JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #96

“The Mighty Thor Defying the Magic of Mad Merlin!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Robert Berns
Art: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
When Magician Merlin awakens and seeks power, only Thor stands in his way. They battle in Washington DC with Merlin using national monuments as weapons, which Thor is unwilling to destroy. However, at every turn, Thor cleverly defuses the situation, and in the end convinces Merlin that he, Thor, is a greater magician, able to assume multiple identities. Defeated, Merlin agrees to return to his coffin and never threaten humanity again.

WHAT’S HOT
MUTANT. Turns out Merlin is not a magician, he’s a mutant, with powers of teleportation, levitation, and hypnosis. This issue came out the same month as the premiere issue of The X-Men. Was the idea to plug the new title?

THANKS, BRO! For some inexplicable reason, Loki tells Thor the truth about what Merlin’s been up to. Loki remains imprisoned in Asgard where, though he apparently is unable to sit down, he can “watch” events on earth in his mind. Well, he might be uncomfortable, but at least he’s not bored…

JFK. This time we actually get to see JFK, not just his forehead. We also see Carolyn, and a reference is made to “Macaroni” (her horse). In a cute bit of pop culture, Merlin dismisses JFK as the leader he is seeking, because “He looks too young!”

WHAT’S NOT
OH, JANE! Artist Joe Sinnott’s Jane Foster looks like my 3rd grade teacher. Not a pretty sight.

INSENSITIVE. During the lead-up story, in which Blake must desert his medical practice for an hour to rescue a busload of passengers from certain death, Jane tells Blake she made “lame” excuses to his patients while he was gone. Did she say…lame? Boy, she must be really pissed at him!

WIMPY WIMPY WIMPY. For someone who’s been stewing in magic and evil for a thousand years, hell bent on absolute power, Merlin gives up way too easily. When Thor reverts to Blake and claims these are only two of many identities he can assume, and that he is “ten times more powerful” than Merlin, the magician never even stops to question.

At this point, we can only surmise that though Merlin considers Thor an awesome and terrifying presence, this second manifestation as a lame earthling in a three-piece suit yielding a stick is just too much for him to bear. Who might this powerful creature manifest as next? Wally Cox? Phyllis Diller? No, Merlin’s not sticking around for that. He caves like a soufflé, obediently returning to his coffin.

STRANGE TALES #112

“The Human Torch Faces the Threat of the Human Bomb!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Joe Carter
Art: Dick Ayers
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
The Eel steals “Project X” from the lab of inventor Charles Lawson, and inadvertently activates an atomic bomb when he opens the package. With one hour until the bomb explodes, Torch tracks down the Eel, finally securing the bomb and flying it into the stratosphere in the nick of time. Torch absorbs the bomb’s energy into his own body, leaving him near death. But never fear: Reed rescues Johnny and cures him with a life-restoring ray.

WHAT’S HOT
DEVOTION. Sue hangs out at home wearing her FF uniform.

IRONY. The Eel decides not to press the lever, because there’s no telling what might happen, when in reality, NOT pressing the lever is what makes something happen.

GUEST APPEARANCE. One frame shows the Wizard (last seen in Strange Tales #110) begging to be let out of prison to pursue the Eel.

BIG ART. On top of page 10, we get a huge piece of art to show the scope of the explosion.

HEARTFELT EMOTION. When Thing believes Johnny is dying, he gets all choked up.

SELF-SACRIFICE. Torch is willing to risk his own life to save the lives of veterans who risked theirs. What a hero!

WHAT’S NOT
SELF-SACRIFICE. But, honestly…such excessively mature reasoning for a teenager…sounds forced, and doesn’t quite ring true.

MUNDANE LANGUAGE. While the Eel may have electric shock at his command, he obviously does not have command of the English language, running out of fancy words way too early in the story. Immediately after the Eel activates his “Electro-Actuator,” he returns to his lair, musing that a “special contraption” is causing metal plates to swing up into a prefabricated enclosure. Special contraption? Really? Professor Lawson, the inventor, fashions a unique “Transmito Globe” and “Aqua Attractor Gun.” Can’t the Eel do at least as well as that?

However, maybe it’s not the villain who’s to blame, so much as the writer. Because later in the story, Reed Richards revives Johnny with “a new ray.” A new…what? A “Ray”?? C’mon, now! We know Reed can do better than that! In comparison, the Eel’s “contraption” seems positively splendid.

COLOR? When Johnny decides to go after the Eel, his “Flame On!” is all white. Did someone forget to color in the word balloon, or is this meant to convey a lack of enthusiasm for the task at hand?

TALKY TALKY PART I. What is with the odd layout of the panel at the top of page 7? It’s 80% word balloon, with only the tiniest little picture of Thing at the bottom? Doesn’t this just draw attention to the fact that when danger is afoot, our heroes spend way too much time talking?

TALKY TALKY PART II. When Torch has the bomb and reflects that it will explode in a “split-second,” his thought balloon goes on to include 38 additional words of detailed explanation of how he’s going to prevent the bomb from damaging the veteran’s hospital and the general populace. Of course, this is a thought balloon, not a word balloon, so a point could be made that thoughts happen faster than words. But a point could also be made that people don’t generally think through and explain every single detail TO THEMSELVES before they take action. There’s no internal story reason for this, but externally, it sure does serve a purpose.

TRIVIA
This story was written by “Joe Carter.” Real name: Jerry Siegel. Siegel, along with Joe Shuster, created DC superhero, Superman. Interestingly, both Superman creators attended GLENVILLE High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Glenville? Hmmm…

STRANGE TALES ANNUAL #2

“Human Torch, On the Trail of the Amazing Spider-Man!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Steve Ditko
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
When the Fox frames Spider-Man for the theft of a Leonardo da Vinci painting, Spider-Man teams up with Human Torch to catch the thief. Sometimes at odds, sometimes working as a team, the two visit several of the Fox’s lairs, finally locating him, his men and the stolen artwork.

WHAT’S HOT
SELL IT, STAN! The cover details a Spider-Man vs. Human Torch encounter and informs us that “This long-awaited epic-length thriller is only one of the many wonderful features within these unforgettable pages.” Whoa! How many loaded words can you fit into one sentence?

PETER! WHAT BIG MUSCLES YOU HAVE! When Spider-Man creates an ice-silicone webbing to hold Torch, he goes shirtless to test it, revealing a muscular physique. Spider-Man is usually drawn by Steve Ditko, but Jack Kirby obviously has a different take on the character.

DOUBLE DOSE OF TEEN EGO. On their own, Spider-Man and Human Torch each have an incredible amount of teenage ego, but together, their verbal sparring is extremely entertaining.

• Here, hot-head! You’re fightin’ a big-time operator now!
• Just try ‘n’ STOP me, loud-mouth!
• Heck, I can’t do ALL the thinkin’ for you!
• What do you use for a MEMORY, Torch? Did you forget about my SPIDER SENSE??

WHAT’S NOT
THE FOX. What kind of villain is this? An old man with a monocle, a cigarillo, gloves and a hat? A sophisticated criminal? And what is his claim to fame? That he’s “clever as a fox”? Or is this a riff on the caped crusader’s felonious fowl from the Distinguished Competition?

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. I guess we have to move the story along quickly, but when the cops find a spider web under the frame of the stolen picture, they jump to the conclusion that Spider-Man committed the crime. Hunh! Are there no spiders in art museums?

SPIDER-MAN THIS…SPIDER-MAN THAT… Johnny gets all hot under the collar when he sees that Spider-Man is getting more press than Torch. But wait! Isn’t it usually BAD press for Spider-Man? Why be jealous for that?

WELL, THAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER…
The first time Torch and Spider-Man met, it wasn’t under the best of circumstances, and things start out no better the second time around. A number of pages are devoted to the confrontation between the two teen superheroes. This goes on for so long, we almost forget the Pengu– I mean, the Fox is the true villain!

However, Peter uses his ingenuity to calm Johnny down enough to listen to his plight. Eventually, the boys settle into a mutual, yet reluctant respect for each other’s crime-fighting styles. “Y’know, you handle those webs of yours pretty smooth for a guy who can’t fly!” Torch concedes, to which Spider-Man replies, “And you fly pretty good yourself—for a guy with no webs!”

TALES OF SUSPENSE #45

“Iron Man and the Icy Fingers of Jack Frost!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Robert Berns
Art: Don Heck
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
When Tony Stark’s race car crashes, Happy Hogan saves his life. Grateful, Stark employs Happy as a chauffeur/bodyguard. At the plant, Stark fires Professor Shapanka for attempting to steal secret formulas. Several weeks later, Shapanka emerges as Jack Frost, a criminal with the power to deep freeze his opponents. However, Iron Man handily melts this bad guy with a blast from a miniature furnace. Happy Hogan realizes his boss Stark “needs a heap of protecting.”

WHAT’S HOT
STARK’S RESUME. Add to Stark’s list (billionaire industrialist playboy, etc.): race car driver!

GROUCHY STRANGER. Happy Hogan is the “grouchy stranger” who pulls Stark out of the car wreck. Points for irony and philanthropy.

CURRENT EVENTS. Stark’s plant is in Flushing, Long Island. We see the World’s Fair, which will be Stark’s “next door neighbor in ’64.” I went to that World’s Fair! I was seven and my sister was five and I remember the pretty summer dresses we wore to the Fair.

ARROWS. In the middle of a unique page layout, green arrows instruct the reader how to proceed. Kudos for creativity with page layouts.

TRIANGLES. Happy likes Pepper (though I can’t figure out why). Pepper likes Tony. Right now there doesn’t seem to be any chance either of them are going to get what they want, but it’s fun that a potential love triangle has been set up the moment Iron Man gets his supporting cast.

WHAT’S NOT
PICAYUNE. In one panel, the word classic is split as “class-” one line and “ic” on the next. Again I say…if you have room for the dash, you certainly can manage to squeeze in two letters, especially if one of them is “I.”

PEPPER POTTS. Can’t figure her out. We know that eventually she’ll be an attractive young lady with her eye on Mr. Stark, but right now she’s pictured as dour and freckle-faced. Or are those acne scars? And what is that outfit she’s wearing, and why is she wearing the exact same thing “weeks later”? Is she a cartoon character, always appearing in the same clothing? What are we supposed to make of her?

TOO MUCH INFO! Another thing I can’t figure out about Pepper: She meets Happy and takes an instant dislike to him, yet immediately reveals that she has a secret crush on the boss, and is planning to marry him. If she wants to keep her secret crush a secret, is it really wise to blab it to someone with whom she’s exchanged less than eight word balloons?

OUCH! Stark describes his Iron Man costume as “cramped” and “painful.” That’s just not cool. But I guess it shows how devoted he is to do-good-ing.

ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION. Also not cool, but it’s done by the villain, so it works. I certainly hope Stark doesn’t test his inventions on defenseless animals.

HOLD ON! Shapanka is trying to break into the vault to get the formula for the tiny transistors. So, why does Iron Man lock him in the vault? Even if there’s no chance he can sneak out the formula, he might have the opportunity to commit it to memory.

GETTING AWAY WITH CRIME PART I. Why does Stark let the thief go? And why does Shapanka fixate on “getting back” at Stark? He should be glad he didn’t get sent to prison! Okay, Shapanka’s excuse is that he’s as crazy as a bag of hammers, but Stark has no excuse for letting that looney go free. At the very least, he should have used some of his resources to keep an eye on him.

TALES TO ASTONISH #47

“Music to Scream By”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: H.E. Huntley
Art: Don Heck

IN A NUTSHELL
While out for a night on the town, Ant-Man and Wasp capture musician Trago, who has stolen money from his employer. The employer sends him to India, where he meets Ghazandi, who teaches him how to hypnotize animals and people with his horn. Trago returns to New York to use his powers to loot banks, but Ant-Man and Wasp put a stop to his plans. By bending Trago’s trumpet, Ant-Man causes new notes to be played, which wipe Trago’s memory clean. He returns to the New York jazz scene and no one remembers any of this.

WHAT’S HOT
TITLE. Music to Scream By. Sounds so poetic, like a horror story, or film noir (directed by Fritz Lang, starring Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson).

KORR & FOSS. Ant-Man’s winged ants that he uses for transportation now have names. So it seems both Ant-Man and Iron Man are beefing up their supporting casts in the same month.

NIGHT ON THE TOWN. Both Henry and Janet look so sophisticated on their jazz club date.

CHRONOLOGY. The story begins, then there is a lapse of several months before it picks up again. Russ has been telling me for a while that there will be stories that fit inside other stories, but I don’t think I’ve run into that—until now! Wonder what Ant-Man and the Wasp were up to during those months in the middle…

BIBLE QUOTING. Wow. At the end of the story, Pym is thinking about Korr the ant, who sacrificed himself to protect his humans. And then, this comic book, written and illustrated by a talented bunch of Jewish men, quotes from the New Testament: “Greater love hath no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

WHAT’S NOT
GETTING AWAY WITH CRIME PART II. Just like in the Iron Man story, when someone is found committing a crime, the kind-hearted victim lets them off easy, with devastating results. In the end, Ant-Man causes Trago’s horn to play notes that wipe his memory clean, so he reverts to being “just another jazz trumpeter.” We’re expected to believe there’s no need for punishment, since he was “hypnotized,” and “not in his right mind,” when he committed his acts of evil. But I beg to differ! When Trago met the Indian master Ghazandi, he begged to learn the notes that would hypnotize humans. He was not hypnotized at that point, and made this request with evil intentions.

BTW/WTF? When the hypnotic music starts, Pym’s immediate reaction is “We’ve got to reduce our size!” How is THAT going to help?