Fantastic Four #70
Title: When fall the Mighty
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Mad Thinker
Regulars: Crystal
Reed Richards defeats the Mad Thinker in hand-to-hand combat. The police arrest him and put him in a police cell. He isn't worried about being locked up, because he has activated his strongest android to continue the fight against the Fantastic Four.
The Thing returns and attacks Reed in the Mad Thinker's laboratory. He lures the Thing to the Baxter Building, where he fires a menta-wave (TM) at him. The blast knocks out not only the Thing, but also Reed Richards and Johnny Storm. Susan Storm, who's been resting because she's pregnant, rushes in to see what's happening. At the same moment the android breaks through the wall.
Amazing Spider-Man #56
Title: Disaster!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Doctor Octopus
Regulars: Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Ned Leeds Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, John Jameson
Spider-Man lost his memory in the last issue, and Doctor Octopus told him that they're partners. Spider-Man obeys the orders of Doctor Octopus, but he feels that it's wrong.
To be fully operational the Nullifier needs Isotope 15, which is stored at the army base Fort Tyson. Doctor Octopus sends Spider-Man to steal it. Spider-Man does as asked, but he deliberately leaves a map at the fort which gives away Doctor Octopus' lair.
When the army arrives, Spider-Man refuses to assist Doctor Octopus, so he's arrested. Spider-Man runs away, trying to figure out who he is.
In another development, Gwen Stacy's father, a retired police captain, returns to duty.
The Crazy Credits tell us that the story was produced by Stan Lee and John Romita, but it's ignored by those of little faith. I must have a lot of faith, because I returned to read the story again 50 years after it was written.
The Avengers #48
Title: The Black Knight lives again!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: George Tuska
Avengers: Hawkeye, Goliath, Wasp, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hercules, Iron Man (flashback)
Villain: Magneto, Toad, original Black Knight (flashback)
Regulars: Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Jarvis
Note that this is the first issue in which Captain America is missing from the cover. Yes, it's sad.
After doing the inking last issue, George Tuska has provided the artwork this issue. This is the first Marvel story he's drawn since the Tales Of The Watcher backup story in Tales Of Suspense #58. He had previously worked for Timely/Atlas Comics from 1949 to 1957. In the 1960's and 1970's he worked for Marvel on a freelance basis, drawing individual issues whenever the regular artist was unavailable or overworked. This is Stan Lee's announcement on the Marvel Bullpen Bulletin Page.
Magneto tries unsuccessfully to persuade Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to join him. They threaten him with retribution from the Avengers, which annoys him, because he knows nothing about them. He should have read more comics when he wasn't fighting with the X-.Men.
Quicksilver manages to send a message to the Avengers with a hidden radio. Jarvis contacts Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp.
Dr. Dane Whitman, in whose castle Magneto has taken refuge, puts on the costume of his deceased uncle, the Black Knight, and flies to New York to warn the Avengers. They confuse him with his uncle and attack him before he can speak to them. After the misunderstandings have been cleared up he leaves in a rage. That's a shame. They could have needed his help against Magneto.
In Olympus Hercules is still confused why the city is deserted.
The Crazy Credits say that Artie Simek's lettering is luxurious. I'm happy to see that he's finally being given the praise he deserves, but it's not how I would describe his work. His lettering is simple and no-nonsense, fulfilling the task it's intending to do.
Strange Tales #164
Title: When comes Black Noon!
Writer: Jim Steranko
Artist: Jim Steranko
Villain: Yellow Claw
Regulars: Countess Valentina
Guests: James Bond
At the end of the last issue Nick Fury was seemingly obliterated by the Ultimate Annihilator. Now we find out that moments before his destruction he was teleported to another room by Suwan, the Yellow Claw's niece. He wants to go back into battle, but he's too weak, so Suwan teleports him back to the New York barber shop that serves as a front door for SHIELD's headquarters.
Just as Nick Fury arrives the door opens and James Bond arrives for a shave. The barbers turn him away, because they don't recognise him. He should have been invited him. He's the world's biggest expert at facing megalomaniacs like the Yellow Claw.
Nick Fury is examined and told by SHIELD's doctors that he's too weak to go back into action, but he orders them not to tell anyone. He smuggles himself into the car of one of the Yellow Claw's agents. At the Yellow Claw's lair he's overwhelmed by the Yellow Claw and his agents. The Yellow Claw straps Nick Fury below the Ultimate Annihilator as it's minutes away from destroying Manhattan.
Are my eyes deceiving me? Are the Crazy Credits describing Artie Simek as a contemporary comic genius? Did Stan Lee write that in his capacity as editor, or did Jim Steranko insist on the praise? Your guess is as good as mine.
Title: Nightmare!
Writer: Jim Lawrence
Artist: Dan Adkins
Villain: Yandroth
Regulars: Victoria Bentley
Doctor Strange arrives in the strange world where Victoria Bentley is being held prisoner. After fighting various indigenous creatures he finds an underground cave which is being used by a scientist called Yandroth. He tells Doctor Strange that he intends to conquer many planets, and Victoria Bentley will become his queen. He knows nothing about women. She'll never agree to that. He should have offered her a three bedroom house with a large garden and a picket fence.
The Crazy Credits say that Al Kurzrok's lettering is lurid and legendary. It must be Praise-The-Letterer month at Marvel. However, I wouldn't call his lettering lurid. It's simple and effective.
Tales of Suspense #97
Title: The Coming of Whiplash!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Big M, Whiplash
Guests: Jasper Sitwell
Jasper Sitwell tries unsuccessfully to remove Iron Man's mask, but there are too many security measures in place to protect his secret identity.
Do you remember Morgan Stark, Tony Star's cousin who we last saw in Tales Of Suspense #68? He's on a casino ship in international waters and still racking up gambling debts. He's invited to speak to Big M, the new head of the Maggia. Morgan sees the unconscious Iron Man on television and offers to bring him to him in exchange for his debts being cancelled.
I'm not sure how long the flight to New York lasts, but when Morgan arrives Iron Man is still lying unconscious in front of the factory, surrounded by police officers and security guards. Morgan tells the police that Tony Stark has sent him to collect Iron Man. And they believe him! Splendid!
Iron Man isn't really unconscious. He's just immobilised because his suit's transistor power has been drained. Unseen by his cousin, he plugs himself into a cigarette lighter in the back of the car. This gives him a small amount of power. When he arrives at the ship he easily defeats Big M's henchmen with the last of his power. Then he's challenged by a super-villain employed by the Maggia, Whiplash.
Title: And so it begins!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Regulars: Agent 13
Guests: Black Panther
Now back in action, Captain America fights against street thugs. He has a lot of time on his hands after leaving the Avengers.
Here's a short monologue that he holds praising the police force. They're words to remember.
The Black Panther invites Captain America to Wakanda, because he says that a recent invasion is connected with him.
We see Agent 13 going undercover – again – by disguising herself as a foreign spy called Irma Kruhl.
Tales to Astonish #99
Title: When falls the Holocaust!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Dan Adkins
This is the first Marvel story written by Archie Goodwin. Previously he had worked for Warren Comics as the writer for Vampirella. In the 1970's he will become one of Marvel's most successful writers. This is Stan Lee's announcement on the Marvel Bullpen Bulletin Page:
Thinking that Prince Namor has betrayed them, the elders of Atlantis have launched an attack on the surface world under the command of Warlord Seth. They're relying on their greatest weapon, the Hurricane Inducer. Namor knows the weapon hasn't been fully tested and fears it will backfire, so he enters Seth's ship and destroys it. This causes the attacking fleet to return to Atlantis, but it's also additional proof that Namor has become a traitor.
Title: When the Monster Wakes!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: Living Lightning
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
When the Hulk wakes up he doesn't harm Betty Ross. We already knew that she was never in any danger, didn't we? She tells him that the Living Lightning is his enemy, so he turns against them. Their lightning blasters turn the Hulk back into Bruce Banner, but Major Talbot overcomes the guards who are holding them captive. He still considers Bruce Banner to be a traitor, but General Ross says that he's their only hope. They take Bruce Banner to a gamma ray machine which turns him back into the Hulk. (These were the good old days when it wasn't enough to just get Bruce Banner angry to trigger the change). The Hulk destroys the Living Lightning's base, causing their missiles to explode in a nuclear explosion. The Hulk is buried in the rubble and left for dead.
Thor #148
Title: Let there be Chaos!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Loki, Norn Queen, Wrecker
Regulars: Odin, Sif, Balder
Odin is angered when he sees Loki, Balder and Sif on Earth without his permission, so he sends an all-powerful Odin Bolt (TM) which removes their powers and keeps them on Earth. This is the same type of punishment as the car clamps used in England. If a car is parked in a place it shouldn't be, a clamp is put on a wheel to force it to remain in the place it shouldn't be until a fine is paid. Where's the logic in that? The Germans are a lot more sensible. If a car is parked in a place it shouldn't be, a tow truck comes and tows the car away. Odin is evidently more English than German.
Balder and Sif want to continue the fight against Loki, but Thor says it wouldn't be fair. They've all lost their powers, but Thor has the greatest natural strength and would easily win. Loki agrees with this assessment and flees.
Thor takes Balder and Sif back to Doctor Blake's office. They sit and watch Spider-Man on television.
Loki has no time for television. He contacts the Norn Queen, who we last saw briefly in Journey Into Mystery #119, and asks for help restoring his powers.
A crook called the Wrecker has been carrying out daring robberies in New York. He has no super-powers, but he's strong and ruthless, too much for the police to handle. He breaks into the apartment where Loki is hiding. He knocks Loki out and puts on his helmet out of curiosity. At that moment the Norn Queen answers Loki's request. Seeing the helmet she thinks the Wrecker is Loki and gives him Asgardian powers.
Thor, Balder and Sif see news reports about the Wrecker and go to challenge him. He sends Balder and Sif back to Asgard. Without his powers Thor is outmatched.
To be continued.
Title: And finally Black Bolt!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inhumans: Agon, Rynda, Black Bolt
Agon and Rynda have a baby son that they put into the Terragen mists. They observe him closely to see what powers he develops. He can levitate himself and nearby objects; he can fire a destructive force blast; but his deadliest power is that when he cries there is mass destruction around him, not just his house but also the surrounding buildings.
X-Men #40
Title: The Mark of the Monster!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Don Heck
X-Men: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Marvel Girl
Villain: Frankenstein's Monster
Regulars: Professor X
The X-Men return home after defeating Factor Three, and they return to their regular training schedule.
Professor X calls the X-Men together to tell them about a possible new threat that they should investigate. A monster has been found frozen in the ice in the Arctic Circle. It bears a resemblance to the monster in Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein", or so he says. It actually bears more of a resemblance to Frankenstein's monster in the Universal Studios horror films. The monster has been shipped to New York to be thawed out, but Professor X fears danger. He talks about having a premonition.
The monster is eight feet tall, and its skin is made of metal. It can fire eye blasts. The X-Men defeat and destroy it in a close battle. Professor X discovers from mental probing that it was an android sent by an alien race to make peaceful contact with Earth, but it malfunctioned when it arrived in the 19th Century. He doesn't know how Mary Shelley found out about it.
The Crazy Credits say that Artie Simek letters alliteratively. Wow, try saying that five time in a row! It might be true, especially in the credits box, but I think Stan Lee is solely responsible for the alliteration at Marvel.
Title: The First Evil Mutant!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Professor X, Cyclops
Villain: Jack O'Diamonds
The man who has saved Scott Summers refers to himself as a mutant, but is he really a mutant? He explains that he was given his powers by an explosion. This would make him a normal super-villain. After the explosion in a laboratory his hands turned into rock hard diamonds. He can teleport himself and others short distances. He's immune to Professor X's mental probes. I've read apologists explain that the explosion only gave him the diamond hands, but he'd always had his other powers without noticing them. I think it's a better explanation to say that Roy Thomas made a mistake. It happens.
Jack O'Diamonds intends to increase his powers by exposing himself to radiation, but Professor X attempts to stop him.
Daredevil #36
Title: The Name of the Game is Mayhem
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Trapster, Doctor Doom
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Debbie Harris
Guests: Susan Richards, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm
Daredevil climbs through the window of the Baxter Building, where he sees Susan Richards unconscious and glued to the floor. His hyper-sensitive hearing alerts him to a bomb hidden in a draw. He throws it out of the window seconds before it explodes.
Reed Richards and Johnny Storm are out shopping. They see the explosion and head back to the Baxter Building. The Trapster attacks again, but Daredevil asks for permission to fight him by himself. It's a macho thing.
The battle takes longer than expected, so Daredevil is surprised that the Fantastic Four don't intervene. Stan Lee says that the events of Fantastic Four #71 (next month's issue) are keeping them away. That doesn't make sense. It's the finale of a four-part story, so it would make more sense to say that they're absent because they're caught up in the events of Fantastic Four #68 (November 1967). Travis Starnes, author of "The Complete Marvel Reading Order", suggests that Daredevil #35 and #36 take place after Fantastic Four #72 (March 1968). That's also possible, but seeing Reed and Johnny strolling idly in the street makes my suggestion more logical.
Daredevil defeats the Trapster by making his anti-gravity glider crash outside a subway station. The Trapster is arrested by the police while Daredevil is left barely conscious on the railway tracks. It can't have been a busy time of day. As Daredevil begins to stand up Doctor Doom arrives.
We last saw Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four #60, but Daredevil last met him in Fantastic Four #40.
In parallel events, Foggy Nelson is asked to run for district attorney. He thankfully agrees. Minutes later he receives a phone call from his ex-lover Debbie Harris, who was imprisoned after working for the Organizer in Daredevil #11. She's now been released on parole and wants to get back together with Foggy. He hesitates because it might be a problem for him as a political candidate.
Other comics published this month:
Kid Colt Outlaw #138 (Denny O'Neil, Werner Roth)
Two-Gun Kid #91 (Raymond Marais, Ogden Whitney)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #50 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #1 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
"Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders" is Marvel's second war comic, obviously meant to cash in on the success of "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos". Dick Ayers is the artist, which is hardly surprising, because he voiced his love for war stories on more than one occasion. This is Stan Lee's announcement on the Marvel Bullpen Bulletin Page:
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