Fantastic Four #47
Title: Beware the Hidden Land!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Maximus, Seeker
Regulars: Alicia Masters
Guests: Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Lockjaw, Dragon Man
Triton is left with the Seeker when the other Inhumans are teleported back to the Great Refuge by Lockjaw. They think he's dying, but Mister Fantastic saves him by enclosing him in one of his wife's invisible shields filled with water. After this the Seeker reiterates that Triton is his captive.
Reed and Sue Richards have only just got married, but Reed is already talking like a sexist patriarch. "Stop sounding like a wife, Sue". He should be ashamed of himself.
Dragon Man was freed by the Seeker in the last issue. Now he's going on a rampage in New York City.
This gives the Thing an opportunity to shout his battle cry: It's clobbering time!
The Seeker has been working for Maximus, Black Bolt's brother. Maximus is ruler of the Great refuge, even though Black Bolt is the rightful heir. Black Bolt takes the crown back and becomes the leader. Maximus fires an Atmo-Gun, which will destroy all human life on Earth.
Amazing Spider-Man #33
Title: The Final Chapter!
Writer: Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: gang members
Regulars: Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Frederick Foswell
Guests: Dr. Connors
Spider-Man manages to break out of the collapsed building, injuring himself in the process. He barely manages to defeat The Master Planner's henchmen who are waiting for him. He brings the ISO-36 serum to Dr. Connors for testing, then takes it to the hospital. Aunt May recovers after being treated.
The relationship between Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson is a running joke in the comics. Here's the latest instalment.
Strange Tales #141
Title: Operation Brain Blast!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Hydra, Mentallo (unnamed), Fixer
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Gabriel Jones
The Supreme Hydra is about to destroy the Hydra headquarters with Nick Fury inside, but he's interrupted by his personal guards. He isn't wearing his imperial robes, so they they don't recognise him. They shoot him, saving Nick Fury's life.
Back at SHIELD, a new division is being trained to defend against psychic attacks. They fear an attack from a former SHIELD agent who has the ability to read minds.
This former agent is telepathically observing a criminal called the Fixer escape from prison.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen does his job reluctantly. Maybe Stan Lee should offer him a pay rise?
Title: Let there be victory!
Writer: Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Dormammu, Baron Mordo
Regulars: Ancient One, Hamir, Clea (unnamed)
This is the twelfth part of the Doctor Strange-Dormammu-Baron Mordo epic. Dormammu expresses his rage against Mordo by trapping him in another dimension. Doctor Strange defeats Dormammu in a renewed battle with the pincers of power. Doctor Strange returns to Earth a victor, but Dormammu gloats by showing him that he has imprisoned Clea (not yet named) for daring to help him.
One of Mordo's servants plans to kill Doctor Strange by planting a bomb in his Greenwich Village sanctum.
This is the first issue in which the Ancient One's servant Hamir is named.
Lettering and more lettering. We all know that a letterer's work is ever done. If all of a letterer's letters were stacked end to end they would reach to the Moon and back. If the font size is increased enough they would reach to the Sun and back.
Tales to Astonish #76
Title: Uneasy hangs the head!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan (as Adam Austin)
Villain: Krang
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti
Prince Namor fights against Krang and easily defeats him. He is crowned as ruler of Atlantis in a lavish ceremony. He allows Lady Dorma to stand by his side. Vashti, ihe old man who has selflessly helped him in the last few issues, is made Grand Vizier. This means that he's the highest ranking official in Atlantis after Namor himself. As a sign of clemency Krang's only punishment is exile from Atlantis.
The old man who has assisted Namor since Tales To Astonish #71 is finally named as Vashti. As a reward for his loyalty he's appointed Grand Vizier of Atlantis.
Shortly after the coronation ceremony there are earthquakes on the sea bed. Namor surmises that they are the results of nuclear tests, so he decides to travel to the surface to hold the human race accountable.
Title: I, against a world!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gil Kane (as Scott Edward)
Villain: Executioner
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot
The Hulk has been sent 500 years into the future by Bruce Banner's T-Gun. Society has degenerated, despite the invention of new weapons. There are small kingdoms struggling to survive. They live in fear of someone they call the Evil One. At the end of the story it's revealed that he's the Asgardian God, the Executioner.
The Executioner was last seen in the utterly chaotic Fantastic Four Annual #3, but he's still alive in the 25th Century, so he must have done a lot since then.
If the Executioner, one of the minor Gods, is still alive, where are all the other Gods? Shouldn't Thor be on Earth fighting against him? Only Stan Lee knows the answer to that question.
This is the first story drawn by Gil Kane for Marvel Comics, using the pseudonym Scott Edward. After sporadic comics as a free-lance artist he finally became fully employed by Marvel.
Tales of Suspense #74
Title: My life for yours!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan (as Adam Austin)
Villain: Happy Hogan
Regulars: Pepper Potts
No, I haven't made a mistake. I really have moved Happy Hogan from the Regulars slot to the Villain category this month. Read on!
Iron Man is too weak to leave the Black Knight's castle because his transistor power has run down. He rings up his office for help. Pepper Potts receives the call and drags him into her car. (She must be stronger than she looks). On the way back he gives himself an initial charge via the car's cigarette lighter. Back in his laboratory he gives himself more power.
He's told that Happy Hogan is back in hospital and will be treated with an device invented by Tony Stark called an Enervator. It hasn't yet been tested, so Iron Man fears that there will be negative side effects. He doesn't get to the hospital on time. Happy is transformed into an aggressive giant who goes on a rampage.
I agree that only Stan Lee and Gene Colan could have created this story. The Crazy Credits are right in that regard, although Roy Thomas will one day soon be able to carry the torch. But why is Artie Simek described as a frantic scribbler? I would rather refer to him as a ferocious calligrapher.
Title: The Final Sleep
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Nazis
It's time for the third Sleeper to be awakened. Captain America hurries to an army base near the town where it's due to appear.
Captain America draws a sketch of the first two sleepers. He may be a good crime fighter, but he can never replace Jack Kirby.
He's right about the third Sleeper. It's the head.
Now I understand why the Sleepers weren't used as a means to win the war in 1945. They're not intended to help one country defeat another, they've been built to destroy the whole world. They're an emergency weapon that would only be used if Germany lost the war.
I don't think the lettering is burnt-out at all, whatever the Crazy Credits say. Artie Simek has created pristine lettering for the printed page, as he always does.
Journey into Mystery #125
Title: When meet the Immortals!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Demon, Hercules
Regulars: Odin, Heimdall, Balder, Jane Foster
Thor defeats the Demon in a short fight before delivering the norn stone to Odin in Asgard. Thor asks permission to return to Earth, but Odin forbids it because he's angry about Thor revealing his identity to Jane Foster last month. Thor has to fight his way through dozens of Asgardian warriors, before finally defeating Heimdall to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
Hercules has travelled to New York City to have a good time. Wasn't there a mission he had to fulfil? He must have forgotten about it. Jane Foster sees him from a distance and mistakes him for Thor. Hercules invites Jane Foster for a milk shake. When Thor sees them together a fight begins.
The Crazy Credits praise the comic's creative team, while merely saying that Artie Simek is bashful. Stan Lee knows all about being bashful, so he must know it's a great virtue. Most of his young super-heroes are bashful.
Title: The Queen Commands
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Thor, Loki, Balder, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
The quest continues to find the one responsible for damaging the Odinsword. Queen Ula of Thryheim has sent her flying drones to attack Thor's ship, but Thor offers peace. Loki is impatient and attacks the drones, so battle is inevitable.
The Crazy Credits say that Stan, Jack and Vince are unique and indispensable in creating this comic, but Artie Simek is a pussycat. Why's that? Is it because he backs down and letters everything he's told to? That's his job. Stan Lee should respect him for what he does.
The Avengers #25
Title: Enter Dr. Doom!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Doctor Doom
Guests: Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Doctor Doom has been waiting for the Avengers to return from the future, where they were kidnapped by Kang. Isn't that a futile waste of time? When time travel is involved he has no way of knowing when they'll return. It might be immediately, ten years from now or before they left. While waiting he sits twisting his mind around the possibilities that he and Kang might be the same person. This has been perplexing him since Fantastic Four Annual #2.
Doctor Doom has invented a Scanner-Scope, with which he can watch everyone and everything on Earth. I'd love to have one of those. Every day I'd be sitting watching the world's most beautiful women having a shower or lying naked on faraway beaches. I'd never get bored. Maybe Doctor Doom does it as well, but he's not man enough to admit it.
Doctor Doom has no enmity towards the Avengers. He merely wants to trap them to use them as bait to lure the Fantastic Four to Latveria. He writes a letter to the Scarlet Witch, claiming to be an aunt. This excites her, because she's always considered herself an orphan. (In the post-canon years it was written that Wanda and Pietro were Magneto's children). The Avengers travel to Latveria, forgetting that Doctor Doom is the ruler. They should watch the news more often.
In the battle one of Hawkeye's arrows dissolves Doctor Doom's armour. Hawkeye boasts that he almost beat Iron Man in the past. Stan Lee might have forgotten when this happened, but I haven't. Hawkeye is referring to Tales Of Suspense #64, a battle in which he also used arrows to dissolve Iron Man's armour.
The Fantastic Four hear on the news that the Avengers are in Latveria and want to go to rescue them. They apply for flight clearance, but their request is denied. The government says that Doctor Doom is the head of state of a friendly nation, so they don't want the Fantastic Four to cause a diplomatic crisis. Let that be a lesson to them. In future they should never ask for permission when they're heading off to an adventure in another part of the world.
Fortunately the Avengers win the battle without the Fantastic Four's help.
Where does this story fit into the Fantastic Four continuity? I honestly don't know. I'll let you work it out for yourself.
X-Men #17
Title: And none shall survive!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Werner Roth (as Jay Gavin)
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Magneto
Regulars: Professor X
Don't you love this month's cover? It's very different to anything Marvel has done before. As far as I know the cover was drawn by Dick Ayers, not the usual artist Werner Roth.
The story starts immediately after the battle against the Sentinels. The Beast and Iceman are injured and need to go to hospital. The Beast leaves hospital after a few days, but Iceman is still drifting in and out of a coma.
A mysterious person has entered Charles Xavier's school while the X-Men were away. He defeats the X-Men one by one as they return. I remember reading this comic when it was new, and the last two pages made me gasp. It happens when Warren Worthington's parents drive to the school to visit him.
How can it be Magneto? Wasn't he captured by the Stranger and taken back to his planet in X-Men #11? Come back next month for the explanation.
Daredevil #13
Title: Sightless in a Savage Land!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Plunderer (Lord Parnival Plunder), Ka-Zar (Kevin Plunder), Swamp Men
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
In the last issue Daredevil lost his powers. Ka-Zar has gone to get ju-ju berries which will cure him. While he's gone Daredevil is attacked by a savage man-ape called Maa-Gor. Daredevil is at his mercy, but the Plunderer shoots him. He reveals that Ka-Zar is his long lost brother Kevin, but his motive for seeking him isn't noble. Before his death their father gave them each half of a medallion made from a strange metal with destructive powers as a weapon. The Plunderer wants both halves of the medallion for himself.
In later comics this metal is called Vibranium.
The Plunderer takes Daredevil and Ka-Zar back to his castle in England. Ka-Zar runs away, in possession of the medallion, not knowing how far away he is from Skull Island.
The Crazy Credits attack Sam Rosen once more. I'm the only one who rises to his defence. His lettering isn't at all dilapidated. Just look at his noble letters in the credits box itself. The letters stand upright, proud and firm.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #135 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Modelling with Millie #45 (Roy Thomas, Stan Goldberg)
Patsy and Hedy #104 (Roy Thomas, Al Hartley)
Rawhide Kid #50 (Larry Lieber, Larry Lieber)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #27 (Stan Lee, Dick Ayers)
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