Amazing Spider-Man #22
Title: The Clown and his Masters of Menace
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Ringmaster, Masters of Menace (Clown, Princess Python, Cannonball, Great Gambonnos)
Regulars: Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen
The Ringmaster and his circus artists are freed from prison. The Ringmaster wants to get back on the road, hosting circuses and stealing the visitors' money, but the others don't trust him as a leader any more. The Clown becomes the leader and he calls the group the Masters of Menace. They rob an art gallery instead.
Princess Python, the snake tamer, might seem like the weakest member of the group, but she's the only one against whom Spider-Man is powerless. When she grabs him he doesn't know what to do, apart from say "Let go, lady".
She releases him so that the others can continue the fight. That was the wrong move. He quickly defeats them all. She could have held him all day. It was much too hard for him to break free of her grip.
After the fight he turns his attention back to Princess Python. Can't he shoot his web at her? No, all he can do is talk tough.
She's too coquettish for Spider-Man to handle. When she turns her back and rubs herself against him it's not just his spider-sense that's tingling.
Look at that! She almost manages to rip off his mask while he's off guard. He's lucky it was only his mask.
The moral of this story is: if you're a horny 15-year-old boy stay away from sexy circus entertainers.
In the Crazy Credits Artie Simek is allowed to write his name in big letters.
Poor Artie. The page isn't even over and Stan Lee puts himself in the limelight again.
Fantastic Four #36
Title: The Frightful Four
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Frightful Four (Wizard, Paste-Pot Pete, Sandman, Medusa)
Regulars: Alicia Masters
Guests: Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp)
X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl)
Spider-Man, Rick Jones
Finally there's an evil super-group to challenge the Fantastic Four. The Wizard forms the group with Paste-Pot Pete and Sandman, both of them villains who have previously fought with the Fantastic Four. To be an exact mirror of the Fantastic Four he needs a female member, so he finds a savage female in the Mediterranean that he gives the name Madam Medusa. In later comics her name is shortened to Medusa, and we find out her origins.
Paste-Pot Pete, the Sandman and the Wizard were all previously defeated by the Human Torch, with or without the Thing's assistance.
The Wizard was last seen in Strange Tales #118.
Paste-Pot Pete was last seen in Strange Tales #124.
Sandman was last seen in Strange Tales #115.
For all of my fashion-conscious readers: Susan Storm has a new hairdo.
Until last month she had long hair, parted on the right.
Now she has short hair with a fringe. Can anyone tell me what these hair styles are called?
Reed Richards and Susan Storm are now officially engaged. It's a change to see a romance succeeding in Stan Lee's comics. Look at all the guests! I wonder how they found the X-Men. They're not listed in the Yellow Pages.
The Avengers #14
Title: This Hostage Earth
Writer: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp
Villain: aliens from another planet
Regulars: Rick Jones
Guests: Watcher
In the last issue the Wasp was badly injured by a gunshot. There is only one surgeon in the world, Dr. Svenson, who can save her, but he's in Norway. When the Avengers find him they discover that he's been replaced by an alien from another planet. The real Dr. Svenson is living with the aliens below the North Pole while they are trying to find a way home.
The Watcher looks at everything that's happening but doesn't interfere.
There's an advertisement for the MMMS on the cover.
Tales to Astonish #65
Title: Presenting the new Giant-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Bob Powell
The only thing new about Giant-Man this month is that he gets a new costume, designed by the Wasp, with more blue in it. Blue is fashionable, isn't it?
Apart from that, Giant-Man and the Wasp have to battle a spider that's accidentally enlarged by Giant-Man's size changing formula.
Title: On the Rampage against the Reds
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Leader
Regulars: Major Talbot
The Hulk falls into the sea, where he turns back into Bruce Banner. A Communist sub-marine pulls him out of the water and takes him back to Russia. (I don't say USSR for reasons I've stated elsewhere). While in captivity he turns back into the Hulk and escapes.
The Crazy Credits don't say that Sam Rosen is unreliable, they just don't say that he's reliable. Don't misquote Stan Lee!
Journey into Mystery #114
Title: The stronger I am, the sooner I die!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Absorbing Man (Crusher Creel)
Regulars: Balder, Jane Foster
Loki attempts in vain to reduce Thor's powers. When he realises it's not possible he gives super-powers to Crusher Creel, an inmate in a high security prison. He can now absorb the nature and the properties of whatever he touches, whether it's metal, wood or stone.
Thor is unable to defeat the Absorbing Man. He has to abandon the fight when Balder tells him that Loki has kidnapped Jane Foster.
Note the advertisement for the MMMS on the cover.
According to the Crazy Credits Sam Rosen likes to drink heavily at the weekend. I wonder if that's truth or slander.
Title: The Golden Apples
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
This is a retelling of the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
Iduna is on her way to Odin to deliver the Golden Apples of Immortality. She is ambushed and captured by Fenris, the Wolf God. She is rescued by Haakun the Hunter.
Tales of Suspense #63
Title: The Death of Tony Stark
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Phantom (Dr. Birch)
Regulars: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan
Anthony Stark manages to design an improved transistor that allows him to remove his armour. He announces to the world that he's still alive. He tells Happy and Pepper that he's got engaged to a debutante from Boston in order to stop Pepper loving him.
Dr. Birch, a disgruntled employee at Stark's main factory, sabotages the plant. He's called a phantom, but this is a nickname rather than a pseudonym.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen's lettering has a great impact. Way to go, Sam!
Title: The Origin of Captain America
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Nazis
This story is overdue. I expect that many Marvel readers never read the original Captain America stories in the 1940's, so they needed to know where he came from.
Captain America is Steve Rogers, a young man who was too weak and sickly to be accepted when he applied to join the American army. He was given a potion that transformed him into a super-soldier.
The story is a retelling of Captain America Comics #1, written in December 1940 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
This is the first in a series of stories about Captain America's adventures during the Second World War.
Strange Tales #130
Title: Meet the Beatles
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Bob Powell
Villain: petty crooks
Regulars: Alicia Masters, Doris Evans, Reed Richards, Susan Storm
The Thing and the Human Torch's girlfriends persuade them to go to a Beatles concert. The girls enjoy the concert, but the boys miss it because they have to chase crooks who have robbed the box office.
The Crazy Credits say that Sam Rosen is sizzling. Maybe he's Stan Lee's favourite letterer now.
Title: The Defeat of Doctor Strange
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Dormammu, Baron Mordo
Regulars: Ancient One, Hamir (unnamed)
This is the first part of what I consider to be the greatest comic story ever written. It runs for 12 issues from Strange Tales #130 to #141, and the following five issues can be considered an epilogue.
In Strange Tales #127 Dormammu promised never to attack the Earth again. That doesn't stop him using other methods. He gives Baron Mordo power which is far greater than that of Doctor Strange
The Crazy Credits are surprisingly kind to Artie Simek. Maybe Stan Lee has turned over a new leaf.
X-Men #10
Title: The Coming of Ka-Zar
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: swamp men
Regulars: Professor X
Guests: Ka-Zar
In case there are any arguments about how to pronounce Ka-Zar's name, this splash page gives us the answer. Now don't ask me again!
The X-Men travel to Antarctica to investigate the appearance of a man in a loin cloth who looks remarkably like Tarzan. When they arrive they find a cavern leading to an underground kingdom that looks like something created by Jules Verne.
Poor Marvel Girl can't hide her feelings for Cyclops. When she's talking to Angel she calls him Scott, even though his name is Warren.
There's an advertisement for the MMMS on the cover.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #127 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #121 (Stan Lee, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #74 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #16 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
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