AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #12

“Unmasked By Dr. Octopus!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
A sick Peter dons his Spider-Man costume to rescue Betty from Dr. Octopus. When Doc Ock unmasks his fallen foe, everyone assumes Peter is impersonating Spidey in order to save Betty. The next day, when Peter is better and feeling like a zillion bucks, Spidey helps the police catch the zoo animals Doc Ock has set free. Then Spidey and Ock fight, ending up in a sculptor’s studio, which catches fire. Spidey escapes, but Ock is arrested. Though Liz is now impressed with Peter, he turns down her party invitation, preferring Betty’s company.

WHAT’S HOT
PRIORITIES, PART I. Dr. Octopus engages in a series of “colorful crimes,” stealing bags of money wherever he can, yet his true objective is not monetary gain. His crime spree is merely a ploy to draw Spider-Man out into the open, so he can DESTROY him. Like the other Marvel doctor (Doom…not Strange), Ock is quickly becoming a villainously focused force, slated to cause even greater troubles for the object of his obsession.

PRIORITIES, PART II. Our lesser bad guy, Jameson, gets a stern tongue-lashing from a policeman for withholding information from the law, in order to get an exclusive news story. It was good to finally see somebody put him in his place.

UNREQUITED. Liz Allan is so impressed by the story that Peter impersonated Spider-Man, she now prefers him to Flash. However, since Peter is now all about Betty, he’s no longer interested in Liz, and unapologetically tells her so.

SCENERY. Most of the story ends up being a battle between hero and villain, but extra points for shifting the action across a variety of venues, including a sculptor’s studio that catches fire.

HEROICS. When Doc Ock is trapped beneath a fallen sculpture, Spider-Man’s immediate reaction is “Hang on, smart guy! I’ll get you out!” Spoken like a true hero.

RATIONALIZATION. When Doc Ock is captured, he reasons “Spider-Man didn’t beat me! It was the fire!” Ego still intact, he lives to fight another day.

WHAT’S NOT
CHEAT? Marvel circumvents the DC cheat tradition of “hoax, dream, imaginary story” by having the event promised on the cover actually happen…but no one believes it! So, they’re not being dishonest. But in a way, it still feels like a cheat.

VIRUS. A common virus can make Spider-Man “weak as a kitten.” Superman has less of a chance of running into kryptonite. Peter better be careful and wash his hands–whenever he’s not using them to shoot webs!

PERSPECTIVE? In the last panel, we learn that while Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus were fighting, the automatic shutter of Peter’s camera was clicking away, providing Jameson with the desired pix. Anybody with half a brain would have to wonder about the perspective on those pix. Where was the photographer standing? Or hanging? And how desperate must Jameson be for a “scoop” that he lets himself stupidly gloss over those questions?

FANTASTIC FOUR #26

“The Avengers Take Over!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: George Bell
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
Thing battles Hulk on the streets of NY, to no avail. Hulk hijacks a subway to Tony Stark’s mansion and finds…the Avengers! Fighting ensues. The FF join the fight against Hulk, but all these superheroes keep getting in each other’s way, and Hulk escapes with a kidnapped Rick Jones. More fighting ensues, but now the superheroes are working together. When Rick slips Hulk a gamma-ray capsule, he reverts to Bruce Banner as he falls into the harbor. The FF and Avengers congratulate each other.

WHAT’S HOT
ALPHA OVERLOAD. The more the merrier, and with all these superheroes getting in each other’s way, there’s plenty of opportunity to see how they interact with each other–with both heroic and comic results.

HIGH PRAISE. My favorite line: When Thing meets Thor, he’s impressed, and marvels, “You’ve even got muscles in your voice.” Could there possibly be any higher praise?

BROMANTIC JEALOUSY. Hulk is mad at Captain America because he’s “the one who tried to get Rick away” from him. In all this muscle vs. muscle, it’s refreshing to see this little bit of soap opera motivation.

WHAT’S NOT
OH, REALLY? When the army guys are convinced Thing and Torch can’t stop Hulk, that’s when they decide to step in. If Thing and Torch can’t get the job done, what makes them think they’ve got a snowball’s chance in Hell of succeeding? They’re either extremely dedicated…or simply delusional.

DO THE MATH. Hulk says that he is only half Giant-Man’s size. Well…IF Giant-Man is twelve feet tall, that would make Hulk only six feet tall…which can’t possibly be true. I think Hulk’s been hit one too many times in the head by this point, and doesn’t know what he’s saying.

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #104

“Giants Walk the Earth!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
To confront Thor about his love for a mortal, Odin visits earth, leaving Loki in charge. Loki releases Skagg and Surtur, and sends them to earth to defeat Odin. But Heimdall alerts Balder, who alerts Thor, who alerts Odin, who stops time so the Asgardians can battle on earth. Naturally the good guys beat the bad guys, and when Odin returns home, he sends Loki to “serve the trolls.” Thor, meanwhile, defies his father’s order to return to Asgard, saying he can never leave the home of the one he loves.

WHAT’S HOT
ACTION PACKED. This story has a nice blend of soap opera and action. We begin with some up close and personal scenes, between Blake and Jane, and between Loki and Odin, but the pace quickly picks up with an epic battle including giants, fireballs, storms and funnel clouds, magic swords and asteroids. Reading this story, I could easily see it being the preliminary script for the next Thor movie.

CONTINUITY. It all begins with Loki chastising the Enchantress and the Executioner for their failure in Journey Into Mystery # 103. At the same time, Jane is exhausted after her recent run-in with these two Asgardians. So recent, in fact, she hasn’t yet had time to fully recover from it all! Is this happening the same day?? Nice way to keep the universe alive between issues!

WHAT’S NOT
CONTINUITY. Now, after I’ve just praised the excellent sense of continuity between the last two issues, I regret to say I have a beef with some of the continuity within this issue. Because Jane is exhausted, Blake sends her home for the afternoon, “then, after Jane has left…” he has a weird sense of impending doom, and morphs to Thor so he can “search the entire city in less time than it would take Don Blake to cross a street.” A lot happens in Asgard while Thor is searching the city (“in less time than it would take Don Blake to cross a street”). Well, maybe time passes differently in Asgard? But the next time we see Thor, Balder has arrived on earth to warn him that Odin, Surtur and Skagg are in town and “there is no time to lose!”

Thor prays the warning has come in time. There’s a real sense of urgency to it all, so Thor immediately returns to Blake’s office…and what does he find? Jane is there, attending a waiting room full of patients! (We have a partial view of the room, and see at least three people, besides Odin.) Again, I ask: is this all happening the same day? It certainly seems like it! So, either I’m missing something, or Jane’s just had the shortest afternoon off…ever!

And then, only a few moments after leaving that crowded waiting room, Odin causes time to stand still. Yet, when all the important action is over and he releases the spell, Blake returns to the office and it’s empty, except for Jane, who’s sitting at the desk, reporting, “Actually, it’s been a very quiet day so far!” I understand this is said to increase the sense of irony between the epic battle we’ve just witnessed and the simply mundane lives of us earthlings in comparison, but…but…what happened to all those people in the waiting room? Did they all just decide to stop waiting? “Oh, that Dr. Blake! He’s never around when you need him! I’m going down the street to Dr. Andrews!” (LINK TO JIM 97)

PUNY, STUPID GOD. Okay, one more beef, and unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring one. I don’t understand what’s so hot about Odin. He’s distraught about his “favored son” Thor, so completely at a loss, he asks advice from Loki. Is this really wise? Isn’t Odin aware of what a troublemaker Loki has always been? Is Odin completely oblivious to Loki’s sibling rivalry with Thor? What in the world (our world, or the Asgardian world) makes him think LOKI is going to offer advice that will cause a favorable result for THOR?

And hey, isn’t Loki supposed to be locked up, anyway? What’s he doing running around Asgard, stirring up more mischief? Did I forget something?

Most disturbing of all: even if Odin is at his wit’s end, he’s the King and he’s a GOD. He shouldn’t be admitting to anyone that he has no idea what to do. It demeans his kingship and his godship.

I’m sort of losing respect for Odin.

And when he decides to go to earth, why does he invest Loki with a portion of his power? Doesn’t he have a vice-God, some second in command who would naturally assume that position? Why does he give his power to an ex-con, whose moniker includes the subtitle “God of MISCHIEF”??

Things must really work differently in Asgard.
And/or…
Odin is pretty stupid for a “god.”

STRANGE TALES #120

“The Torch Meets the Iceman!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
A band of pirates led by the Barracuda board a pleasure cruise, unaware Torch and Iceman are passengers. The teen superheroes quickly learn to work together, but Barracuda tricks Torch into falling into the ocean. With the ship on fire, Iceman extinguishes the flames, and captures the pirates, with giant snowballs, even as Johnny lassos the bad guys in a ring of fire. When Barracuda kidnaps Doris, Iceman and Torch rescue her. They leave the scene with great respect for each other’s talents.

WHAT’S HOT
IT HAD TO HAPPEN. The cover proclaims “It had to happen…” and isn’t that the truth? When you’ve got so many supernatural beings whose powers are in direct contradiction to each other, how much fun is it to get them together? On the splash, we learn that this is “the action-packed meeting your letters have demanded!” I don’t doubt readers were waiting for this. And I don’t doubt we’ll see these two in action together again.

MARKETING. The newspaper Johnny’s reading in the splash has the headline “X-Men Battle Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!” from last month’s X-Men comic adventure. The Marvel Bullpen has never been above a hefty dose of self-promotion.

WHAT’S NOT
STUPID CRIMINALS STRIKE AGAIN. What kind of pirates attack a ship full of teenagers in the 1960’s? Nowadays, they might get a good haul of cell phones and credit cards, but in 1964, what could they expect? A few Vitalis-laden hair combs, a Giant-Man Fan Club membership card or two, and some Bazooka bubble gum? Hardly seems worth the effort.

“The House of Shadows!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Sam Rosen

When a TV reporter enters a haunted house, Dr. Strange observes through his amulet. When the reporter faces danger, Strange enters the house and confronts the enemy within: the house itself, which has come “from another space-time continuum” to observe mankind. Strange banishes the house to the shadow world, and the crowd thinks it’s trick photography.

It’s a well-documented fact that I am not a fan of the horror genre. That being said, I have no problem watching Buffy, Angel, Teen Wolf, etc. Vampires and werewolves don’t bother me, because in my mind, they so clearly exist only in the world of my imagination. However, don’t talk to me about ghosts, and don’t talk to me about haunted houses. That’s where I draw the line, because (in my mind) these things could be real.

So far, I’ve seen Dr. Strange battle Nightmare, Mordo, body-snatchers, powerful beings from an alternate dimension, and a spinybeast. Yet I have no problem getting to sleep at night.

However, this story creeps me out.

It’s not difficult to imagine the basic premise: the discovery of something spine-chilling within a “haunted house.” How many movies rely on this age-old theme? And nowadays, haunted houses are a hot topic on many cable channels, as well.

I doubt I will ever meet a vampire, werewolf or entity “from another space-time continuum.” But I live in a house. Have lived in houses all my life, and expect to go on living in houses. Houses are real. People are also real, and people die. And if people who die don’t find eternal rest, they could be hanging around as ghosts, and haunting houses.

So, you see…this could happen.

I’m grateful Stan decided to delve into the mystical, fantastical world of his imagination to create a “villain” from “another space-time continuum.” Phew! Now I’m just reading a STORY. But if he had allowed the villain to be an actual ghost, then it would have been less like a “story,” and more like a real possibility.

I’m also grateful this whole thing takes place on cheap newsprint, with word balloons. And that Dr. Strange is so…strange looking. Because if this story had been told as an expertly crafted movie directed by Wes Craven, starring Viggo Mortensen as Dr. Strange, first of all…I probably wouldn’t watch it. But if I did, I might be keeping one eye open when I turn off the bedroom light tonight.

TALES OF SUSPENSE #53

“The Black Widow Strikes Again!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Don Rico
Art: Don Heck
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
After Stark perfects an anti-gravity device, Black Widow wheedles her way into his office, paralyzes him, and escapes with the device. When her bumbling comrades use it to float a car, Iron Man finds them and fighting ensues. Believing she has crushed Iron Man with the device, Black Widow goes after Fort Knox. Iron Man makes a surprise appearance and nullifies the anti-gravity device with a proton electric charge. Oh yeah…and he also saves the lives of the two bumbling comrades, as the Black Widow escapes…yet again.

WHAT’S HOT
MUCH HANDSOMENESS. All of the men in this issue look very rugged and handsome, even the incidental cops at the end of the story. Lots of strong jawlines. I’m really enjoying Don Heck’s artwork in the Iron Man series. Now, having said that, I can’t find much more that goes in the plus column for this story. So without further ado…

WHAT’S NOT
BLIND CHANCE. When Stark works on his anti-gravity device for months without success, he decides to “leave it to blind chance.” WHAT?? One: that’s not the scientific method. Two: it could be highly dangerous. Three: if the methodless madness happens to be successful (as it is), how do you proceed from here?

DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS. Stark should have checked in with the Wizard from the recent Strange Tales story. Of course, the Wizard floated into the stratosphere with his anti-gravity device, so he’s probably not around for consultation. But perhaps he left some notes?

THE PESKY PRESS. How does a snooping reporter get into a top military site to snap a picture of a new weapon in action? I’m losing faith in the U.S. Government, almost as much as I’m losing faith in Tony Stark. Because…

CARELESSNESS. The narrator tells us, “It seems that Tony Stark isn’t the first to be taken in by a pair of limpid eyes,” right before Black Widow charms him and steals the anti-gravity device. Is the narrator excusing Stark’s stupidity as a natural consequence of having overactive male hormones?

‘I MEANT TO DO THAT…” Yet, later, after the Black Widow has stolen the anti-gravity device, Tony reasons, “I KNEW she was up to no good, but I had to pretend I trusted her…to learn what she was after!” Well…which was it? Foolishly taken in by a pair of limpid eyes, calculated planning…or deluded compensation? At least one senator isn’t buying, and labels Stark’s carelessness as “almost criminal negligence.”

WOMEN! YOU CAN’T LIVE WITH ‘EM… In the flashback, as Stark allows Black Widow to escape, he reasons, “After all, she IS just a woman…and such a lovely one!” Two fabulous reasons to let a dangerous criminal go free. Personally, I think Stark is just making some more excuses for his overactive male hormones.

“The Way It Began…”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script & Pencils: Larry Lieber
Inks: Paul Reinman
Letters: Art Simek

The Watcher tells the story of how his utopian society, long ago, shared the secrets of nuclear energy with their neighboring planet, Prosilicus. The Prosilicans used that power to create unbeatable weapons to destroy their enemies, and eventually, they destroyed themselves. Devastated by these unintended consequences, the powers-that-be on the Watcher’s planet vowed that from that day forward they would no longer interfere with other planets. They would only…watch…

What we have here is a strong anti-war message cloaked in a mythical tale. At the end of the story, the Watcher’s father laments, “I entrusted an enormous power to people who had neither the advanced intellect nor the moral fiber to use it wisely!” Well, isn’t that always the case? No one on earth has yet advanced to that Star Trek-esque idealized amalgam of intellect and moral fiber which makes such enormous power a safe thing.

And speaking of Star Trek, why does the High World Council travel the galaxy to share their knowledge with distant unknown worlds? That makes about as much sense as Captain Kirk and his science officer being a part of every dangerous “Away Team” mission. There are 428 crew members on board…and Kirk and Spock don’t want to give anyone else a chance to go where no man has gone before?

Another question: Why does High World Council member Emnu say, “I, Emnu, disagree!” Does he forget his own name? Or, for all his advanced ways, has he not yet perfected the comic book tradition of referring to oneself in the third person? Of course, he’s got “Bah!” down, no problem there!

Oh, and one more thing: For all the benefits of this utopian society…no one has yet discovered the cure for baldness?

TALES TO ASTONISH #55

“On the Trail of the Human Top!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Dick Ayers
Letters: Art Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
When the Human Top escapes from jail, Giant-Man vows to recapture his old enemy. The Top shows up in Pym’s laboratory and steals a capsule belt. He locks Pym in the closet, and captures Wasp in a jar. The ants bring Pym a shrinking tablet, and he escapes. After Pym finds the Top, Wasp also escapes from the jar and contacts the termites. Giant-Man and a giant Top battle, until the Top falls through the rooftop that has been weakened by the termites. Giant-Man tells his fans that “even a termite can topple a giant.”

WHAT’S HOT
FAN CLUB. Giant-Man’s fans are certainly devoted! They visited him in March, when the Porcupine infiltrated their ranks, and again in April, when Wasp invited them in, simply to annoy Hank. And here they are yet again, in the splash, wearing their “Giant-Man Fan Club” jackets and buttons, while watching newsreel footage of their hero’s fantastic exploits.

But two issues remain. How do Giant-Man and Wasp maintain their secret identities when the fan club is meeting in Pym’s laboratory? Also: wouldn’t you say most of these fans appear to be way past puberty? Women who are this shapely and guys with cigarette packs on their sleeve should probably be going out on dates that don’t include fan club buttons and newsreel footage.

NOT LOSING TOUCH WITH THE LITTLE FOLK. Even though Pym can now become a giant, we still have plenty of plot points where the ants remain his faithful assistants. Here, they help him escape the closet, and termites (which are like ants, with a slightly different appetite) cause the villain to fall to his undoing. Giant-Man’s proclamation that “Even a termite can topple a giant!” reminds us not to get too hung up on size.

WHAT’S NOT
HOW BIG? And there’s another reason not to get too hung up on size. Because ever since Giant-Man first appeared, he keeps changing size! At first, we’re told he’s twelve feet tall, yet in this tall tale, he seems much more than that. Notice him tiptoeing through a crowd. Though he’s hunched over, he appears 20 feet tall, if he’s an inch! What do you think?

REALLY REALLY BIG MEETS REALLY REALLY SMALL. Ever since Giant-Man showed up, it’s been the artist’s dilemma to show the teeny tiny Wasp next to the hulkingly huge Giant-Man. How can you represent both sizes in a single comic panel? The answer is: you can’t, at least not in a way that’s going to be both accurate and visually appealing.

HO HUM… There was nothing about this story that excited me. Villain escapes, hero pursues and wins. Been there, done that. The high point in the story was the narrator’s comment in the last panel suggesting that next time, Hank and Jan may be one step closer to matrimony. Now that’s a story I want to read!

“The Gypsy’s Secret!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script & Pencils: Larry Lieber
Inks: George Bell
Letters: Morrie Kuramoto

Gorko the gypsy, who can transform lead into gold, seeks assistance from greedy Baron Radzik. When Radzik insists Gorko share his secret alchemy, they travel to Gorko’s wagon…which is really a spaceship! Turns out, Gorko’s an alien, sent to earth to capture a human specimen no one will miss. On his planet, gold is the most worthless of all metal. So…Razdik gets what he wants, but it’s of absolutely no use to him.

Pretty heavy-handed moralizing, if you ask me. Also, a slight flaw in logic. Just because Razdik is a cruel, selfish, greedy, ruthless SOB doesn’t necessarily mean nobody will miss him. What about the servant who answered the castle door? Who’s going to sign his paycheck now?