Fantastic Four #33
Title: Side-by-side with Sub-Mariner
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Attuma
Guests: Sub-Mariner, Lady Dorma
Lady Dorma of Atlantis travels to the surface to request the Fantastic Four's help in protecting Atlantis from an invasion attempt by Attuma, a warrior from deeper parts of the sea. The Fantastic Four fight on the Sub-Mariner's side, but he never notices it. At the end of the story he still considers the Fantastic Four his enemies.
The Sub-Mariner's people are back with him again in this comic. It's been going backwards and forwards over the last two years. As far as I remember, from now on the people of Atlantis remain with him.
Incidentally, critics call this month's cover one of Jack Kirby's greatest pieces of art. What do you think? All I can say is that he forgot to draw Sub-Mariner's nipples.
There are no insults levelled at Artie Simek in the Crazy Credits this month. Has Stan Lee turned over a new leaf?
Amazing Spider-Man #19
Title: Spidey strikes back
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Sandman, Enforcers (Fancy Dan, Ox, Montana)
Regulars: Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds
Guests: Johnny Storm
After his lack of activity due to his Aunt May's bad health, Spider-Man returns this month with a bang. This is probably the most exciting Spider-Man comic so far. He keeps hitting his adversaries, and his witty quips never stop for a moment.
The Enforcers, last seen in Amazing Spider-Man #14, have teamed up with Sandman. As a team with relatively minor powers they seem to have become an add-on act as the henchmen of stronger villains. They capture the Human Torch as bait to lure Spider-Man.
The mystery man seen last month with Betty Brant is a new Daily Bugle reporter, Ned Leeds. Betty is using Ned to make Peter Parker jealous, but there's no outward sign of success. Now we have a love triangle brewing. Only Stan Lee could write stories like this. He's showing his expertise after writing love stories for the last 13 years.
This is how J. Jonah Jameson reacts when he hears that Spider-Man is back in action. Thank you, Steve Ditko, for this wonderful artwork. I'd like to see J. K. Simmons acting out this scene. No other actor could pull it off.
The Crazy Credits box shows that Sam Rosen is only a distant relative of Spider-Man.
Tales to Astonish #62
Title: Giant-Man versus the Wonderful Wasp
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Carl Burgos
Villains: Sammy (a cat burglar)
A petty criminal discovers that Henry Pym is Giant-Man. I never knew it was a secret. He steals the Giant-Man costume and uses the size-changing powers to enhance his career as a burglar.
This month's Crazy Credits box is a curiosity. It praises Artie Simek and picks on Dick Ayers, this month's inker, instead.
Title: Enter the Chameleon
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Leader, Chameleon
Regulars: General Ross, Betty Ross, Major Talbot, Rick Jones
Guests: Captain America
This episode in the ongoing Hulk soap opera introduces a character called the Leader. We hardly see him and don't find out much about him.
Major Talbot's first name was Glenn in last month's issue. Now it's Glen. As Shakespeare once wrote, "A soldier by any other name would smell as sweet".
Talking about names, what's happening here? Miss Brant's testimony? Is Major Glen(n) Talbot confusing Betty Ross with Peter Parker's love interest Betty Brant? I didn't think Major Talbot even knew her. It looks like someone slipped up, either Stan Lee as writer or Sam Rosen as letterer.
The Crazy Credits praise Sam Rosen this month. Stan Lee must have accepted the blame himself for the blunder with Betty Ross.
Journey into Mystery #111
Title: The Power of the Thunder God
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Cobra, Mr. Hyde
Regulars: Jane Foster, Odin, Balder
The cover of this month's Fantastic Four is considered a masterpiece, but look at the cover of this month's Journey Into Mystery. Is it any less magnificent? Jack Kirby was producing brilliant artwork on a regular basis.
This story continues from last issue. In a change of heart for Odin, Balder is allowed to get a healing potion to aid Jane Foster. He has sympathy with his son's love for her, but he still doesn't approve.
This comic marks a step towards the Thor stories being more about Asgard and less about battle on Earth. It's a slow development which will reach its climax within a few years.
Can you see the Crazy Credits on the wall next to Jane Foster's couch? We see that Artie Simek's tools of the trade have to compensate for his lack of brilliance. Or so Stan Lee claims.
Title: The Secret of Sigurd
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Thor, Balder, Loki
Thor, Loki and Balder encounter a giant called Sigurd while on a mission for Odin. Thor challenges him alone while the other two look on.
There's a character in Germanic mythology called Sigurd. I don't know how accurately the comic depicts him. I suspect that nothing but the name was borrowed from the myths.
The Crazy Credits have sent me running to my dictionary again. Once more Artie Simek has been praised for his work. However, he seems to have made a spelling mistake in the credits box. The word is spelt "sagaciously" with a C. That mistake isn't sagacious.
Tales of Suspense #60
Title: Suspected of Murder
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Hawkeye, Black Widow
Regulars: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan
Guests: Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp
Anthony Stark is still unable to remove his armour because he needs additional transistor power to keep his heart beating. Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts report their suspicions to the police that Iron Man has murdered Anthony Stark.
In the meantime the Black Widow sends Hawkeye to steal documents from Stark's factory.
Hawkeye isn't really a bad guy, but he does everything the Black Widow tells him to. Would I be any different in his position? I consider myself to be a good man, but what would I do if a woman like the Black Widow asked me to commit a crime. What would I do if she presses her body against mine, stroking my back, breathing against my neck? I would be breathing hard and my pulse would be racing. I would do anything for her. Anything.
The Crazy Credits mock Sam Rosen once more. But what's that about shaky borders? They look straight to me.
Title: The Army of Assassins strikes
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Zemo
Regulars: Rick Jones
Guests: Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp
It's unclear exactly where this story fits into the chronology, because of Rick Jones' participation. In the current Hulk stories Rick Jones is in New Mexico with the Hulk.
The Crazy Credits box understates Artie Simek's importance. I wonder what his pay grade was.
Strange Tales #127
Title: The Mystery Villain
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Dick Ayers
Regulars: Reed Richards
Since my posts about the Marvel Years are only small synopses, little more than presenting statistical information about the stories, I don't have to shy away from spoilers. There is no villain in this story. The Human Torch and the Thing complain about Reed Richards being their leader. They think that everyone in the group should be equal, like in the Avengers. A short while later they're ambushed by a Mystery Villain, who defeats them after a short fight. He unmasks himself and reveals that he's Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards.
This is the first time that the Thing utters his battle cry in Strange Tales. It's clobbering time!
At first I thought the Crazy Credits were insulting Artie Simek by calling him a llama. I assumed that the word llama was accidentally misspelt. Then I checked my dictionary and discovered that lama with one L is correct; a lama is a spiritual leader, so Artie Simek is being praised after all.
The comic contains a full page topless pin-up of the Thing yelling his battle cry. Isn't he sexy!
Title: Duel with the Dread Dormammu
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Dormammu
Regulars: Ancient One, Clea (unnamed)
Look at the splash page above. However much I might admire Jack Kirby, don't you think that the outstanding artistic genius at Marvel in 1964 was Steve Ditko? Tell me what you think in the comments below. The difference between the two is that Jack Kirby had an enormous ego, while Steve Ditko was a modest man who just got on with his work. That's why Stan Lee and Jack Kirby got on so well in the early days and later fell out so tragically. Stan had the biggest ego of all. If Stan ever wrote a great story – which he often did – the first person to tell us was Stan himself.
This is the conclusion of the two-part battle with Dormammu. Doctor Strange discovers that Dormammu is only evil by Earth's standards. He has a code of honour, and he does whatever he can to protect his own people. (This side of Dormammu's personality is missing from the recent film). He has to use his power to prevent attacks from creatures called the Mindless Ones.
Doctor Strange cannot defeat Dormammu. When Dormammu has to pause the fight to keep the Mindless Ones away Doctor Strange assists him, so Dormammu's honour prevents him killing Doctor Strange.
The Crazy Credits confuse me. What's speedball sorcery? Whatever it is, it puts Artie Simek on a lower level than Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
The Avengers #11
Title: Spider-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp
Villain: Zemo
Regulars: Rick Jones
Guests: Spider-Man
The press has reported that Anthony Stark is dead after the events occurring in Tales Of Suspense. Iron Man is not answering his summons to Avengers meetings, maybe because this adventure overlaps with his battle with the Mandarin, that we don't read until January.
In the future, the year 3000, Kang says that he's been waiting patiently for the right moment to attack the Avengers, when they're at their weakest. Pardon? Why wait? If he's watching from the 31st Century he could just fast forward his time viewer. Or why didn't he attack 50 years later when they're all old men? Or 30 years earlier before they were born? Stan Lee really didn't think it through.
Anyway, Kang builds a Spider-Man robot, and sends it back to 1964 to attack the Avengers. The robot might have won, except the real Spider-Man intervened.
The Crazy Credits suggest that Sam Rosen's lettering makes people cry? I don't understand that, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I always thtough the word is spelt "lacrimose", but the trusty Internet has told me I was wrong. "Lachrymose" looks weird, but it's correct. It's a good word for spelling competitions.
Daredevil #5
Title: The Mysterious Masked Matador
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Wally Wood
Villain: Matador (Manuel Eloganto)
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Manuel Eloganto is an athletic bullfighter who thinks he can make more money from crime than from bullfighting.
As you can see on the cover, Stan Lee makes a big deal out of hiring Wally Wood to work for Marvel. But that's not all.
This box on the splash page announces his arrival at Marvel. But that's still not all.
There's another box on the splash page welcoming Wally Wood, and telling us that the costume changes are deliberate. The only change I can notice is that the D on his chest has been replaced with a Double D.
This is Wally Wood's Daredevil. Compare this with the cover of Daredevil #1. And more costume changes are to come.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #125 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Modeling with Millie #36 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Patsy Walker #118 (Stan Lee, Al Hartley)
Patsy and Hedy #97 (Stan Lee, Al Hartley)
Rawhide Kid #43 (Stan Lee, Larry Lieber)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #13 (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby)
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