JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #115: POWER!!!

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Chrissy
Published: April, 1965

Published: April, 1965

“The Vengeance of the Thunder God”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Frankie Ray
Letters: Artie Simek

While in Coronavirus lockdown, I spent more time at my computer, which led me to discover several musical artists on You Tube. Up for your consideration: Dan Vasc, a hard-rockin’ metal singer from Brazil who sometimes ends his videos with an enthusiastic commitment to “music that gives you POWER!!!”

Dan is the man! Now I can’t hear or even think the word “power” without giving it that extra burst of…well, POWER!!! When I realized this month’s Journey Into Mystery was all about POWER!!! I knew I had to introduce this theme by mentioning Dan Vasc.

But now that I’ve made my introduction, it’s time to bring this theme directly into the world of Thor, circa April, 1965.

POWER OF THE ABSORBING MAN
Let’s start with our villain, the Absorbing Man. I’ve learned enough about him by this time to know that, like a King Midas on steroids, he absorbs the characteristics of whatever he touches. But when he touches silk curtains to display his powers to the banker and his wife, I’m thinking… has he just foolishly given away the secret of how to defeat him? Now that we’ve seen this, wouldn’t it be too easy to lure him to the circus, offer him some delicious cotton candy, and then set a firehose on him? And why would a super-villain make a point of featuring himself in one of his most vulnerable states?

Perhaps “brainpower” is not one of those things he is able to absorb.

Actually, I’m not sure I understand all the mechanics of the Absorbing Man’s powers. For instance, when a cop decides to shoot him with a blast from a rifle grenade, I’m thinking “But surely that will only make him stronger!” Instead, it “stuns” him and knocks the existing power of heat and fire right out of him.

Really? How does this make sense? Is it the difference between matter and energy? Can Absorbing Man only absorb the characteristics of solid objects (iron, wood, silk, etc.) but not the characteristics of energy forces? If so, then how did he absorb, as Thor puts it, “an irresistible force of HEAT”? It looks like fire, but Thor says it’s “heat.” And in the next panel, Absorbing Man crows, “I’ve absorbed the power of HEAT!”

So which is it? Does he absorb matter, or energy…or both? Or, perhaps, only what is most convenient to the storyline at the moment?

CONVENIENT POWERS
So let’s talk a moment about convenience. One thing I’ve noticed in the short time I’ve been reading Marvel Comics, is that very often our superpowered characters will suddenly possess new powers at the very second such a power is needed.

In this story, Loki has an enchanted sword equal in power to Thor’s hammer (at least according to Loki). Have we seen this before? Seems new to me. But wait! As I move on to the accompanying Tales of Asgard story, “A Viper Among Us”, what do I find? Here, Loki is seen getting ready to use the “enchantment of my flashing sword” to undo the work of Thor’s hammer. Is it an accident that this magical sword suddenly appears later in this very same issue? It’s almost as if the writers anticipated my incredulity, and quickly wrote the enchanted sword in to the Asgardian past, as if to say, “See? Loki always had this sword!”

However, even if you overlook this quick and clever CYA, the question remains: if Loki has indeed possessed this sword since days of yore, why is he only now deciding to use it again? Wouldn’t it have come in handy when he faced Thor in Journey Into Mystery #’s 94 & 108, and Avengers #1?

Also in this story, we learn that Thor has the power to cause Jane to forget what happened when she was whisked away to Asgard. I know I’ve seen this amazing power before (Giant-Man uses a serum on Second-Story Sam; with his mighty mind power, Professor X wipes clean the Blob’s memories). How awfully convenient for a superhero whose #1 imperative is to keep his identity a secret! How convenient…and what a cheat.

And of course, in the middle of all this forgetting, I cannot forget Spock, in Requiem for Methuselah, when he conveniently touches the forehead of his sleeping/grieving Captain and utters that single word… “Forget.”


Spock used this power in a very un-Vulcan-like display of caring. Let’s at least give him credit for that. But Marvel superheroes so far only activate the “Forget” protocol in order to protect themselves.

I was going to suggest this would be an awesome power for us mere humans. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to simply forget the most horrible things that ever happened to you? In some ways, yes. Then I wonder if we would also forget the lessons learned by enduring those hardships. If we could rely on the human race to only use this power for personal convenience, that would be only half bad—let’s say, when a teenager prefers his parents forget that he stayed out way past his curfew. But human nature being what it is, power corrupting, and absolute power corrupting absolutely, I see way too much opportunity for exploitation and manipulation. Abuse of this power could cause the wielder to fashion an alternate perceived reality that is nothing but complimentary to himself, with very little in common with “real reality.”

The early writers of these Marvel Comics are teetering on the edge of abuse of this power, much too quickly and conveniently writing themselves out of a hole, rather than facing the stark reality of figuring out how their characters might deal with difficult situations.

Or what about this convenient power: Thor makes a plot-intensifying move “By my powers over nature’s elements.” What? Does he indeed have power over all of nature’s elements? I understand he is the “Thunder God” who can bring up thunder, lightning and violent weather, but are the writers overstepping here as well? Sometimes, it seems like there’s nothing Thor can’t do.

For instance, in the end, he spins his hammer at “cyclotronic speed” so he can “transmute the elements themselves” to create helium…which causes the Absorbing Man to float away into a prison of the upper atmosphere. Wow. Who knew he could do that? Well, I guess we do, now. But I wonder if I’ll ever see this “cyclotronic speed” again.

COPS
And now we come to the cops…who have some power, to be sure, but nowhere near as much as Thor or the Absorbing Man. Let’s face it: they are out of their league in this one. And we know this early on, when one of the cops commands, “If we find him, follow Plan G.” Ummm…G is the 7th letter of the alphabet. If you’re already contemplating Plan G, you obviously don’t have a clue what you should be doing.

Cops want to be in charge, of course, but here we get mixed messages. When Thor first arrives on the scene, he tells them, “You must let me battle him first.” But one cop responds, “We don’t need ANYBODY to do our job for us!” Then, almost as an afterthought, he graciously adds, “You can JOIN us, if you want to!” However, two pages later, when Thor yells out that he takes command “in the name of the Avengers!” now a cop (same one, or different? It’s hard to tell…) heartily agrees “The Avengers have A-1 priority ratings! Thor out-ranks us!” and Thor is permitted to do his superhero thing. So…this is not really making a lot of sense, is it? At this point, the cops were probably well past Plan W, and at last (wisely) decided to share some of their self-perceived “power” with an actual super-powered superhero.

TOUGH BANKER DUDE
In this tale, there are also examples of people who have little or no POWER!!! When Creel breaks into his house, suit-and-tie banker John, in an effort to appear strong and commanding in front of his wife, boldly proclaims that he will give Creel a FULL FIVE MINUTES to leave…and THEN he’s going to call the police! Ooooh! I’ll bet that had the Absorbing Man shaking in his boots. John does in fact get off one good punch, which helps the situation for all of about five seconds. He doesn’t accomplish much as far as the storyline goes, but at least in the end, his wife is proud of him because he proved that he was “an Avenger in Spirit, and in Heart!”

POWER OF THE PRESS
In the previous issue, we met Harris Hobbs, a reporter hot on the trail of the Absorbing Man. When Hobbs’ tangling with the super-villain threatens to put him in the obituaries, Thor saves him, and Hobbs lives to tell the cops about the Absorbing Man. And honestly, that is all a member of the press is required to do: TELL.

The cops think he’s “a nut,” but good ol’ Hobbs continues to keep himself right in the thick of the action. This is where Thor finds him, and instructs Hobbs to lure the Absorbing Man out of the house, so an actual superhero can fight him.

Having been present for all of it, Hobbs finally decides this whole business is so fantastic, he can only sell his story to a science-fiction magazine. But he thanks Thor for opening his eyes to the fact that superheroes are not just conceited, costumed showoffs. He is now convinced that they do indeed possess…POWER!!!

I don’t know if we’re going to see Hobbs again, and I don’t know if he sells this story to a sci-fi mag or Affiliated Press, but unlike J. Jonah Jameson, superheroes now have at least one member of the Fourth Estate on their side.

PARENTAL POWER
Early in the story, Odin has to interrupt his throne-sitting to fly in and stop the sibling rivalry between Thor and Loki from getting out of hand. His broad shoulders, glaring eyes and proclamations of “SO!” and “Silence!” leave no doubt that dear old dad is NOT pleased. The power of the pissed-off parent sets in motion what seems to be a major event for the next issue—Trial of the Gods.

THE POWER OF GOOD OVER EVIL
“A Viper in Our Midst!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Artie Simek

In the accompanying Tale of Asgard, Loki rescues a storm giant, with an eye on calling in the favor when he is ready to overthrow Asgard. Loki is clever enough to conceive a plan to amass the enemies of Asgard to use as his own private army, but he is not wise enough to realize that when push comes to shove, Evil will always put its own interest first. As long as the interests of your evil cohorts coincide with yours, there’s a chance your unholy alliance might work out. But don’t count on their making any sacrifices for you. A house divided cannot stand. And there is no honor among thieves. Or for that matter, among any breed of villain, be they earthly or Asgardian.

I predict that Loki’s plan is doomed to fail, because he is so petty, his mind so twisted, that he fails to realize that real POWER!!! (the kind that comes in all caps and bold, with three exclamation points) exerts itself most powerfully when people are united FOR something, not against it.

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DAREDEVIL #7: Namor Steals the Show

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Chrissy
Published: April, 1965

Published: April, 1965

“In Mortal Combat With…Sub-Mariner!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Wally Wood
Letters: Artie Simek

So this is an issue of Daredevil. It’s all about Marvel’s newest superhero, the Man Without Fear…Daredevil! And in this issue, something very exciting happens to Daredevil. He gets a new costume!!

And that’s almost all I’m going to say about Daredevil.

FAUX FOE
Daredevil’s foe here is Namor, the Sub-Mariner. When I see Namor in a Marvel Comic, I rub my hands together and gleefully exclaim, “Oh, goody!” I’m quite the fangirl for Namor. In fact, it causes me pain to suggest that Namor is a “foe.”

Namor is not a foe. At least he is not truly a foe, not in the typical sense. In the super-hero world, a foe is someone deliciously villainous—someone, let’s say, like Doctor Doom, or Magneto, who can easily bring forth a hearty “MWAHAHAHA!” from the bottom of his belly, and/or travels about with a crew that calls themselves something preposterous like “The Brotherhood of Evil.” THIS is a true foe, a true villain.

And this is not Namor.

I think that’s what I like most about him (aside from his manly physique, and green scaly swimming trunks). He’s not a villain at all; rather, he’s more a literary antagonist. He’s a King. He’s noble, righteous, old-fashioned, and most probably at least a little better than the rest of us.

In this issue of Daredevil, after Namor’s day in court does not go well, we see him breaking out of the surface-dwellers prison with ease. Is that an aura around him, or merely an artistic depiction of his strength? Personally, I think it’s an aura.

His power emanates from his personality, his legacy—not from technology, magic, or a nuclear or cosmic accident. His strength doesn’t come from something that happened to him, or something he learned or does; it comes from who he IS.

Sure, he has a beef with the surface world, but who wouldn’t? He’s just trying to do the best job he can for his underwater civilization, and sometimes his objectives strongly clash with the objectives of the surface-dwellers—and we can clearly see that both sides have good points. With Namor, there is no absolute right or wrong, black or white.

Let’s face it, he’s complicated. And he’s fascinating.

(FLYING) FISH OUT OF WATER
Namor doesn’t understand surface ways, and his “fish out of water” status (pun intended) is comically played upon in this issue, as he simply cannot deal with the contraptions of the modern surface world. He first has a run-in with a revolving door, and later, an elevator. In both cases, Namor wins.

It’s also pretty funny that he wants to “sue the human race.” He understands the concept of a lawsuit, yet has no understanding that he can’t sue the whole freakin’ human race. Who’s he going to retain for that lawsuit? Nelson and Murdock? Apparently not. (Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Giuliani agreed to give it a shot.)

But wait! This “fish out of water” business is not entirely figurative when it comes to Namor. You could say he actually IS a fish out of water because, being half-human, he is able to breathe both water and air. Pretty cool, huh? And not only that, but Namor has ankle wings that give him the ability to fly. I’ve seen these ankle wings before, but don’t believe I’ve seen him actually flying until now.

The more I learn about this guy, the better I like him.

Namor’s hometown sweetheart Dorma, and all his other royal subjects, don’t enjoy these perks. When they come upside, they have to wear a fishbowl over their heads. With that in mind, I don’t understand why in the surface-world they want to live on the surface world anyway. Why, as General Krang argues, do the people of Namor’s kingdom “long to bask in the heat of the sun”? Wouldn’t this cause the water in their helmets to boil their eyeballs to a crisp?

NOBILITY MEETS NOBILITY
General Krang is clearly only interested in going to war—and Namor wisely recognizes that. But for Namor, it’s not about conquest; it’s more about the principle of the thing.

So, not only is Namor a force to be reckoned with, but also a deep soul, full of principles. As is—dare I say it?—Daredevil. For let’s not forget this is, after all, an issue of Daredevil. When Namor meets and battles Daredevil, he’s impressed with Daredevil’s style, courage and valor. In the heat of battle, Namor recognizes that “While I boasted, he acted,” and is forced to admit his own mistakes. Such introspection is a great quality in a leader. In the end, out of respect to Daredevil’s courage, Namor declares he will not injure any human being.

STAR-CROSSED LOVE
His reluctance to complete his acts of aggression on Daredevil, or any other surface-dwellers, is not surprising, however, considering his past history with the human race. Being half-human himself, and in light of his previous experiences, he wisely views these interspecies relationships as more delicate and complex than does his two-dimensional warmonger, General Krang.

Whenever he rises up from the sea, soap opera clings to Namor like a spidery tangle of seaweed, due mostly to his lingering unresolved romantic liaison with Sue Storm. Not that long ago, he fell hard for the surface woman, setting up one of the most dramatic love-triangles of these early comics. Reed Richards, of course, is quite a catch, smart, handsome, and…limber. There’s no reason why Sue shouldn’t want to marry him. But after Namor declares his feelings, the girl becomes…shall we say…temporarily distracted.

Despite everything Sue’s heart tells her about Namor, that he is clearly a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, there’s something about him she obviously finds appealing. Sure, she knows it can never work out, with him living under the sea, and her all the way up there in the rarified air of the Baxter Building, and yet…and yet…who knows?

PALACE INTRIGUE
But in this episode, our guest star Namor does not have time for romantic entanglements. He will come back to the surface world another time to pursue this mission, but first he must quickly return to his home under the sea to thwart a potential coup by the ambitious and untrustworthy General Krang.

When will all this happen, though, and where? In an upcoming issue of Fantastic Four? Perhaps again in Daredevil? How wonderful, if these future plot developments could play out in Namor’s very own comic book!

Will the King of Atlantis ever get his own title? Readers of this blog may know the answer to that question, but as of this writing, I do not—and Russ will only say, “Wait and see.” And so I wait. And hope.

THE FUTURE OF NAMOR
And there’s one more thing I hope: as much as I would love to see Namor get his own title in 1960’s comics, my real dream is that he will someday be featured as the star of his own movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And if this fangirl should be lucky enough to see this wish come true, who would I choose to immortalize the incomparably noble Namor? I gave it a little thought, but instantly stopped thinking as soon as I settled upon the obvious answer: Henry Cavill.

I mean…really. Any questions?

Sure, Cavill has already portrayed Superman, The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia, and Man From UNCLE Napoleon Solo. So what? He’s played them all to perfection, and no one else could be more perfect as Namor, the Sub-Mariner, noble King of Atlantis.

There’s so much to look forward to as I consider the future of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, both in print and on screen. All in all, it’s a wonderful time to be a fan of Marvel!

Oh, and Daredevil’s new costume looks pretty snazzy too.

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Meanwhile…: March, 1965

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Chrissy

AVENGERS #14

“Even Avengers Can Die!”
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Paul Laiken & Larry Lieber
Layouts: Jack Kirby
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
The Avengers discover the only doctor who can save Wasp has been replaced by a Kallusian, a race of aliens stranded on Earth. They locate the aliens’ arctic base, and order the aliens to leave Earth. When their arch-enemies the Yirbek arrive, at the prospect of fighting both the Avengers & the Yirbek, the Kallusians agree to leave. The Avengers return to the hospital with the doctor, and he saves Jan.

WHAT’S HOT
PACKED. You’ll notice a lot of “Nots” listed below, but there I’m mostly nit-picking. I don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t enjoy this story, because I did, immensely. It was packed with action, soap opera, aliens, travel to strange worlds, and even the Watcher makes an appearance! What more could you possibly ask from a Marvel Comic? I’ll gladly put up with a few nit-picky details to get a story that delivers on so many huge, significant levels.

GO, TEAM! Time and again the Avengers teamwork gets the job done—whether it’s searching the globe for Svenson, fighting the aliens, or all pitching in to lift the spirits of the inconsolable Giant-Man.

THE POWER OF PRAYER. The Watcher names prayer as the greatest power ever known. The story gets very spiritual in the end, but that’s entirely appropriate for a tale dealing with Life or Death.

WHAT’S NOT
OVERPLAYED. On the splash, the narrator suggests the death of Wasp could mean the end of the Avengers. I disagree. The Avengers is a repertory company. If anyone leaves, the rest will be fine.

PRIORITIES. Thor immediately excuses Dr. Blake from assisting Wasp by deciding she needs “a surgeon of far greater skill.” Shortly after, he is almost tricked into revealing his alter ego when the attending doctor asks, “Have you ever had medical training??” Putting aside for a moment how unlikely it is that a doctor would ever ask the anxious friends and family if they have medical training (has that ever happened to you, or anyone you know?), Thor breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes he almost gave away his mortal identity. I’m sorry, but there are some situations where this secret identity business goes too far. I’m almost getting the impression that Thor would have let Wasp die rather than lift a finger to help her as Dr. Blake, if it meant his secret would be revealed. Bad form!

FROZEN. So apparently there is such a thing as Anti-Freeze Pills in the Marvel Universe. First question: are there potential terrible side effects? And if not, why hasn’t Tony Stark made this miracle drug available to hikers, mountain climbers and Arctic explorers? Maybe he has? But that’s not the impression I’m getting as they all swallow their pills in the refrigerated trap.

AS SEEN ON TV. The Kallusians think they know everything there is to know about Earth because they have been listening to the radio and watching TV. Ha! If that’s the case, instead of kidnapping Dr. Svenson, why didn’t they send out a team to capture Jeannie or Samantha Stevens to blink or nose-wiggle their problems away?

THE MEREST WHIM OF CHANCE. Ah, Literary Convenience, the writer’s best friend! The Kallusian’s enemies find them at the exact split second that the Avengers and the Kallusians are arguing about Dr. Svenson. Same way that in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the once every 500-year cataclysmic event is next going to take place…tomorrow night! Or, in a New York drama, a single parking space is available…right in front of the building the hero needs to enter!

TICKING CLOCK. 48 hours is constantly referred to as an absolute, when in fact, it is not. Much drama is added, but to some degree, it’s false drama. In real life, at 47 and a half hours, Wasp would be just as likely to be fully recovered, as she would be likely to have died. A half-hour this way or that is not really likely to make that much of a difference.

WHAT THE WELL-DRESSED HOSPITAL PATIENT IS WEARING THIS SEASON. Even by the time Dr. Svenson finally gets to Jan, she is still dressed in her Wasp uniform, not a hospital gown. I wonder if she kept the uniform on for the duration of her life-saving surgery. I also wonder if Giant-Man insisted on it, so that while saving her life, her real-life alter ego would not be revealed. (See PRIORITES, above.)

NOTE
I read this story in the middle of the George Floyd protests, and was struck by the recurring theme: I can’t breathe. Wasp can’t breath because her lung is punctured, and the Kallusians can’t breath the air of this foreign planet. I’m in no way comparing the horror of a man’s death at the hands of police brutality to a silly comic book story…I’m just saying, the timing seemed something between coincidental and significant. Maybe being able to breathe is something we shouldn’t take for granted.

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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #22

“The Clown, and His Masters of Menace!”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
After replacing the Ringmaster with the Clown as their leader, the Circus of Crimes stages a heist at an art exhibit, but Peter happens to be present, with Betty & JJJ. Jameson is injured during the theft and is sent to the hospital. Spidey tracks down the Ringmaster and discovers their hideout location. He arrives at their warehouse and battles them. After defeating the villains, Peter arrives at the Bugle just as Jameson returns from the hospital. Later, at home, May is dismayed that Peter is keeping secrets from her.

WHAT’S HOT
ANDY WARHOL, WHERE ARE YOU? At Jameson’s “art show,” we glimpse Study of a Bandaged Finger, and The Pastoral Holy Sock. It makes me wonder how Steve Ditko really felt about “Modern Art.”

I’M WITH THE BAND. Everybody at one point in their lives dreams of being in a band. (C’mon! Admit it!) And the best parts of this daydream is figuring out what you’re going to name your band. I get the same sense of glee from the circus criminals as they toss around ideas and finally land on “The Masters of Menace”! (Hey! Isn’t there a heavy metal band already called that?)

ACHILLES IN HEELS. When Spidey meets up with Princess Python, he finds he can’t hit a girl and tries to play nice. The Princess turns on the charm, but when that doesn’t work, she feeds Spidey to her snake. When the cops finally come in to drag the villainess off to jail, our hero is relieved. And I’m left wondering if this new Achilles Heel is going to figure into the future adventures of the teenaged superhero.

SOPHIA! In last month’s Amazing Spider-Man, I featured a photo of Sophia Loren, which comically illustrated the trope of a woman waiting by the phone for her man to call. Now, I have no idea if that’s what’s actually happening in this 1964 movie, Marriage Italian Style, since I’ve never seen it, and it won’t be on our radar for many months yet, as Russ and I continue our long chronological trek through The Cinema. (We began several years ago with Wings, the Academy Award winner of 1929, and are just now watching the best movies of 1960.) I tie this all back to Amazing Spider-Man #22 because Spidey makes a Sophia Loren reference, while trying to stave off the advances of Princess Python. How apropos, that Spider-Man drops Sophia Loren into the Marvel Universe, at the same time that she drops into our ambitious cinematic enterprise.

WHAT’S NOT
GIZMO. Spidey attaches a GPS device to the Ringmaster’s hat, but he calls it a “gizmo.” I know the concept of GPS did not yet exist in 1965, but calling it simply a “gizmo” strikes me as lazy writing. At the very least, they could have called it what it is: a Technological Whatchamacallit.

THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THE BIG TOP. Stan, your circus fixation is showing! In the same way that people today in other countries watching American TV shows must surely think every US city is overrun with thugs and mobsters, the 1960’s Marvel comic book readers from other countries probably believed circus tents dotted every other street corner (as Starbucks and Walgreens do today).

POOR LITTLE JAMESON. When Jameson is in the hospital, no one comes to visit him but employee Betty Brant. While I feel sorry for him not having any friends or family who care enough about him to visit him in the hospital, at the same time I wonder if this is karma coming home to roost.

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FANTASTIC FOUR #36

“The Frightful Four!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
While Reed & Sue host an engagement party, the Wizard gathers fellow villains Sandman & Paste-Pot Pete to meet the mysterious Madame Medusa, who has total control over her hair. Together, they form the Frightful Four and attack and capture Reed, Sue, Ben & Alicia at the Baxter Building. Wizard uses his anti-grav devices to send the good guys into space, but Torch arrives and forces Wizard to help him rescue his friends. The FF return to Earth, but the Frightful Four escape.

INTRODUCING…
This is the first time I’m meeting Medusa in Marvel Comics, though I have already met her in the Inhumans TV show which ran on ABC in Fall 2017. In the show, Medusa spent most of the time with practically no hair, so I really didn’t get the full experience of what her superpower is all about. The few shots of her “unconquerable hair” in action looked less than convincing—which is probably why the producers decided to so quickly abandon her shtick. Oddly, this static early comic gives a much better portrait of what she can do. One question, though…why is she a villainess? It’s sometimes disconcerting how easily super-powered characters slide back and forth along the spectrum of Good and Evil!

WHAT’S HOT
THE GANG’S ALL HERE! Every Marvel superhero shows up for Reed and Sue’s engagement party…except Spider-Man. But he still manages to swipe a slice of cake when no one is looking.

LOVERS. Now that Reed and Sue are engaged, they are the picture of bliss.

IMPRESSIVE! When Paste Pot Pete and Sandman first meet Medusa, even before they see her superpower in action, they are so impressed merely by the length of her hair…and well, probably by her voluptuous figure as well. These two probably don’t have a lot of experience with women, so it doesn’t take much to impress them. And Medusa is indeed impressive, nicely drawn and, shall we say… statuesque.

SLEEP SPRAY. The fact that Paste Pot Pete now possesses a “sleep spray” moves him up from the very bottom rung of the supervillain hierarchy. This is so much better than (wait for it…) PASTE.

WHAT’S NOT
QUIBBLING. When SandMan tells Reed they are “The Frightful Four,” even while he’s on the verge of suffocation by sand, Reed objects, “But there’s only three of you!” (Monk, is that you???)

HEY DUDE, ACT LIKE YOU’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. When the Frightful Four manage to subdue three of the Fantastic Four, Paste Pot Pete “can’t get over it!” He’s amazed, ready to throw a ticker-tape parade to celebrate their victory. (The Wizard has to reel his enthusiasm back in.)

NEW DUDS. How does Johnny recognize the Wizard? This super-villain has undergone a complete makeover, wearing “new duds,” and his face is almost completely covered. What is it about the Wizard’s appearance that causes Johnny to instantly recognize him? Is that another one of his superpowers? Or am I simply quibbling here?

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JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #114

“The Stronger I Am, The Sooner I Die!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
In an effort to defeat Thor, Loki casts a spell on convict Crusher Creel, giving him the power to turn into any material he touches. When the Absorbing Man escapes from prison, Thor sets out to recapture him. The super-powered adversaries are so evenly matched, they can only battle to a draw. Suddenly Balder transports Thor to Asgard. Thor is at first enraged, but quickly forgets Absorbing Man when Balder reports that Loki has captured Jane. Meanwhile, on Earth, Creel plots his next move.

INTRODUCING…
Absorbing Man makes his first appearance here, and his superpower is quite impressive, instantly leveling the battlefield. We watched the entire Agents of SHIELD series, and he plays a part in one of the earlier seasons. I hate to admit it, but some of these SHIELD episodes were so highly plotted, esoteric and confusing (“Ohh! So you mean, that guy is with them!”) that he didn’t make an impression on me. So many fantastic things were happening left and right, this was just one more to add to the heap. I prefer this character here in the comics, where his background and motivations are clear, and the story is easier for my simple brain to follow.

WHAT’S HOT
SCHEMING. Loki doesn’t have “thoughts” or “ideas,” he dreams up “schemes.” What an evil connotation! And what else would you expect from the God of Mischief?

SARCASM? Hobbs, the reporter, tells Dr. Blake that he broke his arm by slipping on a banana peel while running to catch a train. Really? Is this guy some kind of a wisecracker, or is he hiding something more sinister behind a veil of “fake news”?

BUTTON NOSE. When Don Blake calls Jane Foster the endearing nickname of “Button Nose,” that’s when I knew…things are starting to get serious between these two.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL. Stan writes himself into a corner by having Thor fight someone of equal strength. How will this ever end? It only ends when Thor gives up the fight, to rush off to save Jane.

WHAT’S NOT
POOR JANE. She thinks she’s going out to dinner with her boyfriend, but instead she gets whisked off to an enchanted land, a pawn in an epic battle of sibling rivalry. Suddenly, staying home to wash your hair and read a good book doesn’t sound quite so bad…

THY LANGUAGE CONFUSETH ME. Thor’s language is becoming increasingly archaic. For example: “It can be employed to give him pause,” rather than “This’ll slow him down!” And, “To horse, then! Loki shall rue the day!” Don Blake would never talk like this! So why does Thor? Is it a natural phenomenon, like how your regional accent becomes much more pronounced when you go home to visit your family? Or in the case of Blake/Thor, do we have to start with the deeper question of who exactly is inhabiting this body? Is Thor who Blake is when granted superpowers? Or, are Blake and Thor two separate personalities, inhabiting one body? I don’t have the answers to these questions. Yet. Maybe as I read further I’ll get some more clarity on this issue. But in the meantime, I’m guessing I’m going to hear a lot more thee’s and thou’s, as time goes on.

“The Golden Apples!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Artie Simek

IN A NUTSHELL
The wolf god Fenris disguises himself as a frail traveler, seeking to steal Iduna’s golden apples of immortality, before she can deliver them to Asgard. Without the apples, the Asgardians will grow old and die. Iduna sees through his deceit, though, and Fenris drops his disguise. Haakun the Hunter arrives and uses his enchanted battle-axe to send Fenris back to Varinheim.

WHAT’S HOT
GIVING THE STORY ROOM TO BREATHE. I enjoy the four-panel per page layout of these little Asgardian tales. It allows for detail, moves the story along quickly, and the word balloons don’t seem quite as oppressive as they do in the longer, more tightly-packed stories.

WHAT’S NOT
THE CLUELESS GODDESS. If Iduna is a goddess, why isn’t she smart? “Iduna’s confidence is greater than her wisdom” would work much better for me if she was a simple courier, or perhaps a little girl skipping through the woods towards Grandma’s house.

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TALES TO ASTONISH #65

“The New Giant-Man”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Bob Powell
Inks: Don Heck
Letters: Sherigail

IN A NUTSHELL
While Jan designs a new costume for Giant-Man, Hank develops a new cybernetic helmet, which allows him to control the size of other living things. When his experiment on their cat Tabby backfires, he returns to the drawing board. Later, after trying on his new costume, he hears Jan scream. An accidental exposure to Hank’s size serum has enlarged a spider to gigantic size. Together, Giant-Man and Wasp battle the spider. Giant-Man recovers his new helmet and uses it to shrink the spider to bug size.

WHAT’S HOT
THROWBACK. With so many animals gone wild, I’m reminded of the very first Ant-Man comic, when our diminutive hero had to deal with so many oversized threats. Ah…those were the good ol’ days!

THAT’S BLEEDIN’ GOOD ART! On page four, as Pym applies a growth device to Tabby, the artist dares to think outside the box and depict the progress across three panels, then repeats the trick at the top of page five. In this month’s Captain America feature, I bemoaned the standard stagnant six panel style of so much of the 1960’s comic book layout. But here I must commend illustrator Bob Powell for inserting a bit of pizazz.

BUTTON NOSE, PART 2. This month, in Journey Into Mystery, Blake calls Jane Foster “Button Nose” and I thought it was oh, so cute. And now, here’s Pym, applying the same endearing nickname to Jan! What gives? Same writer? No… So all I can imagine is that during the last Avenger’s meeting…no wait, not really…Oh, I’ve got it! A scientist and a doctor walk into a bar, and the doctor says…hmmmm…well, maybe this past week, everybody in the country saw Tony Nelson call Jeannie “Button Nose,” and now it’s part of pop culture. Go figure.

WHAT’S NOT
HOW TO GET A MAN’S ATTENTION… In the first three pages, Pym keeps going in and out of his scientific dream world, and Jan has to literally fly around his head to get his attention. I understand wanting to highlight Pym’s scientific dedication, but we should always be careful when it comes at the expense of personal relationships. We’ve all seen too many mad scientist movies to know that never ends well.

THE CLUMSY SCIENTIST. This time around, Pym spills a size-changing activation fluid, which leads to chaos. Previously, his carelessness caused an explosion in his lab which led to Second-Story Sam discovering his secret identity. Maybe the Scientists’ Union does need to investigate and shut him down!

“On the Rampage Against the Reds!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Steve Ditko
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
Hulk battles the Leader’s humanoid horde, while a marine task force prepares to attack. During the fight, Hulk falls into the sea, and swims away. He eventually transforms into Bruce Banner and is captured by a Soviet submarine. When Talbot learns of this, he assumes that Banner is a spy who has defected to the Reds. Meanwhile, at an Eastern European weapons center, Banner intentionally turns into the Hulk to escape, but the center’s director calls on reinforcements from the Soviet army.

WHAT’S HOT
ZING! Meek, mild scientist Bruce Banner is surprisingly bold when he tells the Commie leader to “just hold your breath while you’re waiting for me to say yes.” Oh yes! I guess there are some things even meek, mild scientists won’t put up with!

PROTEST TOO MUCH. It struck me as extremely funny that even as Hulk is flatly refusing offers of friendship and food from the grateful scientist he just saved, insisting ”Don’t need NOTHING! I’m the HULK!” he’s stuffing his face with coffee and doughnuts.

WHAT’S NOT
CONNECT THE DOTS, MAN! Both Maj. Talbot and The Leader seem poised on the precipice of discovering the connection between Banner and the Hulk, but aren’t able to connect the final dots. Are they really not that bright, or is it that they can’t or won’t accept what they have to know in their heart of hearts is true?

ONLY HUMAN? What on earth makes the Commies describe the Hulk as “he’s still only human”? Really? Unless the Commies have similar beings that they currently identify as “human,” this seems a bridge too far.

WHAZZAT? When Hulk claps his hands together with a resounding B***aroom!, the resulting art looks like some strange cactus, or perhaps a prehistoric deep sea anemone, never seen by the light of day.

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X-MEN #10

“The Coming of…Ka-Zar!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen

IN A NUTSHELL
The X-Men fly to Antarctica to investigate reports of a loin-clothed man and his sabretooth tiger. They discover a tropical jungle inhabited by prehistoric monsters, and Angel flies off to scout the land. After a tribe of primitive savages attacks the X-Men and captures Jean, Ka-Zar arrives with Zabu. Due to a misunderstanding, Ka-Zar and the X-Men fight. Meanwhile, Angel is also captured by the savages. The X-Men and Ka-Zar team up to defeat the tribe, and rescue Jean and Warren.

WHAT’S HOT
HOT. Ka-Zar is unquestionably buff in his furry loincloth. And he hangs out with Zabu, the coolest cat ever. Together they are quite a striking image; you have to give them that.

WHAT’S NOT
QUESTIONABLE. However, all that being said, I question the cover’s claim that Ka-Zar is “unquestionably the most SPECTACULAR new character of the year!” Basically, he’s Tarzan, a strong man of the jungle, the adventure hero of a Saturday Matinee. We’ve seen this before. For Marvel to hold him up as “the most SPECTACULAR” does an injustice to all the other great characters they’re creating in “this, the Silver Age of Marvel Comics!”

AWKWARD. In previous issues we’ve seen first Scott, and then Jean, secretly pining for each other in melodramatic thought bubbles. Here they at least synchronize their thought bubbles in the same panel, but in the middle of this simple adventure story, the soap opera seems forced and out of place.

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Posted in Avengers, Fantastic Four, Giant-Man, Hulk, Meanwhile, Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish, Thor, Wasp, X-Men | Leave a comment

STRANGE TALES #130: Evil vs. Good

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Chrissy
Published: March, 1965

Published: March, 1965

“The Defeat of Dr. Strange”
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek

This issue of Strange Tales provided me with a jarring Jekyll and Hyde experience. It plunged me into the depths of despair, contemplating the nature of evil, yet also lifted me into the stratosphere of delight, recalling so many wonderful memories! Let’s get the nasty stuff out of the way first, so we can finish on a high note.

CROSS MY HEART & HOPE TO DIE
Are you at all surprised that it’s the Doctor Strange story—rather than Torch and Thing—that gives me this great feeling of foreboding? As Dormammu and Mordo team up to thwart our hero, we find so many villains acting so villainously that the malevolent atmosphere of the story caused me to contemplate the very nature and characteristics of evil—specifically, those of the super-villain.

To start with, super-villains don’t play fair. We know that, of course, but in this story, Dormammu gives a classic example by using shrewd pretzel logic to insist he is keeping his promise not to attack Doctor Strange, when actually, he is. Sure, he himself is not attacking Strange, but he gives Mordo extra special powers to do so. In the real world, if you hire a hit-man, you’re still guilty of a crime, right? Is it different in the Marvel Universe?

But that’s not even the point! Mostly, I’m wondering why Dormammu is even concerned with the honor of not breaking his promise. After all, he’s a freaking super-villain! Being dishonorable is what they DO, part of the job description. Perhaps Dormammu is taking pride in his crafty ability to keep his promise and yet break it at the same time? Does this make him feel smarter…more powerful? Or perhaps even…more evil than all the other garden-variety super-villains?

NO HONOR AMONG THIEVES
And then there’s this: Once Mordo becomes convinced Doctor Strange is in China, he group texts “all the dabblers in the mystic arts,” commanding them to locate Strange and report to him. But when a sorcerer in red finds Doctor Strange, this unnamed villain greedily tries to pry Strange’s secrets from him BEFORE delivering him to Mordo, as instructed. This, of course, gives Strange time to get away. Mordo should have known: if you lie down with pigs, you might get dirty. Or, at the very least, you might get hoodwinked.

This reminds me of that time in Avengers #3, when Namor and Hulk teamed up, but each is thinking about how he is just USING his partner to get what HE wants, and plans to drop his cohort in crime at the first possible moment. Super-Villains…you simply can’t trust them.

Now let’s contrast this image with what happens between Doctor Strange and the Ancient One’s accountant, Sen-Yu. As Strange implores Sen-Yu for help, Sen-Yu immediately says yes, of course, “My life is yours, if need be!” And he’s completely sincere.

NEVER ENOUGH
We know that super-villains love to talk about themselves in the third person, but another hallmark of their speech patterns is that so often they tend to speak in outlandish superlatives. At one point, Mordo exclaims, “I am about to cast a spell—one such as you have never dreamed of!!” Really? Is it not enough to cast a powerful spell, a great spell, a wonderful spell? Why does it have to be something that has never been dreamed of before, something no one could have ever imagined? Isn’t that simply…exhausting? I guess not, because among super-villains, it appears everything must be done BIGLY.

GOT ME!
But in the end, at least in this particular story, I find that the creators are the greatest super-villains of all, because they leave the story hanging, hooking us for multiple future issues! Russ tells me this is the first time we’ll have a story that spans not just two, but numerous issues. Thus assuring the creators that they will sell many many comic books—even perhaps, as some people are saying, a tremendous number of comic books—well into the future.

“Meet the Beatles!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Bob Powell
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen

Whew! Okay, I’m glad I’m done with that part of the book. Contemplating the nature of super-villains has put a damper on my spirits, so now I’ll lift those spirits by detailing how the accompanying Torch and Thing story, like a breath of fresh air, revived so many pleasant memories.

FAN FICTION
Let’s start with this: From the moment I saw the title, I knew that my pre-teen self would have squealed with delight over this story of two average girls getting thrown into the same orbit as THE BEATLES! Reading this, I’m ten years old again, writing myself a little fan fiction (decades before Fan Fiction was ever “a thing”) about a girl very much like myself just happening to meet Bobby Sherman. I don’t know how much the presence of the Beatles thrilled the average 1965 comic book audience, but years later, it works for me!

KNUCKLEHEAD
In the first two pages of this story, Torch and Thing use a total of seven different nicknames for each other (Match-head, Bird-brain, Big Buddy, Chuckles, Knucklehead, Glamor Pants, Half-Pint). Obviously, that’s way too many corny nicknames weighing down two pages, but… Ahhh! Knucklehead. Back in my college days, renting a ramshackle bug-infested house in “The Student Ghetto” with three roommates, we entertained an outdoor cat named Knucklehead. Yes, those were good times…

IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Help! As Thing gives chase, the robbers escape first on a rollercoaster, and then board an out-of-control Ferris wheel. Such shenanigans take me back not only to the slapstick screwball comedies of the 60’s (think Mad Mad Mad Mad World, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Who’s Minding the Mint?), but also the rollicking musical romps from my favorite TV show of the late 1960’s, The Monkees. To this day, I have a special place in my heart for screwball comedy in all its many forms.

AIN’T BACON
Finally, on the splash, we learn that the art for this story is by “Bouncin’ Bob Powell.” I’ve never seen his art before, and right now I’m thinking I would be fine if I never saw it again. Looking at my beloved characters I have to wonder, “Who ARE these people?” They sort of look like who I think they are but…not quite. And frankly, that’s a little creepy.

Oddly, this reminds me of something that happened a few years back, when we went to Hardee’s and saw a woman bring her breakfast back up to the counter, saying “I don’t know what this is, but it ain’t bacon!” Which doesn’t exactly sound like a wonderful story from my past…except that it is, because at the time, we were actually INSIDE the restaurant, with no face masks or hand sanitizers anywhere in sight. So I am now wistfully remembering those good ol’ days, when going into a restaurant was something that could be done on a regular basis, with no fear of sickness or death.

Sigh…

Those days will come again I know, and hopefully sooner, rather than later. But in my wildest dreams, a day may yet come when I actually get to meet Bobby Sherman, and he invites me for breakfast, and we eat (real) bacon and eggs together, as we reminisce about how lovely it was to be a young person in the 1960’s.

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Posted in Doctor Strange, Human Torch, Strange Tales | Leave a comment