Fantastic Four #67
Title: When opens the Cocoon!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Regulars: Alicia Masters, Crystal
Guests: Him
Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm travel to the location where Alicia has been taken. Reed's wife Susan isn't allowed to accompany them because it's too dangerous for her. When will the male chauvinism ever stop?
Johnny tells Crystal to stay behind to look after Susan. Yeah right! Susan doesn't need anyone to look after her. Johnny just doesn't want to admit that he's as chauvinistic as Reed and doesn't think Crystal is capable of facing the danger. Johnny and Reed both deserve a spanking.
It's said that self-praise is false praise, but Stan Lee can praise himself all he wants. He claims that the introductory sentence with its multiple subordinate clauses is the longest sentence to be found in any comic. Probably it is. He's a literary genius.
The creature in Lock 41 has overwhelming mental powers. He prevents Dr. Hamilton coming any closer, but Alicia is allowed to approach him. She finds that he's still developing in a cocoon. By now he's been given the name Him, so please excuse my seemingly poor grammar. Him tells Alicia that the scientists are evil. Their purpose in creating Him was to rule the world, but Him doesn't want to assist them in their plans.
Eventually Him emerges from the cocoon. Why was Him born with underwear? That's a rhetorical question. The tighty whities were drawn by Jack Kirby because the excessive American prudery of the 1960's meant he wasn't allowed to draw a penis. He wasn't even allowed to draw men with nipples.
Him destroys the scientific building and says he will leave the planet. Where is Him going? We'll have to wait until Him returns again. I'll just give you one little spoiler: Him is the one who will later be known as Adam Warlock. That means I'll be able to use good grammar again.
The Crazy Credits say that Artie Simek's lettering is laborious. Of course it is. He's always been a hard worker.
The computers were supplied by the Friendly Forbush Leasing Corporation. How many other jobs does Irving Forbush have?
Amazing Spider-Man #53
Title: To die a hero!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Doctor Octopus
Regulars: Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, Flash Thompson, J. Jonah Jameson
Peter Parker proves that he's a ladies' man. He invites Gwen Stacy as his plus one to a science exposition. That certainly makes a change from a jazz club or a fine restaurant. At the exposition a new anti-missile defence system is presented called a Nullifier. Doctor Octopus, who we last saw in Amazing Spider-Man #32, attempts to steal it. He's forced to leave the Nullifier behind when Spider-Man attacks him, but he manages to escape.
Spider-Man puts a tracer on Doctor Octopus and follows him to his lair, but it's a trap. A bomb has been left that Spider-Man narrowly avoids. Stan Lee invites his readers to provide a sound effect for the explosion. I could have played it safe by writing a BOOOOM or a BAROOOOM, but I thought I'd do something more original.
What's that? You don't like my Chikka-Chikka-Boom-Boom? I rather like it. How about Chikkerty-Chikkerty-Boom-Badda-Boom? No? I just can't please my readers.
After selling her house Aunt May is now living with her former neighbour Anna Watson. There's still an empty room, so she's looking for a lodger.
The Crazy Credits remind us that Artie Simek also wants to receive thank you notes from his admirers. I'm too late. He died in 1975. May the ink of his letters never fade.
Strange Tales #161
Title: Project Blackout: The Second Doom
Writer: Jim Steranko
Artist: Jim Steranko
Villain: Yellow Claw
Regulars: Jimmy Woo
Guests: Captain America, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm
Nick Fury continues to recount the story of the major blackout that happened on 9th November 1965. Together with Captain America he defeated the invading forces, but he never found out who was responsible. Jimmy Woo tells him that the person responsible was the Yellow Claw.
Title: If this planet you would save!
Writer: Raymond Marais (as Ramond Marais)
Artist: Dan Adkins
Villain: Baron Mordo, Nebulos
Regulars: Victoria Bentley
Does the picture on the splash page look familiar? It should do. The artwork has been copied from the last page of the Doctor Strange story in Strange Tales #132. Did Dan Adkins think nobody would notice?
Despite the different inking and the slight embellishments, it's obviously the same drawing of Baron Mordo. I've noticed other copied artwork in the next few issues, all involving Baron Mordo. I'll point them out as I get to them.
Mordo banishes Doctor Strange to an alien dimension. Victoria Bentley is also sent to the same world. The two find one another and face Nebulos, Lord of the Planets Perilous. That's a mouthful!
Tales of Suspense #94
Title: The Tragedy and the Triumph!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Half-Face, Titanium Man
Guests: Jasper Sitwell
Iron Man is left in his weakened state while Titanium Man is sent to destroy a Vietnamese village. He manages to recharge his transistors in Half-Face's laboratory.
The fight between Iron Man and Titanium Man is very close, and it could have continued for hours, but Half-Face spots his wife and son in the village and turns off Titanium Man's power. He vows that he'll stop serving the Communist oppressors.
Title: If this be Modok!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Modok, AIM
Regulars: Agent 13
An AIM agent prepares to execute Captain America, but his colleagues stop him because he has to be delivered to Modok. AIM hates Modok and hopes Captain America will defeat him. Modok is seemingly an android with very high intelligence. Agent 13 and Captain America defeat Modok, who then commits suicide by destroying the AIM base. Seemingly. By now we know that everyone in Marvel comics returns from the dead, except for Ben Parker and Bucky Barnes.
Tales to Astonish #96
Title: Somewhere stands Skull Island!
Writer: Raymond Marais
Artist: Bill Everett
Villain: Plunderer
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti
Prince Namor gathers his elders and recommends war against the surface world. Lady Dorma begs him not to do this, but he refuses to listen to her. Lord Vashti is more diplomatic and knows how to speak to Namor. He recommends that Namor defeat the Plunderer first, to which Namor agrees.
The Plunderer lives on Skull Island, which is hidden in a secret warm sea beneath the Antarctic. This is also where the first kingdom of Atlantis was located. Lady Dorma follows Namor against his wishes. Namor defeats the Plunderer, but when he says that he's holding Dorma prisoner he's distracted. Namor sends Dorma home, and the Plunderer knocks Namor unconscious with a Vibra-Ray (TM).
The Crazy Credits tell us that the crown jewels of Atlantis are insured by Forbush of the Bronx. I'm surprised that Prince Namor trusts an insurance company in the surface world.
Title: What have I created?
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: High Evolutionary, New Men
The High Evolutionary can't continue with his experiments on Bruce Banner because there's an attack by the rebellious New Men. Bruce Banner turns back into the Hulk and defeats them. The High Evolutionary is on the point of death, so he places himself into his evolution accelerating machine. This gives him mind-boggling powers, great intelligence and a stoic attitude. He devolves the New Men back to their original states with a wave of his hand. He instantaneously transports the Hulk back to Earth. Then he says that there's no reason for him to exist.
From this we could assume that the High Evolutionary no longer exists. But he isn't Ben Parker or Bucky Barnes, so we can't be so sure.
The Crazy Credits call Al Kurzrok the betterer letterer. Ouch! Not with that bad spelling!
We also read that Irving Forbush is a bony phony (sic). So maybe I shouldn't entrust my jewels to him.
Thor #145
Title: Abandoned on Earth!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Enchanters (Forsung, Brona, Magnir), Circus of Crime (Ringmaster, Princess Python, Clown, Cannonball, Great Gambinos)
Regulars: Odin, Sif, Balder
On Earth, Brona and Magnir have been defeated by Thor. He hands them over to police custody. That's the correct legal thing to do, but is it really a good idea to leave immortal Enchanters in human hands?
In Asgard, Odin has defeated and killed Forsung. We know what that means, because his name isn't Ben Parker. Now Odin is in a regal rage, and he's angry that Thor wants to remain on Earth. Punishment is dealt yet again. Have you been keeping count? It's happened twice before, but this is the severest punishment so far.
First, Thor is banished to remain on Earth.
Then the power of his hammer is taken away. He can no longer summon a thunder storm, and he can no longer fly. The only thing that's undiminished is his strength.
Though Thor doesn't realise it at first, one of the powers taken away from him is the very reason he wanted to remain on Earth. Without the hammer's magic power he cannot turn back into Donald Blake. His medical career is over. He needs a new job.
The logical job for a tough guy like him is to become a circus strongman. He applies to join the circus of the Ringmaster and his cronies, unofficially known as the Circus Crime. It's the only circus we ever see in New York. Thor is hypnotised by the Ringmaster so that he'll take part in their next big robbery.
Title: The End!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Gods: Thor, Fandrel, Hogun, Volstagg
After all the build up for months the final instalment of the battle against Mogul is an anti-climax. He's seen in a mystic crystal preparing to unleash a deadly Death Spotted Plague, which will kill everyone in the land. Hogun speaks a spell which destroys him. Forever? I'll have to check what his real name is.
This is the last story in the Tales of Asgard series.
The Avengers #45
Title: Blitzkrieg in Central Park!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Don Heck
Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hercules
Villain: Super-Adaptoid
Regulars: Black Widow (flashback)
This story takes place immediately after last month's Avengers Annual #1. New York has declared the day Avengers Day, and they're being given special awards in Central Park to honour their victory against the Mandarin.
Hercules and the Black Widow have finally been offered full Avengers membership. Hercules has accepted, but Black Widow has turned it down because she wants to give up her super-hero identity. She doesn't join the other Avengers in Central Park.
This story is apparently out of sync with the recent Thor adventures, because Thor lost his ability to fly immediately after defeating the Enchanters. Travis Starnes, author of "The Complete Marvel Reading Order", suggests that Avengers #45 takes place before Thor #142. That's a possibility, but I think it's more likely that it's a mistake due to two different authors writing stories about Thor at the same time.
The Super-Adaptoid, who we last saw in Tales Of Suspense #84, is standing in the crowd watching the Avengers. He's been programmed by AIM to kill Captain America, and this is still his primary target. Until now he's had the powers of only four Avengers, Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp. Now he manages to absorb the additional powers of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Thor, Hercules and Iron Man.
When the Super-Adaptoid tries to attack Captain America the other Avengers get in the way. It becomes apparent while fighting him that he can't control all the powers at the same time, only one or two at once.
We notice increasing hostility of Quicksilver towards the general public who don't accept him because he's a mutant.
The Crazy Credits tell us that Sam Rosen has fumbling fingers. I strongly disagree. As a letterer he must have the steadiest hands in the Bullpen.
X-Men #37
Title: We, the Jury...
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Ross Andru
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Factor Three (Mutant Master, Changeling, Mastermind, Blob, Unus, Vanisher), Juggernaut (flashback)
Regulars: Professor X
Guests: Banshee
The X-Men have to abandon their plane over Central Europe when it comes under attack. They're captured, and they finally meet the organisation known as Factor Three. The leader is the Mutant Master. The second-in-command is the Changeling. The other members are Mastermind, the Blob, Unus and the Vanisher.
Mastermind was last seen in X-Men #11. He was turned to stone by the Stranger, but it was only temporary. After all, his name isn't Ben Parker.
Unus and the Blob were last seen in X-Men #20.
The Vanisher was last seen in X-Men #2.
The X-Men are put on trial for crimes against mutantkind. They have been protecting homo sapiens when they should have been attempting to destroy them. They're found guilty and sentenced to death. Of course.
The X-Men escape before they can be executed, but it's too late to stop Factor Three's plans. They want to provoke a nuclear war to wipe out mankind.
The Crazy Credits say that Honest Irving has stacked the jury. He stacked the jury against the X-Men? Shame on you, Mr. Forbush!
Daredevil #33
Title: Behold the Beetle!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Beetle
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Daredevil hears an armoured truck being ambushed and rushes to help, despite not having slept for two days. (He was busy fighting the Cobra and Mr. Hyde, in case you forgot). The assailant is the Beetle, who was last seen in Avengers #28. The Beetle boasts that Daredevil isn't in his league, because he's battled much stronger heroes. That might be true, but Daredevil isn't called the Man Without Fear (TM) for nothing. He fights and loses.
A few days later Mike Murdock, one of Matt Murdock's multiple personalities, suggests to Foggy and Karen that they travel to the Expo 67 in Montreal. It ran from 27th April to 29th October, so this must have been shortly before the end. Mike/Matt/Daredevil has an ulterior motive for the trip to Canada. A valuable necklace is being transported by train, and he expects the Beetle to steal it.
He expected right. The fight is closer this time, because Daredevil has had some sleep, but the Beetle wins again and flies away. Daredevil follows him to a small town. He doesn't realise that it's a ghost town which is being used as a hideout for the Beetle and his gang.
The artwork in this issue is amazing. Most of it takes place in the mountainous countryside of Canada, so the battle takes place against the background of beautiful outdoor scenery. Gene Colan is brilliant.
I've noticed that in recent months the inkers and the letterers are being lumped together for criticism in the Crazy Credits. This Daredevil issue is no exception. We read that no one but Irving Forbush could hope to equal John Tartaglione's inking or Artie Simek's lettering. I don't think that the Forbushman could match either of them. Not even close.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #154 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Rawhide Kid #60 (Denny O'Neil, Dick Ayers)
Ghost Rider #6 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #47 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Not Brand Echh #3 (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby)
Millie the Model has been especially recommended this month. I wanted to check what's so special about it, but it's not included in Marvel Unlimited. Don't worry. The web site contains almost everything else that you could possibly desire.
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