Fantastic Four #65
Title: From beyond this Planet Earth!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Supreme Intelligence, Ronan
Regulars: Alicia Masters, Crystal
The Supreme Intelligence of the Kree race speaks to the Fantastic Four in their sleep, telling them they will be judged for destroying a Kree outpost (which they did last issue). Ronan the Accuser arrives on Earth to punish the Fantastic Four. They defeat him by managing to turn his weapon of destruction on himself.
Note that Roman's skin colour is pink, making him look like a human. In future stories his skin colour is blue.
An unknown person takes Alicia Masters away from her apartment.
Amazing Spider-Man #51
Title: In the Clutches of the Kingpin!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Kingpin
Regulars: Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, Joe Robertson (unnamed), Frederick Foswell
Thinking that Spider-Man has quit, the Kingpin has taken over all of New York's gangs. He starts a new crime wave, but Spider-Man stops initial thefts. He puts a tracer on a fleeing criminal so he can follow him back to the Kingpin's lair.
Frederick Foswell retired from crime after being released from prison. Now he's following the Kingpin as one of his lieutenants.
The Kingpin captures J. Jonah Jameson to tell him not to write any more articles about the crime wave. Whatever bad characteristics he might have, JJJ is serious about the news. He refuses to comply.
Spider-Man arrives at the Kingpin's lair. He underestimates the Kingpin's physical strength and is defeated in battle. The comic ends with Spider-Man on his knees at the Kingpin's feet.
Strange Tales #159
Title: Spy School
Writer: Jim Steranko
Artist: Jim Steranko
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jasper Sitwell, Laura Brown, Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine
Guests: Captain America
I've been reading Marvel comics for six years, from November 1961 to this month, but this story is incredible. It's the best artwork I've seen in any comic for the last six years. The splash page above should give you a brief impression, but you need to see it all, the whole 12 pages. I'll just show you a few more pictures to whet your appetites. This comic alone is worth signing up for Marvel Unlimited. It'll be one of the best investments you ever made.
Nick Fury tells Laura Brown about his childhood in Brooklyn. Look where he used to hang out. Yancy Street! He fought against the Yancy Street Gang, so the Thing would be proud of him.
Captain America is invited as a sparring partner to give Nick Fury a workout. As is to be expected, Nick lost the fight, but he did well.
A new SHIELD agent helps Nick Fury to his feet. Nick shows off his chauvinist straits: "The spy game ain't no place for women". He's immediately put in his place. She flings him through the air, leaving him too dazed to apologise. All he can do is stare at her perfectly formed butt as she walks away.
The agent's name is Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine. I don't mean to disrespect her, but that's too much for me to type every issue. I'll have to shorten her name to Contessa Valentina, or just Valentina. Respectfully. Any woman who can knock over Nick Fury is too much for me.
Title: The evil that men do
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: Baron Mordo, Umar (flashback), Zom (flashback), Living Tribunal (flashback)
Regulars: Wong, Ancient One (flashback)
Doctor Strange returns to his Greenwich Village home, and he finds that it's been destroyed. He finds his servant Wong cowering in the shadows, who tells him that it was destroyed by Umar (in Strange Tales #156).
An occult cult has formed which wants to summon a great leader who has been banished from Earth. When they bring him back it's revealed that he is none other than Baron Mordo.
Roy Thomas is an incredible writer, but it's my opinion that he never had a feeling for Doctor Strange. The following stories are some of the weakest stories ever written. I'm sorry that I have to say that.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Irving Forbush is a popcorn-popper. It's obvious that he should like the cinema as much as anyone else, but when does he have the time?
Tales of Suspense #92
Title: Within the Vastness of Vietnam!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Half-Face
Iron Man goes to Vietnam to demonstrate Tony Stark's latest weapons. It's interesting to note the difference in attitude between Tony Stark in the comics and in the recent MCU films. In the films Tony Stark is a pacifist, but in the comics he fully supported the American war in Vietnam. That was Stan Lee's personal opinion as a patriotic American. Did he still think the same way at the end of his life? I don't know, but one thing is for certain: in today's political climate it would be unacceptable to portray a hero like Iron Man as pro-war.
After finishing his demonstration, Iron Man is told about an evil genius called Half-Face who has been strengthening the Vietnamese resistance. Iron Man flies to his castle to challenge him.
Title: Before my eyes, Nick Fury died!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: AIM
Regulars: Agent 13
Guests: Avengers (Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Goliath, Wasp), Hercules, Nick Fury
This story takes place shortly after the events of Strange Tales #159, possibly on the same day. When radioing in to the Avengers, Captain America says that he's been working with SHIELD for a few days.
Agent 13 is on a mission for SHIELD. She has gone to Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM), pretending to be betraying SHIELD. She tells them when Nick Fury will be in the barber's shop that conceals the entrance to SHIELD headquarters in New York. Captain America is in a taxi when the attack takes place. Not knowing that SHIELD is prepared, he runs into the barber shop to protect Nick Fury.
After Captain America defeats the robot sent as an assassin, Nick Fury tells him that he should help Agent 13 to leave AIM before they suspect her of deceit.
Here's a blunder in the text. Captain America's trash talking goes in the wrong direction.
"Only one of us is gonna walk out of here under his own steam. And it won't be me".
Oops! Whose fault is that? Stan Lee's or Artie Simek's? I can imagine them pointing their fingers at one another.
Tales to Astonish #94
Title: Helpless, at the hands of Dragorr!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Dragorr
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti
Prince Namor confers with his warlords, who support his plan to attack the human race. Lady Dorma advises him against it, because she fears Atlantis will be destroyed, but he refuses to listen to her.
Dragorr, the dictator of a small surface nation, sends a message to Namor. He knows of Namor's plans, and he suggests that they become allies to wage war on all other countries in the world. Namor is reluctant to ally himself with any surface nation, but he decides to speak with Dragorr. It's a trap. Dragorr's real intention is to use Sub-Mariner to suppress a rebellion by freedom fighters in his own country.
Sub-Mariner is captured by Dragorr, but he's freed by Lady Dorma. Sub-Mariner defeats Dragorr, and the rebels seize power. They promise that they will always be indebted to Sub-Mariner, but he arrogantly refuses their offer of friendship.
The location of Dragorr's kingdom isn't specified, but we find out that its people speak Spanish, suggesting that it's somewhere in South or Central America.
Title: To the beckoning stars!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: New Men
Guests: High Evolutionary, Thor (flashback)
After leaving the Earth in Thor #135 the High Evolutionary has settled on a new planet which he calls Wundagore, the same name that he gave his small European kingdom. There's a revolution on his planet by his newly evolved creatures, the New Men. He has hunters on Earth who capture animals to send to him as new servants. They discover the Hulk and send him in a spaceship to Wundagore. The Hulk is glad to be away from the Earth, because he hopes to find peace on another planet.
Thor #143
Title: And soon shall come the Enchanters!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Enchanters (Brona, Forsung, Magnir)
Regulars: Odin, Heimdall, Sif, Balder
The story starts with Thor slurping a drink in a soda parlour. The girls are all gazing at him with love in their eyes. It must be his long blond hair. I'm jealous.
Meanwhile, Balder and Sif enter Ringsfjord to challenge the Enchanters, who are now named as Forsung, Brona and Magnir. If any pregnant women are reading this post, those are three new names for you to choose from. Or you could just play it safe and call your newborn son Thor.
The Enchanters leave Balder and Sif trapped in quicksand, sinking to their deaths. Sif uses her Asgardian powers to transport the two of them to Earth. Brona and Magnir follow them. Forsung heads towards Asgard, confident that he can defeat Odin by himself.
All comic fans know that when Thor strikes his hammer on the ground he turns into Don Blake. But how many of you know what else it does? Striking the hammer transforms his speech from old British English to modern American English. It's a miracle!
Title: To the death!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Thor, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
In the last issue we read that Volstagg was absent from the fight so that he could enjoy a meal in Mogul's kingdom. Here we see that he has other interests. After eating he's flirting with Mogul's beautiful sister. More to the point, she's flirting with him. He thinks she's leading him to her bedroom, but she's actually positioning him on a trapdoor which will drop him into a cavern with a fierce monster called the Mutaurus. Volstagg was no longer thinking clearly, but he's lucky. He puts his arm round her just as the trapdoor opens, and they fall together. In the cavern she leads Volstagg to a mystic rod which can subdue the Mutaurus.
On the surface Thor, Fandral and Hogun are still fighting their way towards Mogul.
The Avengers #43
Title: Colour him the Red Guardian!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Buscema
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Red Guardian
Regulars: Black Widow, Hercules
Quicksilver has learnt how to fly. That's a quote from this comic's splash page. Almost a quote, at least. In America they say "Quicksilver has learned how to fly", but I've altered it to correct British English. I've also corrected the spelling mistake in the title.
Here's something ironic. Hawkeye gets involved in a fist fight without his bow and arrow.
At first he enjoys it, but then he retrieves his bow and arrow and says he must have been nutty to think of fighting any other way. This is ironic, because a few issues from now Hawkeye will give up his bow and arrow and become a fist fighter. Oops, was that a spoiler?
Hawkeye wants to go to Asia to rescue the Black Widow without the other Avengers, but he spontaneously decides to take Hercules with him. Hercules agrees, because he's bored sitting around without fighting.
The Communist country's secret weapon, the Psychotron, is being guarded by a person modelled on Captain America. He's called the Red Guardian.
Hercules is trapped inside the Psychotron, where he wastes his energy fighting a non-existent Hydra. Hawkeye is defeated by the Red Guardian. He takes off his mask and reveals that he's the Black Widow's husband, who she thought was dead.
The other Avengers find out where Hawkeye has gone and prepare to rescue him.
X-Men #35
Title: Along came a spider
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Factor Three, Mekano (preview)
Guests: Banshree, Spider-Man
Banshee, who we last saw in X-Men #28, is somewhere in Europe looking for the headquarters of the group called Factor Three. The scenery looks very similar to Switzerland, so it must be a country in Central Europe. The entrance to their lair is defended by a mechanical spider. Banshee is wounded and flees. He sends a message to Professor X, not knowing that he's been kidnapped, ending with the words "Beware the spider". He passes out before he can say more.
Shortly after this the spider is sent to America to attack the X-Men. It lands in Westchester, a short distance from the school. By chance, Peter Parker is having a motorbike trip through Westchester. He sees the spider land, so he changes into his Spider-Man costume to investigate. The spider attacks him, so there's a short battle, ending with Spider-Man destroying the spider.
The X-Men go to investigate, leaving Marvel Girl in the school to further analyse Banshee's message. When they see Spider-Man they jump to conclusions, assuming he's the threat that Banshee warned about. There's a long battle, before the hot-headed X-Men finally realise they've made a mistake. I'm sure that if Marvel Girl had been with them she would have calmed her team mates and prevented the fight.
Back at the school, Marvel Girl says that she's located Banshee's position in Europe.
I don't mind Stan Lee leaving comments in Roy Thomas' comics, but he should at least get his facts straight. Professor X wasn't kidnapped in X-Men #32, it was X-Men #33.
Daredevil #31
Title: Blind Man's Bluff!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Cobra, Mr. Hyde
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Is the man looking out of his window supposed to be Stan Lee? The picture is too small for me to be certain, but it could be.
At the end of the last issue a liquid thrown at Daredevil caused him to lose his radar sense. Now he's as helpless as any other blind man. Pretending to be Mike Murdock, he goes back to the law office and tells Foggy Nelson that he's gone blind. He stands on a roof ledge to fool the Cobra and Mr. Hyde into believing that he can still see. On the last page he's walking in the street with Foggy, not knowing that the Cobra is following them. Now the Cobra knows that Daredevil really is blind.
Gene Colan's artwork is always good, but in this comic it's outstanding, even by his own high standards.
Other comics published this month:
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Annual #3 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Millie the Model #152 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Rawhide Kid #59 (Denny O'Neil, Dick Ayers)
Ghost Rider #4 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #45 (Gary Friedrich, John Severin)
Not Brand Echh #1 (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby)
Not Brand Echh is a satire comic that was published by Marvel for 13 issues from 1967 to 1968. In it they make fun of both Marvel and DC characters. I've read the first two issues and stopped there, because I honestly don't find it that good. To me it's not even funny. I've only posted the cover because it's the first drawing of Irving Forbush.
Nuff said!
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