This year's Fantastic Four Annual only contains reprinted stories. That's a shame, because until now the Fantastic Four annuals have always contained important events in the lives of Marvel's first family, such as the wedding of Reed and Sue Richards, and the birth of their first child. I thought we could expect the momentous event of the naming of their baby boy in this annual. After all, it's been 12 months since he was born, and they still don't have a name!
Nevertheless, this annual is worth mentioning because it contains photos of Marvel's members of staff. Only b/w, but that's better than nothing.
This month's Amazing Spider-Man annual also contains only reprints. In fact, all of the recent annuals have become reprint magazines. It looks like the increase in the number of comics published each month has left the writers and artists without enough time to produce the yearly specials.
Usually I don't even mention the reprint magazines in my monthly summary. I'll make an exception this month.
1. As already mentioned, the Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man annuals published this month contain stories reprinted from the regular comics.
2. Two new comics are published this month, "Peter the Little Pest" and "Homer the Happy Ghost", both of which contain reprints of comics written by Stan Lee in the 1950's. They won't be very successful, and both titles will be cancelled after four issues.
3. Mighty Marvel Western is an ongoing series reprinting stories from "Rawhide Kid", "Two-Gun Kid" and "Kid Colt Outlaw".
4. Marvel Tales is an ongoing series that reprints classic stories from various super-hero comics.
5. Marvel Super-Heroes contained new stories until issue #20. Since then it's become a reprint magazine in the same format as Marvel Tales. The only exception is a new six-page Tales Of The Watcher story in this month's issue, which I'll review below.
6. X-Men still contains new stories, but from issue #67 to #93 it will contain reprints of the early X-Men stories.
7. My Love contains new stories, but from issue #14 onwards it will contain reprints from My Love and Our Love Story.
8. Kid Colt Outlaw has contained new stories for 140 issues, but starting next month it will become a reprint magazine.
9. This month's issue of Nick Fury is the last in the series. It will be revived at the end of next year as a reprint magazine.
As you can see, I'm paying attention to the reprints each month, but I'm deliberately ignoring them in my reviews. I list the non-canon comics at the end of each Marvel Years post, but I treat the reprint comics as if they don't exist.
Fantastic Four #92
Title: Ben Grimm, Killer!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Crystal
Villain: Skrulls
Regulars: Susan Richards
The Thing is trained for his big fight in the arena against the reigning champion Torgo. The stakes are high, with Lippy Louie backing Torgo and Boss Barker backing the Thing. They've both bet all that they have on their respective champions. The winner will take the territory of the loser.
The Thing says he doesn't want to fight, but he doesn't have a choice. If he refuses, a disruptor ray will be used to push the Earth out of its orbit. Now that's an amazing weapon. A weapon can be fired in one galaxy that will destroy a planet in another galaxy? Why bother waging war if you can destroy planets without anyone even knowing it was you who did it?
Back on Earth, Reed Richards has detected the Thing's location. It's good to have a machine capable of finding someone in a different galaxy. Reed Richards takes Johnny Storm and Crystal with him in his homemade flying saucer that can fly to another galaxy and back before dinner. His wife Susan isn't allowed to travel with them because she has more important things to do at home. She has to pick a name for their son. After 12 months she finally needs to make her mind up. At this rate he'll graduate from university, and they won't know what name to write on his certificate.
Let's think of a few good names. We ought to vote on it.
1. Victor – that's still my favourite name.
2. Dancer – that's a name with poise and dignity.
3. Sue – any man called Sue will grow up tough, according to Johnny Cash.
Amazing Spider-Man #78
Title: The Night of the Prowler!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Prowler (Hobie Brown)
Regulars: Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson
After defeating the Lizard and saving Dr. Connors' life, Spider-Man wants to spend some time relaxing. Easier said than done. Has he forgotten the famous words of his Uncle Ben? "With great power comes great responsibility". What a man he was! With an uncle like Ben Parker, any man can become a super-hero.
Young Hobie Brown isn't that fortunate. He's an intelligent kid, stuck in a dead end job as a window cleaner. He presents his inventions to improve the safety and efficiency for high rise window cleaning, but his boss, Mr. Clark, doesn't take him seriously and tells him to get back to work.
While cleaning the windows of the Daily Bugle, Hobie gets into a friendly conversation with J. Jonah Jameson. Mr. Clark bursts in and tells him to get back to work instead of bothering his customers. This is one of the rare occasions when JJJ shows off his good qualities. He finds Clark's racism distasteful.
Hobie goes home and decides that with the addition of a costume he can use his window cleaning inventions to become a super-hero called the Prowler. Unfortunately he needs money, so he'll become a super-villain instead. He'll scale the walls and steal money from the Daily Bugle. He's not greedy, so he intends to return some of the money as Hobie Brown, claiming that he took it off the Prowler, which will make him a hero.
The Prowler breaks into the Daily Bugle in the presence of Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson. Peter realises he can't use his super-strength as a civilian.
On the splash page John Romita Jr is credited for inventing the Prowler. Who's that? It's not the artist John Romita who drew the Spider-Man comic until three issues ago. It's his 13-year-old son. After graduating from college, John Jr followed in his father's footsteps as an artist, drawing his first story for Marvel in 1977. He went on to become even more popular than his father.
Captain America #119
Title: Now falls the Skull!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Red Skull, Modok, AIM
Regulars: Falcon
The Red Skull tires of remaining in Captain America's body and returns to his own form. He teleports to Hitler's former residence in Berchtesgaden, which he claims as his castle for ruling the world. He also teleports Captain America and the Falcon to the castle. The Falcon sees for the first time that his mysterious benefactor was Captain America, which motivates him to fight even harder.
While they are fighting, Modok uses a remote control mechanism to destroy the Cosmic Cube. The Skull flees with its last remaining power.
Captain Marvel #18
Title: Vengeance is mine!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gil Kane & John Buscema
Villain: Yon-Rogg
Regulars: Rick Jones, Carol Danvers, Una (vision)
Yon-Rogg knows that Captain Marvel is in the Negative Zone, so he makes plans to attack Rick Jones when he's taking his place on Earth.
Rick Jones becomes a rock star! From the look of it, he's more like a folk singer, but in the 1960's the lines were blurred.
Yon-Rogg uses an outlawed Kree weapon, the Psyche-Magnitron (TM), that's been hidden on Earth. It creates an unstoppable monster called a Mandroid. Captain Marvel can only stop it by tricking the Mandroid to destroy the Psyche-Magnitron.
Yon-Rogg is holding Carol Danvers prisoner. When the Psyche-Magnitron explodes – I promise not to say that word again – she's injured by falling rocks. Captain Marvel only has time to carry one person to safety. It's an easy choice, isn't it? Carol Danvers is saved, Yon-Rogg is crushed to death. Captain Marvel returns to the Negative Zone, leaving Carol for Rick Jones to take care of her.
The credits say that Gil Kane and John Buscema were joint artists. On the letters page the readers were asked to identify who drew what. The only correct answer came from 16-year-old Alan Kupperberg. He not only recognised that Gil Kane drew pages 1 to 11, and John Buscema drew pages 12 to 20, but he also recognised that John Romita drew three panels in the comic without being credited. What a genius! I would never have spotted that! Five years later Alan became an artist for Marvel.
The Avengers #70
Title: When strikes the Squadron Sinister!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Goliath, Vision, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Black Panther, Iron Man
Villain: Kang, Grandmaster, Squadron Sinister (Hyperion, Nighthawk, Whizzer, Doctor Spectrum)
Guests: Black Knight
Captain America, Thor and Goliath wait to be joined by their fourth companion. It's Iron Man. Obviously, this can't be the Iron Man from their own time, because Tony Stark is lying in hospital on death's door. Kang must have plucked Iron Man from another time, earlier or later.
The battle begins, or rather the battles begin. The combatants are sent back to the locations of four landmarks in the 20th Century.
Captain America defeats Nighthawk at the Statue of Liberty.
Iron Man defeats Doctor Spectrum at the Taj Mahal.
Thor defeats Hyperion at the Statue of the Sphinx.
Goliath fights Whizzer at Big Ben in London, but the Black Knight intervenes and knocks Whizzer out.
Because of the Black Knight's interference, the Grandmaster says that it wasn't a clear cut victory. There has to be a second round of fighting to decide the winner. It seems like he's making up the rules as he goes along. A majority decision should have been enough. Even if the fourth fight's result is void, it was still a 3-0 victory for Kang's team.
The Black Knight vows to follow the Avengers, wherever they've gone.
Iron Man #19
Title: What price life?
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Midas, Madame Masque (Whitney Frost)
Regulars: Happy Hogan, Pepper Hogan, Janice Cord
Guests: Captain America
The many villains, who I shan't name here, are the result of a delirium while Tony Stark is lying in hospital. That's where he was taken in Avengers #69, and he's been there for two weeks, so we can assume that this story takes place after next month's Avengers #71. That's how Captain America can be present, after returning from the 40th Century. Although, of course, Captain America could just have easily returned before he left. Time paradoxes are tricky, and not even Stan Lee can get his head around them.
Most of Tony Stark's heart has been replaced by synthetic tissue, and the doctor warns him that he shouldn't exert himself. That's easier said than done. Midas, who still thinks that he's not the real Tony Stark, kidnaps him and asks him to use his false identity as Stark to sign over Stark Industries to him. Tony says that he's the real Tony Stark, and he puts on his Iron Man armour to challenge Midas and Madame Masque. So now they think that he's the real Tony Stark but just pretending to be Iron Man. Complicated. He still hasn't fully recovered from his heart surgery, so he moves awkwardly as Iron Man, convincing them he's just a pretender.
Madame Masque has fallen for Tony Stark's charm. How does he do it? It can't just be the millions of dollars in his bank account, but I'm sure it helps. She removes her mask and reveals that she's Whitney Frost. How many of you guessed it already? She wears a mask to cover facial burns. Instead of wasting time with Tony Stark, who is already dating Janice Cord, she should get together with Doctor Doom, It would be a beautiful marriage. As Todd Rundgren once wrote, "Love between the ugly is the most beautiful love of all".
Madame Masque changes sides and helps Iron Man fight against Midas. He dies when his island lair explodes. Supposedly. After the victory, Tony Stark collapses. Madame Masque nurses him in their getaway yacht, then leaves before he wakes up.
Thor #170
Title: The Thunder God and the Thermal Man!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Villain: Thermal Man, Loki, Karnilla
Regulars: Balder, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg
Thor returns to Earth and finds New York City in a state of devastation. He joins Balder and the Warriors Three to fight against the Thermal Man, who is growing steadily more powerful. Not even their combined might can conquer him. The Chinese government, fearful that the Thermal Man might one day attack them, sends a specially designed missile for the US air force to use against the Thermal Man. This knocks him over, seemingly destroying him.
Thor sees injured civilians, so he changes back to Donald Blake to assist them. The Thermal Man awakes again, and the other Asgardians are helpless against him. Karnilla and Loki are watching the fight from Asgard. Karnilla transports the four unconscious warriors to her realm, against the wishes of Loki, who storms off in a rage.
Thor returns to battle the Thermal Man. He can't destroy it, but he summons a storm to sweep it northwards, where he freezes.
Daredevil #58
Title: Spin-Out on 5th Avenue!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Stunt-Master
Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Debbie Harris
The last issue ended with Matt Murdock revealing to Karen Page that he's Daredevil. Now he asks her to marry him, and she accepts. He says her that he'll give up being Daredevil and settle down as a lawyer.
First he makes a press statement that Matt Murdock's death in Daredevil #54 was faked as part of a plan to capture Mr. Fear. This is the first step in winning back his life as a lawyer. Foggy Nelson, now the District Attorney, appoints him as his special assistant.
Daredevil plans to announce his retirement at the United Fund Parade. While there he's attacked by a motorcyclist calling himself the Stunt-Master. Daredevil easily defeats him, but he says he's been hired by someone called Crime Wave. This makes Matt change his mind and continue as Daredevil until Crime Wave is arrested. Karen is angry with him for breaking his promise, but at least she doesn't break off the engagement.
Sub-Mariner #19
Title: Support your local Sting-Ray!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Marie Severin
Villain: Sting-Ray (Walter Newell)
Regulars: Dorma, Vashti
Guests: Triton
It looks like it must have been the annual beach holiday for Marvel Comics. This picture contains most of the Marvel staff. According to Roy Thomas, Marie Severin has included in this picture Stan Lee, herself, Roy Thomas and his wife Jean, Bill Everett, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber, John Romita, Herb Trimpe, Don Heck, Frank Giacoia, Morris Kuramoto, Al Hewetson, Stu Schwartzberg, Sol Brodsky, Tony Mortellaro, Susan Pasternak and Gary Friedrich. He seems to have forgotten Flo Steinberg and John Verpoorten. I can recognise some, but not all of these people. Apart from this, the picture includes a few of her personal friends who have nothing to do with Marvel. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of who's who.
Prince Namor can no longer breathe underwater or fly. He's captured by the authorities with the assistance of Walter Newell, who has now become a costumed adventurer called Sting-Ray. Namor is blamed for the water funnels which stole water from the sea in the last two issues. He knows that he was innocent, but he's too proud to answer questions. Doesn't he have diplomatic immunity anyway?
Namor escapes, pursued by Sting-Ray. When he sees Namor rescuing innocent people by repairing a bridge he says that he will let Namor go free.
Triton is searching for Atlantis because he's promised to return Neptune's trident.
The Incredible Hulk #121
Title: Within the swamp, there stirs a Glob!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Glob
Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot, Betty Ross
This is the latest comic to be taken over by Roy Thomas as writer. He's Marvel's second most prolific writer, after Stan Lee himself.
They say that the proof of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. If that's true, General Ross must be the maddest man in Marvel comics. He orders attacks on the Hulk with planes, tanks and soldiers over and over again, and the Hulk is unharmed every time. It goes on issue after issue, and he still doesn't realise it's a hopeless endeavour. He needs a good therapist.
The Hulk leaps to Florida, closely pursued by General Ross. In the swamp there's a monster called the Glob. The story is only told briefly, but it seems that he was in prison for an unspecified offence when he heard his wife was dying. He broke out of prison and hid from the police in the swamp, where he was turned into a monster by radioactive waste.
The Glob sees Betty Ross and mistakes her for his wife, He carries her away. The Hulk pursues him, trying to rescue her. Their strength is equally matched, so nobody can triumph, When the Glob enters the swamp his body begins to melt, so he gives Betty to the Hulk. The Hulk lays Betty's unconscious body in front of her father and leaves.
X-Men #62
Title: Strangers in a Savage Land!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Neal Adams
X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, Iceman
Villain: Magneto, Amphibius, Barbarus, Brainchild, Equilibrius, Gaza, Lupo, Piper
Regulars: Alex Summers, Lorna Dane
Guests Ka-Zar
The Angel flies to the place where Dr. Lykos killed himself, an island called Tierra Del Fuego. He flies down into the chasm to look for his body, and he's attacked by pterodactyls. He thinks they are related to Sauron, but he's found an entrance into Ka-Zar's hidden land.
Someone called the Creator is helping the primitive people of the hidden land to develop their latent mutant abilities. He rescues the Angel and takes him back to his laboratory to cure him.
Seven new mutants are introduced at once. I'll describe them, more for myself than for my readers:
1) Amphibius is a flog-like mutant who can leap long distances.
2 ) Barbarus has four arms and super-human strength.
3) Brainchild has great intelligence but childlike emotions.
4) Equilibrius can cause people to lose their balance when he stares at them.
5) Gaza is a blind giant who can see mentally.
6) Lupo can control wolves and similar animals..
7) Piper can control animals by playing his pipe.
The other X-Men arrive and see Ka-Zar fighting with the Creator's followers. They assist him.
The Creator tells the Angel that he's a peaceful scientist; Ka-Zar is evil and the X-Men are wrong to help him. The Angel says he will tell the other X-Men to leave the hidden land.
As the Angel leaves we see that the Creator is Magneto, whom the X-Men have never seen without his costume.
Neal Adams is responsible for a lot of beautiful artwork in this comic.
Silver Surfer #10
Title: A world he never made!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Yarro Gort, Communists
Regulars: Shalla Bal
A scientist called Yarro Gort, appa the wealthiest man on Zenn-La, is in love with Shalla Bal. He has offered to take her to Earth to prove to her that Norrin Radd is either dead or in love with someone else.
The Silver Surfer wants to make a new attempt to live among men to find out why humanity is so evil. He picks a small country at random. It seems to be in Latin America. The people are being oppressed by an evil regime led by a man who calls himself El Capitan. After seeing him fighting with soldiers, he's taken in by a woman called Donna Maria Perez, who lives with her mother. They think they're protecting him, not realising how powerful he is.
Donna Maria is captured by the secret police who want her to tell them where she's hiding the stranger. The Silver Surfer frees her and destroys all of the government's military camps. She kisses him out of gratitude. Yarro Gort's ship arrives in the Earth's atmosphere, and Shalla Bal sees the kiss on the ship's scanners.
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #15
Title: The Assassination of Nick Fury
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Hydra
Regulars: Dum Dum Dugan, Laura Brown
Hydra's main aim is still to kill Nick Fury, since they assume that SHIELD will fall apart without him. They've hired a contract killer called Bulls-Eye, who uses a high tech weapon that makes it impossible for him to miss his targets.
Laura Brown has persuaded Nick Fury to go to a concert by Country Joe and the Fish in Central Park. Bulls-Eye is waiting in the trees. He shoots and kills Nick Fury. Need I say it? Supposedly. SHIELD agents quickly arrive. Bulls-Eye kills a lot of agents in a shoot-out, but Dum Dum Dugan shoots him dead. Supposedly.
This is Hydra's underground base in New York. If people only knew what's beneath their feet!
This is the last issue of Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. After Jim Steranko left the comic the sales steadily slumped.
Doctor Strange #183
Title: They walk by night!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Undying Ones
Regulars: Clea, Wong
Guests: Eternity (flashback)
Doctor Strange's real name has now been changed to Stephen Sanders by Eternity. He receives a telegram from an old friend, Kenneth Ward. He visits him and find that he's very sick, partly because he's been drugged, partly because a spell has been put on him. The three people living in his house, a butler and two bodyguards, are demons pretending to be human. They came to his house after he found an idol in the Himalayas.
Doctor Strange defeats the demons with great difficulty. They warn him that others will come.
This is the last issue of Doctor Strange. The story ends abruptly, leaving a lot open, but don't worry, it'll be continued in Sub-Mariner #22, three months from now.
Marvel Super-Heroes has been a reprint comic since issue #21, but this comic contains a previously unprinted story in the Tales Of The Watcher series.
Title: Melvin and the Martian
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Tom Palmer
This story is a redrawn version of a story in Amazing Adult Fantasy #12, published in May 1962, with the Watcher added as the story's narrator.
Melvin Burns is a successful gambler, winning games of chance by cheating. He meets a visitor from the Planet Mars who tells him that if he helps them find treasure he'll be given the secret of always winning at gambling. Melvin agrees. He can now automatically sense which horse will win every race tomorrow.
Then he's put in a cage to be taken back to Mars. For the Martians, Earth men are a rare treasure.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #176 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Mad About Millie #5 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Chili #7 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
My Love #2 (Stan Lee, John Romita)
Kid Colt Outlaw #140 (Denny O'Neil, Werner Roth)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #72 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders #17 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Tower of Shadows #2 (Roy Thomas, Don Heck)
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