This month there are two annuals with original stories, namely Fantastic Four Annual #4 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3. The Fantastic Four story slots neatly between Fantastic Four #56 and Fantastic Four #57, but the Spider-Man story has so many guest stars currently involved in multi-issue story arcs that it's impossible to accurately place it. I checked out Travis Starnes' "Complete Marvel reading Order" for advice, and he's done the best as he can to place it, but even his best efforts lead to contradictions. According to him:
1) Spider-Man appears between Amazing Spider-Man #41 and Amazing Spider-Man #42.
2) The Avengers appear between Avengers #33 and Avengers #34.
3) The Hulk appears between Tales To Astonish #84 and Tales To Astonish #85.
Those three make sense. But then:
4) Thor appears between Thor #140 and Thor #141 (May to June 1967).
5) Iron Man appears between Tales Of Suspense #86 and Tales Of Suspense #87 (February to March 1967).
I doubt very much this is what Stan Lee intended. He just wanted to put Thor and Iron Man in the story, and he didn't bother fitting it in with the chronology of their stories. Let's excuse him for this rare slip-up.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3
Title: To become an Avenger!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Hulk
Regulars: Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Frederick Foswell
Guests: Avengers (Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp, Thor, Iron Man), Daredevil
The Avengers are looking for a new member to strengthen their team while Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are absent. They consider Spider-Man for membership. They invite him and tell him he has to be tested first, which is strange, because they've never tested new members in the past.
The test they eventually decide on is for him to lead the Hulk to them. Spider-Man finds the Hulk and tries in vain to subdue him. Because of a gamma ray explosion the Hulk turns into Bruce Banner for a few minutes. Spider-Man feels sorry for him, and he doesn't want the Avengers to trap him, so he returns to the Avengers and says that he couldn't find the Hulk. He doesn't realise that they never wanted to trap him, they wanted to help him.
Fantastic Four #56
Title: Klaw, the Murderous Master of Sound!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Klaw, Doctor Doom, Maximus
Regulars: Wyatt Wingfoot
Guests: Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Lockjaw, Black Panther, Silver Surfer
Klaw, who we last saw in Fantastic Four #53, returns to attack the Fantastic Four. He intends to trap them to lure the Black Panther to New York to rescue them. It's interesting that Klaw thinks the Fantastic Four are weaker opponents than the Black Panther.
Unknown to Klaw, the Human Torch is absent. Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot are still searching for Crystal, and they're dimension-hopping with the aid of Lockjaw.
Maximus tells Medusa that he knows how to escape the dome around the Inhumans' Hidden City, but he refuses to disclose the secret unless he's made king.
The Silver Surfer, who's exploring the Earth, comes to rest in Latveria. He's observed by Doctor Doom, who we last saw in Avengers #25.
Fantastic Four Annual #4
Title: The Torch that was!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Mad Thinker, Quasimodo, the original Human Torch
Regulars: Wyatt Wingfoot
Guests: Lockjaw
Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot return to Baxter Building with Lockjaw.
The Mad Thinker, last seen in Tales Of Suspense #72, finds and re-animates the android which used to be the original Human Torch during World War Two. The Thinker orders the Torch to obey him, because his sentient computer system, Quasimodo, has the power to turn off his life in a moment.
The Thinker sends the original Torch to attack Johnny Storm. In the ensuing battle the original Torch prevails because he's older and more experienced. However, he still has a noble character, so he ceases to fight, whatever the consequences. At the end he's dead, or at least deactivated. The Thinker flees, leaving Quasimodo alone.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush is a part-time non-entity. I disagree with that description. I always thought he was a permanent non-entity.
Amazing Spider-Man #42
Title: The Birth of a Super-Hero!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Rhino, John Jameson
Regulars: Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, Frederick Foswell
Guests: Foggy Nelson
Yes, Spider-Man is shown taking a bag from a bank. Has he become a crook? I shan't tell you the answer. Read the comic yourself if you want to know. Go to Marvel.com and become an Unlimited Member.
Notice that the splash page mentions Marvel's publisher, Martin Goodman. That's a rarity.
The space spores that covered John Jameson on his last mission have made him increase in size and have given him super-strength. At first this is a problem for his father, the super-hero hating editor of the Daily Bugle, but he finds a way to rationalise it.
Last month Spider-Man defeated the Rhino. The court appoints Foggy Nelson to defend him.
The saga of Peter Parker's motorbike continues. He even calls it Sweetie.
John Jameson uses his new powers to fight Spider-Man and bring him to justice. He should have stopped to invent a super-hero name first. To show his respect for his father he could have called himself Bugle Boy.
Peter Parker finally meets Mary Jane Watson, and we the readers finally see her face. Peter is dumbstruck. He just stands there staring with his mouth open. It sometimes happens to me, but I try to exercise some self-control. Mary Jane's first words have become part of comic book history.
"Face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot".
She's bubbling with self-confidence. She's hot and she knows it.
Strange Tales #150
Title: Hydra lives!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Hydra, Don Caballero
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Jasper Sitwell
Oh no! That ridiculous SHIELD battle cry just won't die. "Don't yield! Back SHIELD!"
Nick Fury arranges to be invited to the private plane of the international jet-setter Don Caballero, whom he suspects to be the new supreme leader of Hydra.
This is the first story drawn by John Buscema since the early 1950's. Welcome back to the bullpen!
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush has supplied ear plugs. I'm sure he made a big profit.
Title: If Kaluu should triumph
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Kaluu, Umar
Regulars: Ancient One, Clea
The Ancient One and Doctor Strange travel into the past to retrieve the Book of Vishanti, where it's been hidden by Kaluu. I don't understand this time travel stuff. Couldn't they just have gone back to yesterday to get it? It seems like Kaluu's spell made the book disappear from the entire timeline, so the Ancient One never had it. But if he's never had it, how does he know it's the only effective weapon to use against Kaluu? My brain hurts.
I recognise the quote. It's the final line of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", Act 1, Scene 2. I confess that I only recognise it after googling. Back in 1966 people had to think for themselves.
Umar, the sister of Dormammu, emerges from a mystic prison where she's been kept trapped by Dormammu for countless ages. In the mid-1960's, when I first read this comic, I was a big fan of Umar. She was by far my favourite villainess.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Artie Simek did the lettering grudgingly. I don't blame him. I'd grudgingly turn up for work if my boss kept criticising me in his comics.
Tales of Suspense #83
Title: Victory!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Titanium Man
Regulars: Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts
The battle against the Titanium Man is concluded. Senator Byrd is thankful to Iron Man, but he still doesn't trust Tony Stark.
Happy Hogan recovers from his amnesia and remembers that Tony Stark is Iron Man.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush is ineffable. Wow! That's what makes him suitable as a referee. He's the only one who can keep the peace between Stan Lee and Artie Simek.
Title: Enter the Tumbler!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Adaptoid, Tumbler
Regulars: Jarvis
A super-villain called the Tumbler attacks Captain America to prove that he's the strongest of all. He doesn't have any super-powers. He's gained his skill from years of training in a circus. He doesn't realise that Captain America is being impersonated by the Adaptoid, so it's just two villains fighting one another.
The Tumbler defeats the Adaptoid. Then Captain America returns and defeats the Tumbler.
Tales to Astonish #85
Title: And one shall die
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Krang, Number One, Hydra
Regulars: Lady Dorma
Guests: Hulk
Sub-Mariner no longer has amnesia, but he's still wearing the ear devices with which Number One has been speaking to him and controlling him. Sub-Mariner feels pain until he discovers the devices and destroys them.
By chance, the Hulk breaks into Number One's penthouse apartment to escape from the police. Number One sets off an explosion to kill the Hulk, but doesn't escape in time. The explosion kills Number One, but the Hulk is left unharmed.
Warlord Krang prepares to conquer the human race.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush increases confusion in the bullpen. I thought he was a referee who commanded respect.
Title: The Missile and the Monster!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Gorki
Regulars: Rick Jones, General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
This is the second story drawn by John Buscema this month. He hit the ground running, and his artwork is impressive.
The Hulk is running through New York after being caught in Number One's explosion in this month's Sub-Mariner story. He doesn't want to fight, he just wants to be left alone.
Stan Lee has nothing but scorn for those who read Brand Echh (aka DC Comics) instead of Marvel. And rightfully so!
The Orion Missile is launched on a test flight into the sea. The spy called Gorki, who we briefly saw last month, uses a jamming signal to make it crash in New York. Only the Hulk can stop it.
The Crazy Credits reveal that Irving Forbush presses the Hulk's pants. Does the Hulk have a spare pair of pants? And where to they meet to exchange the laundry?
Thor #134
Title: The People Breeders!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Tana Nile, Galactus, High Evolutionary, Man-Beast
Regulars: Jane Foster
Guests: Recorder, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
A lot happens in this story, but I'll do my best to keep my synopsis brief.
After defeating Ego, Thor is taken back to Earth by the thankful Rigellians. After they leave Galactus, last seen in Fantastic Four #50, approaches Ego with the intention of eating him.
Back on Earth, Thor asks Tana Nile where Jane Foster has gone. Tana doesn't know, except that it's far away. The Rigellians give Thor a psyche-search gauge, a device which will lead him to anyone he thinks about. We never see it again, so Thor must have thrown it away after finding Jane, not realising how valuable it is for crime fighting.
Jane Foster has now become a teacher for weird looking human-animal hybrids. She's in a small country called Wundagore, ruled by a being called the High Evolutionary. He is creating new beings for allegedly peaceful purposes by speeding up the evolution of animals. By accident he over-evolutionises a wolf – did I really just write that? – whose first conscious thought is to destroy everyone he meets.
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are still in East Europe trying to recharge their powers. Their home is close to the border of Wundagore. They suspect that they're not real mutants. They think their powers might have come from Wundagore.
Title: When speaks the Dragon!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Thor, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
Thor and his friends are riding through the barren land of Mastrond. While they're asleep Volstagg is woken by an old man, who promises him that great knowledge awaits him in a nearby cavern. The old man reveals that he's the dragon Fafnir, the former ruler of Mastrond.
The Avengers #34
Title: The Living Laser!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp
Villain: Living Laser (Arthur Parks)
Guests: Bill Foster
Arthur Parks is a scientist who used to date Lucy Barton, a friend of Janet Van Dyne's. After she dumped him to get engaged to the son of a bank owner he swore revenge. He uses laser rays to rob the bank. And before I forget, he picks a corny super-villain name: the Living Laser.
When the Living Laser see Lucy talking to Janet he immediately forgets his disappointment and falls in love with Janet. It must be the skin-tight Wasp costume that did it. Some men can't tell the difference between love and lust. I can tell the difference. Mostly. It depends on how strong the lust is.
In case you were wondering what Stan Lee's shamefaced apology on the splash page is about, he's referring to the last two words of the previous issue: Goliath changes.
The Crazy Credits tell us that adorable Artie Simek has done lots of little lettering. That's so cute! I don't mind, as long as the letters are large enough for me to read them.
X-Men #26
Title: Holocaust!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Kukulcan
Regulars: Professor X
Guests: Calvin Rankin (Mimic)
El Tigre has now completely turned into the Mayan God Kukulcan. He returns to the pyramid in San Rico (presumably based on Costa Rica), from where he intends to rule all of South America.
Here are a couple of minor mistakes. The command to Iceman is made by Cyclops, but the speech balloon points at Angel. Werner Roth slipped up.
Angel thinks he sounds like a poor man's Hawkeye for snapping at Cyclops all the time. He's referring to Hawkeye's constant criticism of Captain America, but there's no way that Angel could know about it. Hawkeye only snaps at Captain America in Avengers Mansion. When they're in public he's totally loyal.
Jean Grey doesn't take part in the battle because she's only free at the weekend. At university she meets the fellow student Calvin Rankin, the secret identity of the Mimic, who fought the X-Men in X-Men #19.
The Crazy Credits tell us that the Mayan headdresses were supplied by Irving Forbush. He's a true artiste.
Daredevil #22
Title: The Tri-man Lives
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Owl, Masked Marauder, Gladiator, Tri-Man
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Daredevil has escaped from the Owl's island, but he has one last trick up his sleeve. He's planted a bomb inside the mechanical owl that Daredevil is using to escape.
Here's a lesson in pronunciation from Scrupulous Stan Lee: the second N in Btanng is silent. I doubt that even Sam Rosen knew that.
The Masked Marauder and the Gladiator, both of whom we last saw in Daredevil #19, want to secure high positions for themselves in the Maggia by defeating Daredevil. The Masked Marauder has invented an android which is powered by the skills of three criminals; one is strong, one is fast and one is a genius.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen does his work with the ball game on. I wonder which team he supports.
Last month Daredevil #21 needed three inkers. This month it's only two: Frank Giacoia and Dick Ayers. That's still one too many.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #143 (Dennis O'Neil, Stan Goldberg)
Modelling with Millie #51 (Dennis O'Neil, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #131 (Larry Lieber, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #84 (Larry Lieber, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #36 (Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers)
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