Professor H Reads Comics: April 1968

(Continued from March 1968)

I added a brand-new off-the-cuff review while I was setting this page up!

STRANGE TALES 167
cover by JIM STERANKO

"ARMAGEDDON!"

Synopsis:
Jimmy cradles the body of his beloved in his arms; The Claw vows vengeance; Fury says he's takin' over --NOW! Just then, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE as a SHIELD Suicide Squad bursts in thru the floor via "The Dreadnought", a colossal tunneling machine. The Claw vanishes, Fury uses a "Psuedo-Elliptoid Wrist Tracer" to find him, but arrives just as the villain escapes into the "Space-Time Continuum" in an "Infinity Sphere". But Fury finds a "Prototype Warp-Vest" which uses "Hyper-Space Circuits" and follows The Claw's "Cosmic Trajectory". The Claw hits the button on a nuclear detonator, destroying his entire underwater base-- just as Fury arrives and attacks him using a "Mind-Amplifyin' Gizmo". As The Claw topples backward, Fury tells him SHIELD planted an "Explosion Absorber" and cleared out-- meaning, The Claw only succeeded in destroying his own base. Fury then uses The Satan Claw to peel open The Claw's armor-- to surprising, shocking results...

Indexer notes:
Part 9 of 9. Features comics' 1st 4-page spread (requiring 2 issues side-by-side for full effect). SHIELD's invading The Yellow Claw's underground HQ pays tribute to the climax of the film YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967), except with the heroes coming up thru the floor instead of down thru the ceiling. SHIELD's Dreadnought, which takes its name (ironically) from the HYDRA killer robot, is in the tradition of tunneling machines used by Cave Carson in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #31 (DC Comics, September 1960), The Hate Monger in FANTASTIC FOUR #21 (February 1963), International Rescue on the tv series THUNDERBIRDS (1965) and Japan's Science Patrol on the tv series ULTRA MAN (1966). The Claw's "Infinity Sphere" is strikingly similar to The Legion Of Super-Heroes' "Time Bubbles" in ADVENTURE COMICS. With Dr. Strange battling a science-fiction villain, and Fury hurtling thru other dimensions, the line between the 2 series in STRANGE TALES was beginning to disappear. Baron Strucker's Satan Claw last seen in STRANGE TALES #159 (August 1967). The Prime Mover would return in GIANT-SIZE DEFENDERS #3 (January 1975). While the ending of this story would be long debated among fans, writer Steve Englehart would bring back The Yellow Claw in CAPTAIN AMERICA #164-167 (August-November 1973).
(2007)

"THIS DREAM-- THIS DOOM!"

Synopsis:
The Ancient One is alive! He tells Strange he only made Zom believe he was dead so he could pass on his own powers to his desciple, and now that the "Cosmic Balance" has been restored, he was able to shatter the spell that bound him. The two fly to the Himalayas, a journey which severely taxes the weakened old man. In his mountain retreat, they use the Vapors of Valtorr to conjure a vision of Victoria, who is in the "Dimension of Dreams". Unable to draw her free, Strange must employ a large mystic gem to go after her in person, knowing that the only thing that can bring him back is The Ancient One-- who must stay awake, or his desciple will be lost forever! Strange catches up with Yandroth & Victoria, the scientist suprised that anyone could have tracked him down after he altered the course of the teleporter. A giant behemoth suddenly looms, as do a pair of Viking warriors. As Strange prepares to defend all against them, Yandroth raises his gun and prepares to fire...

Indexer notes:
Part 21 of 22; part 4 of Yandroth sequence. Apparently "competing" with Steranko, with this issue Dan Adkins begins using bizarre page layouts that resemble overlapping photos.
(2007)

FANTASTIC FOUR 73
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott

DAREDEVIL # 35-38 & FANTASTIC FOUR #73 / Dec’67-Apr’68 --
“DAREDEVIL DIES FIRST!” /
     “THE NAME OF THE GAME IS MAYHEM!” /
          “DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT IT'S... DR. DOOM!” /
               “THE LIVING PRISON!” /
“THE FLAMES OF BATTLE—“

I felt the need to just relax for a bit, so I wound up reading several comics in a row, instead of just one at a time as I've been doing lately.

The comics in question were DAREDEVIL #37-38 & FANTASTIC FOUR #73, which was pretty much a 3-part story, although it followed on without a break from the preceding 2-parter, making it, sort of, a 5-parter. (Got that? Good.)

First The Trapster needs to rebuild his self-confidence, so before he tackles the F.F., he decides to murder Daredevil. I don't recall their ever crossing paths before, so his reasoning escapes me, other than he figures to pick on the hero with the lowest power-level. Real brave.

He does this using just about the dumbest-looking design EVER for a hover-craft (yes-- worse than The Green Goblin's), which is powered by The Wizard's anti-gravity discs. (What is this "Wingless Wizard" crap anyway? With every further appearance, I'm more convinced THAT guy belongs in a mental institution for the rest of his life.)

Now-- try and follow this. DR. DOOM-- who escaped seeming DEATH in his last appearance (the 4-parter in which he temporarily stole the Silver Sufferer's powers-- see the 2nd FF feature film-- or, DON'T, for God's sake), he wants revenge on the F.F. And hearing on the news that Daredevil was fighting The Trapster-- and seeing as Daredevil HELPED the F.F. fight Doom back in FF #39-40-- he's decided, like Trapster, to come after Daredevil FIRST, and "use" him as part of his scheme.

Way back in some early F.F. comic (don't make me look it up), Doom switched bodies with Reed.   Well, this time, he does it with Daredevil, figuring it'll allow him to get close enough to kill off his enemies. But Daredevil WARNS the F.F., then, by nearly causing an international incident and possibly triggering a large-scale war, he forces Doom to trade bodies back again, so Doom can straighten out the situation. But then Doom contacts the F.F., and convinces them Doom is STILL in Daredevil's body...

All this leads to one of the most collosal, but STUPID, battle royals in the history of late-60's Marvel. Between Gene Colan, Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott, you've got absolutely magnificent visuals... but very little real "story". And, a set of "heroes" (the F.F.) who are made to look just plain STUPID.

D.D. manages to get help from Spider-Man, who then recruits an under-powered THOR (seems this entire incident takes place between 2 PANELS of THOR #150, right in the middle of Thor's battle with The Wrecker-- remember when guest-appearances took place BETWEEN STORIES, or ISSUES, not PANELS?).

It takes a pregnant Sue and her invisible force-field to put a stop to it, since she was watching the news, and saw Doom had returned to Latveria to straighten things out with the international situation. You know, as an aside, I think somebody must be mis-interpreting this "diplomatic immunity" stuff. I don't think it works when the "diplomat" as such VIOLATES SOVEREIGN LAWS, including ATTEMPTED MURDER. At the least, he should be deported and not allowed back into the country.

So what's the moral here (if there is one)? Watch TV to stay informed? Stop reading late-60's Marvel comics? Try not to think too much about your choice of "entertainment"? You make the call.
     (1-23-2011)

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN 1
cover by John Romita & Rosenbaum

"LO, THIS MONSTER!"
"IN THE BEGINNING"

Although this issue had a July cover date, it apparently takes place between panels of ASM #59, as there’s no break anywhere between issues!
(9-2-2018)

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES 14
cover by Ross Andru & Bill Everett

"THE REPREHENSIBLE RIDDLE OF... THE SORCERER!"

This story, written by Ross Andru, was intended for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #4, which came out 6 months earlier, but was rejected by the editor, perhaps for its supernatural elements, and replaced by the Spidey / Torch team-up written & drawn by Larry Lieber instead. It was finally published here, when the 3rd episode of "Captain Mar-Vell" was shoved instead into the new CAPTAIN MARVEL #1. The dialogue is in obvious conflict with the art in several scenes. When the story was written-- as is obvious in ther art-- Pete was dating Mary Jane Watson. But by the time it was published, 6 months later, the dialogue has Pete now dating Gwen Stacy! He should have stuck with MJ. Although this issue had a May cover date, like SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1, this story fits in between panels of ASM #59, as there's no break anywhere between issues!
(9-2-2018)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 59
cover by JOHN ROMITA

"THE BRAND OF THE BRAINWASHER!"

There is absolutely no break between the previous 4-part story and the 2 follow-up episodes, so Pete has been considered a missing person by his friends and the police, and Gwen Stacy-- who previously was only interested in him if she could do so on her own terms, then lightened up with no discearnable character development to explain her change in attitude-- suddenly has gotten really worked up and worried about his disappearance, and overwhelmed with relief by his return. So it's at this point where, entirely due to pressure by the editor on the actual writer, that Pete & Gwen officially became a "couple". The editor was married to a bossy blonde, you see, and he wanted Pete stuck in the same situation, no matter how much it conflicted with the characters' established personalities, or the desire of most of the fans.

While there's NO clue to it anywhere in the comic, Marvel Index author George Olshevsky pin-pointed a spot between TWO panels early in this issue, as the only possible place where both SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1 and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #14 could fit in the continuity. Gee, remember when different stories could fit between different issues-- not between PANELS one one issue???

John Romita's sumo-wrestler-looking crime boss, The Kingpin, returns for his 2nd-ever storyline in this issue. A year later, this story-- or at least, this issue (part 1 of 3) would be adapted as one half of one of the 3rd season (1969) episodes of the SPIDER-MAN cartoon show by Ralph Bakshi, Lin Carter & Gray Morrow. Incredibly-- while the 2nd-season episode "KING PINNED" had only adapted the first half of the 1st Kingpin story in a 20-minute episode, and padded out the running time with endless swinging over the streets and jazz music, this time, they combined portions of the first 3 Kingpin comics stories into a single 10-minute tv cartoon, "THE BIG BRAINWASHER"!!! The TV version starts out with the latter part of this comic, then continues by taking an action sequence from the 3rd Kingpin comic storyline from a year later (which must have come out only months or weeks before the cartoon was produced), then finishes off with the over-due climax of the 1st Kingpin comics story where Spidey & Jameson are locked in a tank filling with water.

Perhaps the oddest part of the TV adaptation was, it was the only time Mary Jane ever appeared on the show-- but, they made her a blonde instead of a redhead, and, they turned Captain Stacy into her uncle, instead of Gwen's father. Also, while Stacy appeared 3 times on the tv series, in this episode, he looked completely different than he did in the other 2 stories! I never thought the voice they had for MJ seemed quite "right", but it was nice to at least see her on the show at all. Kingpin's voice was completely different than it had been in the previous season, despite the same voice-actor probably doing him in BOTH his appearances. GO FIGURE. I have often thought those cartoons done by Bakshi & company were done by people ON DRUGS-- and you needed to be ON DRUGS while watching them, for them to make sense.

Watch the episode on Dailymotion.
(This was the best version I could find online!)
(9-2-2018)

IRON MAN AND SUB-MARINER 1

cover by Gene Colan & Bill Everett