Fantastic Four #58
Title: The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Doctor Doom
Regulars: Wyatt Wingfoot
Guests: Lockjaw, Silver Surfer
This issue proves that the Fantastic Four series really is "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine". Fantastic Four #58 is one of the greatest comics ever. Doctor Doom attacks the Fantastic Four with the power of the Silver Surfer, and they're powerless against him.
No review or plot description I could write about this comic could do it justice. Sign up as an Unlimited Member at Marvel.com and read it for yourself. (That's my excuse for being lazy).
At the very least, the Thing has a chance to yell his battle cry: It's clobbering time!
Amazing Spider-Man #44
Title: Where crawls the Lizard!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Lizard
Regulars: Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Frederick Foswell
We've seen Dr. Connors a lot in recent issues, but this is the first time that he's reverted to being the Lizard since Amazing Spider-Man #6, more than three years ago. He's one of Spider-Man's deadliest foes, but Spider-Man doesn't want to hurt him because he's a friend.
Mary Jane Watson meets Peter Parker's fellow students from college, and they're impressed. Gwen Stacy even reacts jealously.
Then there's the motorcycle. Mary Jane might have praised it last issue, but she doesn't like the colour. What's wrong with blue? Isn't it a manly colour?
So Peter decides to paint it red. Yuck!
And then the battle with the Lizard begins. Spider-Man badly sprains his arm, so the Lizard leaves him while he's injured. At least Aunt May is on holiday and doesn't have to see him like this.
Did you notice that the Crazy Credits say that the luggage is provided by Irving Forbush? And he's honest! In New York it's difficult to find a salesman you can trust!
Strange Tales #152
Title: The Power of SHIELD!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jim Steranko
Villain: Hydra, Supreme Hydra (Don Caballero / Emir Ali-Bey)
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jasper Sitwell
Guests: Laura Brown (unnamed)
Nick Fury is flying the plane that he used to escape from Hydra, not knowing that he's transporting the deadly Overkill Horn that can cause every nuclear missile on Earth to explode simultaneously. Even without a radio he can still communicate. The SHIELD distress signal is for a plane to fly upside down and wiggle its wings. What???
Nick Fury's skill allows him to leap from the plane after setting the auto-pilot to return to Hydra's island. As it arrives it's targeted by SHIELD's strato-mine. How does Stan Lee think up all these corny names?
It's revealed that Don Caballero isn't the Supreme Hydra's real name. He sheds this identity and becomes Emir Ali-Bey, also a fake name.
SHIELD operatives free the daughter of Hydra's former supreme leader because she betrayed her father.
Yet again, the horrible SHIELD slogan is repeated on the splash page. How could the comic's creators agree with this cringe-worthy slogan?
Jasper Sitwell even goes as far as to say that it's SHIELD's official credo. When did that happen? The last I heard it was something that he invented on a bad day.
Title: Into the Dimension of Death!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Umar
After sucking Doctor Strange into the Dark Dimension Umar sends creatures to attack him, all of which he easily defeats. He arrives in Umar's palace, and she pretends to be an innocent victim of her brother Dormammu, but Doctor Strange isn't fooled. She tells him that Clea is trapped among the Mindless Ones, so he heads there to free her.
Here's an example of Doctor Strange's dialogue. It's a magnificent combination of Shakespearean drama and downright corniness. I could imagine Benedict Cumberbatch speaking these words.
Tales of Suspense #85
Title: Into the Jaws of Death
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Mandarin
Regulars: Happy Hogan
At the end of the last issue the Mandarin captured Happy Hogan, wrongly thinking he was Iron Man. Tony Stark creates a new, stronger suit in record time and flies to China to free him.
Gene Colan's artwork is once more outstanding, giving him the honour of being Marvel's best artist. For now.
Title: The Blitzkrieg of Batroc!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Hydra, Batroc
Guests: Agent 13 (unnamed)
Captain America travels to a Hydra base to free the mystery SHIELD agent who bares a resemblance to his wartime lover, Peggy Carter. Batroc, who we last saw in Tales of Suspense #76, is waiting for him. Batroc isn't really evil, he just has a misguided image of what sport is. He's determined to defeat Captain America in a fair fight to prove that he's the best. Couldn't he just ring Captain America on the phone and arrange for a friendly sparring match in the Avengers Mansion?
Here's some terrific artwork from Jack Kirby. I much prefer his art in small panels, rather than the large panels that he draws in Tales of Asgard.
Batroc has delivered the woman to Hydra on condition that they don't interfere in his fight. When they think he's about to lose, they fire at Captain America. Batroc considers this unfair, so he aids Captain America in freeing the woman.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen's lettering is laborious. So what? Doing good work for a fair wage isn't always easy.
Tales to Astonish #87
Hey! Look what's advertised on the building drawn on the cover! It's the Marvel Super-Heroes television series!
Title: Moment of Truth!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Krang
Regulars: Lady Dorma, Vashti
The Sub-Mariner captures Warlord Krang and Lady Dorma and takes them to Atlantis to face trial. Krang is given one last chance. If he can defeat Prince Namor in solo combat he will become king of Atlantis. Despite being heavily armed he loses.
Lady Dorma is pardoned when Namor finds out she was never a traitor, she was only tricked by Warlord Krang.
This panel on page 2 is a curiosity. Usually notes are written by a story's writer or editor, more commonly the latter. Roy Thomas is neither, so why did he add the comment?
Title: The Humanoid and the Hero!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Hulk-Killer, Boomerang, Gorki
Regulars: Rick Jones, General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
While the Hulk and the Hulk-Killer battle the army is preparing to fire weapons that will kill both of them. The foreign spy Gorki confirms that it was the Hulk who foiled his plan to destroy New York, so General Ross knows that Bruce Banner isn't a traitor.
The Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner, who knocks the Hulk-Killer unconscious with an electrical transformer.
Thor #136
Title: To become an Immortal!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Unknown
Regulars: Jane Foster, Odin, Heimdall, Sif
This is a turning point in the adventures of Thor.
Odin invites Jane Foster to Asgard to become an immortal. He gives her the power of flight, as well as other unnamed abilities. She is required to battle a monster called the Unknown to prove her worthiness. Instead of fighting she freezes and calls for Thor's help. Odin decrees that Jane is unworthy to become an immortal and sends her back to New York with her memory erased. She becomes the nurse of a doctor who looks uncannily similar to Dr. Blake.
Thor is sent to Gundershelm to stop the Unknown entering Asgard. He's aided by an Asgardian warrior called Sif, Heimdall's sister, who says she has always loved Thor.
This is where they meet. It also shows some inconsistencies. She appeared once before, in the Tales Of Asgard story in Journey Into Mystery #102. Let's take a look at two panels from that story.
Balder calls Sif his sister. There are two possibilities. Either Heimdall and Balder are brothers, which was never the case in Norse mythology, or Stan Lee made a mistake.
Sif is blonde. The only possible explanation is that Jack Kirby blundered, because Thor said to Sif that she was a raven-tressed child, which is still the colour of her hair today.
Title: There shall come a Miracle!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Odin, Thor, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
Thor defeats Fafnir and frees Volstagg.
The Avengers #36
Title: The Ultroids Attack!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Ixar, Sirians (sic)
Regulars: Black Widow
The Scarlet Witch returns to America and asks for help rescuing her brother, who's been abducted by aliens.
The Black Widow wants to join the Avengers, but she's told to wait until there is time for a vote. She still travels to Europe with the other Avengers on this mission.
A spaceship from Sirius has landed on Earth. The Sirians are in the middle of a war against another planet, and they want to harness the strength of super-powered humans to fight against their enemy.
The Ultroids in the title are androids created by the Sirians.
Just when I thought the Crazy Credits were sparing the letterers it's started all over again. Sam Rosen is called a sham. No he isn't. He's a genuine letterer. The quality of his work speaks for itself.
X-Men #28
Title: The Wail of the Banshee!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Mimic
Villain: Banshee, Ogre
Regulars: Professor X
An organisation called Factor Three sends two villains to kidnap Professor X. The first is a mutant called the Banshee, who Professor X says has mutant powers even more powerful than Magneto. The second is a non-mutant called the Ogre, who derives his strength and flying abilities from the suit he wears.
The Banshee is a connoisseur. He flies into Manhattan first to steal a painting from an art shop that he wants to hang on his wall, then to steal a packet of his favourite brand of tobacco.
When they attack, the Banshee knocks the X-Men unconscious with his sonic scream, after which the Ogre arrives and carries away Professor X. Marvel Girl, arriving late because she was at college, frees Professor X.
In the second attack the Banshee is trapped, and the X-Men have no trouble beating the Ogre by himself.
Here's an amusing little scene. The Beast needs pliers to prepare the defences for the Banshee's second attack. Marvel Girl gives him a screwdriver, because she doesn't know the difference. The Beast sarcastically replies, "You're a credit to your gender, Jeanie". Wow! The Beast might be highly intelligent, but he's still a misogynist.
The Crazy Credits say that Irving Forbush makes a noise. I hope it's not as much noise as the Banshee.
Daredevil #24
Title: The Mystery of the Midnight Stalker!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Ka-Zar, Plunderer
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
This comic contains more amazing artwork by Gene Colan. I hope you will read it for yourself.
In the last issue Daredevil was stranded in Europe. He steals a plane with which he can fly to England. Don't worry, he steals it from bad guys who didn't deserve to have a plane anyway. Stan Lee explains how it's possible for a blind man to pilot a plane. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is how a blind man who's never taken flying lessons can pilot a plane.
Back in Merry Olde England, Daredevil pays a visit to his old chum Ka-Zar, who has now inherited Plunder castle. He inherited it after his brother was arrested in Daredevil #13. A wild tiger has been terrorising the nearby countryside, and Ka-Zar is being blamed. When Daredevil arrives at the castle, Ka-Zar thinks he wants to arrest him, so a battle ensues.
The real villain is Ka-Zar's brother, the Plunderer, who has escaped from jail.
Can you see the error in the last speech bubble? Sam Rosen has written "fate" instead of "fake". Maybe he's a sham after all.
In his absence, Karen Page opens a letter addressed to Matt Murdock. The letter is from Spider-Man. He writes that he knows Matt is Daredevil, but he won't tell anyone.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #145 (Dennis O'Neil, Stan Goldberg)
Kid Colt Outlaw #132 (Larry Lieber, Jack Keller)
Two Gun Kid #85 (Larry Lieber, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #38 (Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers)
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