STRANGE TALES #133

“The Terrible Toys!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Bob Powell
Inks: Mick Demeo
Colors: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Dorrie and Alicia insist that Johnny and Ben accompany them on a shopping trip, where they are amazed at the life-like mannequins on display. They accept an invitation to a sculpture exhibit from the mannequins’ creator, unaware that he is actually the Puppet Master, in disguise. Bored by the exhibit, Thing & Torch explore the basement and discover Puppet Master’s lab, where he springs his trap, attacking them with animated dolls. The heroes defeat Puppet Master and return to their dates, just in time to be whisked off to an art gallery.

WHAT’S HOT
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE ART EXHIBIT. This story gets a lot of comedy mileage out of the idea of Johnny & Ben resisting their girlfriends’ efforts to instill in them a little “cul-cha.” Personally, I’m not buying that shallow Dorrie is such a big fan of the fine arts, but it helps draw the distinction between the girls who go ga ga for Objets d’Art and the boys who would rather be bowling.

WHAT’S NOT
FALSE ADVERTISING. On the cover, we see Torch not only being attacked by the deep freeze doll (who, by the way, on the cover shows legs, though within the story we only see her on a pedestal), but he is also surrounded by a group of menacing men, supposedly other pawns of the Puppet Master. But that never happens. I know the fake cover phenomenon is a staple of pop entertainment, but that doesn’t make it okay.

FACE LIFT. The Puppet Master went through all the trouble of having a face lift so Torch and Thing wouldn’t recognize him. That lasted all of about fifteen minutes. However, artist Bob Powell is the real cosmetic reconstructionist here, as both girls look so completely different you wouldn’t know them if you passed them on the street, and high school Johnny looks like he’s pushing…well…let’s just say he wouldn’t be carded if he ordered a beer at the bowling alley.

WILL THEY NEVER LEARN? When some weird-looking Uncle Fester type character over-anxiously invites you to his sub-basement to see his figurines, that can’t be a good thing. Yet, despite all the times Torch and Thing have been duped into dangerous situations, they go right along. I’m starting to doubt the wisdom of their devotion to naivete.

THIRD FLOOR: COOKWARE, CURTAINS, LINGERIE AND FINE ART SCULPTURES. The Art Exhibit is being held in a department store. Really? Is that a thing that happened…in 1965? Or in New York? Now, my family may not have been as cultured as Dorrie and Alicia, but I lived in New York in 1965, and I never heard of anything like this.

“Why does every nut who fights us
have to make corny speeches all the time?”
— Thing

“A Nameless Land, A Timeless Time!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
The white-haired girl watches Mordo and Dormammu plot Doctor Strange’s downfall, powerless to warn him. Mordo is eager to hunt down the Ancient One, who remains hidden in a cave in the Tibetan mountains. Meanwhile, Strange encounters the power-mad Shazana, and agrees to help her half-sister regain the throne. Gathering Shazana’s rebelling subjects to their cause, Strange and Shazana’s sister defeat the evil sorceress, who eventually loses her sanity. Free of distractions, Strange can now return to his battle with Mordo and Dormammu.

WHAT’S HOT
PIT STOP. At first it seems the authors are abandoning the story we’ve been following for the last three issues, but it turns out this side trip had a more distinct purpose than simply breaking up the monotony of Strange eluding Mordo in so many creative ways. With this quick stop in a mysterious alternate dimension, Strange picks up a mystic globe. Like he doesn’t have enough skills already, seems he’s about to become even more powerful!

THAT GIRL I USED TO KNOW. The girl with the crazy white hair makes another brief appearance. It’s not enough to be significant, but we’re reminded she’s still out there and still in awe of Stephen Strange. I think we can count on seeing her again.

BAH! I found it comical that even the dread Dormammu is not above uttering that single syllable of disdain: “Bah!” Of course, this is the English translation. We can only wonder what it sounds like in his native language.

CLASSIC VILLAIN MISTAKE. Shazana is about to reduce Strange to utter helplessness when a messenger comes in and says the people are here with gifts for you. Oh goody! And she drops everything, leaving Strange with the two things he most needs: his cunning intellect, and TIME. If villains didn’t always stupidly give their opponents ample opportunity to escape and/or prevail, comics, books, movies and TV shows might be dreadfully dull.

HOW EASILY. Here’s another classic villain trope Shazana indulges. “How easily” she gloats, “I bring you to your knees!” Only last issue, Mordo was crowing, “See how easily I shrug off your weak attack!” Super-villains are never content to simply get the better of their opponent. Victory is hollow unless they can do it with ease…and rub it in the other guy’s face.

CAT-DOG KANGAROO? Shazana’s “pet” has a tail and ears that to our earthly sensibilities identify it as a pet, yet it walks on its hind legs like a kangaroo, and its paws look suspiciously like hands. Nice work from the artists in creating this otherworldly creature.

WHAT’S NOT
WOMEN OF ANOTHER WORLD. Having said all that, I continue to despair over Marvel’s depiction of women—whether from our planet or from an alternate dimension. In this story, we see three otherworldly women who, with their nail polish, ponytails, false eyelashes and leggings, look too much like any woman from the 1960’s who may have been tripping on acid when she got dressed that morning. I’m reminded of Lt. Uhura, who in the 23rd century wears the miniskirts and go-go boots of the 1960’s. In the case of Star Trek, I suspect that costuming creativity probably took a back seat to appealing to the male viewers of the day. And here in Marvel comics, it was probably the same—but done by artists who, at least until now, tend to draw women who look more like drag queens than actual women (the same artists, by the way, who think high school boys wear hats and ties in their classrooms).

“I have truly gained the greatest power of all…
that which is the fountainhead of all other power…
I have gained the gift of knowledge!”
— Doctor Strange

TALES OF SUSPENSE #66

“If I Fail, A World Is Lost!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mickey Demeo
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Angered at being unappreciated by his boss, Happy quits. Tony can’t prevent it, because he must test a new submarine for a congressional appropriations committee, as Iron Man. During the presentation, he encounters Attuma, who is attempting to fire a missile which will make the surface world’s oxygen unbreathable. Iron Man crashes the mini-sub into Attuma’s missile, but in doing so, the sub is destroyed. As a result, Sen. Byrd is outraged, and Stark loses the military contract to build more subs.

WHAT’S HOT
PROTECT THYSELF. Iron Man muses that he needs to keep his identity secret to protect himself. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard a superhero admit to that argument. Usually, it’s about protecting their loved ones, but…yeah! Wouldn’t it be exceptionally dangerous to go about your business as a normal person if super-villains might be popping out of every corner to vanquish you when you were least aware?

ATTUMA!!! Undersea architect of war weapons! Attuma! Counterpart to the early Tony Stark! Attuma! Equal in strength to Iron Man. What a worthy opponent!

BAH! I was pleased to see that Attuma is not above bellowing a hearty “Bah!” just like so many other super-villains and crotchety characters.

ONCE AN AVENGER…? The Narrator refers to Iron Man as an “Avenger” even though he’s now officially off the roster. Or is he? Once an Avenger, always an Avenger? Is it like past Presidents who are still referred to as “President Tiddlywinks,” even though they are no longer in office? Or perhaps this story (which appears in June) somehow takes place after the changing of the guard we read about in May? Russ advised that we should check with the Chronology Project and…lo and behold! That’s it exactly. I’m not well-versed enough in Marvel to pick up all the clues, but if the Chronology Project tells me it is so, I’m taking their word for it.

GIVING STARK THE BYRD. Senator Byrd seems like a real piece of work, reminding us that not only does Iron Man have opponents—Stark does too!

WHAT’S NOT
HAPPY NOT HAPPY. It’s finally happened. The pressure of living in the shadow of two super-men (Stark and Iron Man) finally causes Happy Hogan to crack. He quits and storms off.

FOOT SOLDIERS. Attuma calls up his “foot soldiers,” and right away I’m thinking…how does that work? On the bottom of the ocean, wouldn’t swimming be faster and more efficient than working against all that water pressure? If you’ve ever tried to tread water on the beach, you know what I mean. How much more pronounced must that effect be on the ocean floor?

KEEPING SECRETS. Stark decides not to tell the Senator and the others what really happened because he doesn’t think they’ll believe him. Maybe not. But is that a good enough reason to not reveal a danger to all of humanity?

“Every time Pepper looks at Stark you can almost see her melting!”
— Happy Hogan

“The Fantastic Origin of the Red Skull”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
The Red Skull has captured Captain America and relates his origin to Cap. As a European orphan, he was forced to steal food to live. Later, the Nazis rose to power, and Hitler, eager to prove he could make any nameless shlub a fearless warrior, tapped him to become the Red Skull, the personification of evil. The Skull began a reign of terror across Europe, culminating in an attack on a convoy where he captured Cap. Skull hypnotizes Cap, and orders him to kill the Allied Forces Supreme Commander.

WHAT’S HOT
THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING. At first I thought I’m only here to hear Red Skull gloat about what an evil mastermind he is, but then on the last page, with the introduction of a chemical agent that apparently wipes Cap’s mind clean, turning him into a Nazi slave, we finally find out that this story is actually going somewhere. Now I’m on board!

FACELESS, NAMELESS. We never see Red Skull’s face as a human. What’s more, he is never given a name, and only refers to himself as a “nameless orphan.” Which all serves to dehumanize him even more than the scary skull mask.

WHAT’S NOT
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN. How ironic that the splash reminds us this is “the great new Marvel Age!” just as we’re getting ready to hear a story from…twenty years ago.

WHAT IS EVIL? Hitler calls himself a “teacher of evil,” and speaks of his “own evil genius.” I think the Marvel writers may be dipping a little too heavily into the inkpot of propaganda here. Though history may perceive Hitler as evil and currently residing in the deepest pits of Hell, it’s unlikely that during his life, his motivation in everything he did was to perpetuate “evil.” That kind of villain is a two-dimensional and—dare I say it?—comic book villain. A truly scary villain is the one who truly believes that all his evil deeds are indeed for the greater good.

MY EGO BEFORE YOU GO. Why does Red Skull insist on telling his life story to Cap right before he plans to kill him—or more precisely, turn him into a brainwashed slave of the Nazi regime? What a classic villain move! Are these villains all such big egotists that they can’t resist the opportunity to hear their own voices talking about—what else?—themselves?

“I want him to be evil personified!”
— Adolf Hitler

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #117

“Into the Blaze of Battle!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
Thor claims that Loki cheated by using Norn stones during the Trial of the Gods, and in order to determine the truth, Odin sends Thor to Midgard to find the Norn stones. Thor traces the stones to Vietnam, where he agrees to help Cho and his family battle Viet Cong guerillas. During the battle, Thor recovers the stones, and one of the guerillas—who is actually Cho’s brother—kills Cho in a fit of anger, also accidentally killing their mother, in the process. He gives up his life to help Thor escape with his sister.

WHAT’S HOT
EVERY GIRL CRAZY FOR A SHARP DRESSED MAN. Balder, seen here with jet black hair, wearing a green suit worthy of the Master’s Golf Championship, cleans up quite nicely!

HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD? As an individual firmly planted in the Judeo-Christian belief system, I always struggle with the concept of Thor being a “god.” In this issue he says, “Although my life span is endless under normal conditions, I can still be slain by weapons or other artificial means.” So it makes me wonder…if an Asgardian is unexpectedly slain, can they come back to life? And if not, how is that being a “god”?

TIL. Not growing up in a military family, and no fan of war movies, I didn’t know until today that “ack-ack” is slang for an antiaircraft gun or its fire. I say I didn’t know…but now I do. I will actually probably never have opportunity to use this phrase, but in my estimation, all knowledge is worthwhile.

BIG ACTION. We are treated to a nice layout of three long panels depicting a part of the story that is so big, tiny square panels simply would not have done it justice.

WHAT’S NOT
CRAZED COMMIE. An appropriately red-faced Hu Sak screams, “Nobody matters! Only the communist cause is important! People mean nothing! Human lives mean nothing!” Obviously the intent is to make him appear a crazed Commie, but really now…doesn’t this feel just a tad overplayed? Unless he’s manic-depressive? Obsessive-compulsive? Is there a doctor in the house to provide further diagnosis?

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN? Thor reverting to Blake always includes a change of clothes. But while Thor is only ever seen in his one distinctive “costume,” Mjolnir seems to know to dress Blake each time in a suit and tie rather than pajamas or a bathing suit. Or does he always appear in the same outfit he was wearing the last time the change took place? If so, what if Blake has to change to Thor while taking a shower? How awkward when the time comes to change back!

FROM BAD TO WORSE. While evading Vietnamese guerrillas, Thor can’t easily move through the jungle because his “costume” is impeding his movement. Hmmm…so…here’s a solution! Let’s become a lame guy with a cane! Yeah! That’s so much better…

“The Sword in the Scabbard!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
Odin loses patience with Thor and Loki over their constant fighting and vows that whichever of them strikes the first blow will die. Naturally, Thor and Loki argue over who started it, but Odin silences them with a mission. The fateful Odinsword has a crack, which could lead to annihilation, so Odin sends his two sons on a quest to find the unknown enemy and destroy them.

WHAT’S HOT
SNIPPETS. The splash informs us that this will be the beginning of “one of the greatest sagas of all time!!” But each of these Tales of Asgard is already so short, little bits doled out over time, they already remind me of the daily comic strips of my younger days. If Tales of Asgard is about to turn into a “saga,” I can’t help but be reminded of my college days, when my roommates and I would together each morning read the latest installment of the soap operatic Mary Worth on the “funny pages.” Waiting to see if this saga will feel anything like that.

WHAT’S NOT
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Odin boldly begins by bellowing “Warriors of Asgard!!” then expands on that concept with the qualifying phrase “Defenders of the Rainbow Bridge!!” He starts so strong, but unfortunately, the word “rainbow” just seems to take all the wind out of his sails. I wonder…are there any unicorns about?

“Loki[…]Even I, who have no love for Odin…
I, who dabble in evil charms…
even I recoil in horror at the sheer villainy within your heart!”
— Norn Queen

FANTASTIC FOUR #39

“A Blind Man Shall Lead Them!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Frank Ray
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
The Fantastic Four are rescued by a navy vessel, only to realize that they’ve lost their powers. Reed devises artificial means for simulating their powers, so their enemies won’t discover their vulnarabilities. The FF meet with Matt Murdock for legal advice, just as Doctor Doom, outraged over Reed’s deception during their previous encounter, attacks, taking over the Baxter Building. Matt changes into Daredevil and offers his help. Together, the five heroes determine that they must storm the Baxter Building.

WHAT’S HOT
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. If not for Daredevil, would the Fantastic Four still be alive? It’s always nice to have a guest appearance, but this one is more than “nice,” it’s necessary. Vulnerability can go a long way in making us feel for our superheroes, and this spirit of cooperation is even more endearing.

WHAT’S NOT
FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP. Johnny laments “Without our powers…we’re nothing!” and Reed replies, “I know it.” I understand they’re all bummed out, but I expected something a bit more inspirational from their leader than what essentially translates out to “We’re doomed!!” (Pun intended.)

FAKIN’ IT. Reed determines they need to display artificial powers to protect against their enemies, who would no doubt come in for the kill if they knew the FF were powerless. However, the easier option may have been to go into hiding, at least long enough to work out all the kinks in their superhero fake outs. Clearly, none of them ever prepared for this possibility.

I HAVE A SECRET. Up for your consideration: maybe having a secret identity is not such a bad thing after all?

WHEN I SNAP MY FINGERS… See how easily Doctor Doom’s magician lifts Reed’s hypnotic spell! Surely the FF realized this spell wasn’t designed to last forever and have been living with a giant sense of Doom hanging over their heads since issue Fantastic Four Annual #2, realizing that at any moment this arch-villain could burst back on to the scene. Well…here we are.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW…? Reed has created a Vortex Ray that is as powerful as a dozen tornadoes. Really? Why in the world would he make something like that? Perhaps because the atom bomb has already been invented, and this was the next best thing? Living in Alabama, I come down firmly on the NOT HOT side of anything with the force of any number of tornadoes—even one!!

“What a life!
When we first got our powers a few years ago, we hated ’em!
And now…we feel naked and helpless without them!”
— Ben Grimm

DAREDEVIL #8

“The Stiltman Cometh!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Wally Wood
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
While Daredevil saves a pedestrian from a runwaway car, new villain Stiltman robs a payroll helicopter high above the skyline. Later, inventor Wilbur Day retains Matt to help recover an invention stolen by Kaxton, his boss. Afterward, Matt and Day go to Kaxton’s home and discover Stiltman’s equipment, but Day reveals that he has been stealing Kaxton’s inventions, and is Stiltman. Stiltman accidentally uses an invention on himself, and he vanishes. Later, Karen storms out on Matt when she realizes that he doesn’t want to risk a procedure to recover his eyesight.

WHAT’S HOT
GOOD USE OF VERTICAL SPACE. Nice touch in using a lot of vertical images for a very tall villain.

GOOD USE OF HORIZONTAL SPACE. Same thing…only different.

LET’S GET SMALL. In the end, Stiltman shrinks away into near nothingness. Having been a young adult in the 1970’s, of course I recall the old Steve Martin routine. Readers in the 1960’s, however, were probably thinking of The Incredible Shrinking Man.

MANY LEVELS OF SECRETS. Murdock has an apartment with a connection to a “secret” apartment directly underneath? I wonder what the Apartment-to-Let ad for that one looked like.

PRIDE COMETH BEFORE A FALL. “As long as I am master of my stilts, I am unbeatable! I’m completely invincible!” Pride cometh before a fall. And from that height, Stiltman has a long way to fall.

THE GIRL HAS A POINT. There’s a soap opera twist at the end when Matt refuses to go to the eye doctor Karen has found. She storms off, calls him a coward, and specifically accuses him of not wanting to fall in love. And “the man without fear” has to wonder if that’s really what he’s most afraid of.

WHAT’S NOT
DAMN IT, DAMSEL! Oh, that poor helpless woman on the splash! Rather than standing there screaming for help, wouldn’t her energy be better spent simply moving out of the way?

SNOOPERSCOPE. I know they’re running out of things to call all these gadgets, but really…snooperscope?

MUCH ADO. Stiltman has this incredible invention and he uses it to rob party guests of trinkets. Why is he not thinking world domination? Or maybe his philosophy is “Today, trinkets…tomorrow, the world!”

WHY??? Why did Wilbur Day come to Murdock in the first place? Why is he suing Kaxton for something he knows is not true? Wilbur Day’s motivation is to get into Kaxton’s lab so he can find the Molecular Condenser, which he considers “the most valuable weapon on earth.” Why does he need a blind attorney to help him steal the Molecular Condenser? He knows threatening a lawsuit will aggravate Kaxton, but how does that help him get the Condenser?

WHY??? (PART 2). Why does Murdock wear sunglasses while exercising? Does he have a Superstar complex? Or did he simply forget to take them off?

“Sometimes I think it’s a good thing I can’t see what I’m doing!
I might get scared stiff!”
— Daredevil