STRANGE TALES 153
cover by JIM STERANKO
Synopsis:
While enjoying a shave, Fury thinks back on SHIELD's 1st battle with HYDRA, when Laura Brown-- who had joined only to convince her father to give up his mad dream of world conquest-- saved his life and helped defeat them. As the President pushes thru a pardon for her, she's being transported by Gabe & Jasper-- whose car is attacked by HYDRA. Fury & Dugan, in a captured HYDRA saucer, go to rescue the trio. The Supreme Hydra dons a new disguise, that of "Agent Bronson", a SHIELD man currently their prisoner. "Bronson" arrives at the Heli-Carrier just in time to join the team racing to help Fury. After helping capture several HYDRA thugs, "Bronson" gains Fury's confidence. Noting he's no "babe-in-arms", "Bronson" confides he, too, was in a "Commando Squadron" in WW2.
Indexer notes:
Part 4 of 9. "Clipper Charlie" named in STRANGE TALES #164 (January 1968). Fury's Porsche 904, which has been in use since STRANGE TALES #135 (August 1965) is destroyed in this episode; he would get a new car in STRANGE TALES #162 (November 1967). After 2 episodes where Fury's appearance remained the same, he appears to lose a lot of weight in this one as Steranko begins to modify his appearance. Jack Kirby, who wrote every SHIELD episode up to this point, finally departs. While known for "seat-of-the-pants" plotting, it appears that on the next-to-last page of his final episode, he'd figured out the true identity of the Supreme Hydra-- but readers would have to wait 3 more months to learn the truth!
(8-15-2007)
JACK KIRBY supplies story & layouts on his FINAL episode of NICK FURY; JIM STERANKO suplies pencils & inks; and Roy Thomas for his 1st of only 2 episodes does dialogue (though the credits would suggest more-- as usual). In what was no doubt meant as a tip-off to those in-the-know, "Agent Bronson" is a dead ringer for Werhner Von Braun, the NAZI rocketry expert who was later recruited to head up NASA. Part 4 of 9.
"ALONE, AGAINST THE MINDLESS ONES!"
Synopsis:
While Umar watches, Strange battles The Mindless Ones. He finally reaches Clea and frees her from a mystic prison, only to learn it was merely an illusion-- and now, severely weakened, he faces doom at the hands of a Mindless One!
Indexer notes:
Part 7 of 22; part 3 of Umar sequence. Marie Severin's 1st 1960's Marvel work. Much cruder than subsequent episodes; the roughness of the linework suggests she may have replaced Bill Everett very close to deadline!
(8-15-2007)
Following up on Bill Everett's 6 episodes, MARIE SEVERIN comes aboard to supply story & full art. Does it ever make sense to switch artists-- or WRITERS-- in the middle of a story? Oh well. Ye "editor" fills in the word balloons.
(5-12-2014)
FANTASTIC FOUR 59
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
While Dr. Doom appears unstoppable, and The Silver Surfer wallows in his own misery, Black Bolt uses the full brunt of his terrifying sonic powers to SHATTER "The Negative Zone" barrier surrounding the city of the Inhumans, and free his people-- albeit at a terrible cost to the real estate. JACK KIRBY supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and JOE SINNOTT continues with some of the most stunning inks ever seen in comics history. Part 3 of 4.
(5-12-2014)
TALES TO ASTONISH 88
cover by Gene Colan & Bill Everett
SUB-MARINER slogs off another assault by Attuma, the underwater barbarian, who then stumbles across-- of all things-- a giant robot, who he somehow re-programs to attack Atlantis. BILL EVERETT supplies story & full art, while ye "editor" does dialogue while STEALING credit & pay for the story. How anyone could ever have believed that guy wrote this stuff boggles the mind. Part 1 of 2.
"BOOMERANG AND THE BRUTE"
THE HULK, on the verge of becoming a trusted "hero" of sorts to the pubic and the military, see it all flushed down the toilet when a loose end from The Secret Empire storyline-- namely, Boomerang-- sneakily attacks and sends Greenskin into a destructive fit. After Ross tears up the message he got from The President, Boomerang then makes the really, really stupid mistake of trying to needlessly take on the Hulk singele-handedly-- and gets himself KILLED in the process! What an A**H***!!!
I've long felt the 3rd & final John Buscema episode of THE HULK would have been either a great turning point for the series, or, considering what came after it, the perfect place to bring it all to a halt. But since companies who own other people's characters are no respecters of sensible writing, the series continues on, becoming a trainwreck with this very episode. GIL KANE comes aboard for a short run, supplying story & some of the ugliest full art I've ever seen in a 60's Marvel (he was going thru a "transitional" stage here, trying to incorporate the excitement of Jack Kirby's visual storytelling into his art, to mixed result), while ye "editor" does dialogue. I know some people love these episodes, but a big part of me wishes they had never happened. Part 1 of 4.
(5-12-2014)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 45
cover by JOHN ROMITA
TALES OF SUSPENSE 86
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
It's one long fight to the finish between IRON MAN and The Mandarin in the latter's Far Eastern castle, filled to the brim with death-traps and the like. A full-page shot of Shellhead destroying one of those movie-serial-type rooms where the walls close in on you was turned into a black light poster! GENE COLAN supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue & Frank Giacoia does inks. Part 3 of 3.
"THE SECRET!"
CAPTAIN AMERICA goes to the Far East (what a coinkydink) to rescue a US undercover spy and uncovers another one of those hi-tech bases full of weapons headed up by guys out to conquer as much of the world as they can grab. JACK KIRBY supplies story & more of his usual spectacular, exciting art; ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. A stand-alone episode; how does anyone manage to fit THIS many thrills into only 10 pages???
(5-12-2014)
THOR 137
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Geirrodur's trolls capture Sif and lure Thor after her. Thor must battle Ulik, mightiest of the Rock Trolls."
A whole NEW ERA of THOR begins as our hero becomes re-acquainted with the lovely Sif, who has grown into a beautiful, graceful, desireable woman over the years, making Thor wonder how so much time could have gone by without his being aware of it. But even as the hint of romance flowers in the air, trouble rears its ugly head-- and AH MEANS UGH-LEE, in the form of Ulik, mightiest warrior of the Rock Trolls, who have decided it's high time to declare all-out open WAR on Asgard! As he & Odin's favorite son engage in battle, Ulik's underlings make off with the fair Sif. Oh, the fiends!
JACK KIRBY doth supplyeth wondrous story & magnificent art; ye sneaky "editor" filleth the word balloons, whilst continuing to take credit & pay for far more; and Vince "You gotta be kiddin' me!" Colletta maketh with the ink lines. Miss it not, for yea, here be one of the greatest comics if its era! (Too bad it's not a complete story... but at this point, what "Marvel" is?) Part 1 of 3.
"THE TRAGEDY OF HOGUN!"
from the GCD: "Synopsis: Thor and his companions find the dying Saguta who is a countryman of Hogun's. Hogun swears vengeance on Mogul, lord of the Mystic Mountain, who did this."
Thus do beginneth the FINAL "Tales Of Asgard", and ye storyteller JACK KIRBY doth pulleth out all the stops, supplying story & art on what promises to be a grand and glorious epic adventure. Ye "editor" does dialogue, and Vince "It's a buck!" Colletta does inks, and better than usual. (Or was it his army of assistants? The world will never know.) Part 1 of 9 !!!
(5-10-2014)
THE AVENGERS 37
cover by DON HECK (unused)
The team takes on a GIANT robot from space. Roy Thomas supplies story & dialogue, while Don Heck supplies full art. Although I've really hated seeing Heck ink his own work on this series, ironically, he did possibly the BEST cover he ever supplied for this book for this issue... which, INSANELY, was rejected, in favor of a really UGLY cover by Gil Kane instead. Ironically, when this issue was reprinted in MTA in the 70's, Kane's cover was in turn rejected in favor of a then-brand-new cover by Jack Kirby & Dan Adkins. Go figure. The next month, somebody would manage to find a better inker to finish Heck's work. Part 2 of 2.
(5-12-2014)
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING COWARDS 39
cover by DICK AYERS
"INTO THE FORTRESS OF... FEAR!"
DICK AYERS supplies story & art, Roy Thomas does dialogue, and John Tartaglione does inks.
(5-12-2014)
DAREDEVIL 25
cover by Gene Colan & Frank Giacoia
Yep, it wasn't enough for DD to have a villain named "Frog-Man" (part of the "Ani-Men" team), now he's got a solo baddie who's also dressed as a frog, whose "gimmick" is really powerful springs in the soles of his boots. WHO WRITES THIS STUFF? Well, I'll tell you... GENE COLAN supplies story & art, ye "editor" does dialogue, and Frank Giacoia does inks. It may be DUMB, but it is FUN. And to my thinking, anyone who believes Frank Miller's run was somehow intrinsically "better" than this has their priorities screwed up.
(5-12-2014)
X-MEN 29
cover by Werner Roth & Dick Ayers
The team-- including The Mimic-- fights The Super-Adaptoid. I have no memory of this, which says a lot. Roy Thomas supplies story & dialogue, Werner Roth makes with the pretty pictures, and John Tartaglione replaces Dick Ayers on the inks. Incredibly, like Ayers, Tartaglione, never the best inker in the biz, does NOT manage to destroy Roth's art. Is it any wonder I began to describe Roth's pencils as "indestructible"?
(5-12-2014)
GHOST RIDER 1
cover by DICK AYERS
For the 2nd time in the 60's, publisher Martin Goodman gave orders to revive the name of a once-popular character from a defunct comics publisher. First it was Daredevil (Lev Gleason), now it's Ghost Rider (Magazine Enterprises). These things never seem to work out well, and that includes here. Despite recruiting the artist of the ORIGINAL series, DICK AYERS, this version is a train-wreck, and an insult to the memory of the character. Roy Thomas concocted the new version (and when it comes to creating a new version of an old classic character, trust me, he's NO Gardner Fox, or Julie Schwartz, or...), Gary Friedrich did the dialogue, and Vince Colletta puts the kibosh on the whole deal. They also did their best to murder Ayers's nice cover by slapping far, far too much text on it. Can't these people ever just let the visuals speak for themselves, expecially on the covers?
Anyone who ever refers to THIS version of "Ghost Rider" as "the original" is either seriously misinformed, or delusional.
(5-12-2014)
Some of you might have noticed I have a real "thing" lately for GHOST RIDER... the "real" one, U.S. Marshall Rex Fury & his faithful Chinese companion, Sing-Song. Dick Ayers drew every single episode in the series for Magazine Enterprises in the early 1950's. Most of the episodes, if they involved "supernatural" elements, tended to be of the "SCOOBY-DOO" variety. But I understand near the end, they started featuring the occasional "real" supernatural menaces. Even the fake variety caught the ire of the newly-formed Comics Code Authority, which is why GR made his last original appearance in RED MASK #50. His replacement, "The Presto Kid", who used stage magician trick to fight bad guys, only lasted 4 issues.
Martin Goodman's stock-in-trade was KNOCK-OFFs of popular characters & genres. And when he could, he'd have his staff create new characters that RE-USED the names of once-popular characters from now-defunct publishers.
In the 60's, he did this with 3 different comic-book series, and possibly a 4th who didn't get his own title for quite a while (KA-ZAR). The 3 books were DAREDEVIL (Lev Gleason), GHOST RIDER (Magazine Enterprises) and CAPTAIN MARVEL (Fawcett). What's interesting is how TERRIBLE so many early stories were with all 4 of these characters, as it seems none of them were the idea of the writer-artists who got the job of (AHEM) "reviving" them.
At least when DC would create new versions of old characters, they tended to be reusing names of characters THEY had published themselves! (FLASH, GREEN LANTERN, HAWKMAN, ATOM, etc.)
(3-12-2014)
Thanks to scans of the original art at Heritage Auctions, I was finally able to read a good chunk of the 1967 "revival". GOOD GRIEF. I've almost never been so disappointed by anything in my life. Although they actually got DICK AYERS, the original artist, involved, it's some of the most unreadable junk I've seen since the Joe Orlando or John Romita issues of DAREDEVIL.
Even Dick Ayers has said in an interview that he was "disappointed" with the results. The problem is, ROY THOMAS came up with the new version of the series. Instead of U.S. Marshall Rex Fury and his trusty Chinese sidekick Sing-Song, you had SCHOOL TEACHER Carter Slade and a young boy as a sidekick. Roy had been an English teacher, and "Carter Hall" was the name of Roy's favorite JSA member, Hawkman. (Roy just CANNOT get away from the Golden Age, can he?)
Further, there was this woman who kept flirting with Carter-- even though she was ENGAGED to marry another man (so what the hell was the point?). And there was a local official who was DRIVEN and OBSESSED with destroying the hero-- who HE believed was a VILLAIN-- no matter how many good deeds the guy did. It was basically a REALLY LAME, "Western" version of SPIDER-MAN. As if the actual SPIDER-MAN wasn't bad enough to read already.
Although Dick Ayers wound up WRITING most of the stories, with that cast of characters already in place, there wasn't much he could do. And to add injury to insult, Gary Friedrich wrote the dialogue (though Roy filled in on at least 2 of the issues, uncredited-- believe me, I can tell). There is MORE dialogue-- covering every square inch of the pages-- so much of it PAINFUL to read-- than even on Roy's X-MEN. And to really put the final kibosh on the whole thing, VINCE COLLETTA did the inks-- instead of Dick himself. Now, I have to admit, it was some of Colletta's better work from that period-- but NOT HALF as good as Ayers' solo stuff, as seen on the covers.
One sad thing is, much of the real GHOST RIDER's charm was the growing use of "horror" elements. There was NONE of that in the '67 version, as the Comics Code was still in firm lock-down on it. Had they waited to do this series until after the early-70's revision of the Code, they might have had a better time at it-- though with these characters and these guys writing the dialogue, I doubt that would have much of a difference.
And then it turns out Vincent Sullivan, former editor of Magazine Enterprises, was NOT happy with Martin Goodman appropriating HIS character-- both the NAME and the COSTUME-- and threatened legal action! And so, after only 7 issues, the Marvel "Ghost Rider" was suddenly cancelled.
What I find hilarious is, the VERY NEXT MONTH, "Captain Mar-Vell" debuted in MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #12.
(1-2-2014 and 3-12 & 13-2014)
(Continued in March 1967)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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