Silver Surfer #16
Title: In the Hands of Mephisto!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Mephisto
Regulars: Shalla Bal
Guests: Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan
The Silver Surfer was the best selling Marvel comic in 1969 and 1970, and deservedly so. Month after month Stan Lee produced soul searching masterpieces, and this is no exception. The Silver Surfer's greatest enemy, Mephisto, Lord of the Underworld, returns again after last being seen in
Silver Surfer #9. Whatever later writers might have written differently, Stan Lee intended Mephisto be the Devil. The Silver Surfer is a good man, and he's being tempted by the Devil. That's a story that people can relate to, whether they're religious or not. That's what makes the tales of the Silver Surfer's battles with Mephisto so gripping.
Mephisto walks the Earth, in particular the streets of New York City. Where else would the Devil feel at home? As a favour to the Silver Surfer he removes Galactus' barrier round the Earth. The Surfer immediately returns to his home planet to be reunited with his lover, Shalla Bal. When he arrives he's told that someone fitting Mephisto's description has taken her. He returns to Earth, and Mephisto says that if the Surfer will serve him he'll be given Shalla Bal. The answer is No. Then Mephisto shows the Silver Surfer an image of Shalla Bal, that she's alone in a snow storm. He asks once more for the Surfer to serve him. This time the Surfer agrees, and Mephisto says he should prove his loyalty by destroying SHIELD.
The Avengers #76
Title: The Warlord and the Witch!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Buscema
Avengers: Captain America, Black Panther, Goliath, Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Iron Man
Villain: Arkon
Regulars: Black Widow
Guests: Toad
Arkon has returned to his world, taking with him the atomic scientists, the Scarlet Witch and the Toad. The Avengers try unsuccessfully to find a way to follow him.
While they're trying, the Black Widow returns and tells Goliath (calling him by his old name Hawkeye) that she'll never see him again. "Never" is a word that can never be taken seriously in Marvel comics, if that's not a contradiction in itself.
After their attempts with mechanical devices fail, the Avengers summon their inactive members Thor and Iron Man. Thor's mystic powers enable the Avengers to cross the barrier between worlds.
This story is slightly out of sync with Thor's solo comic. It takes place before
Thor #175.
The atomic scientists refuse to aid Arkon, so he uses a machine called the Ultimate Persuader (TM) to extract the information he needs from their minds. His scientists build an atomic bomb, which he intends to detonate in Manhattan.
Arkon attempts to woo the Scarlet Witch. She picks a flower and recites a poem by Alfred Tennyson:
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower—but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.
That's a beautiful poem, and it even touches Arkon's cold heart.
Arkon takes the Scarlet Witch to the top of the Empire State Building, so that she can witness the destruction of Manhattan. Quicksilver, Goliath and Vision follow him, but they are unable to stop him. Then Arkon receives a message from Greybeard in his own world. Iron Man has built a device, powered by Thor's lightning, to restore light to his world. Arkon gives up his plans to destroy Manhattan, but before returning he says that he hopes the Scarlet Witch will one day love him. The story ends with her looking wistfully at her flower.
Roy Thomas wrote magnificent stories for The Avengers from 1966 to 1972. Steve Englehart calls these comics the best ever written for Marvel. It's difficult to argue with that opinion.
Thor #176
Title: Inferno!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Surtur
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg
This month Marvel is producing masterpiece after masterpiece. Is it a coincidence that this month's greatest stories are all multi-part stories, which Stan Lee said would no longer be written? I think not.
Thor and his comrades submit to Loki as the new ruler of Asgard. Thor allows himself to be imprisoned, while the Warriors Three have to be subdued by Loki. Only Balder resists, saying he would rather be an enemy of Asgard than serve Loki.
The sleeping Odin has been banished by Loki to the Sea of Eternal Night. The absence of Odin breaks the spell that has kept Surtur the Fire Giant trapped since
Avengers #61. Now he returns to Asgard, intending to destroy the universe, starting with Loki, whom he hates as the ruler of Asgard.
Fantastic Four #98
Title: Mystery on the Moon!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Villain: Kree Sentry
Regulars: Franklin Richards, Alicia Masters
I have the greatest respect for Stan Lee. I love him more than my own father. His stories have inspired me and made me the man I am today. Nevertheless, I have to admit that among his literary masterpieces there are a few flops.
Fantastic Four Annual #3 was a dreadful failure, but this comic, Fantastic Four #98, is possibly his biggest turkey. So much about it, from the premise to the details of the plot, is ridiculous and illogical that I would like to pretend that it was never written.
The comic has the cover date May 1970, but it takes place in July 1969. Man is about to make his first Moon landing. Now this is the core of the problem. Later apologists say that the real world in which we live is Earth-1218, whereas the Marvel heroes live in a fictional world called Earth-616. That was never intended by Stan Lee. He wrote stories that were supposed to be taking place in the real world. Before you say that sounds ridiculous, let's take another example: the James Bond films. We all know that James Bond doesn't really exist, but his stories don't take place in a parallel universe, they're fictional stories that happen in our own world. That's the
universe (if we can call it that) that Stan Lee created. It's about super-heroes who live just round the corner in our own real world.
Stan Lee wants to anchor this comic in reality by having it tell the story of the first manned Moon landing. The trouble is that in the fictional comics man has already been to the Moon and beyond. The Fantastic Four visited the Moon in
Fantastic Four #13. In
Fantastic Four #92 Reed Richards built a space ship capable of flying to another galaxy within a few hours. I don't know in which galaxy the Skrulls live, but if it's a nearby galaxy it would mean that Reed's vessel is travelling at 75 million times the speed of light. In comparison with these feats, the Apollo 11 Moon rocket is a waste of time.
A Kree Sentry left on Earth has the mission to stop mankind going into space. Didn't it notice that man has already been there, and far beyond?
Reed Richards is acting to protect the Moon landing from the Sentry. Why is it so important? Why can't he just tell NASA to call it off as a useless endeavour? And more to the point, why does Reed use a rocket lent to them by NASA to fly to the Sentry's location? Couldn't he just use one of his own ships and reach his destination in a fraction of a second?
The whole story is stupid. I apologise sincerely for saying this, but I think that Stan Lee deserves my honesty. I'm sure he had his personal list of stories that he wished he had never written, and this must have been one of them.
One good thing about the story is that the Thing gets to use his battle cry: It's clobbering time!
Amazing Spider-Man #84
Title: The Kingpin strikes back!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Schemer, Kingpin
Regulars: Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy
After my heavy criticism of this month's Fantastic Four story, I'm happy to say that this is a masterpiece, up to Stan Lee's usual standards.
Spider-Man wants to be a bounty hunter? Why not. He needs the $5000.
This story is obviously out of sync with Fantastic Four #98. That story took place in summer (July 1969), but here we have the middle of winter. The error would be in the Fantastic Four story, but rather than trying to allign it with the continuity of the other comics, let's just pretend it never happened.
But can't Peter Parker, with all his scientific know-how, design a thermal costume? Or at least thermal underwear? He must be getting frostbite in unmentionable places.
The Schemer continues to attack the Kingpin's gangs. He even enters the Kingpin's home, but the Kingpin's wife Vanessa doesn't allow them to fight. Spider-Man bursts in and attacks the Kingpin. The Kingpin flees, then notices that the Schemer and his wife have both left. Together?
Captain America #125
Title: Captured in Vietnam!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Mandarin
Regulars: Sharon Carter (vision)
Here's another powerful story written by Stan Lee. My only criticism is that Gene Colan's artwork isn't up to its usual standard. Maybe he's stretching himself too thin. In addition to his regular work for Captain America and Daredevil, he's drawing stories for Marvel's romance and horror anthologies.
A man called Doctor Hoskins has disappeared in Vietnam. He's loved by people on both sides of the conflict, because he's known as a man of peace who will treat anyone. Now both sides blame the other for his disappearance, and the fighting has intensified.
Captain America discovers that the doctor has been kidnapped by the Mandarin, who wants to prevent peace talks.
Daredevil #64
Title: Suddenly, the Stunt-Master!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Stunt-Master, Gladiator (flashback)
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Karen Page has gone to live in Los Angeles with Sally Weston, a former college roommate. Matt Murdock is in the city looking everywhere for her.
Gene Colan is back in form. Just look at this artwork!
The Stunt-Master, who we last saw in
Daredevil #58, is also in the city. He was pardoned for his last criminal activities on a technicality. Now he wants to go straight as a movie stunt man. Little does he know that his new employer wants to use him as a thief. He thinks he can do just this one last job before he goes straight.
Daredevil stops him, and after talking they team up to capture his employer and hand him over to the police.
The Incredible Hulk #127
Title: Mogol!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Tyrannus, Mole Man
Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk after being struck by a car. Then he's confused, because the people around him disappear one by one. Tyrannus, who we last saw in
X-Men #34, is attempting to transport the Hulk into his underground kingdom, but the Hulk is too strong to be teleported against his will, so every time Tyrannus tries to teleport the Hulk he gets the nearest person to him instead.
Tyrannus is determined to win the Hulk as an ally in his war against the Mole Man. We last saw the Mole Man in
Fantastic Four #90. He sends a servant called Mogol to the service to offer the Hulk friendship, so the Hulk goes to Tyrannus voluntarily.
When the battle with the Mole Man starts, Mogol loses his arm, revealing that he's only a robot. The Hulk feels like he's been deceived and destroys Mogol. Then he destroys Tyrannus' kingdom, but he starts to wonder if Mogol could have been a real friend despite being a robot.
Sub-Mariner #25
Title: A world my enemy!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti, Diane Arliss
I don't think I've mentioned it before, but environmental pollution is a recurring theme in the Sub-Mariner comics. Mankind thoughtlessly dumps barrels of toxic waste into the ocean, assuming it will never be seen again or have an effect on future generations. That's what happens here. An American navy vessel dumps barrels of unwanted poisonous gas into the sea. The barrels burst open on the sea floor, killing the members of an Atlantean outpost.
Namor claims the seas above Atlantis as its territory and forbids ships of any nation from entering. Some obey the new borders, others are defiant and are sunk. In the United Nations there are calls for a war against Atlantis.
Namor visit the United Nations, accompanied by Lady Dorma. He demands that Atlantis be recognised as a sovereign state, and he asks for membership of the United Nations.
Who's that idiot jumping up to refuse the UN membership of Atlantis? He says that the United Nations charter only allows the admission of peace-loving nations. I won't believe that unless I read it in the charter myself. If that were true, more than half of the current members would have to be expelled, starting with Russia.
Namor and Dorma depart. The police are on the docks, blocking the path to their ship, so they have to fight their way through. Diane Arliss is also waiting to talk to Namor about her brother Todd aka Tiger Shark. Namor tells her that he's dead. On departure the ship fires a missile at the docks, but Namor stops it when he realises that Diane is among the targets.
Iron Man #25
Title: The Doomed Land, the Dying Sea!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Johnny Craig
Villain: Sub-Mariner
This is the second comic this month that deals with environmental pollution. The story takes place shortly after this month's Sub-Mariner comic on Meridian Island, a previously uninhabited American island where Stark Industries has built factories. The Stark Industries employee overseeing the operations, Blane Ordway, is working on turning the barren island into a paradise. He's doing this by pumping waste into the sea. The island is outside the territory that Atlantis has claimed for itself, but the poison is released into the waters of Atlantis.
Namor destroys the pipeline, and he swims to the island to destroy the factories. Iron Man tries to stop him, because he knows that this would release even more poison into the sea. Eventually Namor listens to reason and works together with Iron Man to safely shut down the solar energy converter.
Tony Stark tries to persuade businessmen to do more to save the environment. They tell him they won't do it, because it's bad for business.
"We've got plenty of time".
Those words were spoken 49 years ago. They're still being spoken today.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #182 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Mad About Millie #11 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Chili #13 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
My Love #5 (Stan Lee, Gene Colan)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #78 (Bill Everett, Dick Ayers)
Tower of Shadows #5 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
