Amazing Spider-Man #91
Title: To smash the Spider!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gil Kane
Regulars: Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson
Captain Stacy is hardly buried when Spider-Man's problems start piling up. His daughter Gwen says that she holds Spider-Man responsible for her father's death and will do anything to bring him to justice. A former colleague of Captain Stacy, Sam Bullitt, is running for D.A. and she offers him her support if he'll take action against Spider-Man.
Bullitt sends his goons after Peter Parker to ask if they know where they can find Spider-Man. He lets them beat him up, because he doesn't want to reveal how strong he is. He goes after them as Spider-Man and gives them a harder beating. When he returns home to his apartment he finds Bullitt and Gwen Stacy waiting for him.
Sub-Mariner #32
Title: Call her Llyra, call her Legend!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Llyra
Prince Namor thinks that if he wants to challenge the surface world he needs a reliable ally, such as Karthon, who became the leader of the undersea kingdom of Lemuria in Sub-Mariner #13.
When he arrives in Lemuria, he finds that Karthon has been overthrown by a woman called Llyra. When Namor insists on his friend Karthon being freed, she attacks him. She has mental control over all sea creatures, including sharks and electric eels. She imprisons him in the Morris Oceanarium in Hawaii. While there he speaks to Llyra's twin sister Laurie.
Namor is freed by Llyra's mother, the owner of the oceanarium. He returrns to Lemuria to battle Llyra again. Llyra is crushed beneath boulders and dies. Seemingly. Namor carries her bother back to the oceanarium, and her skin turns from blue to pink. Her mother arrives and tells him that Llyra and Laurie shared one body, unknown to one another.
Holy schizophrenia!
Fantastic Four #105
Title: The monster in the streets!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm
Villains: unnamed monster
Regulars: Crystal, Lockjaw
Crystal collapses with a mystery illness. Johnny Storm flies her back to the Baxter Building to be examined by Reed Richards. He concludes that she has no immunity to the pollution in western civilisation after growing up in the Great Refuge. If she doesn't return she'll die.
Johnny is heart-broken that they have to be separated. But do they? Why doesn't he just go and live in the Great Refuge with her? Problem solved!
Crystal is confused. She was truly one of the Fantastic Four. She was officially accepted into the group in Fantastic Four #81.
Maybe this picture will jog her memory.
How long did she remain in the group? Until Susan Richards returned from her maternity leave, which was in Fantastic Four #95. I think. Even after Susan Richards returned to active duty and Crystal returned to the Inhumans, she continued to wear her costume. And she still wants to wear it now. I keep saying that they should change the group's name to the Fantastic Five.
Reed Richards thinks that he has found a method of returning Ben Grimm to his normal human form and begins to operate on him.
Meanwhile, Susan Richards goes shopping. In the city explosions and destruction are being caused by a glowing being who doesn't seem to be malicious, he just blasts everything around him at random. Susan can hold him back for a short while, but she needs help. Johnny requests Reed's assistance, but if he abandons Ben he may never be able to change back to human form.
Thor #183
Title: Trapped in Doomsland!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Doctor Doom
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Sif
I like this splash page. It doubles as a recap of last month's story.
Thor diverts the missile upwards by hurling his hammer into space. It doesn't return within 60 seconds, so he reverts to Donald Blake. When the hammer falls to Earth Doctor Doom tries in vain to pick it up. It resists his attempts, so he covers it with a force field. "If I can't have it, nobody else can!"
Donald Blake retrieves the hammer by digging beneath it. He fights and defeats Doctor Doom. Then he goes to free Professor La Farge. It turns out that he lied to his daughter. She was never held hostage, he worked for Doctor Doom voluntarily in order to become rich. He fires a gun at Thor, but the bullet ricochets and he kills himself.
When Thor returns to New York he doesn't want to tell Cosette the truth about her father. He says that he died a hero.
Thor returns to Asgard to go on a mission for Odin.
Captain America #132
Title: The Fearful Secret of Bucky Barnes!
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: Modok, AIM, Doctor Doom
Cameos: Falcon, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Sharon Carter
Captain America has been reunited with Bucky Barnes after being separated for 25 years. Modok, the leader of AIM who we last saw in Captain America #124, is watching the news reports. Bucky Barnes is actually a robot that Doctor Doom has previously built for him.
While airborne, Modok sends a signal for the robot to attack Captain America. The robot is too perfect. It has Bucky's personality and refuses to attack Captain America. It explodes.
The Incredible Hulk #134
Title: Among us walks the Golem!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: Draxon (dictator)
The peasants of Morvania consider the Hulk to be a legendary creature called the Golem who would come to them in their hour of need. They beg him to help them, but he refuses, because he only wants to be left alone and live in peace. The peasants start an uprising without him, but they have no chance of success. A young girl comes to the Hulk and asks him to help her Daddy. When he sees her cry, the Hulk is moved and goes into action against the dictator Draxon. After defeating him, the villagers offer to make the Hulk their new ruler, but he leaves.
Iron Man #32
Title: Anything for the cause!
Writer: Allyn Brodsky
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Mike (alien coloniser)
This is an interesting story written by Allyn Brodsky. From what I've heard it's not popular with Iron Man readers, but I think it deserves some credit. Admittedly, it's not a typical super-hero story. It has more in common with the mystery and sci-fi anthology stories told in Stan Lee's 1950's comics.
Three unrelated events kick off the story.
1. Belinda Thompkins, a 22-year-old schoolteacher, leaves her boyfriend.
2. Two convicts escape from prison.
3. A spaceship arrives on Earth, scouting the planet for colonisation.
Iron man faces the coloniser, a sentient mechanical being. Iron Man's armour is immobilised by a force field.
The coloniser goes to Earth, disguising himself as a human called Mike. He hitches a lift from Belinda.
The convicts wreck their car in a police chase. They hijack Belinda's car, holding Belinda and Mike at gunpoint. Mike could easily overcome them, but he sits quietly to see what will happen next.
Iron Man escapes and searches for Mike. He stops Belinda's car. The convicts try to shoot Belinda, but Mike feels compassion for her and stops them. After repeatedly being shot at point blank range he explodes.
So do you think that's not much of a story? I like it.
Jean Izzo needs to pay more attention to details. That's not how to spell "deceived".
The Avengers #83
Title: Come on in, the revolution's fine!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Buscema
Avengers: Black Panther, Goliath, Vision, Quicksilver
Liberators: Enchantress, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Medusa
Villain: Masters of Evil (Klaw, Melter, Radioactive Man, Whirlwind)
Cameos: Odin, Executioner
Special Guest Appearance: Roy Thomas, Jeanie Thomas
This is a special issue that many Avengers fans consider to be one of the best Avengers issues ever. It begins with a triple splash page, something that hasn't been done since Doctor Strange #183 (November 1969).
The Wasp returns to the Avengers headquarters and finds it taken over by an all-female team calling themselves the Liberators. Scarlet Witch, Black Widow and Medusa are all well known. The leader is a woman called Valkyrie. They say that they've teamed up to assert their rights as women.
So where are the other Avengers? Thor, Iron Man and Captain America are occupied with other matters. Vision, Black Panther, Goliath and Quicksilver have been invited to take part in the annual Halloween parade in Rutland, Vermont. This was a comic theme parade that has taken place in the real world every year since 1959. It was organised by Tom Fagan, and by 1970 it featured almost exclusively Marvel characters.
5000 spectators watched the 11th annual parade in 1970, with marchers who included the Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Medusa, Wasp, Quicksilver, Vision, Captain America and Havok. Riding on a float were Thor and Sif, along with the Norn Queen. The Red Skull hitched a ride on the float for no known thematic reason. Also present were Nighthawk, Batman and Captain Marvel — and probably a few other DC heroes that Tom Fagan was discreet enough not to mention. The parade kicked off with the familiar cry of "Avengers Assemble!" and ended on the same note.
You can see Batman hiding at the back.
Over the years it became common for Marvel's staff to participate in the parade. Here we see Roy Thomas and his wife Jeanie. They first appeared as unnamed bystanders on the splash page of Sub-Mariner #19, but this is their first speaking role. Over the years Roy Thomas frequently wrote himself into his stories.
The attendance of Roy and Jeanie at the Rutland Halloween Parade is even mentioned on this month's Bullpen Bulletin page.
Klaw and the Masters of Evil use the parade as an opportunity to attack the Avengers. They can't be spotted because everyone is in costume. The Masters of Evil were last seen as a team in Avengers #55, but Whirlwind was seen more recently in Captain America #130.
The Masters of Evil overpower the four Avengers at the parade. Then the Liberators arrive and easily defeat the Masters of Evil. You see? Women really can do it better!
Then the Liberators turn against the Avengers.
Black Panther doesn't fight women. What a gentleman! That makes it all the easier for the women to defeat him.
Medusa traps Quicksilver in her hair, and Valkyrie takes out the remaining two Avengers with her battle cry, "Up against the wall, male chauvinist pigs!" I like her.
Finally Valkyrie reveals that she's really the Enchantress is disguise. She was one of the Avengers' oldest enemies, but we haven't seen her since Incredible Hulk #102. The Scarlet Witch defeats her with a hex that kills her. Seemingly.
Note that Valkyrie is a non-existent character, but she was so popular with fans that Marvel will bring her back as a real character a few months from now. Wait and see!
Goliath spouts his usual male chauvinist rubbish. Scarlet Witch and the Wasp suggest that the Liberators might return one day. Unfortunately, they won't, at least not in the Marvel canon years.
Daredevil #71
Title: If an eye offend thee
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: The Tribune (Buck Ralston)
Regulars: Foggy Nelson
Wow! Talk about a culture clash! Roy Thomas quotes first the Bible, then Lewis Carroll on the splash page!
Three young men are on trial for planting a bomb at the building where Spiro Agnew was speaking last month. Foggy Nelson is convinced that they're innocent, but as DA he's compelled to prosecute them. Daredevil is also convinced of their innocence.
A summons is delivered to Daredevil to appear at the trial as a witness for the defence. That's a problem for him, because he already has to appear in court as Foggy's assistant. He feigns sickness at the last moment so that Matt Murdock can stay away.
Buck Ralston, the Tribune, has flown into New York to make sure the defendants, known as the New York Three, are found guilty. He incapacitates the judge and takes his place in court. His henchmen replace the security guards. He refuses to let any evidence by the defence to be heard, because he wants to sentence them to death.
The Tribune flees. Daredevil notices that something is ticking inside a statue outside the courtroom. It's a bomb, planted to kill people and further incriminate supporters of the New York Three. Daredevil hurls the statue at the helicopter, and it explodes, killing the Tribune. Seemingly. A few days later Buck Ralston appears on television, continuing to spout his words of hate.
Astonishing Tales #3
Is that false advertising on the cover? It says that the comic contains two full-length features, but it actually contains two half-length features, 10 pages each.
Title: Back to the Savage Land
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Barry Smith
Villain: Zaladane
After writing two short horror stories for Marvel, 17-year-old Gerry Conway has now written his first super-hero story. He's ably aided by Barry Smith, who's now back in America with a work visa in his pocket.
The Petrified Man reveals that he's an English sailor who was washed up in the Savage Land after a shipwreck. He found a temple and drank what he thought to be water, but it was actually an elixir of life which would give him immortality. He's lived for centuries, which seemed to be a blessing at first, but now his body is turning to stone and he wants to die.
Zaladane is a priestess of the Sun God, Garokk. She is also immortal, but unlike her followers she doesn't turn into stone. She has waited for hundreds of years for a prophesied time, and now she wants to conquer the Savage Land.
Title: Doom must die!
Writer: Larry Lieber
Artist: Wally Wood
Villain: Prince Rudolfo, Doomsman, Faceless One
The Faceless One orders the Doomsman to kill Doctor Doom, but he says that he's an independent being who won't take sides in a fight. Doctor Doom takes control of the Doomsman with mind fusion and makes him attack the Faceless One. The Faceless One reveals himself to be a small spider-like alien. His spaceship leaves, but he's still hiding in the palace, waiting to strike again.
Doctor Doom easily defeats Prince Rudolfo and his followers, but the Faceless One begins to use Doctor Doom's weapons against him. This creates an earthquake. Doctor Doom leaves his palace. The Faceless One disappears without a trace. Prince Rudolfo goes into exile.
Ka-Zar #2
Title: From the sky, winged wrath
Writer: Jerry Siegel
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: The Dazzler
Regulars: Agent Duncan, Candy Southern
The first issue of the reprint comic Ka-Zar had an original backup story featuring Hercules. The second issue has a backup story featuring the Angel, written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel.
Warren Worthington III's father, Warren Worthington Jr, is killed by masked men who break into his home while Warren III is on a date with his girlfriend Candy. He catches them as the Angel and beats them unconscious. Agent Fred Duncan tells him that they work for a criminal called the Dazzler.
Other comics published this month:
Conan the Barbarian #2 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Millie the Model #187 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Our Love Story #8 (Stan Lee, Gene Colan)
Rawhide Kid #82 (Denny O'Neil, Dick Ayers)
Western Gunfighters #3 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Chamber of Darkness #8 (Bill Everett, Dan Adkins)
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