STRANGE TALES 129
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
Dr. Doom's former lackeys made a 2nd stab at getting back at Johnny, 7 months after their last one. DICK AYERS makes his final bow on the series with story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia makes his 2nd of 2 appearances on inks. For me, sadly, this is the end of a really fun era, as the 5 episodes that follow fail to live up to what came before.
(2-18-2014)
"THE TERRIBLE TRIO!"
Synopsis:
On the golf course, Doris nags Johnny by comparing him to "gentlemanly" Peter Parker. When the latest emergency arises, she says a girl like her should have her head examined. Johnny falls into a trap of The Terrible Trio, but manages to send out a distress signal to Ben, who takes on these losers and saves Johnny's life in a railway yard. "Dr. Doom would be so proud of us!" Yogi Dakkor said... guess again!
Indexer notes:
3rd (and final) appearance of "The Terrible Trio"; previous app. in STRANGE TALES #122 (July 1964). With his costume & flying carpet, Yogi Dakkor may have served as the inspiration for the 1967 SPIDER-MAN cartoon villain, "The Fabulous Fakir". Johnny & Doris have a run-in with The Beetle, Peter Parker (and Spider-Man) in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #21 (February 1965) shortly before this story.
(8-18-2007)
"BEWARE...TIBORO! THE TYRANT OF THE SIXTH DIMENSION!"
Synopsis:
Despite repeated requests, Strange refuses to appear on the TV program, "The Twelth Hour". As a result, the panel of 3 scientists who do appear "reject" him as an authority on the supernatural. They continue to narrow-mindedly dismiss all magic as superstition, until in the middle of the show, the lights briefly go out-- and all 3 mysteriously vanish! When the police can find nothing, the show's producer calls Strange, this time for help! He arrives, and quickly discearns the "pagan idol" they were debunking is really a gateway to the dimension of Tiboro, an extrememly powerful entity who is ready to strike against Earth, as he did before, ages ago. After consulting his mentor, Strange goes to Tiboro's dimension to confront him directly, and a fierce, deadly battle commences! Strange manages to triumph, and returns with the 3 kidnapped men. But now that they have "proof" of the existence of magic, they want to do a TV show about it, with Strange as the star. Instead, he uses a "spell of forgetfullness", which actually causes time to unwind to the moment when the lights went out. As before, they arrogantly refuse to believe there's any such thing as magic...
Indexer notes:
Steve Ditko's art seems to take a leap forward with this episode. Without "ye editor"s dialogue, the tone and character of this story is much closer to Ditko's solo works from the 1970's and later. Similar to this story's ending, the 3rd-season cliffhanger-finale of CHARMED involved the media exposing the existence of magic, the chaos and danger it involved, and a spell turning back time to prevent it from happening. On this issue's letters page, "ye editor" says he "asked Steve to come up with something really different for next issue," indicating that Ditko may have been plotting the series solo for some time.
(8-18-2007)
FANTASTIC FOUR 35
cover by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers
Reed & Ben are invited back to their old alma mater, which just happens to be where both Johnny & Peter Parker are thinking of attending. Professor X & Cyclops have a cameo, but the big news is Diablo makes a return appearance, only 5 months after his debut, and somehow breathes life into an inanimate statue, creating "Dragon-Man". The other big news is saved for the final page, when Reed finally pops the question... JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and the fantastic CHIC STONE does inks.
(2-18-2014)
TALES TO ASTONISH 64
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
GIANT-MAN & THE WASP find themselves facing Sub-Mariner's savage barbarian foe, only 2 months after his debut in FF #33! Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta supply a fabulous cover, while CARL BURGOS does his 3rd & final of 3 stories and art. Leon Lazarus fills in doing dialogue (while ye "editor" steals CREDIT & PAY for the story-- no wonder Burgos didn't stick around long), and Paul Reinman does his final turn on inks on the series.
"THE HORDES OF HUMANOIDS"
THE HULK fights on. STEVE DITKO does story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and George Roussos does HIS final turn on inks on THIS series. Seems some of the "lesser" talent was in the process of being weeded out.
(2-18-2014)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 21
cover by STEVE DITKO
TALES OF SUSPENSE 62
cover by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers
I consider this to be the 2nd of the 3 really "classic" super-villain origin stories of the 1960's. Behind a Jack Kirby cover, DON HECK supplies one of the best stories of his entire career, as well as the art. Ye "editor" does dialogue, and Dick Ayers does inks. One of the greatest of all IRON MAN stories ever told!!
"BREAK-OUT IN CELL BLOCK 10" (as opposed to "Riot In Cell Block 9")
CAPTAIN AMERICA in the middle of an attempted prison-break. JACK KIRBY once again supplies story and some of the most ACTION-PACKED fight scenes of his entire career, while ye "editor" does dialogue, and the legendary CHIC STONE does inks. WOW!!!!!
(2-18-2014)
DAREDEVIL 6
cover by WALLY WOOD
WALLY WOOD supplies story & full art, giving us a brand-new villain in the process, "Mr. Fear". Along the way, he recruits a pair of Jack Kirby creations, The Eel (used by Dick Ayers in THE HUMAN TORCH) and The Ox (used by Steve Ditko in AMAZNG SPIDER-MAN). Ye "editor" does dialogue while stealing pay & credit for the story.
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY 113
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor reveals his secret identity to Jane Foster, but she doesn't believe him."
Well, that's a switch on the "Superman" format! The hero tells the girl his secret, and she dismisses it. What would Lois Lane say?
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, and brings back The Grey Gargoyly a mere 6 months after his debut. Ye "editor" does dialogue, while the mighty CHIC STONE does inks. WOW!
"THE BOYHOOD OF LOKI!"
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor defends Loki after Loki is caught engaging in mystical mischief."
Look at this! Good brother, bad brother, the good brother sticks up for the bad one, and the bad one STILL hates him. You can't win with some people...
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art for this latest installment of "Tales Of Asgard", while ye "editor" does dialogue & Vince Colletta does inks.
(2-18-2014)
THE AVENGERS 13
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
Jack Kirby gives us yet another long-running villain, a European aristocrat who doubles as an organized crime mob boss. DON HECK supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue and Dick Ayers continues on inks. Nefaria has made countless appearances in the years since this, but it took me until 1989 before I was finally able to read his debut story, in the MARVEL MASTERWORKS Vol.9.
(2-18-2014)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING FURIES 15
"TOO SMALL TO FIGHT, TO YOUNG T DIE"
DICK AYERS does story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and oddly enough, Steve Ditko fills in on inks!
(2-18-2014)
(Continued in March 1965)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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