STRANGE TALES 146
cover by STEVE DITKO (assembled from interior panels)
Synopsis:
Using a huge "swamp buggy", Fury & his men have tracked the "THEM" vehicle (seen in TALES OF SUSPENSE #78) to a "murky, insect-infested swamp". They ward off an attack by a squad of amphibian androids. Meanwhile, aboard the Heli-Carrier, Count Bornag Royale, the "top representative" of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), a "society of the greatest intellects on Earth", is offended by the heavy-handed security treatment he's given by Fury's men. In the underwater lab, the hooded scientists speak of being "geniuses", and being worthy of "THEM". Fury uses a "sonic vibrator" to blast into the base, but is trapped between 2 walls of "electric energy waves". He tells the baddies he's set "pint-sized fission bombs" to blow up the base, causing a stalemate, as the hooded types feel they are "too valueable" to "THEM" to sacrifice themselves. But a group of "hammer-hand androids" have gotten loose because of the vibrations, and stampede the evil scientists to death, smashing the electric barrier in the process. Royale tells the SHIELD board of directors he's come to offer them their services and technology, but feels he cannot do so while being answerable to men with such a "lack of intelligence" and "over-inflated ego" as Nick Fury. Fury & his men polish off the androids. Surveying the lab, Fury realizes they're "no penny-ante outfit", and compares them to the Nazis, as well as HYDRA. He also realizes, because of the "geniuses", that he's heard of another group of scientists who create & sell ideas-- Advanced Idea Mechanics!
Indexer notes:
Part 2 of 5. Story continues from TALES OF SUSPENSE #78 (June 1966), and presumably the flashback in STRANGE TALES #160-161 (September-October 1967), which was "too secret" for anyone to talk about. The android-growing tanks appear to pay tribute to THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951). 1st published appearance of Count Royale; based on the dialogue it actually takes place after his appearance in this month's TALES OF SUSPENSE #79 (July 1966), as the readers are left unsure as to his motives in this episode (while his guilt is made clear in the Captain America episode). Tony Stark's problems with the Senate in TALES OF SUSPENSE #72-84 (December 1965-December 1966) are mentioned; his plant being forcibly shut down in SUSPENSE #78 (June 1966) presumably gave A.I.M. an "in" to peddle their technology to SHIELD.
(8-3-2007)
"WHEN THE UNLIVING STRIKE!"
NICK FURY & SHIELD search a swamp for the secret lab that spawned the killer android that attacked him & Captain America. While this is going on, the military is meeting with Count Bornag Royale, representative for the technological think-tank known as "Advanced Idea Mechanics" (A.I.M.) who offer to serve as a replacement source for advanced weaponry, since Tony Stark is currently on the outs with the Government (see current issues of SUSPENSE). But they have one key point in their negotiations-- they refuse to deal with someone as crude and uncouth as NICK FURY. Can anybody smell a RAT here??? JACK KIRBY supplies story & layouts, ye "editor" does dialogue, DON HECK supplies the pencils, and Mike Esposito does the inks. GREAT story, but really ROUGH-looking visuals. The key point often totally lost by "MMMS" fanatics is that right here, Jack Kirby is overseeing a single story with branches running thru 3 different series AT THE SAME TIME!
(3-18-2014)
"THE END-- AT LAST!"
Synopsis:
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Dormammu erects a barrier to blind the sleeping Eternity to his actions. He then lures Strange into another dimension using the voice of the girl who helped him twice earlier. Dormammu challenges Strange; but before their battle can go very far, Eternity breaks free, telling the dark one he has "tampered with that which is sacred". Rather than be humbled again, Dormammu does the unthinkable-- and attacks Eternity himself! A cataclysm erupts, Dormammu is smashed between 2 colliding spheres, Eternity vanishes, and Strange is hurled between dimensions-- but is rescued by The Ancient One. With his foe finally gone, Strange releases all those who were banished by him-- which includes Baron Mordo-- and Clea! The Ancient One charges Strange with the task of cleansing the world of the remnants of Dormammu's evil, and those freed to help. As Strange returns to Earth, both he & Clea's thoughts are of each other.
Indexer notes:
Part 17 of 17. 2nd appearance of Eternity. Previous appearance in STRANGE TALES #138 (November 1965). Next appearance in DR. STRANGE #180 (May 1969). Dormammu returns in DR. STRANGE #172 (September 1968). Clea's name finally revealed in this episode! Steve Ditko's last issue.
(8-3-2007)
"THE END-- AT LAST!"
Dr. STRANGE is lured into another dimension by the vengeance-seeking Dormammu. But the Dreaded one made the fatal mistake of trying to trap ETERNITY-- and he is pissed! A battle rages which appears to destroy the entire realm they're in, and Doc finds himself back on Earth. The girl who helped him is freed from her imprisonment, and reveals her name is... Clea. Doc knows the remnants of Dormammu's & Mordo's evil must yet be sought out, but for now, he looks forward to a well-deserved rest.
And so, STEVE DITKO, tired of being screwed over by his "Editor", departs Marvel Comics, having supplied story & art for every single episode of his creation, DR. STRANGE, to date. Denny O'Neil does dialogue.
(3-18-2014 / modified 7-30-2018)
FANTASTIC FOUR 52
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
"THE BLACK PANTHER!"
Reed & co. are invited to visit the KING of a tiny, mysterious African country... and find themselves the targets of a "Most Deadly Game"-style manhunt. Accompanying them is Johnny's new college room-mate, Wyatt Wingfoot, whose skills as a wilderness tracker come in handy, even in an underground technological wonderland "jungle". Their host appears to have used them as a merely a test of his own prowess, but after apologies, begins to tell them the REAL reason for the invite.
JACK KIRBY unleashes a brand-new hero on the world, supplying story, designs & art to boggle the senses. Ye "editor" does dialogue, and JOE SINNOTT continues to do some of the most stunning inks ever seen in comics. WOW!
(3-18-2014)
I just read something that blew my mind!!!! This refers to the story published in FANTASTIC FOUR #52-53, written by Jack Kirby, but in which, as usual, his editor, S*** L**, COMPLETELY rewote the dialogue, to the DETRIMENT of the published work.
I started out talking about the Don Heck run of IRON MAN...
"I wonder, if JACK KIRBY had been in the position to write the dialogue (I'm assuming these days HE was the one who came up with the villains and the story ideas that DON HECK later wrote the stories for and illustrated), how the dialogue would have sounded. Probably a LOT more intense... and intelligent."
Chris Tolworthy replied:
"I find that throughout the Lee-Kirby era. For example, I was just reading the first Black Panther stories. Lee has T'Challa say that he created the mechanical forest "for a lark"!!! But a closer look at the story shows that Klaw had a high tech army controlling the heart of Wakanda, and T'Challa had to develop equally high tech in secret so his people could survive.
Klaw would not hesitate to kill any Wakandan if they seemed like a threat. That is why T'Challa needed to camouflage his headquarters to be indistinguishable from the trees, to have his guards monitor every part, and to fill it full of security devices, in case Klaw should ever attack.
The story is based on the then-recent independence movement in Katanga (Wakanda = Katanga), home of the world's most important uranium reserve (vibranium = uranium with extra properties). The Katangan independence movement resulted in a flood of mercenaries to defend the mines for the west, and horrific atrocities (the usual: murder, indiscriminate killing, torture, mass rape, etc) so that Katanga became a by-word for atrocities.
No Stan, even in the comics. the rebels were not creating their secret base "for a lark"!"
In my response, I said...
With all I've read about Kirby over the decades, this was NEWS to me! Kirby was obviously VERY well-read, so much of what he did in his comics stories was inspired by people and events in real life, and most comics fans have NO CLUE.
The back-story on Wakanda was GREATLY altered & expanded for the movie version. However, suddenly, it is now clear to me that there was a very large part of the back-story, completely MISSING from the original stories, and all entirely due to the guy who INSISTED on writing dialogue for SOMEONE ELSE'S stories.
It's just more EVIDENCE of what I've been saying for awhile now... for the whole of the 60s, readers were ROBBED of what could have, SHOULD have been, MUCH BETTER comics than what got published!!!!!
The movie managed to work in a description of how Wakanda became technologically advanced, because they kept their power secret from the rest of the world. when the world was plunged into 2 world wars, nobody even knew Wakanda was there. This is quite a different time-line from the comics, but there was, as far as I know, NEVER a real explanation in the comics.
AND NOW I KNOW WHY.
(7-11-2018)
TALES TO ASTONISH 81
cover by Jack Kirby & Bill Everett
On learning that Lady Dorma ran off with Warlord Krang, his most despised, most hated enemy, SUB-MARINER goes completely off the deep end, becoming the sort of tyrant Krang would be. It's only when he decides to give chase, and wreak imperial vengeance upon the fiend AND upon the heartless, two-timing deceitful woman he thought he loved (none of which about her is actually true, but don't try telling Namor that) that his subjects catch a break. As for what happens next-- see this month's SUSPENSE!
"THE STAGE IS SET"
While THE HULK struggles to get out of the underworld and back to the surface, another criminal outfit (what, ANOTHER one??), "The Secret Empire", has set their sites on stealing a giant missile from Gen. Ross' base. And they've hired-- get this-- an ex-pro baseball pitcher turned super-villain, "Boomerang" (never mind that the guy's NOT Australian) to do it. JACK KIRBY supplies story & layouts, ye "editor" does dialogue, and BILL EVERETT does pencils & inks. WOW!!!
(3-18-2014)
Incredibly-- although nobody probably realized it at the time-- Jack Kirby's "HYDRA" epic-- which was running in the NICK FURY series in STRANGE TALES, and had a sidebar going at the same time in CAPTAIN AMERICA in TALES OF SUSPENSE (and which reflected events that had already been going on for quite some time in the IRON MAN series in the same book), suddenly spilled over into THE HULK in TALES TO ASTONISH as well!
Never mind the "Fourth World"-- Kirby was telling one "big story" that ran across 4 DIFFERENT series at the same time, back in 1966! And before long, it'd spill over into a 5th!
The "Orion Missile" reminds me a lot of a "Hyper-Atomic Missile" seen in the 2nd season LOST IN SPACE episode "The Ghost Planet" (which might have aired right around the time Kirby wrote this story).
Interesting that the 1st panel, the HULK looks more "Kirby" than usual for Everett.
The "Orion Missile" would play a key role in another episode, several months down the line.
(12-5-2013)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 38
cover by STEVE DITKO
TALES OF SUSPENSE 79
cover by Gene Colan & Jack Abel
Iron Man wanders the streets, tired, dejected, wondering what to do with a Federal warrant out for his arrest and his factory locked up. But meanwhile... Warlord Krang arises from the depths, and seeing Shellhead resting on a bench, decides to ATTACK, to impress Lady Dorma. What an ASSHOLE. I.M. sends Krang packing, but on reaching his lab, moments before his power runs out, he's attacked by... SUB-MARINER! GENE COLAN supplies story & absolutely stunning art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Jack Abel does some of the sharpest inks you've ever seen (provided you're looking at an original comic, not a fuzzy reprint).
"THE RED SKULL LIVES!"
Remember how CAPTAIN AMERICA was awoken from years in suspended animation? Guess who ELSE has been asleep since just before WW2 ended, due to some experimental gas (shades of BUCK ROGERS). The war may be over, Hitler may be dead, but this guy is just getting warmed up! JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and FRANK GIACOIA does the inks. Part of this episode is a crossover with the NICK FURY episode in STRANGE TALES #146.
(3-18-2014)
“DISASTER!”
Synopsis:
On returning from the Orient, Tony Stark finds his money has been impounded, his factories shut down, and there’s a warrant out for his arrest—all for failing to appear before Senator Byrd’s Congressional committee! Weak and low on power, he goes to Pepper’s apartment—but she’s not home. In a stairwell, he dons his suit of armor and does an emergency charge. After having no better luck at Avengers HQ or Happy’s apartment, he strolls down to the waterfront to think. But from the waters rises Warlord Krang’s flagship! On the run with Lady Dorma, he sees a chance to impress her, and attacks! As she tries to stop him, Iron Man strikes back, sending his ship fleeing. Desperate, Iron Man flies to his factory and crashes in thru a skylight. But he barely gets to his feet when he’s suddenly confronted with—Sub-Mariner!
Indexer notes:
Part 1 of 3. The Avengers were apparently off fighting Power Man & The Swordsman during this story, in THE AVENGERS #29 (June 1966). Warlord Krang plot continues from TALES TO ASTONISH #81 (July 1966), even though that issue probably came out a week or two after this one. Because of Stark’s problems with the law, SHIELD was forced to seek other sources of weapons & technology, seen in STRANGE TALES #146-149 (July-October 1966).
(2007)
"THE RED SKULL LIVES!"
Synopsis:
Cap battles a squad of costumed assassins attacking a power station in the heart of NYC-- but nobody else can see them! While a crowd thinks he's losing it, the baddies escape in a solar-powered aircraft. Elsewhere, we learn that Cap's worst enemy, The Red Skull, is alive! He, along with two compatriots, Horst & Wolfgang, wound up in suspended animation thanks to an experimental gas released during a bombing run near the end of WW2. Found & revived by "THEM", they now work with the secret organization-- but only as long as it suits their purposes. Using a "hypno-helmet" another assassin strikes while Cap is consulting with a psychiatrist. Elsewhere, we discover that Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) are really part of "THEM", as Count Royale prepares for his mission to discredit Nick Fury. Before he leaves, the scientists show him their greatest achievement-- "The Cosmic Cube". He worries if it should fall into the hands of a "madman" like The Skull-- but they remind him that The Skull, like Royale, serve "The Grand Imperator". The Skull plans to frame Cap for murder, and Horst prepares to kill a WW2 vet who's getting Cap's autograph. But Cap clobbers Horst, revealing a printed circuit supplied him by SHIELD which countered the hypnotic waves. Shocked to learn his oldest enemy is alive, he realizes his most desperate battle lies before him.
Indexer notes:
Part 1 of 3. 1st modern-day appearance of The Red Skull. The suspended animation via experimental gas bit is a tribute to BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY. The truth about Count Royale & A.I.M. was under suspicion in STRANGE TALES #146 (June 1966); as this episode exposes their true motives, it most likely came out afterwards; yet, according to the dialogue, it must be a flashback to just before it, as Count Royale is shown on his way to The Heli-Carrier, and there is no break between STRANGE TALES #146-147 (June-July-1966). 1st appearance of The Cosmic Cube.
(2007)
THOR 130
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor does so much damage to Hades that Pluto gives in and releases Hercules from the contract. Tana sends Jane away wandering."
The EPIC conclusion!!! Thor KICKS ASS. Pluto GIVES IN. Hercules begins to learn humility... well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Part 6 of 6 (or 7 of 7, you decide).
JACK KIRBY supplieth story & art to boggle the senses; ye "editor" filleth in the word balloons, mayhap a bit too much; Vince "What have I got myself into here?" Colletta layeth down the ink lines. VERILY!
(3-17-2014)
"THE FATEFUL CHANGE!"
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor defeats Harokin and discovers they are nearly identical in appearance. The Warriors Three free Asgard's defenders from Harokin's dungeons."
JACK KIRBY supplies story & art for this installment of TALES OF ASGARD. Ye "editor" does dialogue, and Vince "This is some crazy stuff!" Colletta does the inks. Part 2 of 5.
(3-18-2014)
THE AVENGERS 30
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia (fixes by John Romita)
The team finds themselves somewhere in the Andes of South America, facing a menace that could well threaten the survival of the entire planet. Jack Kirby supplies story idea, DON HECK supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia makes nice with the inks. I'll say it again. I WISH this team had STAYED on the book a lot longer than they did. Classic stuff.
(3-18-2014 / revised 7-30-2018)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING ENLISTED MEN 32
cover by DICK AYERS
"A TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST!"
DICK AYERS supplies story & art, Roy Thomas does dialogue & John Tartaglione inks it all.
(3-18-2014)
DAREDEVIL 18
cover by John Romita & Frank Giacoia
This one takes the cake. Foggy, wanting to impress Karen Page, goes to a costume shop to rent a Daredevil costume, and also pays the owner to pretend to be a bad guy so he can play-act beating the guy in front of witnesses. Only one problem... the owner of the shop appears to be mentally unstable, and decides to become a super-villain-- FOR REAL. JOHN ROMITA supplies story & art, while creating perhaps his 1st "classic" badguy; Denny O'Neil fills in on dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. As dumb as this sounds, it's actually an improvement over what came before. NO, REALLY.
(3-18-2014)
X-MEN 22
cover by Werner Roth & Dick Ayers
Count Nefaria-- if ever a badguy had a name that just doomed him to be a badguy-- hired 5 3rd-rate losers from other series to take out the teen team one by one. Roy Thomas supplies the story, WERNER ROTH the pretty pictures, and Dick Ayers the inks. Possibly my favorite early X-MEN adventure, on the basis that it's the 1st one I ever read (in a reprint ANNUAL). Part 1 of 2!
(3-18-2014)
(Continued in August 1966)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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