NICK FURY, AGENT OF SHIELD 11
cover by FRANK SPRINGER
(alteration by BARRY SMITH)
Synopsis:
Against his will, Laura Brown drags Fury to a disco in the East Village to see "The Million Megaton Explosion", who she calls "the hottest new group on the scene". But high in orbit, monitoring the "scene", The Hate-Monger uses his hate-ray to begin a riot, setting young against old! Fury barely escapes with his life with Laura, then hi-tails it to the Heli-Carrier. The hate rays continue to pour forth, and gangs of youths sieze power in NYC and at an ICBM base in New Jersey! They plan to "wipe out the establishment" if the country isn't turned over to them. Conferring with the President, Fury asks for a space capsule at Cape Kennedy so he can knock out the Hate-Monger's threat. Once more entirely on his own, Fury invades the orbiting space station, and confronts the Nazi villain face-to-face. After a quick battle, the Hate-Monger, trying to escape, accidentally steps out the "escape hatch"-- into space! Fury wrecks the hate-rays, everything returns to normal, and back at his pad, Fury puts on some Benny Goodman for him & Laura to jitterbug to.
Indexer notes:
Part 3 of 3. Page 4, the "back cover" of the LP "The 1st Million Megaton Explosion", pays tribute to the finale of the film PLANET OF THE APES (1968). 3rd time Hate-Monger was seen to die. A 4th Hate-Monger next appears in THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #13-14 (December 1977-January 1978). A 5th Hate-Monger turns up in SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP #16-17 (May 1979-June 1980); as explained in these later stories, the 1st, 2nd & 5th Hate-Mongers all turn out to have had the actual, genuine brain-waves of the real Adolph Hitler! No explanation whatsoever for the Hate-Monger's space station NOT being blown out of the sky following the events of the previous issue; nor for Fury's need to use a NASA rocket to reach it, when he used a SHIELD aircraft in the previous episode! (Or, for that matter, why, with an entire organization at his command, Fury keeps going on one-man suicide missions!) Frank Springer's last SHIELD episode; his next Marvel job was CAPTAIN MARVEL #13 (May 1969).
(9-15-2007)
This must be Marvel's answer to STAR TREK's "The Way To Eden"-- in other words, a hippie-youth culture episode. Laura Brown drags Nick to a rock concert, which is interrupted when The Hate-Monger, still aboard his orbitting space station, targets his hate-ray on the crowd, who try to lynch "the old guy" (Fury). Soon after, the band ("The 1st Million Megaton Explosion") appears on Sullivan, but instead of singing, gives a speech, sparking a young "revolution". Next thing, New York City is turned over the the young people, and a nuclear missile base in New Jersey (NEW JERSEY?) is taken over. "LBJ" is given an ultimatum-- turn over control of the country, or they launch the missiles. Fury convinces the Pres to let him use one of NASA's moon rockets to reach the space station, and for the 2nd month in a row, he single-handedly takes on The Hate-Monger on his home ground. This time, there seem to be very few thugs around, and before long, Fury gets into a fight with the guy, one-on-one, ending when the neo-Nazi is hit square in the face, can't see where he's going, runs thru the wrong door... and finds himself accidentally stepping out an airlock. OOPS!!!!!
The hate-ray shut off, things back to normal, LBJ gives amnesty to all the young people since it weren't their fault. Back at his pad, Nick tells Laura, it's Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodman for him for now on!
Frank Springer's back on full art this time, a big improvement over Springer-Craig. But in the space of a mere 3 episodes, Gary Freidrich has gone from inspired to average to nearly-incoherent. WHAT the heck happened with this guy? I didn't mind the "hippie youth culture" plot, or the rock & roll disco stuff. It was other things. Like wasting 4 whole pages at the beginning to show off a fictional gatefold record LP jacket (the back cover of which contains a tribute to the finale of PLANET OF THE APES). Like, HOW COME The Hate-Monger's space station was still up there, and hadn't been blown out of the sky when he tried to kill everyone in NYC the issue before? Like, HOW COME Nick has to ask LBJ for a NASA rocket to reach the space station, when he used a SHIELD "self-orbitting" craft last issue? (Sure, he left that one behind, but are you gonna tell me SHIELD only has one?) And like, with an organization as big as SHIELD is, and in as important a position of leadership as Nick is, WHY does Nick keep going on these one-man suicide missions??? I MEAN COME ON!!!
Last time I noted the "death gas from space" plot had been reused in the 1979 movie MOONRAKER. Well, the same goes for this month's climax when the guy running the space station steps out the airlock. I think it's pretty safe to say MOONRAKER screenwriter Christopher Wood was a SHIELD fan. Wouldn't you?
(6-19-2008)
DR. STRANGE 179
cover by Barry Smith & Sam Grainger
This may be Marvel's 1st-ever "Dreaded Deadline Doom" reprint, taken from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #2. It was Steve Ditko's only Spidey-Dr. Strange team-up (his 2 big strips colliding, what a great match!), and apparently appeared here because Gene Colan got the flu. (AGAIN? but that trick never works!) Me, I would have thought he missed the deadline because he was "filling in" on SUB-MARINER for 2 issues. But what do I know? Barry Smith supplied a new cover. I guess it makes sense. Ditko didn't even draw Doc on the original cover! (I wonder why that was?) Now see, if I were in charge of reprint collections, anytime this story would see print, I'd include both the Ditko cover AND the Smith cover. I think there's been a lot of cool "new" covers slapped on reprinted stories over the years, but some fans (like me) may have skipped some of those books, because they already had the stories. And where else are those covers gonna get reprinted?
(6-19-2008)
FANTASTIC FOUR 85
cover by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
This reveals that the FF have been drugged, then brainswashed, so their minds won't allow them to rebel and use their powers. Meanwhile, Doom tests his latest indestructible robots, and the next test is to destroy an "entire village"-- the one he's got the FF imprisoned in (as well as ALL of its regular population!!). So much for wanting to gloat over his victory for years to come. Also, so much for any sense of loyalty to "his" own people. Not only has this "robot" fixation come out of nowhere (and Jim Steranko), but Doom is just becoming a cold-blooded mass-murderer.
Meanwhile, a brief sub-plot shows Sue house-hunting, realizing crowded neighborhoods wouldn't be safe (for the neighbors!), and finding a strange, abandoned, out-of-the-way, futuristic house built into the ground in some woods. You know, this thing of introducing sub-plots sometimes MONTHS before the next story starts, which became industry standard by the 70's, may be one of the most annoying traits anybody ever picked up from Jack Kirby. Or daytime soaps. I really hate when they do this.
It's starting to hit the fan as several different readers on the letters page all point out that "ye editor" blew it with the bit about WHO rescued The Inhumans from the barrier, and WHERE the Great Refuge is located. I swear, these last several months, I'm seeing more and more of these kind of blatent, obvious, AMATEURISH mistakes-- all coming from "The Man", Marvel's "fearless leader", the "writer" and "author" and "creator" of all their characters and series.... HE says, repeatedly. Is it safe to say he got really FULL of himself here, started to believe his own hype, and didn't even notice how he was screwing up more and more as time went by, especially now that his #1 guy-- Jack Kirby-- was insisting that "ye editor" actually start doing more of the work he'd been claiming to do all along? (MMMMM-- could be!)
(6-19-2008)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 71
cover by JOHN ROMITA
Pete is feeling at the end of his wits. He gives the tablet to Stacy, then splits (doesn't want to guy to recognize his voice, even under the mask). Then, Joe Robertson-- who's been forced to fill in for JJJ while the nut is in the hospital-- raves about Pete's pics of The Kingpin, which PROVE Spidey AND the students are innocent, and pays Pete more for the pics than Jameson EVER did! Now Spidey's off the hook, Pete can send Aunt May to Florida again, and start paying his share of the rent. (WHAT rent? His roomie Harry gets the place for FREE from his Dad! Doesn't "ye editor" even read HIS OWN comics anymore?)
In this month's X-MEN, readers complained that Magneto's return from the dead wasn't properly explained-- and no mention was made of the missing Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Toad. WELL, whatta ya know, all 3 turn up here, and all 3 feel they've gotten a bum rap, being "forced" to do Magneto's bidding. Pietro races to the city, intent on contacting the Avengers to explain things. But they're in AFRICA (man, this issue makes so much more sense re-reading it within the context of all these other books!). So, instead of hanging around to wait (I guess a "speedster" isn't known for patience) he runs across a newspaper calling Spidey a crook-- and decides to clear his own name by bringing Spidey to "justice". AUGH! Another STUPID, pointless hero vs. hero fight. This one goes on almost half the issue, until Spidey gets the drop on Pietro, and in the process saves his life, making the guy think, hey, maybe he's NOT bad. Jameson, meanwhile, goes into a hysterical FIT when he sees the latest Bugle. "I don't care WHAT the photos show-- he's GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!" This SOB doesn't need a physician-- he needs a strait-jacket. Seriously.
This was one of 4 issues of ASM I got at my very 1st NYC convention, which I bought because I didn't have them in reprint form. For some reason, this issue and the next one WEREN'T reprinted in MARVEL TALES in the early 70's when they should have been. The next issue appeared in ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS-- still a stupid reason not to have included it neatly in the regular reprint run. This issue, I dunno if it was ever reprinted back then. But at least I got it. But it's taken me 30 YEARS to finally re-read the damned thing IN SEQUENCE! Having re-read the related X-MEN and AVENGERS issues also in sequence made it make even more sense. Considering it wasn't really that hot...
Jim Mooney does a nice Scarlet Witch... for all of a few pages. (NO Gwen or MJ this time! Aww...)
(6-19-2008)
IRON MAN 12
cover by GEORGE TUSKA
CAPTAIN AMERICA 112
cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia
Tony Stark is at Avengers Mansion, filling in for Cap (has ANYBODY told this to Roy Thomas??), getting the news that Cap's dead, and it's his job to plan the memorial service, and "close his file". The rest of the issue has Stark (apparently) reminiscing about Cap's history in WW2 and in the 60's, giving us what for TV would be known as an "all-flashback" episode. Except, this one's got all-new art. Legend has it, Jack Kirby was called back to do this at the last minute, and knocked it out OVER A WEEKEND. That's 10 PAGES a DAY!!! Holy cow! Somehow, George Tuska got the inking job (though I think John Romita inked the cover), and this issue has a really rough, raw look to it. Like a cross between Dan Adkins and Syd Shores inks over Kirby, only without the finesse of either.
WHY was this done? "Ye editor" says it seemed a good idea, to give readers a break from the shocking events of the previous issue, and let them catch their breath before the big conclusion next month. Some have said Steranko was playing things so close to the deadline, "ye editor" thought it would be a good idea to give him more time. After all, he'd already proven he couldn't seem to do an entire book on a monthly basis (see NICK FURY and X-MEN). SOME have said that Steranko did not blow any deadline-- but that "ye editor" didn't like the ending Jim wrote for the 3rd episode. "Ye editor", apparently, felt such a connection to Cap's book, he just couldn't bring himself to step back and "only" act as editor-- he had to stick his hand in more than that. Hence the "vague" credits which do not say "ye editor" was either editor OR writer-- and left readers guessing for decades. Anyway, the rumor was, Steranko was forced to change the ending, and re-do some of the pages in the process, which is what blew the deadline (if such a thing happened at all). And this led to Steranko quitting the book after only 3 issues, when he'd planned to stay around a LOT longer. NICE GOIN', S***!
(6-19-2008)
Something I forgot to mention before... C.A. #112 featured the first mention in the 60's of "the original Ringmaster"-- that description strongly suggesting the 2 villains weren't the same guy. But they look so much alike, they could have been father and son!
Also, after spending years playing around with their cover designs and finally coming up with one I consider the best they ever had, the Dec'68 covers started SCREWING with perfection when they shoved the book's title (along with price, number & date) ABOVE the little corner pic. It looked so much better before...and it would only get worse as time went on.
(6-20-2008)
SILVER SURFER 5
cover by John Buscema (rejected)
This is the most rambling plot "ye editor" has come up with yet. SS steals a new device Reed Richards has been experimenting with (he couldn't have ASKED?) hoping it'll free him from Galactus' invisible barrier. Nope. After crashing, he wakes up in a cabin of Al Harper, a black scientist who knows what it's like to be judged "different" because of appearance. He offers to help the Surfer find a way thru the barrier, but money's a problem. The Surfer tries to "disguise" himself as a human and find a job at an employment agency, but with no job history, no Social Security number, no references, and his pale white skin that would "frighten" people, it's no go. He considers robbing a bank, but puts the money back. Then he finds an illegal casino, and by careful manipulation of molecules while throwing dice, wins a bundle-- which the crooks running the place immediately try to STEAL back. Harper comes up with a device which may "fool" the barrier by disguising the Surfer's atomic structure, but the experiment attracts the attention of The Stranger-- that all-powerful, omnipotent, genocidal alien who, ONCE AGAIN, has decided that Earthmen are potentially too dangerous to the rest of the universe, and must be wiped out. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY'S PROBLEM??? Rather than flee Earth, the Surfer warns Harper, who goes to the various authorities (police, FBI, Army, etc) and is laughed at by all. He then comes up with a device to find the bomb The Stranger planted-- but is first harrassed, then pursued by some unbelieveably STUPID average citizens who first "wanna know what's that thing, man?", then think he's some kind of danger himself. Harper manages to defuse the bomb, but at the cost of his own life. The bomb was designed that way-- and his self-sacrifice convinces The Stranger that mankind deserves another chance. Why doesn't somebody just KILL this bastard and be done with it? (Some all-powerful beings are just TOO STUPID to live.)
The John Buscema-Sal Buscema art is top-notch, but tht story just annoyed me in too many ways to list. Also, with all the tight continuity going on, I'd like to know where the heck Reed Richards and Ben Grimm's appearance here fits into their own continuity-- OR, why Reed, who's married, is sharing a bathroom with Ben! (There's GOTTA be more than one bathroom in the entire Baxter Building!!!)
(6-20-2008)
SUB-MARINER 12
cover by John Romita & Mike Esposito
Subby pursues Karthoon thru the Panama Canal on their way to sunken Lemuria (somewhere in the Pacific), to stop evil ruler Naga from getting his hands on the Serpent Crown of Lemuria-- which, it turns out, is what "Destiny" had all along. (You couldn't tell under its outer casing-- sort of like The Maltese Falcon, I suppose!) Subby gets over-powered, then drugged, but in Naga's palace it wears off, and soon he faces off against the evil ruler, who uses the Crown's power to create an illusion of a giant foe with crab-like hands for him to battle. After, Namor wrecks the throneroom, but in the rubble sees Lady Dorma-- DEAD because of his handiwork! Is her lifeless body another illusion-- or the real thing?
This issue was a complete turn-around for me from the previous one. Many feel John Buscema did great work on this series, and while I tend to see some of it almost as a "warm-up" for the much-later CONAN, I don't think he really "fit" on Subby. And Gene Colan's an even worse fit! But Marie Severin-- AHH, now SHE really does fit the character, and the series. I'd rank her just under Bill Everett as one of the best SUB-MARINER artists, ever! Between the way she draws, and the way she lays out the pages (storytelling), and who knows how much of the actual "plot" she contributes, everything about this issue just "feels" so right! It's a shame I have so few issues from this point-- especially as I'm still missing the conclusion of this over-long "crown" storyline.
(6-20-2008)
THE INCREDIBLE HULK 114
cover by Herb Trimpe & Dan Adkins
CAPTAIN MARVEL 12
cover by George Tuska & Sal Buscema
(alterations by JOHN ROMITA)
We see a replay of the final scene from the previous issue, as "ZO" grants CM vast powers, including teleportation, and illusion-casting, then sets him on his path to revenge against Yon-Rogg, who destroyed his career, wrecked the mission, and murdered his love. Cap stops back at the asteroid, where Una's EXPOSED body is preserved in the vaccum of space, then briefly haunts Yon-Rogg, but doesn't kill him or destroy The Hellion-- he wants to come up with something really fitting that will make the guy suffer. So instead, he returns to his hotel room, then heads for the base. The C.O. is convinced with that "Lawson" is a bad egg since his latest disappearance, and now both CM and "Lawson" are to be arrested-- or shot on sight-- whichever. Just as base guards are about to arrest "Lawson", a 10-foot red plastic robot-- "The Man-Killer"-- shows up to attack the base. (AGAIN? but that trick never works!) Despite being now a wanted man, CM fights the robot to defend the base, then, after it mysteriously collapses, he changes back to "Lawson"-- and teleports away before the guards can nab him.
Meanwhile... The Black Widow, on assignment for SHIELD, finds another spy ring, led by some mysterious guy in a chair whose face we never see. This mysterious baddie is the Man-Killer's creator. The Widow interfered with the remote controls, which allowed CM to defeat the robot. But this sub-plot comes out of nowhere, and goes nowhere fast.
For the 2nd issue in a row, Dick Ayers does some of the WORST layouts and "storytelling" I've ever seen in all of 60's Marvel. This guy did such a wonderful job on GIANT-MAN and HUMAN TORCH-- why are his layouts so TERRIBLE here? Syd Shores stepped in to replace Vince Colletta, and his inks are a HUGE improvement. But it seems such a WASTE, incredible inks over CRAP pencils. Also, I've been convinced that Gary Friedrich (who wrote the 3 issues after this) wrote this issue, NOT Arnold Drake, as credited... but now I'm not so sure. It's really hard to tell. I see Arnold's trademark break-up of sentences between balloons, but I KNOW Arnold is a better writer than this. His first 5 (or so) episodes of CM were better than the ones "ye editor" & Roy Thomas did. So WHY is this book so TERRIBLY written? Is it just the effect of "The Marvel Method", where a "writer" is at the mercy of the "penciller" (who's really doing a big bulk of the plotting)? Is it that Dick Ayers was just a complete mis-fit on this book, and had NO IDEA what he was doing? Is it that "ye editor" stuck his nose in and made things even more confusing, possibly de-railing whatever Arnold originally had in mind and forcing this insane, confusing, directionless MESS on everyone? All I know is, I paid $3.50 for my copy of this book some years ago... and STILL feel it was way too much! For the 2nd month in a row, this get my vote for WORST MARVEL of the month.
(6-19-2008)
Something that just crossed my mind was the possibility that someone other than Dick Ayers did the layouts for the 2 issues he worked on. Namely, Gary Friedrich, who I suspect replaced Arnold Drake at the last minute last time, UNCREDITED. If I'm right, Friedrich did 5 issues in a row-- none of them making any sense-- and it was actually credited that he DID his own layouts on his 5th issue.
(10-13-2018)
What the HELL is it with all these John Romita "alterations" of covers? Apparently George Tuska's Mar-Vell figure was completely redrawn by Romita. Didn't the so-called "editor" trust HIS OWN ARTISTS to do their jobs right without incessant interference?
(10-13-2018)
After all this time, I just had an idea of who could have been a model for "Mar-Vell" in the early run of the series-- actor Kent Smith. Among other things, he was in a couple episodes of "THE OUTER LIMITS", which I'm convinced writer Arnold Drake was a fan of.
"Mar-Vell" was apparently a Kree warrior of some long standing, a veteran of their military, and considered by many to be one of their greatest heroes. You don't get that if you've only been a soldier for a short time. So it makes sense to me if this guy was already into middle-age when he was assigned to the spying mission on Earth, that wound up going completely off the rails, due to his commanding officer extreme narcisism.
THOR 163
cover by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta
Thor returns to Earth, in search of the missing Sif, run across an army convoy, and a strange "Time Funnel" in the center of NYC, into which the army says Sif disappeared. Thor follows, and quickly finds his lady, in the hands of huge-eared "Mutates"-- demons in the service of Pluto, Lord of the Underworld! (Long time no see!) And entire city block with a scientific research complex has been transported to another time, where Thor & Sif find a city in ruins, and somewhere in one of the buildings, a strange "coffin"-like object opens, containing a familiar-looking man-sized "cocoon".
This issue's okay, and definitely looks way better in color (I have the original as well as the ESSENTIAL volume). But there's some odd things about it. When I read this the 2nd time (in the B&W volume), I couldn't shake the feeling this was somehow intended for one of Jack's "Fourth World" stories-- had he wound up doing them for Marvel, instead of holding them back for DC. The circular "Time Funnel" reminds me of a "Boom Tube". The "Mutates", also referred to as demons, remind me of "Para-Demons". And in this equation, Pluto seems to fill "Darkseid"s slot! (Picture Superman instead of Thor and you see what I mean.) Also, there's this full-page shot of Thor & Sif wandering thru a destroyed city... which looks to me like the 2nd HALF of a 2-page spread, the first half of which appeared in the previous issue! Was that sequence intended as part of Galactus' origin, but then the story was changed? MAYBE. There doesn't seem to be much sense to having Thor & co. transported to the future... the remains of ANOTHER PLANET destroyed in a war might have been the original intention (Apokalips???).
As usual, Kirby & Colletta do a bang-up job.
(6-20-2008)
THE AVENGERS 63
cover by Gene Colan & George Klein
This begins with a missile-shaped aircraft (which seems to have a "smilie-face" built into its design) on its way to crashing into Avengers Mansion. Turns out it's another one of The Black Panther's aircraft-- but has gone out of control FOR NO APPARENT REASON (and none was ever given in this entire issue). Barely landing safely, Hawkeye feels useless (his bow-string broke-- also for no apparent reason). Hank & Jan are back from their honeymoon, but on doctor's orders, Hank is giving up his Goliath identity, and sticking with Yellowjacket, as it seems his growing may have partially caused his temporary schizophrenia, while shrinking seems to be okay. The group gets a call from Nick Fury, saying The Black Widow's disappeared in the Caribbean, and they rush to find her, but make Hawkeye stay behind because he's "too emotionally involved". (WHAT IS their problem???)
Hawkeye then gets a personal (if brief) message from Natasha, telling him the earlier call was a fake-- and he figures out she's really in Coney Island! He decides to rescue her solo-- and in a bizarre fit of inspiration, takes Hank's "more powerful" shrinking potion-- and dons his "new" Goliath costume (the one Jan made for Hank for their honeymoon-- NO WONDER it looks kinda "kinky"), and before long, he's fighting some 15-foot-tall android. The villains of the piece turn out to be Egghead (Ant-Man's old foe), The Puppet Master (OH NOT HIM again!) and The Thinker ("who some call MAD!!!"). They're working on some grand scheme that threatens the entire world, which, I guess, is a decent reason for bringing The Mad Thinker back. I suppose it also serves to "explain" the scene in CAPTAIN MARVEL #12 involving The Black Widow and WHOEVER it was who built "The Man-Slayer" (The Mad Thinker seems a good guess...), though that episode is NEVER mentioned here. (You'd think it woulda been!)
I forgot to mention, AVENGERS also got a new logo last time. The "classic" logo, which had been on the book since #1, was suddenly replaced with a curving one (that reminds me of the "Supermarionation" logo from some of Gerry Anderson's tv shows) with the word "MIGHTY" added. Was this a slap at MIGHTY CRUSADERS (from Archie) or MIGHTY HEROES (the cartoon show)? Seems to me this book stood out better without those kind of confusing comparisons.
After doing such a magnificent job over the last batch of issues, John Buscema is GONE, replaced by Gene Colan, who once again seems to have a "thing" for drawing "giants" (Ultimo, The Sentry, The Leviathan, etc...). Now he gets to draw a giant hero, and one who'd look at home in a "leather club". And I wonder if this also didn't help cause Gene to miss DR. STRANGE #179. (Having a reprint issue couldn't have helped that book's overall sales, either...) After saying in the Bullpen page that Buscema dropped off SUB-MARINER to focus on SILVER SURFER and AVENGERS, now he's gone from AVENGERS, because "ye editor" got him to take over doing layouts on... AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Huh??? WTF was John Romita doing that he was too busy EVEN to do "just" layouts???
It sure seems to me something crazy was going on at Marvel around here, because this "musical artists" thing was getting out of hand, with Don Heck moving to CAPTAIN SAVAGE, Dick Ayers on CAPTAIN MARVEL, Marie Severin on SUB-MARINER, Gene Colan on AVENGERS, John Buscema on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Jim Steranko on CAPTAIN AMERICA... and it wasn't over yet!!!
(6-20-2008)
DAREDEVIL 51
cover by Barry Smith & George Klein
(alterations by JOHN ROMITA)
X-MEN 55
cover by Barry Smith & Vince Colletta
This picks up right where the previous episode left off, with "The Pharaoh" having faked his own death (even the police finally noticed the body is missing!) and intent on having Cyclops either join his power-mad schemes, or die. Both Scott & Alex are shipped to Egypt as prisoners, but thanks to Jean's mental connection, the X-Men are in pursuit, and catch up with the baddies shortly after they reach the Pyramids. Big fight breaks out, but suddenly, "The Living Pharaoh" (as his men have now started calling him-- who knows why) feels weak, and Scott realizes he's been defeated by Alex-- who has abruptly exhibited a MUTANT power of his own!
Damn shame Arnold Drake got kicked off this book, here he introduces Scott's brother Alex, and a whole "Egyptian" villain and setting-- he LOVED anything to do with Ancient Egypt-- and he doesn't get to finish the story. Roy Thomas comes back without missing a beat. In recent months on DR. STRANGE and AVENGERS, Roy's often-annoying dialogue finally got under control, and he continues doing a better job here on X-MEN as well. There is a noticeable difference to my eyes in the art between this issue and the previous one-- the drawing and the rendering of the characters is much "cleaner" (except for the last 3 pages, where I'm guessing Vince Colletta was running out of time and had to rush to beat the deadline), which suggests to me that Werner Roth did NOT pencil last issue's story, as he did here. (The credits WERE right.) Depending on your own personal taste, it's either a good or bad thing, but this would turn out to be Roth's LAST outing on the lead strip. I think it's a shame that Roth kept getting replaced when, by rights, they should have just left him on the book. It would have been a lot more "consistent", and who knows, maybe sold better that way.
"WHERE ANGELS DARE TO TREAD"
The origin of The Angel continues. He's gotten himself one really spiffy costume (I like it BETTER than any other costume he's ever worn in the series up to this point!) and started calling himself "The Avenging Angel". No deep soul-searching here-- this guy's got a super-power, he decides to use it to help society by fighting crime. Were that more "gifted" people felt so socially-committed. Anyway, Professor X detects a new mutant in the area, he sends his team to recruit the guy, but Angel says he's strictly solo-- and nobody tells him what to do!
Thomas picks up where Drake left off, Roth continues the usual solid job, and this month sees the Marvel debut of Sam Grainger, who'd done a lot of work in fanzines before this (including STAR-STUDDED COMICS) and would, years later, also wind up doing inks on the revived X-MEN series, working over Dave Cockrum!
(6-21-2008)
(Continued in May 1969)
All Text (C) Henry R. Kujawa
Artwork (C) Marvel Comics
Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa
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