Captain America #112
Title: Lest we forget!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Guests: Iron Man
Heroes (flashback): Bucky Barnes, Sub-Mariner, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Sharon Carter
Villains (flashback): Red Skull, Butterfly, Ringmaster, Legion of Beggars, White Death, Toadman, Zemo, Modok, AIM, Batroc, Tumbler, Swordsman, Living Laser, Exiles, Trapster, Dr. Faustus
After the seeming death of Captain America last issue, Iron Man sits in the Avengers Mansion recording a tribute to Captain America, relating his deeds in the 1940's and today (the 1960's).
This issue is just an excuse for Jack Kirby to present drawings of Captain America's enemies. The cover calls it an "Album Issue". There's nothing wrong with this in principle, but the comic's premise is such a big mistake that I almost want to call it non-canon. Iron Man answers the phone, saying that he's standing in for Captain America. That's a double mistake. Iron Man hasn't been a regular member of the Avengers since Avengers #16 (May 1965), and Captain America left the Avengers in Avengers #47 (December 1967). I don't understand how a genius like Stan Lee could blunder like this. The only possible explanation is that even though the credits name Stan Lee as the writer, it was really Jack Kirby who put the story together.
Amazing Spider-Man #71
Title: Mission: The Speedster and the Spider!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Guests: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Toad, Jarvis
Regulars: Captain Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, Joe Robertson, Martha Robertson, Randy Robertson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds
Do you remember last month's message in Stan's Soapbox? He wrote that not everyone is all good or all bad. This comic demonstrates that fact admirably. Quicksilver has realised that it was a mistake to team up with Magneto, so he's seeking forgiveness from the Avengers, along with his sister and even the Toad, who turned against Magneto in Avengers #53. He reads an article in the Daily Bugle that Spider-Man is a criminal, so he thinks that if he can capture Spider-Man he can prove that he's a hero.
Stan Lee knew that even people with good intentions can do bad. Do we know that? Maybe you're someone who wants to do good, but you should stop and ask yourself if what you're doing will have bad results. Maybe you know someone who's doing bad things, but before you consider him a bad person you should consider that his motives might be good.
Spider-Man defeats Quicksilver, and he convinces him that he's not a bad guy. That's what can solve any problem: talking.
Captain Marvel #12
Title: The Moment of the Man-Slayer
Writer: Arnold Drake
Artist: Dick Ayers
Villain: Mad Thinker, Man-Slayer (robot)
Regulars: Yon-Rogg, Carol Danvers, Una (corpse)
Guests: Black Widow, Nick Fury (vision)
Zo gives Captain Marvel several new powers. He can instantly teleport himself any distance, and he can create illusions.
Captain Marvel teleports back to Earth, so he can get revenge against Yon-Rogg.
The Black Widow has been sent by Nick Fury to investigate threats to America's Moon landing project. She sees a giant robot called the Man-Slayer. Captain Marvel fights the Man-Slayer, but Black Widow immobilises it by cutting off the long-distance control from its creator. The creator knocks her out and takes her captive. We don't see who the creator is, but in this month's Avengers #63 he's identified as the Mad Thinker.
Doctor Walt Lawson has been absent from the base for months, so he's been accused of being a traitor in his absence.
The Avengers #63
Title: And in this corner, Goliath!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Avengers: Hawkeye/Goliath, Black Panther, Vision, Yellowjacket, Wasp
Villain: Egghead, Puppet Master, Thinker
Regulars: Jarvis, Black Widow
This is a landmark issue in the stories of the Avengers, or the Mighty Avengers, to use the comic's official but temporary name. Hawkeye becomes Goliath.
Hank Pym returns from his honeymoon and says that he wants to give up his identity as Goliath, because he blames his recent schizophrenia on the physical stress of his large size. He now intends to retain only his identity as Yellowjacket, in which he'll be a flying miniature sized hero.
While the other Avengers are away, Hawkeye steals Hank Pym's growing serum and the new costume designed by Janet Van Dyne. As we'll see in the following issues, Hawkeye (whose real name we still don't know) adapts quickly to the size changing and can reach larger sizes than Hank Pym. It's not openly discussed, but it seems that the size changing has effects on his psyche. He becomes increasingly arrogant over the next few months.
Hank Pym can't remember why he changed his name from Giant Man to Goliath. Neither could I, so I checked Avengers #28 to remind myself.
Ah ha! So that's the reason. It was because he thought the name Giant Man sounded corny. Oh Hank... have you never noticed that all the Marvel super-hero names sound corny? What about Captain America? Mr. Fantastic? Doctor Strange? Corny, corny, corny!
The Black Widow has been captured by Egghead, the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master.
We last saw Egghead in Tales To Astonish #61.
We last saw the Thinker – he doesn't like to be called Mad – in Fantastic Four #70.
We last saw the Puppet Master in Tales To Astonish #100.
Starting in this issue, Gene Colan takes over as the regular artist. You all know that I love his artwork!
Thor #163
Title: Where dwell the demons!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Pluto, Mutates
Regulars: Odin, Sif
Guests: Him
Thor returns to Earth to aid Sif against a new menace. In the middle of New York there's a strange barrier. Thor breaks through it and battles with beings who call themselves Mutates. Thor can easily defeat them, so they summon their leader, Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, who we last saw in Thor #130. Inside the barrier they're in another time, the far distant future, shortly after a global nuclear war has taken place.
I admit that it's difficult for me to understand Pluto's plans, but I'll do my best to explain them. Pluto wants to conquer the surface world in the 20th Century. Looking into the future he found the Mutates, and he wants to bring them back into the 20th Century. Pluto thinks that the research in an Atomic Research Centre might help humanity resist the Mutates, and it contains a very powerful being that's sleeping, so he's taken the building into the future.
Phew! I hope I got that right!
In Asgard, Odin is still worried about Galactus and wants to find out more about him.
At the end of the issue the being in the Atomic Research Centre begins to awake. We can tell from its cocoon that it's Him, who we last saw in Fantastic Four #67.
The Incredible Hulk #114
Title: At last I will have my revenge!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Sandman, Mandarin
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
In the last issue the Hulk defeated the Sandman. This was watched by the Mandarin, who still wants revenge after their meeting in Incredible Hulk #108, although we saw him more recently in Iron Man #11. They team up, but even together they're no match for the Hulk. The Mandarin flees, and the Sandman is turned into glass. After the battle Major Talbot arrives and fires a Neutraliser Ray (TM) at the Hulk, which knocks him unconscious.
Sub-Mariner #12
Title: A world against me!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: Naga, Karthon
Regulars: Dorma
Karthon the Quester is swimming through the Panama Canal with the serpent crown. Sub-Mariner stops him and takes the crown, but a missile attack leaves him unconscious. Karthon takes the crown back, and he carres it together with the unconscious Sub-Mariner to Lemuria, which is ruled over by Naga.
Naga expects the crown to make him young again, but there's no change to his body. However, he's now able to create illusions, so Sub-Mariner wastes his strength battling non-existent monsters. Sub-Mariner destroys the chamber where Naga is sitting on the throne, but when the smoke from the rubble clears he sees that it was an illusion, and Dorma was chained to the throne. Now she's dead.
Fantastic Four #85
Title: Within this tortured land
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Crystal
Villain: Doctor Doom
Regulars: Susan Richards
The Fantastic Four are being detained in Latveria against their will. They are unable to use their super-powers because of hypnosis and drugs administered by Doctor Doom.
Doctor Doom has designed new robots, the very robots that Nick Fury sent the Fantastic Four to look for in the last issue. Doctor Doom wants to test the robots by letting them kill everyone in one of his own villages in Latveria.
Back in America, Susan Richards is looking for a new family home.
Daredevil #51
Title: Run, Murdock, Run!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Barry Smith
Villain: Biggie Benson (gangster), Starr Saxon (robot maker)
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page
Daredevil tries to protect Biggie Benson, but the robot kills him. It them switches itself off, because its mission is complete. A hospital doctor checks Daredevil's wounds and takes a blood sample.
Starr Saxon wants to remotely detonate the robot, but Daredevil prevents it. Starr Saxon swears revenge on Daredevil. He goes to the place where his robot first attacked Daredevil, which is Matt Murdock's apartment. He finds spare costumes that prove that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. At times like this Matt must regret having killed off his fake brother Mike.
Starr Saxon stalks Matt Murdock in the streets, but his powers are failing him and he's beginning to act like a normal blind man.
The doctor discovers radioactive particles in Daredevil's blood that will kill him if he's not treated soon.
Iron Man #12
Title: The Coming of the Controller
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Controller (Basil Sandhurst)
Regulars: Jasper Sitwell, Janice Cord
Iron Man uses a remote control transmitter to revive the Tony Stark Life Model Decoy (LMD), faking a miracle recovery. Then he takes the LMD and stores it in his laboratory for future use.
Janice Cord's lawyer has been pressuring her to sell her father's factories to Tony Stark because he needs the money to cure his brother, Basil Sandhurst, who was born an invalid. He doesn't need curing. He's built a suit in which he can walk normally, powered by the mental energy of people that he keeps as slaves. He has the combined physical strength of every person he is using. He takes over the whole village where he lives. When he captures Janice, Iron Man pursues him, but not even Iron Man can match his strength.
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #11
Title: The First Million Megaton Explosion
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Frank Springer
Villain: Hate-Monger (Adolf Hitler)
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jimmy Woo, Laura Brown
Frank Springer isn't the first name that comes to mind when people name the best Marvel artists of the 1960's, but I have to praise him for being so imaginative. He started off by imitating Jim Steranko, but now he's found his own style. Just look at the splash pages of this comic. Yes, I said splash pages, not splash page, because there are four of them. They're the four pictures from a gatefold LP cover, the first album by the Million Megatone Explosion. Take a look for yourself.
Wow! That's beautiful, isn't it. With splash pages like that, I'm in no hurry for the story to begin.
The story opens with Laura Brown showing Nick Fury the album and inviting him to a concert by the Million Megaton Explosion. It's not his scene. He prefers Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, but he has a young girlfriend, so he has to act young.
The Hate-Monger is firing a hate ray from space that will turn young people against older people. Nick has to flee from the concert. He borrows a rocket and flies to the Hate-Monger's orbiting space station. He pushes the Hate-Monger into space, where he dies. That's the third time he's died. I've been counting.
X-Men #55
Title: The Living Pharaoh!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, Iceman
Villain: Living Pharaoh
Regulars: Alex Summers
Cyclops battles the Living Pharaoh in a tunnel below the university. He's knocked unconscious, and the Living Pharaoh takes Cyclops and his brother Alex to Egypt.
The remaining X-Men follow them. In the middle of the battle Alex Summers destroys the Living Pharaoh's ankh weapon with the power of his mind. This proves that he's always been a mutant.
Title: The Million Dollar Angel!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Werner Roth
X-Men: Professor X, Angel, Cyclops, Iceman
After discovering his powers, Warren Worthington III becomes a costumed super-hero called the Avenging Angel. Professor X, Cyclops and Iceman ask him to join their team.
Note that the splash page gives a precise date for the events in this origin story. It's winter 1963.
Silver Surfer #5
Title: And who shall mourn for him?
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Stranger, Evil Mutants (Magneto, Toad, Mastermind, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch) (flashback)
Regulars: Shalla Bal (dream)
Guests: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
X-Men (Angel, Beast, Iceman) (flashback)
The Silver Surfer steals a Space Scrambler (TM) from the Baxter Building. He thinks it can break through the barrier that Galactus has put around the Earth, but it explodes and he falls to Earth. He's rescued by a young scientist called Al Harper. Al offers to help him escape, if the Silver Surfer can get him money. He wins the money by controlling the dice in an illegal gambling den. If you cheat cheaters it's not cheating, is it?
The Silver Surfer tests Al Harper's invention in space, which attracts the attention of the Stranger, who is travelling to Earth to destroy all life with a Null-Life Bomb (TM). He thinks that the human race is too evil to be allowed to exist. It's difficult to argue with him about that.
While the Silver Surfer is fighting with the Stranger, Al Harper searches for the bomb. He finds it, but because of the deadly radiation he has to sacrifice his life to defuse it. The Stranger says that if there are humans willing to sacrifice their lives for others, it's a sign that the Earth deserves a chance.
Al Harper was just a normal man without any super-powers, but he sacrificed himself to save the world. The Silver Surfer will always remember him.
Title: Run, Roco, Run
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Howard Purcell
This story is a retelling of a story from Tales To Astonish #26, published in December 1961.
In the year 2061 a thief called Roco relocates to Jupiter, because he's heard that Jupiter's legal system is soft on criminals. After stealing a few cars he's arrested and sentenced to life in prison. This wasn't the small punishment that he expected.
Roco escapes through a loose tile in his prison cell. What he doesn't know is that he's still in his cell and he's been hypnotised to believe that he's escaped. This will keep him happy for the rest of his life. This is how Jupiter keeps all its prisoners happy.
This is the April 1969 edition of Stan's Soapbox. I've quoted it, because I believe it's the first time that Stan Lee has used the expression "Marvel Universe". Am I correct?
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #169 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Mad About Millie #1 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Rawhide Kid #69 (Larry Lieber, Larry Lieber)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #65 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders #13 (Arnold Drake, Don Heck)
The new comic this month, Mad About Millie, is a spin-off of the ever popular Millie The Model. It's the latest in a line of short-lived spin-off titles, the last of which was Modelling with Millie, from February 1963 to June 1967.
It's worth mentioning Doctor Strange #179, which contains a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2. Stan Lee claimed that the regular story couldn't be printed because Gene Colan was sick and couldn't finish his work on time. This is the first example of the phenomenon called the Dreaded Deadline Doom (DDD), which became more common in the 1970's.
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