STRANGE TALES 131
cover by Bob Powell & Mike Esposito and STEVE DITKO
The Mad Thinker makes another unwelcome return as BOB POWELL supplies story & art for this latest installment of THE HUMAN TORCH & THE EVER-LOVIN' THING, ye "editor" does dialogue and Dick Ayers (who used to do the stories & art on this feature) is reduced to just inks. (sigh)
(2-20-2014)
"THE BOUNCING BALL OF DOOM!"
Synopsis:
The Mad Thinker's latest plot involves a flying, electronics-laden metal ball, which nearly manages to destroy a dam.
"THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED!"
Synopsis:
In the far East, Strange is on the run from Mordo and his minions, unaware that Mordo's increased power comes from Dormammu. As Mordo forcibly recruits more followers to search for Strange, the mage makes plans to hop a plane to NYC. The Wraiths discover him, and only by conning them into believeing he's vanished is he able to make his getaway.
Indexer notes:
Part 2 of 17.
(2007)
FANTASTIC FOUR 37
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
Reed Richards decides he's NOT doing to let the MURDER of Sue & Johnny's father by a SKRULL remain unavenged, even if it means using an experimental hyper-light space-drive to travel al the way to the Skrull HOME PLANET! Whoa!!! En route, they hit the hyper-drive and actually travel most of the distance in ANOTHER DIMENSION (just like seen on DOCTOR WHO and later episodes of STAR TREK). One has to completely ignore the dialogue in that brief sequence, though, as the guy who wrote that clearly wasn't paying attention and didn't know WHAT THE F*** he was talking about.
Turns out all of Earth's and the FF's troubles with The Skrulls were the result of ONE man-- "Warlord Marat"-- an overly-ambitious man who is in love with Princess Anelle, daughter of the Emperor (well, SHE's in love with HIM, not sure if it actually goes the other way or not), and who hopes by marrying her, despite her father's wishes, it will put him in line for the throne. It doesn't work out.
JACK KIRBY does one of the GREATEST F.F. stories in his entire run, a story SO incredibly good it was adapted almost verbatim for the 1967 FF cartoon series-- faulty dialogue INTACT. Ye "editor" (the person who wasn't paying attention) did dialogue, while CHIC STONE continues to work wonders on the inks. WOW!!!!!
(2-20-2014)
TALES TO ASTONISH 66
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone and Bob Powell & Frank Giacoia
GIANT-MAN and the wonderful WASP tackle a disciple of The Mandarin (I can't imagine why). Although not mentioned in the credits, OR at the GCD, the George Olshevsky index book lists JACK KIRBY on the last 4 stories that BOB POWELL worked on. Perhaps he was involved in the same capacity as he was with Don Heck on many IRON MAN & AVENGERS stories, that of supplying "story ideas" for Powell to run with? The GIANT-MAN stories with Powell certainly seem more coherent than the HUMAN TORCH stories he did around the same time. Ye "editor" does dialogue while Frank Giacoia does inks.
"THE POSER OF DOCTOR BANNER!"
THE HULK gets put thru more paces, courtesy of STEVE DITKO doing story & art, ye "editor" on dialogue & Vince Colletta on inks. (Ditko-Colletta-- there's a frightful thought!)
(2-20-2014)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 23
cover by STEVE DITKO
TALES OF SUSPENSE 64
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
IRON MAN once again battles the gorgeous Russian lady spy and her misguided American boyfriend. Natasha is given a COSTUME in this story, as well as a "web-line" with which to SWING across the city-- SPIDER-MAN style. Under a fab Jack Kirby cover, DON HECK supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and the invincible CHIC STONE does his only ink job on the series in this part of the run.
"AMONG US, WRECKERS DWELL!"
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, presenting another redo of a story from CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1. Ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks.
(2-20-2014)
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor battles the Absorbing Man."
CHIC STONE inks his FINAL Jack Kirby THOR cover, as, inside, FRANK GIACOIA replaces him on inks. JACK KIRBY supplies story & art for Part 2 of this tremendous epic, while ye "editor" does dialogue. The series has been kicked up a notch, and will continue to be kicked up thusly on a monthly basis from here on out for some time to come!
"A VIPER IN OUR MIDST!"
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Loki aids a giant in escaping from the Asgardians."
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art on this latest installment of "Tales of Asgard", the 3rd chapter of the "Origin Of Loki". Ye "editor" does dialogue & Vince "scratchy lines" Colletta does whatever it is he does.
(2-20-2014)
THE AVENGERS 15
cover by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone
Behind that overly-melodramatic title (the "editor"s work, I feel sure), and another Kirby cover, JACK KIRBY returns again to supply story & layouts, while DON HECK does pencils, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Mike Esposito makes his 60's Marvel debut on inks. This is the big "climax" of the whole "Baron Zemo" / "Masters Of Evil" storyline, though I hate to say, I was VERY disappointed by the climax, which comes across as RUSHED & awkward. Oh well, when you're as over-worked as Kirby was, you can't win 'em all...!
(2-20-2014)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING JACKANAPES 17
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
"WHEN THE JUNGLE SLEEPS!"
DICK AYERS supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue and Vince Colletta does inks. (Man, this guy was starting to turn up EVERYWHERE.)
(2-20-2014)
DAREDEVIL 7
cover by WALLY WOOD
Long hailed as one of the greatest of all D.D. stories, with WALLY WOOD doing story & full art, while his rat-bastard "editor" does dialogue while stealing credit & pay for the story. While Wood was clearly doing the "obvious"-- having BILL EVERETT's 2 characters fight each other, he ALSO redesigned D.D.'s costume to the ALL-RED version used ever since. Also significant is, after the extremely-awkward way D.D. was seen getting around town before, in THIS issue he adds a retractable CABLE-LINE to his billy-club, so that he can start SWINGING around like SPIDER-MAN. Hey! Didn't THE BLACK WIDOW get a costume & web-line THIS SAME MONTH??? Is that a coincidence? And isn't it wild that D.D. and B.W. became LOVERS years later???
(2-20-2014)
CREEPY #2
Cover by FRANK FRAZETTA (Warren / [Apr]1965)
On-sale Date / 01-28-1965
One of the fan letters printed in this issue criticized the 1st issue's logo and "cartoon" cover illustration, saying at first they suspected it was "just another humor collection". The same letter reccomended the get FRANK FRAZETTA to do a cover painting, as his Lancer paperback covers had really been causing a stir. "DONE".
The editorial line-up already changed with the 2nd issue, with Archie Goodwin replacing Joe Orlando as "story editor", with Russ Jones still listed as main editor.
"FUN & GAMES" -- Goodwin & JOE ORLANDO do a story about a failing marriage and a sinister penny arcade, with unexplained supernatural elements that would have been right at home (almost) in THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
"Creepy's Loathesome Lore", a 1-page feature, debuts with Bob Lubbers doing "Vampires" and Frank Frazetta doing "Werewolves".
"SPAWN OF THE CAT PEOPLE" is this issue's cover feature, with Goodwin & REED CRANDALL doing a twist ending that could almost have suggested "THE HOWLING" films.
"WARDROBE OF MONSTERS" -- Otto Binder & GRAY MORROW (doing more traditional line rendering this time around) start with an Egyptian tomb opening that goes in a very unexpected direction.
"WELCOME STRANGER" -- Goodwin & AL WILLIAMSON (the future "STAR WARS" team) do a story about a film director scouting locations in an off-the-beaten-track village. I was reminded of a story in "THE MONSTER CLUB" film, though this one went down quite a different path.
"I ROBOT" -- Otto Binder & JOE ORLANDO adapted Earl & Otto Binder's 1939 story from AMAZING STORIES magazine, in Warren's 1st continuing comics series. Someone on the letters page reccomended they avoid "science-fiction", but clearly they decided to ignore that advice. This story had only recently been adapted on TV as a 2nd-season episode of "THE OUTER LIMITS". It had previously been adapted by Al Feldstein & Joe Orlando in EC's WEIRD SCIENCE-FANTASY #27 (Jan-Feb'55). I suppose this also qualifies as Warren's 1st "Classic" story adaptation!
"OGRE'S CASTLE" -- Goodwin & ANGELO TORRES, for the 2nd issue in a row, present arguably the BEST-looking work in the magazine. It takes a lot to blow the likes of Crandall, Morrow & Williamson out of the water!
(3-27-2021)
(Continued in May 1965)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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