Another stretch devoid of reviews, except for 1 issue I indexed at the GCD, and another I came up with an alternate ending for.
STRANGE TALES 166
cover by DAN ADKINS
Synopsis:
A running battle ensues between Strange and the lightning-hurling Voltorg, which nearly destroys Yandroth's lab before Strange finally takes it out. Yandroth grabs Victoria and uses a "Teleportation" machine to instantly send the two of them to a far-distant world. Strange tries to alter the destination setting so they'll end up on Earth, then follows, winding up in Stonehenge, the very place where his mentor apparently met his demise. But suddenly, a vision of the Ancient One appears before him, leaving Strange wondering if his master lives again, or if it's some "evil phantasm"...
Indexer notes:
Part 20 of 22; part 3 of Yandroth sequence. George Tuska (a "Golden Age" artist) seems a perfect fit drawing Voltorg, a very "clunky"-looking robot, which not only seems out-of-place in this series, but at Marvel in the 60's in general! While Jim Lawrence did little work for Marvel in the 60's (apparently only writing dialogue over 2 Dan Adkins' plots), he wrote the JAMES BOND 007 newspaper strip from January 1966 to the late 1970's. (see the Titan Books reprints.)
(2007)
"IF DEATH BE MY DESTINY!"
Synopsis:
Using a H.A.W.K. Harness (High Altitude Wing Kits), Fury pursues the Claw's escaping airship, latching hold with magnets just as a skyscraper-sized whirpool whisks into the air, leading the ship below the water. There, Fury discovers The Claw's secret hideout is in the middle of New York Harbor. High above, the Heli-Carrier's vortex beam holds The Sky Dragon stationary, as SHIELD mops up The Claw's men. Fury uses a "Pyro-Band" to burn himself a doorway into The Claw's lair, then finds himself in a complex maze. He takes out a pair of heat-seaking missiles with an incendiary flare. Meanwhile, Jimmy Woo is ambushed by some of The Claw's men, then teleported to his lair, where against the protests of Suwan, the villain prepares to kill him using a "Thermo-Frigid Intensi-Ray Machine" in which he will be "polarized to death". But Fury arrives! As Suwan seeks to free Jimmy, Fury & The Claw struggle, the villain claiming "Even at this moment, your folly amuses me!" However, Suwan has succeeded at the cost of her own life! In tears, Jimmy vows vengeance against both The Claw and Fury...
Indexer notes:
Part 8 of 9. The palm-magnets used by Fury were previously used by Captain America in TALES OF SUSPENSE #80 (August 1966). Dugan saying "Our best man's workin' on it right now!" is a tribute to a line from the pre-credit sequence of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967); Jimmy pursuing a thug down into a subway station also pays tribute to another scene in the same film. The "maze" page inspired a similar page in GIANT-SIZE MASTER OF KUNG FU #2 (December 1974). Jimmy's line about Burt Lancaster refers to the fact that Fury now resembles Steranko's favorite actor. The large figure of Fury on page 10 would become the cover corner box pic beginning with NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (June 1968).
(2007)
FANTASTIC FOUR 72
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
TALES TO ASTONISH 101
cover by Marie Severin & Frank Giacoia
and Jack Kirby & Syd Shores
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 58
cover by JOHN ROMITA
TALES OF SUSPENSE 99
cover by Gene Colan & Frank Giacoia
THOR 150
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
THE AVENGERS 50
cover by JOHN BUSCEMA
DAREDEVIL 38
cover by Gene Colan & Frank Giacoia
X-MEN 42
"??"
MARVEL SUPER-HEROES 13
cover by Gene Colan & Dan Adkins
"WHERE STALKS THE SENTRY!"
(Thomas / Colan / Reinman)
People had to wait 3 months for THIS? If there was ever proof that Marvel's "Editor" didn’t have his heart in it when he came up with this series, after only ONE episode he dropped it in Roy Thomas’ lap. One of "ye editor's" best features is his sense of humor, and there was NONE to be found in his single CM installment. With Thomas, there’s even less, if that’s possible. "Ye editor" tends to write in an overly-wordy, bombastic style. Thomas somehow always manages to use even MORE words, and seems to be trying to give a Shakespearean flavor to his dialogue and narration, which just makes his scripting more awkward and uncomfortable to read. Thomas was a high school teacher before he became a comics pro; to this day his writing STILL betrays his background!
Paul Reinman, who may be a decent artist in his own right, ranks as one of the WORST inkers in Marvel Comics history. He completely BUTCHERED several Kirby stories on THE AVENGERS and X-MEN, and here does even worse to Gene Colan’s art! This may be the single WORST hatchet-job ever performed over his pencils until Dan Green murdered his entire run on THE AVENGERS some 15 years later. Reinman seems to get better as he goes, but is never really satisfying here.
Several pages of the 2nd episode are tediously wasted as Mar-Vell is shown converting his Uni-Beam into a wrist-mounted weapon, giving it a field test, and soliloquizing ENDLESSLY about his current situation and predicament. We also see even lamer characterization than before as the motel manager becoming unusually suspicious of his (only?) tenant. En route back to the spaceship for more breathing potion, Mar-Vell narrowly escape being blasted to atoms by Yon-Rogg, intent on murdering his fellow officer while making it look like an accident. Mar-Vell escapes only when a small airplane is hit instead, which proves doubly fortunate after he takes the identity of its now-dead pilot, an expert on missile guidance systems & robotics named Walter Lawson, who was on his way to the nearby missile base when he was killed. (As I’m writing this, I’m really beginning to wonder if ULTRA MAN had an influence on events shown here!)
During the attack, Yon-Rogg had Una placed under solitary confinement to prevent her stopping him, and claiming she’s “under stress”. From her cabin she manages to affect the air supply of the spaceship and knock out the crew long enough to teleport more breathing capsules to her boyfriend. Accepted at the missile base, “Lawson” begins spying and collecting info about Earth’s technological development. After a week, he meets “Miss Danvers”, the tall, beautiful, female head of security. (Was it Roy Thomas’ idea to name her “Danvers” as a tribute to Supergirl, who she resembles a grown-up version of?) He also discovers The Sentry, which was found INTACT and brought back from the South Pacific for study. While dormant, it’s systems have been automatically repairing itself, while also causing it to grow from 15 feet to 30! (Maybe Gene just got the scale wrong and Roy was trying to cover it?) Both Danvers and that peskly motel manager continue to be unreasonably suspicious, especially when it concern’s “Lawson”’s unusually-designed suitcase, and it just gets more irritating with every page!
The irony that the supposed destruction of The Sentry is what caused the Earth mission is brushed aside when Ron-Yogg decides to activate it, HOPING it will come into conflict with Mar-Vell and cause his death. Never mind that the missile base and its stockpile of nuclear weapons may be set off in the process, this guy only cares about killing his rival! Oy.
The ad for Marvel t-shirts this time introduces a brand-new one for Captain Marvel, with Gene Colan art! After only one appearance, they must have had some high hopes for this thing. Or maybe they were just really trying to push it.
I got a beat-up copy of this from Fred for $10.00. Thank God for those back-ups, otherwise it’s STILL too much.
(??-??-??)
(Continued in April 1968)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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