STRANGE TALES 151
cover by Jack Kirby & Jim Steranko
HYDRA allows Fury to land in Karnopolis safely, to lull SHIELD into a false sense of security. But Fury knows all pretense is off, as the ruins are deserted-- except for a a squad of robots! Captured & stripped of his gadget-laden clothes, Fury faces the new Supreme Hydra, who tells him of his plans to use the Overkill Horn to detonate all stockpiles of nuclear weapons worldwide, while HYDRA waits in fallout shelters, to emerge as the new rulers of the planet. Meanwhile, Dugan, upset by Fury's order to launch an H-Missile to destroy HYDRA's weapon (and Fury as well), tries to save his buddy, but is stopped when Gabe shoots him in the shoulder. Fury manages to escape with a HYDRA jet, not realizing it was a ruse-- as the Overkill Horn is onboard the plane he's flying! As Sitwell prepares to destroy the aircraft, Fury realizes its radio isn't working...
JACK KIRBY supplies story & layouts, and the new guy, JIM STERANKO, makes his debut doing pencils & inks. After John Severin, Joe Sinnott, Don Heck, Howard Purcell, more Don Heck, Ogden Whitney & John Buscema, they FINALLY found somebody interested in sticking around on the pencils. Ye "editor", who's done such a LOUSY job maintaining any kind of steady creative team on this series (apart from its uncredited writer, Kirby), continues to do dialogue while shamelessly continuing to steal credit & pay for writing the story!
Part 2 of 9. The "new" Supreme Hydra reveals that he had previously "masqueraded" as The Grand Imperator of "THEM" (A.I.M.), and that Supreme Hydra is his "true" identity, the first indication that he had been the real behind-the-scenes architect of HYDRA all along. The plot to cause nuclear fallout while those responsible sit it out underground is similar to that in the Matt Helm film THE SILENCERS (1966). Jim Steranko's 1st work for Marvel.
“UMAR STRIKES!"
Umar uses the "Lamp Of Lucifer" to learn of events during her long imprisonment. She is stunned to learn her brother was defeated by Dr. Strange, and though she & Dormammu hated each other, she still vows to avenge him. Back in NYC, Strange conjures "wealth without measure" so Wong need never again concern him with money matters. To lure Strange into a trap, Umar casts Clea into a void between dimensions. No sooner does he sense her danger, then Strange as well is hurled into another dimension as well...
BILL EVERETT supplies story & FULL art, while ye "editor" returns after a long absence to do dialogue-- and it's a NOTICEABLE improvement over Thomas & O'Neil!! But as usual, on every book he "contributes" to he winds up grabbing credit ANDS PAY for the full writing job. Downright criminal. Part 5 of 22; Part 1 of Umar sequence. Several flashback panels based closely on Steve Ditko panels (redrawn by Everett).
(4-27-2014)
FANTASTIC FOUR 57
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
Sandman manages to escape from jail, but his partners remain behind bars. Elsewhere, the Silver Surfer, continuing to explore his own "prison", runs across the absolute ruler of a tiny Baltic country, with a thing for armor suits and vast arrays of hi-tech equipment. And falls victim to same. Suddenly, the F.F.'s arch-enemy is walking around with power generated by GALACTUS. That can't be good.
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and JOE SINNOTT does absolutely dazzling inks. This story formed the basis for about HALF of the 2nd live-action F.F. feature film, though certain elements of that were so badly translated, it hardly seems worth the effort. Part 1 of 4.
(4-27-2014)
TALES TO ASTONISH 86
cover by Gene Colan & Bill Everett
SUB-MARINER's arch-enemy goes on a rampage in New York, while Namor tries to track him down. JERRY GRANDENETTI fills in for the departed Gene Colan, supplying story & art, while ye "editor" does dialogue, and Bill Everett does inks on his own character for the 2nd month in a row.
"THE BIRTH OF THE HULK-KILLER!"
Ross's men find a hidden lair belonging to the late, departed Leader, and foolishly awaken an android, hoping it'll take out The HULK for them. But it goes on a rampage, becoming more of a menace than Greenskin! At least, until Hulk shows up... JOHN BUSCEMA supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue & Mike Esposito does inks. Another one of the most powerful HULK episodes ever done, as the long storyline JACK KIRBY set in place so long before works its way toward a colossal climax!
(4-27-2014)
GIL KANE returns!
High over Manhattan, moments before total annihilation, Bruce Banner recognizes HIS OWN handiwork and manages to adjust the settings on the ORION missile, and in doing so, saves Manhattan from complete destruction. He then turns back into the Hulk and survives when he hits the ground!
But the army STUPIDLY believes that the Hulk tried to destroy Manhattan with the missle. What a pack of IDIOTS! It gets worse when they uncover a warehouse belonging to the now-dead "Leader", and discover one of his androids that got left behind. They manage to activate it, hoping it can stop The Hulk. INSTEAD, it goes on a destructive rampage, making it far more dangerous than The Hulk ever was!
But before long, "The Hulk-Killer" runs across The Hulk (or vice-versa), and engage in all-out combat-- with the army hoping they'll destroy each other.
You know, John Buscema really did some of his BEST work I've ever seen on these 3 episodes. It seems a shame that somehow, he didn't do ANY of the covers! They were alternating between HULK and SUB-MARINER, and Buscema's 1st episode had a Bill Everett cover, while his 3rd had one by Gil Kane. Crazy.
Buscema's 3rd episode is almost non-stop action. After almost being killed, Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner-- AT LAST removing all doubt as to the truth of his double-identity. And BANNER comes up with a way to stop the Hulk-Killer. Setting up an aparatus, he turns back into the Hulk, and using the device, manages to DESTROY the "indestructible" android, thus, saving New York City TWICE in one day! The Hulk IS A HERO!!!
I see these episodes as the culmination and CONCLUSION of the "big story" started by Jack Kirby way back in HULK #1, continued by Steve Ditko and ASTONISH and then picked up by Kirby again 8 issues later. Just as Jim Steranko's initial spate of NICK FURY episodes was "finishing off" the big epic that Kirby started on that series, so did Buscema do the same here. This would have been a PERFECT place to end the series.
BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE.
It looks to me like John Buscema didn't do too much work for Marvel early-on. I'm guessing he was still working for other publishers around this time, and seeing what might happen.
I think it's worth noting that for Buscema's first 4 episodes (each a half-issue's worth of pages), he worked with "ye editor" on the 1st, Jack Kirby on the 2nd (STRANGE TALES #150), and "ye editor" again on the 3rd & 4th. And the HULK episodes seem to have been generated on pure momentum leftover from Kirby's already-ongoing storyline.
After that, Buscema DOESN'T stick around. Instead, GIL KANE steps in, doing 4 of the UGLIEST pieces of work I have ever seen from him. Oh, sure, the storytelling is POWERFUL and EXCITING-- this was the period when he was consciously, DELIBERATELY trying to channel the power of Jack Kirby and incorporate it into his own work. (His 4 episodes of CAPTAIN AMERICA in SUSPENSE were done about the same time.)
But from the first couple pages, Kane takes the new situation set up by the end of the Hulk-Killer story-- and totally JETISONS it in favor of continuing the Hulk as a "Fugitive". Even Dr. Richard Kimble eventually was able to stop running. NOT Bruce Banner. It's ENDLESS MISERY for him. What the HELL's the point? It's no wonder that once Kirby left the series, the whole thing went to hell.
Meanwhile, as far as I can tell, John Buscema VANISHED from Marvel for a bit. When he turned up again 5 months later, it was in THE AVENGERS #41 (Jun'67), which was written by ROY THOMAS. After the hell "ye editor" gave Buscema over his 1st HULK episode, I have no doubt that Buscema was happy to be working with a writer to actually WANTED to write-- and supplied him with more than a one-sentence springboard to work with.
Thomas & Buscema would wind up doing a HELL of a lot of comics together!!!!!
(12-10-13)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 43
cover by JOHN ROMITA
TALES OF SUSPENSE 84
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
Tony Stark finally appears before the Senate Investigation Committee, and has a heart attack on the spot. When the facts of his health problem comes out, for the first time, Senator Byrd actually shows some sign of sympathy for the man who's clearly been putting his own life at risk to supply the Defense Department with so much. The investigation is put off until later... But as Stark lies in a hospital bed, newspapers begin speculating about WHY nobody's seen IRON MAN lately? Until, the armored hero begins making random public appearances. Well, it turns out that Happy Hogan is wearing the suit, to throw off suspicion. Not as good an idea as it might seem, as right then, The Mandarin decided to use his long-ranger scanners & matter teleportation device to repeat an earlier crime-- and KIDNAPS "Iron Man", not realizing, he's got the wrong guy! Uh oh...
GENE COLAN supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. Part 1 of 3.
"THE SUPER-ADAPTOID"
After being examined briefly by The Avengers, the last A.I.M. android takes on elements of all their forms, becoming a one-man super-villain team, bent on taking out CAPTAIN AMERICA. JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. Part 3 of 3. At this point, pretty much all the loose strands of the Hydra epic are tied up, and the remainder of the story is focused entirely in the main feature in STRANGE TALES. And what a wild ride it's gonna be!!!
(4-27-2014)
THOR 135
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor and the New Men defeat the Man-Beast. The High Evolutionary takes the spaceship part of Wundagore to the stars."
I can think of at least 2 different DOCTOR WHO stories where part of a large structure turned out to be a spaceship at the climax of the story. Oddly enough, The High Evolutionary's story would continue in, of all places, THE HULK series in TALES TO ASTONISH, early in the Marie Severin run.
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue and Vince "not again!" Colletta does inks. Part 2 of 2.
"THE FIERY BREATH OF FAFNIR!"
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor and companions fight Fafnir to find Volstagg."
That about says it. JACK KIRBY supplies story & art for this latest instalment of "Tales Of Asgard". Ye "editor" does dialogue and Vince "what the hell IS this?" Colletta does inks. Part 2 of 3.
(4-22-2014)
THE AVENGERS 35
cover by DON HECK (w/ Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia)
The team takes down The Living Lazer, a tough fight all the way (if memory serves). Presumably, DON HECK supplies story & FULL art (and his inks are genuinely FRIGHTFUL here), while Roy Thomas, eager to make a name for himself and no doubt happy to be taking on Marvel's "answer" to the Justice Society of America, takes over from "ye editor" doing dialogue to finish out this story-in-progress. Roy really begins to make his mark NEXT time, taking over supplying the stories from Don Heck. The absence of any more Jack Kirby covers shows the book's creative side was definitely in transition here. I've never read any articles or interviews which talk about what I described above here, but I find it logical to deduct that this is exactly what was going on.
(4-27-2014)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING DESERTERS 37
cover by DICK AYERS
"IN THE DESERT ...TO DIE!"
DICK AYERS supplies story & art, Roy Thomas does dialogue, and John Tartaglione does inks.
I forgot-- from the previous month...
SGT. FURY ANNUAL 2
"A DAY OF THUNDER"
This story chronicles the D-DAY invasion of Normandy, France. I guess it would make a good companion piece to sitting down to watch the epic 3-hour feature film, "THE LONGEST DAY". DICK AYERS supplies story & art, Roy Thomas does dialogue and John Tartaglione does inks.
In the back, they reprint "THE MAN FOR THE JOB", the 1st NICK FURY episode from STRANGE TALES #135 (Aug'65), which explains why, when they later started reprinting the entire series, they SKIPPED this episode. Does Marvel's way of doing reprints back then bother anybody else like it does me? You really need a scorecard to keep track of what's being reprinted where. They also reprint "THE CRACKDOWN OF CAPTAIN FLINT" from SGT. FURY #11 (Oct'64), apparently completely at random.
(4-27-2014)
DAREDEVIL 23
cover by John Romita & Frank Giacoia
Hornhead takes on The Gladiator & The Masked Marauder, wrapping up the story started the previous issue. GENE COLAN supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. Part 2 of 2.
(4-27-2014)
X-MEN 27
cover by Werner Roth & Dick Ayers
No matter how I look at it, The Mimic was one of the lamest, and worst-written bad guys in X-MEN history. Roy Thomas supplies story & dialogue, Werner Roth does pencils, and Dick Ayers does inks. This issue features guest-appearances by Quicksilver, The Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man.
(4-27-2014)
(Continued in January 1967)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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