Fantastic Four #100
Title: The Long Journey Home!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Villains: Mad Thinker, Puppet Master
Regulars: Crystal
Crystal is still wearing her Fantastic Four uniform, even though Susan Richards has returned to the group. Does that make them the Fantastic Five?
This is a landmark issue, the 100th issue of the Fantastic Four, so maybe Crystal can be forgiven for putting on her old costume to celebrate. What can't be forgiven is the blunders in the story.
The Fantastic Four are shot out of the sky as they return from the Inhumans' Grand Refuge. On the ground they're attacked by their former enemies, except it isn't really their former enemies.
They're androids, and only one person has the expertise to create such perfect androids. We all know that it must be their deadly enemy, the Mad Thinker.
What? Reed Richards thinks it's the Puppet Master? Is he high on something? The Puppet Master has never built a single android.
The Human Torch asks how it's possible for the Puppet Master to build so many androids. A better question would be to ask how he could build even one android, since he's never done it before. Reed Richards says that he must have discovered a new source of radioactive clay. That wouldn't do him any good, because he uses the clay to build small puppets, not full size androids. Reed is getting confused.
But now the Puppet Master himself claims to have created the androids! Ridiculous! That proves that the error was made by Sran Lee, not the characters in the story. Stan often makes little mistakes, but this is a monstrous blunder.
There are other logical errors in the story. How could the Mad Thinker, if he'd been the one who built the androids, build them with all the powers of the Fantastic Four's previous adversaries? There are such immense powers, such as the Red Ghost's phasing and the Super Skrull's fire blasts. By building androids with these powers he could easily take over the world. Apart from that, how did he even know about the Kree sentry that we saw on a remote island in Fantastic Four #64? Was he there watching them? This story is a mess. Sorry, Stan.
The Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master were last seen as a team in Sub-Mariner #14. Since then we've seen the Mad Thinker in Fantastic Four #96.
At least the Thing gets to yell his battle cry in this anniversary issue: It's clobbering time!
Thor #178
Title: Death is a Stranger
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Stranger, Abomination
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Sif
Odin ordains a celebration after defeating Surtur last issue.
Meanwhile, the Abomination is trying to find a way to escape from the Stranger's planet, to which the Silver Surfer sent him back in Silver Surfer #12. The Stranger, last seen in Silver Surfer #5, leaves the planet to capture another being. The Abomination uses the opportunity to break into the Stranger's control room. He presses buttons at random, which results in Thor being teleported to him.
The Abomination complains that the Stranger has taken countless prisoners, so Thor frees them all. This triggers an alarm, and the Stranger returns.The Stranger's power is too much for Thor to resist, so he flees to explore the planet. He sees that the Abomination is building an army to ravage the universe.
Thor solves the problem by turning back time, and instead of freeing the prisoners he knocks the unsuspecting Abomination unconscious.
Wow! That's a cheap way to end the story. I blame the single-issue story strategy for this abrupt conclusion. If it had been a continued story Stan Lee would have had time to bring everything to an elegant conclusion.
The great Artie Simek falters. Doesn't he know how to spell "specimen"? Or maybe he thinks that "speciman" is the singular.
That's a remarkable double negative that doesn't make sense. Is this the fault of Stan Lee or Artie Simek? I suspect the latter.
Amazing Spider-Man #86
Title: Beware the Black Widow!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Villain: Black Widow
Regulars: Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Anna Watson
The Black Widow is back. She has a new costume, a new hair colour and smaller breasts. Or maybe John Romita just doesn't like drawing women as busty as John Buscema.
This is the Black Widow's old look in Avengers #76.
Now she has red hair, and she designs herself a new costume. She has many skills.
She wants to become a super-hero, but she thinks that she needs greater powers. She thinks of Spider-Man as someone similar to herself, so she wants to copy his powers. She doesn't know that she needs to find a radioactive spider first. She could just have politely asked him, but instead she decides to capture Spider-Man and make him talk. Way to go, Natasha! You still have a super-villain mentality.
She almost defeats Spider-Man, because he's still groggy after his battle with the Kingpin last issue. The key word is almost.
And here it's officially announced that the Black Widow will soon get her own monthly comic. Actually it will only be half a comic, but that's better than nothing. And it's actually not a monthly comic, it will only be a bimonthly comic, but that's still better than nothing.
Captain America #127
Title: Who calls me traitor?
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: AIM
Regulars: Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Jasper Sitwell
Guests: Tony Stark, Joe Robertson
Captain America is helping SHIELD test new combat suits. After the tests, three SHIELD agents are attacked by AIM agents who know the suits' weaknesses. The only person who could possibly have known is Captain America, so his SHIELD clearance is removed and he's considered a traitor.
Captain America is forced to battle against an android to prove he's really who he says he is. During the battle Sharon Carter uncovers that the combat suits' creator, Dr. Ryder, is the real traitor. Nick Fury says that he suspected him all along, but Captain America storms off in anger.
The Avengers #78
Title: The Man-Ape always strikes twice!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Avengers: Captain America, Black Panther, Goliath, Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch
Villain: Lethal Legion (Man-Ape, Grim Reaper, Living Laser, Power Man, Swordsman)
The Man-Ape, who seemingly died in Avengers #62, returns to New York to ambush Captain America on the roof of the Avengers Mansion. He flees when the other Avengers arrive.
Maybe Captain America should go back to school. He doesn't know what initials are.
The Man-Ape captures the singer-turned-social worker Monica Lynne and says he'll kill her if the Black Panther doesn't face him in one-on-one battle. The Man-Ape defeats him, then carries him into a deserted subway tunnel where other villains are waiting. The Grim Reaper has assembled a team he calls the Lethal Legion to challenge the Avengers.
The Grim Reaper was last seen in Avengers #52.
The Living Laser was last seen in Captain America #105.
Power Man was last seen in Avengers Annual #1.
The Swordsman was last seen in Avengers #65.
Man-Ape was last seen in Avengers #62. Or did I mention that already?
Daredevil #66
Title: And one cried murder!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Brother Brimstone
Regulars: Karen Page
Daredevil is still in Los Angeles, trying to find out Brother Brimstone's identity. The story develops like a whodunnit. In the end Brother Brimstone attacks Karen Page, because she has seen clues about his identity. Daredevil protects her and unmasks him, revealing him to be the actor Vince Sterling wearing an exo-skeleton.
The Incredible Hulk #129
Title: Again, the Glob!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Leader, Glob
Bruce Banner is trying to get to Los Angeles on foot. He meets a friendly man called Sam Sterns, who gives him money and a lift closer to the city. What he doesn't know is that Sam Sterns is the human form of his enemy, the Leader, who we last saw in Incredible Hulk #124.
The Leader awakes the Glob, who we last saw in Incredible Hulk #121, and tells him that the Hulk has harmed his wife. That's absolute nonsense, of course, but the Glob pursues Bruce Banner and makes him turn into the Hulk.
The Glob is destroyed in an explosion at a power station, but we see the parts of his body slowly begin to come back together.
Sub-Mariner #27
Title: When wakes the Kraken!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Commander Kraken
Regulars: Diane Arliss, Dorma, Vashti
There are news reports that a giant monster is destroying ships, and the newspapers blame Sub-Mariner. He swims to the area to get aid from Diane Arliss. Lady Dorma follows him. He discovers that the sea creature is really a ship disguised as a giant squid. The ship's commander is called Kraken. Namor wasnts to fight with Kraken, but he is holding Diane Arliss and Dorma as hostages. Mamor doesn't negotiate with terrorists, so he continues the fight, freeing Diane and Dorma.
Namor lures the Kraken's ship to the are of the sea bed where a giant sea monster is resting. The monster destroy the ship, killing all of its inhabitants. Seemingly.
Iron Man #27
Title: The Fury of the Firebrand!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Firebrand
Regulars: Eddie March
Iron Man is attending the beginning of the building of a new community centre in Eddie March's city. There are protests from local black residents, who claim that the money would be better used in other ways, such as loans to help them start businesses. A costumed character called Firebrand is inciting them to violence.
Iron Man chases Firebrand away, but the protesters are still unhappy.
The blacks call Iron Man a facist. What's that? Could they mean he's a fascist? It looks like Jean Izzo has slipped up as letterer.
Iron Man discovers that the councillor Lyle Bradshaw is hoping to get rich from bribes connected to the new community centre. He puts Eddie in charge of making sure the money is spent wisely.
Other comics published this month:
Millie the Model #184 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Mad About Millie #13 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Chili #15 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
My Love #6 (Stan Lee, John Buscema)
Tower of Shadows #6 (Wally Wood, Wally Wood)
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