Fantastic Four #50
Title: The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Galactus, Silver Surfer
Guests: Watcher, Alicia Masters, Wyatt Wingfoot, Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon
This is the third and final part of the Galactus saga, often considered to be the best comic story ever written. The Silver Surfer delays Galactus by challenging him, but after a short battle Galactus reveals that he could have stopped the Silver Surfer immediately. Reed Richards threatens Galactus with the Ultimate Nullifier (TM), and Galactus leaves the Earth.
In typical soap opera style the Galactus saga ends in the middle of the comic, on page 14. Now we have romance issues.
Reed and Susan Richards have a marriage argument when he ignores her to do his scientific experiments.
Ben Grimm is jealous when Alicia Masters hugs the Silver Surfer to thank him for attempting to save the human race.
Johnny Storm thinks about Doris Evans, who has lent him her car even though they've split up. This will continue. Doris will be mentioned in the comic for years without being shown.
At Metro College Johnny Storm meets Wyatt Wingfoot, who will become a regular character.
An unnamed man stands in his room threatening to defeat the Fantastic Four, in particular the Thing.
This comic has it all!
Amazing Spider-Man #36
Title: When falls the Meteor!
Writer: Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Looter (Norton Fester)
Regulars: Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacy
A scientist called Norton Fester finds a meteor and tries in vain to get funding to study it. By accident he finds gas inside the meteor that gives him super-human strength. He embarks on a life of crime to get revenge on the banks that refused to finance him.
Spider-Man always engages in ridiculous banter while fighting, but I find that this sequence is better than most.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Artie Simek does stuff in addition to his lettering. I wonder what sort of stuff. Maybe he's making notes about the mistreatment of the Marvel bullpen letterers to write a report for Amnesty International.
Tales of Suspense #77
Title: Ultimo Lives!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan (as Adam Austin)
Villain: Mandarin, Ultimo
Tony Stark manages to get his attache case back from the Mandarin's moat and put on his Iron Man suit. Then he battles with the giant android called Ultimo.
Meanwhile in America, Senator Byrd cancels all of Stark Industries' defence contracts.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen letters hysterically. I don't believe that for one moment. Each comic is lettered with pure calligraphic calm.
Title: If a Hostage should die!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Nazis
Guests: Peggy Carter (unnamed)
Captain America remembers a girl he met who worked with the French Resistance. He had feelings for her, even though he never found out her name. He find out in future issues that her name was Peggy Carter. After battling the Nazis he assumes that she's been killed, but she's still alive and suffering from amnesia.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush has been kibitzing. That means that he's a lot more useful than his non-existence would suggest.
Strange Tales #144
Title: The Day of the Druid!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Howard Purcell
Villain: Druid
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Jasper Sitwell
Someone called the Druid is sending large mechanical eggs to assassinate Nick Fury. Despite his mystical appearance he's a highly skilled scientist.
Jasper Sitwell, a young graduate from the SHIELD academy appears for duty. Despite his obvious technical expertise he's still inexperienced, so Nick Fury doesn't take him seriously.
Most of Stan Lee's inventions are fanciful creations that we shan't see in reality for hundreds of years, if ever. This is an exception. He created something that would be made only ten years later. Stan Lee invented the world's first air bags! Air bags were installed in a few cars in 1975, but they didn't become common until the late 1980's.
Title: Where man hath never trod!
Writer: Steve Ditko, Roy Thomas
Artist: Steve Ditko
Villain: Dormammu, Tazza
Regulars: Ancient One, Clea (unnamed)
This is the third part of the epilogue after the 12-part Dormammu-Mordo-Doctor Strange epic. Doctor Strange is searching for the unnamed mystery woman who assisted him in his fight against Dormammu. Dormammu plants a false lead that she's in the kingdom of a mighty sorcerer called Tazza, and he tells Tazza that Doctor Strange is travelling to his kingdom to kill him.
On the splash page Stan Lee says he's forgotten whether the mystery woman befriended Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #141 or #142. The answer is neither. She first befriended him in Strange Tales #127. Then she aided him again in Strange Tales #134, without him being aware of it. Dormammu punished her in Strange Tales #141. I'm surprised Roy Thomas didn't help Stan remember.
Whatever the Crazy Credits might be suggesting, it's not a bad thing for Artie Simek to work with the windows closed. Just imagine if there were a gust of wind scattering his paper all over the bullpen floor.
Tales to Astonish #79
Title: When rises the Behemoth
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan (as Adam Austin)
Villain: Puppet Master, Krang, Behemoth
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti
Prince Namor battles soldiers in New York while under the Puppet Master's control. He breaks free of the control after he jumps into the River Hudson.
A giant android called the Behemoth breaks from the depths of the seabed to threaten Atlantis. Warlord Krang sees this as an opportunity. He asks the Puppet Master to create a model of the Behemoth so that he can control him.
Look at how a simple punctuation symbol can change the meaning of the Crazy Credits. Stan Lee, Gene Colan and Bill Everett are praised by an exclamation mark, while Artie Simek's qualities are put into doubt by a question mark.
Title: The Titan and the Torment!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Hercules
Regulars: Betty Ross, Major Talbot, Rick Jones
Dr. Zaxon accidentally dies while trying to subdue the Hulk. There were no witnesses, so this will cause people to accuse the Hulk of murder.
Hercules, who we last saw in Thor #126, is on a train on the way to Hollywood. When the train is halted by the Hulk Hercules challenges him, more out of the wish to enjoy a good battle than out of malice. The fight is interrupted by missiles that hit the Hulk.
The Crazy Credits tell us that all of the story's creators have Hulkish abilities. Even Artie Simek!
Thor #128
Title: The Power of Pluto!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Seidring, Pluto, Hyppolita
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Volstagg
Guests: Hercules
The title of this story is deceptive. It should be called "The Trickery of Pluto".
After the battle with the Hulk in this month's Tales To Astonish #79 Hercules arrives at Stardust Studios in Hollywood. The producer gives him a contract to sign. Hercules is sceptical when he sees that the contract says he should rule the Netherworld for all eternity, but when Hyppolita puts her arm round him and strokes his neck his brain turns to mush.
Hercules signs the contract, as I would have done. The studio boss reveals that he's really Pluto.
Thor arrives, wishing to fight with Hercules again now that he has his full strength. When he sees Hercules surrounded by demons from the Netherworld he assists him. Pluto leaves to present the contract to Zeus.
Title: Aftermath!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Odin, Thor, Loki, Balder, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
The prophetess Volla continues to talk about Ragnarok, showing what will happen afterwards. After the destruction of Asgard and the Earth there will be a new world. The final words of her prophecy are
"All that live must die, but all that die shall live".
I like that saying. It should be my new motto.
The prophetess also reveals that Ragnarok will come about because of Loki.
The Avengers #28
Title: Among us walks a Goliath!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Goliath, Wasp
Villain: Collector, Beetle
Henry Pym returns to the Avengers and reveals that he's Giant-Man. Now he prefers the name Goliath, because Giant-Man sounds corny. That's no problem for me, I think corny is good. He can change size by will power, but not as easily now, because the repeated size changes have taken a toll on his body. After changing size he has to wait for 15 minutes before shrinking again.
Together the Avengers mount a search for the Wasp, who is still missing since she left the scientific station. She's been captured by someone called the Collector. He apparently suffers from OCD, because after capturing the Wasp he needs to have a complete set of the Avengers.
At the end of the story Goliath collapses unconscious, because he's been giant-sized too long.
According to the Crazy Credits, Stan Lee, Don Heck and Frankie Ray (real name Frank Giacoia) have created something wonderful, but Artie Simek has buried it. That's not true. If he'd buried this comic I wouldn't be able to read it today.
X-Men #20
Title: I, Lucifer...
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth (as Jay Gavin)
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Lucifer, Unus, Blob
Regulars: Professor X
Lucifer, who we last saw in X-Men #9, has hired Unus and the Blob to impersonate the X-Men and impersonate them in bank robberies.
Unus was last seen in X-Men #8. The Blob was last seen in X-Men #7.
Professor X recounts to Marvel Girl the story of how he first met Lucifer in the Himalayas, many years ago. Lucifer was the leader of a small country who kept his people enslaved. Professor X discovered that Lucifer was an alien from another planet and helped the people rebel against him. During the battle a stone block fell on Professor X's legs, causing him to be crippled.
This is the first issue of the X-Men written by Roy Thomas.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Artie Simek's lettering is lax. I disagree. Read the comic for yourself. Have you ever seen more precise lettering anywhere?
Daredevil #16
Title: Enter Spider-Man
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Masked Marauder
Guests: Spider-Man, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
The story starts off with a scene that confused me. Foggy Nelson and Karen Page are watching a television report about Spider-Man fighting with the Masked Marauder and his gang. The Masked Who? Did I miss a comic? No, I checked, and nobody called the Masked Marauder has ever appeared in Spider-Man's comics. This must be a recent battle that's never been shown in the comics.
Next we see that the Masked Marauder is planning to steal the plans for a revolutionary new car engine from the World Motors Center. All of his gang members have been dressed up as Daredevil to lie in wait for Spider-Man. It's a hit and run operation. They attack Spider-Man, then hide. When Spider-Man finally sees the real Daredevil he attacks him and a real fight begins. This attracts the police, and the Masked Marauder uses the distraction to break into the World Motors Center.
At the end of the story Spider-Man tracks Daredevil to the offices of the lawyers Nelson & Murdock. Since Matt Murdock is blind, Spider-Man assumes that Foggy Nelson must be Daredevil and threatens him.
This is leading up to one of the most interesting storylines in the early Daredevil comics.
Way back in Avengers #11 we were told that Sam Rosen's lettering was lachrymose, and now the Crazy Credits are telling us that the same is true of Artie Simek. They're sitting side by side lettering with tears in their eyes. Someone should write a pop song about it.
But what's going on with the inker Frankie Ray? We already know that his real name is Frank Giacoia, but here we read that he was née Giacoia, suggesting that he was born a woman. Was he Marvel's first transgender member of staff? I doubt it. We can't take anything in the credits boxes seriously.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #137 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #128 (Larry Lieber, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #81 (Larry Lieber, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #30 (Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers)
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