This is an exciting month for Marvel. Captain America has been given his own solo story in Tales Of Suspense. This is the first Captain America story since 1954. This seals the line-up of Marvel comics for the next three years.
It's also an important month not for what Marvel did, but for what Marvel didn't do. This is the first month since 1951 that no anthology stories were written. In the early 1960's Marvel had four anthology comics: Strange Tales, Journey Into Mystery, Tales To Astonish and Tales of Suspense. Most anthology stories were five pages long, so there were four or five in each comic, all written by Stan Lee, most of them in collaboration with his brother Larry Lieber. One by one super-hero stories were inserted into these comics, meaning there were less anthology stories. The last few months they were reduced to single page text stories. Now they're gone completely. November 1961 might have been the beginning of the Marvel Age, but November 1964 was the month that the Marvel Age finally established itself as unstoppable. There are now nine super-hero comics, of which seven are published monthly and two bi-monthly. (X-Men and Daredevil are published in alternate months). From December 1965 onwards all nine comics will be published monthly.
Fantastic Four #32
Title: Death of a Hero
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Super-Skrull
Regulars: Alicia Masters
The Super-Skrull is freed from the volcano where he's been trapped since Fantastic Four #18. To disguise his true identity he takes on the form of Johnny and Susan's father, Dr. Franklin Storm, and he calls himself the Invincible Man.
Reed Richards claims to have a machine capable of bombarding the Skrull homeworld with nuclear radiation. Considering that the Skrulls live in a different galaxy, that would be the most powerful weapon in the universe. Press a button and destroy a planet millions of light years away. Boom! Reed Richards must have been bluffing, but the Skrulls were stupid to believe him.
The Crazy Credits mock Sam Rosen. Stan Lee should be glad that he turns up for work at all.
Amazing Spider-Man #18
Title: The End of Spider-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Sandman, Green Goblin (cameo), Doctor Octopus (cameo), Kraven (cameo), Vulture (cameo)
Regulars: Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds (unnamed), Flash Thompson, Liz Allen
Guests: Fantastic Four (Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Susan Storm)
Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp) (cameo)
Daredevil (cameo)
After the events of the last issue, Spider-Man is considered a coward. Added to this, Aunt May is ill, so Peter Parker doesn't want to put himself at risk while he should be staying at home looking after her. Sandman attacks Spider-Man, but Spider-Man doesn't retaliate, he runs away. Stan Lee emphasises this at the end of the story.
Spider-Man spots Betty Brant on a date with a man he doesn't know. In the next issue we find out that he's Ned Leeds, a new reporter at the Daily Bugle.
There's a blunder in this comic. Aunt May's friend and neighbour, Anna Watson, is called Mrs. Watkins. I thought it was someone different until she began to talk about her niece. Come on, Stan, own up! You can't blame the letterer for every mistake!
The Crazy Credits name the other accomplishments of the comic's creators. Stan Lee writes the Fantastic Four, Steve Ditko draws Doctor Strange and Sam Rosen letters Patsy Walker. Don't forget that Sam Rosen lettered a lot of other comics, and Stan Lee was also the author of Patsy Walker. It was one of the girly romance comics that Stan wrote alongside his super-hero comics. He also wrote Millie the Model. Not many people know about those comics nowadays.
This is the cover of last month's Patsy Walker comic. (It was published bimonthly). Ten years later she gained super-powers and joined the Avengers as Hellcat. In the current Marvel Netflix series she's called Trish Walker (Patsy and Trish are both nicknames for Patricia).
Tales to Astonish #61
Title: Now walks the Android
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Egghead
Egghead attacks Giant-Man again after last being seen in Tales to Astonish #57. This time he builds a giant-sized android to attack Giant-Man. The android is mentally controlled by Egghead, but its weakness is that Egghead feels everything that the android feels.
Title: Captured at last
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Chameleon (unnamed)
Regulars: General Ross, Betty Ross, Major Talbot
The story in this comic continues from last issue and ends on a cliff-hanger. It's notable for being the first time in the history of Marvel comics that a story has run for more than two issues. As the Hulk's series runs it will take on the characteristics of a soap opera. Brilliant!
This story introduces Major Glenn Talbot, who also falls in love with Betty Ross, creating a love triangle with Bruce Banner. I told you already: it's a soap opera!
The Crazy Credits attempt to mock Sam Rosen, but it isn't as bad as it sounds. To paraphrase a common saying, "Nothing is inevitable except for death, taxes and Sam Rosen".
Journey into Mystery #110
Title: At the Mercy of Loki, Prince of Evil
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Mr. Hyde, Cobra
Regulars: Jane Foster, Odin, Heimdall
Loki pays the bail for Cobra and Mr. Hyde, who were captured by Thor in Journey into Mystery #106. He doubles the Cobra's speed and Mr. Hyde's strength so that they can more effectively fight against Thor. He advises that they take Jane Foster as a hostage. When Thor refrains from fighting with Cobra and Mr. Hyde because he fears for Jane's life, Odin is angry and banishes Thor from Asgard. Again! After freeing her Thor prepares to battle Cobra and Mr. Hyde.
Continuing stories, whether two or more parts, are becoming more common now.
As the Crazy Credits point out, "Nothing is inevitable except for death, taxes and Artie Simek". Too true. The letterer always comes last.
Title: The Defeat of Odin
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Odin, Thor
This is a tactical defeat. Odin allows himself to be defeated by a human prince in order to teach mankind never to give up hope when facing overwhelming odds.
In the spirit of reconciliation, the Crazy Credits include Artie Simek's name as a member of Marvel's talented titanic team. He probably framed this credits box and hung it on his wall.
Tales of Suspense #59
Title: The Black Knight
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Black Knight
Regulars: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan
Guests: Captain America, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp
The battle with the Black Knight, last seen in Avengers #6, is less important than the events in Tony Stark's personal life. Problems with the transistors in his chest plate mean that it's no longer safe to take off his armour. He has to remain Iron Man. He tells Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts that Tony Stark has gone on a long trip, which makes them suspicious of him.
Title: Captain America
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Bull
Guests: Jarvis
Think of this story as a warm-up for future adventures. Captain America fights a gang of thugs led by a totally forgettable thug called Bull.
This is the first time we see Anthony Stark's butler, Jarvis.
Amusingly, Captain America mentions Millie the Model. I wonder if he knows her from Stan Lee's comics or from meeting her in person. As I've stated before, in Stan Lee's Marvel universe the comics and the characters in them inhabit the same universe.
You've never read Millie the Model? Shame on you! Here's the cover of the November 1964 issue, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Stan Goldberg.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are the two most qualified men in comicdom to write stories about Captain America. Nobody would deny that. Still, it's a shame that the Crazy Credits box relegates Chic Stone and Sam Rosen to also-rans.
Strange Tales #126
Title: Pawns of the Deadly Duo
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Paste-Pot Pete
Regulars: Reed Richards, Susan Storm
The Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master, last seen in Fantastic Four #28, team up again to attack the Fantastic Four, beginning with the Human Torch and the Thing. They are only saved when the Thing spontaneously changes back into Ben Grimm, breaking the Puppet Master's hold on him.
The Crazy Credits say that Sam Rosen is tired. That's because Stan Lee overworks him.
Title: The Domain of the Dread Dormammu
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Dormammu
Regulars: Ancient One, Clea (unnamed)
For months (or is it years?) Doctor Strange has been using Dormammu's name to conjure spells. Now it's time to meet him, to tell him he's not allowed to enter our world. This is a powerful story that's presented in two parts, and it showcases Steve Ditko's remarkable talent.
I've included Clea as a regular because she will become a regular character a few years from now.
The Crazy Credits contain a few words that sent me scurrying to my dictionary. Be honest. Do you know what prestidigitators and legerdemain are? They're my new words of the month, and I'm waiting for a chance to let them flow into my casual conversation. I suppose that calling Artie Simek a nabob isn't a bad thing. He's been called worse.
The Avengers #10
Title: The Avengers break up
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp
Villain: Zemo, Enchantress, Executioner, Immortus
Regulars: Rick Jones
Zemo and his Masters of Evil are planning a way to get revenge on the Avengers, when someone makes psychic contact with the Enchantress. It's a man called Immortus who has mastery over time. He offers to aid Zemo. He kidnaps Rick Jones and imprisons him in the Tower of London in 1760, before calling powerful men from the past to battle the Avengers: Goliath, Hercules and Merlin. These are not the characters with the same names that we meet in future comics.
In future comics we find out that Immortus is a future self of Kang, but we see no clues in this story.
The Crazy Credits are spread across two boxes this month. So Sam Rosen is stalwart now? In other comics this month he's been accused of being tired and turning up to work late.
X-Men #8
Title: Unus the Untouchable
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Unus, Mastermind
Regulars: Professor X
The X-Men discover a new mutant, Unus, whose power is that nothing and no one can touch him. Magneto has also heard of him and sends Mastermind to judge his suitability as a new member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
This is the X-Men's first comic with Cyclops as leader. We see Professor X briefly descending into a cave in the Balkans, looking for someone called Lucifer.
In this issue Iceman changes his appearance from a snowy exterior to a block of ice.
Who is Cyclops talking to in the first speech bubble? It can't be Bobby Drake, because he's away from the school looking for Unus. The speech bubble in the top left must have been spoken by Angel, Warren Worthington III. Cyclops is getting his names mixed up. It's too much stress leading the X-Men.
In the Crazy Credits Stan Lee calls Sam Rosen a member of the Fantastic Four. That's high praise indeed!
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #124 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Modeling with Millie #35 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #119 (Stan Lee, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #72 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #12 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
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