JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY ANNUAL #1

“When Titans Clash!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
A long time ago, Thor and Loki travel through Jotunheim. While battling Storm Giants, Thor falls into a chamber that leads to Olympus. He tries to cross a bridge, but is thwarted by Hercules, who claims the right of first passage. Refusing to back down, Thor fights Hercules. They go round and round, throwing hammers and maces and anything else within grasp at each other. Eventually, big daddy Zeus arrives, and forces them to make up and shake hands. He returns Thor to Jotunheim, and seals the passage between the two realms.

WHAT’S HOT
SOME OF THE LANGUAGE IN HERE JUST SLAYS ME. In the heat of battle, both behemoths have time for “Fie!! You utter the mouthings of a jester!” and “I shall thrash you roundly!” Also, Hercules uses multiple oaths:

• “By Zeus!”
• “By Jupiter!!”
• “By the beard of my father!”

What a battle of archaic words! I see your “I’d crush thee like a flea!” and raise you one “Begone, brash one!”

WHAT’S NOT
WHEN IN ROME…Thor is in a strange land, but rather than fall in with their customs and give preference to the locals, he defies Hercules in a belly-bumping contest. Bad form!

FABLE. Why does Thor refer to his homeland Asgard as “fabled”?

TIE. Stan and Jack have written themselves into a corner, with no way to end the epic battle, so they have Hercules’ dad Zeus show up and say “Very good, you’re both winners. Everybody gets a trophy, now shake hands and be friends.”

“He who never ventures, never wins!”
— Thor

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #27

“Bring Back My Goblin to Me!”
Plot: Steve Ditko
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
The Goblin delivers Spider-Man to New York’s underworld, but Spidey escapes, thanks to a police raid. Spider-Man rushes to the Bugle to warn Jameson that Foswell is the Crime-Master, but the police arrive to thank Foswell for alerting them to the Crime-Master’s true identity: Lucky Lewis. Later, tired of dealing with Jameson, Peter sells some photos to the bombastic Barney Bushkin of the Globe. The next day, sensing that May is lonely, Peter offers to take her out to the movies. Meanwhile, the Goblin swears vengeance against Spider-Man.

WHAT’S HOT
SHOWRUNNER. Last time I noted that Peter/Spidey had taken to calling JJJ “Jonah.” Now even the Narrator is doing it! Guess we know who’s running this show.

DAILY GLOBE. We make what I believe is our first visit to the offices of The Daily Globe and meet nosy Barney Bushy Bushkin. Right off the bat, he starts asking Peter a lot of questions, and I’m wondering, is he just being a good inquisitive reporter, or is there something nefarious about all these questions? At this point, I’m ready to suspect anybody of anything!

IT’S A DATE. Peter takes Aunt May to the movies. How sweet!

WHAT’S NOT
COPS ’N’ ROBBERS. On the splash, the writers promise a lot of fun, “if you dig an action-packed old-fashioned cops ’n’ robbers mystery yarn.” That’s just it: I don’t. And this story did not change my mind.

I’M NOT UGLY, I’M JUST DRAWN THAT WAY. Two black characters are depicted in this issue and the artwork is just…awful. Instead of looking convincingly like African-Americans, they simply look like white guys who have a bad case of the “grays.” I hope they get this figured out by the time we get to Black Panther.

TEASE. So it turns out Foswell is not the Crime Master after all. He was police informant “Patch,” and he was just helping the cops. At least that’s what he says. And to that, I say, “So WHAT??”

CHEAT. So it turns out Nick “Lucky” Lewis was the Crime Master all along. And now he’s dead. What a cheat for the reader, because we had never even heard of him before this issue. But at least Spidey admits (in a thought balloon) that this is just like “real life,” when the bad guy turns out to be someone you never even heard of before. Fine. Except this isn’t real life, it isn’t even French New Wave cinema, it’s a comic book, so there are certain reasonable expectations. Which the writers did not meet.

“We’re hittin’ him with everything we got, and he keeps jawin’ at us!!”
— Gangster

FANTASTIC FOUR #41

“The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Upset over his treatment, Thing walks out on the Fantastic Four and falls asleep in the back of a truck. The other three search for Ben, unaware that he has been recruited by the Frightful Four. The Wizard uses his id machine to brainwash Thing, and explains to his partners that Thing will only follow his commands. They prepare for the heroes while Reed tracks Thing to the villains’ hideout. They battle, but Thing helps capture Reed, Sue and Johnny. The Wizard goads Thing into seriously injuring Reed.

WHAT’S HOT
THE SACRIFICIAL HERO. In addition to the fact that Thing may have given up all hope of ever returning to his normal form as Ben Grimm, he is also hurting very badly from his battle with Doctor Doom. He’s apparently not invincible, and as odd and ugly as he is, that makes him more human, and we sympathize with him.

IT’S BUSINESS. Medusa thinks Reed is too handsome to destroy, then chides herself for being “weak and feminine.” Inhumane, I know, to think about destroying a handsome man, but as a woman vying for power in an evil organization, that does happen to be the right move.

ROUGH START. Sandman and Medusa are getting along splendidly — because Sandman has decided “I LIKE dames who play rough!” I’m very curious to see how this relationship progresses.

CLIFF HANGER. Will Ben “snap out of it” in time? Or will he destroy his fellow FF members? I know he won’t destroy them, but I’m not yet sure how disaster will be averted.

WHAT’S NOT
WHO’S PAYING FOR THIS MESS?? Mr. Curtis, the renting agent for the Baxter Building wants the FF to pay for the damage to the building done during their fight with Dr. Doom.

ALWAYS IN THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK. When searching for Thing in New Jersey, Reed notes, “There are thousands of homes in this area!” Later, while looking at mansion of the Frightful Four, Johnny remarks, “That’s about the only place we haven’t tried yet!” The word “about” is instrumental here, because maybe it just felt like they’d already checked thousands of homes before arriving at this one. I have a hard time believing they actually checked thousands of homes, and it’s still the same night. But whether this is literally the last one, or only feels like it, of course this is where the search endS.

CLAP ON, CLAP OFF! Wizard puts Thing to sleep with the word “sleep” and wakes him up by clapping. Can anyone use those cues? Or only the Wizard? Because if it’s just anyone, Wizard hasn’t really thought through his power grab very well, has he?

ID AND EGO. Wizard has created an “Id Machine,” which affects the portion of the human brain containing man’s primitive, evil instincts. I wonder if he tested it on himself and his cronies, because their objective is NOT to beat the FF and do evil—it all seems to be about ego, they all want to be the big cheese.

WE CAN’T GO ON TOGETHER WITH SUSPICIOUS MINDS. Wizard tells Thing that Reed is “jealous” of him—project much? Why does this remind me of the trend where certain politicians draw attention away from their evil deeds by accusing their opponents of the very thing they themselves are doing? (And how in the world does that actually “work” for them, anyway??)

“As leader of the FF, I’m responsible for everything!”
— Mister Fantastic

DAREDEVIL #9

“That He May See!”
Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: Wally Wood
Art: Bob Powell
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Karen convinces Matt to visit Lichtenbad with his old classmate Klaus Kruger, where she believes Dr. Van Eyck can cure his blindness. Matt is afraid he will lose his powers if he regains his sight, but he accedes. Once in Lichtenbad, Daredevil discovers that Kruger rules the country with an iron fist, so he helps overthrow the tyrant. During the fight for freedom, Van Eyck is killed, without the opportunity to operate on Matt. Meanwhile, back in New York, a jealous Foggy casts aspersions on Matt’s courage.

WHAT’S HOT
MUM THE HUM-DRUM. Though it’s certainly not the most believable story ever, it’s action packed in an exotic location, so you don’t even have time or the presence of mind to ask yourself if any of this seems plausible.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS. Klaus Kruger decides that since Daredevil is in a costume, he must be the leader of the revolt; therefore he must die. No if’s, and’s or but’s. It hardly seems fair, but that an evil autocrat would say something like this is one of the few aspects of this story that rings true.

TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. Dr. Van Eyck saves the world by shutting off the nuclear reactor, but dies in the process. Not to sound heartless, but he saves humanity, AND he is now out of the picture as far as Karen nagging Matt to get his eyes fixed. This is a classic “Two-fer”!

WHAT’S NOT
FLUB. Klaus Kruger says Karen told him that Murdock had lost his sight. But Murdock lost his sight as a kid. He was already blind in law school, when Kruger knew him.

NO KIDDING. Daredevil sounds very much like Spidey in this story, which is disconcerting. I wouldn’t expect a grown man, a professional, to be so flippant. Would any lawyer really ever say “I’d better amscray”? At one point, he ponders, “Sometimes I wonder…do I really do this to help mankind…or am I just a showoff who never grew up!!!” In this story, I’m casting my vote for “never grew up.”

I AM CURIOUS…DAREDEVIL? Klaus Kruger doesn’t unmask Daredevil when he has the chance, but that doesn’t make sense. He claims it doesn’t matter who Daredevil is…but surely he’s curious? At the very least, he would have to wonder if Daredevil’s real identity would mean anything to the other prisoners.

CONFORMATON. Dr. Van Eyck recognizes that Daredevil is Matt Murdock, because “his body in that costume…it is exactly the same as the conformation of Matt Murdock’s physique.” Is it really that easy to tell? If so, why has no one ever noticed before? Why has Karen Page never noticed before? Surely she’s spent some time looking at the “conformation” of Matt Murdock’s physique, and she’s also familiar with Daredevil.

CAN’T SEE THROUGH THE SUDS. There’s a lot of very thick soap opera going on in the thought bubbles. Foggy seems excessively unbalanced by the realization that Karen loves Matt. He cracks a mirror, and even dares to think “I wish there were NO Matt Murdock!” Of course, he hates himself immediately for thinking that, but the overall tone of his behavior is scary and disturbing.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT? When, in a fit of jealous rage, Foggy turns a mirror in to shards of glass, he calmly tells Karen, “I accidentally brushed past the mirror, breaking it!” How is it he’s not bleeding? Won’t she see the blood? Won’t she at least see the mirror? This seems the lamest, most unbelievable excuse ever. (Unless you consider when my toddler daughter walked into a wall and cried, “The wall made a lump and bumped me!”)

“How ironic that Daredevil, the man without fear,
is mortally afraid of ever regaining his sight!”
— Matt Murdock

TALES OF SUSPENSE #68

“The Sentinel and the Spy!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Frank Ray
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Cap deflects the German soldier’s bullet, saving the General. Cap and Bucky defeat the Germans, and Cap gracefully accepts the General’s gratitude. Meanwhile, the Red Skull is not concerned over this failure; he has already set in motion his next plan. He has placed a special agent in a prisoner-of-war camp, with the mission to capture the Allies’ new weapon, a vanishing ray. The agent succeeds, but Cap goads the agent into using the experimental ray at full force, where it explodes. The Allies decide to abandon the unpredictable weapon.

WHAT’S HOT
TOP BILLING. On the cover, the Cap story is first, and takes up about two-thirds of the real estate. Nice marketing ploy, but overall, not enough to save a story that has too many plot holes. Read on…

WHAT’S NOT
SAVED BY THE BELL. With no “Previously in Captain America…” recounting, the reader is simply thrust back into the middle of last month’s drama, just as the editors note that “at the last crucial second, the REALIZATION of what he is about to do causes him to return to normal.” We see this all the time in episodic stories, and it always feels like a cheat when undeniable disaster is suddenly averted for a reason that seems way too easy or unlikely. That’s what we have here, as if Stan was tired of that other story, and wanted to get through it as quickly as possible, so they could move on to the next. As Sam Beckett would say, “Oh boy…”

GRATITUDE? Cap just essentially saved a General’s life, and the reward for his noble deed is guarding a “helpless criminal,” on a supply mission—which Bucky perceptively deems a “crummy assignment.”

THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, PART I. Why is a POW on a supply truck? And why is he not handcuffed?

THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, PART II. I guess the German POW is not handcuffed, because otherwise how could he easily access the gas cylinders he has hidden in his pocket and taped under his arm? If Cap and Bucky were not going to handcuff the guy, at least they could have checked him for weapons! And since they didn’t, maybe even this “crummy assignment” is beyond their capability.

“We each serve freedom in our own way…
and liberty is its own reward!”
— Captain America

“If a Man Be Mad!”
Script: Al Hartley
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mickey Demeo
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Count Nefaria agrees to forgive the gambling debts of Tony’s cousin Morgan Stark, if Morgan helps destroy Tony. Over the next several days, Tony encounters spaceships, unaware they are holographic images induced by Morgan. Whenever Tony alerts the police or press, the evidence disappears, leaving Sen. Byrd to doubt Tony’s sanity. Unfortunately for Morgan, the next encounter is with actual aliens, and Iron Man averts an alien invasion, restoring confidence in Stark and putting Morgan in dire straits with Nefaria.

WHAT’S HOT
ANY MORE LIKE YOU AT HOME? This is a sibling rivalry tale, but between cousins. Which leads me to ask the question: does Stark have any brothers or sisters, and what might they be like, and will we ever meet them?

CONTINUITY. The events of the previous issue set the stage for this story. Last time, when Count Nefaria tilled the ground and planted the seeds of doubt about his sanity, Stark thought he was dreaming, or needed vitamin pills. This time, he goes deeper down that rabbit hole, until at last, all is made clear.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT. Happy and Pepper decide the boss needs a vacation and approach him with the idea, each holding up travel brochures of their suggested location. Which will Stark choose: what’s behind Door #1, or the box Pepper Potts points to on the floor?

LOVITZ. If I’m casting this story, Jon Lovitz portrays cousin Morgan. On page six, where he says “Stark’s world is falling apart…and mine is just beginning!” it reminds me so much of the Lovitz character in The Wedding Singer peeking out from behind the curtain and gleefully uttering, “He’s losing his mind…and I’m reaping all the benefits!”

GADGET BATTLE. The age-old question must be asked: If an Electro Probe and an Ionospheric Echo Ray fight, who would win?

SAY CHEESE! Gouda and Edam from the moon despair for their reputations should they not succeed. But of course. I’m sure Swiss and Cheddar would never let them live this down!

SPACE TWIST. I didn’t see the moon-men coming, and it was a refreshing boost to a story that otherwise may have been somewhat dull.

LOOKIN’ GOOD! Though the moon-men are portrayed as predictable monsters, not only is Tony looking quite handsome, but Happy is equally handsome! And red-headed Pepper always looks good in yellow (if you’re reading Marvel Masterworks) or green (if you’re reading the original).

WHAT’S NOT
NEFARIA OR NOT? In issue #67, Count Nefaria made a point of saying that henceforth, he would never again be known as Count Nefaria, but rather as “The Master! Of Dreams!” Yet in this issue, he’s referred to as Nefaria once again. Maybe the other villains laughed him out of the club when he revealed his New! Moniker!

ST. ELMO. How does a moon-man know about St. Elmo’s Fire? He might be familiar with the physics, but he wouldn’t call it “St. Elmo’s Fire.” I’m pretty certain moon-men don’t speak English, so the only possible explanation is that we have a universal translator to thank for that reference.

AS THE BYRD FLIES. Senator Byrd is so intent on destroying Tony Stark that the moment something happens, in fact “minutes later,” he is on the scene. Trying to make this work: Perhaps Byrd is the Distinguished Gentleman from New York, with a summer home in Oyster Bay?

“Soon my poverty will end!
No more grovelling [sic] for crumbs…the whole loaf will be mine!”
— Morgan Stark

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #119

“The Day of the Destroyer!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
Just as the Destroyer blasts Thor, his body becomes intangible, allowing him to escape the bombardment. As soon as he enters another chamber, his body resolidifies. Unbeknownst to Thor, his savior is Loki, who fears being blamed for Thor’s death. Loki convinces the Norn Queen to cast a spell waking Odin from his sleep, and Odin offers to stop the Destroyer, but Thor uses the hunter as a human shield. Unwilling to kill his own body, the hunter’s life force leaves the Destroyer. Thor demolishes the temple, burying the Destroyer forever.

WHAT’S HOT
UNSOLID. Loki changes Thor’s molecular structure to save him from the Destroyer—but only so that he won’t get in trouble with Odin. He does the right thing, but for the wrong reason.

FOOL. Thor notes that the Destroyer is a “fool” to announce his intentions. Obviously Thor hasn’t been paying attention. That’s what villains DO. That’s what they always do. They can’t keep from crowing about how easily they plan to defeat the hero.

WAKING UP GROUCHY. Odin is in the middle of the Sleep of Life, in which he must remain asleep for 24 hours straight, when he is rudely awakened by the Norn Queen’s chant. The mythology holds that none may wake Odin from this Sleep “under pain of death.” So what happens next?

WHAT’S NOT
LOOSE TRANSLATION. Stan makes a point of mentioning that the Norn Queen’s chant is only a “loose translation,” and I have to wonder: why? Nothing about translation was mentioned when the Moon Men threatened Iron Man and made reference to “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Nothing is ever mentioned about translation when Dr. Strange travels to the Dark Dimension and interacts with the local denizens and Dormmamu. If “translation” is ever an issue, it seems those would have been better times to talk about it.

BAFFLING. The Destroyer returns the “life essence” to the Hunter’s body. Why did he make this dumb move? In his integrated state, the Destroyer holds all the cards. While the life essence of the Hunter is inside him, Thor could not defeat him. It’s only when the Destroyer splits body and spirit that he is vulnerable. And once vulnerable, Thor takes advantage and runs off with the Hunter, then buries the Destroyer in rubble. End of Destroyer, end of story.

BRAINS OR BRAWN? Maybe I don’t know enough yet, but it seems the Destroyer is all brawn and no brains. Essentially, he is simply a shell of armor that is only as smart as the “essence” that fills that armor. With this in mind, I don’t understand why it’s so often repeated that no one but Odin can defeat him.

BAMBOOZLED. And actually, as it turns out, Thor handily defeats the “undefeatable” Destroyer simply by using his noggin. I’m disappointed in this story, because I feel I’ve been deceived, bamboozled into believing something that isn’t true.

JOE’S MAGICAL HAMMER REPAIR. Finally, why does Thor decide to go to America to have his hammer repaired, and only afterwards return to Asgard? Are the Magical Hammer Repair Shops in the USA superior to those in Asgard? I wouldn’t think so. You might say he’s acting like a teenager who’s wrecked the car and doesn’t want dad to find out. But omniscient Odin can just pop up in the sky at any time and see exactly what’s going on with Thor, so that doesn’t make sense. Is this perhaps simply a ploy to get to see Jane Foster once again?

“While I live, I shall plan—I shall scheme—I shall conspire!”
— Loki

“Gather, Warriors!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
Longing for battle in his mission to discover the cause of the crack in Odin’s sword, Thor prods Balder to speed the process of loading the ship. Four new volunteers board the ship, all recruited by Loki: Hogun the Grim, Fandral the Dashing, Kroda the Duellist, and Magrat the Schemer. Thor breaks up a brawl among the crew, and discovers Volstagg the Enormous at its center. Together, they prepare to raise anchor, while Odin cautions his advisors that if Thor fails, Asgard is doomed.

WHAT’S HOT
RAGNAROK! As if it wasn’t enough to finally meet Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg, what do I see in the very last panel? An enemy has left a message: Ragnarok is coming! Ka-Boom! Something else I already know about.

WHAT’S NOT
SUSPENSE SUSPENDED. Though it’s exciting to meet new characters I already know, and entertain concepts with which I’m already familiar, in a way, the suspense is ruined. Internally, of course, for the characters, there is a good deal of suspense about what’s going to happen, but the emotions of the reader cannot be as invested. Tales of Asgard takes place in Thor’s past, so the fact that Asgard is still around in the first story in this book clearly indicates that Ragnarok does not actually happen. The only suspense for the reader is: how do the Asgardians avoid it? Well…I’ll take it. I’m along for the ride.

“Stand aside for Volstagg!
By my sword, there shall be many a flattened head this day!”
— Volstagg

AVENGERS #19

“The Coming of the Swordsman!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
The Swordsman breaks into Avengers Mansion, seeking membership, but Cap refuses. Hawkeye reveals that the Swordsman originally trained him in archery when they were both in a circus, but when he discovered Swordsman robbing the payroll, his mentor tried to kill him. Later, Swordsman lures Cap into a trap. The other Avengers discover the ploy and rush to the rescue. Swordsman attempts to use Cap to force the Avengers to make him their leader, but Cap leaps to a certain death to prevent the Avengers from surrendering.

WHAT’S HOT
HOT. You had me at “swashbuckling.”

LET ME READ YOUR AURA. Wanda declares that there is an “aura of subtle evil about him.” Is she ranking the villains? Is she grading on a curve? What is it that makes his evil “subtle”? Is it the moustache?

NEVER SAW THAT BEFORE. We are treated to the sight of a completely black panel when the Swordsman cuts the electrical wires, plunging the scene into total darkness. It makes total sense and is exquisite in its simplicity.

HAWKEYE’S BACKSTORY. Hawkeye was an orphan that joined the circus. Why am I not surprised?

WHAT’S NOT
CLUELESS VILLAIN. The Swordsman thinks if he captures Cap, then the Avengers would have to accept him. He apparently doesn’t understand the concept of “acceptance.”

IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, PART 1. Cap talks to himself, saying that training keeps his mind off the fact that Nick Fury hasn’t answered his letter. He then goes on to talk about it for two more panels.

IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, PART 2. Hydra agents awkwardly talk to each other about things they already know. Where’s the Narrator when you need him?

“You’ll NEVER be an Avenger, for you are lacking in honor!”
— Scarlet Witch