STRANGE TALES 134
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
THE HUMAN TORCH & THE EVER-LOVIN' THING's series comes to an end. Behind a Jack Kirby cover, BOB POWELL supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and WALLY WOOD does inks. This must have given ye "editor" ideas, as Wood & Powell were teamed up for the next 3 issues of DAREDEVIL as well.
(2-25-2014)
"THE CHALLENGE OF... THE WATCHER!"
Synopsis:
Though he is not permitted to interfere, The Watcher tells Ben & Johnny of how Kang time-travelled to the days of King Arthur, imprisoned Merlin, and took over the country. In order for the timestream to remain intact, The Watcher sends the pair back in time to defeat Kang. After a hard battle, they send Kang packing, and The Watcher returns them to the present. Later, relaxing after a hard day's fighting, Reed & Sue accuse them of being "loafers."
Indexer notes:
Kang's previous appearance in THE AVENGERS #11 (December 1964); next app. in THE AVENGERS #23 (December 1965). The Watcher's own series, where he sometimes acted merely as narrator, ran in TALES OF SUSPENSE #49-58 (January-October 1964); previous appearance apart from that in FANTASTIC FOUR #29 (August 1964); next app. in FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3 (November 1965). Last episode of the series. Next issue, "The Human Torch & The Ever-Lovin' Thing" would be replaced with "Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.". Torch's next "solo" series (or sorts) would be in MARVEL TEAM-UP #1 (March 1972), though he would be confined to occasional issues. The Thing, however, would fare better, getting his own (team-up) series in MARVEL FEATURE #11-12 (September-November 1973), then MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #1 (January 1974). Eventually, Ben would get a "solo" series in THE THING #1 (July 1983).
(2007)
"EARTH BE MY BATTLEGROUND"
Synopsis:
Strange returns to our plane, in NYC, takes a room in a cheap motel & then uses his ectoplasmic form to check up on The Ancient One in Tibet. He then goes to his master's home to look thru the library, but forgets to drop the spell of visibility that allowed the hermit to see him-- and so Mordo's spirits are after him again! To distract Dormammu (who's feeding Mordo endless power), Clea uses a device that weakens the barrier holding back The Mindless Ones, and they attack, causing Dormammu to leave Mordo as he battles them. Strange flies into space and straight into the sun, the spirits fleeing and Mordo worried that it might spell his doom. Strange returns to The Ancient One, who in his weakened, delirious condition, speaks of "Eternity". Dormammu secures his domain, but wonders if someone has betrayed him. Clea fears she may be found out. Strange begins to search for "Eternity"...
Indexer notes:
Part 5 of 17. 1st mention of Eternity. Strange would finally find it in STRANGE TALES #138 (November 1965). This episode (and the next one) inexplicably NOT reprinted in 1970.
(2007)
FANTASTIC FOUR 40
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
DR. DOOM invades the FF's HQ, Reed manages to restore their powers, DD helps out, and Ben CRUSHES Doom's dainty little fingers. OOH, dat's gotta hoit! JACK KIRBY supplies story & art; ye "editor" does dialogue, and after ONE month, Frank Giacoia drops off the book and is replaced by Vince "made man" Colletta on inks (JUST like on THOR!!). Which is tragic, as visually the book hits a new LOW it hasn't seen since the period when "George Bell" was mutilating the pages.
(2-25-2014)
TALES TO ASTONISH 69
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
That A**H***, The Human Top, returns to take on GIANT-MAN & THE WASP yet again. Both are marginalized on this month's cover, as this turns out to be the end of the line for their series. Jack Kirby apparently supplies story & layouts, while BOB POWELL did pencils, Al Hartley filled in on dialogue (while ye "editor" still managed to steal pay & credit for the story anyway), and John Giunta does inks. I have no idea who he is, what can I tell you?
"TRAPPED IN THE LAIR OF THE LEADER"
This is an instance where the fact that several books were one month "off" as far as their cover dates go becomes obvious, as THIS is the story that took place at the SAME time as "last month's" AVENGERS. JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Mike Esposito does inks. You know, it's downright criminal that JACK KIRBY wrote so many of these stories UNCREDITED and UNPAID, and in the case of more and more books over the next year, he got paid EVEN LESS, as his "editor" cut him back to only doing layouts for others to follow, to he wasn't even getting to do full pencils (or get paid for them either). A really sneaky, conniving way to squeeze more work out of his BEST writer. There oughta be a law...
(2-25-2014)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 26
cover by STEVE DITKO
TALES OF SUSPENSE 67
cover by Jack Kirby & Carl Hubbell
This is another weird one. The villain is "The Dream-Maker"-- but, purely in the dialogue stage, he's also referred to as "Count Nefaria", EVEN THOUGH he doesn't look anything like him, and his M.O. is completely different! What the hell was Marvel's "editor" ON at the time, anyway?? Behind a Kirby cover (that even Nick Caputo isn't sure who inked), DON HECK supplies story & art, and, possibly, this month's VILLAIN as well (as he doesn't appear on the cover), while ye "editor" does dialogue and Mike Esposito (undercover) does inks.
"LEST TYRANNY TRIUMPH!"
CAPTAIN AMERICA is drugged by The Red Skull into leading a team to assassinate GENERAL EISENHOWER!!! Bucky, a prisoner, leads a prison break, blowing up some Nazis in the process (ya gotta love this guy). JACK KIRBY supplies story & art for the 2nd part of this 3-parter, while ye "editor" does dialogue and Frank Giacoia returns on inks. (I guess he missed last month's CAP episode because he was doing both FF and THOR-- neither of which he did this month).
(2-25-2014)
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY 118
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
from the GCD: "Indexer Notes: First appearance of the Destroyer and the Odinsleep."
Part 5 of 11.
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, while creating another INCREDIBLE, long-running "villain" (or sorts) in the form of "The Destroyer". Gee, Marvel sure does like re-using names every chance they get. There's been AT LEAST 4 different characters with this name...
1- The 1940's hero
2- The JOHNNY STORM villain
3- The THOR robot
4- The Jim Starlin character, "Drax The Destroyer"
Ye "editor" does dialogue while continuing to RIP OFF his best talent, and Vince Colletta makes with the scratchy lines.
"THE CRIMSON HAND"
from the GCD: "Indexer Notes: Odinsword Quest Part 1, first appearances of Braggi and Morduk."
JACK KIRBY spins another wondrous "Tales Of Asgard" installment, supplying story & art, while ye "editor" fillis in word balloons while grabbing pay & credit for far more, and Vince "I'm in the Mafia" Colletta (or one of his boys) makes with the "illuminated manuscript" work.
(2-25-2014)
I can just picture that editorial meeting...
"'Eyy-- Carmine. You know the deal. Me-- or one of my BOYS-- gets to INK-- every one o' Kirby's new books. And nobody gets hurt."
"Sh-sh-- SHURE, Vince! Whatever you say."
(2-25-2014)
THE AVENGERS 18
cover by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers
Cap, Hawkeye, Quicksilver & his gorgeous sister, The Scarlet Witch, take on a Commie baddie, who's big enough to clobber all 4 of them. Or, is he? Behind a Kirby-Ayers cover, DON HECK supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Ayers continues on inks. An overlooked gem, if you ask me!
(2-25-2014)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING SQUADRON 20
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
"THE BLITZ SQUAD STRIKES!"
DICK AYERS supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. Looks like somebody thought Frank was right for "World War Two" stuff, HMM?
(2-25-2014)
X-MEN 12
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
This is not only one of the most terrible, convoluted excuses for an "origin" story I've ever seen, it's also one of the worst-looking comics from this period. JACK KIRBY supplies story & layouts only, while the legendary ALEX TOTH steps in to do pencils-- which Vince Colletta totally murders at the inking stage. GOOD GOD! What is the POINT of hiring a guy like Alex Toth if he's not gonna be able to do his own layouts, or his own inks? This entire issue is one horrible hatchet-job from start to finish.
(2-25-2014)
(Continued in August 1965)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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