Namor staggers away from Aunt Serr's house, badly injured. He's attacked by another large monster. Now comes the deus ex machina, the favourite literary mechanism of poor writers since the beginning of time.
Namor is revived by two strange beings, father and son. All we know is that they're enemies of Mr. Kline, the shadowy figure threatening Daredevil and Iron Man in recent issues. Gerry Conway is obviously building up to a big crossover between the comics that he writes, but he's doing it clumsily.
Namor finds that many of the townspeople have been turned into monsters by Aunt Serr, because she's been trying to create a suitable mate for her deformed son Karl. They hate her and want to destroy her.
The freelance letterer Shelly Leferman can't decide how to spell "niece". She spells it correctly once and incorrectly twice.
Namor returns to battle with Aunt Serr and her family. There's an explosion that kills everyone in the village, good and bad. What an awful way to end a story!
Iron Man #42
Title: When demons wail!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Soulfather (Mikas), Mr. Kline
Regulars: Marianne Rodgers, Jasper Sitwell
Tony Stark is having nightmares which seem like premonitions. His girlfriend Marianne's psychic powers are affecting him, projecting the dreams into his head.
Thank you for these three panels, George Tuska. This is about as far as an artist can go under the auspices of the Comics Code Authority. Cleavage, side boob and a naked back. Delicious!
After the defeat of Slasher and Demetrius last issue, Gerry Conway has invented another throwaway villain called Soulfather. He's been given his powers by the mysterious Mr. Kline. Soulfather has psychic abilities that are powered by volcanoes.
Iron Man is arrested for protecting Tony Stark from allegations of building faulty weapons. I don't understand the legal basis for that, but I'll let it pass. The only complaint I have is that Iron Man is supposed to have Avengers A1 priority clearance, so it shouldn't be possible to arrest him.
Meanwhile, Soulfather captures Marianne Rodgers and forces her to obey him with his superior psychic powers. When Marianne sends him a telepathic message he breaks out of prison to go to her. But it's a trap.
Look at the place they meet. Lava? Volcanoes? Marianne is dressed like a Celtic witch, and Soulfather looks like he's on the way to a gay bar.
Iron Man's batteries are running low, so he soon collapses.
Astonishing Tales #8
Marvel has been announcing for a few months that some of its regular comics will become giant sized. This is the first of them. Until now the Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom stories have been 10 pages each, i.e. a total of 20 pages. This issue, which costs 25 cents instead of the usual 15 cents, contains three stories: Ka-Zar has 11 pages, Doctor Doom has 10 pages, and the new series about the Link Brothers has 10 pages, making a total of 31 pages.
It seems from the bullpen bulletin pages that it was Marvel's intention to make these comics longer permanently. However, it will only last a few months, before everything reverts to the usual 19 or 20 pages per issue.
Title: Battle of New Britannia!
Writer: Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Nazis
Regulars: Barbara Morse
Barbara Morse, who we saw inquiring about Ka-Zar in the last two issues, flies to the Savage Land. Her plane collides with a pterodactyl and crashes. She and the pilot are separated.
Barbara finds herself caught in the middle of the English and the Germans, who've been fighting since being stranded in the Savage Land in 1942. They ride on the backs of dinosaurs shooting at one another, and they refuse to believe that the war's over.
Until now there have been discrepancies in the location of the Savage Land. Originally it was underground, but then submarines reached it by underwater passages, which would have flooded an underwater kingdom. Now Roy Thomas has settled it once and for all. The Savage Land is on the surface, but below sea level.
Title: This Badge Bedeviled!
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: George Tuska
This is Len Wein's first super-hero story for Marvel after a year of writing western and horror stories.
Damian and Joshua Link are two very different brothers. Damian is a policeman, Joshua is a criminal. There's a break in at a scientific laboratory, and Damian has to arrest his brother. The other criminals push them into a vat, and they fall in hand in hand. Joshua crawls out, thinking his brother is dead. His hair has turned white. Damian crawls out of the vat later.
Soon after, we see that a transformation has taken place. Whenever Joshua falls unconscious, his energy flows into Damian, making him stronger and faster.
This story was a one-off, but in later comics Joshua Link is shown to be a member of Zodiac.
Title: And if I be called traitor!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Satan, Kagrok
Every year on midsummer's eve, Doctor Doom attempts to bring his mother back from Hell. He calls the Lord of Hell Satan, but in future stories we find that it's Mephisto.
Mephisto sends a demon called Kagrok to fight Doctor Doom. The fight is fought with physical strength and technical weapons. Kagrok wins, and Doctor Doom's mother has to remain in Hell.
Two spelling mistakes in one speech bubble! Jean Izzo should be ashamed of herself. The correct spellings are ingenuity and naivety.
It's no secret that I don't like Gerry Conway's writing, but this is a good story.
This is the last Doctor Doom story in Astonishing Tales. We're promised a story called "Deathmasque" in the next issue, but it will never come.
Other comics published this month:
Conan the Barbarian #10 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Millie the Model #192 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Our Love Story #13 (Stan Lee, John Buscema)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #92 (Al Kurzrok, Herb Trimpe)
Monsters on the Prowl #13 (Gerry Conway, Syd Shores)
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